Arin awoke to a frenzied knock on his door, jumping up from his pleasant dreams. The sun was up just above the horizon, as Honey pounced into the room, slamming it shut behind her.

“You were shot yesterday?!” She asked, her muzzle darting into her saddlebag. Withdrawing a newspaper, she threw it in his face, making him fall back into the sheets.

Arin, confused, sat up as he looked over the headline, frowning. He couldn’t read it, not well at least – besides a few common words. But he did see a picture of himself, a bolt striking his chest – right where his now faded bruise was.

“Oh, right, you can’t read.” Ripping it from his hands, she read aloud:

“Assassination Attempt Thwarted by Mysterious Being! Yesterday, at half past four, the Grand Reopening of the Canterlot Town Hall ended with an almost unseen attempt on Princess Celestia’s life; a crossbow bolt struck the chest of a valiant defender, bouncing harmlessly off of his reinforced chestpiece. By sheer luck, he had intercepted a deadly crossbow bolt, meant for the heart of our beloved Princess.

“The event took place in the closing moments, as Princess Celestia boarded her famous Chariot and prepared to leave. The injured creature – referred to as a ‘Seraph’ by reliable sources – is seen above, damaged from possible prior heroic moments. As if by reaction, he shuffled forward – blocking the fated bolt with his own armor, before the Chariot rapidly took off.

“Multiple photos show the moments leading up to the event, including the strike itself – pictured above. No word from the Castle has come yet, but experience indicates that it is likely security will increase immensely after this recent event.

“Sheriff Iron Hoof had just been alerted to the events, and an investigation is taking place as we print this world changing news. He had this to say on the matter, just before sunrise;

“’An Assassin attempted to strike our leader in the proceedings of the event, and was thwarted by luck, nothing more. We can’t rely on luck alone to keep the streets safe. As it stands, the bolt in question is still missing; but as past attempts will tell, it was likely poisoned and could have proved fatal if it struck. I’m organizing my stallions to be on high alert for any and all suspicious activity, and the scene is under scrutiny.’

“Celestia could not be reached for comment, as is tradition at this point, and the Castle Staff do not allow Press on the grounds.”

Arin lifted his shirt, examining the rather heinous yellow bruise on his chest – having faded dramatically over the night. “I knew that was too hard to be a rock…”

Another knock on the door, before it nearly flew off the hinges. Celestia stood there, her eyes wide – seeing the newspaper in Honey’s grasp.

“Arin, come with me. Honey, you are to stay at the castle until further notice. A room has been arranged. I can see you’ve heard the news.”

Arin turned to his feet, Honey tossing him his now very trustworthy vest, that he quickly buttoned up over his long, white sleeve shirt. Pants, socks, shoes – he jogged up to Celestia’s side, who was already trotting down the hallway, Honey following close.

“I’m assuming I get to go to the super cool top secret meeting too, right?” Honey asked, “I can bring my sponge, it’ll be great.”

Celestia didn’t answer, only ushered them forward. Several guards had formed a line down the hall, watching for any potential intruders before flanking them from behind.

“You, Guard – escort Honey to the head maid to find her room, preferably in this wing.” She flicked her eyes to one of the guards in line, who nodded and trotted up next to honey.

“Aww, alright. I guess humor never pays, huh?” With a sigh, Honey followed the guard on her now much more boring task, leaving the Princess with Arin.

“So, where are we going?”

“Dining hall for a meeting. Today, you will meet with many I hold dear to my heart, and please – try to ignore Twilight if she has any personal questions. Those can wait.” They turned left into the great oaken doors, an exhausted looking stallion with a white coat and blue mane waiting. By his side stood a large, pink Alicorn – cradling a small bundle in her hooves. Six more mares sat across the way, of all colors – pink, light blue with a rainbow mane, yellow with a pink mane, orange and cream mane with a peculiar hat, a white unicorn with a curly purple mane, and another Alicorn – which he was sure was ‘Twilight Sparkle’, the famed pony he’s heard so much about.

“Oooh! He’s much taller than I expected!” The pink one said, knocking over her plate of pancakes by mistake. “Woopsie! Oh hey, my antics ARE pretty silly, I guess. Yeah, you’re right magical talking voice in my head!”

Apparently, no one acknowledged that part of the outburst in particular.

“Eh, Pinkie, they said he looked like a minotaur kinda. So I was expecting tall and strong. He looks scrawny, though. Like Anon, that jerk.” The rainbow maned pegasus said, fluffing her wings. She stole one of the Pink one’s pancakes, who growled at her in reply.

“Darlings, please, do not insult our hero. He looks ravishing; my my, that vest! It looks as wonderful as the pictures detailed! In fact, I think I’ve seen that before-”

“Now Rarity, ya can’t just start talkin’ ‘bout his clothes. There’s a pony… er… thing inside ‘em! Howdy Partner, names Applejack, but you can call me AJ.” She tilted her hat to Arin from across the table, golden cream mane bouncing in her ponytale.

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” The bubbly pink mare said, her face covered in syrup. “And this is Rainbow Dash-”

“The one and only!” She flexed, her blue wings spread wide.

“Rarity~”

“Oh Darling, please, let me introduce myself-” Pinkie shoved a pancake in her white muzzle, her eyes crossing to look at it.

“Fluttershy! Psst, she’s super shy!” Pinkie Pie leaned comically far over the table, blocking her voice with a hoof. “And she’s totally crazy about animals. Make cow noises! She might like you more!”

“Oh, um, actually, Cows can speak too…”

“And of course, the newly minted pony Princess of pony magic, Twilight Sparkle!” Pinkie’s hoof rustled the purple alicorn’s mane, getting sticky syrup everywhere.

“Yuck! Pinkie, wash your hooves…” She sighed, reading over yet another book. There was a small pile next to her, as she looked up to their guest. “Oh! Aha – Arin, isn’t it? Me and the girls rushed over here as quick as we could once we received Celestia’s letter. Peculiar. Is your kind similar to humans?”

“And so did we.” The pink Alicorn said, fluffing a wing around the stallion’s chest. “I am Princess Cadence, and this is my husband, Shining Armor.”

“Hey, you’re that ‘Seraph’ thing I received a letter about, right? A couple of anonymous letters wanted to set you up for sparring.” He yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Can’t say I had a chance to think it over. We basically had to take a Gate here was quick as we could once we heard the news.”

Arin looked around at all the new friendly faces, feeling a bit overwhelmed for a first meeting. The door behind them opened, as Luna slowly walked over to her pillow.

“Morning Tia. Morning Shining. Morning Cadence. Morning Twilight. Morning Rarity. Morning Rainbow… Dash… Morning Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy. Did I miss something? I dozed off for a minute once I finished my work for the eve.”

“Someone attempted to murder your sister yesterday, other than that, no.” Arin said, rubbing his barren chin.

“Oh, neat, yes. Breakfast time. Wait. Did thou say murder?”

“Yes.” He nodded. Luna shook herself awake.

“What happened? Are thou hurt, Sister?” She said, turning to the sun Princess, worried. “Shall we enact retribution on the offender?”

“No Luna, I’m fine – and that remains to be seen, as we have no clue who the perpetrator is. If it weren’t for Arin, I would be much less fine. Thankfully, by a stroke of luck, his vest absorbed the blow without harm. If we had dawdled a moment more, the would-be Assassin may have had a second chance to end my life.”

Celestia stepped to the head of the head of the table, looking over those gathered here.

“Uh, not to sound rude or anything, Princess, but why do we need to be here? I know we’re awesome, but like… this seems like something a detective would do.” Rainbow Dash stretched her hooves, wings flapping at her side. She had bags under her eyes; it was a bit too early to be up and about for her, it seems.

Her stern expression broke into a smile, giving a sigh. “Indeed, but I fear that recent events have transpired that may indicate something much more foul ahoof. Typically, a guest like Arin wouldn’t be here – but I feel inclined to invite him, since he accidentally prevented an attempt on my life. Not too long ago, as you easily recall, the Storm King wreaked havoc on Canterlot – during which time immense damage was done to many buildings, but a few stand out from this mess.”

Celestia nodded to Shining Armor, the unicorn approaching. He withdrew a folder from his satchel, placing it on the table – face open, the pictures of multiple damage sites exposed.

“Luckily a lot of this was fresh on hoof, but let’s begin from the top. There were over several hundred damaged homes, buildings, and monuments that needed repairs from this attack. Of these, most of the damage could be pinned as incidental – indirect from the sheer winds and debris. But a few cases stand out – gas lines bursting. While judged as an accident, it’s no coincidence that several spots in the city saw these explosions ring out, eliminating barriers for criminals to escape out into public legally.”

Celestia took the first photo, taking the floor from here, and setting it forward. “Of the many places that saw explosions, the City Hall was the most prominent. Cases about to enter trial have the evidence stored here, in this contained room, part of the police station. An explosion eliminated the vast majority of evidence stored here – freeing twelve ponies guilty of multiple crimes.”

She spun another photo around, the police station next. “Here, we can see another explosion had damaged the evidence lockers in the security headquarters of Canterlot City. Three lockers were lost, allowing several more criminals to appeal to the court and win freedom.”

She then revealed another picture, a bank. “A tree was shot through the brick wall of the bank, and into the vault. Immense damage occurred, but hardly any coin is unaccounted for. It’s more so several land titles, deeds, and dozens of other fine paperwork that was lost to the storm. From the outside, it would make sense – paperwork is easily scattered, while coins have weight. But with these other incidents, it seems intentional.”

Another photo. “My own Magic Academy saw damage in the north wing – where magical objects, enchantments, and rare alchemical ingredients were kept. This, in particular, doesn’t make sense – as the Magic Academy for Gifted Unicorns isn’t in Canterlot proper, but more within boundaries of the Castle. Only small sections of the Castle took direct damage – so this can’t be waved entirely as incidental. On top of that, dozens of valuable materials went missing, originally believed to be lost to the storm.”

“Do you know what materials went missing?” Twilight asked, looking over the photos herself. She flipped through them, as Celestia slid forward a report.

“Mostly compounds used in advanced potion making – but none of them exactly equal anything of important to note. Additionally, an old magic device prototype vanished, too – a machine created long ago with the intent of controlling the weather of the Everfree Forest, by a collaboration effort of a dozen long term students of mine. It was meant to punch through the heavy cloud layer and allow Pegasi to have an easier time moving clouds, though it barely made it past the testing stages.”

Shining stepped forward, looking over the details of the report. “Alright. Do you have a list of the criminals then? What can we learn about who was released?”

“Indeed, I do – but that’s the issue. Those released were simply accused of simple crimes, so I’m more inclined to believe they’re a red herring in this case. Things such as petty theft of construction materials, graffiti, etcetera. And without proper cause, we can’t investigate them. Simple theft, trespassing… none of them seem to be connected in any way, besides their behavior being reckless.”

“I see… and this attempt on your life. Where does this fit in all of this? It seems sloppy execution wise – attacking in a crowd of reporters? The attacker would have been instantly caught if the bolt made contact, too many eyes not to spot a suspect.” Shining slid the paper back to the pile, thinking critically of all they gathered.

“Do you think think they would even try to escape? Shooting at Celestia is basically a death sentence. Also, look around – the shooter could have totally flew away, or retreated out of view on a roof. All they’d have to do is break line of sight and hide before a pegasi could see them.” Rainbow Dash argued. “This is just like in Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore. Wait… no, was it Daring Do and the Eternal Flower? I’m getting my books mixed up…”

“It ain’t got nothin’ to do with books, Dash! This is real life, and the Princess coulda been hurt, bad.” Applejack interrupted. Cadence cleared her throat, breaking the conversation.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to get back on topic. We now know there is an active threat, so we need to make a decision on how to act from here. Shining, I believe that this is your specialty.” Cadence chimed in.

He nodded, giving her a smile. “Thanks love. Princess, I do believe it’s in our best interest to double patrols in the castle, and have constant watch on every single entrance. Windows, doors, towers – an eye on every corner.”

The Princess shook her head, sighing. “We’re in a bit of a struggle right now financially. The Gala, the Festival, all the damages and repairs – our budget is stretched thin as it is. Doubling patrols is going to stretch our already tight budget tighter. Additionally, if I was a target – all of you, Twilight, Cadence, Luna – you might also be on that very same list. Guards would also have to be doubled at the Crystal Empire, Twilight will need guards quartered in her own Castle – this is a financial disaster. Every public appearance I take from now on is a risk, one I can’t afford – both physically, and monetarily.”

“Oh no, are you really that short on bits, Princess?” Fluttershy asked, her heart going out to the stressed Alicorn.

“Its been a rough year, while the treasury isn’t empty – what’s left has to stretch until the next tax season. I’ve already taken out a loan to help cover the damages that came from the storm, which has to be paid monthly.” She began to pace, her wings fluffing out.

“Well, what about personal guards? Surely you have strong knights that can stay close at hoof to give immediate protection.” Rarity offered, trying her best to be helpful.

“I’m afraid not. The only high ranking Knight qualified for that position is Shining Armor – who’s defensive knowledge outpaces even my own.” Celestia bowed her head to the stallion in question. He smiled, bowing back.

“Thank you, Princess. Your words mean a lot.”

“And Shining would immediately be assigned to his wife, out of respect. So that leaves myself, Luna, and Twilight, lacking personal guards.”

Arin coughed, finally speaking up. “Well, okay. How much does each guard cost per day?” He asked Celestia, who nodded to Luna.

“The average upkeep per guard is sixty four bits per eight hour shift, at seventy two guards over twenty four hours, the total cost per day is…” She flared her horn, an abacus appearing before her. Several beads on several strings, which she quickly flicked around. “4,608 bits a day, over the course of a year that’s… 1,681,920 bits.”

“That’s… immense.” Rarity said, her eyes wide. “And how many bits does the treasury have?”

Celestia sighed. “At the moment, 2,700,000 bits, give or take. By the time tax season reaches us next year, the typical upkeep and the loan would put us around 700,000 bits left. We simply don’t have the budget to stretch it, Shining Armor.”

“It hasn’t been that low… ever, I believe.” Luna said, feeling a little worry creep into her voice. “At least, not in the last several hundred years, as your meticulously kept records would indicate, Sister.”

“We haven’t been under this much stress in several hundred years, that’s why. Nearly every few months, another attack is made on the castle. Another event that requires funding. Another event like your wedding, Cadence, and I’ll be selling my own regalia to make do.”

Cadence gave a shy laugh, blushing. Scratching the back of her head with a hoof. “Well, I didn’t decide to be abducted by Changelings who then carpet bombed the city, after month’s of staking Shiny’s magic barrier and wasting thousands of guard hours on protection.”

Arin’s head fell into his hands. He was actually starting to feel like a leech now.

“Shining, I have a question for you. What are the requirements for becoming a Knight?”

The stallion eyed the Seraph, looking him over. “I know what you’re thinking Arin, but no. You’re a bit too scrawny to handle it. Not unless I sat down and personally instructed you, day in and day out, for at least a year.”

“Think you can shorten it to a week?” Arin asked, smiling shyly. The stallion rolled his eyes.

“...Probably not with you. Honestly, you’re not cut out for the job. Not unless you’ve got a talent for war I need to know about.”

“I have some accuracy with a bow. Does that count?” Arin leaned back on the pillow. It was worth a shot, but he knew the answer.

“Well… actually, yes, that does. Archers are valuable. But that’s a conversation we’ll have after this meeting.”

“Hey, that weird minotaur thing can shoot? Awesome! Just like that time in Daring Do-” Rainbow Dash began, but Pinkie Pie popped up next to her, cutting her off mid speech. Slowly, she lifted a cupcake up – using a hoof to open Dash’s mouth, before gently, softly, pushing it inside. Closing Dash’s mouth, she slid back under the table – vanishing from sight.

Luna blinked. “What?…”

“Back on track… until arrangements can be made, Twilight, you are to stay inside the Castle Walls. Shining – if you can, I need you to train a few Knights to be Elite Knights. Scan our ranks, find somepony qualified for training. Be sure that Cadence stays close, we have few guards to spare.”

“Princess, I do have a few questions.” Twilight piped up, setting another book to the side. “Or more specifically, I have questions for Arin. What are you? You look like a human, like Anonymous – but you’re not as ghastly to deal with.”

Caught off guard with the direct question, he looked to Celestia for guidance. She nodded, allowing it.

“I’m an Inert – a being without magic or wings from my world of Erenorn. My species would be known as a Seraph, to be exact, as the majority of my race bears wings, magic, or both.”

“Strange. You say you don’t have magic, but I can feel it inside of you.” Her eyes narrowed, untrusting of Celestia’s guest. “What’s your part in this? Why are you here?”

Luna interrupted, waving a wing defensively in Arin’s direction. “Arin is in my charge. I wish for him to enter training to be my Knight.”

The room went quiet. Arin was so stunned, he nearly slid off the pillow. Surely Luna didn’t think that highly of him?

“Luna, I already said, he’s too weak-”

“I care not for his strength. I would trust him to defend me. Besides; how often do We make such grand tours of Canterlot? The chances of Arin needing to defend me are slim to none.”

More silence. Cadence looked to Luna, as if searching her with her eyes. Celestia stared her down, wide eyed. Rarity was giving the most adorable smile, as if she knew something others didn’t. Pinkie Pie was making Rainbow Dash chew very slowly, the rainbow Pegasus absolutely bewildered not from Luna, but because Pinkie Pie was still making her chew the cupcake. Fluttershy was hiding under the table, and if questioned, would say she doesn’t like tension. Applejack… was Applejack.

Twilight made her bit to interrupt. To say something, to continue her prying in this supposed ‘innocent bystander’, but the sheer amount of trust and confidence Luna just dumped on the table left her gawking at the two.

After a moment, Shining gave a defeated sigh.

“Very well. He can participate in training. Arin, seek me out past noon in the Central Garden. I’ll have other applicants there; do not disappoint your charge.” He turned to leave the room, Cadence still staring at Luna. She made to speak, but Shining’s voice cut her off. Clutching the bundle that babbled against her chest, she turned to follow.

“Well Luna, I didn’t expect that.” Celestia said. “Mind explaining your reasoning?”

The Lunar Princess nodded, raising her head up into a dignified pose. “I believe that a strong heart and resilience is desirable aspects in a guardian. Arin has showed many traits that would make him suitable for Knighthood; from inner strength, to determination, I believe he would do well in the role.”

Arin felt as if half of those statements were lies; the other half, he was sure was by mistake. She hardly knew him, and yet she’d just… jump in front of a train for him?

It took Celestia a moment, before her smile returned, nodding. “Very well. You have my blessing, Luna. I believe you are in good… hands.” She turned to Twilight, for confirmation. She nodded. “Yes, hands.”

“Do um… I get a say in this?” The Seraph asked, suddenly feeling unsure. “Am I really ready to be a Knight? I know I asked, but… do you really have that much faith in me? And you hardly know me, Luna…”

Luna smiled through the heavy bags under her eyes, nodding. “I would have no one else come to my aide.”

Arin slid back into the comfy pillow, nodding. “Very well. And even if I fail, I’ll try again and again – until I qualify.” He said, through an unsure gulp. He’s persistent. Right?

Luna’s eyes twinkled. “That’s the spirit! Do not falter, brave Knight! You… are…” Her head flopped on the table, giving a soft snore. Just as a waiter placed a pile of pancakes in front of her.

Whistling softly, Celestia slowly moved Luna’s breakfast in front of herself, Pinkie Pie offering her a bottle of syrup from her pink, bubbly mane. Giddy, the Sun Princess accepted.

“I’ll uh… I’ll go ahead and put Luna to bed.” Arin stood up, making his way to the sleeping Alicorn to scoop her up. Surprisingly, she wasn’t too heavy – and she slept right through the shuffling movement.

Out the door, to the left – East wing, down the main hall, north, and up the long tower, all the way to bed. Gently, he sat her down, tossing a blanket over her. She snored very quietly through the whole process, making Arin smile.

“Adorable.” He said, gently scratching her head. She stirred softly, curling up with a smile. He closed the curtains to her balcony, shuttering the room in darkness. The ceiling above had lost its magic, seemingly returning to a dark blue. It was quite sad, he really did like looking up to the stars. But he knew, that once night came, he would see them again. And it was comforting.

In the dining hall, Twilight broke the moment. “Princess, surely you think it’s suspicious, right? How an outsider like this can just… waltz in here, and make friends with both you, and Luna? Days before an assassination?”

“From an outsider’s point of view, I do. He would be a prime suspect for questioning under normal circumstances; in fact, I would have thought of him as an old Changeling, before the downfall of Chrysalis. But, I can assure you, Twilight – he’s no threat to us. In fact, I think he may be a very valuable asset in the near future.” Celestia hummed, scooping up her breakfast.

“Can you clarify a bit more, Princess? I’m unsure myself.” Twilight said, holding that statement to scrutiny.

“I’m afraid not, my former student. It’s more of a feeling… a spark, if you will. In fact, he reminds me of you.”