Ahuizotl stomped his hands. "Your Highness, this is simply unacceptable."

Celestia nodded softly. "I have heard your plea... But I have questions."

"Of course." Ahuizotl bowed towards Celestia, glancing sideline at the pristine court they were in and the silent guards. "How can I help?"

"If you had not been interfered with, what would you have done?" Celestia pointed past him. "With that artifact. It was a thing of great power, by your own words."

"Immense." Ahuizotl shook a fist up at the sky. "It was protecting and fostering the valley it was in, keeping it vibrant and healthy. It was, and is, my honrable duty to keep such things where they belong."

Celestia nodded softly. "I see... Where did this artifact end up, exactly?"

"It was destroyed," he practically hissed out. "The fool touched it, and the power flowed into the strange alien, making them another stranger alien. They fled before I could have justice!"

Celestia brought her hooves together. "I see... This leaves that natural habitat at a loss, I imagine. I can promise this... I will assign a squadron of pegasi to your direction, to see the valley is tended to with proper care."

Ahuizotl started at that, but smiled. "That is very generous, Your Highness. A dozen or two pegasi who are dedicated to the task could keep the valley safe." He raised a balled fist. "Or! They could have just left it alone! The pegasi could do whatever they wanted to do and the valley could have taken care of itself."

Celestia nodded with a humm. "That would have been... ideal. I will speak with those responsible, and see justice is done."

"That is all I ask." Ahuizotl bowed once more to Celestia. "Thank you." He turned to leave. She wasn't stopping him, so he stormed out, the door closing behind him.

Celestia sighed out slowly. "Luna..." Her horn glowed, echoing the summon a bit more magically.

Luna manifested emerging from a swirl of nocturnal mists, hovering beside her sister's throne

"We felt the weight of your solemn summons, dear Sister, and came forth directly," she intoned, ethereal mane wafting in starry currents only she could sense. Luna's brow creased with concern taking in the visible burden upon her elder sister.

"How may we offer the comfort of counsel or carry thy burdens at this hour?" Luna alighted delicately upon the dais, gazing at Celestia with compassion shining in her night-kissed eyes.

Celestia turned to meet Luna's openhearted willingness, steeling herself with quiet fortitude. She spoke evenly so no note of accusation entered her words, only law's stern regret.

"I have heard word, interesting word... A report from an aggrieved citizen of our nation." Celestia inclined her head towards the closed door of the court. "It would seem he witnessed the destruction of an important artifact."

Luna scowled at the news. "And you require me to find it? I will have mine team assemble immediately." She rubbed her metal-clad hooves together with glee in her eyes. "Have no fear, sister mine."

Celestia raised a hoof. "Still yourself... Your agents have already moved."

"Truly?" Luna turned an ear back. "Faster than I could even request it. I should perhaps commend them."

"I would not be so fast for that either..." Celestia set her hooves flat on the ground. "They destroyed the artifact, and injured its guardian, a lawful guardian of it. Assault, destruction of property, several counts by all reports..."

Luna went rigid, hearing the crimes at the hooves of her agents. "I... see..."

Luna's elation had curdled to unease as stark truth displaced fanciful assumption. Her agents were not heroes of this tale but unwitting villains in another's narrative. Such gross overreach pierced Luna more for the suffering left unjustified in supposed justice's wake.

Striving to meet Celestia’s soft yet unflinching gaze, Luna bowed her head in contrition, as much for negligence as their misdeeds. ”We failed Thee ere this regrettable trespass came to pass - culpable ignorance no sound defense for hooves We guide."

Swallowing hard, emotion strained her timeless voice. "But what redress might now salve this suffering? If Wisdom may yet temper Law's stern hand, speak thus that all may heal..."

She trailed off muted by the weight of unknown damage left by those she trusted most to spread night's sheltering embrace. They followed her errant lead...

Steeling her heart against despair's seductive pull, Luna looked up. "We shall summon the offenders hither and face fair trial beneath your balanced gaze and mine. But ere judgement rends further hurt, grant mercy first chance to mend this unjust breach.”

Her next words fell nearly soundless as moonlight's muted plea. “I could not bear more loss in my name...”

Celestia reached out, hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Sister mine... You become more antiquated in speech the more excited you are, in positive or negative. I am not withdrawing my love for you, dear sister. But this cannot be allowed to continue." She brought Luna closer with her golden magic. "They are your agents. They must hear your words, not mine."

Luna pinned her ears back, coloring faintly. "I thought I was getting... better." Each word was slow and deliberate, to avoid slipping into older ponish styling. "Sister, truly... I will see that they understand the grave errors they have committed."

"That is all that I ask." Celestia released Luna from her magic. "Learn. A mistake was made, but none were..." She trailed. "Actually... They mentioned one of your agents might have been harmed in a lasting fashion. As angry as you rightfully are, do check on them. I would not wish them to suffer."

"Of course..." Luna shrank back several hesitant steps. "I will see this done..." She glanced away furtively. "Have thee other words for me?"

"I do not. I trust you will take this in your hooves and see it is addressed." Celestia raised a hoof suddenly. "One thing... If you have agents, and they are not fully trained in such delicate matters, perhaps you should accompany them? It took quite some time before my own agents could be trusted farther than my eyes could reach."

"Yes, sister mine..." Luna vanished in a puff of midnight smoke, even that wisping away.

Celestia sighed at the sight. "Love you," she whispered gently to the mist, not that it could hear her. "Send in the next supplicant."

Luna kicked in the door to the headquarters of her agents. "Report!" she thundered, a heavy scowl on her face. "Role call!"

"Bright." Bright snapped a salute, his ears folded to the sides.

"Secret Agent, Sweetie Drops." Sweetie offered a sharp salute. "Ma'am."

"Rarity, darling." Rarity dipped her head at Luna. "You appear distresed. How can--"

"--Belay that." Luna waved Rarity's words away. "I am told your first outting without me was with..."

She trailed, noticing Bright was quite different. "What happened to you?! You've... You're shorter." She raised a hoof to the height of Bright, perfectly fine for a normal pony, shorter than her. "Your ears are large, and... It's different, all different. Do you feel well? Are you in pain?"

Bright shook his head quickly. "All good, Luna! I might have made a mistake..." He wobbled a hand with a nervous laugh. "Stopped the problem, got turned into a rabbit thing. All in the course of duty and stuff."

He began to glow, Rarity yanking him over with her magic. "He's become twice as cuddly, and he was already fairly cuddly, darling." She displayed this fact with some hugs, mashing her face into his neck for good measure. "So soft and lovely."

Luna applied a hoof to her face. "I'm gladdened that you are not in pain... Since that is aside, I must now chastise you! That artifact was endangering no ponies. It was serving a purpose before you meddled with it."

Luna's stern pronouncement had cast a heavy pall. Rarity released Bright from further cuddling as all stood to somber attention beneath Night Court’s grim gaze.

Sweetie Drops stepped forward. "Permission to speak frankly, Your Highness? We proceeded on perceived threat without fully confirming intent or purpose. Zealously misguided haste, not malice, fueled this...debacle.”

She met Luna’s gaze unflinchingly. “I take full accountability for inadequately verifying facts before acting. We wrongly ignored the caretaker's wisdom and objected status quo without basis. Failure began and ends with me.”

Bowing low, Sweetie concluded “Whatever recompense you decree for damages, I submit myself to your judgment.”

Rarity floated to Sweetie’s side, resting a supportive hoof on her shoulder. “Dear heart, do not sacrifice yourself so swiftly...I too spurred urgency, heedless of larger harmony we disturbed.”

Her ears pinned back as she addressed Luna. “Pray sentence us together, that I may share such warranted burdens.”

On Sweetie’s other flank, Bright straightened as much as his new hybrid body allowed, standing steadfast. “Hey c’mon, I started it! Jumping in without thinking things through - classic me!” He grinned anxiously. “I know that magic doohickey kept stuff balanced there. Let me fix things back up! Besides, Rares was totally trying to do this the right way.”

The three misfit agents stood united awaiting Luna’s just decree.

Luna let out a slow sigh, eyes moving to Rarity. "Our freshly fuzzy agent speaks on your behalf. I would hear it from your own lips. What were you doing?"

Rarity fanned herself with a hoof. "Me?" She flapped a few inches towards Luna. "Why, I was speaking to that interesting fellow. He was telling me all sorts of interesting things about that vortex, dear, and how it functioned. Fascinating, truly... I was just getting a hang of it when things took a turn..."

Sweetie clopped a hoof to her head. "I misunderstood Rarity's looks, thinking she was getting impatient and... I urged action, and--"

"--Enough." Luna waved a hoof aside. "Rarity, I declare thee innocent. Thank you for comporting yourself with decency. Please wait outside."

"Thank you, darling." But she landed just next to Bright.

Luna hiked a brow. "I said to leave."

Rarity brought down a wing, hugging Bright with it. "I won't go anywhere without him, dear. He's my familiar. We're a team. If he did wrong, I accept punishment for not handling him properly." She fixed Bright with a meaningful look. "If I have to discipline him, then I will."

Luna huffed. "To see that this sort of mistake does not repeat, you are all hereby banned from taking missions without full authorization and company." She curled a hoof at herself, wings flaring wide. "I will accompany you. We will see these things are done properly. That one." She pointed to Bright. "Is a bit of a wild card. I'll be keeping an extra eye on you."

Bright's rabbity ears had pinned back under Luna's pointed scrutiny, but he nodded contritely. "You got it, boss. I knew I got too amped up back there and messed things up. Shoulda listened better."

He glanced between Sweetie and Rarity, newfound comrades linked by punishment and fate. "But hey, least we're all in this together now, right?"

Sweetie Drops cleared her throat officiously. "Ahem, yes, well - marked improvement in conduct would be imperative going forth. We all represent Princess Luna's direct authority now." She cast a wry smirk in Rarity's direction. "Do restrain your familiar's impulsiveness, Lady Rarity. I support the licensed harassment if required."

Rarity gasped in faux indignation. "Such cheek, but the dear heart knows I harbor only affectionate intentions for him."

"Yeah, yeah..." Bright wriggled, ticklish under Rarity's wing-tickles. "So what'll our first real mission be with you along too, Luna? More big magic things messing up nature?"

Luna looked outward thoughtfully as the moon began its languid ascent behind her, casting lunar radiance over the pony city. "Darkness nurtures all things in balance, though that harmony bears watching..."

She turned back, eyes glinting. "Ever are there cosmic forces beyond mortal ken. But my partners of the night display uncanny promise." Her smile returned. "With care and wisdom earned, we shall seek understanding above fear. Will you walk such challenging paths with me?"

Rarity smiled boldly back through her fangs. Sweetie Drops stood stalwart. And Bright bounced eager assent. They were all ready to begin their next assignment.

Author's Note

Hopefully lessons were learned... It's time for a new assignment!

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