Void Trials 2: Horizon

by Obsi

Punishment

Shetland passed through the various tunnels of the colony, restlessly moving as the argument played out in her mind over and over. Yet, after hours had passed and nightfall took away the busy light of day, she had to come to a stop. Mom is wrong, she thought for what must have been the thousandth time. Maybe my theory was stretching it, but she has to admit that the timing was just too convenient! A groan surged through her, followed by a heavy sigh. There was no point in imagining the argument again. Her mother was simply unwilling to see that you just couldn’t trust them. She threw a look down the empty, dark tunnel. She wondered what time it was, but there was no clock around, nor somepony to ask. A sigh escaped her as she contemplated just going back to her dorm and sleeping; but she quickly discarded that notion, she felt wide awake! Maybe some of the adrenaline was still around in her blood… maybe the earlier panic had hit her deeper than she’d thought. She vehemently shook her head, no time for that, she had to do something productive, but what? Everypony was asleep. Maybe she could speak with Toasty… but no, Toasty would probably snitch whatever she said to Twilight, and Shetland’s brain had conjured an idea she certainly didn’t want her mother to find out about.

Everypony was asleep. Nopony was around. Therefore, it was her prime opportunity to eavesdrop on the hyenas. It wouldn’t even be suspicious, she was allowed to go wherever she wanted!

A grin played on her lips. She would find the stupid evidence she needed. She would shove it in Twilight’s face and then… then she could relax, knowing everypony was safe.

It only took a few minutes to reach the northern dorms. The inside was a spiraling hallway, heading upward at a narrow angle, both walls littered with the doors of individual rooms. Shetland stepped cautiously, cringing at the sound of her hooves. Then she shook her head. Silly thoughts. She didn’t have to sneak, she wasn’t breaking rules! She could go here all she wanted, in fact, she would inhabit one of these rooms, if her mother hadn’t lent her her own place. It dawned on her that she had no idea where Twilight slept. She snickered. In a way, she had moved back into the castle and kicked her out. Oh, what irony. Suddenly, she wanted to look behind one of these doors, but she resisted. She couldn’t get lost in what-ifs, not to mention that she could wake up whoever was trying to sleep there. No, the hyenas are in one of the top rooms, she thought. Though it would be nice to know which one… I should have asked Toasty. Then again, she’d have snitched on mom. A groan rumbled in her throat before she jerked back, cursing herself. Then she froze. She’d reached the end of the hallway and from behind the door, she heard a muffled voice speak in a throaty language, that was it! Her ears perked, but she could only make out a few words. She grinned, the scrapeaters thought they could speak safely in their language, huh? Stepping closer, she made out shredded sentences.

“We have to search… not sure where.” Shetland couldn’t make out which one was talking, but the other responded a bit quieter.

“Lost machine sounds promising...”

Then the other voice spoke even more quietly and Shetland grit her teeth, stepping closer, almost up to the door.

“What if the ponies find out?” Gan asked after a short break.

“We have to avoid that at all costs.” Khunbish muttered. “If we are to…” And to Shetlands chagrin, she whispered. Pressing her ear to the door, she-

Stumbled into the room as the door suddenly gave way. Her legs thrown protectively over her head, she smacked into the sandstone floor. A moment later, something cold poked her neck and a snarl arrived right by her ear. “Pony not very sneaky.”

“Gan, stand down.” Khunbish’s voice rasped, and he obeyed, pulling away his shocktalon. Shetland swallowed, her eyes centered on the weapon as beads of sweat formed on her forehead and it dawned on her how easily he could have…

“I must say,” Khunbish addressed Shetland. “Eavesdropping on someone’s guest is not what I would have expected from a member of the Sparkle line.”

Shetland stared at the ground. There was no point in denying it, she’d been caught deadhooved. Somehow, they’d known she was there, and played the whole conversation to trap her… damnit. And yet, she looked up, piercing them with a glare. They were sneaky. She would not underestimate them again. With renewed distrust, she threw a quick look across the room, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet.

Khunbish had stepped closer. “I’d been hoping for your cooperation, Miss Sparkle, you are quite important for our work here.”

Shetland’s jaw clenched. “My name is Shetland.”

The hyena narrowed her eyes as she craned her neck to face Shetland at eye level. “Very well, Shetland. We need you.” she said openly, causing both Shetland and Gan to raise an eyebrow. “You’re the only witness of the attack. If anyone is likely to have an essential clue we’re missing, it would be you. It would be far easier for all of us if you could trust us.” She stepped closer. “We want to find the culprits just like you, we’re not the enemy.”

Shetland met her eyes, refusing to blink. “Then why would it be so bad if I heard what you said?”

Gan snarled. “Privacy means nothing to ponies, does it?”

Khunbish raised a paw, silencing him. “What happened has destroyed a bridge between ponies and hyenas, one that will take time, effort and trust to repair. How would ponies begin trusting us if others may openly violate our rights in the name of distrust?”

Maybe because we shouldn’t trust you, she thought, glaring at the hyena, her lips forming a thin line.

With a sigh, Khunbish looked away. “I was really hoping for your cooperation.” she mumbled. “You may leave. As a sign of good will, I will keep this a secret, as long...” she said with emphasis. “...as you do not attempt to eavesdrop on us again.”

After a moment of contemplation, Shetland nodded, turning for the exit.

At least the door slammed with a satisfying noise.

That it woke dozens of ponies only occurred to her much later.

------

The next morning, Shetland was awoken by a tortuorous ringing that made her want to smash the instrument of pain, preferably with her forehead. Instead, she woke up and headed for the bathroom, shooting a scowling look into the mirror before disregarding her disheveled reflection. With a voice like a grater, she asked:

“Toasty?”

No answer. She was alone. With a grumble, she ignored the shower and trudged to the kitchen. She’d have to make her own breakfast after all, without the thick-headed robot. She’d already been mad when she returned from her disastrous spying attempt, hoping to let some steam off by ranting to her mechanical friend. But Toasty had been all but open to it, instead shouting at her to get her priorities straight.

“A robot has gone missing, Shetland!” she had shouted. “We should be focused on that, instead of indulging in improbable paranoia.”

Shetland’s hoof shook and she almost spilled her glass of water. Paranoia. Did she have no idea what the hyenas were capable of, what they might have already done? If the power outage was their doing, they could sabotage anything, maybe even the life support! Was it paranoia to acknowledge a threat that could kill everypony, biological or not?

Just as she was about to sit down to a meagre breakfast at her table, she saw a small note. Presumably, it was written by Toasty, considering the perfect hoof writing.

By order of Princess Luna, you need to go to her office by 8 am. Princess Twilight asked me to remind you to eat and, if possible, do your leg exercises before that meeting.

PS: I changed your alarm’s time, you should have a full hour to finish your routine before you have to go.

Shetland let out a disgruntled groan, throwing a glance at the offensively-early time of 6:55 am.

---

She had neither done her exercises nor showered when she arrived at Luna’s office. This time, without a crowd blocking the way, she managed to slip inside easily. When she stepped through the doorframe, a beep came from her right, where Princess Luna sat at a mess of a desk. Half of the surface was a big screen, even though it was blanketed by paper, plates, cups and her old stetson. Then, only a few feet away sat- Shetland’s eyes narrowed to a glare- her mother, next to Toasty. What was going on here? Twilight attempted to meet her eyes, but Shetland focused on Luna who, despite the noise, had not noticed her yet. Shetland took a breath, but was preempted by Twilight, who loudly cleared her throat.

“Luna, she’s here.”

The blue alicorn’s head whipped up, examining Shetland. “Greetings.” she said. There was no smile. Shetland’s gut tightened.

“Mhm.”

Luna let out a breath, rubbing her forehead with a hoof, but then she caught herself and got up, looking down at the earth pony. Shetland swallowed. It was not often that she had to crane her neck to meet somepony else’s eyes.

“I’ve received a complaint about you, Shetland.” Luna said, her gaze impossible to read. “I’ve received quite an impassioned call that you’ve been trying to eavesdrop on our guests.”

Shetland clenched her teeth. So they’d already gone back on their word! She’d known she couldn’t trust the scrapeaters, but she hadn’t expected it so quickly.

“Are these accusations true?” Luna asked sternly, unwilling to wait for a response.

“Yes,” Shetland pressed through her teeth. I can’t lie, she thought as she shot a glare at Toasty. Not with snitchbot here. “But somepony had to.”

“Shetland,” Twilight spoke up. “You can’t just do this to delegates of a foreign nation!”

“Delegates?” Shetland burst, rearing around to face her mother eye to eye. “More like spies! Are you blind to everything that’s happened just after they arrived?!”

Twilight’s wings flared out, but then a blue barrier appeared between them. Both Sparkles turned back to Luna, who fixated them with a cold glare.

“Enough!” Luna said coldly. The barrier dropped when she had assured their attention. “Shetland Sparkle, I will say this only once. Stay away from the hyenas.”

“I can’t!” Shetland said while grinding her teeth. “If they’re planning something, we can’t just be unprepared-”

Suddenly, Toasty reared up, and despite her lack of facial expressions, her voice carried her anger well enough. “Even if you were right, Shetland, you are not the pony to spy on them.” All heads turned to her. Faced with Luna’s stern glare, she fell back into her seat. “I apologize for my outburst, your highness.”

“No,” Luna said, smiling a little to ease the tension. “If you have a point to make, carry on.”

“Well… then.” Toasty said, uneasily looking at Luna. “Shetland Sparkle, you should stay away from the hyenas. Ever since their arrival, you have been acting irrationally”

“Irrational?” Shetland exploded.

“Furthermore.” The volume of Toasty’s voice rose. “As I previously stated, you are not the pony to spy on them. You are impulsive, easily angered and quite possibly the least sneaky pony on Horizon.”

If glares carried heat, Shetland would have melted right through Toasty’s face. “So what, I should just lean back and wait for the catastrophe?”

Luna let out a sigh. “I see you’re unrepentant.” She looked to Twilight. “She’s your daughter, what do you think we should do with her?”

Twilight bit her lip, avoiding eye-contact with Shetland. “I… I say we put some distance between them. Send her to another settlement, maybe. What do you think?” she asked, looking down her side to Toasty. Taken by surprise, the robot’s eyes shrunk to tiny dots of light.

“M-me?”

“Yes, of course.” Twilight said with a smile. “You’ve been spending more time with her than... anypony else in this room.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I think your opinion is just as valid as mine here.”

“If you are certain, princess.” Toasty said. “I agree with your plan, although I would specify that we are sent to Coltville River.”

“Oh?” Luna asked. “Where the search for our missing robot is centered?”

“Affirmative.” Toasty nodded. “We could make ourselves useful by searching for him.”

Very clever. Shetland thought, still glaring at the traitorous little robot. You get what you want after all. Toasty met her eyes for a second, then her eyes shifted to the ground.

Just then, a knock came from the door and Khunbish entered, blinking at the scene in front of her. Shetland shot her a glare while both Princesses summoned smiles and Toasty kept staring at the ground. “Am I too soon, Luna Princess?” The hyena asked with her rough, grating voice.

“No, no, come in, we were just finishing up.” Luna said. In the background, Twilight’s horn lit up, tidying Luna’s desk in the blink of an eye.

Khunbish stepped in, followed by her bodyguard, and regarded Shetland with a raised eyebrow. “Is there a problem?” She raised her eyebrow.

“You know the problem!” Shetland snapped, something hot rising up her throat, though whether it was anger or bile, she couldn’t tell.

“Shetland!” Twilight shouted warningly.

Khunbish’s brows furrowed for a moment as she looked from Shetland to Twilight. “Oh, steppes.” Then she turned back to Gan. “You contacted the princesses without my knowledge?” she snapped sharply.

Twilight and Luna shared a confused look and Shetland stared incredulously, clenching her teeth as she whispered: “Horseshit.”

“I had assured Miss Sparkle that it would stay between us!” Khunbish growled.

“You said you would keep it a secret. I broke no order” Gan said, switching into hyaenidae, though Shetland still had no problem following.

“Do not split hairs!” In a lightning fast motion, Khunbish’s paw swiped out, her claws cutting into the surface of Gan’s skin. To his credit, Shetland reluctantly admitted, he barely flinched. “I wanted to solve this privately! Try this one more time and I’ll drag you into a cell.”

At that, Gan lowered his head. “I saw her as danger to our mission.”

“She’s essential to our mission.” Khunbish said, switching back to Equestrian, even if Toasty seemed to be the only one unable to follow the entire conversation. Khunbish huffed. “I’m… sorry for this mixup.”

Like Tartarus you are. Shetland grumbled inwardly.

“I hope you do not punish her too harshly.” Khunbish said. Shetland could have puked.

“No.” Luna said. “But we decided to send her to Coltville River, to keep her…” She shot Shetland a glare as her mouth formed the words behave yourself. “...current impulsiveness in check.” It took all of Shetland’s self control not to shout again as they talked about her like some rabid animal, but she took a deep breath, trying to draw all her anger into a tiny hot, glowing ball in her stomach.

“Additionally,” Twilight added. “She will assist in a search mission for a missing robot.”

“A missing robot?” Khunbish asked, whipping around to Twilight with a suddenness that threw the alicorn for a loop. “When did this happen?”

“During the storm, shortly after your arrival.” Twilight answered.

Khunbish turned to Gan, sharing a look. “We would like to go with your daughter, then.”

“What?” Twilight and Luna yelped.

“Oh, Tartarus no!” Shetland shouted.

“Khunbish…” Luna carefully said. “The purpose of sending her away was to put distance between you.”

“But that goes against our investigation.” Khunbish stated matter-of-factly. “We still have not questioned her, which, I may remind you, is quite crucial. On top of that, the timing of the disappearance is interesting. It may be unrelated, but my instincts tell me to pursue this trail before it becomes cold.”

Luna shared a look with Twilight, heaving a heavy sigh. “Alright,” she said after a long pause. “I will arrange for a transport within the next hour. But for now, please leave my office, I have something to discuss with Princess Twilight.”

“Your highness?” Khunbish raised a paw. “My original matter of discussion-”

“We will have time later, Khunbish.” Luna said. “But this a concern I have to deal with as swiftly as possible, or it will delay everything else.”

The hyena lowered her head in a small bow. “As you wish.”

Shetland did not witness that exchange, however. She had stormed out the room the second she’d been told.

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

There was little to pack. Whatever she’d had in her room was her mother’s. What belongings she’d brought to Horizon herself was forever lost in the cold void. In the end, she merely took a bag of provisions in her mouth, packed full of sandwiches. She’d had to raid the entire kitchen’s supply of toast, but it would be worth it if it allowed her to stave off any more puke-inducing chalk.

Warm air blew over the dusty grounds as she stepped outside, a scowl forming on her lips when she spotted Gan and Khunbish waiting next to a vehicle. They were keeping their distance from Toasty, who sat several yards away. Shetland did her best to ignore both as she examined the machine’s tracks, the airtanks on either side-

“O-oh, hi, it’s you!” A voice shouted, snapping Shetland out of her examination. The voice was followed by the head of a magenta pegasus poking from behind the tracks.

“Oh, hi.” Shetland said, recognising the technician from the previous day. “You’re Magenta.”

“Not really.” The pegasus came closer, gifting Shetland a smile. “That's just what that marine called me in the hurry, my actual name is Magna Opus.”

Shetland raised an eyebrow, silently mouthing the name. Then she shook her head. “Nope, Magenta’s better.”

“I-it’s my name…”

“Weren’t you the one who shot me?” Shetland asked, to which Magenta’s head jerked up in alarm.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it was an accident-”

“Then I’ll call you what I want.” Shetland reasoned with a smirk.

The pegasus let out a mixed sigh of relief and exasperation. “Fine, I’m Magenta…”

Shetland’s resulting chuckle was short-lived, as she threw another look at the thing she now recognized as a larger version of the sandtank. “How’s uh… How’s the uh, the other technician-”

“Pipe.”

“Yes, Pipe.” Shetland muttered awkwardly. “Is he… better?”

Magenta let out her breath. “He’s gonna live.” she said, her eyes darting to the dusty ground. “But his leg- well, it won’t.”

“Thought so.” Shetland sucked in air, looking back at her own scarred limb, frowning at the sight. But even then, she was also suddenly glad that there even was a leg still attached. The thought made her shoulder itch.

The silence was interrupted by a loud honk from the vehicle, causing Magenta to jump. “Time to get on board.” she grinned, rushing to the back of the tank, where she opened a small hatch.

The hyenas brushed past the pegasi, who cautiously backed away as they jumped through the hole with ease. Shetland swallowed nervously. Then Magenta waved to her and she approached the small hatch cautiously.

Toasty’s eyes made a sound akin to the noise of a zooming camera. “Be very careful.” she warned.

Shetland grunted as she put a hoof on the edge and grumbled. “Shut up Toa-” she stopped. Not out of choice, but because of a cold, unyielding feeling at her sides.

A snicker erupted from behind her, soon joined by a monotone “He he he...”

Scrunching her nose, Shetland pushed against the metallic walls, but they would not budge. Why can’t this stupid thing be any bigger?

“You appear to be stuck.” Toasty’s voice said in between chuckles. Shetland’s face burned, even the scrapeaters were grinning at her like it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen!

With a defeated sigh, Shetland conceded. “Little help?” she grumbled.

“I am unsure.” Toasty mused. “It is quite funny to see you struggle.”

“TOASTY!” Shetland shouted indignantly. There was no answer, but a moment later, two cold hooves pressed themselves against her-

-------

Shetland sat, although the limited space forced her to bend forward. With a grunt, she gave up and laid down on the solid metal ground. “Not. A. Word.” she hissed at the robot and pegasus as they climbed in after her. To her extreme dismay, neither had any problem sitting upright. When the motor kicked in, Shetland had to keep her teeth apart just to keep them from rattling. Still, she felt every bump shake her to the bone. Neither was it quiet, the interior of the small room- Shetland assumed it was mostly used to transport objects, not ponies- bounced the sound around. That, together with her inability to sit comfortably, worked wonders to slowly drive her insane.

After what felt like hours, a hoof poked her side. She shifted around to lie on her back instead, groaning as she moved her sore half. Magenta’s face was above her. “Don’t you have to drive this thing?”

“Nope.” the pegasus shook her head. “I could have sat in the front though. Really regret not doing that. These really weren’t designed to transport ponies.”

“Then why are we on it?” Shetland asked gruffly.

“Well,” Magenta shifted uncomfortably. “Normally we use the smaller sandtank with a sled. But it’s still damaged because… well.”

“Ahh.” Shetland massaged her side. “What did you want?”

“I’ve been thinking about your name.” Magenta blurted out, happy to change the topic.

“My name?” Shetland raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. It’s not really a normal pony name. I mean, what does Shetland mean?”

“Not all pony names have to mean something.” Shetland grumbled.

“It still does not conform to the norm.” Toasty fell in.

Shetland groaned, shooting a glare at Toasty. “It’s not much of a story. Mom had names ready, no matter what I turned out to be. Can you believe she would have called me Sparrow Puff if I’d been a pegasus?”

“Seriously?” Magenta snorted, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Seriously.” Shetland said, her own expression stone cold. “Well, my name refers to some aaancient leeegend,” She waved her hooves around, screeching as one hit the wall. “Ow… anyway, ancient legend she read about. Apparently there were some Shetland Isles with a bunch of earth ponies who studied magic.” She spat out the last word. A cold hoof appeared on her shoulder, attempting to calm her.

“I assume you dislike this connection because it implies that your mother had expectations for you to pursue magic?” Toasty asked quietly.

“Shut up, Toasty.” Shetland hissed, her hoof smashing on the solid ground, yet the pain barely registered.

Toasty backed away, her artificial pupils erratically changing sizes as she watched Shetland carefully. Then, cautiously, she asked: “Should I inform your mother of this root cause of your falling out?”

“Oh, you shut up!” Shetland whirled around. “Don’t act as if you’re any better than her! Hey, we’re off to go on your search mission, doesn’t matter what I thought, doesn’t matter what I think was the best to do. You and mom, you’re always right about everything, and what can I do to change the wise alicorn’s mind?”

Taken aback, it took a moment before Toasty answered. “Sometimes… sometimes she and I are right, Shetland.” She drew herself up. “You are not always in the right either!”

“Oh, sure!” Shetland said heatedly, growling at the robot. “That’s what she always says,too. I’ve heard this line a hundred times already!” She took a deep breath, waiting for Toasty to answer. She breathed again, and the fire in her chest dimmed. “Well,” She said after a while. “At least you didn’t say it.”

“Say what?”

“‘And you never listened once.’” Shetland repeated robotically. “It’s what she would have said next.”

“I considered it.” Toasty admitted. “But I assumed it would only make you angrier.”

“Heh…” Shetland chuckled. “You know me better than my own mother.” A sigh escaped her as they fell back into silence.

Without any way to look outside, the growing pain in Shetland’s side, sore from rumbling over the uneven track, was the only indicator of passed time. Suffice to say, it shocked her that when the vehicle finally stopped and the hatch opened, she was blinded by broad daylight. But soon, excitement overcame the pain in her eyes and she clambered out of the cursed vehicle, taking greedy breaths of the sweet, salty air outside. Only several deep breaths later did her mind clear and she grasped for her breathing mask-

“I have it here.” Toasty said behind her.

Shetland blinked in surprise, stepping away from the hatch to let the robot out. “Why did you have it?” she asked as she placed the mask on her face.

“I anticipated that you could accidentally roll over and crush it under your weight.”

“I wouldn’t have done that. Probably.” Shetland muttered. Behind them, the hyenas left the vehicle, whispering to each other in quick hyenidae, and Gan constantly threw them cautious looks. Shetland stuck out her tongue before she turned her back.

So far, all she had seen from Horizon were dusty steppes and rocky mountains with the occasional spot of dry plantlife. Now, she felt grass under her hooves, heard the gentle sound of a calm stretch of water, she’d almost forgotten what green looked like! Grass, bushes, shrubbery, fields of vegetables grew on the sides and in between tributaries of the river, occasionally interrupted by greenhouses with air recycling-machines at the side, allowing ponies to refill their air tanks. There was even a recharge pod for robots. And how many robots there were! It seemed that for every two ponies working on a field, a robot was flanking them, plowing new fields with perfect spacing or harvesting grass for hay. Though, Shetland furrowed her brows, it did seem strange that there seemed to be fields in varying stages of growth, from those ready to harvest to having seeds implanted right before her eyes.

Not joining in her amazement however, was Toasty. Instead, she brushed past, tapping Shetland’s shoulder to bring her back to the present. “It is 15:48 pm.” she informed her. “We should hurry to meet with the pony in charge of the search efforts if we wish to receive a coordinated route.”

“W-what-” Shetland blinked, throwing a glance to the colony. “Can’t we look around for a little while?”

“No.” Toasty said resolutely and taxed her with a look. Even without a facial expression, Shetland got the distinct sense that the robot was glaring. “You can do that later.”

With that, she took off, walking to a large building, the usual repurposed cargo space, forcing Shetland to sigh and follow her, throwing a last look back at the fascinating fields.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw the hyenas throw uneasy glances at the robots.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the short chapter. Be relieved in my assurance that the next one will be more than twice as long.

Also, everyone please go over to my editor's account and give him a big hug for his work. He's had a really tough bunch of weeks having to work overtime and still he found time to help me with my story. Eternal thanks to you, buddy, you're amazing.

Either way, feedback is very much appreciated. Or just your thoughts. I have to admit, facing complete silence with the last bunch of chapters has been a little discouraging...

Though I am still hacking away at this, dont worry. I've got a 2-chapter lead on the release shedule, so even things like my current cold wont change anything there

Comments

[Obsi]

8848777
and the reactions feel realistic. oh, GOOD, i was really worried about that XD

Thanks for the feedback. Now, I might not have established it well enough, but Toasty did state in the last chapter that Equestria is one of a few nations that even allows robots to live mostly like organics. Most of the planet, in fact, dislikes and distrusts AI.

The hyenas have a bit more reason to than most, however, but thats getting close to spoiler talk

oh, and the Sparkles have a very tumultous relationship, but you can expect both arguing and bonding in the future