Home sweet home?

by PaladinponyT

Chapter 3: Tea

Outside the front doors to the palace, Octavia watched as the mysterious unicorn who brought her here spoke with the captain of the royal guard. She was still a little dumbstruck by everything that had just happened; one minute she was walking home, the next she was waiting to enter Canterlot Castle. She had been here before on visits with her family or when playing with the orchestra, but never as a special guest.

Octavia saw the captain and his troops start to laugh at something her rescuer had said, she smiled. She owed the mysterious unicorn everything; if he had not helped her, that snooty mare would have ruined her life. As the noble yelled at her, Octavia could see where it would end. Her name on the front page of Equestria Daily and she would have had to leave the orchestra to work off the debt for that dress.

Then, it all turned the other way and it was the noble who was humiliated. The look on her face was priceless, if she had not been so shocked Octavia would have laughed.

"Are you ready to go in?" a voice asked her.

Octavia looked up, she had been so lost in thought that she didn't notice her rescuer and the captain walk over to her. She nodded, still finding it hard to speak. The captain of the guard led them inside; he was a handsome stallion with a white coat and dark blue mane. As they walked through the large hallways, Octavia looked around admiring the pristine architecture. It was overwhelming to think of how much magic and hoof work went into building this place.

Ancient spells laid atop the castle's foundations and held everything together. It was said Princess Celestia placed those spells personally. Everything inside the castle came as gifts from far off lands or most talented artists throughout Equestria. Octavia heard how new things were added year to year, but the palace never seemed to change.

"You're back!" Octavia heard a beautiful mare's voice say with great excitement.

A light pink mare with a slender form, flew down the hallway and stopped in front of them. Octavia's eyes widened and her mouth went dry at the sight of her. The three of them stood before Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the third and youngest of the alicorns.

The princess hugged the unicorn in the grey cloak, "It's great to have you back, Sunblade."

The stallion returned the hug, "I'm glad to be back, Cadence."

Octavia's mouth fell open, "He's on a first name basis with one of the princesses?" she thought in surprise. At least she now knew the name of her rescuer, "Sunblade," Octavia smiled, "It suits him."

"Sorry to cut this reunion short," said the captain, "But Celestia and Luna are waiting to hear your report, Sunblade."

The hooded unicorn nodded, "Cadence, could you do me a favor?"

The princess nodded.

"Please take my friend to the dining room and get her some refreshment."

Cadence smiled at Octavia, "Of course."

The two stallions started to walk away, when Cadence called out, "I will see you later, Shining Armor."

Octavia noticed the mischievousness in her voice; the captain suddenly stopped like somepony had just dumped cold water on him. The princess giggled and led Octavia down a hallway to the right, servants and nobles passed them as they walked. The princess hummed as they walked, her smile was warm and could melt any heart. There was a brightness to her eyes, that made Octavia relax in her presence.

She found her voice at last, "Have you known Sunblade long, princess?"

Cadence looked at her, "I have known him for a long time, he's like my older brother."

"I see," said Octavia, not knowing what else to say. She did not want to be rude by asking too many questions.

"How long have you two known each other?" The princess asked, her smile never leaving.

The music mare's face felt warm as she struggled to speak, but she didn't want to lie to the princess, "To be honest, I just met him today."

Octavia calmly explained everything to Cadence; the princess was a very good listener. It felt nice to let it all out and Octavia felt much better. Cadence shook her head, a smile still on her face, "That's Sunblade, he never ignores anypony in need."

---

The old door groaned as Sunblade walked into his room. It was larger than most rooms inside the palace, but the tired unicorn rarely used it. On one side was a bookshelf filled with ancient scrolls, a large number of spell books, and history tomes on foreign lands. On the other side were two doors, the white one on the left was a bathroom, while the red one on the right was a closet filled with clothes. In a corner next to the only window, was a dark green chair for reading and a tall lamp, that was Sunblade's favorite spot.

Using his magic, the ranger levitated the bed into the air, under it were stairs leading to his equipment room. Sunblade walked down and slowly lowered the bed hiding the entrance, at the bottom lights on the walls turned on. The bright gems showed everything inside the room. Suits of armor old and new, some made of metal, others made of leather.

Strange smells hung in the air from all the different potions and ingredients, rare artifacts sat on shelves or were displayed on the walls. There were trophies, too, objects taken from far away places and prizes of battle. Sunblade moved past a large Timberwolf head that was now made of stone, a reminder of failure. At the round table in the middle, he took off his grey cloak and sword, placing both on the table.

He then sat at his work desk and began writing his report for the princesses. On the desk were small gifts and keepsakes from close friends long gone, five photos: two in black and white the rest in color, a silver ring with a cracked black diamond, an old blacksmith hammer, a broken boar tusk, and, sitting inside a glass case was a large golden feather.

The feather was Sunblade's most precious possession, it was all that was left of his father. His mother had used powerful spells to preserve the feather forever. As part of an old pegasi tradition, his father had given one of his primary feathers to his mother as a sign of love. Sunblade's mother had done the same, and it was said that his father carried it even at the end.

---

Inside the castle dining room, Princess Cadence and Octavia sat drinking tea and enjoying some small sandwiches. The flavor and smell of the tea was strange to Octavia. It was a type of tea from Eastern Equestria; the princess explained how expensive it was. Very few markets carried it, and it was more rare to find somepony who knew how to grow it. Octavia felt humbled by this unexpected privilege.

For a princess, Cadence was very easy to talk to and she had many stories that made Octavia laugh uncontrollably. The music mare enjoyed the occasional bit of gossip, but she never expected to hear how Princess Celestia would sneak into the kitchen for pieces of cake. That story had almost made tea come out of Octavia's nose.

However, the two ponies Cadence loved to talk about the most were her very-special-somepony and his sister whom the princess use to foal-sit. She talked about the places they visited, the games they played together, and the special dance and rhyme they shared.

"That all sounds nice," said Octavia, a tiny bit jealous, "I would have loved to have had a friend like you."

The princess got a concerned look, and was about to say something when the door suddenly opened. A unicorn stallion in a black suit with gold sleeves and buttons walked in. Cadence smiled warmly at him, "Sunblade, I am glad you could finally join us."

Octavia blinked, the unicorn in the doorway was far different from how he was before. Every inch of him looked amazing, it was like looking at a prince from a storybook. His mane was a silvery grey and his coat was white like clean snow, but the thing that held Octavia's attention the most were his eyes. Like when she looked into them the first time, they were a bright golden yellow. A very rare type of color, many ponies had greens, blues, purples, browns, or grey eyes.

Sunblade walked to the table and gave Princess Cadence a scroll, "Could you please give this to Celestia for me?"

Octavia noticed just how tired Sunblade sounded, the princess appeared to hear it too.

"Sure," Cadence said, while taking the scroll, "But, I would like to see you later, after you have had some sleep."

The stallion smiled a little, "I know, I know, just let me finish what I started first."

The princess nodded, gave Octavia a wave, and left the dining room.