Aloe and Lotus: Slow Day
Aloe squeezed the massage oil with the smooth, gentle motions of an expert, spreading it evenly. She smoothed it around with her pink hooves, until it coated a wide area.
“Perfect.” she muttered to herself.
She stared ahead at the floor, which she had covered in massage oil. The slick trail led down the stairs and through the Ponyville spa.
Aloe pawed the ground, readying herself to jump. Then, with a sudden leap, she threw herself belly-first on the slippery trail, holding her hooves out in front of herself.
She shot down the hallway at high speed, bouncing off the wall, where she had placed some cushioning pillows, then bumped her way down the staircase, shooting out of the stairwell and across the spa, straight towards the door.
The door swung open, and a white mare with a luxurious purple mane stepped through.
“Oh, it so nice to….” she stopped to stare in surprise as Aloe shot past her, sliding on her stomach out into the Ponyville street.
“Ahem.” the white mare exclaimed. “That was unusual. Lotus? Miss Lotus, it’s Rarity!”
A blue mare with a pink, slick mane popped up from behind the counter, looking sleepy.
“Oh, Miss Rarity!” she exclaimed. “So nice to see you….” her voice trailed off as she saw the trail of oil leading out the door.
Aloe dashed in, covered with greasy mud. “Wee! That was fun! Come on, sister, you try it now!”
Lotus slapped her hoof against her face. “Er… the usual, Miss Rarity?”
Rarity stared for a moment, looking rather aghast at Aloe.
“Um… yes, of course.” she replied. “I… I think I’ll start with my hooficure. And of course have my horn filed.”
“I call dibs on the horn-filing!” Aloe cried.
Lotus gave Aloe a hard stare. “You, sister, are going to get washed up and sparkling clean. I want to see you shine like a Crystal Pony. Then you’re going to clean up this oil. Then you will be allowed to treat Miss Rarity to her horn filing.”
“Oh. Okay!” Aloe cried cheerfully as she pranced off.
Lotus sighed. “I’m sorry about her. Don’t worry, she’s an expert beautician, and has never failed to please a customer. She just tends to get a bit hyper, especially on a slow day like this.”
“I did notice that the spa seemed rather empty today.” Rarity noted. She looked about herself. “Actually… it seems rather sparse on most days.”
Lotus sighed, leading Rarity over to a soft, relaxing chair. “Well, our choice to set up a spa in a rural town may not have been very well thought out.” Lotus stated, fetching her materials as Rarity laid back. “We thought we had cornered the market. But… well, other than you and Miss Fluttershy, not many ponies actually come here that often. The only other regulars are Octavia, Bon-bon and Junebug, and a few others.” Lotus sighed. “Perhaps we should have taken our chances in Canterlot, after all.”
“Nonsense!” Rarity exclaimed, doing her best not to move as Lotus rubbed a mud mask over her face. “You bring a touch of class and beauty to Ponyville! And beauty is very important! I just can’t see how these other ponies can take such care of their flowers, or admire a beautiful sunset, and yet fail to recognize the value of keeping one’s self beautiful!”
“Well, your patronage is always very welcome here, Miss Rarity.” Lotus stated, applying a pair of cucumber slices over Rarity’s eyes.
Aloe suddenly shot by, whipping a mop about like it was a hockey stick as she glided across the floor, cleaning up the oily trail she had left earlier.
“You cleaned up fast.” Lotus said dryly.
“Don’t worry, sis, I’m spotless!” Aloe replied. “I wash ponies for a living, remember?” She shot past, slapping at a sponge which served as the puck for her one-mare hockey game.
“You are remembering to clean the floor, right?” Lotus asked.
“Yep!” Aloe replied cheerfully. “Just making it more fun is all!”
Lotus sighed, rolling her eyes as she got out her hooficure tools. “Just so long as she doesn’t break anything.” she thought to herself, as she began to file Rarity’s hoof.
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Rarity sat back in the sauna, her mane wrapped up in a towel, while Aloe poured cold water over the pile of red-hot rocks in the center of the tiny room, filling it with steam. Rarity sighed with contentment, while Aloe and Lotus sat nearby, waiting for any of her needs.
Aloe flicked drops of water onto the hot stones with her hoof in a bored manner, listening to the hiss. Lotus leaned back, looking half-asleep again.
Suddenly, Rarity sighed. “Would you girls mind a little conversation?” she asked. “It’s just that, with Fluttershy visiting that huge nature preserve that the Princesses just had made, there’s nopony to come to the spa with me, and it gets very boring just sitting here all alone.”
“We… thought you would prefer some peace and quiet.” Lotus replied. “That’s usually why you come here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” Rarity replied. “But Sweetie Belle is off with my parents to go see the nature preserve as well, and the house has been rather quiet. Not that I’m complaining that Sweetie Belle isn’t getting into my things, but I haven’t really had anypony to talk to. I mean, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have entirely different interests, and Pinkie Pie… well, I can only talk to her for short periods of time before I start to get a headache.”
Rarity slid herself into a more upright position. “So, um… well, I know I come here all the time, but I never really got to know you girls very well. Perhaps you could tell me something about yourselves. Do you have any hobbies?”
“Well….” Lotus began uneasily. She wasn’t used to talking with the customers very often. “I enjoy bonsai.”
“Beg pardon?” Rarity queried.
“Bonsai.” Lotus repeated. “It’s the art of growing miniaturized trees. They look mostly like big ones, but are small enough to fit in a large flowerpot. It takes time and patience, but it doesn’t require any magic, just a good deal of care and skill. It’s very relaxing.”
“Fascinating!” Rarity exclaimed. “Those sound like they would make excellent decoration pieces.”
“Well, feng shui is another hobby of mine, so I suppose I could do that.” Lotus stated.
Rarity looked confused. “I’m afraid you’ve lost me, dear.”
“Feng shui is the art of studying the relationship between ponies and their personal environments to achieve maximum harmony.” Lotus explained. “The colors, the decorations, even the position of objects all affect the feng shui of a place.”
She spread her hooves. “I do my best to achieve a soothing, relaxing feng shui in our spa here. Everything has to be just perfect to work.”
She turned towards Rarity. “Actually, Miss Rarity, you have demonstrated a fine grasp of this art, even without any training.”
“I have?” Rarity asked.
“Of course!” Lotus exclaimed, pouring another ladle of water over the rocks, and sending a fresh cloud of steam into the air. “Your sense of style, your skill at fashion design and decoration, are all part of feng shui. Even without any training, you seem to know just the right colors and design which will enhance the feng shui of a location.”
“Well, thank you.” Rarity replied. “And it’s such a shame we haven’t had this conversation before. I would love to find out about this ‘feng shui’. It sounds absolutely fascinating!”
Rarity then turned towards Aloe. “Do you have any hobbies, dearie?”
“Besides getting into trouble?” Lotus muttered.
“Ooh, yeah!” Aloe cried, clopping her hooves together. “Martial arts! Hi-YA!” She swung her hoof through the air in a karate chop.
“I found it’s a good outlet for her energy.” Lotus stated, as Rarity gave a bit of a jump at Aloe’s loud outburst and flailing hooves. “I take martial arts too, you know, but Aloe is the expert around here. She already has her black belt.”
Rarity looked aghast. “Pardon me for asking, but… why would you want to learn fighting and such? It makes you all… sweaty.”
Aloe turned and gave Rarity a deadpan look as she poured another ladle of water over the hot rocks, sending steam into the air. “You come in here to sit in this sauna and sweat.” she stated.
Rarity gave an awkward grin. “Well, this is different.”
Aloe sat up, and flexed her body. “See this?” she asked.
Rarity looked at Aloe, and was somewhat impressed. Aloe was as trim and smooth as any mare could wish to be, but she displayed a very athletic physique.
“Martial arts are a great way to work out and stay in shape, without becoming overly bulky or muscular.” Aloe stated. “You can’t get in shape like this by just taking a daily walk and eating healthy.”
For a moment, Rarity stared at Aloe, feeling a little envious.
“Well, I guess I can’t argue with your results.” she finally stated. “You look smashing. Graceful and feminine, but athletic. You would make a good model.”
Aloe blushed. “You… you really think so?”
“Absolutely, darling.” Rarity exclaimed. “In fact, your results are so impressive I daresay you might have changed my mind about martial arts.”
“Ooh! Ooh! I could teach you!” Aloe cried. “I could be your sensei!”
“My what?”
“It means teacher.” Lotus explained.
“Well… I suppose I could try it some time.” Rarity said. “But would it work for me?”
“Martial arts takes mostly discipline and grace.” Aloe replied. “I think you would be very good at it.”
Rarity got up, wiping her brow. “Well, this is a very interesting conversation, but I think I’ve had enough steam for today. I need to cool off.”
“Oh!” Lotus exclaimed excitedly. “We have a new treatment that I think will be just the thing!”
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Rarity stared uncertainly at the large tub of mud before her.
“Are you sure a mud bath is… well… it is rather… dirty.” she said awkwardly.
“Don’t worry.” Lotus assured her. “This is all the rage in Canterlot now. This mud has very healthful and rejuvenating qualities. Think of it as a full-body mud mask.”
Rarity stared uneasily at the tub of thick mud. “Well… I suppose a true fashionista should not shun something just because it’s new and unusual.” she finally conceded.
As Aloe and Lotus eased her into the mud, Rarity’s face changed from trepidation to one of surprised pleasure. It was still rather gross to her, but somehow enjoyable, and the way the mud squished and cushioned her was very comfortable. And deep down inside, Rarity felt a little bit of impish pleasure at the idea of a socially acceptable way to play in the mud. Something about it felt very edgy to her. Not that she was anything like Applejack and her uncouth ways. Celestia knows she would never step into regular mud, but this was special beautifying mud, so this was acceptable.
“Well, this is actually rather enjoyable.” Rarity exclaimed.
Nearby, Lotus was fetching some incense sticks. “We make sure to personally test and perfect all our new treatments before we make them available to our customers, to ensure that they are satisfactory.”
“I tested that one.” Aloe said with a large grin, taking some mud and shaping it between her hooves.
“Of course you did.” Lotus muttered with a smirk. “And then you went and turned it into a mud fight.”
“You’re just jealous because I won.” Aloe replied triumphantly.
Lotus merely rolled her eyes, lighting the incense sticks. Soon, the room was filled with a beautiful, exotic odor.
Lotus then went over to a record player that sat nearby, and put on a record. Soothing music filled the air, which, when combined with the incense and the cool mud, had a very relaxing effect on Rarity.
“Oh, girls.” she sighed. “I am forever grateful that you came to Ponyville. I can’t imagine how bleak it would be without these little times of relaxation and rejuvenation.”
She turned towards the two sisters. “I must say though, I haven’t seen you two around Ponyville too much. Not to pry, but may I ask why?”
“Oh, we tend to visit Canterlot a great deal in our free time.” Lotus answered. “Studying new beautification techniques and such. And always so much to see.”
“I envy you that.” Rarity stated. “Ah, Canterlot. How I long to visit that jewel of a city, to indulge in the life of a socialite. Sadly, there is not much recognition for a small-town fashionista, no matter how hard I work. And, well, money isn’t exactly something I have in abundance. I mean, I’m probably one of the shrewdest businessponies in Ponyville, and I keep my business afloat quite nicely, but… well, I can’t really justify spending that money on myself when other ponies need it more.”
“Your generosity has been your greatest trait.” Aloe said brightly, digging her hooves into the mud and making squelchy sounds. “And even if it hasn’t gotten you into Canterlot, I must say it hasn’t been fruitless.”
“Again, I cannot thank you enough for helping us pay for the spa.” Lotus stated. “You have no idea how much that means to us.”
“Oh, darlings, it is you who are to be thanked.” Rarity exclaimed. “This spa was the best thing that ever happened to Ponyville since I opened my boutique.”
“Or Sugar Cube Corner.” Aloe added, drawing a smiley face in the mud with her hoof. “I looove it there. So many delicious treats!”
“Although that friend of yours, Pinkie Pie, makes even Aloe look lethargic.” Lotus stated.
“Tell me about it.” Rarity muttered. Then she sat up, looking interested. “So… what are things like in Canterlot?” she asked. “Have you ever seen the Princess?”
“Well, once Lotus was called to the palace!” Aloe exclaimed, molding some mud pies. “That was exciting!”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “That must have truly been an experience!” she squealed.
Lotus sighed. “Actually, that was one of the few times I have not enjoyed my trips to Canterlot.” she stated. “Princess Celestia’s personal pupil requested my help to organize her room, because of my skill in feng shui.” Lotus put a hoof to her forehead. “Now, I’m all for order, and I know that feng shui is very delicate, but that young mare had to have her quills all facing in a precise direction! And she continued to argue with me about where everything should go. Then why did she call me if she didn’t want my opinion?!”
“You’re getting stressed out again, sis.” Aloe pointed out. “Remember those breathing techniques and those meditation exercises.”
Lotus took a few deep breaths and sighed. “Forgive me, Miss Rarity. I didn’t mean to disrupt your peaceful mood.”
“Oh, mood, shmood.” Rarity laughed with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Canterlot gossip is so much more enjoyable. So, anything else interesting to regale me with?”
“Well… there was that incident with Aloe and that stallion she thought she recognized.” Lotus said with a chuckle.
“Aaah! Don’t tell that one!” Aloe squealed, dropping her mud pie and waving her hooves for Lotus to stop.
“Oh, this sounds juicy.” Rarity giggled, rubbing her hooves together.
“Well, Aloe saw this stallion she thought was an old close friend.” Lotus went on. “So she thought it would be great fun to sneak up and surprise him.” Lotus chuckled as she remembered. “She went up to him, and threw her hooves around him, and tried to give him a big kiss on the cheek, just see what he would do. It turned out to be an entirely different stallion!”
Rarity burst out laughing as Aloe’s cheeks lit up red and she covered her face with her hooves.
“He must have been surprised!” Rarity laughed.
“Wait, there’s more!” Lotus went on, already laughing very hard herself. “When the stallion turned to see who had grabbed him, he moved his head, and Aloe ended up kissing him right on the mouth!”
“She really did that?!” Rarity laughed. She was trying to keep a ladylike demeanor, but it was very hard to restrain her laughter.
“I said I was sorry!” Aloe cried. Her cheeks were red, but she couldn’t help but chuckle as well as she remembered the stallion’s stunned surprise.
“And the mare he was with grabbed Aloe and seemed very displeased, despite usually being a gentle mare. I daresay things would have gotten hairy if Aloe hadn’t quickly explained that it was all a misunderstanding. Thank Celestia the mare was so kind and understanding. She didn’t hold any grudge against Aloe at all and just warned her to be more careful, although not before throwing her tea on Aloe.”
“Well, she‘s lucky it wasn’t a lot worse!” Rarity laughed.
Lotus snickered. “I never thought a brave stallion like Shining Armor could look so stunned!” she cried.
Rarity suddenly stopped and stared. “Wait a minute. Shining Armor? Captain of the Royal Guard?"
“Mm-hm!” Lotus giggled.
“And was the mare that princess, what’s her name, Mi Amore Cadenza? The one who people think is an item with Shining Armor?”
“The same!” Lotus cried.
Rarity burst into a new set of hysterics, throwing her head back and pounding her hooves in the mud.
Suddenly, a glob of mud flew and hit Lotus in the side of her head. She whipped about to see Aloe grinning.
“That’s for telling embarrassing stories about me.” she said with a smirk.
Lotus glared at Aloe. “Aloe, not while a customer’s here. Miss Rarity….” Lotus spluttered as a glob of mud soared and landed in her open mouth.
“Aloe, that was not funny!” Lotus cried, as Aloe rolled on her back laughing. Rarity was giggling as well.
“Would you terribly mind if I showed my sister her error in challenging me?” Lotus asked Rarity.
“Be my guest.” Rarity chuckled.
Lotus launcher herself at Aloe, grabbing her around the neck and rubbing a hoofful of mud on her cheek as Aloe giggled and shoved a mud pie in Lotus’s face.
Suddenly a pair of mud balls shot them in the face. They spun about to see Rarity grinning.
“You girls mind if a unicorn joins the fight?” Rarity asked, levitating another ball of mud.
Aloe and Lotus grinned at one another, then turned towards Rarity with impish smiles.
This was war.
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All three ponies were laughing as they washed off.
“I won again!” Aloe cried. “I’m the mud-fighting champion! I’m the master of mud-fu!”
“Then the master can clean up her dojo after you wash up.” Lotus replied with a grin, as Aloe cried “Aww!”
Rarity laughed, washing off her spotless white coat. “Dears, I cannot remember the last time I had that much fun being messy.” she chuckled. “I abhor dirtiness, but… well, it was such fun to cut loose and just have a little fun for a change. And it was special beautifying mud, so… well….”
Rarity tried to rectify the situation in her mind. Finally, she came up with an answer to her conundrum.
“Don’t tell Applejack.”
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Rarity sighed as she relaxed in the hot tub. Lotus was pouring her bathing salts into the water, while Aloe had been sent to clean up the mud she had helped hurl helter-skelter.
“You know, I’m glad I got to know you two better.” Rarity exclaimed as she soaked in the warm waters. “And I daresay I just might take Aloe up on those martial arts lessons.”
“Yeah, I can teach you to kick some major flank!” Aloe cried, sticking her head out from the next room.
Rarity chuckled. “I’m not sure that kicking other ponies’ flanks is quite what I had in mind, but it could be very useful for stress release as well as exercise. And I suppose a lady could always use a little self-defense training. And Lotus, that bonsai you spoke of, I would really be interested in seeing some of your work. After all, I do tend to have a talent for detail and artistic skill, and I just might enjoy working with plants in a less… dirty environment than most ponies do.”
“I would be happy to teach you.” Lotus exclaimed.
Rarity sighed, leaning back in the relaxing warm water. “I say, maybe you two should drop by my boutique some time. You know, perhaps share a cup of tea, and I would like to perhaps design you both something, as a bit of a thank you.”
Lotus smiled. “We’d be happy to.”
***********************************************************************
As Rarity left, waving goodbye, Aloe and Lotus waved after her.
“She really is nice.” Aloe stated, watching Rarity leave.
“That she is.” Lotus agreed.
Aloe sighed. “You know, maybe we should try to make a few more friends around here.” she stated. “We could use a little more socialization here, instead of running off to Canterlot whenever we can.”
“Agreed.” Lotus replied. “Perhaps we could get to meet a few of Miss Rarity’s friends.”
As they looked out the window, Aloe pointed excitedly. “See? That lavender mare over there looks new in town. Maybe we could start with her.”
As Lotus turned to look at the approaching mare with the dark purple mane, and that familiar, sensible mane style with the bright pink stripe in it, her eyes shrunk to pinholes.
Lotus suddenly dove behind the counter, peeking out worriedly.
“It’s her. That OCD Canterlot mare with the book obsession.” Lotus whispered hoarsely.
Aloe giggled. “Sis, are you hiding? So what if she’s a little particular about her feng shui. If we’re going to make new friends, we have to start somewhere.”
Aloe opened the door to go out and say hello, but she stopped as she heard the conversation going on between the mare and a baby dragon that was following her.
“I can’t see why Princess Celestia would send me to this town.” the mare griped. “I mean, how important can friendship really be? And anyways, I already have my brother, Shining Armor, as a friend. Although I haven’t heard much from him recently.”
“He’s probably just really busy with his guard duties.” the young dragon replied, then added with a chuckle, “Or he’s still stunned over that weird mare kissing him the week before last.”
“And in front of Cadence, too.” the mare grumbled. “You know, I think she has a crush on him. If I was her, I would give that crazy mare a piece of my mind!”
Lotus suddenly heard a door slam, and saw Aloe dive behind the counter next to her.
“Maybe we should take this ‘friends’ business a bit slower, eh, sister?” Lotus asked.
Aloe nodded. “Yep. Scoot over.”
Author's Note
Just a little something in honor of the spa ponies, Aloe and Lotus.
