Chapters
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Amie turned to watch Ivy gallop into the room. There was no need to act to make herself look uncomfortable and want to leave—the less time she was stuck in here, the better she would feel.“Do you really have to give my friends a dressing down, Dad?” she asked, annoyed. “We had plans today. You can’t just… drag ponies in like this! She’s not even military!”Bravo settled back into his seat with exaggerated informality. He flipped the folio back open, pretending to be interested in whatever…-
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"I told Commander Path what happened," he said, glancing nervously around the restaurant. There didn't seem to be anyone paying particular attention to their table, but that was no guarantee. Even if no one had followed Tailslide, they might still recognize him. It must be inconvenient not being able to change his appearance like that. "The truth about—you, your brother, the place you came from."Even spoken so vaguely, she sat up in her seat, relaxing her mind so she could feel at the emotions of…
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Amie stayed with him through the night. She helped with the painful preening process Tailslide had been putting off for weeks, watching as he tore out broken and damaged feathers, and put the rest in order. They talked over tea, then he finally collapsed into her bed of stuffed toys and pillows. She stayed with him for another hour, until he'd finally drifted off to sleep. She never dozed off for more than a few minutes before she was ready to get up again, brimming with energy. She watched him for a…
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It was a long, difficult way to their destination. The maps were right to warn them about how challenging it would be. Ponies without wings would be far better off finding another way to climb. Equestria had to have other waterfalls worth hiking to, and other secrets hidden in the trees.Amie might've turned around, if only Ivy would let her. The unicorn only grew more determined as they hiked further, ignoring her growing exhaustion and the growing number of scrapes and bumps they took along the way. "Dad…
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Amie had to carry them to the fire after that. Technically she had to build the fire first, then beg for Ivy's help to carry her unconscious campers one at a time. But despite her initial fear, she helped Amie lift the bugs onto her shoulders one after another. They were so light compared to the unicorn body she'd taken that she could lift even Rick easily. By the time the fire was built, the two of them were sleeping peacefully beside it. Really sleeping, deeper than anything Amie had felt from another…
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Ivy didn't say anything for a long time after that. Amie waited, her whole body poised with nervous energy. She'd given this pony the power to destroy her, and by extension Wes as well, without even expending much effort. Maybe if Path got angry enough about his daughter's “subversion,” he might even push for an invasion of Camp Stella Lacus, dooming everyone there. The pressure was enough to keep her fidgeting in place, unable to sit still. Yet she wasn't ignorant—she watched the pony's emotions,…
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195.0 K •
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Her two campers stared back, as relieved as they were confused. Not that Beth and Rick didn't want to leave. They had already done it once, and neither wanted to return. They hadn't said so, but Amie could... feel it. How did I not notice this when I was still living in camp? How has no one noticed?"Can you do that?" Rick asked. "I thought you said ponies wanted to kill us. If they caught us, they'd... they'd think we were invaders, and they were justified.""They would," she said, rising from her hooves.…
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Compared to all the chaos surrounding their arrival, Amie and Ivy's return to Agate was relatively uneventful. There were no more missing campers to find along the path and heal, no attacking pony soldiers to confront Amie with the truth of her transformation and throw her in prison. Instead, they walked in relative silence. This time it was different from the peaceful walk that was an opportunity for physical exertion and personal growth. There was something subtly awkward about the silence between them,…
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Amie considered changing back into any number of different pony disguises. But the windows were always drawn, and he already knew. Hiding the truth about her nature would not help. Besides, she needed to know whether or not she was imagining things. She shook herself off, removed a towel from the hook, then wrapped it around her shoulders as she stepped out. He clicked the door closed behind him, watching her from across the small space.Tailslide didn't look different, anyway. He was still covered in the…
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Despite Tailslide's plans for the evening, they did not fly to the lake. Thankfully this wasn't the one hidden high in the mountains, requiring many hours of difficult trek up into the wilderness. A wide road led directly out of Agate, along the bank of a slow-moving river.There was little in the way of boat traffic, only the occasional narrow barge laden with crates of whatever ponies floated out of Agate. The captain of one waved to them as he floated past, and Amie waved back.Amie was used to carrying…
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