“With this spell I unbind you, with gravity you are now through!” As Celest cast the spell, a bright grey aura appeared around her horn and her experiment porcelain cup. But to Celest's surprise, the cup stood put, not moving one inch after the spell was finished. She walked to it, frowning a bit in frustration. “This is a simple spell though,” the mare pointed out, as she stood in front of the cup. She advanced her front left hoof, nudging it a bit and realizing it had worked. The cup slowly moved away, in the direction it had been hit, and didn't stop at the ground as it started to move through the air, levitating without gravity.
She closed her eyes and her horn glowed again. In front of her, in a flash of grey magic, appeared a parchment piece and a quill, levitating at muzzle level. “Experiment 104: Gravity Spell, The spell works perfectly, there is no backfire nor unwanted side effect. I conclude by saying it is a success.” She grinned to herself and looked at her quill. “Sign and roll.” With this simple order, the quill scribbled an elegant C. Swirl and disappeared, the parchment rolling onto itself. Celest used her magic to make a blue ribbon appear and lace itself around the parchment, sealing it for safekeeping and organization. It quickly flew away towards an elegant brown shelf with five compartments, settling itself onto the middle one among other blue sealed parchments.
As the parchment set itself on the shelf, she walked past the levitating porcelain cup and headed towards her kitchen. All that magic had made her hungry! Well, not really, but it was the excuse she always gave herself for eating a lot. She used her horn to open the fridge, taking out three eggs with an omelet in mind. She grabbed a bowl, and took the first brown egg, getting ready to crack it open. She was a very skilled cook, and even though she sometimes used her magic when she was in a lazy mindset, she would often cook with her hooves. She started mechanically mixing the eggs into the bowl, while using her magic to make a pan levitate out of another drawer, slowly placing it onto the stove while a bottle of olive oil covered the inside with some fat. Quickly, the bowl started moving and pouring the eggs into the hot pan.
She then concentrated her magic onto the stove, powering it with enough magic for it to work for around ten minutes. She then turned around, and walked towards the levitating cup that was still flying, almost reaching the wall it had been sent to. She took a deep breath, thinking about her counterspell, and closed her eyes. “Your floating condition comes to an end, towards the ground you will now descend.” Within seconds, the spell kicks in and the cup falls onto the ground, shattering itself like glass. Well, here goes experiment cup #29...
As she mourned her loss, someone knocked on her door. She sighed and straightened up, slowly walking towards the entrance hall of her apartment. With magic, she turned the knob and opened the door, looking behind it for whoever was on the other side. Then, her frustrated face turned into a smile towards the stallion. “You know, you could have called first. I would have made two omelets.” She giggled a bit and opened the door wide.
“Well, don't worry about that, kid. I had plenty to eat before I came here. And besides, what good is a surprise visit of you call beforehand?” The stallion smiled towards Celest, wearing his usual red fur coat and silver boots.
“You are not crystalized? I thought every stallion and mare from the Crystal Empire remained permanently crystalized once they took citizenship.” Celest raised a brow as she walked up to the stove, to check up on the omelet. Seeing that they were ready on one side, she used her magic to flip it on the other side by waving the pan around. She smiled at her own small feat of not tossing the omelet on the ground and looked back to the stallion, who looked around the apartment with a critical look.
“Well, I haven't touched the Crystal Heart yet. Do you know what it does to people like me? Queen Amore stated there won't be any problem, but I am anxious. What if it recognizes my dark magic and denies me citizenship? I wouldn't be able to live in the Crystal Empire anymore...”
Celest looked at him during his speech, nodding her head along as he expressed his fear of the Crystal Heart. “Well, you won't know until you try. Half the Empire knows how the Queen looks at you, don't you think she would tell you if you ever risked anything?” She smiled at him and put a hoof onto his shoulder, to try and comfort him.
“This is true... Celest, you might want to look at the omelet.” He said with a smug smile, and Celest opened her eyes wide, running back towards the pan. She made it slide onto the counter, sighing as the stove turned off. She put the omelet into a plate, and with two small flashes of magic, a fork and knife appeared on her plate. The stallion chuckled, and Celest smiled at him.
“Thanks for the warning. A few more seconds and the pan would have taken fire.” She grinned, and walked up to the dining table, sitting down and placing her plate onto it with her silverware. “So, overall. What have you come here for? I know you don't travel all the way to Manehattan for a simple visit to your best friend. There is something you are not telling me.” She took a bite of her omelet, her face melting at how good it was. She really was a good cook, and everypony who said otherwise would be met with her furious ego. Cooking ego was the only ego she had.
“Indeed, I come with a specific request in mind... I want you to assist me in my citizenship ceremony.” Celest opened her eyes wide and started coughing, almost choking on her omelet bit. “The Queen is a wonderful person, and I want you to meet her. We have had long conversations about the Empire and what she could do to improve it. I'm sure you will love her, being the only mare as passionate and devoted to knowledge as you that I know.” He smiled, and Celest snickered.
“Long conversations, huh? I'm sure they were fun. Now don't lie. Have you done it with her yet?” The look of nervousness and sudden blush onto the stallion's cheek gave her the answer she needed without him opening his mouth. She started laughing, grinning at him contently. “Dude, you fucked a Queen! You must feel proud. I hope you put on a condom though. I wouldn't want my best friend to have a baby yet when he doesn't even have citizenship in his own home. You know, that's one advantage of being a raging lesbian. No accidental baby.” She chuckled and took another bite of her omelet.
As the stallion blushed heavily and just looked away from his friend, he sighed. “There are so many times I could have given up on the idea of you still having a bit of decency. I guess not, after all these years.” Celest nodded in approval to his remark, while he rolled his eyes and sat down in front of her at the dining table. “So, is that a yes? Do I have your confirmation? I would feel a bit nervous if I walked to the heart without you...” He said with a small smile, while Celest put down her fork and placed her hoof on his.
“I would love that. I suppose, with your sense of timing, that it is tomorrow?” After the stallion nodded, Celest chuckled and stood up, finishing her omelet with one last big bite. She then went to her bedroom, leaving her friend at the table. A few minutes later, after having grabbed a small saddlebag of winter clothes, to prepare for the cold tundra that divided the lush and green Crystal Empire and Equestria. Other than that, she took on dark red stockings to go with small black shoes and a coat, like her friend always wore. She didn't want to be forced to change into the train. “Come on, Queen Banger. Let's go, you wouldn't want to miss your date with the Crystal, right?” She winked at him, and the sight of the beautiful mare wearing her winter clothes was enough for the stallion to blush. He didn't have any feelings towards Celest, but he was a stallion with needs.
He stood up and smiled as he walked up to the entrance hall. “I suggest we do a race to the subway station. The loser will owe a service to the winner.” He winked at her, and suddenly rushed out of the door he had opened with his dark magic, running down the stairs of the apartment complex.
Celest, not ready for a race, grumbled as she chased after him, closing and locking the door.
“Sombra, wait!”
Author's Note
I hope you like this first chapter of Celest's journey through a difficult life! I am open to any rating and critic, as long as it's constructive. If you just want to say hello though, you can on my profile page, I will reply ^^
I am not a beginner writer, but English is not my first language, so if you see any typo or mistake of vocabulary, sentence phrasing, conjugation, or just spelling, do tell me and I will make sure to correct it as soon as possible.
"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?"