I - Departure and Arrival
Chapter I
Departure and Arrival
POV
Celestial Solaris
I trotted into the battered hospital, the scent of smoke still lingering throughout the halls and rooms. I looked around and noticed that everyone was looking at me.
"Uh, what's with the stare guys? I know I usually look badass but it's creepin' me out."
One injured soldier who was excessively wrapped in bandages stood up, "Well, ma'am, you are the one who helped Commander Shepard take down the Reapers, you're like, the only thing everyone talks about nowadays," everyone nodded and agreed, "It's not every day you see a white pony with a pink mane jump through a portal carrying guns," he pointed to my horn, "that powerful horn," Then pointed towards my flank, "and that sword and killed anything that isn't one of us," everyone agreed again.
I remembered when I first entered this dimension. I ended up falling through a portal into the middle of a full-scale war between the organics and Reapers. It was pretty obvious to me who the enemy plaguing this dimension was as they were the ugliest metallic squids that were seventy stories high and shot red laser beams of death. I immediately began slaughtering all of the enemies that were surrounding me who were confused as the organic forces. If course they fought back too, including the organics which was irritating. Since no one has ever seen a talking white pony with wings and horn and a pretty pink mane, they did what everyone would've done, which was either run, be confused as fuck or capture me. I let myself be captured as it wouldn't help my situation if I were walking around heavily armed to the teeth.
I was taken to a research facility on Earth's moon and they argued like hell about what to do with me and whether I was an asset or a liability. Until one guy walked in wearing N7 armor and vouched for me.
It was Commander Zane Shepard.
Actually, he didn't vouch for me, it was more of a walk straight through highly restricted areas, punch anyone who tried to stop him, kick in the cell door that was holding me in and proceeded to pick me up like a cat and walk back to the Normandy. Then everyone went against arguing, they just went with it, Zane got charged for multiple assaults on civilians and military personnel which were dropped by Captain Anderson and I just went through a few minor tests and checks and I ended up joined Zane's crew.
And we all proceeded to kick the Reaper's asses (if they have one cause I'm not sure if squids have asses) into the next galaxy.
"Flattered, uh," I looked around, "Any of you guys know where Commander Shepard is?"
A soldier pointed down the white hallway covered in black scorch marks and bullet holes, "Down that way to the left, room 314."
"Thanks," he nodded and saluted.
I walked through the damaged hallways of the hospital following the soldier's directions. To be honest, this was probably the best dimension I've ever been to and it's also the longest, seven months of almost non-stop warfare. Doing things like helping Joker pilot the Normandy or attempting to see if Liara's hair tentacles can move or making fun of Kaidan. I looked down at the dirty tiled floor as my face saddened.
I'm gonna miss this place.
Once I leave a dimension, I can not go back, I could go back since I'm almost as powerful as 'God' and I can create my own portals but he wouldn't like that. So I'm gonna have to deal with it, this is my job I guess. It's either stay and have 'the talk' with him or go to the next dimension that is in distress, he'll have my hide if I didn't do my job. He's a pretty nice guy once you get to know him. If you ever get a chance to meet him. You're probably wondering what he looks like, he's like this weird floating blob of light, not some old guy with a two-foot long beard that everyone thinks of.
Enough talk about him and sad stuff. I'm on a mission to find Commander Shepard and ask him how the fuck he survived being blown up in the Citadel.
I looked around, surprisingly, I was already in front of the room leading to Zane. Friggin' unconsciously daydream walking.
My horn lit up the dim hallways as I pushed the door open with my magic. My nose burned as I was greeted with the strong smell of alcohol and the sound of steady beeps. The room was massive and unusually clean, no bullet holes or missing chunks of concrete, just some plain white walls. There were doctors and surgeons rushing here and there, all focused on one figure who was covered from head to toe in gashes and cuts. I'm actually pretty surprised, he's not in any critical or life-threatening conditions. Probably because of his titanium infused bones and cybernetics he got from Cerberus.
"Hows he doing?" I asked.
One of the surgeons turned towards me, "He's stable, we've just finished doing checks on his cybernetics and applying medigel," he lifted a hand up to his chin and scratched it, looking down towards the floor, "Also for some odd reason, he had no bone fractures or significant lacerations," he looked up at me quizzically, "Is this your doing?"
"I don't know," I lied, "He could've been lucky and the Crucible saved him or something."
"Strange," he then shrugged, "Well, it doesn't matter now, at least he's alive, now I have to get back to work, it was a pleasure speaking to you," he saluted and turned back to his duty.
I sighed heavily whilst falling to my haunches and magically unstrapped my only gear, placing my rifle and a katana I had gotten from one dimension before, on the floor and then leaning on the wall, watching the medical staff rush around, 'I swear Zane gets into life-threatening situations too often,' I brought a hoof up to my muzzle and yawned, 'Might as well get some rest until God tells me when to head on out,' my eyes slowly closed as I drifted asleep.
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"Can't think of anyone else I'd rather do this with," Zane said as he stood up and grabbed a handle on the ceiling of the vehicle.
"We end this today and together man," I replied whilst standing up on my hind legs and supporting myself with my weapon: a custom N7 Valiant sniper rifle.
An Alliance soldier held his hand on his earpiece, "We're in sight of the target."
Captain Anderson nodded, "Alright everyone...this is it."
As he finished his sentence, the vehicle violently jerked sending everyone stumbling forwards. Everyone immediately rushed for the exits as smoke started to pour in from cracks in the walls.
Zane pushed the small hatch open and jumped out followed by Anderson.
"Shit!" Zane said as he ran to the edge of a small valley of burnt concrete and twisted metal scattered everywhere. Everyone followed him and stopped in our tracks as we looked right above the bright and glowing blue beam, eyes widening in fear.
We watched as a Reaper, bigger than any other Reaper that we've encountered, descend from the dark ominous gray clouds and burning wreckage. Its massive legs opening up and landing with loud thundering booms as the ground shook violently as if the planet were to undergo a thousand earthquakes. It's six shining lights laying upon our small forms as it took heavy steps toward the beam. I nearly fell muzzle first into the ground until Garrus caught me by my wing and foreleg, "Thanks," he nodded as he pulled me back onto my hind legs.
"We gotta move!" Anderson yelled as he readied his M6 Carnifex pistol.
"Come on!" Zane yelled as he pulled his unfolding rifle from his back and ran down the hill into the black scorched valley: No-Man's-Land. We all readied our favored weapons and followed after him as the dreadnaught reaper blared its ear-splitting horn at us.
About fifty soldiers, a few armored alliance transports, Makos and Mantis gunships were advancing towards the beam. Which were all reduced as the Harbinger reaper fired its multiple red destructive lasers at anything that moved.
I had holstered my rifle and was running on all fours to the beam, faster than everyone except my crew mostly because I'm an equine and I've got tons of stamina. Makos were blown apart and soldiers were incinerated into nothingness as we ran. A few beams landing near me and scaring the shit outta me, those beams are scary.
We were nearly there until a nearby alliance transport was struck dead-on with a beam and was sent flying upwards towards Zane, the vehicle landing on its side as Zane fell and slid up, his back to the underside and looked back at us. I was still a few meters away from him then I saw a large explosion on the other side of Zanes's cover as a Mako was lifted up into the air, doing a flip before landing on its rear end, standing vertically in the air. I watched in horror as gravity pulled it towards me and Garrus, I didn't have enough time to raise my shields nor my magical ones. I threw myself to the side as it landed on its backside and exploded, sending a fiery gust of shrapnel towards me. I didn't feel anything for some reason though, could've been adrenaline or something or maybe I didn't get struck by shrapnel at all.
I looked down and saw a large gash on my side right under my left wing, bleeding profusely. I could see my fucking ribs, 'Welp, I got hit,' I thought as I clamped it with a foreleg, the white fur that was stained with charred dirt and smog was now covered in dark crimson. I tried to use healing spells but my horn just faltered as magic can't be used when the caster is in pain. But I still wasn't feeling any pain for some reason, magic I guess.
Garrus and Zane had run up to my bleeding form as I tried to get up, blood and feathers everywhere. They pulled me over into cover, which was the flipped Mako as Zane held a finger on his earpiece, "Normandy, do you copy?! I need an evac right now!"
"On our way, Commander!" a static voice responded.
Why wasn't I feeling any pain at all? This is weird, I swear, magic is helping me too much. Except for when I couldn't conjure my shield earlier.
I watched as a large white four-engined frigate descended from the gray clouds, words I recognized printed onto the side: Normandy. Garrus immediately lifted me up like Zane did when I was in that lab on the Moon. To be honest, I like being carried, but I won't tell anyone.
My face changed as I realized I was leaving the battlefield, "Zane, I-I'm fine," Garrus stopped at the Normandy's loading ramp as I squirmed and tried to get my hooves on the ground and keep fighting.
"Stop Celly, you gotta get out of here, you're injured."
"B-but, I-I can't just let y-you go in there alone!" I stuttered. I didn't have any feelings towards him, It just didn't feel right leaving Zane running into the Citadel alone without help, "I-I can s-still fight!"
I felt magic course through my horn as I slightly lit it and casted a spell. A strong protection spell. No one noticed, maybe Garrus did but he didn't care.
"No you can't, don't argue with me, I'll be fine," he ruffled my dirty unkept pink mane before turning and running back into the carnage.
Garrus turned and walked into the cargo hold as the ramp closed, obstructing my view of Zane as he ran.
"He'll be fine Celly," Garrus assured as he laid my down on the metallic floor and applied medigel as a few soldiers ran up to us with medical supplies, "He's already died once, I'm pretty sure he'll be fine."
I was about to say something until one of the soldier's radio started to stir with a static then a voice, "God...they're all gone."
"Did we get anyone to the beam?!" a feminine voice asked.
"Negative, our entire force was decimated," my eyes widened along with everyone else's as we all froze, could this mean that Zane was...gone?
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POV
Zane Shepard
My eyes shot open, full alerted as I quickly sat up. I immediately regretted it as I felt a sharp pain in my everything. Slowly rising this time, holding a hand to my chest, I looked around. I was in a poorly lit, clean sanitized room, I was probably in a hospital, 'Why am I in a hospital?' he thought as he searched through his mind. He remembered talking to some A.I. that was a kid who basically controlled the reapers and then shooting a massive conduit with a pistol, 'Oh yeah, I think I saved the world...again.'
Looking up from my thoughts and at my body. I noticed that I was covered in bandages everywhere and I mean everywhere, I was practically a mummy, I wasn't wearing any clothes as I had bandages on my package too, 'It still better be there when I remove this.'
I looked around again and noticed a shade of pink lying on the floor. There was only one person..er..pony that had pink hair and a picture of the sun on her ass.
Celestial.
She was sleeping on the ground curled up like a cat. She wasn't wearing her armor which was a custom-made version of the N7 armor that I had requested awhile ago. She was also very, very clean, her pure white coat glistening in the light of a small lantern. I felt like I was invading her privacy as it was pretty rare to see her without her armor, before on the ship, she had always slept with it on. Even I don't sleep with it on.
Next to her was her weaponry: an N7 Valiant that I have no clue where she got from and a katana: a sword used by the Japanese samurai around the fourteenth century. She probably got it from one of her last dimensions. I haven't seen anyone or pony wield a sword into a highly advanced technological war against the reapers and whoever opposed us. She had used her sword when she had first arrived in our would and for one, she's really good a dodging, there's Kai Leng who could compete against her and he also wielded a sword but they already fought, Celly was fucking kicking his ass in when they were fighting. Guy didn't stand a chance.
I pushed myself off the steel table and collapsed as my knees gave, 'Shit, this hurts,' I place a hand on the table, using it to pull myself up. Once I could stand, I walked forward slowly, as I got closer I saw that she was asleep, 'Damn, if she ever used cuteness as a weapon, it'd be effective as hell,' I thought as I studied her. One time, when I had introduced everyone to her, we all agreed on a plan and snuck up on her and basically watched her sleep, she was cuuute as fuck, I mean, goddamn, we almost died from cuteness overload, even Wrex was having trouble. If you thought us watching her was creepy, man, you should see her for yourself. Also, she was like the only colorful and happy thing we have on the ship. It also turned everyone all girly and soft, until Celly here started to slaughter enemies like a demon. It was pretty scary and she wasn't cute little innocent pony anymore.
I realized that I was staring at her unarmored body and moved my eyes over to her face, usually, she always smiles and kicks in her sleep, but this time, she wasn't smiling. She had a pained expression and a frown on her face as she squirmed on the floor murmuring incomprehensible words. I could tell she was having a bad dream, probably about leaving me to open the Citadel's arms alone. I placed a hand on her back above her wings and gently shook her awake.
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POV
Celestial Solaris
My eyes shot open faster than a whip cracking through the air. I felt something on my back as I lifted my head and looked at what was touching me. I saw Zane kneeling down, his hand on my back as he looked at me worryingly.
"Are you ok?" I nodded. He sighed, "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't let you tag along to the Citadel, but hey, I'm still breathing, aren't I?" Is this guy psychic? I gave him a light punch to the shoulder. He merely grunted as he suppressed the slight pain.
"I hate you sometimes dude," I groggily pushed myself up and stretched. I heard some whispering in the back of my head, 'Looks like God wants me to go.'
"So where's everyone else?" Zane asked as he pushed himself up too.
Ignoring God for now, "They're waiting at the ship, most of them think that you died on the Citadel so we all ended up just sticking your name on the wall along with Anderson's," I replied.
"What about the reapers?" Oh yeah, he didn't see all the cool red light shows and spooky spheres that annihilated the reapers.
"We defeated them," he gave a sigh of relief, "Also, the Admiral wants to eagerly see you, probably to bombard you with medals and a statue of you."
"Huh, how long was I out?"
"Just a week," I said, "The doctors here actually didn't let us see you so I'm the first one to see you."
He walked to the door, "So you comin'?"
"Actually, it's time for me to go," I said whilst looking down, "I already said my goodbyes to everyone else and well, you're the last one," his face instantly went blank, void of emotion.
There was a long moment of silence as he stood at the door and I stood staring that the tiled floor. I then felt myself being pulled into a warm embrace, his arms wrapping around my back. I kinda froze there as Zane doesn't give out hugs at all but I ignored it and returned it with my forelegs and wings wrapping around him. I was used to hugs by now, mostly because the entire crew did the same thing when I told them I had to go eventually. Especially Tali, I need to stay away from her, she likes ponies too much, nearly snapped my back.
"We'll all miss you, Celly," he said as we separated from the hug, "I'll make sure that we get a statue of you next to mine."
I smiled, I didn't really want a statue, mostly because all the other dimensions offered the same thing but whatever. As long as I don't have to pay for it, "Thanks."
I stood up, "Wait, stand still for a sec," he complied as I lit my horn and casted a spell.
"Whattya do?" he asked.
"Just a healing spell, you'll heal within a week," he smiled as he patted my head.
"You're too caring, now go, I doubt that 'God' will let you stay longer."
"Alright," I holstered my rifle and trusty sword, the armor, I'll probably just leave that here, I can get some new ones in the next dimension, "Goodbye Zane, tell that to the rest of the crew again will you?"
"Will do, cya," I smiled sadly as he waved. I felt the strong powerful magic course through my horn and shoot out onto a wall, a portal instantly opened up as a bright light shined through, 'I'll miss this place,' I walked forwards into the gleaming fluorescent light as it engulfed my figure and pulled me in, ready to send me to another dimension that requires a cleansing of evil.
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I just sat there on a white plane of existence, everything was white, this was basically God's dimension and where I was born, boring as hell as always. It's been like ten minutes and an entry portal hasn't opened up yet, usually it's like a minute or two but this was getting ridiculous. I unsheathed my sword and just started to swing it around with my magic, I dunno, I'm bored as hell. I stopped when I felt something enter the dimension from behind me. Probably God to tell me to not keep him waiting again. I turned my head as I sheathed my sword and my eyes widened. There was a dark blue alicorn with an azure mane walking through a portal. Her eyes widened as she saw me. I instantly knew who this was.
It was my sister: Selene Solaris.
She galloped up to me and leapt high into the air and landed on me. We tumbled in a mess of legs and wings as she was on top of me hugging tightly, "Sister! We have not seen thee in a very long time!"
"Lulu, get...off...I still need...oxygen," I heaved.
"Oh!" she let go. I started to suck in air like a vacuum as I gasped, "Sorry," she said whilst smiling sheepishly and pushing herself off of me and sitting down, rubbing her foreleg.
I always call her Luna or Lulu as she never really did like her name, it didn't sound right she says a lot. She prefers to be called Luna normally or Lulu, I get to call her Lulu though, it sounds cuter, she doesn't like it when strangers call her that.
I sat on my haunches, still recovering and looked at her, "It's fine, and man, how long has it been? Six-thousand years?"
"Seven to be specific," I let out a long whistle. Dang, time goes by fast (not really). The last time we saw each other was when we were little, around six-hundred fifty-two years old and training with God.
"Also what's with the old English language?"
She seemed to not have realized that she was speaking it, "Oh, sorry about that too, we, er, I just came from medieval Europe, I was helping King Arthur find something and I just started to go back to the old language. What about you, where did you just come from?" she asked.
"I just came from where humans were getting attacked by giant metallic squids that shot red laser beams and threatened the existence of advanced technological species."
"Dang, yours sounds more fun," she said.
"Eh, if I could, I would've joined yours, it sounds more easier than mine," Lulu usually gets the more easier dimensions to deal with where the evil is a lot less. She was never good a fighting no matter how many times God had trained her, nothing worked so she just moved to the more less violent ones. And I get the hardest shit to deal with.
"So, uh, now what?" Lulu asked. I merely shrugged.
"I don't know, I've been sitting here for like fifteen minutes and God still hasn't shown up."
I felt a shiver as something entered the dimension, it didn't take a genius to know who it was.
"Look who's late now!" I said as I turned. In front of me was just a bright floating ball of light.
"Apologies, Celestial and Selene, I was occupied with matters with another dimension," a deep kind voice emitted from the light.
"Well? Where are we off to?" I asked.
"Firstly, I would like to thank you both for helping me tremendously with my multiverse," I realized something, he's never thanked us before, this must be important, "I am assuming that you know this is an important topic," Why is everyone psychic but me?! God continued as Lulu sat and listened patiently, "I would like to reward both of you for your services in aiding my dimensions. I will offer to you what I have offered to those that have aided me in the past," the ball of light then slowly made its way towards a door that was not there before. The door was just made of wood, nothing special for some reason. I'd expect God to have better tastes.
"I am offering freedom to both of you from your obliging aid, through this door is a gateway to a peaceful dimension that I have poured power into a very long time ago, this will be respectfully yours to keep," he's offering freedom? And our own dimension? "You can still come back and seek me to aid me once more but this is optional as I will not restrain you from leaving. You are always allowed back to the dimension I am offering to you or my realm to aid me once again."
I looked over to Lulu who had a blank expression on her face, probably thinking the same thing.
She then spoke up, "What are we going to encounter in this dimension?" Usually, he knows and it could be humans, demons and whatever.
"I do not know but this is the dimension from where I obtained the life essence to create both of you." Both our eyes widened, God had told us one time that he 'borrowed' the DNA and form of two creatures from a dimension as he needed a template in order to create us but he never told us who they were or if they lived in that dimension, "I did not visit this dimension so I had to assume who was the most powerful within that realm and pulled out what I required."
This meant more ponies like us. I was surprised because I had never once been to another pony dimension so I assumed we were the only ones, Lulu probably thought that too. But he had said 'peaceful', why would I go somewhere peaceful where I'll just sit there and do nothing?
"Well, to be honest, I'd rather stay an―" I was cut off as Lulu shoved a hoof in my mouth.
"We both kindly accept your offer!" she shouted whilst grinning.
God chuckled, "I will be seeing myself out now, farewell Celestial and Selene, I hope we can meet again," Lulu waved as he faded into nothingness.
I pushed her hoof away, "The fuck Lulu?" I harshly asked.
"Why would you reject such an offer?" she stared at me, those teal eyes digging into me, "He's giving us a chance at freedom! I'm pretty sure Jesus was given that too!"
He probably was given freedom, he went to go help some humans who kept on fighting constantly, and eventually, he told us they were a lost cause and he was gone the next day. I really liked Jesus too, he was funny and nice and helped me prank Lulu back then.
I realized that I was being magically pulled towards the door, "What?! NONONONO―I do not want to go in there!"
She stopped and glared at me, "Why? We'll basically have a chance a life, he's given us freedom to do whatever! Do you not want that?"
"Well, yeah, but I'd rather be on the battlefields doing something than sit idly by and do nothing to contribute to the world!"
"I'd rather have you doing something other than killing bad guys, you'll go insane!" I've been doing this for millenniums, I'm fine, "When we get there to whatever this dimension is, we can see if they need our assistance."
"I doubt it, God said 'peaceful' and I hate that."
"Well just suck it up and deal with it," I glared at her, she glared back.
I sighed, "Fine, I'll go," she grinned happily as she was going to spend time with me in another dimension, "But if I get bored, I'm leaving."
She nodded as we both stood up and walked towards the wooden door. Lulu pulled it open with her magic and we were just met with more whiteness, 'I swear, God likes white too much,' we both walked into the gateway and entered as the dimension pulled us in, ready for whatever was coming.
'Hopefully, I can still fight some more.'