Principal Abacus Cinch is the main antagonist of My Little Pony Equestria Girls 3: Friendship Games. She is the former headmistress of Crystal Prep Academy.
Biography[]
Cinch demonstrates great pride in her school and its reputation as the undefeated winners of the Friendship Games every four years—so much pride, in fact, that she views rival institute Canterlot High School's recent boost in athletics and academics as a threat. In order to maintain Crystal Prep's reputation, Cinch forces her brightest student Twilight Sparkle to compete in the Games, going as far as to threaten revoking Twilight's application for an independent study program to ensure she competes.
During her visit to Canterlot High School, Cinch displays considerable disdain toward the school and its choice of Games competitors, comparing their selection process to a "popularity contest." She interrupts the welcome party that the school holds for their rivals to assure everyone that Crystal Prep will win the Games like it always has.
During the Tri-Cross Relay event of the Games, Cinch witnesses Twilight's amulet open a dimensional rift and release a carnivorous plant, and she watches Rainbow Dash pony up. She accuses Principal Celestia of cheating, and when Celestia suggests ending the Games in a tie, Cinch refuses, determined to prove that Crystal Prep can win regardless of the presence of magic.
In the final round of the Games, Cinch and the Shadowbolts pressure Twilight into releasing the magic from her amulet and using it against the Wondercolts, justifying it as fighting fire with fire. Her hubris results in the creation of Twilight's evil alter ego Midnight Sparkle. As Midnight slowly destroys the world around her, Cinch retreats into hiding.
After Twilight is returned to normal, Cinch demands that Principal Celestia forfeit the Friendship Games, citing Canterlot High's unfair advantage of using magic. However, the Shadowbolts turn on their principal and blame her for Twilight's wicked transformation. Cinch says that she plans to report the incident to the school board, but Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, and Dean Cadance inform her that no one would believe her story. In an effort to save face, she leaves the school with calm dignity.
She was later fired from her job by her superiors, has been arrested and replaced by Principal Cadance.
Throughout the film, Cinch's scenes are often musically accompanied by a rather sinister-sounding tango.
Physical appearance[]
Principal Cinch is a tall middle-aged woman with a cold expression, raspberry ranged hair with similarly colored streaks in a bun, Crystal Prep principal uniform, earrings, glasses.
Personality[]
Principal Cinch is the haughty, abusive, and manipulative principal of Crystal Prep Academy. She takes pride in her students and reputation, especially the awards that her school receives when winning the Friendship Games, and largely considers their legacy of winning her own. She also considers the human Twilight Sparkle her most prized student because of her test grades.
However, Cinch is very competitive and arrogant when it comes to opposition. She accepts nothing less than perfection from her students, as seen during ACADECA, and she shows no reservations in resorting to underhanded tactics to preserve her school's image, such as exploiting her students and cheating. She is also somewhat cowardly, leaving her students behind when she perceives Midnight Sparkle to be a monster.
According to Dean Cadance, Principal Cinch is "highly allergic" to dogs. Enterplay trading card Equestrian Friends #27 mentions about Principal Abacus Cinch, "Claims to be highly allergic to dogs".
Trivia[]
- Her actress, Iris Quinn portrays a character named Mrs. Biers in the film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
- She is the first main Equestria Girls villain to be an average adult and not from Equestria, as the previous ones were teenagers that are from Equestria.
- Due to wearing glasses and her voice sounding slightly more older than Celestia's, it is possible that she is middle aged.
- As Principal Cinch is a regular human who has to have a pony counterpart, she is the only current character not having a cutie-mark symbol as even the Dazzlings had those, giving fans the material to create their cutie-marks. Cinch doesn't have any symbol which could be taken as cutie-mark.
- As a result of the above point, this implies her counterpart might not even be a pony at all.
- Abacus Cinch was named after Atticus Finch from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which means "to kill the innocent".
- She is one of the only villains in the My Little Pony G4 franchise to not make a reappearance nor is she a recurring character.
- She is the only villain in Equestria Girls to not reform.
- Principal Cinch will become the enemy of Pooh, Ash, Tino, Littlefoot, Doraemon, and Thomas in Pooh's Adventures of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls 3: Friendship Games.
- Principal Cinch will become the enemy of Crash Bandicoot, Ryan Freestar and their friends in Ryan's Adventures of My Little Pony Equestria Girls 3: Friendship Games'.
- Principal Cinch will become the enemy of Lilo in Lilo & Stitch's Adventures of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls 3: Friendship Games, after joining with Lord Zedd and his army.
- Principal Cinch will also team up with Ivan Ooze in Season 2 of Power Rangers Harmony Force.
- She will make her appearance in Team Robot In Pokemon Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.
- Principal Cinch will become the enemy of the TARDIS Team Doctor Aaron's Adventures of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games.
- She will become the enemy of Connor Lacey in The Irelanders' Adventures of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Friendship Games.