A casual observer of the weekly visits of Karyn and Derpy, if such observer could remain casual after some of the observations they would observe, would soon pick up the routine that they had for their mornings before they began whatever event they had chosen to amuse themselves with. Derpy was wont to prepare herself early and arrive while Karyn was still getting ready, but between them they’d engineer breakfast and spend it catching up on each other’s week, followed by Karyn making her own ablutions while Derpy made sure that the apartment had not decayed from the previous week’s state of order.

But on that day they broke with tradition as Karyn had shaken off most of her sleep, and Derpy had breakfasted as she usually did during the week, on a leftover muffin from the previous night. So it was that they were prepared for the first item on the calendar that Derpy had prepared a couple of weeks prior.

“Are you ready for the beach?” asked Karyn.

“I sure am. I can’t believe we didn’t do this last summer.”

“Well, we were kind of trying new things all over. Plus when I was living at home, it wasn’t convenient for the beach. Actually, that’s not true. There is a beach that’s closer to my folks’ house, but it’s not a nice one.”

Derpy stopped her fidgeting with her beach items. “How can a beach not be nice?”

“When it’s really small and the sand is filled with sticks and cigarette butts and all sorts of trash that makes it not fun.”

“Oh. Yeah, I could see how that would be annoying.”

“We only went to that beach once. Ever since then, when we want to we drive the distance. Speaking of which, let’s get moving.” Karyn waited for Derpy to go invisible, then led the way to the car.

The drive began on the freeway, but they had to turn off soon enough to get to the road for the beach.

“Is there another way to go further down?” asked Derpy.

“No, why?”

“If we had kept going that way, we would have been on that part of the road that has the nice trees and no buildings or anything to distract me from the view. It’s my favorite part of driving on Earth.”

It took Karyn a moment to picture the part of the parkway that Derpy was referencing. “Oh. Yeah, that’s not this way. But we may have some views that you enjoy.”

If they were forthcoming, Derpy couldn’t see them, as they passed through several towns where they had to slow down to half speed. They were rustic, and to Karyn’s eye they represented a step down from the hustle of the city, but Derpy still saw them as civilization. Progress was measured, not in miles, but in the type of shops they saw. The more they drove, the more they saw touristy places and stores selling things that could be used at the beach. At last they turned a curve, and Derpy said, “Ooh, now that’s more like it.”

The road turned into what could have been termed a bridge, except that it was not suspended above the water. To either side of the road, a path for bicyclists and joggers extended it out a bit wider, and then reeds and grasses were the only thing separating them from a river that led to the sea. It was as if nature had raised an island just to drive on.

“Isn’t it nice? I do wonder though if the road doesn’t get flooded out every time there’s rain and the river rises.”

“Who goes to the beach when it’s raining?”

“Good point, Derpy.”

The pleasant road came to an end with another curve leading into the parking lots. The first one was full and the second they had to bypass.

“Why can’t we go in there?”

“It’s for residents only. All those towns we passed on the way, if someone from there wanted to park, they could do it. But not me. I’d get a ticket.”

Lot three also had a closed sign, even though Karyn thought she saw spaces. At last she was able to turn in, but they could see nothing of the beach, only a wall of dunes. Their choices were a spot close to the front but well wide of the tunnel underneath the dunes, or in line with the tunnel but far back. They took the former, and Karyn unpacked the car, balancing everything as best she could.

“Can’t I carry something?” asked Derpy.

“Not unless you can make it invisible too. I’ll be all right.”

Karyn had assured her, but she was also taking very high and deliberate steps, and Derpy tried to relieve her by pulling up on some of the heavier bags. “No, don’t do that,” Karyn said.

“But your walking is labored.”

“A long time ago, when I was a very young girl, my folks took me to the beach and I wasn’t used to walking in sandals. As we came up on the concrete curb, I stubbed my toe about as bad as any toe has ever been stubbed. Can you stub your hooves?”

Even though she was invisible, Karyn could hear Derpy’s wince. “Oh, yeah. Bad sometimes.”

I remember dragging it across several inches, and then it turned all black and the nail cracked and it really hurt. I didn’t have any fun at the beach that day. So now I always high-step at the beach. I guess it’s trauma.”

“I could carry you along and you could just swish your feet like you were walking, and then no one would know.”

“That would just make me more likely to make a misstep.”

They walked under the tunnel, enjoying a moment’s relief from the beating of the sun, before climbing the stairs to the boardwalk.

“Be careful here too,” said Derpy. “You can just as easily stub your toe on wood.”

“indeed. And worse, you can get splinters something awful. But the wood is better than it used to be in that department. I think they treat it or spray it with something now to stop it from splintering.”

“Or maybe over the years all of them have been picked up by people walking.”

“I would hate to think that. That’s a lot of pain over the years.”

They reached one of the stairs down to the beach, and there Karyn paused, almost wanting to drop her stuff. Despite how early they had left, the beach was packed, and she couldn’t see a good open spot to settle in.

“It’s kind of crowded, don’t you think?”

“You could say that. Now we’re going to have to walk all the way down to find a spot, then when we want to go we’ll have to walk all the way back. They don’t make this very convenient.”

Derpy’s voice came from above. “I’ll do some scouting to see which direction is better.”

“OK. Remember that we can’t go too close to the water. The randomness of the waves means that a big one might hit us.”

She flew off, and Karyn waited. It didn’t take long. “We should go left,” she said.

Again keeping her feet high, Karyn trounced down the steps to the sand. Since it was still in the shade of the boardwalk, it was cool as it bounced over the tops of her sandals. “What we could do, if you remember where you wanted to go,” she said, “is walk down to the water where the sand is wet and packed, and then across.”

“It’s up to you. I can keep above either.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. That way we can go through the progression of sand.”

“Huh?”

Karyn checked that her Bluetooth was in place, and hoped that no one would question how she got reception on the beach. “As we head down, the first thing I notice is where the sand gets packed into little, well, packets. I don’t know how that happens, but they’re fun to bust apart with fingers or toes. Then is all the ‘normal’ sand, for lack of a better word. The dry stuff that you sit on when you’re at the beach. And then is the wet sand that’s good for walking or when you don’t have shoes and need to cool your feet.”

“The sand seems darker here.”

“Yeah, you have white sand beaches in Equestria, or at least the one we went to was. We have them too, here on Earth I mean. Not so much around here.”

They reached the wet sand, and Derpy put some hoofprint indents in it that were soon washed away. “I might like this a little better, actually. I don’t have to squint as much, and if I want to open my eyes fully I can just look down.”

At last the crowd thinned out, and Karyn headed back up the beach until she found a few square feet of open area. She put the bag and cooler down and stretched her aching arms. “On the way back I might take you up on carrying a few things. I’m not sure that keeping Equestria a secret is worth this kind of soreness.”

“Really?”

“No, I’m joking.” She reached into the bag and got her beach blanket. Once she spread it out, everything else she did from a seated position. Off to her right, the next family over closed their own cooler with a loud bang, causing her to look up and slide a little farther away.

“I guess I should stick to the blanket, huh? I mean, if I lie on the sand, someone might trip over me.”

“Good point. Would you want to lie on the sand though? You’d get it in all your hair and mane and feathers.”

“Sometimes it can be fun to wash it off.”

Karyn rolled her eyes at that.

“Can I ask a question?”

“Of course, you know that.”

“How come you don’t bring an umbrella or any beach chairs? You’re OK with just a blanket?” Derpy did a sweep of the immediate vicinity. “It seems that just about everyone has something more than we do.”

“I guess that’s just my tradition. My folks never had chairs and umbrellas when I was growing up, even though we could probably afford them. Why they didn’t, I don’t know. I’ll have to ask. In any case, the beach slopes enough that lying down feels like sitting at a very low incline.”

Derpy laughed at that. “Sounds like something I would say.”

Karyn got out the sunscreen and covered herself. Once her legs and face were done, she reached for her back.

“Do you want me to help out?”

“If you can do it discreetly, sure. Hm.”

Derpy tried as best she could to smear the sunscreen so that it looked natural. Once it was clear, it was all right. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You said, ‘Hm.’ I thought you might have had an idea.”

She finished the sunscreen and Karyn stretched out on the blanket. “I was just wondering, if I used my changeling magic and made like I had a UV-blocking sunscreen on, would it work? If it’s just an illusion, it still might deflect light.”

“Why not try it?”

“I’m afraid of sunburns. Hm.”

“What’s on your mind now?” Derpy asked, since this time Karyn had clearly wanted her to ask.

“Well, I’ve always worn rather…utilitarian bathing suits when I’m at the beach or at a pool. Most of the time when it’s just family, no one cares, and when I’m in public I want to draw attention away from myself rather than toward. But that’s with my body as it is. I’ve never had the figure for the beach, and even then I don’t want to put in the effort to get muscle tone and perfect skin. But now I could get them just with a thought.”

“I don’t get it. I mean, if you want to get that, it’s very much something that a changeling queen would do. But why at the beach specifically?”

“Well, for humans, the beach is a traditional place to show off your body, if you have one worth showing off. Because it’s hot, so everyone wears fewer clothes. Guys can even go shirtless if they want. There are even beaches where people go completely naked, but the people who go there are really into it.”

Derpy nodded. “Are they trying to be like ponies?”

“Maybe some of them are, but not all. This might be easier if I demonstrated.”

“But are you sure it’s a good idea?”

Karyn moved her head from side to side, looking at some of the other women who had worn more daring beachwear. “It’ll be something I won’t have a chance to do often.” One more scan of the beach revealed a changing room about fifty yards behind her. She did a kind of handspring off the blanket and headed over.

Derpy stood watch over the blanket and all the items there. She saw several other blankets abandoned as the owners had gone into the water, but everyone seemed to be leaving them alone. There seemed to be a code of honor not to steal among humans, enough to let their stuff sit for a while.

She hoped that Karyn wouldn’t be identified by the green light her magic emitted, and kept sneaking glances at the changing room waiting for the flash. But she didn’t notice any, and as the door opened she saw Karyn’s head on a completely different body. Derpy wasn’t a very good judge of human standards, but if it was what Karyn wanted, it was probably good. She was certainly curvier, and as she said had reduced the clothing she wore. It was limited to a pair of triangles connected by a string covering her chest, and another pair on her lower torso.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“Really extreme. You should get a picture and I can show some of the fashion ponies. Maybe it’ll start a trend, like minimalist fashion. Or maybe you should tell them. I don’t get along with that sort of crowd much.”

“Good idea. I’ll take a selfie so that we don’t have to deal with a floating camera.”

She held her phone out at arm’s length and snapped the photo. After that, she lounged back. Derpy made a circle. “You’re a lot shinier.”

“Yeah, I imagined myself all oiled up. Again, I’m not testing how well that’ll actually work to tan me, but it looks good.”

Karyn leaned back and put on her sunglasses, which were real and not effected. She enjoyed her showing off, though she was continually distracted by how some of her new endowments obscured the bottom of her vision. She shrugged and watched the waves roll back and forth.

It only took about five minutes before Derpy’s well-attuned ears picked up someone speaking in their direction. “Check out her,” they said. The speaker approached.

To Derpy’s eyes it was the male equivalent of Karyn’s new form. They were the same shade of dark brown, the same well-defined muscles. Derpy thought of ponies who worked hard, like Big Macintosh, and how they were considered attractive. She wondered if he wasn’t a farm worker.

“Hey, first time at this beach?” he asked.

“Not really,” Karyn replied. “I came here when I was real young.” She twirled her hair.

“If you stick around all day, we shoot off some killer fireworks at night.”

“Yeah? Maybe I’ll come back for that. I have to take my friend home later.”

“Cool. Want to give me your number and we’ll hook up?”

“Why don’t you give me yours?” She took out her phone and added him to the contact list. “Thanks, I’ll catch up with you.”

Once he’d gone, she listened for Derpy. “I’m glad I’m in disguise, because I’m burning red under here. I think I’m going to change back.”

“Why? Didn’t you like him?”

“He was nice, but if I met him again I’d have to wear the same disguise. That’s not fair to him. It’s like people who go on online dating sites with fake pictures.”

Karyn rose and headed back to the changing room. It took even less time for her to get back to her old self. Derpy got a good laugh when the well-tanned young man walked back the other way and did a double-take at Karyn’s appearance.

“Are you still going to call him?”

“No. I’m really not interested in that type anyway. He’d think that his looks would entitle him to do things. He even asked to ‘hook up’ which could imply things I don’t want to do.” Karyn hoped she wouldn’t have to explain to Derpy further.

“You should at least give him an excuse. It’s rude just to ignore someone.”

“You’re right, that’s not fair to any guy.”

They let the conversation die out as they returned to sea-gazing. After a few minutes of that, Derpy said, “I hope you won’t think me rude, but as much fun as I’m having here, it’s not the same as Mountauk Point.”

“Well, I can understand that. It’s the beach that you grew up on. That your f…” She cut herself off. Karyn didn’t like mentioning Derpy’s father. “That you went to as a filly. And honestly, while I won’t necessarily agree with you, I got a different feeling when we went there as when we’re here now. That time, it took me back to when I played when I was a little girl. But now, I’m doing what adults do at a beach. I’m sunning myself and relaxing.”

“Maybe that plays into the decisions you made last week. You could be growing up.”

“That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? I mean, I didn’t get the big manual of all the things you’re supposed to know when you’re an adult, so am I figuring them out on my own?”

“You get a manual?!”

Karyn chuckled. “No, it’s a running joke that children think adults get one.”

“That’s said among foals as well. I was hoping that it was true on Earth. It would make it more of a fantasy land.”

“Well, just so that I don’t grow up too fast, I still want to take a swim and splash in the water. How about it?”

Derpy got up. “Sounds good to me! I can be a little less careful about bumping into people there.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably think you’re a fish. Hopefully not a shark.”

They both rose and walked down. Letting the water lap at Karyn’s feet and Derpy’s hooves, they got rid of some of the heat from the burning sand. Then Karyn took the lead and ran in until the water was waist-high. She had a good realm of space around her, and Derpy was free to dog-paddle to stay afloat.

“Please don’t go any farther,” she said. “I’m barely touching now.”

“Wow, for once being four-legged works against you. Also, you’re twice as likely to get caught in an undertow. And the lifeguards can’t see you.”

“You’re really not making this fun.”

“I’m sorry! I just keep thinking these things.” Karyn threw her arms around Derpy’s neck. To anyone watching, it would look like a swimming stroke. “I shouldn’t say them out loud.”

“Don’t worry. That’s part of acting like a child too: doing things without thinking of the consequences. Like this!”

Breaking out of the embrace, Derpy flapped her wings on the water’s surface, sending two waves of water at Karyn.

“Ooh, I’ll get you for that! I should change my arms into flippers and really drench you. But I’ll play fair!” She slapped the water and shot a spray back at Derpy. After a few more splashes, they were tired and panting.

Wordlessly, they agreed that they were done and headed up to the blanket. Karyn pulled a towel out of a large bag.

“At least you have one this time. Back at Mountauk in Equestria, I didn’t bring any, and you had to air dry. But now I can’t shake myself dry, because people will see.”

“I’ll do my best to dry you off. It’ll look like I’m doing some kind of weird tai chi move, but who cares what people think so long as they don’t discover you.”

She did as she said, careful to rub the towel all in the same direction, toward Derpy’s tail. Once that was done, Karyn started to pack up everything that they had brought with them. As she folded the blanket, some of the sand that had spilled onto it got on her legs.

“Ugh, there were more consequences than we considered. I’ve got sand in my bathing suit.”

“Yeah, it’s in my hair and mane too. Do you have showers like we do?”

“I think there might be some on this beach, but I didn’t see them as we passed.”

They trudged the long way back, and once they got through the tunnel and saw no one else within view, Derpy did carry some of the bags. As they reached the car, Derpy said, “I think I’m still damp. Maybe I should just fly alongside the car.”

“Heaven forbid I would kick you out of the car for any reason. But in this case, especially. I’ll just put the towel on your seat. I think I’ll do it on mine too. It’s another tradition, and it means we don’t have to sit on the boiling seats. I should get one of those shields for the windscreen that reflects the sun and keeps the car cool.”

“Ooh, maybe I can help. I have a spell for cold.”

Karyn finished laying down the towel. “Really? It can make the whole car cool instantly?”

“In theory. Want me to try it?”

“Sure. Better than getting in all that sweltering air.”

She waited while Derpy got her saddlebag. She heard Derpy tense up. “Here goes nothing.”

Karyn put her arm inside and did indeed feel the air chill like the air condition had been running. It would be a good saving on gas if this worked. But before she could say anything, it got much colder, and as Derpy turned off the spell, all the windows of the car were completely frosted.

“You might have overdone it a little.”

“Just a tad.”

“Well, we can wait here a little. In this sun, that’ll melt in seconds.”

Derpy’s voice was small. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Karyn said as she got in the car, still enjoying the cool air and watching the first frosts turn to drips that rained on her interior. “This is our awesome summer, and I’m perfectly fine if it includes a little winter.”

Author's Notes:

Next week, a big leap forward!

Karyn twirled and flopped on the bed, her sundress billowing around her. “Not particularly. Actually, I was hoping we wouldn’t be too tied town to the calendar. We can just do some fun things on a whim, right?”

“Sure. I made the calendar more to cheer you up. If you’re cheerier not doing the things on the calendar, then it’s doing its job. I think.”

“Definitely. Ready for breakfast?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If there is any trouble, just send me a message across worlds and I’ll come flying to save you!” Derpy demonstrated by dashing around the room.

“Ha, I bet you will.”

“Well, I’m glad that everything’s finally going your way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Go shopping!”

And as she said that, she grabbed her purse and was headed out the door. Derpy barely had time to get her invisibility spell out and follow her to the car.

Come back then, and we'll talk about the extra chapters as well.