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// Rarity.exe has ceased functioning. 
// Story: You're washing your hair with WHAT!? 
// by keroko 
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"Dibs on the top bed!" Pinkie cried as she scrambled up the stairs in Sunset's apartment leading to her loft bed. 

It was friday at the end of the month, and the girls had decided to have another sleepover. "just for the fun of it" as Pinkie had put it. This time though, there was a bit more special to it. Because this would be their first sleepover at Sunset's place.

"Hah! Can't believe it took us this long to finally have a sleepover at your place, Sunset." Rainbow Dash crowed as she flopped onto the couch, her bag landing on the table in front of it.

"Well it's not the biggest or most luxurious place, so I figured it wouldn't make for much of a sleepover" Sunset replied. 

"Sugarcube, if we can survive a sleepover in the disaster area Rainbow Dash calls a room, your place ain't going to give us much of a problem." Applejack remarked dryly. 

Rainbow flipped up, indignation on her face. "Hey! My room is perfectly- uhm, organized! Yes! It's an organized mess." Rainbow nodded at her declaration and crossed her arms with an air of finality. 

"It, uhm, it was rather cozy." Fluttershy piped up.

"See? Fluttershy agrees!" 

"Darling, she called it cozy, not organized." Rarity countered as she put down her bag, opening it to fish out an only slightly smaller make-up purse. "Sunset, would you mind if I borrow your bathroom for a moment? I'm afraid the rain wasn't at all kind to my make-up." 

"Not at all Rarity, take your time. Just give a yell if the water pipes start acting up." 

"I'm sure that won't be a problem" the fashionista replied, moving to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

"So are we all going to climb into that loft tonight or what?" Rainbow asked, drawing the girls' attention back to the group.

"I kinda lack a good railing for that" Sunset noted, pointing up to the single railing that separated the edge of the loft from a steep fall. "So while sleeping on the bed is fine, I really don't want to see what happens when some of our more excited sleepers roll on the floor in their sleeping bags and off the edge." 

"Awww, bummer!" Pinkie cried, poking her head over the edge of the loft and looking down at the group. "It's reeeaaally cozy up here." 

"We can make it cozy down here too, Pinkie." Sunset replied. "If anything, the lack of room means it's going to end up cozy no matter what we try." 

"Eh, true." Pinkie shrugged, conceding the point, before dangling off the ledge of the loft and dropping down.

Sunset turned around to scold her elastic friend, but whatever scolding she was building on died on her lips as the bathroom door flew open and a rather distressed looking Rarity marched out. 

"Rarity? Did the pipes give you trouble?" Sunset asked.

Rarity gave her friend a scrutinous look. "Oh no darling, the pipes are fine. Your skill at repairs certainly shows. However..." Rarity raised an eyebrow as her voice took on a tone of someone carefully choosing their words. "I did find a rather... peculiar item in your bathroom." 

"Huh?" It was all Sunset could reply. She was unaware of keeping anything strange in her bathroom. "What are you talking about? I just keep normal bathroom supplies there." 

Rarity chewed her lips as she carefully formed her next reply. "Well... Sunset, darling, could you tell me what this is then?" As she spoke, Rarity placed a large bottle with a blue and yellow label on the table. 

Sunset blinked. She blinked twice. Then she raised her own eyebrow in confusion. "That's my shampoo. What of it?"

Obviously that wasn't the right answer, because suddenly she could feel the looks of everyone on her.  "What? It's just shampoo."

"Uhm... Sunset?" Twilight began, adjusting her glasses as she took another look at the bottle just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. "You do know that the bottle says 'mane 'n tail shampoo' right?"  

Sunset tilted her head. "Yes?" 

"And what would you use mane and tail shampoo for?" Twilight pressed. 

Her head still tilted, Sunset blinked in confusion. "To wash manes and tails?" 

"So what do you use it for?" 

Sunset blinked again and reached up to lift up one of her bangs and pointed at it. 

"Wait a minute!" Applejack interrupted, raising both hands. "Are you sayin' you've been washing your hair with shampoo for horses?" 

"Or ponies." Sunset interjected. 

"Yeah, or ponies, but why in tarnation would you use a a shampoo... for... ponies..." Applejack trailed off as the proverbial lightbulb seemed to light up for the entire room at once. 

Sunset on her part merely crossed her arms. "You guys all forgot I'm a magical pony from another world, didn't you?" 

Rarity coughed. "Well, not so much the magical part. We do carry around these lovely reminders after all" she noted awkwardly as she fidgeted with the geode around her neck. "But I will admit that you being a pony might have... slipped a bit." 

Rainbow Dash chuckled and threw an arm over Sunset's shoulder. "Though really Sunset, pony or not you use horse shampoo? What's next? Munching on grass?" 

Sunset shrugged "Well not uncooked, no. And I do miss a good sunflower salad. But yeah, I use mane and tail shampoo. Heck, I even have the conditioner, how do you think I got this bounce in it?" she playfully tossed a few curls of her hair as she said so. 

"So you're saying" Rarity carefully noted "that this actually works?" 

Sunset nodded. "It does for me. It actually reminds me of a shampoo I used to favour when I studied in Canterlot Castle." 

Rarity's eyes widened "A royal shampoo?" 

"Yeah. Which is probably why I keep using it. Reminds me a bit of home." Sunset smiled wistfully for a moment. 

"Do ponies wash their manes a lot?" Fluttershy piped up, leaning forward. Her shyness almost forgotten at the idea of adorable not-quite-animals and how they took care of themselves.

Sunset snorted. "Do they. Proper mane, coat and tail care is one of the most basic elements of Equestrian society. One of the most lucrative, too. Even the smallest of towns have their own spa, and every mare and stallion goes there at least once a week. 

"Wait, the guys go to spa's?" Rainbow asked sceptically.

Sunset nodded. "Sure, there's only a very few ponies out there who'd consider a spa treatment 'uncool.' Most just enjoy the attention, and the results of a proper spa treatment speak for themselves. You'll feel more relaxed than a good weekend's sleep, your coat shines like a crystal robe and your mane and tail just feel lighter than air." Sunset sighed wistfully at the memory.

"Sound like someone could use a good spa treatment here in the human world." Rarity said teasingly.

Sunset sighed. "I would, but a good spa treatment here is freakishly expensive and I don't exactly have a ton of money to toss around on weekly excursions." 

"Oh, pff, nonsense darling." Rarity scoffed, waving away Sunset's concern. "I would love to introduce you to our local spa. I know the girls there quite well and I'm sure we can come to some arrangement that could see you get a little bit of pampering in your life." 

"That's... really generous of you Rarity, but I wouldn't want you to go out of your way just for me." Sunset said, fidgeting at the idea of taking advantage of her friend.

"Oh hush, I've been trying to convince Rainbow Dash for ages that there is nothing 'uncool' about visiting a spa. Hearing that our school's toughest girl considers them an essential part of her culture? Why, it'd be an insult not to get you to enjoy our establishment. They may not be exactly what you are used to, as they are built for humans rather than ponies -which remind me, you absolutely must tell me what a pony spa is like and how ours compares once we visit- but I'm sure you will adore it." 

"Thanks Rarity" Sunset said, smiling at her generous friend. Then her smile turned into a grin, aimed directly at Rarity and the bottle she was holding. "You want to try it?" 

Rarity's eyes flitted between the bottle of shampoo and Sunset's hair, the desire to want to try something labelled the equivalent of a royal shampoo warring with her knowledge it was designed for animals. 

"I'll... think about it. Perhaps tomorrow in the morning" she concluded. 

Sunset shrugged. "Whenever you want. Now how about dinner? I haven't got much in the way of a kitchen so are we going to microwave or out to eat?" 

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie piped up. "I know this great new place that opened up a few streets further!" 

And with that, the group of friends went on with their sleepover. A small reminder that one of their dear friends was just a bit different from them fresh in their mind.