Back on Duty

Gregory glanced through his notes and concluded his report: "I guess that's all of it. The other guards didn't get any useful information from the neighbors, but Sugar Moon and Ocean Spark definitely said 'Silvermane'."

There was silence as both Princesses digested this. Celestia was the first one to break it: "Interesting."

Luna gave a little shrug. "It merely confirms what we already know from Blossom. The Silvermanes are behind this whole thing, there can be no doubt."

"Ahem due process," Greg coughed.

It made Celestia smile even as Luna stared in confusion. "What is 'do process'?" she asked.

Her sister waved a dismissive wing. "It's a legal term of what we must keep in mind before we accuse ponies, Sister. Ask Eli to explain it to you, undoubtedly he knows."

"Very well, but the clues still point to Silvermane."

"Yeah, except for what Twinkleshine told me earlier," Greg explained, lifting up the pendant around his neck as if for proof.

"Bah!" Luna growled, "that merely goes to show that Glorious does not discuss his 'business' ventures with his wife!" The Princess even signed the air quotes with her wings.

"Perhaps. I will look into it, you may trust me on this, Luna, but I will not make a false accusation against Silvermane. It would give him too much power."

Put like that, Luna had to incline her head in agreement. "Very well. Now what about the mine?"

Celestia smiled, but there was no joy behind it, only grim satisfaction. "There is indeed a mine which was not registered with Canterlot. The entrance is well hidden, but not well enough. Comet Roll was able to find it very quickly."

"What did you find inside?"

The smile slipped and Celestia's eyes grew sad. She lowered her gaze and spoke in a quieter tone: "A place of forced labor. There were cells with strong, iron doors. There were beds in them and restraints. Gregory-" Celestia took a deep breath and then continued: "It occurs to me that Blossom was not the only one kept there."

Suddenly Greg also realized that fact. They must have known it on some level, but both of them had suppressed the notion. "I... guess we didn't want to think about that?"

Celestia nodded and reached out a hoof to lay on his shoulder. "It is time we do. We must hurry up and find where the... the laborers have been taken."

"You're sure they're still alive?"

Celestia gave him a pained look for bringing it up, but she nodded firmly. "Yes. There was no scent of death in the air. If ponies are in charge, they will not want blood on their hooves despite their other crimes."

"But what if it's humans?"

"We have to hope," Celestia replied, "that ponies have some influence over the operation. Besides, it is quite a big step from forced labor to outright murder. Perhaps not even humans are this cold-hearted?"

It was a remarkably optimistic view, but one Gregory couldn't really fault her for. "Yeah, makes sense. People trafficking is a bad enough crime so maybe they'd stop at murder, especially with pony influences. Bennet said this place changes people, right?" He saw Luna shudder at the talk and changed the topic: "So, how do we find them?"

Celestia shook her head. "It is up to Silent Spell. In the meantime, we will follow up with this Silvermane business here in Canterlot. If he is involved, he will lead us to wherever the ponies and humans are being kept."

There was a faint rustle as Luna repositioned herself on the seat and both Gregory and Celestia looked at her. The night princess lowered her ears defensively. "I believe you two would be much more discreet than I."

Her admission made Celestia giggle. "Probably true, Sister."

"What may I do to assist?"

Gregory gave it some thought and came up with another loose thread they hadn't explored fully yet: "How about those two goons walking around threatening people and asking questions about me? Or the two who gave Rainbow Dash the slip after their attack on Blossom? The guards are looking into them, but maybe they could use an alicorn's help?"

Celestia nodded to herself and flashed Gregory a proud little smile. "I concur, Sister. You should take charge of those investigations while Gregory and myself look into Silvermane."

As Luna thought this over, her ears lifted up and her muzzle slowly split into a grin. "I shall do it," she announced. "I will get to the bottom of it, count on it!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Celestia said, turning to Greg.

"Mm?"

"Could you go through the records and see if we know of any Equestrian family who owns land in Griffinstone? Something Blossom said once is bothering me."

"What is that?"

Luna glanced from him to her sister as Celestia explained: "Remember when she said that she used to live on a farm with her parents and there was a griffin 'boss'?"

"Yeah," Gregory agreed, recalling Blossom's words, now that he heard it again. At the time they had worried more about Blossom's well-being than her history, but now that the mare was doing well it was time to look into her past.

"So either her parents have land in Griffinstone and are selling their produce to griffins, or they are employed by one of them. Perhaps we have a record of pony families who have emigrated to other lands. Maybe we can find Blossom's parents."

"That would be nice, yes. I'll check with Ms. Nutmeg, she'll know if there's any records."

"Good," Celestia said with a smile. She leaned closer and stole a peck from Greg's lips. She looked into his eyes for a few moments, then blinked very slowly and asked: "Perhaps it could wait until later? My wings are a bit sore from flying all that way today."

He picked up on the cue and shared her grin. "Maybe a massage would help?"

"Mmmm. Maybe."

Out of the corner of his eye Greg saw Luna starting to blush. She stood up and cleared her throat to remind them that she was still in the room. "Well, I will go and see Fire Fly about the investigation then. I trust I will see you for court later, Sister?"

Celestia's ears splayed a little as she was reminded. "Of course. Court in the afternoon today. I will be there, don't worry." To Gregory she said in a lower voice: "We have two hours, is that enough?"

"We'll make it be enough," he promised.

This made her grin widen and she leaned closer for a longer, more intimate kiss. Neither of them noticed when Luna mumbled something incoherent and left.

Blossom's joy was infectious and Gregory couldn't keep himself from smiling when he saw her prancing along. The streets of Canterlot weren't causing her any issues this time, but that was perhaps because of the promise of cake.

"Um, Celestia said there were many kinds of cake," Blossom explained her newfound expertise.

"There sure are."

"What kind are we getting?"

"I really don't know. Storm Pop didn't say in the invitation."

Not even meeting a couple of unicorns could dampen her spirits. Blossom just shrank behind Greg's legs and put the man between herself and the two ponies. In a way he understood how she felt. That morning it seemed to Greg that every eye was on him. It was probably just his imagination, but he couldn't help noticing, for example, a pegasus flash a quick smile when she looked in his direction, or a unicorn blink in surprise then pretend he hadn't seen him. Sighing, Greg decided it was probably just the fact that he was a human. He'd been in Canterlot for quite a while, but some ponies still weren't used to him. Or maybe it was the fact that there were three guards just behind him. His little procession must have looked like some official business or something and several ponies stopped to watch him go past. For all he knew, it might have even been his slightly more formal clothes. The ponies had probably gotten used to Greg wearing nothing more than casual jeans and a rather plain jacket, but this day he had opted for a shirt and blazer combo, if only because putting on Twinkleshine's pendant had made his usual style feel somewhat inadequate.

Yep, he definitely envied Blossom and her blissful ignorance, especially in expectation of sweets.

"Um, so Celestia said we should bring some cake back for her," the mare continued.

"What? Oh, yeah, sure. I'm sure Ms. Sunbeam will think of that and insist we take some back," he replied.

"Who's Ms. Sunbeam?" Blossom asked.

"Candy Sunbeam, she's Storm Pop's sister and a baker. She always gives me some cake for the Princess when I visit."

"Oh. That's nice of her!"

They came to the correct street and Greg gently nudged Blossom toward the right house before she simply pranced her way past. Their door was in the middle of the row and Greg looked back at his entourage. "Um, he only invited me and Blossom, so I'm not sure if..."

Luckily he didn't have to say it, sergeant Bright Beam gave a fast salute with his wing even as he kept walking. "No need, sir! We will wait right outside."

"Thanks."

He wasn't used to traveling with guards, at least not when Celestia wasn't there. She always had a few around, at least on official business, but Greg suspected it was mostly because the other ponies expected it of her, not for any kind of protection. There was very little which could threaten Celestia, but could be stopped by a few guards. Besides, the past few times he'd visited with Storm Pop and his family Greg had gone alone and there had never been a problem. The only reason he and Blossom needed guards today was because of the attack.

He pushed those thoughts aside because Ms. Sunbeam had already opened the door and was smiling hugely at him and Blossom. She must have been watching from the window. "Come in, come in!" the older mare said, waving them both into the house with a wing. She looked at the guards in confusion when they stopped on the sidewalk.

"They'll wait outside," Gregory explained.

The mare gave him a strange, uncertain look. "Are you sure? There's plenty of room..."

Again Bright Beam earned his proverbial pay. "Thank you, ma'am, but we should stay here and keep an eye out for danger!"

"D-Danger?" Sunbeam squeaked, glancing around nervously. "What danger?"

"It's a long story and nothing to worry about."

Another voice called from upstairs: "Greg, my favorite human! Oh, and if it isn't the lovely lady Blossom!"

The compliment was so unexpected that Blossom didn't know what to do with it. She looked at Greg, then at Storm Pop who was coming slowly down the stairs. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut when she didn't know what to say. It was tricky with her shade of pink, but Greg could swear she was blushing a little. He also caught other clues: a slight splaying of her ears, they way she looked at the carpet and nowhere else, and the telltale way her tail crept between her hind legs.

Greg reached over and patted her, but Candy Sunbeam was faster. She laid a protective wing across Blossom's withers and chided her older brother: "Pop! You're embarrassing the young lady." She led the grateful mare away, all the time continuing her tirade: "To think! At your age! Have you no manners?!"

For his part, Pop just laughed it off and reached for Greg's hand to shake. "I had to resort to a formal invitation, Greg! What gives?"

"Well, there's... a lot of stuff going on right now at the Castle."

"Yeah, we heard some rumors. Is it true there was an assassination attempt on the Princess?!" Storm Pop had lowered his voice and spoke fearfully, as if expecting assassins to jump out from behind the furniture.

"Well, not on the Princess. Look, I can't tell you much because we're still investigating. They didn't succeed, okay?" Greg reassured the stallion.

The old pony nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good news at least. Anyway, come in. There's tea and cake."

Greg had suggested they invite Celestia as well, especially if they were serving sweets, but the two pegasi were aghast at the idea. Their home, they claimed, was nowhere near fancy enough to host a Princess. At most they insisted Greg take some cake or a few pastries back to give Celestia, along with their well wishes.

As he followed Storm Pop into the dining room they met Sunbeam coming the other way with a tray balanced on her back between her wings. There were three steaming mugs and a plate of cookies.

"I'll just take this to the poor dears outside, Greg. You just make yourself comfortable."

Blossom was already seated and she barely had time to notice Greg entering. All her attention was taken by a large, square, marzipan-decorated cake in the middle of the table. Even from a distance Greg could see a glistening drop of drool on her muzzle.

Storm Pop nudged him in the back. "Go, sit! Sit! I'll bring a bottle of cider so we can celebrate!"

The cake had writing on it and it was facing the door, as if someone had specifically arranged it for Greg to read the moment he walked in. It said: 'Thank you Gregory!'

"Hey, I thought we were past all that, Pop. It really wasn't a big dea-"

"Shush, it wasn't my idea," Storm Pop interrupted. He rummaged in a cupboard until he found two glasses. "Aura is in town and she wanted to do it. She was up all night yesterday with Sunbeam to bake that."

As if the words had summoned the young mare there was an excited squeak from the door. "Gregory!" Smiling, Gregory turned around and caught the jumping pegasus. She clung to him with all four legs and gave his face a good lick. "I got into the weather team, Greg!" she proclaimed with a big grin. "I made it and it's all thanks to you!"

He chuckled in delight and lowered the mare to the floor before sitting in the nearest chair. "No, Aura, it's all thanks to Earth doctors and modern medicine."

She pouted a little at being proven wrong, but the smile soon crept back. "Well, I never would have gotten there if it weren't for you! Look, look!"

Taking a few steps away, the mare slowly extended both wings. It took some time and concentration, but once they were fully spread, she flapped them quite easily a few times. It didn't seem to be causing her any issues. There was a nudge against his hand and Greg accepted a glass from Storm Pop. He held it low enough for the stallion to fill while he watched Aura fold her wings back. Again, it took a lot longer than it would any other pegasus, but by the time she was done they looked just like normal wings against her barrel.

"It's a bit tricky and they catch sometimes when I'm folding or unfolding them," the young mare explained, "but I can fly just fine! And the job at the weather team proves it!"

"Well done! Good work, Aura. I'm proud of you."

In perfect timing Storm Pop was done with the cider and Greg clinked his glass against the one the stallion was holding with both hooves. They drank a toast.

"Oh, who's your friend?!" Aura squeaked and walked around her father to inspect Blossom from up close.

"That's Blossom. Blossom, I'd like you to meet Aura."

The two mares looked at one another, but then Aura slowly smiled. "I love your coat! It's like bubblegum!"

Blossom blushed a little, but she couldn't keep a tiny grin from her muzzle. "Um, y-you're n-nice too..."

"She's a bit shy, so take it easy on her, okay?"

Luckily Aura was very outgoing and could draw on her extensive experience from babysitting jobs. Somehow she seemed to sense that Blossom was, at least mentally, somewhat younger than she looked. Aura hopped up on the chair right next to her new friend and reached over to lay a hoof on Blossom's. "I'll just sit right here and make sure you get some of that delicious cake, okay? I made it!"

This, at least in Blossom's eyes, was the highest calling and her eyes widened in delight. "Really?! You made it? How? It smells delicious..." Before Aura could really reply, Blossom went on: "I had some nice muffins yesterday, but they didn't smell as nice as this."

"Of course not!" Aura replied, scoffing a little. "This is my signature mint-chocolate marzipan cake. It's the best in town!"

Greg glanced at Storm Pop, who was chuckling soundlessly. He grinned at the stallion, raised his glass to him and took another sip. It really was good cider.

"One of these days I'll have to bring you some scotch from Earth. Now that'll put hair on your chest."

The pony looked down. "My chest already has hair on it, Greg."

Laughing, the man patted him on the back. "Sure does."

The front door opened and then closed, followed soon after by Ms. Sunbeam. Her tray had three empty mugs and a plate with no cookies left. "Such nice young colts," she commented, mostly to herself as she came into the dining room. She noticed the gathered group and froze. "Oh my, you're not all waiting on me, are you? Aura, cut the cake! You can see the poor thing is drooling already!"

They all looked at Blossom, who squeaked and hurriedly wiped at her muzzle.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you say?!" Aura apologized and reached over for where her aunt was just handing her a knife and a cake spade. She deftly cut out a large piece and deposited it on Blossom's plate first. Only then did she remember that Greg was actually the guest of honor and looked at him with horror.

"It's fine, it's fine. I don't mind at all," he said, grinning at her expression of relief.

"Aura, why don't you take a few pieces out to the colts out front?" Sunbeam suggested while her niece was busy with the cutting and divvying up.

"Huh? What colts?"

Sunbeam explained: "There are a few Castle guards with Greg today, but they wanted to stay outside and keep an eye out for danger. Such polite colts, too!" The older mare seemed dreamy for a while, then shook her head and sighed. "I always liked to see some young flank in armor..."

Storm Pop caught Greg's look and rolled his eyes, but they were both smiling. It was part of Sunbeam's charm and the reason most of her bakery customers were regulars.

Aura, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, the pink clearly visible on her pristine white coat. "Auntie..." she whined.

"Well, it can't hurt to go out and say hello to them, dear."

That just made the red in Aura's cheeks hotter. She tried to cover it up by busying herself with cutting the cake up while the older mare brought out three fresh plates for the guards. Despite her protestations, Greg thought there was an eager bounce in Aura's step as she obeyed and took the treats out. Perhaps her tail swished around a bit more than usual, too.

"So, tell me about this trouble at the Castle, Greg," Storm Pop asked when his daughter was gone.

"I'm sorry, I really can't. There's an investigation and until it's done I really shouldn't say, or the bad guys might get away."

"Oh my, sounds serious!" Sunbeam commented. "Is that why those colts are with you today?"

"It's... related," Gregory admitted.

Storm Pop huffed. "Must be pretty bad if not even Canterlot is safe."

"Trust me, it is. But don't worry, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will handle it."

"I don't doubt it. Two two are canny," the stallion admitted. "Well, as long as it's in hoof. There's no danger to us ordinary citizens, is there?"

Gregory shook his head firmly and made his voice as authoritative as possible: "None whatsoever."

Storm Pop nodded at this news and relaxed a little.

Candy Sunbeam pointed and spoke up next: "That's a lovely pendant, Greg. I've never seen you wear jewelry before. What's the occasion?"

He lifted up the diamond and then hurriedly let it drop, as if it was red hot. "Oh, nothing. Just- a gift from someone."

"Your special young mare gave you that?" Storm Pop asked, but then immediately burst out laughing when he saw Greg's expression. He leaned over and put a comforting hoof on the man's knee.

"Don't worry, we didn't believe the rumors."

"Oh. Thanks. No, it was from... someone. An apology gift."

The two older ponies looked at each other, but before they could ask for more details Blossom lifted her head, a big, goofy smile plastered over her muzzle, and pushed her empty plate away. Her eyes had trouble focusing, but they found Greg and her grin widened. "I think I love cake..."

While Storm Pop was chuckling at the sight, his sister jumped up and went to cut Blossom another piece. That much sugar would probably make her sick, but the mare looked so happy that Greg didn't have the heart to say no. Blossom was apparently trying to make up for all the sweets she'd missed while she was in that mine.

"Another cider?" the stallion offered and Greg wordlessly held out his glass.

He heard laughter from outside and recognized private Snow Cover, mingled with Aura. It sounded like Ms. Sunbeam hadn't been wrong. While he sipped his second glass Greg picked up the fork. He had to at least try the cake, or Celestia would never forgive him.

"That's right, dear," Ms. Sunbeam said. "There's more if you will want it and I'll make sure to wrap up a big piece for the Princess!"

All Greg could do was nod his thanks, because his mouth was full.

"'ome 'oo 'ee?!" Blossom squeaked through her mouthful of cake. She swallowed and tried again: "Some for me too?"

The older mare leaned over and patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, of course I'll give you some to take home, dear! You're all skin and bones, you poor thing!"

Blossom lowered her ears to enhance the visage of misery, but it was slightly spoiled by her bulging cheeks as she chewed yet more cake. He didn't begrudge her, though. Pretty soon they'll have to start figuring out what to do about Blossom's future. She probably didn't get much education, if any, so she'd have some catching up to do. It would be a busy, complicated part of her life so Greg didn't mind if she acted like a filly for a while longer. In fact, a peaceful morning with Storm Pop and his family was just what he needed, too. A couple of hours away from the conspiracies and secrets.

He leaned back in his chair, swirled his glass of cider and took another long sip. He'd felt guilty about his guards having to stand outside and wait, but now that Aura was entertaining them he didn't feel as bad anymore.