Falling For Our Stars

by bobdat

Special Chapter 3!

Special Chapter Three

“Mom?” the white unicorn asked in a voice that suggested she was going to pester her mother until she gave in.
“Yes Rarity?” Pearl replied wearily. She had only just put Sweetie Belle down for her midday nap and was feeling as if she could sleep for a whole day, given the chance.
Rarity kicked her hoof, scuffing the ground. “Can I go to the spa?”
“The spa? You mean the one that just opened up in the square?”
“Yeah. It’s supposed to be really relaxing.”
Pearl paused. “Ask your father.”

Magnum was sitting on the couch, hoof in a bag of chips and the hoofball on.
“Dad?” Rarity asked, using the same sing-song voice.
Magnum sighed. “Yes, darling?”
“Can I go to the spa?”
He mulled this over. “The one that just opened up in the square?”
“Yeah. It’s supposed to be really relaxing.”
The stallion paused. “Did you ask your mother?”
“She told me to ask you.”

Silently cursing Pearl for offloading it to him, he thought for a few moments. “Okay, you can go. Are you going with somepony in particular?”
“No. I just want to try it out,” Rarity replied, a note of happiness in her voice as she spun on the spot.
“Well, make sure you don’t get lost,” he replied. “Do you need money?”
“Yes please.”
With a resigned air, he waited a few moments until the break, then got up and found his wallet. “Okay, here’s five bits. It shouldn’t cost that much, but just in case.”
“Thanks Dad.”

Happily, Rarity left the house and headed for the town square. Ponyville was pretty much the opposite of cultured; nearly everypony was somehow employed in agriculture, and those who weren’t seemed to share the same attitudes. Rarity yearned for the excitement of Canterlot, and she craned her neck to see if she could see the royal city over the eaves of the thatched houses that surrounded her. It was well hidden, so she sighed but carried on, her eyes peeled for the day spa that she had heard was opening in the town square. A couple of ponies had moved to Ponyville from more exotic climates and had decided to offer a luxury spa treatment, which Rarity was keen to try.

“Mornin’ Rarity,” a green pony said, her greying blonde mane tied into a tidy plait.
“Good morning,” Rarity replied politely, recognising the voice as one belonging to Granny Smith, a local farmer pony with a granddaughter about her age. Once she was past Granny Smith, she stepped daintily into the town square, noticing at once the impressive spa with ‘Now Open!’ and ‘Discounts!’ signs on the door. With a happy squeal, she trotted over, maintaining her dignity. Excessive public displays of emotion were not appropriate for high society ponies such as herself.

A bell tinkled as she stepped in, and a blue pony with a pink mane immediately appeared.
“Ah! Are you here for a treatment?” the pony asked in heavily accented Equestrian.
“What do you have on offer?” Rarity replied, feeling terribly sophisticated.
“It is on the board.”
Just past the entrance was a large blackboard with the various treatments written on it. Rarity wasn’t adventurous enough to try some of them, (although she was intrigued by the idea of a full mud bath and exfoliant herbal massage), and opted for the more basic hooficure. Anyway, the prices of some of the packages would have sent her father into spasms.

“This way, madam,” the blue pony said, leading her through to the treatment room. “My name is Lotus Blossom.”
“I’m Rarity,” the unicorn replied graciously. “I’m afraid this is my first time getting a real hooficure, so you must excuse me if I’m a little sensitive.”
“First time? So many ponies here have not had spa treatments before,” Lotus replied with a slight shake of her mane. “No matter. We have another first-timer here.”
Intrigued, Rarity craned her neck to see around the corner, but a curtain blocked the view from the corridor to the room.

Inside were a whole host of shelves, covered in creams, salves and lotions. Rarity stared at them, eyes wide, noticing far more products than one would expect to see on the shelves of an average Canterlot spa. Maybe there was something special about the Ponyville spa.
“Ah, you have noticed our special creams,” Lotus said, leading Rarity to a reclining chair. “Many of them are specially from our homeland.”
With another delighted squee, Rarity settled into the chair, her four hooves rested comfortably in the slots. Lotus was selecting some vicious looking metal tools from a tray, but Rarity had read in magazines that the more vicious, the better for you.

Looking around, Rarity suddenly noticed that other ‘first-timer’ she had been told about. She was a yellow pegasus, looking like she would rather be anywhere except in the spa as another pony who looked just like Lotus Blossom filed her hooves with utmost care.
“Well hello there. My name is Rarity,” the unicorn said, looking over with what she hoped was a friendly smile.
“I’m…” the pegasus replied, hiding her face behind her wing.
“I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t catch that?”
“I’m Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy? What a delightful name! Are you from Cloudsdale, perchance?”

The nod that Fluttershy gave in reply was music to Rarity’s ears. “Ah, Cloudsdale. I certainly wish I could visit, take in the sights. The great pegasus city! You must miss it.”
“Well…”
“Such a shame that we unicorns are unable to stand on clouds and mingle with the sophisticated socialites that I have heard reside in Cloudsdale.”
“Um…”
“Anyway, are you also here for a hooficure?”
“... Yes.” Fluttershy sighed a little as her hooficurist tugged her hoof to stop her from hiding it under a wing.
“Oh, how lovely,” Rarity replied, sighing with happiness as Lotus began to file her hooves to just the right shape. “I do like ponies who can appreciate the finer things in life.”

Fluttershy did not reply as the hooficure continued, so Rarity decided to carry the conversation. After all, not every pony could be a conversationalist like she was, and it was up to her to bestow her gift on the world.
“You know, I think that this spa is bringing a little sophistication to Ponyville. I go to school in Britannia and while I’m here in Equestria, I do miss the culture of Maneminster.”
“Oh, my…”
“Oh yes, darling. The boutiques are simply marvellous, even if they are a teensy bit outside my price range. Have you ever visited?”
“Um… no.”
“You simply must. It’s divine!”

The conversation lulled again, but as Rarity opened her mouth, she was surprised to find Fluttershy speaking first.
“Why do you go to school in Britannia?”
Rarity tossed her mane and laughed slightly. “For the glamour, of course! The School for Gifted Unicorns is world-leading, of course, but it’s for academics. I consider myself to be more vocational, and so I need an education from the traditionalists.”
“Do you have many f-f-friends… at school?”
“What an odd question darling! Of course! I have three very good friends! Why do you ask?”

“Oh… no reason.” Rarity didn’t notice the slightly admiring look that Fluttershy gave her, the pegasus’ face half-hidden behind her beautifully brushed pink mane.
“Well, there’s Miriam, of course. She is rather loud and gossipy, but I suppose I might call her my best friend. She’s with me the most. She has a talent for memory and she can be very kind when she wants to be,” Rarity said, watching Lotus start work on her hind hooves. “There’s Fly Leaf, whom we all call Fly, and she is very shy but awfully clever. A dab hand with a book or a test, but she takes a while to open up. Oh, but her figure! I design my own dresses for my friends, and she is just a delight to design for. A pegasus, like you, but tall! So tall and refined.”

“Finally there’s Toccata, whom I like to call Cat. She’s so lovely! She can play the piano like an angel, and she is just so thoughtful. Sometimes she can be unsure of herself, and Miri winds her up so much, but I just can’t imagine my life without her. Such poise and grace.”
Fluttershy just looked over at Rarity, and the unicorn paused.
“Oh, but I’m rambling. Getting me onto the subject of my friends was a mistake!” she laughed, to the irritation of Lotus who had to yank her hoof back into place. “What about your school?”
“Um, I used to go to Cloudsdale flying school, but I, ahem, dropped out.”
“Dropped out! My, that’s a brave thing to do.”
“It’s okay. I have a job looking after the animals around Ponyville,” Fluttershy remarked, shifting slightly in her seat to show Rarity her cutie mark. “It’s my special talent.”

“And what a delightful talent! Ponies with an aptitude for animal welfare are rare indeed,” Rarity replied, giving Fluttershy an encouraging smile. “It’s refreshing to meet a pony not engaged in uncouth agricultural work.”
“Oh, I quite agree. I’m not cut out for… ploughing.” Fluttershy said the word as if it might physically tire her just to hear it.
“Absolutely! We are of one mind,” Rarity said confidently, relaxing while Lotus painted her hooves in a delicate shade of purple.

After another pause, Rarity spoke again. “So, what brings you to the spa?”
“Um, I decided to try and support some local businesses… I stopped off for a… for a cupcake earlier.”
“Very commendable! I only wish I was so community-minded,” Rarity declared. “I merely came for a bit of rest and relaxation. My sister is still a foal and can sometimes be a drain on the nerves.”
“Oh! Is that… Sweetie Belle?” Fluttershy asked, tailing off as she said so.
Rarity beamed. “Yes! Little Sweetie Belle is quite the bouncing foal, although I sometimes wish she could be quiet for a few hours.”

Fluttershy tittered. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Do you have any brother or sisters, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, no. It’s just me.”
“That’s a shame. Much as Sweetie annoys me, it is nice to have a sister to share things with!” Rarity added, giggling slightly as the hoof-gloss brush tickled her.
“It must be…” Fluttershy replied, looking down at her own hooves. Her hooficurist had finished a while ago, but had left her to chat with Rarity since they didn’t have any other customers.

Once her hooves were adequately glossed and buffed, Rarity stepped out of the chair, feeling refreshed. “That was just perfect, I must say.”
Fluttershy didn’t reply, but followed Rarity out of the room and back to the counter, where the unicorn was handing over three bits.
“I must say, you did an excellent job. I’ll be recommending you to my friends,” Rarity said happily, stepping carefully with her new decorated hooves.
“Yes…” the pegasus agreed, handing over the same payment even though her hooves remained unpainted. “Quite delightful.”

The twosome left the spa, taking in the sunlight.
“Well, I’m sorry to depart,” Rarity said, bowing a little. “I’ve got to get back.”
“That’s okay. I live over by the f-forest anyway,” Fluttershy replied, shuddering slightly at the mention of the forest. “Maybe I’ll see you again?”
“Oh, we must meet up again! Perhaps a weekly spa treatment?” Rarity said, seizing Fluttershy’s forehooves in hers. “Please!”
“Okay… how about Tuesdays?” Fluttershy replied, beating her wings so that she didn’t topple over.
“Tuesdays it is! Now, I must depart,” Rarity said, releasing Fluttershy’s hooves and trotting away down the road. “I shall see you then.”

Fluttershy flew slowly back towards the forest and Rarity headed home, pleased that she had made a new friend in Ponyville. She’d been worrying for a while about moving back to Ponyville when she finished school, because she’d be so far away from her friends. But it seemed as if there might be some new friends her own age to make in Ponyville, which would make the bitter farewell to Buckingham a little easier.