Void Trials 2: Horizon

by Obsi

Final Words

Unbeknownst to Toasty, Shetland threw nervous glances at her through the visor of her helmet. “Reload,” she intoned, and the robot swiftly went to work. Toasty had much improved from her first shaky attempts the one other time she was allowed to practice. Her shots now seldomly flew past the bullseye Shetland had planted on the rock they used as cover from sight, and she even hit a few shots square in the middle, a feat that had taken Shetland four days to pull off when she’d been new to firearms. A loud click confirmed that Toasty had finished reloading, but to her surprise, the robot did not immediately resume blasting the rock. Toasty had turned, the gun pointed at the ground as per safety rules, her eyelights reflecting on Shetland’s armor. “What is it, Toasty?” Shetland asked, raising an eyebrow, which of course Toasty couldn’t see.

“You have been quiet. Last time you were much more supportive.” Her tone was almost accusatory.

“You seem to be doing fine on your own.”

“Yes, I am practicing, and I think I am also improving.” Toasty gave Shetland a cross look. “But I would like to try something new, if that is possible.”

Shetland turned her head to the bullseye. While many shots now hit, there were just as many that missed, if narrowly. “I don’t know, Toasty. I think my instructor would have me executed if I let you try moving targets that early…”

Toasty gave her a blank stare, not a hint of emotion showing through her smooth faceplate.

Shetland rolled her eyes. “Alright, we’ll give it a shot.”

“No.” Toasty shook her head. “I think I’ll give it a shot.”

Shetland groaned as she grabbed a stack of flat, wooden bullseyes with a metal rim. Toasty’s eyelights shrinked. “Those do not look very sturdy.”

“They aren’t.” Shetland chuckled. “If you hit, they’ll be splinters.” she smirked. “I think we will have time for a few dozen tries.”

“It is on.” Toasty cocked her pistol.

Shetland gave her a cautious look. Of course, she had nothing to be afraid of. Her armor was strong enough to repel any shot from the small gun, unless it hit a weak spot. Even then, the magical shield would stop the shot in it's tracks. The targets flew through the air and as Shetland had predicted, every shot missed. But she was too far in her thoughts to be snarky, and Toasty was happy enough to simply try again. When this was over, Shetland vowed to herself, she would insist on Toasty staying in their room until it was safe, no matter how much the robot would protest. With an uneasy feeling in her stomach, she gathered the targets once again. They were uncomfortably exposed. The nearby hills would give excellent cover for anyone trying to sneak up on them. “No-one knows,” she whispered to herself. Nopony had seen them leave. Plus, their spot was at the west of the colony, the direction from which the last sandstorm had stained all the glass tunnels, making it impossible to make out anything in the distance. And yet, all her whispered encouragement couldn’t shake the uncertain feeling that was sinking through her guts. “I’m just paranoid.” she whispered to herself. And the feeling is justified, a voice in her brain immediately added.

“Shetland?”

The earth pony was startled to find that Toasty was right in front of her, hammering a metal hoof on her armor to get her attention. When Shetland moved her lips, she found her mouth horribly dry. “Sorry,” she croaked. “Kinda spaced out there for a moment.”

“Yeah, you did.” Toasty’s eyelights shrunk, then she let out a robotic sigh. “Shetland, we are out here in what might be the last time for a long while. Can you not have a bit of fun yourself?”

Shetland shook her head. “Toasty, what we’re doing out here-”

“Is for fun, entertainment, distraction,” Toasty interrupted her. “Whichever of these words you prefer. So can you stop being a downer, please? I was hoping for a break from the constant stress.”

“Yeah, that’s simple to do,” Shetland snorted. “Just forget what has been occupying my mind for weeks without end.”

“It would be a nice change.”

“Well…” Shetland paused. “What do you wanna do?”

“I can think of some things.” Toasty’s eyes darted over Shetland, and then to her side, at a large, deadly looking barrel. “You never let me try the big guns.”

Shetland turned sideways, blocking the robots view at the automatic rifle at her side. “That’s for defense, Toasty. And certainly not a toy.”

“I promise I won’t do anything bad with it. You can stop me at any point, I will do exactly as you say!”

Shetland kept silent, her gaze squarely on her pleading friend. Her own rifle was anything but harmless. It would tear right through a magic shield. If she suffered a full burst from that thing… But then, she thought as Toasty’s ears drooped, accompanied by a distinctly puppy-like whimper, if she was watching closely… With that thought in mind, she slowly unslung the weapon. Toasty nearly toppled as she caught the gun in her hooves. It was nearly as long as she was, Shetland noted with a snort. Yeah, there really was no danger, her friend couldn’t even begin to handle that thing effectively. Still, the robot made a shrill sound that could only be an excited squeak as she handled the incredibly dangerous device with utmost care, or even worship.

“No need to climax just yet,” Shetland laughed at her reaction. “Just imagine how it’ll feel when that bad girl gets off~”

“I am imagining,” Toasty giggled. “Oh, yes, I am.” Nearly shivering from excitement, Toasty tried to figure out how to aim, until Shetland gently pushed her to the ground.

“Trust me, if you stand, this thing’s gonna blow you over. You gotta use the ground with that one.”

Toasty made a disgruntled noise. “I want my own cool guns.”

Shetland quickly swallowed her laughter. “We can only hope,” she whispered soberly. Luckily, Toasty didn’t seem to hear her, she was too excited to finally switch off the safety. Then she raised her head, eagerly watching Shetland. Grinning behind her visor, Shetland gave her a nod.

The burstfire tore a trail of chunks out of the rock, rapidly climbing upwards as the rifle went wild, Toasty being unable to control the immense recoil. But Shetland had counted on that and stepped over Toasty, slamming her hoof down on the weapon, which immediately stopped its onslaught. Shetland’s heart beat faster as she grinned down at a stunned Toasty. “Hardcore enough for you?”

Toasty’s eyelights grew wide as she looked over the damage she’d just caused in the boulder, then back at the rifle with newfound respect. “Holy Celestia!” she whispered, awestruck.

“Yep,” Shetland grinned, feeling her chest swell a little. “Now, was that too scary for you or do you want to try one more time?”

Toasty shot up, her eyelights shining bright lights of excitement. “Try one more time, of course!” she shouted, her hooves clambering for the rifle once again as-

“Freeze!”

Shetland’s blood ran cold. Instinctively, her head shot up, while her hoof reached protectively over Toasty. With wide eyelights, Toasty clutched the rifle to her chest.

On top of the rock stood a pegasus, aiming a rifle straight at the pair. “Drop the weapon!” he hissed.

Shetland’s eyes darted to Toasty, who was still clutching the gun. Her own firearm might be enough to survive a quick firefight, but could she hit him before he took cover? And what if he hit Toasty? A shiver went over her back at the possibility. “Drop it,” she whispered to Toasty, who let out a sound like a steam valve as she flung the rifle to the ground. The pegasus did not lower his own weapon.

“No sudden movements!” he hissed. He glanced nervously around before speaking to his shoulder microphone. “Requesting backup. Found two loose robots, one wears a stolen suit of power armor. No regular build, it’s huge.”

“That armor is mine!” Shetland shouted upwards, her eyes briefly darting towards the fallen gun, but it was far out of reach.

His eyes widened as he clutched his gun. The sound of a gunshot rang in Shetland’s ears and she backed away, cold sweat threatened to run into her eyes as she stared at the whirling dust several feet to her left.

“The next one won’t be a warning shot,” the pegasus warned. “Now show me your face, prove that you’re a pony!”

Shetland bit her lip, refraining from a reply as she took the helmet off, glaring at a point below the pegasus.

“So you weren’t lying.” The pegasus Voidmarine looked up from his weapons sights. “You’re the bots accomplice.”

“I’m not.” Shetland pressed out through her teeth, lifting her helmet again-

“I said freeze!” the Pegasus snarled.

“She needs to breathe!” Toasty exclaimed. In an instant, the Voidmarine pointed his sights at the robot.

“LOWER THAT GUN!” Shetland bellowed, pushing Toasty back so her own armored body was in the way.

“Put on your helmet, earth pony,” the pegasus hissed. “You’re both under arrest for weapon smuggling.”

“Smuggling?!” Shetland shouted. “You-” But another burst of warning fire made her pull her head in.

“LAST WARNING!” the Voidmarine shouted. Suddenly, there was a loud crackling noise, and he whirled around, nearly dropping off his rock as he glared at two more Voidmarines, both wearing their signature armor, though a unicorn was missing his helmet, instead wearing a regular breath mask. “There you are, what took so long?” the pegasus grimaced.

“Two minutes preparation is standard!” The unicorn rose her head to glower at him. “Also,” she added with a look to Shetland and Toasty. “You seemed to have the situation under control.”

“Sure, I did, until I get close to that giant, I ain’t putting cuffs on her without some backup. But listen, I caught the pair red-hoofed, tryin’ to smuggle and practicing with military grade armaments. We need to contact the Princesses.”

But the last Voidmarine only stared at Shetland. Then he turned to the pegasus. “Dude, don’t you know who that is? You’ve got Princess Twilight’s daughter!”

“Bullshit!” the pegasus exclaimed, though his face paled as he looked back.

“Yeah, she is, I know her. And how many other giant ponies do we have?”

Shetland blinked. “Burning Crust?”

He gave her a short nod.

“Whatever!” The pegasus exclaimed, clenching his teeth. “I still caught her shooting guns with a robot. Whoever she is, that’s still a crime and I’m taking her in for it!”

With extreme effort, Shetland swallowed the reply that was on her tongue and allowed Crust to approach her.

“She needs the armor for air, and we got no cuffs wide enough for that,” he said to his colleagues. To Shetland, he only gave a sad look and whispered: “Don’t resist, okay? I’ll contact your mother ASAP. You won’t be in for long.”

Shetland took a deep breath. Her eyes were fixated on the ground, glaring little holes into the sand. She wasn’t so sure what her mother would do for her. Would she step over the law to pardon her? Would she understand? Her eyes darted to Toasty, and her glare immediately softened as she saw her friend's drooping ears and lowered head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t complained-”

“Shush,” Shetland interrupted her. “I’m not hearing any of that. Just play along, we’ll be out safe and sound, even if I have to spank my own mom for it.”

Toasty chuckled, but then she got a rude push from the pegasus, forcing her to start moving.

Crust leaned in on his colleague. “Little word of advice, Whirlwind. Do not hurt that robot. Or Shetland will have your throat.”

Whirlwind looked ready to make an annoyed reply, but one look at Shetland’s expression made him reconsider. He spent the rest of the trip keeping as far away from the robot as he could.

---

Shetland had told herself to remain stoic when she’d been forced to leave Toasty in a cell, and again when she was led in hoofcuffs into her mother’s office. And yet, she felt a pang of remorse as her eyes fell on Twilight deeply asleep, her face buried in reports, her drooping wings brushing across the ground with each rise and fall of her chest. Burning Crust, who had offered to guard her, gave Shetland a nervous glance. He really was in an unfortunate position, having to break the capture of Shetland to her mother. But Shetland was not in a mood to have pity on him, and she just shrugged, forcing him to go and shake Twilight awake. After a brief moment of confusion, Twilight listened to his story, giving no sign of her thoughts other than her ever darkening look. “Leave us alone,” she said as he’d finished, and he ran as if she was an unstable bomb.

Twilight clutched her head with her forehooves and let out a long, frustrated shout. Her mane slowly came to life, but it's movements were jerky, aggressive, unlike the usual gentle flow. “Do you have any idea,” Twilight spoke quietly, but it was the quiet before an oncoming storm. “ANY idea what a difficult situation you’ve just put me in?”

“Mom, we just-” Shetland began but Twilight cut her off.

“I know full well what you were doing, Shetty, I knew you were teaching Toasty gun usage, and so does Luna. But I’d thought, I’d hoped you wouldn’t be stupid enough to try it again. Think of the danger! There could have been other robots, Toasty herself could have been hacked! As it was, you were caught by our own security, and what do you think I can do now?” Twilight’s wings beat up and down, blowing over several stacks of paper, but she paid it no mind. Unable to show her stress only through words, she began walking in circles, never letting her eyes off Shetland. “Do you have any idea what the public is thinking? We are so close!” She held her forehooves about an inch apart. “So close to an open riot already, and the only way I could stop it is by declaring sanctions against the minority of robots.”

“Shouldn’t-” Shetland swallowed, hating the next sentence that broker out of her throat. “Shouldn’t we do that, if they could be hacked-”

“I will not imprison all of them for something that only affects a few, but I told the public that a dangerous virus is out and I have forbidden any direct uploads or downloads of data. Meanwhile, I’ve moved every robot’s software maintenance forward. In a month, Scalloway will have scanned everyone for viruses.”

“What if he can’t find it?” Shetland muttered.

“Even if he misses it the first few times, I am certain he will be able to recognize a pattern soon after. No, I have faith that he will succeed, and maybe even find the perpetrator.” She took a deep breath. “But that does not help our current situation. If I step in to release your friend, half the colony will be convinced that Luna and I are playing favourites, and when that happens-” She shook her head.

“So you’re just going to let her rot in jail?” Shetland stomped her hoof. “We can’t do that!”

“What else would you have me do?” Twilight asked exasperatedly. “My hooves are tied in this, Shetty.”

“But it’s my fault! I told her I would take responsibility, I told her that, punish me!”

“She has her own free will, as much as some would like to deny it, so it was her responsibility to refuse.” Twilight heaved a sigh and shook her head in defeat.

Shetland swallowed. She had no argument. No idea how to get around what her mother just explained. “But… if I…”

Twilight shook her head. “No. there is nothing we can do, for now, until we found the hacker and tell the public. Maybe in their excitement, we can quietly release her, or change it into house arrest. Besides, jail might not be nice, but at least it is safe, right?”

“Yeah…” Shetland muttered, despite the sinking weight in her stomach. Yes, Toasty would now be permanently guarded, right in the barracks. But Shetland knew the prevalence of anti-robot bigotry there. “But I need to visit her daily.”

Twilight blinked. “Shetty,” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I cannot just free you, either.”

Shetland froze, but then she just blinked. “Even better,” she said evenly. “That way I can make sure nopony treats her badly.”

The Alicorn gave her a worried look. “I could… I’ll visit you every day. A-and I’ll bring you something to entertain yourself-”

“It’s fine!” Shetland exclaimed, too forcefully to have a calming effect. “I’ll survive. The punishment is just a week or two, right?”

“Only if you can pay a hefty fine, but I’ll take care of that.”

“Oh, it’s nice to be rich,” Shetland chuckled dryly.

“It’s useful if you can collect two-hundred years of interest on your old account.” Twilight gave a weak chuckle, before she fell silent, her eyes on the documents that littered her desk. “Do you want to stay a little longer?” she whispered softly. “I can… We can pretend we were talking for a bit longer-”

But Shetland shook her head. “It’s fine, mom. It’s fine, but tell me, have you had any success with the hyenas so far?”

“Not yet,” The Alicorn sighed. “As of right now, they are only under house-arrest. I can’t officially question them. But I will, under the pretense of clarifying some… incongruencies, squeeze the truth out of them.” Her eyes glanced at her clock. “I’d be starting tonight, if I can get all these done before that.” She stared down at the documents that now littered the floor and let out a sigh.

“Maybe you should hire an assistant, or several?” Shetland suggested, half joking.

Twilight gave her a sad grin. “Maybe you’re right, Shetty, maybe it is time. But now I should bring you… back.” Her face fell as she rose to her hooves.

“I can walk myself.” Shetland rolled her eyes.

“And how would I explain that?”

Shetland just groaned. And yet, while she wouldn’t admit it, she felt a little comforted by the warm presence at her her side, and the wing that laid across her back. It allowed her to ponder in peace. Jail wouldn’t be fun times, but she would be together with Toasty. They would be perfectly safe. In a way, her job would be done. The realization made her chuckle, even grin a little. “Mom?”

“Mhmm?”

“You can bring us The Grinding Wars, right? And some cider?”

“I am fairly sure the latter is forbidden, but I can probably let that slide, as long as you can control yourself.”

“I can hold my liquor, mom.”

Twilight rose her eyebrow as she stared blankly at Shetland. Finally, she let out a sigh. “There is so much of your life that I missed out on.”

“Mom, it’s fine-” A befuddling sight stopped her words. The pegasus, Whirlwind, leaned against the closed door of the barracks, both hooves pressed on it while his wings beat, as if he was trying to push it in. As he wiped his forehead, he spotted the approaching pair.

“Princess Twilight!” he yelped. “I’m deeply sorry, but my ID didn’t work.” He gestured towards the scanner next to the door.

“Did you handle your card poorly?” Twilight wore a disapproving scowl. Any other day, it would have made Shetland laugh to see this motherly glare directed at someone else.

“Uhh…” The pegasus scratched the back of his head. “Last week something happened, but it worked till now, so-”

Shetland gave her mother a sudden shove, making her stumble towards the pegasus. “Mom, just try your stupid card!” Her guts weresuddenly ice-cold with fear, and it must have shown in her eyes, because Twilight skipped the lecture. With agonizing slowness, or maybe it just seemed so in Shetland’s eyes, the card was levitated into contact with the scanner. Red Light. No Entry.

Twilight frowned, looking at the card, turning it around and trying it again, to the same effect. She turned to Shetland, the same realization dawning in her that was setting the earth pony’s mind ablaze. With an enraged shout, Shetland threw herself against the door, using her shoulder as a battering ram. Yet the door was a thick rectangle of solid steel, and the shock went back into her instead, leaving her feeling as if her shoulder had just burst open. With an angry shout, she backed off, ready to ram the door once again, just as Twilight’s magic blew it off its hinges.

“TOASTY!” Shetland blindly stormed forward, ignoring the warning shouts of the others, the only thought on her mind to see, see for herself, to disprove her terrible fear that-

She smacked into the iron bars of the cell. It stood wide open, and it was empty. Shetland gripped the bars like they were the only thing left in the world. The sound of her breathing rang in her ears, drowning out any other noise as she stared at the empty spot that couldn’t be, that had to have the little robot in it, looking up at her with excitement and asking to play a game. She could see it, nearly real enough to deceive her. Then, she was pulled away and something was strapped over her muzzle. Only as fresh air burst into her lungs did she notice the ache of oxygen starvation that had set in. But why-?

The large, rectangular hole in the wall should have been impossible to miss. An emergency exit, Shetland realized. It only opened one way, and it was supposed to only be used in case one got stuck in the barracks during a power outage. But now it stood wide open and all the oxygen was gone, seeped together with the outside air in an unbreathable mix.

Behind her, Twilight was speaking with Whirlwind, whose responses reached Shetland’s ear, like a sound from far, far away.

“I only left for a brief second, I checked that everything was locked, but when I got back from the bathroom, my ID-”

Shetland slowly turned around, facing the pegasus. Her features felt cold, as if her veins contained only ice. “It’s your fault.”

He turned around, his cheeks glowing redly. “How could I have expected-”

Faster than anyone could react, Shetlands hoof burst forward, gripping the smaller pony by the neck. A second later, he was flung across the room, the impact knocking all air out of his lungs.

“IT’S YOUR FAULT TOASTY IS GONE!” Shetland roared. The shout shook her body, as every thought drowned in burning rage. With a primal shout, she charged at him, at the moron whose sole fault it was, who needed to pay with every brittle bone in his body. Whirlwind stared in horror at the rapidly approaching wall of muscle. By the time he remembered he had wings and tried to escape by flying, she was almost upon him. At the last moment, just as Shetland was about to pluck the terrified Whirlwind from the air by his tail, she crashed face-first into a wall of magic.

“SHETLAND, LET HIM GO!” Twilight shouted, while her hooves gripped around Shetland’s shoulder, trying to pull her back. With a mad cry, Shetland turned and leapt at the surprised Alicorn, toppling her with her bigger mass. Twilight yelled, her horn sparkling with magic, but Shetland bit into her horn, and Twilight let out an agonized scream. Shetland ground her teeth in as hard as she could, pressing Twilight down with her hooves. Yet even through the pain, her mother managed to cast a spell, trapping Shetland in a magical bubble that ascended to the ceiling. Panting, Twilight looked up, a glimmer of fear in her eyes as she stared at Shetland, who hammered her hooves frantically against the sphere.

“IT’S HIS FAULT!” she screamed again and again, as Twilight shouted orders and closed the emergency exit. “I WILL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT!” Shetland raged. “I WILL GET YOU!” Those things and more burst out of her mouth, even after Whirlwind had fled the barracks. New Voidmarines arrived, rifles ready, as Twilight stormed out.

Her throat burned. She could taste blood in her mouth, whether her own or Twilight’s, she didn’t care to tell. Toasty was gone. Somewhere out there, if controlled, or kidnapped or killed, while she was stuck in a bubble. Yet, as all her efforts to free herself failed, she finally fell back, exhausted. Still her brain raced in chaotic circles, through which only one thought rang with clarity. I failed. I let her be taken. I allowed myselfself to give in, possibly at the cost of Toasty’s life.

“You never learn, do you?” her own mind mocked her.

“Shut up!” she shouted, her whole body shivering. “We can find her still. The hyenas…” She grit her teeth. The hyenas would know everything. She held onto this small, glimmering hope, like it was the last drop of water in a searing desert. “Get Twilight!” she shouted at the Voidmarines below her. “I need to speak with her now!” But even as she hammered against the sphere to get their attention, they only gave her short glances. The sphere must have noise-canceling properties, Shetland realized as she gritted her teeth.

It must have been an eternity before Twilight returned. She looked over the Voidmarines. None of them had waned in their vigilance, and the alicorn gave them a quick nod. “Leave us alone for a moment.” Although her voice was mostly calm, Shetland heard the strain on it. As the door closed behind the guards, her horn flared an the bubble popped. Shetland fell towards the ground, but she was caught in her mother’s magic. Twilight gave her a cautious look, but Shetland had no time to question this.

“Have you found her?” she demanded to know even before her mother let her down.

Twilight shook her head, her mouth opened to speak, but Shetland cut her off.

“Then question the hyenas! We will get it out of them!”

“Shetty, we can’t.”

Shetland’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. “You are still protecting them?” She hissed through her teeth. “Mom, Toasty is gone, how many more have to disappear before you stop coddling them? She could still be out there, we can save her, and if you think I will let you stop me because of your politics-”

“We can’t, because they’re gone.”

“Gone?” Shetland formed the word with her lips, but it didn’t make any sense. “What do you mean, gone? How can they be gone?”

Twilight took a deep breath. She looked miserable. Her mane and coat were disheveled, while tiredness obscured her otherwise controlled expression. As she spoke, her voice was husky and faint. “At the same time as your friend disappeared, Shetland, there was a fight outside their quarters. Three robots suddenly attacked the guarding marines out of the blue, and then the hyenas did the same. It didn’t seem like they were allies, one of the robots was taken out by Gan’s shocktalon, but everyone else got away.”

“Was Toasty one of the robots?”

Twilight looked up, her eyes glistening as she met Shetland’s. “No. I asked, but none of the guards saw a smaller than average robot anywhere.”

Shetland took a shallow breath. It had been her last bridge, and now it was mercilessly crumbling away. No! “Couldn’t you catch them? They can’t just be anywhere, they can’t breathe outside!”

“Then, unless they return, they either found a way, or they won’t survive,” Twilight whispered.

Shetland grit her teeth, and something unbearably hot was welling up inside her. “It’s not fair,” she croaked, feeling pressure in her eyes as her body curled up. “It’s not fair!” She felt a hoof touch her back, but she shook it off. She didn’t want to be comforted, she wanted to be forgotten, here, on the cold, hard ground, where nopony had to see her.

“Shetty…” Twilight’s empathetic voice cruelly tore into her ears, but at this point, words seemed to fail the Alicorn. “I’ll have you escorted to your room,” she finally whispered as she turned around to leave.

---

Frigid water doused her mane, ran down her neck, leaving everything it touched numb and cold. Shetland bit her teeth, not allowing herself to speak. She didn’t want to hear her voice. She pressed her forehead against the wall, her eyes closed, allowing the icy fluid to wash over her body and steal away her ability to feel. Another shaky breath. The last one seemed like an eternity away. A dull ache began in her forehead, but it felt like her body had completely frozen. She grit her teeth and suddenly, a roar escaped her frigid lips, and her hoof came down on the wall. The impact shook her leg like an icicle that was about to break. As suddenly as it had appeared, the outburst vanished, leaving behind a bottomless void just beneath her skin.

There was no telling how long she remained in place, her hoof propped up against the wall. The shower had stopped long ago. Eventually, one of her ears pricked up at the sound that had taken her out of her stupor. It was a dull, weak pounding, like a choking filly trying to escape out of a wooden box. She slowly opened her eyes, then blinked at the hard wall nearly in contact with her pupil. The pounding hit again, and Shetland stumbled away from the wall, almost tripping over her own hooves. Someone was knocking. With shaky legs, Shetland lurched towards the door. Everything felt numb, lifeless, as if she’d drowned in her shower. And yet, her brain slowly noticed as she held onto the doorknob, her mane and coat were nearly dry, except for her face, which she’d kept pressed against the wet walls. She licked over her dry lips and turned the handle.

“There you are,” It was Magenta. The Pegasus flapped a few feet in the air, at Shetland’s height. “I’ve been knocking for like ten minutes. Can I come inside?”

Shetland stared at the pegasus. “Come in,” she muttered in a shaky breath, and the pegasus quickly found her way to the small table. Once seated, she cast a worried glance at Shetland, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. “So,” Magenta swallowed. “Are you… okay?”

Shetland grimaced.

“S-sorry,” Magenta stammered. “That was a stupid question. I- I came here as soon as I heard the news.”

With a deep breath, Shetland turned towards the Pegasus, half-tempted to just tell her to leave her alone. But words refused to leave her mouth, and instead she just stared at Magenta while a battle raged inside her mind. She licked her crusty lips again, and somehow, the one thought that found its way to her was a half-forgotten courtesy lesson. “Do you wan’ anything?”

“Uh,” Magenta blinked in surprise. “I guess a glass of water would be nice?”

Shetland nodded. Something concrete to do, something that would delay the inevitable conversation. She came to a halt, one hoof inside the kitchen, and it felt like she’d crossed a line. This was Toasty’s place. Shetland swallowed, but there was not a drop inside her mouth, and her eyes were drawn, pulled by invisible chains, towards he stove, the toaster, the empty spot, and she could see all the little leftovers of the one who had claimed this space. The plates, stacked in neat little towers, the biggest ones on the bottom and the smallest ones on top, the little stepladder Toasty used to reach the upper shelves, the tiny scratch marks wherever the robot brushed a little too hard over a surface. Shetland forced her eyes away. Staring safely at the wall, her breath was shallow as she glanced over to the bathroom. There was a sink in there, too-

Something warm brushed over her hoof. Shetland’s head shot up, and her hoof pushed a startled Magenta away. She froze in position momentarily as she surged back into the present and stared at the Pegasus, who was looking back at her with widened eyes. “You’re ice-cold,” Magenta eventually whispered tonelessly.

Shetland let out a grunt.

“You`re thinking about her? I- I’m so sorry. I knew her, too-”

“You’re speaking as if she’s already dead.” She tried to swallow again, but her throat was made out of sandpaper.

“N-no!” Magenta threw up her hooves. “I don’t think that, Shetland, not all hope is lost.” A light appeared in her eyes.”If Scalloway finds something in the data core of that hacked robot we captured-”

“IF he does,” Shetland pressed through her teeth. “But he didn’t spot anything wrong in Toasty, now did he? And it sounds like she…” Shetland shook her head, unable to say the words escaped on her own, as a thought crossed her mind. “How… how do you know of the hacking? I never told you of that.”

“Princess Twilight came out after Toa- after the hyenas disappeared,” Magenta awkwardly rubbed over her right foreleg.

“And did she tell you what we’re going to do about it?” Shetland asked tensely.

“She only said that all the previous problems were caused by a hacker, capable of taking over the mind of a robot. She…” Magenta bit her lip, seemingly uncertain if she should continue. “She decided that we can’t frame all the robots for one criminal, but for all our safety, including theirs, we had to insist they stay in their dorms until the situation is settled-”

Shetland’s frown deepened as Magenta spoke. Robots were being locked away, treated like timebombs that could go off any moment, and it was the most logical choice. But nevertheless, frustration began to boil in her chest, the bitter aftertaste of defeat stinging in her mouth.

“Shetland-” Magenta began, but Shetland cut her off.

“No. They-” Shetland shook her head, hissing through her clenched teeth. She pressed a hoof to her face, closing her eyes.

Magenta rose up, but Shetland shook her head. “Leave me alone, Magenta.” She took a ragged breath. “Please.” Magenta’s look of resolve crumbled at the last word. Before she left, she squeezed her hoof against Shetland’s shoulder one last time.

Shetland let out a sigh as she heard the door closing, yet it wasn’t accompanied by a feeling of relief. She fought down a sudden urge to run after her. She’d wanted to be alone. With a huff, she turned back to the table, suddenly realising how parched she was. Hadn’t she drunk anything when she was in the shower? Did other ponies drink some of the falling water? Her hoof was already reaching out for the bottle, as she came to a halt. No, this wouldn’t be enough, she decided as she turned to the bathroom. She needed something stronger. Under the sink, she recovered her bottle of apple whiskey. The strong drink burned down her sore throat, yet instead of bringing pain, it seemed to oil the walls of her throat, smoothening the way for a second wave of alcohol. Her stomach felt like a fireball had found it’s nesting place inside it, and Shetland had to set the bottle down and gasp for cool air. With staggering steps, she slowly made her way back to a chair, knowing that once the intoxication began, she better not be on her hooves anymore. “Sweet Apple Whiskey”, she read quietly off the logo, right above the small Sweet Apple, Inc. sign. Of course it was from Equus, she figured. Horizon couldn’t even grow enough apples for regular eating, especially now that the robot workers were all locked away. Shetland clenched her teeth.

“In what sense could that ever be fair?” she loudly asked the cold room. The robots had done nothing to deserve this, none of them had. Even back in the Grinding Wars, they’d just been puppets, like they were right now. Would they, after this, be banned from Horizon as well? From Equestria altogether? And just because of some hacking bastard! Shetland slammed the bottle onto the table, luckily not hard enough to break it. It was made worse by the thought that this hacker seemingly had no real goal of his own, all he was doing was making things worse for everyone else, and what for? Who would have a reason to cause all this trouble? And who had the skills? All Shetland could say for sure was that it had to be a pony. Any robot would have stopped this… whatever it was, when it became clear it only made things so much worse for themselves.

Shetland let out a long hiss before placing the bottle back onto her mouth, yet her hoof was shaking, and it spilled a solid mouthful before she latched her lips on the opening. She wanted someone to fight, something she could openly struggle with. Instead, she was just sitting here, drinking her ass off, absolutely useless to everyone around her. In a fit of rage, she jumped up, her legs shooting out against a chair. The backrest snapped off on impact. It’s just like last time, isn’t it? she thought, her chest rising with each heavy breath. Robots are disappearing, our leads have vanished, Toasty is gone, they could strike again at any time. Toasty could be dead, and I’m not even coming to save her! A shiver went over her body. And it’s all because of my stupid decision to go out shooting a second time. I gambled her life away, and for what? Why didn’t I say no? Was that even Toasty, or was the manipulating bastard speaking through her? Why didn’t I suspect this?! Shetland covered her eyes under her foreleg. And then, her brain relentlessly continued, you could have stayed with her in the cell, and prevented her from leaving, why did you not demand that mom come to you instead, what were they gonna do? They couldn’t shoot you, and if they’d gotten close, you could have fought them off. If you’d done any of these things, you wouldn’t be in this mess!

“I tried!” Shetland pleaded with the empty room. “I-I tried my best.” But words echoed in the empty space, sounding as hollow as she felt. Shetland’s limbs shook as a sob broke out, tears staining her closed eyes and a powerful shudder took control of her spasming muscles. As her mind swirled, Shetland rose her hoof one more time, pressing the bottle to her lips. But nothing came. No taste, no whiskey, no forgetting. Shetland stared at the empty bottle, and it was like an ember had lit aflame her intoxicated mind. She threw the bottle against the wall, where it burst into a thousand shards. But Shetland wasn’t satisfied, a red haze colored everything she saw, and she let out a wild scream as she rampaged through the room. Soon it wasn’t just a broken bottle. She’d knocked over the table, kicked in the fridge door and threw everything that was in range of her hooves. Soon, the hyena carpet was stained in glass shards and the blood they drew from Shetland’s hooves as she stomped around the room in a wild rage. The sound of blood pumping in her ears drowned out the nervous questions of a concerned Voidmarine, and he was forced to retreat, right before a plate smashed against the door where his head had been poking through. Panting, Shetland stared at the shut door. Then she heard a rustling, and her eyes fell on a torn piece of paper, covered in spots of water and blood. She blinked, narrowing her eyes to see through the red haze. The heat drained from her veins in a heartbeat, as she recognized the words, which she herself had written:

Dear Ciloa,

Hi there… I’m so sorry It’s been a while, huh? A lot has happened since we last saw each other. First, you may be happy to hear that I survived. You and Press, it’s it’s hard without you two. I’ve been dealing with… stuff. Unfortunately we still haven’t caught the ones responsible, but I swear I will! There are a few hyenas here, Gann and Khunbish, who do their investigation. I know what you think, it’s obviously them, right? But things happened and I don’t know for sure after what happened with Toasty-

Damnit, I wrote myself into this… You remember Toasty, the robot who works at the Turing Tart? She’s here now and she-

Something attacked her and I don’t know what it was! I promised I’d protect her and I don’t have the faintest as to how! I guess that’s the reason-

Shetland whirled around, ignoring the shards that dug deeper into her hooves as she frantically stormed towards her desk. It stood crooked, since one metal side had a large dent, with the imprint of a hoof, but there was still a bottle of ink. Shetland stared down at the second half of her letter, rendered nearly unreadable by tears in the paper or drops of blood. With tears swelling in her eyes, she grabbed the pen in her mouth, half-forgotten sentences rushing through her brain.

Mom would know better than me

I hope you’re together, forever.

If I can keep Toasty safe, then it’ll all be okay, right? Then you won’t have to be disappointed with me.

Shetland screamed. Never before had she shouted like this. A scream of utter despair that drained her into complete emptiness. She slammed her forehead into the desk, and the tears began to flow. There was no more resistance, no more barrier as she sobbed, occasionally intercepting her frantic breathing with the weak utterance of a name. Press, Ciloa, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect her, I’m still weak, I’m helpless. I disappointed you.

“Shetland?” A startled voice came from the door. Shetland rose her head, pulling up her nose as she faced her mother. What must she look like, sobbing over a torn letter, amidst a room that has descended into chaos, with dozens of small gashes from which trickles of blood dripped to the ground. Twilight approached her, a small aura around her hooves that protected her from the shards, her eyes widening as she looked over her daughter. “Shetland, you’re bleeding! We need to get you to a doctor!”

But Shetland shook her head, staring down at the letter, horrified by the sight of her own tears damaging the writing further.

“I need to fix this!” Her voice sounded hysterical, and Twilight’s magic gripped the paper, gently lifting it from the table. Her expression changed as she read the first two words, to one full of, Shetland realized with surprise, understanding.

“Oh, Shetty,” Twilight whispered.

“Can you fix it?” Shetland swallowed, as she looked up into her mother’s eyes.

“We’ll both fix it.” The Alicorn spoke with certainty. She threw a look over her shoulder to a Voidmarine in the doorway. “Bring us a first aid kit!” she ordered harshly, before turning her attention back to Shetland. “You really miss them, don’t you.” She spoke the words as a fact, not as a question.

Uncomfortable this close to her reserved mother, Shetland swiped a foreleg over her face, drawing away her tears and snot. “Of course I do.”

“You never told me much about them.” Twilight heaved a sigh. “If I hadn’t been so stubborn, I could have gotten to know them myself.”

“They should have lived,” Shetland whispered, a glimmer of anger making her clench her teeth. “I should have saved them!”

“It’s not your fault, Shetty-”

“NO!” Shetland shouted, rising up, her bloodshot eyes burning into the alicorn’s. “You don’t understand!”

“But I do!” Twilight insisted. “Shetland, I lost many friends in my life, I-” She swallowed. “I must have lost hundreds in the Grinding Wars, and many thousands that I never got to know. Don’t you think I understand what’s going on in your head? The way you’re telling yourself every possible way you could have saved them?” She closed her eyes, taking a long breath. “I understand how you feel, I had the same happen to me.”

“But you didn’t do the same things I did.” Shetland breathed, staring at her reflection in Twilight’s eyes. She’d told herself to keep it a secret, she had no idea how her mother, or anyone would react. but none of that mattered in this moment. “I’m a murderer.”

“You’re a soldier-”

“Not that!” Shetland shouted, causing her mother to jerk away from her sudden outbreak. “You don’t know about Mellow.”

Her reflection disappeared as Twilight blinked, confusion spreading on her face. “Mellow? Who is that?”

“He’s a robot, I found him in the storage of the Esseless,” she said quietly, gauging Twilight’s widening eyes. She had never told her more than a rough outline of that day. “I thought I was certain to die,there wasn’t much more air to breathe in the ship after-” She took a sharp breath. “Ciloa died-”

“I know those parts!” Twilight intercepted. “The hyenas told me your story, you don’t have to repeat them.”

“Thank Celestia…” Shetland whispered. “So, you know how I took the enemy ship and flew to Horizon?”

Twilight nodded.

“Well… I knew the pirates must still be there, and it was just me and Mellow against all of them, and-” she swallowed, her voice becoming so quiet that her mother had to lean closer to understand her. “He could have stayed behind, he didn’t need air, he could have waited to be rescued! Instead, he chose to risk his life to help me.”

“Shetland, that was his choice, it’s not your fault,” Twilight whispered gently, but Shetland’s look darkened.

“I murdered him.” She took a ragged breath. “Our ship had so many explosives… and I put them on the pirate's ship, as a plan B, because…” She wrung her hooves. “Because I told him he should draw their attention to himself, while he was in a good position inside the ship, and that I would come with reinforcements to save him. But in case that didn’t work, I had all these explosives and… and I didn’t tell him about it.” She lowered her eyes, unable to bear the look her mother would give her. Fixated on her own hooves, she took a deep breath, her lips shivering, as if fighting against her as she forced them to form the words. “And then… without warning him… as soon as I made it to the hostages, I-I blew up the ship.”

There was a moment of silence, during which only their breath could be heard. “S-Shetty,” Twilight began. “You made a backup plan, and when it became necessary-”

“Was it necessary?” Shetland shouted. “I had freed the colonists, there were a few guns from the hyenas, we could have fought our way back. The hyenas were pushing into the ship, if we had appeared behind them, they would have been stuck between us! But I- I knew that if I pressed the button, blew up the ship, the hyenas would run… I knew it would be over if I pressed the button, and… and killed Mellow.” She bit her lip as tears once again filled her eyes. “So- now you know. Now you know what a terrible pony I am. And… and I thought, if I could protect Toasty, I could somehow make it up, I could think of my friends and not feel like I’m the biggest, nastiest disappointment!”

A warm feeling blanketed her shoulders, and as she opened her eyes, she saw only specks of light shine through a wall of feathers. “I don’t know whether your choices were necessary,” Twilight whispered. “I wasn’t there and only you can judge that. But I saw the way you looked out for Toasty, I know what you did for her. You did everything you could, and your friends should be proud of you, wherever they are.”

Shetland’s lip quivered at those words, those words she desperately wanted to hear, just from the mouth of somepony else… Her face pressed against the soft, purple chest, and Twilight’s sympathetic heartbeat filled her ears. “I just wish I could see them again,” she whispered. “Just one time and… and explain everything!”

She hadn’t expected an answer. At best, she thought Twilight would give her a sad glance. But instead, she released the earth pony from her hug and looked right into her eyes. “There… might be a way.”

Shetland’s jaw dropped. “You- how?” But Twilight raised a hoof defensively.

“Don’t expect too much off of it, Shetty… but first,” she said, looking concernedly at Shetland’s legs. “I’ll have to patch you up.”

-----

Shetland cried out as Twilight yanked a shard out of her hindleg. It was like she only felt the myriad of cuts now, as her mother tore out the chunks of glass, reopening the way for more blood to trickle out of her body. After a moment, a thick salve spread on the wound, and Shetland had to press her teeth together to not scream again at the burning sensation. Then, she took a deep, panting breath while Twilight wrapped a large bandage roll around her hooves.

“All done,” The Alicorn whispered and snapped the first aid kit shut. “You didn’t lose a critical amount of blood, but you should really take it easy for the next few days-” She broke off as she saw Shetland’s grimace.

“I want to speak with my friends,” Shetland whispered, even her dark glare not enough to banish the longing out of her voice.

“You can’t… speak.” Twilight whispered, fidgeting her hooves. “Rather…” She shook her head. “I’ll show you.” She disappeared, only to teleport back inside the room a few seconds later. In her magical grasp, she was holding a thick candle, about as long as one of Shetland’s hooves. It had clearly been used many times however, as a thick ring of wax around the base showed. “This,” Twilight began to quietly explain. “Is a dragonfire candle. It’s… It’s one of the things I have left of your oldest brother, Spike.”

“The dragon?” Shetland whispered in awe.

Twilight nodded sadly. “I wish you could have gotten to know him.” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before she refocused. “This candle is imbued with the magic of his fire. It can deliver objects to anyone you wish.”

“You mean…” Shetland’s eyes widened. “This thing, it can deliver my letter? To Press and Ciloa?”

“I would like to believe so,” was Twilight’s quiet reply. “They cannot write back, but… I think there may be a good chance they can receive your letters, wherever they are.”

Shetland looked up, into her mother’s eyes. “And… and you’re okay with me using it?”

“There are many messages left in this candle. I can handle letting you have it for a a few moments.” Twilight claimed, but her smile was strained, and her eyes measured the candle’s length with a sadness that, for a brief second, made Shetland consider to simply refuse.

“Mom?” she muttered after a little while.

“Yes, Shetty?”

Shetland’s lip quivered, and she grabbed the Alicorn’s shoulders, squeezing her in a tight embrace. “You’re the best.”

Twilight could only pat her back, too stunned, or maybe too moved, to say a word.

----

The green light flickered atop the candle, dissolving wax as it ate on the lifeline of the dragon’s memento.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked.

Shetland opened her letter. She had a guilty feeling in her stomach, as she was wasting seconds of her mother’s valuable candle, but she had to re-read it one last time, to make sure nothing was missing. She took a deep breath. “I am ready.” Then she held the letter into the flame, watching as it crumbled and lines of green magic whisked it away, hopefully into the great void where Press and Ciloa were waiting. As she watched, she felt tears enter her eyes, but they weren’t forceful. They didn’t come unbidden. And, as she watched, she leaned against her mother, embraced by her wings, and mourned her friends.

Comments

[Skulljack17]

Failure is a bitter pill to swallow. Yet one must not let the dead drag them down. They are to be remembered, honored, but it would sadden those that have passed to know that they are holding their loved ones back. These are hard things to realize of course...so we do what we can to press on while we are able.

Damn good story mate, got me tearing up here. Must be all the onions. Yeah, totally.