Dumbledore stepped out of the floo into a very nice sitting-room. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting,” he said as he wanded the ashes away while examining the room. It was a casual room that would have been fitting for any middle-class wizard family.
“Not at all,” replied Twilight. “I’ve only been here a few minutes, myself,” she said, having stepped back to allow him entry, “We don’t want to waste time, so let’s head on over to the portal.”
The Scottish highlands had already been dark when he left. But here in the flatlands, the sun had just started to disappear over the horizon, he saw, as she led him out of the house.
As he had anticipated from his last visit to Little Whinging, there was a street with its periodic lights. But the rest of the development was gone. The Equestrians had completely changed everything, removing well over three-quarters of the houses. The house they had exited fronted on a large, unfenced park that separated them from the building in front of them.
The muggle pictures he had seen of the Embassy didn’t do justice to it.
He suppressed his surprise and just followed the witch through the park and a side door into a wing of the enormous building. The security wizard nodded to him, but raised no objections beyond a cursory examination. The area nestled between the building’s wings was much larger than he had thought. Based simply on that, he reasoned that this building easily rivalled Hogwarts in area, if not height. The dome over the portal area he had seen in photographs, but seeing it in real life made it much more imposing, especially at night.
The huge rotating door was an interesting idea, security wise. No one could sneak past without being detected. He noticed the runes on the lower edges of the dome, and its door, that no doubt searched for magical artefacts and their contents. And felt the presence of non-appartition and anti-portkey fields settle over him.
Of course, the Equestrians would know how to block both apparition, teleportation, and portkeys.
Once more, they were waved through the security.
The spiral deck around the tree was an unusual tactic. What he found especially interesting were the changing rooms. It was in good humour that he changed to the robe. And tucked his wand into its holster on his wrist.
Twilight looked back at him. “Remember, on the other side you’ll be a unicorn.”
He nodded in acknowledgement. He really expected, though, that he would turn into his animagus form. If, that is, his theory was correct that the pony forms were merely the animagus forms of the Equestrian wizards.
Walking through the portal was as odd as the vanishing cabinets he had once used, many decades ago. He continued walking for a few more steps, as a quadruped, before stopping.
However, finding that when he attempted to return to his human form, he couldn’t do so, left him speechless.
“Oh, good,” Twilight said, pleased. “You’re familiar with quadrupedalism!” She smiled at him.
He studied his new form carefully. He noticed that, while he still had his beard, also still white, he was actually a tiny bit shorter than Princess Twilight. It was a very unusual perspective for him. He normally was taller than all but the tallest of wizards and witches. His coat was grey. His mane, and tail when he looked, were a lighter grey, almost white.
And his magic felt odd. After a moment’s reflection he understood. He no longer needed his wand to cast magic. He could feel it coiling at the base of the horn on his head. With just a thought, he lifted the package with his robes from the pocket.
“Fascinating,” he said floating the package before his eyes.
“We should hurry,” said Twilight, already removing the robe he was wearing and taking his package.
An auror stepped up to them. “Princess Twilight?” he said.
She sighed. “I’m sorry Albus, but he’s going to cast a quick verification spell at us. Just relax.”
“Hmm?” he said, looking around. That was when he noticed that everyone around him was a pony. There had to be at least a dozen ponies watching from various locations around the portal. A slight movement at the top of his vision brought his eyes up to see four walled platforms arranged on the inside of the dome with both a unicorn and a pegasus looking down from each.
And each one was a different set of colours between coat and manes.
He was completely flummoxed at what he was seeing. He had seen that the First Years were all different, except for the Weasleys all having the same mane and tail colours, but he hadn’t realized just how much variation there was on this side of the portal. It was, like the muggles would say, like seeing the aftermath of an explosion in a paint factory.
He followed Twilight carefully, looking around alertly. And she explained as they walked that ponies didn’t have an animagus form, so neither did he, here. He was, for all intents and purposes, going to be a unicorn during his entire visit.
He was beginning to suspect that everything he had thought he knew about the Equestrians and where they came from was very, very wrong. He decided to just accept what he saw and worry about his erroneous conclusions later. There would be plenty of time later to review his memories.
This was a massive construction, much more so than the other side. The dome here had to be at least a yard thick, he saw, as they transited through the rotating door. And each wing of the rotating door was equally thick. The security check was more thorough, as well. He had to remove and let them inspect his wand and its holster, and the package he had brought with him. They explored every pocket.
It was all very fast, and he realized that they had had a lot of practice because of the staff and personnel from the Embassy passing through daily.
The changeling coming through must have shaken them more than Twilight had indicated. It would take a very determined and sneaky wizard or witch to make it through what he saw. If they could even manage it.
The walls he could now see were easily as high as the tallest spire at Hogwarts. And would have enclosed not only Hogwarts but reached to the edges of the Forbidden Forest on the far side of the Quidditch pitch and to the Mermaid Village in the lake.
The security check at the massive wall outside the dome was equally thorough. And it was only as they passed through the wall that he realized it was as thick as an average muggle house. The aurors watched in all directions. It made him wonder what they were keeping out. Or was it keeping in?
He was glad he had a four-legged form as an animagus, otherwise he would have had great difficulty managing the quick pace she set once they left the portal area behind them. On the other hand, he could now see that the high walls around the portal weren’t merely around it. They extended for a considerable distance beyond it and paralleled the path they were trotting down. And that the walkway was bordered with a park-like setting on either side of them. The occasional movement he saw let him know that even here they had a strong auror presence, although much more hidden.
He noted the buildings on either side just before they reached the Portal Building. The signs adorning them clearly marked a hotel, administration building, three auror complexes, and an area set aside for drilling. Just from the ponies he could see, who all appeared to be wearing gold armour, he estimated that this one location had more aurors than the Ministry did.
He knew gold had magical resistance, but to include such quantities in mere armour indicated a supply that went well beyond anything the Ministry could muster. And that it was plentiful enough to use it in that manner, as well as for money.
The Portal Building was the final check. Once they were through that, Twilight said, “Let me teleport you to Rarity’s. She can fashion some brilliant clothes for you for the ball.”
Seconds later they were walking into a most charming-looking building. Rarity, he saw, had been waiting for them. This time she wasn’t carrying a sword.
He took his package from Twilight, and showed her the robes he had been intending to wear. And with a stunning display of magic, she quickly fashioned a set that would easily rival them and yet fit him perfectly.
While he was being fitted, Twilight went into the back, and, a moment later, came out with a tea set floating in her wake.
“Can you tell me a bit about this Ball,” he asked Twilight as the sound of scissors and a sewing machine filled the background. And watching the pony manipulate so many items at one time was amazing.
“It’s in honour of someone on the other side of the portal. He’s been made an Honorary Knight of the Realm for his assistance in setting up the Embassy.”
Dumbledore felt his eyebrows go up a bit.
“We’d been stymied with our efforts back in August to get the attention of the muggle government when he appeared. He managed to get us to their Prime Minister in only a couple of days! And he has been indispensable since then.”
She smiled at him over her cup. “You’ll meet him at the ball, I’m sure. He, his wife, and his daughter are all three what you call Squibs. They have magic but not enough to be accepted by your school.” She looked at him slyly. “Unlike you and the other wizards and witches, the Searles, that’s their last name, of course, they are all pegasi.”
She sighed and frowned. “The Weasleys don’t follow the rule of magical ability through the portal, unfortunately. It’s Discord’s fault. He did something to them, so now their form on this side of the portal is the same as their animagus form on the other. It’s rather confusing when you have to deal with exceptions to scientific rules.” She sighed, then shook her head.
She looked at him inquisitively. “Do you have an animagus form? What is it?” Her interest began to develop with her questions. “Is it four-legged? Is that why you are familiar with quadrupedalism? How long did it take you to learn to do it? How old were you when you did it? Why don’t more wizards and witches find theirs?”
Rarity interrupted without looking up from her sewing work, “Twilight!” she said sharply.
Twilight stopped with her mouth open, then sheepishly rubbed a hoof on the back of her neck. “Uh, sorry,” she said.
He smiled back at her and finished his tea. “Yes, I have an animagus form. It’s a Nigerian Dwarf goat. It took me almost a full year, but then again I am gifted at Transfiguration. I was eighteen. And most don’t think it’s worth the trouble.”
“A Nigerian Dwarf goat. Huh. I wasn’t expecting that.” She sat silent a moment, thinking.
“Tada!” cried Rarity. She brandished a brilliant purple cloak with stars and moons on it with wide brown trimmings, at least as wide as his hoof, which held intricate designs in gold, red, green, and blue. The hat that accompanied the cloak was the standard wizard’s hat, but with the same intricate symbols on its brim and in a hoof-wide band at the base.
She explained, “I had already decided that I should keep your basic design, but with these as a sample,” She held up his dress robes, “I can do even better. Everyone will love your robes at the ball!”
When Albus looked closer he realized that the designs on the band of trim were actually the Hogwarts Houses’ symbols and colours in a repeating pattern.
He noticed the stars and moons were moving, just as they had on his dress robes.
She had managed all that in just the time he had been here? And without a wand? He shook his head in disbelief and admiration. Then he remembered that she did have a wand, just one that was attached to her head. Still, it was a delightful accomplishment in such little time, and it hadn’t been conjured. Wasn’t magic wonderful!
She swung the cloak over him, arranged it to her satisfaction, and then brought a mirror over. He looked magnificent! He couldn’t help but stroke his beard and admire his look. He wondered if that Sunburst fellow would be at the ball. And how this ensemble would look on his animagus form back home.
“It is superb!” he said aloud. “I applaud your speed and skill. No seamstress I know would ever have been able to do this so quickly and elegantly, and with such marvellous results!”
Rarity blushed. “I am the best fashionista in all of Equestria!” she said demurely.
“If this is a sample of your work, I would certainly expect that to be true.”
Blushing, she gathered her own gown and they set out for Twilight’s Castle. While not as big as Hogwarts, it certainly put to shame any of the pure-blood manors he had seen. Even in the night, it sparkled and glittered. That it was made entirely of crystal left him gobsmacked. The magical potential of such a thing was incalculable.
It took only a moment after he followed Twilight into the sitting-room before Percy Weasley said “Headmaster!” To say his students were amazed to see him was an understatement.
“Good evening,” He smiled at their reactions. “While Princess Twilight was visiting me earlier today, she invited me to the Ball this evening. I thought it would be interesting to see Equestria for myself. So,” he sat and spread his forelegs, “here I am.”
Twilight cleared her throat behind him. “I’ll leave you here while Rarity and I get dressed. The others should be down shortly.” Rarity had already headed for her room at the castle.
“You look splendid, Headmaster!” Percy said, smiling ingratiatingly.
Albus couldn’t help but look a little smug. “Yes, I think this cloak is perfect. Miss Rarity just made it for me when I arrived only half-an-hour ago! She is extremely talented.”
He stood quietly as they admired her work. He looked over to Sweetie Belle. “She’s your sister, correct?”
She nodded and went back to her conversation with Apple Bloom.
“Tell me, have you enjoyed your holiday?” he asked in general.
They eagerly started telling him of their adventures since they had arrived. Gradually, the others came down from their rooms until Twilight sent Harry to fetch the twins. He was inclined to take some of their commentary as exaggerations. But looking around the castle and remembering the fortress around the portal made him hesitate to so cavalierly dismiss them.
The adult ponies he easily was able to identify by the candy colours of their coats, manes, and tails. They were the same as when he had met them when they were dealing with the basilisk. He hadn’t been sure if their colours were only when they were animagi, and not their true forms. It was interesting to note that while their coat colours did not match their wizard and witch forms, their mane and tail colours matched their hair.
Having Rainbow Dash darting around the room almost at the ceiling as Scootaloo admiringly followed her gave him another clue as to why Scootaloo loved to fly.
Their arrival, via floo, in the reception room at Canterlot Castle was quiet, except Harry slid across the slick floor as he exited. He didn’t quite exit like a cannon ball, more like a football. Watching him trying to brake before he hit any pony, or furniture, was very amusing to the headmaster. He had to wonder if their version of the floo-network was the same as England’s. If it was English, they must have import the floo-powder by the ton.
That they used a hoof-pedal to dispense exactly the right amount of floo-powder was an interesting innovation, and prevented waste. And was simple enough that a child could operate it. And it had a lock to prevent childish mischief or accidents.
As soon as they had all gathered themselves together, Albus removed the floo-ashes. The auror ponies in the room took careful notice of what he cast. And cast the verification spell at each member who had come through the floo.
Maybe the Changelings were a bigger threat than he had thought?
Twilight then led them to the main ballroom. Being part of a Royal party, she took them through a special entrance, and bypassed the long line of ponies waiting in the corridor to enter.
Dumbledore had been to parties, both Ministry and not, but this ballroom put all the other locations to shame. The room glittered with gold embellishments and gems everywhere he looked. He checked the floor to see if it was anything more than the wood or stone he expected. The floor was marble, with gold inlays and an occasional gem. There had to be some sort of sticking charm on it, as he would have expected the floor to be too slippery for hooved animals to maintain their footing . . . hoofing.
The room was huge, easily double the length of a quidditch pitch for floor area. It was nearly as high as the goals on one — at least fifteen yards! There were two floors of balconies above the tables and chairs that lined the walls. The balcony railings were just high enough to prevent accidents, but low enough for pegasi to step up on to and fly across the room or down.
And fly they did. The orchestra was already playing, and a few were performing what could only be called aerial ballets.
Other ponies were already dancing in the middle. Astonishingly, they were split between couples or groups who danced upright on their rear legs and those that danced on all fours. He would have stopped to watch, but Princess Twilight didn’t.
The two princesses were standing to one side of the entrance and welcoming the guests. Beside Princess Luna, who really towered over him as a pony instead of being only a few feet taller, was another, a beautiful white alicorn, who towered over her. That had to be Princess Celestia, he guessed. Wearing a crown to match her sister made it rather obvious. That and the fact that theirs were the only manes and tails that drifted above and around them as if alive. And the colours were the embodiments of the night and day skies.
Beside them both were six other ponies — a pink alicorn, who also wore a crown, and five others. The first two, unicorns, looked comfortable and were exceedingly polite to their guests — and bored to Albus’ experienced Ministry Ball eyes. The three pegasi, beside the first two Princesses and before the pink alicorn, had the manner of mice in a snakes’ nest. Outsiders of low status, he would guess. Possibly one of them was the guest of honour?
Twilight led them over to join the welcoming line.
Albus was rather puzzled by this. He would have thought she’d go there herself and leave the rest to find their table.
“Sorry I’m late,” she whispered contritely as the adult ponies of their group lined up beside the last stallion in the receiving line, a white unicorn with two four-pointed stars on his flank — a gold one over a blue one, canted to make eight points.
The stallion gave her a quick disapproving glance. “The Princesses decided to open the doors early,” he whispered back. “Royalty should always be ready on time!” he reproved her. And managed to do it snootily, too, making it seem as if she were negligent in not being here much earlier. Rather impressive, Albus thought.
And it made him wonder why the unicorn thought he could reprimand the alicorn, given that her status was well above his. Was he related to the Royal family? If so, why wasn’t he an alicorn? Or could only mares be alicorns?
Princess Celestia looked over at her, and the group following her, and said, “And who is this fine stallion in the gorgeous blue cloak, Twilight?” She smiled at Albus, then glanced at Princess Luna. She smirked. “Is this your latest beau?”
The ponies in the line stopped and stared. As did every pony who had heard her.
Princess Twilight’s eyes shot wide open. She shrank back, startled, and glanced between Albus and Princess Celestia. “I . . . you . . . he’s . . . WHAT?!” she sputtered in a panic. She blushed a brilliant pink. An incredible accomplishment because even her fur turned pink!
Princess Luna had a smirk, as did the bigger alicorn. The three ponies between the alicorns were clearly clueless. But, by their expressions, they were relieved the attention was off of them, even if just for a moment. Both white unicorns rolled their eyes. The purple alicorn’s friends all burst out laughing.
Albus tried to keep his expression bland. Decades of politics helped. He merely projected an air of polite inquiry.
To Albus’ surprise, it was Harry who spoke up.
He sighed, and said. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Prince Shining Armour, Prince Blueblood, . . . ,”
The boy had skipped over the three nervous ponies, telling Albus that he didn’t know them. Thus, he was correct in his judgement that the three were guests being honoured and introduced to the kingdom’s elite. They had to be the muggles mentioned by Princess Twilight.
“. . . this is the Headmaster of my school on the other side of the portal, Hogwarts, Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Headmaster Dumbledore,” and he proceeded to introduce the others to him. This gave the older wizard the opportunity to reaffirm who the individuals were in his mind. He nodded to each as Harry said their names.
“It is a pleasure and honour to meet you,” he said, as he awkwardly bowed when Harry finished.
“And he’s NOT dating my mum,” Harry added, making Princess Twilight’s fading blush return to nearly full strength. And the snickers and smirks to return to her friends, as well.
Several of the ponies in the line looked disappointed. He noticed that most of those in the line were unicorns. There were pegasi and earth ponies, but they seemed distinctly in the minority.
Princess Luna added, “And this is the newly christened Knight of the Realm Castor Searle, his wife, Milada Sarood, and his daughter, Thalia.” The three acknowledged his nod with ones of their own as they were named. She smiled at him, “I believe you would say they were squibs.”
Castor must be the one Princess Twilight had mentioned. Albus would need to talk with the man at some point tonight. The squib must be rather high in the muggle government to have been responsible for that Embassy he had seen. And for the two sister Princesses to bestow a Knighthood on him, even if it was honorary.
He also wanted to determine just how much the man knew of the wizarding world, and whom he had told. He needed to know just how much of the muggle government was aware of the wizarding world. He had thought it was only the Prime Minister, but this event meant that there had to be far more people involved. Had the English muggles noticed the true reason behind the “accidents” from the wizarding civil war?
Once things settled down, the welcome line rearranged itself. Albus took notice of the new order very carefully. Princess Celestia and Luna were first. Then came the Searles, which told Dumbledore that a political statement of some kind was being made, whether to the Equestrian society or the muggles, he wasn’t sure. Possibly both.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was next with Prince Shining Armour beside her. Albus assumed Prince Shining Armour must be her husband. Next came Princess Twilight with Harry, then Prince Blueblood. Then the rest of Princess Twilight’s friends lined up, with the fillies beside their sisters. Princess Twilight indicated that he came next and then the Weasleys and Myrtle.
He wasn’t sure why he and the Weasleys were included, but he quickly learned that Twilight’s friends were all considered nobles of the realm and everyone addressed them “Lady.” Oh, dear. He hadn’t realized their importance. They acted nothing like the snooty influential pure-bloods he knew.
Harry did indeed hobnob with the important ponies in Equestria. He probably had as much political pull here as Albus did in the Ministry. Getting the boy to stay in the wizarding world would be a challenge if he wanted to leave.
The line was a rather unusual arrangement, he thought. He would have expected that the Princesses would be seated at the head of the room. But, perhaps, this was custom for them.
The line of ponies had once more resumed moving when he noticed a most unusual creature abruptly appear standing beside Princess Celestia, shaking her hoof in his hands. “So good of you to invite me!” it said. It towered over her, nearly twice as tall. In fact, if it had stood completely upright, it would have been twice as tall.
The creature bore a resemblance to a Chinese dragon, but had a horse-like head, with a deer antler on the right, a blue goat horn on the left, one long fang, different-sized pupils, a snake tongue, a goat beard, and white bushy eyebrows. It had the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. In addition, it had a bat’s right wing, a bird’s left wing, a horse’s mane, and a dragon-like snake’s tail with a white tail tuft.
Fluttershy noticed where Albus was looking and exclaimed, “Discord!” She happily ran up to the creature with a pleased grin. It was the most energetic action he had seen from her.
This was the wizard Discord!? He stared at the thing in shock.
۸-~-۸