Chapters
-
Lyra dreamed long, strange dreams. In the pale grip of sleep, she found herself in Sugarcube Corner—except the shake she ordered grew to tremendous size in front of her, and she fell in with a splash. She managed to grip onto the straw with her teeth, sipping desperately at what little air she could get while her whole body went numb from the cold.She wanted to call out for help, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t even muster the strength to yell for Bon Bon. Her friend might’ve been able to save her…-
47.8 K •
-
-
Lyra stared at the shut door, shivering slightly as she pictured the ponies inside.It hadn’t been long since she saw the final message of the Equestria’s previous captain, just long enough to get a set of human clothing to go with the human body. Underclothes, a set of white pants, and a button-up vest with her name and cutie mark on it, along with a jacket she had left behind in the medical bay.She felt like it was going to suffocate her. But her skin was clearly not as sturdy as a pony coat, so the…
-
47.8 K •
-
-
Lyra was frozen in her seat, utterly motionless in a timeless space. She could see nothing with her eyes, not feel the chair she was sitting in—but it wasn’t sensory deprivation.The process proceeded in a series of rhythmic pauses and starts, freezing her in darkness for time she couldn’t measure before returning her to the bridge surrounded by stars and her confused friends.Could they even feel it? Bon Bon was standing beside her, and she was speaking. But her words seemed to come an infinity apart.…
-
47.8 K •
-
-
Computer didn’t take them right down to the surface. The elevator didn’t even take them to the Horn’s entrance, but to a strange room of thick walls and no windows that Lyra hadn’t seen during their wandering. Even so, she knew instantly what she was looking at, she’d seen palaces like this in dozens of ancient ruins all over Equestria.Even if she didn’t know the kinds of armor suits displayed here, or the weapons in their racks on the walls, she knew an armory when she saw one.Even Sweetie…
-
47.8 K •
-
-
It wasn’t long before they discovered just what the effects of the “bioforming aerosol” really were.Lyra guessed the victims had probably been griffons once, or something so close to them that there was no meaningful difference. They had once had wings, and beaks, and claws. They’d once been wearing armor and carrying strange long objects with imposing spikes that had to be weapons.But they wouldn’t be using them anymore, because they’d been melted into the ground. The jungle floor wasn’t…
-
47.8 K •
-
-
Lyra led the way into the massive facility, shielding her eyes with the back of one arm against the incredible light. She glanced behind her at the growing distance between herself and the other members of her group. Maybe it would be more frightening if she were at their eye-level, with machines looming over her instead of settled right where she might look at something. The Conflux was the single largest interior space Lyra had ever seen—larger than any grand ballroom in Canterlot, larger than…
-
47.8 K •
-
-
Shining Armor had never seen this part of Canterlot Castle before. It had been so long since his experience in Equestrian leadership that this wasn't a terribly unexpected thing. That didn't make it any easier to pass through vast chambers that had not existed, filled with strange machines of metal and flashing lights with threads of plastic running between them.Shining probably should have followed the changing state of Equestria more over the last few years. But the older he got, the less any of this…-
10.7 K •
-
-
Shining didn't know what to expect from the spell. Maybe it would send him to that strange almost-place his sister had briefly described upon completing Starswirl's spell. Maybe he would drift in agony for many days as it rebuilt his body one bone at a time.What he didn't expect was that he would step down into that circle, feel the magical might of a nation pointed down at him like a lens—and wake up in bed.He blinked, scanning the room. His mind still filled with aching magic in his horn and the…
-
10.7 K •
-
-
Shining was the last pony to suggest needless relaxation after the worst of a crisis was over. After all, she had no reliable information about what was outside the shield, and every reason to suspect that the Empire might be under siege again at any moment.But the Crystal Empire’s unique magical defenses created an incentive to keep ponies as relaxed and happy as she possibly could. She had tried to call Canterlot for aid, but no phone in the city could reach beyond the Empire’s borders. Their enemy…
-
10.7 K •
-
-
EpilogueA few years later...Gleaming Shield shifted uneasily in her light environmental suit, until the sleeves settled properly over her wings. Most of the Martian-born ponies just wore respirators outside these days, and some part of her wished she could be so brave. But even if the temperature outside were getting better, standing under the pressure washer to remove every potential drop of poison from her coat wasn't worth a little extra sweat.The suit was little more than light plastic, clear except…
-
10.7 K •
-
- Previous 1 … 86 87 88 … 222 Next
