//------------------------------//
// Arc 2: The Seeker - Chapter 2: City Of Blinding Lights 
// Story: The Adventure 
// by Closer-To-The-Sun 
//------------------------------//

Arc 2: The Seeker - Chapter 2: City Of Blinding Lights

The train pulled into the Manehatten station. The passengers got the train onto the platform, welcomed by the chilly air of the night. The flood of ponies, dragons, griffins, and other creatures moved throughout the station. Amongst the crowd, a group of five stuck close together to not lose each other.

"Go with the flow of traffic to the exit, everypony!" Twilight Sparkle tried to call out to her companions amid the loud clamor that echoed through the station. No one objected to her orders, as they all wanted to break from the crowd. Spike hopped up on the purple unicorn's back as to not get separated, and Applebloom did the same for her brother. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, hovered over the masses and made her way to the exit.

Finally out of the station, the company regrouped. Spike was the first to spoke, "Wow, I thought we were going to be swallowed up by that crowd."

"I can second that. It was really getting claustrophobic for my taste," Rainbow Dash nodded as she moved her wings slightly before resting them back to her side.

"It's to expected," Twilight explained as she used her magic to adjust her saddlebag to have it fit more comfortably, "Manehatten is the most populated city in all of Equestria. Ponyville and Los Pegasus doesn't even come close in comparison."

"Really now? Does this mean it'll be harder ta find the place we need ta go, Miss Twilight?" Applebloom asked, jumping down from Big Mac's back.

Twilight thought for a moment before turning to the purple dragon, "Spike, can you get that piece of parchment out of my saddlebag?" the unicorn turned back to the other ponies, "I don't think it should take too long. Princess Celestia said there was a unique library in the city, and I have the directions here. Got it, Spike?"

After digging through the bag, the small dragon pulled out a sheet of parchment, "Got it!"

With a confident smile, Twilight nodded, "Alright then, let's head on out!"

Leading the way, Twilight Sparkle moved away from the train station into the main streets of the city. The city sights, however, quickly captivated the imagination of the five of them. As they walked down the street, the bright lights illuminated the big city. With wide eyes and gasps in awe, the citizens of Ponyville were taken in by the sights, sounds, scents, and atmosphere of Manehatten's night. The lights made the city looked as if it was lit up by fireflies.

"Wow…." was all Spike could utter.

"So cool…." Rainbow Dash added.

Twilight joined in, "Breathtaking…."

"It's so big an' fancy, huh Big Mac?" the little Applebloom asked trying to look at all of the sights around her.

"Eeyup…." Even the big red stallion had his mind captured by the sights of Manehatten.

After some time of taking in the new and alien environment, it was the purple unicorn was the first to bring everypony back, "Come on, we can take in the sights later. We should find the library first."

"It's not like you weren't enjoying the surroundings, egghead," the blue pegasus teased her friend.

"I didn't say I wasn't enjoying it, Rainbow Dash, but we should take care of what we came here to do," Twilight gave a smirk to Dash before looking at the address on the parchment in Spike's claw.

After a bit of wandering around in the early evening in Manehatten, the group of five found the address they were searching for. In contrast to the main street that they had trotted down that was lit up by bright lights and filled with life, the library was in a scarcely lit area that was completely deserted. The library itself looked like a rundown shop that had been out of business for years.

"Are ya sure this is the right place, Miss Twilight? This place seems like some kinda dump," Applebloom asked, stand close to the group for safety.

"This is it," Twilight replied, her voice was doubtful of her own correctness.

"This is it? It looks really sketchy," Dash commented.

"I agree with Rainbow Dash on this," Spike concurred.

"Come on now, you can't just come all this way and not venture in just because it looks scary, Spike," Twilight explained to her assistant.

Spike looked down at the sidewalk before he raised his head up and to give the purple unicorn a nod. With a big gulp, he opened the door into the library. The group of ponies followed in after the dragon into the small building,

Upon entering the library, a musty scent filled their lungs. Only a few light bulbs dotted the store to give light to filled bookshelves as well as the many stacks of books that seemed to be growing up from the floor. 

"Hello?" Spike called out as they slowly wandered into the store.

A voice replied, "What can I help you with, my fair travelers?"