Bo’s reception inside the spa had been no better than Rarity’s first encounter with the black lamb. She was starting to feel that her presence might cause complications wherever she went in this small town. She had been given some strange stares as she had walked through the town’s main road with Fluttershy. Some ponies had even seemed to avoid being close to her, as if they were paranoid of her.
A light cerulean pony with her pale rose mane kept back by a white band behind the spa’s counter was trying to explain to Fluttershy that Bo couldn’t possibly have anything done for her here. “I’m sorry Ms. Fluttershy; we have no treatments for any animals, only ponies. Unless she is some sort of minotaur, we just can’t do anything for your friend.” The spa pony said, while examining the three feet tall biped black lamb behind Fluttershy, that was a hair's length taller compared to the timid light yellow pony.
“Aloe dear, could you take her on as a customer,” Rarity said in a shaky voice, still in shock from the unexpected talking lamb. “You could at least be able to do a pedicure for her.” Rarity wasn’t sure as to why she was trying to help the strange black lamb, but she trusted Bo due to Fluttershy feelings, despite Fluttershy’s natural caring instinct for animals. She had also didn’t want to miss the chance for the lamb to explain itself, since both Fluttershy and the lamb had agreed to do so when inside the spa.
“Oh please, could you allow Bo to do some of the basic options.” Fluttershy said with her whisper like voice. “I can’t just leave her alone while we are being taken care of.” Fluttershy sounded quite concerned about not leaving Bo alone. Rarity was just realizing that her friend was worried something bad might happen if she didn’t stay close to the weird lamb.
Bo was shifting about next to Rarity as they stood behind Fluttershy as she continued talking to the Aloe. The little lamb seemed nervous for some reason that that was not understandable.
Rarity tilted her head to be closer to Bo, and asked her in a low voice. “May I ask what’s the matter with you? your face looks as if you're about to experience something dreadful.” and for extra assurance she added “And I’m sorry for the rude manner in which i stared at you, but that brown thing was truly horrid Ms.….Bo is it?”
Bo was grateful that the silence that had been between them was broke when Rarity had talked to her. Bo had been ashamed at how she had lost her cool with the elegant pony Rarity in their first meeting. Sure the poncho was something she would rather have not worn out in public, but she would wear it any day if it meant to keep her covered. Form what Bo had seen on the way to the spa, most of the ponies wore nothing.
Bo looked the white unicorn, she could see that Rarity was truly sorry, her swaying stylish purple hued mane added to how she was pleading with her expression. “Yes, and I-it’s a rather personal situation…. there is no big need to apologize, I should have been the one to explain myself to you, and it’s just been a stressful day. It might be too hard to explain, but let me just say that I have no clue as to where I am.” while Bo was looking down in thought, her eyes glanced upon Rarity's flank, and saw an emblem like Fluttershy and that cyan pepgasus Rainbow Dash. This time though, it was three diamonds.
“Oh, you’re lost dear?” Rarity felt rather sad now for Bo, ”Maybe I could help, just tell me and I’ll do my best to assist you.”
Snapping Bo's attention from at the looking at the emblem, she went back to her own thoughts.“Well…I come from the realm of Harmonia…and I don’t think you will be able to find it anywhere on a map of this land of…what is this realm called anyways, I never asked Fluttershy.” Bo had said, only after realizing the fact. Despite her current condition, she had almost forgotten the motto for the Brave Hearts. “A Braveheart should always keep one’s body and mind alert at all times! You should be ready for anything!” She might well as learn about where she is.
“Harmonia?” Rarity asked questionably “Sounds like an exquisite place. Anyways, you’re in the land of Equestria.” Giving a small smile to Bo for comfort, “If you need any more information, I suggest visiting the library. You might be able to find information on Harmonia in one of the books there too, you never know.”
“Thanks for telling me that,” Bo replied, her mind starting to feel more at ease. “Could you direct me to how to get to this library after we’re done here?”
“Gladly,” Rarity said, now happier that she had made some sort of connection with the mysterious Bo.
“I have one final thing to ask,“ Bo’s cheeks were flushed with redness as she said this. “…does this spa have a robe I could use during my time here?”
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It had taken some time for Aloe to agree to letting Bo have some basic treatment, but only after the black lamb approached her to ask what was the problem. The light cerulean spa pony hadn’t expected the black lamb to speak common equestrian, even though there are some non equine races that are capable of speech, so were sheep, but Bo had seemed like something else entirety. Aloe hadn’t wanted to be rude, but couldn’t help to hesitate, as she was unsure of what to set up for Bo.
Bo was still wondering what the problem was, but after Aloe had talked with a pony, that was almost a twin to the light cerulean pony, she, Bo and the other two went to what seemed like a changing room. They indeed did have robes to supply, though the white robe that had been given to Bo was plain looking compared to Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s. Rarity’s robe was trimmed in gold and was embroidered with a purple R that matched her mane, while Fluttershy’s had a simple purple.
After they had put the robes on, or in Bo’s case replaced the brown poncho with it, the twin pony of Aloe lead them to the next room. It looked to be a sauna; there were simple sitting places along the wall with a stone stove on the side to produce the steam.
“So Ms. Bo,” Rarity started as she jumped onto the bench in the back of the room, and laid down in a comforting position. “Why don’t you tell me about this place Harmonia, the name just so sounds marvelous.” Water was ladled onto the hot rocks from the ladle being held in the spa pony’s mouth. When the water hit the hot rocks, a small hissing sound emitted, creating a drifting cloud of comforting steam.
Getting onto the long wooden bench to sit next to Rarity with her fore-hooves hanging off the side, Fluttershy turned her head to Bo, who was also now sitting on the bench but a touch away from them. “You don’t have to talk about where you’re from…if it bothers you too much.” she said, Giving Bo a supportive look.
Leaning back against the wall, she let the warm steam comfort her as she stood and thought. She never had to explain the realm of Harmonia to anyone before, since she had lived there her entire life. On second hand, there would be too much to describe. Harmonia had so many kingdoms that each had their own purpose.
“Well,” Bo moved herself to be closer to the two ponies. “Harmonia is like paradise, the numerous kingdoms that reside in it offer untold amounts of enjoyment. Each one is unique and contributes to Harmonia as a whole. They each supply a certain aspect, such as the sweetness of sweets, to its mirror world where humans lives.
“Humans, pray tell what may that be?” Rarity asked, while all three of them moved to the next room for facial masks.
Rarity had her whole face covered with the green facial cream, while Fluttershy just had some applied to her cheeks. Bo kindly declined having her whole face covered when she was approached, and followed in Fluttershy’s case.
Bo has never had to describe a human to anyone before; she was a dumbstruck as to what to say. She could describe something that closely resembled humans, but that would be insulting them. So Bo improvised with what she knew about humans to the best of her power.
“Eh…Humans are biped beings. They have arms and legs like me, but have hands and feet that have five digits on them…. Oh, and they always wear clothes too.” Bo had said all of this with a nervous laugh; she had felt a bit silly comparing a human to herself.
“Hmm,” Rarity had lost interest about humans now, they just didn’t seem that exhilarating to her anymore, but something Bo had previously said had made a thought come to mind. “You said each kingdom provides a unique aspect?” Bo confirmed. “Then do you think there may be one for fashion?” Rarity asked, as her horn was being filed by the spa pony Aloe.
Bo hadn’t been to all of the kingdoms in Harmonia, since she had been only assigned to look over and protect a select few. Bo couldn’t doubt that there must be a kingdom that helped with humans create creative fashion designs, but knowledge on what such a kingdom does exactly, she wouldn’t know.
“I guess there is one; I’ve only been to a small portion of the kingdoms in Harmonia during my studies and service to the Brave Hearts.” Bo could tell by the way Rarity’s body moved after what she said that the white unicorn was happy, though how much so was impossible due to the facial cream on her still.
“Have you been to it? I’m always interested into new fashion…Please tell me.” Rarity gave Bo a pleading smile. if her eyes weren’t covered with cucumber slices, they would also be goggling at Bo in a begging manner. “I’ve been having a hard time with inspiration, and this might just help.”
“Like I’ve said I haven’t-“ Bo was caught off guard with what Rarity had just said, and didn’t realize until she was about half done with what she was about to say. “Wait, what do you mean by inspiration? Do you design clothing?” It was not that Bo didn’t believe the unicorn; she sure did look like one that cared much about her appearance… she just couldn’t imagine how something with her body structure made fashionable clothing. How could anyone imagine a pony making clothes?
“Why yes dear, I make some of the best dresses and outfits throughout all of Equestria.” Rarity stated. “Now PLEASE tell me anything you know about this kingdom dear.”
Bo didn’t want to disappoint Rarity, but she had to tell her the hard fact. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t been to it, and I said I believe there might be one….could we just stop talking about Harmonia?”
Even though Bo loved Harmonia, she was starting to feel that talking about the place was starting to make her feel down. She had come to the spa to relax and to focus her mind, at Fluttershy’s request for an unknown reason, and everything was starting to feel as if it had been ripped away from her. She was far from her friends and colleagues, was still concerned with Princesses Ginger’s weird behavior, and the dream she had hadn’t helped either. It was starting to feel like a part of her died when she woke up in this world Equestria.
“Bo…are you alright?” The black lamb heard Fluttershy ask her. “Y-you’re crying, is something the matter?
Bo hadn’t realized that streams of tears were flowing down her smooth cheeks. The sudden thought that she might never see the people she cared for had surly started to show in her streaming tears as they flowed.
Rarity had no clue what was happening, but the concerned tone Fluttershy had used must had meant more than a few tears were being shed. She tried her best to say something comforting. “Please don’t cry, pray tell we could help settle whatever may be upsetting you.”
“It’s just…” Bo was now letting her sad thoughts overwhelm her; she sobbed into her fore-hooves heavily. “I-I don’t know if I w-will be able to s-s-see my friends again. I’m in a land that I’ve never heard of a-and that’s not even in the same world or realm as Harmonia.” Taking her face away from her fore-hooves, Bo’s faces showed red from the tears she was shedding and the green facial cream oozing down her cheeks.
With her disheveled face she looked at Fluttershy. ”What if I never am able to see Hansel again?”
“Now now dear,” Rarity said as she had the facial mask removed by one of the spa ponies she asked to do so. “Let those feelings out, letting them just bottle up will do no good to you.” Looking over to see how Fluttershy had been taking the situation, Rarity could see a small tear that was shed by her pegasus friend. ”Why don’t we head off to Sugar Cube Corner after we're done…Pinkie Pie can put a smile on anypony’s face, and it seems you could use it.
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“Hungry…Must feed soon.”
Red eyes gazed about in the darkness of a tree’s shadow, surrounded by the covering of hundreds of trees.
“I smell some delicious madness close by, it’s just begging me to come gobble it up.” It gave a wide grin, showing teeth made of black sharp darkness, as it looked off in the distance at a large structure made of a black material. The dark being made a loud laugh of a crazed person, making all of the animals and beasts that were watching it run off in fear.