Rest and Relaxation

Arpeggio walked into the spa, speaking with the spa pony in charge. "Two full treatment sessions, please." He thought to himself, I could use it, and I bet after all his wandering, my new roommate could, as well. He showered, but I think a proper treatment will do him worlds of good. He turned to the door. "Thunder, you coming?"

Thunderclap walked awkwardly into the spa. To him, fruit juice was a luxury. A spa treatment was way too much. "You, uh, you sure you want to do this?" He asked, "You don't have to pay for me." Also, the thought of complete strangers rubbing him down make him squirm. But he did not want to be rude, so he excepted his new friend's proposal. "So, um, what does this spa treatment entail?" He asked, slightly nervous.

"Ah, come on, I insist, Thunder; it's no trouble, I assure you; I have quite a bit of bits saved up from the last couple years. Besides, you could use the relaxation; you've been wandering for how long again? Basically, the first thing is just a face mask, if I recall. Something with essential oils and vitamins for your skin."

Thunderclap gulped and sat down. Two ponies started to apply some kind of weird smelling goop to his face. Thunderclap sneezed. "Sorry." he said, as the spa workers continued. "So does this place have a hot tub or somehing? I wouldn't mind a hot tub." He said. "Or a massage. My back has been sore from carrying all my stuff as I wander." He looked at Arpeggio, "So you come here often?"

He sat down as the spa workers did the same to him, another beginning to carefully file and clean his hooves. "Nope. I haven't been in town much longer than you; this is my first time here. Feels niiiice already, though. I think a hot tub aromatherapy session is part of the full package, with a massage afterward. Not fully sure, though."

Thunderclap nodded as one pony brought out a file to work on his hooves. The spa worker was suprised to see in how rough a shape they were in. The spa pony sighed and began to work anyway. Thunderclap felt bad making the pony clean his hooves, which he knew where incredibly rough and dirty. "It does feel nice." Said Thunderclap, agreeing with his friend. "But I bet that massasge will feel even better."

"I bet~" He relaxed with a sigh as the facial mask began setting up, the spa pony continued filing and cleaning his hooves. "This feels amazing~" The spa pony giggled a little and continued cleaning.

Thunderclap watched the spa pony work vigorously on his hooves. Thunderclap frowned. Watching a pony work so hard for him made him unhappy. "So, I need to find a way to make it up to you. I need to get a job to pay you back." He said. The face cream began to harden. "I wonder what goes into this stuff?" He pondered aloud, wathing as the pony finished his first hoof and moving onto the second.

"Thunder, helping around the house already goes a long way; if you really want to, though, you can work with the weather ponies; I'm sure they could use you." The spa pony finished on Arpeggio's hooves and went over to help with Thunderclap's. "As far as the mask... fruit extracts and oils, I think. Dunno what else." Arpeggio waited for a while before a spa pony came and removed the now-dried mask from his face; he felt refreshed.

"Mmm~ Feels good..." The spa pony led Arpeggio over to the hot tubs; he got into one and the spa pony put a little of a lavender oil into the water. He inhaled deeply, the scent helping relax him further.

Thunderclap pondered this. Working with the weather ponies would not be that bad. Especially if this town did not have a pony good at breaking up storms. The two ponies had finished working on his hooves and seemed tuckered out. He apologized, and one removed his mask. He was led over to the hot tubs and sat in it. "Ah, this is great. I found a hot spring once in some mountains, it was great. But this smells so much better." He closed his eyes, stretched his wings out, and relaxed. "I'm really glad I came to this town. Meeting you, this is one of the best things to happen to me."

"Well, aren't you a flatterer." He chuckled. "I'm glad I met you, too, Thunder; you're a great guy and a good roommate. I wasn't really expecting one, but I'm glad I have one." He stretched his wings out as well, sliding a little deeper into the water. "I can just feel my stress melting away..."

Thunderclap nodded. Having a roommate is great. He never had siblings, so this was the closest he'll get. He inhaled deeply. The tub smelled fantastic, and his muscles were loosening up. His eyes were still closed. He wondered how many more friends he would make here. He did not have many friends while he wandered. Now he has the chance to make a whole much more. "So, what should we do after this." said Thunderclap, relaxed for the first time in quite a while.

"Well, we still have a few more things left. The guide said that this full service has a massage after this... then, it said, an extra service. Dunno what it is, but all I do know is that this feels great. After this we could go to Sugarcube Corner or something; I'm craving something sweet, I don't know about you." He closed his eyes, relaxing further.

"Ah yes, the massage. Really looking forward to that." Said Thunderclap, slowly sinking farther into the tub. "And I wonder what this 'extra service' is. But sounds nice." Thunderclap then thought about Arpeggio's suggestion. "Sugarcube Corner, eh?" he asked, "Sounds like a plan." He said.

"Awesome..." After a while, a spa pony came and got Arpeggio from the hot tub; he dried off and was lead to a room with several massage tables. He laid down on his belly on it while the spa pony rubbed a warm oil on her hooves. She began massaging his shoulder blades, the oil making her touch very warm. "Mmmmm~"

Thunderclap was led out of the tub, and dried off, and led to a room. He was put stomach down onto a tables. One spa pony began to rub his back. She was firm, yet slow. "Ohh yaa, get those knots out of my back please." He said, as the pony continued to work on his back. The worker poured some oil on her hooves and continued to work on his back. "Get my wings too please." He said. The pony pushed down hard. "So, I'm Thunderclap, what is you name?" He asked, trying to spark conversation. "Aurora Spring." She answered quickly, continuing the massage in silence.

The spa pony continued working the knots out of Arpeggio's back and wings, having taken care of his shoulders. "Mmm~ This is heavenly~" He closed his eyes as she worked on his muscles. After a while, she flipped him over onto his back, working at his armpits and ribs. He gave a quiet moan, enjoying the feeling. His eyes snapped wide open, however, when he felt a warm touch between his hindlegs. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's going on?"

The spa pony replied, "The extra service..." Her hooves were, to Arpeggio's eyes, really not where he was comfortable with them being. "That's the extra service? He looked around, realizing that Thunderclap had been taken to a different room for his massage. "...Oh, no..."

The spa pony flipped Arpeggio back onto his stomach, massaging his neck and shoulders again instead; he needed that bit of relaxation after that revelation. "...I'm gonna have to apologize to Thunder after this..."

Thunderclap moaned as the worker continued the massage. "This is amazing! I should do this more often." He said. The spa pony worked down to his lower back. "Ya, that's the spot." He said. The pony then flipped him onto his back. "Wow, not many ponies can flip me that easily." Said Thunderclap. The pony then began to massage his ribs, then down to his stomach. The pony got lower and lower. "Um, are you going to keep going down lower?" he asked. The pony nodded and kept going. She placed her hooves in an uncomfortable spot. Thunderclap blushed. "So, um is this the extra service? Or do you just like me?" Thunderclap said, trying to keep it not awkward. After a little bit of the extra service, he was flipped arounf back to his stomach. "I gotta talk to Arpeggio after to this."

As soon as the massage was finished, Arpeggio left the massage room feeling refreshed, but really really embarrassed. "Thunder, I am so, so sorry about that. I had no idea that the extra service was... that..." He averted his eyes.

"Um... let's go to Sugarcube Corner; my treat... hopefully that can make up for this blunder..."

Thunderclap stepped out of the massage room. He saw Arpeggio getting out of his room. "Apology accepted. Let us never talk about that....experience to anypony else, ok?"
He then followed Arpeggio out of the spa and towards the Sugarcube Corner. At least he was relaxed now. Plus, now he was getting some sweet treats.

"Agreed." He walked out. "Granted, the rest of that was quite enjoyable; before that, the massage felt wonderful and I enjoyed the hooficure... my face feels refreshed, too, thanks to that mask."

Thunderclap followed his friend out. "It wasn't the extra treatment was bad, just very awkward. If it was not awkward, it probably would have been quite enjoyable." Then he began to think about what to buy at the Sugarcube Corner. Cupcakes or Pie?