//------------------------------// // That's Not Good // Story: TD vs Equestria Girls // by BronyWriter //------------------------------// "So, what's the plan?" I smirk at Blaze as the three of us walk in the direction of Sunset and her buddies which, interestingly enough, included Sonata and Aria. "Well, firstly I think we should check in with Sunset. She'd know more about these Crystal Prep students than we do. Maybe Pinkie Pie even knows this version of Twilight. Once we figure that out, I'm sure we can find some way to isolate Twilight and--" "Throw her in the back of the truck bound and gagged so we can interrogate her at the house?" Rapids guessed. I snort and shake my head. "Tempting as it would be, I think we should leave that for last. She's more than likely not some emotion eater that's trying to take over the world." "Probably not, but if she's messing around with the portal, that can't be good," Blaze pointed out. "Besides, if you show up and force her away from the statue, she'll know whatever suspicions she has are right." "True," I agreed. "So I think we'll have to do this with subtlety. We can do that, right?" Cue the awkward silence between the three of us. Yeah, yeah, I know, but one can hope, right? Pinkie Pie noticed us before we reach the group, causing her to enthusiastically wave at us. I smile back and give her a little nod. "Hey, guys!" Pinkie said chipperly, nearly bouncing over to us. "Are you here for the Friendship Games?" "Kind of, I guess," I replied. "Sunset shot me a little note about how somebody might be messing around with the statue." "Oh, yeah, the one who looks like Twilight." Sunset's mouth creased into a frown. "She actually got here before the rest of her school did. I saw her moving around the statue with some weird device. I'm not sure what she's up to, but even if it isn't anything bad, she could damage it accidentally." "Which would suck big time, especially considering that I'm still on this side." I frowned and tapped my jaw. "Alright, so we have to figure out what she's doing with the statue and why. Given that she seems kind of mousy, I'm going to gather that she's not a social butterfly. It shouldn't be too hard to lure her away from her group and find out what she knows. Maybe get one of you to talk to her a bit?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Not the worst idea I've ever heard. Maybe Fluttershy could do it? Pinkie might be a bit... overbearing." "Hey, I can talk to her in a normal inside voice!" Pinkie insisted. I put a hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "No, Pinkie, no you can't. I'm sorry, but I don't think you're physically capable." I give Pinkie a little smirk to let her know I'm kidding before turning back to Sunset. "So, tell me about these 'Friendship Games' of yours. What's the deal there?" "Every four years Canterlot High and Crystal Prep get together for what is supposedly a friendly competition meant to foster positive relations and create friendships between our two schools." Sunset scowled and crossed her arms. "Crystal Prep has won the last several games in a row, and they tend to not be very... gracious about it. Their goal is less about having fun and making friends and more about crushing us." "Which they do," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Repeatedly. I think I was in kindergarten the last time Canterlot High won the games." "Alright, so a stuffy prep school which takes itself way too seriously fights you guys every four years with behavior that comically misses the point of what the games are all about anyway." I leaned against the wall and looked in the direction of where I last saw the other Twilight. "Well, either way, I doubt that her actions are specifically sanctioned by her school, so if she's still investigating then she'll be doing it alone. Whatever the case, we need to keep her away from the portal. If she disables or breaks it then we're stuck her forever." I shrugged at that. "I mean, yeah, we're millionaires who are set for good, but I'd rather be ruling Equestria with my wife and daughter." Fluttershy's eyes lit up and she let out a happy little squee. "A daughter? You have a daughter now? Ooh, is she cute? What's her name? How old is she? What's she like?" "Who, whoa, whoa, slow down, Fluttershy," I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I have a daughter. Her name is Nymeria, she's six months old, she's a very happy, if sometimes colicky foal, and she's absolutely as cute as a button." "That's positively wonderful!" Rarity said while Fluttershy squeed again. "And I take it that your Celestia is the mother?" I nodded. "Yep. We got married a few months before she was born." I looked back to the stage where Principal Celestia was still talking with Principal Nasty Grinch Face. "I take it that Mr. Antares and Celestia are still a thing?" "Yeah, they're getting pretty serious," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "They're not even trying to hide the fact that they're together now." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "At least they're not making 'kissy faces' at each other." "Well, not at school anyway." I turn my attention back to the main group. "But yeah, things are going well on my end. The war is over, I have a loving wife and daughter, I'm back to being a male, so I'm Prince Antares now, and I have a second foal on the way." Fluttershy squeed even louder this time, which, for her, was still pretty quiet. "Princess Celestia is pregnant again?!" I could feel the grins Blaze and Rapids were sending my way, but I didn't dignify them with a look. I couldn't keep the blush off of my face as I cleared my throat. "Y-yeah. Totally. We only found out a few weeks ago." "Oh come on, Prince Antares," Blaze said, elbowing my ribs gently. "I'm sure they'll understand. No need to lie to them." "Blaze I swear..." "Lie?" Applejack said, frowning at me. "Prince Antares, it ain't good ta lie." "Yeah, it's... whatever." "You didn't have an affair, did you?" Rarity said, glaring at me. "No, no, I didn't!" "Sperm donor, then?" Sonata guessed. "Yeah," I grumbled. "Well, that's not so bad," Pinkie chimed in. "As long as your wife was okay with it, you gave some mare a really awesome gift." Pinkie grinned at me and elbowed my ribs from the other side. "Unless it was your world's Vice-principal Luna, or something." You'd think I'd be able to hide my blush better, but no. I'm an alicorn! We have to control our emotions and stuff! Not this time. They picked up on it immediately. "Dude, no way," Aria said with a grin. "So, like your kids are going to be cousins and siblings?" "She's my cousin!" Pinkie said dramatically before slapping herself lightly on the face. "She's my sister!" Slap. "She's my cousin!" Slap. "She's my sister!" "How do you even know what that movie is?!" I said, glaring at her. I groaned and waved my hand. "Whatever. It's not a big deal. War's over, I have two kids, things are better, now I'm going to help you stop this Twilight. End of discussion." "Very well, very well," Rarity said, a slight grin on her face. "Although..." She turns to look at Blaze. "Did that scar on your face come from the war? I don't recall you having it the last time you were here." Blaze puffed out his chest and grinned. "Yep. Got in a tussle with a minotaur while we were successfully sacking a city that had never seen an invader step hoof inside the walls. He got a hit in, but I got him in the end." "I... see." Rarity turned to Rapids, her mouth open to doubtlessly ask about the fact that Rapids was hiding half of her face with her hair, but a glare and a quick head shake from Rapids put a stop to that. Rarity flinched back, but steadied herself and cleared her throat as she brushed her dress to get out any wrinkles. "Right. Twilight. I suppose you want to hear everything we know." "I definitely do. What have you seen?" "I was the one who saw it," Sunset chimed in. "I came out of band practice with the girls one evening and was walking to my car when I saw somebody examining the portal. She was scanning it with something I didn't recognize. I went up to her to ask what she was doing, but she must have heard me coming, because she ran off instantly. Her hood blew back while she was running, and I saw her hairstyle. Same as the girl you've been looking at." "Alright. I guess the big questions now are how she found out about the portal, and how much she knows about both it and us," I mused. "She saw us when we came in, and she just about had a heart attack from the looks of things. She knows we're not quite normal, but I want to figure out more details." "And you're certain we can't just tie her up and throw her in the back of the car like last time?" Blaze said, earning a glare from Aria. "No, because she's a scrawny girl who looks like she's ninety pounds wet. If I'm guessing right, she's no real threat unless she does something to the portal. Besides, if we kidnap her then her school is going to get involved and we can't have that." I shook my head. "I think our best bet is getting Fluttershy to talk to her." "Or me," Pinkie chimed in. "Just... whoever." "Got it!" Before I can say anything else, Pinkie zooms off, leaving a pink dust outline where she used to be. I groan and facepalm. Just great. No way I'm catching up to her now. Oh well. "Alright, so while we wait to hear the damage, we'll just--" "Get away from my school?" A familiar voice from behind me says. Ah. Right. I turn around to see Principal Celestia standing behind me, her arms crossed and the most spectacular glare on her face. She's tapping her foot impatiently as if hoping that I'll hastily retreat. "Sorry, Celestia, no can do. We have another problem with Equestrian magic here. If you would like to deal with it all by yourself, have at it." I smirk at her and tilt my head. "If you think you can handle some force out here bent on taking over the world or something. I'm sure calling in the army would be a wonderful way to keep this quiet." I hear Sunset, Aria and Sonata groan quietly behind me. "So, I can leave if you want, but your best bet is to just let me--" "You have three days," Celestia snarls, poking my chest. "I will not have you ruining the Friendship Games, is that clear?" "Hey, I have no intention of ruining a fun competition between your school and a school that crosses out the 'friendship' part of the title when preparing for the games." I take a step back from her. "I'll be as discreet as I can, but..." I uneasily chuckle and rub the back of my neck. "The problem person is... kind of one of the Crystal Prep student." "Oh, that's wonderful. Absolutely marvelous," Celestia says through gritted teeth. "I suppose that the games are going to end with Crystal Prep's bus burning down, you running around with a shotgun, half of the students covered in woad and fighting each other with makeshift weapons from the cafeteria while the other half riot on school grounds, you bringing your whole army in from Equestria to quell the riots, starting a war between our countries..." Rapids flinched back at that one. "While in the middle of it all, I'm tied up in my office with a bruise on my cheek listening to that music you forced upon me last time. That is your idea of 'quietly handling it' right?" "Well, I mean if you want I can--" "Three days, and if you cause a scene I will have you removed. You are putting the well-being of my students at risk by running around and fighting magic here." "And you'd have preferred that I just left your students, and yourself, brainwashed by emotion eaters who wanted to take over the world?" "Yes," Aria grumbled to herself. "Regardless, you are at the very least not to bring guns on school grounds again." "Extenuating circumstances. Trust me, I liked it about as much as you did. That aside..." I nodded to Celestia. "I'm going to try to be in and out of your hair as soon as I can." "See that you do." With that, Celestia attempted to storm away, but Rapids stopped her in her tracks. "Hey, Principal Celestia, one more thing?" Celestia wheeled around and turned her glare to Rapids. "What?" she said through gritted teeth. "I think you're pregnant." Celestia's eyes widened for a moment, but her glare quickly returned. She made a noise of disgust before turning around and walking away. Once she was out of earshot, I turned on Rapids. "Seriously? What was that? She's mad enough at us as it is." Rapids shrugged. "Well, I think she might be." "Rapids, in case you didn't notice, she hates me. After everything I've done not only to the school but her as well, I can kind of see why. I don't like that, but hey, it happened." Rapids shook her head. "Yeah, no. Take it from a mare with four sisters and nine nieces and nephews with a tenth on the way. I know what a pregnant mare acts like. She totally hates you, yeah, but I think hormones might be a bit of a factor here." "Just... it's not our concern." I turned to the rest of the group and took a deep breath. "Okay, if I know Pinkie then she's already hunted Twilight down and overwhelmed her with her Pinkie-ness. I'm going to see what I can find out. You all have my number if you need it, so let me know if there are any developments." "Except that our phones and stuff are at the house, Prince Antares," Rapids pointed out. "Dang. Right." I sighed and ran a hand though my hair. "Right. So we'll get our stuff from the house and meet you back here at some point. Just let me know." "Will do, Prince Antares," Applejack said. "Good. Let's do this thing, then." After parting ways with the rest of the group, Blaze, Rapids and I made our way to the school exit. We saw a few students who recognizes us, and we exchanged waves, but nobody really bothered us beyond that. I knew that interacting with the student body a bit would be inevitable, but, despite Celestia's misgivings, I really did want to handle this as quietly as I could. If Twilight had been scanning the portal with some magical device, it might be best to destroy that and... I don't know, pay her off? A million bucks might go a long way towards her not bothering us again. Although, she could just take the money, wait for us to leave, then start up again. Nothing would stop her. On top of that, if I paid her off then she'd know she was on the right track. Ugh. I hated it when things got this complicated. We exited the school and walked in the direction of the portal, just so I could check on it to make sure Twilight hadn't damaged it in any way. The portal itself still worked fine, but if she'd managed to crack some of the statue itself then that could be an issue. On our way to the portal I saw Principal Celestia walking over to her car, and odd look on her face. Huh. Wonder what that was all about. We reached the portal and the three of us began searching around the statue, trying to find any cracks or sense any magic around. I couldn't feel anything, and I doubted that she'd really damaged the portal, but it wouldn't hurt to at least check. "Any problems? Blaze? Rapids?" Both of them shook their heads. "Nope, nothing on my end," Blaze said. "Seems like it's in the same condition as always." "Good." I moved to the front of the statue where the actual portal was, reaching out my hand to touch it. "I'd like to keep it that way if--" My eyes widened when I touched the portal. Or rather, when I touched the stone where the portal should have been. "Uh..." I pressed on the stone with both hands, hoping beyond hope that I hadn't... touched the portal right or something. "Uuuuhhhh." "What's wrong, Prince Antares?" Rapids asked. "The portal's gone." I backed away from the statue, my eyes still wide. "The portal's gone." "What?!" Blaze and Rapids both rushed to my side, each of them pressing on the statue where the portal should be. "Where is it?" Blaze cried. "I don't know how she did it, but somehow Twilight broke the portal." "Are you sure somepony on the other end didn't tamper with it?" Rapids asked. "No, it would be easier to sack Iselin with just twine, duct tape and gumption than to get into my safe room. Whatever happened happened on this end, which means that Twilight did something." "So what are we going to do now?" Blaze asked. "We don't hesitate. We're going to get things settled today if possible. I'm not leaving my subjects and family because some twerpy high schooler stuck her nose where it didn't belong." I clenched my hand into a fist and glared at the Crystal Prep bus. "But first we have to get our stuff." * * * * We made it back to Canterlot High after an hour or so. We had to walk back to the house, but we were able to drive back. I quickly texted Sunset and the rest of them, letting them know what had happened and telling them to meet me outside of Principal Celestia's office in an hour. "So, why do we have to go talk to Principal Celestia again?" Rapids asked. "I mean, I know she was just so happy to see us last time, but we're pushing our luck here, aren't we?" "We might need her cooperation if we're going to handle this quietly," I said, opening up the door to the school. "We also have to let her know that we're stuck here until we solve the problem with Twilight. That should help her see things our way." "I guess. She won't be happy about it," Blaze pointed out. "Because I'm just thrilled about it myself." I groaned as we reached her office. "Just... let me do the talking and hopefully we're out of there in a few minutes. We're just updating her." I took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle. "Right. So here we go." I pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Principal Celestia sitting at her desk, gently nursing a glass of water. She looked up when she saw me come in and scowled. "Out. Now is not the best time." "Just give me a second here." She didn't respond, so I continued. "Uh... Twilight messed with the portal and somehow disabled it. We're stuck here until we solve the problem." Celestia didn't respond. She merely tightened her grip on the glass in her hand. "But we're not going to do anything but try to fix this. If for whatever reason we're stuck here permanently, we'll do our best to avoid the school, alright?" "This is not the best time, TD," Celestia growled. "We can talk about this later. Now leave, please." "Right. I'll leave. I just wanted to update you." "You have. Now out." I was about to leave, but Rapids couldn't resist one last little parting remark. "You just checked, didn't you? That's why you left the school. You're pregnant, aren't you?" Celestia squeezed the glass in her hand so hard it shattered.