//------------------------------// // Convergence // Story: Chronicles of Utopia: The Six // by CarnivalImpmon //------------------------------// Night fell. The sun dropped out of the sky quicker than Soul Flash or Golden Leaf had expected, but it wasn't surprising. Enigma was probably angry, and as she had sent the royal guard out there was no doubt. The forest was filled with hungry snarls and slurps and, for the first time in a very long time, a pegasus and a unicorn shared the same roof. It was purely out of necessity, you never knew what was lurking at night, but even so, it was uncomfortable to say the least. Golden Leaf was surprised at the good condition of the ruin's internal. The outside made it appear uninhabitable, but inside it was actually quite nice. The stone was cracked and dusty, and all things made of fabric were moldy and moth-eaten, but Soul Flash's books were in fine condition, and nature-themed decor gave it an almost homey feel. Not noble and certainly not majestic, as the castle had been meant to appear in the past, but nice and not a bad home. The pegasus followed the unicorn silently, looking around curiously at the surroundings. Soul Flash seemed tense, his tail flicking ever so often, and his pace stalling with each noise the ruin made. "How did you find this place?" Golden Leaf asked, unnerved by the awkward silent walk. Soul Flash didn't respond. Okay, maybe a different topic. "Do you know who used to live here?" There was silence for a while, and Golden Leaf was about to ask something else, then the unicorn responded. "Royalty," he said curtly. "Really?" Maybe history was the way to dissolving the tension. Judging by the books, this stallion might be a more studious type. "What kind? Ancient unicorns?" "No," Soul Flash said, shaking his head. "I don't know what they were. The few pictures I've found depicted them similar to the Empress, but I doubt that's accurate. Probably just deifying the rulers." "Ah." Golden Leaf nodded thoughtfully. "Could I see the pictures?" Soul Flash stopped suddenly and didn't respond. "...What is it?" "This is where we sleep," he said, turning to her and gesturing to a nearby doorway. "Oh. Yes. Thank you for letting me stay." "You leave as soon as the sun rises." Soul Flash walked into the room. Golden Leaf hesitated a moment, her friendly nature dimmed a bit by his cold demeanor, then followed. The room had a few old looking, but colorful pillows piled in the back, next to a black book. There were lamps in the corners, which Soul Flash promptly lit with a spark of magic. A large chest of drawers was in a corner, and the unicorn levitated one of the drawers open. A few pillows of various colors floated out and piled in the opposite corner. "You sleep there." Soul Flash gestured to the new pile. "Alright," Golden Leaf said, nodding slowly. Soul Flash went to his own bed and laid down. He slid off his one saddle bag then opened the black book, beginning to read. Golden Leaf hovered in the doorway for a bit before edging over to her pillows. She pressed down on one with a hoof. The fabric was tough, not soft in the slightest, but Golden Leaf laid down without comment. Her gaze was quickly drawn back to Soul Flash, who had his snout buried in his book and seemed to be doing everything in his power not to look at her. "What are you reading?" Golden Leaf asked. "A book of spells. I know them all already, but since this is my last night here I thought I might as well do a quick review." Soul Flash didn't look up, and his voice was little more than a mumble. "Ah." Silence reigned for a few uncomfortable moments. "Can I see?" Now Soul Flash looked up, affixing the pegasus with an odd, almost scornful look. "Why? You can't perform magic." He looked back down at the book. Golden Leaf sputtered a bit, unsure of how to respond. She couldn't help but feel an odd mixture of jealousy and hurt from his words. "I can actually," she said, shifting a bit. "That's how pegasi work. Magic is what gives us our ability to fly and change the weather." "I'm aware." Soul Flash looked up again, smirking. "My magic allows me to do that, and much more." "It requires study for you to learn how to do that, it's instinctual for us!" Golden Leaf exclaimed, her wings flaring slightly. "Hm." Soul Flash looked back down. Golden Leaf was about to say something else, but stopped and sighed. Her feathers settled, and she laid her head down on her front hooves. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "My mother used to tell me about unicorns," she said. There was no response, negative or positive, so she continued. "She was a mail mare, and brought letters and packages from Pegasopolis to the edges of Unicornia and Earth. There she'd meet up with one of the local mail mares, and pass on the mail. It was mostly things from nobles; Trade organization and that sort of thing. The earth ponies were fine, but she loved delivering to unicorns most. To see your colorful magic levitate the letters and packages..." Golden Leaf chuckled breathily. "She was a bit ridiculous, my mother, but nice. It was like she didn't even care about breeds, she found everypony fascinating." Soul Flash still didn't look up, but Golden Leaf could tell he was listening. "What are your parents like?" "I don't know." Soul Flash closed the book. "I've lived alone for...a long time." He sighed and looked at Golden Leaf. "Why did you help me?" "Huh?" "When the royal guard were attacking," the unicorn explained, tapping a hoof against the ground impatiently. "Oh. Because they would have hurt you." Golden Leaf smiled nervously, not completely understanding why Soul Flash was asking this. "But you're a pegasus," Soul Flash said, frowning. "And I'm not. You saving me was equivalent to breaking a law, almost as much as you entering Unicornia was." Golden Leaf was quiet, then eventually shrugged. She wasn't sure how to explain what she did, she had just done it because it seemed like the right thing to do. She doubted Soul Flash would accept that answer though. The unicorn huffed. "Why did you come here anyway?" "I followed the royal guard," Golden Leaf admitted, "I was worried about why they'd be so far from the Royal City." "Why were you down in the forest?" "A thief stole something from me. Now that I think back, it probably wasn't that important..." She sighed. "I just hope my brother had enough sense to go home instead of get all fussy about me. I hate to say it, but it's not the first time I've been gone until after dark..." "You have a brother?" Soul Flash questioned, cocking his head. "Oh, yes. Copper Charm." Golden Leaf chuckled. "He's pretty young and stubborn, doesn't even have his cutie mark yet..." She trailed off and her gaze drifted to Soul Flash's flank, eyeing the round mark curiously. "What does yours mean?" "My-" The unicorn caught her gaze and narrowed his eyes, flicking his tail forward to cover the mark. "My talent is magic." He didn't elaborate further, instead looking away to the far wall. "Oh." Golden Leaf couldn't help but feel a bit sad that it wasn't something they could talk more about on an equal level. She didn't understand anything about unicorn magic, but if it was his special talent then he knew all the ins and outs. Oh, there was something she could ask about. Soul Flash might respond to more questions about knowledge. "Then...do you know about the Empress'?" "What do you mean?" Soul Flash asked, looking back at her. His eyes were cold, violet shards of ice. She'd definitely gotten his attention. "Empress Enigma's magic," Golden Leaf said, "Why is hers so much more powerful than any other unicorn's? How does she have wings and a horn? She isn't really some sort of goddess, is she?" Soul Flash was silent for a minute, scanning over the pegasus critically and with an almost confused glint in his still cold eyes. His mouth twitched slightly and he turned his head away again. "She's an alicorn. That's why she has both the wings and horn. I'm not really sure if it's natural or not, but since she's the only one it can't be. Not completely anyway. No, she's no goddess, but I'm not sure what that makes her besides just the most powerful pony in Enigia, maybe even the world." Soul Flash's brow furrowed. "I can sense her magical aura, even from so far away. It feels like it should be comforting but...there's something wrong with it. I don't know what." He blinked, then glanced back at Golden Leaf. "Why?" "I'm...curious." She shrugged, then quickly followed up with a question so her host wouldn't get bored. "What do you mean 'magical aura?'" "All ponies have a magical field surrounding them which embodies their core, like a soul or something of that nature," Soul Flash explained. "It can't be used to track anypony, or read their minds or anything, it just lets you know they're out there and alive. You can't usually feel it from very far away unless the pony in question is extremely powerful, like our tyrant. And...I suppose they actually have to have a soul. Shadow ponies don't have them." "I've never felt anything like that," Golden Leaf said, cocking her head. "Most ponies don't, they're very faint," Soul Flash said. He smiled slightly and Golden Lead mentally cheered. "I developed a spell to heighten my ability to read them. I got my cutie mark when I finally developed it." "Wow," Golden Leaf mused, "I wish I could feel souls like that." "It's not very helpful," Soul Flash sighed. "I mean, I can tell if somepony's still alive, but other than that there's no use. I was just curious about them is all." "Well, being curious is how I got my cutie mark," Golden Leaf giggled. She turned slightly and lifted a wing so he could see the mark. "I'm lucky in the field of invention. I just had to get curious enough to start inventing to get it. I made a machine that produces light with only a minimum amount of magical energy, and it appeared." "A machine that produces light?" Soul Flash repeated, narrowing an eye and leaning his head forward slightly to see the mark better. Golden Leaf smiled. She was getting somewhere with this stallion. "Yes. Magical energy flows in, simply by some pony pressing their hoof against a little button and activating it. It was an accident really, I broke a wire and it zapped me. It started glowing, it got enough energy by just brushing against me. I used that knowledge to make the rest of the thing." Golden Leaf sighed happily at the memory. "My parents were so happy that it worked. They had me make another, and sold it immediately to our neighbor." "Fascinating." Soul Flash sighed, dropping his head to the pillows. "Won't your parents worry over your disappearance?" "Oh, um..." Golden Leaf looked down, wings drooping. "No. They...passed. Quite a while ago, actually. Charm barely remembers them." "Condolences." The unicorn snorted quietly, then flicked his head and lit his horn. The lamps went out, thrusting the room into shadows. "We should sleep now. Who knows when the Empress will raise the sun, but you have to be gone when it does. I have...places to be." "Of...course." Golden Leaf nodded, ignoring the fact that he most likely couldn't see her in the dark, and curled up on her makeshift bed. The harsh fabric of the pillows agitated her skin, but she remained quiet and draped her wings over her body to protect against the slight breeze blowing through the ancient shelter. "Good night, Soul Flash." Golden Leaf received no response, and resigned herself to the tense silence, eventually drifting off. Soul Flash watched the pegasus as best he could, holding his breath in anticipation for some show of aggression, some sign that everything he'd been told about the spilt races was true. They had to be split for a reason. This pony couldn't just be...normal. What was the point if this winged mare was no different from the horned ones he'd met in unicorn villages? In fact, she seemed almost...sweeter. It was unnatural. With a grimace and an uncomfortable twitch, Soul Flash surrendered to the night, pushing these treacherous thoughts to the back of his mind.