//------------------------------// // Beat the Heat // Story: A Friend from the Stars // by AntiBronyBenSwolo //------------------------------// The summertime heat scorched the land as Cosmica's knees grew weak and found herself gasping for air. She took occasional trips from her ship to Ponyville in order to visit her new friend, or possibly even make new ones, but they were never this hot until now. It almost as if the planet fell out of orbit and was headed straight for the Sun. It was at this moment Cosmica slowly started to actually regret giving up her spacesuit, as it would have kept her cool in this boiling time. Over the course of the trip, Cosmica slowly lost track of the time as she made it at the edge of town, where she said she'd meet up with Rarity. As she reminded herself of the layout of the town and remembered where Rarity's Carousel Boutique was, she headed over there and promptly knocked on the door, completely tuckered out from the trip. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique. What can I--?" Rarity greeted before she gasped at the ghastly sight of Cosmica's slowly dehydrating body. "Hey...Rarity..." Cosmica said in between pants, trying to look as if it was no big deal. "Oh Cosmica, you poor thing. Come inside, and I'll patch you right up," Rarity offered as Cosmica let herself in and collapsed at the cool mercy of Rarity's air conditioning. With Cosmica able to relax, Rarity headed over to her fridge where she made herself and Cosmica a glass of lemonade. "Seems the heat's been getting to you, huh darling?" Rarity asked as Cosmica headed over and drank the lemonade in one go. Cosmica gasped at the fine refreshment, satisfied at her friend's gift. "No. what makes you say that?" Cosmica joked as Rarity snickered at her remark. "But seriously though, this heatwave really is getting to all of us," Rarity commented, fanning herself with her one of her hat. "I thought it was just me. And since your planet has less water than mine, we have no choice but to suffer in the heat," Cosmica complained, as she tried to mimic Rarity's fanning method, only to look awkward in the process, "I see now. Well, I was gonna see if I could design some fashionable space-themed dresses for you when you got here, but I don't want you to suffer from the weather too much. So, how about we spend some time at the beach instead?" Rarity asked as Cosmica nodded at the idea. Rarity packed sunscreen, towels, sunglasses, a good book or two, and one of her prize-winning swimsuits, and then looked as Cosmica, aimlessly examining Rarity's best dresses. "Darling, Is it OK if I make you a swimsuit right now before we go?" Rarity asked, throwing Cosmica off guard. "I...huh?" Cosmica asked as Rarity got out her tape measure and examined Cosmica thoroughly, and then jotted Cosmica's measurements in a notebook for future reference. "Well, it's only right, since we are gonna go swimming after all," Rarity explained as Cosmica's face beamed up with happiness. "We're going swimming?" Cosmica asked excitedly as Rarity was taken aback by this. "Well...yes. Why else would we go to the beach?" Rarity asked as Cosmica re-thought the conversation in her head. "OH! Yeah, I forgot your language's definition of 'beach' and thought you meant something completely different," Cosmica chuckled as Rarity went over to find the finest clothes she could find. "Also, if it's alright with you, I'd like to borrow one of your swimsuits," Cosmica thought over, hesitant about borrowing something that she didn't quite know about. "But I insist, Darling. All my swimsuits are purple and glittery, and I don't think that's your style," Rarity explained as Cosmica blushed about having clothes specifically tailored to her that isn't her spacesuit. "Now tell me, darling, what's your favorite color?" Rarity asked as Cosmica was flustered at such a ridiculous question. "I...uhhh...green?" Cosmica asked as Rarity compared one of her green cloths to Cosmica's skin. "Mmmm...I don't think we want green on green. Too monochromatic," Rarity said as she compared other colors to Cosmica's skin. "Mono-what?" Cosmica asked as Rarity paused at a maroon sheet. "It means only one color, darling." Rarity explained as Cosmica sat quietly while Rarity was busy designing the best swimsuit for her. It would go on for a few minutes until Cosmica had to speak her mind. "Really, Rarity, you don't have to design a new swimsuit for me. My body is perfectly waterproof on its own and--" Cosmica tried to counter until Rarity had an epiphany. Rarity promptly shushed as she got her black cloth, paired it with some magenta cloth, and compared it to Cosmica's bright green skin. "Eureka!" Rarity proclaimed as she got the black and magenta cloths and began to make a space-themed swimsuit with haste. Cosmica was confused by Rarity's exclamation. "Rarity, I'm pretty sure I showered before I got here," Cosmica said, as Rarity cut the pieces up and sewed them in a new form and added a dash of night-time beauty to resemble the night sky. "Darling, I wasn't saying 'You Reek'! I was saying lightning just struck my brain," Rarity explained as she was adding some final touches with a few green ribbons. "That must hurt," Cosmica commented as Rarity was finally done her latest creation. It came in two pieces that were designed to cover the top and lower half of Cosmica's body. "Now, I don't want to spoil the surprise, so how about you put this magnum opus on when we get there?" Rarity said, packing the newly designed swimsuit in with everything else. Cosmica just shrugged before she caught up to Rarity's side. As they headed out the door, the two mares headed 15 clicks north of the Boutique and 30 clicks just outside of town. Cosmica felt her body begin to tire again, but it wasn't that long of a walk compared to the one before. As they made it to their destination, the two ladies were met with the golden sands touching the crystal waves, populated by thousands of fun-loving ponies. "Cosmica, welcome to Hoofton Bay," Rarity introduced as Cosmica marveled at such a beautiful spectacle. "I mean...we have tones of beaches back home, but none of them was anything like this. Maybe it was the Sea monsters that didn't let us dive right on in," Cosmica pondered as the two found their spot on the beach. "Well, we have plenty of sea monsters here, but they barely attack beautiful beaches like this one, so you should be fine. Besides, you're friends with the Elements of Harmony now," Rarity said reassuringly, as she placed her towel and another one for Cosmica. As Rarity got herself ready and helped Cosmica get ready by pitching the umbrellas and applying sunscreen, she handed Cosmica her swimsuit. "You might want to go into the little mare's room so nopony catches you changing," Rarity advised she led Cosmica to a large tent labeled "Mares", though Cosmica couldn't tell because, although she could speak pony very fluently, she could not read and write it. Although, she took Rarity's word for it and headed into the empty tent with the swimsuit in hoof. Rarity then headed back over to her spot on the beach and read a sappy, trashy novel about a Mad Scientist falling in love with a Vampire, which almost brought a tear to her eye. Cosmica finally finished herself up and unveiled herself to Hoofington Bay. The Black-and-Magenta style gave Cosmica a very beautiful aesthetic that reminded oneself of the night sky. A large, transparent Magenta skirt that was tied to Cosmica's waist made her look almost like an angel of the night. Cosmica, however, did not see the appeal Rarity was going for and felt so embarrassed by wearing something so lightweight. Cosmica headed back over to Rarity, sitting quietly while reading her book until Rarity got one good look at Cosmica's swimsuit and was simply stunned. "Oh my, I've done it again," Rarity said, complimenting her own work. Cosmica wasn't sure she was gonna get used to this kind of praise and just ignored it, hoping everyone else would just ignore her. Unfortunately, fate would have other plans, "Hey Rarity," A high pitched squeak called out as Rarity and Cosmica turned their attention to three small fillies, one of which looked familiar. "Hello Sweetie Belle," Rarity greeted as she got back to her book. "Is this the alien we've been hearing so much about?" the filly behind Sweetie Belle asked, as Rarity just nodded. "Howdy, Cosmica. Good ta see ya again," The familiar-looking filly greeted as Cosmica finally recognized her. "Apple Bloom? I didn't think you'd be one for swimming," Cosmica said as the three fillies chuckled. "Well, it's mah day off on the farm, so the Cutie Mark Crusaders and I decided to take a stroll on the beach," Applebloom explained as Cosmica sighed at the repetition of a word she kept hearing ever since she ended up in Ponyville. "You have an entire crusade dedicated to these Cutie Marks?" Cosmica asked as Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, we basically help people find their special talents, which is our special talent," The third filly explained, getting into Cosmica's personal space a bit before backing up. "Wait, who are you again?" Cosmica asked the third filly as Applebloom chuckled. "Right, so this right here with the tiny wings is Scootalo, and the one that looks like Rarity is Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom introduced. "So...I take it you three are gonna help me find my cutie mark? Whether or not my species is even capable of one or not?" Cosmica asked as the Cutie Mark Crusaders glanced at each other with glee. "That sounds about right," Cosmica replied, as she lied back down on the beach. "She'll let you girls know when she needs your help," Rarity explained as Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootalo promptly left Rarity and Cosmica by themselves to relax in the warm embrace of the sun. Although that proved more dangerous than expected as the Sun was practically frying Cosmica's skin like an egg to the point one could even see her skin change to a red-ish color, while Rarity remained unaffected. Cosmica had no idea why she was sitting here, other than to follow Rarity's example when she saw so many ponies messing around in the water no problem. "Alright, screw this," Cosmica blurted out as she got up from her seat and bolted into the water, while Rarity examined Cosmica's sprint in surprise. "I never thought I would ever hear a space alien say 'screw it'," Rarity commented as Cosmica dived headfirst into the water. The cold, blue waves rubbed against Cosmica's body, nourishing it with its sharp touch. Cosmica swam freely and examined all that she could inside the blue oceans without going too far out into the beach. She may have even seen a fish or two playing around with her. After she was done playing around in the water like a child, Cosmica got up out of the water, where she found everypony had left except for Rarity. "You must really like the water, huh?" Rarity asked, as she handed Cosmica the basked full of their stuff. "What can I say? This is what I came here for," Cosmica said as the two girls chuckled and headed back home for some more lemonade.