Equestria Girls: Secrets Beyond the Stars

by GoldenGoomba900

The Fall of Principal Abacus Cinch

"Status report." Inapan said to one of the robots in the medical bay.

"Patient status unknown" it replied, as it had for the past four hours.

"Status update."

"Patient status unknown"

"Status update."

"Patient Stable. Diagnosis: Inflammation of the cerebellum caused by exposure to extraterrestrial radiation. Prognosis: Positive, but flawed."

"Flawed? Explain."

"Patient Sentry can not be reintroduced to Alcha-major radiation again."

"No more mind control..." She mumbled under her breath.

"If exposed, Sentry's life-span will drop by approximately 54.98% per minute."

Flash moaned as he came to, holding his head. He was back in his usual clothing, Inapan looked up and smiled brightly as he came too, knocking aside the robot to be with her husband.

"Oh Flash!" She said, hugging him close as the boy scratched his head. "I was so worried, you were in such a dangerous spot and I thought I'd lose you! Thankfully your father let our robots examine his brain so we could fix yours..." Flash scratched his head, knocking his hair off in one massive pile. "Obviously we had to do some surgery but you're alive sweetie, and that's ALL that matters!" She explained, putting his wig back on. "It'll grow back."

"My head feels a lot... better, what did you do?"

"It was a simple process" the robot began, "all that needed to be done was the removal of th-" before he could tell Flash about his brainwashing, Inapan kissed him. She held him close, the kiss long and deep as the robot continued explaining the procedure, hoping he'd be too distracted to listen. Finally she let go of the kiss, the doctor finishing.

"Whoa... what was that for?" Flash asked, getting up.

"Because I missed you so much my wonderful love... Let's celebrate your good health, alone." The robot took the hint and left.

In the testing bay, Tested observed her creation. The Shimmer clone smiled brightly as she landed on the floor, wearing the space-suit in front of burning training dummies.

The training dummies were moved out, and a new set replaced them. Before Tested could say anything, the clone got to work. Rushing forward, the clone bounded towards one unfortunate dummy, striking it in the head and sending into the wall. Before it could fall down, she leaped on and began tearing it to pieces. Before she could spend too long on one of them, she quickly turned and shot a column of flames from her palm, incinerating the second training doll from the waist up, leaving a flaming lower half.

The third training dummy found itself facing the most gruesome end. The clone stood up and spread out her hands, burning wings tearing through her suit as she leaped into the air. With a single, swift motion, she was standing in front of the now burning dummy, which split down the middle. The clone stared back at Tested, a burning in her eyes. It licked its lips, craving more of a challenge. Tested tossed out a device with a photo of Principal Cinch on it, the clone staring at her. Stomping it into a fine dust under her space boot, the clone followed Tested out, both of them not saying a word.

---

Twilight and company trained hard while Sunset Shimmer wore her mask, taking deep breaths.

"Girls... girls, there's something coming." She said, worried.

"What? What's coming?" Twilight asked, distracted just long enough for Rainbow to accidentally sucker punch her.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Rainbow helped Twilight as Shimmer got up, nodding for Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy to follow.

"We're going into the city." She explained the group looking at one another, worried. "I think something bad's about to happen. Wait, scratch that... I KNOW something bad's about to happen there." She took off her mask and lead the group along, they putting on their masks.

---

Cinch's plan to deal with the obligitory angry mob was... less than successful. As the horde surrounded Crystal Prep High School, she tried to explain that the aliens had brainwashed her into doing this.

"Everyone!" Cinch shouted over the loudspeakers. The mob had been there since the call had come out and, to be totally honest, they were probably going to be there a lot, lot longer than that. "I assure you that I understand why you're upset... BUT, this is a fairly big moment for us all!" Cinch said as people began piling wooden objects in front of her office. "I am telling you, members of this dear community, that all of what I have done was not out of "backstabbing" or a "poorly thought out revenge scheme" or "being an alien spy". It was not done of my own volition! I am being unfairly prosecuted, and they have used me as a scapegoat!"

There was a monotone "ahem" from the back of the crowd, people turning and facing, poking and prodding the rows in front of them to look back. There, above the rows and rows of people, was Tested, her glowing green wings shimmering in the sunlight. Cinch continued explaining, but nobody listened as they stared in awe at their harbinger of death.

People backed away, terrified of what might be done. One lone man dared and ran through the crowd, holding a plank with a nail in it, leaping at her and swinging it as hard as he could. She caught it. Lifting the board and the man holding it, she brought it down upon her knee, snapping it in half. The speech continued as Tested tossed aside the brave man, hovering forward while the Clone of Sunset Shimmer emerged, shoving aside the confused populace as they approached the office door. The two powerful women went through the six rooms that lead to her office, the crowd parting until they finally reached the pile of wood that sat in front of Cinch's office, a man nearby holding a torch and another a can of gasoline. They both fled to the safety of the crowd as Tested stepped aside, leaving the clone to start her job. As Cinch paused to let the grandfather clock chime in her dark room, the Clone burst through the locked door, kicking it to the ground.

Before her stood the tall, adult form of Sunset Shimmer. Her long, usually curled hair was straight and flowing, looking more like a piece of fabric had been placed on her rather than a natural haircut. Her normally aqua eyes were a deep, menacing crimson, and she wore a white polyester space-suit, with boots and straps matching those of Inapan and Tested. She stood taller than the normal Shimmer, and could stare eye-to-eye with Cinch had she chosen to. The principal chose to hide under her desk instead. Flipping the desk with one hand, Shimmer grabbed Cinch and held her by the throat, bringing her to Tested and the crowd. As the elderly woman choked and gasped, struggling for air, Tested motioned the clone to drop her.

"Drop her." Tested said, the clone once again ignoring the command. "I said, DROP HER." The clone finally complied, glaring at Tested as Cinch finally breathed again, falling on her hands and knees. "I told you before Cinch, that we were not on even ground. I told your student that I hated creatures who thought they could use me without me knowing." Tested set her foot on Cinch's back, pushing her to the floor. "Yet here we are, you attempting to betray me like you did your own species."

"I didn't-" Tested's heel ground into her back, cutting her off.

"Then, then I come here expecting you to plead for mercy, to tell me that this was not your plan, that we could still use you, that you were willing to help us in exchange for your life... but no. Instead, you're lying again. A pity, because I had the perfect student for you. Meet the Second Sunset. She's stronger than any human, she has the powers of your Sunset Shimmer, the intellect of my kind, abilities I have yet to see released, and she is under my control." Cinch whimpered, her face down on the floor. "What was that?" Tested asked.

"I- she- you..." Cinch stammered.

"Once more, louder."

"If she's so smart... why is she listening to you?" Cinch asked defiantly. Tested glared at the woman underneath her heel. Even now, with a gun to her head and before a crowd of hundreds who wanted nothing more than to see her die, she had the gall to talk back.

"You are either very brave or very stupid." Tested moved aside as Second Sunset picked her up once more. Looking over its surroundings, it returned to the office and smiled as it saw one of the windows. Breaking the glass with her bare hands, she dangled the old woman out the third story. The worst part was, as she shook Cinch a few times to frighten her, it never broke eye contact. She had wanted to see what made killing the principal different than the training dummies she'd been given before.

Cinch's life flashed before her eyes. The students she'd cruelly mocked and humiliated, the unneeded threats, the backstabbing, backbiting, and backbreaking she'd done over her seventy years to gain her spot. Worst of all, she saw a funeral with only a priest and a gravedigger standing over a cheap, pauper's casket.

"Any last words?" Tested asked, Cinch shaking like a leaf.

"T-tell my students" Cinch swallowed, not even believing what she was about to say "that I'm sorry..." She gasped out before Sunset dropped her, the woman's shout echoing through the city.

"I didn't quite catch that." Tested said, returning to the horde of people, all of them growing pale and even more terrified as the two looked at them. "Goodbye, Miss Cinch. Whatever afterlife your kind goes to better be as cruel and bitter as you were."

People rushed to the window to see it, to see if it had been truly finished. To see the wicked witch underneath Dorothy's home. The crowd stared and rubbed their eyes, looking outwards to a sight they didn't believe. The horde gasped, astounded. Through the broken glass of Cinch's office they not the face of death they had anticipated, but rather, something more unusual, and more hopeful.