//------------------------------// // Special Treatment // Story: Spike Pie // by Silver Butcher //------------------------------// It took a fair amount of work to wake up Pinkie and get her down the stairs without tumbling down them in her groggy state, but once they were all on the first floor they headed out to the spa, they had to make a side stop when Spike set Carrot top's stand on fire with a very poorly timed sneeze. "I'm so sorry Carrot top." he sobbed as Limestone put the flame out. "It's fine Spike, I have Insurance." Carrot top replied as Limestone ended up taking down the sign to stop the fire from spreading. once that short ordeal was over they made their way into the Spa. "Hello how may..." Lotus started before noticing who had walking "Oh! Pinkie how are you? These must be your sisters." "This is Maud!" Pinkie said, pointing her sisters out one at a time "That's Marble, and I believe you met Limestone a little while ago." "Oh yes." Lotus said looking at Limestone "I remember her." "Oh, dear Spike." Aloe said making Limestone jump "Your a mess, you look even worse than you did earlier!" "Well he's sick so..." Limestone started. "Why don't you come with me." Aloe decided "Zecora gave us quite a few herbal remedies, I think one or two of them might help you feel better." "Can't argue with Zecora." Spike decided, getting off of Limestone, looking back at his sister he added "She's the one who helped us with that Poison joke incident." As Aloe lead Spike into the Spa, Limestone made to follow. "Oh no, I'm sorry but Aloe can only apply the Herbal remedies to one patient at a time." Lotus said, "She's very stern on that rule." "I don't like the idea of letting my little brother get taken into the backroom by an exotic looking mare." Limestone replied. Lotus stared at Limestone in silence for a moment before Pinkie cut in. "Let's just pretend Limestone never said that and move on." Pinkie chimed in, I'll just take my usual, and my sisters can join." "Usual?" Maud asked "Oh yeah! Me and Spike love coming to this spa, Lotus knows how to set the Steam room up just right, and her hot rock back stress removal treatment is to die for." "What does Spike like?" Limestone asked. "Oh, Spike is exclusively Aloe's customer, similar to how Pinkie is exclusively my customer, I have no idea what he likes," Lotus said as she left from behind the counter. "Anyway if you'd follow me I can take you to the Steam room." as she lead the way Aloe instructed Spike to sit down in a chair, once he sat down Aloe pulled out a container labeled 'Spike' and pulled out a few candles, she placed them around the room, light them as she did so. "Ah." Spike sighed "Smell's like freshly baked cookies." "Yes, I figured I should set up a soothing atmosphere for you before we get started," Aloe said as she went back to the box and pulled out a jar, she walked over, popping the lid off before dipping her hooves in it. "Eye's closed please." Spike did as instructed and she dabbed some of the cream on his eyelids and around it before walking to a small fridge and pulling out some cucumber slices and placing them over his eyes. "And now we break from our normal routine and switch to the Herbal route, It's going to take a minute so just sit back and relax while I get ready." As she went to go get the supplies she turned on a radio and let soothing music fill the room. While Aloe went to go get the supplies Lotus set up the spa room, Pinkie and her sisters were all sitting in it as Lotus added a few things into the streamer before turning the steam up and leaving. "Just call when you're ready for the Rocks," Lotus said before closing the door and setting off the heat the rocks. Limestone sniffed the air and her ear's twitched. "It smells like a Bakery in here." She noted. "My favorite smell." Pinkie sighed as she laid back and let the steam flow around her "It's so nice." "I guess the steam's ok." Limestone replied leaning back "And I could try this rock stress thing out, I could use it." "Hmm." Marble replied laying down as she let the steam wash over her. Maud decided to let herself out as her sisters enjoyed their time "Call me when it's time for the Rock thing." She said bluntly walking out of the room and closing the door behind her, she attempted to go back to the waiting room and accidentally took a left when she should have taken a right. She found herself in a single large room with two desks, she was about to turn back and try again when she noticed one of the pictures on the desk to her left, she walked to it and turned it to full view, it was a Picture of Pinkie holding a Flag with Spike on it, Maud moved to view the entire desk and found several more Pictures of Pinkie, some with Pinkie seemingly not knowing she was getting a picture taken of her. Frowning Maud move to the other desk and found a Similar thing only with Spike. "Ah, that explains why they're so singularly focused on them individually," Maud noted when she head a pony clearing her through, she looked back to see a red face Lotus. "I think you took a Left when you meant to take a right." she said, Embarrassment filling her voice "Please don't tell Pinkie." "It's fine." Maud replied walking past the mare "Pinkie and Spike would more than likely still like you even if they knew, but I won't tell if you don't provide me with a reason to." with that said Maud walked past Lotus "Come get me when it's time for the Rock's, It sounds nice." as this was Happening Aloe walked back into the room with Spike. "Alright Spike, I've made you a Herbal Bath that should at the very least make you feel somewhat better." one of the cucumbers on Spike's eye's had been signed by a sneeze, but otherwise no damage had been done to the room, Spike stuck his tongue out and licked the two slices off, eating them and the Cream that had been on his face, if nothing else, his eye's no longer had bags beneath them. As Spike got up Aloe blew out the candles and turned off the music. "Please follow me," Aloe asked as she left the room, Spike followed behind her, Aloe lead him back near the front to the spa's bath, the water was now a deep shade of green, a series of leaves were floating along the top, and just to complete to atmosphere Aloe had put up a Blow-up Palm Tree over the entire thing. "Nice touch," Spike noted as he looked at the water, Spike turned his back to it, gave Aloe a salute, and promptly fell into the water. Aloe waited patiently for him to emerge again, she counted to 40 before he broke through the surface, taking a breath before saying. "I swear, Limestone told me I should be able to hold my breath for like 20 minutes, I just panicked!" Aloe smiled sweetly at him, Spike's body and head spines were now the proper shade of their respective colors, and Spike himself no longer had a runny nose. "You look much better," Aloe noted as she offered him her hoof to help him out, Spike reached up to accept when Aloe slipped on a puddle Spike had made when he's splashed in, Aloe slid into the water and ended up on top of Spike, after a moment of chaos Aloe helped Spike up and he laughed, Aloe laughed with him as she pulled herself out. "I shouldn't have been standing in the splash zone." She joked as she helped Spike out. "Lotus is with your sister at the moment If you want we can still do our normal routine? Your Fingers are starting to get a little sharp again." Spike looked at his hand and nodded. "Yeah, a quick File down sounds nice." he decided as he followed after her, the two turned down the hall and ran into Maud. "I used the last of your paper towels," Maud said simply. "Oh no problem, I'll go get some more, Spike can you show yourself to the room?" "Course I can," Spike said simply. "Wanna come to Maud? Aloe's a master at polishing?" "Oh yes, I could polish your hoof's for you if you want?" "Well..." Maud said looking at her hooves. Spike leaned over and whispered to Aloe. "I can also Polish your pet rock Bolder." Aloe offered. "Sold." Maud agreed. "Lead the way, Spike." as Spike lead the way Aloe made her way to the storage room and found her sister leaving with several towels, her face glowing red. "Lotus did you hover your face over the heater again?" Aloe asked. "No...Pinkie's sister Maud accidentally walked into our office and found our...Respective pictures." Lotus walked past her as Aloe's face turned a similar shade of red. "I told you we needed to get a door installed!" "It's on the list, the top of the list now!" Lotus replied as she left to set up her Rock treatment "She said she wasn't going to tell if we didn't give her a reason to, so just don't give her any reason to dislike you." Aloe sighed as Lotus moved into the room before turning back to the stocking room. "Great." Was all she could think to say.