Void Trials 2: Horizon

by Obsi

The Iron Damsel

With a startled shout, Shetland whirled around in the utter darkness. Her armored hooves clanked loudly against the floor as she caught herself from stumbling. “Lights on!” she shouted into her helmet, shrill and hysterical, shaking from her rapidly beating heart. There was another shot, then a scream, then a volley of gunfire followed by more screaming, this time closer. Her mouth dried up as she reflexively reached for the gun at her side. Sweat break out over her back as she gripped the weapon's handle like a lifeline.

My room, she thought desperately. Crust would be stationed there, they could hole up in a defensive position. She took a shivering breath, then she clutched her gun tighter as she clenched her teeth. “No!” she shouted, taking a heavy breath as she stomped her hoof at the glass, right where her reflection had been, causing pain to rush through her limb. Shetland turned, facing the direction the growing sounds of battle came from. Hiding was not a choice! Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead and she had to lick over her dry lips before she was able to take a step. The sounds of fire had picked up and now there was screaming, barked orders, volleys of fire, and a loud sound of splintering glass not too far away. Shetland let out a scream, emptying her lungs in a roar, giving her the courage to move on, to charge towards battle. Her hooves pounded the ground, yet unable to match the speed of her cramped heart. Then, as she ran into a crossing, she glimpsed her first sight of the enemy

Five or six robots stood in the tunnel, engaged in a brutal fight with a group of lightly-armored ponies. Several of the ponies had been driven back, unable to use their guns in the darkness, and were now desperately holding off against an assortment of sharp and blunt weapons. Shetland froze at the sight, straight out of her frequent nightmares, her grip around her gun loosening. These robots were not soulless drones, they were real, they had personalities and lives of their own! But as one them turned to her and raised a rifle, her brute instincts took over. Her heavy pistol whipped up, one shot slamming into the robot’s right hoof, shattering the chassis. The next broke through its chest, throwing it back with a static screech. Others turned to the new threat, readying their weapons. But Shetland launched herself forwards, crossing the meagre distance in an instant, a few shots absorbed by her armor before she slammed her helmet into the first enemy, sending it tumbling back. A quick kick to the chest launched the other robot into the wall, it's visor cracking on impact.

Shetland brought up her pistol again, aiming right at the fallen bot’s head. “BACK OFF!” she shouted furiously. From behind her came a click and startled screams. Shetland whirled around to see one of the militia ponies in a headlock, while the robot with the shattered leg, sparks fizzling and crackling, pointed it's rifle at him. Shetland hissed, stepping away from the encircling robots, her gun never moving from the fallen enemy as she slowly joined the group of militia-ponies. Meanwhile, the robots backed away, dragging the pony’s body towards the breached exit. Then, with a sudden jump, the last robot leaped outside, leaving the wounded pony on the ground.

The militia cheered, even if several shouts ended in pained groaning. A quick look told Shetland that more than half were not in fighting shape. While most cuts were superficial, three ponies out of the seven were holding large bruises, some of which might be broken bones, probably inflicted by the large wrench she’d seen.

Shetland slammed the emergency exit shut, knowing she couldn’t lock it completely. “Get your wounded to the hospital. Those who can fight protect them on the way!” she briskly ordered the closest pony.

The victorious relief of the pony fell into horror. “B-by ourselves?” he asked, aghast. “W-where are you going? What if we’re attacked?!”

“Welcome to war! That’s what you signed up for,” she glared down at his horrified expression. “Now go!” she barked, sending them into motion, giving them one last glance before she departed. There is no easy way to learn war, she told herself. Then she banned every thought of the group from her mind.

The sounds of fighting drew ever closer with each tunnel she crossed. Civilian ponies fled in the other direction, forcing her to push through the headless masses. She tried to ask where the enemy was, who was attacking, if anypony had seen a small, green-eyed robot, but their ears had gone deaf with panic, their screams for help drowning out any answer. With a grunt, she shoved a pony out of the way as a Voidmarine stumbled into a crossing, assaulted by a pair of robots. With practised swiftness, the marine pulled up a short rifle, shooting a dart at one of his assailants. It stumbled, visor flashing as it fell to the ground, limbs twitching with static electricity. But the other robot swung what seemed to be a spade, impacting on the marine’s helmet with a sickening crunch, breaking glass. The pony’s head snapped around as he fell to the ground, his weapon dropping out of his hooves. The startled screams of the colonists filled Shetland’s ears, just as she freed herself from the crowd. The robot’s head snapped up, it's eyelights shrinking at the oncoming attack before it snatched one of the fallen weapons and scurried away like a rat.

Shetland slid to a halt at the fallen Voidmarine. She shot a cautious glance after the fleeing robot, then poked her ally. The marine gasped, heaving a large breath before convulsing.

“Are you okay?” Shetland asked worriedly.

“My head- I- feel-” he gagged with each word, moving his forehooves to his helmet. Shetland looked away as he made the unmistakable sounds of vomiting into his helmet. It took almost a minute before his gagging quieted down. “Concussion- must have-” he shook his head, groaning.

“Where are they coming from?” Shetland asked hurriedly.

“Outside,” he gasped, holding his head. “Need to- get to the dorms.”

“They’re attacking the dorms?”

“Charging station, all the ponies and robots-” he gasped for breath, making an effort to get up on his wobbly hooves. “Have to go!”

“Charging station,” Shetland grit her teeth. “Then some of those must be hacked too, or they’re planning to do it. Stand back,” she ordered the Voidmarine. “Bring the civilians to the hospital, there should already be guards there. I’m catching up with the front line.”

The shaky marine nearly fell as he tried to salute, but Shetland was already on her way.

The entrance to the dorm had become a war zone. Numerous robots pushed their way into the room, laying down suppressive fire against the Voidmarines in cover. Here, every robot had firearms. They must have concentrated all their strength into this attack. The ponies were far from giving up, however. Several pieces of furniture had been hurriedly gathered as cover, and they bravely rose out of hiding to catch a robot with a shock dart, relying on their armor and magic shields to protect them from return-fire. Shetland stumbled into the room just as a captain, made apparent by the yellow and blue stripes on his helmet, ordered a simultaneous volley. A group of robots that had attempted to gain ground dove away from the combined fire, but three fell, their bodies shaking as their non-vital systems were fried. The attackers’ attempted push ceased as they dragged their fallen back into the tunnels they’d come from. The marines then fell back into cover, preparing to repeat the maneuver. Shetland slid behind an upturned bed, next to a marine. “I’m the reinforcements,” she gasped between breaths and dared to peek over her cover. There must have been at least two dozen more bots, but another one fell as she looked. A moment later, she was forced to duck back down. “Have you seen a small robot? White body, green eyes?”

The soldier at her side gave her a baffled look under his visor. “I’m trying to shoot these tin-asses, not draw a picture!” He looked over her clutched weapon. “Where’s your shocker?”

“Don’t have one.”

He cursed. “Then watch out, we ain’t got clearance to kill yet!” And with that, he got up to join in another synced volley.

Bullets whizzed past, and yet Shetland felt a bit of relief. If Toasty was among the attackers, there was still a good chance she would be captured, not killed. She hurriedly glanced at the battle. Some of the marines had been wounded, but it didn’t seem like any of them had been knocked out of the fight yet.

“ADVANCE!” The captain shouted, and Shetland looked over her cover to see the robots retreat from their positions. Shetland pushed the bed over, running up to the enemy’s former hold, heart hammering in her throat. Suppressive fire slammed into her armor, rapidly depleting the magic shields as she made a mad dash for the side of the tunnel entrance. Warning messages flared at the corner of her view as she ran into the wall, barely catching herself from the rebounce. She swallowed, looking back at the other marines a bit further behind as she calmed her rapid breath. Her shields were gone. She confirmed the flashing message with a wink, making it disappear from her interface. Most others had safely arrived in their positions, except for one, who was pulled away by a comrade while clutching a bleeding spot in his abdomen.

But the robots were now forced to either retreat further or try to hold a position without any cover, where the marine’s precise fire would cut them down in droves. Meanwhile, the difference in armament became apparent. The robots fell no matter where a shock-dart hit, even if it was a hoof or got entangled in their mane, while the pony’s superior armor shrugged off any but the most well-placed shots. Over and over, the Voidmarines advanced, pushing the attackers out of one tunnel, then the next. It was only when they arrived at the large hole inside of the third segment, that their attack was halted. The robots fled out into the open, but an attempted pursuit was stopped as a hail of gunfire flew from the top of the saloon across from the breach.

“TAKE POSITIONS!” The captain shouted. “I want soldiers on both sides of the hole!” Shetland swallowed, cursing to herself before she leapt forward, across the gap as gunfire just narrowly missed her. Gasping, she leaned against the glass wall, staring at the enemy’s position. At this distance, any dart weapon would be a crapshoot, but many of the robots’ small arms would also be ineffective. Unless they have stronger weapons!

“Everypony, check your weapons. I want two unicorns on lookout, deflect anything that might be dangerous.” The commander ordered, having shared the same line of thought. Shetland tried to get a look at the attackers, but the stained glass barely let her see the robots at all, let alone tell them apart.

She whirled around at the sound of clanking steps, but no robots were trying to outflank them. Gasping, she welcomed the sight of reinforcements, five more marines, carrying a trailer full of what looked like tall, metal frames, with two sharp spikes at the bottom edges. Shetland grinned as she took one off the cart, as big as her chest and a little wider. The others were passed to groups of two.

“I want a slow advance!” The leader commanded. “No crazy actions here. Dewdrop, Huckleberry, you stay back, disable any explosives they might throw. Everyone else, prepare yourselves. Non-lethal takedowns.” A round of clicking noises came from every Voidmarine checking their dartguns, then saluting to show they were ready.

“Three groups in the first wave. Advance straight. Everypony follow on my command. When we get close, fan out and encircle.” He gave each soldier a brief look, before raising his hoof. “NOW MAKE THESE TINCANS REGRET THEIR SORRY ASSES WERE EVER BUILT!”

The first wave leapt out into the open, and was nearly instantly met with fire from the waiting robots. Undeterred, they rammed the metal frames into the ground. Violets lights appeared between the metal bars, as the Twilight shields repelled any incoming bullets. The barrage ceased, robots ducking behind the Horse Horizon sign as projected spears of light shot from the unicorns’ horns, illuminating the night sky and allowing the marines to return fire. Shetland couldn’t see whether they got a hit.

“SECOND WAVE, PREPARE!” The command cut into Shetland’s thoughts, and she grabbed her own frame, hoping it was big enough to completely shield her from a robot sitting on the roof. I may have to cower…

Taking a deep breath, she shot one look to the commander, who had raised his hoof like a track coach at the starting line for a sprint. She licked over her lips, suddenly realising just how dry her throat had become. Her head was already turning back towards the goal, as she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She whirled back, just as a voice shouted her name, a voice she would have never thought could be here.

Out from the retaken tunnel burst a small canine body, paws rapidly beating on the ground as his gaze fixated on her. “Sparkle!”, he shouted, dashing straight towards her, only narrowly avoiding several bullets as he crossed the breach.

“YOU!” She couldn’t believe it. Gan, here, right now? What was he doing here, how did he come back, what was going on?! Her hoof came crashing down on him, easily picking him up by his neck, but he didn’t cease his struggling, instead kicking out against her grip. "THEY COME!" he shouted in her face.

“Who-” But then the first robot rounded the corner. With a sharp breath, she dropped the hyena. “WATCH OUT!” she screamed, but her warning came too late as a wave of robots came rushing into the tunnel, brutally slamming into the closest marines, knocking them down as they attempted to get back up, or just running over their fallen bodies. Few marines managed to react in time, but their hasty shots had little effect on the horde washing over them. Shetland dropped Gan, hastily reaching for her own gun as the robots rapidly closed the distance. Two shots flew into the avalanche before she dropped her weapon and took a wide stance, preparing herself for the impact. It came like the brunt force of a tidal wave, nearly carrying her off her hooves. Wheezing, she stemmed against the overwhelming force, but her hooves slid over the ground causing her to fall, loudly crashing into the floor, knocking the air out of her lungs. The robots clambered over her fallen body, like savage animals intent only for their chosen prey. Shetland grabbed a random hoof and pulled the robot back, looking up just enough to see Gan deftly avoid the first assault, just to be overwhelmed by the sheer mass of his attackers. She saw a robot rushing forward, a gleam reflecting off the edge of a sharp knife.

“No, No!” Shetland roared, shaking off the robot climbing over her as she swiped with her hoof, knocking away the hind legs of two further robots. She felt some grip her tail to hold her back, but in her rage, it wasn’t even close to enough. Her hooves kicked out, impacting on her foe with a sickening crunch. She screamed at the few remaining robots holding down Gan, a maddening rage turning each of her thoughts into a scream for violence. She had him now, and no-one would take away what he knew! Time seemed to slow down, as the robot with the knife raised its hoof. Shetland launched forward. A split-second before the impact, the robot’s head turned, it’s eyelights widening, then she crashed into a world of carnage.

None of the robots could stand up to her, their blows bouncing off her armor while she threw their bodies against the walls, each move accompanied by a deafening outcry. Suddenly, another robot dropped after convulsing for a full second, and Gan emerged from behind it, raising his shocktalon in a quick greeting before charging to Shetland’s side to repulse the few remaining robots. That was too much. Nearly as quickly as it had started, the assault ended, as the robots scrambled to their hooves as fast as their limbs could carry them. “COWARDS!” Shetland’s shout thundered after them as they fled out of the breach, leaving behind the dazed, but undefeated marines. One screamed order caused the fallen to leap up, shooting their darts into the backs of the fleeing machines, catching nearly a whole dozen before they reached the safety of the holed-up saloon.

“ADVANCE! NOW!” The commander screamed, and the marines shouted for revenge as they charged under the cover of their Twilight shields. Shetland nearly joined in, but the panting at her side kept her in place.

“You!” she hissed, the sharpness of her voice only broken by her gasp for air. Gan looked up at her, a glint of fear in his eyes. Before he could react, she grabbed his paw, yanking it upwards, forcing him to balance precariously on his hindlegs.

<I-I will talk!> he shouted, his voice breaking as his widened eyes met her glare. <I promise!>

“You better!” Shetland roared. Despite the raging fire in her chest, she glanced past the hyena. The Voidmarines were slowly advancing behind their shield frames, but at any moment, they would reach the shockgun’s effective range, and then, Shetland knew, it would come down to a full-on assault. With clenched teeth, she returned her glare to the squirming hyena, who was trying to get a hold on the ground. She placed her other forehoof on his shoulder. “Don’t move.” she ordered coldly.

“O-of course, I-” Gan screamed as Shetland tore on his leg, causing the limb to snap out of its joint with a shiver-inducing pop. He dropped to the ground, drawing agonized breaths, eyes bulging out of their sockets as his other paw reach for his dislocated leg. Shetland watched him for a brief second, before turning to the scene of battle. She swallowed, feeling the the ache of her dry gums as she grabbed her metal frame tightly. After one final breath, she charged into the open, her hooves pounding on the ground as she ran as fast as she could, not daring to breathe as she anticipated volley after volley of gunfire to pound into her. She drove the frame into the ground and ignited the magical barrier, before a frown formed on her face. She peeked over her shield’s edge, up at the saloon’s roof, lit up by the unicorn’s projected light. It was abandoned, the only sign of the occupation being a few bullet marks.

“Back off,” The captain ordered, his voice tense. “They’re gonna try something any moment, spread out, long firing line! Huckleberry, keep your barrier up-”

The door to Horse Horizon flew open. A robot charged outside, carrying something large in its gallop, which it flung with the momentum of its charge, a split-second before several shockdarts made it fall to the ground. Shetland ducked her head, but the unicorn’s horn flared up, projecting a thin, bluish aura where the object hit- and then exploded in a giant mass of white fog, almost like crumbled nutrient chalk. Two more of the missiles impacted on the shield, covering its entire length in a cloud of dust, making it impossible to make out anything past the barrier. Shots whizzed through the air, some hitting Shetland’s shield, most going in wild directions.

“HUCKLEBERRY!” the captain’s voice resounded over the soldier’s confused shouts. “SWIPE AWAY THAT CLOUD!”

The unicorn nodded, and, shaping his shield like an enormous shovel, began to shove the fog out of the way, exposing the robots’ backs as they fled the saloon, some running backwards while giving off wild shots in their directions.

“They’re fleeing!” A Voidmarine called out. “Catch them!”

“Belay that order!” the captain shouted. “Fall back.”

“Sir, w-we can catch the enemy right now-”

“We dislodged them from their position. They’re no longer an immediate danger. Now, we must make sure there’s no-one left in the colony, sabotaging our water or air supply. Now, fall back, Private, or I will have you court-martialed!”

“Y-yes, sir!” The marine exclaimed.

Shetland stared after the robots, a lurching feeling of weight in her stomach. She hadn’t been able to confirm whether Toasty had been a part of this… maybe she was running with that group right now, putting more and more distance between them.

Like it came from a far away place, she could hear voices tug at her consciousness. “Huckleberry, take two soldiers and watch that group. Message us immediately if it looks like they might turn back. Somepony will get a pegasus to join your group shortly.” he paused, seemingly requiring a moment to gather his thoughts. “And watch the saloon. Do not enter, we can’t be sure they haven’t hidden any nasty surprises. Sacks of flour as smoke-bombs… clever bastards.”

Shetland stood up, finally feeling her hysterical heart begin to slow down. The situation seemed to be under control. She licked over her lips. Now it was time to get a certain hyena to either loosen his tongue, or lose it. A glance confirmed he was still where she’d left him, holding his shoulder and breathing through sharp, doggish teeth.

“They not come back,” he spoke, his voice strained by the effort not to yelp. “Have what they want.”

“And what was that?”

“The others.” He drew a sharp breath. “Please, I talk, but fix leg.”

Her eyes trailed over the swelling shoulder. “I’m not a doctor.” she said, her gaze hardening.

<It wanted the other robots!> Gan exclaimed in his language.

“Why? And who is it?” Shetland stomped her hoof impatiently. “Come on, you ragged dog, tell me!”

<I will tell you when you bring me to your princess.> he glared into her eyes, exposing his teeth.

Shetland took a long, cool breath. It was like a drop of water in an active volcano. “You want to see mom? Fine.” she pressed through her clenched teeth, roughly grabbing his other foreleg, yanking him forward. “But even if she puts your leg back in, remember that I can pull it right back out again.”

<Y-yes.> he muttered, struggling to follow her pace on his three legs as the colony’s lights, one by one, began to blink back on.

---

It seemed most of the civilians had gathered in the cafeteria, since the hospital was simply too small to contain them all. Chairs and tables had been pushed aside to allow the mass of ponies to sit in place, angstily awaiting further news. Shetland bit her lip, the sight reminding her of the captured hostages back in the raid… it seemed like yesterday. With a shake of her head, she pulled Gan forward, forcing him to enter the kitchen where her mother and several marines had gathered.

“Captain Spitball, report.” Twilight spoke over a transmitter, while another marine took note of every word.

“We have defended a breach in tunnel C-13, your highness. The enemy has tried to push into our dorms, presumably to kidnap the robots we were holding in the charging station. We held their first assault and forced them back out, but an unaccounted element has let the robots out. They were all hacked, your highness. Swarmed my soldiers from behind.”

“Any casualties?” Twilight swallowed, yet she hid her feelings behind a stoic mask.

“Four are wounded. Two of them suffer from concussions and I recommend at least two weeks of recovery before placing them back on active duty.”

“So, nopony has died?” Twilight asked, unable to mask her relief at the news. “What about the robots?”

“We have refrained from applying lethal force as you wished. Still, the enemy has not been able to retreat twelve robots, four of which have been damaged during the battle. They have shut down, but I do not believe they are dead. I have refrained from persecuting the fleeing robots, assuming it more important to reinforce our vital systems.”

“You have chosen as I expected from you. With our communications jammed, you had to assume the worst.” Twilight nodded. “However, me and Princess Luna had the situation under control. She is now on her way to warn and reinforce Coltville, in case the robots attack there as well.” She rubbed her forehead. “This was not a strike meant to destroy us. None have gone for our vital system, and only one pony of the militia has been put in critical condition.”

“Your highness.” One of the marines interjected. “It is not because they haven’t tried, it was mostly our superior equipment-”

“Still,” Twilight cut him off. “The robots may have stolen several valuable guns and increased their number overall, but it was a costly endeavour. It is so unlike every other move before to lose so much and gain so little.”

“Maybe he can answer this question.” Shetland spoke loudly. Every other pony turned to her, and the surprised look on Twilight’s face confirmed that she hadn’t even noticed her arrival. “Look what I brought you.” And with that, she held up Gan by his neck, drawing surprised gasps from the small crowd.

Twilight blinked, her eyes racing over the hyena. “He looks hurt.” Her magic seized his body, a wave of bright purple rolling over him. Suddenly, Gan screamed in pain as it condensed around his shoulder, forcing his joint back into it’s socket with a loud pop. Shetland grit her teeth while Gan’s eyes darted over the gathered marines.

“Leave us alone.” Twilight ordered the soldiers. “Go back to your troops and prepare them in case of another attack.”

<There won’t be.> Gan grimaced and carefully moved his limb as the marines left the room, muttering to themselves and shooting him suspecting glares.

“It does not hurt to be on guard.” Twilight said as she shut the door, leaving only Shetland, Gan and herself. <Now, first, I want to know why you are alone? Where is Khunbish? And why did you arrive during an attack on our colony?>

<Khunbish did not agree with my decision to come here. I came to try and warn you of the attack, but I was not fast enough and had to hide, they would have killed me if I was discovered.>

Shetland nodded, vividly remembering the small group of robots that had split up and attacked them, and the way they had completely ignored her in their attempt to kill him.

<Then where were you?> Twilight asked. <Where have you disappeared to?>

<Our wrecked ship. Khunbish stole a small air generator from our room and installed it in the remains. With a few repairs, we could create a sealed atmosphere.>

Twilight frowned. <That sort of technical knowhow does not sound like a crime investigator.>

He closed his eyes. <Khunbish... is one of the most brilliant computer scientists in the empire. I came along to balance her lack of social skills.>

<A computer scientist?> Shetland raised an eyebrow. <So, all that hacking, was that her?>

<No!> Gan exclaimed. <It was not us, we were chasing- we-> He bit his lip. <I am about to reveal national secrets of the empire to you.>

<If you think I’ll pity you and let you keep your secrets, forget about it!> Shetland snarled. <I’ve had it with secrets. TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON!>

<Who is it that can hack not one, but nearly seventy robots at once?> Twilight asked, calmer, yet her voice was filled with an unforgiving cold as opposed to Shetland’s rage.

Gan took a shaky breath. <Khunbish was part of a secret group, researching the programming of the Hiroshimarean AI.>

“Impossible!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes widening as she defaulted back to Equish. “We destroyed it, we scoured the country for everything capable of holding data.”

<At the time, the Great Khan had ordered to retrieve a backup.> Gan admitted, his voice carefully even, as if he was afraid to show his own opinion on the matter. <Then he ordered to study it for the last century, looking for ways to combat this sort of presence.> He grit his teeth. <but three months ago, it managed to convince a scientist to steal it’s data core, no doubt for a huge bribe, and the next thing we knew, two spaceships fell into the paws of criminals.>

Shetland swallowed. <So… that’s what that attack was? It tried to take over the colony?>

<Maybe,> Gan sucked a breath through his teeth. <Judging from the records, we believe the criminal leader had some idea of the monster it had made a deal with, and began killing the robots inside your spaceport after sending his fighting drones off to catch the approaching ship. But it seems the AI has successfully hidden its core somewhere in your systems.> He paused, his eyes darting around, unwilling to meet either of theirs. <The Great Khan did not want anyone to know of this secret, even less now that it has escaped us. So he sent us to pose as investigators, while our real mission was to find and eliminate the AI in secret. Unfortunately,> he grimaced. <It is very smart.>

“Are you telling me,” Shetland snarled, too angry to bother with his language. “That you could have ended this at any moment if you had told us?!”

<Y-yes,> Gan admitted, staring at the ground. <I wanted to tell you for a while, but Khunbish was adamant that we had to fulfill our mission to the letter. But when I saw the robots emerge from the power station, I knew we had to stand by our allies.>

<Fat load of help that was!> Shetland spat out.

<Shetland!> Twilight warned her, her eyes blazing at Gan. <Did you say the power station? We haven’t been able to contact it since the power outage, but->

<It has fallen.> Gan confirmed. <quietly. More than a full day ago at least.>

Twilight held up a hoof. <But hold on, why we are receiving power from the station right now? Why isn’t it starving us out?>

Shetland’s eyes widened. “It’s desperate.” she whispered, her eyes widening as the realization came upon her. A chuckle began in her throat, drawing her mother’s confused look. “Mom, think how that fight just went. We got over a dozen of them and didn’t lose a single soldier! Doesn’t matter how smart it is, it’s outnumbered and outgunned. And we didn’t even use lethal weapons in that fight.” She shook her head. “And if it took the power away, it would force us to throw everything we have at it, and it knows it can’t take it!”

Twilight blinked. “And it was forced to attack because we could get the answers from the robot we captured at any moment-”

<And it couldn’t hide in the colony forever, because it knew me and Khunbish were looking for it.> Gan threw in.

“So it was forced to do a stupid attack, in the small hope it would gain enough to have a chance against us.” Shetland snorted. “Well, it didn’t.”

“Still,” Twilight frowned. “It would cost many lives to drive them out of a defensive position, even more so if it is desperate.” A haunted look appeared in her eyes. Shetland swallowed, knowing that look all too well. Twilight took a deep breath. “We may be able to minimize casualties or force a surrender if we had an overwhelming force. If we wait for reinforcements-”

“Mom!” Shetland blurted out. “Do you have any idea how long that could take? Preparing that kind of unit and measuring a course for the ship-”

“Could take up to two weeks, I know.” Twilight said, her forehead furrowing deeply.

“But the robots!” Shetland stomped her hoof. “Do you even know what could happen to them in that time? That would be long enough to reprogram them, to completely erase them!”

“It already could have done that.”

“And you’re about to leave that to chance?!” Shetland shouted.

“Shetty, if we have reinforcements, we would be able to do the entire operation with minimal casualties-”

“MINIMAL!” Shetland spat to the ground. “And what if there’s nothing left in the robots TO save?!”

“Shetland, I don’t want to take that risk either, but it is the best option-”

Gan took a shaky breath before raising his voice as he interjected. <T-the empire has prepared for this situation, Princess. A military unit is at the ready and could arrive in three to five days, if you gave us permission to land.>

“That’s still too long!” Shetland exclaimed.

“It…” Twilight swallowed, her eyes darting from Shetland to Gan. Slowly, they grew moist and she looked away. “Shetty, I- I must go with the plan that will save the most lives.”

Fires were imprisoned behind Shetland’s eyes as she glared at Twilight, her jaw under so much pressure it felt like it was going to break. “Great.” she whispered, surprising herself that she was still able to form words. “I guess we’re just gambling Toasty’s life away, aren’t we?”

“Shetty-”

But Shetland kicked the door open that the hinges screamed and without another word, she ran outside, fires burning in her throat. Some ponies recognized her, but she paid them no mind as she made her way towards her room.

--------------

The next day, the colony was in a state of contained hysteria. Princess Twilight ran from place to place, trying to manage everything at once while also calming everypony she came across. Constantly, Shetland walked past a group of civilians followed by a marine, as they completed emergency drills in a more or less orderly fashion. She paid it no mind as she stumbled into the cafeteria. The room was just as it should be, ponies eating, drinking, tired heads sinking on their plates. Nothing suggested the panic of yesterday, the crowds that had huddled here in fear. Shetland shook her head. She was parched, tired, but neither of these feeling were the reason she was here now. Her eyes skimmed over the tables, catching sight of a lone pegasus.

Magenta’s head hung barely above the steaming mug of coffee. The spoon in her mouth circled lazily in the fluid, submerging entirely as her mouth opened in a mighty yawn.

“Morning.” Shetland said as she took the chair next to the pegasus. Magenta looked up groggily, her bloodshot eyes widening as the earth pony removed her helmet.

“S-Shetland, y-you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shetland said with a shrug. “Didn’t get hurt.”

“O-of course you didn’t. Me neither, a marine told me to go to the cafeteria and that I’d be safe.” A shiver went through her body. “S-still, it was terrifying. It felt so much like last time, so… helpless.” She took a shaky breath.

Shetland followed her eyes, down to the large, shaking mug, and placed her hoof over Magenta’s. Still, her eyes were stuck on the coffee, licking her dry lips. No. She closed her eyes and shook off the thought. Concentrate! But as she opened her eyes, Magenta was holding the coffee towards her, it’s roasted scent welling right into her nostrils.

“Take a sip,” the pegasus offered with a concerned smile. “You don’t look like you’ve had any sleep, either.”

“Heh… you’d be right,” Shetland chuckled, greedily swallowing down the swill, ignoring it’s horrid taste as it moistened her throat and invigorated her spirits. As she put it down, it was empty to the last drop. “Sorry for that,” she apologized. “But you’re right, I haven’t been sleeping. And I need your help.”

The pegasus sat up. “What for?”

“Not here.” Shetland whispered, noting how her friend’s interest piqued. “Have you seen…” she paused, but there was no other candidate. “Have you seen Burning Crust?”

“Sure, just a few minutes ago.” Magenta nodded eagerly. “Do you need his help, too? Are you friends?”

“I dearly hope so,” Shetland sighed.

-------

Shetland trotted through the tunnels, while the pegasus and armored stallion nearly had to break into a gallop to keep pace.

“Will you tell me where we’re going?” Crust complained. “I need to be at drilling duty in ten minutes.”

“In a moment!” Shetland snapped. Then she opened the door to the mare’s toilet and pulled him inside, despite his complaints. She carefully opened each stall to make sure they were alone before she locked the door. “Now we can talk.”

“Great.” Crust crossed his forelegs. “Now would you explain why I’m in a place no stallion should ever be in except during a really wild party?”

Shetland took a deep breath. There would be no way to break it to them gently. “Because I need your help. I- I want to rescue Toasty.”

“WHAT?” Crust and Magenta exclaimed.

“Shetland,” The pegasus tried again as the larger mare’s features hardened. “I feel you, Toasty was a great friend to you, but are you seriously suggesting that we-”

“Pull off a three-pony attack against a hundred armed murder-machines?” Crust closed.

“They’re not murder machines!” Shetland stomped her hoof.

“They’re still armed. This is suicide!” Crust shouted.

“As we speak,” Shetland whispered, her voice shaking. “The AI of Hiroshimare is out in our power station, doing who-knows-what to every robots’ brains. If we wait for reinforcements like mom wants to, there’ll be nothing left of them to save!”

“H-Hiroshimare?” Magenta repeated, her wings forming a feathery shield before her hooves. “H-how? It was destroyed.”

“It’s here now.” Shetland gave both ponies a stern look. “I-” She took a deep breath, trying to sound as collected as she could. “I know this is asking too much of you… we could all easily die. But if we can sneak in, find it's data core and trash it, we could end it all in one quick strike!”

Crust’s face lit up. “Like the controlling core of drones!”

“Shetland, that works for drones!” Magenta argued. “But those robots… I don’t know if they would be free after that.”

“Then we could still take the core hostage and force it to surrender.” Shetland said, refusing to let the feeling of energy just go away. “I think we can do it, but I need you both.” She took a deep breath, lowering herself down to the pegasus’s eye level, letting her see every crevice that hope and desperation forged in her expression. “We can’t do it without you, Magna.”

Magenta’s hoof flew to her mouth, a squeak escaping her throat. “You- my name!” She hastily gasped for air. “B-but I’m not a fighter, I can’t even properly use a gun.”

“I know.” Shetland whispered. “There will be fighting, but I need you for different reasons. Can you trust me?”

“W-well…” Magenta drew a long, shaky breath. “I trust you. A-And I want Toasty back, too, she’s a great friend, and fun and- and I owe you. And I owe my sister, too.”

Shetland swallowed, remembering the pegasus that had once charged a gun-wielding hyena by her lonesome, just from the hope that she, Shetland, would be able to use the distraction… she wanted to speak up, but her throat was blocked off. Instead, she just placed a hoof on Magenta’s shoulder. Then, suddenly overtaken by a wave of emotion, she pulled the pegasus into a hug, startling her out of a moment of grief as she was squeezed against the smooth, hard plates of Shetland’s armor.

“S-Shetland!” Magenta gasped.

“Thank you.” The earth pony whispered, loosening the embrace a little so Magenta could breathe. “Just… thank you, Magna.”

“Oh, you did this for so long that it’s weird to hear my real name from you.” She chuckled. “Call me Magenta.”

“Will do.” Shetland said with a ghost of a smirk. Her eyes drifted to Crust.

The stallion rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I do like your ditzy lil’ robot. She’s kinda funny, and upbeat. Plus, I didn’t stop ‘em when they put her in prison, and letting her escape-” He threw Shetland a nervous look. “If I agree to go on your suicide mission, will you kill my spine?”

“HA!” Shetland exclaimed. “Only afterwards, punk, I need you to move those legs for me!”

“Ay, ay!” He saluted. “If it saves the colony, I’ll help you. Plus, someone’s gotta come to help save your iron maiden, eh?” he suggested with a wink.

Shetland gave him a nonplussed look, and the reality of their situation, of what she was actually planning, came crashing back down on her. “Alright.” she said soberly. “Magenta, we need the small sandtank.” She waved a protest away. “We need something with air that can haul us there with some equipment and possibly bring us back faster than they can chase. Crust, you need to get all the stuff we’ll need. You’ll carry it to the tank in about two hours.”

“And you?” He raised an eyebrow, not excited about the idea of carrying all their equipment.

“Well, it’s a long shot,” Shetland said, “But I’ll see if there’s one more I can recruit.”

-------

For a moment, Shetland was surprised to see the damage to the barracks door. Dents from bullets littered the surface, though the thick steel rendered any damage to it superficial. However, the box that used to scan everyone’s ID had been torn open, cables dangling. Plus, there seemed to be no lock or handle whatsoever. With a frown, Shetland knocked.

Shortly after, it produced a noise, like metal scraping on metal, before it swung open.

“Oh.” Twilight exclaimed in mild surprise. “Morning, Shetty.”

“Morning.” she whispered, throwing a glimpse past the alicorn. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all.” Twilight sighed, stepping out of the way so Shetland could follow her in. On the other side, the door now had curved handles bolted onto it, perfect for barricading with thick metal bars, which indeed laid on the wall right next to it. It seemed some of the damage had been caused by the colonists themselves, in order to prevent the AI from simply hacking it open. A Voidmarine rushed to close the door behind them, grabbing for a set of keys that clung to the side of her armor before smacking her own helmet with a hoof.

“We’ve had an unexpected visitor this morning.” Twilight said drily as she led her daughter against the lone occupied cell. “I was thinking about sending you a message, in fact. I thought you would have wanted to meet her again.”

Shetland’s eyes widened as she stared into the dimly-lit cell. Across from Gan, who took his incarceration with some amount of dignity, sat Khunbish, facing away from her companion.

“That’s indeed a surprise.” Shetland said, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the grouchy hyena. “So you finally decided to show your ugly face again?”

Khunbish bared her teeth, but showed no other sign of understanding. Instead, Gan answered for her. <Without me, her plans had no chance of success. And she would have been discovered eventually.>

<Quiet, traitor!> Khunbish snarled, glaring furiously at him, and for a moment Shetland expected her to throw herself at Gan, but he let out a low, dangerous growl, and she pulled her lips back over her fangs.

<Your plan was foolish, and would have left no option to let the ponies know of the danger if we died. I did the only honorable thing.>

<You betrayed your orders!>

<I serve the empire, Khunbish. It's honor is more important than the pride of one, even if that one is the Great Khan.> Gan’s voice was clear, yet spoken robotically, and Shetland got the distinct impression that he’d been repeating that sentence to himself for a long while now.

“Glad to know one of you is on our side.” Shetland said drily as Khunbish turned away.

<We owed you,> Gan whispered. <And I owed you for our deception. Please, let the empire help you rid yourselves of the wrongs we have burdened you with.>

“I may.” Twilight whispered as Shetland tensed. “The faster we can put an end to it, the better.” She frowned. “I need your people’s promise, however, that they will only capture our enemies. These robots are still our citizens.”

<I swear.> Gan said vigorously. <I know you do not think highly of us, but the empire still knows how to act honorably, even if some within it have forgotten.> He exchanged dirty looks with Khunbish.

“Then I should send the communication signal.” Twilight nodded. “Your people will get your chance. Depending on the answer, I will allow you to move into a more appropriate setting… under watch, of course.”

<This is more than I deserve, Princess.> Gan responded.

Twilight turned to leave, but as she reached the door, she halted. “Shetty?”

“I want to speak with Gan by myself.” Shetland spoke quickly, too quickly. But she managed to avoid biting her lip as her mother gave her a strange look. “I just want to know the details. And--” she paused. “Maybe vent a little bit, too.”

“Oh, Shetty,” Twilight’s lips curled into a hint of a smile. “I probably should stop you from shouting at foreign dignitaries, but I think he would be understanding of your emotions, plus,” she added, pausing for a moment as her shoulders shook in a sudden flash of laughter. “I really want to do the same. Sparktail, set up a camera, This, I will want to watch again when all this is finally dealt with.” With a final chuckle, she turned towards the door, but her saggy wings displayed as clearly as her limp mane just how tired she really was. Shetland rose her hoof, for a heartbeat convinced that she had to call after Twilight, tell her what she was planning to do, but the impulse faded and she hardened her heart as she closed the door. One hour until the agreed time. She leaned against the wall, forcing herself to stand still, breathe calmly. She barely spoke until the marine gave her a strange look, after which she forced out a few questions, though she didn’t care about the answers.

“You said you owed us,” she eventually asked, her eyes on the clock. Twenty minutes. “Did you mean yourself, personally?”

He nodded. <If I can help.>

“You may be able to-” Shetland said, but then her attention was drawn away as the door opened and a second Voidmarine stepped inside. She glanced at the clock. Twenty still, but then it ticked down as she watched. There was no guarantee that the others could stay out with the tank for even that long. But the pony didn’t seem intent on leaving: in fact, he removed part of his armor. Shetland grit her teeth, before placing her helmet back on.

“Ready to leave?” Sparktail asked as Shetland stepped between them.

“Something like that.” Shetland swallowed. Then, without a warning, her hindlegs shot out, connecting squarely with the armored pony’s side. The other marine gasped, his reaction not fast enough to act before Shetland was on him, clapping both armored hooves onto his ears. His eyes turned upwards, and his dazed body fell limply out of her grasp. Shetland whirled around, facing Sparktail, who struggled to back away, wheezing in an attempt to draw enough air into her lungs to raise an alarm. But she was caught in a corner, and Shetland was too large to evade in the small room. A quick shout came out of her helmet before a large hoof smashed into her armored muzzle, her scream becoming quiet and dull as the speaker in her helmet broke. “Sorry.” Shetland muttered, knowing she must have broken the Voidmarine’s nose, but there was no time for pity. With a swift shove, she pushed both marines into a free cell, locking it with the keys from Sparktail’s armor. A moment later, the cell of the hyenas swung open. “You mean it?” Shetland asked, the adrenaline and rapid heartbeat giving her voice a ferocious tone. “You owe me? Then come end this with me right now!”

Gan simply stared at her, his eyes wide open. <You- you just->

But there was no time. Shetland’s hoof shot forward, grabbing his paw in her iron grip. “Choose now! Come with me, and I’ll see your debt as even.”

It took another infuriating second for an answer, as he looked at her in a blank stare of disbelief and amazement. “You true Alpha.” he whispered, before he broke into a toothy grin. <I will take our honor back, I promise!>

With that, Shetland pulled him out of the cell, them locked the door again, shooting a glare at Khunbish, who had approached it on her own. But Khunbish only had eyes for Gan.

<and now you betray your new chosen allies too. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected more from a steppe-scrouncher.>

<I will fix the mess we caused, or die trying.> he rebutted. <This is what honor means!>

“COME NOW!” Shetland shouted at the open doors, and together they ran as fast as their legs allowed them. Ponies scattered in front of her, Voidmarines jumped aside, shouts following as they recognized Gan right behind her.

“HALT!” they shouted, and some even ran after the pair, but there was no stopping now as Shetland ripped the emergency exit open and ran towards the parked tank. Magenta and Crust sat on top, their eyes widening at the sight of the two running while several marines raced just behind, screaming threats of the top of their lungs, but too uncertain to use their weapons. At least, just yet.

“START THE ENGINE!” Shetland screamed, nearly threw Gan through the entrance to the driver’s area, then clambered on top of the vehicle herself. The motor kicked up, and the sandtank began to roll, rapidly gaining speed as it drove away, blinding the chasing marines with a cloud of dust.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was both a blast and a pain to write... I was so close to reaching the finale and I just wanted to get there!

AAAANYWAY, Keep your eyes up for the finale next week! Are you excited? I would be excited, but I wrote all this like a month ago, so I'm no longer excited, BUT I WAS EXCITED!

Comments

[Skulljack17]

"Oh no a hyena get in the sandtank!" Hmmm...nah, it doesn't have the right feel to it. Still, the suspense! And I had a feeling it was something like that with how things were playing out and the hints dropped here and there...damn good stuff!