Chapter 5
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“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” Twilight asked for what felt like the millionth time.
“Yes, Twilight.” I rolled my eyes, using my mane to hitch the saddlebags she’d put on me into a more comfortable position. These saddlebags feel weird, wearing two, one on each side of me instead of one on my back, like in my world.
I couldn’t help feeling annoyed by Twilight. She’d asked me that same question too many times for me to count since we’d left the castle. At first, I’d been anxious as we walked through the town and ponies had looked at me like they had yesterday, but now, after being asked the same question so many times, my anxiousness was replaced by annoyance.
“You have your lunch, you pencils, your papers, your text books—?”
“Yes!” I almost shouted. Man, Twilight was worse than my mum back home on my first day of school; during all four years I’d been there and started the new school year. “Twilight, I have everything. You packed my bags yourself. Stop asking me the same question over and over. It’s getting annoying.”
Twilight blushed and grinned, looking away. “Sorry. Old habits.”
I shook my head and we turned a corner and the school was in front of us, only this time, there were lots of ponies there, a lot of them about the same size as me, so most likely the same age too.
As soon as we started walking towards the school, a lot of the younger ponies and the older ones stopped and watched us.
I couldn’t help hearing smalls bits of what some were saying.
“... going here? Maybe I should think about homeschooling my child for their own safety.”
“What’s Princess Twilight thinking? How is sending that monster to school a good idea?”
“Hey, is that Nightmare Moon?”
That last one made me flinch. It had come from an Earth Pony smaller than me. He was white with really light-brown, almost orange patches across his fur. He sounded like he came from Britain, from his accent.
Twilight put a wing around me, making me feel a bit better and we went inside, into the classroom I was meant to be in and I paused.
Miss Cheerilee was standing at the blackboard, writing the name I’d been given while I’m here.
That was not what made me pause, though. She was holding the chalk with her hoof. How does that work? Hooves don’t have fingers, so how was she gripping the chalk? This world makes no sense!
There were a few fillies and colts in the classroom, all of whom had turned when I entered and were all staring at me.
I shrank away a little, but Twilight edged me forward, an encouraging smile on her face.
“Now, remember, you’re staying with Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres tonight."
I nodded. Apparently, to keep everypony happy (though I’ve no idea what they meant by that) I was going to be staying with Twilight and her friends each night. First I stayed with Twilight; tonight I would be staying at her friend Applejack’s house, then Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and finally Pinkie Pie.
I won’t lie when I say I’m not looking forward to staying with Pinkie Pie. It’s not hard to guess she’s that pink pony that grabbed me the first day.
“So, where is Sweet Apple Acres?”
Twilight smiled. “Just follow Apple Bloom after school and you’ll be just fine. She’s Applejack’s little sister, so she’ll show you the way.”
“Who’s Apple Bloom?” I asked, though I was thinking that was a very odd name.
Then again, every name I’d heard in this world was weird. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Celestia? No one in my world had a name like that.
Still, even if those names seemed normal here, I’d really questioned why they’d called me Stellar Nova. From what I’ve learned of Space from The Magic School Bus space episodes, Stellar is a huge amount of stars, I think and Nova means explosion, like supernova, when a star explodes.
Then name sounded nice, but when you think about it, it kinda sounds like my name means stars exploding. Some might take that the wrong way.
Twilight pointed and spoke, pulling me from my thoughts and I turned to where she was pointing. There was an Earth Pony filly standing with a unicorn and Pegasus filly.
All three looked like they’d been talking about something before I’d come in and were now all just staring at me.
Apple Bloom was yellow with a red mane and tail and wearing a large pink bow in her hair.
The Pegasus was orange with a purple mane and tail that reminded me of Rainbow Dash’s (maybe they’re sisters?) and the unicorn was white with a light-purple and white curly mane and tail. None of them had pictures, which Twilight had explained to me were called Cutie Mark, on their flanks.
I really didn’t think they’d want to know me, let alone that Apple Bloom would want to show me where she lives. From the way everypony has looked at me since I first woke up here, I feel like they’re telling me to go.
I would, of course, if I knew how, but I don’t. So, until Princess Luna and Princess Celestia can send me home, I’m stuck here. Still, I can’t help feeling like I’ve done something wrong, with the way I keep getting stared at.
“Well, have a good day, Stellar,” Twilight said, leaving. “Be good for Applejack tonight.”
I hunched down as every filly and colt stared at me, til it got to be too much and I hid behind Miss Cheerilee desk and waited there for her to come.
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Cheerilee entered the class and all the fillies and colts hurried to their seats, all save one, who was hiding behind the teacher’s own desk.
She couldn’t help noticing the worried looks on all the other young ponies’ faces. They were worried about, as far as they knew that Nightmare Moon was hiding behind their teacher’s desk.
The mulberry mare gave an inward sigh. It was clear that Stellar was just like Twilight had said, more scared of others than they were of her for looking like Nightmare Moon.
She stepped to the front of the classroom and addressed her students. “Good morning, class.”
“Good morning, Miss Cheerilee,” they all chanted, some, like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, sounding bored.
She ignored this and stepped up to the desk and looked out at her class. “We have a new student joining us today. She’s rather shy, so be nice to her, alright?”
Everypony wore a look of horror on their faces, which Cheerilee tried to ignore, as she leaned down behind her desk.
“It’s alright,” she began as she spoke to the small black filly curled up under her desk. “You can come... out...”
Stellar’s face was stained with tears. She looked like she had been crying for a few minutes.
Cheerilee stood up and gave the class a firm look. “Was anypony mean to her before I got here?” she asked, having a feeling she knew the answer to the question, but asked it, none the less.
As she expected, Diamond Tiara answered her. “Why are you asking that?” she said, with an air of superiority Cheerilee really hoped would soon be disciplined out of her. “She’s Nightmare Moon! Why is she even here?! The princesses are insane if they think she should be here!”
A sob at the mention of the Mare in the Moon’s name caused Cheerilee to glance down at Stellar. Her crying had started anew, with fresh tears running down her face.
Cheerilee fixed the class, Diamond Tiara in particular, with a hard stare. “I am only going to say this once. Stellar Nova is not the Mare in the Moon. If I find out any one of you having been treating had badly because of who you think she is instead of who she is, your parents will be finding out about it and there will be a month-long detention.”
Several fillies and colts all glanced around, worried by the very real threat of that punishment, even Silver Spoon looked a little uncertain.
Diamond Tiara, however, just scoffed. “You really believe Nightmare Moon’s a good pony now? She’s evil, Miss Cheerilee! Evil!”
“She’s not the one making a filly younger than herself cry, Diamond Tiara,” Cheerilee said firmly.
“Yeah, well... she... what?”
Cheerilee went behind her desk again and nuzzled Stellar, who latched around her neck and sobbed into her coat. The older mare wrapped a foreleg around the small Alicorn and guided her out from behind the desk and into full view of the class.
Many of the young ponies gasps at the tear stains on her face as she continued to sob, trying to wide her eyes, but with tears continually flowing.
Cheerilee looked to the class, then directly at Diamond Tiara, who had an eyebrow cocked in complete confusion. “Does this look like an evil filly to any of you?” she asked, her tone saying the answer was “no”. “Because, to my eyes, I see a scared, upset young pony who needs kindness, not hatred.”
Many fillies and colts all looked to each other, shame and uncertainty on their faces.
Cheerilee leaned down to whisper in Stellar’s ear. “You can take the seat at the back, between Sweetie Belle and Dinky Hooves, okay?”
Stellar merely sniffled, nodded and started towards the back.
Cheerilee gave one final warning look to Tiara and turned to write the morning’s lesson on the board.
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I winced as my eyes hurt from blinking again. Crying so much had left my eyes sore and they reminded me about it every time I opened my eyes, even just after blinking.
Miss Cheerilee’s lesson was really fun and had taken my mind off what had happened before she got to the classroom, after Twilight had left.
I hadn’t paid much attention to Apple Bloom or the pony Dinky Hooves and Sweetie Belle, that I was sitting between aside from noticing Sweetie Belle was the unicorn Apple Bloom had been talking to before and glancing at Dinky to find out what kind of pony she was.
She was a unicorn, with a greyish-purple coat a blonde mane and tail and yellow eyes. She didn’t have a mark on her flank either, just like Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle or their Pegasus friend.
During the lesson, I’d taken quick looks around at the other ponies, trying to ignore the stares I got from most of them and saw another pony without a mark on his flank. It was that really small pony with the English accent from before. He kept glancing at me, but, unlike the others, it wasn’t the same. He looked curiously at me, as if he wanted to ask me something, but wouldn’t ask.
Suddenly the bell went, telling me it was recess time. I put my books away in my desk and sat, waiting for all the other fillies and colts to leave.
I didn’t want to go outside. Sure, I wanted to play on the playground I’d seen outside, but I didn’t want to be alone with all the other students, not with them all looking at me like that, like the adults did.
But, after a few moments, Miss Cheerilee made me go outside, telling me she needed all of us outside so she could prepare our next lesson.
Reluctantly, I walked outside, carrying my recess snack with a piece of my mane.
As soon as I stepped outside, all heads turned to me. I flinched, hiding behind my mane and started walking towards a tree, where I’d be on my own and away from everypony else and out of sight from the other side.
But, as I took a few steps forward, I tripped on something and tumbled, falling face-first in a muddle puddle.
I coughed, some having gotten in my mouth and tried to rub the mud from my eyes and looked around, trying to figure out what I’d tripped on, only to freeze as a voice spoke.
“Well, well, well. Look at the great Nightmare Moon, now,” the taunting voice said.
I flinched at the name and blinked through the mud, just able to make out a pink Earth Pony filly with a tiara on her head. It was the same filly who’d been shouting at me before Miss Cheerilee came into the classroom.
“Like I said before, you don’t belong here,” she said, her voice sounding cold. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are idiots for letting you live.”
A few gasps came from around us, but I don’t think they were because of me this time.
“They should’ve sent you to join Tirek in Tartarus, where monsters like you belong,” she continued, not paying attention to the gasps from around us. “You’re nothing but a fake! You’re just the twisted version of Princess Luna. You’re not even a real pony.”
“Tiara,” the grey filly with a spoon Cutie Mark standing next to her said, sounding anxious. "I think that's enough—"
“Was that last one meant to be an insult?” I asked, using my mane to get the last bit of mud from my eyes. “How can I feel insulted by being told something I already know? I know I’m not really a pony. And, when the princesses find a way to send me home, they will.”
Tiara blinked, then laughed. It wasn’t a nice laugh though. It sounded cold, cruel. “Send you home? You don’t have a home?”
What?
“You never had a home? You’re just an echo. A worthless nothing that shouldn’t even exist.”
Stop it.
“I-I do have a home,” I stuttered, new tears falling from my eyes. “I-I have a mummy and daddy and a little brother and sister.”
She cackled. “Wow, you really are delusional. I don’t know why the princesses didn’t just send you to moon for the rest of your pitiful existence instead of having Princess Twilight take care of you.”
Please. No more. Stop.
“You have no family. No mother or father and definitely no brother or sister. Princess Luna’s the closest thing to a mother you could possibly have and you don’t even have that. Nopony loves you. Nopony cares about you. Nopony would even care if you disappeared forever. In fact, they’d be happy about it. There’d even be a party to celebrate that you’d gone,” she laughed cruelly.
“Stop it!”
All heads turned to the voice, my own included. Through my tears I could see Dinky Hooves was glaring at Tiara.
She walked over and helped me out of the mud, wiping a few of my tears away.
“What’s the deal, Blank Flank?” Tiara asked, giving Dinky a look a confused hatred. “She’s Nightmare Moon. Don’t help her, knock her down.”
“Stop it, Tiawa,” Dinky said, turning to face the other filly. “Daddy wouldn’t be too happy if he found out about this.”
“Just because my daddy's—” she gagged, sticking out her tongue— “dating your mother, doesn’t mean you can call him daddy, too.”
“Yes, I can,” she said back, facing the slightly taller pony. “He and mommy are getting mawwied.”
“WHAT?”
I blinked. Someone was getting married? What did that have to do with why Tiara was being mean to me?
A lot of the other fillies and colts were staring with wide eyes at the unicorn and Earth Pony.
“N—no, they’re not!” Tiara said angrily. “My daddy would never marry that retard!”
“Don’t call my mommy a retawd!” Dinky said, sounding just as angry. “Last time mommy and I visited youw house, youw daddy told me he wanted to ask mommy to mawwy him and if I knew anything he could do to make it pewfect. And, when they do get mawwied, we’ll be sistews and you can’t be howwible like this to youw sistew.”
Tiara looked like she was going to explode.
“I will never think of you as my sister,” she shouted, lifting a hoof, clearly about to hit Dinky, “and I’ll tell daddy exactly why he shouldn’t marry your sorry excuse for a mom—!”
Tiara was cut off when her hoof was stopped midair, held by a coil of what looked like rope made of the night-sky.
She glared at me, before her glare vanished, replaced by fear.
I glared at Tiara, my lips pulled back in a snarl. “You were going to hurt your own little sister?” I growled, my voice filled with an anger I hadn’t ever felt before.
“Sh-she’s not my sister!” Tiara said, her voice quivering as I slowly walked towards her, the coil of my mane never letting go of her hoof, keeping it in place.
I walked up to her, my eyes boaring into hers. “I would never hurt my little brother or sister. Never.”
“Y-you don’t have a brother or sister,” she stammered, wilting under my gaze.
I snarled, something flashing in front of my eyes, but too fast for me to tell what it was, nor care.
“I DO HAVE A LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER, TIARA!” My voice boomed loudly, louder than I’d ever spoken before. “THEY ARE IN MY WORLD, RIGHT NOW, MOST LIKELY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ME! I WAS GOING IN FOR AN OPERATION AND THEN I’M IN ANOTHER WORLD. THEY MUST BE CRYING ABOUT MY BEING GONE RIGHT NOW, WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER THEY’LL EVER SEE ME AGAIN!”
I stepped closer to her, my nose pressing against her.
“I LOVE MY LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER. I WOULD NEVER HER THEM. DINKY SAID SHE IS GOING TO BE YOUR LITTLE SISTER! THAT MAKES YOU THE BIG SISTER AND YOU MUST LOOK AFTER HER!”
“N-No I don’t,” she quivered, her eyes fixed on mine.
“What’s going on out here?”
We all turned to see Miss Cheerilee staring at Tiara and me with wide eyes.
My anger calmed at the sight of the teacher and I let go off Tiara’s leg and she ran, crying to the teacher.
“She just grabbed me, Miss Cheerilee!” she sobbed, before I realize they were crocodile tears. She was trying to get me in trouble. “I told you she’s dangerous. Tell the guard! Tell the princesses! Tell—”
“I heard what she said, Diamond Tiara,” Cheerilee said flatly.
Tiara stopped, her eyes wide. “What?”
“It’s hard not to,” another voice said and we all looked up to see Princess Twilight landing on the ground not too far from us. “I could hear her from the castle.”
“TWILIGHT,” I said, wincing at my loud voice, wondering why I was still shouting when I didn’t even mean for it. “TIARA WAS BEING MEAN AND THEN SAID SHE WASN’T GOING TO—”
Twilight held up a hoof and I stopped. “Please, talk normally, Stellar.”
“I AM,” I boomed, then panicked. “WHAT? WHY CAN’T I STOP SHOUTING? WHY IS MY VOICE STILL SO LOUD? TWILIGHT, WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?!” I could feel the tears welling in my eyes once again. I didn’t want to be shouting for the rest of my life.
Twilight came over and place a hoof on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Stellar. You’re just using the Royal Canterlot Voice.”
“THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE?” I asked, wincing. “WHAT’S THAT?”
Twilight blinked, shook her head, then rubbed her ears. “It’s something only Alicorn princesses can use. It’s mostly used for announcements, but one can slip into it when angry enough. You heard Luna when you first met.”
I nodded, remembering just how scary Princess Luna had been with her voice booming like that. Come to think of it, it was a similar look to the ones a lot of the ponies around us were giving me.
“HOW DO I STOP IT?” I asked, grinning sheepishly as Twilight winced.
Twilight smiled. “Just take a few deep breaths, and try to talk normally. Trust me; I took a bit of time getting used to my Royal Canterlot Voice myself.”
“OKAY,” I nodded, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “DEEP BREATH AND TRY TO CALM DOWN. DEEP breath AND TRY to CALM DOWN. DEEP BreATH ANd TRY To CaLM down. DeEp brEAth and tRy to calm dowN. Deep breath and try to calm down— Hey, it worked!”
Twilight chuckled. “Now, just remember to do that any time you get stuck in the Canterlot Voice. After a while, you should be able to stop it right away.” She looked to Miss Cheerilee and nodded, before flapping her wings and heading back toward the castle.
For several moments nopony said anything. Then, Miss Cheerilee looked to Tiara, a disappointed look on her face. “Detention, Tiara.”
“What?” the Earth filly cried, looking like she was being punished for doing nothing wrong. “Why?”
“I warned you, the whole class, about picking on Stellar because of who she looks like.”
“Looks like?!” Tiara was looking at the teacher like she was crazy. “She grabbed me with her mane. Only Nightmare Moon—“ I winced at the name— “could do that! She grabbed me—”
“Because ya’ll were gunna hit Dinky,” Apple Bloom interrupted her, stepping forward. “Ya’ll heard her. She said she didn’t like that ya’ll were gonna hurt yer little sister.”
“She’s not my sister!” Tiara screamed at the yellow filly.
“Not yet,” Apple Bloom replied, cool as a cucumber. “But she will be.”
“Regardless,” Miss Cheerilee said, looking to me, causing me to wilt a little. “Let this be a warning for the future, Stellar. You aren’t allowed to grab ponies with your mane, are we clear?”
I nodded, not wanting to get in trouble.
Miss Cheerilee smiled, before frowning as she looked at Tiara and began dragging her inside. “I’ll be letting your father know about this, including the attempting to hit Dinky.”
“Stop!” Tiara shouted as she dragged inside. “You can’t do this! My daddy won’t let you.”
The door closed, cutting her cries off and silence fell on the area.
I shuffled, feeling like all eyes were on me.
“Um, thank you... Stellar, was it?”
I looked to Dinky Hooves, who was giving me a smile that looked a little forced.
“Thank you for what?” I asked, not sure why she’d said it.
“For stopping Tiawa from hitting me,” she said, rubbing one of her legs against the other like a human would their arm.
I nodded, then looked down. “And, thank you, for stopping her from teasing me.”
She nodded, then turned and headed off towards a sand box. Soon all the fillies and colts had walked off to do whatever they’d been doing before all that started.
Not wanting to attract attention to myself, I went over to the try I’d intended to hide behind before and did so, eating my snack, which, luckily, hadn’t gotten muddy when I fell into that puddle.