HighTail University: Sera Pt. 04

Most ponies were led around by the reins, or a leash clipped to a tastefully designed collar. But here was Sera, following along with nothing more than a bit in her mouth and a pair of pony ears perched atop her head. You could almost say she was wearing a metaphorical leash as she moved along behind Aurora out of the training barn and through into the barn that Sera had originally come through. The only difference is that now this barn was busy like a beehive.

Trainers and handlers of all shapes and sizes milled about pulling along one or half a dozen colorfully tacked-up ponies. Wash stalls were filled with naked ponies hanging by their wrists, being soaped up by various grooms who looked like they were all business. It was kind of like a pony car wash. Stalls were being cleaned and matted down with mountains of pillows and various accessories. It took almost all of Sera's focus to dodge between all the hustle and bustle while following Aurora, who knew how to navigate this without so much as a thought.

Several curious looks fell upon the rosy gold-haired pony following Aurora, and after a casual glance over her shoulder, Aurora slowed her pace and steered her companion for the evening into a less busy row of stalls where she paused and turned about to face Sera, whose face was flushed, and whose breathing was quickened visibly.

"Deep breaths. Not much for crowds, are you?"

Sera was shivering slightly, giving a small set of two stomps.

It was funny, before they'd entered the barn, she'd almost felt ready to tackle a group of people. But like mental health always did, Anxiety reared its head.

Aurora studied her for a long moment and tapped her chin thoughtfully before raising her hands and spreading her fingers, "Scale of one to ten. How bad? Use your nose."

Sera looked at the girl's fingers for a moment and then leaned forward to press her nose to what she'd assume would be Aurora's 9th finger.

"Nine?"

Sera stomped.

Aurora reached up and tousled her chocolatey brown hair a little bit. "This will be a difficult journey for you."

Sera frowned visibly at that comment.

"But not an impossible one. It's funny how ponying can help alleviate certain anxieties. That or we find a way to cope with them more easily. Look at me, for example! ADHD mixed with social anxiety and depressive tendencies, as Doctor Harlow would put it." She lifted her right arm and rolled it over, showing the series of vertical scars up and down her wrist, "I was in a bad place once. Couldn't handle crowds, no motivation. Rock bottom, one might say." Then she raised her other arm, where a tattoo had been etched into her skin over similar scars, turning them into a beautiful series of interwoven cherry blossom trees, "But I can say. It gets better."

She smiled lightly, "Do you have any sort of coping mechanism in place?" She asked Sera with a small tilt of her head, "And please. Feel free not to answer. I know this is all personal information. But it's for a good reason, I promise!"

Sera took a small interest in her feet then, staring at the toe of her uniform's shoes as she considered whether or not she'd answer the question. Aurora had been kind so far and had even shared some of her own personal history. It felt only right to do the same in response. At least, for now.

She gave a single stomp and looked towards her bag on Aurora's shoulder.

Following the pony's gaze, Aurora would smile lightly, "May I?"

Yet again, Sera stomped.

Aurora flipped open the top of the university-issued bag and found an organized mess of things inside. Chapstick, Class schedule, Cellphone, etc., etc. Though the most prominent of them was a pair of over-the-ear headphones. She drew them out and held them up. She didn't say anything, she just tilted her head a little.

Sera's stomp was all the assurance she needed. But it also gave her reason to pause.

"Hm. That does make it a bit difficult. Because ponies need to be aware of their environment." She frowned a little bit and rolled the headphones over in her hands for a few moments.

"Blindfold? Stereo? I can't strap a boombox to her. Hm... Vibrator? No no. Too much. Oh oh! NIKOLAI! WHERE IS YOUR CUTE LITTLE ASS?!" She called out suddenly.

For a moment nothing happened, but then there was a loud crash and the blonde haired head of a sleepy looking guy popped up from inside of one of the nearby stalls, an indignant snort coming from his lips as he lay his head on the open grate on the front of the stall, "Ugh... need you be so loud Aurora?" He asked with a grumble.

Aurora hurried over to the stall, practically dragging Sera with her before leaning in and rubbing the palms of her hands against the stallion's cheeks, "Oh hush. You know you love me."

As much as the stallion looked annoyed at the rubbing of his cheeks, it was clear there was some sort of fondness between them as he just sighed and gave in to the treatment, which quickly devolved into Aurora pushing her fingers through his mane idly, smoothing out a few flyaway hairs, "You. My dear. Need a bit of a trim. Maybe some color. When are you going to let meeEEEEEeee color your hair to match your tack?!"

Nikolai snorted, "When you convince Starlight to stop being pretty."

Aurora scoffed, "Not. Happening."

Nikolai stomped once and huffed.

"Aaaaaaanywho. This here is Sera! Maybe a new pony. Maybe just a touring cutie. But SHE requires something that only you, my dear stallion, might have."

Nikolai leaned to the side to peek at Sera, who was standing behind Aurora and looking intently at her feet. He nickered softly at her and then turned his gaze back to Aurora, "Ear buds?"

Aurora nodded, "Ear buds. Just one. Pleeeeeeease tell me you have a spare set."

Nikolai wrinkled his nose, "You know. The last set I gave you never came back."

"But it's not for meeeee! It's for her. C'mon. Think of the children!"

"What Children..."

"Exactly. Now cough them up, or I'll schedule you into Starlights class ALL week next week just so she can leave you in the dust. And covered in that sparkly dust she's so fond of..."

Nikolai let out an exasperated sigh and ducked down into his stall. There was an amount of shuffling before he popped back up, raising a hand and offering a pair of what looked like small hoops, not ear buds, "Please make sure they come back this time."

Aurora swiped them and then reached up, seizing Nikolai on either side of the face and pulling him in to press a kiss right onto his nose, which made his face light up red, "You are the sweetest Stallion, you know that? Thank you. See you in Groom class later?"

Nikolai gave a nod, but he'd shifted his focus to Sera, who was still looking at her feet, "I know you're nervous. But you're in good hands." He said softly, before simply ducking back into his stall, the sound of someone sinking into a mountain of pillows atop a thick mattress could be heard before Aurora turned back around to Sera.

"Nikolai is a sweetheart. One of the most talented Derby stallions we have. Maybe you'll get to meet him properly sometime. Now... for the pièce de resistance!" She held out the pair of hoop-like devices in the palm of her hand.

"Nikolai uses these during his races. They let him listen to music while still being able to hear his surroundings. Hence the big ol' hole in the center of them. Of course, I can't pair them to your phone without the password, so you'll have to settle for the barn's syncwaves, which is usually a mishmash of genres and songs. Does that sound reasonable?"

Sera was a bit taken aback by both the kindness and the cute interaction, as well as the offered pair of earbuds. She smiled lightly around the bit, letting out a small groan as a long line of drool leaked from the corner of her mouth. She sucked at the bit, trying to stop the flow from pooling down over her shirt.

Aurora simply stifled a giggle, "Trust me, you'll have to get used to the slight embarrassment of drooling. It kind of comes with the territory of wearing a bit. Here.." She pressed the hoops into Sera's hands, "You put those in, I'll fix the drool."

Working in tandem, Sera reached up, taking a minute to figure out how to push the hoops into her ears while Aurora tugged a handkerchief out of one of her many pouches and used it to soak up the drool around the edge of Sera's bit to her embarrassment.

Once the ear buds were in place, Aurora took a step back and smiled lightly, "All in there? Can you hear me ok?"

Sera gave a quick stomp.

"Good! Now let's give this a try. NIKOLAI! Which gesture for Barn Syncwaves?"

From inside the stall came a sleepy voice, "Two snaps, Sync Barn on."

"Well, that's boring. Could have at least named it something fun..." Mumbled Aurora with a bit of a pout.

Perking right back up, Aurora reached out beside Sera's right ear and snapped twice, "Sync Barn, on."

For a moment, nothing happened. But then there was a series of small beeps in Sera's ears, followed by the sudden rush of Trotter Swift's new hit filling her ears. But as explained, she could still quite easily hear her surroundings. She blinked a few times. How had she not heard of earbuds like these?

"Well? Can you hear me? Can you appreciaaaaaate me? Do you think I'm the cutest and best handler of ALL time?!" Aurora fired off these questions so quickly that Sera was at a loss on how to respond without answering yes to all of them. Which she was sure was the point.

Sera huffed and gave a small stomp.

Aurora grinned, "See. I knew I was the best. I'll accept second cutest next to Nikolai over there though..." A snort came from inside the stall next to them.

"Alright. Anxiety Alleviation acquired! Let's go through the less busy section of the barn. I'll let you peek at a few of the grooms while we head to Haystation Five to find my schedule. Come along, Pony." Aurora spun on the ball of her foot like a ballerina and walked off for the second time that day with Sera moving quickly in tow as they headed for the main entrance of the barn, the one Sera had unceremoniously kicked open earlier.

She was happy to have the music filling her ears as they moved along. It definitely put some of her nerves at ease. It's funny how a bit of music could make you feel safer.

So they were off, heading through the front of the barn and on a long tour. This main building was sort of the main 'hub' for first-year Grooms, Handlers, and Ponies. With a few senior years of each thrown in for good measure. Aurora led Sera along through the less busy halls, stopping only to push a treat or two into the mouths of some of her favorite ponies, to bury a few friends in hugs, and then move on out of the building into the bright virtualised sunlight flooding the rolling meadow in the middle of this particular honeycomb of buildings. A few ponies milled about in the field, most looking tired or relaxed. None really spared Aurora and Sera much of a glance as they headed into what could only be described as a 'classic barn' styled building. It was big, angular, and bright red, which really didn't fit the theme of the rest of the semi-futuristic buildings.

The outside, however, was misleading. Because as soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by three separate floors of specialized workout equipment. Ponies ran on omnidirectional conveyor belts with VR headsets on, nearby screens showing their race through the Sahara rainforest. From VR rigs to hotwalking circles measuring all the participating ponies' vitals and fitness levels, which were uploaded into a central databank that Equine Support Staff could all access. It was a huge fitness building clearly designed to help ponies hit those peak fitness goals.

"Haystation Five," Aurora murmured over her shoulder at Sera, whose eyes were wide as she took in every bit of the place. It made the school's main workout facility look like a yoga ball and a few pull-up bars. This WAS HighTail University after all, so the focus did tend to lean heavily in favor of training up-and-coming ponies. Of course, regular students were permitted to use these facilities as well... given they were in tack, and part of either a program or club.

"Whmmoh!" Came Sera's muffled 'whoa' around the bit fitted between her teeth.

Aurora slowed down and stood beside Sera, placing an arm on the other girl's shoulder and leaning on her, "It's kind of neat, isn't it? If you officially join our club, you get access to all of this. Free of charge! Well... unless you count your voice as currency. But hey, that's a small price to pay, I think. We've even got a few people who only spend time in tack so that they can use this fitness facility to further their goals outside of equine-related pursuits." She gave Sera's side a gentle poke, making the girl squeak slightly around her bit. "The muffled noise was cute. How are you feeling? Those earbuds doing their job?"

Sera gave a quick stomp.

"Good. Now then. If I was looking for a gal with lavender hair accented with iridescent blue, whose eyeliner is so sharp it could cut through a diamond, where do you think I might find her?" Aurora mused, asking Sera but not expecting an answer as the pair of them scanned the first floor with their eyes.

Sera nodded towards a particular individual on one of the traditional treadmills. She had the aforementioned color of hair and one of the prettiest tack sets Sera had ever laid eyes on. Made up of iridescent midnight blue and smoky violet leather. The pony in question was wrapped in a corset-style chest harness, accented with highly polished silver buckles. Her tail, a plug style, was made of a flowing plume of silvery lilac with tiny crystalline beads woven into it, which sparkled as they caught the light each time she moved.

Aurora grinned, "Good eye. She's kind of hard to miss, isn't she?" She couldn't help but giggle at Sera's stomp and the way the girl's eyes took in every detail of Starlight's outfit. Starlight was extremely particular about her aesthetic.

"Mmff sho prehhy..."

Aurora flicked Sera's nose, "While I agree with that sentiment. Your voice belongs to me. No speaking. Care to meet her? She's got my schedule tucked somewhere inside that outfit of hers."

Aurora walked off without really waiting for an answer, motioning for Sera to follow, which she did. They made their way over to Starlight, whose bright, artificially tinted violet eyes fell upon the pair as they approached. She gave the stop button a kick with one of her mirrored chrome hooves connected to the knee-high pony boots she wore. The treadmill slowed down and eventually came to a stop. The pony's chest heaved slightly as she caught her breath, turning to consider the pair with a tilt of her head.

"Staaaaarlight. I've been told you've got my schedule for the evening on you. And I swear it better not be tucked away in your asscrack."

Starlight let out an indignant snort as she stepped down off the treadmill. Even the slightest movement she made seemed elegant as she stood at their level. Or at least, close to it. Her hooves gave her a significant height boost that, when combined with her long legs, had her standing higher than even Aurora.

Aurora reached up and hooked a finger into the moonstone choker Starlight wore, dragging her down to eye level. Sera noted that the choker had an ID tag riveted to it, bearing a number and the name 'Starlight' engraved into its surface.

"Schedule?" Aurora asked, perhaps a touch more firmly than Sera had seen her thus far.

Starlight leaned in and rubbed a sweaty forehead against Aurora's cheek before standing up and turning her gaze downwards to look at a zipper in the side of her corset harness. Aurora wasted no time in sliding the zipper open and pulling out a folder that was soaked with sweat. She stared at it and then cast an annoyed look at Sera, "Really? You couldn't have stored it ANYWHERE else. You had to stick it in the sweatiest part of your outfit?"

Starlight wiggled her ass back and forth and whinnied.

Aurora huffed, "I'll remember that." She mumbled as she used her handkerchief to wipe off the thankfully plastic folder.

While Aurora wiped off the folder, Starlight sauntered around, leaning in nearly nose-to-nose with Sera. Close enough that it was hard for Sera to not appreciate the iridescent shimmer and crystals dusted tastefully along the pony's cheeks, nor the way her glossy lips shimmered, wrapped around the bit in her mouth. Though Sera took care not to look the pony in the eyes as she found her nerves bubbling up inside her, "Eh... mmhmm... y'hh ahhfhh ishhh vuh-vuh pwuhh-dee..."

Starlight whinnied happily, apparently understanding the comment, then she flicked Aurora with her tail, turning to look over her shoulder at her and tilting her head.

"I see you've, as usual, taken an interest in something entirely unrelated to the task at hand. I swear your ADHD is worse than mine. That, dear Starlight, is Sera. She came to check out the beginners' course today, but was unaware it had moved. But me being me, I had to be generous and at least give her a taste. Gotta make sure they come back willingly, y'know?"

Sera stood there, blushing vividly at the teasing comment and explanation.

Starlight stood up and took a small step back to stand beside Aurora. Both of them faced Sera now, Starlight's eyes roaming right from Sera's toes to the tip of her head. She let out a bit of a nicker.

"Some potential there?" Aurora asked.

Starlight gave a sharp stomp before crouching down and leaning in close enough to Sera's legs that she could feel the pony's breath on them. Sera took a small step back, which Starlight was quick to pick up on, stepping back respectfully as well before looking between Sera and Aurora with a raised eyebrow.

Aurora waved a dismissive hand, "Shut up, Starlight. I know. It's like looking I'm looking a mirror from five years ago."

Starlight snorted lightly and spun, her perfumed tail smacking Sera playfully across the face before the sparkling pony climbed back onto the treadmill, kicking it to start it up again.

Aurora rubbed her head, "All business sometimes, that one. See you tonight, Starlight!" A whinny came in response as Aurora flipped open her schedule, rifling through the lists of ponies and who she'd been assigned to, "Busy evening by the look of it. I've got a bit less time than I anticipated. Unless you'd like to tag along and watch an introductory groom session? They always need volunteer ponies. It's that or we finish off the tour, and you can retire for the evening. I know this is all probably a lot all at once. Option A or B? One or two stomps accordingly."

Sera considered Aurora's words. The evening HAD been genuinely enjoyable so far, despite the few anxiety-inducing moments. But it had also opened her up to a world of possibilities. But she knew it was important to take small steps, to keep herself from getting entirely overwhelmed. So she gave two stomps in succession.

Aurora notably frowned, for half a second, but it was quickly replaced by a smile, "Only if you agree to come to the beginners' session on Thursday." She teased.

Sera gave a single stomp.

~Hard not to want to come... This was really nice.~

She could only hope it wasn't too crowded when she did choose to come.

Aurora beamed and nodded, "Yay! I'm glad. Cause Starlight doesn't see potential in juuuuust anyone. She marked you with her sparkles... good luck getting that out of your hair. We may just have to dip you in glitter like we do her and call it a day. Because it's a losing battle otherwise..." She mused, teasing the blushing Sera.

Sera huffed while Aurora turned, motioning for her to follow as they walked towards the opposite entrance of Haystation Five.

As Aurora walked out the door, she glanced over her shoulder at Sera, "And don't think I didn't notice you trying to talk to Starlight. Some trainers would find a fitting way to correct that. Luckily for you, I'm me. And you're new, and not quite official yet. So you're safe this time. But if you join us properly, it's something you'd do well to keep in mind." She waved a hand over her shoulder as they entered the next building, which was essentially a giant infirmary. Thankfully, it currently only housed a few various individuals.

"This is one of three infirmaries on the campus. Each year gets its own, though you'll usually end up in the nearest one to be treated, regardless of year. Much like anywhere else, we've got some of the most up-to-date tech due to our partnering with the local hospital, which often lets its trainees intern here to learn to treat injuries that are common amongst ponies. Pretty boring for the most part, the goal is to never end up in here during your pony career. Unless you're like Athena over there and decide that getting hurt is your goal in life..." Lying in a cozy-looking bed nearby was a woman with a smooth leather panel strapped over her mouth, with her right leg and arm both in casts, looking rather unhappy. She made garbled noises in Aurora's direction.

"Oh, hush Athena. You'll be back to busting up your hooves in no time!" She cast a sidelong gaze at Athena to much grumbling and then led Sera out of the room and through the next few buildings. Two full training buildings, one of which even had an entire indoor track surrounded by stands. A tack building which was permeated by the scent of leather, metal, latex, and all sorts of exotic oils. Though it was empty for the current moment, as most of the farriers had retired for the day. After a few more buildings, they finally ended up at...

"The main entrance once again. So what do you think? Ready to drop all your courses and step into a pair of hooves?"

Aurora asked this as she reached up, sliding her fingers through Sera's hair around the back of her head and undoing the clasp on the straps holding the bit in her mouth. She then pulled it out, a trail of drool stretching between the bit and Sera's lips as Aurora tossed it into a nearby sink built into the wall.

Sera let out a small groan as the bit slid from between her teeth. She let out an audible groan as her slowly-growing-sore jaw was relieved. She rotated her jaw a little bit, surprised as Aurora reached up, pressing her fingers gently into the joints on either side of Sera's jaw and then massaging ever-so-gently.

"You get used to it, as does your jaw. Believe it or not, many career ponies actually get their back two teeth removed on their upper and lowers to allow a bit to fit a bit better and reduce jaw issues. They just have custom retainers they can put in for during meals." She couldn't help but smile at the relaxed look on Sera's face as her fingers found the exact right spots to relieve jaw tension.

"That... feels really nice..." Sera murmured, surprised at how she didn't mind the girl in her space and almost leaning into Aurora's hands. To which Aurora stopped suddenly.

"It sure does. And it's free of charge when you sign up!" She said with a playful wink.

"Now I'll ask again, did you enjoy yourself? What did you think?"

Sera frowned a little bit, reaching up to tug the hoops out of each of her ears, "It was really enjoyable. More so than I expect. But a bit intimidating at the same time. My anxiety certainly didn't help. And I mean, I only followed you around for a bit."

Aurora clasped her hands behind her back, "And wore a bit, and followed obediently. You did more than you think you did. Maybe even touched ever-so-slightly on that headspace I mentioned. Regardless. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and if you give it a chance, the anxiety will ease up. I know mine did. But then, we aren't all the same."

"I'll take your word for it. On all parts. I did enjoy it. Thank you so much, Aurora."

"You're quite welcome, dear Sera. You think you'll come back for another session?"

Sera took her bag as it was offered to her, "I'm considering it."

Aurora dug into one of her pouches and produced a folded-up pamphlet as well as a card. She held out the Pamphlet first, "The dates and times of the actual beginner sessions now. Updated, of course. And..." She tugged a pen out and scribbled a few words on the card before handing it to Sera, "My personal trainer card. In case you want something a bit more private until you're ready to be in the club mix. I'd love to see you back. You've got a hint of that pony spirit, and speaking from experience, I think the club could do you a whole lot of good. I'll make sure to let Doctor Harlow know you came out today. I'm sure she will be delighted."

Sera slid the pamphlet into the main section of her bag and the card into the slot on the back of her phone, "Oh! I guess these have to go back too." She held out the ear buds to Aurora, who proceeded to reach out, close Sera's fist around them and pushed them back towards her.

"No, no. You keep those. Call them a gift for the scheduling screw up today. Same with the ear headband. Though you're forbidden from removing those ears until you at least get to the dorm. Club advertising fee and all that..." She teased with a smile.

Sera shuffled lightly, unsure how to react or thank Aurora for the kindness she was showing. She reached up and traced a finger along the headband and the plasticy ears attached to it, "Thank you, Aurora. For the day, and everything." She dipped into a polite half-bow and then gathered her bag.

"Until next time?" Aurora asked.

Sera smiled, "Until next time." She reassured her before turning on her heel and hurrying out without further words, making sure to in fact leave the headband on her head until she got back to her dorm.

The path had been laid. The starting gate had been set. Now it was just up to Sera on whether or not she decided to run amongst the rest.