Ranger
Chapter 30: Parallels
By Wanderer D
Rainbow Dash had managed to land the Skyranger in the tiniest space Sunset had ever seen. All around them, tall trees rose high above their transport, their tips lost in the darkness of the night.
They couldn't see that many stars, close as they were to the city, of course. They could see the glow of New Appaloosa far away at the edge of the forest. They were supposed to meet Apple Bloom here, but the Engineer hadn't arrived yet.
"It could be anything, really," Dash said, pacing around. "The roads are old… aliens never really did get into the National Park thing. She's probably just being careful."
"You're not taking off your helmet?" Jane asked. "We've been here for fifteen minutes already."
"No, I can't."
"Is it because you know her?" Sunset asked.
"...I just don't want to… you know, I don't think she ever really knew what—I-I… look, it's complicated, okay?"
"Heads up," Jane said from the top of the Skyranger, where she was looking down the vegetation-ridden road with her binoculars. "Someone's coming. Civilian vehicle."
Sunset stood up. "I thought she'd be driving an ADVENT van?" She prepped her shotgun.
Jane slid down the side of the Skryanger, grabbing onto the handholds designed for engineers to check on it and lowered herself to the ground, flanking Sunset and aiming her gun at the entrance to the small valley. Rainbow Dash herself took cover at the top of the ramp, ready to shoot and take off if anything went wrong.
They watched the vehicle slow down between the trees and a figure step out.
"Seems to be alone," Sunset whispered.
"I didn't see any other vehicles," Jane confirmed.
The figure made its way through the trees, finally emerging right in front of the Skyranger, revealing a woman, wearing jeans, a t-shirt, an ADVENT cap and a brown jacket. She walked up to the base of the ramp and looked up, mouth open in awe. "Oh, wow! That's so cool!"
"Hands where I can see them!" Sunset shouted, emerging from her hiding place and making the woman jump in place.
"Don't shoot!" the woman said, voice high. "I'm on your side!"
"Who the hell are you?!" Jane asked, emerging from the other side, making the woman spin around wildly, hands in the air. "You are not our contact!"
"I was sent here!" the woman said nervously, looking from Sunset to Jane, unable to decide who to look at in the eye. "My name is Scootaloo! Apple Bloom couldn't get out of the installation tonight because the manager wanted a report so she sent me!"
"Likely story," Jane muttered. "For all we know Apple Bloom is dead and you're an infiltrator."
"I would never—"
"Great, months of work... for this," Sunset muttered. "I'm sorry miss, but even if you're legit, we don't actually know you and our agreement was w—"
"You can trust her."
All three stopped and looked up the ramp, where Dash was standing and looking down at them.
"What?" Sunset asked.
"You can't be serious," Jane said. "We have very specific guidelines…"
"Dash?" Scootaloo asked weakly. "Is… that really you?"
As she walked down the ramp and walking up until she was in front of her, Rainbow Dash took her helmet off, smiling at the younger woman. "Hey, squirt. Long time."
She didn't even see the uppercut coming.
The trees passed by them as the car made its bumpy way down the road, slowly, so that Scootaloo didn't need to turn on her headlights for now.
"ADVENT has been ramping up production of robot units lately," Scootaloo explained. "So all engineers are being asked to stay extra hours, and it's not like you can simply pretend you're sick now… because they'll send you to the clinic, and those guys there… those guys are bastards. They have zero sympathy and will report you immediately if your health is anything less than stellar, then it's a visit to the vats and in five minutes your cold is gone and you can work."
Sunset and Jane exchanged looks.
"Of course I guess I could pretend to be dead for a few years and come back as if nothing happened. Yeah, that could work, except that it's apparently a frequently-used form of tax evasion, or it was in any case, and then The Man gives it to you because you chose no to tell people that cared about you that you were still alive!"
She swerved around a tree and soon they were bumping a little less down a grassy hill.
"Sure, I guess it is okay to have to bypass alien security, guards, actual aliens and drive into the forest to find out you're alive after all this time, but, what can be done about that? Right? It's just a minor inconvenience."
"I… don't see how that relates to Apple Bloom's situation…" Sunset said uncomfortably.
"Of course you wouldn't," the woman said, glancing at her. "You're too young to understand this kind of thing!"
"I don't think—"
"The last time I saw Rainbow Dash, I was fourteen!" Scootaloo growled. "Fourteen! That was twenty years ago! I thought she was dead! We all thought she had died! Her and Applejack and Fluttershy an—"
"Fluttershy? Like the one in Angel's Hope?" Sunset asked.
Scootaloo slammed on the breaks. She dragged her hand down her face and glared at the two soldiers.
Sunset simply raised her hands in a placating gesture.
Scootaloo started driving again. "You have no idea what it's like to think someone you loved like a sister is dead for two decades and then suddenly she flies in and she's all chummy," Scootaloo said, pulling out of the grass and into an actual road. "It's downright insulting."
"Doesn't ADVENT have patrols in these areas?" Sunset asked, trying to divert the conversation. It hit uncomfortably close to home.
"They do, but New Appaloosa is a bit more lax with that stuff. We don't have a lot of big production going on, which makes it less of a target for your kind."
"Our kind?" Jane growled. "We're trying to save you people from the Elders."
"Yes. Take away our global health, stable economy, lack of hunger and poverty issues, secure jobs and bring back the wars, petty squabbles and politicians working for money rather than nation. I can't effing wait."
Sunset stole a glance at Scootaloo. "I'm guessing you're not pro-resistance?"
Scootaloo sniffed disdainfully. "Should I be? Why? I work in the development of new technologies for improved space travel, working on already advanced models brought by the Elders. Less piloting, sure, but still amazing. And you want me to drop that because you natives can't be bothered to just stop living in the swamps and join civilized society?"
"You really think that?" Jane asked, leaning forth and glaring at Scootaloo's back. "Then why are you helping us?"
"Because my friend is an idiot and agreed to help you find whatever it is you're looking for," Scootaloo said. "And I value loyalty over secrets."
Jane seemed about to say something else, but she clamped up and leaned back, looking away.
Scootaloo, looking over at her on the rearview mirror snorted. "Yeah, you know what I mean."
"You haven't seen what ADVENT does to people," Sunset said, looking out the window as fields gave way to lights and buildings. "How they storm out of the night and bombard encampments full of civilians, or send Chryssalids to butcher the innocent."
"So you say," Scootaloo said, taking a turn and slowing down for a light. "But I have seen what certain groups do, like XCOM. I've seen them destroy a whole block of the city to capture someone, or kill ADVENT officers to sow chaos."
They started moving again soon. "Whatever it is that Apple Bloom got herself into, I hope she gets out of it soon and we can return to our normal lives, in peace and yes, with the Elders."
"You were in Canterlot High, then," Sunset said slowly. "I was there… recently. I saw how your school was cut in half by an alien weapon that killed a lot of students. That was done by the same Elders you're defending."
Scootaloo didn't answer, and the rest of the trip went in silence.
They parked the car in the garage under the apartment, and went upstairs. Sunset had been in places like these before… mostly on the rooftops, or the alleys in between, while shooting down enemies. But, looking at it in a non-combat environment, it was kind of nice. It was bigger than she had thought it would be, and clearly designed for more than one person.
They followed Scootaloo into a large living room with a comfy couch and a large holographic screen showing an interview with The Speaker, where another woman—who was not Apple Bloom either—was on a communicator. Unlike Scootaloo, she was wearing a nice dress and her hair was long and carefully taken care of.
"Yes, yes," the woman said, smiling their way and waving at them. "Yes… his suit looks amazing, I'm looking at it right now. You outdid yourself, sis. Great job." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. Yes. Okay… sorry sis, we have guests tonight. No, they're not male. No! No vipers! Sis! Okay, I-fine, I love you too, bye."
The connection was disengaged and the woman turned off the screen.
"Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo said, motioning, "Sunset Shimmer and Jane Kelly. They're… Apple Bloom's friends."
"Oh, nice to meet you!" Sweetie Belle said. "I'm sorry I was on the phone, my sister called and well, she's hard to get off the line if she gets started."
Sunset shook her head, then tilted it a little. "Wait, I think I've seen you before… aren't you famous?"
Sweetie grinned. "Oh! A fan! Yes, I'm the host of 'Elders Today'! Which sounds like a show for old people, but it's actually about ADVENT's efforts to take supplies and medical assistance to the settlements in the wild!"
"You don't say?" Sunset glanced at Scootaloo, who shrugged.
"She gets her info from ADVENT sources."
"My hopes for this going smoothly are very… diminished," Sunset muttered.
"Why? You don't think the glorious Elders are doing enough for our undeserving race to be thankful for?" Sweetie asked, blinking innocently at Sunset. "But they are so, very kind and helpful and forgiving and nonviolent!"
It took Sunset a moment to catch on. Then she started laughing.
"What?" Jane asked. "What am I missing?"
"It seems your friend likes sarcasm almost as much as our Sweetie does," Scootaloo said with a shrug. "Beer? I feel like I could use one." She asked, putting her words into actions and opening the fridge, where Jane could see a whole bunch of them.
Jane glanced at Sunset and Sweetie, who were grinning and sitting down to chat. "Yeah, I could use one," she said.
Scootaloo grabbed one and got out of the way, going to sit over at the kitchen counter, while Jane rummaged through the options, finally settling for a "Berserker Flea" Red Ale. (It packs a bite!)
She sat next to Scootaloo, taking a sip and watching the older woman sip her beer. "Huh, Sectoid Sweat, huh?"
Scootaloo gave her a look. "What about it?"
Jane shrugged, waiting for Scootaloo to bring the bottle up to her lips and start drinking. "It's also Dash's favorite."
"I'm lost again…" Twilight sighed, looking to her right and left morosely. The hallways in the Avenger were frustratingly identical, and despite the time she had already spent in the ship, one wrong turn could spell a long, long trip around the place until she found someone who would direct her to her room.
With a heavy sigh, she chose a random direction and started walking, her boots making a dull sound with each step on the metallic floors. She eventually saw a light and an open door.
A bit more hopeful, she headed there and looked inside. "Ooh… it's the bar!" she said, mentally calculating her location in the ship, and smiling as she realized she knew the way back. Her smile faded when she noticed the person in the back.
Rainbow Dash sat in the corner table, away from the few other people in the bar. She looked miserable, and the number of empty bottles of beer in front of her was close to half a dozen.
Twilight bit her lip, but after a moment's hesitation, stood straighter and stepped in.
"Sorry, Twilight," the bartender-in-turn, an Engineer this time, called out. "You're still not old enough to drink."
"That's okay, John," Twilight said, smiling. "I'm not thirsty."
John nodded, following Twilight's look. He grimaced. "Alright, just… she was in a bad mood when she arrived."
"I still should check on her," Twilight said, walking over to the back while John shrugged and returned to cleaning up. The bar was practically empty except for the four of them, and once he was done, he'd be heading out too.
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight ventured, standing next to the drinking pilot, who turned to glance up at her. She wasn't drunk, surprisingly enough, or if she was, it wasn't noticeable.
"Oh. Hey it's you. Twilight, right? Listen, no offense but, I'd rather be alone for now."
"I see that…" Twilight nodded. "But I thought I'd still offer an ear. You look really sad and I hate to see my friends like that."
Dash barked a laugh. "Friends, huh?" She motioned for Twilight to sit across her.
"Remember to turn off the lights!" John called out, walking out of the door. "Good night!"
Dash waited until Twilight had finished waving at him before speaking up again. "Y'know, I haven't figured you out yet. You came with Sunset, so… are you like, from the past? The future? Someone's daughter?"
"Well, I have a mother and a father," Twilight said. "As… most people do."
"Hehehe, I see what you did there."
Twilight smiled. "So what's going on?"
"I just… saw someone I didn't expect. This kid… well, she's now all grown up. She used to look up to me a long time ago and… well, she thought I was dead." Dash tilted her head, showing Twilight the bruise where Scootaloo's fist had connected. "She wasn't happy to see me. Or… she was, but not. You know what I mean."
Twilight grimaced.
"I would have contacted her before, but her best friend is my dead best friend's sister," Dash said softly. "I… couldn't even get the strength to tell Apple Bloom what happened to her sister. But… I just… Sunset and Jane were ready to give up the mission, and with how much is riding on it, I thought…" she trailed off.
"When she died… I thought I'd just, you know, cut myself off from all of that, so I wouldn't have to… face any of them. I saw what happened to Pinkie, and I hadn't seen Fluttershy and Rarity since school… it's a long time. But, I hated myself for never telling Apple Bloom what happened, her or her brother… I mean, they lost their sister! And I was her best friend!"
She looked away. "I managed to put that behind me for a while. Or… I managed to ignore the guilt for a while. I pretended they were dead too." She took a drink and cackled. "They weren't. Damned Crusaders were always tough."
Twilight chuckled. "Must've been all the tree-sap."
Dash laughed and nodded. "Yeah." Her smiled faded. "Wait… how did you know that?"
Realizing what she had done, Twilight's smile widened unconvincingly. "Um? What?"
"About the tree sap."
"Tree sap? I said… T's Sap. As in, ye olde butchered Englishe?"
"Twilight…"
"Um…"
"I put up with a lot… a LOT of unexplained crap. But you're not getting away from this one."
Twilight bit her lip, but then an idea crossed her mind. It was probably stupid. Desperate even. And Sunset would kill her.
"Can you… keep a secret?" she finally asked.
Dash rolled her eyes and pointed to the "Vigilo Confido" patch on her flight uniform. "I work for a secret organization."
"But everyone knows ab—"
"Twilight!"
"Fine!" Twilight winced. "Fine… just… give me a moment."
Dash watched as Twilight pulled out Sunset's diary, and opened it just past a bookmark. Twilight wrote something quick on it, and Dash gave her an unamused look, about to ask what the deal was when the book vibrated. She watched as Twilight read something, then, with a quick note back, she placed the diary in a clean spot on the table, facing Rainbow Dash.
"So… what is this?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Are we going to write poetry?"
Twilight shook her head as the book glowed and vibrated again. "No… look at the page, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash studied Twilight's face, licking her lips and gulping down. "What is this?"
"Just look at it… please?"
Rainbow Dash sighed and looked down, blinking as words appeared on the page.
Rainbow Dash? Is that you, sugarcube? I know this is weird… let me tell ya, it's weird for me too…
Dash looked up. "What is this?"
Twilight just tilted her head, and Dash looked down, not daring to breathe.
...and to be honest, I'm not sure this is a good idea, but Twilight said that you lost your Applejack and you're afraid to talk to Apple Bloom for me. Her. Goshdarnit, this is too confusing. Anyway, sugarcube. Take it from me, Applejack would want you to trust Apple Bloom and to take care of her. Especially if it's been a while and Granny is not there.
Big Mac might be an ol' softie, but Apple Bloom, she'll be happy to see y'all. I know it's not the same. I'm not your Applejack, but if she's anything like me, like you are so similar to Rainbow Dash here that Twilight had no problem recognizing y'all… then you can trust me, one hundred percent on this one: she'll still be sad I'm-she's gone, but she'll also be happy to have you.
Give her a chance.
Your friend,
-Applejack
o.0.o End Chapter 30 o.0.o
Damn, those feels. That ending is sure to leave it's mark on RD. Shame they don't have Firestorms for her to take the fight to the Ethereals.
100% Hit. Critical!
I should have expected them, but I didn't. The feels still hurt.
Well, I can’t say how happy I am to see the CMC alive! And Rarity as she telephoned with Sweetie Belle. Pity about Scoots and Sweetie beliveing into the elders, but sadly, we all know how easy children can be manipulated. I kinda hope that their friends, like Twist, Pip, Dinky, Rumble, Tootsie, Ruby, Noi and so are also alive. Can’t blame Apple Bloom. losing a family member is never easy, or for a child to lose it’s parent or the other way around.
Which brings me to a specific question: How could the humans believe the lie of the Elders coming in peace? I mean, they destroyed cities, killed civillians, I can’t imagine anyone would beleive this lie after everything. Plus, those who have lost friends and famly in the invasion, (like Apple Bloom) would never belive this at all.
8785795
Scoots? Sure.
Sweetie? You might want to reread that part
8785757
They hurt like getting blown up on a roof top.
8785803
Agreed, Sweetie Belle, can’t really see if she does believe ADVENT ot just predends to be believing
That ending was beautiful. Hope that goes well for her.
Twilight, you might be getting a bit too Twilight Zone for human Dash.
Did Rarity walk in on Sweetie getting cuddly with a viper? I'm okay with that.
Save the Vipers!
Huh. Rarity's picking out the Speaker's suits? This could get awkward in the future. Still, I do like Snarky Belle rebelling in plain sight. Even if it's really weird for me to imagine the Crusaders in their thirties.
As for Dash... I'm really not sure what she's going to make of this revelation. Especially not with that many beers in her. I hope this will end well. I fear it will end with the journal and/or Twilight getting hurt
Hmm... interesting
Chapter 30... it has 3030 words
That note at the end reminds me of the end of Flashpoint, where Batman got a letter from his dad.
Nice to hear about the other crusaders, but sad that Scootaloo's long time greeting to Rainbow was a sucker punch.
Love Sweetie's snark and happy to hear that Rarity is all fine. Though again you're hinting that Pinkie is also dead.
Twilight not authorize to drink. I'm sure sure she's actually of age but the portal put her around age 17-18. Then again I don't think Twilight is that much of a drinker.
And hoo boy asking her Applejack to up Rainbow's mood, that sure will up Rainbow's bond with Twilight and Sunset, but she took the first step in all new world of crazy.
Well, Rainbow's now in the loop, for better or worse. The Commander will not be pleased...
We suppose it's a good thing they're mostly alone. Explanations incoming!
Keep going! ;)
"My hopes for this going smoothly are very… diminished,'
1. Meant that be a closing quotation mark.
Of course RD isn't drunk, she's drinking punch. That'll keep her sober.
and so the plot thickens, a lot. looking forward to more.
8785795
Like the people at communist rallies after everything every communist government has done? Or the neo-nazis?
People have a tendancy to not care about the bad side of things as long as they aren't affected by them.
With Advent they've got better tech and health care and a higher standard of living, why should they care if other people get murdered for it?
8786187
For those who have lost nothing, it would make sense, but I can’t imagine the same for those who lost family, friends and home.
8786192
And thus the resistance and outside colonies.
8786228
Indeed.
8786192
Well Advent do have a habit of removing certain people, so 20 years later and I'd expect everyone left atleast keeps their head down and stay quiet. After that we have Stockholm syndrome, the propagander machine, a chip in everyones head and psychic Alien overlords...
Tell a big enough lie often enough...
Besides back in the real world we have people that keep getting back together with serial abusers/cheaters and people who run off to prove that certain areas arent as bad as some people believe and only come back as a head line.
8786235
Yeah, sadly.
8785914
Yeah, like I said, not much. Not nothing, but not much. Fanon has developed that to the point where if a fic says engineer/inventor/blacksmith, I think of AB. It's not a bad thing.
I’m with her.
This could be really bad for her mental health.
8785795
Leaving aside the fact that anyone under 25 or so would likely have ADVENT propaganda as all they'd ever known, I imagine that for anyone who wasn't at ground zero for a terror attack, they were probably fed some story about the Elders coming in peace and the short lived war being an unfortunate misunderstanding with xenophobic Earth governments firing first and subsequently spinning wildly exaggerated stories of alien brutality. After all, just giving away all these medical advancements and cheap energy would threaten those invested in the corrupt political and economic status quo. For those unfortunates killed in the fighting by a stray plasma bolt here and there, the Elders are of course deeply saddened. Collateral damage and civilian death are an unfortunately ugly reality of war, and all they can say is that they are glad the conflict was so short lived and peace was found so quickly. Which is why it's so disheartening that certain extremist groups are unable to let go of the past and insist on restarting the cycle of violence.
But yeah, I imagine that story wouldn't fly with anyone who ever actually saw a chrysalid in action or mutons gunning down civilians in a terror attack.
8786616
Exactly
As much as the Applejack thing was nice, I was more impressed with Scootaloo earlier; one thing the game never really tries to do is give non-resistance humans a chance to explain themselves (for obvious reasons): it's just the transparently evil speaker, the propaganda newsreaders and a lot of credulous dupes who can be swayed by a thirty second broadcast at the end of the game. So it was nice to get someone who supports ADVENT but who isn't evil/psychotic/a coward etc.
8786865
Agreed. The word 'coward' gets thrown around too freely by armchair quarterbacks and folks trying to goad others into fighting for them.
That aside, yeah Scoots... (Sho-ryu-ken!). I get that what she's embracing might well be motivated by disappointment in what she lost from the old world, but that doesn't mean her words have no truth. If anything, Sunset is more in the dark. Scoots knows the world xcom is trying to bring back, and it's the same world that sold out xcom to begin with. Sunset has no clue, she's fighting for survival and loyalty to those that saved her life. It's admirable, but not exactly big picture. To Scoots' eyes, that old world is not worth the deaths it would take, if it's even possible to regain. Is she right? Nah, it's not that simple. But she's not completely wrong, and her reasons are respectable ones.
To the guy who said Sweetie supports the Elders... read it again carefully. Sarcasm, and plenty of it. Somehow, I knew she'd get along with Sunset...
8785832
half life three confirmed!
Oooo, Scoots.
Well, yeah of course she's silent, it's hard to reconcile brainwashing with known contradictory truth.
So the CMC and (probably) Rarity are alive, but seem to be at least some degree of Advent sympathizers.
Or maybe just Scootaloo is? I dunno.
Welcome to the secret, Dash.
I can't be the only one who found it hilariously distracting at the end when AJ bothered to include her accent in her writing.
8786951
It is a tragedy that I was able to increase your upvotes by 50%.
8786616
The funny thing is, if we ever get visited by aliens that would probably be the truth. It's the idea that some heroic pan-national organization fights back against bloodthirsty 2-dimensional alien invaders, which would be the laughable propaganda.
8812731
Too true. If real aliens ever decided to contact Earth....they'd probably start with Youtube and social media instead of contacting governments directly (and do so from off-planet). Humanity has been frighteningly enamored with the idea of an alien invasion for decades, and any alien race that wanted to contact us and did any research at all would very quickly find out that simply coming down to land would likely very quickly lead to the wrong conclusions.
8813538
But what would they call the youtube channel?
Dash's going to be so confused. Maybe angry.
9028463
You're supposed to put your words outside of the quoting area.
Like This,
This was a fantastic chapter. Lovely to meet the CMCs and (just slightly offstage) Rarity. She's hanging around with the Speaker: probably just enjoying high society, but possibly also using her position to help out resistance forces? Eh, it's not impossible. Sweetie's sounding really intriguing from this little snippet: presenting a presumably propagandist TV program, but well aware of the dark underbelly? Maybe she throws in some excessively saccharine lines that sufficiently sarcastically inclined viewers can pick up on the double meaning?
Really interesting worldbuilding, anyway, especially with Scootaloo's attitude.
A couple of typos:
"no"->"not"
brakes
Rarity made the Speaker's suit ... because of course she did ...
four? John, Twilight, Rainbow and who?
8785754
... still misses
And here come the waterworks
I absolutely adore clear yet conflicting conflicts like this one. Which is better, being with ADVENT or destroying ADVENT? There are so many reasons to be on either side and it just makes the story very eye-catching. It makes it seem more real, and for such a big story where there are undoubtedly going to be multiple story archs, that is good.
In a story like this one, you can really begin to imagine yourself in the world taking either side, instead of some obvious good-evil dichotomy like humans v.s zombies. I mean, duh, of course you’re going to root for the humans to take down the zombies! That’s kinda boring. This isn’t boring. Thanks for writing!
oh but I saw it
A bit excessive but warranted after pulling a disappearing act for over two decades straight.
Twilight is a mad genius with a golden heart...
Scootaloo is right until the point the elder do their usual thing plus the moment they start proccessing all non eccensal life...
Not.
I considering writing my own X-Com story one day, though less 'aliens attack ruthlessly' and more subtile and sustainable take over.
We know for a fact that they can clone, so why kill of people to process them if it's a genetic thing?
Cloning them from tissue samples makes more sense.
Also if the create a colony project like on the Moon or Mars, than they can do there all the shit Earth is not supposed to see.
Just food for though.
Rainbow Dash is either to drunk or not drunk enough for that turn of events