It didn’t matter the occasion, it was never a good thing to find yourself in Principal Cinch’s office because the office didn’t offer any warmth to the students or even the faculty. On the one bright side, the girls didn’t see Twilight with them so hopefully she got what she needed and got out.
Principal Cinch was currently at her desk, staring at the five girls while Dean Cadance stood to the side, looking about as comfortable as the girls felt. “I would ask for you all to explain yourselves but I believe I already know the answer,” Cinch said. “It would seem that unfortunately you’ve been…inflicted with similar powers as those girls from Canterlot High. Can you explain at least how this came to be?”
The girls glanced at one another. “Well, that’s the thing Principal Cinch,” Sugarcoat said. “We don’t know how it happened. All we do know is that it started last week right here at the school. As for the Ursa Minor-”
“Just call it a bear,” Sour groaned.
“As for the Ursa Minor,” Sugarcoat glared at her. “It seems after the events of the Friendship Games, there are still distortional imbalances between this world and the other one we witnessed.”
Cinch was quiet for a moment. “Dean Cadance, were you aware of the girls’ abilities?”
Cadance looked away slightly. “Yes…they came to me on Friday…I figured it was best to keep it quiet in order not to alarm the other students.”
“I think it’s already too late for that,” Cinch stated, giving her a look. “Your actions aside, now I must wonder if this school and its student body are truly safe. I cannot afford to have this school come under any sort of scrutiny, even if it is merely fantastic beasts, and now that our own students are being affected-”
“Principal Cinch, I may have a suggestion,” Cadance interrupted.
Cinch pursed her lips at the interruption. “Do tell.”
“Well, first of all, I think we should be thanking these brave girls for protecting our school and student body, as you mentioned. Second, if they are okay with this, I believe we should have them as a sort of…’protection force’ while the term concludes this week.”
“Hmm…well if they are the only ones capable of getting rid of those…things then I will not stand in their way,” Cinch said. She then looked to the girls again. “Do you have anything else to say?”
“Well…I really don’t know if there’ll be another incident,” Sunny Flare said. “But I don’t think these attacks are random. I mean, I already had a giant spider crash through my backyard…”
“Oh my!” Cadance gasped.
“So you think there’s some culprit behind this?” Cinch asked. “Interesting…well then I suppose I have no choice but to let you girls figure it out, but I doubt you’ll find anything here of true importance.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” Sunny thought.
Cinch sighed as she eased back into her chair. “Unfortunately due to the panic, many of the students left the school premises so classes will have to be cancelled for the day. However, they need to know that finals will still be starting tomorrow.”
“I’ll make the calls right away,” Cadance said as she made her way out.
“See that you do,” Cinch replied. “As for you girls, I hope you’re prepared because this may end up being a long week for you.”
“Crap.” Indigo groaned as they left the school. “I got so caught up in all this I forgot about finals…”
“It won’t be that bad,” Sunny reassured her.
“Easy for you to say, someone like Sugarcoat could breeze right through them.”
“Because I study, which is something you ought to try doing for once,” Sugarcoat stated simply. Indigo stuck her tongue out at her.
“Hold on, I’m getting a call from Twilight,” Sunny said. She then answered. “Please tell me you got something.”
“Oh I got a lot of somethings, although I haven’t been able to look at it yet,” Twilight replied. “Is everything alright?”
“Well, if you consider a celestial bear tearing through the cafeteria normal, then yes,” Sunny replied.
“Oh…so that’s what happened. I heard something going on but I didn’t want to run into Cinch again. I was calling to see if you wanted to meet at my place again.”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Sunny replied.
“Sounds good. There’s just…one other thing…”
Ten minutes earlier…
Twilight had managed to find some interesting documents on Cinch’s computer. Blueprints, school history, things she was sure weren’t open to the public. Luckily, there wasn’t much to download and the transfer went rather quickly.
As she was leaving, she heard people yelling as they ran out of the school. “Must’ve been quite the distraction,” Twilight thought. That was until someone was yelling about a bear. There weren’t any bears around here.
Once she was off school property, she quickly called Sunset. “I got the files,” she said.
“Anything good?” Sunset asked.
“I guess we’ll find out. I’m going to invite the girls back over so we can look over everything,” Twilight said. “Also…I think something happened at Crystal Prep.”
“Like?”
“Well…I heard something about a bear…”
“A bear? Wait, are we talking an Ursa Minor or Major?”
“What?”
“That’s what they’re called in my world.”
“Does it really matter?”
“Yeah it does! Minors are bad enough but if you run into a Major…well…”
“I honestly have no idea but I do think the girls can handle it.”
“I dunno Twilight, maybe we should get the others involved after all.”
Twilight thought for a moment. Sunset had a point. If the attacks were getting worse, what choice do they have?” “Alright…but you know this is going to be awkward at first right?”
“They’ll get over it…they have to.”
“Let’s hope you’re right…and they don’t get upset about this.”
Sunny sighed. “I guess it was inevitable,” she said. “Alright, I’ll try to make sure everyone plays nice.”
“I appreciate it Sunny and uh…just speaking from experience but if Rainbow Dash starts going off about anything…well, try to ignore it.”
“It’s okay, in ways we got one of our own.”
Sunset was thankful for summer break as she was able to get a hold of everyone and that they were still in town. Once she explained everything, the girls were willing to drop whatever they were doing. They were currently on the bus heading to Twilight’s house.
“So, when exactly were you going to tell us about this?” Rainbow Dash asked, giving Sunset a look.
“Aw, give her a break Dash, she didn’t want to worry us that’s all,” Applejack said. “Of course, now Ah am kinda worried…”
“So let me get this straight…” Rarity said. “You’re saying the girls we met at the Friendship Games now have similar powers to us?”
“Well, almost exactly to be technical,” Sunset answered. “It looks like they’re experiencing an aftermath of what happened a month ago and it seems to be getting worse day by day.”
“And it started happening at Crystal Prep?” Fluttershy asked. “We have to go there don’t we?”
“Ugh, well I guess it had to happen sometime,” Rainbow groaned. “Still don’t feel good about this…”
“Not that I need to say this to everyone but…please try to behave,” Sunset pleaded.
“Whaat? Oh, she’s talking about Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie said. “Actually, I kind of like that one girl…Sugarcoat was her name? She’s so brutally honest it makes me giggle.”
“Brutal is right,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes.
“Hey, I’ll play nice if they do,” Rainbow replied casually. “But I’m not getting my hopes up.”
The meeting of the two sides went about as well as anyone expected. The girls were sitting in the living room while Sunny, Sunset and Twilight were in the kitchen while Twilight made tea. “Well, they haven’t tried killing each other yet,” Sunny commented.
“That’s surprising,” Sunset said flatly.
“Um…are you two in here just to watch them or to stay protected?” Twilight asked.
“Honestly, probably both,” Sunny said. “There’s only two…no three that I worry about in there.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the girls were looking around the house while glancing around one another. “Well, I must say Twilight has a lovely home,” Rarity said to clear the air. “I really want to find out her designer.”
“It’s okay, pretty standard to what you see around this neighborhood,” Sugarcoat replied.
“Standard huh?” Rainbow said. “Right…forgot everything with you guys is above standard.”
There was another uncomfortable silence and finally Applejack couldn’t take it anymore as she got up. “Okay, Ah think we need to address the elephant in the room,” she said. “Look, Ah know our schools are…mighty competitive but right now this isn’t about school, it’s a situation we can’t ignore.”
“Oh, well if we’re just going to let it out, then I guess I should mention that the only reason we had a tie in the Friendship Games was because you two used magic to your advantage,” Sour said calmly.
“Um…can we not get into this?” Lemon asked.
“Yeah, I’m with her on this,” Pinkie added.
“Seriously? You think Fluttershy used magic to hit a bulls eye?” Rainbow snapped. “You hit yours just fine. It’s called practice. You’re just using your principal’s excuse to make yourselves feel better.”
“Not me, I don’t care anymore,” Sugarcoat said.
“Okay, someone better hold me back because I’m about ready to-”
“Alright, that’s enough.” Everyone looked over and saw it was Indigo who spoke. “The Friendship Games are in the past and by the time the next one comes we’ll have already graduated. So we should move past it already.”
“Wow…I didn’t expect to hear that from you,” Rainbow commented.
“Of course, soccer season starts in a few months and lets be honest here, it’s not even going to be a contest for the Shadowbolts.”
It got quiet again. “Oh you think so huh?” Rainbow asked.
“I know so,” Indigo grinned. “I mean, you guys are good, no question, but we’re overall the better team so…”
Rainbow grinned in return. “Sure, we’ll see after the game when we win by two.”
“Two? Now you’re just talking crazy.”
“Um…are they going to get into it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Just watch,” Sugarcoat replied.
“It sounds like you wanna go right now, don’t you?” Rainbow said.
“Pick a time and place, we’ll settle it!” Indigo got in her face.
“Alright, right here, right now.”
Three minutes later Indigo and Rainbow were duking it out in a FIFA match on Shining’s PS4. “Oh please, Marechester is so overrated,” Indigo stated.
“You did not just say that!”
Finally, Twilight and the others brought out tea and cookies. “Wow, that didn’t last as long as I thought,” Sunset said.
“I suppose your friends aren’t so bad once we get to know them,” Sour said. “I mean, I haven’t killed Twilight yet.”
Twilight gulped and laughed weakly. “Oh Sour…you’re so funny…” She then cleared her throat and got out her tablet. “I downloaded the files and sent copies to Sunset and Sunny just in case. Um…girls, I kind of need to borrow the TV…”
“We’re busy! Ha, is that all you got!?” Rainbow yelled.
“Allow me,” Sunny said as she took the tablet and streamed it to the TV.
“Hey!” Indigo snapped.
“Please continue Twilight,” Sunny said, ignoring the look from Indigo.
Twilight cleared her throat as she opened up the documents. “I admit I didn’t find as much as I thought I would but I did find one piece of information worth noting.” She then opened up a picture of what looked like a dated newspaper article. “This article was written almost ninety years ago and it discusses the plans for building Crystal Prep Academy. I was wondering for a long time why a school was built directly downtown and now I know why.” She then zoomed in to allow everyone to read.
August 12, 1929
NEW ACADEMY TO BE BUILT ON FORMER MINING LANDCANTERLOT – The Canterlot Area School District and City Council have announced plans for the rumored Crystal Prep Academy to be built. Building is said to begin in early spring of next year and will take about two years to complete. The numbers for the project have not been finalized but council members believe it will cost about $500,000.
What’s surprising is the location, which up until ten years ago was a mining ground for a type of ore called crystallium which itself was discovered about thirty years ago. Officials have assured that the mines have already been collapsed and currently present no danger for anyone in the vicinity.
“We have to remember at that time, Canterlot wasn’t anything like it is now, at least in size and the buildings surrounding Crystal Prep didn’t exist yet,” Twilight explained. “After the success of Crystal Prep, only then did businesses want to expand around it.”
“Uh…so what’s this crystallium?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s an ore that contains different elements,” Sugarcoat said. “Actually, if you look at the school, there are traces of it on the outside. It used to be rather expensive back then but after years of discovery, it’s about as costly as steel and almost as tough.”
Sunset was quiet the entire time. Suddenly her eyes widened and she had to take a seat before her legs gave out on her. “Sunset, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.
“How did I not see it before?” Sunset stared out into nothing. “I’m such an idiot…”
“What do you mean?” Lemon asked.
“Well, I guess I haven’t told you this but…remember that world you saw at CHS?” The girls from Crystal Prep nodded. “Well…that’s where I come from.”
The girls stared at her. “Wait a minute…” Sour said. “You mean you’re one of those…?”
“Yep.” At this point, Sunset wasn’t quite bothered telling anyone about it. “But that’s a whole other story.”
“So…does that make her an illegal alien then?” Lemon asked.
Most of the girls groaned but Pinkie burst out laughing. “Illegal alien! That’s a good one!”
“Anyway,” Sunset continued. “My world and this world have similar settings, to make it simple. There was a kingdom called the Crystal Empire that existed about a thousand years ago before it vanished and it, like Crystal Prep here, contained similar crystals like Twilight described. A um…friend told me that it had returned recently and honestly if it weren’t for that, I would’ve completely missed it.”
“So what’s your point?” Indigo asked.
“The Crystal Empire disappeared because of an evil king who enslaved his people. Considering the similarities between the two worlds…”
Applejack picked up on it. “Yer saying there could be an evil king here somewhere and ya think he’s the one causing them creatures to come through?”
“It’s a possibility…but one thing I do know for sure, we’ll find the answers down in that mine…if it still exists.”
“Well, the article says the mines were collapsed so I’m not sure we’ll be able to find anything,” Twilight said.
Sunset smiled. “Just because they say it on paper doesn’t mean it actually happened.”
“Oooh I smell a cover-up!” Rarity said excitedly.
“Okay, if what you say is true, then the question is why?” Sugarcoat asked.
“The better question is why did Cinch feel the need to keep this secret?” Sunset asked in return. “We know she’s hiding something and I think we were correct in thinking something is down there.”
“Alright, so what are we going to do?” Rainbow asked. “We can’t just waltz into the place.”
“And unfortunately we have finals this week,” Indigo said. “So any day before Saturday won’t work.”
“But everything’s locked on the weekend,” Lemon said.
“True, we’d need a keycard to unlock the doors, and getting it from a faculty member will be difficult,” Twilight said.
“What about Dean Cadance?” Sunset suggested.
Twilight’s face went dark. “I’m not stealing her card.”
“I mean ask nicely.”
“Even if I did, the school has a system that records people’s card and if it shows that Cadance showed up on a Saturday for whatever reason-”
“She could say she forgot something,” Pinkie said.
“Not if it’s the middle of the night!”
“Actually…maybe we don’t need to ask Cadance,” Sunny said. “There is one other option…”
“Wait, you’re not saying…” Sugarcoat began.
“Yep…remember our good friend Blueblood?”
The Crystal Prep girls groaned while the others looked confused. Twilight had a sour look on her face. “He’s friends with my brother and a senior…and Cadance’s cousin. And he’s a big jerk too!”
“That’s true, but apparently he managed to steal a teacher’s card and replicate it so he can go in as much as he pleases.”
“How did he do that?” Sunset asked.
“He probably has friends I imagine,” Sunny replied. “Anyway, he’s having a big party on Friday and of course half the school will probably be there. We get in, we find his card, we have our way in.”
“I’m not going to that party,” Sugarcoat said forcibly.
“He’s been attempting to get with her,” Indigo said.
Twilight stared at her. “Seriously!?”
Sugarcoat looked away. “And he doesn’t know when to quit either.”
“Well, I think you should go,” Sour said.
“Oh, and why is that?”
“I heard Royal Pin might be attending.”
Sugarcoat froze. “Oh…well…that’s nice…still not interested.”
“She’s so going now,” Lemon said with a wink.
“I’ll only go if Twilight goes.”
“What!?” Twilight almost shrieked. “Why me!?”
Sugarcoat smirked. “It’s your turn to be a distraction and boy does Blueblood like to pick on you.”