//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Harry Potter: Equestria // by Tailspin333 //------------------------------// Harry walked with his friends as they walked towards the castle. Twilight can be heard muttering about slapping her brother for not letting her know about the wedding ahead of time or telling her he was interested in a mare. Harry shook his head at her amused with what she is saying as he looked around the city to see the sights as well as keeping a eye out for anyone he knew. He was worried some by the increased number of guards and the barrier that covered the city. After several minutes they reached the gates of the castle. Harry was awed with what he sees, it was to him better than Hogwarts was before the war. They were soon greeted by a unicorn as they enter the courtyard. "Twily!" He called out as he came up to Twilight and hugged her. "It's good to see you." He told her. Harry figured he was Shining Armor as Twilight went off on him about not informing her about the wedding earlier. Shining Armor managed to calm her down. "So do you mind introducing me to your friends?" He asked her as he led them into the castle not knowing he only delayed the onslaught. "Those are Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Harry, my friends." Twilight said as she pointed each of us out to Shining Armor. "It's good to meet you all." He said with a smile. 'Well he not going to be smiling in a minute.' Harry thought as hurricane Twilight was unleashed on him. Harry watched as she ripped into him for not telling her he was seeing somepony or letting her know of the wedding ahead of time. He kept trying to say sorry but Twilight wasn't letting him. "Twilight." Harry spoke up interrupting her as he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Give him a chance to explain himself will you." He tells her as he looked at Shining Armor who understood what Harry is saying. "Sorry Twilight I was busy with my job as the captain of the guard and I thought I had done so earlier, Looks like I was wrong." He told her with a sheepish look as the two walked off talking calmly once more as the others followed. Harry followed the others till they split off to the rooms they were given dropping off their bags and heading out to do the jobs they had been given for the wedding. Harry moved about the castle keeping his wand in it's holster while the cloak and sword are in the moleskin bag. He walked for a hour before coming to the gardens. He walked through it checking out the sights. He found a bench and sat down enjoying the peace and quiet for as long as it's going to last till whatever is causing the feeling he has acts. He thought about what's going on and what he overheard. Why would someone give a threat to the wedding when they could just attack when it happens without making it harder for them... Unless they want them to look for a threat from the outside and not the inside! The line of thought had him jump up from the bench. He reentered the castle as he used Legilimency to carefully check the minds of each pony he saw looking in their eyes. He had checked 79 ponies finding nothing when Twilight ran up to him. "Harry I'm sorry to trouble you but I think we may have a problem." She tells him. "I agree. I thought about what's going on and it doesn't make sense to make a threat of a attack on the wedding unless you plan to make them look for a threat from the outside and not from the inside." He told her after he checked on her to see if she's the real one. She looked at him in shock before. "I was going to say that Cadance isn't acting like she normally does but that may explain it. The question is it mind control or is that not the real Cadance." She tells him. The information has Harry figure he'll need to use ‘Legilimency’ on Cadance or whoever it is that replaced her to see the answer. The problem will be that he is likely going to have to use magic to remove the mind control or whatever spell or potion to make the imposter look like Cadance. 'Damned if I do and damned if I don't.' Harry thought to himself. When Twilight spoke of confronting Cadance Harry got a idea. "Twilight I have a idea. You confront Cadance to see if it's mind control or not. If you don't return by the time of the Wedding then I will confront whoever is the one in her place and make them drop the act. I have a couple of tricks to force them to show themselves." Harry tells her. 'And learn the reason why they are doing it.' He thought mentally for there is always a reason to do something like this. Twilight nodded and left while Harry went back to what he was doing. 'Still.' Harry thought to himself. 'It may be best to set up a few surprises in the event of outside reinforcements.' He continue the line of thought with a few ideas as he headed to the gate. As he made his way to the gate still checking out ponies when he's able to he noticed a pink Alicorn walking towards him, unfortunately he wasn't able to look into her eyes. 'Ah hell.' He thought to himself as he started to move quicker without drawing attention to himself as he exit the castle through the gate and ducked into a alleyway putting on the cloak and heading to the walls. 'Thank god I made temporary use once for 24 hours rune barrier stones and they can be activated remotely and even then it can take hell of a beating for hours if for quarter of that time.' He thought to himself. Chrysalis Pov: 'That's odd. How did he disappear like that from my senses, and why did I sense magic from him and a large amount of it as well and it's not from any kind of magic item... Humans aren't supposed to have magic in the first place as well or so it's said to be, so this one is something to look into.' Chrysalis thought to herself as she reenter the castle. She connected herself to the hive mind and spoke to the Changelings in the city to be on the lookout for the unusual human and to bring him to her before heading to the kitchen. Harry Pov: It took Harry a few hours to the late afternoon to set up the ward stones along the wall and the caste hidden so they wouldn't be messed with. He had them set to draw magic from the seven lay lines under the city with each stone on the ley lines surrounding the city. He had noticed several ponies looking around carefully and used ‘ ‘Legilimency’ on them only to learn they are another race transformed as ponies called Changelings. He also managed to learn about the Hive mind, the army they have hidden outside of the city, the reason why they are doing this, and lastly of their queen Chrysalis who is currently in Cadance’s place and the location of the real Cadance. ‘Well isn’t this a going to be hell of a mess.’ Harry thought to himself. ‘At least I know where to go if Twilight goes missing.’ He continued as he removed the cloak and headed back to the castle. Time skip: Wedding rehearsal. Harry stood not far from the door in which he noticed Twilight wasn’t in the room. ‘Just great I’m going to have to get her out of those caves, which means the use of magic. ‘ Harry thought to himself as he made sure that his magic couldn't be felt and his Occlumency was ready to fool the changelings. He made his way out of the room when the rehearsal ended to his room to prepare for the upcoming battle. He was nearing the room when he saw a pair of changelings he had found in their false forms ahead of him. They stopped in front of him and one spoke. “Princess Cadance would like to speak to you.” He tells Harry. "Very well." He replied knowing it would be the best not to do anything for now, he knew if he tried anything without help or real ponies that are in the room things won't end well for him. He followed them to the room were the Changeling queen waited. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you." Chrysalis tells him, "I hadn't met many humans aside from the ones sent as ambassadors. I would like to ask you a few questions of your home world if you don't mind?" She asks him. "I don't but I will warn you, I know mostly of my home country Great Britain. The rest of the world I know little of aside from the basics." He tells her glad to have read up on it during his time on the run back at earth. The two talked for an hour before Chrysalis had to leave. As the two parted. 'Looks as it was a false alarm. Still he is an interesting one.' Chrysalis thought to herself. 'I may have to have him for myself once this is over.' She continued as she walked away. 'Damn glad she didn't pick up anything that give me away but I best be careful in case something happens.' Harry thought to himself. 'Still if Twilight isn't able to get herself and the real Cadance back I'm going to have to act even if I don't want to.' He thought to himself as he headed to his room. As he was walking he nearly ran into Princess Luna. "Princess Luna, it's good to meet you again." He tells her as he does a quick check glad to see it's the real one. "It's good to meet thou again as well Harry. What brings thou here?" She replies to him. "Is there a problem?" She asks him. "No problems, I was invited here by Twilight to come along for the wedding along with the rest of her friends." He tells her. "Oh? That's good to see that she's brought her friends along even if my sister asks for them to some as well. We do would wonder why she didn't invite other humans if it wasn't for that threat at was sent to us. Do be careful we wouldn't like to see you get hurt if it turns out to be real." She tells him. "Oh, trust me. I can defend myself but I'll be careful if anything does happen." He tells her with a nod and smile causing her to smile softly at him. The two parted ways as Harry made plans. Night of the real wedding. 3rd Person Pov 'Damn it all, no choice.' Harry thought to himself as he readied to use Finite Incantatem. He had readied his combat gear and tried to think of ways to help Twilight without giving himself away but couldn't and the tracking spell on her worn off. Now he has to stop this before it goes to hell. He's just glad to have a seat in the second row and the spell is a unseen type and one of the several he can use wandlessly. The doors however then bust open as Twilight and Cadance showed themselves. He smiled but it dropped quickly when he saw Shining Armor didn't look and then Harry saw the color of his eyes seemed to be overlayed with another. "Shit." He said as all hell broke lose. Changelings showed themselves and came out of the woodwork fighting or capturing ponies as a shit ton more showed up outside the shield and started blasting at it. Harry knew it wouldn't last long with Shining Armor as he is and used the remote rune stone for his shield stones holding it up after getting to the windows after knocking in a couple of heads as a pair of changelings went for him. It appeared inches behind the one held up before Shining Armor's seconds before it fell. the sight of the silver shield causing the fighting to stop as all looked at it in shock at the sight of it for different reasons. "WHAT! How is this possible! Who's doing this!" Chrysalis yelled as this new silver shield appear before the main force of her army could attack the city when she saw the lone human who was still in the room holding something. "GAVE ME THAT!" She said catching him off guard as her magic grabbed it. 'A magic item? No a rune stone! How?!?' She thought before looking at him again seeing him hold a stick for some reason. "Shit!" Harry cursed as the stone was taken from him. The game was up for him as he pulled out his wand, glad that due to the threat that there were no no-majs in the city. Before she could speak he acted. "Reducio!" He casted at her shocking everyone. She blocked it with a shield which shattered from it but stopped the spell. He fell back to his fight mode launching spells at every changeling in sight as the fight started again. He blocked a spell from Chrysalis and returned with a "Petrificus Totalus". The two fought throwing spells act each other even when fighting another when suddenly four Changelings piled on Harry stunning him for a minute as more of them did the same, before his body suddenly changed from human to that of a Horntail Dragon throwing them off him shocking many again before slamming his tail into a group attacking Princess Luna who had joined the fight attacking along side Celestia. During the fight Cadance had made her way to Shining Armor and was trying to get him to come back to normal but was failing. Harry noticed the two and made his way over in dragon form smashing and clawing and biting any changeling that got in his way before shifting back to human form. "Finite Incantatem" Which removed the spell on the Stallion making Harry glad he was able to removing it without having to going into his head. "How!" Chrysalis demanded. "Human's shouldn't be able to use magic!" She said in anger as she fought both Princesses but was slowly getting overwhelmed as the love she had taken from Shining Armor was being used up far too quickly for her liking. Suddenly the ground covered all but her head leaving her stuck in place. She was quickly knocked out by a spell from Princess Celestia. the fight winded down from there as changelings were knocked out or as they fled. Harry looked around as he puts his wand away knowing that he's going to have to answer a lot of questions from his friends. The Princesses Celestia and Luna came up to him, Luna looking as she was about to speak. "After the wedding your Highnesses. Besides I would like to have to only explain this once." He tells them as the Elements came into the room. The two looked at each other before agreeing. "Very well but you best explain how and why we weren't told." Celestia tells him sternly. Harry watched as the two left and his friends came up to him.