Apparently ponies had no idea how good humans could be at swimming.

I almost felt badly for Rainbolt as she zipped back and forth, calling out for me, sounding increasingly panicked. A part of me wanted to show myself to her, at least to let her know that I was okay, but I knew that she'd simply go back and tell the others where I was- and I wasn't ready for that.

Finally, after a few more moments of searching, Rainbolt zoomed back towards the castle- how anything living could move that fast, I'd never understand- and I swam out from the little cul-de-sac I'd been hiding in. The water was cold, and as I clambered out of the river and into the chilly afternoon air, I found myself shivering while I searched for somewhere to hide. It was likely that the rainbow-colored pegasus was going to report in to Sixie, and there'd be search parties out in short order- and I stuck out like a fistful of sore thumbs as I was dressed. I'd have to wait until night if I wanted a chance to get any sort of distance away without being spotted.

As I wrung out my shirt- which seemed to already be drying fairly quickly- I glanced back up at the castle, a silhouette in the afternoon sun, and spent a moment wondering just what Sveti thought of me at that moment. Was she angry at me for bolting, after all she'd done for me? Was she worried? Did she even understand why I'd done it... and could I even expect her to, when I still wasn't sure? I'd been so close, I thought, finding a spot fairly well-protected from aerial view and sitting down for a moment. I'd thought I'd finally have something resembling normalcy, a safe place to stay until I could find a way back home. Then Prince Jerkass makes a scene... and Ferris shows up. And if he's there, can Tent be far behind? I don't know what the hell's going on over there, but until I know that I'm not looking at a stay in a cage in my near future, I'm staying out here.

And it seemed like a great plan... until I realized that night was going to fall in a few hours, it was steadily getting colder, and I had absolutely nothing with me but the clothes on my back- which were fine for the slightly-chilly halls of the castle, but wholly inadequate for a fall night. Looks like I'm living off the land once more, I thought, starting a careful search for things I might need while still being sure to stay out of sight from the air.

(-)

“I don't know where he is, Sveti! He dove into the river and that was the last I saw of him! For all I know he could be....”

“No. Don't say that, Dash.” For the sake of my heart if nothing else, the hen thought. “You don't know Peter like I do. He's a survivor.” She took a couple of calming breaths, spending the time trying to convince herself of her own words. “Look. Captain Armor wants you to link up with one of the Guard squadrons for an organized search; I'm going to do the same. It's our best chance to find him. If I do, I'll give you a signal to come find us. Have you ever heard a griffin signal cry?”

“Yeah, yeah. I knew another griffin in Flight Camp. She used it a couple of times.”

“Okay, just listen for that then.”

Dash turned to go, then looked back over her shoulder. “Sveti... I'm really sorry. Maybe if I'd reacted faster....”

Sveti held up both claws in a supplicating gesture. “You're not the one to blame, Dash. We both know who is.” She gave a meaningful glance towards the castle.

“Yeah. That sorry little sack of horseapples is going to regret that he ever heard the name Rainbow Dash once this is all over.” A scowl crossed the pegasus's face for a moment. “Okay, I'm movin'. Good luck, Sveti.”

“You too.” As Dash zipped off in a rainbow blur, Sveti peeled off in the opposite direction. It didn't take her long to find a wing of patrolling pegasi, and after a brief conversation with the sergeant in charge, she was given an area to look through that they hadn't been able to get to yet. As quickly as she could, she flew towards her designated zone, a thick patch of woods that was heavily shadowed by the castle itself.

Every hour that passed lessened her hopes that she would be able to find her friend alive, but she wouldn't let herself give up- she'd stay in the skies until she dropped from fatigue, if needed. But as Celestia was bringing the sun below the horizon, and darkness turned the trees into a blanket of shadows even to her sharp, sensitive eyes, she found herself wondering if she was wasting her time in this area... until a flicker of light where there should have been none caught her attention. Hope lent her tired wings new strength, and she swooped through the air towards where she'd glimpsed the illumination.

As she neared her target, she realized that she'd been extremely lucky. What she'd spotted was a flicker of firelight against a small rock face, cast by an equally small fire that had been built underneath an overhang that faced away from the castle; a cleverly-built screen of branches and leaves both hid the light and dispersed the smoke enough to keep it from being visible from any distance more than a couple dozen feet. As quietly as she could, she landed a dozen or so feet away from it, made her way up to it and trod to its edge, peeking around...

...to find it empty.

“Sveti?” The voice to her left almost made her jump, except that she knew whose it was. Peter stood half-hidden in a copse of bushes, a bundle of sticks tucked underneath one arm and a fairly large stone clutched in the opposite hand, ready to throw- until he let it drop to the ground.

“Peter!” She had to actively resist the urge to bound up to him and embrace him. “Oh, thank the Ancestors you're alright!” she exclaimed, walking with him into his little hideaway. “You're not hurt, are you? Let me take a look at you-”

“I okay, Sveti.” He raised a hand. “I... needed to not be where I was.”

She frowned. “Peter, I'm so sorry about all that,” she said. “We didn't know Blueblood was going to be there....”

“Blueblood?” Peter repeated, obviously not understanding.

She picked up one of his sticks and scratched a rough caricature of a pony in the dirt, followed by a rendering of Blueblood's cutie mark; the human understood. “We didn't know he'd be there,” she told him, careful to keep her speech slow so that he could follow along. “Let alone that he'd be so determined to cause grief....”

“I not care about Blueblood.” Peter took another stick, drew his own stick figure of a pony... then sketched out Farris Wheel's cutie mark. “Name?” he asked; when she told him- it took him three tries to get it right, which she couldn't blame him for, it being a somewhat oddly-pronounced name- he leaned back against the wall of his shelter. “Why Wheel there?” he asked her.

Her gaze turned towards the fire for a moment. “It's... hard to say.”

“Sveti know Wheel was there?”

She glanced back up at him searchingly; his expression hadn't changed, and there was no accusation in his voice, but she still felt stung by his words. “I... yes,” she admitted.

“Why not tell?”

“It's complicated, Peter.” She could tell he didn't like that answer, but he didn't say anything; instead he drew another shape in the dirt- Big Top's cutie mark.

“Where?” he asked simply.

“I don't know. No one knows where Big Top is, Peter. He's not-” She paused, her mind clicking into gear. “...you ran because you thought Wheel was going to take you back to Top, didn't you?”

Now it was his turn to look away, giving her only a quiet “yes” after a moment.

“Peter... do you remember the other ponies?” She drew rough representations of the cutie marks of the others who'd been present in the sideshow, giving him each name in order. “They're in the castle too,” she told him, pointing up towards the towering construct. “But they're not with Big Top any more.”

“I not....” He seemed to struggle for words. “I not think good of them.”

“You don't trust them. I understand that, Peter; I don't trust them either. But they can't do anything to you now.”

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is....” he began, quickly becoming frustrated.

She put a claw on his forearm. “Peter... do you trust me?” she asked.

“Yes!” The response was almost instantaneous.

“But you were afraid.” She drew a quick sketch of his face with a fearful expression- one she was too familiar with by now.

He nodded. “Much afraid. I not want, but....”

She was starting to understand. “Peter, you can trust me. You can trust the Princess-” she did a quick sketch of Twilight's cutie mark- “and a lot of the ponies. You don't need to run anymore.”

“Is... hard to trust,” he sighed. “Not want be....” He glanced up at her, his gaze measuring, then leaned over and drew a small figure of himself- and then a box with lines covering it.

It was too easy to understand. “A cage...?” she murmured, staring at the drawing for a moment- and then angrily slamming her claw down on it, scrubbing it out of existence. “No,” she told him. “No more cages. No more cages, ever! I will die before I see you put in a cage again!”

She didn't actually register what she'd said until she saw his expression change. Something like a sad smile crossed his face, and he reached out to place a hand against her shoulder. “I not want that, Sveti,” he told her quietly. “But... thank you.”

She looked away for a moment, certain she was blushing straight through her plumage. “Look... let me take you back, okay, Peter?” she asked. “You'll be safe in the embassy. I promise.”

“I....” He gazed at her for a moment, then let out a sigh and nodded. “Okay.”

“Good.” She gave him a broad smile, then looked up. “I need to call Rainbow Dash, okay?”

He nodded again. “Rainbow Dash not... angry?”

“No, she's just worried about you. All of Princess Twilight's friends are. They're plenty angry at Blueblood, though.” She stepped away from the alcove, raised her head and let out a piercing cry that echoed through the trees. “There, I'm sure she heard that,” she said, turning back to the human. “Getting you back up there is going to be a challenge,” she murmured, leaning against the side of the hideaway.

She heard him walk up behind her. “Sveti... I sorry.”

“You don't need to be.” She looked back at him and gave him a smile. “We'll get through this, okay? I'm here for you.”

He nodded again, and went silent, leaning against the rock next to her and gently laying a hand on her neck. And as they waited for Dash to appear, Sveti couldn't help but think just how nice that felt.

(-)

“So, um, Sveti, if you don't mind me asking....” Dash glanced over at the griffin, who was flying at a sedate pace alongside the chariot that was carrying the human back up to the castle. “That jerk we ran into before... he said something about your father, and 'predictions'? You looked like you wanted to rip his head off and use his neck as an outhouse. What was that about?”

“ 'Predilections', you mean?” The hen sighed. “It's... really personal, Dash. And I'm going to have to talk to Princess Twilight about it, I suppose, but... it's not something I really want to share.”

“Oh.” Dash nodded in understanding. “It's cool. I figured it was something important, the way you reacted.”

Sveti nodded. “Oh, that reminds me... thank you for getting him off of my beak before I ended up doing something that might've actually warranted me getting arrested.”

The pegasus snickered. “Yeah, no problem. When you're a national hero, you can get away with a few things- like marehoofing some chump who doesn't respect personal space.”

The rest of the flight back to Canterlot was quiet. Sveti seemed to be working through something in her mind, and with everything that had happened, Dash could understand the desire; she herself was still wondering just why Peter had run from that Ferris-wheel-marked stallion. I won't bug Sveti about it, though, she decided. I'm sure Twilight will be able to explain, if she can just keep away from those twenty-bit words she likes to use and keep it plain and simple.

It was only a few minutes later, after returning to the castle and catching up with her friends, that Dash was reminded that wanting an explanation didn't automatically translate into liking the explanation that was given. “Whoa, whoa, wait, Twilight,” she interrupted. “You're telling me that that pony he ran into, the one that he ended up running from... he's one of the ones who kept Peter in a cage?! It's no freaking wonder he took off like that then! What the hay was that pony even doing here?!”

“Now, Dash,” Rarity said. “Your sentiment is entirely understandable- I may have said something similar when Twilight explained things to us while you were out searching- but please allow her to explain fully.”

“Okay, okay.....” And so Dash sat through the rest of Twilight's story- why the sideshow ponies were still in the castle, and what else had conspired to apparently set the human off.

“...and apparently Sergeants Stalwart and Watchtower may have inadvertently erred just by following their training,” Twilight finished. “They closed ranks on Peter in a protective posture when he encountered Wheel, but that may just have made him feel trapped.”

“And what the hay were those other guards doing bringing that 'Wheel' guy here?”

“I heard something about an appointment with an Undersecretary of something-or-other and a shortcut through the castle. Shining definitely wasn't happy with them.”

Applejack removed her hat and brushed it against a foreleg. “I called it, y'know,” she drawled. “When that feller gets 'is gallop on, he don't go halfway. But, well, so long as he's okay and safe in the Embassy- all's well that ends well, right? I mean, he ain't gonna be lookin' at any trouble from all this, is he?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it- which, come to think of it, I just might.” Twilight smirked. “Honestly, if anything, Peter's actions today are proof that given the choice of hurting ponies or fleeing from them, he'll take the latter action whenever it's possible.”

“He's definitely not the monster some ponies are saying he is,” Fluttershy added. “He seems... sad or lost more than anything. He never gave us anything worse than a frown when he was in the hospital.”

“Which is why I was really looking forward to throwing him his party!” Pinkie sniffled. “But I guess that can wait until tomorrow, when everything's settled down. Because parties and political intrigue just don't go well together!”

“Oh, Pinkie, you'll never understand the upper-crust mentality.” Rarity chuckled. “And sometimes I envy you for that.”

“Dash, a question,” Twilight said. “How is Sveti? I'd had a few questions for her when she got back, but she looked so exhausted that I thought it best to hold them for the morning.”

“Yeah, I'm not surprised she was so tired,” Dash answered. “I mean... no offense to her, but it doesn't seem to me like she was ever really a strong flier, and then being caged up for months on end can't have helped anything. But she was out in those skies for hours looking for Peter. She had to have been pushing herself to her limits.”

Twilight nodded. “After all I've seen, I won't say I'm surprised. But how was she doing emotionally?”

“Eh... well, I'm not exactly the best pony to judge that kinda thing....” Dash rubbed at the back of her neck with a hoof. “I guess... glad that she found him, but angry at what happened before he ran. I asked her about what that one jerk said, but she didn't wanna talk about it. She did say she'd have to discuss it with you, though... I guess it's something important.”

“It seems so. Well... it can wait until morning. I'm content to allow Sveti and Peter their rest. In the meantime, I'm going to brief Celestia and Luna on just what went on.” Twilight let out a slow breath. “And, hopefully, that'll be the last of the drama for a while.”

(-)

“Good morning, Sveti.” Twilight trotted into the welcoming hall of the Griffin Embassy. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,” she said, looking around. “My, you've done an incredible job with getting the building back into shape! You wouldn't know it'd spent months completely vacant.”

“Our cleaning crew is turning out to be top-notch,” the hen replied. “Ensemble particularly- she's a hard worker.”

“I'm pleased to hear that.” Twilight smiled. “Do you have a place we can talk privately for a little while?”

“Certainly. This way, please.”

Sveti guided her through a few rooms and hallways until they entered what seemed to be a lounge; the griffin lit a fire to chase the mild chill from the room while Twilight looked around, spending a moment looking over the remarkably well-stocked bookshelves. “This is quite a nice place,” she said.

“Thanks.” With the fire lit, Sveti invited Twilight to have a seat in an overstuffed reading chair, settling herself in its partner in front of a small table. “Oh, and thank you for the breakfast basket. It was very much appreciated.”

“I'm glad! I figured after a night like last night, some comfort food wouldn't go amiss.” With both of them settled in, Twilight decided to broach the first subject at hoof. “Sveti, I did have a few questions about what happened last night,” she said. “Now, please understand you're free to refuse to answer any or all of them... but I think that if I have a better understanding of this situation, I'll be better able to help.”

Sveti nodded slowly. “I suppose it might just be a matter of time before this gets out anyway,” she said quietly.

“You mean, pertaining to Duke Ellington's comment to you about your father?”

“Right.”

“Your reaction startled me, I'll admit. But I was more confused as to exactly what he was getting at.”

Sveti closed her eyes and went still for a moment. “Princess, we've got a term in the Griffinic language- 'medfeilen'. I don't imagine you've heard it?” When Twilight shook her head, Sveti nodded in understanding. “I hadn't expected so. Roughly, it translates to 'with the wrong one', but the contemporary meaning is a lot more pointed. It's... well, it's a slur towards griffins who are in a relationship with someone who isn't.”

Twilight blinked. “I... I've never heard of that. It isn't a common occurrence in the Empire, I'd assume? I know that non-griffin population tends to be low in most Griffinic cities that aren't near a border with another nation.”

“You're right. But... it does happen, from time to time.”

Sveti went quiet for a moment, but Twilight could connect the dots. “Your father?”

“Right.”

“But... Sveti, I'm not sure I understand. Here in Equestria, a term like 'medfeilen' is pretty much meaningless; we ponies don't care too much about things like that. And unless there was proof, who in your country would care what a bunch of ponies had to say about a griffin in an ambassadorship that- if you don't mind me saying this- your Emperor doesn't seem to care much about?”

“You'd be surprised....” Sveti sighed. “Princess, it's not that ponies would object- they'd probably do the opposite, in fact. And that's part of the problem.”

“I... I'm not following.”

“It's... complicated. I think I need to start at the beginning of what happened.” Sveti leaned over and tugged at a cord that hung from a small device set up near the chairs; after a few moments, the door opened, and a young blond-maned earth pony stallion opened the door. “Yes, Miss Windwhisper?” he asked.

“Quick Service, we could use some drinks here; we'll be a little while. I'll have my usual coffee... you, Princess?”

Twilight considered. “Do you happen to have peachberry jasmine tea?”

“We do!” the stallion answered.

“Excellent! I'll have some of that, please. Nice and hot.”

“Sure thing, Princess Twilight. It'll just be a few minutes.”

The stallion closed the door, and Sveti chuckled. “That colt is so eager to please,” she said, smiling for a moment before her expression became serious. “So... okay. What I'm about to tell you is both private and borderline state-secrets, so I need to know that this is in the strictest confidence.”

“Absolutely, so long as it doesn't threaten Equestrian national security or the safety of ponies.”

“It doesn't.” Sveti leaned back in her chair, ruffling her wings a little. “All of this started several months ago. I'd noticed that Dad's attitude- which had already started going downhill because of how much the Emperor was neglecting the embassy- had gotten even worse; he was snapping at his staff and me, and had started drinking... something he'd given up ten years ago and sworn never to do again. I'm not the kind to leave things alone when they're important to me, so after a bit of prying, I found out what'd happened. He'd gotten a blackmail letter from a pony- that included a photograph of my father having... errr, 'relations' with a member of staff. A member who happened to be a pony.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Relations? You... you mean....”

“...in flagrante dilecto. Gaining carnal knowledge. Forming the eight-legged beast. That sort of thing.” Sveti sighed. “...sorry. I'm still a little groggy from last night, and that never helps my mood.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, and then Quick Service returned with their drinks, leaving the tray on the table and excusing himself. Once he was gone again- and Sveti had gotten some coffee in her- she continued. “I don't know how he got the photo; it had obviously been taken through a bedroom window on the third floor, so I suppose some pegasus paparazzi went for an expose, but this pony ended up buying the photo instead.”

“No newspaper in Canterlot would've touched it,” Twilight answered. “There are strict standards in place about publishing photographs of royalty and dignitaries in private.” A pity Ponyville doesn't hew to the same standards, she thought. The “cake incident” is still fresh in my mind.

“No newspaper in Canterlot, no. And the official Empire press has the same sort of rules. But the pony threatened to send that picture to Neighagra- which just happens to be not far from the border, and which sees no small amount of griffin traffic on a daily basis.”

“...and the Neighagra Post just might run a story on it,” Twilight realized. “They're something of a tabloid... they'd censor the picture itself, sure, but they'd probably publish some fluff piece on how the griffin ambassador has 'gone native' or something- a story that'd be seen by griffin citizens.”

“Citizens who probably would've raised a stink back home, and cost my father his position- and maybe his own citizenship.”

“Ugh.” Twilight shook her head. “This pony sounds about as bad as Big Top.”

Sveti set her mug down on the table and looked straight into the alicorn's eyes. “That's because it was Big Top.”

“It... what?”

“Princess... Big Top never captured me. I surrendered myself to him, hoping that he'd accept having a griffin 'exhibit' in his sideshow as a guaranteed profit rather than making greater demands of money from my father- demands he couldn't keep meeting with his budget continuously cut.” Sveti sighed. “I'd known that a lot of ponies in the more rural areas of Equestria likely hadn't seen griffins before, and what I'd hoped for was that I'd be sort of an oddity, but that I'd actually speak to ponies. Top decided that it'd be better if I appeared to be some kind of captive, vicious beast... at first I didn't dare object because of the power he still held over my father, but once I'd seen his cruel side, I was just terrified of him.” She picked up her mug again, staring down at the steaming liquid inside. “Plus... Top has this way of getting others to do what he wants. I thought it was some sort of mind-control spell, but maybe it's just his special talent or something.”

“That's a pretty horrible way to use your special talent.” Twilight finished off her tea and set the cup down. “I assume you didn't tell your father of what you'd done... I didn't know him, but to have a daughter as dedicated as you, he can't have been the kind of father to just allow that sort of thing.”

The griffin gave a weak smile. “No, I didn't. My agreement with Top was that it'd only be for a couple of months, and I told Dad that I was going on a little trip to see some sights; it didn't take Top long to alter the deal. I don't know why I was surprised... maybe I still believed that a pony couldn't descend to the depths Top lives in. He disabused me of that notion very quickly.”

Twilight lowered her head, unable to look the hen in the eye. “Sveti... I'm so very sorry that you had to suffer all of that at the hooves of another pony.”

“Princess, don't say that. Please. You're no more responsible for the actions of other ponies than I am for those of other griffins.”

“I know, but still....” She let the sentence trail off. “I'm disappointed that any pony could stoop to such things. I mean, we've had our villains and miscreants through our history, but....”

“Big Top is a bit more banal than the likes of King Sombra, isn't he?” Sveti shrugged. “He's a petty pony, with petty dreams. It may not be much comfort to those of us unlucky enough to encounter him, but still. Just... don't take it personally, Princess, or you'll tear yourself apart.”

“I know. But thank you, Sveti.” Twilight smiled. “And also thank you for confiding in me. I don't doubt that it wasn't easy for you. If there's anything I can do....”

Sveti let out a sigh. “I don't think there is, Princess, though I appreciate the offer. That cat's out of the bag now, apparently... the best I can do is just not draw any more attention to it. At least the news can't hurt my father now.”

Twilight felt her heart go out to the young hen; for everything that had happened to Sveti over the last few months, she was showing great inner strength. I hope that someday she'll follow her father's path into politics, she thought. She'd make a fine leader for her nation.

(-)

“I am extraordinarily disappointed in you, Blueblood.”

The stallion before Celestia frowned, raising a hoof to his chest. “Auntie, I assure you that everything I did was in defense of this nation's nobility! That monster-”

“That creature, Blueblood, showed remarkable restraint towards you.” She kept her eyes fixed on her wayward- and very distant, she reminded herself- relative. “His weapon is very precise, and he is quite skilled in its use. Had he meant to harm you instead of your furniture, I'm inclined to believe he would have done so.”

“But... but you can't let him get away with that, auntie!” She had to restrain herself from arching an eyebrow when he actually stomped a hoof like a petulant foal. “It's completely unseemly that some mon- some creature should be allowed to attack a Prince without punishment! What sort of message does that send?”

“Perhaps 'do not fling furniture at armed creatures'?” came another voice.

“Ahh-!” Blueblood actually jumped in shock from Luna's sudden speech, delivered directly behind him. Once more Celestia marveled at her sister's ability to move silently when she chose. “Au- Auntie Luna!” the stallion gasped. “I didn't hear you come in!”

“Quite. However, I did hear you- from the outside corridor, the antechamber beyond, and the hall beyond that.” It wasn't quite a smirk that was on Luna's face, but it was close.

“I, err... well, that is to say....”

“What should be said, in your situation, is nothing.” Luna's eyes bored into Blueblood's, her contempt in full display. “You attacked a sentient creature with force sufficient to kill; a piece of furniture you flung at him was found embedded four inches into a solid wall. Your carelessness nearly led to the grave injury of a member of the castle's staff, who was protected by the selfsame creature you attacked. And your actions afterwards- 'reprehensible' is a term that comes to mind. Demanding that the human be shackled, lest you and your cohorts endeavor to see to his imprisonment within the hospital via parliamentary maneuver. And then your and their direct insults towards Princess Twilight Sparkle, not to mention the shameless display before a citizen of the Griffin Empire, an honored guest within this nation and this castle- who has shown ponykind a level of tolerance and forgiveness that quite frankly, in my mind, makes her a better pony than you!”

By the time Luna was finished, Blueblood was practically a quivering wreck on the floor. “But... but Auntie Luna!” he whimpered. “That monster-”

“The human, Prince Blueblood, is now directly under the protection of the Crowns.” A scroll appeared in a burst of void magic, and was almost shoved into the stallion's face. “A step which I must say I am disgusted to feel the need to take simply to protect him from this nation's 'nobility'- a term I use with only singular definition, for there is nothing noble about any of your actions!”

“The terms of the decree are simple, Blueblood,” Celestia added, giving Luna a moment to breathe; the outburst had been one of her sister's longer ones. “The Guard will be instructed to no longer accept orders regarding the human known as Peter from anypony aside from the Princesses, the Royal Guard leadership cadre, or the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Also, Sveti Windwhisper has been given special dispensation as his legal guardian to represent him at any and all inquiries, and to withdraw him from any situation until somepony from the previously-mentioned groups can intervene.”

“In short, you and your 'friends' are to stay away from Peter.” Luna leaned towards the Prince, her eyes as hard and cold as glacial ice. “Should it come to our attention that this decree has been violated... there will be repercussions.” She leaned back, just a little. “Is this understood?”

Whatever it was that Blueblood attempted to say came out as a strangled squeak, but his rapid nod was enough assent. “Good,” Luna said. “Relay to your cohorts what you have been told. Let them know that their Princesses are watching.”

What Blueblood's exit lacked in decorum, it more than made up for in speed. As his hooffalls faded into the distance, Luna took a seat next to Celestia. “If only that were enough to settle the matter,” the Princess of the Moon sighed.

“If only,” Celestia agreed. “But we'll deal with whatever arises as we must. In the meantime... shouldn't you be getting some rest?”

“Indeed.” Luna took in a deep breath. “I shall see you in the evening, Tia.”

“Sleep well, Lulu.”