Chapter 38
“What?!” the group shouted, the resulting din echoing throughout the courtyard of CHS.
“Sunset can’t be gone! We just got her back,” cried Pinkie Pie as her whole being becoming as frazzled and agitated.
“It’s true,” said Gilda, finally catching up to the Crusaders, “Cinch has some locket-thing and she zapped Spike and Sunset. Sunset got it worse though, she looked ready to pass out. We wanted to go after her but, there were some guys guarding the bus, and with Spike hurt Sunset said to get him back to Twilight. I didn’t want to leave her, but the look she gave me when they loaded her in that cage-”
“Cage!” the voices rang again through the courtyard.
Looking abashed at her previous volume, Rarity continued in quieter though no less harsh tone, “You're saying Sunset was not only captured by that reprehensible woman and her minions, but she was then put in a filthy cage?!”
Gilda looked around warily at the crowd, the students of Crystal Prep in particular, and the leaned in closer to the Rainbooms and whispered, “Umm, you do know she's…not exactly human right now, right? She’s a…”
Gilda trailed off, unsure if she should continue given the crowd, but Fluttershy couldn’t help but finish in an excited squeal, “An adorably cute and cuddly little unicorn.” Gilda and several others looked at the shy girl who let out a nervous “Eeep,” and promptly withdrew into the curtain of her hair and tried to hide behind Applejack who was closest to her.
Noticing the lack of shock from any of the nearby students, Gilda just nodded, “Uh, yeah, that.”
“Hold up, let me get this straight,” called Applejack. Principal Cinch used the device Twilight had to steal our magic on Sunset-”
Twilight winced at the words, an automatic “I’m sorry” spilling from her lips.
“Don’t worry about all that now,” consoled Pinkie, appearing next to Twilight and providing a tight hug, “Sunset was right. We know what magic is like and what effects it can have on people, both good and bad.”
The other girls nodded and Applejack continued, “Cinch used Twilight’s device on Sunset and Spike and stole their magic. Luckily, Spike managed to snag the device and get away, but since Cinch had drained her, Sunset wasn’t able to escape and Cinch and made off with her.” Applejack paused a moment taking in the nods of agreement from those around her, and then asked, “But why?”
“I don’t know, but I certainly don’t like the idea of that vile woman having Sunset imprisoned without her magic,” said Rarity.
“I can’t even imagine how Sunset must be feeling without her magic,” Pinkie said, her voice and appearance lacking their usual brightness. “I remember how happy she was after the Battle of the Bands when she got it back.”
“Not to mention what she could do to Sunset,” added Fluttershy in a nervous whisper.
“Hold a press conference, reveal her to the world?” Dash offered.
“Ah doubt it. That would mean showin’ Sunset ta the world and likely either the government hushes it up and Cinch gets nothin’ or Sunset gets ta explain how Cinch kidnapped her and stole Twilight’s device and Cinch would still get nothin’.”
“What if she…did something to Sunset, so she wasn’t able to talk to anyone?” worried Fluttershy, the thought causing her already wide eyes to brim with tears.
“I don’t think so,” Rainbow consoled, gently rubbing her friend’s shoulder, “Too many people would just think it was a hoax, and Cinch wouldn’t want that kind of publicity. It would ruin her precious reputation.”
“Then why? What’s her plan?” repeated Applejack.
“When I met with her last time,” said Twilight slowly trying recall the meeting beyond her worry over Spike, “Principal Cinch practically told me that she already has my research. She could always build a new one, and with Sunset, she’d have access to a source of magic she could tap into whenever she needed more energy to experiment on.”
“Then we have to go save Sunset now, before she has time to build another device and turn Sunset into some sort of magical energy dispenser,” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“It's too late for that. She already has another spectrometer.” The voice cut through the group with its directness, and the Rainbooms, and Twilight looked up to see a bedraggled and Sour Sweet being supported by Sugarcoat and looking downcast.
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight, a hint of worry seeping into her voice.
Sugarcoat turned to Sour Sweet and with a nod of encouragement Sour explained, “Last week, Principal Cinch brought me some schematics. She told me she wanted me to build the device on them, but to upscale it. She let me off classes and schoolwork for the week to make sure it got done.”
“So, you built a huge, untested device that absorbs and stores an unknown form of energy that may be more powerful than any we have ever before encountered inside a school filled with hundreds of innocent children?!” asked Dean Cadance, her pleasant demeanor giving way to a fiery passion only seen when those she cared for were in danger.
“I’m sorry!” Sour Sweet said quickly, fear creeping in at the enraged look on the usually sweet dean's face. “I didn’t know, okay, and it’s not like you can say ‘no’ to Principal Cinch. She told me to get it done or she’d pull my summer internship.”
“And more threats and blackmail against students,” said Vice Principal Luna her own disciplinarian mask sliding into place. “It would seem that Abacus Cinch has quite a lot to answer for.”
Dean Cadance nodded, but Principal Celestia’s concern was elsewhere, and she said, “Did you complete the device?”
Sugarcoat nodded, “We got it done pretty easily.”
“Building off Twilight’s designs made it just a matter of upscaling and construction. Not a problem especially when Cinch gives you access to unlimited resources,” Sour Sweet paused giving a look to Sugarcoat, “and you have some help. It should be ready, but we never got the chance to test it.”
"We couldn’t have if we wanted to seeing as we weren’t really told what it was supposed to do,” concluded Sugarcoat.
“Horror dawned on Twilight’s face. “Wait, you said you Principal Cinch gave you my plans last week?”
“I did,” confirmed Sour Sweet, “Cinch called me in on Monday morning.”
“But that means your plans wouldn’t have had any of the upgrades that Sunset and I added this week!” Twilight shouted, panic beginning to take hold. “There’s nothing to stop the dimension tearing effect my original device was having.”
“Dimension tearing,” repeated Rainbow Dash, “Like what happened in the locker room?”
“And what happened in the hallway,” said Sunny Flare, a growing level of fear coming from the Crystal Prep girls.
Twilight blanched but nodded.
“But Rainbow said that portal almost pulled you in, and there were all sorts of strange things inside,” Fluttershy said. Her voice was quite but still audible given the group’s level of silent worry. “And that’s where Sunset will be.”
“And with the amount of magic she has access to, the portal would be huge, and the force of the pull would be even worse, and if she drained Sunset’s magic to open the portal, Sun Shim wouldn’t have any magic to protect her when the portals open!” Shouted Pinkie.
“Don’t worry,” said Rainbow determinately, “we’re going to stop Cinch and we’re going to get Sunset back.”
“But,” began a teary eyed Fluttershy only to be cut off by Rainbow Dash.
“No ‘buts’. We let her down once before and there’s no way I’m doing that again. I’m getting her back, so are you with me or not?
“While I appreciate the sentiment Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chided, “it is not as simple as that. For one thing, Crystal Prep is in the city. How do you plan to get there in time to rescue Sunset?”
Principal Celestia, who had been surprisingly quiet until this point stepped up to the Rainbooms, “I'll take you," she said a look of fiece determination on her face. "The vans the school uses for some of the extracurriculars should be able to accomodate you all," she said indicating Twilight and the Rainbooms. Turning toward her sister, Celestia continued, "I'm sorry to do this to you, Luna, but I have to make sure Sunset is safe,” Celestia said, a hint of pleading in her worried tone. "I can't-"
"I know sister," Luna cut in, "Don't worry, we’ll have to take charge of things here and figure out how to get this many Crystal Prep students home when we’re down a bus.” Celestia smiled and gave her sister a quick hug before rushing back into the building to grab the keys she would need.
The Rainbooms and Twilight began to turn for the faculty parking lot, when the teen scientist felt a hand grab her shoulder, turning she found her Crystal Prep teammates looking sheepishly at the ground. The Rainbooms, remembering what Twilight had said of her treatment by her classmates, turned back and stood with her.
It was Indigo, who spoke. “Twilight, I-I’m- sorry for…” she sighed, “everything really. I've been awful to you, and you didn’t deserve it. Cinch just made me feel like I had a purpose, you know, like I finally mattered to someone. That I was important to the school and to her. I should have known it was just a lie. She was just using me,” she laughed bitterly before sobering and continuing, “I don’t think I can ever make it up to you, but I really hope your friend is alright. No one deserves to be used like that.”
Meeting Indigo’s eyes, Twilight saw more than just her long-time bully. She saw the sadness in the other girl and remembered Sunset’s words how she had not been so different from Indigo all that long ago.
Slowly Twilight reached out and put a careful hand on Indigo's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, “None of us did,” replied Twilight, pointedly meeting the other girl in the eyes, "Cinch used and manipulated all of us, and we're going to make sure she can never do it again."
Sour Sweet stepped forward, still looking a bit out of sorts though there was a less abrasive air about her. “If you plan to get into the lab at Crystal Prep, you’re going to need this,” she said, handing Twilight an access keycard.
“Don’t worry,” added Sugarcoat, “We’ll help Dean Cadance manage all the students Principal Cinch ditched here.”
“We’ll also see if we can find out who else Cinch has been blackmailing,” said Sunny Flare, “It can’t have just been us,” the stylish girl said pointedly.
“Yeah,” cut in Lemon Zest, “And if enough people are willing to step forward with whatever evidence that…uh, Sunset got off Cinch’s computer, I think Cinch can kiss CPA and her precious reputation goodbye.”
“Thank you,” said Twilight quietly, nodding to the group the emotion behind it felt by everyone present, and Twilight turned and hurried off with the Rainbooms.
***
After all the trips they had made today, this one was the worst as it spit the dragon and two ponies out in midair leaving them to fall in an undignified heap on the floor of the map room. Spike recovered first, as the spell Starlight Glimmer had been using was pulled from his claws toward the still open vortex they had come from. It began to glow and then released that power back down into the map table before it and the time portal disappeared in a blinding flash of magic that could probably be seen beyond Ponyville.
With the spell and vortex gone, the little dragon was finally able to take in the familiar surroundings, and quickly fell to the ground kissing it extatically. "One Castle of Friendship...check," he said confirming their location, only to be interruped by five welcome faces.
"What in Equestria was that?" asked Rarity surveying the room.
Concern was clear in Fluttershy's voice as she spoke, "Is everypony okay?"
Pinkie, however, had no concern for the strange light show or the pile of ponies still on the florr as she started to bounce around the room. "Eee! can you do it again?!"
Spike could just smile as these were clearly the group that he had Twilight had been fighting all day to get back to. "One group of amazing friends...check," he said, smiling at Twilight.
"Yeah, Spike," the Princess of Friendship agreed, "it looks like we're home."
The happy mood of the two was interrupted by the stern voice of Applejack as she noticed the other pony in the room, "Uh, what's she doin' here?" The stern glare the farmer leveled at Starlight was soon reflected in the faces of all the Element Bearers as they spotted her. After everything she had done to them, most of which they weren't even aware of yet, Starlight knew the looks were well deserved, but they still hurt, and she had to turn away.
Twilight, however, stepped in quickly. "Actually, it's kind of a long story," she said placing a comforting hoof on the other mare's back."
"Well then you better start telling it quick," Rainbow Dash shouted, "because there are these huge rips in the sky, and you could see these weird hairless minotaurs on the other side."
Twilight looked confusedly at the others. "The spell is gone now. That flash should be the end of any disturbances. Though, considering the nature of the spell, you really shouldn't be aware of any of its effects."
"It was rather hard to miss them, darling," said Rarity.
"And they're still there," called Pinkie as she perched on the ledge of the window. Just then a wave of familiar magic washed over the room, one they had felt and been a part of in times of Equestria's deepest need. Only this time, it wasn't coming from them. Pinkie, who had fallen off her perch, poked her head back out the window and called, "Now, they're gone."
"What was that?" questioned Rainbow, "I thought the Magic of Friendship was supposed to be our thing."
The girls looked to Twilight for answers as it was clear that she was putting the pieces together. "Hairless minotaurs...," she muttered before her eyes grew wide and she practically yelled, "We have to find Sunset Shimmer!"
The other five Element Bearers, looked uncomfortably between one anther before Applejack finally spoke, "We actually tried ta find her first, sugarcube, seein' as we didn't know when you'd be back from your trip. She wasn't in the library with the mirror. Actually, it was all torn up, looked like a tornado had blown through. We couldn't find hide nor hair of Sunset."
A look of dread spread over the alicorn's face before she raced off in the direction of the mirror portal, but not before encompassing Starlight Glimmer and in a telekinetic aura and levitating her to come with. If her friend was in trouble, they would get to the bottom of it.
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Anyone else (besides me, of course
) get the feeling that Cinch is gonna get confronted by a VERY pissed off Princess of Magic and Friendship (in addition to Sci-Twi and the equally angry Rainbooms, Spike and Principal Celestia) before this is finally all over with?
As for the delay; well, we all know, only too well, how real life can toss a monkey wrench into our lives every now and then.
I hope everyone in you household is getting better, or already is.
Great chapter, and I'm looking forward, with MUCH anticipation, to the next one.
I can tell it's getting more intense.
Cinch is going to get murdered by a VERY angry Princess of Books.
So they built an upscaled version of the siphon without the safety measures? Good job Cinch. You're about to break reality.
Great, now in addition to worried Rainbooms, a worried principal, and a worried SciTwi, we got a very worried Princess of Friendship. On the upside, Sunset won't have to worry about helping Twilight and Spike, though now she needs help herself.
11420650
Plus if the government finds starting an interdimension war is probably not something the government wants. On earth we are fairly equal when it comes to power the only thing either side can really try to say is better than the other guy is tactics.
11420739 Yeah, there's that, too.
And that's putting aside the fact ticking off the mare who controls her world's sun is PROBABLY not a very good idea, either.
11420709 Took the words right out of my mouth.
11420741
Especially when one of her little ponies, one of her personal students no less, is involved.
11420789 Oh, no doubt there.
Run Sci-Twi and Main 5! You have to find her!!
Sorry to hear your family was sick, don't worry about the delay, it was worth the wait!
That was a good chapter.
Well, I should have figured out Abacus Cinch ordered to built another device without the recent updates human Twilight & Sunset Shimmer made before.
That woman is looking for the beating of her life, and will doom both worlds if not stopped. It's good to know Indigo Zap and the Shadowbolts recapacitated and are willing to undone their mistakes - that doesn't mean everything is okay now. They'll still have to answer once things are settled.
Poor Princess Twilight. Just coming out to fix one disaster only to solve another one; I hope she manages to go and help everyone back on the mirror realm in rescuing Sunset. Oh! And a chat with Starlight Glimmer is required.
And she finally finds out that Sunsets gone, dang that took a while🤣 I kinda forgot that while the while Sunset has her own adventure so does Twilight 🤣
I like the Shadowbolts showing more remorse to Sci-Twi then they did in canon.
Plus Cinch getting the punch in the face she deserves.
Oh crap, if this up scaled version gets a hold of Twi and Starlight's magic on top of Sunset's? That is like the three strongest Unicorns we know of (barring the bearded one) and one of them is an Alicorn now.
Could go from "very bad" to "apocalyptic" really fast.
It's just a cage rarity, it's not as worse as what you often find horrible.
Your missing a " before 'Cinch.'
I don't think that 'and' needs to be there before 'cinch' saying it two times in a row doesn't make it sound right.
Yep, I can clearly seeing that happen.
I don't think that 'and' needs to be there before 'Sour Sweet.'
There's a side of Cadance I don't like to see!
Imo, she should be fired as Principal of CPA for what she's done to her students!
A space is needed before the last sentence.
quiet*
Missing a " at the end of the last sentence.
Aren't sisters great sometimes.
A space is needed after Sugarcoat's line.
Let's hope.
floor* Can*
You don't need that " at the end.
You might wanna nix that second "you" to make it sound right, as well as the extra quotation mark at the beginning.
Fierce, maybe?
Sci-Twi, Rainbooms, and Princess Twilight and Starlight, please hurry! (I may be wrong when I say this but) You have to stop Cinch before her pride ends up not only endangering the world but possibly THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!
11421608
I say Starlight should be put out of the picture for the moment, yet she'll require friendship lessons once both worlds are safe.
Now, let's take down Abacus Cinch everypony!
Eyy! The gang's back together again, just on opposite sides of a soon-to-be-cataclysmic dimensional rift. Shaping up to be a banger of a boss battle. It'd be kinda fun to see the SunShim rescue parallel her teaching Spike.
also i lowkey want Principal Celestia to confront Princess Celestia.
Thanks for writing!