Rocinante, The Best Knight Ever

by Charliemane

Breakfast For Two

The train conductor gave both of them a suspicious glare as he punched Rocinante's ticket, but the knight-errant and his squire were both used to the strange glances that the armor and lance often drew. Once the train began moving, Sassaflash sighed as she looked to her grass-stained dress.

“I can't believe that of the two of us, I 'm looking worse off for going to the Gala while you actually look better.”

Rocinante tilted his head in confusion.

“I dare say, my dear Sassa, you still look quite sophisticated and ladylike to me.”

“My dress, my mane... it's all a mess. You however...”

Sassaflash motioned to the new polished silver symbol that had replaced the old battered emblem on his breastplate. The silver crescent moon, that shined so cleanly that it could have doubled as a mirror, had been a gift from Princess Luna after they had departed Canterlot along with the largely superfluous title “Knight of the Restored Moon”.

“You actually managed to look better coming out of the Gala than you did going in!”

“What was wrong with my appearance at the Gala?”

Sassaflash sighed as she put her face to her hoof and shook her head. She couldn't very well tell her cousin that the silver emblem was his only possession that didn't look like it had been trampled underhoof for the last few centuries.

“Nothing... Nothing at all. Where are we going next?”

Rocinante smiled as the train rocked and a steam cloud billowed past their window.

“Where else? To adventure!”

Princess Celestia laughed as she passed her sister the syrup. The breakfast was simple, yet to Celestia, it was perfect. With another chuckle, Princess Luna stirred her oatmeal and continued the conversation.

“So thou did indeed alter the events of the Gala for thine own amusement?”

Celestia smiled as she recalled last night's events.

“Very indirectly, but yes. I figured Twilight and her friends would shake things up to some degree, but I had no idea they would tear up the ballroom!”

“And the other pony, the knight-errant?”

“I knew you needed somepony to talk to and I could think of no pony better.”

“Tell me Tia, From where in the entirety of thy kingdom didst thou come across such a bizarre and unorthodox pony?”

“I happened to meet him while visiting Twilight a few weeks ago. It is a large kingdom out there, you never know who you might find in your travels.”

Princess Luna nodded as she looked out the window to the world beyond.

“Indeed. Sir Rocinante spoke a great deal of yonder world outside. His adventures were quite amusing. Hast thou had the chance to listen to his tales?”

Celestia shook her head.

“I'm afraid I never got the time. The Grand Galloping Gala requires a lot of preparation, but I suspect there will be another chance for me to converse with your 'Knight of the Restored Moon'.”

Luna blushed as she glared at her sister.

“Do not speak of him as though he were some suitor. The knight-errant that thou sent unto me has given me a most gracious favor. T'would have been inappropriate not to reciprocate.”

A silence fell on the table as the two sisters began eating. However it wasn't long before Luna spoke up again.

“Still, thy kingdom has such wonders within its borders. I wish I could see more of it myself.”

Celestia smiled.

“It's your kingdom too. I think you should go and explore it some. I know somepony who would be more than happy to show you around.”

Luna's smile turned into a frown as she glared at her sister from across the table.

“Do not jest so sister. For thy... or rather our kingdom has many needs, needs that thou hast been left to attend to alone for far too long.”

“I'm not joking Luna. You need to get out of the castle and see the kingdom we share. How can you rule over something you've never seen? Go spend some time in the countryside, spend Hearth's Warming Eve in Fillydelphia, spend another holiday in Ponyville, get to know our subjects. I can manage another year of ruling by myself if I know that my sister is having a good time before she rejoins the boring daily business of the castle.”

Luna stopped and thought about her sister's words as she looked back out the window to the world beyond. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all. With a smile on her face Celestia pulled her sister out of her already growing fantasy.

“I would love to read letters from you about what you find in Equestria. And you know that if you ever need anything, I'm just a quick note away.”

Luna nodded and smiled as she looked back to her sister.

“The same goes for thee. If thou dost need my return for any reason, no matter how small thy cause may be, thou hast but to send me a note and I will be here for thee.”

Princess Celestia smiled as she added one last playful jab to her sister.

“And of course, if you ever find yourself wanting company, I know the Knight of the Restored Moon will be more than happy to help you.”

“Really Tia...”

Comments

[Firebirdbtops]

He rides again! Great story, and so fitting for the final tale to come full circle. Beginning with rescuing Luna, and ending with the same.

[Clear_Skies]

I fully expect you to continue this now. Seeing how you've presented such a colorful pair of characters to whom may accompany the princess across the land.

Very very well done, I enjoyed this immensely.

[rem-dog]

So, is Luna a Dulcinea analogue?

[Charliemane]

2773609 In all honesty I keep wavering back and forth on that. If I do make her the Dulcinea analogue, she will far more resemble the Dulcinea from Dale Wasserman's "Man of La Mancha" as opposed to the original Dulcinea from the book.

[rem-dog]

2773735
I can see the trepidation, there. She doesn't need to be a direct analogue, anyways. But I do hope you continue with this, it's very entertaining.

[Shogoki]

This is such a sweet and well written story, truly a hidden gem in this site. It deserves a lot more views than it has.

[Themaskedferret]

Another lovely piece. I also appreciate your resistance of making Luna a direct Dulcinea analogue. This is a more interesting take on her as it feels like a blend of the previous interpretations.

[Sea Gnash]

A truly great read, I loved every minute of it! It's wonderful to see Sassy in a fic now and again. She's one of my favorite ponies and needs more love!