Chapters
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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…-
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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Lotus stared up through the broken wreckage of one window. She was still trapped somewhere in her truck, its body now crumpled and crushed beyond recognition. She'd been thrown from her seat, though by some miracle that hadn't meant shattering her whole body through the windshield.Sound rang through her ears, and her mind struggled to focus. Everything warped and melted, with only brief moments of clarity. A stone pony towered above; its glowing eyes fixed on her."Not... sure what I expected when we got to…
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133.2 K •
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Lotus lay beneath a field of soft grass. They surrounded her in all directions, nearly up to her shoulders in places. She found the contact strangely soothing against her coat, gently cool after the desperate pressure of their flight from the mine and battle with Searing Gale. In all that time—from the moment of her frightening accident to the transformation that followed and her desperation to master her new powers—she never dared to hope this moment would actually come.But here she lay, surrounded by…
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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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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 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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Cold water washed around Lotus, taking with it the heat of many bad decisions. Once even a few seconds in such an uncomfortable space would've driven her to finish cleaning up as quickly as possible, before stumbling out of the shower with desperate, insatiable shivering.No longer. Something about the kirin's disposition, or maybe the supernatural heat boiling in her belly, kept her from feeling anything but a pleasant coolness against her skin and scales. With every passing second, calm and confidence…
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133.2 K •
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I still can't believe I'm doing this. Lotus stared out the shadowy windows of her old pickup. As insane as this plan was, they'd still made it all the way out here, a short run from the gas station.Now the QuikTrip lights glowed against a foggy night, joined only by the occasional flash of headlights blazing along the highway. Almost no one stopped, and seconds turned into minutes of relatively uninterrupted peace. "The longer we sit here, the more time for somebody to roll up," Gus said. The truck was off…
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133.2 K •
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Lotus watched the flashing lights speed past outside. They came much more frequently now, at least a dozen she had counted so far. The police zipped down the highway from both directions, converged on the gas station—then split up again. Some shot down the farm road connecting the old asylum, others weaved their way down its other tributaries.Gus snored away in the other room now, content that “someone has to be awake, but it doesn't have to be me.” So, it fell to Lotus to pace back and forth next to…
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133.2 K •
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