Moondancer's Bad Day by DCFTEF (Dad/Moondancer)

Moondancer's Bad Day by DCFTEF (fimfiction.net/user/Dangerous_Creature)

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>Hi.
>My name is Moondancer
>Student at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
>I got in big trouble this morning
>In my house the rule is, last one to use the stove makes sure it's turned off
>Well, that's usually Mama
>Except last night I warmed up some pudding to have while I studied
>I made sure the flame was out
>But I forgot to turn the burner dial off
>Luckily, Papa has to get up several times a night to pee
>He smelled gas, and quickly shut it off
>He opened all the windows to vent the gas out
>When that was done he went back to bed
>Papa never even woke up Mama, me, or my little cousin who's staying with us
>He saved our lives and never even told us about it

>But I sure heard about it the next morning
>Papa was waiting for me at the breakfast table
>He showed me what I'd done wrong and reminded me what could have happened
>Then he told me what was going to happen
>And he told me to go cut a switch
>I begged Papa not to do it
>Mama and my cousin were right there to see me pleading for my bottom
>It was so embarrassing
>But Papa didn't budge
"Go out there and pick your switch unless you want ME to do it!"
>Yikes
>Holding back tears, I ran

>My day only got worse
>The newspaper colt saw me cutting my switch from the bush in front of the house
"Ha, Ha! Somepony's gettin' a spankin'!"
>Little brat, I hope he falls off his bicycle
>Up to that point I hadn't cried
>I deserved what I had coming, I knew it
>I could have killed my whole family in our sleep
>So I had resolved to endure Papa's punishment without tears or complaint
>I wasn't fooling myself, I knew I'd cry when Papa whipped my behind
>But I was gonna stay strong and accept it like a mare until that point
>I was doing pretty good too, until that newspaper brat teased me
>That just set off the waterworks
>I'd messed up really bad
>Papa was really mad
>And this was really gonna hurt

>I didn't even reach the house before things got worse
>My eyes were so teared up I couldn't see well
>It was fogging my glasses, but I didn't stop to clean them
>I just wanted to get inside so the whole neighborhood didn't see me in disgrace
>I shut my eyes and ran for the door
*CRASH*
>Straight into old Mr. Yasgur, the milk-stallion
>Milk. Everywhere.
>And of course, Papa comes to the door to see what the crash was
>At least nobody is hurt
>But Mr. Yasgur clearly sees what's going on
>Weeping filly, angry daddy and a freshly cut switch
>It doesn't take Fetlock Holmes to figure this mystery out
"Awww, now Mister, what's the poor girl done to deserve all this?"
>Well, at least he was nicer that the newspaper colt
>But I desperately wanted my shame to be confined to the family
>I internally prayed to Celestia;
Please don't let Papa tell, please don't let Papa tell, please don't let Papa tell...
>But he did worse;
"Moondancer, tell Mr. Yasgur what you did."
>I had to explain my offense
>About the pudding. He asked what flavor it was (butterscotch).
>About the flame and the burner. He asked what model stove we had so he and Papa talked about stoves for 5 minutes while I stood there, holding a switch and crying
>About how I could have caused an explosion and burned my whole family
>About how sorry I was and how lucky we were to avoid a disaster
"Well, young lady, that is pretty serious, as I'm sure your Daddy will impress on you."
>Papa offered to pay for the smashed milk bottles
>Implying that my behind would be paying for those too
"No, don't worry about that. The little lady has enough problems already. You let me worry about the spilled milk. And be gentle with her...I'm sure she's plenty sorry."
>Then Papa said something really nice;
"I'll give her all she deserves, because my heart would break if I were to give her a single lick more."
>Well, it would have been nicer if he wasn't talking about whipping my bare heinie

>At least Papa asked Mama to take my little cousin to school first.
>He respected my dignity enough to let this be private.
>But he didn't do it right away.
"Eat your breakfast, your oatmeal is getting cold."
>He set the switch right there on the table and poured his coffee
>Then he sat there and ate his own breakfast like nothing was wrong
>He even commented on a few stories in the newspaper; ones he thought might interest me
>Papa is always trying to get me out of the dusty library, to be more up to date on current events
>But this morning I had other things on my mind
>I had to eat my oatmeal and half grapefruit, staring right at the branch that would soon be cutting blinding, painful streaks across my rear
>How does he expect me to eat when I'm absolutely sick with worry?
>It's really hard to choke down the next bite when you feel like throwing up.

>But I would have choked down a whole barrel of oatmeal to delay what was coming.
>I picked at the last few bites, making them smaller and smaller until I was just picking up a few oats on my spoon each time
>Papa finally got impatient
>He told me to wash my dishes and meet him in the living room
>I must have taken forever washing my bowl and milk glass because before I knew it Papa was standing in the kitchen doorway
>Tapping his hoof impatiently

>Oh boy...my hooves felt like they were wearing lead horseshoes
>I knew I deserved this and I was trying to be brave
>But my back end didn't agree with my front end
>It figures; that's the end that was going to get whipped
>It didn't want to move
>I had to take tiny steps, practically dragging my back legs on the way to certain doom

>Papa went through the motions of inspecting the switch I'd cut
>It was a formality; I knew it was okay
>I've cut enough switches in my life to know what my Papa wants
>Don't get me wrong!
>I'm not a bad filly, who gets in trouble all the time
>But if you'd ever gotten a switching from my Papa you'd know; once enough to make you an expert!
>Sometimes Papa jokes that we don't need to pay a gardener
"Moondancer will prune the bushes next time she's naughty."
>But it doesn't happen as often as that
>Papa is usually very forgiving
>And that's why it hurts so bad to disappoint him today

"Come on, Moony, let's get this over with."
>It's time to get in position
>Bent over the arm of the sofa
>Just looking at it makes my heart race
>But I've resolved to be brave
>I lifted my front hooves up
>I leaned forward so my back hooves came off the floor
>Helpless now, just waiting for my punishment

>Even though I couldn't see it now, from my awkward position I could hear Papa break the tip of the branch off with his teeth
>He stomped on the end a few times too
>Papa is kind to do this
>Removing the hard tip...fraying the end of the switch
>This way it doesn't leave a welt
>But it's still gonna hurt plenty

>No! I couldn't take it!
>I lost my nerve and hopped up from the arm of the sofa
>Crying for all I was worth I would beg Papa to punish me some other way
>Surely he would melt when he saw how scared and truly sorry I was
>I spun around to begin pleading in earnest
"Papa, please, I..."
>But the look in my Papa's face just froze the words in my mouth
>He was sad
>In fact he looked as close to tears as I was
>And I understood
>Papa loves me, it hurts him to do this
>And I'm making it worse for him by begging and crying
>He saved the whole family last night
>He doesn't deserve this now

>Head hung low, I apologized
"Sorry Papa. I won't move anymore, I promise."
>He nodded and gently motioned toward the sofa
>And I got back in position without another word

>I flinched when I heard a fearsome swish through the air
>But Papa was only testing his swing
>Oooohhhh...it's not like he hasn't had plenty of practice
>The real sign that he was ready came next
"Eek!"
>I don't care who you are, a little blank-flank filly or a mature young mare
>When a stallion, even her own Papa, grabs her dock and pulls her tail out of the way a girl is gonna squeak a little

"Sweetheart, I'm very sorry to do this, but you know why I just can't let this slide, right?"
>I sobbed with guilt
>I deserved this, I should welcome it
>But I was scared out of my wits
>Any moment now my rump was going to be in agony and I'd be howling
"Y-yes, Papa. I'm sorry I was careless. I could have *sob* killed everypony and I feel awful."
>Papa didn't say anything else
>He just gave a pat on my back
>I clenched my teeth and tensed every muscle
*Swishhhhh*SNAP!*
>Oh my gosh it couldn't possibly have hurt that much last time!
>I gasped for air before I could even squeal in pain
>Papa gave me a moment to catch my breath after the first one but after that the switching really began
*SNAP!* *SNAP!* *SNAP!*
>Just a flick of the horrible switch was enough to paint a stinging line of pink across my backside
"Whhhaaahhh! Ow! Ouch! Eek! WhaaAAAHH!"
>I tried to stay still and be a good girl
>I really did want to make this easy on Papa
>And who am I fooling? I hoped behaving myself would end this ordeal sooner
"OwwooOWWwwooOWWww! I'm EEK! sorry, P- Papa!"
>But Papa had a certain number of lines he planned to paint across my tush and I wasn't getting up until the job was done

>It was hard to believe how such a little stick could hurt so much
>Barely enough to support a pigeon
>But it stung so badly that my legs and rump danced despite my efforts to stay still
>Stiff enough to hurt like murder
>But bendy enough that it wrapped around my rump with each whack
>Yep, I'd really picked a good one
>BOO, HUUU, Why do I have to be so good at picking switches!?

*THWOP* *THWOP* *THWOP*
>The stinging flicks of the spanking's beginning gave way to more solid whacks
>Now each painful lash burned and left a lingering streak of torment
>The worst is where two lashes cross
>And as the switching went on those horribly sore spots began to cover my cheeks

>It might sound like this spanking went on forever
>It certainly felt that way to me, laying on my belly crying my eyes out
>Wishing on every magical fairy-tale star for this lash to be the last
>But remember practicality; I still had to go to school, Papa still had to go to work
>He didn't have all day to spend burning up my butt
>Thank Celestia for that!
"OWWW! Bwwwhhhuuuu, Paaappppaaaa, please, Eek! Please no more!"
>Papa had a set number in mind, and when he reached it he just stopped
>No warning, no grand finale...he just laid down the switch
>And the worst was over

>Allowed to get up, I danced around on all 4 hooves
>My poor heinie was absolutely blazing
>Moving it stung...standing still burned
>Nothing made the pain feel better, I just had to wait for it to fade away
>Which could take hours

>Papa tolerated the 'Dance of the Well Spanked Filly' for a minute or two
>Then it was time to get me moving
"Gather your school bags now, or you'll be late"
>Hey, you know me
>My saddlebags were already packed last night
>But it was torture bending down to slip them on my back
>Why didn't I just use magic?
>You try concentrating when you feel like you just sat down on a camp fire.

>Before I left, Papa gave me a kiss and the money for a cab
"School is important,
"Just because you learned one lesson this morning doesn't mean you can be late for all the rest."
>I thanked him and apologized again
>As my taxi rolled away I saw him lock the front door and trot off to work
>He'd be late because he'd spent time dealing with me
>But he didn't spend money on a taxi for himself
>He'd rather make sure I'm not late for school
>That's just the kind of Papa he is

>Well, at least I got to take a cab to school instead of walking, right?
>Ugh...my bad day continues
>It's one of the older model cabs with no leaf-spring suspension or padded seat
>And Canterlot has cobblestone streets
>EVERY bump in the road gets transmitted right up to the hard bench seat
>And my pitiful punished posterior
>I tried standing up but the driver didn't like it
"I'm sorry Miss, you'll have to be seated on the bench
"Safety first, you know!"
>Ouch!
"Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns? I'll have to gallop pretty fast to get you there before the first bell."
>Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, please don't do that!
"That isn't necessary, Sir."
"Nah, don't worry, Miss. You won't be late for class on my watch!"
>And he took off running
>My sore rear bouncing on the hard wooden bench
>The whole cab shaking as we rattled along cobbled streets
>It was like getting spanked all over again
>But what was I supposed to do?
>I couldn't ask the cabby to slow down
>He might ask why, and I wasn't going to tell him I'd just gotten a switching from my Papa
>He was kinda cute...I'd die of embarrassment

>I got to school on time
>Gave my driver the excess of what Papa had given me as a tip
>Though I'd rather have given him a punch on the snout!
>My poor bottom was worse than before
>Ponies have pretty soft tails, but mine felt like sandpaper against my hindquarters
>At least my friends would commiserate
>I felt sore, guilty, ashamed, angry...just generally awful
>But I knew my friends would make me feel better
>There was one in particular I really wanted to talk to
>Twilight Sparkle and I have been pals since foal-school
>She'll understand me
>I'll feel better once I talk to her
>And that will help me get through the day

"Hey, Have you seen Twilight Sparkle?"
>By 4th period I'd had no luck finding Twilight
>She's really busy these days
>Full schedule of classes plus private lessons from the Princess
>I'm proud of how successful my friend is
>Years ago, when we were both little fillies we made a deal
"One of us is gonna be Valedictorian, one of us will be Salutatorian"
"It doesn't matter which one is which, the other won't be jealous"
>That's gonna be a great day for both of us
>But now I just want to talk to Twilight
>Get a hug...some much needed sympathy
>The other fillies are sweet, they told me how sorry they were I got in trouble
>They tell me how glad they are I didn't get blown up
>They tried to reassure me my rump doesn't look too bad
"You can hardly notice it!"
"Unless somepony looks right at your bottom."
>I still felt like every pony in school was looking

>Okay, 6th period
>Twilight and I both have that period free
>It's was huge relief, I'd been bottling up emotions all day
>I just need to put my arms around Twilight and have a good, long cry
>The fillies bathroom in the West corridor seemed like the best place to wait
>She usually pops in there right after potions class
>We'll have plenty of time to talk then

>The door opened!
>But it's only Lemon Hearts
>She's my friend too
>I'm happy to see her but she's not the one I was hoping for
>She saw that something was wrong so I told her the whole story
"Ohhh, I'm so sorry!"
>It was nice to get a hug and a little sympathy
"If it's any consolation I got yelled at last night too
"My Dad threatened to cut my allowance if my Literature grade doesn't come up to at least a B."
>I offered to help;
"Okay, I'll come by after school then and we can study."
"Thanks! That'll be a big help!"
>But the bell rang and she had to gallop off to class
>I was still waiting for Twilight...

>I waited almost the whole period
>Where was she?
>Since I had this period free I checked all the usual spots
>Library, cafeteria, library again
>Seriously, this is Twilight we're talking about...where else would she be?
>I began to get upset
>I was gonna feel really lousy if I didn't get to talk to my best friend
>It's all that was keeping me going
>That little morale boost I knew Sparkle could give me
>It would be enough to get me through the rest of this awful day
>But where is she?

"Are you looking for Twilight Sparkle?"
>A colt in a lower grade asked me
"Uh, yeah? How did you know?"
"Because you're talking to yourself."
>He pointed down the hall with his hoof
"I saw her in the geology lab just a little while ago"
>I totally forgot to thank him...I just went off running
"A'Hem! No running in the halls, Miss Moondancer!"
>Damn...Ms. Inkwell. Okay, I went off at a brisk canter
>It didn't take me long to reach the geology classroom
>And I was just in time
*CRASH*
>Yep, I ran straight into her
>Second time today

>We were both a little dazed, but Twi recognized me so I must not have run into her too hard
"Hi Moondancer...what brings you here? I thought you had this period free?"
>My muzzle hurt, but I was just so relieved I threw my arms around Twilight
"Oh my gosh, I'm having the WORST DAY EVER!"

>We ducked into the nearest fillies' room so we could talk
>And I poured my heart out to Twilight
>Beginning with the pudding
>I told her about the stove, and the gas I left turned on
>About how Papa found it
>About picking my switch in the morning
>The newspaper delivery brat...nice old Mr. Yasgur
>And my switching,
>How much it hurt, how humiliating it was
>How ashamed I felt for almost blowing up my whole family because of pudding
>I didn't leave out the torturous ride in the taxi either

"And then I finally found you!"
>Twi listened to every word of my story with sympathy
"I'm so sorry for you, Moondancer!"
"But everything is okay now, right?"
>Wait, what did she say?
>She's supposed to commiserate with me...agree with me even if I'm wrong
>Make me feel better
"It was super lucky your Dad smelled the leaking gas
"And nopony was hurt."
>Well, yeah...but...
"I know the switching must have been awful, but it's all over now."
>This is not right, this is not what I've been looking forward to all day
>She gives you a quick hug and pulls away
"I'm really sorry you got in trouble. I hope you're feeling better now but I've got to run. Princess Celestia gave me 3 new spells to practice"
>She paused and asked me;
"So, you're gonna be okay, right?"
>I'd feel better if we could spend some time talking
>But I didn't say that out loud like I wanted to
"Yeah...I'll be fine."
"Alright...ohmygosh, I'm late...I gotta go! We'll talk later, okay?"
>Sure. Later.

>That was it?
>I was looking forward to that all day to help me through this sad abyss
>Two minutes, a quick hug and she's gone?
>I wanted to cry again, but what was the point?
>So I just washed my face and left the bathroom
>The last few hours of this day were gonna drag on like months
>And the big morale boost I was hoping for amounted to a big pile of horseapples
>I'm on my own

>Well, there's still some time left on my free period
>May as well hit the library
>What else is there to do?
>You can always count on books
>They'll never leave you hanging
>They'll always be there when you need them
>Like you thought your friend would be

>Sigh.

END