It was cool. That was the first thing Twilight became aware of.

Her legs hurt. In fact, she was pretty sore all over, but tolerably so. Her head ached, but not as ferociously as before, and as she winced, she felt a cool, damp cloth being smoothed over her brow. She was lying down, under some kind of thin sheet. Oh, and she was naked. The idea of having been exposed to other ponies she didn't know would once have sent her into a frantic tailspin of embarrassment and humiliation; now, it barely registered.

Her lips moved, trying to form words, though all she managed was a blurred mumble, before she coughed and tried again. "…hello?" Her hand rose sluggishly to her face, and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, blinking blearily.

"Mistress!" yelped the blurry pony beside her, dropping the wet cloth on Twilight's face with a splat. Scooping it up again apologetically, Trixie leaned down and gave Twilight a quick fusillade of kisses over her cheeks and forehead, babbling, "Trixie's so glad you're okay, she's been so worried, don't ever worry Trixie like that again!"

"Miss Lulamoon," scolded a voice, but gently. "A little room, please."

"…yes, doctor," Trixie replied meekly, backing up a step, then grabbing Twilight's hand in both of hers and squeezing it tightly. At some point, she'd shed her travelling disguise, and now she was back in her traditional showmare's outfit, with corset and cloak, missing only her hat.

Another pony leaned over Twilight, dark green, with a white mane. There were several white-maned ponies in town, Twilight thought vaguely. Might be a regional thing.

"Do you know who I am?" the older mare asked Twilight evenly.

Twilight's forehead wrinkled, and she squinted, forcing herself to focus clearly. "You're… the one that wanted to treat Lime Fizz. Starlight was yelling at you… Mint something? Mint Julep?"

"Mint Balm, at your service, Princess," she replied, with a small nod. "Good. You seem to be a lot more clear-headed, now."

"How are-"

"Lime Fizz and Sugar Belle are resting as well. They're quite exhausted, and suffering from sun exposure. Fortunately, I've treated this kind of thing before, and I've applied some remedies to restore the balance of their internal fluids. They will recover. It will take a little longer, but they should be fine. As for the townsfolk as a whole-" Mint Balm's hand shifted to her own thigh and lingered there, "-most of the town marched to the cave, and shattered the prison holding our marks. We are whole again. To think how much we had missed these pieces of ourselves, without even fully knowing it…"

She shook her head. "I don't agree with everything you've done, Princess. Your use of a spell to instigate a fight was reckless, you caused considerable scrapes and contusions with the magic you threw around, and Lime Fizz and Sugar Belle won't even tell me what happened between the three of you. Nor do I appreciate the fact that you won't let us speak to Starlight Glimmer. Nonetheless. I appreciate why you did what you have done. Thank you, for that."

Seemingly unable to contain herself any longer, Trixie burst out, "Twilight could have-"

"Miss Lulamoon, please. You've been quite clear in what the Princess could have done, if she acted without restraint." Her apple green eyes turned down to Twilight, and she added more quietly, "A restraint which I also appreciate. How do you feel?"

"I'm… okay," Twilight began, then winced as Mint Balm frowned at her.

"No false pretence, Princess. You collapsed, and for good reason. I need you to be fully honest with me."

Fully honest. Considering the overall situation, and what she'd done to Starlight, the chances of getting out of it without at least some creative misdirection were next to zero. Still, Twilight took the point, and sighed. "I feel… my stomach hurts. I don't feel hungry, but it's the kind of sick feeling I get when I haven't eaten for too long." She gave a feeble smile. "I forget to eat, sometimes, when I'm studying. My legs hurt, a lot. My head feels clearer than it did, much clearer, but I still feel a bit hazy, and I don't think my heart should be beating this fast."

"Better. None of that is unexpected. Once you begin drinking, you'll want to drink too much, too fast; I've given instructions to your guards to bring you small cups of water, and not too close together. Pay attention to what your body is telling you, and don't push yourself too hard. Recovery isn't a race."

Cleaning up the mess she'd made with Lime Fizz, Sugar Belle and most importantly, Starlight herself, was a race, however. A race before something else went wrong, or somepony found out exactly what she'd been doing. All the same, before she could even begin to try to fix all that, there was another question to ask.

"…guards?" asked Twilight, with a puzzled frown. Lime Fizz was too sick to be looking after anypony else, so… what, Burdock? And who else? She looked around the room with a frown; a folding screen closed off one corner of it, so there could be a pony there, but…

"Your guards, apparently," replied Mint Balm, with unruffled calm. "They arrived yesterday, in the company of Princess Celestia. One of them is on duty outside the door."

"Celestia is here?" asked Twilight, with a twinge of mingled relief and guilt. It really would be wonderful to see the elder Princess again, but Twilight knew she'd made such a mess of things...

"Not at the moment. She found our supply situation rather lacking - as do I, frankly - and she has returned to the south to arrange a relief caravan. We're all looking forward to it. Some of us hoarded things from before, such as the clothes I'm wearing now - not all of it went to the bonfires - but even so, such surviving materials are rather thin on the ground."

Bonfires. Twilight exhaled, and shook her head. She hadn't even noticed that Mint Balm was wearing comparatively normal clothes, but of course, under Starlight's regime, nothing like that would have been allowed to exist. "I understand. Thank you, doctor," she replied politely. "I'm very grateful for your help."

"I'll be up later with another batch of medicine. Don't strain yourself!" Mint Balm waggled a finger reprovingly at Twilight, then left the room. A brief murmur of voices came from outside; probably whoever was on duty out there being told she'd woken up.

Trixie managed to wait for at least ten seconds after the latch clicked closed. Then, throwing herself onto the bed, she cried out joyfully, "Mistress! Mistress, you're awake, Trixie is so glad to see you're awake, she's been so worried, you are a giant stupidhead, how could you take risks like that, where did you go, Mistress?!"

Twilight yelped as Trixie crashed into her, then giggled and wrapped her arms around the other mare, kissing her forehead and horn, before working her way down to her lips. "I'm glad to see you too, Trixieslut. I'm so sorry I didn't get back sooner." Her words came slower and slower as she spoke, the weight of her recent failures piling onto them. "I... screwed up. Quite a lot, really. I wasn't there, and you got hurt. I'm really sorry about that," she finished, more softly, "I promised to be there to protect you, and I wasn't."

"So where were you?" Trixie demanded. "Trixie wants to know what happened!"

Twilight winced. "I was drugged. Sugar Belle gave me the worst muffins I've ever tasted, and Lime Fizz gave me a canteen of water. Both the muffins and the water had some kind of sleeping draught in them. I started to pass out, but I managed to stay conscious just long enough to cast a spell. I used the charm on the two of them, and told them to carry me to safety.

"It was a terrible idea," Twilight concluded with a sigh. "I should have done something else, but I'm not sure what. I didn't wake up until... I'm not sure. Most of a day, they told me. Each time I almost woke up, I asked for water, and that knocked me out again." Shaking her head, Twilight added softly, "Once I came around, I came back as quickly as I could. I really am sorry. It must have been awful."

Trixie's grip tightened, and she shook her head. Lifting Twilight's hand to her face, she began quietly nuzzling her Mistress's fingers against her cheek. "You came back for Trixie. She was so afraid you'd thrown her away, but you didn't. And - and you were going to do something really stupid and dangerous to protect her, and don't do that again, Mistress!" With a scowl, she went on, "It was awful. Trixie woke up groggy, and drugged, and her cutie mark was gone. It was gone. Starlight wouldn't leave her alone, and she just kept talking. Trixie didn't know where you were, Starlight kept telling her that you had abandoned her, and..."

Trixie broke off with a low growl. Still, after a moment's pause, her expression shifted, a darkly satisfied smile curling her lips. "Shows what she knows. Stupid pony had no idea the trouble she was getting herself into, daring to lay a hand on Trixie. Now she's a brainless puppet, and the glorious, sensual, mighty Trixie is curled up with her sexy Mistress. Trixie wins, she loses."

"Yes, you do," agreed Twilight after a moment, stroking a hand through Trixie's mane. "Where is Starlight, anyway? I'm sure... I think I charmed her. Didn't I?"

Trixie swung her legs over Twilight's and straddled her, grinning down impishly. "She's waiting for you to punish her. Not a single thought in her head, which is a huge improvement, as far as the sensuously slutty Trixie is concerned. So she can wait. You need to be thanked properly first."

"I really should go and deal with her," Twilight protested, but gently. It did feel nice to have Trixie's body against hers. Her fingers slid down to Trixie's ass, and began lightly toying with the other mare's tail. "Tell me where she is, Trixie."

With a coy look, Trixie purred, "Mistress, your slutty, adoring bitch is going to disobey you now, for your own good." Reaching behind herself, Trixie began undoing her corset-like top. With a few deft movements of her fingers, the rigid fabric fell loose, then dropped to the bed as Trixie shrugged out of it, revealing the powder-blue mare's breasts and eager, cute little nipples.

"Trixie…" Twilight murmured in half-hearted reproval. "I'm not really in a fit state for this kind of thing right now."

"Psh," Trixie snorted, dismissing the complaint with a flick of her mane. "Lie back and let your obedient slave whore show her gratitude, Mistress!" Taking hold of the bed sheets, Trixie pulled them down to Twilight's waist, and cooed happily to herself as she took in the power conversion tattoo that sprawled across Twilight's upper chest. "You're so pretty. And this tattoo is so interesting… Trixie could study it for days. In fact, your attentive fucktoy student should study it. Right now." Bending down, Trixie nuzzled her lips against the intricate black spider web of inked lines that decorated Twilight's cleavage. Her tongue slipped out, beginning to trace every curving line and sigil.

"Ooohh…" sighed Twilight, letting her arms fall back to her sides. Trixie's warm mouth really did feel so good on her bare skin, and it was so nice feeling the other mare's breasts sliding and stroking against her body. "That… is nice," she conceded. Twilight's nipples stiffened slowly, growing darker violet against the softer lavender of her skin, and she shifted slowly, rocking her hips slightly as Trixie's tongue traced rune and sigil. None of the actual lines or symbols intersected her nipples – too likely to be distorted – and as her arousal slowly grew, she protested softly, "You can suck my nipples, too, you know…"

"Trixie wouldn't think of it," giggled the showmare, lifting her head and stroking her fingers along the inked lines instead. "She's studying dutifully, like her perfect Princess-Mistress-Owner taught her. The lying little bitch-whore Trixie is teasing you, punish her tight ass!" Trixie whined in protest as her programmed responses ambushed her, beginning to wriggle her hips. "Oh, not fair! Trixie wasn't even serious!"

"And now Trixie's tight ass needs a spanking," Twilight teased. "My arms are kind of tired. Maybe I should just lie back and relax for a while. Maybe have a nap. That sounds nice."

"Mistress! You're so totally unfair! What's the point of making your slutty fucktoy need spankings if you don't give her any?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you because your mouth isn't full."

"But-" Trixie protested again, then pulled a face and ducked her head. Sucking Twilight's nipple between her soft lips, she began gently lapping and nipping with her teeth, her hips swaying back and forth urgently. Muffled by Twilight's body, she pleaded, "Please spank your depraved whore, Mistress!"

"Well, if you insist," conceded Twilight lightly, with a satisfied smile. Smoothing her hands up Trixie's thighs, she slid her fingers under the other mare's short skirt and flipped it up, exposing her panties and her barely-clad ass. Pausing just a moment longer to enjoy another whimper of protest from her slave, Twilight smacked Trixie's behind with a crack of skin on skin.

"Hnnn! Thank you, Mistress!" Trixie gasped, her eyelids fluttering.

"Now, no more evasions, Trixie. As wonderful as your mouth is – and it is – I need to know Starlight is secure. What happened to her?"

Pulling a face, Trixie gave each of Twilight's nipples a parting kiss and little nip of her teeth before lifting her head. "Oh, fine, Mistress, if you want to punish that evil pink bitch now, your obedient whore won't stand in your way."

A shimmering gauze of magic coated Trixie's horn, betraying a little minor telekinesis, but as Twilight glanced around the room, she couldn't see anything move. Weird.

"Trixie-?"

"Ask again," Trixie replied impishly, grinning. "What was it you wanted to know, Mistress?"

"Where's Starlight?" Twilight asked, with a little frown of puzzlement.

"I am here," droned a female voice from behind the screen in the corner.

Twilight yelped. "Trixie! She's in the room?"

"I am here."

"Tada!" sang out Trixie, and with a wave of her horn, the privacy screen drew back. "Trixie solved everything!"

Starlight was sat motionless on a small chair, her eyes locking onto Twilight the instant the screen was no longer blocking her view of the bed. A half-drank glass of water sat by her feet, and a discarded pair of earmuffs lay on the floor.

Oh. Of course. If Starlight was charmed, then she'd do as Luna and Zecora had. Wherever Twilight went, she'd simulate just enough normality to get to within the same room as her, then lapse back into the charm trance. There was no way to wake her up - not that Twilight knew of, anyway - without either Twilight's command, or by recasting the charm on her to switch owners. With all the ponies who knew the spell conditioned to never cast it without Twilight's permission, it came to much the same thing.

Obviously, the privacy screen was insubstantial enough not to trigger Starlight to get closer. The earmuffs would have prevented Starlight from hearing Twilight's voice, so there were no accidents in front of townsfolk. It was actually very clearly thought out. Though now that the screen was drawn back, it also meant that Starlight was mindlessly staring at Twilight's tits.

Blushing, Twilight wrapped her arms around Trixie and pulled the other mare down against her, then quickly pulled the blanket over both of them. "Where – where did you get the earmuffs from?"

"Princess Celestia brought them. She thought that some crazy evil monster tyrant was using magic on you, and she must have been foolish enough to think you could actually lose." Trixie snorted. "Why are you so surrounded by stupid ponies that underestimate you, Mistress?"

"Well, she was right to be worried," Twilight murmured, casting another look at Starlight. The bluff with Trixie's cutie mark had very nearly worked. Had worked, and it certainly hadn't been Twilight's doing that ended the standoff.

"Now you're being silly, Mistress," Trixie said firmly, and burrowed deeper under the blanket. Twilight gasped as Trixie gently bit at her nipples, her hips instinctively squirming as she felt her slave's hand slide down her stomach towards her sex.

"No, Trixie. That has to wait. I need to talk to Starlight, and - and it's kind of weird with her just sitting there."

"Trixie wants to fuck in front of your brainwashed enemies," protested a voice from under the covers. "Ooh! You could make her masturbate-"

"Trixie!" Twilight reached down and seized a handful of her slave's mane, pulling her head up. Kissing her, Twilight said more gently, "I'm not ready for that yet. I'm still too worried about her, and what to do."

"You just aren't any fun today, Mistress," Trixie pouted. With a long, loud sigh, she rolled off Twilight and cuddled up to her side instead. "You had better punish her really creatively! Trixie wants to see her really pay for all she's done!"

Twilight frowned. She did want to punish Starlight. Not because it was the just thing to do, but because - well, everything Trixie had said. All the things Starlight had done to the townsfolk, manipulating, controlling, mutilating them... every failure Twilight had suffered since she'd arrived, every injury she'd accidentally inflicted on ponies that didn't deserve it, all of it was this pony's fault.

Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to slap Starlight down, the other pony was helpless. She'd lost. That would have to be enough.

"Starlight. You will tell me the absolute truth."

The blank-eyed pony's gaze had never wavered since the moment the divider had been removed, and it didn't now. "I will speak only the truth."

"Tell me what this was all about. Tell me what you were trying to achieve here. And tell me what you'd do next, if you were released."

Starlight began talking.

The room was silent. Twilight's ears lay flat against her head. Trixie was huddled by Twilight's side, her eyes wide.

Somewhere, out of sight, a clock ticked quietly.

"She..." began Trixie hesitantly. "She can't mean that."

Twilight felt her skin prickling, a shiver running through her. She swallowed, wetting her lips with her tongue, trying to ignore the unpleasant twisting she felt in her stomach. "I... think she does. She can't lie. That's what she'd do, if she had the chance. Is - is that true, Starlight?"

Despite herself, despite having stopped to ask the same question several times already and having received the same reply each time, Twilight managed to hope that this time, somehow, the answer would be different.

"Yes. If I had the chance, I would-"

"Stop!" interrupted Twilight, a little too sharply, then repeated more softly, "Stop. That's enough."

"...Trixie would have never gone that far!" blurted Trixie. "Even when she was - even when she had to take revenge on you, she wouldn't - she didn't want to hurt ponies, not like..." she trailed off, and shuddered, clinging to Twilight. "She's crazy, Mistress!"

"You might be right." The words tasted like ashes in her mouth, but Twilight shook her head and tried to think clearly. "She's dangerous. Really dangerous. She won't stop, ever, and she doesn't care at all how many ponies get hurt as long as I do, too. And even without that, to want to strip others of everything that makes them special that badly..."

Her eyes flicked towards Starlight's cutie mark. One mystery solved, at least. It hadn't been an artefact, or spell, or some old book that had given the crazed pony the ability to rip away the magic of others. It was something much more fundamental than that.

Her special talent.

Starlight's true affinity was for manipulating the cutie marks of others. Twilight wasn't an expert on cutie marks - she couldn't be an expert on everything, though she intended to do a lot of research when she got back - but as far as she could remember from her wider reading, that was unheard of.

A cutie mark wasn't enough to do all this by itself, of course. Starlight had assembled a casting framework for the purpose, cobbled together out of fragments of obsessively researched ancient lore, but it was her inherent affinity for the magic that formed the core of it. Without her own special talent to power it, the whole thing was hollow; useless to any pony but her. That much was obvious to Twilight, and even Starlight couldn't deny it.

That had genuinely frightened Twilight. To want to take the abilities of others, so badly, that Starlight's essential nature had developed around it. And that was before they'd gotten Starlight talking about what she'd do if she were allowed to go free...

Silence had settled once again. Trixie didn't seem to know what to say, and in truth, Twilight was finding it difficult to find the words herself. Clearing her throat, she asked carefully, "Starlight, do you remember a time when hurting other ponies would have bothered you?"

"Yes." The word was flat and without emotion. Starlight's gaze remained fixed on Twilight, who squirmed a little uneasily beneath it.

"...well, that's something," Twilight murmured, drumming her fingers on the bed sheets.

"Mistress?" Trixie asked, looking up at her.

"You can't explain morality to a pony with no empathy. No matter how hard you try, they just won't get it. You can give them a set of rules to follow, but sooner or later, you're going to find you missed something, or else you'll have fenced them in so hard they can barely do anything." Twilight drummed her fingers again.

Trixie frowned, then looked over at Starlight again. "Are you going to try telling her to be nice?" she asked in disbelief. "Look at what she did! She deserves to be locked up, where she can't ever hurt anypony ever again!"

Twilight didn't reply; biting her lip. Those were her options. Any kind of long-term imprisonment was really rare, and when it did happen, it was focused on guiding the pony to get better. Starlight, though. She had a real talent for magic, and she was utterly unhinged. She was also an expert manipulator. Regular therapy just wouldn't work; she'd tell her guides what they wanted to hear, then once she was out in the world...

The risk was too great. Twilight shook her head slightly. Either she changed Starlight, made sure she didn't want to do what she'd so disturbingly described, or Twilight would have to block her magic and seal her away.

It'd be easy to just do nothing. Celestia would be back from the supply run soon enough, surely, and the elder Princess could take responsibility for the decision. How much harm could it do to leave Starlight under the charm's power for another couple of days?

No. That was the cowardly way out. Twilight knew she herself had sent out the Seekers; she'd charmed Starlight. She had to take responsibility. Besides... it was a hard decision. Celestia had made a lot of them over her long life, Twilight was sure, and they had to weigh heavily sometimes. She didn't need any more laid on her. It wasn't fair to abdicate decision-making to the older mare any time it got difficult.

"I think... based on her testimony, I think Starlight had some kind of mental break," Twilight said softly. "A while ago. Not when he left. After she left, and couldn't find anywhere she felt at home, and just kept digging and digging into that resentment. Resenting everypony. Everything. She didn't have anypony around to help her, no pony realised how bad she'd gotten, and..."

Twilight exhaled. The problem was that she didn't want to break Starlight, and create a new pony in her place. Celestia knew she'd had more than enough lessons as to why that was a terrible idea. An intractable moral problem was currently cuddled up to her side as it was. And imagine the precedent she'd set... you couldn't just fix ponies when they did something wrong. You had to give them time and the help they needed to see that for themselves. Unfortunately, that just wouldn't work with Starlight.

But there was a compromise, a way to give Starlight another chance.

"Trixie," Twilight said softly, her voice level, "I want you to get ink and parchment from my pack, and write what I say. It's still here, isn't it?"

Visibly hesitating, Trixie gripped Twilight's arm a little harder. "Mistress, are you sure about this? She deserves- she doesn't deserve to be forgiven!"

"I'm not sure this is forgiveness. It's just the best thing I can think of. Trixie, please."

Trixie exhaled, then let go, and pushed herself off the bed. There was a small chest of drawers against the wall; she opened the topmost one, where Twilight's things seemed to have been stored, and removed the writing kit. Opening it up, her bare back to Twilight, Trixie took up the quill and said flatly, "Trixie is ready."

Taking a deep breath, Twilight nodded, and spoke carefully. "Starlight. I want you to think back. Was there a time before you hated cutie marks?"

"Yes."

"Think of the most recent version of Starlight that is true for."

"I have thought of the most recent version of myself that is true for."

"Tell me about her."

"She lives in Manehattan. She is living in a rented room. She is working as a waitress."

"What is she feeling?" probed Twilight.

"She is lonely. She's embarrassed. She's bored."

"Why is she embarrassed?"

"She can't afford nice clothes. Most ponies that sit in the restaurant have really nice clothes."

"Is she... angry?"

"Not yet," Starlight said. Her voice was still as calm and empty as before; perhaps it was only Twilight's imagination that gave the words an ominous ring.

"If that Starlight had heard of a pony doing what you have done, how would she react?"

"She would have cried. She'd be afraid."

"Would she have felt sympathy for the ponies who had their cutie marks taken away?"

"Yes."

"Would she have been afraid of her own mark being taken?"

"Yes."

Twilight glanced over at Trixie, waiting for her to catch up before she spoke again. The showmare was frowning with concentration, her objections put aside as she strove to record their words. The quill came to a stop, and Trixie nodded at Twilight to continue.

"Imagine that version of Starlight-" Twilight paused, about to say 'consults a fortune teller'. No. Given Starlight's later interests... "-uses a time spell to glimpse her own future. She sees what you have done. She believes completely that, unless she changes her mind, this is what will happen. How does she feel?"

Twilight held her breath. For the first time, a hint of expression touched Starlight's features as she struggled with the question, and it took a second for her to answer.

"Horrified. Powerful. Scared. Guilty. Sick. Justified."

Scribbling rapidly, Trixie wrote down the string of monotone words before looking over at Twilight. In an undertone, she hissed, "She is dangerous, Mistress! You should-" Trixie stopped, then her gaze flicked towards Starlight. Her words came a little slower, as she went on carefully, "-you should help her. She probably doesn't want to be as angry and hateful as she is. You just have to be very sure that she can't do anything wrong - doesn't want to do anything wrong, I mean. Trixie means. It would be better for everypony."

Twilight winced. Trixie hadn't forgiven Starlight, nor changed her mind about how much the other mare needed to be punished; it had merely occurred to her that any precedent set in dealing with the petty tyrant of the town could equally apply to Trixie herself. Knowing just how much Trixie wanted to avoid going back to the pony she had once been did not make the moral dilemma any easier.

All the same, Twilight had to put that out of her mind for now. There was too much at stake here already; this had to be about Starlight alone. "Powerful I understand," Twilight said carefully, "you- she would feel powerful because she'd seen the power you now wield. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"But why justified?"

"She is already obsessed with cutie marks. That version of Starlight is seeing how they divide ponies, giving them different levels of talent and importance. She is frustrated that there is no fairness in how they are handed out. She sees that not all ponies like their cutie marks. Most do, and that makes her feel more excluded. She doesn't understand her own. Seeing that ponies can be persuaded to turn over their cutie marks makes her feel like she is right; ponies talk and talk about how important they are, but even they don’t believe it."

Quiet again, underscored by the scribbling of Trixie's quill as she struggled to keep up with the words.

Twilight smoothed her fingers over her own chest, tracing the spidery lines of her power conversion tattoo through the thin sheet. Ponies did dangerous things when driven to extremes; she knew that. There had been no other pony driving Starlight to what she'd done, but inside herself, those thoughts had obviously festered into something terrible. And despite Starlight's obvious hypocrisy, there was something genuine underneath it, too… a belief, no matter how twisted, in her own righteousness.

She was so dangerous.

But was she as dangerous as Twilight herself had been, back when she'd brainwashed Zecora for the sheer pleasure of it?

"So. What does that Starlight do, knowing what she knows? Does she still do it?" Twilight's words came slowly, carefully precise.

"No. She doesn't." Starlight remained perfectly still, her gaze never wavering. "She is horrified. She does not know what to do. She will not go to the town."

Pressing the sheet to her body, Twilight sat up a little higher, leaned forward. "Starlight. I want you to remember that pony's sense of morals. Her judgement of right and wrong. Her concern for the emotions of others. They have replaced the ones you hold currently. They are not locked in place, though, but will develop naturally from this point. It is as though those specific elements of your character have been turned back in time to how they once were. Do you understand?" Despite herself, Twilight felt her heart thudding in her chest, a cool sweat breaking out on her forehead. Every word had to be perfect. Every word had to be recorded, to be improved upon later if she had to.

"I understand. My morals, judgement of ethics and empathy have been replaced with those of the pony I once was, before I hated cutie marks as I now do."

Biting her lip, trying not to betray her nervous anxiety, Twilight asked, "How does your new self feel about what has happened since you came to this town?"

"Sick. Guilty. Horrified. Terrified."

"Why are you terrified? What are you scared of?"

"I am frightened of what the townsfolk will do to me. I am terrified of what you will do to me. You will take my cutie mark away. You will punish me for hurting the ponies you sent here. You will give me to the townsfolk and have them punish me. You will imprison me. You will parade me in chains so that all ponies will know what I have done."

Trixie threw down her quill. "You don't understand anything!"

"Trixie-"

"No! She just doesn't! She's got this stupid picture of you in her head that doesn't match up with you anywhere, and she thinks you'll punish her when you won't, not even when Trixie begged you to! Trixie shouldn't have to listen to this!"

"She can't hear you, Trixie, and you know that," Twilight said quietly. "It's natural for her to be afraid. If I woke her up right now, she wouldn't know what had happened, or why she's changed, or what I'd done. Celestia knows what memories she'd invent to fill the gap. I have to be gentle, and careful. Besides. Starlight - the Starlight that you and I have met - would consider what I'm doing the worst kind of punishment I could possibly impose. I am angry about what she did to you, and to Lime Fizz and Burdock, and the whole town. But I can't let that influence my decisions."

"Well, why not?" demanded Trixie in frustration.

Because she's completely helpless.

There was a cost to the level of control over others Twilight enjoyed; a cost to the power she wielded. She could do an immense amount of harm with a single careless word, a single overcharged spell - and being angry made you stupid. Twilight knew she couldn't afford to make mistakes. It would be easy to throw the whole mess Trixie had made with the Alicorn Amulet in her face, or Luna's descent into Nightmare, or even the things Starlight would have tried if given her own way. But that would be unfair, and it wasn't the point.

"It wouldn't be right. I'm not doing this to punish her. I'm trying to find a way that she can be better, while still being herself. I don't want to see her locked up forever - and Celestia forgive me, if this doesn't work then that's the only other thing I can think of. So I'm doing for her what Celestia accidentally did for me: giving her another chance to make better decisions. I truly believe this is the best thing I can do for her, and if I didn't, I'd do something else. I'm sorry, Trixie, I truly am."

Trixie turned her back again, bending over the dresser. Her voice muffled, she said quietly, "You can be really stupid sometimes, Mistress. Fine. Fix her, then."

Twilight exhaled softly. "Starlight. With your current memories, morals and sense of empathy, would you still blame cutie marks for all your troubles?"

"No."

Of course, 'all your troubles' was a pretty big category. In fact, even if she hadn't changed Starlight at all, the maniacal pony would have blamed some of her problems on Twilight directly. Silly question; retry.

"Do you still hate cutie marks?"

Starlight said nothing for a moment. That was interesting; beneath her blank face, some very animated mental struggling had to be taking place to delay her that way. Finally, unemotionally, she said, "Yes."

"Please give me more detail," Twilight said softly. Starlight really was quite terse under the charm; perhaps moreso than other ponies. Did that mean anything?

"I am very conflicted," Starlight replied, with empty serenity. "I believe that cutie marks separate ponies. They are unfair. Cutie marks are special. I don't want to lose my cutie mark. It hurts others to take their cutie marks. I am horrified at what I have done."

Progress, of a sort. The anger that drove Starlight wasn't so easily defused, but now her morality didn't match the breakdown in empathy that had allowed her to grow to hate everything that made others special, or different. Twilight bit her lip. Did she have to change that? Did she dare? Some things Starlight had said were true, and it was so core to her personality that her own cutie mark had grown around her obsession.

Or... well, had it? Or might there have been other ponies like Starlight, who resented others, but lacked the talent she'd happened to have anyway which allowed her to take that resentment further? Which had determined the other?

I am very conflicted. Did she have the right to inflict that on Starlight either?

Speaking slowly and clearly, giving Trixie plenty of time to take down her words, she said, "Starlight. You accept that cutie marks are not evil. They are not your enemy."

There should have been a convulsion, some kind of violent physical reaction that betrayed how deeply the words must be striking at Starlight. Years of hysterical obsession were meeting their end. Perhaps this, more than anything else, was the key to undermining the sociopathic madness that had overtaken her.

"I accept that cutie marks are not evil. They are not my enemy." The words were unemotional, and without hesitation. Starlight didn't blink.

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you still angry at me? Please give a complete answer."

"I am terrified of you, and what you will do. I do not understand what you have done. I do not understand what happened to me. I am not angry."

And this was why she couldn't have done this while staying angry. The words cut at Twilight's heart.

"When you are freed from the trance state, you will understand that I have used a spell upon you to restore your personality to how it once was, before you were consumed with the emotions that drove you to do what you have done, here. You will have no other memories of your time between the spell being activated and when you are fully conscious again." Twilight paused. "Now answer my previous question again."

"I am terrified of you, and what you will do. I am grateful that you have fixed my mind. I am not angry."

Well, that was some progress at least. Twilight sighed, sinking down a little against the headboard. Should she try to make Starlight less afraid? Or less guilty? Would making Starlight less guilty end up, in the long term, making her more likely to end up redeveloping the same traits that had caused all this? Exhaling, Twilight shook her head. No, meddling more than she absolutely had to would be a mistake. Every word was another chance to cause unintended consequences, undesired changes. However, despite that principle, there were some things that Starlight couldn't be allowed to do, ever again.

"Starlight. You will never again alter, remove, or affect cutie marks without my direct and immediate permission. You will not realise that you have been compelled by an outside force to avoid doing so."

"I will never alter, remove or affect cutie marks without your direct permission. I won't realise you have imposed this on me."

Twilight herself had experienced trying to think past or through a mental block, and once she'd been alerted to the idea she might be under somepony's control, she'd felt out the shape of the compulsion on her own thoughts. Though it was unlikely Starlight would deduce that her mind had been altered to prevent her from repeating her past misdeeds, it was worth including some safeguards. …still, was that it? Was that enough?

Was she so confident enough in all she'd done that she could release Starlight, without overseeing her?

No. Not at all.

"In one month's time, or as soon after as you can safely manage, you will come to me and speak to me. When you do so, you won't then leave my presence until I tell you that you can."

"I will come to you in one month, or as soon after as I can. I will not leave your presence until you say I can."

Trixie looked over her shoulder, with a puzzled frown. "One month, Mistress?"

Twilight rubbed her nose, nodding slowly. "It means she can't just run away and disappear from my sight, then start getting all – you know. All this. Everything she said before. If she can end up like that once, she can do it again. Each time I see her, I can assess how she's doing, and see when the next check-in should be. Not that I'm going to abandon her here; I think she should come back to Canterlot with us. She's going to be a mess, and I want Celestia and Luna to help go over the commands I've given her. But that's the backup."

"So she won't know about the charm?" Trixie asked, giving Starlight another glance, which bordered on the apprehensive.

"…given the circumstances, I should probably make sure of that," Twilight conceded slowly. "Starlight. If you ever suspect or believe that I have been using a mind control spell on others, above and beyond the 'want-it-need-it' spell, you will bring your concerns to me privately within forty-eight hours, or as soon after as is safe, without trying to convey your suspicions in any way to anypony else or suspecting that you are influenced by such a control spell."

"If I ever think you're using mind control spells, other than want-it-need-it, I'll come to you within two days and tell you. I won't try to tell anypony else, or think that I'm under your control."

Twilight winced. Unlike the other instructions, that one felt more self-serving. But if Starlight was in the castle, she was far too likely to eventually see something that was hard to explain away. The fewer ponies that knew of the charm's existence, the less likely it was that things would spiral completely out of control. Fortunately, it was unlikely that the townsfolk realised what had happened; only that Starlight had been knocked out.

That wasn't true of Sugar Belle and Lime Fizz, though.

Which meant, inexorably, she would have to decide whether or not they could be allowed to remember.

Manure.

"That's enough for now, I think. Trixie, have I missed anything?"

With a snort, Trixie half-turned and gave Twilight an incredulous look. "What about telling Starlight she can't lie to you? Or act against you? All the commands you gave Trixie?"

"...I think I went too far with your commands, Trixie. I'm sorry about that." Twilight took a deep breath, then let it go with a sigh. "I've been thinking about the compulsions on you. It's not really fair to stop you from lying at all. I think small lies are necessary for ponies. Like, being able to say, 'I'm fine,' when you're having a difficult day, but you don't want to say so. No pony is truthful all the time."

"B-but-" stammered Trixie, taken aback, "Trixie doesn't want to be able to lie to you! She can lie to other ponies - she doesn't have a problem doing that - but, but she likes knowing that you believe every word she says, because she can't lie to you! Even this, what Trixie is saying right now, you know she believes it!"

"I'd trust you without it," Twilight said softly. Probably. Because even after all the ways she'd changed Trixie, how sure was she that Trixie wouldn't do something dangerous and desperate to stop herself being released from the charm compulsions?

"...well, that's not what Trixie wants," the showmare said with a trace of sullen defiance. "And you should make sure this pony can't betray you, because she really, really hates you."

"She says she doesn't, now," Twilight objected quietly.

"No, she said she isn't angry at you, that doesn't mean she doesn't still blame you! And you told her she can change her mind over time, so there's nothing stopping her deciding that actually, she needs to put some really terrible curse on you without warning! Just because she can't change cutie marks without your permission doesn't mean she isn't really, really dangerous!"

"But-" began Twilight, then stopped. She really didn't want to apply any more hard commands on Starlight, but that didn't change the fact that Trixie was absolutely correct. "...you're right. It's too risky. Starlight - if you decide to attack me or my friends, you'll stop yourself, and just tell me instead. Within forty eight hours, or as close as is safe. You will not deliberately deceive me."

"If I decide to attack you or those I understand to be your friends, I will tell you within two days, and not do it. I will not deliberately mislead you."

Trixie picked up her quill and wrote the precise words down, with a quietly smug air. "Thank you, Mistress. You should always listen to the splendidly slutty and submissive Trixie."

"I do listen to you. You're important. I really do rely on you being here, Trixie." Twilight sighed, and pulled back the sheets. Sitting up slowly and carefully, feeling her head swim queasily, she added, "Trixie, put your top back on, then help me dress, please. I'm going to have to release her, and I don't want to be naked when I do it."

"It would be the worshipful Trixie's honour, Mistress! Let your perfect, adorable fuckdoll dress your amazing body!"

Twilight let Trixie ease her into some clean underwear, then on with a skirt and blouse. It really was relaxing to let Trixie touch her, and every movement the powder-blue mare made was filled to brimming with tender care. Catching Trixie's hand as it moved past her face, Twilight kissed the back of the other mare's fingers. "Thank you. This is... nice."

Trixie blushed happily. "She's always so delighted to look after you, Mistress! The amazingly humble and deliciously compliant Trixie will wait on you hand and foot, any time you desire!"

That sounded really good. In fact, what she wanted, Twilight suddenly decided, was to get back to Canterlot, and have her entire collection of slaves tending to her, day and night, loving and stroking and massaging her. Given what had been happening, coming to the town had definitely been the right thing to do - even if her execution hadn't exactly been flawless - but she was starting to feel quite strongly that she was due some time to relax again.

But first, she had matters to settle here.

Moving to stand at the foot of the bed, Trixie following anxiously a step behind, Twilight gripped the footboard for support and met Starlight's empty gaze. "Starlight. Slumber."

Starlight blinked, once.

The chair rocked and went over backwards as she shot to her feet with a sharp gasp. The half-full glass of water went flying, spilling across the floorboards. "P-Princess!" she stammered, in a strangled tone. "What, what happened?!"

Trixie lunged forward, the motion instinctive in the face of the sudden blur of movement, and took up a protective stance in front of Twilight. "Stay back, Mistress! Trixie told you she's dangerous!"

"Trixie! Please, step to one side," said Twilight firmly. Her gaze switched back to Starlight's face, searching the unfamiliar pony's features for some essential glimmer of truth. "Starlight, how do you feel?"

"I... terrible," replied Starlight weakly. "I feel stiff, and sore, and I'm really, really afraid. You did something to me?" Unable to meet Twilight's gaze, she looked down at her clothes and brushed roughly at them, as though getting rid of the clinging dirt would cleanse herself of her connection to what she'd been doing before. "I feel like I've just woken up from a bad dream." She shivered. "A really bad dream."

The right use of authority was important here, Twilight decided. She was re-establishing their relationship from the beginning, and every detail mattered. Speaking softly but firmly, she told the other mare, "I'm not interested in punishing you, Starlight. I want you to get better."

Starlight made a short noise of disbelief that came too quickly to have been anything but instinctual. Taking another step backwards, she spoke nervously, rapidly. "There's - there is no way that's true. After what I did to your - your whatever she is, your minion there, and the two spies, you're just going to let me get away with it? Uh-uh. I don't think so."

Trixie scowled at Starlight, obviously ready to leap at her the very instant she did anything suspicious. "You don't deserve to get away with it, Trixie agrees."

Twilight spoke over Trixie's words. "Starlight, what you did here was very wrong. Yes. The pony you were was selfish, dangerous, and I'm not sure you were even sane. That's why I've helped clear your mind. But I need you to understand that I haven't changed who you are." Twilight stayed where she was, letting her hands rest at her sides. The last thing she wanted was to seem as though she was about to attack the other pony.

All the same, her words were steady and remorseless.

"There's nothing stopping you from deciding that all this was justified, and trying again. I don't want that. You've been given a second chance, a chance to do things differently. I will be watching you, Starlight. It isn't impossible for you to earn my trust, but it will take time, and it truly will have to be earned."

Starlight's eyes were wide. She'd backed up against the wall, hands flat against the boards, visibly cornered. "You- Are you going to leave me here?"

Twilight glanced at Trixie, who was nodding vigorously. Obviously, as far as Trixie was concerned, if Starlight wasn't going to be punished, a good second best would be to simply get rid of her. Even so, Trixie had to know that wasn't going to happen. It was far too risky.

Addressing Starlight, Twilight began, "I'm afraid that-"

"Please don't!" Starlight burst out. Her eyes darted this way and that, as though seeing straight through the walls to a furious crowd. "They... they've got their cutie marks back, haven't they?" She swallowed. "It's all over. They'll- they'll hate me."

"Oh, so you are sane now," Trixie replied, with acidic brightness.

"Trixie!" snapped Twilight.

"What? That's the first thing she's said that actually makes sense since we met her," Trixie retorted.

Starlight hunched her shoulders. "Look, I... understand that you'll punish me. Just... don't send me out there."

"Listen, Starlight." Twilight folded her arms across her chest. "Sooner or later, you're going to have to see the ponies of this town. They deserve to know what happens next. But when I leave this town, you will come with me, to Canterlot."

"You - you're not taking me before Princess Celestia?" Starlight's voice sank to an appalled whisper.

Part of Twilight sympathised with the look of terror on the other mare's face. But it wasn't that part of her that answered with brusque calm, "She's already come here. You've been out for a couple of days. I sent a message to her for help, after I left town the first time."

"Where?!" Starlight looked around herself with jerky haste, as though Celestia might be standing behind her, or hiding under the bed.

"Not here, not right now," Twilight corrected herself. "I misspoke. She came to rescue me, but since I was okay, she's gone south for a couple of days to secure a caravan of supplies for the town. I'm not sure when she'll be back, but it shouldn't be too long."

Starlight whimpered wordlessly.

"Starlight. I can't say there won't be consequences for what happened here. But I'm not going to punish you for the sake of punishing you, do you understand? And Celestia is the least vengeful pony I've ever met. I can only imagine that the idea of just running for the hills is pretty tempting right now-" a little squeak from Starlight confirmed Twilight had read her mind correctly, "-but I'm asking you to reconsider that impulse. It won't fix things, and I'm sorry, but I will find you. So if you'd like to make a fresh start, the time to start showing you can be trusted is right now."

"I, I understand," stammered Starlight. "What– what do you want me to do?"

"Get some rest, please. I'd like you to go and find something to eat, and get some proper sleep." Maybe a bath, too. "Consider what you'd like to bring with you when we leave. We'll be on foot, so pick things that are portable, okay?"

"Right, I, I understand. But – can I stay here? Please? If I go out there, I don't know what – what they'll do."

"I doubt they'd do anything," Twilight said softly. Instantly, she second-guessed herself – was that really true? Surely they'd have words, at the very least, for Starlight, and a lot of them would be hard to hear.

Starlight's look of wide-eyed desperation conveyed her own doubts more thoroughly than any words could have.

Twilight sighed, and relented. "One of my guards is on duty outside. You can stay here, if you want to, and I'll have some food brought in. If you figure out what you'd like to bring with you – there's no rush, we won't be leaving for a day or two – I can have it collected."

Starlight swallowed. She seemed to be struggling with herself, but, after a long moment, she managed, "…thank you."

Twilight nodded. That would have to do; she had to deal with Lime Fizz and Sugar Belle, before anything else could go wrong. "I'll be back later, to check on you. Come, Trixie."

"Yes, Princess! Trixie is always delighted to be at your side." Head held high, ostensibly ignoring Starlight, Trixie followed Twilight out of the room, leaving Starlight wringing her hands behind them.

Zephyr had been the one on duty outside the door. It had been a little awkward to acknowledge just how distressed he was, though he'd been trying to hide it and project a stoicism that really didn't suit him. He certainly hadn't wanted to leave Twilight to go out by herself, considering all she'd gone through recently, and it had taken some fast, firm words to convince him that his best duty was to keep a watch over Starlight instead. In the end, a direct command from his Princess had done the trick, but it had made Twilight feel a little bad to issue it.

The truth was, however, that she badly needed somepony to keep an eye on Starlight; coming to terms with her freshly-reconfigured morality, against her memories of all she'd done, wasn't going to be easy. Twilight had done what she could to nudge Starlight into a better mindset, but hadn't softened her language at all while speaking to her captive, and she was awkwardly aware that she'd enjoyed being brusquely cavalier with her defeated enemy.

Still, regardless of the worries occupying Twilight's thoughts, outside, the town was in the grip of a full-blown carnival. Ponies milled about everywhere, gleefully flaunting their unique mane styles, talking, arguing, singing and dancing. All the glorious chaos of a fully-functioning town; one that was cresting into the greatest celebration the ponies who lived there had ever known. Not that they had a high bar to clear, but still...

"Princess Twilight! You're back on your feet!"

Twilight blinked, caught flat-footed as she emerged into the street. The voice was sort-of familiar, but she didn't recognise the mare in front of her, bright pink with a wine-coloured mane, her cupcake cutie mark visible through new cut-outs in her town clothes. Then it clicked.

"Sugar Belle?" Twilight asked, disbelieving. "I – you look different!"

"I do, I do!" Sugar Belle sang out delightedly. "Oh, Princess, you have no idea how good it feels to have my cutie mark back again! It's like all the colour has returned to my life!"

Twilight pressed a hand to her own chest, speechless for a moment. Into the gap, Twilight was surprised to hear Trixie reply instead.

"Trixie understands," said the showmare earnestly. "Trixie really does, and she only lost her cutie mark for a couple of days. The splendid and spectacular Trixie is so happy for you!"

"You poor thing!" replied Sugar Belle earnestly, throwing her arms around Trixie and hugging her hard. "Come and have a cake. I promise it's good." Her eyes turned back to Twilight, and she added joyously, "They're good; everything tastes so much better! I just – I'm so happy."

Trixie's stunned expression was a treasure to behold. Moving up beside her, Twilight squeezed her shoulder and said gently to Sugar Belle, "I'd really like to try one too, if that's okay."

"Oh – well, yes! Yes, of course! I wasn't sure if I should offer one to you, after… you know," Sugar Belle replied awkwardly, looking down at her feet. Glancing up, she went on slowly, "But… if you're sure?"

"I'm sure," Twilight reassured her. And later on, I'll work on a detection spell. She didn't want to ever get caught like that again. "Shouldn't you be resting, though? I talked to Mint Balm, and she said you and Lime were still recovering."

"Mint Balm means well," Sugar Belle replied, turning to lead them down the street. "She's just fussing over us a little more than we need. I think she's really happy to have patients to tend to, in a way. Lime Fizz is feeling a lot better! She pushed herself harder than me, though, so she's still resting for now."

Ponies swirled around them, some playing music on real instruments, some improvising with whatever they had to hand, banging out tunes on drums and barrels. One stall caught Twilight's eye, as a shapeless grey tunic was dipped into a vat of orange water, and another was pulled out, dyed a pleasant russet orange-brown.

Sugar Belle noticed the glance, and remarked bashfully, "We're all exploring our talents again, it's been wonderful. Quick Snip trimmed my clothes so I could show off my mark again, and now she's trying to make dyes out of what we've got in the stores. Did you know that Princess Celestia came to see us? And she said she's going to bring back supplies! Clothes, and dyes, and food, and seeds, and paint, and tools, and-" She broke off, hugging herself. "It's all going to be okay. We were really worried that we were going to be in trouble after everything that happened, but the Princess talked to us all, and - she was so nice! I was so close I could have reached out and touched her!"

Twilight's smile grew a little conspiratorial. It really was special to be able to touch Celestia; to be close to her. Luna, too. And all the Elements, and her other lovers... sometimes, she felt as though she needed to copy herself a dozen times just to make sure all of them had the attention they deserved. In fact, if it wasn't for knowing how badly that sort of thing tended to end up, she might have even been tempted to try it now and then. Shaking her head to dismiss the thought, she followed Sugar Belle down the street, smiling at the ponies they passed, greeting and waving. A table was set up outside the bakery, with a couple of baskets that had been thoroughly denuded of their contents by passers-by.

"Every last one taken," said Sugar Belle, in tones of deep satisfaction. "Don't worry, I put some aside especially. They're inside."

The bakery door banged open, framing a dark blue pegasus with a slicked back white mane. Spreading her wings to take flight, she flinched when Sugar Belle called out accusingly, "Night Glider! Have you taken my last cakes?"

"...nope!" Night Glider denied, nodding quickly. Wiping the back of her hand across her mouth to remove a few stray crumbs, she added, "Gotta fly!" and shot up into the air with a fast beat of her wings. She only got a few body lengths, however, before she came to a stop and flapped slowly back down to hover a few feet above the ground.

"So, uh... Trixie, right?" she said sheepishly. "Sorry. About dropping the jar. I mean, it worked out great, and I feel so much better, and if I'd been on form, that would never have happened - it was like flying with lead chains on my wings - but yeah, oops."

"Oops?" replied Trixie indignantly, but then shook her head, tossing her mane. "The magnificently splendiferous Trixie is grateful for your assistance, Night Glider. Starlight was a lunatic that had to be stopped. Now Trixie is restored, her perfect Princess is by her side, and everything is as it should be."

"...well, yeah," agreed Night Glider, her gaze straying towards Twilight. "So, you're a Princess, then. Obviously. It's the wings and the magic that does it. So... what's gonna happen with Starlight?"

Twilight paused. Well, she was going to have to tell the townsfolk something, and though Night Glider had asked the question, she could sense the sudden suction of attentively listening ears, all around her. Sugar Belle wasn't making any show of hiding it, either. "She's coming back with Princess Celestia and me, to Canterlot. Or at least, I've asked her to."

"Uh, you think she's going to come with you willingly?" asked Night Glider, with frank disbelief. Her wings flapping more slowly, she sank back to the ground. "And if she doesn't? Is she going to, you know, stay here?"

"...Starlight is aware that she's not exactly popular around the town, at this time," Twilight said carefully. "We've talked, as I've been recovering. I'm afraid you're right; I've asked her to come to Canterlot with me, and she isn't exactly keen on the idea, but I've made it clear that if she chooses to run, I will come looking for her. I can't exactly call my invitation to her... optional." Sighing, Twilight shook her head. "I want to keep her close by for a while. I hope that, with time, Starlight will come to find peace with herself, and the parts of her personal history that drove her to this."

"Huh. Yeah, okay. That sounds way more plausible. You should have heard her; she really doesn't think much of you, Princess. Spent day and night telling us-" Night Glider stopped, then flapped up into the air again. "You know what - never mind! I'm gonna go fly some super slick curves. Later!"

"What about my cakes?!" Sugar Belle demanded as the pegasus flipped and sped off. Shaking her head, Sugar Belle turned to Twilight and Trixie. "Well, let's see if anything survived." Opening the door, she stepped into the cooler shade of the interior. Trixie followed her in, but Twilight hesitated at the doorway. The memory of a surging wave of dizziness, swamping her, was still a little fresh.

"I'll wait here," Twilight called inside, and turned to rest her back against the wall, flattening her wings. No doubt the news would be spreading through the town already, rippling outwards from pony to pony. Starlight was leaving, as Princess Twilight's captive. Despite avoiding that specific word, nopony was fooled by terms like 'non-optional invitation'.

What would Celestia have said?

…something better, something more reassuring. Something that didn't require her to clarify that, yes, Starlight was effectively a prisoner. Celestia always radiated truth and wisdom, as warm and comforting as the sunlight. She'd have said something that wasn't half-way to being a lie through omission. That was distressingly common, these days. A little internal voice, listening to her own words, adding up the ways she was deceiving others.

Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Lies.

"Well, she did leave one cake behind," Sugar Belle said wryly, as she emerged into the sunlight. Offering a small slice of cake on a wooden plate, she bowed her head slightly. "Would you like to try it, Princess?"

"Mmmf! Hyu should!" Trixie remarked through a mouthful of cake. Swallowing, she added brightly, "The talented and tasty Sugar Belle has done extremely well!"

Sugar Belle blushed, with a little laugh. "Tasty? I'm not sure I'd go that far."

Reaching out, Twilight picked up the slice, and looked into Sugar Belle's eyes. "Thank you, very much. I'm sure it'll be delicious," she said softly. Lifting the cake to her lips, she took a small bite. Her brows rose slightly. "This is good," she declared, and took a larger bite. "I'm amazed you could make something so nice with the ingredients you had left."

"Well, I still had some supplies left from… before. And after the cave, I was ruining everything I touched, so I left those supplies alone. I'm pretty much out, now, but… I'm glad you like it," Sugar Belle said, shyly glancing down at her feet.

"I do," Twilight reassured her, finishing off the slice and licking her fingers. It occurred to her that at that very moment there was probably an etiquette expert in Canterlot feeling odd tremors of unease, as they unconsciously sensed a Princess licking her fingers in public. The thought made her smile a little.

Still. There was the matter of the charm to attend to. Twilight's smile faded, and she shook her head slightly. "Could you show me where Lime Fizz is? I'd like to talk to her. To both of you, actually."

"Oh! Um. Yes, certainly," Sugar Belle agreed quickly. Setting down the plate on one of the little tables set up around her front door, the baker gestured along the street. "She and I are bedded down in one of the upstairs rooms in the Tulip dorm. Mint Balm sleeps there, so she can keep an eye on us. I'm going to move above the bakery again, once we have time to rearrange things, but right now, all the beds are in the dorm houses. Starlight said it was better for us to sleep in dorm groups. So we'd have more community spirit."

Twilight grimaced. That sounded like another way of encouraging the ponies of the town to watch each other at all times. Starlight might have been unbalanced, but she had an unpleasantly sharp understanding of how to control other ponies. The damage she could have done if she'd ever had access to the charm was incalculable. It was vital that no enemy of Equestria ever found out it even existed.

A vision of her partially locked telescope case, and the notes hidden within it, passed uneasily across Twilight's mind.

"In here, Princess," Sugar Belle offered, snapping Twilight from her thoughts. She'd almost walked right past the building.

"Oh, um. Yes. Thank you." Following Sugar Belle inside, Trixie trailing along behind them, Twilight noticed that Sugar slowed down as she began tackling the stairs, with frequent little winces as she climbed. For all that she claimed to be recovered, her muscles were definitely still recovering from her ordeal. Though now that Twilight thought about it, Sugar Belle should still have access to the pain-control visualisation... so she either wasn't using it, or she'd only partially turned down her pain, and what bled through was still troubling her.

Better do something about that, too.

Emerging from the top of the creaking staircase, Twilight followed Sugar Belle down a narrow passageway, careful not to rush the other mare. Narrow archways opened into small rooms on either side of the corridor, three beds in each. No doors. All the ponies of the town were busy outside, but at night, the little building had to be packed wall to wall, all within earshot of each other. Of course; privacy was an invitation to foment 'disagreement', so none could be allowed. Twilight felt her anger at Starlight surge again, and had to push it down with an effort of will.

The last room down the corridor actually did have a door. Rather to Twilight's surprise, Argent was standing before it, the neat, toned unicorn wearing his full, official armour emblazoned with Twilight's pink star.

"Princess Twilight," he greeted her, bowing his head. "I'm relieved to see you on your feet again."

That seemed to be that. No recrimination, no reproachful, puppy-eyed looks like the ones she'd received from Zephyr. Argent was as self-possessed and businesslike as ever. With a glance at Sugar Belle, Twilight remarked awkwardly, "I suppose you're here to keep an eye on Lime Fizz?"

"You are correct, Princess," Argent agreed. "Guard-Captain Diorite assigned me to her protection while she recovers."

Twilight glanced around herself. "Where is Diorite?"

"The Guard-Captain is sleeping, to the best of my knowledge, Princess. She, Obscura, and Autumn are off-shift." Catching Twilight's slightly quizzical look, he added, "She finished an extended shift two hours ago. Nonetheless, I believe she would wish to know you've regained consciousness. Shall I have her woken up, Princess?"

"No, don't. I can only imagine how hard she's pushed herself. Let her rest as long as she needs. How about Burdock?"

"He has been spending time with Lime Fizz, but he isn't present right now." Argent paused, then added, "After the events of the last few days, I suspect he may be trying to avoid you, Princess."

Another pony that needed some reassurance. "I understand," Twilight replied. "Please don't allow anypony to enter while we are talking to Lime Fizz, Argent."

"At your command, my Princess." Argent saluted, and reached out to lift the latch, pushing the door inwards for Twilight to enter. Nodding appreciatively and giving him a small smile, Twilight ducked her head, and stepped through the narrow doorway.

Three narrow cot beds were lined up with their headboards against the far wall, almost filling the small room. Lime Fizz lay in the bed closest to a tall, thin window that constituted the room's only light source. Plainly she'd heard voices; she was already sitting up, one leg swung off the bed. "Princess Twilight! If you give me a moment, I'll get dressed, and I can-"

"Stay where you are," Twilight told her gently, but firmly. "Put that leg back in bed right now, and lie down. You're not in any state to go anywhere, yet."

"...okay, Princess. I mean - yes, your Majesty," Lime Fizz added belatedly, with an awkward attempt at a little bow.

Perching on the side of Lime Fizz's bed, Twilight took Lime's hand in hers. With a smile, she chided, "Paper. Remember? Are you feeling better, now that you have your cutie mark back?"

At the mention of her cutie mark, Lime Fizz momentarily lost her nervous look, and sighed with relief. "Yes. It feels so much better, now. I'm still... well, sore, but I can't tell you how much it meant to me, Princess. Um. Paper."

"You don't have to tell the splendid and talented Trixie," the showmare broke in. Rubbing a hand over her thigh, she added, "Trixie knows how good it feels."

"You pushed yourself hard to get back to town in time, I know that," Twilight said softly to the prone mare, stroking the back of Lime's hand. "I know you didn't do what I wanted, and I was upset at the strain you put yourself under, but... you did well. I'm really proud of you. If you hadn't come when you did… that was way too close. I could have lost. In fact, I think I probably would have. I didn't know Starlight was bluffing, and I couldn't risk it. Thank you."

Lime Fizz rubbed her cheek with awkward embarrassment. "Thank you, Princess. I don't really feel like I can deserve praise though, not when I - you know."

"It wasn't your fault, and you know that."

Twilight tried, just for a moment, to picture how guilty she'd have felt if she'd been turned against Celestia by some villainous pony back before she'd had the charm for herself. A simple reassurance probably wasn't going to cut it. On the other hand, what Lime Fizz needed more than anything was just time, and space to come to terms with what had happened. It wasn't, and couldn't, be Twilight's job to fix everypony.

Choosing to switch territory, Twilight asked instead, "How's Burdock? Rock, rather."

"Well, Rock's better than he was. He's got his mark back. I think it..." Lime Fizz hesitated, her eyes shifting to Trixie, then to Sugar Belle, and back to Twilight. Sighing, she continued, "I think it messed him up a bit, having fake painted cutie marks and pretending to be fine. He came closer than I did to refusing to do it, I think, and Starlight leaned on him hard."

"...I see." It was probably better not to ask too much about what that had entailed. Likely to have been a lot of emotional blackmail and unpleasant manipulation. "I'd like you to come with me to find him, later. I'm worried about him, and I want to make sure he's okay. I definitely want him to know that I don't blame him for anything that's happened. I sent the both of you out looking for trouble, and you found it. If anypony's responsible for all this, it's me," Twilight said softly.

Lime Fizz stared at the ceiling for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, with a nod, she agreed, "...thank you, Pr- Paper. Whenever you want me to come with you, I will. I know some places that he might be."

"I don't want to pull you out of bed yet, but once Mint Balm says you can get up and walk around, we'll do that together." Twilight turned towards Sugar Belle, who was hovering near the door, and beckoned her over. "Sugar Belle, come and sit with us, please. There's something I need to talk to you both about."

A flicker of apprehension crossed Sugar's face, and she met Lime Fizz's eyes as she crossed meekly to the bed, sitting on the opposite side from Twilight. Clasping her hands in her lap, Sugar Belle said softly, "...Mint Balm asked us how we ended up so exhausted. I didn't say anything. It's about that, though, right?"

"I didn't say anything either," Lime Fizz added. "It didn't sound like the sort of thing that you wanted us to talk about. I'm not sure what to say, though. Mint Balm was getting suspicious. Other ponies will ask about it, too. I didn't tell Rock anything, but he asked, too."

"You're both right," Twilight acknowledged. "This is about that spell."

It was painfully simple, really. She couldn't risk ponies with knowledge of the charm wandering around, able to tell others about it. The townsfolk as a whole hadn't seen enough to know conclusively what kind of spell had been used on Starlight, but these two... well. It was her own fault for using it on them, and when Lime Fizz had asked her what had happened, she'd been too tired to lie. Now she had two choices.

Option one. Ask them not to tell anypony and, once they'd agreed, enforce that agreement with the charm itself. That was the kinder option. It gave them more dignity, let them choose to keep the secret for themselves. But the thing was, even if they didn't tell anypony, the fact of Twilight's harem was going to come out, sooner or later. If the two of them began to suspect that the charm had been used to compel the obedience, the love of Twilight's many partners... well, even if Lime and Sugar couldn't tell others about the charm, they could tell others that Twilight was a bad pony, a villain, somepony that couldn't be trusted. They could do a lot of harm. Orders to make them always trust her and her intentions would, in their own way, eventually be even more obvious.

And if they refused to agree, said they didn't want to promise not to tell, Twilight knew she'd have to impose that restriction anyway.

Option two. In some ways it was crueller, and in some ways, it was more merciful. More honest. She could simply tweak their memories; make them forget what kind of spell she'd used, and replace it with something more innocent. It would solve a lot of potential problems later on. But, Twilight knew, it was also the option that betrayed a deep and fundamental mistrust of the ponies around her. A tendency to use magic rather than believe in their good will. Lime Fizz had earned better than that. They both deserved better.

That still didn't mean that being trusted was actually the best thing for them.

"The spell that I used is tremendously dangerous," Twilight concluded aloud. "Even knowing that it exists, that it's possible, is something that could do a lot of harm. I'm grateful that you haven't told anypony what happened; I really am. So..." she took a deep breath, "I need the two of you to promise to never tell anypony of what happened. It's a serious promise, so take a moment to think it over." And if you agree, I'll make certain you can never break your word.

Sugar Belle raised a hand, with a trace of nervousness. "If we don't agree - what then?"

"...I don't know," confessed Twilight, unhappily. "Maybe I'd just have to live with the risk." Would she wipe their memories if they refused? How about if just one refused? Could she just let them be, the way they were? They didn't know the full extent and power of the charm, but what they did know was tremendously dangerous all the same. Please, she inwardly begged, don't make me make that decision.

From by the door, Trixie began indignantly, "How can you even consider defying the glorious-"

"Trixie, please," Twilight cut her off. "It has to be their decision."

"I'll promise," Lime Fizz said strongly, sitting up straight. "I'm your seeker, Princess. I pledged to serve you, and help you recover dangerous magic. I won't ever tell anypony about that spell, I swear it."

Sugar hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. "Okay. If you both think it's the right thing to do, I promise not to tell anypony about it. But what can I tell them instead?"

Awash with relief, Twilight pressed a hand to her own chest. "Thank you. Both of you. If you absolutely have to tell somepony something, you can tell them we were out the back, where the cart is, and I cast a malformed teleport spell as I passed out that dropped us out in the plains. That accounts for the cart being out there, and ending up walking for miles and miles under the sun. There's one more thing, though. The pain cancellation I placed on both of you when you woke up. Are either of you still using it?"

Sugar Belle shook her head; Lime Fizz hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"I put it in place for good reason, but having the ability to turn off pain, long-term, probably isn't for the best," Twilight said gently. "You'll end up hurting yourself, like you did when you came back to the village. I'm going to remove the block, but slowly. It'll fade away over a couple of weeks. Do I have your permission to do that?"

"Oh. Of course," agreed Sugar Belle. Brushing her mane back from her face, she added softly, "Thank you, for doing that. You were kind."

Lime Fizz bit her lip. "It could be useful in future, though," she protested. "What if I get hurt again, when I'm trying to secure something, and I can't go on because of it?"

"If you get hurt again, I'll be very sad," Twilight replied gently. "Please be careful with yourselves, both you and Rock. But if it does happen... like I said, I'd rather you stop, than make your injuries worse."

"You wouldn't have stopped," protested Lime Fizz. "I mean, if you'd twisted your ankle fighting Discord, would you have sat down and said 'Okay, you win, ice pack please?'"

Twilight laughed, shaking her head once. "I wouldn't have. But I'd have moved more carefully, avoiding doing more harm to it. This isn't like my last request; if you absolutely insist, I'll leave your block intact. But I'd really rather not."

Lime Fizz sighed, lying back against her pillows. "...okay, Paper. If you think it's best, I agree," she said reluctantly.

"Thank you, both of you. I'll remove that block now." Twilight caught a glimpse of Trixie straightening up in anticipation; her apprentice knew the tone in Twilight's voice. With a deep breath, Twilight declared firmly, "Obey your Empress."

"This slave obeys."

And just like that, she was surrounded by kneeling mares. Trixie dropped to her knees by the door, Sugar Belle slid off the bed and knelt on the floor, and Lime Fizz blankly rearranged her legs under her and knelt atop the bed itself, her bedsheets pushed aside.

Silence. Lime Fizz was wearing only a nightgown, and in the pose she was in, it had ridden up to partly bare her ass. Twilight felt a familiar stirring as she looked into the other mare's blank eyes, and reached out to stroke a strand of hair back from her face.

"That's better," Twilight murmured to the mesmerised Seeker. This was the feeling that Twilight had missed; the absolute freedom of being surrounded by ponies that were utterly under her control, the freedom from judgement, or consequences.

Lime Fizz really was very pretty. It was... different, when a pony was entranced. Twilight knew she could look at Lime for as long as she wanted, taking in every little detail of her face and body. It was like being lovers... able to gaze as long as she wanted at the other mare, without a trace of self-consciousness.

Of course, Lime wasn't the only pony in the room...

"Stand up, Sugar."

With a rustle of fabric, Sugar Belle rose from the ground and stood beside the bed, her gaze settling into a vacant stare. "I will stand."

Pushing herself off the bed, Twilight circled around it to stand before Sugar Belle. Reaching out with both hands, she began gently caressing the faces of the two mares, feeling the smooth warmth of their skin under her fingertips. Now that their cutie marks had been returned, their colours were so much more vibrant. Both mares were a similar shade of warm pink, but where Lime's was accented by her spiky, bright green mane, Sugar Belle's was dark purple and curled into fluffy ringlets.

"You're both very pretty," Twilight murmured.

"We are very pretty."

"She and I are very pretty."

Twilight smiled to herself, shaking her head once. It wouldn't do to leave that behind; it sounded harmless enough, but with an unshakable belief in their own beauty, they might end up egotistical. Though they'd have to try pretty hard to reach Trixie's standards.

Very gently, her fingers stroked over their lips, parting them just a little. So soft, and warm.

Enough. This wasn't what she was here for, and she couldn't let herself get distracted. Withdrawing her fingers and wiping them clean on her own skirt, Twilight pushed down the urge to keep touching them. She had to focus.

"All changes I've made to you today are ended," she told Lime Fizz and Sugar Belle. "Tell me the truth: have you told anypony about the spell I used on you both? Have you made any record of what happened?"

"No."

"I haven't."

"Good. Sugar Belle, are you using the pain control visualisation I gave you?"

"Yes. On a low level."

Twilight shook her head. "Okay. Lime Fizz, how about you? How far is the dial turned?"

"The dial is turned to four out of ten," replied the half-naked Seeker blankly.

That was quite a lot of pain suppression. Of course, Lime might have turned her sensitivity down while they were talking, so she could concentrate better. The potential of the technique was staggering, from physical pain to emotional distress, to pleasurable sensations. On the other hand, however, the potential for messing ponies up by giving them direct control over parts of their minds and bodies that were never meant for conscious control was... substantial.

Just as well to catch it now, before it got out of hand.

"Sugar Belle, Lime Fizz, don't repeat this, but listen. The commands I have given you about controlling your pain and visualising a dial are now ended. Whatever position the dial was at, the numbing of pain will be at that intensity when you wake up, and over the next two weeks, the numbing will fade away until you feel sensations normally again. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Yes, I understand."

Twilight nodded to herself; one item ticked off her internal checklist. But that still left another, larger entry. The promises.

Of course, she could just wake them up, and trust them. Twilight admired the two of them, she really did. Sugar Belle had come within an inch of defying Starlight and warning Twilight - if Lime Fizz hadn't been right there, she probably would have. And Lime Fizz, once given a way out... she'd done everything in her power to make things better. Neither had said a word about what had happened. They were trustworthy ponies.

But, in the long term, if Twilight was ever going to be able to relax, she needed to be certain.

"Lime Fizz. Sugar Belle. Did you both promise not to tell others about the mental domination spell that I used on you?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Exhaling, Twilight said quietly, firmly, "You will always keep that promise. You won't tell anypony about it, you won't write it down. You want to keep that secret for me."

There was a lot more she could say, about never suspecting she was abusing the spell, or using it on others. Sooner or later, they were going to hear about her herd relationship, and that could easily make them suspicious. It would be easy to make sure neither of them ever turned on her again. She could even make them pliant, obedient, as her suppressed worst instincts demanded. In fact, despite her earlier decision, she could still block their memories completely and make them believe the cover story after all.

There was a lot more she could do. But, on the other hand, she'd already done more than enough.

"Stand up, Trixie," said Twilight softly, and nodded at the other pony's mindless repetition of her words. There was a mare that she could play with, that she could touch and toy with, and do as she pleased to. An image of the other element bearers flashed into her mind, and Twilight felt a pang of homesickness, not for a place, but for the safety and security of her lovers.

The sooner she went home, the better.

"All of you; I am satisfied."

Author's Notes:

This was a tough one. Wrote a first draft, didn't like the way it read, and completely dismantled it for a second try. Much happier with this!

Next time: Celestia, a change of scenery, and a return to the sunny plains of BDSM clop

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Suggestions and proofing by Djmill, JustTheBast, and DbzOrDie!