//------------------------------//
// Lesson 
// Story: Lessons We Learn 
// by SundropStriker 
//------------------------------//

Sunset didn't know how long they stayed the way they were, Cozy curled into her arms sobbing into her shirt as if the storm of tears would never end. But eventually it did, and the broken wails died down to pitiful sniffling and the occasional hiccup as Cozy drew short, ragged breaths trying to calm herself completely. Whatever attitudes and anger and fight that had been there earlier seemed to have bled out with her tears, because when she finally pushed up and looked into Sunset's eyes she looked far more genuinely humble and contrite than Sunset had ever seen her.

"I-I'm sorry." The words were as genuine as the expression on her face. "And I-I think I messed up your shirt..." 

She was exhausted emotionally, which also meant she was exhausted physically, and she didn't even try to get up from her place sitting in Sunset's lap. Sunset reached up and lightly wiped away a few stray tears from Cozy's face with a reassuring smile. 

"Don't worry about it. This shirt isn't anything special, it can handle some snot and tears."

Cozy, for the first time in her life, actually let out a genuine giggle before inhaling raggedly. "I guess I'm still in alot of trouble, huh?"

She didn't look thrilled, but Sunset was pleased to see that she at least looked receptive to whatever she might say next. And there was alot left to say unfortunately. Sunset took a deep breath and gave a nod.

"Yes. Yes you are. While I can understand what made you behave the way you did, it doesn't make it right. No matter the reason, you hurt alot of people, Cozy, and that's not ok."

Cozy sighed and forced herself off of Sunset's lap and sat on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. For a moment neither of them said anything at all, and then Cozy looked up.

"It...wasn't right." She said slowly, willing herself to say what she knew needed to be said. "I don't-I shouldn't hurt others just because I was hurt. I threatened and blackmailed and I was just really horrible. And I wish I hadn't done it now."

Sunset could not have been happier or prouder. They had made a massive breakthrough today that she would definitely be telling Twilight about later. She could tell Cozy meant every word, and that she was truly regretful of her actions. She knew this was all new and probably very terrifying in a way to the younger girl, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable and finally honest about her behavior. 

"What exactly is going to happen to me now?" Cozy asked nervously, biting her lower lip. "Am I...is Princess Twilight going to come take me back? I wouldn't blame her. Or you if you let her. I...haven't been the best behaved."

"No." Sunset answered with certainty. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." She offered a brief smile before turning solemn again. "But from here on out we are going to have some ground rules. But before we get into that, to answer your question on what's going to happen, you are suspended from school for a week as I told you before we left the school. I'll be staying home with you. Principal Celestia will see to it that our assignments are delivered here to us." 

Cozy hung her head. "Well that's...that's fair."

"As for the rest of your punishment..." Cozy looked up, slightly alarmed, "...you're grounded from your phone until you have written out an apology note to every single kid at school that you harrassed and bullied and threatened. It might take you a week, or two, or a month, because its alot of kids. But every one of them will get a personal note from you before you get your phone back."

Cozy didn't even look like she wanted to argue. She simply looked back down and barely nodded with a weary sigh. After all she'd dealt with today emotionally, she truly didn't have any fight left. Sunset stared at her for a moment, debating whether or not she wanted to go through with the original plan she'd had when she first entered this room however many hours ago. Honestly being suspended from school and grounded from her phone and having to write personal apologies to almost every student at school...it was alot. But at the same time, she felt like maybe the other plan was something she needed to do, and Cozy needed to go through. After a moment of silent debate, she decided to hold off for a few minutes until after she laid down some ground rules. Cozy's reaction would determine if the course of action was needed.

"And now for the rules." She said, not missing the way Cozy grimaced slightly...although it was likely more because she was afraid there would be a major list of rules, and not just because there would be rules in general. "First rule. When you're off suspension and go back to school, I expect you to behave yourself. No more daily calls over the intercom for me to go see Principal Celestia because you got yourself into some kind of mischief. I know you can do better than that, Cozy. I believe in you." 

Cozy acknowledged the rule with a tired nod, and Sunset felt more confident to launch into the other rules.

"Second rule. I never want to see or hear of you picking on someone in school or online again. If I do, you will automatically lose your phone privilages for a month and on top of that.." she took a breath, here's where it would get tricky, "...I won't hesitate to give you a spanking." 

Cozy's head snapped up and she stared at Sunset with obvious dismay and even some anxiety. "A sp-you...you w-wouldn't!" 

It wasn't as much a defiant statement as it was a nervous question. Sunset met it with perfect honesty.

"I would. I don't want to, but I would. Just like I would spank you if you ever try to lie to me about something you did, or if you deliberately go against something I tell you to do or not do. Those are also rules. I might ground you for something you do, but if you lie to me about that something, you're definitely not only grounded but you're getting spanked too." 

Cozy blushed and ducked her head. "This sucks." She muttered, quoting one of Sunset's favorite phrases. She knew full well what a spanking was, though had been fortunate enough never to have been on the recieving end of one.

Sunset bit back a laugh. "As long as you follow the rules, we won't have to have that particular discussion." 

Something registered in Cozy's brain, causing her to focus a nervous side glance on Sunset. She fought the urge to ask the burning question in her mind for a long minute before she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Um...so about the second rule...are you-are you going to sp-do that today..?"

"Do you think I should? It technically wasn't an actual official rule yet."

Sunset decided this decision now needed to be in Cozy's hands. Personally she would have eventually moved the conversation in that direction and carried out her original plan, but if Cozy decided that it wasn't warranted because it hadn't been an actual rule yet, then she would be spared that task for today.

"I don't know." Cozy mumbled. "Does it help?"

"Help what?" 

"Does it help with not feeling so terrible? I don't know, I've never really felt quite like this before."

Sunset met the anguished gaze steadily. She knew why Cozy felt terrible, but understood that Cozy might not fully grasp it since these emotions were all relatively new to her.

"What you're experiencing right now is guilt." she explained quietly. "You know deep down what you did was wrong, and it makes you feel bad to have hurt people. Its your concience's way of telling you that you made a mistake, that you did something you shouldn't have done."

"Well I don't like it." Cozy complained with a heavy sigh. "It kind of hurts." She stared at Sunset almost pleadingly. "Would it help if you..." She trailed off, kind of wanting to know but at the same time not wanting to know.

Going off her past experiences, Sunset answered the question without even hesitating. "Yes. A spanking would definitely help that. But I'm not going to force you. This time at least the choice is entirely yours to make. If there is a next time though, you don't get the choice." 

She watched in silence while Cozy internally wrestled with herself. She was only too well aware of the difficulty of making this decision. She herself had been given the choice only once...the first time Princess Celestia had caught her in some mischief not long after becoming her personal student. Ground rules had been laid out, and the Princess's go to punishment was attatched to a few of them. 

Sunset could remember sitting there after being told that since the rules hadn't officially been in place yet, she could choose whether or not she should be spanked this time. Just like Cozy, she had wrestled with the choice for quite a while, knowing all she had to do was just say no and Princess Celestia would have accepted it and the subject would not have been brought up again. However, in the end, the desire to stop feeling the guilt that came with misbehaving prevailed, and Sunset had told the Princess that she should probably just punish her. Oh, she'd regretted it once she found herself over Princess Celestia's lap actually facing said punishment, but afterwards she had been relieved she made the choice, and felt it was the right one.

Cozy's deep intake of breath and following heavy sigh pulled Sunset from her musings, and she found the girl staring at her miserably but determinedly. She knew the decision even before Cozy open her mouth, but remained quiet and let her speak. 

"I think-" Cozy paused, inhaled again as if trying to find some courage hidden in the oxygen that filled her lungs, and tried again. "I think...you should just punish me." 

And there it was. Another major leap of progress that Sunset had been trying to guide her to...without her realising it of course. She would have honored Cozy's choice had she decided to tell her that they could bypass the spanking this time, but she was proud of the fact that Cozy was trying to take responsibility for her actions and accept the consequences of them.

Sunset moved from the chair to the bed, sitting down next to Cozy and adjusting herself into a comfortable position before looking at her charge. Cozy suddenly looked unsure and scared, so Sunset grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

"It's alright. I promise."

Cozy inhaled deeply. "It's gonna hurt though, isn't it..?"

She didn't really know how this worked, never having experienced it herself. Sunset realised she was going to have to walk her through it before they even did anything.

"Yes." She admitted. "That's kind of the point though. But I promise I'm not going to swat you too hard or too much. You'll be ok." It was the same reassurances Princess Celestia had once given her. "Do you want to know anything else at all before we do this? Just ask me, I won't be mad." 

Cozy's gaze flicked nervously up to Sunset's. "Are you...I mean do you use anything?" She'd heard tales as a filly in their world about mane brushes and what have you, and it made her decidedly more nervous. "Like, to s-spank with?" She stumbled over the word, reddening as she did so.

Sunset shook her head emphatically. "No. It's just going to be my hand." This time at least. Cozy was already so emotionally fragile using anything other than her hand this time would just traumatize her, and that wasn't the goal. "Do you want me to explain what I'm going to do before I do it?"

Cozy nodded, looking relieved, and Sunset gave a nod back. 

"So here's what I'm gonna do..." 

The explaination took only a minute or two, and by the end Cozy looked less terrified at the prospect of what was coming. Sunset gave her a few minutes to process it and calm herself before speaking again. 

"I'm not going to force you. When you feel like you're ready, just give me your hand." She held her own out, palm upwards, and waited patiently. 

This wasn't an easy thing by any means, and she wasn't going to cause Cozy any more added distress by rushing her into position or just simply grabbing her and yanking her into it. It took another moment before Cozy finally reached out and laid her hand in Sunset's, apprehension clear on her face. She was nervous, but she was trusting Sunset, and this wasn't lost on the older girl. She gently squeezed Cozy's hand before lightly pulling her towards her. Having had it already explained to her, Cozy didn't offer really any resistance, instead letting Sunset guide her into the completely foriegn position over her lap.

Sunset made sure to adjust Cozy into as comfortable a position as was possible given the circumstances, her upper body fully supported by the bed. She grabbed a pillow and placed it in front of the younger girl. 

"Try holding on to this. It will help, a little anyway." 

Cozy hugged the pillow to her chest, burying her face in it, now feeling less scared by the position she was in and more embarrassed to be in it to start with. Sunset wrapped her left arm around the thin form sprawled across her lap, making sure to hold her securely against her body. She lifted her skirt out of the way but left the leggings Cozy had worn that day in place. If it wasn't the first time she was doing this, she would have opted to lower them, but honestly she didn't want to make it any harder than it was already for Cozy. She could make her point well enough.

"Are you comfortable enough?" She asked, wanting to make sure she didn't need to adjust her any further before they got started.

"I guess." was the muffled response. 

"Alright then." Well, time to get this done and over with. Sunset took a deep breath. "Why am I spanking you, Cozy?"

She heard a groan and would have laughed if this wasn't so serious. 

"C'mon, Sunset...you know why. Why do I have to say it?" 

The girl wasn't trying to be stubborn so much as she just didn't get why she had to repeat her sins out loud when Sunset clearly already knew them. It just didn't make sense.

"It's part of the process, Cozy. I need you to answer the question." She kept her voice calm and kind, but firm enough to let her know she was serious. 

Sighing miserably, Cozy tightened her grip on the pillow. "I was mean and cruel to my fellow students, and I used blackmail and verbal abuse to get them to do what I wanted." She hesitated. "Plus I've just generally been a horrible brat since I got to this world." 

"Good answer." Sunset said approvingly. 

With that out of the way, the moment had come to let Cozy pay for her mistakes so she could both let go of her guilt and also hopefully avoid further episodes of misbehavior...at least for a long time. Sunset didn't waste any more time, she raised her hand and brought it down again firmly on the seat of Cozy's leggings. 

Smack

As expected, Cozy's body tensed at the first swat and she let out a startled squeak. Sunset didn't allow much time for her to process it before she continued.

Smack Smack

"Ow!" Cozy squealed, tensing even further.

Sunset strongly suspected it was more just a panicked reaction than actual pain. For now anyway.

Smack Smack

"Oww.." was the groaned response.

Sunset upped the strength just a fraction but kept the same measured pace, not taking it too fast or too slow. 

Smack Smack Smack

Cozy yelped at these swats and squirmed slightly. While not the worst pain in the world, it was already starting to get somewhat uncomfortable. Sunset figured this, and tightened her hold before unleashing a quicker volley of swats at random all over her backside.

Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack

"Owww!" Cozy squirmed, tears stinging her eyes for whatever time it was today. "I changed my mind! We don't have to do this after all!"

Sunset's didn't answer. Cozy didn't realize it of course, but her words just simply proved this was going to be as effective as Sunset thought it would be. She calmly kept peppering the younger girl's rear end with strong swats, ignoring the squirms and accompanying yelps.

Smack Smack Smack Smack

"Oww! Ok ok...I've learned my lesson, Sunset, you can stop now!" Cozy was squirming harder, her backside now burning. She was trying to move out of the way of Sunset's hand but was not having much luck as Sunset continued the spanking, seemingly unfazed. "I said you can stop now!" 

"That's not how it works." Sunset said quietly, knowing she was currently regretting her choice to accept the punishment. 

"But you said I had the choice." Cozy accused, sounding somewhat hurt on top of sounding guilty and ashamed.

"And you did." Sunset delivered two more swats, prompting a now distinctly pained yelp. "You chose to accept the spanking. But you don't get the choice of when its over."

Cozy was struggling to hold back tears as Sunset's hand kept up its steady rise and fall on her poor backside, but Celestia darn it, it hurt! As two more swats landed she broke down and started crying...much to Sunset's relief, since it meant she wouldn't have to keep this up much longer. All she needed now was for Cozy to stop fighting completely. 

"I need you to think about why you're in this position." She instructed, trying to push her focus off of fighting it and back onto why she was getting it in the first place. 

Cozy apparently listened because in a matter of seconds she was crying more freely. Sunset adjusted her grip, also moving her a little bit further over her lap to her left, then took aim at her more tender sit spots, where she knew Cozy would feel it every time she sat down for a little while. These next swats were going to be harder than all the previous ones.

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK

"Owww!" Cozy wailed, before simply going limp and sobbing out broken apologies as every remaining bit of tension left her body and she surrendered to the punishment.

Sunset wound the spanking down and finished it with only half a dozen further swats, not having the heart to give more than that and knowing she didn't really need to anyway. The hand that had previously been meteing out punishment was now gently rubbing Cozy's heaving back as Sunset sought to offer comfort and reassurance. After a moment, Cozy pushed up off her lap and stood by the bed, looking the very picture of pitiful as she had tears and snot on her face. Sunset opened her arms and Cozy willingly fell into them, curling into the warm hug and sobbing out her remaining shreds of guilt and shame. 

"I'm sorry." She cried in perfectly genuine repentance.

"Shhh." Sunset snuggled her closer, gently rubbing her back. "All is forgiven."

"Really..?" Cozy sounded skeptical as she tried to steady her ragged breathing.

"Really. You owned up to your mistakes, you accepted the consequences, and now we have a clean slate. No more need to beat yourself up over it."

Cozy laid her head on Sunset's shoulder, not willing to move out of the warmth and security of her embrace just yet. 

"That sucked." She grumbled, though her tone held no ill will or malice.

This time, Sunset did laugh. "Well yeah, but that's kind of the point. Did it suck enough that we don't have to do it again for a really long time?"

Cozy nodded against her vigorously. "Never again. I'm gonna be good forever!"

Sunset snickered. "Somehow I doubt that. But as long as you keep the mischief down to a non-spankable level, I won't complain too much. Be glad I went easy on you."

Cozy leaned back and stared at her incredulously. "Easy?!? That was easy?! You've got to be joking. That felt like a fire from Tartarus got lit on my behind! If that's easy, I don't want to know what worse is."

Sunset merely grinned. "Well since we got that out of the way, how about we make some dinner and then you can get some rest? You've had quite a day."

"I thought I was supposed to write notes?"

"You can start tomorrow. I imagine right now you're hungry."

Cozy's stomach growled in response, prompting a giggle from Sunset. Cozy grinned sheepishly. 

"Yeah, dinner sounds good. But...can we just stay here for a few more minutes?"

Sunset hugged her more tightly. "We can stay as long as you need." 

Cozy nestled into her, feeling lighter and happier than she had in...well, pretty much her entire life.