Chapters
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Lilac lay sprawled on her bed, body limp and all the lights off. She wasn't sure how long she had lain there since getting home—maybe minutes, maybe hours. The sun no longer glowed through the window to her left. Servants had brought suitcases of her belongings, unpacked them in her wardrobe, then left just as quickly. How much could one little mare go through in a day? She'd been with a stallion for the first time in her life, and discovered that actually it wasn't something that should make her feel…-
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Iris Vale had plenty of contact with ponies on the edge of sanity. In some ways, this was expected of members of the Lightless Star. Even those with years of experience, who dealt only in the path of Wisdom, would eventually be exposed to secrets that strained the mind to see. She got into the carriage with Lilac Empathy, expecting many of the same signs. Those whose eyes saw beyond the Gate, those who knew the Guardian of the Gate, had their perceptions altered in predictable ways. Her daughter did not…
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170.4 K •
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Lilac would not have another chance to see Copper. They were arriving the next day—that was the entire point of the inspection. But if this was the last chance for her to ever talk to him, she had to work out a way to say goodbye.Once she scribbled her farewell, she presented it to Saffron, lowering her head nervously. "Do you think there’s some way to make sure that Copper gets his hooves on this? I don't want to just vanish."He landed atop the letter, staring down at it with disdain. "If you did not…
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170.4 K •
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It took over a week for Firefly to hear from the members of the expedition again. They didn't visit, but instead their communication came in a letter she found waiting on her balcony by morning. She tried not to feel too much resentment that they didn't bother talking to her in person. The letter obviously hadn't been written by Rainbow, judging by the precise hoofwriting on stationary paper from a library she'd never heard of. "Miss Firefly,I have some dark news to share with you. I would ordinarily not…
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170.4 K •
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She told them everything that might be useful to stay safe in Willowbrook. That didn't mean she told them everything. She didn't mention House Vale, or the fairy glade upon the mountains. She didn't say a word about her friends, or anypony else in town for that matter. Being arrested might be part of her cover, but there was definitely a line between helping the strangers avoid danger and actually betraying the Lightless Star. She had no intention of crossing that line, at least not while they were at the…
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She hurried from the apartment after that, barely even stopping to think about what to bring with her as she tossed it into a pack. Her last few days made decreasing sense the more she thought about it. Was it really a good idea to hide from the ponies by remaining in plain sight? By being close to them, she would invite more attention than if she hid in her room and did nothing.Too late now. I could've got her to leave me alone before."You won't need much," Rainbow said, waving a dismissive hoof. "Looks…
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170.4 K •
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Firefly rode the rest of the way into town on the royal carriage, doing her best to keep from squirming. The longer she was there, the greater her sense of profound danger grew. These visiting ponies had come all the way from the royal court. What did that all mean?It felt like everything was happening at once in Willowbrook. First the failed portal-spell, then the castle in the sky, now this. Maybe it was all connected, somehow? I wonder if there was anypony waiting in the castle.The carriage received the…
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170.4 K •
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The colt stared back at her, making the same bewildered face she had seen more and more often. Now maybe she was starting to realize what it meant, however much she might not want to admit it. "You've been a mare, all this time? And an... important one.""Yeah, well... maybe." She shuffled, backing slowly away from him. "It doesn't matter. Just keep calling me Lux. I'm just trying to help you. Don't go into the gross public shower, you can use mine. Then you can pass your inspection with flying colors! More…
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The next few days were a blur for Lilac.Compared to her time dressing up and pretending to be something she wasn't, working in the engines was a much-needed relief. It wasn't that she had any particular training in the world—but this was Equestria, a land where everything was magical in nature. The same basic principles that applied to ordinary spellcraft would serve her just as well maintaining thaumaturgical devices.Besides, it wasn't like Copper asked her to do any of it alone. He was far from Risk's…
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Lilac knew of incredible, terrifying creatures, beings of ancient Equestrian myths. They'd come from a distant, terrifying place, where all was endless pain and all they did was consume. Beings of magic, that could take the shape of other creatures, to impersonate them to their loved-ones, and ultimately feast upon their magic.She was no changeling, and could not perfectly copy the shape of other creatures with such ease. Yet she didn't need their magic to stop Keen Focus from recognizing her. She had…
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