Chapters
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Sharp Edge grinned broadly as the first structures of Agate came into view below them. It reminded Theo of plenty of similar places she’d seen on the American northern frontier. Unlike her homeland, these people didn’t have a thousand years of history in the town.The ample use of redwood logs and the local granite made the cabins seem almost like a charming little tourist destination, maybe a ski resort.To say the locals were surprised by their arrival was an understatement. As they emerged from the…-
163.3 K •
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Theo woke the next morning—whatever her ambitions to keep searching through the night, she’d apparently been far too exhausted to keep working. She yawned and stretched, emerging from the tent a second time. As before, she had no idea how she’d gotten inside, no memory of climbing in the night before. Sharp Edge didn’t leave me out in the open after I fell asleep. She would’ve loved to thank him for his help, except of course that he wouldn’t understand her if she did.She rose slowly, wiping…
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163.3 K •
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Theo ran below as quickly as she could. She couldn’t imagine what difficulty Sharp could possibility be having: his engines seemed to be assembled so perfectly, with an incredible standard of mechanical tolerance for something that had been built by hoof.But as she opened the door to the engine room, she was hit with a wave of black smoke that sent her staggering back, hacking and coughing. Oh god we’re on fire. There was no mistaking that terrible smell, even from the top of the stairs. Theo had…
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163.3 K •
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Theo’s claws scraped uselessly at the edge of the Horizon, staring over the railing at the distant forest. “Out of curiosity, Sharp… what’s our altitude?”“About… two thousand feet,” he answered. “We could do ten times that if we wanted to lose some of our ballast, but I thought you would be more comfortable learning down here.”“More comfortable…” she muttered. Out in the empty air, little Emerald was flying back, somehow pushing a cloud along ahead of her. It was several times…
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163.3 K •
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“I’m sorry sir. That volume is missing too.”They stood together in front of the circulation desk, with a stack of white cards in front of them. Every recent map catalog that might be able to give them a heading to the hippogriff homeland.The librarian was yet another creature that Theo could scarcely imagine existing, a being of strange transparent crystal with faintly glowing eyes. Granted, she could only see through the pony when the sun caught her just right, but… she wasn’t so sure she wanted…
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163.3 K •
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Their accommodations proved to be nothing special, the same sort of housing she might’ve expected at any cheap hostel back in her own world.She was a little intimidated when she saw that of the two rooms, hers was the one with two beds. Sharp had Emerald staying with her, without so much as asking.But she didn’t voice her complaints. Just opening her mouth to try and explain it made her feel like an idiot. What am I supposed to say, that I shouldn’t let her stay in here because of something I’m…
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163.3 K •
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Theo was supposed to be helping Sharp bring the Horizon down—but instead of doing anything useful, she stood completely still, staring off the edge at what was below them.They’re supposed to be primitive. A traditional village frozen in the north, with a few bits of medieval hardware in Sharp’s tower.Everything Theo thought she knew about the ponies and their world shattered before her eyes as she got her first look at the Crystal Empire. Semitransparent spires as large as skyscrapers rose into the…
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163.3 K •
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The Horizon was many things. Sturdy, comfortable, and even safe. But fast? Not so much.They couldn’t outrun the storm. As the huge black clouds began to close in on them from behind, Sharp called Theo to the door leading down, offering her a safety harness. “Get this on, and get clipped in. I’m going to act like you can’t fly for this if that’s okay.”“Yeah, it’s fine,” she said, shrugging into the harness quick enough. She still wasn’t sure about her body in this strange world, but she…
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163.3 K •
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Theo emerged from Sharp’s workshop to see the mob had finally decided that she was out of time. They weren’t keeping to the edge of the hill anymore, even though there was no sign of the sun in the sky. Only a gentle orange light, radiating slowly overhead. But nowhere close to actually touching them. There was no sign of the village elder this time either, just angry faces lit by sputtering torchlight and covered by half-frozen, half-melted ice. “That’s it!” called a voice from the crowd, loud…
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163.3 K •
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Theo could barely lift her claws as she made her way into Sleighsburg. Here the earthquake hadn’t just torn up rocks and opened random holes over nothing—here the devastation was real and extremely pronounced.There weren’t thousands of bodies littering the streets—there weren’t even thousands of ponies in the entire village. But there was terrible damage to everything she could see. Houses had come crashing down—sections of wooden bridge over ice had collapsed, and gaps had widened. Already…
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163.3 K •
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