//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Off Duty // by awf //------------------------------// There were no explicit instructions for her that day, so Celestia took it a bit slower. She wandered the house, tidying up here and there. She gathered up laundry and took it downstairs, past the central heating. The thing didn't scare her anymore and the pony stuck her tongue out at the dormant monster whenever she passed it. The basket was getting pretty full. She looked at the machines and considered trying to learn them. She imagined herself explaining to her owner why all his clothes and sheets were nothing more than tattered rags. Her imagination made the scene so vivid, that her ears fell and the mare blushed a little. No, she decided, another solution was in order. Celestia scanned the cupboards above the row of machines. One of them was washing powder. There was also a softener. The instructions were a total enigma. "... dosage instructions. Half load, one table spoon. Normal, heavily soiled. Two tablespoons for full load." She muttered a little as her brow wrinkled. "Am I supposed to eat it?! Hmm, for best results, pour in washing machine drawer." Her gaze went up to the row of machines. Aside from the circular hatches in the front, none of them seemed to open in any other way. She switched her gaze to the bottle of purple liquid. It was more of the same. At least the names were almost comprehensible. 'Fabric softener' and 'washing powder'. The latter was like a soap, right? Maybe she could make it work. One of the powder boxes had an image of clean, white shirts and sheets. The other featured colorful items. Celestia tentatively deducted that they were meant for different colors of cloth. There was one way to find out. The mare levitated the full laundry basket up to the ground floor bathroom. The big tub would be perfect, but she could try it out in the sink first. She pulled out a white, triangular piece of cloth with two big holes. It was a mystery where Rawsthorne wore those. She had never seen it on him, now that she inspected the item. She filled the sink with warm water, then poured in a bit of the washing powder. She stirred the water. Soap was supposed to make bubbles, right? She added a bit more. The result was uninspiring, but if the box claimed a mere spoonful of the stuff was enough for a 'half-load', whatever that was, then she had probably overdosed it already. Well, if she ruined one piece of clothing Rawsthorne might be slightly miffed. If she succeeded, however, he would be pleased. It was worth the risk! She plunged the cloth in the water and scrubbed it against itself. That kind of levitation was tricky for an extended length of time, and the mare hadn't slept much. She opted to use her hooves. The warm water was pleasant and she didn't mind the smell of the washing powder. Doing something solid, with her actual hooves was curiously pleasant. Celestia found herself humming happily as she worked. When it was done, she drained the sink, filled it again and tried the fabric softener. That had a stronger scent. It was supposed to be some flower, but to her nose it was too chemical. Not unpleasant, just strange. She didn't know exactly what to do with the softener, so she just dunked the piece of cloth in it, swirled it around a bit and waited. It didn't need more scrubbing, it was clean. After a good fifteen minutes, she brought it out and inspected the result for a few seconds. Then she opened the faucet and rinsed out the piece of clothing until it was no longer soapy. As her final step she held it up with her magic and heated the air around it. Steam billowed out as the cloth dried rapidly. The result was quite encouraging. She took the finished 'product' up to Rawsthorne's room and compared it to the ones in his wardrobe drawer. It was even slightly softer and smelled a little nicer. It stood to reason: an Equestrian Princess was certainly better than a mere machine! Celestia was encouraged and hurried back to the bathroom. This time, she would use the tub. It would need more powder and softener, but that only took a quick mental calculation. It would also mean some manual work, but it wasn't too strenuous and the warm water was pleasant on her hooves. Also, the mare decided, as a reward, she would try the steam room! Languishing. Yeah, that was it, Celestia thought. That was what she was doing on the couch. With her busy night and the heavenly steam she had enjoyed, the pony was entirely spent. She had switched the TV to the music channel and now she was staring, dumbly, at the dancing humans. There was a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice on the coffee table, but she had almost forgotten it. The blanket was warm and more than once she caught herself nodding off. There was a tiny flare of guilt, but the alicorn didn't feel too bad. After all, her owner hadn't given her any instructions whatsoever and she had still done the laundry! If there was any justice on Earth, she had gone above and beyond her duty. She had earned a lazy day. In a few hours she would have to get up and make dinner for the human. But that was still some ways away. She briefly thought about her options. She could mince what was left of the stew, add a bit of flour and veggies, and make that thing she had seen in the human cookbook. 'Falafel', yeah, that was it. It needed fresh salad to go with it, but that was also easy. And pudding. Pudding was easy. It was perfect. In fact, she didn't even have to start until the human came home. Dinner decided, Celestia returned her focus to the TV. It was pink. Very, very pink. One of Twilight's friends would certainly approve, but it was a bit much for the alicorn. She lifted up the remote box and turned it off with a sigh. Now she was also bored! Perhaps a walk around the garden would do her good. The mare could spot herself being more lazy than necessary and she didn't want to risk acquiring such a habit permanently. A brisk trot around the house, maybe a few loops in the air. It would certainly get the blood flowing! She just had to remember not to stray too far. Rawsthorne hadn't said anything, but they both understood that she shouldn't venture too far from the house, and definitely not without a collar. Maybe she could poke her snout into the forest, at least a little? It surely couldn't hurt. The leaves were already starting to fall. Any day now, Celestia thought, the Running of the Leaves would have to be organized to get the rest of them down. She wondered if the remaining ponies on Earth participated in the event. It probably depended on their owners. The alicorn flew in lazy circles above the tree canopy. There were few roads here, and none with that hard tar stuff. If she didn't look too far into the distance, she could almost be above one of the nameless hills around Ponyville. Here and there she spotted a flash of color. It seemed that some humans were already practicing for the Running! She didn't want to go near them. As it was, many stopped and gaped at the sky when she flew overhead. The Princess flew up to the top of the hill and looked around. Behind, there was Rawsthorne's house. Further down the hillside stood what looked like a small village. Even more distant, against the horizon, was the big city. From up there it was difficult to pinpoint where Rawsthorne had taken her to visit the market. Ahead of her, there was only wilderness. Rolling hills which smoothly joined up with a mountain range in the distance. Perhaps there were more human settlements, but if so, they were hidden from her sight. She hovered for a while, looking in all directions, but there was nothing which truly stood out, so the pony headed back. She decided to trace the winding road this time. There wasn't much traffic, but one particular car seemed to follow her. She stopped and flew a little lower to inspect it and the people within. It was mostly white with unusual blue decorations. She read the word written on the side. "Uh oh." Her heart began to beat faster and Celestia swallowed a lump. It read: 'POLICE'. She knew they were something like guards among humans. The fact that the car had stopped when she had made her feel like she was in some kind of trouble. A man stepped out now, clearly in uniform. He didn't look happy. She tried her best, most disarming smile, but remained well out of reach. "May I help you?" "Come down here right now!" came the order. "Where's your owner?!" Another man stood up from the car, walked around it and pulled a piece of rope out. She wasn't too happy about that and her ears folded back in fear. The mare thought about fleeing. There was no way they could chase her through the forest. But she gave a tentative answer. "H-he's at work. I was just on my way home, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." "Down!" the irate human bellowed. Just in case, the mare got her magic ready. She knew that humans had fearsome weapons. She couldn't risk these two trying to use them on her. "I'll just go home! I'm sorry to have bothered you! Bye!" The shout was lost behind her as the alicorn sped off. She flew low and fast, dodging an occasional treetop. A few seconds later, there was the sound of a siren behind her, but as she had surmised, the car couldn't go into the forest. The noise soon faded into the background. She went straight home, a little shaken, but relieved that she had avoided this particular trouble. Celestia knew that she had done a very naughty thing by running from the guards, but she couldn't help giggling at the delicious excitement. Her heart kept racing as the incident replayed again and again in her mind. The giddy high lasted well into the evening. Celestia started dinner earlier than she had planned and decided to change pudding into actual cake. Nothing fancy, just a simple white cake with fruit and sprinkles, but she hoped the human would appreciate it anyway. Speaking of him, Gregory was running late, so she had the table set long before he arrived. She was sitting on the couch with a glass of orange juice as she waited. At long last, there was the sound of the car. Two cars. Celestia nearly dropped the glass. They had visitors! Rawsthorne hadn't told her, so it was probably a last-minute thing! Of course her owner couldn't blame her if there wasn't enough dinner for everyone. On the other hoof, if she could make it stretch, the mare would be some kind of a hero to the man, right? She dashed into the kitchen and quickly washed some extra lettuce and a couple of carrots. If the humans didn't mind a salad-heavy ratio, there should be enough of those 'falafels' to go around. And if she cut the cake thinly, everyone should get a piece. Her own portion would be much smaller, the mare realized and her ears drooped down in sorrow, but her resolve was firm. Even this sacrifice was not too much for the selfless Princess! She was busily cutting and mixing when the door opened and the people entered. "Come in! Dinner is set, please do not wait for me. I will bring some extra salad shortly!" They didn't proceed. "Celestia?" Rawsthorne called. "Could you step out here for a moment, please?" Whatever could the human want now?! She was doing all she could with no warning. Her step faltered when she imagined that Christine and Sally might be the unannounced guests. So soon?! "If this is about a pony ride, then I should tell you-" The voice failed her. The salad bowl she had been mixing fell on the table with a clank. Her blood turned to ice. Her unexpected guests were the two policemen she had met earlier. The look on Rawsthorne's face told her all she needed to know. "Is this her, officer?" her owner asked. The large man behind her owner looked grim. She saw anger in his eyes. "Yes. That's the pony." "Eep!" Celestia reacted, rather than thought. She fled, down the hall, up the stairs and right under her bed. As soon as she had made the first few steps, she realized just how stupid, immature and - above all - useless it was, but she had started moving and pure, irrational fear drove her on. Even her owner's irate call couldn't stop her. She trembled under the bed and whimpered as she listened to the approaching footsteps. This time, she would not escape the belt! It occurred to the pony, briefly, that she could simply jump out the window and fly away. They would never be able to prevent her, not with her magic. She really didn't want to do it. Up until now, she had had a great time with Rawsthorne. She had relaxed and rediscovered a part of who she was under the facade of the ruler. She liked it too much here! The pony began to understand that she would accept her punishment. After all, she had done a bad thing. Somehow, she had known that Rawsthorne didn't want her wandering off. Now she knew why. It was probably illegal. If the price for her mistake was a belting, she would take it. If it was much worse, she would flee and return to Equestria. That would mean she'd have to admit defeat before Luna. The Princess was willing to take a lot of punishment before she did that. Yet despite all that knowledge, she hid. It was as if her body had a mind of its own. Her owner entered her room and put his hands on his hips. "Will you come out, or do I have to drag you out?" he asked. She had to know what to expect, as soon as possible. "Will they take me away? Put me in prison?" For a split second Celestia thought his face softened. It was encouraging. "No, of course not. I've already paid the fine, they just want to talk to you." It was better than she had feared. The pony stuck her snout from under the bed. "Promise?" "Get out. Now," Rawsthorne said. It sounded like any delay would make it worse for her. She pulled herself into the open and stood up, a little shakily. The human quickly caught her mane. "We'll decide your punishment later. Now come here!" There was no choice but to follow. By the time the mare was led, not dragged - that's how she chose to remember it - back to the entrance hall, her face was red with embarrassment. She knew what was expected of her. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't do it again." The younger police-man was holding back laughter, but his older partner wasn't amused. "What you did today was very irresponsible. The laws are there to protect you!" Celestia couldn't quite make the connection, but she didn't voice her doubt. "Yes, sir." The human pulled out a notebook and read out loud. "Going out without your owner. Flying without supervision. Failure to obey a lawful order. Running from a police officer. And going out without your collar. That's quite a number of charges. Anything to say for yourself?" "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know I would cause so much trouble. I just wanted to stretch my wings." The glare softened a little, but the man kept up the tough act. She understood he was trying to deter her from further foolishness. "If I see you flying out there again, I will personally haul you to prison, understand?" She knew her ears were as far back as they could be, and her tail was tucked tightly against herself in submission. "I p-promise!" The man held her gaze for a few moments, then touched his hat and nodded at her owner. "Good. Have a nice evening, Mr. Rawsthorne." She stood there and watched them go. After a minute, she heard their car start and pull away. Only then did her owner turn to her. "Care to explain what you were thinking?" he demanded. The mare tried for a pitiful look. She crouched a little to make herself smaller, and focused her gaze right on Rawsthorne's eyes. Hers were already leaking. "I really didn't know about all these laws, Gregory, I swear! I just wanted to go out for a bit and stretch my wings!" He rubbed his forehead with a hand. "If you had your collar, and at least came down when ordered, he would have given you a warning and sent you home. But you ran away, so he tracked you down and slapped me with a fine." "I'm sorry." The human heaved a sigh, but didn't say anything. Celestia dropped her head and shakily stood up. She saw the shape of the future. She was no longer helping her owner, but rather costing him money. It was over. "I will pack my things. I'm sorry, Gregory." He took his hand away and stared. "What? What are you talking about?" "You will send me back to the auction. I'll get ready and wait quietly in my room until Mr. Plain comes pick me up." She was about to walk away, a picture of misery, but she paused for a moment. "I have washed the laundry. Dinner is on the table. If y-you want, I'll make you breakfast tomorrow." Her owner was by her side in a few steps. "Hey! I'm not sending you back over a stupid mistake!" The mare stopped. Her heart skipped a beat. She had been so sure! "You aren't?" If Rawsthorne could forgive this blunder, then Celestia didn't want to leave. Who knew if she could get herself sold again. Even if she managed it, somehow she knew there was no chance to find another owner like Rawsthorne. "No. But I will have to punish you for real, this time. It's not just a matter of an eaten hedge, you could have gotten into very serious trouble." She tried to keep the tremor from her voice, but her eyes were big and shiny and hopeful. "I know. I'm sorry, Rawsthorne." He went to pat her neck. It was surprisingly gentle. "There are poachers in the hills sometimes. Some of them would have no qualms about shooting you and mounting your head on a wall." The mere thought was terrifying. "Why would they mount my head on a wall?" "As a trophy." She didn't like the idea at all. Had it ever happened to a pony?! Her concern for herself vanished as she felt fear and sorrow for her people. Besides, she could defend herself. "Well, my magic-" Rawsthorne interrupted her. "And if you didn't see it coming? You'd have a bullet through you before you knew what was happening. Going out flying like that was really irresponsible. I don't mind the running from the police, or the collar. But you could have gotten yourself killed!" The concern was heartwarming, and the mare smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Gregory. From now on, I'll only fly when you say it's okay. And I won't go out alone anymore, okay?" There was just one unpleasant manner left. "What will be my punishment?" The human gave it some thought. "I won't send you to bed without supper again. You'd just wake me up at three or something with a feast. Which you'd then eat by yourself." That was not how it had happened and Rawsthorne knew it perfectly well, but Celestia wasn't about to argue the point. She decided to give the man the idea, before he came up with a worse one. "The belt?" Rawsthorne sighed, then nodded. "I guess I have to. I believe you've learned your lesson, Celestia, but it's for the look of things, you understand?" She swallowed. She could not remember the last time she had been spanked - or hit in any way. Other than in combat, of course. This punishment would be entirely out of her experience. She didn't know what to expect, but she had to be brave. This was what came from getting stupid, foalish ideas into her head. It was time to pay the price. After a long while, she nodded. He still had his hand in her mane, and now Rawsthorne ran it down her neck. "Good. Let's have dinner, first. We'll do it after." "Yes, sir." It had to be done. She had always taken responsibility for her mistakes. Even Rawsthorne didn't like the idea, she could see that in his face, but he had to administer the punishment anyway, or she would lose all respect for him. If she didn't own up to her blunders, he would lose respect for her. Celestia realized that in their relationship respect was an arrow that went both ways. It wouldn't be too bad, Celestia knew it! No way Rawsthorne would beat her too hard. She would probably not even have bruises! She believed that, of course, but her throat was still tight with the effort of controlling her breathing. Her heart was hammering and her legs were trembling. She waited patiently in the living room while the human had gone to fetch another belt. He had said it himself, over dinner: He wasn't angry about the fine, just disappointed in her poor judgement. The punishment was mostly symbolic! She heard the man walking down the stairs and her hooves itched to run away. The mare made herself stand still and take deep, calming breaths. It wasn't going to hurt. Not badly! He would probably just give her a few light taps, right? After all, she had learned her lesson! She told the human so over dinner and he agreed. It was just a formality. She still couldn't hold back a whimper when she spotted the length of black leather in Rawsthorne's hand. It was way longer and thicker than it had any right to be! It might as well be an iron rod, her overactive imagination supplied. The pony felt her eyes widening. She took an involuntary step back and looked at the human's face with deep fear. When Rawsthorne came closer, she shuffled around the couch, putting it between him and her. "Now, Celestia. Let's not have any more silliness, okay? I promise I'll go easy on you. Come here," the man said. He didn't look angry, nor particularly mean. The pony made herself walk around. She turned to the side and presented her back and flank. Her muscles tensed in expectation. "H-ho- h-how many?" "Five for escaping the policeman. And three for ignoring me when I called you." It was less than she had feared. "T-that's fa-fair." Without any warning or further comment, the strip landed on her back with a slap. It didn't really hurt. It stung a little, that was all, but the surprise of it, made her 'eep' in shock. Almost she ran for it again, but that would have just made it worse. Rawsthorne was calm now, but if she angered him, the belting would become a lot more painful. This was outright gentle. It really was just symbolic! She made herself believe it and stand still, but her wings still twitched and the mare shut her eyes tightly. "N-not the wings, o-okay?" Celestia knew she didn't have to mention it, but she wanted to make sure. Besides, it was something to say, so she wouldn't be waiting for the second slap in silence. "Of course. I'll be careful, I promise," Rawsthorne said. Then, almost before he had finished talking, the belt whipped through the air and landed against her buttock. Either it was more sensitive area, or the human had struck her harder. This one definitely stung. Her eyes watered. Slap Slap Two landed across her flank in rapid succession, making her gasp in surprise. The human was being very careful with the strength he applied, but the hits still stung. She kept her eyes tightly shut. There was a pause. "Doing okay?" the human asked, a touch of concern in his voice. "We can take a short break. You're halfway done." She shook her head firmly. Now that it was happening, she just wanted it over. "No. Now. All of it!" She sensed Rawsthorne shrug to himself. Of course she couldn't see, but she imagined the belt lifting up again. At least it was over quickly. Two slaps over her back, well away from her wings, then two more on her other flank. The human had spread them around, so that no part of her skin was badly bruised. Despite that she felt where every hit had landed. Celestia slowly realized it was over and let her breath out. She let her hind legs fold up and sat on the floor. It hadn't hurt all that much, it really hadn't, but the way she had wound herself up beforehoof now worked against her. Relief flowed through the pony and she found herself sniffling a little, for some reason. Her owner put the belt on the coffee table and came to pet her mane. "There, all done. That wasn't so bad, was it?" She shook her head. "I hope I'll never have to do this again, you know? Think before you do, and ask me if you're not sure, got it?" Now she nodded. She was staring at the carpet and refused to meet Rawsthorne's gaze. A hand gently cupped her chin and lifted her head. "Hey, you did well. And I'm not angry, okay?" The pony managed a small smile. "I know, I know. It's okay. I deserved it and now it is over." "'atta girl! Dinner was good, by the way. And there's most of the cake left. Would you like some?" She gave a heartfelt nod. But then froze. "O-only if you have some, too." She still had a Quest, after all. Heroes didn't give up their Quests just because they were lightly spanked. "A small piece, if it will make you feel any better." Her owner also seemed relieved that it was done. He was cheerful and acceptive. The pony decided to press her luck a bit more. "W-will you take me to the pony m-meetup on Wednesday?" He thought it over, briefly. "I don't like driving down to the city twice in a day. If I take you with me to work, can you behave yourself for ten hours?" The alicorn found she liked that idea. "Yes! I swear!" Rawsthorne shrugged. "Okay. You'll keep Wendy company, then - she's the receptionist. Then after work, I'll take you to the pony meeting. And then we can grab some pizza, okay?" It sounded like a magical evening. And just thinking about it was helping her put the spanking in the past. "Will you take me dancing?" She asked it as a joke, and they laughed together. Then Celestia wiped the last remnants of her tears away. "Goofy horse," the human chuckled. "Go get the cake then, and we'll watch some movie or something." The mare didn't notice that she almost pranced to the dining room. They both laughed at the antics of Bean. Celestia realized that this human had the most pony-sounding name she had heard so far. Too bad he was so very inept. The simplest tasks caused him such trouble. In a small way, he reminded the pony of herself. Except in her case, it was because she didn't know the human world and their ways very well. In Bean's case, he was simply... odd. The end text began to roll upward - Celestia understood by now that it meant the show was over - and the last of her laughter died away. She ended up lying on her back, draped across Rawsthorne's knees on the couch She now looked up at the human. "That. Was. Hilarious!" Although her owner joined in, especially when she started laughing uncontrollably, he didn't seem to find it quite as funny on his own. He explained to the pony that he had seen it all before. That, of course, lead to the explanation of what 'DVD' was. Now the mare got an idea from it all. "Could I set it up for myself sometime? A-after I'm done with my tasks, of course!" Her owner's hand was on her belly and he gave it a slight rub. "Sure. I'll show you how it works. But not now. It's getting late." It was true. The sky outside had been dark for quite a while. She felt for the sun and made a judgement call. "Around nine... ish?" Rawsthorne glanced at his wristwatch. "Correct. Good sense of time you've got," he remarked. Celestia didn't comment on it, but the flattery felt nice. She rolled off her owner and stood up. She spotted the plates on the coffee table and levitated them up. "There is some cake left. I will put it in the refrigerator for breakfast." The poor human placed both hands on his stomach. "Thank you, but that has been quite enough cake for a long while. How about we forgo dessert tomorrow morning?" "Yeah, how about no?" "Why are you so insistent on this? You try to get me eating dessert for every meal, you know? You're going to give me diabetes at this rate!" She made her face serious and went to sit right before the human. She spoke from the heart. "Gregory, dessert it one of life's little pleasures. Why do you insist on denying yourself? Why do you not have cake more often, or enjoy a steam? Go for a fli- run? A hooficure- or whatever the human equivalent?" He thought it over and his hand came up, almost without conscious control, to brush her mane with slow, even strokes. In the end, the human just shrugged. "Too busy, I guess. I work whole days and then I'm tired when I get home. Maybe I should get a hobby." "Hobby like baking?" Even to herself, the questions sounded impossibly naive and hopeful. When Rawsthorne chortled with laughter, Celestia joined in. "You're right, maybe not. But! Let's go for a walk tomorrow. After your job. No matter how late it is, alright?" He seemed doubtful. "It might be very late. I don't know..." "I can make you with magic!" He quickly returned the threat: "I can belt you again!" "Not if I don't let you!" He was grinning, and so, the mare found, was she. It was like a little game between them. "Try me!" the human went on. It was her turn. Celestia thought quickly. "How about a deal: Go for a walk after work and I won't make you eat cake for breakfast." Her owner turned the idea around in his mind. "Yeah, okay, I can work with that." "But you still have to eat pancakes." "Fine, fine," Rawsthorne agreed, if a tiny bit reluctantly. "And Wednesday, we will go for the pony meetup, then a pizza. And on Thursday, we're going to have a nice, pleasant steam." The human held up a hand. "Stop, stop! You're forgetting who the Master is around here!" The pony lowered her gaze, as if chagrined. "Sorry. Okay, go on." This took him aback. "Go on, what?" he asked with some confusion. "Go on and order me to do all those things." The human stared at the mare. "You don't give up, do you?" he asked at length. "Never have so far!" He chuckled and bopped her nose with a finger. She automatically licked the spot, which made her frown in annoyance. It just made the human laugh harder. "Go on," he said, "get yourself to bed, right now. I'll think about it." She cast him a pointed look, but walked slowly out of the room and up to her bed. Despite the blunder and the belting, Celestia was happy. It was good to know that the human wouldn't punish her too harshly, even over serious stuff. Not that it would ever happen again, she swore to herself silently. After having thought she would be sent back, it was a big relief that Rawsthorne was prepared to put up with her, even while she was still learning all the little ways and rules. She sat on the carpet and pulled the hoofguards and the vest from under the bed. She held them up to the light and just looked for a while. Already this new life felt like the real one, and Equestria was fading. Of course she wouldn't forget, but her plan was working. With the clamor of politics and diplomacy that far away, the Princess was quickly relaxing. She was quite enjoying herself - yes, even the punishment. It was an entirely different world of experience, and she explored it with a fascination of someone who had been stuck in the same place, same routine for millenia. A few months of this carefree life and she would be a new mare! There was something important she had to do - perhaps not every day, but as often as it took to keep the memory alive. She kissed the emblem on the vest. "Good night, Sister. I hope the burden isn't too heavy." Then she stuck the items under the bed again and climbed in. No doubt there would be more stuff to do tomorrow. New, interesting things to learn. Sights to see! She was looking forward to the walk with Rawsthorne. She wondered where he would take her. From her pillow, Celestia could just see the hillside. Maybe there were secrets in the forest - ones the humans knew and she didn't. Perhaps her owner would show her some! Her smile remained on her lips long after she had drifted off.