AN: Welp, my fjrst attempt at writing a Bluey fic and it's about the kids graduating and going to Secondary. I hope this goes well, and I especially hope you all enjoy it. This was a blast to work on.. Perhaps I had a bit too much fun because the introductory chapter's a little long..
ALSO, SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 3B AND 3C AHEAD! (I'm sorry!!)
As the sun dawned over the quiet city of Brisbane, Queensland, the residents woke in-sync with the sun rising, as if today were a choreographed performance the citizens had rehearsed for ages. The dogs of Brisbane began their daily routines, be it getting coffee, going for a morning jog, refreshing their appearances, or getting their children ready for school. In a specific neighborhood in particular, resting atop a hill, the three households residing above the others were engaging in their own rituals. If you were to look at the homes head on, you'd see, to your left, a middle aged chow-chow going for an early morning jog. If you were to look to your right, you would see a labrador throwing a ball with one of his sons. The house in the middle, however, there would be less seeing and more hearing, as a family of 4 loud, playful, loving (some would even say crazy), cattle dogs lived there. This house was also known as the famed "Heeler house" by all of their close friends, and this family had many friends.
It wasn't hard to see why everyone loved the Heelers. Their family had a good reputation with most of the people in Brisbane. The father, known as Dr. Bandit Heeler, was an archaeologist who studied specimens given to him by the company and occasionally went out on the field to find some himself. The mother, Chilli Heeler, worked as an airport security guard, conveniently on days her husband had off or was working from home. While these two were well known and highly respected for their services to Australia, it was often argued that their children were the reason the family was so well-known and loved. Bluey and Bingo Heeler need no lengthy introduction. The girls were on good terms with just about any name you could think of from Brisbane. Credit where credit's due, their friendly and playful nature was very obviously a reflection of their parents' hard efforts to raise their children properly; not strict, but not careless, either. But the girls were still very much their own minds, with their own interests and distastes, oftentimes contrasting their parents. Nevertheless, Bandit and Chilli loved their girls all the same, and looked forward to seeing them grow up to be beautiful young ladies, and that was what today was going to be about.
Bluey woke up with a start and a pep in her step as usual. The sun was still rising, but today was too important for anyone to sleep any longer. She ran up to her little sister across the room and began to nudge her awake.
"Bingo!" she exclaimed hushedly. "Today's the last day of school! Come on, wake up!"
Bingo slowly opened her eyes to look at her older sister looming over her with an excited, goofy grin across her face, just barely illuminated by the window light. It took a few seconds for her to process what Bluey said, but it soon clicked, and she quickly beamed from ear to ear when she remembered why today was so special.
"Oh, yeah!" Bingo replied, just as excited, yet respectfully quiet, as her sibling. "And you're going into big school!"
"Yeah!" Bluey quietly cheered in return. "Come on, let's go wake up Mum and Dad!"
Bingo took a second to process the exchange she and her sister just had. Bluey was 12 now. She was moving into the "big school", as she and her friends called it. It only felt like yesterday she and her sister were 4 and 6, respectively, playing Keepy Uppy in their backyard or running around with a magic xylophone. Now she's 10 and her sister, 12. 6 years went by like a shooting star. Bingo didn't really know what to think. She was happy for her sister, obviously, but she also felt saddened by the thought of them finally growing up. This sole thought was the drill that dug into the rabbit hole of thoughts this brought up, like what would the future look like for them? Would she and Bluey have families of their own someday? Would they still be friends with the people they knew now, like Chloe, Lila, Missy, Lucky.. Would she even see her own sister again after they finished growing up? Would this graduation be the start of this downward spiral?
"Bingo, are you coming?" Bluey called to her sister through the crack of the door, snapping Bingo out of her trance. Bingo shook her head and got a grip of herself before responding.
"Yeah, I'm coming. I just.. Needed a second," she melancholily called back before running off to follow her sister. Before she left the room, however, she looked back at her bed and saw Floppy, her stuffed bunny that she had long since she was a little kid. She had taken some wear over time, and her color was more faded than it used to be, but she was still the same old Floppy Bingo used to cuddle with all the time growing up. Truth be told, she still cuddled with Floppy to this day. It was something she thought she had grown out of around the age of 5, but "Some things never leave you," she thought. She smiled at her bunny before leaving the room to join her sister in whatever shenanigans she was about to get them both into.
Bandit and Chilli's room was silent, sans the clock ticking and the air conditioner running. The two parents, now slowly inching closer to their fifties, were certainly older than they used to be, but that didn't mean they tired easily. They were just as energetic and loving as ever with their kids, as they've always been. However, they were never prepared for when they may need that youthfulness most.
"Mum! Dad! Wake up! It's today!" Bluey bursted into the room with her sister in-tow, eyes glowing with excitement. The girls were jumping up and down next to their parents like idling kangaroos.
Bandit knew what she meant. He dreaded this day. The day his little girl grew up and graduated primary. The day she would officially start to become a teenager. 12 years flew by so fast, he felt like his heart skipped a beat just thinking about it. Nevertheless, today was here, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. So, he decided to make the most of it.
"Aw, biscuits! I totally forgot!" he started to joke. "The business trip's today! I gotta get ready!"
"No!" the girls chuckled at their father's joke. He somehow almost never failed to make them laugh. "It's bigger than that!"
"Ohh, I see," Bandit continued his game. "Is it a holiday? Is it Christmas already? Has Santa come?!"
"Dad!" Bluey groaned, still laughing with her sister.
"Oh, no? Right, then.. So what is today?"
"It's our last day of school, you blue baboon!"
"Oh, yeah! That was my third guess!" Bandit finally decided to give up the charade and cave in. He got up out of bed and gave his girl a tight bear hug and lifted her off the ground. "You're finally going into secondary, Bluey! We're so proud of you, mate!"
"Today's my last day too!" Bingo cleared her throat, demanding she get her well-deserved hug too. Chilli got up out of bed to tend to her youngest.
"And you're moving up! We're all proud of you, too!" her mother cheered, squeezing Bingo out of celebration.
"Right, what do you say we get you grubs ready to go?" Bandit chimed in, earning an excited "Yeah!" from his now-not-so-little ones. "Righto, that's the spirit! Today's special, so go find yourselves a smart pair of clothes and comb your fur back."
"Yes, Dad!" the girls responded as they raced off into their room.
Bandit looked over at his wife, stretching. "Hey, babe?" he said, getting her attention. "We're old."
"You're old, maybe," his spouse playfully responded. "But I know I'm still as young as I was 6 years ago."
"You were old, then!" Bandit jokingly replied. "You're ancient now!"
"Oh, hush up and make the kids brekky, Grandpa."
"Yeah, and why don't you do it, Granny?"
"Because I'm going to do my fur so I don't look like how you groomed Uncle Stripe at his wedding, o' best man."
"It was the gel! It was really sticky! And it was one time, ok?"
"Yeah, because he only got one wedding."
Bandit and Chilli couldn't help but burst into laughter, although the former was a little embarrassed, he couldn't help but smile. Like his brother, he too only had one wedding, and he made a brilliant choice picking his spouse. She was able to take a joke and play with the kids, but she also knew when to be serious about stuff as well. In a way, she sort of wore the pants of the two, and without her, Bandit felt he would be lost. He sincerely hoped that one day his girls would find someone special for themselves as well.
Bluey practically rushed through getting ready. Eating breakfast, brushing her teeth, taking her morning shower, she sped right through it. It gave Bingo more time, though, and time was something Bingo tended to use a lot of in the restroom. But today, Bingo used that time not to focus on readying herself, but to get lost in other thoughts about Bluey growing up. Was it true her sister wouldn't be a kid anymore soon? Would they still have time to play together or even talk with each other? What about their friends? Would they still be able to talk and play when they're older? Or would she have to leave that life behind to focus on becoming a bigger girl? Her head started to become overflowed with thoughts about growing up until she heard a voice calling out to her.
"Bingo?" her father called to her. "Are you alright in there, mate?" Bingo didn't realize it, but she had spent several minutes in the bathroom zoned out and staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"Yes, Dad! I'm fine!" She reassured her dad as she hurriedly finished cleaning herself and dashed out of the bathroom to continue her morning routine.
As the girls finished getting ready, Bandit walked out holding two elegant dresses of different sizes, the bigger one in yellow while the smaller one was in blue, which, at first glance, appeared to be just the right size for Bluey and Bingo. When Chilli saw her husband walk down the stairs with the dresses, she was in a state of positive shock, trying to keep her composure. The girls took notice of their mum's reaction and began to feel concerned.
"Mum, are you alright?" Bluey questioned her mother, as Bingo began to hug the latter. She wasn't sure what struck a nerve inside of her mum or why, but Chilli didn't usually look like this unless it had something to do with her own mum, Bluey and Bingo's grandma.
"You.. You finished them.." Chilli squeaked, her paws covering her snout, hiding her quivering lips from the overwhelming wave of emotions she was feeling in the moment.
"Yeah, Stripe and I did our best," Bandit commented on the dresses. "Had to get a little help from Mum, but I'd say it turned out for the better. I mean, I almost lost my fingers a few times to that sewing machine-" Bandit was interrupted by his wife rushing up to hug him with immense gratitude, her tail wagging rapidly.
"You did great, honey!" Chilli cried out, embracing her spouse as tightly as she could. However, the girls were still confused. But Bluey quickly put two and two together.
"Mum?" she asked, almost hesitantly. "Did Grandma make those dresses?" Chilli had to take a deep breath to respond to this. She knew this was going to be difficult.
"Yeah, she did," the mother started with a sigh and a sniffle. "They were meant for me and your Aunty Brandy's primary graduation, but.. She never got to finish them.." Bluey had a feeling she understood what her mum meant and went up to embrace her, which warranted Chilli to give the same back to her offspring.
"Will we be wearing you and Aunty Brandy's dresses today?" Bingo inquired her mother, who responded with a tearful nod. The girls then promptly went to put the dresses on, and as the girls ran off, Bandit and Chilli looked at each other with glistening eyes and slowly gave each other their first smoochy kiss of the day.
When the girls put their hand-me-downs on, they went out to the balcony to look outside before they left their house for their last time as little girls in year 6, as they knew they'd come back later on as big girls entering year 7. They gazed out into their backyard that they've grown up in, reminiscing of all of the times they've played Tickle Crabs, Pizza Girls, Rug Island, and Butterflies with their dad, neighbors, and extended family. As they were reminiscing, their dad came up to them and whistled, signaling them to turn around. As the girls spun to look at him, they saw he had an old handheld camera up to his eye.
"Hey girls, why don't we take one for the books?" he asked his daughters, who happily obliged to their dad's request, both leaning back and posing themselves on the balcony railing. The morning sunlight greatly assisted in constructing the photo, adding a subtle golden outline around the girls' fur. The family looked at their picture as soon as it was printed and gazed upon it with approving smiles.
Soon enough, it was time for the girls to go. It was decided that both parents would be going with them to drop them off, as this was a very special occasion. The car ride to Calypso's was near silent, almost silent enough to where it made Bingo think she did something wrong to upset everyone, but in reality, what was there to say? Bluey was 12 years old. She was graduating later that day. She and Bingo would no longer be on the same property together, the first time they'd be separated in school in 6 years. Bingo was starting to worry again, several thoughts raced into her head simultaneously. She decided enough was enough, and it was time to use her big girl bark and voice her concerns.
"Bluey?" Bingo spoke up to her sister, who was all ears, as there was nothing else to listen to at the moment. "I'm worried about the future - your future in particular."
"Why's that?" she responded, curious about her sister's concerns.
"We've grown up so fast, it feels like," she continued. "You're going to be a teenager soon, and that means we might not be able to play as much anymore. We're going to be in different schools again, too.. I'm just scared that you're going to grow up so fast that you'll forget all about me, and one day, I'm going to wake up and you'll have left to live somewhere else.."
With the flip of a switch, Bluey's whole perspective on the day began to change. What started as one of the most exciting, anticipated days of her life thus far was slowly becoming one of worry and melancholy. Yes, she was growing up, but at what cost? Nevertheless, she had to be strong for her sister and help her get through the day.
"Bingo, I'd never, ever forget about you!" Bluey replied reassuringly. "You're my sister, and I love you, Mum, and Dad more than anything else in the world! I'll always try to make time to play with you, no matter the cost! I promise!"
That was it. Her fate was sealed. She made a promise, one she herself wasn't sure she could hold up. Bingo began to smile, feeling reassured, but for some reason, Bluey had an immense feeling of dread deep inside. It felt like their sisterhood was on the line now, and if she didn't keep her promise, the very thing Bingo feared would become a reality.. But it couldn't be true, right? How hard could this "big school" possibly be?
The Heeler family eventually pulled up to Glasshouse Primary School, the private school owned by Calypso, where she had helped educate and raise the kids. Overtime, the place has gotten a little bigger and has changed overtime, but it was practically the same building run by the same Australian Shepherd. Bluey and Bingo hugged their parents goodbye and they drove off to prepare for the ceremony later today. Interestingly, several other students, from what they could see, were appropriately dressed for the occasion. Winton was in a tuxedo, Chloe was in a skirt, Indy's hair was braided back to give her a single, long ponytail as opposed to her signature pigtails. Even Pretzel, who was typically seen as the oddball of the group for his seemingly random behavior, put some effort into his attire by wearing a single navy blue bow tie. The girls gripped each others' paws and walked into the building together one final time.
Right off the bat, Bluey and her sister were bombarded with several familiar faces, Coco, Snickers, and Rusty among the first.
"Bluey! You're here!" they all cheered in unison, excited that their oldest friend had arrived.
"Coco, your hair is much sparklier than usual," Bluey pointed out. It was true, there was something different about the poodle's hair that made it stick out more than usual.
"Yeah, my mum let one of my older sisters dye my hair in glitter paint today!" she exclaimed, proud of how she looked.
"We're moving to the big leagues, Blue! Can you believe it?!" Rusty cheered, offering Bluey a fistbump, which she accepted in a heartbeat, despite having butterflies in her stomach.
"We're finally going to Secondary!" Snickers rejoiced, excitedly hopping up and down on his little sausage dog legs.
"Yeah, we sure are!.." the blue heeler chimed in reluctantly. She took a glance over at Bingo, who was excitedly conversing with Lila, Bentley, and Sadie, a few of her friends from Kindy that have stayed with her up until now. She was still thinking about what Bingo said and the promise she made in return. However, her thoughts didn't stray for long as more friends approached her. Mackenzie and Honey went up to greet Bluey and the others. However, Mackenzie seemed to be focusing on something else, himself.
"Guys! Can you believe it?! We're graduating today!" Honey yelled loudly in excitement, followed by overjoyed howling. Everyone nearby instinctively covered their ears. "Oops, sorry!" Honey added when she realized her mistake.
"No worries, it's a celebration!" Rusty added, grinning with anticipation. "In fact, let's round up our troops and get into formation before General Calypso steps in!"
"Sir, yes sir!" The other dogs called out, saluting their "Sergeant" and promptly disbanding to gather their other classmates. Fortunately, the others didn't have to look far to find their other comrades, and they soon sat down in-line, prepared to greet Calypso, who shortly made her way inside to greet her students, all spic and span and ready for the occasion.
"Hello all!" Calypso greeted the children in her typical friendly manner. "I am very excited to see you all once more, and I am very proud of each and every one of you for making it up to this point. I am a little sad to see you all leave now, but life must go on. Your next big adventure awaits you all, and remember that no matter where you go, I'll always be there with you, in each and every one of your hearts, because I love you all." All of Calypso's pupils smiled, feeling very accomplished and proud of themselves. All except Mackenzie, who was staring off into seemingly nowhere. Calypso then turned to a shelf and grabbed the students' graduation caps, each with their own names embroidered on them.
"Are those ours?" Jack Russell inquired about the hats.
"Yes," Calypso responded. "They're yours to keep. You may come and get them whenever you are ready."
And with that, all of the students stood up to grab their grad caps, all except for Mackenzie, who was still staring off into the distance, until he noticed movement from the corner of his eye and shook his head."
"Right, sorry, I'm going," the Border Collie nonchalantly responded as he went to prepare for the ceremony.
A few hours passed where the kids simply played some games together and conversed about their plans for the summer until showtime. Calypso and some others set up a large wooden stage in the field behind the building to host the ceremony a few days before. Prior to beginning the event, the children had done some practicing on stage, and they knew their cues, signals, and positions like the backs of their paws. Soon, it was time for the ceremony to commence, and almost every single one of the children's parents had arrived to see their offspring finally graduate from Primary. Calypso and the kids promptly went onto the stage, the kids hiding behind the curtains while the teacher went to the front to deliver her speech to their mums and dads.
"Welcome, parents of all of our lovely students…" her voice echoed from the podium onstage, "...to what might be one of the most exciting, emotional days in our lifetimes; the graduation of our current class at Glasshouse Primary!"
Calypso never thought this day would come as quickly as it did. In fact, she had secretly hoped this day would never come. But she understood that all great things came to an end eventually, and that the day her class from ages ago would finally grow up to become pre-teens, to finally be able to leave Primary school and move to the mysterious "big school" they've heard about from their buddies. The years went faster than anyone expected, and graduation day subsequently followed. Calypso seemed cheery and mellow as ever, but deep inside, she knew this was one of the hardest things she would ever have to take part in. Nevertheless, she proceeded.
"It has been a long journey for these beautiful students, which you will all see on stage momentarily, and I am so very proud of each and every one of them, and I am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to teach these wonderful children everything I could," Calypso was, unsurprisingly, keeping her composure during all of this. She was a wise old dog who knew a thing or two about emotions and how to properly express and contain them, and she had taught the kids the same things she had learned growing up. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her lessons would stick with the students for years to come. "To look back on their first day here," she continued, albeit, starting to sound less cheerful than before, "And to think they all started out as just little boys and girls playing in the field in the back of the school, and now, they're all young men and women who can confidently tell you all of the continents of the world and do advanced mathematics.."
Calypso was beginning to think about all of the memories she had with the children she had taught for the past six years. Has half a decade really gone by that quickly? It only felt like last week, she was cheering up Pretzel or calming down Mackenzie. She wasn't planning to be moved by this moment, but she couldn't help but to think back on all of the great times with her students. Building a city with Honey, helping Bluey on her quest of the day, giving wisdom to Coco..
Then, she thought back to her Barky Boats analogy many moons ago. It felt like last week the children were only six. Then seven.. Then eight.. Then came nine.. Ten.. Eleven.. The sudden realization hit her like a goods train. Twelve. Most of them were twelve now. Six years had gone by since they first walked into her schoolhouse, and now she has to say goodbye to them all one last time. This time, they weren't coming back next summer. They'd be off on their next big adventure soon. Some of the childrens' younger siblings, such as Bingo or Dusty, they'd still be there, of course. But not for long. They, just like their predecessors, will be gone soon as well. It was all too much. Not even a deep breath could keep her composure in front of the vast crowd of parents.
And within the blink of an eye, Calypso's dam overflowed and broke. Her eyes began to well up with warm tears that began to slip down her fluffy cheeks. A few parents broke down as well, whether in response to Calypso or coincidentally on their own accord. Bella Poodle, Bandit and Chilli Heeler, Marcus and Daisy Beagle, Frank Dalmation.. All of them started to grow emotional as well, one by one. Calypso knew this would happen. She knew this day was going to be hard, not just for her, but for the parents as well. Only time would tell what the children would think or do. Nevertheless, the ceremony had to continue. Without any other words, not that she could properly form any at the moment, Calypso reached for her phone to play the iconic Pomp and Circumstance.
Meanwhile, behind the stage curtain, the children waited for Calypso to start playing the music for them to burst through the curtains. However, as they were listening, they heard a sound they didn't expect to hear.
"What do you hear, Rusty?" Coco asked the red kelpie, who had his ears close to the curtains, only to be met with a look of confusion and concern.
"It sounds like," Rusty paused to do a double take on what he was hearing, "..The adults are crying?"
The children's faces filled with surprise, terror, and worry. They didn't understand. This was meant to be a happy moment, and their parents, Calypso even, from what they could infer, were weeping? Were they not proud of them? Did they not really pass? Was the ceremony canceled? Just then, as music started playing, Calypso peaked behind the stage to check on her students before they stormed the stage, her eyes watery, but still showing her usual, friendly smile.
"Calypso, we didn't mess anything up, did we?" Bluey worried, voicing her concern for the mums and dads in the crowd.
"Oh, not at all, Bluey!" Calypso commented. "This is just a very emotional moment for all of us, seeing you all grown up."
The realization clicked in Rusty's head. "False alarm, everyone! No one's really sad!" he chimed in, reassuring his comrades. Although, some were still a little confused.
"I'm not sure I understand, Sarge," Jack responded to his oldest friend, keeping the military act going. He never really let go of the whole army schtick, as it was a big moment of his life, where he first found comfort and felt welcome in Glasshouse. Rusty understood his friend felt comfort in playing Army, so he often got in-character when motivating or cheering up his friend.
"It's a complex feeling, Corporal," Rusty explained. "You're basically feeling happy and sad at the same time, but you're not really sad. It's tricky to explain."
"You did a great job, Rusty," the teacher complimented her red student before looking at the rest of her class. But before she could ask if her students were ready to take the stage, someone spoke up and said something that turned everyone's heads.
"Guys, where's Mackenzie?" Coco worriedly cried out, looking for her close friend.
"Oh no, not again!" Rusty sighed, knowing exactly where Mackenzie was.
Somehow, Mackenzie had slipped out from underneath his friends' noses and had made his way back to the large tube tunnel on the hill. He wasn't exactly sure what drew him to this place, but every now and again, he'd find himself at the mouth of the tube, facing inside of the tunnel. Calypso had once told him that there was no need to continue coming back to this place, but the tube felt special to him, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was a place of comfort for him? Maybe it reminded him of an incident from when he was a toddler? It might have just been a case of curious reverence. No matter the reason, Mackenzie was here for the last time.. Except now, he didn't know what to do. All he knew to do was stare into it, and that's all he did.. Until Calypso, Rusty, Bluey, and Coco came up to him.
"Mackenzie?" the monochrome dog's teacher caringly asked. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, why did you abandon your post, soldier?" Rusty asked his friend; concerned, but still keeping the Sergeant act going.
"The ceremony's going to start any second now, and we can't go on without you!" Coco chimed in, equally concerned, but showing it more apparently than Rusty.
"..I can't go down there. I'm not ready," Mackenzie hesitantly, yet abruptly stated.
"Well, why ever not?" Calypso thoughtfully questioned her student.
"Because.. I just don't want to, okay?!" Mackenzie snapped back. "I don't want to leave yet.. I can't leave.. I feel like there's something else I need to do so I can move on from this place. I'm tired of always coming back here, knowing I need to be here, but I'm never sure why!" Mackenzie's friends were startled by his sudden outburst. Mackenzie was prone to being temperamental at times, but this time, it happened a lot quicker than usual. Mackenzie took a deep breath before proceeding. "I'm sorry, Calypso.. I guess there's just days that I want to go back and relive a bad moment to see if there's anything I can do to fix it, I don't know.."
Bluey could relate to what Mackenzie was saying. She too secretly wanted to go back to when she was little and relive those days just one more time before she grew up. But she had to be strong for her friend.
"Mackenzie," his teacher cooed comfortingly. "You can't change the past, sadly. Nor can you really go back to it. What happens is what happens. That's why we need to focus on today, so we can appreciate the current moment and live in it while we can. But sometimes, to be able to focus on the present, we need to let go of the past."
Mackenzie knew his teacher was right. The best way to move on from something he had no control over was to just simply let it go.. But he couldn't. It felt like no matter how hard he tried, a part of him stayed in that slide at the mall so many years ago, and he could hear that part of him still calling out to his Mum.
"But how?" the Border Collie pleaded, unsure of what to do with himself to cease his anguish.
"Calypso?" Bluey stepped in. "May I please say something to Mackenzie? I think I know how to help him." Calypso nodded and let Bluey work her magic, like she always seemed to do with her friends. "Do you remember years ago, when we were in a buddy program and Mia and Captain would come down and play with us?"
"Yeah, but we haven't seen them in ages, what do they have to do with this?" Mackenzie rebutled, confused as to what her point was.
"Mia taught me something back then, and I've tried my best to remember it since. It's helped me through a lot of tough situations where I'm feeling pent up inside," Bluey then proceeded to wrap her arm around herself, reaching up to the side of her neck. "First, feel around for where your negative emotions are, your 'upset and angry', your 'sadness and frustrated'.. It's usually in your neck and your stomach. And always remember to check your ears!" Bluey instructed, shaking her head to the side to demonstrate as she held her hand out.
Mackenzie was hesitant at first, as he saw how silly it looked, but anything was worth a shot at this point, so he proceeded to feel around his body and shook his head a bit to collect his emotions. Strangely, he already started to feel much lighter around his shoulders, as if a weight was being lifted off of him. "Alright, I think that's all of it.. What's next?" he inquired.
"Well, you don't want to keep it, do you?"
"No, of course not! What's the point of getting it out of me if I'm just going to keep it?!"
"Well, what do you do with something you don't want anymore?"
It was then that everything started to make sense to Mackenzie. He knew just what to do from there. He balled up his hands, as if he were crafting a snowball, took a few steps back, then started running up to the large tube. Right at the mouth of the tunnel, he slung his arm as hard as he could, letting go of all of the emotions he had previously built and bottled up inside over the years, throwing them deep into the hole he once held a reverence for, but now the tunnel seemed smaller than ever.
"Don't you ever come out of there again!" Mackenzie called into the tube to, from an outsider's perspective, seemingly no one. But Mackenzie knew exactly what he was talking to. Breathing heavily, he turned around to face Calypso and Bluey. A tremendous weight was lifted off of his shoulders. It seemed like he had finally done it. He had finally bested the tunnel and the emotions that had haunted him for years now, and right on time for the ceremony, too.
"Oh no! The ceremony!" Mackenzie realized that the graduation was currently on hold and everyone was waiting on him and the others that had come to commence it.
"It's alright, Mackenzie. This was important." Calypso reassured her beloved pupil. "Now that we're all feeling better, let's end today off on a high note, shall we?l
Coco, Bluey, and Rusty went ahead and sprinted back to the stage. Before Calypso could go back with them, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her. Looking back, she saw Mackenzie tightly grasping her in a warm, fluffy embrace.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you, Calypso," Mackenzie spoke softly, trying not to tear up in front of his teacher. "I wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for you.."
"I don't deserve all of the credit, Mackenzie," her teacher wisely and humbly responded. "Your friends Rusty, Jack, and Bluey have been a big help to you as well. But most of it was you. You're an outgoing, thoughtful, smart young man, Mackenzie. Your willingness to devote yourself to making things better for yourself and your peers speaks volumes about your character. I'm already with you, Mackenzie, and I'll always continue to be." Calypso concluded as she placed her paw on the boy's chest, right where his heart was.
Mackenzie wasn't sure what happened at that moment. He thought he had gotten rid of all of his sadness and upset. But he began to well up with tears and weep as he clung onto Calypso tighter than before. A part of him was glad that no one else but his teacher was here to see him like this. He trusted Rusty, Coco, and Bluey, but he thought it would be better off if he kept his sadness lowkey around them, just to be on the safe side. After a few long seconds of hugging each other and comforting Mackenzie, Calypso and her prized pupil started making their way back to the stage to finish the ceremony once and for all, for Mackenzie was finally ready to go to big school.
The ceremony went about as expected. Several parents bawled their eyes out, each of the students earned their own academic awards and certificates, and Calypso let the kids toss their hats up in celebration, per typical graduation ceremonies. However, there was one surprise in store that nobody was expecting; Out of nowhere, everyone in the field heard a low rumbling sound coming from above that grew louder and louder with each passing second, until a helicopter slowly came into view and halted in the sky before slowly landing in the field of the school, and out of the cockpit came none other than Rusty's dad.
"Hey, Rusty!" the soldier called out to his son, who jumped off stage and sprinted to his dad as fast as he could.
"You made it, Dad!" Rusty cried out in excitement.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, boy!" Rusty's dad then turned over to his wife and daughter, who were also at the graduation. The family hugged each other very tightly, making up for all of the hugs they couldn't share since the last time they saw him.
"What on Earth are you doing here?! I thought you were on a mission!" Rusty's mum questioned her spouse out of concern.
"No worries, love! I got special permission from the General to make a quick drop-in!" he replied confidently before looking over to Rusty's other friends. "Say, Rusty, why don't you gather some of your mates and we'll do some flying around, if it's alright with their parents?"
"For real life?!"
"Yeah! Go for it, mate!"
Rusty's tail was wagging so fast, he may have been on the verge of taking off, himself! He instinctively dashed over to Jack and Mackenzie to ask them for permission, as he saw them as his best friends there.
"Jack! Mackenzie! My dad wants to take you on a helicopter ride!" the young Kelpie exclaimed to his friends. The boys turned to their respective parents and both pairs agreed to let their young men go for a flight. Jack and Rusty took off running immediately, but Mackenzie stopped and looked back to Bluey, who went up to Mackenzie to talk.
"It's alright, Mack," the Blue Heeler stated acceptingly. "My family had something planned after the ceremony anyway. Maybe we can meet up again someday this summer?" Before Bluey could say anything else, she felt a soft, yet tight embrace coming from none other than her mate, Mackenzie.
"Thank you," Mackenzie expressed his gratitude unspecifically, although Bluey had a feeling about what he was thankful for.
"Don't thank me," she said as she humbly denied her credit. "Thank Mia. She was the one who taught it to me."
"Well, if we fly by her house, I'll be sure to wave her down," Mackenzie semi-jokingly responded as he slowly let go from his close friend.
"Hey, are you two still going to marry each other?" a voice jokingly called out from the masses. It was Winton, and he was sitting with the Terrier triplets, who he became officially affiliated with a few years ago, after his father married their mum.
"Winton!" Bluey and Mackenzie groaned as their Bulldog and Terrier friends got the last laugh of the semester. The duo couldn't help but laugh along with them, however. That was Winton's charm, he was a funny guy that always knew how to pick you up if you were down.
"Mackenzie! Are you coming?!" Rusty called out to his friend from the helicopter as his dad started it back up.
"Yeah, I'm coming!" he called back before running off. "Bye, everybody! See you this summer!"
All of Mackenzie's other friends waved back to him as he, Jack, and Rusty took off in the latter's dad's helicopter to fly around for a spell. Calypso walked closer to Bluey as they watched the boys hover away.
"You did great today, Bluey. I'm very proud of you," her teacher spoke up.
"We're all proud of you," Chilli spoke up as she walked over to hug her daughter.
"You still remember your promise, right?" Bingo asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Of course I did! We're gonna play the whole summer away!" the older sister responded confidently. It was true, they had several opportunities to spend time together, be it at home, during Christmas and New Year's, and on their upcoming camping trip. Perhaps her promise wouldn't fall flat after all?
Bandit walked up to Calypso to say his goodbyes to her. "Thanks for everything, mate," he said melancholily to her.
"No, thank you for letting me be a part of these wonderful children's lives," Calypso responded with the utmost gratitude as she turned to Bluey and Bingo. "Bingo, I'll see you next autumn, and Bluey?" She put her paw on the older sister's shoulder and smiled at her. "Take care, and keep being the great person you are. The world needs more people like you."
Bluey and her now former teacher shared one final hug with each other before the former and her family drove off to enjoy their summer. Soon, Calypso was by herself, and she sat down on her stool in the back of the school and began to hum a song and grabbed a spool of yarn to weave.
AN2: Once again, I apologize for the length, but I really hope you all like the story so far! I have plenty more to come from this story! Please let me know your thoughts and critiques if any so I can (hopefully) improve the next chapter!
