The new house had been erected on the edge of town. It had four bedrooms, the usual number of other rooms except bathrooms: every bedroom had an ensuite. Bright Day had organized his own home, but it was his friends who came together and helped build it. Fully a quarter of the town had pitched in, most knowing exactly what Bright intended to use it for.

While it had been easy to organize "friendship meetings," since the influx of older ponies, sometimes it would be significantly easier to have another house—particularly one build with shared friendships in mind.

And it seemed like nopony who knew Bright Day could resist the opportunity to see the happy stallion even happier.

Just like building the house, everypony seemed to have a spare piece of furniture to "lend" to Bright Day: a couch, a bed, table, chairs. Bright Day stared at his own home, and his excitement built even further.

"Well? Go on. Go inside!" Party Favor walked up to Bright Day, and used his magic to open the front door for his brother.

Walking into his new home, Bright Day pranced a little, his tail flicking around—which reminded most of the ponies behind him about the plant and its affects on them. When he heard Party's hooves follow him, Bright turned to his brother. "You haven't come to the club. Are you and Cream okay?"

"Better than ever!" Party Favor leaned in to his brother, and held his snout near Bright's ear. "You're going to be an uncle—twice over." Excitement bubbled up through both stallions, but when Bright returned the favor and leaned close to Party, he froze.

Bright could barely hold his giggles in. "You're going to be an uncle, too."

"Who's the…" About to say mare, Party Favor had a sudden bout of confusion. "…Lucky… pony?" He looked at Bright Day's face, and laughed. "You know what I mean!"

Giggling along with his brother, Bright just shrugged. When he calmed down enough to reply, he pointed a hoof out the door. "Somepony. I have been making a lot of friends." He giggled again. "A lot of friends."

Party Favor couldn't find a single reason why having so many "friends" would be a bad thing, but it wasn't his thing. "The way Tight, Sugar, and Patched explained it, I thought this was going to be something terrible. The morning sickness was less than fun, but knowing I can share this with Cream is the best feeling ever!"

"Do you go up to the cave? Banjo has been doing stuff up there, and the plant is huge now." Walking around the house, Bright Day poked his head into each room starting with the living room. "This place is awesome!"

"Where are you two?" Cream'n Sugar walked into the house, and when she saw her husband's tail poking out the open door of the living room, walked up and gave it a little tug.

Party Favor jumped a little at the intimate touch, and turned to see his wife as the perpetrator. "We were just talking. Guess who else is going to have a foal?"

Cream looked at Bright Day, and her face lit up with excitement. "Bright! Who's the lucky—"

Interrupting, Party booped his wife on the nose. "We already went through that. No clue, but I guess his foal's coloring might give a hint." He took the moment to kiss Cream, and had to fight his desire down.

Bright Day grinned and turned to look back at his new living room. There was two comfortable (if mismatched) couches, as well as three armchairs, and a low coffee table. Some bookshelves hugged the walls, and there was even a pair of potted tomato plants by the window.

Party Favor broke the kiss with Cream'n Sugar just in time to see Bright munching on a tomato. A squeaking sound came from the front door, and Party quickly turned his attention toward it. "Fido Two?"

A balloon dog bounced its way into the room and to Party Favor. Issuing another loud squeak, it squirmed when Party picked it up.

"Hey, Party. You're getting pretty good with those. Does it do any tricks?" Bright tossed the last of his tomato into his mouth, and with a quick bite finished the fruit off. A sound outside caught his attention. "Hey, what's up out there?"

Together, all three ponies (and Fido Two) made their way out the front door and watched as Double Diamond led a new pony through town.

Tight Squeeze's attention wasn't on Party, Cream, and Bright, he was watching the interesting stranger walking at Double's side, pulling a wagon behind her. "Something about her's familiar."

"I know what you mean, but its a bit too dark to see her properly." Sugar Belle had to squint a little. "Odd, though. I would have thought DD would bring her to see us all."

Bright Day, at that moment, reached Tight and Sugar, and pulled both of them into a big hug. "If it wasn't for you two, I wouldn't have found out what I am really good at." And with that he kissed Sugar, not hesitating to meet her lips with his own.

"Oh, go ahead, not like I didn't want the first kiss." Smiling at Sugar Belle and Bright Day's enjoyment of the kiss and his joke, Tight Squeeze waited his turn in the early-evening dusk.

Breaking the kiss, Sugar Belle giggled and licked Bright's lips. "You better kiss him too, or he will keep complaining about it. Smooching is the best way to keep Tight quiet."

"Hey! That's unfair. I resen—" Tight Squeeze didn't struggle as Bright's lips made contact with his own, and he felt a swell of affection grow. With his eyes fluttering closed, Tight recalled just how much Bright Day had come out of his shell and blossomed as head of the Friendship Club.

Something tickled at Tight's thoughts, while he leaned into the kiss. The identity of the mare Double Diamond trickled down, and he remembered where he'd seen that cutie mark before. Snapping his eyes open, Tight pulled back from a startled Bright Day. "I remember where I saw that cutie mark before!"

All heads turned to Tight Squeeze, and several voices could be heard asking, "Who is it?"

"I don't know her name, I saw her in…" As he trailed off, Tight Squeeze trotted toward Milk Drop's store, with seemingly half the town following him. When Tight neared the front door, Milk (who was with the little group, trotted forward and opened it for him. "Thanks."

Everypony watched through the window as Tight made his way to the counter, and looked at the notice board. "Ah ha! That's her! Starlight Glimmer!" Using one of his wings, he plucked the flier pinned to the wall down and trotted back out to share his findings. "Starlight Glimmer has been caught using mind-altering magic for personal gain, and should be reported to the Guard as soon as she is found. Reward: 200 bits."

Party Favor lifted his voice. "Do you think she did something to Double Diamond? Where were they going?" A small squeak came from his back where Fido Two sat.

"The cave!" Bright Day's hooves were already moving. "W-W-What could she want to do to Double Diamond in the cave? She might hurt the plant!"

Double Diamond smiled brightly as Starlight Glimmer, wanted criminal, was trapped by the plant. He wasn't sure she could hear him, but he called encouragements to her regardless. "Just relax, it will make you feel much better. You won't have to run anymore!"

The plant was doing what the plant always did. Double watched with glee as it subdued Starlight completely, and started working itself into her body. He stepped up and gave one stray tendril a little stroke with his hoof. "I didn't realize what a gift you were before. But that changes today."

Tight Squeeze, having taken to the air on his huge wings, led the rush of pegasi into the cave. With Bright Day, Night Glider, Cream'n Sugar, and Candle Bright behind him, Tight marched up to where Double stood. "Get away from him, you—" He stopped, his eyes growing accustomed to the dark cave, when he saw Double Diamond standing over a subdued, squirming unicorn. The unicorn, Starlight Glimmer, was mostly hidden by the various pods and vines, but one flank—and its cutie mark—were visible.

"Don't you see, Tight, she doesn't have to be bad, now. The plant will make it all better." Double Diamond wore a huge smile on his face, one of his hooves rising to pat the biggest pod (that had captured Starlight's head).

"She's a wanted criminal, DD. The Guard will come looking for her eventually, and they are going to find all—all this." Tight Squeeze now had all his pegasi backup actually backing him up, and the sound of hooves in the cave entrance signaled the arrival of the earth ponies and unicorns.

"Well I couldn't let her come into town. She was going to do something bad, I could feel it." Double Diamond blew out a snort through his nose to punctuate his statement. "Mark my words, she was looking for trouble."

Night Glider pushed past the other pegasi and looked at the engulfed form of Starlight Glimmer. "Well, good or bad, she's part of the town now." She turned her head to Double Diamond and had to stretch upward to kiss his cheek.

Tight Squeeze cleared his throat. "Milk Drop, Night Glider, one of us should be here in case she manages to get free. I know the plant is pretty…" he fished for a word, "… reliable at keeping a pony restrained, I don't want to take the chance with a known criminal."

"I'll take first watch." Night Glider gave Double Diamond a pointed look. The plans she had for the big stud of a stallion were suddenly down the drain.

Snorting, Milk Drop stepped through the crowd to meet Tight and Night (rounding out the three ponies with grabbing-tails). "I need to get up early tomorrow to open the store. Might as well have me take the third shift."

Stuck with the middle shift, Tight Squeeze sighed. "Well it was my idea, so I guess I get the shortest straw." He shrugged.

Double Diamond blinked, trying to get a handle on what had just happened. "Wait, we're all going except for Night? She'll be up here alone!"

"You big dolt." Night Glider smiled at Double as she shoved him with a hoof. "I can take care of myself." And to prove it, Night Glider used her bark.

Thick strands of wood-like fibers grew out all over Night, and wrapped her up tightly in a thick, flexible suit of armor that had her looking vaguely like a small timber wolf. He shook herself, scattering a few bundles of fiber, but mostly showing off for the crowd.

"Okay. You heard them, everypony. Nothing exciting will happen until morning at the earliest." Sugar Belle took charge of herding the crowd out. "Tight? Come on, dear, you need your rest."

Tight Squeeze looked back at Night Glider. The mare looked like a monster as she stood beside the plant and its captive, her glowing green eyes providing illumination for her to see by. "Come and get me when you get tired, Night."

"I don't need to be able to read thoughts to be able to tell she is about to tell you to go home, too." With her magic, Sugar Belle lifted Tight Squeeze from the ground and turned him toward the exit of the cave.

Jerking awake in the small hours of the morning, Tight Squeeze looked at the little clock beside his bed. Six AM. "S-Sugar. I don't know why, but Night Glider didn't come to get me."

Yawning, stirred from her sleep by her worried husband, Sugar Belle gently reached out with her mind. Night Glider was still in the cave, and her tail (at least) was awake. "She's still out there. Nothing bad seems to have happened. You owe her breakfast, though."

Tight half-slumped back to the bed, his panic eased by Sugar Belle's reassurance. "We need to go and see what happened, then. What will happen, when she wakes up that is."

Sugar Belle rolled from the bed, but rather than smoothing the covers back down, she yanked them free of bed and Tight Squeeze. "Come on. Since you are so determined to take your shift, you'd better get up and help me make half the town breakfast."

Fighting to grab the covers, Tight Squeeze ended up struggling with his own tail, although he knew who was driving the thing at the time. Giving a defeated groan, he rolled to the side and off the bed. Taking care of the necessary, Tight followed Sugar Belle into the kitchen.

The smell of rising bread dough hit Tight Squeeze—like it did every morning—and brought a big smile to his face. Like a wife-seeking-missile, Tight made his way across the kitchen and his lips connected with Sugar Belle's cheek. He smooched her for a moment, then drew back. "I love you."

Before Tight could get too far away, Sugar returned the kiss, but this time on Tight Squeeze's lips. "I love you too. Can you help me with these loaves?"

Falling in beside his wife, Tight Squeeze began traying up the dough as well, and slipping each into an oven. No longer weird to him, he took it for granted that his own tail would be grabbing up the trays and passing them to him and Sugar. "Everypony would starve if you didn't think ahead like this."

While Tight was loading in the last of the loaves to bake, Sugar Belle started making up a huge tub of cake batter. "They wouldn't starve, but I can feel a lot of grumbling ponies who are ignoring their bellies to get ready for the big event today." She noticed Tight had finished loading the bread in, and directed his tail to start passing him cupcake trays.

Out of bread dough, Tight Squeeze took the first cupcake tray from his tail and—without the slightest hesitation—greased it up. "So you can read thoughts? Fully read them, I mean."

"Ponies think about saying a lot of things they don't say. I can only hear those thoughts, the ones that are almost said." Sugar Belle took the first tray from Tight Squeeze, and started pouring cake batter into it. "And a lot of ponies would tell their wives or husbands they are hungry today, but then they swap to talking about how exciting it is having a fugitive in town."

Tight Squeeze focused for a moment, and concentrated on almost saying what he wanted to do to his wife on the kitchen table. He watched Sugar's head spin around and glare at him. "What?"

"I heard that." Sugar Belle walked up to Tight and booped him on the nose with a hoof. "Later."

Preparing the icing together, Sugar and Tight kept their conversation to touches rather than words. The cupcakes were done and out, iced and ready, then it was time to remove the bread. Loading up bags for the bread and cakes, Tight Squeeze noticed a particular cupcake. "'Welcome'?"

"She might be a fugitive, but she is one of us now. For better or worse, this mare is now part of Our Town." Sugar Belle loaded the last cupcake into a box, and hefted all the cakes and loaves together in her magic.

Letting Tight Squeeze take the lead, Sugar Belle cocked her head a little as she watched him walk. Normally, she would be admiring the slight sway her husband's back end had gained, but instead she noticed he walked a little gingerly. "Tight, is something wrong with your legs?"

"Don't wanna talk about it." Tight Squeeze knew he had lost whatever argument might ensue the moment Sugar belle had asked him the question. He mumbled a word very softly.

Sugar Belle didn't need to hear Tight to understand what he was saying under his breath. "An udder?" When her husband stopped walking and spun his head back, she tried her best to keep a neutral expression. "There's nothing wrong with a mare having an udder, dear."

"Does it need to be so tender, and swollen?" Tight barely said the words when magic wrapped him up and lifted him into the air.

"Don't worry, you know I'll be gentle." Sugar Belle gave a little giggle, unable to hold the laugh back. When she saw the two, swollen teats hanging down just in front of and on either side of Tight's sheath, Sugar Belle gave a little whistle. "This can't be from the pregnancy yet. Have you checked for milk?"

Clamping down on his voice, Tight Squeeze barely kept from yelling back to Sugar. "How would I do that?" The answer was so sudden, and felt so wonderful, that Tight Squeeze's anger evaporated into thin air. He felt Sugar Belle's lips close around one of the teats and suck.

Tight Squeeze's muscles seemed to relax, and he closed his eyes. The pleasure that swelled up was softer than sexual arousal, but it was more disarming, too. Another suck, then another, and then a new feeling joined the soft, swelling of pleasure: the feel of something leaving him through his nipple.

Sugar Belle's eyes widened as the thick, rich milk hit her mouth. She gave an appreciative sigh and sucked a little more free of her husband before setting him down.

Locking his knees to keep standing, Tight Squeeze watched Sugar Belle circle around him and come in for a kiss. To distracted by the pleasure of her suckling, he didn't realize what was happening until the rich, creamy, and sweet taste of his own milk hit him.

Both ponies stared at each other for a few moments, and both curled their lips into big smiles.

"You taste like condensed milk." Sugar Belle rolled the last of his flavor around in her mouth, giving a little nod of agreement to her own words.

"Yeah." Trying to steady himself from the arousal that followed his own wife suckling his milk, then feeding it back to him, Tight Squeeze had to agree. "Rich, and really sweet."

"Sweet enough to bake with." Licking her lips, Sugar Belle let out a giggle. "But that's for later. Let's go meet the new pony!"

Tight was left staring at Sugar. "You're not milking me for baking ingredients!" He paused a moment, and thought about what else he was producing that was sweet, and what his naughty wife did with that. "One or the other, but not both."

Turning to Tight Squeeze, Sugar Belle let out a happy laugh. "Your milk would be better to use, anyway. Your semen was leaving an aftertaste in some cakes." With her pile of breakfast goodies floating along beside her, Sugar Belle started prancing toward the cave.

Defeated by his own words, Tight walked as fast as he could and not feel the slapping sway of the udder under as it collided with his inner thighs. "Sugar, it felt kinda good." His words succeeded in slowing Sugar belle back down.

Still walking, although not as quickly, Sugar Belle looked back to Tight. "Really?"

"Tonight." Tight Squeeze got his chance to see hunger in his wife's eyes, and savored every moment of it. Catching up to her, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Come on, we have a pony to welcome."

"That's my stallion." Kissing Tight back, Sugar Belle made her way to the cave with him at her side.

As they approached the cave, the entrance was free of ponies, but an audible cheer arose from within. Looking at each other, Sugar and Tight made their way within.

Inside the cave was the oddest sight, and neither Tight Squeeze nor Sugar Belle could comprehend what was going on. Everypony but two were trying to pull oversize corks from their mouths, while Double Diamond hugged the new mare.

Sugar Belle set the cakes and bread loaves down, and walked through the struggling ponies. As she passed them, her magic would snap out and remove the offending corks. She could see the new pony was just as well-hung as any mare fresh out of the grip of the plant (barring a few standouts, like Night Glider and Fresh Baked). "We need to talk."

As soon as she spoke, Sugar Belle felt magic lance out from the mare. It rushed toward her, diving for her mouth. Something inside Sugar reacted to her anger, and she poured out a lot more power than she needed, and canceled the cork-delivery-spell. "I don't think so, Starlight Glimmer."

Starlight Glimmer rounded on the newcomer. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Sugar Belle. "This isn't going quite as I'd planned, but I guess now is as good a time as any to get this started. Feel the grip of my—" As she worked her magic—more powerful than any pony she had ever met—Starlight felt like she were wrapped in a chill bubble of ice. It wasn't cold she felt, however, but the lack of magic. She screamed.

"Oh get over yourself." Her horn flaring impossibly bright, Sugar Belle stared down at the panicked Starlight. "If you promise not to cast a spell, I'll let you have it back." She had to hold magic away from Starlight Glimmer, like a mother with a foal's latest (and dangerous) toy, for nearly fifty seconds. She counted each one.

Finally, getting over her fear, Starlight stopped grabbing mentally at the prison that had so effortlessly been built around her. She nodded, and felt the rush of magic back. "How did you do that?"

Sugar Belle smirked at the question. "Something the plant did to me. Are you hungry?" At the look of consternation on Starlight's face, Sugar Belle used her magic to teleport a pair of cupcakes over. She passed one to Starlight—the one with "welcome" written on it.

Tromping along at Sugar Belle's side, Starlight Glimmer felt her world crumbling for the second time in her life. Sunburst's leaving had stung her young heart, but her powerful magic being taken away so effortlessly had stunned her.

Then Starlight looked down at the cupcake. "'Welcome'? You were going to welcome me?"

"It's what ponies do. Try it. My husband, Tight Squeeze, helped me make enough for everypony who would be here." Sugar Belle didn't lead Starlight out of the cave, but far enough away from the crowd that they could be assured relative privacy. "Mind-control magic?"

Starlight felt her spirits slump a little. "How did you—"

Sugar cut in on Starlight. "I may have gone to culinary school, but I learned some magic. What were you planning?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Make the whole town believe every word I said, lull you all into trusting me, then fleecing you for everything you have." Starlight Glimmer rolled a hoof in the air, speaking with a droll tone. "The usual."

"Well, you're not going to." With that, Sugar Belle bit into her own cupcake. The taste of the tiny cake, with the sweet icing, was wonderful.

Following suit, Starlight froze and looked down at the remainder of the cupcake. It tasted amazing, and she couldn't deny it made her feel better just to have eaten it. "I guess I'll just leave then."

"You're not doing that, either. It took you in, and so will we." Sugar Belle pointed a hoof at the plant on the other side of the huge cave. "How are you feeling?"

Starlight just stared at the mare. "I tried to mind control you. You know I've done it to others. Why would you let me stay?!"

"Are you going to mind control us now?" Sugar Belle took another little nibble of her cupcake. She was struggling not to let her nerves show. The fact of the matter was, she was terrified that Starlight might have gotten that spell off.

Normally good at reading ponies, Starlight was having trouble getting a fix on Sugar Belle. The mare looked pregnant, and seemed to have more magic in her than a princess. Starlight thought about what that meant, what the plant doing this to Sugar meant. "No, I guess not. But what's your angle?"

Sugar Belle raised an eyebrow. "Angle? I don't have an angle. I want everypony to be happy. Since you ended up down here too, that means your part of the town now."

"Just like that?" When Sugar Belle nodded to her, Starlight Glimmer felt the tightness inside her ease just a little. "So I hang around and do what? Magic's about all I'm good at."

Pointing a hoof at Starlight's flank, Sugar Belle chuckled at the addition of little clutching vines to Starlight's cutie mark. "I'm pretty sure the plant has already worked something out. Have you had a foal before?"

The question, completely out of the blue, caught Starlight off-balance. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"That's a no, then. Everypony here winds up with foal eventually. Don't worry, if the plant can make my husband accept his pregnancy, it'll have no trouble with you." Sugar Belle had meant to sound reassuring, but after finishing the words she realized how ominous it was. "Uh, well, that is…" She couldn't come up with a better way to say it.

"So it turns me into a stallion, then gets me pregnant? How does that even work?!" Starlight felt an odd itch. She shifted her hips a little.

Sugar Belle recognized the movement for what it was: Starlight was gathered around a lot of other infested ponies, now her need would grow. "The stallion bit is mostly to help out others. If you want to get the fire quenched as soon as possible, you might want to talk to Bright Day." She pointed a hoof to Bright, who was sitting beside Tight with the other ponies. "Oh, my name's Sugar Belle."

Starlight was surprised at how normal it felt. It was almost as if Sugar Belle actually wanted to be her friend.

Author's Notes:

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question 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 to keep it to one question per post! They will pick one question per chapter.

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