Digitized Jockey

A single large, beautifully white shining city stood alone, surrounded by lifeless rock that stretched for hundreds of miles around it. The dark sky was covered in dark grey clouds that crackled with energy.

Two Earth ponies galloped as fast as they could from the shining city behind them. The dark sky crackled in a form similar to lightning but the two ponies weren't startled, they were too afraid of what might be following them. Eventually, one of them collasped, unable to go on...

"I-It's..." The stallion panted. His friend stopped and turned to look him over. Her eyes went wide slightly when she saw the neon blue circuitry that lined his armour fade. "I can't go on..." He managed to say.

"You need energy." She stated.

The stallion shook his head. "There aren't any energy pools nearby. Leave me, maybe I can buy you some more time if they find me."

She stared down at him, looking into his brown eyes. She took a step closer to him.

"You can still make it." She pleaded. "Please listen to me..."

"No, you listen. I don't have enough energy to go on. I need to conserve what I have left. You need to go on and find the User and help defeat..." He paused. "...Her..."

A silent moment passed with nothing moving until the Stallion lost his patience.

"GO!" He yelled.

But the mare held her ground, taking another step towards her fallen companion.

"Do you know why I joined the resistance? It wasn't because of the User..." Another step. And another, the stallion stared, his eyes unblinking.

"Truth be told, it wasn't because of what was happening to the system." She continued, taking another step. She stood in front him now. "It was because somepony else had joined. Somepony who I deeply cared about and I was scared..." She slowly lowered her head, nuzzling it against the stallion's.

"...I was scared that I would lose the pony that I cared about the most... The pony who I trusted the most..."

The stallion's eyes went wide and his mouth opened in shock, a blush growing on his face.

"APP..." He muttered, saying her name.

She pulled back, staring into his eyes, her face inches away from his. "I don't want to lose the stallion I love... So please..."

and before he could respond, APP closed the gap between her face and his, pushing her lips to his. The two ponies closed their eyes, lost in their embrace while APP's blue circuitry dimmed slightly and the stallion's flared brightly for a moment, signifying the exchange of energy between the two. All too soon, it was over and they pulled apart, APP visibly weakened.

"You shouldn't have done that..." The stallion said. "Now you're weaker."

"But you're stronger." APP countered. "You're strong to stand up and keep moving. Maybe we'll get lucky and find an energy pool soon."

The stallion stood, nodding. "Maybe you're right... let's go and-"

He stopped when he heard a sound in the distance behind him. Turning, they saw a dark red blip fast approaching.

"Oh no..." APP muttered. "We have to move... now before-"

Suddenly, the red object's speed increased to a blur and it was suddenly inches away from the two ponies. The object was a pegasus, covered in black armour with dark red circuits lining it. It's wings were covered completely, and it was lined with a red circuit that glowed an even brighter red that hummed slightly.

In a swift motion, before the two ponies could react, the pegasus made a single swift movement with it's wings, slicing right into APP's neck, immediately she fell back, her head falling off and desintegrating into numerous pixels, her body followed, falling apart in moments, right before the stallion's eyes, his lover died just as quickly as she had professed her love to him.

"No! APP!" He cried out, as if that would miraculously stop her derresolution process. His attention immediately turned to the pegasus, who did likewise. Rage overtook him, and he drew a disc that was perched on his back and charged, tears streaming down his face.

He swung his disc, attempting to strike at the neck of the pegasus, but the pegasus flared its wings, striking the disc away with one wing and using the other to impale the stallion. It was over before it began.

The stallion gasped as the wing penetrated into his side. It was fatal blow and he knew it. He looked into his killer and saw something that made his eyes go wide in shock and terror.

"No... no it can't be!" Though her eyes were covered in a helmet, he recognized her mane instantly. "But... why... why are you-"

The pegasus emitted a light growl before she flexed her wing and the stallion derrezzed instantly. She stretched out her wings, briefly revealing her cutie mark of a cloud with a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt shooting out of it. Though the lines of it glowed an evil red. The pegasus turned, and flew off towards the city, where other red dots were flying around, leaving behind the two piles of pixels of the dead programs. For a moment, all was still, before the piles seemed to liquify, turning into two glowing pools before moving together to form one. The pools glowed an even brighter blue and then lifted into the sky, disappearing into the dark, rolling clouds...