Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle spent the night at Sweet Apple Acres to be with Apple Bloom. Big Macintosh had left to go tell their legal guardians where their daughters were at and why they hadn't come home to ask for permission as they usually did.

Applejack left the Rich estate and came home late. The fillies were already asleep, which suited Applejack perfectly as she wanted to talk about what she saw and heard with her grandmother and brother alone.

“Ah don't see why that's got ya all twisted up,” Said Granny Smith as she drank her tea.

“It don't bother you how our 'Lord' sentenced two foals to serve both jail time and community service, or how about the fact that he doesn't seem to care about Equine life?” Applejack was shocked to see that her family was not as bothered as she was about Noblesse Oblige's behavior.

“It hadn't occurred to you that this Top Priority mare just said that to be intimidating did it?” Big Macintosh was as stone faced as ever. Though he could become quite talkative at the dinner table.

“Okay, lets say that she was just talk'in outa her plot. He still has the ability to prosecute Ponies without trial,” Pointed out Applejack.

“That's not how it works Aj,” started Granny Smith, “When something like this happens, the noblepony and whatever members of 'is cabinet present try the defendant themselves, actin as both judge and jury. Ah would be bothered by how those two weren't allowed to go to their trial to defend themselves, but with so many witnesses and the danger those two could've put Apple Bloom in, Ah'd say this Noblesse Oblige went easy on 'em.”

Applejack was stunned at how her grandmother was not only not up in arms about this, but seemed to be defending the strange noblepony.

“They wouldn't have gotten a trial any how,” Big Mac started to explain, “As our family sowed it's seeds throughout Equestria saw only to our family business, the Rich family concentrated on it's social standing. They were actually granted the title of Baron because of that. Hadn't you ever wondered why those two got away with so many minor offenses?”

“And those bullies used their family connections to dig around our family medical history, with us being nobleponies since yer knighting, that's a very serious crime in of it's self. When two lesser noble families in the same province start commitin' crimes against each other, the next highest ranking noble in the Province is granted total judicial power over the fightin' families. And given how much you have done fer Equestria, Noblesse Oblige could be makin' em'self look bad by going easy on those fillies.”

“Huh,” Was all the response Applejack could articulate at that. If everything her brother and grandmother had said was accurate, then Noblesse Oblige was being much more merciful than he probably should have been. If Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were nobleponies, then much more severe action was called for.

Not another word was spoken by Applejack until she said goodnight to her family and went to bed. Not that Applejack got much sleep that night.

The next morning at Golden Oaks Library, Twilight and Spike had just finished their breakfast and were about to open the library when a knocking sound came from the door.

“Huh that's weird, we don't usually get patrons this early,” Said Spike as he went to answer the door.

Twilight was actually a little excited at the prospect of a Pony coming by so early in the morning. A depressingly few number of Ponies ever came to the library. While Twilight could easily live comfortably from the stipend granted to her as both a knight and Princess Celestia's protege, it would be nice to see more Ponies reading.

Twilight's excitement was cut short as Spike called from the front of the library, “Uh, Twilight! You need to come over here!” Spike's voice was somewhat shaky, as though he were scared.

Twilight rushed to the front door, wonder what could cause her number one assistant such distress. Twilight understood Spike's worrying as she saw who was at the door.

“Dame Twilight Sparkle,” Said one of the three blindfolded Bat-Ponies at the front door, “Lord Noblesse Oblige hast summoned thee to appear in his court today at noon, we trust thou shant be late.”

The three Bat-Ponies were dressed in dark silver colored leather armor with royal purple highlights. Their colors suggested that served House Platinum directly. The fact their armor was made from leather and not metal, meant that they were a noblepony's couriers as opposed to their knights.

Twilight stood there in surprise for a few moments before she realized the messengers were awaiting a response, “Of course, where is his court currently being held?”

“In the old of the Castle of Royal Pony Sisters, now named the Everfree Palace, as ordained by his majesty,” The Bat-Pony's voice was robotic and professional.

The lavender Unicorn and near infantile dragon watched as the three Bat-Ponies spread their leathery wings and took flight. They flew in the direction of the Everfree Forest as though they could see it in the distance, despite the fact that they were blindfolded and shouldn't be able to see a thing.

“Spike,” Twilight spoke in a startled tone of voice, “Can you watch the library by yourself today?”

Twilight left her home four hours later and headed to the Castle of the- and headed to the Everfree Palace. It was going to take some time to etch into her mind that the ancient structure had been renamed.

Most Ponies would think it strange to put your seat of government in a forest where nature ruled itself, like most of the lands outside of the Equestrian continent. But most Ponies weren't as scholarly as Twilight Sparkle, it also didn't hurt that she spent the majority of her life at the side of the Sun Princess.

Celestia had told Twilight why she and Luna had lived someplace that was supposed to be unspeakably dangerous. Celestia and Luna had established magical wards that repealed both the weather and the wildlife of the Everfree Forest. Since nopony had removed the wards when Celestia relocated to the Canterlot Palace, all somepony needed to do was refuel the wards with their own magic.

Twilight arrived at the once abandoned structure to see that it was still in the middle of 'remodeling.'

The desecrated bridge that once connected the artificially constructed pillar that the castle stood upon to the rest of the forest, was replaced with an ornate stone bridge. On the decorative posts that stood on either side of the bridge, sat small Gargoyles looking outwards from the bridge.

Across the bridge Twilight could see an 'unique' statue that must have been inspired by Under-City culture, because Twilight could not put a name or origin to what she was seeing.

The statue sat in a fountain set in the center of the palace courtyard. The statue depicted a beetle performing a threat display. A snake coiled itself around the beetle with it's unhinged maw opened wide, Twilight could tell even at this distance that the snake's mouth also served as a torch sconce. Perched on top of the snake's head was a bat with it's wings spread wide.

When Twilight crossed the bridge she could tell that the water in the fountain flowed from the limbs of the beetle part of the statue.

Even though Twilight could see only one side of the building, the style of the 'restored' architecture was clearly Gothic overall. Though there were multiple motifs to the building both complete and in progress that must have been taken from Under-City architecture, as Twilight couldn't recognize many of the bizarre designs.

Twilight walked in a half circle around the fountain and approached the guards at the gates. Twilight knew that there was something off about the guards just from looking at them. The parts of the guards' coat that she could see didn't seem to made from fur, but it also couldn't possibly be their skin. Their helms were also made to completely obscure their eyes from sight, meaning that they should have been blind while wearing them.

“Good morrow Dame Twilight, our lord is awaiting you in his throne room,” One of the Earth Pony guards said, despite the fact that he shouldn't have been able to see her coming.

“Uh, th-thank you sir,” Twilight rushed as quickly as manners would allow as she passed the strange guardponies, she found something about their very presence unsettling.

As Twilight made her way through the palace she saw servants and guards alike, and now she knew something was wrong.

Over half of the Ponies she saw had their eyes occluded in some fashion. Though the servants were most distressing to the exalted mare. Without the guardponies' armor to cover the majority of their coats, she could see that these 'Ponies' lacked coats. There were Bat-Ponies who looked normal except for their leathery wings, bestial ears, and blindfolds. Though it were the Unicorns and Earth Ponies that really upset Twilight. Twilight could see their skins perfectly, and that they were too different to belong to an Equine of any kind. In place of the Unicorns' pelts were rows of scales. The Earth Ponies' skin were more akin to stone than flesh as they reflected light and appeared to be harder than steel, yet they still flexed like muscle.

When Twilight finally reached the throne room, she thought that she was going to faint at the sight of so many unnatural looking Poni- No! They didn't even look like Ponies! Twilight could tell that her skin was as white as a sheet and she could barely stand on her four hooves.

“Oh dear, I was afraid this would happen,” Spoke the voice of the noblepony that had summoned Twilight Sparkle to the Cas- to the Everfree Palace.

Medical staff went to Twilight's sides as they cast spells that repressed the oncoming fainting spells and helped Twilight regain her balance. The medical Ponies also helped Twilight to one of the chairs in the room, that was grotesquely comfortable, given the oppressive Gothic atmosphere of the building.

Now that Twilight wasn't going to fall unconscious, she could look around the throne room. The Diarchs' old thrones still stood at the back of the room, though even these relics had been 'refitted.' Each of the thrones had statues of armored Alicorns rearing back on their hind legs with their wings spread wide. The Alicorn over Celestia's throne was made out of marble with golden armor. The Alicorn over Luna's throne donned silver armor and was made out of obsidian.

Before the original Twin Thrones, there was a long table with a dozen chairs on each side and a single chair on opposite ends. All of the chairs were made from stone, though they had cushioned with pillows that seemed to be affixed to the chair themselves as opposed to being simply placed on them. The chair at the far end of the table, the same side of the room that held the Twin Thrones, sat Noblesse Oblige in his throne. The obviously eccentric noblepony's throne was made from cushioned bronze.

There were no windows in the throne room, but there was a large sky light that light the room without the use of torches. Twilight could see the dozens of mares-at-arms loyal to House Platinum on opposite sides of the room, awaiting either a disturbance or their master's orders. And standing next to Noblesse Oblige was a light purple mare with a dark blue mane, Twilight could also see the golden stripes running perpendicular along her armor's royal purple highlights, indicating that she was in charge of security in the Everfree Palace.

“Wh-what, what was wrong with those Ponies?” Though the spells the medical Ponies used on Twilight eliminated the physical fatigue caused by her mental distress, they did not relieve her of her mental fatigue.

“There is nothing 'wrong' with those Ponies Dame Twilight, I simply imported some Ponies loyal to my family from the Under-Cities,” Noblesse Oblige was only too happy to explain.

It was at that moment, everything clicked together for Twilight. The grotesque statue in the courtyard, the Bat-Ponies, the Earth Ponies with stone like skin, the Unicorns with scales on their flesh. Twilight also remembered the blood rituals that her mentor had mentioned only a few days ago.

Instantly, Twilight's fatigue was washed away in a deluge of curiosity as a single question enveloped Twilight's mind, “How? How do those blood rituals work?” In Twilight's studies under Celestia, she had of course learned about many types of magic. Blood Magic though, was one topic that Celestia had purposefully ignored.

Noblesse Oblige simply laughed quietly at how Twilight went from almost fainting to practically bouncing in her seat, “I will explain when the rest get here.”

A few minutes later, the Elements of Harmony and their sisters entered the throne room. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and the Crusaders had been in awe at the alien design of the building that was to become the bureaucratic heart of their province. Rarity had especially been amazed at the banners and other fabric relics they saw in palace. Instead of throwing the old fabrics away, Noblesse Oblige had ordered that they be restored to their previous beauty and hung throughout his fortress. Pinkie Pie had excited at the prospect of being asked to host some kind of party. Fluttershy had been taken with wonder at how most of Noblesse's staff were Ponies that had seemed to have been fused with different exotic animals, she was also curious about the statue in the courtyard as she couldn't put a name to the breeds of animals it depicted. Applejack had seen the strange Ponies and foreign architecture as terrible omens of things to come, though she did an admirable job at hiding her concerns.

“Welcome Knights of the Diarchy and the Realm, and Scootaloo,” Noblesse Oblige stated out loud.

“Gee, thanks,” The simple response from Scootaloo invoked the head of security to begin gathering her magic, though she dispelled it when her master tapped her peytral as he nodded his head in the negative.

“Thank ye all for answering mine summons on such short notice,” The noblepony started again, “I have called you all to discuss an urgent issue.”

“I will be attending school at the Ponyville Foalhood Education Center starting Monday at the request of mine greatdam and great aunt, and I need'st thou to keep mine identity a secret.”

“Wait, what?” Applejack exclaimed, “Why would we need to keep yer identity a secret?”

“The Diarchs have asked me to try to make friends mine own age, that will be hard to do if everypony believes they must go out of their way to please me,” Explained Noblesse Oblige.

“Will you be using a pseudonym?” Asked Sweetie Belle plainly.

“A pseudo-what?” Said Rainbow Dash.

“A fake name, Dame Dash,” the noblepony said with a deadpanned expression, “And nay, I shant need it. Mine name is common amongst the citizenry of Canterlot, so I need thou to only keep mine ancestry and rank secret.”

“Hey, can I ask ya a question?” Apple Bloom continued when her lord nodded in the affirmative, “Will the new foals that 'er 'bout to come here gonna be like them servants outside?”

“Aye, they will Apple Bloom. I apologize in advance for any 'difficulties' the Under-City Ponies cause, I must also warn thou that they are fanatic in their worship to the Diarchs,” Noblesse Oblige held a solemn expression as he spoke.

“What are the Under-City Ponies?” Asked Rainbow Dash, “They seem to be closer to being other animals than they do Equines.”

Noblesse Oblige nodded in acknowledgment before he spoke, “When the Ponies under the Diarchs a thousand years ago migrated in penance, they needed to change themselves in order to survive in their new environment. For guidance the Earth Ponies looked to the beetles that harvested plants and prey from the stones, the Pegasi looked to the bats of the underground that stalked without sight, and the Unicorns looked to the ancient serpents that offered advice freely in their dying breaths. The result were the Beetle-Ponies who navigate by channeling their magic into the ground, the Bat-Ponies who hunt with their hearing, and the Serpicorns who use their sense of smell to stalk the chasms. These creatures became known as 'Totem Beasts' and objects of worship in their own right. The Under-City Ponies used their blood, that of the Totem Beasts, and the magic found in themselves and the subterranean leylines to fuse with their Totems to become what they are today.”

“Is there something wrong with their eyes?” Asked Pinkie Pie, “They all wear blindfolds.”

“They have spent their entire lives underground, and the Blood Rituals gave them the eyes of nocturnal creatures. The light of Celestia's Orb is too harsh for their sight, it is only under the Dream Warden's Pale Light that they can see without going blind,” Noblesse Oblige looked up and into the sky light as he caught his breath.

“I noticed things being moved out of Ponyville's courthouse and into here on my way, what are you going to do with the courthouse?” Twilight's question wasn't that strange, if Noblesse Oblige was going to hold court in his estate then what was to be done with the courthouse?

Everypony waited patiently as the lord caught his breath, curious as to what his answer was going to be, “It is the decision of the Town Council, though I did give the suggestion of turning the building into a Festival Hall of sorts. Speaking of which, I must ask that you hold off on welcoming parties for the influx of Ponies that will be moving Dame Pie.”

“WHAT!” Pinkie yelled as her mane and tail flattened, “But why?”

“Several migrants will be moving here soon, and the courthouse's conversion will be complete shortly there after. I think that a massive party for the new comers is the perfect opportunity to use the new Festival Hall, don't you agree?” Noblesse Oblige looked to Pinkie Pie with an expectant smile on his face.

Everypony in the room watched Pinkie Pie carefully as she processed the information given to her. After a few moments, Pinkie's mane and tail regained their poofy quality and Pinkie shot towards Noblesse Oblige as a pink blur, “Oh thank you! That is wonderful idea! I need to get to planning,” Pinkie released Noblesse from her bone crushing hug as she seemed to faze out of existence.

“My lord! Are you all right?” Top Priority and the medical staff in the room were at Noblesse's side in an instant.

Noblesse got up off the floor slowly, “Yes, I just need to realign my spine," Joked Noblesse, "I will not be issuing an arrest warrant for Dame Pinknamina,” The guardponies who were about to leave the room paused at their lord's statement before they went back into position.

The medics in the room started to channel the magic through their horn and onto their master. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle as she recognized the spell. The spell was used by Medi-Mages to examine patients' skeletal structures without cutting them open, it seemed they really were concerned that Pinkie Pie had damaged his spine.

One of the medics went behind Noblesse and grabbed him in a bear hug. As she did so, the room filled with the sound of cracks and pops, “Ahh, thank you Malpractice.”

The ponies at the table laughed at Noblesse's first real encounter with Pinkie Pie, though the guardponies and medics glared at them for seemingly dismissing their master's well being.

“Heh heh, hey Noblesse, are you doing anything today?” Scootaloo asked, still laughing at his expense.

“I'm too young to participate in court and I have nothing to do with the renovations, so no. Why dost thou ask?”

“Well, the girls and I are going to be host a club meeting to welcome some new members. And I thought you might want to join, if only to make new friends,” Scootaloo explained happily.

Noblesse needed no time to consider her offer, “That's a grand idea Scootaloo, I'd love to accompany thou.”

“Should I organize an escort your grace?” Asked his head of security.

“Nay, an escort would give away mine identity. And I think the guards would be better used deterring any looters or wildlife,” Said Noblesse.

Noblesse left his throne and started walking as he spoke, “This meeting is adjourned, thou may do what ye will.”

Four of the Elements of Harmony left for home as the Crusaders and Noblesse went to Sugarcube Corner to meet with their new Crusaders. Though Applejack decided to follow the Crusaders and Noblesse Oblige at a distance, for the Crusades' sake of course.