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                                            1.
                                            =Helios 21=
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                                            3.
                                            >Crewmen ran to and fro along the bow of the ship, pulling ropes in order to keep the lighter than air craft afloat.
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                                            4.
                                            >Celestia stood at the bow of the ship, her horn glowing as she directed your party ever Westward.
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                                            5.
                                            >You stood in the middle of the deck, generally just trying to stay out of the crewmen's way as Captain Fancypants shouted orders.
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                                            6.
                                            >"Come along lads! Put your backs into it!" He shouted.
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                                            7.
                                            >The captain stopped next to you and looked to Celestia as she guided the craft you were in.
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                                            8.
                                            "Know anything about our destination Captain?"
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                                            9.
                                            >He shakes his head. "Afraid not ol' bean. Bad Wolf Bay has always been a bit of a mystery to us sky captains...for the Princess to wish to settle on its shores is..."
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                                            10.
                                            "Yeah..."
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                                            11.
                                            >Celestia had found you asleep on the stairs up to the castle, and that had only been the beginning of your nightmares.
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                                            12.
                                            >She had been alarmed as you both ran through the Canterlot streets, Celestia swinging her horn around rampantly casting detection spells.
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                                            13.
                                            >Celestia had stopped in the city square, eyes wide and full of horror.
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                                            14.
                                            >"She took them..." She had said.
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                                            15.
                                            >You had asked her "Who took who?"
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                                            16.
                                            >"Luna...she took the foals." Was your only answer.
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                                            17.
                                            >After that Celestia had teleported you both back to the barracks and woken every guard in it.
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                                            18.
                                            >She placed a few calls and had gotten Fancypants to gather his crew and get into the air.
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                                            19.
                                            >You had even swung by Ponyville to gather Twilight and her friends.
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                                            20.
                                            >And so here you were, flying at best speed to the edge of Equestrian territory.
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                                            21.
                                            
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                                            22.
                                            >Princess Celestia stops casting her spell and trots past the two of you.
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                                            23.
                                            >"Come with me Anonymous."
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                                            24.
                                            >Just because you were married didn't mean this was a time for pleasantries.
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                                            25.
                                            >You silently follow her as she heads to the interior of the ship.
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                                            26.
                                            >She leads you into an impromptu meeting room in the bowels of the airship.
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                                            27.
                                            >Assembled around a small table was Twilight and her friends and Captain Dapper Thunder.
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                                            28.
                                            >"Hello everyp0ny." Celestia says as she takes her place at the table.
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                                            29.
                                            >Twilight props herself up on the table. "Princess what's going on? Why did you need us..." She yawns a bit. "...in the middle of the night?"
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                                            30.
                                            >Celestia takes a deep breath.
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                                            31.
                                            >"Roughly six hours ago, my sister Princess Luna stole several dozen young foals from around Canterlot and has fled to an island to the West of Bad Wolf Bay."
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                                            32.
                                            >The girls react with a mix of shock and horror.
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                                            33.
                                            >"No way!"
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                                            34.
                                            >"Oh, those poor foals!"
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                                            35.
                                            >"Why would Luna do this!?"
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                                            36.
                                            
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                                            37.
                                            >Celestia holds up a hoof, silencing the girls. "Perhaps a history lesson is in order..."
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                                            38.
                                            >"Over a thousand years ago, before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon, this very same thing happened." She said. "Luna stole several younglings from around the city and took them to found a new nation free of Equestria. I confronted her about it and brought the foals back to their homes...it was one of the catalysts for Luna's decent into Nightmare Moon..."
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                                            39.
                                            >Twilight speaks up. "And you think that something similar is happening here Princess?"
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                                            40.
                                            >Celestia solemnly nods. "That is what evidence leads me to believe, yes."
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                                            41.
                                            >A small chest was levitated onto the table and opened.
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                                            42.
                                            >Inside rested five necklaces and a tiara.
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                                            43.
                                            >"I intend to try diplomacy with my sister, but we must be prepared to use the Elements on her if she does not cooperate."
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                                            44.
                                            >The girls stare at the jewelry in the chest for a moment before Twilight nods in understanding.
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                                            45.
                                            >"You can count on us Princess."
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                                            46.
                                            
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                                            47.
                                            >You, Celestia and the Girls step off the airship and onto the shores.
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                                            48.
                                            >Before you stretched an entire city of buildings made of earth with a gargantuan spire in the center of it all.
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                                            49.
                                            >Everything a worthless piece of rock needs to become the capitol of a new nation.
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                                            50.
                                            >You turned back to the airship, looking to the guard captain on the deck.
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                                            51.
                                            "We'll check it out on foot. Keep the ship safe Dapper, we may need to leave in a hurry."
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                                            52.
                                            >Dapper salutes and heads back into the bowels of the airship.
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                                            53.
                                            >Celestia surveys the land. "We need to split up Anonymous."
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                                            54.
                                            "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
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                                            55.
                                            >Celestia nods. "We need to find Luna as fast as we can. And if she has countermeasures, we need to avoid being a large target."
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                                            56.
                                            >You nod.
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                                            57.
                                            "Agreed."
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                                            58.
                                            >Celestia turns back to the girls. "I will take Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie with me to the South."
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                                            59.
                                            >The three of them fall in with Celestia.
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                                            60.
                                            "The rest of us will head North. What are we looking for?"
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                                            61.
                                            >"Any sign of sorcery. Luna is planning something..." Celestia said.
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                                            62.
                                            "Right."
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                                            63.
                                            >"And Anon."
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                                            64.
                                            >Celestia gives you a peck on the cheek.
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                                            65.
                                            >"Please be careful."
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                                            66.
                                            
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                                            67.
                                            >You, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked through the city streets.
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                                            68.
                                            >The silence of a city that never was had been getting to all of you.
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                                            69.
                                            >There was just NOTHING here.
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                                            >No ponies, no birds, no tree leaves rustling.
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                                            71.
                                            >Just the howl of wind through the street.
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                                            72.
                                            >"This place jitters my critters..." Applejack says next to you.
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                                            73.
                                            >Rainbow Dash was walking next to her, the storm clouds overhead grounding her.
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                                            74.
                                            >"Y-yeah...Kinda like the Everfree Forest in here..."
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                                            75.
                                            >You remember hearing about the Everfree, a chaotically natural place in the world.
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                                            76.
                                            >Twilight looked around the raised buildings.
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                                            77.
                                            >"These look like transmutation marks...but...I didn't know that Princess Luna could do magic on THIS scale..."
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                                            78.
                                            >You run a hand over the side of a building.
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                                            79.
                                            >Looking down, you see that it is still connected to the ground.
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                                            80.
                                            >EVERY building is like that...
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                                            81.
                                            "They all look like they were grown right out of the ground..."
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                                            82.
                                            >A dark mist began to seep from the buildings
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                                            83.
                                            
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                                            >"Just one of the gifts The Queen has bestowed upon us." Came a voice from the shadows.
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                                            85.
                                            >The sound of flapping wings pushed the four of you back into a circle.
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                                            86.
                                            >Hoofs meet stone in the mist ahead of you.
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                                            87.
                                            >The obstruction parts to reveal five pegusi standing in formation ahead of you.
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                                            88.
                                            >Rainbow Dash immediately went on guard and the rest of you followed suit.
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                                            89.
                                            >The lead pegasus lifted her goggles and eyes you up.
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                                            90.
                                            >"Well well, if it isn't the Prince's handsome friend~..."
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                                            91.
                                            >Your face contorts in confusion.
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                                            92.
                                            >"Don't remember me? I'm hurt...The names Nightshade big guy."
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                                            93.
                                            >"And these..." The rest of her friends step forward.
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                                            94.
                                            >"Are my Shadowbolts."
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                                            95.
                                            >"And we..."They take off to the sky, leaving only Nightshade on the ground.
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                                            96.
                                            >"Are gonna put a stop to your adventure here, hot stuff."
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                                            >Four of the Shadowbolts orbited in the air like hungry vultures.
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                                            100.
                                            >One of them, the one with the blue mane and lightning coming off her shot off behind you at a mind-blowing speed, Rainbow Dash right behind her.
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                                            101.
                                            >Two more broke off and began attacking Twilight and Applejack.
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                                            102.
                                            >The remaining two, Nightshade and a pegasus with a rather scarred face charged you.
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                                            103.
                                            >You slashed your sword in a horizontal arc as they closed, but the buggers were quick enough to dodge
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                                            104.
                                            >That wasn't the end of your tricks though, you grabbed the male and twisted him into a headlock.
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                                            105.
                                            >Nightshade darted back just out of reach and started jabbing you with her fore hooves.
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                                            106.
                                            >They clanged against your sword as you met each attack and bounced off her horseshoes.
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                                            107.
                                            >"Oh, you're a quick one aren't ya!?" Nightshade shouted.
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                                            108.
                                            >The pegasus under your arm bucks and twists, getting to the point where you have to toss him into a building wall.
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                                            109.
                                            >"And strong too! You'll do great in my room!"
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                                            110.
                                            >You try to block out what she means as you get back to sparring.
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                                            111.
                                            >Out of the corner of your eye you spot Twilight trying to blast her magenta maned opponent out of the sky while Applejack got a lasso around hers and was trying to drag him down.
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                                            112.
                                            >Your two opponents dove back at you as Nightshade kept talking.
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                                            113.
                                            >"You know, I think I saw you somewhere before!"
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                                            114.
                                            >She dodges a swing.
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                                            115.
                                            >"Yeah! You used to pal around with Spits before I got thrown out!"
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                                            116.
                                            >You really don't know what she's talking about, you blocked out most of your time with Spitfire.
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                                            117.
                                            >Too much rubber...
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                                            118.
                                            
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                                            119.
                                            >Nightshade grows a sick grin. "Imagine that fat sluts face when I steal her ex for my own!"
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                                            120.
                                            >They were double teaming you now, leaving you to block the male with your sword and Nightshade with your forearm, and even then a few hits got through.
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                                            121.
                                            >They were forcing you back when something slammed into the male and crashed into a building down the street.
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                                            122.
                                            >That was accompanied by a laughing rainbow blur that snaked its way into the clouds ahead to avoid a similar fate.
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                                            123.
                                            >Nightshade looks behind her in horror. "What!? What in Tartarus was thaAAAAAA!"
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                                            124.
                                            >She continued screaming as you grabbed her mane and spun her around.
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                                            125.
                                            >Pegusi were always light...
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                                            126.
                                            "You."
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                                            127.
                                            >You smashed her face against a rock.
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                                            128.
                                            "Talk."
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                                            129.
                                            >You scooped her up and tossed her against a nearby wall, crushing her face against it with your fist.
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                                            130.
                                            "Too."
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                                            131.
                                            >Her leg shot up in your grasp as you threw her over your head and into the ground.
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                                            132.
                                            "Damn."
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                                            133.
                                            >She almost got a yelp of surprise out as your boot slammed into her face and cracked her goggles.
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                                            134.
                                            "Much."
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                                            135.
                                            
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                                            136.
                                            -Celestia PoV-
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                                            137.
                                            >You and your party had headed the other direction from Anonymous.
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                                            138.
                                            >It wasn't long before you saw two streaks shoot out of the city from the North and clash over the water.
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                                            139.
                                            >You hoped he was okay...
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                                            140.
                                            >Fluttershy and Rarity had noticed the oddness about how empty this place was, with Pinkie calling "Weird with an extra order of weird and weird on the side."
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                                            141.
                                            >You had to agree with her there.
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                                            142.
                                            >The four of you approached a large building with a courtyard.
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                                            143.
                                            >It was hewn out of the same earth as the rest of the buildings, but this looked more finished, as if more attention had been paid to it.
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                                            144.
                                            >Stepping inside revealed rows and rows of stone pews laid out in neat order, all facing a podium at the back of the building.
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                                            145.
                                            >A podium which had a small colt sitting in front of it. "Hello everyp0ny!" he shouted.
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                                            146.
                                            >Pinkie Pie burst into the air. "PIP!
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                                            147.
                                            >She shot over to this "Pip" and started bouncing around him shouting his name.
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                                            148.
                                            >They exchanged a quick hug as the rest of you approached.
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                                            149.
                                            >Rarity stepped up. "Darling, what in the world are you doing here?"
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                                            150.
                                            
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                                            151.
                                            >Pip smiled. "Princess Luna floated me up out of my house and brought me here! She says I get to be a king!"
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                                            152.
                                            >What?
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                                            153.
                                            "Did she say why Pip?"
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                                            154.
                                            >The boy gulps and looks up at you. "S-she said we're gonna start a new kingdom here after she gets all the magic she keeps in the moon."
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                                            155.
                                            >Your stomach sank.
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                                            156.
                                            >Both you and Luna kept immense reserves of magical energy in the bodies you controlled for use in emergencies.
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                                            157.
                                            >If she was gathering all that...
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                                            158.
                                            >Pip shuffled on his rear. "Princess...can I tell you something?"
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                                            159.
                                            >You shake your head.[spoiler][/spoiler] "Is it about Luna, Pip?"
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                                            160.
                                            >He nods.
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                                            161.
                                            >The boy looks over his shoulders in both directions, seemingly looking for someone who wasn't there.
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                                            162.
                                            >"I don't know but..."
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                                            163.
                                            >He leans in close and puts his hoof to his mouth.
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                                            164.
                                            >"I don't think it's Princess Luna..."
 
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