Chapters
-
It was still dark outside when Amie brought her brother across Agate, and led him up one of several back ways into the Rent-a-Friend building. There were so few other ponies around that there was almost no one to see anything suspicious. Those few who were still up at that late hour wouldn’t see two changelings, just one ordinary earth pony mare and another small pony wrapped in a cloak made from an old shipping cloth.“I can’t believe you pulled it off,” Wes whispered, following behind her up…-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie ascended a set of rickety wooden steps, wrapping strangely through the frame of the building. It felt more like they’d been added long after the initial construction, making her duck between the walls of rooms in a way no rational engineer would design. The boss might want his own space, but he wasn’t claiming somewhere that the Rent-a-Friend facility could use in some other way.There were no lights, only the occasional window to light her way. It would be more than enough if she still looked like…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
They were still in the warehouse. Amie had the keys now, left by the hunter from another changeling tribe. This building was apparently a supply-dump for others like him, but she didn't know too many details. She knew almost nothing about the other changelings, because he hadn't stayed to tell them. Only what she could pick up from the subtle signs he radiated, and the tidbits he had shared. When he left, it was with a single instruction. "Wait until after dark before you leave. Anyone who watched to see…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie stared, transfixed by the changeling before her. He was familiar enough to recognize as a member of her own species—but not identical to the campers of Stella Lacus. His fins were bright orange instead of green, a color matched by his eyes and the faint glow of his magic.Even stranger, his forelegs were covered with... tattoos? There was no other way to describe them—marks set into his shiny coat, lines of ink that left faint indents in the carapace. White lines twisted and swirled together in a…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie's hopes for Wes's magic were dashed, however. In the next day of hiking they had plenty of chances to stop, plenty more practice for her brother.He had plenty of headaches, plenty of annoyed outbursts for her pressuring him. But of actual transformations, he had no luck. By the second night, he shoved her off, radiating frustration. "That's it! Amie, I don't think I can! Your powers and mine might not be the same. We don't know if I'm even the same kinda bug as you!"There was no need to ask if he was…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie did not expect a response from camp. Her brother slept, and she couldn’t, so what more was there to do but drain her battery while poking at the intranet. She knew better than to expect it to keep working much past line-of-sight to the mountain. Once she reached Agate, she would have to come back this way every time she wanted to send messages to her kids.If the mountain didn’t have guards, I might try to get them out. But we can’t all feed on the emotions of one bug, or they wouldn’t be…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
For the second time in three days, Amie dragged her brother into the forest.This time there was no rumble of a jeep following them across the campgrounds, or the shout of distant, angry voices. They weren’t running through the wilderness either, but had a gravel path to follow. So long as Amie kept Tailslide’s directions fresh in her mind, she could probably take them all the way to Agate without stopping.Except, of course, for Wes.Her brother lacked her endurance, and couldn’t keep running for long.…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie was on borrowed time.“An entire troop carrier is coming here,” she muttered, staring down at the telegram. It sat on the bathroom floor beneath her, still visible despite the strangeness of it. There was no time to question how she could even understand the native language. The meaning was enough. “I’m so screwed.”Why am I thinking like a character in a horror movie? Amie darted past Tailslide heading straight for the table. Her phone was still sitting there—if Stern thought anything of…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
Amie woke from her sleeping bag to the first light of dawn. A glance at her phone told her just how strange that was—an hour and a half asleep, several times longer than she was used to. Odd. But her pony companion was still asleep, so she still had time to practice. She made her way into the bathroom, pulled the blinds closed, then turned up the lamp as bright as it would go.There was a mirror in here, so she could see her own body while she worked.Now if only she could figure out how she was supposed…
-
195.0 K •
-
-
“That piece of metal there—” Tailslide said, finally setting down his tray. “It’s a spell? One that works even when you don’t have a horn?”Nothing could bring Amie down just now—Wes was alive. She would figure out the rest in time. “Magic, no. It’s a machine. How it works doesn’t matter. If someone else has a machine like it, they can send messages back and forth. My brother is in town.”She beamed, her eyes still focused on the screen. The message was already delivered. Wes was…
-
195.0 K •
-
- Previous 1 … 55 56 57 … 222 Next
