Story - Fun At The Park Isn’t Always Easy
Summary: Starlight takes Sunset at a park in Scottsdale, but they both learn that having fun is not exactly easy all the time.
At the Chaparral Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, the weather was feeling cooler and while it seems like a chilly place, it’s not exactly the same thing that can be said about Starlight Glimmer, who has taken a friend of hers for a visit in the real world, Sunset Shimmer. The two ponies are near the pond alone while only a few people are in the pond area.
“Gosh, so cool outside right now. I didn’t even grab my jacket.” Starlight Glimmer realizes that she doesn’t have any clothes around her body, much to her own shock.
“We don’t normally wear clothes.” Sunset Shimmer reminds Starlight Glimmer that not every single pony wears clothes, annoying the latter a little.
Despite the residents of Scottsdale fully dressed for the outdoors, with more people wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants to keep themselves, as well as long sweaters, Starlight Glimmer doubts that she has seen some other ponies have on some type of clothing.
“Yeah, like I never heard that line before until now.” Starlight Glimmer sarcastically laughed out loud about what Sunset Shimmer said to her over ponies not always preferring clothes.
“Now that me and you are at the park together, I suppose we should do something fun together, like play in the pond just us both, go kick some trees, or perhaps fly some kites across this pond.” Sunset Shimmer comes up with some suggestions that she and Starlight should do that might be interesting.
“Fly a kite?” Starlight Glimmer asked with a raised eyebrow, confused when Sunset mentioned the part about flying kites. “But you never even had a kite before because you’ve been in the human world much more than I have, and you want us flying kites when we don’t have any…”
Sunset Shimmer interrupted Starlight from finishing her sentence as she replied, “I know I’m not much a kite lover as much as you are, but it doesn’t mean I can’t learn how to fly one. You gotta help me practice on that.”
“Clearly I’m not sure about letting teaching you how to fly a kite, though.” Starlight told Sunset, feeling not so comfortable about helping her practice a kite.
“So what else can we do that’ll be more entertaining than kites?” Sunset asks Starlight.
Thinking for a moment, Starlight Glimmer answered with a few choices of her own: “I was deciding that we can take a walk around the park for a few minutes. That’s definitely part of exercise. Gotta try that as workout!”
Sunset Shimmer, having wide eyes on her face, responded, “Seriously? My legs may get too tired by then.”
“If you can believe in me, then maybe you won’t have any problems feeling your hooves and legs so worn out and you can feel less stress.” Starlight Glimmer gives Sunset some heads up that exercise doesn’t always kill anyone and Sunset should understand what she’s saying.
“I guess this is an okay idea, though I still see some people around this area.” Sunset nervously said, taking a look around and see people within the area she’s at.
“Don’t worry, I promise that walking together as exercise isn’t a bad thing. Trust me. I know it isn’t a bad thing. I know it’s not.” Starlight Glimmer places her hoof around Sunset’s neck, letting her know that she’s on her side and will keep her safe.
Starlight and Sunset walk together and they walk through the entire pond area and for like five minutes, they repeat it three times. Feeling themselves alright, nothing is stopping them from walking at least not yet.
“Hey, you find yourself more confident and better now that we are walking together?” Starlight asks Sunset, wondering if she is looking more happy and calm.
“Yes, pretty proud that I’m acting more brave and bold taking a walk around this area was not such a bad idea in the first place after all.” Sunset Shimmer replied and she looked like that exercise is important for all ponies, too.
Back in the same spot where they were when they first entered the area, Starlight directly looks at Sunset Shimmer, telling her with confidence, “See? I told you that walking through the park isn’t such a bad idea. Humans do this as well and it’s never too late for ponies to do the same thing.”
“I recall myself doing exercise so many times as a human in the human world of Equestria, but I never did that as a pony until this point.” Sunset claims she has done so much exercise in the past as a human, though never as a unicorn pony until today, which changed everything.
“I do gotta admit that I needed such clothes for the outdoors.” Starlight Glimmer still thought about wearing clothes for the outdoors since it’s now cool and chilly today.
“Why don’t you come up with a spell for that?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“Apparently, there aren’t any spells for me to have us put on clothes that easily, Sunset. It basically doesn’t work like that.” Starlight Glimmer reminded her friend that performing a spell where she and Sunset Shimmer can easily be wearing clothes at the right timing.
Sunset Shimmer walks closer towards the ponds, seeing if she can grab anything out of the pond to amuse herself. However, Starlight soon follows her and is suspicious of her.
“Umm, what are you doing?” Starlight Glimmer questions Sunset Shimmer, seeing the latter move her front right hoof around in the water.
“Trying to see if I can get myself some fish out the pond. A small one hopefully.” Sunset replied, still moving her hoof around in the pond to look for a small fish which she could use for something not even Starlight can determine. She kept trying, trying and trying, albeit unsuccessful and couldn’t even catch one.
Starlight Glimmer was not understanding why Sunset Shimmer is using her hooves to try and catch, which somewhat didn’t make sense to her at all.
“Shouldn’t you use a fishing rod to catch a fish?” She asks Sunset, considering that using hooves aren’t really the best situation. “You see, the truth is, people use fishing rods and that’s something way easy to do.”
“But there’s no fishing rods around this area. They haven’t left a single one out for us. So dull.” Sunset Shimmer says that she doesn’t any fishing rods in sight.
“Huh?” Starlight Glimmer wondered what Sunset Shimmer meant, only to discover that when she turned and knew Sunset was right, no fishing rod are around, which came as a shock to Starlight in the first place. “They should add some changes to rules at this park next time to the honest.”
Sunset Shimmer agrees, responding, “Yes, they really do gotta update that.”
“Wanna help me pick up some leaves from this tree?” Starlight Glimmer asks as she walks towards a tree and attempts to try and pick up some leaves.
“No, wait! You can’t do that! That wouldn’t be fair! People will get upset and someone may call the police on us if you even think about taking those leaves off the trees. Stop!” Sunset Shimmer warns Starlight Glimmer about doing something to the tree she shouldn’t be doing.
Sunset Shimmer levitated Starlight Glimmer away from the tree and brought her closer towards her.
“What? It’s not really a bad thing.” Starlight says nervously.
“Of course it is. When you take those leaves off of that tree, you would understand that someone can upset with you on that knowing that they love those leaves staying on the trees like they belong!” Sunset Shimmer told Starlight Glimmer, telling her she should just leave the trees alone. “This is so serious. I’m not joking, not even joking…”
“Humans do this, so why can’t us ponies do the same, hmm?” Starlight questions Sunset, having a nervous smile on her face. Sunset Shimmer has an annoyed expression.
“Ponies don’t have any rights to be hurting those poor leaves. They’re part of mother nature and you should let them be kept on the leaves as I said just seconds ago.” Sunset answered, reminding her again that leaves shouldn’t be taken off of the trees.
“Alright, if you say so.” Starlight Glimmer said with a neutral expression, not even smiling.
Sunset Shimmer begins performing some Taekwondo poses in front of Starlight Glimmer, startling her in the process.
“Watch where you kick those hooves! Not too close towards me!” Starlight told Sunset, as she didn’t want herself accidentally getting kick in the face by Sunset Shimmer. “This is not the time for karate!”
“Oh, I’m just trying Taekwondo. Not one pony have ever understand that in the past, and I thought I’d show you what it looks like.” Sunset said with confidence in herself.
Starlight moves herself out the way when her friend kicks her front hooves into the air, nearly hitting her chest. Narrowly escaping an unexpected attack, Starlight Glimmer was curious to know where Sunset Shimmer learned this karate stuff.
“Where did you get this from? Who taught you that anyway?” Starlight asked Sunset.
“I’ve learned this with the help from Twilight and her friends back in the human world during karate class.” Sunset Shimmer remembers doing karate in the humans, though she still doesn’t feel sure about the Taekwondo part.
“Aha. I see then.” Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes, somewhat getting the picture with whatever Sunset Shimmer was bringing up to her.
Seeing Starlight looking rather gloomy, Sunset Shimmer asked with a worried expression as she put her hoof on Starlight’s head, “Anything the matter?”
Starlight Glimmer began her reasoning, saying, “I’ve had a gut feeling that I also learned some little karate myself. Having been learning how to fight like a true pony from the first day, I’ve always found myself as a skillful unicorn as a grown mare.”
“I think you are a great pony fighter. I’m trying to improve myself as a pony fighter since I left the pony world years ago.” Sunset Shimmer said, finding herself a warrior and skilled unicorn as well.
“Why don’t we leave this park and go take part in some karate class around this city?” Sunset Shimmer suggests an idea they go leave Chaparral Park and do some karate elsewhere.
“Sure. I’m done with this park anyway. I need some more fun learning Taekwondo and not some boring chilling time at this place.” Starlight Glimmer said as she let Sunset Shimmer follow behind her as they head for a karate class somewhere in Scottsdale.
