Dreams were powerful. Dreams could give someone a life completely removed from the real world, their real bodies, or even their real mind. Dreams could be the source of inspiration, subjugation, or even simple contentment. Dreams could be remembered, forgotten, ignored, or embraced.
There was very little you couldn't do in a dream. You could slip free of the regular shackles of your mind, become a pony princess in a magical land, and save the day—every day. Or you could remember the dreams of a younger you, a woman remembering what she had done as a young girl, what she had dreamed as a young girl, and dream it again.
Magic was like dreams. Magic could make amazing things a reality, but up until just a year ago, magic didn't exist—it had been just a dream.
Luna stirred from her dream, but even as her brain pulled itself chemically towards full activity, she remembered the magic.
On stage, a high-tech keyboard synth at her fingertips, Luna—no, Nightmare Moon launched into a harsh, electronic beat. The change in herself was amazing, Luna ponied up. The crowd was going wild, and so was Nightmare Moon. Throwing herself at the keyboard, she made—
Luna blinked awake. She couldn't remember the song. "Arggg!" Sitting up, her back protested that she hadn't slept on her bed, and in fact had been curled up—fully dressed still—in a pile of her old music equipment. Wearing her nightshirt and panties, Luna looked around at her gear. It was old with a capital O. "It's been too long…"
The old synth gear—comprising an ancient computer and a midi keyboard—was in a pile beside Luna. The equipment was right where she had left it the previous night, after she rushed home from the Rainboom's practice. She hadn't eaten, she hadn't thought about anything but her equipment, and using it. "This is all junk."
The computer that Luna had used was older than anything they had at school by at least ten years, and the keyboard still had a missing key at one end, and she knew the keys around the broken one were trash as well.
Lifting one hand up, Luna rubbed her knuckles and remembered how she had punched her keyboard one night. It had seemed right, while wrapped in the world of her music. Anger had been just another emotion her music had embodied.
A soft beeping sound would have made Luna's pony ears twitch, if she still had them. As it was she turned her head, and fell upwards—or so it felt. Stumbling out of her home's spare bedroom, she walked into her own room, and heard her alarm clock bleeping repetitively. A glance told her she had woken up at her usual time anyway.
"I'm going to make some music." Luna blinked in a surprise at her own words. They weren't a wish, a hope, or a dream. "I am going to make some music!" Walking back into her living room, Luna grabbed a record out of her library and put it onto the turntable of her stereo. Hitting a few buttons, the album started to turn and the little arm of the record player reached across.
Morning wasn't a time for quiet music, but in Luna's estimation it was never time for quiet music. Harsh guitars, rough drums, and a voice that sounded like the owner gargled drain cleaner; thumped from her speakers.
Standing dead still for a moment, Luna waited for the chorus of the song, and spun around, singing. "Don't got to do it! But I just, wanna do it!" Bouncing away from the speakers, Luna knew the volume was enough to reach her bathroom. Her whole morning routine was accompanied by the raw sounds of punk rock.
When it came to clothing, Luna almost stalled. Her normal dress for school involved darker colors, but for some reason she wanted to go with pure black. In a box at the back of her wardrobe was the black shirts she wanted, but wearing old band shirts would not work at school. Her eyes caught something, however, that got her attention.
Squealing like the schoolgirls who had put her in this wild mood, Luna lifted out her old pants-suit. Black slacks were just what she wanted, and she pulled them on. Flicking through her wardrobe, a wild thought came to her. With shaking hands, Luna reached behind her back and unfastened the skin-tone bra she normally wore to school, and pulled on the black one she had discovered.
Leaning forward, Luna let her breasts lower into the cups, and then pulled the bra up and to her shoulders. Reaching behind her back, she clipped the fasteners shut. The woman looking back at her cracked up laughing; the bra was too small. "Nope." Fumbling around, Luna found one that did fit, and was soon wearing that.
Not as lacy as the one she had to ditch, Luna liked the smooth lines and how they contrasted with her skin, and made her cobalt coloring look even darker. The pièce de résistance, however, was the pure white shirt she had found.
With the shirt on, Luna left the buttons open all the way down the front. Stepping back from her mirror, she modeled for herself, turning, letting the shirt flap open as it wished. "Still got it, Lulu." She turned back at last, facing the mirror, and fastened the buttons. The more the shirt was pulled against her skin, the more of her blue it revealed. Like the pale outline of a full moon behind clouds, Luna was both covered and visible. "This is so inappropriate for school. Sis is going to kick my ass for this."
Slipping out of her pants, Luna grabbed another item that went with her frilly bra, that she almost never wore. Pulling the lacy garter belt up, she reached for the hose that came with it, and worked the dark stockings up one leg and then the other. Clips around the belt held them in place.
Pulling her slacks back on Luna tucked her shirt into the black pants, and found the tallest of her comfortable shoes she could find. The full outfit had her standing almost as tall as her giraffe-like sister, and each step she took in the raised shoes flashed the deep blue of her covered feet.
Despite the scowl she knew her sister would give, Luna was appropriately dressed for her job, and with the music still rumbling in the living room, she practically bounced her way to the kitchen. Grabbing a breakfast bar from her cupboard, Luna decided to head to work early.
Turning the music off, Luna carefully put the record away, and the moment it was on the shelf she heard a tune start in her head. The music that Luna heard had never been played, nor sung, by a living creature before. It was new, vibrant, raw. Squealing with joy, Luna began to hum the odd, changing rhythm that seemed to have latched onto her mind. Grabbing up her handbag, she headed out to her car.
Rolling the sensible little vehicle onto the road, Luna took a detour from her normal direct journey to Canterlot High. A wide loop took her past the music store, and slowing, she saw some of what she needed inside. Big, fancy keyboards with all the hookups ever needed flew past all too quickly, and she resolved to visit after school.
Luna pulled up in the staff car park behind the school building, and climbed out. One hand was playing a tune in the air, the tune that had taken over all the spare parts of her brain. The back door of the school was still locked, but Luna had a key. Inside, the timers on the school's lighting were preparing the halls and rooms for the day ahead.
Luna got to the end of the hall, and was about to turn into her office when she heard the door open again. Turning halfway around, she looked back over her shoulder at her sister. Celestia wore the same slacks and top she always wore, and Luna knew her own apparel would look all the more different beside that sameness.
"Luna, what are you wea—" Principal Celestia stared in surprise as her little sister stuck her tongue out at her, and with her shoes sliding on the floor a little, ran out of sight. Closing her eyes, Celestia took a deep, slow breath. "This is just what I prepared for. It is time."
Marching down the hallway with purpose in every stride, Celestia unlocked the main doors before doubling back for her office. She saw Luna's office door was closed, and ignored it to enter her own. Celestia's target was within sight, and she stalked to her desk and opened the second-to-bottom drawer on the left side.
Stretching out, Luna sat on her desk and was admiring the fall of the slacks over her legs, when her office door burst open. She blinked in surprise as her sister stood, seemingly surrounded by the nimbus of the morning sun that streamed into her west-facing office from the hall outside. "Celestia, I wa—"
Celestia struck like a taipan snake. She watched Luna's face grow even more surprised at the sweet sucker she had pushed into Luna's mouth. "You seem to be in a good mood today. I thought I would make it a little better."
Luna laughed around the candy, and nearly rocked backwards and off her table. "Their music is amazing!"
"The Rainbooms? That is why I wanted them to play at the football game." Celestia pulled out another of the suckers and began to take care of that one herself. "This isn't about that, though, is it?" She looked critically at Luna, and couldn't fail to see the slightly sheer effect the white shirt had. "Is that really appropriate?"
Shuffling along the side of her own desk, Luna aimed her butt and launched. Landing in her seat, she spun around fully once before stretching out. "No, it's more than just amazing. Their music is magical, Tia."
"Is it now?" Celestia took the chair opposite Luna. Though not nearly as comfortable as the chairs behind the desk, their visitor chairs were not designed for discomfort. "What does it have to do with being this happy, or with this?" Celestia gestured at Luna's outfit.
"I turned into a pony girl." Luna closed her eyes and daydreamed of the two moments. Then she turned her thoughts to what she had done with Sunset Shimmer's guitar. "I borrowed a guitar… I am going to try making some music again."
Celestia sat still in her seat for nearly two minutes. The room was silent, yet she could see her little sister's head nodding to unheard music. It was Luna's teenage years all over again. "Are you sure? If I remember correctly, it got in the way of school."
"It won't this time. I am older, smarter." Luna waved a hand in dismissal of her sister's worries. "Can't you feel it when they play? Real magic, and they share it with anyone." Even Luna could hear the tone of a swoon in her voice, but unlike her sister it only made her smile.
Waiting a moment before she replied again, Celestia examined her thoughts on her sister. "I love you, Lulu. Are you really sure you want to open this door again?" When Luna opened her eyes and returned her serious expression, Celestia knew there was no avoiding it. No further answer was needed, or offered. "So what do you have so far?"
Luna was working through the roster for the next week, when her phone rang. It wasn't uncommon for it to ring, of course, but the shrill chime tickled something in her head and she knew she would have to sample it at some point. "Hello. Vice-Principal Luna's office. How may I help you?"
The sound of students making their way into the school was a rumble, but Luna heard an adult's voice. "Oh! Thank everything that I managed to get through!" Mrs. Harshwhinny's voice sounded like a truck had driven over her tongue—a few times. "I am going to the doctor's later, but I can't come in today or—"
"Mrs. Harshwhinny, calm down." Nothing could ruin Luna's calm, not today. "I can cover for your homeroom first thing, and I can take your classes. How long do you think you will need?" Luna's foot started tapping on the floor, and she felt herself swaying a little, remembering the shrill note of the phone. Under her breath, Luna murmured, "I really need to sample that."
"You are the best, Luna. Thank you." Harshwhinny gave a deep sniff. "I don't know how long I need, I will call you again after I see my do—do—do—" A loud sneeze practically rattled the phone. "…doctor."
"Take your time. I want you feeling better, and healthy, and enjoying teaching." Nothing would stop Luna's pep today, and she was determined to keep coming up with more of the song as she went. "Was there anything else?"
"Luna, you really are the bes—" Harshwhinny's voice cut off as she hung up.
"Celestia!" Luna could see her sister's door open across the hall from her own. Getting to her feet, she spun the chair around behind her as she walked over to Celestia's office. "Harshwhinny is off sick. I'll be taking her class and homeroom."
Turning to face her sister, Celestia had been working on filing some documents. She studied Luna, looked her up and down, and smiled. "I may be wrong. This might be better for you." She chuckled as Luna expressed surprise. "What? I can say nice things about my little sister's crazy music if I want."
Luna barked a laugh. "I am older and smarter now. Nightmare Moon is going to make her comeback, but I don't think she will have quite as much anger in her music." Stepping to the side, she waved to Celestia and headed for the teacher's lounge.
Walking past a few surprised teachers, sparing them a wave, Luna made her way for Harshwhinny's desk. Precise and neat was the best way to describe Harshwhinny, and her desk was no exception. Luna opened the first drawer on the right, and sure enough the role was there, along with a thick envelope marked "Test."
"Geography?" Luna snorted, her least favorite subject. For a moment she thought of leaving them there, of claiming later that she didn't see them, but that was impossible if she took the role. "Someone has to inflict this upon them, guess I get the job." Grabbing the folder, Luna turned and strode from the room.