The morning light was bright and warm. Solaris trotted under it as he trotted through the castle. He was a horse. That was a thing he had to remind himself once in a while. He was a magical horse with his everything just out there for the world to see, and none of them seemed to mind. A guard let him pass with a nod. Some pony brought him breakfast without a word. Another pony brushed his mane, shaved his coat, and polished his hooves, all of which happened with nary a comment.

Solaris kept moving, as if marching would somehow let him catch up with his new direction in life, or maybe let him outrun it.

"Mark."

He came to a sharp halt at hearing his old name. He looked to the source and saw an even tinier pony than usual. The child was smiling at him brightly, like a child might at seeing their favorite person in the whole world. "Mark!" He waved a hoof at Solaria. "Over here!"

Solaris stepped closer, confused. "Hello? Do I know you?"

The colt laughed at the very idea. "Of course you do." The colt rushed up and leaned against Solaris' front leg. "How can I forget my mom?"

Solaris blinked, red creeping over his face. "Mom?"

"Um, not mom mom. Really caring dad? You were there for me, when I was sick. When everyone else had given up on me, you were there for me." He hugged one of Solaris' legs. "You stayed with me and said nice things. It helped me feel better."

Solaris leaned down and gently nudged at the colt's cheek. "What's your name?"

The colt looked surprised. "My name? Didn't you give it to me?"

Who the colt was seemed crystal clear at that point. "Little Pepper?"

Pepper bounced in place. "That's me!" He spread his hooves at Solaris, trying to take in the great horse that used to be his smaller human. "You're all big now. All the others got smaller. The nicest one got the biggest." This seemed alright by him. "They said you arrived, and I was looking for you. Why didn't you tell me you were a princess?"

Solaris winced. "I'm not really a princess." He looked down at the colt before him. "Or at least, I wasn't until recently." He frowned a moment. "But I'm still a boy, a male. That makes me a prince, not a princess." He whipped his tail, golden hay-colored that glittered in the light like spun gold. "Just like you, if a bit larger."

Pepper smiled warmly. "You always say nice things to me." He rubbed against Solaris. "It's weird seeing you this way, but I don't care what you look like. You're my dad." Pepper leaned against him with an almost purr, just to abruptly stop. "Right?" He looked up at Solaris with sudden fear. "Right?"

Solaris flipped an ear back. He felt sure he could just shoo the colt away. But that colt was the sickly little horse he had been nursing to health. That little colt seemed healthy, and so full of life. It was another miracle on a pile. "Of course." He gathered up the colt as he had as a human, embracing them close. "You're welcome to hang out around me, and I'll do my best."

Pepper leaned into the hug. "Thank you!" He kept clinging until Solaris gently nudged him off. "I want to help you!"

Solaris chuckled softly. "Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"

"Well, I could be your servant. We'd be together, and I could help you." His eyes were shining so brightly. It was hard to imagine at times he was the same sickly colt.

Solaris put a hoof to Pepper's snoot. "You are not my servant." He considered other things that fit the vibes he had been feeling. "Oh, how about a squire?"

Pepper's eyes widened, looking overwhelmed in that moment. "Really?! I'd love to be your squire! That's about the same thing, but better! How can I help, Sir?"

Solaris settled back, deep in thought. "Hm, well, I have a question." His eyes went to Pepper's rump. "Why do most ponies here have a picture on their butt, but you do not? Can you find out and get back to me with the answer?"

"I can do that!" Pepper raced off, but skidded to a stop, whipping around. "Anything else?"

Solaris pondered some more. "That's just a start, your very first mission. Do it well, Little Pepper. I believe in you."

Pepper raised his head tall and saluted Solaris. "Right away, Sir! I won't let you down!" He ran off to begin his new task.

Solaris stood tall, smiling to himself. He had gained a squire. Sure, he had also made a deal with some unfathomable force that had clearly gotten him in some terrible deal, but they seemed to be keeping each and every bit of their side of the Faustian bargain.

All he had to do was keep loving and caring for his horses, and to 'get in good' with Celestia, and he would keep up his end of the deal.

"Solaris." Celestia was approaching with her flowing mane and tail. "Good to see you."

He twirled to face her, pondering a moment how she did that, the flowing mane and tail like that. It looked extra lovely in the full light of the day. "Hello! Are you coming to—" But he didn't get to finish, Celestia moving firmly right past him. "Huh?" He scurried to catch up to her. "Where are you headed?"

"My work rarely takes breaks." She smiled at some joke of her own. "You can walk with me, if you'd like, but I need to go to a meeting with a Baltimare official."

Solaris frowned, still walking with Celestia as she continued along her way. "What do they need you for so urgently?"

"Every pony who approaches me has a need that is most urgent, from their point of view." Celestia sighed with a smile. "In this case, it is a land dispute with a neighboring community that would prefer the city not encroach upon it."

Solaris trotted beside Celestia as they descended down into the lower halls. "I didn't know you got into that sort of thing. That's what borders are for, aren't they?"

Celestia bumped against Solaria. "It is, but lines on a map do not always end arguments, especially when entire cities and townships may be at play. When they fail to find an answer, seeking one from me is an option, and so I go to speak to them and consider both sides of it. To seek out balance where I can." She tilted her head a little, aiming a knowing look his way. "I would see if you would be interested in joining me."

"Oh, wow." He held up a hoof, almost toppling. How did ponies do that so easily while they walked? "They're not mine. Wouldn't they be upset if I butted in?"

"You are courting me." She stopped just in front of a door. "Any partner of mine, eventually, would need to stand with me. Even if, today, you only watch and learn, this would still be valuable experience, would it not? Or do you intend to leave me to work on my own, even after we marry?"

Solaris came to an abrupt stop. "Well, um, no, of course not!" He gathered himself up. "Sure, I'll come. If they start hating me, I can just shut up."

"You may surprise yourself. Few can hate you, Solaris." Celestia leaned in for a moment, leaning their heads together in a strange form of embrace. "If they see you as I have so far, they will be enchanted. Of course, your enchantment with your words is what we will be seeing today, perhaps. If you join the conversation."

He shook his head a little. "It would be rude to talk over you, and to them."

Celestia entered the room and Solaris followed. A tall mare was seated across from an elderly stallion. The tall mare looked up, adjusting her glasses. "Princess Celestia, thank you for taking the time." She pointed to a folder of paper. "We've arranged the notes on the project. This will provide needed space for economic development for the ponies of Baltimare."

The older stallion bowed towards Celestia. "Princess. Our town may not be very large, but it is a loving family. Shoving us aside to make room for Baltimare is unconscionable."

Celestia rested her rump against a cushion as she sat at the table. "Is there a proposal for relocation of your people?" She looked towards the younger, taller, mare. "You did consider that, didn't you? Even if I ruled in your favor, they are ponies who would need assistance."

The older stallion stood, back straight, unflinching before Celestia's golden gaze. "They're forcing us out of our homes and out of our lives! We have no other home."

The younger mare pressed her hooves together. "We are willing to move them here." She reached out and drew a map free of Baltimare and pointed to a spot on the other side of it. "Each family would be given a home of their own, exceedingly generous!"

Solaris leaned in over the map, examining it. "Excuse me?"

All three of them looked to Solaris. Celestia seemed amused, as if wondering how Solaris would join. The other two were confused at who this pony was that was butting in. "Sorry." He pointed to where she had said the others would be moved. "I'm no expert, but that looks like a troubled area."

The mare blinked in shock. "What do you mean?"

Solaris leaned in closer. "It strikes me as a low-income kinda place, the way things are laid out. I bet there's more crime there." Did ponies even have human crimes? He didn't know. "More trouble, less opportunities."

The older stallion slumped into his seat. "That would be a terrible idea."

The younger mare let her face fall into the map, before sitting up and peeling it off her face. "Well, it is all we can afford." She had a hurt look to her eyes. "Unless they choose to move farther out, which would take them away from work. Which is another problem for them. I'd like to help them!"

Solaris met her gaze. "Then you need to put some of them into decent homes near the work that's being built. The two in balance would help more than one would or the other." He tapped his hooves together. "You're hoping they don't know any better and end up in cheap houses in bad neighborhoods. That isn't nice."

She paled. "N-no! These are the homes I was sent with. I haven't visited the area personally, I'll admit. I didn't come trying to hoodwink anypony! But these were the homes I was given to work with!" She shrank a little under Celestia's gaze. "Baltimare, as a city, has trusted me with certain parameters. I'm working with them."

The elder scoffed softly. "Parameters that brush us out of the way and dump us where they can forget about us the moment this is over."

Solaris slumped a little. He would love to stick up for his horses. He leaned in and spoke quietly. "How much does Baltimare care for their poorer communities?"

"Not enough," she said back quietly.

Celestia folded her arms. "A stark admission." She leaned in over the mare. "Thank you for having it. Still, if they are not being presented with a truly equitable compensation for upending their livelihoods, I see no reason to allow this to proceed. They were there first. Baltimare is the intruder, in this case. Baltimare will have to move for once."

The mare sighed, her ears drooping. "Princess, that will not be possible without somepony telling me I can work with different parameters." She winced. "Which isn't an option, if I want to make a difference. Which I do!" She worried her hooves. "Do you have a phone?"

Celestia perked a brow. "Phones are a new luxury, still spreading across the land. Interesting devices. Why do you ask?"

The mare pointed off vaguely towards Baltimare. "I can call my superiors, update them on what's going on, and get new parameters to work with. Otherwise, I'd have to go all the way back and come here again to resume this. We wouldn't get anything done today."

Solaris sat in place, studying the maps spread on the table curiously.

The elder bowed to Celestia. "Thank you, Your Highness." His eyes went to Solaris quickly. "Who is this, with you? They seem to be a smart pony."

Celestia laid a wing over Solaris, drawing him close. "My new prince, Solaris. He will one day rule beside me, once our courting is complete." She smiled at Solaris as she said it, clearly having some extra meaning that he wasn't understanding.

The elder's eyes went wide. "Oh! Um, congratulations, Princess." He bowed to her, then to Solaris in quite the hurry. "You two make an adorable pair. I didn't think you'd find another sun pony, Princess."

Solaris blushed softly, sitting back up. "I have a lot to learn about Equestria and what it means to be one of their princes."

The elder sat back. "A matter for another time. I'll head home then?"

Celestia raised a hoof. "Hold yourself. I will arrange for a telephone, and we can meet back here tomorrow. Is that acceptable for all parties?"

The younger mare smiled. "That will be fine. Thank you, Princess Celestia."

Celestia smiled back warmly. "It is no trouble at all. You are doing your best." She looked to the elderly stallion. "And you?"

He nodded once, slowly. "I suppose I can get along with it. A day's delay won't cause us any issues."

Solaris drew Celestia's gaze for a moment, standing. "Then we're, um, done for today?"

Celestia nodded gently. "Thank you both for speaking with me. I would rather ponies talked such things out, even if emotions run high. See you both tomorrow."

The pair left the room, leaving Solaris and Celestia alone. Solaris flopped back against the cushion. "That was... something." He rolled onto his back. "At least we didn't wind up in a fight or anything."

"Partially thanks to you." Celestia inclined an ear. "How did you know they were situated in a poor neighborhood, those houses? You barely glanced at that map and knew in an instant. What told you that?"

Solaris let himself hang there, thinking of how to answer. "Poor areas always have more trouble than better areas."

Celestia smoothed her mane idly. "Certainly true, but that doesn't say how you recognized it so quickly. What is your secret?"

Solaris let out a long sigh. "Where I'm from, uh, in my old nation, cities often develop better places, then cheap housing on the fringes, or low density towards the center. And when they can, the cheap areas get left out of everything good. I didn't want that old pony to get stuck with that."

"Goodness. You recognized that from a few notes on a map?" Celestia leaned in over him. "What a clever pony, and educated as well." She raised a hoof to her chin, eyeing him with a new light. "Since I brought it up, how educated are you, actually?" She laughed gently. "I have little in the way of formal education, myself, but I have a thousand years of experience. That makes up for quite a bit."

Solaris thought back to his time as a human. "I graduated from a fancy high school. That's where they teach you stuff like reading and math."

Celestia inclined her head. "Ah, raised in a city? No wonder you were quicker on the uptake than I had been. Still, you performed excellently today. For one without training, you did exactly what I might have done. That was all very impressive."

He righted himself slowly, so he could face her. "Do you have more to do today?"

"The duties of a princess rarely takes a break." She stood up to her full height. "Walk with me?"

Author's Note

It would seem every single horse made it, even Little Pepper. How could Solaris say no?

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