AJ galloped to the hospital, hoping they'd let her see Michael. She finally got there and with a few tense words from Redheart, trotted to his room. She knocked rather loudly on the door.

Fluttershy squeaked and looked at the door. "Umm h-hello?"

"Fluttershy it's just me. Can Ah come in?" AJ asked.

The timid pegasus sighed with relief and walked up to the door, opening it. "Hello AJ. What are you doing here?" She asked quietly, hoofing at the ground.

AJ sighed. "Ah need ta talk ta Michael, is he ok?"

Fluttershy turned and looked at the beaten pegasus. "Umm I-I guess you can…" She said, walking past AJ up to the bed.

Mike groggily squinted, his left eye still swollen. "AJ?" He croaked, slowly looking around.

"Eeyup." She said, sorrow clearly in her voice.

He leaned forward. "What's wrong?"

"It-it's bout Martin. Twi's brother Shining Armor arrested him and took him to Canterlot." She said, taking off her Stetson hat and sitting down on a nearby chair.

"They did what?! Why?!" He yelled, his voice going hoarse at the end and he coughed. Fluttershy grabbed a glass of water and held it so he could take a drink.

She sighed. "He attacked ya and since yer a pony now yer bound to the Equestrian laws… and Martin attacked ya, he committed a crime. He also was under the effect of Discord, Celestia is worried about everypony in Ponyville."

He sighed. "But he didn’t do it on purpose." He looked at the cowpony. "Where did they take him?"

"Canterlot, they'll decide what ta do with him there." AJ replied, looking at the floor.

"Ah hell, time to return the favor." He sat up, yelping in pain as he struggled to throw off the covers and fell flat on his face. He started to pant from exhaustion.

AJ quickly grabbed his shoulders. "What are ya talkin' bout?"

"We gotta go to Canterlot... and I'm coming to." He glared in her direction. "We don’t have time to argue, we have to go now."

She shook her head vigorously. "No, ya gotta stay here."

"AJ please, he's my best friend. And every time he saved me, I can't even help him…" He pounded his hoof against the floor and sighed. "I'm going to Canterlot one way or another; I'm not making the same mistake again."

"No ya can't go. Yer still injured." She replied, still holding his shoulder.

"I don’t care. So was he when he dragged me to the hospital. I need to do this." He struggled to his hooves, pushing himself away from her. He panted again as he slowly made his way towards the door.

She stood there, watching. "Ya won't make it." She said flatly.

"I'll do what I can." He said, exhausted already, barely making it to the door. He fought to open it, the handle eluding him.

AJ looked at Fluttershy; the two watching him fight the door. "We can't let him go…"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I-I support Michael, if he thinks he has to go, I won't stop him." She said determined, her face a tad red.

Mike leaned against the door. "Damn it… I can… I can't do anything." He pounded a hoof weakly against the door.

AJ shared a look with Fluttershy, who nodded. AJ sighed before walking up to him and grabbed his leg, swinging it across her back. "Ah can't let ya go alone, if yer going Ah'm comin' with ya."

He faintly smiled at her. "Good, I can't even get passed this door." He sighed. "How do we even get to Canterlot? Train?"

She nodded. "Eeyup, it'll be the fastest way." She said, helping him walk along the hallway.

Fluttershy tagged along as they forced their way out of the hospital. Nurse Redheart was venomously against it but they refused to back down and made their way back to the library, hoping to get the others.

As Fluttershy opened the door, the girls gasped in horror as they saw him and he smiled weakly. "Hey girls..." He whispered, his voice strained as he focused on walking.

Dash landed in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"We need… we need to go save him." He said.

Twilight looked at him confused. "Save who?"

"Martin." He sighed, his body screaming in pain. Fluttershy noticed and walked up to him, nuzzling his cheek. He smiled at her as AJ made sure he didn’t fall.

Dash gasped. "Why would you want to save him?"

"Cause he's my best friend, and he's saved me way too many times to count lately, I owe him."

Twilight shook her head. "He's with Shining now, he'll bring him to Princess Celestia. We can't just go and get him."

"I know but Celestia needs to know that he didn’t do it on purpose. I can't just sit here and let him face her alone." He squinted at them. "I'm going to Canterlot and if you don’t want to go, that’s fine. I'll figure out a way there."

The girls, minus AJ and Fluttershy, stared at him. "You can't go, you're too injured." Twilight said.

"Like hell I am but it doesn’t matter, I need to know I at least tried to help."

Twilight bit her lower lip. "But… but…"

Fluttershy walked in front of her friend. "Twilight, Michael has to do this and I'll go with him." She said, looking into her worried friend's eyes.

Twilight sighed, closing her eyes. "I guess I can see why. I really don’t like it but I'll go with you." She said, looking at the two pegasi.

"Thanks Twi." He said tiredly as he faintly smiled at her.

Pinkie jumped excitedly into the air. "We're going to Canterlot!" She cheered.

He looked at the girls happily. "You'll all go?" They nodded and he smiled. "Good…" He slumped against AJ.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Come on sugarcube, let's get goin'."

"Ok…" He said, struggling to move. "Let's go."

They made their way slowly but surely to the train station and coerced the conductor to let him on. He was very adamant about Mike going to the hospital instead. They finally set out for Canterlot as Mike gently rested on Fluttershy's lap, his eyes closed as he took slow breaths.

"Ouch…" He muttered.

She ran a hoof through his mane. "We'll be there soon." She whispered into his ear.

"Thanks you Flutters for helping me with AJ." He whispered back, reaching for her hoof. She grabbed it tightly. He rested his head against her stomach and squeezed her hoof back tightly before passing out, his body exhausted.

=

"Canterlot Station dead ahead!" The conductor yelled, the train's whistle agreeing with the aged pony.

Mike opened his left eye, the swelling gone down. "We're there already?"

Fluttershy looked down and gently nuzzled his cheek. "Yes." She said quietly.

He nuzzled the tip of her snout before groaning, forcing himself up. "Alright, let's get this show on the road." He took a few breaths before hopping onto his hooves.

AJ was there to catch him and she lead him off the train, the girls following close behind.

"Do we know where we're going?" He asked.

Twilight nodded her head. "We'll be heading straight for the castle." She said, taking the lead as she led them through the crowded train station.

"Ok…"

They made their way through the crowded streets, ponies looking at them before briskly moving out of the way. When they got to the towering castle, the guardponies refused to let them in and a short argument took place. Finally, the guards caved and let them in, Twilight's status helping. The small group trotted to the throne room.

"It is my understanding that you attacked one of my subjects?" Celestia's voice echoed. That only spurred them on; AJ having to literally drag Mike along as they pushed open the doors to the inner sanctum.

"WAIT!!" He yelled, his voice going out in the end. Everypony's head turned and looked at them. Guards appeared out of nowhere and flooded the room as Martin looked at them, covered in chains.

Martin looked surprised. "What are you doing here?" He asked, the chains rattling as he moved.

"Trying to repay a debt." Mike said as he pushed himself away from AJ and slowly limped his way towards Celestia. The guards watched closely as their spears were always at the ready. He bowed as he got closer to the throne.

Celestia looked at him, surprised as well. "Michael, what is the meaning of your arrival?"

"Princess Celestia I wanted to beg you to go easy on Martin, he wasn’t himself. He was possessed by Discord."

"I am aware of that." She said flatly.

"You know he wouldn't harm me if he was in charge of his body." He paused as he sunk to the floor, tired.

She raised her hoof. "I know Michael. And you have to know that I didn’t bring Martin here to punish him." She replied, lowering her hoof.

Mike blinked and looked at her confused. "You didn’t? Then why were there guards everywhere?"

She sighed. "It had to be, I have to treat every creature equally. No matter whom they are. And according to Twilight's letter, all this is required for the safety of those who are beyond the castle walls."

"So you brought him here to make sure he didn’t harm anypony else?"

She nodded. "I also brought him here to assure Discord's magic wouldn’t affect him anymore."

"Even if we-I don’t agree." Princess Luna said, walking up to the dais.

Celestia sighed again, weary of the impending discussion. "Luna please, we have to trust Martin." She looked at the human.

"But he's proven to be heavily influenced to the highest degree by Discordian magic. He nearly killed his best friend." Luna pointed at the barely conscious Mike. "And we both agreed to have guards watch him at all times. Remember when he made the musket or any of those numerous daggers."

"I trust Martin; he has proven his bravery and his strength to protect his friends."

"Thou did the same to Star Swirl and look how that ended." Luna looked at her elder sibling. "Please, just let me use my magic and we'll see how trustworthy he is."

"Please Princess Luna…" Mike started till she glared at him.

"Quiet human! This does not concern you."

Celestia stomped her hoof on the ground. "Luna!"

"Sister, you know we're right!" Luna yelled, her nose flared in anger. Her pupils shrunk to slits like a cats for a split second before returning normal.

Celestia stared at her sister angrily. "He is the last human; he might be the last knight to walk amongst us."

Luna rolled her eyes. "We both know he's no knight, he's been corrupted already by Discord."

"But there is still hope. Let me tell him what I brought him here for first." Celestia replied, looking at the imprisoned human once more.

Luna frowned and went to open her mouth again before closing it as Celestia began an explanation.

"Thousands of years ago when the kingdom of man or the Kingdom of Aragon still existed, there was an order. It was the Agathor Order, an order charged to protect all humans and ponies alike. It helped our father win the great Griffin/pony war. They were honored warriors who risked their lives no matter the danger. After the war, our father offered them to join Equestria, which they accepted. They were tasked with protecting it and they did. When our father died, Discord used the chaos it caused to come into power. The chaos he created was enough to cause a war between the griffins and humans. They were outnumbered and even with the help of the Order, they fell, leaving the Order itself as the last humans on this planet. When Luna and I came to end Discord's reign, there was only one knight left and he helped us defeat Discord, at the cost of his own life. His sword and armor remain in the castle, just in case another human was found." She paused, letting her words sink in before she stared at Martin. "You are the last 'official' human to walk among us."

"Where have I heard this before?" Mike muttered.

Luna stared at the chained human. "Although I do not believe you are the Knight, forces outside my control have forced us to accept you are."

Martin shook his head. "I don’t understand, you want me to become a knight?"

"If thou can." Luna raised her eyebrow. "I still believe the other is but I have been proven wrong it seems."

Martin and Mike shared a glance before Celestia raised her voice. "If you agree, you will be bound to knighthood till you die."

Mike looked at his friend. "What happens if it doesn’t bind with him?"

Celestia closed her eyes. "It will burn him alive."

Martin gasped as Mike grimaced. "Well, did you have any urge to be the next Human Torch?"

"And either I choose to become part of the Agathor Order or I go to prison, aye?"

Celestia nodded. "If you do survive the knighting, Discord's magic won't be able to influence your mind as strongly and all traces of it from before will be purged, even though my student did a wonderful job."

Martin paused for a moment before nodding. "I-I'll choose the knighting."

Luna looked at him. "Are you sure human? Knighting doesn’t take kindly to fools or liars."

Martin shook his head. "I will do it."

Luna looked at her sister. "I still think you're making a huge mistake." She said before walking away and paused at the door. "Michael, follow me!" She demanded before leaving the room.

Mike stared at his friend. "Just like a video game?"

Martin nodded. "Y-yeah…" He gulped.

Mike held out his hoof. "Good luck."

Martin faintly smiled, giving it a shake before looking at Celestia. Mike hobbled his way through the door Luna went through. The guards lead the others out into the throne room, as Celestia's horn glowed and the chains loosened and fell to the ground. Martin stretched for a moment before walking closer to the Princess.

"Martin, are you ready to take the oath?" She asked.

"Well, guess I don’t have much choice." He gulped. I'm ready.

She nodded. "Place your right hand on your heart." He did as he was commanded, his heart beating faster. "Raise your other." She said.

He shakily raised his left hand.

"Repeat as I say. I swear to take this oath by my own will."

"I swear to take this oath by my own will."

"For the glory of Equestria and the health of its subjects."

"For the glory of Equestria and the health of its subjects."

"My heart shall beat to protect every pony, human, and other species that claims itself part of Equestria."

"My heart shall beat to protect every pony, human, and other species that claims itself part of Equestria."

"My sword shall lead the Order to glory."

"My sword shall lead the Order to glory."

"And my shield shall protect the hearts of Agathor."

"And my shield shall protect the hearts of Agathor."

"In the name of my brothers and sisters in arms, I claim myself a Knight of the Order."

"In the name of my brothers and sisters in arms, I claim myself a Knight of the Order."

"In the name of the Agathor Order and for the glory of Aragon, I serve the ruler until the end of time."

"In the name of the Agathor Order and for the glory of Aragon, I serve the ruler until the end of time."

Celestia closed her eyes and her horn began to glow, her magic aura engulfing the human. Her power flowed through his body as he took a deep breath and felt new strength fill his body.

"I-I feel weird…" He said, looking at himself.

"I have granted you the power of the Knights. What you feel is the ancient magic flowing through your body. It will provide you the strength you need to serve the Order." Celestia replied, faintly smiling. "It has accepted you, now we need to present you your armor."

The heavy gold doors opened and a small cart covered in blood red velvet was rolled inside the room. It was surrounded by guards wearing gold armor. On the small cart was a silver chest with Celestia's cutie mark carved into the lock. He stared at it.

"Only you can open the chest Martin." She encouraged.

He hesitantly made his way to the chest, putting a little weight against the lid and he flung it open. He stared at the silver armor lying inside, the light reflecting off the polished steel. A golden crest was carved into the chest plate, showing a cross with Celestia's and Luna's cutie mark in the middle. Surrounding it was a picture of a small dragon on the bottom left and a rose on the top right. He reached inside and grabbed the helmet as a tingling sensation filled his body as he looked at it more closely.

"That helmet was made by the first of the Order." She said, closing her eyes as she replayed a memory. "I still remember when he asked me to help him weave the spells through the armor." She sighed. "I wish I didn’t have to do this Martin but I saw no other way."

He looked at the helmet; it was a silver great helm with a full visor with golden carvings. He put it back inside and looked at Celestia. "Where can I put it on?"

"There's a changing room right there". She pointed to the third door on the left.

He nodded and one of the guards led him into the room. He took all the armor out and placed it on a table in front of the mirror. He began to put the padded cover on before the chainmail. It took several minutes before he stood in front of the mirror, covered in the silver armor, minus the helmet. He stared at the mirror and the reflection for a moment before nodding and walked back outside, the helmet in his hands.

No going back now. He took one last deep breath before he walked up to the throne and kneeled, bowing his head. He placed the helmet on the ground.

Celestia sighed. "Please rise Martin." He nodded and stood up, the armor clattering. "Now that you're a Knight, do you understand who you've sworn to?"

He nodded, the chainmail hood smacking his forehead as he placed a hand on his chest. "I am sworn to you and Equestria."

She nodded slowly. "And I may call upon you for a suicide mission, how do you respond?"

"I will go without hesitation, no matter what stands in my way."

"Pray that I do anything so rash." She looked at him. "And remember, you're not a mechanical being, you can question my orders and I'll take your input before I make a final decision."

He nodded as multiple guards came into the room again. A unicorn levitated a shield and sword sheath towards Princess Celestia. Martin kneeled down again, extending his arms, ready to accept the weapons.

"Please accept Apollo's sword and shield." Celestia said, looking at him as the unicorn levitated the items to him.

"I shall wield his blade for the glory of Equestria and in the name of the Order." The sheathed blade landed in his right hand, the shield on the left.

She nodded slowly. "Welcome to the Order, pray I don’t need to call upon it."

He stood up, a guard appeared behind him, a cape neatly folded, showing the crest of the Order. He grabbed it attached it to the shoulder pads.

Celestia looked at him sadly.

"There is no need for sorrow, Empress." He said, attaching the sword to the leather belt.

"I once believed I would never again have to call upon the Order but fate seems to disagree." She said.

"I never expected to become a knight or join some Order." He reached down and grabbed the helmet.

She looked at the door Luna had disappeared through. "I hope this won't cause us problems."

Martin stood up, his armor clattered as he looked at her.

She sighed, shaking her head. "What will happen will happen, whether I will it to or not." She looked sadly at the door. "To think, Lu-Lu and I were just starting to trust each other again." She muttered.

He looked at the ground before putting on the helmet. He could see through the two slits on the visor.

"What do you think?" She asked, looking at the armored human.

He looked at his arms and legs. "It… it feels right…"

She faintly smiled. "It might take some getting used to, especially your new strength. Be careful, you might hurt somepony." She looked at him firmly. "If I hear that you have, even on accident, I won't stop Luna next time, understand?"

He nodded and placed a hand on his chest. "It will not occur, I live to protect."

"Good." She said, looking at the door behind him. "Ah Luna, just the pony I wanted to see." Hoof steps rang through the silent inner throne room.

He turned around to face her. "Empress Luna." He kneeled to her.

She coldly raised an eyebrow. "Human." She nodded, walking past him up to Celestia before whispering in her ear. He got up and watched for a moment.

He looked at Celestia. "Empress, may I be informed where Michael is?"

Luna turned to look at him. "He's in my personal quarters."

He nodded before walking out of the throne room. He walked along the corridors, asking the guards for directions. He finally arrived at a small steel door.

Author's Notes:

Wow, can't believe we're already on chapter 19.. seems like only yesterday, we started this thing. Thanks for all the new favs/likes!
Now, I just want to go on record and say I don't like this whole 'Order' arc thing, didn't know he had it planned till we're already halfway through it. Oh well, what can you do? Hope you enjoy it though :D If not, check back in about 5-10 chapters and it should be gone.