Chapter 08: Galas & Dragons…
It has been a few weeks since Harry and Teddy arrived in Equestria, settling in to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, getting to KNOW the Royal Pony Sisters.
There has been some light flirting here and there between Teddy and Amethyst though, which gave Harry a REALLY bad image in his head for long term futures…
As for Harry, he and Celestia talk about how to protect Equestria better, especially with his opinions on their defences and how to make them better or upgraded without a way to have problems sneak into her and Luna’s country.
Luna and Harry talk at night about the stars, about the tales of monsters they fought, their personal demons among other things…
Then the announcement was made…
The Grand Galloping Gala was to be held in the Royal Ballroom in the Castle, where all sorts of nobles could converse with the common ponies (in their eyes, anyway…), where there’s music and dancing and food…
It reminded Harry of the Yule Ball in his fourth year, once again…
But this time there was no way he was gonna be stepping on anyone’s toes, not with the dancing lessons Fleur and Fancy Pants gave him a few days back, when they found out he couldn’t dance…
His suit looked even more sharp looking than the one he wore everyday, ever since he arrived…
The dress shirt was a dark red, and his jacket was black with green, blue, and white trimmings, with a pair of black silk slacks that felt like Acromantula silk…
But there was no way that his Godfather had conveniently found some in his attic...Right?...
Anyways… His shoes were steel toed and shined up, sparkling slightly in Celestia’s sunshine.
Harry’s unruly black hair was the same as it was, just grown out into a slightly tamed mullet, which was the style he liked since if he could just tie his hair into a tail if he was in the mood for it.
There was a knock on the door, and Harry called out as he finished doing his
“ Come in!”
The door opened behind him and in the reflection of the full body mirror standing in front of him, his Godson’s head poked in, wearing a smaller version of what Harry was wearing, except that the shirt was blue with a purple vest and jacket, wearing the same slacks Sirius gave him, and the shoes were red converse, with a bit of black outlining the frame.
“ Dad, the dance is about to start!” Said Teddy, a look of nervousness and excitement in his eyes.
He has been like that ever since he asked Amethyst to the Gala a week ago, with chocolates, flowers and everything…
It was sweet, amusing, and heartwarming now that you think about it…
Harry smirked at how Teddy was like him when he was younger, except that his Godson was 10, almost 11 years old in a few months, since according to the Equestrian Calendar, it was in the middle of June, and Teddy’s birthday is at the end September.
He spoke, “ You’re looking sharp, kiddo. Is Amethyst with you, or is she waiting for you to escort her to the ballroom?”
From the redness in Teddy’s cheeks, he apparently didn’t think of that, causing Harry to chuckle in amusement.
All was well for Harry…
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The Royal Ballroom was a room that was the size of the Great Hall in Hogwarts, but without the long four tables taking up the space, but there were sun and moon tapestries hanging from the ceiling, along with a couple hearts here and there.
He hadn’t met Cadence apparently…
Maybe I can make a chapter on that...Hmm…
The place was crowded with Nobles from the city of Canterlot, along with a couple of people from Ponyville and Cloudsdale, as well as the rest of Gaia.
There were Griffins, Minotaurs, Seaponies, Changelings, Yaks, Buffalo, there were so many that it makes MY head hurt…
Harry walked down a set of stairs that wound down into the ballroom, trying his best to not fidget and run a hand through his hair.
She should be here… He thought to himself as he leaned against the rails of a small foyer, looking out over the whole entire room, watching the citizens of Canterlot mingle with each other and delegates.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a voice speaking up next to him,
“ It is a wonderful sight, is it not?”
Harry looked to the right and saw Nightmare Moon leaning against the rail next to him, wearing a tight blue dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, the neckline dipping between her C Cup breasts.
She was wearing eyeshadow, red lipstick that made her already plump lips stick out more against her black-as-night coat ( Ha, see what I did there?), and was wearing a couple of crescent moon earrings, along with a red gemstone that looked like the philosopher's stone that he tried to protect from Voldemort in his First Year of Hogwarts.
It was a bit revealing, but still more than decent…
But… Damn... Harry James Potter... You are one lucky bastard…
She was looking out to the crowd with him, her starry purple mane slightly billowing in an unforeseen wind that the Alicorns only seem to possess, not minding the fact that he was staring at her…
Anyways, Harry averted his eyes from the… mesmerising sight and looked back out to the crowd, smiling lightly.
Now, I know what you might be thinking, how the hell did Nightmare Moon become his date for the Grand Galloping Gala?
Well...
It happened last night…
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*FLASHBACK STARTS*
( Harry was walking down the corridors of Canterlot Castle, looking around at the architecture of what must be at least as old as Hogwarts stonework.
He was alone, since he just tucked Teddy into bed a few minutes ago and wasn’t feeling tired.
He decided to talk a walk in the middle of the night, not knowing that he was being followed…
It was only a minute after he finished looking in the hallway, did a voice speak up behind him, causing him to eject his wand out of it’s am holster, and aim at the source, his reflexes kicking in as he did so.
After catching sight of the person who spoke, he lowered the Elder Wand and relaxed his muscles.
Nightmare Moon watched him with a raised eyebrow, and an amused look twinkling in her serpentine eyes.
She was wearing her silver armor that looked less dented and worn out than before, in case you were just imagining her in the nude, which I don’t blame you…
Anyways…
She spoke, her tone filled with laughter.
“ Well, I’ve had greetings that were worse than that, Harry Potter.”
Harry couldn’t help but snort at that sentence, slipping the Elder Wand back into the arm holster.
He did try and have Death take The Hallows back, but she refused him, saying that they were gifts to her Master, and can be brilliant tools in case he needs them, the Elder Wand for defense and offense, The Resurrection Stone to bring back the dead and get information, and the Invisibility Cloak for OBVIOUS reasons…
... Get your minds out of the gutters, you pervs…
“ Yeah, well, I apologize for my jumpiness, it’s because I…” He was interrupted by Nightmare.
“ Don’t trust us? Or because of the hell that you’ve gone through your whole life?”
Harry blinked at her, slightly shocked at what Nightmare knew what was gonna be said before he did.
“ How…?”
The Mare In The Moon smirked, her canine shining in Luna’s moonlight.
Somehow it gave him a different reaction instead of the fear that it must cause others at the sight of it…
“ Because of your dreams, Mister Potter. Luna and I saw them as I was making sure no bad dreams plague your sleep. Luna took care of our other subjects in Equestria.”
The stallion thought that over for a moment, So that’s why I haven’t had nightmares in a few days! He thought to himself.
“ I want to say thank you for helping, but at the same time I want to yell at you for the invasion of my privacy.” He said.
Nightmare Moon slyly smirked back, replying,
“ You can invade my privacy at any time.” Swaying her hips even more as she sauntered up to him, walking past him.
The gears in his head whirled as he broke down what she last said, before turning beet red at the image.
Then he got an idea…
He turned around at the Alicorn.
“ Well, why not go to the Gala with me? I promise I won’t do anything untowards you, m’lady.” Harry said, his voice echoing throughout the hall.
Nightmare Moon stopped, turning around with wide eyes filled with slight surprise.
Well, that answer was not what I expected. She thought to herself, before answering Harry.
“ I accept, Mister Potter. Don’t be late.”
Before she turned around and began walking again.
When she turned the corner and disappeared, Harry sighed…
Then he jumped into the air mouthing “YES!”)
*FLASHBACK ENDS*
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When the light faded from the flashback, Harry and Nightmare were on the dance floor, twirling elegantly and being the eye catching pair of the entire night…
The Changeling Queens, who were standing at the edges of the room and talking to other foreign delegates as well as each other at how cute the two looked together.
Nightmare Moon and Harry Potter didn’t notice as they stared into each other's eyes, serpentine turquoise meeting with bright emerald green in a form of combat.
“ You are an excellent dancer, Mister Potter. Wherever did you learn?” Nightmare said in a low whisper.
From what she saw in his memories, Harry wasn’t a great dancer, and that was due to the fact of his time at the Dursleys, which made Nightmare’s blood boil at the thought of that damned cupboard under the stairs, he kept stepping on everyone’s toes at the one dance he went in his whole life called the Yule Ball, and he SUCKED at it.
But now… He seemed to have done this for YEARS, if the graceful movements were any indicator…
“ Well… Fleur and Fancy Pants taught me in a few days, when the Gala was announced and found out I wasn’t a good dancer. They just gave me a couple of pointers and my body seems to do the rest.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders with a sheepish look in his eyes as he twirled Nightmare around and then dipping her back.
It was breathtaking for her…
After lifting Nightmare back up to normal, they continued to dance, some mares were glaring in envy at Nightmare, who looked to be a normal unicorn mare with a black coat and purple mane, her serpentine eyes were hidden behind a pair of regular turquoise ones.
The two began to move closer to the other as time went on, and when they were a few inches from each other’s faces, an explosion went off, causing a rumble of panic and screams to emanate from everyone in the room.
Harry and Nightmare pulled back from each other and Harry looked around with a sharp eye, grabbing his Elder Wand from his holster, ready for a fight.
Nightmare conjured an orb of lightning to compress into her hand, pressing their backs to each other.
But there was a roar that shook the castle and a giant head with scales crashed through the ballroom wall.
When he saw the maw full of sharp teeth, his instincts told him to fire a stunner immediately, which Harry did so, casting the spell silently.
Oh, you didn't know? Yeah, he can fire spells including the Avada Kedavra which even Voldemort couldn't do…
When the red bolt of magic hit the snout of the black dragon, it's attention was diverted from trying to eat a small group of Nobles, and towards him.
It was glaring at him like the Hungarian Horntail Nesting Mother from the First Task…
Filled with Determination, Harry fired a Bombarda at the scaly and muscular neck, but it didn't do much except pissing it off even more.
Nightmare shot her hand forward towards the dragon and the orb got turned into a beam of electrical energy, striking the burly chest of the large dragon, causing it to roar in pain.
When she was about to do so again, the dragon's spiked tail caught her in the side, sending the Alicorn flying across the room.
Her dress disappeared and covering her now was the armor she always wore, the glamour wearing off as her wings spread wide and flapped to keep herself in the air.
Nightmare charged back at the dragon, firing beams of magic at it, while Harry tried to get the nearby civilians out if the area.
When Harry was about to join the fight once again, he heard a cry of pain come from the hole in the wall, catching his attention.
The cry came from Chrysalis, who was trapped beneath a large chunk of rubble, trying to escape.
It was too heavy for her, he knew, that if he didn't hurry, the weight of the rubble would crush her lungs…
He sprinted towards the downed Changeling Queen, avoiding random bolts of lightning that came from Nightmare as she attacked the dragon head-on, keeping it distracted.
He slid to his knees and gripped the edge of the rubble, pulling up with all of his might, and Chrysalis pushed as much as she could.
When the rubble begin to shift, a large shadow looked over them and he looked up.
The dragon was glaring down at them, Nightmare was knocked out against the far wall with a couple of singes to her armor and fur.
Harry tensed, knowing that if he didn't get Chrysalis out of here, she would die…
… And it would cause a war between the Changelings and the Dragon Kingdom…
Knowing he might die, Harry pulled with as much strength in his muscles as he could, groaning with pain as his muscles tore.
But he kept pulling, ignoring the pain and kept himself thinking to save Chrysalis, who looked at him with a sense of awe as she felt the weight if the rubble lighten every second.
The rubble lifted high enough for Chrysalis to scoot out, her emerald green dress was ripped and torn in places, a couple of bleeding scratches from the stone caused the Queen to hiss in pain, then forced herself to hurry as she saw that the dragon opened its mouth and the throat was glowing brightly, indicating that it was about to fire.
As soon as Chrysalis was out from under the rubble, Harry let go of the heavy piece of stonework and used what little strength he had and magically pushed Chrysalis ten feet away from him, causing her to fall on her plump backside.
Then a torrent of hot flames descended upon him with the power of a thousand suns…
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Princess Celestia watched as her golden battle armor appeared on her body, a feeling of helplessness wrung from within her as the Solar Diarch's noticed what Harry was doing.
She was just returning from evacuating the guests to the bunker underground when she saw Nightmare Moon getting knocked out from the dragon hitting her with a backhanded SMACK, hitting the wall and falling to the ground.
Celestia was about to fly towards Harry and the trapped Chrysalis when he pushed the Changeling Queen away, and the beam of flames that came out of the dragon's mouth and into where the stallion stood.
Horror filled the Sun Princess and she fell to her knees, the strength that was roaring within her got snuffed out.
She felt Luna land alongside her, her dark blue battle armor just appearing as well…
She saw Chrysalis cover her face at how bright the flames were since she was closer than the two Rulers…
Nightmare just came to and she screamed, “NO!” in horror.
She just figured out what happened…
When the flames died down, all that was left of Harry, was the Elder Wand, somehow still intact and in the fingers of the smoking skeleton that laid on the ground, in the middle of the scorched crater.
The dragon inspected it's work and began chuckling, it's rumbling laugh echoed throughout the room.
Then it was interrupted by snapping fingers, and in a flash of light, stood Sirius Black in the same attire from when he sat next to Harry that one night…
And he looks PISSED as he took in the scene…
Celestia and the other two Alicorns and Changeling Queen looked at the man in confusion before he spoke.
“ That was my Godson you just killed, you bastard.” He hissed, his normal grey eyes changing to fierce red.
Celestia gasped as she heard the voice…
It was all too familiar…
“ Discord.” She whispered, the name spoke of power and it filled the room with the mere mention of it.
Sirius---Discord, turned to the Alicorns, his red eyes filled to the brim with rage and the whites turned into a sickly yellow.
“ Hello Tia. I wish I could say if you would ask to dance, but frankly, we have other problems right now.”
The Spirit of Chaos turned back to the dragon, who was firing another blast of flames at where he stood, but teleported out of the way.
“ Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you could give me a helping hand!” He said as he fired an orb at the charging dragon as it tried to eat him, causing it to screeched in pain as it hit.
The Solar Diarch snapped out of her daze and turned to her younger sister, who seemed to do the exact same and both nodded their heads.
Celestia fired a beam of pure sunlight at the left wing of the dragon, who screeched in pain as it's appendage was burned to a crisp.
Luna made a crescent scythe appear and charged in from the air at high speeds, swinging as she dodged the flames with ease, causing a couple of scratches on the scaled armor.
Nightmare, after getting up from her position on the wall, charged directly at the dragon with a warcry, a large silver sword appearing in her hand, swinging with serpentine eyes filled with rage…
… and grief…
It was a fight worthy in the history books as the three Alicorns and Chaos Spirit fought the dragon, causing it to become injured more and more…
The dragon suddenly threw a torrent of flames at Luna, who collided with a nearby beam that was dangling off the ceiling...
It then stomped on the ground, causing a large shockwave to emanate from that and caused Celestia and Nightmare to go flying across the room...
Sirius tried to freeze it into a ice cube, but got hit by the spiked tail of the dragon, holding his side in pain as it cracked a rib, and his magic was low, so he couldn't heal it and get back into the fight immediately...
Nightmare got slapped again and landed between the two injured Alicorns, moaning in pain as her muscles ached in severe pain…
Chrysalis, who joined the fight, was trying to get into it's mind and control it, but got smacked by a claw that sent her flying into a wall, falling unconscious…
The dragon full on let out a booming laugh as it stomped to the pile of Alicorns, while Sirius tried to fire another orb of Chaos Magic at it to keep it away from them.
Nightmare Moon glared in defiance at the dragon looking above her and the two she calls sisters, as the dragon spoke,
“ You ponies are such a puny race! you don't deserve to rule lands, you all will bow before me, Thor Odinson! I will claim my place as king of Gaia and destroy every single creature that you love!”
At that declaration, Thor inhaled and opened his mouth, his throat glowing, ready to fire the killing blow…
Nightmare wrapped her unconscious sisters, closing her eyes with a tear trickling down her cheek…
In all of her existence, she never regretted anything, But...
She never even had the chance to tell Harry how she felt…
Ever since he arrived the Stallion caught her eye for some reason, whether if he has a heart of gold, a disregard for safety like the guards in the old days, or something else entirely…
Now it is too late…
… THUMPTHUMP...
He’s dead...
… THUMPTHUMP...
The dragon was ready to do the killing blow that will potentially cripple the society of Ponykind…
“Never Again...” Whispered a voice, so quiet, yet it echoed throughout the entire chamber...
Suddenly, a powerful green beam shot out from behind Thor, striking him in the back.
He roared in immense pain, causing Nightmare, Celestia, and Luna to snap their eyes open and look at the source of that beam.
Nightmare's eyes widened…
“ That is not possible…” She whispered out.