Ranger
Chapter 32: Secret
By Wanderer D
Twilight and Tygan walked towards the Commander's Quarters, reports in hand. Once they were outside the room, Twilight blinked. She could hear music behind the door.
"...Runaway Train, tearing up…"
"Hm. I thought the commander knew we were coming," Tygan muttered, glancing at Twilight.
"Should we come back later?" Twilight asked as the music played beyond the door. "Maybe this is her relaxation time?"
Tygan shook his head. "I'm sure we sent the message with enough time, Twilight. Regardless, the sooner we give this report to the Commander, the sooner we can get back to research, building and, in your case, training."
When Twilight simply nodded, Tygan reached out and pressed the panel to open the door to the Commander's Quarters.
The volume increased the moment the door slid open, allowing for the music to reach Twilight's ears unhindered. She had to admit, it was a pretty catchy tune, if a bit on the sad side due to the lyrics. Inside the room, however, Chrysalis was not dancing or even nodding to the music, as Twilight had expected.
The commander was busy at work, looking at reports and maps on the giant monitor she had attached to the wall, just above her desk. Tygan cleared his throat, but when Chrysalis didn't react, he called out, "Commander!"
Chrysalis started and turned around, then scowled in annoyance at the speakers as if she had just noticed the music. With a push of a button the music stopped completely; the silence almost as overwhelming in its suddenness as the music had been in its loudness.
"Sorry about that, I forgot you two were coming over," Chrysalis said, tilting her head from side to side to crack her neck. The popping sound made Twilight wince, but neither of the two humans reacted to it at all.
"That's not a problem, Commander, although I must admit… I never took you for a fan of 90s music," Tygan said with a bit of a smirk.
Chrysalis frowned. "I'm not," she said, turning back to her computer to glare at it as if was at fault. "I hate 90s music."
Tygan and Twilight looked at each other, shrugging.
"We brought you our initial report," Twilight said, drawing the commander's attention to her. "I have identified wavelengths that cancel out each other between Psychic and Thaumatic energies. This is… not volatile, per se, but could be used to theoretically create a 'dead zone' for users of either skillset."
"Hm," Chrysalis rested her chin on her fist. "Is there any way to make this happen?"
"Well, that's the thing," Twilight said. "To create a plausible prototype I'd need a steady source of ma-Thaumatic energy."
Chrysalis gave her a half-lidded look. "So. You want your element."
Twilight nodded.
"However," Tygan spoke up. "If we attempt this, we should find a safe place to try this outside the Avenger and also outside the immediate range of any of our psi-ops."
"Or further development could be done to try and create a container," Twilight said. "But either way, we'd need a steady source of magic to do this."
"Thaumatic energy, you mean," Chrysalis said with a chuckle. "Wouldn't want Tygan here to have to think outside the box on a simple term."
"Thank you, commander," Tygan said through gritted teeth.
Chrysalis thought on the issue. "Next time we land near one of our allied bases… provided it's not the Templar's HQ, you can try some of your inventions. I would suggest you work on a few simple prototypes, even if you don't charge them yet."
Tygan and Twilight nodded.
"If I may make a suggestion," Tygan said. "I would recommend Twilight work with Lily on this one. She has… more experience with creating such devices."
Chrysalis nodded. "I will let her know. In the meantime, miss Sparkle," she said, tilting her head, "I believe you still have training to attend?"
"Oh, yes! It's our first night-time exercise! I'll head down immediately!" Twilight said, saluting and running for the door. Once she was gone, Chrysalis chuckled.
"It seems the training is working."
"Oh my…" Sweetie said, touching her lips as she, Scootaloo and Applebloom looked down at the pictures and video that Jane and Sunset were analyzing. "I understand charming your way through a problem… my sister does it all the time," she murmured, "But really, Sunset…"
She picked up the pad with a capture of a viper coiled around Sunset, its arms holding her at the waist as she leaned back, her own arms wrapped around the alien's neck, both of them staring at each other with half-lidded eyes and knowing smirks while a Captain pouted to the side, and turned it around so all the others could see. "...what is your secret?"
Sunset grinned. "Giggling."
Scootaloo chuckled, flipping the picture to one of Jane with the Captain, both of them appearing to be struggling to smile. "Really Jane… what is your secret?" she laughed.
"Ha ha, Scootaloo."
"Don't give her a hard time," Sunset spoke up. "She's actually very giggly and smiley when she's drunk."
"In any case," Apple Bloom spoke up. "As amusing and improbable as these pictures are… did y'all get the information you needed?"
Jane rolled her eyes, but with a few tweaks, she projected the pictures onto the screen, expanding them past Sunset's shenanigans. "We have a very clear view of the general automated security systems, yes," she said.
"A couple of automated turrets, and we did spy another patrol inside the perimeter…" She switched to another picture, where she and the ADVENT Officer were posing back-to-back in typical badass postures, and then zoomed to the side, where a trio of troopers walked past the gates.
"The gates have the standard guard duo protecting them," Sunset jumped in, pointing at the gate, where another viper and a trooper stood at attention. "But we might not need to engage them at all. The less combat situations we have, the better."
"I thought you guys liked destroying everything in your path," Scootaloo muttered, leaning back.
"Not at all," Sunset replied with a shrug. "We don't have the firepower to do that kind of damage anyway. Most of the massive damage to buildings is usually caused by alien overkill."
Scootaloo and Sweetie shared uneasy glances, while Apple Bloom sighed.
"Anyway," Jane said after a moment. "Before we do anything, we're going there later tonight and using my GREMLIN to scan the building."
"Y'all know that's dangerous, right?" Applebloom frowned. "Patrols are doubled at night and no one is supposed to go out after curfew."
"Yeah, we know," Sunset said. "But if we're found out, we'll retreat into the safe house… don't worry, we won't come back here unless we're absolutely sure we haven't been noticed… and trust me, if the aliens see you, you know."
"Well, if y'all are leaving later, you might as well want to get some rest first," Apple Bloom said. "You can take the same room as last night."
"Yeah, that might not be a bad idea," Jane said, stretching.
Sunset chuckled, starting to pick up their stuff. "Yeah, come on, let's go practice your giggling."
"I noticed the looks you were giving me today," Sunset said.
It was her turn on the floor, as Jane had slept on it the previous night, so she couldn't see Jane's reaction on top of the bed, still, she got the sense that she'd gotten her fellow soldier's attention.
"Well you did try to hook me up with an ADVENT Captain," Jane muttered after a few seconds of silence.
"You know that's not what I mean."
Jane was quiet for what seemed a few minutes, but Sunset dared not interrupt. She could sense the reluctance from the other woman to talk about what was bothering her, but knowing Jane, if she pushed it, she'd just become defensive and they'd never sort out whatever the issue was.
Finally, with the rustling of some covers, Jane's face appeared over the edge of the bed. It was hard to see what was running through her mind in the little light they had, but Sunset could tell her eyes were focused on her.
"You know what happened on November 22nd, 2012, right?" Jane asked.
Sunset licked her lips. "Um… yeah, everyone knows what happened… that's the day XCOM was betrayed."
"It was also the day they attacked the Temple Ship," Jane said slowly. "Do you know the name of the team that led it?"
Sunset had a bad feeling about this.
"I only know that it was named Stardust... and that's from Galahad's description only."
"I see…" Jane sighed and rolled away from the edge, so that Sunset couldn't see her at all. "I was… reminded of the date not too long ago, and I went to search the archives. Not much remains from the files from back then, that's why Tygan had to research some stuff from scratch, but back in the day, XCOM soldiers would send their feed straight to the Skyranger as well as satellite, which is why we have some videos of early battles left."
"So what does this have to do with us?"
"Not us… you," Jane said, and her voice sounded haunted and unsure. "Do you know the name of the Colonel that lead Stardust into the Temple Ship?"
"No, they never told us," Sunset whispered. She had a sense of unease, perhaps because of Jane's tone, but there was also a nagging feeling that she knew where this was going.
"Her name," Jane said, "...was Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset felt her stomach grow ice-cold.
"She had long, red and yellow hair, and her armor's personalized decal was a sun, half-red, half-yellow. She was a psi-op, one of three we had a the time," Jane added, before falling silent.
"Jane, I…"
Jane kept on going, "Every time I asked old XCOM why they gave you those looks, they sort of implied you were related to someone they knew."
Sunset turned, her back against the bed and stared at the faint light leaking from the edge of the door.
"I mean, we've all speculated that you were psychic, with how you're able to know where enemies are and such… but it's more than that, isn't it?"
Sunset closed her eyes, wondering how they had all felt, seeing a dead friend in her every day that she was around. Keeping this secret… how had Bradford felt, spending almost three years with the spitting image of a dead friend?
"Did you know that Sunset Shimmer was the Commander's best friend?"
Sunset sighed. "Yeah."
Jane was quiet for a moment. "There's no way that the Sunset Shimmer that went into the Temple Ship survived."
The silence after that statement was deafening. It must have been only a few seconds before Jane spoke again, but it felt much, much longer to Sunset.
"She wasn't your mom, was she."
That was definitely not a question.
"She wasn't a family member," Jane added, trying to work it out, "You're her, aren't you? You went into the Temple Ship… you flew it into space and exploded with it… and you somehow made it back…" Jane chuckled. "That sounds so stupid… but either you're her or you're a clone… because Sunset, after what I saw in that video… you can't be real."
o.0.o End Chapter 32 o.0.o
She knows. Overall, short but good. I guess the ADVENT soldiers felt a bit akward about this, they don’t do that everyday. "
Correct me if I wrong, I giess I overlooked something, as the first game was set in 2015. But given that Equestria girls came out much earlier, that would make sense that the invasion was earlier.
Well, Sunset's entered the Twilight Zone. The one that doesn't include Sparkle.
DUN DUN DUN......
uhh... Multiverse theory? Alternate realities? Any other theoretically possible explanation? Why do they automatically jump to the "you can't be real" argument? Open minds, people!
someone slap scootaloo please?
Oh Jane, you're so close!
Integrity point check time! Does Sunset finally reveal? Or will she relent?
Time will tell how harshly this bubbles up...
Keep going! ;)
So Sunset's plan back then was flirting with ADVENT troops and casually pick photos. Nice plan and again going out with a Viper. Then again, Ponies do love hugs a lot and Vipers do give strong ones.
That end though, Sunset only knew about her counterpart when Chrysalis confronted her the first time and until just now she didn't know she was the volunteer. That sure must have felt strange to all the old ones until they learn she's a unicorn.
*space missing*
Uh oh, Sunset. If you get too cozy with those vipers, Laetitia might get jealous. Lol.
inb4 Sunset gets a Viper harem. She'll become the Viper Queen now that she's taken out the King.
8791876
It's more a figure of speech than anything else really
8792073
In this context? It can reasonably be seen as meant either figuratively or seriously. I lean more towards seriously.
78.media.tumblr.com/c16624c761878a5080c9be525d0d566f/tumblr_npdq1mvVuT1sqp17lo1_1280.png
8792099
Rip my sides.
Damn.
Oh shit, here we go.
As real as any other pony. Back her up here, Twilight.
8791895
She needs more than a slap, I kinda want Advent to learn that they're helping dissidents just so Scotalo can learn what it feels like.
She was happy enough when the other peons were sacrificed to the aliens so she may have her shiny things, surely when it's her turn she'll embrace her duty and not try to survive right?
were posign back to back in typical badass postures
1. Posing.
Imagine the stories of Sweetie trying to seduce others. It'd probably be enough go write a book and be called The Sweetie Chronicles, where each date is like she's in a different universe all together.
SNEEEEEK EATEEEEEEER
8791980
I bet that's her endgame. A harem of nubile snek girls to cuddle with after it's all said and done. Specially because all those Vipers will need a home when every human on earth is trying to hunt them down.
So what was the ambush probability on this covert action?
'cuz snugging up to an ADVENT patrol and getting your picture taken when you're a highly recognizable and Most Wanted target that's supposed to be undercover is how you get ambushed on covert actions.
8792611 Oh, she's not going to get away that easy. That Viper is on a mission now!
8792627
Now she'll have to dodge awkward conversations on the street and never ending phone calls.
Sunset: Would you believe "magical unicorn doppelgänger from another universe"?
Well, this should prove interesting! It is good that Jane is finally done beating around the bush and being upset with Sunset and actually is talking about all of this with her... now if only Sunset had the good sense to come clean.
That's a boldfaced lie Sunset, and you know it. They're called Grenadiers and not Gunners for a reason, and it isn't their lack of collateral damage.
Its a Secret
derpicdn.net/img/2015/2/4/821097/thumb.gif
8793109
Depends on what perk they took
I prefer salvo and extra grenades
mmmmmmmm twin fire grenades and something else.....so delicious
Anyone else wonder if the Commander will try to force a meeting with her counterpart, and then shoot her?
8793109 Then again, Andromedons, Gatekeepers, and Sectopods could all have a sticker on the back that reads "We don't stop for anything", and Archons basically bomb everything when they have the chance. And they don't care about civilians.
8792627
What was the ambush you THOUGHT Dustcan was talking about?
I’m really starting to think that sunset really has a thing for vipers. These feelings seem to be mutual. Lol
Okay I'm confused; so I checked the timeline thing (not all of it) but as I looked at the part before Sunset's departure from Equestria, the date said that the destruction of the Temple Ship happens on September 2015... so either this is a writing mistake for the story's lore with the original date being November 22 2012, and being changed at some point... I'm just... I'm really serious when it comes to a story's timeline and when that timeline gets retconned all of a sudden.
Basically what I'm saying is this, either November 22 2012 is the actual date or September 2015 is the new changed date... either way, just wanted to bring that up.
9568892 No, the 2012 date was wrong in the chapter. Thanks for pointing it out.
Ah the eternal curse: you speak her name like it's one word, and yet... well, you spell it as two. Sometimes. Depending on the author.
I know this agony... Her name will escape edits every so often... And be an eternal blemish...
-GM, master of lock'n'load.
you mean 2012
Annnd that just happend... Will Sunset come clean? It is her best friend...
O wait that another story from this Author...
My bad...