Arc 3 – Convergence Chapter 2 – White Horse

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Whereas Ash stared at the eerie equine-like thing in mute horror, the snow screamed, trampled by her backtracking—frantic stumbling steps.

Underneath the empty eye sockets that peered at her with the intensity of a dozen glares no mouth had opened, yet a voice came—if that sound could be called such; were a corpse be capable of speech, it would speak in that manner.

“Life form detected: Harmony unit—special variety, alicorn,” cold, mechanical, noteless words announced. “Threat analysis: negligible. Course of action: proceed with the objective.”

The skull turned away and the biggest breath Ash had ever held whistled past her just unclenched teeth; the sigh turned into a bout of hyperventilation. Something about those bones chilled her to her own more profoundly than any of the local unnatural winds.

In the wake of abating fear a shadow of the alicorn’s ego dragged behind, bitter about her unflattering assessment; only rats seemed to fear the mutant—or a special kind of pony if Discord were to be trusted.

Right—no time to waste—she was a mare on a mission.

Glancing around inevitably led Ash’s eyes to fall back to the imposing (even if by its unsettling appearance than the size alone) figure that seemed to be as well absolved into taking in its surroundings. The wind clawed at the mass of junk that constituted the ricketty frame uncannily swivelling the borrowed skull.

The statue’s attention momentarily lingered on the shivering pony, letting her take a better look at it and Ash barely held back a terrified gasp—that skeleton!

An elegant yet almost impossibly long horn topped the massive skull of delicate physique, with the rest of the bones sharing that quality. And amongst them—those belonging only to pegasi—wings uselessly stuck to the ribcage.

The morbid sight captivated Ash in the same measure as it repelled her—the remains evoked a strange affinity to them. In the end, common sense won and she pivoted around to get the furthest from something that might have killed something that once looked like her; the direction didn’t matter.

In her retreat, she mumbled, “Shit like this makes me want to never return here.”

The skull snapped toward her.

“Life form possesses valuable data. Commence: extraction.”

Colourless magic compensated for its near invisibility with a sharp pain as a crushing vice grasped Ash’s throat and pulled up, forcing her to stand on the tips of her hooves, effectively incapacitating the writhing mare. Then the agony came with which the arcane touch marked its invasion straight into the alicorn’s brain.

With only strangled croaks coming from her foaming mouth—not that anyone would come to help—and her body rendered even more helpless than usual, her last hope remained in the ability that she’d developed the least.

A yellowish aura spluttered around her horn and a weak push of telekinesis dissipated against the uncaring bone—the monstrosity didn’t react, continuing to worm into Ash’s consciousness; something was telling her she wouldn’t see it through.

Another magic shove yielded the same result, except time passed and with that the searing pain intensified to the point where blackness began to creep at the edges of Ash’s vision. As if to banish it, she reached for the Sun—just to touch it for one final time before the shadows swallowed her.

The peals of thunder came first, then a waxing distant hum that rapidly grew into a deafening roar and finally a blast shook Ash’s world—along with a radiant lance of sunlight.

She tumbled back, miraculously unsinged and hurting only from the disrupted violation of her head and neck. All around, snow hissed in agony as the air-warping heat melted it straight into a vapour.

When the alicorn rose to her hooves, the surface under them—the dissolving ice—seemed further away than usual; her limbs moved with less effort and even her wings that flared out by themselves promised flight; magic all but dripped from her horn, craving to spill itself upon the snowbanks, so the hated scenery would be purged by an inferno.

It felt so good.

Was that what Discord had talked about? With that strength she could fight anyone, anything; nothing wouldn’t bow before her will. She could waltz back into that depot and turn the Prophet into a pile of cinders.

The burnt air rang with a laugh—a deep venomous cackle that Ash couldn’t recognise even though it bubbled from her heaving chest.

Her seemingly boiling blood turned into ice in an instant.

What she thought to be the lingering ache of the merciless probe in her head refused to pass because it was something new—the fire that consumed her as much as empowered, and demanded to carry out its hunger into the world lest she didn’t want to perish.

All of a sudden the heat became unbearable and the steam-laden air suffocated Ash as she backpedalled again, though this time with no chance of an escape—there could be none from herself. In her panic to figure out how to relinquish the corrupting strength, she failed to notice how it faded, leaving behind the fear of its possible return.

Something did return—banishing away the fog with a wave of magic, the bone-encrusted statue approached the alicorn. Though the metal parts of its body still shone red with heat, the direct hit hadn’t inflicted any real damage; the bleached skeleton appeared to be unaffected in the slightest.

Weakened by its attack and wrestling back control over her mind, Ash made no attempt to flee, solemnly bolstering herself for another eternity of torment.

The skull regarded her for a few long horrible heartbeats, then the distorted air carried the words, “Threat reevaluation: extremely high—data loss risk. Commencing negotiations.”

Ash stared back at a somehow expectant bone, rendered mute by the offer—she had never participated in something that even resembled negotiations.

“Let’s just not kill each other, okay?” she suggested. “No fighting—we back off, be on our own ways and never meet again.”

“Offer: rejected,” the effigy intoned without hesitation.“Life form possesses valuable data.”

Perplexed simply by the concept of having a conversation with whatever that horror was, the confused mare meekly objected, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Clarification: information regarding Canterlot escape routes.”

“All I’ve got is a riddle from someone who calls himself Discord,” Ash offered a clarification of her own.

“Data analysis: failed—variable can’t be calculated.”

The frost crept back into the clearing reverting water into ice and still, nothing followed that cryptic comment. Ash realised it fell on her shoulders to break the stalemate.

“So what now?”

“New objective: follow life form.”

“Do I get the choice of opting out of this?”

A silent look was all she got. The metal and bone abomination received an annoyed sigh in return, followed by a few words of the same nature, “My name is Ash. What’s yours?”

The empty eye sockets somehow managed to convey condescending befuddlement.

“This life form doesn’t require a name.”

Now that it didn’t portend death, the alicorn gave ‘the life form’ a critical look.

A badly damaged arcanium statue served as the base for the pieces of reddish scrap and whatnot—all cobbled together to mimic the general outline of an equine; its physique belonging to no known race, though its size approximated that of Ash—a weirdly overgrown pony. The bones, somehow immaculately preserved despite everything, finished the eerie look by being used as both integral parts of the frame and ‘decorations’—nowhere to be fit, they either freely hung or formed the resemblance of an armour.

“Who even are you?”

Nothing gave Ash any reason not to use ‘what’ instead, for despite the mechanical joints and salvaged plating crudely imitating those of equinoids, who already trod on the thin line betwixt living and inanimate, the entity had no crystals inside—only darkness lurked in the recesses of its preternaturally moving carcass.

Yet the way that creature had spoken and acted brought back memories of her childhood—of dank tunnels inhabited by those whose flesh was deformed by the generations and unkind conditions into a pinnacle of grotesqueness and fate’s mockery. Her parents, her siblings, her friends—all who Ash had loved dearly.

“Matching data not found.” For a fleeting moment, it sounded as if the subtlest hint of forlornness slipped into the lifeless words.

“Everyone has a name,” insisted Ash.

“Parameter: unnecessary.”

The mare answered the curt dismissal with a glare and declared, “You will be... Nameless until you come up with something better.”

For once more the hollow stare bore deep into the alicorn’s eyes portending menace and lasting uncomfortably long.

“Analysis: life form’s intelligence—insufficient.”

Pursing her lips, Ash walked past her newly-found travelling companion, heading for the familiar outline in the ruins.

“Go analyse yourself, Nameless.”

Now that dust and rime had settled, the time to mull over the obtained knowledge came—the snippets of bigger truths hidden behind Discord’s jokes and the hints buried in the machine-like messages of Nameless.

However, before the brainstorming came, some questions nagged at the back of Ash’s mind, mostly those concerning the nature of her unexpected journey and one of them she didn’t hesitate to ask aloud.

“Why can’t you just walk out of the city?” she called to Nameless who trailed behind her like an ominous shadow—silent and unstoppable. “You seem more than capable of that.”

“This li—”

“I,” Ash abruptly cut off Nameless.

“This—”

“I,” the alicorn interrupted again. “I’m doing that until you stop calling me or yourself a life form. Oh, and I’m also not going anywhere,” Ash announced and her backside plopped down into the snow.

“Th—”

“I.”

Nameless monotonously pressed on, “...is capable of disintegrating that life—”

“Ash.”

“Communication: denied. Seeking solution,” the desensitised voice abruptly stopped but returned after a few seconds,“Correcting data. New variable parameters assigned: Nameless, Ash. Resuming exchange.

“Nameless is incapable of leaving the Canterlot perimeter due to interference from the entropic variable.”

“That’ll have to do…” Ash sighed, then perked up. “Wait, what does that mean?”

“An entropic variable interferes with any attempts to cross the boundary marking Canterlot’s premises,” Nameless deadpanned.

The alicorn rolled her eyes—on purpose or not, Nameless could be insufferable and that uncertainty annoyed her the most.

“What entropic variable?” she grouched. “The storm? How does it stop you?”

It didn’t help that half of the time Nameless used words whose meaning Ash couldn’t understand so much as guess the context.

“Ash assigned the entropic variable: Discord.”

Remembering how Nameless effortlessly decapitated him (though that hardly mattered) the mare couldn’t help but wonder, “How powerful is that draconequus?”

“Collected data suggests no limits.”

Two kinds of survivors dwelt in Canterlot—those who excelled in stealth and those who excelled in death. None could hide from the cold and the beasts that circled the ruins feared no gun or blade. Whilst a few ones had allegedly found the way to sneak past the icy cordon, Ash seemed to stumble upon those few individuals capable of dealing a killing blow to the blizzard.

Discord could beat Nameless, Nameless could beat the Prophet and the Prophet could beat Discord—ridiculously, that sounded a lot like that one game only gryphons and minotaurs could play.

Ash shook her head.

“I don’t understand.”

“Insufficient input—clarification required.”

“He can do anything, right? Then why is the whole city neck-deep in shit?” the frowning mare ranted, finishing with a cautious, “Is he… a bad guy?”

Nameless didn’t have the answer outright and when it finally came, the words echoed Ash’s reluctance to jump to any conclusions. “Archive data contradicts observations—Discord operates outside his modus. Therefore, data is compromised by observations—insufficient.”

Ruminating on the balance of power in the dead city and her nature presented itself quite a novel and pleasant pastime for the one who used to spend such quiet moments lamenting the injustice of the world and praying for the lures to attract the prey before she turned into an icicle.

But the unfair reality had other plans for Ash, dragging her back into that realm of harsh survival.

“Stay here,” she commanded as soon as her eyes recognised the dilapidated edifices leaning on each other in their undignified rest.

“Request: denied—unclear purpose.”

Ignoring Nameless, Ash dug into an assuming pile of snow—one of her stashes—until she emerged with a warped metal pole clenched in her jaws. The alicorn spoke through it, “If I don’t get some food soon, there will be no grand escape—the cold will kill me before we get halfway to the Wall.”

Whilst the blessing—and the curse—from the Sun had injected her failing body with some energy, it had faded away along with the insidious strength and the residual allowed her to ignore her empty stomach only this far.

“Clarification attempt: failed—reiterate operation.”

Ash spit out the ‘spear’ to meaningfully shake it. As Nameless blankly stared at her (not that the skull could convey anything else), she elaborated in a dramatically exasperated fashion, “I’m gonna hunt rats.”

“Observation: inefficient strategy.”

“You have something else to offer?” Ash’s eyes widened and she frantically waved her hooves. “Wait! Don’t answer that question—the last time it happened my life got crazy.”

“Input: self-contradiction. Ignoring logical fallacy. Possible solution: displacement of the nearest food supply in Ash’s vicinity.”

The mare in question blinked at Nameless a few times.

“You can do that?” she asked in disbelief; then squinted. “Why?”

“Cessation of Ash’s life functions is detrimental to the objective.”

“That’s… reassuring.” The wording couldn’t be colder, but the meaning struck deep. The alicorn softly uttered, “Thank you.”

The air warped and in that distortion tin cans materialised, hovering above the snow in the flickering haze. Heartily thrusting her spear into the white flesh of winter, Ash reached for the levitated preservatives, however her hoof laden with a food tin didn’t retract— it extended further.

Nameless ignored the offer, patiently waiting for something. Only when almost a full awkward minute passed, the voice announced, “Ash contradicts her statement regarding the necessity of receiving sustenance.”

“Don’t you want some?”

“Nameless doesn’t require organic or mineral compounds to operate.”

“I envy you—never getting hungry,” Ash chuckled as she diverted her attention to opening the tin; thankfully, her meagre telekinetic power proved enough to pull on the convenient ring.

“Nameless’ functions are limited to obtaining data and its unbiased processing.”

A shudder ran down the alicorn’s spine—if not for her special link with the Sun, Nameless would be processing her data as easily as she munched on those mushy turnips. How many had failed to escape the lethal inquisitiveness?

Nameless had been stalking the corpse of the city, devoted to a single activity—hunting down knowledge for whatever purpose, relentless and merciless… much like Ash hunted rats.

“I’m taking my words back.”

The food, however cold, tasteless and lacking texture, vastly improved Ash’s chances to not succumb to the unforgiving winter; it also called for more respect towards her companion—a somewhat morbid guardian angel.

“Erm… Nameless?” she unsurely began.

“Insufficient input.”

“How do I put it…” Ash seriously considered dropping the matter. “Are you a mare or a stallion?”

“Gender: not assigned—unnecessary parameter,” Nameless replied, unperturbed by the question in the slightest.

The concept didn’t sound inconceivable to the alicorn, but of all creatures who could say the same about themselves, most often it came from those ponies who had their bodies made from steel and plastic. Nameless didn’t fit that group lest they belonged to the rumour about the equinoid who’d ascended beyond the coil of material vessels; after today it would be hasty to call that improbable, however.

So Ash specified, just in case, “Are you some kind of an equinoid?”

“Observation: incorrect—no equinoid attributes found.”

Nothing equine—‘no matching data’ at all. Was their abdication of gender a conscious choice or a dismissal of something inherently alien?

“I just don’t get you—calling yourself a life form, but having nothing in common with any living being,” she defeatedly admitted.

“Statement: false—Nameless possesses all attributes of a living being.”

A sad sigh escaped Ash’s lips. “All but one...”

“Input: unclear—requesting elaboration.”

“Never mind.”

The traversal of the once-great city’s frozen remains proved a challenge by itself—the ever-shifting snow rendered memory unavailing as the wandering of the alabaster masses erased the passages that were there a day before, offering new and perilous paths instead. Nameless’ oppressing presence added to that stressful situation and Ash couldn’t figure out why exactly until it finally occurred to her.

“What’s with the bones?”

She uneasily glanced at the skull, beautiful and terrifying at the same time; it bore a familiarity simultaneously drawing her closer and urging her to flee. The way the polished porcelain-like bone gleamed under the many time filtered light of the concealed Sun differed from anything else in a disturbing and fascinating way.

“Remains of a life form found at the Sky Palace.”

“Cool,” Ash cooly noted. “Why wear them?”

A long silence followed her question, longer than any before to the point the alicorn thought it would remain answered.

Nameless ultimately spoke, “Choice of preference.”

Ash stopped dead in her tracks to stare at them, her mouth hanging open.

“But… wha… What?” she managed to stammer. Throwing her hooves up in confusion, she all but yelled, “Didn’t you say you have no feelings?”

“Default data: corrupted. Collected data: partial rebuilding achieved—fragments evoke a response to external stimuli. Contribution to the investigation: possible,” Nameless gave her an ambiguous answer ridden with technicalities that flew over Ash’s head.

The mare fell silent, glowering at Nameless and eventually scrunched her nose in distaste before hissing, “Do these bones make you feel happy?”

“Data suggests: sorrow.”

Ash’s hoof shielded her eyes from the hail of soon-to-become flesh-rending ice crystals. Nevertheless, she succeeded in taking in the dreadful vista of the city entombed in rime—an otherwise pristine valley bristling with half-rotted grey and reddish buildings. Pyres belched soot to spite the deadly winds; the mare never ceased to wonder what else had been left to burn after all those years in the kingdom that was scavenged to the marrow.

Bodies, perhaps. A crude estimation suggested that more than half of Canterlot’s population believed it would survive the winter when the call to abandon the city shook its streets.

The gale ruffled the alicorn’s feathers, drove her mane into her eyes and mouth. Nameless, the impassive sentinel, stood by her side, unbothered by the storm’s rage. Their unseeing eyes gazed upon the desolate scenery growing dim from the thickening blizzard and approaching night; Ash couldn’t help but be curious—what data did they see?

Did that living nightmare evoke anything in them at all?

“A stupid question—why do you want to flee Canterlot?” she asked instead.

“Data to determine Nameless’ designation—insufficient. Solution: expand the search area.”

“You mean your purpose in life?”

Nameless contemplated the question—as much as such expression was possible for them—before amicably agreeing, “Change in definition: accepted.”

In the Tunnels, the passing of time had a different measure, and the deeper the underground passages went, the less importance it bore—some places ignored that concept altogether. Ash used to dwell close enough to that border betwixt sensible reality and fever dreams made real; time stretched there so she emerged on the surface almost twice as old as she would have been, had she lived on the streets from her birth.

The subterranean darkness had no days and no nights—an eternity of survival against horror with only one’s heartbeat to remind that it might end at some point. Everything was possible there, but not the kind anyone ever wished for.

Though Ash used to hate the surface world, she always appreciated how it offered her the points to strive for and to celebrate her successes, however little they might seem.

“Is that really so important? I’m just happy to see the next day—that’s all I ask for.”

She learned from Discord that she should be thankful for the Sun’s movement, for that clemency appeared nothing short of a fluke of providence.

“Existence without a designated role: waste of resources—unacceptable,” Nameless all but barked, though that subtle harshness didn’t seem to be directed at their companion. What they said to her sounded almost envious. “Ash’s statement: false. Ash’s designation: photoscotopic cycle controller.”

“What does that mean?” Ash tilted her head and squinted at Nameless as she continued her questioning, “And how do you know?”

“Every Harmony unit is assigned a designation via an image in the croup area. Photoscotopic cycle controller: static cutie mark of special designation—stellar body control.”

It took the alicorn a few moments to decipher the reply and her eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

“I can control the Sun?!”

Nameless met the alicorn’s bewilderment as calmly as it befitted their unimpressible authority and listlessly explained, “Controllable stellar bodies include: the Sun, the Moon—the latter to a lesser extent. Collected data suggests the possibility of the long-lasting warping of the atmosphere layers to change the perception of the stars’ position.”

“Can I try it now?”

“Observation: photoscotopic cycle correction not required.”

Though that came close to snuffing out Ash’s excitement, she perked up again, intently looking at the sky and muttering, “I’m not going to change anything—just try.”

The alicorn’s eyes closed and she focused on the memory of magnificent radiance. For a moment her concentration faltered as a shadow blotted out the light—the sensation of power that would immolate her if she didn’t funnel it outside… and how tempting that offer was.

Ash’s consciousness connected with something so unimaginably colossal, it seemed endless in comparison with anything she had ever known; the mare doubted Nameless’ words—how could she grasp something far greater than her?

Still, Ash didn’t give up and suddenly she merged with the Sun.

It was like when she let it inside her mere hours before—now she knew what happened then—but this time, the tables had turned. Except… how did one tempt the Sun? Her presence had no weight nor did the heavenly body possess any kind of consciousness to stir.

Something to figure out later—nothing was supposed to be changed now, anyway. And only now did the alicorn pay attention to how the engulfing sea of effulgence had been slowly proliferating within her—a speck threatened to become one with the heavenly body if she stayed close to it for too long.

As she, somewhat begrudgingly despite its dangers, severed the connection another detail caught her mental eye—she wasn’t alone, the heavenly body notwithstanding. Someone else had had the hold on the Sun and Ash realised it only when the presence slipped away.

Erected to isolate Canterlot from the exiles and their wretched domain, the Wall met the blasts of ice and the breaths of the cosmos unflinchingly. Those who belatedly sought escape from the cold death and feral survivors suddenly found out that grey bulwark didn’t let anyone out either.

These days the mounting snow that, too, rushed at the crumbling concrete, reached high enough to walk to the top of the Wall that no longer stood as tall and proud as it used to. Still, rarely anyone dared to climb the last snowbank of Canterlot; not because of the precipitous drop to the Edge—new wardens patrolled the border, leaving hoofprints of permafrost in their tireless watch.

The protruding spires of the buried skyscrapers disturbed the white inclined expanse, offering shelter to Ash and Nameless as they scaled the slope to freedom. However, despite the glimpses of the wondrous world beyond the blizzard’s veil, the alicorn didn’t hurry—without the ‘sunset’, approaching the shroud of snow would likely lead only to her demise.

It was when she shivered inside the ruined office, wracking her mind whilst peeking outside and squinting into the torrents of the snow in hope of witnessing a clue, that Nameless sharply turned their head, intently staring into nothing, and proclaimed:

“Detected: multiple life forms. Threat analysis: high. Solution: elimination.”

“Wait!” Ash broke out of her reverie before something she would regret happened. “Who are they?”

Figures appeared from behind the corners, materialised from thin air or nimbly jumped from the holes in the already practically non-existent ceiling—skilled hunters and not just any. Amidst the grim group, one equine stood, posing more threat than every survivor of Canterlot combined.

“Not your enemies,” the Prophet answered the startled mare. As she moved to flee into the storm, he called, “I’m here only to talk.”

Nameless, however, didn’t flinch and their voice cut above the howling of the winter, “Cessation of Ash’s life functions is detrimental to the objective. Delay request: denied.”

For a heartbeat, Ash saw nothing wrong in letting her protector unleash their deadly potential. But then she caught sight of curved horns and a familiar bearded muzzle.

“Don’t do anything or I’m going back into the city.”

Though their look differed none from any other she could give, they managed to glare at the mare before conceding, “New objective: observation. Interference: allowed under specific conditions—a direct threat to Ash’s life functions.”

As the situation turned to the Prophet’s favour—at least for the time being—he didn’t hesitate to step closer to Ash, entering the corner where she huddled against the cracked plaster by the paneless window.

“So... Ash, right?”

His metal face bore a benevolent smile; the ominous mass of something shifting under his plating partly ruined the impression, however. His voice, on the other hoof, expressed nothing but genuine candour.

“I believe we’ve met already but I haven’t introduced myself properly—I’m the Prophet, the one in charge of preserving and restoring the civilization in these ruins.”

The alicorn could bet her hoof—all of them, wings, horn and her scrawny ass—that the encounter promised no good. But hope springs eternal, so she clung to that slim chance to resolve the situation without losing any limbs.

“Ash, the one who is just minding her own business. And they are Nameless—my friend.”

The Prophet’s eyes jumped to the eerily still equine as he commented, “Interesting.” He quickly lost his interest in them, returning the attention of his unnatural eyes to the white mare. “What about your other ‘friend’?”

“I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew,” Ash spat, instantly bristling.

“No need to be this hostile—I only mean well for everyone, yourself included,” the Prophet smoothly retorted. “I just wish to fulfil my destiny. Surely, you of all ponies should understand.”

The silkiness of the stallion’s voice clashed violently with the memory of him tearing apart the gryphon’s body with eldritch magic.

“I’m neither blind nor stupid.”

Ash’s continued defiance did nothing to the Prophet’s smile and he warmly continued, “You grew up in Canterlot, barely survived it for years, long and cold. You plan to escape—that intention is very hard to judge as life gets only harsher here. Discord can change it but won’t—I would if I were to have his powers.

“Think about it, Ash—you can help your home. You have committed no crimes in my eyes—you present only value by the merit of your unique physique and ability.”

It was as if the Prophet knew what to say—with each word Ash found it harder and harder to see him as her enemy or the enemy to everyone but those who opposed the better future.

How long was she going to hide and feed on scraps, no more than a rat amongst the rats—a cannibal pretending to be otherwise? Would she sacrifice the prosperity of the whole city for the notion of friendship with a creature she barely knew?

Leszek’s face in the little crowd patiently waiting for her cooperation reminded her of what had been lost already—entire lands. The memory of her perished parents reminded her that nobody deserved that.

The promise of a bright future—so tempting, almost impossible to refuse.

Almost.

“Ten years. Ten fucking years I hunted vermin while cannibals hunted me—all before your eyes. And, suddenly, I have value?” Ash hissed. “And what about Nameless? Do they have value if they don’t know something you need?”

The Prophet’s smile never diminished but gained a different quality—disappointment.

“I see how it is,” he said with a sigh. “You are smart Ash, but that kind of smart that gets you into more trouble than it saves you from. Seize them.”

The snowbanks outside the tiny ruin exploded with the clouds of shimmering dust—arcanium ‘ghosts’. Nameless’ suddenly frantic movements reminded Ash that whilst her companion had an upper hoof with the enigmatic stallion himself, his guard could somehow fight them back.

That and her reluctance to indulge in the power which lures, she might not be able to resist, forcing the alicorn to flee into the blizzard’s frigid embrace, hoping that Nameless would be wise to follow.

However, she underestimated the mobility of the Prophet’s mysterious fighters who rustled above Ash’s head to come swirling ahead of her, cutting off any retreat. She came into a skidding halt, burying herself into the snow and turning back to witness Nameless at her heels; the stallion and his forces almost casually closed on them.

As if pleased by the hunt, the storm winded up, roaring louder and louder until it abruptly became clear—that bellow belonged to something else.

A stream of fire, dim blue and bubbling with midnight, hewed the torrents of ice, spraying upon the arcanium mist. With abominable screams, the clouds dissolved, dropping smoking ponies into the snow, where they rolled in agony or lay forever still.

Another blast of sinister flame washed over the ruins, the wave harmlessly bouncing back from the shield of dark matter. However, the sonorous orders in an imperative voice called for a retreat and in no time the dark forms disappeared into the pale veil, leaving Ash and Nameless with a massive formless silhouette shambling towards them.

The prolonged muzzle emerged from the downpour of ice first, Ash taking a step back at the sight of jaws unable to close from the overabundance of crooked teeth. Nor did at least half a dozen mismatched eyes imbue her with anything but the worry that she had just exchanged one disaster for another.

“Hybrid life form: unstable specimen. Threat analysis: indeterminable—insufficient data. Suggestion: caution,” Nameless commented, unsurprisingly unimpressed.

However, other than looking exceedingly disturbing, even by Ash’s standards, the creature posed no immediate danger and seemed to be waiting, observing the duo with that unsettling many-eyed gaze.

“Thank you for the rescue, from both of us,” the alicorn cautiously uttered.

A sudden realisation dawned on her. It made no sense but sounded like the opposite of boring—in a distinctly Discord way.

“I suppose you have something to do with... a sunset?”

“Sunset Shimmer or what is left of her,” the monstrosity rumbled as if with a few throats at once. “I thought anyone who might remember my name had left the city. How do you—”

Every one Sunset’s eye focalised on Ash’s flank and an echoing gasp came from her.

“Do you remember me or is it just a cutie mark?” she reverently asked.

“Uh… no? I’m sure I’d have remembered…” Ash’s attention went over the deformed bulbous body that could easily fill any of the coveted food depots, and found tattered leathery wings protruding from bone-bristling back. “...you.”

Nameless who had been studying Sunset’s appearance the whole time offered their verdict, “Equine attributes: detected. Dragon attributes: detected. Analysis: failed—insufficient data. Solution: sampling.”

The half-dragon half-pony’s attention instantly shifted to the speaker.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got an actual machine goddess by your side.”

“Statement: false—Nameless is a life form separate from the progenitor, exhibiting different attributes.”

“Figures,” Sunset dismissed her words to menacingly note, “I can also see you donning Princess Celestia’s bones and I don’t like it.”

The coiling of warped limbs and sharp intake of the air portended a certain development of the events, so Ash hastily stood betwixt Sunset and Nameless, explaining before the latter caught up on what was happening and took a known route, “They mean no disrespect! They say those remains bring memories—sadness.”

A frown formed on Sunsen’t muzzle; the tension left her sprung limbs and she thoughtfully muttered, “So, another aftersound. An echo of an echo?”

“Sunset Shimmer possesses valuable data. Requesting: data.”

The entity in question shook her head. “You must have found whatever I could have told you in the ruins of the Sky Palace already.”

“Independent internal response received. Data suggests: disappointment.”

Sunset’s eyes found Ash again, squinting at the mare shivering under the onslaught of the icy winds. “So, where did you learn my name, again?”

“Discord sent me here—he told you can get me out of the city,” she chattered out. “And I’m Ash, by the way.”

“What a name…” Sunset shuddered, earning a confused frown from the alicorn. “Sorry about that. I can and should—you of all ponies don’t deserve to be here.”

A gaping orifice in the frozen solid water breathed cold death in Ash’s face as she peered into the impenetrable darkness leading to the Sun. Hidden in the maze of ruins, it didn’t seem to be traversed often, despite not being that clandestine itself—the width of the passage suggested Sunset’s claw and the involvement of fire.

“Why haven’t you left yourself?” she wondered.

“Those who fled the city did so to create a better world outside. Things like me have no place in it.”

Ash scoffed at her, turning to give Nameless a meaningful look and fluttering her wings, “Do we look like typical ponies to you? Don’t be pretentious.”

“Move along… kid.” A distorted chuckled pealed from the icy-blighted dilapidation around. “Can’t believe I’m calling you that.”

Sunset presented herself as an eerie sight, yet her comments offered an insight past the twisted flesh and bone—the pony inside was as mysterious as the draconequus, knowing much more about Ash than she understood herself.

“Maybe you change your mind when we get back for Discord—I’m not leaving my friend behind.”

The half-pony shook her head in bewilderment.

“They say you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I certainly missed the right time to die and somehow lived beyond villainy to see Discord make friends.”

The alicorn bit her lip. “What about Discord?”

The scaly muzzle tilted, prompting her to elaborate.

“Has he lived that long?”

The question earned the mare a long thoughtful look, then Sunset’s eyes left her shrunk form to gaze into the sky where Canterlot’s demise writhed.

“He is not a hero, alright,” she finally said. “But a villain? Even less likely, seeing that you’re here.”

Ash followed Sunset’s example—staring into the city on the brink, though paying attention to the ruins where the embers of life valiantly fought against extinguishing.

“Why won’t he help everyone?”

“He’s the Lord of Chaos—he physically can’t create order himself, it would kill him. But he definitely pushes that to the limit.”

A howl from far above brought a freezing gust laden with snow into Ash’s face; she swayed on her hooves. There would be no rest underground, lest she wished to ever see the surface—she must hurry.

Sunset seemed to be wholly absorbed in the sight of Canterlot, so the alicorn and her silent companion descended the slippery incline into the final stretch before the finish line.

When the misshapen dragon-pony disappeared, her voice, barely audible, caught up with Ash, “I never got to say goodbye to you—and I don’t want to anymore. For the first time in centuries, I want to live so I can witness a new day.”

Author's Note

If you notice any mistakes sneaked in through the editing, let me know.

Stay awesome.