//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Celestial Conversations // Story: Beating Yourself Up Over It // by Graglithan The Greater //------------------------------// Eight young women sat outside the principal’s office. Seven of them were from the school in question, the four older students sporting the damage they had received to either body, mind, or attire, while the younger three were there as either victim, accomplice, or witness to the occurrences of the day. The eighth young woman had arrived just minutes beforehand and was staring at the seven with a very apologetic frown. “Are you all sure you’re going to be alright? When I didn’t hear from Sunset, and they kept coming back one by one I was worried that my friends might have caused some serious harm.” Dash rolled her eyes and adjusted her ice pack. “For the last time Twilight, we’re all okay. I kinda deserved it anyways. What I’m wondering is why my dad hasn’t kicked down the door yet.” The thought of her dad charging in, camera in hand to immortalize Rainbow’s “First Interdimensional Fight” kept popping into her head, and making her wish she’d been a little more discreet when she got to call him herself. Now that she thought about it, that was probably why he was taking so long. He was mid-drive when she called and had to double back for the camera. Applejack had some bandages around her wrists but was otherwise unperturbed as she sat back. “Dash has a point there, Applebloom may have started the mess and brought her friends in, but Ah didn’t exactly act much better about handling it.” She adjusted her hat and blushed a bit in embarrassment. “Wasn’t fair for her ta get punished and not me too.” “But my friends all caused so much damage here! The school library is in shambles! The Library!” The lavender girl looked to Rarity. “And my Rarity almost completely ruined your clothes! Isn’t that a social faux-pas of the century on this side of the portal?” Rarity was holding a compact, looking over her make-up and fixing any errors that were made to her appearance. Her clothes after round two, short as it was, was only being held together by the pins she’d put through several spots. “To go around nude, yes. And I will most likely receive some odd looks for a time.” The fashionista adjusted her mirror and continued to brush out her hair. “But in tatters, my attire may be, I am likely going to be excused for the rest of the day at worst due to this. I will have plenty of time to fix any damages over the weekend.” She closed her compact and put it away. “And besides darling, I did as much to her as she did to me. Catfights are rarely one-sided.” She also had to give it to her counterpart. She aimed for the seams too. Sweetie yet a small smirk crawl onto her face for a moment as she continued to mess with her phone. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she looked over at her friend’s sister, wondering just how she was involved to warrant small pleasure at the mention of the fight. The door leading into the front office opened, before Sunset and Pinkie, both came in, followed by the Principal. When the older woman saw Twilight, she paused for a moment before smiling. “Princess, it is good to see you. Though I wish it were under better circumstances.” Twilight was immediately bowing her head apologetically as she moved aside to let the principal get to her office. “I am so, so sorry for what’s happened. I know I can’t help with undoing any damages due to the nature of the situation, but I assure you my friends will face appropriate consequences for their actions today.” Principal Celestia only raised her hand with a calm smile as she motioned the young woman to calm down. “I hold no expectations for how my student’s counterparts are handled. They are under your jurisdiction, after all, seeing as I’m only a High School Principal on this side of the mirror.” Looking at the rest, she continued to smile in amusement. “As for the rest of you, the only ones who will even face a modicum of punishment are Ms. Applejack and Ms. Pie.” At the indignant looks on their faces, Celestia smirked a bit at the farm girl. “Ms. Cheerilee informed me of how two-sided the brawl in the library was, and with how Applebloom was involved in trying to stop the fight, it could be put down as a family quarrel resulting in the accidental vandalism that was started by Ms. Applejack.” Applejack’s face started to match her brother’s in color, with a small giggle coming from her little sister. The principal then turned to the president of the party planning committee and held her smirk back from getting a touch bigger. “In regards to the copious amounts of cake batter that are on the wall from Ms. Pie’s prank, I believe her being in trouble is self-explanatory.” Celestia stood in front of her door and crossed her arms. “I think it is safe to assume that I expect to see both of you in for detention later tonight to help clean up your messes.” Before Applejack’s jaw hit the floor completely, Celestia winked. “And don’t worry, you will have some help Ms. Applejack. I don’t expect you to clean an entire library overnight.” “As for the rest of you,” the principal’s amusement was getting harder for her to contain, so she started to pace a bit, “there is not really much I can do about this. From what was reported to me by a certain young trio of girls, Ms. Dash kicked a soccer ball so hard she sent herself flying into a goal when it hit her stomach. Ms. Rarity was in a fight with herself in the middle of the school hallway and ruined her clothes in the process. And Ms. Fluttershy was talking with both herself and Ms. Shimmer before giving herself a veiled threat.” Silence reigned for a moment before a chuckle slipped out of their principal’s lips as she bit back a full laugh. “The most I could officially offer the three of you is a trip to a psychiatrist, and I think we all know how that would turn out.” The group collectively winced a bit and started looking amongst themselves awkwardly. Sunset added a chuckle on top of it all and turned towards the principal. “Yeah, I don’t exactly want my friends thrown into a loony bin. Even if they did show a minor lapse in rational thought a month ago.” Scootaloo raised her hand and frowned. “Um... so if that’s all, why are we all here?” The principal looked to her secretary, Raven, and nodded. Raven wordlessly pulled out a stack of small slips and handed them to Celestia. “To make it easier for me, by having all of these excused absence slips handed out at once, instead of calling all of you in here individually.” The slips were all handed out everyone, but Twilight and Sunset filed out of the room, either eager to get back to class and out of the office, or somewhat dreading having to do their respective punishments in Applejack and Pinkie’s cases. Giving her friend a hug, Sunset sighed a bit. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you later Twilight. Say hi to Starlight for me?” “Of course.” Twilight laughed a bit as she started out of the room giving her friend a wave. Just as the door was about to close, she popped her head back in. “Still sorry about all of this by the way.” “Go, Twilight.” Sunset smiled exasperatedly and shook her head at the sheepish look her friend gave her, as she slipped back out the door. “It is really hard to believe she’s a princess some days.” Celestia laughed as she held a hand over her mouth. “I believe she would agree with you. Now run along, Sunset, classes will be starting soon.” Sunset shuffled a bit with an uneasy grimace. “Actually... there’s something I wanted to ask.” Stopping at the door to her office, Celestia looked over her shoulder. “Hmm?” Raising an eyebrow, Sunset looked her principal in the eyes. “How did you know that the portal was on the other side of a mirror?” Silence echoed through the small front office before a small laugh started to sound from within the Principal’s office. Stepping out, Principal Celestia continued to hold onto her sides as she walked over to Principal Celestia and stood next to her copy. “I believe you’ve been found out.” Sharing in the laugh, the Principal that had been looking over the students nodded in agreement. “It seems I have.” With a wave of her hand, Celestia’s suit turned into a long white silken gown that clung to her body in just the right spots and, if not for magic, would have fallen off of the woman. If any young men had been in the room, they would have been excusing themselves to find somewhere private to think about the Princess. Sunset, on the other hand, had a different kind of reaction. Her left eye twitched. For a moment that was it, but it was followed quickly by the sputtering of her words all trying to leave at once, the tilting of her head, and finally, all mental faculties shutting down as she fainted dead on the spot. The two Celestias shared a look before Princess Celestia lifted her former student in her magic and set her down on a chair, making sure she was comfortable. “Do you think we took it too far?” The Principal waved a hand and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry; I’ll tell her she had a fever dream from all the stress, and that I knew about the mirror because she’s not the only one with an interdimensional penpal.” Both Celestias shared a nod, and the Princess popped away in a flash of light. As she headed to her office, Principal Celestia looked over to Raven. “I truly need to give you some time off with how much you put up with and keep secret.” Raven paused in her typing and looked up at her boss, a wry smirk pulling at her lips. “Well, you could always approve of that raise I’ve been wanting.” The two laughed as Celestia opened her door. “Nice try Raven.” Dramatically sighing, Raven went back to her work with a small smile. “So close.”