“Sunny? I’m not too sure about this,” Hitch hesitated as his legs wobbled like a newborn foal trying to walk, even though he was sitting down. He tried to look confident and strong, even though he was having an internal panic inside.
Sunny wanted every pony to try something she always loved as a foal, besides reading and knowing about the ponies of olden times. In order for her smoothie delivery rounds to be quick so they won’t be warm when they are delivered, she would rollerskate her way around town. It was something she loved to do when she was a filly with her dad. She would wear her fake wings and horn and pretend to be the famous Princess of Friendship, flying through the sky and touching the clouds.
Now she had some ponies to share her hobby with and she wasn’t going to let that opportunity go to waste. She found some extra gear and modified the straps to fit her friends, even drilling a hole in one of the helmets for Izzy's head.
“Is the sheriff worried about his dignity and public image as a noble and brave pony of Maretime Bay?” Came the teasing question from Zipp. She was strapping on her own four skates, her helmet and leg pads already in position.
“N-no,” Hitch gulped and puffed his chest out in an attempt to be brave, “I'm just worried about the wheels against... the cobbled stone! Just the wheels on the cobbled stone. That’s all.”
“Doubt it,” Zipp countered, “I wonder if Maretime Bay’s sheriff is afraid of getting so injured, that he won’t be able to carry out his duties for tomorrow?”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
Zipp rolled her eyes and looked at her sister. Pipp already had a gear on, her mane tucked neatly under her helmet. Before putting on her skates, she snuck her phone out and took some selfies for her fellow fans.
“It will be great for my next story on Ponybook about what I did today,” Was all Pipp said before strapping into her skates.
“Don’t worry! I bet this will be tons of fun!” Izzy, being herself, was already circling the four ponies. She strapped herself in and had made it look easy as if she had been skating ever since her foal hood. Izzy was a pony full of surprises.
“Why are you so nervous anyway?” Zipp turned to the sheriff, “You and Sunny knew each other since you were foals. Did you skate together, like, all the time?”
“Hitch was too busy wanting to learn how to make pegasus traps and unicorn mind-proof helmets,” Sunny chuckled.
“True,” Hitch smiled sheepishly, “Although I must admit, I’m interested to see where this will go.”
“That’s the spirit!” Izzy encouraged, still circling the four of them. Sunny, being the most experienced, rose to her hooves and was perfectly balanced on all four hooves. Hitch rose shakily off the ground next, legs spread wide as he tried to maintain his balance. Zipp and Pipp both used their wings to balance themselves so to not fall over.
“We’re going to take this nice and easy,” Sunny smiled encouragingly at her friends, “I think of it as three simple steps in a cycle.”
She skated in front of the group for a demonstration.
“First you push yourself off with a back hoof kick-“
She used one of her hind legs to push away from the ground.
“Then you reach forward with your strongest side. For me, it’s my right side-“
She reached out her right foreleg towards the ground.
“Once you touch the ground, you pull yourself in to complete the cycle.”
With her right foreleg now touching the ground, she pulled herself in and gradually came to a stop. The rest of them, instead of Izzy who was admiring the gear, listened to every word with extreme focus.
“Now you all try it together. I won’t laugh, I promise,” Sunny said confidently as the others looked down at the ground with extreme concentration.
They all pushed with a back leg, reached forward with a stride until their front hoof touched the ground and pulled themselves back in. Sunny smiled at the group’s effort.
“Great job, every pony!" She smiled, "Now let’s roll out!”
“Wait?! Now!” Hitch shouted in shock.
“My deliveries won’t deliver themselves, you know?”
“Yes, but-“
“And I think a hooves-on experience is a perfect way for all of you to find your rhythm,” Sunny smiled slyly. The group looked at each other with nervous faces, except for Izzy, who was smiling with excitement.
“Now come on! I just received a large order of smoothies that I need to do!”
With that, she bolted down the path of her lighthouse towards the town centre. The others looked at each other, sighed, shrugged and looked down at their hooves. They all sped down the hill, trying to keep up with Sunny yet not lose their balance and fall over. Izzy was the quickest as she tried to keep up with Sunny. She would occasionally lose her balance, but she soon got into the rhythm of things and was catching up to the orange pony.
Zipp and Pipp weren’t too far behind. They were still using their wings to keep balance, but they were beginning to be used less and less as they learnt the steps and were now happily enjoying their time skating. A small sibling rivalry developed as they began speeding down the dirt path and towards the concrete and cobblestone roads of Maretime Bay.
And then there was Hitch. He got the technique under his badge, but grace and style had some room for improvement. He was the equivalent of a flamingo on ice. His front and hindlegs shook with nerves as he made his way down the winding road towards the town. To save what little dignity he had, he tried not to scream in panic.
Sunny skidded to a halt outside her stall where her cart of deliveries was waiting for her. She looked behind her to see her four friends coming down the road. Izzy skidded to a halt, finishing off with her signature ‘Ta-Da!’ and a wave of her hoof, managing to stay nicely balanced on three hooves and wheels.
“Now this is now a unicorn skates!” She cheered triumphantly.
Pipp and Zipp followed closely behind her, both with smiles on their faces as they managed to stop next to Izzy on time.
“That was so much fun!” Pipp squealed with joy.
“Definitely as fun as flying,” Zipp flexed her wings and legs. It was then that Sunny noticed some stallion was missing.
“Wait, where’s Hitch?” Sunny asked. Zipp and her sister turned around to find that their friend was missing. It was a loud stallion’s scream from on top of the hill that alerted the four mares that some pony was coming towards them. They looked up and their eyes widened at the sight coming towards them.
Hitch had his legs scrambling around at every angle as he raced towards the group, kicking up a cloud of dust from behind him. He had long forgotten not to scream and was now howling in terror as the town approached him.
“Pull to break! Pull to break!” Sunny tried to get his attention, but panic flooded Hitch’s mind.
“Oh, my stars! Every pony take cover!”
Zipp and Pipp spread their wings and quickly took to the air while Izzy and Sunny took a step back, just in time as Hitch zoomed past them. He only managed to stop when his front hoof caught the other, causing him to fall forward. A bush broke his fall and prevented him from hitting the cobbled stone with full force. The four of them raced to see if their friend was okay.
“Hitch?” Zipp tried to hide her laughter, “You okay, Sheriff?”
“…No,” Came the muffled response from the bush. Hitch’s hindlegs was the only thing pointing out.
“Oh dear,” Sunny gasped, “What have you hurt?”
“My pride…” Hitch grumbled from underneath the greenery.
That set every pony off and all four mares burst into a fit of giggles. Izzy used her magic to levitate Hitch out of the bush and Sunny dusted her friend off.
“Now I regret you not teaching me how to do this when we were foals,” Hitch moaned as he shook his head to clear his mane of any dirt, “Seriously, these need a license or something.”
“Cheer up, Sheriff,” Sunny nudged her friend in a comforting manner, “Trust me, I’ve lost count on how many street lamps I crashed into, hedges I found myself in and muddle puddles I fell in before I became good at skating. I think over time you will get the hang of it.”
“I think not,” Hitch chuckled sheepishly, “I will think of something to help improve skating though. Maybe invest in some skating lanes or something safe.”
“This is so stylish though,” Pipp said as she skated a few paces forward, managing to get her phone with a wing and began taking selfies as she skated down the road.
“Pipp, I don’t think that’s a good-“ Zipp warned but it was too late. Pipp was unaware that a streetlamp was in front of her and her muzzle came into contact with a smack. She fell forward, rubbing her muzzle.
“Okay! New law!” Hitch shouted out, “Don’t use your phone while skating!”
“Agreed,” Pipp winced as Zipp skated towards her and helped her up.
“Well this has been eventful,” Izzy contemplated out loud, earning a nod from Sunny. She was now strapping herself onto her smoothie cart and looking at the list of deliveries.
“Why don’t we all take it nice and slow and go make sure these orders are delivered,” Sunny suggested to the four of them, Pipp and Zipp skating back to rejoin the group, “I could do with some company on my rounds. Maybe we can skate around town so you can get used to it more and Hitch and I can show you around?”
The group agreed and they followed Sunny as she went to do her job. Izzy was looking forward to actually greeting the ponies and not scaring them away like last time. Residents would do a double-take when they saw the local sheriff on rollerskates. Hitch tried to look professional whilst skating but came off with awkward smiles and waves. Pipp and Zipp would do a mix of flying and then skating, feeling the air between their feathers and wheels turning on the ground. Hitch just wanted his steps, occasionally falling behind to remember the steps.
It took the whole afternoon, but eventually, Sunny’s orders began to die down and now they were looking out across the sea, drinking their own cups of smoothies.
“So then, every pony,” Sunny finished her cup as the sun began to set, “How did every pony find their first experience of skating?”
“It was so much fun!” Izzy exclaimed out loud, “We definitely have to try it again sometime.”
“That was definitely an experience,” Zipp acknowledged.
“I would love to want to give it another go,” Pipp added, "And not use my phone whilst skating."
“What about you, Hitch?” Sunny turned to the stallion, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Hitch chuckled and finished the last of his drink.
“Well, it may not be my cup of tea, but there’s always next time, right?”
A round of laughter went around the group.
“Baby steps, Hitch. Baby steps,” Sunny reassured her friend with a pat on the back.
