Volt

Before Lotus managed to reach the lobby, the mane dryer became silent again. It must have simply been some kind of little incident. Although, given the current state of affairs, cerulean mare was a bit nervous to anything unexpected happening right now. As she reached the spa entrance again, she noticed that the stallion is being helped in removing his armor by that crimson mare. That was at least one problem less, though Lotus had no idea how Aloe managed to convince him. She didn't even try disturbing the two as they've left to the sauna once more. It seemed that red mare had things under control, and the stallion actually *did* pay for everything... there was no point interfering anymore. Besides, the fact they might have known Princesses somewhat changed her attitude to them. Who knew just how important customers they might have prove themselves to be?

As the two left, Lotus finally made an effort to scan the room. There was yet another customer in the spa, an earthen mare whom had similarly coloured mane as her sister had. She had been spotted right in the moment in which a distinctive "DING!" echoed through the building, and left a mark echoing in Lotus' ears. Oh, and as for the sister herself, Lotus found her talking... ...to the sofa... It caused the pink-maned mare to raise an eyebrow.[colour=#6699ff] "[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]H[/colour][colour=#6699ff]as she gone mad...?"[/colour] - Lotus made few steps towards her twin, attempting to make an inquire about her mental condition, when she noticed that there was somepony actually hiding behind the sofa. But... there was something wrong with this pony... Spa co-owner concentrated her sight, but after a brief moment her eyes became as big as plates and her mouth became widely open in a smile. [colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]A[/colour][colour=#6699ff] CRYSTAL PONY!?"[/colour] - she had heard the rumors concerning the appearance of the mysterious empire and had heard the descriptions of its inhabitants. But what stood in front of her eyes was far more marvelous than anypony she had ever seen. And just to think about all the prestige they could gain if they'd manage to please her! Unfortunately, her joy didn't last long, as her second thoughts made her wonder if they'll be able to be of any service to her at all...

But! She could be of service to that another customer waiting. Especially since Aloe was handling the crystal citizen already. Cerulean mare turned her attention to the counter and spotted that yet another pony has entered the building. Funny coincidence, it was yet another blue-maned one, though a Pegasus stallion this time. Or... maybe he was here all the time? She might have simply failed to spot him earlier.

[colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]W[/colour][colour=#6699ff]elcome to Ponyville Day Spa! You're just in time for our Summer & Spring Spectacular promotion!"[/colour] - she greeted them both warmly, making a few steps towards them.[colour=#6699ff] "[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]I[/colour][colour=#6699ff] fear I'll have to ask the gentlestallion to wait though, since we're dealing with unusual amount of customers right now."[/colour] - throwing a friendly wink at the stallion, she turned herself towards the mare. [colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]L[/colour][colour=#6699ff]otus Blossom, at your service. How can I help you?"[/colour] - her voice was once again filled with joy as she was about to enter her element once more. At once, she only hoped that Miss Derpy is doing fine by herself... she was somewhat worried to leave her for so long unattended.

It was probably for the better that Aloe was handling that, that... ugh, she couldn't even find a proper word to describe this stallion. Lotus knew that her temperament could be a tad too sharp at times, but he really deserved that! He did! Yet, one of last things she wished for was to become known as that 'mean owner of the spa'. Perhaps Aloe was actually better at handling customers... though she preferred not to think to extensively about this. Yet, it seemed she wouldn't be able to forget about the incident just yet, since the red mare turned out to know that brown stallion. Though, the things quickly proved themselves to be at least... interesting. After all, Lotus was always eager to listen to any gossip. There was a reason for why she always knew what's happening in the Ponyville. Her initial unpleasant surprise, after hearing these two actually knew each other, swiftly became replaced with curiosity as she innocently listened to the conversation ongoing inside the sauna.

What she had heard quickly overgrown her expectations. She tried not give herself out, but she couldn't help to raise her eyebrows in awe. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]M[/colour][colour=#3399ff]iss Rarity with Royal Sisters at the wedding? Which, additionally was a disaster?"[/colour] - that was probably one of THE MOST interesting things she had ever heard of. She simply couldn't wait telling Aloe about this! Her irritation now turned into inexplicable excitement. Yet, there was one mystery here left to solve. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]B[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ut... who are these two ponies then?"[/colour] A voice reached her ears clearly once more, pulling her out of her contemplations.

Lotus wanted to protest, knowing that their spa policy simply did not allow anypony to be charged for something they were not guilty of. Yet, something deep in her mind told her that it would be unwise to object to what the mare had just said. Perhaps it was also the fact that Lotus was pierced by mare's eyes while she was speaking. It made her smile a bit nervously, as cerulean mare suspected she's been caught eavesdropping, but thankfully it wasn't the case this time. Instead, she simply stepped aside when red mare left the sauna and proceeded towards the exit. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff]s you wish."[/colour] - customer was always right... Well, now when everything seemed under control at last, Lotus thought of perhaps engaging in a little conversation with that griffon... she turned hear head from the red mare towards the sauna once more. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]S[/colour][colour=#3399ff]o..."[/colour] - she started, but was never able to finish since a peculiar noise reached her from the depths of the spa. It sounded like... [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff] hair dryer?"[/colour] - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]U[/colour][colour=#3399ff]m, excuse me for a minute."[/colour] - these quick apologies had to satisfy the griffon for now, as Lotus trotted back towards the lobby, just a moment behind the red mare. She suspected Aloe could handle the situation on her own, but on the other hoof, turning hair dryer on right NOW would be last thing her sister would probably do. On her way a loud snoring distracted her suddenly. As she turned her head and located it source, disbelief appeared on her face. She'd have to take care of Miss Derpy *really* soon, but aiding her sister was of greater priority to the cerulean mare for now.

In Lotus' opinion, the greeting she encountered was extremely warm. Not like she had anything against it, of course, but it was a bit unexpected. It was still weird feeling though. Generally, Trottingham business was revolving around tourism. Given that, most ponies used to ignore themselves, an attitude probably akin to that of Canterlot elites. But in this little corner of Equestria this approach seemed to be turned up-side-down. No wonder her parents suggested her coming here, all she really hoped for was at most 'Yes.' as an answer, meanwhile what she received was a complete, warm greeting accompanied with a wide smile coming from the dark-teal Pegasus.

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff]t's Lotus."[/colour] - she proceeded with an introduction while getting closer to the table. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]L[/colour][colour=#3399ff]otus Blossom, to be more precise."[/colour] She was about to sit down when she heard another voice coming from behind her back. She turned her head back to direct her attention towards the speaker. He turned out to be a brown stallion, an earth pony. Somehow, Lotus must have missed the sound of the bell ringing.

That really managed to catch the cerulean mare off-guard, as it made her raise an eyebrow for a moment, trying to understand the meaning, or reasons, behind this pony's action. She also didn't like to sit alone but... was he earwigging? Or perhaps she was so loud and she didn't even realize that. Thankfully, the light-tan mare who accompanied the Pegasus just a second ago came to her help. Listening to her words, blue mare came to a conclusion that she must be owning this place. She also couldn't help to smile after realizing that her earlier predictions were correct. Apart from strong, local accent, that mare certainly had a peculiar personality. Also, the idea she came up with was a really smooth way to resolve this contretemps. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]f course I don't have anything against it, silly~"[/colour] - she manipulated her voice a bit as she responded to Stormwing, making it sound a bit playful in order to discharge the tension which had befallen her - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]P[/colour][colour=#3399ff]lease, feel free to join us."[/colour]

As she positioned herself vis-a-vis the Pegasus (since she somehow preferred sitting by the window), the bell rang once more, announcing the entry of rather... lively and really enthusiastic mare. She'd probably spare her more attention if not the fact that almost immediately the bell sound spread across the room again. It greeted a stallion this time, who calmly trotted and stopped behind the energetic mare. Lotus had to hold herself from bursting with laughter after a few seconds of observing them. They'd make for a wonderful duo, 'Nutcase and a Sleepwalker'. At any rate, while observing the newcomers she removed her hoofbag and placed it on the table. She also removed her maneband, granting it a bit of freedom at last. One thing that brought her attention was the fact that ponies were ordering things on their own. That caused her to mentally facehoof. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]f course! It's not Ponyville where we're taken care of individually by waiters..."[/colour] - she tried to remember the menu she caught a glimpse of earlier. Should she order a regular coffee? Or something more sophisticated? Or perhaps she should just stick with the tea for today? She couldn't decide for now... [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]S[/colour][colour=#3399ff]o, Stormwing..."[/colour] - she already had this question prepared - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]...w[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hat can you tell me about Trottingham?"[/colour] - just then, the bell reminded them of itself, announcing the entry of yet another customer. It was so unbelievable to see all the ponies enter at once that it caused Lotus to doubt. She let out a cheerful laughter after a moment, addressing the brown stallion this time. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff] swear to Celestia, have you all followed me here?"[/colour] - the inquiry was made while still laughing.

A sudden thud coming from the desk forced Lotus to raise her eyes upon it. To her complete shock and surprise, there was a tied bag laying in front of her. With a blank stare she poked it gently with a hoof, in order to confirm her suspicions. As expected, it was filled with bits, probably enough to cover the damage and fund a complete service to a small group of ponies.

As long as she was involved, a bit of anger had to accompany the situation. She barely woke up, at a completely barbaric and unbelievable hour. And Lotus simply hated being forced to get up early. And just how did the day start? A bunch of armored ponies invading the spa along with a griffon, Pegasus damaging the door, another armed one trying to wash her off with bits and on top of that Miss Hooves, whom you'd never know what to expect from.

After these words, stallion directed his steps inside of the spa. At this point, Lotus was ready to chase him and grab his tail in order to stop him. She couldn't believe that insolence, as if currency could open him all the doors. However tempting his offer was, their spa had something called 'good reputation'. If not excellent even, seeing how it managed to attract not only Canterlotians, but also different species. There was no way she'd allow that reputation to get hurt. Thankfully though, Aloe appeared just in time to intercept the intruder. To be honest, cerulean twin was thankful for her appearance. She feared that she wouldn't be able to keep this stallion at bay all alone by herself. Aloe's tenacity impressed her though, she wasn't expecting for her sister to confront that armed-to-teeth pony head on. Acting in a matter of seconds, Lotus trotted to her sister's side, completely ignoring the bag of bits. For now. She turned towards stallion once more, now speaking by her sister's side. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]T[/colour][colour=#3399ff]his is our home you've rushed into, not caring about anything, and afterward tried bribing me to allow you do whatever you please. We should just ask you to leave now, since I don't see what interest we have in you meeting anypony at all. Not mentioning the fact that you might be chasing a wrong mare all the t-"[/colour] - she was really going to give this stallion a piece of her mind, but another voice interrupted her.

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]h wonderful..."[/colour] - Lotus whispered to her sister as her ears quivered. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff]'ll be back as soon as possible."[/colour] - without a second wasted, pink-maned mare turned back and calmly made her way into the spa again. Her mind quickly shifted onto completely different tracks, as she was going to deal with customers again. Any signs of her anger disappeared, as she was wearing a friendly smile on her face once more. Even her eyes seemed to be cheering... Earth mare spotted that the sauna door stood ajar, and that red mare from before peeked through them. Right now, Lotus was somewhat hoping it's not the mare the stallion was inquiring about. She trotted closer in order not to shout. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]G[/colour][colour=#3399ff]reetings, I'm Lotus Blossom, co-owner of the spa. Do not worry, it's just a little misunderstanding I believe..."[/colour] - yet, she couldn't hold herself from throwing a quick, concerned glance towards the entrance. More importantly though, she didn't want to stress or discomfort their customers. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]W[/colour][colour=#3399ff]e are handling the situation, please enjoy your treatment, no reason to stress yourselves needlessly, ladies."[/colour]

Although she still possessed some kind of hatred towards big, bustling cities, Lotus had to admit that her hometown had something... magical to it. All the infrastructure looking so rich, sometimes emblazoned with unique friezes developed in far Equestria past, other time supported by columns with magnificent chapiters. Trottingham really had some sentiment for past it seemed. As she made her way through the streets in this sunny day, she contemplated on how the day was going so far. It was one of those rare occasions she had a chance to leave Ponyville and visit her parents in order to renew family bonds and, of course, have a pleasant chatter. Funny thing was that she actually woke up before Aloe this time in order to catch the train. Such a rarity...

Though of course, since Trottingham was her hometown, she couldn't have denied herself the possibility of venturing into the city centre. She partially forced herself into doing this, but it was mostly her parents who made her pick this decision. Even though she explained them how she's not keen on experiencing all the city buzz, they insisted, supporting their idea with an argument that she can always visit "that peaceful café on the corner". She had a slight knowledge about its placement. Perhaps it would be easier for her to remember, if not the fact that she lived on the second city edge. But since she rarely left Ponyville, she'd probably feel wrong if she didn't give her birth place some proper respect. All in all she submitted to them. Lotus' parents were *really* convincing when they had an idea stuck in their heads...

After visiting all the important landmarks and witnessing how, if at all, the city has changed, she finally made her way down the Stratford Street. There was no reason for why she shouldn't take up on her father's suggestion. It certainly was a slow day, so a cup of coffee wouldn't do her any bad. Small, white hoofbag bounced on her side as she graciously trotted past other ponies. She also didn't resign from her headband. Through months and years of her work in spa, it somewhat became incorporated in Lotus' image. Upon finally reaching Tatterstall Drive, she took a closer look at the building to her right. She couldn't exactly recall when was the last time she visited this part of city, but the building itself really looked peculiar. It seemed to fit in local architecture, but at once it had its own, original style. Cerulean mare tilted her head slightly as a little smile appeared on her face. Whoever the owner was he, or she of course, had to have *some* kind of interesting personality.

Trotting onward and finally taking a step inside, she heard a bell ringing above her head as she pushed the doors. She raised her sight for a second, sparing it a little attention and giggling in mind at this little detail, before proceeding inside. The interior itself differed from what she had seen all around the city. It was rather simple and charming rather than rich and lavish. The bulletin board at the far end of the room was simply a cherry on the top. Perhaps her father was right? First impression was certainly positive in Lotus' opinion. More than that, it really seemed quiet and peaceful. Just what she needed.

[colour=#3399ff]" [/colour][colour=#ff99ff]'a[/colour][colour=#3399ff]fternoon."[/colour] - any local could notice that her accent had something more to it and was a bit off. The homely atmosphere of this place encouraged her to trot towards the table where two ponies were at. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]F[/colour][colour=#3399ff]orgive me my insolence, but mind if I take a seat?"[/colour] - she wasn't really in mood to be sitting alone. In fact, given how much she loved to gossip, she never was in such mood. Of course, Trottingham was a tourist city, so she might have made a mistake approaching them so directly, but in end what worst could have happened?

The fact that Aloe shared her sister's approach to customers was always a nice re-discovery for Lotus. In past she feared that they'd actually have a different approach to business, but that faith was completely misplaced. They were truly the best sisters ever... of all time. After all, which different ponies could understand themselves without words if needed? As cerulean mare glanced behind, she spotted her sister heading in direction of Ms. Hooves. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]T[/colour][colour=#3399ff]aking care of current customers. That's our priority."[/colour] - she had made a little mental note followed by a slight head nod, content with the fact that her sister thought alike. Of course, it meant that the 'lobby' would sometimes remain unattended, but their spa was somewhat prestigious. It was a natural thing to wait from time to time. Besides, Ponyville was such a peaceful town. Friendly atmosphere, slow life, calm-

A sudden smash coming from the waiting room put those statements into question. Her ears instinctively cringed before she turned back with hesitation. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]W[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hat in the Pony's sake was that...?"[/colour] - she had to check on customers, but at once she couldn't ignore the event. It took her a few seconds to finally realize that these two in sauna probably could handle themselves while she investigates the source of her concern. Yet several more seconds have passed before she reached the waiting room. There were two ponies inside already. A brown-ish Pegasus stallion and, as Lotus leaned to see past the stallion, a creamy white Pegasus mare. What hit her the most was the fact that stallion was not only wearing an armor, just like that red mare from a few minutes ago, but was also armed. On top of that, his behavior was at least... nervous and uncertain. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]kay Lotus... stay calm, it's nothing a mare like you couldn't handle..."[/colour] - a little encouragement before taking a deep breath and proceeding with a forced smile - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]W[/colour][colour=#3399ff]elcome to Ponyville sp-"[/colour]

The bluntness of this interruption caught her off guard, wiping the smile off her face as it became replaced with complete confusion. Before she even realized what's happening, ..."things" happened. Pegasus mare behind the stallion answered the question while being purely terrified. Soon after she tried making her way out of spa in terror, successfully damaging the doors in the process. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]h in the name of-!"[/colour] - Lotus rushed to the entrance, ignoring the stallion for a moment. That creamy mare was far in the sky already, beyond the reach of her voice, while the doors seemed undamaged. The same couldn't have been said about the frame though. However calm and patient she tended to be near the customers, this situation was a bit too much. Lotus turned back, facing the brown stallion now. [colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]L[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ook what you've done!"[/colour] - it was clearly anger that one could hear in her voice, although she always had some issues while trying to look intimidating - [colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]J[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ust who do you think you are rushing in here like that and scaring our customers away!? Don't you have ANY sense of manners!?"[/colour] - she tried moving the doors. It seemed that they were working just fine somehow. Cerulean mare made her way behind the reception desk. [colour=#6699ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff99ff]S[/colour][colour=#3399ff]o, who am I going to charge for the damage?"[/colour] - she didn't care if it was Celestia herself standing in front of her. Some borders existed after all, for everypony.

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]D[/colour][colour=#3399ff]elicate balance of effectiveness and efficiency?"[/colour] - a silent snicker accompanied these thoughts - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]W[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hat a silly mare, where did she get such a crazy idea?"[/colour] Voices kept reaching her from the lobby and soon after, luckily for Lotus since she was starting to feel kind of foalish just standing there, Aloe emerged with another guest... Correction, guests. She was just about to join 'Loey and greet them when she spotted that one of them was a griffon. This made her hesitate and simply observe how they've entered the sauna on the further end of the room. Since griffons were such a rare sight in Ponyville, this situation made her feel a bit uncomfortable. The fact that they were accompanied by another mare wearing body armor wasn't helping the situation at all.

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]T[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hey... have claws, not hooves, right? That will require a completely different approach... and the feathers...? Hmm..."[/colour] - her attempts to come up with a solution to this issue were interrupted by her sister though. Obviously, Lotus must have spent a bit more time than intended thinking about the case. Of course, Aloe had to complain about the sister's tendencies to wake up late. Still, they've had this conversation so many times already that it was pointless to start it over again. Especially that they both had work to do. She'd move the topic of opening hours later, after work perhaps. Somehow, the inquiry concerning Derpy's condition seemed correct. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]O[/colour][colour=#3399ff]f course, I'm happy to see you as well!"[/colour] - she just couldn't stop herself - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]M[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hm, I've just checked on her, she's fine. Although I believe she wouldn't mind company."[/colour] - she said before lowering her voice as well and responding in a serious tone while frowning - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]E[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ven if she was to cause problems, she's still our customer, don't forget that. Miss Hooves cannot leave the spa dissatisfied."[/colour] - she probably couldn't emphasize the 'dissatisfied' word any stronger without drawing needless attention to their behavior. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff]lso, did you just allow somepony inside in an armor? We're in spa, not in barracks for pony's sake~ What would other customers think?"[/colour] - the situation seemed uneasy for her. A possible guard and a griffon at once? Simply a 'marvelous' combination. Still, it wasn't best time to quarrel about details now.

Letting out a single sigh, Lotus trotted past her sister. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff] guess I'll get myself acquainted with our new guests and take care of them."[/colour] [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]S[/colour][colour=#3399ff]omehow..." [/colour]- her voice sounded a bit off, as if she was unsure of her words. The nearest hours were going to be quite interesting - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff]nyway, why didn't we hire anypony to aid us this time?"[/colour] - a not so subtle topic change consisted of a rhetorical question addressed mainly to herself. In past they used to even hire masseurs, but they somehow didn't think of this for today. This negligence would surely reflect itself in the quality of their work yet. Cerulean mare hoped they wouldn't have to ask their customers to wait to become serviced. It would be at least embarrassing. With these thoughts, she proceeded towards the sauna entrance.

The whole idea still seemed somewhat silly to Star. She wasn't sure how she had heard of the convention in end. Was it a poster? A flier? Or perhaps she simply overheard some ponies talking... But still, there she was, standing in Ponyville again in front of Mayor's offices. She felt really uneasy. Something told her that there would be not a single pony she'd know. All alone against all those strangers? Of course, it's not that she was shy. Quite the reverse actually, she'd have no problems making contacts. But given her narrow and unique field of interest, she wasn't sure if she'd find a single topic to talk about. A few times Risi asked herself a question 'Why is she doing this?'. The answer was always the same: 'Because I need a break from my work finally and this sounds like an entertaining idea'.

She let out a single sigh of disbelief, accompanied by a single thought which echoed in her mind: [colour=#9900cc]"What am I doing here...?"[/colour] Still, she WAS a mare and it was EQGirlCon after all. Everything seemed in perfect order, but somehow Star couldn't shake the feeling she's doing something she has no idea about. With a clueless expression, she stiffly advanced forward. But all her fears dissipated as she spotted the mare behind the desk. It was always encouraging for her to meet somepony of comparable height. Otherwise she tended to feel a bit awkward in conversations.

[colour=#9900cc]"Rising Star from Canterlot, checking in."[/colour] - the sign helped her in deciding what to do first. But, what shall she do next? [colour=#9933cc]"Uhm, I'll admit I'm kinda nervous about this. Any tips what should I do for the time being?"[/colour]

LINK

​

A crack of dawn... the only adjective that could be used to describe this hour was "barbaric". Every year Lotus had to remember that such hour even exists. A gentle yawn slipped out of her throat as she made her way through the corridor to the main spa hall. Even though she was still a bit sleepy, there was not a single sign indicating that she was tired at all, even her mane were shining as usual. It was Spring & Summer Spectacular, there was not a single thing in Equestria that would make her present herself poorly to the customers this day.

It was a bit of surprise for her to see one customer already inside upon entering. She could have sworn spa wasn't supposed to be open for around 15 more minutes. Aloe must have opened it earlier... or, what was a bit more probable, cerulean mare's timing was 'a bit' off today. Yet, this meant there was no time to waste. She had to get a little closer to the customer in order to recognize her. Mainly because it seemed that Aloe had taken care of the seaweed wrap already. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]H[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ello Ms. Hooves, a pleasure to see you."[/colour] - she wasn't entirely sure of her words, concerning the latest rumours Lotus had heard from her sister, but customer is still a customer - [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff] see Aloe had already taken good care of you."[/colour] - some more voices reached her ears from lobby. There were obviously more customers inbound... [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff]t this hour!? Does nopony know what does 'proper beauty sleep' mean!?"[/colour] [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]Y[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ou're free to enter the mu- I mean, 'mineral bath', although... please wait a second..."[/colour] - Lotus approached the nearest desk and found the cucumber slices already prepared. Aloe really remembered about every detail this time. Cerulean mare grabbed two slices, returned to Ms. Hooves and applied them gently. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]...h[/colour][colour=#3399ff]ere, they're great for getting rid of dark circles under eyes, but also possess refreshing and rejuvenating abilities. If you'd find yourself in need of anything, feel free to call for us."[/colour]

Lotus threw her last words towards gray mare while trotting past her and positioned herself in front of an entrance from the lobby. Aloe was probably taking care of another customer already, that's why Lotus decided it would be best to await them in the hall in order to greet them in the spa 'the proper way' they usually did. She threw a quick glance back at the mud tubs again. It was somewhat impressive to realize that Aloe filled them on her own, without her sister's help. And somewhat sad at once.