Chapters
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Star Orchid adjusted her dress, settling the high collar about her shoulders. She stared back at her reflection for several seconds, inspecting each crease and little gemstone. Her own nervous face stared back, with faint bags under her eyes and a few strands of her mane out of place.There was nothing she could do about the former—it was what came with months of service in the Twilight court. It was a privilege to be around ponies of such power—but the proximity could use a pony up and spit her out.…-
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A few years later...Kara's graduation was almost perfect.Parents and well-wishers filled the entire stadium, so thick she couldn't even identify where her parents were sitting. But even if she couldn't see them, they'd be able to see her, up near the front of the class wearing gold robes and with every extra sash the school offered. She understood, at least on an emotional level, that the ceremony was only the formality that came at the end of all her hard work. The spot waiting for her at Berkley's…-
129.9 K •
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What could've been Kyle's final moments in Equestria did not come in quite the way she expected. For all the ponies talked about (and feared) Princess Cadance, ruler of the Crystal Empire, she didn't call Kyle to some grand throne-room for their farewell.But when the day of their departure arrived, she and Kara walked the strangely oversized pony frontier town, attracting stares and curiosity from the horse-sized people. At least with Kyle's alicorn features hidden, they didn't bow and cower before her.…
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129.9 K •
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The Radiant Hope finally arrived at the place that corresponded with home in her world, the settlement she'd been told was called "Flurry's Vigil." From her porthole far above, Kyle saw a few dozen wooden buildings and a temporary wall, along with a huge field for their vessel to touch down. Like the ship itself, it looked like something ripped right out of history.The one called Princess Twilight arrived to personally escort them out. Kyle's first other Alicorn that wasn't a baby.It was as obvious then as…
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129.9 K •
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Kyle flew aboard the pony airship Radiant Hope, a zeppelin of such size that it defied easy understanding. Internally she was about as large as one of those huge Dreamliner aircraft, with multiple floors and plenty of cargo space. Her gasbag was large enough to dwarf the occupied sections, but not nearly so much as she might've expected.But analyzing the impossibility of their transport was far from the center of Kyle's thoughts, given her last few days.The ponies gave her and her sister a private…
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129.9 K •
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Twilight was nearing the bottom of a long, winding ramp when she felt the first flickers of magic from far below. The soldiers escorting them had no idea what was happening, didn't even react.Applejack and Rainbow Dash were a bit more sensitive. Both looked down, and Applejack pawed nervously at the floor. "Bit far down to be living, don't you think?" she asked, turning to look back at their escort. "Couldn't we stay up top, where we can see the sky?"Twilight had a spell prepared by then, a stun that would…
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129.9 K •
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Kyle followed Akiko down into the parts of the lodge she'd never seen before. The walls seemed to close in around them as she moved, though of course the stone and cement couldn't be moving. But there was magic in the stones, magic that responded to their steps, wrapping around them like a straitjacket with each foot they traveled. She should probably be thinking more rationally—would Monday really want her to walk down into captivity to save their own life?Probably, she'd met them on the deep web. They…
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129.9 K •
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Twilight's eyes darted between the soldier and his weapon, eyes narrowing. If it were anything like the ones the other humans used, it couldn't be terribly threatening. But killing one of the guards here would not improve their odds to negotiate a peaceful release."We're not a threat to you," she said, turning her hands toward him. Her other friends all followed suit, freezing in place. "We've come to talk about the baby you're holding downstairs. Nopony has to get hurt."Twilight couldn't possibly miss the…
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129.9 K •
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Twilight had never seen military engineers at work before. It was incredible what they could achieve without the resources and time to build something conventionally, and with the pressure of an angry Alicorn breathing down their backs.There was very little for Twilight herself to do, by contrast. She prepared her laboratory crew, going through every possible pre-check they could make before they landed, then had a long conversation with her friends about which would want to come into a potentially…
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129.9 K •
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The mechanical gate jerked and groaned as two men in suits reached under it, forcing it open faster than it could move. One rolled underneath, stepping beside Grandpa with a weapon drawn. He put himself directly in Kyle's path, though he didn't quite point the gun at her."N-no, stop..." Grandpa took a single deep, rasping breath. He reached up, settling one hand on the man's shoulder and pulling himself to full height. "Don't... don't hurt my grandchildren." His eyes were wide, bloodshot. "God in heaven, I…
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129.9 K •
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