Chapters
-
Blake led the way into the crystal caverns, heavy flashlight resting over one shoulder. It was a local model, with something magical in its guts instead of a battery. More importantly, he could use it hands-free, which was a critical quality for an animal without any hands."We should be past the last of the barricades now!" Ryan called from just behind him. Several other sets of hoofsteps kept pace, or the staggered mix of claws and hooves that were Janet’s and Galena's.Only Vesper's were missing, and he…-
194.6 K •
-
-
The crew was back by nightfall, wandering back in a few groups. At least the ones who left, anyway. Kaelynn had denied Ryan's request to come with him.For once, he hadn't been insistent, giving her some time to herself. Kaelynn visited her old water prison, floating along in the surface, skimming her book for useful songs. But mostly she was waiting for the return trip.Blake and Vesper made it back first, smelling like fried food and looking like they'd been walking through the city taking all sorts of…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
There were probably more important things Ryan could be doing, more productive ways for him to find useful information. But the words "changeling embassy" had cemented themselves in his brain like a brand scoured on his shell. He had to investigate it for himself.It would be so easy to lose himself in a city like this. Here he could vanish into the crowd of ponies, let their incredible emotions sweep over and drown him. With such strong feelings pressing in on him from all sides, it was easy to forget…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
Vesper knew on paper that they were traveling to the capital. This was the center of a nation, maybe the largest country in this entire world. It was bound to be impressive. But even knowing this on paper, she was completely unprepared for what they found.As the Bright Hawk approached the city from below, she finally realized what she was looking at. This was a more subdued version of Mount Aris, where the city had been built into incongruous mountainside, somehow able to support itself despite the…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
There were lots of things Vesper could do while docked in a friendly town of ponies. The temptation to go out into the world to meet them was almost irresistible, matched by only one thing: her exhaustion.Getting the Bright Hawk away from discovery by griffon pirates was no simple task, no more than staying up the long hours necessary to make sure it happened. So however much she wanted to go down into the little pony town and see the creatures it contained, her need for rest took precedence.So it was that…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
The native pony stared back at the two of them. For a few seconds, Blake was unsure if she was really seeing them—had Janet somehow spoken forbidden words? But no, a few seconds and she went back to her fridge, removing plastic trays of fresh produce from inside.Blake hadn't ever been a big fan of simple salads. But the stuff Rose was pulling out of her fridge was so fresh he could smell it. Maybe he'd give it a chance, even if the mare proceeded to remove ingredients for some kind of sandwich. A…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
Blake wasn't entirely certain the diversion to Ponyville would be worth the cost in effort. But considering he'd nearly barbequed half the team recently, he didn't think of his own position as particularly enviable. It was time to be in the background, cooling off and taking the 'L.' More importantly, maybe less direct leadership would mean more time to figure out the alien instincts of this body.The simple exhaustion after the first outburst was enough to help him start recovering—all those flames…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
Ryan watched the sunrise on an alien world.It wasn't like this was the first time he'd ever seen it, or even the first time he'd been watching to see an enemy vessel appear to darken the sky behind him. Yet as the sky split with orange and yellow light, he saw no dark outlines emerge from the clouds.He leaned off the back railing, watching the sky behind them just to be sure. Could the pirates have some other way of hiding from view, and appear now to wreak terrifying revenge?Not that he saw. "Nothing…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
Ryan watched the stony wasteland retreat behind them, with only the faint red flicker of embers as any sign of their near-immolationHe hadn't yet returned to his own body. He could've at any moment—yet he couldn't close his eyes without remembering the flames blasting up against him. Would Blake do that again? He might not need to sleep much, but Ryan was near to exhaustion. Surviving our escape burned almost all the magic I had.Ryan hadn't felt so hungry since his first moments awake.That alone was a…
-
194.6 K •
-
-
In an instant, Vesper was plunged back into the fire and blood. On the worst day of her life, she had already been here—surrounded by screams, as her group and the evil pirates struggled for survival. Yet she had fought then like her life depended on it, because it had.She still saw that dagger in her nightmares, and the griffon bleeding and gasping before he died. She still saw the spectral outline of the captain before his feathers and flesh turned to ash, and blackened bones crumbled to the deck.Yet…
-
194.6 K •
-
- Previous 1 … 76 77 78 … 222 Next
