Void Trials 2: Horizon

by Obsi

Those you trust

Toasty’s limp body was dwarfed by the enormity of Shetland’s bed. Gently, the earth pony moved the robot’s limbs so that it looked like she was sleeping. With a dull feeling in her stomach, Shetland sat down on an undersized chair, ignoring the agonized creaks it let out in protest.

“Yer bucket’s gonna get up soon,” Scalloway had told her when she’d come to retrieve Toasty from his lab. “Had ta shut ‘er down an’ it takes a while ta reboot.” Fortunately, he’d been able to set up in an unused workshop inside Central Colony, so that the trip had only taken a mere ten minutes.

While her body was limp, Toasty’s eyes were ignited, though their intensity fluctuated like an unstable floodlight. With a sigh, Shetland closed her eyes, as the occasional sudden flash hurt her pupils. She’d discussed with her mother on what to do when her friend would wake up. When she would ask questions. A guilty feeling settled in her stomach. Of course she couldn’t tell Toasty. It would defeat the entire point of the operation. And yet, she couldn’t leave her to wake up alone, she had to do what she could. Her own plans could wait.

At that moment, one of Toasty’s hooves stirred and her eyelights took on a constant level of brightness. “Compiling Data: Complete,” she said robotically, lacking any of the usual nuance that made her voice seem so alive. “Loading ocular program… auditory program… olfactory program…” Shetland could only watch the robot slowly boot up, announcing each action with the same stiff, dead voice. “Loading memory… error detected. Timespan of twenty hours missing. Reloading… Failure. Reloading… Failure. Evaluating inquiry as alternate course of action. Complete boot-up…” Toasty shook her head, her eyelights seeming to focus on something for the first time. “Where… We’re at home,” she whispered, and Shetland could not have been more glad to hear her normal voice.

“Hey, Toasty.” She smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“I…” Toasty began, but her voice died as her eyes darted through the room, as if she was looking for a lost key. “How long?”

“Only a day.” Shetland was quick to explain, thankful there was at least one thing she could tell her.

Toasty sat up, regarding Shetland with a panicked look. “Did something happen? Are you hurt? Was there a fight?”

“No, no!” Shetland exclaimed, raising her hoof defensively. “Nothing of that sort… It’s…” She bit her lip. “Complicated.” she finally said. “You agreed to us removing a few hours from your memory.”

Toasty’s eyelights grew until her entire visor glowed in dim, green light. “What? Why would I agree to something like that?”

“It’s…” Shetland bit her lip, squirming under Toasty’s inquisitive gaze. “I… I can’t say.” She was unable to meet Toasty’s flashing eyes.

“You cannot say?” she revolted. “Why can’t you?”

“Because if I told you what we made you forget-”

“You made me forget?” Toasty shouted. “That’s… that’s mind surgery! Brainwashing!”

“You agreed to it, though.”

“I do not remember myself agreeing. How do I know you are saying the truth?”

Shetland bit her lip until it hurt. “Toasty…” she whispered pleadingly. “Can you please trust me?”

“After this?” The robot spoke incredulously, but nonetheless, her voice sounded calmer.

“Look, I can’t tell you what happened.” Shetland said bitterly. With every word, she felt an irrational anger for herself grow in her chest. “I wish I could, but… you learned something that could harm you.”

“How would knowledge harm me?” Toasty asked, her forelegs crossing over her chest. “Unless it is something I would be targeted for…?”

“Something like that,” Shetland said slowly, glaring at her own shaking hoof as she told her lie.

“But then, why would they stop? Someone willing to attack me for knowing something would not simply accept that I might have deleted the memories… after all, it could be a lie. And how would they even know?”

“It was necessary,” was all Shetland could muster to say. “It’s better if you don’t think about it.” She could feel the incredulous look Toasty was giving her. “Sorry.”

The swelling heat from a million burning questions formed the hot glare Toasty shot Shetland with, but even that died down after a few seconds. “Well…” toasty said slowly. “I accept your apology. And when you do explain what happened afterwards,” she said sternly, jabbing her hoof into Shetland’s chest with every word, “It had better be a tale most awesome.”

“I… will do my best to spice it up,” Shetland muttered, rubbing her aching chest.

Toasty, unable to stay in place, strode through the room at random. “Do we have a lead?” she asked after a few minutes of contemplation. “Last thing I remember was that someone broke into the hyena’s room during your dinner.”

Shetland’s brows furrowed as she considered what answer to give. “I do have a plan,” she finally stated. Me suspecting the hyenas isn’t new, so she won’t suspect anything if I don’t mention what we learned of their goals. “I wanna poke the hyenas for information again.”

“Oh?” Toasty’s head tilted slightly as she observed Shetland. “Did something happen that makes you think they are more receptive now?”

“Well…” Shetland stared at the ceiling. “Do you remember yesterday, when we were at the gym with Magenta?”

The lights behind Toasty’s visor refocused. “Yes, I believe I do, though shortly after, my memory cuts out. And I do remember Gan speaking with you alone. I did not understand what he said, nor have you provided me with a translation… unless that memory is also missing,” she closed gloomily.

“There wasn’t really anything to translate.” Shetland sighed. “He had some sort of disagreement with Khunbish. He didn’t tell me what it was. But maybe, just maybe, I can squeeze a little more out of him.”

“And how do you plan to accomplish that?”

“Well,” her face displayed an awkward grin. “If you remember, he kind of has a thing for me.”

Toasty’s eyelights grew as she unabashedly stared at Shetland. Then she reared back, breaking out in tinny laughter. “Just to make sure I got it right, your plan is to seduce him?” Toasty asked after she’d calmed down a little.

“Well, basically… yeah.” Shetland said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

Strangely enough, it seemed Toasty found no further humor in this. Instead, her voice gradually became pragmatic, almost barren of emotion. “And how do you plan to accomplish that, exactly?”

Shetland flinched, unable to give an answer other than the shrugging of her shoulders. “I dunno, I thought I’d just try. It can’t get worse, can it?”

At that, Toasty’s eyes lit up to unbearable brightness. “Cannot get worse?” she nearly shouted in exasperation. “You are attempting to seduce an emissary of a foreign nation. What if he takes it seriously?”

Shetland gave her a cross look. That was definitely an argument she would have never expected. “Then what? It’s not like anything could happen there, I’m a pony and he’s a hyena. Heck, I’m nearly three times his height.”

“He called you pretty!” the robot hissed like a shaken carbonated drink.

“He called me intimidating-”

“That means the same to him!”

“Whatever!” Shetland exclaimed, finally rising up to Toasty’s volume. “I’ll make him think whatever he wants, if I can get his secrets, it’ll be worth it!”

“Even if you have to act like you’re into him?” Toasty asked in a strange tone. “I mean… do you even swing that way?”

“Of course I do,” Shetland answered, raising her eyebrow at the bewildering direction this argument was taking. “I was with-” Her voice died for a moment. “With my friend Press, for a month or so.” Her mouth felt dry all of a sudden as the mere mention of her friend scraped at badly healed wounds. What would they think of her plan? Would they agree it was necessary or not? Shetland could just about make out Press before her inner eye, berating her for being unfaithful- She shook her head. No! That was insane, She’d broken up with him on good terms, there was no way she was dishonoring him- The entire thought process was stupid! With a noise that echoed through the room and the colony’s tunnels, Shetland gave herself a pair of slaps across her own cheeks. “I’m fine!” she then assured the worried robot, maybe a bit too forcefully. “I’m fine,” she repeated as her breathing normalized again. “Toasty, I’m going to poke him for some answers, not offer him my hoof in marriage.” A growl accompanied her voice at the thought. “And you’re not talking me out of this.”

The robot’s head lowered itself in defeat. “Are you absolutely sure it’s worth it?” she meekly asked.

“If it stops this?” Shetland said sternly. “Yes, I am.”

Toasty stood still, facing Shetland with a look of determination. “Then I will help you. When are we going?”

There was a pause. It slowly stretched as Shetland regarded Toasty with a wordless look, while the robot began nervously pawing the ground with her hooves.

“Well? When are we going?”

“Toasty…” Shetland swallowed, unsure what to say when faced with her friends eagerness for action. She took a deep breath. Her voice croaked. “I’m going alone.”

“Oh… of course, that makes sense.” Toasty spoke with a tense undertone to her understanding voice. “The hyenas were never too fond of my presence.” Her hooves tapped the floor in a quick rhythm. “Then I will remain here, I suppose. Will you come back soon?”

“Hopefully not. That would mean I failed.” Shetland turned to the door, unable to face her friend for what she would say. “I spoke with mom and I’ve now got Voidmarine assigned to you. Do you remember Sparktail? She’s the one that was with us after the break in. Do not…” she swallowed. “Do not leave this room, alright?”

“Fiiiine.” Toasty said, drawing the word out to thrice it’s length to make her discontent known. “But once you need my help again-”

But Shetland had already left the room before Toasty could finish speaking. Her hooves shook as the door closed behind her. Should she be thankful that her friend hadn’t realized what so obviously dawned on her? With ponies against her, robots against her… Shetland swallowed. With possibly even Toasty’s own brain against her, she would not let her leave that room again.

---

Shetland did not take the direct route to the hyena’s new room. Instead, she took a number of detours, allowing her to call to mind everything she remembered about hyenas. The problem was that her knowledge was patchy, at best, and probably wracked with stereotyping. Hyenas were more aggressive than ponies. That they ate old cadavers of any species, including their own. That hyenas would often literally fight one another for a higher rank in their social ladder. Shetland would have waved it away as myths, if Gan had not himself made a few comments that made her question if there really was a seed of truth within it. After all, with what he stated he liked about her, Shetland, was just that she was aggressive and commanding, qualities that would never endear her to another pony. And then, he’d also described almost romantically the savage nature of his land, where hyenas would constantly clash with one another’s… respect he called it? Born out of intimidation. Shetland groaned. How could she possibly understand someone who thought like that? And did hyenas still like nice things, like a walk in the park, a cone of ice cream and a nice talk, or was it all about commanding and rivalry and fighting?

She must have taken the longest way the colony possibly allowed, and yet it felt like she had barely begun scraping at these questions when she’d finally reached the door. In front stood two Voidmarines, each throwing her a nervous glance through their visors, yet they let her knock on the door without interference. It seemed she’d been given some sort of clearance.

“Sparkle,” Shetland had to suppress a cringe as she heard Khunbish’s rough, surprised voice. “We did not expect a visit from you.”

“Uh, hello.” Shetland greeted. The words felt awkward in her mouth. “I wanted to ask if Gan is here with you.”

As she spoke, the male hyena seemed to jump from somewhere above ground into her field of view. “I am here,” he said, seemingly wrestling the sentence out of his throat. “Sparkle come for me?”

“Yeah, kind of.” Shetland smiled a little too wide. “Maybe you would like to go, uh… Spend some time? With me. Casually.”

The hyenas exchanged a look. Shetland didn’t need to be able to read their faces to tell they didn’t believe her. Her smile became more and more unnatural. Still, Khunbish shrugged. “Fine. Gan, you leave your shocktalon with me.”

Shetland had no plan where to go. In fact, her stupid plan had already stopped at getting Gan to agree to go with her. Now, she lead the hyena through some less used colony tunnels, ignoring the surprised and sometimes hostile looks ponies gave them, just so it seemed like they were going somewhere.

<A casual visit?> Gan spoke up after they’d left the dorm areas behind. <I am surprised you would visit us without a good reason to.> His voice sounded decidedly unamused, if that wasn’t just the natural sound of his language.

<It’s uh- actually, it was mom’s idea, she suggested that I do.> The lie quickly came over her lips. Yeah, that was something her mother would do, right? Try to force friendship and all that.

Gan raised an eyebrow, though he had to crane his neck so Shetland could see it as well. <So you are here against your will?>

Crap. Shetland’s mind raced for the right words. <No, no, it’s fine, I can spend time with you, casually.>

<But not with Khunbish?>

<I don’t like her.> The answer came out of her mouth before she could stop it, before even a single thought could take place. Gan however didn’t seem to mind. He threw his head back and let out a jangling laugh.

<An honest answer, Sparkle. And I see why. She thinks she understands the world better than she does.>

That was not a reason Shetland would have cited for disliking her. It would have probably been that she suspected Khunbish to be the only remaining reason they couldn’t solve the case. But she couldn’t exactly say that before Gan, now could she? <She spoke about your countries stance on conflict when we shared dinner,> she finally said. <Seemed pretty sure of herself, considering she’s never fought in one.> Her teeth clenched at the memory.

<And that irks you,> he determined. <You have been in horrible battle. Many hyenas would say it was glorious.>

<There was no glory!> Shetland snapped. <Only carnage and fear and survival. Whoever says something different has no idea.>

<It was far worse than skirmish,> Gan sighed. <in truth, few fights in the empire are fought like the one you were in. What Khunbish thinks of as glorious skirmish, is a couple soldiers hiding, trying to gain an advantageous position on the enemy and giving warning shots to ascertain their dominance. The enemy surrenders, sometimes give up some weapons, money or minor patch of land. Real fights,> he stressed those words. <real fights are not common.>

<You’ve been in a few?> Shetland asked.

<Yes.> Gan said before he fell into a long silence. <Khunbish grow up in safe capital, she does not understand.> he closed in a weird return to topic.

<How is Clawakorum, anyway?> Shetland asked, hoping to change the topic from battle as well. <Have you ever been there?>

<Only twice.> Suddenly, Gan nudged her side. <But I am always talking about my country. Tell me about Equestria. Your capital was called Cater->

<Canterlot.> Shetland corrected. To her surprise, Gan had more than a token interest in Equestria and began asking questions in a frequency that was more fitting to a schoolfilly. Time passed rapidly as they talked, changing topics numerous times as Shetland grew tired of answering questions. It must have been several hours later when they parted ways, the promise of a meeting the next day on their lips as Shetland stumbled into her room, waving him goodbye before she flopped on the bed, thankful for the chance to rest her hooves. Her hindleg had been annoying her for the last hour.

“Had fun?” A voice came from the bathroom. Shetland looked up to see Toasty lying on her back within the doorframe. Her seaweed-colored, silky mane was splayed out in all directions, while one hindleg stood straight up in the air.

“Maybe a little,” Shetland muttered reluctantly.

“Good for you,” Toasty sighed. “Meanwhile, I have had a fun time seeing how long I could lie in one spot without moving.”

“Uh… okay, how long?”

“I am uncertain,” Toasty stated with a serious shake of her head. “I’m not done yet.”

Shetland snorted. “Well, I’d hate to make you give up on your record, but just in case you feel like playing a board game with me…” She gave the robot an innocent smile while she placed her box of The Grinding Wars on the table.

“You are playing dirty,” Toasty chuckled as she rolled to her hooves. “I managed seventy-two minutes. Now,” She looked pointedly at Shetland. “Will I get another shot at a world record tomorrow?”

With her hooves slowly unpacking the box, Shetland had an excuse not to meet her eyes. “I’m meeting him tomorrow, again.”

“You succubus,” Toasty stated drily.

Shetland’s cheeks flared, but she refused a response as she passed Toasty the rulebook. The robot seemingly mastered the game in an instant, stomping Shetland’s army in every engagement. Shetland kept a brave face, challenging the robot over and over just so the hours would pass.

Over the following days, her meetings with Gan changed from a gambit for information, to the only pleasant time of day. The morning was dominated by the constant tension felt at all times in the colony. Now everypony preferred to move in small groups, suspiciously eyeing any loner on their way to work. Frequently, a group of ponies would engage one of robots in a shouting match that prompted the Voidmarines to interfere. And then there was the look on everypony’s faces, that tired, weary look when they briefly asked one another whether someone else had disappeared. Gan managed to take her mind off of this as he popped a couple bullets at the shooting range with her, or played at the Billiard table. At first Shetland had been sceptical, she’d never gotten into that game, just for how much she had to lower her head to get a good angle. But it turned out that while that still held true, Gan was forced to struggle with the opposite, craning his head far upwards to use the pole. The fact that he could not see the table while doing that played no insignificant part in Shetland’s victory streak.

Unfortunately, while it was getting easier to speak with Gan, it was the opposite with Toasty. Without distraction day after day, her mood darkened. When Shetland left for the day, she would no longer wave her goodbye, but give her a dirty look and mutter something under her breath. And when she returned, Toasty would make her feel all the impatience she held. “How long until you squeeze it out of him?” she would ask when Shetland returned.

“I don’t know.” Shetland would then say and heave a long sigh. Of course the real question was when can I leave the room? And her answer would be the exact same.

Toasty huffed. “How about we visit Magenta? I do not see how this would be that dangerous if you come with me.”

Shetland closed her eyes. “I’ll ask tomorrow,” she muttered, mostly to shut Toasty off. Not that the answer mattered, she would not drag Toasty outside where she could unwittingly be exposed to hacked robots, ones she would never suspect and all Shetland had to do to let it happen was to let her out of her sight once… especially in case Toasty herself was… Shetland grimaced at the thought, she hated the sheer implication! But… if Toasty herself had been hacked, and if Scalloway’s scan hadn’t found the virus or whatever it was… then Toasty might be looking for the right moment to disappear. Shetland took a deep breath before she decided to go to bed early, drawing a groan from the robot across the table.

The next morning however played out differently. Shortly after waking, Shetland’s morning routine was interrupted as Sparktail stepped into the room. Normally the Voidmarine held a morning shift during which she would stand outside, rigid as a statue. But now she stood infront of the breakfast table, calmly informing Shetland that both hyenas were at the door, waiting to speak with her. “What for?” was Shetland’s immediate question.

“Something regarding your investigation, certainly.” Sparktail shifted her weight. “They will only inform you of the specifics.”

Shetland breathed a sigh as she dumped her face into a bowl of cold water. Gasping, she shook her head, uncaring about the drops hitting every surface in the bathroom. The mirrors were barely usable at this point. She frowned as she faced her distorted, stern glare. “Toasty-”

“I’ll be staying here, don’t worry,” the robot hissed. “Obviously I am not going anywhere.”

“Do you need to recharge soon?”

“No. I am not exactly expending much energy, now am I?”

Shetland stared at her mirrored self for a moment before diving her head into the bowl again, hoping to wash off her annoyed grimace. Then, with water still dripping out of her coat, she went to face the hyenas.

Gan and Khunbish, both wearing breathmasks, looked up as Shetland’s shadow fell over them. “Greetings, Sparkle.” Khunbish hit her chest with a paw, making an unsettling, toothy smile. Gan silently masked the motion.

“Hello,” Shetland muttered, raising an eyebrow at their masks, the bags which hung over their sides and their well-rested expressions. “Are you going somewhere?”

She had, without thinking, turned to Gan for her question, yet it was still Khunbish who answered: “We have discovered interesting news, and it warrants exploration.”

“Uhuh,” Shetland said, closing her eyes for a moment so she wouldn’t heave an annoyed glare at the pair. “And I hope you are going to tell me what this news is?”

“Certainly,” Khunbish nodded, still with her irksome grin. “But we have little time, and we must be moving.”

And so Shetland was forced to go along as she listened to the hyena’s explanation. Apparently, she’d found out that the spot Toasty had gone missing was pretty close to the crash site of the hyena’s spaceship.

“That could mean,” Khunbish closed, “That whoever attacked your machine, might have been hiding there. Maybe still hides there.”

“That cannot be, a crashed ship cannot support an atmosphere,” Shetland said. Of course, she thought, a hacked robot does not need air.

“Our ship is not in pieces, Miss Sparkle,” Khunbish said sternly. “We would no longer be here if that were the case. While the outer hull has been breached, it is not inconceivable that one or two compartments might still be hermetically sealed, or easily repairable to be so. What I am saying,” she added with a look at Shetland’s questioning glance, “If your machine was attacked by a pony, then he or she might have been using the ship as a base.”

Or a hacker. A light shone right into Shetland’s body, burning away all thoughts of tiredness. “Are we going there?”

“If you agree to,” Khunbish’s smirk faltered as she added: “And of course if your mother agrees.”

Princess Twilight was awaiting the trio in front of Horse Horizon, next to what looked like a horse-drawn wagon. It looked only fitting to the old-timey saloon, and just as clashing when compared to the glass tunnels that were the rest of the colony. The Alicorn exchanged a few pleasantries with Khunbish, but her gaze rested squarely on Shetland. And indeed, it didn’t take long before she spoke. “I will have a quick chat with my daughter, if you do not mind.”

That was as close to an order as a request could be, and Khunbish could give no other response than a quick nod, after which she and Gan looked through the contents of the wagon.

“I’m not fond of the timing of their expedition.” Twilight skipped the prelude as she sternly glanced at Shetland. “Even less, considering they want to bring you along.”

“Yeah, it’s strange,” Shetland agreed. “But I thought about it, and I just don’t think it could be a trap. I mean, if they come back without me, they’re done for.”

Twilight let out a long sigh as her wings rose to rub her temples.

“Tired?” Shetland smirked.

Twilight chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe…” She shook her head, returning to her serious demeanor. “I agree that it’s unlikely they’ll try to hurt you, which I must stress, is the only reason I’m allowing you to go with them.”

“I can watch myself, mom,” Shetland frowned.

“Yes, you can,” Twilight seemed more exhausted than ever. “But it’s gonna be a long trip and so much could happen.”

“What about storms?” Shetland bit her lip, thinking back at the desperation she’d felt when she was stuck in a cave. But being in the outside during such a massive storm-

“Scalloway says the air feels as calm as it could be,” Twilight quickly assured her. “Another reason I am even allowing you to go.”

Shetland opened her mouth to protest, but instead, she closed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you, mom.”

“We’ll be traveling for many hours, could we leave now?” The shouted question came from Khunbish, who was standing beside the wagon, ready to go at any moment.

“You will wait until we are finished!” Twilight shot back, before hurried turning to Shetland. “Shetty, this is the last chance they have to let us in on what they know of their own accord. Ask them, squeeze them, pressure them to tell you everything, just don’t attack them, do you hear me?”

Shetland’s eyes widened, surprised by the sudden hard approach her mother was suggesting. “A-Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Twilight hissed impatiently. “They’ve had enough time. Now get ready and wait, I’ll bring your armor, just for safety.”

“Mom!” Shetland shouted as her mother’s horn began to glow. “Can you tell Toasty?”

The glow waned for a second as Twilight gave her a strange look, that changed into a smile. “Of course, Shetty.” Then she popped out of existence.

-----

Shetland stared at the hyena’s backs as they strode ahead on the dusty paths. Her shoulders were starting to feel uncomfortable, but as she was moving at a good pace, breaking it would make it so much worse. If the map could be trusted, and it had been drawn by her mother, then it would take them close to thirty hours to complete their journey there and back, assuming they weren’t planning on taking any breaks. The gravelly ground crunched under the wagon wheels. It was surprisingly light, considering its size, yet vastly important, as it carried all the air they desperately needed. Shetland shook her head, which finally got her mane away from her sweaty forehead. Her helmet hung at her side. protective or not, she would not survive the trip without some cool air blowing in her face. Her eyes settled back on her travelling companions. They weren’t making it hard for her, from the beginning they’d set a pace that was comfortable to follow, especially considering one step of her equaled several of theirs. However, they had withdrawn themselves from her and spoke in hushed voices, allowing her no moment to do what her mother ordered. Shetland huffed, shaking her head again as an obnoxious piece of hair once again threatened to cover her eye. She wouldn’t question them right now. Not Khunbish. The female hyena would immediately block any attempt of hers. No, she had to approach Gan alone.

Sadly, it seemed like it would take a while before an opportunity for that would open up. The hyenas seemed intent on going ahead without a break, and as much as Shetland had begun to sweat, and while her scarred hindleg had begun bothering her with suddens spurs of itchyness, she didn’t need one either.

Luckily, after a while Gan seemed to take pity on her, as he fell back to speak with her. Shetland shot a glance at Khunbish. The hyena was certainly within earshot. For a moment, Shetland considered whispering, but it was exceedingly unlikely that Gan would do the same, and she would most likely even drive him off. So, she mustered a tired smile and greeted him with a “hey.”

Gan returned the smile, though his eyes trailed over the cart. <Do you need help with that?> he spoke in hyenidae.

“No,” Shetland grunted, her eyebrows narrowing as she looked down at him. “Sorry, I’ll be speaking my language, youra hurts my throat.”

<And you cannot use that right now. I understand,> Gan nodded. <But if you need help, let us know. We can probably pull it on the way back.>

Shetland snorted. “I would like to see Khunbish pulling this thing.” She smirked at the foul look Khunbish gave her. Gan rolled his eyes.

<My offer was serious.>

“Yeah, yeah.” Shetland waved it off with a grimace. “I’ll be holding you to it, you should know that.”

<Please do so,> Gan said earnestly.

The two-language conversation was an additional effort, but it was certainly preferable over the brainless walking before. Gan did most of the talking, though he occasionally faltered after a glance of Khunbish. It didn’t seem to be related to the topic, instead it appeared that Khunbish simply thought he was talking too much, and Gan would quickly speak up again, as if nothing had happened.

“You know,” Shetland whispered at a small break during which they re-filled their air bottles at the cart. “Maybe I’ll go to the empire one day. It does seem like a place I would like visiting.”

<You certainly will,> Gan grinned. <Just expect whole clans to ask you to join their family.>

“What about your clan? Would they accept me travelling with them for a while?”

Gan came to a halt, letting a gust of air escape with a strong hiss before her shut the valve again. <Are you saying you would like to… after this you want to go to the empire with me?>

“Why not?” Shetland smirked, patting a hoof on his back. “I’d need a guide, wouldn’t I?”

The hyena broke into an unsettling, sharp-toothed grin. <I’ll be of service. Though I suggest only visiting my clan as we hold for trade, our carts are made for our size, not yours.>

Shetland shrugged. Then she blinked. “Hey, wait a minute,” She growled down at him. “Didn’t you say you have cattle? Are you calling me as fat as a cow?”

“The cow do not travel on the wagons,” Gann pointedly said, a smile on his face Shetland couldn’t quite place. He yapped a few times before jumping to his paws. And the way continued.

The light was draining from the sky as Khunbish raised a paw in the air. “We are here,” she said, pointing to what Shetland, in her tiredness, had mistaken for a pile of rocks, but which shimmered in the unmistakable glance of metal. Shetland gasped and halted, feeling the strain on each of her legs. Her bad flank had become irritated in the last two hours, begging to be treated with the calming creams of sciency medicine the doctors had given her.

It was the smallest ship Shetland had seen yet, even though she could probably fit inside. Two of the legs on which it was supposed to land were snapped off, lying far behind the actual body, which appeared to have slid across the thankfully even ground until it came to a halt. The nose of the ship was stunted, the hull banged up as if a team of sledgehammers had used it as stress relief, but all in all, it was still in one piece. Shetland unhinged herself from the cart and sank into the dusty ground. It was thankfully cool against her cheek, though her armor stopped her from rolling her entire body in the relieving, cold sand. Even Gan and Khunbish set down their bags, though with a serious grimace, and Shetland jumped up. How stupid of her to forget, they were here for a reason! With a shaking hoof, she tapped over her armor until she found the rifle, then put on her helmet.

Khunbish gave her a look. “I will go ahead,” she said. “If there is someone here, we don’t want him to panic. I am unarmed.”

Shetland snorted. Unarmed was a relative term when speaking about a hyena. And yet, compared to Gan, who held a shocktalon, and especially herself, wearing powered armor and an automatic rifle, she had to concede the point, if unwillingly.

“You can check for yourself afterwards,” Khunbish offered, before climbing inside the ship. But it was only a few seconds before she shouted. “It’s forsaken.”

Shetland let out a sigh. Of course, her inner voice told her. That would have been too easy. A double-check confirmed it. The ship was indeed empty. The consoles were all just like the small ships Shetland had gotten to see as a child, taken straight from the blueprints Equestria had shared with the rest of the world, after claiming Horizon for itself. Aside from smaller adaptations, like making everything fit to the size of hyenas, it was nearly identical. With a disappointed groan, Shetland slapped the ship’s hull as she got out and sank into the dirt. As unreasonable as it was, she’d really hoped to find something useful here. Her gaze shifted to the hyenas, who were unpacking their saddlebags, to the sudden joyful cheer of her stomach.

Food.

It took decidedly too long for the camping cooker to get the cans to an acceptable temperature, and Shetland stared with envy at the little straps of reddish, brown somethings the hyenas exchanged. “What’s that?” she muttered.

Khunbish threw her a conscious look, but Gan simply shrugged. “Jerky. Is good ration for long journey. Chew for hours.”

Shetland blinked. “And you didn’t tell me that before, I was starving!” She reached out a hoof and growled aggresively as he hesitated.

“It’s made of meat!” Khunbish warned, causing Shetland to pull back and look from one hyena to the other.

“Not… uhm-”

Gan shook his head. “Beef. made from cow. Not intelligent. Dumb breed. Like pigs.”

“I like pigs,” Shetland muttered. Still, her hoof slowly extended outwards again, to the surprised looks of both hyenas. “Don’t tell my mom.”

Gan laughed, but drew his paw over his mouth as he gave her a few strips. The taste was strange, and annoyingly dry, but it worked wonders to keep her mouth busy until the actual food was ready. And she could tell she would appreciate it much more by tomorrow.

After eating, Khunbish went inside the ship. “What’s she doing?” Shetland wondered.

Gan shrugged. <seeing if something is salvageable, I assume.> His eyes were focused on a hill in the distance, on top of which- <This is your power station,> Gan said.

“Good thing you didn’t hit it,” Shetland snickered.

Gan waved it off. <Yes, but see down.> His paw pointed at a cliffside, about as tall as the spaceship. It was not flat. There were holes, at least three of them, placed across the cliff. <You brought your machine to a cave. This might be it.>

Shetland blinked. Was it? Her memory was fuzzy and the sandstorm had made it nearly impossible to see. “I’d have to look inside.”

To her surprise, Gan jumped to his paws. Shetland looked to the caves, a piece of curiosity spiking enough to bring her to her own legs. Plus, she suddenly realized with a glance at the hyena, this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for.

With her memory as fuzzy as it was, Shetland couldn’t tell whether the first cave was right, but as she entered the second, the memory hit her like a buck to the stomach. A distant sound of flowing water filled the cavern, a sound that back then, she’d thought was made by the storm, or from her own, oxygen-starved brain. She took a deep breath, suddenly thankful for the backup bottles she and Gan had brought for safety. There was a tunnel much deeper into the cavern, shrouded in darkness. Gan looked at everything with mild interest. <There seems to be some sort of underground river deeper in the tunnel.>

Shetland shrugged. It made sense, at least enough. “Maybe that’s where the ponies up there get their water.” She wasn’t focusing on her words. Her eyes were drawn on the hyena, who stood in a spot a friend of hers had occupied, in shambles. She swallowed as she glared grimly at the back of the hyena.

“I need to speak with you.”

Gan turned back, seemingly confused, but for a brief moment, Shetland thought there was a glint of resolve. “Yes?”

“My friend, Toasty. She was here. She was attacked out here. Someone attacked my friend.” Shetland grit her teeth as her eyes narrowed further.

“The machine?”

“Yes, the machine!” Shetland snapped, causing him to take a sudden step back. She took a step forward, taking much more distance than he had created. “Someone is targeting her, and I know it’s not you,” she pushed his response away before he could make it. “But… but there is something you’re not telling us. So many things haven’t added up, that you botched your landing on purpose-” Gan opened his mouth to speak, but Shetland gave him no chance. “That you try to sneak into our mainframe, the unexplained outages, the robots who broke into your room. We know something is going on, and I think,” She pushed closer, pushing him closer to a cave wall. “I think you know exactly what it is.” Her eyes drilled into his, expecting him to break. But Gan returned her glare, refusing to take the final steps that would bring his back into a wall.

<You’re accusing us,> was all he said.

“YEAH, I THINK I AM!” Shetland shouted, stomping her hooves in front of him, wanting him to back away. And yet, he kept the same expression, exposing his razor-sharp teeth in a snarl that matched hers.

<I… think you are mistaken.> Gan said, meeting her eyes straight on. <We are not withholding anything from you.>

“Bullshit!” Shetland exclaimed. “What about the time you came to me, wanting to tell me something important?”

He blanched, but answered through his teeth. <Whatever you interpreted it as, it is not that. You do not have the right to make us share something personal.>

“PERSONAL MY ASS!”

<And speaking of withholding information.> Gan shot Shetland a glare. <What did you say about robots breaking into our room? I think that was a secret withheld from us.>

Shetland paled, shock and anger both serving to turn her cheeks to an unhealthy shade of white before returning to a furious red. He hooves shook as she stared down at the tiny hyena, the liar, who denied what she knew was true right to her face, even though she was sure he wanted her to know. Her heart played a wardrum as she imagined how easy it would be to grab him, to snap one of his thin legs, to pound a cracked bone to dust until he would finally speak- But she took a breath and the red veil lifted. “Just tell me,” she pleaded through her teeth. “If we wrap this up, we can go home, we can visit your country together.”

Finally, Gan took the step back that made him bump into the wall. But then his face slowly twisted into an ugly grimace while all color was lost. “I… am loyal to my country,” he hissed, his voice was barely controlled. “You will not lure me- you-” He shook his head, his eyes dangerously wide open. “Step away,” he finally said, daggers shooting out of his eyes. “Step away and let me out.”

Shetland glared down at him, rage once again boiling in her veins. But it wasn’t enough. With a final stomp of her hoof, she stepped aside, and Gan rushed out of the cave. She stomped a last time, hot tears welling in her eyes. “You’ll see what that gets you,” she rasped after the hyena. “That was your last chance.” Then a shudder took over her body, and she had to settle down, hiding her face in her own hooves.

There was no sleep before the trek back. Gan and Khunbish took the wagon without comment, but at around half the way they began to fall back and Shetland took over again. No-one talked, not even a silent whisper between the hyenas. Gan kept the same frown over the entire course as he dutifully watched the surroundings. Shetland quietly followed, fighting against tiredness and her hindleg, which had begun to burn like it was sizzling over an open flame. Still, she would not complain to the others. She would not ask for a pause. The night passed into the day, and into the afternoon, when the colony came in sight. None of them cheered. Shetland barely looked up. Her legs moved on autopilot, past Twilight who welcomed the hyenas with a stern expression. “We’ve found some discrepancies in each other’s records and must insist that you stay at your current housing until they are cleared.” Their protests were ignored as the alicorn accompanied them to their room, followed by a trio of Voidmarines. Shetland went past Sparktail’s replacement, who took the day shifts while she rested, and straight into her bed, intent on sleeping for an eternity.

If not for a blaring robotic voice that ripped her out of her dreams of slumber. “Been on a nice trip?”

“Mhm.” Ignoring the protests of her tired body, Shetland slowly rose out of her covers, leveling a tired look at the robot, blinking from the shine of Toasty’s eyelights. “We’ve been looking at their crashed ship.”

“That sounds interesting.” Toasty’s voice did not sound excited however, rather, it sounded disgruntled. “I would have liked to see it for myself.”

Oh no, Shetland inwardly sighed, her tired mind trying to come up with a way to get out of this conversation. “Toasty, you know why-”

“And it was a great surprise yesterday to get your note. I had a great time in here, all by myself, all day. Like every other day!” Her voice slowly rose. Then she paused, and her voice suddenly settled into a calm, but ice-cold tone. “How long have I been in here?”

Shetland swallowed. “F-four days,” she muttered, biting her lips. She wanted to get out, but she could fully understand her friend's anger, she herself had never been able to stand being cooped up for long.

“Oh?” One of Toasty’s eyelight’s grew, as her head tilted slightly. “And you are sure of that?” She crossed her forehooves.

“Wha-” Shetland shook her head. “Of course I’m sure. And you know that, you can tell the time better than me for sure!”

“Oh, can I?” Toasty shook her head. “But Shetland, I’ve been thinking, after all, there’s nothing else to do. And you know what I realized?” If possible, the robot’s voice began to approach a hysterical note. “I could have been here for months, and I’d still believe it was just the fourth day!”

Shetland stared at Toasty, speechless, until the bit finally dropped. “Y-you’re worried about me- I’m not deleting your memory!”

“You did not have trouble with it before!”

“That was-” Shetland bit her lip, cursing herself as she glared at the stupid little machine for getting her in this situation. “It was different.” She closed.

“Ha. Very convincing.” Toasty crossed her forelegs.

Shetland’s eye twitched. Her breath went through her teeth as she hissed at Toasty, placing all her pent up frustration and anger behind each word. “I. Did. Not. Delete. Your. Memory.”

But Toasty met her gaze with maddeningly frustrating defiance. “Can you prove that?”

Shetland shouted. There was no word, just pure emotion driving her lungs to get rid of all of the air inside. “Shut up,” she hissed. “I’ve been doing everything, EVERYTHING to keep you safe, I’m doing all I can, don’t you get it? I’ve been up the entire night just trying to make this right for you and now you’re complaining to me? You know what? Why don’t you just shut down if you’re so tired of waiting, and I’ll boot you up when it’s over, so I CAN SAVE YOU IN PEACE!”

Her heaving breath rasped over her sore throat as she glared at the robot, who’d taken a step back, and she felt a small, victorious cheer in her chest. But then it died down as the blood left her burning face, as the words sank into her own ears, and a thick rock lodged itself in her throat.

Toasty glared at her, her limbs shaking. “You want me to shut down?” she whispered coldly.

“Toasty,” Shetland whispered, but the robot spoke louder, drowning out her voice.

“You want me to go on standby, pull the plug like I’m a toy you’re tired of playing with?”

“No!” Grabbing Toasty’s shoulder, Shetland forced her to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry, Toasty, I didn’t want to…” Words left her, but maybe her exhausted expression said enough. Toasty settled down, sitting at the edge of Shetland’s bed.

“If you want,” Shetland whispered, her eyes stuck on the ground, “we can meet with Magenta tomorrow- I promise I’ll ask her this time.” She bit her lip, vividly imagining the skeptical look her friend would be shooting her way.

There was a long pause before Toasty answered. “Actually…” The robot whispered. “If that is possible… I would love to practice shooting just one more time.” Shetland looked up to see Toasty giving her a sincerely cautious look, without hatred, without anger, just with trepidation. She swallowed, her mind already throwing up all manner of warnings.

“Alright.” She breathed the word. “We’ll do it. Just not now,” she hastily added, biting her lip as her friend’s enthusiasm evaporated. “I’m sorry, but I really have to sleep first.”

Toasty nodded. “Do you want something to eat before sleep?” she whispered worriedly.

“Nope...” Shetland smiled as she closed her eyes, discovering a tasty leftover of today’s jerky between her teeth.

Comments

[Skulljack17]

You know, the best lies are ones that have a bit of truth mixed in with them. Perhaps she did want to see his country...even if she wasn't aware of it herself. Oooo, it's a real drama playing out now!

[Obsi]

10301752
The irony is that Shetland would actually fit in very well with the Hyena Empire. Better than Equestria, at least