“At least, Pinkie gave us some cupcakes,” Rainbow grinned as she licked the cupcakes' crumbs off her lips.
“Still wish I would have had a proper meal…” Twilight mumbled under her breath as her stomach rumbled, which Rainbow didn’t seem to hear. “Those towels didn’t help at all! I’m still so sticky from that cake…”
“Yeah, I am, too. Good thing the next step of our day is the spa, right?” Rainbow asked as Twilight sighed.
"I had planned for us to have lunch after visiting the park, but since we finished at the theater earlier than expected, I thought we could grab a meal before heading to it. I wasn’t expecting we would waste so much time in Sugarcube Corner. I don’t want to disrupt our schedule more than I already have." Twilight replied as Rainbow put a foreleg around Twilight’s neck in reassurance.
“It’ll be fine, Twi! We can still go to the park after the spa! It’s not like we’ll spend much time there anyway,” Rainbow reassured her. It was true that Rainbow Dash wasn’t quite interested in the spa and the services it provided. And honestly, Twilight wasn’t either, but it would be a nice change from their usual hangouts. Moreover, they could profit from being groomed a bit.
“Maybe I’m too stressed… I wouldn’t refuse to take some time to relax…” Twilight said as Rainbow nudged her shoulder approvingly.
“That’s what I’m talking about! Plus, don’t forget you’re the one who really wanted to go there in the first place,” Rainbow retorted as they made their way to the spa. Yes, Twilight shouldn’t forget how hard convincing Rainbow Dash was. The fact that she was ready to go through this simply to make Twilight happy just proved how much her marefriend loved her. “We don’t do hooficure, though. Seriously. No one touches my hooves,” Rainbow added with a bit more serious tone.
“Oh, really? No one?” Twilight inquired as she brought her head closer to her marefriend’s while giving her a suggestive smile.
“Well… There are some exceptions…” Rainbow stammered with red cheeks as Twilight snickered. “H-Hey! I’m the one who’s supposed to be teasing you! You’re the egghead!” The pegasus complained with still blushing cheeks.
“I know, I know. You can tease me all you want later, you big softie,” Twilight retorted as she used brushed Rainbow with one of her wings.
“I… Look! We’re here! The Ponyville Day Spa!” Rainbow Dash suddenly pointed at the spa, then started trotting to it. Arriving at the spa quickly reminded Twilight of the situation they were in, causing her to widen her eyes.
“Wait!” She shouted as she teleported in front of her marefriend and stopped her from coming any closer to the spa.
“What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash inquired with a raised eyebrow as Twilight began frantically looking around as if she was chased by someone. Suddenly, she threw her head into a bush, seemingly looking for something. After looking through the bush, the alicorn started running around the spa until she reached the entrance again.
“Okay… Nothing here…” Twilight muttered, loudly enough for Rainbow to hear.
Oh, no. Rainbow recognized that look and that behavior… She was starting to get obsessed… It had been a long time since she did that last. However, every time something like this happened, it was a disaster. Like the time she stuck the entire world in a time loop because she didn’t want to miss her mother’s birthday. Or the time she made the whole town fall in love with a doll. When she got so competitive in a trivia quiz that she tried to steal Trixie’s soul… Woah, that was really messed up when she thought about it. Why did no one ever point that out?
Well, at least, she changed and promised she would never go crazy again. And she kept that promise for years! Now was the time for Rainbow to help her keep it!
“No Applejack… No Pinkie Pie… Fluttershy isn’t hiding somewhere, is she?” Twilight grumbled before sticking her head inside the spa, looking over the entrance to check for any familiar pony. “Nope, none of them are here either… Maybe… Maybe this day is finally getting better!” She chuckled under her breath.
“Twilight? What are you doing?” Rainbow interrupted her thoughts, bringing Twilight’s attention back to her.
“Me? Oh, nothing! Nothing you should worry about!” Twilight quickly replied as Rainbow tilted her head.
“Are you sure? It kiiiinda looks like… You’re having another cuckoo episode,” The pegasus retorted as she did a cuckoo sign with her hoof.
“W-What? No! No, I promise, I’m not! I promised, didn’t I? I wouldn’t do anything obsessive again… Please, believe me!” Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed the pegasus to embrace her while desperately pleading.
“Whoa, Twilight! Chill! I believe you, okay? I’m just worried is all,” Rainbow pulled away to look into Twilight’s eyes. “You probably just need to relax. I mean, who wouldn’t after a day like this?”
“A-A day like this? So… So you noticed the same thing I did?!” Twilight’s face lit up with hope. If Rainbow noticed, too, then maybe she didn’t need to point it out herself. Did that mean that it wouldn’t be rude of her to tell her friends that she and Rainbow needed some space from them? However, just like relief was filling her, her hopes were washed away just as quickly with Rainbow’s next words.
“Well, yeah! First, you get burned pancakes, then strawberry cupcakes instead of chocolate cake? I need a break, too, after that!” The pegasus noted as Twilight’s face fell.
“Oh, yeah… That… Let’s just go in,” She mumbled tiredly before going inside.
“Princess Twilight! Rainbow Dash! We are so happy to see you!” Lotus Blossom exclaimed as she came to meet them. “I’m honored to have you both in our establishment, but I would be even happier if you could come here more often. Caring for your body and beauty is important, you know?” She teased as Aloe joined them.
“It’s not really our style, but I wouldn’t mind coming back here sometimes,” Twilight smiled, ignoring that she was called by her title and too tired to tell them that simply calling her Twilight was fine for a hundredth time.
“I presume Miss Rainbow Dash will finally have a hooficure?” Aloe asked as Rainbow scoffed.
“No way! Anyone here tries touching my hooves, and they’ll get a kick in their face,” Rainbow warned as Twilight nervously chuckled while making her marefriend lower her hooves.
“She’s just joking! But no, we don’t need hooficure,” She assured them as the spa ponies nodded.
“Very well. I assume you’ll have the formula you told me about yesterday?” Lotus inquired as Twilight nodded in response. “Great! You’re both so lucky because only one other pony picked this one, so you’ll get to enjoy this as a couple, but don’t get too lovey-dovey,” She added teasingly as Rainbow looked away to hide her blush. It was common knowledge she and Twilight were dating, but seeing other ponies’ reactions was sometimes embarrassing.
Twilight, on the other hand, did not care for Lotus’ implications. The only thing she was focused on was the “other pony”, which was enough to make her jaw drop and widen her eyes in fear while her wings began shaking. This was ALL WRONG! Why was there someone else? She made sure to pick the one formula that the other ponies took the least! The one formula that didn’t have hooficure included, and hooficure was something most ponies came here for! No, even then, there were a ton of other formulas, and even if she expected to see other ponies during some of the care, like the sauna, she explicitly told them she wanted the special couple offer! Who was that pony dating exactly? Themselves?!
“Oh, uhm, excuse me, Lotus,” Twilight nudged her to get her attention. “I was just wondering… But why is another pony there? Isn’t it a couple-only formula today? Again, just wondering! I’m not… I’m not angry or mad enough to destroy a building! Just asking out of curiosity!” Twilight laughed nervously.
“Our other employees are all so busy today, and since she has been such a loyal customer, we thought we could make an exception for her and let her in on this formula instead of her usual one,” Lotus explained before noticing Twilight’s eye twitching. “I hope that doesn’t bother you, princess? Because I can just…”
“No! No, it doesn’t! I was just curious! That’s all! Wait… She?” Twilight stopped in her tracks as she came to a sudden realization. “R-Rainbow! Maybe we should…” She grabbed her marefriend to lead her away.
“Twilight, what is happening? Weren’t you eager a second ago?” The pegasus asked as Twilight tried to pull her again.
“We don’t have time for this! Quick before she…”
“Twilight! Rainbow Dash!” A voice exclaimed, making Twilight look down in defeat.
“Too late,”
“Oh, hey, Rarity,” Rainbow greeted her as the unicorn walked up to them. “We sure have been meeting a lot of our friends, haven’t we, Twi?” Rainbow poked her marefriend with her elbow.
“Really? I haven’t noticed…” Twilight mumbled sarcastically as they were led to the spa’s steam room.
“I don’t think you’ve ever been to the steam room, have you, Princess?” Lotus inquired as Twilight shook her head.
“So far, I’ve just been in the bath, had a massage, and the super-deluxe mane blowout,” Twilight replied.
“I remember when I saw you with that mane style! Wish we were dating back then so I could tell you how much I liked it,” Rainbow remarked as Twilight smiled satisfyingly.
“I wouldn’t mind having that mane style again if it’s for you, Rainbow,” Twilight gave her a wry smile, ready to nuzzle her only for Rarity to suddenly come between them.
“Oh, you’ll love the steam room, darling! And you won’t believe how much they’ve improved their massages, they’re soooo…. Relaxing,” The white unicorn said with a dreamy look. “Does that mean you haven’t indulged in the mud facial? You’ll see, it’ll make you feel at least five years longer! Although… You probably won’t need it considering you are an alicorn,” Rarity chuckled as Twilight sighed in annoyance.
“Thank you for reminding me of my unavoidable immortality, Rarity,” Twilight deadpanned while the unicorn laughed.
“You’re welcome, dear,” She replied, completely missing the sarcasm.
“Well, I sure love having a marefriend who’ll always stay young,” Rainbow said to Twilight flirtatiously, then widened her eyes in realization. “Not I would be unhappy if you’re getting old or anything! I mean, even if you were old, I’m sure you would look beautiful! And I-I’m not saying I like you for your looks! I…” Thankfully, the pegasus’ rambling was cut short by her marefriend.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow. I know what you mean,” Twilight smiled knowingly, which quickly reassured her marefriend.
“Here is the steam room! We’ve prepared everything inside already. You can pick your towels and bathrobes right here, and I’ll come to pour water over the hot stones once in a while if you need me to,” Lotus explained as she pointed at the shelf holding the towels and the bathrobes.
“It’s hot in there… But it feels kind of nice…” Twilight commented as she came in after taking a towel and a bathrobe with her.
“Eh, it’s cool, I guess,” Rainbow added as she sat beside Twilight while Rarity took a seat nearby. “I’m more looking forward to the preening! These guys aren’t even pegasi, but they do it even better than some of the pegasi I know,”
“Thank you for the compliment!” Lotus smiled as she poured water over the hot stones, creating even more steam. “Enjoy, ladies!” She declared before exiting the room.
Twilight put on the bathrobe while looking at her marefriend, who was doing the same, then glanced in Rarity’s direction. The white unicorn was humming while having her eyes closed, seemingly relaxing and simply enjoying the moment without saying anything. Was… Was Rarity not going to say anything? She wasn’t trying to talk to them or trying to ruin her date for purely comedic purposes. Yes, Twilight still believed Pinkie did those things on purpose and there was no way Discord wasn’t involved! Or maybe it actually was Spike… She needed to take this into her own hooves and prepare a trap for them! Right! If Rarity was part of their plan, then she needed… No, she was overthinking things and being paranoid. She wouldn’t do anything crazy! No way!
Rarity was simply being mindful and polite. She probably figured they were on a date and didn’t want to bother them. This gave Twilight a little hope.
“So, what are you two doing here?” Forget she said anything.
“We’re on a date!” Rainbow answered proudly as the white unicorn beamed.
“Really?! Oh, my! It’s nice to finally see you two doing something regular couples do!” Rarity exclaimed. Wait, what did she mean by that? “Sometimes you act as if you weren’t even dating,”
“Rainbow’s a little bit shy when it comes to showing affection in public. Romantic affection,” Twilight pointed out.
“What? No, I’m not!” Rainbow pouted stubbornly as Twilight simply gave her a pat on the head.
“Anyway, yes, we’re on a date. As a couple. Only the two of us,” Twilight said, clearly trying to let her know that she wouldn’t want them to be disturbed.
“Of course, it’s only the two of you! That’s what a couple is, darling! Don’t worry about me, I’ll make myself as small as possible,” Rarity reassured them, making Twilight breathe in relief.
“Thank you, Rarity. I appreciate it,” The alicorn said as she leaned on Rainbow Dash. “Finally… Some time to relax,” She exhaled while keeping her head on Rainbow’s shoulder. They were only going to get hotter if they were so close because of the steam, but she honestly didn’t care since this was her opportunity to finally be with Rainbow.
“You don’t say. I had to fly the whole day yesterday! I felt like my wings were about to drop,” She said while leaning against Twilight, too.
“I know you’re dedicated to being a wonderbolt, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a few breaks, you know?” Twilight softly advised her.
“If I’m taking a break with you, then I might be willing to take some,” Rainbow nuzzled her. Twilight hummed in return, but before she could retort anything, someone squealed.
“You two are so adorable!” Rarity expressed with a gentle tone and lit face while clapping her hooves together.
“T-Thanks, Rarity…” Twilight blushed in embarrassment.
“Not awkward at all…” Rainbow muttered quietly enough so the unicorn wouldn’t hear it.
“If only your relationship was made public, you would be the one couple everypony talks about in Equestria! Oh, just imagine the magazines… They would love you!” Rarity insisted as Rainbow gained an arrogant expression.
“Of course, they would! I mean, me and Twilight are the most awesome pony in Equestria already, so if you combine us, then… That makes… Awesome times two? Maybe? Well, you get it!”
“Actually, it’s Twilight and I. A-Anyway, I think we get it, Rarity,” Twilight interjected, correcting Rainbow Dash while she was at it.
“Oh! Maybe I could make you some matching dresses! It will be difficult considering your differences in colors, but I can make this work!” Rarity continued after totally ignoring what Twilight said.
“It’s really not needed…” Twilight attempted to argue again only for Rarity to ramble on longer.
“You could wear them at the Grand Galloping Gala! It would be such an honor to have you wearing dresses I’ve made when everypony will be looking at you!” She insisted as Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
“Usually, I like it when ponies can’t help but look at me, but I’d rather they do it because I’m cool. Not because of who I’m dating,” The pegasus replied as Rarity scoffed.
“Do not worry, darling! They will…”
“Rarity!” Twilight finally shouted, interrupting her next monologue.
“Yes, Twilight?”
“It’s nice of you to offer, and I wouldn’t mind if we wore matching dresses, but right now, I just want to relax. Let’s not talk about the gala, dresses, whether my relationship is made public or not, or about the opinion of other ponies about MY relationship,”
“Oh, right. Right. That’s natural. It’s the spa, after all. I’m sorry, I don’t want to put you under any stress,” Rarity apologized while chuckling nervously. “I’ll pour some more water on these stones,”
“Thank you,” Twilight breathed in relief. Finally, someone that understood.
“So quiet I’d be ready to take a nap,” Rainbow mumbled as Twilight grinned.
“I don’t mind if you rest your head on me, Rainbow,” The alicorn whispered as she put her hoof on Rainbow’s.
“I think you already know that I’d nap on you even if you minded. You’re the best spot to sleep on when there’s no cloud around,” Rainbow chuckled as Twilight raised an eyebrow playfully.
“So I’m losing to a cloud? Great! I hope you’ll invite me to the wedding!” She teased, making Rainbow snicker.
“Only if you’re the one wearing the ring,” Rainbow retorted. And before Twilight could say anything in response, they heard a squeal again. The alicorn turned around in annoyance to look at Rarity, who was blushing embarrassingly.
“Sorry… Hehe. I couldn’t help it. Why don’t we add a bit more steam in there?” Rarity suggested before pouring water on the stones again. The truth was she wanted to hide them from her view to avoid squealing again at this cuteness.
“I-Isn’t that a bit much?” Rainbow asked as the steam nearly filled the room. Any more, and they wouldn’t even be able to see each other.
“So, you two never said when you fell in love with one another,” Rarity pointed out.
“I’d love to talk about it, but-” Twilight started before Rainbow interrupted her.
“Can’t say for Twilight, but I know when I started having feelings for this awesome mare!”
Twilight just facehoofed yet again today. She loved hearing Rainbow Dash talking about how she developed her feelings for her, but it really wasn’t necessary to do it now of all time! Even after Rainbow ended her story, Rarity asked more questions and even insisted on knowing when Twilight fell in love with Rainbow. The alicorn answered, naturally, but she tried so hard to make it known by her tone that she was tired of it and only wanted to relax.
At some point, Rarity poured so much water that the steam literally made it impossible for them to see one another. She stretched out her forelegs to try and reach Rainbow only to touch the air as if the pegasus had vanished.
“That steam is getting thick…” Rainbow mumbled before wrapping her legs around her marefriend. “That’s kinda fun! I’m happy we got to do this, Twilight. Wait… Aren’t you a bit fatter than usual?” Rainbow asked, stopping in her tracks right before she could nuzzle her marefriend, and started rubbing the alicorn’s body.
“Ahem, I’m not Twilight. Wait, did you just call me fat?” The pony she was groping replied, making Rainbow widen her eyes as she recognized Rarity’s voice.
“AH! Get away!” She shouted in surprise and panic as she threw a kick in the steam by total reflex.
“Ouch!” Someone let out a pained cry as they dropped to the floor.
“Crap! I’m sorry, Rarity! I didn’t mean to! You kinda scared me there!” Rainbow quickly apologized while looking for Rarity in the steam to help her up.
“Uhm… That wasn’t me, Rainbow,” Rarity replied again, this time, nervously.
“Not you? Oh, no! Twilight! Are you okay?” Rainbow ran around before finally getting her hooves on someone and helping them. She quickly hugged her.
“I-I’m fine,” Twilight muttered disoriented.
“Thank Celestia. I’m really sorry. I was just…” Rainbow began comforting her marefriend in her embrace.
“I’m still not Twilight, but I do appreciate the hug, Rainbow,” Rarity said again.
“AH!”
“Ouch!”
A couple of minutes later, the three ponies finally came out of the steam room.
“I’m so sorry, Twi. You know I didn’t mean it,” Rainbow assured to her marefriend.
“It’s okay… It was an accident. An accident that happened twice…” Twilight replied as she rubbed her right eye, where her blackeye was. “And on the same eye, too…”
“Don’t worry about it, darling! I’m sure Lotus or Aloe will cover it with some makeup!” Rarity reassured the alicorn.
“Oh, my! Princess, what happened?” Aloe inquired in worry as Twilight furrowed her brows.
“I fell. Can we go to the next part?”
“Of course! And don’t worry about that little incident. We’ll make sure completely unnoticeable,”
“Great,”
A few moments later, Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity were lying on their bellies, ready for a massage. Aloe stood beside Rainbow while Lotus was massaging Twilight, and Rarity was given a massage by Lavender Essence.
“That feels… really good…” Twilight mumbled dreamily as Lotus pressed her hooves on her back.
“Thank you, princess. Once I’m done with it, I’m sure you’ll love a horn filing and some preening?” Lotus replied.
“Yes please,”
“You’ll see Twilight, but they really do wonders for your wings!” Rainbow said as Twilight glanced over at her.
“I’m sure you’re just as good when it comes to preening my wings, Rainbow,” The alicorn pointed out. Rainbow helped Twilight learn how to preen her wings, so she knew how to do it herself. Still, that didn’t prevent her from asking Rainbow to do it for her. She just loved when Rainbow was doing it, really. For some reason, she thought she heard another squeal, which was much quieter than the previous ones.
“You’re so stiff! Your back feels like a rock! When was the last time you got a massage?” Aloe commented while massaging Rainbow’s back.
“I don’t know. A long time ago, I guess?” Rainbow answered hesitantly.
“If I may advise you, Aloe, you should massage well the spot between her wings. She loves it here!” Rarity said while being massaged. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the white unicorn, then at her marefriend, who seemed to be in complete delight.
“Ooooh, that’s the spot!” Rainbow breathed in relief while Aloe was massaging where Rarity indicated it.
“That’s going to make the next part of the massage much more relaxing now,” Aloe commented as she moved her hooves to another spot.
“H-How do you know about this, Rarity? Even I didn’t know,” Twilight inquired while Rarity kept her eyes closed, fully enjoying the massage.
“Sometimes, Rainbow’s shoulders or back get really stiff, so I help her out with a quick massage. I’m certainly not as good as the ponies taking care of us now,” Rarity sent a quick flirtatious smile to Lavender before resuming. “But I get the job done,”
“You could have come to me, Rainbow. I wouldn’t mind giving you a massage…” Twilight turned to look at her marefriend.
“No offense, Twilight. But last time you tried it, I felt like you would break my back,” Rainbow replied as the alicorn looked down, suddenly losing all the feeling of relaxation she built up.
“I wish I knew Rarity was giving you some, at least…” She muttered under her breath and remained silent while the other ponies kept discussing with each other.
At some point, Lotus began filing her horn and preening her. She didn’t even notice it, too preoccupied with her inner turmoil. She honestly didn’t care if she was left out of their conversation. She wasn’t mad about Rarity giving Rainbow a massage from time to time. She would have appreciated it if they told her, though. Weren’t they friends? And Rainbow was her marefriend. No, she was mostly upset because she was tired. She was tired of that horrible day! She was tired of things not going her way! There had been something wrong in literally every one of their activities thus far! They couldn’t be coincidences, could they?!
Pinkie and the burned cake certainly weren’t! She was still adamant about that! If only she knew who the culprit was, but she already had her main suspects! And… She was too tired to investigate that, too.
“That was so good! I feel so much lighter!” Rainbow exclaimed as she flew a couple of meters above the floor.
“See? You should come here more often! And you too, Twilight,” Rarity stated as Rainbow turned to her marefriend.
“So? What’s next?” She asked while Twilight was looking away.
“Now is time for mud facial, then seaweed wrap!” Rarity replied before any spa ponies could.
“Sounds gross, but I guess I can try,” Rainbow responded.
“No,” Twilight suddenly said, bringing the pegasus’ attention back to her.
“Huh? What’s up, Twilight?”
“I don’t want to do these. I’d rather go to the park right now,” Twilight sighed as Rainbow tilted her head, then gained a worried expression.
“But you looked so eager earlier! Is something wrong?” The rainbow-maned pegasus inquired as Twilight looked into her eyes.
“Can we just go to the park, please?” She asked in a sad and desperate tone, which was enough for Rainbow to respect any of her wishes.
“O-Of course! If that’s what you want, then we don’t have to stay,” Rainbow placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder as Twilight hugged her with quivering lips.
“Thank you, Dashie,” The alicorn murmured before pulling away and walking towards the exit, without forgetting to give Aloe and Lotus a few bits.
“Is she okay?” Rarity asked worriedly as she approached Rainbow.
“She’s been weird all day. She just doesn’t want to tell me why. At first, I thought it was one of her episodes again, but I guess it’s something else…” Rainbow replied, then followed closely Twilight.
The alicorn kept a steady and confident pace as she kept narrowed eyes. The park was their last stop before the restaurant, and she refused to have something go wrong there, too.