Chapters
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Faith dragged her hooves all the way into the housing block, then up several flights of stairs to Green level. Through a set of guarded doors—a position that was more symbolic at this point—she passed into the rotunda. Faith couldn’t see the colors meant to indicate Green level, but she could smell them. Here, where the noble and great ones of Moonrise lived, there were living plants.Not just the entirely practical potatoes, carrots, or wheat either, but far more interesting smells. Mint, parsley,…-
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Faith waited eagerly at the back of the line, bouncing more than walking with every step. She was surrounded by a world of other chattering fillies and colts. Ordinarily she might’ve loathed hearing their constant jabbering about their chances and what color they’d be sorted into—but just now, it had its purpose.Faith’s world was utterly dark, the darkness of something that had never known light. Indeed, “light” was itself just a word to her, a word that translated roughly to heat.Faith was…
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231.4 K •
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Moonrise limped along for a while, just like Quill. There was little the old stallion could do for the city himself—it was all about keeping ponies’ spirits up, and organizing the right talent for the right job. Occasionally he stepped in to make suggestions when ponies were stuck, or to mitigate a disaster before it got worse.They encountered their first of those a month or so from the Day of Power, when a pony blundered into the “lightning traces” connecting the generator to the forge, and was…
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Cozen’s own workshop was no less busy with activity.The priceless motor from Vanaheimr stood on display at one end of the room, though it had been so thoroughly taken apart that Quill almost didn’t recognize it at first. There was a thin exterior shield around it, which had been completely removed to expose its internal workings. Even Quill slid past the technicians to stare at the object.“Ingenious, isn’t it?” Cozen asked, settling down beside the motor and taking hold of the crank somepony had…
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He could see from Nightmare Moon’s face that he’d pushed the boundaries of the boldness she would allow. She seethed with anger, as she always looked whenever someone mentioned her sacred city. She clearly hated being reminded of it.He waited a few more terrible moments for the blast of magic that might scour him away from the moon’s surface. It would come eventually—it was bound to, if he kept speaking to Nightmare Moon that way.It didn’t come now. “You make… a certain amount of sense,”…
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231.4 K •
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Quill knew that ponies were watching him. He felt no resentment towards the creatures of the camp for staring—it wasn’t their fault that they were fascinated by the bizarre creature that he had become. His transformation from elderly general into elderly deformed cripple was entirely Aminon’s creation. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that the monster had died for it.The downward force Nightmare Moon had named “gravity” was not so harsh a mistress here as it was upon Equestria’s…
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231.4 K •
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Penumbra’s existence was a storm.Even after her pact with Nightmare, even after all they had exchanged together, usually she was left alone. That was the way of things—Nightmare invested power in her, and that power made her a useful servant. But Nightmare’s grasp was itself a limited thing. When she wasn’t the right tool for the job, she was left to her own devices. This was true more often than not, and so the pact often felt like a worthwhile exchange.It’s what she would have told herself to…
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231.4 K •
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“This is your plan, Quill. I think it’s only appropriate you remain here with me to see it through.”Iron Quill emerged from the tunnel, straightening the Lord Commander’s armor about his torso. The weight of the enchanted metal was thin comfort against what he knew was waiting outside.He strode up to the princess, bowing exaggeratedly for the benefit of the unicorn door-team. He was beyond thinking that Nightmare Moon herself actually cared about such petty signs of respect, at least from him. But…
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Night came as harshly as ever to Moonrise, with the excitement and glee at the first night replaced with resignation. Yes, it was true that Moonrise was, if anything, too warm on the beginning of the first night. But they all knew what would be coming in a month’s time, and so the celebrations were short-lived.Chain Mail’s advice had been sound, even if they couldn’t obey it. Ponies were upset to be forced back bunking with other camps. Worse since Quill’s own Lunar company was much larger than any…
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Members of Quill’s council filed out one after another, signaled by the departure of Nightmare Moon herself. Quill remained in his seat until the end, giving each one their instructions in turn. “Fabricating glass is our first priority,” he told Silver Needle. “Put the other sections on hold until we get that done.”“They’ll complain,” Chain Mail said. Not argumentative, just matter-of-fact. “We’ve been telling them that we were focusing on survival first.”“Keep telling them that,”…
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