As Arin hesitated, Celestia’s wing wrapped around his side – reassuringly pulling him forward. The escorts had already unhitched from the Chariot, and began to part the crowd before them. The Pegasi spread the ponies apart, hardly any of which Arin could see through the blinding flashes and lights, as Celestia guided him towards a platform front and center of the Town Hall.

Speaking of the place, this Town Hall was more like a Town Skyscraper, several stories tall and coated in a shiny gold dome, this building – if converted into a hotel – could comfortably house at least several dozen families and then some. The marble columns stretched far into the roof above, yawning over the crowd partially as they stood near level with the door. A massive clock gleamed center face in the building, gold against the white walls.

There were many shuttered windows beyond this simple count – a heavy set double oak door open wide, revealing the spacious interior. And what a Town Hall it was – it housed a massive, warm colored auditorium – stained wooden walls and red curtains, varying podiums and seats arranged around the center of the room. It looked more like a senate building on this first floor – the dome accentuating its massive size, the far wings in the distance housing rooms beyond his eye. Natural light flooded from sunroofs above, a dark shadow of what was possibly a worker pony finishing the final touches up top scattering across the fine seats below.

But they weren’t entering the hall, no. There was a ribbon, long and red, at the hind end of the elevated platform, waiting to be cut. Several pillows on the left side waited for them, as Arin stumbled over the steps on his crutch. He quickly shuffled along next to Celestia, sitting on a spare pillow to her left.

The pillow on her right remained empty, as a stallion took a seat the pillow beyond. He looked official, wearing a barracks cover on his head and a blue uniform, a shiny gold badge on the front. Next to him sat another gruff stallion, wearing a leatherhead helm and a heavy tan and yellow coat.

And finally, a third party boarded the platform – an elderly mare, her mane grey, her coat a light purple, and her eyes a starry blue beneath round glasses. She leaned on the heavy side, but had an infectious – if somewhat fake smile – that tugged gently at her earrings. Which were, of course, a flag of some sort. By Arin’s guess, it was probably the Equestria flag – but why did they have to be so big and… well, ugly?

She stood at the podium, a microphone at her muzzle as she cleared her throat.

“Greetings ladies, gentlecolts, and our sovereign Princess,” She began, drawing a short bow of Celestia’s head, “to the Re-Opening of the Canterlot Town Hall!”

Dozens of ponies clapped in the crowd, whistles and cheers and the stomping of hooves roaring the street to life.

“As you know, this is the third time we have reopened the town hall in the past several years, but we’re not here to speak of the past! We’re here to celebrate its standing, and the promise of the future that it can give! I am your mayor, Velvet Clue, and thank you for joining us today on this historic occasion.”

Another roar of the crowd, cameras flashing all the while. Arin could only stare, struck by the sheer power of this moment.

He felt… important, being up here. Strong. Like the crowd was looking up to him, the energy of the moment lighting his veins up. Did the Princess feel this every time she stepped into the city?

“I welcome our Chief of Police, Iron Hoof, to the Podium!”

The crowd applauded, a couple ‘boo’s from some young stallions in the back of the crowd – which was entirely ignored. The Stallion made his way to the stand, his dark brown coat nearly blending with his black mane. He never once smiled or waved, only stared at the ponies beneath him with a judging look. As if he’d spot one of them trying to swipe candy from a baby.

“Thank you, Velvet Clue. And thank you, all of you – every pony here deserves thanks, in their efforts to help rebuild our ancient town hall, constructed nearly seven hundred years ago. Without you, we wouldn’t have a town. My officers have been working hard to investigate every bit of the damage, missing merchandise, and every complaint you’ve given us since the incident occurred. We’re happy to say that things are returning to the norm, and with the Town Hall up and running again, we can begin the process of healing.”

“I now welcome our Fire Marshal to the stand, Ember Ridge.”

He bowed his head, never once smiling during his entire speech. The ponies didn’t care. If given the chance to cheer, they would cheer – all you had to do was say ‘thank you’. Then, you would bask in applause.

The second stallion got up from his pillow, adjusting his leatherhead hat on his salt and pepper mane. With a wrinkle of his mustache and a brush of his orange fur, he approached the podium. His crows feet wrinkled as he smiled out to all the ponies before him.

“Howdy again, everyone. Thank you all for coming. I want you to know that on that day, when that storm hit – we had dozens of fires spring up all at once. And without my crew, we would have had a dozen more. I want to thank all of the volunteer fireponies out there, who put their life on the line to help us clear out every single blaze, and for my dedicated teams who dove into the flame to save not one, but three little fillies from burning up while hunting their special talent.

“And before you ask, no, they didn’t get their cutiemarks.” He stopped to let the crowd laugh, wiggling his mustache.

“One of the fires we put out was the archives here in the Town Hall. A gas line bust, and a bit of shrapnel from the tornado was enough to cause a flame to take hold, and an explosion to blow out the evidence room from a few upcoming trials. Try as we might, we salvaged what we could, but the water damage and smoke led to quite the loss for our brothers in blue. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Iron Hoof nodded in appreciation from his seat.

“Now, I’ve rambled on enough to fill a nursery with sleeping foals, I’ll turn the mic over to you, Miss Clue.” He winked to the crowd, more cheers, more applause. At one point, Arin thought he saw a pony faint.

“As charming as ever, Ember Ridge! Now, for our last guest – our very own Princess Celestia would like to say a few words.” Velvet stepped to the side, as Celestia gracefully approached the stand.

“Thank you, Velvet Clue. A splendid job, as usual. Greetings, my subjects. Today we are here to commemorate the legacy of our Town Hall to our hearts, as the doors swing open once again. The strong hooves of the construction crew, the impeccable work of our Unicorns to salvage what documents they could – should all play a part in the lesson to be learned here.

“That the darker the night, the more brilliant the dawn. Our Town Hall stands for hope, for our city to grow and thrive, and rises as the heart of every single resident of Canterlot. And as long as we all stand together, that flame will never perish.”

Okay, Arin did see a few ponies faint, as the cheers became deafening. Even the stony faced Iron Hoof rolled his eyes, clopping his hooves together.

“May we face this tragedy with the strength to overcome it.” Celestia said, as Velvet Clue passed a large pair of golden scissors to the Princess in her blue magic. Celestia seized them, her golden aura pulling them apart.

With one solid clip, the long red ribbon fell in two, and the scissors were gently returned to Velvet with a smile.

Cheering, clopping, clapping, whatever ponies do to be loud – was the world in that moment, making Arin feel small. Even he gave a little clap, the atmosphere bleeding in to him as he joined the moment of celebration.

And he remembered that he wasn’t just cheering because others were – he was a citizen now, too. He was part of this city, he was a part of Canterlot’s heart. Not just Canterlot – Equestria. This world was a part of him, and he was delighted to be a part of it, too. He wiped away tears, happiness overwhelming him.

Velvet Clue took the floor again, as Celestia returned to her pillow. She leaned over and whispered in Arin’s ear, “How’d I do?”

He laughed, this moment a brilliant ray of light in his heart. He turned to her with the most genuine smile, “You did amazing, my friend.”

~

The Ceremony continued on for a while after that, the mayor having a bit of wind in her. Though Arin was no longer paying attention. He was simply caught in the moment, soaking in the energy, the sheer community that had formed here. These feelings were strong, real, and gave him heart.

He could feel this emotion, deep inside of him. Flowing like a river down a soft brook. He almost felt as if he could fly.

Celestia felt it too, and a wave of magic broke him from his thoughts. It tingled at his heart, stirring him from his mind’s eye.

“Why do you keep doing that?” He said, coming back down to reality. The Princess smiled and relaxed, giving an honest answer.

“I do it to check on you, your mood. It’s a bit of a habit. Do you really notice it that much?” She asked quietly, being sure to keep her attention to the crowd and podium.

“A bit…”

“Do you want me to stop?”

He thought it over. It wasn’t harming him by any means. “No no, you don’t have to. But you can always ask.”

With a thoughtful nod, she replied. “If I asked how you were feeling all the time, you would answer ‘annoyed’.”

Celestia and Arin gave a little laugh among themselves, before focusing back in on the moment. It seemed as if Velvet Clue needed to breathe, finally, as she finished with a closing statement.

“With the restoration of the Town Hall, things will start to run much more smoothly. And finally, this concludes this momentous occasion. Thank you all for coming.”

“Aha, I believe that’s our queue to flee, before the cameras get a little too close for comfort.” Celestia made it to her hooves, stretching her back quietly with a fluff of her wings. Her horn glowed, helping Arin right himself quickly, the crutch placed firmly in the crook of his arm. “Follow close by my side, and don’t answer any questions, no matter how simple or agitating they may be.”

Stepping down from the podium, in hoof and hobble alike, the crowd rushed in to be blocked by guard’s sturdy hooves. They had leeway of around six feet on either side, any camera straying too close being swatted without any provocation.

“Princess Celestia! Who is this strange creature next to you?”

“Sir! Are you and Celestia an item?”

“Princess! Is it true that you are reimbursing those who lost homes in the storm?”

“Hey Minotaur, smile!”

A stunning flash was much too much for Arin, as it was aimed directly for his eyes. Celestia used her wing to block Arin off from being blindsided, the chatter growing much more intense at the action.

“Princess! How long have you two been dating?”

“How was he injured, your Majesty?”

“Is he an ambassador from a strange land?”

“Sir, please – what are your relations to the Princess?”

“Celestia, can I get an autograph?”

Arin could hear a slap on that one, a quill and paper falling to the floor by his feet.

“Keep walking. Don’t give it back. They can reclaim it later.” Celestia whispered, her eyes on the Chariot in front. The gaudy, overly frilly carriage seemed a lot more cozy when you’re being swarmed by cameras, Arin thought.

The Princess boarded, quickly tugging her charge on behind her. The guards broke formation, engaging their buckles and harnesses as fast as they could on the front end.

“You might want to be seated, we’re about to move.” Celestia said, smiling and waving to the crowd.

Arin boarded right behind Celestia, grunting when he felt something hard hit his right side chest. It bounced off of his sturdy green vest, tumbling down into the crowd completely out of sight. He looked to the ponies to see where it came from, only to be blinded by more flashes.

“Ow! Okay, these ponies are going a little stir crazy, we should-”

He jolted back in his seat as the guards began to trot, all at once. Breaking away from the group, the escorts picked up speed – returning to the normal pace.

“What’s wrong, Arin?” Celestia said, the Inert clutching the right side of his ribs. “I thought I heard a thump. Well, a second one.”

“Someone threw a rock or something at me, it nailed me right in the ribs. Bounced right off of my vest.”

He brushed the green fabric, frowning when he felt a tiny hole where it collided. Unnoticeable, but it did change the texture in an unpleasant way.

“That’s odd. I don’t think anyone has ever thrown anything my way before. One of the paparazzi ponies were probably trying to get you to look their way. Did it work?” Celestia gave another casual wave, her face unchanging from its usual royal mask.

“Well, yeah. I looked out to the crowd, and the moment I did, I was entirely blinded by all of the cameras. How do you put up with it?” He sat back up, resting his crutch behind him.

“I raise the sun every day. It would take a lot more than a hundred cameras to make me blink.”

The path to the Castle clear, four pairs of wings spread out before them and took to the sky – lifting the golden carriage off the cobble ground, and towards the safety of the castle.

“I’m a bit curious to find out what the papers will say tomorrow. Do you think anypony will be awaiting wedding invitations? Any of my three die hard fans of me throwing their countless novels of love in the trash?” Celestia hummed, inspecting her royal hoofshoe.

“Hah! You really think you only have three fans? I saw ponies fainting in the crowd earlier, I’m sure every stallion has got a bit of their mind occupied with their Sun Princess.”

“Oh Arin, I know I only have three fans. I’ve received letters from all three of them. But Luna? She quite possibly has enough mail to make a bed with it, blanket included. Daily. Believe me, I am not as popular as I once was. Did you know that even Princess Twilight has a fan club, and I don’t?”

“Well, if I knew Princess Twilight, I might find that surprising. When do you think I’ll get to meet her?” The guard’s ascent began to level off, the chariot maintaining a much higher altitude towards the Castle.

“Well, considering how often things go awry, I would say ‘sooner rather than later’. As early as today, as late as next week, perhaps.” She sighed at that statement, leaning back against the cushy wall of the carriage.

“This job is exhausting, yet nothing ever interesting happens to me. No absurd mysteries that need to be solved, no crazed illnesses to shock me into believing superstition. No off-the-wall mares to liven up my day. I will not lie, Arin – you have given me some hope of change, that maybe something interesting might alter my life in a way that doesn’t end in me being tossed aside like cannon fodder.”

The Castle began to approach, and Arin felt a bit of embarrassment creep into his emotions. In a life of an immortal, any change from the usual might be a blessing. He would have felt upset if she had told him the day they met, ‘oh good, you’re new, please be a good court jester for me’. Instead, he could feel a bit of relief radiating off of her, if only slim.

“Well, I’m happy I can give you a bit of distraction from your daily grind. Is it really that bad, though? Besides day court, I felt like that ceremony was fun.”

“Ceremony one is fun. Ceremony two is fine. Ceremony five thousand is a chore. Trust me when I say it, but I have exhausted every bit of fun from my job. You are a welcome change, Arin, and I’m happy to have you here. Just keep being my friend, that’s all I could ever ask.” Her wing rested over his side, and in that moment, he felt another emotion; he felt wanted. His heart fluttered at the thought, and warmth surged through him.

Energized, even. He leaned in to her gentle embrace, another feeling to add to the collection.

“That’s what friends are for, Celestia. And I promise, I’ll do my best.”