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// 31 - A Generous Lesson 
// Story: Perchance to Dream 
// by David Silver 
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Rarity led me out of the castle, heading back towards town. "Now that those distractions are out of the way for a moment," she practically sang, "We can get  right to business!"

And that's when she began to literally sing. For sake of simplicity, I won't try to write out the exact patterns and rhymes that were used, since I don't even remember them at this point. Just bear in mind that she was singing the whole thing, even going so far as to produce illusions at the right time. Other ponies even hopped in as needed to join in.

It was bizarre, if charming in a strange way. You'll just have to use your imagination on that one.

"Now the most important thing to consider is location!" She glanced at me out of the side of her eyes. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, you already have inroads in Canterlot. Twilight tells me that you'll even be headed back there after this visit. Now, I imagine you're a little scared, darling, but don't be!" She waved a hoof at her store.

"Now this is my place of creation, the start of my empire! Here, cradled in the safe bosom of Ponyville it grew quietly until it was ready to explode across Equestria!" I could see from the smile on her face and the manic tone in her voice that she was quite proud of her accomplishments. "You wouldn't think it, but if you keep your eyes on the prize and never stop reaching, anything is possible, dear."

I tried to ask how she bought the land, but the song had no room for non-musical little me.

"As a fine provider of a unique good, you must remember to value yourself." She circled around in front of me. "Nopony else can do exactly what you do! You are not 'one of many', and you shouldn't feel bad assigning a price appropriate with that fact." The song took a detour as she sang about how there were many farmers that could grow fruits. She even pointed out other Ponyville citizens with various plants on their flanks. One of them, with a carrot cutie mark, stuck out her tongue and snuck in a little reprise about not being so caught up about it.

"Don't mind them, darling. They're jealous of our burning talents." She flashed a bright smile and danced onward. She began going over how to order supplies, how to manage one's books, and how to contact local media outlets to advertise events, including, "Opening your store!" She sang that part. She sang all the parts, but that part was long and melodic.

It was the most catchy catch-up I'd heard to commerce in a while. I tried again to ask about the real estate.

"Glad you asked. Right this way!" And onward we went, her singing the path forward towards the center of the town and the largish building, at least compared to those around it, resided.

A distinguished mare with white hair was there to greet us and joined in the song without any prompting. It was magic, pony magic. They began to go in a chorus about how real estate worked in Equestria, which seemed fairly simple. Provided no one else was occupying a space, one could pay with bits, fill out the form, and take up proper residence there. If one moved on and wasn't making active use of the land, it could slide back into availability should someone else come asking for it, so the idea of owning land 'just' to own it didn't seem to really be as much a 'thing' for ponies.

"What about renting space in a larger building?"

On the song went, but it wasn't as long or grandiose. It seemed renting was, by and large, unregulated. Ponies just made deals among themselves and that was that.

"What if someone wasn't treating their tenant well?"

The song suddenly stopped. Every single pony in sight seemed baffled at my question.

Rarity leaned in close. "How do you not treat a tenant 'well'?" That wasn't a song. I had ruined the tempo thoroughly.

I gestured upwards with a hoof. "What if there are leaks that need to be fixed, and the landlord or lady is slow about doing it?"

Rarity tilted her head slowly. "Why wouldn't you just fix it yourself, darling, or get somepony else to do it?"

Mayor Mare regained her smile. "It is true that, in some districts, a pony renting their property to another has specific responsibilities. In most, renting a property is just like borrowing someone's furniture. If it gets a break while you're borrowing it, it's considered your responsibility, not theirs, to repair it. Now, you could make arrangements with the pony in question while you're making the initial agreement, but that would be between the two of you, not a matter for legalities."

Being a landlord in Equestria sounded like the easiest thing in the world! "Why don't more ponies just rent out their land if it's so easy?"

Rarity had that one. "That's simple, darling. If it's a single family residence, then you aren't really using the property. Rent it out for too long and that family could just lay claim to the whole thing, pfft, like that. If it's a large thing, well, for one ponies from a place like here--" She gestured out at Ponyville. "They'd not appreciate being so cramped, so there's no market here. In Canterlot or Manehattan or any other such true metropolis, that does happen. Of course, should a pony let their building fall apart, less ponies will want to live there, so some upkeep is required of the landowner if they want a good return on their investment."

I shook my head. Most of that wouldn't be directly useful to me, except possibly renting land. I had learned don't expect much from the landlord/lady. It was basically my space, for better or worse, to be returned in good condition when I left.

"So what is the equivalent of the town hall here in Canterlot?"

Mayor Mare gestured up at the city on the mountain. "The castle, of course. I'm told it can be quite daunting, but there are countless government offices squirreled away in there, waiting to be consulted."

Rarity trotted past me towards the door. "I'd like you to meet two lovely friends of mine that run a business closer to what you have in mind."

My brows raised together. "Huh? Who?" I was following her along as she walked.

"Oh, you'll love them, and we can relax after that busy day of learning. Why, I think they'll just eat you up!"

I silently hoped that was a play on words. "What sort of business do they run?"

Rarity gestured dramatically. "A spa!" There it was. It was a somewhat conical and pointed building, with multiple points. The sign showed a pony with eyes closed and mane and tail as flowing as Celestia's ever could be.

"A royal treatment?" I ventured from the similarity between the pony and their rulers.

"Exactly! Welcome to Ponyville Day Spa! Why, it's one of my favorite places." She trotted on inside with a little titter. "Aloe!" she cried on seeing a pony at the front desk.

The pink pony with deep blue mane and tail came out to greet her. "Rarity!" she returned with equal zeal and they hugged fondly. "Welcome! And who is this?" She leaned to look past Rarity towards me. "Have you finally found the stallion to steal your heart away?"

Rarity colored at the implication. "Nothing so... romantic dear. Aloe, meet True Shot. He's a celebrity from Canterlot, looking for a nice relaxing time, and some advice about his own business."

Aloe trotted past Rarity towards me. "Hello and welcome. I am Aloe. My sister and I run this spa."

"I help!" A white pony poked his beefy head out of a doorway a moment before sliding back out of sight.

Aloe's expression turned wry a moment. "He does. Now, are we going for the full treatment today?"

"I couldn't imagine any less for us," agreed Rarity with a firm nod. "While you're at it, you can tell True here how you handle your clients. He wants to be a matchmaker and relationship counselor."

Aloe's eyes widened, lashes fluttering. "Oh how delightful! This way."

And so began my luxuriating spa treatment. She told me about how she tried to tailor the experience to each pony, and some of the tells she employed to see how stressed a given pony might be. "Mostly, you have to always have your eyes open and your ears pricked. Your clients will tell you what's wrong, but not always in the most direct way."

The massage was delightful, and strange. Muscles that were still new to me were singing happy songs of relaxation and I felt almost drowned in the alien symphony even as I melted into the massaging table.

"What a classic figure you have," she complimented, even if it was a compliment I'd heard many times before. "Mmm, what's this?" Her talented hooves gently rubbed around my horn. "Have you been doing a lot of magic?"

"Relatively?" I was still learning the basics.

"Now you'll need to trust me. Do you trust me?" She looked into my eyes with her bright blue ones. I nodded and she smiled. "This will feel strange, but good in the end." She pressed her hooves against either side of my horn and pushed, hard. It hurt like hell a moment but then something popped.

I woke up in bed, starting straight up. It was still quite dark.

I slowly laid back down, trying to calm myself. A glance at the clock showed there were several hours yet in the evening, or morning. I needed that sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I started counting my breaths and heartbeats like I had read to get into a good pattern. Slowly the world began to slip away.

"I don't know what happened!" said a panicked Aloe.

"We can't show this to Rarity," came a similar but different voice.

I burst free of my new shell, making both mares shriek in surprise. They were twins? Aloe was pink with blue mane and tail. The other was blue with pink mane and tail. Both had blue eyes and both were traumatized. I put out a hoof. "Calm down, please. I'm alright. I should have mentioned that earlier, but that happens when I'm not awake."

Aloe shook her head quickly. "I... see... are you feeling better?"

Given a moment to consider it, I did. A tension I hadn't noticed before was gone in my head. It was like a mild headache had been abated. "I do, thank you." I settled on the table as the other pony began brushing the stone away. 

"Hello, I am Lotus, Aloe's partner," she explained as she worked.

Aloe nodded. "Get back to Rarity, she's likely wondering where you've gone."

Lotus nodded. "Good luck with him." She trotted off and away.

Aloe flashed a grin. "That isn't the first time I've made a stallion as hard as rock, just never so literally." She brushed the last bits of stone away. "Now where were we... Ah yes! Trouble clients. If a pony becomes loud and belligerent, remember that it is your business, not theirs, but it is also your reputation that makes you. If at all possible, you want a customer to leave with a smile, but there always comes a time--" As she spoke, she got back to her soft massaging, relaxing me into a soupy mess at her skilled touches. "You have to learn where that line is. It will take time and practice, just keep an eye out for it and be prepared."

I appreciated her attention, and her advice. I considered visiting her again if there was time while I was in Ponyville.