It’d been a little while since Spike’d been descaled. In that time, relations between ponies and other species had blossomed, allowing plenty of cross communication among the lot of them, meaning more species visiting Ponyville. Among them was a certain green scaled, green-yellow bellied, haughty dragon, her having served under Ember for a while. She used to be a handmaiden, and one with an attitude at that, especially towards those that weren’t dragons. However, a certain purple dragon had helped to warm her up to their kind a little. This’d be none other than Spark, her coming off of a train that left her off at the town.
And once there, she’d notice a few ponies, them greeting her happily. She didn’t so much as wave at them, and instead chose to step out and purely keep an eye out for her contact. Ember said that there should be somepony here that’s looking for her, and hoping to lead her to a spot of interest, apparently. She looked and looked, noticing several ponies holding up card with various other creatures’ names on them, making her certain that they were here for some other being.
Eventually, the green dragon would find a card with her name on it. This card was being held by a strange, haughty-looking unicorn bearing white fur, a purple, curly mane and tail, a trio of diamonds staining her flank, and carefully applied makeup. She was certainly a standout amongst the crowd of ponies, though Spark herself wasn’t feeling particularly up to acknowledging her on her prettiness. Still, thinking back on it, she would recall how Spike had occasionally talked about a pony with features similar to hers during some of their sessions. It seemed like she left an impression on the little guy. Either way, she’d walk forwards, evading the ponies around the area until she positioned herself right before her.
“Greeting!” the alabaster pony said in a tone rich with class. “Are you the miss Spark Ember’s talked about?”
“I am Spark, handmaiden of Ember, yes,” Spark answered simply. Rarity nodded, before setting the card aside and waving her behind. The two would then walk, Rarity leading her off of the platform and out into Ponyville.
“So, you’ve been a close worker of Ember, is that right?” Rarity asked.
“Indeed,” Spark simply explained.
“I apologize if I’m hitting on a sore spot, but what brings you out here?” Rarity asked.
“It’s not particularly sore,” Spark said. “No, mistress Ember simply wished to see me outside of the realm for a little while. Specifically, with the way the world’s changing right now, she wanted me to get more familiar with you ponies for a little while. So, I’ve beent asked to stay here for around a month.”
“Oh, you couldn’t ask for a better place to reside in, darling!” Rarity said. “And I’m sure Ember let you know of a good working place for you, correct?” And with that, the green dragon rolled her eyes, seeming to groan in annoyance.
“Yeah, she told me about your pedestrian spa workplace,” she said, eyes away from the white pony.
“Pedestrian? I assure you, this is far from pedestrian work!” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof. “Spark, darling, the Ponyville Day Spa offers only the best service to all of its patrons!”
“I know excellent service, I’ve offered nothing but the best ever since before Ember came to rule,” Spark said. “These claws have sorted out the bad spots of dragons that’d crush this town by just laying over it. And they were all either royalty or close friends.” And upon hearing that, Rarity seemed to understand her issue.
“Well, how do you intend to get to know ponies better if you limit your palette on who to service?” Rarity asked.
“Ember could always bring them before me,” Spark countered. Rarity could tell that this particular conversation would not be able to move beyond her view, at least not quickly. For now, she’d suppose that a trip to her new job should hopefully sate the dragon’s trepidations.
“Well, perhaps you’ll feel better when you get those things on a pony,” Rarity assured. Soon enough, the two were before the spa’s entrance. “Now, why don’t you step in and introduce yourself to the fine ponies running the spa, and I will fetch a mare that is in dire need of your digits.”
“Very well,” Spark affirmed. With that, the white pony would leave her side to supposedly acquire this mare. Meanwhile, there was the matter of heading into the spa itself. So, she’d turn to the entrance, and she’d step into it, spreading the door open as she approached the front counter, at which there’d be a sea blue pony with a light pink mane and tail at the counter.
“Hello there!” the pony greeted, waving her hoof. “I am Lotus Blossom! Welcome to the Ponyville Day Spa!”
“Greetings,” Spark said with little reaction. “Anyways, I’m here for a job. Ember should’ve sent my letter to you?”
“Oh, that Spark?” Lotus asked. “Ah! I should’ve recognized your description! Hang on!” With that, the pony turned and headed into the spa, leaving the front counter unoccupied. Spark, meanwhile, would raise a brow and sigh. It seemed that she’d been left alone while the pony’s falling behind schedule and failing to get her into her position. What a bother. Eventually, though, that blue pony would return, alongside a pink pony who bore a blue mane and tail.
“Greetings!” the pink pony said. “I am Aloe Vera! The two of us run this spa, and have actually been excited about you ever since the letter appeared! Ember’s descriptions were very flattering!”
“It felt as though we were the ones under the claw~” Lotus said dreamily.
“However, despite this we feel that a proper demonstration will be required,” Aloe continued. Spark seemed to nod in agreement, she should expect these ponies to not fully understand her capabilities. “Either way, let us lead you in so you can read our manuals.” Spark nodded in affirmation, and the two ponies would open up the way into the spa. Spark would step in past their counter, and the two would lead her in deeper, walking her through the halls.
“Now, first things first, have you worked with a pony before?” Lotus asked.
“I’ve only worked on dragons, but that should be practice enough,” Spark said.
“Eh, not exactly,” Lotus said.
“Ponies aren’t quite as… durable, as dragons,” Aloe admitted. “Those claws could look very threatening to a poor pony.”
“They’ve been more than sufficient for my usual client,” Spark said. “If they’re not ready to handle it, they shouldn’t come in.” Both of the spa ponies seemed very uncomfortable with what she was saying, but didn’t quite have the heart to wave her off. Anyways, they kept on walking, and eventually brought her to a changing room, where several other worker ponies would leave their stuff before changing into the spa’s bathrobes, while also providing white towels to provide. Additionally, there was a desk positioned near the corner that bore manuals that displayed pony anatomy, seemingly as a constant source of reference for the workers.
“Be sure to take a good long read of these, and make sure that you’re dressed the part,” Aloe requested. “And we will be sure to screen for a good client for you. Please make sure you’re nice and ready.” And with that, the green dragon grunted with slight annoyance at the mere implication that she might not know what she’s doing. Still, she couldn’t exactly defy them right now. And as such, the duo ponies would step out, leaving Spark alone in the changing room. Spark would step into the room, and would make sure to freshen up before she tried anything.
Soon, her scales were nice and clean, not that they were particularly dirty before now or anything but still. And with her cleaned off, she’d dress herself in one of those bathrobes, which were actually kinda comfy. It seems as though those ponies were able to design one of these robes for her. With them nice and settled on her, she’d approach the desk, and take up the manual, before sitting over on one of benches and flipping through it to get a good refresher on pony anatomy. And so, she’d end up left reading for quite a few minutes. Fortunately, that meant more time to gather info, at least until there was a knock on the door.
“Miss Spark? We believe we have a suitable pony for you,” Aloe said.
“She’s a bit fragile, however,” Lotus said. “But miss Rarity was positive to recommend her.”
“Sending a fragile pony after me, eh?” Spark mused. “Well, I at least got experience working on a small guy like Spike. Let’s see just how weak this pony is.” With that, the two spa ponies would step aside, before leading her through the halls again, the two still feeling kind of unsure about this set up. However, they still had a job to do. And so, they led her into the spa, before eventually opening up into a room with a pool on one side, and several massage tables around the place. Strangely, nopony appeared to be in the area, at least as far as they could see.
“Please stand here, miss Spark,” Aloe said as she led the green dragoness beside one of the massage tables. She stood in place and turned her head around to try and find this mysterious, fragile pony. Eventually, though, the two spa ponies were able to return from the side of one of the tables, now leading between them a new face, a pegasus. She had a light yellow coat of fur, a pink mane and tail, and a few butterflies plastered on her flank. She walked with a somewhat nervous stride as she got closer and closer. Spark could tell that she was a nervous type regularly.
“Miss Fluttershy, please say ‘hello’ to your spoiler today!” Aloe said enthusiastically towards the yellow pony while waving in Spark’s direction. Now, Spark knew who this pony was.
“O-oh, hi there…” she said with a timid voice. “I-I’m Fluttershy… A-and, who might you be?” She seemed to be on the verge of sweating, and seemed about ready to bolt. Spark, meanwhile, simply looked at her with a neutral expression while loosening her shoulders and neck a little.
“My name’s Spark,” she replied simply.
“O-oh my, you’re her?” Fluttershy said in realization. Spark, meanwhile, rose a brow curiously, surprised at her name reaching the pegasus’ ears.
“Where’d you hear of me from?” Spark asked.
“S-Spike mentioned you a little bit after his issue was dealt with,” Fluttershy replied. “He spoke of you so fondly, and said he’d visit multiple times. He, uh, also mentioned your… methods…” When she said “methods”, she seemed to have a worried tone to her voice. Understandable, considering her only frame of reference for her work. Still, though, Spark had just spent a while learning about pony anatomy, including that of the pegasus.
“Well then you know I’m adaptable,” Spark said. “I hadn’t quite worked on a dragon as small as him, and he came out feeling just like new.”
“Y-yeah, I suppose it does,” Fluttershy affirmed, though she was certainly still worried. “Well, if you feel it, I personally wouldn’t mind a small bit of assistance. I-I would’ve asked Spike for it, though, I feel like he’s a bit… inexperienced…” The pegasus would find herself unable to keep on a normal conversation as she looked over the green dragon. She didn’t want to argue with Rarity when she wanted to help out a dragon, but this… She’d had a problem with a few feathers sticking out oddly in her wings, and she’d usually rely on one of her smaller animal friends to pick them out, someone without claws that could do a lot of damage to her wings. Spike might’ve led to a death by a thousand cuts, but Spark… she looked like she could tear off a limb by accident…
“Alright, what seems to be the issue?” Spark asked.
“The poor miss is suffering a bout of out of place feathers,” Aloe said simply. “She dearly needs someone with your extremities to take care of those bad things. You will be able to do that, right?”
“Sounds somewhat like getting rid of a few dead scales,” Spark said. “I am experienced in that regard, though I haven’t dealt with feathers yet.”
“As long as you stuck to the manual, it should be fine!” Lotus declared. Spark nodded in understanding, before unfurling a white towel she brought with her, and flipping it to cover up the massage table beside her. Fluttershy took a few careful steps forwards, glancing at Spark nervously as she approached. Spark, meanwhile, kept up her usual, judgmental gaze, and gently waved her head towards the table, prompting her to get on. She supposed she couldn’t defy her, so she carefully brought her forehooves up and onto the table, before pulling the rest of her up and onto it.
She laid her whole form over it, making sure either leg hung off of the edges and her head loomed down over the head of the table. She tried to calm down, but she was definitely tense. Even her wings, the problem areas, refused to unfurl for Spark’s convenience. The green dragon looked over her curiously, and the two spa ponies were off to the side, watching. Clearly they were here to make sure the dragon was playing nice.
“Fluttershy-“ she started. However, the two ponies would clear their throat, cutting her off. “Flu-“ Again, the two ponies cleared their throat. And with that, the green dragon was suddenly reminded of a passage from the manual: courtesies. “Miss Fluttershy,” Spark said, putting emphasis on the title, while also glancing over at the two spa ponies. They each nodded in approval. “For us to continue, I’ll need you to spread your wings out so that I can investigate your feathers.”
“S-sorry, I’m a little nervous…” Fluttershy said. It took a considerable amount of effort from the dragon to choke back an “I know”, but the moment she opened her jaws, the two spa ponies trying to wave her down reminded her to hold her tongue. Meanwhile, Fluttershy shifted about on the bed, trying to carefully spread her wings, though they wouldn’t go too far. Spark herself was feeling a little exasperated.
“Here’s a compromise,” Spark said. “How about I give you a gentle massage right now, and that’ll show you that you’re in good hands.” Fluttershy seemed to blush at that.
“O-oh my… i-if you think it’ll help, but I’m not sure…” Fluttershy muttered. However, Spark’s hands would come down quickly. She’d extend her claws out, before bringing them down and at the middle of her back, fingers pointed up and towards her neck while her thumbs are spread out towards the sides. Fluttershy froze up at the touch, her tensing up beneath Spark.
“Hey now, you’re here to relax,” Spark said. She began by stroking her palms up and down her back, gently holding little patches of her back which felt a little tense, them being pretty near her wing stems, so that made sense. Fluttershy, meanwhile, gave a soft moan at the feeling, her wings fluttering slightly at the feeling of the strokes. After a bit, Spark would pick her hands up, though not without having her fingers leave her. With those, she’d gently trace up her spine, swiveling up and between her wing joints to get near the base of her neck.
“O-oh my~” Fluttershy muttered. Her body seemed to stretch towards her hands or fingers without actually leaving the massage table, like her body itself was trying to mold itself to feel the dragon’s touch. A remarkable change of pace, though Fluttershy was certainly still a little antsy and tense. Well, that just meant that she’d have to work a little harder. So, she brought her hands towards her foreleg joints, at which she’d gently grasp them, before stroking forwards and back, giving them a good rub down. And as she did, the yellow pony’s forelegs would stretch forwards, her eyes shut merrily and her giving a gentle hum of approval.
Spark would keep on doing that, and as she did, she’d see Fluttershy’s wings open up a little and a little bit more. However, after a bit, her wings didn’t seem to respond properly to her rubbing, which signaled to her that these rubs weren’t quite doing it for her anymore. So, she’d have to again search elsewhere to rub out her stress. So, again she’d bring her hands up while leaving her fingertips poking into her back. Her hands would near her head, though the moment they got close to her neck, she shuddered violently and clenched her head up to try and hide her neck from that dragon’s wandering digits.
Realizing that she wasn’t comfortable right there yet, Spark would stop from that touch, and instead bring her fingers down and between her wing joints, before circling around to instead rub around them. Fluttershy gave a soft moan, her tail flicking at Spark’s abdomen a little. She was stroking her back again, using her palms instead of her fingertips, the pegasus giving a soft sigh in response. After a few rubs there, she decided to move down towards her tail end, it being untouched and all. So, her hands came down, her palms rubbing into her flanks. However, at that touch, Fluttershy gave out a yelp and pulled away a little, her yellow face now a strong shade of red.
“I’m used to dragons being more open to that,” Spark said.
“Y-you should really ask before you touch a pony there…” Fluttershy said while still blushing, her tail curling around to cover her hindquarters.
“Sorry, miss,” Spark responded, now positioning her hands upon her hindleg joints. And when her hands worked there, Fluttershy would again sigh happily. It did feel comforting honestly, a gentle massage like this. It took a while, but she warmed up to the usual staff’s touches on her form, and Spark’s moves were definitely reminding her of those. The rest of her body was getting less and less tense as the massage went on, and sure enough, her wings would unfurl. And once they did, Spark would realize that it was about time for the main portion of the treatment.
“Ok, miss Fluttershy,” Spark started. “I am about to work on your wings, so be ready for that.” The pegasus’ head seemed to perk up slightly at that statement. She gently rose her head up and above the table, before giving a nod, signaling to the dragon that she’s ready. And so, with that, she’d carefully adjust herself upon the table, her looming her backside above Fluttershy’s hips so that she could have a better angle at those wings. The pony gave a soft wiggle beneath her in response, though her wings remained nice and outstretched, signaling to Spark that she was still calm and ready.
She started with a simple glance over her wings, and already she could see a few displaced feathers. She leaned in close and decided to aim for the immediate outliers. She held out a pointer finger and thumb, before using them to pinch one of the bad feathers. She gently lifted it, feeling the stray stem muss up the pegasus’ poor wing. This would be a delicate procedure, she realized from the manual. Whereas a dragon’s coat of scales is usually thick and stays in place even if a scale refuses to, feathers could easily disrupt others leading to further issues. So, she’d have to pull carefully.
She angled her head such that she could very simply pull in a single motion. And so, up it went, and like that, the loose feather was removed from her wing. And when it was out… Loose feathers can be a pain in the side for a poor pegasus. They liked to stick strangely, and the slightest movement could make them subsequently move as well, and thus rustle other feathers. With Spark’s movement, she was able to remove one of the very annoying feelings that’d dug into her wings. Fluttershy actually let out a soft moan from the action! Spark couldn’t help but give pause at the reaction, feeling kinda nice about her reaction.
Still, she had more work to do. So, she reached out towards another obviously out of place feather, gently pinched it, and carefully drew it out. With that gone, Fluttershy gave a soft moan, her stretching her limbs out. With one less bad feather in place, Fluttershy was getting more and more calm, her wings giving a soft flutter of joy. The dragon nodded congratulatorily to herself and leaned towards another one, holding it carefully before drawing it out as well. She’d repeat the process over and over, getting rid of the uncomfy feelings in her wings. Those displaced feathers were stirring dangerously in her wings, but those bad feelings were fading quickly. Fluttershy herself felt like she could just fly into the air! …Almost.
Either way, she’d just lie there and take a few more. Spark was still going surface level right now, aiming for the feathers that she could immediately see. Feather here, feather there, each time she’d pinch and carefully draw up and out, before she brought the feather elsewhere and dropping it to the ground, the floor surrounded the massage table coated in a yellow carpet. Soon, though, those extraneous feathers were dealt away, and her wings look a little bit more presentable.
“Did that all feel alright?” Spark asked, more as a courtesy rather than her being genuinely curious. She did hear the pony’s moans, after all. Fluttershy, still panting from the pleasureful intention given to her, was able to carefully bring her head up and nod in affirmation. Spark nodded in understanding. “So, did I get all of it? Or is there more of you that could use some attention?” Fluttershy tried to crane up, and seemed to struggle to find her mouth, as if her body and her tongue were miles apart.
“Th-there’s… th-there’s… th-there’s still… still bad… feathers…” Fluttershy muttered out drunkenly. Of course Spark understood that she should’ve sought her wings a little more, but it doesn’t hurt to check if her job’s done a little early. So, she’d have to search out her wings for more, individual bad feathers. This process was a bit more delicate than the previous bit: instead of the feathers being obvious, she’d have to seek through the individual feathers to try and find just what ails the poor pegasus. Her fingers would tread in real close, and she’d try to search them carefully, her “walking” her fingers along her wings and utilizing her tips to carefully spread them and search the gap for anything. With each gentle move, Fluttershy gave a soft moan at the feeling of her fingertips gently searching her, and her breath’d hitch whenever she spread the feathers.
Occasionally, she’d find just what she was after, an odd looking feather. With it exposed, she’d take her free hand and reach in, before pinching it, and carefully pulling up and out of the gap she made. It was a bit tougher to pull these free, but when they were out from between her feathers, the animal lover gave a soft gasp of joy, her eyes actually rolling back in her head. The dragon couldn’t help but feel a little pride in how joyful the pegasus was being. It’s not like she was starving for praise or anything, it just felt nice, though.
Her fingers would keep on searching the whole of her left wing, keeping on searching for what she wants. She’d spread more of those feathers, before finding a rough patch and carefully plucking it free. She’d repeat the process more and more, until eventually, the wing furled back to her side.
“M-mmm~ Oh, I-I think you got that wing~” Fluttershy affirmed. Understanding that, Spark would take her hands away from that wing, before heading onto the remaining wings. It seemed like her job would be over soon, but that’s ok. The pony was definitely happy after all of the worry she showed to the dragon before now. So, her hands would hover near the remaining wing, one using its fingers to gently search through the bed of feathers while the other was ready to pluck any bad feathers she found.
Sure enough, she’d find a few stray things, and as such, she’d carefully pluck them free while her fingers spread the good ones. Feathers would come free, and she’d grant more soft moans from the pegasus, soon finding herself blushing from all of the attention. Eventually, though, that wing was also fixed up, and, with a gentle flick of the pony’s wing, she withdrew it to her side, and she sighed.
“Did I get everything, miss Fluttershy?” Spark asked.
“Oh yes, you did wonderfully~” Fluttershy moaned, still laying on the table. “Oh, I need to lay down here for a little~” Understanding that, Spark would step away, and soon find those two spa ponies waving her over. Spark then walked towards the two of them, them leading her out of the room and towards the changing room from before.
“I think that you performed splendidly,” Aloe said.
“You were courteous, you were methodical, and you were careful,” Lotus said. “I’d say that it’d be great to have you along with us!”
“Thank you both,” Spark said, giving the two a nod. “I think I might like it here.”
“Oh, we’re so glad to hear that!” the two spa ponies said in unison.