Starlight Glimmer's Stumbling Gait

Author's Notes:

This is a straightforward commission. Perhaps one could classify it as a sort of novelized ASMR, if you squint.

“How long have these been on sale?”

Even as she asked, Nurse Redheart plucked a wooden rack off the shelf and brushed her palm over the rollers. The polished beads rattled softly beneath her touch, gleaming in the light.

Lotus looked up from the spa's reception desk. “Ah, the body massagers are all half off for a limited time,” she said, the hint of an accent buzzing her 'th's into 'z's. “The stone facial rollers are a better deal, but your skin is still very smooth and firm. Still, that is no excuse to not begin the preventative measures.”

“They've been on sale since I started here two months ago,” Redheart said wryly. She knew the actual benefits of many beauty products were dubious, but sometimes the mere perception made clients feel better. The power of the placebo effect. “When does the limited time offer expire?”

“When they are all sold.” Lotus shrugged and smiled. “Price does not matter for such good quality products. My sister swears by that foot massager you're holding. She's always on the go and it's very good for the arches.”

Redheart spun the rollers one last time and replaced the wooden rack in the display cabinet. “Hmm.” When Lotus and Aloe had first recruited her from a small Canterlot hospital, she had pushed back against promoting these items. She had no truck with chakras, energies, or essential oils, but the twins had made it clear she was independent of their spa's products. They needed a proper physical therapist on-site to deal with clients whose pain required more than a simple steam bath or manicure to solve.

“Good insoles help with that, too,” Redheart noted. She bounced on her toes, feeling the flex of the gel inserts in her running shoes. They were the only part of her nursing wardrobe to follow her over to her second job at the spa. Instead of brightly coloured hospital scrubs, her white blouse and pants blended with her pale skin tone, and she'd swapped her nursing cap for a Luxury Lotus Spa headband.

Admittedly, the atmosphere here was much less rushed than in some of the hospital's wards. Clients didn't show up screaming in agony, nor did they arrive on a gurney while covered in fluids. Most visitors through the door walked in under their own power, although the occasional stagger or limp upon arrival would immediately make their condition and course of treatment clear.

Aloe appeared from the back rooms. “Ah, back from an early lunch, are we?” she asked, pulling the large revolving door closed behind her with a whisper of metal bearings. The building had once been a photography studio, and while the smells had improved, the architecture had been modified, making the spa a destination of interest. Aloe and her sister had started the renovations by moving the old darkroom door up front to amplify their clients' first impressions. “Was it good?”

Redheart nodded. “You said I had my first appointment right after noon. Thank you for giving me the option.”

“It was nothing.” Aloe leaned over her sister's shoulder and picked a form up off the main ledger. “Here are your details for Miss Glimmer,” she said, her own accent extending her 'i's into longer 'ee's. “If you like, we can escort her back to you when she arrives in about ten minutes. It should give you time to prepare.”

“You just like taking clients through that door and seeing their faces when they step into the fancy hallway,” Redheart commented. She accepted the sheet of paper from Aloe and checked the room number. “I'll go beam myself up, shall I?”

Lotus gave a mock-salute from behind the desk and Redheart smiled as she stepped into the revolving chamber. The employees here didn’t need gallows humour to deal with the struggles and challenges of a hospital ward, and her mood often lightened considerably on days she was scheduled to come in.

She pulled the handle and the metal cylinder rumbled smoothly on its track, enclosing her in complete darkness. Sometimes she would hesitate before bringing the chamber all the way around so she could stand there in the utter blackness and feel nearly weightless, as if suspended in the void of space. No light could pierce the cocoon once it closed.

Today, though, Redheart rolled right through without pausing. The chamber opened up into a hallway that glowed with warm golden light, closed doors stretching down both sides. While the reception area was all bright, natural sunlight and green plants, the ambiance here was meant to evoke something a little more hedonistic. Their customers needed to feel pampered, after all.

The rooms had once been used for photo shoots, from family portraits to intimate boudoir settings. Now their clients sat for things like manicures and facials, or shed their clothes for a long soak in a steam bath.

Speaking of clients . . . Redheart consulted her form as she stepped out of the revolving door. A Starlight Glimmer had booked a massage appointment recently, complaining of foot problems, neck pain, and migraine. Well, nothing out of the ordinary for an overstressed and overworked world.

Redheart was once like her; sitting in a coffee shop after another difficult shift, kneading her stiff neck and shoulders. To be honest, the coffee hadn't helped matters, either. It was where Lotus and Aloe had found her one afternoon while they hosted a pop-up chair massage clinic. She had crossed her legs beneath the table to work a pressure point behind her ankle when one of the sisters approached to recruit her as a client. After her session and some serious conversation, the recruitment took a more professional turn.

The twins learned that Redheart had taken massage therapy classes in college before upgrading to nursing. She understood muscle pain and how to relieve it, not only the sharp, searing kind that came from trauma, but also the ongoing ache that never quite went away or the small sore that worsened with neglect. She saw them all the time and did her best to help with prevention, but often by the time people reached her, they had been struggling for some while. So when she was offered the chance to intervene at an earlier level, she had accepted.

Lotus and Aloe were also meticulous about client information, and Redheart set up her room according to Miss Glimmer's answers. No scent allergies, so she loaded the diffuser with a touch of peppermint oil. Just because she wouldn't shill tiny bottles of essence didn't mean she wouldn't use them. After all, smells did wonders for mind and body, and she preferred to keep her body oils unscented.

She lengthened her massage table and rewrapped it in clean linens, then slotted the headrest in. A darker atmosphere would suit a patient with migraine headaches, so she switched the sunshades for the row of overlapping blackout curtains so she could fully close them when ready.

The spa didn't use real candles, but instead had small, battery-operated lights that flickered and dipped like flame. Those would sit in boxes with different colours of mesh layers and could bathe the room in any shade required, warm or cool. Redheart adjusted the colour scheme to a particular green, avoiding the blue that would worsen Starlight Glimmer's headaches.

By the time she finished washing her hands, she could hear the clack of hard heels on the hallway outside. Assuming a twin was bringing Starlight down, Redheart straightened up and reached for a towel.

Sure enough, Aloe peeked around the corner of the doorway. At Redheart's nod, she smiled. “Good. Miss Redheart is ready to receive you, Miss Glimmer. She'll take care of you from this point on.” Waggling her fingers, she vanished again.

Starlight Glimmer trudged into the room and Redheart's gaze immediately went to her knee-length, fancy-buckled leather boots. They weren't as impractical as high heeled pumps, but she doubted those boots had sufficient cushioning. If Starlight wanted to ease her foot pain, her fashion might have to suffer instead.

Miss Glimmer's attire was heavily formal and looked as if it were the only thing keeping her spine straight. She wore a double-buttoned, high collar lilac top with white ruffles at her throat and wrists, and a long matching skirt that brushed the top of her boots. Her amethyst and teal ponytail looked tight, and Redheart knew once she got her fingers down into that scalp, a lot of tension would flow away.

“Miss Glimmer.” Redheart dipped her head in acknowledgement. “Do you need any help getting those boots off?”

Starlight squinted at her, the lines on her face showing the strain of her headache. “Um, the other ladies asked me the same thing. I can sit down and undo them. I've done it while half-asleep.”

“Very well. Once you've done that, please feel free to disrobe as much as you're comfortable with and lie on my table.” Redheart turned down a corner of the top sheet. “I recommend we start with you lying face-down, and you can take your hairbands out if you choose. I'll give you a few minutes and can come back when you're settled.” When Starlight nodded, she smiled. “Excellent. Take your time.” She stepped out into the hallway and gently pulled the door closed behind her.

_-_-_-_-_

The buckles never gave her any trouble. Starlight had taken them off in the dark, while in a hurry, and even blindly under her desk, so doing it while her eyes were squeezed half-closed from a throbbing migraine was simple. Once she'd tugged them and her ankle socks off, she flexed her toes and winced as another cramp made them curl in again.

She unbuttoned her jacket and removed the ruff from her neck, rolling her shoulders and fighting the urge to stretch. Gah, she needed this massage to feel halfway human again. So much stress at work with so much still to do, and she couldn't operate like this. A few careful tugs and her hair tumbled free, some of the pressure easing.

Draping her blouse over a hanger, she reached back gingerly to undo her skirt and then up higher to unhook her bra. Her underwear would stay on. There were very few people with whom she was comfortable being completely nude.

Getting on the table was a relief as she stretched her legs down beneath the sheet, luxuriating in the feel of fresh linen. Her forehead nestled into the slot of the headrest and Starlight sighed as the weight came off her neck. Oh, this was a good start and no one had even laid a hand on her yet.

Redheart knocked lightly and the air flow changed as she opened the door. “Do you feel ready?”

Starlight was sure her answer got lost in the towels and softness of the headrest, but Redheart seemed to understand and slipped into the room. The room grew darker as the curtains whisked shut, and Starlight watched Redheart's sneakers pass by in her narrow field of view. Then the warm sheet was drawn up over her bare shoulders and she sighed even more deeply as she was covered completely.

“I've read your complaints,” came Redheart's voice from overhead, “and I'm here to help. I'd like to take a look at your feet to start and then we can work our way up. Okay?”

Starlight murmured her agreement and felt Redheart's presence recede, her soft shuffle the only sound aside from the diffuser’s hiss.

As a hand softly fumbled at her feet to lift the sheet, Starlight braced herself with an arm so she could raise her head and look back, enduring the twinge in her neck. “Are you going to tell me not to wear my boots?”

“Not right away,” came the reply, “but we'll see where you're hurting the most. Do you find that they pinch or if you get blisters from them?”

Starlight made a face that she was sure couldn't be seen in the dimness. “No, not really. I get cramps even when I'm not wearing them, though. I can be sitting at home on the couch, and then suddenly, bam, my arch gets a cramp, and it takes me a few minutes to ease it out.”

The outline of her masseuse nodded and squeezed her ankle. “Lie back down. I'm going to use a light to make sure there's nothing visibly wrong with them, and it won't help your headache.”

Starlight settled back down again. A flashlight clicked and she caught the brief bounce of a beam off the floor as Redheart cupped her foot.

“No red marks from your boots, even with the high heels,” she commented, slowly stretching Starlight's ankle and rotating her foot. “No clicks or pops from your ankle joint, either.” Her touch separated Starlight's toes and lightly tapped on her bare nails. “And there's nothing amiss with your toes ... nails are healthy.” Setting Starlight's foot down, she picked up the other one and probed at her heel. “Any pain?”

“Mm ... no.”

Redheart's touch slid down with firm pressure over the arch of her foot. “Here?”

Starlight did her best to not flutter her lashes at the sensation. “Feels too good to hurt.”

“I've heard that before.” Redheart pressed beneath her big toe and slid along the ball of her foot. “You have slender feet, so they're not too big for your boots. The issue might be dehydration, or improper positioning. If you turn your foot the wrong way, it will cramp.” She set Starlight's foot back down and covered them again. Her flashlight clicked off. “All right. Shall we begin?”

“I'm ready,” Starlight told her via the floor.

Redheart's footsteps moved around and the sound of water running and hand-washing ensued. Her sneakers moved into Starlight's view and a warm touch pressed down on her covered shoulder blades. Redheart leaned into the pressure before sliding her hands higher beneath Starlight's thick hair. “I would like to start in your scalp before anything else so I don't get oil in your hair. Are you particularly invested in this hairstyle?”

Well, she usually was, but she was also invested in stopping the sharp pain in her skull. “Go ahead.”

“Excellent.” Redheart twined her fingers into Starlight's hair and tugged very gently. “I'm gathering bit by bit,” she explained, moving higher up the back of her head to repeat the process. “Don't be afraid of vocalizing if it hurts or feels good. I encourage it here.” Those fingers worked behind Starlight's ears and traced a slow path against the grain, sending soft prickles through her hair.

“Gnnngghh,” was Starlight's first response, sinking deeper into the padding.

“Just like that,” Redheart said. “Breathe. Let the pain leave your body.” Her fingertips pressed down into the back of Starlight's skull as if playing a keyboard, moving higher along her crown. “The more tension we release, the more you'll soften.”

Softening sounded good. She'd been so stiff and sore that she crackled when she moved. Starlight obediently inhaled the peppermint-scented air and the icy tingle rose through her sinuses. It stopped short of the knot in the middle of her forehead, and so Starlight breathed out again, tasting the tang in the back of her throat.

She must have relaxed, even if only a fraction, because Redheart made an approving noise and dug in a little more, gathering up handfuls of hair to bare the nape of her neck. While one hand kept it tucked up, the other hand cupped and squeezed from the base of her skull to the sweep of her shoulders, seeking out more tension.

“This will do,” Redheart said, efficiently rolling Starlight's hair into a bun that didn't add to the ache behind her eyes. “I'm going to stretch your back for you now before turning the sheet down.”

She moved around to the side of the table and one palm settled on Starlight's near shoulder while the other covered her opposite hip. Slowly the pressure increased and Starlight groaned as her spine seemed to lengthen. The sequence repeated on her other shoulder and hip, Redheart leaning over her to aid in the stretch.

“Guuuuh.” Her lungs emptied and all Starlight could do was breathe in more peppermint. She could feel the piercing high in her nose, the scent engulfing the ache in her head. Each puff of hot breath had an icy tinge to it now and her body stopped resisting the pressure.

“I almost expected more popping,” she gasped.

“You're not relaxed enough for that yet,” Redheart told her, crossing both palms over her spine and bearing down to stretch her out some more. “We don't crunch and snap here, either. Easing people's tension out is much less flashy.”

Another undignified noise escaped Starlight. So much tension from her Friendship School. She'd risen to the headmistress position from a guidance counselor, and both her workload and social circle had increased. As had the stress. Some would blame her headaches on things like too much coffee and irregular meals, but sometimes one had to cut corners to keep things running. Finally her current guidance counselor had recommended this spa to give her some relief.

So far, it was very worthwhile.

Redheart folded the top sheet halfway down Starlight's back, baring her shoulders. “Okay. If something's particularly painful, tell me. There's a pattern to all of this. Lie still and let's work out some of the stiffness. You hold yourself very straight which is fine, but it's time to let go.”

The first dig of slick fingers into the join between neck and shoulder made Starlight's vision white out in a good way. Her whine only encouraged another dig into the other side and the pressure slid out along her shoulders, back over the blades, and down into the flesh between spine and shoulder.

Redheart's stretching had already softened her, but now the kneading went from shallow to deep in lengthening strokes. Starlight's breath caught as small flares of pain made one shoulder dip, Redheart's thumb furrowing a groove down that third of her back. Then the matching pressure on the other side made her angle that way, her body giving in to Redheart's directions

The oily touch slid upwards from spine to neck, following the path into Starlight's hairline. As thumbs worked over the top knob of her spine, warm fingers splayed over the sides and curled into knuckles that wrung more tension free.

Redheart cupped her head and slowly increased the pull, stretching her neck without yanking. Nothing popped, although Starlight felt the shift and instinctively resisted the pull with her shoulders.

“Good,” Redheart encouraged, letting her go again. “We'll come back to this when we turn you over, but for now, let's move down. When you're sore this high up, your lower back picks up the slack.” She adjusted the sheet to fully bare Starlight's back and moved to one side, working down from shoulder to hip with firm, long pressure.

Starlight's skin hummed with each firm stroke down. The kneading warmed her and loosened tight back muscles. Her breathing deepened, and her migraine eased as the peppermint scent finally smoothed out her furrowed brow. “Hmmm.”

“There we go.” Redheart pressed her palm into Starlight's lower lumbar and rocked it back and forth. Whatever she felt there must have passed muster, because she let her hand rest there briefly. “How do you feel about turning over?”

Starlight blinked away the narrowing of her vision. Oh, had she been about to nod off right there on the table? “Is that necessary?” she asked, a little pleading in her voice.

Redheart chuckled. “I'm sure you feel good right now, but I have more work to do and it's easier to accomplish when you're face-up. I can pull the sheet up to keep you warm, and you can roll in my direction. I'll keep you from falling off the edge.”

“Does ... does that happen often?”

“Not very often, no.” Redheart sounded teasing as she stretched the top sheet out, the linen barely brushing Starlight's skin. “Really, almost never, but why take the chance? If you turn towards me, we can slide you into position.”

Feeling as if rolling onto her back would take more energy than she currently had, Starlight tucked her far arm over her chest and managed to turn in Redheart's direction. Somewhat boneless, she slid over onto her back beneath the extended sheet and settled herself down again. “Mmmf.”

“I know,” soothed Redheart, smiling as she draped the sheet over Starlight's body and stepped around to stand over her head again. “It's a trial to move midway through a session. But you've made very good progress so far, and we can keep it up.”

She cleaned her hands of oil and gently threaded as much of Starlight's hair through the headrest donut as she could. Settling her fingers into the divots behind Starlight's eyes below her temples, she applied pressure in small circles. “Let's see about the rest of that migraine,” she murmured, swiping a few streaks of massage oil along Starlight's bare forehead. “We don't need much on your face.”

“Okaaaaayyyy,” Starlight sighed out the second half of the word. The worst of it had already faded and this added attention was doing wonders for the ache. Redheart's touch smoothed over her eyebrows, repeating the slow strokes higher and higher, up into her hairline. Then she reached behind Starlight's head to press and knead her fingers into the nape of her neck, pulling long strokes outward with each pass.

“Once I'm through with you,” Redheart said, “I'm sure Lotus will want to discuss some posture techniques so this doesn't happen quite so often.” She cupped Starlight's neck between thumb and fingers to glide up from shoulder to skull, prompting a long breath in and a slow exhale again. “Some might say it's bad for business, but I know she'd rather see her clients healthy.” Switching hands, she repeated the pattern. “It will be difficult and uncomfortable at first, but do try and follow her suggestions.”

Starlight groaned at the twisting, kneading pressure behind her ears. “I can try,” she admitted. “So much work.”

“Yes, and that's why I started working here. Too much stress in the hospital environment.” Redheart pressed her palms down carefully on Starlight's covered shoulders and collarbone, feeling her way to her breastbone. “Don't hunch so much. It affects your chest muscles as much as your shoulders and neck, all curled in like you've been.” She dragged her hands back to Starlight's shoulders and did something that stretched them out.

Starlight gurgled at the sudden pull in her muscles, the sudden pop in her breastbone catching her breath on the inhale. “Ooof!” she wheezed, eyes going wide at the release of tension and her breathing reduced to short little pants. “What ...”

“Now you're relaxed enough for something to pop.” Redheart smiled down on her. “See? You carried all that neck pain and tension in the middle of your chest. It's why you were hunching.” She patted the side of Starlight's throat. “How is the pain now? Does it hurt when you clench your jaw?”

Warily, Starlight pressed her back teeth together, but felt none of the sharpness that once pierced her skull. “Mm ... it seems okay.” Relief was already calming her breathing and curling her body down into the softness of the massage table.

“Endorphin rush, for one,” said Redheart. “And we're undoing all those lines of tension that gave you so much trouble.” She coaxed Starlight into relaxing her jaw again and made quick work of a tense little spot behind each of her ears. “Now, don't fall asleep on me. We still have your feet to do.” She paused. “Not ticklish, are you?”

Starlight shook her head. “Would have said something earlier.”

“Good. Lie still, hon.” Redheart trailed a hand down a covered arm and leg, not breaking touch with her. She squeezed one knee as she passed, then folded the sheet back from Starlight's feet. “Don't worry about lifting your head to watch, or you might re-strain your neck. You can even close your eyes if you like.”

The first squeeze on her heel made Starlight's eyes flick shut. All the weariness from the week had been chased away and she felt like floating. Redheart's touch circled around, tracing her slim foot from behind her ankle to the tip of her toes, digging into the spaces between the bones and flexing it several different ways. “Hmmm. S'nice ...” Then she moaned as Redheart's thumb dug into her instep and slid all the way up to the ball of her foot. “Ooh! Hmm, tender ...”

“Not surprising.” The pressure slid inwards towards the centre of her foot. Whatever Redheart was doing made Starlight flex her toes as the tingles spiralled up her leg. “How about here?”

Starlight nodded in quick little jerks, mouth falling open at the sensations. “Yeahhh. Just, ahhh, not as bad?”

Double kneading motions worked their way down the arch and up the outside of her foot, Redheart slowly wringing it from side to side. “You've put too much weight and pressure on the inside of your foot,” she said. “Perhaps you should have someone make sure your lovely boots have the right shaping. Something as simple as an insole might make the difference.” She set Starlight's foot down and reached for the other. “Let's see about this one.”

If not for the hole in the middle of the headrest, Starlight would have thudded her head back at the next heel squeeze. How many more undignified noises could she make?

“I'll take it that this foot feels the same way.” Redheart slowly rotated the ankle and began to knead behind it. “So, yes. I suggest having the fine maker of your boots match them properly to your feet.” She spared a glance at the corner where the offending footwear lay. “Those are too good to be anything but a custom job, but I imagine the shape of your foot's changed since you bought them.”

Starlight murmured something which she supposed was her assent, but Redheart had found the tender spot beneath the ball of her foot again. The pressure there made her eyes roll back into her head, and the building tension made her feel seconds away from another stress-releasing ...

Pop.

“Nnngggh,” she breathed out, stretching her toes and feeling that lovely ripple of fingers padding down her instep again, Redheart slowly wringing her foot from side to side. “You can do that as long as you like.”

Redheart cupped the side of her foot and flexed her toes for her. “Only until my work on you is done,” she said, a touch of laughter in her voice. The room was too dim to see her at the foot of the table, but Starlight didn't need to see her to appreciate the feeling of lightly-curled knuckles gliding up and down the arch of her foot.

After a few more light twists and tugs, Redheart gently set Starlight's buzzing foot down and covered her with the sheet. “I'm going to turn down the lights and turn off the diffuser now,” she said, suiting actions to words. “Please take all the time you need to relax here by yourself. When you feel ready to get up, I recommend drying your feet off with a towel before putting those nylon socks back on. You might feel slippery in them, otherwise.” The click of the diffuser shutting off accompanied the slow dimming of the green light in the room. “The twins will meet you out front to settle up payment and see about any other sessions you wish to book.”

Starlight peeked up as Redheart gazed down at her. “Thank you?”

“You're welcome, dear.” With a soft squeeze on one shoulder, Redheart vanished from view.

Heaving a deep sigh of contentment, Starlight closed her eyes and let the bliss of her humming body envelop her.

_-_-_-_-_

Applejack's Aching Arches

Nurse Redheart sipped from her water bottle, then picked up one of the prickly massage balls to roll it between her hands as she sat in the break room.

Starlight Glimmer had left some hours before, moving much more smoothly than when she had come in. Coming out of the back rooms into the reception area again was like returning from another world with the darkroom portal. The transition to afternoon Canterlot sunlight often dazzled people who had been in the blackout rooms, and Lotus and Aloe would draw the sun blinds so their clients didn't squint.

Her second appointment of the day would arrive soon, and she had filled in the afternoon by studying some of the twins' relaxation sessions. The spa did all sorts of treatments and while she had been brought in to help with therapy for more intense cases, she was more than well-paid for her time.

Redheart appreciated the skill the other masseuses brought to their tables and had picked up tidbits of wisdom from various employees when she was on-shift. Even though she considered tracing energy lines mostly a sham, she was shameless when it came to stealing small gripping and pressure techniques for herself.

Clients needed a range of options to feel at their best, after all.

She studied her next customer’s form. One Applejack, who apparently had a full body ache. Redheart wasn't too surprised, because she knew that name. She'd run into that tired, overworked, and stressed out farmer before. The whole Baked Bads episode was one of those things that had become legend at the nurses’ station.

At least Applejack was friends with Miss Rarity, and both ladies were spa regulars together. If she wasn't relaxed from ordinary sessions, it made sense that Lotus and Aloe would recommend some deeper therapy.

Well, looking at her sheet, and combined with what she knew about Applejack from previous encounters, Redheart was sure she could come up with a session to unravel some of those knots.

As she spun back through the darkroom portal, she decided on a different massage room than where she had worked on Starlight Glimmer. While the sheets had been changed and the room aired out, she liked to start fresh with each new client.

Applejack was very much an outdoor sort of woman, so Redheart chose a room with the most windows. In late afternoon, the sun set on the building’s opposite side. Leaving the sunshades halfway open wouldn't make the room too bright. She did adjust the thermostat, though, as a session like this could quickly become overheated.

Rewrapping her table in clean sheets, she considered a choice of scents for the diffuser. The obvious answer was 'apples', but Redheart balked at that simple path. She knew of the Apple Family and all its various branches out there, and considered the harmony of all their fruit scents. Applejack was most at home in an apple orchard, but what about when she wasn't home?

Redheart considered the neat little case that held all the fragrance oil bottles. Her fingers strayed toward one particular citrus-laced concoction, and she hesitated before picking it up. It would fit the theme she was currently crafting here, at least. Moreso than lavender or vanilla, which were for darker and calmer moods.

This time she waited in the hallway for her client. She wanted to be seen the minute the darkroom door revolved, so Applejack would know which room was hers. They would tackle her pain together as a team.

Sure enough, the metallic whisper of the cylinder soon came and Applejack stepped out. She didn't appear to limp, but Redheart could see the tightness in her eyes and the shallow breathing. Somewhere in that upper back was a strain or a knot that kept Applejack from breathing without pain.

“Redheart.” Applejack tilted her cowgirl hat in greeting, but shuddered when she lifted her arm. “Sorry. I'm a bit out of sorts.”

“Clearly.” Redheart looked her up and down. “We should get you lying flat as soon as possible to take some of the weight off what's hurting. Come on in.”

Halfway down the hall, Applejack paused and Redheart watched her shift her weight on her low-heeled cowgirl boots. She looked as if she was trying to decide on the best way to keep moving without causing herself more pain. The next step Applejack took, Redheart saw the angle of her foot change and she made another mental note. Definite issues with either the soles or the sides of her feet.

“Is it hard to get dressed?” she asked Applejack, shutting the door behind them both and leaning back against it. “If you need help removing your boots and clothes, you should tell me now. Otherwise we aren't starting off your session very well.”

“Wasn't bad getting ready,” Applejack admitted, setting her hat down on a bare table. “But I sneezed wrong right before coming over and something twinged in a bad way.” She began undoing the buttons on her green and white collared shirt. “If I keep my arms down, can you slide it off for me?

Redheart nodded. “Of course.” Moving behind her, she helped Applejack out of her top and hung it up. Now that she could see some of her client's bare back, the knotted muscles on the right side were obvious from the shoulder on down. Once she moved that long ponytail out of the way, she would have a better idea of the situation. “What about your skirt?”

Applejack unbuckled her belt and the short little jean skirt fell around her ankles with a clatter from the oversized buckle. “Easy peasy, mac 'n cheesy.” She started to reach up behind her to unclasp her plain white bra, but hesitated. “Nggh. That's pullin' a bit harder than I'd like.”

“Then allow me.” Redheart unhooked her and pushed the shoulder straps down so Applejack didn't have to shrug it off. “Normally, I would put you under the covers, but if you give me one second ...” She had already peeled off the blanket for this session, but now she removed the top sheet off her massage table. “If you can lie face down without it hurting too much, we should start that way. I can take your boots off once you're comfortable.”

Turning around, Applejack breathed out a strained laugh as she lurched towards the table.

“What?” Redheart asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “Just remembering the last time I was in nothin' but my knickers and my boots. This'll probably end better, though.” With a groan, she swung one thick leg up onto the table and braced her elbows so she could crawl up and lie flat. Redheart managed to catch a boot and helped lift her other leg, accompanied by a grunt from Applejack.

Grinning, Redheart patted the leather. “Do you need a minute, or should I slip these off right now?” When she received an impatient heel waggle in response, she smiled even wider and carefully tugged Applejack's boot. As it slid off she found the knot of a woollen sock bunched up around her client's toes, so she plucked it free. The other boot came off with less disruption of its corresponding sock, and Redheart rolled the wool down. “I'm going to press on a few spots. Let me know if I'm close to anything painful. Ready?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Don't kick me too hard,” she joked gently, then cupped an ankle and felt the tendons down to the top of Applejack's foot. At first glance, there wasn't much wrong with either foot. No blisters, and no awkwardly curled toes or bumps. Redheart rubbed a thumb over the back of her heel, searching for marks that would indicate rubbing or raw patches, but found none. Applejack took some care of her feet, despite the overwork and soreness. Her pale, stubby toes curled and flexed, the nails unvarnished and unpainted.

For someone smaller than Starlight Glimmer, Applejack had thicker soles and as Redheart squeezed beneath the plump ball of her foot, it was like digging into hard rubber. There was some give, but far too much tension to be comfortable. Ah, here was one of the issues. As strong as she was, she was overdoing it.

“Gnnngh!” came a muffled comment from the headrest.

“Too light?” Redheart asked. She shifted her grip to Applejack's instep, feeling the same tightness as she slid up to the heel and squeezed again. “I suppose I could press harder.”

“Guuuhhhh. Don't you dare!” Applejack's whole body seemed to quiver in indignation.

Redheart dug a knuckle in and rolled it around, prompting a deeper groan. “Judging by the feel of your foot, this could take some time.” She turned her attention to the other foot, starting beneath the toes and prompting more of the same agonized noises from Applejack. As a farmer, she obviously spent far too much time trudging and standing, given the thickness of her soles and the calluses that covered her heel and toes.

Redheart picked up Applejack's other foot and pushed it up into the air, bending the knee so she could rotate her ankle properly and feel the tendons move. Nothing felt out of place. She flexed each toe, watching the nail turn white as she pressed down then resume its colour when she let up. Seeing nothing wrong with the circulation, she pressed her thumb against Applejack's ruddy instep in several places, seeking anything painful. Her client shifted, but stayed quiet.

As she worked her way up, she could almost trace the line of tension that obviously started higher, probably in the pelvis. “All right.” Setting Applejack's foot down, Redheart followed the line up the back of one calf, behind the knee, and up to her hip. “Let me guess. A lot of hay bales?”

“Yup,” Applejack grunted again. She seemed far away from relaxation right now, and so Redheart paused to wash her hands off while she considered the best place to start. Foot pain came from overwork, plus sore legs and hips could change walking and standing patterns. That meant pressure on unused areas, which caused more pain.

If she could relieve the aches up high, the tension would drain down and a lighter upper body meant less stress on the lower half.

Redheart selected an oil vial and uncapped it with a flick of her thumb. “I'll start with what you say you pulled earlier.” She could see the knot between Applejack's shoulder and spine. “Remember to breathe while I'm working through this, and you don't have to worry about noise. The room is soundproof.”

“Afraid I'll ruin someone's manicure if I get loud?” Applejack asked, lifting her head. She didn't get very far before she winced and flopped back down again. “Ooof.”

Oh, that was not good. Applejack's range of motion was even more limited than she thought. Redheart sighed and moved that blonde ponytail aside before briskly rubbing her hands together to warm them. “Once you loosen up, it shouldn't hurt as much.”

_-_-_-_-_

Applejack had wound herself tighter than a bullrope. Between the stiffness in her shoulder, the sharp stab between the other shoulder and her spine, and the throb in her swollen feet, she'd struggled mightily to endure the day. Only the thought of keeping this appointment had kept her together.

Redheart had already done her poking and prodding, searching out tender spots. Now she slid Applejack's long braid aside to bare the nape of her neck. Quick finger swipes brushed oil over her shoulders. “Ready?”

“Been ready.” Applejack wanted to say more, but she felt odd talking to the sunbeam in the middle of the wooden floor. Redheart obviously had no trouble understanding her, though, because her thumb settled into the groove between neck and shoulder, applying slow pressure. “Unnnffff!”

“Lotus and Aloe always say the pain is worse where your energy is blocked,” Redheart commented, smoothing careful, deep strokes down the shoulder muscle. Her thumbs slid over the ache in a constant rotation, one smoothing down the line of Applejack's shoulder, the other following down and around the triangle of her shoulder blade. “Now, I'm not an energy person, but I can't deny that there's a pattern after seeing so many people on my table.”

Applejack settled down into the padding, Redheart still talking overhead as her hands moved from shoulder to back. The pressure of thumbs transferred to a loose elbow that squeezed the air from Applejack's lungs with a slow grind down into the lump of a knot. “Hmmphhhh!” was all she could wheeze.

“It's only for a moment,” said Redheart, the dig of her elbow reaching the end of the muscle line and lifting. The warmth of her palm replaced the ache and resumed kneading Applejack's ribs, all the way down to her hip, then gliding upwards again. The pressure slowed, Redheart matching the pace of her strokes to Applejack's breaths.

The knot loosened somewhat as the insistent kneading and gentle elbow grinds unravelled her tension, and Applejack groaned. Her focus narrowed the more her pain receded and the smooth, rocking pressure up and down her back lulled her into a hypnotic rhythm. By the time Redheart wrapped warm hands around her bicep and stretched her arm out straight, Applejack leaned into the pull without so much as a thought.

Nothing popped, but she could feel the kink behind her shoulder blade unwind. “Nnngh,” she breathed. “I think, ahh, that's got it ...”

“You should take it easy tonight.” Redheart soothed the ache with more warm kneading, both hands encircling her upper arm and pushing up to her shoulder. “Have a warm bath and sleep well. I'm sure you'll be up early again tomorrow.”

Applejack laughed softly, a lazy puff of breath. “Can't stop. Too much to do.”

“Which is fine.” Redheart's touch slid down to her hips, finding the tension coiled in Applejack's lower back. “If you can recognize when you've overdone it, that’s helpful. You were smart to come here.” The rhythm resumed in a slow circle, Applejack's hips swaying slightly as her body surrendered to the rocking. “Oh, there we go, you're starting to relax.”

Yeah, she was. The aching from a long week of work had finally begun to fade. With the curtains wide open, sunbeams warmed her bare back and so Applejack floated for a spell while Redheart took care of her hips and calves, the occasional slow drag of knuckles working the tightness out.

When Redheart's touch lifted without reaching her feet, Applejack almost whined in disappointment. They were the most sore out of any part of her! But then came a soft tap on her shoulder and she lifted her head up out of the donut. “Hmm?”

“I'd like to turn you over,” Redheart said, her blue eyes twinkling. “Did you want a sheet to cover yourself while I do your feet, or are you okay like this?”

Propping herself up a little more, Applejack squinted. 'Reckon I'm okay like this. You've probably seen it all far too often.”

“You'd be right.” Redheart showed her how to turn over without reaggravating any tender spots, and Applejack pressed an arm over her breasts as she shifted around. Once she’d nestled down again, she sighed at the hum in her back as the muscles relaxed for the first time in ages with the change of position.

Redheart brushed her fingers through the bowl of body oil and shook excess droplets free. “If there's too much pain, let me know if it gets sharp. Sharp is bad; dull, while painful, is what we're looking for.” She cupped an ankle and her thumb dug into the middle of Applejack's thick sole.

Eyes widening, Applejack shuddered as the forceful pressure pushed past the numbness she'd endured for so long. Tingles sparked the more Redheart curled her thumb into the arch, twisting her foot slowly back and forth to wring out the tension. “Hooohhoooo.... hooboy...” She caught Redheart's inquisitive gaze. “Dull,” she admitted, “still dull. But goooood.”

Redheart's other hand cupped Applejack's heel as her thumb began to move higher in a 'walking up' motion. She worked up to the ball of the foot, then slid down to begin the march up again, each press part of the climb from heel to toe. Her heel-holding hand would squeeze, turn, and massage the Achilles tendon, occasionally pinching in behind and beneath the ankle bone as well.

“While your boots are good,” she said, lowering Applejack's foot so she could rub between her toes and clean down between her foot bones with firm strokes, “you do spend too much time on your feet. I can't tell you to change your lifestyle, but look after yourself once you take those boots off at the end of the day.” She skirted the tendons on the top, tilting her ankle down to stretch them out slowly. “It means not ignoring the ache in favour of working harder. That's where damage can set in.”

Applejack could only nod as Redheart wrapped her toes one at a time to stretch them. “I could be takin' it easier, but that ain't easy to do by itself.” She groaned as one particular pull on a middle toe produced a soft crack when the knuckle stretched.

Switching feet, Redheart turned to one side so she could set this heel against her own hip. At that angle, she swept her thumb down the soft instep and sent ripples up Applejack's shin. “It's a little advice. Your therapist can offer it.” Smiling, she dug her thumb up into the ball of the foot to twist it back and forth, wringing and stretching the tendons.

“Owww.” The stretch certainly felt different on this foot. “That's kinda achin' a little,” Applejack told her. “Not too sharp, but something ain't happy under my toes.”

“That's okay,” Redheart said softly, easing up on the twist and instead using both thumbs to press along the pads of Applejack's foot. “This is why you came.” She dug in with slow upward slides, one thumb taking over from the other, and generally using enough pressure to make Applejack's eyes roll back into her head. More toe-flexing and kneading of the ball of her foot followed, her heel securely propped on Redheart's hipbone.

The pain didn't quite fade, but whatever fancy tricks Redheart brought to bear certainly sent enough buzzing through her foot that Applejack soon couldn't feel what she'd been complaining about. Slick little slides of thumb pressure up and down, the squeezing of her heel, and a thorough kneading of the space between all those foot bones rendered her almost dizzy with relief.

Far too soon, Redheart placed her foot back down on the towel and reached for a sheet with which to cover her. “There we go. You can have as long as you like to recover here.” She switched off the diffuser and it gave one last weak puff of citrus-scented air.

As she covered Applejack's body, Redheart squeezed a few spots on her legs and shoulders, working her way up to trail a knuckle over the middle of her forehead. “Soak up the sun, soak up the warmth, and don't forget to dry your feet off before you slip them back into your wool socks. See you out in the front, Miss Applejack.”

With that, she left Applejack to gaze blankly at the sun’s reflection on the ceiling and soak in the light rush of endorphins.

_-_-_-_-_

As it turned out, Redheart didn't see Applejack on her way out. There had been a break room disagreement over whether or not the Aloe Vera juice in the refrigerator was helping anyone lose weight. Someone had been brave enough to ask her medical opinion, and Redheart had to spend a good half hour moderating the discussion before both participants could leave satisfied.

Once that was through, Lotus insisted on giving her a demonstration of the usefulness some of the massage rollers could be. While she knew Redheart would never make recommendations for the spa's own products, there was no harm in making up one's own mind on what felt good in the first place.

“Whatever can take some of the strain off your fingers, eh?” Lotus said, smiling as she used one of the handheld wooden rollers on the back of her own hand. “For me, it is all that typing and paperwork that makes the need for these.” She set it down and flexed her fingers. “Good work today, with very happy clients. I could see how they moved once they left, and you made a world of difference.”

Redheart nodded. “Glad I was able to do that.”

“Yes, bonus offer for you in your pay for the week, too.” Lotus gestured at the cabinet beside her desk. “One roller free, your item of choice.” She winked. “If it doesn't do well for you, find a friend you can regift it to for whatever occasion seems proper.”

Laughing to herself, Redheart shook her head, but wandered over to the display anyway. She liked working with the twins and could indulge them as long as they kept sending clients her way.

As she perused the selection, she wondered who would be next to come through the portal to her rooms, seeking her attention. She would do her best to quell the pain and send them back out into the hustle and bustle of life a little more whole. Her therapy often wasn’t so soft, but it got results.

All that would be another day, though. Ttomorrow she would be a nurse again, helping save lives and keeping an eye on patients who needed her. For now, she would pick out a fancy piece of polished wood and head on home.

_-_-_-_-_