"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.