Chapter Eight
The Dresden Fillies: False Masks
Written by: psychicscubadiver
Edited by: SilentCarto and frieD195
Story Image by: wyrmlover
Beta-reader: SA
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Dresden Files or My Little Pony, that is Jim Butcher and Hasbro, respectively. This is a fanfiction only. This story takes place before Discord’s return in MLP and between books six and seven in the Dresden Files.
Chapter Eight
“Twilight, Twilight, give me your answer do.”
His voice echoed throughout the ruins of Canterlot castle. The once-proud palace was now an unstable death trap, full of crumbling walls and guttering fires. The rest of the city was in even worse condition, if that was possible. Many of the supports had failed after the massive damage they had taken, and whole neighborhoods lay in pieces strewn down the side of the mountain.
“I’m half crazy, all for the love of you.”
Twilight kept running, but she knew she couldn’t make it far. She rounded a corner only to find her way blocked by a towering mound of rubble. She was too tired, too injured to outrun him anymore. Hiding was her only real option. She ducked inside a half-collapsed room and searched desperately for a place to conceal herself. The old wardrobe in the corner was the only place that looked even slightly promising, even though its door was split down the middle.
“We’ll have a plain ceremony; I’m not the richest pony.”
It’s just a dream. Twilight thought, trying to still her beating heart. He could never have actually done all this. She knew him, she trusted him, and he wasn’t the type to take trust for granted. She had seen his soul, and this wasn’t him. It had to be a dream; there was nothing else it could be.
“But I don’t care, ‘cause you’re my mare, as long as you love me true.”
But no matter how often she repeated that mantra, no matter many times she told herself this was all an illusion, the heart-stopping fear that clawed at her was undeniably real.
The hoofsteps following her stopped and the wrecked city fell terrifyingly silent. Twilight strained to hear something – anything − that would betray his presence. But there was nothing. The only sound she could hear was her own labored breathing and the distant crackle of flames. She pressed herself against the back of the wardrobe she had hidden in, staying as far away from the cracked door as possible.
Twilight refused to let herself believe that he was really gone. That was the biggest mistake every idiot ever made in a horror story. She just needed to keep her cool and stay hidden. She could rest and recover, then figure a way out of this nightmare. Supposedly, you always woke up before hitting the ground in a dream. The thought of throwing herself out of a tower had terrified her at first, but it was looking more and more attractive.
“I know you’re in there,” he suddenly said from the other side of the broken doors, less than a yard away. “Why don’t you come out?” He spoke calmly, which only made everything he’d done even more terrifying.
Because you’re a psychopath, Twilight thought. He hadn’t gone wild, his rage hadn’t gotten the better of him. Every death, every atrocity had come with a detached, almost businesslike air. She pressed herself against the back of the wardrobe, wishing she could pass through the wood and stone behind her. Her eyes frantically roamed the inside of the little box, searching for some other way out, but there was nowhere else to go.
So she stepped forward instead, nudging the door open with all the resignation of a prisoner approaching the gallows. A concept, she thought with a flash of resentment, that she had been unfamiliar with until he had brought it with him. Twilight stepped slowly out of the wardrobe, knowing what she would face, knowing who was waiting there.
Dresden.
Or Blackstone, to be more accurate, seeing that he still wore the shape of a pony. He gave her a slow, predatory smile as she stared at him. His teeth were stained reddish brown, and the stench of raw meat hung on his breath. “So what do you say, Twilight? Will you become the queen of this brave, new world and rule by my side? Think of what we could accomplish together!” His expression shifted to a lascivious grin. “Think of what we could do together…”
Twilight shuddered even as she gathered her resolve. “No.”
Blackstone stared at her, his expression hurt. “I thought you loved me, Twilight. Is this about all the deaths? I tried to keep them to a minimum, but you know what they say.” He chuckled darkly. “You can’t make an omelette without murdering a few ponies.”
This isn’t right. Anger began to boil underneath the fear. “No,” she snapped.
“Is it because I killed Celestia? Or Luna? Surely you realize that the alicorns had to die in order for us to rise to power. I wouldn’t even have needed to destroy Canterlot if they hadn’t resisted so powerfully. And I spared your brother, even after he refused to serve me. What more could you ask from me?”
“No.” Twilight said a third time, her eyes ablaze with fury. The cold dread in the pit of her stomach was gone, burnt away by the power that rose within her. “This is a dream − my dream − and I deny you. You are not my friend. You are not even a reasonable facsimile. You are a twisted parody that should have never even come into being.”
The room began to glow with a sourceless light. The radiance pulsed in time to her words, and the grim, fire-lit ruins receded before her will. Suddenly, her mind was clear for the first time in what felt like days. Blackstone hardly seemed to notice, though. His mouth stretched into a mad grin full of teeth no longer those of an herbivore, but the needle-like dentition of a monster.
“Is my existence really my fault, then? If I’m just a part of your dream, then you made me. Admit it. I’m the truth about ‘Blackstone’ that you try to hide. The darkness in him that you refuse to see. I’m only here because your subconscious knows him for what he really is. Because deep down, you fear him.”
Twilight stared into the warped face of her most dangerous friend, and realized that she was afraid. Another shudder went through her, and her light began to dim.
“I do fear him.”
The abomination smirked and moved forward. He only managed that one step before gleaming shackles erupted from the ground and wrapped around his legs, binding him to the spot. He let out a monstrous cry of surprise and anger, but they held him fast. Twilight stared into his eyes; the red of his irises had deepened to a blood-like crimson and expanded until there was no white left. Her gaze never wavered, and the creature looked away first.
“But I won’t let that stop me.”
The room began to glow again, softly but steadily.
“When I was younger, I never had any friends. I thought they simply weren’t worth the effort, but I was wrong. It was one of the most difficult lessons I ever had to learn, but it was also the most valuable. I can’t imagine my life without them. Any of them.”
The entire castle began to glow as she spoke. Rubble disappeared and walls reformed. Bloodstains vanished and tapestries re-knit themselves. Entire city blocks rose from the bottom of the mountain and reattached themselves in their proper places. And in the middle of it all was one little unicorn, her whole body glowing neon white.
“Blackstone and I are friends, and that is a bond that no fear can break. This is my mind, and you seem to have forgotten something.”
The false Blackstone deformed and melted as she spoke. It didn’t look like her friend anymore; it didn’t even look like a pony. It was an amorphous blob, a shapeless darkness penned in on all sides by her light.
“If I made you, then I can unmake you.”
………
Arcane Mind rocked backwards, as though he had been struck in the face. His attendants hurried toward him, their expressions worried. He brushed aside their concern and stared at the sleeping unicorn before him with a look that was equal parts admiration, frustration and resignation.
He gave a deep sigh and his horn lit as he gathered his power again.
………
Silence lay thick in the small room, until a small unicorn broke it.
“My head,” Twilight groaned as she came to. Her senses screamed that something was amiss, but it paled in comparison to the merciless drumbeat inside her skull. Something … something had gone wrong. Something bad had happened, but Twilight had no idea what it was. Did it involve Blackstone? Or Colgate? For some reason those two were the only ponies that came to mind.
She tried to open her eyes, but the light stabbed into them with a cruel ferocity. It would have being easier to stare into the sun than keep her eyes open. Her small cry of anguish went unanswered. She listened for a moment, but there was no sound to suggest any ponies were nearby. Twilight began to breathe slowly and to assess herself.
Physically? She was hungry, thirsty and needed to empty her bladder, but she seemed unharmed.
Mentally? The resounding thud of her pulse made it difficult to focus, but her mind was functional.
Emotionally? She was angry, hurt, and afraid without the least clue why.
Slowly Twilight began to piece together as much of her day as she could. She had woken up, made tea, found Pinkie in bed with Blackstone, found out it wasn’t what she thought (a blush still came to her face as she remembered), apologized, had breakfast, left to go to her dental appointment, and sat alone in the waiting room. After that? Everything was a blur, nothing more concrete than vague emotions and fleeting images.
Twilight tried to open her eyes once more and was rewarded by another stab of pain. But this time was weaker than the first, and the third try hurt even less. Lavender eyes fluttered open and she forced them to stay that way.
Twilight was lying on an unfamiliar bed. It was clean and smelled pleasant, but it was both smaller and less plush than where she usually slept. There were no windows in the bleak rock walls that made up her room. The only light came from a large green crystal set into the ceiling. There was a bookshelf in one corner, packed full of novels and board games. A simple desk with a small lamp sat next to it. A square mirror, barely large enough for a pony to see their whole face, hung on the opposite wall. And that summed up the entirety the room’s furnishings. It was spartan in the extreme, and it immediately put Twilight in mind of a prison despite the lack of bars or guards.
The door across from her didn’t blunt that impression. The protective spells on it were as powerful as any she had ever seen. Wherever she was, she evidently couldn’t leave by choice, making it unlikely that she had come here by choice, either.
The lavender unicorn sighed. “Well, this isn’t the worst thing I’ve woken up to.” She never had found out where Rainbow Dash got that many rubber snakes, but her first April Fool’s Day in Ponyville had certainly been a morning to remember.
“Good. You are awake,” said a quiet voice less than three feet behind her.
Twilight screamed and spun around. Magic flowed into her horn as she began to cast a spell of binding. Then her world went white and she screamed again, this time in pain rather than surprise. Tears flowed from her eyes and Twilight sank to her knees. It felt like Big Mac had just taken a sledgehammer to her skull.
It didn’t take a genius or a quick glance in the mirror to realize what had happened. There was an inhibitor ring around the base of her horn. Twilight felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. Inhibitor rings fed off the power of the pony they were attached to; the stronger the unicorn, the more powerfully the ring resisted. If she had tried to use something more powerful than just a binding spell, the backlash would have been even worse.
“I would not suggest doing that again,” the voice said. It was almost infuriatingly calm and collected. The pain faded quickly and Twilight blinked away her tears. Standing at the corner of bed was a pony in a black robe, complete with a large hood. Twilight suspected it was an earth pony, since there weren’t any bulges in the clothing to indicate wings or a horn. Other than that, she was at a loss. The robe covered everything down to the pony’s hooves, and in the dim light of the room, she couldn’t penetrate the shadows beneath the cowl. The voice sounded like a mare’s to her, though in theory it could have belonged to a stallion, and the pony was slightly taller than her. The loose garment itself gave her no more clues than did its strange owner.
“What are you doing here? What am I doing here?! Where are we?! And most importantly why do I have an inhibitor ring on?! ” Twilight glared at the strange pony, but she (?) seemed unmoved by the tirade.
When her guard spoke, it was in the same monotone as the first sentence. “I am afraid I cannot answer most of your questions. I was only told to monitor you. Now that you are awake I will fetch somepony who can tell you what you need to know.” The mysterious pony moved toward the door in perfect silence. There was no sound of hooves upon stone and no rustling from the robe. But more impressive than that was how she simply seemed to blend into the background as she left, no more noticeable or interesting than a stone at the side of a path.
Twilight shook her head and focused on the odd pony. No wonder she hadn’t noticed her until she spoke. It was almost as though she was invisible. “How are you doing that?”
The black clad pony started, betraying the first hint of emotion since Twilight had woken up. “I am surprised you realized, Miss Sparkle. When I dismiss myself, very few ponies take notice.”
None of which answered Twilight’s question, but something told her she wasn’t going to get any further response. Not just yet, anyway. “At least tell me your name, since you apparently already know mine.”
Her guard hesitated for a moment then nodded. “You may call me Watcher.” Eyes glimmered for a brief second within the deep hood, and Twilight realized that even if it wasn’t a real name, it was likely to be descriptive enough.
Still, she snorted. “‘Creepy’ would fit even better.”
Her custodian shrugged, but Watcher’s voice sounded faintly amused. “If you prefer.” The pony touched the door and it glowed a faint blue in recognition. As it opened, Twilight briefly considered charging forward and attempting to force her way out. She just as quickly discarded the notion. Even if she could get past Watcher, an unlikely feat with her horn bound, there were likely to be several more ponies waiting. At least one unicorn was involved in all this, and maybe more, if the strength of the door’s spells were any indication. Then the door boomed shut, cutting off the opportunity. Her breath began to come quickly.
She was all alone somewhere strange surrounded by strange ponies who had almost certainly kidnapped her. They’d taken away her magic and locked her in a room, and now they were coming for her and… Panic rose in Twilight’s chest as she hyperventilated.
It was only through determined effort and a continuous chant of the thirty-first precept of magic that she was able calm herself. I will not fear, for fear is the death of magic. Knowledge banishes fear, and the terrors of night flee the revealing light of day. She wasn’t sure how long it took for the panic attack to pass, but she was still alone when it subsided.
Twilight focused more closely on the room around and began to analyze her situation. If knowledge was the cure for fear, she needed to gather as much as she could. A small shiver ran down her spine, but she stilled herself with another effort. Part of the reason for her shudder was the temperature, though. It was much cooler than summer had any right to be. That meant she was underground, probably deep underground.
All of the furniture was old, and it looked as though none of it had been moved in decades. Wherever this place was, it hadn’t been constructed recently. Another door in the corner of the room, this one smaller and plainer, led to a bare-bones bathroom. It was more than she would have expected from a prison cell, at least. A shallow basin on a pedestal acted as a sink, while a simple-looking seat served a much more basic purpose. Lifting the lid, Twilight heard the sound of fast flowing water echo distantly. The… plumbing… was evidently connected to an underground river.
The hole was too small even for a foal to have squeezed through, but somehow, Twilight didn’t mind removing that particular route of escape from the list of possibilities. Even ignoring the ‘ick’ factor, she knew enough about hydrogeology to realize that a subterranean waterway was a more likely route to suicide than escape. Setting that aside, Twilight wandered back into the room and checked over the desk. A basic stationary kit and couple of blank scrolls were its only contents. Most of the drawers were empty. She drifted over to the bookshelf next. It was full of books, but they were all fiction without a single reference, history or guide among them. Twilight frowned. Novels were entertaining, but it was unlikely they would offer any information or advice that would be helpful in this situation. Yeah, she thought with a brief snort. If only I had a copy of ‘One Hundred and One Things To Do When Kidnapped’. I’m sure that’s something mysterious ponies usually stock in their underground prison cells.
That thought brought back her mind to her captors. Whoever these ponies were, they had the resources to kidnap her, bind her magic, transport her in secret, and maintain some sort of underground lair in which they could hold her prisoner. None of that was the work of two or three ponies, however skilled. This could only be an organization, but who they were and what they wanted was a complete mystery.
A quiet anger began to smolder somewhere in Twilight’s chest. When Watcher returned, a certain lavender unicorn was going to get some answers. Nopony, and she meant nopony, treated her like a damsel in distress. She was the student of Celestia herself, and even without magic, she was a force to be reckoned with. The flame in her heart blazed like a real fire, but with a deep breath she made herself cool down. The anger was better than the fear, better by far, but she couldn’t let it control her either. She needed to be levelheaded enough to think her way out of this.
Twilight allowed herself a sardonic grin. If there was one thing she was good at it was thinking.
Less than a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door followed by an increase in its glow. The door opened, and Watcher stepped in without waiting for her to respond. The kidnapped scholar frowned, but she supposed that she was lucky that they had knocked at all. She could, and would, remain calm. Several more ponies walked in, clad in robes just like Watcher’s. Twilight tried to keep her face as blank as possible, but concealing her emotions was difficult. She was decent at poker, but that success came more from her ability to calculate probabilities and count cards than any skill in bluffing.
The last pony that came through the door didn’t have a hood on. Twilight had no trouble recognizing this pony: it was Colgate, her dentist. The sight of the blue unicorn made something click in Twilight’s head, and out of the confusing blur of memories, one image became clear. A nervous Colgate giving her a cup of something to drink. Twilight connected the dots and suddenly there was no chance of hiding her feelings.
“You,” she hissed, glaring at her betrayer. Colgate flushed slightly but she didn’t back up from the angry mare.
“Hello Twilight. How are you feeling?” Colgate sounded both nervous and hopeful. The rest of the group, two more unicorns, a pegasus, and Watcher, remained silent.
Twilight gave the most insincere smile she could manage. “Oh I’m just great. I love waking up in the underground lair of a bunch of nutcases! And there’s no better way to start the day than with a raging headache and the discovery that you’re wearing an inhibitor ring. Ten out of ten on hospitality, too; I love having a creepy freak watching me while I sleep. That just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!” She’d layered on the sarcasm as thick as possible, but even that didn’t fully vent her spleen. Colgate had turned a bright red in embarrassment, and the rest of the group was shuffling uncomfortably, as though they were fillies who’d gotten caught with their hoof in the cookie jar. Watcher was the only one who seemed unaffected.
“Well,” Colgate finally managed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I was really desperate and−”
Twilight arched an eyebrow and interrupted her. “You can’t be that hard up for a date. And even if you are, I’m afraid I don’t swing that way.”
Colgate’s face colored again, this time with anger as well as embarrassment. “Damn it, Twilight we’re trying to help you!”
Twilight lazily inspected her prison. “Funny. Because from where I’m sitting it looks like you just kidnapped me and threw me into a dungeon. Or is that a part of the Hippocratic Oath I’m just not familiar with?” A low chuckle came from one of the ponies present, but Twilight couldn’t tell which.
Colgate apparently couldn’t either, because her glare swept across all of her fellows before she turned back to face Twilight. “I suppose some explanations are in order.”
About time, Twilight thought, but otherwise she stayed silent.
“What do you know about Obsidian?” Colgate asked the name visibly leaving a bad taste in her mouth. The lone pegasus shuddered and even Watcher backed slightly away.
Twilight frowned, she’d wanted answers, not more questions, but at least this was something she knew. “He was an ancient unicorn warlord. He opposed the unification of the three tribes and the founding of Equestria. He was a powerful mage and commanded the loyalty of many of the lesser nobility. It wasn’t until Clover, Smart Cookie and Private Pansy founded the Order Triune to combat him that he was defeated.” Colgate nodded expectantly and Twilight frowned. It wasn’t the most commonly known piece of history, but it was hardly secret knowledge. She continued. “For centuries afterwards there were imitators who used his name to inspire terror in their enemies. They also opposed Equestria, and one of them nearly conquered the entire nation during the Age of Darkness.”
“That might be the ‘official’ history, but… they weren’t imitators, Twilight.” Colgate shook her head sadly, but her eyes were hard. “They were him, back from the dead. That was where he got his title: Obsidian the Undying.” That appeared even harder for her to say, but she continued. “He can’t be truly killed. Believe me, we would know better than anypony.”
Twilight opened her mouth to refute the obviously insane statement that Obsidian had somehow not just risen from the dead but had done so several times over the course of centuries. However that line of thought died suddenly when she realized just what Colgate had implied. “Wait, we would know? You can’t mean…” She trailed off. The look on Colgate’s face said that she meant exactly that.
Twilight’s mouth dropped open. It took a moment before her mind rediscovered how to use it properly. “But that’s impossible! The Order Triune was disbanded almost a thousand years ago! You couldn’t possibly be them.”
Watcher stepped forward and gently shook her head. “Being ordered to disband and actually doing it are two different things. As far as the rest of world knows, the Order disappeared after the Nightmare Wars, but they continued in the utmost secret as we still do.”
“But there hasn’t been any evidence for centuries. Conspiracy theorists have been debunked time after time.” Twilight knew she should be gathering more information, but she was stuck on this one impossible fact. How had any of this gone on without anypony knowing?
Colgate gave a slightly boastful grin. “A number of those conspiracy theorists worked for us. It’s a lot easier to get debunked if you muddy the waters with obvious absurdities. We’ve learned to move with stealth and never leave evidence behind.” The second half of that sentence had an ominous ring to it, one that Twilight did her best to ignore.
“But at the height of its power, the Order Triune had thousands of ponies. It was a force almost as large as the army! How did that many ponies hide? They couldn’t have.” She paused as a light dawned behind her eyes. “But they didn’t, did they? They really did disband and leave the Order behind. Only the truly dedicated, only the zealots remained.”
One of the hooded unicorns snorted angrily. “Don’t call them zealots! They were loyal beyond all others. They held to their vows despite all they had been through. They were sworn to serve and protect Equestria, not the Princess. Not either of them. As are we.”
Twilight studied the bristling pony carefully, intently. As though she were a bug beneath a lens. “And you’re doing a fine job of it. So tell me, brave and noble protectors of Equestria, just how kidnapping me saves the world.” She’d meant it as sarcasm, but the look on Colgate’s face said it otherwise.
“Like I said. You’re in danger. He has risen again, and he has wormed his way to your side and into your heart. We believe he means to corrupt the Elements of Harmony from within before revealing his true power.”
The words sent a chill down Twilight’s spine, but her analytical side, the larger part of her by far, refused to believe it. “Even if the Order Triune survived in secret that doesn’t change the fact that Obsidian the Undying is just a legend. There is no concrete evidence that he ever came back from defeat, much less from the dead.”
The pegasus grunted doubtfully. “So all those black unicorn stallions who claimed the same name and tried to conquer Equestria with flames and demons were all coincidences?”
“Given that they were six different ponies with six different cutie marks? Yes. They all used the same name because they wanted the same thing: power. And names are one of the greatest sources of power. Obsidian was a pony of legend, and he claimed that he could not be killed. What better way to make ponies fear or follow you than to take his name for your own?” Twilight glared at them. Anypony with even the most basic degree in magical study knew that the kind of magic they were talking about was impossible. More than that, she felt like she was missing something. The pounding in her head had lessened, but it was no less distracting than it had been before. There was an important connection that she hadn’t made somewhere. The persistent feeling irritated her almost as much as the Order’s ridiculous claims.
“True, we don’t how or why he has a new body and a new cutie mark every time he returns.” Colgate conceded. “But you’re wrong about the number. He has returned more than a dozen times. It is only through careful vigilance and the tireless work that the Order has caught him so many times before he rose to power.”
“What does that mean? Do you investigate everypony?” Twilight asked, unsure whether or not she wanted the answer to that.
Colgate shook her head. “Not everypony. We just keep tabs on any unicorn stallion who is black or especially skilled in magic. And the most likely mares too; just in case he attempts to trick us that way.” Colgate brightened slightly. “That’s why I’ve been your dentist for years. Of course after you became an Element of Harmony the mission changed from suspicion to protection, but even before that I never thought you were him.”
Twilight was livid, not the least by the revelation that Colgate had been watching her. “So you spy on ponies and act as judge, jury and executioner when they don’t meet your standards?! You don’t even realize how much of a self fulfilling prophecy that is? The Order never did that before they fell.”
“They never did it openly.” Watcher corrected. “We have only seen one return since the Nightmare Wars, and that was almost seven hundred years ago. Even then the Order was stronger than it is now. They did not find him until he was a full grown stallion. Did you ever read about the Gigantic?”
“The largest merchant ship ever built. It sank due to unknown reasons and the hoofful of ponies that actually managed to reach the life boats were all mad from thirst and sunstroke by the time help arrived.” She replied automatically. “But that’s stupid, you can’t be saying−” she began.
“That he was responsible?” One of the hooded unicorns, the same who had bristled earlier, interrupted. “He was. Fifty seven members of the Order got on that boat after we traced him to it. Then the ship sinks mysteriously? Those sailors who survived weren’t driven mad. Everypony only thought that because they blamed demons for the death and destruction, but we believed them.”
Twilight suspected that the survivors’ medical records would tell a different story, but she didn’t have the references to prove it. She also found it hard to deny the existence of demons after seeing one herself. There were other tacks she could try, though. “What about Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked. “Don’t you think she would have noticed if it was the same pony? That, just maybe, she would have said something to that effect?”
Watcher gave a coarse laugh, one deep enough to make Twilight doubt her gender again. “I am sure the Sun Princess knows, but the better question is whether or not she would share that knowledge.” Taking note of Twilight’s expression, she continued. “It would not be the first secret she has kept from the general population. Did you learn about demons and the Astral Plane from a public library or a book from her personal collection?”
For a moment Twilight was confused. “Do you mean the Nevernever? Princess Luna calls it the Outer Realm, but ‘Astral Plane’ is a new one to me.”
Colgate cocked her head sideways. “I’ve also heard it called the Outer Realm, but I’m not familiar with your name for it. Where did you learn it? One of the Princess’s books?”
Twilight shook her head. “Actually I learned about it and demons both from Blackstone.” She paused for a moment in thought. “Sometimes I wonder if Princess Celestia would have even mentioned them if I hadn’t found out on my own.” She stopped, not because she was done speaking, but because her audience was ignoring her. They had gathered into a huddle and were speaking urgently in low voices. Something she just said had evidently upset them.
The nagging feeling at the back of her mind intensified at that, and it reminded Twilight of a colt that wouldn’t stop chanting his mother’s name until he got attention. With a short breath she finally stopped resisting and began to review the previous conversation, trying to pinpoint the problem. Finding it didn’t take long. They claimed that not only had Obsidian returned, but that he was close to her.
A black unicorn stallion that was close to her.
“Dresden.” The name was a whisper on her lips, but Watcher still heard it.
“Who?”
Twilight looked up and her eyes flashed with fear and rage. “You’re talking about Blackstone. You think he’s Obsidian.” The purple unicorn’s tone left no doubt that it hadn’t been a question.
“We don’t think, we know,” said the other unicorn the one who hadn’t spoken until now. “We didn’t want to believe it at first, but after what we’ve seen he couldn’t be anything else.”
“That’s why we’ve had to get you away from him.” Colgate said, stepping in. “He tricked everypony into thinking he’s good, but we know what he really is.”
Twilight’s tongue nearly tripped over itself in her rush to speak. “But he’s not! I know him! He might be a little scary, but he’s not evil. He saved me, Spike, all of my friends and maybe even all of Equestria the last time he was here.” It took surprisingly little convincing to make her jailers listen to her story.
Twilight began from the moment she met Dresden, omitting only the fact that he was human. Hopefully, she could at least keep that a secret, even if convincing them took revealing everything else. The story took longer than she would have expected, but her audience listened attentively the entire time. One of the unicorns even began taking notes. At last she reached the end, abbreviating it to a good-bye at the entrance to the Nevernever rather than at its exit. With a weary, but satisfied, sigh she addressed them. “Now do you understand why he isn’t Obsidian?”
The hooded ponies exchanged glances. Something about their reactions failed to reassure her. It didn’t help that none of them answered her question.
“Do you understand?” Twilight felt herself becoming cross again. Normally she hated to feel this way, but right now it was welcome distraction from the cold fear that had begun to churn in her stomach.
The pegasi cleared his throat. “We understand how it would look that way to you, but …” Twilight’s insides clenched painfully tight at those seemingly innocuous words. “We view it a little … differently.”
“How?!”
The arrogant unicorn, the shorter of the hooded ones, laughed. “You don’t find it even slightly suspicious that this demon shows up at the same time as your friend ‘Blackstone’. Or how intent he was on killing Trixie? She was a loose end, a pawn that turned on him. He gave her the demon, and she helped him get closer to all of you. Did you really believe that he could use a spell even you have never heard of to track down your missing dragon?”
“He saved my life after I took the attack he’d meant for Trixie!”
“Well of course he did.” Watcher replied. “The Princesses would have hunted him without rest if anything had happened to you. Besides, now that he has, both you and they treat him like a hero. It was the only sensible choice at that juncture.”
“Really?” Twilight sneered. “I suppose being hit by the Elements of Harmony and destroying the Nightmare was part of his plan too?”
Here Colgate and a couple of the others seemed doubtful, but the taller of the hooded unicorns nodded. “Why not? It gave you a reason to trust him.”
Twilight cocked one eyebrow and stared at him incredulously. “And you think he could still be evil after feeling the power of Harmony?”
“I don’t think you really understand evil, Twilight.” The hooded unicorn stared at her from the shadows of his cowl and Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine. “Evil isn’t a stain the Elements can wash off somepony’s soul. It isn’t a disease that Harmony can cure. Real evil is a choice. The choice to do that which is wrong even though you know what is right.” His voice turned cold, and even though she didn’t show it, Twilight winced at his words. “And unless you can take away a pony’s ability to choose, you can’t stop them from being evil.”
“He’s not evil!” Twilight shouted. “I told you about the Soul Gaze! Do you really think he could hide something like that from me after I saw so much of him?”
Watcher shook her head. “That is only true if you believe him. There is no such thing as a Soul Gaze, Twilight. The Order Triune has records stretching back for thousands of years and there has never been any magic like that. It is hard to accept, but he tricked you.”
Twilight felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. Acidic bile began to rise at the back of her throat. “Don’t say that. He could never have done something like that.”
Watcher continued, heedless of her words. There was a hidden anger in the earth pony’s voice, directed not at Twilight but at Blackstone. “He is using the power of friendship against you. He is just using you to get what he desires then he will toss you aside. He is just waiting for the right moment and if we let him, he will rain death and destruction upon all of Equestria.” Her voice turned gentle, almost apologetic. “I am truly sorry for what we have put you through, but he must be stopped. No matter what the cost.”
There it was. Somewhere in her mind, in some dark corner, Twilight knew that this was what they had meant. They were convinced they were in right and nothing she could say or do would shift them. Their minds were already closed.
They were going to kill Dresden.
“NO YOU WILL NOT!” Twilight said, her voice so powerful that it was felt rather than heard. It wasn’t a question of volume; it was a matter of presence. The room shook and dust fell from the ceiling. All of the ponies present assumed defensive positions, but none of them looked optimistic about their chances.
Twilight felt her power gather, and was shocked by how much she had. Her magic, normally a placid reservoir, was a raging sea of mana. It was so much wilder and angrier than normal, but then she had a good reason for it. Her confrontation with Trixie was the first time she had ever truly feared for her friends’ lives. Twilight had sworn then and there that nopony would ever threaten them again so long as she drew breath. Lightning crackled along the length of her horn as she prepared to charge.
But before she could cast even a single spell, thunder tore through mind. Pain unlike anything she had ever known ripped through her, and her power winked out like a snuffed candle. Twilight screamed long and loud until it felt like her throat would break. She wished she would black out, the pain was already more than strong enough to have guaranteed that under any other circumstance, but the inhibitor ring kept her conscious. Eventually, though she couldn’t tell whether it was minutes or hours later, the raw agony subsided into a lesser torture and her strained vocal cords finally gave out.
Her legs folded as her tense muscles relaxed and she dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. Her eyes slowly closed, but she remained conscious. Sort of, anyway. Everything was very strange, more like a lucid dream than anything real, but Twilight thought she heard voices speaking. Somepony lifted her gently and laid her on the bed. She tried to open her eyes, but they refused her weak attempts. At least her ears still worked.
“Sweet suffering Celes−” one voice (the pegasus?) began.
“Don’t,” another commanded. The taller unicorn, Twilight thought
A pause.
“Sorry. It’s just…” another pause. “She nearly overloaded the inhibitor ring. I don’t think they were designed with somepony like her in mind.”
“Maybe, but it did its job.” That was Colgate. She almost sounded … regretful? “Almost too well. Will she recover?”
There was another uncomfortable silence.
“The pain is only supposed to last a few seconds, but I have never heard of anypony pouring that much energy into a ring before. Either she forgot she was wearing it, or she was just angry enough not to care.” Watcher, maybe.
“It’s probably the second. She was not happy after she realized what will happen to Blackstone. I hope she didn’t hurt herself.” That time Twilight couldn’t tell whose voice it was.
There was some shuffling and a mutter that Twilight couldn’t make out. Apparently she wasn’t the only pony.
“What was that?”
“I said,” Colgate stated challengingly, “‘and if she did, isn’t that our fault?’ I never thought we’d lock her up and clamp a ring around her horn when I brought her in. She’s the Element of Magic! We should be helping her!”
Twilight’s ears perked up at that statement. The pain had subsided into a persistent, but dull, ache and her mind had finally started to clear. Can’t let them know I’m awake, was the first cognizant thought she had. Her eyes stayed shut and breathing remained as slow and regular as she could manage. Twilight’s burning anger had been quenched by the pain of the ring, though it had left more than a few embers behind. Overreacting and getting hurt wouldn’t help Dresden. No matter how difficult it was she needed to remain calm and think of a way out of this.
The conversation her captors were having right now certainly sounded interesting. Did Colgate actually regret working with these maniacs?
“We are helping her.” The shorter unicorn returned angrily. “Would you rather we chained her beneath a waterfall to stop her from using magic? She’s convinced that Blackstone is her friend, and knowing her, she’d stop at nothing to defend him.”
“And what if she’s right!?” Colgate shouted.
There was nothing but a shocked silence for several seconds. Then Colgate broke it in almost babbling hurry. “It’s just … I’ve met him, he doesn’t act evil. He isn’t normal by any stretch, but I –I’m starting to have doubts.”
There was more silence, this time heavy and judging.
“You’re right, Romana. He doesn’t act evil.” The taller unicorn had started with a gentle voice, but it suddenly became hard and unyielding. “But that’s only an act. He is Obsidian, and we’ve got more than enough proof at this point. Anything that suggests otherwise is just an attempt to confuse us.”
“ But Mark…”
“But nothing. You’re falling for his trap and you can’t even see it. Don’t say anything like that around anypony else. They might not be so understanding.”
Another harsh silence fell until somepony stomped towards the door and slammed it open.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find her a doctor. The Order is more than a gang of thugs, and it’s high time somepony acted like it.” Colgate slammed the door on her way out hard enough to rattle the books in their shelves. Somepony let out a deep sigh as she left.
“Do you think he got to her?” the shorter unicorn asked. The tone of her voice suggested that there were several unpleasant things in Colgate’s future if the answer was yes. Twilight remembered them mentioning being chained beneath a waterfall, and she couldn’t suppress a shudder.
“No.” Watcher said. “She is herself. She is just angry after what happened to Twilight. Still, we should find her before she does or says something she will regret.” There was murmured agreement at that and the group left Twilight’s room. Twilight waited patiently, lying still until she was sure they were gone. Of course, Watcher could still be there and she’d have never known.
The tired scholar bit her lip and tried her hardest to listen. She heard nothing, but that was hardly a guarantee. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Twilight sat up slowly and stretched, faking a large yawn. Her act was wasted since there was nopony in the room, but it was just as well. She wouldn’t have fooled anypony with a routine that forced.
The light made her eyes hurt, but after she blinked away a few tears her vision returned. The room was the same as she had left it. The members of the Order had not brought or taken anything. Her legs were asleep and she nearly collapsed to the floor when she tried to get out of bed. Several seconds of unladylike cursing didn’t help find her balance, but they did make her feel better.
Twilight paced back and forth, trying to restore feeling to her limbs, when she caught her reflection out of the corner of one eye in the small mirror. She wasn’t a vain pony but any means, but she couldn’t resist taking a look at herself. What she saw didn’t please her.
Her face was sallow and drawn. She was feeling mostly okay now, but it was obvious she’d been through an ordeal. Her hair was sticking every which way, but whether that was due to her stress or the shocking power of the inhibitor ring, she couldn’t say. The ring was locked just as tightly around the base of horn, but the strain of reflecting her magic had taken a toll on it.
Veins of silver, and other, odder metals, had risen to the surface of the restraint. Or maybe the stolen power they pulsed with had simply burnt away the insulating alloys around them. The inner workings and construction were exposed now, not terribly different from the ancient ones Twilight had studied.
A new thought sparked behind her eyes, and for the first time since she had awakened, her smile was neither forced nor sarcastic. She rushed to the desk and found that it had plenty of ink, paper and several quills. Good, that was everything she needed. An abacus would have been nice, but she could do without one.
Twilight returned to the mirror, inspecting the delicate tracery of metal inside the ring more carefully. Her face lined in determination, calculations and formulae already darting through her mind like fish in a great school. The Order Triune had underestimated her. Impressive as her magical ability was, that wasn’t why Celestia had accepted her as a personal student. It was Twilight’s mind that set her apart, and that was one thing they couldn’t take away from her.
Her smile widened as she planned her escape. She had seen their best, now it was time to return the favor.
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Hurrah Update!
Edit: Don't give twilight the means to destroy your order for the inside. Note to learn from.
Welp, they done bucked up. Now Twilight knows, and as such, Celestia is likely to find out soon. And messing with Harry's friends has been proven time and time again to be a REALLY bad idea. Sucks to be them.
-obligatory spy movie theme starts up-
Well, at least we know what happened to Twilight. 'Course, Dresden finds out... Well, the Order Triune are probably not on the same level as the Wardens. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully...
Oooooh man that was epic.
Tartaurus hath no fury like a posses off Dresden.
When Dresden gets his tracking spell working... Canterlot is going to be TORN UP!!!
Oh god Harry is going to destroy them... and twenty bucks says that Obsidian is controling the Order
Another excellent chapter.. you are entirely too good at this.
Twilight's little mantra... Was that a reference to Dune's "I will have no fear/fear is the mind-killer" bit? Just curious!
Well... idiocy abounds.
I hope that the order is right about Obsidian returning again, just because I want to see how their minds break when they get proven wrong about Dresden being him. Gotta love those zealous crusaders of justice!
Bloody idiots in tinfoil hats.... Well Twilight, give em hell!
The last time someone messed with Harry's friends, he ended up annihilating Bianca's Velvet Room, charring the corpses beyond recognition and got out alive.
...I'm just imagining Ivy learning of this world. *Grins* Adorkable!
Rather ironically, kidnapping Twilight may be a self-fulfilling prophecy in that it causes Dresden to go ballistic and thus, become Obsidian.
More!
Cheers
GM
1305792 It would be seriously hard for me to imagine them to be. They don't have 100+ years of experience fighting evil daily, Harry'd go through them like. . . well, he's never had that easy of a target.
Who want's to bet against the real Obsidian showing up.
Anybody?
At all?
the order is going to get their flanks handed to them by Harry I can feel it
i think i can see where this is going, but i can't wait. the big confrontation will be entertaining. maybe something along the lines of.
Dresden: "i'm gonna kill you!"
tri-people: "of course you will, because you're evil and that's what you do!"
dresden: "no, because you hurt twilight, you sick bastards! Fulminos!!"
1305821 Only if Twilight doesn't get them first.
I rarely hate ponies, but the order of the tribune is fucking with the two things i love about this fic. The elements, and dresden. They better get bucked up before the end of this.
Congratulations, Order Triune, you just aggroed Twilight. Prepare for thy doom.
The Order is in real trouble. They have no idea what they're facing, or what they've set in motion. We do. Their very messy demise.
If Dresden doesn't get them, Twilight probably will. And I don't think even if Celestia wanted to could she stop what's coming if they're together ... and pissed. Time to bring out a lot of popcorn, Pinkie.
Sigh, I have a hard time reading things like this. I Probably already said but I HATE people/ponies who behave like the Order. My rage makes me unhappy as I read this, but I suppose that is the point.
.1305825 I thought so, too.
Nice little reference, like the Xanth one on the previous story.
Dang, Twilight got power, though I believe Dresden has more. There was one thing about a child born under the right circumstances, and I'm pretty sure it's going to come back up later in the series.
1305792 The Wardens? Maybe. But there's worse than the Wardens. there's the White Council, and the Order doesn't measure up, at least not in magical power. And Harry has no problems using mundane methods, which makes him even more dangerous than Obsidian. Imagine if - somehow - Harry got Michael and Sanya involved.
They're screwed.
1305872
Actually, the last time happened in Changes, I believe. That was messy.
Twilight isn't somepony you should mess with.
1306021 IIRC, the Wardens are merely the "armed arm" of the Council.
1306024 This fits into the book chronology not long after Blood Rites. So comparisons to Changes are... premature.
1305768 Bad idea: Go after Harry. Stupid idea: Threaten the innocent in his presence. Suicide: Go after Harry's friends.
Ah circular logic and self-fulfilling prophecies are a real pain in the ass.
Oh my gosh, an update! Thank you!
... Today kind of sucked.
1306039
You have a point. Chronologically, it was Grave Peril. Most recently written was Changes.
Hmm, an order of hidebound zealots who want to execute Harry on mere suspicion...
I think Harry is going to have to comment on his familiarity with the situation when he finds out just who is after him.
WHELP! The idiot squad dun goofed. They gave Twilight tools, ticked off Dresdin, and now their own members are having doubts! Whats next, Obsidian showing up, getting in Dresdins way, and getting curbstomped? Also, I would have thought an ancient society would at least know just how powerful the Elements are. Geez, underestimation is the name of the game here. . . ~With regards, the Current Student of the Second True Magic.
Damn... This is one of the best versions of "serious Twilight" I've ever read.
missing "of"
Why do I have the feeling that Blackstone being human will change things later on.
I want Obsiden to come back and then harry kicks his ass.
Yeaaaaaah... I just wonder how much wanton destruction Harry's gonna throw at their base before someone tells him to chill for a second and tries diplomacy.
Hmm, I wonder what Watcher's coat color is...
1305821
I wouldn't take that bet. It seems as likely as not.
Actually so far the Order's definition of Obsidian has been "Black", "Unicorn", and "Powerful". It would almost be a pleasant untwist if Celestia and Luna confronted the Order and told them point-blank "No, Blackstone can't be resurrected. Every Unicorn you've ever fought was either an imitator or completely innocent. You were wrong, your ancestors were wrong, and now your all going to rot in prison for nearly killing several innocent ponies instead of consulting me at any point. You. Were. Wrong. Now:"
And so it comes to pass that Twilight shall be the first unicorn to break out of an inhibition ring by analyzing the spell, and crafting a counter-spell, overloading the ring in specific ways designed to destroy the inhibitor spell, leaving a useless metal ring stuck on her forehead.
The potential for trolling once she breaks it is nearly endless, but I think she should take a page from Dresden's book and wait until the last second, and after they've finished justifying themselves/monologue-ing their plans, she teleports out of the room, possibly even to Canterlot/Ponyville.
Also, those of you who think Dresden revealing his human form would vindicate him in the Order's eyes? I suspect that they would jump to the conclusion that he had always been a 'monster', but this was the first time they'd seen it - "this explains so much!" No, it really doesn't, but they would find a way to reconcile his true form with their view of Obsidian.
Look, it's Harry! I miss harry.
Silly order let's do a quick head count real quick on all the people and ponies you have now upset.
We have Twilight and by extension the other Elements.
We have her brother the Captain of the Royal Gaurd.
Speaking of royalty when they hear of this both Luna and Celestia are gonna want to have words.
Order of blah blah blah I don't actually care wishes it to be known that they have a really nifty secret society thing going for them.
I wish to point out that we have an infuriated Harry Dresden. Have fun with that.
1305821 LOL dresden is going to buck their sh... manure(?) up.
Cant wait
Also inb4 Obsidian is The Watcher
Sounds like Twilight's been taking snark lessons from Dresden. Nothing beats insulting the villain to his face! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Twilight_Sparkle_lolface.png
So, the score so far: (I make no claims for accuracy.)
In one corner, one harried, confused, and scared wizard, just trying to get through the day between his wisecrackin' perv skull and the assassination plots
In the next corner, a young, prodigious scholar, captive but ready to get down to the business of derailing a bad-guy plan.
And in the final corner, Equestria's very own Paranoiac League, not realizing just how bad they're in it.
It's gonna be one hell of a party (figuratively speaking), especially if Harry and the other five find out Twilight's missing. You know, if she doesn't end up un-missing before Pinkie's party for Blackstone.
Mm, as long as people are offering their little wagers... 20 bits says neither Twilight nor Harry destroy the Order by force.
Don't get me wrong, either one of them could wind up doing it. Buuuuut... I think there's reason to believe it won't quite happen.
Wow.
Just... Just wow.
Go piss off the guy who duels with demons and vampires and such on a regular basis. THAT'LL work out well for you.
Seriously, these guys... paranoid. Also, can I point something out?
Watcher: "No, really, he comes back from the dead, even though he looks completely different every time!"
Twilight: "That's impossible; there's no magic in existence that can do something like that!"
Watcher: "No, it's true! Really! He comes back from the dead!"
----------
Twilight: "I saw his soul through the soul gaze, that's how I know he's not evil."
Watcher: "That's impossible; there's no magic in existence that can do something like that!"
Twilight: "No, it's true! Really! I saw his soul!"
So not only idiots, but hypocrites too. Or do they believe they know everything there is to know about magic and that there's nothing else that they could possibly not know about? Do they really have that much of a superiority complex?
Haha, oh confirmation bias... you so silly!
Good god I love this story. More so for being one of the rare few to portray Twilight as the BAMF I know she is.
I think you did a very good job with Twilight handling her captivity in this chapter. Also, wow. Twilight is a fucking badass.
I'm excited to read more!
If the Order doesn't receive a major Whupping from the Harry Dresden Book of Revenge, I'll be majorly disappointed.
Oh and these Guy's kidnapped the element of magic and PERSONAL STUDENT of Princess Celestia and think nothing will happen. I think the moon is gonna be no vacancy after all's said and done.
Stupid, Stupid, Order
.
Oh and a very nice reference to the Bene Gesserit's Litany against fear.
To quote Harry from Changes: "II burn things to ash and smash holes in buildings when I'm angry. I'm a couple of steps beyond that point right now." I mean, these Order thugs aren't the crispest crackers by a long shot. Let's just take the facts that are known to them: first, they've got a scarily-powerful black unicorn wandering around who, without even trying, blew up a cart that had the temerity to look like it was about to hurt a few little fillies and at least ostensibly regards Twilight as a friend. Second, they've got a scarily-powerful lavender unicorn in a jail cell whose teetering on the edge of being able to blow a magical inhibitor device up wielding incisive intelligence that overshadows her magical prowess by a lot. Third, said unicorn is regarded as the next best thing to a daughter by the alicorn who regards moving the sun as a totally ordinary daily chore. Fourth, said unicorn is the closest thing to a friend to an alicorn who regards moving the moon as a totally ordinary nightly chore and was lately Nightmare Moon. Fifth, said unicorn is wholly linked to one of six Elements of Harmony and the other five are both extremely fond of her and represent some of the greatest concentration of various talent in the whole of Equestria.
So, yeah, the Order has every reason to realize how totally bucked they are. If they weren't Darwin Award level stupid. To paraphrase Dresden from Changes, "Taking my [friend] isn't impersonal. It's a Kevorkianesque cry for help."
I would love to read more of this. Please do it. Also Harry himself could take on the top 3 people of the order himself. Then when he beats them he could probably be able to take out all the others. And finally if twilight gets involved then all best are off on how this turns out