March 22-23
When we finally arrived in Los Angeles, everyone was exhausted except Gusty, who was still staring out the window like a filly on Hearth's Warming. Cayenne offered to pack up her clothes, 'cause it was pretty obvious that we'd have to drag her out of her seat kicking and screaming. She just nodded, and that was that.
I wondered if she was going to run around on the platform like she had in Oakland. And I wondered if Mister Barrow and Miss Parker were any good at chasing down a unicorn. Maybe if they had a golden bridle with them.
Since I didn't really have anything to put away, I helped Cayenne pack up Gusty's stuff. Gusty hadn't been too careful with her clothes when she was unpacking her suitcase in the morning, so we had a bit of work to do, but we got it done before the train stopped, and Cayenne carried everypony's bags to the entryway, where the conductor helped us put everything on the platform. They were kind of in a hurry 'cause the train was running late.
Mister Barrow herded us all to the parking area where there was another white Econoline van waiting for us. This one had a driver already in it, so Mister Barrow didn't have to get the keys from behind the fuel door.
We were almost to the van when the front doors came open and a man and a woman got out. The woman hugged all of us, and the man did too, and then they introduced themselves as Maggie and Peter. They told us a little about themselves as they loaded the van; they were looking after Sunrise Song, who was studying at UCLA. I hoped that we'd get to meet her—I didn’t remember her from the train ride—but they said she was on a spring break trip just like we were.
They helped put all our stuff in the van, and then we climbed in. I was glad that the van was big; with the four of us and our four helpers and everyone's baggage it was pretty crowded.
I dozed on the way to the hotel, 'cause I wasn't as impressed with Los Angeles as Gusty was. There were a lot of people who were going to have to scrub muzzle-marks off windows by the time we were done with California, that was for sure.
Miss Parker shook me by the shoulder and I discovered that we were at our hotel. I hadn't thought that I'd fallen that far asleep, but I must have. I was the only one still in the van, and I yawned and went to get my saddlebags but they were gone, and she told me that the bellhop had taken them.
I followed her into the hotel and into the elevator and I was so tired that I just leaned up against her legs and let the elevator take me upstairs.
Everypony else had already settled in a bit. Well, Gusty wasn't settled; she was standing at the window and looking at a big white sign in the distance that said Hollywood. Cayenne was stretched out on the bed nearest the window, which left the other one for me and Aquamarine.
We were all going to do different things tomorrow, which would be strange. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be split up, but I really did want to go flying because I thought my wings might shrivel up and fall off if I didn't, and tomorrow was going to be my opportunity. And it wouldn't be fair for everyone else to have to come along with me. I'd been a little worried 'cause there were four of us and only two of Mister Barrow and Miss Parker, but Miss Parker was coming with me. Mister Barrow was going with Aquamarine, and I guessed that Peter and Maggie would be with Gusty and Cayenne.
Once I brushed my teeth, I went straight to bed and slept like a log.
March 23
When I woke up, Gusty was still standing at the window. She was wearing her sleeping clothes, so she must have spent at least some time in bed, unless she got dressed for sleeping and then forgot to actually sleep. I was actually starting to get a little bit worried about her; if she went too much longer without getting a proper night's sleep she was probably going to collapse on her hooves.
I still hadn't figured out what she found so exciting about California, and I was kind of afraid to ask her. One of my friends back in flight school had really, really wanted to be in the Wonderbolts and if you ever asked him about the Wonderbolts, he'd bend your ear back with stories about how great they were until you really regretted asking at all.
I waited until Aquamarine was awake, too, and then we got out of bed and took a shower together. When Cayenne woke up, the three of us managed to pry Gusty away from the window and shove her into the shower. I made coffee for her, so that it would be ready when she got out of the shower, and then after she had her coffee she started tearing through her bags until she found the perfect outfit for the day.
Even though I knew better than to ask what she was doing today, Aquamarine didn't, and she told us how she was going to see Hollywood and that she even was going to get a tour of a studio and she probably would have continued in that vein forever, but there was a knock at the door and when we opened it Maggie was standing there with a big smile on her face and she had a gray stallion beside her who seemed awfully familiar to me, but he was also wearing clothes so I couldn't see his cutie mark.
Then he introduced himself as South Pole, and that didn't really mean anything to me, but I shook his hoof politely anyway—we all did—and then Gusty gave him a great big hug and the three of them left.
When he was gone Cayenne said that he was an actor and she'd seen him in a movie but he hadn't been all that good. She told us that she'd heard that he'd come to Earth to try his luck here, and she said that her friends had taken her to see a movie he had been in but it wasn't all that good. She didn't think that the screenwriter had known what to do with him other than have him be a token unicorn character and that there had been some stuff that she thought was pretty offensive.
I was worried that she'd wind up giving a long rant against Hollywood, but she just sat in a chair and looked out the window and poured herself a cup of coffee.
Peter arrived and took her away, then a few minutes later Mister Barrow and Miss Parker came along to take us where we were going.
It was a little nerve-wracking to leave Aquamarine behind, especially since the city was so big I got disoriented really quickly. But I really liked our car: it was silver and the roof folded into the trunk and it had been so much fun to watch that I had her do it again before we got out of our parking space.
She drove me to a beach called Santa Monica Beach, and told me that I could fly to my heart's content as long as I kept it over the ocean and below five hundred feet. She pointed off to the south and said that there was a really big, important airport there and that the airplanes wouldn't know to watch out for a little pegasus.
That was okay by me; I didn't need a lecture, I needed to go flying. I could stay low and stay out of the way of big airplanes.
She got a portable icebox and a duffel bag out of the trunk and rolled them down to the beach, setting up a spot right next to a white tower that she said was a lifeguard stand. She said that she had food for us, showed me where the public bathrooms were, and said that I had to be back by four so that we would have time to eat dinner and then get on our train.
The beach was already filling up, even though it was pretty early. A couple of people came over and greeted me and I had a feeling that I was going to become a spectacle pretty quick but I knew that they couldn't follow me in the air, so I took off and flew maybe a decameter off the ground over the beach and then over the water and headed out to sea.
Once I'd gotten a little ways beyond the beach I picked up some altitude and looked around. To the south of us was a big pier with a giant ferris wheel on it, and of course Los Angeles was behind me. I could see big airplanes landing and taking off from the airport—it was a little too close for comfort, but I knew that airplanes had to go where they were assigned, and that close to the airport they wouldn't be allowed to sneak around low.
I made a bunch of broad circles over the water, maybe a mile in diameter, maybe a bit more. Down below me when I got close to the beach I saw some people on long waterboards who were riding breaking waves and that looked like it would be a lot of fun.
When I'd had my fill of flying for a bit, I went back to the beach and landed beside Miss Parker. She had taken off her clothes and was wearing swimming clothes called a bikini, which is almost like a bra and panties.
I sat down next to her and let the sun warm me up—it was a lot warmer here than it had been in Michigan or Seattle—and then played around in the surf.
I mostly dried off while I was eating lunch, and then I went back in the air again. Rather than make big loops, I flew parallel to the beach, going up and then diving down parallel to a wave. I tried to get as close to them as I could without getting wet, and I was mostly successful. Then I flew with the surfers for a while—they call themselves that because they ride the surf.
One of them said that I could use his board for a bit if I wanted to try it, and I discovered pretty quickly that riding on waves was different than riding on snow and fell off the board a lot. Still, it was a lot of fun, and I bet with practice I could get pretty good at it.
I rinsed off in the outdoor shower they had, to get all the salt out of my coat and feathers, and then walked back to the towel that Miss Parker was on and sat down beside her. I asked her if it was okay if I stretched out my wings to let them dry quicker and she said that she didn’t mind, so I laid one across her belly and let the other one drape in the sand.
I kinda dozed off, but it must not have been for too long because my wings were still damp when I woke back up. Miss Parker said that it was almost time to go, especially if we wanted to get something to eat on the way back.
So I took one final flight up and down the beach, and we walked back to the car. She opened the doors and folded the top down first so that all the hot air inside it would get out, then put the portable icebox and her duffel bag in the car, and we went to a restaurant called Sugarfish and I had sushi, which is raw fish. It was really tasty, and I got all the energy back I’d spent flying.
But it took longer than we’d hoped (I’m not sure why; how long does it take to prepare raw fish?) and we had to rush a bit on the way back because we didn’t want to be late and miss our train.
As much fun as I’d had, I was looking forward to seeing my travelling companions again and finding out what they’d done for the day, so I had pretty mixed feelings when we stopped in the parking lot at the train station.
img04.deviantart.net/e04c/i/2012/112/2/f/g3_g4_sunrise_song_by_tiellanicole-d4x8w7w.jpg
Sunrise Song
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/5/51/Southpole.png
South Pole
Come on Silver, surely you've been on Earth long enough to know that when you go to the beach with a convertible the top has got to come off. I guess you've spent too much time in landlocked states.
It's hard getting people to take unicorn actors seriously.
#Oscarssohuman
I guess she's figured out some cars have the same name.
What!? No stop at Disneyland, unless the train ride going to be very short.
Wait a minute, is it? A STALLION?
Wow!
A was beggining to thin they were just a myth!
There's a really nice museum of classical art in Los Angeles.
Well, technically sushi is the rice that is usually accompanied by raw fish.
Also, I'm starting to realize the deep fascination Gusty seems to have. Going native, are we? Gonna start walking on two legs like some ape?
Hey, reference.
7226198
My guess is she's just a huge South Pole fan and it's affection by association, combined with all the usual glitter associated with Hollywood.
7226220
Or, he might be a relative. You never know, some folk keep such things as close-guarded secrets.
Se this here? This little tibit of sensate measuring unit? Details like this are one of the reasons why I love this story.
7226163 OK, nothing against the seemingly all-mares group, but indeed they seemed like a myth
Gusty continues to be adorable. And Silver continues to be a filthy tribalist.
No human, in the history of the world, had ever used the deca- prefix in describing a measure. Congratulations, Silver Glow, for breaking new ground!
Seriously, I'd be more likely to say ten meters, and I would expect a pony to think in terms of whatever system of measure they use natively.
I wonder if Gusty is a Katy Perry fan?
7226304
"Decameter" just means "10 meters". It's a SI unit, it's just using a prefix (deca-) that isn't often used in the Anglosphere.
7226445
Apparently it's in fairly common use in central Europe (sufficiently common that "deca" by itself is taken to refer to a decagram, like "kilo" by itself is taken to refer to a kilogram). I actually think that the use of the deca prefix is a nice touch--Silver probably went over one of those lists of prefixes, and nobody bothered to tell her that hecto and deca are quite uncommon (so are deci and centi, outside of liters and meters, for that matter).
7226512 I know the metric system, I'm not American!
The sensate part was a compliment for that. Ponies know their science, it seems
7226512
I'd like to see something that weighs a centigram or decigram that people use in real life - and actually, after that smartass comment, I can't think of any measure other than those three. Gram, Liter, Meter ... I can't think of any other common SI units.
EDIT: Highlighted the 'common' to indicate a commonly used measure instead of the other four SI units that aren't used in general life often.
I'm wondering the same thing. Does she dream of being a Hollywood starlet?
I wonder if she's aware that Santa Monica Beach is beachfront for Santa Monica, not LA...
Considering that there's probably a bunch of socal natives who don't know SaMo is its own city, she definitely gets a pass. SaMo is only like eight square miles, anyway.
Also, I have never been more jealous of a character. Flying out over the Santa Monica Bay...
Is decameter actually used by anyone? I've never seen it used anywhere and I use metric a lot for an American.
Personally I think LA (and cities on) are overrated. I'm a country boy and there's stuff I'd rather see more.
7219739
Me too. For me it's about stability. I'm fine standing on top of monkey bars or even the edge of a cliff on a windlesss day but the top of a ladder (or even a slightly wobbly footstool) or a cliff when it's windy and I get a bit freaked.
7226144
Consider that the closest things to the powerful personal transportation Equestria has are airships, which would all be named. Even if she intellectually knows that the names are for the car's line, not the individuals, still a hard habit to break.
Hashtagshipenthusiast
I'm assuming she's been murdered/kidnapped.
With a name like that and a career like that I can only assume what sort of actor he is.
Unicorns like shiny things... except Twilight, they would need some rare book to get her.
7226959 Twilight is still missing somewhere in the Library of Congress, I imagine.
Our
I went to Venice beach once. That's near Santa Monica correct?
7227042
Correction made, thank you!
7226113 "Hey everybody, it's our unicorn friend Steve!"
"I just got back from the racetrack, and boy am I horny!"
[Cue Laughtrack, roll credits]
7220358
Actually, the great flood (Noah's ark) created enough pressure to fossilize bones in a couple of months. They've even made a fossil in a lab in much the same way that they have now made diamonds. The theory of evolution is not the only theory out there, just the only one that a devote atheist would consider. Truly open minded atheists have even been known to become Christians when they try to prove us wrong. Obviously I'm biased too though so I can't really judge.
our hotel
It's a good thing the clean air act and various CA enhancements on top of that have come in - if Silver tried flying around LA in the 1960s or 70s, she'd either get stuck in the smog or get ill from it (well, maybe not at the beach, but generally speaking - I recall being in downtown LA in the summer of 1976 and only being able to see a few blocks, and when I went to school at Caltech in the early 80s, the freshmen often didn't realize the San Gabriel mountains were north of campus until the smog lifted in November).
7222865 I think that was just the barter part of their economy showing itself. I've been paid in fish once but that doesn't make fish currency. Not to say you're wrong, just that that episode doesn't prove it. It does prove that gems have trade value though, as does Rarity tipping with them.
Daww... Gusty really likes the sights and sounds of California. I mean, she seems to have a nearly limitless supply of energy here.
Ha ha. I can imagine the spectacle that would create.
My sympathies go towards the cleaners who have to do this on a day-to-day basis.
That would be one of a Pegasus's nightmare scenarios. Although, she still has a ways to go before muscle and bone athropying begins.
Perhaps it's for the best. We've seen in the show how neurotic unicorns can get.
Yeah, that frequently happened in the past when people of new nationalities emigrated here to America. Typically, screenwriters (or writers in general) didn't do a good job of representation. Heck, even now, there are some issues. I totally expect to happen again if aliens visit us.
Well, another great chapter focusing on Silver's explorations of California. Though, considering how enthusiastic Gusty was, I wouldn't mind a side-chapter discussing what she did in her trips.
7226144 Well, obviously--it's their family name! Like Sparkle, or Apple...
There's Rental Econoline, Work Econoline, Secondhand Econoline, and just once... a "Start, you $#!%!" Econoline.
Biscuit! You missed a golden opportunity here! With Miss Parker in a bikini and Silver being an attraction, it seems like people would have flocked to Miss Parker.
Okay, maybe not flocked, but I can see a number of curious and enterprising individuals approaching her over the day. Then Silver could have gotten a bird's eye view of some guys trying to attract the pony handler. Comparing and contrasting human versus pony male posturing around females? I'm sure Silver would have much to critique.
Also, South Pole sounds like a whole different kind of actor.
7228646
Yes, but a couple months of flood wouldn't lay down the overlapping depth of fossils people have unearthed. Nor would it have laid down some of the fossils we've found in clearly un-flooded areas unless we're still talking in geologic timeframes, or God has done some massive geologic rearranging that somehow nobody witnessed. (Like aquatic fossils coming from the heights of the Himalayas.)
no crimson skies like flying through the hollywood sign ? awwwwww
7226098
Michigan in the winter isn't a good time for convertibles, unless you're a real die-hard. (Also for the record, Michigan is hardly landlocked.)
7226113
7226144
She has, although she'll likely keep referring to some that she's known for the longest as if their model name was their name (like Focus and Cobalt).
7226148
Nope, no Disneyland this trip.
7226163
lol they're not a myth there just aren't any in Silver Glow's section of the US (except possibly some tourists here and there).
7226184
LACMA? Or a different one?
7226198
Four legs good, two legs better.
Nah, she's not going to go that native.
7226220
It's the glitter associated with Hollywood. Plus the excitement of meeting an actor.
7226275
Nope, he's not related to her at all.
7226304
7226443
Yes to both
7226445
She's had to use both, and she knows that humans in America use both, so she uses them interchangeably.
7226459
Yes, she is.
7226674
I use millimeters, kilograms, and newton-meters, and that's it for metric measurements.
7226766
Yes, she does.
7226804
It's close enough. It's nicer than Venice Beach, I've heard; plus, it's farther from LAX, which is important.
7226874
I don't think it is. I couldn't remember if it was deci- or deca- that I wanted, so I had to look it up.
Seconded. There's some neat stuff to see in cities, but I'd rather be in the country.
7226896
Also ships (which presumably are named) and locomotives (which very well might; two of the short lines I lived near named all their locomotives)
7226919
Maybe. . . .
I hadn't even considered that interpretation. In fact, South Pole is the only unicorn who is mentioned on the wiki as being a movie star, which is why I chose him.
Y'know, though, after ponies show up on earth it would only be about ten minutes before there was a porn with a pony.
7226959
"Look, Twilight, it's a rare edition of the Canterbury Tales--why don't you just come right over her and get it?"
7226995
If she's really immortal, she could spend the rest of her life absorbing all human knowledge.
7227488
It's the next beach south.
7228508
This is why I don't watch daytime TV. Or any TV, really.
7228646
My dad spent his entire career as a minister, and believed in evolution. Some branches of Christianity (and for all I know, other Abrahamic religions) believe that some of the stories in the Old Testament aren't literally true.
7228932
It would be kind of funny if she got stuck in it. And then the human helpers had to toss up a rope and pull her down.
7229773
She's mostly running on adrenaline now.
Hopefully, there aren't too many places that regularly get muzzle-marks. Although kids get their greasy hands on everything. . . .
Yeah, luckily.
They're still often not good at it. And it's usually obvious when they just threw in a token character for ratings or to make themselves feel better.
I wouldn't expect one, sorry. But the short version is that she went to Hollywood and toured a movie studio and got to meet a human movie 'star'.
7231207
I have an Impala like the last one.
7234711
Even in the bikini, beachgoers can probably tell that she's a Fed. So I don't know if they'd be trying to attract her.
He does. Maybe he is a different kind of actor: I'll leave that to your imagination.
7240587
If Gusty had wings, she'd've tried it.
7228646
You do know that Ken Ham Kent Hovind and other creationists whose name starts Ken* lie to you, ¿do not you? I recommend that you educate yourself at TalkOrigins.Org:
TalkOriginsArchive: Exploring the Creation/Evolution-Controversy
I recommend that you start at "Frequently Asked Questions About Creationism and Evolution":
Frequently Asked Questions About Creationism and Evolution
Only 3 ways exist for explaining the discrepancies between the Bible and the evidence:
* The Bible is allegorical.
* The God created the Universe recently, but made is look old (Omphalos).
* The Bible is wrong.
The last 2 options are mirror-images of each other. This video is about Omphalos:
Since we talk about lying creationists, I also link a musical video about Liars:
Liar
——
Henry Rollins
7226959
The definition of "rare book", in this case, ISN'T some obscure tome of antiquity...
"Rare book", in this context refers to any book that Twilight Sparkle simply hasn't yet read -- wow! Talk about something being mythological
Maggie: The name of one of my best friends from high school
Peter: The name of my elder brother
Maybe I should set them up on a date? I mean, if Maggie was single, so not right now.
8068771
Maybe if you do, all the events in the story will actually come to pass.