"Who would have thought that a light coat of varnish would feel this good?" Rarity turned and twisted around in the foyer of the spa, admiring the shine the branches that made up her body had. "Oh yes darlings, you have done so well." Aloe and Lotus practically glowed at the praise.

"Let me get that for you." Mirror Rarity had found she quite liked having a beauty spa in town, quite liked it indeed. Her coat shone, her mane was vibrant and bouncy. She reached out with her magic and opened the door.

Putting one big paw before the other, Rarity stepped out into the afternoon sun and the moment she started to look up and admire Celestia's gift, she felt something hit her, hard. Rarity felt the impact hit hard enough that some of her branches scattered, knocking free. "What?"

"I heard you became some kind of beast, well, if I can't have bitch, nobody have bitch!" King Gruff swung the big club back and brought it down on Rarity's neck again, sending more branches scattering.

Rarity felt hurt, she felt pain, but she didn't feel the kind of soul-clenching pain that real mortal blows should be. The club came down a third and fourth time and, when it hit her a fifth the world went dark, the branches comprising her head sent flying.

"Rarity!" Mirror Rarity had frozen in shock while the diamond dog beat her friend down, fear gripping her. When the big timber wolf's head was sent flying into so much kindling she lashed out with her magic, sending it forwards to grab the club away from the attacker.

"Bulk!" Aloe and Lotus called together, their shrill voices heralding a wall behind them being knocked in as a big white pegasus looked around for what had caused his boss' distress.

Gruff froze at the sight of the stallion, unarmed now he felt vulnerable. He turned and started to run.

The world felt broken to Rarity, she should be together, one part, but she was many and all over the place. It was worse than an itch she couldn't reach. But she could reach them. Focusing her mind in on the first, farthest part, she pulled at it, teased it toward her. Memory came back with the returned branch, of the times she and her friends had dealt with such beasts as she was. What was left of Rarity's snout pulled into a smile. Another branch gathered back toward her, then another. With each part returned she could pull faster and faster and before Gruff got twenty feet away she had pulled herself back together enough to stand up.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle raced forward and then gasped when the branches reassembled themselves. "You're okay?" She bounced in place.

Even as Rarity was starting to move, there was a blur of white rushing past her. She recognized the stallion, he had just finished massaging her branches! "Bulk?"

Running for all he was worth, Gruff heard the hooves striking the ground behind him. "You can't hurt me, I am a king! You can't-" A great pressure slammed into the dog's back, throwing him forward. Sprawling on the ground, the world spinning around his head, Gruff was picked up and his neck clamped by the strongest muscles he had ever felt; it was like having a collar of steel wrapped around him.

"You." Bulk drove a hoof into the dog's belly, knocking the wind from him. "Do not." The stallion thumped Gruff again. "Hit mares!" The last strike had the dog gasping for air.

"Bulk Biceps, you really are my hero." Rarity barely kept her voice even, she was panting and busting for a fight. Just seeing Gruff made her itch to grab him in her mouth and shake. "But I think we need to take this… King, to the castle."

"He's a king?" Bulk looked down at the dog who was well dazed. "Huh, figured they were bigger." Keeping one foreleg wrapped tight around Gruff's neck, Bulk marched toward the castle on the edge of town, not caring how his captive was dragged. "He hurt you bad, Miss. Rarity?"

If Rarity had been a cat, she would have purred at the stallion's attention. "He absolutely ruined the shine in my branches, and it felt really odd… but I think I am okay."

"Rarity, are you okay?" Sweetie Belle raced to her sister's side and tried to inspect her for harm. "Are there any… or… " Closing her snout, Sweetie blinked at her sister. "I have no idea what I'm doing…"

"I'm okay, really." Rarity kept protesting, even as the two spa ponies and Mirror Rarity came to her. "It takes more than that to stop a timber wolf…" Her thoughts wandered a moment, thinking how different this would have been if-

"Lucky Discord changed you." Sweetie finished Rarity's thought for her, looking up at her sister.

Muffins was doing her best to keep up appearances as Celestia, while the Princess had gotten away, but when a strange procession of ponies, timber wolf and one very subdued diamond dog entered the castle, she froze.

"Princess?" Twilight looked over to her mentor, seeing how worried Celestia's eyes looked. It was the last straw for her, she knew now what was going on. "Where is Princess Celestia?"

Twilight's whisper grabbed Muffins' attention. "I think she wanted to go see your foals. What do I do?" She fluttered her wings a little, sitting up straight to face what was coming. "Yes?"

"Princess Celestia, this cad attacked me." Rarity gave a nod after she made the statement. "I have witnesses and, what is he doing so close to me anyway?"

Muffins' eyes widened and she looked to Twilight. "Uh, of course, Your Highness." Twilight was about to stand up when she saw a white alicorn in the doorway of the big hall. "Oh thank Celestia…"

Celestia herself walked into the room, she didn't pay any attention to Twilight or Muffins at first, instead she walked right up to Bulk. "You protected Rarity?" She didn't need his nod to know he had, it was the way the big stallion stood. "Gruff, you have broken Equestrian law. You may not return here for five years and then, not until you have furnished Rarity Belle with a full apology."

"You can't lock me up!" Gruff jerked awake and started babbling.

"Rarity, you look well for being attacked. What exactly did he do to you?" Celestia blinked up, finding herself a little put out by having such a large subject.

"Your Majesty." Rarity's branches creaked as she sketched a curtsey. "I was just leaving the spa after having a wonderful morning relaxing, when he attacked me with a club."

"He hit her until she was scattered!" Sweetie Belle was in tears, the memory of her sister down and looking dead still fresh in her mind. "He didn't stop until she was in pieces!"

"But I-" Gruff didn't get more than the two words out before he saw Celestia's horn light up brilliant white. Shaking for his life, the diamond dog felt her magic touch him.

Gruff was gone, no longer beside Bulk.

"Bulk Biceps." Celestia smiled to the stallion. "You have my thanks for defending Equestria against a foreign attack." She leaned in and forward, pressing her lips to the stallion's cheek. "You are a hero and a gentlecolt."

Blushing through his white fur, Bulk snapped upright and gave a salute to the Princess. "Ma'am. Yes Ma'am!" Pride rushed through him, he knew he wasn't the brightest bit in the bag, but he knew a few things for sure, and not hitting a mare was one of them.

"Sweetie Belle, your sister is quite resilient in her present state, might I consider you writing a song to Discord?" Celestia hated the idea of praising the Spirit of Chaos, but even by accident he had saved a pony. "He has, by a round-about way, saved her life."

The filly's eyes lit up, even if she was in an adult body. "He did!"

"Glad she came in there…" Muffins flopped down in her seat. "How do ponies mistake me for her? She looks ready to have her foal."

Twilight nodded along. "I don't think I will ever get used to doing what she does. That trial had me scared half to death. I didn't want to make us look bad in front of the visitors, but it was Sunset and Rarity…"

Muffins put a comforting wing around her friend. "Now you see why I don't want to be a 'princess'?" She froze. The sight of the big white wing suddenly reminded her who she was the double of. Muffins blushed.

"Just relax, she is here now." Twilight leaned into the wing, finding it easy to relax with a reflection of her former mentor.

"I'm going to change back." Gel had his fill of apples and was laying beside Applejack, under a tree in her orchard. "Tomorrow."

"Ah know, so come back." Applejack looked up, focusing her attention on one apple that looked a little too green still. "Once we have this-all fixed, Ah want you ta try wearin' a horn ring for a while."

Gel tilted his head to look at Applejack, finding her own already tilted in just the right way for their lips to be tantalizingly close. "But… why?"

"Why come back?" Applejack waggled her eyebrows as she had seen Gel do on occasion. To take the edge from her joke she kissed the stallion. "Why use the horn ring? So you don't forget who you are, what you are, and what you can do without magic. What would happen if'n something happened to magic, if'n you had to go without it for a month or a year?"

Blinking in surprise, Gel leaned forward and kissed Applejack fondly. "Maybe Twi could join me. But one thing, AJ." Applejack looked at him with curiosity, wondering what his term would be. "If somepony is in danger, you have to take them off us."

"A'course Ah would, sugarcube." Applejack rubbed her snout against Gel's larger one. For a moment she marveled at how far she had come with him, how totally and crazily she loved him. It felt like forever ago that she would just tolerate the stallion to be with Twilight. "Ah love you, Gel." Gel closed his eyes a brief moment, thinking of everything about Applejack, trying to get all his feelings into his words. "Y're supposed to reply…"

"I am thinking." Gel reached a hoof over to rub Applejack's shoulder. "I want to make sure I have all my feelings for you in my head before I reply… there is a lot." Gel smiled when a hoof poked his chest. "Okay, aaaannnnndddd." Gel inhaled. "Applejack, I love you." The words came from his heart, they were pure and so right to him. There was more, there was always more. "You are strong, you are smart-"

"Horse-apples!" Applejack cut in. "Twi's the smart one!"

"Twilight is the most studious, most amazingly well-read mare I know. If it is in a book, she knows it or how to get it." Gel lifted one of his big, feathered hooves up and poked Applejack in the nose. "But you can strip away everything confusing that is going on, you dive in and say exactly what you know is the core of a problem. You are smart, Applejack, very smart. When you open your mouth, I pause to listen. I love to listen to you." Applejack's orange fur did nothing to hide her blush. "And you are adorably cute when you blush."

It was the last straw. "Why you…" Applejack pushed herself over, legs twisting and trying to compromise Gel's. With him in his normal state, she would have no hope in this game, but he was flesh and bone. Folding the stallion's legs, or pinning them in other ways, she had him braced and secured. "Take that back!"

"Sorry, I can't." Gel gave his wife the cheesiest grin ever.

"You take it back or… or… I'll tickle you!" Applejack's horn lit, searching Gel's body for such weaknesses as all ponies had.

"What are…" Gel gasped and started to squirm. It was entirely a unique experience, being tickled, and he let go of control with easy abandon. "I ca-" He tried to struggle to talk. "I can't… I can't talk!"

"Take it back!" Applejack dug her magic in a little more, tickling Gel until he finally held up one leg. "Will you give in?"

"Yes! Yes alright!" Gel wheezed and gasped for breath, feeling like a million bits, but well winded. With his voice under control again, he inhaled. "Applejack, I am sorry I thought you were smart, you are dumb as-" He never got another word out, the tickling started all over again.

Author's Note

Blushing a little as she strode out, Applejack, Princess of Farming, looked around the audience. "Well howdy folks, can't imagine why y'all'd ask me up here, but here goes." As she read the little cue card the orange alicorn blushed even more. "Well, Ah made it pretty dog-gone clear, if anypony asks me, Ah ain't one to lie. Nopony has asked yet... Ah don't know how things will be when the little'un is born... might be all kinds of obvious whose they might be. An... seeing Gel with Slipper, Ah might want to be there..." The mare goes silent before she quickly spun around, producing a lariat from thin air. "Not today, you varmint!" The lasso flies, grabbing all four of Nuzzle's legs. "Gotcha."

(reason I didn't answer the more popular question was, Muffins isn't in Canterlot, she is still in Twi's castle, although Celestia is already using their shared likeness for shenanigans.)

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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