Home sweet home?

by PaladinponyT

Chapter 2: Encounters

The ponies of Canterlot were known far and wide as the richest and most elite citizens in Equestria. Many were part of ancient bloodlines that went back to the founding of the kingdom. Some even had royal blood inside them; however, that came from King Bullion and his daughter Princess Platinum. They were the former leaders of the unicorns, and helped in the making of Equestria. Today, very few could claim a connection to that bloodline, but these distant relations gave the ponies of Canterlot a feeling of superiority. Not only did they live in one of the kingdom's greatest cities, but they also lived close to the two rulers of the kingdom; Celestia and Luna.

All this entitlement, resulted in many aristocrats turning a blind eye to the hardships of others. Although the princesses have tried to teach their subjects kindness and understanding, it has not always worked. These social problems, caused deep worry in both princesses. Thankfully, not all of the Equestrian elite were like this, there were some in other parts of the kingdom, who were kind, generous, and helpful.

Ponies like Fancy Pants and his lady love Fleur De Lis are admired by aristocrats for their charm and elegance, but they are also respected by commoners because they could see the beauty and value of others. Fancy Pants often went out of his way to ensure equality and prosperity to all living in Equestria. However, it is very sad when the good is outnumbered by the bad.

These were just some of the thoughts of a pony in a dark grey traveler's cloak as he slowly made his way up the busy streets of the capital. The tourists paid him no mind because they wanted to see everything that made Canterlot special. The elite of the city made a big show of turning up their noses at him. Funny enough, the face under the grey hood was smiling. The tired stallion was always amused by the uptight behavior of the nobles.

Whenever something unusual happened, they would panic and duck for cover. The worst freakout to take place was during the Grand Galloping Gala, thanks to the mishaps of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Sunblade and his aunt Princess Luna had laughed themselves sore, when Celestia told them all about it.

As Sunblade continued to walk, a large crowd of ponies caught his eyes. Curious, Sunblade went to see what all the commotion was about; as he got closer, the sounds of yelling hit his ears. After gently pushing through the crowd, Sunblade saw two mares in the middle. One was an earth pony with a dark grey coat and black mane; the other was a noble mare in a sea-green dress. A pink box lay on the ground with a smashed cake next to it.

"You ruined my dress, you clumsy cow!" the noble mare yelled.

The earth pony mare took a step back, she was trying to apologize, and even offered to pay to fix the dress. That only made the noble mare angrier.

"You can't fix this!" she shouted while pointing at a small stain, "This is Star-spider silk, it is worth more then you can ever afford."

Sunblade frowned under his hood, the stain was barely noticeable and yet she was acting like the other mare had hit her in the face. Cameras flashed, as tourists moved a little closer; all of them were behaving like this was the most interesting thing in the world. With a small drop of magic and a simple command, all the cameras in the crowd popped like balloons.

Everypony was looking around in sudden fright, while Sunblade walked over to the earth pony mare. Up close, Sunblade suddenly recognized her, she was Octavia Melody, member of the Equestrian Orchestra and the best cello player he had ever heard. With a smile, he placed a hoof gently on her right shoulder.

"There you are," he said, sounding like an old friend, "I have been looking everywhere for you."

Startled, Octavia's head turned to Sunblade. The ranger kept smiling and Octavia's face relaxed as she stared into his golden eyes.

"And who are you?" he heard an outraged voice say.

Sunblade and Octavia both looked at the noble mare in the sea-green dress, who had remained still despite all the excitement. The ranger gave her a cool stare, "I am a friend," he told her pleasantly, "And we have some business up at the palace, if you will excuse us madam."

He gave her a slight bow, and gestured for Octavia to follow. A little confused, Octavia started to move when the noble mare stepped in front of them.

"Now hold it right there," she demanded, "There is no way that either of you has any business at the castle. If you think you can ruin my dress and walk away. Oho, think again!"

It was at that moment when three guards showed up. They calmly asked about what was going on. The noble mare gave Sunblade and Octavia an ugly smile of satisfaction. She made a great show of puffing herself up like a fat frog, and said "Thank Celestia you are here, these two ruffians just assaulted me."

She used her very best damsel voice and gave the guards a whimper. Sunblade rolled his eyes as Octavia began to tremble; the three guards approached them.

"Is that true?" asked the one in the middle.

Using his magic, Sunblade reached into an inner pocket of his cloak and pulled out a golden badge along with an old document. He showed both to the guards; all three suddenly stood up straight and saluted. The noble mare's eyes widened in shock.

"Sorry sir," said the middle guard, "We didn't know it was you."

"That's alright," answered Sunblade in his most cheerful voice, "My colleague and I were just on our way to the palace, when this mare," he pointed to the sea-green pony, "Stopped us over a little misunderstanding."

All three guards nodded.

Octavia stopped shaking and watched Sunblade in amazement. The ranger put a hoof around her and said, "Please disperse this crowd and make sure everypony is okay. You can find me at the castle later."

Again, the guards nodded.

"Oh, and this mare's complaint," he gave the noble mare a grin, "It never happened."

The noble pony's jaw must have set a new record for how fast it dropped. The guards quickly carried out Sunblade's orders, and when the noble mare tried to object, the guards told her not to interfere in official business. Once they were alone, Sunblade spoke to Octavia, "Well, let's not keep the princesses waiting."

And with that he teleported both of them to the palace.