//------------------------------//
// 14: The Gettogether 
// Story: Humans Meet Ponies 
// by TwiPON3 
//------------------------------//


Crystal Prep Academy




"Guys," I said as we entered CPA, "How about if you all went and got your things, then decided to meet me at my lab here at school," I said, "Then we can decide what to do next. I keep several chairs in there for some reason."
"You mean that closet you coop yourself up in?" Sunny asked, pissing Indigo off, "I mean, sure! We should do that. I've always wanted to see what you work on in there." She remembered Indigo beating the shit out of Sour and me with what I did to those two perverts.
"Alright, then!" Indigo said, "Sounds like a plan!"
They went to their lockers to get their stuff while I went to my lab to close up for the day. When I went in, I decided to put on my lab coat for whatever reason.



My lab consisted of a computer I had built myself from the non-working, top notch ones here (built to look like an iMac), a laptop (also built from a set of high-end components), both running Linux Mint, a soldering station, several file cabinets (all of which were filled up), four tables, Spike's bed, two large corkboards, and several other tools, all of which were stopped for the night. Immediately after I had gotten all of the equipment, (save for my laptop and desktop computers, which were downloading an update for Cinnamon over CPA's WiFi) shut off, I heard knocking at the door.
"Hey," a voice said, "It's Indie! you in there?"
"Just a second!" I said, getting to the door, "Come in, guys."
"I thought you said that we were spending the night at your place. Not working here," Sugarcoat said.
"We are."
"Then, what's with the lab coat," Lemon said.
"This? Oh, I'm just wearing it because I just don't feel right without it in here."
"Okay..."
I took it off.
"Yeah, I can see your point, Lemon."
"Hey," Indie said, "You okay about... earlier... Sparkle?"
Both systems finished updating.
"Yeah," I said, feeling the pockets in my labcoat for my security thumbdrive, "Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!" I began to panic because it wasn't in the coat pockets, "Don't mess with my computer! I'll be right back!"
I ran out of the room and to my locker while Spike followed.




Indigo Zap's Point of View




"Hey, you okay about... earlier... Sparkle?"
"Yeah," she said, glancing at the computer on her desk, then going through her lab coat, "Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!"
"What's wrong?"
"Don't mess with my computer! I'll be right back!"
She ran out of the room with her dog following her.
"Okay," Lemon said to me, "What was that about earlier with Sour? I mean, I know she insulted Twilight's mom, but did you really have to do all that?
I started to cry a little, but stayed strong.
"Well you see, back when we were both thirteen, her parents had to be the chaperones for both of us. The nick 'Indie' comes in when she was six, but when she was thirteen and her parents were our chaperones on a trip to the science museum," I had to sit down, "we were all on a subway train..."




Three years ago, Indigo's Point of View



"What are you doing, Sparkle?"
We were both on the subway to the museum at 1647 Lyon Avenue. Twilight was doing something with a laptop, while I was sketching some random stuff. We were the only people in that particular car.
"Oh, nothing. Just trying to write a little bit of software."
"Software for what?"
"I've always wanted to just unlock my computer with my face, so I figured I could use the trip to work on it some."
Suddenly, two men came over to us: one with a gun and one with a rope. The one with a rope tied us up, while the other one blew Sparkle's Parents' brains out. Twilight untied the rope, then we ran like hell to the next car, locking the door behind us.


"...and that's why I did that. We stopped talking after that, because I couldn't bear to sit with her without sobbing for several months."
"I had no idea," Sunny said.
Twilight came back, panting.
"Got... it..."
She walked over to her computer, put the drive in, typed something, took the drive out, and it turned itself off when she turned the lamp at the desk off.
"I'm... sorry."




Sci-Twi's Point of View




I ran back to my lab.
"Got... it..." I panted, walking over to my computer and putting the drive in, causing the prompt to change.


Authorization Input Encryption Program.
Key: 89454448 77272553
Authorized!
Ready.
#


I pressed RETURN on the keyboard, resetting and activating the prompt window, then typing SHUTDOWN.


TwilightSparkle@CrystalPrepLabPC$ SHUTDOWN_

Beginning Process.
Started.
Turn off lamp now to proceed with shutdown sequence.


I turned off the lamp, forcing the system to shut down, and took the drive and stuck it in my laptop case.
"Alright, if everyone is ready," I said putting my laptop away in its bag, "we can leave."
"Let's do it!"
I gathered all of my things and followed Sugarcoat and the others out to her brand-new Tahoe.



"Okay," Sugarcoat said, opening the hatchback, "you can just throw your stuff in the back."
"Can Spike ride with me?"
"Why not?"
Everyone put their stuff in the back of the SUV, then got in. Sunny Flare rode up front with Sugarcoat, while Indigo sat to my left between me and Lemon.
"Where to first?" Sugarcoat said, starting the car, "Sugarcube Corner?"
"Yeah."
"Wow," I said as Sugarcoat pulled out of the parking lot, "This is a lot easier than I thought."
"Yeah," Spike said, "Almost like they're your family."
"Woah!" Lemon said, "Did your dog just talk?"
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" I said back to him.
"She comes back from an alternate world, shows you a spell that gave her ears, a horn, a tail, and a muzzle, and you find this weird?"
"Good point."
I learned then that Sugarcoat doesn't hyper mile at all, usually going above the speed limit some.
"Um, could you slow down just a little bit, Sugarcoat?" Sunny said, "Because I'm kind of right in front of an airbag."
"I know what I'm doing."
"Okay, then."
The ride actually went well. At Sugarcube Corner, I was surprised, along with everyone else, to see Sugarcoat buying everyone a milkshake for the road. I figured that I should give Sunset Shimmer my Skype name.
"Sunset," I said, "At the hospital, I forgot to give you my Skype info."
"Just a second," she said as she opened the program on her phone, "Ready."
"It's Twilight1999."
She looked me up, added me, and called me to test it out. Sure enough, the call worked.
"Okay, so NOW you can get me. Still freaked out about earlier?"
"Not really. Although it did stick for a while, I finally came to terms with it."
"So you're okay with it?"
"I guess."
We heard Sugarcoat and Applejack talking.
"Ah'm mighty thankful 'at ya did this fer us, but ya know ya didn't have to, right?"
"It was the least I could do. Now, do you know where 830 4TH Avenue is?"
"Jus' keep goin' 'bout another block 'er two, 'n it's right nextta concrete parkin' lot. Ah us'ta have fam'ly alivin' there, but they moved over ta Manhattan."
"Oh, now I know. I used to live there with my cousin when my parents went back to college for a few years."
"Sorry, where're mah manners? Ah'm Applejack."
"Sugarcoat," she looked at her Apple Watch, "We better go. Traffic's going to pick up quick, and I don't want to be stuck here."
"Just fahller me there," Applejack said as the group of Wondercolts loaded in her Ford. I saw her, Fluttershy, and Rarity get in the front of the truck, while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie jumped up in the bed.
"Guess that's my cue," Sunset said, "See ya in a few minutes!"
"You too."
She ran and jumped into the bed of the truck with the other two Wondercolts.
"Guess we better go, Sparkle."
"It's nice to be able to talk again, Indie."
I followed the Shadowbolts into Sugarcoat's Tahoe.



My apartment was pretty simple (kitchen/TV room right inside the door, the only boundary being where the kitchen counter starts; sitting room; two bedrooms; and a bathroom), but it still managed to hold eleven of us, not counting my brother or Cadence. When I unlocked the door and stepped in, I was in the small trance that I always am when I get home. The smell of honey was fresh in the air from the automatic sprayer that pumps once every thirty minutes, and was cool. Sunlight entered via the windows, creating a warming and welcoming "Come in and make yourselves at home" atmosphere. While it wasn't my childhood home, it might have as well been, just because of that safe feeling. The TV Room half of the front room was pretty basic: a basic cabinet TV console with four cutouts and a cabinet underneath and a couch. The console held a SANYO-brand VCR, Magnavox DVD Player, 27-inch VISIO television, and several dozen movie titles in the cabinet, most being on DVD with some being on VHS. A small Mohu TV antenna was attatched to the ceiling and connected to the "Antenna IN" on the VCR because the one on the TV didn't work. In front of the TV was a remote control from Walmart that would work with the three devices that the console held. The kitchen was very basic, holding a wooden countertop, one-bay sink, a refrigerator, countertop oven, a few cabinets with enough kitchenware for a family of five, a Mr Coffee, a 350-Watt Emerson microwave oven, a two-burner stove with a griddle, and in the middle of the kitchen half stood a small folding table that we used as a dining room table (although it was used rarely enough, seeing as how we never really "sat down for dinner" anymore after mom and dad died).
Home sweet home.
"Do you want us to take our shoes off?" Fluttershy said.
"Huh?"
"Our footwear, Darling."
I stood there for a second as everyone brought their stuff in before coming back to reality, "Oh, it doesn't matter," I said, taking my socks and shoes off, "By the way, Pinkie Pie," I said, "Thanks again for the clothes."
Everyone came in and began to examine the house. I followed Lemon and Indigo into the sitting room.
The sitting room held a few cushioned chairs, a couch that could comfortably seat three people, an electric fireplace, and two tables: one between the two chairs and one in the space where one chair and the couch would intersect. On top of the electric fireplace were just four things: two pictures in front of two clay urns. The picture on the left of the fireplace was of my mother, and the right of my father. Under my mother, hers read


Twilight Velvet
1972~2012


and my father's, in the same place, read


Night Light
1971~2012


It managed to get the attention of the two other Shadowbolts in the room, then drew the attention of the others who were in my apartment.
"I'm so..." Lemon said, coming over to hug me, "...sorry."
"It's okay..." I began to sob, "...not your fault."
"They still love you," Sunset said, coming over to me, "They could never stop loving you. I just know it."
"I'm not the same person I was that day. I'm not even human anymore."
"Sugarcube," I felt someone lift my head up, so I blinked my eyes to get the tears to go away, "They're yer mom 'n dad. I know I probably shouldn't word it like this, but they don't give a damn about what you are. Th' only thang that matters is that yer their daughter. All's 'ey care about 's you doin' the best you can an' bein' the best you can."
"I... I j-just... just wish... they were still here. I... I j-just... do-don't want... t-to ruin... a-ny-one's... n-night," I sobbed, "w-with m-my p-pr-problems."
"W'll Sugarcube," she said, "Just rememb'r 'at they're in a better place now. Okay, hon? Plus," she added, "it's not just yer problem now. We'll all helpya out."
I could just nod.
"Now, let's just have an ev'nin' o' fun and take yer mind off it."
"O...okay."
"I'm staying back here with her," Sunset said, "I don't want her to be alone like this."
"We'll just get yer clothes fer ya from the barn, then."
"Guys," Indigo said, "Lemon and I kind of need to stay too."
"We'll be back in a few, then. Call if you need," Sunny said.
"Will do."
Everyone left except for Sunset, Spike, Lemon, and Indigo.




An Hour Later




"Better?" Indigo said as I took a sip of coffee that Sunset had made for me.
"I think so," I said shakily, but no longer sobbing.
Someone knocked at the door, so Lemon opened it, thinking it might be Cadence.
"Yeah?"
"I need to speak with Miss Twilight Sparkle," a voice said.
"Fuck off, bitch" Lemon replied.
"Miss Zest, this is not your place of residence, so you have no authority here."
"I said, 'fuck off'."
I heard footsteps come in and a door close.
"Miss Sparkle," Ms Cinch's voice said, but was interrupted by Indigo.
"Fuck off. You don't even need to be here, let alone after what happened earlier!"
"Miss Zap, that's quite enough!"
I looked up at her.
"I understand that you have resorted to... extreme... actions to"
"Leave."
"I beg your pardon?"
"She said 'leave'!" Sunset scowled.
"Excuse me, Sassy, but"
"HEY! The name isn't 'Sassy'! It's Sunset Shimmer! And GET OUT!" she was full-on yelling now.
"Miss Shimmer, I am here go give Miss Sparkle an offer"
I stood up.
"Get the fuck out of my house!" I said, blowing an orange from the fruit bowl in the kitchen to smithereens, "Or you and I are going to have problems!"
She turned and ran out into the hall, "Have your emotions controlled by tomorrow, or you three are expelled from Crystal Prep!"
I slammed the door in her face using my magic.
"Twilight, Darling?" someone knocked at the door, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, Rarity. Come in."
Everyone came back in.
"We figured that it would be better if we all came at the same time, Darling. Also, what was that woman doing here?"
"I'm not sure," I replied.
"Do you feel better now?" Rainbow asked.
"Just knowing that you're all here to help me has made me a lot better," I said back, "I just wonder if Sunny and Sugarcoat are okay. And especially Sour Sweet. There was a lot of blood in that one."
"Yeah, I did go overboard a little with her, now that you mention it," Indigo commented, "But she's a fighter. She had mono just before the Friendship Games."
Lemon's iPhone 6 Plus rang, so she put it on speakerphone. It was Sugarcoat.
"Sugarcoat," Lemon said, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just caught up in traffic. How's Twilight holding up?"
"I'm better now. Thanks for asking. Where are you?"
"There's a wreck about five miles from my house, so I'm kind of trapped here. Me and Sunny both."
"Do you guys still want to come over to Twilight's?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"There's no way that we can. We're really sorry."
"Uh hello? You're talking to one of the two Wondercolts that grew wings earlier! Of course you can!"
"You'd do that? Even after earlier?"
"We've kicked evil magic's ass today twice, so why not?"
"We're at 1202 Papergreen Street if you still want to come and get us."
"I'm coming, so be ready for me."
"Do you need directions?"
"Nope. I'll just do a flyover."
"Okay, then."
"Expect me in about two minutes."
Sugarcoat ended the call, so Rainbow made two trips: one to get Sugarcoat and one to get Sunny Flare.
"Wow," Sugarcoat said, "You've got speed."
"Thanks! Just because I'm awesome."
"Are you for real?" Sunny asked, trying her hardest not to be offensive (but failing anyway. Miserably).
"You like to piss people off, don't you?"
"I noticed that you like that set of clothes, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said, handing me a bag from Walmart, "So I picked you up some more like them!"
"That's nice, Pinkie," I said, "But you really didn't have to--"
"That's just what friends do, silly!"
There was a knock at the door.
"Miss Twilight?" Princess Celestia called. I could tell it was her because of how she addressed me.
"You can come in," I said, "The door's unlocked."
The door was encompassed in a golden aura, before opening to reveal the three princesses from earlier, but in human form.
Princess Celestia looked like Principal Celestia, just with a sleeveless dress instead of a suit, along with her horn and wings from the hospital. Princess Luna looked like her counterpart except for clothing and the addition of wings and a horn. She was wearing a dress exactly like her sister, except colored dark-blue instead of white. Princess Twilight looked like a regular student from Canterlot City High, except with wings and a horn.
"Oh God, of course you can come in!"
They came in and sat on the couch in the TV Room half of the front room, so I followed.
"We wanted to give you something in light of your new studies," Princess Luna said, handing me three books: one with a picture of the Sun, one with a picture of the Moon, and one with a picture of a purple star-figure.
"What are they?" I asked, flipping through them, "They're blank."
"Think of them like your phone," Princess Twilight said, "You can write in them, and they'll appear in a corresponding book back in Equestria."
"I don't know what to say," I said, "Thanks!"
"No problem."
"While you're here, feel free to take a look around. I can get you something if you're hungry or thirsty."
"That'll be quite alright," Princess Celestia said, "But I would like to take you up on your offer to see your house."
"By all means," I said, "Well, this is the TV Room/Kitchen," I showed them the sitting room, "then there's a sitting room," I pointed at three doors, "My brother and Cadence's bedroom on the left, bathroom in the middle, and my room on the right."
"Mind if I see?" Princess Twilight asked.
"Sure," I said as she went into the sitting room, "It's nice."
"Thank you," I said, pouring them each a glass of Milo's Sweet Tea.
"Is that..." Princess Twilight said from the other room before gasping and probably collapsing on the floor.
All of us rushed in to see what happened, but Indigo, Lemon, and Sunset brought me back into the kitchen.
"Probably best if you sit this one out, Sci-Twi."
I heard sobbing, so I knew exactly what was going on.
"Princess Twilight sure is lucky," I said.
"Oh God," Sunset said, "Please don't be sad!"
"She still has her parents!" I said, "So, I'm not trying to sound selfish or anything, but I wonder if her parents could come and visit sometime."
"Come on, Twilight," I heard Princess Celestia say, "It's okay. Everything's okay. Your parents are still around."
"It's just... I don't want... her to... be... without them... either."
"There's nothing we can do about that, my child."
"Maybe they could come and visit Sci-Twi sometime!" Pinkie Pie said, ceasing the sobbing.
"Thank you, Pinkie!"
"Oh, you're welcome."
Princess Twilight, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, came back into the front room with Indigo, Sunset, Lemon, and myself.
"I poured each of you some sweet tea," I said, awkwardly trying to change the subject. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna each took a glass, sat on the couch, and enjoyed it. Princess Twilight, on the other hand, came over to me.
"Listen," she said, "I'm so sorry about them. I'm sure that they meant a lot to you then, and I'm sure they'll still mean a lot to you in time. I can't imagine the pain that you're going through right now," she hugged me, "but if you ever want, you can borrow mine. I'm sure they'll be okay with it, especially if it means helping you feel good."
"Thanks," I said, handing her the third glass of tea, "It's not as good as soda, but it's still pretty good."
She took a sip of the beverage.
"If you want, I can give you a gallon to take back to Equestria."
"It was rather nice," Princess Luna said, warmly.
"I have another gallon under the counter," I said, getting a gallon of tea from under the cabinet, "You can take it back to Equestria with you."
"Why? You don't have to do this, Miss Twilight."
"Just as a 'Thank You' for not having me arrested after what happened."
"It's perfectly okay, now that the holes are closed back again."
"I would ask you three to stay, but I know you have royal duties in Equestria, so I can't bring myself to do it."
"We would love to stay too, but we do have our own matters at hoof," Princess Celestia said.
"I'm sure that I could stay," Princess Twilight said, "I mean, after all, I have an obligation, don't I?"
"I suppose you do, Twilight," Princess Celestia said as she and her sister left, "We hope to see you again soon."
"I'm sorry about earlier," Princess Twilight said, "I should've held it together better."
"It's okay. Do you have an extra change of clothes, though?"
Princess Twilight panicked for a second.
"Crap!"
"It's okay," I said, "We're the same person, so I'm pretty sure that you wear my size."
"Okay, then."
Someone knocked at the door.
"Twilie," my brother said, "It's me. You home?"
"It's unlocked."
Shining came inside carrying a cardboard box of bags from Dollar General and set them down on the kitchen counter, "I thought you might need these," he said, pulling out various things like disposable foam plates, chips and dip, plastic disposable cups, and soda, "I've got more in the car, but I want you to stay up here with everyone."
"Or we could all help," Sunset suggested.




That night, 08:00p




"Sci-Twi," Indigo said, "Do you have the movie ready now?"
The TV was turned on and set to VCR, the player was on, warmed up, and set to VHS, but I couldn't find the actual movie. Cadence was finishing some pizza bagles to serve us while Shining was pouring drinks for everyone.
"Just a second," I said, looking for the original 1985 VHS of the movie, "I can't remember where I put the tape."
I looked through the cabinet of movies, but couldn't find Back to the Future, even after looking through it four times. The only part of it I could find was the cardboard dustcover.
"Could your brother have done something with it?" Lemon said.
"He wouldn't ever hide my favorite movie of all time from me like this."
"Um," Rainbow Dash said, coming over to me, "Are you sure that it's on a tape and not DVD?"
"Yes," I said, holding up the dustcover, "I watched it just the other day."
Sunset noticed that the TV said "TAPE IN" on the middle of the blue screen in big, white text, "Maybe it's already in there."
"You can try, but I don't think it is."
She picked up the remote, pressed VCR, then PLAY. The image on the TV went black for a second before showing the ending credits to the movie.
"I feel so stupid!" I said, putting my head against the console.
Sunset began to laugh, followed by Indigo and Lemon, then Rainbow Dash, next was Princess Twilight, then finally Shining and Cadence.
"Don't make me feel dumber, you guys."
"We're not," Princess Twilight said, "The first time I ever watched TV, I got scared of Sunset's WiFi-box-thing, just because it was blinking."
"Huh?"
"Not to mention how much I fell all over the place once I started walking upright!"
"Yeah," Sunset added, "A total klutz!"
Princess Twilight laughed even harder.
"Oh," she also added and laughed harder herself, "You should've seen me when I was trying to find out how their magic works here! It did not end well!"
"Or when I accidentally hit a teacher in the head with a soccer ball last week!" Rainbow said, laughing even harder now.
"Oh God," Lemon said, cracking up completely now, "Think about how I felt when my headphones accidentally ran dead in the library that day!"
"Or when my goggles came off in the middle of class!" Indigo cracked.
"Last year, how I forgot to actually get the turkey for Thanksgiving," Shining said, bending over and holding onto the counter for balance.
"Or how I accidentally put your birthday cake in the freezer last month?" Cadence said, tearing up a little from her laughing.
"We've all done stupid stuff before, Sci-Twi! In a few minutes, it's going to be funny, even to you!" Princess Twilight said.
Oh, what the hell. I guess it was KIND OF funny.
I started laughing so hard I was almost crying.
"See?"
The VCR reached the end of the tape, so it pinged, made a single KNOCK, and made a mechanical hum for a few seconds as the auto-rewind kicked in. The TV screen went black for a second, then came back and blinked REWIND in big letters on a blue background. The VCR pinged again, and began to rewind the VHS to the beginning.
"Just give it a few minutes," I said as something started beeping in the kitchen, "What's that?"
"Pizza bagles!" Cadence said, pulling two trays out of the oven.
"Twilight," Sunset said, "Is it weird... having... you know."
"The muzzle feels okay. I barely even notice the horn, and the ears I can live with, but I've still got a lot to get used to in this tail."
"It's not any kind of trouble, is it?" Princess Twilight said.
"No. Not really."
I heard a vibrating noise come from my bedroom. I knew exactly what it had to be, so I ran in to get it as fast as I could.
"Just a minute!"
Indigo, Lemon, and Sunset followed me.
My bedroom was small and simple, just like the rest of my house. It consisted of my bed, a dresser, nightstand, and an old, rectangular, plastic folding table, with a set of (somewhat broken from time and moving) plastic drawers from Walmart and a few milkcrates stacked to hold my books underneath, and my computer chair was a folding cardtable chair. The nightstand was just a bottom-up milkcrate with a piece of wood attached to the five sides to give the appearance of something better, holding a phone dock for my phone and a lamp, the folding table held my (now-upgraded) computer that I had since I managed to get into CPA, as a gift from my parents, another cradle for my phone, and the three books that I had received earlier, along with a mess of manila folders, papers, and notebooks. In the milkcrate bookcase, there were mostly reference books, but a few were hard-copies of some of the Daring Do franchise.
"What are you doing?" Lemon asked.
I looked at the books to see which was vibrating. The one with the Sun.
"This may be important."
I opened the book with the Sun on it, and where the first page had originally been completely blank, there was now a letter written to me in some of the neatest and most beautiful script possible:


Miss Twilight,
This is Princess Celestia, although I'm sure as of now you are aware, and I have something for you and your counterpart. Earlier, I spoke with the Twilight Velvet and Night Light of Equestria and described your dilemma. The response was rather extremely joyful, and they have agreed to come and spend time with you on occasion. You will have to excuse them for their blunders though, for obvious reasons. They will be at Canterlot High on Thursday.
Princess Celestia


I just stood there for a minute, stunned.
"Twilight?" Sunset said.
"Hey, are you alright?" Lemon asked, beginning to poke me.
"YES!!!!!" I squealed, running back into the kitchen with the book, "SHINING ARMOR!!!!! CADENCE!!!!!"
"What is it, Sweetie!?" Cadence worried.
"You're not going to break down again, right?" Rainbow asked.
"You okay, Sugarcube?"
"Is she back, Darling?"
I ran over to Shining and Cadence, knocking the table over, along with several glasses of soda and movie snacks.
"I'll clean that up later!" I said, showing them the letter, "But look at THIS!!"
Princess Twilight ran over to us to look at the book, too. When Shining and Cadence read the letter, they couldn't help but to squeal with me, with the princess following not long after.
"THEY'RE COMING HERE!! TO OUR HOUSE!! THURSDAY!!"
"Oh my," Fluttershy said, coming out of her startle, "Who?"
"MOM AND DAD!!!"
The very next thing that I knew was that Shining, Cadence, and myself were embraced in a hug with everyone else in my house.
"It's a shame that we can't make time go faster, though," I said.
The VCR made a single knock, pinged one time, ejected the tape, and pinged again, while the text on the TV said "NO TAPE".
"Now," I said, "I should probably clean that up."
"Don't worry about it," Princess Twilight said, using her magic to clean the mess, "All done."
"Okay," I said, seeing that finished, "Ready to watch the movie?"
"Let's do it!" Sunny said.
I pushed the tape back in the VCR and waited for it to start.
"It's... different," Sugarcoat said.
"It's like a '97 model."
The player pinged, making the text on the TV change to "PLAY". After a second, the motor started reeling the tape, making the picture go black again, pinged, and started playing Back to the Future.
"Your equipment... is ancient," Indigo said, not trying to be offensive.
"We had to sell our old TV when they... left. We found this one at a Goodwill for $20, and we haven't had Cable in forever, and the DVD player doesn't exactly work all the time. Not that it really matters, of course," I said, as we all tried to enjoy the movie, which became flaky at times because of the poor condition of the set.



"When did you say it came out?" Princess Twilight asked me as the end credits began.
"July 03, 1985."
"Amazing."
"I've wanted a DeLorean ever since I was a little girl."
Instead of letting the tape finish and rewind, I just turned off the player and TV. Princess Twilight led me into the sitting room afterward.
"Okay," she said, "So far, I've been documenting your night, and I want you to see what I have so far," she said, taking out a notebook, "The green is good, red is bad, and black is just comments."
"Okay," I said, sitting on the couch with her, "Could we just start wherever?"
"Sure. I'll just start you off with the basics. How does tomorrow sound?"
Cadence must've overheard our conversation, "I'm sure cutting tomorrow will be perfectly okay with the school."
"What about Ms Cinch?" I asked.
"She was fired. I gave the board a copy of the videos of her manipulating you, then she tried to have me fired by saying I had you use magic against students with wings, human-eating plants, and a talking dog of all things!"


"Superintendent Booklead," I said, entering the school board administration on 12TH Avenue, "I have several harassment complaints against Principal Abacus Cinch of Crystal Prep Academy, and request for her termination."
Abacus Cinch, being over-punctual, was there earlier than I was in a desperate attempt to keep her position, although it wouldn't help.
"I would like to see the evidence against Ms Cinch, Ms Armor."
"Please, just 'Cadence', if you will," I said, handing him a USB with all of the conversations bugged between Abacus and Twilight, "Here you are."
"Thank you."
He put the USB in his computer and began watching the first video (the one of Cinch manipulating Twilight into the Friendship Games) and quickly became perturbed, not even finishing the first video before pulling the drive out and returning it to me.
"Do you have anything to say in your defense, Ms Cinch?"
"Miss Sparkle joined and competed in the games of her own freewill. It was Ms Armor's actions that had put the lives of not only my students in danger, but also the students of Canterlot City High!"
"Please explain."
"The two administrators of Canterlot City High condoned the behavior that was exhibited at the games earlier! They should also be in here, as they had their students using magic to win the games! Some were floating, and some grew wings! Back to the matter at hand, Miss Sparkle should face felon charges for attempted murder by this stolen... energy!"
"Talking dog? Magic? Floating students with damn wings?" he said, "You expect me to believe any of that shit?"
"As long as you're showing bugs, Dean Cadence," Cinch told me, "show the footage from earlier today at Canterlot City High School!"
"There wasn't any files on the USB recorded at CHS, Abacus Cinch."
"I beg your pardon? She involved her husband, Principal Celestia, AND Vice-Principal Luna!"
"Get the hell out of here."
"I beg your pardon, Superintendent?"
"You're fired. Get your things and get the hell out of here. Now!" he turned to me, "Ms Cadence, you will be assuming position of Principal and Dean of Students until you find a suitable replacement for one of the positions."


"None of that could possibly happen," she said with a smile, "because there is no such thing as magical ponies or other worlds."
"But Ms Cadence Darling, of course it's real. I mean, Sci-Twi is even sitting in there, half-pony now. It's completely obvious."
"No it isn't," Sunset said, "Cadence is right. It just never happened."
Princess Twilight and I exchanged glances.
"That's right, guys," I said with a wink, "She's just my twin who lives with my cousins out of state."
"I-- Oh right!" Indigo laughed.
"How about I call Principal Celestia and see if she'll give the students of CHS to 'recuperate' for the rest of the week with the students of CPA."
"Bright idea 'f ya ask me," Applejack said, "Ah'm sure 'at she'll say 'yes' right then 'n there."
Cadence called Principal Celestia and put the phone on speaker so we could hear the conversation.
"Hello, Cadence," Principal Celestia's voice said.
"Celestia, do you think that you could do me a solid?"
"Yes. What is it?"
"If you could give the students the rest of the week off?"
"I did that just after the first bus to Crystal Prep left because of the damage the school sustained."
"Thanks a bunch!"
"No problem," she said, before ending the call.
"So," Rainbow Dash said, "Nobody in here has school for the rest of the week?"
"That's right," Cadence said before turning to the four Shadowbolts still in the TV room, "Go ahead and text your friends and parents and let them know that school is canceled until Monday. I'll let all of the teachers know right now via email."
The text messages spread like wildfire, Cadence's email to the staff at CPA surely put them at a relief, and she even received a few calls about the situation, none of which she couldn't tackle.