“Red”emption of a Showmare

Chapter 2: A Switch in Time...

For a while, Trixie just enjoyed watching Twilight sleep. The slow rise and fall of her barrel as she breathed, the occasional twitch of a leg, the look of blissful contentment on her face... and the bit of drool collecting on the floor under her partly-opened mouth which made the scene just so adorably silly. There was just something so very satisfying, Trixie mused, about knowing that you’d given your lover a sexual experience so powerful that they’d passed out in your hooves from sheer physical and emotional exhaustion afterwards...

Unfortunately, Twilight was a very sound sleeper, and by the time Twilight finally began to stir from her slumber, Trixie’s “great and powerful hunger” had been joined by an equally great and powerful need to take care of a few other bodily demands as well. Wake up, Twilight... wake up, Twilight, wake up, wake up, wakeupwakeupwakeup oh horseapples I shouldn’t have drunk all that water when are you going to wake up you and your stupid magic door locks WAKE –

Twilight’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and the lavender unicorn let out a soft groan as she blinked and tried to focus on an azure-blue blur that kept moving back and forth in front of her vision. “It’s about time you woke up, Twilight!” the azure-blue blur snapped as it slowly resolved itself into an uncomfortably-squirming azure-blue unicorn pacing anxiously back and forth.

Twilight shook her head to clear it, then slowly started to push her orgasm-wearied body up off the floor and back to her hooves. “...Trixie? What are we –?” Oh, right, she thought as her brain finally got itself back up to speed and the memories caught up with her. “How long was I asleep?”

“Long enough!” Trixie hissed through gritted teeth. “Could you unlock the door for Trixie, please?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, love, I didn’t mean to pass out on you like that,” Twilight said, coming over to nuzzle her marefriend. “It’s just that it was so... um... intense, that I –”

“Twilight, while the Great and Powerful Trixie would love to listen to you praise her greatness, she would love it even more if you would unlock the door for Trixie right now!” Trixie interrupted in an increasingly-desperate tone.

Twilight blinked, then blushed furiously as the significance of Trixie’s anxious squirming and fidgeting suddenly became clear to her. She quickly shot a bolt of magic at the door, unlocking the magicked wards and throwing it open with a strong telekinetic push. “Yes! Right! Sorry! Up the stairs, second door on the left!” she called out as Trixie galloped off through the open doorway, through the underground lab, and up the stairs to the library as fast as her legs could carry her.

Note to self, Twilight thought with a mix of wry humor and embarrassment as she wandered out into her basement laboratory, stretching her aching limbs. Item one, have an extra lavatory put in off of that side room if we’re going to be using it for... stuff. Or maybe even a full bath. A shower stall, at least. I really ought to have a shower down here anyway, just in case I splash something on myself, she thought idly as she caught sight of her chemistry-and-potions equipment on one of the lab tables. Strange how she’d never thought of that before...

Item two, set the lock wards on that door so Trixie can undo them too, and teach her how to do it. Or maybe a variation on that spell in the inhibitor-breaking crystal, so that if anypony says a safe-word within a few inches of the door...? Now there’s an interesting idea, and that might actually be useful to a lot of other ponies, too... Maybe one of Irongate’s double-ward locking spells, combined with a trigger spell from... Horsefeathers, I can’t remember his name. Sonic... something. Sonic Fuzz? Sonic Phase? No, that’s not right. Where did I put that book on voice-triggered spells again...?

When Trixie finally came back down the stairs a few minutes later, looking much relieved, she had to stifle a giggle-fit at the sight of her marefriend. There she was, her mane and coat a rumpled mess, still smelling of sweat and sex, her marefolds still visibly damp with lingering arousal... and completely absorbed in whatever intellectual puzzle had suddenly caught the studious, endlessly-curious unicorn’s mind as she flipped through pages in a spellbook with her hoof, while a piece of chalk caught up in her signature purple aura scribbled out formulas on one of her chalkboards. The sight was erotic, adorable... and thoroughly Twilight.

Trixie just sat at the foot of the stairs and watched for a while, not wanting to disturb her marefriend’s train of thought. The ‘hot sexy librarian’ is such a clop-film cliche, she thought to herself with a silent chuckle. But it’s true! She’s cute as a button, magically gifted, wild in bed... not that we’ve actually made it to the bedroom yet... and one of the smartest mares I’ve ever met. And I love all of that about her. The fact that she doesn’t even realize how sexy that combination is on her, just makes her even more adorable...

Twilight gradually became aware that she was being watched, and “eeped!” softly as she turned around to see Trixie sitting there watching her work. “Oh! Sorry, Trixie, I just had an idea all of a sudden, and wanted to get it written down before I forgot it,” she said sheepishly.

Trixie smiled as she came over and gave Twilight a tender, loving nuzzle. “No, Twilight... don’t ever apologize for being you,” she said. “You’re smart, as well as sexy –” (Twilight blushed visibly at that) “– and Trixie loves both of those things about you. Besides...” Trixie added with a wicked grin, “there’s just something so very, very hot about seeing you with your nose buried in your books, while you’re still all sweaty and messy from screaming Trixie’s name...”

Twilight’s blush deepened, and she gave Trixie a playful shove. “Oh, please... the ‘sexy librarian’ is just a clop-fiction cliche,” she said, echoing Trixie’s earlier thoughts.

“No, the ‘sexy librarian’ is right here next to me,” Trixie replied, pressing in closer. The two mares shared a moment of affectionate, tender nuzzling and soft sighs of contentment. “However, Trixie does think the ‘sexy librarian’ and her ‘Great and Powerful marefriend’ might want to take a hot shower before your assistant wakes up and sees us like this,” she added teasingly. Her stomach grumbled, provoking a giggle from Twilight as they separated. “And dinner. Definitely dinner. Sexy librarians are like cotton candy – tasty, but not very filling.”

Twilight blushed all over again. “Trixie! You’re terrible!” she laughed as she started towards the stairs.

“And what are you going to do about it? Spank me again?”

“I might...” Twilight smirked.

Trixie shrugged. “As long as you buy me dinner first.”

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One long, hot shower later, both mares were sitting around the dinner table, looking very refreshed and considerably more presentable, while Spike busied himself with putting together the evening meal. A large bowl of salad was already in the middle of the table, and both Twilight and Trixie were munching contentedly on their portions as Spike brought out a large, steaming casserole dish and set it next to the salad bowl.

“So...” he said, eying Trixie warily as he started to serve up three equal shares of the fire-roasted vegetable enchiladas he’d prepared onto their plates – adding a generous dusting of crushed gemstones to his own portion, of course.

Both mares took deep, appreciative sniffs of the spicy, aromatic steam rising off their plates, and smiled. “This smells delicious, Spike!” Twilight said happily. “New recipe?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, glancing between the two mares. “Got it from Carrot Top in the marketplace. Looked tasty, figured I’d give it a try. So...?” he prompted again.

Trixie levitated a fork in her magic and cut off a generous mouthful of the steaming-hot vegetarian entree, blew on it slightly to cool it, then let out a soft moan of pleasure at the taste as she nibbled it off the fork. The strips of roasted vegetables rolled up inside the thin flatbreads were nice and tender, and the creamy sauce had just enough of a spicy kick to it to make it flavorful without being overwhelming. Although as hungry as I am, even that leather belt would probably taste good right now! she thought to herself with amusement, trying not to blush as that thought reminded her of the belt once again cinched around her waist, underneath her cloak. Still... “This really is very good, Spike,” she said, hoping to disarm the tension in the room. “Trixie’s compli– I mean, my compliments to the chef.”

“Spike does most of the cooking, actually,” Twilight chuckled as she started in on her own portion. “I’m only so-so at it, myself. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably just be living on sandwiches and canned soups most of the time.” She gave him a warm smile across the table, adding, “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Spike sighed and set his fork down, forcing himself to meet Twilight’s gaze. “Are you going to do without me now, Twilight?” he asked flatly. There. I said it, he added to himself with a silent sigh of resignation.

Twilight nearly choked on her mouthful of food. “What?! Spike, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about her, Twilight,” he said, nodding towards Trixie. “You two are an ‘item’, now, as Rarity calls it. Am I right?” He snorted at Twilight’s goggle-eyed expression. “Oh c’mon, Twi. I may be ‘only’ a baby dragon, but I’m not that naive. I come home, find you two curled up in each others’ hooves on the floor... I wake up in my basket, you’re downstairs with the door locked, and when you finally come out you both head straight for the shower... and I hate to tell you this, Twi, but you really, really should’ve put a soundproofing spell on that room.”

Both mares blushed bright red under their coats as Spike confronted them with the accusations. “Oh. Well... um... ah-heh... you, um... heard that, huh?” Twilight finally managed to say.

Spike just shrugged and sighed. “I heard enough, yeah. Look, Twilight,” he said, his tone softening again. “I don’t care about... that. I just... I just want to know... do you still need me, if... if you’ve got her to make you happy now?” That irrational fear that the day would come when Twilight would no longer need him or want him around was eating at him again – and given their past history, he couldn’t help thinking it was entirely possible that Trixie wouldn’t want him around, and that she would try to persuade Twilight that he was no longer needed.

Twilight sighed and came around the table to hug Spike close, nuzzling his head-crest. “Spike... of course I’ll always need you. Trixie’s not going to take your place,” she said gently, trying to reassure him. “Nopony could ever take your place. You’re my number-one assistant... and my oldest friend, Spike. We’ve been together since the day you were hatched, and I love you, Spike, as much as I love my own brother. You know that.”

Trixie looked at the pair for a moment, considering the bond between them and where she fit into it. After a few moments’ thought, the young drake’s obvious apprehension began to make sense to her. Spike undoubtedly feared that she still held a grudge against him, or that she would try to get rid of him just out of spite or jealousy.

“Spike...” she began, waiting until she had his attention before continuing. “Trixie realizes that she...” She stopped and sighed, chiding herself for slipping into that habit so easily. “I realize I haven’t made a very good impression up until now...”

“No kidding,” Spike deadpanned.

“Spike!” Twilight said sternly.

“No, it’s all right, Twilight,” Trixie said. “He has every right to be upset and suspicious of Trixie. I nearly wrecked Ponyville twice, hurt and humiliated your friends, sent you into exile... he has no reason to believe Tri–... to believe me, or think any better of me.”

Spike blinked in surprise as Trixie spoke. She seemed almost... humbled.

“Spike,” she continued, “Trixie swears, she is not here to take your place. She – I couldn’t take your place even if I wanted to. I’m here to... to make amends, and be part of Twilight’s life, because I love her. And she loves me. We didn’t realize that until last night, but... we do. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to stop loving you, too. It’s okay if you’re still mad at Trixie for what she did... because the ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’ knows she has a lot to answer for, and apologize for.” She slowly got up and walked the few short steps to join Spike and Twilight at Spike’s end of the table, then placed a hoof on his shoulder and bowed her head. “Trixie is... I’m sorry, Spike. All of those things I did... I was wrong, and I swear... by the sun and the moon, I swear... I want to be better from now on. But Trixie can’t do it alone, Spike, she... I need Twilight’s help, and yours. Please... forgive me.”

Twilight gave her marefriend a warm smile of approval as Trixie humbled herself before her dragon assistant, begging his forgiveness. Spike looked between Trixie, then Twilight, as he pondered this new situation. He still wasn’t fully sure he could trust the showmare after everything she’d put him and Ponyville through – twice! – but she did seem to be acting more modest and repentant than he’d ever seen her. Even when she’d apologized after the Alicorn Amulet incident, “The Great and Apologetic Trixie” had still acted a bit arrogant about it, as though she were proud of herself for apologizing. But this seemed more... genuine, somehow. Like maybe she really was sorry this time.

Still... “Okay,” he said slowly. “On one condition, Trixie.”

“Name it – eep!” Trixie swallowed as she suddenly found a pawful of sharp dragon claws right at her throat, with Spike leaning in to put himself nose-to-nose with her, his slit-pupiled green eyes blazing as they stared straight into hers.

“Twilight raised me from an egg, Trixie,” he said quietly. “My whole life, she’s been like a mother to me. If you ever hurt her again...”

“Spike!” Twilight was aghast. She’d never seen Spike threaten another pony like this before. Spike wasn’t terribly happy about doing it himself – he normally tried not to let those aggressive dragon instincts get the better of him – but even Spike had a limit past which he would simply not be pushed, especially in defense of somepony he cared about. Twilight had been his caretaker, companion, and teacher for literally his whole life, and Trixie had already hurt Twilight and their friends twice before. That was two times too many.

Trixie glanced between the two of them... then smiled and nodded to Spike. “If Trixie ever harms Twilight again... she will deserve that, and more.” Cautiously, she leaned up to nuzzle his head-crest, as she’d seen Twilight do. “And that is why you’ll always be her number one,” she added softly.

Spike lowered his claws and relaxed his guard, making both mares sigh in relief. Huh. Maybe she really has changed... he thought to himself. “Um... actually, now that I think of it... make that two conditions.”

“And the second one is?” Trixie asked cautiously.

Spike turned to Twilight. “My own room. With a soundproofing spell.”

\/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ * \/

Twilight, Spike, and Trixie stayed up late into the night, talking, as the two mares explained the events of the evening before. How Trixie had shown up seeking revenge by trying to punish and humiliate Twilight; how Twilight had turned the tables on the showmare, disciplining and eventually humbling her in turn, and how all of that had led to their reconciliation as Trixie had finally unburdened herself and told her unhappy life story. Spike had glared dangerously at Trixie at hearing what the azure unicorn had done to his surrogate “mother” with the inhibitor and the crop, but had eventually calmed down and grudgingly accepted Twilight’s repeated assurances that it had been what both unicorns had needed to achieve closure and put the past behind them. He still wasn’t entirely pleased at the prospect of having Trixie living there in the library, but getting his own room out of the deal helped make him feel a little better about the situation; it was, after all, a tacit admission by Twilight that he was a little older and more mature now, and that it was time he had a little space to call his own.

Their lengthy talk, and the reshuffling of rooms to make a place for Spike, lasted well into the night. The library tree had numerous smaller rooms in the upper-branch levels, any one of which would have been fine for Spike’s new room – but as otherwise-unused rooms often do, all of them had acquired various assortments of “stuff” which several generations of prior librarians had deemed too important to dispose of, but not important enough to actually organize or keep track of. Naturally, Twilight’s obsession with lists and details demanded that everything moved from the room they’d chosen as Spike’s had to be written down and catalogued, so Luna’s moon was well past its highest point in the sky and beginning its slow arc back downwards by the time the lights finally went out in the windows of the Golden Oaks Library tree.

The next morning, Celestia’s sun was just reaching its peak when Spike cautiously peeked into Twilight’s bedroom. He was both relieved and irritated at finding the two mares still snuggled up in Twilight’s bed and sleeping soundly – irritated, because they were sleeping in so late; and relieved, because that was all they were doing. The last thing the little drake wanted was to walk in on a repeat of... whatever it was they’d been doing down in the basement. The mental images had been disturbing enough to deal with; he didn’t need to see it first-hoof.

“Time to wake up, sleepy-heads!” he called out, in a tone that was entirely too cheerful for the sleeping mares’ tastes. Twilight came just awake enough to mumble something incomprehensible, but decidedly uncomplimentary, under her breath before trying to bury her head even deeper into the pillows. Spike just rolled his eyes, grabbed the bedcovers, and yanked them off the bed, causing both mares to fall off their respective sides of the mattress and hit the floor with a soft thump and a harmonized whimper of protest.

“What was that for?” they chorused indignantly, each glaring up from the floor at the vaguely Spike-shaped blob of purple and green swimming in their vision as they rubbed the backs of their heads.

“Ugh... what time is it?” Trixie added with a groan, wincing as the annoying Spike-shaped blob threw back the window curtains to let entirely too much light into the bedroom.

“Almost noon,” the Spike-shaped blob said, as it slowly turned into a smug-looking young dragon.

“So?” Twilight asked as she pushed herself back up to her hooves. “It’s Sunday. We sleep in on Sundays.”

“Yeah, but you told me never to let you sleep past noon, remember?” Spike chuckled. “Because otherwise you end up staying awake all night, and then your whole schedule gets out of whack.”

“Oh... Right. I did say that, didn’t I.”

“And, I have to get over to Fluttershy’s place before she leaves for Canterlot. She’s –” He stopped as he saw the baffled look on Twilight’s face. “Didn’t I tell you?”

“Tell me what, Spike?”

“Oh. I guess I didn’t. Fluttershy came by yesterday while you two were... um... whatever, and asked me if I could keep an eye on her cottage for a day or two while she’s off in Canterlot,” he explained.

“Fluttershy’s going to Canterlot?” Twilight asked, still baffled.

Spike huffed and pulled the planning calendar off Twilight’s desk, showing it to her. “Princess Celestia has that big summit meeting with the neighboring tribes, remember? She’s asked Fluttershy to Canterlot look after Philomena for her while she’s gone. Phoenixes get territorial when it’s mating season, Fluttershy says, so Philomena can’t go to the summit with Celestia when she’s like this.”

“Oh,” Twilight said as she read the calendar. “Okay, but why does she need you to watch her cottage?”

“Some workponies are coming by today or tomorrow to fix a leak in her roof, and you know how crazy Angel gets sometimes.”

“That rabbit’s crazy all the time,” Twilight chuckled, rolling her eyes.

“Heh, I can’t argue that,” Spike chuckled as well. “Anyway, she says as long as someone he knows is there to watch him, he won’t go all ‘ninja guard-bunny’ on them. That’s the theory, anyway. Besides, I owe him a batch of carrot-raisin salad anyway.”

“You... owe him?” Trixie asked, tilting her head curiously.

“Yeah, never should’ve gone double-or-nothing on that last hand, darn it,” Spike said with a shrug. “I was holding a full house, and he bluffed me into folding when all he had was a pair of deuces, can you believe it?”

Twilight and Trixie exchanged glances, then decided maybe it was better not to ask for details. “Okay, Spike. Be careful.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her favorite baby dragon and nuzzled his cheek affectionately, ignoring the soft chuckle from Trixie. “I’ll miss you.”

Spike feigned disgust at the display of affection, but smiled inside, happy to know he was still number one in Twilight’s heart. He said his goodbyes as the two mares followed him downstairs, then grabbed his carry-pack and left for Fluttershy’s place.

“So...” Twilight said as she and Trixie stepped into the kitchen. “What would you like, Trixie? Like I said, I’m not exactly a gourmet cook, but I can manage oatmeal and toast, and there should be some yogurt in the icebox, if you like that kind of thing... it’s just plain yogurt though, not flavored. I like it that way, but I could cut up some fruit and mix it in if you don’t like it plain. We’ve got eggs, but... I’m not really good with frying eggs. Or I can make sandwiches, since it’s technically lunchtime, although I’d have to look and see what we have...”

Trixie just chuckled and shouldered her way past Twilight, her horn already lighting up to grasp bowls, measuring cups, and a frying pan in her telekinetic fields. “Watch and be amazed, Sparkle.”

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Half an hour later, the two mares sat back from the table, feeling absolutely satisfied from the pair of brunch-time omelettes Trixie had whipped up using the leftovers from last night’s dinner. “That was really good, Trixie,” Twilight said. “I didn’t know you could cook like that.”

“Yes, well, there’s a lot you don’t know about Trixie,” Trixie chuckled. “She is a mare of mystery who amazes and stupefies all who see her greatness, remember?”

Twilight chuckled as well as she came around the table to nuzzle her marefriend. “A mare of mystery, huh?”

“Who amazes and stupefies,” Trixie insisted as she returned the nuzzle, feeling a contented warmth inside at the simple gesture. “Don’t forget that part.” I really have been such a fool, she chided herself. If only I’d come to my senses earlier, I could’ve had this ‘great and powerful’ feeling a long time ago, instead of... No. That was the past, she told herself firmly, and it was time to move on from it, and atone for it if necessary, not continue to dwell on it. “Truth be told, Spike’s cooking is probably better than mine, but when you’re a traveling entertainer living on the road all the time, learning a few tricks with a skillet to make the most out of your leftovers comes under ‘basic survival skills’,” she added with a wry chuckle.

Together, they cleared away the table and washed up the pans and dishes, making short work of it with their combined magic, then settled into a pair of comfortable chairs in the main library room. “Okay, Trixie,” Twilight began. “I know we talked about this last night, but... we still need to come up with a plan for how we’re going to do this.”

Trixie bit her lip as she remembered what needed to be done. “I know,” she said, giving Twilight a brief nod. “I’ve been thinking about it, but you know your friends best, so... what do you think we should do?”

“Well, the first order of business is deciding who we tell first, I think,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “Personally, I think Rarity might be the easiest to get forgiveness from. She’s emotional and prone to dramatics,” she said with a slight chuckle, “but she has a generous nature at heart. Applejack won’t be that difficult either, I don’t think... she can be heavy-hoofed and stubborn at times, but she’s basically fair-minded, and she usually listens to me. Rainbow Dash will definitely be the hardest to convince, though. She’s loyal to her friends, but kind of hot-headed, and even more stubborn than Applejack sometimes... especially if her pride is wounded,” Twilight finished with a significant glance at Trixie.

Trixie nodded her understanding as she thought it over. Twilight’s description of her friends seemed to match her own impressions of them fairly well, especially Rainbow Dash. It did seem likely that the rainbow-maned pegasus would be the most difficult and stubborn of the three she owed personal apologies to; not only had she made Rainbow Dash look ridiculous in front of everypony, she’d done it to her twice...

Finally, Trixie reached a decision. “Applejack first.”

“Any particular reason, Love?” Twilight asked, raising a brow.

“Partly because Trixie feels that Applejack is more of a family mare than the other two,” Trixie said, wincing as she slipped back into third-person again. Discord take it, I have got to stop doing that! “So she seems like the kind of pony who’s had to deal with... well, misbehavior and apologies from foolish foals before, so she might recognize a genuine apology more readily than the others. Also... what I did to her was less harmful than the other two, I think.”

Twilight nodded as she considered her marefriend’s logic. Trixie was probably right; between Applejack’s normally solid and steady nature, and her having to be a surrogate mother as well as a big sister to Apple Bloom, she probably would be the most likely to hear them out before deciding whether Trixie’s apology was sincere or not. I wonder why I didn’t consider that myself... she thought idly. “I see your point,” she agreed. “We’ll go see Applejack today, then.”

“Actually, Trixie thinks... I mean, I think we should see both Applejack and Rarity today. If we can.”

Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Why?”

Trixie let out a long, slow sigh before answering. “Having both of them on our side first would make it a lot easier to speak with Rainbow Dash, I think. What I did to Rainbow was dangerous, as well as mean-spirited, and Trixie can’t help thinking Rainbow might not want to listen to her even with you there to speak for her–... I mean, for me. I don’t know if any amount of humbling will help... but having your friends there as well might spark her loyalty, if she sees that I’ve already earned their forgiveness as well.”

Twilight sighed as well, as Trixie put into words what Twilight had already suspected might be true about Rainbow Dash’s willingness to forgive. I love Rainbow... but Trixie’s probably right. If it’s just the two of us, Dash still might not listen. She’ll probably just think Trixie has me under some kind of mind-control spell or something... She’s right. We need Applejack and Rarity there to back us up. “Are you sure about this, Trixie? Rarity might be generous, but she can be just as stern as Applejack if she feels her friends are threatened. I don’t think either of them will go easy on you.”

Trixie nodded firmly. “I know, but Trix... I still think it would be best. The sooner we get it over with and, hopefully, get your other two friends on our side, the less risk there is of Rainbow Dash finding out about me being here and doing something rash before we can talk to her. And maybe Rarity will be quicker to forgive me if she sees just what I’m willing to go through to be with you. What I did to Rarity may not seem like much, but as a fellow artist I’m sure it devastated her far more than you think. In a way, what I did to her was as bad as what I did to Rainbow Dash; I inflicted a very public humiliation on her, by striking at something very personal to her.”

Twilight raised a brow as she nodded in understanding, surprised at the amount of clarity and logic in Trixie’s arguments. Clearly, the azure showmare had put a lot of thought into it. Who knew Trixie could think things through like this? She must really be worried that she’ll lose me... “Then that’s what we’ll do, Trixie,” she said decisively. “And remember... I love you, Trixie. No matter what happens, I’ll stand by you.”

Trixie smiled as she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. I don’t deserve somepony so truly Great and Powerful, she thought to herself as she walked around the table to embrace her marefriend gratefully. “And Trixie loves Twilight Sparkle, more than anything in this world,” she said, giving the blushing lavender mare a sweet kiss to her cheek as she broke the hug. “And I will do whatever it takes to be with you.”

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Trixie stayed awkwardly close to Twilight for the entire walk as the two mares made their way across Ponyville, heading for Sweet Apple Acres. Not wanting to be recognized by anypony else in town (especially Rainbow Dash) before she’d had her chance to make apologies to Applejack or Rarity, she was once again wearing the “Tracy” disguise she’d worn at Crimson Brush’s shop a few days earlier, when buying the crop and magic inhibitor she’d used on Twilight. The azure unicorn’s horn was magically concealed under an illusion spell, and her back and flanks were covered by a plain, deep-black cape that hid her cutie mark. Her usual star-and-comet-spangled hat and cape were safely back at the library; those would have been a dead giveaway of her identity, and even wearing a plain black hat to cover up her horn might’ve aroused too much suspicion if anypony happened to make the connection between “azure-blue mare”, “cape”, and “hat.”

The only difference between then and now was the leather belt cinched snugly around Trixie’s waist. The cape kept it concealed from view, but every step Trixie took reminded her of its presence, and she was very aware of what it represented. Her complete commitment to Twilight, and her willingness to face the consequences of her past actions, no matter how much it hurt. Her willingness to be humbled.

And Trixie was fairly sure there would be plenty of that in her immediate future. But if that’s what it takes... then that’s what it takes, she thought, reminding herself of the vow she’d made the day before while watching Twilight sleep.

It wasn’t long before they spotted the farm with its seemingly-endless rows of apple trees in the distance. Despite her resolve, Trixie couldn’t help shivering a little as they drew closer, and by the time they reached the whitewashed fence with the arched gate, Trixie was shaking so badly that she could barely bring herself to step through the gateway. Seeing her marefriend’s distress, Twilight pressed close against Trixie’s side, nuzzling her cheek reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, Love. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as we thought,” she said, trying to sound confident for Trixie’s sake. “I’ll be with you the whole way, no matter what.”

Trixie gave her a weak smile and nodded. “Trixie hopes you’re right, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. The fact that Trixie didn’t even try to correct her third-person tic told Twilight just how stressed her marefriend was. Twilight nuzzled her again, then gently nudged her forward, sticking close by the entire time as they made their way up to the front door of the Apple family’s farmhouse.

Twilight raised her hoof and knocked on the door. Here goes nothing, she thought.

About half a minute later, the door opened, revealing a pale-yellow filly with a huge pink bow holding her apple-red hair in a ponytail. “Oh, hey, y’all!” Apple Bloom smiled brightly as she saw who was at the door. “Hey, sis! It’s Twilight!!” she shouted back into the house. “C’mon in, Applejack’s just finishin’ up the dishes. So who’s your friend?”

Twilight rubbed Trixie’s shoulder for comfort before they both made their way inside. “This is a dear friend of mine,” she said to Apple Bloom. “Somepony I’ve been hoping to see again for a very long time.”

“Well, howdy there, Twilight!” Applejack said warmly as she came out of the kitchen to greet her guests. “What brings y’all by these parts? Oh, hey, you brought a new friend?” she said as she noticed the unfamiliar azure-blue earth pony mare standing next to Twilight. “Nice ta meet you. Name’s Applejack,” she added, offering a hoof.

Trixie bit her lip, still feeling a little nervous, but the jovial welcome from the orange farm-mare seemed to ease her tension a bit. “The... pleasure’s all Tr... mine,” she said as she shook hooves with Applejack, barely catching herself from slipping into third-person again. To her relief, Applejack didn’t seem to notice the slip.

“Aw, shucks, any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine, ain’t that right, Twilight?” Applejack said with a chuckle. “So, what brings you by?”

“Is there somewhere we can talk?” Twilight asked. “In private?”

Applejack tilted her head slightly, giving her unicorn friend a curious look. “Um... sure thing, sugarcube. We can go upstairs to my room. Big Mac and Granny are out in the barn, so it’s just me and Apple Bloom here in the house. That private enough?” Twilight nodded, and Applejack turned to her little sister. “Sis, can you finish up in the kitchen for me while I talk to Twilight for a bit? Dishes are done, just clean th’ counters an’ sweep up.”

She waited until Apple Bloom disappeared into the kitchen, then led Twilight and her new friend up the stairs to her room. On the way, it occurred to her that she never had gotten the azure earth-pony’s name... Or had she just forgotten it already? Dang it, I’m so bad with names sometimes, she thought to herself with a wry chuckle. Maybe I oughta take one of them memory courses, or somethin’.

“So what’s got ya so worked up, Twilight?” she asked as she closed her bedroom door behind them.

Twilight waited until the door was fully closed, then nodded to Trixie. “Go ahead, Love,” she said, making Applejack raise a brow at the affectionate nickname.

Trixie took a deep breath to steady herself... then canceled the illusion spell concealing her identity.

Applejack gasped and jumped back as a blue glow briefly surrounded the unfamiliar earth-pony mare, leaving an all-too-familiar unicorn standing in her place. The Great and Powerful Trixie, who had nearly wrecked Ponyville not once, but twice. “Jumpin’ horsefeathers! Get back, Twilight!” she cried, instinctively lowering her head and scraping a hoof on the floor in preparation for a fight. “What the hay are you doing here, Trixie?!”

To Applejack’s surprise, instead of firing back a bolt of magic in response to her challenge, or even a verbal threat, Trixie whimpered softly and pressed in against Twilight, turning her head away so as not to meet Applejack’s angry gaze, as if she were a frightened foal trying to hide behind her mother. Even more surprising, Twilight didn’t seem at all surprised to see the azure-blue mare’s true identity, and Applejack realized that Twilight had known who Trixie was all along.

Applejack turned her gaze to Twilight. “What in tarnation’s goin’ on here, sugarcube?” she demanded.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. She’d hoped Applejack would have reacted a bit more calmly, but she supposed it was only natural that her friend would assume the worst, given Trixie’s past history. “Stand down, Applejack... Trixie’s not here to make trouble, I promise. She’s here because I asked her to come... and because she wanted to talk to you. We have a confession to make... and she wants to make amends.”

For a long moment, Applejack just stared at the pair of unicorns, her face going through several different expressions of suspicion, amazement, and disbelief. Every time she’d run into Trixie in the past, the unicorn’s arrogance had made even Rainbow Dash seem as meek and modest as Fluttershy by comparison... but she had to admit, there was none of that arrogance about her now. Trixie was cowering against Twilight like a scolded filly who was afraid she was about to be spanked...

Finally, Applejack relaxed her stance a bit. “I reckon y’all better start talkin’ then,” she said, still keeping a wary eye on Trixie.

Twilight settled a foreleg across Trixie’s back, gently rubbing her withers to reassure her as she hugged the showmare closer. “Trixie came to see me yesterday... no, sorry, day before yesterday,” she corrected herself. “Spike’s right, I really need to stop staying up past midnight so often. Anyway, we... had a long talk, and we’ve both come to a few realizations.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, Applejack. First of all... Trixie feels bad for everything that happened the previous times she was here. She didn’t mean for anypony to get hurt.” She held up a hoof as Applejack opened her mouth to protest. “The Alicorn Amulet wasn’t entirely her fault, Applejack. She didn’t know what it would do to her. It scrambled her mind, Applejack... just like Discord did to us, remember? By the time she arrived in Ponyville she was already so far under its corruption she hardly even knew what she was doing. And the Ursa Minor? Snips and Snails were the ones who lured it here, not Trixie. Okay, she bragged about beating one as part of her stage act, but it’s not like she told them go into the Everfree and bring an Ursa back here. I mean, honestly, how was she to know they’d be dumb enough to pull a stunt like that?”

Applejack studied Twilight for a moment, not saying anything, trying to make up her mind whether she should believe any of this or not. If Trixie had said any of those things herself, she wouldn’t have believed a word of it. But this was coming from Twilight, one of her best friends, and Applejack couldn’t imagine Twilight being willing to lie for Trixie...

And as much as she still wanted to blame Trixie for the mayhem she’d unleashed on Ponyville the last time she’d been here, she had to admit Twilight had a point about what supernatural mind-scrambling could do to a pony. Being “Discorded” had been a horrifying experience, one which had made Applejack feel as if even her own mind and body no longer belonged to her. Trapped inside her own head, completely unable to stop herself from lying continuously to everypony around her, her “true” self raging and screaming uselessly within its mental prison as her “Discorded” self drove all of her friends away by telling lie after lie after lie...

She shuddered and shook off the memories. Horseapples, I had nightmares about that for weeks afterwards. If whatever that Amulet did to Trixie was even half as bad... dang it, I could almost feel sorry for her. Sweet Celestia, I wouldn’t wish somethin’ like that on anypony. Nopony deserves to have their own brain hijacked like that...

“Go on,” she finally said.

“The second thing we’ve come to realize, is...” Rather than finish that sentence, Twilight turned her head towards Trixie, lifted her marefriend’s muzzle, and gently pressed her lips against Trixie’s. She held the kiss for a few moments, then slowly released it and turned to look at Applejack once more, giggling slightly at her friend’s slack-jawed look of disbelief. “...I love Trixie,” she finished, “and she loves me. We’ve come here for... your blessing, for lack of a better word.”

“I... I don’t rightly know what to say, sugarcube...” Applejack said slowly, still staring at the unicorns in disbelief. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can just... accept you two bein’ together, and forgive her just like that, after everythin’ she did. I hear what you’re sayin’, Twilight,” she said, shaking her head firmly as Twilight tried to speak up in Trixie’s defense again. “An’ I suppose it makes sense, but... it just ain’t that simple. She hurt a whole lot o’ ponies, sugarcube, an’ just ‘cause she says she’s sorry, that don’t just suddenly make it all better again.”

Twilight simply nodded. “We didn’t think it would be that simple, Applejack. But Trixie is willing to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.” She nuzzled Trixie reassuringly, then took a step back. “Turn around, Love,” she said in a firm, commanding tone.

Trixie blushed deeply, knowing what was coming next, even as she obeyed the commanding tone in her marefriend’s voice without question. She glanced briefly at Applejack, then turned around as ordered, bending her head down to the floor as she lifted and braced her hindquarters into the correct position. She gasped and swallowed nervously as Twilight suddenly flipped her cape aside without warning, exposing both her flanks and the leather belt wrapped around her waist.

“She’s already accepted penance from me,” Twilight explained, rubbing her lover’s back reassuringly as she spoke. “Now, she’s prepared to accept whatever punishment you feel she deserves as well, if that’s what it takes to earn your forgiveness.”

Applejack’s expression went through another round of stunned amazement, suspicion, and disbelief as she regarded the sight in front of her. She understood right away the significance of the position Trixie had placed herself in; Applejack herself was intimately – and painfully – familiar with it, as were her brother and sister. Corporal punishment was a time-honored tradition in the Apple family; even Granny Smith had gotten her flanks tanned on several occasions as a filly, and there wasn’t a colt or filly anywhere in the family tree that hadn’t heard those dreaded words “turn around and bend over” at least once. But to see “The Great And Powerful Trixie!” put herself in such a humbling position – at Twilight’s command, yet! – was the last thing Applejack had ever expected to see...

“Let me see if I have this right,” she said cautiously, addressing Trixie directly. “You’re tellin’ me you’re willin’ to accept a whoopin’ just to get my forgiveness?”

Trixie shivered noticeably at the mention of a “whoopin’”, and took a deep breath to steady herself before replying. “Trixie... loves Twilight, and wants to be with her,” she said evenly. “But because she loves Twilight, she... I don’t want her to have to choose between Trixie and her friends. So... yes, Applejack. Trixie will... I mean, I will take whatever punishment you think I deserve, if that’s what it takes to put things behind us so that Twilight and I can be together.” Discord take it, why can’t I break that habit? she chided herself. Although I suppose not shouting my title all the time is a good start. Especially since I’m not the Great and Powerful Trixie anymore... I’m Twilight’s Trixie, she added, comforting herself with that thought as she awaited Applejack’s decision.

Applejack regarded Trixie for a moment longer, still trying to get her head around the idea of a humbled Trixie expressing seemingly-sincere love for anyone other than herself, and actually asking to be punished like a misbehaving filly. Finally, she turned to Twilight.

“Twilight... can I have a word with you, sugarcube?” The orange farm-mare pulled open the door and waited for Twilight to walk out into the hallway, then looked back at Trixie with a deadly glare. “An’ you? Stay right there an’ don’t... you... move,” she commanded in a tone that, combined with her glare, sent icicles of fear down Trixie’s spine. Trixie understood instantly that this was a test of her willingness to submit to whatever penance Applejack intended for her, and obediently froze herself in place, willing herself not to so much as twitch her tail without permission.

Satisfied that Trixie would stay where she was, Applejack closed the door behind her and led Twilight back downstairs to the living room, not saying a word until they were all the way downstairs. “All right, Twilight,” she said, “tell me just what the hay is really goin’ on here. Is Trixie really so changed as all that?”

“Yes, Applejack, she is,” Twilight said.

“How can ya be sure?”

“It’s a long story, Applejack...”

“Ain’t it always?” Applejack snorted. “Fine, give me the condensed version then.”

Twilight sighed and sat down, gathering her thoughts, then gave Applejack a quick rundown of the events that had happened since Trixie had first caught her by surprise in the library, and how the two mares had come to recognize their true feelings for each other. “I know it sounds crazy, but... I love Trixie with all my heart, Applejack,” she finished, giving Applejack a look that not even the Element of Honesty could find the slightest untruth in. “And she really does want your forgiveness. Rarity and Rainbow Dash’s, too.”

“An’ if I’m not willin’ to give it?” Applejack asked, in a flat tone that gave Twilight no clue as to what she was thinking.

Twilight glanced down at the floor for a moment, frowning in thought at the prospect of having to choose between her marefriend over one of her best friends. “Then... I’d be sorry you felt that way, but...” She looked up again, meeting Applejack’s steady gaze. “It won’t stop us from being together, Applejack.”

“She means that much to you?”

Twilight’s gaze didn’t waver. “Yes, Applejack, she does,” she said without hesitation.

Applejack looked deep into Twilight’s eyes for a moment, judging her honesty, then gave her unicorn friend a small smile of understanding. “That’s the answer I wanted to hear, sugarcube. I believe ya.” She stepped forward to nuzzle Twilight, and the two mares held each other in a warm embrace for a few moments, reinforcing the strength of their friendship and trust in each other. “But...”

“But...?” Twilight asked cautiously.

“But I think I am gonna take her up on her offer to do a li’l penance,” Applejack said with a sly grin.

Twilight nodded. “If that’s what you think is best.”

“I do, Twi. From what you just told me... I think deep down inside, she wants that closure, just as much as I do. Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out over her shoulder towards the kitchen. “Git in here, pronto!”

A moment later, Apple Bloom came galloping in from the kitchen, skidding to a halt as she saw the stern expression on her big sister’s face. “What is it, sis? What’s up?” she asked anxiously.

“Go an’ fetch me an apple switch,” Applejack said firmly. “An’ don’t worry, darlin’, it ain’t for you,” she added, giving the filly a soft pop to her rump to send her on her way. “Though if you bring me a bad one, it just might be.” Apple Bloom flinched and reluctantly started towards the door, glanced over her shoulder apprehensively, then broke into a gallop and swiftly ran out the door as she caught sight of her sister’s still-stern expression.

“A switch? Is that really necessary, Applejack?” Twilight asked, concerned. While she had no first-hoof experience with them, from what she’d been given to understand a switch was very similar to a cane – and based on how Crimson Brush had reacted to just a few strokes of one of those, that night when the zebracorn had persuaded Twilight to help her “test” her merchandise, she felt fairly sure that canes and switches must be far, far worse than the belt...

“I believe it is, sugarcube,” Applejack said patiently. “Twilight... I don’t know if I’ve ever come out and said this before, but... you been like family to me, almost since the day you came to Ponyville. Shoot, after all we been through together – dragons, Discord, shape-changin’ bugs invadin’ Canterlot, parasprites, lost Empires... Nightmare Moon herself? Not ta mention all the times you been there to pull me an’ my family’s chestnuts outta the fire from my own dang stubbornness an’ stupid pride. You are family, sugarcube, an’ I love you like you were my own sister.” She smiled and nuzzled Twilight again as the unicorn mare blushed at that sentiment. “An’ if you want me to let Trixie into this family too... then she’s gonna have to take what all of us Apples got when we did somethin’ wrong.”

Twilight nodded again. Put that way, she really couldn’t disagree with what Applejack had said, and if it would bring closure between her and Trixie... “Okay, just... try not to be too hard on her? She really is sorry.”

Applejack chuckled as she gave Twilight a reassuring smile. “Don’t you worry none, sugarcube, I promise I won’t give her anythin’ worse than I’d give my own li’l sister.”

Before Twilight could inquire further, Apple Bloom came trotting back into the house carrying a thick, smooth switch in her mouth. The filly’s wide-eyed, apprehensive look as her sister came over to take the switch from her suggested that Apple Bloom still wasn’t entirely convinced that the switch wasn’t meant for her own flanks, though she couldn’t for the life of her imagine what she might’ve done to deserve it. She hadn’t done anything! Not lately, anyway...

Applejack inspected the switch, then gave Apple Bloom an approving pat on the head. “That’ll do fine, darlin’. Give it here, an’ then go finish up in the kitchen.” Apple Bloom swallowed nervously as she passed over the switch from her mouth to Applejack’s, and was only too happy to make herself scarce as her sister motioned towards the kitchen door with a hoof. Applejack chuckled softly as her sister beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the kitchen, then turned around and led Twilight back up the stairs to her bedroom.

As they walked in the door, they both noticed Trixie had taken Applejack’s command to heart, and hadn’t moved so much as an inch since they’d left her there. Applejack raised a brow as she considered Trixie’s bent-over form; the unicorn mare had barely even flinched when the door opened, and the tension in her muscles made it clear that she was fighting the urge to make even the slightest movement to relieve the stiffness in her body from holding this position so long. Well I’ll be dipped. If she’s really willin’ to go through all of this just to be forgiven, Applejack thought to herself, maybe she really has changed...

Seeing that Trixie’s eyes were tightly closed, Applejack walked around beside the bent-over showmare, placing the switch down on her bedside table for a moment. “Trixie...” she said quietly but firmly, startling Trixie out of whatever thoughts she’d been wrapped up in. “Twilight and I have had a li’l talk. She’s explained everythin’ to me... an’ for her sake, I’m willin’ to forgive you. She’s one of my closest and best friends, an’ if you’re the one she truly wants as her ‘special somepony’, then... I’m happy for her, Trixie. I’m happy she’s found someone to make her happy.” She waited for Trixie to acknowledge that with a slight nod, then continued. “But there’s one condition, Trixie. Somethin’ you need to understand.”

Everypony has “one condition”, Trixie thought wryly. Not that she could’ve reasonably expected anything else; she certainly had no right to expect unconditional forgiveness after the awful things she’d done. That they were willing to forgive her at all was more than she deserved. “What is it, Applejack?” she asked, forcing her voice to remain calm.

“Twilight’s a darn sight more than just a friend to me, Trixie. That mare an’ I have been to Tartarus an’ back a dozen times over, stood shoulder-to-shoulder against nightmares that’d scare your cutie marks off... an’ she’s been there for me, even in my worst moments. She’s picked me up when I’ve fallen, and there is nothin’ I wouldn’t do for her. She’s family to me, sugarcube... an’ if you’re goin’ to be with her, that makes you family, too. An’ in this family... we believe in firm discipline. Y’ follow me?”

Trixie swallowed and nodded. Even though Applejack had spoken quietly and evenly, there was no mistaking the firmness behind her tone of voice. The tone of a mother scolding an errant foal who was about to be soundly spanked for her shameful misbehavior. Trixie had held out a small hope that it wouldn’t come to this, but she supposed it was fitting. She’d behaved like a thoughtless, selfish foal, so it was appropriate that she receive a thoughtless, selfish foal’s punishment.

Slowly, she lifted her tail, exposing her flanks. “Trixie un... I understand,” she said quietly. “But afterwards... someday... do you think you and Trix–... could we ever be friends, too?” she asked.

Applejack couldn’t help but smile a bit at Trixie’s request. Her meek, humbled tone told Applejack everything she wanted to hear, more clearly than words. Trixie truly had put her pride and arrogance aside, and was all but begging for her forgiveness.

“You prove to me you’re willin’ to accept th’ consequences of your actions... an’ when this is over, you’ll have a good friend in me, an’ that’s a promise. Now brace yourself, sugarcube... ‘cause the Apples don’t play around with discipline.” She grasped the switch once more in her teeth, glanced towards Twilight... and at her friend’s approving nod, she gently tapped the switch over the azure mare’s flanks, taking aim for the first strike.

Trixie’s eyes widened as she felt the thick piece of wood tapping against her hindquarters, and bit her lip to keep from crying out in fear as she braced herself, tightening every muscle in her legs and back, willing herself not to pull away. I deserve this... I deserve this... she kept reminding herself, over and over, as she closed her eyes tight and waited for her punishment to begin. She felt Twilight’s hooves rubbing her ears, and drew what comfort and strength she could from the contact, telling herself that as long as she had Twilight, she could take the coming punishment, no matter how much it hurt...

There was a thin, high whistling sound behind her... and then an explosion of agonizing pain across her hindquarters as Applejack drove the first stroke home, searing a line of white-hot fire that throbbed and burned more fiercely than anything Trixie had ever imagined. Even the hardest lashes Twilight had given her with the belt barely measured up to the intense pain delivered by just that single stroke, and it took every ounce of willpower Trixie had to stifle her cry of pain and keep herself from bolting from the room.

Applejack watched as the line of deep-red fire formed underneath Trixie’s blue coat, giving the showmare plenty of time to feel it to the fullest... then drew back and laid down another stroke, just above the first. Trixie hissed in pain, her body shaking from the effort of holding herself still under the harsh punishment. I deserve this... I deserve this... I...

“...deserve this... I deserve this...” she whispered, over and over, her mind latching onto the words as a way to deal with the ferocious pain spreading across her backside. “I deserve this... IIIIEEEEEEEE!!” she let out a scream of agony as another stripe of white-hot fire painted itself across her flanks, below the first two, hot tears rolling freely down her cheeks as she gasped for breath after the shock of pain had passed. “I’m sorry! ... I’M SORRY! ... PLEASE!!”

The switch whistled through the air again, and Trixie’s will was broken as another explosion of searing pain shattered what little composure she had left. Her desperate apologies and pleas for mercy dissolved into a stifled scream of agony as she bit down on her own hoof, her whole body trembling as she forced herself to hold still for the unbelievably excruciating punishment, telling herself that she deserved every bit of it, and more... You hurt so many ponies... she reminded herself fiercely. You hurt everyone, and you didn’t even care... then you ran away like a coward... you earned this...

Twilight winced as each stroke came whistling down across her marefriend’s flanks, her eyes misting up a little as well as Trixie sobbed and cried out in pain under the switch. She wished it hadn’t come to this, but knew it was ultimately for the best. The punishment, harsh as it was, would bring closure to Applejack and Trixie, settling the bad blood between them once and for all, allowing them both to let go of the anger and guilt so each could move on from it... just as it had done for her and her marefriend.

Applejack waited until Trixie pulled herself back together a little, then delivered two more strikes in quick succession, above and below the four already received. Trixie jerked and howled in agony as the double strike seared her hindquarters, and only her marefriend’s steady presence and continuous rubbing of her ears to remind her that she was loved kept her from bucking and bolting.

“AAAAAIIIIIIIIIHHHHH!!! PLEASE!!” Trixie sobbed, her tears flowing freely as she surrendered, crying so hard from the awful pain she could hardly even catch her breath. “I... I... I c-can’t... no more, please... T-Trixie is... she’s... I... I’m... s-sorryyyyyy, A-Applej-jack, I’m s-sorry... p-please, I... I... f-forgive me... please...!!” Her whole body shook as she fought to keep still while she begged and pleaded for mercy, hardly even aware of what she was saying as the intense pain overwhelmed her...

“You can do it, Love,” Twilight whispered into Trixie’s ear. “Be strong for me...”

For Twilight... for Twilight... Trixie seized on that thought and held it tightly. For Twilight, she could endure anything. For Twilight, she would prove that she had changed, even if it meant suffering the worst punishments her friends could deliver... “Please...” she whispered, gasping for breath in between her wrenching sobs of pain and shame. “I... I’m... s-so.... s-sorryyyyy....”

“We know, Love... we know. It’s almost over... be strong, now...” Twilight whispered, nuzzling Trixie as she held the shaking mare’s shoulders in her hooves to steady her and give her strength. She glanced up, and raised a brow at Applejack, silently adding her own plea for mercy to Trixie’s agonized sobbing.

Applejack smiled to herself as she heard the honest care and affection in Twilight’s soft whispers, and the genuine remorse and shame in Trixie’s broken sobs and pleas for forgiveness. She knew only too well how much pain Trixie was in; six strokes of an apple switch was more than enough to break even the most stubborn colt or filly, as the memory of several well-deserved switchings from her own foalhood could testify to. If Trixie was truly willing to suffer this much just to earn Applejack’s forgiveness, for Twilight’s sake...

The love and pleading in Twilight’s eyes as she looked up convinced her. Enough was enough. If Trixie was willing to pay this harsh a price to repent for her sins...

Forgiveness should come when repentance is offered, she thought. Wise words passed down to her from her mother, and from Granny Smith, and probably from Granny’s parents and grandparents too. Everypony deserves another chance to make things right.

“One more, sugarcube,” she said, after Trixie’s sobs had died down a bit. She gave the azure mare a chance to brace herself for it, then pulled back one last time and delivered one last stroke, aiming it to cut diagonally across the half-dozen angry-red stripes still blazing underneath Trixie’s blue coat. Trixie bit down on her hoof to stifle her scream of pain as the final stroke reignited all of the others at once, driving every thought from her head as she sobbed out her apologies and pleas for forgiveness while her hindquarters burned...

Applejack tossed the switch aside and sat back for a few moments, letting Trixie cry herself out while Twilight rubbed her ears and neck, whispering to her sobbing marefriend that it was over, the punishment was done, and Twilight was so very proud of her...

Finally, as Trixie’s deep, wrenching sobs of pain finally quieted down to soft crying, Applejack came up beside her and pressed up close, giving her a comforting nuzzle as well, and rubbing her withers to help calm her. “I forgive ya, Trixie,” she said gently. “I forgive ya. You treat my family well, now, y’ hear?”

Trixie just stood there for a while, hardly daring to move, while Twilight and Applejack pressed themselves close against her, supporting her while she cried herself out... both mares giving her little caresses and nuzzles to calm her, and to assure her that she was loved and forgiven. All was forgiven...

Finally, she pushed herself back up to her hooves and turned to face Applejack, trembling a little as even that small motion set those stripes ablaze all over again. “Trixie... would n-never hurt Twilight...” she said shakily, leaning against Twilight for support as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes with a hoof. “A-and I... I’m glad to h-have you... as a friend. Th-thank you, Applejack...”

Applejack chuckled softly as she brought over some tissues for Trixie to dry her eyes with. “You really oughta work on breakin’ that third-person schtick, sugarcube,” she teased.

Trixie blinked, not quite sure how to take that comment at first – but then she caught the slight twinkle in Applejack’s eye, and relaxed as she realized the farm-mare probably wouldn’t tease her like that if she was still angry with her. “I’m trying,” she said, chuckling a little despite the ferocious, burning pain in her flanks.

“Thank you for understanding, Applejack,” Twilight said.

Applejack smiled and gave Twilight a nuzzle as well. “Well, I meant what I said, sugarcube. You’re family to me... an’ family forgives. An’ if Trixie makes you happy, then I’m happy for ya. Now – I’d better get on back downstairs before Apple Bloom manages ta set somethin’ on fire,” she added with a fond chuckle for her overenthusiastic little sister. “Y’all c’mon down an’ we’ll sit an’ talk for a bit. Well, me an’ Twilight’ll sit, anyway,” she said, giving Trixie a teasing grin.

Twilight giggled as Trixie stuck her tongue out at Applejack. “Actually, we should be going, Applejack,” she said. “We need to get over to Rarity’s place before it gets dark.”

“What’cha going to see her for?” Applejack asked, raising a brow.

Twilight smiled and hugged Trixie closer to her. “For the same reason we came to see you, of course,” she said. She gestured for Trixie to walk ahead of her as the three mares left Applejack’s bedroom, quickly brushing Trixie’s cape back over her flanks to cover the switch marks as she spotted the pale-yellow filly waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Trixie winced and stifled a hiss of pain as the fabric made contact with the stripes seared into her backside. Every movement of her hind legs made her hindquarters burn so much...

“Everythin’ all right up there?” Apple Bloom asked, looking up the stairs with wide eyes.

Twilight and Trixie glanced at each other for a moment, then glanced towards Applejack. “Everythin’s fine, sugarcube,” Applejack called back down to her sister as she, Trixie, and Twilight made their way down.

“You sure?” Apple Bloom persisted, her eyes focusing in on Trixie. Was she seeing things, or had the blue earth-pony mare who’d gone upstairs suddenly turned into a blue unicorn coming downstairs? “Sounded like a whole bunch of caterwaulin’ goin’ on up there... what’s goin’ on?”

Applejack rolled her eyes at her sister’s curiosity. “Nothin’, sugarcube.”

“Sounded like a pretty loud nothin’ ta me, sis...”

“Apple Bloom...” Applejack said, in a slightly warning tone that the inquisitive filly recognized as a signal to drop the subject if she knew what was good for her.

“Okay, okay, I was just askin’ if everything was okay, sis...” she said, backing away from the foot of the stairs as the three grownup mares came all the way down.

“It’s all right, Applejack,” Trixie spoke up. “Your sister and Tr... and I just had some things to... settle between us, that’s all,” she said to the filly. “Everything’s fine.”

Twilight glanced over at the clock, then nodded towards the door. “Come on, Love, we really should get going if we’re going to make it to Rarity’s today. We’ll see you later, Applejack.”

“Ohhh, no you don’t,” Applejack chuckled as she took her trusty Stetson hat down from the pegboard by the wall and set it on her head. “I’m comin’ with ya.”

Twilight and Trixie exchanged glances again. Having Applejack along to vouch for Trixie might make things go more smoothly with Rarity, but neither of them wanted to put the farm-mare out any more than they had already. “Are you sure, Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“Sure I’m sure,” Applejack said as she pulled open the front door, gesturing for Trixie and Twilight to go ahead of her. “You’re both family now. Family sticks t’gether, right?”

Apple Bloom watched them leave, tilting her head curiously as she tried to figure out just what the hay had been going on. The stiff, cautious way that blue unicorn had been walking just now, almost like it hurt to move her hind legs, seemed awfully familiar...

Suddenly, the pieces fell together. Applejack making her fetch a switch... all that caterwauling upstairs... just like Apple Bloom would bawl and cry when her sister or brother gave her a well-earned whoopin’ whenever she flagrantly, willfully disobeyed them, or did something so hay-brained stupid that such painful correction was necessary... how she would walk funny for a while after a switching, because her flanks would hurt way too much to even think of sitting down...

Twilight... brought that blue unicorn over... so my sister could give her a switchin’?! she thought incredulously, as she followed that train of thought to the only conclusion she could think of. Since when do grown-ups get switched for bein’ bad?

She pondered that strange notion for a few moments, then shrugged.

Grown-ups were just so weird sometimes...

Author's Note

All hail Triskelion for this wonderful chapter.