The trek back to the castle was a lot less reassuring than he’d like. How do you even approach something like this? ‘Oh hey Luna, how are you? Is that a knife? Wonderful, let’s put that away’ doesn’t seem productive for the long term. The Royal Guards saluted his entry without a second thought – and he wasn’t at all shocked to find Princess Luna waiting for him at the top of the throne room stairs.

‘Okay, think. Breathe. Let’s just move along, like a bad day should.’ He thought.

“Hey Luna.” He stepped right past her, keeping his eyes on the carpet.

“Arin, what troubles thee?” She quickly cantered to his side as he made his way down the halls. “Thou are stained! Tis not right. Did something occur?”

She was lying, that was much too obvious. She knew exactly what happened, just from her expression alone. At least, so she thought.

“Well. Turns out Umbra, one of my closest friends, thinks I’m incapable of uh… swooning a mare. She thinks I’m socially deaf. I mean… I don’t know what she expected. But you got your Spymaster now, right?”

Now it was Luna’s turn to feel smug. Her wings gave a flap, grin tugging at her cheeks. She quickly stifled her emotions, though, to instead comfort her sorrowful Knight.

“We are proud to say that We disagree!” She bounced ahead of him. Something about the way she spoke, it really made him think that she wasn’t in full control of her actions. Yesterday, she sounded fine – better than fine, in fact, but only when he arrived. She was ecstatic to even be around him, and… she didn’t speak using the royal ‘We’. Something must have gone wrong during the night.

Maybe Umbra had a point. She wasn’t just tired or stressed. Her mood swings were affecting her in ways beyond just her emotions, and it really began to show. Maybe he could do a little spying of his own…

Or. They were both just reading too much into it - Twilight too, if she agreed. And Luna was just a sleep deprived mess. That was still very well a possibility.

“Heh, always by my side, just like I’m at yours, right Princess?” He smiled up at her, trying to sound genuine. Her smile grew wide and eager, reaching up to place a hoof against his chest. Again, that nagging feeling came back. Something was wrong about that smile, and he just couldn’t place it.

She seemed to read his face rather well, and her happiness fell away in a moment’s notice. Her hoof dropped to the floor, worry creeping into her voice. “Is there an issue, my Knight?”

“Yeah, I’m covered in coffee, and I feel like a mess. Just having a bad day, that’s all.”

“Do not fret; the night will soon settle thee in its comforting embrace. Perhaps now thee will find proper rest, at our wayside. Come! I must hold… Court, and I will need you at my call. And We order that you clean yourself while in Our presence. It is most befitting to be prim and proper for Us.”

Okay. Umbra had a point. Luna was acting strange. Best to just play along and keep her calm, while the former Umbrum could work on a solution. Maybe sitting through court would give him a better idea of what’s wrong, anyway.

So in the meantime… best to suck it up, and follow orders. Within reason. She turned on her heels, making her way down the hall in slow, regal steps. That reminded him… wasn’t Day Court usually held in the mornings? It was nearly five o’clock. By the time ponies finally had the chance to stroll in, it would be approaching nightfall.

Arin made his way through the halls, towards the nearest balcony. It didn’t matter which – Luna needed him more than ever to help keep the peace. Especially when she may be the one disrupting it.

Fresh fitted clothes rested under his armor, showered and free of coffee once again. Arin had made his way back to the throne room, and now stood on her right. Stood. She wouldn’t let him sit today, as much as he’d like to. Wings had spoiled him, and he found walking, or even standing – a chore more than ever. And just as he thought, Luna had already begun the process of setting the sun as Court fell in session. Apparently, no one cared what hour it was held – problems were problems, and always had a time to be addressed.

The first pony approached – an older unicorn mare, with the assistance of her walker. She adjusted her glasses and took in the navy Princess with a frown.

“You’re not Celestia. You must be her Sister! Do you want a toffee, dear?” she asked. Luna only watched at the feeble elderly, the question going right over her head.

“Well, if you won’t partake, Luna – I’ll have one.” Arin smiled, opening his palm. The old Unicorn gently. Slowly. Ever so steadily levitated the treat to his hand. The entire process left Luna sighing in frustration, and just before he could close his fingers around the candy – Luna’s magic swatted it out of the way.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I must have slipped; my horn is all old and cracked. Let me get you another,” she said in a hoarse voice, but was quickly interrupted by Luna.

“We do not have time for these games. Speak thy request to Us, or my Knight will escort thou from Our sight.”

“Uh, Luna. Moony. Moonbutt. I’m not gonna throw out an old lady.” Arin frowned, adding as many pet names as possible. Keep her calm, he needed to inspect her behavior. Evidence was evidence to him, after all.

“You will do as you are commanded. But We are patient. Speak.” Luna’s heavy eyes rested on the poor grandma before her, who chattered through the whistling of her teeth.

“Well, you see Princess, I went to pay my bills the other day, but the rent has gone up again. My grandson can’t help me this month, and I wanted to know what I could do? If I miss this rent, my landlord is going to put me on the streets. My savings started to run low, last year thereabouts, when I had to pay out of pocket to replace my furniture. My insurance wouldn’t cover it from a house fire, you see-”

“Silence. We do not care for those who can not care for themselves. I decree that thee must find work, if thy savings are insufficient. You are dismissed.”

“Luna, that’s a bit rough, don’t you think? She’s an old lady, cut her some slack.” Arin turned to face her, forcing the Princess to reply in a cool voice.

“We do not recall asking for thy advice.” Her voice was as chilly as steel, and cutting, too. Arin clicked his tongue, and – following in Celestia’s foot… er… hoofsteps, he withdrew his small bag of bits.

“Here, this should keep you afloat until you find a better solution. Alright? If I recall correctly, there should be at least three hundred and sixty bits here. Will that work?”

The old lady held the money aloft in her teal aura, her heart melting. “You don’t have to do this dear, they’re your bits. I’ll be sure to scrounge some up.”

“No no, please. I insist.”

She gave the warmest smile she could muster. “Thank you. You remind me of my Grandson, when he used to visit. But here.” She bowed her head to Arin, pressing the coinpurse back into his palm, as the Knight returned to his post. Luna watched in mild amusement.

“Attempting to squander thy pay will earn thee no favors.” She smirked. “Especially if thy continues to go against my wishes.”

“I’m sorry Luna. It won't happen again,” he said. Okay, bad move. But he’ll recover from this, and keep her happy. Maybe the positive example didn’t work, but he could be kind in her steed. He just needed time for Umbra to come up with a plan, before she became irredeemable. It’s not like she could be thrown out of the castle or something; wait, could she?...

Even now, she looked sickly. There wasn’t a stir to her mane, and her fur looked dulled. How long has this been going on? There’d only be one way to find out, too. He’d have to speak with Vapor Cloud or Twilight, whenever Luna grew bored of dealing with the populace.

Which turned out to be pretty quick. Luna soon found the will to call out to her advisor; well, more so her Sister’s old advisor – just as she finished raising the moon for the night, the image of a mare still ever present.

Quill Shine approached the throne with a bow, her black mane aged with a few gray streaks from her tenure at the castle. “Yes, my Princess?” She called out, her clipboard levitating before her in a thin blue aura.

“Dismiss the court. We grow weary of imparting wisdom.” Luna waved with her hoof, slumping forward with exhaustion. The mare looked fit to collapse at the moment, and while Miss Shine looked worried – she tarried at Luna’s hooves.

“Are you sure, Princess? Per my last report, the populace has shown a growing distaste for your leadership. Without a way to voice their worries to you, their opinion will only sink lower with time. Especially if you continue to actively dismiss their complaints.”

Another shift in the Princess’s mood started to settle in, a long sigh following. “I’m much to weary to handle these growing concerns. I feel as if my head is fit to burst, and I can hardly lift a quill. I am growing desperate for sleep, proper sleep, which has evaded me these last few months, Lady Quill Shine.”

Her Knight turned to face her, curious now more than ever. Her demeanor had flipped on its head yet again – from elegant, cruel royalty to a soft-willed mare in mere moments. Her scowl had sunk away, replaced with timid angst playing at her features. And she looked absolutely fragile; a stiff wind may blow her over, coupled with her speech losing its elegant, royal ‘We’.

“Very well then, Princess. I will see to it that the Court is closed for the evening.” Quill gave one last bow, slipping her clipboard into her business satchel before returning up the royal red carpet.

“Arin…” Luna said quietly, beckoning her Knight. “Will you carry me? I feel ill…”

The Seraph in question paused, before traveling up the throne and scooping the mare up in his arms. With a heartfelt sigh, he held her to his chest. “Alright. Let’s head to dinner, you look half starved.”

“I’m not hungry. I just want… I need to sleep. I feel cold.”

Indeed, she was shivering like a leaf now. If anything, she could be sick. Could Alicorns even become sick? How do you check a pony’s temperature? These were all questions that stirred in Arin’s mind, as he made extra sure to carry Luna as quietly as he could through the castle corridors. Heavy sleeper or not, he made the effort not to stir her from a new, fitful doze.

While he had no reason not to trust Umbra - who had been a pillar of honesty since the day they met, he wanted to do a little investigating on his own to be sure. With the night mare unconscious, he might be able to prod for answers from Vapor Cloud. While the Captain wouldn’t be direct evidence in Umbra’s favor, he would definitely support her theory if he could confirm changes in Luna’s behavior.

His wings wrapped tight around Luna’s now unconscious form, embracing her in warm feathers once again. The stairs to her tower were always a daunting climb, but he couldn’t just teleport her to bed. Arin’s magic was strong, but it would take several more years until he was half as gifted as a court mage. Besides, he missed this feeling of holding her. Maybe he should bathe her, too. She’d like that, if she didn’t slip under the water and drown when he wasn’t looking.

Gently, the Knight placed his Princess on her bed – her sheets drawn tight over her form. He had things to do before he could sleep, so he made an effort to hunt for a thick comforter. Luckily, the closet had a spare blanket for the winter, and when she was snug, he ran his fingers through her mane before making his way to the door.

When his hand touched the handle, he stopped. A pause. Chills shot up his spine, as that dreadful feeling began to build up within him again. He froze on the spot, feeling Luna’s eyes burrowing into his back. The soft creak of springs in the mattress followed, as the night-time Princess leaned forward, sitting straight in the bed.

His fingers tightened over the handle – heart hammering in his chest, he slid quickly from the room – not once looking back to meet her watchful gaze.

When the door slid shut behind him, he honestly felt like a child all over again – when he was in the darkness of night alone, the sounds of rustling leaves setting his mind alight with the possibilities of ambush from beast or bandit; or the quiet creak of floorboards in his own home, the house shifting and settling with thoughts of demons or ghouls plaguing the walls. He could swear he heard a faint ringing in his ears, with how quiet the world was now. But the dread soon fizzled away, with each step he took down the flights of the spiral staircase.

The sight of guards eased his mind, but the light of the dining hall banished the fear creeping up on him in the shadows. Umbra wasn’t present – it was likely she was out on a mission tonight. Instead, it was just Honey Rose, Vapor Cloud – and strangely enough – Quill Shine.

He sat by Luna’s pillow, feeling cold. Immediately, Honey’s eyes set on him, and the questioning began.

“Hey Arin! You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Wait, there aren’t ghosts in this castle, are there? I HATE ghosts. They scare me worse than killer-ponies with facemasks and hockey sticks!”

“Dear, we’ve been over this – those are hockey players.” Vapor Cloud said, shuffling through a small stack of paperwork on the table.

“Still! One smack from that club, and BAM! I’m drinking maple syrup with the bugbears.”

Sweet Dream – surprisingly awake – mimicked the ‘BAM’ with a babbling giggle. Crawling over her Mother’s legs to explore the world around her.

“See? Like Mother like Daughter.” She ran her hoof over the little filly – her adorable wings fluffing out in delight. She even had tiny, apple-shaped cheese crackers to much on, which had made a total mess of Honey’s side of the table. Or… were those Honey’s snacks? After Arin considered it, they were likely for both of them.

“Arin, I was hoping to speak with you regarding your public appearances in Canterlot. Among other things, of course.” Quill Shine interrupted, leaning over the table. Really, this part of the castle was by far his most visited – it wasn’t a shock she’d look for him here.

“Alright, shoot.”

“As you are likely aware, after the invasion of your people – Seraphs are lacking in a positive reputation. Yes, you are still considered Luna’s Knight, even after the incidents – but ponies as a whole tend to have a short memory when it comes to such ceremonies. As such, I would advise that you spend more time away from the castle, preferably in the public eye. Perhaps you could volunteer at a Soup Kitchen, or during these times of peace – seek work at a more customer oriented setting? Of course, these suggestions are just that; suggestions. And I have no control over what you decide to do. But if you find your legs weary, it would benefit Luna’s reputation. Speaking of which…”

Quill Shine withdrew her notes from her satchel. “I wanted to discuss this with Luna in particular. But I know you have a close relationship with her, and she might pay more attention to your words rather than my own. Unlike Celestia, Luna – at the very beginning of her tenure – had a poor public rating. In my surveys, I found that their primary concerns were her lack of experience, and her inability to withstand pressure. This wasn’t the case, of course; but with time, the worries evolved into more serious accusations.”

She slid a well formatted paper to Arin’s hands, detailing a few scant graphs and charts – along with an overall result – of ‘the Pony’s Global Opinion of Princess Luna’. Now, he wasn’t well indoctrinated with noble talk or business leadership – but he felt like he should be wearing a fancy suit when reading this paper. He’s seen business ponies wear them before, after all. Well, the jacket and tie part, at least.

“Let’s start with the simple things. I created this report three months after the war, to summarize the Princess’s ability to lead a nation. This includes data from her first day, until Neighvember – a few weeks passed Nightmare Night. As you can see from the bar graph, her approval at the start was relatively low – hugging close to the high forty percent range. But with steady work, she managed to raise it as high as sixty percent. Now, that’s nothing spectacular – though definitely lower than Celestia’s eighty percent average – but what’s odd is the following months.”

She withdrew a second document, this being the quarterly review. “This is from last year, and includes Luna’s approval ratings from the last four seasons. Typically, this should be consistent – with maybe a small spike in summer reviews, as ponies are happier during the warmth months – but it shows a steady decline. She began at sixty three percent approval, and by the end of that year, it had dropped again to forty percent. This can be attributed to the slow introduction of radio technology, but I measure approval from all sources. I’m Princess Celestia’s top advisor for a reason.

“The fourth pie chart on that page indicates the Pony’s most prevalent issues when attending Day Court. It’s the main reason why we host Day Court, as this data reflects the citizens as a whole. I had expected, when compiling this data, to be the economy as the core issue – but it wasn’t. I have five categories at which I define Equestria’s problems; economy, leadership, health and security, and education. Of these, leadership is almost never an issue. But as you can see from this report… the main gripes of the citizens became leadership over the course of one season.”

She withdrew a flier of a Noble House – a name Arin recognized, Topaz Jewels.

“At first, I was right to believe that fliers like these – supplied by Nobles with their own agendas – were the cause. But it wasn’t. Princess Luna’s behavior on the throne was causing the most outcry from the public, as some days, she would simply ignore requests from her ponies. Or outright punish them, for no clear reason. At which point, a flier like this – calling Princess Luna a tyrant – was true, and not just political mudslinging.”

She let Arin keep the flier, as she presented the last piece of evidence. “These are Luna’s approval ratings now.”

Taking the page from her, he knew trouble was brewing the moment his eyes trailed over the document. “Fourteen percent?”

Quill Shine nodded. “If it falls any lower, there could be some serious issues stemming from this. You see, Princess Celestia had implemented fail safes in case of total public relations disaster. Specifically, if her ability to lead faltered with the passage of time – due to mental illness, or simply becoming a dictator – that an approval rating of less than ten percent at the end of a year’s quarter would open the polls for Democracy; leadership by an elected President. These notions were entered into the Supreme Court five years ago, by the Noble House of Goldshoes – and she agreed. Simply put, it would never happen. Not with Princess Celestia’s leadership.

“But… this isn’t Princess Celestia leading her ponies. This is her Sister, Princess Luna. If measures aren’t taken soon, in less than thirty days, Princess Luna could be forced to run against Nobles in an election. If she loses said election, not only would the Princess lose the castle – but so would her Sister, upon her return. Princess Celestia would have no right to take back the throne, either – as a new President can simply impose both of their leadership as unfit, or even strike old laws from the record. This would put the entirety of Equestria at the hooves of… really, whoever can steal the most votes. You should know by now, Sir Arin, that Nobles do not play fair in politics.”

Food had already arrived at the table as they spoke. Vapor Cloud – either already aware of the problems mounting or simply too focused on his paperwork – idly chewed at a bite of Carrot Wellington. Honey Rose fed her foal, and Arin simply ignored his platter.

“Well then, what do you suppose we do?” He shuffled forward, resting his elbows on the table. Crossing his fingers, he was all ears to suggestions.

“All methods I’ve taken to improve her public relations have fallen, as she seems to be growing unable to handle the workload given to her. I’m not saying the situation is dire – but if we don’t stabilize her relations to at least eleven percent, then legally, there is nothing else I can do or say. I may not even be employed here by Hearth’s Warming. Which is why I also recommend you seek work experience here, in Equestria.”

He twiddled his thumbs for a moment, sighing. “Does Luna know?” He looked to Vapor Cloud, who spat out his fork.

“A dozen times over and more. Which is why I’m investigating these Noble lines so harshly; if I can find proof of their dealings with enemies of the public, then we can toss them in a cell to rot. Which will hopefully buy us enough time to tug Celestia out of the moon before Luna snaps.”

Aha! Just what he needed to hear. “Snaps? Please explain.”

“Well, the last year has been pretty rough on her. I honestly think this job is killing her. It all started around the time Twilight began to experiment on the moon to free Celestia. And while I’m loyal to Princess Luna, I’m not the biggest fan of the way she’s been treating us lately.” He motioned a hoof between him and Honey, who nodded.

“Yeah! She’s banned me from carrying sponges around! I mean, I wasn’t doing anything illegal with them. At least, not in the books.” Honey scowled, her little filly – bouncing on her lap – mimicking her face with absolute perfection. Another soft head pat for her daughter was quickly rewarded.

“And she cut my pay in half. I mean, it doesn’t matter really – Honey and I live here for free, and we’re taken care of. But it’s going to affect our retirement funds in the future.” Vapor scowled, sighing. “She thinks the work is rewarding enough. Like simply doing as she says is some kind of blessing. I miss having date nights, y’know? Had to cut back on them and a lot of other things, too.”

“Like premium nappies for Sweet. Isn’t that right, smelly?” Honey hugged her daughter in her hooves, who squeed at the attention.

Arin sighed, rubbing his temples free of the mounting stress. What did he walk into?

“Alright. I need some time to come up with a plan. And maybe I’ll take your advice and work outside the castle for a bit. I have one place in mind that I could try, too.