Applejack stalked through the orchard, her heavy boots slamming into the muddy turf as though she had a personal grudge against it. It had rained recently; the clouds lingered overhead in thick blankets, waiting for the pegasi to clear them away. The trees were bare scribbles against the sky, leafless now until spring.

There was a tension coiled within her body, a stiff tightness in her muscles that made every movement short and abrupt. What she needed, badly, was an orchard full of apples to harvest. A day or three of solid bucking always left her too tuckered out for anything else to matter much. Without an outlet, she felt stifled.

"Dang, dang, dang," she muttered to herself, scuffing up a few fallen leaves from the mulch. Exhaling sharply, she stalked towards a stony outcrop that jutted from the endless orchards. A stubby pillar of moss-covered rock, it was merely the tip of a much larger mass beneath the soil, one that even generations of Apples hadn't been able to shift. Well, maybe this was something she could work on. Fetch out the shovels, get digging, clear the soil as far down as it went. Tow it out.

Could take days to clear it. Lots of days. Well, that was fine by her. Though, even if she did dig it out, it might take the whole family clan to drag it away. Would have to wait for the next gathering; not what she wanted. She wanted a task she could finish. Of course, given the way she'd levitated the Ursa Minor, maybe Twilight could help-

A low growl broke from Applejack's lips, and drawing back a step, she kicked out fiercely at the rock. A fractured chunk broke off under the impact of her hobnailed boot, but the stone was too solid to yield satisfyingly to the blow. With narrowed, irritable eyes, she muttered, "Well, to heck with you, then."

"Hrrm," rumbled a deep baritone voice behind her, with overtones of sceptical dubiousness.

"What in tarnation-" Applejack blurted, twisting. She'd thought she was alone; the last thing she wanted was an audience to her own bad mood. Big Mac was leaning against one of the barren trees, mighty arms crossed over his chest. He nodded to her, then indicated the rock with a slight tilt of his head.

"What?" she replied defensively, feeling as though she'd been caught out in some way. "It's just a dang rock."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed. His gaze settled on the broken chunk of stone lying on the grass, then he raised his sandy eyebrows at her.

Planting her hands on her hips, Applejack faced him squarely. "If there's something you want to say, Big Mac, you best get on and out with it. And if not, well, Ah'm busy and so should you be. Ah'm sure there's something needs doing. Always is."

He grunted, then nodded once. "You ain't happy."

"Ah'm fine," she contradicted flatly.

"Nnnope," Big Mac rumbled, shaking his head.

Applejack's hands clenched at her sides. Unable to meet his steady gaze, she found herself glowering at his feet. "Well, what business is it of yours anyway?" she demanded, but in a lower, more sullen tone.

"AJ," he rebuked her gently. "We're kin."

Shamed, Applejack heaved an exasperated sigh. "Alright, alright! Fine. Yeah, it's her. All've them. It's this whole dang situation."

Big Mac's silence hung in the air, waiting for her to fill it up.

With a frustrated growl, Applejack moved over to plant her back against the same tree he was leaning against, facing away from her brother. That made it easier to talk, somehow. "You know how things are. The whole herd thing. That, Ah ain't got no problems with. Not what Ah ever thought was gonna happen with mah life, but that's how it is."

Applejack paused, then went on more softly, "Twi's promised she's gonna come to the next family get together, as mah marefriend. Not sure the whole family's gonna rilly understand, not if they know about the others, but Ah reckon it'll smooth over. Long as Twi doesn't panic, anyway. You know how that mare is, when she gets herself worked up into a tizzy." A fond smile shaped her lips for a moment, before Applejack shook her head again and the frown returned. "Thing is- well, d'you know what she's gone'n done?"

The listening silence from the other side of the apple tree continued.

"She's gone off someplace up north, someplace dangerous. Seems like something bad happened, and off she dang well went, her'n that Trixie. Before all this Princess business, she'd have got the six of us together, we'd have boarded that there train together, and whatever's gone bad up there, we'd have faced that together. But now, seems like she doesn't think she needs us. Truth to tell, that downright gets on mah nerves. Last time she just waltzed into danger, thinking she could handle it all by herself, it went south pretty dang hard."

The memory of their collective defeat at Celestia's hands wasn't a sweet one; even though it had all been smoothed over, it still made Applejack's body tense up. "Ah don't know," she muttered, mostly to herself. "She's staying in Canterlot more'n Ponyville, even before she hared off without us. Busy with all this 'Royal Engagements' business, which is a whole bunch of hogwash, far as Ah can see. Never took her for one that'd get sucked in by all the airs and graces, but Ah wonder sometimes."

Applejack huffed, crossing her muscled arms tightly across her chest. Silence descended.

Big Mac broke it. "Why'd you stay here?" The question could have been accusatory, confrontational, but it wasn't. He was just asking her, sincerely.

"What d'you mean?" asked Applejack suspiciously. "She was in a rush, Ah had the farm to tend to, and Apple Bloom to keep an eye on. That's it. She didn't want to wait, and she was fine as she was. That's all."

"Eeyup."

"Now look here, Big Mac," Applejack said more sharply, stung by the patently unconvinced tone in his voice, "Ah'm not one to go where Ah'm not wanted or needed. Twi's got herself magic leaking out of her dang ears, she's got - certain spells, she's got that Trixie as her 'apprentice' and Celestia her own self saw them as far as Canterlot. She doesn't think we're needed on this one, that's just the way it is."

From behind her, Big Mac snorted.

Turning on her heel, Applejack marched around the tree to face her brother, jabbing a finger towards him. "Just what exactly are you trying to get at, you big galoot?"

The big stallion chewed the corner of his lip, his eyes serious. Then he asked slowly, "Not needed or wanted? That how you see it?"

"No! It's just - she's off who knows where, facing who knows what, and that's the kind of thing she thinks she can do on her own, now? It's like she's forgotten how many times we've had to pull her pretty little tail out of the fire. Anything could have happened to her, and Ah wouldn't even know! Would she even tell me? She's not been sending messages or anything, so how am Ah supposed to tell?! She left without even speaking to me!"

Blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, Applejack twisted around and kicked the loose piece of broken-off stone hard, sending the chunk of rock skimming off between the trees.

A pause. And then, from behind her, she heard him ask, "They all feel like this?"

Fists clenched at her sides, her shoulders hunched, Applejack shook her head. "Most've them think she must know what she's doing. Pinkie was there when she went off; Twi said she'd be fine, Pinkie believed her. Same with Rarity, she's thrown herself into work and let Twi get on with it. Rainbow complained 'bout being 'left out of the fun' when she heard, she's off doing whatever with Lightning. Fluttershy heard it was fine from Pinkie, and she's got her hands full with critters. Zecora, she ain't happy, though. Not forgotten how we screwed up before. And Ah'm not okay with the way she left without so much as a by-your-leave t'me. She could have asked."

Big Mac reached out, and planted a large, friendly hand on her shoulder. Squeezing gently, he replied in a low tone, "Ain't like you to fret, and not do anything about it."

Applejack turned, shrugging his hand off her shoulder and opening her mouth to give a sharp retort, then managed to stop herself. The tight, simmering ball of tension in her chest had only grown harder and hotter as they'd talked; she knew she was lashing out. "Ain't nothing to do," she replied, with strained patience. "She's long gone."

Big Mac gazed at her levelly. He was annoyingly practised at those long, steady looks.

Removing her hat, Applejack rubbed her forehead with two knuckles, pressing as if to ward off a headache. "Look, Ah'm sorry. Ah don't know what you're getting at," she said in a low tone, staring at the ground.

Gently, his finger curled under her chin, and lifted her head so he could meet her eyes. "Never known you not to fight for something you cared about."

Applejack blinked, her expression shifting into disbelief. "Not fighting? Ah fought Pri-" Cutting herself off abruptly, she shook her head. Of course she fought for her relationship with Twilight! Not just in fighting Celestia, either. She'd challenged Twi, told her what she wanted, they were gonna be marefriends at the family gathering. She yelled at Twilight, more than a few times, to shove her back towards the straight and narrow when the other mare was getting too drunk off all this magic power of hers to see straight. And now that Twilight and Trixie had run off up north, she was-

Doing nothing. Getting angry and upset, and doing nothing.

"Oh, haystacks," Applejack cursed, in tones that gave the mild expletive teeth. Her expression set firmly, lips thinning into a resolutely determined line. "Right. Ah'm going after her. Today. You'n Apple Bloom gonna be okay taking care of things?"

"Eeyup," agreed Big Mac, breaking into a broad grin. Tugging her hat from her fingers, he set it ceremoniously back on her head, as though crowning a Princess.

"Right. Y'want something to happen, you go make it happen," Applejack declared, her green eyes flashing. Squeezing her brother's hand, she took a deep breath. "Thanks. Darned if you're not the smartest pony Ah know."

He squeezed back, nodding once, his face full of fondness. "Eeyup. Now git."

Twilight sat on the edge of the roof, feeling the faint breeze ruffling her feathers. Below and beyond her, the scrublands stretched out towards the horizon; jutting fingers and pillars of rock, sprinkled with thin trees and dusty bushes. It was very still.

Behind her, over the roof and down in the main street, she could hear ponies moving around and talking, chattering animatedly. The town was bustling, ponies working together, ponies working at cross-purposes, talking, arguing good-naturedly, trying to figure out what their collective home should look like now. It seemed like every single pony had their own ideas about how things could be made better, and none of them were the same.

Good. That was exactly right.

Some five minutes or so ago, a new note had entered the distant jumble of voices. The creaking of carts and a general rise in excitement probably signalled the arrival of the first convoy from the south. That was good, too. The town needed to look outwards, beyond its own little borders. She'd have to see what she could do to encourage more trade in this direction; perhaps even a spur of the train line northwards.

All the same, she stayed where she was, watching the upper branches of the trees lazily shift back and forth, until she felt another pony sit down beside her.

Twilight looked up, with a small smile. "Hi, Celestia. It's good to see you."

Celestia's broad white wing stretched out, then curled around her, enfolding her in its warmth. "I was quite concerned," the older mare said gently, then added, "You look better."

"I feel better. Mint Balm is good at what she does."

"I'm glad to hear that. This town will need a good doctor." Celestia's billowing mane curled and flowed around Twilight. "Guard-Captain Diorite is looking for you," added the elder alicorn.

"I know. I should... probably stop hiding from her," sighed Twilight. "I think she's angry I left her and the other guards behind."

"Yes. I did remind you to take their feelings seriously," observed Celestia without censure.

"...you did," admitted Twilight. Snuggling deeper into the warm embrace of the other pony's wing, she rested her head against Celestia's shoulder. "Oh, Princess. I'm so glad you're here. I made a lot of mistakes."

"I've made many mistakes of my own, Twilight. It is impossible to always make the right choice. All you can do is make a choice." Celestia's gaze, ageless and deeply compassionate, met Twilight's. "And then try to learn to do better, when you realise that you chose poorly."

"I can't imagine how it must have been for you, to rule for so long on your own," Twilight murmured. "I don't think I could do it. I'd just... make mistakes, and keep obsessing over them, and before long, second-guess myself into total immobility. Not that I've ever done that before. Heh." She gave a small laugh, brief and awkward.

Celestia's gaze turned towards the distant, sun-beaten plains. There were times where some internal mask slipped slightly, and at that moment, the weight of long centuries radiated from the elder alicorn. As always, it left Twilight feeling tiny, and frivolously inexperienced. The depth of time hung in the air.

Then Celestia smiled, and her gaze slid sideways towards Twilight. "Oh, yes. It sucked."

Twilight blinked. "It sucked?"

"Yes, that's right. It sucked. It was totally lame." Celestia's grin grew as Twilight's baffled expression deepened. "It was totally the suckiest."

"But - you don't talk like - the suckiest?"

"I don't have to talk like a manual on diplomacy, Empress. As you know very well. In fact, you've had me using some language that was so exciting, I wouldn't be surprised if several etiquette texts in the library have spontaneously combusted."

Twilight blushed, her cheeks heating redly. "I'm sure you must have used that kind of language before. Before me, I mean. There's the whole book you wrote!"

"Writing it down is hardly the same, my Empress." Celestia's gaze drifted away once more, and she added after a moment, "I did, upon rare occasions, take lovers. Once in a great while, I encountered a pony that saw me as a mare, not a Princess. But even then, I held parts of myself back. I'd never treat them harshly, or degradingly, not even for play. The gap in authority was simply too great for it to be fair."

"…never?" asked Twilight. Despite her mildly curious tone, she couldn't help but feel a contradictory surge of sympathy for her mentor's loneliness and jealous gladness that she wasn't just the latest in a long series of kinky love affairs.

"Never," agreed Celestia. "How could I trust their consent was willing when a part of them would always see me as their ruler?" Hugging Twilight against her with her wing, she added more playfully, "That's why I'm so happy that you conquered me, Empress. I'm your bitch. For the first time in my entire life, I don't have to fret about what my lover really thinks or wants, because you will take it. You'll do anything you want to me. Degrade me, fuck me, make me fuck your friends, parade me around at your whim. Oh, it is wonderful…" The word trailed off, a softer, throatier note in the Princess's voice. "I can love you, unreservedly. Thank you."

"…you've never said that before," Twilight murmured. Her arms tightened around Celestia's body. "Never told me you loved me."

Celestia blinked, taken aback. "I have," she protested, but the certainty leaked away from her words. "I'm certain that I have… have I not?"

Twilight shook her head, then gently headbutted Celestia's shoulder. "I've told you I love you, many times, but you never say it back."

"I… apologise, Twilight. I'm sorry. I thought that I had, but… perhaps the habit of keeping such feelings to myself is simply too strong."

Twilight headbutted Celestia's shoulder again. "Do you think 'I'm sorry' is what I want to hear from you, you giant butt?"

Celestia giggled, despite herself. "I love you, Twilight. Empress. Whatever you want to be, I will love you."

"That's better. No spankings for you, then. No," Twilight contradicted herself, "actually, lots of spankings for you, because I feel like it."

"Right here?" inquired Celestia mildly. "I wouldn't mind, Empress, but you should know that a pegasus has been watching us for a few moments now."

Twilight jerked, pulling back from Celestia and twisting around. There was nopony nearby, but across the divide of the main street, there was a mare - Night Glider, again! - peering over the edge of the roof at the two of them. The instant Twilight's gaze fell on her, she guiltily ducked down behind the parapet and out of sight.

"Why didn't you say-" Twilight began, then answered herself with a sigh, "Because we can't hide, anywhere, so there's no point telling me. Because the town has lots of pegasi, and it was inevitable they'd want to see you."

"See us. You're a Princess of the Realm, Twilight, as I am, and you overthrew the one controlling these ponies. Your modesty is a positive trait, but it can lead you astray."

"I think it will be a very, very long time before anypony sees me as your peer, Princess. Celestia. But… yes, I understand."

"I'm glad that you do. I don't wish you to act as though you're due such attention, but the fact of it mustn't be ignored." She rested her head against Twilight's for a moment, exhaling softly. "And now," she went on more quietly, "you should tell me what happened between you and Starlight Glimmer."

"...oh. Yes." Twilight hesitated, a strange, aching unease coming over her. Her chest constricted around her words. "But... you know already, right?"

"I have heard the accounts of the townsfolk. Lime Fizz and Burdock, also. I am asking you, Twilight, what you did, and why."

"...right. Well, I..." Twilight hesitated again, then said softly, "I didn't understand how easily I could lose. That was what got ponies hurt. I've fought all those creatures and monsters, and this was just one pony. I got tricked, drugged, because I was thinking like that. It could have been over, right then, but I charmed Lime Fizz and Sugar Belle, and they took me out into the desert. That hurt them. Trixie got captured, she got hurt too. I came back for her. She was..."

Twilight trailed off, the vision of Starlight tormenting Trixie still vividly sharp at the back of her mind. "I was so angry. And my head was hurting and my body was aching, and I could barely stand or think straight. I was so afraid of hurting ponies by accident. I used want-it-need-it on a rock to distract the townsfolk, but I didn't understand what was really happening. I thought I was trying to disarm Starlight of a dangerous artefact, but it was her power, all along. She threatened to destroy Trixie's cutie mark. I don't think I've ever been afraid like that, not ever before."

"And what did you do?" asked Celestia quietly.

"I... I mean, you know. I stopped. I couldn't risk it. I was going to let her take my cutie mark. I lost. If the townsfolk hadn't intervened, that would have been the end of it." Twilight's voice sank nearly to a whisper. "I should have stopped first, rested. But I saw what she was doing, and-"

"I know. You wouldn't be Twilight Sparkle if you had not acted, at that moment. What will you do with Starlight Glimmer, now that she is overthrown?"

Twilight swallowed, her throat feeling tight and hot. "She's coming back to Canterlot, with us. I reset her morals. I didn't want to change her, like Trixie, but I couldn't leave her the way she was, so I... got her to remember the way she used to think about things. When she would have been horrified by hurting ponies, taking their cutie marks. I told her that cutie marks aren't evil. It's such an obvious thing, but... it was like taking the keystone out of an arch. She isn't the same pony she was. But she remembers being that pony. She's guilty, and afraid, and ashamed, and I wanted her to be, because I'm still angry at her but I can't let myself punish her."

"Why not?" The question was simple, but Celestia's gaze was steady. "Why not punish her for hurting you, and hurting the ones you care about?"

"I want to." The words were raw, frightening in their honesty. "But I have too much power over her. I could do too much harm, so easily. I don't know if she deserves to try again, to try not to become the pony she was, but it's the only thing I can do."

Celestia straightened, nodding once, her expression distant. "Thank you, Twilight."

There was a long pause, a silence that slowly, patiently filled Twilight's chest with dread. "Princess?" she asked softly. "Have I upset you?"

The alabaster alicorn blinked, shaking her head slightly, then looked down at Twilight with a wry smile. "No, Twilight. You haven't. You were furious and vengeful, but your biggest concern was still for the harm you might do to others, even as they fought you. And when you held Starlight's very self in your hands, you shied away from taking revenge. Whatever else happened, I am proud of you for that."

Celestia paused, and for a moment, her gaze drifted towards the horizon once more. "Your letter terrified me, Twilight," she said matter-of-factly. "If she had done what she intended to do to you, if I had arrived to find you as you found Trixie Lulamoon, or worse... I am not certain whether I could have been so restrained."

There was something in Celestia's voice that Twilight didn't recognise, some deeper note beneath those soft, maternal tones that made her feathers stand on end. Unsure how to react, or even what to imagine, she said after a moment, "I should find Diorite, and apologise. But... before I do, do you think you could... tell me that you love me again?"

Celestia's wings curled more tightly around her. "Of course. Any time you like. I love you, Twilight Sparkle. My Empress. I will never stop."

The door closed. The noise of the street outside diminished, muted down to an incoherent rumble of voices, movement and distant hammering. Twilight was left standing, a little awkwardly, in Sugar Belle's bakery. The corner table and chairs were still shoved out of place from the scuffle a few days ago.

Diorite turned, and regarded Twilight with a steady, clear-eyed gaze. The dappled grey mare was older than the new Princess she served, and at that moment, Twilight couldn't help a twinge of guilt as some part of her recognised the feeling of being about to be told off by an adult.

"You wanted to speak to me alone?" asked Twilight tentatively. Oh, this wasn't going to be fun at all...

Diorite nodded. "Yes, Princess. I did. Under usual circumstances, I would now request your permission to speak freely. It shows that while there are times I need to speak in ways unbefitting of your guard, I still show respect."

Twilight nodded, and began, "Diorite, you have per-"

Diorite overrode her, speaking quietly, but intensely. "Princess, you have seriously fucked up. I'm not asking for your permission to tell you that. Respect goes both ways, Princess, and you have shown none to my guards and me."

"...you're right," Twilight sighed, nodding her agreement. Awkwardly squeezing one hand in the other, her gaze dropping to the scuffed floorboards, she went on more slowly, "I know. I know I fucked up. I'm sorry. Not just sorry to you, either."

Diorite frowned. "And who else do you feel you should apologise to?"

"Just... just everypony. I wish you'd been here. I wish my friends had been here. Trixie got hurt. She got hurt, and it was my fault. Lime Fizz. Sugar Belle. Rock - Burdock, I mean. Everypony that got hurt in the brawl. I can't believe I screwed this all up so badly." Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think winning has ever felt quite this much like losing, before."

Folding her arms across her purple-armoured chest, the guard pony nodded once. "Good. That's a start. I want to know what you knew at the point you decided to come here."

"I... received a report from Trixie, from the Seekers. A village that ponies went to and didn't come back from, ponies that all wore the same cutie mark. And the Seekers that went to investigate hadn't reported in."

"That sounded like a trivial threat to you?" Diorite's tone sharpened dangerously.

"...no. Of course not. Magic that could alter cutie marks is some of the most dangerous. I just... I thought that I could investigate it. Sneakily. I didn't want to bring a lot of ponies with me in case I scared away whoever was behind it." Twilight's face was hot, her chest constricting, and she still couldn't meet Diorite's gaze.

"Do you still believe that was a tactically sound decision?"

Twilight shook her head slowly, biting her lower lip.

Diorite straightened up, and nodded. "When you went to Ponyville, you assured me that nothing dangerous would happen, and despite it being one of the most attacked villages in Equestria, I accepted those assurances. I'm aware that becoming royalty was not something you expected, and adjusting to your new role will take time. I hope you see that that is very different to deliberately avoiding me and your guard cohort on the way to an actively dangerous mission." Diorite's level voice rose just a little at the end, then settled back to something steadier.

"Princess, we're here to protect you. You are important to the safety of Equestria, and you've carried out many impressive deeds, but you can still lose. You nearly lost here, and as I understand matters, it was pure luck that you did not. Half of this town have received injuries, ranging from minor bruises and sprains to exhaustion and exposure injuries that will take significant effort to mend. I don't even pretend to understand what you did to the culprit responsible for the town's misfortunes, but it looked serious, and we had to take care of her until you recovered. You needed us."

Twilight grimaced. They'd seen Starlight, locked in an empty trance for days. How could she explain that away? How much could she tell Diorite? Taking a deep breath, Twilight lifted her head, and said carefully, "I used a subduing spell on her to make her stop fighting." Sighing, she rubbed her face. "I didn't want to; it's not something I took lightly. Especially not when I was too much of a mess to take care of her. I've made sure she's okay, and she's coming back with us to Canterlot." Truth level: correct, but misleading. It'd have to do.

Diorite raised an eyebrow. "She is coming voluntarily?"

Twilight paused, then shook her head. "Not really, but I think she's done fighting. She doesn't want to come with us, but she doesn't want to be left here, either - now that the townsfolk are recovering their independence, she's afraid of what they might do. And I told her that if she ran for the hills… well, I'd find her. She isn't happy about it, but coming with us is the best option she's got right now."

"Thank you for informing me, Princess," said Diorite formally. "I will ensure she is kept under watch while we travel."

"That's… probably for the best," agreed Twilight, with a small sigh. "I want to believe she'll be sensible now, but Trixie isn't at all convinced."

"I agree with Miss Lulamoon." Diorite bowed her head and pressed a hand to her armoured chest. "With your permission, I will go and see to preparations to leave."

"No, wait," Twilight interrupted, without quite knowing why. It took a second for her to work out the origin of the impulse.

The Guard-Captain shifted to attention, clasping her hands behind her back. "Yes, Princess?"

"Two things. I want you to know that I do take you, and the others, very seriously. I'm sorry that I didn't bring you with me; I will do better. I promise." She was so used to thinking of Celestia's guards as… well, ornaments. Castle decoration. It was long past time that she took her own guards seriously, and recognised them for the dedicated ponies that they were.

Diorite nodded once. Her voice was still level and professional, but it was a little less stern as she replied, "I'll hold you to that, Princess."

"And... I apologise. To you, personally. I don't want you to think I'm a spoiled idiot with no respect for the ponies around her. You're amazing, and so are the ponies you command. I won't let you down like this again."

There was a hint of something in the Guard-Captain's eyes that Twilight just couldn't read, but whatever it was, it made Diorite hesitate uncharacteristically. "Princess, I have guarded spoiled nobility. You are not that. All of us know how many times you have risked your life for others. Just don't pull anything like this again, and I won't have to kick your ass."

That was... oddly tempting, actually. A bit of rough physical discipline at the older mare's hands was strangely enticing, and the memory of Diorite's hard, naked body under her hands and tongue didn't help matters. "Guard-Captain Diorite," replied Twilight before she could stop herself, "if I screw up like this again, I give you permission to do whatever is necessary to my ass."

The older mare did pretty well; she barely reacted. All the same, her eyes widened, and a little flush of colour rose in her cheeks. After a moment's pause, Diorite replied, "Are you teasing me, Princess?"

"I mean - yes, a little. Sorry. Though I'm not totally sure I don't mean it." Augh! Was she being compelled to tell the truth? She really needed to just stop talking.

Diorite's cheeks were crimson, now. Drawing herself up, she demanded, "Princess, have you spoken in this manner to any of my subordinates?"

Definitely a red flag, Twilight noted. Shaking her head, she dropped the playfulness and replied, "No, I wouldn't do that. I feel like I can tease you because you're in charge, and you report directly to me, but I couldn't talk to Obscura this way." Suddenly aware of the echo of Celestia's words ringing around her head, Twilight finished more softly, "The power disparity would be too great."

"…yes, it would be. I agree."

"Besides, I hadn't really met any of them before they approached me to volunteer. Autumn was there when I was younger, but I didn't realise until he told me about it. You were the only one I already knew the name of."

A flash of total surprise lit Diorite's eyes. "I was?" she echoed dumbly.

"Yes, I'd noticed you attending Celestia. I liked your dapples," Twilight added. She was semi-lying; she'd known Diorite's name, but only because the two of them had been star performers in a brainwashed sex scene before the Solar throne. All the same, Twilight did like Diorite's dapples, and everything she was saying was true… just misleading, in the way she'd assembled it.

"I… see," replied Diorite, a shade of awkward embarrassment showing through her rigidly disciplined exterior. "In fact, there is something that I should inform you of, Princess."

"Oh?" asked Twilight mildly, trying not to show how suddenly fascinated she was.

"As the Captain of your Guard complement, I must exercise judgement on your behalf," Diorite began. "It is part of my role to understand your desires - your wishes, and fulfil them without requiring you to specify every detail of how your orders are to be carried out."

Twilight's eyebrows raised slightly; if the straight-forward mare felt the need to approach the topic this circuitously, it was going to be something interesting.

"You may recall recently ordering that you were not to be disturbed, but that I chose to allow the other Element-bearers access to your apartments regardless." Diorite paused long enough for Twilight to nod, then forged on, "I followed behind them as they entered your apartments, to ensure that if you wished them to leave, I would be able to enforce your decision. I do not believe they, or you, were aware of my presence. I… witnessed your activities. Briefly."

Twilight froze. Her thoughts flashed backwards, trying to remember exactly what she'd been doing at the moment the others had arrived. Celestia had been naked - in the middle of being spanked? - and it had been a wonderful surprise to have all her other lovers arrive and join in. Diorite had walked in on that? Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help a hot blush of her own.

"So, you saw."

"I did, Princess."

"And you heard?"

"Yes, Princess."

"It was very clear what was happening?"

Diorite swallowed. "Very clear, Princess."

"...did you have a problem with what was happening?" Twilight tensed. It was one thing to have confessed to Diorite that she was in a sexual relationship with multiple ponies, and quite another for the older mare to have actually witnessed the sort of total and utter depravity that Twilight so often enjoyed. Especially when it involved spanking and degrading Celestia, who was a cross between an all-encompassing mother, leader and Goddess to all those who served her.

This could go bad. This could be bad.

There was a silent pause. Diorite turned her head slightly, not exactly looking at Twilight, but not entirely looking away, either. Then, slowly, her gaze met Twilight's once more.

"It isn't my place to ask," Diorite began, her voice carefully level. "Nonetheless, if there is anything you could tell me, Princess, about how those circumstances came to be, it would help me understand."

Twilight bit her lip. Telling the full truth was obviously out of the question. In fact, just imagining Diorite finding out about the charm was enough to make Twilight's horn itch to cast it on the other mare, just to make sure it was in place if she ever needed to make Diorite forget something in a hurry. But even hiding the part that the spell had played, did she have any right to tell Diorite about the innermost desires of the others?

"...I've teased you before, about standing guard while I'm intimate with my lovers," began Twilight, looking down at her hands for a moment. "But I suppose it was inevitable that you really would see something, sooner or later. There are a lot of secrets that I'm honoured to keep, and they're not mine to tell. But at the same time, I... don't want you to think badly of ponies who really, really don't deserve it. So I'll tell you what I can, and I know you'd never say a word to anypony."

Tangling her fingers together, Twilight turned away, beginning to pace up and down the small, cramped bakery. Floorboards creaked under her feet as she tried to find a place to start.

"Ponies can surprise you," she said finally, her gaze seeking through the walls, all the way back to distant Ponyville. "Some of the Element bearers were always kind of... kinky. Secretly. I suppose I was, though I didn't know it for a long time. So it started with just two of us, almost by accident, learning our way around each other in a whole new way. Little by little, I talked to the others about what we were doing together, and invited each of them to be part of it. It was rocky, for a while, it wasn't easy."

Twilight sighed. Part of her wished she could just be honest with this pony, who truly deserved all the trust Twilight could give. But that was the point: all the trust Twilight was capable of still fell short of confessing what she'd really done.

"Some of them are more into it than they ever thought they'd be. Some of them, I think, are having fun but... it's more about being together and sharing our affection for each other, for them." She hesitated, wincing slightly. "I know some of the things I say when we're having sex are pretty appalling. But we really do care an awful lot for each other. I'd be so upset if I ever thought somepony took the things I say to heart, and went away sad. Even so..."

Twilight trailed off, then resumed more slowly, "It must be strange for you to have seen Celestia... like that. For her, it's different than for the others. She's been maintaining the image of the perfect Princess for so long; centuries. Longer. So it's really special for her to get to not be the Princess when she's with me. To not have to make decisions. To not be that pony. I do still keep calling her Princess without thinking, and she tells me off when I do it - she doesn't want me to think of her as royalty. Luna has her reasons, too, but I don't feel like I can talk about those. I guess all of them have their reasons, and they're all different. It's special. I love Celestia. I love Luna. I love all of the bearers, and Zecora, and Trixie, too. Sometimes I think I've taken on too much, that I can't do them all justice, but I just can't imagine being without any of them." And Lightning Dust, too, her conscience chipped in, but gently.

"I'm not telling you everything. I'm not sure if it was right for me to tell you what I have said. But - I'm really grateful that they're in my life, and I would fight to the end for any of them," she finished softly.

"Thank you, Princess," replied Diorite, her voice quietly formal. "I truly appreciate the things you've told me, and I will think on them. I appreciate your trust."

Surprising herself - surprising both of them - Twilight took Diorite's hand and squeezed it. "I do trust you."

Again, an emotion flickered behind Diorite's facade that Twilight just couldn't read. "I'm - glad. Please excuse me."

Twilight let go of the Guard-Captain's hand, and watched, a little unsure of herself, as Diorite briskly marched out into the sunshine without a backward glance.

"I see a train! My Princesses, a royal train is approaching!" Zephyr swooped down from his assigned position high overhead, calling out the sighting excitedly.

"Ugh, at last. The Great and Powerful Trixie has had quite enough of walking. Should not a pony of her magnificence be carried aloft, for all to admire?" With an exasperated flap of her arms, Trixie brushed a little of the orange travelling dust from her elaborate outfit.

"Thank you, Zephyr!" Twilight called, then shook her head in amusement at Trixie's outburst. The two of them were walking beside Celestia at the head of a procession of Twilight's guards, Diorite walking behind them, followed by the looming figure of Autumn. Zephyr and bat-winged Obscura flew overhead. Starlight Glimmer trailed behind, never far from Autumn's watchful eye, withdrawn and uncommunicative.

Glancing up at the taller Princess, Twilight asked, "Will that be the train you took here?" She'd walked much further in the past without complaint, but she had to admit, after a couple of days of walking through the hot, scrubby landscape, her feet were getting sore, and she was entirely ready to resign herself to the comfort and swiftness of the railway. Maybe the privileges of her new position were getting to her, but if so, she was prepared to worry about that from the soft cushions of a royal carriage.

"I'm afraid not, Twilight," answered Celestia, with a small smile. "Once I received your note, I flew to the station and took over the first train ready to depart. It will have gone on to Manehattan by now. If there is a train coming to meet us, that will be my sister's doing."

"I'm going to have to thank her," murmured Twilight sincerely.

"Yes, you shall. Especially since she did not wish to stay behind. She was most emphatic on that point."

"Oh dear. She came for me when I got lost after that teleport accident, too. I really need to stop worrying her." Twilight pulled a face. She hadn't dared try teleportation since. She was getting much better at controlling her magic, but it still tended to slip when she was startled. All it would take was one bad teleport for her to end up falling out of the sky again, and if she panicked, then she could end up anywhere. All the same, it was probably the next spell to work on regaining mastery of.

Celestia smiled her wonderfully mischievous smile. "She very nearly violated the ancient system of 'bagsies' to come and get you herself, despite my claiming the task first. A very serious matter. I told her that she had taken the last Sparkle Disaster, and it was my turn."

"Sparkle Disaster?" Twilight protested.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie would have rescued you after your teleportation! It just would have taken - longer," conceded Trixie, visibly annoyed by having to admit any limitations at all.

Taking Trixie's hand, Twilight squeezed it. Trixie squeezed back, her habitual aloof look melting into an adoring smile.

Celestia nodded with majestic calm. "Yes. I have a log book of Sparkle Disasters, their causes and resolution. It makes instructive study material for younger unicorns. Things to avoid, and how they may be fixed."

Twilight blinked. "Really?"

"Categorised under threats to the building you occupy, the city, the region, and Equestria as a whole."

"…you're making that up."

"I may have to publish a second volume."

"Diorite," Twilight began with a wry grin, "I want you to-" -spank this pony, she managed not to say. For a second, she'd forgotten the audience they had. Not just her own guards, but Starlight Glimmer, too.

"Yes, my Princess?" asked Diorite seriously.

"Do go on, Twilight. Is there some problem?" Celestia asked, raising her snowy brows in polite inquiry.

In exasperation, Twilight gave Celestia an increasingly familiar look, one that both of them knew as another misdeed being added to the ever-lengthening list of royal impertinence that the older alicorn needed to be punished for. Though honestly, Twilight knew she might as well abandon the mental tally. Celestia was forever adding things quicker than suitable punishments could be devised.

"No, there's no problem. Diorite, once we board the train, I'd like as many of the guards to get rest as possible. Minimal ponies on duty, please," Twilight improvised.

"Princess! I am very well rested!" declared Autumn from behind her in his resonant boom of a voice.

"I will see to the disposition of your guards, Princess," replied Diorite. A very polite, non-contradictory reply that nonetheless signalled that she would do as she saw fit.

Deciding not to fight that particular battle, Twilight quickened her steps. Cresting a small rise, she saw a long train steaming up the incline towards them, decked out in white and gold paint.

"Looks like yours," Twilight remarked to Celestia. "Does Luna have a personal train?"

"She doesn't. I offered, but she didn't want one dedicated to her service."

"And she got away with that?"

"She did," agreed Celestia, with unruffled calm. "I'm having yours decorated specially, by the way."

"Princess. I liked it being - you know, subtle! Do I even need a train?"

"Why would anypony not want a personal luxury train?" Trixie demanded. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will take Luna's!"

Twilight glanced back towards Starlight Glimmer. It had suddenly occurred to the young alicorn that if any conversation was going to trigger an outburst, it was this one, reeking of indolent privilege. Surely this was everything that Starlight, in her time in Manehattan, had railed against. Instead, she was gazing at the rocks by her feet as she walked, dragging her heels, in a private world of her own.

Not good. Starlight was definitely going to take some careful watching over. Perhaps Luna would be suitable to act as a non-judgemental mentor; she certainly understood the feeling of horror at and disassociation from actions she'd rather forget.

Descending the final slope, inhaling the welcoming scent of steam on the breeze, Twilight finally came to a stop by the tracks as the train's brakes squealed, slowly bringing the long, lavishly decorated string of carriages to a halt. A few more steps, and she'd be done with the town, with the whole nightmarish mess. Cushions. She was so ready for cushions.

A door banged open before the train had even stopped moving.

"What in the hay were you thinking?"

Twilight's jaw dropped as two very familiar mares burst out of the carriage. "Applejack? Zecora?"

"Didn't need us with you, did you?" Applejack demanded, stomping along the edge of the tracks. "Well, we got as far as Canterlot-"

"You have been hurt, the Lunar Princess said! We have been beside ourselves with dread!" Zecora blurted, slashing her hand through the air in an abrupt gesture. Her travelling cloak billowed in the dusty breeze, exposing a satchel at her side crammed so full of potion bottles that it was straining at the strap not to simply burst.

"Right, and she said Celestia had gone after you days ago-"

"Many Lunar tears were shed. The Princess wished to go instead," interrupted Zecora.

"And she said, according to the messages she'd got back since then, you were in some kind of hospital! So we sent a message back to Ponyville on the express - they should be a couple days behind us, if they set out when they get it and they will - and we came straight here. What're you even doing on your feet? Are you hurt? What happened?" There was a roughness to Applejack's voice, an unhealthy tinge to her normally vibrant skin. She didn't look as though she'd slept properly for some time.

First priority: get these two away from Starlight Glimmer before explaining. Trying to control her own worry for the two distraught ponies before her, Twilight said slowly, "It's... complicated. A lot happened. And ponies did get hurt. Not just me. Can we - please, get inside first?"

"Yes! Get out of Twilight's way, Appleclod! Twilight is exhausted, and needs to rest! The Great and Powerful Trixie demands you clear the way!" Trixie demanded, her voice winding up to full, stage-boom bellow. It wasn't the Royal Canterlot Voice, but in terms of volume and projection, it wasn't bad.

"If'n you think you can demand anything outa me-" Applejack began, bristling.

Zecora touched her arm. "No, Applejack, Trixie is right. Let's get them away from the sun's hot light."

"Everypony, just - wait, please. Just a moment," Twilight managed. She looked behind herself; her guards, and Diorite in particular, had stepped back to allow their Princess her privacy, adopting their more traditional distance now that their trek across the arid land was over.

Celestia had drifted away too, though... that was more of a problem. The Princess wanted so badly to be treated like just another pony, but now that the others had arrived, she was regressing to her more familiar role. Something had to be done about that. And Starlight... Starlight was still staring steadily at the ground, her whole body telegraphing reluctance with every step. She didn't seem like she was about to flee, though. An air of tired defeat hung over her. Better do something about that, too.

Twilight sighed. Responsibility was such a pain.

"Is something wrong?" Trixie demanded, moving a step closer. "What obstacle can the Great and Powerful, Incomparably Mighty Trixie deal with on your behalf?"

"Nothing's wrong," replied Twilight, with a mild shake of her head. Not really true, but on the scale of her recent falsehoods and omissions, it didn't even register.

Golden-armoured guards were spilling from the train, approaching the demigoddess they were sworn to protect. "Princess!" the lead stallion greeted Celestia, saluting with a fist against his chest. "We are here to serve."

"I'm glad to see you," replied Celestia. There it was - the smooth, warm, perfectly unruffled voice of the Princess of the Sun, ruler of uncounted centuries. The guards formed up around her, one detaching to fall into swift, efficient conversation with Diorite as they updated each other, and without a backward glance, Celestia entered the train.

Twilight's lips twitched unhappily. Could the guards hear that shift in Celestia's voice as well? Could they hear the Princess shutting herself behind her honed courtesy? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It was what they were used to hearing, after all.

Applejack's voice broke into her thoughts. "Twi? Are we getting onto this darn train or what?"

"I... sorry, yes. I was thinking about something else." There went Autumn, escorting Starlight Glimmer onto a carriage to the rear of the one they were beside. There was a conversation there that she'd need to have, but... it should probably wait a little. There was no rush. They'd be on the train for a while. "Yes. Let's get in," agreed Twilight.

Making her way down to the still-open carriage door, Twilight let the three mares around her help push her up the steps and through the doorway. Celestia's mane, she was tired, and maybe it was only now that she was safe that she could truly acknowledge it. Staggering slightly, she stepped into the main compartment. It was some kind of guest carriage; elegantly minimal, with soft seats, ornate lamps, and a wide bed discreetly half-hidden behind a set of crimson curtains. Very Celestia.

Sagging onto a wide, padded bench seat, she let her head rest against the cushioned back. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

Applejack dropped to one knee in front of her, grabbing hold of Twilight's hand with both of hers. A wounded look in her green eyes, she said huskily, "Twi. Ah'm serious. Rilly darn serious. Cupcake rammed in your eye so hard you're crying icing f'r a week serious. You didn't ought to go off like that without me. Without us. Ah know you wanted to go right away, but you should have asked."

Beside her, Zecora fell into the seat with a thud, the potion bottles clunking dully in her satchel. It was the first clumsy movement she'd ever seen the zebra make, Twilight realised.

"You left without me, and that should not be," said Zecora quietly. "You left me behind once before, and lost to the Princess of the Sun - this time you had but to beckon, and I would come at a run! Twilight Sparkle, you are so very smart. Can you not tell when you injure my heart?"

"She had Trixie! The slutty, adoring slave Trixie is the only companion her Mistress requires!" snapped Trixie, throwing herself onto the cushioned seat on the other side of Twilight and grabbing hold of her arm possessively. "She can look after her Mistress all by herself!"

"Oh yeah?" Applejack retorted, looking up at Trixie. "Because what Ah heard, Twilight ended up in hospital. So you tell me, do you think you did a real good job of protecting her?"

Trixie's lips pressed together, her jaw clenching, glaring poisonous death at the farm pony.

"Applejack." The name fell from Twilight's lips, cool and distant. "Stop, please."

Blinking, Applejack turned towards Twilight, visibly taken aback by her tone. "But Twi-"

"Trixie," said Twilight, a hollow ache filling up her chest as she held Applejack's gaze. "Tell them what happened. From your perspective."

Shaking her head, Trixie bit her lip and replied, "Trixie doesn't want to. Her storytelling talents are wasted on these mediocre mud-ponies anyway."

"Please. For me."

"But..." Trixie managed, then looked away, turning up her nose. "Fine. But only because you command it. The sensuous, seductive Trixie and her glorious Mistress set off from the laughable collection of sticks and pastel paints its tragic inhabitants refer to as Ponyville-"

"From the point where we parted, please." Twilight didn't look away from Applejack. She knew that the moment she broke eye contact, Applejack was going to protest again. Beside her, she sensed a strange tension from Zecora, but the zebra held her silence as well.

"Well... yes, Mistress. Of course. Of course, Trixie was... getting to that." Awkwardly, Trixie looked down at her hands, then out of the window again. "The glorious, incomparable Trixie was entrusted with watching over the village, with the companionship of the mediocre, treacherous Burdock, whilst her Mistress descended to the interior with the other one, whoever she was."

"Wasn't that one of the two you ran all this way up here to find?" broke in Applejack, frowning.

"Yes, yes! Trixie is talking. Could you stop thrusting your tragic lack of manners in Trixie's face for one minute?" Trixie demanded.

With a low growl of annoyance, Applejack sat back and folded her muscled arms across her chest, saying nothing.

"Thank you. As Trixie was saying- she was to watch over her Mistress as she moved through the town below. And she did so, and watched closely, and was ready at all times to go to her Mistress's aid! But..." Trixie hesitated, then continued in a lower tone, "Burdock offered Trixie a drink, and she drank it. She should have known better. Everything began to sway. The rocks pitched up and down. And then she... fell over. Burdock caught her. It was all black light behind her eyes."

Trixie's hands clenched at her sides. "She woke up... in a room. A little room. Just a bed, and a little table. And... speakers. And her... Trixie's cutie mark, it was... gone."

The simmering grudge on Applejack's face drained away as though it had never been, leaving her eyes wide with horror. Her arms slackened, and one hand rose to cover her mouth.

Trixie wasn't looking at her. She wasn't looking at anypony. "She couldn't... Trixie, the mighty and incomparable Trixie, she couldn't... her magic wouldn't come. And the speakers, they kept talking to her, telling her she was abandoned. That she wasn't important. So, so Trixie told them that she was very important, she was more important than anypony, and her Mistress would save her and, and make them give back her cutie mark."

The carriage jerked slightly as the train began to push, the soft click-click of the rails beginning to pick up speed. Trixie's gaze was on the parched, rocky landscape as it began to slide backwards past the window, but she gave no sign she'd even noticed anything had changed. "They... laughed at her. Told her she didn't matter, not to anypony. She wasn't special. They wouldn't... they wouldn't let her sleep, and her head was spinning all the time, and every time she tried to feel something she just felt sick. It just didn't... stop, and they... they'd open the door sometimes, and the whole village was there, and they told her they wanted to be Trixie's friends, they were all equal and Trixie's stupid ego was keeping her miserable, and all she had to do was accept that Twilight didn't care and was never coming back-"

Quietly, Zecora slid off the seat beside Twilight and crawled around to the floor in front of Trixie, looking up at her, an aching look of sympathy in her eyes. Her lips parted, but no words came forth.

"And... and Trixie wouldn't," insisted Trixie, a shudder running through her. "She wouldn't believe that, she wouldn't. Because Twilight promised. And... it was days, I, I think, but then... Trixie was being yelled at, and told to repent, and Twilight came. She came! She fought the whole village, and she was winning! And, and that evil pony, Starlight, she, she had Trixie's cutie mark in a jar, and she told Mistress to stop fighting or she'd break it and destroy Trixie's cutie mark forever, and Twilight did!"

Trixie sniffled convulsively, grinding the heel of her hand into her eyes one after the other to rub away the tears. "And Trixie was begging her to keep fighting, and not worry about her, but she wouldn't! Mistress was being so stupid, and it was all Trixie's fault, and - and Trixie loves her so much and I can't see Twilight get hurt like that, I can't! But she was going to give up her cutie mark for Trixie, and that's not what Trixie wanted! It isn't!"

Applejack swallowed roughly, as though her throat were full of dry rocks. "Then what happened?"

Gulping for air, angrily rubbing away the wet tracks marking her cheeks, Trixie shook her head. "The stupid ponies that had been fighting Mistress stopped. Even dullwits like them could see who the bad pony was, now. They tried to take back Trixie's jar. It broke. I thought it was gone forever, and I-" Trixie's voice cracked, and her eyes squeezed closed. "At least Twilight could have gone back to fighting! But it came back to Trixie, and it was like waking up and the sun and everything that ever mattered to her, and she - she helped Mistress blast that evil pony in her stupid face. And she won. That's - that's what happened."

Tears dripped to the carriage floor. Not Trixie's, but Applejack's. Pushing herself up, she wrapped her arms around Trixie and drew the smaller pony hard against her, crushing Trixie against her chest. "Ah'm so sorry," she said hoarsely. "Ah'm sorry that Ah ever said one bad word to you. You gave everything, everything you darn had, and Ah swear on the farm, you'll have me on your side for the rest of your born days. Never want to see you hurt like that ever again."

Zecora climbed up, resting one knee on the seat as she pressed her striped body against them both, hugging the powder-blue mare tightly. "I am shamed, for I too have doubted you. But now I can see that your heart is true. From this day until my end, I shall be your ally and true friend," she breathed.

"S-shut up! Trixie wasn't doing it for your approval! Trixie was doing it because she loves Twilight, and, and-" protested Trixie hoarsely, her voice choking to a stop. Burying her head against Applejack's broad shoulders, her slim body shook as she wept.

Twilight rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep her breathing steady, doing her very best to hold onto the rampaging emotions shattering within her. The last thing she wanted in all the world was to distract attention from Trixie at that moment. "You did really well," Twilight whispered, reaching out to stroke a hand over Trixie's mane. "My apprentice. My little pony."

Trixie clung to Applejack harder, crying as though she might never stop.

"Okay, okay. Ah'll admit, the animated rope trick, with the guards by the vault? That was pretty darn good."

"Really, Applejack, must the gloriously incomparable Trixie correct you at every turn? It was more than 'good', it was-"

"Great. Ah know, Ah know. You were great, alright?"

"And powerful!"

Applejack grinned, then lightly bumped her head against Trixie's. "Alright! Great and powerful. Grief, you've got such a big head."

"Trixie needs a big head to contain all of her incredible genius!"

Twilight smiled, affectionately watching the two of them squabble on the other side of the table. A late breakfast was spread out before them, a feast of colours and flavours after the enforced grey nothingness of Starlight's settlement. Outside the window beside her, the cloud-topped shapes of distant mountains reared their heads up to the sky, while beyond the other side of the carriage, a broad, grassy plain stretched out into the distance.

"The Neighagra Falls are up there," she murmured, thinking aloud as she glanced out of the window again. "I'd like to see them sometime."

"The slutty and submissive Trixie would love to go there with you!" replied Trixie immediately, lowering a forkful of pineapple from her lips. "What a romantic getaway it would make, the thunder of the falls, the white water, the perfect slave and her beautiful Mistress, all alone-"

"A-hem," said Applejack meaningfully, taking a pointed bite of her apple.

"...except for these two also, whom the generous and forgiving Trixie has chosen to tolerate," Trixie amended, with a roll of her eyes.

"Aw, would y'look at that. You do like us," replied Applejack teasingly, squeezing Trixie's shoulder.

"The splendidly sensual Trixie said no such thing! Trixie doesn't like you, she just finds you - acceptable." Trixie nodded regally, then froze as her expression changed. "Spank this lying bitch Mistress, she wouldn't know the truth if it kicked her in the face! -what? But - but Trixie is allowed to lie to other ponies!"

"Looks like you think lying about something in front of me counts," replied Twilight, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "The position, Trixie."

Wincing and squirming, Trixie climbed up onto the seat and turned around, knees on the seat cushion, pushing her ass towards her Mistress. "This is so unfair!"

"Applejack, her skirt please," Twilight commanded pleasantly.

"Sure thing, Ma'am!" replied Applejack with a grin, flipping up Trixie's purple, star-speckled skirt to expose her pert behind and little black panties. "Ah'm not being smug about this or nothing, 'cause Ah'm the bigger mare, y'see."

"You are gloating! Trixie knows gloating when she hears it!" Sucking in a gulp of air, wriggling side to side, Trixie whined, "Mistress! Please spank Trixie's perfect ass, it's unbearable!"

"Not yet. Trixie, do you like Applejack and Zecora? Bear in mind that that's a direct question from your owner."

"This is so unfair!" she protested. "Fine! Stupid Applejack's big strong arms make her feel safe, and, and Zecora is sexy and intimidating, and sleeping in a heap together made Trixie feel better! Trixie doesn't have friends, but they said they were, and- and will you just spank her ass so she can stop talking?!"

Now that, Twilight decided, was a reasonable request; the flat crack of skin on skin rang out through the carriage. Trixie jerked, her tail hiking up into the air, and protested, "Oww! Mistress!"

"You don't muck about, do you Ma'am? Here, lemme see about that." Applejack reached up and rubbed the flat of her palm over the reddening handprint on Trixie's left asscheek, then bent down to kiss the middle of the mark. "There. All better?"

Trixie twisted around and dropped back into her seat, as flushed in the face as her ass had been reddened. "That was-" she caught Twilight's eye, and finished meekly, "-nice."

"Zecora is sexy and intimidating, hm?" Twilight teased.

Trixie's blush deepened, her eyes darting to Twilight and then away again. "Well... she does have a certain stage presence. With coaching of the standard that the endlessly entertaining Trixie can provide, she could put on quite a show."

"You're not wrong." Twilight turned her head slightly. "Oh, a slice of melon, now."

With a shaking hand, Zecora speared a piece of melon on a cocktail stick and lifted it to Twilight's lips. The zebra was naked; her toned, boldly striped body on full display. Twin vibrating stones were clamped to her nipple rings, humming softly as they tormented her dark grey nipples to constant hardness, and a single strap around and under her waist pinned a thrumming dildo inside her. A silvery ring gag kept her mouth open, leaving her unable to do more than grunt unintelligibly.

Meeting Zecora's eyes, Twilight leant forward slightly and took the segment of melon between her lips. "Mmm. Good. I should keep you like this. A helpless doll, living for the whims of your owner. Conditioned to obey. Enchanted into absolute servitude. My beautiful... brainwashed... bitch," she breathed, a shuddering thrill quivering through her own body as she watched Zecora's pupils dilate.

"Unnnngh," groaned the zebra, her hips jerking as she nodded, her breathing ragged. Slick wetness coated the strap pinning the dildo into her, running in slow droplets down to the seat beneath.

Applejack glanced out of the window, her gaze falling anywhere except the depraved scene on the opposite bench. "Neighagra Falls is up there, y'say? Ah've got a cousin who's been there. Brought a postcard to the last family meet. Looked real pretty like. Might be that it would be good to go someplace without the world trying t'cave in on us."

"The incomparably sensual slave Trixie would enjoy that also. Not that Trixie has your terrible habit of attracting disasters. She suspects they can smell your foolish determination to interfere."

"You're just an object," Twilight murmured lovingly to Zecora, delighting in the way Applejack and Trixie obliviously continued their conversation. "A tool for my pleasure. I've taken over their minds, and they will do anything I want to you, and they won't even realise you're here. You can't resist. You don't want to."

Zecora's back arched against the seat cushion, her head tilting back as she tried to grind her aching cunt against the shaft buried within her. Despairing, ecstatic whimpers escaped her, her hoop earrings swaying with each jerk that shuddered through her body.

Twilight carelessly gestured at a slice of orange, and watched with wicked delight as Zecora tried to pick it up, her fingers quivering. Leaning back, Twilight opened her mouth and allowed the enslaved zebra to slip the treat between her lips, her tongue flickering over the other mare's fingers to capture every last hint of the juice. "Mmm. That was delicious - isn't that right, girls?"

"Sure was, Ma'am. And now that Ah know you're safe, Ah c'n actually enjoy the food."

"It was... passable. Passable, for a mare of Trixie's incredibly high standards."

Applejack prodded Trixie in the ribs, grinning. "You and your playacting. It was good! Can't you jest say it was good?"

Trixie wrinkled her nose, half-closing her eyes, then smiled and gave a sheepish little shrug. "It was good. The food that Trixie has had to endure recently! She would have rather eaten the plate."

Taking hold of Zecora's right breast, Twilight kneaded it lazily, feeling the buzzing of the little enchanted bead under her palm as it relentlessly thrummed through the golden ring. "Celestia's mane, I love seeing you like this. Shaking with how close you are to cumming your brains out, utterly under my control. A hot, dripping, fuckable mess. Maybe I should make you into my throne, grind my pussy against your face whenever I feel bored, and make sure nopony that looks at you even understands you're there..."

Zecora's hands clenched tightly, digging into the seat cushions as her eyes rolled back. The scent of her musk perfumed the air, her ragged gasps growing quicker and shallower. She whimpered something indecipherable in a pleading tone, her eyes tightly closed.

"Oh, that's so cute," breathed Twilight, breaking into a giggle. "I can even hear the rhyming rhythm in whatever that was! Though if I was to make an educated guess, I'd speculate that you want to cum now. On the one hand, I have kept you at the edge for quite a while now. But on the other hand... do mindfucked dolls even deserve mercy?"

For an instant, Twilight's horn shimmered, a glow forming around the base of the dildo buried within Zecora, before realisation struck and she hurriedly released her magical grip. Her control over her own surging magic was getting better, but she did not want to practice telekinesis on Zecora's tender body. Instead, she slid one hand between the zebra's thighs, delighting in the heat radiating from the other mare's skin. Planting the heel of her hand against the strap where it crossed Zecora's clit, Twilight began rocking her hand in the rhythm Rainbow had taught her, and leant down to take Zecora's pierced nipple between her lips.

Zecora screeched into her gag, bucking and jerking as though electrified, her knee slamming into the underside of the table hard enough to make the heavy collection of plates and silverware jump. She didn't even seem to notice, writhing in her seat, grunting and gasping wordlessly in the grip of her explosive release as her long-delayed orgasm broke over her.

Finally, the storm subsided. The zebra slumped backwards, aftershocks visibly making her hands clench anew as the patiently tormenting vibrators teased her over-stimulated body. Perspiration dampened her forehead, her half-open eyes dazed and unseeing.

Twilight bit her lip, whispering, "Fuck, that's so sexy. I just love watching you cum..." Pressing up against the semi-conscious mare, Twilight kissed up her throat, feeling the cool bands of Zecora's golden neck rings brushing her lips. "Trixie was right... you are intimidating. So cool and self-possessed. So knowledgeable. So wise. But not when I break you. Not because you've done anything wrong. Not because you deserve it. Because I love you, and I want you, and that just makes me want to crush you beneath my heel."

Zecora nodded shakily, her unfocused gaze slowly coming to rest on her Mistress. A small whimper escaped her lips, her hands rising a little, then dropping to grip her thighs tightly.

Picking up a glass of fruit juice from the table, Twilight drank deeply. Her own body felt sensitive, and hot. Her nipples rubbed against her bra, and she just wanted to tear her clothes off all over again. But she couldn't, not yet. First, she had a pony to find. "Get up, slave. Stand over there."

With a groan of assent, Zecora wriggled her way out from the bench seat, her legs visibly struggling to support her. Twilight slid along the bench seat after her, trying not to notice the way her own thighs wanted to press together as spikes of heat shot through her.

Applejack looked up. "Done with breakfast, Ma'am?"

"For now, yes," Twilight agreed. "I need to go and find the Princess. She hasn't come to see me since we boarded. I don't think that's acceptable."

"Take the slutty fucktoy Trixie! She can shout these stupid guard ponies into fetching whomever you desire. Nopony can refuse a demand from Trixie's magical Mistress!"

"Not yet - and be respectful to the guards," chided Twilight. "They do a lot for Equestria. They're brave, and selfless, and deserve to be treated with our respect, okay? Now... Zecora, keyword: statue."

With a near-despairing whimper, Zecora got halfway through nodding before losing control of her body, her hands moving to seize her breasts and her back arching to push out her thick ass before she froze helplessly in place.

"Applejack, Trixie; keyword: scene two." The command was spoken casually, though Twilight couldn't help but feel a flicker of fascination as identical looks of focused concentration came over the two mares. Wordlessly sliding out of the bench seat, they moved directly to the captive zebra as though nothing else were real. Trixie dropped to her knees, running her tongue up the other mare's striped inner thighs, while Applejack pressed up against Zecora's back and took firm hold of her exposed ass, kneading as she began to bite gently at the curve of Zecora's neck.

Twilight leaned over Trixie to capture Zecora's lips in a hard, hungry kiss. "I'll try not to be too long. I think I can wring plenty more orgasms from you today."

Pulling back, Twilight turned and walked towards the train end of the carriage, straightening her pale blue dress. It was an elegant outfit, cut like the sun dresses Celestia so often wore, but it was sized to fit her post-ascension body, her tattooed cleavage on full display. Even now, she sometimes surprised herself when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. As for why a selection of clothes had been on-board that seemed to have been tailored for her, it could have been Luna's doing, or her mentor's frustratingly unmatchable tendency to plan ahead.

Either way, Celestia had to be up towards the train somewhere. She'd boarded further along, and she certainly hadn't come through the carriage since they'd set off. It wasn't like there could be secret passages on a train.

Unless there was some sort of crawl tunnel beneath the carriage.

No, that was silly.

Twilight stamped her foot a couple of times, trying to hear a hollow resonance, but all she could hear was the soft creaking of the carriage suspension as they rounded a shallow corner, and the tick-click, tick-click of the rails.

Okay. Unless Celestia had secret tunnels beneath her feet, or had gotten back out of the train to board behind her before they'd even set off, or she'd emerged from the roof and flown from carriage to carriage, then she had to be back towards the engine.

Carefully opening the end door of the compartment, Twilight emerged into the little no-pony's-land between carriages. Obscura straightened, the bat-winged pony standing beside the door with her back to the carriage. "Good morning, Princess!" she said, rigidly at attention, her yellow eyes gazing straight ahead.

"Good morning, Obscura," said Twilight politely. Normally the guard was on the night shift, but with all of the disruption of the retrieval mission, it seemed her sleeping cycle had grown confused. It was both exasperating and sweet the way that Obscura seemed so in awe of her. There was a pink blush on the mare's dark blue cheeks, growing brighter by the minute-

Grabbing the half-open carriage door, Twilight shut it hurriedly, cutting off the distant sound of Zecora's shuddering moans. Oops.

A distinct quiet fell. O-kay. What did Obscura need to know? Surely only one thing, and that was- "Luna knows. She's happy with all of this."

"I know, she- yes, Princess!" Obscura cut herself off, managing the physical impossibility of standing to attention with even more emphasis than before.

Oh dear. Obscura knew, or at least knew some of it. Good grief, had Autumn figured out what was going on between them? He'd known her as a foal! It was... it was embarrassing. Celestia had been right; it was going to be impossible to hide it forever.

Rubbing at her own cheeks with the back of her fingers as she felt the heat of her own blush rising, Twilight managed, "You do? Um. Good. Right. I'll - be back soon. Excuse me."

Fleeing through the shifting tunnel into the next carriage, Twilight slid the door open, ducked through, then shut it behind her and sank back against it, her wings flattening.

The carriage seemed to be some sort of diplomatic meeting chamber; down one side, a long, narrow table of beautiful, aged wood was discreetly bolted to the floor, individual chairs ranged along it, while on the left side of the carriage, there were several semi-circular booths fitted out with plush red seats.

"Good morning, Empress." Celestia closed the book in her hands with a snap, setting it aside.

The Princess was seated in the nearest booth, her shimmering mane swaying and dancing over the divider between her booth and the one behind her. Unusually for her, she wore a pure white tunic with elegant golden embroidery along the edges, shaped to billow out over her expansive chest and cut back in to emphasise her waist. Slimline pants hugged her legs, the traditional cut-outs baring her shining cutie mark of the morning sun.

She looked amazing. Twilight licked her lips, her mouth suddenly a little dry. "...good morning."

"I do my best. Are you well rested?" inquired the divine pony politely.

"Yes, thank you. I slept okay." It was amazing how quickly the awe came back. She'd barely been parted from Celestia for a night, and it was like seeing her all over again. Her ageless mentor, wise beyond the dreams of mortal ponies.

"So they didn't spank your cute little ass so hard you couldn't sleep? I understand that is how you apologise at the moment."

...and then she went and said things like that. Twilight's blush flared back up, and she protested, "That was just one time!"

"I anticipated you might apologise to Guard-Captain Diorite that way."

"Celestia!" burst out Twilight. Just because maybe the thought had briefly crossed her mind - that wasn't the point! "Where have you been? You just... walked off, when the train arrived, and didn't come and see me afterwards." Despite her best efforts, there was a subtle note of hurt in her voice.

"Luna did forward some paperwork for my attention along with your friends," replied Celestia mildly, then added, as Twilight's expression changed, "which I did not do. She is running things at present; I'm certain that my dearest sister will handle these matters wisely and well without my input. Your friends needed time with you, without distractions, to come to terms both with what happened, and what might have happened. I hope they now understand what Trixie was willing to give up for you."

Twilight walked over to the edge of Celestia's booth, folding her arms and resting them on the back of the chair. The milk-white alicorn looked up at her, an expression of polite interest on her face.

The thing was... what Celestia had said made sense. Perhaps if she'd been there, Trixie wouldn't have been so forthright with her emotions. Or Applejack and Zecora would have shied away from expressing theirs so freely. Not deliberately, or consciously, but the presence of the Princess was hard to ignore. Twilight could see the sense written all over it.

And yet. Behind the plausible explanation, behind Celestia's serenely diplomatic tone, there was another reason; her age-old instinct to hold herself back from the ponies around her. An instinct Twilight had to break.

"Do you know what Applejack said to me before, when I called her and the girls my friends?" she asked slowly.

Celestia cocked her head. "I do not. I will have to punish the head of my all-pervasive spy network."

Ignoring Celestia's playful deflection, Twilight said softly, "She said that she and the others are my slaves. It's more than just friendship. A lot more. And you, Celestia, are not above that. You aren't separate. You aren't a distraction. You are one of them. You're my slave, too."

A small smile curled the corner of Celestia's lips. "Is that so? Do you intend to enforce that opini-"

She didn't get to finish the taunting question. Magic flared along Twilight's horn, yanking Celestia bodily out of her seat and into the air, her wings compressed by glittering bands of telekinetic force.

"Yes," Twilight told her pleasantly, yet firmly. "I do. You're coming with me."

Stretching, testing the bonds of magic pinning her in the air, Celestia's breathing quickened, slim fingers curling to press her nails against her palms. Swallowing, she replied with a semblance of normality, "You seem to have mastered your magic once more."

"Oh, I haven't. I'd never risk doing this to another pony. But if I slipped, and flung you down the carriage-" Twilight lifted a finger, then turned, gesturing towards the carriage wall. Celestia jerked through the air, a gasp forced from her lips as her back slammed into the wood panelling. "-you could take it," concluded Twilight. "Now, Celestia. Are you going to be a good bitch, or do I have to get rough?"

"I am curious what you would consider rough-" Celestia began, then yelped as she jerked forward, then slammed back against the wall again.

"I'm still waiting for the right answer. I hope you're not going to prove to be a slow student." Twilight smiled, a playful, loving cruelty in her voice. This was what she needed! Degrading the ponies she loved, forcing them to her will, knowing that they were travelling with her to the same destination; a strange, distant land of trust and emotion that couldn't be unlocked any other way.

"I'm going to be a good bitch!" gasped the captive princess, a strange, wild light glittering in her eyes.

Twilight flicked her horn. The magical bonds snapped out of existence, dumping Celestia onto the carpet with a resounding thud. "Get up and follow me. Waste my time, and I'll make you crawl past Obscura naked."

"Yes, Empress," breathed Celestia as she pushed herself to her feet. There was a yearning note to her words that was new; an almost-spoken desire for Twilight to make good on her threat.

The temptation to do exactly that was strong. She wanted to seize her beloved mentor by the throat and drag her. But what she'd said to Diorite still held true; it wouldn't be fair to involve her guards in sex play that they didn't - couldn't - freely consent to. And so, back straight, a subtle edge of arrogant power to her body language, Twilight crossed back through the connecting bridge between carriages with a mere nod at Obscura, Celestia obediently at her heel.

The carriage door slid open, then closed again behind them with a soft click. This time, Twilight noticed the subtle tingle of energy as a quiet spell re-established itself over the end wall. That was reassuring; no matter what noise they made in here, as long as the door was closed, nopony would hear a thing.

In Twilight's absence, Applejack had switched places with Trixie, kneeling in front of Zecora and now busily lapping at her pussy around the dildo and strap. Trixie stood beside Applejack, kneading the zebra's left breast and sucking on her nipples, having shoved Zecora's hands aside. Perspiration slicked Zecora's intricate curls and stripes, her knees quivering. Short, gasping groans escaped her ring gag as she panted for breath, her eyelids flickering open with a look of glazed entreaty.

Celestia exhaled a soft sigh of appreciation, her gaze resting on the tableau in the centre of the carriage. "I always enjoy your attention to detail, Twilight," she murmured, half to herself.

"You do more than appreciate it," Twilight breathed, looking up at the elder alicorn with sharp hunger in her gaze. "You want to be where she is. Trapped. Posed. Fucked and tormented and used at my whim. Isn't that true, my Princess?"

Biting her soft lower lip, Celestia didn't answer, her breathing fast and shallow.

Strolling across the carriage floor to Zecora's side, Twilight added conversationally to the shuddering mare, "Or I could add Celestia to the ponies helplessly pleasuring you. The most powerful mare in Equestria, reduced to a blank-eyed puppet, those huge, gorgeous tits spilling out of her jacket as she mindlessly fingers her cunt and licks you until you cum all over her vacant face, knowing that every pony here is my plaything, utterly under my control-"

A throaty, animal noise broke from Zecora's lips as her body trembled in the grip of the charm's implacable control, a fresh surge of slick wetness spattering across Applejack's urgently working mouth and dripping to the carriage floor. "Hnnng, hnnn, hnnnn," she whined, eyelids flickering closed once more.

"Oh, I could watch that all day..." sighed Twilight, a deliciously hot tingle of pleasure stiffening her nipples beneath her elegant sundress. "Trixie. Applejack. Keyword: scene over."

The change was immediate. Trixie blinked, suddenly aware of the zebra's nipple between her lips, while below her, Applejack gasped in surprise. "What'n the-"

"It's okay," Twilight soothed, placing one hand on Trixie's arm while she stroked Applejack's broad shoulder. "Up you get, girls. I just had you keep Zecora company while I fetched Celestia."

Pushing herself to her feet, Applejack licked her lips, then rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. Taking in the look of dazed, semi-conscious pleasure on the striped mare's face, the farm pony murmured, "Well. Whatever Ah was doing, looks like Ah was doing a bang-up job of it."

"No doubt it was all the work of the splendidly sensual fuckslave Trixie!" interjected Trixie, turning towards Twilight. Her gaze fell across Celestia, still standing by the compartment door, and a little flash of nervousness darted over her face before she straightened her back and nodded towards the alicorn with studied casualness, "Even Princess Celestia must think so."

Applejack straightened up, a blush colouring her cheeks as she raised a hand and greeted, "Hi, Princess. Uh. Yeah. Guess we're... good morning?"

Celestia inclined her head, a smile breaking across her lips. "Good morning. I hope you're both well rested. I'd say the same to you, Zecora, but I see that Twilight has been busy."

"I have! And I should finish what I started before I begin something else; I don't know what my mom would say if I forgot that. Zecora? Keyword: release."

Zecora's knees gave way instantly. The zebra crumpled to the ground, her ass in the air, tits flattened beneath her, an incoherent sound escaping her ring gag as she quivered and drooled into the carpet.

"There," Twilight concluded, clapping her hands together with a bright smile. "All better. Now for you, Celestia."

"Are you sure you haven't tired yourself out? Would you like a nap first?" asked Celestia lightly. "I wouldn't want you to take on a task you weren't ready for."

"Applejack," countered Twilight, "slap this impertinent slut across the face, please."

Applejack blinked, looking at Twilight as though she'd grown a second head. "Y'all want me to slap Princess Celestia across the face?" she echoed disbelievingly.

"No. I was quite clear." Twilight stepped forward, wrapping her hand around Celestia's smooth throat and squeezing. "I don't see any Princess here. I see a disrespectful bitch that isn't even standing to attention in the presence of her Mistress." Her gaze flicked up to meet Celestia's, and she squeezed a little harder before letting go. "Straighten up. Hands behind your back. You know how a slave presents herself, and you're going to do it."

"...as you wish, Empress," Celestia replied more huskily, straightening and thrusting her heavy chest against the gold-embroidered tunic. Clasping her wrists behind her, she widened her stance, imposingly tall, her mane and tail billowing around her. Her pink gaze lingered on Twilight for a long moment, then shifted towards Applejack with a flash of challenge.

"Trixie will - would do it!" Trixie broke in, though a little catch of uncertainty snagged in the middle of her sentence.

Twilight shook her head, flashing a smile. "Your turn will come, Trixie. But Applejack; Celestia is completely willing, I promise." Her hand rose to rest against the farm pony's cheek, and she gazed into her lover's honest green eyes, seeking what lay there. "If that would make you uncomfortable then of course you don't have to. But I want you to think of her as just another pony, like you, or me, and this is part of that."

Swallowing, Applejack covered Twilight's hand with hers, then nodded, a stubborn look coming over her face. "Yes, Ma'am. If you're sure she's okay with this-"

"I am. I'm becoming a little bored, actually," Celestia broke in, her tone calmly civil. "Empress, may I sit down while I wait? Will this take long?"

"Slap her," Twilight commanded, a sharp, shivering edge of tension thrumming through her body.

With two steps, Applejack stood before the enslaved demigoddess, with the expression of someone taking firm hold of their nerve. Lifting her hand, she hesitated an instant longer, then her open palm cracked across Celestia's face.

The alicorn's gaze never left Twilight, a sly smile curling her lips. "Should I keep waiting, Empress?"

Twilight was delighted to see a flash of annoyance cross Applejack's face. "Again, Applejack. Harder."

"Yes, Ma'am." Applejack's open palm struck Celestia's cheek, less hesitantly this time. Braced for the blow, Celestia's head didn't move an inch; the smaller mare may as well have struck a statue.

Celestia looked down at Applejack. "Your brother was far more vigorous," she confided. "Perhaps it was going to be hard to match up."

"Mah brother?" demanded Applejack loudly, shock and outrage warring across her face.

Oh Celestia, you're playing with fire... "Celestia told him that she was the one that had removed our memories of our relationship," Twilight explained quickly. "He punched her in the face."

"I had to trouble the healers," contributed Celestia, that same, maddening smile curving her lips. "I was quite impressed. I don't think I will have to-"

"Again," Twilight commanded.

Applejack's hand moved in a blur, the crack of skin on skin echoing around the carriage. Celestia's head was knocked to the side, a rush of pinkness colouring her cheek like an asymmetrical blush.

"Oh," the pale alicorn breathed, nodding once. "That was... acceptable."

"Again!"

Beneath Applejack's thick cotton shirt, powerful muscles bunched. The back of her hand struck Celestia squarely across the face, the flat thwack of the impact knocking the alicorn off-balance.

"Nnnnh!" A low, unmistakable moan escaped Celestia's lips, the points of her nipples pushing visibly against her tightly buttoned tunic as she straightened up again.

Yes. Beneath the other mare's arousal, Twilight could see the masochistic joy on the elder pony's face at being handled so roughly, every strike cracking and splintering the elevated pedestal that she couldn't escape. "You see, Applejack? This pony isn't someone to defer to. She's a horny little bitch," Twilight purred, "who keeps acting out until she gets punished for it. Isn't that right?"

"...yes, Empress..." Celestia agreed, nodding as a visible quiver ran through her.

Pressing up against Applejack's back, Twilight wrapped her arms around the muscular pony, one hand sliding under her loose shirt to caress her firm, flat stomach. Feeling her own tattooed breasts crushing softly against her lover, she added huskily into Applejack's ear, "You're so strong. So obedient. You're a good girl. You'll obey. You'll help me teach this disobedient, disrespectful slut a lesson. Five more."

"Yes, Ma'am," Applejack replied huskily, a simmering heat radiating from her body under Twilight's hands. Fear, anger, long-ingrained hero worship; all of it had been transmuted to something else in that moment, something hotter and tighter, closer to the core.

"Should I only count the ones I notice-" began Celestia, the words cut off as Applejack's calloused, work-hardened hand smacked her across the mouth. Another struck the left side of her face, then, as she reeled from the impact, Applejack backhanded her again, harder, pushing her even further off balance.

"Mmmnh! Hnn!" Celestia groaned, short, sharp gasps escaping her with every strike. Another swift, hard blow smashed into the side of her face and she over-balanced, toppling sideways, her wings flaring as she barely caught herself against the side of a seat.

"That's four," growled Applejack. "One left. Get up and take what's coming t'you."

Breathing harshly, Celestia pushed herself back upright, but before she had time to brace herself, the back of Applejack's hand cracked across her cheek like a full stop, jarring her into another stumble in the other direction. Her lips were reddened, her pale skin striped with overlapping pink marks, her eyes glittering with feverish light. "...thank you," she murmured, meekly.

"Oh, fuck, yes," hissed Twilight, her nimble fingers undoing Applejack's shirt to more easily caress the toned body beneath. Tugging Applejack's bra upwards, she felt the farm pony's warm breasts spill outwards into her hands, nipples stiff and eager to her touch. "Good girl. Good girl."

Applejack's hands knotted into fists, and she groaned a low, urgent sound. "Thank you, Ma'am," she breathed. "Ah'm your slave. Ah'll obey."

Shuddering, grinding herself against Applejack's back and feeling the delicious tingling of her own nipples rubbing against the other pony through her silken dress, it took Twilight a moment to gather the self-control to look around for Trixie. The blue showmare had coaxed Zecora up off the floor, and was perched beside her, glancing over with wide, envious eyes as she delicately encouraged the zebra to take sips of water.

That was good. In fact, that was what Twilight probably should have been doing. Reluctantly separating from Applejack, Twilight commanded her lover, "Shirt and bra off. I want to touch you. Undo your shorts, too. Trixie! Unfasten Zecora's gag, and fetch a paddle!"

Startled at being suddenly addressed, Trixie fumbled the cup, spilling a little across Zecora's naked body. "Yes, Mistress! The slutty, submissive, perfect fucktoy Trixie obeys!"

"...yes, Ma'am," Applejack answered, and began to shrug out of her shirt.

Zecora licked her lips as Trixie unbound the ring gag, rubbing her mouth with her fingertips before taking a deeper draught of the water. Swallowing, she managed, "My thanks to you, my friend of blue. It can be thirsty being a statue." Little hitches in her words betrayed the way the vibrating shaft and ring stones still lovingly tormented her.

That had probably gone on for long enough too, Twilight decided; it had been hours since they'd woken. With a wave of her horn, the vibrating toys stilled, and Zecora slumped with a low, whimpering groan. It was dreadfully tempting just to grab hold of the nearest mare and force her to her knees, then ride her mouth until she screamed... but her responsibility to the needs of her slaves came first. Metaphorically, and literally.

Applejack had stripped off her top, her forest-green bra and checked shirt pilled messily on a seat. Her round, generous breasts were on full display, dusted with freckles that just made Twilight want to kiss every single one, shorts undone to reveal her slim green panties, gaze shimmering with love and lust mingled into a single yearning emotion. For an instant, Twilight was overcome with a surge of adoration for the other pony, mingled with awe that she had ever come to a place where they could be together forever.

"I love you," Twilight whispered to her, resting the side of her head against Applejack's, knocking the other mare's hat askew with her horn.

"Oh, Twi..." breathed Applejack with heart-breaking sincerity, "Ah love you too."

"The slutty, studiously searching Trixie has located a paddle!" Trixie broke in, gripping a wide, flat paddle studded with heart-shaped cut-outs down its length. "How may your best and most obedient slave please you now, Mistress?"

A wicked smile curved Twilight's lips, and she kissed Applejack's ear before turning towards Trixie. "Undo Celestia's pants, and pull them down. Panties, too. Celestia, you're going to bend over that seat, ass in the air. Understand, slave?"

"Yes, Empress," replied Celestia huskily, holding her formal, at-attention pose as Trixie eagerly undid her clinging white pants and tugged them down her long legs, only then turning to bend over a seatback. Her smooth, delicately pink sex glittered with moisture between her legs, her soft, round ass thrust into the air.

Stepping over to where Zecora sat slumped back against the cushions, Twilight kissed the exhausted mare on the forehead. "You did really well. Now hold still." Loosening the strap around Zecora's waist, Twilight gently withdrew the dildo from her abused pussy, glistening wetly with the echoes of the zebra's orgasms.

Zecora's breath caught, her spine arching as the shaft slid out, then she flopped back against the seat once more, dazedly shaking her head. "You make me feel things I never knew I could feel. Wherever you go, I will follow at your heel," she murmured.

"There's nothing I'd like more," Twilight replied with loving affection. "Rest, and watch." Straightening up with the toy in hand, she strolled over towards the bent-over figure of her mentor, pulling down the bodice of her silken dress with one hand to spill out her tattooed breasts. "Dear Princess Celestia," she declared, joyful menace in her voice, "perhaps you can help me answer a question. How many times does a slutty, depraved cum-whore need to be spanked before she cums all over her own train?"

With a single, smooth motion, Twilight shoved the dildo into Celestia's sex, the toy instantly beginning to thrum with vibrations once more. With a glance at Trixie, Twilight stepped back and commanded, "Spank this fat-assed bitch until she cums."

Trixie bit her lip, her cheeks crimson, one hand already buried in the waistband of her skirt as she ground against her fingers. "Y-yes, Mistress! Trixie would... Trixie can hardly believe... Princess Celestia," she added, in an almost pleading tone, then brandished the paddle. "Watch your obedient slave punish this impertinent bitch, Mistress, please!"

Applejack's strong arms wrapped around Twilight from behind, squeezing her tightly. Twilight exhaled a little sigh of delight, and as if reading her mind, the other mare circled around in front of her. Their soft, bared breasts brushed each other, electric, tingling shocks sparking through Twilight's nipples, and then Applejack's mouth was against hers, in a sudden, deep kiss. The farm pony tasted sweet, and the warmth and softness of her lips was dizzyingly familiar. No pony in all Equestria kissed quite like Applejack, an intimate directness to her that came out in everything she said and did.

All the different layers of Twilight's thoughts fluttered away, like pages in the wind, leaving her in the warmth and peace of her first lover's arms. Trixie was taunting Celestia, the rhythmic crack of paddle against tender skin rang out through the carriage, as did Celestia's grunted, gasped sounds of need. Applejack's fingers were working under the hem of Twilight's dress, tugging her panties aside and sliding into her, their kiss soul-deep and never-ending.

It could have been moments. It could have been years. Over Applejack's shoulder, Twilight watched Celestia convulse in orgasm, her ass and the backs of her thighs burnished crimson and spattered with hearts etched by the paddle, and with that, Twilight allowed some final internal restraint to relax. Pleasure ripped through her, a carnivorous tide that left her exhausted, hollowed out and exalted.

None of her responsibilities, none of her problems, had gone away. But at that moment, she could allow them to be problems for some other Twilight. Later.

The eldest and newest Princesses of Equestria sat facing each other, milk white and pale violet, talking quietly as the landscape slid by beyond the window. Behind them, at the other end of the carriage, Twilight's trio of slaves chatted to each other, giving them - even if reluctantly, in the case of Trixie - a little space.

The scene could have almost passed for normal. Of course, the casual disarray of their clothes might have caused comment; Celestia's torn-open tunic did nothing to cover her soft curves and pink nipples, while Twilight sat equally exposed, her dress pooled half-undone about her waist.

"I think you might bruise, you know," Twilight remarked, gesturing at Celestia's cheek with her horn.

"I will treasure it if I do," replied Celestia serenely.

"I did enjoy watching them spank you. I think I'd like to spend some time with just you and me, and Luna, when we get back, though. No more excuses: I'm taking you both for those piercings, then we're getting you healed up, and then? Then I'm going to pick out the nicest strap-on in your collection and fuck you both," Twilight said affectionately, with a happy little sigh of contentment.

The corner of Celestia's mouth curved into a little grin. "Did you work out why I was wearing this tunic, Twilight? I rarely wear such clothes."

Twilight blinked, then frowned. There was a reason?

She was still thinking about it when Celestia resumed, "My dear sister Luna likes to wear such garb. You seem to appreciate it on her a great deal. I hope you found it equally flattering on me."

A quick, hot blush coloured Twilight's cheeks, with an obscure feeling of having been caught out. "Of course! It really... it really does suit you. Both of you."

"And of course, I chose it knowing that you would wear a dress akin to those I customarily wear," added Celestia. "It is almost as though I were the younger sister, helpless to resist the power of your spell, and you my domineering older sibling, training me to obey for your pleasure."

A shocking surge of arousal flashed through Twilight, followed almost as quickly by a wave of embarrassment. Covering her mouth with her hand for a moment, she took a deep breath. O-kay. I'm way more into that idea than I would have guessed.

Wait. Twilight knew the look on the other pony's face. Celestia was testing her. What had she missed? What was Celestia-

...helpless to resist the power of your spell.

Twilight froze, eyes widening, locked in place by a flash of realisation. I never gave the all-clear signal! And it had been seven days since she'd put Celestia's contingency in place. More than seven days. Which meant-!

Her lips parted to blurt the charm's keywords, then her jaw clacked shut as Celestia's horn glowed, a gentle pressure holding her mouth closed.

"Yes. I've been free of the charm's compulsion for several days," the Solar Princess agreed calmly. "So, Empress. Before you do anything hasty - shall we talk?"

Author's Note

Hello everypony! A lot of decisions come home to roost this time, but in the end, Twilight once again forgot the most important lesson she ever learned:
Be more careful.

Ceaseless encouragement, flattery, suggestions and proofing by: Equimorto, DbzOrDie, Fylifa and Implausible Deniability.