Before the Friendship Games: Principal Cinch

by CapNTilfy

Static

Author's Note:

Five days until the Friendship Games...

It was a peaceful Sunday morning, and Abacus Cinch was in her living room.

The walls were blue, the same as her study room. A chair and a couch sat across from a brick fireplace, a choice the Headmistress made because fireplaces always add a touch of class to one's home. Several bookshelves lined the walls, containing classic literature along with biographies of historical figures such as Starswirl, a prominent astrologer from a time long passed.

A television rested on the south wall, which she used solely to watch educational programming. A wooden chair faced the sliding-glass door which led to a porch outside. A coffee table was set next to the chair, a radio on it.

With a contented sigh, the Headmistress grabbed the day's newspaper and strolled over to the sliding glass door. The weather outside seemed decent enough, but she decided not to go outside on the off chance that it would rain. Oh, how she loathed getting rained on! The very thought made her shudder.

Abacus sat down on the chair and turned on the radio, then began reading the day's news until she felt thirsty. She got up from the chair, then returned with a glass of water. She would occasionally drink wine while reading, but it was far too early for such a thing.

The Headmistress settled back in to her seat and resumed reading until static from her radio distracted her. Raising an eyebrow, she reached over and turned the knob until the static noise disappeared. She resumed her reading, only for the static to return moments later. Again, Abacus reached for the knob and turned it slightly until the music came back in full.

Before the Headmistress could get back to reading her paper, the static returned again. She rolled her eyes and grunted in annoyance as she reached for the dial...

"...B..." A garbled voice said over the radio.

Abacus sighed. She must have turned the dial too far and ended up between stations. No matter, she would just turn the dial back until the classical music returned.

"...B..." The radio continued for a moment until static was all the Headmistress could hear. She rolled her eyes in frustration, then turned the radio off. Fortunately, it wasn't her only means of entertainment. She got up off of the chair and placed the newspaper on the couch.

Abacus turned on the television to the local fine arts station. Symphonic music played as a light lavender woman began dancing on a stage. She wore a dark purple shirt with a pink tutu and leg warmers. Her blonde hair nearly bounced around, but was held in place by a pink bow. When she finished, she fluttered her purple eyes to applause.

Once the applause ended, three girls and three boys stepped out onto the stage, joining the woman in dance as a new tune began to play. The Headmistress closed her eyes, and got lost in the music. She envisioned herself standing tall with the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts, triumphant yet again against the Canterlot High Wondercolts.

Abacus was snapped out of her reverie by static yet again. Her eyes shot open as she felt frustration rear its ugly head, only to be replaced by confusion. Did modern television sets have static issues? The Headmistress cupped her chin in thought, then stored it away. It would have to be something that she would look into later.

"...B..."

Abacus blinked in surprise. The same sound from the radio? It was uncanny at the very least, perhaps even... supernatural. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Supernatural, indeed! It was merely a coincidence. Nothing more, nothing less.

"...B..."

Coincidence or no, The Headmistress found herself intrigued. She made another mental note to herself to look into this matter later. There were more important matters to attend to. Abacus reached for the remote, then shut off the television. She cracked her neck, then went into her room.

Once in her room, Abacus sat at her computer. She cracked her knuckles and began typing, when the monitor froze up on her. She growled in frustration, slapping her palms on the desk, causing the monitor to display static.

"What in the stars?" The Headmistress felt a chill down her spine as the same noise played over and over again.

"...B..."

"...B..."

Abacus shook her head, then turned off and unplugged her computer. Her phone vibrated, gaining her attention. She took it out...

...and static was on her screen. The Headmistress yelped and dropped her phone, then got under her bed's covers, closed her eyes and covered her ears. Was she going mad? What was happening and why was it happening?!

Before long, Abacus could hear the static noise again.

"...B..."

She began to feel weightless as another chill ran through her body.

"...B..."

Dare she open her eyes? If she did, what sort of madness would she bear witness to?!

"...B..."

Was her life in danger? Was she actually going to die?!

"...B..."

Abacus' breathing became erratic as her mind struggled to comprehend these events. Frightened though she was, she decided to open her eyes.

Static. Nothing but static. She was in a void of static, floating weightless. The Headmistress began hyperventilating as her head started pounding.

"...B..."

She hadn't been this scared since... since...

"...B... I..."

The voice became a tad clearer, only enough so that Abacus could discern the voice belonged to a woman. Suddenly, a loud bang sounded, like a bullet being fired. The Headmistress screamed...

----------------------------------------------

Abacus Cinch shot up as she awoke with a start. It was just a dream. Oh, thank the stars... She shuddered, only to notice that her hands were still shaking and she was in a cold sweat. Fear began to grip her again as she worried that she was still asleep.

Taking a chance, the Headmistress walked up to her curtains and turned her face away from the window. She took a deep breath, then opened them to see rain falling. She turned around and sighed with relief. There was no static.

"What in the stars just happened," she muttered to herself.

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

Yep, Cinch has some issues....