Rarity awoke to a glorious morning. The Sun was shining, the birds were singing, Sweetie had yet to try to make breakfast and had therefore not filled the boutique with the smell of burning toast... yes, it was a glorious morning. It was going to turn into a glorious day, too, of that Rarity was certain. For today, was the day. THE day.
She was taking Epona to the Day Spa.
The arrangements were made. Rarity had taken the Spa sisters aside and explained the situation, and they too were looking forward to making such a magnificent mare look dazzling. Rarity had even managed to get a discount out of it, what with Epona being a first time customer and with having her expenses paid for by crown (a good word with the Princesses, after all, was a payment all its own). Even better, her friends had agreed to come and be pampered as well, even Rainbow Dash.
It was going to be simply the best. Day. Ever!
---
At 9:30AM sharp, Rarity set out upon her mission. It was time.
Her heart was so giddy that the moment she stepped hoof out of her boutique, she simply could not keep it in anymore. Rarity Belle burst into spontaneous song, as the ponies of Equestria sometimes did, and sang her way over to her first stop at Sugarcube Corner as the chorus of ponies who joined fell into step behind her.
Pinkie Pie bounced out, adding a verse of her own, before the two made their way over to Twilight's tree home. Twilight too added to the song before continuing the chorus as the three marched towards the spa. Rainbow Dash found them on the way, adding an uncertain bit before falling in step with the rest, Rarity in the lead.
Coming in the opposite direction the saw Applejack and Fluttershy with their large companion, already singing their own versus as Epona twitched her ears. The two groups met just outside the spa and sang the final verse with great fanfare and accompaniment just as the spa sisters opened the door.
Rarity proudly escorted Epona to the front desk, her heart still singing as she told Aloe their appointment. It was quite obvious, but still, pleasentries must be observed. A proper lady never let their emotions run away with their manners, only their heart.
"Of course," Aloe replied. "I assume it is going to be the same for everypony?"
"Ah, no hooficure or mane styling for me," Rainbow interjected hurridly.
"'Fraid ah can't do them either, Rares," Applejack said, a bit more apologetically. "Ah got t' get back t' the farm soon as this is all over, ah don' wanna see yer hard earned bits goin' t' waste fer somethin' ah ain't gonna be able t' keep fer more than an hour."
Aloe looked to Rarity, who grudgingly agreed to the requests. It was a shame, those two. Rainbow's vibrant colors were simply a wonder to behold when properly primped and pampered, and when Applejack's mane was fresh-washed it was the most beautiful golden color. Why, give these ponies at the Day Spa a few hours with those two and they could look like princesses! Rarity banished the thought from her mind. Today was about Epona, not Applejack or Rainbow! She had time to work on those two later.
Lotus trotted up with towels for everypony. "If you would please follow me to the steam room."
---
Epona lay down in the small, tiled room.
She did not much see the point of the 'steam room', as everypony called it. It was small, it was hot, she could not see the other side of the room for all the steam, it was most certainly not made with a creature of her size in mind... the list went on. She was beginning to overheat, her coat beginning to foam with sweat even though she was not working at all. And for some reason, they had done up her mane in a towel. She wasn't sure why. All she knew was that her hair, all of it, was damp with steam and the beginnings of sweat.
She was about to raise her voice and say that she had to get out there in the vague direction of Rarity when the door to the room opened.
"If everypony would follow me to the showers," Lotus told the cloudy haze.
Epona was first out. Even if she hadn't been blocking the door because she couldn't fit on the normal benches she would have been first out the too-small door. That steam room was absolutely miserable and she did not intend to spend another moment in it. A bit of squeezing and her own powerful muscles finally got her through the door.
"This way, please," Lotus said with a smile as the others came piling out behind her. Epona followed her with long, slow strides as the pony trotted in front of her.
She could see why Rarity said she would feel like a whole new pony. Every pony here was so neat, so prim and proper and clean that she felt very dirty for walking through the clean corridors with sweat clogging her coat.
The hoofsteps behind her vanished and she found that Rarity and her friends were splitting off, directed into small rooms by other neat ponies.
"Miss Epona?"
Epona turned back around to see Lotus.
"I apologize, but you are too big to fit in our normal showers. Please, this way."
Showers?
---
The next time Rarity saw Epona, she was relaxing in the mud bath with the rest of her friends. The horse was cautiously climbing the stairs to the large tub that made up the mineral bath. It took some coaxing from the spa sisters, but in the end Epona noisily splashed into the raised tub.
It was truly staggering just how large the mare was, Rarity reflected. The same tub that could fit five full-grown mares and Epona took most of it up– even now, she was standing with no trouble in the great wooden barrel that was taller than Rarity when she reared.
"Epona dear!" she called out with a hoof wave, catching her attention. "How are you enjoying things so far?"
Epona looked around uncertainly at the water she was in.
"I am not sure why you are giving me so many baths," she confessed. "Isn't one enough?"
Beside her, Rarity heard Rainbow Dash cover up a snort of laughter and saw Applejack grin. She ignored them.
"Dear, that isn't just a bath. The spa has put a very special concoction of herbs and minerals into your bath to bring out your natural radiance. Your coat will be positively sparkling by the time you finish your soak in there."
Epona looked around at the water uncertainly before taking a cautious sniff.
---
Soon enough, after a quick shower, their positions were reversed. Twilight and the others chatted happily in the mineral bath while Epona took up most of the mud bath. Facial mud was smeared liberally on her muzzle and head and cucumbers were across her eyes. Rarity took some time out of the gossip to check on her.
"Epona dear? How does it feel?"
A cucmber fell off as she swung her head towards the noise, revealing her large brown eyes.
"Strange. I have been washed twice and bathed once and now you want me to get in the mud?"
Rarity tittered at that.
"Just like the mineral bath, the mud has natural minerals and textures that help the skin. The mud smooths wrinkles and other signs of aging quite nicely," she explained.
Epona nodded uncertainly.
"I did not think mud could help me so much."
"Normal mud won't, dear," Rarity said with a shudder. "The mud here is specially prepared to rejuvinate the skin and fur, without all the ickyness that would be found in mud lying on the ground."
"Yea, otherwise Applejack would be beauty queen of the world," Rainbow called out.
"Hey!"
Rarity sighed as the farmer and the athlete began a splashing competition in the expensive herbal bath, spilling frangranced water everywhere.
---
This is much better, Epona thought to herself.
She hadn't seen much point in getting rinsed off and put into different baths, especially when one of them was literally mud, but this... this 'massage' was much, much better.
After getting everypony out of the shower after her mud bath, Epona found herself getting a trim of her mane, tail, and fetlocks. They then moved on to massages, but for Epona, this was more than one thing. Her size was now a blessing, because it meant that multiple ponies could work their magic upon her at once. One spa mare was brushing and braiding her mane. A stallion (whom she could hear her friends giggling about) was giving her back a heavenely massage. And a final mare was brushing and braiding her tail.
She rested her head upon the massage table (they had, of course, abandonded it for her, what with her being far too heavy to get upon it. But it did provide a perfect headrest) and closed her eyes. The gentle pulling sensations on her neck and tail combined with the firm hooves of the stallion made her feel so relaxed, she just had to close her eyes for a moment. And then another moment. And another.
"So, Epona, what do you think now?" came the low, amused voice of Rarity.
Epona opened her eyes slowly. "Good. I like it. Massage is better than Ilia can give."
"Ilia?"
"She will be Link's mate," Epona stated, unaware that she had managed to stop all other conversation with that.
"'Will be'?" Applejack asked. Epona nodded.
"They are not mated yet. They prance around it like foals, but they will be mates. It will be soon, I think."
"Well, I am glad to hear one such as him has found somecreature to share his life with," Rarity said wholeheartedly. "She normally massages you?"
Epona shook her head at that.
"No. But she will take me to the spring sometimes and brush my mane and tail and coat. It feels so nice, especially in the spring. But she has never given me a massage to go with it," Epona said.
"Epona, do you know anypony else from where Link is from?" came Twilight's cautious voice. Epona thought about that for a minute.
"No."
"What about a town name?"
"No."
"Then why do you know Ilia's name?"
"She is close to Link."
Epona closed her eyes again and lost herself in the sensations of the Spa.
---
The doors to the Ponyville Day Spa opened wide to admit six mares with immaculate, almost shining coats and perfectly styled manes.
Behind them came a horse. Her fur had gone from a dark, dull brown to a lustrous chestnut color. Her ragged, wild white/grey mane and tail were gone, trimmed and replaced with a beautiful braided pattern. Her white fetlocks were no longer ragged, and her hooves had been thoroughly cleaned in the first hooficure she had ever had. A sunflower was tucked behind her ear, completing her ensamble.
Rarity smiled. No matter what she may think, the Spa visit had been a success. She enjoyed bringing out the best in a pony, and Epona looked as stately and elegant as a Canterlot noblemare.
"So, Epona, what did you think of the spa?"
"I feel so clean," she commented, craning her neck to look at herself.
"Ya look pretty good there, sugarcube. Ah don' go t' the spa that often, but ah have to admit the spa sisters sure know how t' make a pony look good."
A chorus of agreements came from the rest of the girls, even a rather small and rather embarrassed one from Rainbow Dash.
Epona agreed too.
Rarity smiled. Her job here was done.
---
The howl echoed through the night as Link called to his companion. He had need of her once more.
Behind him, in the distance, he heard a neigh that signaled she was close. Link shut his mouth and lowered his head, standing to his paws. He turned around to greet his friend–
Link cocked his head in confusion and his eyes widened a little bit in shock. He was quite certain he had never before in his life seen Epona looking so well-groomed, not even for festivals when Ilia had done her up. He didn't even know her coat had such a rich coloration to it.
"What? Is something wrong with my mane, Link?"