Back on Duty

Princess Luna was nearly ready to slip into the 'between' place - a trancelike state from where she would have an unparalleled view of all her subjects' dreams. There was such a lot to do tonight!

There came her regular duty of keeping watch over the nightmares and easing her ponies' fear, although that had become a secondary concern these days. She was also on the lookout for a pony who knew more about this slavery thing, but that was difficult. She only had insight into what ponies dreamed about and she could only focus on a few at a time. It would take her weeks before she could work her way through just the Canterlot nobility. According to Celestia and Gregory, those were the most likely culprits. Except now she had a few leads among the Castle guards, so she had decided to begin with them. The strangest thing was that Blossom herself didn't seem to dream at all. Perhaps it was an unconscious defense against her inevitable nightmares?

She was looking over Canterlot from the high balcony just outside her quarters, but didn't really see it. She was focusing inward, still processing the crazy events of the past few days. Slavery, right there in Equestria, not to mention a murder attempt!

Luna shook her head in dismay and went back inside. She paused in the doorway and listened, smiling a little to herself when she heard Eli Grant snoring softly. She didn't mind that he had gone to bed before her. Her work kept her up until the early hours of the morning, when the man would welcome her into a pre-warmed bed and put his arms around her. It was a most comfortable way of falling asleep. Luna still walked over and leaned down to give him a light kiss. He didn't wake up.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, but a very gentle knock interrupted her before she could slip between the worlds.

"Hmm?" The Princess went to answer whoever it was at this inequine hour. The door opened to reveal a slightly nervous-looking pegasus guard. "Sargeant?"

Glory Tail saluted. "Princess, you said to come tell you as soon as Captain Fire Fly was back with Comet Roll!"

"I did. What took him so long?"

The pegasus shuffled his wings, but stood his ground. "Apparently some... paperwork in Baltimare, ma'am."

Luna snorted, half in annoyance and half in amusement. Some bureaucrats would never change. "Very well, where are they?"

"Small conference room, ma'am. Captain Fire Fly ordered a late dinner for the private."

"Good. Thank you, sergeant."

The guard saluted again and fell in step behind the Princess as she took to the halls. It seemed her dream walking would have to wait a bit longer. That was fine. Getting some answers from Comet Roll was important.

Both guards tensed and were about to jump up from their chairs before Luna held up a hoof.

"Please, remain seated," she instructed as she closed the door behind her.

It was just the three of them - she'd left Glory Tail keeping watch outside the door.

Comet Roll tried to speak up first: "Princess, I-"

"Wait." She concentrated on her magic for a moment to make sure the anti-eavesdropping spell was still in place and intact. When it was done, Luna nodded. "Proceed."

"Thank you for getting me out of prison, Princess," Comet Roll continued. "I'm sorry I caused all this trouble."

"Act-Actually," Fire Fly said uneasily, "it is us who owe you an apology, private."

"The Captain is correct. You should not have been imprisoned without due process, especially on groundless accusations."

"G-Groundless?" Comet Roll squeaked. "Does that mean I was right?!"

Luna looked over at the captain, who shook his head slightly. Apparently he hadn't questioned his guard yet. That was commendable, because Fire Fly was undoubtedly curious about what Comet Roll was going to say, but he didn't want to affect the recruit's answers until at least one of the Princesses heard it.

"Lemon Slice is under suspicion of treason, private. She had you falsely imprisoned with accusations of insubordination, doubtless to prevent us from hearing what you would say."

"None of the other guards from the patrol knew what you'd seen, private," Fire Fly clarified.

"I didn't want to contradict the captain in front of everypony," Comet Roll said, looking down at his hooves. "I approached her in Baltimare and she immediately had them toss me into solitary. I w-wasn't sure what I did."

"You did nothing wrong," Luna reassured the guard pony. "Now tell us."

Comet Roll swallowed a lump and his ears folded down as he worked up his courage to speak so directly with Princess Luna. "Um,..." he began.

"In your own time, private," Fire Fly reassured him at the same time as Luna spoke up.

"Speak freely, please."

Nodding a little, Comet Roll took a deep breath. "I t-thought we missed a valley on our sweep, Princess. I tried to tell Captain Lemon Slice that, but she wouldn't hear it. I said I knew those hills better than my wing feathers, but she said I was speaking out of turn."

"The captain's report said you searched in a grid pattern. How could she have skipped a whole valley without the other pegasi noticing?"

The private looked decidedly nervous, but pushed on: "I think, maybe it's because, with all due respect, sir, the others weren't from Baltimare. They didn't know the land like I do."

"Why did you not speak of this in front of the entire pegasi wing? Why did you wait until Baltimare?"

If he'd mentioned something in front of everypony, one of them might have come forward when they returned to Canterlot. They surely couldn't all have been part of the plot, could they?

Luna glanced at the Captain and saw that he was thinking along the same lines.

"Um," Comet Roll answered, "I wasn't exactly sure what the protocol was for that. I didn't want to belittle my commanding officer." Fire Fly was about to comment, but the private kept talking: "Um, also... um, captain Lemon Slice didn't have us fly grid, sir. We flew a spiral pattern."

"It is easier to confuse ponies who do not know the land by searching in a spiral," Luna guessed.

The Captain nodded in agreement. "Well, we already know Lemon Slice is most likely part of it, this just confirms it. Private, do you know which valley you missed?"

Comet Roll felt on firmer ground now and nodded with a slight smile. "I know, sir! Like I said, I know those hills very well."

"Captain, take the private and a few others first thing in the morning and go check it out. If there's something hidden, I'm sure you'll find it there."

"Do you want us to arrest whoever is there, ma'am?"

"No," Luna shook her head, "just find out what it is and report back as soon as possible. On second thought, report to Sister first. I have no doubt Celestia will want to lead that mission herself. We just found out that some very important ponies in Canterlot are behind all of this and Sister will no doubt wish to make sure everything is done properly."

"I understand," Fire Fly said. "So there's no accusations of impropriety."

"Exactly. Before you leave tomorrow, however, get me the list of guards whom Lemon Slice had chosen for her mission. I have a feeling there will be some overlap with the list sister and myself have made today."

"Of course, ma'am!"

Luna then smiled at the newest recruit, who blushed a little under the renewed scrutiny. "You have done well, private Comet Roll. I will understand if this incident has put you off guard duty in Canterlot. The Captain will write any recommendation letter you wish so you can get a posting anywhere in Equestria."

The guard shook his head. "I'd like to s-stay, Princess."

This just made Luna's grin widen. She needed more guards they could trust, especially in these times. "Splendid. In this case, I believe you've earned a promotion with your diligence. Corporal, I think. Captain?"

Fire Fly nodded immediately. The Princesses were, of course, in charge of the guard, but they very rarely interfered with the running of it. This time, however, he wholeheartedly agreed. "I will make it happen. Congratulations, corporal!"

Comet Roll blinked a few times in shock, then beamed incredulously. "R-Really?! But I've only been here-"

"Long enough to prove your worth and your loyalty. Get some rest and report to the Captain tomorrow morning. I want you to be a part of this search. After your meal, of course."

The younger pegasus jumped from his chair and saluted smartly with a wing. "Yes, ma'am!"

It was very late and for a moment Luna thought about going to tell her sister. It might be fun, especially since Gregory was sleeping in her chambers tonight. She might even catch them in the act. However amusing that might be, this wasn't a time for jokes and pranks. It would have to wait until this slavery problem had been dealt with.

Well... perhaps a small peek couldn't hurt. She did need to brief her Sister on this latest development. Luna gave the two guards a nod and left the room. Already it was proving to be a busy night and it was only just beginning. She didn't waste any more time. She folded magic around herself and slipped into the dreamscape as she walked. She caught Glory Tail staring with his mouth open and smirked to herself. It probably did look quite impressive from the outside, now that she came to think about it.