Back on Duty

"You're sure you'll be alright?" Gregory asked once again, just to confirm.

Celestia, sitting on her haunches on the gravel, lifted up her foreleg to lay a hoof gently on his forearm. "Go," she said with a smile.

They were waiting at the landing area for airborne carriages when Star Bright had come to find him. He was meeting up with Lily Blossom, Aura, and Snow Cover for a friendly lunch in the city and had asked if Gregory would like to join them. It sounded like a good chance to catch up, not to mention see how the guard and the pegasus were doing. The thought gave Greg a slight pause when he recognized it. Had he really changed this much in the years he'd spent in Canterlot? Before meeting Celestia, something like a lunch with friends would have seemed... frivolous. Now it seemed downright pleasant. While he didn't know Snow Cover all that well, he considered Aura and her father, Storm Pop, good friends and wanted to make sure the mare was being treated right.

Star Bright was also a good friend and Blossom, despite not having known her that long, would always have a special place in his heart, Greg suspected. He refocused his eyes on Celestia and smiled in thanks, but before he could say anything he caught sight of an approaching carriage.

Rather, carriages. Two of them, pulled by Celestia's gold-armored guards and accompanied by Luna's darker Night Watch. He could see several humans on board, most of them white-faced. It gave Greg the tiniest tingle of satisfaction to know he wasn't the only one who didn't like flying in these pegasi-pulled things.

"Looks like they're here. I'll greet them with you."

Celestia shook her head and pushed at him with her hoof. "Go," she repeated. "I have this. Eli is keeping Callahan busy so at least I have a few hours..."

She didn't say it out loud, but Gregory understood. Celestia wanted to make sure the prisoners' impression of Equestria wouldn't be forever tainted by what they'd experienced. It had taken some arguing, but she'd gotten Callahan to agree that they at least deserved a good meal before being shipped to Earth. Eventually he even permitted her to feed the criminals, although they would enjoy their meal from the comfort of the Castle prison cells instead.

"If you're sure. Okay, Bright, let's go."

The young unicorn took another glance at the carriages, then turned and led Gregory back into the Castle. As soon as they were out of eyesight form the door, the stallion slowed so they could walk side by side. "Um, so we don't have a reservation, but I don't think we need one. I asked Mrs. Nutmeg and she said they aren't too full, usually.

"Where are you taking us?"

Bright smiled in eager anticipation. "It's that griffin place on Restaurant Row. I think it opened last year, right after Summer Solstice."

It didn't ring a bell, so Greg just shrugged. Wherever they went, the food would be good. It generally was. "Sounds good."

"It's called 'Hoof and Claw'," Star Bright kept on explaining. "They employ both pony and griffin cooks. Um... I hear you can order, uh, m-meat."

This sounded more interesting, but Greg still shrugged. He'd gotten quite used to a mostly vegetarian diet with an occasional fish for variety. He'd had steak on some occasions, when Celestia organized a picnic with important human dignitaries, but she always complained about the smell from his mouth and made him brush his teeth multiple times before kissing him.

"Cool, but I'm in the mood for something different. We'll see when we get there."

Star Bright relaxed a little. "Yeah. Sure. This way."

He led them to the guest rooms and stopped outside the closed door to Cadence's suite. His knock was so tentative that Greg thought no one heard it.

To his surprise, there came a high-pitched "Coming!" from inside, followed by hurrying hoofsteps. The door flew open and Blossom grinned nervously at her coltfriend. For some reason Greg had been expecting her to dress up. It was a date, after all. Instead, the young mare looked just like she always did, her pink coat maybe just a shade darker because of a slight blush.

"Ready?" Star Bright asked, gaze firmly locked on Blossom. He appeared to be drinking her in with his eyes.

She glanced over at Greg and her smile widened. "Greg!" she exclaimed and threw her hooves around the tall man's legs.

"Yeah, he'll come with us, um, if- if that's okay," Star Bright explained.

Blossom just nodded, dropped down to all four hooves, and brushed past the two males, taking extra care to rub her muzzle along the stallion's side. Greg couldn't help but chuckle at the stunned, disbelieving look on his face.

"Where are we meeting the other two?" he asked to bring Bright out of his reverie.

The unicorn gave a start, then turned and hurried after Blossom. "Oh! Yeah, they'll meet us at the restaurant. Follow me!"

The evening got off on a slightly awkward note, especially between Snow Cover and Gregory. For a while it seemed the two would have absolutely nothing in common, now that the guard was off duty. Luckily Aura had noticed their predicament and reached her wing around the colt to tickle his other side. His head whipped around and the rest of the table tittered in amusement. Once he understood how he had been fooled, Snow Cover stared at Aura and gave her a slightly hurt look. She shrugged it off and gave the mistreated colt a peck on his cheek.

"Have I ever told you I wouldn't have these without Gregory?" she asked and wiggled the tips of her wings at his face.

"Oh?" Snow Cover exclaimed and stared at the man. "How so?"

Her ears turned down and the young mare sighed as she stared at the table top. "I got hurt. Bad. Freak downburst. Shattered nearly all bones in my wings."

Snow Cover's expression wilted and he reached out a hoof to lay on Aura's foreleg. "Ow. Yikes," he said lamely, not knowing how to even respond to something like that. His face scrunched up and he grunted in surprise. "How come you haven't told me any of that before?"

It was Aura's turn to look downcast, but she took Snow Cover's hoof between both of hers and held it up to her face so she could nuzzle it. "I should have, but there's never been a good moment. It's not something I enjoy remembering, you know?"

Almost immediately Snow's face softened and he pulled the mare closer, thanks to her firm grip on his hoof. Once she was in range he touched his nose to hers. "It's okay. I understand if you don't wanna talk about it now."

Aura shook her head. "I'll tell you. I can't not after dropping something like that."

Greg cast a glance at the other two. Star Bright had heard the story from him already, though he seemed uneasy hearing it first-hoof, but Blossom looked absolutely devastated. Her hooves were up over her mouth and her eyes were already brimming with tears. "How dreadful!" she whispered.

"Yeah," Aura said, fiddling with the tablecloth. She gave Snow Cover a long look. "Doctors said I'd never fly again. That I'd be lucky if didn't lose my wings altogether."

Her coltfriend couldn't stand it anymore and lunged at the mare to hug her as tightly as he dared. He was taking special care with her wings now.

Aura nuzzled into him for a moment, the pulled away and smiled. "Anyway, Greg here got uncle Pop an interview with the human ambassador while I was still in the hospital and they transferred me to Earth." She chuckled suddenly. "I was so high from the painkiller spell I don't even remember the journey there. I must have gone through the portal, but I swear the first time I saw it was on the way back."

"You said you didn't like Earth when you came back," Greg pointed out.

"Not Earth as a whole. Just the hospital there." Her entire body shuddered. "Ugh, I did not like that place. They stuck my wings full of metal pins. I had like five or six surgeries! I was either in pain or drugged out of my mind." She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Snow Cover, meaning that next bit just for him. Unfortunately she spoke in a slightly too loud of a whisper: "A nurse had to help me use the bathroom. You do not want to know about that mess." The next bit was more cheerful and Aura brightened up. "Anyway," she said in a normal tone, "even once they got all the pins and stitches out I wasn't sure my wings worked at all. They were just numb."

Everyone at the table winced at that, but Aura began to smile. "It worked, though. Not only were they able to save my wings, but I could fly again after some rehab. So I forgive them," she conclude magnanimously.

"Wow..." It was all Snow Cover was able to say.

The mare gently pushed him away and extended one wing as far as she could in their booth.
She ran a hoof along the limb, then grabbed her coltfriend's foreleg and held it against the leading edge. "Feel that? How it's thicker than you'd expect?"

Unfortunately Snow Cover was too engrossed by the fact that she was making him feel up her wings, something normally reserved for intimacy among pegasi. Luckily the lighting was dim and their booth was in a corner, so no peering eyes saw.

Noting that, the guard relaxed and really concentrated. "Yeah. Wow, I never noticed before."

His admission made Aura smile. She didn't want special treatment because of her injury and this was exactly what she liked to hear. "Well, you must have noticed I take extra time unfolding and folding them, right?"

Snow Cover lowered his gaze and his ears splayed out in slight embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, I did. I kinda wondered, but I thought it'd be rude to ask."

At this the mare lifted up an eyebrow and gave the guard one of her finest, sarcastic looks. Gregory was proud that she'd learned from him so well. "Really?" she asked in a flat voice. "You propose to a filly but you don't think it appropriate to ask her about her body?"

This really turned Snow Cover's blush knob up to eleven and for a while his pristine white coat nearly matched Blossom's pink. He didn't know where to put his face until Aura reached over with a hoof, turned his muzzle to face her, and planted a very passionate kiss right on his lips. It made the rest of the table shuffle their feet and look around uncomfortably.

"They still hurt sometimes, but it's not so bad. My wings aren't as flexible as they used to be, but they work just fine, so I'm grateful."

Snow Cover nodded, lightly stunned by the unexpected kiss. "Yeah, m-me too."

After the mare turned back to the table, the guard gave Gregory an appraising look and a nod, one which didn't escape Blossom's eye. "Yeah, Greg'ry is the best!" she picked up from there, earning a round of chuckles. "But I wouldn't trade him for Starry!" she concluded. Now it was Star Bright's turn to color.

Following Aura's example, the young mare leaned over the table and lowered her voice to what she felt was a conspiratorial murmur. "Did you know Starry taught me how to do everything? I didn't know about, uh, shampoo and stuff. Or, or, plates and knives and forks and all that!" She tried to pick up a spoon, but the delicate maneuver was causing her a few problems until she managed to tuck it in her wrist. "See?" she said triumphantly and put it down.

Gregory knew for a fact that the young mare preferred to eat with her muzzle in the bowl, but he didn't point that out. Star Bright was a unicorn and they liked their table manners almost to a fault. The topic brought to mind Blossom's captivity and the conditions she had been forced to endure, which caused a symphony of drooping ears and wandering gazes around the table. No one wanted to bring it up, though.

Greg broke the silence by reaching over to ruffle her mane. "You're doing a good job, Blossom."

She beamed at him, then remembered something else and looked at Aura and Snow Cover. She didn't know the guard very well, but Aura was one of her first real friends and it seemed that was enough for Blossom to take them both into her confidence. "Oh, oh," she almost bounced on her seat. "Mom and Dad said I can go to school here in Canterlot, um, so I'll be able to see Starry every day! He's my coltfriend, you know?!"

Everyone laughed at her exuberance, except for the unicorn who sounded as if he had something stuck in his throat. When he finally managed to speak, he just croaked out: "I would have moved to Las Pegasus to be with you, Lily."

Aura shared a look with Snow Cover. "Wait, Lily? Your name is Lily?" she asked the younger mare.

Blossom shrugged a little. "I guess. I kinda forgot, but Mom and Dad reminded me."

The guard grinned back and gave the mare an appraising look. "It suits you. Nice to meet you, Lily Blossom."

He made a show of formally reaching across the table with a hoof, which Blossom took, and they shook before sitting back and bursting out laughing.

The young mare turned to her unicorn coltfriend. "Anyway, I know how your stars are important to you and I didn't want you to have to move to Las Pegasus. I know their- um... what was it again?"

She gave him a hopeless look with a pleading smile and Star Bright was only too happy to help her out: "Observatory?"

"Yeah, that! I know the one in Las Pegasus isn't as good. Greg told me. So I wanted to do something nice and move here, so you could keep using the one here."

The act of kindness was making Star Bright's eyes water heavily and he gathered up the young mare in a hug. "You're just the best, Lily," he whispered to her, but it was loud enough so they all could hear.

Aura was suddenly embracing Snow Cover as well as she watched the touching moment. "Awww," she couldn't help saying.

The couples enjoyed their closeness in silence for a bit while Greg sat back and thought about Celestia. He determined to do something nice for her, maybe get her a bouquet of flowers, or a pastry. If not that, perhaps he could go ask around that sweets shop if there was a way to combine the two. Since ponies ate flowers they must have thought about it before, right?

Their meal arrived, or at least the first course. It was mushroom soup, beautifully presented with a sprig of parsley and a smattering of sour cream. For a short while there was just the sound of slurping and tinkling cutlery as the four sated the hunger which had gone unnoticed during their discussion.

Once they were all done, Aura looked around the table, then caught Snow Cover's eye. She was giving him a questioning look which obviously held some significance to the guard. He frowned for a moment, but then gave her a nod.

Gregory happened to catch the exchange and wondered what was going on between the two. "So, big news time?" Aura proclaimed, gathering everyone's attention on her. She reached out her hoof and Snow Cover grasped it with his wrist for some silent support. "You're probably wondering why we're getting married this soon..."

Greg had been, but not particularly. Equestria was a lot friendlier place and the ponies were more open about their feelings. Love at first sight was commonplace. "A little," he admitted in the end.

Star Bright gave nod to show agreement and Blossom looked blank.

"Well," Aura went on and took a deep breath to prepare herself. Her free hoof went to her belly and she gave the group a nervous grin. "It's, uh, 'cause we're- we're expecting."

The unicorn gave a slight gasp and Greg blinked in surprise. Both ponies wilted a little under the combined stares and they both had a blush on their muzzles, but Aura was smiling happily. She cleared her throat and went on: "It just kinda- happened. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention, um, to- to the date." She realized how that might sound and hurriedly tried to explain. "B-But, we're happy even if it wasn't exactly, y'know, planned." The mare looked at her coltfriend and her smile grew. "I knew I loved Snow almost from the start. And I've always wanted foals, so this... kinda worked out."

She leaned forward and so did Snow Cover, so they could share a quick nuzzle.

In the ensuing silence Blossom asked in a loud whisper: "What does that mean?"

Star Bright coughed and spluttered, but luckily Aura had things in hoof. She caught Blossom's eye. "It means I'm going to have a foal in... about ten months, sweetie."

The sudden realization made Blossom's eyes go wide and she took a long gasp. "Really?! That's so cool!"

"Congratulations, you two," Gregory said.

"Yeah, congratulations," Star Bright added.

Blossom had already slipped out of her seat and hurried around the table, bumping it in her rush to get to Aura. She practically jumped in the older mare's forelegs and the two nuzzled.

"I'm so happy for you!" Blossom squeaked. "Someday I'll have a foal too and then they can be best friends!"

The proclamation just made Star Bright's coughing fit worse, which made Snow Cover laugh openly. Aura took it all in stride.

"Sure you will," the pegasus said with a smile. "Just make sure both you and your coltfriend are okay with the idea. Oh, and maybe give it some time, right? At least finish school first."

Blossom nodded to all that in a silent promise, before rushing back to grab the startled unicorn in her hug. "You hear that, Starry? Someday we'll have a foal, okay?"

To his credit, the colt rallied magnificently and returned Blossom's nuzzle. "Yeah. Some day, when we're both ready."

He got a crushing hug and tiny kisses peppered all over his face as a reward while the rest of them watched in bemusement.

The waiter came to pick up the dishes and bring their main course, paying no attention to the couple which was practically making out on the bench. Hopefully the food would distract Blossom from trying to make a foal right there in the restaurant.

Greg turned to his own dish. He'd gotten an eggplant casserole on Aura's recommendation and it looked like the mare hadn't led him astray. Before digging in, however, he lifted up his glass of wine and made a toast: "To the happy couple and their new family."

After a bit of an explanation from Star Bright, Blossom also had her glass and they clinked them all together. In the young mare's case it was grape juice instead of wine, but the gesture still counted.

Greg smiled a little to himself. Celestia would find this bit of gossip as juicy as the best of cakes. He was looking forward to her excitement. There was just one thing he had to do before that. "Uh, Aura? Is it okay if I mention this to the Princess?"

She glanced at Snow Cover, who turned a nice shade of pink once more, but then gave her a hesitant nod. The pegasus smiled and her hoof went to rest on her belly again. "Sure. It's gonna be public pretty soon anyway. Wedding's next month and we're gonna announce soon after. Of course you're all invited. We'd be honored if the Princess attended!"

Greg just raised his glass again by way of a reply and then focused on his food for the immediate future.

Gregory was returning to the palace rather later than he'd expected, with Star Bright and Lily Blossom in tow. After the lunch Aura had insisted they went to her place to celebrate with a cake and no one had the heart to say no to Blossom. In truth, they did have things to celebrate and Greg was sure to have Aura wrap up a large piece to appease Celestia when he came back late. She'd probably been kept busy by the arrivals from the second portal and didn't even notice him gone. It wasn't as if he was especially qualified to deal with traumatized ponies and humans anyway.

"What in the..." Bright muttered, prompting Gregory to look over at what the stallion had seen. His own mouth fell open at the sight.

A group of guards were escorting one of the nobleponies to the castle. That in itself was only slightly unusual, but the unicorn's formal dress was torn in several places, her mane was messed up and there was a large bruise blackening her eye. The first conclusion Greg jumped to was that the mare had been attacked and the guards were there to protect her, but that didn't feel quite right. The noblepony was glaring pure murder at her escort and as Greg watched, one of them smacked her on the rump with a spear to keep her moving.

"Huh?"

"The ring, Greg! She's got a ring on her horn!" Star Bright pointed out.

Greg saw it was true. It was a small, silver band, not entirely fitting the rest of the unicorn's wardrobe, but a piece of jewelry on the well-to-do didn't seem that out of place.

He was about to point that it was a small detail in contrast to the other anomalies, but Star Bright went on: "It's a magic suppression ring, Greg! I t-think she's a prisoner!"

"What? Isn't she the richest mare in Canterlot or something?"

His unicorn friend swallowed and nodded. "Y-Yeah," he confirmed. "That's Duchess Opulence herself! She looks like she's been in a fight."

Something extremely unusual was going on and Greg saw that other ponies had noticed too. A large gathering seemed to have followed the guards, but they kept their distance. Here and there he could hear murmuring and more than one pony pointed with a hoof.

"I think I better go tell the Princess," Greg decided. "You take Blossom to her room." He held out the package with cake out to the unicorn. "Keep this safe." He barely waited for Star Bright's nod before hurrying after the little procession to the main Castle gate. Before he'd gone three steps Greg turned around as he thought of something else. "You better stay with her. I don't like this."

"Yeah, of course," Star Bright said and nuzzled Lily to get her attention. She allowed him to turn her aside and lead her to one of the side entrances.

That taken care of, Greg broke into a brisk walk until he reached the gate guards. He gave Opulence's procession a wide berth, but the mare noticed and glared distilled hatred at him.

The sheer venom in her stare made Greg stutter a little with his question: "Do- uh, do you know where I can find Princess Celestia?"

Luckily the guards prodded the irate unicorn again and took her down a side passage and out of sight. Greg looked back to the guard at the gate. The navy-blue-coated pegasus in the customary golden armor inclined his head. "Sure thing, Gregory. She should still be in Court for another thirty minutes, although I'd hurry if I were you."

"Why? What do you know about all this?"

The guard - Glory Tail, Greg remembered his name was - glanced at his partner at the gate. He got a nod of approval and beckoned Greg with a hoof to come closer. "The Princess was the one who ordered the arrest of Opulence Chattel. No doubt she'll want to see her immediately."

That made even less sense. "Thanks."

He'd almost forgotten that basic nicety before walking off in the direction of the Grand Hall. After a few steps Greg broke into a run.

"Hold on, wait!" Gregory caught up with Celestia, who slowed down at his shout. Fire Fly was by her side along with one of her clerk ponies, but whatever they'd been discussing was successfully interrupted. "Why did you have Opulence arrested?" Greg demanded.

There was a momentary grimace on Celestia's face at his brash proclamation, but it smoothed over and she seemed to sag a little. "I suppose everypony will know before long. Raven, handle things until I am done."

The clerk pony bowed, nearly making her spectacles fall from her nose, before trotting away and leaving the three alone. Once they were alone, Celestia resumed walking. "Come with me," she said, needlessly.

Greg was about to repeat his question, but the Princess beat him to it. "I had Opulence arrested, Gregory, because I have proof that she is the leader of the trafficking ring."

An incredulous gasp escaped Greg's mouth and he almost stumbled. "The hell? How does that work? What evidence?"

"Captain?" Celestia prompted, directing the guard to field that particular question. He inclined his head and transferred his gaze to Greg.

"Princess Luna's escort brought the human and pony prisoners from the second portal today," he said, mostly to establish a reference rather than to inform, since Gregory already knew. "We interrogated the ponies who'd been working with the human slavers and... well..."

Luckily Celestia finished what Fire Fly could not. "Opulence was in charge here in Equestria. Silvermane was just a pawn, it seems. Well, perhaps 'in charge' is too strong a word."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that the Chattels used to be one of the wealthiest families in Equestria, right?"

"Used to?!"

Celestia's mouth quirked up in a smile. "The recent generations have been somewhat... frivolous with their bits. Opulence inherited a title, a wagon-load of pride and an empty bank vault. Unfortunately she was not ready to give up the lavish lifestyle. She certainly was not ready for anypony to know she was broke."

Gregory could imagine where the story was leading to and skipped ahead. "So they paid her?"

"That was how it began, yes," Celestia replied, looking rather pleased at his deduction. "There is more to it, though. I believe Opulence severely despises all humans. That was a part of it as well. Whatever her mental state, it made it possible for certain... agents to approach her and begin the whole sorry enterprise."

"When was this?"

Celestia paused with a hoof in air and her companions stopped beside her. After a few seconds she began to walk again. "Within the past three years, I believe."

"Then what about Blossom?"

"That is unrelated, I am sorry to say. Aside from the fact that Opulence's group purchased slaves from Griffinstone to help kickstart their operation."

They walked a few steps in silence before Fire Fly raised up his next question: "Princess, you said Opulence hates humans. Why would she work with them?"

Celestia nodded in approval, but didn't answer until they were through the guarded door to the dungeons. There she stopped to face them both while a couple of prison guards saluted the Captain. "The reason, I believe, is two-fold: On the one hoof, this enterprise provided Opulence with much-needed income. I suspect Raven will find the Chattel family indebted with all Canterlot banks. On the second hoof, bringing humans into Equestria and making them work served as an outlet for Opulence's hatred of humans."

"Why does she hate humans?"

This time Celestia shook her head. "I do not have all the answers yet. It is something I hope to find out. It was she who got Twinkleshine to attempt to discredit you, and also she who ordered your foal-napping. The prisoners from the Portal confirmed as much."

Greg didn't know what else to say to all that. He'd been convinced that Silvermane and his family had been behind the whole thing and that the matter had been concluded when they were put in prison. To suddenly learn there was a kingpin, or at least a pony version of one, was quite unsettling. "But we're sure she's the one behind all of this, right? There won't be another pony popping up as the mastermind in a couple of weeks?" Greg asked in a dry tone.

Celestia smiled and shook out her mane, mostly to try her amusement. "I do not think so. Opulence worked directly with the human slavery ring on the other side of that portal. I think that is where the ideas came from. The real leaders are there, and they are Commander Callahan's problem. He and Luna already know of our findings."

It was a chance for a change of topic, so Greg took it. "Luna came back then?"

"Yes, but now is not the time, Gregory," Celestia said and stepped closer so she could brush her muzzle against his cheek. He distinctly heard the rasp and realized he needed a shave. "Go and have dinner, I will join you when I am done with Opulence."

For a moment Greg could have sworn Celestia's eyes narrowed in anger, but she smoothed her expression before he could be sure. The Princess was understandably upset, especially considering the noblemare's position and title. It cast a bad light on Equestria and on the ruling Sisters.

Perhaps if he lightened her mood a little... "Okay, don't do anything drastic. Oh, Aura sent over some cake, some incredible news, and an invitation to her wedding."

This was unexpected enough to make the Princess blink in confusion. She opened her mouth to ask, but shook her head and forced the look of steely determination back on her face. "It sounds as if you have a story to tell me as well. I will hurry, my love." She turned her head to one side in invitation and Greg placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "See you soon."

"And you."