Twilight walked around the market, humming to herself. Her battery of tests complete, she'd had to part from both of them; Luna had had to leave to maintain the pretence that she was still touring Equestria, and she'd left Trixie in the cottage whilst she went out and bought some supplies for her. Ponyville still remembered Trixie's last visit, and Twilight didn't want to have her walking around the town drawing attention to her return just yet.

The first test had been trivial. The word 'awakened' didn't trigger the charm, and she was embarrassed not to have thought to test that before. The next had been far more interesting; first by speaking a word aloud, and then only by an effort of will, Trixie had been able to make herself unable to see Luna whenever she wished. Once, Twilight was almost certain, she'd spotted Luna sticking her tongue out at the oblivious pony.

The memory command had had mixed success. Trixie could deliberately make herself forget what Twilight had hidden under a cup, then after a full minute, it would come back to her. Letting Trixie see a clock had helped; without one, the memory returned somewhere between forty seconds and a hundred. However, when Twilight awakened her part-way through and commanded her to forget something else, that memory wasn't restored after the minute ended. It seemed the most recent command won, despite tricky wordings to delay instructions.

The instructions Twilight had written to protect herself now nestled in her head. She could almost feel them, trying to probe the mental command to hide or reveal Celestia like probing a sore tooth with her tongue. She'd have to go over them again with Trixie later, see if she could refine them and make them simpler, more flexible. Of course, it was all paranoia, really. The odds of Celestia coming down to Ponyville to play with her again weren't very high, not so soon after the classroom, and the dusting.

"...saw Celestia, he's sure."

"Here, in Ponyville? There hasn't been any announcement, or royal carriage. He's got to be wrong."

Twilight's expression went wooden. There was absolutely no way.

"Maybe you should ask the Mayor about it?"

The Mayor would have nothing to say but reassurances that Celestia wasn't in town, but if she was seen without her usual pomp and splendour, then she was probably trying to visit - yes, visit her loyal student, Twilight Sparkle, without a fuss, and she should be left alone. Twilight was suddenly, absolutely, certain.

Charming the mayor was the obvious thing to do. Anything strange that happened publicly would prompt somepony to go to the mayor, and she'd report directly to Celestia once she'd soothed their concerns. There might even be a unicorn in town whose task it was to charm people on Celestia's behalf if they noticed anything they weren't allowed to. Haystacks.

If Celestia was in town, and hiding, she was probably going to want to play with Twilight again. She could be at the tree house, or she could have sent a pony out to find her. Her eyes flicked around nervously. Who was about to give her a request?

"Oh, darling, there you are. I've been looking for you all morning."

Twilight turned towards the familiar voice, a frozen half-smile on her face. "Hello, Rarity. How are you?"

Rarity was stood in the shade of a fabric-selling tent, laden bags weighing down her arms. She'd forsworn a dress today, wearing slim, figure-hugging trousers and a white top that had tinges of corset to it. She was beautiful. Twilight couldn't help a dozen visions flashing by, of Rarity naked, or Rarity in her slave-maid's costume, of the softness of her large breasts and the way she'd cried out as she was fucked. All of that, hidden from Rarity, all of that forgotten.

Twilight became aware that she was staring, her lips parted and her heart beating faster, and wrestled control of herself. She absolutely couldn't act strange, not now, not if Celestia had taken Rarity as her pawn.

Lowering her bags to the ground, Rarity embraced Twilight and held her tightly. Unable to think straight, all Twilight could do was hug her back gently, unable to avoid her tingling awareness of Rarity's body pressing against her own.

"I'm so sorry, dear Twilight. Spike told me all about it. Why, I had only just heard that the two of you had begun dating, and now this. You do know you can come to me and talk at any time, don't you?"

"...yes. Yes, of course. Thank you, Rarity." The last thing she wanted was to talk about Zecora, actually. She couldn't tell even half the truth, and it only reminded her that Rarity herself was yet to recover her own memories.

As much as she wanted to gather all her friends right that moment and restore them all, Celestia's use of the charm made that much too risky. It was bad enough that Twilight was relying on tissue-thin precautions that could be sundered by the careless use of the right words. Making all of her friends equal risks should Celestia focus them was just too dangerous.

It didn't make their oblivious ignorance of everything they'd shared any easier to bear, though.

Rarity gave Twilight a sceptical look, then sighed. "If not myself, then one of the others. We're all here for you, Twilight, I do hope you know that."

"I do. Really, I do." Twilight produced a better attempt at a smile this time. "I'd better be going."

Rather to Twilight's surprise, Rarity let her go. If she'd really been acting at Celestia's direction, she would have made a request that Twilight couldn't refuse. So she was back to suspecting everypony. She really had to stop herself from growing paranoid; that would be as much a giveaway as anything else, and it would make it much harder to work effectively.

Buy food, take it to Trixie, work on the charm. Maybe tell Big Mac that she was making progress... though it was hard to know what to tell him. She couldn't tell him that the pony who'd enthralled Applejack was Celestia, and she couldn't really say that she'd personally been using the charm as well, either. Now that she had her memories back, it felt like involving him at all had been a mistake, but she'd needed reassurance, and he'd been the only one who could provide it.

Maybe focusing him would be best, to check if Celestia had tampered with him. Then she'd have the option of just telling him their conversation had never happened...

"Hello, Twilight. You're looking a bit peaky."

Pulled from her thoughts, Twilight sighed. At this rate, she was never going to finish shopping; she really ought to have just sent Trixie out, and ignored the risk of drawing attention to her. "Hello, Nurse Redheart. I'm fine, really. It's just been a bit of a long day."

The other mare wore white, a neat uniform that matched her immaculate white skin, with a small cap perched on top of her carefully bound pink mane. She looked as though she was either on the way to, or the way home from, her job at the infirmary. With a small frown on her face, as was customary while dealing with ponies taking poor care of their health, she scolded, "You should come to the infirmary and let me examine you. You don't seem to be well. Have you been getting enough rest?"

"I'm sorry, I'm kind of busy. Maybe another day?"

"Hmf. I thought it was an entirely reasonable request. You need to look after yourself better, Twilight."

Twilight's eyes widened. Celestia had sent someone after her! Hadn't she? It couldn't be a coincidence. Either way, she had no choice but to pretend.

"Oh, of course. I'll come for an examination."

Nurse Redheart gave her a look, then nodded. "I'm glad you're seeing sense. This way, Twilight. The market can wait until later."

Butterflies swarmed in Twilight's stomach as she followed Redheart through the crowd towards the infirmary. What was going to happen? Was this deliberate, or a coincidence? Honestly, when she finally took control of Celestia, she was going to spank her red for implanting a phrase that anypony might use in conversation, without knowing what it did to her.

The door shut behind them, cutting off the chatter of ponies outside as effectively as turning off a switch. Redheart pointed to a numbered door. "Please enter examination room two, and undress. There's a gown waiting for you. Then lie down, and I'll join you in a moment."

"Of course, I'll go undress and wait for you," Twilight responded with a smile. Drat, drat, drat. There was still a chance that this wasn't what it looked like. Stepping into the small examination room, she surveyed the wheeled bed, and the papery gown laid out on top of it. It wasn't going to cover very much. Picking it up, Twilight took a step towards the curtained changing alcove, then stopped dead and turned around.

This particular bed was fitted with clean white restraints, tucked neatly under each corner. Oh, haystacks. Twilight stared at the neat medical cuffs, frozen to the spot. Of course, she knew that they were to help ponies who were suffering from attacks of the shakes from jittering themselves right off the bed, and other such illnesses. She knew they had real medical uses, and those uses were rare, and so they were hardly ever used. It didn't have to mean anything that this bed happened to be fitted with them.

It didn't mean for certain that Nurse Redheart had been conditioned by Princess Celestia to tie her to the bed, strip off her clothes, and do wonderful things to her...

She realised, abruptly, that she was becoming turned on. That had to be the charm, doing its job, but much too early. Normal Twilight wouldn't be anticipating being touched and licked by a brainwashed nurse. She had to restrain that idea - bad word choice - she had to avoid that idea, until something actually sexy happened. If she had been oblivious to the strangeness of the situation, of what might happen, she wouldn't be feeling this way.

She wouldn't be standing frozen in the middle of the room, either.

Rushing over to the curtain, she tugged it around herself and hurriedly stripped off. Her clothes stacked in a neat pile, she looked down at her own nudity and momentarily tried to persuade herself to stop being aroused, before abandoning the idea as a wasted effort and grabbing the gown. Pulling it around herself, she winced anew - the material was dreadfully thin, and the shadows of her stiff nipples were clearly visible. It barely closed around her, too, her left side partially exposed.

Approaching footsteps echoed down the hall outside, and she leapt onto the bed. Lying back, she tried to calm her breathing and wish away the tingling in her body. Remember, there was no sign of Celestia yet. She had to hide any sign of arousal. For all she knew, Redheart was going to come in, examine her, then leave. The nurse had to suspect nothing.

The door opened.

Twilight immediately wrenched her expression into something neutrally curious, desperately trying to hide her real reaction. Start at the feet: Redheart was wearing the tallest heels Twilight had ever seen, glistening and black. Silky stockings cradled her legs as if painted on, delineated by a seam up the back of each, rising to a lacy garter belt that flashed in and out of view as she stepped forward. Her blouse was akin to her usual uniform, but cut dramatically low, and tight around the waist, forcing her breasts up into heavy curves that threatened to spill free at any moment. Her lips were crimson, her cap perched on top of her tightly bound pink mane at a slight angle. She smiled, and said briskly, "I'm here to examine your body, Twilight. Thoroughly. Are you ready?"

She was going to give herself away, and it was all because of Trixie's stupid suggestion. Cold snow. Rustling leaves. Rocks, for goodness sake, big, stupid rocks! Anything but tantalising, barely contained breasts, silky stockings and those gorgeous, kissable lips...! She'd never looked at Redheart this way before. She was good-hearted, and firm, and a little bit brusque, a kind pony really, with a slightly prickly exterior. She wasn't this, this walking wet dream! "I'm ready to be examined, nurse," she said through dry lips.

A new voice broke in. "I'm so pleased to hear you say that, Twilight." Celestia stepped in through the door after Redheart, wearing a form-fitting white dress augmented by flashes of gold.

"Oh, Princess! I - I didn't know you were here! I'm sorry that I'm not really dressed." What was the right level of lack of suspicion? Everything was normal, no matter what happened, but she was in a hospital gown, would oblivious Twilight have even remarked on that? What did Celestia expect? She was going to get caught!

"I'm not here, Twilight. You don't see me."

Celestia immediately vanished. Twilight's heart gave a jump, as she hurriedly looked back to Redheart. Okay. She had to pretend that she hadn't seen anything, that she didn't know Celestia was here. She just had to focus on Redheart, and ignore the constant, dangerous awareness that Celestia was in the room somewhere, watching her.

She was still horny, too! How was she going to cope with the roiling mixture of emotions swirling around inside her and keep a calm face on it all was beyond her.

"Make yourself comfortable, Twilight. I'm going to take good care of you." Nurse Redheart spoke in an authoritative voice, and despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but feel a twinge of anticipation flash through her.

"Yes, Nurse Redheart," she replied, and risked focusing on her desire to see Celestia clearly. At first, nothing happened, then all at once, she realised that her eyes had been focusing everywhere except on the figure of the Princess. It was like watching an assemblage of odd little surface features in a stone resolve themselves into a camouflaged animal, except that the animal was the Princess, and the Princess was kneading Redheart's breasts through her half-open shirt.

A shock of fear and heat raced through Twilight. She rigidly controlled her breathing as she gazed steadily at Redheart's face, watching in her peripheral vision as Celestia's slim hands cupped and squeezed the nurse's chest. Nurse Redheart looked ahead obliviously, restrained from going to Twilight's side, but obviously unaware of the way that she was being touched. It was so hot.

"Go to her," murmured Celestia, finally releasing Redheart.

Oblivious, the nurse crossed to Twilight's bedside. "I'd like you to stretch your arms above your head, and reach for the corners of the bed. That will make it easier to restrain you, so I can begin your examination."

"Um. Of course." Hoping her tiny hesitation hadn't been spotted, Twilight stretched out her arms and parted her legs. She was so exposed. Spirits help her, what if Celestia realised that she was wet? She could turn off the part of the charm that urged her arousal at will, but couldn't awaken it again until another request was made. How had it not occurred to her that she'd end up aroused at the wrong time?

"You take pleasure in being restrained, Twilight," murmured Celestia.

Instantly, she was aware that the words formed a command, one she could accept or reject completely. She clung to it, embracing it urgently, and in response felt a fresh tingle shiver through her prone body as Redheart wrapped the first cuff around her wrist. "Ohhh..." she murmured, no longer afraid of what the nurse might think, and happy to sell to Celestia the dangerously evident arousal in her own body as a result of the Princess's words.

Her breath hitched as she tugged gently at the cuff and felt the complete immobility of her arm, the unyielding strength of the densely woven fabric straps. Was this what Applejack felt? Did she feel this thrill of anticipation as each cuff wrapped around her, trapping her more and more completely? Redheart bound her other arm, and Twilight's hips jerked, impatient for more. Goosebumps rippled down her bare arms.

"Twilight. Stay still," Redheart scolded her lightly. "You'll only make the examination take longer if you're squirming around."

Redheart had no idea anything was wrong. Nothing was unusual about this at all. She was a fetish mockery of herself, and she was going to fuck Twilight senseless, and not a single thing about that would seem incongruous to her. Oh, Celestia, that was so painfully erotic, it just wasn't fair.

Celestia seemed to feel the same way. Twilight dared a glance at her, taking in the darker flush on her cheeks, the way the divine pony's lips were parted, and the way her chest swelled against her confining dress with every deep breath. Hurriedly, before she could be noticed, Twilight willed the Princess away, and all of a sudden, despite knowing she was there somewhere, Twilight couldn't tell where. Thrilling with vicarious fear and lust, she gasped aloud as Redheart yanked her legs straighter and further apart, binding them there. She was spread-eagled, completely exposed. It felt so good. Her breath was quick and shallow. What did Celestia want to see happen to her? What was Redheart about to do?

Redheart turned her back, then turned back around with a pair of scissors in her hand.

Twilight's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking in instinctive terror. This was normal. This was normal! She had to believe it.

Redheart set the scissors to the neck of her gown, and said firmly, "Now Twilight, don't move." With swift, efficient movements, the scissors sliced down her body, severing the flimsy gown. The cold steel brushed her body gently as the blades worked. Fear, helplessness and anticipation were all transmuting into lust, second by second, the heat growing in her body uncontrollably. She'd give anything for Redheart to just touch her! She needed to be touched, she needed to be stroked, she needed Celestia to command her to beg the nurse just so she could give voice to the desperation inside her!

The scissors severed the lower hem of the gown, leaving it lying loose over Twilight, and Redheart efficiently snipped through the sleeves lengthways, removing the last bonds holding it to her patient's body. "Lift yourself please, Twilight," she instructed, and Twilight almost whimpered with relief at being able to do something.

Arching off the bed, Twilight gasped, "Yes, Nurse Redheart." With a single firm tug, Redheart yanked the ruined gown off her body, baring her achingly stiff nipples and bare, flushed sex to the open air. A loud whimper escaped her as, without warning or ceremony, Redheart's fingers slid over Twilight's sex.

"Are you normally aroused by restraints, Twilight?" the nurse asked.

Drat! What was the appropriate answer? Hurry! "Mmhh... not, um, not normally, but I haven't been restrained on a medical bed before. Maybe it's something about being your helpless patient that making me so, so horny, Nurse Redheart." It was so hard to think! More words queued up behind her lips, trying to flow out into the open air, begging, pleading. It was all she could do to limit herself to jerkily grinding herself against Redheart's fingers before she took them away.

There was a flicker in the nurse's pale eyes, one Twilight only noticed because she'd been expecting it, and slowly, lingeringly, Redheart slid her finger between her crimson lips and worked it back and forth in a blatantly erotic display. Her free hand slid down the straining curves of her uniform blouse, lifting the lower hem and flashing glimpses of her black garter belt as she rolled her hips.

Fuck. If Redheart didn't do something soon, Twilight was going to burst into flames from frustrated arousal, which would rather give the game away.

"So - my examination?" she managed to say in an almost-normal tone of voice. Her restraint could have towed ships, chained stars.

"Yes, of course. Try not to move, Twilight. I'm concerned about you, and I want to see you feel better."

"Okay." She'd feel better if Nurse Redheart would only get on with it! What was she going to do? Was she going to touch her? Kiss her? Put a cold stethoscope on her chest?

Redheart's heels clicked on the floor as she stepped closer. Planting her hands either side of Twilight, she climbed atop Twilight's prone body in one smooth movement and sat atop her stomach. Her stockings slid against Twilight's skin, silky and smooth. "Breathe deeply, Twilight."

Twilight whimpered aloud, unable to help herself. "I will, I mean, I am!"

Redheart leaned down, smoothing her hand down Twilight's flank. Her hand swept up, and curled around Twilight's gently curved breast, squeezing with measured intent. At Twilight's strangled whine, she murmured, "Good responsiveness. Stimulating now." Her fingers caught Twilight's stiff nipple and pinched, rolling gently.

"Yes! Yes, I'm, I'm very sensitive." Twilight shuddered, instinctively yanking at her restraints. She felt so helpless, so painfully aroused. It was so cruel, the way Redheart was teasing her! It felt like she'd go crazy if Redheart stopped now, even for a moment. She couldn't decide if she'd been unforgivably mean to Rainbow and Applejack to treat them this way, or if she should do a lot more of it the moment she had control of their minds and bodies again.

Redheart let go, and straightened up.

Twilight looked up at her pleadingly, lips quivering, before she breathed, "Please! Please, don't stop the examination yet!"

"Of course not. I haven't finished. Stay calm, Twilight." Redheart gave her a small smile, then briskly and efficiently, began to unbutton her blouse. Twilight's breath froze in her chest, her fingernails digging into her palms, as the crisp, starched cloth parted. Redheart's breasts fell free, capped with nipples as red as her cutie mark, a crimson that matched her painted lips and stood out starkly against her white skin.

Slowly, achingly slowly, Redheart lowered herself over Twilight until her breasts were nearly brushing Twilight's lips. "Alright, Twilight. I'd like you to tell me how much you need to suck my nipples, on a scale of one to ten."

Twilight couldn't take her eyes off the nurse's crimson nipples. The constant awareness of Celestia's presence was still there, but almost irrelevant to her now; she cared nothing for being seen naked and desperate. "Ten. Ten! I really - I really need that, Nurse Redheart!"

Redheart straightened, nodding to herself. "I see. Thank you."

Twilight craned her head upwards, a whimper bursting from her lips. Surely, she wasn't going to just leave her! Celestia couldn't be this cruel! As if in answer to her inarticulate prayer, Redheart paused, with the slightly far away expression of a pony receiving instructions, then lowered her upper body again. To Twilight's incandescent delight, Redheart didn't hesitate this time, and buried the helpless pony's face in her cleavage.

Redheart's skin had barely touched Twilight's lips before she began licking, tasting the soft, smooth skin with an explosion of joy and desire. She could smell the subtle scent of talc on Redheart's skin, and beneath that, the taste of her unadorned body. Redheart's nipple dragged across Twilight's lips as the nurse shifted position, and Twilight immediately seized upon it, sucking and licking, flicking it back and forth, delighting in feeling it stiffen against her tongue. She knew she was moaning, loudly, and she didn't care. Nothing mattered but the feeling of Redheart's tits against her face and lips, the torturous way the other mare's hand was resting on one of Twilight's breasts. Time had no meaning, and Twilight was barely thinking at all when Redheart finally pulled back.

Too dazed to protest, Twilight merely groaned, her eyes flickering. Looking down her own body, she watched Redheart slither down the bed, and announce, "Now it's time for the next part of your examination."

"OHH!" Twilight yelped as the nurse's tongue plunged into her pussy, her shaven sex flushed with obvious arousal, and already leaking her wetness onto the cool, crisp sheets. She needed release! Her hips bounced urgently against the bed as she watched the prim, slightly stern Redheart lapping at her cunt with an expression of determined concern. It was too much, it was way too much! Why was Celestia doing this to her? Her head pressing back against the bed as her back arched, Twilight couldn't help herself. She needed to know what Celestia was doing, where she was. She willed her to be revealed.

Celestia's face was inches from her own, pink eyes gazing lustfully into hers.

"Nnnff!" she gasped, her eyes snapping wide as her heart shuddered in her chest. Wishing the Princess away with desperate vigour, she rolled her head to the side and jerked her hips again, producing another shuddering groan in the hope her shock would be written off as a spike of pleasure. "That's... sensitive..." she panted, digging her fingers into the bedsheets. Mercy's sake, even the fear was turning into arousal, the shock that had flashed through her nearly driving her to the edge.

She needed more! Heedless of the risk, she squeezed her eyes almost closed, and focused on her desire to see Celestia again. Like a sudden revelation, she beheld pale thighs marked with the golden sunburst, almost close enough to lean over and kiss, completely exposed. Between them, a slim hand was working back and forth, stroking in quick, delicate patterns.

A ripple of goosebumps raced up Twilight's body. Celestia was playing with herself. She was watching Celestia finger her bare cunt. She was watching Celestia's finger working in and out of her, hearing the low moan of the Goddess of the Sun, as she watched a brainwashed nurse lick out her most loyal student.

The orgasm broke over her before she knew it was coming, white light blinding her as she writhed in her restraints. Incoherent noises forced their way through her lips, a broken howl of unchained pleasure. Shocked completely out of her wits, Twilight lay semi-conscious, vaguely hearing Celestia's voice as she addressed Redheart.

By the time Twilight's eyes flickered fully open, the aching knowledge of Celestia's presence was gone.

"And then Redheart just unstrapped me, told me to get dressed, and let me go! I hope she's changed into her normal clothes, because she was still topless in stockings when she waved me out of the door. If she'd have stood any closer, somepony would have seen her for sure! Does Celestia just not care?"

"There, there, Mistress. The slutty and sensuously talented Trixie will make you feel better."

Twilight sighed as Trixie's hands worked over her shoulders and around the back of her neck. The showpony wasn't nearly as skilled as Aloe or Lotus Blossom, two ponies that she'd been seriously considering enslaving before Celestia had brought a halt to all her plans, but her touch was still soothing, and satisfying in other ways as well.

Her eyes focused distantly as she relaxed into Trixie's hands. She'd seen the spa ponies out in the market, as she'd gathered up Trixie's shopping, and a twinge of that temptation had struck her again. The odds of ever having either of them were much lower now, given the agreement she'd made with Luna. It would be much harder to entice the two into volunteering to be her obedient sex toys, without having let them experience just how enjoyable it could be. Of course, that was for the best, really. That had been part of why she'd gotten so out of control the first time, the sheer ease of taking over ponies, and bending them to her desires.

In some ways, letting Luna take up a role as her conscience was really helpful. She could think about the spa ponies, and whether she'd one day want to offer them a chance to sleep with her, without desperately and instinctively fighting herself to a standstill. So long as she didn't tamper with Luna's mind, she'd serve as a brake and a conscience. One Twilight sorely needed.

Before she could think of taking any more ponies under her wing, though, she had to avoid giving herself away to Celestia, while she figured out how to stop her.

"We're going to amend my rules as soon as Luna visits again. I really need to be able to stop the arousal until I'm ready for it."

Trixie's fingers worked firmly at the back of her neck. "You know, Mistress, the slutty and submissive Trixie is perfectly capable of altering your instructions without the supervision of some dream-struck mare that's spent the last thousand years going crazy on the moon."

Twilight's lips quirked, caught between outrage and amusement at Trixie's insult. "No, Trixie. You'll be under the charm's compulsion as you read the instructions, and I'll be really helpless. I won't do it without Luna to protect us both from interference until it's done."

"Pft. If you insist, Mistress." With barely a pause, Trixie carried on conversationally, "The treacherous bitch Trixie is thinking that if she was ordered to read some instructions to you, she would count as fulfilling the order if she read half of them, then left you caught in mid trance, undressed you a little, enjoyed handling you, then straightened your clothes and finished reading."

"Trixie." Twilight's tone was amusedly reproving. Really, Trixie was far too good at thinking up exceptions to orders. Without the command to reveal every sneaky thought that occurred to her, she might genuinely be dangerous. With it, she was entertaining, and quite educational.

Trixie stamped her foot. "Well, she hasn't even seen you naked yet! The slutty and submissive Trixie is compelled to be your fucktoy and plaything. She was promised that she'd have sex with you, and all your friends! You haven't even kissed her! How is she supposed to show off her magnificent body and gloriously sensual wiles?"

"That's true," Twilight responded, more thoughtfully. She had instructed Trixie to think of herself as a sex toy, and it was almost cruel not to use her that way. Cruel not to peel off her clothes, and make her see how much she'd enjoy being Twilight's personal property. She only had six months, after all, to make her love being a slave so much that she'd choose to stay one. Still, Trixie had been trying, yet again, to sneak around behind her back and defy, even betray, her wishes. She couldn't just reward that with something Trixie wanted so badly.

A smile curved Twilight's lips as an image flashed before her. Yes. That could give Trixie something to remember, afterwards, and it fit as a punishment too. "Yes. I promised I'd take you. But you have been naughty, Trixie, and do need to be properly punished. I think I'll do both at the same time. Come and stand in front of me."

"...yes, Mistress! The slutty and eager Trixie obeys!" Hurrying around Twilight's chair, Trixie struck a pose, one hand on her hip, head thrown back, as if awaiting a picture to be taken for a calendar. "She is ready! Do whatever you wish to her!"

"I intend to, Trixie. I do. Awaken."

Without time to even think of protesting, Trixie absorbed the command. Her body relaxed, arms falling to dangle loosely at her sides. "The slutty and submissive Trixie is awakened," she said blankly.

Twilight leaned back in the chair, taking in the other pony. "That's better," she murmured. Trixie's waiting silence was somehow restful. With her, like this, there could be no possibility of feeling judged, or feeling like she'd failed. She could say anything she wanted, with no consequences at all.

"You know, Trixie, it's been really hard for me," she said after a moment. "Losing Zecora... going through the decision to release Luna, even if she did choose to come back. Seeing my friends around Ponyville, knowing they don't remember a thing. The stress of recovering all my memories, and being so helpless in front of Celestia. Everything has felt so out of control. But not with you.

"You're mine," Twilight said finally.

"The slutty and submissive Trixie belongs to you," Trixie echoed.

Twilight nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Trixie. "Yes. You tried to betray me, after I forgave you for the amulet, for everything. You're the only pony in my life right now that I can do anything I want to, with no consequences at all. Oh, Trixie. With you, after everything, I can do anything I want to you and I don't feel bad. Not at all." As if discovering something, she concluded thoughtfully, "I'm going to train you to be my adoring toy."

A note of command entered her voice. "When you're awakened, and there is no one present but you and I, you will announce, 'Your obedient fucktoy is ready to be used.' Say it now."

"Your obedient fucktoy is ready to be used," Trixie droned, without emotion.

Twilight shook her head. "...no, that's not right. Say it again, but seductively."

Animation touched Trixie's face, her lips curving into a smile as she breathed, "Your obedient fucktoy is ready to be used." As her lips closed, her face relaxed back into attentive blankness.

"Yes, that's much better. Use that intonation for it in future, please."

"Trixie will speak seductively when she is awakened in your presence."

"Yes, she will." Twilight pushed herself off the chair, circling slowly around the entranced pony. On some level, she knew, this wasn't about Trixie. This was about feeling in control, asserting her desires. It had felt good, being strapped to the table with Redheart grinding atop her. She could still taste the other mare's skin. Knowing that the nurse had been completely enthralled, doing things she never would have done - even without the charm, that would have been a turn-on. She really didn't know just how much of that smouldering arousal had been her precautionary commands, and how much had just been her own lusts.

What she needed was some time feeling absolutely safe, completely at ease. "By myself, but not alone," she murmured. "Just like this." Her fingers trailed across Trixie's shoulder, brushing her white mane aside. Yes, she needed time, to stop thinking about her scheming, her fears, everything that was happening to her. If there was ever a time to abandon herself to her own lusts, to the darker desires to dominate and control, this was it. She wrapped the feeling around herself like armour, embracing it fully.

Her hands closed on Trixie's shoulders, squeezing, and her lips brushed the other pony's ear. "You are an empty-headed puppet."

"Trixie is an empty-headed puppet."

"That's exactly right." Twilight lifted her hand to the brim of Trixie's star-laden hat and flicked her fingers, knocking it off her head. Winding her arms around the motionless woman, she drew herself tightly against her. "Puppets don't need to think, do they? Not at all. Puppets are just made to give pleasure to their owners. They're meant to be played with."

"Puppet doesn't think. Puppet is meant to be played with."

Oh, that put a shiver through her that she couldn't deny. Her hands slid around Trixie's chest and cupped, squeezed through her corset-like top. Her breasts were bigger than Twilight's own, more than a little. Though that had always been obvious, it was different to actually feel their soft curves under her fingers.

Releasing her, Twilight abruptly moved back to the chair and sat down. Her eyes narrowed, and her horn began to sparkle with latent magic. "Trixie - puppet - you'll stay in whatever pose you're put in."

"Puppet will stay posed."

She'd never tried this before, never even thought to, but now that the idea had occurred to her, she simply had to see if she could. A faint violet corona outlined Trixie's hand, and her fingers curled closed. Open. Closed. The glow spread down her arm, and jerkily at first, Trixie's arm raised into the air. Twilight giggled aloud, and Trixie's body gave a slightly sloppy wave. "You're a very naughty pony, but a very good puppet," she told her.

"She was a very bad pony, and now she is a very good puppet."

"Yes, that's right. Very good, Trixie." Thinking for a moment, Twilight wrapped a band of magic around Trixie's legs to brace her, then applied pressure to her shoulders. Trixie bent down into a stiff-legged bow, then straightened again.

"Oh, this is just too much fun." The faint glow of Twilight's magic spread over Trixie's body and lifted her entirely into the air. Moving one limb at a time, she posed Trixie's arm above her head, the other hand resting at her waist, and delicately pirouetted her in midair, like a toy ballerina. The levitating pony came to a stop facing away from Twilight, then bent at the waist. Jerkily, her hands moved back to her skirt, and finger by finger, took hold of it, then slowly lifted her skirt to show off her lacy black panties.

"Cute," Twilight murmured. The effort in lifting and moving Trixie wasn't trivial, but with practice, it could come easier, she was sure. Manipulating another pony's body was like getting to know how to delicately manipulate a quill. Her chest ached with emotions that were both foreign, and deeply familiar; desire, power, lust for control, all spiced with just a little tingle of guilt. She felt giddy with it. These were the moments that were the hardest to resist, when she truly felt on the cusp of losing control of herself.

"Okay, puppet. Shall we see if we can undo some buttons?" Twilight asked rhetorically. Trixie rotated in the air, straightening up, and Twilight carefully loosened Trixie's grip on her skirt. Focusing on Trixie's right hand, she guided it up to the side of her top, and tried to close her fingers around the barely visible buttons there. Trixie's fingers closed on empty air, several times, before Twilight gave up the effort. "I just can't see what I'm doing well enough," she murmured, shaking her head, and manipulating the buttons with her magic directly.

The buttons down the side of Trixie's top popped loose, one by one, before the corset came loose. Her hand encased in a guiding violet glow, Trixie gripped it and pulled it free with a jerky yank. Beneath, she wore underwear that looked expensive, black lace clinging tightly to the gentle blue slopes of her breasts. Twilight found herself humming with approval, her gaze lingering on the shadows of Trixie's nipples.

"Trixie puppet. Every time I make you do something, I want you to say what you just did aloud."

"Puppet will speak aloud everything puppet does."

Twilight concentrated, and Trixie's arm drew back, then abruptly she smacked her breast firmly. Trixie yelped without conscious intervention, then said calmly, "Mistress made puppet spank her own breast."

Twilight giggled again. "Trixie, say 'ow'."

"Ow," Trixie repeated tranquilly.

It took more concentration to move Trixie's fingers than it did to swing her arm, but it was worth it. Trixie's hand tightened and relaxed in rhythmic pulses. "Mistress is making puppet play with her breast through her bra," Trixie announced with brainwashed calm.

"Mmm. Be more descriptive, Trixie puppet, use sexier words."

"Mistress is forcing puppet to fondle her tits."

Twilight's eyes half shut as she groaned her enthusiastic agreement. Without the patience to try picking at Trixie's bra strap with clumsy puppet fingers, she simply willed it to come undone and slide down Trixie's arms. The catch undid itself, and the black bra fell away to reveal Trixie's bare breasts, half covered by one hand.

Under the magical compulsion of Twilight's telekinesis, Trixie's hands seized her breasts and kneaded with clumsy firmness. "Puppet, mmmh, is being made to play with her tits," Trixie groaned, the heat spreading through her body sounding in her voice despite her obliviousness. The levitating pony drifted closer and closer to Twilight, who reached out with a single hand. Trixie came to rest with Twilight's hand pressing through her skirt against her sex beneath.

"You're my mindless puppet, Trixie. You're aroused. You're really turned on."

Instantly, a flush spread through Trixie's floating body, across her cheeks and down her neck to colour the upper slopes of her breasts a gentle purple. Her nipples jutted out stiffly, peeking between her fingers, and there was a distinct sound of pleasure and need in her voice as she obediently echoed, "Mistress has made puppet horny and wet."

Twilight bit her lower lip as a spike of heat flashed through her. The absolute control over Trixie's body and mind was enthralling, intoxicating. Every act of control turned her on more, and each fresh spike of arousal corroded her moral restraint a little further. Trixie rotated slowly in the air, her hands frozen in the act of crushing her bared breasts together, then bent slowly from the waist to push her ass out towards Twilight.

Twilight's hands slid up the backs of Trixie's thighs and under her skirt, cupping her ass gently. "Your skin is lovely, puppet. It's so smooth and soft under my fingers. It's a shame it's spoiled by all this underwear and clothing in the way. That's okay though, don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

Her fingers slid up to unfasten the skirt and tug it loose, letting it slide down Trixie's legs to hit the floor. Twilight hummed approvingly as she leaned forward and kissed the gentle curve of Trixie's ass where the black edge of her scantily cut panties met her blue skin. "You do have such lovely underwear. Did you always wear things like this?"

Though the question was rhetorical, Trixie answered huskily, "The slutty and submissive Trixie likes wearing sexy underwear."

"I like it very much. Still, it has to go away now, okay?" Focusing, Twilight took renewed control of Trixie's body. Stiffly, Trixie released her breasts and reached back to slide her fingers into her panties, then pushed down. Twilight watched raptly as they slid down her thighs, hardly hearing Trixie pant, "Puppet is being made to show her Mistress her bare ass."

"That's right, puppet. That's right," she murmured. Trixie's body straightened with a shimmer of violet magic, turning and descending to stand at delicately poised attention before Twilight. Stiffly, her hands rose once more, one hand gripping a soft breast, the other settling between her legs. One by one, Trixie's fingers began caressing her sex, dipping between her lips. "Hnn... hgh... Mistress is making puppet... play with her tender pussy."

Oh, sweet stars above, yes. She wanted to touch Trixie, but the strain of controlling her fingers directly was getting too distracting from her sheer lust. "Trixie - puppet - when I make you perform an action a couple of times, keep doing it until I make you stop."

"Y-yes, puppet will keep doing whatever she's forced to do. Puppet is fingering her pussy."

Twilight released Trixie's hand from her magic as the other pony began to move under her own volition. A moment's concentration set Trixie's other hand gently spanking her breast over her taut nipple, listening to Trixie's throaty description of her degradation.

She couldn't hold back, not for another minute. Mingling her hands and magic, she frantically tugged off her own clothes, shedding them without care left and right. Her top flew to the side, followed by her unfastened bra, then she yanked down her tightly cut pants, taking her underwear with them. The cool air struck her wet sex, tingling on her bare skin. Breathing deeply, completely nude, Twilight stood up in front of Trixie's mindlessly masturbating body and met her eyes. "I know you can't think right now, Trixie. I know you're an enthralled fuckdoll. You're a beautiful, sexual doll for me to play with. But I know you're going to remember this afterwards, because I'm going to let you. So look at my body, Trixie. Take in everything, because this is the very first time you get to see your Mistress naked."

"Puppet will look at your body, Mistress," Trixie replied, little catches in her voice each time her hand gently smacked against her breast.

Twilight straightened her back and slid her hands up to gently lift her small breasts, framing her nipples between her parted fingers. "Look at me, Trixie. Look at my breasts. You're going to love my body. Look between my thighs. I'm wet. I'm wet because I'm controlling you. I really like making you my sex doll. This is why I chose this way to punish you. It's because I wanted to own you. Having the charm changed me. It made me see every pony, friend and enemy, as potential playthings. I forgot about this for a while, but now I remember everything. Now you're here, asking me to use you like the sex doll I made you into... it's wonderful. I feel so, so good."

Tweaking her nipple, Twilight gasped, then slid her hand slowly down her stomach to nestle between her legs. There was something about this vicarious exhibitionism, this showing off of her body to someone that couldn't possibly judge or do anything but worship her, that was too delicious to deny. Her magic caught Trixie's arm by the wrist as her puppet went to spank her breast yet again.

"That's enough of that. Now it's time for you to take your proper place before me, Trixie." Without consciously moving, Trixie's body sank to her knees before Twilight, her hand working ceaselessly at her white furred sex, and Twilight gently eased Trixie's mouth open. "Stop describing your actions, and stick out your tongue, puppet," she ordered, each word riding a ragged pant. She slowly eased forward, each step slow, moving with a thrill of deliberate sensuality.

With a shock that raced up her spine and sparked goosebumps down her arms, she felt the first contact of Trixie's wet tongue against her sex. "Oh, oh, oh yes. Oh, Trixie, puppet. I really shouldn't love this so much, but after everything that's happened between us, to have you like this... it feels so right." Twilight buried her fingers in Trixie's mane and began rocking the helpless pony's head back and forth, forcing her puppet to lap at her sex. Small whines of arousal escaped Trixie's mouth as she ceaselessly fingered herself, her body livid with sexual tension.

The pressure of Trixie's mouth was clumsy, and artless, that was undeniable. Twilight didn't care. The thrill of control, the thrill of power, the way she was degrading the pony who'd caused her so much trouble; that was far more important to her. Her hips jerked rhythmically against Trixie's face, smearing her mouth with glistening wetness, and though she'd barely touched herself, the excitement of the degrading situation had already brought her dangerously near her peak.

Twisting her jutting nipples with her free hand as she ground Trixie's mouth between her legs, she knew just what to do to push herself over the edge. Her words ragged with her panting breaths, Twilight gasped, "Cum, puppet, cum for your Mistress!"

The reaction was instant. Trixie's glazed eyes rolled up as her body shuddered, her fingers unceasingly working up and down her pussy as she gasped raggedly into Twilight's sex. Pushing Trixie's head more firmly between her legs, Twilight cried out in a long, unrestrained wail of pleasure. Her knees wobbling, Twilight fell back into the waiting chair, panting for breath.

"Oh, oh, oh..." Twilight breathed, hardly conscious of where she was, of anything beyond Trixie's mindless body at her feet. Shakily, she added softly, "That's enough, puppet. Thank you. You can stop moving now, and put your tongue away."

Trixie licked her lips unconsciously, her hand falling still between her legs. Silence descended, broken only by the breathing of the two ponies as their bodies recovered.

Finally, Twilight stirred. Leaning forward, she gently kissed the tip of Trixie's horn. In the aftermath of her arousal, it was hard to ignore the little sting of guilt she felt. All the same, Trixie was going to like what she'd done to her. She was very nearly sure, and if she didn't, then it wouldn't be hard to fix that. It was just a silly instinct that worried what the other pony might think.

"Trixie... when I end your trance, you'll wake up slowly, remembering everything that happened in the trance. Apart from the things I said to you at the beginning, you won't remember that, or me telling you not to. All the commands that I've given you while you're entranced today will be ended. It won't all go away at once; over half a minute, you'll gently come around. Okay?"

"Puppet will become the slutty and submissive Trixie slowly when her trance ends, slowly. She won't remember anything you said to her at the start of her trance."

That sounded right. Twilight looked down at herself, still nude, her sex still glistening with her own arousal, and then at Trixie's exposed body. Her gaze slid further out, taking in the constellation of discarded clothes all around them. She felt a little as though she should dress, or dress both of them, or wash them and then dress them before Trixie was released. But no. Trixie was her plaything. She had to remember that. She had to own it.

"Slumber," she said firmly, then put on a mask of calm confidence as she watched Trixie anxiously.

The white haired mare blinked slowly, shaking her head sluggishly. As the seconds ticked by, one by one, the light of intelligence gradually filtered back into her purple eyes.

Despite herself, Twilight held her breath.

Trixie looked down at herself, then at Twilight, in an unconscious mirror of her Mistress's actions. Her cheeks coloured. "W-well! The, uh, the splendid and slutty Trixie, her body is - she was a wonderful sex toy. Better than any other pony. Isn't she magnificent in her nakedness?" A hint of uncertainty touched the end of Trixie's ostensibly rhetorical question.

That single touch of vulnerability struck Twilight's heart squarely. Slipping off her chair, she knelt down on one knee and wrapped her arms around Trixie, drawing the other mare against her. "You have a wonderful body, Trixie. I really enjoyed everything. Are you okay?"

Trixie's eyes widened as she was hugged, then she tentatively wound her arms around Twilight in return. "The - yes. Trixie is fine. The slutty and submissive Trixie is a special and perfect sex toy! It is hardly a surprise that you are so pleased with her, Mistress."

Twilight reached back and captured one of Trixie's hands in her own, bringing it around and kissing the back. "I want you to know something, Trixie. I'm not cross with you, not anymore. I want to look after you. I don't want to lose anyone again, not the way I did before."

Trixie was quiet for a while, her warm cheek pressed against Twilights. "...you should feel very lucky that you have the magnificent and deliciously slutty Trixie at your side, then. With her incredible talents, no one will stand in your way!"

A smile touched Twilight's lips, as she squeezed Trixie tightly, and sat back to gaze at her. "That's right."

Slowly recovering a little more of her customary poise, Trixie tossed her mane, unable to quite hide the way her eyes couldn't look away from Twilight's exposed body. "Really, though, Mistress, you have the impossibly sexy and sensual Trixie as your personal fuck toy, and you don't take advantage of her incredible talents? Promise you'll let her properly appreciate you next time. It just wouldn't be fair if she never got to stroke and lick your body herself."

Twilight pressed her finger against Trixie's lips, stroking them. It was amazing how much easier it was to touch the other mare now that she'd broken the barrier between them. Trixie had been her slave before, but now she was her lover, too. "Of course I will, Trixie. I'm going to teach you all the ways I like being touched best. But that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"N-no, Mistress. Trixie was, she was very-"

"You have some lovely memories, don't you?"

"Yes! Yes, the slutty and submissive Trixie remembers everything, and-"

"You'll touch yourself thinking of the way I used you, won't you, Trixie?" Twilight overrode her words with gentle firmness, her fingers softly stroking the side of Trixie's neck.

Trixie looked down, her powder-blue cheeks reddening. "Really, Mistress. I can't believe you ask Trixie such questions! ...or do such things to her body. Trixie really underestimated you, she never thought that you would do anything like this." Trixie met Twilight's gaze, then winced at her own words, and added hastily, "Of course, Trixie always suspected you had hidden depths! She's lying, spank her blue ass!"

Twilight giggled, shaking her head. Her hand ran down Trixie's back and squeezed her ass, delighting in the way that Trixie's eyes widened. "What did you think, really?"

Trixie's lips pressed together. Stopping herself before she spoke, breathing quickly, she finally confessed, "Trixie thought you had the sexual lusts of a lump of rock, she thought you'd be irritatingly twee and friendly to everypony until the end of time!"

Laughing, Twilight gently smacked Trixie's ass, drawing a gasp of relief from the other pony. "Well, maybe you were right at the time. I kind of found out a lot about myself since I discovered the charm." Twilight's gaze flicked to the ground, then back up to meet Trixie's eyes. "I'm going to do all I can to make sure you're safe and happy. I've been thinking a lot about how to make sure all of my ponies are safe, and happy, no matter what. I'm going to put some new commands into you, too, so that if anything happens to me, you won't be bound to me afterwards. I don't want you to end up trapped like Zecora was."

"Rubbish! You are being utterly ridiculous." Trixie's face clouded, and she pulled away abruptly from their embrace. She stared at Twilight a moment longer, then stood up and walked over to face a window, her back to her Mistress.

Twilight looked up at her in shock, momentarily lost for words. Uncertain, and confused, she tentatively wound her arms around herself to hide her bare breasts.

Trixie spoke without turning around. "You triumphed over the slutty and submissive Trixie, three times over. Of course nothing is going to happen to you. If you can beat her, then no one else can come close. Besides! Trixie will find a way eventually to pay you back for all her defeats, and you certainly can't go anywhere until she has properly punished you for all her embarrassments!"

She'd actually upset her, Twilight realised. Maybe it was the charm, making it impossible for Trixie to conceive of Twilight not being there, and maybe it was just Trixie. Either way, the other pony was upset, and it was her fault. She stood up, crossing the floor to where Trixie stood, and wrapped her arms around Trixie's waist. Her small breasts pressed softly against her back.

The other pony stiffened slightly, then relaxed, though she didn't say anything. Twilight lifted a hand and swept Trixie's white mane to one side, then kissed the side of her neck. "Sorry, Trixie," she said gently. "You're right. I'll be just fine."

"That's what Trixie said, isn't it? It's about time you recognised that she is never, ever wrong." Immediately, Trixie bit her lip, and for a moment made muffled noises through her tightly closed lips before she sighed in exasperation. "Trixie has exaggerated too often and has to be punished again!"

Twilight gently swatted Trixie's ass, without breaking away from her. "Will you help me, Trixie? I need to figure out how to do this. Not just the charm, but how to protect myself from it, and all the ponies I care about. It really isn't going to be easy. I don't think Celestia will punish you if she manages to stop me again, but she won't give me another chance at this."

"Hmf! Even if Trixie wasn't magically enslaved, do you think she could turn down such a challenge? She is perfect and magnificent, and this will prove to every pony that she is a magician to be reckoned with! No one will ever dare mock her again."

Twilight slowly let go of Trixie, and turned her around with a hand on her shoulder. "Then let's get back to the charm. I promise, if we succeed, you'll have your room in Canterlot."

Trixie inhaled deeply, then nodded, her lips set in a determined line. "Yes, Mistress. Lets."

Four days passed. Four days of concentrated effort, of working at the charm without stopping for anything but food and sleep. Twilight had spent most of them at the tree house, not daring to spend too much time away for fear of triggering some hidden command buried in Spike. She didn't want to give him any reason to report her acting oddly. Only once or twice a day did she dare go and speak to Trixie, to swap notes and see how her own research into the charm - hampered by her lack of Twilight's reference library - had progressed.

Twilight had had to endure a visit from each of her closest friends commiserating about Zecora, too. Each of them had been curious about the brief relationship, some hiding it better than others. Rainbow Dash had asked a few faux-casual, incidental questions about when she'd noticed she was into mares, but for all that, she didn't think Rainbow was going to try hitting on her. The very concept was almost certainly blocked from her mind as thoroughly as it had been from Twilight's.

After all, as Celestia had firmly told her, they were only friends.

Twilight understood why Celestia had given the command, of course. Every single time she saw one of her friends, her body responded with a surge of warmth and desire that was hard to forget. Even while she'd consciously had no access to her memories of what had happened, that association of pleasure and satisfaction had remained. That was what had driven Applejack to fall in love with her the first time, even without knowing that she was already Twilight's sex toy. Celestia couldn't permit that, not when Twilight belonged to her and her alone.

Freed of the burden of Celestia's control, the ache to take control of her friends once more felt like a taut string, vibrating in her chest. Each time she saw them, fresh memories poured into her mind. She needed them. All of them, to be hers again. Burying herself in the charm was as much a means of escaping that forbidden longing as it was a means to an end. Perhaps she shouldn't have told Trixie of the way it upset her, but she had.

Her slave, the only one she could truly talk to about everything whilst Luna was away being prominent on the far side of Equestria, had blustered that the slutty and submissive Trixie would make up for any other inferior ponies, and what did Twilight need with anypony but her anyway? All the same, Trixie had been working hard, and after that, she worked harder still.

Now, as the cool air of a late autumn afternoon ruffled her mane, she did her best not to hurry too obviously as she made for Trixie's rented cottage. She'd warned Spike that she might not be back for a few hours, and to eat dinner without her if she hadn't come back from her long walk. That ought to give her some breathing room to spend sharing her recent discoveries and conclusions with Trixie.

It really was nice, she had to admit. It reminded her a little of when she lived in Canterlot, and had teachers to talk to about her research, but this was different. Trixie was massively egotistical, convinced every single time Twilight came to see her that she'd penetrated the secret of the charm. Each time, Twilight would have to coax her into finding her mistakes, but though Trixie sulked, she didn't stop trying. It was like having a student of her own, a gifted, able, utterly impossible student.

Walking out into the trees, it was the work of a moment to circle back around to the rear of Trixie's cottage. Letting herself in through the gate, she unfastened the back door with her key, and stepped inside. "Trixie! Trixie, are you there?"

The sound of movement came from the living room. Twilight slowed, and stepped cautiously through the doorway.

Trixie looked up from the table, her white mane bedraggled, her clothes dishevelled. Dark marks stood out plainly under her eyes. "Hello, Mistress. The slutty, and stupendous Trixie... has made another incredible breakthrough."

"Trixie! Look at you, have you slept? Have you been eating properly? I haven't seen anypony look this tired since Applejack tried to do the entire harvest all by herself!" Forgetting her moment of caution, Twilight rushed to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Trixie was busy! Busy penetrating the ancient secrets-" She broke off to yawn, then shook her head in irritation at the interruption. "She has made another discovery! Celestia's puny and careless spellcraft is no match for her penetrating insight!"

"Trixie, you need to sleep," said Twilight firmly. "You look as though you're going to pass out where you sit."

"Nonsense! Trixie needs no food or sleep! She is a genius!" She yawned again, rubbing her red-ringed eyes.

"You need to sleep, Trixie. I won't let you make yourself unwell trying to do this." Twilight leant closer, hugging Trixie tightly. "Have you written down everything you've found?"

Trixie resisted a moment longer, then let her head sag against Twilight's shoulder, mumbling, "Of course the slutty and submissive Trixie has written everything down, do you take her for some kind of amateur like Celestia..."

"Go to bed, Trixie." Twilight opened her mouth to say that she really meant it, and so give Trixie no choice in the matter, but found herself reluctant to. Instead, she added gently, "Please. I worry."

"Humph! Trixie isn't going to leave just when her Mistress has arrived!"

Twilight's eyes flitted to the sofa. "How about there? You could sleep on the sofa, and I'll be with you. The longer you protest, the longer it will be before I can see what you've found."

"...oh, fine. She'll take a nap. A short nap! Then she'll wake up so you can praise her genius." Trixie allowed Twilight to guide her over to the sofa and lay down, then watched as Twilight brought her a soft blanket from the small bedroom to wrap around her.

Within moments, Trixie was gently snoring. Twilight gazed at her fondly, shaking her head. At moments like this, it reminded her how determined Trixie really was. Even if that passion had usually been misguided - catastrophically - she still had some truly admirable traits.

Taking the chair at the table, Twilight sat down and began to read.

Ten minutes later, Twilight suspected Trixie was onto something real, this time.

An hour later, she was sure of it. It was a dense section of the spell, folded in on itself like a paper flower, but Trixie had recognised some pieces of it that the show pony was very familiar with; pointless padding, designed to look like it did something, but did not. Trixie had used much the same sequences to make her own spells look more impressive than they really were. Take those away, and what existed in the gaps looked like a signature.

Three hours after that, Trixie stirred, and opened her eyes. Acres of notes, diagrams, scribbles and speculation entirely overwhelmed the table before Twilight and spread across the floor, lapping at the foot of the sofa. Trixie groaned, pushing the blanket back, and sat up slowly.

"Trixie!" Twilight looked up, bright-eyed. "You were right! This is Celestia's magical signature, I'm sure of it. It's hers and Luna's, combined. It kind of focuses the magic, and creates a hole in it at the same time. Celestia's magical field would collapse any attempt to use this version of the spell upon her, it can't even see her. The spell has to have a blind spot, or it won't work, you can't just take the signature out, but not all versions have to have the same signature. It can be changed."

Trixie blinked as the rush of Twilight's enthusiasm washed past her, rubbing her eyes with one hand. Shaking her head to clear it, she declared, "Trixie was right! Now all you have to do is make a mingled signature of Celestia's magic and your own, and the charm will be ready for use upon her. No more hiding, and a palace of Trixie's very own."

Tugging one sheet of parchment out from under a couple of others, Twilight shook her head. "This isn't enough. It's only part of her signature, not the parts I need to make it focus on her."

"It enslaved the slutty and submissive Trixie, and it wasn't made for her. Use somepony else's magic signature."

"...I don't think so. I know it works on most ponies, but I don't think Celestia would have made it this focused on Luna if it didn't have to be. It's powerful enough to overwhelm ordinary ponies with raw potency, but an alicorn would need something stronger, more attuned to their nature. I really wouldn't want to face her if I didn't know it would work. All I need is something that has soaked up her magical aura, something that I can use to create the new charm."

Trixie struggled to her feet, pushing her mane back from her face. "Then Trixie will get whatever you need! Right now!"

Twilight shook her head with a smile, rising from the table and picking her way through the mass of parchment to Trixie's side. "It's okay. I'm going to make you something to eat, and then you're going to sleep. You'll need to be well rested for tomorrow." Twilight's gaze shifted towards the north. "You and I are going to break into Canterlot Castle. We're going to steal from Celestia."

Author's Notes:

Twixie is as lovely to watch in action as it is awful a portmanteau.

-Proofed by the splendid Setokaiva