Void Trials 2: Horizon

by Obsi

Hidden in Light

The air bit at the maimed skin of Shetland’s hindleg as she stepped into the colder room. She cursed under her breath, careful to not drop the small tube she held in her teeth. Hobbling on three legs, letting the burned limb drag behind her, she made her way to a bench. Nopony else had found their way to the small public gym at this early hour, exactly why she was there now. With a groan, she heaved her hindleg onto the bench, trying her hardest not to look at it as she grabbed the tube in her hoof and unscrewed it with her teeth. It was hard not to look, it itched like it was a living anthill. The doctor had said it was caused by dry skin, which was why he’d given her this salve. She squeezed some on her forehooves, awkwardly bending down to rub it over her skin. Suddenly, a spike of pain burst through her joints and she almost jerked back, but she forced herself to hold out, gritting her teeth as she waited for the pain to subside. She mumbled another curse, this time directed at the doctor. His stupid advice had led her here. Avoid overstretching, he’d said, it could damage the skin on your joints, he’d said. But then, in the next breath he’d told her to do stretches so it wouldn’t grow back wrong and restrict her movement.

“Which one is it now?” she growled down at her leg, which only taunted her with it's… disgusting scarredness. She closed her eyes, slowly counting to three, then let out a huge breath. Blindly squeezing out more salve, she continued slowly rubbing it over her leg, ignoring both the pain and her anger, as well as the uncomfortable feeling in her back for the awkward position she was forced to be in. Finally however, the pain and itching fell away to pleasant numbness. Mostly. She let out a breath as she stood tall, stretching her legs as far as she could. Her hoof hovered just above the ground, merely an inch away. But it was like pushing against a brick wall and the effort lit fires in her pained joint until she let go with a gasp. She wiped her face, sweat clinging to her mane. Her eyes crept towards a clock hanging above the entrance. Three hours. With a vigorous shake of her head, she focused back on her stretches, yet they only provided her with vexation. It almost felt beneath her, doing simple stretches like these. She’d been in peak condition back on Equus, her gym had struggled to even supply her with a challenge sometimes! Maybe it was silly, since her size had given her a clear advantage, but growing up in the household of a supremely smart and immortal sorceress, she’d grown to be quite proud of her physical prowess. But now, as she struggled to stick her leg straight out backwards, it hit her how that too had been taken from her.

Like so many other things.

With an angry shout, she ditched the stretches, instead pounding her hooves into a buckbag, revelling at the opportunity to let out her bottled-up frustration

It must have been much later when a knock tore her out of her trance. Suddenly, her face felt cold, her coat itchy and a single drop of sweat clung to her nose, refusing to fall even as she shook her head. Then the voice from the door spoke, and it blew away all concerns over her nose.

“Shetland, are you in here?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she stepped in and her eyes found her puffing daughter. “Are you doing your stretches?” Like an afterthought, she added, “Am I interrupting?”

Hastily brushing the sweat out of her face, Shetland shook her head. “No.” she sighed. “I was just about to finish.”

“And did you have any problems with them?” Twilight asked inquisitively.

“Why are you here?” Shetland glared at her crossly. “Can’t just be to nitpick, is it because of the hyenas?” she glanced at the clock. “It’s still two hours before they arrive, are you gonna tell me to wash up? Clean my room maybe?”

“We should probably prepare, that much is true,” Twilight sat down, regarding her with a smile. “But making sure that you’re okay is more important.”

Left speechless, Shetland slumped on her backside, her anger whistling out like the air from a popped balloon. “You sure?” She asked lamely.

“Yep,” Twilight said sincerely. “I wanted to speak a little sooner, but Toasty said you’d already left. I’m surprised you left her behind, actually. It may be long ago, but I remember you being a big showoff when it came to any sort of strength test.”

“What’s there to show off?” Shetland rose up, regarding Twilight with a scowl. Then she turned around so she could see the mangled limb. “You think I want ponies to gawk at this?” She kicked out and clenched her teeth as another hurtful jab climbed up her leg. “Stupid thing.” she cursed.

“You should be careful with that,” Twilight said. “The doctor said-”

“I KNOW WHAT HE SAID!” Shetland shouted. “But ever since- ever since that happened, I cant buck right, I can’t bend it right, everything feels wrong and it’s driving me up the wall!”

“You know it won’t be permanent?” Twilight’s voice was calm as her hoof clopped a short rhythm on the floor. “We just need to see how it finally heals, in a few months we can use corrective surgery to negate at least your restricted movement.”

“I know. I-” Letting out a long sigh, Shetland turned away so neither she nor Twilight had to look at her scars anymore. “I don’t know why I get so angry.” she admitted.

“I think I do.” Twilight said. “You don’t want to remember, and the scars remind you. I know how you feel.” She compassionately reached out a hoof, wrapping it around Shetland’s shoulder as the earth pony began to shiver. “I lost many ponies I cared for during my long life.”

Shetland closed her eyes. “Stop…” she mumbled, the words hurting through her dry throat. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know,” Twilight fanned her wing over Shetland’s broad shoulder. “But talking about it is what will help you through it. But… it’s okay if you’re not quite ready for it. Just know that when you are, I’ll drop anything and everything and listen.” Then she reached down, leaned her muzzle beside Shetland’s ear and whispered. “It gets better.”

“Huh?” Shetland looked up, pushing Twilight away to face her.

“Wounds like this,” Twilight’s hoof poked Shetland in the chest, just above the heart. “Heal slowly, but they do heal. Trust me, things will get better in time.” She smiled as she saw the hope glistening in her daughter’s eyes. But then a shadow fell over Shetland’s face.

“Maybe they shouldn’t.” she said as she drew away from Twilight.

“What do you mean?”

“Ugh, nothing…” Shetland muttered. “Just… sometimes I feel like I deserve it.” she let out a sigh and pressed her eyes closed. Her voice shivered as she continued. “I keep seeing it over and over in my head, and I can’t help but think: Who could I have saved if I had been… I don’t know, better?” she swallowed, a large lump caught in her throat.

“Shetty…” Twilight whispered, but Shetland shook her head, like she was trying to rid herself of a fly.

“And I go over every one and think how, and the worst part?” Her eyes closed, held against the pressure behind them. “It would have been so easy. Ciloa, yes, her…” she opened her mouth, but the word clung to her teeth, refusing to leave. “Nopony saw it coming, but, but, If I had stopped Press, if I had taken charge and told him to stay put, or to focus, he could be alive!” she stomped the ground as she looked away, unable to face her mother. “That was my fault.”

“No, it’s not, Shetland.” Twilight said with conviction. “You were overwhelmed and faced with a million choices and yes, in retrospect you often find you didn’t choose the best one. Trust me, I know,” she bowed her head. “I too had plans backfire and ponies die from poor decisions I made. And you know what, I too blamed myself for a long time. But we cannot change the past or undo our choices. You did your best, Shetty, and that is all you can do. You shouldn’t feel guilty for that.” she chuckled. “Celestia once told me that we shouldn’t rid ourselves of joy for the sake of the dead, but to celebrate your life for their sake as well. A… lesson I sometimes struggle with, too.” she admitted, her smile shaking a little. “They would want you to live, Shetty. You did all you can do for them. And now, to brighten your thoughts, I got a little present for you!” She turned around, missing the dead-eyed look Shetland gave her own hoof as she fetched a box in her telekinesis.

“Take a look.” She grinned, but to no reaction. “Shetty? Are you paying attention?”

“Huh?” Shetland shook her head, but quickly affirmed: “Yes, yes, I am-” she blinked, glancing at her hoof before lowering it. “Did... you hear something?

Puzzled, Twilight’s ears peaked. “No… are you feeling okay?” With a concerned look, she touched Shetland’s forehead. “No fever, at least.”

“I’m okay!” Shetland shook of her mother’s hoof. “I just thought I heard something, doesn’t matter. Now, what is it that you got here?“

“Well, then…” Twilight propped up the box, showing a cover of a gigantic minotaur skull overlooking a hellish landscape full of trenches and soldiers of all species, above which stood in bold letters: The Grinding Wars - 4th Edition

“You- you got my collection?” Shetland gasped, though whether from joy or surprise she couldn’t tell. “But- how?”

“I told you, Queen Twinkle had a nice surprise in store for you.” Twilight grinned. “Got all your little models nicely packed and ready for play.”

“It’s ready for action, mom.” Shetland corrected, but with a smile on her face. “But… who am I gonna play with? I doubt anypony else here has an army.”

“I think you’d be surprised.” Twilight sat down, opening the box and pulling out a little model of a thin, mechanical worm with sharp digging claws on either end. She then put it alongside a slightly larger model of a unicorn battlesage. “”But if you want, I’ll play with you when I have some time.”

“You?” Raising an eyebrow, Shetland gave the models the judging look instead of her mother. “You hate that game. You… well, you lived through it.”

“I’ll be okay.” Twilight smiled. “As I said, time heals every wound- and this one has had almost a hundred years to close. Also,” she added with a smirk. “I’m starting to miss your little ambushes on your birthdays~”

Matching her grin, Shetland chuckled. “I knew you wouldn’t refuse to play then.”

“My little chessmaster~” Twilight laughed and Shetland fell in.

“Phew,” The earth pony recovered first, smiling at the two models. “We don’t have time for a game right now, right?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” Twilight sighed. “But, we certainly have enough to get you cleaned up, I can smell your workout from across the room.”

“You’re exaggerating!” Shetland crossed her hoof.

Twilight’s face was stone cold as she raised an eyebrow. “Am I?”

With a defeated sigh, Shetland gave into her fate.

---

Getting cleaned up and ready drove them dangerously close to the time limit, especially as Twilight insisted on brushing their coats rigorously. It was only the fact that her mother could teleport that gave Shetland the time to stow the game safely under her bed. Without a word, she stepped to Twilight, who fanned out her wings as her horn began to glow.

What does teleportation feel like? Most ponies expectations would range from the scary to the grandiose. In truth however, it felt like a headache, but in the nostrils. Coupled with that, a shock went through Shetlands body as within an instant, the quality and temperature of the surrounding air changed. She found herself in a large rectangular room with windows on all of three sides, showing them to be above an expansive, flat track of land, only broken up by the sight of several large rectangular boxes made of dark metal relatively close to them. The landing fields. Shetland swallowed as an inner demon forced her to look over to the right, where a crater the size of a couple chariots shaped the ground, wracked with the signs of the fire, cracking open the dirty earth like an eggshell.

“Twilight!” A voice boomed, yet even as it rang painfully in her ears, Shetland had nearly missed it. Yet it drew her out of her minds dark caves as she turned her head to Princess Luna, who stood tall behind a changeling frantically operating what she only recognized as extremely complex computery. She still proudly wore her stetson, despite being indoors. “You’re just in time. I wouldn’t have expected that from you, Twilight ” Luna said, her tone, although scorning lowered to still unpleasant, but not eardrum tensing levels.

“Sorry,” Twilight winced, both Sparkles rubbing their ears in unison. “We got a little caught up in a personal moment.”

“All is well,” Luna said, although her expression was still rigid like a rock. “Slim Cast has just detected the hyenas in orbit. They will attempt their landing once we have prepared everything.”

“What needs there to be prepared?” Shetland blurted out and swallowed as both alicorns stared at her. She blew her mane out of her face. “There was no preparation when I landed, why do they need it?”

“The ship you… boarded had an A.I. steering it, Shetty.” Twilight said. “I’m afraid the hyena empire has a more distrustful relationship to thinking machines and only use the barest minimum.” Shetland met her eyes and saw her mothers brows furrowing. Even as she tried to explain objectively, Twilight couldn’t fully hide how much she disagreed with that sentiment. “Instead they only use a very basic A.I. to support the pilot.” she sighed. “We need to transmit all our data on the weather, update it by the second and set up some landing lights to make sure they land safely.”

“Most of which we have taken care of.” Luna said. “Now we only need to contact their ship directly and set up a connection between our systems. Preferably before the storm hits us, the time frame is getting pretty narrow.”

Shetland looked past the alicorns to the changeling as he operated the insanely complicated looking computer.

“Speaking of which,” Luna grumbled, her patience clearly at an end. “Why is it taking so long?”

“I-I don’t know, princess.” Slim stammered. “I’ve sent multiple signals, but they’re not responding.”

“Do it again, Slim, and doublecheck everything, we cannot allow this to go wrong in any-” Luna said but she was interrupted by the changelings surprised chitter.

“They’re landing!” he shouted.

“What?” Both of the alicorn’s heads shot up. “Without our data, without our systems to connect-?”

“Yes, yes!” Slim exclaimed. They’ve just started the drop into the atmosphere.”

Luna whirled around. “Activate the lights immediately and clear the landing zone!” she shouted and only an instant later, several dozen large floodlights sprang to life, illuminating the landing area so brightly that Shetland had to avert her eyes.

“Bullheaded hyenas,” Luna pressed quietly through her teeth. “We’ll be lucky if this doesn't turn into a disaster.”

Above their heads, there was a fizzle, then a pop, and suddenly, Slim’s monitors turned black. “What the heck?” The changeling exclaimed, pounding a hoof on the power button to no effect. Then, all in the room looked across the landing fields. The lights were out.

“Slim Cast, get the backup power online now!” Luna shouted.

“I-I can’t,” he stammered as he kept mashing the button. “It should have turned on by itself, Princess.”

“They’re gonna miss us.” Twilight bit her lip. “If they even make the landing. Isn’t there any way to turn the lights back on?”

“Not in time, I’m afraid.”

“Then we need to hope they make it and find our way to them before they run out of air.” Luna decided. “Slim Cast, where will they land?”

The changeling grimaced, staring at the blank monitor. “Can’t say for sure, but if they stay on their last course it would be roughly three miles west from here... “

“Then we’ll meet them there.” Luna said “Twilight, you’re with me, between the two of us, we can teleport all back safely. If they made the landing.” she added darkly

“I can come too!” Shetland exclaimed, making the alicorns pause.

“I’m afraid not, Shetty.” Twilight awkwardly avoided her eyes. “You’re not ready to make such a journey yet.”

“It’s just a few miles!”

“Your leg is not well enough, Shetty. Also, we’ll have to fly to make it before the storm hits and I am not letting you out during a storm.”

“I’m still a Voidmarine!” Shetland bared her teeth. “It’s my job to do things like this.”

“It is thy duty to listen to orders!” Luna cut in as she passed a breathing mask over. “We go now, Twilight, there is little time.” giving Twilight no more than a moment to adjust her own breathing tools, her magic forced open a nearby emergency window and with two mighty flaps, the alicorns left the building, leaving Shetland behind to stare after them. A loud roar drew her eyes even further upwards as a long, burning contrail streak flashed across the sky. The thundering sound hit like a rhythmic hailstorm, causing Shetland’s eyes as well as the windows to rattle as it passed above them, heading in a protracted curve beyond the horizon, leaving only the trail to cleave the sky. Left to only stare at the dissipating line, Shetland’s hooves were urging, yet she could only look across the plain, dusty ground to the horizon, where the pair of alicorns were no more than small birds, impossible to make out in more than shape.

And my job, she thought sourly, is to sit still. Beside her, the changeling worked fruitlessly in an attempt start his monitors once again. For a moment, she wished she could be in his place, at least she would have something to do. But that thought was interrupted as another wave of noise swept up to her ears, though this time from a multitude of sources. Down below, ponies burst out of the buildings, sometimes stumbling over one another in their rush to flee, but from what, Shetland couldn’t tell.

“What’s going on?” She shouted to the changeling, but he simply shook his head. With an enraged shout, Shetland grabbed an airmask and ran to the staircase. The shouts were clearer now and she could make out glimpses.

“What’s going on?”

“Attack-”

“LET GO OF ME.”

“HYENAS-”

“Where do I go?”

“What is happening?”

Those shouts were repeated as she skimmed past a group of ponies in the middle of the second floor, but she ignored them as she headed to the airlock, where a Voidmarine forcefully pulled a unicorn from the door. “IT’S ALL FINE!” he shouted.

“What about the power?” A shout came from behind Shetland.

“Why didn’t the backup work?”

“Where do we go?”

“PUT THOSE DOWN!” The marine shouted amidst the turmoil. With her heart sinking in her chest, Shetland realized how many of these ponies were armed. She backed up, why were they armed? This was a powderkeg!

“We’re ready to fight!”

“THERE IS NO FIGHT!” The armored pony screamed. “GO BACK-”

A shot rang out, eliciting panicked screams from the crowd as ponies scattered, some dropping to the ground, those with guns wildly pointing in all directions. The marines shouts for order were unheard as several ponies dashed for the exit-lock. Shetland, frozen, could only watch as several ponies ran outside to spread panic even further- and with a sinking feeling in her chest, she saw one unicorn without a breathing mask. “No, WAIT!” she shouted, running after, ignoring the warning shout of the marine. The outside was barely any better, ponies ran around wildly and the few marines were barely enough to round up even half of them. Shetland ran past ponies, gritting her teeth. Painful jabs struck her leg whenever it smashed down. She couldn’t slow down. But only moments later, her hoof impacted on a small rock and she screamed as pain exploded in her backside. Forced to a limb, Shetland stared at the foolish unicorn, her throat jagged with every breath. Luckily, he came to a skidding halt, grasping his throat as he realized his mistake. He whirled around, inhaling the useless, salty air, his eyes centering on her, fear written in them. Shetland took a deep breath, glaring him down as he dropped to his knees. Taking another deep breath, Shetland removed her breathing gear. Clenching the muscles in her chest, she pressed out a “Here”, before turning back to walk- moderately- back. The unicorn was left taking greedy breaths from the mask. She never heard a thanks. Maybe the clamour was to blame for that.

Gradually, the situation began to turn around, with a few Voidmarines beginning to round up the panicked groups. She had to stay on path. Her lungs burned, the salty scent of soy sauce tickling her nostrils. Irritated, she snorted, then pressed her mouth closed, not letting more air out. Her eyes were trained on a close building, just another minute... But then she saw an indigo pegasus shooting straight towards her, skidding to a halt in her path. “You! You, can you help?” She managed between (infuriatingly) deep breaths. “Somepony’s in danger!”

Shetland swallowed, her lungs were ready to burst now as she knocked on her bulging cheeks for emphasis.

“H-here!” The pegasus passed her mask over, allowing Shetland a magnificent breath of sweet, non-smelly air. How could she have ever liked soy sauce?

“Where?” she snapped her head around, refocusing on the mare.

“In the workshop, follow me!” She yelled and took off, pointing to a structure to the side of the overwatching tower before dashing towards it. Shetland had only made it halfway when she landed beside her.

“Knew it.” she grumbled, stopping for a moment to let her take a breath from the mask. The mare now stayed behind Shetland as she pushed her way through a rallied group, her bulk allowing her to pass through like a scissor through fabric. “What happened?” she asked the mare.

“My friend, he wa- there was suddenly no power, the backup should have jumped in-”

“Focus!” Shetland hissed as she slammed her hoof against the airlock, taking a moment to let the throbbing in her leg quell a little. With a shake of her head, she got rid of the sweat obstructing her eyes before she turned at the valve. With a sudden jab of her shoulder, she threw it open, pushing into the small entrance, doubling as a changing room. There was a door at the end as well as a staircase. “Stairs or door?” she snapped at the pegasus.

“D-door.” she mumbled. “M-my friend-”

“I’ll see for myself!” Shetland said as she threw the door open-

BANG!

It was so loud that Shetland barely heard the zip and clang of the bullet bouncing off the metal doorframe. Out of instinct, she jerked back, as if that would have made a difference.

“HOLY SHIT, MAGGIE!”

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh-”

The indigo pegasus blew past Shetland. “YOU ALMOST SHOT THE PONY I GOT TO HELP!”

“I’m sorry!” Another, also female voice shouted. Stepping back into the door, Shetland saw it belonged to a magenta-colored pegasus. On the ground infront of her was a dropped rifle “I-I thought she was a hyena!”

“Does she look like a hyena to you? She’s huge!”

“Drop your weapon.” Shetland glared the pegasus down. “That goes for all of you.”

“I’m the only one with a weapon!” The pegasus cowered, bowing her head. For a moment, Shetland’s glare shifted, something about the pegasus looked familiar, as if she’d seen her before. The next sentence snapped her back to the present. “Please, please, Just help Pipe Dream.”

“Glad you remembered me.” A weak, strained voice came from the back of the dark room. Pushing past the ponies (with a grim look to the triggerhappy pegasus), Shetland followed to see the damage.

In a mix between garage and workshop, these engineers had been maintaining and repairing vehicles specialized for Horizons rocky, dusty grounds. And crunched under the tracks of one of these vehicles was the leg of a white-colored unicorn. “H-hey,” he pressed through his clenched teeth, tears he tried to hold back gathering in his eyes. “Y-you can help me right? Cause-” his lips distorted into a twisted smile. “This stings a little.”

“Definitely.” Shetland assured him, looking over the vehicle. It was like a mixture between a snowcart and a miniature tank, sized for two, a cargo in which a third pony could fit into (maybe even Shetland) and oxygen tanks hefted to the sides. This was an exploration vehicle. It was adaptable, sturdy and most definitely not light. “How did this happen?” she asked, trying to distract him from his pain as she searched for an optimal grip.

“I-I was trying to get some kinks outta this things tracks-,” he gasped, taking a shaky breath. “Oh, fuck this hurts-”

Shetland threw an urging look back to the other ponies watching in stunned silence. Get more help, she whispered. She spoke too quietly to be heard, but luckily they seemed to get the hint. Now just for distracting the pony. “G-go on.” she mumbled. She was not a good distractor.

“Shit, shit…” he took another deep breath. “Okay, okay, T-the thing was just lifting up and I stuck my hoof under, y-you know, get work done faster- Ahhh…” he grimaced. “Safety don’t engage ‘fore this things all up, but I thought, what could go wrong?” he smiled another one of these twisted fake-grins. “Didn’t work out for me, right? Oh, Twilight, if I make it, I’ll follow all the safeties ever, I’ll even brush my teeth more than once a day.”

“You won’t die.” Shetland assured him. “And it’s really weird to have ponies talk about my mom like that.”

“Huh, y-you’re the princesses kid? Mighta guessed, who else would be that big?”

“Yes, yes…” Shetland grit her teeth. “After this is over, you can come visit me and we can play board games.”

“Heh, I’d prefer any game over this-”

He stopped, interrupted by the sound of a door smashing against the wall and only a moment later, a Voidmarine stood beside Shetland, armored hoofs grabbing the sides of the vehicle.

“ALRIGHT,” The automated voice from the helmet barked. “All of you help, You there, Magenta, you pull him when we lifted it!” Moments later, a multitude of hooves grabbed onto the nooks and crannies of the tank. “On 3!” The marine shouted. “one… two…THREE!”

They pulled and it tipped by a hairs length- but some of the engineers strength already faded after this tiny moment and the weight on Shetland’s hooves became more and more- but she couldn’t give up. Veins stood out from her legs and neck and she grunted, pulling, pulling- Beside her, the gears in the marines armor squealed. “Another go!” The electric voice screamed. “One and two and threeeee” A long, strained yell came from the group as they stemmed their hooves and slowly, inch by inch, tipped the machine.

“I got him!” the magenta pegasus shouted, grabbing Pipes tail in her teeth and flapping her wings, sliding him out from under the vehicle. With a relieved sigh, the group dropped the machine. A tingling vibration roused through their hooves as it fell down with a deafening thud.

“Pipe!” Everypony circled around the injured unicorn, regarding his leg with a look of shock and nausea. The entire lower half was overtaken by a dark, sickish blue, it bend all the wrong way and… Shetland covered her eyes, tasting bile as she slowly stepped back, leaving the others to swarm the wounded.

“Holy shit…” Magenta whispered.

“Please don’t say how much it hurts, I can imagine…” Teal covered her green face.

“Pipe?” Magenta asked in rising panic, grabbing the unicorns shoulder-

“Don’t move him. Step away!” The Voidmarine shouted, cleaving apart the group like a knife as they all backed away from the unicorn. “You, big one!” he shouted.

Shetland stepped forth. “Yes?”

“Bring him to medical, you know where that is?”

“I’ll show her!” Magenta jumped up.

“We all will!” Teal and the other got up.

“Just the pegasi!” the marine decided. “Everypony else go to control tower! NOW GO!”

Shetland huffed a little as both pegasi gently lifted the unicorn onto her back. He wasn’t particularly heavy, yet she had to slow down and force her own bad leg into a normal pace. At the very least she could feel his breathing in her neck, both a spot of hope and a growing urge to hurry.

Seeing the infirmary did much to ease the tight knot in Shetlands chest. there were other injured, a changeling with a loose fang, an earth pony hiding a small laceration on his forehead behind a few wrapped bandages, no others were truly serious. The nurse had been everything but relieved however, sending the group away as she observed the broken foreleg with a mixture of shock and concentration

“We’ll stay with him!” Magenta had tried to argue, but the nurse coldly ordered them to leave.

The situation had been stabilized, the panicked gathered up, misconceptions cleared up. Order returned as ponies sheepishly went back to their work or set to repair what had been damaged in the tumult. Even the lights popped back on with an electric hum as the backup generator finally kicked in. Shetland let out a breath, it was over.

However, the ponies by her side seemed as tense as ever. The two pegasi walked shoulder to shoulder, their wings brushing over another in search for comfort while the Voidmarines muttering came stifled through the helmet, the speakers turned off. Eventually, the magenta pegasus turned to Shetland.

“W-will Pipe be okay?”

Shetland sighed, her backside itched badly as she thought how to respond. “I don’t know,” she said after a long while. “I’m not a doctor, but… I’m pretty sure his leg is done for.” she lowered her head, not wanting to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. If you hadn’t come so fast, he maybe even could have…” her voice died for a moment. “I-I’m really sorry I shot you, you know?”

“Heh,” She was almost startled by her own laughter, yet there was no stopping it as it broke from her, a drain for all the pent up stress. “I- I almost forgot that happened.”

“That happened?” The marine asked coldly.

“Uh… yes, but-” Magenta swallowed, unable to finish her own sentence.

“But nothing! Do you have any idea how much trouble allowing you fools to arm yourselves has caused us today?”

“I-I-”

“All of this wouldn’t have escalated if civilians stayed out of military business.” he said heatedly, his helmet glaring down at the pegasus. “Half of all the trouble was to take the weapons off of overeager morons trying to find the invaders.” He rolled his head, clearly displaying his opinion on the matter. “But at least nopony actually shot somepony!” His speaker actually transmitted the sound of his gnashing teeth, an unnervingly prominent noise. “Until now.”

“I’m sorry, I-I panicked.”

“I noticed.” the marine grumbled drily.

“I thought the hyenas would attack again!” she wailed, her face turning into an awful grimace. Shetland’s eyes widened, she had never seen this expression, but she knew it, she had felt it on her own face. This was the face of one who remembered. “I didn’t know what to do, but I thought they would come again and I knew I couldn’t let that happen, I-I wasn’t powerless this time, but I was scared, we were all scared and when she came in, I saw…” she swallowed. “I-I saw the monster that killed my sister.” Her lip quivered and Shetland had to look away. Suddenly, the widespread panic made more sense: Most ponies working here were the same ponies who had endured the first raid. Their poor reaction to the unexpected outage and subsequent fear… she understood.

The marine shook his head. “Another reason I was against allowing you lot to carry weapons. There was never a chance you would fight with them effectively in your condition.”

“Back off.” Shetland grumbled.

“Excuse me?” The marine swung his armored head around.

“I said back off!” she snapped. “Save it for the Princess, she’ll decide what to do about it, not you!”

Eyes met visor as they both glared at each other. After a few seconds however, the marine looked aside. “Whatever, but we will still disarm everypony until the decision is made.”

“I-it’s okay, I already dropped mine, back in the vehicle workshop.” Magenta said with a nervous smile.

The marine grumbled, looking away. After several seconds, he turned back, however. “Are you going to return to the main hub?”

“I might.” Shetland said. “Why?”

“You’ll have to make the decision very soon. In an hour, a storm is upon us, and trust me, you do not want to be outside when a storm happens on this planet.”

“Are you sure?” Shetland asked, her ears folding back. “I read that our weather predictions dont work here, aren’t even pegasi prone to guessing completely wrong?”

“Scalloway said so, and he’s not a pegasus.”

“Then…”

“He’s a mechanic, fixes up the tin-cans whenever they break. But enough of this tangent!” he let out a frustrated breath. “Storm’s a-coming, if you want to go, better do it now, in an hour it’ll be too late.”

Shetland bit her lip. “Do you know where the Princesses might arrive when they bring back the hyenas?”

He shrugged. “Heck if I know, but if I had to wager a guess, probably main. Comfier. And if they know of this little situation, definitely the hub.”

“Then I gotta go there.” Shetland said.

“Kay, now that you’re all circumstanced, I’ll go back to… fixing this mess.” The marine sighed and trotted off, leaving Shetland and Magenta alone.

“One thing I wanted to ask you,” Shetland asked, a tense knot in her chest. “Your sister… was she your twin?”

“Y-yes, actually… how… did you know her?”

“No.”

“Then-”

“How did she… you know?”

The pegasus looked down to the ground. “The hyenas took us hostage. We were all huddled in the auditorium.”

Shetland remembered all too well, even if some of the details were hazy.

“W-we must have sat there for most of a day and we’d almost lost hope when suddenly one of them dropped dead and the others fired at the door and we all had our heads down. And my sister, she was always brave, she told me that we had to help whoever was trying to help us. A-and so we began sneaking up behind them and others saw us and did the same…”

Shetland remembered, even if just in that moment she’d hidden behind a vending machine for cover, until-

“And then she shouted and grabbed one of their weapons, I think we got the other one, but I couldn’t stop watching as she fought the monster's grip…” She swallowed, and Shetland remembered all too well what came next. “But my sister was never very strong and the hyena shot her in the chest and there was blood and…” She began shaking, even if tears had run dry. “And then this pony comes through and smashes it like it should be.” She took a deep breath, a steely resolve on her face. “That pony took revenge for my sister. That pony…” she blinked. “It was a huge pony…” her eyes widened. “No… It was you?”

Shetland flinched.

“It was!” Magenta shouted. “You- you saved us all! And- and I almost shot you!”

“Not all ponies. I didn’t save your sister.”

The pegasus bit her lips. “I… I wish you had, but… I can’t blame you, you saved everypony else.”

Shetland sighed, a lump caught in her throat. “I should go before the storm begins.”

----------

When Shetland heard of a storm, she had been expecting something the likes of an equestrian weather fluke, uncomfy, yes, a good reason to stay inside, but rarely dangerous to anyone but a foal. On Horizon however, as Shetland now learned, storms are to be feared, to dig deep in search of cover and only leave once it grew silent. Even through the thick walls of the standardized colony structure could she hear the howling wind as dust particles pelted the outside like gravel fired from a catapult. Looking outside had become almost impossible as any glass tunnel-walls were covered in the dust, only in the windshadow were there a few free spots. Yet even there, Shetland could only make out a couple metres before the world disappeared behind a veil of whistling dust. She nervously tapped the glass, almost sensing the millions of tiny impacts- or was it just her imagination? The storm had begun soon after she had arrived, bringing any activity outside the walls to an end. Luckily, Toasty had informed her that Luna and Twilight had come back safely just a few minutes before Shetland herself… with the hyena delegates. And that they would come to Shetland's quarters (technically her mother's) shortly. At first she had wanted to wait, but with her innards twisting into a tightly packed clump, she had been driven outside. Where she had waited, until Twilights head appeared from the other end, blinking several times before acknowledging Shetland.

“Hello, dear.” she said, then her eyes widened. “You have blood on your shoulder!”

Shetland reached up, surprised to feel her coat stuck in a thin layer of crumbly dried liquid. “Not mine.” she said. For a brief moment she wondered how Toasty hadn’t noticed. but then again, nopony but her mother could look at her from above. “I helped somepony who was wounded. Have you heard what happened?”

“Yes.” Twilight sighed. She raised a hoof halfway to her head, but set it back down as a voice, harsh and throaty, came from behind her.

“So did we.” A hyena stepped past Twilight and towards Shetland, whose jaw clenched harder with every step it took. Another, smaller specimen followed, though both were small enough to easily stand below Shetland with only the larger ones ears even touching her belly. They had spotted fur, bouffant in place of the shoulder and the short mane across their backs, arching down to the hips, giving them a wild and predatory appearance, though Shetland faintly recalled that an intimidating presence was considered beautiful within the empire, akin to a carefully coiffed mane style. The hyena stopped only a few steps away from Shetland. “Greetings, daughter of Twilight Princess. I am Khunbish, female. And my protector is called Gan, male.”

“Greetings.” Shetland responded tensely, eyeing both hyenas. At the very least it was useful that Khunbish had introduced herself with their genders, as she could not have told on her own. They looked almost identical, safe for Gan’s lower height and a cut in his ear. “My name is Shetland.”

Khunbish gave a short nod of her head. “I have a few questions, if you don’t mind, Shetland. Though we would all prefer some…” She looked behind herself into the otherwise empty tunnel. “Privacy.”

Privacy was a little cramped unfortunately, not being build for four occupants at the same time. Khunbish shot a look at Gan, who backed off into the small kitchen, leaving a more manageable three. Shifting her weight, Shetland’s eyes were focused on the remaining hyena, her unsteady hooves tapping on the chairs seat.

“Shetland, Ms.” Khunbish began to talk, her raspy voice grating on Shetlands nerves. “I have been sent by the Great Khan, to investigate the… raid, and to find out whoever is responsible.”

Shetland snorted, drawing a glare from Twilight and a raised eyebrow from the hyena. “While space pirating is unprecedented,” she said, drawing out each word clearly and deliberately. “There is no proof that points to an involvement of the Great Khan, and so he wished for us to conduct our own investigation, to prove our innocence. And with you as the possibly most vital witness, Shetland Ms. we need you to retell everything you can remember.”

Shetland took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself against the flashes already flying by her eyes, combining with the developing headache she’d gotten from the hyenas voice- she swallowed drily. Suddenly, there was a shout.

“I am sorry!”

“Step away, machine!”

Shetland whirled around, her blood approaching the boiling point by what she saw. Toasty stood in the doorway, backing away from a long claw strapped to Gan’s paw, reaching above his own with the length of a dagger. The claw emitted a quiet humm, showing it’s true purpose. A shocktalon.

“Machine spy on us!” Gan exclaimed, holding the electrified weapon dangerously close to Toasty’s chest.

Shetland jumped up, but Khunbish preempted her. “Stand down!” she ordered.

Gan obeyed, though he did not deactivate the claw. He shot Toasty a glare. “We talk affairs of state. You will go.”

“I… had something to say…”

“It’s okay, Toasty.” Twilight said. “Just wait in the tunnel until this is concluded.”

The robot nodded, swiftly exiting the room.

“I would be thankful,” Twilight said, her rising temper showing clear in her voice. “If you could be more restraint with your weapons.”

“We are sorry.” Khunbish bowed her head. “Shall we resume?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I think not.” she took a deep breath. “This day has been quite intense for all of us. You can ask your questions another day, though I wish to be present.”

If Khunbish was disappointed, it did not show at all. With another bow of her head, she simply stepped out, followed by Gan. Only then did Twilight allow herself to fall back into the bed and let out a long groaning sigh.

“If it was them, they’ll have full access to brush under the table whatever they want.” Shetland grumbled,

“I know!” Twilight said. “But the Khan insisted. Initially, he wanted to sent a small army, this is already a compromise that took weeks to form.” she groaned, rubbing her temples. “We’ll have them under some amount of surveillance, but that's all we can do.”

“So you’re just letting them do whatever they want?”

“Shetty…” Twilight rolled over, meeting her daughters eyes. “Even if we found proof that it was definitely some sort of… privateer raid, what do you think we could do about it? Declare war?” she shook her head. “That’s not an option.”

“If the Khan sanctioned it, he basically already declared war on us!”

“Shetty,” Twilight said coldy, serious. “Believe me, even if they ordered hundreds of buccaneers to attack us, it still wouldn’t be anything like an all-out war.”

Shetland slammed her hoof down. “So we’re letting them walk all over us?”

“We do not have proof it was their fault in the first place!”

“Then what about today?” Shetland shouted. “They ignored our orders for a safe landing and just after that we have a power outage and the backup power won't turn on? Doesn’t sound like an accident, more like hacking!”

So, what, you think… Why would they do all this to ensure… what? That they might die?” Twilight scoffed. “That they’ll be stranded on a planet where they cannot breathe, miles and miles away from safety? That’s crazy, Shetland!”

“Crazy and awfully convenient!”

A knock came from the door, momentarily disrupting the argument as Toasty’s voice followed a second later. “Am I now allowed to come in?”

Twilights hoof waved in the air and it fell on Shetland to translate. “Yes, Toasty, what is it?”

Toasty hushed to the table as quietly as her metal hooves could “Somepony went missing.”

“What, When?” Twilight's wings shot up.

“We are not sure, but when the storm began and we counted everypony, a robot called Gyration Stick was missing. He worked very close to base and he had been warned of the storm, we do not know why he did not make it inside.”

“Have we send out search parties?” Twilight asked.

“Yes,” Toasty said. “A small group has checked the workplace under the cover of magic shields, but found nothing.” she sighed, sounding like a sad bellow.

“I’ll talk about it with Luna.” Twilight said, stepping off the bed. “He may have power for up to five days, for so long, we have hope to find him.”

Shetland got up. “Mom, he went missing at the beginning of the storm?”

Toasty nodded.

“Where the hyenas close enough to reach the power center before the storm?” Shetland asked, her eyes narrowing.

“SHETLAND!” Twilight shouted. “I’ve had it with wild conspiracy!”

“But it fits!” Shetland’s voice rumbled. “Maybe they did the crash on purpose so one of them could secretly leave the ship and be a hidden agent, he could-”

“NO!” Twilights hoof slammed on the ground. “Your theories are already reaching for clouds, Shetty, That is… I don’t even know how unlikely!” she shook her head. “I won’t entertain you any longer like this. You know what I think? I think you just want them to be guilty, so you can lash out at them, like you always lashed out at me!” she shook her head again, this time to clear it. “I’ve got a robot to locate and delegates to satisfy, maybe now I can at least do that without you making it harder every time!” And with that, she rushed out the room. Shetland wouldn’t remember what she shouted after her, only that it was loud and made her throat sore.

Comments

[The Hat Man]

Another day, another chapter. First, one minor error I noticed:

“It is thou duty to listen to orders!” Luna cut in as she passed a breathing mask over.

It should be thy duty. "Thou" is a subject pronoun, "thy" is the possessive. There are also a few places where quotes end with periods when they shouldn't and some odd inconsistent spacing between paragraphs, but nothing major.

The majority of the chapter is pretty interesting and well-written. There's a good tension and the reactions feel realistic. The characterization of the hyenas is also interesting, as it lets us see them a bit more as a culture than as a race of savage, faceless marauders. Their distaste for AI is puzzling and seems to come a bit out of nowhere, but I suppose it just hasn't been explained yet.

One thing I am getting tired of is the back and forth between Shetland and Twilight about the hyenas involvement. The back and forth has been part of the last two chapters. In fact, Twilight and Shetty arguing in general has mostly defined almost all of their interactions, which is why the opening is a bit refreshing and the ending of this chapter feels stale. A shame, because most of it is pretty good.