Chapter 19: Orders
Ranger
Chapter 19: Orders
By Wanderer D
With Sunset's magic gone, the door splintered when it was viciously kicked open by Applejack. "Alright! Where is she?!"
The scene they encountered was that of Celestia looking at a mirror in horror, while Cadance and several guards helped Princess Luna up. There was no sign of either Twilight, or the pony she had been chasing. "What the hay happened here?"
"Did that unicorn take Luna down?" Rainbow's voice was a mix of excitement and incredulity.
"She used unexpected tactics," Luna muttered, rubbing her face where a bruise had formed under her coat and wincing. "The blood witch will never be so lucky again."
"Who was that pony anyway?" Rarity asked. "She made such a mess of that poor guard back there…"
Cadance and Celestia exchanged worried looks, before the former walked up to Rarity. "I'll go help him out. Is he okay?"
"Yes," Rarity responded. "Our dear Fluttershy was kind enough to help set everything right and pronounced him mostly okay, although he still hasn't woken up yet."
"I'll go check on him… you can talk to them, auntie," Cadance said, putting words into action and leaving the room in a hurry.
"Um… where's Twilight?" Fluttershy finally asked.
Celestia grimaced. "She's on the other side of the mirror."
"Well, we know where we're going, then," Applejack stated, walking towards it, but stopped when Celestia stepped in front of it, blocking their path.
"I'm afraid you can't," the princess said. "Twilight and the Element of Magic are already gone, and it will be up to her to retrieve her crown and return… I can't risk anypony else going through that mirror, especially in light of what Sunset said."
"Sister, surely you cannot expect your former apprentice to help Twilight Sparkle back. Your former student is a Blood Witch!"
"That… doesn't sound good," Spike said faintly.
"It is not," Celestia replied, shaking her head. "Blood Magic was banned from Equestria centuries ago."
"For good reason," Luna added, "for it is a foul magic that will transform the user into a monster. It changes your soul, as you slowly feed off the life-force of other beings to give yourself power. You are eventually consumed by it, and turned into a Blood Wraith, a shadow of your former self, bent on the destruction of others for your own pleasure."
"Meep!" Fluttershy hid behind Applejack, who looked a bit sick.
"And you want us to stay here while Twilight fights a Blood Witch?" Rainbow Dash asked, incredulous. "Are you insane?"
"While I do not think you have lost control of your faculties in the centuries since my incarceration, I do have to wonder what your logic behind leaving your student to fare on her own is, sister," Luna added, looking at Celestia with some concern.
"I trust Sunset," Celestia said after a moment, turning to glance at the mirror.
"The Blood Witch?!" Luna asked. "But how-why? She just betrayed you!"
"Didn't you hear what she said, Luna?" Celestia asked softly. "She hasn't lost herself… and she took the forbidden book over three years ago."
"That is hardly enough proof…"
"She healed me," a voice rasped off to the side.
The ponies turned around, facing a guard, lying on his side, who coughed.
"You're part of my entourage," Celestia said, getting closer.
"T-that's right, your highness," the guard responded. "When-when she first arrived, we heard a bang and noise in this room, so we rushed in to check…" he shuddered and groaned. "I rushed her, not thinking about any real danger and she…" he gulped. "She cut me open."
Everypony gasped.
"You seem to be in fairly good condition for somepony who was sliced through," Luna noted dryly.
"He's telling the truth, Princess," the other guard said. "I know when you found us, we were simply paralyzed by the blood magic, but Stout here was split open and bleeding to death."
Applejack looked green and Rainbow Dash had to swallow, hard. Fluttershy had to sit down, feeling faint. Rarity swayed and would have landed hard were it not for Spike catching her and breaking the fall.
"But… she healed him," the other guard continued.
"I could see her eyes," Stout added, shaking his head. "She was saying things about how she would have cut me in half had she been paying attention, and such…" he shuddered. "But… I could see the relief in her face when her magic worked and I started healing. She was right, though…" He laughed a little. "It really hurts."
"How can you just laugh it off like that?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Because I'm too glad to be alive." The guard leaned back, resting his head against the wall. "Sunset, was it? Was right in one thing at least… she could have killed us easily. Her sword cut through my armor as if it wasn't there… and had she used it against the princess…" he shuddered.
Luna straightened up at that, but shook her head and turned to look at Celestia, when the latter smiled gently and opened her mouth to say something. "Oh no you don't." Luna interrupted her sister, before she had a chance to make one of her infamous 'my little pony' speeches. "Even if she healed him, it's still assault, and need I remind you that she used forbidden magic on Equestrian ground; froze public servants; stole a powerful, magical artifact; and severely injured another guard?"
"I know," Celestia conceded, glancing at the mirror. "Sunset has much to answer for… but is it so strange that I am glad to see another that I thought lost returned?"
Luna sighed. "I suppose not, but sister, don't let your feelings for your former student blind you. What she did is unforgivable, and it will eventually consume her."
"We shall see what Princess Twilight has to say about that when she returns," Celestia said. "We must trust her… and for what it's worth, give Sunset a modicum of trust as well."
"Why?" Applejack asked, exasperated. "After all that?"
"Because her words were honest," Celestia said firmly. "At least, I felt them so… she was truly desperate, and thought that the Element of Magic was the only thing she could use to save lives." She glanced at Luna. "Does that sound like somepony who has lost their way in blood magic, sister?"
Luna shook her head warily. "That she comes from a place of conflict, where her life and that of others is constantly at risk... I cannot deny," she said softly, touching her face with a wince. "She showed no fear or hesitation once her decision to fight was made… against three alicorns and four armed guards, no less."
She looked at the injured guards. "That she has not succumbed to the blood magic yet, given her choice to not leave a trail of dead ponies... I can concede."
She turned to look at Celestia in the eye. "That you would—despite all evidence—give her your trust to the extent of keeping Princess Twilight safe…" Luna trailed off, glancing at the mirror. "I can only hope, sister, that your hope and trust are not ill-conceived."
'Two less than ideal landings are never a good thing,' Sunset decided, groaning as she pushed herself up. She was back in her human body, armor in place, magic full, magical item secure and…
"Crap." Sunset muttered when the girl on the floor groaned and pushed herself up to all fours.
"Wha-" the girl gasped, her purple hair waving behind her as she looked around frantically at the state of everything around her. "Where am I?!" She caught sight of Sunset's legs and looked up to see her face.
"Who-who are you!?" she asked, recoiling from Sunset and raising a hand protectively. She immediately gasped again and looked at her body, eyes widening in panic before screaming her lungs out.
That was all that Sunset needed to launch herself at the princess, covering her mouth with a hand and looking around in panic. "Are you fucking stupid?!" she hissed, looking around in horror.
To her relief there was no moaning or groaning from nearby Lost. She glared at Twilight. "Listen, I get you're not used to this, but if I hear you scream like that again, I will knock you out! Do you understand?!"
Twilight's eyes were wide and she nodded quickly. After making sure that Twilight looked a bit calmer, Sunset let her go.
Twilight's eyes were a bit teary at the threat of violence, but as she studied Sunset's face, her eyes widened in recognition. "Wait… you're that unicorn that stole my Element!"
"Borrowed," Sunset clarified, "and keep your voice down. The last time I was here there were Lost, ADVENT troops, Alien Rulers and Chosen around, hunting us."
Twilight licked her lips, looking around fearfully.
"Look, the mirror should still be active," Sunset said gently, now that the magic rush was lessened, she also had less interest in being forceful. "Just go back to Equestria, Princess, this is really no place for you… or anypony."
She saw the princess' eyes narrow in determination, and sure enough…
"Give me my crown, and I'll go back."
"I need it," Sunset said, frowning. "You don—"
"Corporal Shimmer, is that you?"
Sunset grew pale so quickly that Twilight looked behind her, expecting a monster to be about to jump on them. When nothing appeared, she turned to look curiously at the former unicorn. "What's going on—" Twilight started to ask, but Sunset's frantic waving shushed her.
"Um... yes, Commander, it's me."
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"I see you brought a friend."
"She's not my friend, Commander just… um, a civilian I encountered."
"In the middle of a battlefield? In an abandoned city? Wearing a school uniform from twenty years ago?"
Each question made Sunset cringe. "Yes?"
There was a pause. "Let me speak to her."
"Commander, that is probably not a good idea right now, an—"
"Now, Corporal."
Sunset gritted her teeth and her body trembled, but she slowly removed her earpiece and motioned Twilight to get closer.
Curious, the princess leaned in, and allowed Sunset to put the device in her ear. "What is—"
"Hello."
"Meep!" Twilight fell back in surprise before looking around, trying to find the origin of the voice. A few seconds later, the whole thing clicked in her mind and she gingerly touched the piece on her ear. "Um… hello?"
"May I have your name?"
"T-twilight Sparkle, your highness," Twilight replied, feeling nervous at the tone of absolute authority in the other person's voice.
Sunset smacked her face.
"I'm not royalty, miss Sparkle. And I have little time to waste, and so do you. Before I talk to Corporal Shimmer, let me explain your situation, since you seem unfamiliar with what's been going on. You are currently in a war-zone. You are surrounded by enemy forces that will not hesitate to kill you. If you wish to survive, you will follow Corporal Shimmer's orders to the letter, am I understood?"
Twilight nodded, then remember the Commander was not around to see that. "Um, yes, but—"
"But?"
"Um… C-corporal Shimmer stole something very valuable an—"
"I will make sure she is dealt with appropriately," the Commander interrupted. "For now, if you both wish to live, follow her commands."
"O-okay…"
"If you could please pass the communicator back to Corporal Shimmer, we will discuss your situation more thoroughly in person," the Commander said and Twilight quickly took the earpiece out, giving it to Sunset.
Sunset rubbed her temples and took it, putting it on her ear. "Yes, Commander?"
"You are to escort Miss Sparkle with you to the pick up coordinates. We will speak about what happened in the Avenger. Any questions?"
"If… Miss Sparkle were to say, disappear…"
"Then you'd better make her reappear just as fast, Corporal. Do not fail…" there was a hesitance there that Sunset didn't like. "Laetitia would like to see you… you don't have time to dally, Sunset."
Sunset's stomach went icy cold.
"The coordinates have been sent. Firebrand is already on her way. XCOM out."
Sunset stumbled back, but was surprisingly helped by Twilight, who had moved forth and caught her rather awkwardly in her arms. The princess helped Sunset stand up more firmly.
"Are you okay?" Twilight asked.
Sunset strode past her and touched the base of the statue. It was solid. She turned around and faced Twilight. "No. No… I'm not. Come on… follow me."
o.0.o End Chapter 19 o.0.o
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Well, I guess Twilight would make a good addetion to the science team
So whats stopping Sunset from knocking Twilight out and throwing her back through the portal besides plot? Nothing, that's what, if Twilight doesn't immediately get herself killed I'll be shocked.
Hmmm... this'll either end poorly, or really, really well.
Both would be interesting to read, though I do wonder where this'll end...
8761673
Hah! If nothing else
Ohhhhhhh Sunset in deep shit
Excellent chapter
8761685 You might have skipped a sentence in the story that might prevent that.
Hmm, one would think Celestia would have some sort of under the radar agents, the sort of people she might have used to deal with those plotting behind the scenes or deal with hidden threats she could make us of to rescue twilight even if she had to call them out of retirement.
Ok then, twilight will be traumatized for life, and will be there for 1 year at least, so equestria is fucked.
8761702
agreed.
8761685
The Great Commandy One.
Welp, Equestria's fucked.
8761736
8761706
Question, if the "The Great Commandy One" was able to see Twilight and what she was wearing so easily why did they seem confused about where Sunset had been? If they could be seen so easily then how come "The Great Commandy One" didn't also see them leave the portal? That is more detail on what I meant, I fail to see how "The Great Commandy One" even knows Twilight is there. That whole section doesn't make sense if the "The Great Commandy One" does or does not have a visual.
Either they know where Sunset went and came back from meaning the dialogue makes no sense or they don't know and knowing Twilight is there makes no sense, ergo, plot device.
8761758 First, the last sentence of the chapter pretty much clarifies the current status of the portal; Second, it is established earlier in the story and in XCOM canon that soldiers have body-cams and Sunset and other XCOM soldiers also have a biometric device that indicates their location in the GPS... where the signal might not have traversed universes, it would have definitely been picked up again by the Avenger's scanners, which would naturally cause the commander to be informed. Turning on the camera wouldn't be hard.
Also the body camera probably recorded everything that occurred in Equestria since these cams have memory in case they lose signal to command. If reviewed by the Commander that will have all sorts of awkward to deal with.
8761758
8761787
8761736
Well Sunset's screwed, doubly screwed if the Commander is who I think and triply screwed if she actually knows her world's Twilight.
At least it is nice that Celestia is trusting Sunset.
Mistakes found:
You give two different spelling, though I guess the garde name's is Stout, though.
I'm sorry, I hate to be "that guy" but this is one of those little detail things that irks me everytime I see it in a fanfic.
Twilight's hair is not purple. It has a purple and rasberry stripe, yes. But it is mainly Blue.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/vsbattles/images/1/19/Twilight_Sparkle_Unicorn_Render.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/400?cb=20161209174539
8761787
Woopsie, yep I did miss that really obvious explanation. My lack of knowledge on XCOM and my need to be righteously angry about something after the day I've had at work got the best of me, my bad.
These can't come out fast enough.
8761852 ... damn. Now Sunset is in real trouble.
8761941 Hey, if you notice something like that, it can only help me write a better story to be told about it!
Well. This is awkward. Not least because of the whole "Blood Wraith" thing. Sure hope Sunset got to that part of the book.
As for Twilight... Yeah, Sunset better give her a summarized version of the last couple years real quick. And even that likely won't prepare Twilight for a grizzled version of one of her best friends picking her up in a giant heavier-than-air flying machine, to say nothing of whoever the Commander might be.
8761981
It might not be IN the book, witch means she might not even know what she is doing to herself.
Yeah... I shoulda given this a couple days. Cliffhanger curiosity won out over annoyance, but not by enough. Now I'm just reminded of the Luna thing. Okay so the oft trivialized nature of the alicorns is a frequent fan complaint. And yet here, a fanfic writer (a good one at that) who even denies Griffonstone canon because it makes griffons not cool enough, has Luna get beaten like a stooge for plot reasons. That scene was like a Stormtrooper parody had an illegitimate child with a Benny Hill skit. How easy to fall into the same traps as show writers, eh? Keep it honest, dammit.
Speaking of Luna...
Meh, never mind.
8762046
Nevermind what?
Im curious
8762046
I see it as she was expecting a magic attack as any other blood mage/unicorn/anything that would normally be a threat would have done.
She wasn't expecting an highly advanced grappling hook to launch an armored unicorn at her.
8762080
I see it like that too, but also consider the mass of the object coming at her as well, my head-cannon is that the mass of the levitator is shared between levitator and the object, same with the object itself, so the only reason lulu isnt dead is because she is an alicorn.
8762080
Other way around is how it reads to me, but that's just semantics. In either case, excuses and reasoning aside, it is what it is, and it's the same sort of thing people complain about in terms of the princesses always losing too easily to further the story. That unicorn sure was armored... plot armored...
8762074
Oh, not much really... I just realized I don't think I'd ever made a guess about the commander's identity. And while Celestia seems like a strong choice... there's one other voice Twilight might respond to with 'your highness'. Of course it's also possible she just defaulted to that under the stress of her situation and the voice's authority. Hence, 'meh, never mind'. No big.
8761673
Well, TS should make a good addition to the "hello ethereal, learn some magic!" team! But we probably will get wimpy TS for some reason
8762112
In before she gets PTSD from seeing a creature get it's face blown off.
"I'll go check on him… you can talk to them, auntie,'
we were simply paralized by the blood magic
1. Meant to be a closing quotation mark.
2. Umm... Could this be spelt as Paralyzed? Or is the I there due to language variation again?
Now this is going to be vastly interesting if only because in this scenario Sunset still has the Element of Magic with her. Will she immediately use it should the need arise or will she just use her current equipment? Either way is surely going to send lil ol Twilight into shock. Also, called it that Twilight would somehow follow if kinda obvious in hindsight.
Let's see how she'll react to counterparts of her friends and hear the story of their lives. Though I sorta expect it to range from horror to sympathy quite quick. Unless Rainbow thinks it's pity instead of sympathy but... Hmm... I could be jumping the gun here again.
Though the body cam conversation earlier is definitely going to bring up some questions.
Oh wait. How long was Sunset in Equestria anyways? Couldn't have been more than a few hours at most. Assuming her team didn't try to trace and track where she went, could they still be in the area?
8762151 Thanks! Fixed!
8762112 Well, this is naive Twilight coming through. I don't think wimpy is the right word, but she's not going to jump into a team and hunt aliens down right away. If ever.
8762103 IMO you're being a bit harsh on Luna. She got caught off guard, and while she was a bit surprised after a baton broke upon impact with her face, she got used as a distraction. Sunset (very wisely) didn't hang around to see what Luna would do once she stood up. The latest chapter picks up immediately after Sunset jumps in, so there's less urgency for Luna to just jump to her feet. She literally brushed off an attack that would have broken a lesser-being's face and only felt a bit sore from that earlier. I have no doubt in an actual battle of magic, (especially now that she is expecting Sunset to pull off a trick) Luna would decimate her. But, like Diomedes himself, Sunset being a hero (or anti-hero?) manages to survive a battle with the gods. Doesn't help that Celly was feeling a bit unsure of whether to step in or not.
8762099
She wasn't levitated until after being hit by the baton. She was dragged at Sunset via grappling hook, hit and stunned, and then thrown via magic. Also, it's canon, not cannon. A head cannon would be even more dangerous to the skull than that baton.
8762046
I dunno, that seems perfectly in line with canon Luna. When's the last time she won a fight? Or lasted more than a few seconds?
8762198
Of course I am being harsh... just as we are with Worf and his eternal flu. Tropes don't come from forgiving recycled plot devices. But you missed one thing... it's not Luna I'm holding it against. 'Cause you know... Worf doesn't actually ever have the flu (uh... I think... it was a long running character). The characters can only do what the writers have them do. And despite what you said about Sunset's view of ponies... look at the comments to see the message you've really sent. But goddammit, I told you I wasn't going to belabor this. ...Separate point from this morning, but still. Okay, I'm done, don't worry about it. People can argue with me about it and that's fine; they support the story and that's certainly understandable. I'm clearly still invested to put this much time in, so that's in the story's favor as well. I look forward to the continuation... and will attempt to remind myself to read it quietly.
8762233
Exactly my point... and it's something fans tend to call out as a flaw in the show. Wanderer D flat out said he disregards Griffonstone canon... but he'll use Luna as a losing fight plot device? It's a little hypocritical.
8762255 You are always welcome to talk to me about it tho! Never think the door is closed!
This was kinda what I expected, given that Sunset was on the other side of the portal for some time. I do wonder if anyone caught Sunset flying into the portal? But damn, Twi being here will make Sunset's situation super awkward. Maybe we'll finally get to see the Commandy One at last? It's gotta be Celestia or Luna judging by Twi's reaction, probably more towards Celestia.
*anxious screaming for next chapter*
8762260
Oh no no, I did not intend to imply that. It's not 'I'm taking my ball and going home'. It's 'okay, I'm arguing too loud in this library and disturbing the readers'. I would have sent a pm, but the grammatical stuff I saw in this one had already been corrected in the comments. All good.
8762269 Although the more I think about it, the funnier it would have been for the baton to break and Luna to just deadpan something along the lines of: "That stung. My turn, witch."
Wait, you are not going to just keep commanders identity hidden in its entirety? Keeping the details vague enough but dropping in hints and teases every now and then?
8762268
Inb4 it's Cadence
8762313
Dammit... I'm waiting for Maretian to update while watching Twitch, so of course I'm seeing every reply. That would've been hilarious though, and an interesting twist versus the (let's face it) predictable outcome. She could still get away, but not quite so smugly and easily. Some semblance of parity is important to a crossover, for me. And even if temporarily captured... we don't know how time works between jumps here. She obviously came out much later in the Earth timeline in this AU since Dash is like 40, but that's never been explained that I recall. How much time has she already lost? That's rhetorical, not requesting spoilers.
I hope Twilight doesn't become a caged lab rat, brutally experimented on for the "greater good", but I won't be surprised if it happens.
8762255
I remember Worf actually having the flu at least once. He was all sneezy for the whole episode. I tried to find it but came up empty.
Sorry Twilight, but welcome to hell.
8761981
That would depend on how thorough she was, because the warning come after the spells.
8762449
1. I got that reference.
2. What if it was written without any warnings.
8761946
Simple fix really. Either use that as an actual plot point, or side step it entirely by saying that Sunset's body cam's memory card got smashed during one of her landings. Still good for live feed but no recording.
I kinda want to see Tempest Shadow from the MLP movie as a Templar. Her visceral, destructive control over lightning-based spells seems very well-suited for it, plus she is physically strong as HELL, despite being a unicorn.
8762112
We will see.
Now I guess we will get to see exactly how dark this particular rendition of XCOM is. Do we have a 'mostly upstanding organisation that operated in secrecy to preserve the fragile peace' style XCOM, or the 'we commit atrocities on a daily basis, but because it is all for the greater good, the ends justify the means' XCOM... most likely closer to the former from what we have seen so far, but I have seen both versions done well in different stories, so I won't be jumping to conclusions. How they treat a captured innocent is definitely going to be the best way to gauge that however, especially with someone as potentially useful as a magical pony princess.
Welcome to hell, Twilight. There's a lot of science in this hell, though, so it might be a better experience in some respects then one might otherwise expect.
Stupid portal, why does it have to be so broken? How are we going to friendship hard enough to open it back up early again?!? Actually...
Well darn. Not Twilight then. So much for that.
Keep going! ;)