Honestly, It Really Seemed Like A Good Idea...

Chapters

Crime and Punishment
Further Discussions
Sunset's Turn
Epilogue

Crime and Punishment

"Don't worry about the snow day, it's phony baloney. Hope those girls enjoy detention after their test."

Professor Doodle crossed his arms and gave an unamused, and perhaps slightly irritated, look. Principal Celestia blinked once before her expression hardened and her eyes narrowed.

'Oh no, those girls didn't!'

With that thought, she marched out of her office and set a brisk pace, heading for the door of the school. She stepped outside, quickly spotting the seven girls under the window, Twilight still magically shaking a cloud and forcing more snowflakes to fall.

"Ahem!"

Every girl froze, all eyes snapping to the principal as she stood on the platform above them, pinning them with a stern and unamused expression. They shared an audible gulp and slightly nervous grins.

"If you girls are quite finished with your...extracurricular project," Principal Celestia said sternly, "You have a test waiting to be taken."

The girls exchanged looks and got up off the snow they had created, slowly coming and walking up the school steps to where their principal now held the door open for them. As they passed, she leveled each one with a disapproving stare before following them inside.

"Oh and girls?"

They paused and looked back at her nervously, waiting for further statements with mounting anxiety.

"I do hope you had no afterschool plans, because after your test, you all have a long afternoon of detention with me."

And with that final warning, she strode briskly back to her office, leaving the seven miscreants to shudder slightly before scrambling through the halls of CHS to make their test on time.

Principal Celestia took a long sip of her now lukewarm coffee, before setting it down on the desk and leaning her chin on her palms, using her fingers to massage her temples. How those girls managed to get in so much trouble was beyond her.

A glance at the clock told her she had about an hour to figure out what to do with the mischief makers, and she leaned back in her chair with a sigh. As impressive as their scheme had been, it had nevertheless been wrong and manipulative, and nearly caused her to call off an entire school day. She could not let that slide. The teenagers needed to face serious consequences this time. As she sat deep in thought, her sister casually walked in from her own office and stood regarding her.

"Well. That was an impressive attempt at getting school canceled. I must say it is the most creative and ambitious plan they have ever attempted. Personally I believe they deserve an A for effort."

Celestia glared at her sister. "Creative, ambitious, and impressive as it may have been," she returned drily, "it is not something that can go unpunished. It nearly created an unnecessary cancelation of school, not to mention they were attempting to manipulate us."

"Put that way, I suppose you are correct. What do you plan to do?"

Celestia sighed. "I'm not entirely sure."

"Mm. Well, had it been us when we were young, I have no doubt that we would have trouble sitting down for a brief time." Luna shrugged and quietly exited.

Celestia stared after her thoughtfully, suddenly forming an idea in her mind. By the time the clock on her wall stated that she had considerably less time before she had company in her office, she knew exactly what she would do. She reached for the phone on her desk.

Ah yes. These girls were in for quite a rude awakening when they arrived.

"What do you think she's gonna say to us? Or do to us?"

The nervous question came from Twilight as the girls slowly made their way to Principal Celestia's office, feeling more like they were going to meet an executioner than the highest member of the school faculty.

"I wish I knew how to answer that." Sunset shuddered as she recalled the intense disapproval and displeasure in the stern glare their principal had given them. "But I get the feeling it won't be good. You saw her face."

Fluttershy released a quiet whimper, inching closer to Rainbow Dash as if for comfort. The athlete put her arms around her shoulders and tried to smile reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'm sure it won't be all that bad."

"We'll know soon enough." Applejack, up ahead of them, paused outside the office door to allow her friends to catch up. "I reckon it's time to face the music."

She knocked.

"Come in."

The principal's voice was calm and controlled, giving them a brief flash of hope as Applejack pushed open the door and the group slowly entered to meet their fate, closing the door behind them.

Principal Celestia did not look any less intimidating seated behind her desk than she had outside: elbows propped on its carefully organized top, fingers laced together with her two index fingers pointing straight up as she lightly tapped them together. Her eyes were narrowed, and there was still that look of disapproval and displeasure in them.

She waited in silence as the the girls lined up in front of her desk, with Fluttershy slightly cowering behind Rainbow, who took on a clearly defensive stance, ready to defend her timid friend if needed. With all of them in place, Principal Celestia cleared her throat.

"I do not even know where to begin with you seven." Her voice was still calm and controlled, but with a hint of underlying steel. "Would you care to explain that display of obviously well planned out deception?"

"Uh...well..." Sunset started, and then stopped, unsure of how to explain.

"Well you see, we kind of...thought we weren't ready for today's test." Twilight offered lamely. "We all studied, and we even pulled an all nighter! Well, almost, we all fell asleep. But we felt so unprepared and we really didn't want to take the test and fail!"

"So I came up with a plan while they were asleep." Rainbow admitted. "A way to cancel school and by doing that, cancel the test."

"Although I suppose in hindsight," Rarity spoke up, "We could have just...shown up to do our best and well, perhaps we would have even surprised ourselves."

"So instead of doing that, you hatch a scheme to manipulate me into thinking I needed to cancel school, just to avoid a test that, for your information, would have only be rescheduled and not completely cancelled."

Their looks of disbelief made her arch an eyebrow at them.

"You did not think of that, did you?"

"No, we didn't." Applejack admitted shamefully.

"And suppose this scheme of yours had actually succeeded? Were you going to use the time to study or to play?" Her eyes bore into them with an intense severity. "I am safely going to assume the latter, since you just admitted to not thinking that the test would be rescheduled."

Their increasingly guilty expressions and uncomfortable shifting and fidgeting confirmed her words. She got up from her chair and paced to the window, where she stared out at the painted winter scene on the canvas that had yet to be moved. The girls watched her in silent dread, none daring to utter even an audible breath. At long last, the principal turned around and, with hands clasped behind her back, she leveled them with a stare that drew a barely audible whimper from Fluttershy, who pressed closer to Rainbow.

"I cannot even begin to express my disappointment in the entire lot of you." Principal Celestia's tone was slightly harsher than earlier as she voiced her displeasure. "This was underhanded and manipulative, not to mention bourn of your own selfish desires. You did not even stop to consider how these actions would have affected everyone else. How I myself would have ended up looking like quite the incompetent fool in front of the school board to so easily believe in a blizzard manufactured by students of my own school as an elaborately deceptive prank."

The stunned and horrified expressions on their faces stated that they had never even considered the possibility. Principal Celestia inhaled.

"This is not something I intend to let off lightly." She stated firmly. "So I think it is time you hear your punishment. First of all, I have already called your parents and informed them of today's stunt. Needless to say they are as unhappy as I am and I have been asked to tell you from them that as soon as I have finished with you, you are to go straight home. No detours."

The girls blanched at this news, except for Sunset, who just stared down uncomfortably at the floor, once more reminded that she herself had no one for the principal to call. She felt bad that their punishment would very undoubtedly be continued at their homes while hers would end here in the office. Her sense of justice made her feel that this rather unfair, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Inhaling yet again, the principal narrowed her eyes. "And as for the punishment from me..." She reached into her desk, withdrawing a small but nonetheless very intimidating paddle. "...you will each be receiving six swats of this paddle before you leave this office today."

Their eyes went wide with horror, Fluttershy especially going incredibly pale and practically sagging against Rainbow at the very thought. Had it not been for the other girl's arm wrapped protectively around her waist she would undoubtedly have been in the floor.

Rarity had, in classic Rarity style, attempted to utter some form of intelligible speech before failing and promptly fainting at the prospect of her delicate posterior being subject to such punishment by such a garish looking implement. Luckily, a quick thinking Applejack managed to capture her before she could hit the floor, saving her from whatever injury that might have caused, and made an attempt to revive her.

It took several minutes to calm the chaos created by two of the girls being in such sorry states, but in due time Rarity had been revived and was standing next to her friends none the worse for wear. Fluttershy had been coaxed into at least refraining from hiding behind Rainbow, and things had become relatively quiet.

"Principal Celestia, I know you said all of us, but...let me take Fluttershy's punishment instead!" Rainbow pleaded in a desperate and valiant attempt to spare her friend from the trauma of such treatment. "I'll still take mine too, but this was all my idea so please don't put her through this!"

The principal was not without sympathy for the girls, but before she could interject that Fluttershy had earned her punishment just as much as the rest had, the timid girl put a hand on Rainbow's arm and shook her head.

"No." There was a distinct quiver in her voice, but she forced herself to keep talking anyway. "I know you want to save me, Rainbow Dash, but no. I earned this just as much as the rest of you and I..." She hesitated, steeling herself to finish the words, "...I will accept my just desserts."

"Just desserts? There's desserts? Is it cupcakes? Are we gonna have a punishment party??" Pinkie piped up, trying to alleviate some of the serious atmosphere in the room.

Everyone flashed her an annoyed look at the horrible attempt at joking, and she seemed to deflate, looking down at the floor, nervously chewing on her lower lip. Principal Celestia reclaimed the paddle, which had been discarded on the desk in the midst of the earlier chaos, and faced the students once more.

"Let's just get this unpleasantness over with, shall we? I do not believe any of us wants to prolong it any longer than necessary."

She let her gaze wander over the line of anxious miscreants, silently trying to determine which one to start with. She already intended to end with Rainbow, as it would be most fitting for her to have to wait and also have to watch as her friends suffered their punishment for her brilliant schemes. Perhaps it would be best to let the most terrified of the lot go first. Rarity looked ready to faint again at a moment's notice, while Fluttershy was now noticeably trembling and looking as though she might just follow suit. Sunset, Applejack, and Twilight simply looked resigned to their fate, while Rainbow looked torn and miserable, and both scared and resigned at once. Pinkie looked resigned, though dangerously close to panic at the same time.

Making her decision, she motioned towards Pinkie, who gulped audibly at being singled out first but forced herself to step forward obediently and without argument. The principal took up her position in front of her desk, then motioned to it with her left hand.

"Please lower your pants and bend over the desk."

The order was calmly given. Pinkie reddened and then paled at the words, but deciding that arguing was not in her best interests, she hesitantly did as instructed, lowering her pants to her knees to reveal bright pink panties liberally decorated with balloons and what looked like confetti. In spite of the situation, the principal had to swallow a laugh. Of course she would choose that kind of design.

Pinkie took a nervous breath and leaned over the desk, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. She felt the principal's hand come to rest between her shoulders, pushing her gently but firmly further over the desk until her upper body was lying flat on it's cool and unyielding surface. Her hand then moved to her lower back, pressing down just firmly enough to anchor her in place.

Principal Celestia noticed the others were dead silent, and Fluttershy had hidden her face against Rainbow's shoulder, unable to bear watching what was unfolding before them. She returned her attention to the party girl awaiting her fate, and let the first swat fall with decent force across the center of her presented backside.

Pinkie released a low hiss of startled pain, fighting the instinct to reach back to protect herself. Experience with her own mother at home had taught her it was not an advisable move to make. The next swat landed directly below the first, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. Two more blazed their punishing trail across her rump, and she let out a strangled yelp into her arm. Principal Celestia paused, took a second to steel herself, and then delivered two final, particularly punitive scorchers directly across her more tender sit spots. Pinkie dissolved into loud and obnoxious sobbing, and the principal helped her stand up, stunned when she found herself grabbed in a crushing hug.

"I'm sorry!" Pinkie cried quite remorsefully into her shoulder.

I know, and you are forgiven." The principal hugged her tightly, giving her a moment to recover her breath.

Once Pinkie released her, she pulled her pants up where they belonged and rejoined her friends, with Applejack placing an around her for a sympathetic side hug.

"Fluttershy."

The principal locked her gaze into the terrified pool of teal that stared back at her, and with a difinitively frightened whimper, she pried herself loose from Rainbow's side and slowly moved forward. Rainbow for her part was looking positively ill with guilt at her friend having to go through this, and she started to protest once again, but Applejack's free hand clamped down on her shoulder and the farm girl slightly shook her head, silently warning her not to interfere.

Somehow Fluttershy made it the few steps to the principal's side, and stood there trembling, looking from the paddle to the desk and back again. She knew what was expected, but at the moment she was petrified. Principal Celestia gently touched her shoulder.

"Fluttershy, just lower your pants, and I will do the rest. Can you do that?"

It took every single ounce of courage she possessed, but somehow Fluttershy managed to lower her pants to her knees, lower lip trembling and her eyes already swimming with tears. The principal mercifully did not drag it out, immediately placing her hand on her shoulders and guiding her into position over the desk, making sure to keep her hand in place to hold her securely.

The first burning swat on the seat of her pale yellow panties took Fluttershy by surprise, and she squeaked in frightened pain, tensing up under the principal's hand and letting her tears fall. The next two were rapidly delivered, and she yelped and let out soft cries before breaking down into sobs entirely. Rainbow was watching with her fists clenched, wrestling internally with the guilt of seeing her in this position all because of her ideas. The principal delivered the final three swats as rapidly as the first, not wanting to make this any harder or longer than was necessary for the poor girl bent over the desk.

As soon as she was helped to her feet, Fluttershy surprisingly turned into Principal Celestia's arms, instinctively seeking out comfort that was very readily given as the principal wrapped her in a warm embrace.

I-I'm sorry." The girl whispered faintly close to her ear.

"I forgive you." Was the instant response.

Fluttershy let go after that, pulling her pants back up and moving back to her friends, with Rainbow grabbing her in a full hug and mumbling something about being sorry. Fluttershy just hugged back, glad of the extra comfort.

Rarity was summoned forward next, and the fashionista took up her position over the desk on command after lowering her pants, shuddering and letting out a full and undignified yelp at the first swat to her violet colored panties. Like Fluttershy, she broke down into full out sobbing by the third swat, and the principal delivered the final three as rapidly as she had with the previous girl.

Again there was a soothing hug, tearful apologies, and the reassurance of forgiveness. Once she pulled her pants back up and joined her friends, Principal Celestia met Applejack's gaze. She didn't have to say a word, the farmer immediately moving towards her while already unfastening her jeans. As soon as she got to her side, she lowered them, and placed herself over the desk with no hesitation. The principal anchored her in place and delivered the first of her six swats to the apple decorated panties she wore. Applejack yelped, then bit her lower lip and shut her eyes tightly. Three swats later, tears were running freely from her eyes and she was audibly crying, though not as violently as Pinkie had earlier. The final swats landed with enough force to make her squirm, and then she was released from the desk.

She did not hesitate to hug her disciplinarian, and the principal returned it gladly. After a murmured apology and a returned murmur of forgiveness, she fixed her jeans and returned to the others.

"Sunset."

The girl gulped, but nevertheless walked over and followed the example of everyone else, lowering her pants and bending over the desk. Unlike the rest, she broke down crying at the second swat that landed on her red and yellow underwear emblazoned with the same sun symbol that also decorated her shirt, and was squirming desperately by the sixth. As soon as the principal's hand left its restrictive position on her back, she all but threw herself into the welcoming arms, accepting the caring hug and murmured words of forgiveness that came with it. She finally let go, almost unwillingly, and pulled her pants up as she made her way back to the others.

"Twilight."

The honor student inhaled deeply before walking forward. She hesitated a moment before finally letting her pants drop and bending over the desk. True to her character, she glanced back, looking at the paddle and clearly trying to calculate how much it was going to hurt. Principal Celestia shook her head slightly, and she looked back in front, shutting her eyes and trying to brace for what she calculated to be a very painful ordeal. The first swat to her simple lavendar underpants made her yelp with more volume than Applejack, and the second made her burst into full out crying. Sighing, the principal quickly gave her the remaining number of swats, making the last two harder than the rest, and then helped the sobbing girl to stand.

Twilight hugged her for all she was worth, and the principal was happy to allow it as she soothed the frantic student. Multiple apologies left her lips, and Principal Celestia simply assured her of forgiveness. She finally got herself under enough control to right her clothing and go back to her place in line. That now left one student.

Rainbow had been watching each punishment carried out with growing guilt and mounting panic. She knew full well that her friends were being punished because of the ideas she dragged them into, and that made her feel absolutely horrible. Each of their cries just made her feel worse, and by the time the principal had finally gotten to her, the usually tough athlete was fighting back tears of shame and misery. She was already walking toward her doom before the principal could say her name, shoving her pants to her knees and throwing herself into place over the desk.

Principal Celestia did not make her wait any longer. She brought the paddle of justice down swiftly on the unsurprisingly brightly colored rainbow panties, the first harsh swat dissolving the already emotionally fragile girl into tears instantly. Unlike with the others, Principal Celestia let her feel the full impact of each swat before applying the next, and by the time the fifth one landed she was desperately squirming and loudly crying. The principal paused, and then let the final swat fall with nearly twice the force as the rest.

"I'M SO-OO-ORR-RR-RYYY!!!" Rainbow wailed in clear remorse, before going limp on the desk and sobbing apologies to everyone in the room for her recent behaviours.

With no one else in line to be punished, the principal returned the paddle to the desk with a quiet sigh of relief, before gently pulling the crying Rainbow to her feet. She was rather startled when the girl instantly grabbed onto her for a hug, still apologizing profusely.

"It's alright. I forgive you." She assured her, before looking to the others. "I forgive all of you."

Rainbow gradually calmed down and let go, pulling her pants back up and rubbing at her tears with an embarrassed expression. She rejoined her friends, and it was Fluttershy's turn to hold her sniffling partner in crime.

"Alright then. Now that that is over with. I do not want to see such behaviour from you again. Understand?"

They nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Then get going on home, and remember, no detours."

As they started to file out, she added quickly, "Sunset, please stay behind."

The confused Sunset did as she was told, quietly bidding goodbye to her friends as they left and wondering what else it was the principal needed from her.

Further Discussions

"Please have a seat, Sunset. I need to finish a few things and then I am going to personally see you back to your apartment."

There was something in the way she said it that made Sunset suddenly very nervous. The bacon-haired girl swallowed down some of her panic and gazed at her principal worriedly.

"W-why?"

Celestia gave her a look, one that Sunset hadn't seen in a long time. It was the look of maternal disapproval, such as a mother would give her erring child, and Sunset felt the panic rise again, along with minor confusion. Celestia did not look like a principal at this moment. She looked all the world like...a mom.

"I need to have a further discussion with you, Sunset Shimmer. So please, have a seat, and wait for me until I have finished."

Sunset didn't dare argue. She took a seat on the sofa and stared down at her lap, with a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach and the notion that it was likely not a discussion she would like. The principal returned to her desk to finish sorting through some paperwork, and Sunset didn't make a sound or movement on the sofa. As she waited in anxious worry, she started thinking about her friends, and wondering what fate had awaited them on their return home...

Pie Residence

Cloudy Quartz raised the switch high and brought it down on Pinkie's still tender bottom with a swift THWIP. Another shrill cry came from her daughter as a visible line appeared on her bare behind.

"And you shall not be conducting any further parties or sleepovers until you have improved your behavior, Pinkamena. Is that understood?" She lectured sternly.

"Y-y-y-ye-s-s-s, mom!" was the desperately sobbed answer as Pinkie squirmed helplessly in place, only unable to squirm away due to her mother's restraining arm across her back. "I-I'm s-s-sorryyy!"

"That is all well and good, but I intend to see this does not get repeated." Cloudy Quartz replied evenly, before continuing to make her disapproval known to her crying child's backside.

Sweet Apple Acres

Ahh! Granny, please!"

Applejack was held securely under the arm of one very upset Granny Smith, pinned firmly over her knee and hollering loudly as she felt the sting of her elder's favourite wooden spoon on her bare hide.

"You ain't gonna be able to sit fir a week, Applejack! Ah haven't been this upset with you youngin's since that whole "Anon-A-Miss" incident with Apple Bloom!" Granny Smith huffed in disapproval, still swatting away at her granddaughter's rose colored backside with a vengeance.

"Ahhh! I'm sorry, Granny, please..." Applejack wasn't even trying to hide the tears.

"An' you kin just be sure yet gonna be sorrier when I finish with you, young'un!"

And with that, she tightened her hold slightly and let the spoon do all the talking for her.

Rarity's House

Cookie Crumbles kept her right arm wrapped around Rarity's slim waist as her daughter continued to struggle over her knees. Her left arm brought the flat hairbrush up and then down in the middle of the right cheek of her bright pink bare bottom, a loud 'WHAP!' echoing in the room. Another wail escaped Rarity, followed by "Mother, please! I am begging you to stop!"

"You may beg all you want to, young lady, but I am far from done with you." returned her disapproving mother, the brush connecting with the left cheek with the same amount of force, prompting another cry. "I have never been more disappointed in your behaviour in my life. What were you thinking?!" Another heavy handed stroke of the brush, this time placed across both cheeks equally.

"Ahhh!" Rarity wailed, completely reduced to tears. "M-Mother, please, I'm sorry!"

"Not sorry enough. Your behaviour has gotten very much out of hand and you are going to learn an important lesson right here and now!"

Cookie Crumbles forced herself to ignore her daughter's dramatic wailing as she proceeded to sear an unforgettable lesson into her desperately wriggling backside.

Rainbow Dash's Home

Rainbow Dash threw her head back and let out a squeal as she felt the wooden paddle land on her tender naked rump with a sound "WHAP!" Her hand gripped her bed sheets and she squeezed her eyes tightly, more tears falling unchecked down her face. Windy Whistles stood behind her daughter with one hand pressing down on her back to hold her in place, and the other holding onto the instrument of Rainbow's misfortune.
She loved Rainbow dearly and was immensely proud of her, as noted by the shrine she and her husband kept of photos and reports of all her daughter's accomplishments and awards. But were times when she had to step back and be incredibly stern when it came to Rainbow causing trouble.

"I'm very disappointed you, Rainbow Dash." She scolded as she let another firm swat land on her squirming backside. "You know better!"

"Ahhhoww!" Rainbow wailed, wiggling desperately under her mother's restraining hand. "I'm sorry!"

"I'm glad. But I intend to make this lesson stick, and let me make it clear young lady, if you do not improve your study habits and your behaviour, we will have this discussion again and I'm going to borrow your father's belt. Do you understand?" Another heavy swat.

"Owww! Y-yes mom!"

Windy nodded in satisfaction and let the paddle in her hand continue to make its very convincing argument against bad behaviour to her dismally sobbing daughter's poor behind.

Shy Household

Fluttershy whimpered as she anticipated the next swat from her mother's hand. She lay over her knees with her pale yellow bottom now a light pink color matching her hair. SMACK! Her body flinched as the sharp pain jolted throughout her system. Unlike Principal Celestia, Mrs. Shy would not get through the punishment quickly: she would make certain each and every smack was felt and remembered.

"I expected better from you, Fluttershy. You know very well what's right and wrong, and I am a little irked that you would even get involved in today's little escapade." She never yelled. Her tone was calm and firm.

Fluttershy gasped at the word "irked". It wasn't a word that was normally used in the household. But her focus was brought back to her current position quickly by another firm smack of her mother's hand.

"I-I'm sorry, mom..." She whimpered amid penitent tears. "Just please don't be mad at me?"

"I'm not mad. I forgive you, but I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Fluttershy could only squeak, squeal, and cry softly as Mrs. Shy made her displeasure well known to her poor bottom.

Sparkle Residence

Twilight just cried out miserably as her mother brought the wooden ruler down on her fully unprotected bottom. She was laying over her knees and flailing her limbs with each painful stroke, but Velvet kept her in place easily as she carried out the well deserved discipline.

"I am very much disappointed in you for such attempted dishonesty and deception, Twilight." She scolded with another firm smack of the ruler. "School is important, but you have a habit of making big messes out of small issues."

"But I-I didn't want to fail!" Twilight choked out amid soft sobs.

"Twilight, even if you failed the test, I know you are incredibly intelligent, and you could still improve your overall grade. What you did today was wrong."

"I'm sorry." Twilight managed.

"I know, but I'm not done with you just yet, dear."

And with that final statement, Velvet proceeded to deliver a swift and painful lesson to the bare backside on her lap that she knew would not soon be forgotten.

Principal Celestia's Car

Sunset leaned against the passenger door, forehead resting on the window, absently watching the passing scenery as Principal Celestia drove away from the school and headed towards the apartment complex where the girl lived. Silence reigned in the car, and Sunset was growing increasingly worried as a multitude of scenarios played out in her head of what might happen once they reached their destination. Her stomach was doing a series of acrobatics and her heart was racing, and she hadn't noticed her breathing quicken.

"Sunset?"

The principal's voice yanked her from her thoughts with a startled and frightened gasp, her breathing growing even more rapid. The gasp startled Celestia as well, and she quickly pulled over off the road, parking before turning in her seat to find Sunset with her eyes shut taking deep breaths to calm herself. Her expression melted into one of visible concern as she put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sunset, are you alright?"

Sunset inhaled deeply a final time before opening her eyes. She blinked at the concern on the principal's face and then nodded.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. I just..have alot on my mind at the moment. Uh, sorry I startled you."

Celestia could tell she was only partially telling the truth, but decided to not press the issue for the time being.

"Understandable, given what you've been through today." She stated calmly, returning to the road now that the girl had calmed down.

"Yeah." Sunset stared at the floor of the car and didn't volunteer anything else.

"If it's alright with you," Celestia said casually, "I would very much like to join you for dinner. We can pick up some groceries and take them back to your apartment. I would be happy to help cook it as well."

Sunset blinked in startled confusion at the offer, but nodded. "Ok, sure. Yeah, I guess...that's ok."

After a brief stop at the grocery store, they finally arrived at Sunset's apartment, where they stashed the groceries in their appropriate places for later. With that out of the way, Celestia placed a hand on Sunset's shoulders and guided her to the couch. Sunset panicked for a moment, but made herself relax when Celestia took a seat and gently pulled her to sit next to her.

About today..." the principal began calmly. "...I would like to hear, directly from you, your explanation of your involvement."

Sunset squirmed under the unnervingly mother-like gaze. "Uh...well...we really studied, but we felt so unprepared anyway, and we really dreaded the test. I really didn't want to take it. So uh, when Rainbow suggested the whole fake a blizzard idea, well, I was kinda the first to jump at it. It...seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I see. And it never once occured to you how much chaos and trouble it might cause?" Celestia's tone was stern but calm.

"N-no." Sunset hung her head.

"I don't believe I need to tell you that your behaviour was very disappointing, Sunset. You are so much better than that kind of manipulative nonsense."

Sunset flinched slightly, hating the fact that the very first person she had run into in this world, and the one she had come to trust completely since her reformation from being a bully, was so utterly disappointed in her behaviour.

"You know better. I know you do." Celestia continued firmly. "And you could have showed better sense by at least trying to talk your friends out of this scheme."

Sunset sighed. "I know." She said softly, a hint of misery in her tone. "I feel guilty that they got in trouble with you...well, that we all did. But I feel even more guilty that they were in even bigger trouble with their parents. Especially because it just reminds me that I'm all alone..."

Her eyes filled with tears, and Celestia felt her heart clench at her obvious pain. She wordlessly reached out and pulled Sunset into her arms for a warm hug, noting that she didn't resist. In fact, she pressed close to her, as if desperate for the contact.

"Sunset, you aren't alone." She said softly. "I am here for you whenever you need me. Whatever you need. I genuinely care about you."

This drew a small smile of gratitude as Sunset looked up into her eyes.

"Thank you. I mean, for caring so much about me. It's been...a long time since I felt that."

Celestia offered a slight smile of her own, those hers was something of a regretful one.

"I'm glad you feel that way, but, perhaps you should hold off thanking me until after our discussion is finished."

These words brought a look of complete confusion to Sunset's face as she blinked in bewilderment.

"I...don't understand."

Sunset's Turn

Holding the confused teen gently away from her, Celestia gazed into her eyes. "Why do you think I escorted you back here to your apartment?"

Sunset furrowed her brows at this, not really certain she knew the answer.

"Because my friends were in trouble with their parents and told to go straight home with no detours, and you wanted to make sure I decided to do the same?" She guessed.

"Well, that's part of it, yes. But I have no doubt that your friends are currently being punished by their parents for their parts in this morning's prank...and I intend to ensure that you learn a lesson as well."

Sunset tensed in her grasp, eyes suddenly growing alarmed as her panic kicked in again. She gulped.

"Y-you mean you're going to punish me again??"

Celestia nodded once, her expression calm and free of any anger. "Yes, I am. I'm going to give you a spanking that you will never forget."

Sunset would have probably bolted if it weren't for the gentle yet firm grip Celestia still had on her shoulders.

"B-but we were all spanked already, at school, a-and I've learned my lesson, I promise I have!" Her voice was shaking and she looked ready to cry.

"You were paddled at school, that is correct." Celestia stated, her tone becoming a note sterner to let Sunset know there was no arguing her way out of it. "But you still have your home punishment to receive, just as your friends have. And I have spanked you before today's punishments, Sunset, so there is no need to be quite so panicked. This will be a more intense punishment than the other, but you know that I will not harm you."

Sunset had no argument for that, but she did give what would be her final plea for mercy.

"Please, don't...I learned my lesson."

"Do you really believe that it is fair for you to escape a punishment that your friends did not?"

Sunset knew at that second her fate was sealed. Her sense of justice would never allow her to weasle out of a second spanking when her friends were suffering the same penalty. She hung her head.

"No."

The word was quietly whispered, but Celestia heard it all the same. She squeezed her shoulders softly, and then let go of her as she readjusted to a better sitting position.

"I need you to stand up."

Sunset swallowed hard and slowly got to her feet, looking for all the world like a very scared little girl. Celestia took her hand and pulled her towards her, then let go and reached to unfasten her pants. Sunset bit her lower lip but made no effort to stop her or pull away. With the pants undone, Celestia took a hold of her and gently guided her into position over her waiting lap, making sure she was as comfortable as possible given the circumstances.

Sunset released an involuntary whimper as she felt her pants being lowered to her knees, shutting her eyes tightly and gripping the couch cushion in front of her, and her face flamed as her underwear joined them a second later, leaving her absolutely no line of defense against Celestia's hand. Not that it would have helped much anyway.

Wrapping her left arm securely around the trembling girl to make sure she couldn't fall off or squirm away, Celestia let her hand rest for moment on her vulnerable backside.

"I want you to think about what landed you here, Sunset. Your actions were very disappointing, not to mention wrong."

Just the mention of Celestia being disappointed in her was enough to have the tears spilling from her eyes even before the first swat fell. Celestia raised her hand and brought it back down on her right cheek in a resounding SMACK that echoed through the little apartment. Sunset jolted, a gasp escaping at the sharp sting. Another swat of equal force landed on the left cheek, and Sunset let out a tiny yelp.

Celestia kept the swats nicely spaced out, allowing enough time for her charge to feel each one fully before the next one fell. She intended to make sure this lesson stuck, and her smacks were forceful enough to leave a highly unpleasant sting that steadily built into a very uncomfortable heat. Sunset squirmed in place over her lap, alternately whimpering and yelping, while forcing herself to seriously think about why she was in this position to start.

She really should have used more sense and talked her friends out of the scheme that had landed them all in such trouble. It was a very selfish and deceptive plan, she had known that from the start. There wasn't any really good reasoning behind it, they had just wanted to avoid the test that they would have ended up just taking at a later date anyway. It had caused some confusion and irritation, but worst of all it had caused Celestia to be completely disappointed in them. In her. It was this thought that caused Sunset to start crying freely, and she readily admitted to herself that she fully deserved what she getting.

Celestia tightened her hold as Sunset's squirming grew more desperate, her hand still descending on her now bright pink backside in firm and even smacks. Sunset was smarting terribly by now, and kicked her legs in an attempt to dislodge herself from her grasp.

"Stop kicking." Celestia commanded quietly, but firmly, reinforcing it with a swift smack to each of her more tender sit spots.

Sunset let out a cry, but obediently stopped kicking and opted for increased squirming instead.

"Ahhh! I-I'm sorry!" She wailed. "Please, I'm sorry..."

Unable to stand it any longer, she flung her hand back in a vain attempt to cover her burning rump. Celestia simply caught her wrist in her left hand and pinned it gently to her back out of the way, before delivering two slightly sharper swats.

"Oww!" Sunset cried out, before finally giving up the battle and falling limp across her lap, breaking down into full out sobbing as she simply surrendered to the punishment.

Sensing that she was no longer fighting, Celestia decided it was time to drive home her final point. She took a breath, knowing these final few seconds were going to be horrible for them both.

"I do not ever again want to hear of such behaviour from you again, Sunset Shimmer." She punctuated this with two particularly scorching smacks to her sit spots, prompting a broken wail followed by more sobbing. "Do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes!!" Sunset cried out miserably.

"From now on I expect you to use more sense, and never again are you to try to manipulate and deceive me in any way, regardless of what Rainbow Dash or anyone else comes up with. Is that clear?" Sunset managed a nod. "Verbal answer, Sunset."

"Yes! I un-understand."

"Good."

With that Celestia delivered a final dozen swats to her sit spots, prompting loud wails but bringing the punishment to a close. As soon as the last one fell, she immediately released her hold on her wrist and gathered her up into her arms, settling her carefully on her lap.

"S-s-s-sorryyy.." Sunset sobbed out brokenly, curling into her and burying her face against her chest.

"Shh. I know you are. I forgive you."

Celestia gently rubbed her back and murmured soothing words into her ear as she cried out the remains of her guilt and pain. Once the storm of sobs died down to subdued sniffles and hiccups, she gently sat Sunset upright and looked into her teary eyes.

"I do forgive you. You know that, right? And I still care about you."

Sunset managed a watery smile as she nodded.

"I st-still say thanks for caring. Nothing changed."

Celestia blinked in confusion, producing a giggle.

"You said I might not want to thank you for caring til after we were done. But I still do."

Celestia hugged her tightly once more. "I am glad to hear it."

They stayed there in silence for a bit, until Sunset was completely calm and her tears had dried. But even then the girl didn't want to leave Celestia's loving embrace. It was only when her stomach growled vengefully that they finally realized it might be a good idea to go make dinner.

Sunset pried herself off Celestia lap, grimacing as she pulled her underwear back into place, and then distastefully kicked her pants out of the way. Celestia arched an eyebrow, smirking slightly at the action as she knew Sunset didn't want anything else on her well scorched backside yet.

They worked together in the kitchen, making dinner and laughing together. Celestia, with her eyes twinkling, grabbed a wooden spoon and playfully chased Sunset with it as if planning to swat her.

"No! No more spankings today!" Sunset shrieked in mock terror, dodging her.

Celestia laughed. "Not today. But consider this a warning if you do not improve your behaviour in future." She waved the spoon at her.

Sunset winced. "I think I will remember just fine." She stated, reaching back to rub her tender backside, yelping a second later as she realized just how tender it was. Celestia started laughing at her expression, and was still laughing when the slightly scowling Sunset eased herself carefully onto a pillow at dinner.

Following their meal, it did not take long to wash up the couple of dishes that had been used, and they once more took up residence on the couch to chat about school and various, slightly less chaotic pranks the girls had been up to. Sunset eventually started to nod off to sleep, finally falling over onto Celestia's shoulder, and the older woman chuckled before carefully getting up and helping her to her room.

Sunset was way too sleepy from the day's events to argue as Celestia tucked her into bed, and she was almost completely asleep when she started to slip out. In her daze, and caught between the waking realm and the dream world, Sunset was only aware of being left, and she grabbed for Celestia, catching her shirt.

"Noo, stay.." Her eyes were closed and her voice was thick with sleep, she barely got the words out. "Don't go, mom."

Celestia felt a bittersweet warmth at the words, knowing Sunset, in her nearly asleep, fully exhausted state likely wasn't even aware she was even saying anything. Still, she wasn't about to just leave after that, so she opted for stretching out next to the now fully asleep Sunset, who still had a grip on her shirt. She freed her phone from her pocket and sent her sister a text to let her know she would not be home til the morning and why. As soon as she put the phone down, Sunset snuggled up closer, contently sighing in her sleep.

Celestia drew the extra cover up over them both and soon went to sleep with her charge safely wrapped in her arms.

Epilogue

It was fairly cold but clear morning, and Sunset noticed her friends were all already gathered at school, awaiting her arrival. She jumped from the car and ran up the steps to meet them, noticing slightly astounded expressions on their faces.

"Darling, not to be nosy but...did you just arrive at school with Principal Celestia??" Rarity asked in some confusion.

"Oh. Heh, yes." Sunset rubbed her neck suddenly embarrassed. "She uh, she made sure I went home after school yesterday with no delays or detours, and then we...talked. For a long time. And then it got late, and well, she stayed."

"Oh, well that explains it, I suppose."

"Was her talk about yesterday's, uh...." Rainbow stopped, not sure if she wanted to finish that thought.

"I do not believe we should talk about that unfortunate incident." Rarity stated.

"I agree." Twilight nodded, somewhat flushed.

Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy added their agreement and Sunset followed suit. After a moment of awkward silence, Rarity cleared her throat.

"So! How are we all this morning? I for one am just fabulous."

"Um, fine."

"Totally awesome!"

"Doin' fine."

"Excellent."

"Doing alright."

"Thinkingweshouldtotallyhaveapunishmentpartytocelebrateusallgettingintosuchepictroubleatonce!"

All eyes snapped to the final responder.

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity exclaimed in annoyance. "I thought we just agreed to to talk about it!"

"Well yeah, but I mean come on, Rarity, let's be real here, do you have any idea how hard it is for me to NOT talk about something?!"

Everyone laughed at that, the awkwardness broken.

"Well, I suppose it really wasn't one of our finest moments." Rarity said, shaking her head.

"I don't know about you," Rainbow said in an embarrassed tone, "But uh, my mom was less than thrilled about that."

"Reckon it's safe to say we all six got our hides handed to us at home." Applejack spoke up with a slightly red face.

"Indeed." Rarity said. "Sunset, you have no idea how lucky you are that you avoided such a fate!"

Sunset reddened considerably and rubbed her neck nervously. "Uhhh, well...I kinda...didn't."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked in confusion. "You live at your apartment alone with no...I mean..." She stopped.

"Wait, does this have something to do with the principal taking you home?" Applejack asked.

"Uh huh."

"Are you saying she-?" Rarity was wide eyed.

Sighing, Sunset nodded. "When we got back to my apartment, she scolded me for my part in Rainbow's plan. And then, well, to quote Applejack, I got my hide handed to me."

"Oh my." Fluttershy put her arms around her in a sympathetic hug.

"Man." Rainbow said with a grimace.

"I deserved it." Sunset stated emphatically. "I didn't even put up a fight when she put me over her knee, because I knew I deserved it and plus it wasn't fair that I escape when all of you were getting punished again. And believe me, she made sure I won't be behaving that way ever again!"

"I believe that goes without saying." Rarity said drily. "I for one have no intention of ending up in that undignified position again."

The others snickered, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Uh, hey guys? I'm really sorry I got you all in trouble yesterday with my ideas." Rainbow apologized sheepishly. "Especially you, Fluttershy."

"We made our own choice, Rainbow Dash." Twilight returned calmly. "You didn't get us into anything."

"GROUP HUG!" Pinkie screamed, before trying to hug them all at once as the bell rang. They ignored it.

Laughing, they enthusiastically hugged each other.

"I think we can agree, no more fake attempts at getting out of school." Sunset offered.

"No way. Never again." Rainbow said, with the others quickly agreeing with her.

"Ahem!"

The familiar voice made them all jump as they spun to face Principal Celestia, who arched an eyebrow at them.

"The bell has rung." She stated casually. "You all have sixty seconds to get inside to your classes before I schedule an appointment for you after school with the board of corrections."

In a split second the girls were scrambling inside and rushing in different directions to get to class. As Sunset passed, Celestia threw her a conspiratorial wink before vanishing back to her office. Sunset giggled and put on speed, all of the girls making it to their respective classes just in time to avoid being marked as late.