Chapter 239: Release
Ranger
Chapter 239: Release
By Wanderer D
"Commander," Estella called, "it's ready."
Chrysalis looked at the large, spherical orb of energy that had slowly formed up in the circular platform since they had restarted their machines. So far there had been no more attempts from ADVENT or Chimera to interrupt.
It was just one switch.
It was all or nothing.
"Do it."
Estella nodded, and after confirming that Shen was also in position, she pulled down the switch. The hum around them grew as the energy gathered in the platform started to spin and pulsate. With each pulse, Chrysalis could even feel the slight psychic shock-waves that expanded with more and more force.
"It's breaching!"
The whole valley seemed to shudder and slowly, from under the increasingly strong hum of machinery and energy, she could hear distant screams, familiar, high-pitched screeches that she had heard on more than one occasion. It was a Codex. No, not one… thousands. They were screeching in pain as the hum grew.
"Crossing the psychic threshold!" Shen announced. "It's affecting reality right now! Breaching a portal similar to when the Codex teleports!"
"The energy waves are spiking off the charts!" Sweetie shouted, her eyes going from the oscilloscope to the sphere and back as each wave marked on the device looked less like a curb and more like up and down daggers, getting quicker and quicker, thinner and thinner until the screen almost looked white.
The sphere gave one last pulse that blew past them, creating a dust storm that wailed through the structures.
Chrysalis realized the screeches of the Codexes were dying as well, as if one by one they were being snuffed away, a sinking feeling slowly crept within her, and she turned to look at Annette, just as the Psi-Op turned to face her with a horrified look.
"INCOMING!" Chrysalis shouted. "Hold onto something! Heads low, make yourself as small as possible!"
Putting words into action she grabbed onto one of the humming platforms and pressed herself against it, while everyone else did the same. In the distance, the energy blast suddenly stopped, glimmering in the darkness like some sort of force field before it suddenly rushed back to them with much more force.
Chrysalis barely had time to look away and close her eyes as the blast of wind and psychic energies washed over them with enough force to threaten throwing her into the air. For a few seconds, it was like they were in the middle of a tornado.
And then it was over. The hum of the machinery died and the team slowly staggered towards the center, where the energy sphere suddenly had a dark, orange line crossing it's otherwise unblemished surface. Slowly, it seemed to peel away, revealing inside a naked female figure.
She had voluminous orange-copper hair in hue and very reminiscent of the codex's body. Her face was covered with a black metallic mask with goggles on it, and cables made of psychic energy emerged from her back and arms, holding her in the air for a few brief seconds before whatever strength they seemed to have melted away and she was dropped onto the stone floor.
Almost as if she were a zombie re-animated by a Gatekeeper, she rose from where she had landed on her hands and knees and staggered forth, the energy cables snapping with a hiss and dissipating into the air.
She lifted her hand and tore away the mask, revealing the young woman behind it, looking no older than her mid-twenties, her eyes blinked in the light and she rasped a cough out as she took in the sight of the people around her. Slowly, she took their measure until her eyes settled on Chrysalis and widened. She took a hesitant step, then another.
Chrysalis saw Ember and Jane raise their weapons, but motioned with her hand for them to lower the rifles. Looking more than a little uncomfortable, Ember and Jane did as instructed, still standing ready for action as the naked woman walked towards their commander.
Annette however, followed the woman carefully, keeping her eyes on her, her face unreadable.
Ghost, or Adagio, stopped a few steps away from Chrysalis. "I-I reached you… I can't believe…" she rasped out, her voice hoarse and dry. "For twenty years I was with you, in your mind, watching as they forced you to watch and instruct ADVENT… I heard your every cry, felt your every regret. When they freed you, I was alone."
Chrysalis shifted in place, not backing down. "Why did you reach out now? Why did you play that song in the back of my mind? Why reveal everything that happened now?"
Adagio licked her cracked lips. "I felt… equestrian magic. It woke me up from the trance I was in… it led me to you and… and…" she stumbled.
Chrysalis moved forward and caught her. Adagio wrapped her arms around her and sank her face into Chrysalis's shoulders. "...she loved you. She loved you so much," she said, and for once Chrysalis didn't know what to do or say. "I watched her and you grow up together, I saw you go to school, I saw you cheat on math. I saw you fight off Sunset's bully's. So much… so much… her last thoughts were of you. She wanted you to know."
"I know."
"She wanted to tell you…"
"I-I know."
"I'm sorry," Adagio whispered. "I miss her too. I miss her a lot."
"We have much to talk about," Chrysalis said, feeling the woman suddenly slump. She held the weight. "Adagio?"
"She's unconscious," Annette said, slipping one of Adagio's arms over her shoulders. "Come on, Chrysy, we need to get out of here."
"Yeah," Chrysalis said, activating her comms. "Mission successful, we have the VIP. Tygan prepare to receive Ghost. She's going to need medical."
"Roger that, Commander."
"You complain too much."
Scootaloo looked up at Gilda. The Avenger's bar was pretty noisy, with several soldiers recounting stories about their fallen comrades, and marching up to the pictures of Fridge, Security, Trojan, and Coyote.
Ember had been the recipient of more than one drink bought in her name, but she had remained mostly quiet, contemplating her very first serving, and Breaker had left soon after the first drink to fallen comrades.
Whatever Gilda wanted to say, everyone else was thankfully too drunk to notice, or simply not interested.
"What do you mean?" Scootaloo finally asked, leaning over the table to glare at Gilda.
"I mean exactly what I said," Gilda retorted. "From what I heard, Rainbow Dash was almost suicidal in wanting to go find you. She risked her life, her job, and her only family to search for you, and all you had in thanks was some kind of prepubescent hormonal bitching about the whole thing. So really, what's eatin' you?"
Scootaloo looked away, and so didn't notice Gilda stepping around the table until the latter had thrown her arm over her shoulders. "Or is the problem that no one is?"
"You—mph!"
Gilda's mouth tasted like beer at first, then slowly the flavor went away and all that was left was… Gilda and it was delicious and confusing. Far too quickly, Gilda pulled back, smirking. "Come on, let's go somewhere more quiet."
"Uh-huh…"
Gilda took the lead, and Scootaloo followed. It was clear that the older woman had a clear idea of where she wanted to go, and in the twirling emotions of arousal and confusion, Scootaloo never thought to ask or question where they were headed, until she was halfway up the ramp into the Skyranger.
"What the—"
She was interrupted once again with a kiss, and being pulled into a tight hug. She felt her body press against Gilda's and melted into it.
"Gilda! What the hell are… is that Scootaloo?!"
Rainbow Dash! The voice made Scootaloo's eyes snap open and she pulled back in surprise, pushing Gilda away and cleaning her lips with the back of her hand. "The fuck?"
"What's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked, stepping closer. "Were you taking advantage o—mph!"
Scootaloo watched, eyes still wide and mouth slightly open as Gilda simply grabbed Rainbow Dash and kissed her as well. The Skyranger's pilot seemed to be made of more sterner stuff than Scootaloo, as she raised her hands to… pull Gilda closer.
Gilda released Rainbow Dash and licked her lips. "Scootaloo wants to tell you something."
Rainbow Dash was grinning. "Uh-huh?"
Gilda stepped back and looked at Scootaloo, who was just now starting to realize she was expected to take the next step. "I, uh…"
"Really, what does a girl need to do to get some action from old friends?" Gilda said, pushing Scootaloo's back.
She stumbled into Rainbow Dash's arms and locked eyes with her.
The whirring of the ramp closing drew their eyes as Gilda trapped the three of them within the Skyranger. She smirked. "We're all legal adults right now. We've all been through the grinder. We all need some R&R."
"I don't know if Scootaloo wants this kind of—" was the only thing Scootaloo allowed Rainbow Dash to say before her lips were on her idol's. It had taken them years to find each other. And it had taken Gilda to push the envelope once again into what she had been holding back all this time. And when she felt Rainbow Dash's hands on the sides of her face, holding her as they kissed, she realized that she didn't want to talk to them right now.
None of them talked about much else for the rest of the night, but Scootaloo was okay with that.
o.0.o End Chapter 239 o.0.o
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Wow. Having such a small chapter is kinda... jarring. Stuff happens, happens, happens, then ROADBLOCK SCREEEEEECH.
I wonder what it is about this world that either turned the sirens into horrible people or somehow much much nicer. It's like there are only two settings.
-GM, master of no longer complaining about taglessness.
Daww.
It took a Gilda, but they finally got there.
Talk about mood wiplash.
Thank you Gilda. Sometimes all you need is a good friend to give you that last little push and just say 'fuck it.'
Adagio has seen better days, but I'd call not being an alien's planet-wide supercomputer a win.
9670320
Welcome to the Ranger waiting room. Don't blink or you'll miss the plot progressing.
Yes, it would seem that things are about to go down, so it's good that they're getting a bit of downtime in before that.
Some odd phrasing here and there, but the only real error I found was
which should just be 'sterner stuff'
Huh. Didn't think it was the ex-equestrian Adagio, and I doubt this will be the last time you surprise me.
I'm surprised... a world where Adagio seems the most likely siren to not stay villainous.
9670479
Not "it", her.
And really, that's one of the very few times that I've seen "just kiss already" be the correct argument.
9670583
Everything's relative.
9670583
Well she did get like all of Human!Sunset's life it seems. Sharing your brain with Sunset would do thing to you. And it's not like the Elders did anything to make her like them, like at all.
The big question with Adagio, what is she going to do when Fugue comes calling with her gem, ripped from Tirek's body?
Okay Adagio is secure. Now time to get Sunset back.
Welcome back, Adagio
Next morning when exiting the skyranger they found a note atached to the side.
It read: If the Rangers rocking, DONT come knocking.
9670507
Ex-equestrian? What in the world are you smoking? There's only one version of Adagio in this fic (Not counting the one in that Quantum Leap style mini-arc) and She's originally from Equestria just like Aria and Sonata were, and this fact has been referenced quite clearly in previous chapters.
- Thunder
Interesting, so as yet we can tell, Adagio is thus a sleeper or still uncorrupted. Debriefing and interrogation must occur.
Scoots still has much to think about, but she won't be turned that easily...
Hey, Adagio is back. Nice to have an apparently friendly siren to help out, hopefully it was worth losing the people they lost to get her.
Woah. Didn't see that coming.
So Adagio were the Codices?
Well...
That happened.
Hooray?
Wooh! Threesome!
This fic was featured in The League of Sweetie Belles, the endless crossover of ponyfics! Wartorn landscapes and trauma woo!
-GM, master of ranges.
9670507
Really? Because I could have SWORN it was stated several chapters ago who the "ghosts" identity was.
Or maybe just suspected identity? I forget which.
Either way, this wasn't a character we just blindly stumbled across like many others.
9670704
"Ex-Equestrian" wouldn't be an inappropriate description.
This Adagio is very much originally from Equestria, and depending on how you look at it, she may or may not be considered Equestrian anymore (in much the same way one can move from France to Germany and no longer consider themselves to be French). In this context, "Ex" may very well be applied.
Extraction complete. Now to see what they can do with Adagio . This could be a massive coup for XCOM... but it might also bring Fugue to their doorstep before they're ready for her.
As for Shippin' 2: Prismatic Gildaloo, this might well be the only way to get Scoots off her high horse. Either way, it'll be some much needed stress relief for all three.
9672661
All of them. (239) The LSB chapter may stand on its own, but it does contain Ranger spoilers. Significant ones at that.
-GM, master of all chapters.
9672681
Just caught up. Reading LoSB next.
Sunset's bully's
bullies.
Those three have issues...
I'm oddly aroused.
A+
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
9677158
Proper response. None can compare.
Huh.
...Nope, that's all. Huh.
Huh.
Also I knew it and honestly needed this chapter. Even readers need a win too. And for me this is it at this point in time. All of it.
Welcome back Adagio. We missed you.
9672681
I ended up reading LoSB before this chapter
Granted, I read it before even thinking about reading this story but I did not remember anything, so I went and read it and boy do I regret it
Better late than never and more healthy than alcohol...
Threesome
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
Sex is a proven stress coping method, if R&R isn't a option, than this might do.