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// 6. A predicament at the spa 
// Story: Mayor Fluttershy 
// by The_Swedish_Horror 
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Fluttershy was very happy that princess Luna had accepted her invitation, but at the same time she was also a bit worried. What if the princess wouldn't like it at her place? What if Luna, who was used to live at the magnificent Canterlot Castle, would find her humble Town Hall simple and boring? And what if she would find Fluttershy herself simple and boring? The yellow pegasus stopped right in the street, overcome with nervousness. She must not let that happen! She must not make princess Luna disappointed! Surely the Town Hall was way better than Spike's bed, but still...
Fluttershy decided to make sure everything was perfect. She must immediately run to Rarity and ask her to help her decorate the place and then run back and instruct miss Hooves to clean the building! And then she must get some nice apples from Applejack! But what if Luna didn't like apples? Fluttershy trembled with panic. She felt so perplexed! What would Rarity have done? 
Fluttershy decided to go to the spa and rest while gathering her thoughts.

The new mayor of Ponyville soon enjoyed the warm, comforting atmosphere of the Ponyville spa. She felt safe, happy and not nearly as nervous as before. This was a great idea, she believed. Just to relax and come up with a another great idea that would surely save the day. Fluttershy had her pink mane wrapped in a towel and she was dressed in a white bathrobe. The spa ponies, Aloe and Lotus, had filed her hooves and put slices of cucumber on her eyelids. It felt so good. Nothing could take away the peaceful, comforting atmosphere in the place... 
She then heard a familiar voice. "No! Cut it out! I'll do it myself!"
"Rainbow Dash?"
"Right here!" Rainbow answered. 
When Flutttershy removed one of the slices of cucumber from her eye, she could see her friend submerged in a big, wooden bathtub. Only her eyes and her rainbow coloured mane was visible over a mountain of white foam. The two spa ponies were furiously scrubbing mud and yellow paint from her coat and wings.
"Um... what are you doing?"
"I'm deflutterizing myself."
"Oh, my..."

Meanwhile Spike was at home, cooking some gemstones while thinking about Rarity. He was a bit tired since he had found it difficult to sleep in Twilight's bed. The bed itself was great, but the restless unicorn had kept him awake with her constant rolling and turning, pacing around in circles and moving. Princess Luna had offered to give him pleasant dreams about gemstones and having a moustache, but he had declined the offer out of fear that she would find his dreams already inhabited by Rarity. That would have been too embarrassing for the young dragon.
Now Luna was in his bed, sleeping like a kitten. The princess was fully nocturnal, so he tried to be as quiet as possible not to wake her with his cooking. She had thrown all her stuff in a pile on the floor. It looked a bit messy and there was still some dried mud on her shoes, gorget and crown. Spike had thought about cleaning them, but he decided it was best not to touch any of her regalia. He didn't want to risk sneezing on her crown and sending it directly to princess Celestia.

Back at the spa, Fluttershy had almost forgot about princess Luna's impending arrival. Rainbow Dash, who for various reasos didn't like being at the spa, had went home long ago. But Fluttershy could not resist staying a little longer... and then a little longer after that. Suddenly she saw a another familiar face appearing... Mare, the former mayor! Fluttershy leapt from the massage table and hid behind a potted plant. She must not be seen! It would be too embarrassing! What if the former mayor was angry at her for taking her job, her home and her title? Mayor Mare had been the mayor of Ponyville for so long that "Mayor" had become a part of her name. What if she thought that Fluttershy had done it on purpose?
She realized that Mare must have spotted her long ago. 
"Fluttershy," she said in a neutral voice. "So you're the one hiding in the shadows..."
"I didn't do it on purpose!" she mumbled while backing away, looking into the floor.
"What? What didn't you do on purpose...?"
"Nothing wrong... nothing that is wrong in... um... according to Equestrian law..."
"Mayor Fluttershy! Do not take me for a fool! Why are you cowering like a suspect? If you do something to my beloved town..."
"Th... there is no... oh... evidence pointing to me!" Fluttershy stuttered and tried to run away, stumbling on her bathrobe before fleeing from the scene in a most suspicious of ways. She had totally lost control.

When she arrived at the Town Hall, Fluttershy realized that she was still dressed in bathrobe and towel. Now the other ponies must think that she was some kind of spa thief! Oh, she must go back and return the stuff... Or maybe send miss Hooves? She decided to go and get her maid. 
"Miss Hooves! Where are you?"
"Here!"
The voice came from above. When Fluttershy looked up and saw the grey pegasus dangling from the old crystal chandelier in the hall. 
"Um... Miss Hooves? What are you doing?"
"I'm cleaning it from cobwebs!"
"Good... Would you like to go to the spa and return the towel and bathrobe that I... um... accidently stole?"
"Yes." 
"Um... would you like to do it now?"
"Yes, mayor! I will do it immediately."
And miss Hooves leapt from the chandelier and took the bathrobe and the towel from Fluttershy in a move performed with the elegance of a hawk striking its prey. She then flew trough the door in a speed worthy of Rainbow Dash. The clumsy pegasus was far quicker and nimbler than Fluttershy could ever have expected.