Chapter 12: A Blazing Familial Passion…
The Halls of Canterlot Castle was eerily quiet.
Too quiet…
The only noise that disturbed the silence was the gentle breathing of Celestia, who was sitting Indian Style in the middle of a dark room, with black obsidian walls and iron flooring.
The Solar Diarch inhaled through her nose, and out through her mouth.
Her alabaster white body was sitting stiffly in one place, in the center of the massive chamber.
As if waiting for something…
Or someONE…
The grandfather clock’s large hand struck midnight, and the bells chimed, echoing throughout the quiet castle in a looming sense of dread...
It was silent in the chamber, silent as the--
Celestia’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and her purple eyes were changed into serpentine gold, leaking fire out of her sockets.
Her dress changed into a molten colored set of full body armor, complete with gauntlets and helmet.
Her rainbow-colored mane changed into an inferno of gold and red fire, whirling around her head in a hurricane of power.
Her lips pulled back and her molars turned into ragged fangs, sharp enough to rip into flesh with ease.
The fiery form of the Alicorn stood up and cracked her neck, grinning with malice.
“ Hello, Celestia. So glad that you let me out, finally.”
The ghostly form of Celestia sat in the same position in front of her, dipping her head.
“ You do know what the reason I let you out is, correct?” Said the Solar Diarch.
Daybreaker, who frowned lightly as she went through her other self’s memories, then nodding,
“ Is it about the young man?” She said.
The tone in her voice was very gentle, which was slightly surprising to Celestia.
She nodded, “ Yes, it’s about Harry Potter. I am sure that you’ve heard of what he went through in his childhood?” She asked, her pale eyes dimming at the memory of Harry’s life story being told to her and Helphia, who used a passive aura to reveal any secrets Harry might’ve had in case he was a threat to her ponies.
It was the opposite, wherever Harry came from, the world was against him.
Daybreaker’s normally insane and malicious grin turned into an animalistic snarl, her gold irises glowing with rage that could be accustomed to Celestia’s own sun.
“ Indeed.” She bit out, a small dollop of fire spewing from her mouth as she did so, “ If we ever meet these ‘Dursleys’, they shall know the true wrath of the sun!”
Celestia snorted, getting her darker side’s attention,
“ I agree with you on that, Day. Abuse is not tolerated, no matter what country or race of creature you’re born in. If we meet them, I will let you have your… fun.” She then smirked at the last sentence, “ I might even get Luna and Nightmare to join in.”
Daybreaker grinned evilly, very eager to at least do SOME good with her abilities.
The pyromaniac Alicorn then shook her head, her eyes boring into Celestia’s.
“ What’s the plan for young Harry Potter, Celly? We can’t just very well ADOPT the man without his consent!”
The Solar Diarch’s eyes turned cunning, catching Daybreaker with a sly smirk.
“ Who says that I can’t very well just ask?” She said, her voice calm and slightly mischievous, even more than Discord could manage.
Her darker self’s eyes widened for a moment, before tapping a finger to her chin.
Then she nodded, grinning even more.
“ If it doesn’t work out, At least I tried and he’ll know that I care--that we all care about him and Young Teddy. Even though it has been a couple of days since we met, I feel like I could trust him even with my darkest secret.” At this she shot a small playful glare at the smug entity, then continued, “ Harry has a way of words that makes everyone in the room pay attention and listen like I do and Teddy has that adorable naivety that makes me want to spoil him rotten.” Celestia said, leaning back a bit, sighing through her nostrils in weariness.
The past few days have been hectic, isn’t it?...
“Speaking of, How long will it take for me to be introduced to them? I wanted to meet Harry and Teddy ever since they arrived in the castle.” Daybreaker inquired with a tilt of her head.
Celestia leaned back, her face one of pondering for a few moments, then nodded to herself on her decision.
“ I will let you meet Harry using my body, in this chamber so the surroundings won’t get melted or charred. I will be in astral form and in plain view of Young Harry so he will know what’s going on. Teddy can be introduced later. Agreed?”
Daybreaker nodded in immediate agreement, then smirked, “Nightmare seems to be taken by him. Mayhaps she is willing to share?”
Celestia’s cheeks went pink, then spoke sternly, “ Day!”
Her other self held up her hands in surrender, “ What Celly? Don’t tell me that you haven’t felt that pull as well? Your sister feels the same thing whenever he’s in the same room!”
Celestia frowned, then her expression went dazed for a moment, imagining what it would be like, causing Daybreaker to snicker as she saw the images of her other self’s thoughts.
Hook, line, and sinker. The evil side thought as she waited.
Celestia shook herself of her thoughts and glared at Daybreaker playfully.
“ I don’t see him as someone to court, Day! I see him as…” Celestia trailed off, her heart almost stopping at the realization.
“ As a kid in need of a mother.” Daybreaker finished her sentence, smiling lightly without showing her fangs.
Celestia felt a pang of sadness at the word ‘mother’, and remembered that Harry’s mother, Lily Potter nee Evans, died before he got to know her.
She didn’t want to feel like a replacement mother for someone who’s already grown up without parents, and relatives who hate his guts.
Daybreaker sighed in annoyance at the thoughts running through her other half’s brain and spoke.
“ I feel it too. You feel that you should do everything in your power to protect him from danger, even though he’s an adult.” Daybreaker got up to her feet and put a hand gently on Celestia’s transparent shoulder, “ I feel that as well, I can also feel that he can take care of himself, because from what I can glean from your memories, he had a rough life and is stronger because of it.”
Daybreaker smiled more genuinely, “ He has a Godson, and is doing a remarkable job of raising him on his own. He might not be part of the family, but I know that he feels grateful that you, Luna, Nightmare, and Teddy are there for him. He already feels that you are a family.”
Celestia smiled lightly, her chest warming at the thought of Harry being her son, blood or no blood.
“ Do you really think so? That we can all be a family?” A thought then came to her and her sadness returned, “ What about the nobles? Surely they don’t want a ‘commoner’ to be part of the Royal Family?”
Daybreaker sighed and replied,
“ I say to hell with the nobles, they don’t dictate your actions and choices on who gets to be part of YOUR family…” She then smirked evilly, “ Besides, if they got a problem with it, they get to deal with me and Nightmare.”
Celestia imagined a few nobles with pitchforks and torches, only time get burned to ashes or turned to moonstone, which made the Solar Diarch giggle.
Then the clock outside the chamber chimed that it was midnight, and Daybreaker felt her control begin to weaken.
“ I want to be introduced to Harry soon Celly, or I’ll tell Luna all about your cake collection you keep under the bed in a locked box.” She said, her golden fiery irises twinkling with mischievous mirth.
Celestia glared at her other self, a frown on her lips.
“ Don’t you dare, Day. Or I’ll tell Nightmare about your dreams of Chrysalis. I don’t even think she can bend that way!”
-------------------------
It was the next day, and Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed, stretching his stiff muscles that he barely used while he was on bed rest.
He hasn’t seen Teddy since before the dance and attack, which made Harry worried that something bad must’ve happened to his Godson.
But he relaxed, knowing that Teddy might be alright, since he saw him and Amethyst walking through the gardens hand in hand with smiles earlier that morning, while he watched from the bedroom window, seemingly affectionate with each other, if the blushes and cuddling were any indicators.
Harry smirked, He’s definitely got his mother’s personality. He thought to himself.
Then a voice spoke up from the doorway, causing the young man to lift his head.
It was Celestia, whose clothing changed from battle armor to a royal ankle-length white dress that hugged her figure quite nicely, with the symbol of the sun on the left breast of the dress, shining proudly in the light.
“ Good morning, Harry.” She said, with a soft warm smile that made Harry squirm a little bit.
“ Good morning, Your Majesty.” He replied, finished tying his shoe and ran a hand through his messy mane, which made it even messier than taming it.
It was a hard habit to break, even if you’re in a different universe…
“ Come now, there’s no need for formalities, since your our guest after all.” Then she smirked, her purple eyes gleaming with mischief, “ And the coltfriend of my sister’s other half.”
Harry felt his cheeks go red at the kiss that Nightmare Moon so boldly gave him after the attack that night, remembering the feel of her plump lips against his.
Unsurprisingly He couldn’t help but feel like kissing Nightmare again, next time he sees her…
It’s not every day that the embodiment of Death and a Dark Goddess kisses you and does other things…
Where the hell was Death anyway…
After shaking those strange thoughts out of his head, Harry felt Celestia sit next to him, her eyes in a thousand-yard stare, clearly thinking about something that is making her fidget slightly.
At least, that’s what his Auror eyes told him…
Celestia’s hands were slightly twitching, as if she wanted to do something but was holding herself back, and her warm purple eyes were expressing something the need to say something to him, but he couldn’t figure out what.
And she looked a bit...Nervous…
That can’t be right, Princess Celestia never looked nervous, she was always graceful, even when smiling, she never seemed to express any true emotion unless it was her sister, Nightmare, or himself.
So why is she nervous right now?...
Harry was about to speak, to ask if there’s anything wrong, but Celestia beat him to the punch,
“ Are you doing ok, Harry? Still not sore from the battle, are you?” She said, her tone full of care that reminded the young stallion of Molly Weasley, who went through thick and thin to make sure he was healthy whenever he visited the Burrow, which was built from the ground up, literally.
He still loves magic, and it still surprises him on what it could do…
Harry smiled, replying, “ Yes, Celestia. I am still a bit sore, but it’s already fading since I got up.”
Celestia seemed relieved that he wasn’t hurt, and he had a suspicion, that she really cared for Harry, just like Molly did when he was an underfed eleven-year-old to adulthood.
“ Good, good.” She said, smiling that warm smile that makes him wanna squirm in content.
Teddy felt the exact thing, but it made him slightly uncomfortable with how warm it is in the room whenever Celestia smiled.
He said it was comparing it to a hot summer day…
After a few moments of slightly comforting and awkward silence, Harry sighed lightly, then took the plunge.
“ What’s wrong? You’re nervous.” He noticed that Celestia looked at him in surprise and smirked, “ I wouldn’t be alive if I couldn’t notice any details, no matter how small or how hidden, I will know.”
Then he put a hand on hers, causing a slight shock to go through both of their systems, but he ignored it, his green eyes glowing with concern.
Since she and her family were the ones to take care of him and his Godson during the attack, he was willing to return the favor…
Celestia felt her chest warm at the contact, and her breath slightly hitches at the look of concern that the stallion was giving her.
Then she took a breath and then spoke.
“ Do you ever get the feeling, that when you meet the right person, that you can feel like you can protect them, make them feel loved?”
Harry blinked, his mind going through the question and broke it down, reading between the lines.
Then he nodded, answering himself and her question.
“ Do you feel like they can become someone that person looks up to, to idolize?”
At this Celestia seemed to be breathy a bit faster, if her flaring nostrils were any indicator, and Harry decided to be blunt in his question.
“ Where are you going with this, Celestia?” He asked, slightly confused, yet had a feeling that whatever it is, it was good, and not dangerous.
The Solar Diarch got up from her sitting position and paced a bit in front of him, hands behind her back clenching and unclenching.
Then she felt Daybreaker speak to her internally.
“ Do it. He already has a suspicion of what you want to say to him. Just get it all out.”
Nodding, and taking a breath, she turned to Harry.
“ I feel like you’re my child. A son that I never knew. I want to make you a part of my family, a family that cares deeply about each other and helps whenever possible. I don’t want to ask this of you if you want to stay independent, doing what you do as well as raising Young Teddy.” She took another breath, and continued with a strong voice, making sure that it didn’t waver or crack in the whirlwind of emotions that were going through her, “ But, will you be a part of the Faust Family?”
It was silent, Harry’s eyes were widened to the point of dinner plates, and Celestia’s heart began to hurt at the silence, fearing rejection of the honorable offer.
Then…
“ Even though it’s sudden, I feel like I could trust you, even when it’s not appropriate, or to turn to you for advice if I need it. I want to truly experience this, to be a part of something that I always envied of when I was a child.”
Then he felt his throat grow a lump and began choking out the words, his eyes grew wet with tears.
“ I want to be a part of your family. To care, to protect, and to love you all as much as possible.”
Celestia’s eyes widened when she saw him begin glowing, an aura of black, green, and grey surrounding him as she listened.
Then she remembered what’s going to happen since Cadence, her niece was the same way when the offer was asked all those years ago.
“ I accept.” Harry said, a smile growing on his face as the glow became intense.
As if speaking an Unbreakable Vow, the glow intensified to the point that it was like looking into the sun, and Celestia shielded her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded.
Throughout the castle, Luna, Nightmare, and Teddy felt the surge of magic permeating the city, causing shivers to go down their spines and a look of surprise was felt when Chrysalis felt the same thing, as if a connection was established from someone they were missing for millennia.
Celestia stood in front of the glowing orb that surrounded Harry, where he floated with glowing eyes and prayed to herself and to her mother that he could handle the power surge…