The night after the Yule Ball was... trying, to say the least. It felt like ages before Harry got any sleep, his mind too restless to sleep, but too tired to do anything else.
The events of the night plagued Harry non-stop. The dance, the argument, Twilight... leaving, it weighed down on Harry. Make no mistake, the Ball itself was alright, all things considered. He had just been glad to forget about the whole tournament for once. But, seeing Twilight return to Equestria had been a challenge. When Harry had to explain where Twilight had vanished off to after the ball, most of the teachers, sans Dumbledore and McGonagall, looked sceptical at best. Thankfully the headmaster vouched for Harry, and the "issue" of Twilight's appearance had been solved.
But that now meant Harry was at Hogwarts without her. He, Ron, and Hermione had a long way to go to fix up their friendship. Fortunately, Harry now had only to wait a few short months before he could return to Ponyville. And for now, that was enough.
Harry closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.
Harry was flying through the dark, cloudy night sky. It wasn't like flying a broom, but felt more like a hippogriff, wings flapping up and down. Harry glanced down at the ground far below him and realized he lacked hands.
He was a pony.
Harry realized he must have been dreaming because he couldn't fly as a unicorn...
Harry inspected his flanks and noticed with surprise that he wasn't being flown, but that he was flying himself. He was an alicorn!
Harry wondered why he would dream of being an alicorn. He was a unicorn, not an earth pony or pegasus, certainly not an alicorn!
Before he could ponder the meaning of this, Harry's dream took him lower and lower, approaching an old decrepit house. Harry felt the winds guide him through a dark and broken window in the upper story of the house and entered. Now he was trotting down the hall, the clip-clop of his hooves sounding muffled. He could see a barely open door at the end of a long and gloomy passageway... through the door, he went, into a dark room with boarded-up windows...
Harry crept through the door... he was studying the room about him, his eyes drawn to a large chair with its back to him... there were two dark shapes on the floor, beside the chair... both of them were stirring slightly.
One was a snake... the other a man... a short, balding man, who Harry could only vaguely recognize for some reason.
"My lord! I have news! Good news!" the man on the floor gasped out, his eyes fearfully darting anywhere but the chair.
"It had better be, Wormtail," said a cold voice. "You know how we hate disappointments..." The tip of a bone-colored wand became visible from the person in the chair.
"Yes, my lord... It is the boy, he has returned!"
There was silence from the chair and Wormtail.
"How fortunate. It would appear that the old fool wasn't able to take the boy out of the game... But, I can't help but wonder what he did with the boy, where he went," the voice rasped.
"My lord, the headmaster might be protecting the boy, he might be suspicious," Wormtail whimpered.
"Possible, but it matters not, the old fool will not risk removing him from the tournament. I still require him. Harry Potter must compete, and he will be mine!"
Two hundred miles away, one Harry Potter woke up with a start.
"Ah!" Harry shot out of bed, tumbling out in a tangle of limbs and blankets.
Breathing heavily, Harry grasped at his scar. A bad reflex, really, one he had grown accustomed to by now. But, unlike the last time, Harry's scar didn't hurt. Harry rubbed the jagged mark on his head, a reminder of the night his parents died. Normally, dreams and visions felt like a white-hot iron was pressed to his head. Now, it felt more like someone was weakly pressing on it with a finger. Harry reminded himself to thank Cadance later, her protections were working.
"Harry, you alright down there?" someone whispered. Harry looked up to see Dean Thomas looking down at him from the other side of the room. Harry must have woken him when he fell.
"I'm fine, just a bad dream, go back to bed," Harry said simply as he untangled himself from the bedsheets.
Dean tucked himself back under his covers, and Harry waited until he heard his breathing even out.
Once Harry was certain everyone in the dorm was sound asleep, he quietly swung his feet over the bed, scanning for his writing supplies. Any sound might wake up the others.
Harry held out his wand, closed his eyes, focused on the magic lying deep in his soul, and willed his materials to come to his hand, just as he would in Equestria. Harry kept his eyes closed, not daring to open his eyes all the while. Harry kept this up until he felt something brush the tip of his fingers. Opening his eyes, Harry's parchment and quill dropped onto his hands. Harry immediately began to scribble on the letter.
Dear Twilight.
Sorry for sending another letter so soon, but something important just happened.
I had a dream, again. It was that same old house, the one from my first vision. Wormtail was there again, and so was he. He knows I'm back. And I think he was the one who planned to put me in the tournament, he said I "must compete" or something similar. Thankfully, he didn't seem to know where I was. The two of them believe Dumbledore hid me away somewhere. They don't know the truth about what happened. Thank Celestia. Maybe Luna can do a dream interpretation?
Anyway, my scar was acting differently as well. It wasn't anything like the Crystal Empire's incident. Every time I got a vision in the past, or felt his emotions, it hurt me. But, this time, I hardly felt a thing. Whatever Cadance did to me, it's working! I'm not sure how, but this curse must be losing its power.
I'll write again with any updates on my scar. I'll look for anything in the library about it. If I find out what it is, we can decide how to deal with it later.
With love,
Harry.
Harry double-checked his work before sending it off to Equestria. Harry chuckled upon realizing how many letters he sent this year. This year was hectic, requiring constant updates. At this rate, Harry would use all the parchment he had on letters.
"I hope next year is calmer."
When Celestia summoned Twilight back to Equestria, the trip was, in a word, gentler than Discord's method. The swirling vortex dragging her back didn't cause nearly the same headache.
When Twilight arrived, she was in Celestia's private study in Canterlot. The princess had immediately wrapped her in a crushing embrace, proclaiming her relief at Twilight's return. Twilight had never seen her so... affectionate. She had checked Twilight's health personally, and both were relieved when nothing was out of place. Though it was midday, the princess bid Twilight stay the night in Canterlot before returning to Ponyville. It did give Twilight a chance to say hello to her parents, who hadn't had a good chance to talk with her since Shining Armor's wedding, which had nearly resulted in the overthrow of the country's monarchy. The last thing Twilight did that day was retell her whole (mis)adventure to the princess.
The day ended (obviously) when Celestia lowered the Sun and traded her post off to Luna for the night. Celestia walked with her student to one of the many rooms in the castle where she would stay the night, giving them some time to talk before bed. Twilight described each event in excruciating detail, even Diagon Ally, which plenty disturbed the both of them.
"I must say, this last adventure of yours might be the most bizarre story yet. This world and those who inhabit it are so strange. They lack the innate connection to nature many of us take for granted," Celestia said lightly. Harry's letters were levitating next to the two as they walked down the castle's halls. "I'm glad you found a trustworthy friend in such a place. Harry is a good colt- or boy. I could tell he had a good heart when you brought him here the time before last, when you first brought him to Equestria. He is lucky to have you."
"Thank you, princess," Twilight said. "Harry didn't have a happy childhood, and I want to do my best to fix it."
"Is that why you brought him here again, to ease the pain in his heart?" The princess asked.
"That was the main reason," Twilight explained. She pulled another note from her satchel. "The first time was so we could meet face-to-face, and because of this tournament he's in. Despite his celebrity status, he's lonely and only has about two friends. But one of them has stolen from him twice and betrayed his trust multiple times, while the other lacks trust and is full of jealousy.
"And that's to say nothing of his relatives. I've never heard of worse people. I could barely belive what Harry wrote about them! They STARVED him over things he can't control! They locked him in a cupboard as a punishment for 'upsetting' them! They hate him! I couldn't stand it! I- I was hoping Equestria might give him some peace..." Twilight finished, her head drooping.
Celestia sighed, a sad yet proud smile gracing her regal face. She draped a wing over her student, wordless affirmation passing between them.
"I understand completely. Your friend needed help, and you did your best. Is that why you offered to let him stay here more often?" The princess inquired.
Twilight's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't told Celestia that yet!
"How did you know—?"
"I took an educated guess," Celestia quipped back, smirking. "Though the details are different, you are not the first pony in the last century to be in a similar position. You recall Cadance, don't you? I adopted her as my niece not too long before you became my student. You offered to help Harry without a second thought."
"I'm sorry, princess, I should have asked first," Twilight apologized. Celestia gave a gentle shake of her head.
"I do not mean to demean your efforts, Twilight, I am complementing your willingness to lend your aid."
"I just wanted to help—"
Celestia's wing tensed a little, silently asking Twilight to stop.
"I understand, my student, and you are in the right. Neither of us can stand injustice. So, from here on, if ever the need arises, you have my blessing to cast that spell," Celestia said with a smile on her face. Twilight's mood lifted immediately.
"Really?! Oh, thank you, Princess Celestia!" Twilight dropped to a deep bow as Celestia chuckled.
"Think nothing of it, my most faithful student. Now, you'd best be off to bed. Your friends will be expecting you back in Ponyville tomorrow."
With that, the teacher and student bid each other goodnight and went their separate ways for the night. Celestia smiled as her student walked away.
"I expect great things from you, Twilight."