Enter from Fluttershy's Cottage!

Having made it to Rarity's favorite commercial location in all of Ponyville, she slowed down a tad to re-establish herself. With a small bit of a glow from her horn, she adjusted her floral hat and her masterfully maintained mane, making sure none of it was ruined during her slightly faster trot. Flawlessness maintained! She smiled towards Fluttershy before looking over towards Lyra and Moonsong who were standing outside of the door, without the Princess. Assuming Luna was already inside, Rarity walked up to the door, nodding to the two mares as she passed.

"Good morning again, ladies," she said pleasantly, nodding her head, "Thank you ever so much for showing the Princess here. In all the excitement, that detail just slipped my mind!"

After saying her piece, Rarity opened the door with her magic and stepped inside, holding it open for Fluttershy to follow in after her. Once inside the door, she looked over to the Princess with a smile, and then to Lotus who was waiting there patiently.

"We're here! I'm sorry for the delay.. busy morning!" she smiled, "Lotus, darling, I was wondering if I could add one more to my usual appointment?" Rarity tilted her head, indicating Luna as her smile grew even further, filled with the pride of showing a Princess the wonders of a spa.

As Rarity appeared, Luna  smiled a bit as well, and  joined her in approach to the counter. She did pause a moment to look to Fluttershy, and stepped over to throw a hoof about her lightly. Her early reactions to Fluttershy's 'voice coaching' had been more hectic on the mare, but this was a little more... manageable, if a bit direct. "Oh, and Fluttershy! It has been such a time since we've been together. I have been practicing my...  speaking... and... I believe I.. have... improved?" she prompted, and couldn't help but grin. She was happy, excited, to be out with friends like this!

Luna then released her to stand by Rarity, tall and regal and poised, horn upright. She wasn't sure what to say, but managed not to show discomfort with Rarity's introduction and managing the request for her... she felt like sometimes, if she asked for something, ponies would just do it.. but maybe with somepony else asking...  ponies wouldn't feel so pressured... Just another strange observation... not entirely unwelcome all the time, but it could feel... isolating somehow.  Her sister had shared as much, too, in their private time.  Like the time she'd had a bit of fun with the Cakes...

To say that Lotus' eyes widen isn't really accurate.  For a moment they almost bug as Princess Luna steps through the door, and though the pony works to recover herself she still has to lift a hoof and cover her mouth while she regains her composure.

"Princess Luna!" Lotus finally manages, her accent rounding the words as she suffuses them with warmth and welcome.  "What an absolute pleasure it is to welcome you to Ponyville's Spa!"  When Rarity and Fluttershy enter as Lotus is making her initial welcome for the Princess, the pony is a little relieved and her curiosity is instantly sated:  Of course Rarity would bring Luna here; no other local pony would be so well connected.

Smiling with the same bright and genuine welcome to her regulars as she had to Princess Luna, Lotus turns to them to include them in her next words.  "It's so good to see you all!  Aloe and I have all of your usual favourites prepared, and once you're settled in we'll create a pamper package just for you, Princess."

Lotus quiets then, letting the three friends speak without interruption and just barely managing to stay where she is.  Running off in a hurry to tell Aloe wouldn't be polite to their guests, after all.

"No problem, Rarity~!  Just remember us little ponies when you're having tea with The Crown." Lyra joked as she turned her nose up in a haughty pose.  Her happy smile spoke volumes about her sense of humor as she gave the gathered ponies a friendly wave on their way inside the spa.  "Have fun, your Highness!"

Once the royal entourage was inside, Lyra and Moonsong were once more left to their own devices.  The unicorn just snickered to herself and cantered about in as energetic a fashion as ever.  "That was so cool~!  Bon Bon is gonna flip when I tell her!  Man, great way to start off your life in Ponyville, huh Moonsong?"

The Princess smiled at Lotus as she gushed an eager greeting to herself, and then to Rarity and Fluttershy as well.  The princess nodded gracefully, and turned to Rarity. "This does seem quite interesting. I simply cannot wait to try this, given how you've spoken of it." Her front hooves gave a little prance of excitement, though she moved to allow for Rarity to lead the way - really not quite sure where they were going to go first here.

<-- Enter from Fluttershy's Cottage

The whole point in having spa weekends was to soothe away the aches and stresses of the rest of the week, leaving one refreshed and ready to face the new challenges yet to come.  Fluttershy, while demure and quiet, had a lot of responsibility in the care of her animal friends... it was very demanding and while she would never complain, it did put a lot of stress on her.  Being able to spend some quiet time with her best friend in a soothing atmosphere was something she looked forward to each week.

So... it was a little out of the norm for her to be looking for an escape route by then.

When Rarity mentioned that Luna would be attending the spa with them, Fluttershy had laughed at first.  She thought it a joke... but as that wasn't the case, by the time they actually got to the spa, the poor Pegasus was a jittery mess.  She looked about ready to implode in on herself and very nearly did when Luna tossed a foreleg around her in a friendly gesture, only managing a pitiful squeak through her mane as she struggled to make herself as small as possible.  Thankfully, ponies like Rarity and Luna had much more bombastic personalities and she was able to hide amongst them even as she quivered.

"Take me with you!" she begged Lyra and Moonsong weakly, though it was no use.  She'd be ushered along inside all the same and could only give a helpless squeak as the doors shut behind the party.

Once inside the Spa, Fluttershy remained to the back of the group.  Naturally she couldn't get to the full rear since the guards were there covering the door... which also meant she couldn't make a break for it.  She was shivering like a newborn foal and let her eyes, which had dilated down to terrified points, dart about for any possible route she could slip away through.

~~Okay Fluttershy, relax.  Breathe.  Princess Luna is a friend.  She helps protect Equestria.~~ the panicky Pegasus mentally braced herself.  ~~Just because she reminds you of Nightmare Night doesn't mean it's okay to freak out.  She wanted to make Nightmare Night not scary!  She's on your side!  Don't think about that holiday!  There are no zombie ponies, no witches, no blood sucking razor bats, no soul-stealing Changelings, no crawly spi-- oh Celestia, I can't breathe...~~
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Mon 23 Apr 2012.

Aloe had let her sister go ahead and get the entrance when their first appointment arrived.  She stayed behind to do a few last-second clean ups and get everything ready to go, then trotted out to join her twin at the greeting.

"Good morning everypony~!  Welcome to your day of relaxa--aaah!!"  Aloe had begun a silky greeting but cut herself off mid-pitch to let out a startled bleat.  The sight of Princess Luna was enough to freeze her in her tracks and cast a panicked, inquisitive look over to her sibling.  "Princess Luna~!  Your highness!  What a surprise to see you here!  Lotus, why is the crown princess of the moon here?!"

Aloe's tone was stricken, but not in a negative manner.  She wasn't scared of Luna (well, not any more since Nightmare Night) and naturally the princess was more than welcome, but it was quite a surprise to take in all at once.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Mon 23 Apr 2012.

With the sharp response to her presence from Aloe, Luna's first response was a twinge of anxiousness. Had she upset the pony with her presence? Although the question was directed to Lotus, she cleared her throat and spoke.

"W-We have.. I have..." she stumbled, and lightly hoofed the floor once in front of her, reestablishing a more dignified position,  standing a little straighter. "I have been invited by my friends to share their appointment. And...  and..." Luna hesitated, seemingly from her awkward position, but also from a second glance at Aloe. That wasn't fear in her eyes, she was sure. Puzzlement, and surprise. Not fear. That was a relief.

She continued, but softer, less on the defensive edge now, than when she had though that somepony was upset about her presence. "It is... also my first time visiting a 'spa' such as this. My friends speak highly of you, though - I place myself in your capable hooves now." she announced, still showcasing that slight awkwardness, that reminder that someone so elegant could also be entirely out of her element. Perhaps Fluttershy would pick up on it best; Luna wasn't so much afraid, but perhaps... uncomfortable admitting such inexperience.

"You will adore it, Luna," Rarity assured her friend, "Talk about being treated like royalty! Right, Fluttershy?"

Looking back at her best friend, who was hiding behind herself and the Princess, Rarity looked a bit confused. The mare looked positively petrified, as if they were going to the spa with a full-fledged dragon! Her face softened with concern for a moment as she studied her friend, looking back and forth between her and the Princess. Was this really a good idea?

The Princess herself also seemed to be a bit out of place. Now that Rarity put her mind to it, the transition from a position of royalty and pampering down to the commoner level would be rather drastic, especially for one that had been out of time for a thousand years! Thankfully, she was there to help the process along, being another sophisticated individual that belonged in high society.

"Mm, she's with us," Rarity said to Aloe, using her magic to move her hat over to a nearby coat-rack, "And, yes, we would just love to begin our appointment!"

Just as flustered as her sister, Lotus manages to cover her own pleasant shock.  "We're so very glad to have you, and don't worry about not having an appointment."  She waves a hoof as though to push aside any such hesitation, then pauses a few seconds to take in the whole of the scene.  Rarity was, as always, cool as a cucumber and apparently ready to handle any social situation.  Princess Luna seemed to be relaxing despite some obviously lingering discomfort, but poor Fluttershy...

Coming from behind the counter, Lotus wears a friendly smile as she bows her head to the three.  "Please, follow us and we'll get started immediately."  When she has a moment to do so, Lotus will quietly suggest that one of them should specifically tend to Fluttershy until the nervous pony calms down; Lotus suspects that all the excitement has her quite ill at ease.

In reply to Lyra Heartstrings (msg #37):

Continuing to cycle the day through her mind as Lyra speaks, Moonsong will give a wave to the Princess as she and Rarity disappear inside the spa.  Catching a glimpse of Fluttershy has the odd-winged mare smiling in a friendly greeting just in case the shy pony should look her way.

"It was amazing!  It isn't even lunch time yet, and I already have a thousand things to write home about," Moonsong replies.  She absolutely can't help herself this time, and she lets out a lovely little trill and gracefully skips a handful of steps before letting the impromptu melody fade.

Despite her initial panic Aloe recovered her composure quickly, slipping back into a well-practiced facade of serenity that she and Lotus were oh-so-good at.  It was their job and talent to soothe other ponies, after all.  It simply wouldn't do to make any customer, let alone a Princess, feel unwelcome in their care.

"Of course~!  I'm sorry for my rudeness... I just wasn't expecting a Princess to arrive at our doorstep.  Please, come this way.  We'll take care of you all."  Aloe assured the ponies.  With Lotus' urging she took to handling Fluttershy... which proved easier than she expected.  The Pegasus was petrified and behaved much like a statue -- it was easy for Aloe to just nudge her head beneath Fluttershy's body and hoist her up onto her back to carry her along.

"My, but she's so stiff... I know a massage will do wonders.  Lotus -- get the ladies some robes~!" Aloe chimed.  She paused and looked back to the armored guards curiously.  "Um... are they joining you as well?  Because we are a unisex establishment."

"Speaking of lunch, I'm getting hungry... those apples just didn't cut it."  Lyra mentioned as she trotted along after Moonsong, catching up with the happy mare and keeping pace easily despite her shorter stride.  When Moonsong lit into an impromptu melody, Lyra laughed brightly in delight.

"Hey, you're good~!  You didn't tell me you could sing~!"  the unicorn said as she canted her head aside.  Her horn glowed brightly and her instrument floated itself from her saddlebag, hovering overhead while its strings strummed about a quick tune to echo Moonsong's humming.  "Here, try this out."  she urged as she strummed out a new tune for her.

"I have no issue if you wish to join." Luna chimed to the guards. "Though, if it is only the two of them, perhaps you could set an appointment yourselves, perhaps tomorrow or this afternoon? I wouldn't want to overwork them with too many of us at once." Luna suggested.

One of the two seemed more enthused by the idea than the others, with a glance at Fluttershy. In fact.. that Mid-Knight seemed to recognize her from her brief stint as a model. The other, more senior subtly put his hoof down without a word. It just took a stare, before he realized they were staying on the job.

Afte robserving this, and the two stepping out to flank the spa's doors, Luna raised a hoof. "They do work so hard. I shall ensure they attend if you'll schedule them for later?"

Rarity followed after Lotus and Aloe at a relaxed pace, humming softly to herself as she prepared for a morning of relaxation. She had a lot to plan and think about, and even more questions for her two friends that she was sharing this experience with. However, it seemed as though her best friend was quite literally scared stiff. Guilt played across her face... She didn't mean to make the yellow pegasus -more- stressed!

"Lotus, don't forget my special robe, with the little "R" on it, please?" Rarity asked quietly, trying not to sound rude. She had never forgotten it before, but with all of the excitement with the Princess, she wanted to make totally sure that she was focused enough to get everything perfectly right.

"Oh, and, let Fluttershy know that I'm very sorry," Rarity blushed, looking down, "When she's become less stiff.."

With Aloe seeing to Fluttershy, Lotus happily shows Rarity and Princess Luna to the comfortably cushioned chairs, then manages to hurry in a way that seems both sedate and relaxed to get the robes.  Without Rarity's reminder, Lotus almost does get the mare a standard spa robe--but she's quick to fix the mistake and thankful about it as well.  "Thank you, Rarity!"

"And we would be happy to accommodate your guards, now or later.  In fact, Aloe and I were just discussing that we needed to develop a set of options for our masculine clientele, and it would be excellent to not only have a stallion's perspective for an afternoon--but a Canterlot stallion's perspective, at that.  As well as they tend themselves, I'm sure they'll have lots to teach Aloe and I!"  Lotus replies, her pleasant tone quite happy.  She helps to settle Rarity and Princess Luna's robes in place, and after that stands back to smile.  "We'll have a robe just for you when you visit us again, Princess Luna.  Now: Shall we begin with a massage?"

In reply to Lyra Heartstrings (msg #46):

"They were very good apples, though."  Moonsong replies in an agreeing tone, finding herself thinking briefly about the yummy apple Lyra had shared with her.

She offers a shy smile at the laughter, able to tell that Lyra was pleased and not mocking, but Moonsong still seems shy anyway.  "Thank you."  With her cutie mark mostly hidden by the fold of her wings, Moonsong isn't surprised that the pale silver round of the full moon, surrounded by three notes, has escaped notice: even if it was more visible, it isn't what ponies normally first see.

When Lyra strums, Moonsong listens for a moment, then tries to mimic it with her voice.  Her pitch and tune are quite good; singing seems to be what the awkward pony truly excels at.  "Like that?"

As Lotus showed them to the cushions, the Princess sat rather elegantly. She seemed to enjoy it, and as Lotus brought her the robe, she helped get it settled. The fluffy, soft fabric felt wonderful against her coat, and she settled back and shut her eyes with a little nod.  She gave her wings a little stretch, then looked to Rarity. "These cushions are nice, and it's comfy." she said. "A massage sounds lovely I think..." she laid back, on seat for now though, and watched Rarity for the moment.

"I hope Fluttershy is alright. She felt absolutely petrified when I gave her a hug."

The Alicorn seemed to be rather content - the atmosphere of the place, and the company both, were quite soothing. And, her tiredness from being up so long was catching up - she had been up most of the evening, the night, and now into the morning and day proper. It was nice to just lie still and rest her eyes.

Rarity followed Lotus over to the comfortable cushions and got onto them gracefully. She had spent countless hours over the years on these very cushions, and they always seemed to be just right, constantly. As her special robe was brought over, she dressed herself, snuggling up a bit in the comfortable fabric, sighing as she let her hooves stretch out in front of her in a lying down position.

"Lotus is a fabulous masseuse," Rarity smiles, giving their current caretaker a compliment while she relaxed, waiting her turn.

"Oh, Fluttershy will be just fine, I am completely sure of it," Rarity assured her friend as she closed her own eyes, "She's in very capable and comforting hooves! I'm sure she was just so delighted and surprised to see you that she just... well, froze in shock! I almost did, when you made your order, heh."       

"Actually, this does make things a bit easier..." Aloe mentioned as she shrugged Fluttershy off her shoulders and got a robe for her.  She was able to dress the petrified pony like a mannequin, moving limbs here and there where they would stay frozen in place.  It made her feel like a little filly playing with her pony dolls again~!  She resisted the urge to giggle as she hoisted the Pegasus up onto one of the beds and carefully arranged her to lay flat.

With their guests seated, Aloe hurried along to the windows and drew the shades tightly, casting the room into a cozy dimness that left the sparkles in Luna's mane as one of the few forms of direct illumination.  She nodded over at her sister to get started while she hurried along, taking care of little things here and there to make the atmosphere more pleasant.  Little bowls of wonderful smelling herbs were set nearby to fill the air with relaxing aromas and a soothing, low-toned ballad was set to play on the stereo system in the background.  The entire point of the spa was to blot out the world beyond those walls and lose oneself completely in relaxation, and that was what Aloe and Lotus were going to do!

"Ooh... I do wish we'd thought to call in Quake today..." Aloe muttered to herself.  That colt was their best masseur.  One of the ponies would just have to wait their turn and it was likely to be Fluttershy.  However, she didn't feel right just leaving her all frozen up like that.  With a slightly mischievous glance back and forth, she reached over and set her hooves on Fluttershy's back between her wings.  Now let's see... Pegasus always had that sweet spot right about...

She gave a firm press of her hooves and Fluttershy gasped, eyes going wide before they promptly settled back down in a heavy-lidded droop.  All at once she melted on the cushions as the stiffness left her body, though she perked up once more with a blush on her face that burned brightly through her coat.  "Oh my..." she whispered, trying to ignore Aloe's playful wink as the Earth Pony turned to instead begin carefully pinning back Luna's gorgeous mane and tail in binding clips to keep them out of the way.

"Yeah!  Yeah~!"  Lyra chimed as she gave a happy hop.  She continued playing as they went, pausing long enough here and there to let Moonsong figure out the melody a bit at a time.  Once they had a good rhythm going, she switched gears and instead accompanied the bat-winged pony with the airy strums of her lyre.

"C'mon, I know just the place to go~!" she said as they ambled along the road, singing and playing all the way.

---> Exit to Summer Song Cafe

Luna glanced up as Fluttershy was brought in and laid down after she had a robe on.  The girl still seemed like a stone. She raised her head a bit to watch, and caught Fluttershy's reaction to the hoof in the middle of her back. Luna smiled a bit. "Ah, there is your sweet voice! I feared it was lost." she chimed, then turned her gaze to Aloe as she came over to start pinning up her mane. Luna let her do her job after a moment or two, though she seemed interesting in watching, until she realized that wouldn't work so well. She settled flat on her stomach, and stretched out her hooves again, and as Aloe worked, her eyes drooped shut again, just from the teasing to her mane. She really did feel so tired, and after consideration, this was quite nice.

Fluttershy just laid her head down in her hooves bashfully, trying to keep from looking directly at Luna lest she lapse into another fear-induced brown out.  Breathe, she told herself, just breathe.  You're in the Spa.  It's safe here.  Look, everypony is relaxing and those intimidating guards aren't around anymore and it's going to be okay and how did Aloe know how to do that and why is she smiling at me and oh dear...

"Ah... I-I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to worry anyone." she squeaked in her ever-timid tone as she carefully reached back to push her wings down, fanning them out and tucking them to her sides once more.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Tue 24 Apr 2012.

"No need to apologize, Fluttershy, dear," Rarity said, looking over to her friend who was almost magically relaxed so quickly, "We are here to relax, to be pampered, and to look fabulous!"

While she waited for her own massage to begin, Rarity nuzzled up against the cushion, trying to lose herself in the beautiful atmosphere that the twins were creating for them. Aloe and Lotus -were- the best at what they did, at least as far as this unicorn was concerned. Even those who worked the spas in Canterlot didn't have their particular touch and attention to detail. Besides her friends, family, and how much she loves her shop, it was the main thing keeping her in Ponyville.

"By the way," Rarity hummed, looking back towards Fluttershy, "I was curious if you had any suggestion on how to get Opal more better acquainted with strangers. She's been rather aggressive towards Luna..."

Smiling happily at Rarity's compliment, Lotus nonetheless demurely bows her head, her tone modest as she speaks in reply:  "Thank you so much, Rarity."  Lotus initially tends to Rarity's mane, carefully pinning it out of the way just as Aloe does for Luna, then steps back to regard both unicorn and alicorn alike.  With Luna clearly so tired--which takes Lotus only a moment to puzzle out that of course she'd be tired in the middle of the morning!--Lotus decides it best to start with a royal massage for a royal pony before Luna is asleep and unable to enjoy it.

Lotus will nod to her twin's mention of Quake, but she shrugs her shoulders.  "He might wander in anyway; we'll just put him to work if he does."  Lotus giggles as she speaks, then quiets not only to concentrate but to let their guests converse.