Stuff hasn’t been quite as nice as it should’ve been. The day appeared idealic enough, with no peril on the horizon. However, that didn’t mean there weren’t issues among the individuals themselves. Case and point, there’s a big problem in the Castle of Friendship. Specifically, in the bedroom of a small, purple dragon.
“Come on! Harder than that!” Spike begged.
“I’m trying as hard as I can!” the pink unicorn on top of him said in exacerbation. Spike was laid out over his bed and Starlight was on top, and she was trying desperately to dig her hooves into his scalp. The dragon was suffering from an intense itch for several days! He couldn’t get to that itch with his own arms, so he’s had to rely on friends. Unfortunately, the ponies around him struggled to really buffet out the itch, no matter how hard they tried. Despite Starlight’s intense rubbing, the itchiness, though alleviating a little bit, would still be, buy and large, ever present. Fortunately, Twilight Sparkle, after listening to Spike’s issues for a little while, would reach out to another dragon about this.
“I’m back!” Twilight declared as she approached Spike’s room. “Progress report?”
“Negative,” Starlight and Spike each said while she kept on rubbing.
“Unfortunate,” Twilight admitted. “But, I’ve come back with someone that can help!” With that, the purple alicorn would step aside, Starlight climbing off of Spike so that the two of them could turn and face whoever Twilight had reached out to. And in came, of all people, a tall dragoness with cyan scales. This was the current dragon lord, Ember. Ember would glance between Twilight and Starlight a little curiously, before shrugging.
“Alright, is this as bad as your princess friend is making it out to be?” Ember asked.
“Yes it is!” Spike said as he hopped down on the floor. He ran up to Ember and clasped his hands together. “Please, this just won’t stooooop!”
“Alright, stay still a little,” Ember said while kneeling down. She held either side of Spike’s head, and began adjusting him to get any angle of his head. She muttered to herself as she looked over it. Spike seemed weirded out as she twisted and turned to get good looks at whatever the issue was. “Geez, it looks like you let several pounds of slate beat on you.” He’d stay silent at that observation. However, he’d be a bit more concerned as Ember let out some uncomforting mutters. Then, Ember would adjust one of her hands at the very top, where she’d pinch a pair of claws around something that felt loose. Spike looked up curiously, when suddenly, Ember yanked upwards, eliciting a slight bite on his scalp. “I see your problem,” she said while holding before Spike what she’d plucked. It appeared to be a scale, though its sort of lost its color.
“What’s that?” Starlight asked.
“A dead scale,” Ember said. “Dragons shed useless scales after a while, and they should come out. But sometimes they linger, and they become a real issues when healthier scales grow underneath them. It’s like getting something caught in your teeth, only your friend doesn’t appear to be able to reach them.”
“It’s really irritating!” Spike declared. “Can you please get them out?” Ember then muttered again and ran a thumb over his scalp. The motion honestly felt kinda nice, and the itching abated for only a moment, though there’s still the matter of those dead scales.
“There’s an awful lot here,” she muttered. “I think it’ll take a professional to get rid of all of this in a timely fashion. I know a dragon, but she isn’t exactly… friendly… towards most.”
“I-I’ll take it!” Spike said. “Just please, have her get rid of this!” Ember looked towards Twilight and Starlight, silently asking if she could have their permission. They nodded. Ember nodded back, before picking up the dragon.
“I’ll come back with him in a little while,” Ember said. “Just know he’s in good hands.” Spike couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed about being picked up like this, but in all honesty, he’d probably just be in danger if he were to fly on his own. He’d probably get too distracted trying to scratch himself. Ember would soon make it to a nearby balcony, before spreading her wings, and flying off into the air. And Spike would find himself just laying there on her shoulder, still uncomfortable. Thankfully, Ember would take the time to extend a claw towards his head to scratch, while also using her other hand to get at his back a little, Twilight mentioned that he was itching there too. And when she did, Spike would sigh happily, finding himself actually enjoying this. He’d come to quickly learn that claws were significantly better for itching than hooves.
Fortunately, the trip wouldn’t be long, for in a little while, Ember was able to reach her personal lair. She stepped in through an opening on the side, and set Spike down on his backside.
“Follow me,” Ember said. “Keep up your best behavior, this professional already will have a sour opinion.” Spike nodded in understanding though kept on scratching at himself. The two dragons got deeper and deeper into the mountain, wandering through branching paths, the likes of which would go into other chambers, though there was one particular one in Ember’s sights. Soon, they approached a room with several stone slabs chipped into the shape of chairs. And when there, there was a very strange-looking dragoness.
She had lime green scales and a yellow-green underbelly. She stood a head shorter than Ember, and appeared to wear an apron. She had a hauty look to her, and, sure as Ember warned, she was looking down at Spike with a slight bite of venom.
“Spike, this is my hand maiden,” Ember explained. “Her name’s Spark. She tends to me whenever I have some annoying dead scales.”
“And I’m about the only one Ember trusts to touch her,” the green dragon explained.
“Y-yes, that’s true,” Ember said with a nervous stutter, scratching her head. Spike was confused at that reaction, when the green dragon glared at him.
“You’re that pony-raised dragon, aren’t you?” she asked. And Spike was sure that, by the tone, it wasn’t meant as a mere description, more as a snide remark. He took a few steps back, though Ember grasped the back of his head.
“He’s here on my request,” Ember explained. “We uncovered numerous dead scales upon him. He’s reported about them on his head and near his spine.” At that, Spark gave a “hm” and stroked her chin.
“Well, if it’s the dragon lord’s orders…” Spark muttered. She sighed and stepped aside. “Sit on one of the chairs.” Spike, upon being ordered, took a few steps forwards. He peered back towards Ember, who simply crossed her arms in nonchalance. Spike walked more and more, until he came across a chair whose seat was about shoulder-high. He used his wings to help hop up and climb onto it, before he sat down. He scooted towards the center of the chair and pinned his back against the back of the chair, before taking a deep breath and exhaling as Spark approached from behind.
On her way over, she decided to pick up a vial from one of the pockets in this chamber: a vial of soft oil. This’d be for later, but for now, she’d have to get a good look at the whelp’s situation. She leaned in close, her arms hovering near the sides of his head. They came in close, before her claws curled around either side of his head, her palms seeming big enough to cover either side. He peered around wearily as the dragoness grasped him, and he could feel her fingers climb up to the top of his head.
And once up there, she’d begin to dig her claws in. She scratched over his scalp, and it kinda bit a little. She was not as gentle as Ember had been when she manhandled his head before. He shuddered as her claws raked through his scalp, Spark looking down with careful eyes as she sought out the damage. First she’d have to use her tips to test the scales and see what shifted and what didn’t. A few scratches and she was able to uncover quite a few dead scales, them shifting, though a few were dislodged from his head. They tumbled down, some landing harmlessly on his shoulders and the rest scattering onto the seat. Each little bit taken out gave a somewhat satisfying “click” upon being taken out before falling down. Spark ran her claws about again to keep on seeking out scales, making sure she could find each little bit.
“Goodness you’ve got a lot up here,” she remarked. “Do you never clean here?”
“I-I can’t help it!” Spike said. “Do you see these arms?!” To demonstrate, he stretched towards his scalp, though his fingers couldn’t quite make it past the line between his scalp and the sides of his head. “The ponies around me don’t have fingers to pick the stuff out, and any comb we’ve tried lost their teeth on my scales!” Spark muttered to herself, before bringing a pair of fingers down on one scale, where she’d pull and yank it out. Spike shuddered as the scale came out, though one less itchiness was gone.
“I have a tool for your head,” she said. “But first, I should investigate your back. Please lie down.”
“Lie down?” Spike asked. “On something dragons put their butt and feet on?”
“Hey, that’s my butt and feet your talking about,” Ember chided. Spike blushed at the admonishment, and peered over his shoulder at Spark, who was still waiting for him to comply. He realized that he couldn’t get out of laying down. So, he swiveled his legs around, before laying over the seat, resting his chin on his hands and spreading his wings out to give the dragoness some space to play with.
Spark then stepped to the side of the chair, before climbing onto the seat and looming over his back. She brought her hands out, extended her fingers, and set her hands on her back, boring her claws into his scaly hide. He shuddered as he felt the nip of her claws, though his body would soon adjust as she held the position. And so, she began to scrub her hands up and down, searching for any dead scales. Spike shuddered as the handmaiden went to work on his back, feeling a tingle of pleasure as his back was scratched. It felt unlike any pampering he’d been through before. He couldn’t help but blush and moan a little, now getting a blush out of Spark.
Still, she was just doing business. She searched her back, and didn’t find as many dead scales as on his back. She still found a few, and her claws were able to tug the few that were there off of him. She searched the sides of his back, just above his hips, along the lines beside either side of his fins… he could find a few lingering on his shoulder blades and under his wings, though these parts didn’t usually have dead scales. She was confused about the lack of issues, though she had one more thought. She brought her claws towards one of the narrow spaces between fins. She placed her index finger at the left edge, before swiping rightwards. And as she did, she managed to dig out a good few dead scales, tossing them off of the chair.
“Aaaaaahn~” Spike moaned out, his toes and tail curling. Spark was actually surprised by the pleasure-filled sound, and could only keep her claws still as she looked over the smaller dragon. “O-oh Celestia, please do that again~” Spark was still surprised by the reaction, though, after a deep breath, she decided that she’d have to keep on. So, she brought her finger back to where she initially dug, and wormed her finger between those fins, intent on finding any scales she missed.
She dug her index into the crevice to seek out any missing dead scales. Spike’s eyelids fluttered as she scratched at him, and, after enough searching, her claws were able to seek out other scales, and with a few digs, she was able to dislodge them, whipping them leftwards and rightwards, them merely laying harmlessly on his back. After searching a little longer, Spark withdrew her finger and flicked whatever remained off and to the side. And then, she’d have to move onto the rest of the crevices.
She’d decided that she should attend to the fins up near his shoulder blades, at which she’d fit her fingers into place, and begin brushing side to side. As she searched, she’d find that there were actually layers of dead scales in there. She winced inwardly upon finding what appeared to be a vein of scales that should’ve been cast to the trash a while ago. Still, per Ember’s orders, she’d have to work on this, which meant digging this thing clean. She scooped side to side, and with them being torn out, Spike could feel the pressure leave his back.
“Oh wow~ That actually feels really nice~” Spike moaned, his fingers clenching and his eyes shutting. Ember, meanwhile, couldn’t help but feel strange about the display. This should be disgusting, revolting, but seeing this stuff leave him was… strangely satisfying. Especially as she could physically see his discomfort fade from him. Not to mention, just the sight of some other dragon cleaning out between the fins… there was always something better about having some other dragons get those spots. Soon, though, the dead scales were gone from that pocket, and she’d then brush his back a little to toss the scales off of him.
Following that, she’d move onto the rest of the fins. She’d floss between each of them, having started from the top one to pick beneath the other as if there were some golden nugget hidden somewhere. She’d go further and further down the dragon’s spine to pick out whatever’s there, and as they fled from their prison, Spike could feel more and more calm. He hasn’t felt this relaxed in days! He began to lean into her claw so that she could get deeper into the gap between his fins. Spark was surprised by the sensation, though was able to quickly recover from the initial reaction.
More and more she searched his back to find those patches of dead scales, and she’d find more large layers of the bad things. She’d find a few areas that had less patches in them, so she figured that those were areas that Spike managed to get to. Her hands got lower and lower, prompting a blush to dress Spike’s cheeks when he felt her claws wrap around his hips.
“Y-you’re getting kinda low there…” he muttered.
“I’m doing my job,” Spark simply replied. That didn’t stop Spike from blushing as he felt her claws curl around his buttocks as she sought out any dead scales. Fortunately, he wouldn’t have to wait for long, because his claws were able to cover much of his, ahem, derriere. Soon, her claws were off, and instead she searched his tail for debris. Fortunately, it seemed like it too was relatively clean, which makes sense considering he could lift it to his hands. Soon, he made it to the tip, before she brought her hands off, allowing him to flick his tail about freely.
“Alright, sit up,” Spark said. “I’ll have to grab a device to work on your head, so brush off the chair and your back while I’m away.” The handmaiden walked away, and Spike climbed up and onto his rump, still blushing. He brushed the seat a little, as well as his back. He watched as the many, many dead scales fell down.
“Why is there this many?!” he asked exacerbated.
“Most young dragons usually have a mom or dad to tend to their coat like this,” Ember explained. “At least until the dragon grows enough to reach those spaces.”
“O-oh…” Spike muttered. And at that noise, Ember suddenly remembered his… situation.
“I didn’t mean to…” Ember said.
“N-no, I understand…” Spike said. “I-I guess I’ll have to find somepony that can help out here…” Ember nodded in affirmation. Meanwhile, Spark came closer to the chair, Spike peered backwards to get a read on whatever Spark had. He saw that she was holding a strange thing. It was a brush with a nub for a handle, positioned on the backside of the brush’s teeth. Said teeth looked more like a bed of spikes taken straight off of a mace, a sheet of sharp spikes jutting out from a plastic board.
“Pony combs and brushes can’t do anything to dragon scales,” she explained. “But this… this should do some damage.”
“U-uh…” Spike muttered. “Is that safe?”
“I’ve taken that thing all the time,” Ember said. “It stings a little, but it’s nothing a dragon can’t handle.”
“If you say so…” Spike muttered. Spark, meanwhile, walked behind the chair. There, she brought the brush up and hovered it above his scalp, while reaching for that vial she’d set down a while ago. And once she held it, she then spread the oil over the teeth of the brush, before running the weapon-like device over her index.
“Perfect,” she muttered. She then brought the brush close to his scalp. He shuddered as he sat there and waited, fearing what he was sure would be his end. He clenched his eyes shut. The brush came closer and closer, until the tips of the spikes rested on his head.
“Wah! Tell Rarity I-! Huh?” Spike’s fear seemed to bottom out in realization to the lack of gore or death. He blinked a few times, and became slowly aware of the teeth of this medieval brush rake over his scalp. “H-hhhh… ngh!” Spike’d begin to grunt as he felt the dangerous-looking device bore into him. He dug his claws into the sea beneath him, his eyes shutting tight as he felt the device threaten his naturally protective hide. However, as he sat there and endured, he’d slowly feel the scales he wanted out get snatched up by the brush and jettisoned to whatever direction.
It stung like the devil, but the more Spark worked on him, the more he could feel the unsettling feeling on his scalp ebb away. When the brush left after taking a brush-full of scales, he felt the initial sting fade and leave behind a relief he hadn’t felt in a while. Soon, though, the fear of the brush itself began to fade. Instead, he was able to feel the threatening-looking device scratch out his itch. He stood still for a bit, and the dragoness was now getting more and more into digging into him. Plenty of flakes were raining down, and Spike let out a gentle sigh.
“O-ok, now I’m starting to see the appeal~” Spike moaned. Spark nodded self congratulatorily, and would decide to swap the brush towards the other side of his head. Those teeth were able to bear down on his untouched side, and he let out a pleasured grunt, enjoying the feeling while his toes curled tight. “Mmm~ Oh yeah~ Oh yeah~” Now Spark was even starting to blush at the soft noises this dragon was making.
“I haven’t even heard Ember react this way,” she remarked as she dug into his scalp. She scratched more and more, and more of those dead scales snapped out of their grasp. She even made sure to press down tightly on his head so as to get rid of any remaining debris. All the while, Spike was shuddering beneath her, feeling nice and tingly. Several days of discomfort, fading away in under an hour. All the while, Spark would occasionally brush away any scales that landed on his shoulders. After enough, Spark would sweep a little more, before eventually deciding that she’d gotten everything. Spark nodded self congratulatorily, before setting the brush aside and taking up that vial of oil.
“Now, each session of this is usually followed up with a softer hand,” she said as she looked over it. “I assume you’ll wish for it?”
“Y-yes! Yes please!” Spike said, jumping to his feet so that he could face her.
“Settle down, settle down,” she said, softly pressing down on his shoulder to get him back on his backside. Once set in place, she flicked open the vial, before tossing bits of the oil on her hands. She then spread it over her hands, before spreading her fingers. She then hovered her claws near the young dragon’s head, Spike looking at each side curiously. And then, in they came, smushing on either side of his head. And immediately, he could feel the slick, cool, and oily surface of her hands almost melt into his cranium.
She started with small circles on either side, before bringing her claws down and gently clenching them, squishing down and causing Spike’s eyelids to flutter. He began to lean back so that he could enjoy her grasp, his body swaying gently. Spark could feel herself smirk a little, though she brought up a hand to try and wipe the look off her face, before quickly returning her hand to his head. She now bore her palms into the sides of his head, and her thumbs reached towards the back of his head to rub into him. He moaned lightly as Spark’s fingers searched around his head to rub out the wounds he’d just endured to get those darn scales out.
“Oh yes, just like that~” he moaned, now leaning into her hands. She blushed harder and harder as his elation grew louder and louder. Even Ember felt her heart begin to pump something fierce, prompting her to clutch her chest. She stood back carefully, and watched this go on, Spark continuing to pleasure the whelp. Eventually, her hands would leave his head.
“I’ll need you to lay down again so I can get between your fins,” Spark said. Spike nodded, now a little more enthusiastic than before. He quickly swiveled his legs behind him so he could lay out over the seat, trying to keep his head pointed straight ahead in expectation. Spark climbed onto the seat again, sitting at his feet, before bringing her hands up again. And then, down they came, the oil-laden hands beginning to fit into his fins yet again. Spike shuddered beneath her as those cooled fingers worked into him.
He spread his fingers and toes while moaning lightly, before sighing happily as those fingers rubbed into his now descaled openings. She’d gently rake her smooth fingers into those openings, each movement getting a shiver out of him. The two dragonesses, meanwhile, could feel their grins widening, though they each tried to curl their wings around themselves to cover up their muzzles. Her fingers got lower and lower, and Spike, now getting into the feeling of her fingers, didn’t even mind as her hands got close to his hindquarters. Then, she managed to work through all of those crevices, deciding that she didn’t have to work on the tail, what with her previous observation over it being dead scale-free.
“Ok, those were the problem areas, right?” Spark asked. Spike nodded, still feeling joyful. “Alright, I understand. However, my job is to make sure all of it’s gone. So, I’ll have to search your body some more.”
“Th-that sounds nice,” Spike said. She nodded, before reaching under his arms to lift him up. Spike rose a brow curiously, when she brought her arms and legs around him, enwrapping his own legs while her hands began to seek out his torso. He blushed as he felt her fingers grasp his chest and search around his torso, prompting him to wriggle a little bit. Her hands wrapped around his form tightly and ran up and down, thumb rubbing into his back and fingers caressing his front, before she spread them forwards so she could cover more of him, each movement getting a “Hmmm” of contemplation out of Spark.
Then, after making it down to his hips, she picked him up and held him over her shoulder, where her hands came up to caress around his hips while he searched his lower half, which got Spike muttering curiously. She’d wrap her hands around either leg, and gently squeeze up and down in search of anything. He shuddered a little at the feeling of her hands squeezing his legs, seeking out any other damage. The more she searched, the more he’d find a lack of any. Then, her hands wrapped around to his feet, those digits seeking out any spot. Spike’s eyes widened with alarm, him feeling his heart pick up in pace as she rubbed.
“Nothing here…” Spark muttered.
“I-I don’t know, there might be something…” Spike said futilely.
“I’m the professional,” she said, quickly moving on from there. She’d continue to search his body more and more, from his legs, to his backside, to all over his head. After enough searching, she’d come to decide that there was nothing left, though her fingers would squeeze into any small part available to her. “I think you’re good.” She nodded, before setting Spike down, the latter of which seemed to struggle to stand. He looked kinda drunken, him taking a few stumbly steps around.
“If you wish to avoid this in the future, you’ll need to find some means to search those parts you can’t reach,” Spark explained. Maybe a dragon friend or some sort of dragon spa center. Or at least somebody that has claws.”
“R…right…” Spike said dreamily. Spark then looked towards the chair, it and the floor beneath it dirty with those dead scales.
“Hm… It’s gonna take a while to clean this up,” she remarked. She shrugged. “Come to me if you have an issue as serious as before… Well, nearly as serious.” At the latter of which, she found herself unable to hide a slight smirk.
“U-uh, yeah, I’ll find someone,” Spike said. “Thanks for everything, though.”
“It’s business, kid.” Ember, meanwhile, looked at the two of them, before shrugging.
“You need a hand getting home?” Ember asked.
“No, I-I think I might-“ Spike said, only to stumble on his feet a little. “Ok, I might need someone.” Ember approached and gently picked up Spike, before placing him over her shoulder. “Uh, maybe something less demeaning?” Ember, however, walked forwards before peering back towards Spark.
“Oh, thanks for the show~” she muttered quietly towards her.