Back on Duty

Princess Luna and Silent Spell walked side by side down into the dungeons. Neither spoke, so the only sound was that of their hoofsteps on the harsh stone. They reached a guarded door, but the golden-armored pegasus just looked at the Princess, bowed, and stepped aside. Luna inclined her head in thanks, but didn't break the silence. There were several cells in the hallway beyond, but most were empty. Only two, right at the end, were filled. Lemon Slice, and Silvermane. It wasn't long before the two reached the end of their walk. Luna glanced inside the second-to-last cell, where the former guardsmare lay curled up on a simple cot. She was looking out, undoubtedly having heard their approaching hoofsteps, but as soon as Lemon Slice recognized who it was, she lowered her head, unwilling to draw attention to herself.

The next cell was the more interesting of the two. Luna focused for a moment and lifted a wing to allow a key to float free. She slid it into the lock and twisted. In the cell, the prisoner was already standing against the far wall, his muzzle a grimace of hate as he watched the two mares enter and close the door behind them.

Moments later, Silent Spell erected a barrier against eavesdropping and simply sat on her haunches. "So, how are you feeling today?"

The unicorn didn't answer. He looked directly at the Princess, as if by ignoring Silent Spell's presence he wouldn't have to deal with the inquisitive mare. "I demand you release me this instant!"

"Silvermane, Silvermane... that is not how it works," Luna said.

"We have a lot of evidence about your little operation. Why don't you tell us where you sent the prisoners - all of them - and maybe then we'll talk about some... luxuries?"

The stallion harrumphed, still determined to ignore the investigator. He shook his namesake mane and sneered. "What you are doing is wrong! You and your hussy of a sister! You're both just human toys!"

A loud slap surprised both him and Silent Spell, who looked at Luna in shock. "No, Princess. Don't! He's not worth it!"

Luna transferred her glare from the captive unicorn to the investigator and her muzzle relaxed from its rictus of distaste. She heaved a sigh and her horn, glowing and ready to slap the prisoner again, winked out. "You are right. Tell me who is in charge of your operation while you are here, Silvermane. Is it your wife or your son?"

The Princess was watching his face closely and caught the involuntary widening of his eyes. "No!" he barked, urgently. "Leave them out of this! They don't have anything to do with this!"

Silent Spell caught Luna's eye and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

"I will promise to leave them alone if you give me some names, Silvermane."

In truth, they had already brought the wife and the son in for questioning. They both claimed they had no idea of Silvermane's activities. The way Dainty had shivered in fear and by her sad, haggard face, Luna tended to believe her. The son, Paisley, simply burst into tears at her questions and began to wail that his father was innocent. He was either the finest actor in Equestria, or he really didn't know anything. Celestia had suggested tossing them both in prison and making sure Silvermane knew, but Luna took Silent Spell's advice and let them go free. She'd had the house watched closely, but so far it seemed the two were telling the truth.

"Tell me again about the mine," Silent Spell asked. "Whom were you selling to? How did you get exempt from government inspection for so long?"

Silvermane, still a little shaken from Luna's threat to his family, blinked and cast his gaze from one mare to the other. "What?" he said. "I already told you. I sold the stone to Fillydelphia and to the Griffins."

"What about the inspection? You must have bribed ponies at the Canterlot Castle. Who were they?" Luna took a step forward and she seemed to loom above the stallion. "Tell us, or I will have your wife and son put in the cell right next to yours."

"Y-You can't do that!" Silvermane whined and his ears pinned all the way back. He dropped his gaze and took a deep breath. "Fine. Ember Wishes."

Luna glanced at Silent Spell, who gave another slight nod. They already suspected the unicorn, especially after her convenient disappearance. "Who else?" the investigator demanded.

"I don't know! Azure Wings and Spring Morning handled everything at the Canterlot Castle. I don't know and I didn't want to know!"

This made Luna sneer a little in turn. "What kind of a leader are you if you didn't know what your underlings were doing?"

Silvermane clamped his muzzle shut and glared at the wall behind the Princess. After a minute of tense silence, Luna flared up her horn and dispelled the eavesdropping shield. She fit the key into the lock again and walked out without another word.

Silent Spell hung back and took a step closer to the noblepony. "I hope you'll reconsider, Silvermane. We can put you in a cell with a proper toilet if you just work with us here. I might even talk about extenuating circumstances when it comes to the trial." His silent, smoldering look gave all the answer the mare would get. She sighed. "Just think on it."

She rejoined the Princess in the hallway and watched closely as Luna locked the cell again. The key went back under her wing and the two walked calmly out of the dungeons. They were silent until they came above ground, far enough away that even the best ears couldn't overhear them from the cells.

"What did you think?"

Luna shook her head sadly. "I still believe Dainty and Paisley Silvermane are not involved. There is some affection, perhaps we can use that."

"No legal ground to toss them in the cells, although I don't think anypony would say anything if you did it anyway."

It was a tempting thought, but Luna firmly shook her head. "I already made that mistake once. I don't think Sister would appreciate if we started putting ponies in jail on a whim," she explained.

"Wasn't Celestia the one who suggested it?"

Again, Luna shook her head. "Yes, but she was not thinking clearly. Gregory... Until she has him back in the Castle and he is fine, Sister might not be all that reliable." There was a faint smile on Luna's muzzle, even while her ears drooped lower. "I do not think I have seen her this smitten yet. Then again, I was away for quite a while."

Silent Spell shrugged a little to herself. "Anyway, the Captain said they have Ember Wishes in custody in Vanhoover. They'll bring her here tomorrow and we'll find what we may find. It may not seem like it, Princess, but we are unpicking their little operation." She inclined her head to the other occupied cell.

It was good news, but it wasn't good enough. Luna grimaced at the thought in her mind. "What about the prisoners? You said there were a number of humans and ponies in Silvermane's mine - how close are we to finding them?"

The investigator hung her head and sighed. "I have the Silvermane manor in Canterlot under surveillance and all the guards have descriptions of suspicious ponies. Well, ones we know about. The two earlier attackers who got away were masked." Silent Spell thought for a moment, then went on: "They can't have just vanished and I don't think Silvermane would have them killed. We'll just have to wait until all his estates are searched, or he blabs."

"How do we make him blab without beating it out of him?"

The pair had discussed that option, but both had rejected it, despite what Celestia had said.

"Did you see him jump when you mentioned his wife and son? Maybe if we allow them a short visit, then threaten to put them in chains again he'll crack?"

"Worth a shot," Luna said grimly.

"You still can't get into his dreams?"

Luna shook her head. "It is as if his nights are full of nightmares. The instant he begins dreaming, he wakes up, possibly screaming."

Silent Spell shook her head in dismay. "Whatever could have him this spooked? Are we sure he is in charge of this whole thing? Because it seems to me, he's afraid what somepony else might do to him if he says too much."

"Who else? All the clues lead to Silvermane."

The investigator gave a half-nod, but she remained thoughtful. "Well, what if we slip him a sleeping potion or something in his food? Something that'll keep him out for the whole night?"

Luna froze mid-step and a slow smile spread across her muzzle. She began walking again. "Brilliant. Arrange it with the Castle Alchemist," she ordered.

Silent Spell inclined her head. "I will go check on Blossom and Fluttershy. Meet me for dinner in an hour."

"Sure thing, Princess."

They turned down different corridors, but Luna stopped for a moment more. "Oh, and Silent Spell?"

The mare also came to a halt and looked back.

"Please call me 'Luna'."

The unicorn smiled and nodded, before hurrying away.

The day had started out awful, but it was getting better. After throwing up most of his breakfast, Celestia took Gregory out to the walled garden for a walk. He couldn't go any significant distance, but the greenery was nice and the fresh air did him good. They even had sandwiches on a stone bench overlooking the estate.

"Reminds me of our picnic," Greg commented.

"Y-Yeah," Celestia replied, a tiny bit uncertainly as if she was having trouble deciding which of the occasions he was talking about. "The one in the..."

"The meadow, remember?"

The mare smiled and nodded. "Oh, sure. In the woods."

Gregory blinked in confusion, but then he realized she must have meant their vacation.

"Well, that too," he agreed, "but I meant back in Canterlot."

Celestia chuckled a little at the misunderstanding and pressed Greg against herself with a wing. "We're talking about two different picnics, I think. They were both fun, though."

Shrugging a little to himself, Greg was forced to agree. "I didn't like the one in Fillydelphia. I mean, the walk was nice and I always like spending time with you, but it really wiped me out. I'm really out of shape."

He got a nuzzle as a reward for admitting it, or at least that's how Greg decided to think of it. Celestia shrugged a little before replying: "We'll get you back in shape, don't worry."

"Hope there won't be any lasting consequences after this drug they fed me."

"No, I don't think there will. It's gonna take some time for you to get over it. Oh, by the way, are you feeling any withdrawal symptoms yet?"

Gregory focused inward for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't... think so?" he announced uncertainly.

"Just in case, you should take small doses of it over the next few days. It'll make it easier to wean off," Celestia explained.

It sounded reasonable and Gregory nodded to the suggestion. He didn't mind not dreaming for a while longer, especially since he didn't need Luna to find him anymore. While he was thinking that, Celestia prodded him in the chin with her muzzle and when he turned to look, she kissed him. Greg gladly accepted it, but he had to pull away to catch his breath after a while.

"Don't be greedy, now."

Her ears folded down and the mare gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I guess I just missed you so much. I'm still not entirely convinced you're back, you know?"

As he gazed into her eyes, Gregory felt like something was out of place. He frowned a little and leaned closer. "Hold on a second," he murmured.

Celestia froze, her ears stopping mid-way through coming up. "What is it?"

Greg stood up so he could get closer and inspect her eyes in more detail. The Princess blinked and tried to pull away, but he stopped her with his hands on her muzzle. Whatever it was that had disturbed him, it was gone now. Celestia's eyes were just like he always remembered them - magenta. They'd always been magenta, with long, flowing eyelashes and pupils which glimmered more than they had any right to.

"Nothing, I guess. I thought- well, never mind. Maybe the stuff's been messing with my memory, too."

Celestia nodded sagely. "That does sometimes happen with this herb, but it's rare. Just in case, maybe we should go through the past few weeks, just to make sure there are no gaps."

Suddenly worried that his mind might be affected by the foul potion Spring Morning had fed him, Gregory readily agreed. "Sure. Where do I start?"

Celestia looked around, frowning a little in thought, but then her expression cleared up. "Let's start from when I found you and go backwards," she suggested.

"Okay, no problem. Oh, by the way - Spring Morning is dead or not? You said you didn't know."

The Princess glared a little at the name, but then she looked away. "She is not. Just injured. I had some of the guards take her to the Canterlot Hospital."

"That's another thing, how come the guards aren't going crazy after I was kidnapped?" Greg asked.

He hadn't seen so much as a tail or feather of the Royal Guards. Celestia said they were patrolling the area, or guarding the entrance, but Gregory was friends with most of the ponies in the Guard and wouldn't mind saying hello.

"That- I'm afraid," Celestia said with a tiny blush of shame, "is my fault. I wanted you all to myself for a bit, first. Sorry."

Her wide-eyed contrition was incredibly cute and the man couldn't help chuckling. "Selfish horse!" he chided.

Celestia's ears fell even lower and the pink in her cheeks deepened until it nearly matched her eyes. "Sorry," she said again. "Just for a day or two, okay? I don't want to-" She turned her head away as she spoke and Gregory suddenly felt the morning's nausea again. He groaned and put a hand on his stomach.

"Ugh, not again!"

Celestia instantly faced him again, embarrassment entirely replaced by worry. "What is it?!"

"Feel... sick..."

She lit up her horn and probed the man with her magic. She shook her head. "We've been out too long. You need to be in bed and you should probably take some of the potion. It's the withdrawal."

Gregory nodded and tried to stand up. There was almost no strength left in his arms, but Celestia wrapped magic around his chest and helped him up. She stepped closer so Greg could reach her.

"Put your hands on my back," she ordered and he obeyed. Then she took careful steps and with that support Greg was able to walk slowly. He appreciated that Celestia didn't simply lift him up bodily with her magic and allowed him this small dignity of at least walking on his own. That was the difference between her and ponies like Spring Morning. Not that there were very many of those. He was glad that the unicorn had lived through her encounter with an enraged alicorn. Not so much for Spring Morning's sake, but because he didn't like the thought of Celestia killing someone. She must have done so in her long and colorful past, but Greg had never asked about it and he didn't want to start thinking it. He preferred the Princess the way she had been in his house, back on Earth - carefree, happy, curious and, somehow, so very innocent.

The two made their slow way back to the house and in the ground floor. There was a clank of armor from the kitchen area, but Celestia took him right past the door and to the stairs.

"Good to hear you're doing better," a pony said. Gregory quickly placed the voice and tried to turn around to see, but the hallway swam and it was all he could do to stay upright. The best he could do was lift a hand slightly in greeting.

"Hi, Pop..." he managed.

Vanilla Pop sounded worried. "Everything okay, Greg? Ma'am?"

"Don't worry," Celestia replied. "I've got it in hoof. Gregory just needs some more rest. Return to your post, Vanilla Pop."

The clank indicated a very smart salute. "Yes, ma'am!" the guard said and returned to the kitchen with loud hoofsteps.

After he was gone, Celestia turned her attention back to Gregory. "Can you make it up the stairs? I'll carry you, if you want."

"Let's give it a try."

The mare nodded and took a slow step. Gregory leaned on her back heavily, but Celestia could easily take his weight. He remembered their Nightmare Night costume that one year when he'd actually ridden her to the chagrin of most of the Canterlot elite. The memory brought a smile to his face, despite his current hardship.

"How long... the side effects?"

Celestia understood. "No more than a few days. Watch out for the first step. Here, let me help."

Her magic around his chest tightened and lifted him, so Greg's legs didn't have to do any of the work. He cursed silently at the stupid drug making him this weak, but at the same time he was glad he hadn't thrown up again. Small progress, he thought to himself. Slowly but surely, the two made it up the stairs and into the room. Celestia laid Greg carefully on the bed and went to draw back the curtains and open the window.

"Fresh air'll do you some good," she murmured while the man caught his breath. "I'll get some of the potion and some water, okay? Don't go anywhere!"

Her light, joking tone dispelled some of Greg's worry. Surely it wasn't too serious, especially if Celestia was joking about his condition. Just a momentary weakness. In fact, he was already starting to feel better and his strength was returning.

"I think I'll be fine," he commented.

"Well, stay on the bed just in case, okay? For me?" She gave him such a pleading look that Greg couldn't find it in his heart to refuse. He didn't feel like he'd be up to roaming anyway, especially not down the stairs.

"Okay, I promise. Anyway, when are we leaving?"

Celestia shook her head sadly. "Not for a few days, yet. I don't want you getting like this and falling out of the carriage and I really don't like to think what the rocking of the ground coach will do to you." She came back to the bed and gave the man a quick nuzzle. "It's not so bad here with me, is it? Think of it like a small vacation."

She was right and Greg wasn't in the least bit enthusiastic about the long journey to Canterlot. He inclined his head, leaning his forehead against Celestia's warm nose. "Okay. A couple of days, but no longer. I really wanna see Blossom and make sure she's fine. Did you tell her what happened?"

Celestia gave a nod. "Yeah. She's crying her eyes out, but I think it's fine. Princess Luna is taking care of her."

"Did Fluttershy have to leave?"

"No, Fluttershy is there, too, but Luna is helping out now that you're gone. That's what I meant."

It made sense. Next to Gregory and Celestia, Luna was the pony Blossom was most comfortable with. Except for... "And Star Bright?"

Celestia looked blank. "What about him?"

That reminded Gregory. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about it. Star Bright has a little crush on Blossom and I think she likes him back. I made sure he'd take it slow and not let her do something stupid."

Celestia brightened up. "Oh, so that's why he was visiting so often! Heh. That's cute, actually."

Greg smiled as well and the mare gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I'll get you that water and the potion now. After, we'll see if you can keep down some lunch, okay?"

Nodding, the man let her lower him down to his back and gave her nose a final pat before she slipped away. Only a day or two more and things would go back to normal. He remembered that he'd forgotten to ask Celestia about the mine and the prisoners, but that could wait. With Silvermane in prison and Spring Morning incapacitated, surely it wouldn't take Luna and the Castle Guard much longer to find the rest of the captives and free them.

A job well done, even if he did get kidnapped. The important thing was that the slave trafficking ring was broken up.

"Your orders, Captain, are to obey any orders from Silent Spell as if they had come from me personally, do you understand?!"

Fire Fly cringed a little at her sharp tone, but Luna had had enough of the guard coming to her for confirmation every time the investigator asked for anything. She kept up her glare for a moment longer, until the Captain lowered his gaze.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Good. Now go. I believe you have some orders to see to!"

The guard all but galloped away while Luna shook her head in irritation and entered the room. She had a difficult task ahead of her and the Captain's interruption hadn't been entirely welcome. Strange, the mare thought, how despite everything she still thought of the place as Cadence's guest room.

Wrenching her thoughts to the present, Luna prepared to deliver bad news to Blossom. The scene in front of her made her pause, though. The pink mare was lying on her back, but her head was resting in Star Bright's lap so that her mane was spread across his legs and the couch beyond. The unicorn was carefully braiding it with his magic. He was clearly bad at it, judging by the few misshapen, lumpy braids already done, but Blossom didn't seem to mind. Her eyes were closed and she had a hint of a smile on her muzzle.

It was quite a contrast with the dark circles under her eyes and a welcome change at that. Apparently Star Bright really was helping. Good thing Fluttershy had spotted their budding romance. Thinking of the pegasus drew Luna's eyes to Fluttershy, who was leaning on the armrest, reading a book with Blossom's tail draped over her lap like a blanket.

The sudden scrutiny caught her attention and the mare smiled. "Oh, hello, Princess!"

The words made Blossom open her eyes and when she realized who it was the mare sat up. There was a hopeful smile on her muzzle as she scanned the room behind Luna, undoubtedly looking for her favourite human.

"Sorry, Blossom. Still no word."

Her expression crumpled, but Star Bright wrapped his hooves around Blossom and rubbed his nose against her neck. It seemed to work and the mare didn't start weeping again. "W-When will you f-find him?" she asked in a quiet voice without meeting Luna's gaze.

"Soon. He will be fine, I promise. Just be patient."

All the poor, distraught mare could manage was a nod. One of her ears twitched slightly, as if she wanted to lift them, but in light of the news they stayed firmly down. Luna was sorry she didn't have anything better to tell her.

"Me, Silent Spell and everypony in the guard are working really hard to find Gregory. I'm sorry that Twilight Sparkle's spell hadn't worked, but between her and Sister I have no doubt they will come up with something."

The mention of her friend made Fluttershy close the book and lay it aside. "Have you heard from Twilight and the Princess?"

Luna had to shake her head, but she kept smiling encouragingly. "I am expecting a message today, in fact. If not, I will go to them personally. Despite this crisis, there is still a country to run!"

Fluttershy just nodded, but didn't say anything. Luna knew the timid mare thought friends were more important than governing, but her personal experience told the alicorn otherwise. It was important to keep Equestria together, especially as news of the slavery ring was starting to come out. No doubt Celestia would appreciate her efforts once everything was back to normal.

Still, while they waited for news and for the investigation, she could try and keep everypony's spirits up. "Blossom, would you like to join me for lunch?" Luna offered.

"Mm?" the mare obviously hadn't been paying attention.

"I will be having cake and ice cream today, would you like some?"

For a moment it looked like Blossom would refuse, but Star Bright gave her another nudge with his muzzle and the mare nodded instead. "Okay."

"Good! You should all come!"

She made sure to flash the colt a grateful grin, which he returned with a nod.

Fluttershy pushed Blossom's tail out of the way and slid from the cushion. "Come on, Blossom," she cooed gently, "let's go wash up before lunch!"

The earth mare obediently followed her friend into the bathroom, leaving Luna alone with Star Bright.

"You seem good for Blossom."

Suddenly the stallion was embarrassed, all blushing and unable to meet her gaze. "Um... I like her a lot." Luna didn't immediately reply, which obviously made Star Bright feel like something more was expected of him. He cleared his throat, glanced in Luna's eyes for a second, then stammered on: "Sh-She's not like other m-mares."

"You know her history, correct?"

Instantly the stallion nodded. "Yes! Greg told me! I promised I'd be careful with Blossom! If she tries to- I mean... I know she used to do... that to make her life easier, but I'm gonna say no. I promised!"

It wasn't what Luna had been asking, but it answered her question. She had wondered if Star Bright would still be as interested if he knew, but apparently the answer was yes. Perhaps this really was young love, like Fluttershy had guessed.

"Well, someday she will be ready to take the next step. I trust your discretion to know when the time is right."

Apparently it was very uncomfortable to talk about these things with a Princess, at least judging by Star Bright's blush, but luckily Fluttershy and Blossom returned and the earth mare hurried back to whom Luna was beginning to consider her coltfriend.

The two nuzzled for a second and then looked up.

"Shall we?" Luna invited with an extended wing.

They smoothly fell in step behind her as she led them out.