//------------------------------// // 14. My Scary Tour // Story: Azure Days // by Anzel //------------------------------// “Aurum! Aurum! Aurum!” I chanted happily as I trotted a circle around my cousin. Aurum just laughed as she walked to our kitchen table, levitating two plates of fruit-glazed pancakes. “Come on, Azurite, it isn’t that great.” I slipped up onto my chair and eased closer to the table. “Isn’t that great? What other pony is lucky enough to have a cousin cook breakfast for her five days a week? Do you realize you’ve never sent me off to class once without something good to eat?” The plate landed and she sat down. “Have I really?” “You really have! A month’s worth of breakfasts and about half as many dinners,” I replied before scooping up the top pancake in my magic, rolling it up, and stuffing half of it in my mouth. She laughed and pointed at my place setting. “I brought out the silverware for a reason! As far as breakfasts and dinners go, it’s the least I can do. You won’t take rent. You do more than half of the chores. You let me have the bedroom. What is a girl supposed to do to show her appreciation?” “Breahfash?” I said around my mouth full of pancake. I let the rest of it settle back to the plate and snagged my silverware. We were being fancy it seemed. “Yes, breakfast!” Her nose wriggled before she started to eat, too. “Or whatever you said. It really isn’t a big deal.” “It means a lot to me.” I cut the half-eaten pancake up into small pieces. Aurum smiled and softly shook her head. “You’ve always been such a good girl. Do you know that? Always sweet, always polite. When you were a foal, you weren’t any trouble. I’ll be honest, I was so scared for your parents. Unlike everypony else in the family, they had you so late. After all, I was just old enough to have foals when you were born. And yet there you were. Sweet, small, and well-behaved.” I munched on my pancakes and contemplated that. Mom and Dad had waited a very long time to have a foal. Aurum had been more of an aunt than a cousin when I was little. Finally, I shrugged. “I think I was just raised well.” “Maybe so. I wish all young ponies were as well-mannered as you. Now, I don’t want to rush you, but you will need to leave for class soon. What is it this week, depreciating assets? Capital expenses?” I wasn’t going to be late! She didn’t know that yet, though. “No, I’m not that kind of pony! This week is dental plans, I think. Thankfully, there isn’t a lot of information here. The Royal Guard just uses a slightly different plan than the one you use.” “Oh yeah, how come?” Aurum asked. “Because…” I trailed. My head tilted. “I don’t know! I hope to know at the end of the week. Then I’ll tell you and you’ll know, too!” She laughed, shaking her head. “Oh! I have a surprise for you!” I chirped happily while levitating an envelope that had been inconspicuously left near my pile of mail. It fluttered over and landed in front of her. “A surprise? After I just said you already do too much?” she asked before picking it up and opening it. Her eyes got big and her ears stood right up. “A palace tour! Azurite, they’re sold out! How did you get a palace tour? Wait, this says today? What about class?” “I’m a royal guard! They opened up some additional tours and reserved a few as a gift to royal guards and their families. I know how much you’ve wanted to go since they announced the wedding,” I explained. Aurum flushed and held the tickets to her chest. “You’re so sweet little cousin! You didn’t answer all of my questions though. What about class?” “Oh, right, that! I’m super far ahead and even though I don’t know dental plans I’ll just stay late tomorrow and catch up. I asked the instructor if I could miss a day. Normally they don’t do that, but she said in my case it was allowed,” I explained. “So we’re going to the palace today?” “Yup! After this wonderful breakfast, of course.” I chimed. “Well of course. In that case, relax and eat slowly,” she said before doing just that. Midway through chewing, her head popped up and she looked right at me. “Is this a good idea?” Huh? Of course it was! She wanted to go. “What do you mean?” “Well, Azurite, I’m floored by this gesture. Isn’t this asking a lot of you?” “No, the tickets weren’t that expensive,” I replied. Her head shook. “No, sweetie. There are going to be other ponies on this tour. The palace is going to be crowded. Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t want you doing something like this just for me.” Oh… When I’d bought the tickets, I hadn’t thought about that. In fact, until this moment, I hadn’t thought about that at all. I just wanted Aurum to get her tour and be happy. Now I was starting to feel the creeping sensation in my belly. “Uh…” She reached out to take one of my hooves in hers. “It’s okay, we don’t have to go. Just the fact you’d even do this for me is so sweet.” No, that wasn’t right. Why did I have to be like this? I closed my eyes tight and shook my head. “No, we’re going. We’re going to go and I’m going to be normal. Just like every other normal pony.” The sound of her chair shifting caught my ear and I felt her at my side. She looped a hoof around me and squeezed me tight. “You are normal, Azurite. You’re as normal as me or anypony else. You just have phobias brought on by real trauma. That isn’t your fault.” My breath caught as I took it. I kept my eyes closed tight, willing myself not to cry but I could feel the warmth of tears already. “I know. I just wish it never happened,” I whispered. “Me too, but it did. We can’t wish it away, we have to work at it. Isn’t that what Mindful Soul says?” “Yes,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. “Then we’ll work on it. Now, come on, let’s eat breakfast and enjoy the day. We don’t have to go on the tour to have fun.” I set a hoof over hers and shook my head. “No, I want to go. There will be royal guards everywhere. If I get upset, we’ll leave. Let’s at least try, okay? I want you to have the tour.” Aurum seemed uncertain. She just held onto me for a few more moments before saying, “Alright, we’ll try. Don’t stay for my sake, though. If you get upset, we’ll leave immediately.” Her last statement was resolute. She was going into mom mode. “Okay, well, enough tears,” I said while wiping my eyes. “Let’s eat and then go have fun.” I could do this for her. I could keep it together for one day. It wasn’t even one day, one little tour. Three hours, tops? I could do that. She seemed reluctant to let me go but did so after a soft stroke of my mane. “Alright, that sounds good.” We went back to eating breakfast. I wasn’t as excited as I had been before. Deep down, I was filled with dread. I wanted Aurum to be happy. I wanted to be normal. But I was walking right into the things that scared me the most. Mindful Soul would have been proud, but what did she know? Aurum tried to distract me by talking about the silly things my dad did at the store during the day. She’d been working two days with him there and two days with Mom over at the florist shop. It was all part-time, but it made her happy. It helped a bit. My parents always acted a bit more like adults and less like parents when I wasn’t around, and Aurum had a good story or two. After we’d finished eating and put away the dishes, it was time to head off to the palace. Aurum and I trotted literally side by side through the streets of Canterlot. It made me feel better when I bumped up against her. That way I knew she was there. My heart started to beat faster the closer we got to the castle gate and, when it came into view, somepony gasped. It was me, I gasped. The gate was a madhouse. There were at least a hundred ponies trying to get glimpses inside. Some were looking, others were taking pictures, and a few were getting dangerously close to the line of royal guards outside of it. “It’s okay,” Aurum said softly, setting a hoof on my back. “It’s clear on the other side, we just have to get in that line over there between the ropes.” She pointed a hoof to a well-organized line outside of one of the small, pony-sized doors adjacent to the gate. “Uh huh,” I whispered as my eyes darted back and forth, picking out ways to run away. Aurum led me to the back of the line where a royal guard was standing. “Hello, ladies,” he said in a friendly voice. “This line is for palace tours. Do you have tickets?” “We sure do!” I heard Aurum say. I couldn’t see anything because once we’d stopped, I buried my face against her side. That way I couldn’t see all of the ponies milling about. “She’s shy,” came Aurum’s voice again. “That’s alright, we cater to all ponies, shy or not. I hope she’s not too shy, because Princess Celestia does occasionally show up on these tours.” “Oh, my. How exciting,” Aurum breathed. The line moved slowly, which was excruciating for me. There was only a velvet rope between us and an unruly horde of ponies. I kept close to Aurum as we slowly moved up the queue. She kept a forehoof over my shoulders, protecting me. With each step, I counted down in my head. Three hours. Two hours, fifty-nine minutes. Just make it through and then it’s over. It would be over soon and we could go home. Eventually it was our turn to go through the door. “Alright, everypony, come on through,” another guard called before waving us all in. The courtyard was breathtakingly large, and our group was quite small by comparison. Aurum had been right: once we were past the insanity of the gate, things were peaceful inside. Maybe this wouldn’t be so horrible after all. My desire to bolt for the nearest exit started to subside, leaving a more subtle, unsettled feeling instead. That was an improvement, and the group was only twelve ponies in all, so that was manageable. We’d been corralled into a roped-off area opposite of the palace’s lavish main entry. The large Prench doors that led into the foyer were beautifully carved with a sun on the left and a moon on the right. I was so interested in them I almost didn’t notice the earth pony trotting over and holding a white flag with a flamingo on it. That caught my attention, because it was Aurum’s favorite animal. She even slept with a plush one! His name was Flamingle the flamingo and I just knew he’d get along with O.C. Topus. Of course, O.C. was still living with my parents. Just in case. “Hello, everypony!” the pony called with a cheerful, peppy voice. “I’m Rockette Facts and I’m going to be your tour guide today. Before we get started, I just need to go over a couple of rules that may be new to you if you’ve been on a tour before.” She blew her short pink bangs out of her eyes and went on. “The first rule is that you absolutely cannot stray from the tour group. If you can’t see my flag, you’re going to have a bad time. If one of the royal guards finds you outside of my flag radius, you’ll be escorted out of the palace. “The second rule is that we won’t be able to stay in the gift shop for as long as you’d like. When the tour completes, you’ll have half an hour to shop. Then the next tour will have a turn. Sorry about that but it is out of my hooves.” Only half an hour to shop? That was an odd rule. Were ponies taking too long? What was that all about? “The third rule—and this is a big one—you might see some construction inside. That’s because we’re doing some remodels and expansions for Princess Luna. Please resist the temptation to peek, as her guards are a lot less fun than Princess Celestia’s!” Rockette then clapped her hooves. “Alright, that’s it! Follow me everypony,” she said before leading the way to the front doors. The two palace guards that were flanking the doors lit their magic in perfect sync and drew them open. It was an impressive display. “Ooooh,” Aurum whispered when we trotted inside. Her eyes were large as she looked around the magnificent foyer, taking in the rich pink-tinted marble floor, plush red carpet, gold-wood wainscoting, and magnificent pillars. “Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Rockette was trotting backwards so she could face us while she walked and talked. “A bit of trivia for you ponies. This foyer was not the original palace entry. In fact, it isn’t even the second entry. The palace has grown and changed over the last few centuries. When ponies began to sing their way to the Grand Galloping Gala and shift into the receiving line, Princess Celestia decided a bigger space was needed.” Aurum looked over at me. “Do you have Gala tickets in that little bag of yours, too?” “If only!” I squeaked as we all trotted up the stairs at the back of the foyer. As we wandered through a few sitting rooms and halls, Rockette continued to talk about the history of the palace. Eventually, we ended up in front of a pair of Prench doors much like the ones that led into the palace. “Okay, ponies, get those cameras ready. This is what you’ve all been waiting for,” She turned to the royal guards stationed at the flanks. “Hit it, girls!” Much like out front, the two ponies pulled the doors open with perfect choreography. The sight beyond them resulted in gasps from everypony, even myself. On the other side was the Hall of Stained Glass. The hall itself was quite simple. It was just more of the same marble and stone. It was the windows that ran along the back palace wall that made it one of the wonders of Equestria. “Yes, behold the Hall of Stained Glass! Each of these magnificent masterpieces was assembled by one of Equestria’s greatest artisans under the guidance of Princess Celestia herself,” Rockette explained as she continued to walk backwards. “Each one depicts a famous event in our history. They tell the story of our modern kingdom!” We were all staring, mouths agape when a clear voice cut through the grandeur. “I think you’re giving me a bit too much credit, Rockette. All I did was provide the theme and some general notes.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw it: the endlessly flowing and sparkling, multi-colored mane. There was only one pony living or dead that had a mane like that. Princess Celestia! I squawked and darted under Aurum before falling to the floor. Everypony else bowed low. Aurum did her best, essentially sitting on me with her chest resting on my head. “Who’s to say what actually happened, Princess? None of us were there,” Rockette replied cheerfully, bowing. The princess actually giggled. “I was there, I’m telling you what happened!” “Who’s to say?” Rockette said once more with a wink. Princess Celestia waved a hoof at her and then turned to look at us. “Welcome to the palace, my little ponies. I apologize for interrupting your tour. We were just passing through.” We? We who? I peeked out from Aurum’s chest fluff to see Lady Cadence beside the princess. “Eep!” It just squeaked out, but the Princess totally heard it. The magnificent, beautiful, perfect, and entirely too tall alicorn peered down at Aurum and me. “Is she alright?” Aurum eagerly nodded. “Oh, yes, Princess. She’s just a little shy and overwhelmed by this treat.” “I see. Well it is a treat to have little ponies in this palace,” the princes said softly before bowing her head and briefly touching her horn to where mine poked out from below Aurum. The moment she did, I felt magical energy ripple along it and into my body. It was warm… It was wonderful. “You’re most welcome here.,” the princess said with a smile. “All of you are. Now, please excuse us. We have some wedding details to attend.” And just like that, they were gone. Everypony stood and Aurum helped me up. I could see she wanted to giggle but she held it in. I wasn’t mad at all. The princess had touched me with her horn and it made me feel calm. “How cool is that! Come on ponies, we have more tour left!” Rockette waved her flamingo flag and led us on. After that, the rest of the tour was nothing but a blur. I couldn’t pay attention. I couldn’t listen. All I could think about was how I felt. I felt great! I felt brave! I felt… normal! She’d touched me for a fraction of a second and I’d felt normal. It was a relief. A blissful relief. What had she done? Was it a spell? Was it part of her magical energy? Would I feel this way forever? Even if it was only temporary, it was worth it. I stuck next to Aurum and just enjoyed that feeling. Rockette stopped and turned to us. “Alright, everypony, thank you for being so great and following the rules. Who’s ready to hit the gift shop?” “Me!” numerous voices answered. That pulled me out of my head. We all trotted out of the palace entrance and made our way over to the gift shop. When I saw it, that feeling of relief started to drain. Rockette’s ears flattened to the sides. “What is going on here?” There were ponies everywhere. They were spilling out into the courtyard, and that was just what we could see. “Let me go figure this out. They should be gone by now! Everypony stay right here,” Rockette called before trotting towards the wall of bodies. “We don’t have to shop Azurite,” Aurum whispered. I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’m okay. I won’t go in. Maybe Rockette will get them all to leave anyway?” “Maybe,” Aurum replied hopefully. Rockette was gone for about ten minutes before trotting back over. “Okay, ponies, it’s a mess. Evidently, they lost track of which ponies are on which tour, and the lines are so long the whole thirty-minute rule is falling part. At this point, it is shop at your own risk. I’ll be right over here. Good luck!” Aurum and I shuffled closer to the sea of ponies. I took one look at it, snorted, and declared, “Yeah, I’m not going in.” “No problem! Will you be okay out here by yourself?” “Oh yeah, I’ll go stand by that royal guard over there?” I said, pointing to one off to the side. “That’s a good idea. Why don’t you go—ooph!” A yellow-coated unicorn guard had turned around too quickly and bumped into both Aurum and me. Her armor was so brightly polished it was like looking at the sun. She looked down and said shortly and without sincerity, “Terribly sorry, ma'am, miss,” before rushing off. “Hey, you, apologize right!” I squeaked after her, suddenly finding a voice. Tall ponies always tried to walk over me and I could stand that, but bumping into Aurum was just not right. Especially for a royal guard. She should know better! She was already gone, though. I huffed, looked up at Aurum. “Are you alright?” Her nose wrinkled and she nodded. “Yes, just a little bump, although that armor didn’t feel great. She should be more careful!” “Yes, she should. She’s probably just upset about the lack of order, but that’s no reason to take it out on us. Anyway… you go shop, I’ll be over there.” “Well, if you’re sure, I’ll just go nose about. Don’t leave that guard’s side so I’ll know where to find you,” Aurum instructed in her mom voice. I liked her mom voice. “I’ll be there!” We went our separate ways: Aurum into the belly of the beast and me to go sit next to a guard that was stationed at the bottom of the wall. His eyes tracked me as I approached but he didn’t say anything. I pointed at the flamingo flag Rockette was holding. “I’m still in sight of my tour guide, I’m just not going into that crazy place. If it’s all the same to you, I’m more comfortable here.” “Suits me,” he said without looking down. “Is it always like this in the palace?” His head shook. “No, miss. This is new. It’s normally busy, but this is a nightmare. A lot is changing. A new princess, a wedding, and all that.” “I see. Well, maybe someday I’ll work here, too. I’m in PRO school right now,” I muttered. “I’m hoping to be first in my class so I’ll have the best assignment choice. Perhaps the City Guard could use me.” He briefly looked down and then hurriedly turned his eyes back up. “Aim for the top,” was his only reply. Aim for the top? The palace was one of the best places a pony could work when it came to prestige. It seemed like too crazy a place for a pony like me, though. But… perhaps I’d see the princess again and she could do that horn trick. That would be nice. Maybe this would be the place for me after all.