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."
"Oh, that's right. You're heading home, aren't you?"
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.
Yet it never came to pass.