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    • Emergency Party Hologram Cover
      by Starscribe — At long last, Captain Vector Beacon had reached the moment that every leader dreaded.He made the slow procession through Remote Observation Station Horseshoe-Gamma, his hooves muffled against worn composite. Here on the very edge of Equestrian space, where Celestia's light was as distant as the memory of home, he felt the weight of all they had lost.He passed windows along his right, curving with the gentle rotation of their artificial gravity. Through them was a gulf, far fewer stars visible to the naked…
    • Eastern Diplomacy Cover
      by Starscribe — Oracle felt a strange metal floor under his hooves, and smiled slightly at the clacking sound it made as he walked. Of course, the main reason he looked down was the terror he felt every time he looked up. If he did, even for a second, he was forced to see where Archive had taken him.The ground shook beneath him anyway, listing back and forth as it flew. It had no wings to carry it, not like a pegasus or a bird, yet it seemed to hold its own weight in the air without trouble. How it could do so, he…
    • Dreaming up the Mess Cover
      by Starscribe — Jackie landed in the old library, her hooves settling on the crystal of the roof with a rough clatter. It had been a long time since Jackie had visited this ancient place. Until comparatively recently, this old library near the height of the reachable Dreamlands was a monument to decay: evidence that even the best could be defeated and that virtue was doomed to failure. Why bother trying in a universe that simply didn't care?She had watched its crystal structure turn chalky gray and start to crumble around…
    • Discovering Cover
      by Starscribe — There was much to say to Scootaloo—many words to exchange, friendship to renew, and tears to be shed. Sweetie told her as little as she could about the events of her escape, painful as they were to contemplate. She was grateful that so few memories of that experience survived—all she really had to know was that it was difficult and painful.But that conversation was the easy one—the one that would've happened to any two friends reuniting after a difficult experience. The much harder part was what…
    • Dig Until Dawn Cover
      by Starscribe — Dr. Dawn Hardy, Hegemon of the human race, sat in her underwear atop the edge of an artificial waterfall overlooking Recreation Area Seven. One arm rested on bare knees covered in freckles, letting the holofield projector set into the bracelet fill the area in front of her with readouts. Half a dozen little windows floated in the air, alternating between camera footage, maintenance information, historical logs, and a few active terminals.“Midir Outlook Relay transfer returns complete,” said Core, its…
    • Departure Cover
      by Starscribe — "You know you don't have to do this." The android sounded about as sensitive and friendly as any android could, much better than the emotionless voice she had used a decade ago. "You can turn around. Nopony will judge you if you stay. You could probably convince the others to call it off. Somepony else can go instead."Sweetie Belle did not look over her shoulder at the Carousel Boutique, where what was left of her going away party was still winding down. She didn't because she knew that if she did she…
    • Damned Cover
      by Starscribe — Archive had to stoop as she made her way out of the housing block. She was vaguely conscious of the lights popping and exploding with magic as she passed, overwhelmed by the energy surging through her. But she didn’t really care—her silted eyes could’ve seen in total darkness.Besides, it was noon outside. Even under the witch-light of necromancy, her troops would be able to see just fine.Archive could no longer see the difference between the embodied dead marshalling in the streets and the spectral…
    • Created Cover
      by Starscribe — Sweetie was there for her younger self the moment she first stepped into Lucid's Dream. She kept the filly model, along with her old mane style. When you were a copy, you needed everything you could get to differentiate yourself.At first she spent only a few minutes awake at a time, with Sweetie following a few steps behind her and monitoring everything she did. That saved her more than once, since Sweetie could step in and use a few commands to stop her mind from spiraling out of control.Nopony in the…
    • Contingent Behavior Cover
      by Starscribe — Levi had been right to be nervous about the Equestrian legal team, even if his partner and the rest of the firm had been excited about it. After surviving dismissal motions, things had been looking good for sweeping the board at trial and carrying away the estate as well as legal fees.But then the Equestrian side had brought the “dead” pony into court to testify, telling the jury how his children had treated him with contempt for the last few years of his life, even including a recording from his…
    • Compiler Cover
      by Starscribe — Joseph stood in the center of his vault, appreciating the quality of his work. In all the world to his knowledge, he knew of no creatures anywhere who had seen the potential of magic like he had. Even Archive, holding all of it in her mind at once, had stopped several steps before the really interesting discoveries. Yes, self-recharging lights and using weather magic to feed gravity-driven power plants were an interesting innovation. But they were only a sliver of what magic could do.Before Mystic Rune,…
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