20 Days Later
I awoke to the usual sounds that accompanied the castle at this time in the morning.
...
Nothing.
"Hm, how predictable," I thought aloud with my eyes closed as I rolled over onto my side. I didn't really have to get up right now. Actually, I didn't really have to get up at all today. I glanced up at the clock on my wall, seeing that it was shortly after ten in the morning.
Ehhhhhhhhh... I don't know...
I moped around in my bed for a few more minutes, lazily stretching and moving about my bed. I practically yelled when I stretched out, waking up my muscles and moaning in comfort. I relaxed for a few more minutes before glancing at my bathroom door.
"Uhhhh ehhhhhhh ah flubaner ga degatibanooschiki" I yelled into my pillow as I rolled over onto my belly, stretching again. I decided that it was a good a time as any to get up, and I rolled over and fell onto the floor with a thud, taking my blanket with me.
I stood up, and placed my blanket back onto my bed, before going into my bathroom and turning on the shower.
I had started to let my hair grow out a bit, not because I wanted to, but because the past few months specifically had been very busy, with schooling, magic, and now today on my plate.
As the cool water ran over my head and through my hair, I had time to reflect on what today was.
It was my eighteenth birthday. Today was the day where I gained my personal freedom, the day where Equestria recognized me as a total individual. I would have a lot more options after today, and I didn't really know what what I wanted to do.
Because I was a legal adult now, I would be able to move out of the castle if I wanted to. That was my first thought. But it also occurred to me that my current situation might have a fairly large silver lining.
Currently, I didn't have to worry about getting a place for myself. I didn't have to worry about schooling right away, and I didn't have to really worry about employment until someone called me on it.
I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. I quickly dried off, and went back to my room to put my clothes on.
I still had a fair amount of bits left from the thousand that Celestia had given us. I had only spent around two hundred of them, leaving me with somewhere around eight hundred bits remaining. With free meals lined up for the immediate future, I would not have anything to really worry about.
I'll have to speak to Celestia about what to do...
After brushing my teeth and preparing myself for the day, I looked to the clock, and read ten forty nine. I opened the door to my room, and-
"Happy birthday!" Austin screamed in my face. I jumped back a few feet, wincing in surprise at the sudden outburst. Austin stepped up to me, and handed me a... red balloon.
"Here, I got you this, now come on, we have to go!" Austin said as he turned and ran down the hall. I watched as he ran, stepping out into the hall. He turned around before he got to the corner.
"Well, are you coming?" he shouted to me.
"Where are we going this time?" I asked him, looking at the balloon he had given me, wondering where he could have gotten it from.
"Just come with me, trust me. Hurry up!" he said as he took of down the hall and around the corner. I dropped my shoulders, and gave a large sigh, before breaking out into a fast jog, taking off after my friend.
I rounded the corner to the guest rooms, and saw Austin waiting for me halfway down the hall.
"What are you so excited about? I'm supposed to me the excited one, not you," I told him as I stopped next to him. We started walking down the hall together.
"I know, but I can't help but be happy! You're eighteen today, no? Why aren't you happy?" he asked me. Austin rarely got this excited, and whenever he did, it usually came with an abundance of energy. Today was no exception.
"I mean, it's just another day, except now I have to worry about things like taxes, and girlfriends," I said cynically.
"Oh, don't be like that. Come on, I know what will make it better," he told me as he started walking faster.
We passed a few servants and guards on the way there, and a few that I had made acquaintance with even wished me a "happy birthday." Eventually, Austin lead me to one of the meeting rooms in the castle.
"Okay, wait here," he told me as he slipped inside and shut the door behind him. I heard the sound of a door locking, and I dropped my shoulders in disbelief.
"Not like I have any choice!: I yelled thought the door. Austin likely didn't even hear me. I turned around, and lent against the wall, waiting for whatever scheme Austin had come up with.
With the kind of ponies in the castle, it would have been relatively difficult to plan a party, much less a proper one. I expected some sort of half party, half "they wouldn't let me put streamers up" kind of event, and I laughed aloud at the thought of it.
The door soon flew open, and Austin looked at me.
"Okay, you can come in now," he told me with a large smile on his face. I stepped through the doorway, and...
"Holy... shit..."
The room had been colourfully decorated, with confetti, balloons, and much to my surprise and amusement, streamers. The large round table in the center of the room had been adorned with various complex aesthetic objects to make it look nice, and the walls had banners depicting my favourite colours and objects on it. All six of the banners were pink with gold borders, and they all had different emblems on them.
The first one depicted an apple tree. Austin must have been paying attention to my clothing. The second one had a few books sewn into it. The third had a picture of a hand holding fire, the universally recognized symbol for magic. The fourth had a... broken mirror?
Ha ha... actually, how did he do all of this? These would have to have been specially made for this occasion to make any sense...
The last two each said happy birthday on them, and rested at the far end of the room. The room was vibrant, warm, colourful, and overall, just looked like a lot of fun.
"Do you like it? I spent all of yesterday setting it up. Well, me and a couple of the staff, that is. What do you think?" he said anxiously.
I had no response. I stood there in awe of the absolute attention to detail in the room.
"You... I... how did you get those banners?" Was all I could ask.
"Well... I actually didn't get them, the princess did! I went to Celestia, and asked her if she could help me get this whole thing set up! She asked me what I wanted her to do, and I told her she could help me decorate the room. She came up with the idea for banners, and I told her what to put on them," he told me, puffing up his chest proudly.
"Well!?" he pressure me. I looked at him with a smile.
"Austin, this is amazing! What else am I going to say? Look what you did? This... this is fucking awesome!" I said emphatically.
"Great! What do you want to do first?" he asked me. I looked at him briefly, before gazing around the room again.
"...is there cake?" I asked with a smirk on my face.
"You bet there is! Here, over here," he told me, leading me around the table. Along the back wall, there was a long table. On it, one could find a large assortment of party foods. Drinks like punch, coffee, and tea were present. Dainties like cookies, small cakes, and pastries liked the right half of the table. However...
In the middle of the table sat a cake that had the beauty to bring a man to tears.
It was a beautiful cake. Triple layered, adorned with frosting and topped with slices of fruit. Apple slices, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, and even a few slices of orange crowned the cake. The sides were decorated with chocolate frosting in patterns that made the cake look even more attractive. It was around two feet tall, and likely the same distance in width.
I felt my jaw drop slightly before I corrected my action.
"Looks tasty, huh? Celestia had the cooks make it, and man, did they do a good job or what?" Austin thought aloud.
"It's looks amazing! You know, I feel like I'm going to be using that word a lot today," I told him with a laugh.
"Well, let's see if it tastes as good as it looks!" he said with vigour.
The next few minutes were spent trying to cut the cake without destroying too much of its outer beauty. Like individual people, however, it's whats inside that counts. I took my piece of cake I had, and went over to fetch a fork to eat it with. Upon doing so, I wasted no time digging into my piece.
"This is amazing! Eh, there I go again. But seriously, this is great!" I said as I swallowed my first bite, quickly partaking in another helping. The cake was soft and moist, without being delicate to the point of not being able to handle it. It had a creamy texture, and the taste... was reminiscent of a variety of fruit. The taste and texture of the cake blended together so perfectly, and I quickly devoured my piece.
"Man, cake for breakfast. I wish I could get used to this," I said as I started at my empty plate.
"Well, it probably wouldn't be too good for your figure," said a voice from behind us. Austin and I turned to see Celestia walking towards us. I placed my plate down on the table.
"Trust me... I've tried it," she told us in a sad tone. I gave her a large smile, before turning towards the table.
"Well you can certainly indulge in a single piece, no? There's plenty of cake, and I'm not going to lie. I feel like that's why you're here," I said with a smirk. She placed a hoof on her chest in a victimized manner.
"And why is that? Can I not simply wish a friend well on his birthday?" she asked me innocently. I winced ever so slightly, but composed myself before anyone could say anything.
"If it was anyone else, I would believe them," I told her. Austin laughed at this, and Celestia made a slight pouting face.
"Well, it would seem I have been discovered. No matter..." she said as she moved over to the cake. While Celestia helped herself to the cake, Austin came to a realization.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed while running over to the table in the center of the room. He picked up a bag, and reached in. While he was doing that, I conversed with Celestia.
"Hey, I never did find out when you birthday was. When is it?" I asked her. She finished cutting her piece of cake, and helped it onto her plate with her magic.
"I trust you can keep a secret?" she asked as she turned to me. I nodded.
"Usually I keep my personal information as quiet as I can, so that no one makes a big deal over it. But recently Luna has been pushing me to reveal the date to the public. She says that birthdays are big deals and need to be commemorated. Personally, I've never seen the appeal or use. It's just a day. Nevertheless, you asked, and you shall receive. My birthday is actually in a few more days. June seventh is my birthday," she told me. I made a "mouth zipping" gesture, eliciting a giggle from the princess.
"Here!" Austin yelled in my ear. I felt something latch onto my head, and I looked to Austin in confusion.
"If you're going to eat the cake, you need to be wearing your party hat, that's just how it works," he told us, handing one to Celestia, who took in with her magic. The hats were classic party hats, and mine was blue with pink stripes if Austin was to be believed.
"Unfortunately, I cannot stay for much longer. I have matters to attend to, and I merely stopped by to wish Daniel a happy birthday," Celestia told us. She placed the hat down on the table, and quickly finished her cake. We heard the sound of the door opening in the absence of conversation, and saw lieutenant Bell approach us.
"Man, everyone is here today, huh?" Austin poked at me.
"Princess. Daniel, Austin," Bell said with a salute directed at the princess in the room.
"Hello Lieutenant, I trust everything is up to code," Celestia asked with a smile.
"Of course, your majesty. I am actually here to converse with Daniel here," he told us. Austin glanced to me, and I gave him a small shrug in response. Bell looked at me, and made a "come over here motion" with his head. He and I walked a few feet away before he turned to me. Austin and Celestia apparently turned their attentions back to the cake.
"I heard one of the boys told you about joining the guard when you got old enough. That true?" Bell asked me. I nodded.
"Something like that. The day I stopped that thief, one of the guards told me that I ought to try out with the way I ran," I told him.
"Well ya know what? If you think that that's something you'd like to do, the tryouts are open to practically anyone who can pass the qualifiers,"
"And what are the qualifiers?"
"We take the ponies, and humans who want to join and bring them to boot camp. The qualifiers happen on day two. It's a test to see where you are in terms of your physical strength and endurance. The first day is spent familiarizing ponies... people to the way the camp works, who their commanding officers are, and basic military expectations such as marching, commands and the like. If you can pass the qualifier, you can pass boot camp," he informed me. I nodded slightly, taking in the information that he had given me.
"When do I have to sign up?"
"Qualifiers happen twice a month, at the start of every second week. The next one would be... next Saturday. If you want, you can test yourself. If you fail, you can always take it again. It would be nice to see someone like you try out. Who knows, might surprise yourself," he told me. I raised an eyebrow in thought, before responding to him.
"Maybe I should work out a bit before, get a little stronger," I told told him.
"You could always take the test to see where you need to work on. That would probably be a good idea. If you want to sign up... you can go to the recruiting offices in the city. Actually, she might be in today, I can take you to see if she's in, if you want," Bell offered me. I nodded, and with a smile we turned back to our friends, who were still indulging in the cake.
"Well, I would like to thank you for the impromptu festivities, but I must be going now," Celestia told us, turning to leave.
"Thanks for stopping by," I told her. She nodded, before gliding out of the room.
"So, what's next?" Austin asked me. I looked at Bell, who merely raised an eyebrow at me.
"Bell and I have some business to attend to with the guard and I need to go with him. You can... do something, I don't know," I told him. He dropped his shoulders.
"...can I come with you?" he asked in a slightly somber tone. Bell nodded to me.
"I guess so sure. Let's go," I said as I turned to leave. Austin and I walked to the door, and turned back...
...only to see Bell helping himself to a slice of the cake.
"Man, people are just in love with that thing," Austin said, to which I gave him a confused look. He took his cake and a fork, and walked over to us.
"By the way, happy birthday," he told me. I shook my head with a sigh, and we exited the room together.