//------------------------------//
// The Other World 
// Story: Let Them Wonder 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

The breeze of the early morning freed Diana from the putrid horror that had been the underworld, informing her that she was in a different location before she even opened her eyes. So took in a deep breath in anticipation for what was to come before she opened her eyes...only to find, to her amusement, that she was standing on a sidewalk next to rows of houses.

'This is the land that Hades needed me to go to, that he couldn't?' she asked as she gazed upon the foreign world, one that looked very similar to hers. She heard a gasp and turned her head to see an elderly woman and a child standing across the road from her, with the elderly woman giving Diana a glare while covering the child's eyes.

"Young people these days," Diana heard the old woman grumble before she dragged her grandchild off, getting Diana to look down at her outfit with a shrug.

"Huh. It's accepted on my Earth." Diana then turned behind her to spy a massive high school towering above the rest of the houses. She raised an eyebrow at the sheer size of the high school, which she discovered was named Canterlot High after peering at a sign not too far away. "Quite large for a high school. This world is a little strange, but I've seen stranger."

'I wonder if they have heroes here,' Diana asked herself after getting another strange glance, from people that she was beginning to notice were more...colorful than the people of her planet. She shrugged it off before remembering the file, which she brought up to her face and opened.

"Wait a moment, this is...an application?" she asked with sheer disbelief at what she saw. It was indeed an application, and behind that was an I.D. with information that Diana noticed wasn't entirely true. "This is what you sent me here for, Hades?! So I can be a teacher?!" Diana then glanced at the school across the road, tying more of the pieces together. "And that's where you want me to teach. So does that mean those items you seek are within there?"

'That is how I read it as well, Diana.' Diana lifted her head to the sky, spying an owl that was as pure as the snow, fly down to her. Diana held out an arm so the owl could perch itself upon her, smiling at the creature as it landed upon her bracelet. 'The more important question is, what does Hades truly need with these items?'

"You believe that he didn't tell me the truth back in the underworld, Athena?" Diana asked the owl, who shook her head with a furrowed brow.

'Not all of it at least. With your lasso upon him, he was forced to tell you some of his plan. But I would not put it past him to tell you a truth that was not whole. Be on your guard, Diana.'

"There doesn't seem to be much here that I need to guard myself against," Diana muttered as a few more people gawked at her outfit, getting a sigh out of her before she kicked off with her legs to hurl herself into the sky. Her angel was perfect and she landed on the other side of the school, making sure no one was watching before she unclipped her lasso from her hip.

She then cracked the lasso like a whip to extend it to its full length, before she started to twirl it around her, causing spirals of magical energy to vortex around her body. Her Amazonian garb swiftly changed into that of a blue suit, while the magic caused her blade to vanish.

"And for the final touch," she muttered before twirling her lasso once more, creating a pair of glasses similar to the ones Clark wore. After placing them on her face, she glanced down at herself to see that nearly all of her wondrous side had been covered up...save for her bracelets and her lasso, which she tucked under her jacket. "There, now I blend in."

'You certainly do match the attire that the mortals here wear,' Athena agreed with a nod. 

"But what brings you here, goddess Athena?" Diana asked as she walked out from the side of the school, gazing at the massive statue of a horse that stood near the entrance. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed upon it, her body telling her that there was something...strange about it. "I am certain that you would not follow me without a good reason."

'Your wisdom is as sound as ever, Princess. I followed you here because I do not trust Hades nor the plans that he has,' the owl responded while her head slowly turned to look around her. 'Any time in the past where Hades has sought a weapon or magic of sorts that would increase his power, it has always ended with us having to deal with him.'

"Then why doesn't Zeus or one of the others gods simply stop him before he can begin?"

'Sigh...you know the gods, Diana. And you know the lack of wisdom that most of them have,' Athena responded with a shake of her head. 'Zeus is far too preoccupied at the moment with his son, Hercules, who seems to be growing stronger. And Poseidon is locked in combat with your fellow Justice League member over control of the strange meteor that fell into the ocean. And the others simply don't care. If the problem doesn't concern them, they tend to ignore it.'

"Once again, the gods avoid the affairs of mortals," Diana spat with some spite before bowing slightly to the owl on her arm. "Most of them, at least. I am grateful that you chose to aid me."

'It was the wise thing to do. However, this is not my true form. This is a servant that I have sent with you so we can communicate. I am still back on Olympus, trying to be the voice of reason.

"And good luck with that." Diana then lifted the file once more and gazed at the information that she assumed Hades had set up for her, nodding when she saw that he had given her name as Diana W. Prince. 'At least that's accurate,' she thought before noticing a small card attached with a paperclip. 'You have an appointment with the principal at ten when you arrive. Do not be late. And do not worry, she is a fool. You will have no issues getting a job,' Diana read, making her eyes narrow further.

"What I fail to understand is, why Hades simply does not come here himself. Even if he cannot take the magic, surely he would not dare leave gathering it to anyone but himself."

'That is because there is a powerful magic here, one that can keep even the gods out,' Athena explained to Diana. 'Unless one from this world tears the magic barrier apart, even we cannot enter this realm. I can barely speak through my familiar, and even then my powers are greatly restrained.'

"Then how did I make it through?"

'Perhaps the barrier sensed your noble soul and allowed you passage?'

"Perhaps. But now what do I do?"

'My advice would be to play along with what he has planned,' Athena spoke. 'At least until you uncover what Hades is truly after.'

"Yes, but...I may be a warrior and an ambassador for my lands, but a teacher I am not. At least, not this kind of teacher," Diana said, voicing her concerns as she gazed up at the school once more. "Even though the principal may be a...fool, students would be able to see through me after it is made clear that I do not know what I am doing."

'Fear not Diana, this is why I am here with you. I have observed humanity ever since we came into being. I can guide you through the pains of being a teacher of mortals,' Athena reassured the princess before turning her owl head towards clock tower above the entrance. 'And if that clock up there is correct, then your appointment is in less than five minutes. I suggest that you head inside.'

Diana followed the god's wisdom by heading into the entrance, pushing open the doors to find the hallways practically deserted. Aside from a few janitors that gawked at her and her owl as she walked by, Diana did not find any other people within the halls.

'I believe that the students are on, what they call, summer break,' Athena said, having moved from Diana's arm to her shoulder to free up her limbs.

A map upon the wall revealed the location of the principal's office to the princess, who memorized the location before heading in its direction. Diana did take a little time to gaze at the walls and rooms as she walked through the halls, occasionally spying a student or two that were within a room. Yet as the time for the appointment drew closer, Diana found her step increasing while she grew closer to the office.

"Finally," she muttered aloud upon reaching a door with the words "Principal Celestia" upon them. She reached out her hand for the handle only for the door to swing open from within, and a person walked out and ran straight into Diana. Diana didn't budge, but her hand shot out and grabbed hold of the girl to keep her from falling.

Diana took in the girl in an instant, noticing her red and yellow hair that burned like a bright flame. But then her eyes glanced down at her face to see that exhaustion shown plainly upon her face, with the underside of her eyes baggy and black.

"Careful," Diana told her once she had pulled the girl back to her feet, though from the way she swayed Diana wasn't certain if she would remain standing. The girl nodded slowly before rubbing her eyes and walking towards the exit, leaving Diana to watch her with narrowed eyes. Diana then shook her head as a voice told her to enter, which she did so to find two people waiting for her.

The first of them was tall and regal, with hair that seemed to shine with the colors of the sky. She smiled warmly at Diana and motioned for her to take a seat while the other, a woman with hair as beautiful as the cosmos, gazed at the owl on Diana's shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"Hello, Ms. Prince," Principal Celestia said with a smile as warm as the sun while she extended a hand towards Diana, one that Diana shook while smiling in reply. "I have been looking over the information that you sent in a few days ago and I must say that your resume is indeed impressive."

"I am glad to hear that, but please, call me Diana," Diana said with a smile, but her eyes were watching the pair of them for anything out of the ordinary. 

"Well Diana, you are quite the active teacher. Spending years in Greece learning all about their history before moving to the States to help teach people about peace. It is all incredible," Celestia said with an approving look as she gazed over the file before her.

'Hades, you are despicable,' Diana thought with a smirk, now understanding what the god of the dead had done.

"Why do you have an owl with you?" the other lady asked Diana, who turned her attention towards her as Celestia rose from her chair.

"I am sorry Diana, I forgot to introduce you. This is my sister Luna, who is principal like me," Celestia introduced as Luna held out a hand that Diana also shook. "But as there is no real title for two principals, most of the students just call her Ms. Luna."

"Pleased to meet you. As for the owl, it was believed in Greek culture that a baby owl was the symbol of Athena, the goddess of intelligence," Diana explained while the owl hooted. "So I carry this one with me in hopes that Athena will share her wisdom with me. So far it seems to be working."

Celestia chuckled politely at Diana's words while Luna simply raised another eyebrow, but after a moment a more serious look shone on Celestia's face. "Well, I see you are devoted to your work. And you are also lucky as one of our previous history professors has called in to say that they will not be able to teach this year. Actually, he taught the same kind of history that you studied about. What a coincidence."

Diana smiled outwardly at the "coincidence", but inwardly she promised that she would look into the teacher and make sure that Hades hadn't done anything to warrant his disappearance. Celestia spent another moment in silence going over Diana's file, occasionally making a remark aloud.

"Trained gymnast, that's interesting. Proficient in other languages. And all these letters from people that you've helped," Celestia muttered, making Diana seethe inwardly while wondering how the god had gotten his hands upon her things. "Well, I'm sold. You're resume is amazing and you seem like quite the capable person. I like that."

"Thank you, Ms. Celestia," Diana said.

"Oh please, just Celestia," Celestia said with a laugh as she stood up, Diana doing the same as they shook hands once more.

"One moment please," Luna interjected, turning Diana's attention towards her. "I have a question for you Diana. "Why do want to teach here? What brought you to our school?"

"A god asked me to," Diana said with a smile that made the other two think she was joking. Diana then took on a more serious expression as she thought about her answer for a moment. "I want to guide the younger generation. I want to help them to avoid going down roads like the people of the past did. I want to help them to discover themselves, to help them improve while also being able to keep them from the wrong path. I want to help them shine." A small smile crossed Luna's face at Diana's words and a silent nod informed Diana that she had impressed the lady. 

"Alright Diana, classes start tomorrow," Celestia informed Diana, getting a surprised hoot from the owl. Celestia giggled at the owl before continuing. "You'll be teaching four classes tomorrow, with the first starting at seven thirty. Please get here early so we can introduce you to the other teachers."

"Do not worry. I shall be here," Diana promised.

"Also, feel free to look around the school before you leave so you can learn where everything is," Celestia said as she herself remembered. Diana nodded once more before bowing slightly to the both of them. 

"They both seem nice," Diana said to Athena once she was back in the hallways, wandering around them while noticing that more students had arrived. 

'I now see why Hades called Celestia a fool. That is not how most teachers are hired,' Athena grumbled as her feathers puffed up. 

"Perhaps thing are different on this world," Diana said as she stopped to allow a large group of students to walk by her, taking a moment to glance at some of them. Some wore strange clothes, others dressed similar to people she had seen on earth, and even one girl wore a cowboy hat. "I have noticed it since I first arrived. Things here feel...softer, than they do in our world."

'I agree. Whatever this world is, it is...did you feel that?' Both the owl and Diana's eyes had narrowed as each of them felt something, their godly senses allowing them to sense a powerful magic that seemed to be coming from the crowd of students. Diana pondered for a moment if she should try to find the source of it, but after a brief moment it was gone, leaving both her and the owl to share a look of concern.

'So now we know that Hades was telling some of the truth. There is a powerful magic here,' Athena spoke with cautious words.

"Yes. And I have to find it."

Their thoughts about the magic were interrupted when one of the students noticed the owl on Diana's shoulder, causing the girl to rush up to her and beg to be able to touch it. Diana agreed, though Athena did not, and soon dozens of students were either touching or looking at the bird of wisdom that tried in vain to get away. but while they focused on the owl, Diana focused on the students, wondering what Hades really wanted with the kids of the school.

'It can't be good, whatever it is. So I have to keep them safe while finding these items,' Diana promised as she smiled at the students. 'Because starting tomorrow, they are my students. And I hope they're ready to learn.'