//------------------------------// // Octavia // Story: Bathtime for Ponies // by Derpsanddinks404 //------------------------------// You twist both knobs on the tub off and sigh in joy, finally able to extinguish the source of the noise. It wasn't the sound of the running water however, for you could listen to the rhythmic noise produced from millions of water droplets hitting water. No, the real noise you hated was the sound of an amateur trying her best to play Beethoofen's Fifth on the cello. For an hour Octavia had been practicing her cello which she had gotten last Hearth's Warming, and so far she had not gotten any better at it. You were instructed to have her practice for at least an hour, and you were definitely not going to make her play a second longer! Each second felt like a minute, and each minute an hour. By now, an hour, you were starting to question why you hadn't gone mad. Nonetheless your patience had been succesful, and now you could finally get her to call it a day. Leaving the bathroom at a brisk pace, you make your way through the Victorian house towards the sound of the "music" and arrive at Octavia's big bedroom. You knock three times on the door and hear the obnoxious noise stop. Knowing that no foal can reach a doorknob yet, you take the liberty upon yourself to open it. You see on the other side of the room a little grey filly standing on her hind legs perched upon a stool and three books looking at you. She has one hoof supporting the weight of cello next to her, and her other hoof holding up a bow with which to play the cello. "Octavia," you start, "time for your bath!" The little earth pony is just as relieved as you to hear the news and jumps down from her podium. She avoids the music stand and trots on over happily to you. You move aside to let her exit first, and she nods in thanks towards you. You lead the little foal towards her bathroom down the end of a hall and around the corner. When you arrive, you again let the little lady go first, recieving another nod. Once inside you close the door slightly and go over to the foal to untie her bow and collar. Half a minute of furious attempts at untieing later, Octavia takes over for you and gets it off in mere seconds. Wouldn't be the first time I've been outdone by a foal, you think in humility. Picking up Octavia, you bring her over to the bathtub full of warm water, which Octavia gladly invites as she softly jumps out of your embrace. You reach next to you and grab the expensive name-brand shampoo, squirting a handful of the "rich and effective" gel into your opposite palm. You then begin to work the rose-smelling shampoo through Octavia's black mane. You spend a moment cleaning until her long mane is finally finished, full up with suds. Now, instead of using the arduous method of rinsing with your hands, you retrieve a gold-tinted bowl and dunk it into the bath water. Picking it back up and its newfound contents, you bring the rinsing bowl over the filly's head and pour the water over her head. Octavia patiently lets you continue her mane rinsing for another three rounds. This task went over so quickly because of the bowl's superior size compared to your hands. Kindly, you ask Octavia to please lift her tail, to which she obeys without haste. You thank her while you squirt another handful of red rose shampoo into your palm. When you have enough, you put away the shampoo and start to rub the gel into her black tail. This task doesn't take very long, and before you know it it's time to rinse again. Grabbing the bowl yet again, you submerge it underwater and pour out the contents over Octavia's tail. The earth filly again waits patiently as you take multiple rounds to rinse her tail. This time, it only takes two more bowlfuls instead of three. Now that you were finished washing the little filly, you decide to let her have some fun in the tub. Like you once heard from a book you read, "All work and no play makes Octavia a dull filly." You muse at the little joke you'd made while taking out a rubber duck in a tuxedo, quite fitting for a classy foal. Octavia stares at the odd object in front of her like she'd never seen a toy in her life. She pokes at the duck and watches it bob to and fro for half a second. You frown at the thought of any foal going their whole lives without playing with a rubber duck. Your frown disappears when you realize that now you could break her out of her shell. "This is called a rubber duck," you explain. "You can push it around, make it swim, and," you submerge the duck underwater and squeeze it, "do... THIS!" you exclaim while emerging the rubber toy and squirting Octavia with some water. The filly brightens up at your action and giggles a bit. She then takes the toy away from you and starts copying what you had done, squirting you multiple times. You laugh each time at the little foal's fascination with this new piece of technology. Around ten minutes of nonstop play go by before you inevitably have to cut it short and dry the filly. You promise her you'd brought more toys and that she could go play with those. If she was discouraged or sad that she couldn't play with the duck, she hid it well. You unplug the tub and take Octavia out, placing her on the spotless floor. You grab a bright white towel with a red O stitched in the bottom right corner and start to dry her mane, then her body, and finally her tail and hooves. You put the towel in the bamboo hamper beside you and stand up from your kneeling position. Just as you open the door and let Octavia out, you hear the signature eight notes of a doorbell. You call out for them to wait one second and quickly hurry to the front door. When you open the white door, you see nopony at all. That is, until you hear a little white unicorn with a two-shades blue mane clear her throat. You invite the filly in and call out to Octavia: "Octavia! Vinyl's here for the sleepover!"