//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Letters // Story: Equestrian Vacation // by Dragonboy111 //------------------------------// Dear Twilight. I've completed the first task of the Tournament. They had us fight live dragons! Each one had a fake golden egg, which we had to steal. I elected to summon my Firebolt and outfly her. I think I understand why Rainbow Dash thought this was "awesome". Luckily the dragons were nowhere near Spike's level of awareness, I'm not sure how I would have been able to face them if they were as sapient as him, and no one was seriously harmed. But I'm tired of this. This is my third year where my life has been under constant threat, fourth counting the end of my first. I have some downtime before the second event, and all I've got is a worthless clue. Doesn't help that the whole of Hogwarts seems to hate me, the whole school seems to hate me for "stealing" Cedric's spot. Even Hufflepuff hates me! It's like the previous three years combined: dangerous creatures, a distrustful school, and a shady teacher. On the plus side, Ron and I made up. He understands how much danger I'm in, but he and Hermione can only do so much. This whole thing is weighing down on me. The attitude is bad, but the threat of death is too much. If it isn't a bother, I would like to visit Equestria again. I know Hedgewig would love to see Fluttershy again. Maybe you could use the spell, just for the weekend? It would mean the world to see everypony again. With love, Harry. Harry set down the quill and ink, skimming over the letter. Had he been too pushy to ask to visit Equestria? Maybe he should rewrite... No. This was fine. Harry carefully rolled up the parchment, tying it up with red string. He tapped the letter with his wand, carefully reciting the spell in his head, and he watched the letter disappear. It had been nearly five years ago that Harry Potter first received a mystery letter from a girl named Twilight Sparkle from a place he had never heard of before. Harry had first thought it was another of the "freakish" things Vernon said Harry did. Harry thought it was a cruel prank at first, that there wasn't a girl with that name, and she wasn't a unicorn from a magical place called Equestria. But when she talked about his freakish nature as magic, something just felt... right, like a puzzle was coming together. A puzzle that created a beautiful picture when Twilight brought Harry to Equestria. Sure, being a unicorn was a major adjustment, but it was great. Harry felt a sense of belonging there, more so than he did at Hogwarts. Twilight even taught him a scooch of magic. Harry couldn't help but smile to himself as he looked at where the letter had been. Turns out practicing Equestrian magic, which had few (if any) incantations, had made him quite proficient at nonverbal casting. He could send his letters without speaking the spell's name, along with several unicorn spells, such as the common levitation charm they all used. Twilight's tutelage, though brief, was brilliant, and Harry actually found himself enjoying her lessons whilst he was in Ponyville. The grin on Harry's face slackened as the memories pulled at his heartstrings. He missed them. He missed Applejack's honesty, Rainbow Dash's loyalty, Pinkie Pie's laughter, Rarity's generosity, Fluttershy's kindness, and almost everything about Spike. But, most of all, he missed Twilight's friendship. She was the first person- or pony- to offer friendship before she asked about "The Boy Who Lived". Her letters had been the light during his dark times as a student, where he confessed everything that happened at Hogwarts. And, in return for his sad stories, she had nothing but kindness to offer. A sparkle of light in the darkness. Sighing, Harry quietly levitated his quills, pen, and glasses to their proper place. He then tucked himself under the covers, and sleep claimed his mind. In a faraway place, in the land of Equestria, a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle was suddenly shaken awake by her assistant, Spike. She shook the sleepiness away, before realizing she was hunched over her desk. "What? Oh, hi, Spike. Wait, did I fall asleep studying!? Or did I oversleep!?" Twilight glanced outside, seeing the recently set nightscape. She turned to Spike. "If I didn't oversleep, why did you wake me?" The young dragon held up a letter in his hand. "You got a letter Twilight." He held it closer to her. The official seal of Celestia wasn't on the face, but it was tied with a bright red string. "I think it's—" Twilight grasped the letter in her telekinesis, fully awake. "Harry! I was hoping to hear back from him after the tournament!" She quickly tore off the string, and read the letter out loud. She couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "So, Harry wants to visit again?" asked a jubilant Spike. Twilight could only nod. "Sweet! He's really cool, and his adventures sure are too!" Twilight skimmed over the letter one more time. "He said he wanted to visit this weekend. Spike, do we have anything on those days?" Spike reached for Twilight's calendar and began flipping through the pages. "Let's see... Friday afternoon is clear, Saturday you have a picnic with our friends, and Sunday was reorganizing the library." "I can reschedule my Sunday, right?" Twilight asked tentatively. "Yup." Spike nodded. "Excellent. Then our first order of business is to write back, and schedule the summoning spell. Then we should tell the others when Harry is set to arrive. Then we need to correct my schedule, clean up the library, and—" Twilight continued to list off her goals, while Spike sighed in resignation. "I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, am I?" Harry blinked open his eyes as a crack of morning light filtered through the dorm's windows. He stretched and reached for the glasses on his nightstand, only to feel something lying over them. It felt like a roll of parchment paper, which was odd. He hadn't placed that there last night. Harry's eyes shot open. Of course! He hadn't placed the roll on his glasses last night, but someone else did. Harry sat up, put on his glasses, and looked at the paper in his hands. The material was right, and the same red ribbon tied around the center was right, it just had to be! Twilight had written back last night! Harry slipped off the ribbon and opened the letter. Dear Harry. I'm glad to hear that you're alright. To be honest, you scared me for a moment! I mean, dragons!? That seems so cruel, to make you take an egg, albeit a false one, from them. But I'm glad to hear you got out just fine. Something about this whole "tournament" hasn't been sitting well with me. I'm sorry about your schoolmates. I wish I could be there for you, physically. Sometimes a letter can only do so much. Maybe when this is all over things will calm down. It's hard to hold a grudge against someone like you. Just stay strong. And you should know that you're always welcome to visit. Remember, Princesses Celestia and Luna said there'll always be a place for you here, in Equestria and our hearts. I'll cast the spell Friday afternoon, and give you some time to get adjusted to walking again. Can't wait to see you. With love, Twilight. Harry read the letter once more, just to be certain. A warm feeling bubbled up in his chest. He was going back to Equestria! He couldn't wait to see everypony again.