//------------------------------//
// 4 - Stranger Things 
// Story: Once Upon a Nightmare 
// by Maran 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4 – Stranger Things


Teleporting across town was a bit more challenging than teleporting from the school hallway to the statue out front. Luna undershot it and ended up in the middle of Paddock Drive, one street over from her home. Fortunately, it was not a busy street, so she walked to the curb and stared at the nearest mansion, which stood at the end of a long driveway. Under the halogen lamps, Luna could see the evergreen horse topiaries in the yard. Luna peered at the brass numbers fixed to the wrought-iron gate. This was the Rich Mansion. She needed to talk to Mr. Rich anyway, so why not talk to him right then and there?

'Oh, I hope you're going to do something drastic!'

Luna hoped it wouldn't come to that. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the front porch with its Ionic columns, fixing all of her attention on being there. She shut her eyes against the piercing blue flash, and in an instant, she was on the porch. At least she seemed to have mastered short-distance teleportation. She walked up to the double front doors and rang the doorbell.

'Why are you bothering with that?' the Nightmare asked with scorn. 'Just teleport inside.'

That seems rude, or even dangerous. Luna shook her head. I don't know how things are in your world, but in this country, if a stranger goes into someone's house uninvited, that homeowner could use lethal force to defend their home.

'I think I like humans better now.'

Before Luna could respond, one of the doors opened to reveal a little old man wearing a suit with a cravat and a pin shaped like a feather duster. His eyes bulged when he saw her, and his jaw dropped. Luna felt a surge of panic. What if she gave the poor man a heart attack? She shrank down, folding her wings behind her so that she looked as harmless as possible.

“It's all right! I mean you no harm.”

“Randall, who's at the door?”

Luna recognized Filthy Rich's voice coming from deeper inside the house. Her resolve washed away. This was a bad idea.

'No! Remember why we came here! Remember what this person did to deserve your wrath!'

Diamond Tiara-Rich. She still had no remorse for saying those hurtful things to those poor girls, especially Scootaloo.

'She must be punished!'

While Luna's mind flip-flopped, Randall's face twitched.

“Is anyone there?” Filthy walked into the foyer, wearing pressed slacks and a dress shirt, his dark hair perfectly kempt. He stopped in is tracks when he caught sight of Luna.

She had met Filthy before, since they were from similar, rather exclusive economic backgrounds. He seemed pleasant and agreeable in their brief conversations. But she knew she looked very different from the last time he'd seen her, and she wasn't sure how he'd react.

“Vice Principal Luna!?” he exclaimed. “What on earth happened to you?”

“Oh thank heaven,” murmured the butler. “You see it too. I was afraid I'd lost my mind again.”

Luna chose not to respond to Randall. “Magic happened to me, Mr. Filthy,” she said, spreading her hands. “Magic has impacted all of our lives, whether we want it or not.”

“It's Rich,” he said, rolling his eyes just a bit.

“Sorry, Mr. Rich. Anyway, I'm not here to discuss magic with you. I'm here because of your daughter.”

“Oh, uh, I see.” He blinked. “Won't you come in, Vice Principal Luna?”

Luna grinned at this wanton display of common courtesy. However, as soon as she bore her teeth, both of the men cringed. Feeling self-conscious, Luna closed her mouth and prodded the pointed tips with her tongue.

“Yes, thank you,” she said in a sober tone, stepping inside. She wished she could appear normal again.

'Magic this powerful is difficult to hide. We could change back to your original human form, but only for a few minutes. I've never tried to change form longer than that.'

Luna sighed through her nose.

“I assume you're here to discuss my daughter being poisoned?” Rich asked after Randall shut the door against the chilly night air.

“Oh, I know that's what she told you.” Luna folded her arms. “She fed me the same story.”

Rich narrowed his eyes. “Are you calling my daughter a liar?”

So Luna told him about her conversations with his daughter and with Scootaloo and her friends. As she spoke, Rich's eyebrows lowered, and his mouth formed a hard line. When she'd finished her account, Rich turned to his butler.

“Randall, please go find Diamond and bring her here.”

“Very good sir.” Randall strode out of the room.

Luna and Rich shared an awkward silence.

“I like your hair,” ventured Rich, after a minute.

“Thank you.” Luna gave him a small smile and folded her hands in front of her.

A few seconds later, the butler returned with Diamond Tiara following him. She gasped dramatically.

“Vice Principal Luna? You're evil!”

Luna's eyes widened as she shrank into herself.

“Diamond Dazzle Tiara-Rich!” scolded her father. “Just because the Vice Principal has slit pupils and fangs, that doesn't mean she's evil.” He crossed his arms. “I've been having a perfectly civil conversation with her.”

His daughter's face was the picture of confusion. Tilting her head, she scrunched up her eyebrows and said, “So why does she look like that?” She glanced at Rich. “Aren't you curious?”

He shrugged, lifting up his arms. “Magic? Stranger things have happened.”

Diamond Tiara still wore a dubious expression. “Yeah but...” She waved her hand up and down and Luna. “This just isn't right!”

Luna bristled, her wings flaring. “I'll tell you what's not right, you...young lady.” She fought to keep herself from saying something unprofessional. “What's not right is cyber-bullying a child for having a health problem!”

'Yes! Let her have it!'

“Child! She's my age!” Diamond Tiara clenched her fists in defiance.

Rich shot her a stern glare, and even the butler looked askance at her.

“Diamond, you are going to publicly and sincerely apologize to Scootaloo Swift and her friends.”

“But Daddy...” Diamond Tiara hunched her shoulders.

“No, I don't want to hear any excuses,” said Rich.

“Diamond Tiara,” said Luna, becoming more serious than angry, “I need you to understand why what you said was wrong.”

The student folded her arms. “It's not my fault they can't take a joke.”

Luna's nostrils flared as she struggled to remain calm.

'Get her! Zap her with magic!'

Shaking her head, Luna thought, Stop distracting me.

'I'm not distracting you, I'm helping you.'

I am not zapping her with magic. As much as I'd like to, it would be wrong.

“Listen, princess.” Luna said the word like a curse. “How would you like it if someone made fun of the way you look, or your clothes, or your emblem, or anything else about you?”

Diamond Tiara sniffed. “Like anyone would dare to make fun of me. Anyway, I don't see what that has to do with anything.”

“Can't you even try to imagine how Scootaloo felt having to undergo surgery at just thirteen years old? And then having to go through physical therapy and rehab?”

The color drained from Rich's tan face, but his daughter was unmoved. “So? How is that my problem?”

Luna started to lose it. Red clouded her vision as she felt the power pulse in time with her heartbeat.

'Do it! Just a little zap!'

Luna's hands were raised toward Diamond Tiara, and energy pulsed through them. Her fingers flashed with azure light, and she sensed that there was no stopping the magic discharge. At the last possible half-second, she aimed her hands at the ceiling, and twin beams of energy shot out, blasting a chunk of plaster. The girl shrieked and covered her head, and, admirably, both her father and her butler moved like lightening to shield her with their bodies. Off-white flakes poured down on them.

As suddenly as her rage had come, regret followed.

“I'm so sorry,” she said in earnest. “I can fix it.”

Rich lifted his head and fixed her with a cold glare. “I think you should leave. Now.”

Without another word, Luna turned around and ran out the arched doorway. The cool, fresh air would have cleared her head under normal circumstances. But her current circumstances were anything but normal.

'We should have blasted that little brat!'

Luna's heels pounded the pavement, and she began to beat her wings. She felt like she could try to fly again now that she was outside with no lockers around to crash into.

We can't attack someone just for saying something offensive. Especially a minor!

'Well, that was anticlimactic, if you ask me.'

I didn't.

She launched herself into the air, climbing up on the wind until she was about thirty feet high. Anxiety gripped her. She was high enough that she would be seriously injured if she fell, but still low enough that she could hit a tree. Either was probable in the dark.

'Fly higher. Don't worry, there's nothing we can break that can't be repaired. Not in this universe or any other.'

Biting her lip, Luna rose higher above the ground. The streetlights shrank below her. She scanned the cityscape and saw the lit fountain in the pond behind her home. They seemed toy-sized from this height.

'You're doing great for a beginner. But you need to tuck your arms in toward you body. They're getting in the way of our wings.'

Luna moved her arms in close to her chest, and her wing beats were more smooth on the down-stroke after that. The little fountain was getting closer; soon it would be directly beneath her.

This isn't so bad, but how do I land?

'Just angle your body downward until – not that steep!'

She was lurching forward and down at a 45 degree angle. All six of her limbs flailed as she nosedived.

'Don't panic. We can correct this. Let's spread our wings and stretch our body parallel to the ground.'

Gasping, Luna did her best to level out her body.

'Good, now let's slowly flap our wings.'

Luna pumped her wings with less speed than before, folding her arms out of the way as she lowered herself with caution. Soon she was about twelve feet above the front lawn of McQueen Mansion.

'Now flap your wings with short, quick strokes, almost like you're hovering.'

Following the Nightmare's instructions, Luna descended and landed on her hands and feet.

'We'll work on that. I'm used to working with quadrupeds. Still, at least we can get up and walk away from this landing.'

Luna pushed herself upright, brushing bits of dried grass from her navy dress. Taking a few deep breaths, she gazed up at her home. It had been in her family since her grandparents had built it. Luna and her sister downplayed the wealth and status they'd inherited; thus Luna called the mansion a duplex. It was true from a certain point of view, since the sisters had divided the house into two separate apartments. There were no doubt some people who thought it was disingenuous to refer to one of the largest homes in Canterlot as a mere duplex, but Luna felt that it was better to avoid flaunting her wealth.

Currently, light streamed out of the Gothic-style windows on the ground floor, indicating that Celestia was home. Luna inched forward, taking time to gather her thoughts as she approached the long front porch. She was apprehensive about how her sister would react to her transformation, as well as the ceiling repair she owed Filthy Rich. The idea of putting off her talk with her sister tempted Luna, but she knew that wouldn't go over well. However her sister reacted to her changes, it would be made worse if she waited before they left for work in the morning, and especially if she waited until they were at the school.

'You know, we could just call off work.'

That was unthinkable, at least by Luna. It would defeat the whole purpose of using these powers to do her job. She wasn't even sure if the magic would do more good than harm anymore. Perhaps it would benefit her if she learned to control it, but how long would that take?

'I cannot say. Your other self had control when she put her mind to it, but she was born into a world with magic, and she already had centuries of experience when I joined her.'

Centuries? Are the people – or magic horses – are they immortal?

'Most of them aren't, but the beings with the strongest magic do not grow old. They can be destroyed, however.'

At this point, Luna was on the marble porch, a foot from the painted wooden double doors. She hesitated for another moment before ringing the doorbell. She waited a minute longer, wondering if she should let herself in – Tia wouldn't mind – when her sister opened one of the doors. She'd already changed from her pantsuit into jeans, a t-shirt, and slippers with her sun emblem on them. Her pupils shrank as she took in Luna's appearance.

“Luna? What in the world happened to you!?”

Brushing her fingers through her wavy, glowing hair, Luna said, “Well, it's hard to explain, but I'll do my best. After you left my office, this yellow orb appeared and told me there were other dangerous magical creatures in our world. I know how it sounds,” she added, seeing Celestia's dubious expression, “but look at the evidence!” She waved her hand in front of her torso.

Her sister opened her mouth and closed it, at a loss for words.

'Ha! I do love seeing the mighty Celestia so clueless.'

Luna ignored the Nightmare. “The yellow orb, it – it entered my mind. It gave me magic powers.” She cringed as the insanity of the entire situation sank in.

Tia's violet eyes softened as she found her voice. “This is a lot to take in. Why don't we sit down and talk about this?” Offering a tentative smile, she led Luna across the marble floor, over to the spacious sectional couch in her livingroom. On the way, they passed Philomena, Tia's sulfur-crested cockatoo. The bird had never liked Luna – or anyone else besides Celestia – but on this night, Philomena was more hostile than usual. From her perch on top of her cage, she hissed and fluffed her feathers to appear larger.

Celestia glanced at her pet. “Philomena's not used to seeing anyone bigger than her with wings,” she explained. “It's all right, Philomena, Lu won't hurt you.”

With a shrug, Luna sat down on the couch. She leaned back, but her wings got in the way, so she perched on the edge of her seat. Celestia sank down on the other side of the “L.”

“So, this glowing orb appeared and...” Tia tilted her head. “You said it entered your mind?”

“Well, yes.” Luna fidgeted, smoothing her dress over her lap. “It gave me the wings, the ears, the hair, all of it.”

“I see,” Celestia said in a cautious tone. “And this entity, this power, has told you that there are others?”

Luna's face grew warm. “That's what it said. I'm still new to all of this. What I know so far is that Sunset Shimmer and the Dazzlings, even Miss Sparkle...they were just the beginning. More of them will come from Equestria, the other world. They may be here already.”

Turning her face away, Celestia sighed. “If what you say is true, it's going to be a lot harder to keep the media way from CHS. So far I've been using my personal funds to pay people to go to different news sources and talk about the 'special effects,'” here she made air quotes, “that we used for the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands. I just don't want reporters to come to our school to distract them from learning and give them unwanted attention.”

Luna nodded. Celestia had told her some of this already, although Luna hadn't realized her sister was paying for public relations.

'How pathetic to have to rely on money to do things that that you should be able to do with magic.'

Quiet, you. Out loud, Luna said, “I understand your concerns. I know Fluttershy McCloud wouldn't appreciate all that attention, for example.”

“Yes, exactly. Which is why I have to ask, do you know how long you will be...” She turned back toward Luna and waved her pale hand to encompass her body.

“Winged? Fanged?”

“I was going to say powered up, but I don't like to end my sentences with prepositions.”

“I can't really say,” answered Luna with a shrug. “It could be weeks, maybe months.”

Celestia's eyes widened. “I think I need some hard cider.” She rose to her feet. “Would you like some?”

Some cities are beer towns. Canterlot was a cider town.

“A bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider would hit the spot,” said Luna.

As Celestia shuffled toward the kitchen, she said, “Maybe if we put our heads together, we can think of a new event that will need 'special effects.'” Opening the chrome refrigerator, she added. “Speaking of events, I don't suppose you sent Cadance a text yet.” She popped off the bottlecaps.

Luna wouldn't have called sending a text an “event.” “No, Tia, I've had a very busy night. I'm afraid I owe Mr. Rich the cost of repairs to his ceiling.”

Celestia took a swig from her bottle, which had a label that was color-reversed from the soft cider bottles, to prevent unfortunate mix-ups. Then she sat down next to Luna and handed her the other cold bottle.

“Why don't you tell me all about it.”