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    When everything seems dark, don't be.

    Chapters

    • Chapter 1: Piru Cover
      by Starscribe Ashton knew this plan would work. At this point, there was no way he could possibly fail.As the bus approached the convention center, he could see just how packed it had become. Thousands of people clogged the massive square outside it, spilling out onto the street. It didn’t matter—the area had been blocked off completely, to make a space for the dozens of food trucks. “I know how much you like this game, Emmet. Look how many players there are.”Emmet leaned past him to the window, taking in the…
    • Prologue: Spring Cover
      by Starscribe Ashton hurried up the stairs to his bedroom, taking each one two at a time. He stopped at the top, long enough to make sure no one had seen him. His parents' cars were both gone from the driveway. From the silence in the house, his little brother and sister were gone too. Perfect.He tossed the backpack off one shoulder and into his arms, then hurried into his bedroom. The space beyond was clean and well-organized, at least for a kid his age. One month from the start of high school, and all the fresh…
    • Chapter 22 Cover
      by Starscribe I froze in the doorway. I wanted to turn and run—though I knew better than to try. Princess Twilight moved the sun. She’d fought creatures with power that I could barely comprehend.Besides, I didn’t want to look like a coward in front of Dawn. If I could survive flying lessons, I could survive this. Maybe.“You’re, uh… Princess… something… Princess…”“Twilight Sparkle,” I finished for her, shutting the door behind us and making my way inside. Nothing left to do now but face the music.…
    • Chapter 21 Cover
      by Starscribe We made the visit to the palace as quick as we could, and not just because every moment seemed like the one where Princess Twilight might finally decide it was time to put an end to my ridiculous adventure. It wasn’t just her daughter who had enough of Gilda’s attitude—at this point, it seemed like only a matter of time before she upset Dawn as well.I did stop at the telegraph office before we finished with the trip, long enough to transcribe a brief message to the court. AM RETURNING FROM…
    • Chapter 20 Cover
      by Starscribe I found Dawn waiting on the Daughter of Wintergreen, along with a half-blind bird with a pink head and a face like he was perpetually smelling sour milk.“You’re the faulty hatchling, eh?” he said, before even Dawn could greet me. He jerked forward, pulling out a gnarled stick and smacking one of my wings.I jumped, backing away. “Hey!”He ignored me. “What, you gonna fly away? Oh wait, you can’t.” He jerked forward again, smacking my other wing just as hard. “Flightless hatchlings like you…
    • Chapter 19 Cover
      by Starscribe Gabriella obviously wasn’t from any of the clans of birds who ruled the Republic now, or even the empire at the time of the Migration War. I might not have an exhaustive knowledge, but I had a fair idea about the distinct physical patterns. This bird was indeed one of the Equestrian variety, with feathers in a simple pidgeon gray.“I had a visit from Dawn yesterday,” she said, glaring down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. “She told me you might be coming.” She looked me up and…
    • Chapter 18 Cover
      by Starscribe I sat alone at the prow of the Daughter of Wintergreen, letting the wind lift my wings. Standing there with my eyes closed, I could almost understand why so many ponies liked to fly. They could have this feeling whenever they wanted, and without a machine to restrict their movement. The Daughter of Wintergreen brought with it a noisy thaumic impellor, and a floor that shuddered and listed gently with every passing gasp of wind.“Didn’t think I’d find you up here!” Dawn said. I didn’t turn around,…
    • Chapter 17 Cover
      by Starscribe What was your first experience with Accipio like? Equestrian records say you were sent in as a negotiator long before any formal agreements were signed.That’s true. I had a blank canvas to work with when I started.I was afraid—everypony was afraid of griffons back then. But I wasn’t really worried about my own life. Mons Ignis was going to erupt, and maybe kill everypony. That was the bigger threat. Coming to Accipio could’ve saved everypony.It looks like it did.She doesn’t respond to this, only…
    • Chapter 16 Cover
      by Starscribe We arrived with no more disasters. We weren’t ambushed by the undead, or secretly betrayed by the Virtue crew for some esoteric reward. Instead we pulled into Caesarea after not quite two days in the air. A distance that had taken the Hammer of Gaius only hours. But it didn’t matter, we’d made it. Whether I would survive what came next, that was the tricky thing. We scrubbed in the cold shower until neither of us smelled like anything but soap and shivering, but would that be enough?“I’ll go to…
    • Chapter 15 Cover
      by Starscribe We didn’t have very far to walk to reach Carrion, so called City of the Dead. Only for these birds, the term wasn’t meant to be literal. When I closed my eyes, I could still see the eyes of Cyrus, who had taken us for days through the dark. He said something about the commander of that outpost, who went too far with the Old Magic even before the world ended. He was talking about himself.But as we reached the real city, the birds who greeted us were all clearly alive, though that didn’t make them…
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