Dawn of the First Day

by Miniscule Literary

On Wings of Light

"What will you do now?" Luna asked, looking uneasy. She feared the man's new freedom.

"Go out, I guess," Alfonz said with a shrug, adjusting his amulet.

"And I suppose you would not wish for me to join you?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be OK," Alfonz assured the alicorn, smiling. "You should be getting what little sleep you can before your shift starts."

Luna didn't exactly seem comfortable with this decision.

"Relax," he said, resting a hand on her back comfortingly. The princess smiled weakly, sparking a little hope in the mare.

"I hope to see you soon, Alfonz," she said, staring deeply into the man's eyes. Her gaze was pleading, desperate even. He could practically feel her heart teetering on the brink of collapse.

"You will."

With that, the two parted ways. While Luna returned to her quarters for an hour or two of rest, Alfonz made his way toward the front of the palace, assuming the guards were already informed of his new-found freedom. The man walked with a renewed sense of purpose and will to live; a drastic change to the depressing, hopeless manner he had grown accustomed to. He had nothing to fear now, and he intended to enjoy his stay in Equestria.

Even if a few ponies had to break in the process.

As Alfonz reached the throne room, he glanced up at the throne itself for a moment, spying Celestia going about her business. Paying her little mind, he made his way down the length of the enormous, incredibly elegant room; just as he was about to exit, the pony princess finally took notice.

"Alfonz!" she called, causing him to freeze. A sense of dread filled him; it was time to see if Luna's promises would hold true, it seemed.

"Yes?" he called back, huddled near the door. He had no intention of sticking around any longer than he needed to.

"I must speak with you," Celestia replied, giving him a stern look. "It is quite urgent."

"Oh great..." he murmured, scowling. Either this was a ploy, or yet another disaster had struck to ruin his day. Would he ever get peace?

As Alfonz approached, Celestia kindly dismissed her many attendants, setting down a stack of papers baring the royal seal of Equestria. With a single glow of her horn, she summoned a tiny scrap of paper from behind the throne itself. It was wrinkled, torn, and even singed; the remains of an exploded library, perhaps?

"What is that?" the man inquired, suddenly curious.

"A letter," Celestia responded, frowning. "Addressed to you."

"How is that-" Alfonz began, before he truly understood the situation. His heart sank; what the hell was Spike doing?! The man had risked his life to preserve the dragon's way of life, and in return, Spike throws it all away by contacting Celestia? Just to send him a damn letter?!

"I was not aware he yet lived," the alicorn stated, giving the man an even stare. Alfonz only continued to frown. "Though the future does not look bright for our draconic friend."

Alfonz swiftly snatched the tattered parchment out of the air as it was given to him, looking it over with a frown. There was only one word scrawled awkwardly across the wrinkled page:

Alfonz.

The man's heart sank even further. This wasn't just a lapse of judgement on the dragon's part; he was in danger. How it could have happened, Alfonz had no idea.

"One would think a dragon would be able to survive in a world of ponies," he muttered to himself, frowning at the name scrawled before him. Then again, he was almost twice the height of most of the ponies he had encountered, and yet found himself at their mercy at every turn. Magic was no joke, for human or for dragon.

But Spike had been hiding for fifteen years. The only thing that had changed since he first fled from the library was Alfonz's own involvement; the man, then, felt quite responsible. Perhaps the Mane Six had discovered Spike after all, having returned to the manor after he was taken away for one reason or another? Perhaps they had used a spell to try and locate another male? The possibilities were almost endless, but one thing was certain:

He had to act.

Whether it be for a sense of guilt, or senseless heroics, his mind was made up. He needed to return to Ponyville, find Spike, and free him from whatever fate that had befallen him, if any.

"I don't suppose you can take me to Ponyville?" Alfonz asked suddenly, earning a surprised expression from Celestia.

"...Personally?" she asked, disbelieving.

"I was thinking a carriage," Alfonz replied, raising a brow. He had thought his implication was obvious. "Though now that you mention it..."

"I'm sure I can arrange a transport," Celestia said hastily, smiling. Alfonz was not so easily dismissed, however.

"Actually, that could be pretty dangerous," he explained, stroking his chin with a hand. "Those guards have been eyeing me since I got here. They brought me here without incident because Luna was expecting me, but if I should leave on my own, who knows where they'd take me!"

"Nonsense, Alfonz, you're being awfully paranoid!" Celestia insisted with a forced chuckle and a dismissive wave of her hoof.

"C'mon, Princess. You have wings, maybe its time to use them?"

The remark seemed to strike a little close to home. Celestia's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing. Alfonz briefly worried about being attacked, before he remembered his own defenses.

"I am exactly that, Alfonz: a Princess," she retorted sharply, staring hard at him. "I am no mount of yours."

"Wow, to hear that from you, after the shit you put me through?" Alfonz replied with a condescending laugh. Celestia blushed. "You do owe me, after all. That coma was partly your fault, as much as it was Cadance's."

Celestia's embarrassment quickly shifted to a partially controlled form of shame. His words seemed to be gnawing away at her, at least.

"I'll even throw in...a kiss, I guess," Alfonz said after a moment of hesitation. This really got Celestia's interest, much to his dismay. "That's something you freaks want from me, right?"

"You are quite persistent," the alicorn observed, frowning at him. After several minutes of thought, she sighed, hanging her head. "I suppose I can take you to Ponyville before my duties end..."

"That's the spirit!" Alfonz replied with a grin. Admittedly, he took some sort of sick pleasure out of manipulating Celestia; payback, he guessed.

Celestia hesitantly rose to her hooves, gesturing with a wing for him to follow. The two climbed the enormity of the palace, making their way to the landing he had encountered during his initial journey there. It was unoccupied at the time, leaving them alone amongst the howling, high altitude wind. As the alicorn neared the edge of the platform, standing before the setting sun, she unfurled her wings and nodded in his direction.

Alfonz slowly and carefully climbed onto the Princess' back, thankful that he was a fairly light individual. Although much larger than other ponies, Celestia was still much more frail than a horse in his own world. The mare herself seemed glad for this as well, and adjusted to the added weight with some discomfort. Despite the burden, she was trying to suppress a smile.

"Don't read too much into this," Alfonz warned, scowling at her. "But I appreciate the help nonetheless."

"Just remember what you promised, Alfonz," she replied with a smirk, launching the both of them into the air with surprising force. In seconds, the two were hurtling away from the grandeur of Canterlot, kept aloft by the Princess' magnificent wings.

"Huh," Alfonz said as they flew, his voice mostly drowned out by the wind. "So you can fly!"

"You seem awfully eager to spend some quality time with the mountainside!" Celestia retorted loudly. Alfonz frowned, hoping she would not have heard him.

The journey was considerably shorter than his trip to Canterlot, much to his surprise. Despite her apparent lack of flying, Celestia was indeed very capable at it, even with added weight on her back. Alfonz found himself hanging onto the alicorn's neck as securely as he could without hurting her, fearing on numerous occasions that he would fall off. To further his torment, he noticed the mare's mildly disturbing response to his actions, and was tempted to risk his own demise rather than play further into her hooves.

In what appeared to be an impossibly short time, Ponyville began to rise before them, positioned directly in front of the sunset. With incredible speed, Celestia shot down toward the town, prompting more panicked bracing from Alfonz, much to the alicorn's delight. She barely slowed as they neared the ground, landing in a complete gallop, flexing her wings as she slowed to a run, and then into a trot, before finally coming to a stop just shy of town.

Alfonz damn near threw himself to the ground, thankful to be out of the sky. He hadn't expected such an intense flight from the alicorn, that was sure.

"I will be going now," Celestia stated, smiling smugly to herself as she observed the man's haste to dismount. "I'm afraid you'll have to find another way back to Canterlot."

"That's fine," Alfonz breathed, trying to catch his breath. "But I must ask one more favor."

"I think you've run out of requests," she retorted, furrowing her brow at him.

"Please, don't tell Luna where I am, or about the letter," the man asked, giving her a very serious stare. "If she asks, simply tell her I will return as soon as I can."

Celestia stared silently at him for some time before she finally agreed.

"You will stick to your word, then?" she questioned as she prepared to depart. "You will return to Canterlot?"

"Yes," Alfonz replied confidently, nodding.

"Good luck, Alfonz."

And with that, she was gone.

It took Alfonz a moment to realize just what the hell happened.

"...Oh god damn it she can teleport!" he exclaimed, grasping his head with his hands. The entire ordeal...what he now owed to Celestia...could have all been avoided.

This was not a good start.

Comments

[Pupsrus13]

Trollestia strikes again! *mad scientist cackle*

[Darian Stephens]

I LOVE THIS! I cannot use words to express the sheer joy I get from reading this story, the excitement when a new chapter is added, the anticipation of the end (which I hope never arrives) This. Story. Is. FANTASTIC

[guang]

That letter seemed more like bait then a cry for help and my theory about him still could be plausible, so I'm just gonna say it outright: Spike is a villain.
If I'm right I get to do a victory dance because I called it 12 chapters ago, if I'm wrong Alfonz might actually get a break for once, either way I win.

[Rezival]

The battle of Ponyville begins.

[Morphy]

Alfonz and Celestia;
sittin' inna tree;
Kay eye ess ess eye en gee...

[Fugly Duckling]

poor, poor, spike.

keep up the good work!

[Mickey the Luxray]

Alfonz, you idiot.

[Totallyrandomdude]

... You idiot...