Preparations inside the castle were moving at a furious pace. Banners were being hung and the room cleared for all of the ponies who would be attending the ceremony and attendants rushed back and forth, readying the castle to honor Twilight and her friends. Of course neither of the Princesses had forgotten how Rocinante had contributed and Luna was eager to send a messenger to invite Rocinante and his company to be honored as well.
Luna lifted back the curtain and examined the new stained glass window behind it. She wished that there could have been room on the pane for her champion and his accomplishments, but it was Twilight's victory in the end that won the day.
With a shrug of her shoulders, Luna let the curtain fall back over the window and walked to the stage to review her role in the ceremony. This would be her first time presiding over anything with her sister since she came back from the moon.
As she shuffled the notes with her magic and quietly spoke the words in her mind, the door to the ballroom quickly, yet quietly, opened. Luna smiled as she looked up, but when she saw the exasperated face of her messenger, the smile immediately fell away. Though he was clearly tired and carrying bad news, the messenger kept his voice down so as to avoid concerning anypony else within earshot.
“Princess Luna, Lady Sassaflash requests your help.”
“What is it? What is wrong?”
“Sir Rocinante has not improved since the fall of Discord. His squire, Lady Sassaflash, wished to know if there was anything you could do to help him.”
Luna nodded, her face suddenly very firm.
“Find my sis- Find Princess Celestia and inform her of-”
Luna stopped her words when she noticed Celestia entering the ballroom with a guilty smile on her face as she took another bite from a pilfered slice of cake. Much like her sister's, Celestia's smile faded quickly as Luna walked swiftly to her side.
“Sister, I must go to Ponyville. There has been a problem with Sir Rocinante's recovery.”
Celestia's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but soon went to a ponderous expression.
“He did not return to normal after-?”
Luna shook her head.
“He has not. 'Twas my intent to use a memory spell, not unlike the sort used by Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps that shall restore the Knight-errant to his former self.”
Luna looked to her sister for some reaction, but Celestia only shook her head.
“The Elements of Harmony should have removed any magical effects Discord had placed on him.”
“Then wherefore doth he remain in such a state?”
Celestia shook her head again as she looked at the carpet beneath them.
“Discord's spell changes a pony's character by playing off of a minor concern or misconception in the pony's mind. But if Discord managed to trigger some innate fear or trait within Rocinante's heart with this spell, then perhaps that is why he hasn't recovered.”
“But what sort of fear could Rocinante possibly hide within himself?”
Celestia slowly began walking towards the ballroom door, leading her sister on her way.
“What Rocinante does is not easy for anypony. Many of our little ponies think him mad for his pursuit of such fantastical and long gone ideas, but he presses on all the same, regardless of how silly he sometimes looks. I suspect that even in a mind as determined to make these ideals come to life as Rocinante's, there is still a natural fear. A fear that he has only made a fool of himself and anypony with him during his adventures.”
“Sister that is preposterous. Sir Rocinante has done naught but good-”
Celestia cut her sister off with a raised hoof.
“I know, Little Sister. Which is why you must go and show him the good he has done. Leave the ceremony to me.”
Luna nodded and walked briskly to the door. As she exited, she stopped and poked her head back into the ballroom.
“Thank you, Sister.”
Inside Sassaflash's house, the grayed-out Rocinante lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling. Though his wounds had been cared for by a doctor, he still felt quite sore from the battle with Discord. But despite the physical aliments that he had, Sassaflash noticed that it wasn't his injuries that were the problem, it was his spirit. Every time Sassaflash even remotely mentioned his role as a knight-errant, Rocinante would blush, apologize, and try to change the subject.
When a knock came at the door, Sassaflash swiftly got up to answer it. She had hoped Princess Luna would send help quickly, but when she opened the door, there stood Sweetie Belle, her mane done up nicely in preparation to attend the ceremony honoring her sister and her friends.
“Is... Is Sir Rocinante better?”
Sassaflash shook her head and stepped aside to let Sweetie Belle in.
“Nothing has changed.”
“Why? What did Discord do?”
Sassaflash shook her head again. Her voice was low as she looked towards Rocinante's room.
“I don't know... I don't know.”
“Will he ever get better?”
“I don't know...”
Both ponies hung their heads as they thought about the situation. After a long moment in silence, the two walked into the room. Sweetie Belle propped herself up with her forelegs on the edge of the bed and looked at the tired earth pony.
“Sir Rocinante?”
Rocinante slowly turned to face her. He seemed to smile at the sight of her, yet the smile didn't last long as he spoke with a weak and feeble voice.
“It's just mister....no...no...please, Sweetie Belle, just call me Rocinante.”
“Oh...umm...Rocinante...I just wanted to say thank you for helping my sister.”
Rocinante shook his head as he looked at the little filly.
“I didn't do anything. You should be thanking somepony else. Rather, I should be apologizing to you. I'm sorry I dragged you along some madpony's delusion.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head.
“No, it was fun. You let me help. Everypony else would have told me to go home.”
“A responsible adult should have. What I did was very dangerous. I should not have placed you and my cousin, or even myself, in such danger.”
Sassaflash began to say something, but was cut off by another knock at the door. Swiftly rising, Sassaflash went to the door to find Princess Luna on the other side. Even though she had asked for Princess Luna's help, Sassaflash gasped in surprise and quickly bowed low.
“Y-Your Highness, thank you so much for coming.”
“Thou art Lady Sassaflash, art thou not?”
“Yes, yes Your Noble Highness.”
“Then thou hast no need to fear of me. For thy cousin has earned a place of respect for both himself and for thee in my eyes.”
Sassaflash nodded, but remained bowed. After the two stood awkwardly for a moment, Luna leaned forward and whispered.
“May I enter thy home?”
Sassaflash nearly jumped backwards to clear the way.
“Y-Yes of course. My cousin, Rocinante, is right this way.”
As they neared the doorway, Sweetie Belle emerged with a glum look on her face. But when she noticed Princess Luna walking towards her, her eyes lit up.
“Can you help Sir Rocinante?”
Luna smiled. She had always preferred conversing with foals because they had not yet been taught to treat her with such overbearing reverence.
“I will do what I can.”
Entering the room, Luna saw Rocinante staring at the ceiling. He seemed so intent on staring at the blank slate above him that he didn't even notice that she had come into the room before she cleared her throat.
“Rocinante?”
Rocinante turned his head to face her, and his face paled even more as he recognized her.
“P-Princess, I am so so sorry to have ever claimed to do anything in your name without permi-”
Luna raised a hoof to cut him off, but before she could say anything, she looked down to see that Rocinante was attempting to get out of bed so that he could bow down before her. Even though she knew what to expect, it still pained her heart to see the Knight of the Restored Moon, Sir Rocinante of La Manecha, reduced to simply Rocinante, who feared her like everypony else. With a simple wave of her hoof, Luna motioned for him to stop and he swiftly obeyed.
“Prithee Rocinante, tell me, wherefore dost thou despise what thou hast done so?”
Rocinante would only barely make eye contact with Luna before his eyes darted down to the ground.
“Highness, I am an embarrassment to my family, my name, and all who know me.”
“Why?”
“All I have done is humiliate myself and endanger others.”
“Nay, Sir-”
Luna stopped when she saw Rocinante flinch at the mentioning of his previously self-proclaimed title, but she swiftly resumed before he could change the subject.
“Rocinante, dost thou truly believe that thou hast had no impact for the cause of goodness upon thy world? Hast thou forgotten what thou hast done for me?”
Rocinante's eyes suddenly looked up into hers, as if some memory was trying to resurface in his mind, and he looked at her inquisitively.
“I... I helped you? But... how?”
Luna swiftly nodded.
“Thou didst speak unto me and thy words rang deep into my heart and changed how I viewed all around me.”
Rocinante looked completely perplexed as Luna looked at him, waiting for some response.
“Perhaps...I didn't imagine...all of it...”
Luna nodded as Sassaflash and Sweetie Belle perked up. This was the most Rocinante had talked about his time as a knight-errant since his defeat. Rocinante looked at her with a foal-like curiosity as he leaned in a bit closer.
“Please forgive me Princess, I don't...I don't remember... What did I say? What could I have said that would have done such a thing?”
Luna smiled a weak smile as she looked over and pulled close to her the battered brass basin that everypony in the room, even Rocinante, recognized immediately as the famed Helmet of Marebrino. At the sight of the helmet, Rocinante looked away, but Luna called his attention back to her.
“When I was at my lowest, thou came to me and spoke of how my past actions were unimportant compared to my heart.”
Rocinante was silent as Luna continued.
“Before I could inquire as to thine intentions or meaning, thou didst say that thou were but only acting as 'a true and virtuous knight would.' Thou prayed that I would see how cheaply forgiveness could come. Dost thou remember?”
Luna noticed that Rocinante had not flinched or turned away at the mentioning of the word knight, even if he was still silent. Not waiting for a response, Luna breathed a small sigh and began to smile as she placed the helmet upon her head.
“For thou hadst, with all of thy heart and with thy one and only wish, taken thy helmet upon thy head and wished for my betterment, much as I, Princess Luna of Canterlot, now wish that you, Rocinante, would truly remember what thou hast done and be restored to the true knight-errant that thou art!”
Feeling a few tears beginning to well up in her eyes, Princess Luna closed them as she held the helmet to her head.
“For that, which was done with all thy heart, truly moved me more than anything that anypony had ever done for me since my return. Indeed, thou didst in fact restore thy Princess of the Moon and obtain thy title.”
Breathing another sigh, Luna looked back up at Rocinante. The room fell into silence as he stared into her sincere eyes and everypony was leaning forward when Rocinante slowly began to stumble through his memory.
“At the Gala...”
Luna nodded quickly.
“Yes, you said I was...”
“You were free...your destiny...was...your own.”
Everypony's eyes grew brighter. Luna nearly bounced from where she knelt at his bedside.
“Yes! And I made thee my Noble-”
“Champion of the Night!”
His words were suddenly stronger and more confident. Everypony suddenly felt their hearts leap as though a great weight had been lifted off of them. Luna didn't even stop to wipe the tears from her eyes before embracing Rocinante. She hadn't noticed the color coming back into his body until she pulled away and saw the burning fire rekindled in his eyes.
“Sir Knight thou dost remember!”
Rocinante looked startled, as though he had just noticed who he was speaking with.
“Noble Highness! Fear not! Though the enemy has bested my lance in combat once, I shall not be so easily dissuaded! I shall rise and face the foe again! Sassa! I need my lance! I need my armor! I cannot allow these tears within her Noble Grace's eyes to go forth unanswered!”
Rocinante began to rise, but Luna, with a tearful smile across her face, motioned for him to lay back down.
“Noble knight, thy battle is won, the day is ours. Take thy well earned rest.”
Rocinante shook his head and attempted to worm his way past the hooves that barred his path.
“How can I rest when evil remains at large! Though he may have struck me down, never fret, for each time a knight-errant is knocked unto the ground, he shall rise again and again and evil shall be undone!”
Luna couldn't help but laugh as she gently, yet more forcefully, pushed her wounded knight back down.
“Prithee good Sir Knight! Didst thou not hear me? Thy fight has been won, the day is ours! The villain Discord has been bested at the hands of my sister's champions.”
Rocinante seemed rather disappointed as he allowed himself to be lowered back onto his mattress.
“Then...I must concede that the villain has indeed bested me.”
“'Tis not so! Sir Rocinante, thy orders were but only to delay the fiend until the Elements of Harmony could be restored, for they are the only force capable of dealing with the dark magic the villain Discord applied against thee and my sister's champions. But thou, noble knight, in spite of this, stood thy ground when no other pony could. Despite all of the might that the forces of darkness could align against thee, thou stood firm and weathered the storm for far longer than anypony could rightfully expect of thee, and because of this, our day has been won. Thy noble lance, powerful though it may be, could not defeat the enemy, by thy courage and thy heart were never outmatched, and though thy body was battered for our sake, thou didst indeed endure long enough to cause the villain to overlook the snare placed around him by my sister and her champions. Though the final fight was theirs to win, it could not have been won without thee. Thus we find ourselves in thy debt.”
Rocinante remained motionless as he lay in his bed.
“Sir Rocinante?”
Rocinante gave no response, causing Sassaflash to rise from her seat rapidly.
“Cousin! Are you okay?!”
A loud snore that possibly rattled some of Sassaflash's windows came in response and all three ponies suppressed a giggle.
“It would seem that the efforts of the day have at last caught up with thee, noble knight. Take thy rest, for thou hast earned it.”
Sassaflash smiled as they all got up and left the room to let the knight-errant sleep. And as they entered her living room, Sassaflash bowed low to the Princess.
“Thank you, your Highness. I'm sure you had much to do after Discord's defeat. Thank you for coming to help us.”
“I should be thanking thee, noble Sassaflash, for all that I have said is truth. Thou and thy knight stood firm in the face of an impossible task, and Equestria is saved because of it.”
Luna paused for a brief moment before continuing.
“I know not when Sir Rocinante fell asleep in my words, and I wish to make certain that my knight is aware of his true success. May I stay here for a while? At least until he awakens?”
“O-Of course Your Highness! My home is yours for as long as you want!”
Princess Luna smiled at the blushing pegasus as she thought about her words. She had already made up her mind about what to do with regards to resuming her journeys now that Discord had been dealt with and she was hopeful that the knight and squire would be receptive to the idea, even if it was originally her sister's.
“Thank you, noble Sassaflash. I have much I wish to discuss with thee and Sir Rocinante upon his awakening. For I have been speaking with my sister on the value of touring the realm before I return to my courtly duties, but as thou canst no doubt imagine, I cannot travel without a proper guard...”