Gather round, little ones, and hear the tales of Sir Talon! Hear of the adventures of one of Equestria's greatest – and suavest – knights, who defended the realm with both rapier and rapier-like wit!
Have you heard the tales of the gallant Sir Talon? Equestria had never seen his like; a warrior without peer, and a gentlecolt with a wit sharper than his sword, he defended the land from countless threats! No trouble was too minor for such a humble servant of the realm, but no threat was too great for his courage, either!
Though he had been born and raised in a foreign land, he felt destiny call him to Celestia's court; through his mighty deeds, he came to be recognized as one of her greatest agents, but such accomplishment engenders dangerous envy. Even for a noble knight of the realm, things were rarely as straightforward as they ought be; what awaits you are tales of derring-do, intrigue, betrayal, and the burden of a hero whose secrets were darker than Luna's night, so the fainthearted should turn away now...
... for the tale that awaits you may not be all that it seems.
Is everyone settled in? Good, good. Let us begin on a truly important day for our dashing hero.
"Sir Talon? The court of Princess Celestia is now ready for you."
Our hero steeled himself, trying to suppress his nerves, and approached the grand double doors that would lead to Princess Celestia's grand hall. You might think it silly that a warrior who had just faced a rampaging monster not a week prior would feel even the slightest anxiety over something as silly as a promotion, or a meeting with royalty. Talon would have agreed with that sentiment, as he resolved not to show even the slightest fear, no matter how imposing the princess might be – I mean, just look at her!
And so he strode through the opening double doors, pride and confidence in every step. He was careful to avert his eyes from the princess, and approached to precisely the distance that was ordained for a knight before swooping into a low, gracious bow – pride did not mean he had to be rude, after all! There was a moment of silence before Celestia realized he was awaiting her command.
"Rise, Sir Talon."
He did so – and his back was grateful to him – and beamed at the sun princess, awaiting her command. A long moment passed, as Princess Celestia examined him carefully. Internally, the silence was killing him; Talon was sure Celestia saw right through him, that all of his darkest secrets were on grand display to the princess. He half-expected to be thrown to the dungeons for something-or-other any moment... and something about the idea that she was simply toying with him greatly amused him. His smile just became broader as they watched each other, and Celestia finally broke the silence, some frustration in her voice.
"Sir Talon, do you know why you have been summoned here?"
"M'lady, I was hoping it would be my first mission in your service. I am eager to aid the ponies of Equestria!"
Talon was surprised by his own enthusiasm – and the sincerity with which it was spoken. Even now, the role of 'hero' seemed an absurd fantasy... but if he was given the chance to live it out, then he swore to himself, here and now, that he would seize the opportunity, and even if fate did not afford him long in this role, he would be the greatest of heroes for every day he was given.
The princess, for her part, twitched slightly at his manner of address, and cracked a faint smile.
"You seem entirely too enthused about facing danger, sir. Could it be that my newest knight is a thrillseeker?"
"Nay, m'lady – it is simply that Canterlot is insufferable. Wouldst that I would be sent to a dark cave, filled with irritable dragons, that I might have better company than my fellow noblemen!"
Sir Talon, having thrown all caution to the wind now, simply smiled roguishly up at the princess, and awaited his summary execution. He was surprised – though of course he did not show it – to see an amused smirk form on Princess Celestia's face, though her guards were glancing at each other with some unease.
"Such harsh words, Sir Talon. Holding a noble title myself, I can't help but feel put-out that you would rather the company of irritable dragons."
Talon knew he had to think fast.
"Well, m'lady, it is only natural for a knight to wish to be a champion, accomplishing what others cannot and saving the day, is it not?"
The princess quirked an eyebrow, a curious expression taking hold as she responded.
"It is."
"And so it must be seen that your company is, quite simply, the least desirable for a knight – for how could any star shine bright enough to be seen when standing next to the sun herself?"
Princess Celestia actually laughed at that, and Talon felt a rush of energy. It emboldened him to speak further, his roguish grin deepening to a companionable smile.
"I should apologize for my earlier faux pas, however. It was far from my intent to imply that your company was poor, but let it be seen that I was hardly given my station for some great talent for discourse; I don't believe repeatedly stomping on a creature counts as a grand diplomatic achievement, though I suppose it was still more personable than what a few of my colleagues could manage."
Talon was honestly embarrassed by the brutish way in which he had subdued the monster for which he'd been promoted, but there was no point in avoiding it. The princess simply chuckled further, and then waved a hoof dismissively as she spoke.
"And yet, you did manage some diplomacy. After all, did you not convince the creature to surrender before it was seriously hurt?"
" 'Tis true, and yet I still cannot help but feel that such violence was an expediency unbefitting a true professional. Now that I am in your service, I ought be more careful."
The princess watched him for a time, considering, and then levitated a small scroll over to him from the side of her throne. He clasped it with a wing, curious as to its contents, yet not wishing to take his attention off of the princess while in her presence.
"This was the formal request for royal assistance. I believe you will be well-suited to the task, Sir Talon, though I fear it may be far less exciting than what you had in mind."
"No task is too small for your humble servant, m'lady – but if danger arises, I ask you send me into it. It is better that I go than somepony... somepony else."
The princess nodded, and with that, their meeting was over. As he walked away, Talon could hardly believe that he was being given such a chance; the princess had, incredibly, decided to trust him! He read over the simple, unassuming assignment, and was determined that such a simple quest would be completed with performance above and beyond what anypony could expect.
Little did anyone know that the assignment would prove to be far more dangerous than it seemed.
What do you mean, there wasn't enough action? Well, I guess I did tell you it would be an adventure story. Alright, then, let's just cut to the chase!
Specifically, Sir Talon was being chased. As he wove between buildings, he considered that this was not precisely the glorious first day he had imagined. Still, as he ducked under a fireblast and laughed at his pursuer, he imagined he was putting on a good enough show for the locals.
"STOP... RUNNING!"
Talon heard the buzzing behind him intensify, and dove to the side just in time for the dragonfly chasing him to overshoot, flying straight into an alleyway and banging its wings on the adjacent buildings.
Nasty things, dragonflies; they're flies as big as a pony, and they breathe fire. Scales, too. This one was a particularly foul specimen; twice as big as Talon, and with a spiked tail to boot! Still, that proved to be its undoing, as it got itself properly stuck in that alleyway, and Talon simply walked up behind it, laughing.
"Alright, I've stopped running. What do I win?"
The beast struggled, roaring and spewing fire as it wriggled between the two buildings.
"STUPID LITTLE PONY, WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE—yeeek!"
Sir Talon smirked as he poked the beast in the rear with his rapier gently, right under a scale.
"See, you were supposed to say 'the fight', since that's what I've won—whoop!"
Talon had to roll under a swing of the beast's tail as it struggled, its voice having raised to a sort of whiny, colt-ish pitch.
"Let me go~! This isn't fair! Let me out let me out let me HEY!"
Talon had taken the opportunity to tie his adversary's tail to one of their rear legs and wings. When the rope was cinched, it put them in rather comical pose – you'll just have to imagine it. There was wriggling and flopping around, I assure you!
"Alright, there. Now, are you ready to settle down, Tommy? You promise not to steal any more roofing tiles?"
Tommy – that was the dragonfly's name – sighed, sagging down.
"Fi~ne, I guess."
Tommy grumbled as Talon hooked the rope over a nearby stablepost and bit down on it. It took a few pulls, but Tommy popped out of the alleyway. As soon as he did, he whipped around and burnt the rope with his fire-breath, and then stood tall, laughing in his deep, booming voice.
"FOOLISH PONY! NOW THAT I AM FREE, THERE IS NOTHING TO STOP ME FROM TAKING ALL OF THE TILES I WANT!"
"Uh huh."
Talon was idly polishing his rapier while Tommy spoke, which irritated the dragonfly greatly. He jumped to take flight, only to collapse to the ground, and realize one of his wings had been clipped short!
"HEY! What did you do?!"
"I told you that if you chased me I'd have to ground you."
"That's not cool, man! How am I supposed to get home, now?!"
"I guess you'll just have to hang out down here with the pony folk until it heals up, won't you? Maybe help them fix their roofs or something."
Talon smirked at the dragonfly as he sheathed his rapier, slinging it over his back. Tommy just gaped at him.
"You have to be kidding! I can't do that, I need to get home!"
Talon smugly propped himself up against a wall on his hind hooves, folding his forelegs and glaring at Tommy from under his hat.
"Why should anypony care about what you need? They needed their roofing tiles, y'know. You didn't care about that when you stole them."
Tommy shuffled at that, his head drooping. Talon had some trouble reading the expression – I mean, Tom's face wasn't much like a pony's – but figured it looked sort of remorseful.
"It's not about what I need. Ponies have plenty of roofing tiles, right? I mean, you guys use'm all over this town! What's the big deal if I take a few?"
Right on cue, another dragonfly came around the corner of the building Talon had been leaning against. This one was far smaller, only a little bigger than Talon, and spoke in a high-pitched squeak.
"Tommy! You lied to me!"
"Wha—Billy?! This is where you've been these past two days?!"
"Yeah, and the ponies have been real nice to me! You shouldn't be stealing their stuff!"
Talon smirked to himself and began walking away as Billy chewed out his elder sibling; this had been his real trap all along. The hard part had been getting Tommy to come down off of the mountain and admit to his crime, but it was nothing a little taunting couldn't manage. Talon met up with the mayor in the town square, as planned; they could still hear Billy's squeaky voice echoing to them from across town.
"So, that's it? It's resolved, then?"
"Did you even think about the damage that fire could have done?!"
"Looks that way. Billy will keep Tom in line; besides, I think he'll lighten up after spending some time around here. I'm pretty sure he just does the tough bully thing because the Everfree is so dangerous; he's just trying to protect his brother."
"Did you see what he did to my wing?! I mean—"
"You burnt his hat, you know!"
The mayor nodded, and frowned, looking in the direction of the ongoing argument.
"Can we really trust those two not to cause more problems?"
Talon almost didn't hear the mayor, as he realized his beautiful hat had been damaged by the near-miss fireblast.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I think you will be fine."
"What makes you so sure? Actually... what gave you the idea for this plan at all?! We expected you to find the tile thief and run them out of town, not invite a monster or two into town!"
Talon paused for a few moments, frowning. When he responded, his voice was very level and measured.
"You know, they may look like monsters, but appearances aren't everything. They're just a pair of brothers, living up in a cave in the Everfree. Tom only swiped those tiles because Billy liked them; they don't really have much going for themselves out there. Maybe you should think about that, instead of jumping to conclusions. And just so you know—"
Talon prodded the mayor in the chest with his hat for emphasis as he spoke.
"—what gave me the idea was going to their home and watching them for a while. You know, trying to actually understand what kind of people they were, and I realized that we had a lot in common."
Talon started to trot away irritably, putting his hat back on with a frown; the mayor stammered something indignant at his back as he went. Before Talon left the town square entirely, he glanced back over his shoulder for one last comment.
"Y'know, having a monster in your midst might be more helpful than you think – if you can bring yourself to look past appearances."
Sir Talon glanced around cautiously. Though he had memorized the guard patrols, and knew the layout well, he had never before attempted so brazen an infiltration; he certainly wouldn't admit it, but he was nervous that he would be caught at any moment. Having only ever come this deep into the castle with an escort, he couldn't help but imagine that the walls had peepholes through which a secret, elite security force was watching him, or that enchantments of detection were on every corridor – his imagination ran wild.
Still he pressed on, knowing that the shift-change tonight would only give him a five-minute window; normally, there wouldn't even be that length of time, but he had sabotaged the clocks of the next shift of guards. As he rounded the last corner, he idly considered that someone really ought to warn Princess Celestia of her security inadequacies - provided he didn't get caught.
There it was. The door to Princess Celestia's bedroom – his target this evening. The bedroom, that is; Princess Celestia herself was out late at some silly party or gala or some-such; whatever it was, he had been informed that it was a party sorely lacking in gladiatorial contests, and so he found himself completely uninterested, aside from the opportunity it afforded him.
As he crept towards the door, he felt a tingle run down his forehead – some kind of magic. After a few moments of probing, he realized it was an enchantment to detect ponies. Sir Talon grinned; he had a perfect disguise to slip past just such a thing. Whilst he changed, he wondered idly at why such a simplistic and easily-bypassed detection spell would be placed on Princess Celestia's bedroom, rather than more sneaky, clever security measures.
Oh, it was just to keep pranksters out? Well, that makes sense. I'm surprised there were enough to warrant such a measure, though I suppose this tale illustrates why such a thing would be necessary. Speaking of which:
Once changed, Sir Talon very carefully leaned the large door open, peeking inside. To his surprise, the room was in disarray; books and writing implements on the floor next to cushions, and unmade bed, and a still-lit fireplace when nopony was present. The scandal!
Now, now. Yes, it's impolite to mention – but interrupting is impolite, too, isn't it? Now...
Sir Talon considered what do to, glancing around the room. Surely there was somewhere prominent! He considered the writing desk, but it appeared unused; a quick mental image verified that the desk was probably impractically small for her. A gift from somepony generous and inconsiderate, perhaps?
Time was running out! In a panic, Sir Talon flew over to the bed; yes, it appeared to have been used! The princess at least didn't sleep on the floor! Sir Talon carefully placed the letter on the pillow, as though it had been his plan all along, and quickly made good his escape – snickering the entire way to his quarters.
Even as he prepared for his journey the next morning, Sir Talon could hardly suppress his mirth. Though he wouldn't get to see the results of his mischief, he could at least amuse himself imagining them. He strode out of his quarters with a broad, confident smile. Even when he rounded a corner at the same time as Princess Celestia, causing a near-collision only narrowly averted by his water-like fluidity (if water was a pony that saw you coming and literally leapt out of the way), he kept up his confident smile – though his stomach tied into knots when he saw the letter she was levitating in her magic.
"Oh! Pardon me, Talon! I was completely distracted—"
"I could never pardon you, m'lady, for that would imply both that you had made a mistake, and that it was my place to—yipe!"
Sir Talon, who had swept into a low bow, hopped up in surprise as Princess Celestia singed his rump with a tiny blast of fire. He glanced up to see Princess Celestia giggling at him.
"The theatrics are unnecessary, Talon."
Something about her demeanor put him at ease. She seemed radiantly happy, and certainly more playful than he'd ever seen her. Despite the danger of her mentally connecting him with the letter she was holding, he couldn't help but making a playful jab at her.
"My, my. Someone is in a... bright and cheerful mood this morning, m'lady! Could that, perhaps, be a letter from a secret admirer, perhaps? A suitor who has swept our princess off of her hooves?"
Princess Celestia laughed, and waved her hoof in dismissal.
"No, no, it's nothing like—"
"Shh, fear not, m'lady, your secret is safe with me! Though they may question, though they may torture, none shall ever—ha!—extract your secret from these loyal lips!"
Princess Celestia had playfully thrown around small blast at Sir Talon mid-sentence, which he had dodged in the fashion of a river sliding around a rock, if the river took a three-foot detour from the rock about five feet in advance of encountering it, and then basically stood still. So, basically he jumped aside.
"Talon, it's from a schoolchild!"
Sir Talon's first impulse was to cry that this was even more scandalous, but his good sense killed the joke on his lips. He relaxed, and smiled at Princess Celestia.
"So, those letters that schools make foals write to you actually go somewhere? That must give you some interesting comments to make to ponies when you meet them as adults."
"She isn't from Equestria - at least, as best I can tell. And of course they go somewhere, Talon!"
Princess Celestia swatted him playfully, and for once, he didn't try to dodge, instead choosing to stand his ground - like water that was too amused to flow around an obstacle. Privately, he was overjoyed that she reacted so positively to the letter. It just made him more eager to embark on his journey.
"I'm glad to see you in such high spirits, m'lady. I must depart forthwith, but perhaps we can discuss the matter further when I return."
Sir Talon nodded vigorously, his smile broadening.
"That's correct, m'lady."
"I can see there's someone at home you're very eager to get back to."
Princess Celestia snickered, and for once, Sir Talon was grateful that she didn't decide to return his playful barbs with a romantic insinuation.
"My niece, actually. She has a major performance coming up; I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Princess Celestia smiled deeply at him. Sir Talon knew mentioning the concert was skating thin ice; it was all but an outright admission that he had delivered the letter, and that his 'niece' was the author, since he knew she'd mentioned the performance in it. Still, he had accepted long ago that Princess Celestia knew his secrets, and they simply kept up this charade for both practical and recreational purposes.
"Do not let me keep you, Talon. And give your niece my best wishes."
Sir Talon beamed at the princess, and then beat a hasty retreat. He knew Cecily would be ecstatic to hear that her letter was delivered – and perhaps, after her concert, he could arrange for her to finally visit Equestria. It was a great deal to look forward to.
It had been a few years since Sir Talon had learned of Cecily's... passing. Since then, he had spent much less time visiting home; at times, he even tried to forget the place entirely, throwing himself into his role as a knight in Equestria. He made a bit of a name for himself among Canterlot's nobles, much to his chagrin, and found himself required to attend far too many of their insipid garden parties. He always kept a cool distance between himself and ponies – polite, charming, but never a real friend, except perhaps to the princess. Perhaps because of that, and events at home, he slowly grew tired – even careless.
It was just such a moment of carelessness, at just such a garden party, with just such a nice glass of rose-petal wine, that he found himself putting up with one Sterling Platinum, a stallion of high station, and one prone to reminding others of that fact.
"So, Talon! I've spoken enough about myself; tell me, what music does a warrior and rogue such as yourself listen to, when not protecting monsters, terrorizing townsfolk, or vice-versa?"
Sir Talon smirked.
"Oh, come now, Sterling. That was one time."
"Now, now, Talon. Don't evade my question; what music interests you? Come now, don't always be so secretive; we're all dying to know something more personal about the pony behind the exploits."
Sir Talon frowned. A few ponies were looking on in interest; it was clear Sterling was being serious, playful jabs aside. He took another swig of the wine, and let it breathe for a few moments as he considered his answer. He knew the names of dozens of classical composers; he could easily make a solid argument for why he preferred a given style of classical music, which would impress all present with his unusual knowledge of the subject.
But every time he tried to craft that persona, to launch into some kind of impassioned diatribe against half of the musical world on behalf of some favored composer, the words died in his throat. He just couldn't bring himself to speak on the subject. The truth was... he was familiar with composition mostly through the excited ramblings of his niece, and he had tried listening to so many composers in Equestria since then, but none of them really reminded him of her.
"Sorry, what was that, Talon? 'Cecily'?"
Sterling looked around at the other ponies gathered, confused. They shrugged helplessly, and he looked back at Sir Talon with a quizzical expression. Sir Talon shrugged; he had only half-intended to say her name aloud, but somehow, he was past the point of caring.
"Cecily Cambirvir, yes. A bit avant-garde, I suppose, but not for its own sake – and besides, if the Conservatory had its way, music wouldn't ever change, would it? I heard her name bandied about at the Manehattan Institute for Fine Arts' gala last year, so I made an effort to listen to her music."
The gathered nobles all gave appreciative nods, chattering excitedly about the unusual answer. Sterling, for his part, gave a sturgeon expression, and then smirked.
"Just what we'd expect from such a worldly, traveled pony as yourself, Talon! I know what you mean about the Conservatory, though I often find attempts to be innovative in music to be... ill-founded. I'll have to request a recital of this 'Cecily''s music."
Sir Talon froze. Obviously, the Canterlot Conservatory wouldn't have copies of Cecily's music...
... or would they? He put on a suave grin.
"You do that, Sterling. I'm sure you will be impressed."
It would only be a mere two days later that Sterling would make his request of the Conservatory, who would inform him that no such composer existed – only to find that they did, in fact, have records of her manuscripts in their archive. Sneaking manuscripts into a musical archive had been foal's play compared to sneaking letters to Princess Celestia!
What? Oh, drop the title? Well, 'Celestia' it is, then, m'lady.
In any case, Sir Talon had been quite determined to be present at that recital, but duty called; on his way to Canterlot, he had spotted a group of ponies desperately trying to reinforce a failing dam, and had stopped to help. Regardless, word spread throughout the city, and soon a full-scale concert was organized to appease the curiosity of the noble class. When Sir Talon arrived at the Conservatory, he was shocked to see it filled with ponies, including Princ—Celestia, and Sterling. In the back of his mind, he worried that someone would draw the connection between Cecily and himself, but those concerns were overshadowed by a more compelling thought:
It had taken years, and certainly not everything was ideal, but he was finally going to hear that concert. A ghost of a past life, perhaps, but it meant the world to him at the time; Cecily had wanted nothing more than to become famous in Equestria for her musical abilities, and while it was only her composition skills that would be on display here, it had still happened. The dreams of a little girl being fulfilled... somehow, it meant far more to Talon than any heroism he had achieved.
He tried to slip into the crowd, but Celestia spotted him straight away. To his surprise, she outright grabbed him telekinetically and pulled him over – certainly unusual for the princess! Still, he dealt with it in the most dignified way he could, assuming a pose as though he were lying across a bed, and grinning at her with every bit of smugness he could muster as he sailed over the heads of the crowd-goers. When he got close, he gestured at himself with the hoof not propping up his head.
"One Equestrian Knight, as ordered, m'lady!"
To his surprise, rather than rolling her eyes or chuckling, Celestia simply swept him into a big hug. Now, if I haven't made it clear, Sir Talon was generally ready for anything, but getting a big hug from the Princess of the Sun at complete random – and in public, no less! – was just a bit much for him at the time. He simply froze up, his mind torn between panic and confusion, until Celestia broke the hug - and he realized she had teared up slightly.
"I'm glad to see you here, Talon. Come, sit with us."
"Er... It would be my pleasure, m'lady."
To be honest, sitting next to her was about the opposite of what he wanted to do. He wanted to focus on the music, and on the reactions to it – not worry over his secrets being revealed! As they made their way into the box that Celestia had set aside, she shuffled him into a seat next to her, and he began to wonder if there was any chance he could realistically claim fear of heights to sit elsewhere.
"Talon... did I ever—ah, yes, I remember mentioning it. Do you remember that 'secret admirer', the schoolfilly, who used to send me letters?"
Talon racked his brain. What exactly was he supposed to know about that? Ah, well – remember, kids! When in doubts, claim forgetfulness!
"I'm afraid not, m'lady. My apologies."
"Certainly alright, Talon. I believe I only mentioned it in passing. Long ago, there was a filly – or, I assume so – who used to write me letters. They had dreams of coming to Equestria, of being a great musician."
Talon knew this was dangerous water to be wading into, but the same apathy that had gotten him into this situation had returned. Why bother dancing around, when Celestia clearly had some idea of whom he was, and was willing to talk about it so... civilly?
"Ah, yes. I think I remember you mentioning her, now."
Celestia nodded, sniffling slightly. It was a bit contagious; Talon could feel his face burning.
"She said her name was 'Cecily'. It's an unusual one... I remembered it. You can imagine my surprise to hear that there was a concert of her music being put on... I truly wished to meet her."
"... But she isn't here. No one even knows where the music came from."
Celestia nodded, her face becoming a crinkled mess between a frown and a smile. Have you ever felt that, kids? You probably will, someday – when you just need to smile, but you need to cry, and frown. It's like your face just can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up.
Sir Talon was feeling it, too. You can't know how badly he wanted to tell Celestia everything, right there; about how Cecily was gone, about how everything had gone wrong... about how everything was going to go wrong. But even a knight with two masters cannot betray either, under any circumstances. Thankfully, Celestia spared him most of the trouble.
"You're right. She isn't... and, given what she said in her letters, I know that she'd never have let that happen. Something, or someone, stopped her from coming here. Something happened to my little admirer."
"I suppose the letters stopped some time ago?"
"Yes. A few years."
Sir Talon frowned, considering. He stayed silent as the music started, and everyone became engrossed in it. As the first song began in earnest, he scooted himself closer to Celestia. That's how they passed the concert – hugging slightly, crying occasionally, all in silence. No need for words, for lies or half-truths. It was the first time, since he'd come to Equestria, that Talon felt free – felt like himself. He knew he would have to leave, soon; he had maybe another year or two before he would have to go home. A year or two before things fell apart.
Yet somehow, seeing that concert come to life, seeing a dream long-dead come true... he felt hope that, somehow, things would work out. No matter how bad things got, no matter how many years passed since... since the original dreamer was lost, as long as someone carried their hopes forward, maybe they would come true after all.
And when I look at all of you, I know that I was right – that Cecily was right. That old knight's quest... is finally over.