8: Travels
Sunset had learned to drive a car once.
It was... fine.
Just fine.
Cars were perfectly Fine(tm) for status and utility, and maybe she'd want one in the future. But for now, and for her, they were they big, bulky, and impersonal.
The day she'd ridden her first motorcycle, however... well, that had been her first taste of magic that Equestria could never offer.
She couldn't weave between other cars while driving the same, or ride in lanes where they couldn't follow. She couldn't feel the near entirety of a car pressed against herself, as if it were a powerful, liberating extension of her body responding to her every move.
In a car, she couldn't find ways to drive for a half-hour, without interruptions or slowdown, as she had just now. It took ducking into a few back roads along the way, but it was the tiniest price to pay to be able to enjoy unlimited speed, unlimited wind, and unlimited zen, for as long as she wanted.
And yet, quite possibly most importantly, in a car it was impossible for her to enjoy such zen in combination with the comforting feel of the arms of a good friend wrapped around her midsection, and their body pressed close behind. It was something that she always realized she missed whenever it wasn't happening—in a car, on a bus, or even just walking down the street.
Sometimes, it was on purpose. When she needed to be alone, Sunset would simply get on her bike, alone, and drive to secluded places where she could take as much time as needed to re-center herself—if the process of getting there hadn't accomplished it already. But riding with a passenger, especially one she cared about and trusted, always brought forth both an immense amount of adrenaline and relaxation. Because, for as long as the ride lasted, that friend trusted Sunset implicitly to keep them safe, and held on as closely as possible to do so.
The feeling of having someone depend on her, while being able to be genuinely useful to them at the same time...
Sunset bit her lip as she admitted to herself that perhaps she did have a... penchant of sorts. Especially since her world's Twilight was a passenger quite often—often by Sunset's request, whenever the two wanted to go somewhere to hang out, or just needed a ride to school in a hurry.
She could only hope Twilight didn't suspect any ulterior motives.
===
The phone mounted on the front of the bike sounded that their destination was close. Sunset found a nearby public parking lot that she knew well by this point, and slowed to a stop within. She cut the engine, took off her helmet, and looked behind herself upon feeling Starlight letting go of her waist. "We're here," she said. "You doing okay back there?"
She saw Starlight take off her own helmet, and take deep breaths, getting her bearings after her very first ride. Sunset didn't blame her one bit.
"That was... intense," Starlight said amidst breathy giggles. "Seriously, everything was going by so fast—and those turns! I definitely see what Scootaloo does in these kinds of things now." She dismounted the bike first, wobbling as she touched the ground. "W-whoa! Portal, take two, here!"
Sunset dismounted quickly and braced Starlight. "Yeah, disorienting for the first few seconds. You get used to it."
Starlight regained her balance, and looked up and around herself with a gasp. Surrounding them were far taller buildings than the ones that were around them near Canterlot High—or, for that matter, likely in Equestria as well, Sunset surmised.
"We left the suburbs behind a while back," Sunset said. "Now we're in downtown Canterlot City. Follow me," she said, beckoning towards a sidewalk.
Starlight followed, continuing to look around while keeping pace beside Sunset. "This is certainly different from Equestria's Canterlot," she said, as the two walked down the sidewalk in the fading light of the late afternoon. "Way more lights, and I'm pretty sure every building here is about as tall as the Princesses' castle."
Sunset chuckled. "Yeah, it's a huge change. Blew my mind too. Even now, I haven't seen anything in both worlds quite like it. By which I mean, I used to compare this place to Equestria's Manehattan... but then I saw this world's Manehattan." She whistled. "Makes this place look like the suburbs."
"I... can't even imagine that at the moment." Starlight said. As she and Sunset weaved between other passersby on the street, Sunset proactively took her hand to make sure the both of them didn't get separated. "Whew, thanks. Even this is a lot to take in."
"I completely understand," Sunset said, as the two rounded the corner, and walked the length of a few more buildings. Sunset then stopped in front of a large, polished wooden door, sporting a faux-tree bark pattern. "Don't worry, though—we're about to take in some atmosphere that's exactly the opposite."
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I can just imagine barely hearing the muffled screams of Starlight in a motorcycle helmet.
At some point Twilight has described what flying feels like and unwittingly made Sunset want a pair of wings all over again.
Hmm, where-o-where has Sunset brought Starlight? The spa? The library? A movie? An upscale burlesque show? (sorry, not sorry)
No idea where this is going, but its fun. Please keep it coming.
Good friend times. I THINK I'm just getting my Starlight/Sunset shipping here from projected Twilight/Sunset shipping but I'm not actually sure.
They're probably at the library. Good call.
Onward!
That line works two ways
I think that we came pretty close to exploring the heart of Sunset Shimmer here: That nothing is entirely equal in her minds than being with a friend and them being with her in a trusting mutual need relationship.
Sunset never learned to drive a proper clutch and stick. That is true jinba ittai.
Of course, hardly any manufacturers offer a proper manual anymore, so fuck Mazda. I'd love to try the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, but none of the dealers have any in stock. So fuck Subaru.
Uh-huh, mm-hmm, "good friend", right, of course.
Oh, she's one of those people, huh? Ugh.