Twilight uses her magic to open the door and exit we exit my apartment. I turn back toward the door. Keys still in my mouth. I think for a moment, trying to see how this could work. I turn back to Twilight. "Um, Twilight? Could you lock the door for me please?" I ask, still biting down on the keys. Without a word, her horn glows purple and the keys levitate out of my mouth. The door glows purple and shuts. "It's the key on the right." I say, watching something that is undoubtedly normal to her but astounding to me. She locks the door smoothly. "I wish I brought my saddlebag and some supplies with me." she says as the keys float above her head. "I just wish I was human again. Is there anyway you could use your magic to change me back?" I say, hopeful. "Hmm. It might be possible." Her horn glows and a bright beam shoots out of it, hitting me square in the chest. My entire body tingles with static for a second but it quickly disappates. I look at my hooves. Nothing has changed. "I'm sorry Nathan. The magic of the Element is too strong." I look at the band on my arm. "Am I going to be stuck like this forever?" I ask. "If we get the Elements back to Equestria, we should be able to bond them to some other ponies instead of you but we have to find them first." Twilight says as she turns and starts downt the stairs. I nod, now wishing I'd bought Leena something, ANYTHING else for her birthday than the acursed artifact wrapped around my... hoof. Still getting used to even thinking the word.
We walk down the stairs and exit the complex into the parking lot. It's still early and the street is empty. Good. There shouldn't be much traffic. Twilight looks around, "Wow. Your town is amazing! So many buildings and they're so tall!" she says looking around. "Yeah, it's quite a bit bigger than Ponyville." I say, leading her to my car. I focus on the car, trying to ignore the clip clop sounds of my hooves on the pavement. "So this is your car." she says as we approach my blue four-door. "Yes, we're uh, going to have to unlock the doors first. Press the thing on the keychain that looks like a little unlocked lock." she examines the keychain for a moment. The car beeps, the lights flash and the doors unlock. The sound echoes off the buildings to either side of the parking lot and I look around to see if it caught anyone's attention. Still in the clear. Carefully using my hoof, I lift up on the door handle and quietly get inside the passenger's side, Twilight doing the same on the driver's side. The car rocks back and fourth on its shocks. Apparently ponies are a bit heavier than people. My tail feels a bit uncomfortable but it seems we'll both be able to sit upright. Twilight carefully places her hooves between the gaps in the steering wheel. Using her magic, she adjusts the mirrors, fastens both our seatbelts, places the key in the ignition and starts the car. "Have you done this before?" I ask watching this. "Like I said, we have similar vehciles in Ponyville." Maybe I haven't seen those parts of the show I think to myself.
Twilight pulls the car out into the street with all the grace of a student driver with their first time behind the wheel. She taps the gas pedal and the car lurches forward in short bursts. I can't help but brace myself. Quickly though she learns the controls and soon we're traveling down the road at a steady pace. "Stay inside the yellow lines and on the right side of the road." I say, trying to remain calm. She's able to reach the pedals with her back hooves and use her front hooves to steer. Maybe I should've tried driving? We travel down the block and approached the first intersection. Still no sign of other cars.
The traffic light was green. I was about to tell Twilight about traffic signals when the element on my arm started glowing and the car started to accelerate. "What's going on?" I ask as our speed exceeds the speed limit and we run through the intersection. "I don't know!" Twilight yells. "The 'go-pedal' is stuck down! Is this normal for your car?" "No! It's not normal for any car!"I brace myself again as our speed increases into the 50s. 60s. 70s. I can feel the force of our velocity pressing me into the seat now. "The brakes! Try the brakes!" I scream as the engine screams and my heart starts racing. Twilight taps the breaks but the car continues to accelerate until reaching over 90. "The other pedal won't go down!" Twilight yells back. "Use your magic!! Try something!!" Her horn glows but the car still doesn't slow down. "It's not working!!" We both scream as the engine grows louder. In the distance, I see another car coming towards us on the opposite side of the road. We speed past them before I can even make out the driver. We pass another intersection. At this speed, it doesn't even matter that the light is green. I make out two cars on either side. I can only hope they didn't see us either.
The car starts to slow down finally as we approach the 3rd intersection. "Turn left here if you can!" I say, heart still racing. The car carefully turns as we finally return to normal speed. We pass the hospital where Leena works. Her place is still a couple blocks away. "I can move the pedal now." Twilight says. I exhale, relieved. I notice the element on my arm is still glowing. Just then the car starts accelerating again! Our speed increases rapidly. "Twilight?!" I ask, eyes forward bracing again. "The pedal's stuck again!!" "The brakes?!" her hoof stomps the brake. "No!" Buildings raced by as our speed climbed again. Another car went past. The roads are narrower here. "This is it! We're going to hit something and that will be it! I'm going to die a cartoon horse next to a character from my favorite show!" "Nathan, calm down! You're not helping." Twilight says nervously but with an underlying steel in her voice. She focuses on the road ahead.
We pass stop signs, intersections, a school zone. People walking by on the sidewalk move farther away from the road as we speed by. Suddenly, the car begins decelerating again. My element stops glowing. Almost as quickly as the thrill ride hide started, it ended and the car slowed to a halt. I unbuckle my seat belt quickly, open the door and practically leap out of the four door death trap I used to call my primary mode of transportation onto the grass beside the sidewalk. I could kiss the ground. Twilight quickly exits herself and walks around toward me. "I... I think I'll need a little more study before I try that again." she says catching her breath. "Yes. And helmets and ejector seats." I say as I get back up.
I look around. "We're actually not far from where Leena lives. We could probably walk there now." "Walking sounds good." Twilight agrees. Carefully we close the doors on my car and Twilight grabs the keys using her magic. Worst thing that could happen is it gets towed, so we leave the car there and trot onward without another word. I choose to focus on the clip clop sounds of my hooves on the pavement and forget about the car ride here.