Luna was awoken by shouting and yelling. She had been sleeping after last night's events, one of the most peaceful sleeps she had had since her return, happy to have found somepony other than her sister who loved her. For lack of a better term, it made her feel complete.

She slowly opened her eyes, the first thing in her sight being her lovers from the previous night, Sombra and Cadence, getting dressed in what she realized was combat armor.

"What's going on," Luna asked, still with nothing on.

"Somepony detonated a magic bomb in the financial district," Sombra said. "We're going to help the guard get to the bottom of it."

"We made sure to have the guards make a set of armor for you, too, Luna," Cadence said. "They should be finishing it soon."

"I thank you," Luna said, "but why? I thought I was to be your maid until I repaid the debt."

"All of the castle staff has some form of combat training, should the palace ever come under siege," Cadence said. "Even the maids."

"And besides, after last night," Sombra said, "I think you paid the debt off."

Luna blushed. "I thank you two, then." She then looked around the room. "Where is Flitter, if I may ask?"

"She went to get Twilight and the others," Cadence said. "Those six always did work together when ever possible."

"And how is it I didn't hear the guard alert you three earlier, or even the explosion?"

"For the first, you're a heavy sleeper," Sombra said.

"And a soundproofing spell for the second," Cadence added. "We want to sleep in if possible."

"That I can understand," Luna said. "After all, back in night court, I never got much attention, and wanted to sleep in during the night as much as possible."

Cadence chuckled. "Don't worry, there a re a lot of opportunities to sleep in in the Empire. We don't have as many greedy nobles as Equestria."

"Well, when is my armor supposed to arrive?"

"In the hour," Sombra said.

"Then don't wait for me, you two," Luna said. "Go on, I'll catch up when I am dressed."

"You sure, Luna," Cadence said. "Who ever did this might try to hurt you."

"You forget, Cadence, I'm still an alicorn, and only a fool would try to take me when I'm fully awake and they are by themselves."

"Yeah, I guess," the pink alicorn said, putting on her helmet. "Come on, Sombra," she said to her husband, making her way to the door. "We should get there as soon as possible."

"Coming," he said as he put his helmet on as well, and the two left the room.

The scene at the financial district where the bomb had detonated was grizzly, to say the least. The stores near the center had been blown apart, almost nothing left standing. That, however, wasn't the worst. No, that honor, if that's even the right word, belonged to the body picies strewn about, many charred and blackened from the explosion, and all were in pools of blood. If there was any good, it was that the victims had died instantly, being spared the pain.

"I winder who would do such a thing," Twilight said as she and her friends from the Empire, each wearing armor that matched their skin, surveyed the carnage.

"Some heartless bastard, that's who," Breaker said as he knelt down in front of what used to be a clothes shop. "I mean, I can see it with a military target, but civilians! Only ponies with no morals would do that."

"Definitely," Surprise said. "Had to have been some plothole loyal to Celestia, though how they're loyal to her, I have no clue."

"Probably was loyal to her during the war," Lone said, his arms crossed. "We all know that some of the Crystal citizens were loyal to her then. Not much of a stretch to think some of them still are."

"Yeah," Flitter said. "Remember my brother? He was, and probably still is, one of them."

"My old marefriend was, too," Breaker said. "That's the reason why we broke up."

"What happened to her, anyway?" Twilight asked.

"No idea," breaker said, shrugging. "Don't really care."

"Well, wouldn't hurt to put them under the suspect list," Lone said. "Any possibility is a good one, at this point." With that, he brought a quill and a scroll from his pack and wrote down two names, which made a current total of ten suspects. "Though I'd like it if there were less."

"All of us would, Lone," Cadence said as she and Sombra walked up. "That would make everything easier."

"Hey mom, hey dad," Twilight said as she walked up to and gave her parents a hug. "So I guess you had fun last night?" she asked, a slight mischievous grin on her face.

Sombra chuckled. "Yes, we did, and that's all you're getting from us."

"And me," Flitter said with a small laugh.

"Oh, I know," Twilight said as she let go. "Just thought I'd try."

"Well, what have you six discovered," Cadence asked.

"Not much," Doughnut said. "The explosion used sensitive crystals, so we can't use magical signature to trace it back to who ever did it, any witnesses there might have been are either in the hospital or, well," he said, gesturing to the various body parts strewn around. "This."

"The most we are able to find, though," Breaker said, "is a slight, and I mean slight, magical signature indicating who ever placed the explosives was using an illusion spell."

"Which has been taken into consideration with the suspect list," Lone said, crossing off a few names, "leaving only three suspects: Breaker's old marefriend, Flitter's brother, and Mythic Dawn."

"Great," Twilight said. "Her." Mythic Dawn was a mare who had tried to take Twilight's place as personal magic student of the royal family, believing she was royal blood. Really, her personality was an interesting mix of Trixie, Blueblood, and the vainer side of Rarity. Yipee.

"I'll send guards to bring them to the palace, if we can find them," Lone said. "as well as those I crossed off. Even if they didn't do it, they might know who."

Sombra nodded. "Do it, Lone. Twilight, Luna should be here soon. I want you to stay here and give her the basics of the police side of guard work."

Twilight nodded. "You got it, dad."

"As for the rest of you, help Lone bring them to the palace. I want to know who did this as soon as possible."

"Right," the rest of them said, saluting, before going Lone gave them the addresses of one each, and they headed off. Next Chapter: Interrogations Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes