The Other Journal

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 40: Musical Aftermath

Day: Monday
Weather: Cloudy
Time: 8:30pm

Princess Twilight and my friends competed against the Dazzlings using the counter-spell. At first, they managed to hold their own, but those girls proved to be far more experienced with using magical music. They even summoned spiritual versions of their true selves! They were hippocampi! Things quickly spiraled out of control, the Rainbooms flinging magical attacks to no effect, while the Dazzlings overpowered them. It seemed all was lost until Princess Twilight said they needed me. Me? I wanted to contribute to the band, and I did so in a way that can be described as awesome incarnate. I mean, I ponied up! I got my magic back! I've become the newest Rainboom! So much happened all at once that I'm still trying to come to grips with it. I do feel bad about the Dazzlings, though. Maybe one day they will see the light, as I had. Something else has since come up. It had to do with me. I needed to know more about how magic worked in this world. Why? I felt responsible, because I brought it here.

The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
January 11. 2016
Chapter 40: Musical Aftermath.

" I just assumed you were given some kind of trophy for winning the Battle of the Bands, and everything just wrapped itself up." Twilight said.

" To be honest, there never was a winner." I said.

" What!?"

" There wasn't an actual winner determined. You see, when the Sirens' pendants were destroyed, their influence over the student body, Principal Celestia, and Vice Principal Luna disappeared. While everyone remembered what happened--much to their dismay--and began apologizing for their actions, no one really knew what to make of how the competition ended. The two sisters decided to declare it unresolved as a means of saving face. Our friends weren't disappointed--not even Rainbow Dash--as we had achieved what we set out to accomplish. CHS was once again purged of evil beings wanting to use magic to take over this world. It also meant that Her Highness would be leaving us shortly." I said.

" She had to go back?" Twilight asked.

" Equestria needed her." I answered. While Her Highness would have loved to have stayed for a while longer, she knew that her duties as a princess required her to return. I do feel bad that she doesn't have as much freedom as I do. While I've got some responsibilities around Canterlot, they're nothing compared to what she goes through on a regular basis. Her Highness often wrote about such responsibilities in her responses to my Friendship Reports. While she enjoyed solving "friendship problems", as she called them, there were times where she broke down and confided in me about no longer having any freedom.

Her Highness often tried doing too much at once, and it overwhelmed her. I know she has the pony versions of my friends to help her, but perhaps she should take a vacation to get away from all that stress. Coming here and spending a couple of days with me and our human friends would do her some good. Sometimes, I'm glad that I didn't become an alicorn. I probably wouldn't be able to deal with all that stress, either.

" Guess her duties come before pleasure." Twilight said.

" You have no idea."

" That bad, huh?"

" While I can't say what she told me in private, Princess Twilight has a lot of duties to handle." I answered. Twilight looked at me, her face glum, as though I sidestepped her question. I really did want to tell her more, but I made a promise to keep what Her Highness said between us. Not even Princess Celestia is aware of how she felt about being stressed out with so many obligations. Princess Twilight had to maintain a brave face, otherwise ponies would lose faith in her to guide them. They relied on her to solve those friendship problems. " Sorry if I can't say anything more, but I have to keep my promise." I said.

" It's fine. Besides, I was only teasing. I had a feeling there was something else to it." Twilight said.

" The Battle of the Bands changed people's opinions of me." I said.

" In what way?"

" Everyone had noticed that I contributed to the defeat of the Sirens. In fact, Princess Twilight said that if it weren't for me, those girls would have had the entire school under their control. When she said that, the students started to approach me and apologize for bullying me. I just stood there as student after student accepted me with open arms, giving me hugs before saying they were sorry." I answered.

" That must have been a true blessing." Twilight said. Oh, it definitely was. I was afraid that the student body would hate me for causing so much trouble. After all, I was responsible for bringing Equestrian magic into this world, so I assumed they would hold it against me. It felt relieving to know that I had finally been accepted after spending so many years alone. Princess Twilight showed me what friendship was all about. I had begun my reformation with five friends, then six with Her Highness, then seven with Spike, and now I had many more. I was loved. Without realizing it, I began to shed a few tears, which Twilight took notice of. " Um, why are you crying?"

" I am?"

" What happened?"

" I was just thinking about what happened when everyone forgave me. That was the first time in my life where I felt like I had finally become free from my past. It had been holding me down for a long time, and I finally broke free of its shackles." I answered. I tried wiping away the tears using my sleeve but to no avail. Twilight then flashed a piece of tissue in front of my face. I grabbed it, a sheepish expression appearing on my face. It was very soft on my skin, which was appreciated. I gently wiped away the tears before placing the tissue to the side. I knew I'd be needing it later.

" Okay, so what happened after the Sirens left?" Twilight asked.

" That would be everyone coming up to apologize for bullying me and to accept me with open arms. At the same time, Princess Twilight would have a romantic moment with Flash Sentry, although they both denied there was anything between them. However, there is always one person who has to ruin everything. Not everyone was willing to forgive me. In fact, only one student still had doubts." I answered.

" Who was it?"

" Trixie."

---

I had watched the Dazzlings run off into the night. I know that they did a lot of terrible things in their quest to become adored, but they went about it all wrong. They needed to earn admiration by getting the respect of those they wanted to have notice them. Using magic didn't help them, either. In fact, I'd say that using magic is what caused their eventual defeat. Still, I felt bad for them. They would now wander about this world as ordinary teenage girls. They were just like me after I was defeated. Would they ever return? Perhaps, but how they decided to go about their lives would be up to them to decide. If they chose to settle down in another town, they could start their lives over where no one would ever recognize them. If they ever came back here to Canterlot, I could see the student body giving them a hard time for a while. Humans were a fickle bunch. They lash out at those who are different from themselves. But give those who are different a chance, and you might see something that you missed before.

Princess Twilight, in the meantime, had been answering questions from the students. While they were under the hypnotic spell of the Dazzlings, they still had some semblance of free will. They were aware of what happened and felt guilty about how they treated one another. It would take some time for friendship to return to CHS. The students then asked why I was on stage with the Rainbooms. Her Highness had hoped I would be noticed and explained that if not for me, everyone would still be slaves. She even said that I was essential in the Dazzlings' defeat. It wouldn't have been possible without me. Upon hearing what I had done, I suddenly found myself being approached by students. Each came up one at a time and apologized for how they treated me. They even forgave me for my past actions and welcomed me with open arms. I couldn't believe it! I had finally been accepted by my peers.

Satisfied that her work was finished, Her Highness was contemplating her next course of action when she was suddenly hugged by Flash Sentry. It was strange seeing him hug her in a friendly manner. Earlier, I learned how she had been brought to tears by his harsh words. I knew Flash didn't mean what he said. His frustration over Princess Twilight not wanting to help him win the competition drove him to lash out like that. Negative emotions really did bring out the worst in people. I could tell that he was really happy about how the Rainbooms had saved everyone. In fact, I believe this was their first moment together that had nothing to do with anything going on at the school. It would have been the perfect time to give them some space, but someone didn't want to give it to them. I noticed Trixie was making her way towards Her Highness, and I had a strong suspicion that she wasn't happy about how the Rainbooms had stolen the show.

" Rainbooms rule!" Flash shouted.

" Glad to see you back to normal." Princess Twilight said.

" Once my mind got free of whatever it is those Dazzlings did, everything just started to make sense again. Look, Twilight... I'm not sure if you'd be willing to forgive me after the way I treated you the other day. My heart really wanted to talk with you, but my head was telling me to focus only on winning the competition. I became so obsessed with it that everything else just didn't matter. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. Everyone else is still coping with what's been going on these last few days." Flash said.

" It's over now, so you don't have to worry about it." Princess Twilight said. Flash began scratching the back of his head while looking at Her Highness sheepishly. He was just surprised at how she was able to forgive him so easily, despite not actually being at fault. The Dazzlings' magic brought out the worst in everyone. They didn't care who they had to step on in order to come out on top so long as they did. It was like a competitive game taken to an extreme. No one ever wins in a scenario like that, no matter how good their intentions were, apart from whoever conceived it.

Turning my attention towards Trixie for a few moments, it appeared my friends had gotten the same perception as I had regarding her. Pinkie Pie had been distracting her with her usual antics, and the angry looks on Trixie's face told me she was getting fed up. Her Highness and Flash needed to have this time to themselves, considering they've yet to have the chance with everything that's happened. Pinkie could easily make her distraction last practically forever, but I doubted Trixie would be willing to take much more of it.

" So... I guess you decided to come back after all." Flash said.

" My friends needed me, so here I am." Princess Twilight said.

" Ever since the Fall Formal, I've never stopped thinking about you."

" I'll be honest and say that the same can't be said with me, but you must understand that I have duties where I come from which need my attention. When I came back here to Canterlot, one of the first things I needed to know regarding current events was you." Princess Twilight said. For a moment there, it looked like Flash was going to walk away when she said that she hadn't been thinking about him. Princess Twilight meant well, but sometimes her choice of words did more harm than good. In this case, he understood that her role as a princess came before personal pleasure. I don't think Flash was aware that Her Highness and I come from a world populated by magical talking ponies. Maybe it's good for him not to know about that. It would definitely raise some alarms if he knew where we were really from. Then again, he might already know but refused to see it as a problem.

" I heard from Sunset Shimmer that you have to leave shortly." Flash said.

" I'm sorry, but I'm needed where I come from." Princess Twilight said.

" I was hoping to take you out for a soda or something, but maybe we can do that whenever you come back." Flash suggested.

" That would be nice."

" Then it's a date... err, I mean..."

" Whatever you consider it to be, I know I'll enjoy it." Princess Twilight said, giggling slightly as Flash stumbled on his words. It was a shame that Her Highness had to go back to Equestria almost immediately after the competition, but Equestria needed her to guide them through any difficult times ahead. That actually reminded me of something important I needed to speak to her about. Considering how she had helped me understand the nuances of friendship, perhaps she could do me a small favour. I walked over to where my backpack had been propped up against the same guitar Rainbow Dash presented to me earlier. Upon opening it up, I looked at the magic journal Princess Celestia gave me. It was time for it to get some much needed use again.

" Enough! I demand to speak to her now!" Trixie shouted, having reached her limit with Pinkie's antics. She pushed her way past my friends' barricade before coming right between Princess Twilight and Flash, disrupting their embrace. Putting the journal back into my backpack, I turned to face Trixie, who appeared flummoxed over how she had been denied her chances of victory. That is, according to what she was spouting. " I cannot believe that you Rainbooms won the competition. Especially after you blew your shot in the semi-finals!" She made a valid point. The Rainbooms were given a spot in the finals illegitimately because of the Dazzlings manipulating Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, so Trixie being robbed was a concern she had every right to gripe about. Then again, she had resorted to questionable tactics to remove us from the competition.

" I know you feel upset over losing." Princess Twilight said.

" Trixie isn't just upset. No! Trixie is downright furious!"

" You'll be happy to know that there was no actual winner."

" What!?"

" Since everyone was under the influence of evil magic, the competition was tainted from the very start. Besides, your band removed ours from competing with that stunt you pulled earlier with the trap door. If anything, that would raise some eyebrows." Princess Twilight said.

" Well, I, um, you see... Gah! You know what? Forget Trixie ever said anything! You may have vanquished the Dazzlings, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Just speaking to you vexes me to no end!" Trixie said. She reached into her pocket and took out another one of those balls before throwing it. It exploded upon impact with the ground, releasing a large volume of smoke, forcing all of us to cough for a few moments. By the time our vision returned, Trixie had disappeared, although Pinkie was quick to point out that she had run towards the edge of the bleachers. She ended up falling to the ground with a lout thud in an attempt to climb down. " Trixie's okay!" I would have laughed at her misery, but I knew she had been through enough, already. I began to wonder if she would really be okay after what I almost did to her.

That image still haunted my mind. I was holding her by the collar and could have easily choked her after what she accused me of doing. While I may have finally been accepted by my peers, I knew that my temper would become an issue in the future should I not get it under control. I suppose it was my passion towards my friends which made me lash out in the first place. I'm not the person I used to be. I had to overcome this problem, or I would just end up as that bad girl that once defined who I was for a long time.

Flash Sentry eventually said goodbye to Princess Twilight and walked off to speak with his bandmates, but there was one small problem Her Highness needed to take care of before she went back to Equestria. The Rainbooms were going to lose one of their members and would be short-handed for the foreseeable future. While that didn't sound all that important, it was a big deal for my friends. We had all gotten closer, thanks in large part to the competition, and her absence would be noticed. Rainbow Dash would assume leadership of the Rainbooms again, but this time she knew to appreciate all of her bandmates and not just focus entirely on herself.

" Our band won't be the same without you." Rainbow Dash said.

" I know, but I must return to Equestria." Princess Twilight said.

" The Rainbooms could really use someone to help Fluttershy on backup vocals and maybe play an instrument while they're at it. I know I'm still the lead singer, but it's reached a point where it kinda feels weird being the only one singing. That's why I asked Fluttershy about singing with me. Before Trixie had to show up and throw her little hissy fit, that is. Another singer would be cool, especially if they can hit the really high notes." Rainbow Dash said. Both she and Princess Twilight were looking in my direction like they were waiting for me to do something. It took me a few moments to understand what they were trying to do, and I ran over to where the guitar Rainbow gave me was still propped up against the wall.

Slinging the guitar over my shoulder, I played a riff with little trouble, and I could tell Rainbow was impressed with the result. She may have just given me a crash course, but I was a very fast learner. I even sang a few lines of the song Fluttershy had written which was used for the counter-spell. Everyone else was quite surprised at my demonstration, and I felt rather sheepish about showing off my skills.

" I was taught how to sing by a professional. I really wanted to contribute to the Musical Showcase before the Dazzlings changed it, and I wanted to show everyone that I had changed for the better. I can't say who my teacher was--she wanted me to keep it secret--but she taught me well. As for my guitar-playing, someone very close to me showed me the basics, and I figured things out from there." I said. I knew Rainbow Dash didn't want me to reveal to everyone that she was the one who taught me. She probably figured that would make students believe she still had an ego problem. She winked at me without anyone noticing. The group then turned their attention to Rainbow in order to see what her answer would be to my request of replacing Her Highness as a Rainboom.

" We'll see." That essentially meant yes, although the winking gesture did seal the deal for me. I still needed some more practice playing the guitar; while my riff was solid, I would have trouble handling the more complex riffs. Hopefully, Rainbow will find some spare time to teach me on the side.

" Sure wish you could stay longer." Applejack said.

" Me too. But I have responsibilities in Equestria that I have to get back to. Its citizens need me. But now I can go through the portal whenever I need to. There will no longer be any need for me to wait for a really long time before the portal opens naturally. The same can be said about using it from this side, but if I feel that the portal has to be closed to prevent the wrong people coming through it and into Equestria, I'll close it from my end until it's safe to reopen it. So this isn't goodbye. It's just goodbye 'til next time. I'm not sure when that will be, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later." Princess Twilight said.

" Before you go, Twilight, I was wondering if I could ask you something in private." I said. Her Highness nodded and we both walked over to the other side of the stage, where I presented her the magic journal Princess Celestia gave me. My friends went back to what they were doing, knowing that I needed a private moment with Her Highness. " This is how you were able to receive my message. This journal was presented to me by Princess Celestia. Because she was so busy with diplomatic issues, we didn't have much free time to see one another in person. We came up with the idea of sending messages back and forth through our journals, but we soon abandoned the practice when she insisted on focusing on my studies more closely."

" What did you have in mind?" Princess Twilight asked.

" I want to resume using this journal. You have given me so much and I want to return the favour in the only way I know how. Twilight, I'd like for you to become my new mentor and guide me along the right path. I know this is sudden, but I'm very serious about it. Princess Celestia taught me as best as she could before I chose to betray her and seek out my own destiny. You brought me back to the path she had intended for me, so now I'd like for you to continue helping me." I answered. My request must have been really awkward for her, given how I just mentioned it without any prior hints. I knew Her Highness had a lot on her plate waiting for her when she returned to Equestria, yet this was something I really needed. My life would be different right now if not for her.

" That was sudden, but I accept." Princess Twilight said, smiling. Hearing her say that filled my heart with joy, and we both hugged one another. I wanted this moment to last forever, but she had to return home where our people needed her guidance. Perhaps one day I would consider returning to Equestria myself. I still had a lot to answer for, but hopefully, it would be an easy transition with Princess Twilight by my side. As she walked through the portal with her faithful companion Spike at her side, I knew that I didn't need to wait for a long time before the portal opened again. In the meantime, I had obligations at CHS that needed my immediate attention.

---

" And that is how the Battle of the Bands concluded." I said.

" Glad to see that you became a member of the Rainbooms and the student of Princess Twilight. You said that you had obligations to take care of. Did they involve the sticker and ticket?" Twilight asked.

" Those had to do with an idea that Rainbow Dash pitched the following Monday. My concern involved the magic, which had now become a part of this world, whether I liked it or not. I had a responsibility to understand how it was supposed to work compared to the magic of Equestria. I didn't want anyone to get hurt trying to use something they didn't understand." I answered. Unlike Equestria, where magic was predictable and easy to figure out, this world had a much different make-up. Magic here was more wild. You never knew what it would do next until it was too late. Back then, I had no idea this would even happen. I was solely focused on getting more power until I gained enough to go back to Equestria and become a princess through brute force. Even now, there is still much that doesn't make sense, but I'm slowly coming to grips with how it works, one small step at a time.

" Did you ask for any help?" Twilight asked.

" Aside from Princess Twilight, I had no one else to turn to. I had once again become this world's resident magical expert. While my magical experience was lacking compared with Her Highness, I felt confident in my abilities. At first, things started out smoothly, but I'd quickly become frustrated, as things weren't making sense. I quickly learned that magic in this world behaved differently compared to Equestria. It was a challenge that I wasn't prepared to handle." I answered. I could have ignored trying to make sense of it and instead focused my efforts on helping our friends, but I wasn't exactly into the same interests they were. I only had myself to blame for not getting more involved in the school's numerous activities. I used to be a part of the school newspaper, but I was kicked out after the Fall Formal. Since then, all I ever did was hang out in the library until nightfall, reading books in order to immerse myself in this world's cultures. Compared to Equestria, this world had plenty of problems. Not every society could exist as a utopia.

" You're just like me, then." Twilight said.

" In what way?"

" You strive to make sense of the world around you. I seek knowledge to better myself as a person. You seek knowledge to prevent disaster from happening. Our roads are similar, but they diverge at different points." Twilight answered. I'm not sure if I would say that I was just like her. Rather, I'd say I was someone who worked behind the scenes. I wasn't doing what I did to receive any kind of recognition; I'm actually trying to keep this on the down-low. My aim was to prevent this world from suffering any further damage from Equestrian magic running freely. No doubt, Twilight will do something in the future and gain instant gratification. Me? I prefer to remain anonymous. I wasn't comfortable with standing out, considering how successful it had been in the past. " So, what significance do the sticker and ticket have?" Twilight asked.

" On that upcoming Monday, we had an exam which no one aside from me was looking forward to. Our friends had a study session, which I unfortunately missed because I wasn't informed about it. What happened during the test isn't important, so I didn't write anything else about it in my journal. What I did write down was what happened later that night, which would lead into the next situation. I would soon learn that my obligations would clash with those of our friends." I answered.

---

Monday finally came along, and all of CHS had resumed what could be described as a regular day. My friends and I had an exam which took much of the morning. While I had complete confidence that I would easily pass it, I felt upset because I didn't attend the study session my friends had at Rarity's place the day before. None of them had told me about the session, and I felt like they had intentionally left me out. It wasn't my fault that I was smarter than most students at CHS. After all, I was the personal protégé of Princess Celestia, an honour given only to the most worthy of unicorns in Equestria. They would later tell me that they completely forgot. They were focused on understanding various chemical compounds which would be featured as questions on the exam. I would have appreciated some kind of warning from them, though.

When Princess Twilight left two days ago to return to Equestria, my friends and I performed a song together as a tribute to everything Her Highness had done. I sensed our magic had gotten slightly stronger since the competition ended, yet how could it have increased so quickly? Magic just doesn't work like that! What was different about magic here compared to Equestria? Ugh! Just thinking about these questions gave me nothing but headaches. I could have simply decided to accept things the way they were and move forward with my life, but instead I chose to fight back against this absurdity. Magic isn't meant to be wild and chaotic. I needed help to figure out some of these answers, so I decided to write to Her Highness and see what she thought.

Later that night, we all had a slumber party at Pinkie Pie's place to relieve ourselves of the stress from the exam. I had hoped to talk to the others about the magic issue that had been bothering me, but they had been busy with their extracurricular activities after school. That made me look at my own life. After I was kicked from the school paper, I never went back to them. Or any club, for that matter. My friends were experiencing so much, and I couldn't join in, which made me feel bad. Perhaps I should try and change my stance and become more active in their activities. It would help me understand their individual talents a lot more.

" I reckon that was the most difficult test I ever did take." Applejack said, removing her Stetson before wiping her brow.

" Why do they insist on making us take something that challenging?" Rarity asked.

" It wasn't that difficult." I answered.

" Of course it wasn't to you, darling. After all, you are one of the most gifted students CHS has ever known. You could even be the most gifted student which would really give you a lot of clout when it comes to future endeavours, like, say, a university degree, or maybe even a doctorate." Rarity said. While that was a nice compliment, I didn't want to make myself out to be better than everyone else. I tried doing that when I was a bully, and that was nothing short of a disaster, so now, I prefer to remain humble and just go about my own business without drawing any attention to myself.

" I'm not thinking that far ahead Rarity." I said.

" Why ever not? You know that we won't be at CHS forever! The time will come when we must decide on our futures, and if you really want to get into the best universities in Canterlot and beyond, applying sooner rather than later would guarantee you a spot. You've got the ideal grades to be accepted without any question." Rarity said.

" I don't think Sunset is that far focused ahead on her future." Applejack said.

" It doesn't hurt to think about it." Rarity replied in a huff.

" Actually, I'm just taking it all in one stride at a time. This morning, when I came to school, so many people swamped me and offered their congratulations for my helping you guys beat the Dazzlings. The last time I had so many people surrounding me was after the Fall Formal when I had to apologize to everyone. It feels so weird that everyone at school has accepted me with open arms just because of my contribution. It feels like I'm just having a very long dream and a mere pinch would wake me from it." I said. I quickly grabbed Pinkie's hand and prevented her from pinching me. When I turned to look at her, she smiled sheepishly with that goofy grin I admired, and I released my grip on her hand. " For the first time in my life, I feel like I can finally let go of my past and move on."

" You've definitely turned things around." Applejack said.

" But I know there is still much more for me to understand about friendship." I said.

" We can help you with that if you want." Rarity suggested.

" I appreciate that, although there is something else that needs immediate attention." I said. All eyes then looked in my direction, which made me feel uncomfortable at first, but I'd quickly calm myself down through some breathing exercises. Once I felt content enough with my nerves, I continued on with my explanation. " I still feel bad about missing out on your study session last night and your afterschool activities, so it got me thinking that maybe I should consider doing something extracurricular again. I used to be part of the school newspaper, but they kicked me out after my manipulations were exposed." Despite the falling out that resulted between myself and the editor, it was a worthwhile experience. It allowed me to get a firm grasp on how technology worked in this world, and it took me about three months to get adjusted to it. I wasn't trying to convince my friends that I wanted to rejoin the paper. I had moved on from that and wanted to try something else, preferably an activity that involved them.

" You want an afterschool activity, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" What are you plannin'?" Applejack asked Rainbow.

" It's nothing illegal, if that's what you're thinking."

" Then what?"

" The Friendship Games." Rainbow Dash answered. The sudden gasps that came from everyone certainly surprised me. I would have done the exact same thing, except I had no idea what she was talking about. Judging from the tone in her voice, Rainbow was very serious about it. " They're coming up next year, but there's a small problem which needs to be sorted out as soon as possible. The Wondercolts teams could do with some new uniforms; our current ones have gotten really outdated. I know there's still a while before the Games, but we really could do with those uniforms. We don't want Crystal Prep to make fun of us for using hand-me-downs while they continue to use the best uniforms money can buy." Rainbow Dash said. That didn't sound like much of an afterschool activity. In fact, it sounded more like labor. My expression quickly turned sour, as I was expecting Rainbow to say suggest a club I could join.

" What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked.

" It's just that what Rainbow said didn't sound like an afterschool activity, nor did it really sound fun." I answered.

" I reckon you're right, so what's the big deal here?" Applejack asked.

" Okay! You got me! I don't know what Sunset likes, but she was looking pretty upset about it, so I tried to make her feel better. Guess my idea didn't exactly work out that well." Rainbow Dash answered. While the others scolded her for giving me false hope, I was smiling in appreciation for her wanting to cheer me up. It was the thought that counted, after all. Secretly, I was curious about her uniform problem. " We just need enough money to purchase the uniforms and we're golden. I did bring this to Principal Celestia's attention, but she said that the school budget couldn't put anything towards uniforms."

" Y'all got any ideas?" Applejack asked.

" None."

" What about a fundraiser?" I asked.

" Would that work?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" If we all contributed by doing something that we're really good at, it would get the students and the neighbourhood to support the cause. For example, Rarity could have a fashion show where the new uniforms would be showcased, Pinkie Pie could have a bake sale, and Fluttershy could have a pet parade. I'm sure that you and Applejack can easily come up with your own contributions. You're both resourceful enough to come up with something." I answered. My friends agreed with my suggestion of having a fundraiser, and despite needing permission from Principal Celestia, it was sure to be a huge success. It then dawned on me that I had nothing to contribute. They all had something special, while I remained devoid of a purpose. Maybe I didn't think this through enough. I couldn't consider a different idea, as my friends were starting to talk amongst themselves about what they could do to make their contributions more special.

I now felt miserable again, as my idea ended up hurting me as opposed to helping me. I had no special talent to call my own, so what would I do for the fundraiser? If I did nothing, then Rainbow Dash would accuse me of abandoning her in her moment of need. Just when it looked like I had figured everything out about my life, something new had to come along and disrupt it. What made it even worse was the magical problem which continued eating away at me. By focusing on Rainbow's problem, I completely ignored my own, and I doubted my friends would be interested in trying to figure out why we pony up. They were too focused on the fundraiser. My only hope to get some kind of answers regarding the magic problem was to get them from Princess Twilight.

---

" A fundraiser doesn't sound like much of a problem, unless it ends up happening like the Musical Showcase." Twilight said.

" It could have gone a lot better had I not made a mess of everything." I said.

" What did you do?"

" I really wanted to figure out the magic problem."

" And?"

" Our friends were contributing to the fundraiser in their usual manner, but I wasn't able to find anything I was particularly special at. I decided to help them with what they were doing, but at the same time they would help me with my own problem." I answered. In retrospect, I should have been more forward with my tests by telling our friends my intentions instead of keeping it all a secret. I could have prevented a lot of frustration that way.

" Maybe you should have shelved the magic problem." Twilight suggested.

" I could have, but my mind was fixated on trying to make sense of it. I was responsible for magic coming into this world, so I took it upon myself to figure out how it was different from the magic seen in Equestria. I'll admit that my approach made our friends uncomfortable, but I had to see it through in the name of research." I said. I just realized right there that I was beginning to sound a lot like Twilight. I was pursuing knowledge in the form of understanding magic, and nothing was going to stand in my until all of my questions had been answered. Was I being stubborn with my approach? Probably. Could I have done things differently? Definitely. Despite the huge mess that I would cause in the name of understanding the magic of this world, nothing happened to CHS. It was just a huge misunderstanding.

" So you spoke to Principal Celestia, and she agreed to the idea?" Twilight asked.

" She had no problem with it, but her only concern was about who would be in charge of the fundraiser. There were a lot of different things which needed to be done for it to be successful, and that meant the one in charge needed to be an expert in multi-tasking." I answered.

" I could see Princess Twilight handling that."

" Unfortunately, Her Highness was unavailable."

" Okay, then who was selected."

" Me."

Comments

[Jakomi of the Rose]

" I still feel bad about missing out on your study session last night and your afterschool activities, so it got me thinking that maybe I should consider doing something extracurricular again. I used to be part of the school newspaper, but they kicked me out after my manipulations were exposed." Despite the falling out that resulted between myself and the editor, it was a worthwhile experience. It allowed me to get a firm grasp on how technology worked in this world, and it took me about three months to get adjusted to it. I wasn't trying to convince my friends that I wanted to rejoin the paper. I had moved on from that and wanted to try something else, preferably an activity that involved them.
" You want an afterschool activity, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" What are you plannin'?" Applejack asked Rainbow.
" It's nothing illegal, if that's what you're thinking."
" Then what?"
" The Friendship Games." Rainbow Dash answered. The sudden gasps that came from everyone certainly surprised me. I would have done the exact same thing, except I had no idea what she was talking about. Judging from the tone in her voice, Rainbow was very serious about it. " They're coming up next year, but there's a small problem which needs to be sorted out as soon as possible. The Wondercolts teams could do with some new uniforms; our current ones have gotten really outdated. I know there's still a while before the Games, but we really could do with those uniforms. We don't want Crystal Prep to make fun of us for using hand-me-downs while they continue to use the best uniforms money can buy." Rainbow Dash said. That didn't sound like much of an afterschool activity. In fact, it sounded more like labor. My expression quickly turned sour, as I was expecting Rainbow to say suggest a club I could join.

You placed Italics on some wrong areas.

I never looked into Sunsets time to shine. I only read about Anon-a-miss.

[Ganondorf8]

6838804

Neither did I which is why a lot of the dialogue doesn't the book apart from some pieces which the Wiki provided. The summary of the book is something I've looked at several times, so I will be following it to some degree.