Back on Duty

Gregory wasn't a big fan of Luna's idea. In his view, fear like Smoke Puff's was a result of severe trauma and should be taken to a professional. The Princess, however, had a more rough and ready approach.

"It will be fine," Luna was saying, starting to get impatient with his recalcitrance. "I will be with you all the time and I will take Smoke Puff out at the first sign of trouble."

"Yeah, but neither of us are psychiatrists, Luna. I don't think we're qualif-"

The mare just snorted, interrupting him mid-word. "Bah! I know that the best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on!"

Gregory didn't subscribe to the same school of thought. He tried to play his trump card: "Have you talked with Celestia about this?"

The whole plan sounded like something Luna would concoct, so he was expecting a shame-faced no. Luna's triumphant grin came as a bit of a surprise. "I have!" the Princess said, grinning. "Sister agrees that it is worth a try and gives her blessing. She merely implores us to be careful."

It seemed like there was no talking her out of it, so Gregory swallowed his unease and spread his arms in defeat. "Well, fine then. Bring her in. The moment she shows any signs she's uncomfortable, you're taking her out and going to a professional, understand?"

Seeing she had won, Luna took the condition with good grace and inclined her head. "I promise."

She walked over to the door and slipped outside while Gregory sat back on the sofa in Blossom's quarters. The only thing he could do to prepare was to appear comfortable and nonchalant. He heard some murmuring outside in the hallway, but he couldn't make out any words. Blossom's voice was unmistakable, as was Luna's, but the other two were too quiet for him to place. Smoke Puff, most likely and maybe... Azure Wings? A sudden realization made him blink in surprise. If Luna had Smoke Puff and Azure Wings both waiting in the hallway while she went to convince him to do this, she must have been very certain of her success. Greg didn't know whether to be pleased with how far Luna's diplomacy had come, or annoyed that she'd dismissed his opinion even before she'd spoken with him.

There was no more time to make up his mind anyway, because the door opened and Blossom walked in the room. As he'd guessed, Smoke Puff and Azure Wings were there, hanging back, with Luna standing just behind them.

He had to take his eyes away, because Blossoms stopped right in front of him and glanced back, smile fixed on her muzzle. "See?" she said to the mares behind her. "Greggy is really nice and he gives the best scratchies!"

She pushed her forehead toward Gregory and he obliged by giving her a quick pat. When the mare pressed forward again, he relented and let his fingers slip around her ears, which made Blossom give an exaggerated moan.

"Go on, say hello," Luna urged, giving Smoke Puff's rump a very gentle pat with a wing feather. "I'll be right beside you."

The mare was staring wide-eyed at the scene before her, but at least she wasn't screaming this time. Gregory supposed that was some progress, at least. Then, to his amazement, Smoke Puff took a step forward. She seemed skittish most of all, like a frightened animal. He didn't know how to act, so he froze uncertainly. Smoke Puff was now inside the room, but she stopped and lifted up her head to sniff the air. Her eyes were large and unmoving, focused on him with pinpoint accuracy. He began to doubt that she was blinking at all. It was obvious that the tension was building up and the mare was working herself into another panic. Luna's silly plan to get her used to humans would fail and they'd have another screaming session on their hands.

He sighed and opened his mouth to tell them as much, but Azure Wings brushed past Smoke Puff. "I wanna see how that feels," she said, nudging Blossom away. Glad of the distraction, Gregory switched his hand to her and began rubbing her ears. Azure Wings kept smiling, but her eyes glittered with impatience as she stared at the man. "Say something to her!" she murmured, so quietly that he barely heard.

"Oh. Right. Um, sorry," he fumbled, before giving his best, most winning smile to Smoke Puff. "Hi there!"

This seemed to break the ice and the mare relaxed a little. It helped that Blossom, having been denied scratches, jumped up on the couch, flopped on her back and laid her head in Greg's lap. It looked like a very comfortable position and made Greg proud. Quick thinking on Blossom's part.

Luna placed her wing feather back on Smoke Puff's rump and urged the mare forward. Still looking quite uneasy, Smoke Puff nevertheless took a few steps. She came to a stop just out of arm's reach and then she leaned closer, as if to get a better look.

"Hi. My name is Gregory. What's yours?"

That usually worked on small children and it got a result out of the frightened mare as well. "S-Smoke Puff," she murmured, lowering her eyes for a moment in acute embarrassment.

"It suits you," Greg commented.

This made Smoke Puff's mouth quirk up, but it was so brief he wasn't sure he'd seen it or just imagined. Her muzzle came a fraction closer. Greg slowly took his hand off Azure Wings' head and held it out, palm upwards. At first Smoke Puff shrank away, but when he remained still she leaned toward him again. Her ears were pricked and her muscles tense, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. It was a bit silly, especially considering her horn. She could have him wrapped up in magic before Greg knew what was going on, but the mare didn't seem to be aware of the possibility. He decided not to remind her in case she got spooked and did something drastic.

She was now so close that Greg felt her warm breath on his fingers. It came in rapid pants, so he didn't move any closer and let her come to him. At long last she touched him, the merest brush of fur against his palm. She withdrew, but came back a moment later. This time Greg felt something hot and moist.

Surely she wasn't tasting him?!

He pulled his hand back, making the mare lean back in apprehension.

"Look, this is silly. You're a thinking, talking creature and so am I. There's no need to act like a frightened animal, is there?" This time Greg held his hand out vertically. He knew ponies had handshakes, even if they didn't call them the same and they usually involved both hooves. "I'm Gregory. Pleased to meet you."

Smoke Puff watched his hand in astonishment, then blinked and scrunched her muzzle up in thought. "Um..."

She glanced back at Luna, who just nodded.

When she looked back, Smoke Puff was a little more sure of herself and lifted her foreleg to place a hoof against Greg's palm. He took a very gentle hold and shook it up and down a few times.

"There. I'm sorry you met some bad people your first time, but most humans are okay."

The mention of her ordeal made Smoke Puff's ears flatten and she looked away. Gregory was instantly sorry for having reminded her. He wanted to say so, but that would just keep dragging the bad memories up. Luckily Azure Wings saw his predicament and threw a wing around the stricken mare. "Well, enough formality. Here, you gotta see how this feels, Puff." She nudged the mare that final step closer and pushed her rump down until Smoke Puff was sitting on her haunches.

Taking his cue, Greg held his hand out again, just short of touching the mare's head. "Only if you want to," he told her.

Her eyes strayed to Blossom, who was apparently falling asleep in Greg's lap. "Um... ok-okay," she agreed and closed that last half an inch of distance.

By now Greg had had enough experience with ponies to know what to expect. Each one was different, but all their manes were incredibly soft. Of course, none could compare to Celestia and Luna's ethereal hairdo, but even the regular ponies' manes kept surprising the man with their light, airy softness. He slid his hand to one side and found the spot just behind Smoke Puff's ears with his fingertips. For her first time, he just traced small circles around the area. Some of the tension left the mare and she leaned into his touch, a sure sign that he was doing it right.

Greg smiled to himself and applied a touch more pressure.

"Oh... oh." That was all Smoke Puff seemed able to say.

Blossom finally stirred and flipped to her side so she was looking at the action. "See?" she said. "Greg is nice and gives the best scratches. Just don't get used to it, because he's busy a whole lot."

That last sentence was fraught with such immense sadness and disappointment that Gregory couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, I always make time for you!"

Blossom shrugged, not quite saying that he could have dono more to pamper her, but heavily implying it with the roll of her eyes.

When he took his hand away from Smoke Puff, the mare tried to follow it, but caught herself before falling flat on her muzzle. She seemed undecided for a moment, then sighed. "Sorry I screamed, um, earlier."

"Don't be. You had a bad experience and I probably came as a surprise." Greg looked up at Luna, who was grinning triumphantly with that 'I-told-you-so' look on her muzzle. "I still think you should speak with a therapist. Stuff like that doesn't just go away because you meet one good human."

Smoke Puff nodded in agreement, "I guess," she replied, looking at the ground between her forehooves.

"There's no shame in it. You've had a very traumatic experience, um, Puff," Greg went on with the nickname Azure Wings had used earlier.

"Yes, yes, we will arrange for therapy," Luna said only a bit testily. She was annoyed that Gregory kept pushing her in that direction when she was sure she could 'fix' Smoke Puff herself.

Azure Wings took the matters into her own hooves again and placed her wing around the other mare's withers once more. "So, how about you and me mosey on down to the kitchens and see if there's any dinner?"

Smoke Puff looked relieved, but then she cast an apologetic glance at Greg and gave him an uncertain smile. "It was n-nice meeting you, um, Mr. Gregory."

He waved the title away. "Please, just Greg. We're all friends here."

The mare nodded and repeated: "Greg." Then she let Azure Wings lead her away.

Luna remained in the room, watching the two leave. Meanwhile Blossom grabbed Greg's hand and pulled it down to her head. He obediently started scratching and the mare let out a soft moan of delight.

"Smoke Puff will be alright, now that she is back. I have sent a pegasus to bring her parents here."

"Yeah, you said she took a job with Silvermane in Neighara? Do you know how she ended up on Earth?"

"Yes. She told me everything, or nearly so."

Gregory waited for a few seconds, but Luna didn't start talking. He frowned a little in confusion. "Will you tell me?"

The Princess shook her head. "Not right now. Later. I am leaving within the hour to search for this new Earth portal. With luck, I will apprehend whoever is leading this trafficking ring!"

There was significant force behind her words and a stern, or maybe determined look on her face. Gregory had no doubt she would do exactly as she said. "Well, good luck with that."

Just like that Greg was alone in Blossom's guest room with the mare. His hand was still on her head, idly massaging her ears and her head was still in his lap. It was a comfortable moment and he relaxed, letting himself enjoy it for a while. Then he got bored and poked at the mare. "Get up. Let's go find Bright and see what he's doing. It'll be time for dinner soon, anyway."

Mention of her coltfriend smoothed over any disappointment Blossom might have felt over having her scratching time curtailed and she nodded. "Okay! Maybe there's some cake left!"

"You already had all the cake for today, Blossom. It'll keep until tomorrow."

"Not if the Princess gets it!" she countered, looking worried.

"Tough luck!"

She grumbled under her breath, but followed Greg out of the room anyway.

Gregory was working. Well 'working'. It had started out like a regular day in his office, but quite soon after that, Star Bright knocked on his door with a very unusual request. The unicorn wanted Greg to keep Blossom company, citing an urgent, unavoidable meeting. Only a little bewildered, but fully intending to question the stallion in detail later, Greg agreed.

Unfortunately Blossom hadn't been able to sit quietly, so Greg had decided to take a short break. That had been nearly an hour ago.

He could have gone back to work, but truth be told he didn't particularly want to. Especially when he glanced down at the mare. Blossom had joined Greg on the couch in the employee lounge while he sipped coffee and she quickly wiggled her way into the most adorable position he'd yet seen. She was now lying on her back with her head in his lap and her hind legs in the air and her forelegs curled up against her sides, and with her eyes closed and her tongue lolling out. Quiet grunts and an occasional sigh escaped her at Greg's ministrations. He had one hand on her barrel, playing with the soft fur there, and his other on her head, tickling behind her ears.

His coffee was cooling on the table, forgotten, as Greg concentrated on his fingerwork. He brought both hands to Blossom's ears and began to massage them between thumb and forefinger.

"Mmmmmbh," she tried to say and failed. A small dribble of spit nearly escaped her, but she caught it with her tongue and smacked her lips. "Mmmmm- s'niiiiice," she moaned. One of her hind legs kicked feebly and Blossom groaned. "Right... there..."

Greg became aware of Star Bright standing in the door, watching with rapt attention and with small smile playing across his lips. He brought up one hand and placed a finger against his lips, hoping the unicorn would understand the sign to keep quiet. Blossom's ear flicked as it was left alone and Greg quickly put his hand back, massaging with renewed effort. He let his fingers stray lower, to the base of her ears, careful not to poke the ear canal. The result was most satisfying as Blossom arched her back and let out another deep-throated groan.

Glancing back up at Star Bright, Greg saw that the stallion had one hoof in the air and was watching him questioningly. It was easy to guess what he wanted. Greg nodded and leaned his head to the side, where there was still some unoccupied couch. To his credit, Bright managed to move absolutely silently, even on the linoleum floor. It took him a long time, but Blossom didn't notice a thing. She didn't even feel the movement as the stallion climbed up.

Greg and Bright shared a smile, then he brought his hand away from her ear and put it on Blossom's belly. When he dug all his fingers in, the mare let out what could only be called a moan. "Yessss."

He kept the scratching up for another minute, then took his fingers away and carefully grabbed Bright's hoof. The stallion watched in puzzlement, but didn't fight it as Greg brought it down.

"Gently," he mouthed silently.

The stallion understood and nodded. He didn't have fingers, so he just lightly kneaded Blossom's belly with the frog of his hoof. That left Greg's hand free to go back to the mare's ears.

He wondered how long it would take her...

Nearly a full minute later, Blossom scrunched up her muzzle in thought. "Wait..." She blinked her eyes open and looked down. When she saw it was only her coltfriend, she smiled and stretched. "Hi, mmmm, Brightey!"

The stallion grinned right back and kept up his impromptu massage. "Hey."

Now that they were talking Greg also opened his mouth. "So, what was this urgent meeting you had to do?"

The stallion blushed and looked around the room for inspiration. "Just... stuff. I'll tell you later, okay?"

Blossom was completely ignoring their conversation. She got a thoughtful look on her muzzle and stared at her coltfriend intently. "Um, Brighey? Can you... like... um, grow some fingers? This feels sooooo good!"

Both Greg and Star Bright chuckled and the stallion shrugged. "Probably not, but maybe I can do something similar with telekinesis? Let's see..." He held up his leg, earning himself a regretful look from Blossom as the massage ended. Then Bright's horn began to glow and he frowned at his leg. Something like a pincer of magic formed and he tried it out on himself. "Ow!" he yelped, shaking the limb. "Too hard! Gentler..."

Greg was grateful he'd tried it out on himself first. The second attempt seemed better, but Bright shook his head and muttered something to himself. Blossom watched it all with eager expectation and Greg took his hands away to give Star Bright room. Finally the unicorn seemed ready, but he still gave the mare a concerned look. "Tell me if it's too hard, okay?"

She just nodded.

The glow went to one of her ears and Bright focused on his magic. His tongue poked out in concentration.

Slowly Blossom began to smile. "Mmmm... niiiice," she commented as she closed her eyes.

Her obvious enjoyment brought a grin to Bright's muzzle and he redoubled his efforts. "Dunno how long I can keep this up, but at least we know I can do it. Does it really feel that good?"

The mare just nodded, then tapped Greg with a hoof. "Show 'im."

Chuckling, Gregory obliged and put a hand on Bright's head, catching his ear and rubbing it between his fingers.

"Oh- oh, wow. Yeah, that is nice," the stallion commented. He leaned into Greg's touch and he obliged the unicorn with a few more seconds of scratching before taking his hand away. "Aww..."

Greg ignored the disappointment in both their muzzles and lifted Blossom up from his lap. "Here," he told Bright, "your turn. I got work to do. Come see me when you're done, I'm still curious about this secret meeting."

"What secret meeting?" Blossom asked, sitting up and stretching her forelegs above her head.

Bright looked away again and stammered a little: "I'll t-tell you, um, later. Okay?"

Luckily the mare wasn't too nosy and she just nodded. "Okay," she said and threw her legs around the stallion. "So, what are we doing today?"

Star Bright didn't have to think too long. "Let's do some reading, okay? If we finish the book, you can get a muffin after lunch, how's that?"

Blossom giggled and clapped her hooves together in excitement. "Okay!"

They left without a backwards glance, already talking about the children's book Star Bright was using as his teaching aid. Gregory didn't mind. The pair had a very complicated relationship and they could be excused if they occasionally forgot to say bye. In the meantime, he had to get back into the saddle, so to speak, and finally get the documents done. As he walked back to his office he wondered if Luna was doing okay on her mission to the far west. Hopefully she would find the second portal and things would go back to normal.

Sometimes, especially in the offices it was hard to believe everything had actually happened. The kidnapping, the escape, the changelings.

It almost felt like a dream.

"Um, Greg? Could I ask for another favor?" Star Bright said almost before the door had even opened all the way. The stallion stood just outside Greg's office with a pleading sort of grin and his ears slightly splayed.

"What is it now?" As hard as he tried, Greg couldn't quite keep the irritation from his voice. These interruptions were starting to become annoying.

"There's, uh, two ponies who should be arriving at the main gate about now.. Um, could you fetch them and bring them here? They'll be asking for me."

It was a very unusual request and Greg just pierced the unicorn with a stare, waiting for some explanation.

"Pleeeease?" the stallion whined, giving Greg a guilty smile. "I swear you'll understand as soon as you bring them down here, okay?"

"Are they gonna try and kidnap me again or something? Have you been working with the bad guys this whole while?"

The accusation made Bright take a step back and his muzzle dropped open. "What?! Greg, you know I'd never- I mean... No! Of course not! I'd do it myself, but I have to keep Blossom busy!"

His panic was at least worth a chuckle, so Greg stood up and walked around his desk. "Okay, okay, I'm not accusing you. It's just... secretive. Why do you want to keep this from Blossom this badly?"

The stallion blushed again, but this time he stood his ground. "It'll be better this way, trust me! Besides, she'll know as soon as you bring them down. It'll be good, I promise!"

"Is this related to the secret meeting earlier?"

Star Bright couldn't quite meet Greg's gaze. "Actually, um, there- there was no meeting. I got a letter."

"Letter from whom?"

"Please... I'll explain everything, just go fetch those ponies?"

Shaking his head a little to himself, Greg did as he was told. Bright stepped away, thanking him profusely, then hurried back to wherever he'd stashed the mare for the few minutes it took him to bring his request to Greg. The good thing was that now Star Bright owed him a few favors. Greg didn't know yet what he'd do with them, but he had them. Maybe the unicorn could proof-read some of his papers, or do some of that tedious searching for precedents through ancient scrolls. He shrugged a little to himself, hardly even noticing the two guard ponies who had been standing beside his office and smoothly fell in step with him.

Greg immediately recognized the two ponies. They looked quite lost, even while explaining the purpose of their visit to the gate guard.

"Afternoon?" Greg greeted.

The pair almost jumped when they saw him, clearly unused to seeing humans. Arrivals from some quiet, out of the way place, Greg assumed. The stallion managed a faint smile. "Um, hi... we're looking for, um, Star Bright. He told us to come here."

As Greg closed the distance between them he felt as if they were vaguely familiar. The mare was pink, somewhat darker than Blossom, with a deep red mane and the stallion was very light gray with a blonde mane.

"Name's Gregory. I'll take you to Star Bright. Mind telling me why you need him for?"

The pair looked at one another and frowned slightly at the question. Greg couldn't help noticing the lines around their eyes and muzzles. They were in their forties, as best he could determine, but they both seemed to have had a life of hardship and sadness, which was quite unusual in Equestria.

Finally the mare spoke up: "A-Actually we don't quite know ourselves, Mr. Gregory..."

"Just Greg will do."

"Mr. Bright just told us to come here. His letter had a seal from the Princess."

The mystery deepened and now Greg was burning with questions. Just what kind of espionage or intrigue was his unicorn friend playing with?! Not to mention that Celestia was probably involved. Either her or Luna. Greg was planning to have some words with his mare. Something told him that this had to do with him, especially if Star Bright was a part of the conspiracy. Celestia should have told him.

"Well, follow me, then."

He took a step and it seemed to wake up the two ponies. The stallion gave a small gasp and hurried to catch up. "Oh! Where are my manners! I'm Stepper and this is my wife, Morning Lily."

"Nice to meet you."

They walked in silence, Greg lost in thought about what this great mystery could be and why Star Bright was involved, and his two guests were probably a little intimidated by his being human or the Canterlot castle, or both. At long last they came back to his office, where Greg remembered that Star Bright hadn't told him where to bring the guests.

"This way. Maybe he's in the lounge."

They gave a nod and followed through another set of doors. The guess was good and both Star Bright and Blossom were sitting on the couch.

The unicorn kept glancing around and his eyes widened when he saw the newcomers. "Y-You're here!" he said.

Blossom followed his gaze and inspected the new ponies with a casual interest.

Still wondering what this was all about, Greg stepped into the room and introduced them: "Anyway, these are Morning Lily and Stepper. Now mind telling me-"

He noticed that the couple had stopped in the doorway and were simply staring at Blossom. The stallion's muzzle hung open and the mare was blinking in shock.

It took her a few tries to get voice working. "L-L-Lilly?" she whined, taking a half-step forward.

When he saw her expression, Bright scooched away from Blossom and watched the old mare carefully, unsure what she would do.

"What?" Greg asked, totally dumbfounded.

Another step forward and the mare said again, her voice breaking: "Lilly Blossom?"

This caused the younger mare's breath to catch and her ears instantly flattened. She seemed to sway a little in shock, then opened her mouth. "M-Mom?"

There was a pink blur beside Greg and an instant later the old mare was on the couch, holding on to Blossom as if she would never let her go. Already she was bawling her eyes out even as she peppered the younger mare with little kisses.

"I'm so sorry sweetie! We've looked all over, b-but- I'm sorry! My sweet, beautiful filly..." Her words devolved into wordless sobs again.

Greg glanced back at the stallion, who seemed to be a little slower at getting over his surprise. Seeing his wife embracing Blossom woke him up, though, and he hurried forward to grab both of them in his hooves.

Greg caught his gaze. Stepper wasn't crying, but his eyes were filled with tears threatening to spill over.

"Mom-" Blossom said, but it was choked off. "Mom... I- I remember you! And D-Dad!"

This was the last drop and the stallion began weeping softly as well. Even Greg felt his throat constrict and his eyes get a little bit moist. Star Bright rubbed a fetlock against his muzzle and then gave the man a faint smile.

"How did you-" Greg began, but instead of finishing the question just spread his arms.

"The Princess," Bright explained. "She told me what to look for in the old records and I- I found them. They live in Las Pegasus now, but they were originally from Baltimare. Missing daughter, their names, colors. It all matched up, so I wrote and asked them to come here."

"Well, you should've told me."

Star Bright just grinned and shrugged, before turning back to the happy reunion. Blossom and her parents still weren't able to speak, so they just resorted to holding on to each other and nuzzling.

"I'll go make us all a coffee," Greg proposed.

He needed to get out of the room before his eyes started to leak as well. Finding Blossom's actual parents was a stroke of incredible luck. It was what those sappy dramas were made of and it hit right in the feelings. As he gratefully ducked into the small employee kitchen he heard Morning Lily murmuring something to Blossom. It sounded heartfelt.

The cups for the guest ponies were cooling, unheeded, on the coffee table while Greg and Bright nursed their own beverages. The stallion had left the couch to allow the family reunion more comfort and was sitting on his haunches on the rug, next to Greg's stool. It wasn't the most comfortable seat, but the view was worth it.

Blossom had simply pushed her face in her mother's chestfluff and was gripping one of her forelegs tightly against her own belly. Every now and then she sniffled. Morning Lilly, on the other hand, kept patting her daughter as if reassuring herself she was there. Whenever Blossom made any kind of noise, Morning Lilly gave her ears a nuzzle. It looked as if it would go on for hours yet. The father, still completely overwhelmed, at least acknowledged the other people in the room, even if his hoof never budged from where it was lightly draped across Blossom's back. He cleared his throat.

"I- uh, I really don't know how to thank you for this. I- We've-" his voice broke and he coughed again to clear the constriction in his throat. "We've given up hope."

"Actually it was Princess Celestia and Gregory here who found Blossom out in the country. Then the Princess told me to look for families who've returned from Griffinstone in the past ten years or so."

The stallion gave Greg a grateful nod, but his ears folded down at the memory. "We didn't want to come back. We thought our- little Lilly was still there, but the griffins just... deported us."

"Why would they deport you without your daughter?" Stepper closed his eyes and hung his head. He didn't seem able to speak, so Greg raised up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Don't worry about that now. My curiosity can wait." Greg thought of something else and smiled. "So it's Lilly Blossom, then? Not just Blossom. Seems she didn't even remember her whole name."

The father shook his head and patted his daughter. "No wonder. She was taken from us when she was so little..."

The words made Morning Lilly shudder and let out a breath. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears again when she spoke up: "We never should have let them take you, my heart. W-We tried to stop them, b-but we couldn't. We should have tried harder! I'm sorry!"

At long last Blossom moved and pulled herself away from her mother's chest. She blinked the tears away as she tried to see Morning Lilly. "It's okay, Mom," the young mare said. "I'm safe now. I forgive you."

It was a very mature thing to do and it brought a tear of pride to Greg's eyes. He had to look at the painting on the wall above the couch to bring his emotions under control once more.

Morning Lilly caught his gaze and smiled, even through her tears. "I really don't know how we can thank you, o-or the Princess. Anything-"

She sighed and her ears lowered. "Anything at all, but it's not enough. You gave me..."

The words were enough to make her sniffle again, but luckily Stepper knew what his wife was about to say and finished her sentence in a husky voice: "You gave us our filly back, Greg."

The man just shook his head and put a hand on Star Bright's head. "Really, it was pure luck we found her out in the wilderness. It was actually Bright here who spent a lot of time with Blossom and helped her with... well, with civilization."

Both parents stared at the unicorn, who began to squirm and stutter: "It- um, it was nothing, r-really. I l-like Blossom and it was a p-pleasure!"

The silence was broken when Blossom said happily: "He's my coltfriend!"

This was so unexpected that both her parents began chuckling, followed shortly by Star Bright, even if the unicorn's laugh was a little uncertain. "Anyway," Star Bright said, eager to change the subject. "The Princess has set aside rooms for you. Well, actually, it's Princess Cadence's suite, but she said you can have it as long as you stay here."

Suddenly Greg realized this would mean that Blossom would soon be going away. Of course it was a good thing that she was going back to her family, to the ponies who loved her, but...

He'd miss her.

The young mare had incredible vitality and joy, despite her tragic past. He'd miss her smile. It was probably even worse for Star Bright. Greg wondered if he'd continue 'dating' Blossom. Despite that, this was still the right thing to do. Greg was proud of his young friend for seeing it through. Had he been selfish for Blossom's attention, he might have simply said he hadn't found anything about her parents in the records. Still, this was Equestria. Love tended to find a way. He was a living proof of that, after all. Doubtless Star Bright and Blossom would be okay.

Morning Lily and Stepper were now talking with Blossom, but it was too low for Greg to overhear. It looked like a private discussion, so that was just as well. He stood up. "Come on, Bright. Let's give them a few minutes. Maybe we could walk down to the muffin store and get a snack for everyone?"

He'd been watching Blossom closely and her ear flicked at the mention of muffins, but the young mare kept her attention firmly on her mother. She smiled and nodded at whatever Morning Lily was saying.

"That's- actually a nice idea," Star Bright commented and stood.

Greg paused in the doorway just long enough to whisper to a guard. "Make sure they're okay. If they want some privacy, you can take them to Blossom's room."

Glory Tail nodded and saluted. Greg couldn't help noticing just how shiny the pegasus' eyes were. It seems himself and Bright weren't the only people caught up by the emotional scene.

Maybe sometimes there were happy endings...