//------------------------------// // Ch.2 The beginning of something new // Story: Sunsets Wild Ride // by glory_dawn //------------------------------// The hour was getting late as Sunset poured through the many books at once. She practiced spells on top of spells until she was at her max. When she couldn’t concentrate far enough, she let go of all the spells she had running with the many books hovering in their places. When the books fell and she was able to catch her breath she went over to a table nearby to sit and rest really quick. As she went over to the table, she put her head down moving several items on top that clattered away loudly. Sunset pointed her horn towards the foreign items and looked them over, seeing that they were various gold and silver coins. There were other items like a ring with an amethyst gem on it, and some little metal statues that looked like animals. Sunset looked at the items with her head on the table slouched over and decided to put them in her satchel. Lucky for her she had brought two very big satchels with her to bring a few things with her. She thought that if this turned out to be a good run then maybe she would try and come back and get more out since no one ever came down to the forbidden section. She fit all the assorted items in place and then turned to see which books would come with her at the moment. She only had a place for four books and they had to be just right so she layed them all out with her magic. She saw each one for what it was and decided on the book of dark light and other unseen medleys, the book of unchecked power and its application, the tome of masterful time dilation, and the grimoire of the Hart. These seemed well enough for her for the time being so she tucked them away with care. The time had slipped by her since she was keeping a total and complete mental note of the time since she started. With that in her mind she noted that it was about time to make her masterful exit from the royal castle and into the wild night. She was about to walk up the staircase again when the sound of voices could be heard from up above. “Are you sure the seal was broken, I don’t wanna go down here for nothing” a voice could be heard saying. “Ya, the seal went off and it was for this section down here. So, we gotta go, so just shut up and come along” another voice could be heard replying. Sunset went down and moved towards a pillar that was nearby, she stood there hearing the two guards come down towards her. She was panicking now since it was clear a seal alerted the guards from up top. The seals were in place since ancient times but she never once saw or knew a seal be re done for security measures. She thought they were a thing of pretty much fiction since peace had reigned for so long in the land of Equestria. The seals should not have been a problem since she was in and around the halls of the castle and not once did any sort of magic be detected by her counter magic, which she had thought top notch. The guards were coming down now and they were almost to the bottom. All her planning had gone to crap and now she was about to be discovered and locked away for breaking into the royal library. This wasn’t good and Sunset knew it as she tried to think of any way to get past the guards. She thought she could use a stealth spell but the breaking of a seal meant all such magic would become useless, this the ancients made sure. There was nowhere for Sunset to run or go so she was going to try and teleport to at least the top floor of the library so she can try and get away. As she tried to focus on the spell the guards came down and shined a bright light onto her. This threw her off her magic as she stumbled back and into a mirror that had a table next to it with heavy gem stones. Sunset bumped into the whole thing at once and with the added push of magic, it caused the whole apparatus to go up in light. The table hit her as she hit the mirror, it was all a jumble of noise and light as the last thing she remembered was the light from two guards entering the basement of the library. The light seemed only to become more intense as all sorts of foreign colors swirled around her and she felt a terrible pain from all over take hold of her. She swirled around in a loop of technicolor insanity as the sounds of nothing was getting only louder. The silence had become deafening and she finally came pouring out of a void. She fell onto a cold hard floor in a pool of sweat and vomit as she heaved and expelled everything she had eaten. She shivered in on the cold floor and looked up into what felt like the sky and let her eyes begin to come to focus. Once she could see and she could finally breath well did she get up and try to stand. She fell at first and grunted as she fell forwards onto her face. This wasn’t working and she didn’t know why, so she gave it another second before she tried again. This time she was able to get up did she feel the awkwardness of her body. Her hooves felt weird and her back felt hunched, she looked down to find with a shock that her hooves were now hands! She suddenly looked back at where her haunches should be and saw that her back hooves where now feet. This new form shocked her as she had only seen drawings of it before in books of legends and myth from around Equestria. She tried again to get up this time getting up from being on all fours on the ground. When she was finally up from the floor and on wobbly legs did she realize that her cloak had made it through with her and with the cold breeze she also learned that she was naked. “Oh crap, I’m naked!” Sunset shouted to herself as she tried to cover herself up in her long black cloak as she pulled it around her. Something about how the wind hit her made her realize that she was stark naked and it wasn’t a good feeling. She wondered where she was as she looked around and noticed that she was in front of a giant statue of a horse. This horse had stronger features than the ponies she was used to and so it made her feel weird. She looked up and noticed that the moon was full and that it was a quiet night. She turned around to see a giant building in front of her with a sign that read “Canterlot High”. “Hmmm, Canterlot High huh?” Sunset said as she continued to study her surroundings. She moved backwards and almost tripped on something causing her to fall with her back to the statue with a thud. She looked down past her shaky legs and noticed that her satchels had made it with her and were strewn across the floor. “Well at least these guys made it with me” she said to herself as she was counting her blessings. She picked up the satchels and awkwardly through them over her shoulder. The wind was starting to bite into her so she decided to try and conjure up some fabric to better cover herself. When she tried she felt no magic run through her, so she tried again and again until she felt that she was going to pop. Nothing was happening and this was starting to panic Sunset since she was originally a unicorn and was used to using magic constantly. She looked around in the night time darkness and noticed several light poles out illuminating most houses around. She saw that no one was out and decided to make a go from one of the houses making sure to stay hidden behind trees and bushes as she didn’t quite trust this place yet. As she was behind some bushes in front of a big green house, she looked through the window to see other beings dressed in their clothing from head to toe making Sunset feel even more exposed. She ducked down and hunched over using the bushes as cover, she made her way around the house. The house didn’t have a fence and Sunset found herself in the backyard where she quickly spotted some clothing hanging from a wire. She went over and took off her cloak and decide to try on some of the clothing. Some trousers she tried where too big and fell right down so she tried again with some grey pants that felt soft. They felt good and comfy on her as she adjusted the tie at the front to make them tighter. The next part was her top half as the night wind was only picking up making her shiver all the more. She grabbed a pink shirt that said swag hound on it and threw it on. “What’s a swag hound I wonder?” she said as she looked at the shirt in all its glittery glory. The shirt itself fit a little big but she didn’t mind as she was now fully clothed except for her feet that still remained naked. The cloths would have to do for now as she had to move on. Just as she was about to go the lights to the backyard turned on and a door slid open. “HEY WHO’S OUT THERE?! IM CALLING THE COPS YA PERVERT!” a man could be heard yelling. This scared the crap out of Sunset as she scrambled in the dark to run away from the light and the yelling man. She made it back onto the main street and ran down until her lungs burned like Tartarus flame. Once she felt she was far enough did she stop behind a building that had a “open 24/7” sign outside it. There wasn’t anybody out and she felt that she could catch her breath there. She was glad that she hadn’t left anything behind as she counted her items again and again obsessively. All the coins were still there along with the four books, and that made her calm down a bit. She looked around and began to wonder if she could somehow find a way back to Equestria, because wherever this was it wasn’t her home she was used to. She was sitting on damp hard ground with her new cloths stained and muddy from running so hard and fast. She wondered if there was even a way back since she couldn’t use her magic here. All her senses seemed muted and the loss of magic was throwing her off somewhat. Being in this up right position running and all also didn’t make it easier. Sunset got up from the wet ground and went on her way walking onwards. She marched on and on until she came up into what seemed like the city because it had several tall buildings in the area. She moved along encountering several big metal carriages that ran by at high speeds. This made her stay to the side of the road so she wouldn’t be hit but they still gave her a fright when one passed on by. The many people looked at her funny and stared at her like they knew something she didn’t. She marched on until she came along the side of a building and found herself in front of a terribly old building that held up a sign that said “El Catalina motel” on top of what seemed like the lobby. The motel stretched all around and there seemed to be one room to the side where a picnic table sat outside it and a tall tree stood. The doors to this small room had windows and Sunset could see that there was a woman at the front desk reading a book. There was also a man sitting in a chair reading a magazine while drinking some beverage. Both look uninterested and lost into whatever they were reading. Sunset understood what a motel was since they had those back in Equestria so she decided to enter and see if she could secure lodging. She entered the lobby and looked around and noticed the harsh smell of the liquid brewing in the corner which was in a see-through pot and black as all night. The older woman who was reading a book behind the desk put her literature down and looked at her as she approached. The woman in her purple blouse looked unamused as Sunset made her way on timid feet to the front desk. Sunset pulled back the hood of her cloak and looked up into the lady's face and began to ask for lodging. “Ummm....hey, how much for a room?” Sunset asked the woman as she started digging in her satchel for one of the gold or silver coins to barter with. “Excuse me? Aren’t you a little young to be out this late looking for a room?” the woman asked as she looked at Sunset closer. “I got some coin if you have change, let me just get it here. I think this should cover it” Sunset said as she struggled to pull out just the right amount of silver coin for the barter. Once the two big silver coins she wanted were out, she slammed them on the table. “What's this? You can’t pay with that” the woman said now looking unapprovingly. “What, is it more? Ok, but you better not be swindling me and there better be change” replied Sunset as she took out a single gold coin begrudgingly. Sunset didn’t want to spend what little she had especially these rare coins, but she was willing to in the hopes of getting some respite from this whole ordeal. She had yet to see herself in the mirror and noticed that the woman had said she looked a bit young. Everything was not going so well since she had botched a robbery and threw herself through time and space, only to land in this strange land. Just as the lady looked like she was about to refuse again did Sunset feel a hand on her shoulder and jumped in fright. She looked around and the man that had been sitting in the corner drinking and reading a magazine was now standing next to her. With a hand firmly on her she couldn’t get away, so she started to panic since she knew she couldn’t fight her way out since he was bigger than her and she had these scrawny arms. Sunset only gulped and looked from the man to the woman.