Bejeweled

Agate was running up and down ever since she woke up, and it was half past nine already. She was too nervous to eat, too nervous to think even. She was in panic, walking around in circles from which she could not get out from.

"What should I do, what should I do?!" she asked over and over again. "I need to get all the materials for the dress, but I promised Lotus and Aloe to help too." she rambled, with a loud and painful groan afterwards as she smashed her head into the wall in front of her.

"Plan forward you foal!" a deep and barky voice told her from behind. "Rarity wouldn't just lay down crying miserably, why would you?".

It was none other, but Agate's closest friend, loyal advisor and most of all, favorite tool of trade: Hamy the hammer.

"Yes. Yes, she should try to do something." Agate replied to the hammer levitating in a purple aura. For some reason Hamy could always beat a bit of sense into her... not literally of course.

"Think, girl, how could you get the things and help the girls at the same time?" the hammer asked, levitating closer the mustard unicorn.

Agate started to think at last, she grabbed a pen and paper and decided to draw her plans while discussing it with her inanimate partner.

"Alright, so since the park is somewhere outside, and the hot bath shouldn't be heated all the time, we could get some time to run around town and get all things one by one." she explained, drawing arcs and circles in a little sketch of a map she made. "And between two runs we could help the girls out, yes. That sounds like it could work. We would need to run around a lot but-"

"See? I knew you can use that head if you want to." Hamy complimented from behind, interrupting the sentence.

"Thanks Hamy, I should pack up and get going, then. The shops will close soon." she told her, discharging her horn and thus dropping the tool on the ground as she made her way outside the bedroom. With a plan that may or may not work, she was always able to gain enough determination to get going, even if it was a foal's errand. Her stomach started to growl awfully as she closed the door in front of herself.

"But first, let me make a sandwich." she said, trotting down to the kitchen and looking into the fridge. She grew very hungry now that her nerves became calm once more. She needed to be fast, though, for time was ticking.

Leaving the boutique with a now full stomach and Rarity's saddlebags, she headed straight towards the park where the girls were already waiting for her. The weather was amazing just like the days before, and the happy ponies strolled outside to smell the heavenly aromas of the products. Four massage beds placed next to each other under the shadows of an oak, while shelves were standing next to them full of lotions, powders and Agate's favorite, lavastones. The girls were already giving out their services to the townsfolk, however the gigantic wooden tub out in the Sun was empty.

"Hey girls!" Agate shouted as she approached. She knew she was a little bit late, but as they say: "Better late than never."

Lotus was more than delighted to see her, the sooner they could get the bath to work the better.

"Miss Agate, quick, we need your assistance immediately." Lotus said, while massaging an orange earth pony.

"I know, I know." Agate told her, as she charged up her horn, rushing towards the pool. She needed to heat it up fast, so for maximum efficiency she charged up the heat spell and sunk the tip of her horn into the liquid. She was painfully forcing all her magic into that one little point as the water began to boil around it. As she heard the bubbles coming up, she discharged to save the remaining energy for later. Her breathing became more severe as she wiped some sweat off her forehead, but the job was done... for now. Only afterwards she noticed the third mare around, she looked exactly like Lotus and Aloe style-wise, but she was beige with a purple mane. She was running the counter, placed in a little desk she sat in front of. Whoever she was, she caught interest in the mustard mare.

"We haven't met before, right? I'm Agate." the unicorn walked up to her, shaking hooves with her. The earth pony looked worried and a bit scaredy, as if she was trying to tell something, but was too scared to do so.

"I'm Vera, Aloe told me about you, thank you for helping us." Vera replied, returning the gesture. "But if you are going to work at the spa you need to wear a headband. It's a rule, you know." she whispered, as if she would be afraid of her still.

"About that, I'm going to need to go buy stuff around town, but I'll jump by and heat the pool again if it's cool." the motormouth Agate explained. She kept on jumping in place, she was hurrying that much.

"Sure... I guess." Vera replied with no sign of any confidence. Agate nodded with a quick 'Thanks' and rushed to her first stop. There was no time for her, the shops were closing earlier today, and she couldn't fail here.

The dust was flying high behind her as the unicorn ran through the town. She planned to run to the farthest places first as she had the energy to do so. Her first stop was the Beds and Bells Shop, as the little silver bells were one of the most important accessories. Exhausted and wheezing, she took a few seconds to put herself together, then entered.

A pair of bells rang as she opened the door, not much to her surprise. The store was not as big as she expected, but it was neatly organized, with the bells hanging over the beds, giving a strange but cool feeling to the room. She spent no time with looking around but went to the counter straight away, asking for what she was looking for.

"Hi there, do you have round silver bells?" she asked in visible hurry. The shop was overwatched by a stallion of light blue and gray. As soon as the request entered his ears he rushed back and brought out a beautiful round piece of silver on a small, grey thread.

"How about this one? It's two bits." he asked with a smile on his face. He knew not to take time of a costumer in a hurry, so he did not mess around but got to the point. Just what Agate needed. The armorsmith asked for a couple more of the same product and a few minutes in, she was able to pay right up.

"Good day, Agate." a voice greeted her from behind. To her surprise, it was her mane-friend Roseluck. Mane-friend as in they had the exact same manestyle, it was a word Agate came up with.

"Hey Rose, what's up?" she asked. She still was in a lot of hurry and it was clear as crystal.

"Oh, I was looking around for things for my garden but unfortunately they don't sell flowerbeds here." she answered with a sad melody in her voice. The way she talked was so slow compared to the unicorn it was driving her mad.

"Well, I see you're in a hurry so I won't hold you up." the gardener added.

She suddenly found Agate's hooves wrapped around her neck "Sorry Rose, maybe next time." the mustard one apologized.

She packed up and as swift as she came, she rushed away. The bells were checked out, but there was more to be done.

Leaving the shop, she was almost ran over by somepony speeding with a scooter. Her eyes followed the dark brown filly, zig-zagging a few meters then falling over and crashing.

The unicorn rushed there to lend a helping hoof.

"Hey girl, you alright?" she asked. However, the little one just stood up and brushed the dust off herself.

"Yeah, yeah, nothing serious." she replied as if it was nothing, aligning the blue helmet she wore "But thanks anyway.".

She hopped on her scooter again and buzzed off with the help of her wings. A strange method of using that thing, sure, but the unicorn saw the awesomeness in it. That girl had potential and she used it all up.

Agate rushed to make her way back to the park, after seeing that around twenty minutes already passed. She was getting tired of all this running, but she had luck the shops hasn't close yet. It was certainly easier for her this time, for she knew the exact way. As soon as she saw the park she already began to charge her horn. She hurried up the tub and began to boil it once more, then with a quick farewell she rushed away again.

Only afterwards she noticed that this won't be able to continue for very long. She was breaking sweat and was exhausted. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a voice coming from above.

"Hey, aren't those Rarity's bags?" a pegasus said. She had a blue coat, and a mane of many, many colors. It was a strange sight somepony with a mane of a rainbow.

"I borrowed it from her." Agate shouted back without any sign of stopping. The pegasus flew over her, as she saw her shadow next to hers on the ground.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, dashing to the unicorn and tackling her with her body. Both of them rolled on the ground for a little, the pegasus coming on the top "I don't believe it."

"Rainbow Dash, let her be!" a female voice shouted from behind, a voice oddly familiar but still somewhat different. "I'm sorry about her." she added as the pegasus gained a purple aura around her that levitated her up in the air, then put down on the ground behind the owner of the magic.

Agate recognized her, it was her old classmate in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns: Twilight Sparkle. Her cute, dark purple bangs not changed a bit from since, even the streaks were the same. She reached out to lend a hoof to the mare on the ground.

"He-hey, Sunburn, long time no-" however, her sentence turned into a gigantic "Ugf!" as the librarian stomped on her stomach out of sheer frustration.

"You asked for this, Agate!" she replied, her eyes shut but still visibly twitching. She gave her another chance to the mustard coated to redeem herself, which she accepted, being up on her fours again. Twilight was a mare who could forgive, but there were things that could upset her more than others, and the "nickname" Sunburn was very much one of them.

"Wait, wait, wait. You know this girl, Twilight?" Rainbow asked in confusion, shaking her head. It took her by surprise from what her face shown.

"She was my classmate in the Princess's school before she got fired for her grades. Rainbow this is Agate." Twilight introduced them, still a bit annoyed from that word. It was that little sweet spot that could trigger her rage in a flash. "Agate, what are you doing with Rarity's bags mind if I ask?"

"She lent me them until she shops in Canterlot, and I'm shopping in Ponyville. I don't have time to explain girls, I gotta hurry." she blabbered as quick as she could, not even dusting herself off.

"Okay then, just don't make any trouble." Twilight told her with watching eyes and a menacing voice.

"Yeah, don't- What?!" shouted Rainbow Dash "You let her go like that?"

"Yes I do, Agate is mischievous but not a thief. Despite that..." Twilight explained, looking at the other unicorn who was already long gone by then "I'd love to hear what she is doing here in Ponyville."

After dropping by the Carpenter's for the steel rings, studs, glue, and others, Agate was to made her third run to the park, but her body was too weak already. Her sides were in agony, her legs in extreme pain, even breathing hurt her. Yet she didn't give up, she had to carry on to make up time. Things started to fade into blur, running was impossible, all she saw was colorful spots on a gigantic green and blue canvas. She began charging her horn, making it glow with a beautiful purple aura, but she couldn't hold it. The magic around it dissipated as her body collapsed like a ragdoll on the hot ground. The saddlebags hit the ground, throwing up their contents on the dirt.

"Miss Agate!" a voice screamed. A pink face appeared between the two black shades closing and opening a little bit randomly, in the blurry vision of the mare, as a gentle touch lifted her head from the ground "Miss Agate, are you alright?" she asked, receiving a light groan from the unicorn.

"Quick! Water! Water!" Aloe screamed behind, making a blue face join her a second later "It's alright Miss Agate, here drink this." she added. Aloe held her still while Lotus (with the help of her mouth) poured some fresh water from a bottle into her, dropping it on the ground.

"Let's bring her in from the heat." Lotus advised, as the spa sisters took the unicorn with their front hooves and lifted her up, bringing her under the shadows and laying down on an empty massage bed.

"Here, just lay down, I'll call a nurse." Aloe said, as she took another little bottle of cold water from the cooling box filled with ice, giving it to the unicorn, then hurrying to Vera to have her call a nurse. Agate didn't really know what was going on, all she knew that she was saved by her new friends and that the unbearable heat of the Sun was not harming her anymore. It was good there, where she was laying. After some more moments, the watching eyes in the spa's territory started to focus elsewhere.

In her mind, Agate failed. She was upset she couldn't make it, but her pain and condition disallowed her to express it. All she could do was to lie there.

'Rarity's going to kill me.' she repeated in herself, but she resigned with the thought over time. She tried her best and it was just not enough. Can't win every battle. Partially, it was her fault as well, for not thinking forwards.

"Let's see." a stranger's voice was sounded near her. Agate turned her head to see a yellow coated mare with a mane of light blue she wore in a net under a nurse cap. She put her hoof on the sweating forehead of the unicorn. "She got heat stroke. Quick, give me a wet towel." she told somepony behind her, turning completely to the mare "Have you drunk anything today?" she asked as she leaned over her.

"Not really." Agate shook her head.

"That's severe dehydration as well." the nurse added "Try to sit up if you can, slowly, slowly."

Agate lifted her head first, then the rest of her body too. She placed her head into her hoof for a second as she sighed, but she felt a little bit better than before.

"Easy now, easy." the nurse said, as she supported her on the back. Agate charged her horn and popped open the water bottle to get some more water to drink.

"Thank you nurse, I'm a little better." Agate told her, grateful as she could be, trying to get on her fours once more, but the earth pony denied it.

"No no no, don't hurry that much. Just lie down a bit more until you feel better." she replied, keeping Agate on the bed and helping her lie down. Meanwhile, Aloe brought the cool and wet towel, which the nurse put on Agate's forehead.

"Let's talk a little, dear, alright? I'm Nurse Snowheart, I work at the Ponyville Hospital nearby, how about you?" she asked, in hope to keep the patient still and calm. It was usually a good method, but drew a few consequences.

"I'm Agate, I am a smith from Canterlot." the unicorn replied. The situation gave off the feeling of being at a therapist to her, but she didn't mind it much.

"That is very interesting, here for a little holiday?" Snowheart asked in a jovial tone. Unlike her name suggested, it seemed like her heart wasn't as cold as snow.

"You can say that." Agate replied with a soft chuckle. She didn't think about calling this a holiday before, but now that she thought about it, she might as well do so.

The two spent many minutes chit-chatting before Snowheart bid farewell. Agate felt considerably better afterwards, she had no trouble standing up either. Though she felt a bit dizzy still, she knew things are fine again.

"Feel better Miss Agate?" Aloe asked.

"A lot, thank you." the unicorn replied as she charged her horn once more. She felt healthy enough to get back to work and she tried to heat the pool a tiny bit once more, with success. Everyone seemed to be delighted she was back again, but most of all, her.

"We gathered up the things you dropped Miss Agate, they're just next to the tree." Lotus said. The items indeed lied just right to the box of ice, with little to no damage. That was a great relief for the unicorn.

"Thank you very much girls. I owe you one." she thanked them, the three beauticians gently giggling. She cruised up to the tree with the towel, and with the help of her magic she took a few cubes of ice and rubbed it against its texture, then wrapped it around her body like a belt. She took a quick look into the backpacks, but nothing was missing.

Now that the shops were closed and Agate also recuperated from her condition nothing stopped her to put on the signature spa headband and spend some of her afternoon working with the girls she adored.