It would have been the understatement of the century to say that you were nervous about this next part of your day. From the moment you heard that Celestia was your customer, and what services you'd be required to do, you knew that this would be the one you'd have the most difficulty with. The massage. This sort of thing isn't something you've had to do often. On those days when massages were requested, it was usually Aloe or Lotus, the two most experienced at this sort of thing, who performed it. That wasn't to say you had no experience in this field of course. The two women had taught you a few techniques, as well as provided some tutelage on the subject.

But as for actually performing it, you'd only ever done partial massages, on the shoulders and such. And while you'd been told by your employers that you were ready for the full-body version, you had yet to actually do so on a customer. It figures that the universe would throw a wrench into your path like having your Principal be the first one to experience your hands in this way. Still, there was little point in debating this point to yourself, and so you instead focus on simply leading Celestia to the room she would be receiving this service. Given what service it was, she'd elected to remain clothed only in the spa-provided swimsuit. Thankfully, it wasn't much of a walk as the massage room was right next to the room which held the hot tubs.

By contrast, the massage room was relatively Spartan, containing very little in the way of furniture save for the few massage tables, upon which the customers would lie down as they received this service. A glance to your right shows the room's sole window, out of which you would see a nearby set of bushes, and even a tree. It was always nice to have a few tree-dwelling bird chirping every once in a while. Gave the room a pretty calming feel to it. So, having entered the room, you gestured to one of the tables, and Celestia nodded in response. Walking over to it, she carefully stepped up onto it before re-positioning herself so that she was now lying face-forward on the table, her chin resting on her hands that she'd placed underneath her head.

Walking over to her, you let out a nervous cough before speaking.

"The massages come in a number of varieties. I can work on just the back areas, if you wish. Or, if you'd prefer, we can do the..."

A small blush appears on your face as you continue.

"...the, er...front as well."

Celestia looked at you, knowing immediately why you were looking so nervous. Letting out a small sigh, she replied.

"I think the back side is enough. No offense, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with people touching my front even if they weren't one of my students."

You resist the urge to breathe a sigh of relief over that. Not that you didn't appreciate the mental image of what a frontal massage might lead you to, but the idea of crossing that line was something you really didn't want to be dealing with right now. Still, you had a job to do, and it was now time to get on with it. However, before you begin, a thought comes to mind, as you speak up to your Principal.

"Um, Miss? We sometimes use oils for these massages. Would you like some for yours?"

Celestia considered that for a moment before a small smile appears on her face.

"Actually, I had heard that the spa had a very special fragrant oil of some sort. Some really fancy stuff from out of the country?"

You nod upon hearing that. It was a new brand the spa had been using, but had nevertheless proved popular with the customers. Moving over to a nearby cabinet, you open it and begin looking within. After a few moments however, you notice that the oil she requested was, in fact, missing from the shelves. You worry for a moment that it might have been misplaced, until a memory from earlier begins to resurface in your mind. Turning back to Celestia, you start to explain.

"Unfortunately, we seem to have run out of that oil. It's why my employers aren't here right now. They needed to go off and get some. But we can use regular, if you like."

Celestia let out a rather disappointed huff, before resting her head on her hands fully.

"Thank you, but I think I'll still to going without oil today."

Nodding at that, you close the cabinet before making your way over to Celestia. The Principal casts a glance in your direction, knowing you were nervous about all this, but not saying a word. You knew this wasn't going to be easy, for a number of reasons, but there was no going back at this point. So, taking a few deep breaths, you raise your hands and place them on the back of Celestia's neck. Slowly, you begin to press your fingers into the soft areas there, and already there was a reaction from your customer. She started shifting, though in a very subtle manner. Clearly she wasn't used to being touched this way, so you endeavoured to make sure you avoided making mistakes here.

After a minute or so on her neck, you begin to move downwards to the space between it and her shoulders. And it was here that you felt a small pang of surprise. You'd heard that those with stressful jobs felt firm in this area, but you hadn’t expected it to be this pronounced. Being a Principal must have been a much harder job than you ever gave credit for. Still, you carried on, carefully kneading the relatively soft tissue there. Celestia began to let out a sigh of contentment, much like when she'd entered the hot tub earlier, so you figured to yourself that you must be doing something right, at least for the time being. It took a while, but eventually you became satisfied that you'd done as much on that area as you could.

Moving downwards, you flattened your hands on the area of her back where her shoulder blades where. As you move your palms upwards and downwards, you were trying your best to ensure you didn't rub too hard. That was something you'd been told in the past that you struggled with during your practise sessions. Still, there wasn't any outwards sign of discomfort from Celestia, so there was that at least. And speaking of whom, you couldn't help but note at this point just how smooth and utterly flawless her skin felt to the touch. This woman took remarkably good care of her skin, or perhaps she was just very lucky in this regard. I swear, you think to yourself, this is the kind of skin royalty probably has.

Eventually though, you finish on that area, and so move downwards to her small, the area of the back around where the base of the spine was. This part of her was much softer, owing to fewer bones beneath the skin to get in the way. As such, you began kneading a bit more vigorously than you had been just a few inches upwards, though not overly so. Another sigh from Celestia gave the distinct impression she was enjoying this, which you appreciated. It was always nice to know that people liked the work you did for them. Occasionally, you reverted to having your hands flatten out like before, moving upwards and downwards in a rhythmic, almost circular fashion. Thankfully, there was far less stress to be felt down here than there had been in her shoulders, so there was little resistance on the part of her muscles to your movements.

However, it was here that you came to a difficult part. You were due to move further downwards, though that led, naturally, to her posterior. You hesitated at this point, debating whether or not to ask if she was okay if you carried on down there. She must have been a mind reader, as you soon heard that familiar, almost motherly tone of voice.

"It's alright. I know this is difficult for you. You can skip that part, if you like."

You look up at her, where you saw that she had her eyes closed.

"You're sure?"

A small smile appears on her face.

"Unless you plan on taking me out afterwards, then yes, I'm sure."

Your face erupts into the brightest shade of red possible, and so swiftly take her up on her offer to skip this particular part of the massage, opting instead to move to the backs of her thighs. As you carried on massaging those sections of her legs, you did your best to have your mind regain it's, admittedly poorly-established professionalism. It's just the manipulation of muscle tissue, you tell yourself. It's all biology and science and all that good stuff. Nothing wrong with that. You keep telling yourself that over and over as you carry on with your work, and thankfully, it seems to get your mind back on track. The thighs were, perhaps, the most difficult part to massage on Celestia, given how much muscle there usually was on this part of the body. But even so, you carried on, and eventually came to the end of your movements there.

Next, naturally, came the lower legs. This was somewhat softer than the thighs, and you took to gently placing one hand under each as you used your other hand to massage each one individually. Movement from further up causes you to glance at Celestia's face, where her eyes were still closed, seeing that she was shifting the side where her face was looking. Carrying on with your movements, you kept on trying to recall the lessons you'd learned from Aloe about this. The muscle areas could be worked pretty effectively, but there was that section in-between those muscles and the Achilles tendon that was pretty tough to massage, or so she'd told you. She wasn't wrong on that count, as it proved fairly difficult to really knead the muscles properly there.

Fortunately, you soon felt as though that part of her leg had been services enough, and so now came her feet. Much like before, you lifted one up and used your free hand to gently press into the sole. That must have been some sort of sweet spot for her, as she soon let out a sigh much louder than before. Your mind soon entered into an almost-panic mode. Oh, please don't moan, please don't moan, please don't moan, oh sweet whatever-deity-I-worship she's moaning! You'd heard tell that areas like this could be sensitive, but to cause that reaction was, needless to say, not something you'd expected. Still, one look up at the somewhat embarrassed-looking Principal's face made it clear she was going to try and hold that kind of reaction in. "Trying" being the main word there.

So, you carried on, and after you'd tended to one foot, you moved over to the next. After a few more minutes, that too was done, and so you then began your move back up her body, revisiting all of the areas you'd massaged before and giving them a second service. It was something you’d heard Lotus say they were proud of, that, as she said, "they never stopped until they were DOUBLY sure the customers were tended to". You afford yourself a brief chuckle at that as you carry on with your work. After a while, you came full-circle to her neck again, and once you'd finished with that, you stepped back from the table, waiting for Celestia to let you know how she thought you'd done.

What came instead was, to your surprise, a snore. Not the kind of loud, boorish snore that kept people up all night, but a softer, less noticeable one. Raising an eyebrow you lean in carefully and make sure you heard right. Sure enough, there she was, fast asleep. Stepping back a little, you find yourself astonished at this. One of your massages was good enough to put a person to sleep? That was a good thing, right? Regardless, you knew that it would take a while for Celestia to say anything to you, so, you instead grab a chair from nearby, as well as one of the many magazine strewn about, and simply began waiting for your Principal to wake up.

Eventually, that indeed happened, and the woman let out a brief yawn before her eyes widened with surprise, realising what had just happened.

"Oh my! How long was I out?"

Looking up at a nearby clock, you give your answer.

"About twenty minutes, give-or-take."

A look of embarrassment crosses her face as she hears that, and she soon slides herself off the table and stands up tall, clearing her throat in a nervous manner.

"Well...I apologize for making you wait."

Standing up, you shake your head.

"It's fine, really."

However, a similar look of worry crosses your own face, as you look her in the eye.

"Was...was it...good?"

Celestia knew you were talking about the massage, and so thought back to her experience. After a few moments, she broke out into a smile.

"I can safely say that I'll be thinking about it for a long time. You should be pleased with your performance there."

A small blush appears on your face again as you heard that. However, you both know that, with the massage completed, the services have all been finished. Celestia, looking up at the clock, gestures to the door leading out to the hallway. Knowing that she wished to get herself ready to go, you nod at her and begin to lead her out. It was not long before you arrived back at the changing rooms, where Celestia entered the same booth as before. After a minute or two, as well as the clear sound of clothes being changed, she emerges once more, dressed as you always saw her, in her sensible Principal outfit. Nodding to her, you begin walking towards the front reception area with her in tow. After arriving there, you walk over to the front desk, where you glance at the spa's appointment book before speaking to her.

"Okay. Says here you paid in advance, so I don't need to worry about charging you today."

Celestia smiled before nodding.

"Thank you. And thanks also for today. I can safely say that I can't remember the last time I've felt so relaxed."

You smile back at her before replying.

"Thanks for saying so. Always nice to get good feedback."

However, you expression soon turns into a somewhat nervous one as you keep your eyes on her.

"Um...Principal Celestia? Would it, er...be okay if...?"

But Celestia raises a hand, stopping you from continuing.

"Don't worry. Your classmates won't hear a peep out of me about this."

You breathe a sigh of relief at that, to which Celestia chuckled before speaking up again.

"After today, I wouldn't mind coming back next time I have a free day."

Standing straight, you nod at that.

"I'm sure Aloe and Lotus would be more than happy to help you."

As Celestia turned away from you and walks towards the door, she casts a somewhat mischievous glance back at you before speaking.

"Who said anything about them being the ones I see?"

The colour drains from your face as you hear that, though the feeling is short-lived as Celestia soon bursts out laughing, making it clear to you that she was merely joking about the whole thing. Affording yourself a faux-laugh in response, you watch as your Principal makes her way outside, still giggling a little. Eventually, you couldn't see her anymore, and so you begin to turn away, ready to go back and take inventory of everything you used during this session. However, you soon stop as the distinct sound of the front door bell catches your attention. Spinning around, your eyes wide in surprise as you see that it is none other than Aloe and Lotus, who came in from the exact opposite side of the door that Celestia walked from. Lotus was smiling widely, holding a bottle of what had to be the special oil they had gone out to get. Aloe, sighing at her sister, turned to face you with a small smile.

"So...anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Needless to say, there were not enough facepalms in the world to properly respond to that statement.