//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Dashes, Dots, and Pegasus Spots 
// by Nightwings81 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5:
The bathroom was filling with steam as hot water gushed into the gilt-edged tub. Humming brightly to herself, Rarity carefully arranged a pile of thick, fluffy, pink towels on the white wicker hamper. When the pile was secure, she turned off the water, then opened the herbal packet Twilight had given them and added it to the tub. The powder and small leaves immediately sank into the bath, tinting the water a delicate mauve and lending the steam a delicately sweet and odd scent of flowers and cotton candy. Rarity breathed in deeply, then followed the groans of agony down the hall to Sweetie’s room.
Rainbow Dash was draped across the bed, her front hooves and head hanging over the edge, the rest of her tangled up in a cocoon of blankets. Her bedraggled mane covered her spotted face, hanging in limp tangles over her pain-filled eyes. As Rarity watched, she struggled upwards, flopping sideways onto the pillows with a moan. She only managed to lie still for a few seconds before she turned again, facing the footboard with her forelegs stretched before her and her rump and tail sticking up in the air.
“Still achy?” Rarity asked sympathetically.
“This is awful! I’ve never felt this bad before—and I’ve flown face first into mountains! I can’t get comfortable no matter what I do! My legs ache, my head and back ache, my wings ache…even my ears ache!” She changed position again, squeezing her eyes shut, and ended up on her back with her four hooves flailing above her. “When will it stop!” she wailed.
“It’s only been five days, darling. These things take time. But don’t fret…I have just the thing for you. A nice, soothing bubble bath!”
Rainbow lifted one of the pillows and pressed it over her face, but the unicorn heard a muffled, “No way. I can’t move.”
“Oh, but darling, it’s sure to make you feel better. We’ll get you a new pair of pajamas and your mane and coat will be nice and clean…” Rarity waited, smiling, but Rainbow Dash didn’t move. For a moment, she feared the sick pony had fallen asleep again, but when she tapped her friend on the shoulder, Rainbow spun over and tried to escape by burrowing into the blankets.
“Oh no you don’t!” Rarity caught the rainbow tail in her teeth before it could disappear and unceremoniously hauled her friend backwards and onto the floor. Rainbow landed in a graceless heap, looking momentarily dazed, then groaned in pain.
“Ow, Rarity…what was that for?” She tried to clamber back onto the bed, but Rarity swerved to block her. “Leave me alone…I just want to go to sleep.”
“You need this bath, Rainbow Dash. You’re running a fever and you’ve been all sweaty. I’ve already drawn the water and added Twilight’s herbal mixture, so you can have a long, soothing soak and it will give me a chance to tidy up in here and freshen your bedding. Come along now.”
Her horn suddenly glowed, surrounding Rainbow Dash in a bubble of shimmering color. Realizing what Rarity was doing, Rainbow gasped and tried to bolt, but was soon encased in the bubble and lifted into the air. Her hooves galloped frantically, unable to come in contact with the floor. 
“Hey! Put me down!”
Rarity grimaced as she backed out of the room, dragging the hovering pony in a sphere of bluish light behind her. She wasn’t used to using her telekinesis on more than a pair of scissors or a few bolts of cloth and the struggling young pegasus was almost too much for her.
“Hold still, Rainbow Dash!” she said through gritted teeth. “You wouldn’t want me to drop you, would you?”
“Yes! Put. Me. Down!”
Rarity finally did, plopping her indignant friend on the fluffy bathmat, then dragging the pajama top over her head before she could right herself. Sitting on her haunches, Rainbow Dash glowered at the unicorn from beneath a fringe of limp mane.
“Not cool, Rarity,” she protested. “No levitating me without my consent!”
“Oh, quit complaining. You will feel so much better after this, I promise you. Come on, up you go.” She shoved Rainbow Dash with her forehead, nudging her unrelentingly to her hooves. Still scowling, the blue pony wriggled out of the pajama pants and grudgingly plopped into the water.
“Yow!” she screamed, immediately shooting back out and landing on the curved rim of the tub. She frantically shook each of her hooves in turn, mincing along her perch as steaming water streamed down her legs. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
“Too hot, darling?” Rarity asked, watching her.
“Oh, not at all…” Rainbow said, flicking water off her tail and wincing. “If you’re trying to make pegasus soup!”
Rarity laughed. “Rainbow Dash, now you’re just being silly. Look, it’s perfectly fine. Nice and…” She dipped her horn into the water and jumped back with a squeal. “Ouch! Oh…oh, my…I guess that is a tad on the warm side. Let me fix that for you.”
She added cool water until the temperature was no longer scalding and watched as Rainbow Dash tentatively tested it with a hoof before stepping down into the tub. The water covered the pegasus to the neck when she folded her legs beneath her and she sighed as the heat leeched into her aching limbs.
“There! Now that’s better, isn’t it?” Rarity folded a small hand towel and draped it over the edge of the tub, patting it invitingly with a hoof. “I told you a good bath would work wonders for you.”
“Hmmm,” Rainbow murmured, resting her chin on the towel and closing her eyes. “Not so bad, I guess.”
“Good. Hold still then and keep your eyes closed. This’ll just take a minute and then you can relax.” Rarity lifted a cup of water from the tub and tipped it over her friend’s head, letting the warm liquid drench Rainbow’s neck and mane. Picking up a bottle of shampoo next, she lathered the multi-colored locks, then rinsed them thoroughly.
“This is my favorite shampoo—it’ll make your mane and coat so soft and shiny.” She tsked sadly. “A pity you won’t really get to enjoy it. With all these beautiful colors in your mane and tail…” Her blue eyes lit up suddenly. “Idea!” Spinning about, she started rooting through the drawers of her vanity, pulling out brushes, combs, and hair ribbons.
Rainbow Dash was relishing the heat of the water and the wonderful relief of all her achiness being soaked away when a slight tugging on her mane wrenched her from a sleepy doze. She forced one eye open and looked up at the smiling white unicorn.
“Rare, what are you doing?”
“Nothing…just getting all this wet hair out of your face.”
“Oh, okay.” The pegasus let her eye drift closed. Relaxing fully, she began to hum to herself, a quiet little tune that surprised Rarity. Normally Rainbow preferred rock music and anything with an energetic beat, but this was a sweet and lilting melody like a lullaby.
“Rainbow, that’s really pretty. That’s not a Stratosphere song, is it?” she asked, naming the group Rainbow currently favored.
“Hmm?” Rainbow tilted her head and opened her eyes halfway. “Stratos—no…it’s nothing…just something my mom used to sing when I was a filly and I got hurt or sick.”
“Really? It’s so nice. What are the words?”
Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, then cocked her head to the other side, frowning. “You know what? I don’t remember. I used to know them by heart, but…wow…I haven’t thought of this song in years. It was…there was something about stars, I think, and getting older. Oh, I don’t know!” She shook her head, the motion pulling her mane from Rarity’s gentle magic. A strand of red and orange hair fell into her face, neatly coiled and wrapped in a curling ribbon. Her eyes crossed to bring it into focus.
“Uh, Rarity…?”
The unicorn giggled guiltily. “Okay—I’m styling your hair! But give it a try, Rainbow. It’ll look wonderful, I promise—and even if you don’t like it, it’s not like you could show it off around Ponyville anytime soon. We can always change it back.” Rarity put both hooves on Rainbow’s cheeks, tilting her head up and staring pleadingly into her eyes. At the same time, she pooched out her lower lip, making it tremble. “Please?”
For a long moment, Rainbow toyed with the idea of refusing—she liked her mane the way it was and all she really wanted to do was soak in the warm water and maybe take a nap. 
Then Rarity started prancing in place, the clacking of her hooves on tiles making Rainbow’s head throb.
“Please, please, please, please, please! I have such an amazing idea for you and I really think you’ll like it and I hardly ever get a chance to give you a makeover!”
“Okay. Okay!” Rainbow’s voice was muffled by Rarity pushing her cheeks together. As soon as she agreed, the unicorn squealed happily and abruptly released her. Rainbow’s head dropped back to the edge of the tub, clipping her chin on the porcelain.
“Ow!”
“What was that?” Rarity had already turned away to rummage through her drawers for more combs and curlers. She glanced over her shoulder to see Rainbow Dash wincing and rubbing her sore chin. “Oh, do be more careful, Rainbow Dash. The tub is slippery.”
“Me? Are you serious?” Rarity stared at her, uncomprehending, and Rainbow sighed. “Whatever.” She sloshed around in the tub until she was comfortable again, sighing contentedly as Rarity started styling her mane.
“This will be absolutely adorable,” the unicorn crooned, separating strands of yellow and orange mane and rolling them into curlers. “Though it could be even better if you’d let me give it just the tiniest bit of a tr—”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine. Well, it will still look lovely…it won’t be as curly as mine, of course. We’re going for something softer and playful—almost like Sweetie’s, but a little more mature and hip.”
Rainbow had started humming again, but stopped at the mention of the filly. When Rainbow hadn’t been sleeping, Sweetie Belle had been her constant nurse and companion throughout the weekend, and had raced home each day after school since to help Rarity care for her. At first Rainbow had worried that the little unicorn would get annoying, but then found she really enjoyed her company…especially when Sweetie read the library books out loud and tried to give different voices to each of the characters.
“How much longer is Sweetie gonna be staying with you?”
“Another whole month, can you believe it? We were all so surprised when Mom and Dad won that sweepstakes in the Equestria Weekly.”
“A three month, all expenses paid tour around Equestria,” Rainbow said dreamily. “I must have sent in fifty entries and I didn’t win so much as a free subscription.” She snorted. “But it’s given you a good chance to spend time with Sweetie, hasn’t it? She’s really cool.”
“Er, yes, she is…cool. It was a bit of a trial at first, having her here all the time, but we’ve gotten used to each other. I must say that I’ll be sad to see her go when Mom and Dad get back.” Rarity finished with the last few curlers, then settled a shower cap over Rainbow’s mane. “There! We’ll just let that sit for awhile. Are you feeling better now? The water still warm enough? Good. I’m going to freshen up your bed, so you call if you need me.”
There was no response from the blue pony—she had finally dozed off. Leaving the door open, Rarity went to Sweetie’s room and busied herself stripping the blankets and linens from the bed and bundling them into a ball for washing. Using her magic, she neatly spread new sheets and a plush comforter, smoothing out all the wrinkles before shaking the pillows out of their shams to change them. To her surprise, a little green teddy bear fell out of one of the pillowcases, no doubt hidden there by Rainbow Dash. Shaking her head and laughing to herself, Rarity picked up the toy and placed it in the nightstand drawer. 
When she finished with that, she turned her attention to the nightstand itself, lifting crumpled tissues into the waste basket, arranging the pile of library books, and straightening the small collection of Get Well cards Rainbow had received in the last week. There was one from each of her friends, one from Spike, another from Apple Bloom, and five from Scootaloo. The orange pegasus filly had made one for each day Rainbow had been ill and had given them to Sweetie Belle to deliver. She had been determined to bring them over herself at first, and Rarity had been forced to gently but firmly turn her away. She hadn’t even been discouraged by the sign the mayor had hung on the boutique door which read Quarantined Pegasus Within.
When the burly colt had shown up on Sunday evening with the hand painted plaque, Rarity had vehemently complained, sure that it would affect her business by scaring away potential customers. The mayor had insisted, however—she didn’t want any of Ponyville’s pegasi to forget about Rainbow Dash’s presence in the boutique and possibly spread the pegapox. Rarity even had to get her mail from the post office since the mail mare was refusing to deliver it. It all seemed a little unfair to Rarity, but she was willing to put up with it for Rainbow Dash’s sake.
When the room was tidy again, she checked in on Rainbow Dash—still dozing—and trotted downstairs to fix dinner. A frigid breeze made her shiver as she entered the kitchen and she hurried to the window she had left open earlier, slamming it shut against the cold. Glancing outside, she saw a small, yellow shape rapidly filling the sky with roiling grey clouds and realized they were in for another unplanned rainstorm.
“Rainbow won’t be happy about that,” she murmured, resigning herself to hearing the pegasus complain about the mismanaged weather all evening. “Oh well. The best thing for cold weather is a nice, hot soup!” Taking out a bunch of freshly purchased carrots, she began cutting them into thin, perfect circles, absently humming Rainbow’s little tune.
The creamy carrot puree was simmering on the stove and a tray of cheese biscuits were browning nicely in the oven when Sweetie Belle burst through the door with a blast of cold wind, rain, and blowing leaves.  
“Brr! It sure is cold out there!” she squeaked, turning and struggling to shove the door closed while the wind blasted against it. When the latch finally clicked shut, she spread her hooves and shook vigorously, her normally curly hair puffing out in a large, frizzy pouf. “Isn’t it only supposed to be this cold in winter?”
Rarity brought her sister a towel and spent a moment drying the filly’s rain-dampened coat.
“Seems the temporary weather pony still hasn’t gotten the hang of the schedule. Just another reason Ponyville will be happy when Rainbow’s pegapox finally go away.”
“How is she feeling?”
“Still pretty lousy, but I made her some soup and she’s been relaxing in a hot bath. She’s probably ready to go back to bed though.” Rarity winked at Sweetie Belle. “And I think she could use something to cheer her up, so what do you say we unveil the surprise pajamas?”
“Yeah!” Sweetie exclaimed, shaking off the towel and following Rarity to her Inspiration Room. “And we should let her wear them too!” 
“Y-yes.” Rarity laughed weakly and lifted the pajamas she had made for Rainbow Dash off the mannequin. She was really quite pleased with the way they had turned out and very excited to present them to her friend.
Rainbow Dash lifted her head from the towel when they entered the bathroom.
“Water’s getting cold,” she murmured drowsily, and yawned. “Wow, did I fall asleep? How long have I been in here? I remember talking about your parents and their trip…and then nothing after that.”
“You’ve been out for a little more than an hour. I’d say it’s time to get you back into bed. It’s all clean and ready for you.”
“Yes! Bed…that sounds awesome right now—oh, hey, Sweetie Belle.”
“Hi! Are you feeling any better?” Sweetie put her front hooves on the edge of the tub as Rainbow Dash shakily rose to her feet. The little unicorn scrutinized her wet coat closely and gave a delighted gasp, then frowned and sighed. “Aww, for a second there I thought your spots were getting darker, but it was just the water.”
“It’ll happen eventually,” Rarity told her. “We just have to be patient.” She helped Rainbow out of the tub and wrapped her in a huge towel. The blue pony’s teeth began to chatter as soon as the cooler air struck her wet coat.
“Ooh, it’s cold!” she exclaimed, unconsciously repeating what both Rarity and Sweetie had said earlier. “Wait…it’s not supposed to be so cold yet. What is that feather-brain doing to my weather!”
“Making it rain again,” Sweetie announced. 
“Again? Is he crazy! He’s going to bring the leaves down too early and cause floods and…and…”
“Calm down, Rainbow. There’s really nothing you can do about it now.” Rarity carefully folded the wet towel, then held out the pajamas and smiled excitedly. “I have a surprise for you! Look! Brand new pajamas! Aren’t they darling? I made them just for you. They’re going to look smashing with your new hair style and—”
“You let Rarity style your hair?” Sweetie was amazed. “Really?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Call it a moment of weakness. I was tired.”
“Haha,” Rarity said, deadpan. “You two are utterly hilarious. Rainbow…hurry up and try these on before you get even more chilled.”
Rainbow complied and turned her head about to look at herself in the new clothing. She had to admit that she really liked the spiral pattern, and the way Rarity had added a drawstring hood to the long-sleeved top. The inner lining was a bright, vibrant green that brought out the green in her mane and tail, and the back had been fitted with comfortable slits for her wings. There were no ruffles, no lace…all in all, the pajamas were incredibly—
“Cool!” she announced.
Rarity’s face lit up and she clapped her hooves together happily. “Really?” she squeaked, then settled into a more dignified pose. “I mean, yes, cool…I’m so glad you like them.”
“They’re so cute!” Sweetie said. “And I helped pick out the fabric!”
“Yeah? Very cool. Thanks guys. They’re great.”
Despite the cold weather and continual rain, Rainbow’s spirits were lifted by the bath, pajamas, and the tidy state of the room when she climbed back into bed. As she snuggled down into the clean sheets and Rarity began removing the curlers from her mane, Sweetie rummaged through her schoolbags for another Get Well card.
“From Scootaloo,” she announced, holding it up so Rainbow could see the stick figure ponies rendered in crayon beneath the large Get Well Soon the little pegasus had painstakingly written across the top. Sweetie placed it on the nightstand with the other cards, then sat on her haunches and grinned. “And you’ll never guess what she did today!”
“Who? Scootaloo?”
“Uh huh! She showed up at school and she was coughing and shivering and her coat was covered in little pink spots!”
The two mares gasped and looked at one another in horror. 
“No!” Rainbow cried. “I haven’t been anywhere near her.”
“It’s spreading?” Rarity asked, visibly upset. “But we’ve been so careful—oh, what if the other pegasi catch it too and aren’t able to fly? Then the weather really will go all—”
“Hold on!” Sweetie held up a hoof imperiously. “I’m not finished.” When she had their wide-eyed attention again, she continued, “So, she comes to school and she tells Miss Cheerilee that she’s sick and that she probably has to be quarantined here at the Boutique too, but she doesn’t have any fever and her wings were beating fine when she rode her scooter up to the school and her cough didn’t sound anything like yours, Rainbow Dash. Then I noticed that some of her spots seemed…weird.”
“Weird?” Rainbow’s eyebrows rose briefly in confusion, and then her mouth fell open. She laughed weakly. “No! Sh-she didn’t!”
“Yes, she did!” Sweetie beamed. “She drew them on with a marker! She said she didn’t when we told Miss Cheerilee that she was faking, but then Apple Bloom threw a cup of water at her and the spots started to run!”
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, grabbing one of the pillows and pressing it over her mouth to cover her wild giggles. Even Rarity couldn’t keep from chuckling.
“That silly filly! Wh-what happened?”
“She got better real quick after that…and then she jumped on Apple Bloom and the two of them ended up staying after school for fighting.”
“That’s terrible,” Rarity lamented, pursing her lips at Rainbow Dash, who was still shaking with laughter. “Poor Scootaloo…she must have been so upset.”
“Hahahaha! That is so awesome! Only Scootaloo could think up something as craz—ow! Rarity!” 
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I pull too hard?” Rarity’s voice was syrupy sweet. “Hold still, darling. I’m almost finished.”
Rainbow Dash scowled and crossed her hooves over her chest, but let Rarity remove the last of the curlers from her mane and brush through the resulting ringlets. Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches to watch, her eyes growing wider with each passing moment as Rarity’s vision unfolded.
“There!” she announced, arranging a few strands of orange hair so that they fell artfully over Rainbow’s eye. “Tres magnifique!”
Rainbow looked askance of Sweetie Belle, whose mouth opened and closed soundlessly before she exclaimed, “I…uh…love it!”
“Really? Can I have a mirror?”
Beaming, Rarity fetched a small hand mirror, using her magic to levitate it before her friend’s face. “See? You look gorgeous!”
“I…I…” Rainbow’s mouth dropped as she stared at her reflection and the soft ringlets that now framed her face and lay gracefully against her neck. 
“You’re speechless! I knew you’d love it! Didn’t I tell you?” Rarity threw her hooves around Rainbow’s neck and hugged her fiercely. 
“You did!” Rainbow squeaked, her friend choking the breath from her. “I…uh…thank you?”
“You’re so welcome!” Rarity released her after another tight squeeze, then looked concerned as she coughed and gasped for air. “That awful cough. It just won’t stop, will it? No worries—Twilight brought over more of her salve. It’s downstairs, so I’ll fetch it for you and bring up some dinner. Are you hungry? I made cream of carrot puree!”
“Carrot? But you said you were gonna make broccoli.”
“Yes, well, I would have…but the broccoli just didn’t look as nice as the carrots.” The white unicorn left and Rainbow Dash flopped against the pillows, sighing and staring up at the ceiling.
“Great. Now I’m sick, I have weird hair, and I have to eat carrot soup.”
“Aw, it’s not so…bad,” Sweetie told her, rearing up to put her hooves on the mattress. “It’s just a little different, that’s all. You might get used to it.” Her green eyes widened suddenly, focusing on something behind the pegasus. “Besides…there are worse things.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
Sweetie dropped to the floor and trotted around the room. Rainbow’s eyes followed the filly, who paused before the window and gestured to the cloud-covered sky outside. Thick, heavy flakes of white were spiraling swiftly to the ground.
“Like it’s only autumn…and it’s starting to snow.”