“Say, Arin. You’ve accompanied my Sister on her nightly duties. Perhaps you’d like to experience the day court with me? I could use pleasant company, and a second opinion is always welcome. You might have a knack for it – you’ve been in situations that a fair few of my subjects are facing today.”

It seemed as if Celestia was a wild card, one exceptionally good at forcing Arin to stutter, feint, or spit out his tea at any given moment.

“Accompany you? In court? You host trials?”

She gave a fair laugh, shaking her head. “No no, not like that. I listen to the pains of my subjects, and give my advice or aide where needed. Though it’s a short session today – I will also be making my way towards Canterlot city proper to attend the reopening of the City Hall. I thought you’d like to see the city as well. Then a few more tasks – at which point you may rest.”

“Wouldn’t it be weird for an outlander to attend your court, Celestia? I mean, not to dash your hopes – but I don’t exactly… well, fit in.”

She reached a hoof out, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. How could she do that with a flat hoof? It felt more like a hand than anything.

“Don’t think like that, my subject. You are a Citizen of Equestria. You have the right to attend court, same as any other. And as a guest of the Crown, you are able to sit with me. That is, if Honey would like the rest of the day off?”

Honey gave a soft yawn, nodding. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep well last night. I was up late thinking about how to talk to Arin about stuff, and today has been draining. I’ll be back tomorrow to pick up where we left off – early, too, just before breakfast. Don’t think I’d let you get off that easy. I still want to know what happens if you ‘Give a Parasprite an Apple’.”

Celestia and Honey both laughed, as Arin hid his face in his palms. His cheeks were crimson with embarrassment, why did she have to bring up the reading?

“Arin, we all must start somewhere. You’re in very capable hooves, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Celestia turned her empty cup over the saucer, leaving it on the nearby tray.

“Yep! The Princess is right, you’ve got nothing to worry about! Parasprites or not, I’ll cram the words in your brain.” Honey was overly infectious, as per usual. He eventually gave up, smiling as well. He even ignored the fact that he was thirty years old, in this moment, being treated like a child.

“Alright alright, but the moment I can read above a Foal’s level, please, never bring up trains – or parasprites – again.”

“Aw! I thought you liked that one! Choo choo!” Honey did an amazing impression of a train conductor, and even Celestia gave a soft giggle before standing to her hooves.

“I do believe my schedule calls me. Let us be off. I will see you tomorrow, Honey – and when Arin makes an advancement in reading, please send me a letter. Candlelight, our resident librarian, should be able to come up with a few lessons to speed him along. You might want to check with her before you go.”

Honey gave a mock salute, smiling. “On it, your Majesty!” She bounced and darted towards the front entrance of the garden, right through the doors – with the Guard’s help, of course.

“She’s an energetic one, isn’t she?” Celestia asked, helping Arin to his feet. She offered him his crutch, at which Arin accepted right under his right arm. “Reminds me of a certain pink pony from Ponyville.”

“You’d be shocked, and as sharp as thorns when she feels the need to be.”

Arin stayed close to the Princess’s side as they made their way out of the garden. With little else to talk about at the moment, it’d be better to reflect on the past.

“So… Luna helped raise this garden, huh? Everything in it is a form of deadly Nightshade, bred to have the poison removed.” He said, “Why would she need a hobby like this?”

Celestia didn’t turn to face him, only continue her gentle pace down the hall. After a moment, she gave a sigh.

“Perhaps it’s best you learn now, rather than next month when the holiday comes around. Princess Luna has a bit of a… troubled, past. It’s a story and a half, so let’s slow our pace. We can spare a minute.”

Arin’s wobble-step slowed to her more meandering hobble, as she began to recount the events of the past. “A little over a thousand years ago, my Sister and I ruled Equestria in harmony. We had overcame many challenges, and we had a strong bond. But she wasn’t happy with how our positions stood.

“Our little ponies would wake to the sun, and live during their day. And when night came, they would sleep soundly under the moon. This meant that during the day, I received praise for my duties, my actions – I cast a great shadow behind me, and when night fell, Luna was left to her own devices to sulk.”

They turned the corner, and into the main hallway – towards the center of the castle.

“This pain grew into a bitter rage, and I did little to quell her pain. One night, she refused to lower the moon. Her emotions were too strong, and the magic within her seared and glowed – and she transformed into a terrifying mare; Nightmare Moon.

“I tried to reason with her, to bring out my Sister I knew that lay deep inside. But it wasn’t meant to be. So we fought. Her magic was strong, far stronger than I could ever wish to fight in my current state. I had two choices left; and I took the lesser pain.

“There were these gleaming gemstones that housed incredible power. The Elements of Harmony. We had both used them to defeat Discord, the God of Chaos before, and thus kept them in the castle. With a mighty blast, I was knocked from the sky and into the castle foyer. I used my magic, and took the elements, and…

“I banished her. For a thousand years, I sent her to the moon. I had regretted that day ever since. But the years passed, and she used the stars to escape her prison. Nightmare Moon returned, and claimed eternal night over Equis. But she didn’t expect to have conflict with a student of mine, Twilight Sparkle.

“Twilight and her friends found the Elements of Harmony, and used them to destroy Nightmare Moon for good – freeing Princess Luna from the Nightmare’s hold. And from there, it’s history. It’s all I wish to say about it.”

Arin and Celestia stopped before the large oak doors to – not the dining hall – but the throne room. With her horn, she easily nudged open the massive barricade, Arin following close behind. Two Guards were already waiting by the throne, and with a white wing, she motioned for Arin to take a seat on her left side.

“It’s proper for me to leave my right hoof seat open to my Sister, Luna. Though she has rarely used it, it’s still an option for her. You may take the chair to my left.”

With a nod, he quickly bumbled his way up the ramp – eyes darting around the beautiful room to take it all in.

This throne even had fountains on either side. If that wasn’t classy, he didn’t know what was. Though he did hear that the Twin Spear’s throne is made of a hundred iron spears, and six golden ones for arm rests – but that simply didn’t sound comfortable.

The regal carpet, the impressive stained glass windows, tapestries – the fountain fed flowers as well, dozens of pillars towering up into the vaulted ceiling. Sitting next to Celestia, he felt empowered. Elevated over the court room, the sun filtering through the windows – it gave him a sense of grandiose.

The Oak doors fully parted, two guards taking their post on either side. A silver unicorn approached, her dark mane resting over blue irises. She bore a quill and parchment – that matched her cutiemark, no less.

“Princess Celestia, we have reached capacity for your allotted… Oh hello. Who is this?”

“Quill Shine, this is Arin. He is accompanying me today on the seat of Day Court. As a Royal Guest, I wanted him to see the plights of my subjects first-hoofed.” Celestia gave her a gentle smile, before continuing. “Now, please continue with your report.”

“Right, right… We have reached capacity for today’s day court within twenty two minutes, which is on par with the average fill rate for this quarter. From our counts, it appears the populace is well situated and warm to your leadership, as always. And there seems to be few major issues as well.” QuillShine rolled up her scroll, slipping it into her satchel. “The most common issue for today’s court appears to be complaints regarding insurance claims.”

Celestia sighed. “The same as the last four days, it seems. Most of these issues has been addressed, so these must be new problems, surely.”

“By our accounts, no. The recent incident with the Storm King led to plentiful damages to buildings, with fires and torment being a lead cause for distress. It appears that a primary insurer has become unable to meet their monetary obligations, and has collapsed under the weight.”

Rubbing her temples with her hooves, Celestia groaned quietly to herself. “Couple that with the damages to the castle – which had to come from the Crown’s Budget, the damage to the economy, and legal action against the Storm King’s estate, leads to the treasury being to thin to handle this stress. This will have to be a by-case basis, it seems.”

“What is the current financial state of the Crown, Quill Shine?” The Princess regained her composure, standing tall once more. “I need to know how much wiggle room I have, per say.”

The unicorn dug into the left side of her simple saddlebag, withdrawing another scroll. “Our latest tally, held seven days ago, found that our current debt was null – due to a large recent payment to the Griffon Kingdom for refined alloys – but our liquid assets were slim compared to the usual market, holding just below 3 million bits, or 21 and a half tonnes of one-fourth ounce gold coins.”

Arin’s jaw dropped. Was gold really that common here? 21 tonnes – that’s… not just an entire treasury, that was more than half of all the found gold in his world. At least, at the time. The estimates for remaining gold were massive – but still…

Celestia winced, hissing through her teeth. “Our queue is no more than fifty today, correct? How many are approaching with Insurance Issues?”

“Thirty three, Princess.” Quill Shine gave a weak, knowing smile. “A few too many.”

The Princess nodded. “If things end poorly here, we will have to reconsider next year’s Gala. It’s devastating that this had to happen after both the Gala, and the Festival of Friendship, but… it’s beyond our control now. Thank you Quill Shine. If you will, record the expenditures today and report to me if we begin to dig a little too deep.”

The young mare nodded, tossing her black hair from her eyes as she stood off to the side of the door, nodding to the guards.

The first pony approached, a scruffy looking Stallion with a mustache. He seemed a bit past his prime, his left hoof supported by a shaky cane.

“Hello, my faithful subject. What brings you to my Court today?” Celestia said, with a practiced ease that came with years of refining.

He gave a short bow, before speaking. “Well Princess, I reached out to my insurer a couple weeks ago for a claim on my home – it burnt to a crisp when that ugly mug with the magic stick started casting magic all willy nilly. Problem is – I’m not getting a response, I’ve been staying in a hotel for two weeks with my wife and boy, and my savings is nearly running dry. Now I’m hearing they’ve gone out of business. What can I do?”

Celestia doesn’t waver, but she does take a moment to respond. “Please, speak with Quill Shine by the door – give her your address, your estimated loss, and be accurate. She will reach out to you with payment for the damages and a return on your savings. This tragedy was beyond the scope of my control, and I will not let my subjects suffer poverty from this. Give her the name of your hotel, as well – your room will be covered under the Crown’s budget, after an appropriate investigation to your claims have been made. Expect contact within three days.”

The old colt nodded, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank you Princess. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.”

She smiled, bowing to the stallion in return. “Your words are kind. You are adjourned.”

As the Stallion hobbled his way towards Quill Shine, Arin leaned in, stunned.

“In my world, he would have been tossed a few coins and told to return to work. You are, by leaps and bounds, a truly better leader than any Ascended or Noble from Erenorn.”

Celestia fluffed her wings, swelling from the compliment. “I am happy to hear that my work is considered exceptional quality, Arin. It makes me wonder why your King would give you away so freely, if what you say is true.”

“A change of heart, perhaps. Seeing your world destroyed in the blink of an eye can really change the way you handle things – especially if you were a warmonger like him.”

The next pony approached, a large bandage over her right side. She was a thin pegasi mare, a stern look about her as she gave a graceful bow, regardless of the damage to her wing.

And with her, came a similar problem. House damaged, no insurance settlement, had to pay out of pocket for repairs.

And she was given the same treatment – damages covered by the treasury, and her expenses recovered.

A cycle began to form, with most ponies that approached holding some kind of wound – several scratches along the body in some fashion, like claws raking the fur. Or a hurt back, that struggled to keep balance.

“So, what happened with the Storm King?” Arin asked between plaintiffs, by now insanely curious as to what happened.

“A rather common occurrence in Equestria is the seemingly endless supply of villains who obtain much too much power, and decide to try and take over, or destroy the land. Of course, this has only been a thing for the last… two, three years perhaps? It’s all so very tiresome. I’m starting to believe that the newest Princess – Twilight Sparkle – is cursed, and that her graduating my class simply made Equestria the biggest target for assault on all of Equis.”

“You’re starting to worry me, Celestia.” Arin said, his eyes wide. “I’m not going to be hanging by my entrails one day, am I?”

“No no, nothing like that. The Storm King simply found a way to steal Alicorn Magic. Luckily, Twilight and her Friends were able to fend him off… after he essentially destroyed the majority of Canterlot, save huge sections of the castle.”

“Ah. Well then. I see. And how many times has something like this happened in the past few years?”

“Where a villain took over Canterlot? Let’s see… Chrysalis, Discord, Sombra that one time… Storm King, Tirek, I think at one point there was something with a filly… I’m sorry, you might have to be more specific. I think Discord haunted our world twice, or was it three times? I’m starting to lose count over here. And was Sombra strictly in the Crystal Empire? Hm. Oh yeah, and Chrysalis did capture me not once, but twice…”

“Ahem! Oh Princess!” An all too familiar voice rang out, as Celestia was pulled away from her hushed whisper.

“Oh. Silver Bit. It’s you. Again. Welcome to my Court, my subject. What ails you today?”

The old stallion shined his monocle on his vest – adjusting his top hat as he withdrew a scroll. “So, I approached the City Council on the logistics of my fence height, which was – quite obviously – within regulation, but I had not received a response within a day. A day! This is absurd, your ‘council’-”

“Silver Bit, for the last time. This isn’t an issue worth my time. Either pay the fine, and change your fencing standards, or bring your fuss somewhere else.” Celestia glowered down at the old colt, who puffed his chest in pride.

“I will not! That fee is simply unfair to me, you see-”

Arin began to undo his brace on his left hand, humming quietly to himself.

“The fact stands, that I should not-”

The stallion was cut short, as the brace slapped him firmly against the face with a bonk. His top hat and monocle tumbled to the floor comically, as the old codger growled.

“That is it! Now that monkey is attacking me, how dare you-”

“Guards! Please escort Silver Bit from my court. Silver Bit, you are banned from seeking audience with me for the next month.” Celestia said, eyes keen on the old colt. She held no expression, other than mild distaste for the greedy old pony.

“I have never been treated this way before, you fiend! You have made an enemy today, Princess! I will not forget this injustice, you will rue this-”

“The only thing she’ll rue is not banning you sooner, old man! Shoo!” Arin barked, trying his best to mimic Celestia’s stony face and strong will.

The moment he was pulled out the doors by the guards, Arin burst into laughter. He slapped his good knee with his bad arm, happy to find it healed. Celestia said nothing, waiting for him to finish before speaking.

“What you did was entirely unprofessional, distasteful, and rude.”

Arin wiped a tear from his cheek, catching his breath. “The only thing I did wrong was not chuck it hard enough.”

“You are partially correct. You definitely could have knocked that windsock a little harder. But that’s beside the point – please, be a little more courteous to my subjects, no matter how badly they deserve a brace to the face.”

She turned her muzzle up, holding her righteous upper ground. Arin could only stare at her, unsure if she was really mad at him or not.

Her lips began to quiver, before she gave a soft chortle, hiding her muzzle behind a hoof. “Okay, that was hilarious. His stupid little top hat hit the floor, and I nearly fell out of my throne!” She pummeled the pillow beneath her with her hooves, seizing up in soft, restrained laughter.

“He didn’t even try to dodge, either! He just took it directly to the muzzle, by my Feathers – ha!” Arin held his stomach in laughter, wheezing out a gasp as Quill Shine approached, picking the brace off of the floor, confused.

“Is this… I believe your name is Arin, correct? Is this yours?” Quill asked, holding the medical device aloft in her magic.

“Yep, but I don’t need it anymore. My arm healed up quick, thanks to Cheery Hooves, from Canterlot High Hopes.” Arin caught his breath, as Celestia simply breathed deep breaths. Steeling herself.

“Well… alright. Princess, I hate to say it, but our claims are reaching upwards of three hundred thousand bits already. By my count, we still have seven more in queue for insurance issues – and with tax season so far away, this budget wont stretch very far into next year.”

Celestia gave a sigh, nodding. “Very well. And from our timing, we’re running very far behind on schedule – we will have to take a loan on the remainder, and budget out repayment over the next three years. Quill, if you can get a summary of the remaining costs from the rest of the crowd, I need to attend the reopening of the Canterlot Town Hall. The repairs were quite costly, and I refuse to miss it. Since the repairs came from the treasury, after all, it would be foolish to not cut that pricey ribbon.”

Her trusty advisor gave a bow, turning to trot down the aisle and to the waiting ponies, as Celestia stood from her throne. She approached the stained glass window, looking up to the sun. Her horn glowed, as the fiery ball of energy traveled across the sky – settling in a well past noon vibe. Arin could only watch in awe, seeing the process first hand.

“You know, I doubted you both when Luna said you two could move the Sun and Moon. It’s still stunning it see it in person.” He said, standing next to her by the window.

She blinked, but nodded. “The Sun and Moon were cast aside from their orbit long ago, and it has fallen to pony kind to maintain the balance. My Sister and I are chosen by fate to maintain it, until We may find a way to return them to their proper positions.”

Arin gripped his sturdy crutch with a nod, hobbling towards the door. “So, how far is the Town Hall, exactly? It seems a good distance away, think I’ll make it on my crutch?”

“Oh no no – you won’t be trotting. You will ride on the chariot with me. As much as I despise being tugged around like a showpony, it has its perks. And it’s not too far; we will have time to return long before supper, so I can focus on my paperwork for the evening.”

Celestia gave a stretch of her wings, yawning as she turned towards the hall. Arin hobbled by her side, uneasy.

“Carriage? You’re doing an awful lot for a Royal Guest, don’t you think?”

“It’s not the first, nor last time, I have allowed others to join me in my duties. I think the oddity of the bunch was the leader of the Yaks – Prince Rutherford. He made quite the show of trampling and stomping through the… majority, of attractions of Canterlot. To be entirely honest, I dumped him on Twilight after that. Told her I would like her to make friends with them instead.”

Arin scratched the back of his head, “And how’d that go?”

“About as well as one could expect. They destroyed a large swath of Ponyville, declared war, and eventually simmered down once Pinkie Pie stepped in. Do you know how many windows they broke from screaming in the royal halls alone? Two. Which isn’t much, but it’s weird that it happened twice.”

Celestia helped her guest along a flight of stairs, above the grand entrance hall and over the throne room. She slid open a heavy door to the castle roof – the cool wind of early autumn blowing over her mane. They stood on a large terrace – a regal, yet somewhat gaudy chariot gleaming dully in the sun. Four guards were chatting quietly to themselves, snapping to attention when she approached.

“If you feel unsteady, take my wing as we ride. I know that those who aren’t acclimated tend to fear heights. And yes, I know. It’s an abomination. I didn’t design it, I will tell you that.” She said. Arin couldn’t help but give a small chuckle, her white hoof helping him aboard.

The guards quickly took their positions, attaching harnesses and ropes to clips under their armor. It was seamless – you couldn’t even notice the straps from the exterior, and Arin did applaud the craftsmanship of it.

The four guards – Arin noticing that they were entirely identical – turned to stare at Celestia, who gave a soft nod.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough of a warning for Arin – who fell against the pillowed support behind. He stretched his arms out in terror, the sudden acceleration throwing him off kilter. They rose up to the sky – barreling out at a low altitude, before the world shift and he felt his weight lessen.

They began to rapidly lose height, the Seraph crawling to the edge of the platform to look at the ground steadily approaching.

“By the feathers, we’re going to crash!” He yelped, clenching the chariot hard enough that his fingers popped.

Celestia only laughed, hefting him up to his feet in her magic. With a responsive flick, their guardians evened the cart out – keeping a steady altitude dozens of yard above the ground.

“Do they have to be so aggressive?! Can’t you slow down – take it easy – something?!”

“No no, I’m afraid not Arin – with a chariot, flying slow will lead to an unexpected loss of cargo, wouldn’t you agree?”

She smiled, as Arin clung to her like a shaky leaf. With a roll of her eyes and a smile, she cupped him in her large, pristine wing.

“At least you smell much better than the last time I hugged you.” She teased, the Chariot swooping around the city to the far side, to approach the main gate where they were most likely to find a clearing to land.

“Yeah, well, if that happens again, I’ll smell much worse!” He began to curse in a language Celestia didn’t quite understand. The Princess gave a soft tug at the reins, slowing down to a more in preparation of landing. Her wing left him, as her features filled with worry.

“I’m sorry, Arin. I will try to warn you next time. I thought you might be a little more accustom to the air, coming from a land with winged beings.” Her features were heavy with worry, the Seraph shaking in his boots.

“Might have forgot to mention that I’ve never flown before. You know, lacking wings.”

“Maybe one day we’ll glue some feathers on you, and give you a gentle toss from the tallest tower? The chick must leave the nest one day, after all.” Her worry vanished, replaced with a warm smirk.

“Jokes on you, Celestia. Luna already tried. It turns out that balancing on the edge of obliteration isn’t something I’m keen on doing.”

Arin’s nerves began to settle as they clattered to the stony road, and trotted into town, various ponies stopping to look at – cheer – applaud – and adore the Princess on her chariot, the Alicorn raising a hoof and giving a soft smile in return, waving to every pony she past.

From Arin’s new perspective, he finally took in the civilization around him. The buildings were well kept, and aged like fine wine – new additions garnishing older town homes by the generation. The shops lined the base of the street, clean and maintained – windows revealing products and merchandise from novelty to essential, and all forms in between.

Purple, white, gold, blue, they all melded with the occasional splash of variety. There were spiraling metal guardrails leading up flights of steps to cozy balconies, planters with every color of flower – every corner had tables, chairs, and bustling ponies enjoying their afternoon tea. Foreign text sat vibrant on windows, glowing signs that attracted the eye even in the sun.

Even the streetlamps were polished and maintained meticulously, the barest hint of disuse only plaguing the occasional alley in the form of a scattered piece of trash. And even then, he noticed it – street workers, with dust pans aplenty, working tirelessly to maintain the beauty.

Fountains and fauna were common place – from wonderfully trimmed hedges to beautiful sculptures of ponies in all shapes and poses.

Occasionally, he would spot some off putting signs – a few buildings had large, recent patches applied to walls, piles of branches and trees waiting for pickup on the edges of roads. Like a recent storm had come by, and shook the foundations of the city with jarring intensity. A few shops and homes were outright lacking repairs.

“Not too long ago, the Storm King caused a rather… dangerous anomaly beyond the weather ponies’ control, leading to widespread devastation, as you already know. Believe me, this is not the usual state I would see my city in.”

“No, I can tell – this is a grass roots town, like Milla Serine. It’s grown naturally over the years, and all of the beauty has been well taken care of. It’s cleaner and better than my home, though Milla Serine is only a town, not the Capitol like Alma Sol.”

“And how would you compare it to Alma Sol?” She asked, her expression shifting to curiosity in a heartbeat.

“I would definitely say that Canterlot is much more consistent thematically. Someponies – oh by the Feathers, even I am saying ponies now – some people simply didn’t fit the flow and beauty of the City Planners, when they designed their homes and businesses.”

The Princess gave a warm smile, “I’m happy to hear that. There’s something warm about hearing you say that – you’re from another world, and to pay compliments to the work of me and my subjects really does soothe the heart.”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “I guess the novelty of having someone from another world say your work is better than their world’s attempt doesn’t wear thin, huh?”

She nodded, turning back to wave to a group of ponies. A camera flicked up, clipping a picture of the duo. Arin blinked from the light, rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, you forgot to smile for the camera, Arin! I wonder what the tabloids will read tomorrow, I’m betting something along the lines of ‘Princess Consort’ or ‘Minotaur Invasion’.”

“Tabloids? Oh, news – papers like that are uncommon in my town. Wait, what do you mean by ‘Consort’?” His senses darted back to him at just the wrong time, mulling over the statement with worry. Had he been sucked into indentured servitude to a copulation-craving population, without knowing it? He was not ready for that, physically or emotionally.

“Haha! Oh Arin, you should see your face. The Canterlot Nicker is well known for its over-inflated stories. Whenever I do anything in public, it’s met with scrutiny by a thousand eyes and two thousand hooves, all desperate for an answer.”

She gave another warm wave, and another flash blinded the poor Seraph.

“My only advice is, don’t believe the news without direct proof. You will be quick to find that the talk of the town is just that, talk. We are two friends, simply enjoying each other’s company, nothing more.”

But her eyes lit with a knowing smile, “Though Honey is right, you are handsome.” She winked, almost knocking Arin to the floor of the chariot. Instead, the guards ahead came to a rather firm stop – throwing him off the golden carriage, and just barely missing the escort directly in front of him.

Celestia began to heave with laughter, wiping her eyes free of tears as Arin stumbled to his feet, snatching his cane from her magic in anger.

“Oh by my withers, I had never seen anypony so off-balance from a wink before! This is much too easy for me, please, I’m going to die!”

Another several dozen flashes of the camera followed that statement, as the Canterlot Press had already gathered by the Town Hall. Arin turned to face the crowd, blushing, shell shocked and blinded by the press as Celestia stepped off her transport behind him.

“Come along now, Arin. Do not falter, or the paparazzi will eat you alive on this one.”