Indeed, it could. The food arrived covered in a cloche – which felt a bit much, from Arin’s usual tastes. But what was worse was Honey’s demands to spoon feed him.

“Oh, my King!~ It’s obvious that you’re too sickly to handle a weapon of this caliber, you may perish at the thought alone!” Honey scoffed, holding the soup hostage before Arin opened his mouth.

“I’ll accept the help out of the tub, but I wont accept this.”

“Oh, but you will!” She retorted, before smirking. “Horse apples.”

“What does-hmf!” When Arin opened his mouth to question the words, she instantly shot the hot soup into his gullet, the spoon just narrowly missing his front teeth. Hmm. Cheddar and broccoli. It was comforting – but that wasn’t the point!

“Oldest trick in the book.” She winked, trying to pull the spoon free. Arin clenched hard, much harder than the mare could anticipate. Her brow furrowed, as Arin’s did much the same.

“Hey, c’mon, let go. Metal isn’t food! Oh withers, why can’t you have dentures? This’d be so much easier if you were a gramps.” She eventually conceded, letting go of the utensil. Arin growled in victory, reaching for the bowl. She let him have it. “You’re no fun.”

With a smile, he set the bowl on his stomach, pulling the spoon from his mouth. “I try. Besides, if it’s lunch, you should be eating too. I am apprehensive of eating in front of company.”

“Big words for such a clumsy boy, hmm?” Honey winked, before taking the hint and pulling a daisy sandwhich from her nearby bag. Arin’s nose wrinkled at the thought of eating flowers, but didn’t question her tastes.

She took a big bite, raising an eye brow at his stare, “What?”

A knock at the door broke the lull of the conversation, before it clicked open without a reply. A maid wheeled in a chair, and a fresh batch of clothes. Arin sighed in relief; the towel was a bit too drafty for this cool castle, and Honey had already put his clothes… somewhere. The maid pony – in an overly cute outfit – gave a bow, before shutting the door behind her.

“You may have won the soup bowl, but I’ll be a diamond dog if you’re putting those on yourself.”

“Start growling then, mutt.” Arin scowled as he defiantly took a spoonful of the creamy soup. “If uh… well, your dogs are the same as the ones on my world.”

Honey rolled her shoulders. “Probably. Big, hairy, smelly, sniffy, obsessed with digging, something like that?” She had already finished her sandwhich, and had withdrawn a very, very large cookie from her bag. For some reason, Arin felt envious.

“Yeah, sounds about right.” He tipped the bowl back, gulping it down quickly. Of course the mare had to make a comment.

“Ooh, better not do that in front of any of the royal guests. I’m sure you’ll get an earful from the Princess about manners.”

“Manners are for pleasant company.” Arin said, wiping his lips on his right arm, then his arm on the towel. “I wouldn’t dream of being anything but cordial to that big white horse. Uh… Princess Celestia, that one, yeah.”

“You know quite a few words for someone lacking magic. Are you sure you haven’t studied it at some point? All the big brain unicorns soak up books like sponges, and you’re sounding a lot like them.” By now, the cookie was left to crumbs, a juice box resting in her hooves. She had adjusted to laying partially at the foot of the bed, propped up by an elbow. Do hooves typically bend like that?

“With my kind especially, having a variety of traits, knowledge, and skills, is crucial. I lack magic, so I have to make up for it by being able to fill any role or command I’m given. The Ascended are able to freely specialize in one field or more, but for us Inert, it’s a toiling struggle. Intelligence is useful for haggling for both a better deal, and a better wage. So plenty of Inert find themselves well read. If they can afford it, or are lucky.”

“So I take it you don’t have cutiemarks where you come from? Special talents that will make you stand out, dear? Like mine,” She angles her flank, pointing to the tattoo on the surface, “is a honeycomb and a thorny rose. It really suits me; I’m really good with soothing – and pricking – those I take care of. When I got my cutiemark, I honestly thought I’d be a beekeeper or something! Instead, it was a reflection of my personality, a piece of my true self.”

“So it just… magically appeared on your hind end one day, and you knew what it meant? Like, you just woke up and it was there?” Arin blinked. This was new to him. Magical tattoos? If his world had something like that – before it was obliterated – he’s pretty sure it would have been abused in some way.

“Well, yes and no. You see, I grew up with just my grandma taking care of me, and when I started to become a young mare, I began taking care of her. And I earned my cutiemark through helping her, even if I was a bit… course at times. Rough. Rude. Really, it wasn’t my fault – I took after her.” She stroked the back of her mane sheepishly. “But anyway, yeah, magic butt stuff. It’s cool, right? But you Inerts, you just… go around, learning everything, never really sticking to one field?”

“Well, I’m a special case in particular when it comes to Inerts. You see, a large portion of them can still channel some magic into certain crafts, though it’s more of a passive benefit. Thus they can produce enchanted items – like say rings, or weapons. Those Inert often find their… I guess you would call this their ‘special talent’, and stick to that from then on. Those who can’t find a craft they’re magically inclined to – like me – often change jobs to try and find our talent.”

He idly played with his splint. It wasn’t a nervous habit – his hands roamed when he was thinking. “I’ve learned a lot since I was young. Blacksmithing, glass making, pottery, construction, farming, mining, alchemy, armor crafting, stitching, even a little engineering. Still, nothing.”

Honey rose frowned – the first legitimate, actual frown she’s given Arin. “It’s alright sweetie. You’ll find your special talent one day. Especially here in Equestria! There’s so much to do, so much to learn – you’ll grow here, I promise. Besides, you’ve got like… I don’t know, forty years before you retire? You look young. You have plenty of time.”

Arin gave a short laugh, clutching his stomach. “Low class Seraphs like me live to be two hundred at the lowest, Honey. Ascended, depending on their type, can live to be a thousand or more! A thousand years to hone a few crafts. But, most die before they even scratch that. Our world was war stricken, filled with cults and demons that made life difficult, on top of the endless skirmishes at the borders due in part to our King’s history. We also had plenty of hostile races for a while, too – Minotaurs are one of them, which our worlds share from the looks of it.”

Honey Rose winced at the thought of war. Fighting wasn’t exceptionally common among ponies – that was more of a cataclysmic evil villain thing here, but she’d let that topic be for now.

As the conversation moved on, Honey eventually turned to the pile of clothes. “You know, we still need to get you dressed. Like it or not, I can at least get you started. Let’s see what we got, hmm?”

She approached the neatly folded clothes, pulling article after article free of the pile. A green silken vest, first – a long sleeve shirt with much too much room, a few of varying sizes beyond that. A few pairs of pants, some short, some long – thin, elegant. None of them looked like commoner clothes, but most were quite large.

“I think this will work.” She pulled out the first and the smallest long sleeve shirt. “Looks like it’s fitted for a young minotaur, let me check for pants…”

He quickly scrambled to grab the shirt, pulling it over his hair and across his chest. It was silk, and very classy – though massive. The vest was much tighter, and worked well with it. It seemed to be made of a much denser material – almost hard, actually, like a thin chest plate. He rasped it with his knuckles, a firm knocking sound following. The buttons were brass, and shined softly against the sunlight.

Two pairs of pants were set in front of him, with three more left to the pile. The one on the left – a brown pair – was a tad long, but seemed fitting. The black pair on the right was around the perfect size length wise, but would probably tumble down his waist when he least expected it.

He of course went with the brown pair, just as Honey snatched it up.

“Nuh uh, last thing that ankle needs is you twisting to slip these on. Lay back, I’ll close my eyes and get these on. Deal?”

Arin groaned, but conceded. He wasn’t much in the mood to fight her, and she quickly slipped them over his ankles. He hissed in pain, before letting the feeling null – the towel discarded a moment later.

Dressed, he was tempted to stand and check himself in the mirror. Honey’s hoof sharply prodded him in the chest, without even saying a word. He was tossed back against the pillows, while she trotted to the wheelchair. Freeing it of clothes, it was wheeled to his side, and the mare hefted him up with ease.

“You’re not very delicate, are you, Honey?” Arin had to restrain a frustrated snarl. It wasn’t in his nature to be nurtured or cared for like this – injuries make life harder on Inerts.

“Nope! Earth Ponies are tough. We’re built to be strong from birth, it’s natural! And Unicorns tend to be the brains, while Pegasi are the agile ones. Little bit of an Equis education for ya.”

“Ah, I see. So, even though you don’t have a horn, or wings, you still have some kind of magic?” Arin adjusted in his seat, the overly large chair rather comfortable, especially since it lifted his feet off the ground. “Wow, ponies know how to accommodate for size, huh?”

“Yep, Earth Ponies have earth magic. Makes us great farmers, and strong hooves help a lot for other jobs. And for size… yeah, that’s only ‘cause you’re in Canterlot, and the Castle no less! We have a bit of everything up here – for everyone, too, because Canterlot sees government officials from all species on Equis.”

She got behind the chair, giving it a push to the door. “You’re lucky you ended up here, of all places. I doubt you’d find half the help in somewhere like… Dodge City, or Ponyville.”

As they left the room, the guards followed up behind them. They didn’t speak, or even look at Arin, but they stayed close.

“Am I under watch or something?” He asked Miss Rose, who shrugged.

“Doubt it. Hey colts, did the Princess tell you to watch him?”

No response. Arin half expected this, it seemed common for Guards not to speak unless ordered to. In fact-

“No. We were told to guard you while you recovered.” The one on the left spoke, not breaking his line of sight with the end of the hallway in front. “You are a guest of the Crown. All guests are given aids to escort them while on the palace grounds.”

“So if we leaved the palace, you’d stop following us?”

“Yes. Though leaving the Palace’s grounds isn’t recommended in your current state.”

“If I asked you to stop following us, would you?”

“No, I’m afraid that’s against our orders for all guests. Though if privacy is required, we will give space.”

Arin leaned back in the chair, as Honey turned the left corner towards a nearby garden.

“And what’s your name? Seems weird talking to someone without knowing your name.” The door to the gardens was swung open by the guard on the right, who stood to make room. The sunlight blinded the Inert, who rose a hand to block out the light.

“Guards bearing Gold Armor are not allowed to reveal their identity, Sir. It goes against our orders.”

“Then what can I call you?”

“Guard.”

Original.

Blinking away the brightness, Arin cast his eyes on the garden proper. A beautiful array of color caught his eye, that broke the monotony of the marble corridors behind him. Ivy strung down the pillars that led deeper into the halls, a wonderful scent of flowers filling his senses. Birds chirped as they swooped into the clearing, an ornate fountain twinkling in the middle.

Bushlines covered the base of the walls, the private garden dotted with high trees. A stone path cut through the middle, leading around the fauna to view the flowers growing strong into the open air. It seems they came into the rear entrance of the garden, as several large windows lined the other side – showing more finely crafted, painting covered halls.

Hey, why does that hallway get fancy pictures and his gets boring torches? He must be in the guest wing.

Honey brought him through the garden, the guards following a safe distance behind. Just around the fountain – laying on a large blanket, dotted with teasets – was none other than Princess Celestia! Arin’s eyes lit up, happy to see a friendly face.

Well, a friendly face that didn’t see him naked.

“Ah, Arin! I can see you’re doing better, and much cleaner, too. Did you find your accommodations suiting?” She said, her warm smile easing him. Immediately, he felt more relaxed, and he noticed that presence behind him shifted.

Turning to his side, he saw Honey bowing. Celestia acknowledged this.

“No no, my subject. You don’t have to bow, not while I’m enjoying the garden. In this space, I don’t want to even think about the throne. Simply breathe and relax.” She nodded her head out of respect, and Honey rose, a bit confused.

“Oh! I’m sorry Princess. I um… it’s… well, yeah, sorry.” She giggled sheepishly, blushing. It’s not every day you get to speak to the Princess!

“It’s not a problem. Now, Arin… how is everything?”

Arin inhaled deeply, nodding. “Its been refreshing, Princess Celestia. Thank you for everything so far, I… I can’t express that enough. Regardless of how much Honey Rose has been teasing me, I am thankful for the kindness you’ve shown me today.”

The Princess eased at Arin’s words, genuinely happy to hear. “No no, it’s nothing you should thank me for. You deserve rest, just like anyone. It’s not every day that your life changes, for better or worse.”

Celestia sipped at a cup of tea, swirling it around. “Say, Honey Rose, is it?”

The Princess looked deep into the murky drink, eye brows knitting in thought.

“Yes, Princess?” The pink mare said, nervousness creeping into her voice.

“You’re the aide I sent for, correct? You work at Canterlot High Hopes. Tell me, what do you do in your spare time?” Celestia set the teacup down, her magenta eyes closed. But her ears swiveled in, at attention.

“Well uh… I go home, read a few books, you know… enjoy my day off. That being uh… today.” She smiled, sweating now.

Celestia nodded, warmth filling the air as her mane picked up – glowing slightly in the non-existent breeze. Arin couldn’t help but stare at it – the pinks, the blues, the greens shimmered with beauty he couldn’t describe. “Do you have any friends?”

“Friends? Haha, me? My closest friend is Soapy, my sponge at work. I uh… heh, I’m not that big on making friends, no.” Her hindleg crossed over the other, leaning on three hooves. What was the Princess playing at?

“Hmm… I see.” She sipped at her tea, the magic of her horn glimmering like the dawn. “I have another job in mind for you, if you’d like.”

Celestia’s eyes opened, and she turned to look the honey-eyed mare. The Princess’s magenta eyes, when focused on you, could make you melt in an instant. Not from her beauty, but from the air of authority she gave.

Honey was not immune, by any means.

“Well uh, I… huh, ah… I could… I’d think, er… what’s the… what’s the job?” She stammered. Her heart began to race in her chest. A job, from the Princess? Even Arin grew a little excited at that. The Princess giving out jobs? Royal jobs, to total strangers? This wasn’t something you ignored.

“I’d like for you to assist Arin in acclimating to his new home, Canterlot. I’m willing to match your current wage and then some, if that sounds reasonable?”

Arin was nearly floored by the news, his eyes darting open in shock. Oh no. Don’t do this. Not her. “Hey wait a second, I don’t need-”

“…I accept, your Majesty.” Honey said, a hoof darting over Arin’s mouth. “When do I start?”

Arin glared up at Honey, who only gave him an overly large, ‘we will talk about this later’ smile.

“Tomorrow would be wonderful, just after lunch. I recommend you find a few books from the Canterlot library, to teach Arin how to read Equestrian. And starting from now, I want you to write me a letter on his progress, at least twice a week. I expect you at work every day you’re able and willing. You will be given a small budget to work with, as well, to help better introduce him to our world. At least for now, until guidance is no longer necessary, at which point you may return to your old job, or when he is unavailable for your tutorship.”

Her eyes turned to Arin, and he felt himself come under pressure now. “As for you, Arin, I will be giving you not a job, but a task.”

His jaw was still recovering from the recent announcement that he was going to be essentially babied for… however long it took him to get used to the place.

The Princess giggled, looking over his stunned features. “I take it from your silence that you want me to continue; your task is to make five friends. I had a student who found great success from this, and I believe miracles can repeat themselves. And whenever you learn something about friendship, whether it be the simplest of life lessons or something more substantial, speak with me – or if you’re out of reach, write me a letter. I will help you, right now. Can you do this for me, as a friend?”

She put emphasis on the word ‘friend’. Does that mean he’s… friends with the Princess? How? He barely met her!

She stood up, approaching the now shocked Seraph. She offered her hoof, which he – numbly – reached out to shake. She bowed her head.

“Hello, my name is Princess Celestia. But you may call me Celestia, your friend.”

There was a thump behind Arin, and he was dimly aware of four pink hooves sticking up in the air.

“I… I…”

He blinked. “Hi Celestia. I’m Arin.”