//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The two Potters and the Three Princesses // by Vladimir //------------------------------// The next morning the brothers awoke to not the sounds of their 'family', but the nuzzling of the Princesses. Harry hugged Celestia's neck, and pulled himself closer o her, feeling much more comfortable with her warmth. Griphyx smiled at Luna and Nightmare as they laid their heads n his shoulders and wrapped him in their hooves. Last night on the moon in their dreams, Harry had learned to create a sphere of light which could be used as a light source. It was also capable of being used as a weapon and Griphyx learned how to change his right arm into a shadowy claw. It was capable of stretching around twelve feet and gain more mass the longer he stays in the dark. "Griphyx" nightmare started and continued when he nodded, "I was wondering why it is that your eyes seem so much like mine?". Griphyx simply shrugged, he had no idea why or how his eyes looked like they did. She mulled over his answer t her for a few moments, then nodded and patted his head gently with one of her hooves. She smiled when he gently grabbed it and rubbed the top of it with a thumb. Luna smiled at Griphyx, he then looked at her and smiled back until a loud thud resounded from upstairs. He sighed and pulled his clothes on, though his right sleeve was pulled up above his elbow as he walked out of the cupboard, and headed into the kitchen where Dudley walked down the stairs and stared at Griphyx, whom stared back. Dudley went to the living room, muttering 'freak...' under his breath, Griphyx sighed, and grabbing the bridge of his nose, shook his head from side to side in annoyance. Harry soon came out of the cupboard followed by Celestia, Luna, and then Nightmare. Griphyx yawned and opened the refrigerator, and pulled out the bacon and eggs, while Harry put the bread in the toaster and started the coffee. A few moments later Vernon and Petunia had walked down the stairs and were seated at the table, both ignoring the two brothers. After everything was done, Harry placed his aunt's and uncle's breakfasts on the table, and headed outside. Once outside though Griphyx handed Harry a piece of toast, while he himself ate another. The two brothers and the Princesses went to the park yet again, but this time, the bothers sat on what they called 'swings'. "Do you think they noticed you take those pieces of toast?", Harry asked his brother, concern entering his voice. Griphyx smiled and shook his head, as he looked up to see Luna looking down at him, he reached a hand up, and poked her nose gently, which caused her to jolt her head back, and blink a few times, before giggling while he laughed. Harry started to swing and a few moments later, so did Griphyx. Nightmare laid on the ground, and watched he two, Luna and Celestia sitting on the top of the 'castle' ding the same as her, the three of them keeping watch for any sign of danger. Griphyx yawned loudly and jumped off the swing set and landed on his a few feet away, he placed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head up looking at the dark cloudy skies, but then an idea came to him. Griphyx walked over to Nightmare, and as she looked up at him, he playfully bopped her on the snout. "Tag, your it!", to which he the ran away from her, Harry looked at Nightmare, a smile on his face. Nightmare shrugged and gave chase, she found it was harder than it looked trying to catch up to Griphyx. She then had a plan, and smirked deviously, she hovered, and then rose into the air, once she spotted Griphyx she dived at him, and then tapped his shoulder with a hoof. "It would appear that you are it child.", Nightmare stated. Griphyx had a wide grin on his face and then hugged her around the neck gently, she was taken by surprise at first from the sudden contact, but soon wrapped a foreleg around him in a half hug, mentally growling at herself for showing weakness. Celestia, Luna and Harry laughed loudly. Nightmare let go of Griphyx and looked down at him. "We should head back to the house, we might be needed by your dreaded....'family'." she snarled the last part out. Griphyx nodded, and began to walk back towards the house, the others soon followed. As the group was close to the house, an elderly woman had came into view, smiling at the brothers. "My, it's good to see you two boys again, have you both been playing?", the elderly woman asked. Griphyx nodded happily while Harry answered with a, 'Yes ma'am'. "Good! You boys stay out of trouble alright?", she said. The brothers nodded their heads and went into their home, not noticing the saddened look on the woman's face as she went along her way. Harry sat in the living room with Griphyx sitting in the loveseat. The Princesses looked about the room, then static entered it, and all th+ree heads looked towards Griphyx as he had turned on the machine called the 'Radio'. "So what are we gonna do tonight?", Harry asked the Princesses. Celestia stated that they were going to work on their magic again, and also explore the moon. Harry had a large grin on his face from that news, he had gotten so excited that he jumped a little bit on the couch, but after a disapproving stare from Celestia, he stopped, but kept grinning. Griphyx closed his eyes to let them rest, and laid his hands on Nightmare's and Luna's necks gently, they closed their eyes as well while Celestia and Harry kept talking about what it was like in Equestria, needless to say, Celestia was more than happy to tell him. Later on in the day the Dursley's came home, Vernon and Petunia started on dinner, while Dudley went to the restroom to wash up. Harry and Griphyx by this time, were in their little 'room', waiting for dinner. Their cupboard door was hit to signify for them to open up and get their food, they did, and went to the patio table to eat from their odd 'family' who were being taunted by Luna, not that they could see her anyways. Later that night the Princesses laid down in the cupboard first, and tolled the brothers to rest their heads on their sides, they shrugged and did so, however, Nightmare was awake after the others drifted to sleep, as she filled Vernon's, Petunia's, and Dudley's dreams with nightmares for the whole night, none of them would treat their Harry and Griphyx in any ill way, especially Griphyx. Soon after her task was done, she too drifted to slumber. Griphyx opened his eyes, and looked around, he saw that in Harry's left hand, was a white flame, similar to Griphyx's -as he had named it- Shadow Limb. He looked towards the two night Princesses, as they instructed him to bring out his Shadow Arm. "Now Griphyx, I want you use your Shadow Arm and pick up that rock.", Luna state, while pointing a hoof at a nearby moon rock, roughly the size of a shoe. Griphyx nodded, he concentrated, and his right arm shafted it's form into a clawed shadowy one, the shadow's started from his finger tips forming claws, all the was up to his shoulder and a black flame like cloth flapped in an ethereal wind behind him. He looked at the rock, reared his arm back, then trusted it forward, his arm stretched and his hand grabbed the rock, his arm retracted and there was the rock, in the palm of his hand. Nightmare and Luna clapped their hooves together, Luna smiling, and Nightmare grinning. Griphyx smiled, he looked down at the rock, a curious look crossed his face, as he squeezed the rock on his hand, the sound of the rock cracking, and then nothing, as he opened his hand, and tilted it tot he side, pebbles fell at his feet. "Interesting...So you're physical strength is also increased as well as the fact you can't be hurt on that arm. Very interesting indeed....", Nightmare stated with a rather large grin that showed her sharp fangs. Luna nodded in agreement, and began to teach Griphyx how to form the shadows around him into shields and sphere's, similar to Harry's teachings, but specifically meant for battle, seeing how Griphyx was more of a protector than a starter of fights, or at last tried not to be. As the three took a break, they watched as Harry's heft hand glowed in a holy white light, lighting everything around them up, and all felt at peace. The rest of the night was filled with more training, and breaks to which the five of them played 'Tag'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few years passed after their training with their Light and Shadow Arm's, and the brothers had become older, they were the same ages of nine, though Harry was older by a minute. During the times from when they were younger, the Princesses had remained by their sides, teaching them, playing with them and just being there for them. Dudley, Vernon and Petunia on the other hand, managed to get many good night's of rest, but mostly nightmares. It was around the time of Christmas. "Merry Christmas Harry, Merry Christmas Griphyx!", Celestia cheered out, Christmas being her favorite human holiday, much like Equstria's 'Hearth's Warming Eve'. Halloween being Nightmare's and Luna's favorite holiday, much like their 'Nightmare Night'. "Merry Christmas Celestia, Luna, Nightmare, Harry", Griphyx said to the group, they all sounded a cheer of delight and began to drink eggnog. Another thing that the brothers had found out was that they could give some magi tot he Princesses so they could eat or drink, not that they really needed to, but it made the two more comfortable, even if it did cause them some stress, but nothing too bad. Harry was leaning against Celestia, the two had a bond and stayed close to each other. The same could be said for Nightmare and Luna, the tree of them stuck together most of the time eve when they were training, though in a whole, the entire group had a massive bond to each other, neither of them really leaving the other unless needed to. Griphyx stood up, and went into the closet of the brother's 'new' room -it was really Dudley's old room, but it didn't matter to them- and pulled his clothes on. He still wore grey jeans, boots, but his shirt was now silver, and his red coat with blue draconic wings on he back. Harry looked at his younger brother, who had become a foot taller than him, Harry was around 4' 2", where as Griphyx was around 4' 5", Griphyx was at eye level of Celestia, and Nightmare. Harry rose and put his golden shirt on, followed by his blue coat with the bright red angelic wings on the back. The two brothers went downstairs and out the front door, and down the street. The Princesses followed the two from the air, the group soon got to a tree house which they had built, Nightmare called it their lair/nest. Over the years the Princesses had been teaching them magic, not very much sense they didn't really have catalyst's that worked besides their hands, and even then there was he chance of the spells not working. Griphyx hopped down from their 'lair' and helped Harry down next. After everyone was on the ground the group made their way back to the house, where the Dursley's were having their supper. Harry's, and Griphyx's food was on the counter, and the two took it outside to the patio, and ate while talking to he Princesses about their magical and school lessons, and about their future lessons, but had they known what was to soon come, they might had been more prepared.