Micro-Series Issue 3

My Little Pony Micro-Series #3, titled How Rarity Got Her Groovy Back, is the third issue of IDW Publishing's My Little Pony Micro-Series comic series. In the issue, an overworked Rarity goes on vacation at a special spa and finds that it's not at all what she expected.

Summary
Rarity's friends congratulate her for her successful fashion show. Rarity appreciates their praise and is pleased that such a tiring day is over, but she says it was just a warm-up for the upcoming Canterlot Fashion Extravaganza. The rest of the Mane Six look forward to the after party, but Rarity tells them to go along without her, wanting to do some last-minute preparations for the extravaganza.

A few hours later, Rarity is so exhausted by the time she arrives at the after party that she collapses from fatigue. Her friends insist she's working too hard, and Applejack remembers seeing an ad in a newsletter about a special spa. The next morning, Rarity packs her bags for a week away at "Flax & Seed's New Age All-Natural Wellness Center", and her valet soon arrives: Flax Seed, a peculiar, scruffy-looking fellow and co-owner of the Wellness Center.

After a bumpy cart ride, Rarity and Flax Seed arrive at the spa—which more closely resembles a farm—and Rarity meets the other co-owner Wheat Grass. When Rarity comments on the rundown state of the spa, Wheat Grass becomes nervous and explains that they're "renovating". Nonetheless, with a week of pampering and relaxation to look forward to, Rarity takes her temporary living conditions in stride.

Unfortunately, Rarity finds herself having to acclimate to Flax and Wheat's hippie-like lifestyle: a rooster wakes her up at 6:00 in the morning, and what she believes to be spa treatments turns out to be "rejuvenating" work in the fields. After a long day of labor, Rarity is gifted with an all-natural beauty product as thanks for her help.

After two more days of manual labor, Rarity becomes fed up and goes to demand a refund from Flax Seed and Wheat Grass. The two nervously admit they already spent the bits Rarity paid. Eventually, Wheat Grass confesses to Rarity that, because of a terrible deal they made with Flim and Flam, they're about to lose the farm to Filthy Rich's Barnyard Bargains.

Upon learning their reasons for opening the Wellness Center, Rarity feels sorry for Flax and Wheat and decides to help them. She uses her business acumen to reinvent the Wellness Center, from streamlining their bottling process to adjusting how much they charge for their product to marketing. They wait for a customer to come, but their only visitor is a lone Pegasus mailmare. Rarity comes up with a new idea and tells the Wellness Center family to pack everything up for Canterlot.

Some time later, Flax Seed and Wheat Grass's "Goops for Stuff" is a huge hit among Canterlot's social elite. The two thank Rarity for everything she's done, having made enough bits to save the farm several times over, and Rarity is happy for them. As Flax mingles with such personalities as Photo Finish and Hoity Toity, Twilight Sparkle tells Spike to take a letter for Princess Celestia—even though the princess is standing only forty feet away them.

Later, Celestia reads Twilight's letter, wondering why Twilight and her friends didn't just tell it to her in person.

The Trials of Hayseed Turnip Truck
In a bonus two-page story, Hayseed Turnip Truck recalls when he first met Rarity and fell in love with her. During their first meeting, he accidentally spills paint on her. Hayseed decides to become the kind of pony that Rarity could respect and love, and he moves to Canterlot. One year later, he meets up with Rarity again and embarrasses her in front of Jet Set and Upper Crust.

In present day, Hayseed is now the CEO of his own company. He tries approaching Rarity yet again with a bouquet of flowers, but Spike tells him she has a fiancé. Hayseed is heartbroken, and Spike goes to give Rarity the flowers.

Quotes

 * Spike: Your fashion show today was amazing, Rarity! Inspiring! Tremendous! Stupendous! ...Uh... punctual? Er... um... perspiring?


 * Rarity: You know, I'm actually looking forward to this. It will be nice to relax...


 * Rarity: I'm looking forward to this slightly less than I was two minutes ago...


 * Rarity: Exercise! This is... much nicer than... a nap. Or a hooficure...
 * Wheat Grass: What's a hooficure?
 * Rarity: Sigh...


 * Flax Seed: ...And now it looks like we may have to go live in the suburbs. Like, maybe even Ponyville. Gah!
 * Wheat Grass: Ehm. Flax.
 * Flax Seed: Eh, like, no offense?
 * Rarity: None taken.


 * Hoity Toity: Flax Seed! You really must come meet my entourage. You're the next pony every pony should know after all!
 * Flax Seed: Like, popularity is a system of ranking set up by the establishment...
 * Hoity Toity: *chuckle* Isn't he a pip? Didn't I tell you he was a pip?