Rosa

by awf

Chapter 4: Morning Routines

Waking up was a bit harder than usual. Today of all days Rosa would have liked to sleep in, but the alarm clock was blaring mercilessly at her. She could also hear her roommates shuffle and pull their pillows over their heads to shut out the noise. Same as every morning, really. Stretching and yawning, both at the same time, Rosa shut the clock off and then rubbed her eyes to try and get the sleep out of them.

It was a very important day!

The children would be there at nine, but Martha had asked the young mare to be in her classroom at eight, so they can go over some ground rules and last minute instructions. The clock read seven, which gave Rosa half an hour to shower and get ready, then allowed her just enough time to fetch a quick breakfast. She looked back at her warm, welcoming pillow in deep thought. Maybe she could skip breakfast this day and catch thirty minutes of extra sleep?

Yeah, staying up late and going to the colts' room had been a mistake.

Rosa pressed her lips together in determination, shook her head, and firmly slipped out of the bed and down to the cold, cold floor. She wasn't about to turn lazy, not on this day, no matter how surprisingly chilly the floor was even through hooves! She could make up for lost sleep in the following night.

Over on the other side of the room Rosa saw Amethyst looking at her. She was awake, but didn't seem inclined to move. Rosa jerked her head in a quiet invitation to join her. After all, they both had the same instructor and the same class today. She gave this some consideration, then shrugged and nodded.

It was a good result. Her friends didn't usually take breakfast with Rosa, which meant that they were always impatient and fidgety before lunch. The only redeeming fact was that Rosa didn't share classes with them that often. It really didn't seem worth being cranky the whole morning, not for a few minutes of sleep. Rosa was glad that Amethyst would join her today. They both needed to be on their best behaviour for the children. Martha had said she would be grading them and the result would affect their futures.

Now that she had woken up a little, Rosa was almost giddy with excitement and nerves. She hurried into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. No evidence of her drinking the previous night. Come to think of it, she hadn't even felt any different, so Rosa guessed that Paolo had been right. It apparently took more than a half bottle of beer to get her drunk. She wondered idly if she would ever need this information in the future.

Silly musing aside, Rosa stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain shut. Then, keeping well away from the shower head, she nudged the handle toward 'warm' and opened the water. Those first few seconds were always shivering cold and she kept well away from the spray. Only after gingerly checking the temperature on her leg did the young mare step under the water with a grateful sigh. A hot shower felt very nice. Rosa took a few moments for herself and just stood there, soaking up the warmth. The water left pleasant trails down her legs, making her moan in delight.

After a few moments she sat on her haunches to free her forelegs and turned the water off. Then she reached for the shampoo bottle. There was ever only one, so Maribelle had set up a rota where each filly had a turn to choose the scent. Mint and lime - that had been Iskra's latest pick a few weeks ago and it was nearly out. It was actually kinda pleasant. Maybe when it was Rosa's turn, she'd pick the same.

For now, she squeezed out a bit over her head and started rubbing it in. Sitting like that, the mare had learned, would let the lather stream down her back, which helped her use less shampoo for her coat and tail. Waste not, want not, Instructor Martha always said.

The bathroom door opens and Rosa paused mid-scrub. "Um, Amethyst?" she asked, voice echoing in the small, tiled space.

"Yes. Can I come in?"

"Sure!"

An extra hoof was always welcome in the shower. Well, maybe the unicorns wouldn't need it, but Rosa suspected they would still appreciate the company. Any pony would! There was something undeniably bonding about spending some quiet time ministering to each other.

The curtain twitched aside to admit her friend and Rosa scooched over to let her sit under the shower head.

"It's warm, right?" Amethyst asked, just to be sure.

"Mhm!" Rosa nodded. "Do my tail?"

Her friend was only too happy to oblige. She turned the shower on, then squirted some more of the bottle on Rosa's rump. "Huh, nearly empty," she commented. "Who's next?"

It took some thought for Rosa to remember the rota. "Um, you, aren't you? Last time it was Iskra and before that it was Felicity."

"Oh! That's right!" her friend said enthusiastically.

Rosa wrung some of the lather from her mane on her chest and started rubbing, all the while Amethyst was working on her tail. "Any idea what you'll get?"

Amethyst rested her hooves on Rosa's flanks as she thought about it. "Dunno. Maybe blueberry? Haven't had that in a while."

"Oh, I love it!"

"You? It was supposed to be Maribelle's turn after me, but I guess..." She left it unsaid because they both understood.

"I know," Rosa said, then tried to brighten the mood. "I was thinking this one again. I kinda like mint."

Amethyst gave this some thought. "It's nice," she agreed as she poked her roommate's flank to turn her around, "but it gets a bit samey, doesn't it?"

Rosa obligingly shuffled so she was facing her and extended a foreleg, which Amethyst quickly washed with the leftover lather on her hooves.

"Switch," she commanded and Rosa put her leg down and lifted the other one.

"Well, we'll have your blueberry next, and then after me it's Valentina's turn. Plenty of variety."

The young mare wasn't swayed by this, but she was willing to agree. "I guess," Amethyst said. "Okay, done. Me next!"

The fillies deftly maneuvered around each other to switch places. That brought Rosa back under the most welcome warmth of the shower, which began washing away the soap. The last few squirts in the bottle went on Amethyst's head and rump. She started lathering up her mane while Rosa got started on her tail.

"All out. I'll go to the Bursar's office after class and get some more. Oh, remind me to tell the others we're out." Rosa had been on the receiving end of that mishap too often herself. She had stepped in the shower and got nice and soaked, only to discover there was no shampoo left. There was just no way of getting her mane in order after something like that. It was better not to get it wet at all!

"Okay. Here, let me rinse off!"

Rosa was a bit reluctant to leave the comforting warmth, but she sidled away to let her friend take her place. If she stayed close, would still got a trickle of hot water, plus she could help Amethyst rinse off.

"Oh, almost forgot. Leg?" Rosa offered.

Amethyst shook her head. "It's okay, already done."

They stayed together in the shower, enjoying the few extra minutes of hot water they were both getting, then Amethyst shut the water off and pulled the curtain aside. There were plenty of towels, so Rosa stepped out and reached for two of them, passing one to her friend. The next few minutes they couldn't really talk as they were both vigorously drying their manes.

Soon the two were done with that and laid the soft fabric over their flank. The goal was to soak up as much water as possible, so there'd be less to do with the hairdryer.

Amethyst reached for it first, so Rosa decided to take care of something else during that time, and sat down on the toilet. "Um, you don't mind, do you?" she asked, just in case.

"Nah, go ahead. I'll go in a minute, too," the other mare said agreeably.

On the plus side, any unpleasant noises would be covered up by the whine of the hairdryer.

She got started on her mane and Rosa let go. Maybe she should have done it before the shower, but the need hadn't been too apparent until she had heard all that running water. Maybe the urban myth was true? Rosa wondered if the colts had ever tried putting a bowl of warm water under a sleeping pony's hoof to make them wet the bed. She decided to ask Paolo later.

The 'business' didn't take her too long, so she wiped herself dry with a tissue and flushed. Amethyst was still busy with the dryer, so Rosa just stood behind her, catching a stray stream of air every now and then. It was all just to make her morning routine a bit quicker.

"Gonna join me for breakfast today?" Rosa asked, raising her voice over the noise.

"Yeah, sure! I'm up, so I might as well!" the other mare agreed.

"Great! Looking forward to class?"

"Mhm!" Amethyst bobbed her head up and down with a smile. She didn't seem as nervous as Rosa felt, but maybe she was just hiding it that well. "Here, do your mane, I have to towel my tail off anyway," she offered.

Rosa didn't bother replying, just nodded as she accepted the loud device. The handle was a bit awkward, but sitting on her haunches allowed the pony to grip it with her forehooves and angle it at her face. The hot stream of air hit her right in the muzzle and she spent a guilty few seconds with her mouth open and biting the wind. It was just so much fun!

Amethyst shook her head a little, but she was smiling, too. Anyway, she usually did the same thing when she thought no one was looking. Probably every pony did.

Rosa stopped goofing around and got down to the business of drying her mane and fur. There was still the brushing left, as well as some makeup and the scent. She really hoped she would have enough time.

---

The mess hall was mostly empty in the mornings, so the mares had their choice of tables. Rosa picked one against the east wall, so they could sit in the morning sun. It was a lovely day outside, without a single cloud in the sky. A glorious spring day. Rosa hoped she'd have a chance to go outside for a bit in the afternoon. A walk around the enclosed school grounds would do her good.

Amethyst, for her part, blinked in the light and didn't seem quite as happy, but she was ravenously devouring her apple. She had gone for an all-fruit breakfast, claiming it was less likely for her to be sick if things got... 'too excited'. The way she had said that made her roommate worry a little.

"Why... 'too exciting'?" Rosa asked, a very faint tremor in her voice.

"Well, I talked with Jasmine - you remember her, right?"

It took Rosa a moment to recall the pale blue muzzle with its frame of luscious, blonde mane. "Oh yes. She left last year, no?"

Amethyst nodded happily. "Helping in a kindergarten."

They both sighed. It was a dream job, really, especially for a pony who loved children.

"Well," the young mare went on, "she told me that these... um, 'special' classes can get a bit hectic. You never know what the kids might do." She leaned over and lowered her voice. "Some of them can't control their strength so they can grip very hard. If one of them tries to hug me, I really don't want to throw up all over them, you know?"

Now that she had put it that way, Rosa looked at her bowl of muesli with some concern. Maybe she should have gone for half a bowl only? Just in case? Well, it was almost done, so it would have to be about three quarters, Rosa estimated as she pushed the dish away.

"Good point. Thanks." She didn't know what else to say, so she gave Amethyst what she hoped was a brave smile and glanced at the wall clock. "Five minutes. I think we should get started."

Her friend was finishing her banana, but she nodded and stood up. She followed suit and Rosa slid the tray to her back without spilling a single drop, a skill both ponies had practiced. It wouldn't do to get a demarkation for leaving a mess today of all days.

"Um," Amethyst said and Rosa stopped in her tracks as she remembered that her friend hadn't taken a tray. They had shared one and now she was stuck with an apple core and a banana peel.

"Oh, sorry! Just put them on!"

By way of apology Rosa crouched a bit to lower the tray under the table's edge, so Amethyst had an easier time sweeping her leftovers on it. Then she hurried to return it to the kitchen while her roommate waited at the entrance. Before they left the room Rosa glanced around to see if her newest friends had made it, but she didn't see any of the colts in the mess hall. They probably had the same idea as her other roommates.

Rosa smiled at Amethyst as she caught up. "Okay, Martha said we're in one-bee," she remembered. Both mares knew the way and they stepped smartly so they wouldn't be late.