//------------------------------// // 24. My Perfectly Normal Saturday // Story: Azure Days // by Anzel //------------------------------// O.C. Topus had me wrapped up in four hugs when I woke up, so I hugged him back. I was pretty sure I’d fallen asleep snuggled up with Aurum, but she wasn’t with me on the couch now. The sounds of somepony softly rattling around in the kitchen caught my attention and I poked my head over the arm of the couch to see who it was. Aurum was already making breakfast and as far as I could tell the sun wasn’t even up yet. “Good morning,” I said. She looked back over at me and smiled. “Good morning, I hope I didn’t wake you.” “Nope, just the normal me waking up thing,” I replied, curling my hooves under my chin. “Good. You had a big night last night. Anything special you’d like for breakfast?” “Anything is fine with me,” I said before nestling back down with O.C. The door to the bedroom opened and Quartz walked out. Right, he was here. I’d kind of forgotten that already. “Morning,” he said with a big yawn. “Good morning, sweetie,” Aurum said. “Have a seat, breakfast will be ready soon.” Quartz waved at me. “Morning,” he offered while settling into a seat at the table. “Morning,” I replied before following suit. We didn’t say anything to each other while Aurum cooked. I just kept an eye on Mr. Peepers as he kept an eye on Quartz. He clearly wasn’t sure about him. Plates of pancakes floated their way out of the kitchenette and onto the table in front of us. They were followed by forks, knives, fruit, and syrup. Last to the table was Aurum herself. She was grinning happily as she looked from me to Quartz and back. “I know this is going to sound sappy and I know there is work to do, but I’m just happy the three of us can have a meal together.” “Me too,” I replied. I didn’t really care whether or not Quartz was there but him being so made Aurum happy and that made me happy. I started to eat, feeling self-conscious. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say or do. Luckily eating was a perfectly acceptable option. Aurum looked over at Quartz. “How long were you planning to be in town? I’m so glad you decided to come.” Quartz shifted in his seat. “Well, to be honest, I don’t have any hard plans. I just wanted to be with you and I was kind of hoping I could crash here.” Mr. Peepers blew disapproving bubbles. I shot him a look; he shot one back. “Oh! Well that is a lovely thing to hear. That is really up to Azurite, though. It is her apartment after all. She’s been generous and let me live here,” Aurum said, putting it on me. Why would she do that? Both of them turned to me. My mouth was full of pancake. I swallowed hard and waved a hoof. There was zero chance I could say anything but yes. “It’s fine with me. We might need to do some reorganizing though. This place is mostly designed around one or two ponies and a fish.” Mr. Peepers turned his back on everypony and blew three bubbles. Aurum tapped a hoof on the table. “That is true. Maybe I should look at getting my own place?” “Please don’t!” I squealed rather suddenly. Aurum moving out was not what I wanted at all. Bringing my voice down, I added hastily, “We’re all family, we can make it work. Why spend more bits?” “If that is how you really feel,” Aurum said. “I do! We’ll just work it out.” “Thank you,” Quartz put in. Aurum nodded and looked around. “Well, I guess today I’m going to go shopping, then. I’ll see about getting Quartz a cot. We can put that in the bedroom so he doesn’t encroach on your space. Azurite, I’ll get you some nice curtains to hang over the couch. You can have a canopy couch like a fancy noble lady of old.” My nose wiggled at that and I laughed. “Really?” She shrugged. “Why not? You need your own space and privacy. It will be fun! We can hang them together. I’ll find some with an ocean theme.” “That sounds great. I’d li— wait, why ocean?” Aurum’s lips pursed. “Well, I just sort of assumed that was your favorite thing still. It always was when you were little. You have Mr. Peepers, O.C. Topus, and several other sea- and ocean-related creatures. Would you prefer something else?” I shook my head. “No, not at all. I’m just starting to realize that I’m a beach pony. Maybe we should move to the outer banks?” “Fine with me. We’ll have to find jobs, though. You could be a lifeguard.” Aurum winked before going back to breakfast. Quartz looked between us before his eyes shifted to his mom. “She’s too small.” What a jerk! Aurum held up a hoof. “Sweetie, she isn’t small. She’s petite, and we were just playing. If you’re going to live here, you have to learn that Azurite and I like to imagine a lot of fantastical things. Just roll with it.” He nodded. “Oh, okay. Sorry, Azurite.” “That’s okay,” I replied before biting into a pancake while glaring behind their backs. “Okay, after breakfast, Quartz and I will go shopping. Azurite, you can have your privacy. Do you have anything official that needs doing today? Was there any outcome of last night we need to be aware of?” We hadn’t really discussed much about last night. Aurum had been so worried we’d just cuddled and fell asleep. “It was just a precaution for the wedding. I think the papers were a day behind or something. As far as I was informed, we just go on like normal.” “Well that is good. They really should warn ponies though!” Aurum pointed out. “They should,” Quartz added like a little parrot. “It certainly would have spared me some fear, but honestly Aurum I felt great when I got there. It was like things were starting to get back to normal,” I explained. Aurum picked up her plate and took it to the kitchen. “I’m glad to hear that. Maybe jumping into action is what you needed.” “Maybe so,” I mused. In a few minutes, Aurum had the whole table cleaned up. “Alright, Quartz, let’s hit the road. We’ve got a lot of shopping to do. It’ll be a good chance for me to catch up on your life.” “See you later,” I called to them as they walked out. Once they were gone I looked at Mr. Peepers. “Now what?” He swam a lazy circle and bubbled a few times. “I couldn’t not invite him! That would have devastated Aurum and she’s been so good to us both. Don’t act like you don’t love having her here.” Mr. Peepers bubbled in a non-committal way, but it was clear by his tone he did like Aurum. “You’re no help. What should I do? I’m feeling pretty good after last night. At least when it comes to being out. It seems like every time I go lately, I generally do fine. Perhaps I’m more scared of the idea than the reality?” He bubbled six times, then three, then eleven. I nodded slowly. “That is deep. Maybe I should go talk to Mindful Soul, though? She might be able to build off that.” Mr. Peepers bubbled twice, turning his back on me. “Look, I’m sorry that you never finished your education, but you can’t just act like your advice is on the same level as hers, okay? I already told you I’d pay for you to go back to the university.” He didn’t respond. That was a sore subject. He always wanted to do things on his own. He was the proudest and most stubborn fish I knew. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I’m going to go out for a bit now. See you later.” Mr. Peepers didn’t give me a second thought as I bundled up in my scarf, hat, and boots. I pulled the door open and peeked out. There were ponies in the street going about their business, but there weren’t any collections of them that resembled crowds. I stepped out, took a deep breath, and pulled the door shut. Walking around town was something I could do. We can do this, Azurite! It was as easy as filling out a W7 form with a trainee. Breathing properly was a big part of doing anything scary. In, one, two, three. Hold, one, two, three. Exhale, one, two, three. And repeat over and over as I kept to the side of the road and trotted down one tier of the city and to the neighborhoods on the side opposite of mine. Cliffside was an older neighborhood, but it was clearly well loved. All of the small houses were immaculately groomed and cared for. Each one had a small yard out for their owners to putter around in. At the corner of a four-way intersection, there was crisp looking, white stone house with an owl statue sitting on the front porch. I went to the door and knocked. It wasn’t long before the door opened and Mindful Soul looked out. “Azurite, hello there. What can I do for you?” “I was hoping you had a weekend appointment free,” I said. “Is it an emergency?” I shook my head. It really wasn’t. Patients were really only supposed to go to her for emergencies. “Not really.” Mindful Soul nodded. “That’s fine, I still have time. Come in, please.” I trotted into her house and looked around. I’d never actually been inside before. I just knew what the outside looked like because of the pictures she’d shown me. That, and I had her address. The living room was wide open. She didn’t have any large furniture at all. There were an assortment of plush sitting pillows, a low coffee table, and a few scattered end tables. One wall was dominated by a massive fireplace and mantel. The one opposite that had a small writing desk. There were doors into other rooms, but I wasn’t going to go exploring. Mindful Soul motioned. “Make yourself at home. Would you like something warm to drink? It is getting cold out there.” “I would love some hot chocolate if you have any,” I replied while I took my boots off by the door and trotted over to settle onto a big pillow. There were no plushes to hold, so I held my hat instead. “As a matter of fact, I do,” she said, trotting off through the door that likely led to the kitchen. It was kind odd being in Mindful Soul’s home. She was such a force in the office that I forgot she was also a pony with things outside of there. It was also weird getting to see who she was. Her walls, for instance, were painted a soft shade of yellow. Almost like peach color. There were photos hung that showed her with what I assumed were family members. Although, they couldn’t all be because a few had signatures on them. Did she like hanging out with celebrities? Mindful Soul returned, carrying a mug of hot chocolate. “Here you are.” I took it in my magic and floated it over to me. She’d put marshmallows and sprinkles in it. “Thank you so much!” “You’re welcome,” she replied before sitting across from me. “It is the kind of day for that. Now, what brings you to my house if it isn’t an emergency? It must be serious.” “Yeah, it is. You saw the shield spell that is surrounding the city?” I asked before sipping at my mug. It was nice. Warm and nice. She nodded. “I did. It was a surprise for me, I imagine it was for you, too?” “It was, but the thing is, I did what I thought I should do. I put on my uniform and went to report in.” Mindful wasn’t taking any notes. She didn’t even have a notebook. I felt like she would normally take a note here. “How was that experience?” “I was very scared but the idea of hiding at home felt far worse than that. Aurum was worried about me, but I was determined I had to go and that she had to stay.” “And you went.” I sipped and then nodded. “I went. I went all the way, I checked in, I waited, and when they released me, I went home.” Mindful nodded and said, “Good for you. You challenged yourself and you succeeded. At least it sounds like that is what you’re telling me. Although you have come to see me on a Saturday.” “You’re right, I did. It made me feel good too. I wasn’t as stressed when I went home. I think I might be ready to go back to work.” “That is good news. I do need to point out you already have, though. Your warrant officer school is your assignment now. Are you saying you want to return to patrol duty?” My head shook quickly. “Nope, no! Sorry, I’m being weird. I just mean I’m ready to graduate and go to work. I think being out and doing the job like I’m supposed to will feel better than just doing class. Does that make sense?” “It does. You’ll be realizing your desire to help ponies.” “Exactly!” I chirped. Mindful Soul bobbed her head. “Good. Now, it is still Saturday and you’re still in my home. Not that you’re unwelcome, I just know you wouldn’t be here if something wasn’t on your mind.” She read me too well and I had been dancing around the issue. “The spell wasn’t the only thing that happened last night. Quartz showed up.” “Ah, I see. Now that is serious. How did that go for Aurum?” “I’d say very well. He actually apologized, and they’re trying to patch things up,” I explained. Mindful Soul smiled, which was a bit odd. I didn’t see her do that a lot and when she did, it was always weird. She was so analytical and almost cold normally. “I’m happy to hear that. Aurum has struggled. Now, tell me, how does that make you feel?” My nose wrinkled. “He came without any plan and just wants to live with us. Out of the blue, he showed up! Aurum said it was up to me and I couldn’t say no! Not that I wanted to, but I wanted to! I said yes for her.” “Do you feel threatened by Quartz?” “Yes, very much! Like he is going to take Aurum away! He was mean, I was nice, he just shows up and I’m alone again!” “That is normal,” Mindful Soul said. “What?” Normal? Me? “What you’re feeling is normal. This has less to do with what happened to you and more who we are as ponies. You love Aurum very much. She’s special to you. This has nothing to do with Quartz. It could just as easily be a stallion that wanted to date her, or even a job that would take her someplace else. “Hearing me say this may not make the feelings any different, but I wanted you to know that this was absolutely normal. You’re behaving just like almost anypony would.” I was? I almost never behaved like almost anypony. “Am I not being a bad friend for feeling like that? Isn’t it best that Aurum and Quartz have their relationship?” “Without knowing their relationship, I can’t say for sure but statistically speaking, yes. It is better for them to have their relationship than not. As for you, the answer is very much no. You are allowed to have thoughts and fears. “In the end, even though it was barely a choice, you said yes. You thought about what was best for Aurum and not what was best for Azurite.” I sipped at the warm chocolate and then inhaled its wonderful scent. “What if I did it so that she wouldn’t go with him?” “You made a choice that met their needs and yours. If they agreed to stay, then that is their choice. You’re allowed to have thoughts and fears about this. I would also recommend talking to Aurum about them, too. Just tell her you’re feeling vulnerable. If I know her half as well as I imagine I do, she’s not going to abandon you.” I tried to imagine Aurum abandoning me. It was a scary thought and I didn’t like it, but I also struggled to really see it happening outside of my imagination. It was hard to picture her doing anything mean, honestly. Finally, I whispered, “She’d never do that.” “Then you just have to convince the inner you of that,” Mindful Soul replied. “You make pretty good hot chocolate and you’re an awesome therapist.” “I do my best.” I finished the chocolate and set the mug down on the coffee table. “Thank you for seeing me.” “I truly don’t mind at all.” “Well then, can I ask you something that is wholly unrelated to therapy?” Mindful Soul’s head tilted slightly. “Of course.” “Aurum and Quartz are out shopping, and I honestly don’t want to just go home and do a puzzle book. I’m also not feeling confident enough to just brave Canterlot alone. Are you free? Can we be friends for a day? Like, what do you do for fun?” She smiled. “Azurite, we can be friends in general. Now, there have to be boundaries, but we can be friends. As far as my plans, I was going to do some seamstress work. Would that interest you at all? I have three nieces that are going to be in a school play next weekend, so costumes must be made. My sister is, unfortunately, sewing challenged.” My ears perked at that. “Oh, that sounds neat! My mom never sewed much, but I’m really good with small bits and things. I can at least provide another set of hooves and a horn. What are your nieces going to be?” Mindful Soul stood up and motioned to the door next to the one where she went into the kitchen. “This way to my crafts room. They’re going to be little bees and I can’t wait to see their play.” We trotted off together. I hadn’t planed on making bee costumes today, but it seemed like more fun than being alone with an angry Mr. Peepers. It also felt good to know that I was being normal. I just had to ensure I was doing the best for Aurum while also taking care of me. I could do that!