Chapters
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The next few hours were a blur to Hayden. A blur of panicked nobles, of shouting voices and rushing guards. Though the meeting that followed between them and the city lord was private, somehow the news seemed to be spreading through Icefalls. There was already a mob of terrified citizens at the fortress gate by the time the meeting had been dismissed.Hayden now wore a loose military jacket that had belonged to the last general in the north. A tailor would make her a proper uniform, but for now it would…-
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The door banged open, hard enough that Hayden was surprised it didn’t shatter into splinters. A single unicorn stood in the opening, with a cloud of servants running after him. There was no suggestion of how such an old unicorn could’ve beaten so many young ponies to her bedroom. Some ways behind him, she thought she could make out Snow Storm in the distance, struggling to keep up.Honed Edge snapped alert as he entered, weapon already drawn. He didn’t seem to recognize the unicorn—though the royal…
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They left the temple, or at least that part of it, descending a set of stairs near the back to a basement level. The rooms were all decorated in a similar style, with lunar and night-based tapestries and mosaics wherever there was room. This seemed to be the quarters for the priests, judging by the modest bedrooms they passed, along with a cooking and bathing area, all clean but looking lived-in.“Of all the ponies I thought might visit…” Nightbreeze said. “I never imagined she would send you. Guess…
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A few minutes later, and Hayden had followed Lodestone back inside, accompanied only by the guards and a handful of other ponies. None of the guards asked for her identification.“And what of Polestar, Lord Snow Storm?” Captain Lodestone asked, as soon as they were safe within the castle walls. Most of the servants and staff didn’t follow them to the upstairs sitting room near where they had first entered. But Hayden followed, and Lodestone glared at any guard who dared approach her. “Why didn’t…
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141.3 K •
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Evening Star could hear the drums long before she could see the city through the clouds. This was by design, of course—flying above the clouds meant they could avoid the worst of the currents that might’ve knocked an inexperienced flier from the air. It meant they could spend the least effort, and rest whenever they wanted just by gliding down a ways.The distant beats sounded nothing like anything Star had heard during her time in Defiance, watching ponies in their military drills. The beat sounded…
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Hayden had almost nothing of what she needed. She didn’t even have the passable set of tools she had commissioned from the castle blacksmith. But Hayden had spent years of her life as a general contractor, and years before that in the military. In neither of those careers had “not having what she needed” been an excuse. She wouldn’t let it be in Defiance, either.Besides, though she lacked almost anything of what might’ve been considered essential by others, she had the one thing that just…
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141.3 K •
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The night passed without much incident. Captain Lodestone didn’t try anything with her, and she managed to resist whatever instinctive part of herself wanted to get closer to him in return. The only strange thing about the experience was her dreams, which seemed quite unfamiliar to her. She’d never seen so many ponies in armor in her life. But Hayden dismissed it as a dream brought on by her work, and woke at first light along with the captain.He filled their canteens by squeezing out the cloud, before…
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About a month later, and Hayden was shuffling nervously back and forth in her room, fussing over what she’d packed into her saddlebags and wondering how long she would have to wait. She had packed everything she could think off—her old belongings were more than enough for survival in the wilderness when she’d been human, but there was no telling how useful they might be, or how much they would even be needed.We’re not camping, we’re not crossing the wilderness. It’s okay. It’s only a day’s…
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Hayden found herself alone on the roof of her tower that night, staring up at the stars. She hadn’t bothered with clothes, hadn’t bothered with a blanket or even a pillow for resting on. She just sat on the floor, with the phone in front of her. She’d rigged a stylus for it by wrapping a thin rod in a little metal foil taken from a gum-wrapper, and that worked well enough so long as she was careful. Her solar charger still worked, though she knew even that had a limited lifespan. If she stayed in…
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By the time Hayden returned to her room, she found a pair of Lunar Guard soldiers standing in the hallway on either side. Even the guards seemed a little intimidated by her strange appearance, though. They got out of the way as she approached, bowing, and scraping and moving so quickly it looked like they were afraid she might attack them.She was too upset with herself to let that feeling spread to anyone else. I ruined it. I can’t believe I was so stupid! She was an animal! I’m an animal! None of this…
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