Sunny liked to go camping and hiking. She got it from her dad who had often taken her out to the forests and hills around Maretime Bay. She had kept going after he passed, but less often. It wasn't the same going by herself. Getting away from the crowds was one thing, from everypony another. And then one day she had friends. New friends. Not only did she get to share nature with another pony again, but now she was the guide, she got to show them. And that was wonderful.
She loved all her friends. Hitch was as reliable as he had ever been, and Zipp and Pipp made her feel like she was their sister too. Buut, if she was being totally honest, she did have a favorite, and that was Izzy. There was something special about that mare. Certainly her life could be divided into "before Izzy" and "After Izzy" for so many different reasons.
So Sunny was very excited to take Izzy out to one of her favorite places. Izzy was too. "I'm so excited! I can't wait to get to where ever it is we're going!" Izzy pranced around the living room of the Brighthouse.
"Cuddle Cliff," Sunny said.
"Awwww. That's the most adorable name ever!"
Sunny blushed a little. "Thanks. I, uh, named it myself when I was a filly." She took a map out from her packed saddlebag and unfolded it. She pointed to the spot on the coastline where her dad had penciled it in.
Izzy nodded sagely. "Looks official to me."
Sunny refolded the map and put it back in her bag alongside the compass. There was also a rain poncho, blanket, box of matches, water bottle, bundle of sandwiches, and numerous other camping supplies. Theoretically Izzy's bags had just as many supplies, but Sunny had only managed to make sure she had bedding and water before the rest of the space got taken up with tools and art supplies. Such was Izzy.
It really did feel like old times as they trotted down the road, in a number of ways. Sunny reminisced about both the impromptu camping trip that had happened when they first met, as well as her own first trip to the cliff. They walked past the outskirts of the Bay, past the farms and orchards, leaving the road and turning north.
Izzy oohed and aahed at everything, even perfectly ordinary flowers. Sunny giggled. She was right though, everything was beautiful, so why not show appreciation for it? Sunny on her own would have kept going without stopping until lunch, but with Izzy? Why not stop for a bit and pit flowers in each other's manes? She gathered a bunch of bright white daisies that were like stars in Izzy's mane. Izzy returned the favor with some buttercups. Feeling the magic tousle her mane was such a simple thing these days, but she remembered when she could only dream of it. It was nice.
They set off again with their new accessories. This was something that she couldn't have done with Hitch. He didn't understand what it was like to feel pretty.
Sunny didn't quite remember the way to get to the place—it had been a while. But she remembered the general direction just fine, and they could use the map when they got close. For the moment it was fun to just wander, trusting they would get to where they needed to be in the end. She had her hooves, she had the map and supplies, and she had her friend. What more could she need?
The signal bars on their phones steadily vanished and had disappeared completely when they reached the trees. It was not an overly warm day, but the verdant shade was still welcome. There wasn't exactly a path through the forest, but there was a sort of way, gaps in the brush that led them from clearing to clearing. They weren't helpless either. At one point a fallen tree lay in front of them. It would have been easy enough to go around, but both mares agreed that that just felt like the right way somehow, that exact stretch of dirt. Forests are funny places like that. Or perhaps Izzy just wanted to show off a bit. She wasn't really a show-offy mares, but she did like to share her talents. Sunny was just spitballing ideas really, as she watched Izzy light up her horn and lift the trunk. She was happy to appreciate those talents that was for sure. That "tada!" was a wonderful thing to hear and the accompanying grin a wonderful thing to see.
Izzy was more fascinated with the forest than she would have expected, since she grew up in one and all. As they talked she learned that Bridlewood was a very different kind of forest than the one around the Bay. One that was not so kindly to casual hiking and camping. Izzy had never even been camping Before. Sunny's pride at being her guide grew even more.
Sunny looked around, trying to see everything for the first time again. It was wondrous. Bright and green and just waiting to be explored.
She had a sudden thought inspired by the log. Her Earth pony magic was good for growing plants, but could it clear them away too? Could she magic up a trail for them? It was worth a shot. She told Izzy to hold still and planted her hooves in the soil. The magic started to flow out and around her. For lack of a better idea of how to direct it she just stared straight ahead and willed a space to appear between too bushes. She constantly had to remind herself that literally nopony knew just how this magic worked, so it was okay if she was uncertain. It helped that the only other pony around was Izzy, who was certainly not going to judge her. Who was cheering her on in fact.
The bushes rustled, shook. Sunny could feel something flowing; energy erupted from the ground at the base of the bushes, pushing them apart. There was a flash that dazzled their eyes, and when the spot had cleared from their vision—a new bush had appeared, pushing the other two aside. Sunny stared at it for a few long seconds. The spell of disappointment was broken as Izzy burst out laughing. Sunny joined her. It may not have been what she wanted, but the new bush was pretty. It didn't feel like a failure, nothing did with Izzy around.
They went around the bush and on their way. Sunny might not have been able to see other ponies' sparkles, but she could still tell Izzy's was getting brighter as they wandered among taller and taller trees. Izzy said it reminded her of Bridlewood. For a moment Sunny wished she had been born in Bridlewood. She understood loving the forest, there was something about it that was good for your heart. Making it home would be wonderful. Not to mention the thought of growing up with Izzy. Both mares agreed that they would have been best friends even as fillies. There were so many times she could have used company like that. Izzy didn't say it outright, but Sunny could tell the same was true of her. Probably even more so. The important thing was that they had each other now. They walked together through the forest and they were not lonely.
The path began to climb, they crossed mounds, then hills, sloping slowly upward. They weren't climbing a mountain, but it was enough steepness to be noticeable. The time came at last for the map. Sunny pointed out some landmarks on the paper and tasked Izzy with keeping an eye out for them.
The sun started to get low in the sky, and they began to look for a spot to camp. They found a good flat place near a creek. It was a relief to finally sit down and shed the heavy saddlebags that had weighed them down the whole time. Then Sunny learned that she never wanted to pitch a tent without a unicorn again. Magic made it so easy. She gave Izzy a hug in appreciation.
There's nothing like sitting by a campfire with your best friend. Sunny relished the warmth emanating from it, and the flickering light dancing playfully across Izzy's face.
"Do you think there are bears around here?" Izzy said.
Well maybe that wasn't such a cozy thought. Fortunately the answer was no, but before she could say that—
"What kind of bear would you want to be eaten by?"
Sunny fell over laughing. That was so wonderfully Izzy. You never knew just what to expect, only that it would be something wildly creative.
They'd talked all day on the way there and they kept talking all evening. Sunny still had so much to say, and hearing the sound of Izzy's voice was something she didn't think she could ever get tired of. There was so much energy and joy in it. They spent a long time looking up at the stars. Unicorns and Earth ponies had different names for the constellations. That was interesting to learn. Every day she learned something new from Izzy.
Mornings camping were always hard. You couldn't very well make a smoothie out in the woods; Sunny had tried. But you could make coffee, so at least there was that. Once again, Izzy's magic made dealing with the tent a breeze. There was a little bit of grumpiness. Sunny was solidly a morning pony, but you never knew with Izzy. Some days she was up at the crack of dawn full of energy, and others it took a good long while for her to wake up. Sunny had to keep her from dozing off on her hooves as they set out. That was nothing new. Sunny had known Izzy long enough to be sure she would only be like that an hour tops.
Their route had taken them in a big arc, and now they were heading back towards the coast. They heard seabirds overhead now and then that joined in with the other birds that had been chirping the whole time. There was a hint of salt in the breeze now.
Izzy had perked up a little by then, but she was still acting... off, though Sunny couldn't place exactly how. She wasn't grumpy or grouchy or unfriendly at all, but the spring in her step wasn't quite there. She was always about to say something, it seemed, but whatever comments she made or answers she gave, none were it.
They fell into silence. Noon came and passed, but their destination was close enough that they held off on lunch until they got there. Their stomachs were just starting to growl when they saw the trees thin out in the distance.
Yes, the view from the Brighthouse was already spectacular, but it also got plain after a while. Things don't seem as special when you see them while you're brushing your teeth every morning. They had earned this view. The presentation was better: emerging from the forest onto a grassy bluff, and there was the sea below, there were towers of rock standing out among the waves, the salt breeze in their faces, the anticipation of the sandwiches in their bags.
They spread a blanket and laid down for a picnic. Sunny still remembered the first time her dad had brought here there. She'd made the same kind of sandwiches that he had packed for that trip. She made them every time she came to this place. She felt the same way she did that first time. That same awe and feeling of discovery. She looked at Izzy who was staring out to sea, taking in the view for the very first time. Is this how he had felt bringing her there for the first time?
She loved Izzy. Izzy was smiling and it struck her that it was a very pretty smile.
Izzy was quiet for an unusually long time. Sunny didn't bother her. They just sat together vibing for a while. They leaned against each other.
"Thanks," Izzy said. "This is great."
"It's my pleasure. I'm just happy to be able to share this with you."
"I don't mean just for this." Izzy's voice was quiet and calm. It was easy to forget it could be. "I mean for everything. For being my friend."
"Of course. I'm really glad you're my friend too." Sunny didn't want to ruin such a pleasant moment, but there was something going on, and they were face to face at that moment. "Hey Izzy, I just wanted to ask. You seem distant. Is everything alright?"
Izzy hesitated the same way she had all morning. Her energy finally seemed to hit a limit as she gathered all of it to say... something. "This is such a beautiful place. Thank you so much for taking me here. Thank you for being my friend. Pipp is going to be so jealous she didn't get a selfie with this view." She said a lot of little things, but none of them were the Thing she had to say. They were just words she had to get out of the way first. "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me, you know?"
Sunny was going to agree, but Izzy wasn't done talking.
Izzy looked at her, looked into her. What did her sparkle look like right now, Sunny wondered. "You're really great, and pretty, and I think I like you, like like you."
Sunny was almost dizzy. Emotions flooded through her too fast to name. "I spent a long time wondering what it would be like for somepony to say something like that to me. Hitch was never that kind of friend. I still don't really know what to do. But. What I do know is that you are the most wonderful pony I've ever met, and if you feel that way about me, then I like you too. I love you."
Izzy squealed. They brought their cheeks together and nuzzled each other. A breeze began to blow. It made the water down below shimmer and ripple, and sparkle. It was a warm breeze, and Izzy's cheek was warm, and the branches of the trees were rustling behind them, and it was a perfect day. "Well, I think this is a pretty good first date even if we didn't plan it that way," Sunny said.
"I think so too." Izzy grabbed an adorably tiny canvas from her bag and a few tubes of paint. Sunny grinned. Sometimes exciting things had Izzy bouncing off the walls, sometimes they just made her make something. It was so impressive that she could create art so easily—there was only so much you could express with a smoothie. Izzy didn't paint anything specific, just swirls of purple and orange, and a few miscellaneous dots and dashes, and yet somehow the moment they were sharing was in it. Sunny couldn't describe how, but she could feel it in her heart.
She decided to make her own picture. She took the map out of her own bag and carefully drew a little easel with a heart on it next to the label "Cuddle Cliff". She didn't know where they were going next, but at least they had a map of how they got there.