Archmage: Square One

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Chapter 4 – “You gotta walk before you can run”

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Spells were hard. Abysmally hard. Oh, by the stars, how I hated them… I wasn’t sure which was more difficult; keeping tracks of the arches or trying to remember which nodes were filled with which energy. What’s worse, there were quite a few spells that required energies I had no clue how to use. Things like shadow magic and more specific elemental discrepancies than simple rocks. For the next five days, I slaved over the books, trying my absolute hardest to learn the material Twilight had given me in her library.

Well, that and enjoying a certain array of dirty magazines. And napping. Ooh and exploring Canterlot. And reading fantasy novels.

Okay, so maybe I wasn’t trying my absolute hardest to learn, but it’s hard for me to focus on stuff that doesn’t interest me. Twilight tried just yesterday to give me a book that had a few spells inside the rather interesting story, but unlike the levitation manual, I couldn’t absorb the information the way that I used to. She asked me to cast the spell she had put in the text, but it had fizzled in a rather spectacular display of transparent beads cascading from my horn. Twilight explained why to me shortly after.

“Spells aren’t exactly like premises, in that you can absorb them second-hand.” She had smiled down at me. “They’re actually rather specific, and require a very structured, hoofs-on approach. There aren’t any spells you can cast that are dangerous, but they can have some interesting side-effects. Like this one.” She levitated the multitude of beads I had magically conjured and dispelled them all, leaving our practice chamber clean once more. “I’m sorry, Star, but I’m afraid there’s no easy way for you to learn specific spells… It has to be done this way.”

And that’s why I find myself crying for the umpteenth time over my shortcomings as a unicorn. It had been a while since I’d had an actually good cry, and this one was long overdue. Sobbing pathetically into my pillow began to leech away my self-pity, and instead filled me up with a righteous sense of anger. Not necessarily at myself, but rather at the nature of spells for being so confusing. I sat up and set my pillow aside, looking down at my hooves with a fire in my gut.

“I’m not going to let this beat me.” I growled, rolling swiftly out of bed. I trotted to my bathroom and settled in for a nice shower, taking plenty of time to care and style both my mane and tail. They could be a hoof-full at times, but rather soothing at others. It was a nice reminder to slow down and focus on the little things. After running the gamut of morning routines, I dried and braided them both, and then made straight for the castle.

The guards smiled at me as I mounted the steps, and lifted their spears to let me in. I smiled back, finding it rather ironic that I would have avoided those same two stallions not two weeks prior, and now I was greeting them like friends on my way to study. Maybe in another two weeks I’d learn their names.

Twilight’s office was where I walked to, taking it nice and slow to enjoy the myriad of paintings and the wondrous view out of the castle windows. I really did feel blessed that Twilight would stoop so low as to help a measly unicorn like myself, but at the same time I knew her time could just as well be spent doing other things… Like saving Equestria, as she had been known to do in the past. Granted, there probably wasn’t anything to be saving Equestria from, but one could never tell.

I made it to Twilight’s library and timidly knocked, waiting for a response from within. Twilight opened the door in short order, smiling down at me.

“Hello, Star. I wasn’t expecting you today. Is everything okay?”

“Truth be told, Twilight, it isn’t…” I glanced around her withers, swallowing a little. “Could I talk with you?”

“To be honest, I thought you’d want a break from all this.” Twilight chuckled, sweeping me inside with a gesture of her wings. “I wasn’t expecting you to come in, but I hadn’t planned anything else.”

“I’m sorry,” I muttered faintly, plodding into the library. “I just… Well, I kind of had a self-realization this morning.”

“Those are always good. But don’t think that I wanted a break from you, Star. To be honest, I thought you’d want a break from me. Nevertheless, I’m here to help. What was this realization?” Twilight closed the door and went to sit at her usual table, which I could see was decorated with a moderate stack of boring-looking graphs and what I could guess were reports. I had probably just saved Twilight from a morning of boring paperwork.

“Well,” I sighed, thinking back to that morning’s crying session and the adamant denial of being beaten by a tried and tested thousands-of-years-old system. It seemed silly in hindsight. But I closed my eyes and turned to face Twilight nevertheless. “I’ve decided I’m going to devote myself to my studies more. I’m tired of being a failure at every bit of magic I try and do. I want to make something of myself, and just five days ago we broke a barrier that I thought was unbreakable. I cast a spell, and I can still cast that spell.” I opened my eyes and looked into Twilight’s feeling that righteous fire inside my stomach once more.

“I want to cast more spells. I want to be competent. I want to help ponies, not make their days worse every time my horn lights up.” I stepped forward, looking up into Twilight’s eyes pleadingly. “And I want you to help me.”

Twilight and I stood like that for a long while, looking into one another’s eyes. Twilight seemed to be thinking of something; something very serious and life-changing. At least, for one of us. After what felt like an eternity, Twilight gave me a smile.

“That’s what I’ve been looking for.”

“What?” I blinked. “Looking for? Looking for what?”

“Determination.” Twilight turned towards one of her book shelves, scanning the titles slowly. “It seemed almost like you were not entirely invested in your studies… Or rather, they were becoming tedious. That’s understandable, given your wanderlust and short attention span. Those things aren’t necessarily bad, but they aren’t conducive towards learning either. At least, not learning at a fast pace like you want.” She pulled a few thick, dusty tomes from the shelves, scanning their titles before replacing or setting them aside.

“Thus, I needed you to exhibit some sort of grit; some determination, before I increased your workload. After all, I don’t want you to get too burned out and be unable to continued studying. But now…” She chuckled, pulling another two books onto her stack. “Now, dear Star… We can take the next step.” She turned back to me, hovering a full arrangement of books onto the table.

“The next step?” I glanced over the titles of each book with a slight frown. “And that would be…?”

“Well, not so much the next step as it is the first.” Twilight lifted one book to my face, the cover emblazoned with four different symbols. “The first step in a few different fields. You see, Star, my own development was rather… Sectioned.” My eyes went wide as I surveyed the cover, marveling at the four symbols. They were a small flame, what appeared to be a rock, a drop of water, and a few wisps that I was certain embodied air. Twilight continued speaking.

“I started studying the magic of friendship first, and almost solely that, for over seven years when I was your age. Well before I was named Archmage. Because I had studied the magic of friendship and the daylight – Celestia’s magic – I didn’t fully understand other branches. Thus, once I was named Archmage, I was more-or-less forced to learn others. And doing so was troublesome, because I couldn’t step into any other field than shadow magic – Luna’s own magic. Then, once I had those two under my belt, I could finally move on to things like shielding and love… All of the other fields of magic that were equally as important as those two.

This isn’t true with yourself. You see, Star, I’ve just given you your base. Granted, you came into it a few years older than I did, but we can’t exactly hold that against you, can we?” She winked teasingly before gesturing to the book in front of me. “You’ve just taken your first step into the wide world of magic, Star. You can go anywhere from here, and we have all the time in the world for you to go there. You can study the magic of the night, or elements, or even hatred and anger. In time, you can be the most skilled botanist in Canterlot, or an elemental savant. Or any one of those things. Or all of them.” Twilight hovered another book forward, this one emblazoned with a very large leaf on the front.

“Just because I studied magic in one particular way does not mean you have to. Study what interests you, Star. I’ll do my damndest to make sure you have all of the tools at your disposal to do so. Study the magic of nature. Study the night. Study the day. Study shielding, love, or elemental magic… Or study them all. Don’t corner yourself into one field if it disinterests you. Set it aside and move on to something else, then come back to it when you’re once more fascinated. That’s the way you study, Star.” Twilight set the books down in a stack, chuckling faintly.

“Your mind is unfettered, and cannot be contained by traditional means of studying and development. You cannot learn things that do not interest you. But you’re easily interested in a wide variety of subjects as well. That’s what I envy about you, is your open-mindedness. Back when I was just a unicorn, I resigned myself to one field at a time, sloughing through it until I knew what I needed. Then I’d move on to the next step.”

“So, wait, hang on…” I blinked several times. “You want me to… Just go at it? Any way I please?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Twilight nodded warmly. “Tell me what you like, and I’ll see if I can’t point you in the right direction.”

I could hardly believe it. The whole world at my hooves, and Twilight to help me explore it. A million different possibilities ran through my mind at once, all of them more exciting than the last. I settled on one course of action with a determined grin.

“Tell me about the magic of the day.” I’d read hundreds of stories about valiant unicorns seizing the power of the daylight and overthrowing the shadowy, evil forces of the world, using spells that made them stronger than earth ponies, or quicker than pegasi, all through sheer force of will and magic. I wanted to be like those heroines in the stories who blasted apart whole legions with a blinding ray of light, or who destroyed a whole keep with one mighty blast of energy.

“Very good, Star.” Twilight lifted a book from among the others. “Let’s start here.”

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And so it went for the next two weeks. Twilight would turn me on to one more new and interesting bit of magic after another. We’d glean over some of the boring details, and instead launch straight into the hooves-on approach. Twilight was amazing. Right in the middle of the spell, she’d tell me one important detail or another, and I was so wrapped up with casting the damn thing that I’d just absorb the material immediately. Afterwards, she’d have me explain it, and then cast it again.

Before I knew it, I had expanded my repertoire by over twenty spells. But the magic of the day was surprisingly uninteresting and boring. It was all about using your own strength to alter the world around you. Changing and modifying things to your liking. Which was cool and all, but I had been expecting to destroy legions of fiendish changelings in one fell swoop, or leveling entire castle keeps with nary a thought.

An unrealistic expectation, sure, but I could still be disappointed.

So next came the night. This was an entirely different brand of magic, and one that I thought was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t have to do a thing, I just had to open myself and ask. I was always open and willing, as Twilight’s surprisingly evasive questions had exposed.

“So, you mean to tell me you’re bi?” Twilight arched an eyebrow. I flushed a little and nodded.

“I, uuh… Yeah. For lack of a better word.”

“That’s interesting. But… not a virgin?”

“No.” I chuckled, still blushing. “Most definitely not… It’s been about two years since I last, aah… indulged. But no. I’m a far cry from a virgin.” Twilight’s questions had surfaced a rather painful old memory of mine, but some rather nice ones as well. Twilight seemed to sense my trepidation at sharing any more, but in typical Twilight fashion, she went ahead and asked anyways.

“Who were they?”

“Well…” I sighed and pulled my braid over my shoulder, stroking it with both my hooves as I recalled the story. “They were a couple, a rather open one at that… They were regulars at the library, and we kind of just hit it off. We started as friends, you know, talking about books, going to the park, just hanging out together… But I came to learn they wanted a little more spice in the bedroom.” The memory had me flushed, as it was one of the most prevalent in my entire history.

“I was, of course, inexperienced and clumsy. Almost painfully so. But they were patient and kind and understanding, and they taught me a lot of things.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “Oh the things those two taught me…” I opened my eyes and glanced at Twilight, my cheeks darkening all the more. “Stop me if this gets to be too much.”

“No, please.” Twilight gestured with a hoof. “Continue… And I’d hope you’re not too shy to share these things with me in the future.”

“Yeah, but… Aren’t you married?”

“You’ll come to find, Star, I’m a teacher first, a friend second, and a wife third. Luna and I love one another fiercely, but… Well, there’s nothing wrong with listening to a story or even offering some advice now and then, is there?”

“So… We’re friends?”

“I’d like to think so.” Twilight nodded. “We might not spend our free days together, and I certainly won’t be inviting you into my bed as long as Luna or I draw breath, but we’re friends nevertheless.” What she said could have stopped my heart.

’Me, the helpless basket case from Trottingham, a friend with a Princess… Oh, this is going to make for an interesting letter to the parents.’

“Well,” I cleared my throat and continued. “I, uuh… We… We did a lot together. You know, I’d do her while he watched, he’d do me while she watched, or I’d watch them… Or all three of us.” I remembered those nights, laying splayed out on a bed, my head on Blazer’s stomach, with my legs tangled through Mint’s, covered in any manner of unspeakable and erotic-smelling fluids… I found myself squirming on the floor, praying I could make it home before completely breaking down.

“That’s very nice, Star.” Twilight smiled. “But, if you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

“The same thing that happens to all three-way relationships over time.” I hung my head with a soft sigh. “Jealousy.”

“Oh. That’s unfortunate…” Twilight frowned slightly. “Did you start making love to one another without the third’s knowing?”

“Of course we did… She started working at the hospital, and I took up a steady spot with Bookend. Our hours were strange, and I thought it’d be fine to just, you know… Pop in for a quickie. I never knew I’d drive a wedge between the two of them.” The blush left my cheeks and the melancholy returned as I remembered that whole week.

“Her name was Mint Leaf, and he was Blazer.”

“I remember Mint Leaf.” Twilight smiled. “I sat on her examination board. She scored well.”

“Yeah, she was always good at whatever she did.” I chuckled. “Be it cunnilingus or healing… But her work took precedence over us. Blazer was restless, so we’d start fucking-“ I blushed and glanced up at Twilight. She just waved a hoof dismissively, so I continued. “Eer, after work… I never thought she’d have an issue with it, you know, she’s seen us go at it more often than not… But when she walked in on us, she suddenly flipped out and went nuts… Started screaming at him for betraying her and… I don’t know.” I sighed and closed my eyes.

“I always felt that Blazer loved Mint… And I understood that. The two of them loved one another, and I was always just there to kinda… I dunno… Mix things up a little. But she’d been all but ignoring him, so I was, you know… Helping a friend out. Neither of us expected her to take it so personally. When she left after that, things were never the same. Blazer was distraught, and I felt terrible. I thought I was the one who had come between them…”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Star… But think about it objectively for a moment, if you could.” Twilight ruffled her wings as she spoke. “The three of you shared sexual relations, and many times without the third party being involved. It’s not a far cry to think the third would be okay with two of you being together in the same way. I’d assume Blazer and Mint did things with one another without you there?”

“Of course.”

“And you had sex with Mint?”

“More times than I’d care to count.”

“He he…” Twilight chuckled but continued. “Did Blazer ever take issue with the two of you making love?”

“Never.” I furrowed my brow. “But he was always watching, or he at least knew about it.”

“Imagine if he had discovered you two were doing it without him there. Do you think he’d have been angry?”

“Well… Probably not. Blazer was always kinda cool like that. Things didn’t seem to faze him that much… Except Mint leaving. That broke him.”

“Well, that’s just the way it goes, Star… But to be perfectly frank here,” Twilight stood and padded over, laying a hoof on my shoulder. “It sounds like an honest mistake to me. One that Mint took too personally, and one that Blaze wasn’t quite prepared to handle. Anyways.” Twilight nudged me playfully. “I got the answer to my question. You see, the magic of the night is that of creation and life. Only ponies who understand that special bond between another can use all of the night’s might.” She chuckled and shook her head a bit, smiling as if in remembrance.

“I was still a virgin when I tried to learn the magic of the night. I couldn’t have access to her power without doing the deed first, so it was quite the hassle getting around to it. I wasn’t unlike yourself back then. Quiet, humble, not exactly the best-looking.”

“-Hey!”

“But it all turned out for the best.” Twilight continued on despite the playful teasing. “It helped Luna and I cross a line, and while the road after that was bumpy and at times almost lethal, we worked it out in the end. Now it’s been over three thousand years, and we’re just as happy as ever.”

“Lethal?” I swallowed. “How so?”

“Well, the night doesn’t exactly like it when her magic is taken from her.” Twilight shrugged. “That’s how Nightmare Moon came to be. Luna made the mistake long, long ago of trying to control the night, rather than let her magic be used as she saw fit. For Luna’s grave error, the night very nearly killed her. I almost made the same mistake myself during some of our… Disagreements. Thankfully, I avoided doing so, and the relationship between myself, the night, and Luna is stronger than ever.

“That’s a very important point, Star, and I want you to promise me,” Twilight pointed straight at me, her gaze suddenly very strict and hard. I swallowed. “Don’t ever try to control the night. Her power is mysterious and raw, and can do so many amazing and wondrous things. But we cannot… No, we will not ever take it from her.”

“Okay.” I nodded fearfully. “Duly noted.”

“No, Star.” Twilight laid her hooves on my shoulders, locking our eyes. “Promise me. Promise me on everything you hold sacred that you will never do that. Do you understand?” She gave me a gentle shake. I could hardly even breathe. This was Twilight Sparkle and she was telling me to never do something. I couldn’t be some wide-eyed young filly promising out of fear. I had to show determination and resolve. My eyes took on a hard set of their own as I drew myself up to my full height.

“Twilight, I promise you, by the stars and the sun and the moon, I will never… Ever… Try to use the night’s power for my own.”

“Good.” Twilight released me, her face still rather serious. “Don’t ever forget that promise, Star. You didn’t make it just to me, but to the night as well.”

“Did I?” I asked, glancing around. “Is she… Is she here?”

”I am indeed, child.” The voice made me freeze. I could feel her presence at my back, not unlike that feeling you get when somepony’s watching you. It made the hairs on my neck stand on-end. Twilight looked behind me, and I could tell she was looking at the night, at the thing that stood behind me. There was something about its voice, though… Something that made me feel safe. It wasn’t a warm sort of safety, like one got from being wrapped in a blanket on a cold night, but rather a protected sort of safety. Like somepony was watching over me. Looking out for me. There for me.

I suddenly knew that I would never be alone again. As long as I never violated her trust, this mysterious creature I couldn’t see would be at my side. Something to talk to, to confide in and share my secrets with.

Someone to be there for me when I woke up, and to wish me a good night when I fell asleep.

It was a good feeling.

”You’re very respectful, Star Caster… You’re destined to do great things in this world. You may be young and unlearned, but stay on the path of knowledge, my love… You love to learn, and that passion will save your life.” I felt a shiver run down my spine. Warmth and caution both mixed inside of me, making for a very confusing feeling. I swallowed my doubt and closed my eyes. This was advice given to me, not by Twilight, who was powerful in her own right…

But by the night. A goddess. Sovereign and powerful. I’d have embroidered those words on my forehead so I saw them in the mirror every morning if I had half a mind. Instead, I closed my eyes and nodded.

“Thank you. I’ll never forget these words.”

And just like that she was gone. I felt strength and lucidity return to my muscles once more. Twilight was smiling down at me, even as I began to shake.

“What did she say to you?”

“Th-that… I should keep learning.” I managed to whimper. I wasn’t shaking out of fear or anxiety…

I was excited.

“Let’s do it. Let’s get right to it. Right now.” I beamed up at Twilight, who met my eyes firmly. Her smile slowly faded into a serious expression.

“Easy, Star.” She cautioned. “We have all the time in the world for you to advance. You need to step into these things gradually. I know you’re excited and passionate, but relax. Take it easy.” She laid another hoof on my shoulder. “You gotta walk before you can run.”

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True to Twilight’s word, I did need to relax. And not in the ‘go home and masturbate myself into a coma’ sort of way, either. I needed a breather. Something to get me away from the tedium of sleep, study, masturbate, eat… Something new. Something exciting.

Something like a spa trip.

Ooh, the girls at the spa back in Trottingham used to love me. My mane was always the talk of the staff whenever my mother would take me. It was a wonderful experience, and one that I hadn’t realized I’d been missing lately. Not to mention I had more bits than I knew what to do with. The idea of lounging about for a day, being waited on hoof and horn appealed to me in a way I’d hate to admit had me practically dancing with excitement. I called ahead and made a reservation for later that afternoon, and found myself in front of the spa just as the sun was reaching its zenith. Perfect timing, too, since I had just broken out in a thin layer of sweat.

Canterlot summers were abysmally hot, and the spa ponies seemed to know that. I stepped across the threshold and into the lobby with a sigh, feeling the cool embrace of magical air conditioning wash over my flanks. It was like stepping into a cooler, but without the shivering. Instead, I found myself sauntering up to the counter, enjoying the leisurely feel of cool air and nice, floral decorations. The pony behind the counter smiled at me as I approached.

“Hello, and welcome! Do you have an appointment?”

“I do,” I smiled at her. She was an awfully cute pink earth pony, with a mole right underneath her left eye and a beautiful, straight white mane. “My name is Star Caster.”

“You’re right on time.” She winked at me, lifting a folder from a small rack of similar-looking ones just to her left. “Which package would you like?” She opened the folder and slid it across the counter to me. I glanced over the packages and what they offered, alongside the rather steep prices. Sadly, the deluxe was just outside of my price range. I sighed and handed the folder back to her.

“Just the standard package, please.”

“Aah.” I nearly jumped as a soft voice sounded out right behind me. I whirled around and found myself nose-to-nose with another unicorn, her face split in a wide smile. “Not on my watch, you aren’t.”

“E-excuse me?” I panted, backing away a little. My heart was thundering in my chest as I looked the new mare up and down. She was slender and tall, standing maybe a head under Twilight’s height. Her coat was a pearly sort of white, not unlike my own though perhaps a little bit brighter. Her mane, though, was a deep, vibrant purple. I spotted her cutie mark, a lotus flower sitting afloat in a pool of blue water. She was beautiful, if a little skinny for my tastes.

“Give this beautiful young mare the deluxe treatment, on the house.” The mysterious mare looked over the counter at the pink earth pony, smiling warmly. “I’ll not have a mane such as yours be neglected. Why, I’ve never seen such luxurious, long strands… And you keep it braided, how criminal!”

“E-excuse me,” I whimpered, peeping up a little. “I… I can’t afford the deluxe-“

“Didn’t I just tell you?” The mare winked at me. “On the house.”

“Yes, ma’am!” The pony behind the counter mock saluted before taking my hoof and dragging me away.

“Aah- hey!” I looked back at the mysterious tall mare. “What’s your name?”

“Lotus, my love! I’ll see you in a moment!”

“L-lotus?” I arched my eyebrow at her, but was promptly pulled around the corner and into a locker room of sorts.

“Off.” The earth pony insisted, laying her hooves on my saddlebags. I had little choice but to shimmy out of them as she pulled them off, lest I break one of the buckles with my less-than-perfectly slender flanks. I was just about to voice my concern when the glasses were swiped off my face, and a firm tug at my tail rendered me helpless.

“She’s right, you know. It’s a shame you keep such a beautiful tail braided.”

“I-I have to!” I panted, my thighs twitching as the earth pony pulled at the tie keeping my tail in its signature braid. “Otherwise I trip over it…”

“Tsk tsk.” The earth pony just continued pulling at my tail in a way I’d hate to admit wasn’t entirely unwelcome. “Why don’t you cut it, then? It’d still be just as beautiful without such length.”

“I tried,” My complaints were beginning to fall short as she continued tugging. “It just keeps growing out.”

“So cut it regularly.”

“Like once a week?”

“You’d be surprised.” She grinned at me, moving higher as the braid began to loosen. This close to the base of my tail, the tugs were beginning to grow even more debilitating, almost to the point I felt the need to cry out in ecstasy.

My tail is my one true weakness. There’s one reason I tend to keep it braided so tight, is so it won’t get caught up or snagged by stray hooves or objects. Usually, having my tail pulled reduces me to a bubbling pile of pony flesh, and most anypony could have their way with me. Blazer was really good at it, second only to Mint, who’d managed to make me climax with a simple tail massage before. Though she was quickly being usurped by this spa pony, who had finally made it to the base of my tail, giving the whole thing several long, firm strokes. Each one of those made my legs go weak.

“There we go. That’s better now, isn’t it?”

“I-If you say so.” I exhaled a breath I didn’t realized I’d been holding. Some small part of me wanted her to keep going, but the larger, more reasonable part of my brain told me it was good she had stopped. I was probably seconds away from cumming on the locker room floor. At least my mane wasn’t the same ordeal. If anything, the firm tugs on my scalp helped allay the rising fire in my core, if only a little. When all the ties had finally been removed, I felt somewhat normal again, if a little embarrassed that the spa pony had seen my marehood with all the firm tugging. Then again, such a thing was normal in this industry.

After all my things were deposited in a basket for safekeeping, I was led into the next room, which seemed to sport several mud baths.

“I never got your name,” I turned to my attendant, who just smiled at me.

“Bubblegum. It’s nice to meet you.” She shook my hoof before waving towards one of the mud baths. “Go ahead and get in. We’ll come get you in fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes? That long?” I’d only ever been in a mud bath for five minutes at a time. Then again, my parents could never hope to afford any deluxe packages.

“Just relax and enjoy yourself.” She winked at me. “Lotus will be taking care of you today.”

“Uh huh.” I remembered the rather insistent pony from the lobby. She seemed to out-rank Bubblegum, enough to order on-the-house treatments with ease. Something else about her seemed hauntingly familiar, though… I couldn’t quite place it. Instead of focus on it, I slipped into the mud bath. This was probably one of the things I missed the most about spa trips.

Mud baths used to gross me out when I was a young filly, but I came to like the cool sensation of the wet, sticky earth sliding over my body inch by slow, agonizing inch. The way it seemed to shift and settle around you made me feel queasy at first, but I began to equate it to somepony giving you a really long, warm hug. They shifted and moved and adjusted until it was just right. When you settled into a mud bath, you felt like you could stay there for ages.

I hardly even noticed when Lotus laid a hoof on my neck, drawing me out of my reverie. She smiled down at me warmly. “Your fifteen minutes are up, darling. You’re mine now.”

“In a good way, I’d hope.” I chuckled despite the rather ominous implication behind her words. Lotus struck me as the sort of pony who wasn’t mean, though she did tease a lot. I’m not sure how or why I got that impression after meeting her just fifteen minutes prior, but here we were. As I emerged from the mud bath, trailing thick clumps of wet earth, Lotus led me across the room to a tiled-off area set with several showerheads, hoses, and various faucets. I stood still as she began hosing me off, using a large hose to get the larger chunks before switching to a high-pressure showerhead to get the tiny bits out. Meanwhile, she started chatting.

“You’re Twilight Sparkle’s student, aren’t you?”

“I am…” I led into it cautiously. The reason behind the deluxe treatment began to grow clearer. “How did you know?”

“Twilight’s something of a friend of mine.” Lotus purred, focusing on my hooves with the showerhead. “She has been for… Well, generations now. She comes in for spa treatments now and then. Her and Luna.”

“That’s neat.” I smiled. So she wasn’t some devious mare with questionable connections. She was just a friend of Twilight’s. Not unlike myself. “How did you come to know her?”

“Funnily enough, my family’s known Twilight for over three thousand years.” Lotus focused on my forelegs, but she was smiling warmly. “We trace our roots all the way back to Rarity, the original element of generosity.”

“That’s it!” I clopped a hoof down on the tile, finally realizing what struck me about Lotus. “You look just like Rarity!”

“You know about my great, great, great… Well, many greats worth of grandmother?”

“I do.” I smiled warmly. “I’ve read extensively about the elements of harmony, how they vanquished Discord and then reformed him, how they helped turn Nightmare Moon back into Luna… Rarity, Twilight, and all the others… They’re heroes of Equestria.” I sighed wistfully. “Oh what I’d give to see the elements…”

“What happened to them?” Lotus paused, though she still held the running showerhead against my leg.

“No one knows.” I shrugged. “Rumor has it they were sent somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Others say the princesses keep them in the caverns beneath Canterlot, while others say they’re in some secret library somewhere else.”

“I see…” Lotus gave a soft ‘hmm’ and shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s a shame; I always wanted to see my distant grandmother’s claim to fame… I’ve never heard any of her stories, though. Twilight always wants to know what’s going on with me and my family, and she never shares much about herself. Understandably so, I mean, I’m such a chatterbox when I get going. Some of the girls here in the spa can hardly get me to shut up!” We giggled a little, though I had to shudder as Lotus directed the stream of water up under my haunches. The cool stream sent a shudder through my stomach, and I quivered as it went lower, just enough to tease the very edge of my core. Granted, she didn’t mean anything by it, but I was already halfway riled up by Bubblegum.

Still, it was better than letting the mud sit there. I swallowed my apprehension and let Lotus lift up my tail, rinsing off my hindquarters in their entirety. To distract myself from the mildly arousing situation, I continued talking.

“I could tell you more stories about the elements of harmony,” I muttered. “If you’d like?”

“There’s no pressure, darling.” Lotus bubbled. “Just relax. We have the rest of the evening to chat to our heart’s content.”

“Wait, the whole evening?” I paused a little. “As in… Like… Into the night?”

“Of course, dear.” Lotus chuckled, moving on to my tail. She didn’t pull or tug at it, but the way the water sifted through the strands, buffing out all of the minerals that had accumulated made for an interesting, if mildly arousing bit of weight. “The deluxe treatment takes almost six hours to handle. We’ll be here until well after we close.”

“I-I can’t ask that of you!” I flustered. “Don’t you have to go home, or… Or something?”

“Home can wait, love.” Lotus smiled. “I’ve a cute mare that needs my help.”

I blushed even deeper as Lotus turned back to my tail. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could endure this sort of torture.

In short, my day off to relax was steadily becoming more and more stressful.

Though not exactly in a bad way.