Rarity flopped down in the soft, stylish chair. She levitated her heart ruby and glanced around for a place to put it. Lacking a better option, she placed it amongst the barber tools on the staff counter. It wasn't like Aloe to reject payment like that. If most of the other staff were out sick then why not close up shop instead of training a newbie on a longtime regular customer? Something seemed off about this.
Where was the new spa pony anyway?
Rarity craned her neck to look past the row of salon chairs. Her eyes were drown towards the other customers. Mr. Orion, an elegant white earth pony, sat unattended reading a newspaper. Further down the row Miss. Cheerilee looked like she'd fallen asleep on her seat. At least Lyra was getting service, but Rarity didn't recognize the crystal pony attending to her. Perhaps that was the newbie? Though she looked liked she already knew what she was doing. Er, not that Aloe would hire a total newbie, right?
Rarity caught herself fidgeting and forced herself to relax. This was the spa. It was a place for relaxation. She snuggled down in the soft seat. It wouldn't be like Aloe to hire somepony like Applejack to work here. Rarity paused and abandoned that train of thought. Applejack might prefer the rugged, practical, and dirty lifestyle but she clearly knew a thing or two about fashion and could doll herself up when she wanted to. No, Applejack wouldn't be the worst possible pony to have on the staff here. That would be–
The staff door creaked open and this mystery pony walked out. She was a light blue pegasus with magenta eyes and a wide grin on her face. She looked straight at Rarity and sauntered towards her. A white neckband with a small white jewel centered on it indicated her position as a trainee. A white cloth wrapped around her head held her forelocks back, but her multicolor tail was clearly visible.
“–Rainbow Dash!?”
“The one and only.” Rainbow Dash paused while she examined Rarity on the seat. She spent too much time doing that, actually. It was awkward.
“R-Rainbow Dash. I certainly didn't expect to see you working here, ever.”
“Heh. Well I am. So what do you want to start with? A massage?” Rainbow flushed a little. “Want me to knead out the tension in those lovely muscles of yours?”
“Oh. Well I usually start with a hooficure.” Rarity rolled over and spread her hooves out on the edge of her seat. Rainbow Dash looked confused. “That is, um, if you, er... Do you know what you're doing?”
“What? Of course I know what I'm doing. A hooficure is just a... um...”
“You'll want to polish them until you can see your own reflection and file down any rough spots you find.”
“Right. I knew that.” Rainbow Dash turned to look at the staff counter and started opening drawers. “Let's see... hoof polish...”
Rarity cringed as Rainbow Dash rummaged through the spa's supplies and knocked things over. “It's in the bottom drawer on the left flank side. ”
“Thanks.” Rainbow Dash opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle. She uncorked it and dribbled some black goop on Rarity's hooves. Grabbing a cloth, she started rubbing.
Rarity watched her with a smirk. It was kind of amusing to see Rainbow Dash fuss over her like that. She could get used to this.
Rainbow Dash caught Rarity's eyes and made a smirk of her own. “I bet I can set the speed record for doing this.”
“Wha- wait! Slow down! You can't rush beauty.”
Rainbow Dash's limbs became as blur as she hurried through her chore with blinding speed. Wisps of smoke began to curl up. Rarity winced from the heat. Thankfully, this treatment didn't last long and Rainbow Dash declared her speed polishing a success. They were indeed shiny, but they were also the wrong color.
“Um–” Rarity held up a hoof in front of her face. It was jet black. The normally invisible seam where her fur ends and her hoof begins was clearly visible. “My hoof! Oh my precious little darling. Rainbow, what did you do to it?”
“Uh, that's not supposed to happen?” Rainbow looked sheepish and she tried to hide the bottle she'd used.
“Wait, let me see that.” Rarity magicked the thing out of her grip and read the label. “This is hoof paint not hoof polish. Oh my stars this is terrible. This stuff takes weeks to come off. Weeks! You've made me look like a Clydesdale.” Rarity whimpered, “Weeks...”
“Wait, I can fix this.” Rainbow Dash pulled out the file and gripped it in her mouth. “Whis'll do bit.”
“Rainbow, are you sure that–?”
Rainbow answered in the form of rubbing the file on Rarity's hooves. Well, that was a generous term for it. The file didn't move smoothly and bounced and got stuck. Rainbow growled and forced it to move but that only left jagged grooves. Rarity watched agape as flecks of discolored keratin curled up in little rolls as Rainbow Dash inexpertly gouged lines in her hooves in her pitiful attempt to file the paint off.
“Rainbow, stop!”
“But am' nod fimished.” Rarity glared at her and she spat the file out. “But I'm not finished,” she repeated.
“Th-that's okay.” Rarity shifted positions and buried her hooves under herself. “I, um, boots are still in style. I think. I don't really need that hooficure after all.”
“Oh. Well why didn't you say so in the first place?” Rainbow Dash leaned in and placed a hoof against Rarity's flank. Spots of paint were on her hooves too. “Sorry about your hooves. Perhaps a nice massage will make up for it? So soft and tender...”
“Eh-heh.” Rarity had to stifle a giggle. Rainbow's mouth hung half-open with her tongue hanging out to one side. It was cute but kind of creepy too. “Now now, we can't get too far ahead of ourselves.” Rarity shifted her weight and held a hoof up to touch her mane. She frowned when the scratched, discolored thing passed her face. “You need to do my hair first.”
“Do your...? Oh. You want a mane-cut. Getting a bit too long for the summer?” Rainbow Dash gave a slight sigh. She drew her hoof away from Rarity's flank and walked over to the counter to look for scissors.
“Just trim an inch or two off the ends. It also needs to be washed, curled, and conditioned.” Rarity reburied her hoof under herself where she didn't have to look at it.
Rainbow Dash came back holding one side of a pair of scissors in her hoof. She shook it and it opened and closed. “Um...”
“You... do know how to use scissors, right?”
“Of course I know how they work. I'm just a bit out of practice, that's all.” Rainbow dropped the scissors on the floor. “Eh-heh. Okay, so I'm a lot out of practice. My parents never let me touch them ever since that bedsheet incident when I was three.”
Rarity levitated the fallen scissors and snipped them mid-air. “They're not too hard to work, dear. You just, um...”
Rainbow deadpanned. “Yeah, yeah. You do it your way, I'll do it mine.” Rainbow Dash grabbed the scissors in her mouth and Rarity's magic fizzled. She twisted them around and somehow managed to make them snip. Satisfied, she approached Rarity's mane.
Rarity held perfectly still. She felt Rainbow pull at the back of her mane. She pulled too hard, actually; it hurt. “Rainbow, dear, could you–” Snip. That sounded close, too close. The pulling sensation suddenly stopped. The scissors clattered on the floor again.
“Whoops.”
“Whoops! What do you mean, 'whoops!?' Rainbow Dash, you'd better not have cut off my hair!”
“Uh, um, well, at least it's shorter, right?” Rainbow Dash held out a huge lock of Rarity's hair and grinned sheepishly.
Rarity blinked and burst out laughing. That was her entire crest – the back half of her mane that hung down her neck and drooped past her shoulders.
“What? What's so funny?”
“It's not a big deal, really. If you return my hair I can reattach it with my magic. You'd be surprised at how often it gets cut off when Sweetie Belle tries to make dresses.”
“You can do– Of course I knew you could that.” Rainbow grinned. “Why, I planned on that from the start. It's much easier to wash and stuff when it's not attached.”
“What!?” Rarity's eyes popped open, but she let her eyelids droop after a moment. “Well, alright. But do be careful with it. That's my hair.”
“I will!” Rainbow Dash carried the purple curls over to the sink. She pulled off a few strands to keep for herself and turned the sink on. The water threatened to wash the hair away so she put the plug in and let the sink fill up before she started working. She grabbed a bottle and read the label this time to make sure that she was using real shampoo. The bottle was actually a shampoo/conditioner hybrid. Sweet, she could skip a step. She smeared the lotion on the hair and immersed it in the water to wet and lather it. The hair promptly rearranged itself from neat curls into a slightly soapy tangled mass.
“How's it going over there?” Rarity asked.
“It's... fine. Heh. Couldn't be better, actually.” Rainbow Dash pulled the hairball out of the sink and frowned. Maybe she could get it straightened out when she put it in the curlers. She'd have to dry it first, though. Looking around, she found the powered hairdrier and flipped on the switch. Hot wind blasted the hairball apart and loose strands flew across the room.
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She reached for a broom but the floor was already covered in clippings from all kinds of different ponies. There was no way she could sort out Rarity's hairs from the rest. Rainbow Dash cringed. Rarity was going to kill her. Well, if she couldn't retrieve Rarity's hair then perhaps she could use somepony else's. Who else had purple hair, though?
That white pony with the newspaper had blue hair, Cheerilee's hair was pink, Lyra's hair was minty, and Aloe's hair was blue. Rainbow didn't even consider the crystal pony. Hair like that, while awesome, just wouldn't work.
Rainbow Dash picked up another pair of scissors and tip-hoofed over to the sleeping Cheerilee. Pink was the closest to purple out of the ponies here. A bit of blue dye and...
Rainbow Dash hung her head and frowned. She couldn't do this. She wasn't going to steal another pony's mane. She'd just have to admit her mistake and live with the consequences. Rainbow felt a heavy weight on her heart. She looked past her flank at the anxious Rarity and–
Oh.
There was another pony here with purple hair. Rainbow Dash ducked behind a chair and carefully brought the scissors to her tail. She hesitated. Her tail would look ratty if she cut part of it off. She – she thought of how disappointed Rarity would be. Rainbow couldn't bear to see a frown like that. Her tail would grow back, eventually.
Rainbow Dash just needed the purple streak. She snipped that off and part of the the blue one too. This hair was twice as long and half as thick as it needed to be so she cut it in half and doubled it up. It was already clean since it'd gotten wet when she had that fight with a storm cloud this morning. Well, it was clean enough, anyway. To further disguise it she rolled the hair up onto the curlers. That would have to do.
“Are you done with it yet?” Rarity asked.
“Yes, I'm ready.” Rainbow Dash came back and presented the rolled-up curls of hair.
Rarity pulled it off the spools and held up a mirror to guide her as she glued 'her' hair back on. When the magic faded, she twisted her face in confusion. “Blue streaks? Did you get somepony else's hair mixed in with mine?”
“Um, maybe...”
“It's not half bad, actually. I guess I can trim it out later if I decide I don't like it.”
“So, are you ready for that massage now?” Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves together and grinned.
“Almost. It's time for my mud bath first, though.”
“Mud. Bath...?” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and lifted an eyebrow. “But I thought you didn't like getting muddy.”
“It's beauty mud. There's a difference.”
Rainbow Dash looked at the mud pit. It looked like ordinary mud. “Oh. Well, I'll just grab a towel or something and dry you off when you get out.”
“Oh no. I can't just walk in naked. You'll have to wrap me in leaves first.” Rarity hopped down from her chair and stood by the pit. She frowned at her black and scratched hooves.
“Leaves, really? How can I wrap you in something so small?”
“They're long and thin. I don't know what kind they are, but one simply does not go in a mud bath without them.”
“Hmm.” Rainbow scrunched up her face in thought. “Actually, I think I saw something growing like that outside. Wait here and I'll be back in a dash.” Rainbow Dash dashed out. When she ran, Rarity's eye caught something.
“Wait, what happened to your tail?” Rarity asked. Her question went unanswered as the door swung shut. Rarity frowned and glanced at the hair she'd reattached. She lacked the time to examine it, though. The door reopened and Rainbow returned with coils of vine draped over her body.
“This ought to do it.” Rainbow Dash walked up and wrapped the vines around Rarity. She took her time and rubbed her hooves along Rarity's flank as she did so. Rarity flushed from the treatment and felt a growing response to Rainbow's touch. It felt like...
Itchiness?
“R-Rainbow Dash. What kind of vines are those?”
“Oh, they're just some three-leaved vines I found growing outside. Why?”
“Did you just say three leaves? Let me see that.” Rarity levitated a section of the vine in front of her. “Oh how dreadful. It's poison ivy!”
“What?” Rainbow Dash looked down. Only now did she notice the painful-looking pinkish welts that riddled her forelegs. “I... think we should see a doctor.”
***
“It's poison oak, actually.” Dr. Stable wrapped the last of the bandages around Rainbow's legs. The ointment he'd used helped with the swelling but they were still very sore.
“Ugh. I'm never going to live this down.” Rainbow shook her head. “I can't believe I was that stupid.”
“You'll want to keep the bandages on overnight. If you're still sore in the morning, let me know and I'll apply a fresh batch of ointment.”
“Thanks, Doctor.” Rainbow sighed. “But the pain I'm feeling the most right now isn't something that ointment can help.”
Dr. Stable shrugged. “You live and learn. That which does not kill you... sends you here.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and left for the waiting room. Rarity was there along with the spa pony Aloe. Rarity's bandages were only around her midsection. Her newly acquired blue-streaked mane hung down low over her shoulder now that the curling effect had worn off. Her blackened and scratched hooves provided a sharp contrast to her white coat.
“Only you can make that look good,” Rainbow said.
Rarity flushed. “Oh, you flatterer. The bandages do help with the style but I've already thought of several different ways that it could be improved upon. Some fishnet stockings and maybe a black saddle with blue trimming... Hmm, yes. This could be the start of a new trend.”
Aloe walked up to Rainbow Dash and extended her hoof. “Well, you did end up in the hospital. You know what that means.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow grumbled. She unfolded a wing and passed off two slips of paper. “Two backstage passes to the next Wonderbolts Derby.”
“Why thank you. It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Miss.” Aloe pocketed the tickets and pulled out a heart ruby. “Rarity, I believe this is yours. I'm sorry about all of this but Rainbow made such a tempting wager that I couldn't pass it up. If you want a proper treatment, you're welcome to come back to the spa and we'll do it free of charge.”
Rarity looked down at her gem. “Oh, thanks. I guess that's fair. I may take you up on that offer once my sides have healed.”
Aloe walked out to return to the spa. They were still understaffed, after all.
“You have backstage passes to the Wonderbolts Derby?” Rarity asked.
“Had backstage passes. I can't believe I lost them. All I had to do was NOT send anypony to the hospital! How could the spa be so dangerous!?”
“What in Equestria were you doing there anyway? I thought you didn't like that place.”
“Oh, well... It's funny you ask that because–” Rainbow Dash fidgeted nervously.
Rarity narrowed her eyes and levitated a pair of scissors. “Please tell me the real reason or I'll–” she opened the scissors and held them close to her mane “–I'll cut off your tail.”
“Ack, no! Please don't do that. It looks good on you.”
“Well?”
“Ulp.” Rainbow Dash swallowed. “I was jealous, okay? I see you go in there every day and they always give you a wonderful massage and I wanted to do that and I didn't plan ahead and–”
Rarity held up a hoof. “And why were you jealous?”
“Because, um...”
“Well?”
“Will you be my dance partner for the Swinging Cider Square Ball Bash?” Rainbow Dash grinned so wide her teeth showed. She'd dodged Rarity's question but Rarity let that slide.
“Oh, Rainbow.” Rarity leaned over and kissed Rainbow, who flushed bright crimson. “You simply can't go to a dance looking like that, darling.”
“Ubwa – what?”
“Why your hooves are stained and your tail is notched and ratty. But don't worry, that's nothing a trip to the spa can't fix. Why, I'll even do all the work myself.” Rarity winked.
“Er...”
“Don't worry.” Rarity grinned and showed off her own teeth. “I know how to do it just the right way.”
“That's what I'm afraid of.” Rainbow Dash shuddered.
“Mmm. If you behave yourself you might even get a massage~”
Rainbow Dash stood still with her mouth open. She moved her jaw a bit before speaking. “Only for you, Rarity.” Rainbow Dash hung her head. “Only for you.”
