Chapters
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Lotus waited by the cliff as the pegasi descended, backing only far enough away that she wouldn't be so close to the precarious edge. Not that she was afraid of heights exactly, but... she didn't have wings. The last thing she needed was a fatal fall only a few minutes before her rescue!She took a few seconds to straighten her mane as best she could, settle her saddlebags onto her shoulders.Then they arrived. Two of the three remained in the air, about twenty feet up. They circled slowly around, as though…-
133.2 K •
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They came for her a few hours later. First the metal taps on the ceiling, striking repeatedly where she was confined. She tapped back, even though Lotus was so overwhelmed she desired no motion at all. Yes she was still there, still alive. Whether she deserved to be after what she had brought into Equestria—that was for someone else to decide.We could've trapped her. We could've put things right. But not anymore. What did burning that book mean? Magical things of course, but how could she know what they…
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133.2 K •
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Searing Gale moved through Hono like the wall of an oncoming hurricane. Incredible magic radiated from her, every step another grim conquest. Centuries of history, art, and growth all burned before her, consumed in the Nirik's bottomless need. No matter how much she fueled the fires, they always demanded more.Her attention wasn't for Lotus Cinder, not more than any other kirin here. She might not recognize me. We don't know how well she can see between worlds. Maybe I can blend in.She might, but her…
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133.2 K •
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Time passed in Hono. One day turned into another, while they waited for the princess to rescue them. Soon all three of them had duties to perform. Iron worked in the air, flying high to trim branches and other areas that the kirin could not reach easily. As soon as the kirin realized Gus couldn’t fly very well yet, they sent him off to work with the butcher instead. He was still practicing, and he would keep getting better.Gus didn't seem to mind that—if anything, he returned from each day of work with…
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133.2 K •
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Autumn Blaze led them to Hono's larger buildings. Lotus hadn't even seen it at first, concealed behind many layers of trees on the outskirts of the village. Up close it was impossible to miss: a castle, albeit of a decidedly nonwestern style. Its foundation was entirely of stone, rising up a few stories before floors of wooden walls. Each had its own steepled roof, higher than the last. It opened in only one place, where a pair of stern-looking kirin watched a gate into a tiny internal courtyard.…
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133.2 K •
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Lotus stumbled forward, hurrying over to embrace Iron. She hugged him as tight as she could, not caring about what it might do to the silk dress. "Iron! I thought you were still a prisoner!"He shrugged. "Your new friend put in a good word for me. Because of you, I'm pretty sure." Without a fancy outfit, Iron could still hold her with one of his feathery wings. He didn't smell like dirty trail and blood anymore. They hadn't given him flowery perfume, but she wouldn't want that anyway. The natural spell of…
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133.2 K •
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Lotus stared stupidly back at her reflection in Autumn’s mirror. Any second now this vision would end and she would wake up. She'd be Eric again, smacking his phone to stop the awful beeping of his alarm before another dismal day of work on the factory floor. Then he'd drive home again to a beat up old house he could barely pay for, and do it all again.Lotus's reflection remained, no matter how long she looked back. Her borrowed silk dress remained, dark patterns broken by a splash of white from the…
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133.2 K •
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Eric was only a few minutes late to work that morning. Who could blame him—he'd been in an accident the day before, leaving his torso covered with a blossoming bouquet of black bruises. Then instead of getting any rest, he'd stayed up to care for the animal he hit. He thought, anyway.Kent could blame him, as it turned out. He'd barely made it out onto the line, gloves and safety-goggles in place, before Kent came marching down from the breakroom steps, past the three other packaging lines. He ignored the…
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133.2 K •
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If Lotus's nighttime arrival in Equestria gave her a false impression of how different it could be from Earth, her first hoofsteps into Hono restored some of that initial sense of wonder.Its many houses and buildings were constructed in a rough semicircle around a large central square, stretching from one side of the village to the other. Though very few were built to any sane engineering standard she had ever seen. Most of those were in the center of the village, where a large wooden temple and various…
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133.2 K •
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Lotus remained frozen, facing down the group of kirin. There were three, two about her own size and one a little taller. Yet compared to her, they might as well be another species. Their manes had grown large and vibrant, more like what she'd expect on a lion than her own modest growth. The scales emerging from beneath packs of supplies were polished shiny enough to catch reflected sunlight. Their horns had that same luster, like they'd been dipped in wax."You're... here for the book, aren't you? She sent…
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