+++
title = "Spring Crystal Cotillion"
names = ["DCFTEF"]
date = "2016-04-10 05:51:38"
tags = ["F/f", "over bed", "leather belt", "non-consensual"]
spankers = ["Cadence"]
spankees = ["Flurry Heart"]
posts = [""]
+++

Flurry Heart was so excited that she felt like leaping straight out the window and flying around the main tower of her home, the Crystal Castle.
Of course, this would be very un-Princess like behavior but the filly did not care. Tonight was going to be the best night ever.
Best.
Night.
EVER.

A maid appeared at her door and asked formally;
>"My lady, do you need any assistance getting into your dress?"
But Flurry had things under control;
>"No thank you, I can manage."
The maid nodded and reminded her before leaving;
>"Guests will begin arriving at seven. Your parents will expect you downstairs in the main hall to greet them."
Flurry Heart didn't need to be told that. She was so excited she would be there an hour early.

Traditionally, a Princess of the Empire began taking on her first Royal duties at age 15. While Flurry was a few months short of that mark she had begged and finally convinced her parents to let her join them in presiding over the Spring Crystal Cotillion.
At first they had been reluctant. Flurry Heart had been allowed to attend formal parties before, but she'd been treated as a foal; no official duties and at a certain hour she was shuffled off to bed.

This party would be different!
This time she would stand alongside her parents at the head of the receiving line and she would be allowed to stay up as long as the party went on...maybe even until morning!
It had taken a significant amount of begging.
>"Dad, Moooom, please! I'll have to wait a whole 'nother year until the next Crystal Cotillion! I promise I'm old enough this year!"
That, repeated a hundred times over the preceding months had finally worn down Cadance & Shining Armor's resistance.
>"Alright, fine. You can go but we expect you on your best behavior."
At that moment, when they finally gave in, Flurry demonstrated her maturity & grace by having a full-blown joy overload freak out which would have put Aunt Pinkie Pie to shame. She was really going to the party!

Flurry's new dress really did look cute on her. It was a very short style, popular with young mares, but it hadn't been popular with her father at first.
>"Ehhhh, that skirt is a bit short, don't you think?"
Flurry nearly panicked when she heard that.
This was the dress she adored...the one she'd dreamed of wearing since Auntie Rarity first showed her the sketches.
>"But Dad, this is what all the fillies are wearing this season!"
>"And Aunt Twilight had a short dress like this when she was my age!"
She had the family photo album ready to back her up.
>"Grandma even bought it for her!"
Shining remembered that dress. It had been his sister's only piece of formal clothing until she met Rarity (after that her closets exploded). But he was still leery of letting his daughter wear something like that to a formal party.

But Flurry would not be denied.
>"Dad, your uniform doesn't even cover your rump! What's wrong with letting me wear something stylish? Please!?"
Eventually Shining accepted that there are certain fights a teenager will just not surrender on and he grudgingly gave his blessing to the short dress. Flurry nearly pulled his neck out of joint hugging her father.
>"Ugh...I'm not as young as I used to be."
>"Neither am I, Daddy!"

So now the evening of the Cotillion had arrived and it was everything Flurry Heart had dreamed of.
A chamber orchestra in the ball room.
The finest chefs in the Crystal Empire keeping the buffet stocked.
Fancy hoof-stallions helping the guests from their gilded carriages.
Dozens of the most famous and important ponies from Equestria, plus dignitaries from other lands (Flurry had never shaken hooves with a griffon before!) all waiting their turn to be welcomed by the Royal Family.

Mother and Father greeted each guest first, then introduced their daughter, who curtsied politely and welcomed them to the cotillion. It was all rehearsed; Mom and her tutors had been coaching Flurry Heart for weeks on how to behave at her first big party. She'd been nervous, but once the music started and ponies began dancing in their fanciest attire the excitement was difficult to bottle up.
After a half hour of greeting Cadance leaned over and whispered;
>"You're doing wonderfully, dear. Keep up the good work."
That praise made Flurry's heart sing. It really was the best night ever.

Greetings took another hour, but after that the Royal Family was free to mingle with their guests. There was so much to do...so much to see, but the sumptuous buffet was first on Flurry Heart's mind. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and shaking hooves with a few hundred dignitaries was hard work! Still, she remembered her training and ate daintily like a princess should...never sloppy, never over-indulgent. Things were going so well!

Next she entered the ball room and watched elegant mares swish past in long, rustling gowns of silk and taffeta, attended by debonair stallions in black-tie or formal military dress. Among them were a number of attractive colts her age.
>Maybe one of them will even ask me to dance...
She hoped,
>And maybe Dad won't even blast him to smithereens with his horn.
As her Father's watchful eye (and horn) was not far away, Flurry decided to join a conversation instead of hoping for a dance.

That turned out more difficult than expected.
Some of the conversations she listened to were just boring. Flurry Heart loved her outfit but she didn't want to spend all night talking about clothes.
Other conversations were well above her knowledge level. She'd been to the finest schools in Equestria, but listening to old gray-haired stallions drone on about politics made her feel poorly educated.
>"When in doubt,"
her mother had explained
>"it's better to keep quiet than to say something foolish just to be part of a conversation."
Flurry took this advice to heart and kept looking.

Unfortunately, the only circle young Flurry Heart found where the conversation wasn't totally boring yet easy enough for her almost-15 year old brain to understand was anchored around Cousin Blueblood. He was a distant relative of Mom, who tolerated him politely. Dad just outright avoided him. Blueblood was kind of a clueless blowhard (albeit, one smart enough to keep his family obscenely wealthy) but Flurry hadn't had any luck working her way into any of the other conversations in the ballroom, so she joined his.
>"Oh, of course I'm supporting him for Chancellor General. He's the only stallion who can make Equestria great again."
Blueblood was talking about a political candidate both of her parents hated, but she stayed quiet and listened with the others.
>"You know, he's going to build a wall on our south border to keep the donkey's & dogs out."
A few young stallions who did not look very smart clopped their hooves on the marble floor in approval.

Flurry had been quiet so far, but she knew what her relative was saying was nonsense. She resolved to take him on...she had after all received training in how to politely debate at a party from Princess Celestia herself, the greatest diplomat Equestria had ever known. She was confident that she could shut down a fool's rambling. Everything else had gone so well. Flurry waited for a pause and spoke;
>"Actually, I..."

Surprised that someone was cutting in on his speech Blueblood took a half-step back...straight into the path of an unlucky waitress who was barely managing to balance a tray of champagne glasses.
>"Lookout!"
With a crash the dozen champagne flutes hit the hard marble floor, shattering and splashing nearby ponies with expensive sparkling wine. The silver tray was even louder as it bounced across the polished surface. The noise even overwhelmed the orchestra...everypony in the ball room heard it.

Flurry did not know what to do when she realized that all the fancy guests were still looking at her. They were all waiting to hear what she had to say, but because of the accident she totally forgot her words.
>"Eh...ummm..." 
Faced with humiliation in front of Blueblood and his friends, Flurry Heart panicked and made a stupid joke;
>"Oh my...that certainly went over with a bang."
There was a pause, but just before Flurry flushed pink and ran away in humiliation the others laughed. A few others joined in with their own remarks.
>"Well, she looks like she had a nice TRIP at least."
>"So hard to find good help these days."
>"Ugh...next time you want to clean the floor use cider, not expensive champagne."

Flurry breathed a sigh of relief...feeling she'd escaped an embarrassing moment; Blueblood and his friends were laughing at the maid's misfortune, not her own. But then the serving filly looked up from her frantic efforts to clean the mess (attempting to wipe up wine and broken glass with her own apron) and Flurry Heart saw her face. The poor filly's face was awash with tears...she was mortified at her faux-pas.
>"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry...I'll get that...this, cleaned up right away."
She reached up and tried to wipe a bit of mess off one fancy mare's bodice, but was rebuffed.
>"Don't touch that you clumsy girl! That's a designer original...it will need to be professionally cleaned!"

The maid was barely any older than Flurry, surrounded by wealthy ponies, criticizing her clumsiness or showering her with cruel laughter as she struggled to fix her mistake. Seeing that, Flurry's heart imploded, she knew she'd done something awful. Her instinct was to rush and help the poor filly, but it was too late for that. Before she could act Flurry felt a painful magical tug on her ear that could only be one thing.

>"Princess Flurry Heart you get over here this instant!"
Her parents had witnessed the shameful scene and hurried to the rescue...not their daughter's rescue but the unfortunate young maid. Cadance pulled her filly away from the scene while Shining Armor handled the damage control.

>"I'm terribly sorry, Miss. Here, let me help you up."
Now that the Prince of the Crystal Empire was on her side there were no more ponies laughing at the hapless maid. They quickly disappeared back into the crowd, leaving Blueblood alone to face the fierce glare of a stallion who outranked him socially and now had another reason to dislike him.
>"Here, sit down, catch your breath please. You didn't cut yourself, did you?"
>"Umm...no, sir...I mean, your Majesty."
Ushering her to a padded chaise-lounge Shining leaned in and joked;
>"I'm only a Highness...only Celestia & Luna get to be called 'Majesty'."
He noticed her champagne splattered uniform and assured her;
>"We'll pay to have that cleaned, of course."
He made no such offer to the fancy mare who's gown had gotten equally splattered.
>"There, you're all right. Nothing to worry about. Feeling better?"
Having experienced the depths of humiliation and now a gallant show of concern from the Prince himself all in just a few moments, the young maid swooned and nearly fainted.

Flurry Heart had other concerns.
Her angry mother never relaxed the painful magical grip on her ear, pulling Flurry to the edge of the ballroom and ducking behind a tapestry. There was hidden a door.
It amazed Flurry Heart that this palace, which she'd grown up in and lived in most of her life, still had doors and passageways that she didn't know. Mom knew them though, and used this one to pull her erring daughter out of the party.

Once the door was slammed and no guests could see them Cadance laid into her young Princess.
>"Flurry Heart I can not BELIEVE what I just saw! You were standing around with those bullies just LAUGHING at that poor filly!? What's gotten into you?"
Tears already in her eyes, Flurry tried to explain herself;
>"I'm sorry Mom! I...I...I just panicked...I didn't mean to..."
>"To be cruel? To be conceited and elitist? To laugh at somepony who was working hard to make OUR party a success?"
Flurry felt terrible, but that wasn't enough for Cadance.
>"Come with me."

There was no more ear pulling, the voice of an angry mother was enough to keep Flurry Heart in tow. Cadance led her down a corridor, up another previously unknown set of stairs and soon they arrived at the familiar private quarters of the Royal Family. Flurry expected to be led straight to her room...exiled from the party and probably packed off to boarding school in Canterlot the next morning. But it was not to her bedroom that Cadance led her daughter. She brought Flurry Heart into her own bedchamber.

Once inside the lecture was brutal:
>"What's gotten into you? This is not how you were raised!"
>"Do you think you're better than that poor filly? You who has never had to work a day in her life?"
Ashamed and feeling miserable, all Flurry could do was wait for the pauses in Mom's scolding to slip in an occasional;
>"Yes ma'am."
>"No ma'am."
and
>"I'm sorry."

After what seemed like the longest lecture in Equestrian history, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza finally stopped, but the fierce look never left her eye.
Given an opportunity to speak, Flurry Heart tried to mitigate some of the trouble she was in.
>"I know I was wrong, Mom...I knew it the instant I saw the maid's face. I'm so, so, so, so, so, soooooo sorry! I'll apologize to her...I'll pay for her dress out of my allowance."
Cadance snorted and finally replied;
>"That's a good start, but you know that sorry isn't going to be enough, not after the deed has been done."

Flurry gulped, and the tears returned to her eyes. What was Mom planning?
>Am I really getting sent back to boarding school, for a refresher course on how to act like a proper Princess?
She did not say it out loud.
There was not long to wait; Mom answered Flurry's concerns with a terrible pronouncement.
>"Alright...let's get this over with, there's a ball-room full of guests downstairs and I can't spend all night dealing with you...as much as you deserve it. Go get your father's strap out of the drawer."

Flurry Heart's jaw dropped open.
>"W-what?"
Cadance was not in the mood for stalling.
>"You know where it is, young filly. The longer you make me wait the more spanks you're going to get."
That word...just one syllable...was enough to set Flurry's knees shaking. She hadn't gotten a spanking in years. Was Mom serious or just trying to scare her?

>"But M-Mom..."
It was all the shocked teenager could stammer out.
>"Flurry, do not make me count."

There was any number of things Flurry Heart could have done:
Try to negotiate.
Beg forgiveness.
Accept her fate in the hopes of lessening the trouble she was in.

But Flurry did none of these. She made it worse.
>"But Moooommm! I'm too old for a spanking! I'm almost 15!"
She cried and danced frantically on all four hooves, pleading to be spared from the humiliating, foalish punishment. So desperate was she to prove that she was too mature to be spanked that Flurry threw a full-blown childish tantrum.
Cadance replied with only a single word;
>"One."
>"But Mom, please, please, PLEASE! I'll do anything, please not that!"
>"Two."
>"I'll give up my allowance! I'll stay in my room for a month! I'll go to every foal-school in the Crystal Empire and speak to the kids about bullying! Please, Mom, please!"
>"Thr..."
Before Mom reached the dreaded number of doom Flurry obeyed, scampering over to her father's dresser to slide open its top drawer.

Inside was a mess of neckties, buckles and embellishments for Dad's uniform, and some half used bottles of cologne, but it was the terrible brown strap of leather that took her attention. Her stomach felt beyond butterflies, it felt like the whole Wonderbolts squad was practicing in there.
>"Flurry Heart, do not make me wait."
Gulping with a dry mouth, she carefully picked the terrible thing up with her teeth. She was too upset to concentrate on doing magic; even simple levitation impossible.

She had never held leather in her mouth before; it had a strange, salty flavor. It also felt much thicker and heavier than it looked. Until then the realization hadn't struck Flurry. She was still focused on how embarrassing this was...to be punished like this at age 'almost 15' was a horrible enough indignity. But now that she held the instrument of doom in her own mouth Flurry Heart realized that there would be no escape from this.
>Oh my Celestia...I'm REALLY gonna get a spanking with this..."

Cadance let Flurry Heart take her time.
Sometimes Shining disagreed with her but she felt the horrible anticipation was one of the most effective parts of a spanking. It was certainly what she remembered most about her own foalhood punishments.
>"I let her mind do all the work for me.
>"That way I can use less force when I actually spank her, and it's just as effective."
Shining had his own ways though;
>"I couldn't do that. I feel too sorry for her...she's already so ashamed.
>"I get it over quickly; quick scolding, warmed rump...and save the long lecture for after the fact."
Cadance shrugged;
>"Well of course...you're a big stallion and you spank harder than I do. You can do that. I need to employ a bit of psychology to make Flurry respect a Mom spanking."
A look of genuine concern swept across Shining Armor's face.
>"Do...do you think I spank too hard?"
He was seriously worried, but Cadance swept aside his fears.
>"Not at all, don't change a thing...that's exactly what a Daddy spanking is supposed to be.
>"In fact, I love being able to say things like 'Do you want me to tell your Father?' or 'Just wait until your Father gets home!'
>"Those are two of my favorite 'Mom sayings'.
Shining laughed.
>"Well, at least we can be happy that it doesn't happen very often."

But tonight was one of those rare occasions.
Flurry Heart hadn't gotten her rear-end spanked in years...not since she was 13.
Well...it worked out to almost 2 years, since she was nearly 15 now.
Poor Flurry's head spun with despair and shame when she considered that.
A budding young mare...she had her Cutie Mark and her estrus cycle.
She had her own interests, her own political views and taste in music.
A growing new identity, separate from her parents and teachers.
But that glowing halo of maturity she was so proud of was now shattered.
Now Flurry was just another naughty filly on trembling legs, bringing the strap to her Mother so she could have her bottom spanked.

It had dragged on long enough.
Cadance had a ballroom full of guests downstairs, she could not spend all night dealing with Flurry.
In a commanding voice she finally ordered her daughter;
>"Give it to me and bend over the bed."
But Flurry could only pass the strap over to her Mother's hoof. Her legs would not move.
The filly whimpered and tried to stall.
>"Please, Mom...I'm almost a mare. I'm begging you, please not a spanking, I'm too old!
>"You can pick anything else...I'll agree with no complaints, I promise!
>"Just please, PLEASE don't spank me!"
The older mare shook her head, refusing clemency.
>"Young filly, you don't get to set the terms here.
>"Besides, your Grandfather gave me the worst thrashing of my life when I was 16 so you can quit trying to play the 'I'm too old' card."
>"Your Father and I will decide when you're too old to be spanked...we are the only two ponies with a vote in this matter."

Cadance motioned to the bed with her hoof.
>"I'm tired of waiting, Flurry.
>"You're dangerously close to making it worse for yourself.
>"Your Father already is angry with you...do you want me to tell him you weren't cooperative here?"
The weeping filly clenched her teeth in fear and inhaled sharply.
Mom was going to be bad enough...she did not want both parents involved!
>"No...please don't! I'm *sob* coming..."

She put her front hooves up on her parents' bed. It was a tall bed, Flurry's back hooves barely touched the floor and did not support any of her weight. Already there were dark spots where tears had fallen on the bedspread and the unfortunate filly knew there would soon be a lot more.

Flurry held so many important memories of this bed.
It was where she ran when night time thunderstorms seemed like they would shatter the very walls of her crystal home.
It was where she brought a horrible breakfast-in-bed to her parents when she was 7...and where they ate every bite and told her it was wonderful.
When she was 10 her favorite book series ended with the main character's death. Flurry had been so upset that she refused to read the epilogue chapter...until Daddy curled up with her on this very bed where they read it together. Then it was not so difficult.

A few spankings had happened here too, and though Flurry tried to forget those memories they weighed heavily on her mind as she lay there, chin on the bed spread...rump in the air.
>Oh my gosh, how bad is it gonna be?
She squealed with dismay as Mom brushed her short skirt out of the way. It was expected...at no point did Flurry Heart imagine she'd be allowed to keep a layer of protection but losing that precious layer felt like falling off a cliff.
>"YeeOwch!"
It didn't really hurt, but when Mom took ahold of her tail and yanked it straight up Flurry yelped. Now she really was exposed...as naked as a newborn foal.

>"Alright, let's get this over with so we can move on, young filly."
With one last tearful whine Flurry closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, knowing the next sound she heard would be...
*WHACK*
>"OOOOOOWWWWWWW!"
Flurry had never been the type of filly to grit her teeth and maintain her pride as long as she could. Crying was cathartic, and if she had to suffer a spanking she was sure as heck gonna have a good, hard cry to go along with it. That's the way she was as a filly and she saw no reason to change things now as a young mare.
*WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK*
>"WHHHHhhhhaaaaAAAAHHHH!"

The strap continued its terrible work.
Cadance had a methodical style to her spankings. She began high on her girl's rump, right around the middle where it crested. Blows of the strap were concentrated on this one spot without remission until Cadance decided that spot had suffered enough...then she moved an inch lower.
>"OW! Ow! Mom, OUCH, please, it hurts! OwwwOwwOww!"
For poor Flurry it was awful. Just when one longitudinal strip of her backside got so sore it was unbearable, Mom moved to an even more sensitive spot. In an instant she was wishing for the happier times just a few moments ago when Momma was spanking an inch or two higher. But it only got worse.

It did not take much effort to hold Flurry still, she was not a fighter while being punished. She allowed herself to go limp and just bawl her eyes out until it was over.
Occasionally, when Mom moved and whacked a new, more tender spot she would jump or kick her legs, requiring a bit of parental magic to restrain her.
She sobbed.
She whimpered.
She moaned.
She cried out loud.
But nothing altered her Mother's metronomic pace. Cadance knew it equated to 35 spanks a minute, and she knew exactly how many minutes it took to cover her daughter's rump in a painful shade of pink...even if that rump had gone through a growth spurt or two since its last chastisement.
It was an unpleasant job and sympathy tore at Princess Cadenza's heart strings; seeing her child in pain and knowing she is causing it is a terrible thing for any mother to endure. But for the good of everypony involved she resolved that it was best to finish the job without delay.
>"Bwhhhhaaahhhh, Mommmyyyyy, pleeeaaassseeee, no more, no more!"
And Flurry got her answer as Momma slid down one inch further to an even more sensitive band of skin.
>"WHHHAAAHHHH! Bhuuuuu, whhhhaaahh, EEK! OwOwOWW! 

The weeping filly was running out of endurance, and Cadance was running out of unchastised territory. It was time for a finale.

For the first time in the spanking, Cadance paused. She could have used magic but preferred to wrap the leather handle end around her hoof and use her own arm. To her surprise, her arm had a warm ache to it. Correcting an errant filly was hard work, and Cadance was not a youngster anymore.
The respite allowed Flurry Heart to catch her breath. She trembled, her rear was on fire but she dared not reach back and rub...that was sure to earn her extra. Crying would have to be enough and she did plenty.

After enough of a rest for both of them (though Flurry would have preferred longer) Cadance finally addressed her child;
>"Alright little lady, we're going to finish up with something my Father used to do."
Flurry had thought she was done.
>"Oh nooooooo, please, Mom, no more! I've learned my lesson *sniffle* I PROMISE!"
>"Hush, you've only got a few more and we're all done.
>"Just consider yourself lucky you inherited your Grand-Dad's strap instead of your other Grandfather's cane. You're getting one more lick for each year of your age...something to consider the next time you feel like getting too big for your horseshoes."
Flurry blubbered and pleaded for sympathy;
>"Momma, please, I can't! I *hiccup* can't count them it hurts too bad!"
But her Mother was resolved to it;
>"Well, you better try, because the sooner you reach the magic number the sooner we're done. And if you miss a spank it's your own tough luck, kiddo."

Cadance gave Flurry a moment to collect herself and raised her arm for the final stretch.
*WHACK*
>"Aaaiiiiiieeeee!!! OwwwwoooOOooooowwwoooOne!"
Cadance had saved the last unblemished strip of Flurry's bottom for this finale...right above the tender crease where rump and legs meet. Right where it hurt most.
*WHACK*
>"Whhhhaaaa! Please stop, Mommy, please!"
>"The NUMBER, Flurry Heart."
>"OwwOwwOww...Two, Momma."
>"You're not getting another warning, young filly."
*WHACK*
>"Threeeeee, OHHWW, booo huuuuu...."

*WHACK*
>"Ouch! Four! Ow, *hiccup* I'm soorrrr*hic*rryyyy!"
*WHACK*
>"Whhhaaaauuuuuu, huuuu"
*WHACK*
>"WHHHOOOOWWW! Six!"
But Cadance disagreed.
>"No, I told you that if you missed a count it was your own bad luck. You already had your only warning. We're on five."
>"But Mom! *sob* That's not fair!"
>"You want to roll back the count even further? Now stop stalling, you've only got a few more to go."
>"*sniffle* Yes, ma'am *hiccup*, Five."
*WHACK*
>"OW! Six! Whhhaaahhh..."
*WHACK*
>"Sev*hic*ven!
*WHACK*
>"Ohhh, OWWW, Eight! Please no more!"
*WHACK*
>"AIIIEEEE! NINE! I can't take it! Stop, please!"
*WHACK*
>"Teeeeeennnnn! Momma, please please *hic* please!"
*WHACK*
>E-E-Eleven!"
*WHACK*
>"Whhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa! *sob* Bhhhhhuuuuu..."
Flurry missed her count that time, but Cadance allowed her a moment for pity's sake. The poor filly was really suffering and Mom hoped the lesson was sinking in.
Finally;
>"*sniffle* Twel... *sob* Twelve."
>"Good girl, just a few more."
*WHACK*
>"OwwwWWWOOoooWW! Thirt-Thirt-*hic*-teen!"
Cadance gave this one extra hard.
>WHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHH! FOURTEEN! FOURTEEN! FOURTEEN! No more, Momma, *hiccup* please no more!"

Cadance was done, but she didn't let her bawling daughter know it yet.
>"Umm, I thought I've heard you telling us you're 15 for weeks now.
>"You've said it at least a half-dozen times tonight."
Flurry bawled. Her bottom hurt so badly...it was just one more but she would have given anything to avoid it.
>"Nooooo! I'm 14, Momma, please no more, I just can't take it."

>"Well, maybe we'll hold that last one in reserve in case you need it later."
That was the signal...it was really over.

Flurry probably cried even harder than during her spanking, as Cadance sat beside and stroked her hair. In a few minutes, once she had regained composure, the sniffling filly turned herself over, tucking her legs underneath herself cat-style and tucking her head under Momma's wing for comfort. It was a wordless action that meekly begged forgiveness...which Cadance gave freely.
>"I'm really *sniff* sorry, Mom. It'll never..."
Cadance wiped a few stray tears off her girl's muzzle.
>"Hush...I know. Mistakes happen, sweetheart."
>"They sure happen a lot when I'm around."
But Cadance allayed her daughter's concerns;
>"You actually make very few mistakes, Flurry, compared with other fillies and colts your age. You're an outstanding young mare who will make a great leader for the Crystal Empire someday.
>"You only get into trouble when you know better than to do something but do it anyway...like this evening. Am I right?"
Flurry sheepishly admitted;
>"I suppose so."

>"Well, mistakes happen; that's what spankings are for, to give a quick reminder to get ourselves back on the right path before the wrong one leads us so far away that we can't find our way back."
Flurry nodded and listened to Mother's sage advice.
>"Our family has a lot of responsibility, your Father and I...Aunt Twilight, and as you get older more and more of that responsibility will rest on you. Some mistakes are unpredictable but we have to work hard to avoid the silly ones that we can prevent. That's as true for you at age 14 as it is for me at 39."

Flurry lifted her head in surprise.
>"But Mom, aren't you 42?"
Putting on a fake scowl and laying her hoof on the strap, Cadance rumbled;
>"I don't know...do you want to go back and try for 15?"
>"39 it is!"
It was hardly a threat; more of a funny mother-daughter moment that signaled the worst had past and Flurry had paid her penance.

>"Well, we've got a ballroom full of guests downstairs. We'd both better get freshened up."
Flurry's heart sank and her jaw dropped open as if she'd been told she had another spanking coming.
>"I have to go back? Can't I just go straight to bed? Please? I can't face all those ponies!"
>"You were the one who begged to attend the Crystal Cotillion. You have responsibilities and you're going to fulfill them, sore bottom or not."

Flurry Heart got up and spun around, craning her neck for a look at her reddened rump.
>"Can I at least change into something else? My skirt is so short!"
>"You chose it yourself, young filly. Plus, I know you...getting changed will take two hours."
She desperately wanted to cover up her rear-end and the evidence of her shame that was written all over it, but Flurry did not want to risk angering Mom all over again.
>"Please? Everypony will see!"
>"Then they'll see that in this palace little princesses learn their lessons the same as any youngster in the Empire. Now march...we're wasting time."

After wiping her face with a cool wash cloth and refreshing her makeup (with Mom's help) Flurry reluctantly returned to the party. Her face was as red as her backside as she re-entered the ballroom, keeping her tail tucked as tightly as she could against her still stinging rump.
A few ponies acknowledged her politely, but did not know what to say. Enough guests had seen her dragged out of the ballroom by an irate Mother and now she had returned, blushing and trying to hide her backside from view. There was little doubt as to what had happened...ponies just didn't know what to say so they just nodded politely.

It was Shining Armor who greeted her first.
>"Sweetie, are you alright?"
She lowered her head and replied;
>"Yes Dad. I'm really sorry..."
But he gently lifted her back up with a hoof to the bottom of her chin.
>"We'll about that later. I'm just glad you're back."

Daddy kissed the tip of her horn.
That made Flurry feel good, but there was yet more embarrassment to endure.
Father had been talking to a pair of elderly stallions, and one was nearly deaf.
>"What's all this now?"
The other answered;
>"The young Princess had to leave the party for a 'talk' with her Mother."
>"What!? Speak up, I can't hear you!"
The first old-timer repeated in a booming voice;
>"I said; Her MOTHER Had To Take Her UPSTAIRS For a SPANKING."
At least the old fellow had heard this time. He nodded, and offered a sympathetic smile, but Flurry wanted to shrivel up and die. At least two dozen heads had turned when he shouted that in his friend's ear.
At least Dad came to the rescue, distracting the two old stallions with talk of an upcoming military parade.

Poor Flurry retreated (backwards, to conceal her marked rump) back to where the serving staff was washing glasses and buffet dishes. She just needed a moment to let her embarrassment subside before re-joining the party.
To her surprise the filly she had laughed at was busy washing plates. Since her uniform was a mess (the hour was too late to have it cleaned) she'd been given a less public job.
Flurry Heart was quick to apologize.
>"I'm so sorry I made that stupid joke...it was thoughtless of me. I behaved terribly."
Surprised, the young maid could only squeak out;
>"Oh, it's okay."
>"But it isn't. I was awful to you...I'll make it up I swear."
>"It wasn't so bad. Your father was really nice to me. I was kinda clumsy, dropping a whole tray of champagne. I thought I was going to be fired...on my first night!"
Flurry's eyebrows raised;
>"It's your first night working here?"
>"Eeyep! I just took the train from Fillydelphia. Took every last bit I had to get a 3rd class ticket but I knew I could find work in the Crystal Empire."

But then she noticed something;
>"Oh no! Your poor rump! That's because of me, isn't it?"
Flurry blushed again and answered;
>"No, I got exactly what I deserved."

>"But nopony deserves to have something so embarrassing on display for everypony to see. Here, take my petticoat! You can use it as a layer to make your skirt longer."
>"Oh, no...I couldn't!"
But the maid was already squeezing out of her garment.
>"My lady, look, it's very sheer and isn't poofy at all. Pin it to the hem of your skirt and nobody will be able to see your...um...you know."
In spite of Flurry's protests, the filly went to work, and altered the Princesses' party dress in less than a minute.
>"See, it looks good. You can still see some redness if you look real hard but no one will notice at a glance.
All at once Flurry Heart felt grateful, humbled, ashamed but lucky.
>"I treated you horribly...and here you are doing a wonderful favor for me. Thank you so much!"
The maid blushed.
>"Oh, it's no big deal. I remember how awful it was to have everypony knowing I'd just gotten a...well, you know."

>"You deserve to be a Princess instead of me."
That did not get the expected reaction. The young maid looked horrified at the suggestion.
>"Oh my goodness...oh no...no, no, no, never! That's too much pressure. I'm just a humble pony from Fillydelphia. I'm just happy to be working in a beautiful place like this."
Flurry put her arm around her new friend and replied;
>"Well I'm happy you're here too!"

The two young mares, one a Princess, one a servant, remained friends for the rest of their lives. By the time Flurry's parents retired and she ascended to the throne her friend was Head Housekeeper of the whole Crystal Palace. Even decades later they still laughed about the night they'd met...the smashed tray of champagne, the sore backside that resulted and that gift of kindness that saved the night from being a total disaster.

END