When one thinks of the spa, they conjure many words in their mind. Rest, relaxation, and perhaps most of all, some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of their regular days. Such was the case today for none other than Principal Celestia, head of the local High School of Canterlot. Having entered the spa some time ago, she was now getting ready to enjoy the treatments they had to offer, all with a look of anticipation upon her face. But, before she got to any of that, she first had to don the appropriate "attire" of the spa. So, with spa attendant Aloe waiting just outside, the Principal was, at this moment, getting changed in one of the many private booths the spa had. After a few minutes of waiting, however, Aloe gave a gentle knock upon the door of the thing.
"Excuse me, Miss Celestia? Is everything alright in there?"
It took only a moment for her to get a response.
"Everything's fine, Miss Aloe. I'm just coming out now."
And out she came, with the door giving a slight creak as she did so. Gone was the older woman's usual garb of a business-like uniform, and instead, she now found herself clad in a pristine white towel, wrapped snugly around her middle, from the top of her chest all the way down to her knees. To complete this spa image, she was also wearing two similarly-coloured white slippers. Clasping her hands together, Aloe gave a formal smile to her client.
"I trust you're looking forward to this day's activities, Miss?"
Celestia returned the smile, taking a moment to adjust her towel slightly before replying.
"Indeed. Luna's been urging me to take a day off like this for some time. I hope to enjoy it a great deal."
Aloe's smile widened.
"Splendid! Now, I believe you arranged for the sauna to be your first stop?"
Celestia nodded, prompting the other woman to step aside, gesturing to the hallway beside them both.
"In that case, would you be so kind as to follow me, please?"
Again, Celestia nodded, and within moments, the two were making their way down that hallway. On the way, Celestia took note of several of the other doors they passed, briefly peering into each and every one of them to see what was going on. A few people in the hot tubs, someone getting a full-body massage, others getting rather intricate-looking facials, and many others she no doubt expected to go through herself. But, it eventually became her turn to find her door, as Aloe stopped just in front of it, giving another sweet-looking smile before gesturing to it.
"Here we are, Miss. Would you like me to run you through some of the procedures?"
But Celestia shook her head, politely raising a hand in refusal.
"Thank you for the offer, but I know the drill."
Aloe once more clasped her hands together, nodding back to this.
"Of course. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Celestia nodded back, and watched as her attendant began to walk back the way they came, no doubt to greet some other new client at the front desk. Now alone, the Principal took a deep breath, giving yet another adjustment to her towel, before turning to the nearby door and opening it. As soon as she did so, a wave of heat burst forth, and she briefly found herself taken aback by it. But she quickly recovered, and entered the room in earnest, shutting the door behind her. It was dimly lit, as expected, though she could see that there was somebody else in here already. However, the lighting made it hard to make out who it was. But she was unconcerned with this, and so instead took to choosing a spot to sit herself. Once seated, she leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and letting out a contented sigh.
Within moments, she could feel herself relaxing. The heat, though undoubtedly massive and sweltering, already started to do exactly what she wanted, as droplets of sweat started to form upon her uncovered skin. As a smile started to creep onto her face with this feeling of relaxation, Celestia began to slip further and further into a state of contentment and relaxation. That is, until a voice snapped her out of it.
"Well, well, well...I wasn't expecting to see you here."
The voice, one that was quite familiar to Celestia's ears, caused her eyes to snap open, and her head to turn to see who had spoken. Sure enough, her guess was right, as the one she'd spotted earlier turned out to be Adagio Dazzle. The eldest Siren sister was, at this moment, clad almost exactly as Celestia was, though she had elected to go barefoot rather than don the slippers. Crossing her legs, the Siren was lazily reclining against the wall behind her, looking to the Principal with both genuine curiosity as well as an intrigued smirk.
"Need a little R and R, Principal Celestia?"
Celestia, who now had a sudden urge to hold her towel even closer to her body, looked the ancient being over briefly before, at last, giving a nod.
"Yes...my sister suggested that I take a day to...relax."
Adagio's smirk deepened.
"Indeed? Well, you'll find nowhere better to do that than here, I can assure you."
The Principal raised an eyebrow.
"I must confess, I am surprised to find you here also."
A chuckle escaped Adagio at that.
"I may work here, but that doesn't mean I won't partake of its pleasures every once in a while. A girl has her needs after all, right?"
An uncomfortable pause was felt between them, until Celestia simply gave another nod.
"Yes...I suppose so."
The uncertainty in her voice must have been as clear as day, as Adagio raised an eyebrow to it.
"You don't sound entirely pleased to see me, Principal Celestia."
Having been caught off-guard by that remark, Celestia took a moment to look away, letting out a sigh as she did so.
"No, it's just...you and I have never really spoken all that much, Miss Dazzle. I have to say...I find myself at something of a loss."
But, to her surprise, Adagio merely let out another laugh.
"Please! Call me Adagio, if you will."
Celestia hesitated, but only for a moment.
"Very well...Adagio."
Leaning forward, Adagio regarded her carefully.
"If it makes you feel nay better...just treat me like you would any other student of yours."
Here, Celestia looked to her with some incredulity.
"Not to sound rude...but you and your sisters aren't exactly like my other students."
Again, Adagio laughed.
"True, true. In any case, I'm rather glad you're here. As much as I enjoy spending time with Sunset and the others...it is nice to have a little quality time with an adult for once."
Briefly, a small smirk crept onto Celestia's lips.
"With all due respect, isn't everybody a child compared to you, Adagio?"
A look of surprise crossed Adagio's face after hearing that, though she quickly recovered.
"Oh my! The rose has thorns, it would seem!"
Another laugh escaped her, though this time, the Principal herself joined in, albeit not as much. When that died down, Adagio regarded her once more.
"In any event, we needn't exert ourselves with such concerns. We did come here to relax, after all."
There was little point in arguing that point, given that Celestia herself now nodded in agreement to Adagio's words. So, silence passed between them, as it had done before, but this time, the Principal tried her best to get back to the relaxation that she'd come here for in the first place. So, taking a few deep breaths, she closed her eyes, reclining back against the wall herself and listening to the sounds of the creaking wood around them. As for Adagio, she kept her eyes upon the other woman intently, maintaining that devious smile of hers. Then, after considering her position carefully, the eldest Siren sister gave a nod.
"Well...I hope you won't mind if I make myself a bit more...comfortable?"
Naturally, Celestia was somewhat confused by such a remark. But, unfortunately, she soon gained clarification as she cracked her left eye open, glancing to her left slightly. Immediately, she was greeted with the sight of Adagio's white towel, which now lay discarded upon the floor. Immediately, the woman's eyes snapped open, though she held her hand to the left side of her face, shielding herself from the sight she now knew was there nearby.
"Miss Dazzle?! This is highly inappropriate!"
But Adagio merely chuckled again.
"Hardly. We're both grown women here, yes? And besides, I work here, remember? Which means that I know for a fact that this is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in the same-sex saunas."
The Siren looked away briefly.
"If this had been one of the co-ed rooms, then it'd be an issue. So I suggest you stop stressing."
But Celestia was far from relaxed about this.
"It's not just that! I hope you understand how compromising this situation is, for a teacher to be so near one of her students while she's...she's...like that!"
However, Adagio's response was yet another laugh.
"I will never stop being amused by you humans' reactions to things like this. Honestly, you'd think your bodies were some kind of terrible blasphemy or the like."
Slowly, Celestia lowered her hand, and when she did finally looked to her sauna colleague, she made sure to keep her eyes fixed firmly onto hers.
"And you, Miss Dazzle, do not seem to appreciate what "we humans" consider basic decency!"
To that, Adagio's smirk faded a little, replaced instead by a slight frown of her own.
"Oh, trust me, I know as much about humans as one can. I have lived among you and observed you more than any of your species could ever hope to within their own lifetime."
The Principal turned away, regaining her previous look of incredulity.
"Perhaps...but moments like this clearly show that you still don't fully understand us."
Hearing that, Adagio, quite slowly, returned to her trademark look of confidence.
"Oh? Perhaps I do understand...and merely do what I do to see your reaction? It is usually amusing to me, after all."
Of course, such words led to a degree of disapproval from the Principal.
"...What is it you want, Miss Dazzle?"
Adagio raised an eyebrow to those words, prompting Celestia to elaborate.
"You're an immortal woman, just like your sisters. You come from a world totally different from our own. You have lived throughout most of human history, and wielded powers far above anything someone like me can ever wrap their heads around."
She took on a look of genuine curiosity as she continued.
"So, I ask again...what is it you want?"
Adagio, for the first time in Celestia's memory, seemed taken aback by this question. She turned from her, staring at the wall for a good long while, never saying a word as she mulled over the words Celestia had spoken. Then, after waiting for several minutes, the Principal watched as her student looked back to her, wearing a smile that was neither confident nor arrogant, but simply content.
"What I want...is what I've already had."
Hearing that, Celestia seemed confused, leading to Adagio explaining herself.
"You're right, I've lived a long time. I've been many things over that time. A wife. A Mother. A Princess. Actress. Artist. Dancer. A singer of course. Even took up gardening for a while. And yes, I even tried taking over the world."
The Siren turned to her with yet another smirk.
"That last one I'm sure you remember?"
Celestia rolled her eyes, but otherwise said nothing as the immortal carried on.
"And now? Now...I realise that I have been so much, and done so much...that all I want in my life now...is to simply relax. To enjoy some of life's simple pleasures."
A brief chuckle escaped her.
"And I confess...my defeat might have actually given me a chance for that more than any of my plots and schemes ever did."
Slowly, she turned her eyes back to the Principal.
"My days of dominating are over, Celestia. Now? Now, a little peace and quiet is all I think I really need. Well...alongside a bit of fun every now and again."
Hearing all of that, Celestia seemed, for lack of a better word, surprised by this.
"Well...I suppose there are certainly worse things to want."
Adagio nodded, and for a time, she got back to the matter of simply leaning back against the wall and trying to relax. However, as Celestia considered the answer she'd been given, more than a few thoughts began to make themselves prominent in her mind. One of which, she decided to voice.
"Did I hear right? You were a dancer at one point?"
Nostalgia broke out in Adagio's expression.
"Yes, I was indeed."
Celestia leaned forward slightly, her interest piqued.
"Ballet? Ballroom?"
The Siren responded with a knowing smile.
"Not exactly. Let's just say our brief stay in the Middle-East gave us more cause to show off our midriffs than was usual."
Realization dawned for the Principal.
"Ah, understood."
A laugh escaped the immortal shortly afterwards.
"You might want to try it, you know. An attractive woman such as yourself? I know I'd be interested."
Like so many times before, Celestia responded to this with a somewhat disapproving glance.
"As flattered as I am with that, Adagio, I doubt it'd look good on a Principal's résumé."
Adagio shrugged her shoulders.
"Hmmm, shame."
For a time, neither woman said anything, and in fact, Adagio, for the first time in this meeting, got up from her sitting position. She made her way over to the nearby hot coals, reaching for a ladle-full of water, before promptly pouring it on. The expected steam rose up from the thing, yielding even more heat than before. Of course, this suited Adagio just fine, as her skin began to practically glisten with the further droplets of sweat that now developed on her. Sitting herself back down, the Siren crossed her legs once more, raising both arms and giving herself a good stretch, which resulted in yet another sigh of contentment from her.
"Ah! I really should come here more often."
Looking to her, Celestia raised an eyebrow.
"One of your "simple pleasures", Adagio?"
The Siren's smirk returned.
"Indeed it is. Although, if I'm being honest, something I really want to find for myself these days is just...a really, really good lay."
Instantly, Celestia's head snapped in her direction.
"Pardon?!"
Leaning back into her section of the wall, Adagio was unfazed by this surprised reaction, instead just giving a nod.
"You heard me. Flirting is all well and good, but it's been such a while since I've had someone to share my bed. I have no desire for a relationship, Celestia. I got my fill of that during my brief time as a Prince's wife. Now...I just want some fun in the sheets."
Celestia sighed.
"Yes...I keep forgetting just how...experienced you are."
The Principal took on a more thoughtful look after that.
"In truth...it concerns me just how much sexual activity has been going on in my school lately. Miss Hooves and that transfer student. Miss Shimmer and Mr Sentry. I have no doubt even your sister will claim her "prize" with young Wiz in the near future."
But, like before, Adagio seemed unconcerned.
"You really shouldn't worry yourself. They're young, and this kind of thing will happen, whether you like it or not. And besides..."
Confidence crossed her face.
"...aside from one unexpected baby, they know what they're doing. As do I for that matter."
Turning to her, Celestia raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You consider yourself an expert on such things?"
Adagio's eyes slowly turned to Celestia's direction, and she bore a look of seriousness the Principal was not used to seeing on her.
"I have walked this world of yours long enough to see empires be born, reach their height, then crumble into dust. I am the Mother of a bloodline that has survived and thrived to the modern day, despite every terrible thing this realm would have undoubtedly thrown at it. My lovers, of both sexes, have been so numerous that I have had more of them than you could ever have years to live."
Then, at the end of it all, Adagio resumed her prior look of amusement.
"So, bottom line, I know my stuff."
Celestia, as one would expect, was taken aback by this.
"Yes...suppose you do."
Looking away, the Principal considered her position.
"Like I said...I am indeed at a loss on how to speak to you."
That acknowledgment seemed to please Celestia's colleague.
"As it should be, Principal Celestia. After all..."
She leaned forward, bearing a flirtatious expression.
"...I always did enjoy being the one on top."
Celestia turned to her, staring at her with all seriousness, before finally responding to that in a deadpan tone.
"...If I were to take my towel off right now, offer myself to you, with no chance of any consequences, you'd have no problem taking me up on it, would you?"
Adagio's smirk deepened.
"I never have before, so why start now?"
Celestia sighed.
"Must be nice...having had a life with so few reservations and restraints upon yourself."
Leaning back, Adagio shrugged her shoulders again.
"It hasn't all been sunshine and smiles, Principal...but yes...I'd say I wouldn't have traded such a life for anything."
The Principal glanced back to her.
"Well forgive me for saying that I do prefer a few limitations, thank you very much."
But Adagio did not seem bothered by this, as her expression and tone soon testified.
"To each their own."
Then, shortly afterwards, a look of realisation crossed her face.
"Ah! If you'll excuse me, I think my time is up."
Celestia said nothing to this, instead watching as Adagio stood once more, briefly kneeling down to pick up her towel, which she promptly wrapped around herself yet again. She walked towards the door, with that Siren-esque sway in her hips as she did so, before finally opening up the room. The air outside was cold, as Celestia could feel even from that distance, and as she observed Adagio leaving, she watched as the latter paused, before looking over her shoulder to speak one final thing.
"I'll see you in school, Principal Celestia. It's been a pleasant experience."
Celestia considered that.
"Yes...I suppose it has."
Despite the less-than-certain way she'd said that, Adagio nevertheless gave her a knowing smile, along with a brief wink, to which Celestia could not help but roll her eyes from. And with that, the Siren left, leaving Celestia alone for the first time since arriving here. At first, she enjoyed the silence of it all, looking around herself to see nobody else there. Then, after letting out a contended sigh and leaning back into the wall, she finally gave herself enough of a moment of relaxation to smile to herself.
"Finally...some peace."
Then, as if the universe itself had heard her, the door burst open yet again, leading to the Principal's eyes snapping open. There, she found, to her shock, that it was none other than Sonata, who was also clad in a towel. And when the youngest Siren looked to her, she bore a massive smile.
"Hey there, Principal Celestia! Dagi said she was done now, so now I get my turn! Isn't that great?"
Celestia stared at her, then let out a long and exasperated sigh.
"Yes...of course it is."
