Homeworld: Equestria - The Silent Hunters

by hiigaran

18: Radiation (Part 4)

Decently rested, the team packed up and closed the distance to the cave. The morning fog was especially thick, bringing visibility down to a couple of hundred metres. Shadow decided the six would travel together in a loosely spaced formation as they climbed the hill. When they finally arrived at their objective, she opened comms and reported her team’s status to Amarok, along with all relevant mission information. While she did so, Obsidian stared idly into the black abyss of the entrance.

“Data transfer complete. We’ll forward this onto the science team,” Eclipse replied. “Achelois is already preparing their ground teams as we speak. In the meantime, the scientists have asked if it’s possible to perform a quick exploration of the cave as well.”

“Should be possible.” Shadow read the time on her VMUI and looked back towards the cave. “We’ll try to map out what we can, though I assume we may be out of contact if we go too deep.”

“Understood. Report back in three hours. Amarok out.”

Heading towards the opening, Shadow stopped beside Obsidian. “Alright, we have our orders. Time to see what’s so special about this cave.” Looking back at the other four, she raised her voice. “Let’s move!”

The steep descent through the cave proved difficult. As the passage took sharp turns, the team quickly found themselves in pitch-black darkness. Leading the way, Obsidian suggested the others forego the use of flashlights and instead press on with night-vision, after discovering imprints on the floor that looked oddly like scrape marks from something large. The changeling concluded it might have been possible for any of the previously encountered vehicles to fit through, even if only just. Many of the rocky outcrops showed clear signs of breakage due to impact, and those features remained consistent as the group proceeded towards a speck of light around another bend.

Glare could hear Sparky sniffing beside her. Not long after, she too began to smell something unpleasant, scrunching her face in disgust. “Obsidian, that’s disgusting,” she whispered. “You could have at least warned us.”

“That wasn’t me, Glare,” Obsidian whispered back.

“Well we’re downwind to … you.”

“And you know what they say,” Swift spoke up, before he and his brother finished in unison, “Whoever denied it, supplied it!”

Obsidian ignored the twins. “You’re smelling sulphur. Wait, why are we smelling sulphur?”

“Don’t know,” Glare replied. “You sure you—”

“For the last time, I did not fart!” Obsidian snapped. “That’s just—” he stopped, as the group finally reached the end of the passage and rounded the corner. Disabling their night-vision, the six were greeted to the majestic sight of a cavern as large as one of Equestria’s rural towns, bathed in artificial light from large domes suspended below the ceiling.

“This … is certainly not what I had in mind when they told us we were investigating radiation,” Glare commented, awestruck at the natural formation. A kaleidoscope of minerals dotted the chipped, rocky walls of the colossal cavern, with cobalt-blue and moss-green, to purple and sulphur-yellow, giving the interior a rainbow of colours. “Uhh, guys, I don’t think this is a cave. I’m no geologist, but I think this might be a magma chamber.”

“You saying we’re in a volcano?” Shift raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know”—Glare shook her head, confused—“but we might be. Still doesn’t explain the radiation, though.”

“Perhaps that thing over there might.” Obsidian pointed to several large tent-like structures concealed in a particularly rocky area down another steep slope a few hundred metres away. “Think we should check it out, Shadow?”

“We haven’t come all this way for nothing,” Shadow replied. “Alright, we don’t know what’s down there, so I say we split up. Sparky, Glare, you’re with me. Leave the crates here. We’ll head down and assess the situation. Obsidian, take the nine-eight and find a good vantage point there. Swift, Shift, take up defensive positions down there. We’ll need good coverage if we encounter additional defences.”

Taking the LR-98 case from Sparky, Obsidian took flight and nestled between two rocks that glimmered with a faint shade of purple. Opening the case, he assembled the rifle, which rivalled himself in length. Mounting it to face the structure below, he inspected his surroundings and changed into a similarly sized rock for good measure.

Below and to Obsidian’s left, the twins moved down with the other three, splitting off and positioning themselves behind either side of a large boulder. Shadow’s group continued down the loose terrain at a painstakingly slow rate. Every few metres, they would stop behind one of the numerous large rocks, observing the area before proceeding. At one point, the sheer weight of Sparky and his equipment caused him to lose his footing. Though Shadow managed to halt his fall, the ensuing minor rock-slide headed straight for the structure, forcing the three to hide once more behind cover.

Obsidian was the first to see movement. A being emerged from the structure to identify the commotion. Based on the bipedal stance and striking attire, the changeling’s eyes widened in surprise. “Raiders? The buzz are they doing here?” Switching the safety off, he took aim at the Raider. “Shadow, I’ve got a visual on a Raider emerging the structure.” After no reply, he repeated himself twice, before knocking on his helmet. “Swift, Shift, either of you reading me? Great.”

“Shadow, I think I saw something coming this way,” Glare whispered. “You smell anything down there, Sparky?”

Sparky shook his head, picking up a particularly yellow rock. Sniffing it, he pointed to the rock and cast it aside. He tightened his grip on his J8 and readied himself, while Glare and Shadow followed suit with their pulsars.

Higher up, Swift and Shift could see more detail. “Mate you seeing this?”

“Bloody hay, that’s a Raider.”

“He’s headed straight for our guys. Five bits to whoever nabs him first.”

The pair poked out from cover and took aim. Seeing movement out of the corner of its eyes, the Raider quickly raised his weapon and fired several pulsar rounds towards the twins, forcing the pair to retreat back into cover. A resounding “BUCK” echoed in the cavern from the two.

In an instant, Shadow, Sparky, and Glare’s heads emerged above their cover, and the three simultaneously aimed their weapons at the creature. Glare hesitated, unable to fire as the Raider turned his head, making eye contact with her before his expression turned to one of surprise. It was the last thing either saw, as Shadow blasted the being’s head clean off.

“Shadow, if you’re hearing me, I’m seeing more activity down at the structure,” Obsidian continued attempting to communicate. “I count three Raiders emerging, all armed. I’m transmitting blind. Repeat, transmitting blind.”

Obsidian was about to take aim at one of the three below, when he noticed something in his peripheral vision. A couple hundred metres below and to his right, three additional Raiders made their way towards Shadow’s group. Bringing his pulsar to bear, he adjusted the scope’s range, watching them leap down with reckless abandon. Obsidian waited until they headed across the field, pulling the trigger the moment one Raider aligned with another. With a ground-rumbling boom and a strong ozone smell, two of the Raiders vaporised instantly. The ion pulse continued until it hit a boulder on the other end, causing it to explode and turn the third into a pincusion of rock shards.

Discarding the energy canister from underneath the rifle, Obsidian reloaded and shifted his focus back to the original three. The Raiders were pinned down, flanked by Swift and Shift from one side, while Shadow and Glare fired from another. Obsidian watched Glare, as she missed her targets by significant amounts, though it did not matter in the end, as Sparky dropped a plasma bomb round on all three.

Additional Raiders appeared, as if they had come out of the rocks themselves. Two flanked the twins, while another three harassed Shadow’s group. Obsidian took aim at one of the two near the twins’ position, transforming the unaware victim into an atomised mist of tissue and metal. Another torrent of rocky daggers flew in every direction, though the second Raider remained unscathed behind cover. Reloading, Obsidian lined up a shot at the next Raider, hoping it would allow the twins to turn the tide and assist Shadow’s group, causing the remaining Raiders to be hit from three different angles.

The sound of shifting rocks nearby made the changeling freeze, and he found himself beside another Raider searching for the shooter. Remembering his disguise, Obsidian remained motionless as the Raider surveyed the area, weapon raised, finding nothing but a sniper rifle balancing against the rocks. Continuing to wait, Obsidian analysed the armour, finding the weak spots. He remained still, until the Raider was almost touching him.

Obsidian’s patience paid off. At the precise moment the Raider turned to his side, Obsidian dropped his disguise, his wings erupting in flames that blinded his victim. Performing a vertical corkscrew, Obsidian’s right blade cut underneath the torso armour, eliciting a brief shriek from the Raider, before tearing through his neck with the left blade’s trailing edge.

I guess I was wrong. Illusory flames do serve some purpose.

As the Raider collapsed sideways onto the floor, a pulsar round came from somewhere halfway down the cavern, narrowly missing Obsidian. Diving behind cover, he quickly poked his head out from the side of a boulder, finding another Raider making his way slowly up the terrain. Retreating before yet another blast zipped by, he disassembled the rifle with haste and placed it back in its case. Every few seconds, the Raider below shot at his cover, pinning him down. Off in the distance, the exchange of fire continued between Shadow’s group. From his angle, he could see the twins had dispatched their final attacker.

Picking up the largest rock he could carry, Obsidian threw it over the left side, causing it to tumble down the slope. Repeating the process twice, he disguised himself as another rock, hugged the case, and tumbled down the right side of his cover. Bouncing around, he rolled down the slope, all the while suffering cuts as he passed over the more jagged rocks. Coming to a stop at the bottom, he ignored the stings from his bleeding wounds as he pulled out a pack of demolitions. Wheeling around, he sent it flying with a buck.

Above, the Raider realised his target was nowhere to be seen. Turning around, he noticed an object soaring through the air towards him, and his target had somehow appeared below. In his hoof, he held an object. With a visible squeeze of it, the Raider was incinerated.

Silence fell shortly after. Looking towards his team, he found all Raiders taken care of. Picking up the rifle case, Obsidian took flight and headed towards Shadow’s group, already at the structure and putting out several fires caused by Sparky’s plasma rounds. Shortly after finding the area devoid of any further threats, the twins arrived. Obsidian noted the structure appeared to be a makeshift field laboratory that sat adjacent to a pole-like object drilled into the ground. Before he investigated further, he turned to the others. “You all okay?”

Shadow nodded, looking over the changeling and his torn GCU. “We’re fine. You look like you’ve seen better days though.”

Obsidian spat out a glob of dark red blood. “I’ll live. Now what exactly were Raiders doing here?”

“I don’t know, but their presence and this anomaly are certainly no coincidence.”

“Well whatever it is, we just put an end to it.” Obsidian turned and entered, ready with his carbine. Inside were several computers, plus extensive notes in multiple piles on a large workbench. At the centre was a peculiar object; two large, metallic concave dishes attached to each other via four short bars in a square. Several thick cables attached to a unit mounted on the back of the first dish, which split away to numerous containers of unknown purpose nearby. In front of this object, a few metres from the dish’s focal point, sat a wristwatch atop a tall, thin stand.

Glare approached the watch. Observing its operation, she noted it ran at an unusually fast rate, showing a standard hour pass every second, while the second’s hand spun in an imperceptible blur. Frowning, she poked the watch with her pulsar. “Strange. What do you make of this, Shadow?”

The zebra picked up the watch, attempting to analyse it from different angles. Eventually, she shook her head. “No idea. I’m going to guess this is what Achelois is looking for. Let’s carry out a sweep of the area for survivors, and head back to the surface.” Placing the watch back on its stand, the group filed out of the lab.

As the adrenaline wore off for Obsidian, he looked towards all his cuts. “Hey Sparky, I might need a heap of bandages. You mind if I take some of yours?”

As the last of the group departed, a tiny swirl of purple flew out of the watch, fading away a split-second later.

Fanning out around the chamber, the six commenced their search for possible survivors. Obsidian flew through the dark path connecting their position to the surface, ensuring no Raider escaped. The rest of the team combed through the rocks near their objective.

Reaching the surface, Obsidian took advantage of his location to provide Amarok with a quick status update on their situation.

“That is rather odd, indeed,” Eclipse’s garbled voice met the changeling’s ears. “We can assume nothing good would have come from whatever that device is. Still, some good news. Achelois’ crew are already planet-side and en route to your position.”

“We still haven’t received any extraction coordinates. Have they determined a suitable location yet?”

“You won’t need the coordinates. The crew set down near your uhh, landing site, and deployed vehicles to follow the same route you took. Once they arrive, they’ll drop off their scientists and security detail, and take you back to their landing site where you’ll return immediately to Amarok.”

“How many hours are we looking at waiting then?”

“Not long. Probably about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach your destination. You should be back aboard Amarok in four hours.”

“Alright, I’ll pass the message on. Obsidian out.”

Better acquainted with the tunnel, Obsidian glided through the dark passage, as he returned to his team. Approaching the light at the end, he made a sharp turn and entered the cavern once more, seeking out his squad-mates. He quickly found them all at the far end and proceeded in that direction. Drawing nearer, something seemed off. Squinting, he saw the group huddled around a bright figure, and he could make out weeping when he realised—

“Glare!”

Obsidian flew as fast as he could, landing nearby and galloping the last few metres. “What happened? Is she hurt?” He found Glare lying on her side, her pulsar glowing at the barrel’s tip. Nearby, the body of a Raider with a large portion of its torso missing was lying face-down on the ground, still smoking. A visual inspection of Glare suggested she hadn’t sustained any injury.

Shadow placed a hoof against the unicorn. “Glare, please—”

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” she smacked the hoof away. Growing hysterical, Glare threw her rifle as far as she could. The smell of burning flesh made the unicorn retch, causing the pegasus twins to take a couple of steps back.

Sighing, Shadow rose, and moved towards Obsidian, “She’s uninjured. We found a survivor lurking about. I feared the worst when I heard Glare screaming after a pulsar discharge, but she fired first. She’s not taking it too well, it seems.”

“Anything I can do to help? Got an update from Amarok, and we’ll be picked up from here in about an hour. Should be back on board in a few hours from now.”

“Good to hear. In that case, take the others with you back to the surface. I’ll stay with Glare for now.”

Obsidian looked around the cavern. “You’re certain the area is secured?”

“We are now. There’s only one way in or out from here. We’ll be fine.” Looking over the battered changeling, Shadow added, “Did you need one of us to fix that dislocation for you?”

Twisting his neck, Obsidian could barely see an odd protrusion near one side of his withers. “Back-plate. I’ll deal with it on our ride back. See you topside.”

---

Glare disappeared from the group as soon as the six emerged in the infiltration tunnel aboard Amarok. Eclipse awaited their arrival, and was surprised when the unicorn pushed past him. Watching her enter an elevator, the officer turned to the other five descending the ramp. “Did … something just happen?”

“I will explain everything in the debrief,” Shadow replied. “Obsidian, can you please look after Glare, and make sure she’s alright?”

“Does it have to be me? I’m not good with this sort of stuff.”

“Do I have to make it an order?”

“Fine,” Obsidian grumbled, taking off after the unicorn. “You’ve been warned though.”

Taking the same elevator, Obsidian was fairly certain where Glare would head, and selected the eighth deck. Exiting, he started to notice the occasional splattering of droplets on the floor, trailing towards his quarters. With a knowing sigh, he swiped his hoof against the pressure door’s reader and entered, noting the trail that continued within.

Obsidian could hear sobbing as he closed his quarters’ door. Approaching the source, he found Glare’s shutter down. Looking around briefly, he saw no other crew occupying the other beds. Returning his focus to the one beside his own, he knocked lightly against the shutter. “Glare? It’s me.”

The sobbing stopped, replaced by an occasional sniffle or hiccup. With no further response, Obsidian persisted. “Come on, Glare. You know I’m not going anywhere until you open up.”

More silence followed, until a single click was heard. Giving the shutter a test nudge, Obsidian opened it all the way. In the darkness, Glare lied curled into a ball, with her back towards the changeling. Obsidian could see Glare was hugging something, which he quickly deduced was her own pillow. “So, you uhh … feel like talking?” he started, unsure of what to say.

“Why, you’re g—going to be my psychologist now?”

“I mean, it’s either me, or an actual psychologist,” Obsidian replied, mentally berating himself for his sarcasm. “Sorry. Maybe that might be a better option actually.”

“N—no, it’s fine. I just don’t see the point to talking about what happened. What I did was … Oh, Celestia, dad was right,” Glare wailed, tightening the grip on her pillow. “I’m going to have to live with this for the rest of my life!”

“Glare, you can’t beat yourself up over it. You did what you had to do.” Obsidian placed his hoof on Glare’s side hesitantly. Why couldn’t Shadow do this? “It’s what any of us would have done. What that Raider would have done if he had the chance.”

“I saw his face, Obsidian. The look in his eyes as I pulled the trigger. The realisation it was his final moment. I’m trying to forget that image, but I can’t—I—I can’t—I can’t—” Glare shook her head, tremors taking over her entire body.

In a flash, Obsidian hopped up into the bed, enveloping Glare in his hooves and wings similarly to Glare with her pillow. “Hey, hey, deep breaths, okay? Deep breaths. Focus on something else.”

“I just keep seeing—”

“Don’t worry about what you’re seeing. Close your eyes.” Obsidian placed a hoof over her eyes, feeling Glare’s face twitch slightly as she did so. “Use your other senses. Feel yourself breathing,” he continued, placing a little more pressure on the wing against her barrel as his hoof moved away. “Deep, steady breaths. Now, listen to the sound of the ship and pick apart the different noises. What do you hear?”

“I hear—I hear the engines.”

“Good. What else?”

“Hoof—hoofsteps, I think.”

“Keep going,” Obsidian encouraged.

“There’s … water. Running through the pipes.”

“You’re doing great, Glare. Just focus on those sounds and breathe, alright? Take all the time you need.”

Neither said anything for what felt like hours. Obsidian simply remained beside Glare, who seemed slightly more at peace than she did earlier, though she continued to sniff and wipe her eyes. At some point—neither was sure when—Glare spoke up, “The most sickening part of it all was that acrid smell. Copper, or—or iron, mixed with ozone. I could almost taste it.”

Deciding not to say anything, Obsidian remained still.

The unicorn let out a shaky sigh. “How do you do it?”

Obsidian blinked, unprepared for a question. “Do what?”

“You know what. It seems like it comes naturally for you.”

“Have you learned nothing about changelings since we met? We don’t kill. Not outside self-defence, anyway. After all, killing a potential food source would be a monumentally idiotic thing to do. Take the Canterlot invasion as an example. As insufferable as ponies—as most ponies are, I’d never want to take one’s life. Yes, I’ve seriously injured many for the purpose of incapacitation, but I’ve always feared I’d go too far. One overextended move, or a slash too deep, and it could be the difference between taking your targets out of the fight, or taking them out for good.”

“So how is it you seem to cope so well with purposely taking a life, if you know it’s not right? All that damn psychological conditioning in basic just went over my head. All those times they tried to convince me it wasn’t a life I’d be taking, but rather I’d be ‘neutralising a target’ or ‘eliminating the threat’, all in the name of protecting our families, friends, and homes. Is this how we’ve justified our actions? Is this how we’ve convinced ourselves this is right?”

“You remember the first thing I ever said to you? Aboard the luxury liner? What’s right and what’s necessary—”

“—Are two different things,” Glare finished. “I remember. But then—but how do you deal with it? You’ve never seemed particularly bothered. You always seem to have a brave face on.”

“Believe me, there is nothing more frightening than having to be brave. Which is why you’re probably one of the bravest ponies I’ve ever met.”

Glare scoffed. “You mustn’t have met many ponies, because I find that highly unlikely.”

“Oh? You have a role that requires you to go against one of your core beliefs. Yet you remained, despite the risk of being disowned, just so you could have a chance at helping your sister. A chance,” Obsidian emphasised. “I’d be terrified if I was in such a situation. That’s why I can’t think of many others who I’d consider braver than you, including myself.”

“See, now I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. Somehow I don’t see myself being among the first to—to charge into battle, or volunteering for a dangerous mission.”

“I don’t see you doing that either, but you’re mistaking bravery for bravado. Big difference. Swift and Shift have bravado. You have bravery. You risk so much more, with little regard for yourself. Do you know why I’m here in the first place? My Queen wanted to send her top ’ling to show we’re better than what we’re made out to be, that’s why. That we’re not the monsters Equestria thinks we are. Hmm, guess I still need to work on that second part, huh?”

“Just a little.” Glare felt the hint of a small smile creep its way onto her face. After a moment of silence, she spoke up again. “Hey, thanks. I know I’m probably going to have to deal with—with this for a long time, but I appreciate you trying to help me come to terms with it.” Hesitating for a moment, she rolled over and gave Obsidian a quick peck on the cheek.

Caught off guard, Obsidian’s eyes widened. Their luminescence betrayed his otherwise unreadable face. Realising it had become a little too quiet, he quickly replied, “Yeah, no problem. Just concerned for your well-being. Will you be alright?”

“I think so. In time, anyway.”

“Good. Well uhh, if you need me, I'll be in my bunk taking a nap.”

Rolling over, Obsidian stopped when the shutter lit up with Glare’s aura and closed. A click sounded soon after. “Glare? What—”

“Please stay.”

“Uhh …”

“I don’t—I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Yet you locked yourself in here the moment we arrived,” Obsidian pointed out, his back still towards Glare.

“I may have had a change of heart.”

Obsidian tried as much as he could to weigh his decisions quickly. After what felt like a lengthy internal struggle, he sighed, rolling again onto his back. “Alright. I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.” Glare re-positioned herself, nuzzling up against the changeling in the crook of his neck.

---

Obsidian idly poked the contents of his plate. Despite claiming a small portion of baked potatoes from the galley, he did not feel particularly hungry. Instead, he had taken to simply inspecting the starchy meal, turning one piece over in his fork. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed a tray placed beside him. Looking up at the newcomer, he found Shadow taking a seat.

“Good evening, Obsidian. I take it you managed to speak with Glare, then?”

The changeling kept his eyes on his meal, and there was a noticeable pause before he answered. “I did.”

“And?”

Another pause. “I stand by what I said before. You really should have been the one to talk to her.”

“Oh dear, I hope you didn’t do anything to make her feel worse.”

Obsidian remained silent.

“Obsidian, you’re acting odd. Did something happen?”

“I hope not,” Obsidian mumbled. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he rose, returning his tray. “Excuse me. We’ll talk later.”

Shadow sighed. “I hate it when he’s so vague.”

Exiting the galley and stepping into the closest elevator, Obsidian ran a hoof down the list of decks as the doors slid closed. Unable to decide on a destination, he took a step back, falling on his haunches and leaning his back on the wall behind him.

Obsidian, you buzzing moron, he mentally berated himself, hitting the back of his head on the wall twice.

The changeling remained in the elevator for several minutes. Eventually, the doors opened again, and Sparky stepped in, who promptly selected the sixth deck. Neither said anything, or acknowledged the others’ presence as they made the brief descent.

Much to Obsidian’s surprise, Sparky broke the silence. “I’ve had time to think.”

Obsidian blinked. “Pardon?”

“About what you said. You were right. I’ve kept silent for so long out of fear. Fear that history would repeat itself for me. Do you have a moment?”

“I—sure.”

The changeling followed Sparky to his quarters. Swiping his VMUI against the reader, Sparky motioned the changeling inside with an open paw. Obsidian looked around at the officer’s quarters, concluding the compartment housed two officers. Identical to those in the crew quarters, a table stood at the centre of the room. Spread across each wall was a bed, desk, couch, and two wardrobes for each officer.

After the pressure doors sealed, the pair took seats at opposite ends of the table. Obsidian was the first to open his mouth. “So, is … everything alright?”

“More or less. I think I just need to get this off my chest,” Sparky answered, a sombre tone to his voice. “I’m just going to be brief and direct about this.”

“Okay.”

“I was once part of a gang. One of those grunts making the rounds and maintaining territory. I don’t know if you’re aware, but diamond dogs are possessive of territory. One day I ran my mouth in a confrontation with some rivals. Threatening, baiting, insulting. A few days later, my closest friend was torn to pieces during retaliation in turf war. They butchered him because of me. I made a decision then that I would … you know.”

“I see. That explains the fear, then. Was any of that a factor in you joining the Navy?”

“It was. I felt responsible for my actions and figured I’d avenge my friend by learning skills and stealing equipment from the Navy. I made plans for discretely moving weapons and armour off-site, and form a group to find a permanent solution to the rivalry, but after training, my mentality started to change.”

“How so?”

“Well, the ideals of the Navy helped, but I also remember this pony protesting regularly outside the training camp. One of those anti-war, tree hugging types. In fact, that was her name.”

“Anti-war?”

“Tree Hugger. Security never paid her attention, but she said something during one of her protests that stuck with me. ‘Hate destroys the soul of anyone who tries to teach it’. It made me rethink my intentions and motivations. I eventually befriended her. Somehow, she read me like a book, and I didn’t even have to say a word. Helped me see how destructive my actions could be.”

“Couldn’t have been that helpful if you’re still here, though.”

“We still had different ideologies, but before I met her, I was on the war path, willing to drag others down with me, so I could exact my revenge. Now, I’d like to think my current reasons for serving are a little more noble. Not that my guilt ever really left. Still, even after everything, I suppose I just got used to staying quiet.”

“You’ve certainly hit your yearly quota of words spoken, that’s for sure.”

Sparky sighed. “See, comments like that don’t exactly help. I wouldn’t mind speaking a little more freely, but I hate when someone draws attention to it.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think of it that way.”

“No one does. Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say.” Rising, the diamond dog added, “I’d appreciate if you kept this in confidence.”

Getting to his hooves, Obsidian nodded. “Of course. Not like the social recluse of Amarok would find a need to gossip.”

Sparky hummed. “Partly why I decided to say anything to you at all. Anyway, good night. And … Thanks.”

Heading for the exit, Obsidian paused, as other thoughts lingered. Turning around, he headed back to the table. “Hey Sparky, hold on. I … might need to dump some baggage on you as well, if that’s alright.”

Giving the changeling a curious look, Sparky also returned to his seat. “It’s only fair, I guess.”

“Right. Well, you know how all that stuff happened with Glare? How Shadow sent me after her when we returned? Well after I checked up on her, she uhh, locked me in with her.”

Sparky appeared visibly confused. “What?”

“As in … you know. Our quarters,” the changeling hesitated, suddenly fascinated by the wood grain pattern of the table. “I don’t exactly know how to explain this.”

“I’m still not sure what your issue—”

Obsidian barked, “We shared a bed, okay? Is that descriptive enough? Shadow wanted me to … I don’t—I don’t know, comfort her, or something, and things got out of hoof.”

“You mean you two had—”

“NO!” Obsidian shouted, a mortified look on his face. He quickly calmed down. “No, we did not. She just asked me to stay in bed with her and I … agreed.”

“That’s it? If nothing happened, what’s the problem?”

“What’s the prob—are you buzzing serious?” Obsidian was on the verge of shouting again. “Fraternisation aside, she’s a pony. A pony!”

“And? I wouldn’t have expected you of all crew to respect the Navy’s rules anyway. Either way, assuming it was an isolated incident, discuss it with her and move on. You're friends, aren't you?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why?”

“Oh, buzz me sideways,” Obsidian groaned. “Because I sensed from her the one thing I’m drawn to. And the one thing I’d fear to return.”

Sparky’s beady eyes became impossibly wide. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. “Well, you’re screwed.”

Obsidian’s face slammed into the table. “You have no idea,” he mumbled. “I think, maybe if there was another ‘ling aboard, I could have my—my mental state manipulated until things return to normal, but I can’t let anyling know about this. Think you could help me somehow?”

“I’m not sure what you want me to do. Besides, I think this is something you need to deal with on your own.”

“I was afraid of that.”