"You saved me, you know." Muffins was laying on her side, on a cloud. She and Rainbow Dash were staring up at clouds passing overhead.

"What?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head. Her friend didn't meet any normal standards of beauty, her jagged horn, her green streaks in her mane. But Dash knew the mare under the exotic exterior. She was a real princess.

"Remember when Tirek had attacked. A Code Brown emergency was called for all agents. I flew with the Wonderbolts that day." Muffins leaned her snout out and rubbed her nose against Dash's. "But we were too late, he drank from us, all of us."

"You flew with the Wonderbolts?" There was surprise and not a little envy in the blue mare's voice. "I always wanted to be one, I wonder if they would even have me now?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Muffins sounded quite shocked. "You are still the fastest and best flier in Equestria, twice so now you control the weather… well, really control it. Most pegasi can just kick a cloud or knock some lightning loose from a storm cloud." The gray alicorn pointed at the passing clouds. "You can make them, you can call them and they do what you want."

Ego stroking was one thing Dash loved about her partner; Muffins knew the effect praise had on the blue pegasus and loved to see her riding the crest of confidence. "Well, I can, but still, what about that day?"

"You and Fluttershy flew over us, where we had dropped. I remember gazing up at the rainbow you made as you flew by. I guess I started crushing on you then." Muffins blushed a little but felt a hoof brush her cheek. The hoof was soon replaced with lips.

It was a good few minutes before the two broke from the kiss. The cloud they were laying on was soft, the day a lazy one. "I wonder what the others are up to today?" Rainbow twitched her power, clouds shaped like her friends' heads floating past them.

"In Ponyville?" Muffins giggled. "Either it is so boring they are watching bugs crawl or the world will end in an hour."

Rainbow Dash blushed. "Ugh, I can't believe I am saying this, it sounds so… so like Rarity." She closed her eyes and inhaled, as if facing execution. "If the world ended in an hour, I am right where I want to be."

Fluttershy looked out over nearly two dozen cockatrices. "Um, excuse me?" She whispered softly, not a single one turned to her. "I said," she began again, equally soft, "if you don't mind… um… excuse me?"

"Like, you need to project, man. They all need to hear you, let loose that voice I heard you use in bed." Tree stood beside her friend, eyes half open in her usual look.

Blushing at the thought of what they had done, Fluttershy steeled herself; the only thing she hated worse than loud noises, hearing herself make them. "Excuse me!" Her voice rang out over the clucking and all those red eyes turned to her. "You have done fantastically. Thank you all. Please though, stay around, we need to keep them stoned up for a day, at least."

A few angry clucks came back, Fluttershy easily understanding their dissent.

"That as it may, but you can feed today and all night, that will more than make up for the long trip here." Fluttershy looked at the cockatrice that seemed to be leading the angry clucking. "Please, I promise that… I promise to help find you more food."

This got the creature's attention and it clucked inquisitively.

"I am sure I can find somepony who would be perfectly willing to feed you, so long as you don't keep them as stone forever." The yellow mare smiled to the negotiating cockatrice.

Fluttershy felt confident she had gotten through to the crowd and beamed brightly. "Thank you all, again." A few happy clucks met her words, one in particular slithering up to her. "Hello Beheld, how are you feeling? Feed well?" The tame cockatrice clucked happily and coiled its way up her leg and onto her shoulders.

Giving a few clucks and squeezing Fluttershy gently, the 'monster' seemed to curl up to sleep.

"Well, I am glad one of us can relax." Shy spotted Tree and trotted off after her, glad that things seemed somewhat under control.

"Well, to be honest, Auntie was paying me." Blueblood blushed a little. "I guess I had to spend nearly all of it just to keep up appearances for those nonces." He waved a hoof, clearly meaning his former 'friends' in high society.

"I do need a stallion who knows ponies." Cherry Stripe grinned. "Do you like to travel?" She shuffled around papers on her desk until she found the right one.

"Travel is fine, so long as I get to spend some time with my special somepony." Blueblood's heart practically melted every time he thought of how lucky he was. "What sort of position is it?"

"Almost exactly what you were doing for Celestia, except instead of selling a ruse, you are selling the idea of welcoming a changeling population." Cherry glanced down at the page. "You are to attend the court of the Crystal Empire and broach the topics of a less transient changeling presence there."

"What? In Shining and Cadance's court? When do you want me to start?" Blueblood held out a hoof for the papers.

Cherry wouldn't give them up, however. "Not so fast, you need to be briefed on what our aims are and what concessions we can offer. I don't expect Cadance to just let us move half a hive in, she will want something."

"Of course she will, she learned from the same teacher I had." The stallion twirled the outstretched hoof and planted it on his chest. "At the very hooves of Celestia, we actually trained together. You have chosen the perfect stallion for this task."

Giving a reluctant and suffering sigh, Cherry passed over the paper to the stallion. "You will need an appointment with both Princess Celestia and Twisty before you leave."

"Auntie will be easiest to get to see, double points if I can get her and Twisty together." Blueblood knew the chances of that were high, particularly after the rumor he had just heard. "I would suggest a present for her, by the way, I can deliver it of course."

Cherry froze and squinted at the stallion. "What have you heard?" She waited but spotted the look of a stallion who knew that information was valuable. "Look, you have the job, you work for me now, what did you find?"

"Auntie is with foal, nopony knows who is the stallion and it is eating some up. I would suggest some great rumors." Blueblood lifted out a little notepad. "Ahem. Gel Pattern, Fancy Pants, Shining Armor is off the list now, of course, but we could probably put Cadance on instead, since she got her mate pregnant somehow."

The giggling began as the pair started to run through all the stallions they knew, adding or adjusting the list until they had the twenty best.

"Nephew." Celestia dipped her head. The stallion trotted in looking very proud and he had a box floating along beside him. "And what is this, a present?"

"My employer had me bring it, since she is leasing my time to you." Blueblood smiled sweetly and floated the box toward the alicorn. To the side he saw a very happy Twisty just watching and listening.

Using her magic to carefully unwrap the box Celestia gave a startled gasp of delight. "From Wentworths? Oh you must tell me who your employer is, nephew." The alicorn lifted up the lid of the box to see the cheesecake within. 'To an expecting mare,' it read.

"Cherry Stripe sends her regards and congratulations of course, as well as sending me." The stallion gave a bow. "Now, do we have to guess who the stallion is or will you actually announce it?" Blueblood was already taking out his notebook, flicking to the right page. Green magic snatched it away from him.

"She promised somepony, Pinkie Promised, not to say." Twisty started giggling as she read the list. "Cadance? Oh, Gel of course, but what mare with a heartbeat wouldn't present for him." She was flicking through the list. "Wait, yourself?"

Blueblood blushed crimson. "What? I didn't… Cherry!"

Celestia had been concerned at first that her nephew would dig enough to find out, but now that she knew who he worked for she worried a lot less. Hearing that the canny pegasus had managed to embarrass him made her grin wide and start to giggle.

"No Shining Armor? Well, I guess-" Twisty was pondering it as Blue grabbed the pad back.

"She is pregnant with a foal, couldn't have been her. Of course, that is why Cadance is on there." Blueblood folded the book closed and tucked it back away. "Speaking of my former fellow student, Cherry tells me you are in need of somepony to help along the changeling domination agenda?"

Twisty's hoof lifted and hit herself square in the forehead and Celestia just gave a sigh. "Please don't call it that, we are trying to build Equestria stronger, not drown it in drones."

"So what will you call it, I am sure any opposition will come up with worse titles, so we need to have one before they get creative." Blueblood drew the pad back out, a small quill poised and ready.

"Strengthening Equestria?" Twisty sat down and lifted her hoof back up, this time tapping her jaw. "What about Embracing Ponykind?"

"The Future." Celestia put in and got a smile from both the other ponies. "Yes, so very neutral most ponies will ignore the name."

When Blue arrived in the Crystal Empire it was in chaos; it was like a party had engulfed the town. He trotted off the platform and to the ticket counter. "Excuse me, what is going on?" He gestured to the partying ponies.

"Princess Shining Armor ascended yesterday. Good luck getting anything done, well, anything except for partying." The old stallion in the ticket booth grinned at his own joke.

"Oh, uh, thanks!" Blueblood had his pad out and was scribbling on it hurriedly. "I don't suppose you take mail?"

The stallion nodded. "You need to send that? One bit." He offered an envelope to Blue and soon had a letter back, along with a bit. "Cherry Stripe? Never heard that name, I take it they will know where it is to go?"

Blueblood grinned. "She has a business or two, it will get to her." He hoofed over a second bit and trotted out into the crowd. "Now, if I was a newly ascended princess, where would I be?" He made his way for the town square and sure enough, Shining Armor and Cadance were there, apparently having a huge feast with all the city invited.

Cadance spotted her former classmate and waved to Blueblood with a wing. When he approached and bowed she waved him off. "Blue, you don't need to do that. I heard you finally got out from aunty's hoof, how is it?"

Not one to give up a hug from a pretty alicorn, Blueblood moved in and rubbed cheeks with Cadance. "Oh it is glorious, of course I got out from under her hoof and right under another mare's, well two if you count my new employer."

"Got a sweetheart? Blue you simply must send for her." Cadance was almost giddy with how good it was to hear the stallion had a special somepony. "You here for work, I take it?"

"Of course, there is no rest for the whickered." Blueblood found a seat nearby and gave a wave to Shining Armor. Damn he… she, was a fine mare. And those wings… Blueblood took a deep breath, he was spoken for now. "It will need a few meetings, and some public time in court, but I think it will be quite painless."

Cadance was now intrigued with his plight, without even knowing what it was. "Oh, then it can wait until after this party?"

Looking around, Blueblood grinned knowingly. "Just how long has this party got left in it?"

"This is day two, I am going to give a speech tonight and try to get everypony back to normal for tomorrow." Cadance looked over at her mate, Shining was showing Flurry the wonders of ice-cream.

Author's Note

Following up on a few subplots, tying up a few and just tucking others away. Blueblood still feeling his oats a little, but it is perfectly fine for a stallion to look.

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