Jinx Charm

The first day back after what the press was calling the Crystal Prep Incident started out surprisingly normal. Maybe it was just the fact that the entire student body was in shock, or the distraction of having armed security at the doors, but nobody seemed to pay Jinx any mind when she came in. It let her hold on to the hope that maybe everyone had either seen through the lies about her, or simply forgotten.

Of course, things were never that simple. It quickly became apparent that rather than forgetting about the rumour, they were all giving her the cold shoulder. The only ones who would look at her were those with looks of either lust or disgust in their eyes. A student passing out a hand-out in Mrs. Harshwhinny's maths class pretended to not see her, and she'd been forced to draw attention to herself by pointing out that she never got a worksheet.

Between first and second periods, a member of the CHS cheer squad intentionally bumped into her in the hallway, only to remark, "Watch where you're going, Slut Charm." Before she could leave the quickly gathering circle of students, it was quickly followed up with, "Yeah, keep walking! And stay away from my boyfriend!"

By the end of second period, Jinx was actively concerned that her teeth were going to explode if the muscles in her jaw didn't relax. The leering boys and the withering stares of the prudish were quickly coming to irritate the young woman. It took all the restraint in the world not to yell at anyone or throw something. Instead she counted down the minutes until lunch, at which point she could go out to her truck and have a smoke.

"Throughout history, groups have taken and held power through various means," Mr. Noteworthy, her social studies teacher, explained. "One of the most popular means of holding power is known as 'controlling the narrative'. Can anyone explain what it means?"

Jinx raised her hand, and much to the displeasure of some of them, he pointed at her. "It means getting on top of things, telling the story of what happened your way, before someone else can tell it better or more accurately," she said with a glare to all of her peers. "The idea is that through narrative control, you can sway enough to your side and control how they perceive the world, usually in ways that favour you. Those who control the narrative will vilify anyone that goes against their ideals, or poses a direct threat to them."

Mr. Noteworthy nodded, smiling. "Very true. A good example would be the story of Robin Hood." The teacher began writing on the board, talking as he went. "The narrative as told by the supporters of King Richard portrayed Robin Hood as a force of balance, taking back from the nobility to give to the needy and worst hit by John's high taxes and tight rule. Conversely, King John would have the masses believe Robin to be no more than a brigand."

"Another example," she interjected with a bitter laugh as she cast another baleful look around the room, "is smearing a victim of a crime before they can speak out, so that nobody will believe them." Although the teacher looked like he planned on saying something, some sort of reprimand perhaps, Jinx was saved by the bell. It took her no time at all to sweep everything into her backpack, and before anyone else was out of their seats, she was already out of the room.

She stormed through the halls, barely cognisant of the looks and whispers. The catharsis of indirectly calling out everyone who immediately believed the rumour the boys set out wouldn't last, but for the moment, she was riding the high. It seemed most likely that Noteworthy might pull her aside at the end of the second half of class, but she didn't particularly care; Jinx was tired of it all already.

The wind quickly left her sails as she reached her locker. As soon as she saw the sheet of paper taped to her locker, her right eye began to twitch. 'Jinx Charm's Happy Ending Service,' the paper read, citing all the things that she was allegedly willing to do. There was a space beneath for people to sign up, and all of the provided slots were full of initials followed by dates and times. When she opened her locker, only for a number of wrapped condoms to spill out onto the floor, evidently shoved in through the vents at the top.

"What the fuck is wrong with these people!?" she almost screamed. From her purse, she retrieved a disposable shopping bag. After tearing the mocking sheet of paper from the door and stuffing it in the bag, she hurriedly did the same with the condoms. Once that disposable bag had been crammed into her purse, she threw her backpack into the locker, slammed it shut, and locked it.

That was it. She was well past her limit. It was bad enough with everything they'd done thus far, but this was actively mocking her. Even if she had no way to feasibly tie it to them, she knew deep down that it had to be them. Tears of rage began to stream down her face, and it became hard to think.

When she entered the cafeteria, the room fell silent as most conversations died. The only ones still talking were at the table occupied by Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and one of the senior students she didn't know the name of. None of them were even looking in her direction, too caught up in whatever joke the latter was telling. They even notice her until she stopped on the other side of the table from them.

"You fuckers, have a lot of nerve," she yelled, reaching out and toppling a food tray into Hoops' lap. "You bastards invite me to a party with the promise I wouldn't be the only girl there, drug me, and rape me, but is that enough for you? No. You go and tell everyone I consented and that I'm just a huge slut, and now you're fucking mocking me."

"Dunno what you're talking about," Dumb-Bell says, crossing his muscular arms in front of him, fixing her with a smirk. The rugby senior mimicked that confident stance. "Got any sort of proof to back up those claims? That sounds an awful lot like slander where I'm standing."

Although two of the boys seemed confident, the tall Hoops looked a lot less certain. "I don't know what your fucking game is, but if you think I'm just gonna take this like the whore you painted me out to be, you're sadly mistaken." When Jinx growled, he even winced. "You might've destroyed all the evidence this time," she hissed in a trembling voice, sweeping the other two lunch trays from the table. "B-but one of these days, you fucks are gonna slip up, and when everyone sees your little r-rape club for what it is, I'll be there cheering them on when they cage and c-castrate you like the goddamn animals you are."

Without warning, a pair of arms hooked under hers, and began dragging her back. She thrashed and tried to get a look at her assailant, but it was no good. She'd been lifted off the ground and couldn't get leverage or the right angle. All she could do was scream and kick impotently.

Sunset Shimmer

As one of the school's new security guards hauled her gym partner out of the cafeteria—presumably towards the office—Sunset took in all the reactions of everyone in the cafeteria. A lot of the ones who'd been so quick to believe and spread the rumour looked a lot less sure of themselves. The members of the football team present looked outraged.

Already whispers were beginning to spread throughout the room. As if trying to seize the narrative, Dumb-Bell stood up and loudly said, "Don't tell me you actually believe her! She's just saying that because her reputation is trash!" That didn't particularly interest her, because that was exactly the sort of thing she'd expect them to say when called out like that. It'd have been more surprising if he didn't try to save face.

Instead, she had her eyes on the boy who looked like he would have been better served on the basketball team than the rugby team. Though his shaggy brown hair kept his eyes covered, Sunset thought she could see a bit of the colour drained from his well-tanned face. Even during the girl's short tirade, he was the only member of the jock group who didn't look at her. He didn't even seem to register the fact that he was wearing his lunch.

He may be the weak link in the group, she thought to herself as Snips and Snails joined her. It didn't escape her notice that he chose to sit beside her, rather than across like he usually did. Sunset's eyes were drawn to the shiner marring the stocky youth's face. It looked like he might've also had some bruising on his arms, but his cardigan did a good job covering it up. "So, I take it that's the work of one of the rugby team members?" she asked with something approaching the tone of concern. When he looked away, she sighed. "Snips, I already know, so you don't have to pretend you didn't spend a night in a locker."

That gets a surprised look from Snails, who evidently hadn't been told. What is it that humans do when they're trying to comfort or reassure others? A hug is out of the question. She glanced at her hand, and then gently patted him on the shoulder. He unsurprisingly went rigid, as this was not the sort of thing she usually did. "It's okay," she said, trying to imitate the tone she recalled using in her dream. "I'm not mad at you. That they went that far just confirms they have something to hide."

To her surprise, he actually smiled. "That's an understatement," Snips said in an almost joking voice. "Anyway, here's what happened...

"Not long after the hold-and-secure was brought to an end on Monday, students were released from classes to gather their things and leave. I happened to be tailing one of the sophomore members of the rugby team, hoping to get one of them alone and away from the rest of the group. Instead, however, he led me right to an impromptu team meeting in one of the back hallways.

"The team captain, Score, was grilling the team on who'd started a specific rumour, and it was getting pretty intense. 'Which one of you morons said we paid five girls?' was what he was asking," he explained. He glanced over to where the three rugby members were glaring at him. "He was talking about how suspicious that particular rumour was. I took out my phone to start recording them, but I accidentally took a picture, and the flash was on."

Sunset nodded. "They saw you, probably broke your phone, and roughed you up a bit before shoving you in a locker," she concluded. When the boy nodded, she sighed. Since it was a damage incurred while doing something she asked him to do, it was partly on her. "Give me a day to move some money around, and I'll have a replacement for you by Friday. It'll be up to you and your mother to visit your provider's outlet and get a new SIM if the old one's gone though."

Both boys gaped at her, as if she said something strange. She mentally played back what just happened. Was it really so out of character? In the past, she probably would have just blackmailed whoever broke the phone into paying it back. Still, loyalty should be rewarded, and I work these boys pretty hard.

"That's, uh, awful nice of ya, boss," Snails stated after a few moments. He almost looked like he was gonna say that it was kinda suspicious, but ultimately refrained.

"It's in my best interest that I'm able to reach you, and you're of no use to anybody if you get stuck in another locker," she commented. For a moment, she considered giving him her first phone, but she thought better of it; there might still be sensitive information on it. Instead, Sunset reached into her purse and withdrew a digital voice recorder. It was one of the spares she usually used for keeping notes to herself, rather than for blackmail material, but there was nothing sensitive stored on it. "In the meantime, if you stumble into any more conversations like that, use this instead of your phone," she said, placing it on the table in front of Snips. "I'd say don't go snooping in the past recordings, but unless you're interested in shopping lists or a reminder to get measured for a new bra, there's nothing worth listening to."

Both boys' cheeks flushed at that last remark, but Snips took the device in his hand and looked it over. "This is a pretty expensive piece of kit, boss." He wasn't wrong; it was top of the line last year, and she'd gotten it to replace the cheap analogue micro-cassette recorder that kept going on the fritz. He quickly shoved it in his pocket before anyone in the cafeteria could really notice it. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're not usually this nice to anyone unless you're up to something."

That made Sunset's jaw muscle set, and she forced a smile. It was the sort of smile she usually wore when she was feeling particularly malevolent, or when she intended on making an example of someone. "Who says those are related?" she said in a venomous tone that she hoped would mask the slight unease welling up inside of her. Fetching the other recorder from her purse, she slid it into her jacket pocket and rose from her seat. "Come now, boys. I believe I still need to remind a certain captain who runs things around here."

While she moved over to the waste bins to clear her tray of what remained of her lunch, the boys hesitated, sharing a look. Both silently agreed with but a single nod that Sunset was acting odd. Whether it was a good odd or a bad odd was yet to be determined. Either way, it was without a doubt unsettling to the boys.

Once the boys followed, Sunset began leading them on her search for Score. She had a few theories where he might have been, since he was not in the cafeteria with those three. The first was that they were getting take-out, in which case they would be coming back through the student parking lot entrance. Next was the idea that they might have been out on the field. Lastly, they could have been at whichever club room had been assigned to the rugby team for the year. To find out that last point, however, she would need to swing by the administration office. It wasn't like there weren't other reasons she needed to find out where that room was.

Since the office wasn't that far from the cafeteria, that was the first stop on their little expedition. As soon as they opened the door into the office area, however, they were greeted by the sound of someone practically screaming and crying at Vice Principal Luna. A quick glance through only half-closed blinds revealed Jinx Charm, upending a shopping bag on the Vice Principal's desk, spilling out more than a dozen condom wrappers and a roughly crumpled sheet that the fiery-haired teen couldn't make out from there.

While her stooges gawked, she turned to the secretary, Raven Inkwell, and smiled politely. "Good afternoon, Ms. Inkwell," she said, immediately earning a wary look from the woman seated at the desk. "I was wondering if you could tell me which club room the rugby team has this year?"

The secretary's eyes darted from Sunset to Snips, and narrowed. The boy, for his part looked away, so as not to present his bruised eye. "If your friend has miraculously remembered who placed him in the locker, we can get you in to meet Ms. Luna once she is finished with her current meeting," Raven stated in a measured tone. "You know how tit-for-tat retaliation has gotten out of hand in the past, Ms. Shimmer."

In ninth grade, there had been a series of escalating 'pranks' throughout the school-year between two formerly friendly freshmen, culminating in a club room filled entirely with bubbles, and a locker damaged when someone filled it with bread dough to let rise. It also served as a gentle reminder not to blatantly do anything that violated school rules. With an 'innocent' smile, Sunset said, "But of course, Ms. Inkwell. I merely have matters that I wish to discuss with them." She held her hands palm-up and shook her head. "I believe Nurse Redheart gave my proposal regarding fundraising activities at yesterday's meeting. I merely wished to ask him to consider arranging a charity match with one of the other local schools."

The suspicion never left the secretary's face, but her warning expression relented a bit. "One moment." Turning to her computer, Raven began tapping away. "It says here that the rugby team requested club room seven on Monday at lunch, and officially began using it that afternoon."

"Thank you, Ms. Inkwell." With that, Sunset and her little posse exited the office and started making their way to the back of the school. Once she was far enough from the prying ears of any faculty members, she turned to the boys and said, "Even if we can't catch Score and put him in his place before lunch ends, I'd like to get this recorder planted in that room... and leave a note about that match, of course."

Much of the rest of the day up until gym class went off unremarkably. Sunset never did manage to find and corner Score, or give him what-for. It didn't particularly feel urgent this early in the year, although she knew that the longer the attack on her subordinate went unanswered, the more her authority would be challenged. Being this close to when she intended on introducing magic and seeing how her control group responded, the last thing she wanted was anything short of complete control, especially if that magic manifested in unpredictable ways.

There was a reason that Sunset had chosen to remain in Canterlot, Oregon rather than migrating to some smaller backwater town. Sure, the proximity to the portal, and the infinitesimal bleed of Equestrian magic into the world, made for a good starting base. Travelling as a minor in this world wasn't something that was easy, and a stand-out from Canterlot might make for easier prey for ne'er-do-wells.

Instead, it was the cultural bleed-over that held so much of an interest. Names like Celestia or Flash Sentry were more the norm than names like John Addams or George Washington, and the humans in this specific region already mimicked cutie marks with their own personal emblems. It would serve as a good basis for introducing magic and guiding humans down a more pony path. If the first and second phase of her project showed fruit, the most logical progression would be to turn Canterlot into the Mecca of Magic during the third.

As she made her way to the girls' locker room to prepare for her last class of the day, she couldn't help but once again ponder if, when Starswirl created the portal, it initially did not transform those who passed through it. First contact between the indigenous tribes of the area involving undisguised ponies might explain the pseudo-cutie marks, the ease with which the naming convention was adopted, and the way things in the area had equiform puns. It was pretty well known that many of Canterlot's inhabitants were distant relatives of the tribe that once occupied the area; it wasn't too far a stretch to see the Equestrian influence.

When she caught sight of her gym partner for the year entering the locker room ahead of her, she wondered what the girl's emblem was. Most of the people she saw when coming to this world seemed to display theirs proudly, if not on some article of clothing, then on some sort of accessory like a pin, hair-clip, or necklace. Meanwhile, Jinx didn't seem to wear anything distinct enough to match the pattern.

Perhaps that was why the young woman didn't fall into any of the social cliques. After her apparent glow-up, she probably would have been quite popular anywhere else in the country based on looks alone, and yet here she so easily fell to the wayside. Back in Equestria, young ponies who had yet to earn their cutie mark were often excluded from the group. Perhaps it was a similar phenomena.

Hurriedly changing into exercise clothes, Sunset made her way out into the gymnasium. It didn't surprise her that the sign directing the students out to the field, so she immediately made her way outside and found a spot to start her stretches. Shortly after, she was joined by Jinx, who wordlessly began following Sunset's lead. Whatever fire had fuelled her blow-up in the cafeteria at lunchtime had quite clearly been snuffed, and she once again seemed about as lively as a reanimated skeleton. It was almost like dealing with that Fluttershy girl, but rather than sensing any sort of fear from Jinx, it was closer to apathy.

Once the stretches and exercises were done, Coach Iron Will began the shuttle run audio track. Students immediately kicked into gear, darting between the two lines drawn down their sections of the field. Watching her partner run only gave sunset more and more questions about her enigmatic partner. It wasn't immediately obvious to anyone else around them, who would no doubt be focusing on their own movement, but she wasn't just following her partner's pace; she was letting Sunset dictate it and matching it.

On and on they went, through levels one to seven. Honestly, at that point when the other bookish students started dropping out, Sunset half-expected the young woman to start to fumble and eliminate herself. Although she clearly had worked up a sheen of sweat, she kept going without complaint. She doesn't even seem winded.

As they completed the tenth stage, Sunset was almost convinced someone was screwing with her. Despite never once faltering or slowing down, her partner simply stopped, sat herself down, and began to watch. There was an almost content look in the girl's eyes as she looked from Sunset to the other students. Why would she quit though? Instead, she put her underachieving partner from her mind, and continued along.

Eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth, and fourteenth levels passed without issue, slowly weeding it down to just those on the sports teams, Sunset, and a few other overachievers. During the fifteenth level of the shuttle run, she began to notice something odd in the air. It reminded her somewhat of the build-up of static electricity, and the air certainly felt alive with energy, but it didn't seem as though anyone else was aware of it.

The moment she began to recognise the magical build-up for what it was, however, it vanished. It was not unlike a rubber band snapping back into place after being pulled taut, and there was a loud snap that filled the air. This was quickly followed by a scream of agony from one of the boys.

A piercing whistle filled the air, and Coach Iron Will quickly yelled, "Everyone stop!" He pointed to one of the faster students and quickly instructed, "Go get Nurse Redheart."

As that student darted into the school building, Sunset turned to look at the source of the agonised screaming. What she caught sight of was rather sickening. Hoops was trying to hold his partner—another rugby player—down, as the boy thrashed and screamed while clutching at his leg. The injured student's right knee was definitely not supposed to bend in that direction.

She quickly looked away, quickly feeling her lunch threatening to come up. How does that just happen? Sunset wondered, turning to look at her partner. The white-haired girl quickly covered her own mouth, as if her own gorge was rising, but it wasn't nearly quick enough for Sunset to miss the slight upward turn at the corner of her mouth. Those eyes weren't the eyes of someone about to be sick, though; she was quietly laughing. Given what Jinx had accused the rugby team of in the cafeteria today, she didn't blame her for a bit of schadenfreude.

Besides, in Sunset's mind, there was something far more important to consider. There'd been a magical build-up out here, but it most certainly hadn't been her own magic, nor should it have been the portal. Unless someone was trying to force it open... But if that was the case, I wouldn't have felt a build-up on this side, unless they were specifically trying to open it from this side.

That couldn't have been the case, though. If someone had the sort of power necessary to force open the portal to Equestria, she would have known about them long before now; one simply could not mask that sort of magical presence. No, this is something else, she decided. Is this related to what I felt yesterday morning?

Author's Note

Story will resume in five weeks.