Lessons We Learnby SundropStrikerChaptersTroublemakerReal TalkLessonEpilogueTroublemakerSunset Shimmer made the trek down the hall of Canterlot High for what seemed the hundreth time in just a few weeks. It probably was. Honestly it was probably more than a hundred. She could already hear Principal Celestia's sigh combined with the soft splat of an ever thickening file on her desk. She was already dealing with so much stress, she didn't even know if she wanted to know the reason why she was being summoned this time...other than the obvious. She rounded the corner and spotted the obvious main cause seated outside Principal Celestia's office on the wooden bench, leaning back against the wall with arms crossed and a smug expression. "Cozy, what did you do this time?" Cozy Glow waved a hand dismissively. "It's not nearly as big a deal as everyone is making it." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Just stay there until I'm done." Cozy shrugged and Sunset stepped on past, knocking on the door before pushing it open and entering the office. She closed the door behind her and walked to the chair in front of the Principal's big desk, sitting down in it. Principal Celestia sighed and, as predicted, dropped a thick file on the desk in front of her, in Sunset's direction. "Before I open this," Sunset said with a sigh of her own, "was anyone injured, maimed, or killed?" Principal Celestia couldn't resist a slight grin before shaking her head soberly. "No physical injuries. However I can't say the same about mental and emotional ones." Sunset opened the file and glanced over the newest addition to Cozy's impressive list of crimes. Her eyes narrowed with each line she read until finally she looked up at Principal Celestia. "This is like Anon-a-miss times two." Principal Celestia rested her elbows on the desk, placing her fingertips together and gazing at Sunset with a grave expression. "Sunset, I know up until now that Cozy's misdeeds have been aggravating and annoying at worst. But this? This is another level of wrong we cannot tolerate. Bullying others in school and online is unacceptable, and very harmful to the victims, as you well know from the Anon-a-miss incident. She has utterly humiliated and verbally abused nearly every student in this school in some form or other and threatened actual harm should anyone come forward." "Well, at least now I fully realize why everyone in my world hated her." Sunset massaged her head, feeling a headache coming on. "I've tried being patient, I've tried being kind, I've scolded gently, I've asked super nicely...clearly my niceness isn't working." "I trust you understand that technically this should be reported to the school board and to the authorities." Principal Celestia leaned back in her chair. "However, given the set of...unusual circumstances, I am leaving this to you. But for the record, she is suspended from school for one week. And since I know you will stay at the apartment with her, I'll have your friends bring both of your assignments to you." Sunset stood up and handed the file back. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, Principal Celestia, you have my word." The determined look in her eyes and her straight stance said she was not joking. Principal Celestia nodded and stood as well, accepting the file back. "I believe you. I'll see both of you back in school in a week." Sunset strode out of the office and shut the door behind her. Cozy looked up from her phone and squinted slightly at her. "So what did she have to say this ti- HEY!!" The last as Sunset grabbed the phone from her hand and pocketed it. "Give that back!!" "No." Sunset glared at her. "Pick up your backpack and let's go home." "But school isn't even over!" "It is for you, for the next week. You're suspended." Cozy's eyes turned a darker shade of red. "Well who cares about school anyway! I just come because you make me! You and stupid Princess Twilight." Sunset gritted her teeth. "Backpack. And lets go." Cozy yanked her backpack up from the floor and huffed angrily, stomping ahead of Sunset down the hall. "You are making this way too big of a deal. I mean really, I thought it was impressive, getting everyone to like me and do what I want." "They don't like you, Cozy, they are terrified of you!" "I prefer...they know to greatly respect me." Sunset fought back an angry growl. Outside the school, she handed Cozy's motorcycle helmet to her and put on her own before straddling the seat and kicking the bike to life. Cozy settled behind her and said nothing on the entire trip to the apartment building. She didn't even speak while they went up to the apartment. Sunset shut the door behind them. "Go to your room and stay there." Cozy blinked in dismay. "Wha- you can't just order me to my room! I'm not-" "GO TO YOUR ROOM!!" The anger in Sunset's voice combined with the death glare she threw at her sent Cozy scrambling for her room. As soon as the door shut behind the younger teen, Sunset sighed heavily and walked to her own room. Leaving the door open so she could hear if Cozy dared step foot outside of the bedroom next door, she sat on her bed and pulled out the journal she kept in her nightstand. Flipping it open to an empty page, she picked up her pen and began to write. Hey Twilight. Are you busy? Almost instantly the reply came back. Sunset! How's it going? Um...where do I start...? Oh merciful Celestia. What in Tartarus did she do? Sunset hesitated, and then filled Twilight in on the last several antics from Cozy...particularly the most recent one. It took several minutes before an answer came back. Well. I can honestly say she hasn't changed a bit since her banishment from here. Sunset could almost hear the sarcasm and exasperation in the statement. I had no clue what I was getting into when I agreed to be her, well, gaurdian of sorts. I mean, I knew she was pretty bad, but not this bad. Princess Celestia might very well have been right. She might be...unredeemable. Well I mean, I don't know. Look how bad I was. And the girls here got through to me. Yes but you weren't exactly trying to turn an entire school into your own personal evil army like she did here either. ...thats...exactly what I was doing. Oh. Right. Well anyway, you've had her there for what, almost three months already? If she hasn't even shown a small amount of improvement, then maybe it is just a waste of time. I don't want her causing as much damage there as she did here, I'll just come over and bring her back to Equestria. No, wait. Don't do that. I feel like she can become good, she just...needs to be shown there's a better way. Just like I was shown. Uh, Sunset? Underneath all your evil behavior you actually had a good heart. I believe she does too. I just need to get to it. Well, good luck. If you need me, I'm always here. And Sunset? I'm glad you decided to stick it out awhile longer. Sunset blinked and her jaw dropped slightly in astonishment, realisation dawning. Twilight, did you literally just reverse psychology me?!? Talk to you later, Sunset! Sunset rolled her eyes with a huff of fond aggravation. Of course Twilight would pull that trick on her. She put the pen and journal away and stared at the wall for awhile, deep in thought. She didn't know how in the world she was going to get through to Cozy. She just knew she needed to do something to make sure the girl didn't keep causing so much trouble. She genuinely didn't want to send her back to their world. Twilight had felt that Cozy was worth more than whatever punishment they would have given her there. Sunset tended to agree. She just didn't know how to handle the girl. She had to do something though, Cozy's behavior had gotten way too out of hand. Why, if Sunset was still that young and living under Princess Celestia's care in their world, the Princess would have- Sunset blinked, a plan suddenly forming in her head. It might just work. She hoped it did, because she refused to believe Cozy couldn't be reformed. She just needed a firmer hand and some guidance in the right direction. And while that would not be an easy or fun task, Sunset was determined to carry it out. With that thought in mind, she rose from the bed and marched briskly to the next room. She knocked once, then opened the door and stepped inside. "Cozy. We need to have a talk." Real TalkCozy sat on her bed, arms crossed, glaring at her closed door as if somehow the glare would pass through the wood and find Sunset and make her see just how she felt right now. To say she was unhappy at this entire situation was a massive understatement. She was actually rather infuriated at how her life had ended up. "You can't blame a filly for trying to get somewhere in life." She muttered under her breath, lapsing back into the speech patterns of the world she had been so unapologetically cast out of. "I could have ruled Equestria and done it better than anypony, but oh no, the Princesses just had to ruin everything!" She flopped back onto the bed with a growl. Her latest scheme should have worked. Using threats and torments and bribery to gain an impressive following that would do whatever she wanted was honestly a stroke of genius. Granted, her schemes hadn't ended so well in the other world, but only because stupid Princess Twilight and her friends had to completely ruin that for her. And here she had stupid Principal Celestia, who was just as bad as her pony counterpart, and stupid Sunset. Cozy pulled a pillow over her face and released a single scream of mixed emotions into it. As the tension left her body, she pushed the pillow off and sighed heavily. Since being banished to this human world she had been trying to fit in and survive and to do that yes, she had resorted to some...less than acceptable antics and behaviors. But something had been off since she had been sent here, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well. So what if her evil plans failed? There was always a new one. There was a knock on her door, and before she could say anything Sunset strode in with a stern, "Cozy, we need to talk." "Don't you know how to wait for permission to come in?" Cozy sat up on the bed, scowling. Sunset arched an eyebrow. "My apartment." "My room." "In my apartment." "That shouldn't matter! You said this was my space!" "Cozy-" "You. Said. It." Sunset sighed. "Alright, ok, you're right. I did say it. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to say I could come into your space." Cozy blinked, unacustomed to apologies. For a moment she said nothing, then she folded her arms. "Whatever. What do you want?" "Like I said, we need to talk." Sunset took a seat on a chair by the bed. "If you're gonna yell at me again, forget it." Cozy spoke sourly and boldly, but she tensed as she said it...something that did not go unnoticed by Sunset, who frowned slightly. "I'm not going to yell, Cozy. I just want to talk." Cozy looked away and shrugged silently. Sighing, Sunset leaned back in the chair. "Why don't you tell me what it is that makes you think it was a good idea to bully and humiliate all those kids?" Cozy shrugged again. "Its not like they'll remember it forever. Besides, it toughens them up. And anyway, now I have friends." "No, you don't. Now you have fellow students who will do whatever you say because they're terrified that you will hurt them or expose thier secrets if they don't. And you might think that makes you happy and satisfied and powerful, Cozy, but it doesn't. Deep down you know it doesn't. It doesn't give you the kind of power you want, trust me." "What do you know about power?" Cozy glared at her defiantly. "I know that people want power for different reasons. But it generally boils down to one thing: they want to be accepted, cared for, even loved. They want to have friends. Or they want to feel powerful because at some point someone in thier life broke them and made them feel powerless, and they want to prove they aren't. But they go about it all wrong." Cozy squirmed, trying to maintain an air of indifference and defiance even as her heart sped up and her breathing quickened at Sunset's words. Emotions were starting to swirl around that she had refused to acknowledge for a long time, and she didn't like it. "Well you're wrong!" She snapped. "Power is more than that." "What is it to you then? Why do you want to destroy others so much?" "Why do you care? Princess Twilight just made you take charge of me when they banished me to this world. You don't really care. You're just like all the rest. You put up with me because you want to show off for Princess Twilight and for everypon-everyone here!" "You're wrong." Sunset said quietly. "I do care. Twilight didn't make me take charge of you here. She thought you were worth more than the fate they had for you there. She asked if I would help give you a chance at reforming. As someone who was once extremely misguided and lost and alone and unhappy just like you, I took it because I believed I could help make a difference. I do care, Cozy." Cozy was trying to come up with a rebuttal...some form of rebellious argument that she was not the things Sunset said. That she knew good and well who she was and what she wanted and that she was perfectly happy with it. But the words died on her lips because her voice wouldn't cooperate. Her throat felt tight and her eyes were burning, and then suddenly a veil of liquid clouded her vision as a hitched gasp of air ripped itself from her chest. A pitiful sound reached her ears...a ragged and soft wail of rage and pain, and she was horrified to realize it came from herself. Sunset blinked as Cozy suddenly broke down and started crying tears of anger, frustration and pain. She wasn't sure exactly what to do so she stayed in her chair. It wasn't a good choice. Cozy flung herself off the bed and onto Sunset, fists flailing. Luckily, Sunset had fast reflexes and managed to grab her wrists and stop the blows. "Its not true!" Cozy yelled amid strangled cries. "You don't care! No one does! They never cared!" "I'm sure your parents-" Cozy laughed...a dry, choked laugh, forced out past her tears of rage. "My parents never cared. I was only ever a pawn in thier little games. Bring me out and show me off and use me for my brilliance, but behind closed doors I was never anything more than trash. I was only good enough to bring them money because I had smarts better than anypony in all of Equestria. I wanted to just be a filly and play with my friends, but no. I had to use my brain and help my parents with their gambling because I was genius enough to count cards. No one ever cared. They just wanted me because i was good for showing off and getting them almost anything they wanted." Sunset wasn't expecting Cozy to open up so much, but since she had she tried to keep it going. Something from the younger girl's body language earlier...the way she had tensed at the mention of Sunset yelling at her, made Sunset ask a question now with an answer already in mind that she hoped she was wrong about. "Cozy, were they...mean to you?" Cozy let out another harsh and dry laugh, pained and angry red eyes meeting Sunset's concerned teal ones. "Were they mean? What's it to you? You probably just want to know because then you can use it against me and do the same thing they did to control me." Well that answered that, and Sunset hated how right she was. "No, Cozy. No. I would never use that against you or try to control you. I'm trying to help you. I care about you, and I want to see you succeed, but not at the cost of hurting everyone around you. That's not truly succeeding. That's just being a bully, and you are so much better than that." "Shut up!" Cozy tried to free herself so she could punch at Sunset again, but the older girl's grasp on her wrists was solid and firm. She wasn't getting loose anytime soon. "You don't care! All you want to do is use me, just like my parents, just like everyone else in our Equestria did! You're showing off for Princess Twilight...'see, look what I can do! I've made Cozy good!' All for the pats on the back and the praise and whatever else it gets you. But I'm not stupid enough to fall for it now! I'm bigger and I'm better and I'm smarter! I'm not going to be a pawn anymore." "You're not a pawn, Cozy." Sunset was being as patient and kind as possible, trying to put the irate youngster more at ease. It wasn't really working. "No one is trying to use you anymore. You're safe and wanted and cared for and...you're loved." Cozy's body stilled its fighting against her grasp and went completely rigid, her eyes staring unblinking at Sunset. It was clear from the mix of emotions playing across her face she was shocked and completely unsure how to handle this information, given that it was delivered sincerely and with no obvious malice or dishonesty. Having her charge's full attention, Sunset pressed on determinedly, her tone as gentle and caring as she could make it. "You don't have to fight against anyone anymore, Cozy. I know now your behavior in our world, and your behavior here, was your way of lashing out, fighting back. Hurting others before they can hurt you. But no one is out to hurt you anymore, I promise. We want to help you. I want to help you." She stared intensely into the still unblinking and disbelieving eyes. "I. Care. About. You." Then, after a second of silence, "I love you, kiddo." It wasn't a lie. In the almost three months Cozy had been in this world, Sunset had actually come to care and love her like a little sister. Sure, her behavior and attitude had been horrible, but Sunset had overlooked it and seen deeper. Her heart had eventually told her Cozy wasn't a monster bent on destroying everything in her path just for evil's sake, but rather she was a kid lashing out for whatever the reasons might be. And now that she knew and understood the backstory of Cozy's life, she was glad she hadn't been willing to just give up...Twilight's reverse psychology had only been part of the reason she had said no to Cozy returning to their world. The other part actually cared and still believed she could do some good. Cozy for her part was completely knocked off gaurd by Sunset's kind words and gentle tone. That and the fact that, in spite of trying, she had heard absolutely zero dishonesty in the words and seen nothing but complete sincerity in her eyes. She finally blinked rapidly, eyes burning and stinging with a new rush of tears that she fought desperately to hold back. She wasn't going to cry again, it was a sign of weakness. Sensing the internal struggle, Sunset released her hold on Cozy's wrists, but before the girl could pull back or move she wrapped her arms around her still rigid body and drew her close for a loving embrace that she knew was very much long overdue. Cozy tried to fight it, squirming and attempting to pull free, but Sunset wouldn't relent. "Its ok, Cozy. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Overwhelmed with a storm of emotions she had kept locked down for so long, the last of Cozy's resistance broke, Sunset's soft words finally cracking through all the walls she'd built up inside. With one final strangled cry, she went limp, melting into the warmth of the hug and sobbing for all she was worth while Sunset simply held her close. LessonSunset didn't know how long they stayed the way they were, Cozy curled into her arms sobbing into her shirt as if the storm of tears would never end. But eventually it did, and the broken wails died down to pitiful sniffling and the occasional hiccup as Cozy drew short, ragged breaths trying to calm herself completely. Whatever attitudes and anger and fight that had been there earlier seemed to have bled out with her tears, because when she finally pushed up and looked into Sunset's eyes she looked far more genuinely humble and contrite than Sunset had ever seen her. "I-I'm sorry." The words were as genuine as the expression on her face. "And I-I think I messed up your shirt..." She was exhausted emotionally, which also meant she was exhausted physically, and she didn't even try to get up from her place sitting in Sunset's lap. Sunset reached up and lightly wiped away a few stray tears from Cozy's face with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. This shirt isn't anything special, it can handle some snot and tears." Cozy, for the first time in her life, actually let out a genuine giggle before inhaling raggedly. "I guess I'm still in alot of trouble, huh?" She didn't look thrilled, but Sunset was pleased to see that she at least looked receptive to whatever she might say next. And there was alot left to say unfortunately. Sunset took a deep breath and gave a nod. "Yes. Yes you are. While I can understand what made you behave the way you did, it doesn't make it right. No matter the reason, you hurt alot of people, Cozy, and that's not ok." Cozy sighed and forced herself off of Sunset's lap and sat on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. For a moment neither of them said anything at all, and then Cozy looked up. "It...wasn't right." She said slowly, willing herself to say what she knew needed to be said. "I don't-I shouldn't hurt others just because I was hurt. I threatened and blackmailed and I was just really horrible. And I wish I hadn't done it now." Sunset could not have been happier or prouder. They had made a massive breakthrough today that she would definitely be telling Twilight about later. She could tell Cozy meant every word, and that she was truly regretful of her actions. She knew this was all new and probably very terrifying in a way to the younger girl, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable and finally honest about her behavior. "What exactly is going to happen to me now?" Cozy asked nervously, biting her lower lip. "Am I...is Princess Twilight going to come take me back? I wouldn't blame her. Or you if you let her. I...haven't been the best behaved." "No." Sunset answered with certainty. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." She offered a brief smile before turning solemn again. "But from here on out we are going to have some ground rules. But before we get into that, to answer your question on what's going to happen, you are suspended from school for a week as I told you before we left the school. I'll be staying home with you. Principal Celestia will see to it that our assignments are delivered here to us." Cozy hung her head. "Well that's...that's fair." "As for the rest of your punishment..." Cozy looked up, slightly alarmed, "...you're grounded from your phone until you have written out an apology note to every single kid at school that you harrassed and bullied and threatened. It might take you a week, or two, or a month, because its alot of kids. But every one of them will get a personal note from you before you get your phone back." Cozy didn't even look like she wanted to argue. She simply looked back down and barely nodded with a weary sigh. After all she'd dealt with today emotionally, she truly didn't have any fight left. Sunset stared at her for a moment, debating whether or not she wanted to go through with the original plan she'd had when she first entered this room however many hours ago. Honestly being suspended from school and grounded from her phone and having to write personal apologies to almost every student at school...it was alot. But at the same time, she felt like maybe the other plan was something she needed to do, and Cozy needed to go through. After a moment of silent debate, she decided to hold off for a few minutes until after she laid down some ground rules. Cozy's reaction would determine if the course of action was needed. "And now for the rules." She said, not missing the way Cozy grimaced slightly...although it was likely more because she was afraid there would be a major list of rules, and not just because there would be rules in general. "First rule. When you're off suspension and go back to school, I expect you to behave yourself. No more daily calls over the intercom for me to go see Principal Celestia because you got yourself into some kind of mischief. I know you can do better than that, Cozy. I believe in you." Cozy acknowledged the rule with a tired nod, and Sunset felt more confident to launch into the other rules. "Second rule. I never want to see or hear of you picking on someone in school or online again. If I do, you will automatically lose your phone privilages for a month and on top of that.." she took a breath, here's where it would get tricky, "...I won't hesitate to give you a spanking." Cozy's head snapped up and she stared at Sunset with obvious dismay and even some anxiety. "A sp-you...you w-wouldn't!" It wasn't as much a defiant statement as it was a nervous question. Sunset met it with perfect honesty. "I would. I don't want to, but I would. Just like I would spank you if you ever try to lie to me about something you did, or if you deliberately go against something I tell you to do or not do. Those are also rules. I might ground you for something you do, but if you lie to me about that something, you're definitely not only grounded but you're getting spanked too." Cozy blushed and ducked her head. "This sucks." She muttered, quoting one of Sunset's favorite phrases. She knew full well what a spanking was, though had been fortunate enough never to have been on the recieving end of one. Sunset bit back a laugh. "As long as you follow the rules, we won't have to have that particular discussion." Something registered in Cozy's brain, causing her to focus a nervous side glance on Sunset. She fought the urge to ask the burning question in her mind for a long minute before she finally couldn't take it anymore. "Um...so about the second rule...are you-are you going to sp-do that today..?" "Do you think I should? It technically wasn't an actual official rule yet." Sunset decided this decision now needed to be in Cozy's hands. Personally she would have eventually moved the conversation in that direction and carried out her original plan, but if Cozy decided that it wasn't warranted because it hadn't been an actual rule yet, then she would be spared that task for today. "I don't know." Cozy mumbled. "Does it help?" "Help what?" "Does it help with not feeling so terrible? I don't know, I've never really felt quite like this before." Sunset met the anguished gaze steadily. She knew why Cozy felt terrible, but understood that Cozy might not fully grasp it since these emotions were all relatively new to her. "What you're experiencing right now is guilt." she explained quietly. "You know deep down what you did was wrong, and it makes you feel bad to have hurt people. Its your concience's way of telling you that you made a mistake, that you did something you shouldn't have done." "Well I don't like it." Cozy complained with a heavy sigh. "It kind of hurts." She stared at Sunset almost pleadingly. "Would it help if you..." She trailed off, kind of wanting to know but at the same time not wanting to know. Going off her past experiences, Sunset answered the question without even hesitating. "Yes. A spanking would definitely help that. But I'm not going to force you. This time at least the choice is entirely yours to make. If there is a next time though, you don't get the choice." She watched in silence while Cozy internally wrestled with herself. She was only too well aware of the difficulty of making this decision. She herself had been given the choice only once...the first time Princess Celestia had caught her in some mischief not long after becoming her personal student. Ground rules had been laid out, and the Princess's go to punishment was attatched to a few of them. Sunset could remember sitting there after being told that since the rules hadn't officially been in place yet, she could choose whether or not she should be spanked this time. Just like Cozy, she had wrestled with the choice for quite a while, knowing all she had to do was just say no and Princess Celestia would have accepted it and the subject would not have been brought up again. However, in the end, the desire to stop feeling the guilt that came with misbehaving prevailed, and Sunset had told the Princess that she should probably just punish her. Oh, she'd regretted it once she found herself over Princess Celestia's lap actually facing said punishment, but afterwards she had been relieved she made the choice, and felt it was the right one. Cozy's deep intake of breath and following heavy sigh pulled Sunset from her musings, and she found the girl staring at her miserably but determinedly. She knew the decision even before Cozy open her mouth, but remained quiet and let her speak. "I think-" Cozy paused, inhaled again as if trying to find some courage hidden in the oxygen that filled her lungs, and tried again. "I think...you should just punish me." And there it was. Another major leap of progress that Sunset had been trying to guide her to...without her realising it of course. She would have honored Cozy's choice had she decided to tell her that they could bypass the spanking this time, but she was proud of the fact that Cozy was trying to take responsibility for her actions and accept the consequences of them. Sunset moved from the chair to the bed, sitting down next to Cozy and adjusting herself into a comfortable position before looking at her charge. Cozy suddenly looked unsure and scared, so Sunset grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright. I promise." Cozy inhaled deeply. "It's gonna hurt though, isn't it..?" She didn't really know how this worked, never having experienced it herself. Sunset realised she was going to have to walk her through it before they even did anything. "Yes." She admitted. "That's kind of the point though. But I promise I'm not going to swat you too hard or too much. You'll be ok." It was the same reassurances Princess Celestia had once given her. "Do you want to know anything else at all before we do this? Just ask me, I won't be mad." Cozy's gaze flicked nervously up to Sunset's. "Are you...I mean do you use anything?" She'd heard tales as a filly in their world about mane brushes and what have you, and it made her decidedly more nervous. "Like, to s-spank with?" She stumbled over the word, reddening as she did so. Sunset shook her head emphatically. "No. It's just going to be my hand." This time at least. Cozy was already so emotionally fragile using anything other than her hand this time would just traumatize her, and that wasn't the goal. "Do you want me to explain what I'm going to do before I do it?" Cozy nodded, looking relieved, and Sunset gave a nod back. "So here's what I'm gonna do..." The explaination took only a minute or two, and by the end Cozy looked less terrified at the prospect of what was coming. Sunset gave her a few minutes to process it and calm herself before speaking again. "I'm not going to force you. When you feel like you're ready, just give me your hand." She held her own out, palm upwards, and waited patiently. This wasn't an easy thing by any means, and she wasn't going to cause Cozy any more added distress by rushing her into position or just simply grabbing her and yanking her into it. It took another moment before Cozy finally reached out and laid her hand in Sunset's, apprehension clear on her face. She was nervous, but she was trusting Sunset, and this wasn't lost on the older girl. She gently squeezed Cozy's hand before lightly pulling her towards her. Having had it already explained to her, Cozy didn't offer really any resistance, instead letting Sunset guide her into the completely foriegn position over her lap. Sunset made sure to adjust Cozy into as comfortable a position as was possible given the circumstances, her upper body fully supported by the bed. She grabbed a pillow and placed it in front of the younger girl. "Try holding on to this. It will help, a little anyway." Cozy hugged the pillow to her chest, burying her face in it, now feeling less scared by the position she was in and more embarrassed to be in it to start with. Sunset wrapped her left arm around the thin form sprawled across her lap, making sure to hold her securely against her body. She lifted her skirt out of the way but left the leggings Cozy had worn that day in place. If it wasn't the first time she was doing this, she would have opted to lower them, but honestly she didn't want to make it any harder than it was already for Cozy. She could make her point well enough. "Are you comfortable enough?" She asked, wanting to make sure she didn't need to adjust her any further before they got started. "I guess." was the muffled response. "Alright then." Well, time to get this done and over with. Sunset took a deep breath. "Why am I spanking you, Cozy?" She heard a groan and would have laughed if this wasn't so serious. "C'mon, Sunset...you know why. Why do I have to say it?" The girl wasn't trying to be stubborn so much as she just didn't get why she had to repeat her sins out loud when Sunset clearly already knew them. It just didn't make sense. "It's part of the process, Cozy. I need you to answer the question." She kept her voice calm and kind, but firm enough to let her know she was serious. Sighing miserably, Cozy tightened her grip on the pillow. "I was mean and cruel to my fellow students, and I used blackmail and verbal abuse to get them to do what I wanted." She hesitated. "Plus I've just generally been a horrible brat since I got to this world." "Good answer." Sunset said approvingly. With that out of the way, the moment had come to let Cozy pay for her mistakes so she could both let go of her guilt and also hopefully avoid further episodes of misbehavior...at least for a long time. Sunset didn't waste any more time, she raised her hand and brought it down again firmly on the seat of Cozy's leggings. Smack As expected, Cozy's body tensed at the first swat and she let out a startled squeak. Sunset didn't allow much time for her to process it before she continued. Smack Smack "Ow!" Cozy squealed, tensing even further. Sunset strongly suspected it was more just a panicked reaction than actual pain. For now anyway. Smack Smack "Oww.." was the groaned response. Sunset upped the strength just a fraction but kept the same measured pace, not taking it too fast or too slow. Smack Smack Smack Cozy yelped at these swats and squirmed slightly. While not the worst pain in the world, it was already starting to get somewhat uncomfortable. Sunset figured this, and tightened her hold before unleashing a quicker volley of swats at random all over her backside. Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack "Owww!" Cozy squirmed, tears stinging her eyes for whatever time it was today. "I changed my mind! We don't have to do this after all!" Sunset's didn't answer. Cozy didn't realize it of course, but her words just simply proved this was going to be as effective as Sunset thought it would be. She calmly kept peppering the younger girl's rear end with strong swats, ignoring the squirms and accompanying yelps. Smack Smack Smack Smack "Oww! Ok ok...I've learned my lesson, Sunset, you can stop now!" Cozy was squirming harder, her backside now burning. She was trying to move out of the way of Sunset's hand but was not having much luck as Sunset continued the spanking, seemingly unfazed. "I said you can stop now!" "That's not how it works." Sunset said quietly, knowing she was currently regretting her choice to accept the punishment. "But you said I had the choice." Cozy accused, sounding somewhat hurt on top of sounding guilty and ashamed. "And you did." Sunset delivered two more swats, prompting a now distinctly pained yelp. "You chose to accept the spanking. But you don't get the choice of when its over." Cozy was struggling to hold back tears as Sunset's hand kept up its steady rise and fall on her poor backside, but Celestia darn it, it hurt! As two more swats landed she broke down and started crying...much to Sunset's relief, since it meant she wouldn't have to keep this up much longer. All she needed now was for Cozy to stop fighting completely. "I need you to think about why you're in this position." She instructed, trying to push her focus off of fighting it and back onto why she was getting it in the first place. Cozy apparently listened because in a matter of seconds she was crying more freely. Sunset adjusted her grip, also moving her a little bit further over her lap to her left, then took aim at her more tender sit spots, where she knew Cozy would feel it every time she sat down for a little while. These next swats were going to be harder than all the previous ones. SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK "Owww!" Cozy wailed, before simply going limp and sobbing out broken apologies as every remaining bit of tension left her body and she surrendered to the punishment. Sunset wound the spanking down and finished it with only half a dozen further swats, not having the heart to give more than that and knowing she didn't really need to anyway. The hand that had previously been meteing out punishment was now gently rubbing Cozy's heaving back as Sunset sought to offer comfort and reassurance. After a moment, Cozy pushed up off her lap and stood by the bed, looking the very picture of pitiful as she had tears and snot on her face. Sunset opened her arms and Cozy willingly fell into them, curling into the warm hug and sobbing out her remaining shreds of guilt and shame. "I'm sorry." She cried in perfectly genuine repentance. "Shhh." Sunset snuggled her closer, gently rubbing her back. "All is forgiven." "Really..?" Cozy sounded skeptical as she tried to steady her ragged breathing. "Really. You owned up to your mistakes, you accepted the consequences, and now we have a clean slate. No more need to beat yourself up over it." Cozy laid her head on Sunset's shoulder, not willing to move out of the warmth and security of her embrace just yet. "That sucked." She grumbled, though her tone held no ill will or malice. This time, Sunset did laugh. "Well yeah, but that's kind of the point. Did it suck enough that we don't have to do it again for a really long time?" Cozy nodded against her vigorously. "Never again. I'm gonna be good forever!" Sunset snickered. "Somehow I doubt that. But as long as you keep the mischief down to a non-spankable level, I won't complain too much. Be glad I went easy on you." Cozy leaned back and stared at her incredulously. "Easy?!? That was easy?! You've got to be joking. That felt like a fire from Tartarus got lit on my behind! If that's easy, I don't want to know what worse is." Sunset merely grinned. "Well since we got that out of the way, how about we make some dinner and then you can get some rest? You've had quite a day." "I thought I was supposed to write notes?" "You can start tomorrow. I imagine right now you're hungry." Cozy's stomach growled in response, prompting a giggle from Sunset. Cozy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, dinner sounds good. But...can we just stay here for a few more minutes?" Sunset hugged her more tightly. "We can stay as long as you need." Cozy nestled into her, feeling lighter and happier than she had in...well, pretty much her entire life. EpilogueCozy finished writing and dropped her pen on the table with a relieved sigh, rubbing her right hand with her left. "I never want to write so much again." She said determinedly. Sunset looked up from the other end of the table where she was doing homework. "I thought you finished all of your notes yesterday." Cozy gave a somewhat embarrassed glance at the note in front of her. "Yeah, for the students. But I had one more I wanted to write. To Principal Celestia. I figured she deserved a note too, what with all the things I did to cause trouble in her school." Sunset smiled. "I'm proud of you, Cozy. You're doing great." Cozy beamed at the praise. It had been almost four weeks since her heart to heart with Sunset, and she had done her best to prove she could be as well behaved as any normal kid could be. She'd written all of her apology notes and delivered them in person, not even fussing about the fact she hadn't been able to use her phone the entire time. She had started paying attention in her classes and her grades were improving dramatically. Sunset hadn't had a single summons to see Principal Celestia in the entire past three weeks that Cozy had been back in school. The students at school had been extremely wary of Cozy at first after she returned from her week long suspension, but were gradually coming to see that she was genuinely trying to be good and was no longer trying to torment them. Sunset's friends of course accepted her almost immediately after they had all personally been given thier apology notes along with a sincere verbal apology. Principal Celestia was somewhat suprised when Cozy handed over the note the next day that she'd written to her, apologising for all the trouble she had caused, but was quick to assure her that all was forgiven and that her efforts to behave herself hadn't gone unnoticed. She was just as relieved as Sunset that Cozy's antics had finally been gotten under control. Cozy had made several new friends as well who were willing to give her a chance, the first ones being the mischief making trio who called themselves the Crusaders. Sunset braced herself for the inevitable reports of mild troublemaking knowing that the girls would undoubtedly get Cozy involved in their antics. As she walked down the halls of the school, she smiled. She had shared the tales of all that had happened with Twilight, leaving out nothing. Twilight had been as relieved and thrilled as Sunset was at Cozy's amazing progress, and said that it had been a good choice to send her to the human world after all. She would have probably never been given the chance to reform in their world, as there hadn't been a single pony or creature willing to take the risk of overseeing her. At least with Sunset she had a good chance, and perhaps one day there would be the oppurtunity for her to return to the world she originally came from and make amends. But for now at least she was doing fantastic, and Twilight said that there was no better result she could have asked for. Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by the familiar ding of the intercom followed by a somewhat irritated, "Sunset Shimmer, would you please report to the principal's office?" Sunset groaned. There went the growing streak of no calls to the office. "Cozy, what in Celestia's name did you do now??"
TroublemakerSunset Shimmer made the trek down the hall of Canterlot High for what seemed the hundreth time in just a few weeks. It probably was. Honestly it was probably more than a hundred. She could already hear Principal Celestia's sigh combined with the soft splat of an ever thickening file on her desk. She was already dealing with so much stress, she didn't even know if she wanted to know the reason why she was being summoned this time...other than the obvious. She rounded the corner and spotted the obvious main cause seated outside Principal Celestia's office on the wooden bench, leaning back against the wall with arms crossed and a smug expression. "Cozy, what did you do this time?" Cozy Glow waved a hand dismissively. "It's not nearly as big a deal as everyone is making it." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Just stay there until I'm done." Cozy shrugged and Sunset stepped on past, knocking on the door before pushing it open and entering the office. She closed the door behind her and walked to the chair in front of the Principal's big desk, sitting down in it. Principal Celestia sighed and, as predicted, dropped a thick file on the desk in front of her, in Sunset's direction. "Before I open this," Sunset said with a sigh of her own, "was anyone injured, maimed, or killed?" Principal Celestia couldn't resist a slight grin before shaking her head soberly. "No physical injuries. However I can't say the same about mental and emotional ones." Sunset opened the file and glanced over the newest addition to Cozy's impressive list of crimes. Her eyes narrowed with each line she read until finally she looked up at Principal Celestia. "This is like Anon-a-miss times two." Principal Celestia rested her elbows on the desk, placing her fingertips together and gazing at Sunset with a grave expression. "Sunset, I know up until now that Cozy's misdeeds have been aggravating and annoying at worst. But this? This is another level of wrong we cannot tolerate. Bullying others in school and online is unacceptable, and very harmful to the victims, as you well know from the Anon-a-miss incident. She has utterly humiliated and verbally abused nearly every student in this school in some form or other and threatened actual harm should anyone come forward." "Well, at least now I fully realize why everyone in my world hated her." Sunset massaged her head, feeling a headache coming on. "I've tried being patient, I've tried being kind, I've scolded gently, I've asked super nicely...clearly my niceness isn't working." "I trust you understand that technically this should be reported to the school board and to the authorities." Principal Celestia leaned back in her chair. "However, given the set of...unusual circumstances, I am leaving this to you. But for the record, she is suspended from school for one week. And since I know you will stay at the apartment with her, I'll have your friends bring both of your assignments to you." Sunset stood up and handed the file back. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, Principal Celestia, you have my word." The determined look in her eyes and her straight stance said she was not joking. Principal Celestia nodded and stood as well, accepting the file back. "I believe you. I'll see both of you back in school in a week." Sunset strode out of the office and shut the door behind her. Cozy looked up from her phone and squinted slightly at her. "So what did she have to say this ti- HEY!!" The last as Sunset grabbed the phone from her hand and pocketed it. "Give that back!!" "No." Sunset glared at her. "Pick up your backpack and let's go home." "But school isn't even over!" "It is for you, for the next week. You're suspended." Cozy's eyes turned a darker shade of red. "Well who cares about school anyway! I just come because you make me! You and stupid Princess Twilight." Sunset gritted her teeth. "Backpack. And lets go." Cozy yanked her backpack up from the floor and huffed angrily, stomping ahead of Sunset down the hall. "You are making this way too big of a deal. I mean really, I thought it was impressive, getting everyone to like me and do what I want." "They don't like you, Cozy, they are terrified of you!" "I prefer...they know to greatly respect me." Sunset fought back an angry growl. Outside the school, she handed Cozy's motorcycle helmet to her and put on her own before straddling the seat and kicking the bike to life. Cozy settled behind her and said nothing on the entire trip to the apartment building. She didn't even speak while they went up to the apartment. Sunset shut the door behind them. "Go to your room and stay there." Cozy blinked in dismay. "Wha- you can't just order me to my room! I'm not-" "GO TO YOUR ROOM!!" The anger in Sunset's voice combined with the death glare she threw at her sent Cozy scrambling for her room. As soon as the door shut behind the younger teen, Sunset sighed heavily and walked to her own room. Leaving the door open so she could hear if Cozy dared step foot outside of the bedroom next door, she sat on her bed and pulled out the journal she kept in her nightstand. Flipping it open to an empty page, she picked up her pen and began to write. Hey Twilight. Are you busy? Almost instantly the reply came back. Sunset! How's it going? Um...where do I start...? Oh merciful Celestia. What in Tartarus did she do? Sunset hesitated, and then filled Twilight in on the last several antics from Cozy...particularly the most recent one. It took several minutes before an answer came back. Well. I can honestly say she hasn't changed a bit since her banishment from here. Sunset could almost hear the sarcasm and exasperation in the statement. I had no clue what I was getting into when I agreed to be her, well, gaurdian of sorts. I mean, I knew she was pretty bad, but not this bad. Princess Celestia might very well have been right. She might be...unredeemable. Well I mean, I don't know. Look how bad I was. And the girls here got through to me. Yes but you weren't exactly trying to turn an entire school into your own personal evil army like she did here either. ...thats...exactly what I was doing. Oh. Right. Well anyway, you've had her there for what, almost three months already? If she hasn't even shown a small amount of improvement, then maybe it is just a waste of time. I don't want her causing as much damage there as she did here, I'll just come over and bring her back to Equestria. No, wait. Don't do that. I feel like she can become good, she just...needs to be shown there's a better way. Just like I was shown. Uh, Sunset? Underneath all your evil behavior you actually had a good heart. I believe she does too. I just need to get to it. Well, good luck. If you need me, I'm always here. And Sunset? I'm glad you decided to stick it out awhile longer. Sunset blinked and her jaw dropped slightly in astonishment, realisation dawning. Twilight, did you literally just reverse psychology me?!? Talk to you later, Sunset! Sunset rolled her eyes with a huff of fond aggravation. Of course Twilight would pull that trick on her. She put the pen and journal away and stared at the wall for awhile, deep in thought. She didn't know how in the world she was going to get through to Cozy. She just knew she needed to do something to make sure the girl didn't keep causing so much trouble. She genuinely didn't want to send her back to their world. Twilight had felt that Cozy was worth more than whatever punishment they would have given her there. Sunset tended to agree. She just didn't know how to handle the girl. She had to do something though, Cozy's behavior had gotten way too out of hand. Why, if Sunset was still that young and living under Princess Celestia's care in their world, the Princess would have- Sunset blinked, a plan suddenly forming in her head. It might just work. She hoped it did, because she refused to believe Cozy couldn't be reformed. She just needed a firmer hand and some guidance in the right direction. And while that would not be an easy or fun task, Sunset was determined to carry it out. With that thought in mind, she rose from the bed and marched briskly to the next room. She knocked once, then opened the door and stepped inside. "Cozy. We need to have a talk."
Real TalkCozy sat on her bed, arms crossed, glaring at her closed door as if somehow the glare would pass through the wood and find Sunset and make her see just how she felt right now. To say she was unhappy at this entire situation was a massive understatement. She was actually rather infuriated at how her life had ended up. "You can't blame a filly for trying to get somewhere in life." She muttered under her breath, lapsing back into the speech patterns of the world she had been so unapologetically cast out of. "I could have ruled Equestria and done it better than anypony, but oh no, the Princesses just had to ruin everything!" She flopped back onto the bed with a growl. Her latest scheme should have worked. Using threats and torments and bribery to gain an impressive following that would do whatever she wanted was honestly a stroke of genius. Granted, her schemes hadn't ended so well in the other world, but only because stupid Princess Twilight and her friends had to completely ruin that for her. And here she had stupid Principal Celestia, who was just as bad as her pony counterpart, and stupid Sunset. Cozy pulled a pillow over her face and released a single scream of mixed emotions into it. As the tension left her body, she pushed the pillow off and sighed heavily. Since being banished to this human world she had been trying to fit in and survive and to do that yes, she had resorted to some...less than acceptable antics and behaviors. But something had been off since she had been sent here, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well. So what if her evil plans failed? There was always a new one. There was a knock on her door, and before she could say anything Sunset strode in with a stern, "Cozy, we need to talk." "Don't you know how to wait for permission to come in?" Cozy sat up on the bed, scowling. Sunset arched an eyebrow. "My apartment." "My room." "In my apartment." "That shouldn't matter! You said this was my space!" "Cozy-" "You. Said. It." Sunset sighed. "Alright, ok, you're right. I did say it. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to say I could come into your space." Cozy blinked, unacustomed to apologies. For a moment she said nothing, then she folded her arms. "Whatever. What do you want?" "Like I said, we need to talk." Sunset took a seat on a chair by the bed. "If you're gonna yell at me again, forget it." Cozy spoke sourly and boldly, but she tensed as she said it...something that did not go unnoticed by Sunset, who frowned slightly. "I'm not going to yell, Cozy. I just want to talk." Cozy looked away and shrugged silently. Sighing, Sunset leaned back in the chair. "Why don't you tell me what it is that makes you think it was a good idea to bully and humiliate all those kids?" Cozy shrugged again. "Its not like they'll remember it forever. Besides, it toughens them up. And anyway, now I have friends." "No, you don't. Now you have fellow students who will do whatever you say because they're terrified that you will hurt them or expose thier secrets if they don't. And you might think that makes you happy and satisfied and powerful, Cozy, but it doesn't. Deep down you know it doesn't. It doesn't give you the kind of power you want, trust me." "What do you know about power?" Cozy glared at her defiantly. "I know that people want power for different reasons. But it generally boils down to one thing: they want to be accepted, cared for, even loved. They want to have friends. Or they want to feel powerful because at some point someone in thier life broke them and made them feel powerless, and they want to prove they aren't. But they go about it all wrong." Cozy squirmed, trying to maintain an air of indifference and defiance even as her heart sped up and her breathing quickened at Sunset's words. Emotions were starting to swirl around that she had refused to acknowledge for a long time, and she didn't like it. "Well you're wrong!" She snapped. "Power is more than that." "What is it to you then? Why do you want to destroy others so much?" "Why do you care? Princess Twilight just made you take charge of me when they banished me to this world. You don't really care. You're just like all the rest. You put up with me because you want to show off for Princess Twilight and for everypon-everyone here!" "You're wrong." Sunset said quietly. "I do care. Twilight didn't make me take charge of you here. She thought you were worth more than the fate they had for you there. She asked if I would help give you a chance at reforming. As someone who was once extremely misguided and lost and alone and unhappy just like you, I took it because I believed I could help make a difference. I do care, Cozy." Cozy was trying to come up with a rebuttal...some form of rebellious argument that she was not the things Sunset said. That she knew good and well who she was and what she wanted and that she was perfectly happy with it. But the words died on her lips because her voice wouldn't cooperate. Her throat felt tight and her eyes were burning, and then suddenly a veil of liquid clouded her vision as a hitched gasp of air ripped itself from her chest. A pitiful sound reached her ears...a ragged and soft wail of rage and pain, and she was horrified to realize it came from herself. Sunset blinked as Cozy suddenly broke down and started crying tears of anger, frustration and pain. She wasn't sure exactly what to do so she stayed in her chair. It wasn't a good choice. Cozy flung herself off the bed and onto Sunset, fists flailing. Luckily, Sunset had fast reflexes and managed to grab her wrists and stop the blows. "Its not true!" Cozy yelled amid strangled cries. "You don't care! No one does! They never cared!" "I'm sure your parents-" Cozy laughed...a dry, choked laugh, forced out past her tears of rage. "My parents never cared. I was only ever a pawn in thier little games. Bring me out and show me off and use me for my brilliance, but behind closed doors I was never anything more than trash. I was only good enough to bring them money because I had smarts better than anypony in all of Equestria. I wanted to just be a filly and play with my friends, but no. I had to use my brain and help my parents with their gambling because I was genius enough to count cards. No one ever cared. They just wanted me because i was good for showing off and getting them almost anything they wanted." Sunset wasn't expecting Cozy to open up so much, but since she had she tried to keep it going. Something from the younger girl's body language earlier...the way she had tensed at the mention of Sunset yelling at her, made Sunset ask a question now with an answer already in mind that she hoped she was wrong about. "Cozy, were they...mean to you?" Cozy let out another harsh and dry laugh, pained and angry red eyes meeting Sunset's concerned teal ones. "Were they mean? What's it to you? You probably just want to know because then you can use it against me and do the same thing they did to control me." Well that answered that, and Sunset hated how right she was. "No, Cozy. No. I would never use that against you or try to control you. I'm trying to help you. I care about you, and I want to see you succeed, but not at the cost of hurting everyone around you. That's not truly succeeding. That's just being a bully, and you are so much better than that." "Shut up!" Cozy tried to free herself so she could punch at Sunset again, but the older girl's grasp on her wrists was solid and firm. She wasn't getting loose anytime soon. "You don't care! All you want to do is use me, just like my parents, just like everyone else in our Equestria did! You're showing off for Princess Twilight...'see, look what I can do! I've made Cozy good!' All for the pats on the back and the praise and whatever else it gets you. But I'm not stupid enough to fall for it now! I'm bigger and I'm better and I'm smarter! I'm not going to be a pawn anymore." "You're not a pawn, Cozy." Sunset was being as patient and kind as possible, trying to put the irate youngster more at ease. It wasn't really working. "No one is trying to use you anymore. You're safe and wanted and cared for and...you're loved." Cozy's body stilled its fighting against her grasp and went completely rigid, her eyes staring unblinking at Sunset. It was clear from the mix of emotions playing across her face she was shocked and completely unsure how to handle this information, given that it was delivered sincerely and with no obvious malice or dishonesty. Having her charge's full attention, Sunset pressed on determinedly, her tone as gentle and caring as she could make it. "You don't have to fight against anyone anymore, Cozy. I know now your behavior in our world, and your behavior here, was your way of lashing out, fighting back. Hurting others before they can hurt you. But no one is out to hurt you anymore, I promise. We want to help you. I want to help you." She stared intensely into the still unblinking and disbelieving eyes. "I. Care. About. You." Then, after a second of silence, "I love you, kiddo." It wasn't a lie. In the almost three months Cozy had been in this world, Sunset had actually come to care and love her like a little sister. Sure, her behavior and attitude had been horrible, but Sunset had overlooked it and seen deeper. Her heart had eventually told her Cozy wasn't a monster bent on destroying everything in her path just for evil's sake, but rather she was a kid lashing out for whatever the reasons might be. And now that she knew and understood the backstory of Cozy's life, she was glad she hadn't been willing to just give up...Twilight's reverse psychology had only been part of the reason she had said no to Cozy returning to their world. The other part actually cared and still believed she could do some good. Cozy for her part was completely knocked off gaurd by Sunset's kind words and gentle tone. That and the fact that, in spite of trying, she had heard absolutely zero dishonesty in the words and seen nothing but complete sincerity in her eyes. She finally blinked rapidly, eyes burning and stinging with a new rush of tears that she fought desperately to hold back. She wasn't going to cry again, it was a sign of weakness. Sensing the internal struggle, Sunset released her hold on Cozy's wrists, but before the girl could pull back or move she wrapped her arms around her still rigid body and drew her close for a loving embrace that she knew was very much long overdue. Cozy tried to fight it, squirming and attempting to pull free, but Sunset wouldn't relent. "Its ok, Cozy. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." Overwhelmed with a storm of emotions she had kept locked down for so long, the last of Cozy's resistance broke, Sunset's soft words finally cracking through all the walls she'd built up inside. With one final strangled cry, she went limp, melting into the warmth of the hug and sobbing for all she was worth while Sunset simply held her close.
LessonSunset didn't know how long they stayed the way they were, Cozy curled into her arms sobbing into her shirt as if the storm of tears would never end. But eventually it did, and the broken wails died down to pitiful sniffling and the occasional hiccup as Cozy drew short, ragged breaths trying to calm herself completely. Whatever attitudes and anger and fight that had been there earlier seemed to have bled out with her tears, because when she finally pushed up and looked into Sunset's eyes she looked far more genuinely humble and contrite than Sunset had ever seen her. "I-I'm sorry." The words were as genuine as the expression on her face. "And I-I think I messed up your shirt..." She was exhausted emotionally, which also meant she was exhausted physically, and she didn't even try to get up from her place sitting in Sunset's lap. Sunset reached up and lightly wiped away a few stray tears from Cozy's face with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. This shirt isn't anything special, it can handle some snot and tears." Cozy, for the first time in her life, actually let out a genuine giggle before inhaling raggedly. "I guess I'm still in alot of trouble, huh?" She didn't look thrilled, but Sunset was pleased to see that she at least looked receptive to whatever she might say next. And there was alot left to say unfortunately. Sunset took a deep breath and gave a nod. "Yes. Yes you are. While I can understand what made you behave the way you did, it doesn't make it right. No matter the reason, you hurt alot of people, Cozy, and that's not ok." Cozy sighed and forced herself off of Sunset's lap and sat on her bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. For a moment neither of them said anything at all, and then Cozy looked up. "It...wasn't right." She said slowly, willing herself to say what she knew needed to be said. "I don't-I shouldn't hurt others just because I was hurt. I threatened and blackmailed and I was just really horrible. And I wish I hadn't done it now." Sunset could not have been happier or prouder. They had made a massive breakthrough today that she would definitely be telling Twilight about later. She could tell Cozy meant every word, and that she was truly regretful of her actions. She knew this was all new and probably very terrifying in a way to the younger girl, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable and finally honest about her behavior. "What exactly is going to happen to me now?" Cozy asked nervously, biting her lower lip. "Am I...is Princess Twilight going to come take me back? I wouldn't blame her. Or you if you let her. I...haven't been the best behaved." "No." Sunset answered with certainty. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." She offered a brief smile before turning solemn again. "But from here on out we are going to have some ground rules. But before we get into that, to answer your question on what's going to happen, you are suspended from school for a week as I told you before we left the school. I'll be staying home with you. Principal Celestia will see to it that our assignments are delivered here to us." Cozy hung her head. "Well that's...that's fair." "As for the rest of your punishment..." Cozy looked up, slightly alarmed, "...you're grounded from your phone until you have written out an apology note to every single kid at school that you harrassed and bullied and threatened. It might take you a week, or two, or a month, because its alot of kids. But every one of them will get a personal note from you before you get your phone back." Cozy didn't even look like she wanted to argue. She simply looked back down and barely nodded with a weary sigh. After all she'd dealt with today emotionally, she truly didn't have any fight left. Sunset stared at her for a moment, debating whether or not she wanted to go through with the original plan she'd had when she first entered this room however many hours ago. Honestly being suspended from school and grounded from her phone and having to write personal apologies to almost every student at school...it was alot. But at the same time, she felt like maybe the other plan was something she needed to do, and Cozy needed to go through. After a moment of silent debate, she decided to hold off for a few minutes until after she laid down some ground rules. Cozy's reaction would determine if the course of action was needed. "And now for the rules." She said, not missing the way Cozy grimaced slightly...although it was likely more because she was afraid there would be a major list of rules, and not just because there would be rules in general. "First rule. When you're off suspension and go back to school, I expect you to behave yourself. No more daily calls over the intercom for me to go see Principal Celestia because you got yourself into some kind of mischief. I know you can do better than that, Cozy. I believe in you." Cozy acknowledged the rule with a tired nod, and Sunset felt more confident to launch into the other rules. "Second rule. I never want to see or hear of you picking on someone in school or online again. If I do, you will automatically lose your phone privilages for a month and on top of that.." she took a breath, here's where it would get tricky, "...I won't hesitate to give you a spanking." Cozy's head snapped up and she stared at Sunset with obvious dismay and even some anxiety. "A sp-you...you w-wouldn't!" It wasn't as much a defiant statement as it was a nervous question. Sunset met it with perfect honesty. "I would. I don't want to, but I would. Just like I would spank you if you ever try to lie to me about something you did, or if you deliberately go against something I tell you to do or not do. Those are also rules. I might ground you for something you do, but if you lie to me about that something, you're definitely not only grounded but you're getting spanked too." Cozy blushed and ducked her head. "This sucks." She muttered, quoting one of Sunset's favorite phrases. She knew full well what a spanking was, though had been fortunate enough never to have been on the recieving end of one. Sunset bit back a laugh. "As long as you follow the rules, we won't have to have that particular discussion." Something registered in Cozy's brain, causing her to focus a nervous side glance on Sunset. She fought the urge to ask the burning question in her mind for a long minute before she finally couldn't take it anymore. "Um...so about the second rule...are you-are you going to sp-do that today..?" "Do you think I should? It technically wasn't an actual official rule yet." Sunset decided this decision now needed to be in Cozy's hands. Personally she would have eventually moved the conversation in that direction and carried out her original plan, but if Cozy decided that it wasn't warranted because it hadn't been an actual rule yet, then she would be spared that task for today. "I don't know." Cozy mumbled. "Does it help?" "Help what?" "Does it help with not feeling so terrible? I don't know, I've never really felt quite like this before." Sunset met the anguished gaze steadily. She knew why Cozy felt terrible, but understood that Cozy might not fully grasp it since these emotions were all relatively new to her. "What you're experiencing right now is guilt." she explained quietly. "You know deep down what you did was wrong, and it makes you feel bad to have hurt people. Its your concience's way of telling you that you made a mistake, that you did something you shouldn't have done." "Well I don't like it." Cozy complained with a heavy sigh. "It kind of hurts." She stared at Sunset almost pleadingly. "Would it help if you..." She trailed off, kind of wanting to know but at the same time not wanting to know. Going off her past experiences, Sunset answered the question without even hesitating. "Yes. A spanking would definitely help that. But I'm not going to force you. This time at least the choice is entirely yours to make. If there is a next time though, you don't get the choice." She watched in silence while Cozy internally wrestled with herself. She was only too well aware of the difficulty of making this decision. She herself had been given the choice only once...the first time Princess Celestia had caught her in some mischief not long after becoming her personal student. Ground rules had been laid out, and the Princess's go to punishment was attatched to a few of them. Sunset could remember sitting there after being told that since the rules hadn't officially been in place yet, she could choose whether or not she should be spanked this time. Just like Cozy, she had wrestled with the choice for quite a while, knowing all she had to do was just say no and Princess Celestia would have accepted it and the subject would not have been brought up again. However, in the end, the desire to stop feeling the guilt that came with misbehaving prevailed, and Sunset had told the Princess that she should probably just punish her. Oh, she'd regretted it once she found herself over Princess Celestia's lap actually facing said punishment, but afterwards she had been relieved she made the choice, and felt it was the right one. Cozy's deep intake of breath and following heavy sigh pulled Sunset from her musings, and she found the girl staring at her miserably but determinedly. She knew the decision even before Cozy open her mouth, but remained quiet and let her speak. "I think-" Cozy paused, inhaled again as if trying to find some courage hidden in the oxygen that filled her lungs, and tried again. "I think...you should just punish me." And there it was. Another major leap of progress that Sunset had been trying to guide her to...without her realising it of course. She would have honored Cozy's choice had she decided to tell her that they could bypass the spanking this time, but she was proud of the fact that Cozy was trying to take responsibility for her actions and accept the consequences of them. Sunset moved from the chair to the bed, sitting down next to Cozy and adjusting herself into a comfortable position before looking at her charge. Cozy suddenly looked unsure and scared, so Sunset grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright. I promise." Cozy inhaled deeply. "It's gonna hurt though, isn't it..?" She didn't really know how this worked, never having experienced it herself. Sunset realised she was going to have to walk her through it before they even did anything. "Yes." She admitted. "That's kind of the point though. But I promise I'm not going to swat you too hard or too much. You'll be ok." It was the same reassurances Princess Celestia had once given her. "Do you want to know anything else at all before we do this? Just ask me, I won't be mad." Cozy's gaze flicked nervously up to Sunset's. "Are you...I mean do you use anything?" She'd heard tales as a filly in their world about mane brushes and what have you, and it made her decidedly more nervous. "Like, to s-spank with?" She stumbled over the word, reddening as she did so. Sunset shook her head emphatically. "No. It's just going to be my hand." This time at least. Cozy was already so emotionally fragile using anything other than her hand this time would just traumatize her, and that wasn't the goal. "Do you want me to explain what I'm going to do before I do it?" Cozy nodded, looking relieved, and Sunset gave a nod back. "So here's what I'm gonna do..." The explaination took only a minute or two, and by the end Cozy looked less terrified at the prospect of what was coming. Sunset gave her a few minutes to process it and calm herself before speaking again. "I'm not going to force you. When you feel like you're ready, just give me your hand." She held her own out, palm upwards, and waited patiently. This wasn't an easy thing by any means, and she wasn't going to cause Cozy any more added distress by rushing her into position or just simply grabbing her and yanking her into it. It took another moment before Cozy finally reached out and laid her hand in Sunset's, apprehension clear on her face. She was nervous, but she was trusting Sunset, and this wasn't lost on the older girl. She gently squeezed Cozy's hand before lightly pulling her towards her. Having had it already explained to her, Cozy didn't offer really any resistance, instead letting Sunset guide her into the completely foriegn position over her lap. Sunset made sure to adjust Cozy into as comfortable a position as was possible given the circumstances, her upper body fully supported by the bed. She grabbed a pillow and placed it in front of the younger girl. "Try holding on to this. It will help, a little anyway." Cozy hugged the pillow to her chest, burying her face in it, now feeling less scared by the position she was in and more embarrassed to be in it to start with. Sunset wrapped her left arm around the thin form sprawled across her lap, making sure to hold her securely against her body. She lifted her skirt out of the way but left the leggings Cozy had worn that day in place. If it wasn't the first time she was doing this, she would have opted to lower them, but honestly she didn't want to make it any harder than it was already for Cozy. She could make her point well enough. "Are you comfortable enough?" She asked, wanting to make sure she didn't need to adjust her any further before they got started. "I guess." was the muffled response. "Alright then." Well, time to get this done and over with. Sunset took a deep breath. "Why am I spanking you, Cozy?" She heard a groan and would have laughed if this wasn't so serious. "C'mon, Sunset...you know why. Why do I have to say it?" The girl wasn't trying to be stubborn so much as she just didn't get why she had to repeat her sins out loud when Sunset clearly already knew them. It just didn't make sense. "It's part of the process, Cozy. I need you to answer the question." She kept her voice calm and kind, but firm enough to let her know she was serious. Sighing miserably, Cozy tightened her grip on the pillow. "I was mean and cruel to my fellow students, and I used blackmail and verbal abuse to get them to do what I wanted." She hesitated. "Plus I've just generally been a horrible brat since I got to this world." "Good answer." Sunset said approvingly. With that out of the way, the moment had come to let Cozy pay for her mistakes so she could both let go of her guilt and also hopefully avoid further episodes of misbehavior...at least for a long time. Sunset didn't waste any more time, she raised her hand and brought it down again firmly on the seat of Cozy's leggings. Smack As expected, Cozy's body tensed at the first swat and she let out a startled squeak. Sunset didn't allow much time for her to process it before she continued. Smack Smack "Ow!" Cozy squealed, tensing even further. Sunset strongly suspected it was more just a panicked reaction than actual pain. For now anyway. Smack Smack "Oww.." was the groaned response. Sunset upped the strength just a fraction but kept the same measured pace, not taking it too fast or too slow. Smack Smack Smack Cozy yelped at these swats and squirmed slightly. While not the worst pain in the world, it was already starting to get somewhat uncomfortable. Sunset figured this, and tightened her hold before unleashing a quicker volley of swats at random all over her backside. Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack "Owww!" Cozy squirmed, tears stinging her eyes for whatever time it was today. "I changed my mind! We don't have to do this after all!" Sunset's didn't answer. Cozy didn't realize it of course, but her words just simply proved this was going to be as effective as Sunset thought it would be. She calmly kept peppering the younger girl's rear end with strong swats, ignoring the squirms and accompanying yelps. Smack Smack Smack Smack "Oww! Ok ok...I've learned my lesson, Sunset, you can stop now!" Cozy was squirming harder, her backside now burning. She was trying to move out of the way of Sunset's hand but was not having much luck as Sunset continued the spanking, seemingly unfazed. "I said you can stop now!" "That's not how it works." Sunset said quietly, knowing she was currently regretting her choice to accept the punishment. "But you said I had the choice." Cozy accused, sounding somewhat hurt on top of sounding guilty and ashamed. "And you did." Sunset delivered two more swats, prompting a now distinctly pained yelp. "You chose to accept the spanking. But you don't get the choice of when its over." Cozy was struggling to hold back tears as Sunset's hand kept up its steady rise and fall on her poor backside, but Celestia darn it, it hurt! As two more swats landed she broke down and started crying...much to Sunset's relief, since it meant she wouldn't have to keep this up much longer. All she needed now was for Cozy to stop fighting completely. "I need you to think about why you're in this position." She instructed, trying to push her focus off of fighting it and back onto why she was getting it in the first place. Cozy apparently listened because in a matter of seconds she was crying more freely. Sunset adjusted her grip, also moving her a little bit further over her lap to her left, then took aim at her more tender sit spots, where she knew Cozy would feel it every time she sat down for a little while. These next swats were going to be harder than all the previous ones. SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK "Owww!" Cozy wailed, before simply going limp and sobbing out broken apologies as every remaining bit of tension left her body and she surrendered to the punishment. Sunset wound the spanking down and finished it with only half a dozen further swats, not having the heart to give more than that and knowing she didn't really need to anyway. The hand that had previously been meteing out punishment was now gently rubbing Cozy's heaving back as Sunset sought to offer comfort and reassurance. After a moment, Cozy pushed up off her lap and stood by the bed, looking the very picture of pitiful as she had tears and snot on her face. Sunset opened her arms and Cozy willingly fell into them, curling into the warm hug and sobbing out her remaining shreds of guilt and shame. "I'm sorry." She cried in perfectly genuine repentance. "Shhh." Sunset snuggled her closer, gently rubbing her back. "All is forgiven." "Really..?" Cozy sounded skeptical as she tried to steady her ragged breathing. "Really. You owned up to your mistakes, you accepted the consequences, and now we have a clean slate. No more need to beat yourself up over it." Cozy laid her head on Sunset's shoulder, not willing to move out of the warmth and security of her embrace just yet. "That sucked." She grumbled, though her tone held no ill will or malice. This time, Sunset did laugh. "Well yeah, but that's kind of the point. Did it suck enough that we don't have to do it again for a really long time?" Cozy nodded against her vigorously. "Never again. I'm gonna be good forever!" Sunset snickered. "Somehow I doubt that. But as long as you keep the mischief down to a non-spankable level, I won't complain too much. Be glad I went easy on you." Cozy leaned back and stared at her incredulously. "Easy?!? That was easy?! You've got to be joking. That felt like a fire from Tartarus got lit on my behind! If that's easy, I don't want to know what worse is." Sunset merely grinned. "Well since we got that out of the way, how about we make some dinner and then you can get some rest? You've had quite a day." "I thought I was supposed to write notes?" "You can start tomorrow. I imagine right now you're hungry." Cozy's stomach growled in response, prompting a giggle from Sunset. Cozy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, dinner sounds good. But...can we just stay here for a few more minutes?" Sunset hugged her more tightly. "We can stay as long as you need." Cozy nestled into her, feeling lighter and happier than she had in...well, pretty much her entire life.
EpilogueCozy finished writing and dropped her pen on the table with a relieved sigh, rubbing her right hand with her left. "I never want to write so much again." She said determinedly. Sunset looked up from the other end of the table where she was doing homework. "I thought you finished all of your notes yesterday." Cozy gave a somewhat embarrassed glance at the note in front of her. "Yeah, for the students. But I had one more I wanted to write. To Principal Celestia. I figured she deserved a note too, what with all the things I did to cause trouble in her school." Sunset smiled. "I'm proud of you, Cozy. You're doing great." Cozy beamed at the praise. It had been almost four weeks since her heart to heart with Sunset, and she had done her best to prove she could be as well behaved as any normal kid could be. She'd written all of her apology notes and delivered them in person, not even fussing about the fact she hadn't been able to use her phone the entire time. She had started paying attention in her classes and her grades were improving dramatically. Sunset hadn't had a single summons to see Principal Celestia in the entire past three weeks that Cozy had been back in school. The students at school had been extremely wary of Cozy at first after she returned from her week long suspension, but were gradually coming to see that she was genuinely trying to be good and was no longer trying to torment them. Sunset's friends of course accepted her almost immediately after they had all personally been given thier apology notes along with a sincere verbal apology. Principal Celestia was somewhat suprised when Cozy handed over the note the next day that she'd written to her, apologising for all the trouble she had caused, but was quick to assure her that all was forgiven and that her efforts to behave herself hadn't gone unnoticed. She was just as relieved as Sunset that Cozy's antics had finally been gotten under control. Cozy had made several new friends as well who were willing to give her a chance, the first ones being the mischief making trio who called themselves the Crusaders. Sunset braced herself for the inevitable reports of mild troublemaking knowing that the girls would undoubtedly get Cozy involved in their antics. As she walked down the halls of the school, she smiled. She had shared the tales of all that had happened with Twilight, leaving out nothing. Twilight had been as relieved and thrilled as Sunset was at Cozy's amazing progress, and said that it had been a good choice to send her to the human world after all. She would have probably never been given the chance to reform in their world, as there hadn't been a single pony or creature willing to take the risk of overseeing her. At least with Sunset she had a good chance, and perhaps one day there would be the oppurtunity for her to return to the world she originally came from and make amends. But for now at least she was doing fantastic, and Twilight said that there was no better result she could have asked for. Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by the familiar ding of the intercom followed by a somewhat irritated, "Sunset Shimmer, would you please report to the principal's office?" Sunset groaned. There went the growing streak of no calls to the office. "Cozy, what in Celestia's name did you do now??"
