New Beginnings: Bluebelle

by Bloobweez

Setting the Stage: Study Buddies

"Daaaaaad, can you come check my homework?" That was something kids did, right? The last time you were actually in school was college and generally parents either weren't around to 'check your homework' or they just straight up didn't understand the content, so being able to have people willingly check your work without the promise of greasy fast food was a point in favor of still being a horse. You know, not that you had any choice in the matter for the past six years. By the time you snapped back to alertness, the sheet in front of you had been snatched up and looking up you saw it was Mom.

"I thought you were on vacation time?"

"Yeah but if daddy comes in here and checks it he'll probably give you another Whatchamacallit and spoil your appetite." Damn, she's good. Whatchamacallits were the first thing you saw in Equestria that you actually recognized as a direct placement from Earth, and to be honest the only brand named thing that didn't change to some horse pun, and so since your first day here in Equestria they served the role of both an appetizing snack and something to remember your old life by.

"Anyway, right here you put 'Hay Den stood a sad song?' And over here put 'Berry White sang still for the picture?" You had a chuckle at that pony's name when you first read it and had to have another one now which was met with some confusion before mom continued on, "There's a few others, but otherwise you seem to be doing okay, even if I can see somepony changed their answers on the math sheet. Are you still having issues with your alphabet?"

"Yeah, Miss Dreams offered to help with some after school time, but I think I'm getting the hang of it!"

Mom turned her attention back to the sheets, looking them over again, "You know, we could see if Star could help you, she-"

"Nonono thanks!" You had to nip that in the bud before you had to relive the days of Star foalsitting you... Some nights you still shudder thinking about those months, seriously that filly goes mad with power whenever she gets it, and not even in the fun way like Caligula! Of course, mom was now looking at you fairly awkwardly and you had to come up with an excuse quick.

"I mean, uhhh, I.... Don't want her to know I'm having issues... It's embarrassing, especially since some of the other ponies are really good readers..." That worked, right? Riiiiight? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?

"Oh sweetie, there's nothing wrong with admitting you need help," she replied while extending a wing around your back, "And I'm sure Star would love to help!" Shit she's doing the excited mom face that she does whenever she confirms an idea of her own to herself. It's okay though, it's okay... You like a challenge, you've fought uphill battles before!... You didn't really quite win very many of them, though.

"Well yeah, but uhhh, she might not want to since it could cut into time spent playing. You know how much Star loves to play games!"

She started tutting and you know you'd lost, "Sweetie, I'm positive Star would much rather spend time helping you than playing games. And who knows maybe you two could even make games out of your study sessions!" Fuck. Fuck. Shit. "How about after dinner you can ask her at the park?"

With a sigh of defeat, you had to relent, "Okay, mom. I'll ask her after dinner."

"Good! And maybe I'll even get you a Whatchamacallit for being mommy's brave little filly."

Even mom nuzzling you couldn't stop your cheeks from flushing and your face turning into a pout as you groaned out "Mooom..." With a plan set in motion that you had very little input into, you lounged around in the living room listening to the radio while mom and dad made dinner. It didn't take long for you to get the call to stop trying to channel One by Metallica to somehow play out of the radio instead of the talk show your parents kept permanently on and come to dinner. Once you had all eaten your fill and finished your talks about how everyone's day was, what everyone had planned for tomorrow, and some weekend plans with Flying Fish and Cotton which makes you cringe a bit... You weren't sure you'd ever be able to forget your first playdate with Cotton but at least now you could actually scream "I need an adult" and be understood. So you had that on your side.

With dinner finished, dad had set about cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes while mom threw on her saddlebag a scarf and asked if you wanted one as well. You took up her offer since it could get a bit chilly in the evening and so the two of you left both in matching pink scarves... God, fuck being a filly. Of course, before leaving, you two had to pick up Star Light, and so you knocked on her apartment door and had to do the kid thing of asking Night Hook if Star could come out to play. Some part of you hoped against all hope that she wouldn't be allowed to for one reason or another but there she was, ready as always.

Finally on your way to the park, Star began talking about her homework and how you shouldn't have a problem with it when you do it in the morning, prompting a sly smirk from Mom as she bumped your flank with hers.

With a groan you rubbed the back of your head, "So uhh, actually Star... I kind of had some issues with the homework and was wondering if..." You paused hoping you could somehow back out, but Mom kept giving you the Mom stare so you knew you had to finish the sentence, "Would you be able to help me out sometime? Like, with the whole reading thing?" Star didn't instantly reply and as you looked at her you saw why. You're sure you had seen a reaction image of this face at some point, she was staring at you with eyes almost as wide as her grin and you could almost see stars replacing her pupils.

"Do you mean like... Study buddies?" she managed to eek out somehow without breaking that grin.

Glancing between the approving nod of Mom and the slightly creepy grin of Star you had to force the word from your throat, "Uhhh... S-Sure?" The instant you replied, you were pounced to the ground in a hug by Star who was surprisingly strong for a filly, a pegasus at that.

Once you went to try to claw your way out, she released you and started hopping up and down on you, her wings fluttering in joy as she kept chanting "Study buddies, study buddies, study buddies" over and over again and god damn you had to beat yourself up for thinking you were going to be a nerd earlier when you were in a class with this filly.

Luckily Mom came to the rescue and set a hoof on Star, "Okay now, Star Light. I'm sure Blue is just as excited as you are, but if we don't hurry you two will be late to the park!" Based on Star's reaction, she must have forgotten that the three of you were actually going somewhere, as she just froze for an instant of realization on top of you.

Once the instant was over she hopped off and started pushing against you with her snout, "Oh. My. Celestia. You're right, come on Blue, we're gonna be late! Then we can't be on the same team!"

With a roll of your eyes you stood back and looked over to her, "You don't even know what we're going to be playing, there might not be teams."

"Well yeah but we're study buddies so we're gonna be on the same team anyway."

You tried to come up with a response but words failed you as you sunk your head down a bit, "All right, well let's get there anyway so we can at least pick something to play."

"Okie doke!"

Once the three of you got there, Mom took a seat on a bench and started reading a book, you tried to read the title but Star dragged you by the scarf to go play with the kids and to introduce you to everyone you already knew as her study buddy. With introductions completed the debate began on what exactly everyone would play and despite making a strong case for Jailbreak that essentially boiled down to "It's every other game you want to play but better," they decided on freeze tag. So for the next couple of hours you and the rest of the fillies and colts burnt off all of that extra energy kids always manage to have. You made a couple of nice plays, doing the old football juke a couple of times, and also some not nice ones like running alongside another one of the pegasi in the class and them fluttering up onto the jungle gym to avoid getting tagged and you managing to get yourself stuck in the bars when you tried the same maneuver. You then had to have a negotiation with the "It" pony to allow you to move so you didn't puke from staying in that position with a bar pushing up on your gut. It ended with you frozen on the other side of the bars and with that little shit getting your snack at lunch tomorrow. As the shadows of the surrounding buildings started stretching into the large sandbox you had all been running around, Mom called out for you and Star to head back home and along the way took a detour for you to get your Whatchamacallit, and also one for Star for being so generous. So that was good.

Arriving back at home, Star went to her apartment and you and Mom to yours. She went to run a bath for you while you and Dad fought over who got to eat the rest of the Whatchamacallit (you technically won by virtue of cramming it all into your mouth at the start of the fight but he scored a moral victory by tickling you the rest of the time for punishment) and after your bath it was finally time for bed. Mom and Dad followed you into your bedroom, a room that was still mostly pink despite plastering five years worth of Wonderbolt posters all over the walls and having an entire corner dedicated just to stuffed animals. Once tucked in, Mom and Dad took turns reading a story to you, each playing different characters in the Daring Do story. Yeah that's right, the same series that Rainbow Dash got into, fuck off it's fucking Indiana Jones as a pegasus in book form. Once the chapter was finished, you were left to drift off to sleep alone, at a pitiful time of 8:30. God how much longer would it be until you didn't have to deal with this bedtime shit.

Author's Note:

Woo we finished Setting the Stage. While reading through this I think I now realize why my professors in school all hated me. I tend to switch tenses between present and past tense, usually focusing in on present tense when writing actual interactions and moving back to past tense when skipping through stuff I feel like I either don't want to write or feel like it would be boring to read and write. Luckily, I'm not paying money to be graded on my writing style for fan fiction anymore so all of those professors can suck it.

For things that you might actually care about, with Setting the Stage done we'll be moving away a bit from the Slice of Life kinda stuff, I'd say closer to maybe two part episodes with the general vibes of Setting the Stage acting as the filler that goes on in between these not-quite-but-technically-I-guess adventures. And yeah, that's my little tidbit, see ya'll around next time I post.

Comments

[Viper Pit]

i'm not sure this is a act any longer despite what belle says

[SmogTundra]

boko