Chaos Control
The next morning, Dean Cadence greeted the Canterlot High volunteers with a warm, welcoming smile. Standing beside her were the Shadowbolts, each of them holding a Crystal Prep uniform and a small card.
"Welcome back, all of you," Cadence said cheerfully. "Today is your first day actively participating in our program. Each of you will receive a uniform and a class schedule. I personally made sure that the gym's locker rooms were free so that you all could get changed. Oh, and please feel free to keep the uniforms."
Aria shrugged. "Meh, why not? It'll save us money on clothes."
Adagio gave Aria a look. "I don't recall leaving you in charge of our financial decisions."
"Just playing with the cards I was dealt, Adagio," Aria retorted. "Try it sometime."
"Okay, settle down, you guys," said Sunset firmly. "Let's just see what our first classes are."
One by one, each of the students collected their uniform and schedules from the Shadowbolts. Each of them looked over their cards expectantly.
"Hmm. Looks like my first class is an engineering workshop with Professor Flypaper," Sunset mused. "Shouldn't be too difficult. What about you guys?"
"Looks like I'm with you," said Aria.
"Me, too. I mean, three," Sonata added. "What about you, Dagi?"
Adagio pouted and folded her arms. "Does it look like I care?"
"No, it does not. And that attitude is not going to do you any favors," Sugarcoat replied candidly.
Adagio groaned and looked at her schedule. "Oh. Of course. I'm stuck with you morons. Why am I not surprised?"
Sunset looked over at Dean Cadence, who winked at her. Sunset smiled back, but a loud moan of despair caught her attention.
"No~! Not Professor Gourmand!" Sonata wailed. "And right before lunch, too!"
Lemon Zest winced. "Yeesh. Tough break. I can't think of anyone who likes that class."
"Oh, Lemon~! How could you say such a thing? Of course that class is great!" Sour Sweet purred. "It's a perfect example of how not to cook!"
"Not that you should say that to Professor Gourmand's face," Indigo warned. "Seriously, Sugarcoat tried that, and she nearly got suspended."
Sugarcoat blushed and scowled. "Is it my fault that she specifically tailors her recipes in order to appeal to stuck-up food critics? Some people just can't handle the truth."
"Hold on. You guys have always beaten us in the baking competition during the Friendship Games," said Bon-Bon. "How did you manage that if her cooking is so terrible?"
"Simple. We made it a point to do the opposite of what we learned in that class," said Lemon Zest with a shrug. She looked over at the Sirens. "Look, I have that class at the same time. Just stick with me, and you'll survive."
"That goes for the rest of the classes," said Indigo. She locked eyes with Sunset Shimmer and the rest of the Canterlot High students. "We can tell you firsthand that these courses are not gonna be what you're used to back at CHS. That's not me bragging that we're somehow better; it's just a plain fact. But I believe that everyone has the potential to achieve greatness, and we're here to help you do just that! So let's give it our all, people!"
"Yay! Go us!" Sonata cheered.
Aria couldn't help but chuckle at Sonata's glee. "Alright, I'm in."
Adagio scowled. "As if I have a choice."
The rest of the Canterlot High students responded to Indigo's pep talk with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
"Great. I'm sure you'll all be just fine," said Cadence. "Remember, if you have any difficulties, my door is always open. Now, I suggest you girls get changed. The first class starts in half an hour."
"I'll take you guys to the locker rooms," said Indigo. "This way."
She led the Canterlot High students into the halls of Crystal Prep. As Sunset followed, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she opened it, she saw a picture of Discord wearing the Crystal Prep uniform upside-down with the caption "How do I look?" Sunset gave Discord a bemused smirk.
"You look like someone who's not taking this seriously," she texted.
She got a reply in a matter of seconds.
"Looks can be deceiving, Smitty."
Sunset was about to text a reply to end the banter, but instead, she found herself mulling over those words in her mind. Though Discord had made the comment in jest, she couldn't help but feel that this was very relevant advice to the current situation. After a pause, she turned back to her phone.
"I'll keep that in mind."
She then put away her phone and took in a deep breath. Between looking after the Sirens, figuring out Cinch's policy on magic, regulating Discord's antics, and keeping up with the academic rigors that awaited her, she was already feeling an immense pressure on her shoulders. She looked up at Indigo, who gave her a bright smile full of passion and determination. Sunset couldn't help but smile back.
I'm just glad I'm not alone, she mused.
***
"Sonata, will you hurry it up?! We're going to be late!"
"Hold your horses, Aria! I'm just trying to button this right!"
"You don't need to button every button, Sonata."
"But I wanna look my best!"
"You both look like dorks, so I don't think it matters either way."
"You stay out of this, Dagi!"
Sunset groaned as she tapped her foot impatiently. While the other Canterlot High students were already changed and off to their classes, the Sirens were caught up in yet another petty quarrel. Indigo looked at her watch.
"Okay, I'm thinking if we book it, we should make it to Professor Flypaper's class on time," she said. "Assuming those three will be done in the next three minutes."
"And if they're not?" Sunset asked.
Indigo drew in a sharp breath through her teeth. "Then we might have a problem."
Sunset knitted her brow and pondered for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "I hope I don't regret this."
She took out her phone and dialed a series of random numbers. Before Indigo could ask, a large portal with a jagged border opened up behind Sunset. Inside the portal, Discord was standing in a phone booth, still dressed in his upside-down Crystal Prep uniform.
"444-4444, Discord speaking," he said, brushing his knuckles against his chest.
"Discord, remember when I said that when I needed your help, I'd ask for it?"
"I believe so."
"Well, I'm asking for it."
Discord stifled a snicker. "Sorry, Smitty. That was a poor choice of words on your part." He then cleared his throat. "So, what can I do you for?"
Sunset sighed. "Well, long story short, we're gonna be late for class. We can't make a bad first impression on the faculty here."
Discord nodded. "I see. Apropos of nothing, which class is this, exactly?"
"Engineering with Professor Flypaper."
"Oh, yes. That charming fellow. My condolences."
"We don't exactly have time for banter, Discord. Just get us there on time and try to be inconspicuous about it."
Discord's lips curled into a sly grin. "Glad to hear you using that thesaurus, Smitty, but I'm still counting that in the tally. That's six. One moment, please."
He then hung up, although the portal did not disappear. Instead, he redialed and waited patiently. Right before Indigo's eyes, a trap door beneath the phone booth opened up, swallowing Discord up. A screen wipe flashed across the portal, revealing a hallway within Crystal Prep. Discord reappeared, this time holding a cellphone.
"Can you hear me now?" he inquired.
Sunset blinked. "Um, yes?"
"Good. Anyway, I'm on the other end of the telephone line. Just fax yourselves over when you're ready. Best of luck, Smitty."
He then placed the cellphone on the ground and vanished in a spiral. Indigo stared at the bizarre display for a while, her mouth agape. Finally, she shook herself.
"Just to clarify, not everyone in your dimension is like that, right?" she asked.
Sunset smirked. "Nope. Discord's one-of-a-kind. And I think the multiverse is grateful for that."
"Okay, we're read— What the heck is that?"
Sunset looked over at the Sirens, all of whom were now full dressed in their Crystal Prep uniforms. Sunset gave the Sirens a stern look.
"Because you girls took so long, I had Discord give us a shortcut so that we wouldn't be late for class," she explained.
Sonata rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Whoops."
"Wait, you had Discord do this?" Adagio asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it safe?"
"If it isn't, he'll have to answer to me," Sunset replied. "Look, we don't exactly have time to argue, so let's just go."
She turned to face the portal and took in a deep breath. After a pause, she climbed into the portal. Sure enough, the other side was right outside the classroom. She beckoned the Sirens to follow.
"I'm not going in there," Adagio grumbled.
Sonata gulped. "I'll go if you go, Aria."
Aria sighed. "You are such a baby. Here."
She held Sonata's hand and helped her through the portal. Indigo watched as Adagio remained where she was.
"Well? Aren't you going to join them?" she asked.
"And risk Discord screwing me over even more? No thank you," Adagio replied bluntly.
Indigo frowned. "If you don't get to class on time, Professor Flypaper's gonna screw you over. And trust me, you don't want that. Now c'mon."
Adagio opened her mouth to protest, but she was cut off by Indigo seizing her hand and pulling her through the portal. Once they were on the other side, the gateway closed. Indigo blinked.
"Huh. That was a lot less painful than I thought it would be," she said, scratching her head. She then checked her watch. "Phew! Only a minute to spare. We'd better get ourselves situated."
The five of them filed into the classroom, where many other students had already taken their seats in front of two long tables. Professor Flypaper himself was standing at the head of the room, giving the newcomers a steely-eyed glare. Sunset tried her best to ignore it as she found an empty seat near the front. Seeing this, Adagio marched all the way to the back of the class. Once everyone was seated, the first bell finally rang.
"Welcome to Engineering 101, students," said Flypaper gruffly. "I'm glad all of you managed to be punctual. Life does not wait for you, after all."
He looked over the sea of faces, pausing at each student from Canterlot High. "Now, as I understand it, we have a few guests here today who have a different approach to education. Allow me to dispel any illusions you may have about our institution. There is no hand-holding here. Either you can succeed on your own merits, or you will not be prepared for what the world has in store for you. That is what education is all about, and you will do well to remember it."
Sunset cringed. It wasn't that she entirely disagreed with Flypaper's statements, but if he was trying to dispel illusions Canterlot High students had about Crystal Prep, he wasn't doing a particularly good job. She looked over at Indigo, who shrugged.
"Get used to hearing that a lot," she whispered.
"Is there something you wish to share with the class, Ms. Zap?" Flypaper asked.
Indigo cleared her throat. "N-nothing, Professor Flypaper."
Flypaper snorted and began writing on the whiteboard. "Today, we will be studying energy conversion and conservation. We'll start with the first law of thermodynamics..."
As he spoke, Sunset noticed something odd about Flypaper's marker. While it left the trail of ink she was expecting, another trail snaked out of the tip. The trail then transformed into a doodle of Discord, once again donning his upside-down Crystal Prep uniform. Sunset made a slashing motion across her throat, trying to get Discord to leave. Discord, however, was content to simply wander around the board, mimicking Flypaper as he delivered his lecture. Sunset took a quick look around the room, and she saw that most of the students were simply baffled by the odd display. She suppressed the urge to groan.
"Now, can anyone tell me what the third law of thermodynamics is? What about you, Ms. Dusk?"
Sunset's eyes went wide. She looked over at Sonata, who had completely spaced out.
"Huh, what?" she said. "Sorry, I was looking at Di— mmph!"
Her explanation was interrupted by Aria clamping down on her mouth.
"It's that, um, energy cannot be created or destroyed. But it can be, diminished," she answered.
Sunset took another look at the whiteboard, where Discord was waving two flags wildly as if communicating through semaphore. She gave Discord a stern look, to which he simply shrugged his shoulder.
"Very good, Ms. Blaze. But I was asking Ms. Dusk," Flypaper scolded. "Life will not always appreciate the sacrifices you make for others."
He then turned back to the whiteboard, where Discord had all but disappeared. He proceeded to draw up a diagram.
"Now, to demonstrate these laws, I have prepared this in-class assignment for you," he explained. "As you can see, you've all been given the necessary equipment to create an energy-siphoning module, able to transfer energy from one source to another. I will divide you into groups of two, and I expect each group to have a completed, functioning device by the end of class. This will serve as ten percent of your grade, and that includes you lot from Canterlot High."
He then towered over Sunset. "Oh, and if you believe you can just use your magic to cheat, you are sorely mistaken. This is a sanctuary of science, where things make sense. Such tomfoolery will not be tolerated in my classroom. Is that understood?"
Sunset swallowed, looking over Flypaper's shoulder. Discord had reappeared, casting his gaze upward and whistling innocently. Sunset simply sighed.
"It's understood, Professor Flypaper," she said.
Flypaper nodded and turned back to the whiteboard. Discord had transformed himself into one of the equations. With a snort, Flypaper looked over his attendance sheet.
"Must be the light in here," he muttered. "Okay, Ms. Blaze, you will be working with Ms. de Lis. Ms. Dusk, work with Mr. Lights. Ms. Shimmer, you're with—"
"Um, Professor?"
Flypaper looked over at Indigo, who was raising her hand. "What is it, Ms. Zap?"
"I volunteer to work with Sunset, Professor Flypaper," said Indigo.
Flypaper arched an eyebrow. "Are you certain about this, Ms. Zap? This is rather unlike you."
"I don't think so, Professor. I love a good challenge," Indigo boasted.
Flypaper sighed. "That recklessness will get you in trouble, Ms. Zap. Fine, you can work with Ms. Shimmer. Now, Ms. Dazzle, I want you to work with Ms. Polomare..."
As he continued splitting students into groups, Indigo leaned in and offered Sunset to do the same.
"Okay, first of all, you need to rein that Discord guy in," she whispered.
"Yes, I am well aware," Sunset sighed. "Listen, Discord may be a wild card, but he really does want to help. I just need to talk to him."
"Yeah, try and convince him not to help students cheat, will you?" said Indigo. "That doesn't fly here at Crystal Prep. It's a one-way ticket to getting your keister expelled."
"Noted," said Sunset with a firm nod.
"Good. Just making sure we're on the same page," said Indigo. "Now, second thing. Does that device look familiar to you?"
Sunset studied the whiteboard for a time. The diagram on the board was a circular object with a smaller circle within it, as well as several lines decorating the outer edges. Further blueprints suggested that the device could be opened. Sunset gasped.
"Th-that's Twilight's pendant!" she exclaimed, trying her best to keep her voice low. "The same one she used in the Friendship Games!"
"So it's not just me," said Indigo, knitting her brow. "What the heck is Professor Flypaper doing, making us build that? It's not like any of us can replicate Twilight's work. She was a real prodigy."
"I can't say I know for sure, but I have a theory," Sunset pondered aloud. "During the Games, Twilight's device siphoned the magic away from me and my friends. If Principal Cinch wants to make magic against the rules..."
"That could be a way to enforce those rules," Indigo said darkly. "We gotta warn the others."
"Let's not be hasty," Sunset cautioned. "This may be evidence, but it isn't proof of anything. I don't suppose I can take a picture of the diagram on my phone, can I?"
"Not unless you want Flypaper to confiscate it for the rest of the week," Indigo muttered glumly.
A sudden flash caught Sunset's attention, and she turned back to the whiteboard. The Discord doodle was back, brandishing a polaroid camera and photographing the blueprints. He gave Sunset a thumbs-up before picking up an eraser and erasing himself from the board. Indigo blinked.
"Okay. That solves that problem then," she said, scratching her head. "Man, I'm glad he's on our side."
"Feeling's mutual, believe me," said Sunset. "Now, pass me that soldering iron, will you? We still need to get a good grade in this class."
"Huh? Oh, right. Gotcha," said Indigo. "Let's see, soldering iron, soldering iron..."
"No no no! That crystal comes in later! We don't want to make this thing unstable, mmkay?"
Sunset turned to see Suri Polomare struggling to get Adagio to cooperate. Adagio groaned.
"It's not like any of this matters," she grumbled. "You saw Discord up there; the writing's on the wall."
"What's a Discord?"
"Discord! You know, that thing on the board!"
"That thing on the board is an energy-siphoning device. Professor Flypaper just said as much, mmkay?"
Adagio buried her hands into her face. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Is there a problem, ladies?"
Suri gulped. "N-no problem, Professor Flypaper. Just, working through some issues. Canterlot High students, right, mmkay?"
Flypaper snorted. "I suggest you put a bit more effort into this project, Ms. Dazzle. Remember, you're in Crystal Prep now. And here, we strive for excellence."
He marched around the room, inspecting each group's progress. Sunset turned back to Indigo.
"I'm surprised the other students are taking Discord's antics this well," she said.
"It's out of fear," Indigo said gravely. "You don't want to mess around with any of the teachers here, but that goes double for Flypaper. We should count ourselves lucky that he didn't catch Discord doing, whatever he was doing."
Sunset sighed. "Get ready to say that a lot. Because I know Discord, and even when he wants to help, he'll find the craziest ways to do it." She shifted her attention back to the device. "But, first thing first. Let me see that crystal."
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
831 users online
608,813 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
"No hedgehogs were harmed in the making of this chapter."
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Certainly seems interesting so far. Looking forward to what happens next.
Your hatred is boiling, Adagio. You can hardly contain it. How dare those plebs talk down to you? How dare they chain you with their meaningless rules? You will never be one of them and you know it. What will you do now? What will you do?
A piece of constructive friendly criticism -- you tend to overuse the word "wait" in your dialogues.
7920088 Hmm. Yeah, I can see that. Thanks.
I feel sorry for Sonata; Zesty Gourmand,
. Worst part though: no tacos in this class.
Wow. I'm not sure to consider this very pragmatic or very lazy, having the students try to recreate Twilight's compact.
Probably wouldn't work, of course, but still.
I wonder how long it will take for the classes to make Twilights pendant and if Discord will mess with the design or if he will lose his magic to it.
Yeah, following.
7919996 Darn it, you took that one! Well, looks like I have to use my other one.
"No Chaos Emeralds were used in the making of this chapter. Besides, we have too much chaos here already."
The plot thickens! (Hey Adagio, get some exercise!)
I'm figuring that Adagio is ultimately going to fit right in at Crystal Prep on attitude levels at least. Meanwhile, I suspect that the time will come very shortly when the students have to sabotage their own projects in order to stop Crystal Prep being reduced to a smouldering crater.
7923119
I don't think that's how it worked. Discord didn't voluntarily change, Fluttershy wormed her way into his heart with persistent Fluttershyness, him being genuinely surprised to be called her friend and even more surprised that he cared about losing her. It wasn't a conscious effort until the feeling had already taken root and he decided that losing it, not being turned to stone (which had already been eliminated by Fluttershy specifically promising never to use her Element against him, which she doesn't even when he goes back on his own promise), would be worse than doing whatever he wanted alone.
He did not willingly 'try' friendship, he exploited the protection cozying up to Fluttershy gave him to do what he wanted and was caught off-guard by his own ability to feel for anyone but himself. Some amount of willful friendliness is required at some point, but again, if they're capable of always saying 'no' no matter what, it proves that whatever keeps them from accepting that friendship is the stronger driving force, thus pretty much sinking the show as all those scenes with the omnipotent rainbow laser retroactively collapse on themselves.
I predict the following.
Chapter Titles in future will include references to Perfect Chaos, Chaos Spear and possibly Chaos Squared Infinitely, which is not a Sonic Reference, but I had to make it.
This is beginning to look more and more like Cinch will be biting off more than she can chew, if one of those devices actually works, and actually siphons Discord's power, the resulting development will cause widespread panic, dancing buffalo and CHOCOLATE MILK RAIN! I shudder to think what Pinkie would do in such a situation.
7923152 That's a great point, let's not forget how cunning Fluttershy can be in the service of Kindness.
*sees title*
Well now I gotta add this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwYX5YiPqY
Energy-siphoning? ...How subtle, considering the prologue.
Just how manny criminals does Crystal Prep have among it‘s faculty?
First there‘s Cinch with her Blackmailing and now we have Flypaper stealing Sci-Twi‘s intellectual property. What the hell is wrong with that school?
Are you sure Zesty's a she?
______________________
8662707
You mean outside the fact that there is no oversight committee? No PTA to reign the teachers into check? Or the fact that they've been doing that so long it's tradition?
I'd say the fact that Crystal Prep is a school dedicated to making people evil. I'm surprised they don't hire Starlight Glimmer to reverse engineer Twilight's stuff and use it to take over the world.
Bold move on Cinch's part for making the children build the damn thing chalk one up on her manipulation Department and I'm not even counting the blackmail cuz that's not technically in the population that's just illegal on so many levels