Once Upon a Nightmare

Chapters

1 - Luna's Emblem
2 - Sunset's Element
3 - Horse Magic
4 - Stranger Things
5 - Family Problems
6 - The Potion
7 - Sleeping Torment
8 - Highway to Tartarus
9 - Necessary Evil
10 - Practicing Magic

1 - Luna's Emblem

Once Upon a Nightmare

Chapter 1 – Luna's Emblem

Vice Principal Luna sat in her office, reading through her growing stack of paperwork until Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo poked their heads through the open door. She looked up and folded her hands on her desk.

“Please come in and close the door.”

The freshmen crept in, Scootaloo shutting the door behind them.

“Have a seat.” Luna gestured toward the chairs facing her desk, and the girls sat down with great care.

“Do you know why I called you here?” She kept her tone neutral.

Sweetie Bell gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo squirmed and exchanged a look. Luna let the silence hang for a few moments as she waited for an answer.

After thirty seconds of silence, Scootaloo said, “If this is about Rainbow Dash's jersey, I didn't steal it! I just took it home to wash it for her.”

Luna blinked and raised her eyebrows. “No, that's not it at all.” She swiped at her phone - the new one Celestia had bought her - and held it up for them to see. “I called you here because of this.”

The girls leaned forward and peered at the phone; then their eyes lit up with mirth as they snorted.

“That's a nice video of Diamond Tiara, but what does it have to do with us?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Miss Tiara-Rich claims that you poisoned her soda.”

“Poison!” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Never again!”

Luna's cool facade slipped as her mouth fell open. “Never again?”

Apple Bloom ducked her head and hunched her shoulders. “I was a little kid, okay? And nobody died or nothin'.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, it's a long story,” she said with a dismissive wave. “It'd probably take about twenty minutes to tell the whole thing.”

Luna raised her eyebrow. “Can you give me the abridged version?”

“Well now, I was pickin' berries from the dewberry ditch on the edge of our farm. I wanted to make smoothies for my folks. Trouble was, not all of 'em were dewberries. Long story short, my brother drank a whole smoothie and got sick as a dog. Poor Big Mac was delirious for hours.”

Luna was almost certain that Apple Bloom had made up the word “dewberry,” but she didn't comment on that. “I trust you learned your lesson.”

“You betcha!” Apple Bloom's bow bobbed as she nodded. “Just cause birds eat somethin' don't mean it's safe for people.”

“Ah, yes, those are words to live by,” Luna said diplomatically. “But do you know anything about Miss Tiara-Rich being poisoned?”

“It wasn't poison, it was just ghost pepper sauce...What?” Scootaloo asked when Sweetie facepalmed.

“You guys had one job,” she said, glaring at her friends out of the corner of her eye.

“'You guys'?” Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. “What, is there a mouse in Scootaloo's pocket?”

“All I said was that it was ghost pepper sauce! I mean, anyone could find that out, right?” Scootaloo wrung her hands.

Luna held up her hand in a placating gesture. “Listen, you're not in trouble. Technically, putting hot sauce in someone's soda doesn't violate school policy.”

Scootaloo sighed in relief, while Sweetie Belle tilted her head.

“Then why interrogate us?” asked Sweetie.

Luna shook her head. “Sweetie Belle, you misunderstand me. This isn't an interrogation. This is an intervention. You see, in light of recent events, I'm making an effort to understand why students behave the way they do, so that I can work with them to resolve their issues before they get out of control.” She wiggled the phone for emphasis. “And right now, I want to know why three young students would humiliate their classmate.”

“You know the screen turned off right?” Apple Bloom asked in a flat tone.

“Oh.” Luna peeked at the front of her phone and tapped it awake.

Sweetie leaned back. “You promise we won't get in trouble?”

After mentally scrambling to cover her bases, Luna amended, “Not for the hot sauce.”

The three girls exchanged glances. “Well,” said Sweetie, “she posted some really mean comments on our Utube videos.”

“She called us babies and nobodies,” said Scootaloo with a nod, “just because we don't have official emblems yet.”

“And that ain't the worst part.” Apple Bloom put her hand on Scootaloo's shoulder. “Is it okay if I tell her?”

Scootaloo sighed. “It's on the internet for the world to see anyway.”

Apple Bloom turned to face Luna. “She said that it was – that it was sad to see a cripple try to dance.”

Luna furrowed her brow. “I don't understand. Why would she say that?”

“Scootaloo used to wear a back brace for her scoliosis.” Sweetie gave her friend a sympathetic look. “She had surgery last spring, and now you'd never know there was anything different about her. But Diamond Tiara first saw her with the brace, and she just won't let it go.”

Luna pressed her lips together in a thin line. She felt like her blood was boiling. How could Diamond Tiara bully Scootaloo for having a health condition?

“Are you serious?” she asked them. “How do you know it was Diamond Tiara?”

“Her username's Diamond2000,” deadpanned Apple Bloom.

“Plus her avatar is her emblem,” added Scootaloo. “She's not an anonymous troll. She wanted us to know it was her.”

Gazing in to each girl's eyes, Luna detected no falsehood. She took a deep breath. “Well then, I'll have a talk with her.” She tried to keep her voice and expression cool, belying her fury. “Thank you all for telling me this.” After a pause, she added, “And as for your emblems, don't worry about choosing them just yet. I think some people get theirs too soon.” She fiddled with her broach, which caught Apple Bloom's attention.

“Why's your emblem a moon, Miss Luna? I mean, what's that got to do with bein' vice principal?”

Luna's mouth twitched. This subject was uncomfortable to her, but if her story would make the young students feel better, she was willing to tell them.

“When I was your age, I was fascinated with dreams and their meanings. I wanted to help people understand more about themselves by decoding the language of the subconscious. That's what the moon represents.”

“Do you still do that?” asked Sweetie Belle. “'Cause I had a crazy dream last night.”

Luna looked at the table. “Well, I never ended up getting much training in therapy or counseling. You see, my...there was a family emergency when I was at Stratton University, so I moved back home to be with them.” There was no need to dump all of her baggage on these girls at once, especially since it might make both herself and Celestia look bad. “When I was finally ready to go back to school, my sister suggested that I get a degree in education and teach at Canterlot High with her. And...” She shrugged. “It's not my dream job, but I'm happy here, for the most part.”

“Well Miss Luna, I understand more than most how important it is to be there for your family.” Apple Bloom leaned forward in her chair and put her hands on the desk. “But that don't mean you should give up on your dream!”

“Yeah, it's not too late to go back to school and finish your Therapy degree,” Scootaloo said with a smile.

Luna shook her head. “There's far too much going on at CHS for me to take time off for classes.”

“How about summer courses?” suggested Sweetie Belle. “You could make it work.”

“Perhaps,” said Luna with a little smile. It was cute, the way these freshmen were giving her career advice. “Thank you for your kind words, girls. Now, I believe Miss Harshwinny is expecting you in her class.”

As the students got up from the chairs and opened the door, a small cloud of smoke drifted in from the hallway. Luna's eyes narrowed, because smoke in the hallway could only mean shenanigans. But when she poked her head out after the girls left, the smoke had dissipated without even leaving a scent, and the corridor was clear. Shrugging, Luna went over to her intercom.

“Diamond Tiara-Rich, please report to the Vice Principal's office.”

2 - Sunset's Element

Chapter 2 – Sunset's Element

Pinkie Pie's parents were renting a house for Maud to stay while she attended Canterlot Community College, so she could be closer to campus. Pinkie had been staying in the home with Maud for the past two years. Her mom had homeschooled her through eighth grade, but she had always wanted to go to school with other kids. She felt that she belonged at CHS, and she'd made many friends there.

Pinkie loved inviting her best friends over to the house she and Maud shared. But one of her best friends was missing, and that put a bit of a damper on her cheery mood.

And so Pinkie found herself sitting at the dining room table, opening and closing Sunset's magic book, staring at the blank pages, willing words to appear.

Sunset placed her hand on Pinkie's right shoulder. “Sometimes Twilight doesn't write for a couple of days. I know you're anxious to hear from her, but try to be patient. I'm sure she's really busy.” Her tone was kind, but she wasn't saying what Pinkie wanted to hear.

“Too busy for us?” Pinkie stuck out her lower lip.

Rarity, who was sitting on Sunset's right, leaned forward and turned her head to meet Pinkie's eyes. “She has the other you to keep her busy, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” Pinkie felt a bit better. “I sure hope the other me is having tons of fun with Twilight.” She ran her hands over the plain pages. “But I'm just so curious about Equestria and magic and – everything! Like, how do these Elements of Harmony work? Can they be in two places at once? When we use them here, are we taking them away from the other us's?”

Sunset frowned – luckily it was the thoughtful kind of frown, not the sad kind. “Twilight and I have been going back and forth about that. It's hard to know where to begin.” She took a sip of her orange soda. “I guess I'll start with what I know about the Elements in Equestria. They were six gemstones that contained the most powerful magic in my home world. Princess Celestia...Well, I don't want to go into too much detail here, but she used the Elements to banish Princess Luna to the moon.”

From the other side of the table, Rainbow Dash set down her Rebel energy drink with a clunk. “Celestia and Luna? Are they...?”

“Yes.” Sunset met her gaze. “They're the alternate versions of Celestia and Luna McQueen. It was...hard at first, to see Celestia, with her not knowing who I was. She acts like a different person here.” She looked down at her glass. “We used to be close in Equestria, but I resented her for holding me back from my full potential – at least, that's how I felt at the time. I've wanted to speak to her, to let her know that I've changed, but I don't know how.”

“That's easy!” said Pinkie. “Just have Twilight pass a message on to the other Celestia!”

“I will someday, when I figure out what to write.” Sunset's smile didn't reach her pale eyes, which made Pinkie want to give her a hug. So she did. Sunset stiffened for a second before putting her arms on Pinkie's back. She didn't seem used to hugs. Pinkie imagined that ponies didn't hug much – it would have to be hard with no arms. One time she had watched Applejack's horses lay their heads across each others' necks. Pinkie briefly considered trying this equine gesture with Sunset before concluding that it would be too awkward with her large-headed, small-necked human anatomy.

“Um, Sunset, did you say Princess Celestia banished Princess Luna to the moon?” asked Fluttershy, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

Sunset nodded, pulling away from Pinkie. “Basically, Princess Luna was jealous of Celestia and tried to kill her. Celestia had no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony to send her to the moon.”

The girls' eyes grew to the size of balloons. “How – how could Luna do that to her own sister?” asked Rainbow.

“Do you think our Vice Principal Luna would try to kill Celestia?” Fluttershy wrung her hands.

“I don't know. I hope not, but the two worlds are becoming more closely linked. It's possible that history could repeat itself here.” Sunset gripped the edge of the table.

Rarity glanced back and forth between Fluttershy and Sunset. “Do you think we should warn Celestia?”

“Let's just keep an eye on her for now,” said Applejack, shaking her head. “No need to go accusin' the vice principal before she's even done anythin'.”

“You're right Applejack. All we can do is watch her and hope for the best.” She put her hand to her chin. “Now, where was I?”

“Celestia banished Luna to the moon,” answered Pinkie.

“Oh, yeah. So, after Celestia used the Elements, they disappeared. No one knew where they were for a thousand years. Then...I left Equestria before this happened, but I understand that Princess Luna escaped and threatened to bring eternal night. Twilight and the pony versions of you tracked her through the Everfree Forest. On the way, each one was tested and proved that they embody one of the Elements.”

Rainbow's brow furrowed as she reached for the bowl of peanuts in the middle of the table. “So like, they played their instruments?”

Sunset stared. “What are you talking – oh. Twilight never told you, did she.”

“Told us what?” Rarity wrinkled her brow, sharing Dash's confusion.

“Each of the Elements of Harmony represents a virtue necessary for friendship and cooperation. And each one of you shows one of these virtues more than anyone else.” A grin spread across her face. “I want you to guess what they are.”

The other girls screwed up their faces in thought.

“Is there a Self-confidence Element?” Applejack smirked, jerking her thumb to her left, toward Dash. “'Cause I don't know if ya'll have noticed, but Rainbow here thinks her poop don't stink.”

“Heh. If there's a Self-confidence Element, I bet there's a Stubbornness Element.” Dash dug her bony elbow into AJ's arm.

“Okay, I think I'd better give you multiple choice. Your choices are: Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, and Generosity. Go!” She pointed in their general direction.

“Ooo!” Pinkie raised her hand as if she were in class. “I'm Laughter, right?”

Sunset's grin widened. “Nailed it!”

“Yes!” Pinkie pumped her fist.

Rarity tapped her chin with her finger. “Kindness...I think that's you, Fluttershy. You always think of others first.”

“Yeah, and you've helped me out more times than I can count.” Rainbow put her arm around her shoulders. “And you never complain about it either.”

“Right again!” said Sunset.

Fluttershy smiled as her cheeks turned pink. “Well, what about you Rarity?” she said, gazing across the table at her friend. “I think you're Generosity. You're always lending us your clothes and giving us money whenever we're short a few dollars.”

“That's just what friends do.” Rarity waved her hand.

“Exactly,” said Sunset. “That's why it's one of the Elements of Harmony.”

“So, Rarity's Generosity, Flutters is Kindness,” said Dash, counting them on her fingers, “and Pinkie is Comedy.”

“Laughter,” corrected Sunset.

“Right. What did I say?”

“That leaves Honesty and Loyalty.” Rarity tapped her pencil against her neglected biology textbook.

“I think Dashie and AJ could fit both of them equally. Neither of you girls have ever been afraid to tell me how you really feel.” Fluttershy rubbed her arm.

“Yeah, and AJ's loyal to her family, and Dashie's loyal to her team!” said Pinkie.

Rainbow pretended to polish her nails on her sleeve. “I'm awesome that way.”

AJ threw a peanut at her.

“And so's AJ,” she added.

“Each one of you has all the virtues that make up the Elements, but only one person fits each Element the most,” explained Sunset.

“Well now, Honesty has always been important to me.” With a thoughtful frown, Applejack softly tapped the table. “It's better to earn people's trust than tell 'em a lie to make 'em like you. And it's also better to deal with a hard reality than a false hope.”

Sunset nodded with a gentle smile. She was starting to remind Pinkie of a teacher. But the five of them had to learn about magic, and who better to teach them than someone who had studied it for years?

“And Rainbow, you've been lookin' out for us for a long time,” added AJ, nudging her arm.

“And you inspire others to be loyal, too,” said Rarity.

Dash folded her arms. “Yeah, it's just what I do.”

“Hey, wait a second! That's only five!” Pinkie threw her arm over Sunset's shoulder. “What about you, Sunny? What's your Element?”

Sunset's cheeks reddened as she looked down at the table. “I've been trying to figure that out. Twilight's Element is the Magic of Friendship that holds the other Elements together. In Equestria, there are six Elements. But they don't work the same way in this universe. Magic here is very strange. It's almost as if this universe doesn't know what to do with magic, so it makes up its own rules as it goes along.”

“Are you suggesting that the Universe saw fit to give you your own Element and the adorable pony ears that go with it?” Rarity folded her hands under her chin, giving Sunset a sly look.

“I don't know.” Sunset's mouth quirked up in a lopsided smile. “Maybe.”

“I know what your Element is!” Pinkie waved her arms. “The best Element of all – the Element of Surprise!”

The others gave her blank stares.

“I don't know if that really fits the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie.” Fluttershy shook her head.

Pinkie lowered her arms, feeling a bit disappointed. The Element of Surprise made so much sense to her.

“What about the Element of Perseverance?” suggested Rarity. “You never gave up, even when – um, I mean -”

“I know what you mean,” Sunset said quickly.

Rarity forged ahead. “And after that, you never gave up trying to be our friend, even thought we weren't as welcoming as we should have been.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

Pinkie felt guilty about this, too. She looked down at the magical book she'd left open. It struck her that she'd known Sunset a whole lot longer than Twilight. She owed it to Sunset to be there for her, instead of always thinking about her distant friend whose first loyalty was to the alternate versions of them. With her eyelids lowered in a solemn expression, Pinkie closed the book.

Sunset didn't seem to notice, staring at the table with a slumped posture. “It's okay, I understand. I wouldn't've been welcoming either if someone had turned my classmates into an army of zombies.”

“You don't have to worry about that anymore, Sunny,” said Pinkie with a determined – and she hoped reassuring – smile. “You've done more than enough to make up for it!”

“Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute.” Applejack frowned. “Ain't perseverance another word for stubbornness?”

“Oh yeah.” Rainbow pushed AJ's hat back. “We already went over that.”

“Perhaps the reason you stuck with us wasn't stubbornness, then.” Rarity pursed her lips.

“Somethin' she said jumped out at me.” AJ straightened her hat. “Sunset, you said that you'd feel the same way we did if someone turned your classmates into zombies.”

Rarity's blue eyes widened. “Of course! Darling,” she said, putting her hand on Sunset's shoulder, “you stayed our friend because you understood how we felt! You were able to imagine how you would feel in our position.”

Sunset smiled a bit bashfully.

“Sunset Shimmer, you have the Element of...Empathy!”

A warm glow surrounded Sunset, and her ears moved toward the top of her head. Her hair grew down to the floor, waving in an unearthly wind. A second later, the same thing happened to the other five girls. Pinkie felt the now familiar tingling sensation as her human ears turned into pony ears. She was charged with energy, like she'd just eaten three donuts...which she had, coincidentally. It was never too late for donuts.

“That must be it.” Sunset grinned wider than Pinkie had ever seen. “My Element is Empathy!”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “That's great Sunset, but, um, well, I hate to sound like a worrywart, but I thought our magic only activates whenever there's a threat.” Her large eyes darted around Pinkie's dining room, as if she expected someone to jump out at her. For someone who hated to sound like a worrywart, she tended to do just that on a regular basis.

Sunset's grin faded. “I hope it's just because we figured out what my Element is. Still, we have to be ready for anything.”

At that moment, Maud moseyed into the room. She didn't seem surprised to see the pony ears and super-long ponytails, and wings, in Dash's and Fluttershy's case (Pinkie had been meaning to ask about them).

“Pinkie, do you know where my favorite pencil is.” It was a question, but Maud had never quite learned how to pronounce question marks.

“It's wherever you left it, silly!”

With a slow blink, Maud said, “Of course. Why didn't I think of that.” She turned around; then glanced at them over her shoulder. “Did you know that the graphite in pencils is a metamorphic rock.” Then, facing the doorway, Maud shuffled out.

Pinkie beamed. “She's really warming up to you guys.”

Author's Note

I see “Element of Redemption” thrown around a lot for Sunset, and while I think that fits her character arc, it doesn't go with the other Elements. The original six are virtues that the characters had since early childhood, so I think Sunset's Element should be something she showed even when she used it to manipulate people.

Edit 12/27/15 - I changed Pinkie's family situation to more closely fit what we see in "Hearthbreakers," and I'll probably rework this chapter again at some point, since I'm not satisfied with the pacing.

3 - Horse Magic

Author's Note

This fanfic was originally saved under the title “Once Upon a Time at CHS.” Thankfully I thought of a less clunky title before I uploaded it.

I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I don't want to go any longer without updating, so here you go.

3 - Horse Magic

Chapter 3 - Horse Magic

“...And then Diamond Tiara said she was just joking! I don't believe for a second that she meant it as a joke, and even if she did, it's not funny!” Luna waved her arm in agitation. “I tried to explain that she hurt Scootaloo Swift's feelings, but she just said that Scootaloo needs to grow a thicker skin!” She put her hand to her forehead.

Celestia sat lightly on Luna's desk with her feet supporting most of her weight. “Well, what's to be done about it?” she asked in her calmest tone. “Technically-”

“-she didn't violate school policy, I know,” finished Luna. “But I cannot stand by and let this bullying continue!” She clenched her pale blue fists. “You saw what happened when we ignored obvious warning signs in the past.”

Her sister shook her head, making her long hair sway. “I think we could forgive ourselves for the first...incident. How could we have possibly known that Sunset Shimmer would turn into a magical she-demon?”

“That's true, but the second time?” Luna looked up sharply at Celestia. “The second time we should have known something like that could happen again. Miss Dazzle and her two friends were extremely suspicious, in hindsight.”

“They hypnotized us.” Celestia sighed. “That's our excuse, but I must admit that it's not something I ever want to fall victim to again. We must be especially vigilant from now on.” Her face warmed as she gave Luna a maternal smile. “Which is why I'm impressed with the way you're stepping up and keeping a close eye on our more...troubled students. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Thank you.” Luna's face softened. “I just hope it's enough.”

“I'm confident that it will be.” Her violet eyes grew serious. “But there is one student that you may be overlooking.”

Luna blinked. “Who?”

“Someone who misses you, even if she might not always realize it.”

“Are you talking about Cadance?” asked Luna with a frown.

Raising her eyebrows, Celestia asked, “What do you think?”

Luna pursed her lips. She hated when her sister acted vague and cryptic – never mind that Luna herself acted the same way when it benefited her.

“Tia, she's not one of our students anymore.”

“She's our niece, and we're the only family she has left.”

Luna wanted to say, 'If we're so important to her, why did she leave us to go to the university I never got to finish, so she could follow her dream?'

What she actually said was, “If she really wants to talk to me, she can call or text any time. My number is the same as it was when she was staying with us.” She folded her arms.

With a knowing look, Celestia said, “That's it? You don't have anything you'd like to say to her?”

“Nothing that she needs to concern herself with,” Luna said stiffly.

“But still something you need to get off your chest?” pressed Celestia, with a slight tilt of her head.

“You know, I have a lot of work to do.” Luna gave her phone a deliberate swipe. “I need to email Mr. Filthy before I even think about emailing Cadance.”

“I believe he prefers Rich.”

“So I've been told.”

With a soft sigh, Celestia stood up straight. “Well then, don't work too hard tonight, Lu.” Her modest heels clicked as she walked toward the door. As she reached for the handle, she looked over her shoulder with one last hopeful smile. “And you might want to at least check Cadance's status on FB, when you get a chance.”

“You know I'm not on the social media,” said Luna with a dismissive wave.

Celestia gave her a piercing look. “You want to understand the students and help them with their problems, and yet you're afraid of the technology they're using.”

“I'm not afraid! I just don't want it!”

“How do you know you don't want it if you've never tried it?” Celestia folded her arms as the corner of her mouth pulled up. If Luna didn't know any better, she'd have sworn her sister was smirking.

Luna huffed. “Fine, I'll think about it, if it'll make you happy.”

“Yes, it would.” With a triumphant smile, Celestia opened the door and stepped out. As soon as the door closed behind her, Luna leaned over her desk and put her head in her hands. Perhaps she should have been more forthright with Celestia. But there would be time for that later, after she wrote to Mr. Rich, and possibly several of the other students' parents and legal guardians.

'Luna. So good to see you again.'

Jolting up in her chair, Luna looked around the room. She wasn't sure if the voice had come from behind her, or inside her head.

'You are so much weaker in this form. I too am much weaker than I once was. But together, we can become stronger than ever!'

Luna pushed her chair back and stood, her heart pounding from adrenaline. “Tia!” she called, wondering if her sister was still within earshot. “Someone's here! If this is a prank, it's not funny!”

'Oh, you don't need her. She's useless.'

She swiped her phone again, ready to call 911. But what would she tell them if she did?

“Who are you?”

'I am envy, bitterness, and greed. I am...The Nightmare!'

An orb of yellow light surrounded by an orange-red halo appeared in front of Luna. Black smoke billowed around the edges, and the ball shifted and pulsed and made Luna's eyes hurt a little. She stepped backward until her back touched the wall.

“Leave me alone! Get out of my office or...or...”

'Or what?' said the glowing orb. 'I think you'll want me to stay when you hear what I have to offer you.'

Luna squinted at it. “What could you offer me?”

'Power,' answered the Nightmare.

“Not interested,” answered Luna, pulling up her dial pad.

'What if I told you that there are other dangerous beings that came here from the other world?'

She froze. “There are more besides the Dazzlings? And...and yourself, I suppose?”

'Indeed. This world is a dumping ground for the dangerous monsters of Equestria. The worst are banished to either Tartarus, or this world. Monsters such as the tyrant Sombra...' The orb changed shape until it looked like a unicorn with evil red eyes. 'Or Tirek, who sucks out the magic and strength from other creatures.' The unicorn turned into a horned centaur.

Luna clenched her fists.

'Doesn't that just burn you up? How dare they send their demons to your world!'

“Enough!” yelled Luna, clutching her forehead. “I don't know what you're trying to do, but...”

'But it's working, isn't it? The Equestrians have been completely disrespectful to this world and put your students at risk. What are you going to do about it?'

Luna bit her lip. This magical specter was confirming her most immediate fear. Celestia's voice echoed in Luna's head: what's to be done about it?

“I don't know. What can I do?”

'Join me, and together we can round up these monsters and send them back to Equestria!”

Luna hesitated. “Why me? I mean, why do you need me, specifically?”

'In the other world, I joined your other self to become Nightmare Moon.' The centaur shifted until it resembled a winged unicorn with a smoky mane and tail. 'We were a force to be reckoned with.'

“I was a horse?”

'You are an alicorn, one of the most powerful magical beings in any world.'

Luna rubbed her temple. Her head hurt, trying to wrap her mind around everything this entity said. “Why should I trust something that calls itself the Nightmare?”

'Ah, that's a good question.'

“People say that to stall for time,” Luna pointed out.

'You're sharp for someone so young.'

“Save your flattery. I want answers.”

'Here's your answer: I'm only a Nightmare to anyone who tries to stop me. But I reward anyone who helps me.'

Luna's brow furrowed. “I still don't know. Give me a day to think it over.”

'What is there to think about? I'm offering you the chance to save this world! A chance to protect your students from evil magical creatures!'

Her lips tightened. “If we join, would it be permanent?”

To Luna's surprise, the Nightmare horse cackled mirthlessly. 'I don't want you to trade your immortal soul or anything like that. Just say the word any time and our partnership will end. But I don't think you'll want to.'

Luna thought for a moment. She did feel a duty to do something herself to stop these magical attacks. It simply wouldn't do to stand by while her young students could only rely on each other. She had to be strong for them next time. No matter what it took.

She took a deep breath and held out her hand toward the Nightmare. “I hope I don't regret this.”

The light and smoke flowed into her hand, and a tingling sensation spread from her fingers to the rest of her body. She felt pressure against her shoulder blades, and the back of her blouse ripped as wings burst through. Luna's eyes widened as she twisted her head to look at them. Then she realized that she shouldn't be surprised, since several of her students had temporarily grown new appendages.

Then the pins-and-needles faded, replaced with a feeling of having too much energy, like she was eight years old again. She looked around the room for a reflective surface and settled on the window. Because it was dark outside, she could see a clear reflection. Large feathered wings extended from her upper back, matching her skin tone. Luna tested them by flapping and hovering an inch off the floor. She gasped and grinned – revealing sharp fangs where her incisors should have been. Her grin faded as her feet settled onto the floor. Were the fangs necessary? She didn't like them.

'You want the other monsters to fear us, don't you?' The Nightmare's voice was directly inside her head this time.

“Yes, but I don't want to scare the students. I want them to trust and respect me.” She found herself waving her arms as she spoke.

'You don't have to talk out loud to me anymore. I can hear every thought in your head. Anyway, your students already trust and respect you. And they'll trust and respect us even more when we save them from the next magical crisis.”

Luna hoped the Nightmare was right.

There were other changes besides the wings and fangs. Her hair had turned translucent, shimmering with an otherworldly light. Strangest of all, it waved as if a breeze were blowing it, although she couldn't feel any air current. Her ears had shifted toward the top of her head, and were pointed like a horse's ears. And to top it all off, her pupils were slit like a cat's, and her irises glowed electric blue.

She glanced down at the tattered blouse hanging off her shoulders.

'Ah, you need to change your outfit. Say no more.'

Luna's hands glowed ice-blue, and her torn business casual attire morphed into a backless midnight evening gown that hugged her figure. The dress had her crescent moon emblem between her breasts. Covering her wrists were slate blue vambraces with a navy fleur-de-lis design. On her head was a helmet with a spiral horn coming out of the front.

Luna frowned. She wasn't going into battle or anything like that.

'Aren't we?'

Not if I can help it. She pulled off the helmet, freeing her vibrant hair once more. Running her fingers through it, she felt that the strands were much softer and lighter. Then she reached back and smoothed down the feathers on her wings. At the same time, her wings felt the pressure of her fingers touching them. This couldn't be a dream. A dream would not have such detailed sensations.

“So this is happening.” Saying out loud made it seem more real. “I need to tell Tia about this.”

'Celestia? Why should you tell her? She'll just hold us back like she always does. Don't even try to deny it. We both know it's true.'

But I have to tell her. She flapped her wings. I can't exactly keep this a secret, at least not for long. If she tries to hold me back, I won't let her this time.

'I like your determination. Very well, let us confront our adversary!'

Luna frowned deeply, wondering why the Nightmare had a problem with her sister.

'You have to ask why? Everyone loves her and her sun, while they ignore you!'

She blinked in confusion.

'This doesn't make sense! I can taste your bitterness, but it is not directed at your sister! Whom are you bitter toward?'

That's not important right now. I have to focus on finding those monsters.

'Do you have any other relatives I don't know about?'

Oh, for the love of Pete. She brought her palm to her forehead.

'Aha! Who is this Pete? Did he do something to make you jealous?'

What? No, it's an expression. She took a deep breath to try to clear her head – which proved impossible with someone else occupying it. If you must know, I suppose I'm a little bit jealous of my niece. It seems like she's getting everything I wanted when I was younger, but I had to sacrifice that to take care of her, and it just doesn't seem like she really appreciates what I did.

'This is a real breakthrough! And yet I sense that you're holding back. Please, tell me how you really feel.'

Luna squared her shoulders. No, it's all right now. She's where she needs to be, and I...we are exactly where we need to be. She strode toward the door. Come now, if my sister decided to do some shopping, we can beat her home.

'I'm sure we can, if we take a shortcut.'

She glanced at her wings. Then she beamed and opened her door. She jumped up and flapped her wings, propelling herself through the hallway in a wobbly path.

'You know, we could have flown out the window.'

Luna gave a noncommittal hum.

'Or we could teleport.'

She faltered and careened into the wall, bracing herself with her arms before tumbling knees-first to the floor. Groaning, she pushed herself up to a seated position. Although adrenaline suppressed the pain, she was still rattled.

Don't distract me when I'm trying to fly. Her gaze fell on the locker next to her, which had a dent in it like a shallow bowl. Had she made that dent, or had it already been there?

'I'm fairly certain we made that dent. Your pegasus speed combined with your earth pony strength can be very destructive.'

After staring helplessly at the locker for a good twenty seconds, Luna made the decision to give up trying to understand this horse magic, at least for the time being. She let out a shaky sigh. Her school was just starting to look nice again, and here she'd dented a perfectly good locker.

'We can fix it with unicorn magic. Put your hand on the locker door.'

Luna did as she was asked, and a cold blue light shone from her hands, spreading to the metal door. With a loud wham, the metal flattened. It looked as good as new. Luna grinned. If she could do that, maybe she was ready to teleport.

'We changed your old clothes into this dress, too, don't forget that. I'm sure we can teleport. Just follow my instructions. First you must form a mental image of the place you want to go. Let's start with an easy one. Picture the courtyard in front of the school.'

Closing her eyes, she thought about the courtyard with its new pavement and its thoroughbred statue. It would be lit with yellow lamps since the sun had set.

'Now focus all of your willpower on being outside in front of the school.'

Luna concentrated. She wanted to do this right. She wanted to be there. She would be there.

She was there.

The icy light flashed through her eyelids, and suddenly she felt chilly November air on her skin. She opened her eyes and saw the familiar statue.

I did it! She held her fists close to her chest and flapped her wings, loving this feeling of power.

'We did it. Now picture your house and will us there. You live with your sister, correct?'

We converted our parents' home into a duplex, so, in a sense, yes.

'Then let us face our adversary once more!'

Luna frowned. For the last time, Tia is not our adversary. If you can't understand that, then maybe this partnership isn't going to work.

'Oh, please. You'd give up the ultimate powers of this or any world? If I go, the magic goes with me. But if it will put you at ease, I'll humor you. We'll just see how well Celestia accepts what you've become.'

4 - Stranger Things

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.”

5 - Family Problems

Chapter 5 – Family Problems

Sunset Shimmer rubbed her eyes all through homeroom period. She hadn't slept well the night before, and she had never been a morning person even when she did get a full night's sleep. Just as she started to nod off, Pinkie Pie shook her arm. Sunset's head whipped up from her desk as her eyes popped open.

“Come on Sunny! We have to go now.”

Even in her fatigue, Sunset smiled at the nickname. She had always wanted a nickname, but no one had ever given her one before, even at the height of her popularity.

“I didn't hear the bell ring.”

“That's because it didn't!” said Pinkie. “But Principal Celestia wants us to come to her office ASAP.”

“Did she say why?” Sunset fought back a yawn.

Pinkie shrugged. “Does she ever?”

Sunset shook her head. “All right, let's go see what she wants.”

As they headed toward the classroom door, Sunset felt apprehensive. Even though there was probably nothing to be concerned about, she worried in the back of her mind that she'd somehow done something to get herself and her friends in trouble. There was also the possibility that something had gone wrong that wasn't Sunset's fault, but Principal Celestia wanted her help resolving it.

When Sunset and Pinkie stepped into the principal's office, all of their closest friends were already standing inside. Celestia gave them a warm smile, and Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought of her old mentor, the only pony who had ever really understood her.

“Good morning, Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie,” greeted the principal. “I'm glad you're here. This might come as a surprise to you, but I need your guidance about a certain development.” She met Sunset's eyes. “Especially yours, Sunset.”

“You need my advice?” said Sunset, her eyes opening wide.

Celestia nodded. “You're the resident magic expert. And last night, Vice Principal Luna came in contact with some powerful magic. She needs to learn how to control it, and we were both hoping that you could help.”

Sunset and her friends exchanged astonished, worried looks. Even though they had just talked about something like this happening, Sunset had no idea it would be so soon.

“Luna,” Celestia said into her phone, “You can come in now.”

The door opened behind Sunset, and Vice Principal Luna stepped into the room. Only, she wasn't quite the vice principal anymore. Her hair was the same as Princess Luna's mane, which Sunset had glimpsed from a distance when she'd gone to the Crystal Palace. Her irises shone like neon lights, and her pupils were slit like a housecat's.

Pinkie gasped. Fluttershy let out a high-pitched “eep!” Sunset forced herself to stare into Luna's eerie eyes. Her nerves started tingling as her Element activated; she didn't have to glance at her friends to know that they were powering up as well.

All the while, Celestia smiled, seemingly ignorant of the severity of the situation.

“Nightmare Moon,” said Sunset, her brilliant hair streaming around her. “You don't have to do this.”

Luna gaped. “How did you know?”

“Sunny knows all kinds of things,” said Pinkie. “But she doesn't know where the hidden cameras are.”

Deciding that it was best to keep the conversation on track, Sunset said, “In Equestria, Nightmare Moon was a scary story parents told foals to get them to behave. We didn't know she was real until recently.” It was only a partial explanation, but it was all she had time for. “Please, Miss Luna. Don't give in to the Nightmare.”

“I'm not giving in.” Luna shook her head. “I'm just using the Nightmare's magic.”

Celestia's eyebrows were up near her hairline. “You never said anything about a Nightmare,” she said to her sister.

Glancing from Sunset to Celestia, Luna said, “I didn't want people to start calling me Nightmare Moon. I just wanted to be Luna McQueen, but better and stronger. I want to be the one to fight the next Adagio Dazzle, or whoever else might come along.”

Sunset blinked. Nightmare Moon was supposed to be a cackling maniac, but if one looked past her fangs and reptilian eyes, she sounded reasonable. But perhaps the original Nightmare Moon had started out the same way before sliding into darkness.

“And risk becoming just like her?” said Sunset. “Miss Luna, trust me when I say that the Nightmare's magic is dark, and you can't control dark magic. I learned that the hard way.” She winced, and Pinkie put a reassuring hand on her right shoulder. Glancing to her right, Sunset saw Pinkie smiling at her, along with Rainbow Dash, who held Pinkie's hand. Applejack, however, seemed uneasy – even her pony ears flattened against her head.

Turning back to face Luna, Sunset added, “Let us free you from this dark magic before someone gets hurt.”

“But then you'll have to face the other magical creatures by yourselves. I want to help.”

Sunset reached for Fluttershy's hand, and her friend gave her a hint of a smile. Rarity's eyebrows were lowered in determination as she gripped Fluttershy's shoulder.

Gazing back at Luna, Sunset said, “Nothing good can come from the Nightmare. I'm sorry, but we have to free you from it.”

The Elemental magic lifted her and her friends into the air and whipped their long hair.

“This ain't right.”

Sunset looked down the line at Applejack, who was leaning away from Rainbow in midair.

“Oh come on! Just hold hands already!” Rainbow stretched toward her and grabbed her hand.

“But she ain't done nothin' yet!” Despite Applejack's protests, a ray of colored light shot straight up out of each girl, joining in an arch and rushing down toward Luna. The Vice Principal's eyes widened, and as soon as the rainbow reached her, she disappeared. All that was left of her was a black scorch mark on the floor.

The multicolored light dissipated, and the teens floated back down, reverting to their natural round-eared forms.

Celestia stared shell-shocked at the scorch mark, the fine lines around her eyes growing deeper with worry. Then she rounded on Sunset and her friends.

“What did you do!?”

Sunset opened her mouth; then swallowed. “I think,” she choked out through her dry throat, “we might have sent her to the moon.”

“What!?”

Sunset had only heard Celestia truly yell once, and that was Princess Celestia's reaction to Sunset's declaration that she deserved to become an alicorn.

“I'm so sorry!” Sunset quailed at her former mentor's glare and the anger in her voice. “I didn't know it would happen! I thought we would just, you know, blast the magic out of her, like what happened with me.”

Celestia blinked and shook her head. “But...you're telling me you sent her to the moon? As in the actual moon in the sky?”

“I'm not sure, but it would make the most sense, based on what I know about the Elements of Harmony. I don't think they can be used to take a life, so they must have sent her somewhere.”

“You don't think?” Celestia closed her hands into fists.

“Um, Sunset,” said Fluttershy, her aquamarine eyes wavering dangerously, “you know there's no air on the moon, right? I mean, if she's there, she can't survive.”

“Well, in Equestria, the Elements imprisoned her in the moon the first time. I don't know if it was like being turned to stone or if she stayed in a dungeon under the surface, but somehow she didn't die.” Sunset tapped her fingers together.

“See? She's probably fine.” Rainbow tossed her head. “But if you're still worried, you could text her, Miss Celestia. I don't know if she'd get any reception on the moon, but it's worth a shot.”

At once the principal picked up her phone and started texting.

Sunset caught Rainbow's eyes and mouthed, 'Thank you.' It was hard not to feel overwhelmed by Luna's different appearance and her sudden disappearance. It didn't help that everyone expected her to be some kind of magic expert, now. She looked past Rainbow and saw that Applejack had pulled her hat over her eyes, the way she did whenever she was upset and trying to hide it. Out of her friends, Applejack and Fluttershy seemed the most rattled by Luna vanishing. It made sense that Fluttershy was shaken, but why Applejack?

“She says she's fine,” said Celestia, sounding immensely relieved.

“I'm super glad she's okay, Miss Celestia,” said Pinkie, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Not that I had any doubts. I'm with Dashie – Miss Luna has magic to protect her.”

“Did she say where she is?” asked Rarity.

Celestia's forehead crinkled in confusion. “She says she's home.” She glanced up at the girls. “You sent her home?”

The six friends looked at each other and shrugged.

Celestia took a deep breath. “I know I asked you to come here to help, and I'm sure you did what you thought was right. But I'm going to have to ask...” She lowered her head for a second before gazing up at Sunset. “...No, I insist that you don't use magic from now on, unless I ask you.”

Sunset opened her mouth to object, but Applejack spoke up first.

“We'll sure try, Miss Celesta, but I don't think we can guarantee that.” The other teens looked at her in surprise. Having regained her composure, Applejack continued, “You asked us to help Miss Luna to control her magic. I'm sorry, but the truth is, we don't got a clue how to control it either.”

Seeing that her friend had a point, Sunset nodded.

“No one got hurt.” Rainbow put her hands on her hips.

“But we could have sent Miss Luna to the moon,” said Sunset.

Rainbow stared at her; then glanced at the other serious faces – except for Pinkie, who smiled and shrugged.

Folding her arms, Rainbow said, “Fine, we'll try not to use our magic.”

Celestia gave them a wan smile. “You're all good kids – I know you'll do your best. I'm sorry you got mixed up in – well, everything this year.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Sunset figured that Celestia was still emotional about what was happening with her younger sister.

Feeling horrible, Sunset said, “I'm the one who should be sorry! I brought magic here and turned this school into some kind of ancient evil magnet!”

“I know.” Celestia walked toward Sunset and put her fair hand on her shoulder. “But that's in the past. What's important is what you choose to do in the future.”

For a moment, Sunset made herself believe that this was her princess telling her this. Tears stung her eyes. Fluttershy put a comforting hand on her arm. Rarity stood off to the side, dabbing at the corner of her eye. The only people left dry-eyed were Rainbow and Pinkie.

“Is there anything else we can do to help?” asked Sunset.

Celestia's eyes focused on the wall before turning back to Sunset. “I'll let you know, thank you. Right now I need to call my sister. You're dismissed.” She pulled away from Sunset and held up her phone.

Rarity sniffed and cleared her throat. “I beg your pardon, Principal Celestia, but could we trouble you for some hall passes? The bell for the next class is about to ring.”

Celestia gave them each a hall pass, and soon they were free from the uncomfortable office.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Rainbow said, “If you guys had wings, you wouldn't have agreed not to use magic.”

“I have wings sometimes,” Fluttershy said under her breath.

Applejack raised her eyebrows at Rainbow. “Really? That's what you think is important?”

“Well, yeah. Rushing through the air, seeing how fast and high I can go...” she spread her arms. “There's no other feeling like it.”

Vinyl Scratch stared at Rainbow as she ambled past the group, but as usual, she said nothing.

Rainbow's arms dropped to her sides. “But I've hardly had the chance to fly yet. I wish I could just make my wings appear whenever I want. Do you think maybe if I went up to Miss Nightmare Luna...?”

The bell rang to signal the start of class, and Snips and Snails sprinted past the girls, running late as always.

“C'mon now Dash! I thought we all agreed to keep an eye on Miss Luna to see if she did anythin' bad to Miss Celestia,” said Applejack, arms akimbo.

“Uh, hello? She has dark magic, what more to you need?”

“Just 'cause she has glowin' eyes an' hair, that don't mean we get to banish our vice principal to the dang moon!”

At this moment, Sunset realized two things. First, Applejack's accent sounded stronger when she was angry. Second, and more importantly, AJ was a good girl who respected authority. She'd never directly attack an authority figure unless there was sound justification.

Rainbow clenched her fists. “We're not banishing her to the moon!”

“Hold on a second, Rainbow.” Sunset held up her hands. “Let me help you out.”

Rainbow and Applejack both stopped walking and gave her confused looks. “Okay...” Rainbow said uncertainly.

Sunset stepped toward Applejack, placing her hand on her shoulder. “Now Applejack, do you believe what I said about Miss Luna having dark magic?”

The other girls gathered around, staring with interest.

“Well now,” said Applejack with a thoughtful frown, “I believe the other Luna had dark magic. But we know magic works different here. Maybe our Luna can handle whatever magic she has on her own.”

“You're right, magic is different here. And Vice Principal Luna seemed somewhat in control. But she responded when I called her Nightmare Moon. So I have to assume this is the same Nightmare from Equestria. And its goal here is going to be the same as it was there.”

“But our Luna would never try to kill her own sister,” said Applejack, her emerald eyes wide. “Would she?”

“Probably not right away. But I can tell you from personal experience that she's going to keep getting worse unless someone intervenes. We'd be doing her and Celestia a favor if we separated the dark magic from Luna.”

Applejack ran her fingers through her bangs. “I reckon you're right, sugar. But what're we s'posed to do now? Go over to her house and put the fear o' rainbows in her?”

Rainbow laughed. “Oh, I'll put the fear of rainbows in her all right.” Her vague threat was undermined by a crack in her voice. She didn't always sound as tough as she wanted.

“Maybe we could see if Twilight wrote back yet, and we could ask her what she thinks we should do,” said Pinkie.

Sunset glanced over at her, and Pinkie actually looked apologetic. “I don't want you do think you're not good enough, Sunny. You've been super! It's just that Twilight has access to all this knowledge that we don't have.”

“It's all right, I understand,” said Sunset with a kind smile. She reached into her book bag and withdrew the magic book. “Good thing this book is a lot more predictable than the Elements of Harmony, right?” She thumbed through the book until she found her place. “Hey, she wrote back!”

“Ohmygosh what did she say!?” Pinkie put both hands on Sunset's shoulders and pressed her weight on them, as if she were trying to either push Sunset down or lift herself off the floor.

“Miss Pie!” scolded Rarity. “Sunset can't read unless you stop your horseplay!”

Pinkie giggled. “Horseplay. Nice one Rare!”

Rarity kept up her withering glare until Pinkie took her hands off Sunset's shoulders.

“Sorry,” said Pinkie in a quieter voice.

Sunset skimmed the letter. “Actually, it's from Spike.”

Fluttershy chuckled. “Oh Sunset, you're the funniest person I've ever known!”

Pinkie crossed her arms. “I'm right here! Besides, even Rarity's funnier than Sunny.”

“Yes, even I'm funnier than Sunset,” agreed Rarity. “Wait, did she say Spike?” She swiveled her head to stare wide-eyed at the book. “He can write?”

The corner of Sunset's mouth pulled up in a half smile. “I'm just surprised that you guys are surprised. You know he can talk, and he's really a dragon.”

“Well, yes, but I didn't think dragons could write.” Fluttershy brushed her silky hair out of her eyes.

“You didn't even know dragons existed until a few months ago,” Rainbow pointed out.

“I think we're gettin' a touch off track. Why don't you just read us the note, Sunny?” said Applejack with an encouraging nod.

“Right,” said Sunset. “Dear Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash...”

“Hey, that's all of us!” interjected Pinkie. Then she frowned. “Wait a minute, why did he only use half of our last names?”

“Maybe he doesn't know them all?” Rainbow scratched the back of her head.

“Shush, let her read,” said Rarity.

Sunset cleared her throat and picked up where she left off. “I just finished reading Sunset's friendship lessons and Pinkie's questions. I think it's great that you're sharing the book. Any of you girls are welcome to write any time!

“The reason I'm writing to you is because Twilight is busy helping with a family problem. Neither of us want you to worry, I mean there's not much you can do about it anyway. The point is that Twilight will be busy for a little while, but she'll write back as soon as she can. In the mean time, I'll check the book once a day.

“Your friend, Spike the dragon.”

“Poor Twilight.” Fluttershy clasped her hands together. “I wish there was something we could do to help.”

“Well, she does have our alternate versions to help her,” Rarity pointed out. “I'm sure she'll be fine.”

“Guys, I'm going to write back to Spike, but I'm not going to tell him about Luna yet. He's only a kid.” Sunset frowned as she realized she had no idea how old he was. He'd been a puppy, and Twilight had called him a “baby” dragon in one of her letters, but he seemed at least as mature as a twelve year-old human.

“That's probably for the best,” said Rarity. “We don't want to upset Spikey-wikey.”

Sunset turned the page, and to her amazement, there was a childish drawing of all of them as ponies, along with Twilight as an alicorn, and Spike as a dragon.

Grinning, she said, “Guys, look at this.” She held up the book where they could all see it more easily.

“Awwww!” chorused her friends – except for Rainbow, but she was smiling, at least.

“That must be Spike!”

“Look, he drew my hat.”

“And he drew me flying!”

“I think he accidentally gave me three ears.”

“Huh?” Sunset peered at the drawing. “Oh, that's a horn. You must be a unicorn.”

“A unicorn?” Rarity's eyes shone like sapphires.

“Oh, it seems you're a unicorn too, Sunset.” Fluttershy pointed to the unicorn that was wearing a jacket.

“That's right. Magic was my special talent.” She looked at the floor. “Now it just seems like my only talent is fixing my own mistakes.”

“You know,” Applejack said thoughtfully, “Pinkie got me thinkin' about somethin'. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you wasn't as good as Twilight. We couldn't've defeated the Dazzlings without you.”

Rarity nodded. “We all believe in you, Sunset. I'm sure you can think of a plan to handle Nightmare Moon.”

“No pressure though,” said Rainbow. “I could probably take her on by myself.”

“Easy now,” warned Applejack.

Sunset took a deep breath. So, she was a substitute Twilight. She couldn't let her friends down. But she also couldn't resolve this problem without her friends' help.

“I'm sure we can come up with a plan if we put our heads together. But first I need to think about what I know of the Elements. They react the way they do for a reason, even if we don't know what it is right away. So there must be a reason they sent Miss Luna home.”

“Perhaps there's something there that could help us.” Rarity tapped her chin.

Sunset nodded. “It's not much to go on, but it's all we've got right now. Come on, we'd better go back and talk to Principal Celestia again.”

6 - The Potion

Chapter 6 – The Potion

The Elements of Harmony had not, in fact, sent Luna to her home.

As soon as the six teens had started to power up, the Nightmare freaked out, making Luna feel its fear and desperation. She tried to get it to calm down while she listened to what Sunset Shimmer had to say. Luna still hoped that they could work together to learn more about magic and find the creatures that could cause trouble for their school. When Sunset called her Nightmare Moon, Luna was shocked, since she had told no one the name of the entity that was giving her magic powers.

Sunset explained that Luna couldn't control her magic, but Luna didn't want to believe it. Just because Sunset didn't know a way to control it didn't mean that it was impossible. But Sunset insisted that they “free” her from the Nightmare. At that point, the Nightmare panicked, saying that they weren't strong enough to resist the Elements of Harmony, so they would have to escape and fight another day. As the multicolored beam of energy arched toward Luna, she felt the Nightmare's magic pulse through her. She thought perhaps it would be better to go somewhere safer. A split second before the rainbow light reached her, Luna teleported. Suddenly she was standing on the lawn in front of her “humble duplex.”

She let out a ragged sigh. That meeting could have gone a lot better.

'We don't need the Element bearers. I have all the knowledge and power you need. We just need to keep those girls out of our way.'

How do you suggest we do that? Maybe create some kind of diversion?

'That's not a bad idea, but I'm thinking of something more like a magic potion that would put them into a deep sleep.'

That was oddly specific. The Nightmare must have thought of this idea ahead of time.

'I knew they would try to use the Elements against us, and I also figured you wouldn't want to kill them.'

Luna raised her eyebrows. Kill them!? You can't be serious!

'No, I was never really serious about killing them, no need to worry.'

The Nightmare did have her worried for a second. You know those six students aren't the otherworldly creatures we need to fight, right?

'Of course. The problem is that they think they need to fight us, and they won't listen to reason. The one in the jacket is dead set on separating us forever. What makes it worse is that if we were parted, you would become even weaker than before we joined, and you would revert to a teenager again.'

Uh, what? Luna slapped her forehead. Why didn't you tell me this before?

'I didn't think of it.'

No...You didn't tell me because you thought I wouldn't agree to join with you if I knew there was a price for ending our partnership.

'All right. You've got me there. I didn't want you to say no.'

Why? Why is it so important that you join with me and not someone else? Luna shook her head.

The Nightmare was quiet for a moment. 'Well, I suppose I've grown fond of you. Attached, you might say. We did spend a thousand years in the moon together.'

You mean the other version of me.

'Yes. You are like her in many ways. Both of you are motivated by a sense of fairness, but unfortunately you lack her ambition. However, I do love your refreshing naivete.'

What were you doing inside the moon?

'The other Celestia banished us there using the only things that can stop us – the Elements of Harmony. She wanted to be the only Princess in Equestria, you see, so she hid us away and let everyone forget that there used to be two co-regents.'

So that was why the Nightmare didn't like Celestia.

'That's right. But your sister is different. I understand that now.'

Do you really?

'Absolutely. Besides, she has no magic, so she's no threat to me. But the new Element bearers are a concern. I can't let them separate us again!'

Luna was about to reply when her phone started buzzing in her pocket – she had magicked pockets into her dress for convenience. She pulled her phone out and saw that Celestia had sent her a text.

Where are you? Are you ok?

'Don't tell her.'

What? Why not? She's probably worried.

'Well then, let her know that you are unharmed. But tell her only enough to prevent her from asking more questions.'

Luna texted:

I'm fine. I went home.

'We should get going, in case the Element bearers come looking for us.'

Now the Nightmare sounded paranoid.

'I'm just being cautious. Besides, we'll need to leave anyway, to get the ingredients for the sleeping potion.'

Luna slipped the phone back into her pocket. First tell me more about it. This potion won't heart them, will it?

'Not at all. It will merely put them in a deep sleep for a while. Just long enough for us to take care of the other monsters.'

That doesn't sound too bad. What are the ingredients?

'Let's see...A tuft of cloud, the red band of a rainbow, and the hair of a lion. And it must be stirred in the moonlight.'

A tuft of cloud? But isn't that just water?

'No, it has to be water droplets from the sky.'

Luna wasn't looking forward to flying again. And where was she going to get lion hair?

'Do they not have lions in this world?'

Yes, but none in the area. The closest things to lions around here are the pumas at the nature preserve.

'I've never tried making the potion with puma hair, but it might be close enough.'

What about the rainbow? She gazed up at the silvery overcast sky. There's no rain or sunlight now.

'You're part pegasus now. You can just make a rainbow.'

If you say so. I guess the puma hair would actually be the easiest, so let's start with that. It's been a while since I visited the nature preserve, but I think I can teleport us there.

Closing her eyes, Luna thought of the wooden nature center nestled in the gently rolling hills covered with trees that would be bare this time of year. There was a zap and an electric flash through her eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she was in the middle of the woods, but there was no nature center or any other structures, and the only animals around were birds and squirrels. Luna closed her eyes and refocused her attention, and teleported again. This time, she found herself next to a high chain-link fence, although still in the forest. A golden brown cougar was stretched out on its side about twenty feet away. It lifted its head and fixed Luna with an intense stare, twitching its ears, but it made no move to get up.

Luna froze. This was a terrible idea.

'Don't be afraid. We can just blast it with our magic if it attacks. And we could give ourselves armor for protection.'

She glanced down at the vambraces on her arms. Of course! I should have thought of that myself.

Her hands glowed with an azure aura, and her dress changed into a navy metallic breastplate, cuisses for her thighs, and thick knee-high boots. However, her back, wings, upper arms, shoulders, and head were still exposed.

'We need more material. Even with all our power, we can't create matter from nothing. Earth ponies and some unicorns can replicate organic material, but even they need a sample first.'

More material...Will these trees work?

'Yes, they should do nicely. But we'd better hurry – that kitty is getting up.'

The big cat had pulled its legs underneath its body in a crouch, and its tail lashed about as if it had a mind of its own.

Luna put her hands on the nearest tree, and the bark peeled off and wrapped around her upper body to form a helmet with a visor, and a pauldron covering her shoulders and back just above her wings. She made gauntlets, rerebraces for her upper arms, and couters for her elbows. The rough bark turned smooth and shiny to match the rest of her armor.

And not a moment too soon. The puma wiggled its haunches and leaped straight for her, its claws extended. It hooked its paw around her neck and dragged her toward the ground. Luna gasped and pushed her hand into its maw. The big cat wrapped both paws around her arm as if it were trying to tear it out of its socket. With her free hand, Luna reached behind its head and pulled out a small clump of hair. It was not difficult, since the puma was shedding naturally due to the changing of seasons. Then she pulled her hand back, made a fist, and punched the top of its head. The cougar let go of her arm and staggered back, its sharp eyes turning glassy. Luna had hit it harder than she meant to with her “earth pony strength.” She hoped it would recover with a bit of rest.

She teleported back home and examined the clump of fur. Then she used some grass to make a satchel to keep it in.

Why couldn't I have just turned grass or bark into lion hair?

'Potions don't work that way. The ingredients have to be authentic, otherwise we could just transform a pile of dirt into a magic potion. Potions have to be easy enough that an earth pony or pegasus or any other intelligent being could make them, but hard enough that a unicorn couldn't create them instantly.'

All right, if you say so. She lifted her gaze to the dreary cloud cover overhead. I guess I'll have to fly now. But how do I get tuft of cloud?

'We can use a jar to collect it.'

Since she didn't like wearing helmets anyway, Luna removed hers and transformed it into a glass jar.

'You're getting so good at using magic. Flying should be as easy for you.'

Luna bit her lip. Maybe it was because she had to use her extra new appendages, but flying was by far the most difficult ability for her to master.

'Well, you'll never master it if you don't practice.'

Steeling herself, Luna took a few running steps and sprang into the air, beating her wings. At least now there was plenty of light to see where she was going – perhaps the perfect level of light, since there was no sun glare. She fixed her gaze up on the clouds and pushed herself up, higher and higher until she bumped against them.

“Huh?” She pulled off one of her gauntlets and touched the cloud. It felt like damp cotton, solid but pliable. It was impossible.

'You're part pegasus. Pegasi interact with clouds as if they were solid.'

This is weird, even for today. She grabbed a handful of cottony cloud and tore it off, placing it in her jar. Then she risked looking down at the ground far, far below. Landing was always the trickiest part.

'Before we land, we should break up these clouds.'

All of them? Luna gazed around at the thick clouds stretching in every direction as far as she could see.

'A good portion of them, at least. We need sunlight to make a proper rainbow. It's either that or teleport somewhere sunny.'

Luna stared, hovering in place. She doubted that she could teleport that far. At best, it would take several jumps.

'Just try to bust the clouds. It might not be as difficult as you think.'

She blew out air through her nose. Then she punched the cloud, leaving a fist-sized hole. At this rate, she might break up a few square feet before the clouds drifted past Canterlot on their own.

'Do it like a pegasus. Back up and fly up at an angle, as fast as you can with your fist out.'

Swallowing, Luna lowered herself several yards and then zoomed up to meet the clouds fist-first. They broke apart like wet paper, and she went up through them until she burst through into sunlight. Blinking, she peered down through the narrow hole she'd made. She hovered low over the clouds until her feet dragged on them, and she stumbled for footing before she put her weight on both feet. On the cloud.

'That was a hundred times better than our last landing!'

The cloud felt like a mattress covered in damp cotton. It was surreal, to say the least. As Luna regarded the level floor of clouds gleaming in the sunlight, she wondered if she couldn't make the rainbow up there.

'We could, but we'd need to make a rain cloud. Actually, that should be easier than clearing the sky or teleporting to a sunny spot on the ground.'

What do I need to do?

So the Nightmare instructed her in tearing off a “pony-sized” section of cloud and kneading it like bread dough until it rose and turned dark. She punched the baby rain cloud, and water poured down.

So this is how they control the weather in your world?

'Yes, it takes a large team of pegasi working together.'

It sounded like hard work.

Luna's magic aura glowed around her hands as she morphed her gauntlets into another jar. She held the jar under the rain cloud, and when she had collected about four ounces of water, she flapped her wings, generating a breeze. The water glowed white, and she slowed her wings and brought her jar closer to them so she could touch one of her wingtips to the surface. As soon as it dipped into the water, the colors appeared: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and even indigo. She only needed red, however. Now she just had to wait for nightfall to mix the ingredients.

'No we don't. How did you miss it?'

Miss what?

'The moon!'

Now? Luna squinted and looked around until she spotted the wide crescent moon above the horizon of clouds, pale against the blue sky. Does that count as moonlight?

'We can see it, therefore the moon's light is reaching us.'

That was convenient. Are you sure it doesn't have to be just moonlight?

'Trust me, I've done this before.'

All right, I suppose you know what you're talking about. She opened the jar containing the cloud, and then stuck her fingers into the red stripe of the liquid rainbow. When she pulled them out, the glowing red substance stuck to her fingers like sauce. Then she dipped her fingers into the cloud and stirred vigorously, breaking it up in smaller chunks until it was a cloud puree. Finally, she upended the bag of puma hair over the mixture, and as soon as it plopped in, the potion emitted a puff of steam, and the concoction changed from red to orange.

'It is done. One spoonful of this potion mixed into food or drink should put anyone to sleep. What should we put it in?'

Oh, you're asking me what to do now?

'You know the Element bearers better than I do. What do they like?'

Luna thought for a moment. Cider? Everyone loves cider, especially this time of year.

'I defer to your judgment. We'll mix the potion with cider and give it directly to the girls to make sure they drink it.'

How will I convince them to sit down and drink cider with me?

'Well, we can make ourselves look like a normal person for a few minutes. I haven't tried it here yet, but given our success with transforming objects, I'm sure we can do it.'

A normal person...Could it be any normal person?

'Oh, definitely. In fact, our best bet is to turn into someone they trust.'

And then Luna had an awful idea. She was confident that it would work, but it was an awful idea nonetheless.

Author's Note

I wrote a phone conversation between Luna and Celestia, but I decided to leave it out because the plot worked more easily if they didn't talk. I may post it as a deleted scene after I finish this fanfic, if anyone is interested.

7 - Sleeping Torment

Chapter 7 – Sleeping Torment

Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie went back to the principal's office to tell Miss Celestia about their idea. Celestia was skeptical, but she agreed to let them come to her mansion to look for clues after school. Her biggest concern was that her sister was no longer answering her texts or calls. The teens attempted to reassure their principal, but even Pinkie seemed to know that Celestia was feeling more and more worried. But what were they supposed to do? They had to go to their classes.

Sunset had Biology with Rarity and Fluttershy. They were late for their test and didn't have time to finish it, but Sunset didn't care. The fate of the world, or at least Miss Luna and Celestia, was at stake. In fact, she was considering leaving during lunch and perhaps skipping the class after that to search McQueen mansion.

“I'm sorry, darling, but that's a horrid idea,” said Rarity, as they walked down the hallway. “Even if those of us who have bikes could find our way to her home, we'd have to break into it, and I for one am not prepared to do that.”

“We wouldn't have to break in!” Sunset held up her hands. “We could just walk around the outside.”

“I don't know.” Fluttershy clutched her books close to her chest. “That sounds like pretty big risk and a lot of work for a small hunch.”

Sunset sighed. “I know. I just hate sitting around here while Nightmare Moon could be plotting who knows what.”

“So do I, but it will be better to wait and search the house when Principal Celestia is there.”

The next two hours crawled by until at last it was time for lunch. Sunset was so anxious that she didn't have much of an appetite, but she made herself get some food. She knew that if she didn't eat, she'd regret it later.

“Hi Sunny!” Pinkie grinned wide and waved her over to their usual table. “I saved your favorite seat!” She patted the empty chair next to her.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Is that really her favorite seat?”

“Of course silly!”

Sunset sat down in her “favorite seat” - really, she couldn't think of a better one. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were already eating on the other side of the table.

Pinkie threw her arm around Sunset's shoulders. “Sunny and me, we get each other.”

Applejack opened her mouth like she wanted to say something; then she shook her head. Pinkie caught the gesture, however.

“What?” asked Pinkie, squeezing Sunset's shoulder more tightly than necessary. “You don't think we're close?”

“No, I didn't say that.” Applejack took a drink of water, avoiding eye contact.

Dash smirked. “Some Element of Truth you are.”

“Honesty, Rainbow,” corrected Rarity as she cut her french fries with a knife and fork.

“Whatever. You were going to say that nobody gets Pinkie Pie, weren't you?” Dash pointed at AJ with a pickle.

“You said it, not me.” Applejack folded her arms.

“Everyone was thinking it.”

“Ah!” Pinkie let out an offended grunt. “That is not true! Maud gets me, and so does Sunny. Right?” She gazed at Sunset, her sky-blue eyes hopeful.

Sunset smiled. “You know, I think I do,” she said earnestly.

Pinkie turned her head toward Rainbow. Sunset couldn't see her face, but she guessed that Pinkie was either grinning in triumph or sticking out her tongue.

“So, anyone got any new ideas on what to do about Miss Luna?” asked Applejack.

Sunset clutched her forehead and breathed out a deep sigh.

Rarity leaned toward AJ and stage-whispered, “You don't want to know.”

“Ooooo! I have an idea,” said Pinkie, drizzling ketchup all over her fries. “We can't leave now, but Flutters can send her animal friends to search McQueen Mansion!” She stuffed a few fries in her mouth. “You can totally do that right?”

“I'm flattered, Pinkie, but I don't have that much control over animals.” Fluttershy reached down, and Sunset heard her unzipping her backpack. A second later, she lifted her grumpy-looking white rabbit above the table. “I only brought Angel today and he doesn't...” She trailed off as her body started to glow faintly. In fact, each girl's ears and hair were flickering like bad florescent lights. “Oh – oh dear, it's happening again.” Fluttershy hugged Angel to her chest. “Does this mean Miss Luna is back?”

Sunset sat up straight and did a sweep of the cafeteria, but there was no sign of the Vice Principal. “She's probably somewhere in the school. We should look for her.” She pushed back her chair.

“I'll send a mass text asking if anyone's seen her,” said Pinkie, wiping ketchup from her hands.

“No no no Pinkie!” Sunset put her hand on her friend's arm. “We don't want to involve the entire school. We'd have to explain the whole situation to them, and that would take too long in a text. Just tell Principal Celestia all right? Do you have her number?”

“What do you take me for?” Pinkie sounded affronted as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Was it just Sunset, or was Pinkie extra defensive? Maybe it was a sign of stress. It had been a trying day for everyone.

The group was attracting more than a few stares from the other students, and at least one of them – namely Photo Finish – had pulled out her phone to record them. Fluttershy reacted by ducking under the table.

“No pictures, please!” Sunset held up her hand.

“You cannot tell us not to take pictures!” said Photo Finish, jutting out her lower jaw.

“Now, now, all y'all have seen this rodeo before,” said Granny Smith, shuffling out of the kitchen. “Y'all just leave them gals alone and let them do their thing.”

Reluctant murmurs spread through the cafeteria as the elderly woman walked closer to Sunset's table, carrying a tray of glasses.

“You young'uns might wanna eat lunch somewhere private,” she suggested. “Miss Harshwhinny's classroom is empty this time o' day.”

Applejack blinked. “I dunno if we can do that, Granny.”

“Yeeeeaaaah, I've been banned from her classroom for life.” Pinkie crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip.

“Besides, we should probably go and find – um, go and look for someone,” said Rarity, rising to her feet.

“Y'all oughtta eat lunch.” Granny Smith's brow furrowed in concern. “At least take some cider with ya.”

Dash's pupils grew huge as she stared at the glasses full of amber liquid. “Did you say cider?”

Granny nodded. “I could tell y'all were havin' a rough day, so I figured cider would make you feel better.”

Sunset smiled. “Oh, that's very thoughtful of you, Mrs. Smith...”

“For the hundredth time, call me Granny Smith.”

“Oh, uh, Granny Smith, that's thoughtful of you, but we don't have time to drink cider.”

“Speak for yourself!” Rainbow grabbed a glass. “Some of us like cider.”

As the other girls picked up glasses of cider, Granny gave Sunset a hurt look.

“You don't like cider?” she asked.

“I – well, no, but I've never actually tried Sweet Apple Acres cider.” Sunset rubbed her neck. “Maybe I should give it a chance.”

Dash and Pinkie sipped from their glasses.

“You should totally give it a chance,” said Rainbow.

“Yeah, this is the best cider ev...” Pinkie stopped, her mouth hanging open. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and glowed white, and her ears and long ponytail changed from translucent to opaque.

The same thing happened to Dash, and her wings solidified as she started to fall. Fluttershy and Applejack dropped their glasses, rushing over to catch her. Sunset grabbed Pinkie, keeping her from falling. She felt heavier than Sunset expected, as if Pinkie couldn't support her own weight at all. Her half-closed eyes shone like beacons.

“Oh no,” whispered Sunset. She looked up sharply. “Nobody else drink the cider!”

Rarity set her glass on the table and took a step back from it, as if it were full of toxic runoff, which it might as well have been. Her solid off-white pony ears flattened against her head.

AJ glanced up from Dash. “Granny? Where did ya...” She turned her head to search the room, as did Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Granny Smith was gone, and the other teens were gathering around their table.

“Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo stood close to her, wringing her hands. “Is she okay?”

Fluttershy pressed her fingers to Rainbow's neck, just below the side of her jaw. “Her pulse is weak, and her breathing seems shallow.”

With care, Sunset lowered Pinkie to the floor, watching her chest expand slightly. “It looks the same with Pinkie.”

“Should I call an ambulance?” asked Scootaloo.

“Please,” said Sunset with a nod. “I don't know how much they can help if this is caused by magic, but we've got to try everything we can.”

“I think it's safe to assume that it is caused by magic,” said Rarity. “Look at their eyes!”

Fluttershy gripped Rainbow's shoulders. “Please wake up, Dashie! I know you can fight this!”

Sunset rested her hand on Pinkie's cotton candy hair. “I don't know if they can. I think they might be under the Sleeping Torment.” She bit her lip, hating to use the name, but it had to be said.

“Oh dear, that sounds bad,” said Rarity, shifting her weight.

“It is,” confirmed Sunset. “In Equestria, it puts the victim into a deep sleep, and only an Act of True Love can awaken them.” It was even worse than that, but Sunset wanted to protect them from the truth, at least for the time being.

“An Act of True Love?” Applejack cringed. “Like True Love's Kiss? Aw shoot, Rainbow hates that mushy stuff.”

Sunset shook her head. “It doesn't have to be a kiss, but most of the time it is.”

“Stand back!” Redheart, the school nurse, bustled through the crowd of students. “Give them some air!” She gave Sunset, Fluttershy, and Applejack stern looks. “That means you.”

The three girls stood reluctantly and took a step back. All Nurse Redheart did, however, was confirm what they already knew.

“If it's poison, they may need their stomachs pumped,” said the nurse. “Has anyone called the paramedics?”

“They're on their way.” Scootaloo bit her lip. “The dispatcher says they should be here in a few minutes. Oh, please be okay, Rainbow Dash!”

“What, is Pinkie Pie chopped liver?” Apple Bloom waved her hand toward her probable cousin.

“What's all the commotion?” Granny Smith's unsteady drawl barely carried over the crowd noise.

“Granny?” Applejack rushed over and put her hands on her grandmother's shoulders. “What happened?”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Or should we call you Nightmare Moon?”

Granny Smith raised her eyebrows. “What are y'all talkin' about? Can't I leave for ten minutes without the entire school fallin' to pieces?”

“Whaddaya mean?” asked AJ with a slight shake of her head. “Where'd you go?”

“Well, I went to the little girls' room, and the door got stuck. Luckily lil' Miss Vinyl came along and got the door open for me.”

Vinyl Scratch gave a lazy salute from behind Granny Smith.

“Is that it?” Sunset leaned closer toward the lunch lady. “Do you remember seeing anyone or anything suspicious?”

Granny Smith shook her head. “No, but then my memory ain't what it used to be. Why do you ask?”

“Sunset, could Nightmare Moon have turned into Granny Smith?” asked Rarity, tapping her fingers together.

“Could what?” Granny blinked in confusion.

Sunset nodded. “From what Twilight told me, Nightmare Moon turned into three Shadowbolts to try to trick Rainbow in Equestria. So she could probably change her appearance here too.”

“You mean she could be anyone?” Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder, her pupils shrinking.

Applejack pulled away from her grandmother, clenching her fists. “Why, she could still be you!”

“What in tarnation are you talkin' about, honey?”

“Applejack has a point,” said Rarity. “Why else would we still have pony ears and hair extensions?” She smoothed down her violet hair.

“Actually, that may be because of the Sleeping Torment,” said Sunset. “The Elements are activating to try to protect Pinkie and Rainbow. I'm guessing we're staying powered up too because we're all connected.”

“So, what you're saying is,” said Fluttershy, folding her hands in front of her chest, “we won't know when a threat is near anymore, because Dash and Pinkie are always threatened.”

“I...yeah.” Worry settled like a rock in the pit of Sunset's stomach. “That's about the size of it.”

ooo

There wasn't enough room for Sunset and her three remaining healthy friends to ride in the ambulance, so they followed it on their motorcycles.

“I have to admit, I'm surprised you decided to leave the school after all,” said Sunset after she shut off her engine. “Especially you, Applejack. I mean, you didn't even wear your helmet!”

AJ climbed off her bike. “Wasn't comfortable with these ears.” She pointed to her head.

Sunset had her own helmet squished over her pony ears, and she agreed that human helmets weren't designed with equine ears in mind, but she would rather put up with wearing a helmet than crack her head open on the asphalt. She held her tongue, however. Being a goody-two-shoes was hard, especially since she didn't want to come across as preachy.

“'Sides, look where followin' the rules got us!” continued Applejack. “Dash an' Pinkie are in a coma, and we don't know who we can trust!” She strode toward the hospital entrance at such a swift pace that Sunset had to jog to keep up with her.

In the hospital, the nurses were kind enough to let the girls into the ICU where Rainbow and Pinkie lay in neighboring beds. The nurses checked their vitals, hooked them to monitors, and inserted oxygen tubes in their nostrils. Rainbow was lying on her side so her wings wouldn't be crushed, and one of the nurses kept touching them.

“They have feathers!” she exclaimed in a hushed tone. “They have bones and tendons! How is this possible?”

“Let's worry about diagnosing the patients,” another nurse said firmly. “Besides, I think the eyes are a bigger concern.”

“Right, the eyes are also impossible!”

“It could be a new form of bioluminescence,” said another nurse. She held Pinkie's eye open and shined a pen light into it. The tiny light looked dim compared to Pinkie's magical glowing eye.

Then the nurse blew in her face. “She's not responding to any external stimuli so far.”

“Prepare the intubation,” said the doctor. He turned to face Sunset and her three friends. “I'm Dr. Mann. Can you tell me what happened to them?”

Sunset did her best to explain the events that led directly to the poisoning. The doctor had an excellent bedside manner, but his orange-brown face was so neutral that Sunset was sure he didn't believe her.

“Did you happen to bring any of the cider they drank?” he asked.

It was Rarity who answered. “I have some here.” She pulled a plastic bottle out of her satchel. “I poured it into an empty water bottle. I didn't touch it,” she added in response to Sunset's concerned expression.

“You think of everythin', sugar,” said Applejack.

“I do try.” Rarity brushed her fingers through her bangs.

Dr. Mann took the bottle. “We'll have it tested.”

“I can tell you what's in it,” said Sunset. “If I recall correctly, it was lion hair, a pinch of cloud, and a rainbow.” She tapped her chin. “Or maybe just part of the rainbow. They didn't teach it in magic school, but it was in the old books.”

The doctor's face was more neutral than ever, if that were possible. “Well, we'll just test it to find out for certain.”

The same nurse who had touched Dash's wings sneaked up behind Fluttershy. “This one has wings too!” she gushed.

“Eep!” Fluttershy folded her wings against her back.

Dr. Mann frowned at the nurse. “Is she in good health otherwise?”

“Well yes, but I...” The nurse was reaching a finger toward Fluttershy's wing.

“Then leave her alone and get back to treating the patient who's unconscious,” he said in a stern voice.

The nurse gulped and slunk back toward Rainbow's bed.

Dr. Mann gave Fluttershy an apologetic look. “She's new.”

8 - Highway to Tartarus

Chapter 8 - Highway to Tartarus

Falling. The only sensation Pinkie Pie felt was falling, and the panic that went with it. Then she suddenly stopped. There was no crash or jerk – she was just not falling anymore. She opened her eyes and found herself standing in a room about the size of the cafeteria. The only light came from a glowing fuchsia dome with a white object inside. Pinkie didn't get a good look at it because she was distracted by all the insects. There had to be thousands of them swarming around, and they were enormous, bigger than her hand! She felt a small stab in her arm, and glanced down to see the largest horsefly ever sticking its sharp mandibles into her skin.

“Aaaahhhh! Get it off me!” She waved her arm, but the horsefly clung tightly.

“Pinkie? Are you okay?”

Craning her neck, Pinkie saw Rainbow Dash flying down toward her, with her hair streaming through the air.

“Ugh, where did all these giant bugs come from?” Rainbow smacked at the fly on Pinkie's arm, but the fly left the spot just as her hand connected. The smack didn't hurt as much as the bug bite, though. Pinkie rubbed the red mark.

“The real question is, where did everyone else go?” asked Pinkie.

“Heck if I know.” Rainbow brushed a fly off the back of her head. “That looks like someone over there.”

As Dash pointed at glowing dome, it disappeared, giving both girls a better look at the pale creature. It was a pony with a blue mane and tail, and blue hooves, and...could it be? There was a horn in the center of its forehead.

Pinkie squealed. “A unicorn! Omygosh omygosh!” Ignoring the buzzing flies, Pinkie ran over and threw her arms around the unicorn's furry neck.

The unicorn stared at her with wide, intelligent eyes. “Pinkie Pie?” he asked in a tenor voice.

Keeping her hand on his silky mane, Pinkie pulled her head back to stare at him. “How do you know my name?” She didn't even bother to ask how he could talk, because she'd already met a talking dog, as well as a pony who turned into a human. “Are you psychic? Wait, no.” She shook her head. “You must know Twilight Sparkle!”

“She's my sister,” said the unicorn with a smile, “so yeah, I know her pretty will.”

Pinkie clapped her hands. “Oh my gosh, Twilight's brother! He sounds like a surfer! And he's a a unicorn!” she said to Dash. “This is so exciting!”

“What are you doing here, uh, what's your name?” asked Rainbow, wincing as a fly landed on her leg.

“Shining Armor.” He shifted his weight and glanced at the floor, as if he were avoiding the first part of the question. “Do you want to get closer so I can make a shield around us?”

“The dome thing? Yeah, that's probably a good idea.”

Rainbow flew closer to them until she was a few feet away. A magenta beam shot out of Shining Armor's horn, forming a dome around them like a family-sized tent. Then the dome gradually spread out until it was about thirty feet in diameter. Only a few horseflies were left buzzing around inside.

“Ah, thanks Shiny!” Pinkie sighed with relief. “I can call you Shiny, right?”

“Well, only my close friends and family call me Shiny, so...” He paused, glancing up at the ceiling before looking back at her. “I don't see why not.”

“Awesome! Mind if I sit?”

Shiny shrugged. “You don't have to ask me.”

“Really? Great!” In one fluid motion, Pinkie jumped up and swung her leg over Shining Armor's back, straddling him.

He raised his eyebrows. “Maybe I should have asked where you were sitting.”

“I'm riding a unicorn!” squealed Pinkie. “This calls for a selfie!” She reached into her pocket, then frowned and patted down her clothes. “Aw, crud muffins. Where's my phone?”

Dash reached inside her own pockets. “I don't have mine either.”

“Pinkie Pie, would you mind, you know, sitting on the floor? It's just, I don't really need to carry you. And I don't know how things are in your world, but in my world we like our personal space.”

Rubbing her chin, Pinkie replied, “I've heard of this 'personal space,' but I've never understood it.”

“Pinkie, just get off Twilight's brother already.” Dash's eyes widened. “Wait, I should probably rephrase that. Get over here beside me. Can't you see you're creeping him out?”

“She's not creeping me out, it's just that I'm not used to having anypony – or, anybody – ride on my back. Not since Twily and Spike were little, at least.”

“'Twily'? I like that! I'm gonna steal it.” Pinkie grinned wide.

Shiny moved his head from side to side in a slight, uncertain gesture. “You'd better ask Twilight about that first.”

Pinkie slid off his back. “I will as soon as I get out of here.” Glancing around the fly-infested room, she asked, “How do we get out of here, anyway?”

“I hate to tell you this, but I don't think we can do anything to escape,” he answered with a sigh.

“Aw, what?” Rainbow's wings drooped.

“Have either of you heard of the Sleeping Torment?” He gazed at them solemnly, and Pinkie could hear the capital letters, but she had no idea what he meant. She shook her head in response.

“It's a magic poison that puts ponies...I mean, individuals in a deep sleep, and the only thing that can wake them up is an act of True Love.” There were the capital letters again, like Elements of Harmony.

“That sounds totally weak,” deadpanned Rainbow.

“What does that have to do with us, Shiny?” asked Pinkie, rubbing her arm.

“Well, the Sleeping Torment sends its victims' spirits to the Insect Room in Tartarus.” He made a sweeping gesture with his front leg to indicate the chamber around them.

Pinkie gasped. “Tartarus is real?!”

Dash furrowed her brow and looked at Pinkie. “You know what he's talking about?”

“Yeah, don't you remember learning about Greek Mythology?”

Rainbow put her hands on her hips. “Have you met me?”

“Okay, I'll refresh your memory. Tartarus is the worst part of the underworld,” explained Pinkie. “It's where the monsters are locked up.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” said Shiny, looking pained, “but we're there.”

“What? Seriously? I haven't done anything bad enough to go to the worst part of the underworld!” Rainbow grabbed the sides of her face. “Okay, I did almost force Fluttershy into taking that pet training job in New England, but I didn't mean to, and I apologized!”

“You almost did what?” Shining Armor shook his head. “Never mind, it doesn't matter. It was nothing you did wrong, Rainbow Dash. You must have been poisoned like I was. Think, what was the last thing you remember before coming here?”

“We were eating lunch and drinking...” Pinkie paused, sharing a significant look with Dash.

“The cider!” they shouted in unison.

“I'll bet Nightmare Luna put that Sleeping Torment potion into Granny Smith's cider!” Dash clenched her fists. “How could she do this? I can't even enjoy cider anymore without worrying it's gonna poison me and send me here!”

Shiny's jaw dropped. “Wait, back up a little. Did you say Nightmare Luna?”

Rainbow nodded.

“But Nightmare Moon reformed over a year ago. She feels terrible about what she did,” he said.

“Your Luna does.”

“Yeah, the Nightmare is a separate entity that came from Equestria to our North America.” Pinkie waved her hands, trying to draw a map in the air.

Shining Armor's mane flopped as he shook his head. “I wonder how the Nightmare even got to your world.” He rubbed his chin. “Then again, Twily did make that new portal. I don't know what kind of safeguards it has, if any.”

Rainbow folded her arms. “There sure are a lot of people going to different worlds all of a sudden.”

“How did you get here Shiny?” Pinkie asked suddenly. “Do you have any enemies in Equestria?”

Shining Armor frowned. “I didn't think I had any enemies left roaming free, but obviously I was wrong. I had just arrived in Ponyville, and two of my guards came with me, so I thought I was safe.”

“I'm sorry, Ponyville?” Dash raised her eyebrow. “Isn't like naming a town Humanville?”

“There's a Mansville thirty miles west of Springfield,” Pinkie said helpfully, adding a dot to her invisible map in the air.

“Okay, forget I said anything. Go on with your story, Shiny.”

“Well, one of the guards seemed tired so I decided to stop for coffee on the way to meet Twily at her new castle. I took one sip of coffee and here I was.” He waved his foreleg.

“And the guards?” asked Rainbow.

“They're fine, as far as I know.” He sighed. “I keep thinking about the barista. She seemed like an average unicorn, but the more I think about it, the more she seems to fit Twilight's description of Starlight Glimmer.”

“Who's that?” asked Pinkie.

“She led an extremist cult in the middle of nowhere. She suppressed her followers' special talents and even took their cutie marks.”

“Their what now?” Dash scratched her head.

“Their cutie marks,” he repeated, pointing his hoof toward the shield on his rump. “The magical expression of their special talent and true purpose. You have them too.” He pointed at Pinkie and Rainbow. “You probably just have a different word for them.”

“What, these?” Pinkie waved her hand toward the balloons on her skirt. “These are just emblems. There's nothing magical about them.”

“Then what are they?” asked Shiny with a furrowed brow. “And why do they look just like the marks you have in my world if there's no magic in yours?”

“I can't answer the second question, but I can answer the first. See, emblems are kind of like a second name and signature, but you get to design them yourself!” Pinkie rocked back on her heels. “I drew my three balloons, and Rarity embroidered them on my clothes.”

“You're supposed put your design on the national registry when you turn fifteen. They're a way to promote yourself, and not in a bad way,” added Rainbow. “At least, it's not supposed to be. They just let everyone know who you are and what you're about. Kind of like a name tag, only it doesn't make you look like a tool.”

Pinkie gave her a sidelong glance. “Why are you slamming name tags? What do you have against them?”

“I...” Dash grabbed a hunk of her multicolored hair. “I don't know, I'm under a lot of stress. I mean, why do we have to be stuck down here while our friends have to deal with Nightmare Luna? And they probably think we're in a coma! Who's gonna tell my mom? She's still doing stunt work out on the West Coast!” She pumped her wings and rose a few feet into the air.

Pinkie wilted. “Gee, I didn't think of that. Maud will be so worried!”

“Don't you have about twelve other sisters?” asked Shining Armor.

“I only have two other sisters. And I guess they're worried too,” said Pinkie with a shrug.

“Well, I'm not gonna take this lying down!” cried Rainbow. “I'm not gonna wait around for my True Love or whoever to rescue me. I mean, do I look like some damsel in distress? No!” She answered her own question. “I am a girl of action! Action is my middle name! And so is Danger!” She paused, bringing her finger to her chin. “And Professionalism. Anyway, we gotta find a way out of here. If Twilight Sparkle can create a new portal to our world, so can we!”

“No offense, but that wasn't one of your better inspirational speeches,” said Pinkie. “Besides, if there was a way for us to open a portal out of here, I'm sure Shiny would have found it by now.” Her frown deepened. “Wait, how long have you been here?”

“It's hard to tell with no sun or moon or any other way to keep track of time,” answered Shining. “But it feels like I've been here for at least a full day. And I've tried breaking a hole through the walls with my magic and even brute force. But, as you can see, they're still solid.” He hung his head.

“Did you try using any other kind of magic?” asked Rainbow.

“No. My specialty is shields and other defensive magic. I never could teleport like Twilight. This place probably has counter-spells to keep unicorns from teleporting, anyway.” His ears flattened.

Dash swatted one of the few horseflies still in the protective bubble. “Maybe it's like a video game where you have to kill all the monsters in the room before you can move forward.”

“You can't kill them, trust me. I don't think anything can die here.”

“There must be some other way.” Rainbow flew back and forth, like she was pacing in the air. “We have Twilight's unicorn brother, the Element of Humor, and the Element of Awesomeness.”

“That's close enough, as long as I get to be the Element of Awesomeness!” said Pinkie.

“Ha ha, that's cute.” Dash reached down and patted Pinkie's bouncy curls. “Anyway, if anyone can escape from here, the three of us can. Come on, let's start by searching for a weak spot, or a key, or anything that looks different. I'll check the ceiling and you two can check the walls and floor.”

Shining Armor nodded, his brow lowered in determination. “You know what, you're right. We shouldn't give up even if things look hopeless. If there's one thing I've learned in the past year or two, it's that you and your friends always find a way to beat the toughest obstacles.”

Rainbow pumped her fist. “That's what I'm talkin' about! See Pinkie, I can still give a good inspirational speech.”

“Yeah, it really did help.” Shining Armor smiled. “I'll just make the shield bigger so you can see the ceiling. Actually, let me try something.” He narrowed his blue eyes in concentration. His horn glowed magenta, and the shield expanded until it formed a wall that stretched across half the room, all the way to the ceiling. The glowing shield moved back until it was just a few inches away from the far wall. The flies were trapped in the narrow space, hitting against the shield in attempt to get out and sink their mandibles into the humans' and unicorn's tender flesh.

“Awesome!” Rainbow flew up to the ceiling. “Now we have the whole room to ourselves.”

Shining Armor swished his tail at a stray horsefly. “Almost.”

The three friends searched every square inch of the ceiling, walls, and floor.

“Pinkie Pie, Twilight told me you grew up on a rock farm,” Shiny said suddenly.

She giggled. “A rock farm? That's silly! My parents own a rock quarry. Maybe that's what she meant.”

Shining Armor lowered his brow as he inspected the corner. “I'm pretty sure she said rock farm.”

Pinkie threw back her head and shook with laughter. “A rock farm! Can you imagine a bunch of little rocks growing on rock trees? I'd call it...” She spread her hands in front of her. “Sweet Rockin' Acres!”

“Bet they'd hurt if you shook the trees to knock down the rocks,” added Rainbow with a smirk.

“If you could even shake trees made of rock!”

Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. “I don't think it works like that, but I'm not sure. I've never seen a rock farm or a rock quarry before. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew what kind of rock this room is made of.”

“Well, the floor is marble of course, but the walls are limestone.” Her smile turned wistful. “Marble and Limestone. I do miss them, you know. They never even visit on weekends anymore.”

“Are all of your sisters getting their degrees?” asked Shiny.

Pinkie nodded. “Maud commutes, but Marble and Limestone went away to Stratton University. Now they're saying they might not even come home for Thanksgiving.” She slumped a bit as her long hair dragged on the floor.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “They'll be home for Thanksgiving even if I have to go to Stratton and drag those eggheads back to Canterlot. I'm sure Applejack will back me up on that.”

“What's Thanksgiving?” asked Shining Armor, inspecting the wall. “It sounds like Hearths Warming.”

Pinkie straightened. “Thanksgiving is a magical time where you get a four-or-five-day weekend! You spend Thursday afternoon eating a yummy dinner with your family and watching football, and after that you go shopping!”

“That does sound kind of like Hearths Warming, only we have to get our shopping done first so we can have our presents ready to open on Hearths Warming morning.”

“I hate to interrupt your informative little chat,” said Rainbow, squinting at the floor. “But can you move your hair, Pinkie? I think I see something.”

Pinkie gathered her long hair in her arms and looked where Dash was pointing. Her friend flew lower.

“Is that a crack or just part of the pattern in the marble?”

Peering at the irregular line, Pinkie replied, “I think it's a crack.” She leaned over and moved her head to view it from different angles. “Yep, definitely a crack.”

“Then that's our first weak spot,” said Shiny with a smile.

“Let's check that last wall to see if there are any more.” Dash waved her hand toward the unicorn. “Shiny, could you move your shield thing?”

The unicorn lit his horn again, and the shield became more narrow, until it was just a magenta column squished into the corner. The flies were crammed so tightly together that they could no longer fly, but they crawled over each other with their hard, hairy legs. Pinkie could hear thousands of carapaces hitting against each other. She shuddered.

Rainbow stared. “Well that sure is different. There must be some way it'll help us get out of here.” She flew closer to the object high on the wall. It was a heavy iron broadsword.

“Is this some kind of twisted joke?” Dash touched the tip. “Nothing can die, so here's a deadly weapon!”

“I don't know, I think a flyswatter would be crueler,” said Pinkie.

Shining Armor peered up at her. “Well, can you get it down so we can all look at it?”

Rainbow lifted the hilt out of its holder, and the other end hung straight down. She flapped harder to maintain altitude, but even so, she started to sink down at an unsteady pace.

“Whoa, this thing is heavy!”

As soon as Rainbow was low enough, Pinkie grabbed the sword from her, hefting it in one hand.

“I don't think it's that heavy.”

Dash's jaw dropped. “Are you as strong as Big Mac now?”

“Hey, maybe I am! We are probably cousins after all. It's in my blood! Besides, I drink a protein shake every morning to help me get large.” Flexing her biceps, she added, “I have to pour half a cup of syrup in it to choke it down, but you can't argue with the results!” She lifted the sword above her head with one hand.

“Or,” said Shiny, waving his foreleg toward Pinkie, “if Rainbow Dash has pegasus wings, maybe you have earth pony strength.”

“Oh, yeah.” Pinkie nodded. “Wait, what?” She wrinkled her brow and turned her head toward the unicorn.

“He's saying this is more Equestrian magic,” clarified Rainbow.

“Well, yeah, it wouldn't be too surprising if each of you had the magic of one of the pony tribes in addition to the Elements of Harmony,” explained Shiny. “Pegasi can fly and control the weather, earth ponies are physically stronger and tend to be good biomancers, and we unicorns have telekinesis and usually two or three magic spells that go with our special talent.”

“Wow, I'm learning all sorts of stuff today!” Pinkie set the tip of the sword on the floor. With it straight up and down, the hilt rose as high as her arm would reach. “So, now what?”

“Let me see the sword.” Shiny held out his hoof, and Pinkie carefully set the hilt on it. The sharp end slid to the ground as he held the hilt close to his face. “Normally I'd use my telekinesis for this, but I can't do that while my shield's up,” he explained. After turning the sword every which way, he shook his head. “I was hoping it would have some kind of writing on it.”

“What, like 'Whosoever pulleth this sword off this wall shall be the rightful king of this room?'” asked Rainbow.

“Not exactly. I'm just looking for any clue how to use this to escape.”

“Hm...” Dash put her hand to her chin. “A clue. We have a sword and a crack. And flies.” She took the weapon from Shining Armor and staggered back under its weight. Then she dropped the tip and pressed it to the crack. “Ugh, it won't fit.”

“Step aside!” Pinkie spit on her hands and rubbed them together. “Let an earth pony girl show you how it's done! We'll find out together, anyway,” she added with a shrug. She took both hands and placed them on the hilt, with the tip down on the hairline crack. Then she pushed down with all of her weight. The blade pushed into the crack with a grinding noise, even as the crack widened.

“Pinkie, do that again!” Rainbow said eagerly.

Pinkie pushed again, this time pressing down at an angle to open the crack a few inches. She kept shoving until it was wide enough to fit Shining Armor. Then the three of them peered into the crack. They could see nothing but blackness.

“Does somep- uh, someone want to drop something down there to see how far it goes? Because I've got nothing.”

Pinkie held out the sword.

“Not the sword!” Rainbow waved her hands. “We might need that!”

“For what?” asked Pinkie, raising her eyebrows.

“Didn't you guys say there were monsters in Tartarus?”

“They can't die,” Shiny reminded her.

“Well, what if we need it to pry something else open?” Rainbow checked her pockets. “Here's my guitar pick,” she said, holding it over the gaping pit. “Ready?”

The others nodded, and she let it drop. They waited. And waited some more.

“You know what, I'm just gonna fly down there.”

“Dashie, no!” Pinkie grabbed her friend's arm. “We don't know what's down there!”

“I'm not waiting around until someone wakes us up!” Rainbow shook off Pinkie's hand. “You made the hole, now I'm gonna fly down. If it's safe, I'll try to figure out a way to get you two down, too.”

Pinkie bit her lip. “Well, okay. But be careful!” Still holding the sword, she pulled Rainbow into a half-hug.

“Hey, I can't die.”

“No, but you can get hurt,” said Pinkie, rubbing the bug bite on her arm.

“I'll be careful.” Slowly, Rainbow descended into the pit. As soon as she entered, she seemed to disappear.

Pinkie crouched down at the edge and peered into the hole, but all she saw was inky darkness. “Rainbow! Are you there?”

“I'm here, but I can't see you! I can't see anything!”

“Do you think you should come back up?” asked Shining Armor, leaning over the shaft.

“No, I wanna see where this goes. Just...just keep talking, okay?”

“Okay, um, do you see anything yet?” asked Pinkie. “Did you find your guitar pick?”

Dash sighed. “No.”

“Oh. Um...What else should I say?” After thinking for a few seconds, she snapped her fingers as an idea hit her.

“I wish I could do that,” commented Shiny.

“What?” Pinkie turned her head to look at him.

“Snap my fingers. Spike always made it look so cool.”

“Spike doesn't – oh, right, dragon.” She giggled. “With his little claw fingers.”

“Hey guys!” Rainbow's voice was faint. “I found something!”

“Aw, I was gonna sing a song.”

Shining Armor gave her a stern look.

“I mean, yay!” amended Pinkie. “What did you find?”

“The shaft flattens out at the bottom and turns into a tunnel. Seems to widen out as...” Rainbow's voice grew too faint to make out. Pinkie thought she caught the word “spooky” and either “pool” or “cold.”

She sucked in a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, “HEY DASH! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! YOU'LL HAVE TO YELL LOUDER!” She turned to look at Shiny. “You think she heard me?”

Shining Armor cringed. “I think the other Rainbow Dash in Ponyville heard you.”

“Neat!”

“I said, if you keep following the tunnel you start seeing glowing crystals. There's a spooky pool with columns around it. That's as far as I went, but the tunnel keeps going past it.” Her voice grew louder again.

“Sounds good, but how do we get down?” asked Shiny.

“I can probably carry Pinkie enough for a controlled descent, but I doubt I can hold you up, Shiny. Maybe slow you down enough so that you don't break every bone in your body, but I can't make any promises.”

Shining frowned in thought. “Okay, you worry about getting Pinkie down first. I'll figure something out.”

After another minute or so, Rainbow reappeared, sticking her head and shoulders out of the pit.

“Let's get you outta here, Pinks.” She flew the rest of the way out of the hole. “I guess we'll have to leave the sword here. I can't carry it and if you drop it down the shaft it'll get all busted up.”

Pinkie shrugged. “That's fine with me. Maybe the next person will need it.” She carried it over to the corner opposite the horsefly column and propped it up an angle with the hilt on the floor. Then she ran back to the opening. “Ready when you are, Dashie!”

Grabbing onto Pinkie's waist, Dash flapped her wings, lifting her a few inches off the ground.

“I'm always lighter when I sing now,” said Pinkie. “Maybe it'll be easier for you to carry me if I sing!”

“Sure, go for it.” Rainbow sounded strained as her wings beat in quick succession.

As Pinkie broke into “Friendship Through the Ages,” Rainbow lifted her over the hole and flew down with caution. When Pinkie's head went below the rim, it was like someone turned out the lights. She looked up and couldn't see the opening of the shaft or the faint light coming from Shining Armor's horn and shield. And yet, Rainbow radiated soft light that bounced off the limestone walls of the hole.

“...Friendship carries on through the ages...” Pinkie's voice grew quiet as it struck her how surreal this whole situation was. Sure, she'd experienced a lot of weirdness over the past couple of months. She had met a talking dog that was actually a dragon and made two new friends who were actually magic ponies. She had witnessed three teenage girls turn into Sirens and try to take over the world, or at least the school. Maybe getting sent to Tartarus from Greek mythology was just a hair higher on the weirdness scale. But altogether, it was a lot for even Pinkie to process.

Rainbow gazed at her with a reassuring smile. “Keep it up Pinks. I think your song is helping.”

Taking in a deep breath, Pinkie raised her voice. “Things may come and things may go...”

She kept singing, and as she finished her song, her boots touched the bottom. “We made it all the way down!” She craned her neck and shouted, “Shiny, have you figured out how to get down yet?”

As Dash folded her wings beside Pinkie, she called, “You know we're not gonna leave without you, right?”

“I know,” replied Shiny. “And I have an idea. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” yelled Pinkie.

Then fuchsia light flashed from above.

“That's him!” Pinkie grinned and pointed.

Rainbow put her hands on her hips. “Hey, pointing out the obvious is my job.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you liked doing that. You can be Captain Obvious next time!”

“Okay,” Dash said with a small sigh.

The light was getting brighter and closer, and there were four darker spots where Shining Armor's hooves must have been.

“So, what are you doing, Shiny?” asked Pinkie.

“I'm using my strongest, thickest shield to make a moving platform,” explained Shiny.

“Awesome!” Rainbow smiled. “I knew we could make it outta there.” The shield grew closer to them, and she pulled Pinkie out of the way so she was inside the horizontal passageway, instead of the shaft. As the shield descended to the floor, it disappeared. Pinkie couldn't see much of Shining Armor, but his horn glowed and illuminated his face.

“There's still a lot of Tartarus to get through,” he said.

“Well, it's like my Granny Pie says...”

“Giggle at the ghostly?” guessed Dash.

“Yeah, that. But she also says, 'If you're going through Tartarus, keep going!'”

Rainbow stared at her with lidded eyes. “And that's supposed to be inspiring.”

“Yes,” Pinkie said with a firm nod.

Her friend sighed. “I guess we don't have any choice but to follow her advice.”

Author's Note

I figured out a way to explain emblems in the story! I hope it flowed naturally - as natural as anything can be in this situation, anyway.

Also, while a powerful unicorn can lift at least one pony with telekinesis, I'm not sure if any unicorn can lift itself with its own telekinesis. I don't recall seeing a unicorn do this on the show, and it would seem to make them OP, like they could just fly around like pegasi. But since shields are Shining Armor's special talent, I figured it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to do essentially the same thing with his shield. He could sort of fly if he wanted, but he wouldn't be anywhere near the speed of most pegasi.

9 - Necessary Evil

Author's Note

This story was started before “Friendship Games” and the second half of Season Five aired. I decided to retcon Pinkie's family situation to better fit what we see in “Hearthbreakers” (thanks to xgfhj for the suggestion) but I'm ignoring everything else from the second half of Season 5, and from Friendship Games. This fanfic would require a massive rewrite if I tried to make it fit the third movie's continuity, so I figured it was best to make this fanfic an AU.

9 - Necessary Evil

Chapter 9 - Necessary Evil

Naturally, Luna felt terrible about using the sleeping potion on Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and about causing the other students distress. It would have been easier for everyone if all six of the Element Bearers had drunk the cider. However, the potion acted faster than either Luna or the Nightmare had expected, so as soon as the other four girls saw what happened to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, they knew not to drink it. Seeing that she couldn't do anything more to the students without blowing her cover, Luna retreated, heading for her office to rethink her plan. If only she had known that Sunset Shimmer didn't like cider, her original plan would have worked. Since the girl was still awake, though, she was sure to figure out that Luna was behind the sleeping potion. She was smart, after all, and she also knew more about magic than Luna did.

'But she doesn't know more than I do!' said the Nightmare. 'And even if she does figure out that we gave them the potion, it's her word against ours.'

But everyone knows I'm the only other person who can use magic, thought Luna.

'Do they? How many other people have actually seen us?'

Well, there's my sister, the Riches, and the six students who can use magic. A tremble shook Luna's entire body. She wondered if it was simply because she'd been in the form of an elderly person too long.

'You are correct,' answered the Nightmare. 'We will need to resume our basic magic form soon.'

See, that's what I'm talking about. We can't keep our magic a secret for much longer. I don't know if I should even try anymore. 'Miss Shimmer and the other Bearers won't be able to stop us without Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.'

Luna halted in her tracks and blinked in shock as she realized how her thoughts had segued into the Nightmare's voice without a hitch. This seemed wrong.

Before she could dwell on that idea, she convulsed, almost doubling over as her body could no longer hold its shrunken, aged shape. The shape-shifting magic released her true form – her true Nightmare state. Her back straightened and her arms and legs stretched out. And of course, the wings grew out of her back once more. Luna felt much better – physically, at least. Her wings didn't even feel that strange anymore.

'Do you want to fly down the hallway then?'

Not a chance, thought Luna as she approached the door to her office. Suddenly, the knob to Celestia's door turned, just a few feet down the hall. Although the Nightmare screamed at her to teleport away, Luna couldn't decide how to react, and so she found herself face to face with her sister. Tia's eyes widened with surprise and relief as she ran to Luna and pulled her into a hug. Luna blinked, unsure of how to react.

“I was worried Luna,” said her sister, even though she needn't have said it out loud. Her concern and relief showed more strongly in her face and body language. “What happened? Why did you turn off your phone?” She pulled back, keeping her pale hands on Luna's shoulders.

“My phone?” Luna patted her dress and felt in her pockets. “I don't know what happened to it. I don't remember turning it off.”

“Well, where was the last place you saw it?”

“It was right after I sent you that text this morning.” Luna's mouth twitched. “It's possible that I accidentally transformed it while I was experimenting with magic.”

Taking a step back, Celestia narrowed her eyes. “You experimented with magic?”

Luna nodded, not sure why Celestia was so wary. “I'm getting better at controlling it.”

“You may have destroyed your phone!” yelled her sister, clenching her fists.

Luna's mouth fell open. Tia seldom raised her voice, but Luna had to admit that her sister's anger was justified.

“I – maybe I can use my magic to bring it back,” stammered Luna.

Celestia shook her head. “It's obvious to me that you have no idea what you're doing. I told Miss Shimmer, Miss Dash, and the other students not to use magic, and I suggest you do the same until we figure out how to use it safely.”

The Nightmare sent a pulse of anger through her. 'She can't tell us what to do!'

She does outrank us, thought Luna. Out loud, she said, “How can we figure out how to use magic without actually doing it?”

“I don't know,” said Tia. “But I do know that those girls could have sent you to the moon, according to Miss Shimmer.” Her rose-colored eyes softened. “If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do.”

Luna reached out to her sister and put her hand on her shoulder. “I assure you that those girls will not send me to the moon. I'm capable of taking care of myself, even without a phone.”

With a faint smile, Celestia said, “I know you're not a child anymore, but I can't help worrying about you sometimes.” Her smile faded. “Especially now that you have another voice in your head who doesn't have good intentions.”

Luna grew uncomfortable. “The voice and I have an understanding.”

“Why didn't you tell me that the voice is called the Nightmare?” pressed her sister.

“I didn't tell you because...” Luna looked down at her navy blue shoes. “I didn't tell you for the same reason the Nightmare didn't tell me that I'll look like a teenager after it leaves me. I knew you'd object, and I didn't want to hear it. I guess...I guess a big part of me really wants this to work.”

“What? A teenager?” Celestia wrinkled her brow. “How could you stay young after the magic leaves you?”

'Because those who are touched by powerful magic such as I are forever changed.'

“Such as you?” asked Tia. “Am I...” Her eyes widened. “Am I talking to the Nightmare right now?”

Luna's hands flew over her mouth. She hadn't even realized that the Nightmare had said those words out loud using her lips. How many times had it done that?

'This was the first time, but I don't see what the big deal is. If you're going to tell your elder sister everything I think and feel, I might as well speak directly to her.'

The Nightmare's resentment and irritation swept through Luna, but the voice stayed inside her mind, since she held her hands over her mouth.

Gingerly, Celestia placed her hands on Luna's shoulders. “This has to stop. I'm saying this to Luna, now.” Her eyebrows tabled. “Can't you see what the Nightmare is doing to you? She's taking control over you and turning you into – well, not exactly a raging she-demon, but I fear that you could go down the same path if the Nightmare has its way.”

Before either Luna or the Nightmare could respond, her sister's phone rang. Tia grimaced and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“It's Nurse Redheart. It's probably important.” She tapped the screen and held the phone to her ear. “Hello, Nurse Redheart.”

Either Celestia had her speaker turned up very loud, or Luna's pony ears could hear better than her human ears, because Luna heard every word Nurse Redheart said.

“Principal Celestia, you should come down to the cafeteria. We've got an emergency situation.”

“Oh dear.” Tia cringed. “What is it this time?”

“Two of the students ingested poison and lost consciousness.”

“It wasn't a poison,” said Luna. “It was a sleeping potion.”

Celestia gasped, her eyes darting around. “How did you know?”

“I don't know for sure if it was poison,” answered Redheart, “but the other students told me that they passed out soon after they drank some apple cider.”

“No, I was talking to Vice Principal Luna,” Celestia told her. She gazed into Luna's eyes. “How did you know, Luna?”

Taking a deep breath, Luna said, “Because we were the ones who gave it to them.”

Tia's pupils constricted. “What? No! Luna, please tell me you're joking!”

Luna held up her hand with her palm facing her sister. “Listen, I gave Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie a potion that will make them sleep for a little while. No harm will come to them, and they will not be able to harm me either. As you pointed out, they could have sent me to the moon. With Miss Dash and Miss Pie asleep, their friends' powers are greatly diminished.”

Celestia faltered. “But how? Why?”

Luna's wings spread. “I am learning so much about magic from the Nightmare, and as I told you, I'm getting better at controlling my magic. Now all I need to do is start questioning the students to find out if they've noticed any strange magical forces – besides myself, of course. But I should give them time to calm down after the excitement at lunch.” She put her finger to her chin. “Perhaps tomorrow morning during homeroom.”

Her sister grabbed her wrist. “Stop! This isn't you!”

“Oh no Tia.” Luna shook her head. “I'm me, but I'm so much more now!”

Celestia trembled – with fear or anger, Luna couldn't be sure. “You have to tell the Nightmare to leave at once! If you don't, then I'll suspend you from your position!”

Luna shook off her sister's hand at last. “Make me leave.” Her hands glowed electric blue. “I dare you.”

Tia gasped and took a step back. Luna would never physically hurt her sister, but she had to show her who was in charge at this time. She called on her magic aura and made it surround Celestia's phone. Her sister was so surprised that she let it go, and the phone drifted in a wobbly course toward Luna's ear.

“Nurse Redheart, this is Luna. Inform the students that I am now the acting principal of CHS.”

10 - Practicing Magic

There wasn't much that Sunset Shimmer and her friends could do while the nurses pumped Rainbow's and Pinkie's stomachs. Sunset decided it would be best to follow her earlier plan of searching Vice Principal Luna's home for clues about what her next move would be. But first, she wanted to get Principal Celestia's permission. She sat down with her friends near to the fountain in the front lobby, and pulled up Celestia's number.

“Hello, Miss Celestia? It's me, Sunset.”

“Are you still at the hospital?” As Celestia talked, another voice yelled in the background. Sunset heard the words “Sunset that's not . . .” something. It was hard to make out. But the alarming part was that it sounded like Celestia.

That's not me.

“Excuse me? I heard someone yelling in the background. Is everything all right over there? Did you find Miss Luna?”

The silence stretched for a long time. Sunset checked her screen to make certain they were still connected.

Finally, Celestia's voice spoke. “I'm sorry. We must have had a bad connection. That's a thing that happens with smartphones, isn't it?”

By this point, Sunset was positive that this was Nightmare Luna, because it was no secret that Luna was a technophobe, and the Nightmare would know squat about modern technology.

“Right. Well, I can hear you just fine now.” Sunset brushed her hair out of her face and pondered what to say – and what not to say.

“Good. So, have you left the hospital yet? You may stay the rest of the day if you wish.”

“That's very nice of you, Miss Celestia. Actually, we're about to leave. Pinkie and Rainbow are still unconscious, and there's nothing we can do for them. Besides, Fluttershy isn't feeling well, so we're taking her home,” she fibbed.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack looked at her in surprise.

“What?” Fluttershy asked softly.

Sunset prided herself on being a skilled liar, even with Applejack staring at her. Sunset wasn't the Element of Honesty. “Actually, I think Fluttershy might have gotten some of the tainted cider on her,” she added, in a burst of inspiration. “I'm going to go tell the nurses right now. Gotta go!”

“Oh, uh, that's too bad. Please keep me posted with any news on your friends.”

“I will.” Sunset tapped the end call button.

“What was that about?” Applejack raised her eyebrow so high that Sunset could almost hear the muscles in her forehead creaking under the strain.

“I'm pretty sure I just talked to Nightmare Luna impersonating Celestia,” answered Sunset.

“Really?” Rarity frowned. “How could you tell?”

“I thought I heard another Celestia yelling at me in the background.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy's wings twitched. “I hope Miss Celestia's all right.”

“Me too Fluttershy,” said Sunset. “But I bought us some time. Let her underestimate us while we search for clues and think of a plan.

Rarity checked her phone. “Oh my goodness! Sweetie Belle says she called the police.”

Sunset shook her head in disbelief. “The police? What can they do against Equestrian magic?”

“Arrest Miss Luna after the dust settles?” guessed Rarity with a shrug.

“I guess. I'm just glad Miss Celestia and Luna chose not to press charges against me after I took over.”

“Well,” said AJ, rising to her feet, “let's not dwell on that now, sugar. We gotta get to McQueen Mansion to search for somethin' that can turn Miss Luna back to good or whatever.”

“Shouldn't someone stay here in case Pinkie and Dash wake up?” Fluttershy gazed at the corridor to the Intensive Care wing.

“Where is she.”

Sunset had come to know that monotone voice. Glancing up, she saw Maud striding toward the group of teens, her face betraying no emotion.

Jumping up from the bench where she'd been sitting, Sunset said, “Thank goodness you're here. Pinkie and Rainbow are in room 201, but they might not let you in – the nurses, I mean, not . . . you know. The girls are having the potion pumped out of their stomachs.”

“Thank you for looking out for her. I'm glad Pinkie has such good friends.” Maud adjusted her scarf, which seemed suspiciously like a cleaning rag, and turned to power-walk toward the Intensive Care wing.

Sunset watched her just long enough to be sure she was heading in the right direction. Then she pivoted back to her friends.

“Let's get going. I know how to get to the mansion if you want to follow me,” offered Sunset, ducking her head. “I did a lot of researching and exploring when I first came to this world. Miss Celestia's house was one of the first places I looked for.”

“It's not that embarrassing, darling.” Rarity stood and hefted her book bag onto her shoulder. “McQueen Mansion is one of the most famous houses in Canterlot. Its architecture is quite elegant.”

“Thank you for not judging,” said Sunset. She led the other girls outside, zipping up her jacket as she hastened toward her bike. To help jog her memory of the mansion's location, she brought it up on her map app. Then the girls climbed onto their motorcycles and rode toward the wealthy historical district.

The landscaping started to appear more ambitious, even with most of the plants dormant for fall. Evergreen shrubs were pruned in the shape of corkscrews and animal topiaries. Many yards featured fountains, small ponds, and statues of lions, eagles, and horses. This town seemed to have a thing for equines even before Sunset arrived and brought Equestrian magic there. Even the name was a horse reference, since humans didn't canter. Sunset supposed it was just another way the two worlds ran parallel.

Sunset slowed in front of a large pond with a fountain spraying fifteen feet into the air. “We're here,” she said, nodding toward the noble home a few mansions away. It didn't hold a candle to the royal palace in Equestria, but it was swanky for a high school principal, even if she did share it with the vice principal.

“Let's not park too close together so these hoity-toity folks don't get suspicious,” suggested AJ.

“If they aren't already suspicious,” said Rarity, tugging at her riding gloves. “Still, that's not a bad idea.”

The teens parked their bikes several houses away from each other and met in front of Miss Luna's house. Sunset thought they could still draw unwanted attention from the wealthy residents, especially with their pony ears and Fluttershy's wings.

“So, now what?” asked Fluttershy, eyeing the mansion. “How do we get in?”

Sunset had already come up with a solution on the way there. Since they were still powered up, she wanted to find out if her magic would work the way it had when she was a unicorn. She choose not to tell her friends, however. If it was unsuccessful, they wouldn't be disappointed, and if it was, they'd be surprised. She gazed at one of the darkened windows, first estimating the distance, and then concentrating on what the interior of the house would look and feel like. It would be warm, clean, and tastefully furnished.

Fluttershy turned toward her, combing her fingers through her long hair. “Sunset? Are you okay?”

Sunset was silent as she felt the magic surging in her forehead, as well as her hands. A blue-green light radiated from her fingers.

“What's happening, darling?” asked Rarity, her eyes wide as she saw Sunset's aura.

Grinning, Sunset allowed the magic to envelope her entire body, and the pale, teal light filled her vision.

And all of a sudden, she was inside the house.

She pumped her fist. It felt so great to use unicorn magic again.

A bird squawked, sounding like it came from inside. That was unexpected. But Sunset had priorities before she did any investigating. She walked over to the double doors, unlocked them, and opened one side, enjoying the sight of her friends' shocked faces. They jogged toward the doorway, and AJ reached it first.

“Shoot, I didn't know you could teleport like Miss Luna!” Applejack pushed her hat back.

“Why didn't you do it before?” asked Fluttershy.

“I didn't think of it until now,” answered Sunset, closing the door behind the other girls.

“Pinkie Pie would've loved seeing that,” Rarity said wistfully. “Do you think we could learn to do it too?”

“I'm not sure.” Sunset chose her words carefully so she wouldn't come across as boastful. “In Equestria, only unicorns can teleport, and not every unicorn has enough power or mental focus for it. But magic works differently here, so who knows? Maybe all of you could teleport with the right training.”

At that moment, the bird squawked once more, making Fluttershy's ears perk. She hurried into the room with the light, where the noise had come from. Sunset, Rarity, and Applejack followed her at a slower pace. When they entered the room, they discovered a cage taller than they were, with a cockatoo on a swing inside. The lamp bathed the cage in a warm glow. The rest of the room had normal human living room furniture, and the walls were hung with oil portraits of people dressed in 1800s clothing. Sunset preferred the stained glass windows of the royal palace, because she didn't like the way the painted eyes seemed to follow her.

“Hello there cutie!” Fluttershy leaned toward the birdcage. The cockatoo raised and lowered its crest, hissing like a goose.

Fluttershy twisted her head around as far as it would go and looked at her yellow wings. “Oh, you think I'm a big bird of prey, don't you?” She flattened her wings against her back and faced the bird once more. “Don't worry, I'm human, just like your mommy. I won't hurt you.”

Rarity, meanwhile, moved past the cage and approached a side table, peering down at the framed photos propped on it. Among the photos was a card, which she picked up with care.

After reading the card, she hummed in thought. “This is a bit informal for my taste. 'Kindly join us for the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadance.' It doesn't even have any titles or parents' names.”

“Shining Armor and Cadance?” Sunset walked over to join Rarity and glanced at the card. “Twilight told me her brother's name is Shining Armor. And there's a Princess Cadance in Equestria. I met her a few times. She seemed nice, but . . .” She rubbed her arm. “Well, I was so jealous of her that it was hard for me to talk to her.”

“Don't be too hard on yourself, Sunset. I can imagine it would be hard not to feel jealous of a princess, especially since you wanted to become one yourself,” said Rarity with a reassuring smile.

“So, does that mean Cadance is a principal here?” asked Applejack.

Sunset blinked. “I don't know if it works like that. If there were an exact match up between principals and royalty, there'd be either thousands of royals in Equestria or about twenty principals here, on this entire planet.” She shook her head and picked up one of the picture frames and stared at the photo of Miss Celestia and Luna and a pink-skinned girl. Their arms were draped around each others' shoulders as they beamed at the camera. “This is Cadance. She's Celestia's adopted niece in Equestria.”

“Be sure to put that picture back exactly where it was,” cautioned Rarity.

“Right,” agreed Sunset, setting it back down. Rarity returned the invitation to its place in the midst of the frames.

“She's in an awful lotta them pictures. Looks like they're real close.” AJ's eyelids creased as she smiled in approval.

“If they're so close,” said Fluttershy, stepping away from the birdcage, “then maybe Cadance could convince Miss Luna to give up the Nightmare.”

The teens shared a look.

“Maybe she could get through to her. But how do we reach her?” Sunset waved her hands. “How do we even begin to explain that her aunt is possessed by a magic demon from another world?”

“I suppose that depends on how much her aunts told her about the magic at our school,” answered Rarity. “Of course, your first question is more important. How are we going to reach her? We could see if they have her phone number written down somewhere, but that seems like a long shot,” she added, putting her hands on her hips and glancing around the room.

“What would Dash and Pinkie do if they were here?” Applejack asked quietly, lowering her eyebrows. Then she snapped her fingers. “I got it! They'd search for Cadance on the socials.”

“That's a great idea,” said Sunset. “Applejack, search for her online, and the rest of us will keep looking for anything that can help us here. Oh, and make sure you spell Cadance the way it is on the invitation.”

As the girls snooped around, though, they failed to uncover all that much that was useful. Rarity figured out that they were in Celestia's exclusive living quarters when she found clothes that obviously belonged to the principal, and none that they had ever noticed her sister wearing.

“They must have completely separate apartments,” said Rarity, bringing her hand to her pale cheek. “I'm embarrassed that it took me this long to notice.”

“It does explain all the sun shaped light switch covers.” Fluttershy pointed to one of the bronze suns screwed onto the wall.

“Can you teleport to the other side of the mansion, Sunset?” asked Rarity.

“With pleasure.” Sunset beamed and focused on a spot just beyond the kitchen wall. She would have to be careful not to send herself inside a wall or any other object, but she was confident in her rediscovered talent. The magic pulsed in her forehead and fingers, and then she appeared in an empty hallway.

“Figures it would be darker on this side,” she muttered to herself.

Hugging the wall was a narrow table that held a mound of unopened mail. The top envelope had Cadance's name and address at the top left corner. Sunset studied it before grabbing and sliding it into her jacket. Whether it was a wedding invitation or a birthday card, she had a hunch that Luna needed to read it, and Sunset would be the one to deliver it to her.

She opened the front door then and scurried across the porch to motion her friends over. She had never teleported anyone besides herself, even in Equestria, and she wasn't about to try it now. Perhaps at a later date, when things were calmer and she was in a controlled environment . . . But that was a goal for another day.

Sunset was still a few feet away from the door when Applejack slammed it open. The impact was accompanied by a crunching noise inside, along with Rarity's exasperated shout.

“Applejack! Will you control your – your outbursts!”

“Sorry. I didn't mean to. I wasn't even tryin' to pull it that hard.” Applejack sidled away from the door frame.

A man walking a dog stared directly at them from across the street. He pulled his phone away from his ear and thumbed it.

“We should leave now.” Sunset bit her lip.

“You're tellin' me! Apple Bloom and Big Mac texted me sayin' Nightmare Luna ain't lettin' anyone leave the school,” said AJ.

Sunset's eyes widened. “Is it two thirty already?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, and Sweetie just sent me a text that said, 'You need to come here now' with two exclamation points and a frowny face.”

Sunset glanced across the street again. The man had stopped strolling and had his phone to his ear once more, while keeping his gaze on the girls.

“All right, go out to your bikes,” said Sunset, waving her hands toward the street. “I'll lock up and be right behind you. I wouldn't want to invite any real thieves into their mansion.”

Her friends descended the marble porch steps, trying to hurry without looking like they were hurrying. Sunset found that she couldn't turn the locks from the inside while the doors were open and have them catch when they closed. She also noticed that the door stopper was broken on one side, and on that same side, there was a dent in the wall at doorknob level. But they would have to worry about that later. For now, she was concerned about keeping the doors secured. She elected to lock each door from the inside and teleport out.

It might be a mundane use for an amazing power, but Equestria was full of such instances. And Sunset had to admit that she welcomed any excuse to teleport.

“Sunset, what took you so long?” Rarity yelled over the wind as Sunset rode up behind her.

“Just practicing some magic,” she shouted. “Now let's ride.”

Author's Note

Wlam was right about the detentions lasting forever.