Shetland let out a sigh, looking out over the landscape. Coltville River had disappeared from the horizon an hour ago, replaced by small hills of nothing but dust and rocks. Sometimes of strange colors, yes, but only boring rocks. Ciloa would have certainly gotten a kick out of this, she thought with a chuckle. Then her grimace returned as it felt like weights had been attached to the corners of her lips.
“The sun is starting to set.”
Far ahead of her, Toasty stood on the top of a hill, looking out into the open with just as much vigor than when they had started.
“THE SUN IS SETTING!” Shetland shouted, even though she was certain the robot had heard her the first time: she had really good hearing.
“I know.” Toasty responded, her volume turned up high enough to echo over the terrain.
“Then it’s time to return!” Shetland shouted back.
But Toasty did not move from her rocky pedestal, forcing Shetland to move her aching legs and climb up the hill, cursing under her breath. Especially as a sharp rock pricked her bad hoof. “Bucking hell on Chrysalis’s rotting grave…” She took a sharp breath as she stumbled to the robot, fixating her with a glare. “Toasty, we need to go if we want to be back before nightfall. Not to mention that I have maybe two hours of air left.”
“My predictions allow us twenty more minutes of search if we hurry.” Toasty informed her passively.
“Toasty… Shetland clenched her teeth, then she let out a long breath. “We’ve been looking here for hours, Toasty.” she said in the most sympathetic voice she could manage. “If he was here, he would have drawn attention to himself now.”
“Our survey of the area we were given has only reached 87% completion.” The robot insisted. “His auditory systems might be compromised.”
Shetland groaned. “Then he could still walk back, Toasty.”
“If that system was not compromised as well!” Toasty whipped around, craning her neck to meet Shetland’s eyes.
Shetland’s brows furrowed, but she placed a hoof on her chest and drew another long breath. She had to end this quick or she might actually run out of air. “Toasty, the computer in Coltville told us, it’s unlikely he’ll be here at all.”
“Then I join your group of ponies chasing after highly unlikely possibilities.” Toasty stomped her hoof, glaring up into Shetland’s eyes.
The big earth pony simply shook her head. “Toasty, I don’t want to die out here because I broke my leg and didn’t have enough air to wait for a rescue.” She stated matter of factly.
The lights of Toasty’s eyes went black for a moment and her posture changed, becoming less rigid. As she backed off a step, she let out a robotic sigh. “I am sorry,” she said. “I did not- You are right, safety precautions are still to be followed.” Her hoof poked the ground, leaving a small mark in the sand. “We can head back now.”
The way back was wrapped in tense quiet, neither mare willing or able to break the silence. At least, until Coltville’s greenhouses came in sight and Shetland let out a relieved sigh. Despite the pain in her legs and how dry her lips felt, a grin broke out on her face and she sped up, galloping towards the nearest hatch.
“Shetland?” Toasty’s voice rang out for the first time in over an hour. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know!” Shetland grinned, searching the glass walls for the familiar hatch. “But I wanna see this.”
“I thought you needed rest!”
“We’ll be slow, don’t worry.” Shetland rolled her eyes.
“We?”
“Oh, come on, Toasty, we did your thing, now we do mine.” Shetland said as she found the hatch and began turning the valve.
“They are hardly of the same importance.” Toasty protested.
Shetland turned around, levelling a questioning look at the robot. “Are you seriously saying you don’t want to explore just a little bit? What else are you going to do?”
Toasty’s head shifted aside. “I wanted to take a look at the maps of the search routes.”
“Toastyyy…” Shetland sighed. “That’s what the maneframe already does. And besides, there’ll be plenty of time later, or are you gonna need the whole night for it?” As no answer came, Shetland decided to push harder. “I’ve been stuck in a tiny metal box today, got my ass stuck, I’m still sore from the rumbling, my legs hurt and I’m really thirsty. You can deal with an hour of what I want.”
Toasty nodded silently and with a victorious grin, Shetland opened the hatch.
Horizon was mostly a desert planet with sparse vegetation and long stretches of infertile, dusty ground, the only large bodies of water covering the northern and southern pole. However, the rest of the planet was littered with thousands of rivers, parting into an absolutely uncountable number of branches. And along their shores was every last bit of fertile land. So it came to no surprise that Coltville River, where all of the colony’s food was grown, had been the first place ponies settled. Several metallic structures still remained from that time, though laboratories had been transformed into public areas and command centers became dorms. Now, for as long as the eye could see, the shoreline was lined with fields and greenhouses. Carrots, salad and spinach grew right out in the open while the large greenhouses were filled with trees. Shetland swallowed as she strolled between the tree-tops, torn between the familiarity of grass under her hooves and the strangeness of being in a forest indoors.
“Where is everypony?” Toasty asked after a while, her hoof impatiently tapping a nearby root. “Should we even be here?”
Shetland shrugged, ignoring the second question as she answered. “If they’re farmers, they probably go to sleep absurdly early.” A smirk appeared on her face as she stared at a low-hanging apple, water gathering in her mouth as she observed the perfect, red orb… it had been days since she’d had an apple.
“Don’t. That is probably a reason not to allow you in here.” Toasty said warningly.
“Just kidding!” Shetland shrugged, although she threw the apple a wishful look before leaving it behind. “You know, mom often told me that ages ago, that was a major reason why Luna and Applejack were always arguing.”
“Was it because the princess would steal her apples?” Toasty asked drily.
“No, sass-o-tron, because Applejack would always go to bed before the night started.” Shetland rolled her eyes.
“Regardless, we should leave this place, even if just to… remove you from temptation.” She threw a sharp look at Shetland, who was certain that her eyes did not shift from side to side. Neither was her muzzle scrunched up. And her legs were definitely not lined up to buck the nearest tree. No, she was a mare of self-control. That one apple she hid behind her back didn’t count.
“Hey, who’s there?” A voice sounded loudly throughout the greenhouse.
Shetland’s heart made a jump and she almost dropped her rightfully-acquired fruit. Her head spun around; the echo had made it impossible to discern the voice’s source.
“We are here!” Toasty said, her volume increased to match the voice. “We are deeply sorry if we overstepped boundaries. If that was the case, we were not aware of them.”
A sturdily-built earth pony emerged from the trees, wearing a black, form-fitting jumpsuit over his bright red coat. Though all pretenses of fashion were destroyed by the thick padding covering the chest and sides. The stallion halted at a nearby tree, his gaze wandering over Shetland, from head to hoof and back. It was a well-known sight for her, but it still made her curl her lips.
The stallion let out a whistle. “Insane how much bigger you seem when I’m naked.”
“Eeeeeh…” Shetland and Toasty echoed each others thoughts, taking a step back in unison.
It struck the stallion a moment later, as he flushed an even brighter red. “I’m not wearing armor, is the point.”
“Do I know you?” Shetland asked the strange stallion.
“Not really, but we’ve seen each other,” he said. “I’m the marine you met in that absolute debacle yesterday.” His gaze darkened. “Utter embarrassment, that was.”
“Y-yeah” Shetland stuttered. Had it really just been yesterday? Just last night she’d been caught by hyenas? It had to be, that’s why she’d been sent here this morning... even if it felt like a week had passed since.
“So it is permissible to enter the orchard at night?” Toasty asked.
“Yes.” The stallion said, his voice losing the warmth it held before. “As long as you stay quiet. After 9pm is bed rest, so no clicking or beeping, please.”
“Where are we staying anyway?” Shetland wondered.
“You don’t know that?” The marine scratched his head.
“We just came back from our search mission.” Toasty said, her voice sounding more robotic.
“Ahhh,” he said, his eyes not moving from Shetland. “Tired?”
Shetland nodded.
“Should I show you where you’ll sleep?”
“Yes, please.” Shetland smiled. Exploration had been fun but - A yawn forced its way through her system. She blinked as a thought occurred to her. “I don’t think you ever told me your name.”
“Neither did you, Shetland,” he smirked. “I’m Burning Crust. Pleased to meet you… under more relaxed circumstances.”
“Nice to meet you.” Shetland responded.
“A pleasure.” Toasty said.
“Do you need to go somewhere, too?” Crust asked the robot. “I can show you the way.”
“Affirmative.” Toasty said, her voice bouncing back to its more monotone sound. “I wish to know where I can rest, too.”
“Great,” he said. “Yours is on the way, I’ll getcha there.”
If somepony had simply welded metal plates together in the shape of a room and left it at that, this would be the result. Somehow, the room managed to be small and barren, yet instill a strong feeling of claustrophobia in Shetland. The ceiling was too low for her to stand upright. In fact, the door was too narrow to allow more than her head inside, as her shoulder strained against the frame. Long cables came from the walls, tied into the occupants as they sat, leaning just a bit forward, with dark visors and lifelessly-hanging heads.
“So, this is how you rest?” Shetland asked, regarding Toasty with a strange look. “You just plug yourself in and sit there?” The sight was more than just a little unnerving. As if she was looking at a morgue.
“What did you think we do?” Toasty asked, tilting her head.
“I… uhm…” Shetland scratched the back of her head. She grimaced as she accidentally hit her head on the ceiling and pulled herself out of the doorframe. “I didn’t think about it at all, actually.”
Toasty made a motion with her head, like ponies would when they rolled their eyes. “Maybe you’ve grown so tall that your heart struggles to pump blood all the way to your brain.” she nickered as she stepped through the door. Shetland stared after her, her brain struggling to process.
“Where did that came from?” she whispered.
“Maybe you crossed a wire?” Crust suggested, earning a dry snort from Shetland.
“Yeah, right.” A loud yawn made her jaw crack. “I’m so ready to hit the hay.”
“Right, right.” Crust said. “Let me show you where.” He quickly led her outside and towards the other half-dozen metal structures. In the dark of the night, they seemed like giant armored caterpillars - Shetland shook her head, trying to chase aways both her tiredness and her feelings of unease. Stupid. Then her attention was drawn away as Crust began to talk.
“If it had been a pony gone missing, the search would have stopped already.”
“Only because they would have choked to death.” Shetland muttered, causing him to turn his head.
“I’m just saying that we can’t forget everything else over this.” He shook his head with a groan. “With so many of our soldiers out looking, we’ve left our defenses dangerously weak. And with these civilians still holding on to their guns-”
“Wait, they still have them?!” Her mouth stood agape.
“Yeah.” he muttered darkly. “In fact, they wanted more. ‘Specially the bots, but the Princess is having none of that.”
“Hmmm.” Shetland threw a look back to the dark block of her friends ‘dorm’. “At least they would be less likely to panic.”
“Armed robots?” Crust shuddered. “That’s just what we’re missing for complete anarchy!”
Shetland stopped. It took him a moment to notice, but when he turned to look, he found her glaring way down at him. Her voice was cold as she spoke, yet every world rumbled in her chest like an avalanche. “There is nothing wrong with robots. Toasty over there is my friend and you will not insult her or her kind.” She lowered her head until it was only a few inches from his, closing the distance as he stepped back. “Understood?”
“Y-yes!” he nearly shouted, his voice sounding closer to a mare’s. He let out a tense breath as she pulled back. “I-it’s my job to be suspicious, I’m sorry.”
Shetland let out a grunt. “I was going to be a Voidmarine, and nowhere in the job description did it say I had to be a jerk.”
“W-well, uh, you seem like pretty good Voidmarine material.” he stuttered slightly, but righted himself. “What you just did was amazing, heck, I’m sweating.” A grin broke out on his face. “You could probably shut down any troublemaker just by glaring at them.”
“You think?” Shetland asked, her anger deflating at the unexpected praise. Then she blinked, as her tired mind caught up. “You think I can still be a Voidmarine?”
“Absolutely,” he whistled. “You’ve been steeled in combat, you’re really huge, strong too - are you a good shot?”
“Heck yeah, I am,” A grin started to form on her lips. “Third-best in the training group, just after…” She swallowed, but forced herself to stay in the present, this was more important. “After a friend of mine, he was second.”
“Even better!” He rubbed his chin, contemplating for a moment before speaking up again. “You know, I’m gonna bring this up with my fellows, I bet there’s somepony who’ll take you under their wing. Would be a gigantic waste otherwise.”
“That would be… awesome.” Shetland whispered. She felt a pang of annoyance as Crust suddenly snickered. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
Raising a hoof to his lips, he suppressed another giggle. “Oh, nothing, I just realized I made a pun there. Eh, ‘gigantic’ waste?”
Shetland’s expression could have been carved from solid granite.
Burning Crust rolled his eyes. “Everypony’s a critic, can’t even tell a single harmless joke without- HEY!” he shouted.
Shetland immediately recognized where they were. Just a few hours ago she had been in this building, where the central computer stood. In this room, full of maps, robots and computer stuff, she and Toasty had received the route they’d been searching. She also recognized the silhouette of the creature at the entrance into that room. The small, hunchbacked form of a hyena.
“STEP AWAY FROM THERE!” She and Crust shouted in unison, causing the hyena to shriek and throw a panicked look around. Shetland presumed it was Gan, even if she couldn’t say for sure in the darkness.
“What were you doing? Tell me!” she demanded, her teeth gritted. To her increasing annoyance, he answered in Hyenidae.
“I was just looking around.”
“Sure you were.” she spoke in the same language, wishing deeply she could see his shocked face right now. “Go back to your mistress and tell her I better not catch you snooping around again!” She licked her lips, chuckling. “The irony, doesn’t it taste sweet?”
The hyena did not answer, hurrying back into the dark. Crust and Shetland watched him disappear. After a short while, Crust whispered. “I wish I could just arrest them.”
“Me too.” Shetland grumbled darkly, switching back to Equestrian.
“What do you think it was looking for?”
“Heck if I know.” she muttered. “Actually, maybe the computer system!” Her blood froze. “The hacking, they hacked our system, he’s trying to do it again!”
“But why do they need physical access now?” Crust asked.
“Beats me, but I know one thing for sure. Don’t. Let them. Inside there.” she hissed, glaring into the dark.
He nodded. “I’ll watch this place.”
“Me too.” Shetland said.
“No way!” he protested. “You’re barely on your hooves, you need rest.” He shook his head as Shetland opened her mouth. “No, no. You can sleep in the dorm over there, there should be a few empty rooms. If you find another marine on the way, tell him to back me up.”
The need to protest still burned inside her, but it was overshadowed by an even mightier yawn. Okay, she thought. I’ll go to sleep, but I’m definitely finding him backup first.
Eating breakfast in a canteen. It felt both strange and familiar as Shetland sat down at a tiny table, an overburdened tray held in her teeth. It brought up memories of boot camp, intense training, overbearing rules, camaraderie, purpose. A smile took hold of her face as she unceremoniously dumped her nutrient chalk under the table. Just like old times. For a moment, she sat there, training her eyes strictly forward, as to not look at the empty seats on either side of her. Her smile cracked. Most other tables were full, but she wouldn’t let that bother her. She knew others tended to find her presence daunting. She heaved a sigh as she focused on her task of driving alfalfa to extinction.
A yawn sounded and just a moment later, Crust sat down at her side. “Morning,” he said with yet another yawn.
“Morning.” Shetland said, observing him. “I didn’t expect you to get up this early.”
“Get up?” He muttered. “That implies I slept.”
Shetland lowered her head, as to whisper in his ear. “Did they try again?”
“Nope. But they would have been stupid to.” He raised his head. “You going out with your robot again?”
Shetland answered with a nod. Her mouth was preoccupied.
“Maybe you should go with your armor then, instead of that little mask.”
“I have no idea where my armor ended up.” Shetland asked. It dawned on her that she’d never asked her mother about it. “And I doubt whatever you have in store fits me.” Then she blinked. “Wait… how did you know I even had one?”
He answered with a grin. “Well, we’ve got one giant suit in store. It arrived a while ago for repairs.”
“You think it could be mine?” she asked. A small bit of excitement fluttered in her chest, like a newly-transformed butterfly testing its wings.
“I‘m struggling to think who else it could be for.”
“When can I get it?” Shetland said, her voice a bit louder than she’d intended.
He shrugged. “Whenever you want, just swing by Scalloway’s to pick it up.”
A grin broke out on her face. She’d get her armor back! It may not help much for just walking around, but it would pack a lot more air than the normal mask and bottle and… well, it was hers and it was awesome! Still, she furrowed her brow. “Scalloway?” she asked. “Doesn’t he repair robots?”
“He can repair just about anything, if he has to.” Crust shrugged. “And besides, I heard there’s actually a whole bunch of similarities.”
Suddenly, Shetland had a picture of her mother before her eyes, excitedly prattling on about two blueprints and cross-referencing them in all sorts of ways. Shetland simply stored it in the fun-fact-bin.
“Have you been able to speak with any of the marines?” Shetland asked, her voice bristling with agitation, despite her efforts to make it sound level.
To her disappointment, he shook his head. “Been up all night, remember? All I got to say was stop snoring. Didn’t work.” he groaned as he rubbed his head. “But maybe I can introduce you today…”
“I’m not sure…” Shetland muttered. “Toasty probably won’t give me much time to rest. It’s like she’s obsessed.” she shook her head. “Understandably so, I guess.”
“Well, If you find the time.” he offered. “And speaking of the devil…” He pointed a hoof at where he’d spotted Toasty, the small robot making a beeline for them.
“Hello.” Toasty said. Her head spun towards Crust, then, after a second of observation, back to Shetland. “Are you finished ingesting twice your necessary intake of calories?”
“Good morning to you, too, Toasty.” Shetland grumbled, trying to wrestle her anger, reasoning that she couldn’t even tell if it was a joke.
No matter, her anger said. It wasn’t a good one!
Shush! Her brain hissed and took anger into a headlock.
Shetland herself pushed her almost-finished plate aside. “I can go right now, I just want to swing by and pick up my armor."
“Your armor?” Toasty asked. There seemed to be a slight dismissive tone in her voice, but maybe that was just imagination.
“Yes,” Shetland grumbled, forcing herself to sound practical. “My armor carries more air, so we can search for an extra hour or two.”
“Well then,” Toasty said, this time her voice free of any sharpness, imagined or not. “We should hurry to get it then.”
Shetland rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, you’re burning to go.” Standing up, she cursed a little as her bad hindleg smacked against a table-leg and a jab of pain shot through it. Yet, it had grown duller and did not even force a tear in her eye. With gritted teeth, she resolved herself to silence as she followed Toasty.
---
Their search would bear no results. Nor on the next day or the day after. And with every day passing, Toasty grew more silent and sour. When they came back, the robot would quickly seclude herself in her “room” or into the maneframe, where she would tirelessly brood over maps. Left alone, Shetland quickly learned to enjoy Burning Crust’s company, and even those of other marines. Buster, a pegasus with an ever-present grin who could draw from a seemingly neverending pool of jokes (most of them groan-inducing) and Cross Bow, a changeling whose name actually described a dance move, not the weapon. While neither of them were eligible to train her, Crust assured her it was only a matter of time, and meanwhile she simply enjoyed once again having a group to relax with after a long, strenuous day. She only wished Toasty could join, but her friend only scoffed at the idea.
“They would not want me.” she'd said in a tone that allowed no discussion. “And you should focus on your rest, not silly games.”
Shetland remembered saying something about Toasty blowing it out of proportion, but she couldn’t recall the exact words she used. But no matter what she tried, her friend seemed lost in a single-minded dedication to a task that soon grew infuriating.
----
Another search, another dusty wasteland. Shetland let out a loud groan as she resigned herself to it. “Couldn’t we get a route by the river?” she muttered. The dust crunched under her armored hooves.
“You should have said so earlier.” Toasty informed her passively. “But if your surroundings bore you, you could help me look for more interesting things. Like robots in dire need of help!”
Shetland groaned. “I am.” The constant sassing of her friend was really starting to get on her nerves. She observed the back of Toasty’s head, pondering over her next sentences. This morning, Burning Crust had informed her of a storm coming that night, as well as a party to bridge it.
“We’ll all be there!” he’d said excitedly. “Including Space Waver!”
That name sounded eerily familiar. “Is he… related to Captain Void Waver?”
“Yep. How did you- oh.” His face fell for a moment. “Well…” he swallowed. “It… might be a little awkward…”
Shetland snorted. A little
“Buuut, Buster spoke with him yesterday and he’s really interested in meeting you. That’s your ticket!”
“So, when exactly is this party gonna be?”
“At 9 pm, roughly two hours before the storm, if Scallow is right.” Crust said. “Don’t be late.”
And now Shetland wondered how her friend would take this. On one hoof, she couldn’t imagine Toasty risking themselves during another storm. On the other, she could absolutely imagine her insisting on using up every minute before...
“Toasty?” Shetland asked, watching the robot’s back. No answer. The only sign that Toasty heard her was a subtle turn of her right ear. “Burning Crust told me I could still become a Voidmarine.”
“Is he the stallion you spend all the time you can get with?”
Shetland raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you know that, you don’t forget things.”
“You do not know how my mind works, Shetland.” Toasty said sourly. “But I indeed remember him.”
“Yeah, well… any opinion on that?” Shetland asked.
Toasty halted in her tracks. “I think that is a question for a later time, we should focus on the present.” And with that, she resumed walking, not once looking back at the earth pony, who’s eye began to twitch as a furnace heated up inside her.
“I was just trying to make some conversation.” Shetland hissed. “And this is kind of important, it’s my future!”
“Why now?” Toasty asked, the volume of her voice rising.
“Why not now? We’re just walking around!”
“If you think this is boring, maybe you should turn back, then.” Toasty said, her voice icy cold.
“No,” Shetland grumbled. She swallowed a lump of lava down. “Serves me right for trying to ask my friend for advice.”
A long metallic sigh sounded from Toasty as she, for the first time, turned her head, looking into Shetland’s visor. “If you want my advice, you should not jump the gun, if I used that idiom correctly. I honestly do not understand why you would want to after what has already happened.” With that, she turned around, wordlessly traversing the plane as she left Shetland to think.
-----
Their return to Coltville in the late afternoon had been forced by Shetland’s dwindling air supply, something Toasty had a dim view of, even if she wouldn’t articulate it. Her brooding silence said enough. All the while, Shetland cursed herself for still not talking to her friend about her plans.
“Still not even a clue.” Toasty said darkly.
“Sorry.” Shetland muttered. She wanted to continue, but couldn’t find the right words. Yet, as she looked at the robot, maybe it would be better to give her a little while before breaking it to her. “How about you go to the maneframe and grab our new route while I refill my air.”
“Fine.” Toasty muttered, climbing out of the hatch.
Shetland let out a sigh as she took off her helmet and let the cool air hit her sweaty forehead. With a shake of her head, she freed her mane from the compressed state it had been forced into. Taking another breath, she told herself to be calm, even as angry glimmers burned inside her. Toasty is just stressed, she told herself. Even if she’s being a giant bitch for some reason. Was it just worry that prompted Toasty to act like that, stress, or was it something else? She had no idea! She engaged the magnetic function on her helmet and hung it at the side of her armor. There were roughly fifteen minutes and nothing to do but wait, yet her mind wouldn’t let her rest for even one. Her hooves began moving, almost by themselves, carrying her out the hatch and in a big circle through Coltville. Ponies were running around, busying themselves to harvest whatever crop they could and making walls of cement bags to act as a moderate windshield for the rest.
I should be helping here, she thought. Not strolling senselessly through the desert. Shaking her head, she chased that thought away. She was delaying and she knew it, she had to go to her friend and tell her-
“Miss Sparkle.” A rough voice came from her side. Shetland pressed her eyes closed, hoping dearly it was not who she thought it was. Releasing an exasperated breath, she turned to Khunbish, who observed her sternly.
“What do you want?” Shetland snapped. Not the most diplomatic thing to say, but she was not diplomatically-minded.
“Miss Sparkle.” Khunbish repeated calmy, a fact that infuriated Shetland. “As you recall, we have come here to both learn about your missing machine’s whereabouts and to hear your story as a witness to the raid.”
“Yes, and?” Shetland pressed through her teeth.
“With the storm tonight, It would be the perfect time for you to do so.” Khunbish stated. “You will appear at dorm 73 at 10 pm.”
“Hell no!” Shetland protested, glaring at the hyena, aghast at the prospect of spending the entire night- She shook her head again. “I have other plans.” If she wasn’t going to accompany Toasty, she certainly wasn’t going to spend even a second with them.
“You are making it unnecessarily hard for us.” Khunbish’s eyes narrowed. “In fact, you are dangerously close to impeding the investigation. You have interest in finding the guilty, why are you being so stubborn?” A clear tone of anger reverberated in her voice. It was gratifying.
“You give me little reason to believe that thats what you’re after.” Shetland hissed. “What was your servant doing last night when I caught him trying to break into our maneframe?”
“He simply got lost!” The hyena drew back.
“In the middle of the night? Likely story.” Shetland shook her head. Then, slowly, a grin grew on her face as she mimicked Khunbish’s hoarse speech. “‘A bridge between our people broke, one that takes trust to repair. How can ponies trust you when you snoop around and keep secrets?”
With a low growl, Khunbish’s teeth bared, an impressive arsenal of destructive natural weapons. “You want to play that game, pony?” She shook her head, hiding her natural dentition again. “We will not take insults or setbacks. Next time, you might not have a choice anymore.”
A shadow fell over the hyenas as Shetland crouched low, bending her knees far to come eye-to-eye with the ugly canine face. “Bugger off.” She said slowly, clearly. Khunbish’s jaw clenched, she glared into Shetland’s eyes, but then she simply turned around, leaving the earth pony to her gratified chuckle.
---
“Toasty?” Shetland asked carefully, trying not to pay attention to the couple other ponies scattered around the room. “Toasty, we need to talk.” She now directly addressed the robot, who sat in front of a screen, seemingly comparing whatever was on it with a map.
“Shetland,” she stirred. “I have made a discovery.”
The unexpected statement made her blink. “What is it?”
She set down a map, pointing at a whole bunch of lines, circling around Coltville. “These are all the paths that have been searched.”
“And?” Shetland grunted, hoping she’d get to her part soon.
“And, I discovered the computer made a mistake!” Toasty exclaimed. Her hoof pointed at a specific area, devoid of lines. “This place has never been searched, Shetland.” she met her eyes. “If we hurry now, we can still go there and be back right before the storm hits.”
Looking over her friend’s shoulder, she observed the map, traced full of lines reaching out of Coltville just to circle back again. “Toasty…” She groaned, letting out a breath of hot air as she placed her hoof on the small empty portion. “It’s just south of the power plant, silly, we haven’t looked there because he’s obviously not going to be there!”
“I considered that.” Toasty said, meeting Shetland’s eyes. “I still wish to check.”
“Holy heck, Toasty!” With a loud groan, Shetland pushed the map away. “I’m not going out just before a storm JUST because you think you know better than everypony, including the maneframe. News flash, it’s got like fifty times your processing power!”
“What is so bad about helping me check?” Toasty’s voice grew in volume. Behind them, the two other ponies in the room exchanged a nervous look before they hurriedly left.
“Besides not wanting to risk my life?” Shetland shook her head in disbelief. “I’m going to some kind of party with the other marines, so I can actually have a job again!”
A crackling noise came out of Toasty’s head as she stared. If she had a jaw, it would have hit the floor. “Y-you-” she stammered. “You will go to a party instead of assisting me in a rescue mission?”
“Only if it’s a wild goose chase!” Shetland shouted, the implication nagging at her. “This is important to my future.” she said, trying to appeal to her friend, but to utter failure.
Toasty’s eyelights grew into unbearable brightness. “You- You think this is a goose chase? That this is pointless? THERE IS SOMEPONY OUT THERE WHO NEEDS SAVING!” Toasty’s volume increased like never before, forcing Shetland’s ears to fold back just to protect themselves. “After this second storm, we might lose all chance of finding him ever again!”
“Why does it matter so much to you?” Shetland asked, as her thread of patience finally snapped. “Do you even know him?”
“No.” Toasty replied, her voice dropping, yet it made Shetland shudder with its icy chill. “But that should not matter. He is a robot like me. And I- I cannot believe that you would simply abandon one of my kind just so you can go to a party!”
The words zapped through Shetland’s brain like lightning bolts. All her rage, her anger, it was snuffed out in an instant, blurred by the faint sound of static. Toasty kept speaking, but Shetland struggled to make sense of it. Her hooves felt wet, her neck cold, a shiver went through her body.
“I thought you were different than the rest.” Toasty said, her voice finally arriving in Shetland’s brain again. “That at least you really saw my kind as equal, but I suppose it was wishful thinking. Well, if your little get-together is more important to you than this, I’ll go alone!”
“T-toasty!” Shetland exclaimed, reaching out a hoof, but the robot, her former friend, gave it no attention as she vanished out the door.
Shetland had to be steered out the room, caught in her own head. Toasty was gone, not like her friends gone, but close…
You lost her. Her inner voice cackled.
“No..” she whispered out loud. It would all clear up, eventually. Eventually. The sky was filled with fast moving clouds, sucking up all light to an extent that she could not tell whether it was the time that caused the darkness or just the weather. She had been so stupid. So what if she had gone with Toasty, she could have just gone to a stupid party some other time. And what about the missing robot? Did she really care so little about it? Yes, she hadn’t known it... him, but the same could be said about-
Her stomach turned as the name appeared in her mind. No, no, she hadn’t done it again, it was not her fault! A cold chill ran through her body as she stared out to the horizon. It was too late, now. Toasty had gone without her. Even if she followed, it would be pointless. She heaved a sigh and went to her quarters. All she had to look forward to was the party, yet the thought held no more joy for her.
---
Darkness had engulfed the settlement as Shetland listlessly made her way to the only glassy dome of Coltville: the party dome. For now, the air was calm, but that would change soon enough. She was early, but she’d rather wait outside with somepony to talk to than drive herself crazy inside her tiny dorm. That worry was quickly alleviated by the light's shine, lighting up the glass fassade. Just outside the hatch stood a changeling, wearing his armour except for the helmet, alternating between a cigar and his breathing mask.
“Shetland!” Cross Bow greeted her.
“Hey.” Shetland raised a hoof. “Is it open?”
“Yeah, sure,” he shrugged. “Just not much going on yet.” He took another puff from his cigar, then levitated another one.
“Want one?”
She shook her head. “I don’t smoke.”
“Well, what a shame.” He leaned back, resting his side on the dome. “Would have shared it, too.”
“Where do you get these, anyway?” Shetland raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anypony else smoking…” Right? Maybe once in front of the Horse Horizon, but she couldn’t say for sure.
With a grave look, he carefully stuffed his cigars into an armor compartment. “They’re not easy to get, I tell you.”
“So… it’s illegal? Do I need to report you?” Shetland asked, half-teasing, half-serious.
“N-No!” he sputtered. “But they’re not part of regular shipments all the same. I get mine from the captain who runs the monthly supply shipment. Well…” He threw a cautious look to Shetland. “The new captain, too. Not uh… Space Waver’s cousin… anymore.”
Shetland groaned. “Just…” she started, then shook her head. “Forget it…”
“Right, you’re touchy about that,” he awkwardly rubbed his neck. “Sorry.”
Pressing her eyes shut, Shetland let go of a long breath. “Just shut up for a second.”
He nodded hurriedly, sat down, and spat out the butt of his cigar. Next to him, Shetland too rested, a relief for both her itching hindleg and her nerves. She couldn’t tell why it was better to sit silently next to a friend, rather than alone, but somehow it was. She glanced at Cross Bow. If only Toasty was here, too, the uneasy feeling in her stomach whispered. She shook her head, trying to shake off that thought. She’ll come back before the storm, and then, when she’s calmed down enough, I’ll try to invite her, too. After all, she probably needs some time to rest her mind just like I do. She let out a sigh. And I promise, I’ll do my best to help you find him.
“Cross Bow?” she whispered.
The changeling’s chin had slowly sunk to his chest, looking downwards. “Hmm?”
“If you keep staring at my ass, I will impale yours on your own horn.”
It was only silent for a few more minutes, during which the changeling had kept his eyes trained straight forward like his life depended on it. But over time, ponies began to pool inside the dome. Shetland smiled as Magenta passed by, but before she could call her over, Burning Crust and Buster appeared, both wearing their armor without their helmets. It made Shetland raise her eyebrow. “Is there some kind of theme here you didn’t tell me about?” she asked.
Crust’s eyes shifted over to Cross Bow. “Heh… no. It’s just something we do to distinguish ourselves from the farmers easier.”
Buster grimaced. “Don’t see why it’s necessary, most of them stay in the greenhouses anyway.”
“Why?” Shetland wondered.
He shrugged. “Oh, you know, earth ponies.”
“Hey!” Crust and Shetland exclaimed.
“Just kidding.” Buster smirked. “But some of ‘em love their crops something fierce.” he flinched. “Damnit, I’ll take it off in a minute, it squeezes my wings.”
It dawned on Shetland that he was trying to move his wings under the suit. To no avail, of course, they were too heavy to fly with and so wingholes had been avoided as they presented weak spots.
“Well, it’s a good thing miss giant here isn’t wearing hers.” Crust chuckled. “Or nopony else would fit on the dance floor. Now can we get in already?” he added in a peeved tone.
There was little unique about the party, Shetland quickly noted. It seemed that no matter where one went, ponies enjoyed the same type of heavy-beat music, alcohol and dancing, mixed with some of the more harmless party games, such as pin the magnet on the robot. It didn’t sit right with her as she walked past the group of ponies forming the magnets into a smiley on the robot’s flickering visor. Of course, she knew it was harmless, the magnets induced little more than a robot version of dizziness, that the victim was chosen by a spin of the bottle and signed up freely- yet, stories bubbled up in her mind, where magnets had been used in kidnappings to restrain the abducted robot. Back when Equestria had made the controversial decision to allow robots to continue their lives within it's borders. Her lips forming a thin line, she upped her pace to leave them behind. It was only a game, after all. She would be fine.
“Is Space Waver around?” She asked Crust, who had already grabbed a drink from a dented, rusty fridge.
“Eh, don’t see him.” he shrugged as he took a swig from what was likely beer. “You look really tense,” With a worried look, he offered her another bottle. “You should take a load off, this is a party.”
Shetland gave the bottle a look, before she shook her head. “I don’t feel like drinking.”
“Then what is it?” Buster asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t make us worm it out of you.”
“I’m just worried,” she sighed. “My friend ran off for another search route and she might be cutting it close with her return.”
“Your friend?” Crust asked. “You mean the robot?”
Shetland answered with a nod, not wanting to meet his eyes.
“You worry too much,” He rolled his eyes. “Never seen a bot not be punctual, she’ll be back thirty minutes before the storm, that’s the absolute last moment she has to. Safety rules. Probably a full hour.”
“I know!” Shetland burst out. “She was just… really angry when she left. What if she does something stupid?”
He let out a groan. “Perfect memory, Shetland. No matter how riled up a bot gets, they don’t forget things like this. Now are you gonna pull us all down by being silly or can we have some fun?” he suddenly leaned sideways, raising an eyebrow. “Cross Bow, stop staring at her butt.”
Shetland kicked out, but the changeling had already jumped aside. “S-spare my horn.” he whimpered.
Shetland answered with a glare. And a threat: “I won’t.”
Of course she didn’t actually hurt him. Publically dumping him into the trash container served well enough as punishment.
“B-but Buster did it tooooo…” Cross Bow whined a minute later, holding his dizzy head. Without a mane, it had been easy for him to clean the trash from himself.
“Yeah, but he gets a pass.” Shetland said.
“What? Why?” The changeling protested.
“‘Cause he’s kinda hot.” she grinned.
And so she left the speechless changeling behind. His punishment was now complete.
Despite this bit of amusement, Shetland found herself unable to enjoy the party like she normally would. Of course, the dance floor had never agreed with her. Too many obstacles, and this one was particularly small. But she’d always enjoyed drinking, chatting and measuring herself up against the bulkiest of stallions and beating them with ease at hoofwrestling. And maybe also flirting, though she’d never gotten great results from that front. But no, all she could do was sit on the sideline and watch as Crust, Buster and Cross Bow had the time of their lives while she felt… separated.
“Okay, gang.” Buster said to everypony around. “What tastes really bad and grows on a tree?”
Oh, Celestia, here it comes. She was half-tempted to cover her ears.
“Branches!” he grinned, eliciting a shared groan from his audience. It did not faze him in the slightest.
“It was so obvious you would come up with a punchline like that…” Cross Bow muttered. “Hey, Shetland.” He turned his head with a hopeful smile. “Wanna go dancing?”
“We’ll get thrown out of the dome if we do.”
“They can’t, it’s a storm.” He stuck out his tongue. His very long, forked tongue.
“Not yet. And even then, still no.” Shetland said, causing him to huff and cross his legs.
“Just accept it,” Buster snickered. “She’s not into you.”
“Well, she doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
“Personal space, for one.” Shetland said and rolled her eyes.
“Guys, shut up for a second,” Crust said. “I’m seeing him- Hey Diver!” he shouted over the music and shook his foreleg. “Over here!”
Shetland looked up just in time to watch a pegasus wave back. His blue coat was dark, almost appearing black. As he came closer, she saw that his left ear was missing. He stopped just a hoof’s reach away, his eyes trailing upwards in a way Shetland was all too familiar with. She reached out a hoof. “Hello.”
Her greeting snapped him out of his trance. “How did I not see you earlier?” he chuckled, a smile appearing on his face. “You must be the giant pony I’m supposed to meet here?” he shot a look behind her towards Burning Crust.
“Yep.” Crust nodded. “That’s her.”
“Glad to meet you, uhm…” he stuttered for a moment. “Y-your highness?”
Shetland hurriedly shook her head. “No, don’t call me that, I’m not royalty.”
“Technically you are-”
“Shut up, Buster.” she shot a glare at the pegasus, who ducked away. “Anyway,” she said, turning back to Star Diver, “Just call me Shetland, please.”
“Alright, Shetland.” He said the name slowly, like he had to try it out first. “I am Star Diver, but you can also just call me Diver.”
“He doesn’t like Star ‘cause that’s pretty much the name of every unicorn.” Burning Crust snickered, gaining an unamused look from Diver.
“Off duty or not, I can still put you on never-ending night patrols, private.”
“Y-yes sir!” Crust stammered, visibly recoiling.
Feeling a tug at her leg, Shetland’s eyes met Diver’s. He nudged his head towards a corner of the room. She nodded in agreement.
“They may annoy the daylights out of you,” he said as they stepped into the (slightly) quieter area. “Their professionalism appears and vanishes with the work hours.”
Shetland nodded. “Burning Crust seemed like a no-nonsense stallion when I first met him.”
“First impressions simply don’t hold up.” he rubbed his ear. “I wouldn’t have come here if it weren’t to meet with you.”
“You don’t like parties?”
“I don’t like the music. If you can even call it that.” he sighed, his ears folding down on his head. “You’re the uh… the mare who-”
“The mare who survived.” Shetland nodded somberly.
“A great feat.” he said, his eyes refusing to meet hers. “I heard you shot many hyenas?”
“Some,” Shetland swallowed. “I can’t remember, it’s all… hazy.” A clump of dread formed in her throat, a sneaking suspicion of what he was trying to get at.
“Commendable.” Despite the praise, his eyes still avoided her. “You’re a mare with experience now. You can hold your own. Even managed to save a few ponies.”
Shetland grit her teeth. “I… wouldn’t say so.”
Of course you wouldn’t, her brain whispered. She tried to hush it. It had to have shown on her face, as Diver inspected her expression. Shetland tried to clench her teeth without him noticing.
“No?” he asked. “Why not?”
“I-I-” she stammered, backing off a step from the smaller stallion. “I- I should have done more.” she broke out, loud enough for some nearby ponies to turn heads, but she didn’t notice. Her hooves shook, but she still held some semblance of control over herself as she drew a staggered breath. “I only managed to save a few, when I could have done more.” she bit her lips hard enough to cause pain, not wanting to let more words spill out. She pressed her eyes shut. It took her several seconds until she let go of her breath. “I… have… not done my best.” she finally said.
“You feel guilty?”
“Yes,” she admitted, swallowing. The lump in her throat grew, until it felt like she could choke on it. “If I had done things different, more would be here.” she closed her eyes, but it only conjured images. Her lips moved as she silently formed the words Leave me alone.
Diver backed off a little, shooting hot glares at the ponies staring. “Shetland?” he asked after they’d skittered away.
“Y-yes?” She drew herself up again.
“I’m sorry for asking these hard questions, I’m not trying to be a psychologist-”
“It’s okay.” She took a shallow breath. “I’m okay.”
From his look, he believed that as little as she did herself. Still, he did not call her out on it. “If you manage, I need to ask one more thing.”
“S-sure, go ahead.” Shetland nodded, trying to act confident as she swallowed past that pesky lump.
“After all that, why do you want to join the Voidmarines again?” This time, he met her eyes directly, intensely observing her reaction. For a while, there was none. Her mind blanked as she was unable to look at him.
As the silence grew, he let out a sigh. “Shetland, if you become a Voidmarine, you could face the same again. Do you think you would be ready?”
Shetland licked her lips. Both yes and no battled for her tongue and all she could do in their stalemate was to stare at the ground.
“Shetland,” he called, a little louder. “Please tell me, why do you want to be a Marine after what happened?”
“I don’t know. It’s just what I’ve always done.” Shetland said. Her hoof felt wet, yet it looked ordinary as she looked at it. Maybe just sweat. It pooled on her back in the hot, way-too-loud dome with so many ponies- She took a greedy breath and shook her head, focusing her eyes on the smaller stallion in front of her. “I think I just don’t know anything else to do.”
Diver closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m not taking you.”
Shetland nodded. Somehow, she had always expected that answer.
“You’re not in any condition for it, I’m afraid.” he needlessly elaborated.
“I understand.” Shetland croaked. Her throat hurt, yet her mind was dull. A longing for rest took hold of her. That, and a bottle of cider to chase the dreams away. She had turned away, when Diver spoke one last time.
“Just… one more. I’m sorry to ask this, but… the captain of the Esseless, Void Waver, she was my cousin.” There was a pause as he audibly scratched the ground with his hoof. “Did you see… anything of her when she…”
One last time, Shetland met his eyes, full of sadness and longing, for some kind of answer. And all it did was drive the knife deeper into her soul as she could only shake her head, unable to speak from the powerful urge to vomit. She turned away. It was too loud. She needed fresh air.
Stepping outside was like leaving an entire world. Generous silence welcomed her as she leaned against the outer wall of the dome, even if the muffled music still rang in her ears. She slid down to the ground, enjoying the simple act of sitting, even as she knew she’d have to leave soon. Dark clouds had gathered in the sky and she thought she could even faintly hear their declarations of wrath, only withheld for maybe another hour. She let out a sigh. Where to go? She could not stand to reenter the party, she knew that much, but what else could she do? Being alone drove her insane. So did the ponies at the party. She furrowed her brow as a headache began to form in her temples. What she wanted right now, more than anything, was to talk to somepony who understood. Yet, the only one she had left was Toasty. A groan escaped her as her headache intensified. But then she got back on her hooves. If there was only one option, then she had to resolve their conflict, even if it included literally begging for forgiveness.
Every day after their search, Toasty would charge her battery in the charging pod. Shetland had no idea why, her batteries would last for five days at the very least. But still, she had always withdrawn herself immediately. Shetland had accepted that with a shrug and spent her time with Burning Crust and his friends. Now, she was simply thankful to know where to look for her.
It was hard to squeeze her shoulders into the tight room. Her head had almost no space, and so she had to bend her knees, much to the disagreement of her bad leg. It was dark. She blinked, looking for any source of light. Were they shut off? Even when charging, robots would usually emit some lights from their visors. With a sudden urgency, she forced her body inside, scraping at the nearby walls and ceiling. “Toasty?” she asked, her voice shaking.
No response.
“TOASTY!?” she shouted again, just a second before she came upon her spot.
Empty.
A cold drop of sweat fell on her nose. Toasty was missing. Was she? Was she somewhere else? Did she go somewhere else? Did the storm get her?
No, she shook her head, it couldn’t be, the storm hadn’t even started yet, but then why was she missing? She would not cut it this close on purpose, right? No, no, she was a robot, she literally could not forget the time or route.
Shetland swallowed, taking a breath. Maybe Toasty had gone somewhere else, the maneframe? Her first pick. She knew Toasty wouldn’t go to her party, but maybe the greenhouse? Unlikely, but a robot could have invited her. She only knew one thing: she had to check everything!
Her bad leg pounded as she galloped to the maneframe, but she ignored it. Yet just the sight of the edifice was enough to spurn her fears. There was no light. Coming closer to the hatch, she tried to turn the valve. No effect. It was closed. Nopony was inside. Neither did she have any luck in the greenhouse. Ponies had stared at the giant mare bursting into their midst, but none of them had seen Toasty.
And that was worrying, since many of them were robots. If Toasty had returned, she had to have met at least some of them!
There was only one option left. Her eyes trailed into the dark night, without even the light of stars to pierce the black void.
You lost her.
Shetland whirled around, her eyes widening as she heard the voice- but there was nothing. “I didn’t,” she whispered back. “I didn’t lose her, she can be fine!”
But then, she thought as her jaw shivered, another robot was not.
“Shetland?” A voice spoke behind her. It was Burning Crust, the earth pony approaching her with a worried look on his face. “I heard you’re running all over the place.”
“Toasty is missing!” Shetland shouted.
“What?” he blinked, infuriatingly not getting it.
“She’s. Missing!” she stomped her hoof. “She’s still out there.”
“But why-”
“It doesn’t matter,” she took a deep breath. “What matters is that you alert those in charge and I go find her.”
“F-find her?” he stammered. The his voice climbed an octave as he shouted. “Out there?”
“Yes!” she firmly nodded, her eyes darting wildly as she made a mental list. “I’ll need several air bottles, a radio thingy, some cloth and-”
“You can’t go out there when a storm is happening!” he protested.
“But she’s out there!”
“You can’t risk your life for her! We can find her afterwards and repair her, or just build a new one!”
For one moment, they were both silent. Then, quietly, Shetland whispered. “Friends. Are not replaceable. I left one behind. I will not do it again!”
“You can’t-” he muttered, but faltered under her glare.
“Try to stop me!” she hissed through her teeth. His face went pale. With a final snort, she turned away.
“A-a-at least take your armor!” he shouted after her.
----------
That suggestion probably saved her life, as without the map function in the corner of her visor, she would have surely gotten lost. Nor would she have been able to carry as much air as now clung to her sides, held by her suit’s magnetic function. Yet, even with that, it quickly dawned on her that her search was close to impossible. She could only follow the rough path she remembered from Toasty’s map. It was dark, leaving her with no other light than what her helmet could emit: a narrow cone in front of her. “She’ll be okay.” She constantly mumbled to herself: merely a futile attempt to drown out the whispers in her brain.
This is your fault.
You left her alone.
Now you will be.
Forever.
You deserve this.
“No…” she whispered, desperately trying to focus even as her eyes grew hot and damp. “Focus, Shetland. Focus…”
The wind began to pick up. At first, it was merely a breeze, but only minutes later she had to fight for every step, like she was straining to stretch an oversized rubberband, or the pulling of a black hole. Her legs began to hurt, and finally her hindleg gave in, making her fall to the ground. And then, as the moon broke through the clouds for a single moment, she was able to see it. Like a continent-sized steamroller, a dark cloud rushed towards her, rolling over the land. All Shetland could do was pull in her head as it caught her. Dust particles rattled on her, bouncing off the armor. The noise was deafening. She could barely see her hooves. Cold claws reached around her heart and guts. It was hopeless, yet still she drew herself up, pushing against the wind like it was a brick wall, slowly taking a step.
It was the only thing she could do.
But not for long, as the pain in her legs grew to unbearable amounts. And then, finally, it became too much. Her hindleg gave out and to her horror, the wind blew her back as she fell, almost making her believe it was enough to pick her up. She collided with the ground, eliciting a loud clank. Dazed, she still knew to keep low to the ground, digging her forehooves into it. With one hoof, she wiped her visor, scraping away enough of the dust to see what was right in front of her.
An ear. No, a metal head, with a badly torn ear, spark flying from ruptured cables. Then, the head slowly faced her. The visor was dark, shattered, the head dented, mane torn out. And as Toasty tried to speak, all Shetland could hear was static.