//------------------------------// // Chapter 50 - My Little Job // Story: The Last Descendant // by Cup of Coffee //------------------------------// The pony bowed deeply before Princess Luna, his audience and his request granted. The Princess of the Night gave him a faint nod in return as well as a smile. It was a minor matter, but Princess Luna was happy to help. Her scribe would see to the paperwork as she followed the happy farmer out of the throne room.   Letting out a content sigh, Luna smiled. Tonight was such a busy night; ten petitioners in four hours. It was unheard of. A thousand years ago she was lucky if she got one in one year. Truly, times had changed.   “Sergeant, are there any more petitioners waiting?” Princess Luna asked her trusted bat pony guard who was in charge of security while she held court.   “That was the last one, your Highness,” the bat pony replied.   “The last one…” Luna rested her head on a hoof while staring out into the throne room. There were twelve of them; ten guards, and her assistants who managed paperwork and transcribed conversation between the princess and any petitioners.   For now, silence reigned, a usual aspect of night court. Every evening, Princess Luna would prepare for the night, hanging up lavender around the castle and the throne room, the scent helping ponies relax, and eventually, fall asleep more easily when they returned home. All of the paperwork left for her by Celestia had already been done. Mostly it consisted of documents that needed Luna’s approval and signature, with a few legal documents that she needed to review.   Speaking of legal, Luna had also spent time reading about the new laws that had been introduced to Equestria during the last thousand years. While some brought up valid points that should have been foreseen long ago, others were as dry as a noble’s sense of humour. And tonight, the princess did not wish to read about more laws.   Boredom settled in. Night Court was sometimes tedious, but it was a duty that Luna intended to fulfil. She was a princess, a ruler of Equestria, and was responsible for the land during the night, and that was an obligation she would never desert.   Closing her eyes, Luna checked the Dream Realm, searching for nightmares but finding few. A colt dreaming of a monster under his bed, a mare fearing that her husband had an affair, a griffon losing his wealth, and one very strange dream coming from a diamond dog who wished to go to the moon, but every time he reached for it, it drifted further away. The last one Luna found particularly odd. Nevertheless, she sent a mental copy of herself into each dream to calm their fears and chase away the night terrors, and in moments the Dream Realm was peaceful once more.   Opening her eyes, she decided on a change of pace. Luna stood up from the throne and descended its steps. “It seems to be yet another peaceful night. If any more petitioners come, find me in the garden; I shall go for a walk.”   With that, Luna left the throne room with four guards in tow, and after a short walk, she found herself in the nightly silence of the castle garden. The moon was still shining bright, and the stars sparkled and shimmered on the dark canvas that was her night sky. She could also hear the sounds of bat wings in the sky. The bat pony guards were ever watchful, just as their forebears had been, all the way back until the day the bat ponies first came to Equestria all those years ago. There were not as many of them back then, but now their numbers were greater, and they had spread all over Equestria and beyond. It warmed her heart that her beloved ponies still held her in such high regard, even after all these years.   Luna wandered across the garden, past statues of heroes and important ponies of the past, some of whom she had known. She wandered past beds of flowers of many hues and decorative bushes, all while enjoying the silence of the night. However, there was one sound that made her ears perk up and turn towards the direction it came from. She quickly recognized the sound of two heavy hoofsteps, and the owner of those hooves humming to himself, and decided to see why Magnus was still up in the middle of the night.   She followed the sound and found him wandering moments later, hands in his pocket, fully dressed, staring up at the sky with a smile on his lips, and with soft music coming from somewhere on his person.   “A beautiful night for a walk,” she said softly, announcing her presence so as not to frighten him.   He turned to her and nodded in greeting, seemingly unperturbed. “Good evening, Princess,” he responded before turning his gaze upwards.   “Still you refer to me by title? Even my sister? Have we not spoken of this?” she asked with a smile.   Magnus chuckled. “I’ll try to remember that for future reference. I thought you’d want to hear your title first.”   “I hear titles spoken in every sentence every time I speak with the nobility. It is refreshing to hear my name spoken by my friends. Twilight Sparkle once theorized that when two ponies call each other by name instead of title, friendship has a 68% greater chance to occur in the near future, and as the Princess of Friendship, I am inclined to believe her.”   “Figures she would research something like that.” He laughed before looking up again.   Luna walked closer, and she too turned her face skywards. “What are you searching for?”   “Just wondering if I’m really in another dimension or if my home is somewhere up there. Guess it doesn’t really matter anymore,” he replied with a sigh.   “Perhaps not.” Luna knew that Magnus was still homesick, and it would take a long time before he got over it. Perhaps he never would. The imprint of his home would follow him for the rest of his life. Only time could heal those unseen wounds, if they would heal at all.   “Why are you not asleep?” she asked, wondering why he was still up.   He shrugged. “Have a lot on my mind, I guess, and just couldn’t fall asleep.”   “Is it because of Ambassador Diligent Ambition?”   “Partially.”   “Mhm. Yes, you were not there when we spoke with him, and it was not an appropriate topic at dinner either, so you do not know what became of him. I am happy to announce that he has been banished from Equestria.”   Magnus’ head immediately snapped to stare at Luna. “He was?”   Luna nodded. “Yes, on charges of assault and threats. He left Canterlot this evening, and in two days’ time, he shall be on a ship to Minoa. The position of ambassador has been granted on a temporary basis to another member of the embassy. I expect that another ambassador will come to Equestria in a month or two. In any case, Diligent was a very poor choice to represent his homeland.”   “I heard a bit from Twilight and Cadance; sounds like he had an axe to grind with everyone and everything.”   “A strange way to describe him, but fitting. Yes, he was briefly captured by changelings during Cadenza and Shining Armor’s wedding, and was held prisoner in a cupboard by a potted plant and an entire set of cutlery after Discord’s brief reign of chaos. He was also strongly opposed to my presence after my cleansing of the Nightmare. He saw only potential threats everywhere he looked.” She sighed. “Perhaps it is for the best that he returned to his home islands. There, he might find some peace in his surroundings.”   “Or he’ll find a tick that he suspects will overthrow the kings of Minoa,” Magnus replied sarcastically, eliciting a brief bout of laughter from Luna.   While they stood there, gazing at the stars, with Magnus’ companion cell phone playing music, there came a gust of wind. While the cold night wind did nothing to Luna, she noticed Magnus shivering, and even saw goosebumps on his arms.   “You must be cold. Why not go inside? I can get a member of the kitchen staff to bring you something warm to drink,” she suggested. Magnus merely shook his head.   “Warm drinks won’t work when winter comes. Autumn’ll be here soon, right?”   Luna nodded and turned to gaze over the moonlit landscape that was Equestria. “It draws close, yes. In two weeks or so, the leaves will start to change and then fall. The weather will steadily grow colder until the first snow will fall.”   Magnus hummed. “The weather’s already getting colder; I can feel it. And I’ll freeze. Problem is, I’ve no money yet, and I need to buy better clothes for winter. When Creative Stitch made these clothes, I didn’t think about asking for warmer clothes.”   Luna looked at the clothes Magnus wore. True, they would be a poor choice for winter attire. A so-called ‘tee-shirt’ and short pants would not be fitting for a human and their furless skin in snow and wind.   “That will not be a problem. As stated before, Celestia and I will take care of your needs. Now, tell me—”   “No.” Magnus cut her off and turned to her. “No more handouts. No more free stuff. I’ve been given stuff left and right ever since I came here. For once, just once, let me work so I can buy my own clothes. Any chores around the castle, anything that I can do. And no extra salary either. An honest job and an honest wage, that’s all.” The tone of his voice brooked no objection, and Luna saw it in his eyes that he was completely serious. Well, if he wanted to work to support himself, then she would see to it.   “Very well,” Luna responded after a moment spent thinking. “Although I cannot think of a job that would naturally fit you, I will confer with my sister in the morrow. I am confident we can find something for you to do.”   Magnus let out a relieved sigh and smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”   “T’was my pleasure. Now, shall we continue on your walk or shall we stand here?”   “We can walk; I’ve got something else I want to ask you, if you have the time,” Magnus said while he chose a direction and began walking next to Luna.   Luna smiled. “So many questions,” she said, trying to imitate his now serious voice.   “Mhm, I got plenty.” Magnus chuckled before growing serious. “I want to know about the Galaxy family.”   Luna turned to look at Magnus; he gazed forward, eyes on whatever destination he had in mind. Perhaps he was finally thawing concerning his pony family.   “What do you wish to know?”   “Everything,” Magnus replied. “How long have they existed?”   “A long time,” Luna began. “The first mention of the Galaxy family was during the Golden Age of Kings six millennia ago, when the kings of old were just and wise, and gathered unto them the very wise in many different topics; law, rule, war, magic, philosophy, traders, gatherers, and explorers. Among these many teachers was a minor knight of the gentry named Oaken Scroll, a wise teacher of magic and philosophy, and for his efforts that lasted nearly three decades, he was granted the title of baron, thus becoming the first of his family to receive such an honour. His family would from that point rise among the ranks of the nobility over many years. By the time they left Unicornia, they held the title of Marquis of Shimmering Peaks—a prospering piece of land—and after the founding of Equestria and the reforming of the nobility, they became the Counts of Hollow Shades. Perhaps a downgrade of their former noble titles, but they were still counted as the most powerful, wealthy, and influential family in Equestria.”   Magnus nodded. “So at least six thousand years. Quite a while in other words. I did read a bit about them in Ponyville, and it sounds like they were very powerful back in the day.”   Luna smiled and spoke with pride, “More than you can imagine. For centuries they were the steadfast defenders of Equestria’s eastern borders, a bulwark against griffon armies. The Galaxy family and their armies were always first to face the invaders when they came, and their tireless efforts saw many castles built in the east during their time. It saddens me that they fell from grace.”   “What about the current baroness, Brilliant Star?” Magnus asked, tearing Luna away from the memories of a distant family line.   “Baroness Star? That is a question I am afraid I cannot answer. Although I only met her once, she appeared to be a kind and pleasant mare. Old age is upon her and her body is frail, but her mind is still sharp.”   Age. Such a strange word, now that Magnus thought about it. One day he’d grow old too, and what would happen to him then? Would he be suffering from dementia, not knowing where he was and surrounded by ponies? It would be hell, waking up each day and not knowing anything. Or stuck in an old folks’ home? With a little bit of luck, he’d die before that happened to him.   But Luna wasn’t done. “However, the baroness is in luck, for she has family near to her.”   Magnus was visibly surprised; this was news to him. “I thought she didn’t have family left.”   Luna shook her head. “She does not, not by blood. Celestia said that Brilliant is the last Galaxy, but as she grew older, she married into a herd and became herdmother to several children and grandchildren. I believe she now has quite an extensive family around her, mares and stallions she fondly calls sons and daughters, and children of many ages she calls grandfoals and great-grandfoals.”   “Oh, that’s good. God, that would be lonely, not having family at that age. But how old is she, do you know?”   “I believe sister said that Baroness Star is now in her 118th year.”   “What?!” Magnus exclaimed. He was utterly surprised. As far as he knew, horses did not live long that long, not even ponies. The record was something around sixty, but then again, these ponies were very different from the ones on Earth.   “Indeed, does her age surprise you? Judging by your reaction, I believe that ponies from Earth may have a shorter lifespan?” asked Luna.   “Yeah, they usually don’t live that long. Average is something around twenty five or so, thereabout.”   “Only twenty five?” Luna exclaimed, horrified. “Mother’s name, how can a pony live a full life when they have barely—oh, yes. A difference between us and ‘them’. Forgive me my shock.”   “No problem, I get things mixed up all the time. But now I’m even more curious and I gotta ask, how long do ponies live and at what age are ponies considered adults?”   Luna hummed to herself for a moment. “T’was different a thousand years ago. A pony was considered an adult at age fourteen, but now we consider mares and stallions adult at age sixteen. In the past, a pony would be lucky to live past seventy, but in this modern age, ponies can live a hundred years with ease.”   It sounded like ponies had longer lifespans than humans, most likely thanks to their advanced medicine which could stave off a long list of diseases and illnesses. And more likely than not, a bit of magic went a long way.   Well, now he knew more about Brilliant Star at least. A very old mare, and she had stepchildren as well. That was good. To Magnus, the saddest thing he could imagine was lonely elders stuffed away in homes, rarely getting visits from their children and grandchildren. As a child, he’d accompanied his grandfather to an old folks’ home to visit a friend. All throughout the hallways, he remembered seeing the elderly, men and women alike, looking so lonely.   Perhaps it was the same for his father, Hrafnar, when he escaped from home the days when his parents drank and argued well into the night. He’d heard bottles breaking, shouting, and the sound of furniture being thrown about. He had escaped through his bedroom window and ran away at those times, and he always found refuge with the old, kind, lonely, widowed fisherman living down the road, the same man who had saved Hrafnar’s life long ago.   The old man named Magnus.   ***   True to what was said the night before, Celestia and Luna had discussed possible job options for Magnus early in the morning, and yes, they did find something he could do. It turned out that Canterlot Castle employed janitors, a whole host of them, and they performed the same jobs that any normal human janitor would do. It was with one of these janitors that Magnus was assigned to this morning.   Spick Span was a pegasus stallion, white fur with short blue mane and tail, clad in blue overalls, and his cutie mark was a toolbox. He was a pony of few words, having said little in the short amount of time he and Magnus had spent together.   “Keep up, colt,” he barked over his shoulder  at Magnus, who followed him carrying a wooden crate labelled ‘Fragile’, while the pegasus carried a toolbox on his back, supporting it with his muscular wings.   “Right behind you, boss,” Magnus happily replied. Now that he had his first actual paying job, he was dead sure not to mess up a single step of the process. After all, a good first impression was important.   However, with this first job, Magnus wasn’t really sure what he was going to help Spick Span with. All he was told that morning was that a job was found for him, and that he should report to a janitor named Spick Span for work. After he found him, he was told to pick up the crate and follow.   And instead of working inside the castle, they went outside, behind the castle, to the section closest to the mountain where there was a large open area and several large two story buildings, all identical in size and shape, and some other, smaller buildings. Several large groups of guards stood at attention while other guards, wearing armour that looked a bit different and with small differences in colour scheme barked orders at them.   ‘Okay, this must be the castle barracks then. Looks like the sergeants woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and are looking for some unlucky bastard to P.T. until they throw up,’ Magnus concluded.   They went inside the closest buildings, passing some doors marked ‘Officer’ and with a name on it, and continued on until they came to a different door marked with a number. Spick Span didn’t even knock, just opened the door and walked right in.   Inside the admittedly cramped room were three bunk beds, one on each side of the room, a table and six chairs, and six wide lockers. Above each bed hung small cork bulletin boards decorated with pictures, letters, and other personal belongings.   Spick Span dropped his toolbox unceremoniously down on the floor. “Here we are; first room. Now be careful when you open that box, colt. The crystals are fragile.” He opened his toolbox and threw a crowbar to Magnus.   Magnus began to pry the box open, and when he opened the lid, he found several crystals rods inside, about half a meter in length, each rod polished to a mirror sheen, and with a strange inner light emanating from them. A generous amount of wood shavings protected the fragile rods.   “What are these?” Magnus asked as he picked one up carefully. Despite the inner glow, they were cool to the touch.   “Sunstone crystals,” Spick Span replied as he flew up to the ceiling and began removing a protective glass covering, revealing three crystal rods mounted in a metal fixture. “We use ‘em for indoor lights. They wear out over time and then we hafta replace em. Gotta recharge em by magic or leave em in sunlight for a couple o’ months. Here, take this rod and give me a new one.”   Magnus took the old rod, seeing that its inner light was almost completely faded, and handed Spick Span a new one. The moment the new crystal rod was inserted into the fixture, its inner light grew in intensity.   “That’s amazing. How are these made?” Magnus asked. Despite inspecting the old rod, he saw very little that could indicate toolmarks, apart from the end, which looked like they were cleanly cut through and then polished.   Spick Span let out a few low volume mumbles while he struggled to extract the next rod. “Consarnit… Rock farms, mines, and also the Crystal Empire. Those crystal ponies are masters of crystal craft. The ol’ rods we used? Pfft! Wore out in a couple o’ months, and half the time they were too fragile. These new ones? Stronger and lasts longer. Come on… There. Now give me a new one.”   Magnus and Spick Span spent the first half of the day replacing sunstone crystals in the barracks, getting complaints of other things that needed fixing from the officers who were there. It was nothing major; a leaky faucet, a water pipe in the basement that was rusted, squeaky doors, etc. All the while, Spick Span wrote down everything in his notebook, stating that he would look into it the first chance he got.   When lunch came around, Magnus and Spick Span ate in the castle cafeteria, reserved only for the castle staff and the soldiers and officers off duty. There was a line before they got their food, and as expected, it was mostly greens, but also some warm food. Not to mention, Magnus turned a few heads when he entered.   After finding a seat, Magnus ended up eating alongside Spick Span and some of his colleagues.   “Hey Spick, how’s the new guy doing?” a brawny, blonde-furred earth pony mare asked while munching on a sandwich.   “He’s okay; asks alotta questions though. Can hardly get work done when even a leaky shower head gets him going,” Spick Span answered with his mouth full of omelette.   “I was just saying how weird it is when mares and stallions use the same shower,” Magnus defended himself. “Where I come from, males and females use separate showers.”   “Why?” a unicorn stallion next to Magnus asked.   “Well, ‘cause males and females are different, different parts, you know? There’s also a nudity taboo and all that. We also think a bit different when it comes to nudity than you do. If a woman or a man walked around naked, it would send out a lot of different signals.”   “Such as?” the female earth pony asked.   Now Magnus was very sure his face turned red. “Well, um… Since humans wear clothes at all times, being nude are for certain occasions only. Bathing, showering—”   “Sex?” the mare suddenly asked, loudly too. A few ponies at the nearby tables turned their heads.   Definitely red face, yep. “Yeah…” Magnus admitted with a nod of his head.   The mare nodded. “So since we never wear clothes, does that mean you think we’re ready to go at any moment? I know a place in the cellars where we can be alone.”   ***   It had been a long day when Magnus finally returned to his room. He had worked for hours, mostly carrying stuff for Spick Span. He also helped fix some leaky pipes, changed more sunstone crystals, installed a new door for a guest bedroom in the castle, helped clean out a storage room, unclogged toilets and drains, and used a wire brush to remove rust from old hinges that were still serviceable. To top it all off, he was constantly teased by Spick Span because of a certain comment. Turns out, the mare, Goldie Wrench, was an insufferable flirt towards just about anyone, and Magnus had now simply become her intended next conquest, and by God, he would do everything in his power to avoid that mare.   Well, it was no use being bashful about her comments now. It had already happened, and tomorrow was another day.   ***   The next day proved to be more than a bit different. Magnus now found himself more than seventy meters above ground level, a safety harness around his waist and chest, a good length of rope going from his harness and secured on top of the roof of one of the tallest towers in the castle. Spick Span had flown ahead to secure the rope up top, and when he was done, Magnus began climbing up a long ladder with a heavy load of brand new gilded roof tiles in a wooden crate on his back.   Despite being so high in the air, one would think that anyone would be close to changing their underwear when they got down. Not Magnus, no, he was in fact enjoying himself.   “This is awesome!” he cackled while climbing the ladder. A quick look around revealed the magnificent view he had, basically being on the highest peak of all of Canterlot, except the mountain itself. “I can see my future house from here!”   “Yeah yeah,” came the lazy reply from the top of the ladder. Spick Span stood there, waiting for Magnus to reach the top with the tiles. He had flown up with the toolbox and tied the rope as he wasn’t strong enough to carry the heavy tiles as well. “I know you’re having fun and all, but we’re on the clock here. We’re gonna have rain later, and if we don’t get this leak fixed, we’re gonna be up here all day, and I don’t like being wet.”   Magnus finished the climb and reached the roof, but as soon as he stood up, he found the tiles to be very slippery, so slippery in fact that he began sliding backwards towards the edge. He was smart enough to go down on all fours in order to get a better grip. He blamed his steel shod hooves for that. If he still had feet, this wouldn’t have happened.   “Done?” Spick Span asked with an amused smile. After making sure he wouldn’t slide anymore, Magnus nodded. “Good. Now come on, the leak should be near the top.”   Spick Span led the way to the very top of the round tower, where Magnus’ safety rope was tied with a strong knot. As far as Magnus could see, the tiles all seemed to be in good condition. Brass was a good material, but the gilding seemed a bit much.   “Here.” Spick Span pointed out a specific tile. It was cracked down the middle. Spick sighed. “And not a good place either. Now we hafta remove at least a dozen tiles just to fix this broken one.”   He reached into his toolbox and began rummaging through it, eventually finding what looked like a hammer, but made for some specific purpose.   “Anything I can do to help?” Magnus asked.   “Not right now, no. Just keep an eye on the tiles when I pry ‘em off. If one falls over the side and hit somepony below…”   “Gotcha. I’ll take care of them.”   While Spick began removing the tiles one by one, Magnus held onto each one with his hands just to keep them safe. Other than that, there wasn’t much else he could do. He had worked on a roof before, specifically, his own roof back home. But he had shingles, not gilded brass tiles. This kind of work was way out of his league, but that didn’t keep him from watching and learning as Spick worked.   Eventually his mind and eyes began to drift towards the city below, and he found himself looking at the residential areas. Some had large auspicious mansions while others looked like three storey apartment buildings. Perhaps it was a place like that he’d live in someday. ‘Course, a lot of things needed replacing then. No, a small house might be what he needed, but work came first.   Lately he had thought a lot about what kind of job he could do. An office job was not in the equation. He could settle for waitering tables in a pinch, and maybe manning a cash register. Perhaps somewhere he could work with his hands? He had some minor experience with carpentry due to his own house. Fixing his grandfather’s old place took time and money, and god knew how many hours spent on Youtube watching DIY videos in order to save money instead of hiring a professional. Having friends who were willing to help was also immensely helpful.   But that was still some time away. It had been days since Celestia spoke with Brilliant Star, and the old mare had asked for time in order to set up a meeting. He expected an answer any day now.   “Hey, you daydreamin’ again?” Spick Span shouted as he threw a light punch at Magnus’ shoulder.   “What?” Magnus asked, torn away from his thoughts. He then noticed that Spick had uncovered a wide section of the roof. “Oh, yeah, the tiles.”   ***   The days went by quickly, now that Magnus had something to occupy himself with. He worked six days and had the last day of the week off. On the second week, he was sent to do jobs on his own. They weren’t difficult though, just some minor jobs that anyone could do. Despite this, Magnus felt useful as he longer just sat around.   After work was over, he would spend time with Twilight, Spike, Shining Armor, Cadance, and also Celestia and Luna if they had a moment to spare. Usually, the two sisters were kept busy due to their numerous duties, but Magnus met them every morning for breakfast and every evening for dinner.   It was during these days that Magnus got to know Shining Armor and Cadance a bit better, and also began to use their first names. None of these royals were much for the use of titles, Magnus discovered.   Shining Armor wasn’t quite as military-minded as Magnus was led to believe. He was a prince, yes, and he quite enjoyed the life of a soldier, as he was still the leader of the Crystal Empire’s guard force, the Crystal Guard, but the stallion had other hobbies, such as comic books and board games. As Cadance mentioned, Shining still ran game nights with some of his guard buddies in the Empire. When Magnus explained video games to him, Shining Armor practically lit up. Skyrim, especially, spoke to him. The thrill of adventure, treasure seeking, defeating evil foes and the wandering undead, and seeking one’s destiny? Oh yes, Shining had stars in his eyes.   Cadance was also a nice mare and very polite, well-spoken too. Magnus liked her from the very start, due to her kind personality. She strongly reminded him of Lisa in that regard. As the Alicorn of Love, she was of course, interested in hearing about how humans expressed affection. She referred to it as ‘broadening her horizon’, and as love was her thing, she wanted to learn. Magnus listed a few, such as kissing of course, hugs, and any other things a couple romantically involved would do. He also explained how humans would date, mentioning the usual clichés such as flowers and chocolate, a dinner and maybe a movie as the usual first date, and Cadance said that the same applied among ponies, but with a few differences. Both stallions and mares would bring flowers for each other, but they were for eating, a light snack before dinner. Chocolate was meant to be for later during the date, if both parties decided to stay together for the night. However, with Magnus’ young age and his relative inexperience with dating, there really wasn’t much more he could add. Nevertheless, he got along with Cadance very well.   A few days later, Cadance and Shining Armor left for the Crystal Empire. Although the Empire could function just fine on its own for a while, something would usually come up that required their attention, such as paperwork or ambassadors requesting an audience. Magnus was there at the train station the day they left and bade them goodbye until next time. Cadance and Shining extended him an invitation to visit when he was able to, and Magnus promised he would come when he was able to. Who would miss out seeing a city made out of crystal? Also, at the end of the week, Twilight and Spike had to return to Ponyville in a hurry. It was something about a friendship crisis happening and it required her immediate attention. Such was Twilight’s life, Celestia explained. As the Princess of Friendship, Twilight was integral to many ponies, more than she knew herself, Celestia told Magnus.   ***   At the end of the sixth day of work, Magnus went with Spick Span to the office of the Chamberlain, the pony who oversaw the payment of the castle staff, and received his salary. Three hundred bits, which wasn’t bad. Magnus hadn’t even asked how much he would be paid, but this was more than he expected.   The next day, he left early to look for a special pony, one who he had met before. After asking for directions, he found the store—The Creatively Cut Cloth. The store was very colourful and fancy on the outside, and when he stepped inside, he was greeted by rows upon rows of mannequins, not only of ponies, but of griffons, minotaurs, and even diamond dogs, all of them wearing some form of clothing. Yes, it was a sure sign Creative Stitch dealt with many races for customers.   Magnus had barely stepped inside when the aforementioned stallion appeared at the counter. “Mister Powell, what a delightful sight!” he exclaimed before looking Magnus up and down. “And you still wear my clothes! Wonderful! Tell me, are they to your liking?”   Magnus was wearing one of his short black pants, a black t-shirt, and a long sleeved white shirt over it. “Hello, Creative. Yeah, I do. Not too wide and not too long, just perfect.”   “Well, that is just wonderful.” Creative smiled as he walked around the counter. “I knew the moment I saw you that you would be a challenge to clothe, and I pulled through,” he said with a proud grin. “Now, what can I help you with? Are you in the market for something new?” He walked over to the mannequins, pointing out various garments in the colours of the fall, mostly red, gold, yellow, and brown. “I’m currently working on my fall line, and I have a few suggestions that I think you might like.”   “I’m sure you do, but today I’m in the market for jackets. Winter is coming soon, and I’ve already begun to feel the chill in the air.”   “Already?” Creative questioned. “That’s odd. I didn’t feel a thing this morning. Then again, I do have a nice coat of fur.”   “And I have very little of the sort,” Magnus riposted. “So, think you are up to the challenge? This time I’ll pay out of my own pocket.” Creative spun around, facing Magnus. “Aah, I see. You have already found a job, I take it?”   Magnus shrugged. “Sort of. I’ve been doing odd jobs around the castle for a few days now and today was payday.”   Once more, Creative’s face lit up. “The castle! Glamour, the Grand Galloping Gala, those handsome guards! Oh, what I would do to work in the castle. But enough daydreams. Tell me what you need and we can start measurements.”   For the next fifteen minutes, Creative took Magnus’ measurements of his upper body, but also of his waist and legs. With winter on the way, Magnus figured he’d need some pants suited for cold weather as well.   Magnus decided on a jacket suited for fall and spring, windproof and a nice layer of wool on the inside to keep him warm. Creative did a quick sketch to show Magnus what he had in mind, and what he drew looked like a dark brown Bombardier jacket. Magnus liked the design so much he agreed to Creative’s suggestion. Next came the winter jacket. Creative didn’t fail there either. What he drew looked like a hooded parka with faux fur, though instead of goose down, it would be filled with soft wool to trap air. Although the design looked familiar, Magnus had his doubts, so Creative gave him a jacket meant for a pony so he could try. Although there was no way Magnus could get the small jacket on himself, he did get an arm through one of the forelegs and could feel how warm the wool really was. After this little demonstration, Magnus was convinced and ordered a winter jacket as well.   With fall on the way, Creative had his schedule almost completely filled and there was no way he could make both jackets ready in a week, but he could make the fall and spring jacket ready in a few days, which would give Magnus some warmth when he left for Hollow Shades. After all, he’d need it. Hollow Shades was a bit to the north and sure to be colder there.   Magnus paid half for the jacket in advance and would pay the rest upon completion. He thought about ordering pants as well, but the two jackets combined would already eat a chunk out of his earnings, so he figured he’d wait with pants until the first snow fell. By then he’d surely have a job. Before he left, Magnus asked Creative Stitch if he made mitts for winter use, but Creative did not. He did tell Magnus that an elderly mare just down the street made all manner of mitts, scarves, and hats of high quality which she sold in her store. That store became his next destination.   ***   It was in the middle of the second week of Magnus’ job. He worked together with a few other janitors in a hallway, removing a crystal and gold chandelier from the ceiling for repairs. The plan was for one of them to tie a rope to the top of the chandelier, hook the rope around a pulley temporarily fastened in the ceiling, and then loosen the bolts one by one.   “Got the last bolt,” Spick said as he flapped his wings high above the floor to inspect his work. “Go ahead, lower it.”   Magnus and two earth ponies slowly began giving more rope while a unicorn held the chandelier in place with his magic. Inch by inch, the chandelier carefully descended. After all, it was several hundreds of years old, not some cheap brass thing you’d find at a dollar store. After a few painfully slow moments, the chandelier was moved into position on a wagon for transport.   Wiping the sweat off his brow, Magnus let out a sigh of relief. If that damn thing came crashing down, he’d probably have to work in the castle until he died to cover the repairs on that heap of gold. And yes, gold was a lot heavier than he expected.   Just as they were finishing up, none other than Princess Celestia rounded the corner. Magnus’ fellow workers all bowed deeply to her. The only one who still stood was Magnus, but he did give her a small yet polite nod.   “Hello, everypony,” Celestia greeted them warmly. “May I borrow Magnus for a few moments?”   Spick Span was the one to reply, “Of course, your Highness, take as long as you need.” Magnus had never heard Spick speak with such reverence before.   “Thank you. Magnus, shall we?” Celestia beckoned Magnus to follow.   “You seem to enjoy your work. Did you do something similar on Earth?” Celestia asked as they wandered down the hallway.   “Nothing like this, no. But it beats sitting around all day. I’m afraid that living in this castle was gonna make me lazy, so I just had to do something other than reading.”   Celestia smiled. Finding a job for Magnus was a good idea to work out some of his idleness. “I am happy to hear that. Unfortunately, it would seem your job will be disrupted now.” Celestia then presented Magnus with an envelope, which he just gave an odd look at before taking it. The envelope had a strange black wax seal on it, several spiralling lines coming from the centre before meeting and forming a perfect circle.   “What’s this?” he asked Celestia as he broke the seal and pulled out a letter and unfolded it. All while doing this, Celestia merely smiled and never said a word. Nevertheless, Magnus began to read the intricate letters and moments later his eyes grew wider.   Magnus,   My name is Brilliant Star and I am your sole living relative.   I was surprised to hear it, because I believed up to this point that I was the very last direct relation of the Galaxy family known. That is, until you arrived into our world.   I will be honest with you and say that I do not know how we should proceed from here. I never expected something like this to happen to me, as I am sure you never expected the same. In this, we are the same, you and I. Strangers, yet sharing a bond that stretches beyond our known boundaries.   I am curious about you, young one, and I would like to meet you and see if we have anything in common. Five days from the day you receive this letter, my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will all meet in my castle in Hollow Shades for a hastily put together family reunion. If you would like to come visit me for an extended stay, I will welcome you not as a stranger but as a distant relative, for is that not what we are? And from there, we will just have to see where the road takes us.   Brilliant Star   Magnus read the letter, then reread it once more. He did not expect such warm words from a letter, let alone a mare he did not know. But he knew that from this moment forward, his life was about to get more interesting.