The next morning, Spike woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. He quickly got ready and made his way to the dining room for breakfast, where he found Cadence and Shining Armor already waiting for him.

"Good morning, Spike," Cadence greeted with a warm smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Much better, thanks," Spike replied, taking a seat at the table.

"Good to hear," Shining Armor said, passing Spike a plate of breakfast. "We have a lot to do today."

As they ate, they discussed their plan for the day. Cadence and Shining Armor had already arranged for an investigation into Abacus Cinch's actions at Crystal Elementary. They planned to visit the school and gather evidence, as well as speak to other students and teachers to get a clearer picture of the situation.

After breakfast, the three of them set out for Crystal Elementary. The school was a large, impressive building, its crystal architecture gleaming in the morning sun. As they approached, Spike felt a mixture of determination and nervousness, hoping that if he did something as good as this, then maybe the others wouldn't see him as a dragon or anything but a friend or family.

When they made it into the school, they were greeted by the Vice Principal, who was a kind stallion named Mr. Crystal Clear. He smiled at them and walked over to them.

"Hello Princess, Captain Shining and Spike the Brave and Glorious. It's an honor to have you be here today. My name is Crystal Clear." he introduced himself.

Cadence smiled warmly at him. "Hi Crystal Clear. I take it you have been informed of our visit and investigations here today, regarding the principal Abacus Cinch?"

"Yes, I have." Crystal Clear answered. "Please, come inside and we can begin."

As they walked through the halls, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Spike could see the students going about their day. Some of them glanced curiously at the visitors, but most seemed too absorbed in their studies to pay much attention. Mr. Crystal Clear led them to his office, where they could discuss the situation in private.

"Thank you again for coming," Mr. Crystal Clear said, once they were all seated. "I've been concerned about Principal Cinch's methods for some time, but I haven't had the authority to intervene. I'm glad you're here to help."

"Well, you actually have to thank Spike here for telling us about this predicament. Yesterday, he heard a filly crying so he went to investigate." Shining said.

"Ah, Spike the Brave and Glorious, may you tell me what happened yesterday?" Crystal Clear asked.

"Well, I heard a filly crying, so I went to investigate just like Shining said." Spike began. "When I got there, I saw that an old mare, one with turquoise fur, a brownish pinkish mane and tail, some glasses and a trophy as a cutie mark was yelling at a small filly that had light pink fur, a neon green mane and tail, some headphones and no cutie mark."

Crystal Clear's eyes widened. "Oh my, I know that filly she was yelling at. I've grown quite fond of her. That's Lemon Zest, one of our best students. I honestly hate seeing her so sad. She would always come to me whenever she had a bad day, and it tore me up inside."

"Really, how would you say your relationship to her is?" Cadence asked.

"Like I said before, I'm just a vice principal, but I always thought she was the daughter I never had." Crystal Clear explained.

"Aw, that's sweet." Cadence said, before being tapped on by Spike. "I think we should focus on Abacus Cinch." he said.

Ah, yes. "We're here to ensure the well-being of all the students," Cadence said firmly. "Can you tell us more about what's been happening?"

Mr. Crystal Clear nodded and began to explain the situation in detail. He recounted several incidents where Abacus Cinch had been overly harsh with students, using fear and intimidation to maintain control, such as throwing a student who had a piece of candy out of the second story window, and the time she grabbed another filly by the tail and threw her across to the other side of the fence because of her ponytail. He also mentioned that some of the teachers had noticed signs of emotional distress in the students but had been too afraid to speak out.

Spike listened intently, feeling a growing sense of anger towards Abacus Cinch. He knew they had to act quickly to protect the students and put an end to her abusive behavior.

"We need to gather evidence and speak to the students," Shining Armor said. "Mr. Crystal Clear, can you help us with that?"

"Of course," Mr. Crystal Clear replied. "I'll arrange for some of the students to speak with you privately. In the meantime, you can review some of the reports and documents we've compiled."

As Mr. Crystal Clear left to make the arrangements, Spike, Cadence, and Shining Armor began reviewing the documents. They found numerous complaints from students and parents, detailing the principal's harsh punishments and unfair treatment.

"Wow, look at this." Shining said. "It says here that she puts some students in a thing called the Chokee."

"The Chokee?" Spike asked. "I heard Abacus Cinch saying to Lemon Zest while she was yelling at her yesterday that she would place her in that place all day tomorrow if she didn't go home. What does the report say it's like?"

"It says here that it's a tall narrow hole in the wall in the principals room. Students would have to stand there with drippy pipes, jagged edged walls, there is even broken glass and nails sticking out." Shining explained in disgust, reading the report.

Both Cadence and Spike were disgusted by what they had just heard. "Sweet Celestia, this is straight up foal abuse up to attempted murder of minors." Spike informed. "We need to place Cinch into prison or even Tartaurus."

Before he could finish that line of thought, Mr. Crystal Clear returned with a group of students, including Lemon Zest. She looked nervous but gave Spike a small smile when she saw him.

Cadence and Shining Armor took the lead in speaking with the students, "Hello everypony." Cadence said with a soft voice and warm smile, as to not scare them. "It's come to our attention that this school isn't a safe environment for you because of your principal. You don't have to worry, we are here to help. Now, if you're comfortable with it, can you explain what you had to go through when Cinch has been principal?"

Lemon Zest was the first to walk up and explain her testimony. "I... I... I was just walking around, talking to my friends, which were Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat, and Sour Sweet and minding my own business. But suddenly, Principal Cinch came walking towards us. We tried to run, but Cinch grabbed me with her magic, and started taking me away from my friends. I tried to get away, but it was useless. She was yelling that she was putting me in a thing called the Chokee because my dad scammed her. I was put in there for an hour and it hurt so much."

When she was finished with her testimony, she was struggling to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill out. It was only when Crystal Clear hugged her that she let the tears come out. Spike, Cadence and Shining had looks of sympathy for the filly, "Thank you for telling us, Lemon Zest. You're very brave, and we're going to make sure this doesn't happen to anypony else."

Up next, one student, a timid colt named Quartz Shine, shared a particularly heartbreaking story. "Well, I decided to bring some candy for the class to share with one another, but that was when Principal Cinch walked into the room. She saw the candy I was giving out and she walked over to me and socked me right in the muzzle. I felt blood trickle out of it before she picked me up with her magic, she raced over to the window and threw me out of it. It was a second story window, I had to go to the hospital for about 2 weeks after that. I don't even know why I'm at this school at all."

Every creature was shocked at that. They just heard that Abacus Cinch would throw kids out of the window because of a few pieces of candy. Cadence comforted the young colt, her heart aching for him and the other children who had suffered under Cinch's rule. "Don't worry Quartz, I'll make sure this never happens to anypony again."

The day continued as more and more students told their testimonies. They even had a teacher named Amber Glow that said that she made her daughter, Cozy Glow, run away from the Crystal Empire because of a threat that she would put her in the Chokee regardless.

By the end of the day, they had gathered substantial evidence against Principal Cinch. With Mr. Crystal Clear's assistance, they compiled everything into a detailed report.

"Shining," Cadence started, "Won't you be a dear husband and take this down to the local police station? They need to see that evidence." she asked him, giving him the file of evidence. Shining took the file in his magic and took off towards the police station.

With the evidence they had gathered and the testimonies from the students, Cadence and Spike knew they had enough to take action. They thanked the students for their bravery and assured them that things would change for the better.

"Let's head to Principal Cinch's office," Spike said, his voice firm. "It's time to confront her and put an end to this."

Spike and Cadence made their way to Abacus Cinch's office, their determination unwavering. Mr. Crystal Clear accompanied them, ready to support their efforts.

When they reached the office, Cadence knocked on the door. "Principal Cinch, we need to speak with you."

"Come in," came the curt reply.

They entered the office to find Abacus Cinch seated behind her desk, her expression cold and unwelcoming. She looked up, clearly surprised to see the princess and her companions.

"What is the meaning of this?" Cinch demanded.

"Principal Cinch, we've gathered evidence of your abusive behavior towards the students," Cadence said firmly. "Your methods are unacceptable, and we are here to ensure the safety and well-being of these children."

Cinch's eyes narrowed. "You have no right to interfere in my school. I have been running this institution for years, and I will not be questioned by the likes of you."

"You will be held accountable for your actions," Spike said sternly. "We have testimonies from students and teachers, as well as documented evidence of your misconduct."

"And who's going to listen to a dragon like you?" Cinch asked. "And you know what?" She gripped Spike with her magic and lifted him up. Cadence intervened, but Cinch's physical strength was better than Cadences, and she knocked the princess to the ground.

Abacus Cinch then looked at Spike and said. "You know, dragons like you are nothing but fire breathing lizard monsters." she told Spike, making him tear up a little. "Now, let's give those dragons an example of what happens when they mess with Abacus Cinch."

She opened the door in the back of her office and and it revealed it to be the Chokee that everypony here was talking about. He tried to fight back, but her magic was too strong.

"FREEZE!!" Abacus Cinch stopped dead in her tracks. Abacus Cinch turned around to find Shining Armor and a group of cops from the Crystal Empire standing in the doorway. Shining Armor had his horn glowing, ready to use his magic if necessary.

"Release him, Cinch," Shining Armor commanded. "You're under arrest for child abuse and endangerment."

Cinch's grip on Spike faltered, and he dropped to the ground, quickly scurrying away from her. "You can't do this!" Cinch protested, her voice rising in panic. "I have rights! I have authority!"

"Not anymore," Shining Armor replied sternly. "We've gathered enough evidence to not only remove you from your position but to ensure you face justice for your actions."

The cops moved in, restraining Cinch and placing magical inhibitors on her horn to prevent her from using magic. She struggled and shouted, but it was clear she had lost. Spike watched with a mix of relief and satisfaction as the tyrannical principal was led away.

Cadence, recovering from the earlier scuffle, stood up and approached Spike, pulling him into a comforting embrace. "You did great, Spike," she said softly. "You were very brave."

Spike smiled, but Abucus Cinch's words cut deep. The nightmare from 2 nights ago and the words she said mixed together into a bad thought. All you are is a monster. Spike shook that thought away to smile at Cadence. "Thanks, Cadence," Spike replied, hugging her back.

Mr. Crystal Clear, who had been watching the scene unfold, stepped forward with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Your Highnesses, and thank you, Spike, for helping us. The students here will finally have a chance to learn and grow in a safe environment."

"We're just glad we could help," Cadence replied. "The well-being of the students is our top priority."

As they left the office, they were met with the sight of students and teachers gathered in the hallway, watching the commotion. When they saw Cinch being escorted away in restraints, a cheer went up among them. The atmosphere of the school had already begun to change.

Lemon Zest and Quartz Shine were among the students in the hallway. They ran up to Spike, their faces filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Spike!" Lemon Zest said, giving him a tight hug. "You saved us!"

"Yeah, you're our hero!" Quartz Shine added, smiling brightly.

Spike blushed, feeling both proud and humbled. "I just did what any good friend would do," he said modestly.

Cadence and Shining Armor watched the interaction with pride, knowing that Spike had truly earned the title of "Brave and Glorious."

With Abacus Cinch dealt with, Cadence and Shining Armor worked with Mr. Crystal Clear to appoint an interim principal and ensure that the school would be run with kindness and respect moving forward. The students and teachers were assured that their voices would be heard and that a brighter future awaited them.

As they left Crystal Elementary, Spike felt a deep sense of accomplishment. He had not only helped the students but also shown everyone that he was much more than just a dragon; he was a hero and a friend.

"Let's head back to the castle," Shining Armor suggested. "We've had quite a day, and I think we all deserve a bit of rest."

As they left towards the castle, that thought still hadn't left Spike's mind. "They didn't invite you to Hearths Warming, why are they inviting you now? he asked himself.

Author's Note

I'm gonna be honest. I didn't want to write today, but I still did to make you happy. You're welcome.