Toasted Figins Anypony?
Dan's Comments
DISCLAIMER: My Little Pony is the property of Hasbro, Inc., Harry Dresden is the property of Jim Butcher, Carl Kolchak is the property of ABC/Universal Television, Ranma Saotome is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sailor Jupiter is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

Harry was bothered by the sideward glances from Patrick as they scouted out the Changeling force. "Okay, I admit something that eats people's magic and identity bugs me."

"Yes, you certainly gave that impression. Indelibly I might add," Patrick added, like he was talking a man off the edge of roof.

"You're the one who actually killed her," Harry replied, "I would have left her alive."

"I am trying to gauge which of us is the more merciful in those two statements," Patrick said, "And frankly, when are you going to put that bat down?"

"I thought this was an oar," Harry said setting down the blood-stained impliment.

"It's a cricket bat, and no that isn't for smashing crickets, although I have no doubt it would serve the purpose admirably," Patrick said, "Did you mean to break each bone individually, or was that just happenstance?"

"I got excited, no I didn't, and you didn't try to stop me," Harry said, then he stared at Patrick, "How did you blank their minds of the events? Mind magic is too dangerous for that kind of manipulation."

"I covered us with an illusion of two bronicorns," Patrick said, "No pony in the village knew it was us, in fact they saw the two defeated bronicorns, and Ms. 'Equaler Than Thou' and her changeling allies as one act of treachery."

Harry nodded. "I wonder why Celestia let that village stand. Even I could smell the dark magic of the place."

"Simple, she had other things to think about," Patrick said, "Like the entire rest of her realm under attack. Traitors and fifth columnists could be dealt with later. I do wonder where this Tirek fellow went, but I think asking may raise more questions than it answers."

"Agreed. So, off to teach Spike about being a dragon in the waking world?" Harry asked.

"If Godzilla is close at hand, you use him," Patrick said, "You want to watch?"

"Yeah, from ten miles away, through a telescope," Harry answered, "My sense of adventurer has been over exercised by this trip."
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Shining Armor facehooved as the four newcomers took down ten-times that number of guards without magic, and without hurting anypony.

"We're good, what can I say?" Soldier told Shining.

"You can tell me who Annatar is?" Shining said.

"Sauron is around here?" Soldier asked eagerly.

"No, sorry," Armor replied.

"Shoot, well, Annatar is Sauron, Gorthaur the Cruel, right hand of Morgoth or Melkor, forger of the Rings of Power and the One Ring, and all-around, superpowerful bad dude. He called himself Annatar when he was tricking the Elves into helping his forging the Rings of Power," Soldier said, "Then he ran off and forged the ruling ring, the One Ring to Rule Them All. Planned on taking over the world, but the Numenoreans kicked his ass, so that plan went on the back burner for 3,000 years."

"If he was so powerful, how did they beat him?" Armor asked.

Soldier chuckled, "You'd have to ask Scholar, I mainly read the wiki," Soldier said, "But their fleet filled the harbor at Umbar, 40 by 10 miles. So he pussied out after his army di di mau'd." Soldir pointed behind him.

Armor got the picture, tried to imagine a fleet so powerful Celestia would surrender to it, after the ponies had fled out of reach. There's not enough material on the panet to build a fleet that big, he thought.

Abandoning those terrifying images, he continued, "You mentioned Melkor."

"Sauron's boss until the Valar took him out," Soldier said.

"And Ungoliant?"

"Spider so big, it terrified big M himself," Soldier said, "They ate the light from the Two Trees, the Sun and the Moon are just the fruit of those trees."

"Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed the plant the sun and the moon grew from?" Armor asked.

Soldier nodded. "Why the sudden interest," Soldier asked, "They're just stories to most people."

"Something I heard," Armor said, "Sauron's dead, right?"

"As a door nail, so's Ungoliant," Soldier said.

"That confirms what I heard, excuse me," Armor left, trying to match up what he'd just heard with Makoto's song.

I'm almost afraid to ask about Lucy Fer, Armor thought.
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The huge dragon screamed, and suddenly returned to his normal size. Patrick gasped and raced into the air to catch the falling dragon. "Okay," he easily caught Spike and slowed carefully as he headed towards the ground at a more reasonable pace, "You doing okay?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah," Spike sighed and settled into his arms, "Just curious, why did I understand you in Dragon when I was big, but now you're speaking Pony."

"Probably because this thing is doing the translating and it's doing the simplest and most direct job," Patrick said, as they landed, "There's a separate dragon language?"

"Was I speaking anything that sounded like pony speech?" Spike asked.

"No," Patrick said as he set Spike down, "Why are you concerned?"

"When dealing with Twilight, you look out for weird situations, because they are a clue to something that may come back to bite you," Spike said, "Now, you're sure I'll be there and with you when the fight starts?"

"I'd be three kinds of a fool not to have you," Patrick said, "Don't worry, we'll have them in nice bite-sized pieces for when she and Celestia shows up. Basically we'll have them on the ropes when they ride to the rescue. War is as much psychology as it is tactics."

"Okay," Spike said, "Why was Ranma teaching me to grab things out of a fire real fast? I didn't have the heart to tell him that dragons aren't bothered by heat."

"Think about grabbing changelings out of the sky and damaging them just enough they can't get back into the fight. Plus, Ranma takes everything as a challenge, and teaching people his tricks is the biggest challenge he's ever had, because he has to understand the technique thoroughly before he teaches someone less talented the trick."

"Yeah, I can use it to help sort books and a lot of Twilight's supplies that need sorting," Spike said, "So I'm glad to learn, I just have to be careful with some of the things. They explode when you move them that fast."

"Oh yeah, tell me about that," Patrick said.
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Princess Luna stalked the nightmares of the ponies, and found none. Not just less, but none. Then she saw her own Nightmare. Nightmare Moon was walking the dreams of ponies. Before she could confront the creature, Nightmare pulled an Ursa Major away from the dreams of a pony Luna remembered had a major phobia about bears.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, then moderated her tone, "Not that I'm objecting."

"Penance," Nightmare said, "If I give the ponies a peaceful night's sleep, then Sailor Jupiter won't 'remember' at me."

Luna sensed Nightmare's fear, but also sensed an opportunity. " 'Remember', what memories could she have that would frighten you?" she approached the other mare of darkness, "Tell me, I would like to know."

What followed was a litany of horrors unmatched since the War of the Three Kingdoms. Chaos that would have set Discord against it. Plans not just for reigns of terror, not for planetary or even galactic-level exterminations, but enslavement of not only minds and bodies, but souls as well. And the utter indifference of the great powers to it, even using pawns to encourage the suffering and carnage.

Nightmare was lying on the ground, curled in a ball and whimpering at it all. "And she isn't the worst, Dresden and Patrick live in world where that would be a child's story, a light entertainment." She stared up at Luna, her eyes wild and tearfilled. "Those are the people facing your enemies. Discord summoned the Elements to escape, Makoto would not let me escape, Patrick wears the Alicorn Amulet and bears the Yuiop of Mergatroid, the Golden Helmet of Marebreamo, and the Crystal Skull, with no more ill-effect than a distaste for wheels. Dresden is a slaughterer of dark forces and he's warm and fuzzy compared to the others, and Bruce the Elder Thing is of a species who creates life to repopulate entire worlds, as if Applejack could stretch forth her hooves and change the whole galaxy into an apple orchard."

Luna wasn't sure what a galaxy was, but it had a massive effect on Nightmare.

"We even have 30 more bronicorns, forewarned of Equestria's new defenders, and so they surrendered and put themselves at Equestria's service rather than set a hoof wrong!"

It was against every instinct, but Luna knew she had this one chance, and grudgingly admitted that Makoto had no doubt arranged this too. She lay down beside Nightmare and laid a wing across her. "Celestia and I will talk to Makoto, when we get back. And I'm sure as long as you behave, she won't hurt you."

Luna was filled with trepidation and disgust as Nightmare wrapped her forelegs around Luna's and sobbed.
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Armor rolled out of bed, ready and willing. Today is the day, he thought, Sometime today, the Changelings will attack. The guard will be ready for them. He considered the reinforcements in the form of 30 alicorns and the promise that the dragon who had been seen over Las Pegasus, as well as two others would join the defense.

With my shield and those forces, how can we lose? he thought, Of course Twilie and their Highnesses will be arriving and will be able to crush anything we haven't already overwhelmed.

He looked around nervously. So why do I think we're all doomed? he wondered.
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Spikezilla yanked the stones from out of the fire Ranma was tending. They were tiny things, and it had to be done quickly. He got them all, and dumped them approximately back into the fire. His greed for knowledge and mastery of the skill inflamed as Ranma effortlessly collected the hot stones and tossed them back into the fire to heat up.

He wanted that skill, he wanted it so badly, because it meant Twilight and Rarity would be safe. He didn't shout out 'Spike want!' because he knew it wouldn't work. Instead he dredged his mind for what the other dragon had told him.

They are your friends, friends are very valuable, but to ensure they are your friends, you have to be able to let them go, he thought as he laid down.

A moment later Spike was in Ranma's arms, as the martial artist had raced forward to catch him. Ranma took him over to the fire and went through the motions to pluck the hot stones from the fire. They'd been at this since before dawn, and Spike was getting a lot better.

But I need to be a lot better than I am, he thought. They went through the exercises as Spike for a while, then Spike concentrated on the greed and protective instincts within him.

Spikezilla yanked the stones from out of the fire Ranma was tending. They were tiny things, and it had to be done quickly.
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Applejack looked up from the mat at Rarity. "How'd y'all do that?" she asked as she took Rarity's hoof and pulled herself onto her feet.

"Because combat is a skill like applebucking, and it takes practice," Rarity said sweetly, then sharpened her tone, "Twilight quit taking notes and actually move. Letting your body do the move without thinking about it is the point."

The studious unicorn dropped the quill and went back to the motions that Rarity had insisted she practice.

"Your rear legs are stronger than mine, but there are ways to use that strength against you, and ways to transmit that strength to your forelegs," Rarity said, "Cadence be a dear and come over and help Applejack with that hip throw."

The pink alicorn trotted over and squared off against Applejack, and worked her through the training she'd received from her paramour. Rarity took the opportunity to watch Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy practicing against Luna. Mostly dodging by Fluttershy, but Luna had tagged Rainbow, while she couldn't lay a hoof or horn on Fluttershy.

'Weak flier' my fetlocks, Rarity thought as Rainbow brute forced her way through and Fluttershy seemed to become the movements, exactly what Rarity was teaching Applejack.

She looked around for Pinkie. Or Celestia, or Opal and the other animals, she thought as she looked around for Pinkie Pie, What is that mare up to?

Then she heard the boom.

Oh, Rarity thought.