Back on Duty

When Gregory woke up the next morning he felt around for Celestia, but his groping hand only found her tail. That brought him to full wakefulness and he quickly realized what had happened. The Princess had replaced his pillow with her belly and was apparently lying on her back and looking over some documents which she was holding up above her face with her magic.

"Uh, morning?"

Celestia glanced down and smiled. "Rest a bit longer. Luna has just brought me a few very interesting reports."

"Luna was in here?!"

Gregory realized he was completely naked and the only thing which was covering him was a very thin sheet. He didn't need a heavier blanket even in winter, not with Celestia's warm fur and feathers.

"Do not worry, I covered you up," the mare in question replied.

Shrugging a little to himself, Greg settled back down and brought his hand up to give Celestia a scratch on her chest. "Slept well?"

Celestia reached down with a hoof to give Greg a pat as well. "I did. Yourself?"

"It's nice to sleep in a proper bed every once in a while."

"I shall tell Cadence that her couch is uncomfortable."

"Wait, that's not what I- I didn't mean that!"

"Nevertheless." The Princess managed to keep her face serious for a few more seconds before she burst out giggling. A sheet of paper floated down and landed on Greg's belly. "Take a look at this."

It took him a minute to quickly scan the text, while his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, so Lemon Slice threw Comet Roll in jail just because he told her they'd missed a spot?"

"Apparently. I will lead a wing of pegasi myself to go inspect the site right after breakfast. Which means..." Celestia fell silent and when Greg glanced up he saw she was uneasy about her next thought.

"Which means what?" he prompted.

"Gregory, I know you have not served in the military, but I need your help on this. I want you to join the guards when they go talk to Azure Wings."

The man shot bolt upright, his sheet of paper floating away in the sudden breeze. "Me?! Why me?! Surely an officer-"

Celestia shut him up by means of a simple feather against his lips. "There will be an officer, do not worry, love. I merely wish your eye on the whole thing. You have a unique perspective, different from that of my ponies."

"How about Luna?"

Celestia shook her head and twisted around, so she could lift herself up into a sitting position. She sidestepped and threw her forelegs around Gregory. "Luna has to sleep after her night's work and by then too much time will have passed and Azure Wings might slip through our hooves."

After some more silence the mare leaned her head on Greg's shoulder. "Please? It will be safe, I assure you. Captain Fire Fly will lead the assignment personally, I have already instructed him."

"Wait, he was in here as well?! While I was sleeping?" Gregory gasped.

That made Celestia giggle a little and lick the side of his neck. "You are a most sound sleeper after... mmm, exertion."

The statement made him blush as Gregory remembered their night. He let out a sigh. "Okay, I'll do it. But I'm not a cop or something, Celestia. I'm a god-damned lawyer," he said perhaps a tad too forcefully. In a lower voice he added: "At least that's how I started out."

"You still are, a most excellent one. You know I would have given you the position of High Justice, but you would have been bored. There is not nearly as much crime in Equestria as on Earth, so Luna and I take turns acting in that capacity."

"Yeah, you're a whole nation of goody two-shoes. Or is it four-shoes?"

Celestia sighed sadly this time. "This development with Blossom somewhat shakes my faith, Gregory."

Greg shifted his weight a little so he could bring up a palm and pat her muzzle. For some reason, this gesture made Celestia flatten her ears and the image made him think of nothing so much as a sad puppy. "Aww, it's just a few bad apples, Celly." He slid his shoulder from under her chin and planted a slow, gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. "We'll get them and then it'll be back to goody-four-shoes-land, just like the Ambassador likes to say."

Celestia had closed her eyes at the kiss and now smiled as well. "Thank you. This makes me feel better. I have put a lot of work into Equestria and I will not see it fall into crime!"

"'atta girl!"

Their conversation done, Gregory went to uncover himself only to discover that the sheet was unexpectedly sticky. "Ugh, I think I need a shower."

"You do," Celestia answered, wiggling her nose for emphasis.

"Well, it's your fault!"

She shook her head in denial. "It was not me who caused me to... um, 'gush' so much. Ponies have not evolved defenses against fingers, Gregory."

He lifted up his hand and wiggled the offending digits, but Celestia darted forward and gave them a lick. "Go ahead. I will shower after I finish these reports," she said. "Go fetch Blossom and Fluttershy and meet me for breakfast. Oh, and Rainbow Dash, if she will come."

"Sure thing."

Despite both their tasks being thus assigned, Gregory couldn't stop himself from leaning in just once more for another quick kiss. "Good thing Luna and Fire Fly didn't mind your hair being all frazzled," he commented and chuckled as he walked to the bathroom.

"It is?!" Celestia squeaked and twisted around on the spot as she tried to look at her own mane. "Gregory, you could have said something!"

"I was sleeping, remember? You can't toss me in the dungeon for sleeping!"

"I can too!" Celestia grumbled under her breath. It just made Greg laugh harder, to which she replied by sticking out her tongue at him.

Still, she knew Greg was right. Even as she went back to reading the reports, Celestia floated a hair brush from the bedside table and went to work on her mane.

It was still only midmorning by the time Gregory and his retinue of guards reached Azure Wings' home. He stayed at the back and let Fire Fly and his ponies do what they did best. After all, Celestia had only asked him to observe, not get involved in any other way. If Azure Wings was an enemy, this whole thing could turn dangerous really quickly. There were two unicorns in his group and one pegasus, keeping watch from above the rooftops. The other four were earth ponies. Every one of them looked grim. Gregory imagined that it probably wasn't fun for the guards to have to go and apprehend one of their number.

"Okay, steady everypony. Corporal, keep an eye on the house if he tries to bolt!" Fire Fly ordered. "Horns at the ready. Bind or stun only!"

The pegasus in the air saluted and the both the Captain and Spring Morning lit up their horns. There was the faint sound of clanking armor as the earth ponies flexed, preparing to tackle the fugitive in the unlikely case that he came out fighting.

The Captain walked up to the door, lifted a hoof, and banged the iron hoofguard on the dark, toughened wood. "Azure! Come out peacefully. We only want to ask you some questions!"

There was no reply. All the ponies listened intently for any sort of activity inside. Gregory looked inquisitively at Snow Cover who was tasked with keeping him safe, but the stallion shook his head silently.

"Okay, seems we'll have to do it the hard way. On my heels, spread out and sound off as you secure each room!"

Gregory had time to look around, noting a number of curious onlookers watching from a safe distance. He made a mental note to tell Celestia. She'd have to release a statement for the press and explain this incident, otherwise some creative journalist somewhere would have a field day with it. The Captain's horn flared brightly and the door swung open with a loud bang. Splinters flew from where the lock was torn right out of the woodwork, but they pinged harmlessly off guard armor. Fire Fly rushed in with the rest of his squad right behind him.

Snow Cover shifted a little beside Gregory, but didn't move. His job was to keep the man safe, for which Greg was very grateful. After all, Azure Wings might have accomplices in there. He looked up at Silverwing, who was hovering above the house and watching the back alleys intently. His gaze darted this way and that and the pegasus jerked around as he repositioned himself to see better. It put Gregory in the mind of a nervous hummingbird, except that the corporal looked more angry than afraid.

There were hoofsteps inside the small, two-story home and barked orders and reports, but it didn't sound like a fight. Either they hadn't found Azure Wings yet, or he had escaped before they even got here. That had also been one of the possibilities. Despite that, maybe the stallion had left some clues about his involvement with the conspiracy.

About a minute later Fire Fly appeared at the door and beckoned with a hoof. "You can come in," he said. "It's clear. No sign of him."

Despite himself, Gregory breathed a sigh of relief. He followed Snow Cover, who moved smoothly to walk in front of the man, and ducked inside through the door frame, which was slightly too low for him. The ceiling inside was just tall enough to accommodate the man and he straightened up.

"This... isn't right," he muttered, looking around in astonishment.

"Tell me about it," Fire Fly replied, both his voice and his gaze troubled. "I really want to know what you make of this."

Gregory inspected the hall and then moved to the first door which opened into a kitchen. It was even worse in there. The place seemed... uninhabited. There was dust everywhere and a few cobwebs hung in the corners. Just inside the door there was a pile of mail on the floor. On the kitchen table there was a bowl of fruit, but it was almost completely rotten. On the stove there was an empty pot. Gregory leaned to glance inside, but it was completely dry.

"How is it upstairs?"

"About the same. Dust everywhere, doesn't look like anypony has lived here... what'd you say?"

Gregory took one more look at the fruit bowl and the layer of dust and made a guess. "Two months? Give or take?"

The Captain nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right. Come and see upstairs."

As he passed the second door in the hallway Gregory looked into a living room, but it was much of the same. There was a plate of what might once have been cookies on the coffee table, but they were going green and fuzzy now.

"Hold on," Gregory said and stepped into the room.

He crouched down and picked up a mug from under the coffee table. The spoon seemed stuck to the bottom, but there was no liquid in it. As he glanced down at the carpet, Greg could see a darker stain where the mug had been lying.

"It wasn't your men who bumped this from the table, right?"

Fire Fly looked at the item, then glanced around at his squad. "Specialist Pepper, you were the first in this room. Did you topple the mug?"

The earth stallion shook his head. "No Sir! I would have noticed. I must have missed it under the table!"

"So this fell some time ago. Whatever was in it has dried, but there was a lot of sugar. It sort of... solidified." To demonstrate his point Gregory turned the cup around and the spoon stayed put.

Fire Fly quickly understood what the man was getting it. "Signs of a struggle, sir?"

"Maybe. Was there anything else upstairs?"

"Come and see. There's Azure Wings' guard armor, but it looks like it hadn't been polished in months."

Gregory followed the unicorn upstairs and indeed saw the armor on the bedroom floor. It looked as if it had been casually discarded as the guard undressed, but there was a layer of dust over it. There were fresh hoofprints in the dust.

"Captain, did your men make those hoofprints?"

This time Fire Fly didn't have to repeat the question. Private Longstride nodded. "Yes, sir! The dust was undisturbed when I came in!"

"Okay, so about two months ago Azure Wings came off from work, stripped his armor and tossed it on the floor. Then he went and made himself a cup of tea or something sweet. He was sitting in the living room, drinking it, but something happened."

Fire Fly nodded and picked it up from there: "Either a struggle, or he had to rush off in a hurry."

"Why would there be a struggle if he's one of the conspirators?" the man asked.

"Dunno, sir," Fire Fly replied, his hears lowering a little in embarrassment. "Spoke the first thing on my mind."

"Okay, so - something must have happened, something urgent. Maybe at the mine? Azure Wings is a pegasus, so maybe he worked as a messenger for them, whoever they were."

"That's a solid guess, sir."

"So they call him urgently away. He spills his tea and doesn't even care. Why didn't he come back? Didn't-" Gregory looked around for the mare who'd told them about Azure Wings. "Spring Morning, didn't you say he was at work two days ago and only called in sick yesterday?"

The unicorn saluted. "Yes, sir! He didn't miss out of his duties!"

There was only one explanation, but for some reason Gregory didn't quite like it. "Okay, so my best guess is that he moved in with whoever runs this conspiracy. Maybe so he'd be more available if there were other messages he had to carry?"

The Captain also looked doubtful, but he nodded eventually. "That'd be my guess, too. It's... weird, but I got nothing better right now."

"Okay, let's go and ask the neighbors. Maybe they heard or saw something.

"Good idea, sir!"

"So you see, Mr. Gregory, we all thought Azure Wings had simply moved out and the landlord hadn't found another tenant yet," a unicorn stallion explained while his wife nodded in confirmation.

"How long ago did you say you saw him last?"

This time the mare answered: "It'd say it was over two months ago. Now that I say it out loud it does sound strange that nopony has moved in yet. Places to live in Canterlot are highly sought after."

"Well, things get in the way," the husband said. "You think it's strange and maybe you should ask somepony about why there's an abandoned house on your street, but then the roof needs new shingles or the drains need unclogging and it slips your mind."

The couple gave Gregory and Fire Fly a slightly worried grin, as if Azure Wings' disappearance might somehow be their fault.

"I completely understand," Gregory said to disarm them. They had made him and the Captain some very nice tea, in fact. "What was Azure Wings like? Secretive? Reclusive? Did he keep to himself?"

"Oh, the furthest thing from it, dear," the mare answered. "A more polite pony it was hard to meet! Remember that time our Monsoon got ill and we both couldn't get time off from our jobs, so Azure brought her lunch from the Castle every day?"

The husband beamed and nodded. "Most polite and neighborly, yes."

Gregory glanced at Fire Fly, who shrugged a little. They'd both read through Azure Wings' file back in the barracks, but there was hardly anything in it. There was one note about his professionalism and a commendation for bravery during the changeling attack on Canterlot, but nothing else. The pegasus wasn't bucking for promotion, nor was he slacking off. By all accounts he had seemed quite happy with the rank of sergeant.

"And he didn't mention anything about why he had to leave?"

"Well," the mare said and leaned closer. She also lowered her voice, a sure prelude to gossip. "I don't mean to poke into other ponies' affairs, but... well, there was a rumor."

"Yes?"

She blushed heavily and couldn't meet Greg's gaze. "Well, it's just a rumor, mind you. There might not be much truth to it, but I recall somepony mentioning he got into some trouble with the Silvermanes."

This sounded like a very promising lead and Greg struggled to keep his expression neutral. That was the name Blossom had given and both he and Celestia were quite certain that the Silvermanes were at least partially behind the whole slavery thing!

"What, um, what sort of trouble?"

"Now, now, Sugar," the husband cautioned, "no need to go around spreading vile rumors."

Gregory lifted up his palm to forestall the stallion. "No, it's okay. I would like to hear it."

The mare, Sugar Moon, shuffled uneasily now that she was the center of attention. "Well, they said he'd gotten... well, 'involved' with Silvermane's daughter."

"Involved?" Gregory asked to move her along, even though he knew what she meant.

"Rather more than just 'involved', if you see which way the horn is pointing. There was supposedly some trouble."

Coming to his wife's aid, the stallion explained hurriedly: "That was some time before he vanished. We were thinking- well, maybe he didn't know how to take a hint and got into... trouble again. Which is why he had to leave Canterlot in a hurry."

"I see."

"It's all just rumors, mind you!" the wife added almost frantically.

"Of course, I understand," Greg assured them and stood up. He put his empty cup on their coffee table and stretched his back. The chair had been a bit too low for him, but he'd be perfectly fine after a short walk back to the Castle. "Thank you very much for your help."

Greg held out his hand to receive two hoofshakes. He waited for Fire Fly to do the same, then they both left. The rest of the squad was already in the street, waiting for their commander and further orders.

"Anything to report, sergeant major?" Fire Fly asked.

Spring Morning gave a short salute. "Nothing out of the ordinary, sir! Other that Azure Wings seems to have vanished about two months ago and nopony knows why exactly."

"Any interesting rumors?"

The other guard shook his head. "Nothing, sir. We could go and ask again, if you'd like?"

Gregory shook his head. "Won't be neccessary. Captain?"

"Agreed," Fire Fly confirmed and lowered his ears as he asked the question: "Will you report to the Princesses?"

"Sure, get your men and yourself some lunch and I'll take care of the report."

It was one less thing to worry about and Fire Fly smiled nervously. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"Pool later tonight?"

"Sure!"

There was a stifled cough from the rank and Greg looked up just in time to see a red-faced Snow Cover who was fighting hard not to laugh and losing.

"Anything to add, recruit?" the Captain barked.

The stallion was instantly the center of attention and seemed to wither under all the scrutiny. He gulped and looked down at his hooves. "S-Sorry, Sir!" he stammered, "I c-couldn't help myself. It won't happen again!"

"What was so amusing anyway?" Gregory asked, now genuinely curious.

"Well, um..."

"Answer him, recruit!"

The poor pony swallowed another lump and glanced up at the human. Gregory made sure he was smiling openly, to show there would be no hard feelings and that encouraged Snow Cover a little. "Well, you s-s-said 'men', sir..."

It took Gregory a few moments to process what was so funny about that, but then he chuckled. "Yes I did. So?"

His smile was disarming enough that Snow Cover dared continue: "Well, we're ponies, sir..."

A few likely responses flashed through Greg's mind, but then he decided to make a joke out of it. They were all tense after coming to apprehend Azure Wings and finding him gone for a long time and they needed a good laugh.

"Wait a minute, you're right!" Greg said and stared pointedly at the group. "Jeez, I'd never have noticed!" Most of them chuckled now and even Fire Fly had to strain to keep his muzzle straight. "Good thing you told me, Snow. Thanks!"

There was perhaps just a tad too much sarcasm in his voice, but they all really needed a good chuckle so they didn't mind. All of them laughed and even the Captain smiled a little.

"Okay, okay, enough horsing around," Fire Fly said once they'd settled down a bit. "Off to the Castle with you lot and get some lunch!"

A few of the guards saluted and they all set off. Greg and Fire Fly followed closely behind.

"So, what do you make of it?" the Captain asked once they were all moving.

"Hard to tell. I know it's just a rumor, but this was the second time the name 'Silvermane' came up with regards to this whole mess. I'll tell the Princesses and they'll come up with the next step."

Fire Fly nodded in agreement. "What I'd like to know, if Azure Wings had to leave Canterlot over this... ahem, 'trouble', why did he keep showing up for work? I mean, he could have asked for a transfer someplace else at any time."

Gregory shook his head. The facts felt right, but the way they were connected bothered him for some reason. There was a clue they were missing before they knew the whole story. "Yeah, that is strange. We'll see if Celestia will find anything in those mountains. With luck they haven't had time to abandon the mine and we'll get some answers that way."

Fire Fly sighed and shook his head. "I'm not as optimistic, sir. The fact that both Azure Wings and Lemon Slice were in on it, and the fact they locked private Comet Roll in prison tells me they knew we knew as soon as we knew it." The wording was a bit confusing and the guard tried to clarify it: "What I mean is, as soon as you knew there was a slave mine in the Foal Mountains they probably knew it. Maybe they started clearing out the moment you found Blossom and they just needed a few more days, and that's why Comet Roll was sent to Baltimare?"

Unfortunately it made too much sense and Greg was forced to nod in agreement. "Well, maybe they weren't thorough enough and there will be some clues left. Still, we have the name 'Silvermane' to follow up on. Don't discount Celestia's ingenuity." Greg barked a laugh as he thought back to how he met the Princess. "She managed to avoid the US federal agents and those guys really know their business."

There was no immediate reply and Greg looked at the Captain to see if he even heard it. The pony had his ears flat, clearly unhappy with the story of how Celestia had risked herself and gone to Earth. When Fire Fly saw Greg looking, he forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, the Princess is sharper than any pony in Canterlot. I'd like to see those nobles try to put blinders on her..."

Gregory looked around to see if anyone was watching, then risked giving Fire Fly a quick ear scratch. This cheered him up a little and they hurried after the squad, which had outpaced them a little.

"Drop by the office later on. We'll play a game or two."

"Deal."

Gregory was about to go check on Blossom when Celestia caught up with him in the hallway. He stopped so they could embrace briefly. The two guards who were with the man just looked at the artwork on the walls while they waited.

"How'd it go?"

The Princess gave him a rueful smile. "There was indeed a mine, but it was empty. Heavier equipment was left behind, but everything else was gone." Her grin slipped as memory reared up its ugly head. "It was obviously a place of forced labor, of that I have no doubt."

"Damn."

"Do not worry, I left some ponies to search for clues. If whoever was running it missed anything we will find it and we will have more proof!"

Gregory resumed his walk, but he put his hand on Celestia's back. "We should send for some human forensic experts."

The Princess looked at him and smiled. "I did the next best thing, Gregory. Ponies might not have forensic science, but we do have magic, you know? I asked Silent Spell to examine the mine."

The name was familiar, but Gregory hadn't met the pony in question yet. "That's the crime scene investigator from Las Pegasus, right?"

Celestia nodded, but her ears lowered a bit. "Unfortunately such things are necessary there. Something about games of chance, alcohol, and an overabundance of entertainment sometimes brings out bad tendencies."

Greg angled his gait so he could reach further around Celestia's barrel and give her an impromptu, walking hug. She, in turn, nuzzled his neck and laid a careful wing around his shoulders. They went on in silence until they reached Blossom's guest room.

"Anything to report?" the Princess asked.

One of the guards in the hall saluted as he answered. "Nothing suspicious, Princess!"

Gregory remembered his own entourage and waved to the pair. "Uh, thanks, Snow Cover, Spring Morning. I'll stay with the Princess from now on so you don't need to keep an eye on me anymore."

The two still looked at Celestia, who gave a slight nod, before saying their goodbyes and strutting off back the way they came.

"I'm never getting used to having guards with me everywhere I go," Gregory muttered under his breath.

He saw by the way the remaining ponies shuffled that they heard him, but nopony commented.

"It is just until we catch whomever is behind this, Gregory."

"Yeah, I know, but it still feels strange."

They went in in the room and Celestia shut the door with her magic while he walked over to the bedroom door and peered inside. It was quite a familiar sight by now, Fluttershy apparently sleeping and Blossom leaning against the pegasus like a pillow while she fiddled with the iPad. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen, undoubtedly out to stretch her wings or something.

When Blossom saw him, she let out a faint, excited squeak and dropped her toy. She rushed from the bed and hit the floor running. Greg only just barely crouched down and caught her around the barrel before she could topple them both.

He couldn't get a word in while the mare happily licked his face. "I missed you! Where were you?! They said I couldn't see you!"

Laughing, Greg let her assault him for a while, but then firmly held her at arm's length. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he assured the overjoyed mare. "I just had some stuff to do!"

"Can we get muffins?! I wanna get muffins!"

He looked around at Celestia, who was struggling very hard to keep from laughing. She gave him a nod even as her wings rustled in silent mirth.

"I guess we can, but tomorrow, okay? I still have more stuff to do today."

Blossom's ears flopped immediately and her eyes filled up to the brim with tears. "O-Oh..."

She was a natural at the Look and even Celestia whistled quietly in recognition.

"Aw... Okay, how about this: you can come with me to my office and wait while I finish up some paperwork. Maybe Star Bright can get you some muffins today and we'll go to the bakery tomorrow in the morning, okay?"

This helped and Blossom lifted up one ear. "Star B-Bright? He's n-nice."

Not to mention that Fluttershy would get some time alone this way. Gregory didn't know the yellow mare well enough to guess what she thought about this whole thing, but some time off was generally good for everyone, wasn't it? He glanced at the bed and saw Fluttershy looking back with a blank expression. He was about to ask for her thoughts on his plan, but she closed her eyes and yawned hugely. Greg couldn't help noticing that her tongue curled up at the tip, almost exactly like Celestia's. Maybe it was a common pony thing?

He was thinking up a double-blind study when suddenly Blossom froze and her ears flattened once more. She looked at her forehooves.

"What is it?"

"I have to g-go..."

Greg was about to ask 'where', but the way she glanced furtively at the bathroom made it clear what she'd meant. He laid his palm against her cheek and brushed her muzzle with a thumb. "Oh, you don't have to ask permission, you know? Just tell us so we know where you are and go."

Blossom nodded and gave his fingers a quick lick before trotting off past Celestia and into the bathroom. Apparently someone had taught her how to use the facilities there, for which Gregory was immensely grateful. As long as it wasn't him who had to do it.

"Seems I'm babysitting for a bit longer," he told Celestia, but she just shrugged.

"No matter. I will tell you about the mine later today. You also have to tell me what happened with Azure Wings."

"Oh, that's right!" He'd almost forgotten about that morning. Greg wondered if that showed just how surreal the entire experience had been. "Maybe Luna should hear about this as well. I'll tell you both when she's up."

Celestia nodded in agreement. "Good. We'll discuss all of it before dinner then. I think I will go take a bath now. I feel sullied after... the mine."

He straightened up and held out his arms. Celestia looked at him for a minute, then her mouth quirked up in a small smile.

"You know, that's one thing I have always been jealous of my earth ponies and pegasi for."

"What's that?"

"They can bury their face in somepony when they draw comfort from them."

"Why can't you- oh... the horn."

The Princess nodded, her expression suddenly wistful. "The horn."

Gregory snapped his fingers. "Well, you can change into Supple Branch, no? You still know the spell?"

This made Celestia blink in surprise before her muzzle split into a disbelieving grin. "Supple Branch! Why did I not think of that?! Yes, I think I still know it. I just did not want to even think about that spell when we came back."

"Well, there you have it then. You can try it tonight and then you'll know what it feels like to bury your face in- well, you know."

"Your shirt," Celestia finished his sentence even though Gregory hadn't wanted to mention it. For some reason the mere thought was strangely exciting. Celestia took a step closer and brought her muzzle right to his face, until the hairs tickled his nose. He could feel her warm breath on his cheeks. "Then we can try other things, too. I wonder how Supple Branch might feel if we- mmphm!"

There had been only one way fast enough to silence her before she said something really embarrassing and that was to kiss her. After a moment Celestia closed her eyes and relaxed. She didn't open them again even as they pulled away, but she was still smiling. Gregory glanced around at Fluttershy, who was apparently completely engrossed in her own wing. Too bad her yellow fur betrayed a definitive blush on her muzzle, which no amount of feigned nonchalance could hide.

Well, Greg thought, at least she hadn't heard the Princess actually say it. Besides, the kiss had been worth it.

The toilet in the bathroom flushed and there were hoofsteps as Blossom walked out.

"Hey! Wash your ha- hooves, young lady!" Gregory admonished. Blossom let out a faint squeak of fright and hurried back inside. Pretty soon there was the sound of running water and splashing. When Gregory looked back at Celestia, she still had her eyes closed, but now she was giggling soundlessly. He gave her nose a pat. "I'll see you later then?"

The Princess just nodded and blinked at him. "Go ahead, I wish to speak briefly with Fluttershy."

Gregory murmured something affirmative as he led Blossom out of the room.

Somepony cleared their throat while he was closing the door and Gregory looked around to see Comet Roll with a white envelope on an upturned hoof. "For you, sir," the guard said.

"Huh? Me?"

"It came to the Castle gate, addressed to you, sir."

That seemed to be the only explanation he was likely to get, so Greg picked up the letter and opened it. He scanned the few lines and started to smile.

"Blossom, I have a better idea for tomorrow. We'll get muffins some other day, okay?"

She looked downcast, but nodded in agreement.

"Looks like Storm Pop is inviting us over for some cake, instead!"

That cheered her right up.

Blossom barely had time to become bored in Gregory' office before there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in," Gregory called without even looking.

It was Star Bright, who paused on the doorstep and stared fixedly at the wall just beside Gregory. "Uhm..."

"Bright!" Blossom squeaked with relief and jumped from her seat. The unicorn took an involuntary step backward and the mare would have toppled him, had she not thrown her hooves around the poor guy.

"We're getting cake tomorrow! Greg is taking me to have some cake!"

Star Bright didn't know how to respond to all of that, so he just turned a slightly worried smile on Gregory, who shrugged at him helplessly. Greg was having a hard time not laughing, especially since Blossom normally did the exact same thing to him, or rather, to his legs.

"And then, he said, we're getting muffins from the store!"

"Hey, I said no such thing! I said another day!"

The only sign Blossom gave of having heard him was a flick of her ear, but she nevertheless smoothly corrected herself: "Getting muffins someday!"

"Uh... that's nice?" Star Bright ventured uncertainly.

"Can you get me some muffins now, please?"

The way Blossom's ears folded and she pulled herself away so she could use 'the Look' on the hapless stallion was just too much and Greg couldn't keep from chuckling.

Luckily neither pony seemed to notice and Greg wasn't alone in his amusement. He caught a glimpse of a very red-faced private Longstride watching the scene from the hallway.

"Please?" Blossom whined when Star Bright hadn't replied quickly enough to suit her.

Star Bright woke up with a start from whatever thought he'd been lost in and blurted out: "Oh... I- I- y-yes? Um, I'll go and check if there's any..."

"I'll come with!" Blossom agreed and all but physically dragged Bright away.

Gregory was about to tell the guards, but Longstride composed himself and poked his muzzle in. "I'll go and keep an eye on Blossom, sir."

"Good. That's good."

The private had been kind enough to shut the door after him and Greg had some privacy to catch his breath. It wasn't that Blossom had been incredibly funny, but it felt really good to see her happy. Maybe she was acting like a filly, but she of all ponies had a right to try and regain some of her lost youth. It was a nice contrast from a mare so frightened that she had offered to fellate him in return for safety. Greg shook his head to dispel the image. It was starting to look like that Star Bright and Blossom would end up friends - or perhaps more. He'd have to speak with the stallion and make sure he understood Blossom's situation and how to handle her.

He was certain that Star Bright probably wouldn't accept Blossom's advances, but Greg wanted to be extra sure. On that thought, maybe the young mare would benefit from visiting Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire to get some first-hoof education about relationships and love. He filed the thought away to discuss with Celestia later. It would also get Blossom out of Canterlot and might help thwart any further attempts on her life. The conspiracy against Celestia probably didn't extend all the way to the Crystal Empire.

Anyway, nothing should happen with private Longstride there. Greg bent down to his work once more. It wasn't terribly urgent, but he had delayed the document too much even before this mess with Blossom. Of course, just as he was warming up there was another knock on the door. Gregory put his pencil down and sighed. He'd been hoping the muffins would last a while longer.

It was his other assigned guard, Spring Morning. "Um, a visitor to see you, sir."

"Visitor?"

The guard stepped aside and revealed a pony Gregory really didn't want to see right then. A certain white unicorn with a pink mane and a permanently dissatisfied expression. Except - this time her eyes were wide open and almost pleading. Her muzzle didn't hint of a snarl just below the surface.

"Let her in," Greg said.

The mare shuffled forward, never taking her eyes off Greg. She didn't speak, but her horn was glowing and she was holding a small, cyan box with a red ribbon.

"What is this about?"

She opened her mouth, but changed her mind and closed it again, eyes falling to the carpet under her hooves. She drew a breath through her nose and let it out again in a sigh.

"Well? Twinkleshine, right?"

Without looking up, she nodded. "I came to ap-apologize," she finally quavered. She managed to lift her eyes and meet Gregs and she floated the box to his desk. "A present... As a s-sign of good will."

This was extremely unexpected and Gregory caught himself gaping. He looked from the box back to the mare and then back to the box. "What?! Apologize?" he finally repeated, unable to find any other words.

"Yes. I d-did a lot of thinking and-"

"This isn't because of what Princess Celestia said, is it?"

The noblemare didn't look offended that he'd interrupted her. She just shook her head. "No- well... maybe a little. B-But I also spoke with Sapphire and, um, Dainty, and they said I was out of line and I should apologize."

"Sapphire...?" Gregory asked, not immediately recognizing the name.

"Sapphire Ritz, my husband," Twinkleshine explained.

"Ah, and Dainty would then be..."

"Dainty Silvermane." If Twinkleshine was offended that Gregory didn't recognize the names of some of the most powerful ponies in Canterlot, she didn't show it. She nodded at the box. "Please, open it."

He reached for the present and examined it from several angles. It was small and not particularly heavy. Finally curiosity got the best of him and he tugged at the bow to untie the knot. Under the cyan wrapping paper there was a simple wooden box. It opened smoothly on a hinge to reveal a glittering diamond pendant.

"Oh..."

"W-Will you wear it?" Twinkleshine pleaded. When Gregory glanced up her eyes were almost brimming with tears and her ears were completely lowered. "It would mean a lot. J-Just for a little while? Maybe a few days?"

"Why is this so important to you?" Greg asked, his eyes narrowing a little in suspicion. He lifted the pendant up and examined it in the light. It was a simple design, an oval with three stars cut out of it. A glance confirmed that it matched the shape of her cutie mark.

"It will show everypony that you've accepted my apology," Twinkleshine explained. "It's important to me- um, after that speech."

Gregory didn't wear jewelry as a rule, but if this would help put the whole affair behind them, he'd do it. "For a couple of days, you said?"

"At- at least if you go out in public. So that ponies can, um, see."

"Okay, okay, for a few days, when I'm out. And maybe for special occasions. Jewellry isn't really my style."

The mare blushed and looked down at the carpet again. "I didn't know what to pick. If you d-don't like it, I'll take it back and get something else."

She seemed genuinely contrite and Gregory stood up from his chair. Twinkleshine didn't look as he circled around the desk and crouched near her. He reached out a hand, hesitated, but then decided to just go for it and patted her head.

"It's okay. It's pretty and it'll go nicely with my formal suit. Thank you."

She looked up and gave him a faint smile.

"Why the sudden change of heart, though? Last week you couldn't stand me. Yeah, I know you said you've been thinking, but this isn't some kind of a plot to-"

"Oh, of course not!" Twinkleshine said, shocked at the very idea. She drew back and laid a hoof over her chest. "I was just... misguided. I listened to the wrong soft of pony."

"Like who?"

She glanced away from Greg's stare and shook her head. "I... don't want to say. Just- the wrong sort. We're not friends anymore, okay?"

For a moment Gregory considered pushing it. Whoever had been filling Twinkleshine's head with anti-human nonsense were probably the same guys actively working against Celestia. There was just one strange thing in this whole story. "Wait, you said 'Dainty Silvermane'?!"

The mare blinked in confusion, but then nodded. "Yeah. Why? She's my friend."

"It's just... Silvermane," Greg began, but then decided not to reveal how much he and Celestia knew. There was always a chance that Dainty didn't know what her husband was doing. It was also possible that Silvermane wasn't actually a part of it, even though Blossom had specifically named him as having visited the mines.

"Silvermane, what's his name? Something impressive-sounding..."

"Glorious?" Twinkleshine supplied.

"Yeah, that's him. He's got a son, doesn't he?"

Again, the mare helped out with the name: "Paisley Silvermane, yes."

Gregory fell silent as he thought. Maybe it was the junior who had gotten in with a bad crowd? Maybe he was working with some human slavers. The old man might not even know the whole story. Then again, maybe it was both of them and the mother didn't know anything about it. All these alliances and friendships and striving for more power was too confusing by half, so Gregory just shrugged a little to himself. Luckily he didn't have to deal with it. He'd just relay everything he'd heard to Celestia and let her handle it. She knew all those families better than anyone and would know what to make of it all. For now, Greg went back to observing Twinkleshine, who was staring at him with a kind of worried curiosity.

"Is everything okay?" she asked when she saw him looking - really looking at her, not just staring into space.

"Oh, yeah. I know I've been here awhile, but it's hard to keep all these names straight in my head. Thanks for clearing it up a little."

"Um, any-anytime?"

Gregory stood up and went back to his chair. He picked up the pendant again and watched how it glittered as it spun in the light. "So, no more hard feelings? Even though me and Eli are humans and we're... well, here? With the Princesses?"

The unicorn shook her head. "I promise. It's not my place to judge whom Celestia takes to her- ahem, whom she likes. I trust her not to sell Equestria out."

"You can take that to the bank." Gregory decided to ignore what Twinkleshine had nearly said and focused on the positive. She was apparently genuinely trying to move past her prejudice. "As a matter of fact, you should have seen her meeting with some of the... well, let's call them 'Earth leaders'. I swear, I thought she'd start banging on the table with a hoof."

The mare smiled a little and nodded. "Um, okay. I have to go now- please enjoy my gift!"

"Thanks for stopping by."

Gregory watched her walk to the door and pull it open. There was still no sign of Blossom and Star Bright, so he hoped they were having a nice time with some muffins. Spring Morning looked in the room to make sure everything was alright, gave Gregory a nod, and closed the door behind his departing visitor.

Perhaps he might still get a bit of work done before his meeting with the two Princesses.