Journal of a Book Pony

The Spa ponies have had the worst of the Spring molt. They've had a surge of customers come in, ponies looking to at least look and feel fresh for a short while, even if their coats aren't quite there yet. For Aloe and Lotus, getting the hair out of the mud bath is a lost cause, and keeping up with the filter in the hot tub is a constant struggle. Each customer is subject to a full brush down on admission, before they get even close to benefiting from any of the spa's other services. Everypony still sheds anyway.

We are no exceptions. We succeeded in reserving six places at the Spa this morning for an hour for the six of us. Rainbow Dash skipped the seaweed wrap and the hooficure but joined us in the sauna and the hot tub. They are still using Zecora's herbs and salts in the water. I feel so sleek! My coat is starting to get a summer shine and my new flight feathers look pretty good too.

As we left, Aloe tucked a red trillium into our manes and we stepped out into the bright sunshine, in high spirits and feeling as good as we smelled. We descended on a café, pulled two tables together and chatted about this that and the other thing over lunch and several pots of tea.

I finally feel as fresh as the Spring.

Half my feathers have been replaced now. I gave myself another good brushing and my coat is starting to look a lot less ratty. Another week of this and I'll look spring fresh. Ha!

Meanwhile Rarity has been busy. She's brushed and trimmed Applejack and Pinkie Pie and made a few dolls that look just like them. She has them posed in a cabinet in her room. Rainbow Dash was a bit trickier and Rarity had to let her brush herself and snip her own hair. Rarity can be persistent and she usually gets what she set out to get.

I asked Rarity if she could make a felted doll that looks like Spike. Rarity looked appraisingly at my fur for a moment, and got to harvesting more lilac colored shed off me as it about matches Spike's lilac scales. My molt is winding down so it took a while, but eventually she gathered enough fine hair with which she could needle felt a small figure. As for the green scales, she will probably dye some white felt green and work it in. Spike is going to be pleased.

I had to get out into the fresh spring air an find a sunny spot to read, away from the musty smell of dust bunnies grown fat on my shed coat.

Many ponies were out too, and it lifted my spirits to note that everypony's coats were just as ratty as mine.

Quills and Sofas in town is having an inventory clearance sale on quills. With feathers raining down from the sky, I can see why. I circled back and headed to the eastern meadow.

I had brought a couple of brushes with me. I chose a dry, sandy bit of ground and before settling down to read, I brushed out all the loose hair I could and set it free.

I dropped four more secondary feathers and two new primaries are growing in. The blood feathers are very sensitive and distracting.

We got together for brunch in the 'throne room' and we're all molting like crazy. There was hair in the tea, hair in the salad (fresh dandelion greens!), hair on the frosting on the cupcakes... White hair, yellow hair, lilac hair, blue hair, orange hair, pink hair... Hair everywhere. I heard Spike mutter something about stuffing a mattress with it.

Rarity says that March is the cruelest month. She's threatening to "give this whole ghastly affair the heave-ho" and have the spa ponies shave and wax her entire body! Pinkie was laughing so hard she turned blue. While leaving a fuzzy pink halo on the floor.

It's the first full day of Spring, so naturally, Pinkie, Ponyville's permanent party pony, threw a party for the whole town.

There were banners, balloons and streamers and cake, pinatas and games like kick the can and pin the tail on the pony, and Pinkie's special punch. Which hopefully was not Gummy's favorite.

The Ponytones sang, the foals ran a six-legged race, many mares were sporting lovely Spring hats and everypony had confetti and streamers on their coats and in their manes.

Spring flowers are coming up everywhere and the southern birds were singing their hearts out. The smell of warm earth and fresh growth was in the air. The spring sun in the blue sky felt wonderful on my face and I spread my wings to cradle that warmth.

Evening came and as night fell my friends and I gathered close to watch Pinkie's fireworks burst like giant flowers in the sky. It was magical.

And as another sure sign of Spring, I've also started to shed.