Hivemind Control

Once again, Celestia walked into the natatorium, this time finding it almost completely empty. That was ideal, because that's what she requested and paid for. The only one left was the lifeguard, doing his final pass before locking up for the night. Rather, that's what he normally did. Tonight was different. Tonight, he was locking up the regular pool, the whirlpool, and the sauna, leaving the lap pool open as per her want.

"Now, Princess, I want to make things perfectly clear," he said, walking up to her. "This isn't the first time we've loaned the pool out to a private party after dark. We usually only do daytime events, but with nopony else around but a mare and a stallion, I feel the need to tell you that..." He paused for a moment, scratching his neck. "Let's put it this way. The easier it is to clean up a mess, the less time we have to spend on it, and the less likely we are to bar entry. One of our previous private patrons filled the whirlpool with dried grape juice concentrate, and we had to drain the pool and scrub it clean. He's not allowed back in. Nor is the mare who urinated in the rocks in the sauna and stunk up the whole building. We aren't going to need to lock you out, are we?"

Celestia smiled and shook her head. "You have nothing to worry about. This is, I'm told, his favourite training spot, so having the place closed for cleaning would be a damper on his mood. As for me, I have a reputation to uphold. Word that I've shown some interest in the aquatic racing circuit is fine, but I'd hate for a story to spread that paints me as an uncaring beast. We will try not to cause you any grief, you have my word. It is not our intent to cause any damage to your facilities."

"Right. In that case, complimentary towels are over there," he pointed to a shelf filled with them, and an empty hamper next to it. "Just leave any used ones in the hamper and we'll add them to the morning rotation. Remember to shower when you're completely finished to wash off any remaining chlorine, and don't worry about being locked in. You can leave through the one-way exit when you're done."

With a nod from Celestia, the lifeguard finished locking up the last of the equipment. Now the only available options were the benches, the lap pool, and the locker rooms. Now completely alone, Celestia slipped into the mares' locker room and removed her regal attire, slipping into a swimsuit that met the regulations put forward by the Equestrian Swim League. Hers was a non-standard piece that needed to be custom-made and rushed, as there weren't a lot of alicorns that competed in athletic sports, especially not in her size.

When she returned to the pool, Dip was already there. He had a pool bag over his shoulder, but nothing else. Celestia had never seen so much of his coat before. She'd assumed that his wings, much like his coat, were light brown. With his suit off, she could finally see that they had bright red tips, with a gradient fading back to his shoulders. His cutie mark, also hidden by his suit, seemed to first be a pair of wings, but a closer look indicated it to be wake, presumably a result of his speed. And of course, his deep blue eyes had always been hidden behind his goggles.

He slicked back his mane as he approached. As he'd said, that and his tail were cut short, though unlike his dark brown mane, his tail was a soft blue-grey. "I'm flattered, Princess," he beamed. "When I explained the regulations regarding suits today, I wasn't expecting you to pick one up."

"I actually had it tailor-made," smiled Celestia, turning around to show it off. It kept her wings bound and stopped her from casting spells. "If I'm going to be joining you in the water, I thought it best that I had regulated gear. Are you about ready?"

"Well, I still have to change into my suit, but I'll be ready after that. I'll be right back." As he placed his hoof on the locker room door, he turned around. "Unless you're okay with me being out of regulation gear. I won't be using my wings, and the extra drag from my mane and tail would help slow me down and level the playing field."

The thought of being in the water with him being nude made Celestia's body tingle. As much as she wanted it, though, it was too early. "You go ahead and change. I'll be acclimating to the water out here."

With a nod, Dip dipped into the stallions' locker room. Celestia took a deep breath and tried to relax. She'd been so confident when dealing with the lifeguard, but with Dip, she'd felt her façade faltering. She felt noticeably weaker when he was around, especially when he looked directly at her. Just the short conversation had aroused her, which was the other reason she wanted into the pool. She didn't want to have a drip that he could see.

The water was warmer than she expected. She was used to pools being cold, but between this and the one at his home, she'd found two pools with very warm water. It was comfortable, admittedly, and perhaps that's what caused her to sink. She tried to push her wings out, but due to the restrictions from the suit, she could neither spread her wings nor cast a spell to increase buoyancy. She actually had to tread water to keep herself afloat.

Dip returned in his suit and saw that she was having some difficulty. He quickly dove in and swam over to her. "You need a bit of help there?"

"I think I'm starting to grasp the concept a little better," she said, still bobbing around a bit as she tried to stabilize herself. "I'm handling it."

As she began a rather sharp drop that took her jawline below the water, she felt a hoof against the base of her chest, pushing her back up to the surface. Despite the fact that her heart began to beat faster, she was calming down.

"Relax," instructed Dip. "Relax and breathe. It may be better for you to learn how to run before you can stand, metaphorically speaking. You're obviously having trouble without your wings, so let's start with something easy. I'm going to have you swim down to the other side of the pool. I'll be right beside you the whole way. Are you ready?"