The train rattled under them, pulling the special, royal, car of the Friendship Express closer to Canterlot. "How are those fangs coming, Shiny?" Cadance had her scrolls out, reminding Shining a little of his sister in her focus on documentation.

Twisting in his amazingly well-fitting armor, Shining knew he had not a single hope of evading his wife's curiosity. "Like this." The big stallion smiled first.

"Oh, visible now, gives my husband an air of danger…" Cadance gave a mock growl. "Open up." As soon as he did she had a little metal ruler in his mouth, taking measurements. "Definitely longer. Careful, how long do changeling fangs grow?"

Careful pulled his snout out of the book he was reading. "The upper fangs of a drone grow quite long, protruding nearly an inch and a half from the snout. A queen's fangs, growing from top and bottom, are much shorter, finer and… why are you staring at me like that?" He could taste a little confusion and an oddly spicy flavor, inspiration.

"A queen then for sure!" Cadance snorted and giggled, taking one last look to confirm her suspicions. "Careful, can you double check this for me?"

"Waahfs waang?" Shining didn't dare close his mouth, not with his wife's hooves so close, and not with those fangs he now sported.

Trotting over, Careful peered into the stallion's mouth. "Those don't look like the pronounced fangs of a drone…"

Cadance giggled. "Shiny, you are going to be a queen!" She knew her husband and already had her hooves pulled back before delivering the 'last straw'. Careful had quick enough reflexes not to get caught by Shining snapping his mouth closed. "I bet your mane is going to be gorgeous… I did envy Bug-butt for that, she really had a great flow and good body in her mane."

"But… but… a queen?" Shining clanked a little as he stomped a hoof. "I like being a stallion!" His anger was quickly salved as a pink princess hugged him. "I like being your Shiny Stallion…"

"Shh, I am sure something can be done. Careful, do these kinds of… you probably wouldn't know… well, nothing else for it, we have to go to the Canterlot Library and look for information." Cadance had a wing around her husband, the armor he was wearing so well fitted that it didn't catch her feathers at all.

"Good thing we are here, then." Nimbus pointed at the window with a wing, the train was turning to come into Canterlot and they could see the great city sprawling before them.

"It feels strange to be back, we didn't get much say when we were… removed." Careful looked at Cadance, who shrugged. "Not that I hold it against you, Chrysalis was being really terrible and we deserved it."

A sky-blue wing circled the changeling, the soft feathers tickling against him. When Nimbus Cloud's snout rested against his, Careful gave a sigh.

Cadance was caught between her excitement at coming to Canterlot with a whole mission planned out, and wanting to squee like a filly at Nimbus and Careful's growing affections toward each other. The train itself solved her problem by slowing further and giving a final heave as the brakes engaged.

With three magic users along, getting their luggage was easy, even if Careful insisted on carrying the bulk of things. Some Royal Guard met them at the station. "Your Highness! Captain!" The stallion that was addressing them looked the part to a T. "Allow us to take your things and escort you to the castle."

Setting her hooves down, Cadance raised her wings in the typical alicorn manner, it was an official visit after all. "Thank you…" Her tone implied a question of identity from the unicorn.

"Lieutenant Commander Bright Lance, Your Highness." Bright bowed to the princess. "Please, walk this way." He spun around sharply and began to walk off slowly.

Careful unloaded the heavy bags to the guard and snorted at the official. "If I could walk that way I would-" A hoof poked his snout and the disguised changeling looked at the royal alicorn attached to it.

"None of that, we are here to make a…" Cadance's eyes narrowed and she slowly removed her hoof. Quietly, she asked, "You got me, what?"

"Don't encourage him!" Nimbus made no move to actually stop the changeling from finishing.

"If I could walk that way, I would need to remove the broom from my plot." Careful grinned, both mares hanging on his words snorted and tried to hold back laughter.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was in his element. His new field plate not only outshone the Royal Guard, he looked infinitely better prepared as well. His armor moved as he walked, made specifically to fit him, it shifted with each twitch of his muscle and he knew he owed Rarity and his armorers a whole pile of favors for it. Even if the Ponyvillian asked for him to bring her the sun itself, it would be a good deal. Shining strutted. "How did the cleanup go after the invasion?"

Bright's green demon was riding his back, firmly holding the reins. "Good, Sir. Not a single changeling in the city and we have new ways to detect them!" The shock he saw on the Guard Captain's face salved his jealousy nicely.

"Wha… what is that?" Shining had to fight his urges to look back at Careful, but it was worse, would a detection spell find him, now?

"Your sister came up with it, and it works great on a small scale." Bright halted in place and charged his horn. Shining felt his deep reserves of bravery sorely tested, but he stood his ground as the horn discharged, spraying down his body. It was like getting a sharp thump on the head, but without the pain.

"Lieutenant!" Cadance shoved up beside her stunned husband, her wings prominent. "What is the meaning of attacking my husband?"

"Cady…" Shining shook his head to get rid of the daze. "It was just a daze spell, I guess it shakes changelings out of their disguise?" He spoke as loudly as he could, hoping to alert his friend. A new thought came after that. When did I get so tricky?

With the procession stopped, Careful was already paying attention and caught the tip from Shining. It was a clever idea, but it wasn't like they could round up every pony in Canterlot and stun every one of them. Then something hit him. "Princess Cadenza?"

The official name had Cadance's attention, once she was sure her husband had truly taken no injury. "Adviser Careful?" She stood still while everypony else started moving again. "I trust you heard the little demonstration?"

"I did, and it gives me a wonderful idea on a much better way for us to catch a changeling." Careful smirked, being tricky and bending that racial aptitude for his queens really made him feel good. "Please remind me to share it with you later."

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it managed to leave Cadance standing, barely. "Oh I definitely will." The sound their hooves made changed as they entered the huge throne room of the castle.

On her throne, Princess Celestia looked as radiant as the sun she represented. Her smile spoke volumes of her delight at meeting the two she had wed in the recent past. One eye gazed at them warmly from beneath the bright mane that wouldn't be troubled by such things as a lack of a breeze. "Princess Cadance, Shining Armor." Celestia stepped down from her throne, meeting the delegation on equal footing. "I got your letter." The ruler's eye twinkled, the letter had been a touch over seventy pages long and the real meaning of it had been woven into the vapid story so well it had taken her three readings to pick it up. "Please, guards, I would have some privacy with my niece."

The royal guards didn't hesitate, but a few glances at Careful and Nimbus revealed a touch of curiosity and concern. No sooner was the door closed than Cadance shot forward, pressing her neck against Celestia's. "Auntie, thank you for seeing us right away." One huge white wing reached out and pressed to Cadance's side.

"As if I wouldn't see the newest royal couple, particularly not when they have given me much to think about with their odd letter." Celestia looked from Shining to Cadance.

"That was written by Careful." Cadance drew back from Celestia, gesturing to Careful with a hoof. "Show Auntie, please."

Careful's eyes went wide. "Your… Highness?"

"Princess Celestia." Shining stepped up between the disguised changeling and the Princess of the Sun. "Careful is trusted, completely. What you will see is-"

"He is a changeling?" Celestia kept her tone and face neutral. "Really, you thought I wouldn't have guessed? Both of them are, then?"

"H-H-How?" Careful stepped back, clinging to his disguise as tightly as he could. "No! No, Nimbus is a pegasus." He was stammering and struggling for words.

"She is not? Curious. But then tell me, what is this all about?" Celestia gestured to a low table to the side, where a small hoard of pillows were stacked. "Tea?"

"Please, and the reason for all this duplicity is, as you likely gathered from Careful's letter, that Chrysalis is planning something." Cadance walked a tightrope, there were things she was fine revealing to her auntie, but Shining's condition was not one of them… yet.

"And that there are changelings in Canterlot, in positions where they could access incoming mail." Celestia found a seat on some soft cushions. "Using the detection spell on all the ponies with a chance at that would be… madness."

"And ill-advised." Careful was shocked at himself for cutting in on this conversation. "We have a mole, but a mole we know of and can now manipulate." He dared to look at the ruler of Equestria, and saw a smile of approval.

"Your adviser is worth whatever you are paying him, Niece." Celestia floated over the most decadent-looking cheesecake known to ponykind. "So why the trip, you could have conveyed all this in another gloriously convoluted letter."

"We are going to catch one and have a little chat." Cadance sipped at her cup of tea. "Careful might know them and we have a wonderful way of getting a changeling to speak complete truth." The shock Cadance saw in Celestia's features lasted barely a heartbeat and was so subtle she doubted even Careful saw it. She had seen it, however.

"And some of my nobles believed the Princess of Love would be useless at anything to do with running a country." Celestia showed real mirth now, touched with pride. "Just what do you plan?"

Cadance gestured to Careful, who drew in a deep breath. "Well, Your Highnesses, my plan is…"

It was a great party, Shining had spread it around the barracks that he and his wife were just wanting to let their manes down. There was cider, a lot of cider.

"What happened to your legs?" A leggy stallion who had identified himself as Bright Bolt, a recent recruit in the guard and apparently a minor son of a noble. "All that ice up there causing problems?"

Shining was ready for this, waving a covered hoof at the fabric woven up and over all four of his legs. "Nope, new armor. It rubs and chafes my legs a bit." He feigned a wobble, reaching his magic out to grab his drink again.

"I know what we shuld play!" Cadance bounced in place, her blue magic hovering up one of the big empty cider carafes. "Shpin the bawtle!" A cheer went up from the guards who, at the start of the evening, had been promised that they had the next day off.

Careful took the bottle first. "My turn, I brought the grog!" He grinned brightly and set the bottle between them. Ponies formed up into a circle and with a twitch of magic he sent the bottle spinning. It landed on Shining, of course. "Truth or dare?"

Knowing their game, Shining grinned. "Dare! Never let the guard be said to turn down a challenge!" His pronouncement got a cheer.

"Kiss every mare in the room!" Careful's eyes danced, he was cold sober, but he could see Shining had imbibed a little. The stallion in question, of course, moved right for his wife and in the most graceful clumsy fall ever, landed atop her, kissing her soundly.

"Hey! She is the only mare here!" A few other guards took up the cries, booing the dare as being a bad one.

"They're my boss!" Careful waved his drink toward the two making out quite enthusiastically. "I like my job…" His scared and honest look got laughs and another pony grabbed the bottle, spinning it.

Only minor debauchery had ensued, and Careful had managed to get his third spin of the night, landing it on Cadance. "Princess! Truth, or dare?"

Cadance knew this was the moment, and pondered just for a moment, messing it up. "Dare!" A great cheer went up.

Reaching back in with his magic, Careful spun the bottle, expertly getting it to point at who he had seen acting more drunk than any other—that the same pony had been using many of Careful's own tricks to avoid drinking hadn't helped. "Kiss that stallion!"

Bright Bolt's eyes went wide, he had been fighting not to eat, but the radiant love in the room from the Princess of Love was proving almost overwhelming. When the alicorn rushed at him, the pressure increased tenfold. When her lips met his it was all he could do to hold onto his disguise for dear life.

Cadance pulled back from what she now knew to be a changeling. Bright looked wobbly and about as drunk as a pony would ever get without passing out. It was time for the real game. "He kisses like a wet fish!" Laughs went up as Cadance got back to her spot. Blue magic reached out to the bottle and gave it a lazy spin. Twirling around and around, she knew the target, she had spent the afternoon enchanting the bottle. With it pointing right at the overly drunk changeling disguised as a guard, Cadance looked right at Bright. "I dare you to change into Shining Armor!"

The room went dead silent. A flare of green fire went up around Bright as she shifted to her true form first, then to Shining Armor. The changeling smiled at the alicorn. "I win!" He fell over, completely drunk on the love that had been forced into him.

Author's Notes:

No questions for the cast? Aww, and Celestia was so hoping somepony wanted to talk.

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.

Support me on atreon

Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
Canary in the coal mine
Daremo
Mary Rowland
Boulder