“So,” Lyra begins. She’d dragged Harry and Ginny away from the dueling club… after giving Lockhart’s arm a solid yank- throwing him headfirst into Professor Snape- to keep him from falling into Scootaloo’s lava puddle. Now, they’re in an empty classroom near the great hall, and she’d just used her wand to throw up a few spells. “First of all. Ginny.”
Ginny tilts her head. “Yes?”
“You can speak Parseltongue as well?”
She shakes her head. “No. Ariel’s a parselmouth, though- and Silver did something with her magic to let me use Ariel’s abilities.”
Lyra sighs, putting a hand to her forehead. “Alright then. Ariel too.” She looks between the two of them. “All three of you need to know that parseltongue is not to be treated lightly right now. Salazar Slytherin was known for being able to speak to snakes- and it’s the Slytherin monster that’s petrifying people. If you speak Parseltongue without good reason- or even with good reason, if you’re not careful- people will start thinking you are Slytherin’s heir- the one attacking everyone.”
“... Oh,” Ginny mutters.
Lyra takes a deep breath, and starts lowering her wards. “Alright then. I kinda have to say, that dueling club was a bit more of a disaster than I was expecting.” She grins. “I knew there was a reason I put myself so close to the Crusaders. Anyways,” she waves. “I’ll see you around.” She runs off towards Gryffindor tower.
Ginny lets out a breath. Ariel appears to let out one of her own. “That was close,” they mutter, as one.
Harry nods. “Yeah… I’d have hated for her to have realized what we did for Silver in the middle of the dueling club.”
Ginny looks at him. “Huh? Oh, yeah, that too, I guess.”
He looks at her. “What?”
“Oh, uh… I was worried she’d think I was… you know, doing the attacks.”
Harry blinks. “She let you into the Agency a week ago, and you’re worried she suspects you?”
She shrugs. “To be honest, I almost suspect myself. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Voldemort last time- and given what Ariel started her life as…”
Harry scowls. “So why would you suspect yourself?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. All I know is that I can’t remember a couple of nights- particularly, the nights with attacks- and each time, I’ve found myself covered with feathers… or paint.” She scowls. “I’m… I’m not worried that I might be doing it voluntarily, but if something’s using my body to do it…”
“It wouldn’t be using your abilities,” Harry states, “Nor Ariel’s. The first attack happened before your Papa Tango, remember?”
She nods. “Yeah, then the second attack was, like, two days later. If that. You saw them in the Hospital Wing, right? Tree Hugger, and Agent Hidden Light? I missed their entire search for the monster, because I wasn’t… um, aware.” She shivers, and hugs him tightly. “What if you’re next?”
Harry pats her shoulder comfortingly. “Hey, hey. I’m invulnerable, remember? And yeah, Fluttershy told me about it. She was attacked as well, alongside Tree Hugger- but she’s an alicorn, so she wasn’t hurt. She couldn’t remember it, even after emptying her gun at it, but she wasn’t hurt.” He chuckles lightly. “That’s why she carries that massive rifle around- she’s determined to end the monster next time.”
“But- What if it attacks Hermione? Or Silver?”
He shakes his head. “They’re also alicorns, Ginny. And what’s more, we’re papa tango alicorns, not regular alicorns like Fluttershy. Lyra tells me the Papa Tangoes are universally more powerful than any regular Equestrian… Even, say, Princess Celestia. So, believe me when I say, none of us have anything to worry about. Especially if it’s using your body for the attacks- I doubt it’ll want to kill off its own avenue of attack, will it?”
She shudders, pressing herself into his side. Ariel wraps her tail comfortingly around her neck. “What… What if it attacks Ariel? Or- Or Dumbledore?”
Harry shrugs. “Well, you know Ariel is immortal too, right?”
“I- I know, but- But I don’t want to be immortal without you!”
He hugs her back. “I asked Twilight about that last night, actually. I asked her what set Alicorns apart, aside from power levels and access to every tribe’s magic.” He smiles. “Did you know, alicorns are immortal too?”
Ariel gasps. Ginny looks sharply up at him. “You’re… immortal?”
He nods. “Yep. She tells me Princesses Celestia and Luna are both over a thousand years old. And since that means we’re all immortal, I guess we just need to find a way to turn you two into alicorns as well, before we hunt that last horcrux to extinction?”
“... Oh.”
“Anyways, what do you say we go find Silver and meet Dumbledore? I’m sure you remember the password to his office, right?”
She chuckles lightly as Ariel disappears, satisfied. “Of course I do. They only gave it to me as part of agent training.” She scowls. “They haven’t given it to you?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet- pretty sure they’ll be covering that during mine and Silver’s last ‘initial training’ session on Monday.”
“Ahh.” She walks with him for about two seconds, before looking up at him. “There’s a parseltongue translation spell?”
He nods. “She used it when we found Mrs. Norris.” He chuckles. “Never taught it to me, though. Pretty sure there is no wand-magic incantation for it.”
Ginny shrugs. “You know, I wonder how hard it would be to make Silver a parselmouth as well.”
Harry puts his hand to his chin- the hand not wrapped around Ginny. “That’s a good question.” He grins. “Maybe even one for her.”
Ginny giggles. “Yeah, I guess.”
It doesn’t take them long to walk back to the Great Hall, where Hermione and Silver are waiting, leaning casually on the energy wall Silver had erected around Scootaloo’s lava puddle. “What was that all about?” Silver asks.
“Lyra wanted to warn us to be careful with the Parseltongue translation spell,” Harry answers her. “Apparently, Salazar Slytherin was famous for being able to talk to snakes without such a spell. And, since the spell has no outwardly noticeable effects…” He shrugs.
“She’s worried people will think you’re Slytherin’s heir,” Hermione nods.
“Yeah. You ready?” Ginny asks.
Silver grins. “Yeah, let’s get this over with. You know, I can’t wait to see how Dumbledore reacts when he finds out.”
It’s another short walk up to Dumbledore’s office, where they pause in front of the gargoyle.
Ginny raises her hand to one of her radios. “Hey, Dumbledore? Do you mind if we make a quick visit?”
“Sure… something happen?”
She grins. “Ahh, you could say that. And no, it’s not an Agency visit, just me and… uh, the crew.”
“Alright then, come on in. You know the password?”
She grins, and depresses the button. “Lemon drop.”
The gargoyle springs aside, wall splitting open, as Dumbledore responds. “Yep. You know where my… Ahh, I’ll take that as a yes.”
She giggles. She, Harry, Hermione, and Silver had just stepped onto the spiral staircase, triggering Dumbledore’s warning wards.
“So, you wanted to talk?” Dumbledore asks, as Harry and three girls file into his office, into a line facing him.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Silver states.
“Alright,” Dumbledore continues. “What about, miss…” He squints at her nametag. “Silversong? Interesting.”
“Interesting how?” Silver asks.
Dumbledore smiles. “Well, the first few times I heard that name related to Lyra’s case, I thought it was a codename. Even checked the enrollment lists- nowhere to be found. Yet here you are.” He blinks. “Though, I could swear I’ve seen that hair before.”
Silver grins. “Well, that’s the thing… Until earlier today, that’s all it was- a codename. Or, to be precise, a name for my Equestrian form, one that wasn’t shared by my human form. Then, we, ah, took a few liberties with Lyra’s Papa Tango.”
Dumbledore raises his eyebrows. “A few… liberties?”
She nods. “Yeah. Messed with it a little, managed to give me a second human form- one that’s divorced from the restrictions of my first.”
“Your… first.”
She shifts into form as Draco. “Yeah. Draco has to conform to his position and family…” She shifts back into her new form. “But Silversong is as free as the wind. So…”
“You want to change your enrollment?” Dumbledore asks.
She shakes her head. “Nah, I was thinking of enrolling as Silver as well, and giving her a free schedule- so I could be Silver- be me- in public, including with homework, and take Draco to class. Without connecting the two.”
Dumbledore shakes his head.
“Please?” she pleads.
“Silver… Draco… whoever, we can’t do that,” Dumbledore sighs. “You can either keep Silver a codename, or completely switch. And you’ll have to have your parents’ permission for that, too.”
“Please?” Harry and Hermione beg.
He shakes his head.
Ariel suddenly appears out of Ginny’s shoulder, fluttering over to Draco’s shoulder. “Can we do that?” she asks. “Can we get Silver in separate from Draco, as she asked?”
Dumbledore sighs. “Well…”
“Please?”
“Alright.”
All three girls, plus Harry, turn to stare at Ariel.
“Thank you,” Ariel smiles. Then she looks sideways at Hermione. “The Agency can handle the legal paperwork, right?”
Hermione lets out a snort of laughter and nods. “Lyra tells me they do it all the time,” she states. “Especially considering that most Agents have more than one secret identity.”
About two minutes later, as the four ride the staircase back down to the entrance, Silver looks at Ariel, still riding her shoulder. “How did you do that?”
Ariel shrugs her wings. “I don’t know. I’ve had some suspicion about what my talent might be since we did that thing with the Papa Tango- and now I’m pretty sure I know what it is.” She smiles cheerfully. “Getting people to do what I want them to.” She then vanishes back into Ginny, right as the wall at the bottom opens for them.
The same one as Diamond Tiara? I don't think so. You are just too cute to prevent anybody to say no to.
9960327
In truth... her ability is actually quite similar to Diamond's. Not the same, at least by design... but similar.
And when it comes down to it, what was Voldemort's primary ability? Not magic- but charisma, in his ability to get his death eaters to follow him in the first place. Sure, he could slaughter a good number of them outright if they resisted him... but they could still beat him. And he never would have built a following without it...
I have a feeling that something is happening in the background, and the characters just giving away us a ton of exposition. Not going to read that
Well, okay Fluttershy is an alicorn right now she is now carriers M4 Carbine because she is that cool. ( I really doubt that some flimsy rifle would stop a giant snake)
The secret pony technique... Puppy eyes no Jutsu
So...like Diamond Tiara?
Also, since when is Fluttershy an alicorn? I probably missed something, but can someone at least direct me to the chapter it happens in?
9960373
... It's not an M4... and it's no ordinary/flimsy rifle, either.
9960440
That would be Chap. 22, and about a third of the way in.
9960448
Thanks
9960469
You're welcome!
9960471
I found the part, thanks for the reminder. I read the part again and I saw it that time. Might want to add more emphasize to the fact, maybe Lyra responding to the code Fluttershy said and explaining to Draco what it meant, thus helping him understand the importance of an alicorn for when he Harry and Hermione transform.
Just one reader's opinion, so you don't have to
All we need now is some sort of shenanigans over electing a class president or something like that and we can redo one of the episodes :-).
More serious: So now we will have Draco and Silver both enrolled. We're going to see Silver get sorted. We're going to have Clark Kent/Lois Lane style "Who are you really?" stuff going on.
Discord, pass the popcorn.
9960474
Well, that's actually kinda the point... Harry, Hermione, and Draco had no clue of the importance of the event when it happened, so they didn't mention it... They didn't try to hide it, but they also didn't volunteer it (not seeing reason to do either), so nopony knows about it. It's only with Lyra's, ah, situation that they learn of the importance (or even what an 'ascension' is, for that matter)... and now they're no doubt trying to learn what they can about it before they reveal, so they can ease themselves into the strange position.
So yeah
When I read this, I had a "Whoa, whoa. Back up a minute. When did this happen?" moment. That doesn't bode well as an assessment of whether you did a good job of spending time on things proportionate to their importance.
"Yep." doesn't feel like it would be part of Dumbledore's "personal dialect". (My term for the set of words a given character will use and how they use them.)
Overall, this chapter feels like it's significantly more sloppy about things like that than I remember the rest of the story being.
Dumbledore has a bit more lean due to the Agency?
Fluttershys gun? I was trying to look it up but it kept giving me 50 cals and basic Tank Busters, but I was trying to find the Tremors Gun. Which origionally was a Boys antitank rifle, nicknamed the elephant Gun. but I thought it was a German WW2 varient 20mm shell with Rocket propulsion, but there is a Recoilless Rifle that has similar behaviour. But those work by the back of the rifle having an exhaust port for the rocket blast from the charge. Canceling the recoil from the shell, but setting fire to things up to 12 feet behind.
Celestia with EW Unlock?
9960480
Oh, I see. Thanks for explaining
9960495
Admittedly, I have to agree. I've been much more out of it lately, so the characters have... well, suffered for it.
I'm going to be going mostly inactive soon, for a few weeks or so, possibly longer... after that, when I get back to this, I'll have to reread my own story once again, get myself back on my feet.
9960541
That's correct, it is an anti-tank rifle... that was nicknamed the "Elephant Gun".
Hint: It's normally an emplaced weapon
And answer: It's a Lahti L-39, good for an inch and a half or so of solid steel armor.
9960592
So basically...good for turning things into Swiss Cheese.
9960373
Maybe an AT rifle might do some damage.
9960654
I was hoping it's going to be Browning 50 cal. Carl Gustaf if I was that lucky.
9960698
... Oh, that thing's a little wimpy compared to the one she's really got...
(Though, admittedly, her rifle is not fully automatic...)
9960541
9960592
Have you heard of the new sensation sweeping the nation?
Bitches love cannons!
9961042
If FLuttershy can handle that thing, unless its because of Flutterbat, makes me wonder what kind of artillery piece Big Mac, or even Petunia Prickles could field.
9961042
Oh yeah. Even Pinkie has one- and, she even calls it a cannon!
9961216
Flutters can handle that thing... because Alicorn strength. The thing kicks like a dinosaur, if not emplaced- and it's normally moved by a team of some three or four people, not a single man. When she got it, she must have decided that if she needs a rifle, she might as well play on her new strength and get the biggest, most ridiculously powerful rifle she could find. Might be the same reason her handgun is basically a handheld cannon already...
9961874
I was joking. Gotta admit, this sounds like it is right up Hermione's alley.
9962115
Yeah, it does... Canon Hermione, at the very least. My Hermione, probably as well, though she seems a bit less prone to it.
9962516
when the author states he needs to reread the story, then i am in good company.
9962902
Very possibly.
... Looking back at the early chapters, I have no clue how it achieved the feature list back in the day. They’re... terrible. Mind, they’re also about 30% of my writing career in the past, but...
It’s kinda amazing how much I’ve learned throughout The Gate, I believe.
9961216
you kidding? Big Mac could chuck a tank over Mt. Canter. from the other side of Sweet Apple Acres.
9963186
No doubt he'd find a way to hand-fire a cannon that was supposed to be mounted on a tank...
Either that, or he'd just carry around a cannonball, and just lob it at the enemy. No doubt he could reach cannon velocities that way with punitive ease, if he could throw an unaerodynamic object several miles through the atmosphere, especially against gravity... (I mean, have you ever flown an aerodynamically unstable rocket in KSP and had it start tumbling at 800+m/s below 20k feet? Yeah, it hits 200m/s in a matter of seconds... Much higher of a start speed- say, 1km/s, or more- and it usually either blows up... or is high enough it won't destabilize like that in the first place)
9963235
Ack, I forgot about Its A Rock Maud.