After being escorted to his own room in the castle, Shine had instantly fallen into bed and into a deep sleep, quite tired by the events of that night. The next morning, he woke up and stretched, inducing some painful twinges due to his injuries. After cleaning himself, he was approached by one of the castle servants.
"Mr. Paladin, the princesses request your company for breakfast." The servant declared.
"...Okay then." Shine said awkwardly.
Shine left the room, and walked down the corridors.
"Now, where's the dining room?" He asked himself, looking left and right for the right room. "I guess I should have asked that servant for directions..."
However, because he wasn't looking straight, Shine bumped into somepony.
"Oh, sorry..." He apologized.
The pony he bumped into was none other then Prince Blueblood.
Blueblood growled as he rubbed his head.
"You better be, you oafish serv-" He looked up and saw who he bumped into. "Uh? Who are you?
"Uh..." Shine nervously muttered. He was not aware that there were other royalty living in the castle aside the princesses.
"I haven't seen you around here before." Blueblood sneered. "Are you one of the new servants for the castle?"
"Oh, no, not at all." Shine Paladin replied. "My name is-"
"Wait a minute... if you are not a servant..." Blueblood began as he sniffed the air, before grimacing. "You must be... A COMMONER!" He shouted in accusation.
"Well, yes, that is true..." Shine explained. "But I am here as a-"
"A commoner... breaking into our castle!" Blueblood gasped, before glaring at him. "I think not! Guards!"
Two guards appeared.
"Sieze him!" Blueblood ordered.
"What?!" Shine gasped.
The two guards grabbed Shine.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is just a big misunderstanding!" Shine stammered. "My name is Shine Paladin! I am here as a guest of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!"
"Oh, please, you? A guest of the princesses? That is more laughable than a dragon being in love with a pony." Blueblood chortled.
"But it's true! You have to believe me!" Shine insisted. "I have a room here and everything! You can ask Celestia yourself!"
"That's PRINCESS Celestia to you, you cur." Blueblood snarled. "You expect me to believe the word of a uncouth commoner?"
" ...Yes?" Shine said nervously, hoping it would change his mind.
"I've heard enough." Blueblood snorted. "Guards, see to it that this intruder is ejected from the castle."
"Wait, please, no!" Shine protested as the guards were about to drag him away.
"Excuse me, what's going on here?" A voice asked from the shadows.
Shine, Blueblood, and the guards froze, as none other than Prince Gothic emerged from the shadows.
"Prince Gothic, sir!" The guards saluted.
"Gothic?" Blueblood smirked. "I'm surprised to see you out here in the middle of the morning. Don't you burn in the sunlight?"
"Hmm, and a good morning to you, too, Blueblood." Gothic said sarcastically. "I ask again, what is going on here?"
"Not that it's any of your concern, but I found this intruder skulking about the castle, and I was about to have him removed." Blueblood said pompously.
"I'm not an intruder!" Shine panicked. "I was asked to stay here by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! Please believe me!"
"I see..." Gothic paused for a moment. "Blueblood, please have your guards release the pegasus."
"What?!" Blueblood yelped. "But he's-"
"Blueblood, as happy as I am for your concern about security, my wife had told me about our guest." Gothic informed him. "I assure you, he is of no threat to anyone.
"But he is a commoner!" Blueblood protested. "And judging from the smell of him-"
"HEY!" The affronted Shine interrupted.
"He might be one of those..." Blueblood shuddered. "Farm ponies!"
"I don't care if he smells like a wet timberwolf." Gothic said firmly. "Let him go... or I will have to tell my wife, who I may remind you is your aunt Luna, and surely she will tell her sister, your aunt Celestia, why is it that their guest never made it down to breakfast."
"You think you can scare me with your petty threats?" Blueblood snarled.
"No... but who are you more afraid of?" Gothic smirked. "Me... or Celestia?"
Blueblood was about to rebut... but he had nothing.
"Release him." He said though gritted teeth.
The guards let Shine go.
"Now, why don't you run along and we can forget this incident?" Gothc suggested.
Blueblood gave a "Hmph!" as he strode off, and the guards returned to their position.
"Thanks." Shine sighed.
"Happy to do it." Gothic chuckled. "That Blueblood's been a pain in my plot for as long as I can remember..."
"So, you wouldn't happen to know where breakfast is being held, would you?" Shine asked.
"Right this way." Gothic motioned for Shine to follow him.
Shine followed Gothic to the royal dining room, where Celestia, Luna, and a teenage mare were already seated.
"Ah, there you are." Luna smiled. "What kept you?"
"Just a little altercation with Blueblood." Gothic declared.
"Say no more." Luna grimaced. "Come and join us."
Gothic took the seat next to Luna, leaving Shine to take the one between Celestia and the teen alicorn.
"Shine Paladin, meet our daughter, Princess Constell." Luna introduced them.
"Hello." Shine smiled, turning to the mare with a smile.
"Hi." Constell beamed. She had her mother's coat, her father's mane, steel-gray eyes and a constellation Cutie Mark. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Shine nodded.
"So, Shine, tell us about yourself." Celestia suggested.
"Not much to tell, really." Shine shrugged. "I come from Dodge Junction. I worked as a farm hand at the Cherry Hill Ranch."
"Cherry Hill Ranch? You mean that one farm ran by Ms. Jubilee?" Gothic asked. "Strange, a pegasus never struck me for a farm worker."
"Well, to be honest, I got a job there because a friend of my father, Big Red, put in a good word for me." Shine admitted. "He happens to be good friends with Ms. Jubilee, and I do mean 'good friends'."
"I've never been to Dodge Junction." Constell smiled. "What's it like?"
"It's okay." Shine smiled. "Nice, wide open spaces as far as the eye could see. Sometimes it gets hotter than a dragon's belly, but it's home."
"Oh, I'd love to visit." Constell sighed. "I've barely been out of Canterlot. You know my cousin Dusk is taking a tour of Equestria."
"Think I heard something about that." Shine nodded.
"That'll be me one day." Constell beamed.
"Not until you're eighteen, dear." Luna chuckled.
"Sure, mom." Constell sighed.
"How are you liking the castle so far, Shine?" Celestia asked.
"To be honest, I'm having a little trouble getting around." Shine admitted. "This place is huge! You could fit almost all of Cherry Hill Ranch in here!"
"A problem with a simple solution." Luna smiled. "Celestia can show you around."
"Me?" Celestia asked.
"Her?" Shine echoed.
"Why not?" Luna shrugged. "You have no royal business to attend to, sister. I would volunteer, but I have an outing with Gothic and Constell planned."
"I understand." Celestia nodded, but gave Luna a suspicious look. "Prepare yourself, Shine. After breakfast, I shall give you the tour to end all tours. You will never get lost in this castle again."
"If you say so, your highness." Shine said nervously, the idea of having one of Equestria's monarchs acting as his own personal tour guide being quite galling.