//------------------------------//
// The sunken ruins 
// Story: Sunsets Sunken ruins 
// by Jstarter 
//------------------------------//

That gem had to have been a trap from the start, I am sure of it. Sunset shimmer groaned as she got up, drenched from the shallow water she found herself in. slimy vines clung to her barrel and legs trying to pull her back down. She felt a little dizzy. Looking down she could see the water only wet up to just above her hooves. “Wait, Hooves?”

Sunset blinked and shook her head to help her focus. “How did I get back to equestria?” She shook the water off and looked around, tacking in her new surroundings. Old damp moss covered walls lined the passage she found herself in. Rubble stuck out of the water in places where the ceiling had crumbled and many water loving plants had taking root there. The hallway only went one way, with the other direction blocked by a cave in. the only source of light looked to be coming from the end of the hall way. “Better question, where in equestria am I?”

Sunset looked for the gem that had been the cause of her current dilemma. The ruby red gem was nowhere to be found. It did not help that each step disturbed the long settled sediment in the plant clogged water, muddying her view of the ground. Still she should have been able to sense it at least, given it had been filled with magic. With her unicorn body back it would be much easier to sense the fain traces it gave off than before. Since she could not, it had to be somewhere else. Could it have stayed in the museum?

Sighing Sunset lightly trudged along the hall way until she got to the bright light, the sound of rushing water getting louder as she approached. She squinted and covered her face with a hoof until her eyes adjusted. Pulling her hoof away, Sunset’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of her. The structure opened up into a massive open chamber. Sunlight came down through arches far up over head. Water cascaded down the ancient yellowy brown sandstone which was covered in more moss and vines. Colourful coral grew like wild flowers in patches all over the place, including places along the ceiling and walls like barnacles on the bottom of a boat.

Waking forward Sunset could see the remains of old murals along the walls and pathway, mostly hidden under the over growth. The remains of statues also decorated parts of the chamber, some in better shape than others. She also found that she was on the upper level of the open space. The large walkway she was on gave way to more open space under water. Looking down she saw the blurry shape of a much larger statue of what looked like a sea pony as the central piece under the water, may fish swimming around without a care in the world. 

The general shape of the room was an octagon. To the left and right of her large passage ways existed with the two levels; the one she was on and the one below. “What is this place?” Sunset gawked at the scenery. Quickly however she became much more focused on her situation. The gem had transported her to some old ruin which looked to have been fully submerged in water at some point. Now only half the structure looked to be buried. This must have been some kind of gathering place for sea ponies, some old Civilisation of them. But I never heard of any sea ponies except the ones in Seaquestria twilight mentioned; and they were all hippogriffs using a transformation pearl to escape the storm king. This place has to be thousands of years old at least. It was like some old legend lost to time.

Whatever the reason for this place existing she still had to find the gem. Given that the sirens had been after it, perhaps there was some connection between them? I can’t imagine the sirens having anything to do with an ancient sea pony civilisation except perhaps terrorising it. Maybe their gems were not as natural a part of them as it first appeared. They had shattered quite easily after all once beaten at their own game. “Go figure…” If the gem was not here, she would just have to teleport out and back to Twilight’s castle. It could not be that far away right?

Putting those thoughts aside for now Sunset focused on a simple spell. It was designed to help detect magic around a unicorn. While most unicorns did not lean this spell in the modern day, any that went to a school of magic would learn this as one of their first non-innate spell.  Sunset’s horn began to glow its signature red before an invisible pulse of magic was sent out. Sunset imagined it almost like a radar ping despite there being no actual sound to it. She shuddered a bit once she got feedback from the spell; the electric static feeling was familiar yet strange after spending so long in the almost magicless human world.

Sunset had almost forgotten how equestria’s world was far more saturated with magic. Her spell allowed her to feel the faint traces of magic saturating everything around her. It felt peaceful, like a calm ocean on a sunny day. Yet there was something different about it she could not place her hoof on. Sunset’s attention was requested by a particularly strong point of magic at the edge of her spells range. “Bingo~” smiling she headed left in the direction of the gems signature. 

She found some raised sections of the pathway to follow that were not submerged in water, heading left. She jumped from rock to Small Island of rubble as she navigated the ancient structure, taking in its sights of its grand architecture. She made her way around the edge of this room and into the passage way. She saw it went on for a while with other pathways branching off like roads at regular intervals and bridges allowing travellers to traverse the gap between both sides of the walk way. 

“Dam. Twilight would love to study this place.” Sunset examined one of the statues as she passed by. Using her magic she levitated the vines that had grown around it off. It was some sort of abstract piece of a spiralling pillar of water forming into a sea pony made of a light blue stone which went well in mimicking flowing water, only marred by the long passage of time. In Sunset’s own opinion the sea pony seemed a bit too large and grandiose. The statues fins seemed more prominent that she expected but that was probably a result of its more abstract nature and available building techniques for an underwater civilisation. Everything was quite impressive already. 

Sunset stepped back from the statue, taking it in and everything around it. “I’m sure rarity would be inspired to make a lot of different outfits if she could see this place.” Speaking of her friends, how were they currently? Their most likely worried about where I have gone. I have no doubts that they could deal with the sirens without me. Maybe they can get more information out of them about what happened. “I better find this gem quickly then and get back to them.”

With renewed resolve Sunset sped up her journey. The sound of her hooves against stone and the splashing of water echoed around the ancient structure, only dampened by the constant sound of running water. The damp air smelt like the sea. She was enjoying this mysterious exploration more than she thought she would. It amazed her how something like this had remained undiscovered for so long. Perhaps I should notify the princess’s and get an archaeology team sent out here when I get back.

Taking about twenty to thirty minutes by her estimation, Sunset got to the end of the pathway where it widened into larger space, connecting to the pathway running parallel to hers. The area in front of her was the shaped like half an octagon and was at a slightly higher elevation. Sunset sighed in relief as she got onto dry land. Well dry compared to what was behind her. The walls and floor were still damp with moss and plants growing in various places. Two statues that had long crumbled stood at the large gate which seemed to welcome visitors into darkness. Sunset could barely recognise the statues had been of sea pony guards. 

Sunset shook the water off of herself before continuing. Slowly entering Sunset’s horn lit with a soft red glow to light the darkness of the structure in front of her. She now noticed images and text in an unknown language hidden under some of the moss and vines along the walls, long warn by decay. They seemed almost religious in nature but she could not quite make anything in particular out. “Was this some sort of temple?” Her hoof steps became much louder as an eerie silence seemed to settle over the place. What would an old civilisation of sea ponies worship? 

The next room was circular with stone benches lining the walls and a domed ceiling. The only exit was directly on the other side of the room. Whatever lay beyond was outside the reach of her light. On the walls Sunset could make out the images of sea ponies going about various activities. The murals seemed to depict the construction of their civilisation; much of it marred from old age. 

A large brick was being dragged in one image; whoever was pulling it had broken off long ago. In another a mostly scratched out sea pony was giving a speech to a crowd. It was larger than the rest in a similar way Celestia was to other ponies. Did sea ponies used to have their own equivalent to an Alicorn? That was an intriguing idea. I wonder what happened to all of them. Other parts of the mural depicted the sea ponies worshiping something, all she could make out was that it was massive and had a long fined tail. There also were depictions of what looked like the sea ponies defending themselves from something? It was hard to tell with so much lost to time. 

Cautiously Sunset continued, exiting what she imagined was some sort of entrance hall and into a wide but short hall way. Before it exerted into the next large room two small passages were nestled into the walls on either side. Sunset sent out another pulse of magic to check she was going in the right direction. With the signature of the gem directly in front of her Sunset trotted into the next room. Only to stumble back with a yelp, her ears drooping back as a gargantuan monster crept into the range of her merger light; flickering out for a moment in panic. 

After a few seconds of not being eaten, Sunset noticed the fearsome visage was not moving. Cautiously stepping closer revealed the creature to be a statue of a coiled leviathan. The massive serpent stared hungrily at any who entered the temple. Sunset put her hoof to her chest and sighed in relief though was still a little shaken. Why would someone- somepony have something like that here? Maybe it was some sort of temple guardian?

The leviathan was covered in fins and sharp spines all along its snake like body. Half the statue was submerged in water as if it was rising up to greet her. The monsters eyes gleamed in the light, no doubt being made of rubies, which heavily contrasted with the dark blue stone. It was surprisingly intact as well, almost unnaturally so. 

Sunset finally noticed the rest of the chamber. It was double the size of the entrance hall she had previously been in and made in the same octagon shape she encountered when she first arrived. Like outside she was situated on an upper walkway that overlooked the lower level. The water in here was eerily still and dark. Her light just allowed her to make out the bottom of the statue, as well as the outline of more plants and derbies. 

“They could not have actually worshiped this thing right?” Sunset’s question echoed briefly before being met with silence. While she was not expecting anything, the cold silence still unsettled her. “This is not that exciting anymore...” eager to get this over with Sunset started trotting faster. Part of the left side had crumbled away, forcing her to take the right side around the room. She passed other side passages on her way until she was going through the door way on the opperset side to where she came in. it was a lot smaller and unassuming compared to the entrance. 

The next room she entered was much smaller than the previous and in a plain rectangle shape. There was a hallway to the left and right, with the right passage way being blocked by rubble. Not seeing anything of interest but broken stone tables and chairs Sunset went around the piles of rubble into the next room. 

The next room was a semi-circle, quite bare like the last. Short passage ways went to the right, left and in front of her a bit to the right at the bridge of the curve. Another pulse of magic told Sunset the gem was to her right and behind her. It was very close now. She quickly spotted the last passage out along the same wall she exited from at the other end. Promptly she went down this passage way as well. Sunset spotted another passage up ahead to her left. I hope this is the last corner before I find the gem. This place is beginning to get on my nerves. She let out a small sigh. 

The next bend thankfully lead her to her prize. “Finally…” Sunset’s words trailed off as she saw the ruby red gem. Unlike the inert jewel from the museum, here the gem was floating on a raised dais. Another statue had its tail around the platform, only broken by the stairs leading up to it. This statue was much more recognisable to Sunset and not in a good way. “What is a statue of a siren doing here?”

Stepping closer to examine it Sunset could see the resemblance to the dazzling’s true form. This one however looked older and more regal with a larger, more prominent sail fin on its head. Like the statue of the leviathan it was remarkably intact. Made of a purple stone the statue gave off a more generous feeling as it stretched its hooves out like it was giving the magical gem to her. Its own red gem was imbedded in its chest. Sunset swore it almost looked motherly in how she stared at her with blue diamond eyes. They reminded her of Rarity’s a bit except a lighter shade.

The rest of the room had columns running along the edge of the circular chamber. Sunset saw this entire room was more innate and intact than any other that she has seen. There were no murals with depictions of anything, but everything was covered in rune like carvings and flowing lines in beautiful patterns. The room brought back some of that excitement and curiosity the leviathan had swallowed up beforehand. 

She took a step forward, holding her leg up just in the door way. Hesitating Sunset Shimmer looked over the eerie red gem which almost seemed demonic with its dim red glow filling the rest of the much more inviting room. Sunset looked at the statue of the siren offing what she had been seeking. That is somehow both comforting and creepy at the same time. “Come on Sunset, it’s just a statue and a gem no different than what the other dazzling’s had.”

Stealing her resolve Sunset trotted into the room, up the short flight of stairs and onto the dais. The gem floated right in front of her, right within reach. Gently she took the gem in her magic.

Suddenly the whole room vibrated. The runes on the floor and walls lit up with bright blue light. “What the hell!?” Sunset tried to step back off the dais but found her hooves rooted in place. Pony feathers, I should of known this would have been a trap. She thought, cursing herself for not scanning the room in-depth for any traps. Before she could try casting a spell to free herself, the gem in the siren statues chest flashed with a bright red-white light. Sunset closed her eyes to avoid being blinded. Yet instead a dizzying sensation hit her like a truck, making it hard to concentrate. 

As Sunset opened her eyes, light and sound filled the room. The first thing she noticed was the siren in front of her was now moving and very much alive. She had the same motherly and welcoming look from before. The second thing Sunset noticed was she could not move at all; in fact her body was moving on its own… What the hell is going on?

“We gather here today to welcome our newest daughter into her new life,” The motherly purple siren said. She now held the red gem Sunset had come to retrieve in her outstretched hooves. 

With her eyes feeling drowsy yet completely open without control over her body, Sunset could see other sirens around them. These ones were smaller though, just larger than a pony and lacking the gems in their chests. They also came in a variety of colours like ponies. 

Sunset’s head was forced up to look into the sirens eyes. She saw past her the glowing ceiling stone that lit the room with bright blue light. Her attention was grabbed however by the siren towing in front of her. Sunset tried to pull back to no avail as the siren leaned down and kissed her on the fore head. “May out new daughter be blessed by the deep mistress of the sea, her alluring song guiding our new daughter to her new station in life.”

As the siren pulled away the others in the room began chanting. Sunset felt magic push against her mind and body, welling up from the dais below her. I have to resist, she thought. As much as she struggled a wave of calmness washed over her body. She would groan if she could control herself. It’s almost like I am experiencing what had happened to somepony else. 

The purple siren reached forward with a hoof and lifted sunsets chin gently. “Do you except this gem? Knowing there is no going back to how you once were. Do you except your new role in life? As it will be your new duty until the day you die.”  

Oh this doesn’t sound good. “Yes.” Sunset’s body spoke on its own. It was said with such conviction and strength Sunset was not sure it was her own voice she heard. Her chest puffed up as if this was the proudest moment of her life.

“Good.” The siren nodded, now taking the gem that had bought Sunset here. The same she had been trying to keep from the dazzling’s with her friends back on earth. She was really missing them right now. The siren pressed the red gem to Sunset’s chest. A burning sensation filled her chest like hot chili peppers and slowly spread out from there. Despite wanting to recoil from the pain her body did not budge. It felt like the gem had fused to her sternum. “With this we now welcome our newest daughter into our ranks. May your song ever be alluring and your fangs bloody from a good hunt.”

With a final round of chanting there was another blinding flash, the room was now back to normal. Sunset fell over; her body ablaze and her mind desperately trying to make sense of what was happening through the delirious fog of dizziness and unnatural calm. Everything stopped when she embraced the cool darkness her over worked body offered…

/----------\

Everything was burning like a prickling fever, but not as bad as before. Sunset groaned as she sat up on the cold damp stone. A bit drowsy she found she could think more clearly now. What was that? What kind of magic… Sunset pressed her hoof to her chest, feeling the gem sitting there comfortably. “Not exactly how I imagined getting my hands on you- er, hooves.” She chuckled briefly, slowly getting up onto shaky legs. “It’s like I have a fever everywhere.”

Sunset lit her horn with her magical glow, the light flicking before she managed to get it stable. The room looked exactly how it had when she entered, minus the floating gem that was now fused to Sunset’s chest. Shakily she made her way off the Dias and back out to the temple entrance. Well that was the plan. She made it as far as getting back into the room with the leviathan statue before her back legs gave out.

“Oh come one what now?” Sunset looked back at her rear legs which were not responding. She could manage to twitch them but that was about it. Ok time for a quick exit. Sunset concentrated; magic power flowing into her horn. Its glow brightened and just as her teleportation spell was about to go off a spasm hit the base of her horn, causing the spell to flicker out. “Fuck.” She clutched her head with a hoof. 

What the hell is happening to me? Is the gem trying to kill me? that thought brought a blade of panic to her chest. She quickly tried to teleport again. “Come on, come on- ouch!” another spasm stronger than the last. Another following attempt received the same results, causing her to groan and rub her head in pain. 

Sunset started to breathe more heavily as she took stock of her situation. Ok siren gem transports me to some old sunken ruins while I was trying to keep it from the dazzling’s. I find it on a dais with a statue of a siren. Grabbing it triggers some sort of trap? Ritual thing? Now it’s stuck to my chest and I can’t move my rear legs beyond twitching them. Not to mention not being able to teleport. I also still need to find a way out of here and back to the portal in Twilight’s castle. “No pressure…” She chuckled nervously before attempting to drag herself along the ground.

She only got a meter before she started to feel sticky all over. “er, what now?” Sunset looked back to find ruby red scales growing out of the base of her barrel. They slow spread downwards, covering her cute mark and haunches. Sunset watched in morbid fascination as her rear legs were pulled together, melting until they fused into one blob of flesh along with her tail. She felt bile rise in her throat at the sight but swallowed it back down. The scales quickly covered this fleshy blob, smoothing and lengthening it out. 

It did not take a genius to guess what was happening to her. Dread willed Sunset’s stomach as she watched the end of her new tail split into a two prongs like a snake’s tongue, with the gap between them being filled in with red and yellow membrane. A fin grew out of the top back of her tail and snaked its way down until it disappeared near the tail tip. Each flexible blade of flesh curved back in colours matching the end of her tail. It was mirrored with another line shorter and smaller on the underside.

“Is-Is that it?” Sunset asked, hoping despite knowing better. Next the rest of Sunset’s yellowy orange fur began to smooth over. A tear fell down her cheek as she watched it become a material that seemed similar to dolphin skin or some other similar marine animal like a manta ray. The exception was her belly which was covering itself in a line of soft belly plates that reminded her of a dragon. It went from the red scales of her tail all the way up to the base of her chin in a slightly lighter yellowish shade than the rest of her body. 

Next she watched as the end of her hooves turned a shiny hard red colour a shade lighter than her tail. Just behind them a small set of yellow and red fins grew out. Sunset groaned out as she felt a faint sensation of pain in her jaw. Running her tongue along her teeth she felt them sharpen, two noticeable fangs joining her jaw line. Her snout lengthened a bit in general to accommodate more sharp teeth, becoming a bit more pointed in the process. 

Sunset’s horn flickered out as it started sinking into her fore head. “Oh Celestia no, no, no-” Scrambling to try and pull it back up with her hooves, streams of tears ran down her cheeks. She did not notice the changes to her light teal green eyes as they became sharper, the pupils becoming more of an oval reminiscent of a snake’s eye. She very much noticed the spines growing out of her head however. Thankful that the pain was dull at least, they extended back just behind her ears. Each spine got shorter as it travelled down the back of her neck before the smallest stopped below her shoulder blades. Red membrane filled in the gap between each spine, completing the sail fin. Least noticeably two smaller fins with red and yellow membranes grew out of Sunset’s cheeks.

After that the burning sensation faded like hot metal being cooled in water. Sunset was left panting on the ground, still crying from the ordeal. Sunset covered her head with her hooves and closed her eyes, tacking several deep breaths. She stayed like this for several minutes as she tried to calm herself. “Ok, breathe Sunset, breath. You just turned into a siren and lost your ability to cast any spells at all while in the middle of who knows where. It’s not the end of the world.” 

She took another deep breath in. Who am I kidding. If I even make it out of here and find my way back to equestria, I’d probably scare the general population, but I think my friends wound be ok with this after I explain what happened to them. It might not be noticeable in the human world at least. Sunset looked down over herself, flexing her tail and examining the changes to her body.

She put a hoof of the gem in her chest. She could feel it like any part of her body, just like her scales and hooves. Had it always felt like this for the sirens? “Celestia, did it hurt when they were destroyed?” She suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for the sirens that had caused her and her friends so much trouble. They seemed to have wanted this one quite desperately now that she thought about it. Is it like losing your horn? that was the dread of all unicorns, something sunset was currently experiencing. 

Sunset rubbed her head with a hoof and looked around. Without her horn to provide light she expected everything to become pitch black. Instead everything appeared in shades of grey, allowing her to see much more of the room than she had before despite the lack of colour. There was a limited range to it, as past the leviathan statue she could see into the way she came in, the hall beyond fading into darkness. Far off however she could see the faint specks of fading twilight from outside.

Sunset grimmest “how long was I out?” she looked back to her tail and then to the water beside her. Unless I can figure out how to fly, -can sirens fly? There projections were-, I’m going to have to swim. I see no reason a sirens should not be able to breath under water. Somehow that seemed to make it more real. “Fuck, I’m a siren.”

Tacking another deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes Sunset moved closer to the edge of the walkway. She sat there and stared down into depths of the water. It was easier to see into than before, yet somehow that made it just that bit darker and more foreboding. Still another part of her was pushing to dive in as If someone was whispering worlds of encouragement, promising she would love it under there.

Sunset leaned forward slightly, reading herself. I have no idea how any of that can be true. But here goes nothing. Holding her breath Sunset dived into the water with a splash. The water was cold yet strangely warmer than she expected and quite comfortable; nor did it irritate her eyes as all. Instinctively she held her breath until she could no longer, and forced herself to not swim up to the surface for air. Letting out all the air in her lungs in a rush of bubbles she quickly breathed in. 

Water filled her lungs, yet instead of burning pain there was something soothing about it. Sunset could taste the salt water flood her sense of taste. Surprisingly it was not that bad either. She floated comfortably in the water as it seemed to greet her fondly. 

Experimentally Sunset flicked her tail; “Whoa!” Sending her flying into a patch of seaweed and underwater vines, tangling her up. “Oh come on...” she blinked. “Testing. One two three testing… Hu, I can talk underwater.” Apart from the faint sensation of water rushing through her throat it felt no different than talking normally. It sounded the same to, except it was slightly muffled like someone had put a light sound filter over it. Still it was much more than she had expected. “Neat. That’s one thing I guess. Now to get out of these vines.”

Sunset pulled against the plants, finding it a little more difficult than it should be. Moving her tail to hard would send her into more vines. Thankfully she was too far from the statue and walls to run into them currently. “grrr…” Sunset bit down on one of the stands of sea weed. Her sharp teeth bit down into the plant matter like it was soft butter, severing it with a light tug. After that she was able to untangle herself.

Smirking Sunset righted herself in the water. “Ok! Now I just have to swim out of this room... Perhaps I should practice first.” With that in mind Sunset slowly started testing out her new body. She already saw how sharp her teeth were and her tail was quite strong. A more subtle thing she noticed was she was very flexible. It was easy to twist her back up until she could grab her tail with her jaws, though did not try that since putting holes in it was a bad idea. It was even easier to bend forward. 

With slow measured sways of her tail the new siren got her ‘footing’ in the water. She swam circles around the room avoiding plants and debris, sometimes getting tangled again briefly. It was peaceful once she got the hang of it. Idly she looked around the room as she drifted through the water. 

Now that she was under water Sunset could see the walls were covered in more murals of sea ponies. No, sirens. I guess in hind sight I should have realized that before hoof. Sirens swam in circles around the edge of the room. Packs of then were led by larger sirens with gems in there chest. Ancient statues stood guard at the entrance to rooms on each side of the octagon except the wall on the opperset side of the entrance for this level. 

Looking into the rooms Sunset saw that they were the same as the one she had found her gem in, minus the siren statue. Who knew there was an entire ancient civilisation of sirens we did not know about. I wonder what else we don’t know about that’s not in history books. She swam back up to the large leviathan in the central room. “Twilight would love to study this place... I could sure do with having them here right about now.”

Examining the leviathan closer something new came to her attention. “It’s female?” How do I even know that. Sunset continued to circle the statue as she examined it. “Is this what that siren called the ‘deep mistress of the sea’? I would not want to run into her down here.” It was no less fearsome than before, yet there was a feeling she would not be as dangerous to her now. “Strange…”

With nothing else of interest in sight, Sunset swam back towards the entrance. Instead of there being an entrance hall like above the lower level had one long hall way lined with pillars. Some were cracked and chipped where pieces of stone had fallen away. Sunset could see that they had been quite beautiful long ago. Swaying and flowing patterns had been carved into them with faded blues and greens mixed in.

Exiting the temple Sunset swam into what she imagined to be streets. “Ok, now where do I go.” Sunset looked up to see the fading twilight as night approached. Fish swam about here in abundance, paying no heed to the time of day. The variety of fish and wild life hidden under the surface was staggering. Nature had reclaimed any nook and cranny it could find down here. She continued to swim forward while looking around. 

Now that I think about it, there were no fish inside the temple at all. I wonder why. Could it be some sort of passive spell? I have no idea what kind of magic a civilisation of sirens could use. The dazzling’s had been able to use their voices to spread strife and feed on the subsequent negative emotions. They could also create flying projections that shoot magic at people, so I should be able to as well. I just have no idea how to… As perplexing as the question was she did not have much time for it.

It was dark now and the only reason Sunset was not floundering around in the dark was because of her new night vision. The city was large with many places being the same or at least very similar. Occasionally she would come across a square or underwater park, the only open spaces in the seemingly endless corridors of the city. Every time she thought she might have found an exit it turned out to have collapsed or so overgrown it acted as an impenetrable wall. 

Growl. Sunset’s eyes were getting drowsy, trying to pull themselves shut. Her stomach had its own ideas. A fish swam by which her eyes lazily tracked. It took a minute to realise what she was thinking. No, what am I thinking. Its meat, but- it was not Sunset’s first time encountering the substance. Naturally ponies did not eat meat products. One time in the human world she had accidently ate a burger without know knowing what it was. She had vomited it up once she found out. -it tasted good.

Sunset understood that it had been human biology that had allowed her to enjoy the taste of it. Still she had been far more carful after that to avoid it. Now she was a creature that was very much a predator. Though that did not mean she could not eat plants. What plants she could eat were another question. Sea weed did not look very appetizing. 

Experimentally she tried some of the plants Sunset thought could be appetising. “Yuck...” She ended up spiting a lot of it out. Each plant tasted either sower, unnaturally bland or off in some other way. “Fine! I give up!” Huffing Sunset found a door way in the long abandoned structure that led to a few rooms that looked like it had once been someone’s home. Old stone tables and chairs sat in the largest room through the front entrance, some broken into a few pieces. 

Yawning she drifted into one of the rooms and settled on the stone remains of what looked like an old bed. “Could have been a desk for all I know,” muttering Sunset curled up on the stone. She shifted around until she felt sufficiently comfortable.

Grumble gurgle. “I’ll deal with that in morning. Yawn.” Sunset closed her eyes, listening to her stomach as she began drifting to sleep. I hope everyone is not too worried about me. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy. I hope they can enjoy the rest of their day at least… The school is going to have a problem dealing with a missing student though. Sighing sunset left her troubles for the night and tried to get some much needed sleep while her breathing remained heavy from today’s ordeal.

/----------\

The sound of loud grumbling woke Sunset from her slumber. For a moment she almost forget the events of the previous day, but being submerged in water was an effective reminder. More pressingly her stomach demanded to be fed actual food, and Sunset was dreading what it demanded. “There has to be something around here that’s a good alternative.”

Picking herself up Sunset swam out of the quaint little home she had found back onto the street. She looked back to her tail for a second as she exited. This is a lot easier than it was the yesterday, more than it should be. The rays of morning sunlight lit up the water like sparkling crystal where the overhead walkways did not cast shadow. The return of colour it brought helped her feel a bit better. The unsuspecting fish swam like normal as Sunset licked her lips.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Growl.  Drifting into the light slowly Sunset noticed the fish ignored her, passing around her like she was a piece of drifting debris in the water. Despite her reluctance she eyed the fish hungrily. A particular breed of light blue fish with yellow underbelly’s caught her attention. Unsure how to go about this she just sat there in the water until one came a bit to close.

Snap. Sunset felt her jaw clamp down on water while fish that were close by scattered. “Dam it.” another growl from her stomach reminded Sunset of her hunger. Cautiously Sunset moved to another spot and tried for another fish, getting the same result. This process repeated a few times before she slammed her hoof into a chunk of stone and growled.

“Dam it! Why is this so hard? There not even running away from me on sight! If only I had my magic I would be able to catch fish easily!” If I had my magic I would not be in this predicament in the first place. Thinking of magic, Sunset put her hoof to her chin them hummed. “Maybe I can try that?” Frowning she took a deep breath and started to sing.

“Come little fishy don’t be shy.
Nothing is amiss in these calm waters~
Drift on closer, you will be fine.
Come all the way to me~”
 
Sunset felt the gem in her chest gain a pleasant warmth. A soft melody of instruments joined her song as Sunset noticed the fish beginning to come closer to her. Smiling she repeated the verse over and over until a ball of fish surrounded her. Bringing her song to an end Sunset lunged for a particularly juicy red and pink gold coloured fish.

The rich flavour of blood and meat filled Sunset’s mouth as the gathered fish scattered in all directions. Her teeth sank into the scaly flesh without problem. Urged by hunger and new instincts Sunset devoured the fish, ripping chunks out of it. A small cloud of blood sprang from her meal as she ate, its smell egging her on even more.

Once nothing was left of the fish Sunset was left with both a feeling of satisfaction and disgust. “I can’t believe I just did that. Can’t really deny how good it tasted though.” Sighing she looked at the fish, which were keeping their distance now. 

“Well I guess I can sing at least like this.” Sunsets smile was a little strained as she started moving again in no particular direction along the flooded street. I wonder what else I can do by singing. That seemed a bit different than what the dazzling’s were doing. The fish were not fighting each other as all like I expected. As Sunset pondered this, a strange burring sound buzzed in her ear. “What is that sound?”

A shadow passed over head. Sunset swam up to the surface to see what it was. As she broke the surface the sound became much clearer, sounding distinctly like a propeller. Sunset’s eyes widened as she saw the underside of a ship high above her, an air ship.

“HAY! DOWN HERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Sunset yelled out at the top of her lungs, waving her hooves in the air while trying to keep herself upright with her tail. This was not always successful. The ship continued on oblivious to her pleas for help. Sunset began swimming along with the ship. “LOST PONY DOWN HERE! PLEASE HELP! Oof.” Sunset ran into a piece of fallen stone jutting out of the water. 

She groaned and quickly shook it off before swimming around it and continued to follow the air ship. Sunset was more conscious of debris in the water now as she continued to yell out at the top of her lungs. 

It felt like hours as she followed the ship, her throat feeling sore and dry at this point. Sunset was about to hit a worse obstacle however as she ran into a section of stone wall. She rubbed her head and looked up at the wall that stretched high above her out of the water. 

She watched as the air ship passed over head and out of sight, the sound of rescue slowly fading away. “No No, fuck! COME BACK!” Sunset desperately pounded on the stone wall as she held back tears. Please don’t leave me here…

Sunset slowly slid down the wall, sinking into the water just like her hope. Am- am I going to be stuck here for the rest of my life? As Sunset contemplated her fate the sun passed over the wall, casting a shadow over her.

She noticed a large crack running down the wall to the left was letting sunlight and water flow through. Strangely Sunset could see much of the water was being held back by some invisible force preventing the full amount of it from gushing in. The crack did not reach the water level, but it was far closer than the top of the wall. It looked like it was just wide enough to fit a pony through. It still too high though. Maybe if I was on the second level I could jump to it. But I would need my legs for that.  Sunset looked back to her tail again; she felt like she was doing that a bit. “Jump?”

An idea sprang to Sunset’s mind. It was a bit of a desperate idea. But I don’t have anything to lose by trying. Sunset swam down to the floor of the street. Might get a few burses though. She turned around and looked up, gulping. 

“Here goes nothing!” quickly Sunset swam up as fast as she could, leaping out of the water. she flew up the wall at galloping speeds, a grin forming on her face just as she was about to reach the base of the crack… only to come a hoof short and fall back down to the water below.

A loud splash echoed throughout the sunken ruins as Sunset crashed back down, scattering any fish in her proximity. Sunset lightly rubbed her side as it faintly stung from the impact. She looked back to the wall with a frown before it morphed into a look of determination. I’m not giving up yet.

This time Sunset swam back a short way as she made her way to the ground. Making a second attempt she swam diagonally upwards towards the wall at high speeds. Only to late did she realise she had the wrong angle to get up to the crack. 

“Shi-” Sunset slammed snout first into the wall. Stars burst into her vision as burning pain flooded her nose. Crashing down into the water limply Sunset lay there like a dead fish. Her nose was bleeding and very bruised from the impact. A groan escaped her lips as she slowly began to move. I can’t give up now. Everyone is probably worried sick.

Panting Sunset swam back for her third attempt. This time she took a moment to plan out her next approach; calculating what angle she would have to dive out of the water from and where to do so. 

“Third times the charm.” Despite the pain Sunset swam at the wall again with her full speed, flying out of the water and skyward. She was close, very close. Just as her goal was in sight she slammed onto the wall, sending another shock of pain through her.

She did not fall however. One of Sunset’s hooves was stuck into the wall right at the end of the crack. A smile crept across her bleeping muzzle as she slowly started to climb up against the flowing water.

Her hoof slipped; causing Sunset to panic for a second before she grabbed hold of the wall again. With a sigh of relief she pulled herself up into the space the crack provided. Cool salt water flowed over her as she lay there. She found there was a short incline she had to climb up but it was not difficult compared to the jump she just made.  

Cresting the edge Sunset glimpsed the vast ocean on the other side before unceremoniously toppling of the wall and into the open water. Sighing in relief Sunset rubbed her back as she began to slowly sink. Yep, got a lot of bruises from that

Despite the pain a sense of accomplishment filled Sunsets chest with warmth. She was out of the ruined city and now free to find her way home to her friends. All she had was the journey in front of her.

Once the pain that inflamed her nose had subsided Sunset looked out through the ocean and swam back up to the surface. She was greeted by the sun and open waves of the vast empty space. There were no clouds in the sky, allowing Sunset to see the ship flying away in the distance. While I can’t get its attention maybe I can follow it to land.
 
Sunset looked back at the sunken ruin she had spent the last day and a half in. The walls stretched out at least a mile in each direction if not more. The walls were split into sections separated by square pillars. Massive statues of sirens holding tridents to their chest came out of the walls every third segment.

That place had changed her in ways she did not fully understand. There was nothing left for her either. Now she had to find her way home to her friends that were waiting for her. Hold on girls, I’m on my way. Turning back to the horizon Sunset swam after the air ship which was now a speck in the distance.

Sunset simmer wiped some of the blood from her nose as she travelled. Whatever lay ahead of me I’ll be able to handle it. Nothing will stop me from getting back to my friends. With that thought Sunset took her first steps on her new adventure as a siren swimming towards the horizon far off in the distance.