Chapters
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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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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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The boat barely rocked beneath Amie by the faint light of dawn. The lake water was crystal smooth, like a single sheet of glass not yet broken by wind or recreational swimmers. Her nesting place was similarly comfortable, tucked inside the sleeping bag with Tailslide beside her. She no longer smelled much like a bat anymore—but she also didn't want to.She lay there for a little while, feeling the rocking boat beneath her, and listening to the songs of morning birds. Her bat body wanted to keep sleeping,…
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Amie could not fly back to the city, even ignoring the boat she had to return. When she was sure nopony was watching—besides the little group of “pegasi” gathering by her campfire—Amie changed again. This time it was the bat self that seemed the more natural. In some ways, she'd used this body more in one night than any other since the Transit. Maybe she should try to talk Pachu'a into letting her bring a pony with her to the Elders?But that wouldn't be safe for him, a juicy steak surrounded by…
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Amie left Agate less than an hour later, traveling with her brother. She'd pushed things so late with Tailslide that they very nearly had to sneak past the gates and get around the curfew.Wes surprised her with a new body just before they left, a pegasus similar to the form she'd given Rick. She suspected he had copied it from him, only changing the color of his coat. "You didn't want to keep using the unicorn?"He nodded. "He didn't seem like the kind of pony who would go on adventures like that. He wants…
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A queen? Amie turned over the word, baffled. But she said nothing, just closed both of her wings and waited. The last thing she wanted to do to a group of armed, frightened people was give them a reason to fear her. Another reason, anyway."I sensed strange emanations from her," Pachu'a shot back, defiant. "But nothing like this. It must be a change. We see history unfold before our eyes—the emergence of the Queen of all their tribe. And we are the first bugs to witness her. We may be recorded in that…
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