//------------------------------// // My Hooves, Her Blood // Story: Come Back Dashie // by The Mechanical Artist //------------------------------// Pinkie did her best to sit still as the foamy sponge made another pass over her left shoulder. Even from another pony, this was the absolute, longest bath she had ever taken. She groaned as Rarity gently massaged the soap into her fur, trying to coax the red splotches from it. "And, how exactly did this come to happen?" Rarity asked, ignoring the chorus of moans and grumblings from the pink pony. "I mean, I know that Rainbow Dash fell but, why so much... well, for lack of a better word... blood?" Pinkie sighed again. "I don't know Rarity, I was so focused on getting her safe, I guess I hadn't even noticed how much of it had gotten on me." She lowered her head to the water, staring deeply into her own, reflected eyes trying to find comfort in them. "I feel so bad for her. Nopony can even guess when she might get better. She hasn't even woken up yet." Rarity nodded silently and put down the sponge exchanging it for a brush, and began to work on her mane. "I just can't help thinking this is somehow all my fault. That I'm to blame for this. Even though there isn't a thing I could have done to stop it." She had to admit it, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on the present, her heart was still with her beloved Dash, in the hospital waiting room, along with her stomach and mind. She tried to fight the tears boiling up inside of her. "It just seems like I should be there with her, right? " Rarity put down the brush, thinking this one over. " You know Pinkie, you can't go blaming this on yourself just because you were there." Rarity said coming to a conclusion. "She's going to be fine, she always bounces back from things like this. You'll see." She said and moved around to the front of Pinkie. "Hmm, your hair however isn't going to fare so well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut it." She said decisively, knowing exactly how she would respond. Just as she had suspected, Pinkie almost jumped straight through the ceiling. Cut her hair? How could she do that! She had never even had a haircut before in her entire life, she liked it just the way it was and... and she wasn't about to start getting them now. "What? Noooo way!" She said, acting almost offended by the simple idea. "Just because I feel bad doesn't mean you can rope me into that one Rares!" She said, chuckling. "Sorry, not happening!" Rarity rolled her eyes . "Pinkie, unless you want to go about smelling of Rainbow Dash's insides" She said, cringing at the very thought. "Which I assure you, you do not. Then you're going to have to let me cut it." Pinkie's face fell. Rarity wasn't going to let this one go. She looked around for some form of escape plan and saw that all the exits were unfortunately placed directly behind the menacing unicorn, and she didn't have a chance of getting around her. The sadist had thought of everything, and she knew she was going to have to give in sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. "Fine!" she said and plopped down into the tub, splashing water everywhere, including on Rarity's new rug. She wasn't about to go down without a having some fun first, and she planned to put Rarity through her paces.