//------------------------------// // Discovery // Story: The Strange Leap // by RDFan1701 //------------------------------// Sam shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. "No, there's no way I'm here. This place...it's like some sort of cartoon world! Everyone here is brightly colored! And they're Ponies!" he said as he walked through a narrow street after quite literally bumping into two ponies outside the prison. A grey colored one with yellow hair and cross-eyed as if she had some sort of mental disability. And a bright cyan pony with rainbow colored mane and tail. Both of them scowled at the sight of Sam as soon as he started to apologize. And then to his surprise, opened their wings and left promptly. "Pegasi, Ponies, what's next? Unicorns?" He asked aloud as a Unicorn turned around and looked at him with a frown of his own. Sam just let out a chuckle and shook his head as he slowly walked down the road. Quickly getting used to the fact he had to walk on all fours. Surprisingly how fast he got used to it, he also got used to a new sensation, having a tail. As he walked he noted that the ponies around him were a rainbow of colors and each had manes and tails that were different colors too. And the oddest thing of all, was the brands on their flanks. He tried to approach one of the ponies and ask them what the date was to start but each time, got shrugged off like some sort of disease ridden cattle that had escaped the farm. This leap was definitely going to take everything he had in order to figure out what he was doing here. He didn't even know what year it was, and from the looks of things it definitely was beyond the point where he was born. Sam kept trotting through the alley, hoping to find someone willing to hell him figure things out a little. Maybe he would get lucky around the next corner? Nope. Sam winced as he was suddenly hit in the face with a frying pan. "Oooooh! Ow! What in the world?!" He exclaimed loudly as he placed both of his hooves on his muzzle. "What was that for?!" "Oh! I'm so so sorry!" A voice replied as the pan vlast trees to the ground. "I thought you were somepony else!" Sam moved his mouth in several directions trying to make sure his muzzle wasn't broken. "Who did you think I was?" He asked rather angrily despite the apology. "Why, Discord of course!" The regal accented pony replied. "Discord?" Sam asked in confusion. Sam lowered his hooves from his muzzle and face. Finally getting a decent look at the pony in front of him. The white coated pony with a purple mane and tail that were done up in several long curls. And on her flank was the typical marking, different from everyone else's mark, three diamonds all aligned perfectly in a triangle. In fact, now that Sam looked at her, the more perfect she seemed to appear. Her coat was kept in pristine condition despite being in a small dusty town and a somewhat dirty alley. "Oh...oh my, I must have hit you harder than I thought. Please come inside and make yourself at home." she said opening the door with not her hooves but with a glow from her horn and a similar glow from the handle and the door opened virtually by itself. Sam blinked several times at the sight. He took a few small steps forward, "How did you do that?" The pony turned around and gave him a look that was full of confusion, "Do what? Open the door? Magic of course!" she turned around and put a hoof on Sam's forehead but off to the side, "Poor dear, I REALLY must have rattled your brains! Are you okay?" "Considering I was just smashed in the face with a frying pan?" Sam began as he shook his head again, "I'm fine. I guess...considering everything that's happened since I left- since I got here." The pony before him giggled, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't think that is funny, it's not proper for a lady to laugh at someone else's misfortune." she stepped inside the building they were next to. "Well you are welcome to come in and- hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" "I think I'd remember if I had met you before." Sam said a little weakly and smiled nervously. The white pony looked at him skeptically, "Hmmmmm, well, I am Rarity. Owner of the Carousel Boutique and all around Dress Designer and Maker!" she said proudly as she pushed a a bit of her mane out of her face. "If there's any kind of clothes or dress you need made, I'm the mare to ask!" "I'll keep it in mind." Sam replied as he stepped inside and looked at all the brightly colored walls and items inside the Boutique. "I'm impressed Rarity. There are some very nice outfits in here.You made these yourself?" "Why yes I did darling." she waved a hoof at him, "Feel free to browse the store. I'm going to go make some tea." "Alright." Sam replied with a nod as he moved towards several of the dresses in the corner. Rarity slipped off into the back of the Boutique and began preparing two cups of tea. Sam on the other hand was slightly panicking. As he paced the room, he had no idea who he was, or what he was doing here. Then there was the question of HOW he got here. In the past he had leaped into other humans and a chimpanzee, which was most likely a massive fluke thanks to his subconscious. But now...it confused him, for twenty years he had been in complete control, now...how could he have lost control again and leaped on a whim of fate. Sam turned as he heard an all too familiar sliding of a solid door opening out of nowhere, letting a flood of light come through it's opening. "Hey Sam. How're things...holy moly...Sam? What...what in the world are you?" Sam ducked down a little trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, "Al! I'm a pony! How can I be a pony?!" "Uhhhhhh...Ziggy, well...Ziggy has no idea. We just spent the last three days trying to get a lock on you!" Al said trying to simply NOT gawk at Sam's appearance. "After your last leap as that, Japanese guy we lost contact. We couldn't find your brain patterns until Gushy decided to have Ziggy run a scan in multiple planes of reality and boom, we got a lock. We just didn't..." Sam glared at Al, "Didn't what?" "Expect you to be so..." Al paused trying to find a word to describe Sam. "Cute." "Cute?! Being a Pony isn't cute, it's weird!" Sam shot back, his nerves starting to heat up a little bit, "Look, just what does Ziggy say I'm here to do. Walking on all fours is starting to kill my back Al!" "Well just hold your horses Sam." Al then paused and smirked, "Horses, ha!" "Al." Sam said with mild annoyance. Al shook a cigar clenched hand, "Sorry, ah well, Ziggy says that-" BOOOOOONG! Sam was knocked forward once again as another frying pan collided with the back of his head, "Gahhhh!" Sam cried out in a mix of a groan, "Again?! What'd I do this time?" "Ouch. That's gotta hurt." Al said with a wince as he watched Sam fall to the ground. "Are you trying to kill me?" Sam said holding the back of his head where the frying pan had hit him. Rarity stood behind him, her magic gripping the pan, "You! I remember you!" she shouted as she took several determined steps towards Sam, "You're that stallion that tried to steal the Crystal Heart from the Crystal Empire two years ago!"