Chapter 13: Getting Serious
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Austin thought while looking at the photographs which laid on the desk in front of him “First I get beat up by a shadow, then I miss the cafeteria performance and now this happens?!”
He was in a dark office room, Luna’s office room to be specific. The only light source could be seen emanating from a lamp located on the desk, but it was just barely illuminating the photos. The photographs were displaying multiple angles of Austin and Twilight playing against Rainbow Dash on the football field behind the school. They were just normal pictures, nothing seemed to be edited and nothing seemed out of place. As Austin continued to analyze them, a chuckle could be heard from his left. It was Sunset Shimmer. She was seated in another office chair and was enjoying the view of Austin suffering.
“You really like to make my work hard don't you?” Austin said, glaring at Sunset.
She made a sarcastic gesture of fear as a response, then she got up and started to walk around the room.
“OH, THE FEAR! OH THE SHAME!” she said while also doing exaggerated movements with her body “A BOY FROM CRYSTAL PREP CAME TO SPY ON THE STUDENTS OF CANTERLOT HIGH!”
“If that's the case then I'm a terrible spy. Spying is supposed to be an out of sight kinda sport” Austin refuted.
“Well, it wasn't as if she didn't believe it. I told you, I have COMPLETE CONTROL over this world”
“But you know that's not the truth. Even if I were trying to gain information out of this place, why would they believe I’m doing it for Crystal Prep?”
“I don’t know…” she said while switching her weight from her left leg to her right one “Maybe because you are the number 1 student in the school? DUH!”
“That’s even more of a reason why I wouldn't do that. I would risk my entire school status on this?”
“You wouldn't be risking anything if they themselves sent you, would you? And even if they didn't, you are too important to them. They wouldn't let you go” Sunset finished while watching her nails.
Austin couldn't respond to that, she had everything planned out. It wasn't false evidence either, it just made him look bad.
“Wait…” he thought “THAT’S IT! It just made me look bad! That means that there isn't an official statement or concrete evidence!”
Austin chuckled a little bit. Sunset saw this and was immediately alerted.
“What's so funny?” she asked with a smirk
“Well, I just… I just find it funny how you miscalculated” he said with a smile.
“What are you talking about?” Sunset asked, trying to maintain composure.
“You messed up badly on this one. These pictures don't prove anything”
“They PROVE that you were playing Soccer with Rainbow Dash, a sport which is used in the Friendship Games, thus you are trying to gain analytical information to create counterplay. Why would a Crystal Prep student come all the way over here? Isn't it funny how you show up a couple of months before the event?” she asked.
Austin just looks at her with a smile in response.
“What are you smiling for?!” she exclaimed while showing her impatience.
“The thing is, you have no case. These photographs PROVE that I was playing soccer with Rainbow Dash, they DON’T prove anything less NOR anything more. You say that my intention was to gain information for Crystal Prep, but that's also illogical because they have a winning record on this school. Why would they need information on a school they beat every time? Why would they send anyone as a spie when they always win without one? Do you see where I’m going? You can argue whatever you want, but it all comes down to a “he said, she said'' situation. And from what I can tell, this school is smart, they will see through your lies” Austin explained.
Sunset was baffled by this. She couldn't believe everything he just said, it was as if he outright outsmarted her.
“I… You… But-” She started to say but got cut off by vice-principal Luna walking through the main door of the dark office.
“Sorry for the delay, but Principal Celestia and I needed to do a little discussion before making a final decision. Now, mister Jake, I need you to answer a couple of questions, starting with: Why are you on Canterlot High school grounds? Aren't you supposed to be on Crystal Prep?” she asked while sitting in her office chair.
That was a really hard question to answer without any loopholes or without revealing any information.
“Damn! If I don't think of something it's all gonna go downhill” Austin thought while preparing to answer.
“I’m… I’m here because I was looking at school options for a possible transfer, and this school was the first one on the list” he said with a confident tone.
“A possible transfer?!” Sunset asked furiously.
“I see,” Luna said with an analytical face, “Sunset said that you were recollecting information to aid Crystal Prep in the Friendship Games a few months from now. Can you confirm that’s not true?”
“Yes. My intention never was to gain information for the games, It was to see and experience the life of a normal teenager here in the school. If I were getting information for Crystal Prep then it would go against the good faith both school’s have and I’m a man of good faith”
Luna smiled, unlike Sunset, she was pleased with that answer.
“What do you think of the school so far?” She continued asking.
“I think you have shown great integrity by tackling a misunderstanding this way. You chose to hear both sides and that’s something I respect. Every student has freedom here, every classroom is clear, and the school cafeteria has healthy food. This school is at the top of my list” he finished.
“Glad you are enjoying yourself, Jake. One last question, who is that girl in the pictures? The one in the goalkeeper position?”
“Oh, that’s Twilight Sparkle. She’s running for Princess of Fall Formal. She even did a performance in the cafeteria just a few minutes ago”
Luna seemed confused as if something wasn't fitting in. He took notice of that and a feeling of worry started to pile up.
“Is something wrong?” Austin asked.
“Well, we did a little research and it appears Twilight Sparkle is also from Crystal Prep. The problem is that being Princess of the Fall Formal requires to be a student of Canterlot High”
Austin’s stomach turned from left to right. Normally he would emulate emotion, but this hit him like a truck, he never realized this would be a problem.
“HA!” Sunset exclaimed while also looking at Austin’s worrying face.
“We can't let her participate because she isn't officially a Student,” Luna said with sadness showing on her face.
He thought and thought but nothing came to mind. No solution was being made up in his head. Time was running out and he needed something FAST. He tried to remember the Equestria Girls movie, he wanted to see if something there could be used right now. He then realized something.
“But, didn’t Princess- I mean, Principal Celestia give her permission to participate?” Austin asked.
“Yes, that’s another problem. Principal Celestia encouraged her to participate under the assumption that she was a NEW student. Twilight Sparkle told her that. She lied to her”
Everything seemed worse and worse for him. As Austin was thinking, Sunset seemed to feel a little more relaxed. She had different plans, but it’s all working the same. This made a smile form on her face.
“Okay… yeah, she’s from Crystal Prep. But if I recall correctly Twilight said she was “NEW here”. She never stated she was a student, while Celestia did state ANYONE could run for Princess of fall formal, you can ask her yourself. That’s why she wanted to do it. It was a miscommunication between them that led to her registering with the Fall Formal Committee and I think it would be really unfair if you just deny her because of a mistake both Twilight and the Principle made” Austin started to say.
Luna stayed silent. She was thinking about everything he was saying. Sunset was taken back by this. He was actually changing Luna’s mind.
“You can’t be seriously considering letting an outsider of the school run for this SCHOOL event, which was designed for SCHOOL students” she exclaimed while looking at Luna.
“Look, she worked hard today, Vice Principal Luna. She united students in the cafeteria and helped reunite a group of friends…” he continued while looking at Sunset with a glare “... which were UNFORTUNATELY driven apart”
Luna looked at Austin for a second, then looked at the calendar beside her desk.
“Fair enough. You've brought up some pretty good points, and considering this all started from a misconception by both parties, then denying her access to participate would go against our values” she finished with a smile.
Austin could not believe he actually did it. His shocked expression even made Luna chuckle. But contrary to him, Sunset looked devastated as she gasped.
“WHAT?!” she exclaimed “B-but she isn’t a student! Non-Student's shouldn’t be able to participate in an event that’s literally dedicated to Canterlot High!” she tried to say.
“What’s wrong Sunset? Afraid of a little competition?” Austin asked with a smirk.
“Why you little-!” she whispered before being stopped by Luna.
“It was the school’s fault this misunderstanding happened, Sunset. It’s only fair we continue with the original request from Twilight” she responded.
Austin stood up and walked closer to Sunset.
“And besides, you still have a chance to win Sunset. Just give it everything you have. Hard work pays off” he said with a nod.
“Well, I’m glad it’s gotten resolved. Mister Jake, please enjoy the rest of lunch, and I invite you to come to the dance tomorrow night. Seeing an actual school event play out might help you decide which school you are planning to register for. Canterlot High needs more morally acknowledged students like you” Luna said with a smile.
Austin walked to the door and opened it to exit, but before he walked through he turned towards her.
“Thank you for your hospitality. And you can count on seeing me there” he said before gently closing the door.
Now that Austin left, there was only Vice Principal Luna and Sunset in the dark office. Sunset looked at Luna as the tension in the small room started to increase.
“Why did you lie to me Miss. Sunset,” Luna asked with a disappointed expression.
“I… I didn't, I thought I heard him saying he was going back to Crystal Prep for business, and I assumed the worst” she said while trying to avoid eye contact.
Luna exhaled while leaning back in her chair.
“Sometimes you overthink things a little too much, Sunset. You've done it multiple times in the past school events. It’s not all about you, your actions can hurt other people. That’s why I took careful steps when you brought up this accusation”
“B-but, it wasn't-'' Sunset tried to say before being stopped by the Vice-Principal.
“I know you like to win everything Sunset, but don't let that blind you from what’s right and fair” she finished.
Sunset couldn’t even respond to that. She had no words. Her plan was getting ripped apart by one single person, and even the guardian who was supposed to be in her back pocket was betraying her. Sunset opened the door and stormed off without saying a word.
“You are just as bad as her! Once I get that crown I’ll turn you to my slave first!” she whispered under her breath.
Once the door was closed, Luna exhaled again.
Austin walked through the halls of the school with no students in sight, as if the school was completely empty. Just as he walked one step at a time, his thoughts were racing one at a time.
“Okay… I just dodged a HUGE bullet there… thank god…” he said while taking a right at the end of a hallway.
Before he could react, Austin heard a worried voice.
“Austin!” Twilight exclaimed while running towards him “Are you okay? What happened?!”
“What do you mean?” he asked with a curious expression.
She quickly entered his personal space and put her hand on his cheek to see his scars a little more closely. This immediately made Austin feel uncomfortable.
“What are you doing?” he asked while slowly pushing her away.
“What do you mean? Your face is a wreck!” she cried out while trying to get closer.
“I’m fine, I’m fine”
“But, you don't look fine! What happened to you?”
“I… fell down some stairs”
Twilight felt a little calmer after his response but still got close to help him.
As they were still struggling, the bell rang while students immediately exited their respective classrooms and into the halls.
“We better get out of here,” Twilight said.
“Yeah, I second that,” Austin responded.
They made their way outside of school and into the Soccer field where the sun was still shining in the sky.
“So, you got these by falling down the stairs?” she asked, surprised at the scars Austin had.
“Y- yeah, I can still - OW- feel the pain in my back” he responded while Twilight was still physically examining his face.
“I’m… I’m really sorry I wasn't there for the performance… I was going to make it back but I couldn't physically run”
“That’s okay, I’m just glad you are safe… after watching you run away and not coming back I was starting to get worried, especially after not finding you for a whole hour. I thought something bad happened to you”
“Ah, y- yeah, sorry about that. After I fell down, Vice Principal Luna called me into her office so that I could answer some questions. But you don't have to worry about that, I’m still gonna be able to help you” he said.
“Alright, that’s good no know. But, why did you run off like that?”
“I thought I saw something… I followed someone but didn’t manage to catch up to him”
Twilight looked at him for a second before realizing they were both making eye contact. She then realized she was sitting way too close to him. With an embarrassed face, she quickly separated herself from him and created a meter of distance.
“I- I’m just glad you are okay,” she said while avoiding eye contact.
“OMG OMG OMG OMG” Austin thought while looking away from her.
Before any of them could say one more word, footsteps could be heard approaching them. It was Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. They were walking towards them as Rainbow was balancing a ball with her legs.
“Yo, Austin! Wanna go for another 1 v 1 game or-” she said before getting a good view of his face “Wow dude, what happened to you?”
Fluttershy gasped. She immediately ran towards him and took a look. This made him even more uncomfortable, but he opened his arms to her warmth.
“You’ll be okay! I have experience treating hurt animals in the shelter!” she said before being stopped by Austin.
“It’s okay guys, I fell down some stairs and got a little hurt but I've gone through much worse”
“Much worse huh?” Applejack asked “You would be a really good farmer”
“Sometimes getting hurt can seem kind of fun!” Pinkie said.
Everyone stayed silent and looked at her for a few moments.
“What? When I get hit with paintballs in “Gotcha” I still have fun, don't you guys?”
Rarity looked towards Austin and prepared to say something.
“Darling, you've gotta take better care of yourself. Your body is a temple which only you can take care of, same goes for all of us” Rarity said while showing her body in a dance.
“If you took care of your body you wouldn't be drinking Lattes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner” Rainbow commented while laughing at her little dance.
“Hey! I don't do such things!” Rarity responded before staying silent for a few seconds “And plus, they taste pretty good…”
Austin smiled at their comments. It really felt as if he was inside an episode of My Little Pony. Their interactions were just… perfect.
“Hey, Austin?” Applejack asked.
“What’s up?” he responded while Fluttershy was still patching him up with a small toolkit in her backpack.
“Why did you leave us hanging in the choreography? Did something happen?” she asked with a curious expression.
“Ah, yeah. I kind of saw something and felt like I needed to follow it, but it was nothing. While coming back I fell down the stairs and then Vice Principal Luna asked to speak with me”
“Oh,” Applejack said.
“What did you talk about?” Pinkie asked while looking Austin in the eye a little bit too closely.
“It was something about tomorrow’s dance and how it would be set up”
“Wait, you helped her with the dance… AND I WASN'T TOLD ABOUT IT?!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Nah, she just told me to wear my best suit… which is something I don’t have” he responded.
Before any more could be said, the school bell rang again.
“Ah, I gotta go to the Track Club. Sorry guys, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Rainbow said before running away with the soccer ball she was still balancing with her legs.
“I also gotta go to the Baking club, then the Dance club, then the Architecture club, and so on,” Pinkie said while jumping towards the school entrance “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Yeah, I gotta go to the Animal club too,” Fluttershy said while putting her equipment in her backpack “It’s almost all patched up. I’m really sorry for not being able to do it completely but I promised the headmaster I would watch the animals all day”
“No problem, you have fun!” Austin said while waving as she walked away.
“Me too y'all, I gotta go help my family with the farm,” Applejack said before heading to the parking lot “I’ll see ya tomorrow!”
As they all left, the only people who were still there were Twilight, Rarity, and Austin.
“What about you two?” Rarity asked as Twilight looked down.
She was starting to feel nervous, lying to her friends required a lot out of her and it was something she didn’t wanna do.
“We kind of have a problem. She and I come from out of town and need a place to stay. We kind of slept in a hotel yesterday, but today we have nowhere to go” Austin said.
“Y-yeah” Twilight continued, a little nervous.
“Oh, darling that’s awful,” Rarity said “You don’t have anyone in town that could house you for today? Or at least until you figure your stay out?”
“N-no” Twilight responded.
“Well… that’s a little short-minded” Rarity whispered, “BUT NOT TO WORRY!”
Rarity walked closer to them and grabbed their hands. They both got up and followed her towards the parking lot.
“Lucky for you, my boutique is in perfect shape for you to stay in! Two rooms with one bed each!” she said with a smile.
“Really?!” Twilight exclaimed with happiness in her voice.
“Yup! Tho, I’m gonna ask you to do something as a favor tho”
“What’s that?” Austin asked with a smile.
“I’m gonna need you two to be my models for today!” she responded.
As the three of them walked closer to Rarity’s car, Sunset Shimmer could see them from behind a tree. She was visibly angry, to the point of not being able to stop making her hand a fist.
“God damn you!” she thought while seeing the car leaving “I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!”
Ideas were entering her head, but she was discarding them as they came. Suddenly one brilliant idea entered her mind.
“If I can’t have the crown, then she will be stuck here until I do!” she exclaimed as some students were walking beside her with weirded-out faces.
She immediately opened her phone and called a mysterious number.
“Snips! I need you two to do something for me…” she said as a wide smile was forming on her face.
On the other side of town, a small dark bedroom could be seen as a dark shadow emanated from an opened window. The dark figure Austin apprehended in school landed on the wooden floor and walked towards the bed in front. The figure made its way into the bed and stayed facing towards the ceiling. Suddenly the dark mist that emanated from the entity moved towards under the bed, revealing a middle-aged man who stayed facing up. The man looked as if he were sleeping, and snored like it too. As the mist completely entered the bottom of the bed, a projector could be seen in the background.
A British voice emanated from under the bed as moonlight from the opened window shined on the wooden floor.
“It’s almost time,” the voice said.
Hello everyone, this time around I introduced images alongside text so that it can be more engaging. Please tell me what you think, if it gets positive opinions I might put 1-minute sketch drawings like these in the rest of the chapters that are gonna follow this one.
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Jojos
Aww, why do I always pick up unfinished stories and then have no other choice but to wait? Is this some kind of literary masochism?
10986938
hahahaha Yeah, that's how it sometimes goes. Have you enjoyed the story so far? Did you like the sketch pictures in chapter 13? My plan is to continue implementing them from now on, but I wanted to ask if readers like them.
10986945
I like the story and the intrigue of things being different. Having illustrations is a neat idea, but to be honest faces look unsettling for some reason. They clearly end up in the uncanny valley... at least from my point of view. Angry Sunset looks great, though. Well, can't improve without trying. Don't stop.
10986555
My main problem with his question regarding magic is that it doesn't answer anything. The point in EQG where SciTwi starts to believe in magic is during Friendship Games and she never returns to CPA after that. Even then she'd likely be rather reluctant to tell "yes" for multiple different reasons. I'm not even sure if there is anything he could ask her to figure out his position on the timeline at all besides the fact that she is at CPA, so Friendship Games haven't happened yet. Not that he shouldn't have asked her that question. It just doesn't answer anything.
Yes yes yes yes… YES
Haven’t seen the timeline changed with a “small” change, only seen preserving the timeline until chapter 10-30.
loved it, cant wait for more!