Day: Friday
Weather: Chilly
Time: 1:10pmI insisted on Princess Twilight and my friends practicing in a secluded location so that they wouldn't be sabotaged again. I, on the other hand, opted to remain behind the stage to watch the remaining bands perform in case something else went wrong. Some of them were actually really good, yet deep down, I knew the Rainbooms were going to go the full distance. Looking back, I should have gone with my friends from the start. Had I done that, I could have avoided the Dazzlings, whom I confronted in the very same hallway I confronted Princess Twilight on that fateful day. Their words broke me down emotionally and left me questioning everything I had been striving for. What was I supposed to do now after such horrible revelations? I didn't have time to ponder over it as the competition continued. The Rainbooms would reach the semi-finals, where they had to beat Trixie's band to face off against the Dazzlings. Hopefully, Rainbow Dash's ego and my personal problems won't ruin everything. One could hope, right?
The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
December 30, 2015
Chapter 35: Awesome As I Wanna Be.
" You don't know the half of it." I moaned. As much as I liked Rainbow Dash as a friend, there were times where I would just lose all patience with her. She was very competitive and desired to win without resorting to underhanded tactics. However, once she had won something, she would brag about how good she had been. This would annoy everyone else, which would result in others lashing out at her. My friends and I had since gotten used to her bragging, especially since she had become a lot more tame, but back then she was practically unbearable. Were her actions the result of a need for attention? Did she crave attention in order to fill some void? There were many questions, yet I wouldn't even know where to begin to find the answers.
" From what I gathered from her during the Friendship Games, she didn't seem like the kind of person who would brag." Twilight said.
" That's because she learned the hard way that her bragging almost ruined her friendships for good. She still views herself as being awesome and assures us that she can handle anything, but she's more mellow about it now. When Rainbow Dash says she's awesome these days, you'd better believe her words to be true." I said.
" Did Trixie do something to rile her?" Twilight asked.
" Remember when I told you about the shred-off the two of them had?" I asked.
" Yes. In my opinion, I thought it was a pointless contest. Either one of them could have given that guitar to the other, choosing to get a different one instead of having to see who could beat whom. No wonder the competitive spirit never affected me; I just don't see the appeal of it." Twilight answered. And she was right. Even after my friends told me what happened at the music shop, I still thought it was immature of both Rainbow Dash and Trixie to have fought over a guitar. Those two always tried to one-up each other over everything, and while Rainbow Dash would often come out on top, Trixie would be compelled to try even harder to prove that she could beat her "rival". Humans were a lot like ponies in that regard. Many in Equestria would compete with one another for similar reasons.
" To be fair, had their shred-off never occurred, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have ponied up." I said.
" A mixed blessing then." Twilight said.
" Yeah, you could describe it like that. Anyway, Trixie had been getting under Rainbow's skin for some time, but Trixie's teasing during the days leading up to the Showcase bothered her to no end. Rainbow took pride in her guitar-playing skills, so when she learned that Trixie was just as skilled, an intense rivalry formed between them. They would constantly compete over even the most trivial of things to prove who was better than the other." I said.
" Guess the competition was a perfect outlet for them to stage another contest." Twilight said. Had it remained the Musical Showcase, both Rainbow Dash and Trixie would have still competed, but merely on the side, as the main purpose of the showcase would have taken precedent. Trixie was bad enough, but being affected by the Sirens' dark magic made her even worse.
" If only she hadn't pushed Rainbow's buttons." I said.
" What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
" Rainbow Dash was proud, as I mentioned, so the thought of Trixie ridiculing her was enough to snare her into a trap." I answered.
" What happened?" Twilight asked.
" Trixie claimed that the Rainbooms were nothing without their 'magical ringer', Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash took offence, claiming that she could win the competition by herself, without any help. Suffice to say that our friends didn't take her words very kindly. She had already put a strain on her friendships with them by being boastful, yet that little outburst almost pushed it over the edge. The fact that I contributed to the problem unintentionally further complicated things." I answered.
" You stepped in!? I thought you didn't want to get involved?" Twilight asked.
" When you have someone like Rainbow Dash almost giving away the fact that our friends possessed Equestrian magic, and you had no other options, choosing to get involved would be the ideal solution. Of course, I wasn't prepared for the backlash that awaited me on all fronts. I'll eventually get into that, but first I need to briefly go over the elimination rounds, using the lyrics from the Sirens' song for some creepy atmosphere." I answered, smirking a bit. This should be fun.
The Dazzlings had broken me. Their words had ripped apart what I believed was my reformation and left it smoldering. What was worse than all of that was the fact that they knew everything about what I had done before their arrival. I had hoped to put my troubled past behind me. That wasn't the case; those girls just had to remind me of how I had been a bully to everyone. They even called me a monster! A monster... Had I been deluding myself all along? Had I pretended to be just like everyone else, but was in fact the same monster who brainwashed everyone into being my slaves? Everything was a lie! I no longer knew what was right or wrong. My friends... The Dazzlings mentioned why they didn't really want me to join the Rainbooms. I said that I lacked skill when playing an instrument, yet it seemed they feared their reputations would be further soiled by my very existence. Was I really a burden to them? All of these questions pounded my skull repeatedly, and there were no answers to be found.
Despite what I just experienced, I had to go back and support my friends. Why would I want to do that under the impression the Dazzlings described? A part of me wanted to know the truth. The other part wanted to believe that something could still be salvaged of my friendships. As I walked back to the gym, my head continued to be plagued with all of these thoughts, and they were tearing me apart. It felt like there were two different versions of me vying for control. One represented the old me and the other represented the new me, and it was this latter one which I really wanted to become. Amongst all of these questions, there was one thing I did know for certain: Princess Twilight would be there for me and could take me away from all this grief by bringing me back home to Equestria. I would still likely be punished for stealing an Element of Harmony, yet that felt like true bliss compared with what I was currently going through.
Upon returning to the area behind the stage, Princess Twilight and my friends were watching something that was happening on stage. I wanted to talk to them about our relationships, but my heart convinced me not to. I still felt conflicted about the Dazzlings' words. Speaking of which, they were standing on stage, ready to finally perform. There was no telling what they were going to do, so we all had to brace ourselves for the worst. As the curtain went up and everyone in the audience turned to pay attention, the Dazzlings began to sing.
" Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!
You didn't know that you fell.
Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!" They sang.
" Now that you're under our spell.
Blindsided by the beat.
Clapping your hands, stomping your feet.
You didn't know that you fell." Adagio continued.
Those first lyrics proved our worst fears about the Dazzlings. They had complete control over everyone at CHS and weren't afraid to admit it. No one would complain, however, as they were focused on wanting to prove that they were the best. If there was any doubt that the Dazzlings would be a serious threat in the competition, their song did away with it. As their song continued, they reiterated that everyone was under their power and would do anything they asked. Princess Twilight mentioned, after first returning to this world, that Sirens desired complete obedience in their victims. Anything less than that would be a disaster.
The Dazzlings needed negative energy to maintain both their power and vitality, so making sure no one could resist them was important. If not for the magic my friends possessed, they would have fallen under the Sirens' spell a long time ago. I still had no answer as to why I was unaffected. Given what the Dazzlings had told me, I felt my immunity was misguided. I didn't deserve to be protected from dark magic. I should have been the first student at CHS to succumb to their power.
" We've got the music, makes you move it.
Got the song that makes you lose it.
We say 'jump', you say 'how high?'
Put your hands up to the sky." The three girls sung.
Once they had finished their song, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna got up from their seats and made their way over to the poster on the wall that displayed the brackets for the elimination portion of the competition. They then placed markers that represented each band in certain locations, indicating who would face off against whom during the second round. From what I could see, the Rainbooms had been situated in the bottom left-most bracket, while the Dazzlings were in the middle right-most bracket. Trixie's band was situated in the top left-most bracket, which meant her band and the Rainbooms may have to face off against each other. What was I saying? Of course they would face off against each other. That was inevitable. I then noticed that Flash's band were situated one bracket below the Dazzlings. The chances of his band beating them were slim to none, as the Dazzlings clearly had much more experience on their side.
" Attention students!" Principal Celestia announced.
" We have now posted the pairings for the second round of the competition. From this point onwards, the competition will consist of elimination rounds. Two bands face off, but only one will move on, while the other walks away with nothing. Each match will be decided when one band is 'thrashed', as you young people would say, by the other and are no longer able to continue. There is no time limit and you may play any songs you want." Vice Principal Luna said.
" The first match will be Trixie and the Illusions versus Crash n' Bash!" Principal Celestia announced.
" Will both bands proceed to the stage? We shall get underway." Vice Principal Luna added.
The format for the remainder of the competition sounded fair, although it did mean that each band would have to play their very best. Anything less than that was unacceptable. Some bands, such as Derpy and the Pony Pickers, would quickly discover they were completely outclassed by other bands, like The Crusaders, who easily defeated the former with no trouble. Trixie's band was easily able to crush "Crash n' Bash" within thirty seconds of their match starting. Bulk Biceps overcame Snips and Snails, while the Rainbooms defeated Octavia Melody, Rainbow Dash performing the finishing blow.
" Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!
You didn't know that you fell.
Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!
Now that you're under our spell!"
The second round came to an end with Flash Drive, Photo Finish and the Snapshots, and the Dazzlings defeating their opponents. So now the third round began. Tensions were running high as the music intensified. I had noticed that Princess Twilight's stress was worsening, and it was due to not being able to come up with a complete counter-spell. Combined with the arguing my friends were doing against each other, she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Me? I just looked on in misery. I had been ignored entirely. My worst fear had come to pass, but I still held a faint hope that I could salvage something.
" Listen to the sound of my voice!"
" (Oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh!)"
" Soon you'll find you don't have a choice." Adagio sung.
Another round had come and gone, with most of the bands having been eliminated. In the quarter-finals, the Rainbooms struggled slightly with Bulk Biceps, as he proved to be more tenacious than expected. Once again, Rainbow Dash provided the finishing touch, which only served to further stroke her ego. The rest of my friends looked on with scorn, as she had essentially turned the band into a one-person show. It wasn't surprising that Trixie's band had also won, which set the stage for a Rainbow Dash-versus-Trixie showdown. What also wasn't surprising was Flash's band being beaten by the Dazzlings. While it looked like Flash Drive was in control, in truth the Dazzlings had strung them along until they decided to end it.
" Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!
You didn't know that you fell.
Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh!
Now that you're under our..."
" Spell." Adagio sung, laughing darkly.
I looked towards Flash, who, in turn, was looking at the poster with the tournament structure on it. I could tell that he was furious over his band's loss; the obvious signs of frustration and hatred were clearly in his expression. I felt sad for him. The Dazzlings' dark magic had exposed a character trait which he had kept hidden from everyone around him: He was incredibly competitive and couldn't stand losing. The other bands who got eliminated along the way were pretty steamed about it as well, but he really had it bad. The Dazzlings didn't care either way who would be eliminated when, as they got to absorb more negative energy. I turned my attention towards the other semi-finals match, which featured the Rainbooms squaring off against Trixie and the Illusions. I hoped Rainbow Dash would apply some humility and not allow her ego to dictate her actions, but who was I to try and fool myself? I knew she was going to do something that would ruin their chances.
Princess Twilight, on the other hand, continued to struggle with perfecting the counter-spell, and the bags under her eyes confirmed my suspicions: The stress must have been unbearable for her. I wanted to comfort her and perhaps try and help her work out some of the problems, but I was constantly blocked from helping by my friends, who continued to hover over her like she needed protection or something. When I finally got a free moment, I approached Her Highness, and she was happy that I came up to her.
" How's it going?" I asked.
" Terribly! This is the semi-finals and I still don't have the counter-spell ready! I just don't understand why I haven't been able to make it work! Counter-spells are relatively easy to make, so why am I having so many problems with this one!? All of this stress is giving me an ulcer." Princess Twilight answered.
" Do you want me to help?" I asked.
" That would be nice, although I don't think the others would appreciate it. They expect me to work out all of the details on my own. They still look up to me with admiration, even though it's obvious that their praise has been misguided. To see you helping me would shatter their faith in my coming up with the answers, and you'd be criticized for trying to ruin their chances of getting to the finals. I don't know why, but ever since this competition started, our friends have been growing more and more arrogant towards each other. It's like this competition has brought out the worst in them." Princess Twilight answered. Oh, if she only knew how close she was to being correct in her assumption. On a different note, I learned my friends would find it improper for me to help them even though I could be the answer to their problems. I found myself struggling to want to keep a straight face by choosing to support them, but the thought of throttling them all was growing.
" Guess I'll hold back then." I said.
" Sorry to be such a burden." Princess Twilight said.
" Welcome to my world." I said, prompting Her Highness to share a slight giggle with me. At that moment, the rest of my friends came back after having spent the last couple of minutes watching Trixie's band performing. Unlike the previous rounds, the semi-finals had the competing bands go one at a time in their respective matches, where the feedback from both the audience and the judges would determine who moved on. This was actually a last minute addition courtesy of Vice Principal Luna, so whether this would make or break the Rainbooms remained to be seen.
" Has Twilight finished the counter-spell yet?" Applejack asked.
" Not yet. She still needs more time." I answered.
" Shoot! That's mighty discouraging, but I suppose it's to be expected with all of the crazy things that have been happening since this competition started." Applejack said.
" She should be able to have it ready in time for the finals." I said.
" Should?" Applejack asked.
" Provided that she doesn't get swamped with any more stress than she already has. Look, I know you guys mean well, but maybe you shouldn't put so much pressure on her." I answered. Applejack then looked at me coldly, and I immediately froze on the spot. I could tell she thought I had overstepped my boundaries, so I chose not to speak further on the subject. Princess Twilight could have chosen to defend me, but she was too focused on getting the counter-spell figured out to have noticed. I then received similar expressions from everyone else. It was enough to have me back away slowly while maintaining my silence.
" Don't worry, Twilight. Finals aren't until tomorrow tonight, so y'all have plenty of time to get that there spell workin'. We'll get in a little more practice before we're supposed to hit the stage, but the longer Trixie and her band carries on, the more practicing we'll get. We won't let you down!" Applejack said. The others nodded, sharing similar sentiments. Things appeared to be stable as far as tensions were concerned, but I should have known something would go wrong. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began to talk amongst themselves, and I managed to listen in to what they were saying.
" Why'd you wanna talk with me?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" I, um, needed to address something." Fluttershy answered.
" Sure! What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Um, I was just wondering. We haven't played any of my songs yet." Fluttershy answered.
" And?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Well, um, I thought... Why don't we play one of those?" Fluttershy answered.
" It's the semi-finals, Fluttershy. We need to go with our best song. Any other song at this point would just get us eliminated. We're so close to winning this competition. Our best bet is to go with 'Awesome As I Wanna Be'!" Rainbow Dash said.
" But--" Fluttershy began.
" No time to argue right now, Fluttershy. We've gotta play that to get past Trixie." Rainbow Dash said.
" Don't know why I even asked." Fluttershy said quietly. As she looked down at the ground, disappointed that Rainbow Dash had ignored her, I could only watch her from a distance and curse Rainbow Dash under my breath. Instead of going with something that Fluttershy must have poured her heart over, she decided the Rainbooms would go with the song that reinforced her inflated ego. If I had been Fluttershy's shoes, I would have up and quit the band in protest over having my creative contributions ignored just to keep the status quo. Knowing Rainbow Dash, she would have pouted and claimed that the Rainbooms were lost without Fluttershy, but clearly she doesn't think too highly of any of them. Maybe I was being too hard on her, though; the fate of this world was at stake.
Twilight turned the page of the journal for me once again and was exposed to a number of photos which had been glued onto the next four pages. I told her that each one had been taken by Photo Finish. You could tell because she made sure to include her logo on the bottom-right corner of each shot she took. The photos were of events that took place throughout the Battle of the Bands, and Twilight found herself enamoured with how impressive they looked. Photo Finish was serious about her photographic skills, and this was evident in her work.
" You can tell that everyone was determined to move on through the elimination rounds." Twilight said.
" The desire to win at all costs is what kept them going." I said.
" Yes, and it's completely unnatural." Twilight added. She then looked at a photo of Flash Sentry showing frustration in front of the poster that featured the tournament brackets. The anger in his eyes made her flinch, and I couldn't blame her. Twilight didn't have any feelings towards Flash, unlike Princess Twilight, yet she could still experience pain over how he had been reduced to a sore loser. " To think he would show such a mean-spirited side of himself all because he lost. If he normally had that kind of attitude, he would have easily fit into Crystal Prep. They don't take losing very easily, hating when they fail to live up to the expectations Principal Cinch has of them."
" Was that how things always were?" I asked.
" At Crystal Prep, you were expected to win at everything. If you failed, the rest of the student body would shun you until you either graduated or transferred. No one was given a second chance. It was deemed a form of weakness." Twilight answered. No wonder she never enjoyed her experiences there. She wasn't anything like her former classmates. I would have asked why she attended Crystal Prep if she didn't have the same mentality, but I chose not to, in case it was a private matter. Despite both schools being the final stepping stone before higher education, Canterlot High was for those who wanted a public education, while those who desired a more private experience flocked to Crystal Prep. " Anyway, we're going off topic. I can understand Fluttershy's frustrations over having her song ignored in favour of a more ego-driven song, but why did Applejack give you such a horrible look?" Twilight asked.
" Because I wanted to give Princess Twilight a break." I answered.
" That doesn't sound wrong to me." Twilight said.
" To you, it wouldn't, but it did to our friends. They wanted to save their world from an evil that had come from Equestria and didn't want Her Highness to rest until the counter-spell had been completed. Magic is still a foreign concept to this world, and they felt powerless because they had no idea on how to resolve the issue. That's why they asked me if I could figure things out. I'm from Equestria, and they believed I'd have the answers, but I didn't, so Princess Twilight took the reins." I said.
" So when you spoke out, Applejack scolded you, believing that you didn't have this world's best interests in mind." Twilight said.
" That's why I kept so much to myself." I said.
" It must have been awful."
" I would eventually get to speak my mind, but not in the manner I was going for."
" Oh? How did that turn out?" Twilight asked. She then turned the page of the journal, and she was immediately confronted with her answer. When I took a look at what she was looking at, my heart sank because of how humiliating it made me appear. " That answers my question." We were both looking at a photo that depicted me tackling Rainbow Dash in the middle of a guitar riff, herself completely caught off guard. It was a reminder that Photo Finish knew how to make a lasting impression, and this was an impression which I never wanted to see again. " You actually tackled her during their performance?" Twilight asked.
" I had a good reason." I answered.
" You must have to have gone and done that." Twilight said.
" Rainbow Dash's song 'Awesome As I Wanna Be' had a five minute guitar solo where she would be playing with the spotlight clearly focused on her. The rest of our friends would just be playing backup music and vocals. Her song was clearly meant to stroke her ego and make it even bigger than it already was. If she had taken things more seriously, I wouldn't have tackled her when I did." I said.
" What could she have done that would prompt you to tackle her?" Twilight asked.
" She was trying to pony up." I answered.
" In front of a large gathering? No wonder you decided to do that. She would have revealed to the Sirens that you possessed Equestrian magic, whereas you all wanted it to remain hidden until it was ready to be used along with the counter-spell." Twilight said.
" It also didn't help that Rainbow Dash had to brag about how awesome she was in front of Trixie." I said.
" ...I got tricks up my sleeve.
See me dominate
'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat!" Trixie sung.
I had to admit that Trixie was really good at singing and playing a guitar. While she may have come off as a braggart, there was no denying that she had talent. Everyone in the gym felt the same way upon Trixie and the Illusions finishing their performance. The loud cheers indicated that her song had certainly won their approval. While it was obvious that "Tricks Up My Sleeve" was written to boost Trixie's own ego, there was something about it that felt pleasant. It was calm, soothing, simple in design yet complex in overall scope. The Rainbooms were going to have to bring more than their A-game if they wanted to move on to the finals to face off against the Dazzlings.
" Fantastic!" Principal Celestia announced.
" Your performance proves that you deserve to have made it this far." Vice Principal Luna added.
" That could be enough to propel you into the finals against the Dazzlings, but first we shall see how the Rainbooms perform." Principal Celestia said.
" Attention! Will The Rainbooms please proceed to the stage! You have five minutes to prepare!" Vice Principal Luna announced. The pressure was now on for my friends to give the best performance they've done so far. It felt like they were a shoo-in to face off against the Dazzlings given how they easily beat their other opponents, but a problem was about to rear its ugly head that no one was expecting. Trixie's bandmates walked off to get some water, while Trixie herself decided to walk towards my friends and me. I had hoped she was just coming our way to wish them luck, but I should have known better than that.
" You're never gonna top that performance." Trixie said.
" Oh yeah? What makes you think that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" You guys aren't all you're cracked up to be."
" Are you saying my band isn't good enough to be in the finals?"
" You shouldn't be allowed to when you have such a big advantage over the rest of us." Trixie answered. She then focused her attention on Princess Twilight, who in return stepped back slightly. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, paid no attention to that and instead looked at Trixie square in the eyes, the rivalry between them flaring up once again while the rest of us looked on. I had been looking at Applejack in the meantime, especially after Rainbow Dash said that the band belonged to her, and her eyes were burning with anger. Applejack had been the only one who had constantly reminded Rainbow Dash that everyone had an equal contribution to the band.
" My superior guitar-playing and off-the-charts, awesome singing voice?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Is that what you call it?" Trixie asked.
" Look, get to the point!"
" Trixie believes that what you consider to be superior skills is nothing more than a pitiful attempt to act cool. Everyone knows the real truth about the Rainbooms. Well, everyone accept you, of course, Rainbow Dash. But then, it doesn't surprise me, considering how close-minded you've been lately. If you were as good as you claim to be, you wouldn't have needed to bring in some magical ringer to give yourself a chance of making it to the finals." Trixie said. Again, she focused on Princess Twilight before giving a big smirk on her face and looking back at her rival. Her Highness chose to remain quiet, as she didn't want to bring any attention towards herself. She made the right decision in that regard, as things were about to become really testy. " While your friend Twilight Sparkle may not be approachable, she has proven to be the secret behind your band's success. I wouldn't be surprised if she were the actual leader of the Rainbooms! Then what would that make you, Rainbow Dash? Second fiddle?" Trixie asked.
" What!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
" Am I to assume that Trixie is correct?"
" Ha! Puh-leeze! I could win this thing as a solo act, and everybody knows it!" Rainbow Dash answered. I looked at Applejack again to see if she was okay with what had just been said, and her expression told me that she was completely livid. The rest of my friends, apart from Princess Twilight, had the same expression on their faces. If Rainbow Dash wanted to cause further strife amongst the group, her words had condemned her.
" Then why don't you?" Trixie asked.
" Because my friends and I will beat your band, no sweat!" Rainbow Dash answered.
" Your friends, you say? Well, Trixie suggests that you think on those words carefully. I'm not saying that as a threat, but rather as a friendly warning." Trixie said. She then reached into her pocket, pulling out a small ball. She threw it onto the ground in front of her. Upon impact, it produced a puff of smoke, blinding us and making us cough while she took advantage of the confusion and presumably disappeared. When the smoke cleared, Trixie was indeed nowhere to be found, until Pinkie Pie noticed her hiding behind some spare instruments.
" There she is!" Pinkie Pie announced, causing Trixie to run off in a mad dash.
" I wonder why she went to all that trouble?" I asked.
" It was a pretty good trick." Pinkie Pie answered.
" More like she used it for a fast getaway." I said.
" Doesn't matter! We're going to win and move on to face the Dazzlings." Rainbow Dash said. The girls then proceeded to make their way to the stage while I had to stay behind... watching them have fun while I wallowed away in misery. I could have chosen to simply leave out of not being appreciated, but something inside my heart compelled me to stick around in case something went wrong. Rainbow Dash's song was very egocentric, but perhaps she would not go overboard this time. One could only hope.
The curtain rose, and my friends began playing their instruments, before Rainbow Dash ran onto the stage and started playing a powerful rift. I had to admit that was pretty clever; no one else had done something like that. I then looked at Princess Twilight and realized she should have sung this song. She was just standing there in the background, having been reduced to backup vocals. While she may have been okay with that, the rest of our friends probably didn't agree with that assessment.
" First you see me riding on a sonic boom!
Got my guitar shreddin' up my latest tune!
There is nothin' you can do to beat me!
I'm so good that you can't defeat me!" Rainbow Dash sung.
The music was easy to dance to, if you could ignore the lyrics. I also had to give credit to Rainbow Dash for her choreography, although she was going a little overboard with some of her maneuvers. Playing her guitar behind her neck was just showing off. I could understand wanting to prove that you were as good as you claim, yet there was a fine line that shouldn't be crossed. While she was enjoying the performance, the same couldn't be said for the others. They just stared coldly at while playing along to the lyrics. Even the audience didn't seem all that impressed.
It then had me thinking. Was it a good idea to ask Rainbow Dash to teach me how to play the guitar? I mean, she was obviously very skilled, and I could learn a lot from her, but I was having second thoughts. I may not be in the mood, considering how she had been ignoring me since Princess Twilight came back. Also, her recent attitude shift was one I couldn't accept. Finally, I had this feeling she would try to mold me into her image. Yeah. That last one sounded like I was thinking too much into the whole ordeal. " The more I look at how she moves about on the stage, the more I find it fascinating." I said to myself. " I never knew there was so much more to being in a band than just playing music or singing a song. When the girls first started this band, they were overjoyed about the whole prospect. They were so excited about playing together. But then something happened after they formed the Rainbooms, and things just haven't been the same since. Tensions started almost immediately when my friends had differing opinions, yet I never said anything at the time, as I assumed they would figure it out amongst themselves." Maybe I should have been more vocal.
Reminiscing about the past made me oblivious to what was happening on stage. When I looked up at Rainbow Dash, I could see pony ears were beginning to form on her head. Was she seriously trying to pony up? What was she thinking!? If those ears fully formed, the Dazzlings would figure everything out! Everything would be ruined. I began panicking over what to do. This performance needed to be stopped! My mind was drawing a complete blank, apart from one option. Something in my mind compelled me to get out on stage and tackle Rainbow Dash out of vengeance for how she had been ignoring me. Was I really going to resort to that? Would I allow such a petty attitude dictate what I was about to do? The answer to that question, it turned out, was "yes".
" Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" The Rainbooms sung.
In an instant, it felt like time itself had come to a stop. Everything around me just froze instantly. Even my own breathing slowed down in the moment. No one expected me to have done what I did. When Rainbow Dash realized that I was flying towards her, she couldn't react in time. I tackled her with such force that she flung her guitar. It slid across the floor, causing Applejack to trip over it. She flung her bass in reaction, it bouncing off a few objects before landing with a loud thud on Pinkie Pie's largest drum. This caused everyone on stage to stop playing, and the lights suddenly turned on. Fluttershy began to cry before running off the stage.
What had I done? No words could describe my actions. Rather than checking on Rainbow Dash to see if she was okay, I instead turned towards the audience, who had been brought to a complete silence. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna began writing something down, and it didn't take a genius to know that I had ruined my friends' chances of reaching the finals. I had been accusing them of being the ones who would prevent them from making it, yet I was the one who caused their downfall. To add insult to injury, my fellow students began to shout things at me.
" Now that's the bad girl we love to hate!" Flash Sentry said to the applause of the crowd.
" I knew she was still trouble!" Octavia Melody said.
" The real Sunset Shimmer is back!"
" Shows you that her reformation was a lie!"
" Once a monster, always a monster!"
" And the Rainbooms wanted to forgive her? Ha! They got what they deserved!"
" No. It isn't like that." I said. Once Rainbow Dash had gotten back onto her feet, she looked at me with anger in her eyes. I couldn't blame her. I had actually tackled her to the ground without provocation and ruined everything. The rest of my friends gave me similar looks before they all walked off the stage without saying a word. When I turned to Princess Twilight for comfort, she looked away with tears in her eyes. She must have thought that I had manipulated her when we had our conversation. I then followed behind the others, my head held down in shame. I hadn't just cost my friends everything, no. I had just cost my friendships with them, as well.
" Wasn't there another way?" Twilight asked.
" There were, but my mind was fixated on tackling Rainbow Dash. My desire to see her get what she deserved proved too much for me to resist, and it would strain my friendships to the breaking point." I answered.
" I take it they gave you quite the stern lecture?" Twilight asked.
" It was more like they talked down to me. I realized after the fact that I should have done something less disruptive, but the damage had been done, so I had to accept it and move on with my life. It would take several hours for our friends to forgive me for what I did, although I would receive the silent treatment for a while.
" There was one bright spot to come from this, though. Rainbow Dash would later tell me that she thought I was really strong and recommended that I try out for the wrestling team. I didn't think my tackle was anything special, but she was very persistent about it." I answered. It was either the wrestling team or the football team, as they needed someone who had a lot of power. I would tell her that I wasn't interested in trying out for sports teams; I was more interested in the sciences. Rainbow Dash accepted my answer, though I did insist on learning how to ride a motorcycle; seeing them enough times throughout Canterlot piqued my curiosity.
" I'm curious as to how the Rainbooms made it to the finals." Twilight said.
" It was magical intervention." I said.
" What?" Twilight asked.
" Trixie's band had obviously won the match after what I did, but the Sirens had other plans. They knew by that point that our friends possessed the magic that brought them to CHS in the first place, so they decided to manipulate the results. Their magic was stronger by that point, so by singing to the two sisters, they convinced them to allow the Rainbooms to move on instead of the Illusions." I answered.
" I'll bet Trixie was shocked." Twilight said.
" We all were." I said.
" Trixie didn't take the decision very well, did she?" Twilight asked.
" She, along with everyone else, believed that our friends didn't deserve to be in the finals. Even they didn't think they deserved it, but they moved on anyway because that's what the Sirens wanted. The Sirens also needed our friends to finally unleash all their pent-up rage against one another, and that's where Trixie came into the picture. The Sirens had need of her jealously to set the stage where they would achieve their goal." I answered.