“Central, Team Romeo reporting in. We’re in the storage room, the door is barricaded.” Brawly’s voice clicked through the walkies. “Awaiting All-Clear.”

Lyra responded cheerfully, “Roger that, Romeo. Standby!” She looked up from her phone. “That's everyone, Bonny!”

Bon-Bon bobbed her head. “Time?”

“Ninety-two seconds, from the start with everyone in the gym.”

“Excellent.” The walkie crackled as Bon-Bon pressed a button. “All-Clear. You did good today, guys. Go home and get some rest. We’ll be running more drills tomorrow at lunch.”

The teen then turned to Sunset and her friends. “Best time yet, with no obstacles. We’ve also done a few drills from the classrooms for different periods of the day. We’re averaging between a hundred and hundred and twenty seconds. I think the Canterlot Student Defense is as ready for Friday as we are going to get. Flash, Trixie, Lyra and I are Central, coordinating on the walkies. You six are Team Rainbooms. Teams Alpha through Foxtrot are designated interference and distraction, Teams Golf through November are on the Junior High detail—they're to fan out and get the middle schoolers into safe zones—and Oscar through Victor are doing the same for the High School side. In the event it occurs when everyone is in one locale, like the gym, the plan is to assess if we can secure the room from incursion by hostiles. If not, then the teams scatter and the distraction teams do their job while we get everyone else to safety.”

Sunset nodded, her brain still messy, but she pushed it aside to focus on the meeting. “What are the safe zones?” she asked.

Flash unrolled a big map of the school and pinned it to the big board that they had brought into the magic room. “We’ve marked them here. Eight janitor’s closets, the bathrooms down in G hall, both the auto shop classroom and the woodshop classroom, twelve different classrooms on both floors, six different storage rooms, the boiler room, the equipment shed by the woods, the woods themselves since we can get people to the neighborhood behind it, and the hidden spot on the rooftop.”

Their vice principal cleared her throat. “In addition, the teacher’s lounge, the nurse, and the office are also safe zones—the lounge has locks, the nurse is a safe space for traditional lockdown drills for the same reason, and the office has the protective ward Miss Shimmer provided.”

Rarity hummed. “How many teachers are in the group willing to fight back, if I might ask?”

Miss Luna gave a savage grin. “Seventeen, plus myself and my sister. That number includes Coach Will, Dr. Turner, Miss Harshwhinny, Granny Smith, and Mr. Doodle, surprisingly.” She tapped her finger on the table. “If there is a dire need for additional arms of a more dangerous nature, there is a cabinet in my office that possesses them. I am…entrusting our resident experts to determine if they are called for if I am unable to make that decision. The key is in my center desk drawer.”

Flash took back over at that. “Speaking of supplies, we have things stockpiled in fifty six different lockers around the school. All of them have been marked with a sticker of a modified Wondercolt—we made it into the winged unicorn from the battle of the bands, but in Wondercolt gold.”

“It's an alicorn,” Sunset corrected.

She felt them all look at her. “The pony with both a unicorn’s horn and a pegasus’ wings is called an alicorn.”

“Huh. I always thought that was what you call a unicorn’s horn when it's missing the rest of the unicorn,” Lyra mused.

Said unicorn cringed, remembering her horrid nightmares with the not-Twilight separating her from her horn with violence and pain. “…contextual images of painful mutilation of my species aside, you…aren't necessarily wrong—there's a root term in one of the Old Ponish dialects from which both the word for a pony’s biological focus for magic and the word alicorn derive. Though the focus is tribe independent, so it can just as easily refer to a pegasus’ wings or a pony’s hooves, since all three are made of the same keratin analog.” She realized she was rambling. “…sorry, Flash. You were saying?”

“Right. Fifty six lockers with the sticker on them all over the school. Each of the safe zones also has a supply cache, marked with the same sticker.” He ticked off on his fingers. “In addition to a small supply of fresh water bottles and protein bars—to keep people fed and watered if we are trapped for more than a few hours—there are extra walkies, batteries for them, a burner phone, and a set of defensive and distraction devices. Oh, and a swiss army knife and a package of zipties, since unless they're superhumanly strong, zipties are hard for any captured hostiles to break free of.” He glanced over the table. “Trixie really came through for us with smoke bombs and stink bombs. We have several dozen per locker, which is huge. There's also slingshots and premade coffee filter pepper grenades—all packed full of the most horrific combinations of spices the Home Ec kids could come up with—including some ground up, aged, dried ghost pepper. All are packed tight and ground fine enough that the impact will create a localized cloud of the particles, which can and will stick to anything damp. Like eyeballs. Our distraction teams are all fitted with their own supply of slingshots, pepper grenades, smoke bombs, and zipties. Distract is primary, remove from play is secondary, hence the zipties. Trixie also contributed a few other items that I’ll let her explain.”

They all turned to the magician who was looking rather pleased with herself, and she placed several small objects on the table. “The House of Lulamoon has been hard at work to provide some defensive items for the school and her valiant defenders. First, we have this…” she touched a silvery marble. “When crushed, cracked, or broken, this device creates a burst of…I suppose the non-magi might call it an anti-magic zone. It is designed to end or interrupt effects in a ten to fifteen foot radius. They are not the easiest to make, but Trixie’s father was insistent about providing as many as possible. There are only about forty of them, but they could provide a critical advantage.”

Sunset whistled. “A null field that temporarily cancels thaumic energies? How long does it last?”

“Approximately fifteen seconds.”

The redhead rocked on her heels. “Okay, color me impressed, Trixie. Only abjuration magi specializing in archaeology tend to be able to make something like that in Equestria. They're a pretty restricted item because they can be just as useful as a tool in assassination as they can be for breaking wards or traps.” She shuddered. “I’d also request that they not be used around me or the girls if at all possible. I am not sure what it would do to us, given the kind of magic residing in our bodies.”

Trixie considered that for a moment. “That is probably something to avoid, yes.” She let that sink in for a long moment before moving to a small piece of dark stone. “These are shield stones. Trace the outer circle to activate them. They create a barrier against energy and magic for a short time, though they can be overloaded quicker if under sustained assault. They will cover an area of about ten feet in a dome. There are only a few dozen, so again, sparing usage. Trixie recommends they go to either the distraction teams or those protecting the younger children.”

“Younger children,” Sunset said firmly. “Most of the distraction teams are juniors and seniors—close to adulthood. They made an informed choice. The junior high kids are just kids…and foals should be protected first. Extras can go to the distraction teams, but foals are always a pony’s first priority.” She barely even noticed her slip out of human terms to pony ones.

Rarity placed a soothing, gentle hand on her shoulder, the only thing keeping her from pacing at the moment. “In this instance, I find myself more inclined to agree with the Equestrian philosophy. Sweetie is thirteen, and while she wants desperately to help fight, she is thirteen. Too young to even understand the dangers…and she's one of the brave ones. Some of them are just scared of what keeps happening.”

Murmurs of agreement went around the table, and Miss Luna nodded. “I concur, ladies, and applaud all of you for your maturity in your choices to treat this as what it is meant to be—a way to get innocent students out of the line of fire in the event of a magical incursion by hostile forces.”

Pinkie blinked. “Uh….”

“She means she's glad we’re putting safety ahead of kicking butt,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Ooooooooooooh.” Pinkie beamed. “That's because even kicking butt is about making sure all our friends are safe and happy!”

Trixie cleared her throat. “If Trixie might continue?”

“Go ahead, darling,” Rarity encouraged.

“Moving on, we have made these for as many students and teachers as possible—the bulk of our efforts went into these. Even Trixie’s mother helped.” The magician held up something that looked like a sporty wristwatch band with a flat stone on it. “There are enough for each team to have three, plus leftovers for those in charge, and twenty for the teachers and faculty.” She offered a bunch out to the people at the table. “For those of you unable to perceive magic normally, these should allow you to do so, particularly in the areas of illusions and any kind of possession or mind control. Beings with magic will have a faint aura, which varies based on their personal type of magic prowess. Trixie and her family, for example, are silver, as we trace our ancestry back to the house of Madgi.”

Luna put one on and scanned the roome intently. “I see what you mean, Miss Lulamoon. You are outlined in a soft silver. Miss Shimmer and her friends are quite bright with a rainbow aurora that seems to be constantly moving. Much of this room is touched by a white glow. But myself and the others…” she looked at Flash, Lyra, and Bon-Bon. “No glow. Good work.”

A smile crossed Trixie’s face. “Excellent. Illusions should make a person seem as though they are wearing a Halloween mask—it will seem plastic, fake. Dark magic or possession will appear black, sometimes with red or orange streaks in an unflattering and eye watering shade.”

Sunset touched one of the bracelets with her own senses. “Interesting…there may be more in common with your magic and Equestrian magic than I realized, Trixie. Some of the enchantment magic here is very similar in shape and flow to primary methods of both artificing and enchanting in Equestria. When we aren't staring down the maw of a tatzlwurm, you and I should compare disciplines.”

“Trixie would be pleased to discuss true magic with another professional. Does Equestria include alchemical magics among their studied fields?”

“It does,” Sunset answered. “Why?”

“Because Trixie is intrigued by what you might think of these, Sunset Shimmer.” She set a small vial on the table. “A House Lulamoon specialty—cleansing draughts meant to purge dark magical influences from a person in a matter of minutes. All children of the house, magical or not, learn to make this as a matter of course, and we keep it well stocked. A hundred doses stand ready to be brought to school and hidden away for emergency supplies. Trixie would recommend pairing it with some emergency medical supplies in first aid kits in each storage and safe zone, along with a first aid kit for each team. We have also made these…though in smaller numbers—not quite a dozen.” The last item was a small ziploc bag with a thick bandage folded inside. The bandage seemed…damp. “While healing is mostly a lost art, even for the House of Lulamoon, we did retain our knowledge of what Trixie’s father calls ‘Triage Bandages.’ These are to be used sparingly, but they are meant to save a life in the event of grievous wounding. They will stop all bleeding and seal a wound from infection for up to eighteen hours—which should be enough time to get a person to proper medical professionals.”

That last item caused Sunset more than a little surprise. “We don't have anything quite that effective in Equestria. There's a tourniquet spell taught to healers, medics, doctors and all unicorns in the guard, but healing items are not common—according to Princess Celestia, if there were any healing arts, they were a branch of magic lost well before her birth. Most of our medicine is similar to human medicine, though there are sophisticated medical spells meant to perform diagnostic functions or to assist in various procedures…but they aren't ‘healing magic’ the way humans would think of it.”

Nodding her head, the magician made a motion. “These are exceptionally expensive to craft for an item with only one use—it requires three different gemstones in powdered form, and pollen from a flower that is difficult to cultivate. We only have a few of them that Trixie’s mother and aunt have successfully cultivated in the greenhouse. That is why there are only nine of these.”

There was a throat clearing sound from the doorway, and then the principal’s voice. “And it is my hope that we do not end up needing them. Should it be a necessity, however, House Lulamoon has the personal gratitude of the Solaire family, and I am happy to reimburse your parents the cost of their donations to protect the school and my students.”

“Principal Celestia!” the group chorused in surprise. Even Vice Principal Luna seemed shocked to find her sister there.

She smiled tiredly at them. “I am proud of all the work that all of you have put into this—giving up your free time and in some cases spending your own money—to work together and make this school as safe as possible. You truly have become Wondercolts that I am proud of.”

Sunset swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. “…it's the right thing to do…” she said quietly.

“It is…but sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is to stand up and do the right thing.” Principal Celestia studied each of them. “And not only are each of you standing up for what is right, you have organized your peers as leaders to stand up as well, in a way that prioritizes everyone’s safety and well being…whether or not something happens in the future in regards to magic, I plan on placing a note in all your records to reflect your leadership skills and dedication to aiding your peers.”

They all exchanged looks, but it was Dash who spoke up. “Thanks, Principal C—but you didn't just show up to pat us on the back. What's going on?”

The woman brandished a collection of papers. “I just got the finalized itinerary for Friday from Abacus for their arrival, and I also have the final schedule and location for all Friendship Games activities. While we are not supposed to hand this out to students, Sunset Shimmer and Vice Principal Luna’s experience on the Crystal Prep Campus makes me feel it prudent to give you a copy of this so that we can have your teams placed accordingly and prepared for when trouble starts.” Her expression grew hard. “Should that harpy try anything, I want her to quickly learn she has crossed the wrong school.”

Rarity accepted the papers, flipping through them thoughtfully. “This is quite thorough.” She passed them to Bon-Bon. “I expect we can have everything ready by Friday for the inevitable trouble.” She canted her head. “I am curious, do we know the names of the CPA students on their Friendship Games Team?”

“No. Normally we would, but Abacus turned my own statements against me on that. We will be finding out at the meet and greet in the gym at nine on Friday…as will they. I refused to cave and give her access to any of your names when she has been so insistent on trying to acquire Sunset Shimmer’s.”

Applejack snorted. “There’s a damned sight difference between what that high falutin’ good fer nothin’ witch was doin’ trying to get dirt on Sunset, an’ official papers fer an inter-school game.”

“Be that as it may, dearest, it just means we will have to be on our toes and ready for anything come Friday,” Rarity soothed the blonde farmer. “We will be just fine, all of us.”

Miss Luna hummed. “That being said, I want you girls to make sure you don’t over do your magical training this week—take time to rest and relax, so you will be well rested and fresh on Friday morning.” She gave Sunset a pointed stare. “Some of you are looking more than a little tired and worn out.”

Fluttershy spoke up. “The plan was for tomorrow and Thursday to have only band practice and to get early nights so we are all ready for Friday. It helps that most of the teachers aren't giving homework this week.” She peeked at the principals. “I’m guessing you had something to do with that?”

“Something like that, yes,” Miss Luna concurred.

Sunset glanced at the clock. “Speaking of practice, we need to wrap this meeting up so we can head to the farm. Was there anything else we need to discuss here today?” Taking the silence as a no, Sunset ran a hand through her mane. “Great. We’ll meet again at lunch Thursday for any last minute details.”

With that decided, she herded everyone out of the room, hearing the magical lock engage when she shut the door.

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay—ive been feeling pretty rough this week. I think its the heat index, humidity, and air press Mucking with me.

Things are heating up….