//------------------------------//
// The Spa 
// Story: One Shot per Page 
// by Apocalyptic Fries 
//------------------------------//

	It was that time of the week again. The girls, minus Rainbow (who was always a no-show anyhow), were on their way to the local spa. Since their lives had gotten busier, it felt like each week had been longer than the last, and in consequence, it felt as if they hadn’t done this in far too long.
Twilight looked at her pack of friends walking along with her to the spa, and did a mental head count. Let’s see, there’s Fluttershy, there’s Pinkie, there’s Applejack… where in the hoof is Rarity?
This seemed absurd. Rarity had always been the most punctual of the five. She was always the first one to show-up outside of the library. She never missed a spa day; that she was not here was suspicious.
Maybe she’s already down there waiting for us, Twilight mentally reasoned. For the moment, she pushed the thought out of her mind as she tried to make small talk with her friends. They were unusually quiet. Even Pinkie had always been going on about something or other, but it seemed even they had noticed Rarity’s absence and had been thinking about it too.
Just as she was about to ask, Pinkie confirmed: “Wow, where’s Rarity? She’s usually way ahead of us. I mean, she’s more than a head, wow, that’s such a weird word, you ever think? Like, a- head, is it kind of like abre—“
“Y-y-yes, I was just thinking about that myself,” Twilight cut her off.
“What, the word, or Rarity?” the mare with her head in the clouds asked.
“Rarity,” Twilight said, flatly. “Anyway, you guys know where she is?”
“I dunno,” Applejack answered. “I thought she’d meet us along the way, but I reckon she’s been held up or somethin’.”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy meekly piped-up. “You don’t suppose she got delayed, do you? Like, is she too busy? Oh, I really hope we didn’t pressure her into—“
“Flutters, if anyone’s had to be pressured into going to the spa it’s not Rarity,” Applejack responded. “Matter of fact, I think she’d be the one to pressure someone else into going, like with Rainbow.”
“And we all know how that turned out,” Twilight said knowingly. “Anyway, last time I saw her she was at the Boutique.”
“Was Spike there? I know he likes to hog her attention or help her out with stuff all the time,” Applejack said.
“I don’t think so. I think Spike is still working at the library.”
The girls walked on in silence. Twilight wondered, Would Rarity want us to get started without her? We’ve never had to do that, but I’m afraid it would hurt her to see we didn’t wait for her.
Ultimately, the girls agreed that since it was what they came for anyway, it would be better to get started without her. Some time after arriving, the four were relaxing in the hot tub, just as a frazzled Rarity burst into the spa.
“I’m, I’m,” Rarity tried to catch her breath.
“Runnin’ pretty dern late,” Applejack deadpanned.
“—so sorry girls – I didn’t think my little errand to the mall would take so long. While I was there, some klutz caused a power outage and I got stuck—“
“IN THE ELEVATOR?” the girls asked in shock.
“…on the escalator!”
Rarity recounted her horror story as the girls facehooved and sighed. “So there I was, going up the escalator and waiting patiently when all of a sudden…”