//------------------------------//
// Use your common Scents 
// Story: The Nights that Stunk 
// by Blank Paper 
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"Oreooo? You can't keep this up forever!" 

Starlight impatiently tapped her hoof as she searched her entire office, mostly underneath the chairs and the desk. She was only looking here because she'd searched her own room twice in pursuit of that rascal of a skunk. For an animal so devoted to being around her, Oreo hated the thought of taking a bath. Even if it was quick rinse, she'd risk being sprayed by his frantic movements. The mare knew the risks--such as taking a tomato sauce bath if he just so happened to spray her--but she wasn't going to let her little baby go without a bath.

"You always do this! I'll find you eventually, young skunk!" Starlight stopped in the middle of the room, pouting at nothing. "It's just gonna be a quick bath! Please, just come out and take this already! Pleeeease--for mommy?"

She sighed when she got no answer, and she turned to leave the room. Spike was running down the hallway when he caught sight of her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I found him. He's in my room, hiding in my bed!" He pointed to the door of his room, ajar.

Starlight saluted her dragon friend and trotted inside Spike's room. The unicorn quickly found a pear shaped object huddled beneath familiar blankets, with a poofy black and white tail poking out from underneath. The mare pursed her lips, her magical aura yanking the blankets off his body. The skunk lifted its tiny snout from beneath its cute paws and stared up at her with beady little eyes. "Alright, Oreo! This is starting to get really annoying. You have to grow up at some point and--"

"Snit. Snit." Oreo sniffled, somehow looking ashamed and frightened.

Starlight's stern expression melted almost instantly. She was a sucker for situations like this, even if she didn't like relenting so easily. "Aw, I'm sorry little guy. I didn't mean to sound so harsh." She murmured as she petted along his furry back. Her little skunk honestly acted more intelligent than the average woodland critter sometimes--not understanding her words, but always getting the meaning behind them.  "I just don't want bath time to always be like this. If you really stop and experience it, then you might actually like it."

Oreo whined, making Starlight sigh. "It's just a little soap and water. It can't be that bad."

The baby skunk sniffled and nuzzled against her hooves reluctantly. Starlight leaned down with parted teeth and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, before carefully marching out of the room. It was an odd gesture, of course, but it was something Fluttershy said would help to calm him if he were ever stressed. Spike grinned smugly as she passed by. "Awww, you really are his mom, what with the way you carry him."

Starlight rolled her eyes, since sticking out her tongue was out of the question. She was soon trotting to a halt in the bathroom, where the bathtub was already filled with a perfect amount of water. When she carefully set Oreo down in the tub, the shivering skunk was up to his belly in the water with enough space to keep breathing. "Well, you haven't sprayed me, so that's a good sign, right?" After giving a half hearted chuckle, she levitated the soaked rag into the tub and began to gently scrub his back.

Or she would have started to gently scrub his back, if he hadn't squealed and crept away from the towel. Starlight facehooved and gave her pet a raised eyebrow. In return, Oreo leaned up on the edge of the tub and made a gentle trilling noise through his nose. She blinked, then scrunched her snout up. "No. I've already taken one. Why should I..."

Dejected, Oreo set down and pawed at the water like a despondent foal. The unicorn started to move the rag again, but after a couple more seconds of looking at her defeated pet, she gave a groan of defeat herself and dropped it. After closing the restroom door, Starlight carefully stepped into the tub with Oreo and stared down at the suddenly surprised little skunk.

"There. Now we're both in this together, see?" Starlight grimaced, uncertain about how to feel about take a bath with a skunk of all things. "I hope you're happy."

As if to prove her suspicions, Oreo gave a delighted squeak and leapt forward to nuzzle into her leg. Even the most stonefaced being couldn't keep from smiling at that, and Starlight was no exception to the rule.  Shaking her head in amusement, the pony raised the washing rag to begin scrubbing and gave a surprised grin when Oreo didn't move away from the wet fabric.

"Oh, really? So this whole time, your little fits were just because you didn't have your mommy in here with you? A real momma's boy, aren't you?"

"Sfhiff!" Oreo gave her an offended look, sneering at her with tiny canines and a wrinkled snout. "Fnin."

"Just kidding. You're so dramatic," Starlight giggled as she fondly rubbed her little skunk, and smiled warmly. The skunk smiled back.