Love's a Roller Coaster Ride

by The Lord Thunder

Chapter 13

The Lazy River began at a gradual slope that dipped down into a shallow pool, allowing ponies to enter and exit. There was no current in this entrance area, so the required inner tubes were stored there. Starlight stepped into one, resting her forelegs against the top of it. Once Sunburst removed his cloak and glasses and joined her in his own inner tube, they pushed forward into the river that sparkled in the dying sunlight.

The river was narrow, no more than fifteen feet wide, and looped around in a circle. As soon as Starlight waded in, the gentle current carried her off.

“Well, this is relaxing,” Starlight said with a sigh of pleasure. It sure felt good to get off her hooves as she floated about in her inner tube. She glanced to her side to find Sunburst wince, shivering a bit. “What’s wrong, Sunburst?”

“The water’s just a bit cold, that’s all.”

“It’s not that bad, is it?” Starlight dipped her foreleg deeper to test, wrapping it in a pleasant cool. “I think it feels good.”

Starlight giggled as Sunburst backed away from a sprinkler-like apparatus that sprayed into the river. He was struggling to avoid getting any wetter than he had to. It reminded Starlight of the old days, when they played together as foals. It had been a long time since she stopped to appreciate the simpler things in life, and in being here with him, she hadn’t felt this good, this free in years. Wanting to hold onto that foalhood sense of play, Starlight pulled together a plan of action.

Up ahead, a large pipe stuck above the side of the river, continuously pouring water back in like a small waterfall. With a mischievous smile, Starlight pushed against Sunburst’s inner tube as they passed by, forcing him underneath the pipe and drenching him in the process. Sunburst let out a yelp, then spit some of the water out. Starlight couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“Starlight!” he yelled, brushing his soaked mane out of his face.

Starlight, however, only laughed harder.

“That water’s cold!”

“You-” Starlight pointed at Sunburst and gasped, for her laughing had squeezed the air from her lungs. His look of horrified disbelief and his soaked mane matted against his face were worth the price of admission by themselves! “You’re all wet!”

Sunburst shivered. “It’s not funny.”

“Did you think you weren’t going to get wet?”

“You pushed me.”

As Starlight’s laughter died out, Sunburst shook some of the water from his head, shivering again. For a moment, Starlight allowed herself to relax and enjoy floating there with the gentle current.

They drew near the same bridge the tour train crossed over. The underpass for the broke off into two sections: A clear flowing section on the right, and on the left, an artificial waterfall pouring from the bottom of the bridge. Sunburst read Starlight’s playful smirk and must have known what kind of trick she was going to pull. As soon as she put her hooves on his inner tube to force him under the waterfall, Sunburst allowed his bottom hooves to scrape against the ground to anchor himself. He grabbed Starlight’s tube and twisted, sending her right for the waterfall. He kicked his hind legs off the ground, redirecting himself towards the drier half of the underpass. Starlight shrieked as the water splashed against her head, chiling it and blurring her vision. Another waterfall on the other side of the underpass struck her shoulders as she tried to gather her bearings, beating upon her with an almost unpleasant cool.

Shivering, her wet mane matted against her face, Starlight looked for Sunburst to emerge from under the bridge.

“That was a dirty trick,” she panted when she brushed her mane out of her face and saw his orange coloration float up beside her.

“That,” Sunburst retorted, “was payback.”

Starlight shook some of the water out of her mane and shuddered. The fact that daylight--and the afternoon heat with it--was beginning to fade into the early evening didn’t help. “You’re right, that water is cold!”

“I thought you said the water was fine.”

“It was until I got drenched with it!” Starlight swung her front leg through the water, splashing Sunburst with it. He shielded his face and tried to create some distance between the two of them, but the river was too narrow for an easy escape. His inner tube bounded off the concrete edge, bouncing him back towards his assailant.

“Knock it off, Starlight!” Sunburst shouted with a chuckle, using his free hoof to splash back.

Starlight’s own offense slowed, as she had to use one leg to block Sunburst’s splashes. “No, you knock it off!” she giggled.

“You started it.”

The two laughed and splashed for a while longer until they returned to start of the river. They stepped out of their inner tubes and back onto dry land.

“Brrrr.” Starlight shivered at a breeze that chilled her soaked fur. Her horn glittered, summoning a swirling aura of magic around the two of them. There was a bright flash and then, both of them were completely dry. “Whew. That’s better.”

“Thanks, Starlight,” Sunburst said as he retrieved his cloak and glasses. “Shall we go see what else there is to do?”

***

Starlight and Sunburst walked through Corral’s of Fun’s paved paths in a random pattern, enjoying the growing lights of the park as the darkness of sunset settled in, appreciating each other’s nearness. There were all sorts of gift and vendor stands all about the park. One of the stands housed a spray paint artist who performed her work on blank hats, robes and other items to take home as souvenirs. An idea suddenly clicked in Starlight's mind, something she could get Sunburst as a gift to remember their trip by. The young mare in the stand met Starlight’s gaze with a welcoming smile, but Starlight pressed on. It shouldn’t be too difficult to surprise Sunburst, she thought. She just had to lure him to the other side of the park where his prying eyes wouldn’t see.

A large map of the park nailed to a wooden post caught Starlight’s attention. She studied it for a moment, trying to come up with the best route.

“Hmm. Let’s see. We’re right about in the middle here,” Starlight said, pointing to their location on the map.

“Hey, you’re right.” Sunburst pointed to the upper right corner of the map. “Looks like this over here is where most of the games are. Should we go check them out?”

Starlight smiled at the idea. Sunburst had just done her work for her. “Sure! Sounds like fun.”

They trotted off down the walkway that led to the gaming sector, just as the map had indicated. There were rows of game stands set up all over the area, prizes dangling about to tempt ponies into testing their skill or luck. One little colt tried to knock over a stack of milk bottles with a ball, but missed. A filly at a nearby game threw darts at a wall of balloons.

“Oh, wow. Look at all these games. I’ll bet I could take home a neat prize or two,” Sunburst mused.

“Yeah, me too!” Starlight replied. She felt a genuine desire to try her own hoof at some of the games, but her mind returned to the spray paint stand. “But first, I have to use the filly’s room again. Mind waiting here, Sunburst?”

“Sure. I’ll just check out some of the games while you’re gone.”

Starlight galloped back down the trail they’d just taken, all the way back to the souvenir stand with the spray paint artist. The young mare, who had a can of spray paint for a cutie mark, smiled at her customer and trotted up to the counter. “Hi! Can I help you?”

“Yeah, I’d like to get a robe spray painted.”

“Sure! What kind of design are you looking for?” The artist held out her hoof, indicating some of her work decorating her stand.

Starlight hesitated, running through several ideas in her mind as she looked at some of the hanging displays. One cap even had a picture of a Changeling devouring a heart, with the caption, “I’m hungry for your love!” Starlight shrugged that one off. Too much, too soon.

“I’m not sure. It’s for my friend. I’m trying to think of the perfect design for him, but nothing here’s jumping out at me.”

“Okay, how about a custom? I can draw almost anything. What does your boyfriend like?”

Starlight felt her cheeks flare up. “No, he’s not my boyfriend, he’s just-” she said, choking on a sheepish chuckle. “Well, he’s the best wizard I know, and he loves pinball. He’s really good at it.”

The painter rubbed her hoof, thinking. “Hmmmm. Pinball… wizard…” Her face lit up with sudden inspiration. “I think I’ve got just the thing! How does ‘World’s Best Pinball Wizard’ sound?”

Starlight beamed. Sunburst would love it! “That’s perfect.”

“Alright, give me ten minutes or so and I’ll have that ready for you.”

“Ten minutes, right.” Starlight nodded her confirmation, then started panning the area at the realization she really did have to use the filly’s room.

Comments

[ElAfrakao]

Yay! This is fun to read

[TasermonsPartner]

Don't worry Starlight, you've got an air-tight alibi; I've had women use the restroom for waaay longer than ten minutes, especially when there's a line. 😉

[AF FireFly]

The painter rubbed her hoof, thinking. “Hmmmm. Pinball… wizard…” Her face lit up with sudden inspiration. “I think I’ve got just the thing! How does ‘World’s Best Pinball Wizard’ sound?”

He's a pin ball wizard
There has got to be a twist
A pin ball wizard,
S'got such a supple wrist

[Yoshifan30]

The painter rubbed her hoof, thinking. “Hmmmm. Pinball… wizard…” Her face lit up with sudden inspiration. “I think I’ve got just the thing! How does ‘World’s Best Pinball Wizard’ sound?”

I see what you did there

[Yoshifan30]

It's always nice to go to the lazy river I've always liked that and it is pretty funny seen those two try to Splash each other with the water but after that it looks like they're going to the game center but it looks like Starlight is getting a gift for sunburst a Pinball Wizard that's actually pretty cool