//------------------------------// // Shadowbolt Surfing // Story: Princess Twilight Meets New Friends // by Lonely Fanboy48 //------------------------------// Princess Twilight returned to the Shadowbolts spot on the beach. Through the short time with them, she slowly started learning more and more. “So, I want to know: are you friends with my friends in this world?” Twilight asked. “Mostly. But, once we’re on the field of competition, the gloves come off,” Indigo said. “But, don’t worry. You won’t be playing against us just yet,” Lemon replied. “Well, you guys look tough, so that’s nice to know,” Twilight giggled. She remembered what activity was laid out for her. “So, it’s my first time surfing, and I want to know how it works.” “And Sour Sweet is here to show you how!” Sour said, as she swept a long surfboard underneath Twilight’s feet, making her fall face first onto the board. “First, you want to start with a longboard, since it’s the easiest board to work with. And since you’re already in position, I’ll tell you about how to get started.” “Huh?” Twilight said, as Sour laid out her surfboard next to Twilight, and laid face down on it. “This is how you should be laying before the waves come. But then, you have to stand up. And that comes like this.” Twilight watched as Sour explained. “You raise your back like this. And plant your toes on board, then jump to your feet.” In one fluid motion, Sour jumped to her feet. “Any questions?” “Just one: does it matter which foot I lead with when I stand up?” Twilight asked. “Not really. You just need to lead with whichever foot feels comfortable,” Indigo said, as she laid down on her board on Twilight’s other side. “Now, let’s start practicing standing up.” From her seat, Juniper watched Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap and Twilight Sparkle all practice standing up quickly on their surfboards as she applied her sunscreen. “Look at them out there. They’re hoarding the princess all to themselves,” Juniper said. “They’re just happy to meet her is all,” Wallflower said. “But, doesn’t she know what the Shadowbolts tried doing before?” Juniper said. “I think we’ll be alright. After all, we weren’t exactly friendly to our Twilight at first,” Wallflower said. “I guess that’s true. But still, if anything goes wrong we should get Timber.” After practicing their drills to stand on their boards, Sour and Indigo helped Twilight up from the ground. “So, feel ready to hit the waves?” Indigo asked. “I think so?” Twilight said. “Is getting up on the water different than getting up on land?” “Totally. It’s like trying to stand up in an oil slick. But, if your board’s waxed up properly, you shouldn’t have much of a problem. Speaking of,” Indigo said, before quickly applying wax to her surfboard. Once the boards were all adequately waxed, it was time to paddle out to the water. The three girls all paddled on their boards to the water, until Indigo and Sour stopped. Twilight followed suit, and observed the area around herself. “So, what happens now?” Twilight said. “Now,” Indigo said, as she reached over and turned the front of Twilight’s board to face the shore. After her, Sour quickly placed her hands on Twilight’s shoulders, and pulled her to the rear of her board. On either side of Twilight, the other girls took the same position. “Now, we wait. Oh, and one more thing: you’re going to have to get kind of a feel for the wave you’re riding,” Indigo said. “Get what?” The water around them started to swell. “No time to explain that. Get ready,” Sour said, as she and Indigo started paddling forward. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked. “Start paddling, or you’ll miss the tide!” Twilight quickly started paddling to catch up with the others. Soon, she felt the water rising beneath her, as the wave crested behind them all. “Now’s a good time to practice standing up again,” Indigo quickly said, as she raised her chest from her board. Twilight quickly emulated the movement, just as she had been practicing, planted her toes on the board, and quickly sprang to her feet. Almost too quickly. For her hasty movement, Twilight started wobbling atop her surfboard. She tried calling to her friends to help, but they were already riding the wave like pros. “Ohhh! I’m going to drown out here!” Twilight thought to herself. The wave beneath carried her across its length, as she wobbled out of control atop her board. Slowly, she started to gain her balance, and saw the shoreline zipping by at an incredible speed. It was almost like flying for her, but at the same time it was a whole new experience. Momentarily, Twilight started to laugh. She was doing it. She was surfing. And then she overbalanced and wiped out. From his lifeguard tower, Timber had been watching Twilight surf, knowing she was an amateur. The very second he saw her fall, jumped to the ground and rushed to the surf. “Hang on, Twilight! I’m a-comin’!!” he shouted to the visiting princess. Valiantly, he swam out to sea to the distressed surfer, and put his arms around her. “Don’t worry, Twilight! I’ve got you! You’re safe now!” he gallantly declared. “Timber!” Twilight said. “Don’t thank me just yet! We still have to get to shore!” “Then, why don’t we just walk there? The water’s only waist deep.” “Huh?” Timber slowly put his feet below the surface of the water, and found his feet touching the bottom in less than a second. A brief look, and he saw the water only barely reached up to their chests. “Oh. Would you look at that,” Timber said. “I appreciate your effort. But, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine out here. I’ve got all my new friends looking out for me. Even if some of them are a little overzealous,” Twilight chuckled. In spite of the awkward situation, Timber too managed to laugh. Not a polite, forced laugh, but a genuine one. Sure, she wasn’t his Twilight, but she was just as much fun and delightful as she was. Truly, she was the best kind of friend. “Alright. Let’s get back to shore,” Timber said. He and Twilight swam back without incident. Waiting for them on the shore were Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap. “Did you see that wipeout! That was awesome!” Indigo said. “Don’t just focus on that, Indigo. What about her riding that wave? She was up! She was down! She did way better than any first timer I ever saw!” Sour said. “Until the wipeout!” “You’re the worst, Indigo. You know that?” Timber glanced over to Twilight, and saw her stifling a giggle. She was clearly enjoying herself, and the day had hardly begun. A thought occurred to him. He thought of a place very special to himself, and thought Twilight may too find it enthralling. “Hey, how about we take you to Camp Everfree? I bet you’ll find there’s a lot of things to do there that don’t involve almost drowning,” Timber suggested. “Or melodramatic lifeguards,” Twilight said. Timber grinned sheepishly, as his face reddened. “But, sure. I think I’d like to see as much of this place as I can after all,” Twilight said. “Alright. Let’s go get my sister, and we’ll be off.” After retrieving Gloriosa from her sunbathing spot, they all loaded into Timber’s car and drove off to their destination. Indigo and Sour exchanged a glance. They already knew what was between Timber and their Twilight, and thought they could see the same thing brewing between these two. Still, it was only a visit for a day, and they saw no harm in letting them go. And besides, Gloriosa would be there to keep anything from happening. Instead of telling the others what happened, they simply returned to surfing.