//------------------------------// // 2. My First Day Of School // Story: Azure Days // by Anzel //------------------------------// In the haze of sleep and warmth, I heard the voice of a gentle siren: “Azurite, sweetie, it is time to get up.” Get up? Why would I get up when it was warm and cozy? I was a bed burrito, wrapped up in my blankets and snuggled up with O.C. Topus, the plush octopus. He had eight arms, which meant he could give four hugs at once. It was already cold outside even though summer wasn’t even over, and I had no desire to venture out into it. I felt the sheets gently slide away from my shoulders under the force of magic. A soft hoof stroked my cheek. “Honey, you have school today.” School? School was boring. And easy. Too easy. I rolled onto my back and straightened out all four hooves into the air. “Am sick, cannot go. Cough, cough.” My mother made a soft tsk sound. “Azurite, you don’t have to go if you don’t feel up to it. I understand you’re still healing, but I thought you wanted this.” Wanted this? School, bleh! Who wanted to get up for school? School just leads to a job and a job leads to— My head shook quickly as I chased the thought away. The fog within my mind slowly cleared. “Warrant Officer school!” I squealed. “Yes, honey. Warrant Officer school,” my mom repeated. She stroked my mane and looked down at me with her big, beautiful eyes. It hurt looking into them. I could see all the fear and worry beneath the warmth. Mom never wanted me to be a Royal Guard, and after the incident at the Summer Sun Celebration, she’d have been thrilled if I never went back. “If it’s what you want, sweetie—” she started softly before pressing her forehead to mine. “But if you want to do something else, I’ll help you with that. Retired or not, the name Azalea Azure might still mean enough to get you into modeling. Or you can work with your father in the shop.” Running away certainly would be easy. It was something I thought about every day. I looped my hooves around my mom and held her tight. “I know, Momma. Mindful Soul says I need to face this, though, and I’m going to help ponies. This is what I want.” My mom heaved a soft sigh before leaning back and smiling at me. “Then you best hurry up. You don’t want to be late.” She was right about that. Being late for a Royal Guard school was a bad idea. I rolled out of bed and gave a lanky stretch while my mom fussed over my mane with her magic. Her previous career as a jewelry model and her current career as a florist gave her a talent for styling, and the Guard standards were very exact. We worked together for about ten minutes. She did my mane and I put on the white-and-blue uniform that was typical for any pony in a Central Command Royal Guard training program. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was less suffocating than wearing my armor. I hadn’t done that since the incident. Momma patted my cheek. “Okay, go get them. Your father has breakfast for you, and he’ll walk you to class if you need him to.” My dad would walk me anywhere if I needed him to, and I kind of did, but I also knew I shouldn’t let him. Mindful Soul said I needed to stop doing that or else I wouldn’t get better. I wanted to hug her tightly, but that would mess up my uniform. I kissed her cheek instead and hurried out of my old room and into the den. My dad was sitting in his easy chair, reading the newspaper. He was in really good shape for a pony his age, but he lounged about like an old stallion. “Good morning, kitten,” he said warmly from over the rim of his paper. “Fresh toast with blueberry preserves for breakfast. Oh, and a big glass of orange juice to give you energy. It’s on the table in the kitchen. I know you’re going to do great today!” “Thank you, Daddy,” I replied before going into the kitchen and settling at the table to munch on the toast. He’d spread the preserves on it in the shape of a smiling face. He always did things like that. Both him and my mom. It might seem silly that they were treating their adult daughter like a foal but the truth was, I liked it. I’d always liked it. I liked it more now. While I sipped at the orange juice, I heard the paper rustle behind me and then the sound of a pocket watch opening. “I think you’d best hit the road, kitten. You’re not far from the school, but you want to make the best impression you can. New phase today, right?” “Yes, sir! I’m excited, too. We’re learning about retirement accounts and coding, and all sorts of neat things,” I explained before shoving the rest of the toast into my mouth and standing up. “Buh bye!” Rushing took away my opportunity to ask him to walk me to school. I barely heard him call “Bye, dear!” after me as I hurried out of the apartment, down the stairs, through the little door beside the shop, and out into the streets of Canterlot. It was too early for the area to be busy since none of the shops would be open for at least another hour. Before everypony got up was one of the two best times to be outside. After they went to bed was the other. My heart started pounding as I glanced up and down the street. Maybe I should have asked him just one more time. No, Azurite, you can do this! As long as there were no crowds, I was usually okay, but I wasn’t going to risk it by going slow. I trotted as quickly as I could to the Royal Guard Academy while fighting the urge to break into a full gallop. My heartbeat didn’t slow down until I went through the gate, crossed the parade ground, entered the school, found my classroom, and slid into my seat. There were a few other ponies already there, some of which I recognized from the earlier phases of training. Warrant Officer school is different from regular schools. The first phase was very general and everypony learned the same things. Then you moved on to one of a few broad professions. From there, you got to pick a specialization or two to become an expert in. My broad goal was to be a pony resource officer. I wanted to help other royal guards with their careers and benefits. After that, I was thinking about specializing in retirement benefits. Helping ponies plan for their futures seemed like a good idea, and I’d learned a lot of how to do that from my dad already. He worked because he loved it, not because he had to. “Good morning, everypony,” called a voice from the front of the room. When I looked up, I realized I’d been staring off into space for a good ten or so minutes and hadn’t noticed the classroom fill up. Now there was an older mare standing in front of the chalk board. “Good morning,” we all parroted back, standing up. “Welcome to PRO Ed. I see a lot of familiar faces, but I realize that some of you came from other general education programs. My name is Chief Warrant Officer Fine Print, and I’ll be starting you down the path to become the best pony resource officers the Royal Guard has to offer.” She almost smiled. Almost. “We’ve got a lot to cover in a very short time, so all I ask is that you work your hardest and if you get behind, we’ll work on it in the evenings. Be seated.” We did so while she turned away from us, picked up the chalk in her mouth, and started to write. I watched as the brown bun her mane was pulled into bobbed up and down, back and forth. She was making a high-level list of tasks. When she finished, she turned back to us. “Why become a PRO? It isn’t a glorious job! You’re not going to stand out. In fact, you’re going to spend most of your time in an office doing paperwork alone.” In an office alone? That sounded great! “In fact, some royal guards may even look at you and wonder why you’re even in armor. They might not understand why you’re even there, but that doesn’t matter. You are there… we are there… because we have to be. It is our privilege to wear the armor and serve our peers as they serve the crown.” Chief Print punctuated point by slapping one forehoof into the other. That’s right! We were the backbone of the Royal Guard. Well, we would be if we passed. I would pass! Probably. She glanced around with her big green eyes. They were like those of a hungry cat. “Now, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves and why we want to be here.” What? No! Why? Why did they always do this? I wanted to be a pony that sat in an office and did paperwork. I started to sink lower into my desk, willing Chief Print to overlook me. She started pointing her caramel-colored hoof at ponies who would pop up, give their name, and some tidbit about themselves. I didn’t hear any of it. My heart was starting to race, and I could feel my face start to flush. The room was getting hotter. And smaller. Were there more ponies suddenly? “Next,” Chief Print said. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I was petrified. “Excuse me, you’re up,” the pony next to me whispered. Yup, that’s me, thank you, I know! I’m up! Up, body, stand up. “I said, next,” Chief Print called. I wiggled my rump back and forth in the desk until it found the edge of the seat and I tumbled out onto the floor. My hooves shook as I pushed myself up and replied in a squeaky voice, “Guard Azurite. I want to help retire ponies.” Chief Print blinked. “I assume you mean help ponies with their retirement?” My head flopped up and down quickly. “Very good, next.” I collapsed back into my seat, my whole body shaking. Help retire ponies? What a stupid thing to say! It was like the cheesy horror novels where the baddy ‘retires’ ponies for good. The chief was going to think I was slow. The rest of the ponies finished their introductions and we moved on to the lecture. It took an hour for me to calm down. After that, I was able to start paying attention and taking notes. I desperately wanted to learn the material. It was super interesting, I just really didn’t want to be put on the spot again. We worked for a few hours more before Chief Print set her chalk down and said, “That’s lunch. I’ll see everypony back here at exactly 13:15. Guard Azurite, could you stay a moment please?” Why! What had I done? “Yes, ma’am,” I replied as clearly as I could before flopping around my desk and making my way to the front of the classroom. Once all of the other students were gone, Chief Print lowered her head to be on eye level with me. A lot of ponies did that. It was upsetting. I am short and petite. Okay, okay, I’m filly-sized, but they could at least talk to me like an adult. Which I am. “Guard Azurite, you seem nervous. Is there something wrong?” “No, ma’am. Nothing is wrong. I’m just nervous by nature. I don’t deal well with being put on the spot or speaking in front of ponies,” I explained, leaving out the details as to why. I didn’t want another pony feeling sorry for me and treating me different just because of one traumatic event. She nodded. “That is understandable, a lot of ponies in our line of work are more introverted. You do know that you will have to deal with ponies, though? You’ll have to help them with their paperwork, their concerns, and their questions.” “Yes, ma’am! I’m fine one on one. I promise you I’ll be good at it. I was great with ponies on patrol.” She held up a hoof. “You don’t have to convince me, Azurite. I only evaluate you on the course material. I just wanted to give you a little advice is all. Now, why don’t you go enjoy lunch? I’ll see you for the afternoon session.” “Yes, ma’am!” I said once again before trotting out of the classroom and hurrying to the fillies’ room. As soon as I was in one of the stalls, I took a deep breath. That’s when I realized my face was wet. I’d been crying? When had that happened? I wiped my eyes and sighed. I hadn’t always been so skittish. Less than six months ago, I’d been very outgoing and bouncy. All of the craziness that happened at the Summer Sun Celebration had changed me. It had changed a lot of ponies, but it hit me hard. I set my hoof on the stall wall and took deep, slow breaths. “You can do this Azurite,” I whispered to myself. “This is what You want. You can do this.” I repeated the mantra over and over. Mindful Soul had taught me rescue breathing and self-affirmation. Do it enough and eventually you’d get control of your mind. The technique worked some of the time and prevailed eventually. Once I’d calmed down, I hurried over to the dining facility and grabbed a quick lunch: fried eggplant and noodles. It wasn’t bad. More importantly, it was served fast enough so that I could eat and get back to my desk in time. Chief Print did a quick count of ponies and then went back to the board. “Alright, everypony, for this afternoon we’re going to start on the exciting topic of resource classification. Until you master this material, we can’t really cover anything else.” Resource classification was exciting! We had tons of documents to go through that represented different parts of a pony’s record. Those were the resources we worked on. Was it a retirement plan? Would that be tax deductible? I knew a lot about taxes since I did them for my fa— Chief Print’s voice cut into my musings. “Guard Azurite, if a fellow guard came to you and asked who they should talk to about their RG214, what advice would you give?” Without a moment’s hesitation, I chirped, “A doctor! Why would anypony want to leave the Guard?” Several ponies around me chuckled until Chief Print held up her hoof. “Fair, but if they were sure?” I tapped my hoof on my desk. “They could start with any PRO, really. If they were concerned about their potential status, they could speak to a legal advisor. If they’d already left the Royal Guard, they’d have to speak to veteran’s affairs.” Chief Print smiled, turned around, and started writing a summary of what I’d said on the board as she replied, “Great answers. Each one correct for a different situation and illustrates the point that no situation has a single right answer. That is why we have to learn not only to read the regulations, but how to apply them to a specific situation. That means listening to our clients and their needs.” Why was it when it came to schoolwork, I could just answer right away without fear? It hadn’t even crossed my mind to be scared. She wanted to know something factual and I just rattled it off correctly. My whole life should be like that! “They’ll always point you in a direction,” Chief Print continued, “but they’ll need your guidance to get to exactly where they want to go. It is a balance that you must always keep in mind. Now, let’s move on. We’re going to start with active duty classification. Open your books to chapter three.” While the chief went over the chapter, I sat in rapture, taking in all of the wisdom she had to offer. Fine Print knew what she was talking about and it was a pleasure to hear her speak. Eventually, she drew to a close and stretched. “Alright, I see a lot of eyes glazing over. That is enough for today. You’re all dismissed.” Everypony stood up and shuffled out of the room. I followed along behind them, but several were headed towards base housing. Most ponies in the class weren’t local and would be staying in long-term dorms. I was lucky. I always got to go home to my parents. Today, however, I had to make a little stop by the medical center. Okay, so it wasn’t really a little stop. It was more like an hour-long stop to see my therapist. We met on Mondays and every other Friday. Sometimes more. Luckily for me, the medical center was not far from the academy. In fact, most of the Royal Guard facilities in Canterlot were all centrally located near the palace. Some were even in the palace! In this case, where I needed to go was close enough that I barely had to cross any streets with ponies to get there. I trotted into the waiting room and found that today all the patient seats were open. Usually there was a pony or two there. “Hi, Azurite!” the receptionist chimed cheerfully. “Hi, GV,” I replied, unable to match her excitement. GV stood for Good Vibes, but she said it was cooler if everypony called her GV. She was that kind of pony. I looked around and asked, “Where is Buttersquash?” GV looked down at her list and then back up to me. “No appointment today. Perhaps his session schedule or frequency changed. I can’t really say.” Buttersquash was kind of my friend. We didn’t hang out or anything, but he and I talked in the waiting room. He didn’t see the same pony as me, but our schedules were the same. He was younger than me and was struggling with the loss of his father. “Oh, alright,” I said before taking a seat. “Well, if you see him, please tell him I asked about him.” “You’ve got it, AB!” Good replied. She called me AB, short for AzuButt. It was her cutesy name for me. We all had cutesy names that were assigned and then abbreviated. It wasn’t part of our therapy or anything; it was just how Good did her job. “Any plans this weekend, AB?” And this was why I needed Buttersquash. He was an expert Good deflector. Plus, when he and I talked, she largely left us alone. I wasn’t good at dealing with all of her questions and energy on my own. I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know yet, it’s only Monday. Do you already have plans?” Why would I ask that? Why would I extend this conversation! “You betcha I do!” Good squealed in delight. “I’m going to reorganize my cactus plants, paint my wall, and go rock climbing!” “That sounds nice,” I said softly before picking up the Haylights Magazine and flipping to the puzzles. “You have no idea! It’s going to be so wonderful.” She then continued on with a long explanation of what kind of cactus plants she had and how she was going to categorize them. Mercifully, the door opened and my therapist, Mindful Soul, stuck her head out. I dropped the magazine, our eyes met, and she said the five words that would set me free: “Azurite, I’m ready for you.” I hopped up and hurried over. “Hi, it’s me, I’m here! See you, GV!” I called as we ducked into the hall and went down into her office. “Was she overwhelming you again?” Mindful Soul asked before I could even pick out a doll. “Uh huh,” I muttered as I looked over the different plush dolls in the cute pink-and-white castle that they lived in. It was a replica of what ponies said ancient castles used to look like. This one was smaller and made of wood, though. My favorite doll was there: a royal blue unicorn mare with a mane like mine. Once I had her snuggled in my hooves and I’d settled on the light blue pillow I preferred, I looked up at Mindful Soul. She was always so well put together. Her white mane was always styled a perfect, chin-length bob that never had a single hair out of place. And on top of that, her purple coat was totally flawless. I couldn’t believe anypony naturally looked like she did. I sometimes wondered if she felt like she had to put on an image for the ponies that saw her. “I can see you’re settled, so we’ll start easy,” Mindful Soul said before setting down her notebook and levitating up a smaller one. It flipped open with ease and she pressed on. “When we spoke last Friday, you stated Mr. Peepers was in a tiff again with Diver Pony. How is their relationship after the weekend?” “Yes, Mr. Peepers felt that Diver Pony didn’t share enough enthusiasm about his desire to start a bubble tea stand. He believes that mates should support each other. Things were tense on Saturday, but when I left they looked like they were working it out.” I winced slightly as soon as the words left my mouth. Darn it, she’d fooled me again. I could see the gears turning in her head. She took some more notes in the journal she kept for Mr. Peepers. With the fluidity of a dancer, she opened up my journal and started writing. “Left, you say? You left Saturday? Where did you go?” “Home,” I muttered softly. Her ear flicked. “You mean to your parent’s condo?” “Yes, home. Where I grew up!” I replied, hugging my doll tighter. “I understand. Did you have an issue, or were you nervous about your upcoming rotation?” My head quickly shook. “No issue! No explosion! Just nerves and my parents live closer to the campus. It was easier. I could sleep a little more, commute through less ponies, and start off on the right hoof.” “That is perfectly understandable. Your parents are an excellent resource for you,” she replied in her even, non-judgmental but non-supportive tone. “We just want to make sure you don’t rely on them for everything. You’re not a filly and they’re not a crutch.” “I know, I’ve been going home less,” I replied honestly. “I left Mr. Peepers at the apartment because I’d have to go back to take care of him. I won’t abandon him.” “Smart thinking. Mr. Peepers is quite persnickety in his old age. He needs to be fed on time the way he likes. At least that is what my notes say.” I waved a hoof. “He isn’t that old, but your memory is right on the bits. Mr. Peepers is exactly that way. So, I’m going to march home after our appointment and take care of him.” Mindful Soul took a few notes. “Azurite, he’s eight years old. He’s a senior finizen.” Her tone didn’t change. She didn’t even look up from her pad. “Did… Did you just make a joke? Oh my goodness, that was amazing!” I squeaked before laughing. “I’m trying it out. That one was easy.” “You should keep at it,” I replied before settling down. Mindful Soul was helpful, but she always made me feel on edge. She was never judgmental, but at the same time she kind of was. She was this super amazing therapist pony that seemed too flawless. I wanted to be like her, but I knew I never would. She nodded. “I’ll work on a routine. Now, let’s talk about this new phase and how you’re going to approach it. Tell me about your first day of class.” Yay! That was something I actually wanted to talk about. “It was great! You’ll never believe what I learned.”