Back on Duty

Some hours later Gregory and Star Bright were having a quick snack before dinner on the small table in Cadence's suite, while Blossom was still being fussed over by her parents. The fussing has been going on for hours already and it didn't seem likely to stop. Not that the young mare was complaining, though. On the contrary, Blossom seemed to be positively basking in all the attention and the nuzzling and licking. At some points Bright seemed nearly jealous with the way he stared. Eventually the father, Stepper, extricated himself and joined the other two by the table. Greg pushed a plate of lettuce and tomato sandwiches towards the stallion, who, after a moment's thought, took one and swallowed it whole.

"Thanks, I needed that. We, um, the missus and me didn't stop for lunch when we came to Canterlot. The letter said it was important..."

"Don't worry, dinner will be soon and I'm sure the Princess will insist you dine with us."

Nodding his thanks, the pony grinned. "I guess it's everypony's dream to have dinner with the Princess, but even that seems... um, lackluster." He realized suddenly with whom he was speaking and Stepper's ears lowered. "Um, no offense, of course."

Greg just chuckled and patted the stallion on the back by way of reassurance. "Don't worry about it. Getting Blossom back trumps everything else today, I think."

The mention of the name made Stepper look back at the couch and the nervous grin was replaced with a happy one. "Yeah. I still almost can't believe it, even though I can see and smell and touch her." There was a moment of silence and then Stepper opened his mouth.

By his expression it wasn't hard to guess what he would say for the umpteenth time, so Greg raised his hand to forestall him: "It's fine, it's fine," he hurried to reassure the father. "Blossom has been a pleasure to have around. Truthfully, I'll be a bit sad when you take her away."

This gave Stepper pause and his eyes darted to Star Bright, no doubt wondering just what was the unicorn's relationship with his daughter. The gaze made Bright blush and look away.

It still wasn't the right time for this particular discussion, so Greg picked the first other topic which came to mind, even if it wasn't the greatest choice. "So, Mr. Stepper. I'm curious about your story and how- uh..."

The stallion understood and his ears flattened, but he took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. "How we became separated?" he finished Greg's question.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Greg couldn't help noticing that Morning Lily was looking over with an unreadable expression. Perhaps she gave her husband some kind of signal, like an imperceptible nod, because the stallion let his breath out and said: "I guess it has to come out sooner or later... Not like it's a big secret or anything." It took Stepper almost a minute to prepare himself and neither Greg nor Bright dared interrupt. At length the stallion began to speak. "I guess it was some twenty years ago now," he explained, "when me and the missus decided to move to Griffinstone. We were young and foalish and so on. You know."

Greg nodded, recognizing that faint trace of wistfulness and wanderlust common to many young people on Earth as well.

Stepper flashed him a faint smile before going on. "Well, the relations had just gotten better, y'see. It looked like Griffinstone and Equestria would become friends and Lily and me wanted to be a part of it. We were living in Baltimare at that time so it wasn't all that far." Suddenly Stepper looked at Blossom, still clasped in her mother's hooves, and smiled hugely. "That little blessing came very shortly after. We couldn't be happier and even our griffin neighbors said she was the most precious thing ever."

Even Morning Lily was smiling at that part of the story. She gave her husband a nod to encourage him and shifted the young mare a little higher so that Blossom would also hear the story.

"I can imagine," Greg commented. "Even with everything that's happened, she's full of joy."

Star Bright nodded enthusiastically but didn't say anything, riveted on the story of his - hopefully still after that day - fillyfriend.

"Well, we got a grant from Canterlot and the griffins were kind enough to sell us a farm. Not a particularly good one, mind, but it was some land and that's all we earth ponies need, really. I guess I thought everything would turn out alright." A darker bit of the story was coming, as evidenced by Stepper's ears which were rapidly wilting, and a slight twist to his mouth. "Well, I guess the relations soured, or something, because suddenly there was a landlord. We were working for somepony other than ourselves..."

That didn't sound legal and Greg opened his mouth to say so, but Stepper guessed his intention and forestalled him: "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're about to say, but it was kinda hard to argue when a bunch of armed griffins showed up at our farm and threatened my family. We weren't allowed to leave and they handled all our mail, of course. There was no calling for help."

At this point Morning Lily jumped in and added: "We were hoping somepony back home would notice and send help, but... neither Stepper nor myself really had any family left in Equestria. I guess that was part of the reason why it wasn't so hard to just up and leave."

"Makes sense."

The stallion swallowed and glanced over at the two mares, who were clinging to each other in apprehension. Lily put her muzzle to Blossom's ear and murmured something, which helped relax her daughter.

Swallowing, the stallion continued, but his voice was less certain and slightly shaky. "Well, it went on for years and- well, they never did anything bad to us, there was just the threat. And the 'rent', as they called it, wasn't too bad. I... guess we kinda gave up trying to escape, especially with a young filly."

Stepper seemed ashamed of that fact and Greg reached over to lay a hand on his withers. "Perfectly reasonable," he assured him. "Of course you wouldn't risk Blossom."

That earned him a grateful smile, even if it was short-lived. "Thanks. Anyway, I dunno what changed suddenly, but the griffins wanted us out. I think somepony told me that peace was declared and the fighting was over. I hadn't even known there was a war."

Morning Lily let out a breath she had been holding and clasped her daughter more closely. By her flattened ears and darting glances, Greg figured the crux of the story was approaching. He nudged the cup of apple juice closer to Stepper to give the stallion a breather.

He drank it greedily, then lowered his gaze to the table. "T-The... landlord-" the pony began, shuddering a little at the memory. "Nasty bird. I wanted to pound him into the pavement so many times, but there were always guards." Another breath and a glance at Blossom as the father steeled himself to continue. "He- he took Blossom. S-Said we owed him some 'rent'." The words came out in a kind of a growl and the table creaked a little as Stepper gripped it with his powerful forelegs. "I tried to fight them... b-but it wasn't enough."

Morning Lily clicked her tongue in what could almost be an annoyance, were it not for the love in her eyes. "Honey," she said, with the air of someone who'd explained this over and over. "They knocked you down and stuck a spear in you! There were too many and they had weapons!"

Stepper lowered his ears, but didn't look at his wife. He drew another slow breath and simply went on. "Well, once I came to, we were... free, I guess you could call it. In the wooded mountains East of Griffinstone. Blossom was gone."

He looked like he was about to weep again, but the young mare struggled free from her mother's grasp and trotted over to poke her muzzle against her father's side in an urgent nuzzle. "I'm here now, Dad. It's okay."

The stallion put one foreleg around his daughter and it didn't look like he would say anything more.

Greg still had some questions, but the story was quite an ordeal on the ponies so he kept his mouth shut. Luckily, Morning Lily provided at least some kind of a conclusion: "We searched forever," she said quietly, looking at Blossom. "They turned us away from any settlements and we couldn't swim the Celestia sea. For a while we lived on the beach, hoping some ship or boat would come by..." The mare shook her head. "I guess despite the peace, there was little trade. Not that we would have gone. Not without our little Blossom!"

"How were you rescued?"

"Princess Luna," Stepper said. "When she was finally back, we saw her in our nightmares one night. She figured out where we were and sent somepony to get us."

"She didn't help you look for Blossom?"

Morning Lily nodded urgently. "The Princess did everything she could! B-But she said she couldn't find B-Blossom's dreams..."

At this point, the young mare added: "I g-guess I never really dreamed in the m-mine."

Gregory opened his mouth for another question, but seeing the three stricken muzzles - four, if he counted Star Bright - he changed his mind. He reached over to pat Blossom's mane and tickle her ear. Their spirits needed picking up and there was only one thing he could think to say.

"Well, you're all okay now and I think Princess Celestia has a cake in the works for all three of you."

This immediately brought a smile to Blossom's muzzle and, seeing her joy, Morning Lily and Stepper weren't far behind. The shadow of the past receded, though that faint, haunted sadness remained in the older ponies' faces. It might take some time for that to go away completely, if it ever would, Greg guessed.

He stood up to lead them to the private dining room, but the old mare had one more thing to say to Blossom. "Sweetie?" she called, walking from the sofa to put her hooves around the young mare and her father both. "W-We thought you were dead. Um, we c-convinced ourselves. It was too hard to think of you w-with... them. I'm sorry..."

Her eyes were already filling up with tears, and Blossom quickly gave her mother a nuzzle. "It's okay, Mom. I'm just glad you're here now..."

"You three go ahead, I'd like to speak with Star Bright for a minute," Stepper said.

The two mares looked at him, then at the young unicorn, before shrugging and walking off. They were so alike in their expression at that moment that Greg was thoroughly convinced they really were mother and daughter. He saw from the corner of his eye that one of the two guards peeled away to escort them, while the other stayed behind to keep an eye on the rest.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to hear this as well."

He didn't say it out loud, but he was worried Stepper might be a tad overprotective after having found his daughter again and he didn't want Star Bright to get hurt or something.

The unicorn looked more than a little bit worried of that possibility, judging by his flat ears and wide eyes. He had apparently forgotten that his magic could easily subdue the older stallion if he became a danger.

Greg sat back down and looked expectantly at Stepper, who addressed the younger stallion: "So... You took care of my little Lily, I hear?"

Bright swallowed, but nodded anyway. "Y-Yes, sir."

The silence stretched as Stepper was apparently waiting for something and the olt was entirely oblivious what that might be and expecting nothing less than swift judgement.

At last Stepper rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Well?"

"Um... well, what?"

Greg spotted a slight quirk to Stepper's mouth and relaxed. The old pony was just teasing the younger one. There probably wouldn't be an altercation.

"Colt, in my day it was customary to ask the young mare's father before courting her."

This statement nearly made Bright swallow his tongue and he paled from his customary gray to nearly white. "W-What? I wasn't- I didn't mean to- I'd never... w-with your daughter, s-sir!"

Stepper waved it all away and smiled openly. "Young colt, I've seen the way you look at Lily Blossom. I ought to- it's the same way I used to look at her mother. Still do, in fact."

Of course the unicorn didn't have a counter and didn't know what to say, but some of his color came back in the form of a deep, pink blush.

"While she is a tiny bit young," Stepper went on, "I think the things she's seen make up for it. Colt, all I need you to promise me is that you won't break her heart, deal?"

Finally Star Bright's tongue seemed to untie and he nodded so hard he nearly dislocated his neck. "I s-swear! Promise! I wouldn't... I l-lo- I really like Blossom!"

"Good enough. Just so long as we understand each other," Stepper conclude and stood up. "Might be hard when we take her home to Las Pegasus, but I don't doubt you'll find a way. Young love usually does."

Greg didn't comment on how this fact was not universally true. On Earth, young love often didn't find a way, resulting in some heartbreak on both sides. Perhaps it was different in Equestria, though.

"Well, good that's all settled. Now let's go meet the Princess and have some lunch."

Star Bright swayed a little on his hooves from the upheaval he'd just gone through, but at the same time it looked as if a heavy load had been lifted from the colt. He hung back while Stepper left the room and whispered to Greg: "I already thought about it. There's a university in Las Pegasus, I'll ask for a transfer. They also have an observatory. I mean, it's not like the one here. It's not even as good as the one in Baltimare, but hey- that just means they need me more!"

Greg frowned a little at the implication. His friend would follow his girlfriend across Equestria, which would mean he'd rarely get to see him in the future, but the unicorn's happiness was worth it.

"You'd do that for Blossom?" he asked.

"Mhm!" Bright nodded. "Greg, I really like that mare. I'd go anywhere!"

In lieu of a response, Greg just reached down and tousled the young unicorn's mane, before taking the lead and catching up to Stepper, who didn't know which way to go.