A Meeting Between Principals
There was an air of calm in the café as the afternoon rolled on. Sure, there was the usual quiet chatter of its patrons, and the clinking of tea cups as they were collected or brought to people's tables, but for the most part, things were largely at ease in this place. In the midst of it all, sitting in a corner booth with a good window-view of the street beyond, was Celestia, noted Principal of Canterlot High. For the moment, she was alone, casually sipping on a cup of tea that still steamed in her hands. But, every once in a while, she would glance at the cafe's door, looking eager and nervous at the same time. After another sip of her drink, a sigh escaped her, and it was here that the door of the place finally opened. When the woman looked up, a smile formed upon her face, and she called out.
"Good to see that you made it, Abacus."
Abacus Cinch, Principal of Crystal Prep, turned to see Celestia waving to her. Since the place was largely empty, Celestia had not had to speak too loudly to gain her attention, and gain it she had, as the older woman now made her way over to the booth. Seeing her guest draw closer, Celestia gestured to the worker at the counter, who nodded before turning and starting to make work on what seemed to be a second cup of tea. As Cinch took her place, seated next to Celestia, she adjusted her glasses somewhat, sitting as upright and proper as most would expect of her.
"Always, a pleasure, Principal Celestia."
A chuckle escaped the younger woman at that.
"Please, Abacus. There's no need for that kind of formality here. It's our day off."
Cinch let out a deep exhale, looking over her shoulder, as if worried somebody else might see her, before looking back to her host.
"Very well...Celestia."
The other Principal's smile widened to this, but she said nothing for the time being, instead looking on as the counter worker then brought Cinch her cup of tea. The latter nodded in appreciation to this, seeing the young man walk off before picking up her cup. She blew on it slightly to cool it off, then took a small sip of it, before then putting the cup down once more.
"I have never been here before."
Celestia gave a brief laugh, reclining back into the padding of her own part of the booth before replying to that.
"I try and come whenever possible. Working in a school...well...I'm sure I don't need to tell you how much it gets to someone."
Cinch nodded.
"Indeed..."
Slowly, her eyebrow arched.
"...although...I hear your troubles can sometimes be a little bit...unexpected, at least when compared to mine."
Leaning forward, Celestia gave a nod.
"Yes...I suppose that's true."
Taking another sip, Cinch looked to Celestia with curiosity.
"Was it difficult?"
Celestia looked up.
"Getting used to magic, you mean?"
A nod from Cinch prompted Celestia to continue.
"At first...yes. But, I suppose I just got used to it."
Cinch let out a dry laugh.
"Magic...monsters...other worlds. I do not envy you, Celestia."
Slowly, a smile returned to the younger woman's lips.
"Perhaps...but it has also been a rather enjoyable time. We may have had our dangerous moments...but it has undeniably brought my school closer than ever before. And the students? They are perhaps some of the best, brightest and most compassionate youngsters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my career."
Cinch looked to her, unsure of how to take that.
"Hmmm...I suppose that is certainly one way to take it."
Sitting upright, Celestia looked to her guest with interest of her own.
"And you? I know Crystal Prep doesn't exactly have magic...but I hear it's quite a struggle all the same."
As before, Cinch let out a sigh.
"You are not wrong. When one runs a school with our kind of history and reputation...well...the pressure can get to you sometimes."
Celestia took on an understanding expression.
"I know it's not my place to ask, but...how have you been? For a while we...we just never talked."
For a brief moment, a grimace flickered on Cinch's face.
"It...was hardly the most pleasant time of my life. With everything that happened, everything..."
Cinch looked away, and for just a second, Celestia could see a sadness in her eyes as she carried on speaking.
"...everything that changed in my life...I suppose I just wanted to focus on my work."
She looked back to Celestia, and bore a look that hinted of anger.
"I regret many of my choices, Celestia. Not the least of which was focusing on my career, instead of...more important things."
Most would have asked further about that, but not Celestia. For she simply nodded, taking a sip of her own tea, before then speaking up once more.
"How is Sunny these days?"
Here, at long last, a smile formed upon Cinch's face, albeit a far smaller one than that which adorned Celestia's.
"She is...a fine young woman. I may have lost sight of that for a time, but...there is nothing in my life that I am more proud of."
Celestia nodded, her smile widening.
"I'm glad to hear that. I never wanted to interfere, Abacus, you know that. But...honestly..."
Another chuckle left her.
"...there were days when I just wanted to march into your school, grab you by the shoulders and shake you until you got some sense into you."
Although Cinch was, at first, taken aback by such words, her mood softened soon afterwards, even to the point of letting out her own laugh.
"And trust me when I say that I would have needed it. I was a fool, Celestia. I do not deny that. I ignored my daughter for far too long."
While looking understandably bitter as she spoke those words, Cinch's face then changed to a softer, more open expression as she continued.
"But now? Now...we're actually talking again. We spend more time together than I can remember doing for a long time."
With those words spoke, she looked out of the nearby window.
"You know...we actually went out to dinner near here. A lovely restaurant...if a bit overpriced."
She then turned to Celestia again.
"It has always been my biggest regret that I never spent that kind of time with her in the past. And I suppose...I have your students to thank for this."
Celestia sighed, looking to her guest with an appreciative expression.
"Like I said...they're great kids. All of them. Seeing them reach out to your students, Sunny, Indigo and all the rest of them...well...I can't deny that it makes me happy."
Cinch nodded, taking another sip of tea and looking, for the most part, deep in thought over everything that had been said so far. Celestia looked at her, and for a moment, appeared hesitant. She mentally wrestled with herself over her next words, but, in the end, she finally managed to get something out.
"I know it's not my place to ask, but...did you ever consider...you know...trying again?"
Cinch looked up, understanding at once what her companion meant.
"You mean marry again?"
Celestia nodded, leading to a sigh from Cinch.
"No...no, I think not. My first husband, he...he was all I ever needed in a partner. Or wanted for that matter. And when he...well...let's just say I had no desire to try again after that."
She took another sip before continuing.
"Besides...with my work, I doubt I'd have had the time to find somebody anyway."
Celestia nodded, looking down to her own drink before speaking up in response.
"Yeah...you're probably right. Work like ours doesn't leave much room for relationships."
To that, Cinch looked to her, the corner of her mouth twisting into the start of a smirk.
"Oh really? Then what's this rumour I hear about you and Superintendent Sombra?"
Immediately, Celestia looked up with anger in her eyes.
"That was one time and we agreed never to speak of it again!"
Cinch let out a dry laugh to that, raising one hand in a defensive posture and making it clear that her words were merely in jest. After calming herself down, Celestia looked out of the window, a somewhat irritated expression upon her face.
"Besides...he found himself a younger lady these days, remember? Raddy, or something. Something with an R."
Leaning back into her chair, Celestia raised a hand to her head and rubbed her temples somewhat. Time passed, and there was nothing but silence between the two, ending when Celestia finally gave her companion another look.
"All those years of competition...fostering nothing but bitterness between my students and yours...how did it all go so wrong, Abacus?"
Taking another sip of her tea, Cinch looked down at the table.
"It was just...time. Little things over many years. I can't deny that I probably never helped matters. Always wanting my school to succeed."
She looked up again.
"But perhaps...I can live with our schools getting closer."
Briefly, it looked as if Cinch was having difficulty getting her words out. But, after some time, she finally did so.
"I suppose...there may actually be something to the way you run a school after all."
Looking to her, Celestia seemed astonished by such comments, only to then form a smirk.
"You always did have a hard time admitting you were wrong, Abby."
To that, Cinch chuckled.
"I did indeed...Tia."
