> Lessons Learned
>  by RoyalBardofCanterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight levitated her marshmallow over the flames of the fire dancing in the chimney fireplace. It was turning golden brown. Surrounding her were her five best friends in the whole wide world, her big brother who was visiting for the weekend, her former foalsitter turned sister-in-law and Princess Luna who had decided to take her up on her open invitation.

Twilight lifted the treat to her lips and slowly bit into the gooey center. The sweetness of the marshmallow and crunchiness of its texture mixed, sending a delightful sensation down her throat.

Luna bit into her marshmallow and devoured the thing in a state of flavor-induced rapture. "What a delicacy! We didst not have such things in my own time."

Twilight took a second bite of the toasted marshmallow and frowned as it vanished. She stabbed another one that sat in the ceramic, blue bowl and placed it over the fire. "Marshmallows were only invented around sixty years ago."

Luna stabbed a second marshmallow and it crossed over Twilight's. "And did the inventor of it get a statue?"

"Yep. Your sister was quite impressed with him."

Luna chuckled. Twilight noticed the bowl was getting perilously close to empty. "Hey, Spike!" She stopped. A lump formed in the back of her throat and tears came unbidden to her eyes. 

Shining noticed it immediately and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Something wrong, LSBFF?"

Dash was the next to notice there was a problem and slapped Twilight's withers. "Cheer up there, Egghead! I can get the marshmallows! Is Spike on vacation or something?"

Shining gave the Pegasus a flat look. "I don't think it's about the marshmallows."

Nonetheless, Dash took off and soon returned from the kitchen with a new bag of the sweets. She liberally poured them into the bowl.

Rarity glanced around. "Where is the little darling? He's not sick is he?"

Twilight shook her head, her purple mane flying around. "No. Me and Spike sort of had a fight."

Cadence left her place by Shining's side to stand next to Twilight."What happened?"  

Twilight sighed. "Sometimes, Spike steals. He can't help it. It's part of his dragon nature. He wants to stop. He fights it so hard. I told him I would help him through it. And, I decided on a bit of, ahem, behavior modification. Today, I found out he stole my necklace. Again. So, I...I spanked him with my hairbrush."

Dash raised an eyebrow. "He feel anything beneath those scales?"

Fluttershy looked to Dash. "Most reptiles have a soft underbelly. A dragon's posterior is about as sensitive as a Pony's. I don't know if dragons spank their young though."

Twilight stared into orange and golden flames. "I made him stand in the corner afterward. We hugged and talked about it after. Then, he left. Hasn't been back since. That was three hours ago."

Luna frowned. "Mayhap the young drake had a prearranged event upon his schedule which he had to attend to. Er, I mean, maybe there was something he was going to do."

Twilight stretched. "I don't think so. I think he's upset. Oh, why did I let him go?"

"Has he reacted that way before?"

"No, never. He normally takes a punishment and moves on."

That's when the door creaked open. The subject of the conversation was standing in the threshold. Twilight nearly pranced over to him and wrapped him up in an embrace. Spike returned it. "Um, hi?"

Twilight kissed him. "Oh, Spike, I'm so glad you're back. Why'd you leave so suddenly?"

Spike glanced down at the wooden floorboards. "I was ashamed. I try so had not to steal and...I just had to get out."

Twilight rubbed his back. "You're okay, right?"

Spike smiled. "Of course I am."

He passed by the bowl of marshmallows, roasted one with his firebreath and popped it into his mouth. Shining held up his hoof which Spike bumped. "Yo, Bro. What's up?"

"I'm good. I was just remembering all the spankings Twily used to get."

Dash gaped. "Twilight used to get spanked?"

Applejack scratched her head. "Really, now? She's always so well-behaved. Can't imagine her getting into trouble."

Shining shrugged. "Sure she is now..."

Twilight rejoined the herd. "I was an unrepentant brat."

"Aw, Twily, you weren't that bad." 

"Was too, BBBFF. How about the time I..."


 
> Twilight's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight walked out of the doors of the large, imposing school building. The heavy, wooden doors which towered above many adults closed together with an imposing thud. Her mother was trotting beside her. Twilight slowed, trailing slightly behind her. The warm, springtime sun shone on the stone steps of the school. Carefully, and more slowly than warranted, Twilight jumped from step to step. Her hooves scratched against the roughness of the rough marble. She paused and scratched her hoof a few times. 

The sensation of the marble rubbed against her hooves, the cool stone surprising and contrasting with the warm sun resting its rays upon her back.  She reached out and touched the twisted metal of the black railing. Her mother had paused at the end of the three steps and was waiting for her daughter to hurry up. Twilight lifted her hoof above the step, holding the appendage over open air before setting it down on the second step.

Her school satchel bumped against her flank as she set her second hoof upon the second step. Her backhooves remained on the first step. She moved her third hoof so that it joined its fellows. Moving her fourth hoof she finally had all four legs on the second step. Velvet gave her an unamused glance. 

Twilight drug her hooves across the vast second step, acting is if what was beneath her hooves was the Caribou Desert and any misstep would result in her falling down a sinkhole. She yelped as a blue aura wrapped around her and lifted her into the air, depositing her atop her mother's back. Velvet took an even trot as they moved through the city. High, alabaster towers rose up all around them as Velvet's hooves clip-clopped on the uneven cobblestone. In the shadow of the towers were the more humble cottages. They were not the simple thatched-roof cottages of Ponyville, but they were not the opulence of the palaces and manors in the center of the city.

Velvet passed a street full of red-brick homes. Perfectly manicured, verdantly green lawns spread out. Happy flowers in bright shades of purples, reds, oranges and yellows carpeted the lawns. Velvet didn't stop to admire the gardens though she waved to some of her neighbors. As they moved through the neighborhood, the satchel wrapped around Twilight bounced against her side. It opened and the test paper nearly flew out. Twilight caught it in her magic, though she didn't know why. 

Contemplating on the matter, she decided it was because she didn't want anypony to see the grade that burned in red like shame. The big, round zero placed right across from her name. Twilight rested her head in her mother's mane, taking comfort in the feel of it even in this situation. 

Despite the zero, each question was answered and Twilight had no doubt that most of the answers she'd put down were correct. Velvet turned a corner. These houses were bigger though they were still made of russet-colored brick. Most were two or three stories. Butterflies gently floated in the breeze around hanging baskets where orange portulaca drifted downward. A line of elm trees, their soft bark thick and knotted with age, sprouted up on both sides of the street.

They were coming closer to home. White blossoms burst on the elm trees. When the warm wind blew, it shook the blossoms and they floated like snow. Several fillies and colts played in the yards. Some had taken their games into the street. Velvet sidestepped a few fillies laughing and hopping around a group of orange squares that had been drawn in chalk on the street.

On an ordinary day, Velvet would have taken her off her back and encouraged her to go play with the other fillies. A little blue filly hopped into the last square. The filly looked up at Twilight and gave her a look of pity. Twilight buried her blushing face back into her mother's soft, warm mane.

They passed the children playing in the street. From the open doors of Joe's Donuts the sweet, rich scent of chocolate and creme came. Twilight and her mother sometimes went there for donuts when Twilight had had a hard day. This counted as a hard day, right? Maybe they could go get a doughnut.

For some reason, Twilight couldn't bring herself to ask and soon they'd passed Joe's doughnuts altogether and the moment was lost. Velvet took a few more turns down another neighborhood. They were only a few houses away from home. Velvet's gait slowed. It had been slow the entire time they'd been walking. Rather than take the straight road, Velvet had taken several meandering paths rather than the road that would lead them straight home.

Now it slowed almost to a crawl. She then stopped altogether, in the middle of the sidewalk. The yellow heads of dandelions popped up from their long green stems. After a few moments of staring at dandelions, Velvet continued walking. "Twilight, do you know the difference between a friend and an enemy?"

Twilight perked up. "Um...a friend is someone you like. An enemy is someone you don't like."

Velvet considered this answer. "You're almost right. Can you think of why you would like a friend and not like an enemy?"

This took considerably more thought for the young unicorn. "A friend is nice to you. An enemy isn't."

"Better. Moon Dancer is your friend, right?"

Twilight shrugged. "I guess."

"What about Jade? Is she your friend?"

Twilight took on an expression of deep thought. "No."

"Jade's made fun of you since you started second grade, hasn't she? Hasn't she tripped you in the halls and called you names?"

"Yeah."

"Is that what a friend does?"

"No."

She lapsed off into silence. Two gnarled oak trees rose up at the entrance to their house, their branches intertwining. Grey moss trailed down the heavy branches. "So, Jade is definitely not your friend. We're clear on that?"

Twilight pouted. "Yes. And I promise to not listen to her anymore!"

"You shouldn't have been listening to her from the start!"

Twilight's ears folded back at the tone of her mother's voice. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Velvet lit up her horn and the door opened to her magic. Shining Armor was still in school. She hadn't had to go pick him up early. She picked her miscreant daughter up in her aura and laid her down on the blue rug. "Twilight...oh, Twilight." She rested her hooves on Twilight's shoulders. "Why, Sweetie? Why would you help Jade cheat? Didn't I raise you to be honest?"

Twilight looked down to the floor. Her eyes filled with tears that she forced herself not to shed. Velvet lifted up her chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. "You know it's wrong to cheat. You know it's wrong to help others cheat."

Twilight gulped. "I do, Mommy."

She distinctly disliked the direction this conversation was taking, especially when Velvet pulled her by the ear with her magic. The tug was uncomfortable, but painless. They walked into the kitchen. Velvet got a chair and sat it in the center of the tile. Then she walked over to the windows and closed the blinds, pulling the blue and white curtains closed.

Twilight gulped again. There was only one reason she'd close the blinds on such a pretty day. To spare Twilight the humiliation of others seeing her getting her bottom smacked. Velvet sat down on the chair and drew Twilight over with her magic. Twilight squirmed. To Twilight's surprise she found herself seated in her mother's lap rather than across her knee.

"Twilight, when the teacher told me my first thought was that Jade had bullied you into it."

Twilight glanced into her mother's eyes and knew Velvet was giving her a way out. "No, she didn't."

"Then what happened? Why did you help her?"

"I don't know."

There was a reason, a deeply embarrassing one. Twilight looked away from her mom's gaze. "I'm sorry. Mommy, do you still love me?"

Velvet nuzzled her in response. Twilight pressed her cheek against hers. "Of course I love you, Sweetie."

Twilight leaned into her. "Please don't spank me. I don't wanna spanking, spankings hurt."

"They're supposed to, Sweetie. And I don't want to spank you anymore than you want to be spanked. But I have to. It's to keep you from doing things like this. Naughty things that will hurt you in the end. I know you don't understand yet, but you will someday. Just like getting a shot at the doctor. It hurts, but it's for your own good."

Twilight whined. "I know."

"Y'know, Jade's getting  a spanking from her mom."

"How do you know that?"

"I know Jade's mom and she said next time she did something like this, she was going to take a hairbrush to her behind."

Twilight winced at the thought of the hairbrush, but somehow a vindictive part of her felt good about the fact Jade's bottom would be getting a dose of justice.

Velvet took Twilight up in her magic once again. "Enough stalling."

Twilight didn't resist as her mom bent her across her lap and wrapped a hoof around her. Her rump angled out. Twilight closed her eyes and waited for the first swat. Velvet lifted her hoof into the air and brought a stinging smack across Twilight's behind. Just as quickly she landed a second smack in the same place. A third and fourth smack landed on the other side of Twilight's rump. Twilight jumped as the fifth smack landed just below where the first spanks had, the tender part of her lower backside.

Velvet peppered Twilight's bottom with spanks, focusing the swats on the right side of Twilight's increasingly reddening rear. Twilight began to kick and squirm. Velvet only tightened her grip and landed three more firm smacks across her behind. The blows from her mother's hoof left a pink mark wherever they landed, which Velvet hoped would be a firm reminder for Twilight to behave herself. Twilight yelped and cried out as her mother's hoof relentlessly fell upon her rear. 

Velvet calmly continued the spanking even if her daughter's cries rent at her own heart. Moving on from the right side of Twilight's rump, she landed blows on the left side. Twilight jumped as the blows cracked against her rump. Velvet moved her hoof from side to side, spacing out the spanks to give her daughter time to breathe. There was a rhythm to the swats falling onto her daughter's butt. She doled out each spank with equal force, hard enough to pinken the skin beneath the fur, but never hard enough to leave a bruise or cause any serious injury.

At long last, Twilight fell still, completely giving into the spanks doled out onto her derriere. Velvet landed her hoof right across Twilight's sit spot, making the filly squeal. Velvet landed about ten more spanks and brought the tushy tanning to an end. Twilight unabashedly cried. Velvet picked her up in her forelegs and tightly squeezed her. Twilight buried her face into Velvet's chest. Velvet tightened the embrace, stroking her back and mane.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!"

Velvet caressed her back, soothing away the pain of the spanking. "It's alright. It's alright now. I forgive you."

Twilight wrapped her hooves around her mom's barrel. "J-Jade called me a mommy's filly. That I was a goody-four horseshoes and she said it like it was a bad thing. L-like I wouldn't be c-cool enough to cheat."

Velvet patted her daughter's back and ran a hoof through her mane. "You said she hadn't bullied you. I'd have only taken away your library card if you'd told me."

Twilight rested her face on Velvet's shoulder as Velvet continued to softly rub her shoulders. "I didn't want to tell you cause she was right. I'm a mommy's filly and a good-four horse shoes. I-I felt so guilty when I did it, but I did it anyway."

Velvet wiped away her daughter's remaining tears. "What's so bad about being a goody four-horse shoes? At least being good doesn't get you punished and it doesn't make you feel guilty. It's a lot less trouble if you ask me."

Twilight said nothing, choosing to simply rest in her favorite place-her mother's forelegs. 

"Honey, sometimes Ponies say things because they want us to do something. Things that go against what we know is right. What we do to those Ponies is ignore them. You have to follow what you know is right. Sometimes it'll be hard, but it's so very worth it."

"I will next time. I promise."

Velvet nuzzled Twilight's mane. "I know you will."
...
Twilight blinked. "You have to follow what is right." She echoed her mother's words. "Sometimes it'll be hard, but it's so very worth it."

Shining shot her a wry grin. "She gave you that lecture to?"

Twilight sank into the cushion she'd moved to as she told the story. "I took those words to heart. When I had a premonition that Equestria was in danger I knew I couldn't ignore it. I spent months studying prophecies. It was hard and took me away from important research, but I couldn't ignore it. It was the right thing to do. Then I found out about Nightmare Moon...got sent to Ponyville...met you girls...wow."

"Life's like that, Twily. Everything just sort of connects. Choices we make, people we meet."

Dash yawned. "Heh. You weren't too bad as a filly, Twi. Let me tell you about the time..."
> Dash's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash, age six, sank into the warm softness of her cloud bed. It was springy, supporting her wings and little back. She flicked her tail back and forth, watching it. She wondered if it would be possible to suck her tail from this angle. She lifted up and got just the tip of the colorful appendage in her mouth. Immediately, she spat it out. She groaned and rolled over onto her tummy, casting a disdainful glance at the colorful Wonderbolts plushies that had brought her countless hours of enjoyment.

She hopped up from the bed, her hooves sinking into the spongy material. Then she hopped down. Giggles came from her lips as she bounced up and down on the clouds. One particularly high jump brought her near the ceiling. Twisting in midair she bounced her shoulder onto the ceiling and let it knock her back down to the floor. She kicked her legs, squirming with laughter. She jumped up and once more zoomed against the ceiling. The ceiling once more knocked her down to the floor. After three more jumps, she got bored with her game. The filly picked up a plushie of Sky Rider, staring at its blue fur and silver mane. She launched into the air and flew slow circles holding the plushie, making whooshing sound affects. She picked up speed as she flew, the wind stirred up by her flying blowing back her mane and whistling through her feathers. 

Her pace slowed as she made her twelfth loop. Or maybe her eleventh. She wasn't all that good at math. What mystical number came after ten was a vast, undiscovered territory for her. She landed on her pillow, her heart pounding against her rib cage. That had been fun! But her room was so small. There wasn't that much room to fly. So different from the vast, never-ending sky. When she flew in the sky, she could fly forever. Sure, she had never flown by herself. But when she flew alongside her mom and dad, it was so different than flying by herself in her room. Grey, rugged mountains rising up in rocky splendor, ribbons of blue water coursing through the high grass of the meadows, gentle hills and little towns all spread out beneath her.

The wind, her companion, pushed her along, embraced her little body. The sky was without boundaries, without limits. The sky was freedom.A frown marred her face. The sky was currently off limits to her, at least for the duration of the thunderstorm outside. Thunder crashed outside her window, lighting up the sky with a blue glow that illuminated the clouds as power flowed through them.

If she closed her eyes, she could feel the raw power of the storm swirling all around her. It was her Pegasus magic, the call that would only grow stronger as she got older. For some Pegasii, the urge was so strong that they would throw caution to the wind and soar among the lightning. The Storm Riders were second only to the awesomeness of the Wonderbolts in Dash's eyes and that's only because her mom and dad were Wonderbolts and her mom and dad were the best.

She trudged over to her window and pouted as if a pouting filly would make the storm go elsewhere. That simply was not going to happen. The weather factory needed to get rid of the excess clouds, rainwater and lightning and this was how they had to do it. The rain drops beat against her window. She pressed her hand to the glass, feeling the cold. The wind howled all around her house, joining the clashing drums of the thunder in a heavenly heavy metal concert.

Dash stared out, listening and wishing she could fly among the lightning bolts. When she was older she could. When she was older and her magic had developed to the point that lightning wouldn't fry her. Anytime she wanted to do something cool that was the answer.

When you're older, when you're older, when you're older...darn it, when am I going to be older?! She stomped a hoof and her hoof got stuck in the thick clouds. With a grunt she pulled it out and tripped onto her back. She pulled herself up and grumbled at the floor. She returned her attention to the storm outside which showed zero signs of stopping.

The tap of the rain was a constant cadence, a light pounding that almost lulled Dash into taking a nap. Remembering that she had homework to do she went over to her desk, pulled out a few crumpled pieces of paper and remembered that she had done it all last night after nearly forgetting about it. Her dad had promised her they'd fly to Poseidon's Peak if she finished all her homework. Dash grumbled and picked up a math work sheet they hadn't gotten to. It wasn't too difficult and she finished it in about twenty minutes. She was so bored, she even checked her work.

She rested her head on the mahogany desk and sighed heavily. Bored, bored, bored. The desk was cool and hard, but comfortable in its way. A twitching energy tickled her hooves and then her wings which she spread to their full, not-very-impressive extent. Floating into the air, she directed herself towards the door and knocked it open with her shoulder.

The filly darted down the stairs and nearly collided with an older Pegasus stallion with her blue fur and rainbow mane. He caught her and bumped her onto his back. She laughed and wrapped her forelegs around his neck. He bucked a few times, lifting her up and down in the air. Delighted squeals came from her as he let her down. "Good afternoon, Silly Filly. I'm glad to see you chose to came out your room."

The sulky lip returned. "You said we could go to Poseidon's Peak." Her voice was acid.

He tousled her mane. "If the storm lets up, we will."

Her lip trembled, hesitantly turned to a smile. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Her wings wildly fluttered, thrusting her into the air. "Yay!" She danced circles around his head and continued her journey down the stairs where she saw her mom. The pink mare was whistling to herself as she dusted a table. Dash flew by and the dust was kicked up in her wake. Her mom hoofted her the feather duster and in twenty seconds (okay, more like three minutes) the room was completely clean of dust. Firefly patted her daughter's head as she touched down on the floor. "Thanks, Dashie." 

Dash reached up, hugged her mom and rushed off to the kitchen. From the kitchen, she rushed back to the living room and zipped three full circles around the couch.

Firefly smiled at Dash's antics. "You know, I think a Power Ponies episode is on."

Dash almost flopped onto the couch, but she was having too much fun so she kept circling the couch and then angled upwards, shooting up like a rocket. The cloudy ceiling pushed her back. Just before she hit the ground, she snapped her wings open and glided to the floor. Firefly clapped her hooves together. "Very good, Dashie!"

Dash took a bow. "Yeah, I'm awesome!"

Firefly rolled her eyes. "Modest too. Why don't you show me a spiral?"

Dash shot into the air and made several sharp turns as she charged upward. At the top of her ascent she corkscrewed downwards and landed on her hooves (always a plus!).

Dash stretched out her front legs and then her back. She took several steps back and then galloped, leaping over the couch. She leaped again, getting faster and faster each time. 

Firefly frowned and looked out the window. The storm showed no sign of letting up. It was too bad. Being inside was a slow torture for her daughter and she hated to see it. An idea popped into her head. "Say, Dashie. Why don't you go work out with your dad?"

The moment Dash took in the suggestion she was halfway up the stairs. She bounded into her dad's excercise room. Weights and excercise equipment were laid around the room in orderly rows. Blaze laid on a leather seat, lifting up a barbell. Two one-hundred pound weights were on either side of the long pole. Sweat poured down his face and his muscles bulged and rippled as he lifted it.

Dash pounced on his chest. "Hi."

Blaze lifted the barbell again. "Hi, Sweetie."

Dash grabbed hold of the barbell. "Can I do it too?"

Blaze grunted a bit at the extra weight. Dash hopped off his tummy. "Do what?"

Dash sprung onto her hind legs and shadow boxed. "Work out! I don't know how."

Blaze looked around the room. "Sorry, Sweetie. All these weights are too big. I can buy you some filly sized weights."

Dash grumbled to herself.

"But you can do some wing-ups." 

He got into the proper position, lifted just slightly on the tips of his wings. Dash imitated him. Her wings strained just a bit as she followed him down to the floor and lifted back up. She followed him down again. Up and down. Her wings crimped on the fifth wing-up and Blaze quickly caught her. "Enough wing-ups. I'll keep doing'em, you do push-ups. Like wing-ups, but with your forelegs."

Dash got onto her forelegs. Little beads of sweat gathered on her forehead as she held herself up. "Wow, working out is hard!"

He did another wing-up. "It's how you get strong!"

She followed him, going down and struggling to lift back up. Once more, she felt the familiar "go-do-something-else" tingling in her bones. Still, she was determined to do at least five push-ups. With this burning determination, she lifted herself up and down, up and down, up and down like a seesaw until after seven she couldn't do it anymore.

She popped up. "That was fun, but I'm going to go do something else!"

"Have fun!" Blaze shouted as she whooshed out the door. 

As Dash flew down the hallway, she felt herself gathering speed. The wind whipped her hair, a contrail formed behind her as she shot ever forward. Taking a corner, she shot down the stairs and rushed into the living room. Firefly jumped out of the way. "Dash! No flying that fast in the house!"

Dash didn't even attempt to slow down. Instead, she merely accelerated. The air had now formed a perfect cone around her. Her tail lashed around her, each individual hair and feather feeling the wind as she surged closer and closer towards the wall. Firefly screamed as the cone of air expanded, as Dash became a blur of blue. 

A stream of rainbow colors flowed behind her as a loud crack filled the room and then Dash crashed through the wall.

"DASH!"

The explosion knocked Firefly off of her hooves and she slammed into the wall at such a speed that the clouds dissipated. The couch was overturned along with the table. A vase shattered into thousands of purple pieces. The mulitihued explosion filled the room, cut through the wall as if it were made of water. The screen of the TV cracked and then the appliance fell to its doom.

The clouds making up the wall Dash had crashed into simply vaporized, returning to their constituent atoms and drifting away leaving only an absence that had once formed a barrier.

Firefly rocketed like Dash had, searching for her daughter. She found her a few feet outside, staring slackjawed at what she had wrought. She lifted up a hoof, pointed to herself and then at the space where a wall built by her ancetor's hooves and enduring for five centuries had once stood. 

Firefly grabbed her by the ear. There was no question in Dash's mind of what the consequences for this escapade would be. She didn't resist as her mom dragged her by the ear towards what she knew would be a trip across her knee. She only bowed her head and accepted her fate like the stoic Pegasan warriors of old.

The moment Firefly stepped hooves inside she was greeted by her husband. "Dash decided to do a sonic rainboom. Inside."

"I can repair the wall."

"Good."

While Blaze busied himself with the task of spinning out new clouds to keep out the rain, which was slowing, Firefly led the junior miscreant to an armchair. Wordlessly, she bent the filly across her knee. Dash tensed up. The first firm smack landed across her behind and was followed in rapid succession by two more smacks to the right side of her bottom. Dash tried not to kick her legs or squirm or cry as the spanks continued to land across her bottom.

Firefly landed the spanks evenly, pausing a few seconds between each spank, a rythmic cascade of swats across Dash's behind. She fell into a cadence, a rhythm of slaps descending as her hoof connected with Dash's hind end. A sting followed in the wake of each spank that finally made Dash begin to squirm.

Firefly ignored the squirming and began focusing the spanks on the left side of her bottom. She peppered the pegasus' posterior with stinging swats that left an uncomfortable heat beginning to build up in Dash's bottom. Dash jerked around across her mom's knee to no avail. Firefly alternated, switching from spanking the right part of Dash's bottom and then the left part. A few smacks landed across Dash's spit spot that made Dash finally cry out.

Dash held back the tears as Firefly focused the spanks all across her backside, avoiding spanking the same area twice. Her bottom was slowly growing pink. Firefly began swatting the lower part of Dash's butt and moved up to the higher part of her tushy, making sure to smack the fatty part and nowhere near her spine.

She moved the swats to the center of her bottom, landing several firm smacks there. Dash finally broke. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I broke the vase! I'm sorry I broke the wall a-and the tv and-"

Firefly paused and gave her rump one last spank. "Is there anything else you're sorry for?"

Dash sniffled. "Not listening to you?"

Firefly choked back a wave of nausea. "Oh, Dashie, no...oh, Sweetie..."

She picked Dash up and pulled her into the warm embrace of her hooves and wings. Dash nestled against her and wrapped her hooves around her chest. Firefly nuzzled the top of her head. "Dashie, I love you. More than you'll ever know."

"I love you too, Mommy."

"We can buy a new vase and table and tv-all coming out of your allowance by the way-, but we can't buy a new Dashie. You're so much more precious to me than any vase or material thing. I spanked you because you could have hurt yourself. What if you'd hit something harder than clouds? You could have..." She choked back a second wave of nausea at the thought. "You could have killed yourself. Promise me you won't ever do that again, okay?"

Dash nodded. "Promise."

Blaze stood back from the half-completed wall. "Hey Dash, want to learn how to make clouds?"

With a consenting smile from Firefly, Dash hopped off her lap. She looked up at her dad with tearful dejected puppy-dog eyes."I know I was naughty and don't deserve it, but can we still go to Poseidon's Peak?"

Blaze looked to Firefly who nodded. "I've been looking forward to that trip as much as you and Dash."

Blaze wrapped a hoof around her. "Well, if your mom says its okay, sure."

Dash jumped up and down, hugging her dad's neck. "Yay!"
...
"We spent the rest of the day at the Peak. It was fun and I never did a sonic rainboom in the house again. Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Applejack snickered. "I know what I'm doin' next time you crash into one of my apple trees."

"Or my library."

"Or the windows of the boutique."

Dash chuckled nervously."Okay, I get ya. I'll try to be more careful. Don't go get the paddle.”

Applejack settled into her cushion. "I'm one to talk about bein' careful. Let me tell you about the time I went to the Everfree Forest to be a hermit."
> Applejack's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vegetation and vine-ensnared, dead-looking trees rose up above the young, orange Earth Pony as she moved through the tall grasses. The sun only just barely made it through the thick, gnarled branches. The canopy overhead blocked out almost all light, leaving the forest enshrouded in shadows. The intrepid explorer adjusted her hat and kept on walking. If she walked, she didn't have to think.

Thinking wasn't very high on her list of priorities right now. She closed her eyes, put aside her thoughts and felt the land around her. The overwhelming sensation was that of moisture as if the forest were grown over some vast lake beneath the earth. Green tendrils snaked around her hooves. She jumped in fright as something furry slipped past her and picked up her pace from a leisurely trot to a hurried canter. She wasn't sure where she was going. She didn't care neither. A screeching call from something nesting in the branches high overhead sent a shiver through her spine.

She darted forward, her hooves digging into the wet, soft earth. Specks and clods of mud were kicked up as she charged without direction or purpose. She crashed into the bushes and her powerful shoulders plowed through them, leaving her scratched up, but still she ran. She rushed deeper and deeper into the woods, the trees growing taller. She felt that they were about to close in on her. Her breathing hitched up and she blindly charged through the endless rows of trees. Panic seized her and she could no longer tell where she was going. Her heart pounded against her rib cage as if the organ longed to escape as much as she herself did.

Her legs burned at the exertion as she slammed them against the earth. Animals scattered as they heard the approach of the frantic earth pony. She wasn't sure if she were still going in a straight line or if she were running in circles or if directions even mattered in this treacherous, enchanted place.

The only thing she knew for sure was that she had to keep running. Her legs were screaming for her to stop, but she ignored it. Her lungs felt close to bursting, but she ignored that too. The only thing she didn't ignore was the deep instinct to run, the only instinct she had been obeying since earlier that morning. She had to run. She had to escape. She didn't want to think or feel or talk about it (cause there weren't nothing to talk about) or cry. She just wanted to keep on running.

The more she ran, the more she could feel her connection to the earth. The planet itself imparted to her her energy, her strength. She called upon it and let the power fill her. A burst of raw energy encompassed her and she shot forward. The forest rushed by in a blur of greens and browns. She didn't stop, leaping over rocks in her path just like she had during junior rodeos, back when her granny and brother and ma and pa had cheered....

No! The memory was met with forceful rejection. She leapt over a bush in her way even though she could just have easily gone around it. The leap filled her with a rush of exhilaration. She leapt again and a real grin came to her lips. A stitch in her side forced her to stop. She caught herself before she collapsed. Her breath came out in short wheezes. A cacophony of caws came from crows far away in the beech trees high above. She looked around and recognized nothing around her. In all of her forbidden excursions to the Everfree, she had never come this far. Everything was strange and unfamiliar.

She smiled. That was perfect. Just perfect. Her stomach growled and reminded her that her last meal had been at breakfast and she had hardly eaten then. She called once more on her Earth Pony magic. The closest edible plant she could feel was the grass beneath her. She bent down and gave the grass a suspicious sniff. She had never eaten grass from the root before. Didn't seem civilized. Still, she was a hermit now and hermits weren't exactly civilized folk. She took a nibble of the bitter grass, trying to get use to the tangy flavor that coated her tongue. It would be what she'd be eating from now on. It wasn't too bad. Nothing like apples (that thought didn't bring tears to her eyes), but it would get a passing grade and it stopped the gnawing in her stomach.

She knew there would have to be a source of water around here somewhere. The ground was too wet for that to not be true. She trotted a few paces. Her senses told her to keep going east. The ground was so soggy that she nearly sank into it on a few occasions.

She came at last to a large, crystal blue lake. A circle of pines wrapped around it yet the waters were clear. That told her somepony-or just someone-was taking care of it. There was another hermit in these woods then. It was the only explanation she could think of. She sipped the water and the cool liquid soothed her throat which was still dry from the running she'd done earlier. 

She decided that being a hermit didn't give her an excuse to be dirty so she slipped into the waters, shivering at the cold touch of the lake. Only after dipping into it a few times did she realize that she hadn't brought along a towel. The water soaked into her fur all the way to her skin. She stepped out onto the grass and shook herself. Droplets of water sprayed everywhere. 

Applejack looked up as she heard branches snapping. A grey-coated, scar-covered Earth Pony stallion glared at her. "Who are you, kid?"

Applejack gulped. "I'm Applejack Apple. I'm your new neighbor. Uh...howdy."

The glare didn't leave the stallion's face. "Is Celestia exiling foals now?"

Applejack shook her head. "I ain't no exile."

"Why in the world would you come out here willingly? Aren't you going to miss your family?" The stallion stepped closer. 

Applejack stepped farther away. "I...reckon I didn't think about that. You take care of this lake?"

"Yeah, it's my penance. Keeping it clean. Little things like that keep you from going mad." The glare intensified. "I don't like little brats coming in and dirtying it. You got that?"

Applejack tried to control her trembling. "Alright. I want do it again."

"Better not. The last time somepony crossed me..."He chuckled. "Well, that's why I'm here."

Applejack bolted, galloping as fast as she could away from the lake. She only stopped when she was back to her little patch of grass. She was going to have to claim it somehow in order to keep the weirdos away. A random assortment of rocks made nice building material for a wall. She used her nose to push the stones into place and then hopped over the new construction.

She frowned. If she could leap over it, then so could anypony else. Somepony-or someone or something-could knock it down. What if that thing came in the middle of the night. She curled up into a little ball while despair washed over. She hopped up and rushed over the wall of stones. Maybe, just maybe, she should go on home. 

She plopped back down. No. Going back home meant...no, she didn't have a home anymore. This was her home now.  She leapt back over the wall and settled down behind it. This was home and she would defend it. The thought made her instinctively snort and paw at the ground.

She laid down and waited. The wind sang as it moved through the grass and the branches. A bird whistled. Hundreds of animals snarled and howled and hissed. Applejack curled up tighter. No matter what the forest brought she wasn't going to leave it.

Maybe, she'd never leave this spot again. It was comfortable enough. There was plenty of grass. She'd need to find a new lake though. Or maybe she could just buck that scary stallion senseless and take the lake for herself though that didn't seem neighborly.

Scaring her when all she had done was take a bath wasn't very neighborly either, though. Curling even tighter into herself, she wondered who else was out here. What else was out here. If she stayed right here, in this little spot, she'd be safe. She yawned. The grass softly tickled her tummy and her sides as she was lulled into a light nap.

It was a dreamless sleep that she was suddenly awoken from. Her ears twitched and she jumped up. Somepony was coming closer. She pawed at the ground and prepared to charge. More branches snapped beneath the unknown pony's gait, assuming a pony was who it was.

There was a familiar scent in the air. Applejack sniffed. It was the scent of apples and cinnamon. Her eyes pooled with tears that refused to be shed. Her body relaxed, almost slouching. She knew who it was before the old, green mare stepped into the woods.

She coolly regarded the wall Applejack was standing behind and motioned for her to come. Applejack didn't budge. Granny stepped over it. 

Applejack didn't move. "I ain't goin' back."

Granny reached out only for the filly to move away. "Applejack, listen. I ain't mad at you. I understand how hard this is."

Applejack scowled. Granny continued. "You come back with me, I'll make you some apple fritters."

Applejack's stomach growled. "No."

"You ain't gonna be in any trouble. No spankin's or extra chores."

The offer of amnesty combined with the promise of sweets almost swayed her. Almost. "No. This is my home now. You can visit anytime if'n ya want, but I ain't goin' back."

Granny sighed. "Applejack, I'm tryin' to be patient with you, but you're wearin' me down. You can not stay in the Everfree Forest. It ain't safe."

Applejack thumbed her nose up. "I can do whatever I want."

"You come with me right now or when we get back you're gettin' the paddle."

Applejack hesitated. "You can't make me come back."

"Yes, I can." 

Applejack turned around to run as Granny approached. That was a big mistake. Granny's teeth chomped down her tail and the older Pony picked her up to drag her over her little fort. Applejack squirmed and hollered, but her grandmother was far stronger than her.

(She was younger then and still had some streaks of gold in her mane and a lot less wrinkles. More muscles though.)

Applejack squirmed as they walked back towards home. "Put me down! Granny! I said put me down!"

Granny ignored her, taking a well-worn path through elm trees that Applejack hadn't noticed before. Applejack hung from Granny's teeth while the matriarch carried her in the direction of the apple farm. By the time they got to the point where the trees cleared out, she had stopped squirming. Granny dropped her. Applejack didn't run, knowing that it would be an exercise in futility.

They hurried their pace, Granny guiding her through paths trod into the dirt. Applejack hadn't realized how familiar Granny was with the paths of the Everfree Forest. As it got later in the day and they continued walking Applejack wondered how far she had gone. 

Granny stopped and stretched. "I'm gettin' too old for this, young'n. Next time, I'm sendin' your big brother after you."

Applejack hung her head, overcome with a sense of remorse. Granny noticed her mood and patted her head. "Let's just get this out the way, then we can have some supper."

It was clear that they were coming to the place where civilization met the wilderness. Applejack could see the farm from here and the rolling fields of apple trees. Big Mac was waiting by the fence. He ran-Applejack had never seen her brother gallop like that-and scooped her up in a crushing embrace. Applejack hugged him back.

"Don't ever do that again, ya hear?" He asked as he set her down.

Applejack nodded. "I-I'm gonna get a spankin.'"

"Good. Maybe it'll whip some sense in ya."

She walked away and Granny led her inside, pausing to get the heart-decorated paddle which hung in the kitchen, and up to her bedroom where she expertly bent the filly across the bed. Applejack leaned into the green, orange-patterned blankets and waited. Granny raised the paddle into the air and brought it down across her backside with a stinging slap. Applejack jumped, but didn't cry out. Granny landed a second whack just below the first and then a third in the same place.

Applejack closed her eyes and bore the paddle slapping her behind. Granny landed a fourth and fifth whack.  This time, Applejack let out a tiny whimper. A sixth whack of the paddle spanked her tushy followed quickly by a seventh. Granny swung the paddle again and again, raining down spanks across Applejack's behind.

Applejack tried to bear the spanking stoically, but as the fourteenth spank clapped her bottom she let out a little cry. Granny didn't let up, a cascade of spanks raining down on her now red rump. The first tear slid down her cheek. A twentieth spank and then the twenty-first spank slapped the place where her rump met her thigh. She howled and then she broke, pressing her face into her sheets and crying.

Granny put down the paddle and sat on the bed to scoop the weeping filly into her lap. She held her and Applejack buried her face into her chest. "I-I'm sorry, Granny!"

Granny softly rubbed her mane. "It's alright. Oh, child, it's alright."

Applejack hugged her grandmother. She looked up and realized tears were streaming down Granny's face. "Granny? Why are you cryin' too?"

Granny wiped away the tears. More came to replace the ones wiped away. "Cause I was scared, you silly filly." She hugged her tight. "When I came into your room and you weren't there I was so, so scared." She squeezed her as if she were afraid Applejack was going to disappear. "You're all I have left." Her voice wavered. "My daughter is dead. My son-in-law's gone to parts unknown. You and Apple Bloom and Big Mac are all I have left. I love you so much."

"I love you too Granny."

Granny pressed her lips to Applejack's head and the two cried into each other, seeking comfort from each other's presence. 
...
Applejack hid behind her hat. The others looked like they were on the verge of tears. Fluttershy and Cadence sniffled. Applejack bit her lip. "I'm gonna need a minute, y'all."

Twilight patted her shoulder. The next thing Applejack knew she was enveloped in a group hug. "Oh, y'all, c'mon!" She made no effort to move away.

Eventually, the others moved away. Twilight scratched her chin. "So, how did Granny Smith find you?"

"Earth Pony ancestor magic. We have spells to find anypony related to us."

Twilight clapped her hooves. "That's so cool!" Her wings flapped of their own accord. "Maybe I could learn it?"

"Sure, I'll teach you. By the way, is the paddle just an Earth Pony thing?"

Both Twilight and Shining chuckled.

Twilight settled herself on the pillow. "Back at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns if you got three strikes you got a paddling over the the teacher's desk. I got it once for a few...dark magic spell I'm not proud of."

Shining mouthed "want it-need it spell." "At the Guard Academy you got paddled in the courtyard. That was mortifying."

Pinkie munched on a s'more. "My mom always used a hairbrush if we were really bad. One time..."
> Pinkie's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie slowly crept down the stairs, not daring to make a noise that might disturb the other members of her household. The chores were done for the day. It was winter. Outside, a thick carpet of snow blanketed the ground and a fierce wind howled from the north, knocking away the last brown leaves fighting to hang onto the branches. Very little work was done in winter after the late morning. Nopony, not even her industrious parents, wanted to face the wintry weather to mine for gems. As long as they saved wisely during the productive part of the year they didn't have to.

What little chores they did have during this season were practical things like chopping wood for the fireplace or keeping the house clean. So, most of the day was spent with the family doing whatever they felt like. For Daddy, that meant sitting and staring into the dancing flames of the fireplace. Mommy was sewing with Granny Pie and whispering. An occasional giggle would pop up as they remembered things that had happened long ago or discussed village gossip. Pinkie's sisters were outside throwing snowballs at each other. Pinkie had been playing with then for a while though the snow on her mane had long melted. 

Pinkie was nearly on the last step. She hesitated and then scampered onto the floor and headed straight for the kitchen which had a decidedly holiday theme as did the rest of the house. Evergreen needles hung from the walls and mistletoe hung from the ceiling.

The sweet scent of sugar cookies wafted from the stove. Pinkie felt her mouth watering. She quickly shook her head as she pounced on top of the counter (a punishable offense, but nopony was paying attention to her.) She quickly balanced herself and reached for the cabinet. She frowned as she flailed her forelegs in the air and huffed in annoyance. She just wasn't big enough to reach the top shelf!

She grinned. A thought had latched onto her brain, a solution to her present conundrum. She couldn't help but chuckle. Her tail proved capable of reaching the cabinet door and sliding it open. Unfortunately, what she was looking for was not in that cabinet. She closed it, feeling thankful that the door didn't squeak. That was mainly because Granny Pie was always oiling the doors.

She walked across the counter and turned around, snaking her tail up to another counter and opening it. This time, she found the glass bottle of ketchup. She wrapped her pink, fluffy tail around it and very carefully set it down. It didn't make so much as a clink as it was set upon the counter. She unscrewed it and lifted it up. The red, gloopy liquid slowly made its way towards the opening of the bottle.

Pinkie put it right above her head, waiting for the first drops to lose itself in her mane. At last, the red liquid splashed onto her forehead, nearly dripping into her eyes. She rapidly blinked. The ketchup was cool and thick. She reached up a hoof and smeared it all across her face like it was Buffalo war paint.

She could barely suppress her giggles as she screwed the bottle back up and slid it back into the cabinet. When that was done, she hopped off the table. The cool floor made her shiver so she hopped onto a blue rug. The warmth from the stove made her yawn. It was nice and toasty. She could almost stay right there forever. 

Pinkie shook the thought away. This prank was going to be so funny! She affected a pout and rushed into the living room. "Mommy, Daddy, Granny! I hurt myself!"

Her dad jumped up from the couch and let out a curse. Her mom and grandma threw down their sewing projects and darted over to her.

Her dad managed to reach her first, the names of several deities on his lips as well as general invocations for those deities to bring condemnation. Her mom and grandma were next to reach her. Her mom took one look at her and ran into the kitchen proclaiming that she was going to get a band-aid.

Her grandma and dad began frantically wiping away what they thought was blood.

Granny Pie was the first to notice. "W-Where's the cut? I ain't seein' no cuts!"

Her dad's face had shifted from concern to confusion. He lifted up an eyebrow. "Pinkie, how'd you hurt yourself? Did you fall? Maybe it's a shallow cut."

"Might be."

Igneous Pie's eyes traveled from the supposed blood on his daughter's face to the blood on her hoof. "Pinkie, lift your hoof."

Pinkie bit her lip, holding in a burst of laughter. She raised her hoof. Igneous inspected it and touched it. He raised the "blood" to his sensitive nostrils.

Granny caught it at the same time he did. Igneous's mouth crossed into a tight, thin line. Granny's eyes narrowed. Pinkie took several steps back. Why weren't they laughing? It was just a funny prank. She wasn't really hurt!

Cloudy rushed back into the room, a packet of band-aids in her hand. She looked at her daughter's most certainly not bloodied face. Her face took on the same expression of anger as her kin. "Pinkie...you weren't hurt? You was just pretendin'?" The question came out as a low growl.

Pinkie shrunk down. "It was just a prank." Her ears wilted, pinning down tight against her mane. "Hah-hah?" She offered.

Nopony in the room laughed.

Igneous stomped his hoof. "By Tartarus! What do you mean this was just a Celestia-forsaken prank? You think that's funny! It ain't funny, I can tell you that! You being hurt is the least funny thing I can think of!"

Pinkie took more steps backward, bumping up against the wall. Her eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled. "Sorry?"

Igneous stomped another hoof and snorted. "You ought to be sorry! I gotta good mind to-to-if you were my son I'd get my belt!"

Pinkie gulped. Granny put a hoof on her son's shoulder and glared at Pinkie. "Pinkie, I think you need to go to your room."

The filly hung her head and looked up at her stony faced elders. Her puffy mane went flat. "M-Mommy? Daddy? Do I have to?"

Granny pointed up the stairs. "Your room. Now."

Pinkie turned and slowly trudged up the stairs. Her heart felt heavy with each step she took. The grainy wood scraped her hooves. The house had fallen eerily still. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the flames and the screech of the northern wind as it beat against the little farmhouse.

Pinkie stopped at her door and opened it. She slumped over to her bed and plopped down into the softness of her pink blankets, resting her head onto the pillow. Two little tear tracks rolled down her cheeks. Not sure how long her imprisonment would last she nuzzled her pink pillow and rested for a while.

She noticed a pile of toys in the corner which she had been playing with earlier and hopped off the bed to go pick them up. There was no need to get herself in even more trouble. She picked up a green Pony doll with a yellow mane and placed it on her shelf next to her window. She placed a donkey doll next to her and then a grey doll that reminded her of her sister. 

Once all her toys were picked up she plopped back down on the bed. Outside, the sun went on its way, steadily going west. It was shrouded today in thick clouds. Pinkie stared out as her sisters got bored with their winter games and hopped inside. She sat back and stared up at the ceiling. There was sprig of holly atop her door. She stared at the red berries. Her family had spent last week decorating the house. 

Boredom crushed her and she longed to run out the door, but leaving time-out would get her in trouble. Or maybe it wouldn't. She was having a hard time figuring out what would or wouldn't get her in trouble today. She curled into a little ball. Outside, the clouds broke and little stars came out. 

Panicked thoughts raced through the pink filly's mind. What if her family had forgotten her? What if they had decided she was more trouble than she was worth and had decided to keep her permanently in her room?

Those thoughts vanished when her mom opened the door. Pinkie shot up. Cloudy held a hairbrush in her hoof. She sat down on the bed and laid the implement next to her. Pinkie avoided her gaze. Cloudy wrapped her in a hug. 

Pinkie blinked and hugged back. Cloudy let her go. "That was a mean thing you did today. We all thought you were really hurt."

Pinkie focused her attention on the floor. Cloudy continued. "Did you really think it was funny?"

"I-I didn't mean to. I just, I was reading this prank book and..." She trailed off.

Cloudy shook her head. "It isn't funny if you're the only one laughing."

Pinkie looked up, jutting her lips out. "But I thought you would laugh once you saw I wasn't hurt."

Cloudy sighed. "Pinkie, you got a lot to learn before you truly come into your mark. It isn't just today. You scared your sister half to death the other day with that fake snake. You've put up buckets of water everywhere to fall on our heads. It was funny the first few times. It's getting mean."

Pinkie sniffled. She felt as if a brick had lodged inside her stomach. "I...I..I haven't wanted to be mean. I was trying to make you smile."

"A party once in a while makes me smile. I'll even laugh about a whoopee cushion. Don't you dare tell your daddy I told you that."

Pinkie filed that one away for future reference. 

"There is nothing funny about you or your sisters getting hurt. When I thought you were bleeding, I was terrified. You can't understand how scared I was. Don't ever pull a prank like that again."

Pinkie nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

Cloudy picked up the hairbrush or as it was occasionally called, "the attitude adjuster." Pinkie tried to squirm away, but Cloudy caught her in a practiced grip. She laid the kicking filly across her lap and raised the hairbrush high into the air. It came down with a loud crack across the filly's behind. Pinkie kicked and cried out. Cloudy fell into a practiced rhythm with her hairbrush, the spanks cascading down across Pinkie's bottom.

Pinkie buried her face in the sheets and unabashedly cried. The hairbrush continued bringing down the terrible whacks across her tushy. The slap of wood meeting rump filled her bedroom along with Pinkie's wailing. Her rump burned as the smacks from the hairbrush fell across it. Her behind hurt from the relentless spanks, but her conscience was in agony. Nausea filled her gut.

She had betrayed her mark, her purpose, her destiny. A stinging slap fell across the direct middle of her bottom and a second fell in the same spot.Cloudy firmly smacked the crying filly's sit spot and followed through with a flurry of stinging swats.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!"

Cloudy didn't slow down the smacks of the brush. The spanks peppered Pinkie's posterior, the relentless paddling painting her posterior a darker shade of pink. Cloudy had had many years of experience doing this. She began to slow down, pausing between the swats and letting Pinkie catch her breath.

She landed three final spanks and stopped. The dreaded implement was set aside. Pinkie cried over her mother's lap until tears would no longer come. Cloudy pulled her up and wrapped her forelegs around the child. Pinkie sniffled, buried her face into her mother's chest and embraced her. Cloudy rocked her from side to side, cooing over her and brushing her mane, using the hairbrush for its more gentle purpose. "You need to apologize to your dad and grandma."

"I know. Can I stay like this?"

Cloudy patted Pinkie's back and put down the brush. "For as long as you need to, Sweetie. For as long as you need to."

Pinkie smiled. The nausea was gone. She basked in her mother's forgiveness and her hair poofed back up. At last the cuddle came to an end. Cloudy led her down the stairs where Granny was knitting a sock and Igneous was reading a copy of Miner's Monthly.

Pinkie wasted no time in hopping on her daddy's lap and looking up at him with the saddest expression she could manage. "I'm sorry for the prank, Daddy. Forgive me?"

Igneous drew her close and kissed the top of her head.  Granny went over and also hugged her. Pinkie's stomach audibly growled. Cloudy chuckled. "C'mon, let's get something to eat."

Pinkie jumped off Igneous's lap and the family trailed off into the kitchen.
...
Pinkie yawned and leaned back into her pillow. "And that's how I got my cutie mark!"

Twilight blinked. "What? No it wasn't."

"Well, I had some kind of mark on my butt after!"

Even Luna laughed as they all burst into giggles.

Pinkie sat up straighter. "But in all seriousness? That's how I learned the most important rule of pranking. Pranks are for laughs not tears."

Fluttershy hid behind a wing. "Oh my. I also got in trouble because of a prank."

Dash cocked her head. "Alright. This I got to hear."
> Fluttershy's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy lost herself in the crowd of other colts and fillies trotting out of the classroom and walking along the cloud floors. Some of the students flew above the crowd. Fluttershy preferred keeping to the ground. With her mane over her face none of the bullies noticed or bothered her. She just had to keep her head down and get to the next class. With practiced skill she ducked and weaved through the crowded halls. A menagerie of pegasii foals surged from out the classrooms. Fluttershy felt strangely safe. There was anonymity in a crowd. Anonymity meant safety.

The crowd began to thin out as the foals found their classrooms. Fluttershy smiled as she sought for her next class. It was math. She frowned. She hated math. It wasn't because of the subject either. As she took a few trembling steps towards the door of the class she felt somepony bump into her causing her to stumble. A second body pushed into her.

Fluttershy stumbled up. Dumb Bell and his idiot friend (not that she would ever call him an idiot to his face-that would be mean) snickered as they pushed past her. "Um, excuse me, but, um you seemed to have bumped into me. I-it was probably because I was in your way, b-but, um-"

Dumb Bell stalked over to her, pressing a hoof to her snout. Fluttershy stepped back. "What'cha gonna do about it, Klutzershy?"

Fluttershy could feel her entire body trembling. Her wings snapped against her sides though she longed to spread them wide and fly away. She lifted up her math book. "N-nothing. I'm sorry."

Dumb Bell shoved her and she fell back into somepony's waiting forelegs. She caught a flash of blue and felt a warm, familiar hold. Dash glared at the bullies as she let Fluttershy go. No words were spoken. They didn't need to be. The bullies fled.

Dash shook her head. "Honestly, Fluttershy, you need to stop letting those jerks push you around."

Fluttershy looked to the floor. "I know, I'm sorry."

"And stop apologizing all the time."

She shuffled a hoof. "I'm sorry."

Dash sighed and laid a wing on her back, guiding her away from the door to the classroom. She glanced back and a wide grin spread over her face. Fluttershy felt immediately uncomfortable. That grin on that face never meant anything good. Fluttershy didn't protest as Dash led her further and further away from where she was supposed to be.

At some point Fluttershy stopped letting herself be dragged and fell into step alongside Dash. Her eyes scanned the hall searching for any hall monitors that might catch them and send them straight back to class. By the time they had gotten near the bathrooms, Fluttershy had decided to start asking questions.

She stopped and Dash stopped with her. The hallways were empty. The only sound that could be heard was the drone of teachers lecturing. Dash did the same sweep of the halls that Fluttershy had done. Nopony was coming or would see them.
Dash's grin got wider. "Hey, Fluttershy, want to have some fun?"

Fluttershy hesitated. "What kind of fun?"

Dash shrugged. "Just a prank. I have some free time."

Pegasii academies were very free structured. Students past second year were allowed to choose what times they would take a particular class and could put in some free time. Cutting class was not entirely forbidden although your grade would drop. And cutting class more than five times meant an instant fail and a few spanks with the paddle.

Alright, it wasn't that free, but every place had its limits.

Fluttershy shrugged. "Alright. What kind of prank?"

Dash dragged her along again with a wing draped over her back. "I'm glad you asked!" Dash knocked the bathroom door open and rushed into the room. Fluttershy raised a quizzical eyebrow. Everything in the room was made of cloud marble. Sleek and beautiful, so seamless you would think that it was stone.

There was a sink for washing your hooves and rows of cubicles. Fluttershy spent a lot of time in them, softly crying when the bullying got to be too much for her. 

Dash opened a bathroom stall. "Here let me show you." The grin was now positively demonic. She grabbed up a toilet roll and began cramming toilet paper into the bowl.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Um, Dash...toilet paper's supposed to go in the toilet. It's um...it's sort of in its name."

Dash kept cramming it in. "Flush it, Snarkershy."

"Um...alright." Rainbow Crash. Fluttershy jimmied the cloud handle and flushed. The loud noise of the commode flushing almost made her jump. Her wings still gave a flap of alarm. The water pooled around the clogging, mess of paper. As the water struggled to push down the obstacle in its way, its own force made it shoot up and over the bowl.

Fluttershy gasped. Her companions plans became very clear. "You want me to help you clog all the toilets?"

Dash's mane flew back and forth as she nodded. "I mean you don't have to. You can just go back to class if you want."

"I'm in."

Dash playfully popped her shoulder. "Awesome! I knew I could count on you!"

She zoomed out of the stall, Fluttershy going after her at a slower pace. Fluttershy chose the stall to the right of the stall Dash had chosen for herself and walked inside the small, cramped space. She unhooked the roll from the little stick it was on (she didn't know what that was called) and gently stripped a piece of paper from the roll and tossed it in. The little white paper floated into the bowl, little ripples floating from the impact.

She frowned and took a bigger rip out of the roll and tossed it into the bowl. Then, she tore a bigger clump out of the roll and then an even bigger clump. The clumps of paper rained down into the bowl. Fluttershy threw aside all restraint and tore the paper apart. 

She slammed down the handle and the waters in the bowl roared and sloshed over the bowl. A few seconds later so did Dash's toilet.

It took her a few seconds to realize the wild giggling was coming from her own lips.

Soon, there was another sound. Fluttershy was about to leave the stall when she heard the heavy trod of an older Pegasus. Dash was less stealthy, walking straight into Mrs. Honeyed Words, the Equish teacher. Dash gulped as she looked up (and up) at the tall, brown Pegasus mare.

Fluttershy gulped herself and fluttered onto the top of the toilet. There was the squeak of an opened door, the upraised shout of a surprised teacher and a protesting filly. Fluttershy lept down from the toilet and peaked out the door. Dash was being led away by her ear.

Fluttershy's own ears drooped. She steeled herself, took a deep breath and stood in the center of the floor as she was completely unable to move.

By the time she was able to move, she darted out the bathroom door and quickly marched towards the principal's office. That was the only logical place Mr. Honeyed Words would be leading the hapless filly. The long hallway stretched before her and, as she ran, it seemed that it would never end. She flapped her wings to propel herself further and finally took to the air altogether.

Still, her flight didn't seem fast enough no matter how much power she pumped into her wings. She took a side corridor and kept flying through the empty hall. 

Fluttershy was panting by the time she reached the principal's office. She raised a hoof to knock and stopped. The sound she heard was unmistakable. The smack of the dreaded paddle and the muffled yelp as it slapped across a filly's backside. Fluttershy dropped her hoof and slumped away.

A few seconds passed before Dash walked out. She stood up on her hind legs and rubbed her rump. She smiled at Fluttershy despite her obvious discomfort. Fluttershy lifted her gaze from the floor.

"Yo, Flutters. So, let's get to gym. I don't want to get in more trouble today."

Fluttershy strode past her. "There's something I have to do."

Dash gently knocked her away from the door. "Whoa, whoa, you're not going to confess are you?" The question came out as a tiny whisper as Dash took her away from the door.

Fluttershy refused to meet Dash's stare."I was thinking about it."

Dash shook her head. "Flutters, that paddle hurts. I know I make it look easy, but it does. It was my dumb idea, just let me take the fall for it."

"But-"

"No buts. I won't stop you, but I'd rather not see you get a paddling. I mean, the most trouble you've ever gotten into was when you were late for class cause you went and chased after some birds."

That time-out had been humiliating. "I know, but...I just..."

Dash placed a hoof on her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's just go to gym class and forget the whole thing."

Fluttershy sighed. "Okay. Let's go."
...
Fluttershy once more found herself in a crowd of other foals as they all streamed from the academy. Fluttershy skulked down the steps as many other of her classmates sailed over her head. Dash waved goodbye to her as she soared off towards her waiting parents.

Her parents were waiting for her. She slumped over to them. The day had been going fast since the prank gone wrong and her classes had gone by in a blur. Her parents greeted her with a nuzzle which she returned.

Her dad patted her mane. "Hi, Sweetie. How was school?"

She stared straight ahead. "It was good."

She ascended into the air alongside her parents, keeping between them. They soared at a slow pace, accommodating her. The cloud cottages looked so small beneath them. She counted the arched roofs held up by columns. The eternal blue sky stretched high above. Puffy, white cotton candy clouds dotted the sky below her, the clouds drifting beneath them and surrounding them. 

It was a great blanket of white splashed against an azure canvas. Some clouds were like mighty mountains and some like rocks breaking from a mountain as they were ripped apart by the wind. Others were wisps of vapor. The Pegasii, with practiced ease, danced and twirled beneath them. Fluttershy flew through one and almost lost herself in the white. Her mane and fur were soaked when she came out.

Her mom only tolerantly smiled when she emerged and took her place on her right side. Her dad came up to the left of her.

She flew over one, still keeping pace with her parents. The neighborhood she called home came into view. From up here it was easy to see that the great city of Cloudsdale was a giant field of clouds, buildings woven from cloudstuff. Rainbow waterfalls lazily flowed into rainbow pools. Rivers of rainbow coursed through puffy cumulus streets.

The flock landed in a courtyard where a humble, one story cottage with an arched roof but lacking pillars stood. Her mom tucked her wings back against her sides. "I was thinking of getting some ice cream. I bet I know a little filly who'd be interested in going with me."

Fluttershy scooped at the cloud she was standing on. "Um, I don't feel like ice cream. My tummy hurts. I'm gonna go to my room."

Her parents shared a concerned glass. Her dad ruffled her mane. "Everything alright?"

Fluttershy moved away from the comfort of his hoof. "I'm fine. I just don't feel like ice cream."

Her mom pressed her hoof to her forehead. "You don't have a fever. You say you have a tummy ache?"

"Yes."

Her dad scratched his chin. "Hmm...what did you have for lunch?"

"Fried alfalfa."

"Ich. Too greasy. What you need is some good, soothing mint tea."

Both her mom and dad placed protective wings across her back. Fluttershy settled onto the couch and laid her head on a pillow. While her dad went to make the tea her mom sat down beside her and took her head in her lap. Fluttershy rested against her.

"Fluttershy, sweetie, is anything else bothering you? Just your tummy?"

"Yes, Mommy."

Mrs. Shy frowned. "Fluttershy, if you can't be honest with me I can't help you."

"I wanna go to my room. Can I drink my tea there?"

Mrs. Shy caressed her daughter's mane. "You may."

Fluttershy made no effort to move away from the soothing feel of her mother's hoof brushing through her pink strands. Mr. Shy whistled as he carried a silver tray upon which was set a little white cup into the room. Fluttershy sat up, took the cup and leaned back against the couch cushions. The drink was just warm enough. It tingled against her lips and its warmth soothed her belly.

Mrs. Shy wrapped a foreleg around her. "I thought you were going up to your room?"

Fluttershy sipped some more of the drink. Her dad wrapped a wing around her. She leaned into the affection. "I changed my mind."

There was another wordless, worried look shared between her parents. She drained the last of the tea and hopped off the couch. After floating it to the kitchen she went up to her room and sank into the green sheets of her bed. Several minutes were spent staring up at the ceiling.

The door opened nearly silently. Mrs. Shy sat on the bed, picked Fluttershy up and cradled her in her lap. Fluttershy leaned into her. 

"Please tell me what's wrong."

Fluttershy waited a few moments, started to speak, stopped.

Mrs. Shy rolled back onto the mattress. "I'll wait. All day. All night."

"You'll be mad."

"I promise I won't be."

"You will be."

"What'd you do? Did you chase after a flock of birds again?"

"One time," Fluttershy muttered. "That was just one time."

Mrs. Shy lightly tickled her daughter's side. A small giggle escaped her lips. Fluttershy wanted to curl up and sleep on her mom's chest. She peeked out from her mane. "I was naughty today." 

"What'd you do?"

"I helped Dash clog the toilets. Dash got a spanking, but...they didn't catch me."

Mrs. Shy sighed. "Alright."

"Mommy? Are you mad?"

Mrs. Shy sat back up. "I'm not mad. I'm disappointed."

Fluttershy cringed. 

"I'm going to guess the prank was Dash's idea."

"It was."

A longer sigh came from Mrs. Shy. "I hate to do it, but...do you think...do you think you should get the same punishment Dash got?"

Fluttershy mustered up her bravery. It wasn't much. "Yes." 

"I won't use anything harder than my hoof and it won't hurt any worse than it has to." She lifted Fluttershy's chin. "Okay? You ready?"

Fluttershy sniffled. "I'm ready."

Before she could change her mind and spare her daughter, she laid her over her lap and landed a light swat on her bottom. Fluttershy jumped. It stung, but not nearly as much as she feared it would. A second swat quickly followed the first one to the same place. The third swat landed on the second part of her rump. Mrs. Shy fell into an easy rhythm, increasing the tempo of the swats she landed on her daughter's backside.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and tried not to squirm as the spanks continued to fall. A cascade of spanks rained down on her backside. Fluttershy endured them in silence, only letting out the occasional whimper. They were light, but stung all the same. Each swat built a sweltering heat on her backside.

At last, she started to squirm. Mrs. Shy wrapped a foreleg around her and continued the spanking. Fluttershy kicked her legs, but Mrs. Shy didn't slow down the spanks. Fluttershy went limp across her mom's lap and didn't resist as a hard series of spanks were delivered to her behind.

Mrs. Shy continued to deliver the smacks, each one falling to the same tender center of her daughter's backside. Fluttershy's bottom had taken on the same shade as her mane. Mrs. Shy moved the swats lower, smacking the spot just above the filly's upper thighs.

She stopped the spanking with three final swats and stroked her daughter's back, massaging the joints between her wings. Fluttershy cried, the tears coming from a mixture of pain and shame. Mrs. Shy scooped her up while still massaging her back. Fluttershy snuggled into her chest. 

Mrs. Shy cooed over Fluttershy and caressed her shoulders. "Feel better?"

Fluttershy smiled. "I do...don't know why." 

"Because the nasty guilt feeling's gone. You don't need to worry about that anymore."

Fluttershy burrowed into her mom's chest fur. Mrs. Shy embraced her in her wings. "Do you want to go get some ice cream?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go get some ice cream."
...
Fluttershy yawned as she finished the tale. "And that's the last time I let Dash talk me into helping her with a prank."

Dash stared pensively into the fire and scooted close to Fluttershy. "Yeah. We did start going flying together more often to make up for it. I started to realize how much I kind of like flying with Fluttershy. You see a lot when you go slow."

"Going a little fast can be fun too."

Dash gnawed on a marshmallow. "Did I ever apologize to you?"

"Apologize? For what?"

"For getting you in trouble."

"But Dash...I got myself in trouble. I went along with it because I was too passive to tell you no. And I sort of enjoyed doing it. Got some frustrations out. I had to learn to take personal responsibility and to say no. Well, I'm still working on that last one."

The two old friends nuzzled.

Rarity took a dainty bite from a marshmallow. "I suppose I'll go next since everypony else has shared a story. Of course, I was a well behaved filly, but sometimes-and only sometimes..."
> Rarity's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity followed her mommy into the market place. This was their first stop of the day. Mommy had told her they were going to spend the day shopping. Rarity was fine with that. Her eyes widened as they took in the stalls that towered over her. The simple brown stands had awnings over them with a picture of the particular product the merchant was selling stamped on to them. Fresh fruits and veggies crowded the stalls. They passed a stall with bright orange carrots nearly spilling out of the bin. Past that one was a stall with fresh, juicy apples. A little orange filly waved to her from atop her mommy's back. Rarity waved back. She didn't know the filly, but her mommy taught her it was always polite to greet someone when they greet you.

Cookie Crumble stopped and exchanged a few words with the yellow mare running the apple stand. Rarity's mouth nearly watered as Cookie picked up three juicy, delicious looking apples and put them in her saddle bag. Rarity hurried to keep up with her mommy's long stride as they journeyed further through the market place. Cookie bought some parsnips, then celery and then some broccoli. Rarity made a face at that last choice.

Then, Rarity stopped. A cream colored mare stood behind a stall filled to the brim with candy. There were lollipops and suckers and chocolates and bon-bons. Cookie ushered Rarity along with a gentle tug of magic. Rarity stood her ground and pointed to the stall with her horn. "I want candy!"

Cookie sighed. "It's too early for candy."

Rarity stomped her hoof. "Candy!"

"Rarity...do you want a timeout?"

Rarity pouted. She most certainly didn't want a timeout. Her lips jutted out in a sulk as she followed her mother along. The market place receded behind them and they came to the business center of town. The center of the town's businesses was Barnyard Bargains, a yellow wooden building with an angled roof made up of purple shingles. Rarity frowned. Purple and yellow were bright colors and pretty and she liked staring at them, but the wooden slats crisscrossing the front would go if she were in charge.

And Rarity was fairly certain that she should be in charge of most things. 

Cookie patted her mane. "If you're good, we can get a cookie later. Okay?"

Rarity smiled and nuzzled her. "Okay, Mommy."

The store was filled with merchandise, towers of shelves rising up all around the toddler. She darted away from her mother's side to a shelf teeming with dolls. She grabbed a pink, puppy doll and hugged it to her chest. "I want this! I want this! I want this!" She stomped her hooves with each recitation of her demand. That usually worked.

Cookie looked around. A few other shoppers had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her and the toddler. Rarity glared at her mother. "I want it!"

Cookie placed a hoof on her daughter's shoulder. "Remember how we talked about using our inside voices? And what do we say?"

Rarity paused. She looked up at her mommy with big, tearful eyes. "May I please have this?"

Cookie toussled her mane. "That's a good girl."

Rarity's horn lit up and she lifted up all the dolls. "I want all the dolls!"

Cookie shook her head. Filthy Rich gave her a glance from his place behind the register. Cookie lightly blushed. "Rarity please put all those down."

"No!"

"Rarity, come on now..."

Rarity blew a raspberry. Cookie closed her eyes and counted to three. "Rarity, you can't have all the dolls."

Rarity snuggled them to her chest. "But I love them, Mommy!" Her lips jutted out in an even more exaggerated sulk.

Cookie lit up her own horn and easily yanked all but one doll away from her daughter's field to return them to their proper places on the shelf. Rarity took in a big intake of breath and held it. Unfortunately, she couldn't hold her breath that long and it all came out as one choking gasp.

Cookie rubbed her back. "Rarity, Mommy doesn't have enough money to buy all the dolls. If Mommy could, she'd buy you all the dolls in the world, but she can't."

Rarity puzzled on this for a moment. Filthy decided to throw Cookie a life raft and trotted over to the pair. "Little Miss, if you had all the dolls in the world, that wouldn't leave any for any other little fillies. You wouldn't want that would you?"

Rarity looked down at the ground. "No."

Cookie mouthed "thank you" as Filthy went to attend to another customer. Rarity settled her new doll on her back and followed after her mother. Cookie browsed the pots and pans and finally settled on a stainless steel pot which would be just right for the vegetable stew she was planning on making. 

Rarity didn't make a fuss and waited patiently at her mommy's side as they went through the store. Cookie went towards the exit and they walked out into the sunshine. Cookie stopped. The bed and couch store would be next. There was nothing fun for Rarity to do in that store, which could be good or bad.

An unoccupied Rarity could be a very problematic Rarity. Cookie stepped onto the trail and turned towards the direction of the couch store. She looked back. Rarity wasn't following. Instead, Rarity was standing in the middle of the street with a quasi-murderous glare on her face.

Cookie gave her a quizzical look. "Come along, Darling."

Rarity stomped her hoof. "No. Want cookie! I was good!"

Actually, she hadn't been that good. Cookie sighed and lit up her horn. A long wail erupted from Rarity as she was dragged to her mother's side. To cut off the impending tantrum, Cookie wrapped a foreleg around her. "We'll get you a cookie if-and only if-you're good in this store. Understand?"

Rarity drummed her hooves on the ground. "Why can't I have a cookie now?"

Cookie struggled to explain the concept in a way which the three year old would understand. "It's still too early. Also, you weren't good in the store. You wouldn't listen to Mommy when she asked you to put the dolls down."

Rarity hung her head. "Oh."

"Come along."

Rarity obeyed, trailing after her mom as they walked into the store. Couches and beds of all shapes and sizes littered the floor. Rarity gasped and rushed onto one of the beds, jumping up and down. Cookie caught her in her field. "No jumping on the bed-any bed."

Rarity bawled and kicked her legs as she helplessly floated in midair. Cookie set her down. Immediately, she jumped back onto the bed and lept into the air.

Cookie's mouth dropped at the blatant act of disobedience. Once more, Cookie pulled her from the bed with her field. The piercing cry that ripped from her throat was long and loud. Cookie ignored it as she began to wander among the beds. "Rarity, you're in time-out. So, get used to it."

Little purple sparks of magic came off her horn as the wailing got louder. Cookie pressed her hoof onto a particular mattress that had a simple, wooden frame. The bed next to it had an intricately carved headboard. Rarity's wailing turned into a long, sustained squeak that made several neighborhood dogs begin to bark.

The headboard was decorated in leaves and flowers. Cookie took a few minutes to appreciate the craftsponyship, trailing her hoof along the carvings. She flipped over the price tag and promptly walked away from it. Rarity quieted down into little sniffles.

Cookie didn't let her down. Instead, she began to examine another bed. This one was quite a bit plainer than the other one, made of a light mahogany. There was no designs on this one. She absently let her daughter down to the floor. Rarity rushed onto the mattress and jumped.

Cookie caught her in her field and ignored the assault upon her ears. She called a sales associate over, a slight little green earth pony mare. Her name tag announced her as Shady Daze. "Um, hi ma'am. How may I help you?"

Cookie patted the bed. "I would like to order this bed."

The wailing was now flat out ear splitting. Shady Daze gave the filly a look. "Can you quiet her down?"

Cookie shrugged. "She'll tire herself out."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"I'll go in the back and get you some paperwork. These are only for display."

"Of course."

Shady Daze scampered away, as if fleeing from the sobbing unicorn filly. Cookie set her down. Rarity sniffled, but didn't make a move for the bed. Cookie patted her head. Rarity glared at her. Shady came back with the paperwork and Cookie quickly filled it out.

Cookie scooped Rarity back into her field and they went to the other section of the store which was filled with couches. This section was actually owned by the bed store owner's brother. These couches were for sale rather than being for display. Rarity galloped onto a purple couch and bounced up and down.

Cookie scooped her up in her field. "Rarity, what did Mommy say about doing that?"

"But you didn't say I couldn't jump on couches!"

Cookie brought a hoof up to her forehead and massaged her aching head. She was starting to feel an oncoming migraine. "You're in time-out for the rest of the trip to this store. And just forget about that cookie."

Rarity's bottom lip trembled. Her eyes filled with tears. Cookie turned her back and didn't even flinch at the sustained, and rather theatrical, bawling.

Instead, she began to browse through the couches. A brown stallion wearing a blue uniform frowned at her. "Ma'am, could you please control your daughter?"

Cookie's glare at him deeply resembled that of her daughter. "Do you have kids?"

"No ma'am."

Cookie turned her attention to a green couch. It was a shade of green that resembled vomit. However, there was a couch with a nice floral theme right next to it. She sat down on it to test its softness and it yielded to her. She even sat Rarity down on it.

Rarity stopped her bawling and felt the springy material. It was soft and warm, enveloping her hooves. "Ooh, want! I want this!"

Cookie bit her lip. She almost wanted it too. Then, she glanced at the price tag. "Oh, c'mon..." She softly murmured. She picked Rarity back up. The filly didn't resist as her mother floated her through the store. 

Rarity pointed back to the flowery couch with her hoof. "We get that one?"

"No, Sweetie, I'm sorry. I wanted it too, but it costs too much."

Rarity flailed her hooves. "But I want it! It's pretty!"

"Sweetie, it's too much."

Rarity bursts into tears once again, making a rather miserable sight that tore at Cookie's heart strings. She felt the charging up of another unicorn's magic and whirled around. As Rarity screamed and kicked her hooves in the air, her horn was taking on a soft glow.

"Rarity, calm down. Calm down, Honey."

Rarity did the opposite of calming down. If anything, her crying got more intense. Her entire toddler body was thrown into the tantrum. She shook her head back and forth, she swung her forelegs and backlegs and all the while her horn had taken on an alarming blue glow.

Cookie tried to cut off her daughter's magic with her own, but it was too late. The build-up of magic was irreversible. Cookie could only hold on for it for a short time and while there was a way to cut it off completely that way was fraught with peril.

Rarity now looked like she was possessed as her eyes took on the same blue of her horn. "Rarity! Please stop!" Cooke cried in alarm.

The charging reached its peak and a bolt of blue struck the wall leading to a crater where part of a wall used to be. The crying didn't abate. Cookie let her go and Rarity fell to the floor while wildly pounding her limbs.

Cookie pulled her up with her own magic and marched to a red couch with a sweeping, curved back and lovely golden trim. Only one side had an armrest, making it resemble a cross between a couch and a bed. She sat on it and yanked her daughter across her lap, securing her with a foreleg over her back.

Rarity struggled across her mommy's lap and suddenly stopped as Cookie's hoof connected with her bottom with a firm tap. Rarity stopped, going completely still. Had Mommy just struck her derriere? How dare Mommy strike her delicate derriere! Mommy had never done that before! She wailed and drummed her backlegs. This earned two more firm taps to her rump. They were just hard enough to sting. She pounded her forelegs onto the red fabric. Mommy delivered three firm whacks to her backside.

The tempo of the tantrum increased as did the tempo of the slaps Mommy delivered to her bottom. Rarity yelled out in sheer rage, turning red in the face. Mommy delivered a flurry of whacks to her rump. A wave of exhaustion overcame Rarity and she slowed the kicking of her forelegs.

Mommy went back to tapping her bottom. Rarity realized the rump roasting's tempo was related to the tempo of her tantrum. She stopped altogether, laying still across her mother's lap. 

Mommy gently patted her bottom. "Alright, Rarity. There's a good girl, but since I had to spank you, you're not getting a cookie."

No cookie? Rarity's eyes widened and she screamed. Cookie slapped her bottom. Rarity immediately stopped. "I...I wanna cookie."

"If you want a cookie you have to be good. Understand?"

Rarity sniffled. "Yes. I'll be good."

"There's a good girl."

Cookie lifted her up in her lap and hugged her, even gently rubbing her bottom to get the sting of the spanking out. Rarity hugged Cookie while resting her head on her chest. 

Cookie leaned into the back of the couch. It was very comfortable. A glance at the price tag confirmed it was within her price range. "Listen, Sweetie. When you were a baby, it was okay to have tantrums every now and then. But you're a big girl. You could hurt somepony with your magic. I'm going to buy this couch and when you feel like having a tantrum or crying you can use it and scream and cry all you like. Okay?"

Rarity cuddled deeper into her mom's chest. "Okay."

"I'm giving you one more chance to get that cookie."

Rarity's ears perked up. "Really?"

"Yep. We're going to go back to the market. If you can be good while we walk through the market you get a cookie."

Cookie purchased the couch which would be delivered to her home the next day.

Rarity followed her mom as they exited the store and headed back towards the market. They crossed it without incident until they got to the candy stall where Rarity stopped. Cookie continued walking. Rarity shook her head and hurried to catch up with her.

The noon sun found her sitting in her mommy's lap, devouring a cookie.
...
Rarity levitated a marshmallow over the fire. "And that's the origin of the fainting couch. I love that couch. I actually let Sweetie use it sometimes. We both used it at the same time occasionally." She blinked. "Is that healthy, Twilight? Keeping onto something like that from foalhood?"

Twilight shrugged. "I still sleep with Smarty Pants. As long as it's not causing you distress it's fine."

Shining sipped a mug of cider. "So, uh, what about the hole in the wall? Your mom pay for it?"

Rarity swallowed a piece of marshmallow. "Oh! I forgot to mention that. No, no, no. She offered to pay for it, but the store refused. Magic surges happen, the owner was a dad, he understood."

Shining chuckled. "When I vandalized a building, it wasn't a surge. But I did get a sore butt for my troubles."

Twilight snorted. "Are you really going to tell this story?"

"Yep. It all started when..."
> Shining's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor stood on the wide, grassy field. It was dusk and the sun cast an orange glow over the training area. The alabaster spires of Canterlot were far in the distance. Just a few feet away was the headquarters of the Canterlot Guard. It was a surprisingly humble, cube-like building made from brick. The Equestrian flag and the three tribal flags each occupied a quarter of the roof.

In front of the one-day-hopefully cadet was an archery target. Shining focused on the flow of magic throughout his body and lowered his horn. The magic surged through the young unicorn's body and burst out as a blast of blue that punctured a hole in the dead center of the target. He whooped and jumped in the air. The second he came down he took down the first target and replaced it with a second one. This one was similarly blown to splinters. Shining grinned. He was on a role. He looked towards the headquarters and wondered if he could get one of the guards inside to spar with him. The ten year old's heart swelled with the idea that if he showed his skills to an officer the guard would take him right away.

Maybe, he'd even make captain! He pranced and put up another target. This time he pawed at the ground, snorted and prepared a much stronger spell. He'd never tried this one before. Waves of energy spiraled within him and went through his horn. He released it as one great surge that burned the air itself, twisting and warping and setting the target aflame. Soon, nothing but ashes was left of the target.

The colt stretched and looked up towards the sky. Celestia would soon be lowering the sun, but he knew supper was still an hour away from a glance at the outdoor clock which was used for timed training exercises. Shining looked around to make sure nopony was looking. There were no guards out on patrol. Everypony would be in the mess hall, enjoying their supper. Shining closed his eyes and took in a breath, focusing on his awareness of the world around him. The soft feeling of the grass embracing his hooves. The cool, Autumn air lifting his mane and tickling his neck. The smell of dirt and sweat that dripped down his own forehead. A bird sang off in the distance. 

He focused on each sense in turn. The feel of grass and cool air, the smell of dirt and colt sweat, the trill of the cardinal. He went deeper still. There were strands of mystic energy moving through everything. If his awareness had been linked to his sight, like it was for high mages, he would have seen the multicolored strands of the rainbow magic whose currents moved throughout the universe.

He went even deeper, moving towards the core of his being. His legs shook. His breaths came out in ragged gasps. A throbbing pain had started right between his eyes. He ignored all that. Those were only distractions that could not serve him. A low chant came from his lips in a tongue so ancient that no one was quite sure what the words meant anymore. They were words of power, of that there could be no doubt. With each recitation he could feel the low thrum of power and it was building. The power began at the soles of his hooves, moved up through his well-developed legs, into his core.

He trembled at the power welling up inside of him. There was no doubt in his mind that he could do it. He had spent late nights in the library, memorizing the diagrams in books he would never have been allowed to check out. A sapphire circle surrounded him and one-hundred azure fires burned. He opened his eyes. The flames danced a waltz around him, ever moving and ever shifting. The grin threatened to split his face apart. With several movements of his horn, he conducted the flames around himself. He was the conductor of a symphony of flames.

The flames fascinated him. He stopped moving for a moment and stared at them. The flames were leaping up higher and higher. The grin disappeared, replaced by a frown. The flames were widening. He took in a breath and tried to get the flames back under his control. They ceased their forward advance. Instead they spun towards him. Shining jumped back as the flames closed in on him. With another push of will he forced the fires away. They crackled, sparks dancing up. As Shining watched, the flames went faster and faster, becoming a blur. He held his head. The migraine was pounding. With a stomp of his hoof and a whispered word he dissipated the circle. Unfortunately, that left an ash imprint all around him. The migraine had vanished completely.

He gulped. That would be hard to explain to any guard that asked. The sun was still getting lower, splashes of oranges and pinks against the darkening sky. He could just go home now, but there was one more move he wanted to try. He closed his eyes and fell into a rhythm with his breath. He had read that rhythmic breathing was important for this spell. Four breaths in and then four breaths out, repeated in a sequence of four.

Power was rippling through him. He could feel it coursing through his veins and his muscles. The power begged to be used, to be released. He had to keep it in for a bit longer as he went in the fourth and final rotation. His horn was alight with the enchantment. First one corona, then a second corona and then a third engulfed his horn. His knees buckled and he sunk to the ground. His eyes glowed as the arcane energies filled his body and overpowered his consciousness.

He cried out as the power ripped out of him as one rippling wave of destructive force. The flames scoured the earth, uprooting the grass and reducing dirt to cinders. The stand which held the target was liquified. Shining screamed as power ripped out of him and at last he fainted.

The inferno blazed white hot and stormed in all directions, striking the brick facade of the headquarters. Guards, alerted by the noise, rushed out of the buildings. Lieutenant Iron Sight summoned a wave of water to put out the flames engulfing the side of the base. Private Silver Star summoned another wave to put out the flames spiraling out of control on the training grounds. Iron was the first to notice the colt. Shining was just waking up when the lieutenant rushed up to him and helped him to his hooves. Shining stared at the destruction his spell had wrought. Once fresh, verdant grass was now cinders, a field of ash.

Shining's jaw worked up and down. Tongues of fire had ran up and down the front of the base, turning it black. The two guards frowned at him. Shining's lip trembled, but he clamped down on it. He was not going to break down and start crying, not even if they led him to the stocks.

Iron was the first to speak. "Shining Armor, what happened here?"

He couldn't meet their gaze and he couldn't find his voice. Something slimy and cold settled in his belly. 

Iron lifted his chin up so that Shining was forced to look him in the eye. "Look kid, either one of two things happened. You were just caught up in the world's most inept terrorist attack or you were practicing magic that you're not even legally old enough to study."

Shining whimpered and hated himself for it. 

"Come on, kid. Just be honest. You'll feel better. Confession's good for the soul."

"I-I'm sorry."

Iron sighed. "I guess that's the most we're getting out of you. Your dad was my drill instructor. Do you want me to take you home to him or would you prefer a nice, safe jail cell?"

Shining seriously considered his options. "Just take me home."

"Your funeral."

Shining bit his lip so hard he was afraid he might draw blood. "D-does this mean I can't be a guard?"

Iron threw back his head and laughed. "Shiny, we don't judge you based on every dumb thing you do as a kid. I reckon I'll be seeing you in a cadet uniform in about four years or so."

Shining smiled despite everything. Iron stepped behind him and firmly slapped his hindquarters in an almost playful way. "C'mon. March."

Shining fell into step behind him. Iron kept a telekinetic grip on his ear as they steadily trotted through the streets of the capital. Shining felt his face burning a bright red. 

Iron stared straight ahead with that stony expression guards were known for. The smells of supper wafted through the broad, gilded streets. Large, multi-storied mansions were on both sides of the pair of stallions. The mansions stat in the center of perfectly manicured lawns and a riot of colorful flowers. Ivy and other plants wrapped around some of the pillars. 

Ancient, thick-trunked oaks sheltered the street within the sweep of their dark-green and brown arms. The cool breeze shook the leaves. The smells of supper wafted through the lanes. Iron Sight took a turn onto a street with far simpler homes although the gardens were just as beautiful. These homes were thatched roofed cottages, although some were two stories.

Iron rested a hoof on Shining's shoulder. "Y'know, for a novice, that was impressive spellwork. Stupid and you could have killed yourself and you deserve the punishment I know you're going to get, but it was impressive. If you ever really want to mess with that kind of magic again-and you absolutely should not-you can get one of us to supervise you."

"I won't get in trouble?"

"No, you won't. You already know the spell. It's better to be careful if you're going to do something like this."

"Thank you, Sir."

Iron removed his hoof. "No problem. You remind me of me."

"Really?"

"Well, I used to do stupid stuff too. Alright, sometimes I still do. And I know what a spanking from your dad is like. Just know, he does love and care about you. He wouldn't get mad if he didn't."

"Yes, Sir. I know, Sir."

"Just ask your dad about the noodle incident. Actually, no. Don't. Forget I mentioned that."

They were getting closer to Shining's home. Dusky shadows played along the road, casting everything in shades of purple and dark blue. The moon had been risen, the glowing orb taking its rightful place among the stars. Shining counted the houses as they got closer and closer to home. They were now five houses away. A friend he knew from school sat at a table with his parents, scarfing down hay fries.

He noticed Shining being led by a guard and gave him a quizzical glance. Shining refused to meet the glance of the other colt. He could see his house from here. He slowed his steps. Iron gave a tug on his ear and Shining was half-dragged down the street.

The older stallion gave him a disapproving frown. "Be brave, Shining. You want to be a guard? The guard has no place for cowards. You make a mistake, you own up to it."

Shining looked down at the pavement. "Yes, Sir."

"That's a good lad. Come along."

Shining puffed out his chest and went back to trotting at Iron's side. The walkway leading towards home looked longer than it ever had. Still, he didn't miss a step as he went alongside Iron. The stallion's stride was longer than his, but he had adjusted it for Shining. 

Shining stood still as Iron came to a stop. Iron lifted a hoof and knocked on the door. Shining closed his eyes and didn't see who answered, but he heard his mom's voice.

"Lieutenant? What's going on?"

Shining opened his eyes and looked at the pink roses growing alongside the house. They were overgrown and some of them were wilting.

"I'm afraid there was an incident, ma'am."

Night Light stepped up beside his wide. "An incident? What happened?"

Shining wilted beneath the combined weight of his parent's gaze. Iron Sight continued. "Apparently, your son learned some very interesting combat techniques which he decided to apply. The training field is now ash and so is much of the barrack's front wall."

Night Light's jaw dropped. "Shining, were you using twelfth level combat magic?"

Shining found it once more difficult to find his voice. His mother had no such hesitation. "Shining, what is the matter with you? You could have been killed!"

"Your body could have been destroyed!" His father roared. "Your soul shredded! Your mind reduced to mush! Do you have any idea how very reckless what you did was?!"

Shining shrunk back, his ears pinned to his skull. Iron shuffled a hoof. "I, uh, I think I'll go. We still on for the card game Tuesday, General?"

"What? Oh, oh yes, of course."

The two stallions saluted each other. Night Light took hold of Shining's right ear, Velvet took hold of his left and he was hauled inside. Just as his hooves crossed the threshold a blur of lavender rushed down the stairs and attached itself to his leg. Shining stroked her mane. Twilight unloosed her hold. "Hi, Shining! Dinner's not ready yet. Wanna play scientists? Or librarian?"

"Uh, sorry Twily. I'm sort of in trouble."

Twilight looked to her parents and then to her big brother. "What'd you do?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Night Light grabbed his ear again. "We're going to the woodshed."
...
Shiny followed behind his dad, his head hanging low as they headed towards the wooden building. Shining wasn't sure why his dad always took him out to the woodshed for a spanking-even for a mere hoof spanking. Maybe it was tradition. 

Shining hesitated. "Dad?"

Night Light opened up the door and lit a small candle. 

"Dad?"

Night Light ushered him into the dimly lit room. It smelled of tar and sap. Piles of firewood were raised up to the ceiling.

"...Daddy?" The childish word slipped out.

Night Light lifted up the strap hanging from a nail and held it in his magic. "What is it, Shining?"

"I'm really sorry and I know I earned the spanking I'm about to get."

Night Light raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to try to get out of this?"

"No, Sir."

"That's very mature."

Night Light nuzzled Shining. Shining returned it.

"I love you, Son."

"I love you to."

Shining returned the nuzzle and then bent over the cushion in the center of the room. Night Light wrapped an arm around his withers. "What you did was very dangerous. I don't want you to do it again. I've buried too many of my troops. I don't want to bury my son. Here it comes."

Shining tensed up as the strap sailed through the air and cracked across his backside. He jumped and tried not to cry out as the paddle sailed through the air again and landed a second blow. It was like a line of fire across his behind. Night Land quickly popped his bottom a third and fourth time.

He drummed his hooves on the ground. Night Light rubbed his back. "Only a few more."

The fifth slap sparked an inferno on his backside. It felt like his butt was on fire. The sixth blow across his bottom was lighter, but stung all the same. The seventh spank whacked across his roasted rump, turning his backside a dark pink which stood out against his white fur.

Night Light caressed his withers while tears streamed down Shining's face. "You're doing great. Three more."

An eighth whack smacked against his rump. The ninth whack made him cry out and with the tenth whack he lost the composure he'd been desperate to cling to. "I'm sorry!" He whaled. Night Light set aside the strap and embraced his son just as fiercely as he had spanked him. He rubbed circles in Shining's shoulders while Shining clung to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Night Light patted his mane while the colt calmed down. "It's alright. It's alright now."

Shining nuzzled his chest and was nuzzled in turn. They held each other for a while. Shining stopped crying, comforted by the warm protection of his father's hug and forgiveness. Night Light finally let him go and wiped away the last of his tears. "Come on. Your mom's making apple casserole."

Velvet was waiting for them outside the door. She wordlessly hugged Shining and he leaned into her. Then the little herd went inside.

...
Shining blinked. "I never did ask about the noodle incident. Oh well. The good thing is that now I can do those spells in my sleep although I didn't touch them again until I was a cadet."

Dash tossed a marshmallow into her mouth. "I sometimes wish I was a unicorn. Those spells sound awesome."

Shining chuckled. "Says the mare who can control the power of storms."

"Yeah, yeah I know, my tribe is pretty awesome."

Cadence flapped her wings. "I have to say, unicorn magic is kind of scary. Took me forever to get used to it."

Twilight snorted. "You want scary?" She rustled her wings. "Try sleep flying. Sleep flying! How is that even a thing?"

"You just gotta tie your wings back, Egghead. I'll show you. You just got to ask."

"Let's talk about it later."

Cadence snuggled close to Shining and yawned. "Ya know what? I feel really close to everypony in this room right now. I think I'll share a story too. This was when I had just been retrieved from the time stream by Aunt Celestia, but just before my ascension..."
> Cadence's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The blue sky was bright today, cotton candy clouds floating through the abyss with the softness of silk spun by the Gods. Cadence's wings were spread to their full extent and a tune burst from the young pegasus' lips. Her mentor and aunt (by a very distant cousin), Princess Celestia, soared ahead of her. From this far up, the world below was a patchwork of greens and browns and grays with blue coursing through like the land was a quilt. Cadence swung over a cloud in her way. Celestia was still a few feet ahead of her.

Cadence grinned and charged. Celestia spun to the side and allowed the younger princess to get ahead of her. With a flap of her large white wings, Celestia similarly surged. Cadence darted away from Celestia. The air sang through her feathers as she picked up speed, always a few inches away from her mentor.

Celestia flapped her wings three times and soon came up on Cadence. Cadence ducked down low and Celestia followed, running a feather across Cadence's side. Cadence squirmed and giggled. Celestia grinned and darted ahead, Cadence hot on her trail. 

Cadence turned sideways and zoomed beneath Celestia. She delighted in hearing the giggles come from her aunt's lips as she tickled her stomach.

"C-Cadence, you get back here!"

Cadence blew a raspberry and zoomed so far ahead she was only a blur of pink against blue. Celestia picked up speed. Her wings were lifted up by the wind which pushed her forward. Cadence saw the approach of her kin and flapped her wings, buoyed up by the air. The wind propelled her forward and she discovered she didn't need to flap her wings. She only needed to coast. Her speed remained the same as she sailed through the air, over and above clouds, peeking out from behind cumuluses and cirruses.

Celestia was not so easily discouraged. She stopped and scanned the white and sapphire ocean of air, water vapor and clouds. Her niece seemed to have disappeared. Suddenly, she caught a flash of pink hiding behind a cloud. She darted forward and Cadence zoomed away from her hiding place.

Celestia chased her and Cadence pumped her wings so that she was always a few feet ahead of the sun princess. Celestia picked up speed so that she was nearly on top of Cadence, but Cadence flew upwards. Celestia ascended after her and Cadence darted downward. Celestia spiraled downwards as well, but Cadence twirled in midair and went upwards again.

Celestia followed and Cadence slammed into a cloud. Celestia managed to avoid it and dodged the other clouds in her way. She pushed her way through an alabaster mountain of cloudstuff and found Cadence sprawled out on a field of cumuluses. Upon seeing Celestia she jumped up and darted downwards. Celestia jumped over the edge and spread her wings to search for her in the cyan expanse.

Forests of clouds and swirling mists greeted her searching eyes. Meanwhile, Cadence danced among the mists, resting her tired wings by riding a thermal. The warm pocket of air soothed and caressed her tired muscles. Down below, a long patch of green hinted at a forest. She shifted down lower to take a look at it. It was a forests of pines and firs. The sweet scent rose up to her as she went around the tall top of a pine.

Celestia shook her from her reverie by patting her shoulder and then zooming over her. Cadence shot forward, this time pursuing her elder. Celestia stuck out her tongue and lifted up. Cadence angled her body, put her wings into position and rocketed upwards. The forests receded below her, turning once more into a splash of green on a patchwork quilt. 

Celestia was far, far out of her reach. Cadence accelerated, rocketing in an upward ascent. Celestia turned at the last second and shot out of the way of her pursuer. Cadence flipped and pursued her. Celestia zigzagged away and Cadence zigzagged in a pattern opposite hers.

Just as the patterns would have converged, Celestia dipped low and out of reach of Cadence's hoof. It occurred to Cadence that Celestia had been letting her get ahead before. She slowed her flight and wiped away a few beads of sweat that had accumulated on her brow.

Celestia looked around and similarly slowed her own flight. Cadence found another thermal which she rested on as she sailed next to Celestia. This section of the sky was cloudless, only a crystal clear expanse of blueness. Cadence couldn't even see the small world below her as she and Celestia floated on the air.

Cadence flapped her wings and rid herself of the droplets of sweat that had formed on her feathers. Cool air caressed her pinions. Celestia yawned. Cadence tapped her shoulder. "You're it!"

Celestia smoothly sailed on the air currents as Cadence darted away, though at a slower pace than she had been going. Cadence twirled and waltzed in the empty sky, moving to music in her head. She twisted and spun, flipping onto her back and then rocketing away.

She ascended higher into the air and Celestia followed her. Cadence darted upwards a few inches and Celestia spread her wings to keep up with her. Cadence forced herself to go ever higher until the air grew too thin and pressure bore down on her.

She changed course and fell into a controlled descent. Celestia took her lead and went downward as well. Cadence changed course again and flew straight at a hurried pace. Celestia increased her speed and the two soared side-by-side, neither trying to tag the other, the game forgotten as they exulted in the in pure joy of flight.

They flew through a tunnel of thick clouds which had merged together to form mountains and palaces in the sky. Cadence pranced over one cloud and broke free. Celestia flew through the hole left by her niece and broke out into the air. More clouds greeted her.

There was something else. Cadence stopped as she heard the chilling screech. She rushed to her aunt's side and Celestia spread a wing over her. The playful smile on Celestia's face was replaced by a frown. "Let's turn back."

Celestia pulled Cadence closer to her side as a black wing blotted out the sky and reduced the clouds to mist. Cadence hid her face in Celestia's side. 

The creature was enormous, a black bird resembling a crow or raven. His wings were fully extended, her beak a sharp, orange hook opened in an outraged shout, six, gnarled talons extending from each foot. The wind whipped up by his wings knocked away the remaining clouds and sent both Celestia and Cadence tumbling. 

Celestia held Cadence close to her. The giant bird (a roc, Cadence recalled) wasn't alone. An equally large member of his species was right across from him. The opposing roc bellowed in challenge and charged his rival. The rival roc plunged his beak into his challenger's chest and pulled out a chunk of his flesh. 

Their wings clashed, blood and feathers filling the cloudless sky. The first roc took full advantage of his height, pushing and striking at the challenger. The challenger slashed his talon's into his rival, drawing a fountain of blood. Gallons of blood sprayed from the wounds, but still they charged, scratching and biting, pecking and poking. 

They broke apart and the second roc slammed his wing against the first roc, sending it sprawling into the air. A hurricane of wind battered Cadence and Celestia.

Cadence burrowed deeper into Celestia's chest. "W-why are they fighting, Auntie? Can you make them stop?"

"I'm afraid not!"

"Why not?"

The first roc recovered from his spin and hurled against the second one's chest. The second one pushed back and the first one sliced his beak against the second one's face. The second one was determined and sank his talons into the first one's leg. 

The screams were like lightning. Cadence and Celestia tried to keep hold of one another, but neither could get a good flight pattern going. The gusts kicked up by the combat of the savage beasts tossed them like leaves caught in an autumn storm. 

The first one's outraged screeches shook the sky itself. It slashed into the second one, ripping out chunks of black flesh and feathers. Cadence couldn't draw her gaze away. She struggled in her aunt's grip.

"Cadence! Stop! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to make them stop fighting!"

"No! Cadence, listen to me!" Celestia drew a tight grip around Cadence who continued to squirm. "There's nothing you can do!"

"I can spread love!"

"It won't work! They'll rip you to pieces!"

The rocs were busy trying to rip each other to pieces. The second one bit down hard on the first one's neck and the first one jabbed his talons into the second one's stomach. The first one ripped away from the hold that the second one had on his throat and slammed his beak towards his bitter foe. The second one slapped his beak away with one vastly huge wing, sending him sprawling away.

Instead of relenting, the second roc ran after his rival. Blood stained his formerly orange beak and dripped down his claws. The first roc rose back up and they crashed into each other. That's when Cadence broke Celestia's hold and charged away.

"Cadence! No! Please, listen!"

The panicked scream was lost in the rush as Cadence hurried over to where the giant birds had each other in a stranglehold. Neither of the powerful champions of the air were willing to give way. They slammed their beaks together. Both their talons were plunged into each other's shoulders. The first one ripped away his talons and backed up to bash against the second one.

That's when Cadence stood between them. Both rocs stopped and stared at this strange new contender. Cadence gulped as both rocs gazed at her. The second one screeched. Cadence froze. "H-hi."

Both rocs cocked their heads at the little morsel which could only serve as a light snack or perhaps as a meal for their chicks. Cadence lit up her horn and two pink hearts sprung forth. The rocs hissed and then charged her.

Cadence screamed and flew away as fast as she could, which wasn't fast enough. She just barely missed a swipe of the first roc's claw. She was tiny enough to zigzag beneath the talons of the second rock. Celestia sped after them and teleported. A golden flash filled the sky and the rocs covered their eyes as the light blinded them.

Celestia grabbed Cadence and teleported again. The rocs pursued them and Celestia teleported again. The second roc fell behind, but the first roc closed his eyes and sniffed the air. The moment he latched onto their scent he picked up speed. Celestia teleported three more times, the bright flashes only serving to attract the roc.

Celestia dipped downward, but the roc gave chase. Celestia spun around and shot over the roc's head. The roc snapped at her tail. The second roc had finally caught up. Cadence cried and hid herself in Celestia's fur. Celestia paused as the beasts circled them. 

They hissed and growled at each other, both daring the other to go after the prey first. Celestia teleported again and both rocs looked around. The first roc spotted Celestia hiding behind a cloud. It swooped over and was disoriented by the flash of another teleportation spell.

Celestia gathered power and poured it into the next spell. A yellow shield of energy enfolded them. The roc scratched against it. His rival slammed against it and let out a cry of pain. The first roc scratched and explored the hard surface. Cadence barely breathed. 

The second roc flew off. His rival joined him and they separated in opposite directions.

Cadence peaked out and dared to look at the shield. "I-I have the power to spread love. Why didn't it work?"

Celestia steadied her own breathing. "Your magic is attuned to Ponies. It doesn't work on non-Ponies."

Cadence avoided Celestia's gaze. "I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Cadence cringed at the scolding tone to her aunt's voice. "Wanna race?" She flapped her wings. "I-I mean the rocs are gone. We can go back to racing. I really love racing."

The babbling was cut off by a gentle pat of Celestia's hoof against her lips. "Cadence, you know what you did was dangerous and foolish. You could have been hurt or killed. If I hadn't been there, those beasts would have shredded you to bits."

Cadence hung her head. "I know...but I promise not to do it again!"

"Yes and you're going to get a spanking to make sure you remember to keep that promise."

"No, not a spanking!" Cadence whined.

Celestia patted her mane. "I'm sorry Cadence, but I can't let you get away with what you just did. We discussed the rules when you got here. If you do something dangerous, you get a spanking. Not only did you do something dangerous, you directly disobeyed me. I can't have that. This is for your own good."

Cadence sniffled. Celestia let go of her hold on the shield and it dissipated. Then she lowered her back and ushered Cadence on. She climbed on with great reluctance and soon, they were off.

Cadence watched from Celestia's back as the world flew by. Celestia dipped down low and the world began taking on distinctive shapes. Rugged, grey mountains. Humble, wooden hamlets. Fields of grass and happy, yellow dandelions blew in the breeze. The city of Canterlot grew closer.

Marble spires lined with solid gold shone in the afternoon sun. Celestia flew into the city and over alleyways, taking the longest route to the castle. 

Unfortunately, the difficult duty could not be put off forever. She landed on the balcony and Cadence hopped from her back. She didn't attempt to run as Celestia took her little ear in her magic and tugged her in the direction of the bedroom. 

Cadence didn't resist. "I really am sorry."

Celestia sighed. "I know, Sweetie. I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel that I had to."

Celestia guided the filly into her personal chambers, pushing the door open and sitting down on the purple sheets of her bed. She laid Cadence across her lap and rested one foreleg on her back.

She lifted her hoof and firmly smacked Cadence's bottom. Cadence jumped and a second smack cracked along her rump. A third and fourth fell just as quickly to the same place. Celestia peppered the Pegasus princess's posterior with stinging smacks, moving her hoof from the right part of Cadence's butt to the left.

Cadence kicked and squirmed as the spanks fell across her bottom, but soon she laid her face into the sheets and pressed her forelegs into the mattress. Celestia focused the smacks on Cadence's left flank, leaving her bottom pinker than normal and then turned her attention to her right flank.

Cadence whimpered as a particularly firm slap was delivered to her rump. Celestia slapped Cadence's sit spot and delivered five more smacks to the exact center of her bottom. "I was very scared when you did that, Cadence." Each word was punctuated with a slap to her rear. "Do not do it again."

"I won't!"

Celestia delivered several more whacks to Cadence's behind, finishing with a flurry of swats. Then, she stopped and pulled Cadence into a crushing embrace. Cadence cuddled into her, wrapping both her forelegs around her aunt. Celestia levitated over a hairbrush and ran it through Cadence's mane while Cadence softly cried. The tears slowed and then ceased altogether as Cadence nestled into Celestia's hug. Celestia cradled her in her embrace. "So, why don't we go back to flying?"

Cadence smiled. "Alright, Auntie."

She hopped off Celestia's lap. They went to the balcony, flared their wings and hurtled into the air.
...
Cadence stretched and yawned. "We spent the rest of the day flying. It was nice."

Fluttershy shook her mane. "You were very lucky. Rocs...they can't be stopped when they're in that state and they're extremely aggressive."

Luna held a marshmallow attached to a stick over the flames. "I'd tell a tale, alas, my foalhood is a distant memory...though I recover more and more each day. Tell me, after the spanking, how did you feel?"

Cadence shrugged. "My bum hurt."

"Did you no longer feel guilt from your offense?"

"No, I have to say I didn't."

"Hmm...h-how about everypony else? I mean, I assume you felt guilty after doing something wrong."

They all nodded in assent to this. Fluttershy spoke up. "Well, after the spanking, I did feel kind of...cleansed? The guilt was gone."

"I-I see."

Pinkie bounced on her cushion. "Enough tales of tanned tushies. Who wants to play truth-or-dare?"

"I'll go first!" Dash and Applejack shouted.

While they hoofwrestled for the honor, Luna stared into the flames.
> Royal Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna glided on the wind. Behind her the golden light of the rising sun streamed down on the alabaster towers of the city of Canterlot. She landed on the white stone balcony which sent a chill through her. The stones were cool against her bare hooves this morning. She had not brought her royal adornments to the sleepover. It had not seemed like the right thing to do when she was among friends and did not desire any reminder of station.

Atop her back was a wooden paddle which she had bought from a merchant in the shopping district. She laid it on the dark blue sheets of her bed and left her room to enter into the wide hallway of the palace. Her sister was nowhere to be found as she made her way through the dazzlingly white corridors. 

She turned a corner and knocked on a brown, mahogany door. Her sister answered and took Luna into an embrace which Luna returned. "Good morning! Did you enjoy the sleepover?"

Luna nodded. "I did, Sister. Sister...there is something I'd like to discuss with you ere the beginning of our duties."

Celestia ushered her into her office. Luna shook her head. "Nay...no Celestia. I wouldst prefer if...would prefer if we parlayed in my bedroom."

"Very well." Celestia began walking with her. "Are you well, Luna? You were lapsing into Old Equuish. Did you have breakfast at Twilight's?"

"I did and didst my ablutions there...washed myself there as well. Princess Twilight is scrupulous in her treatment of guests."

Luna's walk slowed to almost a crawl. Celestia's did as well as they made their way through the winding halls of the palace. A few times Luna stopped and pawed at the ground before mumbling something and continuing on her way.

Celestia spread a wing over her younger sister. Luna leaned into the warmth. Celestia stopped and Luna did as well. "Luna, something is very clearly bothering you."

"Something has been bothering me for a long time and we will discuss it in my room."

"Alright."

They continued on their way, the tread of their hooves sounding a loud clop against the stone floors. 

"Dost thou trust me, Sister?"

Celestia stopped. "Of course I do, Sister. Luna, what is this about?"

Luna opened the door to her bedroom. Celestia stepped inside and her hooves sank into the thick blue rug. Her sister's room was as dark as hers was bright, radiating coolness with shades of green and blue. There was a crescent shaped moon bed in the center of the room and there were heavy curtains in shades of red and purple ones decorated with stars.

The doors and windows had blue diamonds atop them. The door itself was dark and light blue with a light blue circle in the center surrounded by a half circle which Celestia assumed was supposed to represent the moon. Luna kept her back turned to her. Celestia laid a hoof upon her shoulder. "Please, speak to me. What is it that troubles your heart?"

Luna turned to her, a heavy frown on her features. Celestia couldn't decide if it was anger, sadness or some nightmarish mixture of both. The last time Luna had behaved as such...

No. She dared not allow her mind to go down such paths.

"Luna, please, I love you. Please speak to me. Whatever it is, we will work through it together."

"Why did you not allow me to go to the Crystal Empire?"

Celestia blinked her eyes. "I have never forbidden you to do so. What are you talking about?"

Luna sighed. "When Sombra returned I could have aided Twilight. My advice would have been incalculably valuable. Yet, you told me not to go."

"Twilight had to-"

"Do not deceive me. I am no statesmare to be appeased with idle chatter. You feared that I would fall to Sombra's power. That I would be once more tempted by dark powers as I once was."

Celestia's eyes fell to the floor. "Luna, you had just been returned to me. Things are different now."

"Are they though?"

For the first time, Celestia noticed the paddle lying atop Luna's sheets. She wondered if it was for an arts and crafts project. Luna did love her arts and crafts. Or, did her sister have an apprentice she didn't know about and said apprentice's behavior had gotten out of hoof?

"I have not changed, Celestia. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Thrice have my actions imperiled the innocent, the citizens of the empire and the world itself. First, when I gave into the dark powers of Nightmare Moon and two times tried to bring about night eternal. Night eternal! Oh Celestia, I would have doomed all races to the horrors of starvation and freezing to death. I deserved the gallows for what I did."

"Do not speak such things! You know I would not condemn the vilest murderer to death nonetheless my own flesh and blood!" She pressed her hoof to Luna's lips.

Luna moved away. "Yet I nearly condemned a world to death. And I once more imperiled the world to death with the Tantabus. It was intended only to torment myself yet it ran out of control."

Celestia eyed the paddle. "We all make mistakes. Was the moon not punishment enough?"

Luna snorted. "You know as well as I do that the moon was no punishment. The very orb that sustains me, that is the source of my power! Not to mention, I was asleep the entire time."

"What do you want then?"

Luna hesitated. "It is this festering guilt that hurts. I have been getting better beneath the care of the therapist assigned to me, but it is still there. L-last night, the subject of foalhood mischief came up. And, how many times..."She trailed off.

Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Go on, Luna."

"How a spanking helped relieve them of feelings of guilt even if-or perhaps because-it hurt."

"I see."

"I understand the Rite of Atonement has fallen out of favor, but I am old fashioned. Maybe, just maybe, a..." She couldn't say the word. A blush spread across her face. "I know it is against all royal dignity and foolish and you probably believe me impaired in my mental faculties."

Celestia strode over to the bed and lifted up the paddle. Luna came up behind her "Was I spanked as foal, Celestia?"

Celestia smirked. "Oh, yes. Many times. So was I. If you would just visit Father he would remind you of many things."

Luna shuffled her hoof. "I will visit him in good time. When I am ready to make the arduous journey to the Celestial Realms."

"He wants to see you. And he would say we both deserved a few swats of the paddle."

"Surely not. Only I was at fault."

Celestia laid the paddle back down. "I was so wrapped up in the affairs of state that I neglected my younger sister. If that doesn't deserve a few swats I don't know what does."

"You did not neglect me! I was so wrapped up in my own self-imposed suffering that I did not consider how my actions would affect others."

"We are both at fault-and if you argue, I will add more spanks."

Luna gulped. "Then you will do it?"

"Yes, but not now. You need more time to really think about this decision. I want you to stay here in contemplation for an hour. I will return."

Luna nodded at the command. 

"Oh? And Luna?" Celestia kissed the soft place beneath her horn. "I love you. If this will help you, I will do it, though certainly not with a glad heart."

"I love you too, Celestia."

Celestia exited the room. Luna sat down on the soft sheets of the bed which wrapped around her body. She laid her head down on her hooves and thought.

An hour passed more quickly than she expected as she sat there, silent and waiting. Celestia opened the door with a wing, crossed the room and sat down beside her. "You have given more thought to this decision?"

"I have. My feelings have not changed."

"Very well. Bend over."

Celestia stood off of the bed and levitated over the paddle. Luna obeyed her elder and bent over the mattress, lifting up her rump to the coming chastisement. Celestia tapped the implement against her bottom. "Thirty spanks, not one more and not one less. I will not stop. You might start to cry and I fear you'll hate me after-"

"I promise you I won't."

"But I will not stop the spanking until I reach thirty swats. This will be painful. Do not delude yourself into thinking otherwise."

Luna felt her throat go dry. Pain was something the Princess of the Night did not too often experience. 

"Do you wish to go forward?"

"Yes."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Speak the words of penance."

Luna's lips curled into a semi-smile. The old words of the rite of atonement. This was a penance freely entered into. "Celestia, I confess unto thee that I have wronged thee. Please accept this act of contrition that I may obtain the peace of forgiveness. And so that you might trust me again. So that things might be healed between us."

She had added on those last two. 

"These ten swats are for giving into the Nightmare."

The paddle swished through the air and struck her upturned backside. Luna grunted. A second clap and then a third fell to the same place, the exact center of her bottom. Luna closed her eyes as a fourth swat rained down and then a fifth. 

"Know this, Luna. The pain you feel right now is nothing compared to the feeling I had when I thought I lost you. I think I wept every night for one-thousand years."

Luna felt tears coming to her own eyes as the sixth blow to her behind fell. It was followed quickly by the seventh. The paddle clapped her rump, slapping against it. She yelped at the eighth slap. Tears began to pour down her cheeks at the ninth spank. The tenth slap fell.

Celestia pulled back the paddle. "These ten are for endangering the lives of our subjects by nearly bringing eternal night."

Luna braced herself. The eleventh lick of the paddle clapped across her hindquarters. It was more painful than the others. The twelfth spank had the same intensity. A thirteenth clap of the paddle slapped across her bottom. The fourteenth and fifteenth slaps rapidly rained down on her rump.

Celestia paused and caressed her shoulder. "Almost through. We'll get through this." She wiped away her own tears and raised up the paddle to bring down a sixteenth slap. Luna cried out. The paddle trembled in Celestia's grip. She barely paused as she brought down the seventeenth spank. An eighteenth spank slapped Luna's rear followed by the nineteenth and twentieth.

Luna's rump was now pink and nearly red.

Celestia took a few minutes to let Luna catch her breath. "These ten are for creating the tantabus."

Luna steadied herself on the bed and kept her now pink behind lifted up. The twenty first spank made her knees buckle. Celestia gave her a moment to readjust herself. The twenty second spank came down hard and Luna shouted. Celestia brought down the twenty-third and twenty-fourth slap to Luna's backside, keeping count silently in her mind.

Luna's face was wet with tears and soft whimpers came from between her parted lips. Nonetheless, she kept her bottom lifted for the seemingly endless claps that fell upon them. The twenty-fifth stroke was not as intense as the others, but it didn't need to be. An inferno was building up in Luna's behind, heat building up to an unbearable degree.

"Five more, LuLu."

The nickname recalled something from childhood and warmth bloomed in her chest. She had been in this position before. Celestia laid a hoof on Luna's shoulders and steadied the paddle. Five firm claps landed quickly, stinging pops on her roasted posterior.

Luna broke, unabashedly sobbing into the mattress. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Celestia threw away the paddle and grabbed Luna up into a tight embrace with her hooves and her wings. Luna embraced her, clinging to Celestia as if she might disappear at any moment. Celestia caressed Luna's shoulder blades and patted her back as Luna poured out all her sorrow, all her shame and pain and guilt.

When she stopped, Celestia pulled away and picked up the rod again. "You get to choose how many whacks of the paddle I shall receive."

Luna gave her a quizzical glance. "You really feel that guilty?"

"Yes."

"I will give you ten whacks if such will soothe your conscious."

Celestia positioned herself over the bed in the same way that Luna had, bottom lifted up. Luna levitated the paddle and tapped it against her backside before swinging it across Celestia's behind. Celestia jumped at the sting and bloom of heat. Luna swung it a second time and then a third, each time causing thin pink marks to pop up on Celestia's tushy. She swished the paddle through the air and landed a fourth hard smack.

Celestia grunted at the fifth clap. At the sixth, her eyes pooled with tears. The seventh spank made the mighty empress of the sun whimper. Luna stopped. "Shall I..."

"Go on. Please. I wronged you no less than you wronged me."

"If...if you say so, Sister."

Celestia cried out as the eighth spank was delivered. The ninth slap of the paddle slashed her posterior and the tenth followed in its wake. Luna laid the paddle on the bed and was nearly bowled over as Celestia wrapped her up in another hug, crying out her sorrow and her shame and pain and guilt. Luna just rubbed her back till the crying stopped.

Celestia sniffled, yet smiled through the tears. "Alright, Luna. Here's what we're going to do today. My dearest advisor will be acting as regent for parliament and court. The country will not go to ruins if I take a personal day. We're going to explore the city. Just you and me."

"That sounds fun."

"Oh, it will be."

They strode to the balcony of Luna's room, spread their wings and flew into the endless sky.

They felt lighter than they had in years.