Azil

"Here's what I don't get..." were the words that broke the sudden silence amongst the four of them, drawing groans from two and only silence from the last.

"Can we please refrain from politics for just this once? I understand the talks the princesses are going through are quite important but darling can't we all just enjoy a casual Thursday afternoon together for once." Twilight continued to stare out the window, the bickering continuing on though it was very light and not in any foul spirit. She watched the snow drizzle down gently onto the pavement outside, the sky a delicious mixture of oily grey paints. Overcast and thunderstorm were blended neatly into the sky, threatening a murderous downpour as the lavender unicorn stared at it in slight confusion and awe. It was impressive, to say the least, that there was snow in the middle of April. It wasn't what one would typically label as 'spring' weather.

"Twilight..." A voice called to her, audible over the other two but soft enough that Twilight could safely leave it be without the risk of getting called out for ignoring the mare sitting across from her.

"I'm just saying, Romareia's move to close their borders and cut off their trade lanes to us doesn't make any sense. I mean, they cut themselves off from literally everyone and everything...a self blockade. What pushes a country to do a complete one-eighty like that?" Said the usually bubbly bubblegum mare across from her to the right.

Rarity's voice chimed in next, although judging by her tone she was very eager to quickly put the conversation to rest "I don't know dear, maybe they're having economic problems or such? Internal political struggle? The Duke is getting on in years, it's possible he's just getting a little batty sitting up on that dusty old throne all day."

"Twilight..." The voice called again, this time loud enough to warrant her ears to stick straight up on instinct and to draw a hush out of the other two girls. Busted. There was no way out of feigning ignorance this time.

"Nnh?" Twilight answered with a tired grunt, the exhaustion still evident in her voice, eyes, and body. Now that she thought about it...when was the last time all 'six' of them were together...? Where was...?"

"What's wrong?" The voice across from her asked, a sudden pressure on one of her hooves letting her know she was being reached out to.

She thought about Rainbow, and Applejack, squinting her eyes as she stared out of the window. It went so wrong...so so wrong...but why? Where was the tipping point?

She looked across the table to Fluttershy and said in a monotone voice "It's not snow." Turning her head, her eyes falling upon the outer world once more she whispered "It's ash."

~~~

"What do you mean you're not staying for long?" Twilight asked the pegasus colt Vasile. They had stepped from the snowy holding cell into a long, dimly lit hallway of rusted metal and decaying light fixtures. Most of the bulbs were flickering and going out, giving the entire area a really spooky, horror-film type look. Of course she had been apprehensive to go through the door at first...but with an actual guard watching over her what was there to be afraid of?

Him leaving, of course.

"I mean I can't stay for long, obviously." Vasile answered, smirking at her before looking to the right and left, his eyes narrowing as he observed his surroundings very carefully. The vents...it could come from the vents. As long as he didn't blink if two out of the three warning signs became present...or could it be the other one...the one in the corner of his eye. Perhaps it was the really skinny one, or perhaps the red-eyed ones...or maybe-

"Vasile, you said your orders were to bring me back unscathed...like, escort me somewhere?!" She stepped over some shattered glass near an overturned table, papers strewn about the hall adding to the general mess of things "How are you going to do that if you just up and leave?"

He chuckled, shaking his head "I know of a couple shortcuts, and besides...I never said where I was taking you, only that you needed to get there unharmed." He stopped them for a second, the colt's ears perking straight up as he listened intently for a tense couple of moments to the area around them. Was that...scraping? No, couldn't be...that particular subject was far on the opposite side of the complex, or should have been at any rate. Was is possible that it could have made its way over to their general area already? It wasn't known to move particularly fast but under the circumstances...anything could be possible now.

"Soooo, where are you taking me then?" Twilight asked after a few tense moments, the halting of their progress making the mare a little nervous. Of all the places to stop...it had to be right in the middle of the creepy rusted hallway? The thought of being alone once more in this world caused a rippling shiver of fear to course through her very bones, almost making her fur stand up on end as Vasile finally relaxed his posture somewhat, pushing them on once more across the decaying tiles.

He was quiet for a couple of moments, carefully peering around a corner that they had crept up to and watching the lights flicker across the hall before he was confident that the coast was clear. He turned to her finally, his features tense but his composure well kept as he said "Back to the Librarian."

Twilight blinked, her eyes widening after a moment as she processed what all that entailed. "Y-you know her...?" She asked softly, a colder chill now coursing through her as she inwardly lamented what it meant by going back to the Library. Another door...another look through the universes, possibly another three year fall through eternity. Having been beaten, raped, and driven insane going through the first door, it was highly unlikely that the other portals were going to be leading her to happier experiences. Because of course, what was happiness in a place like this but a distant, fading dream now?

"Of course I know her," Vasile said with a chuckle "Everyone here knows her, she's our lead researcher, secretary, accountant, book keeper, and tour guide." They trudged along the path, the air damp and moist with a sudden humidity that made Twilight almost gag. Vasile explained that it was simply the ventilation going out, a usual electrical hiccup that occurred every once in awhile along this part of the facility and there was nothing to be afraid of. Well, at the current moment of course.

"Researcher...?" Twilight asked, carefully stepping around a mutilated pile of metal that resembled something like chairs "What kind of research goes on here? I thought this was a prison."

Vasile seemed almost hesitant to tell her. The less she knew the better...but on the off-hoof it wasn't like she was going to be in the dark about the entirety of what this place really was forever. He caved finally after a moment and spoke "Well, yes, it's a prison...but wouldn't you like to know a little more about the kinds of things we're keeping locked up in here? Habits, traits, characteristics, quirks...weaknesses?"

The thought was very sensible, Twilight agreed with a nod. Knowing how some of the deadly beings in here ticked would surely give her a competitive edge in surviving this nightmare, especially when it came to fighting them. Though thinking about it...without her horn, lack of strength, and absence of any real dexterity, fighting may not be the smartest avenue. She could use what she learned to possibly avoid them or at least slow them down however. "So weaknesses huh...? Know anything about ponies made out of ash?"

Vasile stopped dead in his tracks, a look of pain etched across his face as her words sunk in. His next few breaths came in a heavy bout of shudders as he tried to regain his composure. Twilight gave him a rather concerned look, tilting her head at him as if trying to read him. Before she could ask if he was alright however, he answered her question preemptively "I'm fine, I just...haven't heard about them in awhile. Painful topic, even after a month the memory is still a little too fresh."

"I'm sorry," Twilight whispered, hanging her head slightly "Whatever it is, I never wished to bring up bad memories. Last time I ran into them I uh...I got the worse end of the encounter."

"Burned you...right?" Vasile asked, but the question was obviously rhetorical so he went on, the pained expression dropping down to a grimace "To be honest they're easily beaten as long as you have a large supply of weapons or tools on hand. After a couple of swings your blade starts to melt from the intensity of the heat. Only thing you have to watch out for is them exploding and if the winds strong." He swallowed, looking down at his hooves as his irises shrank slightly "Watched one of my good friends...he was standing downwind when a particularly nasty gust kicked up, and since they're extremely light it didn't take much to lift them up and hurl them towards..." He trailed off, looking back up as he sniffed and cleared his throat, a final phrase leaving past his lips: "He died."

"I'm sorry..." Twilight muttered, putting a hoof to his side. He appreciated the gesture it seemed, leaning into it as he sniffed again. Even though he was a guard and knew loads and loads more about this place and its inhabitants than she did...he was still just a pony underneath all that cloak and weapons. "I bet he was a really nice colt, well-mannered and courteous and-"

"PFFFF," Vasile blew with his lips, an exasperated chuckle passing out of his lungs as he reached up with a hoof to wipe at one of his eyes "W-well mannered...heh. Bloody idiot was a womanizer. Couldn't ever pass up on a set of good legs with a well shaped rump to go with but...aye," He nodded, looking towards her with a comforting smile "He was a good friend."

Twilight returned the expression, though her lips turned back downwards as she asked "So...what exactly are they? Are they prisoners like-"

Vasile shook his head "No...they're technically not prisoners because we never had any imprisoned here before the incident." When this brought a look of curious confusion out of Twilight, it took Vasile a moment to compose himself for what he was about to say next. It had only been a month...for him at least, in terms of the way time worked in this world, but even so the knowledge of the truth would never lose its hateful sting. "They're...us." He sighed, taking a moment to put one shaky hoof in front of the other to lead them further in.

"...us?" Twilight inquired. There was something a little off about the way he said it. He made it sound like...a lamentation almost. "I mean, sure they 'look' like ponies but-"

"No, Twilight," Vasile quickly said "I mean...like I said, there weren't any here before the incident. A lot of ponies died during the initial event, and in the aftermath...they were some of the byproducts of that."

Her eyes widened as the realization started to sink in. There was no way...they couldn't possibly be...could they? "T-those ashen ones," She breathed, irises shrinking as she quickly pieced it together "They used...they used to be your friends, right? Other guards, other workers, maybe even other patients like me...?"

He nodded, the very pained expression returning to his visage as he was forced to recount the truth "A-aye. Regardless of whatever they've become, they used to be regular ponies like you or me. When the dust finally settled, it took a couple of days before they started rising out of it. From what we can tell it only happens when the containment failure alarm goes off, and since that's sort of broken in the way of it being stuck on a timed loop and it being in a part of the prison we can't get to very easily..."

Twilight finished the statement for him, saddened at the look Vasile was displaying but understanding full well what he was going through. She had to bury friends before, but couldn't even begin to fathom what it was like to see them rising up from their ashen graves, let alone to see what they had become "There's nothing you can do to stop them..."

"Yeah, sucks doesn't it?" Vasile asked, though he expected no affirmation to the question, deciding instead to go on "We couldn't even study them properly, since they disappear once the siren eventually dies down. We don't know why or how it summons them, why it takes the siren to do it, why their forms burn and explode, their motivations, if they have any sentience or consciousness...there just hasn't been any sort of safe way to capture one since everything that comes into contact with burns them." He shook his head, staring towards the end of the hall that was quickly approaching them. "Even magic," he continued "Any unicorn that attempts to harness their ash or pick them up or use any sort of spell on them shrieks in pain. Its like the magic that touches them sends the sharp burning through the leylines of their spell and straight back into their horns. Maddening, the lot of it."

Twilight winced, recalling several times she had 'Magi-aches' in her time. It was more or less a headache that unicorns got when they expended too much magical energy or overdid it by casting too many or too powerful spells. "Yikes...that's really a conundrum." She bit her lip slightly, pondering the existence of those deadly ash ponies. Regardless of who they used to be...they were definitely not anything more than walking murder machines now. Still...there had to be some way to combat them or handle them safely. "If...I could, do you think maybe I could assist in the research?" She waved a hoof as he gave her the inquisitive look she knew he'd dish out to her, quickly pushing on with her point "I know I know...'inmate', but I happen to be a researcher of creative thinking and study myself. I'm sure I could be of some use to your science and discovery department...and if it will make your superiors feel any better I won't even ask for anything and you can keep me under watch for the full duration."

Vasile stared at her for several long moments before they finally stopped, his frown turning into a small smile as he said at last "Once the situation has come back under control I...suppose I can ask some of my commanders about it. I knew you were an intellectual based on your file but...I wasn't expecting cooperation on your part."

She chuckled lightly, shrugging her shoulders as she smiled "Call it my Achillie's hoof, since my curiosity to learn and discover sometimes overpowers my desires to flee or be scared. It's the wonder and danger of science I suppose."

He nodded, looking forward towards the door they had come upon, reaching a hoof out towards it and tapping on it twice. It opened just a crack, light shining through from within and illuminating a good portion of the hall behind them. "Like I said, I'll see what I can do...in the mean time though," He gestured towards the door, encouraging her to go forth as the sounds of wind started to pick up behind them.

"We're here."