Panic! At The Poolside


                                            >Summer.

                                            >Boy do you have mixed feelings on summer.

                                            >Everything is warm, muggy and kinda sucky…

                                            >But uh- at least the water’s cool, r-right?

                                            >And um… Ice cream around this time is… better?

                                            >Well… you’re more of a sherbet kinda filly…

                                            >You let out a nervous laugh which reverberates through the tiny room, your ears folding back a bit upon hearing your own voice.

                                            >All you have to do is change and go have fun! Easy as pie! There’s no need to get all weird, so… let's get ready, Brook!

                                            >...

                                            >...

                                            >...C’mon just… just d-do it! Page and… uh- Ame? Y-yeah, Ame…

                                            >You feel bad that you blanked on her name for a moment.

                                            >You kinda want to blame it on the stress of the situation…

                                            >A-anyway, Page and Ame are waiting for you!

                                            >You can’t hold yourself up in here like it’s your apartment! You’re in public!

                                            >Gosh, you hate being in public, especially during the summer.

                                            >It’s so noisy a-and people are way too close and everything smells funny…

                                            >You squirm around on the dressing room floor, hugging the swimsuit in your hooves.

                                            >Maybe…

                                            >M-maybe you could tell Page that you’re sick? You do feel a little queasy…

                                            >But- But that’s just the butterflies in your stomach! You’re okay, just focus!

                                            >With a deep breath, you steel yourself the best you can, which is… not a lot, honestly, but it’s slightly better than before.

                                            >Relax Brook! You can’t- you can’t back out now!

                                            >Even if it’s scary and people will see you and the water might be too deep and-

                                            >You shake your head.

                                            >Quiet brain! You’re not helping!

                                            >With another deep breath, you set down the swimsuit in front of you.

                                            >You stare at it while you fidget with the collar of your sweater.

                                            >The last time you went swimming was when you were a filly, so you didn’t have anything to wear on hoof.

                                            >...Until Page’s friend offered you a swimsuit, that is. She said it was too small for her and she couldn't return it, so… You guess it’s yours now?

                                            >It- it’s not that you don’t like it! It’s actually something you think you’d feel comfortable with.

                                            >You guess you’re just… hesitant? No, that’s not it! You’re uhm- you’re anxious!

                                            >The thought of changing clothes in a public place makes you feel really anxious, and not only that, you have to then go out there and be around people you don’t even know!

                                            >W-what if they stare? Gosh you think you’d die…

                                            >And you don’t even have *sunscreen*! You’re gonna shrivel up a-and-

                                            *Knock Knock*

                                            “A-AH!”

                                            >You let out a brief yelp before covering your mouth and shutting your eyes.

                                            >J-j-just be quiet a-and they’ll go away…

                                            >”Brook…?”

                                            >You… you kinda recognize that voice, but it’s too muffled to be entirely sure…


                                            >You open one of your eyes and look at the door, your hooves slowly falling back to the ground.

                                            “...Y-yeah?”

                                            >”Everything alright?”

                                            “I-i-i’m uhm… I’m f-fine! I’ll be out inna- inna muh-m-minute!”

                                            >There is a prolonged silence.

                                            >...And then a familiar giggle.

                                            >It’s Page, thank goodness!

                                            >Even if she’s laughing at your expense…

                                            >”Are you having a hard time? You sound utterly beside yourself!”

                                            “I-I’m not! I’m really n-not!”

                                            >You shrink down a little as you finally notice the panicky squeak in your voice.

                                            >You clear your throat and sit up.

                                            “...Maybe a little.”

                                            >”Well… do you want me to walk you through things?”

                                            “I… I know how to put it on, I’m just uhm…”

                                            >”Anxious?”

                                            >You nod, despite being alone.

                                            “Yes! …Very much so.”

                                            >You fidget with your hooves a little.

                                            “I… I've never been in a pool before…”

                                            >You’ve only ever swam in the quiet shallows by your dad’s cabin all those years ago, so something like this is wildly outside your comfort zone.

                                            >Especially with so many people that are no doubt out there. You’ve… never had to swim around other people…

                                            >You can’t even swim well to begin with! What if you accidentally go too deep and s-start sinking?

                                            >Drowning sounds like an awful way to go…

                                            >You hear some rustling outside, so you assume Page has sat down.

                                            >”I think you’ll be fine, Babs.”

                                            “Are… are you sure? Like I said before, I’m… I’m no good at swimming…”

                                            >”I’ll be right there with you, and from all of Athame’s excited ramblings… I think she’s eager to show you the ropes! So yeah, I’m sure.”

                                            >You smile sheepishly, your ears reddening.

                                            “H-hehe… I hope I don’t disappoint her too much…”

                                            >You didn’t know Ame all that well yet, but she’s been really nice so far.

                                            >Even if she’s a tad hard to understand at times, but you don’t mind. You’re kinda hard to understand at times too, so it evens out!

                                            >You think?

                                            >”It’s quite the feat to disappoint Ame, she’s rather easygoing… I doubt you have anything to worry about. She’s got the patience of a saint! Trust me, I know.”

                                            >You share an awkward laugh with Page.

                                            >Well, you’re the one adding the awkwardness to the laugh, but uh- that doesn’t matter right now.

                                            >”So… All better?”

                                            >You get up, thoughtlessly resuming your fidgeting with your sweater’s collar.

                                            “Mmhm! I uh- I guess I just needed a little encouragement! …Sorry for holding things up, Page. I’ll be done soon, I promise.”

                                            >”No worries, Brook. I’ll be somewhere close by, just come find me when you’re ready and we’ll go meet up with Ame.”

                                            “Okay then! Uhm… see you soon, Page!”

                                            >You wait and listen to her hoofsteps until they fade away.

                                            >With a sigh, you look up at the ceiling.


                                            >Alright, this is it.

                                            >Just… Just do it!

                                            >You quickly wriggle out of your sweater and stuff it in your satchel, which is resting against the little bench in the corner.

                                            >You now stand in the middle of the room, shaky legged and bare to the elements.

                                            >You glance at the tall mirror to your side and catch a brief view of your flushed face before averting your eyes.

                                            >It was weird not having your sweater on. It made you feel… vulnerable?

                                            >That’s… that’s probably not the word you’re looking for, but you’re too preoccupied with a pervasive feeling of underdress.

                                            >Like, by a lot.

                                            >Utterly nude, you are.

                                            >You shiver a little, despite it being fairly warm in the booth.

                                            >You guess being raised around humans makes this sort of thing kind of worse for you…

                                            >Sometimes you wish you still had those dresses from when you were little, but they’d probably be way too small now…

                                            >You were particularly fond of a seafoam green one with a bunch of ducklings waddling about it…

                                            >It’s a shame, really. But maybe you can look around for something similar one day, like maybe a uh- a sundress?

                                            >Now that you think about it, you can’t recall any other type of dress.

                                            >You pause your train of thought and then pout.

                                            >You’re stalling, Brook. Hard.

                                            >How about we… put on the swimsuit?

                                            >Seeing that’s the point of you being here…

                                            >It’s a simple affair now that you’ve stopped freaking out as much.

                                            >For once, your wandering mind helped you out a bit. That’s a rarity.

                                            >After a few fairly long minutes, you are now swimsuited up and staring blankly at the wall.

                                            >All that’s left to do is just… make sure you look okay!

                                            >So… T-turn around, Brook!

                                            >You swiftly turn around but glue your eyes to the floor before you can catch yourself in the mirror.

                                            >Alrighty Brook, this is it.

                                            >You hesitantly look up at your reflection.

                                            >The swimsuit is navy blue with a white floral pattern that reminds you of a Hawaiian shirt. The swim skirt that came with it was about the opposite, being white with navy blue floral patterns.

                                            >You didn’t know what to think when you first saw it, but after seeing yourself in it… you guess you weren’t lying about liking it after all.

                                            >If you had any self-esteem, you might even call yourself… c-cute.

                                            >H-heh, like you’re some sorta beachside royal, lazing in the sand. Sipping on one of those funny looking coconut drinks with the crazy straws…

                                            >You shuffle in place a bit as you stare at yourself.

                                            >You take a deep breath and then do a little twirl, your swim skirt flowing quite nicely behind you.

                                            >You then bow, your mane somewhat obstructing your vision. When you snap back up, you let out a quiet giggle as you see your messed up mane in the mirror.


                                            >Once you get that out of your system, you move your mane out of your eyes and give your bashful reflection a curt nod.

                                            >Everything looks good! Great job uh- me?

                                            >Well, Ame gave you it, so she’s the reason things turned out as nice as they did.

                                            >You make a mental note to say thank you once you see her again, which will be uh- fairly soon.

                                            >Satisfied by the swimsuit, you focus on your long and limp tail.

                                            >While your mane wasn’t long enough to worry about, your tail was dragging on the floor of the booth and you’d rather not trip again…

                                            >You briefly remember falling on your rump in the parking lot and your blush deepens.

                                            >At- At least it was just Page and Ame that saw that…

                                            >You hope.

                                            >Lets just- lets just finish up. The longer you’re in here, the more reasons you find not to leave…

                                            >You sit down and fumble with your tail, trying to manage it the best you can.

                                            >After enough grief, you now have a rather weighty tail-bun.

                                            >Heh, Anon taught you well!

                                            >You smile at yourself, just about ready to burst out that door!

                                            >Well, maybe not *burst* out… That’d probably bring too much attention to you.

                                            >As long as you take things slow… you think you’ll be fine.

                                            >Your friends are out there and you’re okay.

                                            >Let's roll like a uhm… a doughnut.

                                            >...Doughnuts usually don’t roll, right?

                                            >You think you might be mixing up your phrases…

                                            >After gathering your belongings, you pause to look at your towel on the bench.

                                            >It was big, fluffy, and a rich burgundy.

                                            >It kinda reminds you of Clifford the big red dog!

                                            >You think it’d be nice to have a dog, but a small one, not like Clifford.

                                            >If you had a spirit animal, it’d probably be a chihuahua or something.

                                            >You think you can sympathize with one of those pretty well, haha…

                                            >As you hesitate near the door, you feel the butterflies in your stomach swarm, so you cloak yourself in your fuzzy towel and give yourself a hug, which helps you calm down.

                                            “I… I got this.”

                                            >Now sufficiently psyched up, you narrow your eyes at the door.

                                            >Okay, all you gotta do now is find your friends!

                                            >Friend.

                                            >You’re uhm- you’re pretty sure Ame is more of an acquaintance.

                                            >B-but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t mind being her friend!

                                            >You kinda only got… uhm… two.

                                            >You shake the last shreds of anxiousness from your mind and give one last nod to the mousy mare in the mirror, all turtled up in her big ol’ towel.

                                            >With a deep breath, you trot up to the door…

                                            >And open it.


                                            >From the moment you step outside the changing booth, your senses are assaulted from all directions.

                                            >The changing area is utterly flush with people, from the tallest human to the littlest foal, and you can barely hear yourself think over all the chatter that echoes through the tiled building.

                                            >Everyone is way too close for comfort, but if you keep your head down an-

                                            >You freeze up as a prim unicorn shoots daggers at you as she brushes past and into the booth you were just in without a word, her filly bounding happily after her without a care.

                                            >You then flinch as the door is slammed shut.

                                            >Y-you guess you were taking your sweet time.

                                            >But there’s no need to b-be mean…

                                            >Once you recover from your fright, you turn to the door and stammer a meek ‘Sorry’ before attempting to weave out of the building.

                                            >You can feel your heart rate increase bit by bit with every person and pony you bump into as you mumble constant ‘Excuse me’s’.

                                            >As you exit the building it feels like you just popped out of a claustrophobically small cave and into the open jungle.

                                            >It’s still loud and scary, but at least you can breathe.

                                            >You let out a sigh of relief, just thankful that you made it out of there alive…

                                            >The smooth stone under your hooves felt nice and there was a gentle breeze.

                                            >You guess this isn’t so bad out here, even if there’s still a lot of people walking around.

                                            >At least your personal space isn’t being constantly violated anymore, so you can breathe easy now.

                                            >...Or at least as easy as the pounding in your chest can allow.

                                            >You take a quick look around and spot Page right away from the glint of her half-glasses.

                                            >She was sitting by the pool entrance in a pretty pale yellow sundress with a ribboned sun hat atop her head which complimented her light violet eyes.

                                            >She gives you a friendly wave once she notices your approach, which you awkwardly return when you get right in front of her.

                                            “H-hey Page! I’m uhm… I’m ready!”

                                            >She gets up and cracks her neck, which is something that concerned you the first time she did it.

                                            >”Alright alright! Athame went ahead and saved us some spots.”

                                            >You glance into the pool area and your eyes widen.

                                            >That’s- That’s *way* too many people…

                                            >It’s packed l-like a sardine can.

                                            “Okay b-but…?”

                                            >You look back at Page and she shakes her head.

                                            >”Don’t get all worried just yet, Babs. I’ve got a plan.”

                                            “A… plan?”

                                            >She gestures to her left and you look over and see another pool entrance, but smaller.

                                            >”With everyone lugging their kids here today, the main one is jammed packed with parents and such, right? But this little guy? He’s as calm as can be.”


                                            >You poke your head in the other entrance and scan around.

                                            >There’s only a few people swimming around and it even looks like a couple are starting to leave…

                                            >”See? All clear.”

                                            >You chuckle a little and turn to Page.

                                            “I guess so, huh? Would you have… preferred the bigger pool?”

                                            >She shakes her head quite fervently.

                                            >”Not in the slightest! I’ve had enough kids for one summer, I’d like to just relax.”

                                            “It’s been swamped at the library lately, so I totally understand.”

                                            >You tilt your head.

                                            “Who’s keeping watch, anyhow? I don’t think I’ve seen any other librarian besides you.”

                                            >Page adjusts her glasses. “I asked my kid sister to keep an eye on things while I’m gone. It should be pretty quiet today, so she shouldn’t have too much trouble… Besides maybe cataloguing all those new books, of course, but she was utterly delighted at the prospect! The little archivist…”

                                            “Uhm… Histoire, right?”

                                            >You’re pretty sure you’ve seen her a few times in the library, but haven’t had the courage to approach her and introduce yourself, despite being good friends with her sister…

                                            >It was a little surprising to catch a tweenage filly doing paperwork on one of those stubby plastic tables in the kid’s area of the library. She even looked like she was enjoying herself.

                                            >You guess it runs in the family, but what ‘it’ is specifically eludes you.

                                            >Maybe the word you’re looking for is… gumption? Mmn… You’re not entirely sure that’s correct.

                                            >Page nods. “Indeed. She’s much more acute at that sort of thing than I, so I’m glad she agreed to help.”

                                            >She laughs lightly as she takes a few steps towards the smaller pool’s entrance. “I best remember to pay her back tout de suite! I’d never hear the end of it if I wind up owing her another favor…”

                                            >Page turns to you with a smile. “That matter aside… Ready to go find Ame?”

                                            >You cling to your towel a little more than before and nod.

                                            “Mmhm.”

                                            >Page starts her leisurely stroll into the pool entrance and you trail closely behind, your head instinctually bowed, but your eyes following the tip of her ribbon-bound tail so you don’t bump into anything.

                                            >After a moment of quiet walking, you lift your head a little.

                                            “I um… Thanks again for inviting me, Page.”

                                            >”Anytime, Babs! I thought you could use the sun just as badly as I do. But I can’t take all the credit. Ame was the one to get me off my rump, so I guess it was a bit of a domino effect or… something.”

                                            >You stifle a laugh.

                                            “Like a team effort?”

                                            >She huffs. “Hah, I suppose so!”

                                            >You open your mouth to say something else, but are interrupted by a whistle, which makes you raise your head fully.

                                            >...And get a facefull of towel.


                                            “Mnf? Mrmrm…”

                                            >You fumble hopelessly with the fuzzy object obstructing your view as Page scoffs.

                                            >”You missed, Ame!”

                                            >”Well I mean… I kinda hit something.”

                                            >“What do you- Ah!”

                                            >You blink a few times as you are brought back into the light. A bemused Page holding a towel in her mouth in front of you.

                                            >Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a familiar pegasus trot over.

                                            >”Gah! Almost…. My apologies Babs, you were not the target of my curse.”

                                            >Page flicks the towel towards Ame, who catches it with a hoof and starts folding it on the spot.

                                            >”...Curse?”

                                            >Athame nods as she sets the now folded towel on a nearby chair, which seems to host the rest of her personal effects. “Yes, of blindness! It would have been a most glorious victory over a capable archivist such as yourself.”

                                            >Page rolls her eyes and chuckles. “You almost had me, Ame…”

                                            >”If it wasn’t for your apprentice’s intervention, I would have for certain!”

                                            >”Intervention is… a strong word.”

                                            >Page gives Ame a sly smile. “I’m pretty sure you just missed.”

                                            >Ame scoffs and briefly turns to you. “Can you believe this, Babbling? You obviously dived in front of her and took the shot!”

                                            >You instinctively shrink down ever so slightly.

                                            “I uhm… I wuh-was just kind of in the way, I d-didn’t really mean to…”

                                            >You trail off, your voice clearly too quiet for them to hear and despite your best efforts to pipe up again, your voice catches in your throat.

                                            >You timidly glance over to the pool and observe the people swimming around.

                                            >It- It’s better than that horrible other pool, but there’s still a lot of people…

                                            >Just relax, Brook. You can’t freeze up in front of your friends!

                                            >F-friend.

                                            >You don’t really know Ame all that well yet. Besides listening carefully to her ‘ttrpg’ ramblings, you haven’t really interacted with her.

                                            >Well, you guess this is the start of your quest for uhm… for companionship?

                                            >The only two friends you made so far only happened by you stumbling into being their friend, more so you actively seeking it out, but this time? This time you’re gonna look Ame in the eye and say ‘Hey! Can we be friends?’ like a normal pony and not some awkward weirdo!

                                            >You nod to yourself and lift your head to look at Ame.

                                            >She was currently yammering away with Page, who seemed mildly amused at something she says and laughs..

                                            >S-stay determined, Brook… If Page can do it, so can you!

                                            >You’re gonna have a good time and maybe also be friends with Ame!

                                            >You mumble a breathy ‘I got this’ under your breath and bury your head a little into your fluffy towel.


                                            >Once Athame finally turns back to you, you open your mouth to tell her the little towel incident was just an accident, but you quickly notice her attire and fall silent.

                                            >She wore a rather plain silvery swimsuit that was barely visible under the rest of her garb, which consisted of an ornate dark gray robe and… wizard hat?

                                            >You squint at the object atop her head.

                                            >Yes, yes that is a wizard hat.

                                            >A rather well made one to boot.

                                            >One thing that has always been consistent with Athame was that she always had some sort of costume on, so her choice of swimwear wasn’t unexpected, but its intricate nature took you aback.

                                            >But you suppose she always bragged about her sewing escapades, so it wasn’t *that* surprising.

                                            >You’ve just never seen her go all out before.

                                            >It even looks like the material might be waterproof…

                                            >You wish you had innate talent like that, all you can do is just kind of... exist.

                                            >Well uhm... Existing is better than the alternative, r-right? Lets... not go down that rabbit hole again.

                                            >You've had enough little breakdowns today, just focus on the now, alright Br-

                                            >"Brook?"

                                            >Ame gives you a gentle prod on the chest and you blink and focus back on her slate gray eyes.

                                            >”Is everything alright? I didn’t mean to-”

                                            >You nod several times in succession.

                                            “It- it’s okay! I’m okay.”

                                            >Gosh you didn’t realize you were gawking…

                                            >You have a tendency to stare, which is… something you probably should work on.

                                            >...But now that you had the chance to get a closer look at it, her attire was rather familiar.

                                            “I uhm- I like your robe! It reminds me of that portrait you showed me the other day. I don’t remember her name, but I think it started with a B…”

                                            >Ame grins. “Hah! See Page? I did pretty well at emulating The Great Sage Ballyhoo!”

                                            >The way she says the character’s name has a lot of weight behind it, like she’s evoking some mythical beast from beyond the aether…

                                            >You let out a barely audible ‘heh’.

                                            >Oh boy, she’s rubbing off on you…

                                            >Page tilts her head. “Well I mean… you could have added the antlers.”

                                            >Athame’s eyes widen and she stomps down a hoof with a huff. “The antlers?! I knew I was forgetting something! Darnit…”

                                            “Antlers might not be a very uhm… a very good idea at a pool.”

                                            >She might poke someone’s eye out!

                                            >Ame pauses momentarily then shrugs. “Eh, I suppose you’re right, dear neophyte.”

                                            “Maybe you could… make foam antlers? Like out of pool noodles or something…”

                                            >Your suggestion trails off as you start second guessing yourself, but Ame’s fascinated ‘ooo’ perks you up a bit.

                                            >”That’s a *great* idea, Babs! I’ll go write that down for later.”

                                            >She gives an excited wave to Page. “C’mon and get settled! I picked out quite the spot if I do say so myself…”