Chapter 7
In the three weeks before the first task, things slowly started to become a little more chaotic. They needed to find out a way for harry to survive the first task, and fast. Harry had learned that he would have to face down a dragon from a surprising source. From this same source he also had received a good idea on how to win. In one spell. True, it was not a flashy idea, but it would more than keep Harry safe by keeping him out of range of the dragon's attack.
The task itself was to get a golden egg away from the mother dragon guarding it. The simple solution was to summon it, not very flashy or a good show but it would let Harry survive. Or at least Ludo Bagman thought it was a good idea for Harry to try this. Though for the life of the group, none of them could really figure out why he was helping Harry, seeing he was a judge. After a peek into his mind though, his reasoning became rather clear.
But it was not Ludo's help that was causing all this chaos. It was actually Luna and Night: both of them were having Harry, Hermione and his other friends looking up ways to combat dragons so Harry had more than just one plan before going into the arena. But their search was proving to be rather useless, as it took ten normal wizards to even cast a basic Stunning Spell that could stun a dragon.
For Harry to pull off something like that by himself, he would have to pool most, if not all, of his magic into one powerful spell. And even then there was a good chance it might not work. As such they had already ruled out a head-on fight with the dragon to defeat it. But as time got increasingly closer till only a day was left before the task was set to begin, they were running out of time.
The night before the task was to take place, Harry was sitting on a cloud rather high up, watching the moon slowly rise into the sky. It had become a forming habit of his recently, mostly to have some peace and quiet away from the others to let his mind calm down. It also helped him deal with the stress that would build during the day, which was caused by a number of things: friends trying to help, other classmates giving him dark and annoyed looks, the weird reporter that tried to get an interview with him on more than one occasion, and as always Ron and Draco.
As he looked up and noticed the first stars showing in the night sky, Harry noticed a shape pass over him. He guessed it was Rainbow Dash, as the flying figure was smaller than either Luna or Night. And her coat was not nearly as dark as either of them. Harry wondered why Rainbow was out, when normally at this time she would be helping Applejack collecting the firewood for the night.
Harry waved at Rainbow and was able to catch her attention as she flew by him again. She took a sharp turn and dove towards the cloud Harry was currently sitting on. When she was about to crash into it, she pulled up and landed without disturbing a wisp of the cloud.
"Hay Harry, you need something?" Rainbow asked, her voice upbeat.
"No, I was just surprised seeing you out here at this time. Aren't you normally preparing for the night with Applejack about now?" Harry asked.
"Well…" Rainbow's voice lost its upbeat sound as she looked down, a little depressed.
Harry got up and moved over to Rainbow, before kneeling down by her and quietly asking, "Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing is wrong, why would you think something is wrong?" Rainbow said, a smile forming back on her face.
"I can tell you're lying," Harry said, looking Rainbow Dash in the eyes.
Rainbow held his gaze for a few moments before looking away, but not before he had seen the sadness and want in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug, causing Rainbow's breath to hitch for a few seconds. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Rainbow got herself together again.
"Okay, you got me," Rainbow said, backing up and lying down on the cloud with a small smile on her face.
Harry sat down by her. "So, are you going to tell me then?"
"Well… It's because I miss my home, my job, and my friends," Rainbow said.
"You haven't been away from your home like this before, have you," Harry stated, "Unable to reach it in less than a day's flight."
"Yes, and for this period of time. And without anything to do that would normally take my mind off this, other than helping Applejack set up for the nights, well..." Rainbow said, unable to finish the last part.
"It's okay, Rainbow, you will make it through this somehow, same as me," Harry said, smiling at her.
"I know," Rainbow said, letting out a small sigh.
Harry smiled as Rainbow closed her eyes and began to rub her back carefully. Rainbow blinked opening her eyes and shivered a little before asking, "Why are you doing that?"
"I think you could use a backrub to help relax you some," Harry said, stopping for a few seconds.
"Okay… just don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to keep up back at home," Rainbow said.
Harry chuckled a little and said, "I don't think anyone would think any less of you if they knew what was going on right now."
Rainbow nodded as Harry's hands played across her back, removing the tension that had been building. Soon she was almost asleep, before Harry finally stopped. Groaning she opened her eyes and pouted, giving a very wanting look for more. Harry though shook his head.
"I need to be back to my room soon so I can get some rest. I may sleep less than most, but I still need some sleep," Harry said.
"You could always sleep up here with me. I can remake clouds into a living space pretty quickly. So we could be warm through the night," Rainbow said, not wanting Harry to leave just yet.
"I am not the best with staying on clouds for a long period of time," Harry said, looking embarrassed.
"You cannot keep the spell going while you sleep?" Rainbow asked a little sadly.
"Well maybe, though I have not tried to stay in a cloud overnight. But if you really want I guess I could stay. But why do you want me to stay so much?" Harry asked.
"I'd like to sleep in the clouds again for a night, but I'd like some company too, and you're here, while Applejack and Twilight can't stay up here overnight." Rainbow said.
"Why is Twilight unable to stay up here?" Harry said, slightly curious.
"She could try, but she does not have the subconscious control to keep the spell going all night," Rainbow said, smiling a little at what had happened when Twilight had tried to spend the night at Rainbow's home.
"I take it she was rather unhappy the next morning?" Harry said, noticing the smile.
"Yes. I had moved my home over a lake for that night, just in case her spell gave out. It did and she ended up drenched, it was amazingly funny," Rainbow said, laughing a little.
"Well, as long as the cloud remains low enough over the lake, I will try," Harry said.
"Yes!" Rainbow said, jumping up.
Rainbow quickly moved the cloud over the lake and set about making it into a home, though careful to not make it look too house-like. Soon their home for the night was finished, though it was little more than a hollowed-out cloud, reinforced with magic only Pegasus Ponies could use to make sure it held together. It did not hold the strength that a normal Pegasus cloud home did, but it would keep for a few days.
Inside the cloud it looked like an almost normal one-room cabin, everything was set up against the walls. In the center, a little above the floor, seemed to float a cloud that was glowing with some weird energy. Harry walked over to it, a little curious as to what was causing the glow, but Rainbow stopped him before he could touch it.
"Don't touch it, that cloud contains some lightning to help with the lighting in this house," Rainbow said, before poking it carefully with her hoof, causing currents of energy to travel over the outer edge.
"That's really cool, but how did you do that? I thought only Unicorns could use magic?" Harry said slightly confused.
"They can," Rainbow said, lying down on one of the beds.
"Yet what you did here would be considered by many as magic," Harry explained.
"Well… I guess you are right, to any human this would seem like magic, but to us it's normal," Rainbow said, a thoughtful look on her face.
Harry nodded, before speaking, "I think all ponies have magic, but how that magic is used might just depend on the pony. After all, you, a Pegasus Pony, made a cloud into a home that seems… rather solid, and can make a light source from a cloud."
"Well, I guess you might be right, but figuring out things like that is not really my strong point. You should talk with Twilight and the others about that more than me," Rainbow said, ending in a yawn.
"Well, I guess it's bedtime then," Harry said.
"Yep," Rainbow said, her eyes already closed so she did not notice Harry walk over to her.
When Harry pulled her into a light hug and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, Rainbow opened her eyes in surprise, but Harry just gave her a smile and walked over to his bed and laid down. She felt a slight blush rise on her cheeks, but she shook her head and closed her eyes again. Soon the pair was asleep, neither of them having noticed Night, who had been watching them from a nearby cloud. A small smile graced her face as she flew off to the camping location.
The next morning came too quickly for Harry, as thanks to the cloud house's building materials the sunlight was rather bright, even if beautiful, inside the room. He was rather glad his control of the cloud walking spell had been good enough to keep him from falling through the clouds during the night. Getting up he noticed Rainbow was still asleep, and decided to wait for her at the entrance of the house.
As he waited outside the house he checked the time and noticed he still had a good while before the first task, which was to take place that afternoon. It gave him plenty of time to wait for his winged friend. It was not for another ten minutes that Rainbow started to wake up though. She yawned waking up, rather happy to feel clouds under her body again, making her think for a few seconds she was back at home, and the whole trip to that other world was nothing more than a bad dream. Though she did kind of wish Harry was real. But as she moved her hoof over to grab one of her books to read as she opened her eyes she realized it was not true.
Rainbow's hoof met a wall where her nightstand would normally be, and the room she was in was definitely not her home. She felt a sudden wave of sharp pain from the sadness, noticing Harry was not even here anymore either. She sighed trying to suppress her tears when the feeling of homesickness hit full force, but she couldn't hold it back anymore and soon she was crying.
Harry looked down into the house when he heard her crying, before he got up and ran back in to pull her into a tight hug. He was slightly surprised by the sight of the ever-cheerful Rainbow Dash crying, but considering her behavior the evening before, thought that was probably the problem: the dam breaking after she had finally cropped up her feelings too much.
Rainbow blinked as she was suddenly drawn into a hug. When she could see through her tears again, the sight before her helped lessen her pain. Harry had kept his promise, he had stayed, and he must have been just outside the door. Slowly she calmed down as Harry held her close, not letting her go once. Only when the tears finally stopped and she tried to rub her face with her hooves, did he loosen his hold on her, though he still kept her in his arms while he sat down beside her.
"S-s-sorry about that," Rainbow said, looking down at the floor almost in shame at her actions.
"It's okay," Harry said, running his hand along her back between her wings.
"No, it's not, I'm the toughest pony around, I'm not supposed to break down and lose it," Rainbow said, her frustration showing.
"Even the toughest of us will lose it sometimes. Don't be ashamed of yourself for crying," Harry said.
"It's just, I…" Rainbow started.
"Let it go, you're homesick. In a place that is basically black and white in comparison to your home world," Harry said, before teasing his hands over the joints where her wings connected to her back, causing her to shiver.
"Hay, don't, that tickles!" Rainbow said.
"I know," Harry said, teasing her slowly till she was having a laughing fit.
When Harry let up and Rainbow could breathe again she stood up and nuzzled her head against Harry and smiled, "Thanks… I needed that."
"You're welcome, Rainbow Dash," Harry said, a smile on his face.
"Well… I guess we should get going," Rainbow said, stretching out her wings before taking off into the air.
"Yep, I need a shower and a change of clothes, and then some food. And you need some food too, meet up with the others, I will be okay for today I'm sure," Harry said.
"I will tell Luna to head over to the castle's main doors," Rainbow said smirking, "I cannot let my new friend be hurt."
"Okay," Harry said with a smile.
With that the two of them left for where they needed to be for the day. As the day moved onwards, a worry began to set into the group of ponies and humans. The worry felt by Night, Luna, and Rainbow was more strongly noticeable. Night and Rainbow were often seen pacing, while Luna was often muttering to herself, trying to come up with another plan that might work, as she watched Harry go to his few morning classes. Harry's wizarding friends were dealing with the worry and nervousness a lot better, having dealt with this type of stress a lot more than the ponies had.
Then as Harry finally made his way over to where the first task would take place, Harry did start feeling a little worried. He was about to face down a dragon defending her nest, something that most anyone in their right minds would avoid at all costs. It made him wonder for a second how Spike, Twilight's assistant and a young dragon himself, had been taken from his family; though it was possible he had been an orphan to begin with.
As he entered the tent he was greeted by the sight of the other champions all waiting for the first task to begin. There was Victor Krum, the Durmstrang champion, standing over in a corner, who seemed to be staring rather hard at a pole as if trying to burn it down. Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion, was sitting on a chair, muttering quietly to herself. The last person in the tent besides Harry was Cedric Diggory, the real Hogwarts champion, or that's what many of the people at least believed. Harry agreed, but he was stuck in this Tournament under the same banner as Cedric, making him a Hogwarts champion as well.
As Harry sat down on a bench inside the tent, he could hear a great many people passing by it on their way to the stands not far away. He knew that many of them had placed bets, and his chances were the least. Not that he cared too much; he just wanted to make it through this tournament alive and leave this place for a new home. But as he waited for Ludo Bagman to show up to tell them what they were to do, though Harry was sure everyone already knew by now, their feelings of worry and dread only grew.
Finally, when Ludo did enter the tent with a rather loud greeting, it made nearly all of them jump, with only Cedric not drawing his wand. Ludo blinked in surprise at this sight and Harry, Victor and Fleur quickly put away their wands while the other judges entered the tent. Ludo collected himself quickly enough and beamed around the group.
"Well, here we are, ready for the first task. And I hope you have gathered all the courage you can, because this is going to be something else. Your job is simple: you are to collect a golden egg being guarded by a dragon. Once you have gotten the egg, you need to escape quickly to the tent with the red mark over it on the other side of the arena. At this time the handlers will deal with the dragon. Once you have reached the tent, Hogwarts' nurse, Madam Pomfrey, will tend to you while we set up the next dragon and decide the scores," Ludo said, his cheeriness carrying to his voice.
"How are we scored?" Krum asked.
"Each judge will give you a number from zero to ten. To get a perfect score of ten, you must show great skill by firstly getting the egg, but also by keeping yourself and the other eggs unharmed. Any mistakes will be held against you and counted against your overall score. A higher score will give you a great advantage in the final task," Ludo explained.
"Makes sense," Fleur said, mostly to herself.
"Now gather around, champions," Crouch, the second of the judges, with the heads of the schools being the last three, requested as he held up a bag, "Inside this bag are miniatures of the dragons you will face. You will each draw one, and on it will be a number. This number will indicate the order you go out. During this task, you will only be allowed out of the tent when it's your turn, so that you cannot see what your predecessors have done. Ladies first."
Fleur nodded and put her hand into the bag, and out of it drew a dragon miniature. It had a number two tied to its leg. Cedric took his chances next, and drew out a dragon with a number one on it. Harry stepped up, hoping his luck was with him, and drew a dragon with a number four on its leg. Lastly, Krum took the dragon with a three on it. They looked at their dragons, quickly recognizing the breeds.
Cedric, who was going first, had a Swedish Short-Snout. Fleur, who was next to take on her dragon, had drawn a Common Welsh Green. Krum, who was third in line, had drawn a Chinese Fireball. This left Harry with the worst draw of all of them, a Hungarian Horntail. Each of them looked at their models for a few seconds, noticing the rather scary details put into them, helping them more than an image with what their life-size counterparts would look like attacking them.
Ludo smiled and said that at the sound of the cannon, the first one, Cedric, would go out and face his dragon. After that, each Champion would wait their turn, entering only when they heard the sound of the cannon. They all nodded their understanding as the five judges left. Too soon the cannon sounded and Cedric left, looking rather pale as he left through the tent flap. Harry almost felt sorry for him, almost, Harry after all had to face a worse challenge.
Time passed rather slowly for the three still in the tent, and they were soon wishing the tent was soundproof. Ludo Bagman, who happened to be the commentator, was not helping their nerves. Soon though, it was time for Fleur to try her luck as Cedric somehow had gotten his egg. Fleur gave Harry and Krum a weak smile, before Harry wished her luck. Fleur thanked Harry, and then, as the cannon sounded again, she left the tent to try her own chances.
Like with Cedric, Harry found himself wishing the tent had a silencing spell placed on it. But he was thankful that Fleur got her egg much quicker than Cedric had. And soon after this it was just Harry in the tent. But as the flap closed on Krum's back, two ponies and one human appeared in the tent. Harry blinked then smiled, his worries for a few moments forgotten. It was Luna, Rainbow and Hermione.
"Hay Harry, how you holding up?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, could be better, find out anything useful?" Harry asked.
"Nothing really, Night has been watching each match, but they have not used anything so far that would be of real use to you," Luna said.
Harry nodded sighing, "Well, I guess that should be expected."
"But… Rainbow did have an idea after she met up with us this morning," Hermione said, a smile on her face.
"Yeah, as you flew your broom back I realized if you were unable to summon the egg, you could summon your broom to your side. And I have seen how skilled you are, you could keep up with me possibly in the air, so avoiding the dragon and drawing it away from its nest before swooping in to grab the egg should not be that hard for you," Rainbow said, positively beaming with her joy at finding a good idea.
"While I don't like the idea, it does have its strong points and would get you a good point rating with the judges," Luna said.
"I agree, but I see one problem. I don't have my broom with me, and I doubt I can summon it from the school way out here," Harry said.
"Yes, I thought of that, and set it up outside the tent," Hermione said with a small smirk, "Luna told me the idea after you had gotten to the tent and I ran and got your broom as fast as possible."
"Thanks, I hope I don't need it though," Harry said.
"I understand, but now we at least have a backup idea," Luna said.
"Yes, thankfully," Harry said, before jumping as the cannon sounded.
Harry gulped and sighed getting up, and walked to the tent exit. He looked behind him once, and sighed again. He saw before him more than reason enough to survive. With that, he threw open the tent flap and exited the safety of the tent to test his own luck at getting the golden egg.
((
Hello again to all.
Well I have good and bad news.
First some stuff you would like to know.
I have recovered a few stories fully.
The Dragon Tailed Fox Moon Magic Fairy Ninja Dragon's Magic Dark Secrets
Stories I need to reproof and once again send to my beta. XenoFox Pokémon Ninja Hermony Cat
I have also Regained much of my music, pics, and video's
The bad news
As you noticed I need to reproof read three stories. Before they head over to my beta. My computer seems to have taken a hit when everything went down and is not working at the top of its game. And my car is in a lot worse shape than I though.
So depending on what happens I will be out a computer and a car for a while.
Good news.
I might be getting a computer or laptop from my mom, who is thinking about getting a new one. The computer is in good shape, and works amazing better than mind currently.
Also I might be getting my younger brothers car, which is also working, even if it is not in the best of shape. it is better than nothing.
So as of now these stories shall be continued:
The Dragon Tailed Fox Moon Magic Fairy Ninja Dragon's Magic Dark Secrets
While these are on a short hold while I do some proofing for them, again.
Pokémon Ninja Harmony Cat XenoFox
Lastly I thank everyone for their well wishes, and support. It helped a lot.
Espo
PS. I am working on two story ideas.
Changer Ch 1-5 was written now 1 is only here.
And a currently unnamed story, both I wish to make into books.
If anyone is willing to help send a PM and I will get into contact with you.
All are Transformation based stories.
Oh one last thing, I have three more stores for fanfiction in the works, one a one shot, another for Naruto/MLP, and lastly a Digimon/naruto idea. Hope to get them out soon bye
))