//------------------------------//
// Getting on a train 
// Story: Sunburst and The Shadow Pony 
// by Miner 
//------------------------------//

Crystine walks on top of a hill and looks back at Sunburst. "Will you hurry it up?"

Sunburst Slowly walks up to meet up with Crystine short of breath. "I am trying Crystine. But I am just not used to this much-"

"Walking?"

"Hiking is more like it."

"We only have been walking for an hour. Quit your whining," she said, looking at a map trying to see where they are going.

"That is easy for you to..." A small feather flying in the wind brushes against Sunburst nouse. "To... ah... ah."

"Sunburst?" She asks looking up from her map,

"ACHOO!" Sunburst coat then turned gray, and his mane turned black. And his eyes turned into red. Sunburst has changed into King Sombra. His looks around confused about how he got here. He notices the Pony in front of him.

"Who are you, Pony?!" Sombra demands from Crystine.

Not wanting to fight him again. Crystine had to think of something fast. "Just a pony sir. Please don't kill me," she said, taking a step back acting afaird.

"That is King Sombra to you." He said, stomping his hoof to the ground. "And you will serve me pony."

Swallowing her pride, Crystine bow before Sombra. "Your wish is my command." Crystine died a little on the inside as she said that. 'For now at least. But once your magic is mine. We will see who has the last laugh.'

"Good. Now then. Where is that bug I was fighting earlier?" Sombra looked around to find Chrysalis.

'Hun. I guess that he doesn't know anything about changelings than. I can use this.' Crystine thought to herself. "She must have teleported you away from your battle your highness," 'I think I am going to throw up if I keep this up.'

"I guess. Where is the Crystal Empire?"

Crystine became worried at what Sombra said. If he gets destroyed again, that is it, and no dark magic for her. All her hard work for the past weeks would have been for nothing. "Sir if I may. The Empire is under the Protection of the Crystal Heart. If you were to go back now, you would not succeed."

He thinks about it, "You speak true servent. I must find a way to remove the Crystal Heart form the castle before I can return there. Crystine do you have any ideas." King Sombra stopped and looked at her. "And how do I know your name when I never asked for it?"

"Uh? Lucky guess?"

"It would seem that my memory isn't as good as it once was. I will have to look into it later. Can you fight pony?" But before Crystine could answer. Another feather blowing in the wind brushed across Sombra nouse, causing him to sneeze again. 

"ACHOO!" And Sunburst is back.

"Gesundheit," Crystine said, wiping her chest as some of his sneezes had reached her coat.

"Thanks."

"That was a big one. You feeling alright, Sunburst?"

"I am alright, but I think something is wrong with me."

"You do realize that you had absorbed a large amount of dark magic."

"I know that. It just that I remember strange things."

"What do you mean."

"Like... I was mean to ponies who hurt me."

"That is weird. Now come on. The town isn't going to come to us."

"Right." Sunburst resumed walking with Crystine not knowing that a small patch of his mane behind his head has turned black. 

"So," Sunburst said. "What is the name of this town we are going anyways?"

"It is not much of a town but rather a train yard near Foal Mountain. It is just as big a town that is all."

"Wait. If this is a train yard, we are going to. How are we going to get the tickets to Ponyville?"

"Don't worry about it. I got everything under control. Just follow my lead."





"I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!" Sunburst screamed as he hangs on the edge of a moving train cart. 

Crystine idea of getting to Ponyville involves jumping onto a moving train and find one that is heading to the Train Yard or Ponyville whichever comes first. She helped him up into the train cart. This one so happens to be the cargo cart. It is filled with crates and goodies that she would usually look around in but couldn't at the moment. "Well, it is not like we could get tickets for a moving train now, could we? So this is the next best thing."

Sunburst calms himself down with a breathing exercise. "I... I think... I preferred the walking idea."

"No Sunburst. Even with your new body build. You aren't used to it yet, and most likely pass out before you made it halfway there."

"Why can't this be easy."

"Nothing worthwhile is easy to get," She said, patting his back, "Now if you excuse me. I need to find out where we are going."

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Hide, do some exercise, and don't sneeze."

"Alright- wait what was that last part?"

"Cover your nose for everypony sake. Your sneeze is a dangerous weapon."

"Sorry," Sunburst said, then starting thinking of a way of how to do her advice.

Before Crystine left the cart, she opens her saddlebag and let Max out. Max shakes his body before looking at Crystine. "Max, I need you to make sure that he doesn't sneeze. We don't want a repeat of happened in the cave, right?"

Max looks at Sunburst trying to do a push-up and looks back at Crystine and gives her a salute. "Thank you, Max. I can always count on you." Crystine opens up the door to leave the cart and closes it behind her. Leaving Max and Sunburst alone. Max moves next to Sunburst and watches him.

It didn't take long for Sunburst to notice that he wasn't alone in the Train cart. "Hi, Max."





"Tickets please." The train conductor said getting the tickets checked with the ponies in the cart. "Thank you. Have a good day." He said to one of the passengers on the train. He was passing an empty cart when he notices a small filly looking out the window without anypony around her. She has a dulled light blue coat with a silver mane and a small saddlebag. "Excuse me miss."

"Yes?" she said, looking at the conductor with her deep green eyes.

"Where are your parent's little filly?"

"They went to the bathroom," she said quickly.

"You wouldn't happen to have your ticket on you, would you?"

"I think so." She then starts looking through her bags and pulls out a ticket and gives it to the conductor. He looked at it and was to give it back when he noticed that the ticket has already expired and for the wrong train.

"Young mare this ticket is- Huh?!" The conductor noticed that the filly has disappeared along with her saddlebag. He sees a door closing to another cart and gave chase to the stowaway. 





The filly made her way to the storage cart and hid behind some crates. She heard the door to the carriage open and closed, and the sound of the conductor looking for her.

'Please don't find me.' she thought to herself.

"I know you are in here little filly. Come on out, and we can talk about this."

'I can't go back yet!'

"What the-Get Off!"

'Huh?'

The little filly continues to listen to the conductor fighting with something. There were sounds of boxes getting crashes into and the sound of pan coming from the Conductor. After three minutes of this, the Conductor speaks up again. "You wait! You vermin! I will be right back!" He said before leaving the cart closing the door. Once the filly was sure he had gone, she moves from her hiding place.

'What happened?' She notices something on the floor moving towards her. Something small and furry. She blinks at this and looks closer to see what it was. "Oh. Hello there Mr. Rat. Did you scare off the conductor?"

"Excuse me." A voice said behind her. She turned around to see a Sunburst. "But who are you?"