Now, there were two things that a new driver typically wanted when they were going out for a fun time in their car. The first, obviously, was clear roads, so they had less to stress about. The second, good weather, while admittedly not as important, was still a nice touch to any enjoyable time out when driving. For Sunset, she was, thankfully, able to have both, but, for the time being, she stayed still in the parking lot. She had been sitting in her car for some time now, waiting for her friend to get here. Having only just gained her licence, she was, as one would expect, just a touch nervous about doing this, but, she'd committed to it, and so she was going to see it through. Thankfully, her solitude didn't last much longer, as Fluttershy now appeared in view, walking around a nearby building to be within sight of Sunset. The ex-unicorn smiled, waving to her to gain her attention, and the animal lover soon spotted her. Within moments, Fluttershy was there, opening up the passenger side of the car.
"Good afternoon, Sunset."
"And to you, Fluttershy."
Once her friend was inside, Sunset made sure to go through all the usual checks she'd memorised since the time of her test. Putting the seatbelt on? Check. Hands at nine and three? Check. Adjusting the mirror? Check. Looking at the engine light? Check. All these and about a dozen other little details passed through her mind silently, and Fluttershy smiled as she watched her go through it all. Then, after giving her first passenger a nod, she carefully started the car up, before promptly and carefully reversing out of the parking space. As already established, there were few other drivers about, so there was little cause for concern, but even so, Sunset made sure to be as steady as she could. Soon after, however, she was clear, and so, the two girls began their afternoon drive together. Sunset had an absolutely massive smile on her face as the car rolled on, and Fluttershy was quick to notice this.
"You seem to be enjoying this."
Sunset chuckled.
"Yeah, you could say that. Ever since I first discovered these things, I've been wanting to drive one. And now, I can."
Fluttershy giggled.
"I understand, I remember my first time driving. It felt so...so..."
A look of thoughtfulness came to her.
"What's the right word?"
Though she kept her eyes on the road, Sunset nevertheless smirked slightly as she answered her friend.
"Liberating?"
Fluttershy's smile widened.
"Yes, that’s the word!"
The two shared a laugh, and moments after, the car slowed down, for they had just reached a set of traffic lights. Now, given the emptiness of the road today, the lights going red was largely automated, since there weren't actually any cars that needed to be given way. Naturally, this was somewhat irksome for Sunset, but, to her credit, she kept calm all the same. And, in that moment, she briefly glanced over to Fluttershy, before returning her gaze to the road ahead.
"I'm curious...how'd you pick up rhyming to learn driving?”
Realising what she'd said, another laugh escaped her.
"Well, guess I'm still doing it myself."
Fluttershy took a brief moment of amusement herself at that, before then starting to explain matters.
"Well, when I was very young, we had this nurse, Zecora, working at our school. She always used to talk in rhymes to help little kids like us to remember proper hygiene. I guess it sort of stuck with me."
After she'd said that, the light turned green, and Sunset resumed her drive, continuing to go carefully all the same. Once on the other side of the crossroads, Fluttershy kept on speaking.
"Ever since then, I suppose I've always used rhymes whenever I needed to help myself learn something. School tests, my driving exam, you name it."
Nodding, Sunset replied to that.
"Well, I can safely say it helped me a great deal."
Then, curiosity came to her yet again.
"Say...have you ever had to teach anyone else with that technique?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Yes...Rainbow."
Though briefly surprised, Sunset nevertheless kept her eyes forward as she responded to that.
"Oh?"
Through her peripheral vision, she could see Fluttershy nodding.
"When she and I were younger, I think around the time we first came to Canterlot High, she had some difficulty in learning for the tests we were given."
Sunset's expression softened.
"...Really?"
Fluttershy sighed.
"Oh, yes. She got a lot better, but she truly did struggle back then."
Her smile returned moments afterwards.
"We'd known each other our whole lives, so when she started having a hard time with it, she talked to me. It was then that I thought about the rhymes Miss Zecora used. So, I offered to help."
She clapped her hands together briefly.
"After that, she got a lot better!"
Sunset gave a smile herself.
"That's good to know. And you know, you were really good at..."
But, in that moment, she was kept from saying anything further. For as they approached another crossroads, a green light giving them right of way, a bright red car suddenly screeched around the corner, heading for the lane right next to them. It was going so fast, and turning so sharply, that it almost grazed the side of their car. Immediately, Sunset pressed down on the brakes, stopping them just in time to avoid actually getting hit by the other driver. Instead, the other car continued to speed on, back down the road Sunset and Fluttershy had just come from. The two girls took a moment to recover from this shock, with Fluttershy especially seeming utterly paralysed, panting heavily. Sunset, who was quicker recovering, soon broke out into a look of justified anger.
"Who...who...who does that guy think he is?!"
Having calmed herself down somewhat, Fluttershy looked to her friend.
"I...I think that was the same driver who darted past us back during the car wash."
Sunset's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I am so gonna...!"
But, a gentle touch on her arm caused her to turn, and she looked on as Fluttershy gave her a reassuring look.
"It's okay, Sunset."
Sunset opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped again as Fluttershy looked behind, prompting her to do the same, There, she could see that, by some miracle, the other driver had been stopped. A police car had pulled them over, lights flashing, and as soon as she saw this, Sunset broke into a smile.
"Well...that puts an end to their little race."
Giggling, Fluttershy looked to her friend.
"Remember, always keep cool behind the wheel, unless you really want to reel."
Raising an eyebrow, Sunset couldn't help but chuckle.
"Like I was going to say...you're a pretty good teacher, Fluttershy."
A blush came to Fluttershy's cheeks.
"I try."
Leaning over, she placed a hand upon Sunset’s shoulder.
“And you have been a very good driver. I can’t think of s single thing you’ve done here that I think was in any way badly done.”
A brief look of pride crossed Sunset’s face after that.
“Well...like I said...I had a good teacher.”
The two girls once more shared a laugh together, and shortly afterwards, when the lights of the crossroad yet again tuned green, they headed off, the speeder behind them growing smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror. Eventually, they once more found themselves upon long and empty stretches of road through the town, and an air of calm and relaxation hung over them as a result. With a wide smile on her face, Sunset spoke as before, her tone tinted with curiosity.
“So...have you ever taught Rainbow how to drive?”
Though Fluttershy too smiled, it was, it had to be said, a slightly nervous one.
“Yes, though it took a while to convince her to go along with my help.”
Sunset seemed confused by that.
“Really? I thought she’d have been fine with you helping her.”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Oh, it wasn’t the fact that I was helping her. It was...well...”
She let out a long sigh.
“...it was the fact that my car is pink and covered in flowers. She only came after I agreed to let her put a bag on her head while she was practicing in it.”
Sunset stifled a laugh.
“Ah...understood.”
