A Kind And Loving Heart

by SapphireWings999

Chapter II: A Bittersweet (Somewhat Confusing) Welcome Home... And The Benefits Of Fingers

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Twilight Sparkle sat in the royal throne room accompanied by her loyal advisor, Spike. It had been quite a while ever since Celestia and Luna had retired from their roles as the rulers of Equestria, passing the mantle off to Twilight. In that time, much had changed. Twilight herself had grown considerably to the point where she was exactly the same height/appearance as Celestia and Spike himself was now of similar height to Twilight as well as having bulked up greatly.

At that time, the princess was waiting for her friends to arrive for their regular Friendship Summit. Ever since taking over the role of ruling Equestria, Twilight had assembled her friends into a sort of counsel that would meet once every moon to discuss the various goings on throughout the land as well as the maintaining of amiable relations with other species from differing kingdoms among other things.

It was in that moment when one such creature, a gryphon by the name of Gallus and Twilight’s Captain of the Guards, opened one of the doors to the royal throne room to make an announcement.

“Princess. The counsel has officially arrived,” he stated.

“Thank you, Gallus,” Twilight answered back. “Please send them in.”

With a swift nod, Gallus opened both doors wide to reveal Twilight’s friends: Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. The entourage made their way through the doors into the throne room as Twilight and Spike came forward to greet them.

“Thanks to all of you for coming to meet with me today,” Twilight greeted as she embraced her friends.

“No problem, Twilight,” Pinkie piped up. “I’m just lucky enough that Pound and Pumpkin Cake were available to watch Li'l Cheese for me.”

“Indeed,” Rarity added, “as am I that Yona and Sandbar were willing to help out with handling all of my orders for the Grand Galloping Gala in less than 2 weeks.”

“It’s quite funny that you should mention that, Rarity,” Twilight began, “because that’s actually one of the topics I was meaning to bring up for our meeting.”

Breaking apart from the group hug, Twilight paused for a moment and looked over towards the doors to make sure that they were closed tightly before speaking back up.

“As you all know, there have been many Galas that have taken place since my official coronation.”

“Tell me about it,” Rainbow remarked. “I mean, this is what? The 15th Gala since then?”

“Umm… I think it’s actually closer to the 20th,” Fluttershy spoke up.

“Mhmm,” Twilight confirmed, “and, for this upcoming Gala, I have some really big news.”

“What kinda news would that be, Sugarcube?” Applejack questioned.

Twilight then motioned for her friends to come closer before whispering into their ears.

“Silverstream is proposing to Gallus!”

Pinkie let out a loud gasp as stars sparkled in her eyes.

“Oh. My. Gosh. That’s incredible!” she exclaimed.

“Quite right,” Rarity agreed, her eyes shimmering with emotion. “I’m soo happy for them. Just as much as I was when Yona and Sandbar got married.”

“Good fer them,” AJ pleasantly stated. “So whataya need fer us ta help out with? Whatever it is, ya can depend on me.”

“Well I-”

Twilight was interrupted by a flash of lightning followed by a loud thunderclap. The group of friends rushed over to the windows to see a heavy gathering of dark blue clouds near Ponyville, lightning flashing forth violently from them. As they watched this transpiring from a distance, a strange feeling of familiarity came over all of them. A spark of realization flashed into their minds, memories from a distant past.

“Is that… what I think it is?” Fluttershy finally spoke up.

“Could it really be?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah think… it jus’ might,” AJ added.

“Well there’s only one way to find out,” Twilight stated. “Everypony, stay close.”

And with a bright flash of their own, all of them were gone.

* * * * * * * *

In the time since I’d last been to Equestria, I’d forgotten about the part of travelling there where I would lose the ability to see for 2-3 minutes from my literally flashy entrance. I’d had plenty of time to think about what I’d say to the girls when I saw them again for the first time in far too long. Even then, though, I still struggled with how to put it into words.

Being on the autism spectrum like I am made it harder at times for the right words to come out the way I intended, especially in moments of intense stress like this. Many times, it was far easier for me to just write down what I meant to say in a letter and give it to someone. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been thinking too hard about bringing a piece of paper and pen with me beforehand.

Additionally, as I took in a deep breath of air while waiting for my sight to return, I’d forgotten how much cleaner the air was here in Equestria when compared to back home. The air back home was still breathable… somewhat, but it couldn’t compare with the natural freshness and higher quality here. With how much pollution had been going on back on Earth, this breath of fresh air was literally a breath of fresh air!

Slowly, but surely, my vision began to come back as I got a good glimpse of Ponyville. Overall, not too much had changed since my last time there, at least from an architectural perspective. Something that I was quick to notice though was a rather large building within close proximity to Twilight’s castle. Judging by the appearance of the building itself, it looked to be a relatively new school.

This struck me as rather odd as I already knew that there was a school in Ponyville before this one so what was even the point of having another one? Maybe I’d find out more about it from any of my old friends, if they’d forgive me that was.

Speaking of my friends, I’d seen absolutely no sign of them since I’d arrived there. The thought had occurred to me that they were quite possibly scared away by my entrance through an electrical storm. Not wanting to waste anymore time waiting, I called out to anypony who might be able to hear me.

“Hello? Is anypony here?”

It took several seconds, but a few ponies slowly started to come out followed by another few. When it came to the ponies that came out from their hiding places, I hardly recognized any of them. But then I saw a few who I remembered from when I’d last visited, except that they were much older. 2 of these ponies I recognized, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were mere fillies last I saw them, were now full grown mares. How much time had passed since I’d been to Equestria last?

Before I could ponder my question much longer, I was greeted by a bright flash of purple magic in front of me, whereupon a small party of friends appeared in my presence who I was shocked to see. Not because I had no idea who they were, but because there was such a stark difference between how they looked now as opposed to when I’d last seen them.

2 members who stood out the most to me as far as change was concerned were Princess Twilight and Spike. The princess now stood at the same height as Celestia and myself as well as looking much more like Celestia then previously. All I could guess was that she was now the ruling princess over the land. For exactly how long this had been, I didn’t know. As for Spike, not only did he stand at an equal height to the princess, but he had also become much more husky/muscular and apparently had even grown wings sometime between now and then (however far back this “then” happened to be).

The rest of the Mane 6 had slightly different mane styles than what I’d previously seen. Rainbow’s was styled in a manner similar to a fiery mohawk, AJ and Pinkie’s were pulled back in buns, with the latter’s bun resembling a giant cluster of cotton candy even moreso than previously (cotton candy with flecks of confetti in it), Fluttershy’s was rather interesting as it seemed to curl back into itself, forming a loop on the back of her head like a teacup handle, and Rarity had a streak of silver in her mane and tail that made her look even more glamorous than before.

However, different mane styles weren’t the only thing different to stand out among my friends; they were also visibly older. Nowhere was this more noticeable than the lines they had underneath their eyes, the sight of which caused a deep pang inside that I didn’t feel would be going away anytime soon. All 7 of them stared at me with looks of shock and confusion on their faces before I finally spoke back up after several seconds.

“Ah know…,” I began shakily, my Southern drawl coming through as strong as ever, “that y’all are prob’ly… really shocked ta see me. In fact…, Ah’m mos’ likely tha las person… any of ya would ever wanna see. Ah said some hurtful things ta y’all that Ah didn’t mean…, but Ah also know… Ah can never take back. That bein’ said, Ah’m beyond sorry… fer what Ah said… fer how Ah treated ya… fer all tha pain Ah caused. Ah don’ ‘spect any of ya ta forgive me… but-”

I was suddenly interrupted as Pinkie flung herself at me, hugging me tightly as the tears came pouring from her eyes.

“Of course we forgive you, you big silly,” she spoke through her tears as I accepted her hug back. “And we’re sorry for what we did that night. If it weren’t for us leaving you, Savannah, and Ariel alone; maybe all 3 of you would still be here.”

“Hey hey hey,” I whispered, softly. “There’s no need ta worry ‘bout what might’ve been. All that really matters is what we do in tha now ‘n Ah wanna do everythin’ Ah can ta make up fer los’ time.”

It was then that the other 5 mares and Spike made their way over to give me a group hug, tears of joy all around.

“It’s great ta have ya back, Sugarcube,” Applejack stated.

“You have no idea how much we’ve missed you,” Fluttershy uttered with a soft, sad smile showing through her tears.

“Things just haven’t been the same without you here, twin,” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.

“Tell me about it,” Spike agreed.

“What’s going on?” a new, yet somewhat familiar, voice called out. “I saw the lightning striking Town Square. Is everypony-”

The voice abruptly stopped as I looked in the direction of its owner: a light lavender colored Unicorn with a mane and tail that were mostly a rich purple aside from a streak of aquamarine. She stared at me with a look of equal parts shock and confusion. This made sense to me as she’d most likely never seen a human before, especially not one with massive, blue wings and blue pony ears like I had. All of us breaking free from the hug, Twilight was the first to end the awkward silence that had come up.

“Oh, Starlight, this is our old friend, David.”

“Ahh. This mus’ be tha famous Starlight Glimmer,” I spoke up as I approached her with an extended hand. “Twi mentioned ya frequently tha las’ time she ‘n her friends visited me ‘n she speaks very highly of ya.”

“Well, you shouldn’t believe a word of it,” Starlight remarked with a playful smile as she accepted my hand in her hoof. “It’s great to finally meet another close friend of the gang. With what Twilight had mentioned about their last visit, it seemed like I would never get that chance.”

“In all honesty, Ah wasn’t even thinkin’ of comin’ back here either,” I admitted with a pained look on my face.

“I’d heard about what happened to your wife and daughter all those years ago,” Starlight continued, solemnly, “and I offer my sincerest condolences.”

“Ah ‘ppreciate that. Ah’m sure ya would’ve really liked both of ‘em. If only ma little Ariel could’ve gotten a chance ta see this place.”

It was then that the question I’d had swirling around in my mind for the past several minutes that I’d been back in Ponyville finally reached my lips as I turned to the Mane 6.

“How… how long has it been… since you 6 las’ visited me?”

“At least 20 years now,” Fluttershy sadly stated.

Upon hearing Fluttershy’s answer, a sad, heavy sigh escaped me at this shocking revelation. Rainbow then posed a question to me.

“How long has it been in your world?”

“Only a quarter of what it’s been here in Equestria.”

“5 years?!?” AJ remarked. “No wonder ya hardly look any different from tha last time we saw ya. Ah mean, aside from tha ears ‘n wings.”

“Yeah. Ah can un-... wait. Whataya mean ma ears ‘n wings?”

AJ looked a little unsure of herself before speaking back up.

“Ah jus’... don’ remember ya havin’ ‘em before.”

“Yeah. I mean, they definitely make you look 20% cooler, but I don’t remember that either,” Rainbow agreed.

“Me neither,” Fluttershy chimed in.

“How can ya guys not remember?” I asked, incredulously. “Ah got ‘em when Ah defeated that hag that attacked ya guys long ago after findin’ out that Ah’m a descendant of tha Alicorn princess named Destiny who lived here over 1,000 years ago before she wound up in ma world as a human.”

“Who’s Destiny?” Pinkie puzzled.

“Star Swirl tha Bearded’s special somepony.”

“What are you even talking about?” Twilight questioned, looking more confused than ever.

A look of shock and disbelief crossed my face before I spoke up again.

“Do you guys honestly not remember?”

“I’m truly sorry, David,” Rarity started, “but there’s only ever been Celestia and Luna who lived that long ago as Alicorn Princesses.”

“But… how do ya explain ma pony ears ‘n wings?”

“I wish I knew,” Twilight stated. “Maybe there’s something missing that none of us noticed? We’ll have to look into it later, but, for now, we’re just happy to have you back. Especially at a time like this.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“So that we could give you these.”

Using her magic, Twilight passed 2 golden colored tickets over to me.

“Are these… what Ah think they are?”

“Indeed,” she stated. “Your ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala as well as your +1. Princess Celestia left instructions for whenever you’d return before she and Luna stepped down from the throne. Additionally, she wanted me to check with you as to whether or not you wanted to cash in that favor she offered the previous times you were here.”

I was reminded of those prior visits to Equestria where Celestia had offered anything that I might need whenever I decided to come back. Now, with all the stuff that had happened to me within the past several years, this seemed like as good a time as any to cash in that favor, but what would that favor be? I didn’t want to be too greedy with my request, but, at the same time, I had just about nothing to my name anymore. No job, no money, not even my own place to live.

That was when it hit me. Those would be the 3 things that I’d ask for. After all, I had no idea how long I was going to be there for, but it certainly wasn’t going to be a short stay by any means and I had no desire to go back home where I’d risk winding up back in the wacky bin for God knows how long again. These would be the necessities I’d need for the time being. With these thoughts in my head, I finally made my request to Twilight.

“Well, Ah’d like ta have some money ta cover any expenses while Ah’m here, a job so that Ah’ll have some form of income, ‘n finally a place of ma own ta live in. Ah plan ta be here fer quite a while ‘n Ah don’t wanna come off as a freeloader, takin’ advantage of somepony else’s generosity by crashin’ at their place durin’ that time.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Twilight replied. “I’ll make arrangements for your own home to be built here in Ponyville as well as providing you with some bits for any needs that might arise. As for jobs, I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find something to do around here.”

“Last time I checked,” Starlight added, “I was positive that both Sugarcube Corner and the Ponyville Day Spa were hiring. You might want to try looking there.”

“Until your home is built,” Twilight continued, “you’re more than welcome to stay at my old castle in Ponyville as you have the previous times here.”

“Thanks,” I replied with a smile. “Ah really do ‘ppreciate all y’all are doin’ fer me, even after how Ah treated most of ya.”

“Oh pfft. It’s all water under the bridge, darling,” Rarity stated. “We’re just soo happy to have you back.”

“Definitely,” Fluttershy added.

“In fact,” Rarity continued, “maybe you could stop by the Carousel Boutique sometime so that I can take some measurements and put something fabulous together for you to wear to the Gala.”

“Ya know ya really don’ hafta do that, Rare,” I replied.

“David, please. It’s the least that I can do to show gratitude for your return to us.”

“Mhmm,” the other 5 and Spike agreed.

“Plus, I’ve already been making outfits for many other creatures besides just ponies for the past couple of decades now. It’ll be a nice change of pace and an enjoyable challenge to make clothes for a human for once.”

There was no way that I could possibly argue with my friends. I mean, I could try, but I didn’t think that that would be the best way to endear myself to them after all this time away so I finally relented.

“O.K., Rare. You win.”

“If you want, Rarity, I could even help you out with that as well as your other orders,” Fluttershy followed up.

“Thank you, darling. As much help as Yona and Sandbar are, any and all additional assistance would be very much appreciated.”

“Hey, bud, whataya say that I help you get back into better shape before the Gala?” Rainbow questioned while playfully poking my stomach with her right hoof. “It looks like you’ve gotten a bit soft since the last time we saw you.”

“Well,” I admitted, “Ah have been meanin’ ta get back ta tha same body Ah had years ago, but Ah could never find tha time between when Ah was in tha wacky bin ‘n lookin fer Ariel.”

I then let a slow smile creep across my face before continuing.

“Knowin’ you, Dashie, ya’d prob’ly put me through quite tha ringer when it comes ta workout routines.”

“Heheheh,” she chuckled. “There’s no ‘probably’ about it, bro. You’re talkin’ to a full-fledged Wonderbolt here. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember how your body looked before.”

“Jus’ be careful not ta run ‘im too hard, hon',” Applejack countered. “Ya can’t ‘spect him ta go all tha way up ta 11 at tha drop o’ ma hat.”

“It’s O.K., AJ,” I answered. “Ah can take a lot more than it may look like Ah can.”

“Ah know Ah know, but, still, Ah’m jus' tryin' ta look out fer ya as a friend.”

“Thanks fer that, AJ,” I smiled.

“Anytime, pardner.”

“Ooo ooo ooo!” Pinkie piped up. “I just remembered something. I’ll be right back.”

And as quickly as she spoke, she was gone in a bright, pink streak.

“What was that all about?” I questioned.

Everypony else who was there simply shrugged in response. It wasn’t long, though, before Pinkie flashed back over with a brown paper bag that she then passed off to me.

“For you,” she stated.

Accepting the bag, I opened it up to see what was inside. Upon seeing the contents, I let out a small gasp.

“A Lemon Muffin Surprise!” I uttered while pulling it out of the bag and turning to face Pinkie. “You remembered!”

“Of course I did, silly. Did you really think I’d ever forget?”

“Well…,” I admitted, “Ah honestly wasn’t sure. There were several moments back home where Ah almos’ forgot ‘bout you guys, much as it pains me ta say.”

“But you never forgot about us entirely, did you?” Fluttershy questioned.

“No. Ah guess not.”

Even with all of the treatments that I’d gone through back at the wacko hut to bring me back to what the doctors their considered “sane and normal”, there were still fragmented memories of my friends that lingered in my mind the whole time afterwards, vague and misty as they might’ve been.

“Then that’s all that matters. You held on to us just as we held on to you all of these years, no matter what, and nothing can ever change that or take it away from you or any of us.”

“Thanks fer sayin’ that, Flutters,” I replied with a smile before turning my attention back to my muffin. “Well Ah guess Ah should eat this while it’s still fresh.”

Taking a bite out of the muffin, it tasted very strongly like the lemon poppyseed muffins I used to have when I was a kid except even better than I could’ve imagined with a lemon glaze drizzled over the top of it. It wasn’t until after biting into it that I discovered the “surprise” part of the muffin: a creamy lemon custard center that was equal parts tart and rich, leaving an explosion of flavor in my mouth.

“How do ya like it, Davey?” Pinkie asked.

“Ah love this, Pinkie!” I exclaimed, upon swallowing. “This has gotta be one o’ tha best muffins Ah’ve ever eaten in ma entire life.”

“Goodie!” Pinkie joyfully hopped up and down in place. “I’m soo glad you enjoyed it.”

Polishing off the rest of my muffin, I turned my attention over to Rarity.

“So, Rare, when do ya think a good time would be fer me ta come over fer ya ta take measurements?”

“I’m not quite sure,” she commented. “Maybe sometime a little bit later on in the week. It’ll give me and my assistants more time to work on all the orders I have lined up and I’m sure that it’ll allow Fluttershy enough time to prepare seeing as she’s soo generously offered up her services to me.”

“I’m ready whenever you are, Rarity,” Fluttershy stated, softly with a smile.

“Perfect,” Rainbow remarked. “That’ll give you plenty of time to get back in shape with my exercise regimen beforehand.”

“Sounds good ta me,” I replied. “Before Ah get started on yer workout, though, Rainbow, Ah think Ah’ll try ta see ‘bout possibly gettin’ that job at either Sugarcube Corner or tha Ponyville Day Spa. Ah’d like ta at least have a steady form of income set up fer tha duration of ma stay here.”

“Understandable,” Twilight spoke up. “No pony would fault you for that. In the meantime, I’ll be returning to Canterlot to make arrangements for your home to be built here in Ponyville as well as setting you up with a sizeable amount of bits for any expenses that might come up between now and whenever you start whatever job you may wind up with.”

“Thanks again,” I respectfully bowed towards her.

“You’re welcome and thank you, David.”

“Fer what?”

“Coming back. You have no idea how much this means-” she stretched her wings out in a gesture towards the party gathered around me “-to all of us.”

At Twilight’s statement, I couldn’t help but get a little choked up thinking of all the time I’d lost that I could’ve spent with my friends over these past years.

“God forgive me fer all tha time Ah’ve wasted,” was all I could utter as my friends came around to hug me again.

In that moment, the first of what would surely be many more, I was greatly relieved to be back in my true home and I genuinely looked forward to all that my stay in Equestria had in store.

* * * * * * * *

Not too long after Twilight and Spike had returned to Canterlot, I made my way over to the Ponyville Day Spa first, accompanied by Rarity. Though I could’ve gone there just fine on my own, Rarity insisted on joining me, stating that I could use her as a reference.

Having never really held a job in Ponyville before, I had no idea what to expect in regards to applying, interviews, all that managerial stuff that I’d had to deal with back on Earth. Back then, though, I’d only ever held one job as a security officer at an amusement park and that was almost a decade prior so I wasn’t exactly up to date on what the protocol was for these things. Even for the brief 2-3 years I worked as a writer, that was completely different from a job that you punched in and out of for anywhere from 5-6 days out of a week.

Not to mention, did ponies even use job applications for new hires and how was that supposed to work out? Back on Earth, there were always 3 options when it came to job applications: many companies only did online ones, a smaller amount only did paper applications, and even fewer than that only ever did both. My mom gave me some advice long ago that, whenever applying for a job, if it was an option, always go with the paper applications. Her reasoning behind that was that, when you pick up an application from a potential employer and then return it to them after filling it out, they would at least have a face to associate the name with. Online applications were only ever used as a last resort as they were much less personable.

I couldn’t help but smile thinking back on that and my current situation with potentially working in Ponyville. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about any chance of online applications here; not that most ponies here would even know about the internet aside from my friends (and even then they didn’t have quite the same level of understanding of the internet as someone who’s spent the majority of their life back on Earth, possibly even in the alternate Equestria Girls reality). If my mom knew I was here in Equestria, she most certainly would’ve approved of the lack of online applications in this world. If my mom knew I was here in Equestria in the first place, I couldn’t begin to imagine what her reaction might be or any of my other family members for that matter.

In all honesty, there were times when I wished I could’ve told my family the truth about my past visits to Equestria as well as what I’d discovered there soo many years ago (even if my friends couldn’t quite remember all of the details themselves). Unfortunately, the past few years of being in and out of the cuckoo cabin after a few failed suicide attempts followed by several psychotic episodes did very little to convince many around me that I was in a stable state of mind. Besides, the only doctors that I’d opened up to about my friends and former visits to Equestria scoffed my statements as nothing more than delusions of a troubled mind. If I couldn’t bring it up with them at the time, what made me think that my family would’ve been any more understanding than those quacks?

“David? DAVID?!?” Rarity’s voice snapped me out of my ponderings.

“Oh- uh… y-yes, Rare?”

“Is everything alright, darling?”

“Oh yeah. Ah’m good. Ah was jus'… lost in thought Ah guess.”

“Anything you feel like sharing?”

“Just a little nervous ‘bout ‘pplying at tha Day Spa. Back on Earth, aside from ma brief work as a writer, Ah haven’t really held a normal job in quite awhile.”

“Well I can assure you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Lotus and Aloe will know exactly where you’d fit in best there. If I was that kind of mare, I’d bet my boutiques that you’d make for a fabulous masseur. With you being the only one here to have fingers, you could really work wonders relieving stress and muscle kinks on any pony. Why I’m sure that you’d be in such high demand that your employment there would be quite profitable.”

I blushed vividly followed by a reply.

“Now let’s not get too far ‘head of ourselves, Rare. Ah haven’t even been hired ta work at tha day spa yet.”

“Exactly. Yet,” Rarity answered with a playful smile.

I smiled softly back before Rarity turned her attention forward.

“Oh. It looks like we’re here.”

Turning my head to where Rarity was looking, I saw that we had indeed arrived at our destination. I didn’t remember that much about the Ponyville Day Spa from the days in which I’d watched the show so seeing it then with fresh eyes was a pretty important moment for me.

The first thing to capture my attention was the bluish-green roof that rose up in peaks, resembling those of a circus tent as cliched as that may sound. I also picked up on several other details such as the horseshoe-shaped windows, the red door with 2 pink hearts on it (almost bringing to mind a Valentine’s Day card… or, I guess, a Hearts And Hooves Day card?), and a yellow sign that veered on the edge of golden with a wavy-maned pony on it as well as a horseshoe surrounded by light blue flowers. Just looking upon the spa’s exterior, I could tell that this building dripped of class and sophistication. I even could’ve sworn that the building itself sparkled in the sunlight it was that spotless.

“Wow,” was all I could utter at the sight of the spa.

“It’s quite a sight to take in all at once, isn’t it?” Rarity added.

I nodded in agreement before Rarity continued.

“Well I guess we best be heading inside to see about getting you a job.”

And with that, the 2 of us made our way over to the entrance of the building. Reaching the door, I opened it for Rarity to go in first.

“Oh. I appreciate the courtesy, David, but I feel like you should go first. You’re the one who’s going in looking for the job after all.”

“Are ya sure, Rare? 'Cuz Ah have no trouble lettin' you go first. Ya know, ‘Beauty before handsomeness’ ‘n all that.”

“Oh, David,” Rarity giggled, “you make me blush. As much as I value your manners, quite becoming of any true stallion I might add, I insist that you go right on ahead.”

With a soft smile on my face at Rarity’s remark, I finally relented and went on ahead of her. Entering the spa, the first thing that I noticed was the color scheme of the interior, mainly consisting of pinks and violets along with some yellows that were more conservatively incorporated. With Rarity joining me, we made our way over to the front desk where a sea blue mare with glossy pink mane and tail as well as eyes of the richest sapphire swiftly noticed our approach.

“Rarity!” she greeted.

“Lotus, darling,” Rarity replied as the 2 of them hugged. “It is such a pleasure to see you again.”

“Please, Rarity,” Lotus spoke as they parted. “Zee pleasure is all mine.”

It wasn’t long before Lotus took notice of me standing nearby.

“And you must be Daveed!”

“At yer service,” I answered with a kneel.

“Zis truly is an honor, but… vhere did your vings and pony ears come from?”

“It’s kind of a long story. Ah’m not even sure if Ah fully understand tha details ‘bout it either.”

“Very vell then. Vhat can I do for you 2?”

“I think the more appropriate question is ‘What can David do for you?’” Rarity stated, before turning towards me. “Right, David?”

“Yes,” I began, attention focused on Lotus. “Ah heard that yer spa was looking fer extra help ‘n, as Ah’m gonna be here in Ponyville fer quite a while as well as requiring a steady form of income fer tha time bein’, Ah was hopin’ that ya’d consider me fer tha position.”

“Ah yes,” Lotus followed up. “Such a tragedy. Our best masseuse, Quake, got called away to a different spa in zee big city, Manehattan, and it’s left quite zee hole in our business as vee are down a pair of hooves.”

“It’s actually quite funny that you should mention that,” Rare started, “because David and I were just discussing on the way over here how well he might fit in as a masseur for your spa.”

“Hmm…,” Lotus pondered, running her hoof along her chin in the process.

As she was thinking it over, I noticed her staring for a while at my hands, gears visibly turning in her mind. Finally, after almost half a minute of silence, she spoke back up.

“It just might verk. First, zough, vee’d need to put him through a little test run. Is zat O.K. vith you, Daveed?”

“Sure. Why not?” I answered back.

“Fantastique! Now, if you’ll just follow me, vee’ll see vhat you can do vith zose… claws?”

“Hands actually,” I politely corrected.

“Ah yes. Zose ‘hands’ of yours.”

“Well,” Rarity began, as she turned to leave, “while you 2 are busy with that, I really need to get back to my boutique to help my assistants with finishing all of those orders. I’ll catch up with you later, David, and be sure to tell me how it all turns out.”

“Trus’ me, Rare,” I replied, “if all goes well, ya’ll be tha first ta know.”

Rarity then gave a pleasant smile before exiting the spa while I followed Lotus back towards what I assumed was the primary “massage chamber”, for lack of a better word. Before long, we arrived at the room in question where a powder pink pony with a glossy blue mane and tail was attending to a customer, providing a vigorous massage. Upon the two of us entering, the masseuse pony looked in our direction before speaking up.

“Sister,” she stated, continuing the massage. “I vas just about to send for you. Zere’s a massive backlog of-”

Upon spotting me, she stopped speaking and stared in shock at my presence there. After the shock had worn off, she finally acknowledged me.

“Daveed!” she gushed. “It is truly an honor to have you here, but… vhy do you have vings and pony ears?”

“It’s complicated in all honesty,” I stated, wondering more and more why it was that nopony around here seemed to remember me being an Alicorn Prince except me.

After having originally discovered that I was part Alicorn many years ago, I wasn’t comfortable with many ponies drawing attention to that fact, mostly because I didn’t want to be treated any differently from them. But, now, after finally getting used to being referred to as Prince David, nopony else seemed to have any memory of me being royalty. Not to sound selfish, but I honestly missed them calling me a prince as well as me asking them to just refer to me as plain old David. Aloe’s voice drew me out of my ponderings.

“So zen, how can vee help you?”

Before I could even reply, Lotus spoke up for me.

“Daveed is actually here to help us, sister. He’s looking to fill our empty position.”

“Really?!? Zat’s vonderful! Vee have such a massive backlog of ponies vaiting for massages zat any help vould be greatly appreciated.”

“Ah’m more than happy ta be of service,” I stated, plainly.

“Indeed,” Lotus began, “but, first, vee must see him in action to make sure he’s truly a proper fit. Is zee next customer ready do you know?”

“I believe so,” Aloe mentioned before turning her head towards the waiting room and calling out. “Vee are ready for zee next guest.”

Only a few seconds later, a female pony entered the room who I swiftly recognized as Bon Bon (or was it Sweetie Drops?) before she noticed me.

“David?!?” she uttered in surprise. “What’re you doing here? Are you here for a massage too?”

“Not quite,” Aloe replied. “As it turns out, Daveed here vill be giving you your massage today.”

“Really!?! That’s awesome! Wait until my wife, Lyra, finds out that I got a massage from David himself. She'll be soo jealous.”

“Ah’m sure she’ll be quite surprised at that,” I stated with a smile while gesturing towards the nearest table. “Now why don’cha get comfortable on tha table here ‘n we can get started.”

With a quick nod, Sweetie Bon (or whichever name it was) got herself situated facedown on the table while I warmed up my fingers, flexing them several times and cracking them in preparation. With my client (and my fingers) finally ready, I placed my hands on her shoulders first where I began moving my primary fingers in a circular motion before gently but firmly squeezing them with my thumbs in a continuous cycle. The circular manner in which my fingers moved almost brought to mind the classic “Wax on. Wax off.” motion that Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel in The Karate Kid.

As I slowly worked my hands down Bon Bon’s back, she let out several soft moans that indicated that she was enjoying the massage. I’d had plenty of practice back home with giving massages to family members and the occasional friend who might’ve asked for one, although not as much in recent memory. At least now it was nice to know that I “still had it” all these years later in spite of that fact.

With the deep tissue rubbing taken care of, I formed my hands into the classic knife-hand shape of martial artists before doing firm karate chops up and down my client’s back, much to her added pleasure. My knife-hand technique had also been practiced several times before back home; strangely enough, whenever my mom needed graham crackers or the like ground into crumbs for baking. She’d simply put them in a ziplock bag and let me karate chop away at them until they were completely pulverized. Even back then, though, I’d learned how to exercise restraint so as not to overdo it.

After several minutes of massaging, I was finally finished, much to the disappointment of Sweetie Drops.

“I do enjoy massages,” she spoke, hopping off the table, “but I always wish they didn’t have to end.”

She then looked at me with a smile before continuing.

“That being said, this was the best massage I’ve ever had here and I’ll be sure to recommend you to everypony else I come across, if you manage to get the job which I have no doubt you will.”

“Ah ‘ppreciate tha vote of confidence from ya, Bon Bon,” I smiled back at her. “Hope ya have a great rest of yer day.”

“Likewise,” she stated, before leaving.

It wasn’t long after she left that the twin spa pony sisters spoke up after having silently observed me for the past several minutes.

“Vell,” Lotus began, “I must say zat I’m quite impressed by your massaging skills.”

“As am I,” Aloe agreed. “I never knew you had such talent.”

“Well Ah have had plenty o’ time ta practice back on Earth,” I stated, modestly.

“And it seems like all zose years paid off.”

“I believe I speak for both of us vhen I say zat vee’d be glad to have you here as our newest masseur!” Lotus exclaimed.

“Ah’d be honored to!” I replied almost instantly.

“Fantastique! Velcome to your first official job in Ponyville.”

I reached out to shake Lotus’ extended hoof as well as her sisters’, all the while feeling thankful beyond words that my new beginning in Equestria was off on the right foot… or hoof, even if there might’ve been a couple hiccups along the way. In the months to follow, my life would change in ways I’d never before thought possible.

Author's Note:

Hello Everypony. Back with another chapter to my story and boy has it been a rough past few weeks for me. One of my closest friends from work left for another job that guaranteed more hours for her as well as being much closer to where she lives and it's just been weighing pretty heavily on my mind during this time. At least we had a good time hanging out after work on her last day 2 Saturdays ago and there might've been some booze and arcade games involved. Not sure when I'm going to see her again outside of work, but, if the MLP Series Finale showed me anything, we'll still be able to keep in touch. We actually got to Facebook Message each other twice this past week and she came by work to visit 2 days ago so that was enjoyable. As another side note, I'm currently in the process of trying to find another job, but I'll probably save the details of that for sometime later on down the line. Anyhoo, please feel free to thumbs up or favorite this story if you're enjoying it thus far, leave a comment with your thoughts and constructive criticism down below, and I'll see you guys again when the next chapter drops. Take care.

Comments

[fahpeerawa204]

Good job, as always.

[SapphireWings999]

9911611
Thanks for that affirmation and I'm glad that you're enjoying it thus far.

[Kitsune_Kenshi]

FINALLY!!! SEASON 9 AND BEYOND!!!

[Captain Pokemon]

Im a great massager too