Chapters Life In Canterlot 1: The Autumn Term
Chapter 1 - Old Friends, New Beginnings
"That's a bit...excessive. Wouldn't you say?"
"Oh, please, darling! You say 'excessive', I hear 'not enough sequins'!"
The sun was in the sky, the cold autumn breeze blowing through the town, and Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were sat outside of Canterlot High, waiting for Rarity to arrive. It was the beginning of September; a new school year. Sunset was speaking to said fashionista over the phone, who was apparently busy fretting over her outfit of choice, which was no surprise to any of them. And Twilight was going over the changes to her routine she was hoping to implement to increase the efficiency of her studying, which was the only thing keeping Rainbow awake.
"Now then, " Twilight began, producing a stack of papers from her backpack. "I know Principal Celestia said to only retrieve your own schedule, but I took the liberty of retrieving all seven of them! I've colour-coded each lesson," she continued, handing one to Rainbow, "so that you'll always be able to tell what room you're in, despite the subject. To be honest, I don't think it was a great idea to stop colourcoding the schedules themselves, but I suppose budget cuts are inevitable. Besides, now it gives me something to do!. Ooh! I just had a brilliant idea! How about we all-"
"Yeah, Twi, I get it, " Rainbow interrupted, standing up from the old, stone steps leading up to the main entrance. "'Efficiency' or whatever's important to you. But, it's not really to me. So, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me sleep. I was up all night versing Applejack in Return of the Mane-iac."
Twilight opened her mouth, indignated, to respond to this - frankly - inexcusable bare-faced lie. After all, what could possibly more important than organisation? But she was stopped in her tracks as a voice from behind her caught her by surprise.
"It's okay, Twilight. Not everyone understands the important of organisation."
The girl turned around instantaneously, at the familiar voice. "Cadance!"
And there she stood, in a dark pink blazer and a long gold skirt, her multi-toned hair seemingly aglow in the morning sun. "Sorry I startled you. Shining Armor says you rushed out in a hurry this morning, so I didn't get to see you."
"You didn't tell me you'd been relocated!" the younger girl greeted excitedly, hugging her former babysitter lovingly.
"...about that..." Cadance responded sheepishly, pulling away and twirling her hair like a schoolgirl.
"Lemme guess...you were fired," Rainbow interrupted, much to the chagrin of Twilight.
"Rainbow!" the girl scolded. "Why would you say that? Cadance could never get fired from any job! She's amazing!"
"Well, you're half right, Rainbow," Cadance answered, amusedly. "I quit."
"WHAT?!?" Twilight yelled in shock. "H-how?!?!?"
Cadance sighed. "After what Cinch did to you in the Friendship Games, I could hardly just stand by. She refused to change school policy, or at least turn down the competitive fire when it came to the Games. And when Shining Armor told me what happened at Camp Everfree, I knew this went a lot deeper than simple school sports, so...I quit. Simple as that."
At this, Twilight flinched. "You mean, you left the school you've always loved working at...because of me? I-I'm just a regular girl, Cadance. I don't deserve that." She turned slightly, visibly saddened.
Noticing the subtle movement, Cadance rested her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Hey, you are anything but a 'regular old girl', Twilight. And believe me; I didn't love it at Crystal Prep as much as you seem to think."
Twilight smiled sadly. "R-really?"
"You bet," Cadance winked.
"Yeah, but then, Cinch was a major asshole," Rainbow once again interrupted, before opening one eye in a worried manner. "Wait...you're a teacher, right? Um, j-just forget I said anything."
The two girls looked at each other, before breaking down into a giggling fit. "Sure thing," Cadance responded.
Sighing, Sunset put her phone away. It turned out that Rarity couldn't find the boots that went with her "casual, yet chic and avant-garde" look, and so she had to start choosing her outfit all over again. Turning, it seemed that Cadance was no longer there; she must have re-entered the building at one point.
"Look," Rainbow pointed out, "Rarity isn't here yet, so I say we go in. I mean, she's gonna turn up at one point. And, hey, I usually wouldn't want to go into school before we have to, but it's FREEZING out here!"
"Well, if you'd dressed properly ," a familiar voice chimed in from the entrance.
Rainbow turned to see the very girl she'd been talking about. "Finally! What took you so long?"
"You must not rush perfection, darling!" Rarity responded, twirling in order to show off...the very same outfit she always wore.
"Um, Rarity," Sunset questioned, "...you do know you're wearing the same outfit you wear for school every day, right?
"But of course, darling!" the fashionista replied, making her way up the steps and pushing past an agitated Rainbow Dash to enter the building. "I decided for a 'blast from the past', so to speak. Now then, I must get inside. It's dreadfully cold out here, and I simply mustn't stay out in it for too long."
Opting for a noncommittal grunt rather than a dignified answer, Rainbow followed her. Sunset went to follow, but was stopped by Twilight, who thrusted a colourful sheet of paper at her.
"What's this, Twilight?" Sunset asked, taking it from her friend with a confused look on her face.
Twilight beamed. "Well, you see..."
"Principal Celestia?" Sunset called, knocking on the wooden door that led to said woman's office.
"My door is always open, Sunset," the woman replied, with a bemused tone in her voice.
Chuckling to herself, the girl opened the door, and entered the office. The cream walls seemingly shone in the figurative light of the principal of CHS.
And, there she sat; her hair pristine as always, her desk neat, her intercom very clearly not on , as the woman liked to reiterate.
"What can I do for you, Sunset?" Celestia enquired, looking up at the girl with a warm smile.
"Well, I was curious about something," Sunset began. "When did Cadance start working here? She came up to us this morning. Well, by 'us', I really mean Twilight."
The principal chuckled. "Well, today's really her first day on the job. We had a vacancy for a councillor ever since Mrs Doodle was promoted to full-time librarian, and obviously I didn't need to see any of her credentials. Since she's my niece, we go quite a way back."
Sunset blinked. "Oh, right. Of course she'd be your niece."
"...'of course'...?" Celestia repeated, her voice thick with confusion.
"Well, er, back in Equestria, Princess Cadance is Princess Celestia's niece," Sunset explained, as the elder woman nodded in understanding. "Though, not biologically. She never explained why-"
Principal Celestia stood up, flustered. "Thank you so much for coming in to see me, Sunset, but I'm terribly busy." Ushering the younger girl out, she bade her farewell with a fleeting smile and the canned phrase "My door is always open!" And, with a slam, that very statement was proven false.
"...yes, that's right. The school board did phone to say you'd be coming in next week."
"...no, I completely understand. My sister and I will do everything we can to make sure the inspection goes off without a hitch."
"...well, it appears that's settled. We look forward to having you at CHS, Ms Glimmer."
Life In Canterlot 1: The Autumn Term
Interlude 1 - Cadance's Farewell
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."
Life In Canterlot 1: The Autumn Term
Chapter 2 - The Starlight Inspector
Vice Principal Luna was using her typewriter. It was something she'd become accustomed to over time. Whilst the rest of the school had their computers and iPads and the like, she was happy with the bare essentials.
Of course, she wasn't cut off from technology in any way. She had a mobile phone, and a typewriter was certainly a step up from handwriting letters, forms and the like (which was just as well, considering her handwriting was poor for an administrator of a school such as CHS). But she wasn't about to use something that she could do perfectly well without.
As she was about to insert a new sheet of paper into said typewriter, the office phone began to ring. True to her wont, it was an old-fashioned rotary phone. She reached over and picked it up, holding it to her ear as she continued to type. "This is Canterlot High School, Vice Principal Luna speaking."
"Ah, hello! You may not remember me. I'm the head of the Inspection Board, Starlight Glimmer. I sent a form to your superiors illustrating the date and time of the inspection?"
Luna took a moment to register what the cheery woman was saying. "...yes, that's right. The school board did phone to say you'd be coming in next week."
"Excellent! I apologize about the short notice, but we're a little understaffed at the moment."
Luna nodded in clear understanding. "No, I completely understand. My sister and I will do everything we can to make sure the inspection goes off without a hitch."
Good to hear! I'll call by tomorrow to check everything's ready for the inspection next week."
Luna smiled, although it clearly could not be seen from the other end of the phone. "Well, it appears that's settled. We look forward to having you at CHS, Ms Glimmer."
She put the phone down.
September 1, 8:46 AM
Inspection Board Offices
Office No. 3
Starlight Glimmer put down her turquoise cell phone with a satisfactory grin. Walking over to her tall glass window, she stood imposingly over the town of Canterlot.
"Soon, they'll understand," Starlight muttered. "Soon, I won't be the one who's alone. Sunburst may have left me, but I still have power." She began to yell. "I'll tear every school in Canterlot to the ground!"
"And then they'll finally see what we're trying to accomplish."
"Welcome to another year at Canterlot High," Ms Harshwhinny droned in a stiff pink cardigan, her hair in a style that was 20 years out of date, and a rope of faux pearls hanging around her obtuse neck. "This year is perhaps the most important of your entire life, so make. It. Count. Now, then, I trust you all have your schedules. Miss Sparkle was kind enough to colour-code them."
Twilight beamed in a corner.
"Not that I see the point, mind. If you need colours to identify what a piece of paper is telling you, you shouldn't be in high school."
That smile quickly turned into a scowl.
"Now, then. I have a few notices." A groan erupted from the class, though Ms Harshwhinny continued. "We have a new member of staff with us here at CHS this year. Many of you will know Ms Cadenza from the Friendship Games, but we're pleased to welcome her here." Again, no trace of emotion was expressed during this announcement.
"Next up, I regret to inform you all that none of you are eligible to run any clubs or run for student council this year."
At this, Rarity stood up in a fluid motion. "Why, that's simply ridiculous! What on earth is going to happen to my Fashion Club now that I cannot run it?"
As she said this, Vice Principal ran past her classroom in some sort of frenzy, catching Ms Harshwhinny's eye and mouthing some sort of plead for help.
"It's no concern of mine, Miss Rarity, so I suggest that you take your seat," the teacher replied, her eyes briefly flickering to the figure outside of her room. "Please wait a moment, class. You can attempt to salvage those schedules of yours."
The teacher left the room and looked down the corridor to find Luna stood on a plastic chair. "Vice Principal Luna, could you please explain why you were causing a ruckus outside of my classroom?"
Luna looked sheepish. "Well, Marcia, the head of the inspection board's coming by later today, and she really doesn't need a negative example before the inspection has even begun. Please, keep the kids under control, won't you?"
And, with that, she ran down the long corridor.
Ms Harshwhinny shook her head. "The nerve of some people..."
