//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Dresden Fillies: Iron Gate // by Lighthawk //------------------------------// The forest was on fire, and it wasn’t Twilight’s fault. If the hydra hadn’t shown up when it did, she certainly wouldn’t have lost control of the highly experimental and potentially dangerous spell she had been attempting. And if the multi-headed beast hadn’t come crashing out of the tree line of the Everfree, she most certainly wouldn’t have backpedaled in alarm, breaking the line of the magical circle and releasing the torrent of mystic energy held within to go sparking off wildly into the brush. And if the oversized, pea-brained lizard hadn’t started chasing her around the clearing, she absolutely most certainly could have put out the small blaze before it had a chance to spread into a proper inferno. Completely not her fault. Or so she told herself as she vanished in a burst of magic, narrowly avoiding yet another savage strike from one of the hydra’s many heads. She blinked back into existence several yards away, and growled in mounting frustration as she eyed the still spreading fire. Nothing good was likely to come from that. Even if it didn’t scare any of the many and dangerous creatures of the Everfree into a panic that may or may not send them fleeing towards Ponyville, there was still the very real possibility of it traveling far enough to threaten either Fluttershy’s or Zecora’s individual homes. Twilight had come out to the edge of the forest precisely to minimize the chances of her experimentation endangering anypony else, and seeing that spectacularly backfire on her was galling. The hydra turned, its many heads twisting wildly until one of them spotted her and let out a shrieking roar. Twilight lowered her horn, and let loose a trio of arcane blasts at the creature. The first struck upon its massive chest without the creature even seeming to notice. The second flashed through the empty air between its writhing necks. The final shot however struck square upon one of the hydra’s noses, and the luckless head snapped back with a high pitched bellow. Unfortunately this did little more than enrage the other heads, and the creature lumbered forward without impediment despite the stunned expression upon the struck face. Twilight vanished again, reappearing behind the hydra and taking off into a sprint to buy her some distance. She could hear the creature’s rumbling footsteps pause, but only for a moment before it let out another roar, the earth shaking impact of its tread returning, coming towards her. She ran, though she had no idea which way to head. She certainly wasn’t about to lead the beast back towards Ponyville, but simply running in circles didn’t seem a winning strategy. She wasn’t ready to bet her life on outlasting the hydra in a competition of physical endurance. What Twilight really needed was time. If she could scrape together a few unrushed seconds to focus, she ought to be able to pull together enough power to teleport outside the hydra’s range of view. But the inconsiderately hungry creature just didn’t seem to be willing to oblige her on that front. Plus teleporting away would do nothing for the fire that was really starting to get out of hoof now. She needed an advantage of some kind. Or better yet, some help. Sometimes, Fate can actually be fairly understanding. Before her disbelieving eyes, a section of space simply parted in midair, and a figure stepped through the sudden hole in reality. Twilight felt her heart surge with hope; the individual was tall, intimidatingly so in fact, and decidedly non-pony. He walked upright on just his rear limbs, the shorter front pair hanging down along his sides. His arms ended in long fingered hands, one of which was gripping a staff. He used the slender length of wood as an aid to help himself step down the several inches the tear in reality floated above the ground, then paused to take a look around. His free hand waved in a casual manner towards the gateway between worlds, and the opening snapped shut. “Dresden?” Twilight called as she turned towards the new arrival, though the name trailed off as her mind started properly taking in details. Harry Dresden was a human wizard who had twice now visited Equestria, and had left no small mark upon many of the inhabitants of the world, in one way or another. He was a friend, and rather relevantly to Twilight’s current predicament, quite skilled in the ways of combat. Unfortunately a second look at the new comer made her realize her mistake. A wizard he certainly seemed to be, but not the one she personally knew. Much of his form and appearance was cloaked and hidden by the dark robe he wore, and which Twilight had mistaken for Dresden’s usual heavy coat out of the corner of her eye. The robe’s fabric looked sturdy enough, but it was obviously a far lighter material by the way the morning breeze rippled around the hem and sleeves. A deep purple stole rode across the robe’s shoulders, nearly as dark as the garment itself. He had the robe’s hood drawn up about his head until only his nose and chin protruded beyond the plane of the cowl, but as he turned at her shout the morning sun lit his features. His skin was a light tan in hue and somewhat rough in texture. His features were long and lean, and combined with his skin gave the impression of an individual who had seen much time in harsh climates, and had endured what nature had thrown at him with casual endurance. A bit of silver hued mane rested upon his forehead, and a short beard of a matching shade rode across his sharp chin. It was his eyes that truly drew Twilight’s attention however. One was dark, and yet seemed to shine with an inner intensity. There was power in that eye, but also compassion, and wisdom, and a deep weariness that was yet tempered by determination. The other eye was marked by a pair of vicious scars that ran the entire length of his face, long faded with time but still quite prominent. Whatever injury had inflicted those wounds had apparently taken the eye as well, for an orb of what seemed to be polished steel rode in the socket. For all that it was cold, dead metal though, that false eye seemed no less intense than his living one. The brows above both eyes lifted in an expression of polite surprise as his gaze turned upon her, and then flickered to a calm, casual understanding as he then glanced up and behind her at the oncoming hydra. “Run!” Twilight screamed as she skidded to a halt beside the man, spinning to face the monster. “Hurry, I’ll distract it!” As much as she was certain he was a wizard, Twilight wasn’t ready to assume anything of his potential combat capabilities. Dresden she knew to be a formidable battle mage, but simple knowledge of magic by itself did not necessarily make one a warrior. And being dropped into an unexpected fight with a multiple ton beast could strain anypony’s ability to react and think rationally. “That’s very kind of you,” the newcomer said in a calm, deeply resonate voice. His accent put her in mind of Saddle Arabia, though it was also touched with hints of something she couldn’t quite put her hoof on. “However it won’t be necessary.” Twilight glanced sideways at the man, some of her disbelief at his words tempered by the assured confidence of his tone, and once again hope began to pulse in her chest. The wizard took a slight step, partially placing himself between her and the hydra, raising his staff as he did. She heard him softly utter a word she did not recognize, and gave the tip of the staff a light swirl. The hydra roared, its many heads pulling back in preparation to strike, half focused upon Twilight, the other half upon the new prey that stood before it. A pair of earth shaking steps brought it closer, and then its pace suddenly slackened. It took another pace, though it wobbled as it did. It lifted a leg for another step, and the clawed foot scrapped across the ground as it wavered. The hungry rage drained from its faces, replaced by a dazed confusion. Its dragging limb simply halted in mid-step, and its eyes drooped even as its long, sinuous necks slowly sagged. With a final, thunderous impact, the hydra tipped sideways, landing in a sprawl upon the ground. Long, deep breaths rumbled within its massive chest. Twilight realized she was staring. And her mouth was hanging open. And she was making little, disbelieving noises somewhere in her throat. Her teeth snapped shut, and she swallowed drily before turning to look up at the Wizard. “That…was amazing,” she said solemnly, and truly meant it. A sleep spell by itself was nothing too special, though one powerful enough to put down a creature the size of the hydra would require a serious investment of energy. Whoever he was, the man had summoned up an impressive amount of magic in a very small amount of time, and yet that wasn’t the truly impressive bit. What had the most talented unicorn of her generation goggling was the fact that she hadn’t felt anything. Not while he had drawn in the magic, not when he had formed the spell, not even when he had released it. A bit of spill-out of energy was something to be expected from any spellcraft, and all but the smallest spells could be felt by somepony who knew how. Training and practice could minimize the amount of power lost to such overflow, but Twilight had only ever met two ponies capable of casting at such an efficiency as to make their workings invisible to her arcane senses, and they both had the advantage of literal centuries of experience to draw upon. “Hmm,” the man replied in a non-committal tone as he observed the sleeping hydra. He turned to inspect the blazing forest, his expressive pensive. His attention to it reminded Twilight of the catastrophe still unfolding. “Oh geez!” she exclaimed, racing towards the tree line. She slammed on the brakes after just a few galloping strides, and turned back towards the wizard. “Sorry, don’t mean to be rude, but I really need to take care of this!” she called, and then resumed her run. “Hmm,” the man repeated, to himself this time as he watched the purple unicorn dart over to where a flat plane of wood sat on the outer edge of the blaze. A bright magenta aura sprung up around the dark stained board, yanking it away from the hungry flames. Twilight turned, and carried it several paces back from the inferno before placing it back on the ground and inspecting one slightly burnt edge. His living eye alight with interest, the wizard followed after her. Twilight looked up as the man’s shadow fell over her, though she spared him only a brief glance before returning to her inspection. The slab of wood was several feet wide, and except for where one edge was now marred with black and white ash, was perfectly smooth. She had spent a fair bit of time carefully sanding and polishing the heavy maple in preparation for the elaborate circle she had etched into its surface. She had then filled the grooves with a precise mix of gold and silver, carefully melted so as to bond into a single piece, with the gold forming the inner edge of the circle, the silver the outer. It had been a very, very long night, using her magic to keep each metal from mixing randomly with the other as it cooled. The hours of fine, intricate, delicate work had left her more exhausted and strung out than any amount of heavy magical lifting she’d ever done, but the finished product had been worth the effort. The magic circle she had created was not only a very potent tool to improve her ability to cast powerful and complex spells, but it was also mobile. Granted the thick maple wood was heavy, but not so much so that it was unmanageable with her magic. It was certainly far easier to lug around than say, a certain large stone still occupying a section of floor within the old Castle of the Royal Sisters. Not that she would admit that. Ever. To anypony. Princess Celestia’s prized pupil most certainly never suffered from momentary lapses of foresight before beginning a project, not in the least. She frowned in annoyance at the burnt edge, but the damage was only cosmetic. The circle itself was still whole, its integrity preserved. The pewter tokens resting within the slots drilled around the perimeter of the circle came free easily enough as her magic tugged on them, and a quick inspection showed her nothing had melted or deformed. “Interesting,” the wizard said as he eyed the construct. “You made the symbols interchangeable. Not as strong as if part of the circle itself, but more so than if you used something new for the symbol each time.” “Exactly,” Twilight said as she slotted the pewter tokens back into place. She couldn’t help the bit of pride that slipped into her words. “I figured that repeated use will create a bond between the circle itself and the symbols, forming a more complete whole while still letting the circle itself be modular.” “It is a sound theory,” the wizard agreed, and Twilight smiled. “And what task are these symbols meant for?” “I was trying a bit of weather control when the hydra interrupted me,” Twilight said. She glanced from the circle up to the cloud dotted sky. “I just hope I can get it to work.” The wizard nodded to her, and then stepped back to give her room to work. Setting the board down on a flat stretch of ground, Twilight carefully stepped within the circle, and touched it lightly with a hoof. A simple effort of will imbued the mystic construct with energy, and she felt it when the circle came to life, isolating her from the ever present flows of magic outside. She closed her eyes in a brief moment of concentration, letting her breathing relax and slow. Her eyes opened, and she began to draw on her magic. She envisioned the symbols etched into the pewter tokens as she turned her attention skyward. They were based on Old Equestrian pictographs, each image embodying a concept of weather, tied to the senses, the mind, and the spirit. The lazy drifting of clouds stood in for sight, and heart stopping clap of thunder for hearing. The scent of a coming storm for smell, and the frosty chill of snow for taste. The refreshing breeze of wind for touch, and the beauty of a rainbow for the mind. Finally there was the pleasant warmth of the sun on a peaceful spring day for the spirit. Twilight felt the magic flow into her horn, could see clear in her mind each symbol, could envision the whole of each idea represented by the intricately detailed lines. She felt the spell weave itself together from the individual elements, from the power of her magic and mind and will, bringing the various components together into a new whole, stronger by far than any single piece. Her tail flicked, breaking the plane of the circle, and Twilight loosed the magic she had gathered out into the world as the barrier fell. She felt the spell tugging at her, drawing a steady stream of power from and through her as the effect soared into the sky like flickering ribbons of light. Each violet streamer raced to plunge within a nearby cloud, lighting them from within until the sky was filled with a faint purple tint. Slowly at first, the clouds began to drift, though they quickly picked up speed. They circled inward, and as they struck one another they merged, growing larger, darker, and sinking lower. The mass of unnaturally purple cloud centered itself above the forest fire, dropping to only a few dozen feet above the tallest trees. The wind died, and a deafening silence hung in the air, the roaring blaze of the flames even muted by the tense, dead air. Thunder rumbled once, and the rain came. It fell in a nearly solid sheet of water from the cloud bank, in nearly perfect uniformity. The heavy drops hammered down upon the trees in a wave, shredding leaves and breaking branches. It slammed into the flames in a smothering blanket, and steam hissed and bubbled. And it utterly and completely drenched one Twilight Sparkle until she felt like she was nearly drowning from it. It took less than thirty seconds for the mystically accelerated downpour to exhaust the clouds, leaving behind only thin, white wisps in place of the former puffy greyness. The forest still hissed and steamed, but the flames had been doused, and even the remaining embers were dying as the sudden flood continued to quench them. Twilight felt her knees shake from the effort of the spell, but she still managed a weary smile at the success. It had been a far bigger proof of concept working than she had originally planned for, but that had just helped prove the usefulness of her new magical tool even more so. She turned back towards the wizard to find him dismissing a small shield of will that he had formed over his head, and which had saved him from the same drenching she had suffered. She blinked at that for a moment, amazed he had managed to maintain even such a simple spell under so much running water. Twilight shook her head, flinging some of the water out of her mane. She was about to ask about the magical umbrella, but was interrupted by a sudden prismatic blur of speed that came thundering to a halt overhead. “Alright!” Rainbow Dash shouted over the general vicinity. “Who just messed up my entire morning’s hard work!” she demanded, shaking a hoof angrily at the world at large. Her eyes swept the area for half a second before locking onto the first individual to fall within sight. Faster than she could blink, Twilight found herself nose to nose with the irate pegasus. “What the hay Twilight? I had those clouds spaced perfectly!” “Oh, hi Dash,” she said weakly, taking a step back. “Uh, sorry about wrecking your work, but it was for a good cause.” “Oh yeah, like what?” Dash asked, stepping forward to resume actively violating Twilight’s personal space. “Well like stopping the entire forest from burning down?” Twilight offered, taking yet another step back. “Oh yeah, that would have been a big loss,” Dash scoffed with a roll of her eyes, though at least she relented in her advance. “Honestly, what good as ever come out of that creepy old place?” “Be that as it may,” Twilight said, starting to get some of her composure back. “Would you prefer to let the fire flush all the timberwolves and cockatrices out into Ponyville while Fluttershy’s cottage burned?” Dash narrowed her eyes at Twilight, but the unicorn could see her anger giving way. Reluctantly to be sure, and there was still plenty of frustration evident, but Dash was clearly starting to see the reasonable logic. She didn’t have to like it though, even if she did accept it. “Bah, alright,” the pegasus sulked, blowing out a disgusted breath. “How’d this even happen?” “Well see I was out here testing a new spell device, and things kind of got out of hoof when…” Twilight’s explanation was cut off as Dash jabbed a foreleg at her. “Ah ha!” the sky blue pony cried. “Then this was your fault!” “Only because the hydra interrupted me at a crucial junction!” Twilight shot back, starting to get annoyed. “Hydra?” Dash asked, bewildered. “What hydra?” Twilight stared at her friend for a long beat, then tilted her head to the left. Dash followed the motion, and stared for another long beat at the huge, sleeping form not a hundred feet away. “…whoa, how’d I miss that?” Dash asked in clear puzzlement. “Rage induced tunnel vision?” Twilight suggested. “I…guess so?” Dash replied somewhat awkwardly. She shook her head, her voice regaining its usual brashness. “Well I’m still ticked about losing a whole morning’s work, but I gotta say, that is kinda cool. Slapping down a hydra and then pulling off some wicked weather working. Impressive stuff. You know, for an egghead.” Twilight tried not to roll her eyes at the backhoofed compliment. “Gee, thanks, but I didn’t take care of the hydra, he did.” “Who what now?” Dash asked, turning her head. She caught sight of the robed figure absolutely towering over her only a few feet away and let out a very uncool sounding yelp as she leapt into the air. “Whoa! Where’d he come from!” “He’s been standing there the entire time Dash,” Twilight said tersely. “…how’d I miss that!” Dash asked again, and the wizard threw back his head in a sudden boisterous laugh. The sound was as deep and rich as his speaking voice, and was filled with a vitality and joyfulness that Twilight had never heard from anypony short of the Element of Laughter herself. She found herself giggling in response to the pure mirth of the sound, and even Dash looked like she was fighting to keep a smile from her lips as she floated back to the ground. “Forgive me,” the man said as he brought himself under control, a hand wiping tears from his good eye. “I meant no disrespect or insult, but your tone and expression…” He shook his head slowly, a few final chuckles escaping. “Yeah well…” Dash started to reply, but apparently didn’t know where she was going with it as she trailed off for a moment. “…well who are you? And what are you doing here? And…” she seemed to finally really take a good look at the newcomer. “…and are you a wizard?” “Please, you may call me Rashid,” the tall man said, offering them both a slight bow of his head. “And yes, there are some places where I might qualify for such a title.” “Nice to meet you Rashid,” Twilight spoke up quickly. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend Rainbow Dash.” She was careful to alter the fine pronunciation of both her own and Dash’s names as she gave them. “And a pleasure to meet you both as well,” Rashid replied. “Yeah yeah yeah,” Dash said with her usual tact; none at all. “What do you mean ‘some places you may qualify’? Are you a wizard or aren’t you? You got the magical looking stick thing there…” “Staff,” Twilight supplied drily. “Whatever,” Dash said with a negligent wave of a hoof. “Point is, can you do magic?” “I can do things that many might consider magical,” Rashid supplied calmly, earning a scowl from the pegasus. “Are you going to give me a straight answer or not!” Dash demanded, stomping a hoof. “What do you believe?” came the perfectly honest sounding reply. “Argh!” Dash growled. “Fine, whatever! But don’t think you have me fooled! I did in fact notice you still haven’t answered my second question at all.” “That actually is a good point,” Twilight spoke up. “Why are you here?” Rashid paused to consider the question for a long moment, long enough that Dash was starting to bristle with impatience. “Well!” the pegasus demanded. “I am here to seek the means to end a grave threat,” the man responded eventually. “…okay, he’s a wizard,” Dash said sourly. “Either that, or giving lame, unhelpful answers is just part of being human.” “Rainbow,” Twilight chided gently, but the wizard gave no indication he was offended. “I am surprised you know of my people,” Rashid said. “This place is rather far off the usual paths. And someone has gone to a lot of trouble to keep wayward wanders from accidentally arriving.” “And yet, here you are,” Twilight pointed out. “Indeed so,” Rashid acknowledged, and left it at that. “Alright, I am so out of here,” Dash said stiffly. “I have better things to do then listen to his not answers, especially if I’m going to get the sky back in order.” “Hold up Dash,” Twilight said, giving Rashid an evaluating look. “Wizard,” she said after a moment. “You say you’re here because of a grave threat, yet you don’t seem willing to discuss the matter openly. And perhaps you have good reason for that, but if such a threat does exist here, then it is possible that myself or my friends may be in danger because of it.” “Almost certainly,” Rashid said, his tone suddenly serious. “Then it would be in everypony’s best interest for us to discuss the matter,” Twilight told him. “It would certainly benefit us all if we might assist each other.” “Perhaps,” Rashid commented softly. “And perhaps not. Certain knowledge would be required to provide said assistance, and yet that knowledge may itself be dangerous to the wrong individuals.” “What, you think we can’t hack it?” Dash demanded, zooming up to glare right in the man’s face. “I’ll have you know we’re two of the Elements of Harmony buddy, we eat danger for breakfast!” “Dash!” Twilight chided again, yanking her back by her tail with a brief burst of magic. “Would you calm down for a moment?” “Elements of Harmony you say?” Rashid mused, his tone half amused, half considering. He stared at the two ponies for a moment, then closed his eyes. He took a deep, gentle breath, and then the lid of his steel eye began to twitch and shift as if the orb beneath was moving rapidly. Twilight watched him with curious fascination; Dash with grumpy impatience. After a good minute of waiting the pegasus was shifting in place as restlessly as the wizard’s eye. “Can’t. Take. Much. More…” she growled out through gritted teeth. “Shh,” Twilight said absently as she tried to focus. She thought she could almost sense something around the man, something not necessarily powerful, but vast and far reaching. Whatever it was though slipped through her hooves each time she tried to bring her mind upon it. “Well…” Rashid said, his eyes opening again. “Well well well…” he stroked at his short beard thoughtfully with one hand “Well, what?” Dash demanded. “Perhaps we can help each other after all,” the wizard said, directing his words to Twilight in a way that managed to completely disregard the fuming pegasus. “…really?” the unicorn replied, a bit stunned by the simple turn around, but she recovered quickly. “I mean of course we can. So…what can you tell me?” “Much,” Rashid answered. “But first I have a request.” “Okay, what?” Twilight asked, and the wizard smiled warmly at her. “Might I borrow your most excellent circle for a spell?” Ten minutes later and three ponies were making their way from the clearing, heading off towards Ponyville. Rainbow Dash drifted along in the air above, flying in a series of long, looping arcs as she tried to burn off some of her irritation. Twilight Sparkle meanwhile was carrying her magic circle, the board drifting along beside her sedately. Rashid walked as if he was no stranger to a quadruped’s gait, and the routine way he had pulled the transformation spell together suggested he had used it on a regular basis. The spell itself had been fascinating to watch, though also terrifying. Rashid’s magic had quite literally torn his own body apart, destroying the original form and flesh and using the resulting mix of magic and matter to construct a new body. Thankfully the visual hadn’t been anywhere near as disturbing, a simple blurring effect that had washed out the form of the man for a moment before replacing it with that of a pony, but she still shuddered at the thought of what such a magical working would do to somepony unprepared for it. She wasn’t all that certain such an unfortunate individual’s mind would come out of such an ordeal intact. Twilight eyed the wizard thoughtfully. He made a rather unassuming pony. Short and slightly rounded, grey coated and silver maned, his features were plain and somewhat dull really. He had a stubby, rounded horn, and what looked like a pair of doors adorned his flank. She realized he looked like a pony that nopony would give a second glance, and figured that might just be the point. If it was though, his disguise was somewhat marred by the fact that he still bore the steel eye, and the scars that framed it in his face. Perhaps he had been unable to do anything about the eye; there was obviously something special about it. However given the way his transformation spell had worked, surely he could have left out the scars. Then again, if turning back worked the same way as the initial change, surely he could have removed the old injuries at any time he wanted. “Tell me Twilight Sparkle,” Rashid said, and she felt a small chill run down her spine as he repeated her name back exactly as she had given it to him. She got the feeling that he knew she had mispronounced it on purpose. Her attention however was sharply diverted by his next words. “What, if anything, do you know about Outsiders?” ----------------------------- Back at the clearing, the still slumbering form of the hydra shifted uneasily as the air parted, the second such rip in reality forming exactly upon the same spot as the first. The figure that came through hopped down to the earth, and surveyed its surroundings with a casual indifference. Much as the man before it, the creature wore a robe and cloak, though it was much more thoroughly wrapped in the fabric, until there was not a bit of flesh left exposed. The cloth was also far more ragged and worn than the wizard’s had been, dust and stains marring the fabric in many places. The scent of rot and decay hung about the figure in a miasmic fog. Its head twisted towards the rising sun for a brief instant, but it quickly turned away, hunching its back to the light. The creature crouched down, digging fingers into the soil with casual ease, lifting the dirt to its swaddled face. It inhaled deeply, and let out a long, pleased growl that bubbled in its throat. It prowled forward, shifting easily to all fours, snuffling along the ground for a moment. It reached the spot where Twilight had performed her weather spell and stopped short with a snarl. Shaking itself like a dog, it moved on, until it came to where Rashid had worked his own magic. The creature paused, taking a deep, slow breath. It laughed, a sound like sandpaper rubbing together. “Found you, old friend,” the creature spoke in a rasping whisper.