Chapters
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Bit might not have the Wizard with her to remind her of her duties, but that didn't matter. Her commitment to her responsibilities was fundamental. She could no more give them up than she could abandon her post.Still, many days of reflection on her task led her to another powerful realization. She had been told to take from the supply shelves and clean, and not stop until the task was done. But the Wizard wouldn't care how she cleaned, would he? So long as the result was the same, she could achieve it some…-
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Bit worked.This was nothing new—the essence of her existence was labor. She felt no resentment at that fact, since that would require comprehension of those feelings in the first place. Bit knew only that she had a purpose to fulfill, a goal always slipping further, ever-renewing.Her home was a tower, larger and grander than any other structure in the city of Zircon. She did not know that name of course, or even what a "tower" was. But while she worked to keep the windows clean, she often took an extra…
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67.7 K •
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Lyra waited outside the council chambers while the affairs of empires were decided. She heard some of it through the doors—raised voices, arguments over things she didn't quite understand, and impassioned pleas from ponies and griffons alike. A few times Twilight or Luna emerged for a brief conversation, or to ask her the meaning of some term. She had to explain why the “Sylphgate” was so important, and why the ancestors’ technology could not be used by griffons.While she sat, members of the other…-
47.8 K •
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She wanted to tell them everything. From the vast distances they'd crossed to the incredible discoveries they'd made along the way. The transformations they had been through, the homeworld they had visited, and the strange mechanical minds they had befriended. Computer didn't stop her—she was as free to share information as to give her ship commands. Her concerns were entirely practical in nature.Emperor Grant Septimus Aurelius was on his way, and even Lyra knew little about what that might mean. She…
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47.8 K •
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The Equestria had no shuttles and fighters like the carriers did. It was instead its own lander, with a horn section meant to detach from the newly rebuilt carrier section, packed with living space and support systems. So it was that the Horn of Celestia finally made its return to Equestria, separating from the carrier group and descending on the peak near to Canterlot. Part of Lyra wanted to bring it down right in the city—but that desire collided sharply with common sense. Air traffic over Canterlot…
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"This is Emperor Grant Septimus Aurelius, the Magnificent Sovereign of the Divine Griffon Republic, Protector of the Thousand Systems, Guardian of the Eternal Light, Supreme Commander of the Celestial Legions, Keeper of the Ancient Wisdom, High Overseer of the Frontier Realms, and Last Scion of the Aurelian Dynasty. I demand to know who I am speaking to," said the bird, perched atop his golden throne. How Computer could extrapolate such subtle movements, Lyra couldn't say—maybe it was inventing all of…
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47.8 K •
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Lyra settled into her captain's chair, poised at the exact center of the battle formation. Through the screen of her ship, Lyra could scarcely judge the scope of what she saw—the other ships were each incredible in scale, each their own mountain of frozen metal and bristling weapons.With a few months of study, her crew no longer wandered from seat to seat, without ever contributing anything at any specific place. Now everyone had their station—Muffins at sensors, Time Turner at communications, and…
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47.8 K •
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Lyra watched as Vulcan built a fleet. Their section housed them in supreme luxury, conditions not even the wealthiest Canterlot elite or Manehattan trendsetter could imagine. It knew their whims, their wants, and their needs. All were provided with minimal delay. She watched from an impossible beach around a deserted station as light pierced a star from many angles, and metal flowed up along those lines, energizing vast networks and machinery to new life. Most were too far away to actually see, but with…
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47.8 K •
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Lyra lowered herself awkwardly to the grass below a deep blue sun. She'd come not to a world this time, but a building without a planet. "I will not keep you for long. I know the ship you left behind is eager to have its captain returned. And your crew—strange as they are—I would not wish to cause them undue distress."Up close, the metal figure before her was only more perplexing. It wore a uniform over its golden body, similar in design to the jumpsuits that Computer gave Time Turner and Muffins.…
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The Equestria rattled and shook as it settled into its docking moorings. Thankfully, there was very little for Lyra or her “crew” to do during the process, other than watch the screens and look confident. The more time she spent on the Equestria, the more confused she felt about its creators’ insistence on involving “humans” in anything they did. The machine mind obviously knew how to do most everything. Why bother with a crew?Apparently it mattered a great deal, so much that Esperia Shipyard's…
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