//------------------------------//
// Meeting a Filly 
// Story: Azure Flame 
// by Silver Page 
//------------------------------//

	The next morning was a lot like yesterday. Warm and sunny, with a well done breeze. Blueblood took a deep breath in his office. He donned his cloak and put on his glasses. He carefully checked to make sure the filly’s letter was safe in a pocket, and then he stepped out of Canterlot General Affairs room. Blueblood was now gone, replaced with Azure Flame.
Exiting the palace complex through one of the side gates, he headed into town to visit the hospital. Azure Flame looked around, and made his way down the streets. 
It was early, around nine, and he expected to make it there by ten thirty. And surprising, he did. There was not a lot of traffic, and he got there without much hassle.
Walking into the large marble and concrete building, he looked around at the white tiles and sterile looking appearance of the lobby. A nurse looked up at him as he walked up to the front desk.
“Hello, I’m looking for a filly named Bouncing Ball. Can you tell me what room she’s in?” Azure Flame asked. The nurse looked at him suspiciously. To be fair, he would do the same. 
“I, we, received a letter she wrote. We wanted to respond in person, and perhaps later talk to the head of the hospital.” Still looking at him oddly, Azure showed her the letter to assure her of his good intentions. She saw who it was addressed to, but didn’t make much comment. Why would Royalty bother to come in person?
“Room 309, Foal Ward. And the hospital director is in room 411. But he won’t be in till eleven.” Nodding his thanks, Azure walked away to find the room. He found it quickly, noting as the walls went from bare white to covered in multi-colored stickers and posters. He found the room, and knocked politely. After a moment, he heard shuffling from behind it, and a blue and green unicorn mare opened the door. She blinked in surprise at seeing him, probably having expected a doctor or nurse, not a well dressed unicorn from the upper class. 
“Sorry to bother you, but is this the room of Bouncing Ball?”
“Yes, it is…” she said hesitantly. 
“May I come in?” Azure asked. She nodded slowly, and stepped aside to let him in. Inside was a bed covered in pale blue sheets with a pale green unicorn filly on it. Her mane and tail was yellow, and she lay in bed with a few books on a desk next to her. Next to her sat a burly looking Pegasus stallion, her father most probably. He had a yellow mane and tail with darker yellow coat, and he looked up in surprise as Azure entered.
“Hi there mister! Who are you?” the little filly asked as she looked up in happy curiosity. Azure smiled. It was hard not to.
“Hello there. My name is Azure Flame, and I work at the Canterlot General Affairs office.” At this, the parent’s expressions turned worried. “Prince Blueblood got this letter in the mail from a little filly named Bouncing Ball. Is that you?”
Oblivious to the now fearful emotions on her parent’s faces, Bouncing Ball nodded.
“Yup! That’s me!” Azure smiled again. “Does this mean I can meet Mr. Blueblood and go to the Gala?”
“I’m sorry, but Blueblood is very busy right now, so he couldn’t come to meet you. But he got your letter and read it, and was very impressed with your manners and wonderful hoof-writing. And the Gala is really boring, so you wouldn’t enjoy it. But he did have an idea for something else.” Bouncing smiled at the compliments, but it faded a bit at the rest.
“I just wanted to come by to convey Blueblood’s thanks to you for the letter, and to say that he might have a surprise for you and the other foals here.” He gave a wink at the filly, and she giggled. He turned to the parents and nodded to them. “Pleased to meet you.”
He walked out, and navigated the maze of hallways and stairs till he found the director’s office. It was a nice looking room, in the top floor of the Grand Heart, and he looked at the clock on one of the wall. 10:59. He shrugged, and told the secretary he would like a meeting whenever he was in. When she asked who he was, Azure said, “I’m here representing Prince Blueblood.” As soon as he said that, the door to the director’s room burst open, and a dark brown unicorn mare practically flew out.
“Hello, sir! I’m sorry, I didn’t know someone like Prince Blueblood wanted to have a meeting! Please, step into my office.” Azure resisted rolling his eyes at her overreaction. That was one of the many ways ponies reacted to his real name. It got annoying real fast.
“So! How can I help you?” the director, whose name was Real Medicine, according to her name plate, asked eagerly, ushering Azure into a seat. 
“Well, I received a letter from a filly who is currently hospitalized here, a one Bouncing Ball. She wanted to know if she could visit the Grand Galloping Gala this year.”
Real Medicine’s face fell, and a sad look filled her eyes.
“Bouncing Ball is…a special case here. Most ponies don’t stay longer than a few months for treatment. She has a condition, which I am not at liberty to disclose, but prevents her from moving too much. Recovery will take a long time, and, well…” Real Medicine lowered her head sadly. Azure was surprised, but not by much. The letter had given him a guess that she was a permanent patient. 
“I managed to figure that out from the letter, Mrs. Medicine. Prince Blueblood had an idea to help her, and the other patients in the hospital.” Real Medicine looked up, trying not to seem hopeful or eager. “Blueblood wants to throw a party here for everyone who is a patient. A sort of mini-Gala, if you will. It would be open to family of the patients as well, and they could enjoy a nice night here with music, food, and games. Blueblood would sort everything out on his end, confirming the preparations and supplies, but he would need your approval.”
Real Medicine stared at Azure for a while, and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. After convincing herself she was awake, sober, and not hearing things, she asked a very good question.
“Why?”
“Because they deserve to have fun just as much as everypony else.” Azure’s reply brought a huge smile to her face, and she leaned over the table and grabbed him in a crushing hug. She was strong, for a unicorn.
“Oh thank you! Thank you! These patients don’t get enough stimulation and something like this will cheer them up! This will make them so very happy! Thank you! And thank Blueblood, too!” She added, releasing Azure Flame from her overwhelming joy.
“Don’t mention it,” Azure wheezed, coughing slightly after all that. Azure levitated some papers out of his cloak’s pockets, and placed them on Real Medicine’s desk.
“These are the forms you’ll need to file with the Canterlot General Affair’s office. Just submit them to me directly, and Blueblood will get them as fast as I can in order to approve them. I hope to hear that you’ll accept his offer.” 
“Yes, of course! I’ll let the Board know about this right now! Thank you so much!” Azure nodded politely, and exited the office under the torrent of thanks. The secretary raised an eye at Azure as he passed, having heard some of the echoing thank yous, but didn’t comment on it.
His job done, Azure Flame decided to head back to the Castle in order to prepare everything on his end.