Heart's Desire

Chapter 3

In Golden Oaks Library, even before the sun could rise on that morning, a dark blue alicorn began to stir. At first, he had a mild resistance to pulling himself up, however, as he would shift around on the bed, that would change. His ears perked up after a few moments, and his wings unfurled as he began to yawn. This in turn caused him to stretch out his front legs, pushing them beneath the pillow, several small pops could be heard in his joints as he stretched.

He then turned onto his side for a moment, taking it to actually gaze at the lavender alicorn that rested right beside him. She slept rather peacefully too, mind you, it was almost cute to him. Just seeing her made a soft smile spread across his face, finding joy in just being by her side. It was unfortunate though that he had to get up, as part of an agreement with her.

He could only roll his eyes at the thought of why he had to get up, before his whole body actually rolled right off the bed, landing on the wooden floors with decent force. The noise he made simply made him wince, before glancing once again at the lavender mare. He sighed in relief as she only shifted onto her left side, now facing him.

“Mmm...don't be so loud,” she mumbled, still deep in her slumber. “I'm trying to sleep.”

His golden eyes only narrowed when she said this, before he chuckled very softly. 'Even when she sleeps,' he thought, in this moment he leaned over to her, placing a very soft kiss on her forehead, right next to her horn. This caused her to groan softly, before adjusting her position yet again, her back now to him. 'Now for morning business,'

His head snapped quickly to the left, turning in the direction of the vanity that was so neatly pushed up against the wall. Even at this distance, the stallion could easily see his once glorious mane had become a mess from the previous night, but as he approached, he was quickly able to remedy said situation with just a quick spell, returning his mane to a rather silky look.

As he crossed the room however, he was sure to be as careful and quiet as he possibly could, stepping around a basket that a certain purple and green dragon slept on. If there was one thing he was thankful for though, it was the fact that said dragon was in fact a rather heavy and stubborn sleeper. The stallion chuckled once again while making his way to and down the stairs, only stopping one final time to glance back at the two that now slept so peacefully.

“Oh the things I do,” he thought aloud, simply shaking his head with a small grin. It only took him a few seconds to actually get downstairs, upon which he made a beeline straight for the door. Right as he opened it, it was met with a tightly wrapped stack of papers flying at his face. The initial reaction to this would be to close the door quickly, however, it was something he had grown accustomed to by now, so instead, the horn atop his head began to glow with a silvery light. It quickly enveloped the paper as it was flying at him, stopping it less than an inch from his face, where he couldn't help but smirk.

“Shoot! So close!” a young voice called out in the mild pre-dawn darkness. The voice seemed almost disappointed that the paper hadn't struck the alicorn, whom, by this time was actually beginning to laugh.

“Better luck next time!” he called back, “Just don't get discouraged! I'm sure you'll beat me to it eventually...if not, you'll at least hit me with it!” A laugh was heard after the alicorn spoke, this laugh was clearly that of a young colt, he could tell, as he had heard it countless mornings prior.

“I'll get you tomorrow, Silver,” the colt replied jokingly, “One day, I'll get the paper here before you're awake.”

“Like I said, good luck with that,” Silver snapped back, smirking deviously, “But you'll have to wake up really early in the morning to do that...so just keep at it.”

“Enjoy your morning,” the colt called back again, his voice growing more distance.

“You too,” he replied, “Keep up the hard work.”

“Thanks!”

The paper floated behind Silver as he slid back into the library, closing the door as he did. After which, he quietly trotted off into the kitchen with a rather large grin plastered on his face, while casually tossing the paper onto the table. There was a short pause between this and his next action, which he already had in mind, yet hadn't quite decided on at the same time. Mostly, it involved tea.

His morning tea to be exact and his one problem came in that morning as it seemed he had no clue what kind he wanted. Instead of griping about it however, he actually went straight up to the cabinet, pulling out the teapot and cups while he thought carefully. 'Chamomile or Jasmine?' he thought, setting the teapot on the counter, before pulling out both boxes. Where he began to mull over his decision.

'Well, if I make Chamomile, Twilight will be pleased,' he thought, tapping his chin with his hoof, 'But, I prefer Jasmine, its a bit tastier...least to me...' as he continued to mull it over, without even realizing it, he actually began to mix the Jasmine, accidentally putting one of the teabags into the pot itself. By the time he realized it, it was far too late to correct the mistake as it were. So, he actually went with the choice, smiling a bit.

It took Silver a good five minutes to get settled in after pouring his first cup of tea. Once he actually took his favorite spot at the table, facing the door, he took his first sip of tea as he unwrapped the paper. 'Mmmm...delicious...' In a matter of moments, he also unfurled said paper completely, beginning to look over the very front page, whereas a simple unfurled scroll that had sat beneath the paper, went unnoticed.

Silver chuckled softly as he enjoyed his morning tea, sipping on it formally, while reading the paper casually. He snickered as he read through it, but as he would continue, the look on his face began to morph from one of enjoyment, to one of dread. It had also occurred just as he was taking a sip of the tea, which in turn, caused him to have a spit take, wasting a bit of the delicious brew he had just made up. A double take was necessary to ensure that he had read what he thought he did, before finally gulping at it.

“Princess Celestia goes on vacation,” he read aloud, eyes as wide as the tea saucer his cup now rested on. “When asked in an interview, Princess Luna stated: My sister is in great need of rest, so for an undisclosed amount of time, she will be away from Canterlot, relaxing at an undisclosed location, for her own benefit.” As he read it aloud, he actually thought it was some elaborate prank by the two sisters, as he was familiar with their media scare, but as he read on, it became very clear that it wasn't a prank, after which, the paper just seemed to slump in his magical grip. Was Equestria actually ready for Celestia to rest? Could she actually go on vacation without the fear of trouble? The more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder, the more questions he had, and these thoughts he had to ask...Why hadn't Celestia written to either Twilight or himself about it?

Needless to say, just reading this in the paper caused Silver's mind to become frazzled rather quickly, but a sip of tea quickly remedied that situation. It wasn't until the paper had slumped even more in his telekinetic grip that he spotted the unfurled scroll on the table. While he wouldn't take too much notice of it normally, he had actually spotted the royal seal on it, which caused him to shift his focus. In less than a second, he lifted the scroll and proceeded to read it quietly.

Dearest Twilight and Silver,

It is with great joy and excitement for me to write this letter as I will soon be making a trip to Ponyville. However, don't mix this up with any other visit, I ask that you keep the visit strictly confidential as this visit is more along the lines of personal. It is to be kept between just you two, Spike and maybe the other element bearers if you feel the need to inform them.

Furthermore, while I'm visiting Ponyville, I request that you simply just keep up with your daily lives and treat me as if I'm just a regular pony. On that note however, I will be arriving in disguise, a persona if you will. This persona will consist of many aspects, and I request that you simply use its name, over my real one, unless of course we're in private, then and only then will I actually let it down.

First and foremost, my persona's name will be Radient Dawn; preferring to being called Dawn, over her full name. I also realize that, this is a rather weak idea for a persona, a rather obvious one. Before you say anything in response to it, I also wish to inform you that I have a decent explanation, one that gives me quite a bit of leeway. Yet, I also realize there will be those ponies that actually see through the disguise in its entirety, however I left it just simple enough to where even if they do somehow see through it, they won't bother me, as it'll be stated in the paper tomorrow; I am on vacation.

Second, as for the explanation...the persona's story I should say, its open ended, saying that I was once a mage at Canterlot. I was hand-picked and I worked for the castle for many years, before heading out on a journey. Where I wandered Equestria for many more years, before finally finding my way to Ponyville, at the end of the journey.

On a final note; I will also be needing a place to stay for the first few days. As upon my arrival I intend on renting a small cottage. But before that, I will need temporary lodgings, so I ask that you prepare the guest room for my arrival. Thank you both very much and I'm sorry for putting you both on the spot like this as well. For now though, I must be going, I still have a bit of packing to do before tomorrow. So until then, take care.

Yours truly,

Princess Celestia.

As Silver read through the letter he was left in pure shock. More so than when he had read the article in the paper. At first he couldn't help but feel extremely frustrated and annoyed at Twilight for not waking him up the previous night for this letter. It was enough to make him grit his teeth through the frustration, before letting off a very soft sigh. 'Then again, I was exhausted last night...she may of tried to wake me, but couldn't...' he pointed out to himself, realizing that his frustration wasn't very well founded. Not only that, but it wasn't even six in the morning, as the clock on the wall clearly showed. Silver skimmed over the letter one final time before setting it down, this is when he took notice of one final piece that he seemingly overlooked, and this was one that nearly caused him to slam his head on the table.

P.S. I will be arriving early tomorrow morning, on the first train to Ponyville, as I just wish to blend in with the common pony.

That very last part seemed to send him into a bit of a panic as his telekinetic grip on the letter seemed to vanish. Before he knew it, he galloped from the kitchen, making a beeline straight for the stairs. Just as he reached them however, he bumped right into the one he was going to talk to.

“Twilight! Why didn't you wake me last night?!” his voice was frantic as he spoke up to her, yet, she seemed unfazed by it, remaining perfectly calm, but this was due in part to her having just woken up.

“What do you mean?” she inquired through her mild drowsiness rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“I mean...when you received that letter from Celestia!” he snapped, stomping his hooves. “Why didn't you wake me?” It took a moment for her mind to register his panic, almost as if she didn't quite realize what exactly he was referring to. Once it actually did however, her ears perked up fairly quickly.

“Oh! You mean the one about her going on vacation?” Twilight recounted, “Well, I tried! You just refused to wake up, so I thought I'd just leave the letter for you to find in the morning.” This caused another mild eye twitch in Silver when he heard it, before he sighed in defeat.

“Its partially my own fault...but that's not important now!”

“Silver, please just calm down...you're getting worked up,” she uttered calmly, “Just breath first and relax.” It was surprising for him to actually hear this from somepony, no less, a pony like Twilight. It was almost astonishing that he actually heard it from her in the first place, as often she would get worked up like this from time to time.

Silver inhaled deeply the moment he heard it and upon his exhale, he seemed to calm down quite significantly, even given the still-visible eye twitch he had. “But...you don't understand...alicorns cannot ride on trains!” he warned, “Or at least, they shouldn't.” Twilight could only giggle when she heard this, it seemed funny to her that he would say such a thing, even knowing that she's ridden on the train since becoming an alicorn herself.

“But...I've ridden on the--” she began, but before she could finish, Silver cut her off.

“Its something that only afflicts naturally born alicorns, like myself and the princesses!” he snapped, “Artifical alicorns don't seem to suffer from the problem, its just something we simply can't explain, however, you see, when a natural alicorn rides on a train, it seems to afflict us.” Twilight was taken aback by this information, her eyes slowly growing wide as she listened.

“Afflict you, how?”

“You remember how, a few years ago, when Luna and my brother came here?” he questioned, receiving a nod. “How Luna didn't appear all too well? In fact, she actually looked like she had been violently ill?”

“You mean-”

“Yes, Celestia will end up enduring the same thing!”

“How do you know?” Twilight had to ask,

“Because...I've been through it too,” Silver stated, his eyes narrowing, “Its not that pleasant of an experience really, but to best describe it...its like everything is moving...its almost like you're on a ship at sea and the sea itself is extremely violent. You just simply cannot stay balanced. It can sometimes even happen without warning, other times its like a gradual effect.”

“If its motion sickness, then how do you handle being on a boat?” Twilight's curiosity peaked rather quickly, her head tilting slightly to the side as she listened.

“I can handle boats just fine, as well as other types of transportation...its just...alicorns and trains simply do not mix,” he explained, “My mom thinks it has something to do with the speed of the train, but that's all she's told me regarding it.” It was right then and there when reality finally dawned on Twilight, before actually smacking herself for not trying as hard as she should have to wake Silver. Had she actually succeeded in waking him the night before, it might've been a bit different. At least now though, she understood why he was so panicked.

“Its too late to send her a letter...she's probably gotten on the train by now,” Twilight pointed out, “From what I recall, the earliest running train, is the one that runs at four-thirty.”

“Then, the most we can do is...simply meet her at the station and get her back here safely,” Silver added, “What time does it arrive in Ponyville?”

“If memory serves...it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes for the train to get from Canterlot to Ponyville,” she recalled, “So, about five fourty-five is her arrival time!” Immediately, Silver's gaze shifted up to the clock hanging on the wall, only to have his heart sink the moment he saw the time. Just as he did however, a knock came to the door and it was soon followed by a familiar voice.

“Special delivery!” the voice called out, obviously a male. While Twilight didn't quite recognize it at first, Silver did, causing him to rush straight to the door to unlock it. There, they were greeted by two unicorns. However, to their dismay, the unicorn mare was being carried by the stallion. Resting mostly on his back, with an aura of white magic surrounding her, holding her up steadily. The positive news however came when she let out a soft groan in discomfort, showing that she was at least responsive. It didn't take a second glance to recognize who the mare was, even in her unicorn form; a form she often took when she needed time to herself. Even Twilight was able to recognize her, with how simple the disguise was and as she looked it over, she couldn't help but wonder if such a disguise would fool other ponies.

“Ugh...Silver? Is that you?” she asked, lifting her head to gaze at him.

“What is it, Celestia?” Silver responded, with a look of worry on his face.

“Remind me...to never ride the train again,” Celestia continued, bringing her hoof over her mouth for a brief moment, looking as though she was about to be sick again. Everypony froze the moment they saw this, especially the unicorn stallion carrying her. Never in his life had Silver seen the princess like this before. While he had seen Luna in this state, and he himself had experienced it, he had never seen Celestia in the rough state she was in now. Even with the train ride, she looked absolutely exhausted, with her pink mane virtually a rat's nest. On top of that, even her once regal alabaster coat seemed to be in the same, if not worse state.

“Sir Silver, Princess Twilight could you help me out?” the stallion asked Celestia lowered her hoof, the nausea passing. She was enveloped by their respective auras in a matter of moments, levitating right off the back of the stallion, who dived back behind the door to pull in a suitcase. “Glad she packed light.” he muttered, as he set it just inside the building.

Celestia would be lying if she wasn't enjoying herself now. While it wasn't the first time she had ever been lifted by magic, it was actually the first time in quite a while that she had been. The previous time a very distant memory of when she had been a filly. It was enough to bring a smile to her face as she was gently set down on her hooves.

“Thank you Shield Breaker,” she said, just beginning to regain her composure now that she was on her hooves. “And I'm sorry to have ruined YOUR vacation.”

“Oh its no problem,” he replied, grinning sheepishly. “I'm just glad I was able to help.”

“Why are you even in Ponyville? Aren't you the new Captain of the Guard?” Silver inquired, only earning a small laugh from the unicorn.

“I was granted a period of leave upon my promotion...and I wanted to see what made Ponyville so unique,” Shield Breaker explained, “But now I realize...what exactly makes it so special...” slowly, his eyes turned slightly to Celestia, whom only seemed to wobble a bit on her own hooves. “But now I think I'm beginning to understand.”

“None the less...Thank you again for your help Shield Breaker,” Celestia said, this time bringing her hoof to her head. “I might've been in trouble had you not recognized me.”

“How can I not? Its such a simple disguise,” he stated, “You should really consider coming up with a new one, unless you want to be recognized by all of Ponyville.”

“I agree,” Both Silver and Twilight said simultaneously, turning to each other with a nod. “That...and come up with a new name.”

“Hey! I came up with it on the spot,” Celestia snapped, “But now that I'm here...where's the guest room? I think I need to lie down.”

“Its just down this way,” Twilight replied, gesturing her hoof as she trotted down a small hallway. “Forgive me if its a tiny bit messy...”

“Its fine Twilight, I'll only be here for a day or two,” she pointed out, “If you recall from the letter, I intend on renting a small cottage while I'm here...” Celestia trailed off as she reminded Twilight of this, as in that moment the door slowly opened and the instant it did, she dashed right in before collapsing onto the bed without a single word.

It only took a matter of seconds before Celestia was out cold, a testament to just how exhausted she really was. For Twilight, this would be the first time she had ever seen her former mentor in this state. As shocking as it was, it also didn't seem as surprising to her, in fact, she could only smile as she slowly closed the door to the room, granting her the peace she not only wanted, but needed as well.

'She really is just like everypony else...'