Battle had not been aware that Ponyville had a spa. And he would have not minded in the slightest if he had continued his existence with the blissful ignorance that such a facility existed. Battle wasn't really one for 'spas'. He wasn't a spa pony. He didn't mind the odd bit of relaxation here or there, a lazy day in bed, a quiet moment of tranquil contemplation. But a spa? The thought was ludicrous to him. And he told Rarity as much when she invited him to join her and Princess Twilight's other friends at the spa.
She frowned at his blatant refusal to join them. "Come now Battle darling. It's the least I can do to repay you for the help you provided last week."
"Nope. Not doing it," Battle replied, replacing a book that lay on a pile by his knees.
"Can't say Ah blame ya partner," Applejack agreed.
"Applejack you are not doing a good job of helping our friend take a much needed break and join us at the spa," Rarity scolded.
"If he don't wanna come then he don't wanna come," Applejack said, shrugging. "'S all there is to it."
"The thing is though AJ you're forgetting that this is Rarity, we're talking about," Rainbow said, sitting on Battle's desk, reading Daring Doo, as she did most of the time she was here. "She always gets what she wants remember?"
"Windowsill or floor Dash not on my paperwork," Battle said, pushing gently at the pegasus' back. She stuck her tongue out before floating gingerly over to the windowsill. "So if what Dash says is true then I don't think I have any choice in this matter?"
"Well..." Applejack said slowly.
"Not much," Rainbow said, shaking her head, smiling. Battle rolled his eyes before checking his watch.
"I've got another ten minutes before lunch," Battle said, sliding another book into its allotted space on the shelf. "If we're going to go, we go then."
Rarity gave a squeal of delight and clapped her hands together. Battle gave another lazy roll of his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "So this spa?" he said, speaking to Rarity without looking at her. "How big is the sauna?"
"Oh so Battle likes it hot?" Dash called from her new position, looking up from her book to waggle her eyebrows suggestively. Battle chuckled, pulling a book from the shelves and setting it down to be moved to the back room.
"Big enough for a good dozen ponies to enjoy it comfortably," Rarity said, giving Dash a stern look. "Why?"
"It's a cleaner atmosphere," Battle explained. "Easier to just... slip away."
"So you mean take a nap?" Applejack asked. "Heck Dash 'ere could teach everythin' you need to know about napping."
"Hey!"
"Well it's true."
Battle checked his watch again and sighed as the argument began to pick up behind him. "You know I might just take an early lunch."
The spa was manned mainly by two twin earth ponies. Aloe and Lotus. Battle could tell that Rarity and, surprisingly, Fluttershy were regulars by the way the two spa ponies fawned over the them. The two were surprised to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack and even more so to see Battle. However they were both consummate professionals, and instead of dawdling on such a trivial detail, merely remarked their surprise to see Battle, and welcomed him to the Ponyville spa.
Battle smiled at their welcome and gave the twins a two fingered salute in greeting. His eyes wandered around the establishment as Rarity began explaining to the Aloe what was required from today's treatment. It was obvious even to Battle, that the spa was not usually frequented by stallions of any race, given by the feminine nature of the decor. Awkward, therefore, did not even begin to describe how he felt at that instance surrounded by snow white and magenta walls and potted plants adorning every corner and available surface. Glossy magazine were crammed onto low tables beside the almost offensive lime green couch.
Battle was sure that a lot of ponies must find this particular... style was tasteful, possibly even alluring. But to him, it just confused him how anything in the room matched. It all seemed to clash horribly in a kaleidoscope of mismatched patterns and bad decisions. Still, Battle wasn't an interior designer, and by the looks of the place Battle was becoming more thankful of that fact by the second.
It took Battle a few moments to recognise the fact that Rarity was speaking to him and that the two of them were the only one's left.
"Sorry what?" he said shaking his head. "In la-la land. What did you say Rares?"
"I was asking what sort of treatment you were after darling," Rarity said, taking out her purse. "Just so I know how much I need to give the girls."
Battle blinked, realizing Rarity was offering to pay for his trip to the spa. "No it's okay, you don't have to pay for me."
"Nonsense. It wouldn't be much of a treat if you ended up having to pay for it would it?" Rarity said beaming. "Now what were you after?"
Battle Ready scratched his head, looking at Rarity awkwardly. "The sauna?"
"Oh come now Battle," Rarity chided. "This is my treat don't limit yourself."
"I'm fine with a trip to the sauna," Battle reiterated, smiling kindly. "I'll be quite relaxed by the time we leave."
"If you insist," Rarity said. As she spoke, Aloe and Lotus emerged by Battle's elbows and steered him away, all but dumping him into a small room that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. It looked like some kind of locker room.
Someone however must have been in this room mere moments before Battle, as a fluffy white towel lay folded on one of the benches, and on top of that, a pair of black trunks. A white fluffy dressing gown hung from a hook near to this.
Assuming he was expected to don these items, Battle began to carefully strip himself naked, folding each of his garments into a neat pile on the bench by the towel and trunks provided, until he was left only in his undergarments. With a sigh that signaled he was bound to his fate, he took those off as well.
"A little lower," Rarity instructed, her voice muffled as she was speaking into the towel her face currently rested on, as the masseuse ground her palms into her bare back. The earth pony obliged, moving her palms lower down Rarity's spine, as the unicorn cooed in appreciation.
"You know," Rainbow Dash said suddenly, stretching out on the table besides Rarity's, as another spa assistant preened her wings, "Paying someone to do this for me may cost a lot... but man does it beat doing it by myself."
Fluttershy mumbled her ascent from beside Dash, as she received the exact same treatment, her eyes closed in silent relaxation. Pinkie giggled to herself as she splashed about in the mudbath whilst Apple lay on the other side of Rarity, receiving the same treatment she was getting and smiling dopily into the table.
There was a quiet and subtle chime of a delicate clock somewhere in the corner of the room. The spa ponies looked up at the sound before each one took a step back from their respective charge, save for the assistant who attended to Pinkie who stepped forward with a freshly laundered towel and an outstretched hand. Pinkie grasped it, pouting that she had to leave the mudbath as she clambered out.
"Time for the sauna Miss Rarity," Aloe said, appearing apparently out of nowhere, smiling. Rarity stretched out her arms, yawning slightly, donning her bathrobe once again. Dash, threw her bathrobe over her shoulder as Applejack tied her own bathrobe as they began to leave for the sauna, Fluttershy following close behind. Pinkie stayed behind to wash off the excess mud.
Aloe led the four (soon to be five) to the sauna. Rarity sniffed the air as they approached and frowned, unused to the scent.
"What is that?" she asked, confused to no end.
"It's an incense," Aloe explained. "We've been experimenting with using incense burners in the sauna for a week or so now."
"Really?" Rarity asked intrigued. "Well, what's this one then?"
"It's called Manticore's Claw," Aloe informed. "It's supposed to be very effective for clearing out your sinuses."
"Yeah, I can tell," Dash said, feeling as though the scent was tickling her frontal lobe with a feather-like touch. An unusual sensation to say the least.
"I am glad you approve Miss Dash," Aloe said, as they reached the sauna. She smiled once more and opened the door for them to enter. Rarity nodded appreciatively and stepped inside, the warm humid air already clinging to her fur.
She took her usual spot in the sauna and leaned back sighing contentedly. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed Battle and she blinked as Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy all sat around the sauna as well. Battle was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed. His palms would've been facing upwards if his hands had not been arranged the way they were; left hand balled into a fist and right hand clasped over the knuckles of the left. Sweat was beaded across his body and the humid air had made his mane even more of a tousled mess than it already was. But what really drew Rarity's attention was Battles body.
She had taken measurements before when Battle had visited on his first day. But at that time she hadn't paid attention to the fine details. Like how sculpted Battle's body really was. For a temporary librarian, Battle was built like someone had carved his body from marble. While he was nowhere near as well built as Big Mac, Rarity could hazard a guess that, while Mac could probably lift more weight than Battle could ten times over, Battle would most definitely outrun Mac by a mile. He was leaner, more defined and obviously not as tall. Rarity had a sudden comparison of the two stallions to tools. Mac was more definitely a sledge hammer, something big heavy and destructive that would break anything in its path, but was also cumbersome and unruly. Slower. Battle on the other hand was more like a mallet. A big mallet mind you. While it would take longer to do the same work as a sledge hammer, it was sleeker and more precise.
And then she noticed the scars.
Thin strips where the fur had failed to grow back over the white scar tissue. And there were a lot of them. Some of them were smooth curves, other arrow straight lines. They crossed and intersected over one another, creating patterns that no one could define.
Rarity lost count after the first twenty, unable to decide where one scar ended and another began.
"Well," Applejack said, breaking the silence that had sunk in. Even Pinkie, who Rarity had not notice come in, was agog at the state of Battle's form. "Looks like you could tell quite the story eh Battle?"
Battle said nothing and Applejack looked rather sheepish. "Ah'm sorry if Ah offended ya partner."
Again Battle said nothing. It was at this point that Rarity noticed Battle was barely breathing, the soft eddies in the steam around his mouth and nose the only indication that he was actually still alive. Rarity peered closer. Battle's expression was an odd one to say the least. If she could hazard a guess at what she might describe it as, Rarity would have gone with, pained relaxation. The juxtaposition was not lost on her, though it was apt. Battle's face was calm for the most part, smooth and relaxed yes, but there was a tightness to the corner's of his mouth, as if his jaw were ever so slightly locked. His eyebrows were dipped together as well, nearly creating an unbroken, wavy line. His eyes weren't screwed up, but they definitely weren't in a state of rest.
"I think he's asleep," Rarity said, confused. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the one who shook her head.
"Not sleeping," she corrected. "He's meditating."
"Meditatin'?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy nodded.
"It's a technique that used by all sorts. It's sometimes a method of relaxation, but other people use it to build their inner life-force or 'chi' as its called."
"You seem to know a lot about it 'Shy," Dash commented.
"I use to help out some of the animals in my care," Fluttershy explained. "Some of them get so tense."
"I've never heard of this practice before," Rarity said, sitting forward intrigued. "Fluttershy where did you hear about it?"
"Oh well, it was so long ago I don't really remember who I heard it from," Fluttershy said, curling up a little at the attention everyone was suddenly paying her. Fortunately she didn't have to answer anymore questions.
"It's a Chineighse practice," Pinkie said. They didn't ask how she knew that. It was Pinkie Pie after all. "They've got monks there that meditate for a number of reasons. Mostly it's a form of mind training. Those monks are so good they can do it without just sitting there."
"You mean when they're awake?" Applejack asked.
"They're aren't asleep," Pinkie reiterated. "It just looks like it. No doubt Battle can hear every word we say."
"Then why doesn't he respond?" Dash asked. Pinkie shrugged.
"Maybe he can't? I've heard that some ponies go into such a deep state of meditation they can't feel or control their bodies anymore. They're still aware of their situation but can't do anything about it."
"So he's been sitting there since he came to the spa?" Rarity asked.
"Most likely."
"Speaking of, Rares how long do we gotta be in here? I'm already feeling like peelin' off mah skin," Applejack said. Rarity looked at her arm and noted how matted her fur looked.
"A few more minutes at the most darling," Rarity said. The paused. "Actually I think one of the girls will be in to check on us any time soon."
No sooner had she said this, the door opened to reveal a smiling Lotus. "Miss Rarity, it is time for you and your friends to leave the sauna."
"Of course darling," Rarity said smiling.
Battle stirred from his seated position. It was a quiver of expression across his face, before his mouth opened and he smacked his lips together. His hands unclasped from their position and he slapped himself gently on the face a few times as he readjusted to the control of his body again. He opened his eyes, blinking in the light, before pushing himself to his feet, bones popping as he did so.
"That was a trip," he muttered to himself as he padded out of the sauna after Fluttershy, Lotus closing the door behind him afterwards. He looked at Pinkie. "How did you know meditation was Chineighse?"
"I dunno," Pinkie said merrily, bouncing away. Applejack stepped up to him as they made their way to the changing rooms.
"You mean you heard everything we were sayin' in there?" she asked.
"Bits and pieces," Battle said. "When a unicorn goes into meditation its a little different. It's a little offsetting for those who are unprepared. When a unicorn meditates they sometimes get in touch with their magic."
"How'd you mean 'get in touch'?"
"The way I look at is that unicorn magic comes from somewhere else. Not our own physical forms. Unicorns merely channel this magic through themselves when they what to use it. So when I say get in touch with my magic, what I really mean is more or less getting as close as I can to... well, the source."
"You mean where all unicorn magic comes from?" Applejack asked.
"Not all, unicorns. Just where my magic comes from. I think there is a place where unicorn's tap into for their magic, but I think their are different conduits and places where different unicorn's draw their magic from. That's my way of looking at it really."
"Maybe you should talk to Twilight about it. I may not have spoken to her about all your unicorn magic hoo-hah but I don't think she's ever mentioned that theory."
"Not many unicorns think of it like that," Battle said. "I've spoken to a fare few about it but they don't really like it. Most unicorns are... self-centred to say the least. They don't like the idea that their magic comes from a place they can't control. They like to think their prowess of magic comes from within. The powerful ones anyway. The ones who sit on their thrones of their own egos. Those that aren't so fortunate to have magic brimming from her fingers... well they'll leap to blame anything or anyone else for their lack of magical prowess."
"Ah guess," Applejack said. "Is that why you meditate? To get better at magic?"
"Better? No. I don't meditate to get better at magic. I meditate so I can understand it."
"What's to understand?"
A scowl flitted across Battle's face for only a moment as they reached the changing rooms. "The more you know Applejack, the more you realise how little you know."