Home sweet home?

by PaladinponyT

Chapter 5: Is change good?

The lights of Canterlot city slowly began to turn on as the moon appeared high in the sky. Very few businesses stayed open in the evening, so Canterlot didn't have much of a nightlife. There were few ponies around, so the streets were mostly empty and quiet. The night air felt pleasantly warm as night flowers gave off a soothing smell. It had been a long walk from the palace to the city, but Octavia was happy to be going home. She listened to Sunblade talk about the stars and his favorite constellations; he pointed out some of them when he could.

The white unicorn seemed less tired as he spoke, and his eyes appeared brighter. The moon's light danced off his mane making it glow softly, then to Octavia's surprise her companion began to sing. The song was something she had never heard before, it spoke of sweet dreams and tranquility. It painted a beautiful picture of the night and all its wonders, before she knew it, she was singing too.

The harmony of their two voices were perfect, as if they had done this before. When the song ended, Octavia felt lighter on her hooves, like the music had worked some restorative magic on her. All the troubles of the day seemed to melt away as they stopped in front of a large fountain. The water shimmered with color as both of them looked at all the different coins below. In that moment, Octavia wondered what she would wish for, if she had a coin.

She turned her head to the stallion next to her, "Sunblade, can I ask you something?"

He smiled, "Certainly."

"My sister and I are going to meet in order to discuss moving in together," she began, "So we can make up for all the time we missed. But, I'm not sure it's a good idea, what do you think?"

Sunblade stared into the water and frowned slightly, he watched sparkles come off the coins and answered, "I'm not really sure myself, how do you feel about it?"

"Confused," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "After all, it's a big decision. Am I ready for that kind of change?"

Sunblade sat down on the fountain, "No pony is ever ready for it. For me, change comes slowly, but it happens whether I like it or not."

Octavia sat down too, "That's true, I was not ready for some of the ones in my life either."

Sunblade looked up at the stars, "Tell me about your sister."

"Her name is Vinyl Scratch," Octavia said, looking at the stars too, "She loves music, however, it's very different to mine," she chuckled a little, "You might know her by her stage name, DJ PON-3."

Sunblade nodded, he had seen her once or twice, but they never met face to face. Her shows were usually too loud for him.

"It's actually amazing," continued Octavia, "We both got cutie marks in music, I mean what are the odds?"

"Not as big as you think, there are a few families that get similar marks. The Apple Family for example."

Octavia found herself looking at Sunblade's mark, it was a golden sword standing in the middle of a crossroad. She wondered what it meant, she looked at the ground, "My father's parents had liked her because she is a unicorn like you, despite her disability."

The white stallion looked at her, "Disability?"

Octavia swallowed, she had spoken without thinking. She kicked herself mentally for the slip up, but there was no taking it back now.

With a sigh, Octavia said, "She can't talk, my sister was born a mute."

A shadow passed over Sunblade, then he too looked at the ground. He had met and made friends with many ponies who had some form of disability. However, he always admired them, because despite how hard life was for them, each one had found a way to be happy. Maybe Octavia couldn't see it yet, but Vinyl had discovered how to express herself without a voice.

"Where does she live?" he asked.

It took Octavia a few seconds to remember, "A town called Ponyville, I think."

Sunblade smiled, he knew that town very well, "I have been there a number of times, I can honestly say it is a wonderful place to live."

"Still to go from a city to a small town, I'd be leaving behind everything I knew growing up."

"And is that a bad thing?"

Octavia paused, then said "No, it's just not easy."

The white unicorn got up and faced her, "I can understand that. How about this, is there anything about your sister that you admire?"

She thought back to each letter that Vinyl send her and recalled one that she would always remember.

"She rejected our grandparents," answered Octavia, "They offered her the family name and fortune, but she turned her back on them. She stood up to them in a way I never could, even though they would have given her everything."

"Well then, I see no reason why you shouldn't at least try," Sunblade said with conviction, "I have never had a brother or sister, so I would be very happy to be you right now, Ms. Melody."

Octavia got up from the fountain, "Then I promise to at least give her a chance."

The old ranger nodded, "Good."

The two then made their way to Octavia's apartment, they stopped at the stairs. Sunblade levitated the cake box off his back and gave it to Octavia.

"This is as far as I go," he said with a bow, "It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Melody. I hope we can see each other again."

Octavia smiled, "I would love that, thank you for today, Sunblade. And, you can call me by my first name."

His horn lit up with silvery light, "Until next time then, Octavia."

The music mare watched him vanish in a flash, then she picked up the box and returned home.