//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Two Truths, Two Lies // Story: Equestrian Vacation // by Dragonboy111 //------------------------------// "It started before I got my Hogwarts letter, when I started paying attention to the weird things around me. I was ten, I think. I was having a bad day. I accidentally outscored my cousin on a big test, and he was jealous. I was forced to play 'Harry Hunting' with my cousin and his gaggle of bullies. After I got away, I wrote down how bad the Dursley family was, then hid the paper under my pillow. It was a way for me to vent, I guess. When I woke up the next day, it was gone. I thought my aunt had found the letter and was going to punish me for it. Hopefully just a day without food. But nothing happened, the letter was gone," Harry stated, nervously rubbing his hands together. It was a well-known secret that Harry hated talking about his muggle life. Twilight placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She was definitely going to force him to attend therapy. "That same day, I received a letter from someone I didn't know," Twilight continued. "I wrote back, one thing led to another, and we tried to send letters when we could. I suppose that's where our friendship started. Harry's ability wasn't strong enough to consistently reply to my letters, but we managed. When he told me about Hogwarts, I realized Harry had magic that could cast spells. I started looking for a spell that could help him. I sent instructions to teach him a spell to send small items, like paper, through a stable teleport." "Since then, we've been in regular contact. Unless something special occurs, we usually write to each other once or twice a month. I like to tell her about my magical studies and misadventures." "And I do the same with my letters. I tell him about many of my adventures in Ponyville," Twilight finished. She and Harry shared a look, silently agreeing that was enough information. Dumbledore and McGonagall looked silently at the two, thinking. "You didn't recognize Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, had magic?" McGonagall inquired. "I had never heard of Harry before. And I know many... people... who have more innate connections to magic. I didn't think much of it at first. I do live very far away from here." "Ponyville, right?" Dumbledore questioned. "The town I live in." Twilight answered. "So Equestria is not a single location, but something larger?" Twilight and Harry nodded. "Equestria is my homeland, Ponyville is where I lived after I moved from the capital, Canterlot," Twilight explained. "Outside contact is... complicated." Twilight was starting to form the beginning of her cover story. Equestria would be a foreign land that intentionally stayed hidden. It would explain cultural differences easily enough, along with magical abilities and physical appearance. It also conveniently provided a cover for where Harry had been. "And speaking of contact, when and how did you two first meet in person?" Dumbledore asked. "Before the first task," said Harry. "It took me a while to find the right spell, the Star Swirl the Bearded section on extraplanar travel is very incomplete. But, through hard work and study, I managed to find a spell to transport Harry to Equestria. When I heard about the Tournament, we decided to test out the spell. He spent a while in Ponyville with me and my friends. However, he did have to return." "How strange we never noticed," Dumbledore pondered aloud. "When I came back, no time had passed from when I left. We suspect is to be an effect of the spell," Harry elaborated. "Some form of time dilation as a side-effect," Twilight explained. "It's why Harry vanished mid-day." Harry nodded. "Anyways, we continued our letters until last Friday. I was planning to come back before things got out of hand, but I was delayed by my concussion. Discord had to send me back. I'm still not sure how the time part works, but we're working on it." "How interesting. Time is always such a fickle thing, I'm certain you would remember, Harry." A gleam sparked from within Dumbledore's eyes. "This place, Equestria, what is it like?" Harry hummed to himself for a moment, thinking heavily. Equestria was surprisingly difficult to describe, there was nothing on Earth to compare. Even Twilight's descriptions fell short of the real thing. "First off, there's magic. Like, a lot of magic. The clouds, plants, animals, even the dirt, it all overflows with magical energy. More magic than I thought existed. Everyone knows about it. And those who live there, magical or otherwise, each have their own branch of magic unique to them. Not everyone casts spells. Some control the weather, and others influence the earth and plants. Second, it's relatively peaceful. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of dangerous stuff, but little of it is truly malicious in nature. A significant conflict only occurs every few thousand years. It's incredible, all of it." "Fascinating. An entire country filled with magic. The Ministry would call this the discovery of the millennia," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard. "Which is exactly why we must keep my home a secret for now, please," Twilight pleaded, moving to take a seat next to her friend. "I'm only here for Harry's sake." "I understand, my child. We will... fabricate the proper explanation," Dumbledore said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "For now, Mr. Potter's disappearance is a result of his training for the tournament, a magical mishap. Ms. Sparkle here is a longtime friend of Harry's and was nursing him back to health after his latest... misadventure." "Oddly enough, that's not too far from my plan," Twilight said. "Not to say I'm a good liar or anything." "Excellent. So, this sounds agreeable?" The old wizard paused, waiting for them to speak, and smirked as the two teens nodded and winked. "Ah, splendid. I'm certain we'll have to make use of that cover soon." As if by some prophetic power, the minister and his aurors walked into the hospital wing at that moment. They were quick to spot the headmaster. "Dumbledore, where were you? We're trying to start the search for— oh. I see you've found Potter and apprehended the perpetrator. Well done. We'll take it from here." The minister gestured for his escorts to grab Twilight, whose hand started to spark with energy behind her back, unseen by the aurors. The minister's security stopped when Dumbledore stepped between them. He raised a placating hand, silently asking them to stop and listen to him. "I'm quite afraid that won't be necessary. For you see, I've been having a lovely conversation with these two, and it would appear that our assumptions were entirely wrong. There was nothing malicious in Harry's disappearance, only a magical mishap. Isn't that right?" Twilight and Harry nodded eagerly, the former letting her magic dissipate. "Why the sudden disappearance then?" Fudge demanded. "Lack of practice with the spell. Harry's been training very hard for the tournament," Twilight countered. A technical truth. "Why he never returned for a whole week?" "I got a concussion. I landed on my head when I arrived at Twilight's home." Both of Harry's claims were true, just not together. "Ask Madame Pomfrey, she was just treating me for it." "It's true." The old lady, who had wisely chosen to keep quiet, spoke in Harry's defense. "That boy had the nastiest headache walking in here. Fixed him right up." Fudge blanched. "Albus, clearly you can see this is fabricated. A string of coincidences?" "A concussion is not a coincidence. I was unconscious, nothing suspicious," Harry said. "So, this was just one of the biggest overreactions in wizarding history?" Fudge asked. The two nodded in unison. "Eyup," they said in their best Big Mac impression. "I can't believe how much sleep I lost over this! Mr. Potter, you seem to have made it your personal mission to force me to retire early. I need a vacation." Fudge stumbled for a moment, before latching onto a bed. The aurors looked to be a mix of exasperation, irritation, and relief. "I believe that concludes your business here, minister," Dumbledore said. "You should probably return to your duties at the Ministry, no?" Fudge numbly nodded his head. "So that's it? We all just walk away?" asked Kingsley. When no one objected he tucked his wand away and turned to leave. "I guess we can leave then. I think I'll be visiting Hogsmead for a drink on my way out. You all feel free to join, might do you some good." And with that, he waved goodbye and left the hospital wing with the other aurors trailing along. Fudge was only a few seconds behind them, with a distant and tired look in his eyes. When they had all left the room, McGonagall was quick to turn to Harry. "Mr. Potter, one of these days you're going to give someone a heart attack! You should have been more thoughtful before practicing such advanced magic! I'd give you detention if I weren't so relieved to see you," scolded the transfiguration teacher, who looked about ready to faint. Twilight leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear. "I told you they'd believe you. Have a little faith, okay?" McGonagall resumed talking. "But, I'm glad that you're back safe and sound, and I'm certain your friends will be too." At McGonagall's words, Twilight realized something else. "Oh no, I didn't get time to tell the others! Discord banished us before we could tell them!" She vanished in a pink flash of magic, reappearing across the room to pace. "They're probably so worried, or what if they don't know, or what if they think-" Harry was quick to interrupt. "I'm sure they're fine, Twilight. Besides we just need to send a letter to Equestria, then Spike can send a letter to Princess Celestia asking her to cast the spell to return you. Or you could message her directly. No big deal." Twilight deflated at Harry's words. "You put a lot of thought into that, didn't you?" she said dejectedly, visibly slouching. "Sort of? I've been thinking about that since Pomfrey cured the concussion." McGonagall cleared her throat. "As riveting as this is, I would like to know who this 'Princess Celestia' is. We all thought it was an alias, along with 'Princess Luna' and 'Twilight Sparkle'," said the transfiguration professor. "As would I. It seems there are many more things we're missing here," Dumbledore said. Harry and Twilight nodded in understanding, the latter moving back to stand next to her friend. "First off, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It took me a week to convince Harry, is my name that unusual?" "It is a little odd," McGonagall confessed. "It's a perfectly normal name," Twilight replied. "And as for Princess Celestia, she's the monarch of my homeland," Twilight supplied. "She is Twilight's teacher, and the ancient ruler of all of Equestria, along with her younger sister Luna. I got to meet them once," Harry added with certainty in his voice. Twilight face-palmed herself, frustrated that Harry might have revealed Celestia's age. Dumbledore merely quirked an eyebrow. "I doubt this Celestia is truly ancient, perhaps merely long-lived. Nothing lives forever, Harry. Even powerful artifacts such as the philosopher's stone were not perfect solutions to aging." Twilight snickered behind Dumbledore. "So says the man with a pet phoenix. Celestiais thousands of years old, and has ruled Equestria longer than most of my history books can detail." She whispered to herself. "If I'm not mistaken," continued Harry, oblivious, "there might be a small sect that worships her as their goddess." "She doesn't approve of them," Twilight corrected Harry. "She has actively denied the title of 'Goddess of Equestria', 'Diety of the Sun', and every other title that proclaims divinity in her name." Dumbledore looked surprised. "Still, she is fairly old, nothing next to Discord, but looks great for her age," Twilight finished. "And Discord is...?" McGonagall asked. Harry sat up a little taller in bed. He thought back to his one-time meeting with Discord, and the many more times the Element bearers had talked about him, Fluttershy in particular. He could be... troublesome to explain. He had to break this slowly. If he kept calm this would be easier. "Discord is the physical embodiment of the primordial spirit of chaos and disharmony. The most powerful being in all existence, far as I know. He can throw the balance of nature into turmoil on a whim as a joke. He's reformed now, but he can still rewrite reality on the fly, thinks it's fun or something. I think he's currently living in some outer dimension of his creation." Harry said nonchalantly. Harry looked at Twilight's exasperated face and realized that might have been a bit too much information. Twilight slapped her hand over her face. "Too much, Harry, way too much." McGonagall and Dumbledore looked at each other, dumbfounded. Harry was describing a previously unknown kingdom, filled with magical royalty and personified aspects of reality. It sounded rather like a fairy tale to them. And yet, something about their stories just made a little too much nonsense to be completely fabricated. McGonagall sat down on another bed, processing the earth-shattering information. "Well, Mr. Potter, that's one more thing for you to worry about, on top of the ball and tournament." She said mirthlessly. A weight dropped in Harry's stomach. A whole week passed and he still had no girl! If today was Friday, he had less than a few days left! What was he going to do!? "You do have a partner, don't you?" McGonagall looked Harry deep in the eyes, despite his best efforts to avoid them. "Merlin's ghost, you're going to embarrass Gryffindor." Harry blushed in shame. "I could go," Twilight said. Everyone turned to look at Twilight in shock and, in McGonagall's case, joy. "It can't be too different from Celestia's Grand Galloping Galas. I'll see if my friend Rarity can make a dress for my human self, and I'll need to learn to dance, but I can go with Harry." She shared a glance with her friend. "Is that okay?" And while the two adults were pondering over the fact that Twilight just revealed she wasn't human, Harry was dumbstruck. Finally, he spoke. "Thank Celestia, I won't be going with Parvati Patil!" Once Madame Pomfrey had given the two a clean bill of health, Dumbledore and McGonagall had taken their leave. The two walked down the hallways toward Dumbledore's office, pondering the day's many surprises. "At least Fudge is off their backs, for now. That story might not hold forever, especially if the Ministry decides to investigate," McGonagall said next to Dumbledore. "I trust Fudge will not dig into the matter if cares about his career. Any information leaks would reveal Harry's disappearance, which he wanted to keep hidden. Their cover will hold." The two walked for a minute more in the silent halls. "I don't know what to think of it," McGonagall said abruptly. "Harry seems unharmed, at least physically, but the things he talked about..." "They are quite unbelievable," Dumbledore finished her sentence. He too had pondered the nature of Harry's return. "And, yet, Harry believes what he said with a strong conviction. He is not lying." "About a magical country that no one knew existed? It can't all be true, Albus. He must be mistaken. What they describe is not possible. Ms. Sparkle's homeland stretches the imagination beyond realistic." "I find it concerning," Dumbledore said. The two eventually reached the griffin that served as the door to Dumbledore's office. Once they entered the room the two took a seat as Dumbledore poured out a drink. "Concerning, how?" McGonagall asked the headmaster. "While they never lied, they weren't telling the full truth. Ms. Sparkle tried to deflect from her ruler's age, and that she was worshiped as a goddess. I suspect we heard a watered-down version. Whatever their reason to lie, whatever they left out, must have scared them to reveal. Sometimes a convenient lie is easier to tell. What Harry and Twilight described is nothing short of impossible. And where the impossible is concerned, great power always follows. This... Discord creature aside, the sheer volume of magic available in Equestria is cause for concern." "Miss Sparkle was performing wandless magic," McGonagall noted. "Wands are powerful focusing elements for wizards, we both know this. Few witches and wizards can perform at a substandard level without one. But Ms. Sparkle, you saw what she was doing, she was using magic without a wand on her person. To cast that apparition and lightning, all without verbal components or a wand, means she must be very powerful." "My our measures, yes. But clearly not by Equestria's standards," Dumbledore stated. He was silent for a moment longer before speaking. "Harry said Twilight was a student, a learner. She clearly has yet to reach her full potential. All that skill gained under the tutelage of a princess whom Harry accidentally described as ancient. To be regarded as a deity by her subjects, she must be frighteningly strong, possibly more so than me," Dumbledore confessed. McGonagall looked like she had been hit with a stunning spell. "Please do not say that, Albus." "But it may be true, Minerva. Ever since I defeated Grindelwald, I have been regarded as the most powerful wizard alive. Perhaps we were wrong. As much as Harry believes he speaks the truth, I hope he is wrong." "To think, all that power and worship as a god. To rule an entire country as its monarch on top of it." "And, if what Harry implied was correct, everlasting life. He described Princess Celestia as ancient. One can only hope he she is not immortal." "Many would kill for that kind of power." "One has," Dumbledore said ominously. "It would be wise to keep this information limited to the two of us. I dread to think what the Dark Lord could do with such information. He has craved power since before the start of the war. If he discovers a potential source of immortality, whether it exists or not, he will stop at nothing to have it." "So what do we do, Albus?" McGonagall asked. "There is very little we can do. I fear what will happen if the wizarding world and Equestria come to blows. For now, it's best we keep Sparkle away from the other students, and keep her home secret. This is a secret the Dark Lord must never discover." McGonagall nodded solemnly. "For all our sakes."