The train ride was smooth but long, the day progressed from morning to afternoon. Gel found himself snuggled against Muffins for the most part, with Twilight and her friends spending the whole trip chatting.

"They keep looking at you." Muffins' voice in his ear made Gel twitch and half-awaken from the doze he had been in. "Rainbow Dash."

Gel looked around the carriage and caught the mare in question looking at him quite intently then, after a moment of 'deer in headlights' she looked back to her friends. "Changing shape, why did that have to be my thing? Mind reading would be so much more useful."

A gray hoof bopped Gel on the nose. "But life would be less exciting. Like this trip, when you see Cadance and Shining, there are going to be all sorts of exciting things you need to try and puzzle out. How do they really feel about Rainbow? How do they feel about having a full blooded changeling in their empire again? How do they feel about said changeling being the obvious special somepony of their sister and sister-in-law?" With each question, the goo-changeling winced a little more. "If you had mind-reading all that would be instantly spoiled and you could just turn around and go home. No fun at all." Muffins kissed him on the cheek and the show of affection made all the questions pale.

"I love you." Gel spoke the words and the moment they were out Muffins' eyes went wide. She narrowed them again.

"Say it again please." The gray alicorn looked serious so Gel nodded and repeated himself. "Good, it is right that the stallion say them first, so… I love you too, silly pony."

Gel almost melted, literally, his body trembled and he felt parts of himself lose cohesion for a little bit.

"Twilight, your presence is needed!" Muffins called out, leaning past Gel. The other alicorn trotted over and looked between Muffins and their shared partner. "Gel has something he needs to tell you."

"What's the matter Gel?" Twilight looked at the stallion, her big eyes catching his full attention. His throat started to work and Gel opened his mouth, staring deep into Twilight's violet eyes.

"I love you, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Anticipation rose between Muffins and Gel, the latter almost losing control of himself again.

Twilight's smile broadened and she looked from Muffins then back to Gel. "And I love you too, Gel." Emotion overflowed and all three were caught up in a shared hug. "What's this about?"

Muffins giggled at the other mare's adorable cluelessness. "He just told me, for the first time. I figured he had best tell you too."

"That was the first time…" Twilight pulled back and then looked to Muffins. "I…" Confusion broke out on Twilight's face but a gray hoof raised to push against her lips.

"You don't either, oh thank Celestia!" Muffins grinned and drew her hoof back. "I like you Twilight, as a friend. You are kind, and always showed me friendship when I was just a simple mailmare. Things might grow closer, but lets not force them."

This brought some shock to Twilight. Muffins was right, it didn't feel right, but they were friends. Besides, it wasn't like there wasn't plenty of Gel to go around. "Right, I don't think it would work out as things stand." Gel was watching this conversation, a little sad the two important mares in his life didn't want to go in for more together, but he was happy they were friends. "You see, I have been reading up…" a book floated from Twilight's luggage over to the three, "apparently we are what is called submissives, it is kind of like magnets!"

"Magnets?" Gel and Muffins both spoke together, incredulous.

"You see, there are two main alignments for such games. They pair best with their opposite." Twilight was in full 'teaching' mode, apparently it didn't matter the subject matter, the alicorn loved reading. "There is a third kind, which sort of can work as either…" her hoof raised to shroud her softened voice, "Rarity is one, I think."

"Wait wait wait." Gel tried to cut in, barely stopping the greatest book-pony who ever booked from continuing. "Twilight Sparkle, I respectfully request that we delay this conversation until tonight but, I would ask you spend a little time organizing it better. It is intriguing but not really suitable for discussion right now." Gel leaned up and kissed the alicorn on the nose, then, to make sure he wasn't leaving Muffins out, he kissed her too.

Twilight froze, her mind suddenly buzzing. The first thing she did was summon a scroll and started building a list of topics. She was going to need cue cards! "A… alright!" Delight bubbled up in her and she started going through the book, finding her little bookmarks and began to build a proper lecture.

Things got quieter and, with the journey slowly coming to a finish at the Crystal Empire station Gel helped Twilight pack up her things. Muffins had left them alone for a little bit, opting to catch up with her friend.

"Don't feel nervous, do you?" Muffins asked Rainbow Dash, startling the pegasus.

"What? No! Not me, I am far too awesome to be nervous!" Dash was nervous as all get-out, but she couldn't let it show. Not only for how her first visit since… well, finding herself, but also because everypony who was anypony here would recognize her and not as the awesome flier she was.

"Good, because if you were nervous I would tell you to relax, your friends are here and, might I add, mostly know your little foibles. But we are your friends no matter what." Muffins lifted a wing up and over Rainbow, giving the mare a hug. "I certainly don't forget the friend who tried to include an inept mailmare in all sorts of fun."

"Was that really all a game?" Dash perked up at the show of camaraderie. Despite her constant drive to be the best, she never looked down on a single pony… well, she sometimes slipped if somepony pushed at her pride, but she was working at getting past that.

"Acting derpy? Yeah, it… well at first it was mostly an act, but then you kinda start living it. Somepony likely has a big long word to describe how bad it is to do, but I feel like there is a switch that lets me relax into that wall-eyed mare. Doesn't work so well as an alicorn, ponies kinda remember the act as an act." Muffins let her eyes roam, as she could. It didn't impair her vision at all, but it did make her look much sillier than normal.

"Is this an act, now?" Rainbow looked at her friend, feeling a little odd about it all.

"No, no more games. Alicorns aren't allowed to play games, or look silly. It is in the book!" Muffins grinned.

"Why don't you change into something else? That horn… you are part changeling right?" The question from her pegasus friend shocked Muffins. "Well?"

"I… haven't even tried. What if… that would be so cool!" Muffins giggled and looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Okay, so you stand tall and be the most awesome mare I know you to be and I will promise you that I will find out if I can change and, you get to help me practice."

Rainbow Dash lifted her own hoof and clopped the gray one. "You bet!" She had never really felt 'that way' about her friend before, but with Muffins being an alicorn, there was a particular level of 'she is royalty' about her and it lightly touched Dash's subservient side. "In fact, I will start right now. You think Gel would be able to teach you?"

Muffins got up and started to make her way, with Dash, to the exit. "He doesn't shift like regular changelings, we might need to go to Canterlot to find somepony to teach me."

"Right!" Rainbow would help her friend sort this out and they would both survive this trip, together!

Cadance looked from the wall of her castle, she spotted the train pull in. "They will be here soon, remember, Dash is not our maid anymore."

Shining kissed his wife's cheek. "She isn't, but-"

"No, no buts!" Cadance clopped her hoof. "Twilight has been keeping me informed, she is settled in well now, she performs her duties on weekends and that is all. You are not to make any waves with her."

"Alright, alright." Shining felt a little down, he almost missed having the tomboyish mare around to play with. "But on one condition." Cadance's eyes narrowed, but she waited. "You wear that cute little dress for me tonight."

Cadance pressed to her stallion, kissing him much more surely and for quite some time.

"Is that a yes?" Shining gave her a half-grin.

Cadance turned and trotted back inside. "That is a yes!"

Shining followed after his wife, his grin wide. He loved following his wife for many reasons. First and foremost because following her meant he could watch her plot move.

The two rulers made it to their throne room just before the delegation from Ponyville was announced.

Twilight led the charge, and she made it a charge, she bounded up right before the throne that Cadance sat in and grinned. A moment of silence held over the castle before one alicorn turned half around and the other pounced down.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

"Do they do that every time?" Gel looked to Spike who nodded. "Wow, okay well, I guess they are close."

Rainbow Dash colored brightly at the words she overheard from Gel, she knew just how close they had gotten while… in their care.

"Twili!" Shining jumped down and gave his sister a hug, squeezing tightly. "How you been? That… present we sent working out well?"

Dash froze, but a wing folded over her back. "Ignore him, stallions are stupid." Muffins was by the sky-colored pegasus' side.

"Heard that." Gel muttered back to them as they all moved forward to catch up with Twilight.

"You were meant to." Muffins stuck her tongue out at her lover and got a laugh from the mare at her side.

"It wouldn't be so bad but… I really liked it here." Rainbow Dash's blush was hot and earned another squeeze under the big wings of the alicorn beside her. "But you are right, he is just a silly stallion, us mares don't need them!"

"Well, I like Gel, he can stay." Muffins looked to the dark changeling in front of her. "But all the rest can go take a hike." She lifted a hoof and got a clop back from her friend. "So, once this is done, want to go and explore the city?"

"Heck yeah!" Dash curled her smaller wing up and over her friend's back, hugging her.

"Hopefully," Shining Armor was saying as he lifted his voice to include the rest of the ponies, "things won't turn out like last time." Spike nudged Gel and gave him a half grin. The pair chuckled at the in-joke.

"Thanks BBBFF, I am sure the girls will be much relieved to hear that… Gel, what are you doing?" Twilight watched her special somepony step off to the side, looking behind a pillar. "Gel, there are no ponies waiting with masks!" Twilight blushed hotly.

"Can't blame me for checking!" The stallion trotted back over and stepped before Shining. Lowering his head, he gave an official bow to both the rulers. "Your Highnesses, of course there is no bad feelings, it is a delight to be here under happier pretenses."

Cadance nudged her surprised mate a little. "You speak quite well for a pony not used to court, please, you are dating my sister, we can be informal." The princess of love looked at the pair, her special talent letting her sense the tight bond between them. But there was another, a bond between the stallion and… her eyes widened. Cadance had gotten used to the idea of having Gel around because the stallion had saved her empire, but the odd alicorn… changeling thing behind him… "Muffins?"

"That's me!" Muffins stepped up beside Gel, close to Gel, and gave a little bow. "At your service, your highness!"

"There is a long story here, I can tell." Shining looked between his wife and the third alicorn in the room, then to Gel. "But introductions are all done, want to leave them to their talk?"

Gel wasn't quite sure what the 'stallion code' was exactly, but his mind picked up on this being part of it. "Sure. Come on Spike, let's leave the loveliest mares in all Equestria to their chat." Gel's words got smiles and preening from a few of the mares. It cost him nothing to lay out such compliments and besides, he meant them.

"Wait, Spike?" Shining looked at the unicorn beside Gel. "Okay, scratch inspecting the guard, I think we need to talk too."

Author's Note

Tripping, it had nothing to do with Tree Hugger at all! Welcome everypony to the new chapter, we are back in the Crystal Empire and surely nothing will go wrong!

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