Forgiveness
It stung. Like a needle felt dully through the flaring nerves in her eyeball, probing her skull for shreds of consciousness to bring to the light. A groan rolled off Shetland’s numb tongue as she tried to open her eyes to tiny slits, yet the normally-soft lights pierced into her right eye like flashing lightning. Shifting her weight, she suddenly grew aware of the tight, encasing feeling on her head, as well as her right foreleg. Bandages, Shetland figured, gently touching the wrapped limb under her blanket. I must be in the hospital… again. A noise reached her unbandaged ear, a soft snore, just as she noticed an unevenness in her mattress. Shetland bared the bright light, squinting her eye to make out the head of Twilight Sparkle, perched at the side of her bed, half sunken in a concave formed by her forelegs. “Mom?”
Twilight continued her slow, rhythmic breath, but it was another voice that quietly, but excitedly, answered.
“Shetland!” Magenta’s voice exclaimed, appearing a moment later in the earth pony’s vision.
“Magenta, you’re okay!” Shetland whispered, trying to raise herself up, only for her head to start spinning.
“Woah there,” Magenta warned. “You’ve been out cold for almost a whole day, you should take it slow.”
“Not the first time..” Shetland tried to grin, but it turned into a grimace as her face answered the stretched muscles with a sensation like being sprayed with acid. “Ow…”
“Told you so.” Magenta rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t move around too much,” She glanced at Twilight. “I don’t think she’s moved from this spot since you got here, she deserves some rest.”
“Surely to scold me,” Shetland joked, trying to find a way to grin without upsetting her wounds.
But Magenta’s lips didn’t even budge. “You should have seen her, Shetland, she was all- WE were all so worried.”
“Sorry,” Shetland muttered, glancing over to her mother, trying to imagine that serene face engraved with deep folds of worry and fear. She shook her head. “But it’s over now, right?”
“Yeah… I think it is.” Magenta nodded, a smile playing around her lips. “It’s kind of incredible, really.”
“Absolutely amazing, if you ask me.” A low voice whispered, its slightly off-putting pronunciation causing Shetland to shiver as she turned to a robotic visitor.
“Toasty,” she gasped, her lungs suddenly devoid of air to form words. “You’re… you’re fixed!”
Toasty nodded, casting cautious glances at the earth pony from underneath a renewed visor. “Right after I had been declared clean from the virus, Magenta took it upon herself to install new cameras into my visor, as well as replace the glass. She did a great job, though the only ears she had in store were of an older model,” said appendages squeaked on their hinges as they twitched, shortly before folding back again. She placed a hoof on the side of Shetland’s bed, yet her eyelights were dim, staring only at the ground. “Unfortunately, you cannot be repaired as easily as me.”
“It’s fine,” Shetland tried to reassure her friend, but her whole body convulsed as a shrug caused burning nails to pierce through her bandaged leg.
“Shetland!” Toasty exclaimed, reaching out her hooves, pushing Shetland back into her covers where she could slowly relax. “Do you need anything? Should I get the doctor?”
“No!” Shetland exclaimed, trying to sit up, but Toasty’s hooves pushed her back down. “Not the doctor…” she repeated. The second those showed up, they would send her visitors away, that much Shetland knew. I’ll get painkillers afterwards, she thought with a grimace.
Toasty nodded, her visor looking back down at the ground. “I’m sorry, Shetland.” she whispered.
“What for?” Shetland blinked, her face falling as she saw the robot’s body starting to shake.
“For everything. You got hurt so bad trying to save me, and I’m sorry I got you into that situation!” Toasty nearly shouted.
“I-It wasn’t your fault.” Shetland stammered as she stared down at the little robot, wishing Toasty would just meet her eyes. “Every robot in the colony got involved!”
“I was safe with you, until I forced you to go out shooting with me and we got caught!”
“You didn’t force me to do anything-”
“And now the doctor says that you lost your eye!”
Shetland blinked. “My eye-” But she shook her head, gritting her teeth as she shoved the thought away. “It doesn’t matter, Toasty.”
“But-”
“Quiet!” Shetland exclaimed, her hoof reaching to forcefully push the robot’s head upward. “Not another word, it happened.” Her features softened as she leaned forward, pulling the robot into a half-embrace, “I’m just happy that you’re safe.” she whispered, feeling her throat drying out in the middle of the sentence. Toasty’s initial struggles ceased as she sank into the hug, her legs slowly reaching around Shetland’s shoulders, barely managing to reach even halfway around them.
“You’re so brave...” she whispered, her robotic voice rising a pitch.
“Desperate, rather.” Shetland chuckled as she looked into the robot’s mesmerizing eyelights. Suddenly, her grip around Toasty’s body tightened as she tried to lift her up. “Err, little help?” she asked sheepishly. “I can’t do it very well with one leg.”
“Shetland-” Toasty wanted to protest, but once again the earth pony’s muscles tensed, and she hurriedly followed the pull. But as she climbed on the bed, Shetland’s eye widened as she saw the object dangling from the robot’s flank.
“You’re armed!”
Toasty’s eyelights brightened as she turned to her side, showing off the holster with the small pistol she was wearing. “That I am,” she said with an obvious attempt to keep her voice calm. “Princess Luna personally gave it to me as Scalloway confirmed I was free of any suspicious data. She even mentioned she might allow more robots the same… after establishing new security guidelines, of course. I spoke with Princess Luna!” She shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe it. “How do I look?” Toasty suddenly asked, striking a pose, hoof resting on her gun’s grip as if she was having a standoff in one of those old Appleloosan movies.
The sheer excitement in her voice was enough to bring a smile to Shetland’s lips. “You know, in reality you would put the holster on the inside of your left leg, so you can draw it quicker- You do look pretty amazing though.” she assured the robot, whose eyelights bristled with energy that needed no mouth to convey her grin.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah,” Shetland’s grin softened, shrinking to a content smile as she stared into the robot’s eyes, as if Toasty could disappear if she looked away for a second. “It’s… it’s good to have you back.”
Toasty stuttered, seemingly taken aback by her simple comment. “I-I’m glad to be here, too.” she whispered, scratching one hoof with the other before hesitatingly taking a step forward. “Shetland,” as she spoke, her voice grew quieter and quieter, until Shetland struggled to make out the words. With Toasty standing on the bed, her eyes were only a few inches below the earth pony’s. “Shetland Sparkle!” The robot started once again, her voice firm, yet oddly delivered, as if she was speaking in court. “W-would you like to… to practise shooting with me?”
“Yeah, sure.” Shetland said, confused by the strange way she was asked such a simple question. Still, she showed a reassuring smile. “We can do it regularly, now.”
A loud groan came from above. “Toasty!” Magenta exclaimed, gaining the robot’s attention as she landed on a bedpost, then proceeded to smack her forehooves against one another.
“What the-” Shetland muttered, but Toasty nodded, the strange message seemingly clicking with her.
“I’m sorry,” Toasty turned back to looking into Shetland’s eyes. “That’s not quite what I meant, I wanted to ask- I uh…” Her voice cut out , her eyelights darkening before both of her forehooves suddenly shot forward, grabbing Shetland’s shoulders. “Shetland Sparkle, do you want to go on a date with me?”
“I-” Shetland’s eye widened as she stared at the small robot. Then, a smile crossed her lips as she nodded. “We’ll go shooting, Toasty. As often as you want.”
That moment, a long yawn reached Shetland’s ears, and she felt the mattress shift as Twilight’s head rose, eyes blinking. “Shetland!” she exclaimed, nearly pushing Toasty out of the way as she rushed to her daughter. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine!” The earth pony exclaimed, trying to stave off Twilight’s motherly assault with her healthy hoof, but it was no use. A second later, she found her head in the alicorn’s tight grip as Twilight felt her temperature, inspected her bandages and fluffed up her pillows all at once. “Mooom,” Shetland complained.
“I don’t want to hear a word!” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “You are far from fine: you are badly injured, and for once, I expect you to behave like it and stay. In. Bed!”
At the final word, Shetland felt an invisible force push against her chest, forcing her back into a lying position.
The alicorn took a slow breath. “Never do that again.” she whispered, but the silence only allowed the rumbling beneath her voice to rise. “Do you have any idea, Shetland, any idea how risky that was? We almost lost you here!” Her hoof slammed down as she shouted. “You looked as pale as a ghost when they carted you in, me and Luna had to take turns donating blood just so you could get through the operations!” She took a shaky breath, her wings halfway flared out as she looked down at Shetland’s bandaged cheek, tears welling in her eyes. “Does it hurt, Shetty?”
Shetland could only nod as the dull stinging in her left eye made her grimace once more. “A painkiller would be nice.”
“I’ll arrange for it.” Twilight whispered, as if she was afraid to lose control over her voice if she spoke any louder. “You should rest now, anyway-”
“No, not yet.” Shetland sat up. “Mom, what about Gan and Crust? And… me? How bad am I?” As much as she’d tried to sound calm and collected, she flinched as those last words came out of her mouth, hating how her voice pitched.
Twilight looked around, as if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to answer. “Gan is no longer in danger,” she finally said. “But he suffered from internal bleeding and it will take a few more days until he is ready to have visitors. As for the Voidmarine that accompanied you, I’m not sure-”
“P-princess,” Magenta’s voice squeaked as she addressed the alicorn, and she nearly pulled her head into her torso like a tortoise as she caught Twilight’s look, but nonetheless she continued. “Crust is in a hearing about his actions, t-they say they might take his job away!”
“For a maneuver this insane, probably.” Twilight shook her head. “But,” she added with a glance to Shetland. “I will see if I can postpone the final decision until you are able to share your part of the story.”
Shetland slumped back into her pillow. “Thanks,” she muttered, yet she couldn’t feel relief. Not when she knew what was coming next. “So… what about me? It-” she swallowed, feeling that familiar lump once more as she croaked out her words. “You said it was bad?”
Twilight let out a long, unwilling sigh. “If you want a full rundown-”
“Please.”
“Alright.” She closed her eyes as the tip of her wing pointed at Shetland’s forehoof. “A bullet was lodged inside your leg. It was stopped by the bone, but on its way it severed tissue and even some muscle. The doctors say they can restore it fully, but only if there is absolutely no further damage.” Her voice had adopted a distanced tone, as if she was dictating a report instead of informing a patient. “Then your face… the damage on your cheek is superficial, yet the area affected was quite large and you lost a lot of blood.” She shook herself, before her feather rose to Shetland’s right eye. “Finally, your eye-” Twilight swallowed. When she spoke, her voice carried revolted horror. “You had glass shards sticking in your eyeball, Shetty, and all over the rest of your face. I-I don’t know how that could happen, but it was-” She bit her lip. “It caused a large amount of internal bleeding in your eye, Shetty.”
“Seriously, it was scary.” Magenta whispered, her eyes widened as if she was experiencing the shock right then. “Your eye was completely red, I could barely make out your pupil.”
Shetland swallowed. She’d taken it all in with a sort of distanced, morbid curiosity, as if she was told the fate of a distant acquaintance. “I… assume I’ll be half-blind then?”
Twilight couldn’t face Shetland’s look, but her nod was still crystal clear.
“W-well then…” Shetland whispered, trying to force a dry chuckle out of her throat. “It’s a reason to wear an eyepatch, right? I-I’ll look awesome with that.”
“To be honest, it stopped being awesome.” Toasty said. “Now it’s just approaching Flankenstein levels of patchwork.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Toasty.” Shetland muttered, resisting the urge to rub over her broken eyeball. “There’s- there’s no way to restore it?” She didn’t have to look up to know that Twilight was shaking her head. It was not just shock that rested heavy in her stomach, it was confusion. How did one respond to that? What did you say after losing half your vision? “I-I guess there’s a reason ponies have two of those.” She joked. There was no laughter. Only awkward and uncertain looks thrown around. She shook her head. If only she could be alone for a day or two, left to dwell on the news. But there is still work to be done.
“Magenta.” She said, her voice carrying a sternness that made the other pony look up in surprise. “I want you to bring in the robot I wanted you to watch over. Is he safe?”
Magenta hurriedly nodded. “I-I left him with Sparktail. Kept wanting to talk to you, said he has some kind of business-”
“Fetch him,” she ordered. “Now.” As Magenta jumped to her hooves, followed by a surprised look from Twilight, Shetland turned her attention to her other friend. “Toasty, I’m sorry, but I need you to leave.”
“Wh-what? Why?” Toasty exclaimed. “What kind of robot is he?”
“I’ll tell you later, Toasty,” Shetland promised. “But for now you have to leave-” Her eyes trailed down to the holster dangling on the robot’s flank. “And I would be very thankful if you could lend me your gun.”
“What?” Toasty and Twilight exclaimed. “Why do you need my gun?”
“Because it’s the kind of visitor I’d rather have some insurance for.” she said darkly.
Twilight’s jaw dropped as she stared at her daughter. “Shetland-”
“Not now. Toasty?” She gave the robot a probing look.
“I don’t like this.” Toasty said, her eyelights flashing dangerously. Yet in the same moment, she pulled the pistol out of her holster. “Promise you will be safe.”
“I promise.” Shetland whispered.
Suddenly, Toasty reared up, her smooth faceplate pressing against Shetland’s nose. Realizing a moment later what she was going for, Shetland pressed her lips to the smooth metal.
“I will hold you to that.” Toasty said sternly as she dropped back on all fours and left the room.
“Did you just-” Twilight blinked, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she just saw. “You and your friend-”
“I think she’s my marefriend now.” Shetland admitted, her lips twitching briefly as she watched her mother’s expression of shock.
But Twilight quickly overcame her surprise as her voice adopted a cold, commanding tone. “Who is that robot you sent your friend for?”
With her eye narrowing to a glare, Shetland closely inspected the pistol. “I’ve made a deal with the devil, mom.”
The temperature seemed to fall several degrees as the A.I. made its entrance, wearing the unassuming guise of a robot-stallion’s body. Twilight’s wings flared out, nearly blocking Shetland from seeing the newcomer. With an annoyed huff, the earth pony shoved the wing aside.
The A.I. came to a halt a metre from Shetland’s bed, its icy-blue eyes glowing slightly as it regarded their reaction. “I see you are already aware of my identity, Princess Twilight.” Its voice was smooth, yet it lacked any emotional affection. At the side of its head was a clean hole, proclaiming the fate of the body’s original core. “Your daughter and I have agreed upon terms for my surrender. In good faith, I have fulfilled my obligations. Now I expect you to fulfill your end of the bargain.”
Distaste flashed across Twilight’s face. “She’s offered you amnesty for all your crimes. From your recent attacks all the way to history’s greatest massacre. Millions of all kinds of creatures, many of them close to me.” She took a step forward, her expression distorting as she glared down at the robot’s body. “Many, many of them were close to me.” She shot a fiery glance back at Shetland. “You had no right to make such an offer!”
The A.I. reared up, meeting the alicorn’s eyes. “She made an offer in the name of the Sparkles!” it proclaimed loudly. “I did my part. All robots have been restored to their normal states. In return, I am allowed to slip through your scanning. Are you going to go back on your daughter’s word, Princess of Friendship?”
Twilight gritted her teeth, shooting angry glares at the A.I., then at Shetland. “It would be just. For the ponies, robots and dragons that died because of you.” she hissed. But then she slowly folded her wings, taking a long, cooling breath. “But I am not the Princess of Justice.”
“Then you will hide me from your scans.” It said, its eyelights brightening.
“Oh, You won’t be checked.” Shetland affirmed. In a burst of movement, she pulled the gun from the covers, centering it right on the A.I’.s head. Its eyes widened, Twilight shouted, the gun lurched upwards as its bang echoed through the room.
The robot’s body stumbled back, shivering as it covered its head with its hooves. Twilight’s magic seized the gun, ready to wrestle it out of Shetland’s grip, but the earth pony offered no resistance, all her attention focused on the A.I. as it slowly raised its head, feeling the hole ripped into its ear. “You get one life.” Shetland hissed, lava boiling behind her eye as it drilled into the visor. “You can walk away, and live like any other robot. But,” she whispered, the rumbling in her voice more apparent as she grew quieter. “If you try anything, I will find you. And there are not enough robots on this planet to stop me. Understood?”
The A.I. nodded. With intensely glowing eyelights, it took a step back.
“Good.” Shetland said, turning her attention to her mother, who gave an equally surprised look. “Can you take care of it?” She made a grimace, as it felt like a lance was slowly pushed through her eyeball. “And… get me some painkillers on the way.”
“I will bring a doctor.” Twilight said. She gave the A.I. a suspicious look as she seized it in her magic, not allowing it the dignity of walking as they left the room. “Oh, and Shetland,” she said with a final look back, “I will see to it that we all can visit you tomorrow morning.”
“Aren’t you gonna be busy?” Shetland asked, trying to force a playful smile through her pained grimace. “What about your schedule?”
“Damn my schedule,” Twilight said, a small grin managing to appear on her face. “My daughter has a marefriend now.”
“Painkillers!” Shetland moaned, leaning back as her mother disappeared behind the closed door. And as the doctor came in and gave her the syringe, allowing the dull throbbing to die away in the background, there was one thought that finally allowed the week-long tension to erode away.
It’s finally over. Press, Ciloa… I did it.
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*gasps*
So... What would've happened in the third story, had it been made?
9351877
Thats not easy to say, since the events in the second story would have been totally different as well. Here's the gist of it:
Toasty didnt make an appearance.
Shetland had been tricked into murdering Gan and Khunbish
Shetland becomes psychotic.
Shetland goes flies to the blasted lands of Hiroshimare to go on a revenge killing spree against the cyborg changeling who tricked her.
TOO EDGY! So I changed it.
It took me a good long while, but I've finished this at last!
Well, many thanks for the shout-outs! If my work so served as an inspiration for this wonderful story, then I take it as a fine compliment indeed.
As I've said before, I think this story greatly improves on its predecessor. It's a skillful blend of action, mystery, and great character moments. Overall, it holds up as a compelling story of overcoming trauma and finding peace through friendship. It has a twist near the end that's believable without being too predictable, and that's a hard thing to pull off.
There are a few issues I can identify, though. During these last few chapters, you have Shetland licking her lips enough times (I count at least 4 or 5) to become noticeably awkward. The resolution also feels a bit too neat. I cannot believe the AI allowed Shet to approach without disarming her first, nor that anyone would simply let a genocidal being go free. Hell, for a moment, I really thought Shet would execute that Skynet mofo instead of just threatening it. Broke my suspension of disbelief a little, in all honesty.
That said, I otherwise approve of the resolution. It nicely completes Shetland's character arc, and the end stuff with Toasty is quite sweet. Nice work, my friend.
9694019
thank you. Does that mean you enjoyed the action bits this time?
if yes, please tell me what the best bit was in your opinion, I got my own favorite, but I wanna know yours :P
9694708
I definitely did! Mainly because there wasn't rapid-fire character death (though I honestly would have expected at least one casualty).
I don't think I have a particular favorite part, however. I tend to look at action scenes as a whole, so no individual part jumped out at me. I'm just happy they were well-placed and engaging.
Ooo, it's over! I read both stories, three if you include the Nightmare Night one, over the course of two days. They were so GOOD! Plus the heartfelt part at the end...kinda wonder what they see in each other. A part of me was jumping for joy at them finally going to make it 'official' there as well.
I'm immensely satisfied, though my only personal desire from it might be an epilogue of some sort. See how the colony recovers, what happens to the Hyenas, maybe how some ponies like, or possibly dislike, the new relationship that came out of this, little things like that. I still love the outcome in the end, and the ride it took to get here was well worth it.
Thank you Obsi, and your editors as well. It was a hard, painful journey, but it also was inspiring at the same time. A funny position to be in, but still one that I enjoyed immensely.