Hivemind Control

Celestia looked down into the clear water lapping at the steps. She'd intended to have a bath with Luna, but by the time she'd found an open gap in her schedule, Luna had to be out of town. It would be another three days before she was back, and she'd made sure to keep her schedule open for that time.

"Something bothering you, Princess?" asked a mare. She was the wife of the host for this party, a small gathering with no more than a dozen ponies. Celestia had been invited by virtue of being there at the time that invitations were being distributed. The host, an earl, had just won a distance swimming event, and as she had come to congratulate him on his victory, he'd invited her along, as well. She was actually the only one there that wasn't either directly related to him or directly involved in competitive swimming.

"I'm fine," answered Celestia, looking up. "Just thinking about something that's been troubling me lately."

The mare scratched the back of her neck. "I may just be a stonemason's daughter, but if I may be so bold, might I suggest that you turn your thoughts to enjoying yourself? We have wine, and there's going to be cake later."

Celestia nodded. "Just give me a moment. I need to clear my head. I'll be right with you."

With a nod, the mare stepped back inside, not pressing the issue.

Celestia turned back to the pool and splashed away a bit of water. It was warm and comforting. It would feel kind of like a bath, without the bubbles and soap. Still, it was not her pool, and with nopony else in it, it would be rude to just dive in.

With a deep breath that smelled lightly of chlorine, she moved back inside. For a gathering this small, only two servers, a stallion and a mare, were needed. The stallion was moving drinks around, while the mare was carrying hors d'oeuvres. As promised, there was wine, but only the mares were drinking it. The stallions were varying their drinks, with the host having bourbon, his manager with tequila, the bronze medalist a whiskey, and the silver medalist's manager just grapefruit juice, citing the need to remain completely sober as part of their parole. There was also an untouched rum and cola next to an empty chair.

"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at all if you were half otter," chuckled the silver medalist. "The way your body just glides through the water almost seems beastly or supernatural."

The host shook his head. "No, both parents were pegasi. How I ended up an earth pony is beyond me, but I guarantee that it's all hard work and determination that led to my win today."

"You sure it's not an invisible pair of wings gliding you through the water?" chuckled his manager. The company all shared a laugh as Celestia joined them in the lounge. "Hard to believe you're still kicking this hard at your age."

"Oh, come now," smiled the host. "You make it sound like I'm in my eighties; as if I should be investing in a walker and hiring a live-in nurse. I'm only fifty-eight. Plenty of time left on my clock."

"Still, that's quite a ways up there in years," nodded his manager. "Your kid's an adult. How long do you think it'll be before he can outswim you?"

"Not long at all," came a voice from the doorway. A young stallion entered the room, his dark brown mane still dripping a bit into his robe. He'd squeezed out a lot of the water, but more kept dripping out. "I'm already outpacing him in sprints. Why do you think he stopped competing in that field?"

"There you are, Quick Dip," smiled the host, raising his glass. "We were just talking about you; come, have a seat."

Dip made his way to the empty chair and picked up the untouched drink. "I suppose I may as well," he reasoned. "Odds are, you'll all be competing with me next year."

"That's right," nodded the manager of the bronze medalist. "You just turned twenty-five. You're now eligible to compete in the next season."

"I look forward to seeing that," chimed Celestia.

Dip looked shocked to see Celestia, as if he hadn't expected her to be there. In his defense, he was absent from the event during which she had been invited, so he might not have known that she was going to be there. The moment their eyes met, Celestia felt something stir in her gut. It made no noise, and wasn't particularly bothersome, but she felt it.

"My apologies for not greeting you before, princess," bowed Dip. "Such an unimportant event as this I thought would be far below your sensibilities."

"Unimportant?" scoffed Celestia. "Your father has just taken the gold medal in the regional competition. He's being sent to represent Central Equestria in the national championship. That's quite an accomplishment on its own. That lists him among the top ten in his field for all of Equestria. I don't think this is quite so unimportant as indicated."

Dip bowed once again. "My apologies, Princess. I was unaware that you felt so strongly about this."

"I don't," admitted Celestia. "But you should. If you are to join the circuit next year, and you are as skilled as you say, this could very well be your father's last hurrah before retirement."

The room fell silent. The host, his wife and his manager all turned their attention to their drinks, staring at their glasses. The tension had suddenly gone much higher than it had needed to be.

"I guess there's not really a call to hide it anymore," sighed the host's wife. "This really is his last season. Win, lose or draw, he's pulling out of the game and taking up coaching, helping others to reach the same goal as he had."

"I may not be out of it just yet," admitted the host, "And I don't need help moving around, but I can feel it in my bones. It's time." He swirled his bourbon around his glass and took a sip. "However, I'm not going out without a fight. I'm not going to just coast to a stop. Unless something horrible happens between now and next month, I'm going to that championship, and I will be on that podium."

"I'll drink to that!" proclaimed the silver medalist. "How dare you beat me in regionals and then slack off at the championship? You'd make me look like a shitty athlete if you're that terrible and I still couldn't beat you. Top three or bust!"

Celestia was a bit shocked that what sounded like an insult was met with a cheer and smiles, but perhaps that was how it worked in this sport. She wasn't the strongest swimmer, herself, so she didn't know.