Book one of "Who We Become".
Sunset always knew that she was destined for greatness, but she never dreamed of how great she could become. Not until she had seen it - the mirror had shown her as an alicorn. Ignoring Celestia's warnings, Sunset goes l...
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The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day for a walk through town. And with the weather only growing colder, it was quite possibly the last decent day of the year. It was a little strange that more people weren't out, but then again it was mid-day, so most people were probably still at work.
Sunset strolled along at ease, enjoying the solitude. For once, it didn't seem to have snowed at all the night before, allowing her to move freely without having to worry about trudging through slush.
Although she wasn't walking with any particular destination in mind, Sunset found herself walking down a familiar path. Before she could place exactly where she was, she came upon her favorite store. She stopped outside and contemplated her next move. It had only been a few days since her last visit, and she didn't like to push her luck. But something about the day just felt right, so she decided to go for it anyway.
Stepping inside, she found that the cashier was nowhere to be found. Nor was anyone else, for that matter. Christmas music usually played this time of year, but the store was completely silent. Sunset continued to the beverage aisle.
As she rounded the corner, she nearly ran into the first person she had seen all day. It was the same cashier she had seen the last time she was in the store, and he was just standing in the middle of the aisle. Sunset had to jerk to a halt to miss him.
"Hey there," he said, drawing the greeting out. "If it isn't my favorite customer."
"Oh, hi." Sunset forced an innocent laugh. "Sorry, guess I wasn't really looking where I was going."
"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't mind if you did bump into me every now and again." He winked, sending chills down Sunset's spine. "Need help finding anything?"
Sunset grinned nervously. "No thanks. I think I know my way around by now." She walked past him to the soda. It seemed she wouldn't be able to get any more alcohol, but that was okay. It wasn't like she had planned on it anyway, and she was really just ready to get away from him.
"Looking for this?"
Sunset turned around to see him holding a bottle of Versant du Soleil out for her. "What? No, of course not. Don't be silly, I'm too young to drink that."
"Don't worry about it." He walked closer and tucked the wine into her purse. "It'll be our little secret."
When there wasn't a counter separating them, Sunset couldn't help but notice how much taller he was than her. She took a step away, and he took two steps closer. "I, uh... You know, I'm only twelve."
"I know that. Doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, gripping her forcefully. "You know, I have something much stronger than wine. Trust me, you'll love it."
Sunset turned to run, and found the other side of the aisle was walled off. "What gives?" he asked, walking closer. He stood in the middle of the aisle, trapping her. "I thought you liked breaking the rules?"
