//------------------------------// // Principal Cinch // Story: Altered Perspectives: The Long Way Back // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Abacus Cinch sat down in silence. Her mind was a maelstrom as she desperately tried to comprehend all that had happened. First and foremost in her mind was that she stared death in the face, then successfully evaded it. She had never been so terrified in all her life! Abacus shuddered as Twilight's monstrous form flashed in her mind's eye. She doubted she would truly feel safe again for a while to come. As if that wasn't maddening enough, the magic from those accursed Wondercolts infected her students, turning them into wretched ingrates! After everything Abacus had done for them and Crystal Prep... the sheer audacity of it all was enough to drive one mad! To make matters even worse, the Friendship Games had ended in a tie. A tie! That had added insult to injury, and Abacus would not stand for it! However, as loathe as she was to admit it, her detractors had a point. If she came up to the school board and told them all that had happened, she would look like a madwoman. As furious and afraid as she was, Abacus understood that she would need to bide her time. Form a carefully thought out plan to convince the school board that Canterlot High had cheated using... enhancements. Yes, enhancements sounded far more convincing than magic. And yet, Abacus had no doubt in her mind that she would have to elaborate. She couldn't very well say that the students grew wings, especially if she wanted to be taken seriously. She sighed heavily. What would her father have done in this situation? Surely he would have come up with some sort of foolproof scheme by now. But would even he have been prepared for magic being an actual factor? No. Of course not. Her father was brilliant, but even he had his flaws. An idea occurred to Abacus. Surely one of the students at Crystal Prep had recorded the incident on their phone. All she would need to do was confiscate all phones on the premises. She quickly shook her head. Something had told her any suspicious activity would alert her students. Unless she did so for good reason... perhaps if she convinced her students that sharing the video with others would lead to some sort of government inspection... it sounded rather far-fetched, but this entire scenario already was! A vision of all the portals and remnants of Abacus' nightmares caused her to flinch, and she felt a headache coming on. Perhaps a break was in order. After all, she had been through trial after trial during the course of the week, and she still needed to find an heir and get some psychological help. Abacus also intended to enact retribution on her rebellious students. Insubordination would simply not be tolerated, not even from Dean Cadance! The look on the Dean's face as she mocked her filled her with fury! It would seem that the Friendship Games had caused everyone to forget their places... Damn that Twilight Sparkle for defecting! She knew Abacus would punish her for costing Crystal Prep Academy their rightful win, and she transferred to Canterlot High like a coward! Abacus took a deep breath, then exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose. All of this anger was causing her mind to scatter, and she still couldn't comprehend that there was another world out there! As mind-boggling as it was, however, she decided not to think too much more about it. Her domain was Crystal Prep, not some fantasy land full of sapient horses! And yet... what if Abacus found a way into that world? Surely the discovery of an alternate world would vastly enhance her reputation and legacy. Abacus cupped her chin in thought. This wasn't the sort of thing that she should rush into. There were far too many unknowns for her to just wander in willy-nilly. If those dreaded plant beasts came from the same world as the portals, then that world wasn't entirely safe. Abacus would need to find scientists. Physicists. People who could make some sense of the properties of this alternate world. She would need to find strongmen. Men that could handle anything.... even though those equines seemed harmless enough. Yes... Abacus could go down in history as the woman who discovered an alternate world! She would become immortalized, her legacy secured for all of time! "Holy fucking shit!" Abacus jumped in her seat, then stood up to see Lemon Zest doing the same. The Headmistress scowled. She would have to have a talk with that young lady about her language, but that would have to wait. Abacus sat down, her mood improved. She had much work ahead of her, and her priorities were clear: First, she would plan a way to convince the school board to reverse the dreadful outcome of the Friendship Games. Second, she would punish all those who insulted her pride. Third, she would seek help to mentally better herself after those awful dreams caused a trauma to resurface. Fourth, being of sound mind she would search for an heir, just as she promised her father. Lastly, she would find a way to get to this parallel world, then hire a group of people to help her. Abacus grinned. She may not have come out the victor today, but she knew that in the long run, she would get what she truly and so richly deserved. The bus stopped upon arriving at Crystal Prep.