A shock of cold flashed through Rarity, despite the warm sunlight. Shame, loss and confusion welled up in her, trapping her where she stood as she fought to overcome the rush of conflicting emotions.

Zecora knew.

Struggling to keep her inner turmoil under control, she finally replied, "You'd better come inside." Stepping backwards into her boutique, she allowed Zecora to move past her, then closed the door. After an instant's hesitation, she flipped the closed sign over, and drew down a blind. Lingering there, her back to her visitor, Rarity composed her features into a pleasant, slightly reserved expression.

She hadn't expected Zecora. Any of the five, certainly, and she was even a little surprised that none of them had yet tried to speak to her, but she hadn't even considered the zebra. Though perhaps she should, as Zecora was the only other to refuse the gentle tyranny of one of her dearest friends.

She turned, hands clasped lightly before her. "Would you care for some tea, Zecora?" Proper manners had to be observed, after all.

Zecora shook her head, her mane flicking back and forth briskly. "While I appreciate your offered tea, I would prefer, instead, that you speak with me."

Perhaps manners were to be skipped, then. "Of course." Rarity sank into a chair, arranging her hands neatly in her lap. "I understand you turned down Twilight, when she made clear the magic she had used upon you."

The zebra nodded slowly. "It is true. As did you. If your memories are not too raw, will you tell me what it is you saw?" Her voice was soft, intense. Rarity gazed into the other mare's eyes and saw... yearning. Loneliness. Intense, desperate feelings that poured forth, too potent to conceal.

Feelings Rarity could well understand.

If anypony knew what it was that Rarity was feeling, it was probably Zecora. A lump rose in her throat, and for a moment, she found it hard to speak. The past day had been a long exercise in bottling up her tangled emotions as tightly as she could. It was surprisingly difficult to pull the stopper now.

"...very well," she eventually said with a trace of hoarseness. "For you, Zecora. I know we haven't been the most intimate of confidantes, but I am sorry. For the way that Twilight has hurt you."

Zecora turned away, moving restlessly up and down the room. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Rarity's. "I am not the only one wounded by Twilight's spell. You have been hurt as well. Speak to me, of what you suffered at her hand. I truly need to understand."

As if Rarity understood. As if she understood her own feelings, or what she wanted. As if Rarity understood anything about what had become of her. Lips pressing together, she gazed down into her lap. It was easier not to gaze at the other mare, as if she was speaking only to herself.

"I walked in on Twilight and Applejack. They were... saying things to each other, about Applejack being under Twilight's spell. Both naked. They were... together. I would never have imagined that Applejack might want that. She didn't desire mares at all, or so I thought. I didn't understand, and I was shocked. I tried to make them stop. Twilight used... that spell." Every word had to be pushed out past the lump in her throat.

"She took control of your mind. You were redesigned."

"Partly. I don't believe that..." Rarity swallowed. "I don't believe she knew what she did to me. She sought to make her relationship with Applejack seem unremarkable to me, I think. She was so clumsy. I became a pony convinced that Twilight had the right to own anyone she desired. Felt slighted that she hadn't taken me as well."

Her chest rose and fell with her quickening breaths, rising outrage in her voice. "In my confused state, I asked to belong to her, as Applejack did. She had made me think it was the only natural thing to do, after all. Whilst she knew that I was not thinking clearly, she did not protest. She... I became her plaything. She humiliated me, made a mockery of me. Used me as, as furniture, made me insult myself. As well as more... intimate things. I haven't stopped thinking of it, not for an instant since she made me remember it all."

"She reminded you of what you were, and you rejected her. She revealed to me she was to blame, and so I did the same."

Breathing deeply, her hands twisted together, Rarity nodded. "She mentioned to me, while I was under her spell, that she had taken you as well. I wasn't permitted to consider protesting; whoever she wanted, she deserved. I'm so sorry."

"I appreciate your words, though no apology is deserved." Zecora came to a stop behind the chair facing Rarity, resting her elbows on top of the back. Her lips twisted as she hesitated, before she added abruptly, "In my dreams one night, I was taken by Twilight. There was no chance to fight. New memories told me I wished to be enslaved, more than anything I had ever craved. She had me plead for what she made me need. Without a word to explain, she left to challenge Celestia's throne, and for long, desperate months, left me all alone."

"You remembered, all this time? Oh, you poor dear... I cannot imagine how you must have felt." Rarity reached out towards Zecora, a pang of deep sympathy aching in her chest. "Did she make you face your slave self, in a dream? That's how she returned my memory."

"I did not see myself as my memory returned. I simply burned, as I learned how I had been turned." Zecora's fingers dug into the back of the chair. "Yet even then, I do not know what I would have done, if I'd stayed. I ran away."

Rarity nodded slowly. Her tongue flickered over dry lips. "I had to talk to myself. She was very upset when she saw how angry I was, and realised I was going to refuse what she was asking me to embrace. She cried." Her voice choked to a stop, then resumed more slowly, "It was a very strange experience, to make a double of myself cry. It upset me. I slapped her. Twilight."

"I saw. Since I left, I have been watching her, more and more. The longing is hard to ignore."

Hand creeping up to rest on her own chest, Rarity whispered, "Yes. You feel it, too. I loved her, Zecora. I don't believe I've ever loved another pony like that. I felt such joy at being near her. I felt so safe. Even when we were apart, I felt happier than I've ever been. I miss her. So much I can barely stand it."

Zecora's eyes squeezed shut. "Months of loving, longing, needing that perfect sense of belonging. I am not hers, but I cannot forget the feeling of obeying her words. I am changed. I will never be the same."

"Yes. I can't forget what she did, what I did. It makes me feel... yearning. She is so terribly foolish. She hasn't freed me, or either of us."

Rarity rose from her chair, and took Zecora's hand in hers. The zebra gazed into her eyes, fingers intertwining, and Rarity saw a look of hopeless, betrayed love there that mirrored the look in her own.

The white mare took a deep breath, her chest rising.

"It isn't fair, that we are so abandoned,
it isn't fair that we are left alone...
There were no wrongs that we committed,
now I'm a stranger in my own home,
Nothing feels real, nothing feels right,
There's a feeling I can't fight,
A desire I can't ignore...
I'm still wanting more."

Zecora squeezed Rarity's hands, her accented words matching the tune.

"This isn't fair, I was so happy,
She made me love, and took it away,
At every turn, she hurts me,
Owes debts she cannot repay,
I want her! I need her, I want to demand,
That she makes me yield to her command,
After all she has done to my heart,
Anger and desire grow hard to tell apart."

Rarity shook her head, her lips pressing together.

"She's not fair, to make me choose like this,
after she forced me to be her toy.
Do I choose to be free and unhappy,
or enslaved, and yet filled with joy?"

Zecora lowered her head, a husky note in her voice.

"Like a loss, like grief, like losing someone dear,
crying out my heartache, tasting salt in every tear.
Cast away, left astray, like fruit withering on the vine,
unshackled, yet unloved, and feeling the fault is mine."

Rarity's hand smoothed over Zecora's cheek.

"It's not your fault, it's all her fault..."

Zecora covered Rarity's hand with hers.

"It's not our fault."

Wrapping their arms around each other, facing each other, Rarity and Zecora sang in perfect unison.

"After love, after betrayal, after enforcing bliss,
She can't leave us like this."

Rarity's head came to rest against Zecora's shoulder. Silence fell.

Birds cheeped contently in the tree boughs above, a gentle susurration of moving leaves filling the air. Twilight and Rainbow sat together beneath a tree, camouflaged from sight by low bushes.

It was all so simple. Far simpler than Twilight had any right to desire. She'd expected Rainbow to raise some protest at her words, have to be convinced of the necessity of her plan to capture the Wonderbolts. Twilight had been prepared to argue her case - these were Rainbow's idols that she was asking her to betray, after all.

Rainbow hadn't cared. At all.

It was only natural, of course. Rainbow hadn't properly gone through the commands she was accepting, hadn't cared enough to pay attention. Any pony that Twilight wanted was hers for the taking, by divine right. Seeing that in action, bluntly forcing Rainbow not to care about something she really should have cared about, was almost enough to make Twilight amend her conditioning right then and there.

Almost.

Because, the thing was, it was useful. Rainbow hadn't asked any unnecessary questions; she'd just gone off to fetch Spitfire. Spitfire, in turn, had barely managed to protest, "Twilight Sparkle? What are you doing in Rainbow's house-" before a single charm had turned her into a mindless slave, kneeling at attention and ready for orders, with Rainbow kneeling beside her. Seeing the strong-willed flight captain reduced in an instant to a puppet had felt good.

The temptation to fully enslave her was a powerful thing, but that wasn't necessary. Not yet. All she had to do was tell Spitfire to bring the full Wonderbolts squad, along with Lightning Dust, to an out of the way spot at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Without even knowing why, Spitfire would hide their leaving, and fly to avoid any populated areas where they might be seen.

Just like that, Spitfire had become her pawn. And that was only the beginning. Luna might have protested at what Twilight intended, but Luna wasn't allowed to know anyway. The plan called for her to be kept ignorant of all Twilight's preparations, and if that meant her role as Twilight's conscience was impeded for a bit, that was an unavoidable side effect. It wasn't as though she was going to use them all for her own pleasure. She wasn't going to give in to temptation to strip Spitfire, to have her put her occasionally sharp tongue to better uses, while Rainbow and Lightning fucked for her personal amusement...

She'd had enough practice to recognise when her denial had become a cheap excuse to visualise all the things she shouldn't be doing. With all the willpower she could dredge up, Twilight put the incredibly alluring image aside. She had to remember that she was going to win, and then, she was going to have to explain to Luna what she'd done. Every pony that became hers had to choose it, willingly.

Though, if demonstrated how impossibly good she could make them feel, if she let them experience pure lust and pleasure beyond their wildest dreams, then took it away and asked whether they'd like it back... that wasn't cheating, exactly. That was just a, a preview.

Now the main Wonderbolts flight squad was on their way here. It was more spacious than Rainbow's small house, didn't require a spell to stop her falling through the floor, and most importantly, no pony would see the idols of Canterlot as they arrived.

"Everything is going to be just perfect," Twilight sighed aloud, breathy arousal colouring her voice.

"Mmmfh!" agreed Rainbow through her gag, her pink eyes focused adoringly on Twilight. Twilight's foot brushed slowly up and down over the kneeling pegasus's bare breasts, flicking her nipples with her toes. Rainbow's compact top was pushed up above her chest, baring her small tits, and her hands remained clasped tightly behind her. Even under orders not to move, she couldn't help herself gently rocking back and forth, in an instinctive craving for stimulation to her neglected cunt. Dampness marked her tight shorts.

The flutter of wings and the sound of voices came from above. Jerking upright, flooded with excitement, Twilight gestured with her horn. The gag undid itself and withdrew from Rainbow's lips, leaving her gasping as it settled in Twilight's hand. Tucking the gag out of sight, Twilight vanished the conspicuous dampness staining Rainbow's clothes with another wave of her horn.

"On your feet and straighten up, Rainbow! We've got guests."

Panting, her cheeks flushed crimson, Rainbow Dash wiped the saliva from her lips and shakily tugged her top down, her hard nipples standing out through the black cloth. "S-sure. Totally composed. I'm on it." Shaking her half-extended wings, Rainbow helped herself rise with a single downbeat, absently rubbing the back of her hand across her chest. "Spitfire's back already?"

Twilight listened carefully. Spitfire's distinctive voice filtered through the foliage. "...appointment to arrange the aerial display in a week's time, and we're not screwing this up just because somepony left it off the calendar!"

Nodding to herself, Twilight murmured, "Perfect." Turning to Rainbow Dash, Twilight told her softly, "Go out there and distract them for a minute. When I call, bring them in."

"Can do! Just watch me. They won't know what hit them." Despite a slight note of nervousness under the bravado, Rainbow slipped out from behind the broad tree trunk, and greeted the ponies gathered on the grass beyond. "Hey, Soarin! Why'd you bring this scrub along with you?"

"Scrub? Hey, you want to race? I'll leave you in my dust, Rainbow."

"Real creative, Lightning."

Twilight pressed herself up against the tree, and peered carefully around the edge of the trunk. The Wonderbolts had indeed arrived, in clinging, skin-tight suits of dark and brighter blue, the colours separated by sharp yellow lightning flashes. The outfits clung to lithe bodies of the fliers, outlining toned muscle with exacting precision. Spitfire and Soarin were watching Rainbow and Lightning trading pokes in the ribs, like kids that didn't want to admit how much they liked each other. Another pony with a white mane - Fleetfoot, yes - was rolling her eyes. No pony was looking towards her.

Perfect.

Twilight began moving her horn through the complex pattern of moves that shaped the new charm. One after another, each pony briefly developed a gossamer shimmer, all but invisible in the sunlight. Not one of them so much as turned their head.

The last charm sank into Fleetfoot, leaving Twilight breathing quickly. She'd never charmed so many ponies so quickly, and try as she might to justify it in terms of self defence, she couldn't fight the simmering arousal that rose in her with each second of anticipation. Reaching out with her magic, she gently tugged a curl of Rainbow's multihued mane, and caught her eye as she glanced around.

Rainbow nodded, and Twilight eased her way out from behind the tree. Moving into the open, Twilight drew herself up and crossed her arms casually across her chest, a smile playing about her lips. The anticipation was delicious. "Hello, Spitfire. Thank you for coming."

Spitfire turned, greeting her pleasantly, "Miss Sparkle." She had no memory whatsoever of meeting Twilight earlier, no idea what she was really doing. Twilight's thighs pressed together gently at the thought.

Rainbow, by contrast, was fully aware of what was going to happen. As the Wonderbolts turned towards Twilight, she gave her Mistress a sly wink, face filled with undisguised anticipation.

Twilight addressed the group as a whole, her gaze moving from pony to pony. "Welcome, all of you. It's so wonderful to have the four of you here. I'm really going to find your service incredibly useful."

Spitfire's expression shifted slightly behind her mirrored sunglasses at Twilight's odd turn of phrase. "Well, we're happy to help out the citizens of Ponyville any way we can," she replied, with only a faint hint of wariness.

Twilight smiled. In that moment, she felt she could understand Celestia. Seeing Spitfire and the others standing there, watching their confusion and faint suspicion, while knowing they had already lost... it was delicious. She could have toyed with them for hours, giving ambiguous hints as they talked about the fictional display Spitfire thought they were going to put on.

Of course, taking too much time to gloat was going to be Celestia's downfall. It was important to recognise when you were risking your own plans just to feel smug, and adjust your behaviour accordingly. "Obey your Empress," Twilight announced calmly.

"This slave obeys."

The four Wonderbolts chanted the words as one, Rainbow's voice with them, and as one, they sank to their knees. A half-circle of brainwashed ponies, waiting for her words. Craving them, aching for them to fall from her lips. She had total, absolute power over their desires, their memories and beliefs. A hot, sharp spike of pleasure shot through Twilight's body.

The sounds of the forest seemed far away; she could hear the soft, shallow breathing of the pegasus troupe. Without even trying to stop herself, Twilight breathed, "You are heavily aroused."

"I am aroused." Five variations on the words rang out, each repetition tinged with a new note of husky need. Soarin's tight flight suit betrayed his sudden lust as his cock swelled against the clinging fabric, and Twilight's gaze rested there for a moment, before sliding slowly across the breasts of her captive mares.

Rainbow's little black t-shirt betrayed her jutting nipples beautifully, but the flight suits of the Wonderbolts could have been designed for showing off their bodies. Lightning Dust's body was almost a twin of Rainbow's, small, compact breasts minimised further by the suit, her nipples standing out starkly. Fleetfoot's breasts, by comparison, were a good deal larger, approaching Applejack's. Spitfire's breasts were a little smaller than that, perhaps just a little larger than Twilight's own chest, but with prominent, juicy nipples that cried out to be pinched, or sucked.

Or pierced.

Luna wouldn't know. Couldn't know. Rainbow wouldn't remember. Nopony would remember. Except her, of course. Just looking at Spitfire made her tingle with lust; the flight instructor had turned her entire squad over to her, and something about that enforced, obedient betrayal smouldered at the very core of Twilight's desires. It would be the matter of a few words to make Spitfire appreciate what she'd done in just the same way, a couple more to wake her up and have her fuck herself senseless right there on the floor, getting off on looking at the rest of the mindless Wonderbolts, held captive at Twilight's feet.

Except, reminded a part of herself, that would be wrong. That would be impossible to defend, if Spitfire ever knew what had happened here. As much as the rest of her wanted to shout that voice down and ignore it, that flickering fragment of her remaining conscience was something that Twilight was trying really hard to listen to.

Fine. She could get a grip on herself. She could make the minimum necessary changes to the Wonderbolts for her purposes, and if later, she urgently, desperately wanted to watch Rainbow and Lightning fuck each other senseless while Spitfire ate her out, she'd just have to spend the time and effort to seduce them properly.

Thank goodness for her prepared notes. Sticking to the script was easier than trying to make up the commands on the fly, at the moment when she was most tempted to insert a few extras.

"Do not repeat any of these commands. Rainbow Dash, from this point on, these commands are not for you. Ignore any further instructions until I address you by name. The rest of you, listen closely. All loyalty that you feel to Princess Celestia, all faith you have in her judgement, is now transferred to me. When I give you orders, you will be strongly inclined to obey them. If you have a strong objection, tell me when I give the order. When you are released from this spell, you will be aware that I have cast a spell on you to alter your loyalty, and this will not trouble you at all."

Twilight paused, and pulled out the next scroll from her satchel. From there on, the same defensive commands she'd given to her own ponies would do; forget the truth in Celestia's presence, hide everything if focused. Check if any of them had been focused by Celestia before that point. Reciting the words was soothing; something else to focus on to distract her from her own thoughts.

Celestia hadn't touched them. Her desires hadn't spread that far, or she was still concentrating only on Twilight, and her own guards. Furling the scrolls, she quickly added a sheepish, "Rainbow, Wonderbolts, the command to be aroused is ended now. Relax, everypony." Giving them a moment for the enforced heat to fade from their bodies a little, Twilight breathed deeply to let her own excitement calm, before she finally pronounced, "I am satisfied."

One by one, the Wonderbolts shook their heads and blinked, finding themselves on their knees. Wonder and awe marked their faces as they took in Twilight, but no one dared to speak. Finally, Spitfire pulled herself together, putting on an expression that Twilight could label a mile away as a speaking-to-important-ponies face. "We're honoured to be under your spell, Ma'am. Now that we understand, we won't let you down. Anything you need, we'll make it happen. Just give us our orders."

"Within one week of today, I'm going to call on the four of you, and I'm going to need you to be ready to come to Canterlot at very short notice. Over the next seven days, I want you to stay near each other - call it an extended training exercise, perhaps - and hide from everypony that we had this discussion. As best you can, hide any evidence you came to see me. Spitfire, you're in charge of coming up with a cover story, hiding evidence, and making sure the other ponies stick to it."

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Spitfire saluted from her kneeling position, back straight. "The Wonderbolts will be at your beck and call, Ma'am!"

"You're going to need to practice ways of taking down ponies without hurting them. Incorporate Lightning Dust and get her working smoothly as part of the team; I've seen her fly, and I think she'll be a real asset."

Lightning sat up straighter as she was singled out, a trace of nervousness on her face, though she flashed a cocky grin at Rainbow Dash. "Glad to have my skills recognised, Ma'am!"

"Don't get too smug, cadet! You're about to work harder than you've ever worked before to get in sync with the real Wonderbolts. You'd better hope you're ready for it." Spitfire turned her gaze back to Twilight. "I'll make sure she's flight-ready, Ma'am."

"Very good. Thank you, everypony. Wonderbolts, you're dismissed. Rainbow, stay."

One by one, with short flaps of their wings, the Wonderbolts rose to their feet. Saluting Twilight, they followed Spitfire's lead and took to the air, swirling overhead in tight-knit formation before they sank down low to the treetops, and sped out of sight. Only Rainbow Dash remained, lounging against a tree. "What, no orgy? Twi, you just had the best team of fliers that ever lived ready to do anything for you, and boy, do I mean anything, and you sent them off to do training?" Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose. "I mean, come on. Not even Spitfire? Lightning Dust? I was really looking forward to seeing those two strip."

Twilight almost wanted to chastise Rainbow. Didn't she care that they were doing it against their will? The answer was, of course, no. Which was Twilight's fault. "Come here, please. Are you attracted to them, Rainbow? Has anything happened between you?"

Strolling across the grass, Rainbow wrapped an arm around Twilight's waist and squeezed her, her hand finding Twilight's ass. "Well, duh. Lightning's reckless and kind of selfish, but she can almost keep up with me. Sure, I felt like challenging her to a different race, to see who cums first." A satisfied grin spread across her face at the joke. "Spitfire, she's my hero. I'd be crazy if I didn't want into her flight suit. Never got my hands on either of them. What a waste, right?"

"I really was tempted," Twilight confessed. "I barely stopped myself. But it wouldn't have been right to make them, when they didn't choose it."

Rainbow looked at her blankly. "So? You want them, you take them. They'll enjoy it. They'll enjoy anything you want, if you tell them to. What's the problem?"

A very quiet curse slipped from Twilight's lips. Was she never going to stop messing up the ponies she loved? Of course, she knew Rainbow wouldn't care if she chose to take them, but hearing her say it that way... it was finally too much to ignore.

"I'm going to have you all to myself, Rainbow. I'm going to screw you until you beg for mercy. But first, I've got to alter your orders a little."

Rainbow snorted, her eyes lighting up. Her other hand moved to Twilight's ass as well, kneading firmly. "Sure, do whatever, so we can get on to the fun part. You'll get tired way before I do. I want to see you give me your best shot."

Fine. From now on, Rainbow had to be allowed to protest when she chose to enslave someone. But, paired with that, a command to reduce any unnecessary jealousy - she didn't want pointless envy to cause trouble, only real moral qualms. It would only take a moment. It was for the best, Twilight told herself, pushing back against her darker lusts.

She took a deep breath. "Obey your Empress."

The tree house was too dangerous to carry out the final stages of her research. Celestia might visit at any moment, and she couldn't be allowed to witness this. Thus, Trixie's rented cottage was now in the total disarray of advanced spellcraft.

Twilight sat in the centre of a circle, surrounded by intricate designs and patterns, each line and mark shimmering with lambent light. Spike scurried around the perimeter with one book after another, referencing further open texts strewn across the ground, calling for the ward to be dropped so he could scrub out symbols and apply new ones in their place. Every now and then, he'd announce something along the lines of, "Version five, attempt forty three. Give it a try, Trixie," and another gossamer shimmer of energy would effortlessly pierce the circle and sink into Twilight, to cries of frustration and exasperation from Spike and Trixie both.

Twilight barely looked up anymore. She was thinking.

Before she could take on Celestia, there was a distinct list of prerequisites that she had to fill. Celestia wasn't stupid, and this time, she wouldn't be confused and horrified. One screw up, and that was it. She'd be Celestia's slave for the rest of her life, and she'd love it too much to ever try fighting back again.

Which might not be the worst fate. Compared to the stakes she'd faced when she'd fought other powerful beings.

Twilight grimaced, dismissing the thought. Focus on the confrontation. First of all, she needed a way to charm Celestia. She had that now, even if she wasn't quite finished with her preparations for the full potential of the modified spell. Second, she was going to need the Elements of Harmony. Even if she took an imprint of Luna's magic to open the door, Celestia wouldn't leave it undefended, which in turn, third, meant she needed a counter for Celestia's vault guards. She couldn't turn up with an army of her own without provoking serious conflict well before she got as far as the throne room, so a small force of highly skilled ponies was called for. Highly mobile ponies, that could make their own way to the scene when she needed them. Therefore, the Wonderbolts. She'd taken care of that.

Now she was working on the fourth problem; a way to stop Celestia immediately recasting the original charm and awakening the ponies she'd brought with her. The first line of defence, earmuffs, were finished. Now that she understood the way the spell worked, she'd been able to tune the original sound dampening spell to convey outside sounds clearly enough to understand, but scrambled enough to fragment the essential nature of the words themselves.

Having a conversation while wearing them was like listening to someone talking while standing next to an angry bee hive. Nonetheless, it was effective in blocking the activation command whilst still letting ponies hear what was going on around them. With her forces deaf, she'd have been unable to guide them at all, and at a serious disadvantage. The new earmuffs mitigated that risk. However, that wasn't enough to satisfy her.

Here was the problem: Twilight knew full well that she herself was both the most crucial pony in the attack, and the weakest link. Unlike the other ponies, there was no new charm variant to overwrite her own keywords. That was the downside to having written her essence into the spell as the null point. If Celestia saw the earmuffs as the only thing stopping her re-awakening Twilight, she'd simply cast the charm on Twilight again - a wasted effort, but one that would only take seconds - and then seek to get the earmuffs off. That would be much too effective.

What Twilight needed was a distraction. A block to counter the casting of the charm, so Celestia would focus on trying to make the charm strike Twilight, wasting her time, while they subdued her with the Elements. Simply blocking the charm was impossible; it would take a ludicrous amount of magical strength to rebuff the spell with blunt force. However, disabling the spell was not the same as blocking it. Much like the way she was blocking the activation command, what she needed was a barrier which would strip away some fragment of the spell as it passed through it, some key component vital enough to make the rest of the spell unwind.

Her plan relied on far too many moving parts, she couldn't help but be aware of that. She desperately needed redundancy, but there was almost nowhere to put it. She was taking terrible risks left and right, and the biggest risk of all was putting Luna into motion. Position her in just the right place, let Celestia think that Luna was fully under her control, and Twilight had a chance. Unfortunately, that also meant Twilight might have lost before she even arrived in Canterlot, if Celestia saw the trap coming.

Magical energy splashed against the ring, the almost invisible bolt flaring into a tumbling rain of colours as it disintegrated.

Twilight sat up straighter. A sharp note of shock shivered down her spine as she watched the fading ruin of the charm. Spike was frozen in surprise at the edge of the ring, and Trixie looked triumphant, if utterly exhausted.

"Ha! You see? This... stupid, miserable charm... was no match for the incredible intellect... of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she panted.

Twilight slowly, carefully, rose to her feet. Testing first. Then she'd believe it. With barely a tremble in her voice, she ordered, "Trixie, again."

Nodding jerkily, Trixie breathed, "Okay, Twilight," and swung her horn through the sequence of movements again. For a second time, the ethereal, barely-there bolt splashed into a ruined spray of fading colours. It was working.

Abruptly fully awake, Twilight took in the current design of the ring with fascination, before her head snapped up to take in the others.

"Trixie, into the centre of the ring! Take over feeding the shield! Spike, start drawing, I want three copies of this ring, as fast as you can make them!" Twilight flicked her horn to the side, severing the flow of magic sustaining the barrier. The blue-white radiance died from the runes and lines, leaving them cold and black once more. Stepping over the inked lines, she took up Trixie's post outside the ring, while Trixie collapsed into Twilight's own seat. After a moment, with a weary gesture, Trixie tapped into the underlying pattern and reignited the ward. The very fact that Trixie had learned how to work with the ancient ur-magic of the rings so quickly was deeply impressive, and not lost on Twilight. She'd never had such an able pupil.

Pitching the spell relatively gently, Twilight threw a charm of her own against the ward.

It splattered, a fading smear of energy.

"Perfect! Perfect, perfect, perfect!" Twilight cried out in delight. "Don't move, Trixie!" Gathering herself, she tried a cast of her modified charm. It, too, broke down in a cascade of colour. The essential nature of the spell was too similar for the barrier to discriminate. That was okay. She had what she needed.

The part of Twilight that had been knocking politely to get her attention for some time gave up politeness, and began kicking the walls. At last, Twilight registered that Trixie looked dead on her feet. Belatedly, she hurried up to the edge of the barrier, and said quickly, "Lower it please, Trixie, it's okay." As Trixie nodded weakly, and the barrier flickered out, Twilight stepped across the marks and wrapped her arms around the other pony.

"The Great... and Powerful Trixie... did well. Didn't she?" Trixie looked up at Twilight, dark marks under her eyes.

Twilight's heart broke, a sharp pang of guilt in her chest. A lump was suddenly in her throat, as she looked, really looked, at how hard she'd driven the showpony. Squeezing Trixie tightly, she crouched by her side and kissed her cheek. Her voice came low, and tender. "Oh, Trixie, you are incredible. You really are great. You've done so, so well. Thank you. This is everything I needed. I'm going to put you to bed, right now."

"No... she has to get ready to go to Canterlot, and... find the maid," Trixie protested feebly, shaking her head.

"Later, Trixie. You can do that later," Twilight told her firmly, feeling another stab of guilt as Trixie simply nodded, too tired to argue. Gently easing the other pony up onto her feet, Twilight nodded at Spike, and half walked, half carried Trixie through into the cottage's small bedroom. Plucking Trixie's hat from her head, Twilight set it down on the cabinet beside the bed, and eased Trixie down onto the soft blankets.

Trixie sprawled untidily as Twilight withdrew her hands, looking up at her Mistress. With a glance at the open door, she pitched her voice quietly. "The slutty and submissive Trixie will only sleep for a little, Mistress. She has to get to Canterlot before nightfall! She can sleep on the train, it will be fine."

The instinct to protect Trixie, to make her stay where she lay until she'd fully rested, ploughed into the looming pressure of Celestia's threat, and was crushed. Wincing as she spoke, Twilight asked softly, "Do you remember what you need to do?"

Trixie nodded quickly. "Find the maid, ask for her by cutie mark and colour, don't mention the palace. Charm her, read the instructions, give her the design. Then wait for your arrival." The words were recited by rote, without hesitation.

Biting her lip, Twilight nodded reluctantly. "I'll wake you before the last train, I promise," she said softly, smoothing a curl of white hair back from the other pony's forehead. Nodding weakly, Trixie closed her eyes, and Twilight carefully tiptoed out of the room. She closed the door behind her, then walked slowly back to the living room, and Spike.

"How is the copying going?" she asked diffidently.

"It's going to take a little while. I don't want to make any mistakes." Spike glanced up at Twilight as she sank back into her chair in the centre of the ring, then down at the parchment again. "Twilight, can we talk?"

She didn't want to. "Mm," she replied ambiguously.

"...I need to ask some questions, okay? I mean, it's one thing to bring me over here, and tell me that you and Trixie are working on something together, and like you asked, I've saved my questions for later. But I've got a lot of them. A lot of them." Spike carefully drew a complex rune, referring to a book on the floor for a more accurate original.

"Since when were you and Trixie friends? Working on spells together? Twilight, how long has this been going on, and why have you been hiding things from me? Is this where you've been all the time lately?" Evident hurt rode his voice, making Twilight flinch.

"It's... complicated," she murmured, her shoulders hunching slightly. She needed to focus on Celestia. She didn't have time for this.

Spike's quill stopped moving. "Twilight. Since when was there anything you hid from me? I didn't do anything wrong!"

The words were on the very tip of her tongue. She could just make him stop asking questions. It wasn't like she could give him any real answers anyway. It was only her reluctance to see him like, well, like that, that had led to her bringing him without using the charm to make him think it was all perfectly natural.

Twilight sighed.

"I'm sorry. I have been keeping things from you," she confessed, then hesitated, not knowing what else to say, or where to begin.

Spike's large green eyes turned up to hers reproachfully, a wounded look on his face. "Twilight, don't you trust me anymore? What's going on? The way you were with Trixie-" He broke off, then resumed, "It's like you were dating or something! She's a bad pony, Twilight! She took over Ponyville! What about Zecora? Why is this spell research so important all of a sudden, when you never mentioned it before?"

So this was it. Either she had to tell him a large part of the truth, or resign herself to at least partially lying to him for years. Maybe always. But she couldn't tell him about Rarity... or the real truth about what she'd been doing, either. Wouldn't it be best for him not to worry? Either she was going to win against Celestia, and there was nothing to fear, or he'd never know what had happened anyway...

"There's something going on I haven't told you about. A couple of things, kind of." She paused, and as she hesitated, Spike pointedly put down his quill and folded his arms. That was a pretty clear message.

Twilight forged on. "I'm undergoing a kind of... test. From Princess Celestia. I'm trying to master a set of spells, and then she's going to test me. Really hard. It's... kind of a big deal." She swallowed. "The biggest deal ever. This is the big test, Spike. There's another part to it, too. I have to prepare without her knowing. It's part of the rules. She told me so herself. If she finds out what I'm planning, how I'm going to try to use the spells, I fail. Automatically. After that, I don't think I'd be her apprentice anymore. I really can't lose, Spike."

Spike wrinkled his snout, staring at her sceptically. "Why not tell me, Twilight? I wouldn't have told her!"

"I... thought she might be watching. I did have good reasons to worry that. The thing is, Spike," she said, trying not to sound as wretched as she felt as she spun the web of half-truths, "if she notices anything out of the ordinary, that could be enough to lose. So I've been trying to make everything seem as normal as I could. I've become convinced she's not watching you closely, but only in the last couple of days. I'm planning to face her the day after tomorrow, so I'm taking a couple of risks that I wouldn't have dared otherwise."

Spike's expression had shifted to flat disbelief. "Twilight, what kind of crazy exam is this? You can't do anything unusual? Princess Celestia is spying on you? Why would she do such a thing?"

"Because... because this is a test, to see if I can beat her. If I had to fight a threat as powerful as her, could I win? That's what she wants to find out."

"You beat Queen Chrysalis! You beat Discord!"

"I know. I know. But that's what's going on." For a moment, Twilight truly wondered if that was what was happening. Except, if it had been a test, it wouldn't have felt so cruelly playful. This was Celestia having fun. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she finished awkwardly.

"But you could tell Trixie? Trixie the egotistical maniac?"

"...yes. She's not usually part of my life. I could offer to teach her, keep her hidden here in a rented cottage, and nopony would realise I had help working on the spells." Biting her lip, Twilight took a deep breath, and let it go. "But there's more. You were right. I do care about Trixie, Spike. She tries so hard, you can't imagine. She's selfish, yes, but... she's really trying hard for me. She cares about me too."

A loud and distinct snort conveyed Spike's opinion of that revelation. "Just because Zecora dumped you, doesn't mean you should put your faith in a pony like Trixie. This isn't a good idea, Twilight!"

Oh, sweet Celestia, how could she explain this... "It's more... complicated than that. Recently, I've been, kind of... feeling a lot of new things. Things I've been hiding, because I'm worried they'd seem unusual enough that Princess Celestia would notice things weren't like they normally are, and I'd fail my test. I've... look." Determinedly, she plunged on. "It's easy to be friends with more than one pony, Spike. You can really love lots of different ponies, because they're all special to you, and you wouldn't ever want to see them leave. Well, I've been kind of finding that... I can feel like that for, for special ponies."

She dared to peek at Spike from the corner of her eye. His jaw was hanging open.

"Buh - wha - Twilight! Are you - are you seriously - are you telling me you were dating Trixie? And Zecora? At the same time?" His voice rose to an incredulous squeak.

"That's... not all." Well, even if she wasn't going to tell him everything right at that moment, she might as well get some of it out of the way. "I'm dating... Princess Luna. Too."

Spike stared at her. Then, after a moment, he stood up, and walked out of the room.

"Spike."

The outside door opened and closed. Twilight jerked out of her chair, and hurried after him. The afternoon air was crisp and cold, the trees reaching leafless branches towards the clear blue sky. Spike sat down underneath one nearby tree, his purple jacket tugged around him.

Twilight approached cautiously. "Spike..."

"Twilight, are you making fun of me?" he demanded.

"What? No! Of course not, I'm - I'm serious!"

"Okay. So you're telling me that in the last couple of weeks, Princess Celestia has decided to impose a totally crazy test on you, and is spying on you, and you've suddenly decided to make Trixie your apprentice, and you've found out that dating other ponies - which you've never shown interest in - you've found out that what you were missing is dating three ponies at the same time. Including Princess Luna! As well as Trixie! Twilight, did you hit your head really hard or something? Is this a joke?"

"It's not a joke! Spike, I swear, nothing I said is a joke. I really am dating Trixie, and Luna, and... I was dating Zecora before she decided she didn't like me anymore." Twilight heard her voice go soft, and felt a surge of frustration with herself. She didn't want to make Spike feel bad for her. She just couldn't fully hide the sadness she felt, for Zecora, and for Rarity. She was going to have to talk to Rarity, too, to ask her to fight Celestia, and the weight of that conversation to come couldn't help but colour all her thoughts.

Twilight sat down beside Spike. "I'm going to ask Luna to come to Ponyville. Tomorrow morning. She can tell you herself. I hope you'll believe me, then."

After a moment, Spike curled into her side, and rested his head against her. "You hid all this from me! It's not fair," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Spike. I hope... hope you don't think badly of me."

He looked up, angry tears in his eyes. "I'm on your side, Twilight! Don't act like I'm not, it's not fair, and it hurts."

Chastised, Twilight stopped talking, and wrapped her arm around him instead. A few small movements of her horn, and a bubble of warmth slowly grew around them, keeping the chill away.

Minutes passed. Finally, Spike began to giggle against her side.

Twilight looked down at him fondly. "What is it?"

"Just as long as you're not dating Rarity, okay?" he finally joked.

Twilight's smile fossilised on her face.

Spike didn't seem to notice. Sighing and getting up, he straightened his jacket, fussily tidying the green toggles down one side. "Alright. I'll go and finish copying out the rings. Just don't keep anything else from me, okay?"

"...okay." What else could she say? It was good enough for now, and if she had to find a way to smooth things over again later, they'd find a way. Because he was on her side, and always would be.

Spike stopped her at the door, just before she entered. "Twilight - you're pushing Trixie too hard. Really. If you're her special somepony, you really need to take better care of her."

Hanging her head slightly, Twilight nodded. "You're right. I let her push herself much too hard today. I'll make it up to her, I promise."

She meant it, every word.

All the same. Another piece in place. There wasn't much time left.

Early morning sunshine beat down upon the tree house, shining warm and golden through the windows of the guest bedroom and stretching across the clean, soft blankets of the large bed in the centre.

There was one day left until the confrontation.

Twilight sat on the edge of the bed, unable to keep herself from smiling as she watched her tiny dragon confront a Princess of the Realm.

"Yes, Spike. I am Twilight's consort, and her lover. I would appreciate thy discretion in this matter."

"Uh – of course! Sure thing, Princess! I won't say a word!" Spike all but saluted, tongue tied with nervousness.

Princess Luna stood over him in all her majesty, a dark, formal tunic with accents of pure silver clinging to her body. There was something in her archaic clothes, her poise, that conveyed unhurried, absolute authority. She radiated power, in a way that Celestia had long learned to hide.

"Then I would appreciate privacy whilst I speak with her. That is very important to me." Slight stress on those final words invited him to consider the absolute folly of trying to spy on the two of them together.

Nodding frantically, Spike backed towards the door. Hesitating for an instant on the threshold, he added, "So, uh, you do... know about the others? Trixie? Zecora?"

"Spike." Twilight shook her head.

"I am fully aware of the role others play in Twilight's life. That is unimportant. Only her feelings toward myself concern me."

"...right. Right. Very sensible. Gotcha."

"Unless there are any other questions?" Luna spoke with measured calm.

"Uh – none at all! Sorry to bother you! Excuse me!" Spike bolted out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

If she strained her ears, Twilight could hear him hurrying up the stairs to his own room, as far away from the guest room as possible. Smiling fondly, Twilight stepped up to Princess Luna, and wrapped her arms tightly around the tall mare. "It's so good to have you here, Luna. I missed you. Even with the visits in my dreams, it wasn’t the same as having you here."

Luna's arms wound around Twilight, followed by the all-encompassing warmth of her wings. Her voice came softer now, laden with tenderness. "I have missed thee, my beloved Mistress. I have missed feeling thy warmth in mine arms. I have longed for the feeling which only you stir in my breast, of thy loving and tender care."

"I missed you!" Twilight's heart swelled with a dizzying surge of emotion, and she felt tears bead in the corners of her eyes. Repeating herself more softly, she went on, "I missed you. I... love you. I called you here to tell you what I need you to do, but I don't want to send you away. It's too risky. Even if it went right, it would still... it would still mean something I really don't want."

Tilting her head back, she parted her lips, and Luna's mouth met hers. Warmth, need, tenderness and desperation crackled back and forth between them, conveyed in the shallow rapidity of their breath, of the way their embrace tightened to an intensity that was almost painful.

Luna broke away first, looking down at her Mistress. "Do what you must, Twilight Sparkle. I cannot endure this uncertainty any longer. You have brought me hence for a reason, one you would not share until I stood before you. Speak of it now."

Twilight gazed into Luna's beautiful, proud face, and knew the Princess had been crying again. There was no trace of it, no sign of distress, and yet, she knew as certainly as she knew her own breathing, that this Goddess, this creature of the Night, had wept over their separation, and for fear that they would be parted again.

Iron resolve stiffened her soul. She would not lose. Not to Celestia. Not to anypony, or anything. There were ponies under her care, ponies that needed her. She'd do anything to protect this beautiful, wonderful mare.

Right then, that meant lying to her, lying to her with absolute conviction.

"I've come up with a way to remove the charm. Completely. I still need to stop Celestia charming them again, but for now, they're safe. I'm ready to make a move on her. But I'm going to need you in the Castle, fully aware, ready to help me when I arrive. I need to change the instructions you're following."

A smile curved Luna's dark lips. "I knew that you wouldst find a way to achieve victory. I am truly proud of thee, my Mistress. Let us together ensure that my sister is purged of this charm's temptation, and free ourselves of the shadow which lies over us. I consent, and consign myself to thy care." Breathing in deeply, Luna withdrew her wings, and stepped back. Her back straightened. "Begin."

Twilight swallowed, finding it hard to speak. What she was about to do could doom Luna to being taken by her sister all over again. In fact, it was designed to. It was necessary. "I will protect you. I'll make sure you're okay. I promise. Awaken."

The characteristic blankness of the charm overtook Luna, her arms falling slack by her sides. "I am awakened, my Goddess."

Twilight didn't need parchment in front of her for these words. She'd worked them out in painstaking detail, and obsessed over them until she couldn't have forgotten them if she'd tried. "Princess Luna, stay silent, and listen. When you are in the presence of Celestia, your memory will not be altered. You will continue to remember everything." Here came the betrayal, and how she didn't want to say the words... "You will find it hard to hide your unease."

Twilight's hands were balled at her sides, fingernails digging into her palms. The risk, the risk! Forcing herself to continue, she moved around Luna to stand directly behind her. Twilight gathered herself. Focusing intently on the new charm, her horn swept around in smooth, practised movements, conjuring a pearlescent bolt that plunged into Luna's unresisting body. The Princess's dusk-coloured feathers shimmered for an instant.

It certainly looked as though the spell had hit home, but she didn't want to test it yet. Right now, Luna had no idea the new charm existed, or that it had been applied to her. Everything she did, she had to picture Celestia finding out. Luna had to believe what Twilight needed Celestia to believe, because whether this went wrong or right, the Princess of the Sun would know it all.

"Princess. When you are told to awaken, you will act in all ways as though you are truly awakened. Your memories will alter at Celestia's command, you will speak to her as she has ordered you to when awakened, and you will answer her questions truthfully other than about the trance I have put you in today. You will believe that there is nothing hidden from her. However, on a trigger I will now set, you will cease to follow all orders you have been given by anyone but myself, your personality will be returned to that which you currently have, all memories artificially hidden or altered since this moment will be returned to you in their original form, including those of this full trance, and you will carry out my orders."

Twilight rested her cheek against Luna's wings, nuzzling her cheek against the feathers. If Celestia told Luna to awaken, she would learn almost everything. That was a huge disadvantage. It would reveal every detail of the way Twilight had thwarted her before. But that was the price, for it to look convincing. That was what it would take for there to be some chance that Princess Luna would be standing in the throne room, seemingly under Celestia's control, ready to act at the very last moment.

She was betting everything on that chance.

Her stomach churning, voice hoarse, Twilight began to recite Luna's instructions for the confrontation.

"Slumber."

Nothing. So far, so good...

"I am satisfied," Twilight pronounced carefully. Before her eyes, Luna slumped slightly, her hand rising slowly to rub at her face. Yes. The modified charm had affected Luna, weakened as she was by exposure to the first. If that had failed, her plan would have failed before it began.

In a way, she'd almost hoped it would. Then she wouldn't have to risk this. Instead, she would have kept Luna at her side, done everything she could to prevent Celestia charming her. Of course, that tactic meant throwing away all subtlety, and trying to blast Celestia with nothing less than brute force, Princess against Princess. The odds of somepony getting seriously hurt were way too high. Even with the stakes as high as they were, there were some risks she wasn't ready to take.

"Hey, Princess," Twilight said quietly. She needed no skill in acting for her voice to be quavery with tension.

Luna blinked, shaking her head as false memories of the trance she'd just experienced flashed before her eyes. "Why would it not work, Twilight? What is the matter with thy removal spell?"

Twilight wrapped her arms around Luna, clinging to the tall pony as though she might snap out of existence at any moment. "I – I gave it everything I have! It must be something to do with the way the charm was made especially to target you, I can't undo it! Luna, I can't let you go to Canterlot like this. All Celestia has to do is say the word, and she'll have you again. It's too risky!"

Luna rested her head against Twilight's. "I saw how hard you tried, Twilight. You have given far too much of your strength in seeking to free me from this spell's grasp, and must now conserve what remains of your strength for facing my sister, and those she commands. What must I do in Canterlot?"

"You can't go! I'll try again, I'll put you back into your sleep and this time, I'll push hard enough to sever the bond, I know I can do it!" All the fear and desperation she felt, Twilight channelled into the words. Lies upon lies, and Luna had to believe them unquestioningly.

"I must go, Twilight! I shall bear the risk. Tell me of thy plan!" Luna demanded. She gripped Twilight's shoulder firmly as she spoke, her voice resonating with growing force. She was the very avatar of determination, unswayable.

How convenient for Twilight that her act required her to look just as wretched as she felt. "I... when I enter Celestia's throne room. You need to be there, and the moment I enter, you need to knock her unconscious with sheer force. I can mop up any guards, and then take control of her while her defences are down."

"I do not care for the notion of striking at my sister. I love her, as I love precious few things in this world. But..." Luna sighed, deeply. "I will consent to this plan, if it will end the conflict between you. If it will remove the threat this cursed spell holds over my life and happiness. How wilt thou control her? Is she not immune to the ravages of this charm, as your prior defeat hath proved?" Luna's stern face drew into a frown, but one tinged with underlying desperation for Twilight to have the answer.

Well, it wasn't like Celestia would expect Twilight to face her without some means of fighting back. Confirming that suspicion wouldn't necessarily cost Twilight anything. Nearly accurate but misleading information was far more plausible than an outright denial. "I think she'll be in for a surprise, when it comes to that. I've adulterated the charm a bit. If she's weakened enough, it will stick to her."

It was impossible, of course, to make the original charm affect Celestia, weakly or not. She was the null point, and it had taken the creation of an entirely new charm variant to change that. Equally, it was just as impossible to remove the charm completely. Faced with the claim that Twilight had learned ways to do both, from a trusted source, Twilight was willing to bet Celestia would believe it anyway.

Luna certainly did. Squeezing Twilight tightly, her voice dwindling to a whisper, she breathed, "I pledge to thee, Twilight, I shall not fail you."

But she would. She had to.

Clenching her hands into fists, Twilight hid her face against Luna's chest. "You have to go. I need you to get back to Canterlot Castle as quickly as you can, so your arrival doesn't seem to coincide with my arrival. It's suspicious enough as it is." Luna needed enough time to rouse Celestia's suspicions, and be charmed. Twilight needed enough time to finish the rest of her preparations. She needed to persuade Rarity to help her, and she needed to take the final step to unlock the full potential of the recreated charm. She'd put both off as long as she could. Both were going to hurt, in their own ways.

Pushing away from Luna, Twilight looked up at her, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I don't want you to go. So... please, will you? While I still can let you do this?"

Luna's lips pressed together tightly, and she stood motionless for a long moment, before finally pressing her clenched hand to her chest. "We shall be victorious, my Mistress. Save thy tears for joy. I shall see thee on the morrow."

Covering her face with both hands, Twilight scrubbed at her stinging eyes. When she opened them, Luna was gone.

She heard the sound of the front door opening, and closing softly.

It was done. She was committed, now. Luna was on her way to Canterlot. Celestia had to be suspicious already; Luna's tour of the country had gone on far too long. Even without the treacherous command at the back of her mind forcing Luna to betray her nerves, she almost certainly would have charmed her anyway, just to be sure.

Through the open doorway, Twilight heard the front door open once more.

No way. Celestia wasn't here. Couldn't be. That would spoil everything! Frantically, Twilight searched the room for a way out. The window wasn't big enough for her. The bed! She could hide under the bed, or in the wardrobe, hope Celestia didn't use magic to seek her out. This could still work, she could salvage this-

"Twilight! I demand you come out at once!"

Twilight stopped cold. Rarity's voice?

Moving as quietly as she could, she tiptoed to the door and peeked around it. Rarity and Zecora, oh good grief, were standing in the middle of the tree house. As was Zecora's habit, she wore a brown travelling cloak, over a sleeveless grey tunic and loose leggings. Rarity was dressed in a pure white dress of glistening silk, her subtle makeup expertly applied. She was frowning, face cast with tension, and Zecora was gripping her hand tightly.

A careful inspection revealed no trace of Celestia, not anywhere in sight, and Twilight had Trixie restore her ability to see the Princess after the dance hall debacle. This probably wasn't a trap. It was just two ponies that she cared about deeply, that she'd treated badly, now standing uninvited in her home, looking very determined.

Well, she'd known she was going to have to speak to Rarity anyway...

After a moment's consideration, she concluded that that didn't make this easier at all.

"Twilight!"

Trying not to cringe, Twilight pushed the door further open, and stepped out of hiding. "Rarity, Zecora... it's good to see you both. Um. Is there something I can, can help you with?" Her words trailed off lamely. A strange look had come over both of the mares before her, one that Twilight couldn't quite fathom. She tensed herself to scream both activation phrases if they came at her.

Zecora's lips parted, then closed again. She looked at Rarity helplessly, and Rarity took the zebra's hand, squeezing tightly.

"Twilight, we're here to talk about what you've done, and what you are going to have to do now," Rarity said firmly.

That wasn't much of a surprise. But the way the two moved together, the evident connection they shared, that was unexpected. "I – of course. Please, sit. I can make you some tea, if you'd like." Twilight moved to sit down, hands fidgeting nervously. A glance at the stairs showed Spike had yet to stir from his room.

"No, Twilight. No tea. We are here to demand something from you, and there shall be no niceties until we are finished." Rarity sat beside Zecora. The zebra nodded her agreement, gazing down at her lap, and only occasionally flicking glances up at Twilight.

It really wasn't like Zecora to be this quiet. Twilight frowned, looking from one pony to the other. "Then please, tell me what you want?"

"The first thing I want is for you to truly understand what you've done." Rarity raised a hand, cutting Twilight off before she could protest. "You don't. You have made life impossible for Zecora. You ensorcelled her carelessly, against her wishes, then didn't tell her that you were to face Celestia. You made no provision for her when you hid the fact of what you'd done, even knowing you were going to forget, because it was more convenient to you. You did not consider how it left her, and the misery she endured because of it."

"I know I've done bad things, but – I let her go! I let her choose!"

Zecora lifted her head, her eyes flashing briefly. "After you left me to endure misery, you all but forced me to accept liberty. You made me remember what you'd done to me, without allowing me to be truly free."

"I just - what else could I have done? I wanted you to decide what you really wanted!" Twilight blurted out in frustration. Would these ponies ever stop criticising her?

Rarity squeezed Zecora's shoulder. "You could have given Zecora the option of blunting the pain she'd endured. You could have given her the choice to be the pony she was before all this happened. You could even have given her the choice to punish you, though it doesn't seem that was ever a choice you'd make of your own accord."

Twilight was speechless with indignation. "I couldn't just - invite Zecora to attack me!"

"You prevented her from punishing you in any way, for what you did. It was impossible for her to choose to be your slave, after seeing it was all a lie, but she can't forget all the things you made her feel, either. She is trapped. As am I."

"But - you got to decide what you remembered! You could be the pony you were before this, just like you said! I gave you every choice!"

"No, Twilight. You took my choice away when you used this spell on me, and then went far beyond making me simply accept what you were doing with Applejack, and the others. If it had been merely that, I would have accepted it now, without rancour. However, that is not what you did. You enslaved me, whether with a show of reluctance or not, and then made extensive use of me. Now, if I choose to remember, I cannot stop remembering what has happened, and if I had chosen to forget, I would be forever separated from all of you. How could I stay close to you all, if the five of you remember all this, and I alone do not? We wouldn't be true friends, anymore. My position is just as impossible as Zecora's."

"Well - I'm sorry! I really am, I know I've been a bad pony, and I never wanted to hurt you! I just - it was too much! I'm not perfect!" Twilight realised she was shouting now, and abruptly sat down, forcing herself to be quiet.

Zecora spoke huskily. "You are correct. You are far indeed from perfect."

Realising she was about to raise her voice in frustration again, Twilight took a deep breath, and got a grip on herself. These were ponies who she had wronged. Terribly. They were entitled to do a lot worse than tell her off, but that was the only thing she'd allowed them to do.

A hollowness opened up within her anger and frustration. Her voice came softer, now. "I know. I'm sorry. Tell me what you want me to do, and if I can, I'll do it. How can I make this better?"

The two mares turned to look at each other. Zecora nodded, urgently, and after an instant's hesitation, Rarity nodded in return. She looked back to Twilight. "You need to enslave us."

Twilight's head jerked backwards. Her mind completely blank, she stared wordlessly at the two. "I - what?"

Rarity bit her lip, her free hand clenching in her lap. After a moment, she spoke quietly. "I don't want to forget everything that happened, and I certainly could never abide being parted from our friends forever. Zecora doesn't wish to have everything she feels for you stripped away either. The only solution is for you to make us yours again. However!" Her voice rose sharply. "Understand that this is your fault, Twilight! What you've done to us means we can't be free. You must bear the consequences of that fact."

Hearing Rarity cast it in those terms seemed almost worse than not having had them return at all. A profound wretchedness twisted in Twilight's chest, squeezing her heart. "I... Rarity, I can't accept the two of you like that. Knowing you didn't want to be mine, it would be... wrong. Sad." Even as she said the words, Twilight heard the hypocrisy in them, and hung her head.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that when we were taken by surprise."

Rarity's precise words cut deeply into Twilight, who flinched. "I can find another way! I can... make you feel better about what happened, it doesn't have to be like this." This was crazy! Here her lost slaves were, offering themselves to her, and she wanted nothing but to find some way of turning them away. She found herself unable to look directly at either of them, her body rigid with tension. "I won't take you like this."

"But you must! Do I no longer stir your lust? I cannot stand any further pain, cannot be apart from you again!" Zecora jerked halfway to her feet, desperation plain on her striped face.

Twilight stared, aghast, as Rarity took hold of Zecora's shoulders and hugged the other mare tightly, before easing her back down onto the couch. "I... I'm so sorry. I've really messed you up, both of you... haven't I." It wasn't as bad as Pure Heart - though almost nothing was as bad as Pure Heart - but that look on Zecora's face, of need...

Rarity quietly rubbed her hand over Zecora's back, who pressed her face against Rarity's shoulder. The white mare smiled, a wry, hopeless kind of smile. "You have, I'm sorry to say. Zecora and I, we cannot help but love you, despite what you've done. Belonging to you feels like nothing either of us have ever known. You cannot leave us like this, Twilight. You must own your mistakes. And so, us."

Twilight swallowed, nodding slowly. "I... I understand. I'm sorry. About everything. So... what, um. What do you want this to be like?"

"Give us a choice. Let us disobey if we wish to. Try not to tamper too much with what I consider normal, Twilight, and most certainly do not stop me from protesting if you are going to casually enslave others on a whim."

"One more thing you must do. I must feel that I belong to you!" Zecora interjected quickly.

A blush colouring her cheeks, Rarity nodded stiffly. "Yes, I agree. I must also ask you to make it easier for me to be attracted to mares. I am finding my feelings... confusing."

Okay. This was happening. Breathing in deeply, Twilight did her best to calm the simmering cauldron of guilt and upset and trembling hope that roiled within her. What these mares needed, more than anything else, was for her to think clearly, and not mess them up any further than they already had been.

"I'll write down everything before I say it, and you can look over it before I do it." Her voice sounded surprisingly steady in her own ears. "I know I can't apologise enough, but I can do my very best to look after you both. Always. I care for you, both of you, so very much. I do... want you to be happy."

Rarity shared a look with Zecora, and nodded once. "Very well, Twilight. I'll - we'll accept that."

Parchment. Ink. What she needed was a synthesis of the orders she'd given to Applejack, and the prohibition against jealousy that she'd laid on Rainbow. The quill flew back and forth as she wrote. After a few moments, she twisted the parchment around to present it to the others.

'You know that you belong to me. Doing what I tell you makes you feel good. If you need to break or refuse a command, you can. Tell me the next time you see me. You're attracted to mares as well as colts. It's very easy not to be jealous of the other ponies I own.'

Rarity frowned, and tapped the last line. "Is this necessary, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "I think so. I know we're all friends, but sometimes, you can get jealous of your friends, too. I want to know that if you say I shouldn't enthral someone, it's because you're really worried about whether it's what they want." That was a valid reason to stop her from taking someone. Obsessive need for Twilight's sole attention wasn't one, and she needed to make sure all her pets were gently barred from that kind of jealousy.

Hesitating, Rarity turned to Zecora. "What do you make of this, dear?"

Eyes flicking up from studying the parchment to meet Rarity's gaze, Zecora rested her hands in her lap. "I believe these words will have the desired effect. I accept." Subtle strain underscored her measured words, her shoulders tensed.

"Very well then. Twilight, I accept also. If you could go ahead, please." Rarity's back was straight as a ruler, as she held herself with all the dignity that she could muster. That her posture thrust out her glorious breasts against her white silk dress was entirely incidental.

Twilight pretended not to notice as best she could. The little voice in the back of her mind singing out gleefully that the two beautiful mares would be hers any moment didn't make it easier. She was meant to feel guilt, feel the weight of her decisions, and she did, she truly did. If there was an edge of growing excitement that was eroding the emotions she ought to be feeling, she was doing all that any pony reasonably could to restrain it.

"If you're sure," she said softly.

"Please." Even Rarity couldn't hide the little shiver that ran through her body as she glanced at the parchment.

Twilight stood up. She absolutely was not going to feel a surge of power. Of pleasure. Swirling her horn through the complex pattern of the new charm, she poured the gossamer shimmer of the spell over first Zecora, then Rarity. Even if it was massively unlikely, she didn't want to be left wondering whether Celestia had used her own trick against her.

Tension crackled in the air, as the two slaves-to-be rose to their feet. Quick, short breaths were the only sound.

"Obey your Empress," Twilight breathed.

"This slave obeys."

"This slave obeys, in a mindless daze."

A sudden, convulsive giggle escaped Twilight as she watched the two mares sink to their knees, at attention. "I'd forgotten you rhymed the awakening words! Oh, Zecora, that's so cute!" Dancing across the room, Twilight bent to kiss the mindless zebra on the lips, then spun to face Rarity. Without an instant's hesitation, her hands settled on the fashionista's out-thrust chest, and a long, soft groan of pleasure escaped Twilight's lips as she massaged Rarity's yielding breasts through the silken dress. "I've missed that. Oh, yes. I won't ever let you go again. I'm so glad that you came back to me."

Stepping back, Twilight looked from one pony to the other, drinking in the absolute blankness on their faces, their empty eyes. She wanted to feel the guilt that she deserved. She did want that. But right then, whatever lesson these ponies were trying to impart on her about the importance of restraint was lost. Her nipples were stiff and tingling, and her body was tense with excitement.

Stick to the script. That would be more than enough. That would make them hers again. Tensing her hands at her sides, Twilight levitated the parchment over to her, announced, "Do not repeat this aloud," and began to read. It was the work of a moment to steadily, clearly read the parchment aloud. If her head had been clear, she might have once again been quietly appalled at how simple, how swift it was to enslave them both. Instead, she felt only a trilling excitement as she quickly ensured Celestia hadn't given them any further secretive instructions.

Shivering with anticipation, her hands clenching at her sides, Twilight finally breathed, "I am satisfied." Everything slowed down around Twilight, finding herself unable to look away for an instant as the two stirred, their blank eyes coming into focus.

A visible tremble ran through Zecora as she found herself on her knees. Leaning forward to rest on her hands, she gazed up at Twilight as though she could see nothing else. "My turmoil is stilled, there is no need to fight. Once again, I belong to my Mistress, Twilight. I will serve you devoutly to my final day. Speak your desire, and I will obey."

Rarity's hand settled on the zebra's bare shoulder, squeezing gently. Her eyes were gentle, filled with concern. "I... Zecora, are you alright? How do you feel?"

Zecora started, then looked towards Rarity with something like surprise. After a moment, she smiled, and her eyes welled up. "I was split in two, and now I am healed. I am at peace with the memories that were revealed. My mistress is to blame for many things, but I embrace being on her strings. I will always be grateful for your aid with those feelings I could not conceal. But what of you, now? What do you feel?"

There was a long pause, as Rarity visibly interrogated her feelings. Finally, she spoke softly. "Everything I remembered... I couldn't reconcile what had happened with the way I felt. The way I think of myself. I was... lost, in remembering how good it felt to do things I can scarcely believe I would do, remembering how it felt to desire things I hadn't ever desired. Most of all, I remembered the feeling of... love. Love, and pride, that I could make Twilight happy."

Watching the two, Twilight found herself holding her breath, not wanting to interrupt their moment. Only as Rarity turned towards her did she say very softly, "Rarity."

Addressing Twilight directly, Rarity said simply, "It felt like the worst break-up I've ever had. A heart-breaking wrench. I couldn't stop thinking about everything we'd had, and I couldn't make sense of it. It's... it's a relief. I can see that you are beautiful, Twilight, and Zecora too. Not just lovely, but profoundly desirable. Now I feel that desire again, to obey your every whim. Now I feel that knowledge that I am your property. My Lady. Now, the memories feel as though they belong to me."

"I'm really glad that you came back to me." Twilight's heart was fluttering in her chest. "I missed you, both of you. So much."

Lifting her head, Rarity added firmly, "Don't think for a moment that I'm not still cross with you! This remains your fault. I certainly shall do all I can to prevent you from doing this to any other pony that does not realise that surrendering to you means either forgetting everything that you do together, or feeling things so powerful that they are impossible to escape." Rarity sighed, and a small, wobbly smile came to her lips. "But if I may... I'd like to just... enjoy this feeling. For a while. Of belonging."

"Lean closer to me." A tingling heat kindled in her as Zecora and Rarity leaned forward in unison to rest on their hands, heads tilted up towards her, each momentarily closing their eyes as the familiar thrill of obeying danced through them. The sight was intoxicating. "Stay where you are," Twilight ordered softly. "Don't say a word. Just do as you're told. Each moment you're on your knees, you're obeying me."

Twilight's feelings were a knotted mess, regret and joy and triumph all snarled together too tightly to untangle. But if she'd learned anything from her use of the charm, it was the wonderful way that arousal cut through her other concerns. The two mares before her belonged to her again. There was no reason to resist temptation. After all the desperate work she'd done to shore up her morals over the preceding days and weeks, giving in to her desires was as easy as falling.

Zecora's eyes were fever-bright as she nodded breathlessly. Twilight smiled as she reached out to the zebra, her fingers sliding over her patterned cheek. After a moment, her other hand moved to caress Rarity's face, moving in synchronisation as she tenderly stroked their lips. Her fingertips gently parted soft lips. Each of her slaves wore an identical expression now, a shivery look of surrender that made Twilight's thighs squeeze together in desire.

"You're beautiful," she told them huskily. "I'm going to take such good care of you. Such good care."

Breathing fast, Twilight let her hands trail lower. Smoothing down the delicate curves of each pony's throat, feeling their pulse fluttering under her fingers, the sense of ownership was overwhelming. Their smooth breasts filled her grasp, one covered by a slippery layer of white silk, the other's ringed nipple pressing into her palm through the soft grey fabric of her tunic. She squeezed, and as one, the two ponies kneeling before her whimpered, moaning softly.

This. This was what she had always needed. Zecora, someone she'd always considered proud and mysterious, was pushing her pierced breast into Twilight's hand, her hips rocking slowly. The look on her face was pure, transcendent joy. Beside her, Rarity, one of the most elegant and refined mares Twilight had ever met, was gazing up at her through lowered eyelashes, a pink flush marking her pure white cheeks. Her full, soft breasts were captured between her arms, gently pushed together to form a perfect vision of pale cleavage. Shivers raced through her as Twilight's hand kneaded her slowly through her dress.

For a long, slow-motion moment, nothing else existed. Just the three of them, just the warmth of her slaves, their moans, the looks in their eyes.

Only one drive was powerful enough to overtake the absolute truth of Twilight's lust, and even with her body howling at her to continue, it came to the fore at that moment. The urge to survive. To win.

Twilight's breathing was ragged in her own ears, as she released them and sat back in her chair. "Sit up, and listen."

Rarity shook herself, her purple curls bouncing softly as she shakily sat back onto her heels. Beside her, Zecora straightened, a look of frustrated need on her face. Neither spoke.

"I need you both to help me. This is important. Tomorrow, I'm going to face Celestia." Sharp intakes of breath, looks of shock. The transition was too abrupt for them to handle, from longing to fear and uncertainty, in an instant. "I was going to... ask you for your help, anyway. I'm glad that you came to me. Rarity, I'm going to need you to use your element to aid me. Can you do that?"

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Rarity managed a nod. "I - of course, my Lady. I will. Opposing Celestia will be a serious matter, but... I do understand the necessity. I'm certain this time will go better."

"It will, I promise." Twilight nodded, projecting certainty that she didn't feel. "Zecora - can you mix up anything to knock ponies out? I may need to take down ponies that are under Celestia's charm, quickly and without hurting them."

Zecora narrowed her eyes, then nodded. Her voice was firm. "Though your timing is remiss, I can do this. There will be but few doses of powder to aid in your fight, and I must leave at once while there is still daylight."

Rarity hesitated. "If this battle is tomorrow - so soon - is there anything I can do to help? Prepare more earmuffs, perhaps?"

"I've taken care of that. But there is one thing that you can help me with. I want you to accompany me while I charm a pony. I'm going to need her aid before tomorrow, and I don't have time for her to ask questions."

"My Lady, really! After all we've said to you!"

"I know, I know! That's why you should be there, so you can watch and see nothing happens that isn't strictly necessary. Besides," Twilight swallowed. "I'm not looking forward to this very much."

Her expression relaxing a little to slight wariness, Rarity glanced at Zecora, then back to Twilight. "Who is this mare that you need so urgently?"

"Inked Quill. The tattoo artist."

Author's Notes:

Next time: the big fight!

Special thanks to Setokaiva for proofing!