XCOM: Ranger

by Wanderer D

Chapter 68: Tension

The early morning gave way to a bright, sunny day. The skies were mostly clear, with the occasional puffy cloud floating past. The Skyranger had stuck to the coast for the most part, providing a striking view of the ocean and land. They were far from civilization, so chances of being spotted were low and as such it made for a relaxing trip to their destination.

Angel's Point, the settlement where Sunset had met Fluttershy and Angel, was not up in flames this time around, and standing at the entrance to the cockpit as they approached, Sunset had the best possible view of the area, and she had to give it to them: They had chosen a very nice spot.

They had set up really close to the coast, on top of a cliff that overlooked a small, half-moon beach surrounded by spiked rocks. Clear water lapped at the beach, to which they had access through long sets of wooden stairs, ladders and platforms they had built for that purpose. They had also built a makeshift pier, where small boats rocked calmly in the water.

The settlement itself was just a bit inland, almost at the treeline, and featured a multitude of colorful tents and solid wooden structures. Fenced farmlands had been established already, and Sunset could see several people working there. Overall it was more reminiscent of a small town than a refugee camp—and that could only be good for those living there.

They were far enough from the ADVENT cities that there was little chance of attacks from either side against the other, so it had really baffled Sunset that it had been attacked the previous time. But, if the Assassin's base was nearby—or at least the storage where all the weapons were sent—it made it easier to imagine why they might suffer occasional attacks.

"Your friend really knows how to set up a Settlement," Sunset said. "That has to be, without doubt, one of the cleanest, most organized, most pleasant looking little town out there. It's adorable."

"Yeah, well, that's Fluttershy for you," Rainbow said as she took a turn to do a fly-over. "Back when we were in high school, she used to work at the local pound and the vet's office. I guess she's still taking in strays."

Rainbow Dash picked up the radio. "Angel Point, this is Firebrand, we have a package for you."

"Understood, Firebrand, we have a clear field on the south east of the settlement, you can drop the—"

There was a scuffle.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Sunset had to hold on to the sides of the entrance to keep from falling back as Rainbow Dash banked suddenly, they could hear Mox cursing behind them.

"How could you not tell me you were alive?! You were here all along last time! You're not just dropping them off, missy, you are landing that thing here and coming out to meet me!"

"Huh," Sunset muttered. "It seems that she figured out who you were."

"It's not funny!"

"Rainbow Dash! Answer me right now!"

"Um," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Roger that, Fluttershy, I'll see you in a moment."

"Good, we can have tea then."

Sunset shook her head and patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder before making her way back to sit with the others.

"Everything's alright guys," she said with a smirk. "Just Lt. Dash being unable to outrun her past."

"You do want to get picked up at the end of this mission, don't you?" Dash's voice emanated from the cockpit. "Because it sounds to me like you don't!"

"Those that tempt fate usually find themselves suffering for it," Elena pointed out.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, looking at the tight grip the Reaper had on the sides of her seat. "Wait… are you afraid of turbulence?"

"Remember what I just said about tempting fate?"

"Got it."

Soon enough the Skyranger hovered down to land softly on a grassy patch of land devoid of any structures. Sunset and the others could hear Rainbow Dash grumbling as she unstrapped herself from the seat and joined them at the opening hatch.

"Come on, Rainbow," Sunset whispered, "it can't be that bad, right?"

Rainbow Dash sighed. "It's been… over Twenty years, Sunset. I-I thought she was dead. I didn't even think to look for her after Pinkie's inn went up in flames. I don't even know what to tell her, y'know? I thought everyone but Rarity was gone."

"Well, now you know that she's alive," Sunset said. "And trust me, I understand not wanting the past… creeping on you and making you face… emotions you thought left behind. But on the plus side, you're discovering there's still people out there that care about you."

Rainbow Dash was quiet.

"You know Scootaloo was really happy to see you."

Rainbow Dash was about to answer, but the hatch had opened completely and her words stuck in her throat. At the base, smiling up at her as if there was nothing wrong in the world was Fluttershy. Long pink hair flowing calmly in contrast with the kevlar armor she was wearing and the sniper rifle on her back.

Sunset noticed a new scar on her face, below the cheek, but the kind eyes of the woman didn't betray any other change since they had last seen each other.

Next to her, Angel stood coiled, beam rifle in her claws, tasting the air with her tongue and giving them all a look. She hissed happily when she saw Sunset waving at her.

"Welcome to Angel's Point," Fluttershy said. "It's good to have you back, Sunset. Angel missed you."

Sunset chuckled a bit self-consciously. "It's um, nice to see her too."

"Please do come out!" Fluttershy insisted. "Angel will take you to the camp, and my friends here will help with your supplies. I made some tea for everyone."

"It would be an honor to accept your invitation," Mox said, walking down the ramp alongside Elena and Sunset.

Rainbow Dash followed more slowly, stopping at the base of the Skyranger in front of Fluttershy.

Sunset turned away and walked with the happy Viper back to the settlement. Dash and Fluttershy had much to talk about that didn't involve them.

Jane found Twilight in her office, face covered by one of several programming books she had managed to get her hands on. Some of them straight out of Shen's bookshelf, if she was not mistaken. There were three piles: two on top of her table, next to a deactivated GREMLIN, and one pile on the floor, which so far contained four books.

It hadn't surprised her that Twilight had been selected as a Specialist. Support seemed to be a strong aspect of her personality, and on a deeper level, she couldn't really see the nerdy girl as anything else, and from the looks of it, she might have some competition in the hacking department.

Alejandra had been assigned as a sniper, and was currently training with Deadwood, and most likely would do some additional training with Elena once they got back.

"So, how's being a Specialist working for you?" Jane asked.

"Hm?" Twilight looked up from the book and yawned. "Oh… hey. It's nice, I guess? I haven't had time to actually—" She yawned. "...do anything with it, sorry… what time is it?"

Jane quirked an eyebrow. "Eleven."

"Oh my, I'd better get to sleep," Twilight said, putting a bookmark in between the pages of her current book and setting it on top of the nearest pile on the table. "I'll probably need to wake up early to help Tygan with his next project tomorrow."

"Twilight," Jane smirked. "It is tomorrow. It's eleven AM."

"Wha—" Twilight shook her head, standing up and stretching. She blinked owlishly from Jane to the books. "Did I…" she trailed off, fighting another yawn.

"Yes, you stayed up all night. Reading."

"Oh, great," Twilight muttered, looking down at the pile of books on the floor. "And I only got through four... "

Jane shook her head. "That's more than just about anyone I know, except maybe Tygan or Shen. And even they would pace themselves better."

"Yeah… it's just I wanted to learn as much as I could in case I was sent on another mission," Twilight said. "Not that I expect that to happen again soon."

"You never know. And speaking of which..." Jane said, walking in and placing the diary on the table. "Sunset wanted me to give this to you."

Immediately Twilight's body language changed: from tired and relaxed, she now seemed very self-conscious and tense, as if she were trying to hide something. "Oh." She gave Jane a wary glance. "Why you?"

Jane frowned. "She went out on a mission… she'll be out over a week, and she wanted to make sure you had it. She looked all over the place for you."

Twilight made a face, as if she'd swallowed something bitter. "Oh… I wasn't expecting her to go on a mission so soon…" She bit her lip.

"You shouldn't be surprised," Jane said, leaning against the wall. "Now that the Commander has her fancy new Resistance Ring room, she spends a lot of time planning missions with the other factions. It's only a matter of time before we're all over the place."

"I see…" Twilight took the book, looking at it with pursed lips. "Yeah… I should take a look at this… figure out what to say b—" She yawned again. "I'll… go sleep. Take a look later."

"I think Sunset really wanted to see you before she left."

Twilight tensed and deflated after a few seconds. "I-I know. I would have liked to see her off too, I guess. I just… I just needed time."

Jane nodded. "I don't blame you, after the execution you must be emotionally exhausted."

"Yeah." Twilight started walking to the back of her small office, where a separator turned it into a small personal room. "Yeah, the execution… that too."

"That too?" Jane repeated, but Twilight had already stumbled into her room and closed the door. It didn't take long for Jane to hear soft snores.

She shook her head. "Better let Tygan know Twilight was up all night..." she muttered, turning around and heading deeper into the labs.

As she walked, however, she couldn't help but wonder about that strange look Twilight had gotten when Jane had brought up Sunset.

Had something happened between the two? She grimaced. That would be kind of sad, as the only two… ponies… on Earth, it would have been natural for them to stick together. Not to mention Sunset's feelings about the younger Equestrian.

Jane sighed and resolved to ask her about it later. Maybe she could offer some lessons on GREMLIN usage or something… just to get Twilight to open up to her a little. There was just something odd about the whole thing.