“When you said you wanted to get me relaxed, I kind of thought you had something more energetic in mind,” Fizzlepop groused as a massive, immaculately groomed diamond dog mastiff bitch massaged her shoulders with jasmine and lilac scented oils, sandalwood and pine incense smoldering in a copper brazier while Capper supervised her treatment. The two had found their way to the local CTRL posting, and then to a spa on the outskirts of Pet Town.

Inside, the rooms were decorated for either the pampering of pets, or of their Owners, with cushions nestled into the corners for whomever wasn’t undergoing the ministrations of the skilled servants there. Capper had quickly secured one of those private rooms, and the services of their masseuse.

“Would Master Cat like his slave gagged?” The mastiff asked easily. “Pony slave is most ungrateful!”

“Sorry, Flower, I need her to be able to talk,” Capper chuckled. “If she keeps mouthing off, you have my permission to pick a knot and work it out the hard way.”

“Of course, Master Cat!” Flower grinned, making note of several spots to save for later.

“Some of those knots aren’t coming out,” Fizzlepop grumbled.

“Slave will let me be judge of that.” Flower dug the heel of one hand into a cluster of muscles between Fizzlepop’s shoulders, making her cry out as her horn sparked and flared uncontrollably.

“Not my fault if you start a fire trying,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

“Save that one for later, Flower,” Capper suggested. “So, pet, how did you enjoy yourself tonight?”

“Before, or after I had the time to think about the fact that I just spent most of the night running around, barking, and playing fetch?” Fizzlepop winced as Flower pushed down on a knot just above her hips. “I feel kind of ridiculous now, especially since we haven’t done anything for you.”

“That’s why pony is here now,” Flower stage-whispered to Fizzlepop. “Master Cat likes when his pets….” She twisted thick, heavy knuckles into that knot, forcing Fizzlepop to moan as her tail fluttered behind her limply. “Like that, yes!” The mastiff grinned, wagging her own tail cheerfully.

“Flower, be good, we’re trying to help my pet relax,” Capper chuckled deeply.

“Fizz, I know it doesn’t seem like you did much for me tonight. But watching you actually relax and enjoy yourself, without having to get beaten up and hurt before you could let yourself do it? That was worth it for me.”

“That part was nice,” she sighed. “But I wanted to help you relax, t-ow!” She yelped, her horn sparking as Flower leaned heavily into the knot between her shoulders. She glared back at the mastiff, who grinned broadly and licked her nose.

“I will get liniment,” she declared, leaving the two alone while she fetched the additional supplies.

“Quick, while she’s gone!” Capper patted his lap, reaching over to take a sandalwood curry comb out of the grooming kit on the counter.

Fizzlepop groaned as she stepped down from the massage table and limped over to her Master, climbing up onto his lap so he could start brushing her out, stirring the firm rubber bristles of the brush into her coat, taking particular care over the knots that Flower had worked on.

“I did relax tonight. Now, if that’s code for you wanting me to fuck your brains out again, I’ll be happy to take you up to my apartment after this. You were beautiful tonight, Treasure,” he murmured, kissing the base of her horn as he continued brushing her out.

“And then I ruined it by being an idiot,” she grumbled.

Capper sighed and sat the comb aside, switching over to a sandalwood comb that he started working through her mane.

“Is it really that hard for you to respect my sub?” He asked her.

“What are you talking about?” She asked, looking up at him. “Is Flower yours?”

“No, not her,” Capper said as he worked the comb through a tangle in her mane, none too gently. “Every time you’ve talked to me about my sub, you’ve called her stupid, claimed she ruined my evening, wanted me to beat the snot out her for things she did moons ago.” He finished brushing out her mane, then traded for a stiff-bristled brush to work through her coat and tail. “Everything you do tells me that you hate her, and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Just because you are her doesn’t mean you get away with that!” He brushed the scented massage oils through her coat, perhaps a little more roughly than strictly necessary.

“Why - ouch - why does it bother you so much?” Fizzlepop asked, scowling on his lap.

“Because I’ve seen what happens to creatures you don’t like.” He sighed and gathered her up into a hug. “And you don’t deserve that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She glowered at him as the door started to open..

“I have the - time to wait outside while Master and slave finish their talk,” Flower announced, sticking her head back into the door long enough to see that a delay would be best.

“Thank you, Flower,” Capper nodded towards her as the door closed. He turned back towards the unicorn and sighed, leaning his head back against the wall.

“Fizzlepop… don’t you get tired of hating yourself? Tired of beating yourself up, when there’s more than enough creatures out there willing to do it for you? You’re a beautiful pony. You’re brave, steadfast, and willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish something you believe in. You fight like a devil dog, you’re smarter than you’re willing to admit, and when you believe in something you’re not willing to let it go. You made a mistake. You also helped fix that mistake. You almost died trying to fix it, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I’ve made a lot more than ‘a’ mistake, Capper. And I only had a chance to fix the biggest one because another pony took the shot I meant for Princess Twilight.”

“And do either of them hold it against you?” He asked her pointedly.

“They should, that’s the point! Just like everyone else I’ve hurt.” Fizzlepop huffed and laid back down over his lap, crossing her hooves. “Which is just about everyone I know.”

“And maybe the fact that they don’t - that we don’t - should suggest something? You do such a good job of beating yourself up, sometimes I wonder why you even bother coming here to have somebody else do it.”

The unicorn in Capper’s lap scowled as Capper scratched the back of her neck.

“I like that hurt better,” she admitted. “Doesn’t mean I don’t deserve the other kind.”

“And I’m not going to convince you otherwise tonight. But if you’ll at least stop insulting my friend, maybe we can move on from there? You have the chance to fix your mistakes, Fizzlepop. Yours, and Tempest’s. It’s a lot harder for some of us to do that.”

“What do you want me to do, Capper? Another pilgrimage, trace my steps back to when I was a foal and try to make up for every mistake I’ve made since I ran away from home?”

Capper thought for a minute, trying to think of how he could give her what she seemed to need, along with what he thought she needed.

“Let me take charge of punishing you,” he decided. “Which I will do. But I’m not going to do it exclusively,” he warned her. “Once in a while, I want to see you have a night more like tonight, before we started this conversation. In exchange, I want you to think about what you feel like you need to do, to make up for it. I’ll probably have some suggestions, but this is supposed to make you feel better. But in the meantime, the first rule would be that I don’t want to hear you cutting yourself down any more outside of scenes.”

“And what happens if I don’t want to do this?” Fizzlepop sighed, though she suspected that she knew the answer.

“Well, it means that I’m going to have to be a lot more careful about anything that happens between us. And I’m probably going to report my concerns to the Den Mothers. There are too many ways around here for you to get hurt worse than you want.”

“I’m a grown mare, Capper, and I’ve been taking care of myself since I was a filly!” She shot back at him. “Been taking care of myself here too, thank you very much!”

“And if you want to keep doing that, all I’m saying is that I want somebody who knows what they’re doing better than I do to say it’s safe. Is that okay?”

“If it’ll make you feel better,” she sighed. “You’re almost as bad as Grubber.”

“How is the little… whatever he is?” Capper asked, grateful for a new topic.

“Professional toadie,” Fizzlepop chuckled. “To me, he’s just Grubber. He’s doing pretty well though. He actually takes the night off when I come here, finally.”

“Well, at least one of us is making progress. So, do you want to try and work with me on this?”

“If I do… what will that make us?”

“How does ‘friends with benefits’ sound?”

“As long as those benefits remain extremely kinky, I think I can take it,” she decided.

“Don’t worry. Next time, we’ll do something a little more your speed. But you are still letting Flower finish your treatment.”

Fizzlepop frowned, letting out a whickering huff.

“You really are a sadist, you know that?”

“And that’s why you put up with me being worried about you,” Capper grinned, rapping on the counter five times to indicate that it was clear for Flower to come back in and finish up.

Author's Note

This story is a sequel to Breaking the Storm, though the kinks are *really* different in that one. Since that story wasn't really needed for this one though, it's posted as an independent piece.

There will eventually be more with these two, but they're working their own way through their damage and relationship, so not sure when it'll be.