Search

    Chapters

    • Chapter 8: Knight Cover
      by Starscribe — Sunset staggered from the room, feeling as though she’d been physically beaten. There had been no violence in the history class, or at least no violence inflicted on her. She had gone into the class wondering how she would be able to tell if the king had sanitized his history or not. As she stumbled from the room, she no longer had to wonder. She no longer let herself mingle with the crowd of builders, instead jerking herself away, backing up until she was against the wall, before turning and running…
    • Chapter 8: Interrupt Routine Cover
      by Starscribe — Smooth Agent had been quite confident in his ability to get them to the Center within minutes. The reality, however, was proving to be a bit different, when less than a minute into the trip a police car had appeared seemingly from nowhere and started flagging them down. Agent didn’t pull over, but rather got up from the controls completely, swearing under his breath.The van kept driving—if anything, more skillfully than before, dodging up onto empty sidewalks or cutting across empty parking lots,…
    • Chapter 8: Fuscus Cover
      by Starscribe — Jackie knew Mundi hadn’t forgotten them. She got her confirmation about six months later, when it was time to cut the ribbon on her most ambitious structure yet.She’d wanted to name the incredible thaumic ash Hometree, but most of her ponies didn’t understand the reference, and the ones who did weren’t keen on that. They didn’t like Das Kapital either. So it was that one of the most impressive achievements of modern magical engineering received the drabbest name.“City Hall” stood nearly four…
    • Chapter 8: Exodus Cover
      by Starscribe — Chipper Tune did not give Nathan the chance to appreciate just how strange everything in the bunker looked. She didn’t take the time to explain where the new doors led, and why some of the furniture looked like it had been adjusted for their size. Instead they kept on going, right down to where the entrance to the fifth floor would’ve been, and the home of the creepy-looking drones.Well, it had been. There was no intermediary room to his eyes, no hooks and no vests. Instead, there was a shimmering…
    • Chapter 8: Estate Vale Cover
      by Starscribe — Lovely weather didn't seem like an unkind alien, or pony. But she was also unyielding with her instructions. "Then with everything taken care of, it's time to get you two off with your new families.”Derek watched, listening to see if Charlie would argue. She did look up, meeting Derek's eyes. "Okay." She took a single step towards Dust Storm."But—" Derek extended one hoof towards her, then lowered it again awkwardly a few seconds later. "Will we see each other again?""Of course you can," Lovely said.…
    • Chapter 8: Encrypted Cover
      by Starscribe — “Uh…” Jackie wasn’t thinking about how it might look to True Silver if she happened to notice—really, she didn’t care anymore. She’s completely organic. She knows everything about how prosthetic bodies work, she built advanced technology, I haven’t seen any sign that she’s hiding a human. “That’s not possible,” she said, lamely. “You’re organic, I can see that. There’s not even an ident in your arm. You’re as natural as everyone else on this mountain.”“I… yes.”…
    • Chapter 8: Copse Cover
      by Starscribe — Meeting the Cave didn’t take long at all—by the time Dakota woke up the next morning, to the calls of tropical birds she was pretty sure came from the resort speakers, there was a note slipped under the door. At least she assumed it was a note. There was nothing actually on it.“Oh.” Cinnabar stared down at the folded-open sheet. It looked like it had been scrawled on the hotel’s own free paper. “Right. Buck me.”“Not really into horses,” Dakota answered, over a mouthful of eggs. She was…
    • Chapter 8: Conquest Cover
      by Starscribe — "So this is everything you need?" Their adviser Confident Theory was a stern-looking mare, her mane graying at the tips. The rest of her was firm and angular, like an angry sliderule. "One fifty-liter pressure vessel, three hundred meters of uninsulated copper cable, two industrial gas burners, a rotary kiln, high-density filters, fifty kilograms of lye, nine-hundred liters of distilled water, and... let me make sure I'm reading this last one right... three hundred kilograms of unprocessed red-brown…
    • Chapter 8: Conflict Resolution Cover
      by Starscribe — Iron Quill woke without his extremities buzzing and without a headache. He sat up, cleaned without interruption, then dressed in the underclothes he'd worn under his armor for half a lifetime. He exited the tent, nodding once to Chain Mail beside it. "Excuse me," he said. "Chain Mail. Have there been… reports, since your watch began?""A few," he answered, saluting. "What do you wish to know, Lord Commander?""Have there been any more deaths? Children and foals among the camp followers would be the most…
    • Chapter 8: Charity Cover
      by Starscribe — The fight didn’t seem to be going well. Harlequin kept her distance from the opening to the alley, watching as a veritable storm of ponies went by. They fought so quickly that she barely got a good look at them, but she could see well enough to be afraid.How are they winning so easily? She crouched low, watching as a dozen different drones surrounded their little group, attacking all at once. The ponies responded with equal synchronicity, with the horned one and an unhorned one blasting away half of them…
    Note