Chapter 1
With a broad smile across her face, Sassaflash threw open her window and stretched her wings. It was beautiful day outside and the sun's rays felt warm on her face as she fluttered up and out of the window and gracefully floated down to the ground below.
“Morning in Ponyville sparkles,
bringing in a shiny new day!
Adventure is surely upon me,
for my cousin is arriving today!”
Checking her saddlebags one last time, Sassaflash pirouetted on her hind hoof before prancing off towards the train station. She had been looking forward to this day ever since they had finished their last adventure in the Crystal Empire. Fluttering her wings, Sassaflash felt herself lift slightly higher with each prancing step as she glanced down the road ahead of her.
“There goes Twilight running up main street.
There stands Minuette with her friend.”
Passing by the ever-popular Quills and Sofas, she turned to her left and looked back over her hometown with a broad smile.
“This gentle town of so little renown,
has started all our quests,
and has sent us glory bound!”
She a wide grin stretched across her face as she turned back around and continued her prancing towards the station.
“Morning in Ponyville sparkles,
bringing in a shiny new day!
Adventure is surely upon me,
for my cousin is arriving to-”
“Sassaflash?!”
The excited pegasus froze immediately at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. Trying desperately to keep the same smile on her face as her eyes began to fill with dread, Sassaflash slowly turned her head towards the voice's owner.
“Antoneigha? How...how good to see you! What brings you to Ponyville?”
The earth pony now approaching her from the other side of the the street was smiling, but it wasn't a real smile. It was a political smile, one that ponies used when they were being "polite". Beyond the paper-thin facade was, at least what Sassaflash expected to be, a very annoyed scowl. It had been a long time since the two ponies had seen each other, even longer since they last spoke, but Sassaflash wasn't certain she had ever seen her first-cousin-once-removed, quite as irritated as she appeared as Antoneigha walked up to her. Muttering to herself, Sassaflash waved as she slowly met her relative halfway.
“I wasn't expecting this cousin today.”
Antoneigha was still a young earth pony, yet she held control over the entirety of Rocinante's carrot empire and, unlike her cousin, she actually looked the part of the farmer baroness. Her cerulean mane floated gently in the wind over her snow white coat as the first of the day's clouds began to gather overhead.
“Why it is my dear Cousin-Aunt Sassaflash! I am so glad I was able to find you so quickly. Now, could you please tell me, where might I find my dear uncle?”
Sassaflash looked towards the train station.
“I was just on my way to pick him up. We were...we were going on a road trip today, to try and relieve some stress.”
Antoneigha leaned in closer, her light blue eyes staring directly into Sassaflash's with a vicious glare.
“And just who, might I ask, is going to have their stress relieved?”
Sassaflash took a step backwards as an oddly out of place thunderclap sounded off behind her.
“Wh-What do you mean? You said Rocinante was coming here to get away from his stress at work, right?”
Antoneigha pressed on further, her eyes narrowing as her nose scrunched up, almost for the sole purpose of Antoneigha being able to stare down it towards her.
“I have been hearing the most awful rumors, tall tales of my dear uncle parading around like a loon with some loathsome form of salad bowl upon his head, claiming to be a knight, and, not only that, but I hear talk that his own dear cousin has been seen following along behind him! Encouraging his madness! Well, I simply could not let that stand! And so here I am, hoping you might be able to shed some light upon these most dreadful rumors.”
Sassaflash opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly a torrential downpour fell upon the sidewalk behind them, stopping almost as if there was a wall barring the rain from crossing into the street. Pausing to look up, Sassaflash noted that the weather team had chosen a rather peculiar cloud arrangement for the day, but Antoneigha would not let Sassaflash's mind drift for long.
“I say, Cousin Sassaflash, can you not dispel these terrible rumors that very much threaten to mar our good family's name?”
With her mind torn between absurd weather behind her, her clearly perturbed cousin in front of her, and the imminent arrival of Rocinante at the train station, Sassaflash's weakly constructed smile swiftly began to fall apart. Sensing that she was about to break her, Antoneigha pressed on further.
“Sassaflash? Why, whatever is the matter? Surely you've kept up with our dear relative—is it true? Has dear Rocinante truly been gallivanting around the countryside making outrageous claims to knighthood?”
“They're...they're not exactly outrageous.”
Antoneigha's attack faltered for a moment. Though her cousin was retreating from her, Sassaflash's voice held within it a small amount of confidence that Antoneigha had not been expecting, but to her it meant little. Sassaflash had a reputation among the family for being rather easy to break. With a crooked smile, Antoneigha resumed.
“Why, how could they be called anything but outrageous?! My dear uncle has been chasing around after a foal's fantasy! A true delusion of grandeur in its purest sense, caused of course by my good uncle's dedication to his agricultural duties, but surely you know this already, after all, he has been sent to you because I know you have your hooves planted firmly upon the ground...for a pegasus that is.”
Antoneigha slid in next to Sassaflash as her twisted smile grew even larger.
“Surely there is no way that a grown mare like yourself would be so humored by this insanity that you would play along like a foal? Why, that would have been most irresponsible of you, surely you did the prudent thing and attempted to dissuade Rocinante from this madness.”
Antoneigha's eyes narrowed, attempting to press her point even further, but Sassaflash didn't make excuses or cover up their past. Though she looked somewhat nervous, Sassaflash cleared her throat and stepped back from her relative, looking her right back in the eye.
“I'm...not certain I would call it insanity, either.”
As ponies hurried past them to get out of the coming snow storm, Antoneigha raised her voice and laughed loudly, trying, though somewhat unsuccessfully, to call more attention from the bystanders to their conversation.
“Listen to you, Sassaflash! Hearing you defend him so might leave a pony with the impression that you had caught hold of his foalish madness yourself!”
Sassaflash took another step backwards, her face quickly beginning to redden.
“It's not-”
“Come now, Sassaflash! Are you a filly?! I do believe that it is high time to put these little games to rest.”
The raised voice of her cousin began to cause the other ponies around them to start looking their way. With her face now fully flushed, Sassaflash breathed a tired sigh.
“You...haven't changed at all since the family reunion.”
“Well certainly not as much as you have! What happened to our smart and clever Sassaflash? When did you become so simple and naive?”
Gritting her teeth, Sassaflash turned and began walking towards the train station. Her mood sank lower and lower as they crossed the bridge where Twilight and Rarity were discussing the problems with the weather. It seemed they weren’t the only ponies upset by the beyond strange conditions and more and more citizens gathered around the two unicorns. Sassaflash wanted to stay and get her own two bits in about how the weather was supposed to work, but with all the commotion from everypony else and with Antoneigha constantly demanding to know what she was going to do about Rocinante, she could only sigh and keep pressing on.
“Your uncle is arriving at the train station soon. We should meet him there.”
Antoneigha stared at the blonde pegasus that had simply turned and began walking ahead of her. Who was this pony? The Sassaflash that she had known for so long would have said anything to get out from underneath the ridicule that Antoneigha had thrown at her, but this Sassaflash had weathered her assault, perhaps not well, but she had weathered it all the same. Analyzing her opponent more carefully, Antoneigha held on to her exterior smile. This resistance was unexpected, but changed little. She merely had to keep pressing her attack and Sassaflash would break soon enough.
"And to think that he has been running around claiming to "fight evil" in Princess Luna's name! I shudder to think what would happen if her Highness ever discovered such an impertinent affront! Why it could spell disaster for the entire family! Oh! But of course I am far more worried about what she would do to my poor uncle."
Sassaflash stopped and turned back to face her more distant cousin. Princess Luna! How had she allowed herself to forget? Princess Luna herself had given Rocinante his title and summoned both of them to Canterlot multiple times now!
"Well, that's just the thing. You see, we both have Princess Luna's approval. She knighted Rocinante, we even traveled with her for a while-"
Sassaflash wasn't sure what expression she had been expecting to appear on Antoneigha's face at the revelation that they, in fact, had Princess Luna's blessing and support, but it wasn't the look of tired disappointment that she saw.
"Truly? Is my dear uncle's condition contagious? I expected better of you, Sassaflash."
"It's true! We went to the Crystal Empire and-"
"And what? You expect me to believe you had anything to do with the Empire's restoration?"
"We did!"
"I believe Twilight Sparkle and her friends, more specifically her little dragon pet, were responsible for the restoration of the Empire. So tell me, what specifically did you two do there?"
"Princess Luna sent us there specifically to help Twilight and provide support if necessary."
"And were you necessary?"
Sassaflash stopped for a moment. Antoneigha was smiling as though she already knew the answer.
"We...we weren't needed, so, no, Twilight and Spike and their friends were able to take care of it themselves, but we weren't sent to save the Empire, just to provide help if needed."
"Which you weren't."
"What's your point? We were still sent by the Princess herself. Her Most Noble Grace sent us directly and in person."
Antoneigha sighed, but still smiled.
"For goodness' sake Sassaflash, you're even beginning to sound like him. Tell me, What did you do in Canterlot? Hmmm? During the wedding?"
Sassaflash eyed Antoneigha suspiciously.
"How...do you know about that?"
"Why, dear cousin! My uncle checks in on the farm every so often in between your ridiculous little "adventures". When he does, he simply cannot stop going on and on about them! And each one is more silly and sloppily thrown together than the last! It's like a badly written fan-fiction about following after Twilight and her friends!"
Antoneigha stopped to laugh into her hoof as Twilight Sparkle ran past them in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage.
"At first I thought they were all lies, but as his little fantasies continued, I began to pick out certain tiny trends and little patterns. You see, I have a theory about you and my uncle, dear cousin."
Antoneigha walked over to a nearby bench, brushed off the light coat of snow upon it, and sat down while another snow cloud passed overhead, dusting them lightly.
"And I'm oh-so-eager to find out if I'm correct. So please, tell me, in your own words cousin, what happened at Canterlot?"
Sassaflash was a bit leery as she cleared her throat, but still she smiled. She could never forget their victory at Canterlot.
"Princess Luna asked Rocinante and I to help with the security of Canterlot during the wedding-"
"And that went well, if I recall."
"And we were tasked with escorting and protecting Princess Cadance-"
"You mean the Changeling Queen?"
Sassaflash stomped the ground as she glared at Antoneigha.
"Nopony knew that at the time! Not even Princess Celestia! The change occurred before we had arrived, we're sure of it!"
"I'm sure you are, cousin, but please, continue."
"Well, after things began to fall apart..."
Sassaflash's voice began to trail off, she didn't really want to talk with Antoneigha about her discovery of the Changeling Queen, or her failure to tell anypony about it, or her capture, or her "fight" with Rocinante, or how they had failed to protect Princess Luna, but again, Antoneigha appeared to already know all that she wanted to.
"Things didn't go so well, did they?"
"They turned out fine in the end! They always do! Because Sir Rocinante and I were there and we were-"
"Saved by Twilight Sparkle and her friends again, if I remember correctly. Yes, my dear confused uncle seems to think he had something to do with the victory, but anypony else..."
Antoneigha stopped to look over Sassaflash slowly before resuming.
"Well, any sane pony knows that Twilight and her brother and their friends were responsible for saving the day."
Sassaflash gritted her teeth. She could feel her anger beginning to well up inside of her as Antoneigha shook her head dismissively.
"Can't you see, cousin? All of these fun little stories you've played out, they're nothing more than just a side show to a much grander act that you will never have a real part in. Chivalry and knighthood died out ages ago, and for good reason. No pony would ever follow such a silly little "code" and ever actually get anywhere."
"That's not true! I was just a common weather pony, but because of Rocinante, I have seen and spoken with Princess Luna myself!"
"I'm sure you did."
"She even-Wait, what?"
"I said I'm quite sure you did. I'm sure she's even encouraged you along. You see, Sassaflash, not too many ponies know this. I mean, she has been gone for quite a while, hasn't she? And now she carries that "proper royal" demeanor wherever she goes, but in the old days, Princess Luna was known to be quite the prankster."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you've been had! Dear Sassaflash. Princess Luna has been playing a joke on the two of you for her own amusement this whole time! I can see how it got out of hoof though, I expect she thought you were wiser than this."
Sassaflash felt tears of anger begin to rise as she stomped the ground again.
"Princess Luna would never do that! She called us her companions! She-"
"Sassaflash, were you ever in any real danger?"
"Yes! We-"
"Were you really?"
Sassaflash felt her breathing grow faster and faster as Antoneigha rose from her seat.
"You see, every time you two were "in danger" there was always something or somepony else who would save the day. Princess Luna may be a cruel prankster, but she isn't irresponsible. Well, maybe she is, considering she had you two going on for so long-"
Sassaflash stamped the ground again.
"Princess Luna is not irresponsible! And she has sent us into danger before! She sent us to face Discord!"
"Sassaflash, did anypony actually see you fight Discord? Other than that little filly? What was her name-it doesn't matter."
"It was Sweetie Belle, and...well...no, but we-"
Antoneigha heaved an obnoxious sigh and her persistent and annoying smiled continued towards her cousin.
"You say no one has seen you, or noticed what you did,
you say the Princess sent you out on some strategic bid.
But look here at the simple truth and plainly you will see,
this cannot be your destiny, that is very plain and obvious to me."
Sassaflash shook her head, overlooked their family's preference for random verse, and continued.
"We started out so very small but have come a long way,
we have served both of our Princesses of Night and of the Day.
I know it may sound crazy, but who cares what they say,
this has to be our destiny, that is what my very heart is telling me."
Antoneigha gritted her teeth and almost growled as the continued.
"I don't know how to say to you, Uncle's madness has taken you!
I don't care what you think you've done—now everypony laughs at you!
You're the victim of a cruel prank, now please listen to me,
this cannot be your destiny, that is very plain and obvious to me."
The two attempted to stare each other down as Sassaflash's glare moved from angry to incredulous.
"Who cares what those ponies say, I know what I have seen!
My cousin has changed very much—he used to be so mean!
If knighthood then could change him, well, what harm has there been?
This has to be our destiny, that is what my very heart is telling me!"
Antoneigha now stomped the ground now herself.
“I know you had your fun but you cannot quest again!
This game has gone on long enough—it's time for this to end.
I'm sorry cousin Sassa, I thought that you could see,
this cannot be-”
Sassaflash cut her cousin off.
“This has to be!”
“Your destiny-”
“Our destiny-”
“And that is what my very heart-”
“That is what my very heart!”
The two mares nearly headbutted each other as they shouted.
“That is what my very heart is telling me!”
Both Sassaflash and Antoneigha appeared ready to begin hoof to hoof combat when suddenly a letter materialized in between them. Wasting no time in snatching the letter out of the sky, Sassaflash began reading while Antoneigha smiled calmly, as though nothing had just transpired between the two of them.
“What is that, Sassaflash?”
Sassaflash stared at the letter for a moment before reading out loud, at first with a hint of trepidation, but then with more and more confidence as she continued.
“To my dear Sassaflash,
I am sorry to inconvenience you in such a manner, however, a very important issue has arisen and I have need of your cousin’s services. As such, I have delayed him at Canterlot for the day. I assure you that we will both be on the morning train to Ponyville tomorrow so that we may discuss this long overdue matter together. Until then I ask that you wait for us in Ponyville.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Princess Luna”
Sassaflash smiled as she showed the contents of the letter to her cousin.
“See?! I told you we had Princess Luna’s blessing! This is an actual letter from Her Noble Grace herself!”
Antoneigha glanced at the letter in Sassaflash’s hooves, but instead of taking it from her, she merely began examining her own hoof for dirt before casually smiling.
“Oh, I have no doubt, Cousin Sassaflash. Though I do wonder what this “very important issue” would be. Did she mention anything else? A letter from me perhaps?”
“What?”
“Did I not tell you, cousin? After I realized that I couldn’t convince my uncle to stay home and leave this nonsense behind, I decided to write to the Princess directly. At first I couldn’t imagine she was complicit in any of this, but after reading her response, well, I realized that her little prank had just gone on a bit further than she had intended.”
Sassaflash felt the smile leaving her face as she stepped closer to Antoneigha.
“What? What did she say?”
“Oh, not much. Just that she would speak with Rocinante herself and that I should come and have a few words with you.”
Sassaflash's eyes widened.
“You’re wrong-”
“Am I? You see it in the letter don’t you? She just wants to break this all to my dear uncle very slowly. Poor thing, she probably never meant to get his hopes up so high. It was just a harmless joke after all. Oh well. You can deny it if you like, cousin, but, well, we’ll hear from Princess Luna tomorrow it would seem. Now, would you be so kind as to show me where-Sassaflash? Where did you go?”
Antoneigha turned around and looked in the sky. Her cousin was racing in some direction as fast as her wings could take her.
“Very well, Sassaflash. Run from this for as long as you can. Both you and my uncle will realize soon enough that this was nothing but a silly game.”
Sassaflash raced to the library. Of course Princess Luna would send a letter via magic, without a way for Sassaflash to reply, but it didn’t matter. Everypony knew Twilight could send letters to Princess Celestia, it was only natural to assume that she could send a letter to Princess Luna as well.
And that would be it, a letter to Princess Luna would clarify everything. There was no way Antoneigha could be right. Sassaflash nodded to herself mid-flight. She would write to Princess Luna for clarification and guidance and Princess Luna would respond and then she could rub it in her smug first-cousin-once-removed’s face.
But what if Antoneigha was right?
No, she wouldn’t let herself think that. Landing in front of the library, Sassaflash pounded on the door, perhaps a bit harder than she meant to, but nopony answered. She knocked again. Where was Twilight? She knocked again. Sassaflash really, really, wanted an answer from Princess Luna. She knocked again and finally, Spike cracked open the door.
He looked really depressed as he forced a weak smile through the small opening in the doorway.
“Oh, hey Sassaflash.”
“Hi Spike! Sorry to bother you and Twilight, but I need a favor, if you have the time.”
Spike looked to the ground and heaved a sigh.
“Sorry Sassaflash, umm, we’re having a bit of a problem. I don’t think Twilight will be able to help right now.”
Sassaflash felt her heart stop for a moment.
“What kind of problem? Can I help?”
“It’s a friendship problem. Sorry, Twilight just needs a bit of time to sort through this. Maybe tomorrow?”
Sassaflash began grinding her teeth as she forced a smile.
“OF course, Spike! I understand. Don’t worry about it.”
Sassaflash turned away and ground her teeth even harder as the door closed. Of course Twilight and her friends were having a friendship problem! For such good friends, it felt like the Elements of Harmony were having some form of friendship crisis every week! Sassaflash pawed at the ground a bit before walking off in a random direction. It wasn’t fair to get mad at Spike for this, after all, if he had been able to send her letter, then she was sure he would have, and it wasn’t fair to be mad at Twilight either. It wasn’t like she had caused the problem, she was just trying to deal with it.
She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she didn’t really care at the moment. The rain and the snow felt particularly cold as she looked back towards Canterlot in the distance.
“I need to calm my heart,
before I fall apart.
I can't believe all we've been through,
was a lie, it wasn't true.
Oh why, oh why?
Burning questions,
What did all this mean?
Feeling sorrow,
is this what could have been? What I've seen?
Oh why, oh why?”
With a heavy sigh, Sassaflash stumbled back to her house. Everything had been so bright this morning, but now everything felt confused and empty. Why did it turn out like this? Was Antoneigha right? Were they really just some form of side show for Luna's entertainment?
Reaching her home, Sassaflash walked in the door and sighed as she put her saddlebags on the table. She felt completely miserable, but as she turned down the hallway towards her room, something caught her eye, and it made her face flush with embarrassment.
There, hanging from a simple tack in the drywall of the hallway, was a broken, burnt, wooden bail hanging from a leather cord.
Sassaflash walked up to the cheap looking piece of broken jewelry and held it up softly in her hoof, as though it were the most fragile thing in all of Equestria. A smile instantly spread across her face and her eyes began to water as she held it up in front of her nose.
"I remember you. Mister Curio said you were worth quite a bit, didn't he? But Princess Luna gave you to us all the same."
Sassaflash sniffled back a tear and gently let the bail hang from its cord before wiping her eyes.
"How could I have been so stupid? How could I ever have doubted Her Most Noble Grace? After all we've done together? After all we've been through?"
Sassaflash moved back out of the hallway and sat down on her couch.
"We really don't keep much from our adventures, do we? Well, I suppose we do keep the memories, even if I forget about them for a little while."
And what precious memories they were! Closing her eyes and leaning back into her couch, she suddenly felt so warm despite the cold outside. They really had been through so much together. Rocinante had helped her overcome her fears in the Crystal Empire and forgave her for her lies of omission. They had stood together, ready to face down an entire changeling army at Canterlot.
That was a memory that carried so much weight. She remembered how worried they had been when Luna pushed herself so hard to try and make everything safe, how scared she had been when they learned that Princess Luna had been poisoned. But perhaps the sweetest memory was of how close of friends they really were when Luna held them after their great victory over the enemy army.
They had even traveled across all of Equestria together. Sassaflash smiled at the little memories form the tour that she had never really bothered to consider before. Princess Luna's first hayburger, their trip to Neighagra Falls, Las Pegasus, Vanhoover, all of these memories flooded into her mind as she smiled and listened to the rain patter on the window. Princess Luna had been quite eager to see all of Equestria and both Rocinante and Sassaflash had been quite eager to spend the time with her on such a trip.
Before that was their battle with Discord, how shocked she was that her cousin could actually lose a battle, and how she had to quickly pull herself together and get Sweetie Belle's help to get Rocinante home. And how Luna had come to her house to help Rocinante recover. That was the first time she had actually met and spoke with Princess Luna. She was so soft in her voice and so kind to them and they were both so excited when Rocinante recovered.
She never really got a chance to speak with her at the Grand Galloping Gala. She had been lost, confused, and embarrassingly frightened for most of it. Even afterwards, when Luna presented Rocinante with his silver emblem, Sassaflash had been too scared of the Princesses to actually say anything.
Though she wasn't nearly as terrified of Princess Luna as she had been of Nightmare Moon. It was a thought that, surprisingly, made Sassaflash laugh. She had been so absolutely terrified of everything during their first adventure that all she could think about was running back home. Now she found herself at home, singing gleefully and thinking about nothing but their next adventure. That they had come so far from that fateful day those few years ago, when Rocinante was sent to her for a vacation, both stunned and amazed her. Was all of this because of Rocinante? Was all of this because of his "outdated" and "foalish" notions of knights and chivalry, quests and honor, of justice, virtue, and valor?
Years ago, before this "crazy" notion had entered her cousin's head, Rocinante was known for being a cutthroat business pony. Somepony who moved without fear and struck at his opponents with ferocity and tenacity. He had been cruel and harsh, not only against his enemies, but against his friends and family as well. He had been so angry at not having his cutie mark for so long, he simply turned a cold shoulder to any and every pony, friend or foe made little difference to him. In some ways, he had been very similar to what Antoneigha was now. When she had last seen him, before he had left for La Manecha for the first time, Rocinante scared Sassaflash. She didn't want to be anywhere near him. But now, he was a completely different pony. Now he was an absolute delight to be around. He was gentle and kind to Sweetie Belle, to Princess Luna, and to her. Now Sassaflash loved running around Equestria with her cousin.
Of course, now that she thought about it, she had changed quite a bit too. She had gone from a simple weather pony to a squire, and while the title may have come overnight, the mentality that being a squire required certainly did not. When she began, she was meek to everypony she knew. Only Fluttershy could claim to be more docile than her. She was afraid of ponies, like who Rocinante used to be, let alone a terrible monster like Discord or the changelings. But now she was ready to go face whatever threat stood next in line after King Sombra and the Crystal Empire, even if that threat was only Antoneigha.
Sassaflash smiled as the rain cleared up and the sun shone into her living room. There was a time, not that long ago when she would have caved to Antoneigha and said whatever she needed to in order to get her cousin to go away. But the next time she would see her first-cousin-onced-removed however, Sassaflash intended to inform her of what exactly she thought of Rocinante's "madness". And she didn't need a reassuring letter from Princess Luna to confirm that this was no joke. She had all the assurance she needed right here, in her heart.
Morning came with normal weather. Once again, the day was sparkling and shimmering and, were it not for a certain first-cousin-once-removed, Sassaflash probably would have felt like singing on her way to the train station. Instead, she marched her way down the street, like a knight preparing for battle. She supposed that in a way, her coming discussion with Antoneigha would, in fact, be a battle.
"Good Morning Sassaflash. Are you feeling any better today?"
Sassaflash said nothing as she kept her eyes forward, walked up to the platform, and sat down on a bench.
"Surely you're not still expecting Princess Luna to come down here and save this grand delusion of yours are you?"
"I am not."
"Good, because-"
"She doesn't need to."
Antoneigha's smile twitched ever so slightly.
"What?"
"I said she doesn't need to. I already know what Rocinante and I have done."
Sassaflash grinned as her eyes cut over to where Antoneigha was standing.
"And what we're going to continue to do in the future."
"Cousin, you can't be serious. What do you think will happen when Princess Luna shows up here with Uncle Rocinante in tow?"
"I expect that Sir Rocinante will leap from the train while the steam clouds from the engine are still billowing across the platform. Princess Luna will emerge shortly thereafter. Sir Rocinante will then say something to the effect of how he wished I could have joined them in Canterlot before one or both of them explains what they were doing yesterday."
"And that being?"
"That I don't know. But I certainly know that both Sir Rocinante and Princess Luna will be happy to see me, we will talk about our past adventures, and we may very well set out on a new one today."
Antoneigha snorted as she sat down next to Sassaflash on the bench.
"My, you're confident. I guess we'll see just how wrong you can be when they get here."
"Why do you hate what Rocinante is doing so much?"
Antoneigha snorted again.
"You may think me harsh for this, but I'm only thinking of him, you know. In today's modern world, there is no need for such an outrageous notions such as knights and honor. Running mares down in order to open doors for them, getting into petty fights over who insulted who like schoolyard colts, preening and fussing over their so called honor, running after danger just to prove they're the most macho stallion in all of Equestria, and chasing after foalish dreams that have no chance of ever occurring in reality. Really Sassaflash, I'm surprised you think there is any merit at all in what your cousin has been doing."
"But Rocinante hasn't done any of that. Well, he may run into harm's way a bit more eagerly that I would like, but it has never been about his ego. Really, he doesn't talk that much about glory either, now that I think about it. It gets mentioned, but I remember after Nightmare Moon was defeated, and nopony noticed what we did, he said there was no need to point hooves and ruin a good ending for our egos.
And, as far as dreams are concerned, well, we are literally about to meet with Princess Luna herself. I know not all of our dreams can become reality, but who would have ever expected us to get this far? We certainly would never have met the Princesses by just sitting around with our normal lives."
"He also would have gotten so much farther with his normal life if he hadn't wasted his time on this silly notion. Uncle Rocinante didn't build his carrot empire on impossible dreams and senseless ideals. He built it by keeping his head on his shoulders and focusing on what needs to be done and how best to do it."
"And how happy was he that way?"
"Happy enough."
"Antoneigha, you literally sent him to me because you were afraid stress had made him mad."
"And I regret that dearly."
Sassaflash sighed, but continued on, ignoring her cousin's comment.
"You know, obviously I don't believe it was madness that changed Rocinante into who he is now. I think that book he got showed him what a true knight is and how valuable that kind of pony is, even in today's "modern" world. Sure, it might not be the "best" or the most efficient way of doing things, it might not even be the most practical thing to do at the time, but that's not what being a true knight is about."
"And what is being "a true knight" all about?"
Sassaflash smiled as she looked up at the white clouds drifting above them.
"A true, true knight stands for what is right,
a knight is merciful, meek, and kind.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
but still is fierce against all evil in sight."
Antoneigha looked at Sassaflash incredulously, but Sassaflash paid her no attention as she continued.
"Rocinante was so fierce,
he did not care who he overran.
His heart was cold, and he did not feel,
but that all changed as he grew to understand.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
a knight is merciful, meek, and kind.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
but still is fierce against all evil in sight."
Antoneigha shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"That doesn't really sound like my uncle today. True, he could be a bit...abrasive when dealing with other ponies in the early part of his career, but...I mean...he hasn't changed that much!"
"Now he is so brave and bold,
he still is fierce against his foe.
But now he's kind, he's gracious to all,
he'll do whatever he can to help a friend.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
a knight is merciful, meek, and kind.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
but still is fierce against all evil in sight."
"Well, that may be, but this nonsense hasn't done anything for any other pony that I know."
Sassaflash motioned to herself as she looked back to Antoneigha.
"What about me?"
"What about you?"
"I always tried to be humble,
but was afraid of the world outside.
When the Nightmare came to overtake me,
I had my cousin here as my guide!"
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
a knight is merciful, meek, and kind.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
but still is fierce against all evil in sight."
"Sassaflash, this is madness. You can't be serious!"
"Of course I'm serious Antoneigha! Look at me! Look at how I've changed!
Now I may still fear the foe, but now I stand fast,
I won't stand by if ponies are held in evil's grasp!
I know I'm not the greatest, but I still can help a lot!
In any place, in any town, from here to Canterlot!"
"Sassaflash!"
"Because a true, true knight stands for what is right,
a knight is merciful, meek, and kind.
A true, true knight stands for what is right,
but still is fierce against all evil in sight."
Antoneigha stared blankly at Sassaflash, but before either of them could say anything else, a train whistle could be heard down the tracks. Both ponies turned to watch the train come sliding into the station. The engine came to a stop and before long the steam cloud billowed gently across the station with a familiar hiss as a shadowy figure emerged triumphantly from the car immediately behind the engine.
"At last we have arrived, Most Noble Grace! Let us away quickly to find my dear cousin!"
Another figure soon emerged behind the first.
"Please hold up, Sir Knight! For though I understand your eagerness, I too wish to see the look upon your cousin's face when the news reaches her ears! Do you believe she shall be nearby?"
"I do indeed, Gracious Highness! For it would appear that both my dear cousin and my beloved niece are already here, awaiting for us just as you predicted!"
Antoneigha stood dumbfounded as Sassaflash ran to meet her friends.
"Cousin! Princess Luna! I'm so glad to see...you?"
Sassaflash stopped as the steam fully dissipated, revealing both the Princess of the Night and her Knight of the Restored Moon. But Sir Rocinante's appearance had changed drastically. Though he was still the same pony that he had always been, his armor had been almost completely replaced.
He maintained the battered helmet of Marebrino upon his head, and Luna's original silver crescent moon emblem upon his chest, but everything else had seemingly transformed. His broken, battered, and rusted armor had been replaced with a complete set of polished, blackened steel plate that shined in the morning sun. Around his waist was wrapped a midnight blue sash with silver trim. His rusted horseshoes had been exchanged with what looked like blackened versions of the boots the guards wore at the palace, and even his broken and crooked lance had been replaced with a straight silver long spear. For the first time that Sassaflash could recall, her cousin actually looked the part of the noble knight in literal shining armor.
Sassaflash had barely finished looking her cousin up and down when Princess Luna walked up to her.
"Magnificent, is it not? I had the castle armorer working on it almost until our departure. In truth, I had begun to worry that it would not be finished in time. But here we are! Lady Antoneigha! I trust your time with your cousin-aunt has been well spent?"
Antoneigha, with her eyes wider than they've ever been, looked as though the Princess had just slapped her across the face and said nothing as Sassaflash looked over Rocinante again.
"It looks wonderful cousin! But what's the occasion? I thought you loved your old armor."
Rocinante nodded and smiled.
"Indeed, my first set of armor will always have a special place in both my heart and in legend, for it was the bulwark of righteousness that deflected evil's blows and barred the path of villainy! But never fret, dear Sassa, for my noble armor that has served me so well and valiantly, has been preserved by Her Most Noble Grace! Locked away in a vault in Canterlot that not even I can open, it shall not be lost to the annals of history!"
Princess Luna gave a very tired smile as she nodded to Sassaflash.
"Indeed, it took far longer than expected for me to convince him to depart with his overspent armor, and I may have taken measures to prevent its recommissioning, however it was necessary to replace my knight's equipment for both his own protection, as well as for the prestige of the Crown."
Princess Luna turned to the stuttering Antoneigha.
"In truth, it was your letter, Lady Antoneigha, that spurred this decision forward. Upon reflecting on your words, I came to the realization that there may be many ponies who might fail to recognize Sir Rocinante's proper and official position as the Knight of the Restored Moon. And it would not do to have the ponies of Equestria believe that the Crown cared so little for their personal retainers as to leave them with such dilapidated equipment when they should have access to so much better."
Antoneigha shook her head.
"But, your Highness, I thought...didn't you say you were going to speak with my uncle about this grave matter and that I should speak with Sassaflash?"
"I did. After all, your words left a very disparaging description for my knight's appearance. I felt it very important to change this at once. As for your opinions with regards to my retainer's profession, I felt it best to leave that discussion with the one who knew of Sir Rocinante's adventures and character best. I trust Lady Sassaflash has spent the better part of yesterday explaining the importance of your uncle's character and disposition?"
Antoneigha sputtered a bit as she bowed low.
"A-and, ah, the better part of this morning, your Highness."
"Excellent! I would hate for you to not understand the importance of the role your uncle has earned his way into. Lady Sassaflash!"
"Here! Noble Grace!"
"I am most pleased to hear of your success. I hope our delay was not a burden to you, but we had much to discuss before we could arrive in Ponyville today."
Sassaflash smiled as she sheepishly looked to her cousin and back to her princess.
"It was no problem, your Highness. Though I may have panicked a little, I knew you would never abandon us. Besides, I'm sure it took some time to get my cousin measured up for his own armor. I can see why that would take a whole day."
"Though it did take longer than expected, that was not the important issue I had to discuss with your cousin."
"It wasn't?"
"Indeed not. Sir Rocinante and I have been conversing over your adventures at great length. We have discussed how you began on this journey, how much you've endured along the way, and how much you had grown by the time you left the Crystal Empire. We both agree that the time has come."
"Wh-What time?"
Sassaflash looked between the two of them for a moment, but Rocinante stepped up next to her and smiled.
"You have come, so very very far.
You chased after the unreachable star.
You raced through the Everfree,
you faced Discord beside me,
you stood at a wedding,
and strove to keep an Empire bright and free.
It is time now for a new star to arise.
You have grown and your strength is no surprise.
You bring forth a noble light.
You stand for the cause of right.
You soar unto new heights,
now the time has come for you to arise and become a knight!"
Sassaflash's eyes grew wider and wider. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times, but no sound came out as Princess Luna smiled and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Lady Sassaflash of Ponyville, it is our most delightful and glorious honor to hereby pronounce you, Dame Sassaflash, Knight of the Emboldened Heart."
Sassaflash fell back on her haunches, barely able to squeak out a whisper.
"You're...you're making me a knight?"
"You are a knight, Dame Sassa. Though I have only seen your journey in small iterations, your cousin has gone to great lengths to expound upon me your worthiness, your humility, and your ferocity in the face of adversity. We both agreed, almost instantly, that after the courage you displayed in the Crystal Empire, you were ready to become a knight."
Luna chuckled into her hoof.
"Indeed, we spent the majority of yesterday's discussion debating what title would suit you best."
Rocinante laughed triumphantly as he motioned for his dazed niece to come join them.
"And to think that you should be here to witness this most glorious transformation! How fortunate we are to have you here, my dear Antoneigha! Indeed it brings joy to my heart that you would embrace your cousin-aunt's first steps into a new chapter of virtue and valor and to be here in the flesh as she receives the joyous news! Your support is most welcome indeed!"
Antoneigha remained motionless and fumbled for words to protest, but Princess Luna was here. She was not laughing, nor was she joking.
"I...don't...know what to say."
"Fear not! Noble Niece! For truly, though words are hard to come by in these tear-inducing moments of joy, you shall have another opportunity to speak at Dame Sassa's knighting ceremony in Canterlot!"
Sassaflash looked back up to Princess Luna.
"There's going to be a ceremony?"
"Of course Dame Sassa! All of the Equestrian royalty will be gathered for the event, plus another small ceremony for my sister's pupil, but that is of little consequence. I wish for everypony to see and to know, that you two are my knights, my retainers, and that you carry with you my blessings and best wishes for your success!"
Sassaflash rubbed her foreleg with her hoof.
"Oh...Where?"
"Whatever is the matter, dear cousin? You seem concerned."
"Oh, it's...it's nothing."
Princess Luna lowered her head to be on level with Sassaflash's.
"Please forgive us if we have difficulty believing your words."
"It's just, well, during the Crystal Empire...I was so scared I wouldn't be your squire anymore. And you said you wanted to keep me as your squire, but now I'm a knight? Does that mean we can't adventure together anymore?"
Princess Luna smiled as Rocinante patted a hoof to his chest.
"Never fear, dear Sassa! For this is only the next step in our journeys across the land! There are many tales of yore wherein valiant knights traveled together across the land in search of adventure. I see no reason why we cannot do the same."
"Your cousin is right, Dame Sassa. I can see no reason to send either of you unto the land without the other."
Sassaflash smiled as Rocinante continued.
"In truth, I am sad to lose so noble of a squire, but I could not be more proud, nor you more deserving, of this noble accolade placed upon your brow. And the prospect of you adventuring beside me, not as a mere observer, but as a fellow champion of justice, virtue, and valor! It is nearly enough to take my breath away!"
Her smile grew even wider as the thoughts of new adventures filled her mind. She wasn't certain she would ever be quite as confident as her cousin, but she knew she would still manage to be a brave champion all the same.
"Do I get my own set of armor?"
"Of course dear Sassa! And that's not all!"
Princess Luna smiled brightly as she produced a small item from her hoof and presented it to Sassaflash.
"This was supposed to wait until your ceremony, but I believe now is as good a time as any for you to take hold of what is rightfully yours."
A tear came to Sassaflash's eye as she took hold of the silver heart that shined so cleanly it could have doubled as a mirror.
"This is mine?"
"Of course, Dame Sassaflash. It is your emblem and symbol of your station. We hope you find it acceptable."
Tears were pouring out of her eyes as she pulled both her cousin and her princess into a group hug.
"I love it. When is the ceremony?"
"Arise and take thy place in the service of the realm, the service of justice, of virtue, and of valor. Arise a knight, Dame Sassaflash."
Dame Sassaflash's blackened armor made only slightest of sounds as she rose to her hooves and stood proud before the princesses of Equestria. She was surprised how silent well made and tailored armor could be, although it may have simply been the result of her being used to Rocinante's rusted and battered gear for so long.
"Fillies, Gentlecolts, and my fellow heads of state, allow me to introduce, Dame Sassaflash, Knight of the Emboldened Heart, and retainer to myself, Princess Luna."
Everypony in the room applauded while Sassaflash blushed and adjusted her sash slightly. There weren't that many ponies in the small room, but the very idea of what she was experiencing was so surreal and unbelievable to her that she didn't even notice the size of the crowd; and she quietly wondered if she would ever get used to the idea that a simple weather pony from Ponyville could find herself being applauded by the princesses.
Princess Celestia was the first to step up to the newly christened knight.
"Dame Sassaflash, you have answered Equestria's call alongside Sir Rocinante multiple times, facing untold danger and difficulty in the name of justice, virtue, valor, and my sister. You were by my sister's side when she needed friends the most, and you have stood firm in the face of doubt from both friend, foe, and family alike. Truly, it is an honor to count you among the ranks of Equestria's knights. Thank you."
Sassaflash turned a brighter shade of red while she searched for words to say back to the Princess, but before she could say anything, Princess Cadance came up next to Celestia.
"We never really got the chance to talk after the wedding, but Auntie Celestia told me all about what you did to help with...everything. Thank you, Dame Sassaflash. I hope you are as successful as a knight as you were as a squire."
From beside Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor smiled and motioned to her armor.
"Congratulations! That's an awesome set of armor. Honestly, Cadance, now that Aunt Luna has her Lunar Knights, don't you think we should get some crystal ones?"
Princess Cadance rolled her eyes while Luna and Celestia laughed.
"Lunar Knights? I like the sound of that. Originally they were just to be my own retainers, but perhaps we should consider founding a new order. What do you think sister? Does not “the Benevolent Order of the Lunar Knights” sound both dignified and valiant?"
"I'm not so sure Luna, I think I'm more of a fan of “the Distinguished Order of the Solar Knights” myself."
"Oh ho! Founding your own order now are you? Clearly we will also need to bring back the tournament at this rate!"
Everypony burst into laughter while Twilight Sparkle stepped up to the young knight.
"Congratulations Sassaflash. I guess I never really expected you to go down the path of a knight, but after all you did during the wedding and in the Crystal Empire, I'm really not surprised that you could reach it."
"Thank you, Princess Twilight, and congratulations to you too...wait..."
Stopping to put a hoof to her chin to think, Sassaflash looked, first to Luna, and then back to Twilight in surprise.
"Wait, you knew about our mission to the Crystal Empire?"
Twilight looked taken aback and looked to Princess Celestia for guidance, who grinned from ear to ear while Luna put her face in her hoof.
"Umm, was I not supposed to?"
"Well...no...it was supposed to be a secret."
"It was?! Dame Sassaflash, you and Sir Rocinante were walking about openly all over the Empire, you even waved to me when we got on the same train! I just assumed you two were busy trying to fight King Sombra in your own way."
"I...well...we were, but..."
Rocinante bowed from behind Sassaflash as he walked up beside his sputtering cousin.
"Truth be told, Astute Highness, stealth never really was one of our strengths."
Twilight laughed as Rocinante pulled his cousin into a hug.
"But we are valiant knights, who have no need for slinking around in the darkness! We proudly oppose the foe in the open, do we not, Dear Sassa?"
"We do, cousin!"
"It...really was real...wasn't it?"
Everypony looked back to the reddened Antoneigha.
"I mean, everypony was in on this except me?"
Sassaflash smiled as she put a hoof on Antoneigha's shoulder.
"We tried to tell you, cousin."
"I...don't know what to say, Sassa—Dame Sassaflash."
"Don't worry about it. We all make mistakes from time to time."
"You...would forgive me? Just like that? After all I said?"
"Just like that. It's what a true knight would do after all. But what do you think? Care to join Sir Rocinante and I for an adventure?"
Antoneigha stepped back.
"I...don't think I'm quite ready to go that far, cousin."
Rocinante brushed a tear from his eye as everypony began to leave the room.
"A most joyous of days! The ranks of justice, virtue, and valor have been bolstered this day! How I wish I could say more, but truly, what more could be said?"
Sassaflash smiled as she raised her newly equipped spear.
"To adventure cousin?"
Rocinante looked as though he might burst from happiness as he crossed his spear with hers.
"To adventure my friend!"
Princess Luna laughed as she joined her two knights.
"In due time my friends, in due time! For now there are festivities to enjoy! There is a feast awaiting!"
Princess Celestia smiled as she opened the door.
"Just don't forget to wait for the rest of us. Twilight still needs to go out and greet her new subjects. The guards should be through clearing out the parade route by now."
Sassaflash smiled and pranced as she led the way out of the room. Everything couldn't be more perfect right now.
"Life in Equestria sparkles!
And everything glitters in sight!
Adventure is surely upon me,
I go forth now..."
Sassaflash stopped for just a moment to adjust her sash.
"I go forth now!"
Tossing her mane and stepping out in the hallway, Sassaflash's smile couldn't get any wider.
"Yes, I go forth now as a new knight! A knight!"
But then she stopped again for a moment as she looked down both directions of the hallway before turning back to the small herd of smiling ponies behind her.
"Which...way is it to the dining hall again?"
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Well... Guess I have to read this later.
oh, my friend this story it fills me with such pleasure. you did well truly, a fine story it was worth the wait. I will be suggesting this story and series to my friends. I am also glad that through your renaissance you where able to find what you where looking for and are able to enjoy these stories again. have fun I know that I have, and will again!
Great job as always, Charliemane! This one was a real pleasure to read. You've written a great villain here, and the dialogue is snappy and entertaining. It's wonderful to see how far these characters have come.
Well done! I've been a fan of your Rocinante stories from the beginning, but I think this one may be my favorite of them all. Excellent villain and resolution. Antoneigha could easily be so many people I've met in the world who scoff at the notion of honor in the modern day, but in the end, virtue and honor are celebrated and ultimately are as much part of the rewards as they are the endeavor.
Your heroes are always written fantastically and I think my favorite aspect of them is that they are easy to identify with. Not demigods but just normal ponies who did what was right and became special without seeking to be.