//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: Tales of a Wizard: Flesh Masks // by Applechip //------------------------------// “I hate this,” I muttered aloud. “I hate everything about this.” “Oh would you just shush,” Rarity snapped at me. The piece of dark fabric she was levitating floated over to my chest and folded into the base of a suit jacket. “Harry, just relax a bit,” Twilight chastised me from her plush red cushion she had dragged into Rarity’s room. “It’s a royal party, you’re supposed to smile and act like a gentlecolt.” I was feeling a bit more confrontational than usual and decided to make that fact be known. “Why is this even necessary?” I retorted, knowing full well what the answer would be. “I could be doing so many more productive things right now.” Twilight sighed heavily. “The citizens of Canterlot are terrified Harry, and Princess Luna’s doing what she can to keep them calm,” she recited with an exasperated tone that suggested she’d repeated herself several times before. “And we are going to help her however we can.” “But why do I have to be there?” I asked stubbornly. “Well darling, you are the commander of the signature vampire hunting battalion,” Rarity offered. “Even if most ponies don’t know the exact details behind everything that’s going on, having you being seen in a casual setting will put their minds at ease.” “Besides, this is getting you out of that party with Pinkie,” Twilight whispered as she got up from her seat and sauntered over to me. “And Princess Celestia has over a hundred other ponies digging through Canterlot’s records. They can manage without the two of us for an evening.” She finished with a nuzzle underneath my chin. That managed to crack my sour mood and get me to smile a bit. I was about to speak when Rarity interrupted my train of thought by busily pushing Twilight away and added more cloth to my swiftly growing suit. “There will be time for that later Twilight,” Rarity scolded. “I need to get Dresden’s suit ready or we’re going to be late!” I frowned at the intrusion and thought back to how I came to play model for the fashion mare. After our breakfast, and my doomed attempt to keep a secret from several perceptive friends, Twilight and I retired back to my room. We both got comfortable sharing Twilight’s large cushion and occasionally thought about doing the research we were supposed to be doing. A couple hours later Rarity had burst through my unlocked door, splintering the wood around the handle in the process. Baggy eyed and practically foaming at the mouth, she screamed something about ‘being robbed of the chance to play matchmaker’ and then insisted that she be allowed to make a suit and dress set for Twilight and I to wear to Luna’s shindig. Considering that she could turn invisible, had a talent for waving around sharp implements, and could force seizure inducing illusions on her victims, I felt it would be rude to deny her. “I can probably already guess the answer, but how exactly did you find out about us?” I asked the fashionista. “Pinkie,” she answered simply. I sighed and rolled my eyes, “Yeah that sounds about right.” Rarity looked up from her work to flash me a devilish grin and side stepped a little so that she formed a triangle with Twilight and I as the other two points. “But since you’ve brought it up, I think the suit can wait a second, I simply have to know.” Rarity smiled even wider and glanced between us. “Sooo, have you two…?” She left the question hanging open as she made suggestive gestures between us with a hoof and quirked her eyebrows. It’s probably a testament to how long it’s been since I’ve been that close to anyone, that it honestly took me several confused seconds for her meaning to sink in. Across the room Twilight had practically frozen in place on her cushion and I could see a slight blush creep over her face. “What are you…? No! We didn’t… Why would you think that!?” I stammered, a certain amount of heat creeping over my own face. Rarity began chuckling under her breath, “Well, over the last few days the two of you have rarely come out of your room, and now I’m hearing that you’re together. What am I supposed to think?” “That we were researching! In case you’ve forgotten we have several hundred years worth of history to go through.” I shot back. Across the room Twilight’s face was now a bright crimson. “Hells bells, it hasn’t even been a full day yet! And how is that any of your business?” Rarity clearly loved seeing me fumble around, uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. I dimly had to wonder if she was getting revenge for my rudeness the day we went shopping in Canterlot. If that was the case, then that mare could hold a decent grudge. Another piece of dark cloth floated over and around my back. “I am a socialite, Dresden. I make it a point to know the goings on about the ponies around me, especially among my friends.” “Fine, but keep on topic please.” I cast around for anything to change subject of the conversation. “Hey, you helped organize this thing tonight right? What should we be expecting exactly?” “Oh, you’re no fun.” Rarity and her needles quickly went back to work stitching together the different pieces of fabric into intricate patterns. “It’s going to be a fairly simple event. To my knowledge anypony in Canterlot can attend so they can try to get information from whoever they can catch.” “I don’t think we’ll actually be obliged to speak to anypony if we don’t want to,” Twilight offered, her voice cracking slightly. “But Princess Luna wants us to at least be there.” “So wait a minute.” I glanced down at the cloth over my chest, “If it’s not a private event, then why are you dressing us up like it’s a royal wedding or something?” Rarity actually stood up straight and looked at me as though I had slapped her. “Mr. Dresden, this may not be the Grand Galloping Gala, but it is still a royal party and you will dress as such!” Her voice softened somewhat as she looked back at Twilight. “Besides, I’d rather go another round with the Red King himself before I let Twilight go on her first official date with her special somepony as anything less than fabulous.” I just wanted an easy quiet night. Why can’t my life ever be easy? The clothing in question really was quite elegant. Twilight’s dress was already done and she was ready to go. Her dress was a fairly simple one, but no less stunning because of it. It was primarily made of a purple fabric, a couple shades darker than that of her mane. She wore a long dress that started at the back of her neck and ran down the length of her body to drape over her tail and hind legs. The fabric was a kind of shimmering silk that clung to the curves of her body. The collar curved around her neck to taper to a v-point just below her throat. The underside of the dress offered two long sleeves for Twilight’s forelegs and curved to cover her chest and belly that ended in an extended skirt. Rarity had also used a white thread to trace small images of stars similar to her cutie mark at strategic places across the dress. In short, I was having a hard time not staring. The coat Rarity was making for me was similar in several ways to Twilight’s dress. The fabric she used was the same slightly shining material that Twilight’s was made of, but was colored jet black like my mane. The suit coat resembled a fairly standard tux around my chest. Two sleeves extended down the length of my forelegs and the back of the coat ended just above my flanks, leaving my pentacle cutie mark visible. The same thread that outlined stars on Twilight’s dress was also used to outline smaller pentacles at certain points across the coat. I wasn’t ever really one for fancy clothes. My general policy has always been: so long as it’s comfortable it’s good. Though I had to admit, there was a certain amount of pleasure at getting to be fancy for a change. “And there we go!” Rarity cried with one final flourish of her needle and thread. She took a quick step back to admire her work, “Not bad, if I do say so myself. I think you may make more than a few mares jealous tonight, Twilight.” Twilight got up her cushion, making careful movements with her dress, and moved closer to inspect me. Her eyes lit up as she looked me over, “Oh Harry, you look amazing! Rarity, this is some of your best work.” Wait, am I some kind of trophy now? Do I look good? What is the Equestrian standard for male appeal? Do I really care? “Thank you Twilight, I do pride myself on my work,” Rarity crooned and moved towards a nearby wardrobe. “Alright, you two go ahead and head down to the main entry hall. I’ll get down there as soon as I get dressed.” Those words only barely registered with Twilight. “Yeah, you do that,” Twilight muttered absentmindedly. Rarity had evidently vanished from Twilight’s mental radar as the purple unicorn took my hoof in hers and led me from Rarity’s room. I sighed and silently followed Twilight out of the room towards the party Luna and Rarity had thrown together. I swear, one of these days I am going to have to find someone to explain to me how a woman’s mind works. Twilight and I left Rarity to her devices and walked down the hallway together. As we reached the staircase leading down to the ground level of the barracks my brain finally got the restart it needed. I shook my head slightly and tried not to gape at Twilight and her dress, “You know there’s something that’s still kind of bugging me.” Twilight shot me a quick glance as we went down the stairs. “I mean Canterlot gets invaded and almost overrun, and Luna’s response to this is to throw a party? I guess I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around that.” Twilight smiled at me and chuckled a little, “I thought Pinkie would’ve taught you more about ponies than that. No matter the situation, ponies love to unwind with parties.” Twilight shrugged a bit, “I personally prefer smaller parties with my friends, but I still enjoy the occasional get-together. Heck, this isn’t even the first time Canterlot’s been invaded.” I glanced at Twilight in bewilderment until I dimly remembered her mentioning that little tidbit back in Sugarcube Corner. “The last time, a force of changelings attacked and nearly took over Canterlot during the middle of my brother’s wedding. We managed to push back the changelings with a bit of luck, and then we finished the wedding that same night.” We passed by several guards, and as we did so a few of them paused in their movements to glance back at us. I took a certain amount pride in that fact. “It sounds like you don’t need any help from me to lead an interesting life,” I commented with a slight chuckle. Twilight edged a little closer as we left exited the barrack’s front doors. “Yeah, but with you I know I’ll never get bored.” “I suppose not.” We grew silent and simply enjoyed the leisurely stroll towards the castle’s main hall. After a short minute or so walk through the castle’s stone interior, we approached one of the doors that separated the main hall from the outer wings. I edged toward the door first and held it open for Twilight like a proper gentlecolt, and after receiving a short nod in thanks, I followed her into the hall. I was a little blown away by what I saw. The entry hall had been almost completely redone. Brightly colored banners and streamers covered the vast majority of the room, and a long red carpet ran from the main castle doors to the end connecting to the throne room. A large table laden with a wide variety of foods and drinks lined the entirety of one wall. There was even a little raised stage set up in the corner where a small orchestra had set up and filled the room with pleasant background music. On top of all that, the entire hall was filled with Canterlot’s citizens. Ponies of every shape, size, and color stood around the room and conversed with each other. Contrary to what you’d expect from the room’s population, it was not to loud. Most of the ponies were talking in semi-hushed whispers were glancing at each other nervously. The volume level was definitely above average, but I could still clearly hear those near me without them needing to raise their voices too much. The anxiety probably wasn’t helped by the substantial presence of the equestrian military on guard duty over the event. Several armored ponies carrying or levitating spears could be seen on the outskirts of the crowd, and several crossbow armed pegasi were either floating around or perched at convenient overlooks. Personally I felt a little comforted by the knowledge that if anything wished me bodily harm, they’d have to get past a couple dozen pointy spears and bolts first. “Hells bells, a bit of a turn out huh?” I looked over the heads of the crowded ponies towards the end of the entry hall nearest the throne room. As expected I spotted Luna standing and surveying the gathered ponies, but her sister wasn’t with her. I looked over the rest of the room and still couldn’t find any trace of the gargantuan alabaster alicorn. “Hey Twilight, where’s Celestia? Shouldn’t she be here as well?” Twilight frowned and turned her gaze over the gathered ponies as well. “That’s… strange,” she muttered under her breath, a slight crease forming between her eyebrows. “She must be busy dealing with some military business. I suppose this is Princess Luna’s party after all.” She relaxed a bit and looked back around at said party, “Speaking of which, Rarity and Luna really went all out. Just look at these decorations!” “I see them Twilight,” I agreed absentmindedly as I followed the purple unicorn towards the buffet table. “Woah, look at all of this food.” Twilight’s mouth visibly watered as she looked over the table. “I’ll bet that Pinkie made most of this.” I sighed and pushed my way through two large earth ponies until I drew even with her. The table in question held a decent amount of the usual hay and things, but there was also a generous assortment of pastries with large amounts of pink frosting. “Yeah, that’d probably be a safe bet.” Twilight ignored most of the food and moved towards the end of the table, “Oh, they even set up a coffee maker at the end here. It’s been a good while since I’ve seen one of those.” That perked up my ears. “Wait, coffee? Did you say coffee?” I found Twilight and followed her gaze to the end of the table, where there was a rudimentary coffee maker set up and several empty mugs surrounding it. I had never really considered myself addicted to the caffeine coffee had provided, but during my long nights in Chicago I had often needed it to keep myself alert and going on whatever I was supposed to be focusing on. Now that I was seeing the caffeinated goodness for the first time in about three weeks, I had to rethink my assertions that I wasn’t addicted to it. I went from one end of the table to the other so fast, that I’m not entirely sure I didn’t just teleport. With a combination of telekinesis and greedy hooves, I grabbed the pot and poured myself a steaming mug of black coffee. I resisted the urge to simply dunk my face into the beverage and instead forced myself to sip at the drink. It was at the perfect temperature and I nearly moaned in delight as the caffeine slowly worked its way into my system. I don’t care about the arguments some bring up that coffee is bad for your heart and all that garbage. As any college student will tell you: coffee makes good things better and makes bad things tolerable. Not that I went to college mind you. “Oh, you glorious beauty of a drink,” I sat back on my haunches and damn near cradled the mug as though it were my child, “Where have you been all my life?” “Hey!” Twilight cried indignantly. I took another long draw from my mug before I responded. “Shush Twilight, I’m having a moment.” Beside me, Twilight groaned in exasperation, “Great, now I’m competing against a drink.” I laughed and flashed a quick grin, “Don’t sell yourself short, this coffee isn’t anywhere near as interesting as you are.” She smiled and nuzzled against me a little. “Plus it can’t teleport,” I added. Twilight pushed away and shot me an evil look, which was only ruined a little by the tiny smile at the edge of her lips, “Well if that’s all it takes, remind me to never to leave you alone with Celestia.” I refilled my mug and took another long swig. I could feel the beginnings of a pleasant caffeine buzz forming in the back of my head. “I’d rather not risk being attached to a lesser deity, thank you.” I gave her a little grin, “One wrong move and I could find myself on a one-way trip to the heart of the Sun. I think I’m better off with you.” As soon as I said that I felt a slight prod against my back. I turned around and was faced with a sizeable amount of worried stares. A large amount of the ponies in attendance had crowded around the coffee table and stood in a sizeable partial ring just a few feet away. With the sudden attention I was getting, the only thing that went through my mind was that I was incredibly overdressed. Most of the gathered ponies wore only basic decorative clothing, if anything at all. A dark blue pegasus near the front of the group spoke up, “You’re the commander the Princesses hired right?” “What were those things that attacked the city?” another random pony asked. “Does this have to do with those disappearances?” “I heard they’re something called Red Court vampires.” “Are we at war?” Many more such questions assaulted me from every angle. My ears flattened themselves to my skull in an attempt to drown out the noise. Beside me Twilight had likewise flattened her ears and backed away a step or two from the crowd, clearly uncomfortable with so many eyes on her. I immediately became deeply irritated at the whole situation. I generally don’t like being ignored in a conversation, but I hate being the center of attention even more. When I’m placed in such a situation I usually become rude, confrontational, or even violent depending on who’s around me. The kicker is that such actions usually draw more attention rather than drive it away, it’s a vicious cycle. “Hells bells, you’re a bunch of vultures. SHUT IT!” I roared at the assembled ponies. At once everypony there fell silent and looked at me expectantly. I dimly noted that more than a few of the crossbow armed pegasi above us had fluttered to a slightly closer perch. I ignored them and craned my head around to speak to Twilight, who had moved to stand slightly behind me. “Hey Twilight, I’ll handle this. Go and see if you can find some of the others.” She glanced nervously between the group of citizens and myself, “You sure?” I nodded in response, “Yeah, it’s me they want to talk to, not you.” I looked back around at the ponies and glared at them intently, “But if I take more than a few minutes, I want you to grab the nearest blunt object and come back for me.” Twilight sighed and shook her head slightly, “Just don’t get in too much trouble Harry.” With that said, she vanished in a flash of purple light. I saw an identical flash of light further down the room. I make no promises, I thought as I turned and faced the crowd again. The same blue pegasus was about to speak up, but I cut him off with a glare. “Okay, here’s the deal,” I spoke to the ponies as clearly as I could. “I will give you a brief summary of what you need to know, and then you will leave me alone. You will not pester me with questions.” A few of the ponies nearer to me shifted and were about to speak. “If you don’t like that, then feel free to find a wall and voice your concerns to it,” I said, raising my voice slightly to cut off those few that were about to talk. “Agreed?” Many in the crowd glanced at one another before silently nodding their heads in agreement. I grinned, “Good. First thing's first, yes those were creatures called Red Court vampires. I’ll spare you the finer details, but you should consider them to be extremely unfriendly.” “What should we do if we see one of those things?” a dark green earth pony in the front blurted out, and then immediately covered his mouth with a hoof. So much for no questions. I pointed a hoof at the offending pony, “After I’m done here, you will go stand in the corner.” The pony in question looked at me in bewilderment at being treated as though he were a foal. I ignored him and continued on as though nothing had happened, “If you should come across one, run screaming in the opposite direction. Get the attention of a nearby guard if possible and then find sanctuary wherever you can.” The ponies again shot each other more worried glances. “Though that shouldn’t be much of an issue for now.” I was only greeted with more confused looks. I ignored them and pressed on, “I haven’t heard much about their movements since their attack. But in this instance, no news is good news.” I paused for a moment to let that sink in. “Because of their defeat a few days ago, they will have to lie low and replenish their losses before they can make any kind of movement against us.” I gestured at the armored soldiers standing guard around the party. “This will be much harder for them to do with the new training regimen that our soldiers and guardsponies are going through. So it should be a good while before we see another sizeable force of vampires.” At this, many of the crowded ponies visibly relaxed. “So for the time being, just relax and let us do our job.” That of course wasn’t all the details, and they knew it, but it was what they needed to know. The gathered ponies glanced between each other and began muttering slightly. Slowly, a few of them moved away towards other groups around the entry hall. One by one they departed until finally there was just me and my coffee. I sighed, downed the rest of my mug, and set off to try and find Twilight. Almost immediately after I set out, my attention was drawn to another group of ponies similar to the one that was around me. My curiosity got the better of me and I drew closer to investigate. As soon as I got close enough, I noted that this crowd was indeed a solid ring of ponies around a central figure. I pushed my way through the ring until I could get a clear view of the speaker. The pony in question was a fairly large unicorn stallion. His coat was a brilliant white, while his pristine mane and tail were the golden brown of fine hay. Something about how this particular stallion held himself, with his chin high in the air, just screamed ‘pompous ass’ to me. Some of those in the ring around the unicorn seemed to share my presumptions. There were several at the inner ring that looked at him with admiration as though he were something similar to Celestia herself, though the ones a bit further back offered looks varying from distaste, to outright disgust. “I don’t know what everypony is so scared about,” the unicorn said in the sort of posh tone of voice that you get from someone with an oversized ego and a high social class. “We chased those things off with their tails tucked between their legs.” He chuckled slightly, “They were never any real threat.” If the ponies around this stallion gave any credence to his words and treated the Red Court as anything less than a threat, then needless violence would ensue. I can’t abide useless personalities, worse are those that are so inept they endanger others through their words and general stupidity. Even worse yet are those whose egos are so inflated, they genuinely believe that everyone around them should hang on their every word. Whenever I come in contact with such a personality, I have a strong desire to grab the nearest pointy thing and see just how sturdy their ego really is. Luckily for me, I had just such an instrument attached to my skull. I broke through the crowd and faced the unicorn that had earned my ire, “Excuse me, but who are you and have you recently suffered brain damage?” Several of the more enraptured ponies gasped at me, a few of the more irritated ones look at me with some measure of interest. The stallion in the center turned to face me and looked me over with disapproving eyes. “I am Prince Blueblood,” the unicorn stated as though the name alone would humble me. “Why would you think I have suffered brain damage?” I stepped a little closer and scowled at him. “Because mental deficiency is the only reason I can think of for treating the deaths of several soldiers so casually.” Blueblood narrowed his eyes at me and held his chin a little higher, “Who are you to address royalty so?” “I am Harry Dresden, the one Celestia hired to teach how to fight those monsters,” I growled at him. Blueblood’s only response was to snort at me. “Well Mister Dresden, I don’t know how you managed to con your way into Canterlot Castle, but you clearly aren’t any kind of nobility. I see no reason to put any value in a unicorn that won’t even style his mane for a royal party,” he said with a derisive smile on his face. “I don’t deny that the loss of life is a tragedy, but such is the hazard of their line of work. As for those monsters you’re so afraid of, they never got anywhere near the castle. They are no significant threat.” I gritted my teeth and felt my left ear begin to twitch rapidly. Forgetting that I was in the middle of a group of witnesses, I lunged forward to put the hoof of my right foreleg behind his head, forcing his high and mighty face down into easier bruising distance. “I think I know how to find out if you’re right or not. I know this earth pony, before she followed me here to protect your sorry hide she bucked apples trees for a living. She’s physically strongest damned mare I’ve ever seen and easily the match for one of those monsters that you’re not worried about.” I pulled his head closer so that I was nearly growling into his face, “How about I go get her to pound on your face a few times, and if your ego comes away unscathed then we’ll know you’re right.” “Release me at once!” Blueblood yelled while trying to get my hoof out from behind his skull. Someone cleared their throat right behind me, and both Blueblood and I paused in our struggle to look at who had caught our attention. Applejack and Twilight stood behind me; the former was looking at the situation with a certain amount of amusement, the later looked at me with a single raised eyebrow. So far as I was concerned, I was justified in trying to scare some sense into Blueblood; but Twilight’s look of disapproval bypassed that and actually made me feel a little ashamed at my actions. I released Blueblood and he staggered backwards to pick himself together. Speak of the devil… “Trying to make some new friends, Dresden?” Applejack asked with a slight chuckle. Twilight shook her head slightly and offered me a small smile. Behind me, Blueblood finished picking himself back up and straightening his ruffled mane. “I’ll see you in chains for this!” he yelled at me and hurriedly pushed his way through the crowd. Applejack moved to follow after Blueblood, “I’d better go after him and make sure he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret.” The gathered crowd began dispersing as well since their source of information was probably going to be stonewalled by some of my battalion and Applejack. In short order the last of the crowd melded back into the party until it was just Twilight and I standing in the relatively empty corner of the castle’s entry hall. I moved to stand beside her and offered the most innocent smile I could muster, “Hey Twilight, I don’t ask you for much, but would you mind if I set Blueblood on fire?” Twilight sighed and began laughing under her breath, “Harry, no.” I knelt a little bit and looked at Twilight as though I were a child begging his mother for a toy, “Please, just a little? A few second degree burns would do him some good.” Twilight tried and failed to stifle a smile, “I don’t want to spend my immediate future explaining to the princesses why their newest commander assaulted royalty.” She paused to consider for a moment, “Besides I think Rarity has already called dibs.” I sighed and nodded my head, “Who am I to take that away from Rarity? Though tell her to come to me if she needs any help planning an escape route.” “Is somepony conspiring over here?” a deep masculine voice asked somewhere of to our side. A large unicorn stallion calmly walked over to stand in front of us. The stallion had a pure white coat similar to Michael’s and a blue two-toned mane and tail. His build was that of a stallion that exercised regularly, his hardy frame allowed for several toned muscles all over his body. His muscles weren’t the big bulging muscles you’d expect to see on an egocentric body builder; rather he had the stringy muscles of a pony that spent a lot of time working on cardio as well as general strength. That and the fact that he was sporting an ornate purple and gold chestplate suggested that he was a member of the Equestrian military. “Shining!” Twilight cried and bounded forward to give the stallion a big hug. The stallion Twilight had dubbed ‘Shining’ returned the embrace and laughed, “Twilly, it’s been far too long.” I immediately found several things aggravating about Twilight hugging another guy I didn’t know right in front of me. Though they very clearly knew each other and I trusted Twilight, so I beat back that surge of anger until I figured out the whole picture. Twilight and Shining broke away from each other after a brief moment and Twilight made her way to stand next to me again. “Shining, I want you to meet somepony.” Twilight rubbed a hoof on my shoulder, “This is Harry Dresden, my… well, my coltfriend.” Now there’s something I never thought could be used to describe me. Shining’s demeanor immediately changed from joyous to suspicious. He narrowed his eyes and regarded me with the exact same calculating glare Spike and Twilight’s parents had shot at me. Twilight removed her hoof and instead gestured at the stallion, “Harry, this is Shining Armor-” Wait, I know that name. Why do I know that name? “-my brother.” Of course he is. Shining took a few steps forward and stared intently at me, the gears visibly turning in his head. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Shining finally spoke, “I overheard what you and Blueblood said to each other.” “He belittled the sacrifice of fallen soldiers.” I gave a short shrug, “I corrected him.” That put a small smirk on his face. “A bit grating perhaps, but honorable, I approve.” He lifted his head higher and offered me a genuine smile, “You don’t need to worry about Blueblood. Most everypony that’s been in a room with him for more than a few minutes knows how irritating he can be. I’ll make sure that his reports against you get filed in the trash.” He tilted his head slightly, “Where are you from anyway? I thought I knew every soldier and guardspony in Canterlot.” I waved him off with a hoof, “It’s a long story, I’ll explain later. Suffice it to say that I’m new to Canterlot.” He looked backed at me, confusion apparent over his features, “Okay… Is Canterlot all that different than where you’re from?” “You have no idea,” I chuckled. Twilight, who had been busy processing what her brother said, finally managed to break out of her mental block. “Wait, we have to get approval now? Where was your permission when you started going out with my old foalsitter?” In the space of a heartbeat, her expression shifted from mild defiance to deep concern. “Cadence! Is Cadence okay?” Shining waved a hoof to placate his sister, “Yes little sis, don’t worry. Cadence is perfectly fine. We were establishing a new settlement to the far north when we received news that Canterlot had been attacked. I made sure that Cadence was safe overlooking the construction and then I got down here as fast as I could.” He set his hoof back down and offered Twilight a warm smile. “And as for my approval, I’m your older brother Twilly. It’s my job to watch out for you and to run off the occasional stallion.” Twilight relaxed a little at that tidbit of information and dropped back into good natured sibling confrontation. “I’ve been in a few fights. I can watch out for myself, thank you.” That caught Shining off guard, he frowned and quirked an eyebrow at me. “She’s decided to follow me and to help me protect as many ponies as we can,” I explained. “Nothing I said could make her go to safety, so I did the only thing I could do to prepare her. I taught her how to use magic to fight. Thus far we’ve been in two sizeable fights.” I shrugged my shoulders and decided to give credit where it was due. “I should also mention that in one of them she managed to keep my tail from being ripped apart.” This very clearly didn’t go over well in Shining’s mind. His frown deepened and a definite crease formed between his eyes. I could see that he was already drawing together plans to get his sister to safety just like their parents had. He opened his mouth to voice his disapproval, but Twilight raised a hoof to cut him off. “Shining... don’t,” Twilight said as she shook her head at her brother. “I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t care. M-Mom and Dad tried to get me to go back home, but I don’t want to. I’m needed here.” The muscles over Twilight’s shoulders and haunches visibly tensed underneath her dress. The mention of her parents had stung a lot deeper than her carefully calm face let on, but I knew her well enough to notice her stress. I reached a hoof to glide over her foreleg in an attempt to soothe her. She made no movement to acknowledge the offer, choosing instead to continue staring at her brother; even still, I noticed much of the tension leave her shoulders and haunches. Shining’s expression softened into an almost sorrowful smile, “I suppose there’s no point, we never could stop you once you set your mind to something.” The smile slid from his face and he appeared to age several years in just a few seconds. “I-I heard about Mom and Dad. Are you okay?” In response, Twilight sidestepped until her side pressed up against mine. I smiled as I felt her tail flick around trying to get at me, but was restricted from doing so by her long dress. “I’m fine big brother, I really am,” she assured Shining, a distinct note of calmness creeping over her face and into her voice. Those words and the sense of peace in his sister’s face did wonders for Shining. The lines around his eyes and muzzle vanished as a strong sense of youth returned to him. “That’s great to hear Twilly, I’m sure they’re happy.” He cleared his throat and redirected his attention between Twilight and I, “I think that’s enough catching up, I was hoping that one of you could tell me something about these ‘creatures’ that are running around Equestria. I’ve only been in town for a couple of hours and I haven’t been able to get a single pony to stand still long enough to tell me anything.” “You don’t know?” I asked the large unicorn. “I kind of assumed that most members of the military and guardsponies knew the details of what’s going on.” Shining shook his head slightly, “I’ve been too far north, and we haven’t been touched by any of this. On my way down here I did run into a few of Princess Celestia’s patrols. They told me that some creatures called ‘Red Court vampires’ were running around and had attacked Canterlot, beyond that not much else.” Twilight stepped to the side, giving me back some personal space. “Well as far as their movements go, that’s about all we know,” she explained. “The Red Court are in hiding at the moment, we don’t know where.” “We have a lead that we’re looking into though,” I added. “If you want more specific information on how to fight them, I’m sure you could jump into one of the classes we have set up.” Shining thought about that and then nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I might just do that.” “Great, I’d love to have to have you in my sparing group!” a familiar voice bellowed just to our side. Michael calmly trotted over to stand with the three of us, a warm smile plastered on his face. The air around us seemed to grow delightfully warm as the giant earth pony crusader drew closer. Behind him I could see that the crowds of ponies that Michael must have pushed through to get at us were showing similar signs of comfort and peace. Oddly enough this image of peace wasn’t hindered by the suit of plate and chainmail armor he wore and Amoracchius slung over his back in Rarity’s scabbard. He really does spread calmness wherever he goes doesn’t he? A small smirk tugged at the edge of my mouth, He’d probably make a fortune as a therapist. Then again every therapist I’ve ever meet are greedy by-the-hour jerks that will prescribe medication for fake symptoms. So, maybe not. I stepped forward and gestured a hoof at Michael, “Shining, this is my friend-“ “Michael Carpenter,” Shining finished for me. He took a step or two towards Michael, a certain amount of fascination playing over his features. “I’ve heard some interesting things from some of the guardsponies I’ve talked to. They’ve told me about a certain white earth pony stallion that can wield magic into battle better than most unicorns. I assume that would be you?” Michael hesitated for a moment, thrown off balance by his unexpected reputation. After he recovered from the shock, he offered a warm smile and shook his head, “That is me yes, but the credit is not mine to take. I am just a conduit for the Lord’s will.” This time Twilight stepped forward to speak, her inquisitive nature taking over. “Wait, are you saying that the white light I’ve seen you use against the vampires isn’t your own power? That it comes from another source?” Michael nodded in the affirmative and opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a wave of my hoof. I took a few steps closer to whisper into his ear, “Uh Michael, tread carefully when you’re talking about your faith. No offense, but historically when a new religion is introduced to a society, bad things tend to happen.” I shot a quick glance up the entry hall at Princess Luna, who was engaged in a conversation with several nobles. “Particularly a society that has two tangible god figures ruling over them.” Michael considered that for a moment, his eyes tracked over the ponies around him and back up to Luna. “I do see your point,” he whispered back. “But if they seek it, I will not deny them the knowledge of God.” I sighed and returned to Twilight’s side, desperately hoping that I wasn’t about to be on the receiving end of the Equestrian equivalent of a witch hunt. Michael straightened back up to readdress Twilight and Shining, who were both staring at him expectantly. “I’ll keep this simple, that light you’ve seen me use comes from this.” Michael shrugged his shoulder to draw attention to Amoracchius. “This is a weapon that was entrusted to me so that I might protect the innocent from the dark creatures that would prey on them. With it, I unleash God’s power to embolden the righteous and destroy the wicked.” Twilight tilted her head in puzzlement, “What exactly do you mean when you say ‘God’s power’?” “God, the Lord Almighty,” Michael said and bowed his head as though in prayer. “He heals and safeguards the souls of all good men and women. He created life and is the father to all things.” I started feeling a little anxious and looked around the party for the most convenient escape route. Shining frowned and furrowed his eyes in concentration, “Father to all things… Father…” His eyes snapped open in sudden realization, “Wait, you mean the King?” Twilight made a little “Oh” of comprehension at her brother’s words. Michael and I just kind of stood there, unsure of how exactly to respond to that. I was the first to find my voice again, and did what I always do when I don’t know what I’m talking about. I offered a small smirk at Shining, “I’m not really sure what Elvis has to do this, but what the hay I’ll roll with it.” “Who is…? No never mind,” Twilight stammered. She regained her composure and visibly switched into lecture mode, “The King is Celestia and Luna’s father. When we die he watches over us and protects us.” “According to the legend, long ago the King left his ethereal realm and came to Equestria,” Shining recounted. “Once here, he fell in love with a mare and Celestia was the result of that love.” Twilight nuzzled against my cheek, eliciting a smile from both of us. “For several years they lived together in a modest house that they made,” she picked up where her brother left off. “Until eventually, Luna came along. Sadly the mother died giving birth to Luna, leaving the King alone with two young fillies.” Twilight shook her head slightly, “Now because of the King’s connection to the afterlife, he could still feel the mother’s presence; but without actually being able to be near her, he grew restless.” “He became so consumed by loss that he eventually decided to return to his ethereal realm to be with her again,” Shining cut in. “But before he left, he gathered together the several friends and colleagues he had gathered in his time on Equestria. These friends became the first Royal Guard and watched over the young princesses.” Shining then gestured a hoof over the entry hall of Canterlot Castle, “And eventually that house the King and his wife made grew into the Canterlot we have today.” Michael and I just stood there and blinked at each other for several seconds. Again I managed to find my voice first. “That… runs an interesting parallel,” I muttered at Michael. “Indeed it does,” he responded. Michael shifted his gaze from me to Twilight and Shining, “You two recited that story rather well for such a sudden retelling.” Twilight smiled and nodded her head, “It’s the first story every foal learns from their parents.” Twilight and Shining exchanged meaningful glances. “It was Mom’s favorite love story and she would tell it to us all the time when we went to bed.” Twilight returned her gaze to me, “Now that being said, that is just a bedtime story version that’s been told and retold for several hundred years. I’m sure that the actual events were slightly different, but all the base information is there.” “I haven’t seen any places of worship for this King,” I pointed out. “Shouldn’t there be some kind of established church?” “Some ponies do have private altars in their homes,” Shining explained. “Though for the most part we worship him indirectly; by honoring the Princesses, we honor the King.” “Do you remember at my-my parents’ funereal, when Celestia said ‘May you find peace with our father’?” Twilight stammered. “She literally meant, her father.” I threw my head back and began laughing softly. Michael and Shining looked at me as though I had just lost my mind. Twilight merely sighed and patiently waited for me to stop. “Every time I think I get a handle on this place, something always surprises me.” Shining quirked his head at Michael and I, “You two seriously haven’t heard all of this? Where did you grow up that doesn’t teach foals about the Princesses?” My anxiety returned as I opened my mouth to say the simplest lie I could come up with. Thankfully Twilight came to my rescue before I managed to dig myself into a hole. “Big brother, it’s alright. It’s a long story, and I’ll explain everything later,” she offered. Shining wasn’t so easily swayed however. “It’s a simple enough question.” His eyes narrowed at us as various possible scenarios went through his head, “Unless, did you guys grow up as hermits or something? Or maybe-“ Whatever he said next was lost under a bunch of outcries from nearby ponies. The four of us immediately jumped to face the source of the disturbance. Several of the citizens were hurriedly backing away from the main doors of the entry hall. Because of the sudden lack of bodies, I could clearly see what exactly they were moving away from. Several feet in front the main doors, a large blob of swirling darkness and shadows was rising from the floor and slowly rolled forward. As the shadow rose higher off the ground it began to come together and take the base shape of a pony, and a big one. For a couple of seconds everypony in the entry hall just stared at the apparition as it finalized its shape and distinct features began to appear. It took the shape of a huge unicorn stallion standing with the same proportions of Celestia. Due to the shadows comprising the shade, the coloration of the entire thing was jet black; but that didn’t matter, there was only one stallion I’d ever seen that matched those proportions. My lips peeled away from my teeth and my blood began to boil as a shadow conjuration of the Red King calmly strolled down the entry hall. Most of the soldiers and guardsponies throughout Canterlot had been given a description of the Red King after their attack, and had been instructed to kill the creature on sight if it ever resurfaced. The pegasi above us acted on this order and drew a bead on the apparition. Barely half a second after its identity became clear, about a dozen crossbow bolts whizzed through the air at the shade. The bolts proved useless and simply passed through the shadow, embedding into the stone floor beneath it. “Now that is hardly any way to treat a guest,” the Red King sneered as he continued walking. All of the citizens parted to the long walls on either side of the room, giving the shade a long clear walkway leading to Luna at the end. Michael left our side to stand partway between the Red King and the Princess of the Night. His hooves planted wide apart, Michael drew Amoracchius with a dull flash of white light that shone throughout the entire room. As the shade drew closer to Michael, its movements became visibly labored until it was forced to a halt about ten feet away from the massive earth pony, halfway down the entry hall. Michael’s white light seemed to be the only thing that managed to have an effect on the shade. As soon as the Red King stopped moving the rest of the soldiers present moved to contain the specter. Almost two dozen armored ponies formed a ring of Equestrian steel around the Red King and lowered their razor sharp spears to level with the conjuration. Just outside of the ring, Pinkie, who had been busy restocking the buffet with her signature cupcakes, also took up arms against the intruder. Although seeing as how her weapons of choice were the same pink cupcakes she was trying to restock, I labeled her as a potential hindrance rather than useful backup. The Red King ignored his surroundings and peered past Michael at Luna, “You must be Princess Luna, former warlock known as Nightmare Moon.” A smile played over his shadow muzzle, “The iconic figure of fear and nightmares for countless generations, now playing a gentle caretaker for those same ponies that feared you for so long.” He gave a little bow, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” For a few moments nopony really did or said anything. The soldiers just focused on maintaining formation around the Red King. Michael couldn’t say anything owing to the weapon between his teeth, and thus simply focused on keeping his light shining against the shade. The rest of us were still processing the sudden intrusion of the Red King and as such were stunned for several seconds. Luna was the first to fully adjust to the intrusion, and drew herself up to look down her muzzle at the specter. “So, you are still alive. I must admit, I was holding out hope that you met your end under my sister’s power,” Luna snarled, frost edging its way into her voice. After a brief second I could spot some literal frost forming on the stairs around her hooves. “Your concern is touching Princess,” the Red King chuckled. “Why have you returned here?” Luna thundered, her voice growing in volume with each word she said. “Have you come to your senses and decided to surrender?” A wicked smile stretched the Red King’s features, “Hardly. I’ve simply come with a message.” He held his head a little higher and peered around at not only the soldiers, but also the citizens. “Surrender and you will be spared.” Several nervous whispers ran through the crowd at this, but were silenced as the Red King continued. “We vampires are not the monsters you would paint us as, we are not unreasonable beings. We don’t want such senseless loss of life. But make no mistake; we will see Canterlot taken, and those that do not submit to us will be severely punished.” His voice carried around the room as though he were a practiced speaker as he addressed the crowd. “Those of you that surrender will be shown the mercy your leaders would mark us incapable of. In fact, if you so desire, you would even be rewarded with a very special blessing.” It took me only about half a second to figure out the Red King’s play. There was no way that he’d be able to simply win over the citizens, there’d been too much bloodshed for that. He was instead spreading fear and casting doubt among those gathered at the party. I saw the citizens of Canterlot looking back at Luna with varying amounts of uncertainty in their eyes and with several more nervous mutterings. If Luna really had been the subject of nightmares for generations upon generations, then no matter how much she tried to comfort them, there would always be a hint of doubt in the back of everypony’s mind. Those who had grown up hearing about her as though she were a monster in the dark would forever wonder if maybe her return wasn’t just some sort of long term scheme. Those of us that personally knew Luna would know better than that of course, but the vast majority of Equestria didn’t personally know her. That inherent fear was what the Red King was toying with. He was trying to turn himself into the lesser of two evils. I suddenly had a much greater respect for Luna’s desire to be socially accepted, and deeply wished I knew how to sway a crowd in my favor. Thankfully the various Bearers of the Elements scattered throughout the crowd stepped forward where Luna and I couldn’t. “He’s lying!” roared a familiar country accent. Applejack stepped out in-between the ponies along the far wall and the circle of soldiers. “That varmint doesn’t care about us in the slightest. He’s just trying to scare us!” “He’s a big old meanie!” Pinkie added lamely. One of the pegasi above us zoomed down to hover over Michael and whipped off her leather cap. Rainbow scowled down at the shade, brandishing her crossbow and her wings flaring open as wide as possible to attract the most attention she could. I made a mental note to berate her later for taking guard duty without at least letting me know. “He’s just scared. We pushed him back once and now he’s desperate to try anything he can,” Rainbow shouted loud enough to be heard from all corners of the room. Beside me, Twilight’s demeanor had pulled a complete one-eighty. Mere moments before, she had been happy to see her brother, affectionate towards me, and smiling with everyone else. She had been enjoying fond memories with those she deeply cared for. Now however, being faced with the thing that had been responsible for her parents’ death if he hadn’t done the deed himself, her expression was the very picture of rage and fury. Her narrowed eyes were locked onto the shade, her lips peeled away in a snarl to show almost every single one of her teeth, and her ears pointed directly forward at the Red King. “You are a monster and a murderer!” Twilight roared at the shade, small flecks of spittle flying from her mouth. “I would sooner die before surrendering to the likes of you!” The hall fell silent after Twilight’s outburst for several moments. Whispers slowly emerged from the ponies around us. The general feel of the whispering was much more self-assured compared to the nervousness of earlier. Many of the citizens shifted their gazes back at the Red King and scowled defiantly. I took a step forward and jabbed my chin at the Red King, “Why don’t you do yourself favor. Go find a nice deep dark hole somewhere and make sure we never see your face again,” I spat. “It’s about the only way you’ll survive here.” At those words, the Red King shifted his attention around to Twilight and I. His eyes flashed in recognition as he saw us over the heads of the soldiers around him. “You two,” he whispered, his voice slithered and dripped with malice. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that little baptism by fire you two gave me. I can assure you that there are much worse things than having your flesh peeled away by conjured flames, and you will endure them all.” He turned back around to face the crowd again, “As for the rest of you, you are correct. You have fought valiantly and have won Canterlot. You are a powerful nation, for now. But for every soldier that falls and every time you grow weaker, we grow stronger.” His eyes swept back up to track Luna. “This is not a war you can win. You must surrender, or you will fall.” I felt the magical energies around me begin to shift and move to a point near me. I craned my head to find the source, and found that Twilight had begun drawing in power, a lot of it. Whether she was doing it intentionally or not, I wasn’t sure, but the look on her face was nearing rage induced madness. Her scowl was deeper, jaw clenched tighter, and I thought there was even a small bit of foam at the corner of her mouth. Small sparks of electricity began dancing along her form and her mane started blowing in a nonexistent wind, just like in Canterlot’s streets right before we glassed about fifty feet worth of street and storefronts. My anger at the Red King evaporated on the spot as I realized the situation Twilight was in. The blind rage and desire for vengeance were completely new and unbelievably strong emotions for her, emotions that she had no experience with and no control over. When a powerful practitioner loses control of their anger, collateral damage could get tallied in the hundreds or even thousands. I had to calm her down as fast as possible. From experience I knew that words would be almost useless in her state, so I did the only thing I could that made sense to me. I moved next to her, draped a foreleg over her shoulders, and nuzzled against her cheek and under her chin as affectionately as I could. The effect was almost immediate. Twilight’s fevered breathing slowed back down to her normal pace and I could feel the energy she had collected slowly drift away. I withdrew a step or two until I could see her face again. Her mane fell neatly back into place around a face that had shifted from barely restrained fury, to outright fear. Her eyes widened and danced around in her head as she realized just how close she came to losing control. After a brief moment she looked at me with tear filled eyes that were equal parts sorrow and silent thanks, and pressed herself up against my side again. Twilight’s near meltdown went, for the most part, unnoticed by the rest of the room. Shining was the only one who seemed to notice anything, and was looking at Twilight with a large amount of surprise. I could only assume he had never thought of his little sister as the magical equivalent of a crate of C4. The rest of the entry hall remained focused on the Red King. At the end of the hall and up the steps, I hadn’t noticed that Luna was experiencing her own form of immortal rage. Everything within twenty feet or so of Luna was covered in a thin sheet of foggy ice, and Luna herself appeared close to violence. Her starlight mane and tail were flowing in the air around her while her eyes were glowing a bright blue, giving her the illusion of being several times her normal size. “ENOUGH OF THIS!” she roared at the Red King, her voice reaching her full and considerable volume. “I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD YOUR VENOMOUS WORDS TO MY SUBJECTS!” Her horn began glowing a dark blue, “BEGONE WITH YOU, DEMON!” Immediately after she said that, she shot a wave of energy from her horn that sped toward the conjuration of the Red King. Just before it impacted the shade threw its head back and let out cackling laughter. As soon as the wave of energy actually touched it, the specter disintegrated into a cloud of swirling shadows and still echoing laughter. The entire room immediately broke into fevered chatter after the shade was banished. Luna stomped a hoof into the ground, silencing the entire hall and spreading a network of cracks over the ice around her. “Citizens of Canterlot, this event is now over,” Luna called out, her voice carrying throughout the entry hall. “Please return to your homes and do not leave them until daybreak. Do not fear for your safety, there will be guards and constant patrols around the city. Sleep well.” Before the words finished leaving her lips, the ponies around us made for the exit at a pace that wasn’t quite outright panic, but definitely faster than normal movement for a large crowd. As the entry emptied out, most of the soldiers returned to their previous positions; all except for one that moved to kneel in front of Luna. “Send word to my sister at once. Tell her to organize search parties to comb the land a mile around Canterlot.” The soldier nodded and ran off to carry Luna’s message. “Come on, we’re done here,” I whispered as I lowered my muzzle to nudge against Twilight’s and began moving for the same door we used to enter the party. “I think you need to unwind for a bit.” Twilight nodded and kept pace with me. “Yeah, I’d like that,” she whispered, her voice shaking slightly with rattled nerves. “I’d never felt so angry before in my life. I-I couldn’t…” “I know Twilight, I know,” I whispered back. Feeling that a smile would do her some good, I offered her a wide grin, “You know I was a little tempted to just let you go at him. I’ll bet you could’ve beaten him to a pulp through his conjuration.” Twilight chuckled under her breath and offered a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Yeah, maybe I could’ve.” Several of our friends noticed our departure, but thankfully didn’t intervene. Rainbow and Applejack were busy standing by the front door and trying to keep the fleeing ponies as calm as possible. Pinkie decided to help them by moving around the crowd while passing out as many pink cupcakes as she possibly could. Somehow, almost everypony that left the front doors was holding one of her signature pink pastries. How she managed such a thing without actually slowing them down was beyond me. Both Michael and Shining paused to cast Twilight and I one last quick glance before they chased off after Luna, most likely to aid in whatever plans she was cooking up. I ignored all of that and focused on getting Twilight some peace and quiet. Her head leaned against my neck for support as we left the room, a gesture which I returned by leaning my head atop hers. We exited the main hall through the side door nearest the barracks. I bucked the door shut as I passed through it, eager to put the night which had started off so well, behind me. No matter how much I tried however, I couldn’t escape an odd sense of foreboding that hung over my head like a wet blanket. The Red King’s not-so-veiled threats against me and mine were stressful enough, but the stress he caused those near me was weighing heavily on my mind, particularly the stress on the one that had lost more to the Red King than most. I had taught Twilight how to wield magic as a powerful weapon. Now I needed to help her control it, and her emotions; because if she lost control again, and I couldn’t hold her back, then everypony around her would pay the price.