Equestrian Vacation

by Dragonboy111

Chapter 6: Shining Armor's Training

"Hey, Shining Armor!" Harry yelled. He trotted up to the prince, who was ordering a pair of guards around.

"Just make sure the doors are guarded, and nopony is relieved of duty until he's replaced," the prince ordered. The two guards saluted and left. Shining Armor turned to face Harry.

"Harry! Good to see you. Honestly, I didn't think you'd leave the mirror room," Shining Armor said.

"I just needed some air," Harry confessed. "I can't stand sitting there, waiting for something to happen."

Shining Armor sighed. "Right with ya. The guard's been on high alert since the break-in. Honestly, it's about the only thing I can do now."

"At least you can do something," Harry grumbled.

"There are three alicorns guarding the mirror; if Sunset can get past them, the guards won't be much use," Shining admitted. "I learned early on how difficult security is. My talents made things easier, but I don't want to take chances with Twilight."

"Speaking of, I want to ask a favor," Harry asked. "I don't want to have to rely on her, I need to be able to hold my own. Do you—"

"Have free time to teach you self-defense?" Shining Armor interrupted. "I'd love to! I was in charge of guard training once, you'd—"

Harry backed up, shaking his head. "No, no, no, that's not what I was asking! Well, sort of. I was going to ask if you could show me some defensive spells."

Shining Armor seemed to deflate a bit. "Spells? That's it? You just want to cast a few more spells, and that's it?" Shining Armor asked.

"Uh, yes? I mean, that's how duels work, right?" Harry questioned cautiously.

"No! Good grief, no duel is solely determined by that!" Shining Armor paced around Harry, thinking. "Alright, I've got a better idea. While we wait for my little sis, I'll give you a crash course on fighting with magic!" he declared proudly.

Harry felt his stomach drop. Ponyfeathers, is he serious? Oh, Celestia, he's serious. How do you fight a unicorn that can throw you into the next continent?

"Alright, first off: what spells do you know?" Shining Armor asked.

Harry blanked. "Um, do you mean every spell, or—"

"Every spell you can fight with," Shining Armor demanded.

Harry paused to think. That would be an extensive list. "Uh, stunning spell, disarming spell, impediment spell, one or two binding spells, a few explosion spells, tickling spell—"

"Tickling spell?" Shining Armor asked, chuckling.

"I was twelve, I thought it would be useful," Harry insisted. "There's also a fire spell, a cutting spell, and a shield spell."

"A shield?" Shining Armor quirked an eyebrow. "Not bad; that's a good list. However, I know you missed a few."

"What do you mean, Shining Armor?"

"First off, just call me Shining. Second, you've got a good base of spells, but I know you have more than that. Remember, basic levitation can be used to control the battlefield, and change it in your favor. And I know you can teleport. Teleporting can fulfill similar purposes, dodging or relocating with less risk. A quick wit is just as valuable as a large arsenal of spells." Shining stood a few paces away from Harry and put a large shield between them. "Now hit me."

"Hit you?" Harry said.

"Yes, hit me, and as quick as you can."

Harry considered his options. Expelliarmus was worthless against a unicorn. Shining was known for his powerful shield magic, it could probably take a bombarda head on. Maybe Harry could teleport—

"Too slow!"

Shining's shield suddenly exploded, slamming headlong into Harry. The younger stallion was thrown tumbling back.

"I said to be quick," Shining said. "Your first attack is important, but don't waste your time thinking." The shield manifested between them again. "If you want to learn how to fight, your reflexes will be what saves your life first, not your spells or intellect. Go again," he commanded.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He teleported behind his opponent and launched an impediment spell. Shining turned and ducked beneath the spell, moving the shield between him and Harry. Harry decided to try his luck against the shield and blasted it with the sunfire spell. The fire flowed over the shield like water, obscuring Shining in a plume of smoke.

"Not bad! I can't see you but you can't see me. Now, defend yourself!" Shining Armor shouted.

A purple light was flung at Harry through the smoke. Thinking quickly, Harry cast the shield charm. The spell hit his shield and detonated, causing Harry's shield to fail and the younger pony to get knocked back. Harry was quick to get back on his hooves. Shining Armor cleared away the smoke as he stepped forward, smirking.

"That's good enough, I think we got a good baseline," Shining Armor said. "You're better than I expected, given your lack of proper training. Now, what was that spell you used, the one I dodged?"

"Impediment spell. It slows my opponents for a second or two," Harry replied.

"Why not the stunning spell you mentioned, is it harder to cast?"

"Not really," Harry said, unsure of what Shining Armor was suggesting.

"Why slow me when you can stop me? Unless you were trying to bait me into wasting energy, don't settle for a less effective spell." Shining Armor walked up to stand next to Harry with a smile. "You have a lot of options in a fight, but you have to pick the best ones. Come on, I'll show you some tips at the training grounds."

Harry followed Shining Armor out of the castle to a nearby field. Nopony was there, leaving the two alone. Shining Armor picked a small section of the grounds and stood on the opposite side as Harry.

"Alright, show me your strongest shield," Shining Armor commanded.

Harry's horn glowed as a thin white barrier appeared between the two, then faded.

"That's it?" Shining Armor exclaimed. "That's your strongest shield? Dude, that barely lasted a full second!"

"That's how protego works," Harry protested.

"That's barely a shield, it looks more like a parry. Is that as strong as you can make those?"

"The strength varies. If I want a stronger barrier, I need a stronger spell," Harry explained.

Shining Armor's hoof met his face a second later in exasperation. "No wonder you asked for help. Okay, watch me." A larger purple dome enveloped Shining Armor. "You see this? This is a proper shield. I can dismiss it or strengthen it at will. I can cast other spells while keeping it up. It protects me from all angles. And most importantly, it's tough. Think you can do anything like this?"

Harry shook his head. He was, as Twilight said, "magically bilingual" in that he could cast Equestrian and wizard magic, but he was still getting better at learning the magic. He didn't have Twilight's innate ability to absorb and regurgitate magic nor her years of experience.

"Okay then, today is going to be much harder than I thought. No worries, I can make a competent fighter out of you yet, or at least one with a respectable shield," Shining Armor said with confidence.

"If you say so, Shining," Harry said.

The next few hours were a blend of invigorating and torturous. It was invigorating in practicing magic, and torturous in that someone was teaching him magic. On the other hoof, Shining Armor's practicality-based crash course in magical combat proved to be what Harry needed. He showed Harry how to construct a forward-facing magical barrier, one stronger than protego could build. He then started flinging little spells to poke and prod at the shield, instructing Harry to keep the barrier up at all times. Within the first hour of practice, Harry was exhausted but managed a shield that wasn't disappointing. Then came the hardest part: altering the spells.

As Harry understood, wizard spells were rigid. A specific set of movements and words to achieve a specific effect. You could pump more power in, but that was the limit. If you wanted a variation of that effect, you needed a different spell. Hence nearly identical spells like confringo, bombarda, and expulso existed. Equestrian magic was more open-ended and malleable. Harry and Twilight's running theory for why was the connection ponies had with magic. Ponies lived with the world's magic. Humans, by contrast, made things fit some design, and thus their magic was rigid. Given the creative potential, Harry was starting to prefer Equestria's method.

Why was this important? Shining Armor's next lesson was getting Harry to slowly make changes to his barrier. Just holding it was hard enough, but moving it? Harry was weak and tired by the third try. Between this and the patronus training, Harry was hard-pressed to pick which was more exhausting.

"Shining, can we stop? I don't think I could stop a feather right now," Harry said.

Shining Armor helped Harry back to his hooves with a proud smile

"Sure thing. You've got the basic principles down, now you just need the other two 'M's of combat magic."

Harry looked at the prince, confused. "The what?"

"The three 'M's? They're a little reminder I made up in basic training. Mind, magic, and muscle. All three are important in combat. Mind is your memory and wit, how you think in battle. Magic is your proficiency with spells and your ability to perform them under pressure. Most unicorns focus on those two, especially those in Celestia's school."

"What about muscle? What's that got to do with magic?" Harry asked.

"Here's the neat thing: remember what I said about how reflexes will save you first? Well, when you can't block a spell, dodging is your best alternative. Sometimes you have to get physical in a fight. The third "M", Muscle, represents your body's ability to skeep fighting. Endurance and reflexes, ya know? Some spells take a physical toll, but staying healthy can help. You don't have to be a prime specimen such as myself, but taking care of yourself pays off," Shining Armor said.

Harry tapped his chin. Shining Armor did have a point. Just brains alone didn't make a good wizard, or else all Ravenclaw (plus Hermione) would be the best at everything. Twilight had mind and magic in spades and her brother balanced all three out to be crown guard.

"Prime specimen?" Harry deadpanned.

The prince puffed up his chest. "Yeah, how do you think I married the third highest profile bachelorette in Equestria?" Shining Armor said with a joking tone.

"Good looks and a wonderful personality?" Harry quipped.

"Correct. And we'll call that your final lesson. If your stay gets extended, we can have another practice sesion tommorrow. But right now, I'm starved, how about you?"

"I could eat," Harry said sheepishly.

"Good. You look like you could put some muscle on. I can practically see your ribs."

"I'm not that skinny," Harry protested.

"Uh-huh, sure. Come on, you stay away too long and they're going to think you snuck through the mirror."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, imagine that..."

---

Harry and Shining Armor left the training fields to eat in the castle. As it turned out, everypony else had the same idea. It was a little awkward, eating in the same room as three princesses. Granted, Harry ate with Twilight, who was a princess, but she wasn't really royalty. When that was done, Harry and the rest returned to the mirror for a few hours. None of them had any plans, they hadn't expected the summit itself to last more than a day or so.

Everypony has their ways of dealing with stress. Shining Armor was occupying himself with the guard, it helped him stay focused. That led to where Harry was now, pacing the floor anxiously.

"I don't get it! How hard could it be to find one Element? Sunset doesn't have magic or the Element. She should be back by now!" Harry exclaimed as he paced back and forth.

"Harry, would ya sit down? I know Twilight's not back yet, but ya gotta give her time, sugarcube. Have some faith in our friend," Applejack insisted.

Harry plopped down next to her. "I have faith, I just worry. Twilight gave me a home. If it weren't for her, I'd be on Earth with my abusive family. Of course I'm worried. Twilight's my friend and the closest thing to family I got."

"We understand. Twilight's always been there for us whenever we needed her help," Fluttershy said.

"She helped save the family farm," Applejack said.

"She helped get me into the Wonderbolts academy," Rainbow added.

"She freed me of Nightmare Moon," Luna said. "Your apprehension is understandable, but this is something Princess Twilight must do alone. And you do not need to be concerned yet, she has until tomorrow night to return," Princess Luna said sagely.

"And if she doesn't?" Harry whispered.

"She will, darling. There's no force on Equestria or anywhere else that could stop Twilight from helping her friends," Rarity said.

"That's right. Twilight's probably making friends right now," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, you're right. Twilight can take care of herself," Harry relented.

But if she's not by tomorrow morning, I'm going after her.

---

The second day passed much like the first. After a second night of fitful sleep, Harry was forced to wait for Celestia to raise the sun. Of course that had been a sight on its own, he had caught a glimpse of her on a balcony, overlooking the Sunrise. It was awe-inspiring to watch somepony do something people took for granted as a natural phenomenon. Any nonmagical human would have had a heart attack on sight. Were it not for Harry knowing and trusting Celestia's benevolence he might have been fearful. But after the day officially began, the first thing was breakfast. This gave Harry time to hear the day's plans. The other five Element bearers would be sitting next to the mirror, waiting for Twilight to return. Nopony could bring themselves to do anything else, not with Twilight in such a difficult spot. It reminded Harry of when Twilight told him about Rainbow Dash's acceptance to the Wonderbolts Academy. Pinkie Pie never left her mailbox the whole time.

However, today was a different case. Twilight was gone and risked never returning. Yet, Harry couldn't bring himself to stand and watch for the whole day. He knew everypony wished to be with Twilight, including himself, but he needed to get rid of the nerves. He couldn't make Twilight return any faster, so that led him to another morning training session with Shining Armor. The two met up after breakfast, and Shining Armor offered to give him some more training during the guard's warmups.

"Come on Harry, you call that a shield? I know you can do better!" Shining Armor encouraged.

Harry merely grunted as he held his barrier in place. A hazy turquoise shield floated between them, a little more solid than last time. It hurt so badly to keep it up, but less so than the day before. Harry could feel how much stronger his barrier was. However, going from nothing to a little of something didn't mean much to him.

"I'm trying! Not all of us have shield cutie marks, Shining," Harry growled. His barrier fizzled out. "Ponyfeathers!"

Shining Armor approached Harry to give him a firm slap on the back. "Hey, that was a great attempt. You're making progress. You're showing some real talent, a talent that's hard to come by. Keep practicing and you'll have an impressive barrier to show off at school."

Harry grinned. "You think so?"

"I know it. I mean, yeah, your theory could use some work, but on the practical side you're making progress."

"So I got magic, but not mind or muscle?"

"Yup. Mind is important to knowing what you can and can't do, and you've only known how to cast spells one way for years. All three get better with time." Shining Armor rubbed his chin. "Speaking of, do you have plans for after school? I know it's a bit early to ask for you, you don't have a cutie mark—"

"If I ever get one."

"—but do you have a plan for your future?"

Harry stopped to think. Most people don't figure out their life's purpose, they didn't get a confirmation in a magic mark. Harry, despite being older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders, still had no (real) cutie mark. But, mark or none, Harry could feel something like destiny weighing down on him. Harry felt like everyone expected something out of him, and now that Voldemort was back Harry wanted to help in any way he could. On Earth that meant auror. In Equestria that probably translated to the royal guard.

Harry shrugged noncommittedly. "Magical law enforcement. I can't see myself doing anything else. Defense Against the Dark Arts is my best class. But that's the class with the worst teaching. We get a new teacher because no one can stay longer than a year. The rumor is it's jinxed."

"How? I mean, how can an educational institution tolerate that?" Shining Armor demanded.

"Twilight said the same thing, word for word. As far as I can tell, it can't be removed or it's just bad luck. I still like the class, most of the time. It depends on the teacher."

"Well, what does it teach about?" Shining Armor asked.

"Magical threats. We learn about dangers and other times we learn spells to deal with them." Harry replied.

Shining Armor seemed to get an idea from that. "Well then, we'll just call these meetings your Equestrian Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Harry tilted his head, confused. "Meetings? As in plural?"

"Well, if you want to continue them. I've got duties, but I can make time to meet every now and then to talk and teach some magic if you're interested."

Harry was surprised. Shining Armor, former captain of the guard, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and one of the best magical duelists in Equestria, was offering to give him lessons. How could he say no to that!? Just learning how to defend himself better would be invaluable back on Earth for when Voldemort made himself known. Harry felt tethered to that. After all, it was his fault Voldemort returned, he shouldn't be hiding in some distant universe, idly twiddling his hooves.

"Of course, I'd be honored."

Shining Armor smiled. "Good. Now, put up your best shield before I break it down!" he commanded in a strong voice.

Harry hastily put up a barrier between them. A laser blasted the barrier and bounced off to impact a nearby crystal. But the next blast of magic was much stronger, leading to his shield failing miserably and knocking Harry off his hooves. Shining Armor marched forward, closing the gap between them.

"Pick yourself up! You're better than this, I know you are!"

Harry put up the shield again, just in time to block the chunk of gemstone Shining Armor threw. Harry backed up. If Shining Armor got too close, then that was game over, he would be too close for most spells and Shining Armor was far stronger than Harry. Harry poured as much power into the shield as he dared, allowing it to hold up for a second or two longer on its own if needed. When Harry was certain it was strong enough, he made a very stupid decision: he charged headfirst at Shining Armor. To Harry's surprise, it seemed to catch Shining Armor off guard enough for Harry to slam the shield into his muzzle and push the Prince back, removing all the distance Shining Armor had covered between them. Harry followed this up with a small blasting spell at the ground and a stunner to where he knew Shining Armor was.

I'm finishing this, NOW!

Forgoing any thoughts of conserving his energy, Harry teleported behind Shining Armor in a last-ditch attempt to surprise the Prince. When Harry teleported he saw the Prince deflect his stunning spell into the ground just before it could hit him. Pressing his advantage, Harry fired another stunner at his opponent which seemed to catch him by surprise. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough of a surprise to stop the prince from throwing a hasty barrier up to reflect the spell to Harry. Harry tried to put up a shield to block but had stretched his energy too thin to bring up enough of a barrier to stop the spell. It broke through his barrier and struck his legs. The next thing he knew his legs gave out and Harry was looking up at his victorious opponent, whose horn glowed dangerously.

"Yield," Shining Armor said.

Harry collapsed his head on the ground. "I yield," he groaned.

Shining Armor pulled Harry back to his hooves. "You had me on the ropes there. You got a lot of spirit, Harry."

"Lot of good spirit does, I was never giong to win."

"Today's not about winning, it's about making progress." Shining Armor reminded Harry. "Your spirit pushes you to make your own decisions, and you make the best of your choices. I think we've done enough, you should go back to your friends."

As Harry walked through the castle, something that Shining Armor said stuck with him. Your spirit pushes you to make your own decisions. Less than a few hours remained before the portal closed, and neither Twilight nor Spike had returned. But Harry knew what lay beyond better than anypony else. It was a human world, one without wizarding magic. The best-case scenario was that Equestrian magic existed over there, the worst-case was Twilight had nothing but her wit to save her. Sunset Shimmer knew this other world better than either of them. But she was a teenage girl on the other side, how much power could she possibly have? Harry was certain the large building was a school, so Sunset Shimmer might have been a student there. Which was weird, she and Twilight were full-grown ponies in Equestria. All in all, Twilight was either in serious trouble or was taking her sweet time.

You stay away too long, and they're going to think you snuck through the mirror

Harry sighed. "Celestia is going to throw me in the dungeons if Twilight doesn't kill me first." Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag and pulled it over himself. By whatever magic gave and removed clothes, the cloak fit him perfectly. Harry broke into a gallop through the castle halls, his mind made up. The mirror faces away from the door. I bank right, and I can make it before anypony can stop me.

Harry galloped as fast as he could through the halls, occasionally passing a guard or servant. He saw the mirror room ahead, with two guards blocking the entrance. Of course, they knew Harry and the rest were allowed in, but they couldn't see him. Harry hugged the left side of the wall before dashing right, where he knew a straight line to the mirror would go through the wall.

As soon as Harry reached the door he barged through it. He ran straight past everypony and into the mirror. He disappeared into the vortex of light.

Yes!

Author's Note:

I cannot describe how much I wanted to get these two guys in the same space for a whole chapter. Harry needs more role models who aren't old enough to be his parents.
Also, Harry's going to the mirror world. After all, his wand is still on the other side. But you'll just have to wait and see what I do with that event next time. Bye!

Comments

[Xarmar13]

Harry plopped down next to her. "I have faith, I just worry. Twilight gave me a home. If it weren't for her, I'd be on Earth with my abusive family. Of course I'm worried. Twilight's my friend and the closest thing to family I got."

Sirius: What am I? Chopped Liver?

[Booster Spice]

Thats a seriously powerful piece of magical kit Harry got there. I wonder if it will strain anything?

[Dragonboy111]

11733910
Okay, well, I have a half-baked excuse for this. Harry's reason for becoming so close to Sirius in the original book was that he had a positive influence and offered an alternative to living with the Dursley family. Twilight has already made and delivered on that promise. Sirius couldn't because Dumbledore and the status quo— I mean blood wards. (Seriously, the fidelius charm exists, why are the blood wards necessary?) It's not that Harry has forgotten Sirius (he hasn't) it's just that Twilight is his emotional anchor at this point.

[Fox Jones]

Hah! Knew Harry would be back through the mirror in no time!

Though, I have to call bulls*t on this: If the Element of Magic works in EQG, so should Harry's Wand! Magic artifacts/tools don't contain, or generate magic, only channel it! The power of an artifact depends on how strong its connection with magic is! And before you say there's a difference between Wizard Magic and Equestrian Magic, I also call Bulls*t on that! Magic is Magic, the only difference is, how it's channeled and one's grasp on the concept!

Now, don't get me wrong, other than that, your explanation for most other things is pretty solid, but this one I think you missed the mark on! (Unless you have a plan for that, in which case It would be a pleasant surprise!)

Anyway, toodles!

[Dragonboy111]

11735305
I've got a very non-BS explanation. We both agree the wand channels magic. Humans, including Harry, have no magic in the mirror world, so he's functionally a muggle/squib. Wands technically don't work for muggles. There are examples of non-wizards trying to get it to work, but it can't produce spells. JK once said "Because a wand, in my world, is merely a vehicle— a vessel for what lies inside the person." Harry has no magic in the mirror world, so there's nothing to channel. Does that make sense?

Still, good job pointing that out. I probably should have put this in the story somewhere to make it more clear.

[Fox Jones]

11735535
Well it does to a degree, except then by that same logic, the Element of Magic shouldn't work either, yet as we know in the EQG movie, it eventually does, as Sunset uses it, and you-know-what happens!

Will that mean the wand will start working again? I suppose there's only one way to find out!

Nice chat, mate! Love when I can talk and theorize about Magic!