Harry Potter and the Ponies of Equestria

by cooopercrisp

Nothing but Trouble

Chapter 2: Nothing but Trouble

Neville Longbottom was busy moving rubble from the library using his wand. Luna Lovegood was assisting him. The two of them kept glancing at each other and smiling nervously when the other caught their eye. The work was interrupted when Ginny blazed her way to them.

“Thank God you’re here. I need some help,” she huffed. Neville and Luna dropped what they were levitating and turned to Ginny.

“What’s wrong, Ginny?” Luna asked. “Have the nargles been bothering you again?” Ginny stared at Luna incredulously, but then shook her head.

“It’s my brother. It’s Harry. It’s Hermione. Oh, I can’t find them anywhere! The last I saw them, they were in the Great Hall, and then Professor McGonagall pulled me away to help clean up her classroom, but when I returned to the Great Hall the three of them weren’t there. I wanted to see Harry and Ron again, so I started looking around, but nobody knew where they had gone. I’ve scanned the castle high and low and there’s no sign of them anywhere.”

“Are you sure you haven’t just kept missing them?” Neville asked.

“Yes, Neville, no one I’ve asked had seen him recently.”

“Don’t worry, Ginny,” Neville said. “I’m sure we’ll find them. We just have to keep searching.”

“I hope you’re right, Neville,” Ginny said.

***

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were being led out of the Everfree Forest by Zecora. As they approached the entrance to the forest, the trees started to thin and moonlight could be seen more clearly, illuminating the vibrant colors of the land. The three wizards stared at the beautiful land in awe, wondering how a place like this could even exist.

When they finally left the forest, the wizards caught sight of a cozy cabin. Outside of it, a pale yellow pony with a pink mane and tail was tending to what appeared to be a chicken coop. Zecora noticed her as well and decided to introduce the wizards to this pony. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Zecora up the pathway to the cottage.

“Fluttershy,” Zecora said, “it is I.”

“Oh, hi there Zecora―” Fluttershy suddenly stopped talking when she saw the three mysterious creatures behind Zecora. She whimpered nervously and started to shake.

“Fluttershy, be not afraid,” Zecora said, “for these are new friends I have made.”

“Yes, Fluttershy, we won’t hurt you,” Hermione said, picking up on the name. Ron and Harry nodded in encouragement.

“Oh, you talk?” Fluttershy whispered. “Oh my…”

“Fluttershy, never fear,” Zecora explained. “You forget that I am still here. These creatures gave me quite an alarm, and yet they did me no harm.”

“True…” Fluttershy said in a barely audible tone.

“Why don’t we introduce ourselves?” Hermione asked. “My name is Hermione Granger, and these are my friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. We’re…not from around here, but somehow were teleported here from the world where we live.”

“You…you were?” Fluttershy asked, slowly regaining her courage.

“Yeah,” Ron said. “Bloody queer, if you ask me. But we’re used to magic doing odd things.”

“You know magic…?” Fluttershy asked.

“We sure do,” Harry said.

“Oh, I guess that’s okay then,” Fluttershy said. “I know some ponies that can do magic. Where are you headed?”

“The journey we are making tonight,” Zecora said, “is to see your friend Twilight.”

“That’s a good idea,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight will surely know why these…creatures are here.”

“We’re humans, for the record,” Ron said. Fluttershy stared at him with confusion.

“Guess you’ve never heard of us…” Ron quipped. Fluttershy shook her head.

“Well, forgive us for the short stay,” Zecora said, “but we should be on our way.”

“Okay then. Um, nice meeting you,” Fluttershy said, though about that she still had her doubts.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Hermione said. “Bye!” The three wizards waved as they followed Zecora down a road that led to the town proper. When the cottage was out of eyesight Harry, Ron, and Hermione started to talk about her.

“She’s quite timid,” Harry said. “I wonder if they’re all like that.”

“Somehow I doubt it,” Ron said. “Zecora wasn’t afraid to charge me when she first saw me.”

“Well, the poor thing must be highly traumatized,” Hermione said. “I wish I could help her…”

“There you go,” Ron said. “Are you going to start Caring Representation and Action for Ponies now?” Hermione elbowed Ron in the stomach.

“I know what you were doing there,” Hermione said, “and it’s not funny.” Harry, however, was chuckling.

“It’s a little funny,” he said.

“Hush, now. Disturb not an ear,” Zecora said, “for we are now here.” Harry, Ron, and Hermione gazed at the buildings in the quaint town. Harry wondered who could have built such beautiful cottages and houses, but then remembered that with magic, anything was possible.

“So, where does this Twilight live?” Hermione asked.

“In the local library she resides,” Zecora said. “By a passion for books she abides.”

“Sounds like your kind of pony,” Ron said to Hermione. The three wizards saw the library, which was also housed inside a tree.

“Talk about giving ‘tree house’ a whole new meaning,” Ron said. Zecora chuckled and knocked on the door. After a minute, it opened to reveal on the threshold a sleepy-eyed purple dragon with green spikes.

“Forgive the intrusion,” Zecora said, “but is Twilight available to talk tonight?”

“Yeah, she’s in her room,” the dragon said, and the wizards jumped when they heard him talk. “I’ll go get her…” The dragon shut the door and walked away. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at each other wide-eyed.

“Did that dragon just…talk?” Ron asked.

“Apparently, they can do that here,” Hermione said. “Fascinating…”

“Um, forgive my intrusion,” Zecora said, “but there seems to be some confusion.”

“Dragons don’t talk where we’re from,” Harry said.

“Oh, but you seem to insist that in your world, dragons do exist.”

“They do,” Hermione said, “and they’re very dangerous, but that little one looks positively…cute.” Ron laughed at Hermione, who gave him a dirty look.

“When it comes to danger, most dragons are alike,” Zecora said. “None are as nice as Spike.”

“So his name is Spike?” Harry asked. Zecora nodded.

“Seems fitting,” Harry commented. Zecora smiled, and the door opened again, this time revealing a purple unicorn wearing a bathrobe.

“It’s getting late, Zecora,” the unicorn said, rubbing her eyes groggily. “Why did you…? Whoa!” she exclaimed when she finally caught sight of the three humans. The unicorn’s mouth opened in shock before quickly hurrying the group inside.

“Come on, get in, get in!” the unicorn said in alarm. Zecora and the wizards, confused about the frightful reaction, entered the library and the unicorn slammed the door. When she had done that, she made sure all the curtains on the windows were drawn and lit a few candles for light. The library was quite eerie in the dark, giving off a spooky vibe that unsettled the wizards.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked. “And are you Twilight?”

“How do you know my name?” Twilight asked, more surprised about this than the fact that the humans could talk. Zecora explained quickly.

“When they did not know what to do, I told them to see you.”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight said. “No, it’s not okay!” she suddenly cried. “I didn’t think you were supposed to exist!”

“What are you talking about?” Ron asked.

“You’re humans, correct?” Twilight asked.

“How do you…? Yes, we are,” Harry said, deciding not to question how Twilight knew what they were when nobody else seemed to have a clue.

“You’re not changelings?” Twilight asked. “No, forget it. Stupid question. Humans haven’t been around since before Luna was banished.” The wizards stared at each other, completely at a loss to what Twilight was talking about. Twilight lifted a book off of a high shelf using her magic and levitated it down to a nearby table. The wizards and Zecora followed her to the table. The book was thick, heavy, and well-worn. Twilight used her magic to flip through the pages of what appeared to be a history text and stopped at one of the chapters.

“This is the only reference to humans I’ve ever read,” Twilight said, “and what is said about them is not pretty.”

“What do you mean?” Ron asked.

“Let me explain,” Twilight said. “There was a time when humans mysteriously appeared in Equestria. They saw the ponies and attempted to enslave them. They would ride on the backs of ponies and make them push plows to harvest their crops. The ponies were starting to lose their land as these humans took over the farms. Word inevitably reached Princess Celestia, and she used her magic to banish them to another dimension. She decreed that humans were considered to be a threat to national security and that they should be arrested on sight. But this all happened so long ago that nopony remembers anything about them now.”

“Hold on,” Ron said. “Did you just say nopony?”

“Yes. What of it?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing,” Ron said.

“So, if nobody remembers anything about humans,” Hermione asked, “how did you know where we are?”

“Well, forgive me if I’m bragging, but I’m the most well-read pony in Equestria. I’m a student of Princess Celestia herself, sent to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship.”

“Okay…” Ron said in disbelief.

“So why haven’t you sent for us to be arrested?” Harry asked. Twilight suddenly blushed.

“Well…” she said, “I thought about it, but I was curious about you so I decided I’d try to learn more about you first. And since you came here with Zecora and she seems fine, I assume you aren’t as malevolent as the humans portrayed in this text.”

“Fair enough,” Harry said.

“Do you know how we can get out of here?” Hermione asked.

“I’m not sure,” Twilight said. “It depends on how you got in.”

“We came in through a portal,” Hermione said.

“A portal, really…?” Twilight asked, thinking. The wizards waited with bated breath as the mare tried to calculate something in her head. She suddenly stopped, pulled a few books off of the shelf, and skimmed through them, using her magic to turn the pages of all the books at once. Hermione was impressed by the voracity of Twilight’s literacy, but Twilight shut the books and turned to them in disappointment.

“Unfortunately, I have nothing here in this library about how to transport you back where you came from,” Twilight said. “The most extensive library in all of Equestria is the Royal Canterlot library, but the royal guards won’t let you anywhere near the castle; Princess Celestia made sure of that. I could go myself, but I don’t want to leave you in Equestria when you have no idea what kind of dangers we have here.”

“Zecora explained some of them to us,” Harry said. “Manticores, minotaurs, and whatnot. Honestly, we’ve dealt with much worse. I think we’ll be fine.”

“Still, it’s going to look odd when I check out books on portals. Somepony with any common sense of natural curiosity will ask what I need books on portals for. I don’t want to lie to anypony, but I don’t want to alarm the royal guard either.

“Then what are we going to do?” Hermione asked.

“I’ll have to sneak into the library after hours,” Twilight said. “It’s the only way to get the information I need without causing any suspicion.”

“Unless you get caught sneaking around,” Ron said.

“That shouldn’t happen,” Twilight said. “I’m well known in the castle, so my presence at the library will be a surprise to nopony. It’s the only way I can try to help you get home. I wish I could do more.”

“You’ve done more than enough already,” Hermione said. “Really, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Twilight said with a smile. Suddenly there was a frantic knocking on the door. Twilight answered it, and Rainbow Dash shoved Rowle into the library before Twilight shut the door. Rowle saw the other three wizards, and all four unsheathed their wands. They started blasting spells at each other without warning, but Twilight soon caught them in her magic and levitated them into the air.

“Hold on just a second!” she said, frightened and confused. She thought for a moment before establishing what questions she had.

“Okay, first of all, there are more of you?” Twilight asked Harry.

“As far as we know, he’s the only other human here.”

“Second, what in Equestria are you two doing? You started using magic with those sticks in your hand! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I was attacking the bleeding wankers!” Rowle said with a grimace.

“This one’s not very pleasant, is he, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“Nope,” Rainbow Dash said.

“How did you even find him?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I was flying through the air making my rounds when I saw something open up in the sky above the Everfree Forest. I hightailed it over there, but when the sky closed back up it took me a while to find the area where the disturbance had taken place. I finally found it, only to discover this chump was just waking up. I assumed the worst about him because I didn’t know what he was, so I tackled him into the ground and showed him who’s boss!”

“Watch it, Rainbow Dash,” Rowle said. “One jinx could have you screaming in pain.”

“Don’t threaten my friend!” Twilight said angrily. “I want to know how you got here and why you’re attacking these three nice humans.”

“Nice? Don’t make me laugh!” Rowle spat. “These brats are nothing but trouble. I was part of a powerful group of wizards, but these ingrates kept harassing us, even killing us. And him,” Rowle emphasized, pointing a finger at Harry, “he’s the worst of all. These ingrates have to be stopped!”

“I’ve heard enough,” Twilight said. She let Harry, Ron, and Hermione go but kept Rowle levitating in the air.

“Rainbow Dash, can you watch the library while I teleport this jerk someplace where he can never find us?”

“You’ve got my word, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Okay, I’ll be back in about ten seconds.” True to her word, Twilight disappeared and reappeared without Rowle in ten seconds flat.

“Impressive,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said.

“Sorry for the interruption,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where did these things come from anyway?”

“They’re called humans, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, don’t treat us with disrespect!” Ron said.

“Relax. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m just saying I ain’t never seen you chumps and I was just wondering why.”

“Suit yourself,” Ron said.

“Come now, this is really no time to be arguing,” Twilight said. “We have to figure out how to get them back to where they came from. I proposed we sneak into the Canterlot library to see if we can find a book that will help us explain that hole in the sky you were describing.”

“Right!” Hermione said. “That’s probably the portal that took us here.”

“Then we need to find a way to make another one,” Twilight said, “and there’s no time to lose. Who knows what Celestia will do if she discovers humans in Equestria?”

“Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point,” Harry said.

***

“Attention all witches and wizards!” Professor McGonagall called using her magically amplified voice from atop the tower of Hogwarts. “Our primary objective is to locate Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. All clean up can wait until the three missing wizards have been discovered. That the Death Eaters may be involved is a possibility, so I ask that you search in groups and be careful! Please find them as quickly as possible.” After making her announcement, Professor McGonagall turned to Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who had followed her up to the tower as they explained what had happened.

“You’re absolutely certain that they’re missing?” Professor McGonagall asked.

“Definitely,” Ginny said. “I know Harry and the others wouldn’t have left unless something bad had happened to them.”

“Well, we can only hope that someone finds them” Professor McGonagall said.

“We can do more than hope,” Neville said. “We can search.”

Well, search they did, along with all the wizards in the castle. These wizards had been their heroes, and it was concerning that they had suddenly vanished without a trace. Professor McGonagall kept telling herself that there was a reasonable explanation.

As the day wore on, there were still no signs of the three wizards. Everyone was now in a panic, searching frantically every corner of the school and grounds. A few brave teams had even entered the Forbidden Forest, including Neville, Ginny, and Luna.

“What would they be doing in here?” Neville asked.

“Searching for sprites, perhaps?” Luna suggested.

“Be serious, Luna,” Ginny said. “This is seriously wrong.”

“You know,” Neville said, “if I were a Death Eater, this would be the perfect place to hide after the battle’s been lost.”

“Don’t remind me, Neville,” Ginny said.

“What’s that?” Luna asked. The three wizards entered the clearing that contained the ruined remains of the Vanishing Cabinet.

“Looks like a Blasting Curse,” Ginny said. “But what’s a Vanishing Cabinet doing all the way out here? And why was it destroyed?”

“No idea,” Neville said plainly.

“There has to be an explanation,” Ginny said, groaning with frustration. She was scared for her brother and boyfriend, and Hermione was like a sister to her, so she was scared for her, too. This might have been as bad as it felt to Harry and Ron when she had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny still shuddered thinking about that, but pushed it out of her mind.

“We need to call in the Aurors,” Neville said. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“But the Aurors are already all here,” Ginny said. “They got here after the battle to aid with cleanup.”

“Forgot about that,” Neville said. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Ginny said. “What’s not okay is that we can’t find our friends.”

“It’ll be all right,” Luna said. “We’ll just have to keep looking.”

Comments

[calyurko]

I weild the sword of FIRST!

[Leo Archon]

A good chapter, and an excellent plot point! So, humans have visited Equestria before, eh? And tried to enslave the ponies? Hm, better not let the Princesses know about Harry, Ron, and Hermione... although I wonder where Twilight teleported Rowle.

Looking forward to more, Cooopercrisp!

[Tygerburningbright]

749577 I have the axe of constructive criticism

first off you need breaks between scenes, next Twi is a bit too pro-potter group right off the bat, also the paceing needs a bit of work, finally you need to check your facts a bit better the Aurors that weren't evil were already at the battle of Hogwarts.

PS Twi's mention of humans in the past better not be a G1 reference

[HighTreason25]

I WIELD THE NOT-REALLY-EVEN-VERY-IMPORTANT SANDWICH OF FOURTH!

[SuperPinkBrony12]

I weild the wand of prediction and I predict that Ginny, Nevillie, and Luna will be teleported to Equestria as well!

[La Vallett1]

Finally found what I was looking for! Keep it up!

[Sunny Smile]

This is amazing I wonder who else is visiting equestria?

P.S. they see me trollin' they hatin'

[Luna-tic]

749577 I wield the blade of insanity!