The night was cold and dark. A certain foreboding shroud of gloom hung over the castle, dispite the reverie going on inside. It was inside these jovial halls filled with music and ponies enjoying the classy festivities one could find a distraught Princess Nightingale moving swiftly away from this gala. She maintained a calm expression, even though her pace seemed hurried and could be described as a rushed trot. As her hoofsteps were muffled slightly be the deep red carpets that had been laid out, she was able to surprise a young squire attempting to carry several dishes. The young pegasus gave a yelp as his concentration was broken and the dishes fell from his hooves and crashed onto the floor, shattering into pieces. The pegasus, too young to be a colt but far to old to be called a foal looked at the plate-bits in horror and began running his hooves over the mess.
"Ahhhh no! No-No-No! I knew this was gonna happen! It would be just my luck! Sombra damnit!"
The young pony hovered above the debris, collectiing the larger pieces up without looking at who had accidentally surprised him, and the princess being not of the most sound of mind, was not doing much to alleviate the problem.
"Awww darn... You should really watch you're going! I mean I'm sorry but, I mean I get you're most likely some hoity toity noble who's in a rush to go to the bathroom but I mean seriou-"
The pegasus had finished collecting the remains that could be seen with the naked eye and turned his gaze on the only pony who was standing where a guilty party might stand. His jaw went slack, his creamy pale cheeks grew a hot blush and he realised that he was shivering . He bowed his head almost immediately and hoped the divine beauty infront of him didn't see fit to tear out his tongue for his outburst. He'd never met the Princess but he'd seen her duel and he knew the harsh practices of her father. If she shared them, he feared the kind of scars his children would inherit.
"I-Im so sorry princess! I-I didn't know it w-was you! I'm terribly sorry for the outburst! Please don't cut out my tongue!"
Nightingale was set to leave and ignore the squire. She was busy. She had an escape to make, a revolution to start, and a tyrant to kill and none of that could get done until she got to her room and retrieved her servant, her luggage and her new ally... Who was admittedly just really going to be another servant.
A girl needed priorities.
But the princess paused to look at the young boy, a mix of misunderstanding and disbelief in her gaze.
"Tear out... Your tongue? What would possess me to do that? Or you to think I would do that?"
The squire kept bowing. Equal parts from fear and he may or may not (most definitely may) have been admiring her legs.
"I heard your father doesn't take failures well and I've seen you fight M'lady... I just uhmm... ya know..."
"Assumed that I shared my father's... Intolerance?"
The squire nodded and lifted his head up slightly, watching the princess sigh and place a hoof to her temple and slowly move her head to either side. Her formal gown was very fetching on her and even this mundane expression of annoyance seemed to bring a certain draw to her.
"Listen, squire?"
The way she said squire~
"Pound Cake, your majesty."
"Pound Cake. You should know that-"
Pound Cake watched in a dreamy daze as Nightingale explained... Something about something. He wasn't listening. He was too busy thinking about knighthood. Knights got to be around the princess a lot. Save her from danger and stuff. They always got a kiss as a reward in the stories. Could he get a kiss from her?
Yeah she was a little older but how often did that matter? It was like... He couldn't really find the words right now.
Did he mention the princess was really pretty?
'Cause she kinda was.
"- And that's why you need to understand that you just can't assume everypony is going to act in a certain way because of their upbringing, Pound Cake, it's just silly."
The squire stared at the princess from behind his wavy mane which hung over his eyes, head slightly bowed. He could feel the blush on his face and was trying his best to hide it. Nightingale, intimately familiar with the gesture from her prior encounters with young stallions, sighed as she realized her entire speech had fallen on deaf ears. She straightened up slightly, and took a deep breath as she rolled her eyes to herself and leaned forward, brushing the curtain of mane from the colt's face and look him directly in the eye.
"Pound Cake, a knight must always be vigilant, loyal, honorable, kind and understanding. He can't be bumping into passersby, understand?"
Nightingale kept her voice tender and as sincere and calm as she could manage. For some reason this misunderstanding disturbed her to end and she was ready to postpone her planes by a few moments to make it very clear she was not like her father... Even if she had to beat the concept into the colt.
With a face as red as wine and a heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to give out the colt looked at the princess dumb founded. He blubbered and stammered, unable to make any words at all.
She was really-
"Pound Cake!"
The weak call came from a tall, boney pony of an off banna-ish color. His uniform desginated him as a cook and the flour on said uniform meant he was either very messy or very good at what he did. The stallion approached the duo quickly, a slight twinge of worry and anger clearly on his face.
"Pound Cake! They need to back in the- Oh my gosh!"
The stallion nearly lept out of his skin when he saw the princess. He bowed his head to the floor, keeping it down as he hastily approached the young colt.
"I'm so sorry your highness! I hope Pound Cake hasn't bothered you! I'll accept any responsib-"
Nightingale chuckled and released Pound Cake from her gaze. She smiled and with a brisk trot toward the flour covered stallion she gave him a peck on the cheek.
"You are far too serious Mr. Cake. I was simply telling this squire that he needs to make sure he keeps his eyes open. He'll make a fine knight one day..."
Nightingale's voice trailed off as she looked out a stained glass window running along the side of the hallway. She looked beyond the walls toward the sprawling city beyond it's walls. It hit her now that she may not see either of these two again.
"I think... He will make a good knight. Once he learns where he should keep his eyes... Farewel- Goodbye Mr.Cake."
Nightingale wraped her hooves around the stunned chef who could only look between his son and the young girl his wife had raised like their own. He felt a hoof go to her mane and he blinked a few times, trying to find the reason why he felt like he was saying goodbye to an old friend dispite the fact he had spared very few monents with the mare of the mansion.
"G-Goodbye Princess... I uhmm..."
Cake's face brightened up as he worked something out, his eyes quickly going to the mare he held in his arms.
"Where's your father? Aren't you supposed to be-"
Nightingale was no fool. She had long overstayed her welcome. With little more than a word and a smile, she broke the embrace and took off toward her tower. She planned to cut through the kitchen and the servants housing to reach the nanny's room which was at the foot of the staircase that led to her own room. That was how she was going to get to her room to meet up with Bebop and Thorn and from their she was going to run away and start a revolution and bring harmony back to her lands...
Which would also most likely mean having to kill her father, usurp his thrown and instal her own government...
Which is exactly what her father had-
Ya know what?
It'll all work out.