Blazing a Trail to the Past.

by Daylight_Dreamer

48- The first time he ever relaxed.

"Remember," Rarity said as we walked into the spa, "I already prepaid for everyone to get what they asked for, but that doesn't mean you have to stick to that. Get whatever you like done."

"Cutie Mark Crusaders spa day! Yay!" The girls expressed their delight in being allowed to come along. Scootaloo was so excited that morning we had to remind her about the last potion. She chugged it so fast she still had purple drops on her chin.

"Hold still," Gilda ordered her as we stopped inside the spa door. She licked her claw and used it to wipe Scootaloo's face clean.

"Geese, Mom!" Scootaloo protested, "not in front of my friends. That's embarrassing."

A pony in the waiting room gave them an odd look. Gilda must have noticed because she was smiling.

"Oh, Rarity," said Aloe as she walked in, "I see your party has arrived. We have the steam room ready for you."

"Please set Jerry up with a towel and lead him in first so he can change into it in private," Rarity said aloud before whispering, "Humans are serious about modesty."

I started walking but was stopped as Scootaloo hugged my leg and said, "See you in there, Dad."

I heard a clatter and looked to see the same pony that gave Gilda a look scrambling to pick up a clipboard. Gilda and I both snickered.

"Right this way, sir," Aloe got my attention back. I followed her and she pointed out a towel rack outside the steam room, "I will be back with a basket to take your clothes. Please set them outside the door when you are ready."

I did not like this idea but it would only matter for a moment anyway.

"Thank you," was all I said before taking a towel and stepping into the steam room.

They waited until collecting my clothes before bringing the rest of the group in. It was all of the mane 6, the CMC, Spike, Gilda, and myself. The others just wrapped themselves in towels as they came in and sat down. I thought to myself, 'Who knew a steam room would be the thing to get ponies to cover up?'

"Didn't you say you were going to invite Mr. Woodsmith to come along?" Rarity asked as Pinkie sat beside her.

"He said he had to do a few things," Pinkie sighed, "He was going to try and make it to lunch."

"He doesn't seem like a spa guy anyway?" I said.

"I was surprised when you wanted to come," Gilda said, "I was worried about what you would think about me wanting to go, and with you, there's the added downfall that you don't like being naked."

"I could have left my boxers on, you wouldn't notice." I checked the wrap on my towel, "Besides, I didn't want to miss this chance. I get to spend the day with my best girl, my daughter, her friends, and all six of the best group of friends Equestria has ever seen. Spike is ok too."

"Hey!" Spike protested.

"I make the most fun of my best friends," I laughed. I wanted to say, 'hay is for horses,' but thought better of it considering the present company.

"There you go being modest again," Twilight spoke up, "Sure, we saved Equestria a few times, but the time you saved it was a lot more work. It took your entire life after all."

"I'm pretty sure at least one of the times you saved Equestria it was in worse shape than my friends pulled it out of," I said, "besides when you think about it, the Pillars planted the seed. They may have the real edge there. Between our groups though. I hoof selected the ponies to represent the elements and we became friends in the process. We were really just a bunch of scared kids huddled together for safety."

"That's kinda my point," Twilight said, "How much closer can friends get than literally trusting each other with their lives. We have had to trust each other that much. Not on a daily basis though."

"She does have a point, darling," Rarity interjected, "I'm not saying you have to go showboating about like a certain rainbow-maned friend of ours, but sometimes modesty can be impolite as well. Taking compliments and not selling one's self short are both important parts of etiquette if you ask me."

"Why do you do that anyway?" Fluttershy asked, "even I know to be proud of my accomplishments, and you have so much to be proud of yourself for. Were you mistreated on earth?"

"Not really. Jeremy Blade was the best dad a boy could ask for, I had a good life until shortly before coming here," I said, Then a thought came to my head that I had never had before, ever, "I was mistreated by my pony father."

The whole room gasped.

"What's the big deal?" I asked a little offended, "you were ready to believe humans mistreated me. Why not Flying Nightmare? Or did you even care to learn his name before deciding he was a nice guy?"

They all looked a little ashamed, "We're sorry," Fluttershy said, "I just can't imagine a pony..."

"It's fine," I said, "But as a pony. I just thought it was normal for some parents to lock their kids outside for not raking the leaves fast enough." I sighed, "He took all our toys away one day because he said we were bad. I found out later a mare snubbed him because Aura left her stuffed animals out and he told her he didn't have foals. That's the only reason I knew better than to raise Sweet Dreams like that. Ponies wonder why I don't think highly of myself, now you know. It has nothing to do with my time on Earth. Dad tried to raise it out of me, but the constant rewards just made me feel guilty."

I was realizing every word as I said it out loud. I had never thought this before. As a pony, I died still thinking what he did was ok. That I just couldn't do anything right so I didn't deserve nice things.

I felt a wave of anger toward Flying Nightmare, but at the same time, I knew it was well past time to let it go.

"Oh, my," Fluttershy said, "that's awful." She shed a tear and came over to give me a hug. Before I knew it the whole room aside from Gilda was hugging me. Gilda was being squished against the wall.

"Air..." I squeezed out, "I need air!"

The group let up and returned to their seats. Half of them were crying.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't mean to be a buzz kill."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Twilight assured me, "It's just amazing to think you were cut so deep that the scar is still there two lifetimes later."

"Not to mention a parent acting in such a manner is unheard of," Rarity said, "If I heard of a stallion treating his foals in such a manner I'd cut-" Rarity's eyes went wide, "I'd rather not finish that thought. I've never pictured anything so violent before. How strange."

"Well, whatever it was, he deserved it," Pinkie said, "Then I'd blow his junk off with my party cannon."

"Shut up!" I said, "he was still my father. Even if he was never a dad."

"Where did that even come from?" Twilight asked Pinkie, "You know violence doesn't solve anything."

"I dunno," Pinkie shrugged, "From time to time lately I just think it would be fun. Only if a pony deserves it, though."

"No stallion deserves that," Spike said holding his crotch.

"Pinkie," Rainbow said, "you feeling ok? That doesn't sound like you."

There was a knock on the steam room door. Lotus stuck her head in, "We are ready for your massages. However, we are still not sure how well Jerry will fit on a table."

"Better than you think," I said, looking at Gilda. She nodded. I reached between my feet and retrieved a bottle I had saved from my pocket, "I got loads of time to get these muscles rubbed." I drank the potion and was transformed into my pony persona, "These ones have waited over a lifetime."

I'd had Celestia send me the copy of Advanced Spellcraft for the Elite Potion Maker she had been holding on to. It was the first potion. The description listed only one side effect. If I stayed a pony for 24 consecutive hours, I would never change back. I didn't want that, so I decided to go with an eight-hour limit. This time around it was just till after lunch.

I must have known I wouldn't want to get stuck. If I had for some reason drank the entire canteen I left myself, I would have been transformed for 23 hours.

"Oh, my," Rarity said, "how dashing you are as a stallion."

"Back off," Gilda said, "He's still my Dweeb." She put a wing around me and pulled me in. I took the chance to put a wing around her. It felt strange to be hugging her without my arms.

Lotus led the group to a room full of massage tables. There was already one pony laying on a table.

"Slag, you made it!" Fluttershy said delightedly.

"I was a little held up helping Sawdust put sides on his truck before he could make his delivery," Slag said still facing down, "I was going to skip the steam anyway. It always frizzes my mane up."

"And I thought Rarity worried too much about her hair," I teased.

"Yea, yea, yea, Jerry," He started sitting up, "Like I don't notice how much care you put into that beard." He looked around the room, "Where are you?"

"You don't recognize me," I held a wing to my mouth in mock surprise, "and I was about ready to call you my best friend."

He wasn't even looking my way. He just got really confused, "Seriously, stop messing with me. Gilda, is it? You gotta be in on this. Where is Jerry hiding?"

Gilda looked at me with a grin. I knew what she was silently asking, I subtly nodded.

"I don't know," she said, "I lost sight of him after the steam room." She pretended to be confused, "Where in Equestria could a five-foot-tall two-legged guy hide around here?" She pretended to look around conveniently blocking his view of my mouth.

"Dude!" I said, "I'm by the door, and that's five foot six!"

I could see everypony holding back their laughter as Slag looked by the door.

"Sorry," I said, "I meant the other door."

He looked around the room. There was only one door in or out, and no closets to be seen. Just a room full of ponies setting out massage tables, and one door. Slag pushed Gilda and me aside to get to the door and look out it.

"Where did he go?" Slag asked.

Everypony stepped to the side leaving me standing in the middle of the room smiling. I don't know why, but I felt the need to hold my wings up.

"And who the hay is this guy?" Slag asked, "He's kinda cute."

"I thought you knew Spike," I said looking Slag in the eye, "Were the only three guys in here." His jaw hit the floor, "Gotcha," I teased, "Oblivious much?"

"But you're... and he's... if that's how you looked when you knew my ancestor I'm surprised my family exists," He gave me a look that made me want to ask for an adult.

"Species changed, not orientation," I said flatly, "Sculptured Stone wasn't into stallions either."

"Fair point," He said, "Still I gotta say, I like what you've done with your mane." He brushed the hair out of his eye highlighting the fact that he brushed his to the right side in the exact same fashion I did. I couldn't help but notice he had started growing a goatee. It looked like a torch flame.

"Yea," I said, "I was pretty fashion forward six hundred years ago. Now if you'll excuse me, I've been alive for one hundred ten years I can remember and I've never had a massage the whole time."

I picked a table and laid face down placing my face in the padded cutout. A masseuse immediately approached and got to work. For once I let myself actually believe I had earned it. I was more relaxed than I had ever been in either life.

Comments

[DAMN HAMSTER]

I never put much thought into it

It shows. With grammar like this, I gotta ask: Who is your ESL instructor and tell me you're not paying them.

[Daylight_Dreamer]

9247532
Nobody said you had to read it. I think there is plenty of warnings in my comment section for grammar Nazi's.

[DAMN HAMSTER]

9248641

grAmmER naZis!

C'mon dude. That's a copout for a easily fixed problem.

[Daylight_Dreamer]

9248797
Easily fixed if you had a good teacher. I spend hours a week on this. I know my grammar sucks. Your not the first to tell me. Your just the first to be a total jerk about it.

[DAMN HAMSTER]

9254843
*You're.

[Daylight_Dreamer]

9254950
Thank you for proving my point.