“Oh this smells FANTASTIC!” Rarity exclaims while taking a deep breath. I smile “I  
didn’t like the smell of mud so I asked them to add some of my herbs.”. She nods  
approvingly and approaches the puddle of mud in the ground and touches it with her hooves  
“Perfect temperature as always!” and she slips into the pool of mud and herbs.  
I stand at the side of the pool, unsure how I should go in. “As long as you don’t  
canonball in like Pinkie Pie you’re fine.” Rarity said with snicker at my insecurity. So  
I slowly hop in with my back hooves sliding in first.  
The mixture really way warm even though I had expected it to be cool. Warm would surely  
be better. I helps the herbs soak into the coat even for thick ones as earth ponies’.  
With a sigh Rarity lets herself sink deeper intothe mud “This was LONG overdo!”. I  
laugh “Haven’t you been here last week?”. She frowns “I must upkeep my beauty treatment  
more regularly! I’m not a teenager anymore!”. I shake my head “Sure.”. Her intense need  
to be pretty always confuses me. “But your coat is pure white it can’t turn grey anyway.”  
I remind her and she stretches out her hoof and looks at her mud speckled leg “Well…  
that’s true but it feels nice nevertheless.”. “Can’t argue with that…” I confess and  
she grins at me.  
She looks me up at down - or at least the part of me not sunken into the mud. “I’ve  
never had a stallion willing to go to the spa with me. You really are an oddball. But  
with your pretty coat coloring I wouldn’t want it to fade either!”. I tilt my head in  
confusion.  
Rarity points at my ears then at my hooves “For an earth pony you have a really pretty  
coat pattern. So natural! I’m sure nearly any color would fit you! I mean you have a  
green mane for Celestia’s sake! And green is usually such a terrible color to mix!”.  
I laugh “Well I’ve never seen it that way.”. “And!” she added “That you style your hair  
every morning shows that you care very much about making a good impression!”. “How can  
you tell?” I ask surprised. She snickered “I’m the most fashionable pony in this town if  
I may toot my own horns. I can see that your mane and tail are always well groomed.  
Unlike Applejack! I am sure she doesn’t even know what a brush is!”.  
Now I couldn’t help but break out in a fit of laughter and after a few moments she  
joined in. “I’m glad we made friends.” I tell her and her white muzzle suddenly turned  
slightly red “I can only return that compliment.”.
 
I enter after Rarity. Her boutique is more of a workshop than an ordinary shop I notice  
quickly. “Didn’t you say you also have a shop in Manehatten?” I ask and she nods “Yes.  
But my friend is running it. I prefer working more closely with my customers. There it’s  
just an in and out most of the time. Here is where the true magic happens!”.  
I look around and see a huge variety of fabrics and jewels. Actually more jewels than I  
had ever seen before. I approach a huge chest of them. She looks up from the cupboard  
she’s been digging in and over to me. “Don’t touch them!” she yells and I stop my hoove  
that was just about to pick up a blue one “These are for Spikey-Wikey!”.  
“Spikey-Wikey?” I repeat. She quickly tried to stuff many more into the chest. I notice  
many of them were heart shaped. “And you tell ME I can’t get Fluttershy out of my head?”  
I poke her cheek and she blows them up, turning red “He’s just my friend!”.  
I pick up another heart shaped gem and put it into the chest “Yeah sure.”. And before I  
could say anything else she suddenly lay on a red couch her front hoof over her eyes.  
“Where did that co-” “Oh SPIKEY-WIKEY!” she exclaimed “Why does he never visit me  
anymore?!”.  
Slowly I walk up to her “Oh… do you mean Spike?” and she nods “He used to visit me  
regularly! And now??”. I sit down on the couch “Isn’t he now officially Princess  
Twilight’s right hand? I keep forgetting what his role is called…”  
“He’s the advisor of friendship! But forgets his own friend…” she whimpers miserably.  
“Why don’t you go visit him then?” I ask “Make a visit to your boutique in Canterlot  
aswell.”. She seems to be thinking for a moment. “I think I will! And you will accompany  
me!” she declairs.  
I quickly shake my head “I can’t. I have to help Fluttershy.”. She once again fell on  
her back into her drama pose “Have I taught you nothing about gernosity?”. I raise an  
eyebrow “You just want to use me to make him jealous.”.  
“Well…” she mumbles “…that’s only half the truth…”. “Then what’s the rest of the
 
truth?” I demand. She sits up “I want to introduce the pony that’s replacing to the  
Princess!” her eyes glitter with excitemend.  
I shake my head “I… I’ve never met royalty! Besides you don’t say something like  
that! I would NEVER replace Princess Twilight in any way!”. Suddenly she seems to notice  
what she said “Oh my! I worded that really badly… But she’s not royalty… See her as a  
friend of a friend! After all she’s been a pony like you and me not long ago.”.  
“You’re right…” I say thoughtfully. “I’ll come along. But let’s bring everyone. I got  
the feeling everyone’s been missing her.”. She looks up at the ceiling “Oh what joy! This  
will be fun to all be together again!”.  
What kind of mess did I get myself into now..?