Ranger
Chapter 98: Moon
By Wanderer D
"She's waking up."
The voice was familiar. Concerned. Light faded into darkness, distant whispers of Celestia's voice wishing her well, that she would be missed mingled with the soft hum of Elerium-fed engines, and the slight rattle of things not secured to the wall and the shushing sound of air being filtered through the ship.
As calm and welcoming as the whiteness had been, this was more familiar, and oddly more calming.
Sunset groaned and pushed up, sitting on the bed she had been laid down on. She rubbed her face.
"Sunset?" Twilight asked, sitting next to her. "Are you okay?"
Sunset blinked. "Oh… hey Twilight," she glanced at Central. "Hey dad. I guess I'm back in the Avenger."
Bradford's eyes narrowed. "Back?" he glanced at Twilight, then back to Sunset.
"Oh," Twilight said, then sighed. "Time-space dilation then… I knew it was going to be temporary, but I hoped it might last longer."
Sunset gave her a hurt look, and Twilight bit her lip, looking away. "For scientific reasons…"
"I'd better hear a good explanation for this, Lieutenant," Bradford spoke up. "Because so far I have heard nothing but nonsense."
"I would like to hear it too, whatever it is," Chrysalis said, leaning on the door frame. She smirked at their surprised faces. "I came to check on Sparkle here and find a mini-gathering. It's a bit of a tight space, so why don't we go to my quarters and talk about it there?"
Sunset glanced at Bradford, who had a hand covering his face while Chrysalis kept laughing. Tygan seemed intrigued by the sketches of the aliens Sunset had seen in containment, but she could see the edge of his mouth twitching.
"So um, after the other Sunset called Central dad, he sort of… stood still and just barely managed to catch her when she passed out," Twilight finished.
Chrysalis took a deep breath, fighting her obvious mirth. "Perhaps I should follow my own example and order you to be his daughter."
"Well, she did call him 'dad' when she woke up…" Twilight muttered, earning a smirk from Chrysalis and an annoyed look from Bradford.
Sunset merely looked at her, and sighed.
"On a more practical level, the revelations that we have obtained, are certainly unexpected," Tygan said, drawing their attention. "It seems that the Elders in that dimension were escaping… something… perhaps an enemy that might assist us i—"
"No." Chrysalis' statement quieted the room. "No. It's not something we can contact or obtain help from. We must concentrate on our present enemy."
"But Commander…"
"It's a different universe, and this was all done at the behest and for the entertainment of this creature… Discord." Chrysalis looked at the others steadily. "There is no point whatsoever in assuming the same would happen here." She motioned with her hand at the drawings. "Only the sectoids are similar. The order of events, the power of our enemies, and even the place in the timeline of both worlds are different. Our counterparts are dealing with their own problems, and so should we."
She turned to look at Sunset, "Besides these shenanigans, did you find out anything of use?"
"If you defeat her… the last of me in her is in the gem."
"Aria somehow seemed to catch a glimpse of what was in the Assassin's mind… she said that there was…" she hesitated, "...that there was nothing of her left in the Assassin."
Chrysalis sighed. "So nothing of real significance then…"
"Kill her. Keep the gem…"
"N-no."
"I see," Chrysalis leaned back, "I expect this Discord entity is not going to interfere again?"
"Princess Celestia promised to keep him controlled."
"Any chance of him helping?"
"I… wouldn't bet on it," Twilight said, speaking up before Sunset had a chance. "Discord is—at best—unpredictable. As much as he might do something to help, it is more likely for the benefit of his own entertainment." She took a deep breath. "He's not… evil, really… but he's still working on getting better. Hopefully, he's had his fun for now. We'll reach out to Fluttershy back home to keep him under control if necessary."
Chrysalis nodded. "Make sure you do." She stretched. "Anyway, our away team should be back soon, and I want you all with me to receive our guest, so make sure you're presentable."
"Yes, ma'am," the crew chorused.
"Dismissed."
As the group stepped out, Sunset hesitated, and reached out, touching Bradfords arm. "I'm sorry… Central, could we talk?"
Bradford regarded her for a moment and nodded, following her down the ramp.
At the top of the ramp, Twilight watched and sighed, shaking her head as she headed back to her room. She had much to think about. And much to write.
"Listen… I… wanted to apologize."
Sunset had led Bradford to a meeting room to talk, closing the door behind them. He sat down and turned to look at her with an unreadable expression.
"...I know that… it was stupid to follow up with the joke…" Sunset said, grimacing as she tried to think of ways to justify her actions earlier. "You're very important to me, and I-I realize I put you in a bad position saying that." She looked down. "In that universe, things were different for both of us… and, well. I'm sorry. I meant it as a joke, but I hope I didn't come up as pushy or having some sort of expectations."
Bradford cleared his throat. "I'm not very good with this kind of thing, Sunset. I didn't have a strong grip on heart-to-hearts even back when your predecessor was around."
Sunset chuckled. "The Sweater era," she said, smiling at Bradford. "I have to admit, it was odd seeing you wearing that."
Bradford simply raised an eyebrow, not betraying any emotions.
"Sorry." Sunset sighed, sitting down across from him. "It was just… weird, you know? Knowing that you adopted me in other circumstances. In another life."
"Disappointed?"
"No," Sunset smiled. "My other self is younger, and I think you were a great influence on her. I think she's happy and much more centered than I was, thanks to you."
Bradford shuffled uncomfortably. "Yes, well, different world."
Sunset smiled a little. "Yeah. I'm not… you know… I understand things are different, but I think after all of that there was one thing I realized."
She stood up and offered her hand to Bradford, who also stood up. "And that is?" he asked, taking her hand.
"I never really thanked you for everything you've done," Sunset said, giving him a firm handshake, which he reciprocated. "Thank you for everything you've done, Central Officer Bradford."
Bradford allowed himself a smile. "My pleasure, Lieutenant." He cleared his throat. "Now, get going and get ready to receive our guest."
Sunset let go of his hand and saluted. "Aye, aye, Sir!"
She turned around smartly and left with a smile on her face, while Bradford lingered in the meeting room, looking at his hand in contemplation, before closing it into a fist. "It's like I'm literally taking care of her actual daughter," he muttered, before leaving the room.
"Anyone have any idea why we're all coming together?" Sunset asked.
"Commander's orders," Central replied.
"Yes, but why?" Sunset insisted. "Why all of us?"
"Perhaps this guest of hers is a new member of upper staff?" Laetitia suggested.
"Perhaps," Tygan acknowledged, "but I don't see why she couldn't do the usual formal introduction, instead of taking Twilight and I from our current projects."
The small group arrived at the hangar, just as the Skyranger was slowly being lowered into the bay.
"Glad you could all make it," Chrysalis said, smirking at them. "Form a line."
The platform receded completely as they followed orders, and the rear hatch of the Skyranger opened with a hiss soon after, lowering down to form the boarding ramp.
Out of it came three people, Jane, Rainbow Dash and... gasps from Twilight, Sunset, and Laetitia echoed in the hangar.
Chrysalis was grinning like a cat. "Worth it." She cleared her throat. "Welcome to the Avenger, you already know Rainbow Dash and Jane, but let me introduce you. This is Central Officer Bradford, next to him are Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle and this young lady here is going to be your assistant. Her name is Laetitia."
Chrysalis paced in front of the group, smiling devilishly. "And may I introduce you to our new, on-board Counselor…"
"V-vice Principal Luna?" Sunset stammered.
o.0.o End Chapter 98 o.0.o
Anyone else curious about the aftermath in the other timeline?
What happened to the old counselor? Knowing X-Com I suspect he died to an alien grenade. While in session with a patient.
I remember they were making reference to another enemy in the game. It was left as a cliffhanger... A chilling thought: what if Mosaic is active. Or worse, something that created Mosaic?
Luna! What! What! Dude. Mind blown.
I thought she and sunbut died in the first invasion.
Huh. Guess I was wrong.
There needs to be a short story or a one shot of the aftermath of the other time line and what Sunset there thinks about the aliens and the future about being a blood witch.
I didn't see that coming! Dammit! Wanderer how do you do this!?
So, for those whom the side section was a break of disbelief. Is there a good place to ask for a recap, or a generalization more so than what was provided here that folks can provide?
*Rapid, quiet clapping*
A surprise arrival, that is wholly welcome to see
I am enjoying this series immensely and I am definitely going to read as it grows. Delightful twist! VP Luna showing up is a wonderful thing!
And damn, my theory about Big Mac being Mox was proven incorrect, but I wonder if its possible if the Marauder they send to replace him on the team... 'cause I'm still curious what happened to him.
The alternate timeline was surprising and unique, and definitely shows the effects of Magic leaking into this world. Really looking forward to seeing what happens in the future. And the moments with Bradford and Sunset were wonderful. Onions. Onions everywhere.
Luna! :D
8939902
95% chance to diagnose patient.
Fails.
Panics.
Dies from spontaneously erupting power conduit.
Sounds about right.
The clue was in the name.
8939909
Mosiac is just Declassified's version of the Comm system that exists in every XCOM game.
Apocalypse is free of this but only because the Micronoids are so psionically inclined that the moment you are infected you are part of the Hive Mind forever without any external means.
8939944
Discord made Ranger!Sunset and EquestriaGirls!Sunset swap minds for a short time to prove a point to Celestia. EquestriaGirls!Sunset was adopted by that universe's version of Bradford, but that universe isn't dealing with major alien incursions. While there, Ranger!Sunset spoke with the Sirens (captives of XCOM until extradition back to Equestria), and Aria saw a vision of her Ranger-universe version; she said there was nothing left of her in the monster, and Sunset should kill her and keep her gem.
8940058
Comm system created on earth and network that was destoyed on home planet were nodes of something more than just comm system, from ending(s) of Declassified one can devise that to Elder Mosaic represented an enemy that tried to enslave them.
8939909
It’s terror from the deep.
8940062
Thank you very much. I appreciate the answer on that.
Didn't see that Coming.
8940081
They are ALWAYS enslaved, the original game everyone including the ethereals (the eldars) were enslaved by Skynet through the Hyperwave Network.
In TFTD we meet the Sectoids before Skynet got them (crashed Aquatoid city ship) they still have control chips in their heads linked up to the Psionic Network which was run by sleeping notCthulu. They dumped so much Lovecraft into TFTD they should have just said T'Leth crashed into R'lyeh.
In Apocalypse everything is literaly just a meat puppet to the psionic bacteria and they farmed the Skynet Aliens.
The Ethereals may have gotten a power boast in the new universe but the idea that they can be controlled is not a new one (you can even do it in XCOM 1), and given their new position in the Alien Empire they would be a prime target for mind control. I wouldn't be suprised to find that Fraxis makes the Micronoids "just" a bio-weapon for another powerful entity or race.
Eyyy
Kek
Well-played. Saw the guest's identity coming just in time for it to be revealed.
And it's good to see that Twilight has gotten the opportunity to reexamine herself. Hope those letters help.
8939899
Nope. Almost nothing of any real importance happened in the seven whole chapters. It was a long, drawn-out way for Celestia and Sunset to reconcile that could have easily happened in the dreamscape thing without the six-and-a-half preceding chapters of mindswap.
Very nice twist
Hmm I might have missed it but where was Jane during all this intriguing stuff? I actually would like to have seen her and old-Sunset interact, given they're best friends sorta...
Sounds good.
Let the dadness flow through you.
Luna, eh? Presumably Earth Luna, though it might be interesting if Equestrian Luna snuck through the portal somehow to help her niece in person.
Well now. This should be interesting. And an on-board counselor should help with a lot of lingering issues. You have a lot of work ahead of you, Luna.
8940177
SkyNet? I played original game in 90s and I don't remeber any mention of it (Also that could be copyright problem, at least Black Isle had right to use the name for Fallout 2). I agree on TFTD and Apocalipse, but those seemed unrelated in source of Invasion, neither there were Ethereals in latter?
8940723
Skynet yes, all autopies pointed out implants in the aliens including the brain, when you get to Mars you have to destroy the central computer which talks (and lies it's butt off) to you and tries to convince you to let it live. It's not a perfect recreation of Skynet but it's an easy differeniation between the control hierachy of the Micropose Aliens and Fraxis Aliens.
In the "Food Building" in the alien dimension there's a couple of rooms filled with sectoids and the game comments on them being there. While we don't see any other of the original species there it's likely because they didn't have the time or memory space to put them in, the Apocalypse we got is much smaller than what the design team tried to achieve. Within the game universe it doesnt make much sense for them to farm Aliens for food rather than as more hosts, except for revenge/punishment of those Aliens.
Yay Luna's here. The fun as just been double.
?!?!?!?!?!?!
8940785
I misunderstood that you meant literally SkyNet. Also ethereals there were purely physical creatures with high psionic ability, not energy-based creatures of Firaxis XCOM and 2K Declassified.
Apocalipse should be either non-canon or way out of timeline. Aliens there are from different universe, humanity uses elerium 115 as main power source and mines it at distant planets. XCom troops were comprised of androids, humans and uplifted sectoids, implying that after martian defensive system was destroyed, _something_ had been left behind, maybe peace was reached. Mars was colonized and terraformed using alien technologies, so... way in the future.
8941438 Ehereals are only 100% energy in Declassified only. In XCOM 2 we see their projections, but they have physical bodies. That's a big part of the deal behind their actions.
8941438
Don't worry XCOM2/WOTC hasn't set up the mega cities, robot race or the hybrid humans already
Although I should point out that within context of the game (both Fraxis and Microprose) it takes less than a year to learn all of the Aliens tech, the industrial base would likely catch up within a decade and the Micronoid invasion came 85 years after the first war.
8940017
More of:
95% chance of curing Soldier of PSTD.
Failed.
Solider panics and throws a Grenade.
I wonder what this Luna’s been doing.
Wow both the outcome of Bradfords relationship with sunset and celestias relationship with sunset disappointed me I wanted the exact opposite thing to happen😥😥
If I got this many jokes about my outfit I'd stop wearing a sweater too.
How does Laetitia know of Luna again?
9489171
I think that latia is the conduit that luna can access this worlds dreams. seems to be proximity baces, but you'll notice, every luna interaction is when latia is right there with sunset or twilight. So really, equestrian luna just met local luna, sorta.
8940036
Ya know what they say about hindsight
Chrysalis Or sunsets
This story has so many looops and barrel rolls i think my brain just got twisted individual on the brain part halfs... Love it.
Discord is awesome!
After all this, nothing is impossible. Wonder if Discord has actually played the dice of chance once or twice for his entertainment. Things seem to work interesting enough at some place.
Good chapter 👍