Chapters
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Arcane woke in a four-poster bigger than some bedrooms, with enough sheets to swim in and a dozen stuffed animals. As Domino stirred, he tore away several layers of blankets, rolling away from her and entangling himself in the sheets. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, he seemed to like this sluggish almost-death called sleep, and so he kept going through the motions even when they were entirely unnecessary.She pulled herself into a sitting position, struggling a little against her reduced mobility. She…-
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143#E14C years later…The train from R'lyeh was always an uncomfortable experience, but more so for the creatures who didn’t make many trips. Most of the ride was spent in relative comfort, passing shallower settlements along the shoreline and the light-water fish who lived there. “We could still get off at Cliffside Shoal,” Cascade said, settling into the seat beside her with a tray of seaweed-wrapped fish rolls. “We could wait until next year. Nopony says it has to be now.”Arcane Song pulled…
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111.2 K •
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Arcane knew where she was going, if only through rumors and whispers. But she probably could’ve found her way there just by judging the reactions of the ponies watching them. The high-and-dry was practically newborn compared to the sunken city, but some of the creatures here looked less agreeable than any of the ancient watchers on the sunken tomb.Conversations stilled as they passed on street corners, mares held their foals closer, and even sweet old ponies crossed the street to walk away from them.…
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I paced back and forth in front of the entrance to the massive throne room doors, conscious of the grinning guards watching me whenever I turned my back. Ideally I would’ve come during the Eventide court and petitioned with everypony else—but Twilight had specifically intercepted my letter, and told me to arrive now.The sun was already down, casting a diffuse orange glow through the window and across Canterlot. But the city wasn’t nearly as dark as the old pictures I’d seen. Everyone had…-
45.4 K •
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I knew that getting the princess of all Equestria alone for an interview like this was a rare opportunity. It can take weeks to make it to the front of the queue for the Eventide Court.But for all that, her appearance across the table from me was not that different from many of the other scholars I’ve spoken to about this matter. She fidgeted, glancing over at my various notes. It was no wonder Equestria had done so well in my lifetime, with a princess who cared so much about every miniscule detail. Even…
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I had a few days to prepare, rushing around the city to arrange my affairs. Needless to say, the dean of Twilight’s own school was more than accepting of my absence under the circumstances, and wished me good luck. I didn’t really own much, so it wasn’t hard to gather all I had into a single set of saddlebags to wear up to the dock.Canterlot’s drydock has remained an important place for innovation ever since the Migration War, with much of it sealed from civilian ponies like me. Not that Canterlot…
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The trip to New Accipio was uneventful, at least so compared to everything I’d been led to expect. There were no pirate attacks, though I did see plenty of other traffic along the route. We saw the Royal Navy more than once, patrolling our most important trade-route.I had plenty of opportunity to ask follow-up questions to Bluejacket, though there wasn’t all that much to ask. He didn’t remember any specifics about the religious service, or know very much about the new griffon religion.Beyond that,…
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Through the maze of rock and stone we climbed. Though I had little in common with many other pegasus ponies, I did share one particular discomfort: being trapped indoors. I kept adjusting my wings in agitation as we walked, glancing up as though by doing so I might be able to lift the ceiling from over my head.“It’s not much further,” Radiant Dawn said, her voice sympathetic. Did she understand what bothered me, or just think I was bored? At least the latter would mean she didn’t think I was a foal…
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I clutched my pack close as I wandered out of the throne room, taking one last glance at the imperious Empress on her throne before turning around the corner and out of sight.She invited me here. She accepted the interview. But now Starlight was rejecting me, tossing me back into the city with what was either callous advice or thinly veiled threats. I couldn’t tell which, but either way didn’t bode well for the success of my project.I didn’t make it very far, maybe a few steps, before Radiant Dawn…
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All this talk of noble houses and city lords was hard for me to wrap my head around—but as we walked into her office, I found myself finally relaxing in the presence of something familiar. Even on the other end of the world, in a civilization of birds that had once kept slaves, some things never changed.Gina herself was an older bird, though like many of the griffons I’d met so far it was hard to tell her age with the signs that might work well for ponies. Most birds didn’t lose their feathers as…
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