//------------------------------//
// Cadence (Co-op with Celestia)  
// Story: Bathtime for Ponies Part 2 
// by Starry Eyed 
//------------------------------//

	You finish filling up the crystal bathtub. You’ve seen some impressive and unusual houses as you’ve traveled around, but this place takes the cake. The bathtub here is made of white moonstone, the floor is tiled with amethysts, and the walls are aquamarine. It never failed to amaze you how abundant crystals are in Equestria, but even more so here in the Crystal Empire.

Now all you need is the future ruler of the Crystal Empire. “Alright, it’s ready” you call out. Celestia walks in, the little crystal filly on her back. Cadence is cooing the cutest little cheer imaginable. Celestia was only walking at her normal pace, but to the filly at fourth her height at best, it was a fun ride. You couldn’t help but daww at the adorable sight. Celestia then tenderly wrapped Cadence in her golden aura and floated her down to the floor, at the same time magically closing the door behind her. 

Cadence had been enjoying herself, but she now realized what was about to happen. She turned to run away as fast as her hooves could carry her. You instinctively began to give chase, but Celestia had wrapped Cadence in her telekinetic grip again, lifting her just above the floor, preventing her from going anywhere. Cadence kept running anyway and also began flapping her wings. She couldn’t fly yet, but it made her look strangely adorable trotting and flapping like that in the air.

Celestia finally turns her attention to you, “Thank you again for agreeing to help with this. The Crystal Empire is still cursed at the moment, but I wanted Cadence to get at least one traditional crystal bath here in the Empire while she was little. I want her to grow up with some experience of her future subjects’ lifestyle.”  

You get comfortable next to the bath again, “It’s no trouble, really. I’m not new to washing ponies after all.” Celestia smiled, “I’m all too aware.”

You flinched for a moment. Was it possible that Celestia could still remember the time you washed her sister and her? That was over a thousand years ago. And unlike you who traveled thanks to your boss’s magic, Celestia had actually lived all that time in between.

“Do you have everything I asked for?” Celestia asks you. You reach over and pull out a case of things that you picked up prior to your arrival, “New brush, crystal soap, sapphire rinsing dish, mat, drying towel, yep; everything you asked for. Are you sure you want to stay for this? I know how busy you are Princess.” Celestia smiles, but it is hard to see since she is always smiling anyway, “Oh course. A crystal bath is different than a normal one, and I want to be here to reassure her just in case.”

You nod, ready to begin. You reach over to pick up the little Alicorn filly. She leans away from you, but does not step away. You lift her over the tub and slowly dip her in the water, making sure that it’s not too hot for her. She seems to like it, so you place her in the tub. The water looks like diamond, and the bubbles like semi-clear opals. You lift the sapphire rinsing dish and scoop up some of the crystal water. You pour it over Cadence’s head slowly, making sure she tilts her little head back so that it doesn’t get in her eyes. About twenty scoops later and her hair is wet and ready for the shampoo.

Celestia floats the shampoo bottle over so that you only need to put your hand out and receive it. You thank her, and let the shampoo pour into your hand. It is a slightly thicker shampoo than most, but has little sugar-like scrubbing bath salts mixed in it and feels just slightly sandy. 

You worry a little that it will be coarse on the little filly’s head, so you decide to scrub even more gently than normal. You pick up the brush and begin scrubbing the shampoo into her hair with it. You try lathering the shampoo into her mane. It doesn’t seem to be lathering, and Cadence doesn’t seem to mind, so you scrub harder. It takes longer than normal since you have never used crystal shampoo before, but in three minutes Cadence’s long hair is nice and sudsy. 

You then go to pick up the sapphire rinsing dish, but Celestia is already ‘holding’ it in front of you. You thank her and begin scooping up the water to rinse Cadence’s hair. Because her hair is so long, it takes almost twenty rinses to remove all the suds. When it is completely rinsed, both you and the littlest princess are equally surprised, and even Celestia seems a little surprised. 

Cadence’s hair was wet and hanging like anyone’s hair would, but it now had a crystalline shine and hung like pristine icicles from her head. It looked like precious, purple stained glass dripping in icicles.

Her hair looked so delicate that the little filly was scared it might break like glass. She began to tear up quietly. You bite your lower lip, terrified at the sheer sadness of the moment, and quickly turn to Celestia to fix the problem. Celestia thinks fast and magically squirts some of the shampoo, mixing it into a tip of her own hair. She dips the tip of this hair into the bath water and scrubs it magically with force that she would only use on herself for fear of hurting the filly.

“Look dear, it’s okay. See, it doesn’t break, it just looks glassy.” Celestia magically twirled her hair, demonstrating that it was still normal hair, just shinier. Cadence looked up wide eyed at this astonishing discovery. She leaned in to study this new phenomenon. It looked like…fruitcicles.

“Om, nom nom nom,” Cadence had decided to see if it tasted like a fruitcicle too. Celestia was startled momentarily, but remained composed and gently pulled her mane away. You are impressed with how composed and gently Celestia managed to handle that, all without making Cadence sad again. Celestia just blinks in your direction, “There, taken care of.”

You smile, and decide to move on to the tail. Like the mane, Cadence’s tail is longer than a normal pony's, so it takes a little longer than normal to lather, even with the brush. Thankfully, since you aren’t holding back any more, it’s over in a few minutes. Out of the corner of your eye you see Celestia floating the rinsing dish at the ready, waiting for you to finish. You take the dish and after a dozen rinses, Cadence’s tail matches the mane. 

Celestia is satisfied that the job is done, but you realize that the wings haven’t been washed yet. “Celestia, what is the procedure for crystal washing the wings?” Celestia loses her smile, “I um… I don’t think there is one. Crystal Ponies are earth ponies, with an occasional unicorn. I’m pretty sure there is no procedure for crystal washing wings.”

You reach into your travel bag and pull out your standard wing shampoo, “Well then, unique circumstances call for unique solutions.” Having decided to wash the wings normally, you gently lather the feather shampoo into the little wings. Celestia starts to give you some preening tips, but sees that you are already doing everything perfectly. “How do you know how to preen so well?” You turn to the Princess, “I’m not new to washing pegasus. I picked up the trick somewhere along the way.”

With Cadence’s wings preened and cleaned, you would normally give Cadence some toys, but you can tell she has been in the bath too long already and is ready to get out.

You lift the little filly onto the bath mat and begin drying her with the towel. Once dry, Cadence’s hair shines like crystal, pristine and extremely beautiful. You get a little smile from the filly and feel that you have been repaid a thousand times over. Celestia smiles to you, “Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.” You say what you feel, “It was my pleasure.”

Celestia floats the little pony onto her back, “Come on Cadence, I’ll braid your hair with gems now.” Cadence cooed, ready to ride again. The pair of Alicorns made their way out the door. You smile warmly; glad to know that Cadence has such a great aunt, and that you have such a good job.