//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Order from Delinquency 
// Story: Shadowed Bolts 
// by Shadowmane PX-41 
//------------------------------//

The next day, Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap were strolling down the hallways of Crystal Prep. As much as they wanted to avoid the Defectors, they didn't want to risk playing hooky and breaking the rules. They both knew that if they broke any of the rules, then they were no better than them.

"So, all we've gotta do is walk right up to Chrysalis and tell her that she's gotta be more strict, right?" Indigo asked.

"If she does make the rules harsher, the Defectors will slowly but surely begin to feel like they were fighting against what they wanted," Sugarcoat said. "They want order and discipline. If she gives it to the students, then maybe we can finally put an end to this constant fighting."

"What about Starlight and Blueblood? Something tells me that they're gonna be pretty peeved if the Defectors finally agree with Chrysalis..."

"They've let their command go to their heads, and will most likely be the hardest to convince that Crystal Prep can still be as orderly as before—without the harshness of Cinch's old rule. But if we can make them see as well, then we'll have done our job, and we'll have Sunset and her friends to thank for it."

"And then there's still the final piece of the puzzle." Indigo stopped at her locker and pulled out a textbook. "They all hate us for the fact that we wanted change the most in this school. I can imagine it's gonna take an awful long time for those thugs to be our friends again."

"But still, why would they want to hunt down the Rainbooms as well? And why would they want to finish what Cinch couldn't?" Sugarcoat's eyes darted around as she struggled to think. "Something's not right..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if the Defectors want more than just order? What if they targeted the Rainbooms for a specific reason other than to prove their point? What could they possibly have to gain out of them?"

"I don't really know, Sugarcoat. But there's one thing we can all agree on. This madness needs to be put to an end, before everyone involved suffers!"

"I agree with you, girls." Black approached the girls and took off his helmet, revealing his spiky black hair and red eyes again. "The Defectors have caused enough damage as it is, and for the way we all have to act against them, I feel like this is starting to turn into a war that neither side wants to fight, but has to because of the hate that we've forcibly had to accept."

"You're saying that students might have joined the Defectors by force?" Indigo's eyes widened.

"It's not much to go on, but for what it's worth, it could very well be the case." Black sighed and put his right hand on Indigo's shoulder. "Truth be told, I don't want to see you, your friends, or anyone else in this school get hurt. At least, not in ways of fighting or because of some petty squabble between the two factions."

"But as long as Starlight Glimmer and Blueblood have that vendetta against us, the Rainbooms, Chrysalis, and the Changelings, we're most likely never going to see peace return to this school," Sugarcoat spoke up. "Whatever the king and queen of the Defectors want, it's clear that they've got high standards for order, and that Chrysalis can only reach them if she uses all the rules Cinch used in the past."

"And that won't solve anything. It'll only revert CPA to the cold-hearted and lifeless sanctum of knowledge that it was before the Friendship Games." Black laid his other hand on Sugarcoat's shoulder. "Indy, Sugar, you're both very intelligent, strong-willed, kind, and helpful girls. Without you, Crystal Prep might be lost to the Defectors," he said. "So I'm hoping that you and your friends can finally stop this before it gets out of control."

"You can count on us, Black." Indigo smiled and gave him a small hug as Sugarcoat did the same.

"Now you'd better get to your next classes before the Changelings or Defectors see you late." He let them go off on their separate ways and waited until they were gone before putting his helmet back on. "It would break my heart to see you having to resort to fighting with or against us..."





Starlight Glimmer walked into the science lab of Crystal Prep alongside Blueblood and a dozen other Defectors. They turned on the lights to illuminate a row of tables with bunsen burners, test tubes, cupboards, as well as a number of posters and charts that littered the walls.

In her hands, she was holding a blueprint that had been neatly rolled up and secured with a red rubber band. She walked over to the farthest table, put it down, pulled off the rubber band, and opened it up once they were all gathered around it.

When the blueprint had been opened up, it revealed – in great detail – how to recreate the device that Twilight had used to absorb the magic from Sunset Shimmer and her friends. It showed how it all went together, as well as the necessary parts and process on how to do it.

"Why didn't we think of it before?" Starlight's grin turned malicious. "The solution to this silly little fight between the Defectors and the Changelings.

"Simply by recreating this device and using it to capture magic like before, and then using this power to cripple those meddlesome Rainbooms, we can study the magic from before, purify it, and ensure that everyone can use it for their own ideals!" She clapped her hands once before circling her group, momentarily laying her arms on each of them before she returned to her spot. "And just like that, everyone will be able to – as those brats at CHS call it – Pony-Up!"

"Starlight, need I remind you that the last time magic was involved in this world, it nearly ripped it apart as one of our own went power-hungry and wanted it all for themselves?" Blueblood spoke up. "Maybe we could take the magic, but only as a last resort for if we cannot win against these mindless oafs. Doesn't it seem a little excessive to use it out of sheer will alone?" his grin slowly faded away. "After all, what we don't know can kill us."

"Cinch's twisted desire to win was interlaced with Twilight's will to experiment and see what it could do," Starlight said. "It was a mixture of being blackmailed into unleashing the magic as well as wanting to know what power it had that unearthed that monstrosity and almost had it destroy everything we hold dear.

"I will not make the same mistake that they did. We will take the magic, safely store it away, learn about it to the best of our abilities, and then give every Defector in this school a little upgrade. Only by understanding it can we use it to better our world."

"Defecting against order to get it is one thing, but having to use an otherworldly power that no-one can control to try and enforce our will among the world?" Another Defector raised her finger. "I agree with King Blueblood, Queen Starlight. If this goes wrong, we could have another demon unleashed upon the world."

"Which is why this cannot go wrong under any circumstance." Starlight towered over them. "The experimentation might be hard at first, but soon, we'll have all of the knowledge we need for using this magic for our own wishes."

"What about the Rainbooms and the Shadowbolts themselves?" another Defector spoke. "If they do catch wind of our little schemes, they'll most certainly try and put a stop to it."

"Don't worry about those rambunctious teenagers, Night Glider." Starlight tipped her hand. "They will soon see that everything must be shared, and that we must all have magic for the world to be restored to its correct alignment. With that in mind, they will soon see that our ways can also incorporate friendship. After all, if everyone is orderly, then no-one is different. Friendships work better when everyone follows the rules."

"Speaking of rules, Dean Cadence is said to be having a slight leave of absence due to all of our efforts." Blueblood looked out and saw Cadence with a small briefcase in her hand.

"Perfect. Without her and her pitiful lovey-dovey ways to help students keep their morale up, they will soon break to the will of the Defectors, and we will rise and overwhelm the Changelings."

"She was the last thing standing between them and the two warring groups," Night Glider said. "And now that she's out of the picture, Crystal Prep will return to being a school of order and discipline, where fun can only be had when we break after it!"

"So, what happens now?" said a Defector with beads in her hair.

"Patience, Sugar Belle." Starlight put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We have all of the time we need."





As Sunset Shimmer leaned against the walls of Canterlot High, she pulled out the book to Twilight and began to write something down.

Hey, Twilight, it said. I know you've got a lot of things going down in Equestria, but there's a bit of a problem brewing here in the other world. Now, I'm not saying that we need you just yet, but if things do get out of hand, then we might need to call you again. Her face had a smile, which changed to a slight grimace as she wrote. Before I continue, I want to ask you something. Do you know about two ponies in your world called Blueblood and Starlight Glimmer? She finished the note and closed the book before putting it back in her backpack and walking towards her next class.

Almost immediately before she opened the door, the book vibrated and glowed.

"What the?" Sunset pulled it back out and looked at the response.



Alright, Sunset.

Blueblood and Starlight Glimmer are both unicorns with a different amount of influence in Equestria. Blueblood is a prince and Celestia's supposed nephew. However, he let his poncy title go to his head, and he often makes cruel and unjust decisions because he's not getting what he wants.

As for Starlight Glimmer, she was the first unicorn in this world to ever outmatch me. For once, I felt like there was no way to beat her. With the ability to steal a pony's Cutie Mark, and the power to travel through time, as well as a variety of other spells she can use whilst levitating herself at the same time – sounds like a lot, huh? – she could have very well defeated me and stopped me and my friends from ever meeting each other and earning our Cutie Marks to save our world. She's reformed now in our world, but I don't see what that has to do with the situation you and your friends are facing in yours.

I would love to hear the details later.

–Princess Twilight Sparkle



With a small smile, Sunset closed the book and walked into her next class.





Later, Sunset and her friends found themselves in Principal Celestia's office with Vice Principal Luna standing beside her. Each of the girls stood in a row and waited for one of the two women to speak.

"Girls. From what I've heard, our friend at Crystal Prep, Dean Cadence, has recently had to take a small break from her duties for some unexplained reason." Celestia organized the papers on her desk before stacking them up and putting them into a ring-binder. "For her time away from CPA, she let us know that she would spend time here with us at CHS."

"While I am happy to see her taking up work here, I cannot help but think that you might know the reason why she's had to move from Crystal Prep," Luna furrowed her brows. "If you would be so kind as to tell us, we would be delighted to hear it."

"Should we tell them, though?" Fluttershy and the girls got into a group huddle. "I mean, it's bad enough that the Defectors are involved in it, but I'd be even more frightened to know that Celestia would have to call the cops for something that shouldn't be resolved through brutality."

"It's best that she knows now, and that we're going to set things right before she does, Fluttershy." Sunset tussled her hair before turning back towards Celestia and Luna. "Alright. I'll tell you everything you need to know.

"Ever since the Friendship Games, Prinicpal Cinch was fired on the spot for the whole board believing what she saw to be total nonsense, as you had predicted," she said. "But when Chrysalis took over as principal there, some of the students were outraged that she would make the school a better place, and decided to form a group of bullies known as the Defectors."

"The Defectors?" Celestia asked. "Go on, Sunset."

"They're led by two CPA students, Blueblood and Starlight Glimmer. Aside from the Twilight that transferred here, they were the best in their classes, and who were left out of the games due to unforeseen reasons, even though they were favourites to be in it. Blueblood graffitied messages of revolt and an uprising, whilst Starlight Glimmer gave the Defectors their uniforms back, as a sign of unity. For this, they were made king and queen."

"And how do you know about this?"

"We made some friends from Crystal Prep who told us the whole story." Twilight stood up and put her hand on her chest. "Namely, Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, and Indigo Zap," she said. "You can't have forgotten them, as they were in the Tri-Cross Relay along with me and the Rainbooms."

"They also saved us from falling to our untimely demises when Twilight turned into that flying monstrosity at the end of the Games!" Pinkie spoke up in her usual bubbly attitude, but then stopped and looked at her spectacled friend. "No offense, right?"

"None taken, Pinkie Pie," said Twilight.

"Yes. I've heard about them." Vice Principal Luna looked at a picture on the wall showing Cadence, Chrysalis, and all of the students at CPA partying. "I've heard they're a pretty nice group of students once you make it through their rather crusty exteriors. Especially Sugarcoat."

"They're trying their best to make the school better, but I think that it's still an uphill battle for them," Sunset continued. "They called the seven of us because they believed that we were their last hope in making Crystal Prep a better place, and that we could hopefully make the two schools friendly towards each other."

"So that day when you claimed you had a cold, you went to Crystal Prep to assess the damage?" Luna cocked one of her brows.

"Yes. I'm sorry we had to lie to you, but they had absolutely no idea on how to make things better."

"While I would usually hand down a punishment for lying to miss a day of school, I will concede that it does sound like a problem that is only getting bigger and bigger with each passing day."

"Even more so now that Dean Cadence has had to move here to get away from it all," Celestia pointed out. "We'll let you off this time, but any further trips without permit will result in a detention. OK?"

"Yes. We understand, Principal Celestia," Applejack said.

"Good." Celestia picked up a dossier over on the nearby bookcase and brought it to the table. "Cadence was also kind enough to give us a copy of her documents for being a CPA staff member, as well as a contact sheet for if we needed to get in touch with her." She pushed it towards to the girls. "Now, I'm not saying that you should read this, but it would be nice to see everything she likes and doesn't like so that you can connect with her better whilst she's here, and even hope to make her feel a little better about this whole thing."

"By making friends with Dean Cadence, she can hopefully share her side of the story, as well as give you some advice on how to quell the rage of the Defectors and hope that with you and your friends, you can bring new life to Crystal Prep." Luna walked over to Sunset and put her right hand on her shoulder. "I trust that you girls will all make her feel welcome?"

"We will," said Sunset. "Anything else you wanted?"

"Not really, no." Celestia picked up a pencil and pulled out some sheets of paper from the small compartment to her side. "You may all leave now to go off to your next classes."

"Thank you, Principal Celestia." Twilight and her friends all walked out of the office and shut the door just as quickly.

As everyone left, Sunset sat down on one of the nearby chairs and pulled out the book that allowed her to communicate with the Twilight from Equestria.

"Are you alright, Sunset?" Rarity asked when she looked at the book.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Rarity," Sunset opened it and looked at the response materialize out of thin air. "I just had to have a little talk with the Twilight from my world for a while before we were all called to Celestia's office."

"About what, darling?"

"About the whole mess between the two fighting groups, as well as the Starlight and Blueblood from Equestria."

"Why would you get the details on the king and queen of the Defectors if they're probably not even the same as the ones in Equestria?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head.

"To see if they're a special case in Twilight's world as well. If they're adept in the magical arts, then maybe their human world counterparts might be able to tap into some deeper resources of magic that not even we can fathom. And if they accomplish it then..."

"Then what, Sunset?" Fluttershy brushed some hair out of her face.

"Then we could be facing a crisis far worse than anything we've ever faced before." Sunset hung her head as she envisioned Starlight and Blueblood using magic for evil purposes. "Forget my actions, forget those of The Dazzlings, even the ones of Abacus Cinch. We might be looking at someone fueled by revenge for something we did, using a power that we already know, but to a stronger extent than we thought possible."

"Now hold on a sec, Sunset," said Applejack. "For all we know, it's not yet been confirmed that Starlight and Blueblood are hunting for magic to make themselves all-powerful."

"But they already know that it exists, don't they? Someone at Crystal Prep must have told them all about it, or they could have been witnesses to Twilight's little outburst at the Games."

"Even so, that doesn't mean they're possibly looking for it—let alone trying to steal it."

"I agree with Applejack on this one." Pinkie Pie folded her arms. "I've seen a few bullies and meanies in my time, and if they wanted to take our magic, then why haven't they done it already?"

"Probably wanting to make sure that there's no mistakes that could cause another world-destroying apocalypse like the last three times." Sunset looked at the response, then turned the book towards her friends. "Anyway, you might want to take a look at this."



Dear Sunset.

I understand the trouble you and your friends are having to face at this moment. I mean, fighting is the hardest kind of problem to fix to make friendships better. I know this first-hoof from a number of experiences that I've had here in Equestria. But I will say that you just need to keep your head up, try your best in solving the dispute between the Defectors and the Changelings, and hope that with your new friends at Crystal Prep, you can make the world a better place.

–Princess Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. If things do get too out of hand, don't be afraid to call me.



"Aww, it's nice to know that Twilight's still got our back, even when things are about to spiral out of control," Rarity finally broke the silence after they had all read the response. "Either way, we won't need to call her to stop those rough-and-tumble Defectors." the other girls all nodded with her.

"But on the off chance that we can't fix it, it's good that Twilight's still ready and waiting." Sunset put the book away.

"So, what did she say about the Starlight and Blueblood of Equestria?" Twilight asked

"That they're both unicorns capable of powerful feats, but Starlight is the more powerful one because she was able to outmatch Twilight at every turn." Sunset crossed her legs. "She thought that the two of them would be battling in an endless time travel loop forever if it stopped Starlight from making Equestria a ruinous place where Twilight and her friends never got their Cutie Marks due to something called the Sonic Rainboom being prevented."

"She sounds pretty powerful," Pinkie Pie said. "And magical at the same time. If anything, she sounds like another Twilight! Without the wings, of course."

To that, Sunset let out a long sigh. "What if they manage to do it? Get the Magic of Friendship, I mean?" she put one of her hands to her chin. "We've all seen that magic is unpredictable, and we can only tap into it because we're showing off the truest sides of ourselves," she said. "But when you harness it as raw power, then it becomes clay in your hands. If Starlight and Blueblood manage to unlock the inner machinations of magic, then things will go out of control, and Twilight will need to be called in to stop the mayhem those two will bring."

"All that we can do now is hope that we can use reasoning and understanding to stop this violence and tell them that Chrysalis can work well as a principal." Sunset collected her belongings and walked down to her next class. "And if not, then we'd better prepare ourselves for the upcoming fight that they'll bring to CHS..."





Starlight Glimmer and Blueblood watched as Defectors battled against the Changelings to take control of the auditorium. They sat on the catwalk above the stage as punches and kicks were thrown between the two fighting sides. They watched as the Changelings struggled to win their respective fights, until the fighting was eventually put to a stop by Red Letter dealing the finishing blow to another of the black-clad disciplinarians.

"Queen Starlight! King Blueblood!" he called from the stage. "The Changelings here are defeated! We have gained even more ground against them!"

"Fantastic work, Red Letter!" Starlight descended from a harness with Blueblood next to her. They were both uncoupled before they stepped forward and patted the asian student on his back. "Without the auditorium to practice their acting, we've just assimilated the drama nerds into our cause."

"Mark up another win for us then!" Night Glider threw up her hands in victory as she stood on the head of another downed Changeling. "Those jerks never stood a chance, not with their lame Chrysalis co-ordinating them like that."

"Chrysalis will win over you punks!" A felled Changeling struggled to get up, but was stomped down by another of the Defectors. "You may have won over us today, but it won't be long before you crumble, and that you finally start to listen to her orders!"

"I wouldn't count on that, Pitch Black." Starlight ripped off his helmet, revealing the Changeling with black spiked hair that had spoken with Indigo and Sugarcoat earlier. "You see, true authority comes from control. Sure, Chrysalis might be the Principal of Crystal Prep, but unless she embraces the strict side of being one, she will never have command over this school, or the students it teaches!"

"You're wrong, Starlight..." Black clenched one of his hands into a fist. "You shouldn't have to force the rules on someone just to make things great. It should be made strong by everyone following the rules and making sure that no trouble comes from the students," his voice was stifled as he rasped. "You and Blueblood fail to understand the meaning of discipline, and that is why you will never win this battle!"

"You will not be winning this war either, Changeling!" Red Letter walked up to him and spat in his eye with perfect precision, watching as he squinted before he dried it. "You and your people are forcing the rules on us as well, making you the dictators in this struggle, not us!"

"Whether or not we are, it matters not to us. Your kind will be defeated, and Crystal Prep shall become a much better place than you thugs make it out to be! Even if you knock us down time and time again, even if you commit assault against the principal herself, and even if you have to hospitalize every other student in this school, we will never stop until the rebellion is put to an end, and you finally accept Chrysalis as your new leader!"

"Then you'd better hope that me and Blueblood come down with a terminal disease, because we won't stop until we win either!" Starlight shouted in Black's face. "All that matters now is that you have lost this battle to us, and it's only a matter of time before the majority of the students at Crystal Prep become Defectors!"

"Don't you see now? You lost this battle the second you formed yourself as the Changelings." Blueblood looked around the room whilst he stomped on Black's back. "Everyone wearing the old CPA uniform is one of us, and soon, it will all be uniform or Changeling garbs. Eventually, there will be no more students in this school for you to protect," he mocked. "Instead, there will be nothing but fighters who are willing to battle over the school, even if it means that the law has to get mixed up in it and has all of us arrested for repeated assault, harassment, and a number of other crimes."

"And when we get locked up, Crystal Prep will be hailed as an infamous school, and will have to close down due to the reduced grades, unorganized students, and the constant fight between both sides," Starlight smirked. "So even if we lose and get locked away, we'll still have won!" He threw his hands out to the side. "Chrysalis will be gone, and even though we won't get who we wanted, we'll have still cleaned this school of a wretched blight." She walked over to Blueblood, who stood aside to allow her to pick Black up and hang him over her shoulder. "You never stood a chance against us, Changeling scum! And it's only fair that you don't get to see what happens next." She threw him towards the ground, hearing his cries as his back smashed against the polished wood floor.

Starlight and Blueblood watched as the other Changelings were given the chance to run away and report back to Chrysalis. They watched as they stumbled to get out as they ran up the stairs and shut the doors behind them. The king and queen of the Defectors then picked up the bleeding Black and carried him up towards the exit before they threw him out and watched as he sprawled across the floor.

"What a shame that they believe that cruelty to students is the way to stop this fighting." Starlight joked as she shut the door on the motionless Changeling. "A pity, really. This could all be resolved if they just let us get on with our work."

"But this is the way that it has to be." Night Glider turned away and walked backstage. "We must all live under the rules for a better world..." She slumped down and sat against the wall with her head buried into her legs.

Sugar Belle came round whilst Starlight and Blueblood were getting the Defectors to clean up the mess that they had made. She noticed Night Glider had fallen into a slump, so she slowly approached her.

"Night Glider?" She held out her arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Sugar Belle. I'm fine," Night Glider lied. "Oh, who am I kidding?!" She threw up her arms before curling up into a ball. "I'm tired of having to fight to get what I want! Why can't we just have Chrysalis act tougher and stricter?!"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sugar Belle sat next to her, hoping to learn what was making Night Glider distressed. "I thought you liked being a Defector?"

"I know we're about to win, and all, but what if I don't want to win? What if there really is a better way than having to be a bully?"

"I'm not sure Starlight or Blueblood would like you if you said that to them in person..." Sugar Belle started to sweat as she watched them pass out some bandages for the Defectors who had suffered cuts and bruises during the battle in the auditorium. "They don't like people lying to them. You remember when the Rainbooms infiltrated our ranks just to talk to us, right?"

"Yeah. How could I forget that?" Night Glider sat back up. "They seemed to be harmless, but those two just wanted to straight up villify them on the spot." She peaked out from backstage and saw the leaders of their group from a different perspective. "What if Starlight and Blueblood are wrong after all, and that the Rainbooms, Changelings, and Shadow Six are right in this endeavour?"

"Defecting against the Defectors is a bad idea, I'll admit," Sugar Belle's voice started stoic, but it then dissipated into a frown. "But I believe in what you're saying, Night Glider. I do see how you'd think about that from what we've all done together. But if you're planning to rebel against them, then you might find yourself in a full body cast if they find out..."

"Hey! Night Glider! Sugar Belle!" Red Letter called from the stage. "We're done here, and are moving out to the cafeteria for a well-earned lunch break," he said. "You can come with us, or you can get left behind. It's your choice."

"Coming!" They both said together before they stood up and walked out of the auditorium with the rest of their team.

As the group of Defectors walked towards the cafeteria for lunch, Sugar Belle and Night Glider were the only ones who felt guilty for the pain and suffering that they had inflicted. After a while, they eventually realized that the ways of Starlight, Blueblood, and their followers was entirely immoral and unneccessary in trying to prove their point. They twiddled their fingers and twitched repeatedly as their footsteps echoed across the hallways of CPA.

They dared not speak, in case the others in their group called them out for showing the slightest bit of remorse—or concern for the people that they hurt. Instead, they kept quiet, entered the hall, collected, and paid for their lunch. They then went upstairs to join the rest of the Defectors. As they sat down at a table together with three other girls, multiple thoughts ran through their minds, making them feel even more uncomfortable.