12. Guardians
Sweetie Belle - Hogwarts Exchange Student
Guardians
Today was the day Theodore would have taken his brother to Hogwarts, a complicated day indeed. It certainly would not have been easy for the two of them. Physically, it would mean struggling with two sets of trunks, trying to keep his little brother out from underfoot as they managed the Floo connection to the nearest town with a wizarding enclave, then taking a portkey to London. It had always seemed to be such a waste of resources when the school was a short trip from their House, but as he grew older and wiser, he began to recognize the method behind the madness. In days long gone, each individual student would struggle by Floo or carriage or apparition with parents and smaller siblings to overwhelm the nearby town of Hogsmeade. Requiring the children to ride the train both separated them from their parental bond and caused them to form bonds among each other before school had even started. So how few bonds would Wycliffe be forming as a shunned son of a dying Death Eater, trapped in a train full of children who loathed him? No matter how quiet the small boy was, he certainly would draw unwelcome social attention, if not physical violence.
Right now, Theodore got attention no matter how quietly he crept out of bed in the pre-dawn murk. An alert blue-green ear sticking out of the nearby blanket pile would twitch and pivot to track his every slipper-clad step as he padded over to the next room and checked on any of his potions still brewing, then stepped to the balcony and looked out over the glittering city below.
It was worth it. Every time he opened the balcony doors was like the first time, with the overwhelming beauty of the place crashing in and filling his heart with unfamiliar joy. The city was unbelievably impressive to the point that the single picture he had attempted to take of the view came out as nothing but white paper that glittered in the sunlight. He had even given serious consideration to getting his paints out and creating a landscape of the city to treasure when he returned home, if not for a terrible lack of sparkles in the pigments.
And yet… every time he stepped onto the balcony, he could feel eyes watching him in return. Red, smokey, terrifying eyes that bored into the back of his head with an impassive hatred, seeing him as an obstacle on the path to total domination over the entire world. Even when Theodore had met the Dark Lord in person at the Battle of Hogwarts, there had been more warmth and compassion in that slit-eyed gaze than—
“You feel it too.” Theodore almost went over the balcony rail when he jumped but managed to keep from snapping at his fellow cursebreaker when he turned around, mostly because of the forlorn expression on New Leaf’s face. “Other than the Royal Family, you’re the only creature here that I can be absolutely certain isn’t going to turn into one of Sombra’s slaves and kill me.”
“Sombra’s dead,” said Theodore with less veracity than he wanted. “We’re trying to unwind the traps and schemes of a corpse.”
A long shudder went down New Leaf’s bare coat, less from the cool morning breeze and more likely from a suppressed memory of Sombra’s reign. It made Theodore regain some of his original calm by contrast, and look at the situation from a four-legged point of view. To be honest, he had been making a few contingency plans on his own, and it would not hurt to share them with his fellow cursebreaker, just in case.
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll show you some wizard magic I plan on using just in the event something goes wrong. After finding out so much about your former king, there’s no way I’m staying if something else dreadful happens, and I’m not leaving without you. Here.”
Bending down a little in his nightgown, Theodore put one arm around the back of the trembling unicorn and apparated. The twisting churn of movement was familiar enough that he did not even stumble when they touched down on the Empire’s train station platform less than a mile away, although the brisk morning air was less than comfortable blowing up against his bare legs.
“This is my first stop,” said Theodore, pointing down the empty railroad tracks. “I can establish more familiar points in that direction later. Princess Cadence said the shield over the Empire might disrupt any spells, so we would have to walk across the barrier to the old train station before apparating any further. Are… you feeling alright?”
Leaf had taken a few rapid steps in the direction of a trash can and was busily making sick noises into it, so the question was rather foolish in hindsight. From the unicorn’s reactions, a return trip by the same method would not be welcome either, so Theodore considered the chill morning streets, the small bag filled with ‘bits’ he had in one pocket, and their relative lack of practical exploration among the buildings and shops of the city. A quick wave of his wand and a Transformation spell turned the thin nightshirt into something thicker and a little more in line with public exposure, even colored a daring (for a wizard) light teal to make Leaf feel more comfortable also.
“When you’re done,” said Theodore over the sound of the retching unicorn, “let’s take a walk back to the castle, make some casual observations, and see about breakfast to replace what you lost. Does that sound acceptable?”
After one last quiet retching noise, Leaf nodded, his head still in the trash can.
“And when we get back to the castle,” added Theodore, “you’re taking a bath.”
It was, as Theodore considered, a lot like having a pet, although he wondered if Granite Peaks thought the same about him.
* * *
Morning, morning, morning! Sweetie could not hold back as she bounced out of bed and headed downstairs. Today, they were going to the new school, and she was going to meet so many new friends! The rest of the boarders had just begun to emerge from their own rooms, except Percival, who was snoozing against the dining room table with papers scattered all over. She danced between their legs with a happy clatter of hooves, feeling the joy welling up inside her until it could not be contained.
Really, the first stanza was the most difficult, but as she flung herself into the song, the others joined in. Old and young, happy or sad, the music swelled up among them until they all were singing at the top of their lungs. There were so many words that rhymed with Hogwarts, or school, or even classes, that she felt as if the song could go forever.
That is until the toaster exploded in sparks and chunks of burning bread, and the glorious song trailed to an end.
“What was that?” managed Wycliffe, who had just gotten a dozen eggs out of the icebox during the chorus and was holding one in the palm of his hand when the first chunk of carbonized toast blasted through the air.
The rest of the boarders were similarly stunned, with Percy holding the giant paper flower he had made out of his paperwork and looking most flummoxed of all.
“Awsome!” declared Sparrow. “Wizarding school is like a musical! This is going to be so cool!”
“I don’t think…” Miss Selkirk hesitated as the rest of the boarders began to cautiously pick their way down from standing on the dining room table or perched on various chairs. “Was that normal, Sweetie?”
“No, not really,” admitted Sweetie while stretched across a chair in her human form, trying to reach the chunk of blackened toast hiding under the table. “We didn’t even make it to the chorus a second time.”
“Wanna try again?” asked Sparrow. She dropped eggs one at a time into the water boiling on the stove while Wycliffe handed them over. “I mean Wy’s got a beautiful voice, and—”
“I don’t either!” protested Wycliffe. He fumbled with the empty egg carton, then closed the icebox door. “Besides, we have a schedule this morning.”
“Very true.” Miss Selkirk put down the wooden spoon she had been using to conduct their musical number and hustled the three students out of the kitchen. The other boarders did not seem upset about the interruption at all, and chattered endlessly during breakfast about how it reminded them of the Yule Ball at Hogwarts, or other such youthful indiscretions of their school years. By the time they were ready to step into the fireplace and go to work, they were all singing the Hogwarts official school song together, which made Sweetie a little worried that they would all wind up at some place called ‘Bits of Fluff’ but Miss Selkirk did not seem concerned.
“Now that we’ve all had our excitement for the morning,” she started, looking very serious except for the upwards quirk around one corner of her mouth, “let’s get you three breakfast and load your trunks into the car. Mister Weasley helped put a few Expansion Charms on it last night so everything should fit much better, and we should have enough time to do a little sightseeing before getting lunch and taking you to King’s Cross station.”
“Where we’ll meet all the other students and ride the train to school,” said Sweetie with nearly a squeal. “I’m so excited I could almost—”
Despite Wycliffe’s hand firmly placed over her mouth, Sweetie still wanted to break into song.
* * *
It was only a few days into Theodore Nott’s Equestrian experience, and he already was considering murder. Not Granite Peaks, who had joined their review of the cursebreakers’ reports this morning. Nor New Leaf, who was proving to be an extraordinary student of wizarding detection charms and countercurses. Even the various sparkling and glittering natives of the Crystal Empire who found any excuse at all to stop by his open door and peek in were all safe from his current murderous musings.
He would have killed for a cup of coffee. Mostly figuratively, but it was probably wise not to test the issue if a real cup of steaming black coffee, three sugars, just a pinch of salt, were to appear on the paper-strewn table where the three of them were hashing out ideas.
“Sir?” There was one of the sparkling Crystal Guards at the doorway to their workroom, Gneiss if Theodore remembered his striated grey and cream coat correctly. He was more friendly than most of the grim guards around the castle, although he was ever so stern and formal now, with his back held straight and looking directly forward. “Granite Peaks, do you have you a moment? Her Highness would like to speak to your assistant.”
“Me?” squeaked New Leaf while shuffling around the table as if he were about to dive under it.
“No,” said Gneiss, which left only one assistant as a possibility.
“I’ll talk with Princess Cadence. You two keep working,” said Theodore, getting awkwardly to his feet. Equestrian chairs were comfortable, but sitting in one for several hours took its toll. “Maybe she just wants to invite us to lunch,” he added with a glance at his garden gnome alarm clock, which had both hands resting on its round belly and a mournful look of extreme starvation.
He skirted around Gneiss and headed for the apartment door, since the guard always seemed to prefer a slow march rather than a brisk trot, yet another thing that Hogwarts had taught Theodore in order to reach distant classes on-time.
Of course at Hogwarts, one never ran straight into the Night when stepping into a corridor.
Princess Luna really needed no introduction, although Theodore quite nearly caught her horn right between his eyes at the speed he was traveling. A polite introduction would have been preferable than his stammering and backpedaling, only made worse by…
Well…
There was just something unearthly attractive about her, beyond the washed-out sensation of raw power simmering beneath the surface like ten thousand stars all brought together. Where Celestia’s mane and tail were shimmering pastel, hers were an endless depth of star-strewn space that he could lose himself in admiring. She was not as tall as Celestia, although he had kept a respectful distance away from the Alicorn of the Sun.
Being this close let Theodore actually see beneath the image the former rulers of Equestria cast, much like taking a powerful telescope to the stars to find out their secrets. This close, he could easily believe Celestia’s story about the lonely princess who turned to madness when nobody appreciated her artistry. Meeting her mid-day was probably a good thing, because an abrupt encounter like this at night would have overwhelmed his ongoing effort to resist pony innate cuteness, and there might have been hugs involved.
…followed promptly by some sort of Equestrian royal beat-down and being evicted through the human side of the mirror at an unsafe velocity.
“Your Highness!” he managed after a quick breath and a sincere hope he had not been staring too long. It would have been a good start if he had not still been distracted by her presence, plus the lingering scent of eucalyptus from where he had brushed his nose against her flowing mane. One thing a Slytherin was trained to avoid was honesty at all costs, proven when he continued digging his hole by saying, “You look terrible.”
‘Sleep-deprived’ was the largest portion of her visage, and the look he received in response from bloodshot teal eyes gave Theodore a sudden urge to grovel for his life, or perhaps fetch her a pillow.
“Due to the lateness of the hour, we shall eschew pleasantries and proceed directly to the point,” said the dark princess in a flat undertone that nonetheless managed to entrance Theodore with its musical lilt and directness. “Doth thy world still practice the art of arcane portraiture? That is creating a painting of a deceased individual by which to capture an inconsequential fragment of its arcane essence, used as a convenient reference to the one who came before or a messenger who can pass from enchantment to enchantment until it reaches the desired destination?”
“Ah… Yes,” said Theodore hesitantly. “It is an advanced Seventh Year charm. Hogwarts castle is full of them.”
“And are you proficient in the creation of such enchantments?” continued Princess Luna before Theodore had quite finished speaking.
He nodded this time.
“Good.” Princess Luna nearly trampled Gneiss as she strode forward into Theodore Nott’s suite of rooms. The guard looked nearly as confused about the behavior of the larger princess as Theodore, although Granite Peaks moved to block her entrance into the room where they had been looking over the other cursebreakers’ notes.
“Your Highness!” The older unicorn was fairly bristling like an irritated hound, and Theodore noticed the faint rising of hairs around his upper lip that indicated the bare beginnings or faint memory of a mustache. “We are working!”
“As are we,” responded the dark princess. She paused to breathe, a labored effort that seemed to stir ancient dust around the room, and for a moment when the floating stars in her mane slowed to mere whirls, she seemed aged every year of the thousand that Celestia had spoken. “The strain of casting ourself into the Dreaming so far from home is vexing. The spell which Rowena Ravenclaw didst craft offers hope for a solution, for although we cannot be in two places at once, we may create a proxy to act in our stead.”
“It only works on wizards who are dead,” said Theodore, who found himself the subject of a brief, contemptuous glance as if he were a toddler offering advice on baking cookies.
“Obviously,” said Luna. “For mortals, the act of death separates flesh from spirit.”
“So if I use the Portrait Charm for the trapped cursebreakers,” said Theodore in a flash of inspiration, “and it fails, we’ll know for certain they’re still alive.”
There was an obvious pause in the ancient alicorn’s thoughts, and she nodded with a modicum of approval. “An ingenious step to freeing your imprisoned comrades,” she said, sounding more optimistic. “For now, we have need of your skills in this regard. Retired or not, we shall not shirk from our responsibilities to our subjects, and with Sweetie Belle in such a strange new place, she will certainly need our protective wings again to guard her dreams from the terrors of the night.”
“Again?” Theodore could feel his heart beat even faster with excitement. Dream magic was an erratic and unsafe practice in the wizarding world. If he could convince Princess Luna to teach him to reliably walk the Unseen Path, there would be no barrier or ward that could conceal the secrets of his enemies. Of course, there would need to be a quid pro quo, and whatever task the Equestrian princess wanted did not seem too difficult on the surface.
* * *
“Did you ever wonder,” said Sparrow with her head out the automobile window so the wind could blow her hair dry, “how high a broom can go?”
Wycliffe did not respond, because he was sitting quietly on the right side of the passenger compartment, drying the last of the river water off himself with a purple towel. In addition, he was diligently studying the carpet on the Volvo’s floor while the outside world whizzed past, most likely a continuation of his previous bout of carsickness. Thus it was Sweetie’s responsibility as an Equestrian representative to answer the hypothetical question as best she could.
“I know Rainbow Dash at home can go way, way high, so high she can touch the moon.”
“The moon?” Sparrow pulled her head back in the car and shook her short, tangled mane. “The moon’s like a bazillion miles out there, and takes a giant rocket to reach.”
“Maybe your moon,” said Sweetie defensively. “My sister and her friends traveled there once by lassoing it and pulling it closer. Then they walked right up the rope and fought the nasty nightmares who lived there, and turned them all good.”
That was enough for Wycliffe to look up, begin to form a rebuttal, then put his head back down when the Volvo turned a corner.
“Tummy still upset from that ride in the boat?” asked Miss Selkirk.
After a brief nod, he swallowed and said, “It was worth it, though. I’ve never been on such a big bridge before, or rode in a blow-up boat like that.”
“All the tourism at twice the speed,” announced Sparrow. “All up and down the river and with all the other boats. And it was red!”
“It was a lot like being at home,” admitted Sweetie Belle, who took possession of Sparrow’s towel in order to dry her mane. “Only when we fall out of Scootaloo’s wagon, we get bumps and bruises instead of getting wet in the river.”
“I have photos of you three on the boats and next to the muggle Parliament when Big Ben chimed,” said Miss Selkirk over her shoulder as she maneuvered through traffic into the parking building. “And particularly the one of Sweetie petting the penguin at the aquarium. I’ll make sure to have Miss Mouser bring them to Hogwarts once they’re developed. I think you’ll find our photographs quite different from yours.”
Miss Selkirk seemed as happy as Sweetie had ever seen her, and even maintained her good mood when Sparrow dropped the corner of her trunk on a toe. The Volvo was tucked away in a big concrete building with other automobiles while the four of them crossed the street, towing their trunks across the street and into the gigantic railroad station. It was an awkward trip with all their luggage, made slightly easier when they entered Kings Cross Station and loaded their various boxes and trunks onto a fat-tyred trolly for each of them.
“Well, this is it,” Miss Selkirk announced, looking around the wide open space and all of the shiny new trains. “It’s been such a joy to have you girls around the house that I’m sad to see you go. You too, young man,” she added to Wycliffe.
“Thank you for your courtesy, Ma’am,” said Wycliffe quite formally in return. “You’ve been very… forgiving. I only hope the rest of the Hogwarts students are as well.”
Miss Selkirk knelt down right there in the middle of the people bustling back and forth to put one arm around Wycliffe and give him a brief hug. “Sweetie Belle helped me realize how important it is to be a child, and not to fret endlessly about the past when the future is more important. I can’t change the past. Hating you would not bring my husband and my daughter back. I’d be like those two miscreants in Diagon Alley, out to hurt you for something you never did.”
“Awww…” Sweetie Belle supplied the other half of the hug, with extra squeezieness. “This is so nice. And I’m not going to sing,” she added when Wycliffe lifted up one hand. “We have to catch our train. Which one is it?”
* * *
The answer to that question was more complicated than Sweetie expected. All of the fancy new trains with shiny parts and smooth shapes were muggle trains, and by some trick of wizard magic could not even find the tracks leading to the Hogsmeade station.
Sweetie thought she was doing to die from awesome overload if things kept getting better. Their path through the massive building was all very chaotic and busy with people moving in all directions just like ponies at home, and despite her new taller human height, the other humans were even taller, so she saw just as little, but what she saw filled her heart with the joy of exploration.
The train station had a secret passage that took them from the human-crowded area full of shiny trains and bright sunshine coming in from the glass-lined roof, to a still huge but more crowded chamber filled with bustling families and one enormous red train engine larger than anything she had ever seen in Equestria.
Miss Selkirk was pulling the fat-tyred trolley with all of Sweetie’s luggage on it, so both Sparrow and Wycliffe could keep a hand ready to put over her mouth from different sides.
“Just one song, before we get on the train?” she whimpered.
“No,” said both students at the same time, although Sparrow continued, “I mean it would be so cool, but really we don’t know anybody here and they might get upset and freak out.”
It was a reasonable caution, and worse, came from Sparrow so that made it more applicable.
She settled for skipping, which was a lot more fun with two legs than four. There were so many new humans to meet that she started to lose track of names as she met them and introduced herself over and over. They all looked so troubled and worried that she really could not help herself, and she was just trying to figure out how to slip a small song into the boarding process when she was ambushed by a crushing hug.
“Mom!” called out the saleswitch from the bookstore, who had gotten Sweetie wrapped up in her arms. “She’s over here! Hurry up!”
“I don’t think she’s getting away,” remarked Wycliffe as a pleasantly plump woman with red hair came bustling over. “You must be… Oh. Missus Weasley.” Sweetie could not see very well because her hugger was taller, but Wycliffe suddenly lost a lot of his hard-won confidence. The woman did not seem very terrifying, but more like Missus Cake at home…
Then again, Sweetie had seem Missus Cake once when she thought Pound Cake was in trouble. For a chubby mare, she was fast.
“Ginerva Weasley, you put that young girl down this instant! Oh! Beg pardon, young miss. Arthur told me all about you. Ginny!” The chubby witch had very strong fingers, and pried at Ginny’s arms until Sweetie could get a full breath of air.
Sparrow loaned her efforts into getting Sweetie a little more breathing space, adding, “It ain’t no guess that you’re a Weasley too, Ma’am. Since this is your daughter, right?”
“Yes, but normally she is much better behaved. Ginny, you are a Prefect this year, so try to act like it.”
“Ah, there you are, Mum.” Percival stepped up behind Missus Weasley and gave her a kiss on the top of her curly hair. “I see you’ve met Miss Belle. And Miss Lilley,” he added with a nod to Sparrow, then a questioning look to their other student. “I don’t believe I know your full name, Wycliffe?”
“Nott,” said Wycliffe, with a look much like somepony who was going to the dentist.
The squeezing, hugging, and general jovial atmosphere drained away in a heartbeat, leaving three Weasley’s staring at the short boy, and Sweetie Belle scrambling for something positive to say about her new friend that didn’t sound too icky.
“We know about his father,” she started, “and there’s a lot of humans who don’t like him because of what his father did, but that’s not a good reason. He’s almost alone in the world now, and he needs friends more than ever.”
“And he’s kinda cool,” admitted Sparrow, giving Wycliffe a ruffle on top of his bare head. “I mean when those two cretins attacked his uncle outside of the bar, he didn’t back down nothing at all, like a badger. That takes guts.”
“He’s been a perfect gentleman with the girls,” said Missus Selkirk unexpectedly. “Hogwarts would not have sent him a letter if he did not have potential.”
After some time, Percival took his hand off his mother’s shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and extended it toward Wycliffe. “If you are willing to attend Hogwarts, Mister Nott, it is the least I can do to assist. Dumbledore taught us that help will always be given at the school to those who ask, and it would besmirch his memory to turn you away.”
“Percy!” scolded Missus Weasley, her lips drawn into a thin line.
“I have to go along with Percy on this one, Mum.” Ginny spoke slowly and stuck out her own hand to shake. “Harry told me about Draco and Snape. We have to at least give him a chance.”
“But…” Missus Weasley’s eyes flashed as she looked between the five of them, then she took a deep breath from between clenched teeth, turned on her heel, and walked away with a brisk stride.
Sparrow eyed the two Weasleys remaining and asked, “Is your mother going to be okay?”
“We just came from a memorial service for one of Dad’s friends from work,” admitted Ginny Weasley. “It’s really a bad time—”
“To be a Death Eater’s son,” finished Wycliffe. “At least in Hogwarts, I’ll be reasonably safe. There have been rumors of the Dark Lord’s servants meeting terrible ends, and not by any humans. He made promises to some of the allies he recruited, and now that he has been defeated, they have come seeking their due.”
“Seeking their due?” Sweetie’s nose wrinkled up in concentration. “Really?”
“Well, I—” Wycliffe coughed “—read that phrase once, and it stuck in my head.”
“That’s all well and good,” said Ginny. She gathered up her trolley and turned them in the direction of the train. “Since I’m a prefect this year, it’s my responsibility to make sure all of the students are on board when we leave. Percy, thank you for coming to see me off, but — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — you should probably take Miss Selkirk and go talk some sense into Mum. Come along, girls. You too, Mister Nott.”
* * *
Theodore Nott did not like to display his artistic talent. True Slytherins did not paint pretty pictures, and were rather cruel to those who did. However, the intermix of magic and proportion involved in painting did reveal weaknesses and strengths in the subject, and a proper understanding of a spell was in effect a painting of understanding, or at least that was what he liked to think. Capturing a concept in etheric paint or in class notes were similar activities, and capturing the leftover ethereal bits of a departed witch or wizard mixed both ideas.
He was just a little puzzled about said etheric bits when the subject in question was quite alive.
“It will make more sense if you work while I explain.” With nobody else in his suite except for the Princess of the Night, Theodore was feeling a little nervous. The fact that the equine royalty was disrobing did not make his nerves feel any better. At least he could hide behind his easel and fiddle with the thaumically active paints, particularly the dark ones around blue and indigo.
The faint clicks of Princess Luna removing her silver hoof-boots had finished, but he could still see with peripheral vision as she used her unicorn magic to float off the ebon neck-kerchief and thin wire crown, placing them on his otherwise unremarkable bedstand.
His garden gnome alarm clock had both knobby hands over its eyes. Theodore was considering the same pose.
“You know of my dark past?” began Luna, now about as equinely naked as possible other than maybe eyeshadow.
“Vaguely,” said Theodore, trying to keep his eyes on the canvas. He could hear the creaking of bedsprings as the Equestrian princess laid down on his bed and made herself comfortable.
“I shall be brief. In our better years together, my sister and I defeated many enemies of Equestria. We were not always alicorns, as many think, and when we ascended to our powers of Sun and Moon, we used them all across the new nation. No ancient evil or lurking monsters could stand up against our combined magic, but Sombra escaped our cleansing by concealing his actions in shadows. He was, after all, a pony, and we were blind to the evils that could take root in our own kind. He claimed there was corruption in his lands, which took all his strength to keep at bay. We did not guess he was the source of this fel magic until too late, and before we could smite him as we had done so many other evils, he sealed his lands away in shadow forever, or so we thought.”
“I understand you took part in the creation of Hogwarts during this time, Your Highness?” asked Theodore out of growing curiosity.
“Briefly,” admitted Luna. “Starswirl the Bearded provided the portal, and we gave what assistance and advice we could to your four great founders. It was only for a week or two as we traveled back and forth, since we still held the responsibility of Sun and Moon. Even then, we quarreled bitterly, and our dispute affected the Pillars of Equestria. Six of the greatest heroes of our age, and their own growing disorder and internal strife should have been a sign to how the arguments between my sister and myself were affecting others.
“Then one day they were gone, and without Starswirl, the portal no longer responded to our magic.”
Despite his best efforts, Theodore glanced at the door to his suite and the dark indigo spell around the whole wall that showed just how sincerely Luna was taking her privacy. He had not even considered the possibility of being cut off from home, and made up his mind to be exceptionally polite to any bearded ponies he might meet in the future.
“We blamed each other, using the most hateful words imaginable,” said Luna quietly from his bed. “In my rage and frustration, I created a monster out of my darkest emotions. I would have destroyed my sister if she had not used the Elements of Harmony to imprison me in the moon.”
She said nothing more for a time, allowing the silence of the room to speak in her stead. Alone, in the cold of space, rejected by her only sibling. He could not even imagine her agony, endless and infinite.
“A thousand years,” she managed after a time. “I was weakened, but not destroyed. If Twilight Sparkle and her friends had not cleansed my corruption upon my return, I would have unleashed terrible vengeance upon the innocent, and ruled our lands from a throne of darkness. Uncounted multitudes would have died.”
Her voice had gotten muffled near the end of her sentence, so Theodore hazarded a peek, only to see Luna had covered her head with his pillow and was lying flat against the mattress with her wings and tail dragging on the bedroom floor.
“To prevent that event from ever happening again,” came Luna’s voice from beneath his pillow, “I crafted a heartless guardian, a stern jailor to keep me from venturing into such madness. A sliver of my soul called a Tantabus, which would watch over my dreams, and remind me of my failures forever. I thought it a wise precaution.” The alicorn’s laugh was bitter and filled with dark fatigue. “I was very much a fool. It nearly escaped and destroyed our beloved lands, if not for the assistance of Twilight Sparkle and her friends again.”
“They sound like very interesting people. I mean ponies,” corrected Theodore. “And your friends, also.”
“Truth.” Luna tucked her wings up and curled up under Theodore’s blanket, much like a large kitten and twice as cute, with only her nose sticking out. “I have learned a lesson more valuable than any other, to reach out to my friends instead of taking all of my failures upon myself. The Tantabus has been tamed by its experience with Twilight Sparkle, and I have guided it to more productive behavior, but it is still a relic of my past. If you can bring it out, place its essence upon canvas and paint, and make it useful to the future, you shall have my gratitude.”
His father had always said gratitude and a stack of galleons was far better than gratitude alone. The thoughts of his father and the old man’s ultimate fate distracted him while dabbing paint onto the canvas, sketching the contents of his room along with the lump under the blankets. House Nott had considerable history, and once after consuming far too much firewhisky, his father had reluctantly spoken about their distant ancestors. Every wizarding House in Britain claimed in some vague fashion to be related to Merlin or some other wizard of that age. Their House claimed one of the noble princesses of King Arthur’s court, with a name that changed at every telling. And Theodore had to admit, if a beautiful human princess had offered her gratitude for his present service, that would be a horse of a different color.
The process of painting gave him a sense of completion, a familiar element in a city of colorful ponies who lived in terror of the darkness stalking unseen among them. Since Princess Luna ruled over the world of dreams also, this city must be a gruesome briar patch of nightmares for her, filled with clawed and fanged aetherial monsters. He could even see their images in his mind’s eye, cowering away from a fierce alicorn princess with a body made of luminous starstuff, slashing and cutting the monsters until they fled in the terror they tried to bring.
He painted and painted until the tube of ebon pigment was empty, and he was nursing out a few tiny drips from the metal neck with the tip of his brush. The words of the spell were dry on the back of his tongue after repeating them for so long, but the results were…
The room and the painted bed looked far more like a room at Hogwarts than the two pony beds the Equestrians had pushed together for his own use, and the lump under the covers far more human in shape, but what was standing in front of the bed and looking back at him took Theodore’s breath away.
It was unmistakably an alicorn, formed of starstuff and the glory of the night sky with piercing teal eyes like comets and an expression of fierce restraint, much as if it were the charger for some ancient stellar knight, ready to do battle against star-monsters. The Portraiture spell had most certainly taken effect, because the defensive alicorn did not simply stand inert, but flowed across the mane and tail as if she were standing in some slow galactic breeze, and her eyes darted around the room, seeking unseen assailants in the shadows.
“So you’re the Tantubus,” whispered Theodore.
The star-alicorn in the painting nodded back at him mutely without lowering her guard a fraction.
“And you’re willing to travel to Hogwarts to protect the dreams of the pony Luna was talking about?”
Again, the painted alicorn nodded, although she swept a wing across the bed to reveal a young white unicorn, sleeping peacefully beneath the blankets.
It seemed awkward for Theodore, but after taking a quick peek at the sleeping Princess Luna on his bed, there did not appear to be anybody else in the bedroom awake, so he lowered his voice and added, “Will you watch after my brother Wycliffe also?”
At that, the alicorn thought for a moment, then swept her wing across the painted bed to reveal his brother curled up behind the sleeping unicorn, much like two peas in a pod.
“No. I mean…” Trying not to scowl, Theodore was still wrestling for words when the painted alicorn took a step to one side, revealing a much smaller alicorn made out of the same starstuff standing behind her. “Oh,” he added. “You mean you’ll protect them both like your own children?”
After one long, slow shake of her head, the painting blurred until it showed Hogwarts castle glowing in the moonlight with only a few windows still lit. And above the castle, encompassing it in her huge dark wings, the ebon alicorn of stars stood watch over it all.
It seemed reassuring enough for Theodore to excuse himself and leave Princess Luna to continue her well-needed nap in his bed. At least Wycliffe would be protected from one danger at Hogwarts, and he had much work left to do in the Crystal Empire today.
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You know, once an alicorn sleeps in your bed, your life is never the same.
9966671
Fake Snek
9971854
True dat, they make for very permanent houseguests, especially the purple ones.
Maybe she should do it at Hogwarts. I would love to see how the ghosts do the chorus (or special effects).
Gah, that was beautiful.
Sweetie on the Hogwarts Express is going to end up like one of those Bollywood Train Musical? Except instead of students getting off the train with traffic cones, someones going to be getting off with an Elephant?
If the Tantabus can get accepted by the other Portraits, and the castle Wards, Crystal Empire to Keystone, it has a chance of giving Hogwarts access to Earth Wizard Magic, Equestrian Unicorn Magic, and Dream Magic Triforce?
The musical numbers shall have unforseen consequences. One thing's going to lead to another, and before you know it, Flitwick & Filch are headlining as the Pirate King & General Stanley in a West End production of The Pirates of Penzance.
Dumbledore would've adored Sweetie. This year may mark the first time everyone manages to sing the Hogwarts school song not only in key, but in the same key.
As for the Notts, both have interesting times ahead. This is sure to be interesting, especially given how the Tantabus will arrive unannounced.
Sooner or later The elder Nott brother shall succumb to the power of pony cuddles
9971908
David Bradley doesn't have any credits on ITDb. Which is a shame.
9971990
True, but he was pretty dang good in Hot Fuzz as the profane Constable Webley
You know you may want to reconsider your life choices if Voldemort is considered marginally better than you.
Also, it's a pity that this takes place after the Battle of Hogwarts purely for the fact that I would have loved to see Snape's aneurysm when Sweetie Belle leads the entire Potions Class in a spontaneous choreographed song and dance. Ooh, or better yet, have him perform a duet with Sweetie at some point during said song and dance!
9971873
And of course, Peeves is going to do his ample best to fuck things up, only to get all the lyrics right but in the wrong key and/or tempo. Likely at fortissimo levels.
Gah! The like button is broken! I can only use it once!
...I'm a bit confused. Did Ms. Selkirk take the kids to a fair before taking them to the train station?
Wait a minute. It's 1998. They can't have ridden the London Eye because it isn't built yet. It was opened to the general public in March of 2000.
9972192
Snape has a portrait somewhere, though McGonagall has stowed it away.
9972311
However it was shown to be in the films. I blame lazy film making.
9972311 Oh, heck. We'll fix it in post. Gimmie a bit.
9972454 For reference, that's The Millennium Bridge in London, which was opened in 2000, while the Harry Potter film where it was destroyed was set in 1995-7 or so. (See! I'm not the only one :)
That was the Tantabus saying it would protect all of Hogwarts, right?
9972409
This is true, though I imagine it would have a hard time doing most of the choreography what with a lack of legs. Perhaps one of the students who is caught up in the effects of Sweetie Belle's song could hold the portrait and basically be Snape's legs, performing all of the dance moves perfectly despite being able to see nothing but the backboard of the portrait due to the way Equestrian magic works through music?
Either way, I'd pay to see that.
So, New Leaf is going to be the new Quirrel, right?
That was a beautiful image at the end, with the Tantabus sheltering Hogwarts with her wings.
And Sweetie's musical number was amazing.
9972192
Well, it is more about competence and capability than morals.
Sombra is worse than Voldemort because, at the end of the day, Voldemort "needed" his followers.
Voldemort had to be "nice" to some people so they would follow him and help him in his quest for power, while Sombra had the means and ability to take everything with no intermediaries.
They are both equally screwed in morals, and Voldemort would have been just as bad as Sombra if he had the power to outright control the population as brazenly as Sombra could.
Nott, I will only allow Luna's cuteness to keep you in my Read queue. Who puts salt in coffee?!
9973123
Eh, it's not that uncommon. Heck, a little cinnamon or chili powder in hot cocoa is pretty dang good, if you're interested in trying something new
9973123 Quite a few people, actually.
9972733 Voldemort only needed his close followers. He depended on terror to keep the rest of the populace in line, and that included killing or torturing whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Sombra just popped a helmet on them and had minions, scads of mindless minions to keep the rabble in line and to provide fodder for his experiments. He had no close followers.
9972627 Every witch and wizard who went to Hogwarts has contributed to its defense now. Some in rather odd fashion.
9972562 Part Starlight, part Fluttershy.
9972481 Somehow, I don't think nightmares are going to linger around the castle any more. They're delicious.
9972468 9972311 Ok, changed it to Parliament and Big Ben (yes, I know it's the bell, not the tower)
9972286 Just a little touristing around the downtown of London.
9972192 9971941 9971873 Wait for it....
9971938 It has to be carried there. It's a portrait, after all.
9971881 Thank you. It was in the makeup trailer forever.
9971860 Remember that in about twenty chapters or so. (which at my normal rate will be a year darnit)
Now I want to know where they will be placing the Tantabus portrait and who will be bringing it over. Seems a bit large for Phoenix travel.
Very cool chapter, and something I've always wondered. Would harmony react with humans
I don't understand the part with the red boat.
9974619 London RIB Tours
(And they're red!)
Oh. You have inverted the Golden Trio! Sweetie is the main character, Wycliffe is the smart and bossy one, and Sparrow is the oblivious one.
9974683
Oh, that's cool. If I ever go to London, I'll have to do that.
Paint me like one of your Prench fillies Mr Nott.
And so they decide to paint Sombra, just to be sure… BUT THE SPELL FAILS!!!
HE STILL LIVES!!!
It's like Star Wars... no one's ever really gone... all your expectations shall be subverted!
9971893
And it has the twist ending that they ALL sang the song.
9981173
That's actually a good idea. They should try that.
9989598 It's also a reference to what's going to happen in Episode 9... just, ugh... you won't believe anyone thought this was a good idea.
9991099
Star Trek Episode 9?
9991125 No... no, the OTHER Episode 9.
The one created by Jar Jar Abrams.
9991247
Oh. Star Wars Episode 9!
9991589 Yes, Ruse of Soywoker.
9991717
I haven't seen any of the dinsyfications since The Last Jedi. Been put off after how much of a disaster that was.
9992114 Oh boy, are you in for a treat. They make it WORSE!!
9992271
9992271
Now I want to see it, in a kind of "watching a trainwreck" kind of way.
9992276 That's what we have the "Cats" musical for! Which is conveniently coming out at the same time!
TWICE the disaster! Aren't we lucky lil moviegoers?
9992292
Eh.