The Other Journal

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 31: To Talk at Midnight

Day: Thursday
Weather: Sunny
Time: 7:00pm

Princess Twilight had revealed the true origins of the Dazzlings to us. They were magical creatures from Equestria called Sirens. They would absorb the negative energy from their victims by causing strife and discord. Armed with this new knowledge, my friends, Princess Twilight and I attended a party hosted by the Dazzlings for the bands competing in the Battle of the Bands, the event which was once the Musical Showcase. An attempt to use the same magical rainbow that had been used to defeat me failed, so now we had to come up with another course of action. My friends would accept Her Highness into the Rainbooms as their sixth member, a vocalist. I know that I should have been happy for her, seeing as she was the true magical expert, yet why was I being left out? Was it possible that my friends still hadn't fully forgiven me for what I did to them in the past? Maybe I'll find out when we go to Pinkie Pie's place for a sleepover.

The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
December 22, 2015
Chapter 31: To Talk at Midnight.

" You're being too hard on yourself again." Twilight said, checking on the condition of my injured hand. It still felt sore from pounding the ground in frustration, but at least it had stopped bleeding now. She insisted on changing the bandages, so I gently placed my hand on her lap, where she proceeded to remove the old bandages before replacing them with the new ones. " Don't worry, Sunset. The wound isn't anything serious, but you'll need to keep these bandages on for a couple of weeks until it heals completely." Her smile made me feel a lot better. I was also surprised that she knew how to treat anyone. I suppose she must've taken a first-aid class or two.

" I had a good reason to be hard on myself this time." I said.

" What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

" We discovered that the only way we could defeat the Sirens was to fight fire with fire. Or, as the case me be, fight music with music. To break the spell that had gripped the minds of everyone at CHS, a counter-spell was needed in the form of a song. For it to be effective, everyone had to hear it, and the only time everyone would be in the same place all at once was the Battle of the Bands that weekend. The Rainbooms had suddenly become the band that every other band wanted to beat, so we were sure everyone would be paying attention to them." I answered. " I was the only one 'out of sight', since I wasn't in the band."

" I still don't get why you didn't want to be in the band. I know you can't play, but you could sing, though, right?" Twilight asked. That was something I had yet to reveal to her, but how could I go about explaining how I could sing with such finesse? Even after all this time, our other friends never once asked me where I learned to sing. Guess it wasn't an important issue to them, given what was happening at the time. After mulling over it for a few moments, I came up with an answer for Twilight, the honest truth.

" Yeah. I took private lessons from an established singer at CHS, but chose to keep it private. I didn't want anyone to laugh at the fact that I wanted to sing and was learning from one of the best." I answered. At the same time, I wanted to maintain some semblance of my previous bad girl attitude. I didn't want to go back to how horrible I had been to everyone, but I did want to maintain my coolness factor. Was I really that shallow? I should have just come clean rather than kept it private.

" Who taught you?" Twilight asked.

" She never gave me her real name out of fear that she would be picked on by the other students for associating with me. Instead, she asked me to refer to her as 'Countess' and nothing more. It sounded weird, but I agreed to her condition out of respect and wanting to keep her safe." I answered.

" Okay, so why didn't our friends choose you to become part of the band? I'm sure the rules of the competition state that band members didn't need to play an instrument in order to participate. In fact, the Sirens were an all-singing group." Twilight said.

" Yeah, but in the end they chose Princess Twilight to become the sixth member of the Rainbooms. After all, she had the magical know-how to come up with the counter-spell which would be used to break the Sirens' hold over everyone. Since she wasn't able to play an instrument, still not used to holding things with her hands, she opted to sing instead, which did upset Rainbow Dash. Me? The others didn't know that I could sing, because I had chosen to keep that a secret. I also suspected that they didn't fully trust me." I said.

" Why would you think that?" Twilight asked.

" Because they had been ignoring me since Princess Twilight returned. If they had truly trusted me, I would have been included in the plan to defeat the Sirens. Yet, I was left on the sidelines to be nothing more than a cheerleader. Sure it sounds glamourous, but you quickly discover that you don't do much of anything other than simply be there. Had I been more open with my singing ability, I could have contributed to the band. Or, had Rainbow Dash given me a crash course on playing the guitar sooner, I could have provided some decent back-up strumming." I answered.

" Sunset..." Twilight said.

" If you thought I had it bad, though, Princess Twilight had it even worse. Because everyone viewed her as their beacon of hope, the amount of pressure placed onto her shoulders would increase with every passing moment. If she could have chosen it as an option, Her Highness would have preferred not to have all that attention." I said.

---

If I could describe what happened during the party in one word, it would be 'disastrous'. Princess Twilight and my friends had attempted to use the Magic of Friendship--what they used to defeat me--in order to break the Dazzlings' control over everyone. When she informed us of what they really were--Sirens from Equestria--Her Highness concluded that using the same method used on me would do the trick. Since their band The Rainbooms were competing in the Battle of the Bands, they were invited to the party, arranged by the Dazzlings, being held in the school gym that evening. Their aim was to absorb more negative energy by having everyone argue again, but they needed a trigger that would stir up confusion. That came when Princess Twilight and my friends called them out, saying there wasn't going to be a competition. I sensed that something was wrong with the plan, as none of them gained their pony ears and pony tails that occurred before, but I chose to keep quiet about it.

When they attempted to use their magic, it failed miserably. Rather than freeing everyone from the Dazzlings' control, they had instead embarrassed themselves in front of the entire student body. Adagio, leader of the Dazzlings, used such a mishap to her advantage, prompting everyone to become furious over Princess Twilight's proclamation. I could have stood beside my friends, but I held back because I didn't contribute to the magic. Once we left the gym, we headed towards the Wondercolt statue in order to regroup and come up with another idea. Princess Twilight was frustrated; what happened back inside wasn't what any of us expected. A small part of me felt glad that she was experiencing frustration. Now she would know how I felt.

Ever since Her Highness returned, my friends had been praising her because she had the magical knowledge that would give us a fighting chance. Me? They ignored my very presence, as though I didn't mean anything to them. Was it because I failed as a magical expert? Maybe, but they should have known I hadn't been immersed in magic for a long time. A thought then hit me. What if my friends hadn't truly forgiven me for my actions? They did state that they've forgiven me for my past "boo-boos", as Rarity coined it, but what if that had been a ruse? Were I to reclaim the ability to use magic, they might think I would use it to conquer the school, or worse. Such thoughts truly frightened me. Was I really suspecting them of lying? They had accepted me with open arms, and now was I questioning their honesty? And what of Princess Twilight? Did I view her as a threat? Had she taken my friends away from me? I didn't dare confide this with any of them, as that might have jeopardized my fragile friendships. Were they fragile? I had no answers to any of my questions. My mind was being consumed with twisted thoughts.

" I don't understand." Princess Twilight began as she paced back and forth in frustration.

" I thought you said we'd be able to create that magical rainbow we used during the Fall Formal?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" We should have done it without any problems." Princess Twilight answered.

" Yeah, well we didn't, and now we're the laughing stock of the entire school." Rainbow Dash said, flicking her hand through her hair, trying to remain calm. The anger in her voice was pretty obvious; she and the others felt awful that the plan didn't work. I could have told them that it was obvious it wouldn't work, because they didn't pony up, but I chose to keep quiet out of fear that I would make the problem worse.

" We're all together now, and that should have enabled me to create the spark that would help us break the spell. Everything was perfect except for the end result! It worked before, so why not now?" Princess Twilight asked.

" I might have an answer." I said. I wasn't going to explain about the pony-up issue. It was just one possible theory that might not even be correct. I had another theory which sounded more plausible, so hopefully they would listen to what I had to say.

" What is it?" Princess Twilight asked.

" When you defeated me, you drew magic from the crown I was wearing. I remember when I blasted you all with that fireball. I assumed that I had roasted you alive, but then you were all surrounded by that purple barrier. I also assumed that you had no magic, but your Elements reacted to the one you represent, Princess Twilight, which, in turn, reacted to the crown, since it was yours." I answered. I honestly had no idea where I was going with that explanation; I was merely repeating the obvious. They witnessed what I had described, so I was merely wasting time. " Anyway, the Sirens' magic comes from their singing. Maybe you have to use similar magic in order to defeat them?" I asked. Everyone then looked at me with blank expressions on their faces. I felt uncomfortable with them staring, but the more important thing was that they appeared to have written my theory as ridiculous. They didn't actually say that, but I believed that was what they were thinking. " Or... maybe not." I said, slinking downward in the hopes that they would shift their focus away from me.

" No, you might be on to something." Princess Twilight said.

" You're just saying that." I said.

" I'm serious." Princess Twilight said.

" Really?" I asked.

" You transform now whenever you play music, right?" Princess Twilight asked.

" Yup. Ears, tail, the whole shebang." Applejack answered.

" Since the Sirens' magic comes from their singing, and your magic comes from playing instruments, we simply need to use a counter-spell in the form of a song. Now, to free everyone from their spell, they all need to hear it. Not a single person can be omitted." Princess Twilight said. Music against music... it did sound like a plausible idea, but were my friends up to the task? After all, the Sirens were experts in musical magic. My friends would be at a disadvantage.

" The band competition!" Rarity exclaimed. " That will be the next time where everyone is sure to be in attendance. The Dazzlings are sure to want to have every last student at CHS be present. There's no doubt it in my mind now! I know this is awful sudden of me to say, Princess Twilight, but you've just become the Rainbooms' newest member." Everyone cheered at the announcement that she had been chosen to join the band. Everyone, that is, except me. I looked down at the ground with a glum expression on my face. My feelings about them ignoring me were turning out to be true. My fears were growing once again. I couldn't be trusted with using magic, because I could relapse. I thought we had all gotten past that, but I guess I was wrong. I couldn't confess that! Not now! They were too happy about Princess Twilight's sudden anointment. My problem would only deflate that happiness, so I kept silent and pretended to be happy for her. Deep down, I felt jealous.

" So what do you wanna play?" Pinkie Pie asked.

" I have to play an instrument?" Twilight asked.

" Duh! The rest of us are playing something, so why not you as well? Luckily, I have plenty of instruments that you could play. Triangle?" Pinkie Pie asked, taking out a small metal triangle which she dinged in front of Princess Twilight. It wasn't anything too surprising; she most likely had it in her pocket for an emergency like this. " Sousaphone?" Pinkie then produced what looked like a tuba from out of nowhere and blew into the mouth piece. " Theremin?" She next produced an unusual looking device, manipulating it with her hands in order to make a warping sound. It sounded alien. We all should have expected such absurdity coming from her.

" Those are interesting instruments, but none of them are going to work." Princess Twilight answered.

" Not to worry! I've got plenty more where that came from!" Pinkie Pie said.

" It's not that, Pinkie! I mean, they're interesting and all, but I won't be able to play any of them. We don't have much time, and it would take me way too long to learn to play anything with these things." Princess Twilight said, thrusting out her hands before shaking them. She was right; she had only been in this world for roughly four days. She hadn't gotten used to using fingers, so she would struggle just holding an instrument let alone playing one. This was an advantage I had over her. I had lived here for just over three years, and I was used to having fingers. My problem was that I couldn't play an instrument, and I had chosen to keep my singing a secret. " I think the best thing course of action for me would be to sing." Princess Twilight announced.

" Like, the lead singer? That kind of 'sing'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" I guess." Princess Twilight answered meekly.

" That's usually my gig! This is my band after all." Rainbow Dash. Applejack then looked at her coldly, a silent reminder that the band belonged to everyone, not just Rainbow Dash. She appeared unaware of the expression at first, but she quickly took notice, especially when Applejack leaned forward with a sharp gaze that could make a child cry. " Are you going to give me that lecture again!? Lame!" Rainbow Dash said.

" It's our band! All of us are in this together, and since Princess Twilight has the magical know-how to pull off that there counter-spell, she's gotta become the lead singer. I doubt the rest of us would be able to cast it even if we do have magic inside of us." Applejack.

" This is only temporary..." Princess Twilight began.

" In what way?" Applejack asked.

" We don't have to win the Battle of the Bands." Princess Twilight answered. Her response caused Rainbow Dash's jaw to drop. I had a suspicion she would have that kind of reaction. After all, Rainbow Dash is very competitive and wouldn't hesitate when it came to winning. To be told that the Rainbooms weren't going to go the full distance made her gag for a few moments, but she quickly overcame that when the reality of the situation kicked in. " We just have to perform the counter-spell during the first round and defeat the Dazzlings before things can get even worse." Princess Twilight said.

" So we're going all-out at the start?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Pretty much." Princess Twilight answered.

" That's cool with me! I'll give you the spot of lead singer for the band until this is all over. Besides, this gives me a chance to hone my guitar skills. I mean, they're pretty awesome right now, but I can totally take them even further. Now, what kind of counter-spell should we use to beat the Dazzlings?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Funny you should mention that." Princess Twilight answered.

" Will I find it hilarious?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically.

" I don't know any counter-spells." Princess Twilight answered. Did she actually just say that!? I asked if she could repeat that, assuming she had merely misspoken, but she said she knew none. Just when it looked like things were getting better for us, it suddenly popped like an over-inflated bubble. Surely Princess Twilight would have had the common sense to come to this world in its time of need with a counter-spell. Was this a mistake on her part? Or maybe she wasn't as smart as my friends had labelled her to be? " I'm sure I can figure out how to write one in time for the competition. I just need to concentrate on what would be the best song to use, and I should have it finished before we go on."

" Of course you'll figure it out." Spike said, our eyes turning down towards him. " That's how she became a princess in Equestria! She wrote a totally new spell like it was nothing." I had often wondered about how Princess Twilight was chosen to become an alicorn instead of me, and now I finally knew the truth. She had done something which had never been achieved before in Equestria. I had to admit that she certainly was something else to have done that. It then suddenly dawned on me. That was what Princess Celestia was talking about during Princess Twilight's coronation. It sailed over my head back then, but it all made sense to me. What have I done to become chosen to be an alicorn? Nothing! No wonder my old mentor deemed me unworthy.

" Technically, I helped finish a spell. Besides, there was a little more to it than that, Spike. You know what happened to the others when I initially cast the spell when it was incomplete." Princess Twilight.

" Whatever." Spike said. So she finished a spell someone else had created? I suspected that someone was Star Swirl the Bearded. That didn't change the fact that she had created new magic and became a princess as a result. Perhaps I should ask about what happened that day whenever I had a free moment. Perhaps it could give me some much needed inspiration towards my own goals of seeking forgiveness from everyone. Princess Twilight then took Spike under her arm and took a step forward towards the entrance of the school. Why would she go back in there? The party was still going on, which meant the Dazzlings were still feeding.

" Where are you going?" Pinkie Pie asked.

" The last time Spike and I were here, we spent a night in the library." Princess Twilight answered. The library!? That's my current place of residence! I had to inform her before it was too late, but then it dawned on me. Now I understood why I was so eager to have an unused section of the library to use as living quarters. Princess Twilight had done it before, so I was following in her footsteps.

" No way! We're besties now! Slumber party at my place!" Pinkie Pie announced. That was a relief. I mean, I had no problem with Princess Twilight spending the night in the library, in itself. Rather, my concern was that she might have stumbled onto my living quarters, which would have been awkward for both of us. I had to go back into the building for my belongings, but I didn't want Her Highness to know about my arrangements. It would have been too embarrassing if she were to know that I was living out her previous experience. Having a slumber party was a wonderful idea, as we all needed to wind down especially after the disaster inside the gym. This could give Her Highness enough time to come up with a counter-spell to break the Dazzlings' control over everyone. Surely, nothing could possibly distract her from such a simple task.

---

Twilight had spent the last couple of minutes trying to make sense of what I had just told her, yet she was struggling to come up with an answer because of my incessant giggling. Being reminded of the various instruments Pinkie Pie pulled out from nowhere was sheer comedic gold. I'm surprised she had never once considered becoming a professional comedian instead of a baker. She would practically slay her audience with her antics, but I suppose her sweet tooth is much stronger than her sense of humour. I needed to laugh at something to compensate for the fact that I had told Twilight some pretty deep conflict that went on in my mind.

" Why are you laughing?" Twilight asked, finally having had enough of it.

" Because of Pinkie bringing out those different instruments for Princess Twilight. I can never stop laughing at whenever she decides to break reality. Surely you yourself found her antics to be hilarious, especially when she blew that sousaphone in Her Highness' face." I answered.

" Okay, it was funny, but you have been overdoing it." Twilight said.

" I need the laughter right now." I said.

" Duly noted. I actually thought Princess Twilight knew to use her fingers, seeing as this wasn't her first visit here, but I guess that being reliant on a horn to do everything for you would make her say otherwise. I'm still concerned with this jealousy angle that's present throughout what happened after Her Highness first returned." Twilight said.

" Like I said, I would get over it." I said.

" While that may be true, my concern is that it happened in the first place. Princess Twilight never intended on taking our friends away from you, nor did she intend on showing you up. Your subconscious only assumed this was a problem. Your insecurity was being threatened by an outsider. Reacting in such a manner as you did was expected. If only you could have seen a psychologist, then there would have been no issue." Twilight said. Her words made me think of something. If she didn't make it as a scientist, she would make an excellent psychologist instead. Wait! Did she seriously just say psychologist?

" Twilight, that wouldn't have been a good idea." I said.

" Why not?" Twilight asked.

" If I had seen a psychologist, they would have had me sent to an insane asylum or something. How could I explain to them about a magical kingdom filled with colourful, talking ponies without one of them declaring me legally insane? Even the local psychologist at school continues to doubt the existence of magic despite seeing it by just looking out of his window." I answered.

" Guess I hadn't thought of that." Twilight said.

" It was a kind gesture, but again, I got over those feelings." I said.

" Just like that?" Twilight asked, snapping her finger.

" No, I did have to endure another low point in my life in order for me to overcome my issues." I answered. I wasn't looking forward to when I would have to explain that bit to her. There were some choice words I said about our friends, along with other students, that I regret ever thinking about. It didn't help that the Sirens made me feel even worse when they took advantage of my insecurities. Twilight then grabbed the edge of the page and turned it over, and looked confused about what was featured on the next page. It was a drawing that depicted a slice of pizza. It took me a moment to remember the significance behind it.

" Um, care to explain?" Twilight asked.

" It's what Pinkie ordered for the slumber party." I answered. I'm familiar with the concept of having plenty of food for people to eat, yet there was a difference between having enough for seven people and enough for an entire army. Pinkie obviously went for the latter, ordering roughly a few dozen boxes of pizza. I had no idea where she got the money, but I simply attributed it to her being herself. Still, I'm glad that she took me into consideration when she made the order along with Princess Twilight. We ponies don't eat meat under any circumstances.

" You went to a slumber party?" Twilight asked.

" Have you ever been to one?" I asked.

" Before I met you and the others, the only one I was ever close to was Spike. I never had any friends, so I never got to experience what a slumber party was. I've read up on how they work, though. Truly a fascinating subject, especially the part where the girls talk about nonsensical things just because they were in the mood. Since I had no actual human friends at the time, I just focused on my schoolwork. My parents were always worried about me because I preferred the companionship of molecules as opposed to interacting with people." Twilight answered. I then wrapped my non-injured around her neck and drew her closer to give her a loving embrace. I know that I had my share of problems, yet mine were my own doing out of jealousy and anger. Twilight's problems weren't her own doing. She was forced to experience such loneliness because other people either were jealous of her intellect or deemed her too weird to hang out with them.

" I'm so sorry that you never experienced such precious moments." I said, trying my best to hold back my tears.

" It never bothered me all that much, because I had plenty of free time to work on my scientific interests." Twilight said.

" Well, I'm going to make sure you get to experience a proper slumber party, and I won't take no for an answer!" I said.

" That would be nice, but perhaps sometime after final exams." Twilight said. I began to laugh. Only Twilight would come up with an excuse that had to do with her studies, but then, that reminded me of myself at a young age. I always preferred to study and seek out knowledge. She never got to make a choice on what she wanted, while I did, choosing the friendless path. Makes me wish that I could have been in her shoes. " The slumber party you all had was a way to calm your nerves after what happened in the gym, right? Was it a peaceful experience, or did something happen?" Twilight asked.

" It went well at first. We were all just goofing off like we used to before this whole Siren thing. Princess Twilight and I would soon realize that our lives would have something in common, despite our problems being different." I answered.

---

Pinkie Pie was nothing short of amazing! Not only had she announced we would all be having a slumber party that night, she also had managed to get all of it arranged with her family within the span of a hour. I knew she loved parties, but this was taking it to an extreme. Still, at least I was able to sleep in an actual house. Legally, this time, unlike what I've been doing since leaving Flash Sentry's house, sneaking into people's homes or sleeping in homeless shelters.

Even though I was excited about the experience, the truth of the matter was that I had never been to a slumber party before. At least I was invited because Pinkie didn't want me left out, but did she do it just to appease me because of how I had been ignored prior? I didn't know for certain. All I could do was go and have a good time, even though I had those issues clouding my head. Combined with the problem involving the Dazzlings, things were getting pretty strenuous.

Pinkie's house looked normal on the outside, which felt awkward, since it clashed so much with her personality. On the inside, though, it was more chaotic. I guessed her family didn't mind any of the absurdity that she used to decorate the interior of the house. Me? I would have questioned her sense of ethics. Most objects around the house had something pink associated with them, and there was an obvious candy theme present. It felt like being in a candy store that had been warped into a crazy cacophony of colours that could blind someone if they weren't careful.

An hour had passed since the slumber party began, and we were all having the time of our lives. Everyone had brought their own pajamas--myself included--with the exception of Princess Twilight. She had none of her own. Luckily, Rarity let her borrow one of hers; she had brought extras, for some reason. As the night progressed, Pinkie was updating her status on a website called MyStable. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were playing video games, while Rarity, Fluttershy, and I were taking selfies. Even Spike managed to get in on the act, despite Rarity's disdain when he ruined a really good shot. Princess Twilight, on the other hand, was trying to come up with a counter-spell that could be used against the Dazzlings. While I had no idea what she was writing down, I could sense she was struggling given the various looks that appeared on her face. Once we were done taking selfies, Fluttershy inched closer to Pinkie's bed, while Rarity and I decided to watch the video game shenanigans. It didn't last very long, as Rainbow Dash slammed the console because she was losing.

" Hey! You did that on purpose! I was winnin'!" Applejack said.

" I doubt it." Rainbow Dash said.

" You know I had the higher score! Admit it!" Applejack said.

" Nope." Rainbow Dash said.

" Uh-huh. It don't matter, anyway. I know I was winnin', and I know you did that on purpose, so that's enough for me to claim victory." Applejack said.

" Whatever! So, Princess Twilight, how is that counter-spell coming along?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Huh? Oh, uh, um, good. It's good. I mean it's going great." Princess Twilight answered. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it wasn't going as well as expected, yet I was the only one who took notice of her stuttered response. I guess the others didn't take notice because they were relieved that she would soon sort everything out. I thought she would've come up with a counter-spell without any trouble, based on what Spike said about how she became a princess. Were my friends wrong about putting so much faith into her ability to solve this? I decided to watch her closely, just in case. It also gave me a chance to put some of my fears to rest. " Thanks for letting me use your notebook on such short notice, Fluttershy. I'm really liking this song you wrote for the Rainbooms." Princess Twilight said.

" Thanks." Fluttershy said before sighing.

" What's wrong?" Princess Twilight asked.

" I was hoping we would actually play it one day." Fluttershy answered.

" Why wouldn't you?" Princess Twilight asked.

" I've been trying to get Rainbow Dash to try it out, but she's more interested in her 'pride and joy' instead. She wants us to perform 'Awesome as I Wanna Be' during the competition, even though we're going to be using your counter-spell to stop the Dazzlings. Sometimes, I don't why I bother speaking with her; she completely ignores my suggestions like I don't even exist." Fluttershy answered.

" I'm sure she's just too focused on her own thing." Princess Twilight suggested.

" Maybe, but I don't know how much longer I can put up with it. For the sake of the Rainbooms, though, I'll endure as best as I can." Fluttershy said. I overheard their conversation, and I felt sad that Fluttershy's obvious talent for song-writing was being ignored. Heh, ignored... She was going through the exact same feeling of rejection that I was, but on a smaller scale. I would confront Rainbow Dash about how she had been treating Fluttershy, but I wouldn't even know what to say. I could make the situation worse if I interfere, so I chose to keep my opinions to myself.

" Princess Twilight, I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come back to help us." Rarity said.

" I'm glad that I could be here, but you guys don't have to refer to me as 'princess'." Princess Twilight said.

" Aren't you a princess, though, darling?" Rarity asked.

" Yes, but I don't really like the title to be used by my friends." Princess Twilight answered. " If the Dazzlings were to figure out that I was an alicorn princess from Equestria, they'd immediately figure out our true intentions. Just think of me as another ordinary teenage girl--like you do with Sunset Shimmer." Princess Twilight said. It had been a while since I referred to her as Twilight without the princess title. At that moment, there came a knock on the front door which startled everyone except for Pinkie, who must have known who it was.

"Quite understandable. We'll call you Twilight, then." Rarity said.

" Pizza's here!" Pinkie Pie shouted. The instant she said that, we all zipped out of her bedroom and down the stairs, except for Princess Twilight. When it came to pizza, nothing could stop a bunch of hungry teenage girls from pigging out. I was fortunate that Pinkie was aware that I was a vegetarian. The thought of me, a pony, a natural herbivore, eating something that clearly came from another animal was just too revolting for me to even think of. How could humans eat animals anyway? Hopefully, they offer Princess Twilight some of the vegetarian pizzas. If they don't, I will.

Normal people would only order about three pizzas at the most. Pinkie was anything but normal. She had, in fact, ordered about sixteen pizzas, all the same size, but with varying toppings, crust thickness, and slices per pizza. Now that's what I call variety, although one had to wonder where she got the money. Ordering that many wasn't cheap.

Later on, after everyone had gone off to bed, I had a bit of trouble sleeping. My mind was still filled with those thoughts about how my friends were ignoring me and fawning over Princess Twilight. If I hadn't failed to properly figure out who the Dazzlings really were, I wouldn't be feeling the way I did. Maybe I was just overthinking everything. I would try to get some sleep, but before completely dozing off, I could hear faint footsteps weaving their way across the carpet until they stopped in front of a bedside table. I opened one eye to see who had been walking around, and I couldn't tell who it was, as everything was too dark. Once they had left the bedroom and gone downstairs, I got up from my sleeping bag before weaving past my friends to avoid waking them. Leaving the room, I walked downstairs slowly so as to not alert whoever had left previously until I was certain of who it was. A light was protruding from the kitchen, so I slowly walked towards the edge of the door before listening in. Someone was writing something down, rather quickly, by the sound of it, but the immediate voice that followed was a dead giveaway.

" No. That's not going to work! How about this, instead? Ugh! That won't do it, either! Maybe this will do it? Ack! Nothing!" Princess Twilight said.

" Hey, Twilight!" I announced as I appeared in the doorway.

" Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight gasped, taken aback by my sudden presence. " How long were you standing there?"

" Not very long. I was having trouble sleeping and I heard someone sneaking out of the bedroom. I wasn't expecting to see you here. You can't sleep, either?" I asked. I then noticed the opened notebook in front of her, and before she covered it with her hands, I saw a number of scribbles, drawings, words, numbers, and a lot of Xs. I suspected something was amiss. Why would she suddenly hide her work? I chose to ignore it on the off-chance that my suspicion was incorrect. " Then again, you not being able to sleep is understandable." I said.

" Just looking over the counter-spell. We only have one chance to use it." Princess Twilight said.

" How come?" I asked.

" If this spell isn't perfect when we use it against the Dazzlings, the chances of it failing increase dramatically. If they figure out what we're trying to do, we'll never get another chance." Princess Twilight answered.

" That explains why you need it to be perfect." I said.

" I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out the final details, but so far, I'm just not getting anything." Princess Twilight said. Who was she trying to fool? Judging from what she had written down in Fluttershy's journal, it wasn't just the last pieces that confounded her. Rather, it was the entire spell that was giving her a hard time. Her Highness definitely took pride when it came to magic, as she wanted to prove that she could handle the more complex natures behind it. Maybe she should stop working on it for a while before her brains end up frying under the intense pressure. I could tell she was stressed out, as her lower lip was quivering and her fingernails had been chewed all the way to the quick. " It has to be perfect!" Princess Twilight said.

" Maybe you ought to work on it in the morning?" I asked.

" No, I can easily stay up for another hour or two." Princess Twilight answered.

" Are you sure about that?" I asked.

" Don't worry about me, Sunset. I'm used to this sort of thing; back in Equestria, I've had to spend entire nights trying to figure out spells. The more challenging the spell, the more excitement I get out of it." Princess Twilight answered. The sad expression on her face proved that she had just lied to me. Why deny that her spell wasn't working as well as she thought? Was she under a similar kind of pressure that plagued me? Whatever was going on in her mind, I should simply humour her. I don't want to be blamed by my friends for causing her to suffer a nervous breakdown.

" If you say so, Twilight. By the way, I thought you'd like to know that we're really lucky to have you here." I said.

" Everyone has been telling me that since I returned." Princess Twilight said.

" What the Dazzlings had done to everyone at CHS really had them worried, but now they feel that there is still hope. That hope is you, Twilight, the one who can light their darkest hour using the magic that you possess. I don't mean to give you any pressure or anything, but they truly look up to you. You're trying your very best to sort out this situation before it gets any worse, and no matter what happens, they will always be grateful." I said. My words weren't my best but at least I tried to make her feel better.

My stomach then started growling up a storm. Walking over to the fridge and opening it hoping to find a snack, I was disappointed to find that there was nothing edible to be found. I was shocked at what was inside, though. " Who could possibly need this much whipped cream?" I asked. The contents of the fridge consisted only of bottles of whipped cream, which made me wonder whether Pinkie had an obsession with the stuff. Or, maybe someone else in her family, instead? Grabbing a bottle on the top shelf, I turned around to face Princess Twilight before spraying a bit on my thumb. " I've been thinking about something for a while now, so I'm wondering if you want to hear me out?" I asked.

" I could do with a change of pace." Princess Twilight answered.

" It must be nice that everyone is looking to you to solve a problem. I know they are also giving you a lot of pressure, but like I said, they see you as a beacon of hope. The spell may take you some time to figure it out, but they know it will happen because they believe in you. Now, look at someone like me. Everyone thinks of me as someone who is bound to cause a problem because of how I used to be. I've tried my best to prove that I've changed, yet they refuse to believe my integrity. No one wants me to help, so they ignore me in the hopes that I would just go away. We're both on the opposite ends of the spectrum, Twilight, whether we like it or not. You're on top of a mountain, where everyone is happy to see you. I'm on the bottom, where no one is there to see me." I said.

" Just because everyone expects me to be this great saviour doesn't necessarily mean it will happen. I'm not perfect; I've made just as many mistakes as you have, Sunset Shimmer. Everyone has flaws that make them who they are. I can only do the best I can with what I know, and if it's not enough, then people just have to accept my limitations for what they are." Princess Twilight said.

" My mistakes are a lot worse." I said.

" Perhaps, but you've been trying to prove everyone wrong about you. They expect you to cause trouble because they're tied down to the past. If they could only look beyond what they see in front of them and look at the person within, they will understand the truth. Try as they might, pretending it doesn't exist is just foolhardy. I always knew you were capable of turning your life around. Most saw nothing more than the evil girl who tormented them for years. I saw you as a prisoner of your own ego who wanted to break free from the bonds that trapped her." Princess Twilight said.

" I accepted my fate by allowing them to bully me." I said.

" Fate doesn't decide what we do with our lives." Princess Twilight said.

" Then why do they expect me to remain evil?" I asked.

" Because that's all they've ever known about you. This new persona you've been applying to your life is foreign to them. They don't understand why nor do they even care, as they only see you for what you used to be." Princess Twilight answered.

" I wish that I could be like you." I said.

" The burdens I carry on my shoulders would tear you apart." Princess Twilight said.

" Mine are just as bad; I still carry a lot of guilt over what I did. Not a day goes by that I don't regret my decisions, wishing that I could turn back the clock and stop myself from making the first of many mistakes. Had I stayed on as Princess Celestia's student, I would have become a princess at the right time. Instead, I let my anger blind me to the obvious truth that I wasn't ready. Don't even get me started with what I did during my time in this world." I said.

" But you've changed." Princess Twilight said.

" Have I? Have I really? I'm still prone to temper tantrums, which really don't do me any favours. Whenever people see that side of me rear its ugly head, they condemn me straight away for not having changed. I'm also condemned in that they say that my efforts to prove that I've changed are nothing more than a lie. They say I pretend to be nice so that I can backstab them later." I said.

" Then you need to show them." Princess Twilight said.

" That makes two of us. I need to show everyone that I've changed for the better, and you need to show yourself that you can handle this counter-spell." I said. Both of us then looked at one another after having exchanged so much back and forth. We each smiled a false smile, indicating that we had a pleasant conversation, despite the pain being so apparent. I was wrong about Princess Twilight, after all. She had no desire to take my friends away from me. Her struggles with trying to please everyone are similar to my own struggles, and surely, she felt the same way. To think that only just a month ago were we at each other's throats. No doubt that this conversation had opened our eyes to the truth about us both.

" Our struggles to please everyone become ever more challenging over time." Princess Twilight said.

" They have expectations for us, and we can't meet them. Things keep getting in the way." I said.

" The last thing you want to do is..." Princess Twilight said.

" Let everybody down." We both said.

" You may not realize it, Twilight, but we have quite a lot in common." I said. I then wiped the whipped cream off of my thumb before putting the container back in the fridge and closing the door. I turned to my left, where someone was standing there, staring at me with a blank expression. I was completely caught by surprise; I had no idea they had even entered the kitchen.

"WAAAAH!"

" Boulder was hungry." It turned out that our visitor was Pinkie's older sister Maud Pie.

" When did you get here?" I asked, clutching my chest because it felt like I had just gotten a heart attack.

" Just now." Maud Pie said.

" Did you say your boulder was hungry?" I asked.

" Yes." Maud Pie answered.

" Since when do rocks eat?" I asked.

" I don't follow." Maud Pie answered.

" Never mind." I said.

" Goodnight." Maud Pie said. She then opened a nearby cupboard and took out a box of crackers, which she then proceeded to sprinkle on a small rock she was holding in her hand. As the crackers dropped to the ground, she turned around and walked off, leaving the cupboard open and a trail of crackers behind. Maud had chosen to take the box for reasons I'm sure I won't understand. Once she had left the kitchen, I turned to face Princess Twilight, who was just as confused as I was.

" I still can't believe that she's related to Pinkie Pie." I said softly. Of all her family members, Pinkie was the odd one out. Where she was peppy and full of energy, the rest of them were stoic and reserved. Sometimes, I had to wonder if Pinkie was even related to them at all, but that was a question I had no intention of asking any time soon.

" You and me both." Princess Twilight said. We both then looked at each other before giggling.

" It's getting late now, and I really could do with some sleep. I appreciate the conversation tonight, Twilight. It helped me understand you a lot better than before. You hopefully understand me a lot better, as well. Anyway, good luck with that counter-spell! Not that you need any luck, anyway. Compared with what you've experienced in Equestria before and after becoming a princess, this must be nothing to you." I said. As I turned to head out of the kitchen, Princess Twilight tried to say something, but she held back, as though her heart told her to not speak. I didn't know what it meant, so I simply smiled at her before leaving and making my way back upstairs. Aside from Maud Pie making an unexpected appearance, that conversation was something I needed to have experienced. While I could definitely rule out Her Highness for aspiring to ignore me, my friends were a different story, for they were clearly ignoring me in the big picture. I had a lot to think about before the Battle of the Bands.

---

" Wow..." Twilight said, speechless at what she had just heard.

" If Princess Twilight hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night, that conversation wouldn't have taken place. It gave both of us some answers to questions that were plaguing our minds. There were still many questions that lacked answers, but at least we had gotten somewhere. As far as I was aware, Princess Twilight stayed up a little while longer before she eventually turned in for the night." I said.

" I don't understand the whipped cream bit, though." Twilight said. That statement had me giggling. She then looked at me, her face swelled up in a pouting gesture, and I waved my non-injured hand in response to indicate that I wasn't laughing at her. Rather, I was laughing at that particular moment. I never did ask Pinkie why her fridge was stocked up with bottles of whipped cream. Maybe I'll ask her about it one of these days. " Alright. I'll admit it was pretty funny; no one would ever expect to see that inside of a fridge. I was surprised when you said that Pinkie was the odd one out among her family." Twilight said.

" They're all pretty traditional in their thinking, while Pinkie is anything but that." I said.

" Was she really struggling?" Twilight asked.

" Princess Twilight?" I asked.

" Yes. According to what you wrote down, what she had written in Fluttershy's journal could be amounted to an incoherent mess." Twilight answered. That was a pretty good way to describe what I saw. Maybe I should have talked to Her Highness about it rather than ignore the problem. We could have figured out a solution together instead of her having to come up with a solution on her own.

" Magic is her specialty, but not music." I said.

" I guess that explains it." Twilight said.

" If she had a better understanding of music, she could have more easily come up with an ideal counter-spell." I said.

" You sound as if she did come up with one." Twilight said. Again, I couldn't hide anything from her. She was just like Princess Twilight. Both sought the pursuit of knowledge and could easily deduce what people were trying to say. I then remembered what happened the morning after our conversation in the kitchen. It's weird, though; Princess Twilight could clearly sing. I observed her when she sang in the school cafeteria before the Fall Formal, and she was very good. To say her singing skills had drastically changed from that point to the morning after the slumber party would be an understatement. Maybe it was the pressure getting to her?

" She did." I said softly.

" I knew it!" Twilight exclaimed.

" It wasn't anything to celebrate over." I said.

Comments

[icecreammac]

A good chapter. I especially liked Sunset's and Twilight's chat near the end. It was indeed one that needed to happen.

[Ganondorf8]

6764752

I'll mention this right here because I'm thinking about it. When you said that you changed certain things around, I was expecting massive changes, but instead it was pretty minor to me. It took me a while to figure out where everything went, and I approve of what you did in the end. The general idea is still intact along with much of what I wrote.

The Midnight Snack scene is considered to be a fan favourite scene by many, so I wanted to expand on it as much as possible without it dragging on or being too sappy. I also had to keep Maud's cameo in there and even gave her a few extra lines.

Also, when Sunset screamed upon seeing Maud, I wanted to keep it as I originally wrote it because she does drag out her scream for an extra second. Plus, I used that same interpretation in "The Legend of Sunset Shimmer" series.

[icecreammac]

6767051 Glad you approved of the changes. However, Sunset's reaction to Maud's sudden appearance doesn't drag out that long. It's more like half a second long, which is why I shortened it.

[Ganondorf8]

6768426

You can give credit to Icecreammac for giving me the idea to put that little bit in there where Science Twilight questions how Sunset knows certain things when she shouldn't. It's not going to happen all that often mind you, but at least there is now an explanation where one didn't exist before.

[Nman625]

You left out the part where Pinkie says, "Soooooo magical!" after she shows off the theremin. 2/10! Bad chapter! (I kid.)

I'm glad I finally got to read that moment between Sunset and Twilight. I've gotta say, that definitely has more of an emotional impact now then it did in the movie. I thought I was going to find Maud's added dialogue unnecessary but you knocked it right out of the park! That certainly got a giggle out of me. ^-^

Just a note. I find Sunset's internal dialogues to be just a bit too wordy. They don't seem all that natural to her regular speech patterns in the movies. A suggestion I could give is to use more everyday words when you can. No one in the MLP universe is really all that verbose. Well, except for Rarity of course. X)

Great chapter Ganon! It was a good read. ^-^