//------------------------------// // The Works // Story: Forgotten: The Crystal Princess // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Flurry was internally hoping that she would, sooner or later, become a sight that the townsponies of Maretime Bay got accustomed to... Or that she would get accustomed to the stares of passers-by as she followed Pipp down the streets. She had become more than used to the warm smiles and greetings as she walked through the Crystal Empire, but these were more surprised and bewildered. Indeed, like ponies that had not seen an alicorn in generations. "And here we are! Welcome to Mane Melody, come on in!" Pipp announced, smiling widely at Flurry, who took in the corner building in front of them. The masonry was painted a bright white, and the supports were a bright pink. On the front wall, large enough to be on the outer wall of both the first and second floors, were a pair of large 'M's, in the style of musical notes. Pipp held the door open for Flurry as she came up the steps and entered the building, taking a look around at the passion of Pipp Petals. The seating and outer edges of the room were immediately recognizable to Flurry; a beauty parlor, although understandably a bit more modern than what she had become used to in the Crystal Empire. There were a couple screens on the outer walls in the seating area in the corner, to keep waiting customers occupied. When the staff was ready, there were stations for over a dozen customers, depending on what you were there for; and if it was anything like the salons in the Empire, it was almost always mane treatments or hooficures. What was the most interesting part of the interior, however, was the karaoke stage that was rear and center, along with undoubtedly the largest pieces of equipment in the room, the speakers; up above the stage, on both sides, and in the corners stacked to the ceiling. This was a salon and karaoke bar combined into one, and judging from the somewhat crowded interior, was fairly popular in town. "Morning, boss! I thought you were off today," came the greeting from a light turquoise earth pony mare, who was currently giving a hooficure to a pony whose eyes were covered with cucumbers. "I decided to bring a special customer in. Allow me to introduce Flurry Heart. Flurry, this is Jazz Hooves, my Head Hooficurist and backup vocalist," Pipp announced. "Nice to finally meet you Flurry. The whole town has been buzzing about the new alicorn in town. I'd sign you in, but it sounds like you'll be in Pipp's hooves today," Jazz greeted. "Indeed. She's getting the works today. Right this way, Flurry!" Pipp led Flurry over to the closest available sink station, and Flurry sat down. As soon as she was comfortable, Pipp reclined the chair, and lowered Flurry's neck into a resting position in the padded recession in the sink. The pegasus grabbed the hoof-held water nozzle, and immediately began wetting her violet and arctic blue mane. "Yep, you've definitely been hiking and camping with Sunny, that's for sure," Pipp commented as she grabbed the bottle of shampoo. "And spending an eon or two in frozen limbo," Flurry added, relaxing into the cushioned pleather recession. "Right," Pipp commented with a light chuckle as she drizzled the shampoo into Flurry's mane. "It's already taking me back..." Flurry mused, listening to the shampoo get worked into her mane. Pipp softly hummed to the music being played on the interior speakers, getting every inch of Flurry's mane washed before rinsing it with a gentle warm spray of water, before drying it just enough where it was still damp, but not dripping, before sitting the alicorn up, and wheeling the occupied chair over to an available curling station. Now in a position to continue becoming familiar with her new phone, Flurry scrolled and tapped away while the pegasus went all around her, expertly putting her mane into rollers. After that, she wheeled over a hood dryer, lowered it over her head, and turned it on. Now with her rolled hair drying, Pipp instantly got an idea. She rushed back to her office, grabbed her copy of Sunny's coffee table book from the museum, and brought it out to the station Flurry was currently relaxing at as her mane dried. Pipp flipped to the page she wanted, and got out her hooficure kit. She started with Flurry's back hooves, getting them filed, got hoof cream applied and dried, then began applying the color coats. Flurry currently had earbuds in and was watching videos on ClipTrot, so she was none the wiser to Pipp's chosen pattern. When the back hooves were done, Pipp had Flurry set the phone down, and put two fresh cucumber slices over her eyes. She reclined the chair slightly and adjusted the hood dryer to help her relax while she finished on her front hooves. When they were finished and dried, Pipp quickly got her kit put away, shut off the hood dryer and likewise wheeled it away, before slowly sitting Flurry up and removed the rollers in her mane one by one. When that was done, she moved the alicorn's chair over to the closest mirror, and deftly removed the cucumbers from her eyes and the buds from her ears. "And say hello to the new you, Flurry!" Pipp announced. Flurry Heart's eyes widened, and even began to tear up a little as she stared at her reflection. She immediately noticed the hoof polish; ice blue patterns of the Crystal Heart and her cutie mark. The way her mane curled was simply divine. She turned to Pipp with a stunned smile for barely a moment before stepping forward, leaning down, and embracing the pegasus, who immediately returned the hug. "Thank you so much, Pipp," Flurry said to her. "My absolute pleasure, and don't worry about reimbursement. Izzy's got that taken care of. She sent me a text while we were in Z-Mobile; asked me to keep you occupied for a bit. Nothing does that like The Works at Mane Melody. Apparently she's been cooking up a little surprise for you back at the Brighthouse, so that's where we're headed back to!" Flurry smiled at her, and her smile only widened as she turned to follow Pipp out back onto the streets of Maretime Bay, and caught another glimpse of herself in the mirror. "Pipp, again, thank you so much. When... When the blizzard began up in the Crystal Empire, luxuries like this were the things I gave up first," Flurry said as she came up to the pegasus as they made their way down the street. "This brought me back closer to home than you know."