"Twilight, do you trust me?" Celestia and Luna were closeted with the purple pony princess. "There is a reason for all this, and here in particular."

"But Princess Celestia!" Twilight's magic was busy, writing lists, moving scrolls around, even summoning more ink and paper. "This is such a shock, why does it have to be here?"

Luna was busy examining the walls of the room, the conversation had little to do with her—she managed internal matters, mostly.

"Twilight, just call me Celestia, please." The pure white alicorn ruffled her wings. "Why here? You don't have changelings everywhere… okay, you have a few, but Canterlot is their home, their hive."

The words halted Twilight's magic. "Why does that matter?" She held still for a few more heartbeats, before the list-management started again.

"The other important question. Trade is only a contrivance for this meeting. The real worry is that some other nations are worried about the changelings, worried that they might either compromise us, or be a weapon employed by Equestria." Celestia watched her former student, she could almost see the gears turning in her head. "The next question is 'why so sudden'?" Twilight nodded. "When the griffons started shoring up their defenses, and worse, the Saddle Arabians started actually patrolling near our own waters, I knew something needed to be done quickly."

"I am still angry," Twilight groused and banished a few of her lists, "a little warning next time would be better." She gestured to the pile of 'RSVP' letters she had gotten. She slowed her magic and sent all her lists away. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes a moment, leaving Celestia to just wait.

It took nearly a minute of intense math calculations for Twilight to be able to focus properly again. "Okay," she snapped her eyes open, "the castle is bigger, but we need to get things prepared. Luna."

The dark alicorn spun around from where she was inspecting a wall that she could almost see moving. "Twilight?" There was a little mirth in her smile.

"You must be just as prominent as Celestia. Me too. Gel… Gel will get to take a little break I think." Twilight heaved a sigh. "If what you say is correct, the fewer changelings in any position of power, the better for...What?" Twilight glared at Celestia, seeing a crack in her normally perfectly serene poker-face.

"Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, I chose very well indeed." The moment Celestia said the words she saw the brightness grow in Twilight's eyes. "And you are most correct, this is the pony rulers of Equestria showing the world they are in control."

"There! It did it again!" Luna dropped her parasol as she spun to face Twilight. "Your castle is moving… getting bigger!"

Smirking, Twilight nodded. "Of course it is, this is the Castle of Friendship and I make sure as many friends as possible have fun here." Twilight took the time to get up to her hooves and walk over to the wall that Luna had been inspecting. "More friends means more magic, more magic means the castle can work faster… I have never seen it grow quite as visibly as this." Reaching a hoof out, Twilight felt as the seam between the walls grew wider and wider.

"You continue to surprise me in the most wonderful ways, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia watched Twilight gently rub the castle's wall, like a mother with her foal.

"So Twi is getting' the castle all fancied up, why ain't ya helpin'?" Applejack was pulling the big irrigation hose up to the next row of trees. "Well, whatever, while y're here, give us a hoof." Gel grinned and trotted over beside Applejack and, without warning, leaned over and fell against her. "Hey! What'n tarnation…"

The dark body of the stallion moved and flowed over the earth pony, wrapping Applejack tightly within him. She had never appreciated how oddly comforting it was to have him around her, then he delved inwards. "Gel…" Applejack's exclamation and whine was music to Gel's ears, he had been busy with his wife, learning her body, finding just the right spots. His delving length formed slight bulges and lumps, rubbing Applejack as she squirmed.

"You wanted me to help, I am helping." Gel's voice came from Applejack's body, causing the mare to turn her uncovered head and look. Her own tail was hiked up, her back legs slightly spread. He was huge inside her, or so it felt.

Puffing a little as the motion of the stallion sealing around her and stuffing her subsided, Applejack gave a chuckle. "Okay, Ah gotta admit, you feel good. But how're you helpin'?" A twitch in her back leg caused her to move a bit, the shapes inside her feeling so very good as she did.

"I can help, try to pull the hose now." Gel prepared himself, he hadn't helped a pony in this way for a time. When he felt Applejack curl a foreleg under the hose and pull backwards, he moved with her, burning energy to directly assist the already formidable mare.

"Whooey!" Applejack walked backwards with ease, blushing a little from the shapes inside her, but feeling great. "Okay, y're a helper." She shifted her stance again, a fresh blush hitting her cheeks. "Can't ya lay off the…" She twisted her hips a few times, eyes almost closing at how good it felt.

"No, Applejack, I can't." Gel gave a gentle squeeze all over the sturdy mare, in a special kind of bliss that a changeling gets when the pony that they love, loves them back.

"And that's why Ah vote Tender to be a probationary member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Apple Bloom blushed as she looked at her two friends. "What?" The looks on their faces were indecipherable.

"He is cute…" Sweetie Belle lifted a hoof to her chin, tapping it. "I mean, Scootaloo, have you seen the way he walks?"

Scootaloo blinked at the odd turn of the conversation, but she spotted Sweetie's wink well enough. "Oh? Oh! Yeah, I was heading over to see Rainbow Dash yesterday, and got completely distracted just watching-"

"STOP!" Apple Bloom's heart was pounding.

Sweetie walked up to her friend and ruffled the filly's mane. "Bloom, we are just messing with you." She had disarmed the earth pony with her complete about-face. "He is a nice colt, and being your special somepony-"

"He isn't my special somepony!" Apple Bloom seemed unable to stop blurting things. "Well, that is… not yet. We are taking it slow. He is my coltfriend." She blushed, even as the other two fillies raced over and hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations!" Sweetie was almost bouncing with her friend, the raw emotion of hearing her friend admit she had her first coltfriend was strong. "Is he a good kisser?"

Scootaloo was no less excited, but much less forward. "That's great to hear Bloom!"

"So, can he join?" Apple Bloom drew back from the hug a little, looking to each of the other filly's faces.

"Sure." Both Scootaloo and Sweetie had just said the word when a giggling Apple Bloom lifted her voice.

"They said yes!" As soon as Apple Bloom yelled, a blushing Tender Taps entered the tree-house. "Probationary-"

"None of that, he either is a Crusader or isn't, and we say he is!" Scootaloo clopped one of her hooves on the wood sharply to emphasize her point. "Over here, we need to swear you in."

It was hard for Tender to focus, he kept looking at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, then losing focus and glancing back to Apple Bloom. "Over here?" He trotted across the room and stood beneath the big poster of Rainbow Dash. A signed poster, that is.

"Now, hold up your right hoof and repeat after me." Scootaloo was all business, trotting up to the slightly smaller colt.

"After me." Tender grinned at the fillies, watching as Sweetie and Bloom started giggling, but Scootaloo was still focused. "Sorry…"

"I accept being a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Scootaloo spoke the words, waiting for the colt to repeat them to start the next. "I will do my best to help my fellow Crusaders, and other ponies… we are leaving out the bit about Diamond Tiara now, right?"

"I will do my best to help my fellow Crusaders, and other ponies. We are leaving out the bit-" Tender looked as solemn and pure as he could, barely able to keep in his mirth at the two other fillies rolling around in laughter.

"Stop that!" Scootaloo glared at the colt.

"Stop that!" Tender needed to defuse the situation. He lifted a hoof up and gently tapped the pegasus filly on the nose. "Boop!"

Silence filled the room. "Did you… did you just…" Scootaloo blinked, then grinned. "Okay, last bit then." She watched as the colt stood straighter. "Rainbow Dash is the best pegasus in Equestria…"

"Apple Bloom is the best earth pony in Equestria." Tender looked at the filly that made his heart beat faster. Two little hooves bopped against Sweetie and Scoots' foreheads as each performed a perfect, synchronized, face-hoof. "It's true!" He loved the way Apple Bloom blushed.

"I can't believe we are living in the Castle of Friendship. This place is not only legendary but a living legend lives here!" Sleek rolled to her back in the bed, pressing her side against Cherry. "Back in the hive, we weren't really allowed to talk about the Princess, and how she helped defeat ol' Angry Butt's attack. But now… now changelings are welcome here, really welcome. She said we could stay and teach this mare about changelings." The drone waved her hooves lazily in the air.

"So, holiday?" Cherry tilted her head and caught her wife on the cheek with a kiss. "The Princess seemed friendly enough, I don't think asking her if we can stay a bit would hurt. It isn't like a little pegasus and another changeling will cause a huge problem." She gazed at her lover's profile until Sleek tilted her head and kissed her properly. Closing her eyes, Cherry rolled in against Sleek, not wanting the moment to end.

A gentle knock came at the door. "Breakfast is ready." Outside the room, Starry trotted from the door, either the mares were awake and heard, or busy with sleep or… She grinned. It was the Castle of Friendship, after all. "Castle, we need to talk." She trotted down the new back-stairs that led down to the kitchen; they hadn't existed nearly three days ago. "I love that you are growing, but you are going to be beyond what I can clean soon, we might need to get more ponies up here to work." As she took her next step, it was like the floor rumbled just a touch, almost like a chuckle.

"Morning, Starry. Morning to you too, Twinkle." Sunset waved a hoof, dressed up in her new outfit. It buttoned in two rows up the front and looked very smart and bright white. "Any special request for breakfast?"

Starry couldn't help but blush, she stepped forward and gave the alicorn vampony a hug. "Anything will be-" Her voice caught and she felt a familiar grip in her throat. "I feel like daffodil pancakes!" Twinkle's slightly different voice came from Starry's mouth. Distracted and just woke up did we? Starry spoke the words internally, much better now at the focus needed to do so.

Thinking about things, how life is working out. I am really trying not to mess with you. Twinkle's mind-voice was warm and caring, Starry could actually feel the love in her close-friend's words. I don't even know how long my kind live...

"A stack of daffodil pancakes coming up!" Sunset turned to the counter and started preparing the food, oblivious to the conversation going on in the other mare's head.

Then you need to take all the advantage of me you can. Starry thought the words to Twinkle, then blushed hotly as she realized the implications of them. I mean, to use my body! Things didn't get better as she tried to fix her slip.

I know what you mean, Starry. Are you sure you are okay having me, still? Twinkle gave a little twitch of her tentacles. Life seems to have slowed down for us, again. I feel like a second wheel.

If you are, you are my second wheel. Twinkle, I love having you with me, you are my best friend, my special somepony, my constant companion. Starry settled at the first table in the dining room, leaned back and relaxed a little. So, let's find somepony tasty to play with. Where are Rarity and Rainbow Dash living these days?

You liked playing with them. What about we find somepony else to teach fun games to? Twinkle took care of arranging cutlery, spacing out the knives and forks just right, even the little tiny ones that nopony seemed to really know what to do with.

That would be fun. Starry sent the mental equivalent of a hug to her body-partner. "Oh, ready so fast?" Sunset was slipping a plate before her. "Oh wow Twinkle was right, they smell amazing!"

"You are both welcome!" Sunset's grin grew to the point she was showing off fangs, but nopony in the castle really minded that anymore, particularly when some of the ponies in the castle had bigger ones than her. As the alicorn walked into the kitchen, she shook her head. "Who would have thought I could be so happy becoming a chef…"

"Anypony who tasted your cooking." Maddie trotted up the stairs from their lair, below. "Now, where are we on lunch? Princess Twilight sent me a message that makes no sense at all, I hope she comes in soon to sort this out."

Author's Note

Rainbow Dash just hovered, her wings flapping lazily. "I don't even know why I am here, I was meant to be having dinner with Dinks and Muffins."

"Rainbow, they just want to know about this place." Muffins trotted out after her wife, carrying a map. "The Foal Mountains. Ever been there?"

"Huh, nope, not on my weather patrol." Rainbow squinted at the map a little. "Can't see any towns there, might be a dumping ground for unused rain-clouds or something. Could be some crazy weather there." The mare landed and leaned in against Muffins, then tensed. "Oh no, back up you fuzzball!"

"What? It is a running gag!" Nuzzles looked up at both the mares, a hopeful smile on his little snouts.

A rushed trip to Ponyville, finding her former student not too happy at having a whole international meeting dumped on her, Celestia has to explain herself. And then Tender becomes a member of the CMC.

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ They will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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