The Dresden Fillies: Strange Friends
Disclaimer: I don’t own The Dresden Files or My Little Pony, that is Jim Butcher and Hasbro, respectively. This is a fanfiction only. Comments are appreciated, trolling is not. This takes place before season two in MLP and between books five and six in the Dresden Files.
Prologue
My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, and I'm a wizard. No, don't roll your eyes, I'm serious. Things that go bump in the night are real, and in Chicago I'm the only one who can handle them. Most of my work comes from the police. When a vampire leaves a dead victim or a faerie steals a child, normal investigative methods don't work. I think in the paperwork I'm listed as a psychic consultant. Today, though, I was just visiting Edinburgh, the wizards' capital. The higher-ups of the White Council wanted me to hand in my report over the duel with Ortega personally. I grimaced. The Council was not my favorite group of people, and I knew they were going to rake me over the coals for the way the duel went south. Despite my dread, I was making good time. I was about half an hour from the end of the Way when everything went wrong...
The forest was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault. If the screeching little monsters chasing me hadn’t dodged the flames I’d shot at them, none of the trees would be on fire. I was completely blameless for this round of property damage.
There was another shriek to my left, closer this time, and I was actually able to see the beast before I blasted. Vearens; they look a lot like gibbons, but these long-armed monkeys were different in some very important ways. Like the hundreds of needle-sharp teeth, the huge claws, the large scorpion stinger at the end of a long tail, and the intense bloodlust that made a pack of piranha look like a school of goldfish.
“Hell’s bells” I cursed softly, “How do I end up in these situations?” Being a professional wizard and all, I could have taken a single vearen without any trouble, even here on their turf. Hell, I could probably fight a dozen without any serious wounds. Unfortunately, the pack chasing me numbered somewhere around fifty.
One of the faster ones had caught up with me, and it flung itself forward with a howl of fury. “Riflettum!” I yelled as I forced energy into the shield bracelet on my left wrist. It pulsed with magic, and a quarter-dome of translucent blue sprung up between me and the horrifying little predator. The vearen bounced off and smacked into a tree hard enough to bring a rain of bright red fruit down on its head.
“Yeah! How d’ya like those apples?!” I yelled, and then started cursing as his friends caught up. “This is not how my day was supposed to go,” I panted, complaining to nobody. “I mean, I know the Nevernever is dangerous, but come on ‘It’s just a short stretch o’ forest til you reach the gate to Edinburgh,’ ” I said, mocking my mentor’s accent. “ ‘No trouble, right boy?’ ” I jinked to my right and started running along a stream, hoping that fewer trees would mean less pursuit. It didn’t. The vearens abandoned the canopy to follow me without hesitation.
My lungs were burning, and my side felt ready to split open. I had to stop soon or I’d just keel over, and I’d be damned if those things got me without a fight. I stretched my magical senses to look for a path back to Earth, but there wasn’t anything. The Nevernever connected to everything, so it could take me anywhere, theoretically. It was only a theory because the most horrifying creatures in existence made it their home, and only an idiot would leave the safety of the well-known Ways. In my defense, I had a few dozen good reasons for doing so. Still, I had no idea what world this particular bit of forest might connect to.
I burst through a small clump of bushes into an open meadow and skidded to a halt. The meadow was lovely, a beautiful, serene place, but I hadn’t stopped to admire it. I’d stopped because on the other side of the meadow was another pack of vearens, just as big as the one already chasing me. I stared at them. They stared at me. The first pack had caught up and halted at the sight of their new rivals. Growls filled the air as both groups started to cautiously spread out along the edge of the meadow. Maybe, if I was lucky, the packs would fight over me and I could use the confusion to escape. The two alphas approached each other until they were nearly eye to eye. I tensed to run, hoping Lady Luck would come through for once.
They nodded to each other and turned to face me, baring their teeth. Their packs did likewise.
Lady Luck is a real bitch. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
“Aparturum!” I screamed, ripping open the fabric between the Nevernever and whatever world it connected to here. The vearens couldn’t follow me through, and whatever was on the other side had to be better than a hundred bloodthirsty, venomous monkeys.
…Right?
WRONG.
You broke the naming convention. "Strange" and "Friends" don't have the same number of letters. I'll probably spend a week or two considering alternate names and get back to you. Not out of charity or pity or anything; my brain just won't let these things go.
Edit: The above is, as anypony with proper counting ability can determine, an epic-level derp on my part.
Also "Dresden Fillies," while a truly clever pun that I myself would be proud to have come up with, sounds kind of like Harry has a harem.
Unrelated but important: I like what I see so far, and will probably end up tracking this story, because it's a crossover that I hadn't thought of and you seem to have Harry's voice down pretty well already.
"Pony Tale: a fanfic of the Dresden Fillies", maybe?
I have no idea what this is a crossover of... brief explanation, anybrony?
I feel the sudden need to read the dresden files, if I had them. I just love fantasy stories, and specially one in wich the protagonist is the narrator(Makes getting to know him easier) TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!
"The forest was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault. If the screeching little monsters chasing me hadn’t dodged the flames I’d shot at them, none of the trees would be on fire. I was completely blameless for this round of property damage."
-_- riiiiiiiiiight
"Lady Luck is a real bitch. Don’t let anyone tell you different."
meh, kinda-sorta
I'll be back to read this in two books time! Twilight mode: Activate!
"and whatever was on the other side had to be better than a hundred bloodthirsty, venomous monkeys.
…Right?"
Eheh... eheheheheheheh... ahahahhahahah MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
This line always makes me grin manically.
i just chukled at the applejack joke when he knocked the monster into a tree and made all the apples fall out.
170500
Are you kidding? As long as he doesn't end up in one of the twisted Tumblr universes, or in SAW or a number of horror movies he should be fine.
Though if I tried something like that it'd be my luck I'd end up in the Barney universe or Resident Evil.
This has been in my 'to read' pile for weeks. Well, nothing like a good story to pass the time during a sick day
Ah yes, our good friend Ortega, who remained at the top of my 'most hated' list of Dresden Villians long after that duel.... Didn't Ebenezer drop a freaking SATELLITE on that guy after he rabbited from the duel? Hope the Council wasn't trying to pin that on Harry.
*watches two clans of psycho fae monkies turn on Harry*
Yeah, fate hates you Mr. Dresden.
Can't wait to see where this goes.
268135 is always the luck of the draw, the flip of the coin, the roll of the dice; not the Ladie's fault you suck at games of chance, now is it?
Like I said I would, I've come to the "first" chapter, and have to say I'm already hook, lined, sinker, and netted by just the damned prologue! does not begin to express my glee at this time.
IM GOING TO READ YOUR FIC!!!
You know what the sad part about this is. In between the books Jim Butcher has written Harry Dresden probably went to Equestria and had a crazy adventure, because face it with his luck something like being thrown into a magical world full of ponies and being transformed into one doesn't really seem that farfetched.
170500
when I finished reading the chapter I said out lout to myself "wrong!". I then looked at you comment and burst out into laughter. You sir/madam made my day! Have a moustache .
Agreed...
2650595
I have to agree. If anything, it'd be a vacation for him. Think about it, most of the things the ponies deal with and are terrified by are merely entertainment by human standards.
Yeah...we're kinda scary like that.
In fact, I could see a human giving a verbal reposte to some taunt given by any MLP villain:
"Sorry, my mom taught me not to play with my food."
That'd send 'em running!
I must admit I was really scared to start reading this I love the Dresden files(the ones I have read being 1-5 then jumping to turn coat I don't have any complete sets of any books) but that covered you have me in one go you have him down just right so far I hope the rest is as good
You just like to temp fate, don't ya?
Well, reading this will be interesting as all I know about The Dresden Files is that it's called The Dresden Files.
Or, you know, there could be an entire planet filled with ponies who love and tolerate the hate out of you. But who knows?
Well. I like it, so far. The style really matches the original, and it seems to be completely error-free so far. Great work!
171165
Actually, book 9's title, "White Knight" doesn't fit that 'convention' either
This is a really great story, it was because of this fanfic that I was introduced to the Dresden Files and the writing and plot in this is on par with it too
The vearens abandoned the canopy to follow me without hesitation.
4242491
You mean White Night?
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/WhiteNight
4663897
lol, dammit.
this chapter seemed..rough and didn't quite strike the right tone for a Dresden adventure. I sorry to admit it but I only read the first three paragraphs before skipped ahead to the next chapter, which I am happy to say is very amusing.
You know, it's an interesting prospect, coming back to this story after reading 3 Dresden books as it was what persuaded me to read them in the first place (I really can't thank you enough for that because they're amazing). I can more easily appreciate just how well you write Dresden as a character, and his narration. Not to mention how seamlessely you cross two universes that couldn't be any more different, aside from magic being a major theme in both.
Just ordered Summer Knight, so while I'm waiting on that, I'm going to re-read this amazing story to pass the time.
6189517 Seconded!
I like this guy already.
Wow right from the start it was great. I already like him. He is funny, oh I will in joy reading the rest of this.
Add a bit more cynicism and swearing, and you pretty much nailed it!
Decided to re-read these to refresh my memory and to see if they are as good as I recall.
Just felt like commenting here as I reread this great series.
This story? It's what got me into MLP in the first place a little over a year and a half ago. I was on a Dresden Files binge, and after reaching the end of the series and desperate for more, I turned to fanfiction. Some was good, some was meh and others I refuse to speak of, but then I came across this. I wasn't expecting much-while I didn't dislike MLP in principle and knew vaguely about bronies I still wasn't into the show or the fandom in general.
Then I read this, realized that, lo and behold, I actually liked the characters you portrayed here, and, out of curiosity, I decided to check out the show.
I'm glad I did, and I'm glad that I found this fandom.
So...thanks. Thank you for writing this great crossover.
I have never read the Desden Files book series, but just the first chapter here has made me want to.
9388055
Absolutely agree with you 2-year-old comment.
10987685
As do I, one and a half year old comment.
11264718
I do as well, 6 month old comment