//------------------------------// // Setting Up a Base and a Race // Story: Of Hooves and History // by Ahmad J Charles //------------------------------// Back in the living room, I continued unpacking my stuff, while Sunny watched like an inquisitive kid. Nothing seemed odd as I took out my sleeping bag, GoPro kit, and other basic stuff. But everything changed when I pulled out the microscope kit and iPad. Her eyes glowed with amazement, and she rushed over, as if they were Christmas gifts. “This looks a lot like the electronic communication device Pipp uses!” she exclaimed, peering at the iPad. My eyes widened at the realization. “Wait, you have computers and networks here too?!” “Well, not in Maretime Bay for the most part. But Zephyr Heights, where my Pegasus friend Pipp lives, yeah. They have a lot of technology – big screens, a news station with a live broadcast, speakers that play music…” “Hmmm… sounds familiar.” I pressed the ON button and the tablet booted up. “Nice little logo!” “Yep. That’s the manufacturer, Apple. Named after the fruit.” I typed in a passcode and quickly skimmed through my photos, until I came to a picture of downtown New York and held up the screen to Sunny. “Does it look like this?” “Indeed, it does! Wow! It looks almost the same! What’s it called?” “Times Square, in a city called New York City. I’ve only been there once, but it was an experience I didn’t forget.” Without skipping a beat, I moved onto the Sunny FAQ. “You might wonder what I use this for. Well, a whole lot. I keep hundreds of books, maps, photos, videos, and audio recordings on here. I also write notes and hold calls, too. I’m not sure if the wireless antennas within it would work with the way Zephyr Heights’ telecom hardware is configured though.” “Maybe we can head up there and try it out sometime,” Sunny replied hopefully. “Any nice tunes you have?” “Oh yes, I… Snap.” The joy died on my lips. “I just realized I left my iPod back in the sub. It’s okay, I always keep a copy.” I opened an app and started a playlist of Caribbean calypso-style tunes. Slowly, Sunny’s head started to sway. Then her hooves started tapping. I chuckled and did an air piano gesture with my fingers. “Sounds great, doesn’t it?” “It’s so upbeat and jolly! I’m no top dancer but this is getting a lil’ groovy!” I turned the volume down, allowing us to chill for a bit and refocus. Sunny turned on the stove and made lunch – waffles with strawberry jam, cream, and berries. I blinked in awe, unsure if I’d slipped into a dream. “Let’s eat,” Sunny said, pulling up two chairs. I felt the wood creak a little as I sat, but it held firm under my weight. Unsurprisingly, there were no utensils. I rushed over to my bag and pulled out a small clear bag with a fork and spoon. “Oh! Sorry, I forgot you have hands,” Sunny looked down in embarrassment. “Ah don’t sweat it, we all forget,” I said, opening the tap and washing them down with some water. “This is a world of ponies after all.” I sat down again and took a big bite of the waffles. Haute cuisine be damned, the taste was heavenly. I squeezed my lips to stop my smile from causing the food to spill out. Sunny beamed. “Tastes good, eh?” “Good? This is outstanding! Thanks so much!” “Aww, you’re welcome, Aiden!” Sunny grinned, again with a slight blush. I had to hold back my suspicious face as I took in more forkfuls of food. I then obliged to wash the dishes, which Sunny gladly accepted. A glance out of the corner of my eye indicated she was still eyeing the iPad, so I unlocked it and opened a photo album of one of my recent adventures across a mountain range. I’d barely started work scrubbing the dishes when gasps, squeals, and “Wow!” were heard from the couch, repeating themselves often. I had a good feeling about what she was looking at. The dish rack was small, but suitable enough. Afterward I used a separate sponge to scrub the inside of the sink, ensuring there were no scuffs or dirt marks. Drying off my hands, I walked over to the couch and sat down with Sunny. Her eyes were glued to the iPad’s screen, but as she noticed me looking over, the questions came tumbling out. “This is breathtaking! Where is this? I didn’t know you could really fly!” I had to laugh at that. While it was hard to see the lines and harness in my POV videos, it still was amusing to see her thinking I had secret pegasus wings or something. I quickly swiped through more short outtake clips to a photo of me with a joyful grin standing in a field, wearing a helmet. “What the – what is that?” Sunny asked, pointing at the screen with a bewildered look. “That’s what I use to fly,” I replied proudly. “It’s called a paramotor. I have it in the sub.” “No way! Can you bring it here?!” Sunny’s eyes bulged with excitement, and for a moment I was thoroughly convinced this was a babysitting job and not moving in with a newfound friend. She really was curious and eager to learn about anything new. “It won’t be easy. But if we can get someone to help us, the task would be more manageable,” I confided. “I think Hitch wouldn’t mind once he’s off-duty, it’ll just take some…” Sunny suggested, trailing off as her eyes caught sight of the clock. “Oops. It’s almost 1 p.m. I need to dash back and continue the smoothie operations for the second half of the day. Make yourself comfortable in the other bedroom, alright?” I shut off the iPad and slid it back into the backpack, along with the other stuff. Gathering up my sleeping bag, the bag of artifacts, and my GoPro bag in my arms and by backpack over one shoulder, I headed for the stairs. Meanwhile, Sunny stuffed the fruits into her little satchel. As she headed for the door, I caught sight of her putting on some shoes with straps and… wheels? “Hey!” I called out. “Aren’t those rollerblades?” “Yeah. I love skating, it’s so fun.” No wonder why you weren’t fazed by my board, I thought. “I’ll join you. Let’s race to the town!” “You’re on!” Sunny didn’t even bother to wait. By the time I entered the spare bedroom she was already out the door, gaining a significant lead. No time to lose… I unbuckled the tent duffel straps, set down the sleeping bag and GoPro bag, towels, and backpack, neatly slid them all into a corner, then pulled out my sling bag. I stuffed the bag of raisins, bag of oats, soup can, and bars into it, zipped it shut, and ran down the stairs. Quickly, I untied my skateboard off the bicycle frame, slipped on my Vans shoes, and hit the path to town pushing. Hard. There was not much difficulty balancing; I had medium-sized wheels with a degree of softness, allowing for moderate damping of the stone path. I soon caught sight of Sunny, still well ahead. She was lighter with a shorter frame meaning better balance, but I had bigger wheels, and more mass meant I could harness gravitational pull. Three banked powerslides later and I finally caught up to Sunny, a single gradual hairpin turn behind. The rushing wind felt insanely awesome. I was flying at nearly twenty miles an hour and the urethane wheels rattled like a growling little puppy on the stone path. A quick powerslide around the turn almost led to a wipeout, but I squatted down and held on to the board. On the last downhill stretch towards the town road, I gave one hard push and let gravity do the rest. After landing on hard concrete, I gave a few more pushes. Sunny, meanwhile, was just approaching her serving stand when I smoothly zipped past, laughing and gasping. Her jaw went slack in shock. “How’d you catch up so fast?” “Physics…” I mouthed, before finally catching my breath and coasting over. “Physics. Still, you win.” She cheered with a happy air-punch. “Ask around for Peach Cobblestone, she likes cooking overall and is also the wife of a restaurant owner.” “Noted.” We exchanged a high-five and I set out to the marketplace.