Chapters The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
WARNING
The following is contains spoilers for the Dresden Files up to the end of book 13 (Ghost Story). That said, if you do choose to read it don’t be put off by the opening. This was originally written as a Christmas present for my readers and published as part of the Dresden Fillies: False Masks on 12/25/13.
The Dresden Fillies: Holiday Present
“And you’ll never defeat us now!” Nightmare Chrysalisombra cackled. “With our powers combined not even the Elements of Harmony can save you!”
The six ponies facing them, hurt and tired, bowed their heads in defeat. They had already captured Luna and Celestia and taken control of Canterlot. Everything really did seem hopeless, but there was one person who hadn’t given up just yet.
“We’ll show you!” Harry Dresden yelled, his long coat flapping in the breeze. His pony friends looked at him and the sight of him staring down the worst villain they had ever seen without flinching made them feel strong again.
“What’s this?!” screamed the fused creature that threatened them. “We drained your love, haunted your dreams and filled your waking mind with darkness and greed. None of you should be able to face us. How do you still stand?!”
“Because,” Dresden said pulling out his staff and preparing to fight the hideous beast, “they’re my friends and for them I’ll stand up to any danger. Because they need me, I have to be brave.” Then with his last word there was a giant flash of light that blinded everypony in a hundred miles. When it finally disappeared, Dresden’s pentacle had changed. The silver star gleamed brightly on a braided silver chain, and the empty spaces had been replaced with emeralds.
“I knew it.” Princess Twilight said, landing next to Dresden and folding her wings. “All along, you’ve been the secret Seventh Element we’ve been searching for: The Element of Courage!” Her tiara started to glow and so did all of the other Elements.
“No!!!” Nightmare Chrysalisombra screamed but they were too late. A rainbow erupted from the seven friends twisting and curving across the landscape, reversing all of the dark magic and healing everypony who was hurt. Nightmare Chrysalisombra tried to escape, but nothing could stop the power of Harmony now that it was complete. Another flash of light appeared and it was even brighter than the first. Now there was nothing but an ugly statue on the castle lawn instead of a mad tyrant.
“We did it!” Dash cheered.
Pinkie Pie started laughing and bouncing, her flat mane poofing back to its normal shape. “You know what this calls for? A party!”
“Well, I certainly know who should be the guest of honor, darling.” Rarity said glancing at the befuddled wizard.
Dresden was still examining his new pentacle and it took him a second to realize who she was talking about. “Who me?”
“Shoot, darn, howdy, a’ course we mean you.” Applejack said with a smile. “Yore the one what sent that varmint a packin’, ain’t ya?”
“You did save us all.” Fluttershy said softly.
Dresden blushed, ran a hand through his hair and then looked at Princess Twilight. Everypony was smiling, but there was something special in her grin that made his heart race. “To tell the truth, I was only so brave because there was one pony I couldn’t bear the thought of losing.” He went to one knee, putting him at eye level with the first pony he had ever met. Then he pulled out a little box with a specially shaped ring. “I love you, Twilight. Will you marry me?”
Everypony gasped, but Pinkie was the first one to recover. “Ahh!! Now, I’ve got a wedding party to plan. That’s so awesome-tastic!”
“Hang on, Pinkie.” Dash interrupted. “Twilight didn’t even−”
“Of course!” Twilight shouted, nuzzling Dresden happily. “And since I’m a princess now we can have a little castle outside of Ponyville and Princess Celestia will conduct our wedding and−”
“Hang on,” Dresden interrupted. “If we do, there’s someone I want to live with us in our castle.”
Twilight cocked her head curiously. “Do you mean Mouse? I would love to have him here; he’s the best dog ever.”
Dresden chuckled. “Yes Mouse will definitely come, but I was talking about someone else. You see I secretly have a daughter named−”
“Maggie! Time for bed, little missy.”
………
Maggie dropped her pencil in surprise, and twisted to glance at her Hello Kitty alarm clock. It was later than she had thought if Aunt Charity was already telling her to go to bed. The little red numbers said it was past nine ‘o clock, but Maggie pouted. She was almost done with the latest chapter of ‘The Dresden Fillies’, and she didn’t want to go to bed.
She had already started writing again when her bedroom door creaked open. For a moment she panicked, shutting the notebook in a hurry. Most of what she’d discovered about her father had been overheard when she was supposed to sleeping, or Molly said she shouldn’t talk about, but had told her anyway. Uncle Michael and Aunt Charity had always been nice to her, but if they found her book, it would mean no TV for a week. Her fears were unwarranted, though, it was only Mouse in the doorway.
Maggie grinned and moved to hug him. After some head rubs and a few wet doggy kisses, she let him go and went back to her desk. Mouse snorted and glared at her, motioning his head towards her bed. Maggie frowned, understanding his meaning perfectly. “Come on, a few more minutes won’t hurt.”
Mouse just snorted again and stared at her. Maggie huffed and reluctantly put away her notebook. “Why do you take Aunt Charity’s side all the time? You’re my dog.” At that he grinned and she stuck out her tongue in response. It didn’t take long for her to change into her pajamas and slip between her My Little Pony sheets. The bed was full of plush ponies, but Maggie unerringly sought out her favorite, the Princess Twilight she had gotten for her birthday.
She lay there already imagining the rest of the story. Twilight would be overjoyed to let her stay. Then, Dresden would come back and apologize to Uncle Michael, and Aunt Charity and Molly for making them all think he was dead. He wouldn’t have to apologize to Maggie, though, because she’d known all along that he was just busy saving Equestria. Then he’d take her back to live with Princess Twilight in their castle, and he’d teach her how to be a wizard while Twilight taught her how to turn into a pony whenever she wanted.
They’d be a family and live happily ever after.
Soft tears fell on her pillow, but Maggie just rolled over and hugged her Twilight doll even tighter. She’d be all right. After all, her daddy was the Element of Courage, so she could be brave, too.
The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
WARNING
The following contains spoilers up to Chapter four of the Dresden Fillies: False Masks. It also contains a somewhat raunchy brand of humor. Read at your own risk.
The Dresden Fillies: Foolish Mistake
“Oh my goodness! It’s so big.”
Twilight paused just before knocking on the door to her guest room. That had been Rarity’s voice, muffled slightly thanks to the thick door between them, but Twilight had no trouble identifying it as her friend’s. A friend who had shown open interest in Blackstone and was now alone with him in his room.
Twilight shook her head. She’d already jumped to the wrong conclusion after that scene with Pinkie. Rarity was probably talking about his coat or some other object. It was ridiculous to assume that whatever was happening in there was improper.
Blackstone chuckled. “Yeah the size is impressive, but how you use it is what’s important. Want a demonstration?”
Obviously talking about an object, maybe a new staff or some other magical item. Absolutely nothing wrong with this. Twilight told herself. If her mind weren’t so adamant about remaining in the gutter she wouldn’t have imagined a faint rumble of arousal in Blackstone’s voice.
“Oh, yes!” Rarity replied in a voice more sultry than Twilight had ever heard from her. Creaking bed springs soon followed the reply, and the purple unicorn was finding it harder and harder to justify what she was hearing.
“Oh sweet mother of Celestia that feels amazing!” Rarity cried less than a minute into … their activity. Twilight reached for her last excuse, the only possible thing that might explain this other than the obvious conclusion.
Maybe he’s giving her a massage?
Blackstone gave a wordless grunt, the same sound any health virile stallion would give when he was …
Giving a really deep tissue massage?
“Oh, Blackstone!” Rarity screamed. “This is the best sex I’ve ever had!”
Twilight’s jaw dropped open, and a crimson flush spread across her face. For a moment she considered running away from that terrible door and never mentioning this to anypony, but then the anger came. This time there was no denying what had happened. This time Pinkie was not going to save him from the fate he so richly deserved.
A burst of magic tore itself from her horn and the door slammed open, leaving a huge dent and a spider web of cracks in the wall behind it. Twilight levitated into the room her eyes on fire, ready to deliver her righteous judgment and wrath upon the lecherous stallion.
Only to find the room, and bed, empty. The sole occupant of the room and the one apparently responsible for the sounds she’d been hearing grinned at her from the dresser.
“So,” Bob leered, “how’d you like the show?”
His screams echoed throughout the library for the next hour, and it would be an understatement to call them ‘soul-chilling’.
The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
The Dresden Fillies: Kindred Spirits
The autumn air was crisp, and the breeze that blew off Lake Michigan was cold. Mac was not bothered by the temperature. Not only was his tavern mostly underground, but the fire in his wood burning stove provided plenty of heat.
The low light from the windows and irregularly spaced lamps revealed a room that was rough and homey, but meticulously clean. Everything was ready for a new day of business, so all Mac had to do now was wait for his usual clientele to arrive.
A series of knocks, patient but powerful, sounded from nearby. Mac frowned. It was too early in the morning for any of his usual business, and besides, none of his customers knocked before entering. The knocks came again and Mac realized they were coming from the service entrance. It was a delivery.
The back door opened with a small squeal of the old hinges. Mac grunted; he needed to oil those. On the other side of the door was a red-coated pony hitched to a large wooden wagon. The draft pony looked like a Clydesdale, but built on a smaller scale. He was stocky, only about five feet tall, but heavily lined with muscle. Most people would have been surprised, if not by the presence of an actual horse-drawn wagon or the appearance of the pony pulling it, then certainly by the absence of any driver.
Mac just nodded and asked, “Cider?”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied, shrugging off the yoke set on his considerable shoulders.
Mac ran his hands over one of the large casks on the back on the wagon. There were two full of non-alcoholic cider, four of hard cider, and a pony keg – Mac gave a mild snort at that thought – of applejack. He gave a grunt in appreciation and moved aside so they could start unloading.
The work went quickly, both of them long used to such labor, and soon the casks of cider were squared away. Mac shouldered the apple brandy and carried it back to his aging room. He’d wait a bit longer before bottling it. On the way back, he stopped in his office to grab a few items.
He re-emerged to find Big Mac stoking the fire in his stove. The jingle of coins caught the pony’s attention, and he turned to face Mac. The small bag was full of gold coins − a necessary part of business when not all of your suppliers used American currency – and Mac tossed it underhand into a waiting hoof.
Big Mac considered the bag carefully, and judged it to be the proper weight. He raised an eyebrow at the other items the barkeep had brought with him: a pair of dark bottles and a tankard with an oversized handle.
“On the house.” Mac promised before pouring one of the dark bottles into the tankard, careful to achieve just the right amount of head on the beer. Big Mac took the drink with a nod of thanks and Mac replied with a grunt.
One sip of heavenly stout later, Big Mac nodded in approval. Mac opened his own bottle and took a seat next to him. They enjoyed their beers in a companionable silence as the noise of the city above drifted by them. Eventually both bottle and tankard were empty.
“Good brew,” Big Mac said.
Mac grunted with an air that clearly said ‘of course’, but he softened it with a slight smile of gratitude.
Still, deliveries didn’t make themselves, so Big Mac ambled back to the waiting wagon. Mac followed and watched as the pony shrugged back into his yoke.
“Next year?” Mac asked.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied.
The barkeep waved as the workhorse plodded off. Then, he turned and went back inside to get some oil for those squeaky hinges.
It was almost an hour later that his first customer appeared. The tall wizard sauntered his way over to the bar while his guardian waited closer to the door. The massive dog sniffed the air, then gave a chuffing, almost amused, bark before settling down.
“Hey Mac,” Dresden said, visibly relaxing as he sat down at the bar. “How’s my favorite chatterbox?”
Mac just grunted and started making a steak sandwich. The wizard always ordered one for himself, often sharing it with his dog.
Dresden glanced up at the chalkboard behind the bar, just noticing the large message Mac had scrawled on it. “Fresh cider? I was going to order a beer, but that sounds tempting. What do you think; is it worth missing out one of your excellent ales?”
Mac smiled. “Eeyup.”
………
Big Mac stepped out of the Way onto the fresh green grass of Sweet Apple Acres. He paused for a moment to wipe the ichor stains and flecks of exoskeleton off his hooves. A few minutes of trotting brought him within view of the main barn and the orange pony repairing the old plow.
“There you are, Big Mac,” Applejack said, giving a small sigh in relief. “I’ve been lookin’ fer you all day.” She glanced behind him at the empty wagon. “I shoulda known you were just makin’ some deliveries. Still, it’d make me feel better if you’d tell me when you’re goin’ somewhere. So who’d you visit? Was it anypony I know?”
Big Mac thought for a moment. “Nope,” he replied.
The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Dresden Fillies: Extra Stuff
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.