The Tatzl

by Raging Mouse

8: Chiropractentacles

Aloe was behind the counter of the spa reception when Berry Punch entered. It took but a glance at the purplish earth-pony for the experienced masseuse to pick up numerous signs of stress and tension. She adopted her practiced welcoming smile and greeted her prospective customer. Berry Punch half-sighed, half-growled in response.

“Please, Aloe, you are my only hope before I lose my sanity completely. Do you have a free slot for a bath and a massage about now?”

Now that Berry Punch had reached the counter, leaning over it far enough to almost rest on top of it, Aloe could pick up additional details, such as the slight discolored splotches in Berry’s coat that seemed to be damp, and the surprisingly powerful ‘perfume’ of half-fermented grapes. She tutted sympathetically while reaching for the appointment book.

“Oh dear; if I recall our regular schedule is— yes; our normal slots are all in use at the moment. We could maybe put you in reserve if somepony else cancels, but—” She glanced at an increasingly dismayed Berry— “I doubt you’d want to wait.” She took a deep breath. “There is an… alternative. Rarity has brought an… acquaintance, and we allowed her to gauge this acquaintance’s suitability for spa work - on willing customers. Payment is optional. They’ve graciously rented a room for the entire evening.”

Berry Punch didn’t move for a second. “Normally I’d say ‘no thank you’ to any business of Rarity’s -she’s lovely to talk to and the soul of generosity, but drama follows her around- but… I have half-fermented wine staining my coat and am about to lose my mind anyhow. As long as I get a wash and a massage, I’ll take it.”

Aloe gave her best and most brilliant smile as she closed the appointment book with an audible thump. Then she tilted her head in a gesture for Berry Punch to follow her as she moved away from the counter. “Excellent. Please, follow me; I shall take you to Rarity and her guest. As I mentioned, payment is entirely up to you, as this is not our regular staff attending to you.”

Berry Punch nodded as she followed, a glimmer of hope appearing on her otherwise dour face. The pair exited the reception area, entering the spa’s interconnecting hallway. They passed a handful of doors on both sides before Aloe stopped and opened one on the left wall. A billow of steam hit Berry Punch in the face, bringing a pleasant, mildly perfumed scent and a promise of more damp heat against her face. Already, she could feel her shoulders relaxing. She nodded gratefully to Aloe as the spa worker stepped aside and bowed, allowing Berry Punch to enter.

“Ah! A visitor!”

The billowing steam in the room parted to reveal Rarity and… Berry Punch blinked. There were two Rarities in front of her; one lounging on a bench by the wall, basking in the heat, and another, wrapped in seaweed, lounging in one of the tubs of water serving as pools. The Rarity in the tub had slices of cucumber on her eyes, but presently lifted them off with her magic in order to look at Berry Punch.

“Hello, Berry Punch! Come; join us and be rid of your troubles!”

“Oh, Rarity, you sing a siren song right now” Berry Punch moaned. She shuffled forward and climbed gratefully into the nearest tub, groaning appreciatively as the hot water forced every muscle it touched to relax. The water immediately stained pink. Rarity - the one in the tub - was quick to notice.

“Oh my; you’re not hurt are you?”

“Oh no, no, no.” Berry waved away Rarity’s concern. “This is just wine. Well, it would’ve been wine with enough time. I was moving a cask when it suddenly broke and emptied all over my back. And what do I find in the remains, but wood borer beetles! My wine cellar is infested! I’ve been scrambling for a solution, carefully investigating each barrel, since last night. I lost two more barrels today!” She growled with frustration.

“Oh my; no wonder you are so stressed, darling.” There was a pause. “How would you feel about a massage to take away the stress?”

Berry Punch became aware that her eyes had shut. Upon reflection, she let them stay shut. She felt too good simply floating in the warm darkness. “Oh, yes, please. I need that. Lotus mentioned something about.. your company?”

“Yes. This is Tatzl Rarity. A mouthful, I know; we haven’t really considered alternatives yet. She’s me, from a different Equestria, and is visiting us. She’s had a - uh - somewhat rustic upbringing, and is very curious about everything here. She’d like to test her skills at everything the spa offers. With your permission..?”

Lulled into a pleasant, sleepy state by the tub’s warm water, Berry had only one objection. “I’d like to just lay here, though…”

“Oh, that’s fine. She can give you a massage right there.”

“Well in that case, sure, go right ahead.”

Berry still felt no need to open her eyes, but she heard the other Rarity rise from the bench and approach, hooves sounding loud on the ceramic tiles and wooden bath mats. Tatzl Rarity (and wasn’t that a strange name) positioned herself behind Berry’s head. A moment later Berry felt the first touch of something firm yet not hard, probing her shoulder and neck. The visitor started humming some vague tune while she got to work, and Berry had to admit there was skill in her ministrations. That, at least, was the verdict her rapidly unknotting muscles and tendons were delivering. The feeling was strange, though. There seemed to be three very flexible limbs tending to her, and for some things those limbs did this Rarity had to have been a contortionist.

Curious, Berry Punch opened her eyes. She eyed the tentacles for a bit before tracing them to their source. Tatzl Rarity looked back at her and gave a bird-like tweet as a greeting. A slight slosh from the other tub indicated Rarity had moved. This was followed by her voice.

“Dear, use your words.”

Contrary to what Berry Punch expected, Tatzl Rarity did not retract her tongues or even move her mouth, seemingly speaking using ventriloquism in a strange mix of Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s voices and inflections - with the sound travelling less via air and more via her tongues. “Hello, Berry Punch! Thank you for letting me try massage techniques on you! It is very interesting.”

Eh. Berry punch closed her eyes and settled back to relaxing. This just wasn’t worth getting worked up about. Again. Especially not in Ponyville. “No problem. You seem pretty good at it.”

A half-giggle, half chirp followed by a “Thanks!” was the reply to that. The tongues resumed kneading Berry Punch’s limbs into submission and she simply luxuriated in the feeling of being so pampered. She was hovering on the edge of sleep when Tatzl Rarity next spoke.

“That’s all I can do with the basic techniques, I think. There is some lingering stress, though, and I could test some more involved methods with your permission.”

Berry Punch already felt like every bit she could pay for this would be worth it, and now this strange Rarity suggested there could be more..? “Oh yeah, go right ahead”, she drawled.

She heard a slight splish as Tatzl Rarity apparently stepped into the tub. Then the tongues made a firm hold on Berry, and then things got a bit muddled. There was sloshing, and gurgling, and the sensation of being jostled. Everything got dark. The tongues shifted to grip one of her legs, and pulled… There was a crack, reminiscent of a thick branch snapping off a tree. Berry Punch’s eyes flew open, but all she could see was darkness. The tongues shifted to her other leg… Berry’s eyes rolled back into her head as the next crack sounded. Nothing that sounded like she was being torn in half had any business making her feel so relaxed.

Two more cracks and a crunch later and a bemused Rarity watched how Berry Punch virtually poured bonelessly out of Tatzl Rarity’s maw to again float in the tub… face down. That was concerning. Rarity better make sure she was fine.

“Berry, are you all right, dear?”

For a second, the purple mare simply floated in the water. Then a hoof was lazily raised to make a slight twirling motion.

“Tatzl…” Rarity harrumphed. Then her ears perked; inspiration had struck. “How about Dazzle? Would that be a good nickname?”

Tatzl Rarity nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I’m Dazzle! Hello, darling!”

Rarity chuckled, delighted. “Pleased to meet you, Dazzle. What were we - oh.” Rarity gestured to the mare lying prone and face down in the other tub, the occasional bubble floating to the surface near her head. “Please do turn dear Berry Punch over before she drowns? Thank you.”

Berry Punch seemed unharmed, judging by the wide smile on her face. Tatzl Rarity - Dazzle - prodded her gently with a tongue to the side before asking, “are you feeling relaxed, miss Punch?”

“Mmmmm…” Berry’s half-closed eyes shut all the way. She immediately started snoring.

Comments

[Cyrus Colter]

Yeah.
This was worth the wait.

[Hazey Logic]

I'm just imagining one of those cartoon scenes where there's a character in a bag or a smoke cloud and you just see the deformations and hear noises and have to guess what's going on inside there.

[Cyrus Colter]

So.... Is there any news on this story?

[Bookwurm666]

11319463
Yes but Rarity 's is a "fainting couch". They were designed to put someone who fainted on.