My job, or more accurately my old job, has given me some very strange sights and experiences. Some were more terrifying than your worst nightmares, others wondrous beyond your wildest dreams. I used to be a wizard, a Grey Warden, a fire throwing maniac protecting my little corner of humanity from various forms of predators. Not too long ago though, I was pushed into a new position with a new employer. My duties haven’t really changed all that much. I still hunt the things that hunt us and help others to do the same, but my circumstances couldn’t be more different.
I flew through the sky on a pair of large ashen grey wings sprouting from my equine back, the almost featureless grassy plains all around me zipped along far beneath my hooves. Stale wind rushed past my muzzle, disrupting my ashen grey fur, wiry black mane, and tail in a rather pleasant manner. A new thick linen overcoat, layered with fresh protective spells and with slits for my wings, flapped about my torso and back as I flew. My entire equine form was the result of consequence, my wings in particular were the most foreign to me and have taken the longest to adapt to, but I had come to rather enjoy being much foofier. At the very least I no longer looked like a large hairless raccoon.
I didn’t dare attempt any mid-air acrobatics, unlike one of my other friends, and simply pumped my wings to maintain a steady pace over one of the Nevernever’s very few unclaimed routes. While fairly tame by the weird standards of the rest of the Nevernever, my surroundings were odd enough in their own way. A seemingly endless field of some tall yellow grass stretched out in all directions, blurring together with the light orange sky off in the horizon. The entirety of the sky was void of any and all clouds, moons, stars, or heavenly bodies whatsoever. It probably could have set a serene, if eerie, mood if the very air wasn’t so thin.
“How much further, Rainbow?!” I wheezed in-between wing beats and deep gasps for oxygen.
“They’re just up ahead,” Rainbow Dash answered, her light blue fur and multi-colored mane matted with sweat as she flew slightly behind me. “What’s with the air here anyway? We can’t be more than sixty feet from the ground, but I feel like I’m flying over a mountaintop.”
“Be happy there’s breathable air at all.” My eyes scanned around the mostly barren fields until I spotted a slight disturbance in the distance and angled my wings to carry me towards it. "Some parts of the Nevernever are nothing but vacuum, and I don't want to even imagine the things that live there."
"I'll just take your word for it, Harry. Now hurry up, everypony else is already at the site and probably getting set up without us."
The slightly eerie scenery rushed by underneath us as we flew towards the only disturbance in a uniform field of grass. At a distance, it appeared as though two moderately tall, and barren, trees sprouted up in the fields only a couple of meters away from each other. As we drew nearer, many more individual forms began appearing from the vegetation. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and colorations were setting up around the trees.
There were almost two dozen earth ponies clad in thick Equestrian steel from head to hoof, and wielding a very pointy assortment of weapons. About half that number in pegasi circled around the trees from above, each of them sporting light armor ranging from layered thick linen to chain mail and carried modified crossbows that latched onto their forelegs. Lastly another dozen unicorns mingled in with the earth ponies, assisting them in stamping down some of the vegetation around our destination. The unicorns wore armor of flexible metal plates intricately woven together to form a cohesive barding set; they weren't as protective as the full plated armor, but it was lighter and significantly prettier. On top of all that, each and every one of them bore the recently modified symbol of my Silver Knights on their chest plate, a large silver pentacle with a smaller lavender star filling each of the individual spaces inside the pentacle.
"There you guys are!" cried a deeply familiar, if a little over excited, voice.
Twilight Sparkle, who previously had been studying the odd tree, turned and galloped towards us as soon as Rainbow and I drew close enough to identify. Twilight’s two-toned mane and her lavender fur whipped about as she spread her two new wings and actually leapt up to meet us. She was armored with her own version of my overcoat complete with protective spells and new slits for her wings, albeit colored dark purple like her mane and emblazoned with her star-speckled cutie mark over her flank. Twilight's wings mirrored my own in shape and span, allowing us both access to the three-dimensional movement Rainbow's been lording over us since day one.
"What took you so long?" Twilight panted as she joined Rainbow and I over the small clearing the Silver Knights were creating. "The White Council transport is supposed to be here any minute!"
"Don't look at me, Lazy Bones here has been dragging his wings the entire way here," Rainbow scoffed before jetting off to join the other pegasi, sending a small gust of air over the two of us.
"I was twenty minutes late, tops!" I shouted after the retreating pegasus before turning to face Twilight properly. “So no signs of movement yet?”
Twilight quirked an eye and offered a small huff through her nose. “Generally speaking the leader is supposed to actually be here to lead, Harry.”
“You are!” I said with a smile and swept my forelegs wide in a not-very-subtle gesture of flattery.
Lameness aside, it actually seemed to work as Twilight’s indignation was replaced with a small grin.
“You know what I mean, Harry.” She paused for a short bit to reposition herself and survey the area below. “From what I’ve been able to sense, the area between the two trees is where the actual Way will open. The Silver Knights captains are already setting up a clearing and potential ambush ground, so that’s already good.”
“The rest of the Scooby Gang down there to?”
Twilight paused for a second or two at that before guessing at my intended meaning. “Uh, no, only Applejack. I think Princess Luna asked the others for a favor. Which leaves us here with-“
Before she could finish her statement, the very air began to thrum with energy, washing over our senses like a tidal wave. At a quick glance, we could both spot as the open space between the barren trees began to distort as though we were looking through a sheet of warped plastic.
“Veil watch,” I finished for her before craning my neck around to find the nearest Silver Knight.
While the majority of the Silver Knights were either earth ponies or pegasi, and therefore unable to sense the shifting of magic in the air, many of the unicorns cast their eyes upward towards us as soon as the Way began opening. I spotted one such unicorn looking for instruction, and quickly pushed a minor surge of magic through my own horn to rain down red sparks.
The unicorn nodded his head in a quick affirmative and turned towards the nearest of his comrades. “Positions!”
With the speed and efficiency I’d come to expect from trained militants, all of the Silver Knights below and above sprang into action. The unicorns and earth ponies that had been creating an ever-widening circle around the trees, abandoned their task to retreat back behind the brush they had yet to get to. The position of several dozen ponies hiding in the tall grass was extremely obvious to us from above, but they had backed away enough from the edge of the circle to have a buffer of vegetation concealing them from the ground. The pegasi above us began swirling about in large circles over the two trees, several sharp eyes and even sharper crossbow bolts carefully studying the landscape below.
No sooner had the Silver Knights taken positions then the air between the two trees finally tore open as the Way was made. It wasn’t too large of a portal, only about the size of an above average doorway, and shone like a silvery mirror suspended between the arching trees. We only had a moment or two to appreciate the sight before the surface of the mirror was breached by three members of the White Council.
Two of the figures were hunched over and supporting the third as they limped away from their portal as fast as they could muster. The one in the middle and one of the other supporting wizards wore long grey hooded cloaks that obscured most everything else about them, the signature of the Grey Wardens. The third, helping to support his wounded friend, was wearing the simple unadorned brown robes of an apprentice. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that as the three of them hobbled away, the warden in the middle left behind a faint blood trail as they headed for the wall of grass.
Around the halfway point of their fleeing, the silver mirror behind them, which had slowly begun to close in on itself, was abruptly wrenched wide open again. It was as though someone had simply gripped two opposing corners of the portal, and pulled it open. The surface of the portal warped as new power was fed into it, turning from a silver mirror to a roiling sheet of white smoke. Even from my height, I could just make out the movement of vague forms just behind that curtain, at least until they leapt through it to give chase to their prey.
A little fewer than a dozen gangly humanoid creatures came charging through the curtain after the wizards. Their arms and legs were far longer than a standard human, and ended in horrible claws capable of carving up exposed flesh. Their skin was almost uniformly dark grey and were covered by only basic loose clothing. They were ghouls, supernatural muscle for hire, less intelligent than your usual Red Court Vampire but every bit as vicious.
“No survivors!”, the lead ghoul cried in a raspy voice and pointed a claw at the retreating wizards just as they were reaching the edge of the clearing.
However, before the predators could do more than take a step or two, a loud horn blared through the air. Above and below, each of the Silver Knights sprang into action at the call. The pegasi dove towards the ghouls, with crossbows at the ready and the leading pegasus still blowing on his horn for all he was worth. Below, the ponies lying in wait in the tall grass, sprang forward at the call and charged towards the clearing. Completely thrown at the sudden noise, each of the ghouls froze in place and looked around wildly for the trumpet soloist and the apparent impending stampede. This inaction was, in itself, the wrong action.
Steel-tipped bolts whistled down through the air at the ideal targets, and buried themselves into unnaturally long limbs and the joints controlling them. Several of the ghouls that cast their eyes skyward saw the barrage coming and dodged out of the way. These creatures sought shelter in the nearest patch of grass, only to have the line of vegetation part for a veritable wall of equestrian steel. The earth ponies and unicorns charged forward, spears and metal hooves at the ready to wreak havoc and mayhem on the enemies of the White Council.
Outnumbered and severely outclassed, the would-be predators fell quickly to our ambush. Ghouls not nursing debilitating crossbow-inflicted wounds attempted to fight back, but their claws, while efficient against wizards’ robes or even ballistic weave, bounced pitifully against the ponies’ steel plates. These particular ghouls were immediately either run through by the oncoming spears, or trampled under many heavy metal hooves. Those severely crippled by the initial barrage could only watch stunned and confused as the enclosing ambush came to claim the predators.
A precious few of the ghouls, unharmed and intelligent enough to recognize a losing scenario, tensed their legs and simply leapt backwards over the backs of the armored ponies and towards the wide portal they had originally come through. Two of the three retreating ghouls were caught almost immediately in the telekinetic grip of the unicorns below, freezing them in place in a multi-colored aura before dropping them back into the circle of bloodied spears. The third, after soaring past his frozen friends and on a beeline for the portal, was abruptly ripped from the air as an all too familiar chained scythe flew up from the throng and embedded itself into the ghoul’s ribs. It was difficult under all of her armor, but I could just barely make out the straw blonde mane and tail of the pony wielding the weaponized lasso.
“I don’t sense any magic coming off of them,” Twilight commented as we carefully studied the combat below us. “Do you?”
I shook my head and let out a small sigh, “No. Beyond their ability to make themselves appear human, ghouls aren’t really known for their magic.” As one, Twilight and I pivoted in the air to stare at the portal still being held open. “Whoever opened it wider for them is still on the other side. Probably playing it safe and waiting for a response.”
Below us, the last of the ghouls let out a loud challenging snarl that ended abruptly as multiple spears pierced through its upper torso.
“Well, that’s not going to happen. Close it?”
“Close it,” I answered with a nod.
Twilight flapped her wings and sped off to the right of the portal, while I flew left. Our horns ignited as we drew in as much energy from the surrounding environment as we could before we unleashed a focused wave of disruptive magic on either side of the Way.
The Veil that separates the Nevernever from our worlds, quite simply doesn’t like to be torn into. When a wizard opens a Way to cross over, the Veil will gradually seal it back shut, requiring constant attention if the Way is to remain open. With that in mind, it actually doesn’t take much to force a Way to close. All you’d need to do is destabilize the magic holding it open and let nature take its course.
I felt the edges of the portal through my spell, and the will of the caster holding it open. It practically dripped with that slimy aura I’d come to recognize as the signature of a Red Court Vampire. I inwardly shuddered at having to touch that flavor of magic again and got to work with my spell. Twilight and I imposed our will on the edges of the portal, quickly wresting control away from the unprepared caster and immediately tore apart the matrix that had built the portal. The magical equivalent of static radiated out from the Way as it started to shrink.
The Red Court wizard attempted to extend his will back through the portal only once before it was slapped away again by our combined might. Twilight and I surged our power through the portal, not necessarily to maintain it, but to make it apparent that the portal was no longer under their control. Through our control, what was left of the mirrored portal turned into a swirling mix of deep purple and crimson; a clear warning for anything left on the other side to back off.
“There we go,” Twilight said as the Way closed fully. “That should keep them off us for a little bit.”
“Yeah, but let’s not stick around.” I responded and angled my wings to angle me towards the ground. “I don’t want to see what the Red Court considers an appropriate response to an ambush.”
Twilight nodded in agreement and we quickly landed in the clearing between the barren trees and the Silver Knights cleaning off their ghoul-stained weapons. With my hooves on the ground and the bizarre atmosphere of the Nevernever once again providing me with adequate oxygen, my nerves relaxed immensely as the adrenaline eased out of my system.
“Well there y’all are!” Applejack cried as she quickly made her way over to us from the rest of the Silver Knights. “Was starting to think you weren’t gonna participate.”
Applejack, ever the hardy mare, was fully decked out in her favorite heavy barding. Thick plates of steel covered most every part of her form, with an undercoat of chainmail visible around the joint. An open-faced helmet with curling ram’s horns on top protected her head and most of her neck. Then the whole appearance was topped off by her signature chained scythe dangling around her neck. Even with her relatively brief time in the Equestrian Military, she had already made a name for herself as a fierce brawler.
“We were monitoring the portal, AJ. Like usual,” I responded.
Twilight took a quick step forward and cast a worried gaze over her friend’s slightly stained barding. “You weren’t hurt were you? How is everypony?”
Applejack shook her head, causing a small racquet of clinking metal. “Don’t you worry, Twilight. It was a clean ambush. We got nothing more severe than a couple of bruises.”
“Sir,” a rather large chestnut pegasus stallion chimed in, drawing all of our attention to him and his entourage.
The pegasus was leading the three wizards that had first crossed into the Nevernever and a small contingent of more Silver Knight guards. Both wardens looked vaguely familiar, I’d likely either served beside or have been hunted by them at some point in the past, while the apprentice was completely new to me. The wounded warden, sporting a fresh set of bandages around his torso, lay stretched across the backs of two large earth ponies and only barely conscious from blood loss. The remaining warden stood beside his friend like a great grizzled gargoyle keeping an eye on every bit of movement that drew too close. The apprentice, on the other hand, looked at all of us with an almost childlike expression of absolute disbelief.
“Oh my God, thank you all so much!” the young wizard practically screamed. “We almost got turned into lunch for those things, thank you!”
He made to take a step forward towards us, but was held back by the healthy warden’s gloved hand on his shoulder. The two of them exchanged a brief look before the youngster snapped to attention by some unspoken command.
“We appreciate the assist,” the humanoid gravel pit spoke with a quick bow. “Those ghouls got the drop on us from behind a fairly advanced veil. Undoubtedly a Red Court trap.”
“Definitely Red Court, the aura around the Way was a dead giveaway.” My eyes darted across the three wizards as several small red lights began going off and a brick fell into my stomach. “Where’s the rest of you? We were supposed to be providing cover for an armed transport.”
“Fallen,” the warden responded after a brief pause, his posture a little more slouched and his voice a little heavier. “We’re all that’s left of our supply convoy.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over us as we soaked in that little tidbit of information. The brick in my stomach grew a little bit heavier as I tried to analyze what cutting off their influx of valuable resources might do to the White Council.
“This is, what, the third such ambush we’ve encountered in the last month alone?” Twilight’s eyes shifted worriedly between each of the wizards’ faces.
“Our enemies are becoming increasingly bold, Ma’am,” the warden grunted and double checked his equipment before moving towards his injured friend. “I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but we must get going and report to the White Council.”
Twilight offered him a weary smile. “Of course.”
“You four,” I motioned towards the pegasus soldier and the other three that protected our wards, “escort the wizards as far as you can through the Nevernever. When you’re confident they’re safe, return back home.”
All four ponies snapped to attention with a short “Yes, Sir!”, the nearly unconscious warden bouncing slightly on his mobile bed.
“Thanks again,” the warden offered with a much deeper bow than before.
The remains of the White Council convoy and their temporary guard quickly gathered their belongings and began to make their exit. The speaking warden paused for a moment and turned back around while the rest of his entourage moved without him. While much of his face was still concealed beneath his grey hood, I could practically feel his eyes scanning over me properly for the first time, and hesitate a fraction of a second longer over the silver pentacle mark on my flank.
“You are Harry Dresden, aren’t you?”
I quirked an eye at that and offered him a small smile. “That a problem?”
“No, sir.” The warden let out a short grunt punctuated with a sharp breath as he placed a hand over an injured rib. “I’m supposed to pass along a message to you or yours. The White Council will be sending you an official summons soon.”
That piqued my interest. Where I was concerned, the White Council rarely summoned me with anything other than an outright order or a car’s backseat and a head bag. While my new position did grant me some diplomatic protection, there was enough bad blood that any kind of formal courtesy was strange. That is of course assuming that the message came from the Senior Council proper.
“Well at least it’s nice to see them give me some forewarning for once,” I sighed and quirked an eyebrow at the grey hood. “Any idea what it’s about?”
The warden simply shook his head in the negative for an answer.
“I suppose not. Thanks for the heads up, and be careful on your way back. I don’t want you getting jumped again.”
“We’ll keep an eye out,” he grunted before waving goodbye and jogging to catch up with the remainder of his convoy.
In short order the three wizards and four armored ponies disappeared into the tall grass opposite of where I had initially flown in from. For several moments the vegetation behind them shook and rustled as they left, adding only slightly to the various clinks of Equestrian barding.
“It’s a crying shame what happened to them,” Applejack piped up once the wizards were deep enough into the brush that the nearby grass stopped moving.
“They’ll be fine,” I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else, and thought back to a few of my more interesting jobs. “They’ll get to safety, drink enough to forget the last twelve hours or so, and then do it all over again tomorrow.”
Twilight scrunched up her nose for a moment. “If some of them are ever recuperating near Equestria, maybe we could offer them some of our strong cider?”
“Why not? It’d be funny to see the Grey Wardens nursing the worst hangover they’ve ever had.” I cast my eyes around over the rest of my Silver Knights, and found most of them clean, patched up, and ready to move. “And on that note, I think it’s time we were off, AJ. We have to get ready before our next ‘favor’ for the White Council.”
Applejack nodded her head, turned around to face the Silver Knights, and let out the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard. “Let’s move ‘em out! We’re heading home!”
A fairly loud cheer rang out from the multitude of armored ponies. Those on the ground fell into military parade formation behind the captains. These captains, wearing similar plate armor to their soldiers except with additional flowing ribbons around their neck, marched forward into the tall grass in the same direction Rainbow and I had come from. Loud hoof beats thundered as the Silver Knights made their way home. Far above, the pegasi circled lazily over their comrade, easily keeping pace with the earth ponies and unicorns. If I squinted my eyes carefully I could just make out Rainbow’s signature tail bobbing in and around the rest of the pegasi. Applejack made sure that her weaponized lasso was nice and secure before she galloped off after the rest of the soldiers.
I was interrupted from my momentary reverie by a large purple wing extending over and closing around my barrel. My side thumped against Twilight’s as she pulled me into a gentle hug. Combat, no matter how accustomed to it you are, is never the easiest thing on your nerves, and nothing eases nerves quite like a soothing touch, especially if it’s from someone you care about. I wrapped my own wing behind hers and eagerly returned her hug. I felt a large amount of apprehension for the coming times leave my shoulders as we wordlessly followed after the Silver Knights.
True to the unsettling nature of the Nevernever, every bit of tall grass not purposely laid flat by metal hooves, slowly stood tall behind us after we left, concealing any trace of our heading. By the time the Red Court got the reinforcements they needed and came through the Way, there would be nothing left for them to find but broken ghouls and directionless hoofprints.
“Prince and Princess, welcome back to the Equestrian Etheria!” echoed forth at us in a practiced fashion.
Twilight and I stood before a relatively small stone outpost that had been constructed as an Equestrian waystation in the Nevernever. It was a simple stone structure, with only a single large storage room for everything from weapons and armor to food with a small general area tucked away in the corner behind the door. Behind the structure, I knew there to be a large carefully leveled field that served as both a place to get in some good cardio and as a staging area for our forays into the Nevernever. During its construction, I emphasized the need for simple function over form and niceties.
Pretty sure Rarity gets a little angrier at me every time she comes here, I thought with a dull sigh before craning my head around my back.
The environment around the outpost was every bit as odd as the station was bland. We stood on the edge of a forest of gargantuan trees that stretched up far higher than any natural tree should have been able to. The trees, while mostly limbless along the trunk, had several fanning leaves that stretched above us to almost blot out the cloudless sky above. A rolling grey fog bank arched up over even the trees and marked the separation between the Nevernever nearest Equestria and beyond. Once a massive ward that hid Equestria, the fog now only served as a mild annoyance to any crossing it into the, recently dubbed, Equestrian Etheria.
The two guardsponies beamed widely and bowed at Twilight and I as we approached their post. They both were clad in glossy black armor, each emblazoned with a large white crescent moon on their respective chestplates. The Equestrian Princess of the Night’s personal soldiers rose from their bow and looked to the Silver Knights still making their way through the fog behind us.
“Good hunting, I hope?” the guard to the right asked with a small hopeful smile.
“Good enough. We managed to avoid any losses at least,” Twilight offered with her own warm smile and followed the guard’s eyes as the Knights quickly collected themselves and began marching past the outpost.
“Night Guard,” I said, drawing both guards’ attention back to me in an instant, “I’m expecting a representative of the White Council to be arriving sometime soon. If not today then sometime this week. Send word either to me or to the nearest high ranking pony the instant they show up.”
The guards each snapped to attention, saluted, and said a quick, “Yes, sir!”
“Thanks, and you can tell Luna and Celestia that they’ll be getting our letter soon.”
If the guards held any irritation at my informality towards the two main rulers of Equestria, they didn’t show it and simply nodded in the affirmative.
Twilight and I turned and quickly made to chase after the Silver Knights. Headed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the group marched a familiar path further into the forest towards a central large tree. In only a few minutes of clinking armor and shuffling hooves, Twilight and I made it to the head of the procession alongside AJ and Rainbow at the base of the now very familiar tree. The Silver Knight unicorn closest to the tree ignited his horn as he seized hold of the Veil separating the Nevernever from Equestria and tore at it.
“They’re making some great strides, aren’t they?” Twilight whispered into my ear and gestured with her hoof into the trees past the Silver Knights.
Slightly confused, I followed her hoof to peer through the trees as well and quickly spotted what she was talking about. It was only visible due to the barren trunks of the trees around us, but off in the distance, far past the forest we were huddled in, was Princess Luna’s castle.
It was still under intense restoration, but the black marble walls and parapets already stood tall and imposing over the flat landscape around it. Originally constructed as a darkened sister structure to the pristine white Canterlot Castle, it had been abandoned long ago when Equestria cut itself off from the Nevernever and had fallen to disrepair in the millennia since. As we stood there I could just make out some scaffolding winding around the mound of black marble and the tiny dots of ponies restoring it to its previous glory. Once completed, it would be a terrific stronghold for the Lunar Princess to keep vigil over the Equestrian Etheria.
“I’ll bet Luna is going to be thrilled when it’s finished.” My eyes flinched slightly as the Silver Knight unicorn successfully created his Way and the rest of the group began making their way through the swirling blue energy in pairs. “Do you think she’ll commission Rarity to decorate it?”
Twilight let out a short chuckle. “No doubt about it. I’ve yet to see Rarity fail to try and give a friend a fashion upgrade; and she and Luna have been keeping in fairly frequent contact I believe.”
I suppressed a small shudder as I was uncomfortably reminded of what Rarity had done the first time I had stumbled into her shop. While the suit she made to fit me was nice, the needles she used to hold the fabric against my hide still haunt me. I had purposely avoided unnecessary contact with the fashionista after my most recent transformation out of fear of what she’d do to me in the process of altering my wardrobe.
“Y’all about done sightseeing?” Applejack shouted, breaking our revere and drawing our attention back towards the portal to Equestria. A slightly frustrated Applejack and Rainbow Dash flanked the portal and glared at us impatiently. A few of the Silver Knights remained around us as a rear guard and kept their eyes on the environment.
Rainbow Dash adopted a faint smirk, bowed her head, and waved a foreleg at the portal. “If it would please your highness.”
Both Twilight and I gave her near identical looks of exasperation and silently moved towards the Way. As we reached the portal my right wing twitched outward and buffeted against Rainbow’s face with a soft thwap, purely by accident I assure you. Through their open-faced helmets, I could see many of the Silver Knights indulge in small grins. Then my vision was obscured entirely as we stepped into the Way.
My eyes and ears were clouded by the intense light and static of stepping through an imperfect tear in reality. I made a mental note to instruct the Silver Knight unicorns to undergo additional lessons in creating a Way. As quickly as the headache-inducing static came, it disappeared and we had finally set hoof back in Equestria.
Ponyville, ever the bustling small town, had grown much in the relatively short time I called it home. Our Way had emptied us out on the lush green fields between Ponyville and the edge of Everfree Forest, and even from there I could plainly see the activity in the town. Ponies of every shape and size were either pulling carts laden with food and merchandize towards shops or stalls, hawking their goods to any passing pony, or else browsing the shops to find the best deal in the open competition of the market. I spotted a couple of new stalls set up by blacksmiths that were boasting high grade armor that was designed to look like clothing. A few of the ponies on the outer edge of the town spotted the Silver Knights that had come through before me and either watched us with pointed interest or else began stomping their hooves and cheering, thereby attracting more attention.
In the field to the right of Ponyville, close enough to be within easy trotting distance to the town but far enough to have an unobstructed view of the surroundings, was the newly constructed Silver Castle. It was designed by local officials immediately after the Silver Knights came to Ponyville and the base structure was hastily constructed in the months after. The castle was built up with a series of large rooms serving as the base structure centered around an honest to goodness wizard’s tower. It only stood to around half the height of Canterlot castle, but it still towered over everything nearby. In contrast to its name, the stonework used during construction was a mixture of smoky marble and granite, giving the whole castle a distinct earthy grey opposed to Canterlot’s pristine white or Luna’s jet black. While lacking in walls, parapets, and other defensive structures, which were apparently still being debated about with the town mayor, Silver Castle was already well-equipped to serve as the Silver Knights’ base of operations.
The Silver Knights that came through before us had collected around the portal in a standard military parade formation. Once the last of us came through the portal to join them, Applejack gave a short whistle and the Silver Knights wordlessly followed her and Rainbow towards Ponyville’s newest landmark. Only a couple of the Knights lagged behind to keep watch over Twilight and I, a regular practice ever since the Red Court fiasco that started all of this.
“Well hi there!” shouted an all too familiar high-pitched voice directly into my right ear.
Pinkie Pie, doing her best to murder me by heart attack, had simply appeared at my right side so far as I could tell. She was without any of her preferred equipment and was gracing the day with just her fur and her overly poofy mane and tail.
“Dang it, Pinkie,” I hissed through clenched teeth and tried my best calm my fight or flight reflex. “Give me at least a little warning. So I assume that you’re done with whatever Luna had you doing?”
Pinkie let out her trademark giggle snort and backed away a few feet. “Oh yeah, we all finished with that ages ago. A little bit of sweet treats here and some Fluttershy kindness there, and one family of beasties is relocated. We’ve been waiting on you slowpokes to get back.” Pinkie’s face turned momentarily nervous. “How was the ambush? Does Fluttershy need to see anypony?”
“Trying to march through the Nevernever without drawing attention is not exactly the quickest thing in the world, Floof Pony,” I pouted, more than a little irritated that the pink party pony still apparently hadn’t quite learned the value of personal space.
To my left, Twilight had to suppress a fit of laughter and quickly spoke up to supplement my lack of decorum, “We’re alright, Pinkie. Nopony here is hurt. If you want to you’re welcome to accompany us back up to the castle. We can fill you in while we write Princess Celestia’s letter.”
“Sounds like fun, Twilight,” Pinkie chirped, already back to her usual chipper self, and then movement in the town drew her attention. “But you might want to get going if you don’t want to draw a crowd again.”
At her words, Twilight and I turned towards Ponyville, and sure enough, many more ponies were looking at us with interest and looked like they were about to approach. While nowhere near as bad as it was when it first became known that Twilight and I were alicorns, we still had the slightly annoying ability to draw crowds wherever we went. While I suppose it’s understandable the sense of importance most ponies automatically assign to an alicorn, it made going outside for any reason a gamble on whether or not we were going to be dodging the paparazzi. It was a little bit easier for either of us to move around in the town alone, as then most ponies erred on the side of politeness and observed from afar; but when there were two new alicorns in one place, the temptation to interrogate was apparently too strong. It was a jarring change from my time as a professional wizard; most common folks in my area of Chicago thought of me as crazy or a con man.
The Silver Knights were less of an issue as they saw us and the Bearers of the Elements simply as their bosses and behaved as you might expect a soldier to. That being said, I have still found a couple of the Knights taking a bit more joy in maintaining their new silver pentacle and starburst emblems than simple military pride might warrant. The social norms of Equestria will likely confuse and haunt me for the rest of my life, however long or short that may be.
“Right behind you, Pinkie,” I said in a slightly panicked tone and made to follow the Knights already well on their way back to the castle.
The relatively short walk passed, and we thankfully managed to avoid getting mobbed by ponies looking for information. The column of Knights ahead of us met the large oaken double doors leading into the castle and pushed through them, the doors making little noise on well-oiled hinges.
The interior of the large grey structure was much more well decorated than the exterior. Multiple banners hung over most every bare patch of grey stone the entryway had to offer, each detailed with various colors and symbols from all over Equestria. Some of the banners bore Ponyville's sigil, many more were sigils of towns I wasn’t overly familiar with, and lastly, multiple banners on the far end of the hall were decorated with the coloration and mark of the Bearers of the Elements. A long deep-orange rug ran the length of the entry hall to end at an ornate podium on the opposite side. Behind the podium there were two large cushioned thrones, one a deep crimson the other a bright purple, situated just underneath the Bearers’ banners. All in all, it was a very colorful room that reminded me slightly of the chaotic décor of my old apartment.
The Silver Knights just coming in from our expedition made a beeline for the various wooden doors which lined the hall on either side, beyond which I knew were the barracks. Immediately to the right of the podium, another, slightly more ornate, wooden door was built into the grey stone wall, leading to the personal rooms assigned to each of the Bearers. Around this door, Applejack and Rainbow were huddled, their respective weapons already deposited into a nearby rack, and appeared to be in a heated argument, but their small smiles and light in their eyes told me it was nothing more than a friendly debate.
“Hey girls!” Pinkie practically screamed and zipped across the entirety of the hall to stand between them, two pink frosted cupcakes having apparently materialized out of nothing and were quickly offered to the arguing pair. “Whatcha talking about?”
Applejack turned to flash Pinkie a wide smile and accepted her cupcake, AJ’s as of yet un-doffed armor clinking heavily with her movement. “Hey there, Pinkie. Rainbow and I were just making some plans.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a big ol’ barrel of cider and some awesome new music for our usual post-op unwind, but AJ said she’s busy,” Rainbow scoffed, but couldn’t quite hide the small smile at the edge of her lips.
“You know full well I’ve got to get back to my farm, my family’s waiting for me to check in with ‘em just as soon as I drop off my gear,” Applejack rebutted. “I can come by later today, just not right now.”
Pinkie let out a soft whimper and craned her head to turn huge dinnerplate eyes on Twilight and I, her unspoken question written all over her face.
“Go ahead, Rainbow will probably give you a more exciting rundown than we would,” I said with a small chuckle. “Depending on how things go, I may meet you there later.”
“Sounds like fun!” Pinkie chirped before she and Rainbow Dash turned to make their leave toward the armory. “So how was the atmosphere this time, Rainbow? Was there high or low gravity?”
Rainbow Dash eyed the hyperactive pony with slight confusion as they moved to deposit the remainder of Rainbow’s equipment. The blue pegasus’ nose scrunched up as she tried to figure where best to start her heroic, and most likely exaggerated, tale.
“Thanks for that, Harry,” AJ said, her armor clinking again as she shifted her attention. “I’ll catch up with you guys later after I’m done. You’ll know where to find me if something new attacks in the meantime.”
“That stopped being funny after the Ursa Minor!” Twilight called after AJ as she moved towards the nearby wooden door.
“No, it didn’t!” She retorted before the door to the armory swung shut behind her.
I quirked an eye at the lavender alicorn beside me and felt a smirk stretching across my muzzle. “In all fairness, we’re most likely going to be hearing that statement for a long time to come.”
Twilight, none too pleased, turned narrowed eyes on me. The fur around her neck and much of the down around her wings began puffing up in a natural danger response. Faced with the prospect of an angry alicorn, and much more dangerous an angry mare, I hurriedly cast around for anything nearby to draw her attention. I found the perfect thing sitting on the pedestal between the two thrones and seized them in my telekinetic grip.
“You wanna take the lead on that letter to Celestia?” I asked while brandishing the parchment and quill from the podium.
Any irritation she had melted away as the energy around the parchment shifted from red to purple and a small smile appeared on her muzzle. “As if that was ever in question.”
Once again smiling and chuckling to ourselves, we made our way towards a large pair of double door partially concealed behind the thrones. Behind the doors a winding stone staircase spiraled up into the tower that I spotted from the outside. Many doors dotted the edge of the staircase leading to rooms used primarily by myself and the Bearers: a simple storage closet at the bottom, then a private fitness room, a combination laboratory and workshop that I frequented, a rather plush bedroom for Twilight and me, and at the very top was Twilight’s latest pet project, an extensive library on all things magical.
Before we advanced too far ahead, Twilight and I paused at the storage room at the bottom of the staircase to stash away our gear. Our two spell reinforced overcoats were doffed and stored on two mannequins that Rarity had been kind enough to give us. My shield charm floated over to rest on a chest of drawers near my overcoat. Twilight removed multiple reams of parchment from her clothing and placed them next to her coat as well, undoubtedly etched notes she had taken while waiting for me in the Nevernever. We each took a good few minutes to thoroughly inspecting our overcoats for any possible repairs that needed to be done. Thankfully the enchanted clothing held strong against any wear and tear, and we eventually made our way out of the storage room and to the library.
The library’s door swung open before us, revealing a large circular room completely lined with bookcases around the outer wall, each stuffed to collapsing with tomes of knowledge. In the middle of the room sat a single circular study table, surrounded by seven cushions. A small number of books were still out and arranged around Twilight’s preferred cushion, left behind when we were deployed to the Nevernever. It was next to these books that a certain small dragon worked diligently to reorganize the mess without disrupting Twilight’s work.
“Hello, Spike,” Twilight called to her assistant the moment we stepped through the door. “How’s my number one assistant doing?”
Spike cast a glance over his shoulder and gave us both a wide smile. “Hey there, Twilight, Harry. I’m just straightening things up in here. Are you two okay? I hope you guys weren’t in too much danger out in the Nevernothing, or whatever it’s called.”
“No more danger than normal. Equestrian steel has a useful ability to ward off threats,” I commented as Twilight and I took our respective seats beside Spike and his stack of books.
Twilight’s right wing automatically fanned out and clasped around my torso in a welcome feathery hug. “You up to sending a letter to Celestia?”
Spike bookmarked the last remaining open tome and placed it on top of the nearby stack. “Always. Why don’t you two write the letter and I’ll get us some refreshments.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight and I recited in near perfect unison.
While my very first encounter with the young drake left him much more suspicious than trusting, he had thrown away much of his distrust upon hearing some carefully censored stories of our conflict against the Red Court. Twilight was still his guardian and mother figure, so a certain amount of conflict was unavoidable, but at least he no longer looked at me like I was trying to steal her away. I made a mental note to try and find something fun to do with the little guy in my free time.
Twilight and I got to work scribbling together a report for Celestia and Luna regarding the Silver Knights’ most recent excursion. The whole document was less than a single page long. As it was a planned meeting with the White Council, there was no specific intel that led to the conflict and nothing to catch the Princesses up on that regard. The only new useful information to share were the chosen forces of the Red court and the fate of the White Council’s supply line. Together we went through all the details fast enough that the report was completed by the time Spike came back into the library with a tray of drinks, cheeses, and a few gemstones for himself.
“Thanks again, Spike,” Twilight said as she accepted the proffered tray and levitated over the rolled-up document. “Here you go, the Princess will want to see this.”
Spike quickly took the letter, took a deep breath, and then sent the parchment away in a puff of green flames.
“I think you’ll be happy to know that the Ponyville Library is still in tip-top shape,” Spike bragged as he sat back down and snatched up a gem. “As of yesterday, the only overdue books still out are checked out to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”
Twilight beamed a wide smile over her assistant, who drank it up like a sunbather on the beach. “That’s wonderful, Spike. I’m sorry I haven’t been by too much lately, but I know that it’s in good hooves. I’ll be sure to come back and refill the pantry within the week.”
“Mmmmm,” I cut into the conversation, “I do miss those roasted meals you made for us before we came here. Thus are the benefits of having dragon fire I suppose.”
Spike bit into his gem with the same difficulty it would take me to bite into a piece of toast. “Don’t spread that around, I’m proud of my cooking but I don’t really need the attention.”
We all shared a good laugh at that before we dug into our respective snacks and drinks. Halfway through our small meal, my mind drifted back toward our previous favor for the White Council, and more specifically the vague warning given to me by the Warden. I was loathe to discuss such matters in front of Spike, but his position as our main method of communication with the Princesses meant that his presence was often necessary. However, according to some of Twilight’s stories he had proven himself trustworthy many times over.
“Do you think the Princesses will send some supplies of their own to cover the White Council’s loss?” I asked Twilight, the atmosphere in the room becoming slightly more serious.
Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin and retracted her wing before answering, “Possibly. Princess Celestia has always loved to use diplomacy to mutual benefit. While the transport was raided on the other side of the veil, she might be able to win some favor by replacing it anyway. Do you know when our next deployment is?”
I took a deep swig of my water before answering. “Officially, no clue. That last transport was the last planned event the White Council told us about. So, unless there’s an emergency, we might as well just lend the Silver Knights to bolster Luna’s exploratory expeditions.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea!” Twilight practically cheered while bouncing on her pouf. “Did you hear about the derelict magic focus they recovered near the ruins of Luna’s castle? It’s the main tool that allowed Luna to hide Equestria in the first place! Some of Canterlot’s chief magi have already submitted plans on how to repurpose it as a defensive structure.”
“Honestly, I’m a little surprised you don’t insist on leading those explorations yourself,” Spike chuckled. “The last time I tried to stop you from conducting some experiment, you grounded me for a week.”
“With all the love in the world, Spike. But I’d prefer not to leave Harry alone in charge of Equestria’s chief vampire hunting force. I don’t want to come back and find Ponyville a warzone.”
I none-too-subtly cleared my throat while peering at Twilight over my cup. “You do remember that you personally have fought against one changling army and two gods before I ever came into the picture, right?”
That one earned me a good thwap with a purple wing.
Any further shenanigans were put on hold as a loud *BRAAAP* echoed around the room. Spike had let out a large belch with an accompanying flare of green flame. Out of that flame two scrolls materialized, one sealed with Celestia’s emblem, the other with Luna’s.
“Ah, that was a fast response,” Twilight chirped as we each took one of the scrolls from the air. “Let’s open Princess Celestia’s first, Harry.”
I scooched a little closer until our wings were touching so that we could both read Celestia’s response. Spike remained patiently in his seat and munched on his gemstones.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Harry Dresden,
Thank you for your report on your latest operation. I am sorry to hear that the White Council transport met with an ill fate. On my diplomats’ next meeting with the Council, I will send a shipment of supplies with them to aid in relief.
I let out a short chuff of laughter at that, and was immediately buffeted again by Twilight’s wing for interrupting her mentor’s precious letter.
Unfortunately, we do not have much better news to give you either. In the past few weeks our scouts have explored and mapped much of the Equestrian Etheria and the easily accessed Ways that tie to our lands. While few and far between, the Etheria has proven to be home to certain forms of wildlife that are far too dangerous for the common pony to interact with and will need to be carefully dealt with before any kind of infrastructure can be constructed. One scouting party in particular has disappeared while exploring what appear to be ruins outside the barrier of the Etheria. Luna should be sending you a letter as well soon, if she hasn’t already. I’ve been told that one of Luna’s exploration parties came across something that concerns you specifically. I’ll be visiting her castle soon and get more details then.
However, I do not only bring doom and gloom this day. We have secured supply transport through the Equestrian Etheria between most of the larger settlements and Ponyville, significantly speeding our ability to mobilize at a moment’s notice.
Twilight, I do hope you visit us in Canterlot soon. Our scouts have compiled a new bestiary of the Etherian wildlife with magical properties that I know you would love to study.
Your deepest regards,
Princess Celestia.
“Luna found something?” I said out loud upon completing the letter.
Twilight and I exchanged a short look before I levitated Luna’s scroll over Celestia’s and unfurled it.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Harry Dresden,
I have recently come in contact with an emissary from the White Council inside the borders of the Equestrian Etheria. In accordance with our treaty, he has formally requested the presence of one Harry Dresden along with whatever escort deemed necessary to the White Council stronghold of Edinburgh.
The emissary could not offer any specific information as to why you specifically were requested, but promised on his power that no harm would befall you or yours while within Edinburgh, and that your presence was critically needed. This decision is yours alone, but I have dispatched my most accomplished politician to the Silver Castle should you chose to accept. She should be there within the hour.
Be safe my friends,
Princess Luna.
“Harry,” Twilight muttered under her breath before turning wide eyes over me, her face an odd mixture of trepidation and supreme excitement. “Go get the girls ready because we’re finally going to a human stronghold!”
My ears flattened themselves against my skull to dampen out her excitement as my eyes danced over the words, ‘critically needed’. “What has the White Council gotten me into now?”
