Headcanons: Crystal Prep (Plus, Bonus Entries - Cinch and Cadence) · 10:42pm Sep 15th, 2018
Hey there everyone.
Been a while since I last posted a headcanon list. I apologize for that. No real excuse other than my own laziness, and addiction to the new Spider-Man game.
But I've finally torn myself away from the world of web-slingers and supervillains long enough to compose this latest set of thoughts about the rival school to CHS... along with some bonus concepts about its former principal and dean-turned-current-principal.
Crystal Prep Academy:
- In some ways, I see the rivalry between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep going back practically to the founding of the two schools. In my previous post about CHS, I wrote about how I saw that school as being founded through a kind of consolidation effort; I see Crystal Prep either being a preexisting private school that didn't fold, or alternately was established as a place for more upper-class parents to send their kids, away from the more "common" schools. (In case you can't tell, I really see a classist vibe to the whole CPA/CHS rivalry... XD)
- While that rivalry may have been present in some way or another back in the day, my own headcanon about it was that it became (more or less) encouraged by the school sometime during Cinch's administration. Never explicitly so, mind you... it was just the result of a lot of years of "traditions" piling up until eventually you get CPA students pulling mean pranks on Canterlot High, and getting it brushed off as just "youthful sportsmanship" or such nonsense.
- Thinking about the previous administrators of Crystal Prep was pretty interesting. It's hard to imagine someone who was in charge of the place before Abacus Cinch... (I'm still working out my own take on Sombra in the EG world, but with what I've made up so far, I've been tempted to make a reference to him having attempted to get the top spot at CPA but was denied, just as a humorous little twist)
- In a reference to the IDW comics, I've had plans that one of the first principals of Crystal Prep was Principal Amore. She was actually a very fair and good teacher, but unfortunately her successors gradually turned the school into the harsh, cold perfectionist hellhole we all saw it as being under Cinch's reign.
- Building on the above, I've been very, VERY much considering the possibility of the EG version of Neighsay having been - if not a principal of CPA - then at least having had some impact on the school in past. Maybe he was a superintendent who pretty blatantly favored the school over CHS because of its outstanding academic prestige.
- Working on headcanons for the staff of Crystal Prep was another challenge. A BIG influence on my perception of CPA's faculty is the story "The Reformation Brigade" by Metool Bard, which had some pretty brilliant concepts like Svengallop as a music instructor, and Zesty Gourmand as a home economics teacher. 
(I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I got a kick out of the way that story had the CPA teachers be referred to as "Professor" - even the gym instructor! How fancy-sounding can a high school get?!)
- I've tried to come up with some original CPA characters of my own, just to kind of flesh out the ranks of faculty and such (who teaches chemistry there for the Acadeca part of the Games? For that matter, who the hell is in charge of supervising students like Indigo and Sugarcoat practicing motocross for the Games?) but unfortunately I have had zero success in being inspired there. Oh well.
Abacus Cinch:
- It's very tempting to make a joke about Cinch living in a coffin in the basement of an old Gothic house. But if I had to be serious about it, I'd say she either lives in the old family house (more on that below) or that she has a normal house that is frighteningly well-kept and normal-looking.
- In regard to Cinch's past, I see her as coming from a family with a long, illustrious (and possibly/probably screwed-up) history. Her life would have been thoroughly regimented and detailed from an early age, and the ideas of success, reputation and legacy were drilled into her pretty consistently throughout childhood and adolescence. In some ways this suited her just fine: I actually see Abacus as having been a fairly quiet child, so she didn't have much issue with the scheduling of her activities and education... However, to say that this upbringing contributed to her later bad turn in life is something of an understatement.
- Originally, I considered Cinch to have been an only child. Although, I must admit, I've been tempted to imagine her having siblings, partly to mark her as a bit of a foil to Principal Celestia and Luna. The idea really took root with me after reading the excellent story "A Tale of Two Suns" by reynard, which uses Abacus' sister as a major antagonist. (Fair warning to those of you who may go take a look at the story; it's excellent writing, but the characters of Cinch and her sister Astrolabe, are both appallingly despicable and sociopathic. Rarely have I ever been so enraged reading a villain in a story, and I definitely have to applaud the author for that.)
- Now, while I've written various silly tidbits or incidents into my bios for Celestia and Luna (from Luna collecting vintage games to Celestia's prior relationship with Sombra), I made a point of not doing so with Cinch. I see her as having consistently been a proper lady throughout her life, through her parents' efforts, her tutors and instructors, and through her own efforts as well. My own consensus about her slide into darkness (such as it were) was that it was a very, very quiet affair... she just defined herself so much through her work, her desire for reputation and legacy, that she eventually turned from an excellent, if strict, teacher, into a cold authoritarian driven by a desire for success and legacy above all else.
- In the "Unleash the Magic" song, Cinch makes reference to other students who she saw in potential in, and that they "disappear"[ed] on her. A headcanon I have is that one of those said students was the EG version of Moondancer, and that she managed to get out of Crystal Prep (perhaps by that Everton Independent Study thing) before Cinch could sink any hooks into her.
- Do I think that there is any hope for Cinch to turn her act around? Ideally I'd like to say yes, but realistically I don't think so. I think she's grown so set in her beliefs (that she is right, she made Crystal Prep great, she knows what's best for it) that short of a miracle, or a magic rainbow blast, she's not going to change her ways. Cinch won't admit that she was wrong, and until she does, there can be no real reformation there.
Cadence:
- On a lighter note, I had a lot of fun working up ideas for Dean Cadence. 
So, like in Equestria, I do see her as having been Twilight's favorite babysitter in past.
- Cadence, while a student at CPA, was one of the few bright spots in the place. She was a very rare case of being a successful student who was genuinely popular and liked by much of the student body, and I can see her having founded clubs and done some forward progress in brightening life at Crystal Prep. Unfortunately, after she left school, most of her work was undone, and since becoming Dean she's put in lots of work towards trying to improve the situation for students at CPA.
- Speaking of... one idea I have, is that Cadence also works as a counselor for students, in addition to being a dean. (As in, she's kind of the school therapist.) It's a job that, unfortunately, isn't really made known at Crystal Prep and she doesn't get to truly help as much as she might wish, but Cadence does her best all the same. (Which is more than I can say for some actual counselors out in the world...)
- Cadence cares fiercely for all her students. Not just Twilight, but also the ones who are snobs or jerks, because she wants them to be better and believes that they CAN be guided to better behavior. After the whole Friendship Games debacle, she was quite disappointed with the Shadow Five... (and she was MAD at Cinch, I can tell you that. Cadence and Shining Armor had a BIG hand in getting Cinch to step down as Principal...)
- Speaking of Shining Armor, he and Cadence met at school in CPA. While I'm not sure yet how they hooked up (I can see CPA, especially in past generations, having a policy against "student fraternization" or something), I'm sure that were quite the couple. In some ways, while I've imagined Cadence and Shining openly dating after graduation, part of me also thinks that they're still keeping it on the down-low, perhaps because they think it might be weird for Twilight or something. *shrugs*
- As I said before in my post on Celestia and Luna, the fact that Luna and Cadence greet via a close hug really interested me. I like the idea that the two of them are good friends outside of work (again, I love the thought of the two of them commiserating over the woes of their jobs XD), and the idea of how they may have met... Me, I kind of like the idea of them having first met at the gym or something. Exercising to work off the frustrations of the school day.
- Considering pony-Cadence's whole "breathing exercise" thing, I have the thought that human Cadence is a practitioner of yoga or tai-chi.
- One last thing, that I'm still working on, is Cadence's connection to Celestia. Just because I like the idea of there being some kind of meaningful interaction between them prior to the whole Friendship Games thing and all.
Anyway, that's what I've got for now. Hope you guys find it reasonably interesting ;-)
For my next headcanon entry... I'm not sure. I may take a stab at more EG stuff (still want to do one on the Dazzlings sometime) or I may shake things up a bit and share my headcanons on other MLP stuff.
Nice to see that our headcanons continue to align in places. I have my own ideas in mind for Crystal Prep though, and I look forward to bringing them to fruition.
4938262
And I myself, will look forward to seeing those ideas too. ^_^
I like to think Flurry Heart isn't a thing yet in EQG, but yeah, Cadence and Luna commiserate over their respective jobs and respective bosses, or, Ex Boss in Cadence's case. Cadence as Cinch's cold hearted utilitarianism which has driven several people to nearly have a mental breakdown and while a lot of people from CPA go to high places, the fact that the real world isn't as regimented as CPA makes them loose a few screws. As for Luna, she loves Celestia, she really does, but often, she takes Too Damn Long to do ANYTHING. Which bothers her as she'd rather think of something on the fly.
Cadence I see is MUCH kinder than Cinch, but that said, she does enforce that yes, she is nice, but she is not naive. If she thinks for a moment that you're intentionally making everyone's lives worse, she's going to take to you about it, and make sure it doesn't happen again. That said, she is not without empathy and while CPA had a brief, for a lack of a better term, fall from grace due to the Midnight Sparkle incident, which still haunts her at times, she was able to pick up the slack where Cinch left off and do it better since she is extremely efficient and competent, she's also capable of tempering that competence with kindness. She's also made it clear that she is there to help and if anyone needs to vent or talk to someone responsible, she's more than happy to lend an ear.
4938266
I especially like the idea for Luna's own grievance with her sister.
Nicely said all around.
And yeah, good to see that about Cadence's time as principal now. She's kind, but she's not naïve - that's a very important distinction to make, and one that I'm sure some teachers or students may have made (to their regret XD) in dealing with her.
4938267
She's just as competent as Cinch was, but far kinder and empathetic. Which is not difficult.
4938267
And much like her pony self, Cadence is slow to anger, but when her anger DOES come out, well, it’s unpleasant. Very much so.
4938267
And yeah, Cinch was most likely raised in an environment where she was told day in day out that reputation, order and dignity are all important. She is so determined to stick to that rigidity that it's stifled creativity. I think that if she went to Equestria, which is a FAR more chaotic world, or worse, dealt with DISCORD, she would likely have a complete mental breakdown. Think about what Discord is made of and what he can do. The Mane 6 who know him personally are uneasy around him. A human turned pony who's so devoted to order would not be able to handle what he is. Everything about him is so antithetical to everything about HER that she would lose it.
4938370
I'm sure of it. As I said, after the whole Friendship Games debacle, I bet that there were WORDS between her and Cinch over what happened there.
And I'm also sure that Cadence had a role in getting Abacus to leave the school.
4938534
Oh yeah. Cadence is nice, she's willing to forgive, she's willing to give people a LOT more leeway or slack than Cinch ever would, but her patience has limits and between Cinch nearly having a meltdown over a SPORTS COMPETITION and being responsible for turning Twilight into a monster, yeah, her pity well is dryer than Mercury.
4938394
Ooh, yeah, I have no doubt about that. Cinch is someone who is so utterly dedicated to Order (and that capital "O" is deliberate) that encountering an entity such as Discord would no doubt leave her institutionalized. Which sounds almost Lovecraftian of me, to be honest.
4938536
That's a nice analogy, I'll have to remember that sometime.
But in all seriousness, yeah. I'm sure that once they got back to CPA and were out of earshot of the students, Cadence proved then and there that you should beware the fury of a patient woman.
4938538
Well, Discord is beyond the comprehension of just about any mortal, if he wanted to, he could repeat what he did in Return of Harmony and this time, he could ENSURE the Elements cannot be used against him. And in that case, nothing could stop him. Not that much could even without that. He's a reality warper. Reality bends over backwards to obey his whims. Magic is known for being able to temporarily alter reality in small ways, permanently altering the fabric of reality in a significant way is difficult. For Discord? That's just Tuesday. Twilight is heavily Lawful Good and she's always a bit nervous around Discord, so someone as Rigid as Cinch? I'm pretty sure just him talking to her without doing anything, not even floating, would probably make her mind crack. Though he probably wouldn't want that because as funny as it'd be, Fluttershy would get mad at him. And he cares what she thinks.
4938540
Precisely. She is a very passionate woman, even if she has to restrain that passion out of a sense of professionalism, so that flame turned to anger? It is NOT a pretty sight. She can forgive, she can move on, but that? Yeah no, she's not letting that slide. Not for a SECOND. Makes me wonder, how chaotic would Mirror Cinch be, or perhaps would she find a way to use that rigid devotion to order to help ponies find some comfort in the chaotic times? Either or, really.
4938541
Oh Lord, I can see that already. For once, Discord was not being actively malicious. All he said was "Hello there," and Cinch went screaming to the sanitarium.
But yeah. Fluttershy'd be mad at Discord, and he does not want her mad at him.
4938546
"Discord, I thought we talked about this?"
"We did! All I did was say hello! I wasn't even doing anything! Whether or not I would have in the future is another matter, but I hadn't DONE anything yet for once!"
4938548
Yeah, that's more or less exactly how I pictured it going.
4938550
If he was actively trying to drive her crazy, he wouldn't have denied it, he takes pride in being the Lord of Chaos, but misblaming him? Now THAT he takes offense to. But yeah, Cinch is so wound up that all it took was a sports competition going wrong to nearly break her so the pony world? Even without Discord, the very idea would likely not end with a calm and collected reaction. Although in all fairness, if you suddenly found yourself being a completely different race, you'd probably freak out too.
4938551
Cinch as a pony though... now that right there is a hell of a mental image. Wonder what tribe she'd be? I can't really see her as a pegasus, you know. I'd actually say an earth pony, because I think the "snobby unicorn" thing is overdone...
4938556
Works for me. Besides, snobby unicorn is a cliche even in universe, due to the majority of the Canterlot population being unicorn.
4938558
I like that idea. XD
Though seriously, the whole "snobby unicorn" thing is seriously overplayed. I once made up a character to poke fun at the whole thing: a duke named Goldenrod, who was such a conceited jerk that even Blueblood found him detestable. Goldenrod would have eventually been "moved" from Canterlot to a country estate.... far far away from the folks of Canterlot, who were all happy to see him gone.
4938562
I like to imagine a lot of them have had to tone down the snobbishness because Luna is having precisely NONE of that. If it's a contest of stubbornness, volume or pompousness, she can beat them. Money? Influence? Same. She remembers when the nobility had earned the title, not simply passed it down. Celestia may be more willing to let to slide but Luna? Not as patient.
4938563
That's one that makes perfect sense to me.
I can see her going off on some snobby unicorn family for resting on the laurels of their ancestors, instead of actually having any worthy accomplishments of their own.
4938564
And when they turn to Celestia for help, she just shrugs, "She's not wrong." Celestia is willing to put up with a lot in the hope that it will lead to greater good, but she is only so patient.
4938566
Yeah. *nods*
I can also imagine Celestia sternly promising to have "a word" with her sister and private... and once they're alone, promptly congratulate her on whatever she said. XD
4938567
And Luna just sits there with the smuggest grin. The nobles think they are good at their little games forgetting that they are standing before the ones who invented the basics for said games. And the others try to avoid making such a social faux pas and try to keep in the Princesses' good graces.
4938570
Yeeup. XD
Silly snobby ponies, your forget that the princesses have been on the throne so long for a reason. And that is, because they are rather good at what they do. ^^
4938573
And they're immortal and any attempts to take the throne from them has failed. Or at least not worked for very long.
4938575
Another excellent point. As I said, their reign has lasted so long for a reason.
4938576
A valid point.
4938580
You know, I should set aside plans for a headcanon post about the Royal Sisters. I've done their EG counterparts, and I've had fun chatting about the idea of Pony Celestia and Luna's reign, their relations with the nobles and all...
4938596
https://m.4938607
All right then, Chancellor, I'll do it! XD
4938612
https://m.4938596
But yeah, Cinch would react poorly to Discord, and if someone yelled at him, he'd yell right back, blaming him for something he's actually done, fine. That's fair, he's not going to deny it. But blaming him for a metaphorical crime he didn't commit? Yeah no. He takes PRIDE in being a nuisance, he takes pride in being the most chaotic being this side of Pinkie Pie.
I imagine Cinch is a very rigid, but ultimately well meaning Lawful Good in the Mirror Universe, trying to keep order in these times of chaos. She does her best to try to keep a routine to keep herself in check and keep others in check. She knew Decadence before her fall and it pains and disgusts her that she's become what she is now.
She's also fluent in legalese, so she can outdo you when it comes to Law. Which suits her just fine. Battles of the mind are what she uses to relax. Which, is fair. Trying to keep order in a world gone mad is probably no easy feat.
4992682
Indeed so. Yeah, I can see that.
And that's an interesting concept for Mirror Cinch. In some ways, if Mirror Neighsay is a bit like Albus Dumbledore, I'd see Mirror Cinch being like Minerva McGonagall - stern but fair, and while her wrath is feared, she is eminently respected by her students.
4992864
Precisely. Less Scottish, but, still. Mirror Neighsay is Chaos for the sake of good, Mirror Cinch is Order for the sake of good. They balance the other out. And it helps that she can see right through Neighsay's "Am I crazy or am I wise?" act.
4992996
Indeed so.
God damn it, now I really wish that there was a fic with that, because I would read the shit out of it!