twilightpony | Oiled Friends

Zecora did venture into Ponyville today! This afternoon she dropped in on me as I was doing an inventory of my hay larders. She was still interested in trying out the ancient oil bath that Rarity had introduced to the spa. So I pulled on my boots, threw on my red blanket with the gold trim that Rarity had made for me, and we set out to see if we could round up a few friends to join us.

It was cold and grey today in Ponyville and I regretted not wearing my matching scarf. I joked with Zecora that she had brought the chill of the Everfree Forest with her. She replied that today in the forest it was warm and fair, on entering Ponyville she experienced colder air. The Everfree forest really is strange.

We went to Sweet Apple Acres where we found Applejack. She was in need of a hoof trim and a massage. That's one! We caught sight of Rainbow Dash but she couldn't join us, she had weather duties to attend to. Pinkie thought it was a great idea and galloped off to see if Fluttershy was up for a trip to the spa. Two so far. We found Rarity hard at work in her boutique, nearly buried in fabric and patterns. To my surprise she had been too busy this morning to go to the spa, but she could really do with a break. So Rarity made three. Pinkie burst in to tell us Fluttershy had been to the spa this morning and she just wanted some peace and quiet at home. But Pinkie invited Lyra and Lyra said she's meet us at the spa. So all told we were six.

We all went into the sauna together. I told them about my dream and my excursion to see if anything had changed with the Tree of Harmony. They chided me for going to see the Tree alone. I was a bit distracted, I'd never seen Zecora without her gold bangles before.

After the sauna and rinse, both Lyra and Zecora headed for oil bath. Zecora recognized the herbs and fragrances employed by the spa ponies in this recreation of the oil bath Rarity had read about in the Crystal Empire library. Rarity and I watched from the side as Lotus and Aloe poured warm oil over them as they stood on the large raised stone tables. I tried not to laugh too hard at the faces they were making. They all got to talking about herbal scents, relaxation, cleansers and variations that could improve the oil. Aloe dropped her strigil comb in the oil and had to get another. Zecora's short thick fur was a bit of a challenge but the end result was stunning. So shiny.

After our hooficures and Applejack's massage I invited everypony over for dinner. Rarity declined, Applejack had to get home, Pinkie had to foalsit and Lyra had a prior engagement. When Zecora hesitated as well, I offered her a room for the night (I have so many empty guest rooms). So Spike and I had Zecora as our dinner guest and she's retired to one of the guest rooms with a book from my library for the night.