Tales from the Justiceverse

by VashTheStampede

The Inspection (VashTheStampede)

Author's Note:

Rating: E
Content Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life
Major Characters: Princess Luna, Princess Celestia
Minor Characters: Nurse Redheart, Snowflake (Bulk Biceps), Brighter Horizons (OC from parent fic)
Other: Takes place between Chapters 21 and 22 of Defender of Justice, King Sombra!.

“Sisterrrrrrr,” Luna whined as she entered the throne room, “I’m booooooored.”

Celestia looked up. She had to admit, she was too. Luna just had this way of… making her opinions known that Celestia had learned to hide hundreds of years ago. After a particularly embarrassing incident with the Griffin Empire, at least.

“Luna,” Celestia began as her sister continued to stride towards her, “Last time you were ‘bored,’ three Royal Guards ended up needing therapy. I sincerely hope you have some different form of… recreation in mind this time.”

“Oh absolutely,” Luna replied. Celestia had to move her head out of the way as her sister threw herself dramatically into the solar diarch’s lap, but before she could object, the blue Alicorn continued. “But I need you to come with me.”

“Luna, you know I can’t-”

“Just take a day off? Sure you can!” Luna said gleefully, trying to pull her sister down into a hug.

“Lulu,” Celestia said exasperatedly as her sister jerked her head around, “I can’t just leave Canterlot on a whim.”

“You do it all the time for Twilight.”

“… touché, sister, touché. Very well,” Celestia sat up, pulling her sister with her, “What is it that you want to do?”

“Well first,” Luna wrapped herself around her sister and hugged her tightly, “I want to give you a hug.”

“Alright,” Celestia said, returning the embrace, “You have accomplished that. Now what?”

“Hmm… you know Ponyville?”

“Yes, I know Ponyville,” the white Alicorn deadpanned at her little sister, “What of it? Would you like to visit?”

“Yes, but… not like this,” Luna answered, gesturing to herself, “Perhaps something a little more… low-key? The annual inspections are coming up, and it would give us an excellent, how to put it, insider viewpoint for when we discuss things with Miss Horizons. I would so love to visit them on their terms,” the big blue princess was still laid out across her elder’s lap, hamming it up as hard as possible.

“Ah, yes, Brighter Horizons’ Home for Foals. One could hardly forget,” Celestia said with a sad sigh. The existence of orphanages around Equestria was something that continually pained the Princess, but there was desperately little that could be done about it. “What exactly do you mean ‘on their terms,’ though, dear sister?”

Luna smiled and her horn flashed briefly. Celestia blinked at the bright flash of light and found a young blue unicorn seated on her lap when she opened her eyes again.

“… Luna?” Celestia asked tentatively.

“I call this form Dusky Stardrop,” Luna replied, her voice much higher than before, but still distinctly hers, “I’ve used it a few times to visit towns or cities in a more… subtle manner. I seem to recall you used to do the same thing?”

“That was a very long time ago, sister,” Celestia said with a hint of laughter.

“Come on, Celestia. Once more. Just once more, become a foal and have a little fun,” Luna implored, her wide, too-big-for-her-head eyes making their full effect on her elder sister.

“Alright, fine. We can do it again, for old times’ sake,” Celestia said. She could hardly refuse that face. A thousand years of pent-up guilt also made it a little hard for her to deny her sister’s requests, no matter how absurd they may have been. This was no exception. Celestia closed her eyes and focused for a moments, and the faintest breath of air ruffled Dusky Stardrop’s mane as the big white Alicorn shrunk, lost her wings, and then her horn. Sitting next to the blue unicorn on the throne was a diminutive white earth pony with a cotton candy blue mane and magenta eyes.

“Earth pony?” Dusky asked.

“It feels nice to be so… close to the earth,” Celestia replied, “Anyways, I… I need a name.”

“Hmm…” Night Dancer put a hoof to her chin and hummed in thought. “How about… Morning Sky?”

“That would be great if I were a Pegasus,” Celestia shot her sister down, “Maybe… Sunrise?”

“That might be a little obvious, don’t you think?” Luna joked, bopping her sister on the nose.

“No more so than Dusky.”

“… Touché. Ah, sister, you have forgotten one thing.”

“Have I?”

“Your cutie mark. Or rather, your lack thereof,” Luna gestured with a hoof.

“I thought you said you wanted to meet the orphans on their terms?”

“I fail to see how being lacking a cutie mark is synonymous with being an orphan, but perhaps it will be nice to not have to worry about having a special talent for once,” Luna replied, mulling the thought over in her mind for a few moments. When she finished talking, the little unicorn’s horn glowed for just a moment, and her cutie mark vanished, leaving nothing but smooth blue fur in its wake.

“Very well then sister, shall we depart?”

“Just a moment, Luna,” the little white earth pony replied, invisible horn bringing a piece of parchment over to her. “Dearest… Word… Weaver…” she began to speak her letter as she wrote. It was a habit she had picked up shortly after Luna’s banishment, and had never really shaken. “I will be taking the day off, as will my sister. If an emergency arises and you should find yourselves in need of us, we will be in Ponyville. If not, you can expect our return later this evening. With thanks, Celestia. There, wouldn’t want to scare our beloved subordinates too much now, would we?”

“It is less fun that way, but I can see the reasoning behind it. Are we now ready to leave?”

Sunrise nodded. “Put us somewhere on the outskirts of town. If we are to play the part of orphans without a home, we should most likely not arrive pristine and perfect.”

Dusky nodded her assent and her horn shone a deep blue for just a moment, before both fillies disappeared.

---

The moment the duo rematerialized, Sunrise launched herself at her younger sister, bringing the filly into the dirt with a full-body tackle. Luna yelped in surprise, confusion and a bit of alarm blaring in her mind before she caught on to what her sister was doing. Grinning wickedly, she magically took hold of a hoofful of the solar filly’s mane and yanked, throwing Celestia off balance and off her younger sister. Taking advantage of the moment, she rolled over and for a second had the upper hoof – having completely forgotten the earth pony beneath her was an Alicorn in disguise. In an instant, the same trick was turned around and used on her, and she let out a small grunt of pain as something tugged at her mane and over Celestia’s head.

The two rolled and fought for several minutes, taking care not to cause too much harm, but absolutely roughing each other up. Finally, Celestia collapsed, laughing hysterically, ceding victory to her little sister. Manes were tangled and knees were scuffed – they exuded the very essence of poor children down on their luck.

“Are we adequately ‘roughed up,’ sister?” Luna asked, offering a hoof to the little white earth pony.

Sunrise took the extended hoof gratefully and pulled herself up. She looked up to the sky – it was overcast, likely to rain soon. “I believe this should be enough, and perhaps a little mud from the coming rainstorm will add to it. Let’s head into town, shall we? It should be…” Celestia looked back and forth down the road, “It should be…”

“It is this way,” Luna said with a smile, the dark blue unicorn trotting off towards the town.

“I knew that.”

“No you did not, sister.”

“No, I didn’t,” Celestia admitted, setting off at a brief gallop to catch up with her sister. The pair walked in content familial silence into the town, rain eventually starting to fall gently on their heads. It was a pleasant rain, warm and life-giving, and just enough to muddy their hooves a bit. Eventually, the sisters stopped in front of the sign at their destination.

“Brighter Horizons’ Home for Foals,” Dusky read aloud, “This must be the place.”

“Indeed it is, Luna. Or rather, Dusky. A slip of the tongue like that would be… problematic once other ponies can hear us.”

“Very true. May we simply enter? Should we knock?”

“I think we can just go in,” Celestia answered, heading down the path to the front door, Luna following her closely. The earth filly pushed open the door, surprised to find nopony waiting for them in the entry. She looked to her sister and they shared a moment of confusion and disappointment. Wiping their hooves on the welcome mat, they trotted towards the desk near the back of the room. On its corner, Celestia noticed a small bell with a sign beneath it, reading ‘Ring for assistance.’

“Well, I guess we are in need of assistance,” Celestia thought aloud, and dinged the bell. Within seconds, the doors on one side of the room opened, and a golden unicorn stepped into the room.

“Sorry for the wa-” the mare began before processing the sight before her and immediately changing subjects and tone. “Do you need food? A bath? A place to stay? You look hurt! Redheart!”

“Coming!” came a voice from another room. As soon as the sound had registered in her mind, Brighter turned her attention back to the foals before her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you immediately,” she started, kneeling down and offering hugs to the two fillies, who graciously accepted. “Welcome to Brighter Horizons’ Home for Foals. I am Brighter Horizons. May I ask your names?”

“I am Sunrise Stardrop,” Celestia said, throwing in a little shake to her voice to make the act more convincing, “And this is my little sister, Dusky Stardrop.”

“Well, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you,” Brighter moved away from them slightly, “Though perhaps not so much for you to meet me. Are… do you…” the unicorn trailed off, letting the rest of the question go implied. Dusky nodded, but Sunrise merely looked away.

“I see. I’m sorry,” Brighter quietly replied.

“Here, here, I’m here,” a white earth pony said as she entered the room, hastily shoving open the doors, “What do you n- oh my goodness, are you two alright?” Nurse Redheart’s attention shifted away from her boss the moment she noticed the two dirty and bruised fillies.

“It seems we’re going to have two new tenants,” Brighter said solemnly, “Sunrise and Dusky Stardrop, two sisters. Would you mind giving them a brief examination? If that’s okay with you two, of course,” she turned, asking the little fillies their permission. “It’s nothing more than a little check-up to make sure you’re not seriously hurt or have some illness that might be dangerous to the other foals. You’re just in time for lunch though, so right after that you’ll get a nice hot meal. How does that sound?”

“That would be very nice, thank you,” Dusky spoke for the first time, the little filly’s voice a little unsteady. Redheart smiled down at the foals and gently lead them away to the infirmary.

---

About half an hour of pokes, prods, and examining later, Redheart had determined the fillies were in no worse condition than they looked – just a little dirty and scuffed up was all. Luna made note of how quickly and gently Redheart had gone about her job, taking care to keep their comfort above all else, when possible. Celestia had never been fond of needles, but she understood it as a necessity. After that, a damp washcloth, a comb, and a Band-Aid or two, and the sisters looked good as new, and Redheart lead them back across the hall and into the kitchen.

“Everyone, please say hi to Sunrise and Dusky,” Redheart said to the 15-odd foals around the tables.

“Hi Sunrise, hi Dusky,” the children replied with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but most smiling. Luna smiled back.

“They’ll be staying with us for a while,” the nursemare continued, “So please, everypony treat them the same way you’d treat the Princesses!”

Luna and Celestia looked at each other, trying their best to mask the alarm. Do they know? Celestia asked her sister telepathically.

How could they? Luna answered, Unless Miss Redheart knows something about Alicorn biology that even we do not and could not mask with this transformation.

“Relax, it’s just something we’ve started to say around here,” the bigger white earth pony said, as if sensing their unease, “The Princesses generally don’t show up unannounced. We’ll have plenty of warning.”

Sister help me for I fear I am going to die of laughter, Luna thought at Celestia, the deep blue filly chewing on her own tongue to avoid displaying her amusement

You have no idea how hard I’m trying not to do the same, Celestia thought back.

“Alright, there are a couple empty seats over there by Tag-a-long,” Redheart pointed, and a little yellow filly with an orange mane waved over at them, “We’re having pasta with marinara sauce, do you like that?”

The disguised princesses nodded vigorously, and happily trotted over to the indicated chairs.

“Wonderful. Snowflake, could you get a couple more plates down?”

“Sure thing,” a low voice answered before a high-pitched buzz filled the room. Luna and Celestia turned to the source of the noise, and their jaws dropped. Sure, she’d been here before and he’d worked here for years, but every single time Celestia managed to forget about Snowflake. The behemoth of a Pegasus was one of the only ponies that even got close to her normal height, but shrunken down so she suddenly became very aware of how other ponies must feel when looking at her. Luna, for her part, had never met the hulk before, and merely stared in awe, unable to comprehend how a pony so large could be floating through the air with such ease. He spun and rotated through the air, setting two empty plates down in front of the fillies and depositing forks beside those.

How in your name is he doing that? Luna thought to her sister, still blatantly staring.

He’s a Pegasus. Stunted wing growth.

Physics says no.

Magic says yes.

Luna groaned aloud, garnering a couple looks from the foals around the table. “Sorry, it has been quite a while since I have had a proper meal,” Luna explained with a lie, “I am just a little… eager is all.”

“Well, we’ll make sure to get you the first serving then,” Snowflake spoke from overhead, buzzing back into the kitchen area. Flying back in with a large pot in his hooves, he set it surprisingly delicately on the table before the blue filly. Reaching in with a large pasta scoop, he pulled up a clump of spaghetti and placed it neatly on the princess’ plate. “That enough for ya?”

Luna threw on a grateful smile and nodded happily.

“Awesome. And for you, little miss Sunrise?” He scooped some of the stringy pasta onto Celestia’s plate. “That enough?”

“Could I get a little more, please?”

“Of course! We made plenty for everypony,” he said, adding another helping to her plate.

“Thank you!”

“Absolutely,” Snowflake replied, before moving to the little colt next to Luna, and proceeding around the table, doling out spaghetti to each foal in turn. The sauce came around next, the mammoth Pegasus once again passing out plentiful portions to each little child. Celestia had to admit that, while it didn’t quite compare to the Royal Kitchens, for a meal made quickly and made to feed many it was rather tasty. Judging by how quickly Luna had devoured her own portion and asked for seconds, her little sister agreed. The meal passed quickly, amicable chatter surrounding the princesses as the foals eagerly chomped down their food.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier group of orphaned foals, Celestia thought to Luna as Redheart and Snowflake collected the now-empty plates from the tables.

I do not believe I have either, sister.

“Alright, my little ponies,” Brighter began, walking into the room, “I was going to suggest going to the park for a while this afternoon, but it seems there’s been a bit of a rainstorm. I guess we’ll just have a relaxing afternoon in?”

The foals murmured agreement, smiles and nods all around. Some set off to do homework, others simply sat down to chat with one another. Celestia found a book of short stories on a bookshelf and settled into a corner, reading peacefully and quietly observing the children as the day waned on. Luna, on the other hoof, followed a group of colts into another room and watched a couple movies with them. And so the day passed – and so, much to the confusion of Equestrian citizens around the country, the day remained.

Sister, isn’t it getting a little late? Celestia asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

A little late for wha-

“That’s odd,” Redheart thought aloud, “It’s almost eight o’clock, shouldn’t the sun have set by now?”

Oh horsefeathers.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Dusky declared loudly, standing up suddenly and shuffling quickly over to the washroom. Horsefeathers horsefeathers horsefeathers- Luna cursed to herself, jumping into the large stall at the back of the bathroom and standing up on the toilet seat to get a good look out the window. She concentrated for a moment, a blue glow encompassing her horn, and the sun went down in rather a rush, replaced quickly by the moon. Much better, that was almost ba- Luna’s own thoughts were interrupted as she felt herself slip.

Several minutes later, a rather humiliated and slightly damp unicorn walked back out of the bathroom.

What took so long, Luna? Did you fall in?

Cease thy speech, sister.

“Did anypony else just see that?” Brighter asked, in a bit of a state of shock over the rather… abrupt change from day to night. A few other ponies nodded or mumbled agreement, but Tag-a-long was staring intently at the disguised sisters, a small frown upon her face. Luna and Celestia did their best to inconspicuously avoid eye contact.

“Alright,” Redheart said, drawing out the syllables as she mulled this new experience over in her mind, “Well… I guess we should start getting to bed, then. Alright, children, lets go get our teeth brushed and get ready for bed!”

As if on cue, two toothbrushes appeared next to the fillies, encapsulated in a vivid green aura. “Need these?” Brighter offered with a laugh. The princesses took the toothbrushes gratefully, following the other foals into the bathrooms.

Twenty minutes later, the foals were tucked neatly into bed. Luna and Celestia shared a bed much smaller than either was used to having individually, but their comparatively tiny foal bodies made up for the unusually little bed.

Should we not go home, Celestia?

I think it would be a little awkward for our hosts if we were to disappear in the night, and I dare say our new friends would have heart attacks if we suddenly revealed ourselves. One more night won’t hurt. Plus, it isn’t often we get to sleep like this. I miss this, I missed us sister, just being sisters. I think we both needed this.

I missed this too, sister.

---

“Celestia! Celestia!” Luna hissed, trying to wake her sister. “It is late! Too late! The sun was supposed to go up half an hour ago!”

“Nnnng, Luna, five more minutes…” Celestia groaned in reply, rolling over.

“Guuuuuuh,” Luna growled, and punched her sister in the side with a hoof. “Get up!”

Celestia jolted awake. “L- Dusky, what on earth are you waking me up for? The sun isn’t even up yet!”

“Yes! We know! And whose fault is that?” Luna whispered angrily.

“Oh. Oh, right. Yeah, that’s on me.”

“Well fix it!”

“What’re you talking about?” Tag-a-long asked groggily from the bed beside them, “It’s still so early, the sun’s not even up yet… waitaminute,” the little filly took a glance at the clock, “Shouldn’t the sun be up already? Did the Princess forget?”

“Maybe she did, Tag-a-long,” Dusky answered calmly, kicking her sister in the ribs again.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Sunrise declared in a panic, the only excuse springing to mind being the same as her sister’s last night. She rolled from the bed and hustled along the floor, stepping both as quickly and as quietly as she could manage. Sliding into the little fillies room, she hopped up on the toilet seat and looked out the window. The moon was nowhere to be found. Oh me dang it, it’s on the other side of the building. She hopped down and walked back out of the bathroom, looking left, right, left again to make sure nopony was watching, swallowed heavily, and pressed open the door to the colts room across the hall. Thanking herself, the room was mercifully empty. She closed the door to the stall behind her, and looked out the window. There sat the moon, still lingering above the horizon. I really screwed this one up. She concentrated, her invisible horn glistening gold for just a moment, and the moon went down. Now to raise the su-

She paused with a hoof on the stall door as the door to the bathroom opened.

Immediately she twisted the lock back and moved back to the toilet seat, hopping up on it in hopes her legs would pass as a colt’s if the other pony happened to take notice. A light blush crept on the mare’s face as she head the telltale sounds of the next stall over being used. A flush, a couple pumps of soap, and a few seconds of hoof-washing later, the mystery pony once again walked out of the bathroom. Sending out a silent prayer of thanks to the mysterious forces of luck in the universe, Celestia opened the stall door and hurried out of the bathroom, back across the hall, and into the room she would have a less difficult time explaining why she was in. Jumping up to take a look out the window, she gently cast the same spell she had every morning of every day for so many, many years, watching the sun gently drift above the horizon.

Well, that’s taken care of.

Did you fall in, sister?

Okay, I deserved that one, Luna. A telepathic giggle echoed through her mind, her sister’s laughter warming her heart a little.

“Alright everypony, despite the weirdness with the sun,” Brighter Horizons entered the room already speaking, “it is in fact still a school day. Let’s all get ready to go. Dusky, Sunrise, do you want to come with us?”

Luna and Celestia shared a brief look, shrugged, turned back to their unquestioning host and nodded.

“Oh wonderful,” Brighter answered. “Alright my little ponies, chop-chop!”

---

Celestia had forgotten how fond of Miss Cheerilee she was. Well, perhaps fond wasn’t quite the honest word – it was a bit closer to envy. She loved being a leader, she really, truly did, but there was a part of her that would give anything to just be a normal school teacher. But the laws of fate were written and her mother had decided her destiny all those years ago, and Celestia knew that it was a dream that would never be. Still, she was not bitter about it, just… perhaps a little sad.

Returning from school was an interesting experience – Cheerilee had not taught the sisters anything they did not already know, but really, that wasn’t the mare’s fault. The other foals had eagerly drunk up from the schoolteacher’s overflowing fount of knowledge, even if they didn’t quite retain it all. Both sisters had spent some time helping the other foals with their homework in the afternoon and into the evening when a loud knock came from the front door. Brighter Horizons quickly stood and walked over to the door.

Was that the knock pattern I think it was?

The jig is up, sister.

“Oh, hello,” Brighter said as she opened the door, finding two royal guards standing on the other side of the door, “Can I help you kind stallions?”

“Good evening ma’am. I am Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard, and this is Captain Mooncharger of the Night’s Watch,” the white unicorn introduced himself and his dark gray thestral partner with a bow. His words were distinctly annunciated, sounding stiff and formal. “We are here looking for two young fillies who ran away from their parents and have caused a bit of a commotion in Canterlot. A note they left behind suggested they might be in Ponyville, and as neither Mayor Mare nor my sister, Twilight Sparkle, knew of anything specific, it was suggested I come here instead. Have you maybe come across two young sisters, one with a coat of pure white and another with a coat of deep blue?”

“It seems a little odd that the Captains themselves would be sent out for something like this,” Brighter puzzled aloud, seeing the stallion’s jaw clench ever so slightly at the statement. “No offense, of course, I am aware that the Princess cares for all her little ponies equally and that every mission is an important one. Yes, however, I have seen the fillies you are asking about. Dusky and Sunrise Stardrop?”

“That would be them,” Mooncharger replied, the faintest hint of annoyance in his voice. “May we please see them, so that we may return them to their families?”

“Of course sirs, right this way,” Brighter stepped aside and motioned for the stallions to enter. They followed her through the entryway and into the living area. As they entered, they spotted the two fillies in question sitting among a group of other foals, chatting happily. They looked over at the guards as they entered, faces filling with shame as cheeky grins spread across their faces.

“P-“ Mooncharger tried to cry out, silenced a fraction of a second later with a soft blue glow from Dusky’s horn.

We apologize greatly for the inconveniences we have caused in Canterlot, but please, please dear Mooncharger, do not break the illusion. Do you understand? Think ‘yes’ if you understand, Luna’s voice invaded the Captain’s mind.

Y-yes, I understand, he thought, hoping that his thoughts would be heard.

Thank you, dear Captain. We will come with you, if you give us a moment to say goodbye. Again, think ‘yes’ if this is acceptable.

Yes, he thought obediently.

Dusky nodded to him, the glow around her horn disappearing. Shining Armor looked over at him curiously. Mooncharger simply nodded, years of service together conveying in silence what others would need to say.

“Well, my new friends, it has certainly been fun, but it seems we must leave now,” Dusky announced to the group. Foals swarmed around them, some laughing, others simply offering goodbyes. One in particular slipped to the front and hugged them closely.

“You’re not quite as subtle as you think you are, Princesses,” Tag-a-long whispered in their ears as she hugged them goodbye, “but I am very glad you came to us as you did. It was wonderful to meet you. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony. I think my mom would have a heart attack if she knew who you two really were. Was this one of the annual inspections?”

“It was very pleasant to make your acquaintance as well, Tag-a-long,” Luna replied with a giggle, giving the filly a quick squeeze and pulling away, “In a way, it was. Rest assured, my little filly, the love here is tangible. Your mother will continue to receive full funding for the foreseeable future. I hope to meet you again some time.”

“Me too!” Tag-a-long cheered as the fillies were lead away by the Guardsponies.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Mooncharger began to speak. “Permission to speak freely, Princesses?”

“Of course, Captain Mooncharger,” Celestia and Luna answered in unison.

The thestral sighed. “I understand that everypony needs a break from time to time, but please, do not be so… spontaneous about it next time. Do you know who gets put in charge when you both disappear without a trace? I suspect you do, but I’m going to tell you anyways. It’s Discord. Discord gets put in charge in Canterlot. Let me tell you, that is not anypony’s idea of a good time. Except Discord’s. Discord’s idea of a good time is terrifying. It’s going to be a lot more than three Royal Guards needing therapy this time.”

“It was Luna’s idea,” Sunrise said, jutting a hoof out and pointing at her sister.

“It most certainly was no-” Dusky began to object, then quieted at a glare from Mooncharger. “It was my idea.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble we caused you, my fair Captains,” Celestia said, her voice suddenly very sincere. “If we make any further excursions, we will be sure to provide more warning in the future.”

“And do something to prevent Discord from being in charge… ever again?”

“We make no promises.”