//------------------------------// // Problems With Authority // Story: My Own Wings // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// It was a peaceful day aboard the Great Fox. Bill and Katt had both left after the reunion, each having their own responsibilities to tend to. Bill had his military career, and Katt was apparently working on something she was unwilling to discuss with them just yet. Sunset had been upset that the new people were leaving so soon, but they'd both promised to return soon and that had satisfied her...along with a promise from Fox to swing by Solaar so she could play with 'Buggy', the name she'd given to the massive magma beetle there. Given that it was a more or less quiet day, Fox had decided to call in an old favor from the rest of the crew. Peppy, Slippy, Falco, and Rob were all keeping Sunset entertained at the end of the ship furthest from the crew quarters, with instructions to divert Sunset if she inquired at any point about the whereabouts of 'Mom' and 'Dad' until the end of the day. Fox and Krystal would be spending that time together in the crew quarters. Falco and the others had immediately agreed to the request, as experience had shown them that Sunset proved to be a romantic troll. While she delighted in trying to pair people off - and had gone to great efforts while Katt was on board to encourage such things between her and Falco - once a relationship moved towards the romantic, she seemed to take perverse delight in popping in at the worst possible time to derail anything more romantic than holding hands. Everyone was of mind to try and put a stop to that, at least as far as Fox and Krystal went. As Peppy had put it, "The tension between you two is gettin' so thick I'm afraid to open the broom closet some days." Fox had blushed brightly at the assertion. Krystal had asked what a broom closet was. Despite the awkward start, however, the day was going wonderfully. Sunset was readily distracted up on the bridge, and Fox and Krystal had taken their time to enjoy their date. Fox had started with a romantic meal, followed by a film Krystal had shown interest in that helped them relax together. And now they'd moved to the bed, sitting together hand in hand. "N-nervous?" Fox whispered as he leaned closer. "Just a little," Krystal responded softly, her eyelashes lowered over her eyes. "You?" "Y-yeah," Fox stammered. "A lot of steps...all at once..." "We're ready for all of them," Krystal promised him, lifting her other hand to gently cup his cheek. Smiling, Fox placed his hand over hers. His eyes slipped closed as he leaned towards her face. Her own eyes closed as her chin lifted to meet him- "Fox, Krystal, please report to the bridge!" Slippy's voice echoed over the ship intercom. "As soon as possible!" Fox and Krystal both tensed up, and Fox held back several dozen words no one was allowed to say around Sunset as he mentally promised all sorts of torments Slippy's way. "We'll be right there!" Krystal called into the intercom, though the tension in her voice at least showed Fox wasn't the only one frustrated by this timely interruption. She turned back to Fox. "Think Sunset did something?" she asked ruefully. Fox groaned. "No, but somehow I'm sure it's because of her. Let's go." It didn't take the pair long to reach the bridge...and once there, they found a rather unusual pair of strangers waiting for them. One was a green-skinned gecko who was a bit on the short side, clutching a clipboard as he pushed up thick glasses, a sour expression on his face. The other was a bear who stood easily twice the height of anyone else on the ship, and seemed to have a perpetual happy smile pasted onto her face. Both were dressed in identical uniform suits, and everyone else on the bridge was giving them a wide berth...and seemed to be trying to subtly position themselves between the newcomers and Sunset. The gecko was the first to spot Fox and Krystal. "Ah," he observed, his voice dry and jaded, as though all sense of compassion had been worn out of him to the point his heart had died. "So these are the...parents. Fox McCloud and Krystal of...Cerinia." He held out an ID. "Agent Stickler, Child Services. This is my partner...Agent Mama Bear." 'Mama Bear' rushed forward, pulling the pair of stunned foxes into a crushing bear hug. "Oh, aren't you two just the cutest little vulpines I ever laid eyes on!" she squealed happily, her entire being seeming to overflow with parental affection. "You make such the cute couple, and taking on such a youngin' all on your own, you just must be good people!" "That remains to be seen," Stickler murmured dryly. "Mr. McCloud, we have several questions regarding the youngling Sunset Shimmer. For her sake, you and your...companions...should answer all our questions honestly and completely." Fox nodded. "I'll do the best I can," he agreed as he walked over and scooped Sunset into his arms. The little filly glanced back and forth between him and the newcomers in confusion. "Oh she's just too precious!" 'Mama Bear' cooed. "Can...can I hold her?" "I'd...rather you didn't just now," Fox offered, somewhere between nervously and defensively. To his surprise, Mama Bear nodded happily. "Good on you," she stated firmly. "Good instincts on this one, thinks things through." "And where am I supposed to mark that down on the charts?" Stickler growled irritably. "Let's get on with it." Everyone proceeded to answer the questions put to them as best they could, though the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Stickler focused entirely on the technical questions. Where Sunset slept, how much she ate and drank, what her diet was like, how much mental and physical activity she got, where she presently tested in terms of mental acuity, why she didn't have the appropriate paperwork for a foundling... Mama Bear, on the other hand, seemed to focus entirely on the emotional side of things. How Sunset related to everyone, how everyone related to each other, how caring for Sunset had effected everyone, whether Sunset had any friends... "These are new," Mama Bear murmured thoughtfully as she tapped on an ACSU panel on the wall of the corridor. "Much newer metal than what's on the control consoles. What are they?" "Sunset needs to live in a magic rich environment," Slippy explained carefully. "Her magic interacts with her environment in...odd ways, and if there isn't enough magic energy in her environment, her own feeds back into her and causes dangerous and painful magic buildups. These panels collect her excess magic and feed it into the ship, creating a magical environment." "And you put them through the entire ship?" Mama Bear murmured in surprise. "Such dedication. With such a small crew, I can't imagine it was easy..." Slippy shrugged. "It's not the first time I've had to refit the entire Great Fox from stem to stern. Probably won't be the last. And it meant Sunset could wander the whole ship instead of being confined to one room...and I didn't have to worry about running out of soda cans." He chuckled at Mama Bear's confused look. "That was the first make-shift battery I used." "Well with all the effort you put forth on her part, you must be her favorite Uncle," Mama Bear offered playfully, gently chucking Slippy under the chin. "And you were how old when you took her in?" Stickler asked intently of Fox as he glared at him over his glasses. "15, sir," Fox allowed nervously. "And...how long after did...Krystal arrive to assist?" "A few months," Fox answered readily. "And she's been here ever since?" "Yeah," Fox confirmed. "Sunset kind of...appropriated her as 'Mom', and it stuck." "Does she always dress like that?" Fox blinked, not having expected that question. "Well, yeah," Fox confirmed. "It boosts her magical energy so she can more easily handle Sunset's antics, and her home world has...had a much warmer climate than any of the habitable worlds of Lylat...except maybe Dinosaur Planet. It's just how they dressed there." "And you two...are you in a relationship?" Stickler asked flatly. "That's...complicated," Fox allowed nervously. "Simplify it for me," he instructed firmly. "We have feelings for each other, and we work together as Sunset's parents," Fox explained as best he could. "We would like to be more, maybe take things further...but Sunset has a habit of interrupting things like that." He glanced away in frustration. "We were just about to share our first real romantic kiss when you two showed up." "I see," Stickler stated flatly as he made a note. Before long, Stickler and Mama Bear moved to compare notes, and then Stickler spoke up. "I'm afraid by regulations it is simply unacceptable to have a child being raised aboard a military ship," he stated flatly. "Let alone by hormonal teenagers who barely have control of themselves, let alone the child. For Sunset's sake, she will have to be moved-" Before he could get another word out, or Fox or the others could go for his throat or their weapons, Mama Bear backhanded him across the room to slam against the wall. "You'll have to forgive him," she offered apologetically. "He's seen far more than his share of truly bad situations where there's little our agency can do, and his slight frame and 'intellectual' disposition have led a lot of those bad situations to attempt to intimidate him into compliance. He does care, really...he just can't express it well anymore. It's why I'm paired with him. "To be fair, he does have a point about your age and this being a combat ship," she continued ruefully. "But both of those can be dealt with depending on how it's filed. You've already dedicated three years to taking care of her, and she's genuinely happy here. In situations like this with a lost foundling, that's pretty rare. And while this ship is made for combat, it's more a house with guns than a military vessel, and most of its dangerous capabilities I understand are a direct result of retrofitting it for her comfort. However, there's one problem that can't just be written away by changing the paperwork." She glanced firmly at Fox. "By your own admission, Sunset's never spent any time with anyone her own age. She needs that sort of social interaction if she's going to grow up healthy." She lifted her hand to forestall his objections. "Now I know that's not easy, what with her needing a magical environment to survive...but the current situation is little better than being in a laboratory and studied, save that she's loved." "Well what are we supposed to do?" Fox asked in frustration. "We don't know anyone with kids we could ask to visit! And this may be a home, but we can't turn it into a day care..." "Actually, I think I have a possible solution to the problem," Mama Bear continued. "Dinosaur Planet has a magical field. It's passive, and doesn't give off as strong energy waves as the ship does now, but it is constant. Sunset might be able to handle walking around there." She smiled softly. "And the King and Queen of the EarthWalker tribe just so happen to have a youngling Sunset's age. If Sunset can handle the environment, perhaps they might make good friends?" Krystal smiled widely. "I actually speak the language of the people of that world," she offered warmly. "I could take Sunset down and see if this could be arranged." "Not to mention a full planet must offer better places for a young couple than a ship like this," Mama Bear continued in a motherly voice. "Best to get that out of your systems sooner rather than later, so not being able never makes you resent this little lady." Much to everyone's surprise, Sunset had made her own way into Mama Bear's arms, snuggling into her rather ample chest floof. Embarrassment at Mama Bear's rather blunt assessment of the situation was smoothed over by amusement at Sunset's antics. Stickler, meanwhile, carefully extracted himself from the wall. It wasn't strictly by the book, but the situation was properly addressed and resolved. His partnership with Mama Bear was very rewarding that way. She had the compassion to bend the rules when doing so protected a good situation. He had the ruthlessness to find every quirk in them that let them extract a suffering child from a bad one. As a result, every child whose file came across their desks got the help they needed. ...he just wished she pulled her backhands. Inertia dampening business suits were expensive.