Author's Notes:

Hey all!
Welcome to Contest of Rivals!

This here is just a small teaser, happening a few days before the start of the arc, and meant to serve as a little taste of what is to come~ ^^

It is incredibly short, but just meant to get people (hopefully) interested in what I have to come~

Expect the first chapter, Contest of Rivals: Reason for Celebration, to be posted sometime on July 1st!

“Are you sure about this?”

Cinch set down the folder, paperwork lined with grades and markings spilling out.

“This doesn’t appear to be anything like what Canterlot High has been able to do in the past.”

“I-I-I assure you, P-P-Principal Cinch!” stuttered the bespectacled man, “Those are all the recent gradings from Canterlot High! All their scores are up!”

Cinch removed her glasses, sighing as she rubbed her temples. “Not only are academics on the rise, but also athletics?” The man nodded in response, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. “And what is this rumour I have heard about a recent spat of… Cyber-bullying was it?”

“Y-y-yes! Recently a student of that school was framed for actions she hadn’t caused! It happened over the month of December, and ended with three younger girls being revealed as the ringmasters in January!”

“And what of the student?” Cinch asked, though she was pretty certain she knew the answer already.

“The student was one S-S-Sunset Shimmer! Sh-sh-she transferred her-”

“I know that you bumbling buffoon!” Cinch threw the folder at the cowering man, “Sunset Shimmer.” The name rolled off the womans tongue with vile resentment. “She has replaced Twilight Sparkle as the top student thanks to the fact Twilight is unable to run without tripping over herself so her athletics scores are among the worst we have ever seen.”

Cinch turned to regard the man, “Well? Pick that mess up!” She barked as she turned and looked out of the window over the school grounds.

“Seeing as Canterlot High is having a… renaissance as it were, I will have to redouble my efforts on securing Sunset for the Friendship Games…” Cinch trailed off as she saw the girl in question entering the school grounds, chatting with some other students. Sunset seemed impervious to the rather shark tank atmosphere of Crystal Prep, even gaining a small band of noticeable friends and allies in her time at the Academy.

“B-b-but I thought that Dean Cadence said that it would be unwise to have the girl return to that school? We could sued if she were to have a mental relapse…”

Cinch turned on her heel and affixed the man with a fiery gaze.

“If I ever wanted your opinion I would have to be sent to an asylum due to insanity!” She slowly walked over to the wall affixed with various trophies and accolades she had won since being assigned by the school board to oversee Crystal Prep Academy. “I will have her, I just need to find the right key to turn first…”

“You what!?”

Sunset slammed her hands onto the table, unable to believe the words coming from the older woman’s mouth. It was a few days into March and Sunset had been called to Principal Cinch’s office just as school was ending. She had waved farewell to Twilight and Cadence as she turned and made her way to the office at the top of the building.

“I do believe you are intelligent enough to understand what I said, Miss Shimmer.”

Sunset had been admitted to the room by the personal secretary, the shy wisp of a man motioning for her to enter even as he was unable to even spare her a gaze. She had entered into the room, it’s curtains drawn and light only spilling from the ornate lamp on the desk. Cinch had her chair turned away from the entry, the tall back hiding the woman from Sunset’s height.

“Do you even know what you are suggesting!?”

Susnet had taken the empty seat at the opposite end of the desk, just as Cinch turned around and faced the student. What had followed had been an incredible surprise to Sunset, having a hard time even trying to understand the heresy the woman was spouting.

“As I said initially,” Cinch started, “I want you, Sunset Shimmer, to head the Crystal Prep team for the Friendship Games that will be hosted at Canterlot High School on Friday of next week.”

“Which I declined, seeing as I have no reason to ever want to return to a school that drove me to the brink of suicide.” Sunset said as she attempted to glare through the woman before her.

Just let me loose~ came honeyed words in Sunset’s subconscious, No one would suspect you if she were to suddenly combust~ Just one little spark is all I would need~

“To which I informed you that should you decline, I will use my reputation, as one of the most storied Principals in all of the city, nay, the entire province, to make sure that you and Twilight Sparkle would never be able to attend a single source of post secondary education.”

Sunset was seeing red as she stood up, taking rapid ragged breaths to attempt to calm herself. “Why would you even bring her into this? I’m the one you’re after!”

“Because you so obviously care for her. After all her and her family were the ones to take you in after you failed killing yourself during December.” Cinch stated cooly, face unreadable.

“And what makes you think I won’t tell somebody what you are up to? I doubt your reputation would be able to save you from claims of blackmail.” Sunset slowly felt herself slipping, the darkness that had been rekindled in her soul from the event’s of Anon-A-Miss rising up to the forefront.

“You are welcome to try, but I guarantee that with only your word versus my own… Well, let’s say you’d have better chances of finding magic.”

Sunset chuckled darkly, If only the witch knew. “Fine. For the sake of Twilight I’ll do it. But remember,” She stared at the beast before her, “if anything, and I do mean anything, were to happen to Twilight, be it so much as you giving her the cold shoulder, I-”

She walked forward towards the desk.

“Will-”

Her hands slammed down on the edge, cracking and breaking the extended lip between her hands.

“End you.”

Sunset slowly stood up as she walked away.

“You may want to get that looked at.”