//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: The Adventures of Selina Lunar // by Mike728 //------------------------------// We step into the spa, a small bell hanging above the door rings, signaling to those who work or own the spa. I take a look at my new surroundings and stare in amazement. The reception room is decent-sized with the walls a dark blue color, a large pink and purple rug on the floor, huge pots containing plants, and a small green couch with the reception desk to the side. In the next room, I can see a few large comfy chairs with what looks like to be a very large hot tub that looks like it can hold at least ten ponies. Overall, the place looks decent and inviting. “So, this is the spa?” I ask Rarity while continuing to survey the room. “Indeed, it is, darling,” Rarity says cheerfully. “I come here all the time and many times with my friends. I even come here for my weekly-get together with Fluttershy.” I nod my head as acknowledgement to show Rarity that I’m listening while I continue surveying my surroundings. I really love how the spa looks. Fancy as the place looks, it gives the promise that it will offer full relaxation, as well refreshment of the body and soul. From the looks of it, it fulfills that promise quite well. I stop surveying my surroundings and look to Rarity. “So, who runs the place?” I ask curiously. Rarity smiles. “Well, the spa isn’t run by just one pony,” Rarity begins to say. “It is run and owned by 2 Earth ponies named Lotus Blossom and Aloe Vera.” I look at Rarity with curiosity. So, these ponies names Lotus and Aloe both run and own the place? If that is the case, then where are the ponies that are supposed to be working here? It looks empty, aside from me and Rarity, who came here for obvious reasons. “If that’s the case, then where are the ponies that work here?” I ask her, curiosity evident in my tone. Rarity giggles softly. “Why darling, Lotus and Aloe own, run, and work at the spa,” Rarity replies. “Of course, they’re not doing it alone. They have Bulk Biceps provide with the extra-strength massages.” I try my best to hold in my laughter at the name Rarity had just mentioned. Bulk Biceps? What kind of name is that?! The name alone sounds like something you give to a pony who is super buff and absolutely huge in height. I don’t know why but picturing such a pony almost destroys my attempts to keep my laughter under control. Rarity gives me a curious look. “What’s so funny, darling?” she asks. “No offense, but the name ‘Bulk Biceps’ just sounds a little silly to me,” I admit right off the bat. Rarity tilts her head to her left while giving me a curious look. After a while, I manage to get my laughter under control. “So, where’s Lotus and Aloe?” Rarity looks away and smiles. “Right on cue,” she replies. I turn to see two Earth ponies I never seen before with smiles on their faces. The one on the left has a light cerulean fur coat, a light pink mane and tail, and moderate azure eyes and the one on the right has a light pink fur coat, a light cerulean mane and tail, and possesses the same eye color. I stare in surprise. The two of them look so alike with the fur, mane and tail being the only differences. I feel the sudden urge to ask them if they are related, but I resist and push it aside. ‘It’s none of my business to ask if they’re related or not,’ I scold myself. ‘I came here for one purpose; to relax and get my mind off things.’ The eyes of the two ponies widen a bit and their smiles grew slightly. I’m going to guess that they are delighted to see Rarity, and to be honest, who can blame them? Since Rarity told me that she comes here all the time, that means that she’s a frequent here and quite known to be coming to the spa at any given time. “Welcome back, Rarity!!” squeals the blue one happily. “We’re delighted to see you again!!” She then turns her attention to me and looks at me with an expression of curiosity. “Oh, who’s your friend?” “Lotus, Aloe, this is my friend, Selina,” Rarity says, pointing her right hoof at me. I smile at being called her ‘friend’. “I invited her for a spa treatment since she has been stressed out so I figured that it might help her relax and clear her head.” The two Earth ponies smile and they beam at me. I guess they’re delighted to be offering their services to somepony new and I don’t blame them. If I was in their hooves and given such an opportunity, I would be beaming with excitement and joy as well. “Oh, it’ll be our pleasure to provide her with our services!!” squeals the pink one. ‘This is going to get interesting,’ I think to myself with a smile. Me and Rarity are sitting in the sauna in robes as the light cerulean pony, who I found out is Lotus Blossom, pours a spoonful of water onto a pile of black rocks. The water sizzles and hot steam fills the room. The temperature of the sauna grows from cold to warm in an instant. I feel small beads of sweat form on my forehead and my fur slowly become slightly sticky. I ignore it and try to relax. “Do you like the sauna so far, Selina?” Rarity asks. I turn my attention to her. She has a large pink towel wrapped around the top of her head while I only have a robe wrapped around me. I requested that I didn’t have a towel wrapped around my head, which is why I don’t have one. I stare at her for a moment, a warm smile plastered on her face. “It’s okay,” I say. “Very warm, that I will say. I’m starting to get a bit sweaty in here.” “That’s normal when entering a sauna, darling,” Rarity says. I nod my head and look away. With my head a little bit clear, I think back to what happened moments ago and all of the things I learned. I am honestly still surprised that I possess such a strange gift; a mental shield that protects me from all spells and magic that targets my mind. The fact that it has no weaknesses whatsoever brings a feeling of comfort as I favor my privacy. Your mind is the safest place where you can keep things to yourself, especially ones that you don’t want others to know about. Well, your mind is safe unless a Unicorn or even an Alicorn use their magic to read your thoughts or even try to manipulate your mind in any way, shape, or form. The way I see it, having you mind invaded is a violation of privacy and the rights as a pony all together. I’m honestly very glad for my mental shield as it is the only thing keeping others from trying get into my head and that is the last thing I want. My head finally feels clear and my thoughts swiftly shift to Twilight. All of the things she said to me echoes in my head and I feel my heart warm up by her words. To any random pony, those words would mean nothing to them, but not me for they mean everything to me. She made me feel like I belong, that it’s okay to be different from all of the other ponies. I smile as I feel my face become hot. That familiar warm feeling spreads all throughout my body and I feel my feelings towards Twilight grow stronger. I love this feeling… “Selina?” came the voice of Rarity. I snap out of it and turn my attention to her. “Were you listening to me?” “No, sorry.” I reply sheepishly, my face becoming hotter than ever before. “I got lost in my thoughts.” Rarity stares at me, looking at me like she is trying to guess what I am thinking. I guess my face gave me away because her eyes go wide and she lets out a loud gasp. “Selina, are you thinking about Twilight?” she asks. I feel my face become hotter than ever before. Rarity plants both of her hooves on both sides of her face as a huge smile forms on her face and hearts appear in her eyes. I instantly become uneasy, as well as embarrassed. Although I’m happy that ponies can’t read my thoughts at all, I don’t like the fact that Rarity can figure out my feelings easily. I don’t like it one bit. “Oh my gosh!!” Rarity squeals in delight. “You and Twilight will be so cute together!!” Confusion hits me like a ton of bricks. What in the heck does Rarity mean by that? Is Rarity saying that me and Twilight will look cute if me and her enter a relationship? If that is the case, how can she assume something like that will happen? For starters, I have known Twilight for only a few days and the very idea of entering a relationship with the Princess of Friendship shortly afterward doesn’t sound all that appealing to me. Secondly, my feelings towards Twilight is just a crush, and although I know nothing about love and relationships, I am very sure that it takes a bit of time for those feelings to grow strong and become genuine. These kinds of things can’t be rushed and be forced upon. Thirdly, I don’t even know if Twilight prefers mares. For all I know, she might be more interested in stallions and if that’s the case, then the very chances of entering a relationship with Twilight Sparkle will be pretty much impossible. However, if she is into mares, then I doubt I might be the kind of mare that she will be interested in. Speaking of which, if she prefers mares, I don’t know the types that she’s into. For all I know, she might be interested in mares that share the same interests that she harbors. Maybe she might be interested in mares that are always honest and open and never lies. Or maybe, she might be interested in a certain type of mare; like having an interested with a mare in one certain pony type. I frown and feel my heart ache at the last thought. I don’t see myself in some of those categories. Yeah, I have been honest and open with every pony I’ve encountered, but the rest I’m not so sure on. I’m not very interested in books or reading, I’m an Alicorn wearing a necklace that changes me into a Unicorn so I can walk among the other ponies so in a sense, I’m probably not the type of pony Twilight would be interested in. I feel my heart threaten to shatter into a million pieces at the thought. Maybe my chances of entering a relationship with Twilight Sparkle is pretty much close to impossible. Because by using this disguise so I can walk among ponykind is a form of trickery. I am hiding my true self from all of ponykind so I can protect myself. In truth, I… I’ve been lying to myself and all of ponykind… “Selina, are you okay?” Rarity asks softly. I snap out of my thoughts and look the Unicorn in the eyes. There is a frown spread across her face. She must have seen my change in mood, which is likely the most logical explanation. It’s a good thing that she can’t read or hear my thoughts. “Just thinking about something,” I reply in a low tone. Rarity gives me a curious look. “Oh? And what were you thinking about, darling?” she asks. I suddenly feel uncomfortable with having to share with Rarity on what I was thinking just about now. I have two choices; refuse to say anything and keep it all to myself or I can just tell Rarity about my concerns of the possibilities of entering a relationship with Twilight being impossible. To be honest, going for the 2nd option will be my best bet. I really don’t want to share with Rarity about my feelings of lying to myself and all of ponykind for using this disguise so I can walk among ponykind. That’s something that I feel will be much more suitable with talking to Twilight about. I take a deep breath to steel my nerves. “Rarity, I don’t think my chances of entering a relationship with Twilight will be possible,” I reply in a disheartened tone. An expression of shock forms on her face and she lets out a loud gasp. “Darling, what in Equestria would make you think such a thing?” the Unicorn asks in a shocked tone. I see in the corner of my left eye, Lotus is looking at me with a surprised expression. I take a deep breath and look the Unicorn in the eyes. “For starters, I don’t know if she's into mares,” I begin to explain. “Heck, I don’t even know if it’s normal for a mare to fall for another mare. For all I know, she might be more interested in stallions and if that’s the case anyway, I can’t even imagine how embarrassing that will be for both Twilight and I. But if she is into mares, I don’t even have a clue on the types she’s into, which race of pony she prefers or anything of the sort… Worst of all, I pretty sure that she’s not into me at all…” Silence fills the room, which is quickly interrupted by the fresh sound of water sizzling and fresh steam filling the room. Rarity looks to be in deep thought and Lotus seems to be interested in what is being said. I don’t know what Rarity is thinking, but I’m not going to use some magic spell so I can hear what is she thinking. Her mind is her safe place, just like how mine is. A smile spreads across Rarity’s face and she looks me in the eyes. “If you’re that worried, I suggest you try to spend a few days with Twilight so you can get to know her better,” Rarity suggests. I stare at her, my mind racing at the idea. Spend a few days with Twilight? Honestly, I like the idea of being around Twilight, but there is a setback. The whole purpose of me coming to Ponyville was to learn the magic of friendship and make some friends. I did make some friends, but I haven’t learned anything. Something clicks in my head and all of a sudden, I see a way where I can still learn a few things about friendship. I can do that by spending those few days to be with Twilight and ask her for some advice. With this, I can take care of two things at the same time. In a sense, I see this solution as an absolute win. I smile and I see the smile grow on Rarity’s face. “I like that idea,” I say and I hug her. “Thanks.” “I’m happy to help, Selina,” Rarity says as she returns the hug. I’m happy to have a friend like Rarity. “So, what else can we do at the spa?” I ask curiously. “Well…” “I’m so not going in there,” I say firmly as I stare at the large pool of mud. Rarity, on the other hoof, who happens to be having a mud mask on her face with cucumbers over her eyes and her body wrapped in seaweed, seems to be enjoying herself. “Oh darling, it’s not as bad as you think,” Rarity says. “It’s rather much enjoyable.” “What? Taking a dip in mud? I don’t think so,” I say doubtfully and look to Lotus and the pink pony, who I found out is Aloe Vera. “I think I’m going to take a dip in the hot tub.” I sigh with content as the warmth of the water flows throughout my entire body. To top it off, the peace and quiet makes this much more relaxing and refreshing. Rarity has been right so far; coming here has been a great idea so far. I feel like my soul has been partially cured from all of the stress that I’ve been dealing with for the last few days. ‘If you’re that worried, I suggest you try to spend a few days with Twilight so you can get to know her better,’ Rarity’s voice echoes in my head. I once again smile at the idea. I have already accepted the reality that I have a crush on her and spending the day with Twilight will help on seeing if my crush on her will turn into love or just fade away. To be honest, Twilight’s very cute and beautiful in her own right and anypony who falls for her and enters a relationship with her will be one lucky pony. One of her best qualities is her willingness to help other ponies and befriend them. Of course, there are a few setbacks on that, but despite that, I’m sure Twilight knows that you can never be too careful about things. Better safe than sorry. As for my plan, this is all I have; ask Twilight if she wants to spend a few days with me so we can get to know each other better, help me find some hobbies that I might interesting, and go out for lunch or even dinner, which all sounds even better. Not the best plan, but a plan nonetheless. If I do this correctly, Twilight won’t have any idea what I’m planning and all. However, underestimating Twilight won’t be the smartest idea. Twilight is very smart and if she looks in the right way, she will figure what it is I’m doing and planning. Goodness only know what will happen if she figures that out. She might think I’m weird or might cut off ties with me or worse. I don’t want any of that to happen. If anything bad happens, I doubt that there will be anything I can do to fix the problems. If the problems that come up are small, there is a good chance I can fix them, but if the problems that come up are big, then chances are that I blew it and trying to fix them will be in vain, though it won’t hurt to try anyway. I think back to everything that has happened these last few days. Honestly, it’s a funny thing… on how so much can change so quickly. From me waking up in a dark cell within the dungeons of Canterlot Castle, moving to Ponyville, regaining some of my memories, meeting Twilight’s friends, finding out about my strange gift, and finally, befriending Twilight’s friends. To top it off, I will be spending the next few days hanging around Twilight and learn about her interests and see if my feelings towards her changes. ‘So much has changed…’ I think to myself as I let out a sigh and close my eyes… “I can’t believe you fell asleep in the hot tub, darling,” Rarity says as we exit out of the spa. “You must have really enjoyed yourself in there.” “I sure did,” I say as I look up at the sky. I’m slightly surprised to see that it’s twilight now. It’s crazy on how time can fly by so quickly when you’re enjoying yourself. “I better get back to the castle. It’s going to be dark soon.” Rarity looks up at the sky and nods her head in agreement. “I believe I should return home as well,” she says. “Would you like for me to lead you back to the castle, darling?” “No, thank you,” I reply while shaking my head. “I can find my way back. I don’t want you to trouble yourself for me.” “It would be no trouble at all,” she says. “But, if you insist, then I hope you enjoy your time with Twilight.” “Thanks,” I say with a smile. Rarity smiles back at me as she walks off to her home. As I begin my own walk home, my thoughts shift to Twilight and all of the fun things me and her can do together. There are just so many possibilities on what the next few days will bring. If luck is on my side, then something good can come out of all of this and maybe even more. Maybe- Something collides into me and I fall over onto my back. I groan as I rub my head softly with my left hoof. I look to see who or what it was that had collided into me. Sitting up on the ground is… Rainbow Dash? “My fault, my fault, sorry I-” Rainbow Dash begins to say but stops when she catches sight of me. “Oh, it’s you.” “Yeah, it’s only me,” I say as I get up and dust myself off. Rainbow Dash gets up and dusts herself off as well. “Well, since I bumped into you, literally, I guess I might as well take it so I can get it out of the way,” she says. A wave of confusion hits me like a ton of bricks. What did she mean by ‘get it out of the way’? Does it have something to do with me? If so, what can it be? So many questions, so many possibilities. I stop rubbing my head with my hoof and place it back on the ground, giving the Pegasus a curious and yet confused look. “What do you mean by that, Rainbow?” I ask. Rainbow turns her head so that she’s not facing me. She has an uneasy expression on her face, which confuses me even more. “It’s well… it’s about yesterday,” she says with a bit of unease present in her tone. I resist the urge to cringe. I know exactly what she’s talking about. She referencing about what happened during our first interaction. I remember her saying how she’s got an eye on me and if I tried anything funny, she would buck me all the way to Manehatten. I slightly cringe, but not at what she said, but rather how I reacted towards it. Looking back, the way how I reacted to it was a bit childish at best. I could’ve handled it better, but it got the best of me. I snap out of my thoughts and decide to play dumb. “What about yesterday?” I ask. I watch the uneasiness grow a bit more on Rainbow’s face. It looks like the Pegasus wants to say something to me but seems to be having a hard time spitting it out. “Well…” she begins to say. I stare at her, curious as to what she wants to say “I just want to say that I… um…” Just then, something clicks in my head and I stare at her with wide eyes. Judging from how she’s acting, it seems that the Pegasus is unaccustomed to giving apologies, which seems a little odd to me. To be honest, just thinking about it makes me feel uneasy. I lift my right hoof up as a way to tell her to stop. Thankfully, Rainbow gets the message and stops. “Rainbow, it’s okay, I know what you’re trying to say,” I say to her in a soft tone. “I understand why so I accept your apology.” The uneasy expression leaves Rainbow’s face. She’s probably thankful that I knew what she was trying to say and saved her from having to say it. While it would have been better if she said it herself, it would be better to not have her stress herself over simply trying to say it. “It still doesn’t excuse what I said,” Rainbow says. She takes a slow, deep breath and looks me in the eyes. “I’m sorry…” I stare at her with slight surprise as she stares back at me. She’s probably waiting for me to say something. I snap out of my surprised state and look her in the eyes. “Rainbow, it’s okay. I forgive you,” I say as I lower my hoof back down on the ground. “It’s all in the past now so let’s not dwell on it. Won’t do us any good if we do.” There is a moment of silence. “So, are we cool?” she asks. I smile and a smile forms on her face. “Yes, we are,” I reply while nodding my head slightly. Rainbow lets out a relieved sigh. I look to see the stars being to appear in the sky. “I better get back to the castle. It’s getting dark.” “Yeah, I can see that,” Rainbow says. “Well, I best be heading home too. Catch you later, Selina!!” She flares open her wings and takes off into the sky. Once Rainbow is out of sight, I resume my journey back to the castle. I allow the smile on my face to widen, knowing that everything will be okay now. I enter my bedroom and a loud yawn escapes me. Today has been one heck of a day and I’m honestly glad that it’s over. I’m excited to spend the whole day with Twilight tomorrow and for what will be in store. I walk over to the right of the bed and climb onto the mattress. I remove the necklace from my neck and I change back into my original form. I place the necklace on the nightstand and get under the covers. I let out a soft sigh as I rest my head on the pillow. My eyes slowly begin to close and I’m all too ready to let sleep takeover me. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* Three knocks at the door makes me snap my eyes open. I sit up on the bed and stare at the door. A feeling of slight annoyance flows through my body, but I push it aside. “Who is it?” I call out. “It’s me,” calls out the familiar voice of Twilight. I feel excitement at hearing her voice as my heart begins to pick up speed. “May I come in?” “Sure, come on in,” I call out. The door swings open and I see Twilight’s head peek inside. She catches sight of me and a smile spreads across her face. I smile back at her as she enters my bedroom. Closing the door behind her, Twilight walks over to the right of the bed and sits down on her haunches. “How was your trip to the spa?” she asks. “Pretty good,” I reply. “Rarity was right. It was definitely something I needed to help me relax and clear my head.” Twilight’s smile grows a little bit. “That’s great to hear,” she says. “Yeah,” I say and chuckle lightly. We stare at each other for a moment when I remember something important. “Oh, I just remembered something. Twilight, do you have any plans for tomorrow?” She gives me a curious look. I feel my heart beat much more rapidly in my chest as tiny beads of sweat form on my forehead. I try my best to stay all composed, but the task if proving itself to be difficult. “I plan on reorganizing the library,” she replies. “Why do you ask?” “Well…” I begin to say. “I was wondering if you would like to… hang out… with me?” Twilight’s eyes widen slightly, like she wasn’t expecting that to come out of my mouth. I don’t blame her, to be honest. If she ever asked me a question like that, I would be surprised by it as well. I have no idea what is going on in her head and I wish I know what she is thinking. She snaps out of her shock and stares at me for a little bit. “Hang out? What do you mean?” she asks. “What I mean is do you want to spend the day with me?” I ask. She blinks a few times before a face of understanding forms on her face. “Oh, sure,” she says. I smile brightly and feel my heart burst in my chest. I barely manage to contain my excitement. “Well, I should go. It looks like you were about to go to sleep before I came knocking. Well, sweet dreams, Selina.” I frown and feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. Though I know I’ll see her in the morning, I don’t want her to go. I want to be with Twilight as much as possible. And there is this strong feeling of fear spreading all throughout my body. I feel confused by this fear since I don’t have anything to fear, as far as I know. Twilight turns around and begins walking away. The urge to ask her if she can sleep on the bed with me becomes strong. I raise my left hoof and almost call out her name but I decide against it. She probably has something to do so it’ll probably be best to not keep her from what she has to do. Twilight opens the door, turns to look at me and the smile leaves her face. “Selina, are you okay?” she asks in a soft tone. I really want to say that I’m okay, but something deep down is telling me not to lie to her. I sigh and look the Unicorn in the eyes. “Twilight, can you… can you sleep on the bed with me?” I ask hesitantly. Her eyes widen as her jaw falls wide open. She remains like that for a bit before she snaps out of it. “W-what?” she asks in shock. I suddenly feel stupid for asking such a dumb question. I shouldn’t have said anything and remained quiet. Well, no point on trying to play dumb and pretend I didn’t ask her anything. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I just don’t want to be alone tonight. You probably have something to do so I won’t keep you…” Twilight goes into deep thought, obviously thinking about whether to take the offer or not. To be honest, I won’t hold it against her if she rejects it. I’ll understand completely. It’s her choice, after all. “Are you scared that you might remember something and have a repeat on what happened yesterday?” she begins to say. “And you feel as though if I stay, you might feel more secure?” I stare at her with wide eyes as all of it sinks in. It might explain the feeling of fear that I felt earlier. To be quite frank, Twilight definitely hit the nail on the head with that one. I regain myself and nod my head. “Yeah, I guess,” I reply. Twilight gives me a warm smile. “Sure, I’ll sleep on the bed with you,” she says softly. I feel my heart burst as a powerful feeling of happiness flows throughout my body. “Really?” I ask with hope. Twilight nods her head as she closes the door and walks over to the bed. She hops onto the bed and gets under the covers. Without thinking, I wrap my hooves around her stomach and hug her. I hear the purple alicorn let out a cute ‘eep’ and I can’t help but giggle lightly. “Thank you for this, Twilight,” I say with gratitude. “Sure thing, Selina,” Twilight says sheepishly. I press her body against me and I let out a contented sigh. I feel Twilight’s heart pick up speed, but I give it little thought. “Goodnight, Twilight,” I say softly. “Goodnight, Selina,” Twilight replies softly as she shifts slightly before going still. I close my eyes as I drift off to sleep.