A Unicorn's Life

"You shouldn't just waste your energy by sprinting in the stairs. I mean, all I had to do was take the elevator. I have been waiting for like 30 minutes." Celest chuckled and smiled at Sombra, while he stuck his tongue out at her. "Hey, not my fault you are a dumb-dumb." She grinned.

"Well, how could I know there was an elevator? I'm sure you hid it with a perception spell, just to cheat!" He grumbled at her, walking with her into the Grand Central Terminal of Manehattan. As Sombra and Celest walked down the stairs towards the center of the building, Celest admired the architecture and the clock globe in the center, showing multiple timezones across Equestria and beyond. Equestria wasn't the only land on Equis, of course. There were two other, completely different continents, that harbored a plentiful of kingdoms and empires. And the trains passed by every single one of them. At least, the trains of the Grand Central Terminal. Manehattan, despite its distance from the center of Equestria, was an important economic pole. Anyone could come to Manehattan if they wanted a fresh start, and the harbor was a very good way to travel to the other side of the Celestial Sea, provided the sailor in question had enough reasons to take you there.

"So your train is at deck 192?" Celest asked for confirmation as she kept admiring the beautiful design of this ancient building. It was one of the first infrastructures of Manehattan back in the first year of its existence. It was built by a handful of ponies who had a lot of time to waste in the hope they had of one day seeing this giant building being used by ponies from all Equestria. Obviously, they didn't live to see it, as Manehattan received the status of Important City almost a century after it was first built...

"Indeed it is. I can't wait to introduce you to the Queen." He smiled, blushing a bit at her thought. "I still can't stop thinking about the Heart. Do you think it will like me?" Sombra gulped a bit, smiling at Celest hopefully.

"Come on, it's not like it has a consciousness of its own." She huffed, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the staircase labeled Deck 150 – 200. Then, the long silence of Sombra made her turn around mid-stairs, raising a brow. "It doesn't, right? Right?" Sombra shook his head slightly, which made Celest open her eyes wide, and turn back forward to finish her descent into the lower levels. "Oh god, it's conscious..."

"It was made conscious by Starswirl the Bearded to ensure it could never be possessed by the wrong people. Why do you think I'm stressed about it? Very powerful security system. A blast of Love Magic, and you are gone into dust." He gulped again, shaking his head to make disappear the bad thoughts of him finishing his life into dust. But at the mention of Starswirl, Celest looked back, still walking.

"So the Queen knew this old guy? I guess she is really old." She chuckled and smiled. "How did they know each other?"

Sombra shrugged a bit, walking behind her. "Well, they didn't know each other from what I have heard. He came by as a volunteer, wanting to improve the Empire in any way possible. Like me, in a sense. But I have as you might say, a thing for the Queen, so I do have an ulterior motive behind my thoughts of making the Empire great again. I have read a lot about Starswirl the Bearded and his appearances. He saved thousands of lives with his group. He was a hero even when he died."

At this moment, Celest stopped, and looked at Sombra, raising a brow. "You... Don't actually believe what the Princesses wrote in books, right? You don't believe he is dead, yeh?" His confused silence made her huff. "You do think that huh..? Well, what a pity. I thought you were smarter than that." She resumed her walk, and Sombra raised a brow, following her.

"What do you mean by that? The Princesses said he died protecting the world from someone they call The Shadow Pony. Isn't that it?" He frowned and walked alongside her, instead of behind her.

"I was there when he defeated that guy. When he disappeared. But he is not dead. He has surely found a way to stay alive in that fucking phantom zone he was sent in with the Shadow Pony. And when he finally finds his way out, I will beat the hell out of him for leaving me." She frowned a bit sharper and started to walk faster. "Now come on, you pissed me off so we better not be late for the train."

"Hey wait! What is your connection to this man? You seem very concerned about his situation." Sombra caught up to her, still as confused.

"This is my business. I'm sorry, Sombra but I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's private, even for my best friend. Sorry." She smiled a bit at Sombra, who nodded and grinned at her in comfort. He didn't want to push her. You can't force a mute to talk, after all.

After a small while, the two entered the main gallery. There, a few trains were stationed, while others were coming and leaving. Sombra and Celest started to walk onto the main passage, where the staircase led, and on which's right were all the decks and trains. After walking for a bit, they found Deck 192, and the train towards the Crystal Empire! They were quick to rush towards it, as the time on the local clock indicated that they were almost late for it.

They were proven right as the doors closed automatically a few seconds after Sombra was pulled into the train by his friend. "Well, we almost missed it. Thanks for the help, now let's go find ourselves a nice little wagon." He smiled at Celest, who happily obliged him, starting to walk through the corridors of the departing train. It was quite rustic, with wooden outlines everywhere to make the wagon look a little cozier.

They found seats rather fast in an unused cabin and sat down to enjoy the train ride in peace. "So, what are you going to do once you touch the Crystal? I hope you won't directly go to ask the Queen in marriage." She chuckled as Sombra huffed and rolled his eyes.

"I am going to get a proper house. Being royalty, my fortune would easily get me a mansion, at best. But I would prefer to secure my marriage with Queen Amore first. I love her, and as much as I fancy the idea of my own, private residence, I am not sure if I will get to live in it if I marry her. I would just move into the castle." He smiled at her as he looked outside at the scenery. He saw the farms of the outskirts of Manehattan, the peasants who just wanted to live a peaceful life but be near the city in case there was an emergency or they needed something particular that wasn't in the local market.

They left Manehattan within 20 minutes of train riding, and they quickly engaged in the countryside. Celest laid onto the long seat of the cabin, looking at Sombra. She thought for several minutes, before smirking at Sombra a bit smugly. "Sombramore. That's the only ship name I can think of." She giggled, and it earned her one of Sombra's sharpest frowns.

"What is wrong with you, Celest? You are a scholar, devoted to knowledge. How can you be so carefree?" Celest smiled and laid on her back, her hooves behind her head for comfort.

"I mean, I may be a scholar as you say, but I am first and foremost a very happy-go-lucky pony. I seize the instant and do as I can with it. That's how I go." She looked back towards the ceiling with a grin, before the train stopped. Sombra looked through the window and saw a train station. A sign said Ponyville. "Hey, where are we?"

"Ponyville, a small village. I can see Canterlot from there." He shrugged and turned back to Celest. "Didn't you have a lover here? What was her name again... Snoopy Glow?" He raised a brow at her, and she blushed, looking away.

"Shut up. She was just a fling." She chuckled a bit. She then sat up, yawning a bit. "I'm tired... You don't mind if I sleep, right? You are just not enough entertainment." She winked at Sombra, who again stuck his tongue out.

"And you are too much of a dead weight, sometimes. Why did I invite you to my Crystallization again? Oh, yeh. Because you are my best friend and I have to put up with your shit all the time." He chuckled and looked out of the window before suddenly, the door of the cabin opened. Celest and Sombra looked towards it, raising a brow.

"Uh... Hey. Can... Can I sit down with you?"