Crossworlds Guardian, Sailor Orbital!

by Masterweaver

Influence and Semantics! The First Team Encounter.

"Well, this has been an exciting two weeks!" Ditzy proclaimed.

"Nothing's happened," Raspberry Fluff groaned, lifting her head. "Except YOU running us through some crazy obstacle course and drilling us all like, like soldiers or something!"

"Not soldiers. Special ops." Ditzy twirled her mace. "If you were soldiers, I'd be trying to break you down and rebuild you from the ground up. What I'm doing instead is improving your strengths and getting you to know your weaknesses."

"Yeah, well... 'unexpected faces...'" The pink girl slumped back onto the ground. "I get that nothing comes free, but is it too much for us to actually fight aliens?!"

"While I do not agree to the reasoning behind the complaint of Sailor Meteor, I feel I must register a similar issue." Kikai trotted up to the group, absently adjusting the glasses she wore as she peered at the numbers running across the lenses. "The use of Bacon Academy facilities and training is contingent on you utilizing the learning you gained here for the purpose of deescalation of dangerous situations. While the owners and directors are sympathetic to our lack of knowledge of our proposed foe, there has yet to be any application of this training to a real world scenario, and we are therefore a... time sink, I believe is the term." She looked around at the groaning girls. "I have been unwilling to bring it up, as you have been training intensely and loyally, but despite our proposed specialization I am not against utilizing this team for more mundane issues. A fire rescue, perhaps. Maybe dealing with one of the angst monster outbreaks, which are apparently somewhat regular occurrences for reasons I cannot fathom. Or stopping armed robbery, I believe a number of the original Power Patriots entered the field with that on their resume."

"Yeah, Ditzy--"

"Ah-ah-ah." Ditzy held up a finger. "You know the rule. In the tiara, I'm Sailor Orbital."

"Fine." Golden rolled her eyes, resting against her sledgehammer for support. "Orbital. We need to get out there. Remind ourselves why we're doing this. Balance in all things and all that..."

Blue Oyster landed next to them, panting. "Okay, that... obstacle course... is brutal." She peered at the rest of them. "...Is... is Kikai wearing glasses?"

"Ah, yes." Kikai smiled. "I was visiting the home of miss Sparkle to discuss some matters with Spike, and she noticed me carrying around a rather large amount of paperwork, and one thing led to another--"

"I thought... I thought Twilight was the sane one."

"She's the mad scientist," Ditzy reprimanded.

"Oh. Yeah. Applejack's the sane one..." Blue fell on her face. "Ooooooooooooooooh my legs. Oh my legs."

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Raindrops twirled and pirouetted, finally landing in a perfect split. "That was SO! MUCH! FUN! Can I do it again?"

Ditzy glanced at the others. "Maybe in ten minutes. We were just discussing whether we should increase the scope of our mandate."

"Oh, you mean actually do something besides wait for alien attacks? I'd be up for that. We're on the Power Patriot call list thing, right?"

"Well, yes and no." Kikai tapped her glasses. "We are on the quick contact list, but due to lack of experience and you opting not to assign yourself a patrolled territory, we only get called in for regional incidents of class C or class D. Of course, if we sought out incidents on our own initiative or filed for a patrol, we would not need to wait for--"

Ditzy blinked as she heard a buzzing sound. "Hold on, somebody's calling me." She put a finger to her ear. "Hello, you've reached the line for Bubble Airlines--Float Free or Burst!"

"Cute mom. Real cute."

"I thought so. What's up, Dinky?"

"Five seven six on Trottersplit street. You owe me two hundred."

Ditzy's eyes went wide. "You mean--?"

"Yeah, oracle kid's giving you a mission!"

"Can I just say, you have impeccable timing."

"Kind of comes with being a time traveler."

"Also you're a bit too snarky for your own good."

"Again: Time traveler."

"Well, you know... are you doing alright? Is everything--"

"Yes, it's all fine Mom! Gosh, you're too busy in the future, and worry too much in the past..."

"It's my job to worry!"

"No, it's your job to beat up aliens! You only get to worry about me after I'm born!"

"Can't I at least practice?"

"....I mean... I guess... But not right now. Aliens, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Um.... Love you."

"No you don't."

"But I will, right?"

"Yeah... you're right. Fine. Love you too. Bye."

Ditzy tapped her ear, turning to the others. "Well, guess what?"

"We got our first mission," Blue Oyster deadpanned.

"Yep! It's at--"

"Five seven six Trottersplit," Golden Harvest confirmed, heading for the door. "I'm driving."

Ditzy frowned. "How did you...?"

"Your wireless is way close to your tiara mike," Raspberry Fluff explained. "We heard everything."

"...oh."

Raindrops helped Blue to her feet, giving Ditzy a curious look. "Yeah, what was that bit about you not loving her?"

"Oh, that. Dinky's somehow got it in her head that since she hasn't been born yet, she's not my daughter, ergo I can't actually love her like a daughter." Ditzy rubbed the back of her head. "It's actually a little worrying, but I can't seem to convince her otherwise... gosh, I'm going to be a terrible mother."

"I dunno," Raindrops mused. "I mean, you will send her to an era where you have the time and resources to care for her, as well as gave her a way to feel useful whilst bonding with you. It's unusual, but the sacrifice of time speaks of a level of trust you will have in yourself."

"Huh. You sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Yeah, this is heartwarming and all," Raspberry drawled, "but I think Sailor Plasma's waiting out by the car?"

"Should I come along as well?" Kikai asked. "I mean, to identify all the Munarin technology."

Ditzy sighed. "Alright, but you're staying in the car until we call for you."

"I suppose I cannot object to that." She hopped into Raindrops' waiting arms as the four girls walked out to the parking lot, converging on the beaten-up van Golden Harvest was currently starting up.

"I call shotgun!" Raspberry Fluff shouted as she rushed forward--only to jerk to a sudden stop as Ditzy grabbed her collar. "Ow! Hey!"

"As the leader, I need full and instant view of the situation we're going into in order to determine our course of action. Hence, I get shotgun."

"...Aguafiestas."

"Also, that word is way too long for the role you're trying to go for." Ditzy walked past her, clambering into the front seat. "Try Tonto."

"Tonto was used in the Lonely Ranger! People will get confused!"

"You could go with cabron," Blue suggested, sliding into the van's back.

"Or imbécil," Raindrops added, slipping in next to her.

"Or you could not use your secondary language to insult your leader to her face," Kikai proposed as Raspberry sat down, shutting the door behind her.

"Well, yes, but then I'd lose the whole charm, you know?"

"There's nothing charming about it," Golden Harvest deadpanned as she backed out of the parking space. "It's a cliche and a stereotype from a bygone age. Everyone buckled?"

Ditzy glanced behind her. "Everyone but Kikai."

"She can stay in Photon's lap."

Raspberry Fluff chuckled. "Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Sailor Senshi! Obeying traffic safety laws."

"Hey, we're supposed to be role models," Raindrops chided her.

"No, we're supposed to be heroes."

"That's different how?"

"Simple: We make the world less dangerous. Role models are a kind of hero, we're just the kind that beats up bad guys."

"We're not beating up bad guys," Blue pointed out. "Not as our mission goal. Our mission goal is to retrieve lost technology so bad guys can't get at it."

"But the bad guys have to get at it for us to find where it is, and we have to get through them to get at it. Ergo: We beat up bad guys. Ergo we are heroes."

"No," Ditzy corrected, "that just makes us warriors and/or soldiers. If we save people from the bad guys or keep the bad guys from hurting people, that makes us heroes. Of course this assumes the bad guys are, intrinsically, harmful to people and/or to the world."

Golden Harvest rolled her eyes. "Are we seriously discussing the semantic distinctions of heroism? Shouldn't we, I don't know, be planning for whatever is at our destination?"

"Good point. Does anyone know what's at five seven six Trottersplit?"

"According to gillion, it's... a hairstylist place," Blue reported, tapping her glasses. "A pretty well-reviewed one, too."

Raspberry rolled her eyes. "Oh, what would you know about haircare?"

"What, you think these curls are natural?"

"...I did right up until you said that..." Raspberry gave Blue a look. "I mean... just... wow."

"So we can expect plenty of people and sharp objects, but I don't think it's likely that shampoos and stuff can be used as chemical warfare. Unless it gets in our eyes." Ditzy pounded her fist into her hand. "Our first task will be to clear out the civilians and isolate the alien."

"...I have just realized something," Kikai said, awkwardly. "It is... entirely possible that the Vaucoi could have absorbed enough human magic to resonate their physical form in such a way as to be visually identical to that of a human."

There was an awkward pause.

"So our enemy can disguise themselves," Golden Harvest deadpanned. "And you didn't bring this up earlier because...?"

"Well, I... quite honestly, I am still dealing with the concept of humans having intrinsic magical capabilities. Your species always seemed to require tools or training before I went into stasis."

"Riiiiiight. So we'll need a way to identify the alien, and/or sneak past them to find the Gate opening. Which might not even be there if they're smart enough to keep it closed until they need it." Ditzy rapped her hands on the armrest. "Well, it looks like we're going to need a decoy."

Raspberry covered her nose. "Not it!"

"I'll do it," Raindrops offered. "Gets me in position for a quick suit up if the civvies get in danger."

"Does anyone actually say civvie?" Golden wondered idly.

Blue Oyster frowned. "If you transform, I can't guarantee the dercognition pattern will affect anyone in sight. It's meant to work on separate identities, not during suit-up."

"Oh, I'll just shift my chromelanin first then."

There was another awkward pause.

Ditzy turned around in her chair. "Hold on, you're part of the Wholesome?"

"Yep!"

"I thought they only took legal adults!"

Raindrops shrugged. "I was held back a couple of years."

"We've known each other since kindergarten!"

"Like I said, I was held back a couple of years."

Blue Oyster shifted slightly away from Summer Raindrops.

"...So if I've got this straight, we've got a Wholesome member, an atheist, and a devoted worshiper of the Divine Bacon Horse." With a sigh Ditzy leaned back into the chair. "Are Carrot Top and I the only harmonists on the team?"

Golden snorted. "I'm actually Hinnyest. Converted two years ago."

"Oh. Sorry, my bad."

"Nah, it's okay. Harmonism is nice and all, but it just wasn't doing much for me."

"Yeah, that's how it was like with me too!" Raindrops cried gleefully. "Oh gosh, joining the Wholesome was the hardest, and the best, decision I ever made!"

"And this is why I don't put my faith into abstractions," Blue deadpanned. "Reality is not nearly as clean-cut as religion makes it out to be."

"Our Glorious Bacon Horse is not an abstraction!" Raspberry proclaimed.

"Well, if we're all discussing religion," Ditzy said blandly, "what about you, Kikai? You have any faith?"

"...I consider myself to be a follower of Myerminrowlis. Roughly translated, that means 'The Glorious Heartbeat Of The Stars...'"

Comments

[Malandy]

It's been two weeks! In-universe. ... When was the last chapter posted? ... 3+ weeks ago. Meh. Close enough?

... Well, Bacon Academy is Canon for this. Okay.

The time sink stuff makes sense.

Aww... Dinky... Well, Ditzy's trying to be a good mom...

And Vaucoi appears, sorta!

The bit on hair curls is funny!

The religious discussion stuff is interesting... Wonder what the translations are... Is the Wholesome more a philosophy than a religion? But then, what is the difference, exactly? ... Not gonna think about it too much...

I wonder what Raindrops will change her chromelanin to...

Vaucoi can look like humans, if they get enough human magic. But, can they do that stealthily enough to not cause a panic? Or absorbing the magic knocks out who they're absorbing it from or something? ... I wonder what they'll look like... Would they auto-get head gems and stuff? ... Could they be a mini-Alicorn if they gather enough different magics?

Typo:

Google -> Gillion

[Bugsydor]

I wonder what the Hinnyists believe...

[Neece]

Are we seriously discussing the semantic distinctions of heroism?

By the gods weaver, you're killing me

7798331 Seeing Dinky&Ditzy relationship here makes me believe that young Ditzy was (considering the future point of view) a kickass mom that bonded terrifically with Dinky and loved her very very much. Her adult self, knowing this, sent Dinky back because, well, she already raised her with love and care once. Why do it again? Also, she doesn't have to wait until she's 18 to go enjoy life this way

On the Wholesome, do remember Chrysalys is canonically a goddess. She, Sunset & The blue monkey guy actually have a support group for deities.
What makes the discussion that much more of a mindfuck. Two girls following two different religions that are both 'correct' in the "our goddess exists and we can talk to them. Like, by cellphone, reunions or just walking some 15 minutes to catch them at home".
Heresy becomes quite more complicated this way

[StardustSurvivor]

7798901 HERESY!

[FanOfMostEverything]

This continues to be extremely silly, and I continue to love it. I just hope the team can get their rumps in gear once the aliens hit the fan. Or something like that.

7798525
Likewise. That one's news to me.

[Masterweaver]

7799038
I was aiming for a ponified Hindu.

[ArtieStroke]

Man I am so HYPED for the next chapter! Finally getting some action in-

[mastermenthe]

Awesome! Semantics are my favorite thing!

[Speckle]

Hmmmm, y'know, with the area of combat being a hairstylist place and Raindrops going in to scout it out, it kinda sounds a lot like that episode in Sailor Moon where Kunzite first takes over, except this time, Venus/Photon knows what's she getting herself into.

[prism heart]

Any plans for an update?

[nlinzer]

9561036
It is essentially the R word in the UK and despite me being American knowing it is used that way makes it a hate word for me. Glad to know you are an Aspie to, the world is better with more of us!

[MixMassBasher]

Hope this updates. I love the banter among the characters and I do hope to see more Ditzy and Dinky interaction. Maybe even a crossover with the other superhero team with Fancy and Celestia in it.

[cogwheelbrain]

"We've known each other since kindergarten!"

"Like I said, I was held back a couple of years."

Blue Oyster shifted slightly away from Summer Raindrops.

Oh, I so need more of this story. If nothing else, I would love to see their first fight and the banter that goes along with it.

[Liqwidice]

Is this story dead?

[Speckle]

9962465
God, I hope not ;-;

[UrsaMajor]

So, uh, is this ever getting picked back up? Because it seemed really cool.