//------------------------------// // Spa trip! // Story: Earth and Sky // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// We walked to the spa with our disguises on. I was wearing a wide brimmed sunhat and oversized sunglasses left over from Fluttershy's brief modelling career. A scarf draped over my neck and back hid my wings and bandages. Big Mac was wearing a red buttoned up shirt adorned with white flowers. It looked like it was borrowed from Rarity's folks. He also wore a small straw hat with a red band, a fake mustache, and had left hide yoke at home. Nopony gave us a second glance as we walked through Ponyville. Or a first for that matter, which was a very good thing. "This is never going to work," I whispered to Mac. We were getting close to the spa and we ducked into a nearby alley. "You can still see our cutie marks. And it doesn't help that we're kind of the most recognizable ponies around." What with my colors and his size, trying to sneak around was pointless. I jumped at a loud sound from the entrance to the alley, but when I looked up, I saw that it was just a cart from the local laundry service. Mac didn't even flinch. Not many ponies around here have much in the way of clothing, so it doesn't make much sense for everypony to have their own washer and dryer. I think Ditzy's got one though. I haven't spoken to her in a while, but I probably could have stayed at her place. Well, no need for that now, but I should still go see her sometime. Wow, being stuck on the ground sure gives you time to think. ***----------- Whew! That cart scared me. Rainbow's right though, there's no way we're getting into the spa unnoticed and unrecognized, unless- The cart! Eeyup. I've got a plan. This could work. Or it could land my flank in jail for the evening. "Wait here," I told Rainbow then trotted along after the cart. I'm lucky I've got fast hooves for my size. ***-------------- What's he doing? Mac just dashed out of the alley and towards the spa. Wait, did I just make a bad pun based on my own name? Nevermind that, Mac's gonna get caught! But, then, he'd have to admit to visiting the spa. I want to see that. But, then, I might get caught! I don't want to get caught! Then I would have to admit to visiting the spa! I've been there before, but I always had the excuse that my friends dragged me there. If I had to admit that I went to the spa of my own free will, I would be ruined. My reputation for being tough, and cool and awesome would be shattered! Be careful, Mac! If you get caught, I won't forgive you. I waited in the alley, not daring to peek out into the street for what seemed like hours. The clocktower was straight across from me, so I know it was actually only about 40 seconds, but it still felt like hours. I can't take it anymore! What's happening out there?! I made my way to the alley's entryway. I saw a straw hat for a fraction of a second before colliding with something heavy and fast. I had just enough time time to register that it was Mac before his momentum overrode mine and sent us both tumbling into the back of the alleyway. Earth! Sky! Earth! Sky! Red! White! Dirt! Hat! Something! I'm getting dizzy! When we finally came to a stop, my vision had gone completely white. No way, I can't pass out! We didn't hit enough Gs to- oh. There was something stuck to my face. I pulled it off. It was soft, and white. It's a fluffy towel, and and, OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! I'M LAYING ON TOP OF BIG MACINTOSH!!! I jumped off as quickly as is physically possible for anypony that isn't Pinkie Pie. If I wasn't a frayed bundle of nerves before, I definitely was now. I hope nopony saw that. I used the towel to wipe some sweat off my forehead. My forehead. My hat! It's gone! I looked around frantically, there it was! I dropped the towel and took off in a mad Dash for the hat. Gah! Why do I keep making bad puns about my name. I grabbed the hat and shoved it back into its place atop my head. With my identity once again obscured, at least partially, I walked back over to pick up the towel. Mac was making no move to get up from that spill we had taken. But he was awake and staring up at the sky. I could almost swear his face was a shade deeper than his normal red. I ignored it and lifted the towel. Then I noticed the little logo on the corner of the towel. I dropped the towel quickly. "Mac! Did you just-" "It ain't stealin'." He sat up quickly and got to his hooves. For his size, he moves pretty effortlessly. He walked over to me. "We're bringin' them back right now." He grabbed the corner of the towel and tossed it over my flank with a flick of his head. It covered my tail and cutie mark. He looked around the alleyway and located a second towel. He tossed that one over himself in a similar manner. Then he located his hat and carefully placed it on his head. I checked to make sure I still had my sunglasses. I did. Then I walked over to Mac. "I can't believe you did that!" He adjusted his hat. "Neither can Ah." "And where'd you get that thing anyway?" "Fluttershy bought it for me, said I look like red-furred Shanks." "Who's red-furred Shanks?" And why would Fluttershy buy you a hat? "No idea," he peeked out of the alley, "let's go." "Wait, Fluttershy told me about a side entrance, this way." I dragged him away from the main street and we made our way into the spa through the side door. The inside was just as I remembered it, tile everywhere and decorations meant to be calm and relaxing. I just find it boring. We made our way to the reception desk. When we reached it, the pastel mare sitting at it looked up from her magazine. The first words out of her mouth were, "I see you already have your towels." I'm gonna have to have a little talk with Mac about thinking his plans through. "Well," I said, "that was your laundry cart that came by, right?" "Yes," she said. "Well, these were on the ground." Technically not a lie. "And we were coming here anyway." Also technically not a lie. I leaned towards the silent red pony beside me and whispered, "back me up here." Mac cleared his throat. "Eeyup." I facehoofed. Hard. The receptionist raised an eyebrow and set down her magazine. "Do you have a reservation?" I didn't think about that! "No, do we need one?" "You do not," she gestured to a pricelist, "but you do get a discount if you book at least forty-eight hours in advance." I looked at the prices. HOLY COW!!! No offense to cows or anything, but these prices are ridiculous! "Which spa package do you want?" asked the Mare, I think her name is Aloe, or Lotus, I'm not sure. "It's our first time," I replied, "so the basic package will be fine." It's also the only one that won't set Mac back the cost of a, well, whatever expensive thing somepony like Mac would buy. But it's still a little pricey, I could buy a dozen boxes of pizza rolls for the price and still have a few bits left. I was tempted to call the whole thing off right then and there. I looked at Mac, if he was upset about the price, he didn't show it. He was just quietly looking around. The receptionist took out a pad and pen and started writing in it. "One basic spa package," she said before looking up, "for two? Or will that be two of the basic package." "For two!" I answered quickly. So much for pretending to be alone, but I can't let Mac spend more on this than he already is. "Very well," she went back to writing, "what are your names?" OUR NAMES?! What do I say? Do I give our real names or do I make something up? Should I give both names? No, I'll give mine, then Mac can give his. Should I say Dash? or maybe Apple? or maybe? "D- dapple," I stuttered. Oh, real smooth, Rainbow, real smooth. Just then there was a jingling noise accompanied by a small squeak. It must have been the front door. It was accompanied by a high-pitched, sing-song voice. "Aloe! Lotus! I'm here for my 2:30. Three of the usual please." No, not her, anything but her. Why does it have to be her? Wait. Did she say three? The mare at the desk didn't look up from her pad. "As soon as I finish checking in Mr. and Mrs. Dapple here." Mr. and Mrs.! No! "Of course darling," said the newcomer as she walked up to the desk, "it will be so nice to have company for a change. The spa is always so empty around this time." She turned to me, "Mrs. Dapple, was it? It's so nice to meet you. Is this your first time here?" What do I do? If I answer her, she'll know it's me. "Why, yes Rarity," I forced my voice to go higher than normal," this is our first time here." "I'm sorry," a look of confusion appeared on her face, "have we met?" WHAT!? "E-why would you say that?" "It's just that you knew my name. Were you a customer perhaps?" "N-no, um, we've never met!" I can't believe I used her name! How do I fix this? "It-it's just that," what do I say? "Your reputation precedes you," I hope that works,"darling." I can't believe I said that. "Oh my, that is nice to know," she turned to Big Mac, "and this is your husband? How are you today, fine sir?" No! The moment he opens his mouth, everything's over! "Y-yes, this is my husband, uh, M-Mackie Dapple, and uh, he is," what do I say? I have to cover for him! "I am quite well indeed. Thank you, madame." Whoa. Since when did he have a Trottingham accent? But at least our cover isn't blown. "Oh my, I simply adore your accent, dear. It is so elegant compared to the local ones." Hey, watch it miss prissy. Wait am I offended, or jealous? "I can imagine," said in his fake accent," this is a farming town, is it not?" He cleared his throat," "Eeyup,they prob'ly talk like this." "That was splendid!" said Rarity, sitting down and clapping her front hooves together. "You're a dead ringer for Big Macintosh." "He is, isn't he?" said a new voice from the door. Fluttershy! I forgot, she always goes to the spa with Rarity. Oh no. There's no way I can fool her. And why didn't I hear the bells? Fluttershy walked over to us. "Oh, hello Da-" she started. "Dapple!" I corrected her quickly. Please don't blow our cover, Fluttershy. " It's so nice to see you again, darling!" I don't know how much more of this my voice can take. "Of course it is," Fluttershy gave me a big wink," so what brings you to Ponyville?" She's enjoying this! But at least she's keeping our secret. I looked around for an excuse, but all I saw was 'A Brief History of Cosmetics' sitting on the reception desk. "Well, uh- deary," this is killing me,"I am doing research for my book!" "I see," said Rarity," how delightful. What type of book?" "It's a history book!" Fluttershy started to giggle. Oh no, what did I say wrong? "I am sure you and Twilight will have so much to talk about," said Rarity, "she's a friend of mine, she'll be along shortly, and she just loves books. You can join us." She turned to the receptionist. "Lotus, be a dear and add Mr. and Mrs. Dapple to my tab for today, would you? Thanks." I'm dead. There's no way out of this. I'll be shamed, humiliated- "So," said Mac in his fake Trottingham voice, "I take it this Twilight knows a great deal about sports?" Thank you Mac! "Yes," I said, " it is a book on sports history after all." "Nice accent," said Fluttershy. "Not particularly," said Rarity, "you'd have to talk to Rainbow Dash for that, but I don't think she would be caught dead in the spa." "Heh-he," I adjusted my hat," I've heard of her, and you're probably right about that." I want to get out of here! "Mr. and Mrs. Dapple?" asked a voice. One of the spa caretakers was walking over to us, "right this way please." She motioned for Mac and me to follow her. "Mr. and Mrs. Dapple?" said Fluttershy with a funny grin on her face. I don't like that face Fluttershy. You're the element of kindness, Fluttershy. You shouldn't be making that face. You wouldn't? Would you? You're my friend. You wouldn't do that to me. Would you? "Um, excuse me, Rarity" Fluttershy said. What is she planning? "I seem to have forgotten something, I'm going to go get it. I mean, that is if you don't mind." "Not at all dear," said Rarity, "I'll just wait here in case Twilight shows up." "Thank you Rarity, I'll be back soon." ***------------------ Fluttershy ran off. Once again, the bells on the door were silent. I have to get her to teach me that trick sometime. She was acting mighty suspicious, but she's a friend of Rainbow's. She wouldn't tell anypony, would she? "If you'll follow me please," the spa caretaker spoke a little more forcefully, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned around to face the mare and noticed that Rainbow was still staring after Fluttershy. I nudged Rainbow on the shoulder to get her attention. "Dear," I kept my fake accent in place, of course,"I believe she wants us to follow." "What?" Rainbow snapped out of her thoughts, "oh, of course. Darling." She snuck a glance back at Rarity who had started flipping through the magazines in the waiting room. "Do you think she knows?" "Ah've seen ya girls play poker," I whispered back, "Fluttershy and Twilight're the only ones who can hold a bluff." "Yeah, I guess you're, wait. Twilight? And not me?" "Yer overconfident with the bluffs, and it shows, I can help ya with that later. But for now" I waved a hoof in the direction the spa pony wanted us to go, "shall we?" "We shall." Rainbow walked up to the, what do you call a spa worker anyway? They can't all be masseuses. "So, what's first." "Follow me." The caretaker walked through a set of frosted glass doors into the main area of the spa. We followed her, the room was large and had a mudbath on one side and massage tables on the other. There was a rack garden in the center and doors along the far wall that must lead to other parts of the spa. It was cool and sllightly humid, really nice after working in the field. It also smelled nice, like flowers, or something. "My name is Lotus," she said, "now, the basic spa package is a mud bath, then a sauna, then your choice of a hot stone massage, mane treatment, or hooficure. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or my sister Aloe." She led us to one of the doors along the back wall and motioned us through. We walked in, but she didn't follow, so we turned around to face her. "Now," she said, "You two are filthy and you smell like you slept in a barn. Get cleaned up and you can enjoy the rest of the spa. Not before that." She shut the door with a click. "Robes are in the stand next to the door," she said from the other side, leaving us staring at the shiny metal door. "Get cleaned up?" I asked, no longer bothering with the fake accent. "Did they just- No. They wouldn't, would they?" "Yeah," said Rainbow, "I think they did. You wanna check?" Not really. I turned around. "Eeyup. They did." I looked back at her. Her face was as red as I am. "It's basically an indoor swimming pool, right?" "Eeyup." I can't believe they did this. "And we can take turns." "Eeyup." I promise not to peek. "See? There's no reason this has to be akward." "Nnope. None at all." "..." "..." "This is going to be Akward as hay, isn't it?" asked Rainbow. "Eeyup." It sure is. "There's no getting around it though,so you better not peek." She turned around. "Why would they put us in a single bath?" She threw her front hooves in the air and plopped down to a sitting position, let the towel slide off of her. "'Cause they they think we're Mr. and Mrs. Dapple." It's sort of a nice bath though, it's big and fancy for sure, but it also has plants and a little waterfall. And it's warm in here, I'm guessing that's from the warm water. If we weren't standing on tile right now, I would think we were at a natural hot spring. Rainbow sighed. "Thanks to Rarity, I couldn't say otherwise. Nice accent by the way." "Applejack taught me after her stay in Manehattan. And that was pretty quick thinking with the book." "It almost backfired though." She took of her hat and set it down next to her. "I can't believe Twilight's coming here." The sunglasses followed, as did the scarf shortly afterwards. "These disguises aren't going to hold up for long." She picked everything up and set it on the stand near the door. "Well," I started thinking out loud as. I sat down and started removing my own disguise," the robes will hide our cutie marks," the hat and mustache came off easily enough, "and we can wrap towels around our heads to hide our manes." The shirt was giving me some problems though. I couldn't quite get my hooves around the top button. "Ya need some help there, Mac?" "RRRIP!!" "What?" Did she just offer to help me get undressed?! "Nevermind, then," she turned around and opened up the door on the front of the little stand, "looks like you've got it taken care of." What does that mean? I looked down. The shirt was torn in two. I've got to stop letting myself get distracted. Rainbow let out a sudden gasp. "We can use this!" She had dug a box out of the stand and lifted up in her hooves. I could see the words, "water-soluble bath dyes," printed on the side. "The rest of the spa is mud baths and massages right?" "Eeyup, no water involved." So what are you going to do with water based dye." "Perfect," she set the box down and started rifling through its contents, "there's green for you. And for me, what do you think, red or maybe purple, like Scootaloo's?" Purple? Scootaloo? Oh! Her mane! That's her plan! "Dark blue. And Ah'll help with yer mane." "Why?" she turned around and narrowed her eyes at me. "You're not planning something, are you?" She put a hoof to her chin and raised an eyebrow and held the pose for a moment before laughing. I laughed with her. "You'll see." "Ok, now I'm curious. You can help me with my mane," she said reluctantly and pointed a hoof at me, "but I'll be watching you." She walked straight into that one. "Ya sure about that?" "Why wouldn't I-," her face went crimson as soon as she got the joke. "Y-you- I can't believe you," her voice cracked, and she started to laugh. Then she threw the first thing she could get a hold of. A tube of pink dye hit me in the chest and exploded. "Take that! Pink Mac." I was covered. I scooped as much of the pink Goo as I could into my hoof. Turnabout, and all that. "Take this!" I tossed it, splattering Rainbow with additional color, "Pink- Uhm-, oh, Ah've got nothin'." "Well then," she started digging through the box of dyes, "take, ... this!" I put up my hooves in preparation to block another tube of dye, but instead, she tackled me. I was standing at the edge of the pool. So much for taking turns. The water was warm, but not uncomfortable. And sure enough, the dye washed away, tinting the water a light shade of pink. When we surfaced, Rainbow was holding on to me. She quickly let go and moved away from me, turning away as she did so. "Well, Ah guess Ah'll get out and let ya wash up." I moved to exit the pool. "Don't worry, I won't peek." Rainbow took a deep breath. "N-no." What does she mean by that? She took a few more deep breaths before speaking again. "Mac?" "Yes, Rainbow?" "This is part of it, isn't it?" "Part of what?" "Part of," she shrugged, "well, what we want, to get to know each other, to be comfortable together, to get past the awkward silences and nerves." There was a pause as rainbow lifted a hoof to the surface of the water and started tracing shapes across the pink surface. "This is part of that. So, you don't have to get out, there's plenty of room in here." I smiled and sat down in the water. "Thanks Rainbow." "What, for sharing the bath? Pffft. Dirty Stallion." "No, fer sharin' your feelings. It can't've been easy for ya, and it means an awful lot to me that ya trust me so much." She turned her head and gave me a small, shy smile. "Just don't forget, you promised to help with my mane, ok?" "Don't worry, Ah think you'll like what Ah've got in mind." "But you still better not peek." "E-" Wait. Which one is the correct answer for that? Eeyup or a Nnope? "Ah won't."