Chapter 8: But Foalsitting Isn't Too Bad
Chapter 8: But Foalsitting Isn’t Too Bad
Shepard leaned against the door frame of Fluttershy’s back porch, watching the three fillies go about the incredibly serious business of setting up their ‘base of operations’ just right. To her side was an assortment of sandwiches, each with one bite missing and each with one bite’s worth of flowers and bread spit out next to them. “I think by this point it’s safe to say becoming a pony didn’t make me suddenly crave flowers, Fluttershy.”
“No, I guess not.” With an apologetic smile, the pegasus broke up the bread and slid the crumbs into a bag appropriately labeled ‘bread crumbs’. The flowers just got tossed in the trash. “Still, it never hurts to try new things, right?”
“Suppose not. Though it’s not doing much for my hunger.” As if to punctuate her statement, her stomach groaned again.
Giggling softly, Fluttershy stepped back into the kitchen. “The girls are probably going to have some s’mores going any second now. You could see if they’ll sha—” Fluttershy blinked at the sound of hooves rapidly leaving her porch and pounding across the back yard. Shaking her head with a little sigh, she glanced down at Angel. “It’s going to be an exciting weekend, Angel bunny.”
Trying to be as casual as an adult about to mooch food off of three children could, Shepard sidled closer to the three fillies. It seemed they’d finally sorted out who’s sleeping bag would go where, and the pegasus—Scootaloo—was in the process of stacking wood in the middle for a fire. The area around their little campsite had an obviously well used fire pit, leading Shepard to believe this wasn’t their first weekend camp out here. “So! Fluttershy says you girls are making…”
Then she saw them. Large bars of thick, rich chocolate made by some pony right in town. A big bag of equally locally crafted and delectably fluffy, puffy, white marshmallows. Also there were graham crackers, but Shepard’s recently acquired sweet tooth dismissed them as a necessary evil to hold the good parts together.
Scootaloo dumped the last of the wood for the fire in the pit, eyeing the adult pony from the corner of her eye. “S’mores? Yup. Want one?”
Or five. But she didn’t need to vocalize that. “Well, since you’re offering.” Shepard took a seat at the edge of the fire pit, waiting patiently while Applebloom banged rocks together. For a while. “Know what? Since you’re feeding me, how about I give you guys a hand with the fire, huh?”
By far the least fun part of camping, the fillies were more than happy to let her handle sparking the fire. The Crusaders watched in confusion as Shepard lifted her hoof toward the wood. Their eyes went wide as her omni-tool appeared around it and a small ball of flame splashed into the wood, igniting it into a roaring inferno. “Wasn’t sure if I’d be able to tone down the heat like that. Looks good though, huh?”
“How’d y’all do that?! Yer an earth pony!”
“Uhh… the magic of science? Now I believe I was promised s’mores.”
Frowning at the unsatisfying answer, the fillies went to work preparing the evening’s snacks. Sweetie Belle delicately laid out the graham crackers while Applebloom went about the task of spearing marshmallows on sticks. With her mouth. Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. “That doesn’t seem sanitary.”
Applebloom indignantly spat the stick out of her mouth. “What?! It is so! I brush my teeth just as good as anypony else, see?” She finished by flashing her teeth.
“ … Right. Sorry. Where I’m from, we don’t use our mouths for stuff like that.”
Scootaloo was regarding the strange mare curiously now. “Where’re you from?”
Shepard blinked. If their elders hadn’t told them about her, she figured it must be for a reason. “Uhh... Far away, a city called...” She wracked her brain. The various places she’d heard in conversation with the ponies tended to have horse themed names. “Horse...ing...ton. We use, uh… grabber things. It’s technical, don’t worry about it. Carry on.”
“Horsington? I never heard’a that. Where is it?”
“North.”
“North’a what?”
“Here.”
Huffing at yet another unsatisfying answer, the earth pony filly passed the sticks around to her friends, and offered one to Shepard in her teeth. Delicately, she took it in her forehooves, pinching the end tightly to keep a grip as she eased it over the flame. A smiling Sweetie Belle was soon doing likewise. “Neat! My face isn’t getting hot!”
As if some great epiphany had dawned over the little fillies that holding your head close to the fire would result in some discomfort, the other two likewise shifted the sticks from their mouths to their hooves. “Hey, that’s pretty cool, Miss Shepherd. What else do you do different?”
Shepard was about to respond when an alarmed gasp from Scootaloo at her side drew her attention. The little pegasus was just pointing at Shepard’s hip with the most horrified look the woman had ever seen a pony have. “What? What’s on me?”
Sweetie Belle glanced at Shepard’s other hip and likewise looked equally stricken. “You don’t have a cutie mark!”
“Eh? Oh, uh… Nope. No butt tattoo’s on me. Sorry.” Her marshmallow had just caught fire as she drew it out, blowing sharply on it and grinning toothily.
With stricken wails, the three fillies dashed into Fluttershy’s cottage, yammering a mile a minute. Shepard watched them go in confusion… Before scooping up the fallen marshmallows and helping herself to four s’mores.
It wasn’t long before Fluttershy approached, frowning gently. Shepard looked up with a mouth full of marshmallow and chocolate. “Wad I do?”
Sighing softly, Fluttershy shook her head. “Nothing, Shepherd. I suppose it’s a little bit my fault. You see, the girls formed a club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They do all sorts of activities trying to find their special talents.”
Now Shepard wrinkled her nose in confusion. “Whaddya mean find dem? Dun they know whad dey’re good ad?”
“For goodness’ sake, please swallow your food. You’re setting a bad example for the girls.”
Shepard urk’d softly and swallowed. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. And, um… No. Nopony can just be told what their special talent is, they have to discover it for themselves. It always happens eventually; at least that’s what we always told the girls. You see, a pony without a cutie mark can get teased about it by some of the other foals.”
“Ohhh… so seeing me—an adult—without one…”
Fluttershy nodded. “Scared them into thinking they’d never get their own. They’ve always been told it happens to everypony before they’re out of school.”
“Well should we just tell them the truth about me?”
Tapping her chin gently, Fluttershy considered the question. “Let’s just tell them most of the truth. You walked into poison joke and got turned into a pony.”
“And what do I say when they ask what I was before?”
“Oh. Well, um… Tell them you were a human. And that you come from very far away.”
Shepard shrugged. “Easy enough.” She followed Fluttershy back into the cottage. “By the way, how’s dinner coming?”
Fluttershy just sighed again and trudged back to the kitchen.
The muffled sounds of hushed whispering and giggling filtered in pretty clearly through Shepard’s window, but she didn’t much mind. It was a more pleasant sound to fall asleep to than screeching fruit bats or howling timberwolves.
Sighing contentedly, she snuggled a little deeper under the covers. It took a lot of wiggling, thrashing, and adjusting to get her new body comfortable on the bed, but eventually she hit that sweet spot. Just as her eyes were beginning to droop closed, alarmed knocking came from Fluttershy’s front door. Determined not to lose her perfect sleeping position, Shepard just stuffed her head beneath the pillows.
An undisturbed rest was not to be, unfortunately. Increasingly louder ‘ahems’ finally forced her to lift her head. The concern on Fluttershy’s face dispelled her lethargy. “What’s wrong?”
“There was a dragon attack at one of nearby towns. I take care of sick or injured animals all the time, so the Mayor’s asked me to go with the medical ponies and lend a hoof where I can.”
Shepard nodded, wide-eyed. “Well go ahead! Is the dragon gone? Do I need to come?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No the dragon left. But… Oh, I hate to ask, but— It’s the girls…”
Shepard looked out the window to where the three curious fillies could be seen staring back, wondering what was going on so late. “You need me to watch them? Sure. No problem at all.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. If I’m not back by morning, Applebloom knows the feeding schedule for all my animal friends. She comes to help out now and then to make a couple bits. Just ask her if you get into trouble. Oh, and, um… keep a close eye on them. Sometimes they can get into trouble.”
“Those little angels? I’ll be fine. I’ve wrestled with an ursa minor and handled everything the Everfree forest threw at me. I can handle the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’.” She finished with a grin.
To her slight irritation, Fluttershy didn’t look so sure. “Alright. I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Thank you, Shepherd.”
Shepard walked her to the door, waving as Fluttershy flew out to the waiting medical convoy. Turning back from the front door, she nearly leapt out of her skin at the sight of three huge pairs of eyes gazing up at her. How the hell had they been so quiet?
“Where’s Fluttershy going?”
“Is everythin’ alright?”
“Nopony’s hurt, are they?”
Shepard cleared her throat. “There was a dragon problem at the next town over. I guess the Mayor rounded up everyone who could help and sent them along, Fluttershy included. The dragon’s gone though, so she’ll be just fine. She asked me to look after you guys while she’s away so, uh… Guess it’s just us.”
The fillies all exchanged a quick, quiet look with one another. “Alright, Miss Shepherd. Well, we’ll see ya tomorrow. We’re real tired and such.”
The other two nodded along with Applebloom’s words as they quickly dashed from the cottage. Shepard watched with a raised eyebrow, but shrugged and trudged back to bed.
“MORNIN’!”
“Wah hah!” Shepard flailed wildly at the sudden bellow in her ear and flipped over backwards out of the bed, landing hard on her back. Groaning softly, she cracked an eye open, fixing the offender with a baleful glare.
Applebloom peered at her from the other side of the bed. “Oops. Did I scare ya?”
Taking a deep breath, Shepard forced a small—if sleepy—smile. “Just a little. Did you need something?”
“Well it’s breakfast time. Me an th’ girls wanted somethin’ t’ eat before we get t’ our crusadin’ t’day.”
“Oh… ehhhh…” Shepard looked down at her forehooves. “Tell you what? Why don’t you guys try getting cutie marks in cooking? Breakfast is all up to you today.”
The little filly’s ears perked. “Really?! Nopony ever lets us cook anythin’! I’ll tell the girls! Just you wait, Miss Shepherd y’all are in for a treat!”
“Oh! hey, wait! Uh… Fluttershy said you knew how to feed all her animals, right?”
Applebloom paused at the door. “Uh huh. Don’t worry; we’ll take care’a that too!”
“Great! Thanks, kid.” Shepard chuckled softly to herself as she rolled back to all fours, rising with a stretch to work the kinks out of her back. It wasn’t like her to sleep past the sunrise, and even less like her to get snuck up on by a little filly in her sleep. This stupid bed was making her soft. That or she was feeling safe for the first time in eight months. Running a hoof drowsily through her mane, she contemplated just curling up for a little while longer.
Her eyes fell on the pile of armor and the three guns stacked next to it. With a grunt, she looked about for a place safe from little fillies to stash them. Delicately taking them in her mouth, she stood on her hind legs and crammed them one after the other onto the highest shelf she could reach. “After school special about gun safety is the last thing I need.”
Shepard’s ear twitched at the sound of commotion out in the kitchen. Making a half-assed attempt to tidy her bed, she nudged open the door to the cottage proper and stepped through, instantly wishing she hadn’t.
Bowls heaped with stacks of food taller than herself dotted the main room here and there, the various pellets, fruit, and vegetables overflowing and spilling out onto the floor. An uncomfortable amount of black smoke was spewing up from the stove, toaster, and most curious of all, the glasses of juice. Applebloom proudly watched the animals gorge themselves on the huge piles of food while Sweetie Belle hummed a lovely tune to herself as she ‘cooked’.
Scootaloo watched nervously as Shepard looked around slowly, before simply seating herself at the table. The young pegasus nervously set the table for four. “You, uh… You’re not mad about anything?”
Shepard shrugged. “What’s there to be mad at?”
“Well, y’know… the overfed animals? The super burnt breakfast?”
“Eh. They’ll stop eating when they’re full, right? And what’s a little bit of char around the edges?” Her eyebrows rose as the food was laid out; mostly the char was all over the everything. “No grass or flowers?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head proudly. “Nope! Toast, eggs, and orange juice!”
Shepard flashed her a toothy smile. “Great! Let’s eat!” Scootaloo and Applebloom watched more than a little surprised as Shepard began gorging herself on the blackened fare.
Sweetie just smiled ear to ear. “You really like it?!”
Swallowing a mouthful of smokey juice, Shepard shrugged. “I’ve eaten worse than this. It beats roasted Popper.”
The earth pony and pegasus fillies exchanged an ‘is she kidding?’ look before they snuck toward the kitchen to get some cereal. Sweetie Belle herself happily joined in the well done breakfast. As the group ate, Shepard became aware of an impatient thumping sound coming from the floor. Glancing down, she found that obnoxious white rabbit glaring up at her. “What’s his deal?”
Applebloom shrugged. “Fluttershy makes him special meals all the time.”
“So why didn’t you make him his special meal?”
“I dunno the right way t’do it, ma’am. If it ain’t just right, he don’t eat.”
Shepard swallowed a bite of egg that contained a healthy amount of shell. “Oh. Guess he don’t eat today then, huh? It’s the regular stuff or nothin’, buddy. I’m babysitting, not rabbit sitting.”
“Hey! We’re not babies!”
The adult in the room eyed the protesting pegasus. “No, uh... it’s an expression. I know you’re not babies. It’s a human thing.” Three soft ‘ohhhs’ rose up from the fillies. “Alright! Well, I’m full and I’m gonna grab a bath. You guys take care of the dishes, alright?”
“Ain’tcha even gonna help?”
Shepard shrugged helplessly. “Sorry kid. I’m not trying to be lazy, I just can’t use my hooves like you guys do. I don’t normally have ‘em, remember?”
Again the trio ‘oh’d’ together and went to the task of cleaning the dishes without further complaint. Smiling at how well she’d been handling her duties so far, Shepard trotted up to the bathroom and with some effort got the hot water running in the tub. Poking around at some of the soaps and oils the mare of the house kept, Shepard picked a pleasant lavender one, giving it a bit of a squeeze and adding some scent to the water. With a heavenly sigh, she eased into the tub and settled her rump on the bottom.
Taking a bath with a coat of fur was definitely a different experience than taking one without. Similar to how heavy her hair got when wet, her entire body felt like it put on twenty pounds in a second. Grunting with dissatisfaction, she worked her back against the tub and propped herself up. Glaring down at her foreign body silently for a time, she twisted and turned her forehooves this way and that. Her eye was drawn to her tail as it floated in the water. “Hmph. Back to normal tomorrow... Just one day.”
She focused on her right forehoof, where her omni-tool was nestled beneath the softer flesh. “ … I don’t miss him. So he’s been there all day every day for eight months. He’s a jerk.”
Her ears swiveled toward the door at the sound of excited hooves thundering her way. Raising a bit further out of the water, she yelped in alarm as the fillies barged into the bathroom and one after the other cannonballed their way into the water. “Wh— what’re you doing?!”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SPA PONIES!” Shepard was reasonably sure her mane was blown straight back at the volume as all three girls shrieked their response at once.
“Cutie mark wha—” She was interrupted as Applebloom seized her hind legs and yanked her hooves up and out of the water, causing her front end to slip beneath. Luckily, her new muzzle was just long enough to keep her nostrils out of the water and allow her to breathe. It was also fortunate because she had to take a very deep breath not to lose her cool.
About to rise back up and calmly ask the girls to leave her hooves be, her eyes widened at the sudden and very foreign sensation of a hoof-file being run across her hind hooves. She didn’t know if it was a pony thing, or if they were extra sensitive because she used to be human, but it tickled. A lot. Flailing wildly and trying to tug her hind legs free of Applebloom’s alarmingly strong grip, Shepard felt more helpless than she had in a long time.
Mercifully, the torment ended and her hind legs were allowed to drop back beneath the water. Gasping for breath, she had little time to rest as the crusaders went to work on her forehooves. “Hey, watch her legs! She’s bucking!” Shepard grunted as a weight settled on her stomach and she felt the tiny filly pin her legs down.
If the girls noticed the furious look on the mare’s face as she surfaced from the water once finally released, it didn’t show. All they were doing was eagerly looking at their flanks. “Aww... No cutie marks.”
“Of course we ain’t got ‘em yet! We’re not done!”
Shepard’s sopping ears folded back. “You’re not?”
“Course not! We gotta do the shampoo next!”
Shepard closed her eyes and sighed. She could reprimand them, but she couldn’t exactly electrocute or buck a bunch of little kids. And somehow, she doubted a stern talking to would get through to this bunch. Her musings were interrupted by a thick glob of thick sticky... shampoo?
“Sweetie Belle, are y’all sure that’s shampoo?”
“Uh huh! It’s some of Fluttershy’s honey-scented!”
“I thought Fluttershy used some kind of wildflower shampoo?”
At Scootaloo’s words, the three fillies looked from the bottle in Sweetie Belle’s hooves, to the copious amounts of honey sprayed out over Shepard’s mane, across her back, and just to the end of her tail. The little unicorn offered the mare a nervous smile. “Oops?”
“Alright so here’re the rules for the day. No leaving the backyard. No going into my room. And no more feeding the animals.” Shepard’s eyes drifted toward the squirrels, mice, chipmunks, and various other woodland creatures lazing about with bulging stomachs.
“Your mane, uh… Looks pretty cool.”
Shepard glanced at Scootaloo as she spoke. It turned out getting honey out of your hair is a long, unpleasant affair, so she’d settled for getting ‘most’ of it out and using the rest to slick her hair back. “Thanks. So I’ll be inside, I dunno, looking at pictures in Fluttershy's books or something. If you need me, just holler, alright?”
The girls nodded cheerfully and whirled about, rushing to their little campsite and chatting excitedly. Shepard shook her head, watching them go. Honey in her hair wasn’t a great start to the day, but it wasn’t like it was an earth shaking catastrophe. With one quick look toward the fillies as they hunched over some papers, Shepard stepped back into the cottage. Carefully stepping around the bloated animals, she maneuvered her way to one of the book shelves.
Passing over the alarming amount of books bearing images she assumed belonged to saucy romances, she sighed and stepped into her portion of the cabin again. Her eyes drifted to the small drawer that contained a not inconsiderate amount of Equestrian money, a gift from her royal friend. Luna had insisted she take the coin just in case she’d wanted to go into town. Feeling an overwhelming amount of boredom growing, she was sorely tempted.
“Miss Shepherd?”
Shepard turned to find the three fillies standing in her doorway. “What? Is something wrong?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “No. We were just wondering if we could ask some questions? We’re reporters for the Foal Free Press!”
Scootaloo bobbed her head in a nod. “Yeah! We wanna know all about you! What’d you look like before the poison joke!? And where d’you come from? Did you always live in the Everfree?”
Frowning a little now, Shepard glanced to her armor piled in the corner. “I can tell you a little. I dunno if Fluttershy mentioned this, but I lost a lot of my memories. They’re only just now starting to come back, but I’ll answer anything I can. How’s that?”
Pads of notepaper and pencils materialized in the little ponies’ eager hooves as if by magic. “Question one! What’d y’all look like?”
Shepard grinned. “Well that’s an easy one.” Calling up her omni-tool, she frowned at the tiny finger-sized keys for a moment. Delicately maneuvering the tip of a hoof over the size controls, she enlarged them as big as they could go. Smirking a little at the fillies’ rapt, wide-eyed gaze, she tapped at the enlarged interfaces with agonizing slowness. “Alright so this is the old me.”
A panel emerged displaying her human self. The digital Shepard was jogging through the Everfree. Shepard winced as she recognized the video footage as one of her more gruesome boar hunts. She paused the image just as she was about to leap onto the unsuspecting animal, knife in hand. “Ehe! So, uh… So that’s me!”
As one, the trio looked from the image, then to the increasingly uncomfortable looking mare. “So you used to walk around on just two legs?”
Shepard’s eyes widened at the dodged bullet, hastily dismissing the screen. “I did! Yes.”
“Did’ya walk around on four sometimes?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Two legs all the time.”
Now it was Scootaloo’s turn. “How come you walk so good as a pony then? Do you have some kinda super cool… learn to… walk good magic?”
“Sorta!” Fiddling around with her omni-tool, a new set of images appeared. “Alright so, this is me right?” At a nod from the girls, she tapped the panel. Her flesh and muscle peeled away revealing her skeleton and cybernetics. “This is me on the inside.”
Sweetie Belle looked a little green around the gills, but the other two leaned forward curiously. “Cooooool.”
Applebloom waved a hoof at the image. “What’re all them shiny bits?”
“Those are my, uh… implants. I won’t get too technical—mostly because I can’t—but they do all sorts of things for me. They make me stronger, faster, tougher, and more agile. Give me perfect balance so I never trip. I guess when the poison joke did this to me, they kept on doing their job.”
All three were scribbling furiously, even Sweetie Belle, who was studiously ignoring the skinless picture of a metal filled pony in the air overhead. “So what’re you called? Your kind, I mean.”
“Oh! Well I’m a human. And before you ask, I don’t remember where I come from. The earliest memory I have is waking up in the Everfree. I lived there for a little more than eight months before I met Fluttershy and her friends.”
More rapid scribbling. Shepard settled on the floor as the girls came up with more and more questions. She answered them as best she could. They took breaks for lunch and supper; otherwise the bulk of the day was spent with the interview. Everything she could remember about herself she happily shared… minus that she came from another world. She recounted her exploits in the Everfree, particularly enjoying the girls’ loud ‘ewwwww’ at the mention of eating parasprites.
Notebooks filled and pencils worn down to nubs, the girls finally seemed satisfied as the sun began to set. “Wow; whole day’s gone already. Figured you girls would be doing more cutie mark crusading instead of talking to me all day.”
“Are you kidding? You’re the coolest thing that’s happened to Ponyville since Twilight became a Princess! You’re big news. A whole new species living right here. Everypony’s gonna flip when they read this!”
Shepard frowned at Sweetie Belle’s excitement. “They, uh… they probably will, won’t they?”
As the three nodded eagerly, the mare’s frown deepened. “Can you girls do me a favor and not put in where I’m staying? I don’t like big crowds, and if a whole bunch of ponies show up at Fluttershy’s door, it’d make me and her uncomfortable.”
The crusaders smiles dimmed as they considered that. After hushed discussion, Applebloom finally nodded. “Sure thing, Miss Shepherd. We won’t breathe a lick about where y’all are stayin’.”
“Thanks, girls. Now it’s getting kinda late, I think. Why don’t you get ready for be—” Her request was interrupted by a tremendous shrieking roar coming from outside. It was loud enough to cause the windows of the cottage to vibrate. The three fillies immediately wailed with fear and huddled beneath Shepard’s legs.
Eyes darting about rapidly, Shepard looked to the shivering fillies. “Girls, does Fluttershy have a basement?”
Applebloom nodded quickly. “It’s where she keeps all her animal food!”
“Okay, good. I want you all to get down there quick. Hide as best you can, and don’t come out until I or someone else comes to get you. Do you understand?”
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom rushed toward the main cottage without delay. Scootaloo looked back to find the adult gazing out the window, ears perked forward as another wailing roar ripped through the air. “ … Aren’t you coming?”
Shepard shook her head. “Whatever’s making all that noise is heading for town, and if all the doctors are at the next town over, if anyone gets hurt there’s not gonna be anyone around to patch them up. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself. You just get downstairs. Go on now.”
Scootaloo’s ears flattened as a third roar pierced the air. “Y— yes, ma’am. Be careful…”
Shepard didn’t wait any longer. She was out the back door like a cream-colored rocket, racing across the lane toward town. She could hear the screams of alarmed, frightened, or pained ponies carried on the wind now. She skidded to a halt as she drew closer, and could see the source of the racket.
It was a dragon. A very big dragon. Not quite the size of the one in the Everfree, but definitely bigger than the ursa minor. It’s scales were a sickly greenish color, and even from this distance away she could see some kind of greenish fluid oozing between them. Something in the air caught its eye and it lifted its head, wailing again and breathing a gout of white-hot fire. Shepard started running again as the monster vaulted into the air in pursuit of a chillingly familiar rainbow contrail.
As the woman-turned-mare got closer, she could see other pegasi in the air. Rainbow Dash was gamely leading the dragon on a good chase, slowing just enough to make it think it had her, but speeding away at the last second. Overhead, the other pegasus ponies were gathering up copious amounts of angry black storm clouds.
The sound of more hooves approaching from behind momentarily drew Shepard’s attention. The taciturn Big McIntosh was pounding her way, a couple more earth pony stallions Shepard didn’t recognize right behind him. Spotting Shepard, his eyes widened in alarm. “M’ sister alright?!”
She nodded. “She and the other girls are hiding in the basement! I came to help!”
He shifted the stalk of wheat clenched tightly in his jaws as he looked up at the sky. “Not much we can do from down here.” He eyed her sideways. “Lookin’ good by the way, Miss Shepherd.”
She didn’t even question how she knew it was her. Realizing he was right, Shepard once again cursed her hooves. If she had her hands, she’d at the least be able to fire a few rounds off at the thing. Maybe blind it? As it was for now… she was helpless.
The weather team of Ponyville was frantically working to whip up a big enough storm to generate strong enough lightning to hurt a dragon of that size. A black stallion with a stark white mane and tail flew back and forth, occasionally striking the growing storm with his hooves and nodding at the satisfyingly loud peal of thunder each strike brought. “We’re almost good to go! Keep it up ponies! Dash isn’t going to be able to keep those speeds up forever!”
Everypony had the utmost faith in their captain’s ability to avoid getting crunched or flambéed… for a time. Eventually though, even Rainbow Dash’s stamina had to wane, and when that happened, it’d be over for her. “Blossomforth! How’s the evacuation coming?!”
The mare with the pink and green mane pumped her wings, rushing to his side. “Almost done, Thunderlane! Everypony’s headed out for Sweet Apple Acres for now! We can cut loose whenever you’re ready!”
He nodded. “Good! Alright everypony, I want half of us pushing the storm while the other half is on rain duty. Some of these bolts might miss and hit homes and businesses! Put out those fires as soon as you see them, got it?!”
Thunderlane was rewarded with a round of ‘yes sirs!’ from his fellow weather ponies. Flashing below the clouds, he waved frantically to get Rainbow Dash’s attention. She must have seen him, because she banked hard and started leading the rampaging monster toward the storm. Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, the stallion swooped back atop the storm. “Alright! Team one, keep this storm alive! Team two get ready to put out some fires! Let’s do this, ponies!”
Nervously, wild cheers rose up from his fellow pegasi as he stood atop the rumbling storm clouds. The second Rainbow Dash blurred beneath the storm, he reared on his hind legs and brought his forehooves crashing down into the storm clouds. Living up to his namesake, the resultant clap of thunder was loud enough to match the dragon’s roaring. A massive bolt of lightning streaked out and struck the monster square in the back, sending it careening toward the ground, roaring in pain and fury the whole way.
“It’s down! Get these clouds down! Move it! Move it!” He lent his own wing power to pushing the storm lower. He felt a moment of relief as Rainbow Dash joined him.
“You aimin’ for my job, Thunderlane?”
“N— no, ma’am! Just filling in while you’re being the big hero!”
Tossing him a wink, Dash kicked off the clouds to go for another pass at the dragon. “Too bad, it’s kinda sexy!”
Feeling himself puff up about three times larger at the news, he would definitely have to be more assertive around his boss in the future. Provided they all live through this mess.
As soon as the dragon smashed into the ground and through one of the homes in Ponyville, Big Mac and the other earth ponies were already charging. Several of them—McIntosh included—carried sturdy ropes. Shepard split off from the main body of earth ponies, veering around toward the dragons’ side. Periodic bolts of lightning hammered the dragon and the ground around it from the descending clouds. An errant fire or two was swiftly put out by a fast acting pegasus with a rain cloud.
She had to admire the efficiency and teamwork displayed by the ponies. She was starting to see how it was they wound up the dominant species of their planet. It was an impressive display, and one free of unicorn magic so far as she could see. Ponyville was predominantly an earth pony community, she recalled.
Just when the earth ponies felt their intervention might not be needed, the dragon’s head snapped up with alarming speed, and its jaws gaped open, loosing a torrent of flames up into the clouds. Alarmed cries of pain and fear rose from the surprised pegasi as their storm was blasted apart. Shepard’s heart clenched as she saw one of them falling toward the ground, trailing flames. He was saved from a nasty crash by Rainbow Dash, who blazed through a rain cloud with him, dousing the flames.
Then it was their turn to take the monster on. Mac himself led his fellow earth ponies and threw the first rope, expertly looping it around the dragon’s snout and snapping it shut. Shepard could see his impressive muscles straining, and slowly but surely, he was dragging the thing’s head lower. The furious reptile began to thrash its neck back and forth, but Mac displayed amazing strength and dug in. As the dragon spread its wings to bring them into the escape attempt, more ropes from the other ponies lashed out, snaring them and pulling them to the ground.
The incensed dragon’s tail thrashed wildly as it struggled and clawed to get free. Shepard maneuvered around toward the backside of the beast, ducking and diving away from the thrashing tail. Timing her moves perfectly, she sprinted forward as it passed overhead, kicking off the ground in a vaulting leap. As she soared toward its backside, she hardened her omni-tool into a powerful blade, plunging it down into the dragon’s haunches. The hard-light blade cut through the scales like a hot knife through butter.
Renewed pain caused the dragon to thrash all the harder. Shepard tenuously maintained her hold thanks to her dug in omni-blade, but the earth ponies were being flung about by the frenzied attempts to free itself. Big Mac was the last to hold on, even being lifted off the ground a few feet before he was forced to let go. Then the dragon was airborne once more. Soaring through the gathering storm clouds, scattering them and the pegasi tending them in all directions, it gained altitude while writhing its hindquarters in an attempt to dislodge the irritating pain in its backside.
The wind was stinging her eyes and blowing her mane back from her face, but Shepard refused to budge. Once or twice she tried to drag herself along its back, but she couldn’t get a decent grip with her hooves. “You know earth ponies aren’t supposed to fly, right?!”
She looked over to find Rainbow Dash pumping her wings to keep pace with the dragon. Despite her joking words, the pegasus had a more serious expression on her face than Shepard had ever seen. “Your firend… he gonna make it?”
Dash shook her head. “Dunno, I’m not a doctor. He’s breathing, but he’s burned bad. Your thing there can cut him, huh? Want me to get you to a better spot to cut?”
Shepard flashed a feral grin and nodded. Dash edged in closer and looped her forelegs under Shepard’s. The earth pony retracted her omni-blade and came loose, Dash easily supporting her weight. Once they were free, the pegasus sped up. “Head or heart?”
“Head! I dunno how far in his heart is!” Shepard was a little surprised by the options. Now being presented with them, they were the obvious targets, but she didn’t think any of the ponies she’d met had such steel in them. Then again, this thing attacked her home and maybe fatally wounded one of her friends.
She pulled herself from her thoughts as Rainbow Dash sped ahead of the dragon. “You’re crazy Shepherd! I knew I liked something about you!”
“Right back atcha, Rainbow Dash!” And then they were diving right for its head. The beast spotted them coming of course, and spread its maw for another blast of fire. Rainbow Dash jerked to the side just in time to avoid the worst of it, but she and Shepard were still trailing a bit of smoke. Shepard narrowed her eyes and ignored the pain as she focused her omni-tool into a blade again. Dash released her just above the dragon’s snout, and her velocity rocketed her to the space between its eyes, her omni-blade biting in deep.
If it roared in pain from being stabbed in the butt, it shrieked twice as hard from the impalement to the forehead. Its wings began to flail spastically as it raised its claws, trying frantically to swipe the weaving pony off its snout. It didn’t seem to be dying anytime soon, so Shepard released an overload from her omni-tool directly into the dragon’s fleshy head. It began to jerk wildly again, but it was still flying and clawing at her. Ignoring the myriad of warnings buzzing from the electronic interface, she growled. “Override safeties!”
The alarms ceased and the electricity intensified. Shepard grit her teeth as tears of pain leaked from her eyes unbidden at the screaming agony shooting from her right forehoof and up the leg to her shoulder. Soon, her own screams joined the dragon’s as she forced more and more energy through her omni-tool and into the monster’s head. With a sickening squelch, her tool—and a number of the implants along her leg—overloaded and fried, the small explosion blasting her away from the dragon, which tumbled lifelessly through the air toward the ground in a free fall.
Shepard was dimly aware of Rainbow Dash catching her as she fell. “Sweet Celestia, that was aweso— your hoof!” Blearily, Shepard looked down at her right hoof. The bottom had—for lack of a better word—blown out, leaving a bloody mess of the soft squishy flesh protected by the hard exterior. The fur along most of her foreleg had burned off, and similar open wounds bled freely where the implants had blown.
“I’m… I’m fine… just get me… get me down…” Shepard was feeling increasingly woozy, likely from the blood loss.
Rainbow Dash landed in the town square, gingerly laying the pale mare on her side. “Oh jeez whaddo I do?! Whaddo I do?!”
Other ponies had begun to gather. Big Mac frowned down at the badly hurt Shepard and panicking Rainbow Dash. “Yer gonna fly t’ Detrot an fetch us somepony who can take care’a this is what. Now git!”
Freezing in mid-hop, Dash nodded rapidly and took off faster than the eye could follow. “Still gonna take her a bit t’ get somepony t’ help. Head t’ the clinic an’ get me all a’ the bandages y’can. She ain’t gonna last long if we don’t stop this bleedin’.”
Several pegasi complied, flying in the direction of the hospital. Shepard weakly motioned Mac closer. “My… my armor. The parts over my legs. G— get it… fast.”
More a stallion of action than words, Mac complied without comment. He wasn’t a racer like Rainbow Dash, but he could sprint with the best of them when he was roused to action. The cobblestone streets cracked under his hooves as he pounded through town toward Fluttershy’s place as fast as he could. He nearly blew the door right off the hinges, barreling into Shepard’s room. A quick look around revealed the armor in question. Nudging most of it aside, he seized the requested part in his teeth and wheeled around, galloping back toward town.
Part of him was screaming to check on Applebloom, but hurt ponies came first. He might feel uneasy around the weird Shepard when she wasn’t a pony, but right now, she was the mare who saved his home. The crowd had grown around the wounded pony, as had the number of wounded. He barely recognized Thunderlane through all the burns covering his body. He slowed and set the armor near Shepard, frowning. “Now what?”
With some effort, she dragged it closer, fumbling at one part of her greaves. With a faint hiss, a small panel popped open, revealing a weird looking needle and a tube full of some kind of greenish goop. “Stick the… the gel in the injector. Put it to the skin… and push.”
Nodding Mac lifted the tube of gel with amazing delicacy for a creature so huge. Equally gently, he held the injector and slowly fitted the tube inside. When he moved to place it against the mare’s flank, she shook her head slowly and nudged him toward Thunderlane. “Needs it… needs it more…”
“Ma’am, y’ain’t lookin’ so hot yerself.”
Gritting her teeth a little, she shoved him harder. “Don’t argue! Just… just do it.”
With some reluctance, he moved to Thunderlane’s side and pressed the strange needle against his blistering flank. Tapping the button atop the odd device, he nearly dropped it when it whirred and injected the goo right into the stallion. Everypony stepped back, amazed as the worst of his burns seemed to heal some. His breathing evened out, and while he didn’t wake, he was looking much healthier.
The same couldn’t be said for Shepard. The pegasi had returned and were wrapping her wounded leg and hoof as quickly as they could. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Big Mac looking toward her flank in surprise as a silver flash lit the dark town square.
A steady beeping sound roused Shepard from a pleasantly deep sleep. Frowning in annoyance, she flailed her arm toward the noise, wincing when her hand hit something hard and metal. She frowned and blinked her eyes open. She was in an unfamiliar room. It smelled way too clean and was way too white. A hospital. She looked down at herself, confused. One arm was heavily bandaged, while the other was limply hanging off the edge of the bed.
The important detail was she had arms again. Lifting her head in confusion, she looked back and forth. Through the windows, she could see a surprised pony mare with a nurse’s cap atop her head racing off, probably to get a doctor.
“Hey.”
She turned her head in the other direction, toward the voice. It was the stallion from the dragon attack. A lot of his burns looked healed up, but he was still missing a lot of fur. “Uh… Hi.”
He cracked a smile. “Mac says you saved my life. That, uh… whatever it was you had him give me.”
Shepard was too tired to panic about being in an unfamiliar hospital surrounded by ponies. She just shrugged and cocked a sleepy smile. “It was nothing.”
The stallion’s smile faded. “No it wasn’t. I would have died, and you saved my life, Miss Shepherd. You probably saved a lot of other lives that night too. You’re a hero.”
Shifting uncomfortably at the praise, Shepard looked away. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s Thunderlane, ma’am.”
“Well Thunderlane, it’s not miss or ma’am. Just Shepard. Deal?”
His smile returned as he nodded. “Deal.”
“So Thunderlane, do you know what happened?”
“A little. Rainbow Dash came back with a shrieking Doctor Soothing Touch in tow. He used some healing spells to stop the bleeding. They had to do a blood transfusion, but Big Mac was a match so he volunteered.”
Shepard frowned. Did ponies just happen to have identical blood types to humans, or was her pony blood a match? How would that affect her now that she was human again? “I see.”
“Then Princess Twilight Sparkle got here, and that little, uh… glowing thing on the disc walked the doctors through how to fix up all that stuff in your arm. I didn’t see the surgery, but they seemed to think it went well. Then Zecora showed up and painted you with this crazy stuff and you turned into, um... that.”
Her eyes drifted toward her bandaged arm again. “Guess I’ll need to talk to Legion soon.”
“I was hoping you’d be willing to talk to me first, if that’s quite alright?” A new voice asked.
Pony and human turned to look at the doorway. Somehow neither had noticed the approach of the towering white alicorn with the flowing rainbow hued mane. Thunderlane’s eyes went wide, and Shepard had to hold in a snort of laughter as he tried to bow while lying on his back in bed.
The pony who could only be Luna’s sister, Princess Celestia, smiled warmly. “Please rest, my little pony. You were very brave, from what I’m told. It is my very great honor to present you with this.” Her horn glowed with a warm golden light as she levitated a small wooden box to Thunderlane’s lap.
Gingerly, the stallion eased it open, gasping softly. “This is the heart of Equestria! O— only the greatest heroes of the kingdom receive this!”
The Princess simply nodded. “And for you as well, Miss Shepherd. Without your heroic actions, I’m sure many of my beloved subjects would have been badly hurt, or worse. From what I’m told, you nearly gave up your own life for Thunderlane’s sake as well.”
Shepard gazed down at her own medal. A small heart attached to a ribbon with both Princess’ profiles engraved on either side. “Well… Thanks. I was just trying to help.”
Celestia smiled warmly once more. “So you did. Your medal isn’t the only thing you earned from the terrible night as well.”
Shepard raised her eyebrows questioningly. Celestia simply nodded toward the woman’s hips. Curiously, she lifted the blanket, gazing down at her exposed skin. On her hip she could clearly see a red star with a blue wing overlapping it. Eyes widening, she frantically lifted the other side of the blanket. There she had the blue wing with the star overlapping.
“Congratulations, Shepherd Commander, you have earned your cutie mark.”
“I… But… Cutie… Human?”
Celestia laughed softly at the human’s obvious confusion. “The choices we make in life leave their marks on us, Shepherd Commander. For good or ill, each action we take has consequences. The scars on your body tell a story of pain and suffering, but the bright light of your soul speaks of a good, warm nature. Your marks are those of a virtuous champion for the weak, for those who cannot protect themselves.”
Shepard’s sputtering fell silent as she listened to the soft words of the regal alicorn. “Our cutie marks are simply another one of these marks that life leaves on us. I’m not entirely sure what your own cutie mark means, but it may have some personal meaning to you. As for how you still have it in your proper shape, I cannot say for certain. I for one believe it is a sign that Equestria herself has accepted, and welcomed you to our land.”
Quietly, the woman moved her good hand toward her hip, gently rubbing the colorful mark on her flesh. “I… see.”
Celestia stepped back through the doorway. “For now, there is somepony else who wishes to see you. I hope that you and I will get a chance to speak at length in the very near future. Rest well, Shepherd, and know that you have the gratitude of Equestria’s princesses.”
Shepard looked up, frowning in confusion. Who else was here to see her? Probably Twilight with Legion. Her eyes widened slightly as Luna stepped through the door. She inclined her head to the silently watching Thunderlane, before returning her focus to the woman. “Hello, Shepherd.”
Awkwardly, Shepard raised her hand in greeting. “Uh… hey, Luna. How was your royal business?”
The Princess of the Night laughed delicately, a musical sound Shepard always enjoyed hearing. “It went well. Though I wish I had been in Canterlot last night. My sister and I could have saved you this suffering.”
Flushing at all the attention being heaped upon her, Shepard looked away. “Well I’m fine. I’m just glad no one was badly hurt. Besides me, that is.”
She flinched as she felt fingers brush against her chin. A strong but delicate hand tilted her face forward. Shepard looked into the radiant sea green eyes of Luna, her cheeks burning all the hotter, realizing the Princess had assumed the humanoid shape she wore in her dreams. Before she could vocalize the question in her mind, Luna leaned in and softly brushed her lips against Shepard’s. “A kiss for the virtuous heroine of the day. I look forward to seeing you in Canterlot soon, Shepherd.”
Smiling coyly, the Princess turned and strode from the room, dark mist wrapping about her body and restoring it to her proper pony shape. Once she’d left, Shepard’s head fell back into the pillows heavily.
Thunderlane looked from Shepard to the door. “ … How come I didn’t get a kiss?”
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....... Romance plz?
[quoteThunderlane looked from Shepard to the door. “ … How come I didn’t get a kiss?”]I'm sure that will come later Thunderlane
Well, that was awesome, although I'm a bit iffy on the whole Cutie Mark thing.
Soo, is Shepards inner tech gone now? With the safeties off and all, something is bound to be destroyed.
3033404
Just most of the implants in her right arm.
3033459 Soo the omni tool and physical enhancing modifications in her arm?
Is that something that Legion can fix with medigel?
That was awesome! Certainly an interesting way to meet Celestia. Giving Shepard a medal and all. For killing a dragon no less! Wonder how her arm will look after the implants were blown out?
3033466
Not really with medi-gel. but it gets addressed in Chapter 9. (which is about halfway done)
3033470
The short answer is : it doesn't look nice.
VERY awesome chapter, I really enjoyed reading this one quite a bit!
Yay update! Sounds like Shepard's cutie mark is a mix of the paragon and renegade marks. Been a while since I've actually seen them though so I could be wrong. Nice chapter end.
Poor Thunderlane, all he got was a lousy medal!
Haha, the Paragon and Renegade symbols! Nothing's more appropriate to be Shepard's cutie mark than those!
First of all, thank you for brightening an otherwise awful monday at the office.
I was about to say that the scene with the dragon was over the top, then I realised it was... a very typical Shepard.
Finally, the novel titles in Fluttershy's cabin... haven't we established that Shepard can't read Equestrian?
P.S: Hey, she met three reporters and didn't punch any
3033486
Except maybe "N7", but yeah, good point.
3033477Not to mention all the medigel is gone right?
Oke, this was awesome. Just an everyday job for THE Shepard.
While I had hoped that you wouldnt ship Shep and Luna I would still like to see where this goes.
3033520
Oh derp, she can't read Equestrian haha. I and everyone who read it before I posted missed that. XD;;
A lot of action scenes I do tend to be a little over the top, mostly because over the top action scenes are cool.
3033545
I thought about the N7 and Alliance symbols. But Shepard definitely got bigger than either of those by the end of the series. Ultimately I feel that her ability to make these huge galaxy changing choices are what defines her.
3033561
Yup. The last of it got pumped into Thunderlane's butt.
this chapter....fucking awesome
Have you saved the galaxy lately?
...
Didn't think so!
It is a SPECTR's duty to protect the people of the galaxy against all threats, natural and otherwise. All Shepherd was doing was her duty but... I think it is entirely in-character that it is her True Talent to be a protector and a hero.
Thunderlane, the reasons you didn't get a kiss from the Princess are as follows:
1) You are not the savior of all sapient life, organic and synthetic, in the galaxy;
2) Luna doesn't have a crush on you.
Please pair Shepard with Luna!
3033404
It seems that it was only the tech in her arm that was destroyed, and even then I think it was implied that Legion and a team of doctors fixed them.
I sense a romantic sub-plot.
if she had ANY idea about the CMC
so, did the dragon have rabies or was it greed growth? I just hope it wasn't Spike
funniest line so far I think
looking forward to more
3033561 Well, some of the nanotechnology in Shepard's body is responsible for healing her (which is why she has no scars on the face) - since Legion advised the doctors on how to operate around the systems, clearly not all of them got fried.
3033611
Right, but...even if it is "just her duty," it doesn't mean it's not also her special talent. I like how her symbol is both Paragon and Renegade, as if to say that both are part of what makes Shepard who she is.
3033543 I second this response. so far... Almost the funniest thing I've read in this story.
Just played through Priority: Rannoch in ME3 >SPOLERS<
Didn't Legion sacrifice himself for the geth consensus? If so how in the world did he end up in Shepard's omni-tool?
Just kibitzing, I'm good at that...
MEN DONT REQUIRE KISSES THUNDERLANE!
unless they're hershey's. Then you need as many as you can get!
The CMC are going to be miffed that Shepard got a cutie mark after only a single day as a pony, and that she's still got it even though she's not a pony any more. :)
3033780
Backup?, Previous Version held on backing storage? Author Ret-con/Alternate Universe?
taking all bets
3033958 I was sort of thinking that Equestria is where all Mass Effect characters end up when they die...
3034023
by that logic shouldn't mordin and ashley/kaiden be in equestria?
would be an interesting reunion lol
“Your firend… he gonna make it?”
I want to be firends with the author.
Good stuff and all. Worth the read. Just wish you would stop with the potentially story killing venture of pairing Shepherd with anypony, more so the princesses, especially Luna. I will have to unfavorite it if this keeps up. I really don't like these human/pony pairings instories, I can bearly tolerate the ones with the human permanently turning into a pony.
Although I have to give props with Celistia giving that little speach about choices and Shepherd having a cuitie mark like a scar. Kind of poetic if you think about it and sort of indicative of MassEffect as a whole. Mind you I still think the Indoctrination Theory makes way more scene then the first or extended endings. Both suck no matter what AngryJoe says.
Either way, keep up the good work, but stop with the shipping, it is bringing down the story since I've rearly if ever seen them work in any serious works.
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5h32oA5if1qg9f9k.gif
NO!
3034327
You're... kinda a dork, you know that?
Dude. Shepard fucking BANGS a blue alien. A BLUE ALIEN!
Tell me, how is a pony such a far cry after fucking the various aliens of the galaxy? Pray, do tell?
3033958 3033780 Nah, legion is just awesome like that. Death only makes him stronger.
Spacecowboy? Would you pair shep with an Elcor? For me it is a little too close to that for me.
3034126
Mea 2!!!
Don't worry, Thunderlane. Dash will come kiss you, I bet.
Neutral Cutie Mark? Makes sense since her cybernetics and scars translated to her pony form, the cutie mark would come along for the ride back to human form.
Too bad it's going to be covered up most of the time by her armor. Also, has Shepard lost a limb now?
An awesome chapter as usual. I can certainly understand why you went the way you did with the CMC and the decision not to extend the pony Shepard time. As for the dragon, was it sick? Was that what the greenish fluid oozing from between its scales was about, or was it something a bit more sinister?
best chapter so far
thrugh most of it, haha
I was like
3033565I thought that one of the upgrades for the omni tool medi-gel was that it slowly replenished medi-gel over periods of time.
3033635
Yes and yes.
3033647
What was wrong with the dragon comes up in Chapter 9, and no Shepard didn't just stab Spike in the face and fry his brain. That'd be a bit too dark for me.
3033780
Yes he did and telling would be spoilers.
3033783
Princess kisses are sweeter than chocolate! It's a fact.
3034327
Sorry to say but the shipping isn't stopping anytime soon lol, better jump ship now. :x
3034476
She didn't LOSE the limb, but she's not going to be using her right arm in the near future.
3034480
It was sick.
3034401
Actually in the ME-verse Liara's father mentions she's mated with Hanar, Elcor, and some other weird alien. So humanoids sleeping around with non-humanoids actually does have precedent. That being said if any sleeping around is done with Shep and Luna, Luna would be in her own humanish shape.
3034665
Oh right you haven't seen nine yet. It was diseased. I called it scale rot or something equally silly.
3034670
....maybe! I don't remember, I'm very non-tiny detail oriented when I read and write anything. A lot of the technical stuff already mentioned in the story I either had to look up, or got from Loyal2Luna ...who frequently says I need to flesh details out here and there more. I REFUSE!
3034745Fleshing out details is important, but your story seems to be doing fine even without them. But yeah, I remember getting an upgrade to slowly auto replenish medi-gel somewhere in the storyline. Guess Shepard isn't a completionist.
just pointing this out...
'
as a fan of Macintosh (the pony and the apple) could you please fix this.