//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Isolation // Story: The Other Journal // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// Day: Wednesday Weather: Thunderstorms Time: 12:56pm What did I just experience during lunch period today? Those three girls--Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk--entered the cafeteria and started to sing, mesmerizing everyone but me and my friends. Somehow we were immune to whatever it was they were doing. But that was the least of my concerns. As their singing progressed, everyone began getting aggressive and started arguing with one another, eventually glowing with green auras and producing green mist that apparently was being absorbed into those girls. Instead of a Musical Showcase, everyone was convinced that there should be a Battle of the Bands. Why the sudden change? What kind of power did those girls use? We had to inform Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna right away, so my friends and I headed for the former's office. However, when we arrived, we found that something terrible had already happened. The Other Journal By Ganondorf8 December 16, 2015 Chapter 28: Isolation. Twilight looked at me hoping to get an answer, but I slowly turned away from her. She knew there and then that Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna had suffered the same fate as everyone else. When the realization struck, Twilight freaked out. But, I had to quickly calm her down otherwise she might do something she would regret later. " Calm down, Twilight--" I began. " How can I when Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna had been hypnotized by the Sirens?" Twilight asked. " Everything turned out fine in the end. If they hadn't, I wouldn't be here reading to you, now would I? I, along with everyone else in this world, including you, would be at their beck and call by now." I answered. My words were enough to calm her down, and Twilight blushed because of overreacting. To be honest, I didn't have confidence that the Sirens would be defeated, as everything was stacked heavily against us. To think that if I hadn't stepped up when I was needed, the Sirens would be the masters of this world. Such a thought made me shiver. " We didn't know that they had been hypnotized, so we were heading to Principal Celestia's office ignorant of what happened. The Sirens made certain to get to them before going after the student body. After all, those who have authority make the rules." I said. " Now that you mention it, I do have one question." Twilight said. " What's that?" I asked. " Principal Celestia is the human counterpart to Princess Celestia, right? I'm going to assume that the princess is very powerful, and therefore not susceptible to being manipulated by dark magic. I'm also going to assume that the principal has the same properties, what with being her counterpart. In that sense, Principal Celestia at the very least shouldn't have been hypnotized. I can't say the same about Vice Principal Luna as you never told me much about her counterpart in Equestria." Twilight answered. If only her assumptions were accurate, then that would have been the case. In truth, both versions of Celestia are completely different from one another, despite one being an alternate form of the other. Princess Celestia possesses arcane powers that have protected her for over a thousand years from such temptations. Principal Celestia, on the other hand, doesn't have that same power. In fact, she had none at all, save for school authority. The same could be said about the two versions of Luna. " Twilight... Principal Celestia doesn't possess any magic. She didn't have any immunity to the Sirens' magic, so she was easy to hypnotize along with her sister. While your theory was...interesting, sadly, it holds no water." I said. Twilight then looked downward before sighing. I didn't mean to make her upset, but she had to know the truth. Otherwise, she would have eventually become confused. Turning to the next page of the journal, there were no photos, drawings, or anything to help convey this next part. No, just words that explained how things progressed. " Principal Celestia revealed to us that they were treated to a beautiful song when the Sirens paid them a visit, and that they agreed with changing the showcase into a competition. This revelation, combined with what happened to everyone in the cafeteria, made us fearful that we would be next." " So it was you six against the entire school?" Twilight asked. " That wasn't what we assumed when we were heading to her office." I answered. What had just happened? What started out as another ordinary lunch period in the cafeteria had turned into something disastrous. Those three girls had finished singing a song that caused everyone to suddenly change. They went from being happy to aggressive in a heartbeat. Never in my life had I seen such a drastic change, but I suspected something was off about all of this. Those girls... was it their lyrics that changed everyone? Maybe it was their singing? Either way, they had convinced everyone that the Musical Showcase should become a Battle of the Bands instead. This went against everything that the school had been striving for! The purpose of the showcase was to raise money, and now it featured bands battling it out to see who was the best. It reminded me of what happened when I manipulated students for my own benefit. I caused them to lash out against one another, but one at a time. Those girls were able to manipulate a large gathering all at once. What kind of power did they possess? It felt familiar, like I recognized it from somewhere, yet I couldn't connect the dots. Then there were the six of us. Why weren't we affected like everyone else? What made us special that protected us? Those girls absorbed the green mist by using those jewelled pendants. How did they do that? What was that green mist? There were so many questions, but no answers to any of them. It was times like this that I wished I had the help of Princess Twilight, as she would have an answer. While I did have confidence in my own abilities, I simply paled in comparison to Her Highness. After waiting around for a while, the green mist disappeared, turning everything back to normal. The only exception were the angry students who continued to be in each other's faces, proclaiming that they were going to win the Battle of the Bands. As for those girls, they had since departed once the mist disappeared. While we could have gone after them, we decided against it, as we had no indication as to their intentions. " That was really weird." Rainbow Dash said. " Reckon I ain't seen anything quite like that before." Applejack added. " Something about what they did is rubbing me the wrong way." I said. " What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash. " As I mentioned before, when I met them the other day, I sensed something strange about them. Yet, I couldn't understand why. I even began questioning myself over such feelings. I still do. What happened just now confirms my suspicions." I answered. " You're the resident expert on these kind of things, Sunset Shimmer. None of us have any idea about this whole magic thing. I know you're not as smart as Princess Twilight, but you're the only one who can figure this out." Rainbow Dash said. That was what I didn't need. I didn't need anymore stress piled on top of what I already had. While I won't deny the fact that Her Highness is more knowledgeable, given how I lived in a world without magic for three years, I wasn't fond of having to deal with a magic problem, especially when I caused one. Magic... could that have been what I sensed coming from those girls? It sounded plausible, but without solid proof, it was nothing more than a theory. " So what do we do now?" Rarity asked. " I don't know about any of you, but I'm gonna speak to Principal Celestia about this here mutiny. We've all been lookin' forward to the Musical Showcase for a while, and CHS is in need of money for them extracurricular activities. Yet now, those new girls have gone and twisted everyone's minds, convincing them that we should have a competition instead. Principal Celestia needs to know what happened, so she can remind everyone what is really important." Applejack answered. " I'm all for a competition, but not one that resulted from whatever happened." Rainbow Dash said. " So I take that as a 'yes' that you'll come with me?" Applejack asked. " Gotta maintain that loyalty, after all." Rainbow Dash answered, winking. " If anyone is going to see Principal Celestia, it would be me. I mean, you all know that what we witnessed just now is a reminder of who I used to be. At least, that's what I think anyway. Besides, I believe I might know what we're up against, and I've got you to thank, Rainbow Dash." I said. " Okay, what did I say?" Rainbow Dash asked. " You mentioned magic when you said that I was the expert." I answered. " Magic? What in tarnation are you getting at?" Applejack asked. " Let's wait until everyone else is gone before we head on over to Principal Celestia's office. They're still feeling the effects of whatever those girls did, and we could still become affected if we get too close." I answered. Did I know if we would become affected by that song just by getting too close to those who had? I didn't, because this was a magic that I've never witnessed before. My lack of knowledge could cost us our freedom. Hopefully, we'd be able to figure out a solution before it's too late. Over time, the students began to empty out of the cafeteria avoiding eye contact with one another, until we were the only ones left. I felt relieved to know that they had left; all that negativity was bringing up guilt from what I had done before. Yet at the same time, I shouldn't have felt relieved, as everyone had become hypnotized and were acting out against who they really were. To think that magic could bring out the absolute worst in people. I'm an example of that, no doubt! Those girls... was it possible that they came from Equestria? The only way they could use magic would be if they came from my world. Magic simply isn't native here. My friends were an exception to that, although they didn't quite have a firm grasp on their magic. That raises an important question. If those girls are from Equestria, when did they arrive in this world? It seemed that whenever an answer to a question was revealed, more questions lay beyond its veil. Upon leaving the cafeteria ourselves, we began to look around to see what the mannerisms of the other students were like. So far, those we encountered in the hallways looked fine outwardly, but we had to be cautious. It would do us no good to cause a scene, especially if it meant those girls showing up and absorbing that green mist like before. As we walked down the hallways, it soon became apparent that the students really were in favour of a more competitive event. Posters and banners that had depicted the showcase has been vandalized: They were either ripped down from the walls, had graffiti on them, or both. It made me sad knowing that Equestrian magic was the cause behind this sudden change in attitude. My so-called punishment had become far worse than had I been exiled to the desolate wastes. " Alright! What makes you think they were using magic?" Applejack asked. " How else can you explain what happened back there? I mean, I knew there was something off about them, but I couldn't connect anything together until Rainbow Dash mentioned magic. As soon as she said that, I started to piece things together, and I can conclude that magic was used. How those girls are capable of using magic, where they got it from, and how to stop them are answers I don't have right now. In any case, they were using dark magic to hypnotize everyone and absorb whatever that green mist was." I answered. " I never would have guessed that we would have another problem with magic at CHS." Rarity said. " And only a month after the Fall Formal." Rainbow Dash added. " It's my fault this is even happening in the first place. If I had never come to this world after initially leaving Equestria, there wouldn't be any magic around. Maybe I should have been taken back to Equestria and given my just punishment." I said. " Don't blame yourself, darling." Rarity said. " That's right! Y'all had no idea that this was gonna happen. None of us did! Those girls could have come here long before you did!" Applejack said. " Funny thing, Applejack, is that I was thinking about that myself. If they do come from Equestria, when did they arrive? I don't think they showed up after I did, and definitely not after Princess Twilight. If they had, they would have been struggling to get used to how this world works. I know I did, and Princess Twilight must have, as well. Those girls clearly knew what they were doing, so that must mean they've been here more than three years." I said. Things were starting to make sense, but then another question immediately popped into my mind. If they had been here for a long time, why wait until now to actually do something? Why not strike back when they first showed up? Unfortunately, I had no further answers for that question. If anything, Princess Twilight would be the one to provide an answer. Yet she was unavailable and would be until the portal reopened. " Well, it don't matter how long they've been here. We'll let Principal Celestia know all about this and those girls will be kicked to the curb in no time." Applejack said. " Hopefully, she will be able to do something." I said. " I'm sure she will, darling." Rarity said. " The Musical Showcase is very important to CHS. Principal Celestia already had to deal with the aftermath of a CHS event ruined by a power-crazed lunatic once before. She doesn't need to go through that experience again." Applejack said. Her eyes widened upon saying that, and she immediately turned towards me. Despite her intention, she had referred to me as a "power-crazed lunatic" which wasn't far from the truth. Yet it still stung because of the connotation behind it. " No offence there, Sunset Shimmer. I didn't meant to imply it like that." " None taken." I sighed. " We'll need to carefully explain the situation. We know Principal Celestia wouldn't deny what happened during the Fall Formal, as everyone witnessed the magical rainbow, the demonic monster, our pony ears and pony tails, and the destroyed front entrance. If we make it sound like the school is going to experience more destruction, she might... panic." Rarity said. " And how do you think we do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. " We let Sunset Shimmer tell her." Rarity answered. " Why me?" I asked. " You have a much better understanding of what's going on, so it makes sense that you would be the one to tell her. Don't worry; we'll be there by your side, so you won't be going through with it on your own." Rarity answered. Her reasoning made no sense, and I felt like I was being given more pressure than before. I knew I was the only one who had an idea of what was happening, but there was much that remained a mystery to me. Despite my reservations, though, I decided to go through with it anyway. My friends had my best interests in mind, and they wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. Not on purpose, anyway. Upon reaching Principal Celestia's office, I walked up to the door and knocked. No one replied, so I tried again. Again, there was no reply. This was odd; she was usually very punctual. I tried looking through the window to see if I could see someone, and sure enough, Principal Celestia was there, along with Vice Principal Luna. Yet, both had their backs turned, as though they were conversing amongst themselves. Still, why couldn't they hear the sounds of my knocking on the door? After knocking one more time with no response, Rainbow Dash began to lose her patience. " Oh come on! Why are they making us wait out here like this?" Rainbow Dash asked. " Maybe they're really busy and need some time to figure things out." Applejack answered. " It didn't look that way to me." I said. " This is stupid! I'm about ready to kick the door down!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Applejack grabbed under her shoulders to prevent her from doing anything, which is good; if Rainbow did that, the least she would be expecting was about a few weeks of detention for damaging school property. I decided to try knocking one last time. If nothing happened, I would simply give up and maybe try again later. Upon knocking on the door, no one replied, at first, but then the sounds of shuffling could be heard coming from the other side. Curiously, I looked through the window, and saw that Principal Celestia was now sitting in her chair. Well, at least that was better than nothing. I was about to start walking away in defeat, until... " Come in!" Principal Celestia said from the other side of the door. " About time!" Rainbow Dash moaned. " Let's give them the benefit of the doubt here. After all, they are in charge of running the school, so it wouldn't be a good idea to berate them." I said. Rainbow Dash pouted in response to me, and I shrugged my shoulders before grabbing the doorknob and opened the door. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna seemed to be different from their usual demeanour. Normally, Celestia would be smiling and brimming with a positive attitude, yet she had a stoic look on her face. Luna, on the other hand, usually looked stoic because of how distant she was at times. Here, she was even more distant, like she wasn't even there. As we all entered the office, Fluttershy closing the door behind us, we walked up to the desk and just stood there for a few moments. My heart was beating at an insane rate because of how awkward this felt. It reminded me of when I first met Princess Celestia a long time ago. Back then, I was just as nervous as I was right now, but at least I conjured up the means to speak. Here, not so much. " Is there something you need?" Principal Celestia asked. " Um, yes, there is." I answered. " Then please tell us. We don't want you wasting our time." Principal Celestia said. Ouch. " You see, we were in the cafeteria having lunch, and, um, those three new girls I agreed to give an orientation to the other day came in and began singing. I know that doesn't sound so bad, but it gets much worse. Their singing began hypnotizing everyone in the cafeteria, and they started arguing with one another. Not just any arguments, though. These were nasty. At first, I thought it was really strange how everyone suddenly changed like that, but I suspect those girls used some kind of dark magic. They then absorbed this weird, green mist that came from everyone before they left." I said. Both Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna looked at me with doubt in their eyes. I had a feeling my story would be one they wouldn't believe, yet why would they doubt something like that? They both saw what happened during the Fall Formal, so why give me that doubting look. What would I get from lying to them? Nothing! That's what! " Is that all?" Principal Celestia asked. " After we left the cafeteria, we came here to warn you about what happened." I answered. " What do you make of this, sister?" Vice Principal Luna asked. " Dark magic? I find that very hard to believe." Principal Celestia answered. " As do I. The very idea that dark magic once again has invaded our school is preposterous, and blaming those new students is going too far." Vice Principal Luna said. " Those girls came into my office earlier and were absolutely delightful." Principal Celestia said. " Why would you think those girls would be in possession of something so absurd? Unless, of course, you are jealous of them. Yes, that does make a lot more sense than this whole dark magic excuse. At one time, you were the newest student around here, Sunset Shimmer, and you immediately took it upon yourself to 'rule the school', acting as though our authority meant nothing." Vice Principal Luna said. I never would have expected her to say it in that fashion, but I couldn't deny that her words were truthful. I did undermine them by claiming that I was dominant, but that's because my mind was consumed with wanting power. I never considered any consequences until after I was defeated because it never crossed my mind. " These new students have come here hoping to experience everything that CHS has to offer, and you are making false accusations against them. I had thought you were much better than that, but I guess I was wrong." Principal Celestia said. " Perhaps Sunset Shimmer is just eager to make someone else out to be a bad element. Her actions at the Fall Formal were exposed to everyone, along with the revelation of what she had been doing for the past three years. Now, she wishes for that to become old news so that we might forget. Those new girls have done nothing wrong as far as I am concerned, so I agree with my sister that you are making false accusations." Vice Principal Luna said. I couldn't believe that she said that about me! I wasn't trying to make everyone forget about my past actions. Far from it! I accepted the consequences and continue to be bullied by everyone because of it. What was going on here? Why were they making me out to be the villain when I've clearly reformed? Was this how they truly felt about me? Were Principal Celestia's kind words earlier nothing more than a façade to make me feel better? I struggled to find the appropriate words to respond with. " Am I to assume that you have nothing to say in response?" Principal Celestia asked. " No, I have something to say, but I'm trying to figure out how to explain it." I answered. " Well, I'm waiting to hear it." Principal Celestia said. " I know you two might think that I'm trying to blame those new girls while trying to cover up my own actions, but I saw everything that happened in the cafeteria. They did something to everyone which changed their personalities. What would I get from lying to you both?" I asked. If only I had gotten proof of what happened earlier, they might have been more willing to believe my claims, but I didn't think of taking a photo until after the fact. " Hold on now!" Rainbow Dash announced. " Do you have something to say?" Vice Principal Luna asked. " We saw all of this go down in the cafeteria, too!" Rainbow Dash answered. " And?" Vice Principal Luna asked. " Sunset Shimmer isn't lying, especially if she has all of us who can back up her claim. Those girls are definitely up to something, and you need to stop them before things can get even worse." Rainbow Dash answered. " Tell me, isn't your band participating in the Musical Showcase?" Principal Celestia asked. " Yes." Rainbow Dash answered. " I see where this is going now." Principal Celestia said. " You do?" Rainbow Dash asked. " It is indeed an act of jealousy that has gripped each of you, prompting you to throw false accusations out of fear. Considering that Rainbow Dash is your band leader, according to what she wrote down when she registered, you're afraid that the Dazzlings are going to steal precious spotlight time away from you." Vice Principal Luna answered. I know that I wasn't participating personally, yet I felt Vice Principal Luna was taking things too personally in her criticisms against my friends. She had never had that kind of attitude before. She was supposed to be impartial, yet this wasn't the case at all. That's when I caught on to something she said a few moments ago. She referred to those girls as the Dazzlings? It was an unusual name, but did it imply what I think it did? " The 'Dazzlings'?" Applejack asked. " It's the name of their musical group. It seems that you recommended that they take part, Sunset Shimmer, so they came by earlier to do just that. I have never seen such enthusiastic students before. Some of their clothes are a bit showy, but I can overlook that. When they asked to sign up for the showcase, how could I refuse their request? They even made a suggestion on how we could improve the event, and it took us both mere seconds to agree with their proposal. They even sang a song for Vice Principal Luna and me to give us an idea on the kind of singing they were capable of. Their vocals are most exquisite, so that will make them a worthy addition." Principal Celestia answered. " They did?" Applejack asked. " Yes. And we think having a Battle of the Bands instead is a marvelous idea. The students are craving for a competition, and they shall receive one. I'm hoping that you six won't complain about this change." Principal Celestia answered. My worst fears had been realized! Principal Celestia and Vice Principal had finally lost it! How could they have any sense of sanity to have agreed on changing the showcase into a competition? Worst of all, my friends couldn't protest against the decision. If they did, they could be disqualified before it even started. Vice Principal Luna then moved closer to Principal Celestia, and their eyes briefly glowed green, which I noticed. They hadn't lost their sanity, after all. No, they had become hypnotized by those new girls, the Dazzlings. The situation had suddenly become a lot worse, and my friends and I looked to be the only ones who had yet to be affected. Were the Dazzlings trying to isolate us? Did they see the Rainbooms as a potential threat? Were we truly alone? If there was one grim solace here, it would be that my friends now knew what I had been going through after the Fall Formal. To be isolated and alone is the same as begging for death. I grabbed my bookmark and placed it in between the pages before closing the journal. Twilight only took notice of this when the book slammed shut, as she was thinking about everything that I had described. Placing the journal to one side, I looked upward before immersing myself in deep thought over what happened during that particular moment where the two sisters had been hypnotized. I know it only happened several months ago, yet it felt like only yesterday. When I looked back on it, I viewed the magic used by the Sirens as a kind that brought out one's innermost feelings. Specifically, those relating to anger, jealousy, and lust. " Why did you close the journal? Are your eyes getting tired again? Do you need some more fizzy apple cider?" Twilight asked. " No, I'm alright, but I needed to close it for a moment. That incident in Principal Celestia's office has been on my mind for a while now. I mean, it happened last year, yet I still remember it. What Vice Principal Luna said about me still hurts, even now, despite how she and Principal Celestia had been hypnotized by the Sirens' magic. Was I really trying to make everyone forget about what I did? It's a question I've been trying to find an answer to, yet I just can't come up with one. My efforts to prove that I had reformed weren't working well then, so was I desperate to blame someone else for causing a problem and making myself out to be an innocent victim? The Sirens were bad because of what they were doing, but maybe I was just like them, only on a different plane of existence." I said. I noticed that Twilight was looking tense, as though she were readying herself for something. It quickly dawned on me that she thinks I was going to punish myself again, but she didn't have to worry about that. I had no desire to do that, this time. " You can relax Twilight. I don't intend on hurting myself." " That's a relief." Twilight said. " Perhaps I was trying to make everyone forget, but you can't blame me for wanting to assume that. What I did at the Fall Formal was wrong, and I had to spend a long time earning everyone's trust while exposing myself to their teasing. In the end, it was worth it, because I finally managed to close a dark chapter in my life." I said. " When you think about it, everyone at CHS had committed horrible actions." Twilight said. " Yes, but they had no idea they were under the sway of dark magic." I said. " Does that really matter?" Twilight asked. " Yes, because they couldn't help themselves. The Sirens' dark magic brought out the worst in everyone. Feelings of anger, jealousy, and lust became dominant. Their positive emotions were sealed away, unable to break free of what had influenced them." I answered. " At least you never became hypnotized." Twilight said. " Something I actually have over most, but I wouldn't go around celebrating it." I said. " How did you figure out that it was your Equestrian magic that protected you, or rather, our friends, as you had no magic. I still can't believe that you were immune without any kind of protection." Twilight said. " I'll reveal that later, but to answer your first question, it was just an assumption. However, the problem was that they didn't know how to use their magic, and I couldn't provide them with any explanation, as I had none myself, at the time. The only one who could help us was Princess Twilight, and that meant bringing her back to this world again." I said.