//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Dash Looks Like A Lady // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// It wasn't like Rainbow Dash to sit still and allow herself to be pampered for this long. Then again, she was doing a lot of things in the past day that weren't like her, and those had been easily overlooked. Rarity couldn't find a legitimate reason to look at this any differently. Everypony, no matter how much they denied it, no matter how much they protested the very idea of it, needed to relax and enjoy a good pampering every now and again. There was no reason for Dash to be an exception to this rule. It wasn't even like this was the first time Dash had gone to the spa. They'd all gone together quite a while ago, back when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were writing their terrible-yet-intriguing dirtsheet in their school newspaper. She and Applejack had even caught her going there a few times by herself not all that long ago. Spa visits, while uncommon, were not entirely out of the question for Dash. Out of the ordinary, but still within the realm of possibility. So there was really nothing to worry about. So she was dressing a little nicer too. Rarity was a major proponent of the idea that everypony needed to gussy themselves up every once in a while. Every single pony she'd ever met had some manner of physical attractiveness to them, even if they didn't do much to show it. Dash was certainly no exception to this rule. In fact, she was quite the embodiment of it. Dash was a very lovely specimen, no matter how much she tried to ignore that fact in the past. Her sleek, athletic frame and eye-catching mane were like forbidden fruit to the seamstress. While she'd never found herself romantically attracted to Dash, she couldn't help but admit to a few lusty thoughts on her direction on lonely nights before she and Applejack had gotten together–and even some after, although given her status as Applejack's ex, those fantasies were unlikely to become a reality any time soon. Not that this was even her primary reason for thinking of her as forbidden fruit; the main reason for that designation was Dash's reluctance to let Rarity dress her up. She was a lovely canvas that the artist was rarely allowed to paint upon. Applejack might have seen Dash dressing up as cause for concern, but Rarity saw it as opportunity. And it wasn't even just an opportunity for Rarity. It was an opportunity for Dash as well, an opportunity for her to finally catch the eye of the one she yearned for. Rarity had admittedly worried when she and Applejack began dating that Dash wouldn't take it well and would have difficulty moving on, so it was a relief when Dash started to show interest in Twilight. Wooing the alicorn had proven to be rather trying for her, but this new attention paid to her appearance seemed to be doing the trick, and Rarity couldn't be happier for her. There was clearly no reason for anypony to be concerned over Dash's sudden change in outlook and behavior and deem there to be something wrong with her. It was plainly obvious why she was doing these things, so there was no worrying necessary. Some ponies often accused Rarity of doing things that weren't necessary. Their accusations were usually done in the friendliest of manners and always waved off by the fashionista, but it was entirely possible that there was some credence behind them. If anypony were to make such an accusation at this very moment, Rarity would have been forced to agree, because as unnecessary as worrying about Dash was, she was starting to do exactly that. It wasn't like Rainbow Dash to sit still and allow herself to be pampered for this long. Rarity couldn't find a legitimate reason to look at Dash's new behavior as a problem. And yet those things weren't stopping her from doing so anyway. Applejack had been so concerned, and it was hard for Rarity to simply ignore her marefriend's concerns, even if she didn't understand them at the time. A bit of introspection during the walk to the spa had made her realize that she might have been a bit too dismissive of Applejack's worries, and she had vowed to herself to make up for it by keeping an open mind and a watchful eye towards the situation. The watchful eye had caught something mildly strange on the way to the spa, in fact. Dash's preferred method of ambulation was flying. Even if those she was traveling with were not capable of flight, she tended to fly more often than not, simply changing her elevation as appropriate. On this particular trip to the spa, though, she had chosen to walk. Even then, her walk wasn't quite what Rarity would have expected. When she did walk, Dash tended to have a confident stride, designed strictly to be effective without the need for too much panache. This time, there was a pronounced shake in her backside. Rarity would have simply attributed it to the desire to catch Twilight's eye–although it was a stretch even then–but with Twilight walking alongside her and her rear end out of her line of sight, that argument didn't really hold water. So why, then, would she incorporate such a gentle sway of the hips into her gait? It couldn't have been for Rarity's benefit, so why? That question had joined the other minor concerns about Dash's recent behavior to become a rather heavy weight on Rarity's mind as the group of three sat through their spa treatment. She was now starting to see how Applejack must have felt earlier when nopony was paying any mind to her concerns, because it was clearly evident that she was the only one amongst the three of them who seemed to have any trepidations about Dash's behavior. Dash certainly didn't, and if Twilight was at all worried, she was doing a fantastic job of hiding it, what with the smiles and such as she chatted with Dash. "This is so nice," Dash crooned as her masseuse worked the kinks out of her back. "You're telling me," Twilight replied, giving her friend a smile. "I should really come here more often." "And I as well," Dash concurred. Rarity's eyes narrowed. That manner of verbiage was a far cry from Dash's usual replies of things like "totally," "heck yeah," and "unintelligible response while mouth is full of fast food." Surely Twilight would find that peculiar as well. "Wow, Dash," Twilight said, grinning ever so slightly. "That was surprisingly eloquent." Rarity couldn't help but smile. Of course it would be grammar that permeated Twilight's attraction-induced blindness. "What can I say?" Dash said, giving Twilight a big smile. "Around a pretty mare like you, even my words seem more lovely." Every urge in Rarity's body begged for her to swoon at the sweet, romantic words that had left Twilight a blushing, giggly mess. In any other situation, such urges wouldn't need to be restrained. The sentiment sounded like it had come straight out of a romance novel, and that was squarely in Rarity's wheelhouse. The only thing stopping the "d'aww" from escaping her lips was the fact that it was just another point of concern over Dash's mental state. Dash was not typically one to be so sappy, and to be frank, the poetry in her soul was more like a limerick than a love letter. Even if she was going to lengths to woo Twilight, this was just another item to add to the list of non-Dash behaviors that Dash was currently exhibiting. Rarity let out a soft sigh, glancing back at Aloe as she put her all into the massage. She had come to the spa to relax, and right now she was doing anything but. Granted, the things she had on her mind were important, but they weren't pressing. Dash was acting strangely, but not in such a way that she was endangering herself or others. And besides, there was no concrete evidence that there was actually something wrong with her. The evidence towards that possibility was certainly piling up, but as it was yet to be fully confirmed, a sentence couldn't be handed down just yet. Perhaps it was best to just relax as she was meant to for now and worry about Dash once they were done here. Her eyes drifted closed, ready to go back to enjoying her treatment. "Shall we move on to the hooficure, Miss Dash?" Lotus asked as she gave Dash's back a final pat. "Yes, please," Dash replied. Rarity's eyes shot open. Rainbow Dash hated having her hooves touched. There was no denying it any further; something was definitely wrong with her. ~~~~~~~~~~ "What a game!" Pinkie bubbled as she and her crew made their way towards Twilight's castle. "We actually almost lost! You're a buckball natural, Starlight!" "Oh, it was nothing, honest!" Starlight insisted. "I just moved the basket around. If there's anypony to congratulate for how we did, it's Applejack and Blossomforth." "Blossomforth was surprisingly good, wasn't she?" Fluttershy said. "She's...really stretchy," Spike mused. "Did you see that one awesome backwards somersault kick she did? She was flipping and spinning and twisting all over the place..." "Uh oh..." Pinkie cooed, grinning from ear to ear. "Looks like Spikey's got a little crush!" "What?!" Spike sputtered. "N-no, I was just saying that...I was just pointing out how she..." The dragon blushed lightly as Pinkie gave him a playful side-hug, thankful for being saved from wherever that sentence was heading. Applejack remained silent as the others chatted. If her friends didn't know any better, they might have assumed that she was being a sore loser after how that game had gone. There were far bigger things on her mind than a buckball loss, though. The game had been a decent enough distraction from the situation with Dash, but now that it was over, her mind was squarely back on the issue. The frustration over the others not buying into her concerns was still there, but at least she knew she had an ally in Starlight. She hoped as they walked towards the castle that the two of them could manage to convince the others that something was wrong. "So why are we going to the castle anyway?" Pinkie asked as the group stepped into the front hall. "We all just kind of followed you without thinking about it. Gosh, that could be a problem in other situations, huh?" "Yeah, I'd say so," Starlight said with a smirk, beginning to lead the group towards the study. "I'd like to think that kind of thing wouldn't happen if it wasn't a trusted friend doing the leading." "Probably not!" Pinkie agreed. "The 'probably' troubles me slightly," Starlight said as Spike suppressed a giggle. "But I've got a very important reason for bringing you here, and Applejack knows exactly what that reason is." All eyes turned to Applejack as the group entered the study. To the farmer's credit, she had recovered from her earlier distraction and was able to capitalize on Starlight's setup with all the grace and charm that could be expected of her. "Huh?" Applejack said, looking back and forth between her friends before finally settling on Starlight's gaze. "Oh! Right! We need to talk about Rainbow Dash. And before you say anything, I know none of y'all believe me when I say that there's something wrong with her, but-" "Actually..." The bulk of the group's attention was now focused on Fluttershy, giving the timid pegasus a moment of pause. "Actually?" Applejack asked, her eyes lighting up as she awaited clarification. "Actually..." Fluttershy repeated, her confidence returning. "I'm starting to think you might be right about-eep!" The startled noise was the immediate result of an enthusiastic Applejack wrapping Fluttershy up on a hug. "Oh, thank goodness!" Applejack exclaimed. "I was worried y'all just thought I was nuts! What changed your mind?" "You know...I'm not really sure," Fluttershy responded, giving her friend a little squeeze before attempting to wriggle out of her powerful grasp. "I don't think it was one event. I just thought about how she was acting, and...well, even considering how she's trying to win Twilight over, it doesn't seem like something she'd do normally." A cartoonish "pop" accompanied her eventual escape from the affectionate clutches of Applejack. "Exactly!" Applejack said, turning her attention to Pinkie and Spike. "If Dash's oldest friend thinks there's something wrong with how she's acting, don't that give it a bit of credibility?" "Well..." Spike said, tapping a single claw to his chin. "I guess it is pretty weird. I get that she likes Twilight, but it's strange she decided to change so much. Even if it does seem to be working." "That's the thing," Starlight chimed in. "I don't think she decided to change." "Ouh!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Do you think somepony's blackmailing her into being all prissy and ladylike?" She zipped over to Spike's side, putting him in a playful headlock. "Put this eye shadow on or the baby dragon gets it!" The light laughter the action elicited was sorely needed in an otherwise serious situation, although Applejack didn't seem to appreciate the attempt to make light of things. "Not exactly, Pinkie," Starlight said with a smirk. "Now, I know this might sound slightly far-fetched, but as somepony who's...uh...experienced with magical mind control...I believe that's what we might be dealing with here. Considering how abrupt and drastic her change in behavior has been, it certainly seems like it to me." She glanced around awkwardly, trying to gauge the reactions of the room. As she expected, she was met with mostly looks of mild disbelief, save for the very concerned face of Applejack. A few uncomfortable seconds passed as the group tried to process this suggestion. "But...um...who would mind control Rainbow Dash to act more prissy?" Fluttershy finally spoke up. "I don't see the point." "Me either," Starlight responded. "And I'm not saying that's definitely the case, but it just feels like it to me. It's too familiar. I think some more observation of Dash is needed to be sure, though." Before she could utter another word, she found herself ensconced in pink. "I'd love to spy on Dashie!" Pinkie bubbled. "I've got a stealth suit and everything!" "I've never seen you in a stealth suit..." Starlight groaned as she tried to escape the hug. "Exactly!" Pinkie responded, giving the unicorn a wink as she released her hold on her just in time to let sweet, sweet oxygen flood her lungs. "Just cast a cloudwalking spell on me and I'm good to go!" "A cloudwalking spell?" Starlight asked. The unicorn tilted her head before giving a resolute nod. "Yeah, I can do that. But how are you going to get up there?" "Um...I'll go with Pinkie," Fluttershy piped up. "I can carry her up there, you don't need to cast a cloudwalking spell on me, and I'd really like to see first-hoof if there's something going on with her." "I'm mighty proud of you, Fluttershy," Applejack said, giving her a pat on the back. "Taking the initiative like that and all." Fluttershy just rolled her eyes and smiled. As much as her assertiveness was growing, that didn't stop her from knowing the right and wrong times to speak up, so Applejack's unintentional, good-natured patronizing went unmentioned. "Alright then!" Starlight said, giving the two a smile. "That's one problem area covered, and just one more to go." "One more?" Applejack asked, raising a brow. "What's the other one?" "Twilight, of course," Starlight said simply. She briefly acknowledged Applejack's confused look before continuing. "Dash is the one acting the strangest, but don't you think Twilight's acting kind of strange too?" "How so?" Applejack asked, starting to look worried. "You think she's mind controlled too?" "No no, not like that," Starlight responded, placing a hoof on Applejack's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "I just mean that it's odd that she's suddenly all over Dash just because of this change in appearance and behavior. It doesn't seem like her to focus that much on something like that. Plus, we need to talk to her about Dash and open her up to the idea that something's wrong with her, because she sure didn't seem to believe that when we mentioned it before." "Hmm..." Applejack said, considering this. "You know, I hadn't thought of it that way. It does seem weird now that you mention it. Maybe I can go talk to her about it." "I'll come with!" Spike said. "Two heads are better than one, right?" Applejack gave him a smile and nodded. "Perfect!" Starlight exclaimed. "That'll give me plenty of time to research. There are a startlingly large number of mind control methods out there, and I need to see if I can narrow things down." She looked out over the others with a smirk. She still had her trepidations over the idea of taking charge, but this wasn't going too terribly. "Do you all have your orders?" Another grin crossed her face as the ponies and dragon called out various exclamations of agreement and saluted. Within moments, the four had departed, leaving Starlight rolling her eyes until Pinkie zipped back in. "The spell!" Pinkie said with a giggle. "The spell," Starlight repeated, winking at her. As soon as the cloudwalking spell had been cast, Pinkie was gone again. Starlight shook her head and chuckled as she headed off towards the library. Perhaps she had spent too much time around Twilight recently, but she was finding herself rather excited to get to researching.