Life In Canterlot 1: The Autumn Term

Principal Cinch drummed her sharp, ice-blue fingernails on the rich mahogany desk she was sat behind. It didn't take a genius to notice this, but the furniture in her office was of stark comparison to that of the rest of the school. Despite the school being one of prestige throughout the city, the desks, chairs and the like that were used in the classrooms of Crystal Prep Academy were all made of the cheapest materials that could be found. The technology was of better quality, but it was still all bought cheaply, and the computer rooms were therefore not reliable for last-minute projects. All the better for the Principal, of course, as it allowed her to enforce the standards of her school further.

After all, CPA's reputation simply had to endure. There was no doubt whatsoever about that.

Her own furniture, however, was of stark comparison. From the bookcases that filled the walls to the luxurious, dark phthalo blue curtains that were hung for the pure reason of showing off, her office simply reeked money, money, money. Yes, it really was a rich man's world.

Where is Cadance?, the Principal wondered. She'd called the woman to her office over twenty minutes ago, and there was still no sign of her. Reaching for the large, black microphone at the side of her desk, she pressed the large button and droned "Can Ms Cadenza please report to the Principal's Offi-"

The announcement was cut off by an urgent rapping at the door. Expectantly, the Principal muttered "That is all" into the intercom, got up, and marched over to the tall wooden door, opening it with a sense of furiousness. "Ms Cadenza, " she greeted stormily. "When I ask you to report to my office, I do not expect to have to wait the entirety of the lunch break for you to appear. It's extremely unprofessional of you, and is hardly fitting for a school with a reputation such as ours."

'There she goes again with that reputation', Cadance thought to herself. though she grinned sheepishly and explained. "But, one of the students wanted to see me..."

Turning on the spot quickly and walking to her desk, Cinch answered briskly "That is no excuse. We will simply have to carry on this meeting into your next lesson."

That was an annoying thing about the Principal; she treated everyone like a child, even her staff. Cadance followed the woman to the centre of the office, however. "What was it that you needed?"

Reaching under the desk, Cinch retrieved a stack of forms. "I need you to distribute these to all of the classes."

Glancing through them, Cadance looked up, dumbstruck. "But, these are all witness forms...what do you need five hundred of these for?"

The Principal waved her hand dismissively. "They just say that the person who signs it will never speak about what happened two months ago. Nothing more."

Cadance froze. "You mean...at the Friendship Games?"

"Indeed I do," Cinch confirmed, removing her glasses and polishing them with a handkerchief she produced from her pocket. "The events which occurred are not going to help Crystal Prep's reputation, and I therefore see no reason for anybody outside of our school to be aware of them."

"But...what about Canterlot High? They were there, too. Hiding the information from people here isn't going to make much difference now that the school board know," the younger woman defended, pointing out the obvious.

The Principal pinched her nose in annoyance. "Miss Cadenza, I really don't see the need for debate. At that disaster of a competition, we lost our star student, and we lost our reputation. I am, quite clearly, the only one who actually cares about said reputation, and I am therefore the only one who is going to do anything about it. So, I tell you again: deliver those forms to every classroom now, and then head back to your lesson. I'm being quite lenient with you, considering your lateness to our meeting. It isn't up for debate."

At this, Cadance was furious. "How dare you!" she yelled, which took Cinch by surprise. "How dare you talk like you're the one who came out of the Games worse! Have you any idea how they affected Twilight? Shining Armor told me something that happened last weekend. Something that happened when CHS went on a summer trip. And I can tell you for absolute certain that Twilight came out of those Games a lot worse than you. So don't you DARE try and suggest that-"

"Ms Cadenza, how dare YOU raise your voice at me!" the Principal defended. "I am the Principal of Crystal Preparatory Academy, and I am the one who decides what affects my school more than some little girl who made the wrong decision - in which I played no part, might I add - and ended up being possessed by alien magic! I retract my earlier statement about being sorry to see her go. All that proves to me is that Twilight Sparkle is weak, and therefore it was with great joy that I had her leave my establishment. Perhaps her intellect will be missed by her classmates. But I can tell you for absolute certain, Ms Cadenza, that I care not for the little girl who thinks she knows what's best for my school."

There was a moment's silence, in which neither woman said a word. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the older woman's grandfather clock, suspended on the wall above her desk. "You know," Cadance began, slowly, to the obvious annoyance of her superior, "I hear Twilight's doing pretty well at CHS. Perhaps we could visit the school so that you could see her for yourself. It might lessen your hatred for them."

"...Ms Cadenza, as I have said, I see no room for debate. I was hesitant to take you on at first, given the situation with your illegitimate family, but I am completely serious when I say that I am this close," Cinch threatened softly, emphasizing the previous phrase with a small hand action, "to letting you go, along with that boyfriend of yours. To be frank, I'm not sure why I allowed him to become an alumni."

"Actually," Cadance interrupted, "The word is 'alumnus'."

There was another moment of silence. "Ms Cadenza?" the Principal finally stated, her voice as cold as a glacier. "You have until the end of the day to clear out your office. After that, I want you off of the premises. Do you understand?"

"...no," the younger woman replied. "After all, you can't fire me."

"And, why is that?" Cinch frostily replied, standing from her high-backed swivel chair.

"BECAUSE I QUIT!!!"

"Cadance, is everything okay?" Shining Armor asked, as the woman climbed into his car at 12:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. She'd called him about ten minutes ago, asking him to come and pick her up from the school. He'd thought it strange at the time, but this was just bizarre.

"I quit," Cadence responded simply, taking out her makeup case from her handbag. "Could you drop me off at CHS? There's someone I'd like to see."