A Star Among Wizards

"That's a dragon," Fudge said flatly.

"He is a dragon," Twilight corrected firmly.

"Please, forgive the Minister for his surprise," Dumbledore said quickly. "In our world, dragons are ferocious, and dangerous in the extreme. They are certainly nowhere near as civilised as this young gentleman."

Twilight resisted the urge to counter that surprise was no excuse for rudeness, but she bit her tongue, especially as Spike was clearly not bothered beyond rolling his eyes. In fact, going by his smirk, she was fairly certain that Spike was just happy to be compared to ferocious and dangerous monsters.

So far, Twilight wasn't really sure how the meeting was going. Dumbledore certainly seemed to be the most competent of the visiting trio, and the most socially conscious, while Fudge was… complicated. Twilight felt that he meant well, but he was a little too blunt and quietly superior for her to feel comfortable around him. Rhiannon, though nice enough so far, had been too quiet for Twilight to really form an opinion.

"Are there many dragons in Equestria?" Dumbledore asked, sounding nothing but mildly curious.

"Not really, not as permanent residents, anyway," Twilight replied. "There are a handful, like Spike, and there are a few who stay here on a temporary basis, but most of them are content to stay in the Dragonlands. That is slowly changing, but I think it's going to be a while before we see any significant immigration."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "So, the dragons have their own homeland." He hummed thoughtfully and glanced subtly at Fudge, who was looking more than a little discomfited at the thought of there being an entire nation of dragons. "If you don't mind me asking, what other races have countries of their own, other than the Dragonlands and Equestria? It will hopefully save some further awkwardness should we ever meet them in person."

Twilight found herself suddenly torn between horror and amusement at the thought of seeing what a meeting between Prince Rutherford and Fudge would turn out like. Keeping her expression neutral, she nodded and ignited her horn, teleporting in another quill and piece of parchment. "First there's Equestria and the Crystal Empire, which are inhabited mostly by ponies, and the Dragonlands, which are self explanatory. Next there's Griffinstone, inhabited by Griffins, Yakyakistan, home of the Yaks, the Changeling Kingdom, obviously the home of the Changelings, and Mount Eris and Seaquestria, which are both ruled by the Hippogryphs."

Each of the visitors reacted differently to Twilight's explanation. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with obvious curiosity, Rhiannon looked excited and enthralled at the idea of so many different creatures, and Fudge just stared at Twilight with a blank expression. "Did you say yaks?"

"Yes, yaks," Twilight replied tersely. "There are also small groups of Minotaurs, Kirin, Sea Serpents, Sirens, Abyssinians, Storm Guard, Zebras, and all sorts of other intelligent beings living among and wandering between the different nations." She gave Fudge a cold look. "I trust that won't be a problem?"

"Of course not," Dumbledore said quickly, giving Fudge a pointed stare.

"No, no problem at all!" Fudge waved a hoof, his tone implying that the very idea of it being a problem was preposterous, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Starlight cleared her throat loudly, grabbing everyone's attention. "If you want to see more than just us ponies, why not visit the School of Friendship?"

Twilight considered for a moment. "That's… probably not a good idea right now."

Dumbledore nodded. "Speaking as an educator, I would be absolutely delighted to visit such a school, but I agree that the timing isn't quite right. For now, perhaps, it would be best if we return to our world. This has been an enlightening visit, but we should arrange for a more formal meeting between our governments."

"That seems like a good plan," Twilight agreed, wondering if Fudge would make a better second impression than first. "It'll take me a little while to arrange everything on this end, so shall we set a date for, say…" She quickly ran over her plans in her mind. "Three days from now?"

"Three days should be perfect," Dumbledore replied. "Do you agree, Minister?"

Fudge nodded. "Yes, three days will be fine."

"Excellent. We can, of course, always correspond through representatives until then to set exact times and numbers," Dumbledore added.

"It's settled, then." Twilight stood a moment after everyone else. "This meeting is adjourned. I'll escort you to the Silver Door."

A look of relief flashed across Fudge's face, though he quickly smoothed it over. Twilight pretended not to notice. Hopefully, with a little more time to prepare and the benefit of hindsight, Fudge would make a better impression the second time around.

"I guess nopony was hungry," Spike grumbled, staring at the ignored tray he had brought in.

Dumbledore chuckled. "My apologies, but I must confess that I'm uncertain as to the correct table etiquette in this situation. I didn't want to make a faux pa by eating something in a way I shouldn't."

"Oh, that's easy!" Twilight levitated a cupcake, caught it on a hoof, and took a big bite out of it to demonstrate. "I know horns take some getting used to, so you can just munch them like this. Here." She levitated another cupcake over to Dumbledore, who promptly caught it on a hoof and took a big bite.

"Mmph! Exquisite!" Dumbledore said brightly after he'd swallowed.

Twilight couldn't hold back a giggle. "They were made by a close friend of mine. She'll be delighted to know that you like them."

Dumbledore beamed at her. "I'd be grateful if you could pass on my complements."

"Of course." Twilight gestured for the others to follow. "I'll open the Silver Door for you. This way, please."

The three visitors followed obediently as Twilight led the way back to the Silver Door, Dumbledore contentedly munching the cupcake as he walked. Sunset, Starlight, Trixie, and Spike brought up the rear. Three sharp knocks on a tree stump later, and the Silver Door was once again open.

Fudge looked visibly relieved at the sight of it. "Excellent. Well, Your Highness, it has been a true pleasure meeting you. I shall make arrangements for a reliable form of correspondence post haste."

"Thank you, Minister. It was interesting meeting you, too," Twilight replied, choosing her words carefully. Fudge's expression remained genial, but she got the impression that he had registered her choice of reply. He tried to doff his hat to her, fumbled it a couple of times thanks to his unfamiliarity with hooves, then just gave up and nodded. He didn't look back as he disappeared through the Silver Door.

Dumbledore finished his cupcake before nodding politely to the ponies. "If it's alright, I shall do my utmost to have a representative sent here to facilitate communication tonight."

"Actually, I have an idea that should work," Twilight replied, thinking about the linked books that she and Sunset shared. "I'll get to work on enchanting them as soon as possible, and I'll send either Sunset or Starlight along with them as soon as they're done."

"Very well. In that case, I eagerly await your correspondence." Dumbledore dipped her head to Rhiannon and gestured to the Silver Door. "After you, Miss Gwynedd."

Rhiannon flinched and scampered awkwardly towards the Silver Door. She paused just before she went through it and looked back over her shoulder. "It was a pleasure meeting you, er, Your Highness."

"And you, Rhiannon," Twilight replied with a genuine smile.

The young woman-turned-pony smiled back and stepped through the Door, leaving Dumbledore as the last visitor.

"I would like to apologize for Fudge again," Dumbledore said quietly. "He is a good man, but he is rather set in his ways. I shall do my utmost to ensure that he doesn't jeopardize what I believe can be a rather beautiful friendship between our peoples."

"I hope so," Twilight replied. "I'll do what I can on our end, too."

Dumbledore nodded curtly and left, disappearing through the Silver Door. A few seconds later the magic faded away as the portal closed.

"Well that was two steps short of a disaster," Starlight said flatly.

"It seemed fine to me?" Spike looked around at the gathered ponies curiously. "What did I miss?"

Twilight sighed and turned away, leading the way back to the map room. "Nothing major. It was our first meeting, after all. We should give them the benefit of the doubt. First things first, let's finish our food, then I'll see about enchanting another pair of books for our new friends."

Dumbledore braced himself as he was flung out of the Gate-Tree. The instant he touched the floor he tucked and rolled smoothly to his feet, catching shocked looks from Rhiannon and the Minister. Dumbledore did enjoy occasionally surprising others with his agility, though, he had to admit, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the protests of his own joints with each passing year. "Well, that was certainly an illuminating experience," he said brightly.

"It's brilliant!" Rhiannon chimed in.

"I'm still not sure I believe it," Fudge added, staring with some concern at the Gate-Tree as its portal faded away. "How have we never found this portal before?"

Rhiannon shrugged. "Most of the legends of the Otherworld were passed down through Celtic writings, the Mabinogion and such. I guess the way to open the portal must have been lost during the literary adjustments after the Statute of Secrecy came into effect."

"A lamentable loss," Dumbledore said gravely. "However, this affords us an incredible opportunity. The chance to forge a connection with an entirely new race, with entirely new magic, is something the wizarding world hasn't had in centuries."

"Yes, good point." Fudge absently checked that his bowler hat was still safely on his head. "Well now, this is going to be quite a bit of work. I suppose the first thing to do is inform the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Beasts."

Dumbledore gave the Minister a piercing look over the rim of his glasses. "I think the Department of International Cooperation might be a better fit for this situation," he said with only a hint of reproach.

Fudge conceded with a nod. "I suppose we should probably let both departments know. Miss Gwynedd, please stay here and keep an eye on things in case those, er, ponies try to contact us again."