Twilight Sparkle smiled blissfully, savoring one last squeeze of the group hug Pinkie Pie initiated with all her friends as they departed the castle. “Goodbye, girls,” she beamed as her friends slowly peeled away from the hug, walking or flying off toward their homes. “Thanks for the help with the lessons. See you tomorrow!” A chorus of different farewells called back to her before her friends were out of earshot, and Twilight and Starlight Glimmer watched until they were all out of sight.
They turned back to the castle doors, Twilight opening them with her magic, when Spike stepped out as well with a large backpack secured to his back. “I'd best get going too,” he said eagerly. Looking to Starlight he added, “Thanks for getting me tickets to the Canterlot O&O Society convention tomorrow! I should have just enough time to get settled in and check out the pre-con events.” He hugged Starlight and Twilight quickly before jogging toward the train station.
“Sure thing, Spike,” Starlight answered. “It's the least I could do after all the help you've been.”
Once the dragon was gone, Twilight and Starlight finally returned to the castle library, chatting about the eventful day.
“I'm still not sure about that “chillaxing” business with Rainbow Dash,” Starlight admitted as they entered the doors. “I can see sitting still for a little while, but she takes it to a whole different level. I guess I just want to do something when I relax.”
Twilight chuckled, nodding, “Rainbow definitely has her chillaxing honed to an art.” Closing the library door behind them, she trotted over to the central table and levitated a parchment up to read it. “I just have one more thing before we call it a night.”
Starlight raised a brow, walking over to her mentor. “Really? I thought the chillaxing was the last friendship lesson for today.”
“It's not a friendship lesson exactly,” admitted Twilight, lowering the parchment. She put on a serious expression. “I wanted to talk a little more about your choice to cast mind control spells on our friends.”
“Oh!” Starlight glanced down at her hooves for a moment, lingering shame surging within her. “I thought we talked about it already. You helped me realize what a bad idea it was to use magic to force friendship.”
“We did,” Twilight agreed, setting down the parchment. “But I wanted to cover a related topic that I think will help you a lot. It's called “consent”.”
Starlight lowered her head a little, nodding. “I know! I have to think before I act against a pony's consent . . .”
“No, Starlight,” Twilight interrupted gently. “Consent is about getting full and knowing permission from the pony before doing anything. It's about asking first, and respecting the pony's choice.” She sighed and stepped closer, reaching out to her friend. “Starlight, I'm not trying to lecture you or bring you down. I just think this is a vital lesson you need to learn, and right now we have a perfect learning opportunity.”
Starlight looked up, her brow raised. “Opportunity, how?” she asked carefully. Seeing Twilight's hoof still raised to her, she took hold with her own and let her mentor draw her close.
Twilight smiled and led her to the table where the spellbooks Starlight consulted earlier still lay, open to the very spells she'd used. “Now it's important you understand this is a lesson, not a punishment. I've forgiven you, as have all of our friends, and I wouldn't feel right suggesting a punishment even if they hadn't. You're my friend, Starlight, and I'm suggesting this as a way to help you grow.”
“I know you're trying to be comforting, Twilight, but I'm starting to get nervous about what you have planned.”
Twilight stopped herself, smiling slightly, and took a deep, steadying breath, raising a hoof to her chest. She let it out slowly, extending her hoof as she did. “Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound so bad.” She gestured to the books. “Since this is a lesson in consent, you need to consent to the lesson once you know what it is. If you don't, that's okay, I'll find another lesson, but this is the one I think will help you the most.”
“Alright,” Starlight said slowly. “What are you proposing?”
“I think you need to experience the spells you placed on our friends from their point of view. If you agree, I'll cast the spells on you and you will spend the evening feeling what they felt when you were controlling them.”
Starlight's eyes grew wide and she took an involuntary step back. “Umm, are you certain that's a good idea?” she asked hesitantly. Without fully realizing it, she started biting softly on her lower lip..
Twilight nodded, her face the picture of quiet confidence. “I think it is what will help you most. Out of what you've experienced, I suspect you've never really surrendered control willingly before, have you, Starlight?”
Starlight shook her head, blushing softly and shifting her hind legs closer together. “Never willingly.” A sheepish grin came to her lips and she chuckled, remembering a moment. “At least, not since you talked me down from the time travel, um, incident.”
“It'll be OK, Starlight,” Twilight promised, offering a smile. “It's entirely your choice if we proceed. I promise this will be a big help to you, and I won't let anything bad happen to you while you're under my spell. You'll be completely safe in my hooves.”
She looked deep into Twilight's eyes, taking her own steadying breath while she considered her options. “Okay, Twilight,” she said finally, the flush in her cheeks remaining despite her calm tone. “I trust you. Let's do it.”
With a glow of purple magic, the three books lifted into the air beside Twilight Sparkle. “Alright, you won't regret this, Starlight.” She studied the pages carefully. “Now let's see... you said you combined Fiducia Compelus with Cogeria and Persuadere, correct?”
“Just a pinch of Persuadere,” Starlight corrected.
Twilight nodded, her horn glowing bright behind the books. She lowered them to get a close look at her friend. “I'm ready when you are. Say the word.”
Starlight smiled softly, an almost giddy feeling flooding through her. “Go for it, Twilight.”
She nodded once, then focused on the books as the magic flared from her horn, the purple aura flashing so bright it almost seemed white. The magic expanded quickly, stretching out in a ribbon of light and winding itself into an orb of power in front of her hooves. With a last glance at Starlight's eyes, she propelled the ball toward her. A blinding flash filled the library and she covered her eyes until it faded.
When Twilight opened her eyes again she saw Starlight standing perfectly still in front of her with wisps of magic swirling around her frame. Starlight's eyes stared off into the distance before her, focused on nothing, unblinking. Twilight waved a hoof in front of her face, but Starlight didn't even flinch.
“Hello, Starlight, do you feel alright?” she asked, waving a little more. She frowned at the lack of response. “She should be answering my every question. Hmmm, let's see.” She floated the books in front of herself again, quickly scanning the pages. “Oh, of course! Fiducia Compelus needs a trigger.” She turned back to Starlight, her horn lighting up with magic. The purple light flared stronger again and Twilight's eyes lit up white. “Starlight Glimmer!” she stated with all the authority she could muster. “Hear my voice and listen!” Another bright flash of white light filled the room.
Starlight blinked and shook her head slightly as the light faded. She still remained where she was, but slightly more animated than before.
Twilight looked her friend over, checking for any signs of distress. Apart from a somewhat awkward stance with her rear legs pressed together, she seemed fine. “Starlight Glimmer, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” she intoned, no hint of emotion or inflection in her voice.
That's a little creepy, really. She took a breath. “Let's start with something small, shall we?”
“I'll start with whatever you want me to start with, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Er, alright, take these three books and return them to the places on the shelves from which you took them, by hoof.” Twilight floated the spellbooks over to Starlight.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. At once, Twilight Sparkle.” She stepped up close, taking the books eagerly. Without another word she immediately turned around, her tail raised high in the air, and trotted briskly toward the library shelves.
Twilight smiled, watching her friend start to do her tasks as ordered. I can see the appeal from Starlight's perspective. It's still slightly creepy, though. Her eyes happened to glance lower and the smile faded from her lips, her eyes widening. Wait, she's not... Oh! Oh my, I think she is! She snapped her head up, her cheeks blushing a deep red.
Starlight shelved the last book and stopped moving, staring at the wall with her rear toward Twilight. There was no doubt about it, Starlight Glimmer showed every sign of intense physical arousal that a mare could show. Twilight risked another blush-inducing glance to be sure, her cheeks positively glowing. “Starlight, come back over here and stand facing me, please.”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” came the immediate response, and she trotted back over, standing in front of the blushing alicorn. The light from the high windows glistened off the moisture clearly coating both her rear legs from thigh to hoof, and as she drew closer the faint, unmistakable scent of arousal reached Twilight's nose.
“Starlight, tell me how you are feeling right now.”
“I am feeling very horny, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Why are you feeling horny right now, Starlight?”
“I feel horny because being totally controlled is very arousing to me, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight's eyes grew wide again and she let out a worried little whine. “Uhh, that would have been nice to know before we did this,” she murmured. She shook herself out of the shock of the new knowledge. “Alright, we have to end this.”
Starlight Glimmer opened her eyes, blinking against the fading flash of magic from Twilight's horn. While her head ached from the magic that was recently withdrawn from her mind, that wasn't the first sensation that caught her attention. Throughout her body, her nerves resonated with a deep-seated heat radiating from between her flanks, as if she'd spent all night indulging in her best fantasies.
She felt flushed as she looked over to Twilight, noticing the deep crimson blush on her mentor's cheeks. “Um, is that it, Twilight?” she asked slowly, trying to remember the events that occurred while she was under the spell. “That sure didn't feel like a full evening.”
“It wasn't,” Twilight confirmed, trying her best to look anywhere but in Starlight's eyes. “I pulled you out of the spell early. Something, ah, unexpected happened.”
Judging on the state of her body, Starlight took a good guess at what it was. “Umm, yeah, about that. I don't really remember what happened, but, ah, what happened to me, Twilight?”
Twilight took one of her steadying breaths. “I just had you put the spellbooks away. However it looks like you might have, um, some rather... intimate side effects from the spells.”
They sat in silence for a moment, each trying to work out what to say.
Twilight broke the silence. “Starlight, I'm sorry.”
She blinked in surprise. “Sorry for what?”
“For suggesting doing this at all, really, but more specifically, while you were under the spell I asked why you were feeling, um, the way you were feeling. I wasn't thinking that you couldn't help but answer truthfully, and you did.” She blushed again, her cheeks taking back the color they were starting to lose. “It was wrong of me to pry into your feelings, so I'm sorry.”
Starlight lowered her head, her eyes closed, but didn't answer. Twilight's hopes of forgiveness dropped at the silence... until Starlight started laughing.
“Hahahaha! No, Twilight, haha, I should apologize to you.” She nodded in response to Twilight's puzzled look. “I've, ah, known about that particular kink of mine for years. I should have told you about it before I agreed to let you cast the spell. I thought that I would be able to keep control of my feelings while I was completely under your control.” She sighed, then gave a rueful chuckle. “I should have figured that wouldn't work.”
Their eyes met, Starlight smirked, and a moment later they were both laughing without reservation.
“Alright, let's say we both have some lessons to learn, then,” Twilight said when they finally regained a little composure. “I guess we should call it a night.”
“Actually, I do have one thing I'd like to ask before we stop tonight.”
Twilight nodded, smiling warmly. “Anything, Starlight.”
Starlight grinned, a blush returning to her cheeks. “Will you do it again? Please?”