Quashed

Celestia followed behind Steelhorn as the group made their way to the royal bathroom. While each of the princesses had their own private tubs in rooms adjacent to their beds, the royal bathroom was more akin to a tiny spa, having everything shy of a mud bath. It even had attendants that would come in for regular treatments. Or rather, that was usually the case. This time, only one attendant had been granted entry, after a very thorough examination, and a few of the grooming stations were sealed up tightly for safety purposes.

"Being that you are the Princesses, I insist that you bathe first," smiled Steelhorn, opening the door for them. "I'm told that your bathwater is already warmed up, and your bathrobes have been safely delivered. Take as much time as you need. My men and I shall shower after you are done."

Celestia smiled, having heard enough to know what was needed. "Thank you, most kind and gracious Chief Steelhorn." With a small curtsy, she stepped through the open door with her sister.

As the door closed behind them, the attendant stepped forward. "So glad to see your return, princess," she smiled, bowing to her tetrarch. "I cannot tell you how much a relief it is to see your safe return."

"It's a relief to return safely," smiled Celestia, undoing the bindings for her dress. Some of them were only just hanging on; these were the ones that simply tore apart rather than waiting to be unfastened. As she slipped out of her covering of destroyed fabric, she was reminded of the colour her coat was supposed to be. A few steps up one end of a ladder, then down the other side, and she was enveloped in the soothing herbs of warm bathwater.

Luna was quick to join her. "We're sure you've heard tell of the new security consultant?"

"Oh, my, yes," answered the attendant, lathering up a soft brush with an oily soap. "They had me searched, you know? Couldn't come in until they were sure I wasn't a danger to you."

"We know you're not a danger to us," assured Celestia, rubbing away the easier dirt on her arms and feet. "I'm certain that before long, they'll see you for what you truly are: a good-hearted mare who has always been loyal to Equestria."

The attendant began scrubbing Celestia's back. "I don't know about all of that, princess. I do have some relatives overseas. If they were ever in danger, my first priority might be to help them, though not at any great cost to you. Still, I certainly do think that, barring some kind of disaster, I'll spend the rest of my days serving Equestria in some way or another."

Luna shook her head. "We certainly cannot ask you to abandon your family for our sakes."

The brush moved to Luna's back. She'd always enjoyed a good back scrubbing. "Now, how in Equestria did you end up so covered in filth, Celestia? Surely this wasn't by choice?"

"My guards and I were on our way back from Manehattan and we were ambushed," Celestia replied. "I spent two days kneeling in dirt. I don't want to talk about it; it was humiliating."

"Say no more," smiled the attendant. "Besides, I'd much rather know about these new minotaur friends of yours. I heard they saved you from the bandits that captured you."

Celestia let out an awkward chuckle as her mane began to be washed. "They're certainly the ones who saw me back to the castle unharmed, that's for sure..."

"I suppose I'll hear more of the story from them," chuckled the attendant. "I overheard that brown one saying he'd be showering after you were done."

"He seems to be their leader," chimed in Luna. "We are not entirely sure, as they wear no badges of office that we can see, but they refer to him as chief, and they follow his orders."

"How very odd," chuckled the attendant. "I suppose that goes to show you that other cultures have their own ways of going about things. What is..." The attendants fingers had made their way through all of Celestia's mane, and now found themselves gently caressing the locked horn ring. "What is the purpose of this horn ring, Princess?"

Celestia had to think quickly. If this attendant knew the truth, she'd come out of the bathroom shouting at the minotaurs. That would perhaps grant Celestia and Luna some time to slip by the minotaurs, but they'd be flying nude into the night. not a pleasant sight to leave their subjects with. Any respect their citizens had for them would disappear, copies of photographs would show up everywhere, and so many ponies would die in the process. These minotaurs had already proven their ability to take on larger forces of ponies, and they'd also claimed to be capable of defending the castle against a still larger force. Plus, they still had Twilight in their custody.

"It's protective," answered Luna. "You see, the kidnappers were able to find Celestia through a magic spell that specifically harms alicorn magic. We have researchers looking into why that is with the aid of Princess Twilight. Until that day comes, these rings disguise our alicorn magic, so they have to be physically close to us to cause harm. It's all very complicated."

The attendant nodded. "Another safety measure, I see. Those minotaurs really think of everything, don't they?"

The rest of the bath continued with nothing of note. After slipping into their bathrobes, the attendant began brushing their manes to ensure their silky smoothness. She started with Celestia, who took a fair amount of time, then moved on to Luna. As she was brushing Luna's mane, Celestia slipped off, taking a small tablet from her destroyed dress and moving back to where the showers were. Steelhorn wanted to have a shower? This would be one to remember.

She opened the small panel that granted access to the plumbing for the shower. There was a small tank that water flowed through that could be opened to stuff in large herbal sachets. Doing so would bathe the user not in water, but in a sort of herbal tea. It was a quick way of ensuring a fragrance permeated your skin while you bathed, and it could also be rather calming. You could close your eyes and imagine yourself in a field of flowers and trees, clad in nothing but the warm rainfall. Celestia tossed the tablet into the tank. As soon as the tablet came in contact with the water, it began to dissolve the water soluble coating. The tablet kept its shape, as it would continue to react with the fresh water being pumped in until it was removed or completely dissolved.

As Celestia and Luna exited the bathroom, now clad in their bathrobes, they were greeted by the happy faces of their royal guards. It was a relief for them to see their princesses in better health and mood.

"Have a nice bath, Princesses?" asked Steelhorn.

"Very much so," replied Celestia. "Please, enjoy your shower."

"I shall," replied Steelhorn. "In the meantime, Ironblood and Hardtusk will escort you to your bedroom. They shall shower after us."

This new plan worried Celestia. "No, no, I insist that you all shower together. We wouldn't want them missing dinner, after all. Besides, there's only so much hot water. You should all go together. There's plenty of room."

"And leave you two unprotected? Perish the thought. I insist on your safety. Besides, Scrimshaw is still in the kitchens. He has to wait for his shower. Off you go, now."

Celestia turned and walked to her bedroom. She would definitely have to answer for this, but having only three minotaurs around would still be much more manageable than all five.