The shame could wait for some other day. Celestia had nearly gotten though Saturday before she couldn't help herself anymore and called Heavy Hoof for round two. Only this time she had all these toys to show him. Maybe she had broken the stallion? Some of the noises he made... Even the alicorn hadn't heard anything like it from a pony before.
It had felt incredibly good to make Heavy Hoof splutter and whimper and gurgle like that! Maybe it was even enough to save Rawsthorne in the night! In addition, the mare thought happily, she was learning better control over her disguise. Just like the last time, she had leaned her iPad on a pillow so it would be easily knocked over if she felt herself slip, but she hadn't! Not even for a single second. She wasn't even aware of holding the spell in her throes of passion, but the disguise didn't fade.
It was a point of pride and maybe it would slightly offset the shame once she came down from her happy cloud. Celestia was panting a little and basking in the glow. So, apparently, was Heavy Hoof.
"Wow. You are a very fun mare, Supple!" he was saying between gasps for air.
"It was fun." That was the truth. Ashamed of herself for using the stallion like that or not, Celestia had needed the release badly. If she hadn't, the toys - however good - would probably prove to be insufficient. She would have gone to Rawsthorne, and she really didn't want that. The human was for cuddles and comfort. At least for the time being.
Whatever came between them, Celestia wanted it to be gentle and loving. Her heat would ruin it. She wrenched her guilty mind back to her friend in the present. Why did it feel slightly like cheating on Heavy Hoof to be thinking of her owner?
"Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Call me if you need me again, beautiful!"
With some relief, Celestia saw the screen go blank. She still knocked over the iPad, just in case. She heaved a deep, heartfelt sigh. The emotional situation was complex, but the physical was straightforward. The pony just had to get up and gather all the towels she had used. Then she had to take them down and put them in the laundry machine.
The mare silently thanked her owner for showing her how to use the timer function on the thing. She would load it, set it for three A.M., then go to sleep. The laundry would be done when she got up. Amazing.
Then there was the matter of her shower. She needed one, very badly. Rawsthorne shouldn't have to walk in on a room filled with her scent ever again. This she had vowed to herself!
Her stale, sour, last-night's smell, no less. No wonder he had been disgusted!
Rolling over and climbing from the bed still made the mare whimper. Heavy Hoof had driven her further than she would have gone herself, even with the heat. She had pushed herself beyond reason, trying to sate her urges once and for all.
Without using her magic, too! It just meant that now her legs were sore from awkwardly gripping the toys, and her back ached from bending over to reach far enough.
Maybe a bath? Celestia checked the glowing clock Rawsthorne had gotten her. It was nearing midnight and she groaned again. She had promised Rawsthorne his breakfast. She had to deliver!
Perhaps not at five-thirty, like most days, but anything past eight would be hoofing the line. She quickly set the alarm to seven before she forgot.
A very quick shower, then. She released her disguise spell.
Nothing happened.
"Huh? What?!" The pony felt around herself with a hoof. She was still Supple Branch. She had changed just before calling Heavy Hoof. The spell needed constant concentration to keep up, and she definitely wasn't holding it!
Something was wrong. All thoughts of cleaning up and showering fled her mind. Celestia nearly ran to the human for help, but remembered just in time. Not in that state! Not if she didn't want to spend the next hour cleaning his room so the poor man didn't have to sleep with her smell in the air.
She had pushed his kindness and hospitality far enough, but she still needed help.
"GREG!"
She paused and listened. Yes! He was moving around on his bed. "Gregory! Please come in here!"
It worked! The human was getting up. Celestia suddenly remembered that her room was hot, stuffy and, probably, stinky. She hurriedly opened her window. At least that part of the magic still worked! Lacking a particular idea on how to air it quickly, she jumped up on the bed, leaned on the window and frantically waved her hooves, as if to push the bad air out.
It was too late, anyway. The human opened her door. His voice sounded sleepy, but worried. "Celestia? Everything okay in here?" His hand found the light switch and they both froze. She saw his eyes wander over the mess on the bed. The toys, still glistening with her juices. The iPad. And then the mare, standing practically on the windowsill.
"Uh..."
Yeah, what do you say in this situation? "Sorry! I was just airing it out! Gregory, I have a problem!"
He looked at the bed again. The towels were soaked. All her toys were strewn around and each had been used. "Did you hurt yourself?"
She shook her head and jumped down to the bed. The mare stood protectively in front of the scene - partly to save the human from having to look at it all and partly to cover up her shame. "No, nothing like that! I changed into Supple Branch so I could... video chat..."
Now that she had to explain it, her face was going very red. The mare looked at the floor in embarrassment and felt her ears go all the way down. She wrenched her mind to the problem at hoof. "Now I can't turn back!"
It made the human blink in surprise. "What? I thought the problem was staying Supple Branch. Don't you have to concentrate on it all the time?"
It made no sense! Celestia felt her eyes filling up with tears. She shuddered, and Rawsthorne went to close the window before she froze to death in her wet, sticky coat. He didn't sit in the mess on her bed, but he reached out his hand to pet her mane. The human didn't seem to mind it when he encountered a wet patch, either. The touch was helping, a lot!
The mare took a deep breath and went on. "That's how it should work! I'm not concentrating!" She was grateful the human was with her, even if he didn't know how to help. What was she thinking anyway? Going to Rawsthorne with a magical problem?
It probably said something about just how much she had come to rely on the human. How much she trusted him.
Now was not the time to analyze that!
"Well, can't you, I don't know, forcibly turn back?"
It was actually a good idea. Maybe she had overused the spell and it had stuck somehow. The exact mechanics of that would be difficult to pinpoint. Maybe Twilight Sparkle could help her work it out once she was back home.
"Yeah, yeah! Good idea! Let me try!"
She had to improvise it on the spot, but it wasn't difficult. She knew her normal shape very well.
Unfortunately the magic didn't take hold! She was pushing it, adding more and more, until all her might was focused on that one single spell. It was just being... consumed. A feeling she had felt once before!
The mare realized what was happening and gasped. "The horn ring!!"
It was blocking her attempt to change back, and it was probably also responsible for her disguise sticking like that! Exactly why and how, Celestia couldn't hazard a guess, but that had to be it. It was the only thing different from all the other times she transformed! It hadn't stopped her from changing the first time, but now it was preventing her from going back!
"The remote! Turn it off!"
They had agreed a day before to leave the ring on her horn until the heat was over, and Celestia asked the human to lock it in place, but not restrict her magic unless it was really necessary. The former mainly so the ring wouldn't fall off while she slept. The latter because she wasn't really a danger, not until the urges blanked her mind.
Rawsthorne ran out of the room and returned mere seconds later with the little rectangle. He pushed the buttons. "Okay, try it now."
She focused. Her face fell. "It's the same!"
The human stared at the remote. "But how? It's not blocking your magic. Let me unlock it entirely!" He pushed that button, too.
The mare tried again, with the same result. "No!"
They both stared at each other. "Can you take it off?" her owner suggested.
Celestia blinked. It was a very good suggestion, but there was a problem. "I don't know where it is."
The statement was ludicrous. Of course she didn't have a horn in her Supple Branch guise. Where had the horn gone? And the ring? And her wings? She had never gone as far as to find out. It didn't seem important. Except now it suddenly was!
Rawsthorne patted around her head, as if he would find an invisible horn there. He seemed stunned that he didn't.
"Where- uh. Your horn isn't here," he muttered in confusion. "How is it possible that your horn isn't here?"
"Same reason my wings aren't. It's a change spell, not an illusion. Anyone could tell the latter as soon as they touched me!"
The man put his finger right on her problem: "Okay, where did the ring go, then?"
"I don't know!"
He looked at his remote. Then at her. Back again. "Oh! Here!" he exclaimed and pressed a button. "Try some magic now. A lifting spell or something!"
"Levitation." She didn't know why she corrected it, but she picked up her alarm clock from the end table and floated it around a little.
"Okay, now what?"
The human inspected his remote and fiddled with it some more. "I put it on maximum, Celestia. It should have stopped all your magic entirely. Apparently, wherever the ring is, the remote can't reach it. Maybe some sort of another dimension or something."
It was a very clever idea and despite the seriousness of her situation the mare felt proud of her human. She nearly smiled a little before she realized what the experiment was showing them.
If there was no way to turn the ring off, what would happen? Would she be forced to stay Supple Branch? How long?
"H-how long does a horn ring keep working?"
Rawsthorne had no answer. "I don't know. I'll call Mrs. Turner in the morning, okay?"
"Can't you call her now?" She needed answers, fast. The mare was very afraid. What if the answer was 'forever'?! She couldn't keep ruling Equestria like an earth pony! The horn and the wings were an authority symbol! What if her unicorns back home couldn't find a way to turn her back?! She would be stuck like that for the rest of her long life! The mare put her face in her hooves and desperately tried not to sob.
Her owner left again and returned with his phone. She listened intently at the quiet, dragged out beep as it rung. There was no answer. Rawsthorne sighed and put it down. "She must have it silenced or something. We'll try again tomorrow."
There was apparently no choice. She would simply have to endure. Celestia called up her magic again and tried to change back, but this time she went further. As far as she could.
Of course her owner saw her strain. He petted her again. "Don't run yourself ragged, Celestia. Just relax. Maybe something will come up by morning and if not, Mrs. Turner will know more about it."
The mare wasn't listening. The rush of magic and the swelling of fear when it didn't do what she wanted was making her panic. She gasped for breath, then held it again as she renewed her effort. A pinch on her ear broke her concentration and returned the alicorn to the present. Her knees gave out and she slumped against the human. She was breathing hard and her muscles were twitching involuntarily. Were it not for the strong embrace, Celestia would have cried. As it was, she just sighed and buried her face in Rawsthorne's nightgown.
"Come now, you need rest and you need to stop trying. It's not helping you any. Come, let's get you a shower and then put you to bed."
It was reasonable. Without the human, she would likely have kept trying until she hurt herself, or she would have run out and called Mr. Plain to get her home as quickly as he could.
In a way she was glad Rawsthorne was taking charge. He was right. Sleep would help. Who knew - maybe she would wake up in her old shape anyway, and if not, her owner would know whom to call and ask.
They would figure it out! They had to!
The silver lining was that she got to sleep cuddled with her Rawsthorne, it turned out. He didn't clean her bed and she didn't particularly feel like it anymore. If he ordered her, Celestia would have done it, but maybe he sensed her fragile state of mind and let it go for the moment.
He bundled up her toys in the towels she had put down and dropped it all in the bathroom sink. He didn't say if any of it had leaked to the sheets and the mattress. It could wait. She was grateful for that.
Unfortunately, she couldn't quite enjoy the unexpected cuddles. Her mind kept running in the same circle over and over. What if she couldn't find a way to turn back? What if she would be stuck as an earth pony?
Would her magic fail after a time? How would her life change when she got back home? Did she even want to return like that?
The human broke her out of her thoughts with a prod on her muzzle. "Hey. Snap out of it! We'll figure it out."
She became aware of her surroundings again. Of course. Her owner's bedroom. His bathrobe - she vaguely remembered cooperating when he put it on her. His bed.
Funny thing, her heat was no longer a problem. The shock and fear and worry made any desires she might have had go away. Even when he had helped her shower. Not even a twinge down there. Small blessings, right?
She was called upon to say something. "Oh. Yes. Of course. Thank you."
He poked her nose again. "Hey! I'm serious. Don't get hung up on the problems until we know for sure. I'll bet you either Mrs. Turner or Glowbug know how to deal with this!"
The human was right. Celestia wrenched her mind back to the present. She gave his finger a half-hearted lick. "Yes. Thank you, Rawsthorne."
It still wasn't the response he was looking for. He pinched an ear between his fingers and forced her head around. She had to look at him.
That finally broke through. "OW! Hey! Watch it!"
Rawsthorne inspected her face for a moment. "Back with me? Stay here. You're not helping yourself like that."
He was right. What was happening to her? The alicorn had faced down changelings, disasters, war; even Discord in her time. Why was this new crisis any different? She had always put her faith in her subjects and they had never let her down. This problem would be the same. If Glowbug couldn't help, then Twilight Sparkle would come through. If not, perhaps that Starlight Glimmer - she was a magical genius by all accounts.
Except, this was different from all her past disasters because it was personal! Before, the fate of Equestria had hung in the balance. Celestia could not afford to break down and abandon her subjects. Now it was just her. Nopony really depended on her at the moment.
The tightly-wound bundle of emotions brought on by her heat didn't help. In addition, she had succeeded in letting the Princess go, at least to an extent. The pony Celestia could afford to break down a little. At least she didn't cry. It was just worry and she could stop that. Rawsthorne was right. Stressing over it wasn't doing her any good.
The mare took a deep breath, then forced a small smile. "Thanks. I think I needed that." She still probably wouldn't be able to sleep, but that was no reason to keep her owner up as well. She shuffled until her flank was resting against his side and closed her eyes. "Good night, Gregory."
The bed shifted as the human reached for the light switch. Then again as he settled back down. He was lying on his back and his elbow was pressed lightly against her barrel. It wouldn't do. If he insisted on comforting her through the night, he would do it properly.
"No, turn."
Rawsthorne froze for a moment, but then obeyed. He shifted to his side, facing her. The mare lifted herself a little.
"Arm."
It slid under her obediently. Good. Celestia laid down and pushed her back and rump into Rawsthorne's belly. The other arm went around her barrel. She approved. The human was learning fast.
"Better. Good night, Gregory."
He didn't answer. Perhaps he didn't like the sleeping arrangements? Tough luck, he had offered it himself! It was warm and pleasant. Perhaps she would even sleep like that. She closed her eyes. Spooned as she was, Celestia could almost believe that everything would be right with the world in the morning. She felt quite safe.
A mare could get used to that! She was almost happy until the treacherous thoughts came back. Her eyes flew open, even if there was nothing to see in the darkness.
"Gregory?"
"Hmm?" he didn't sound annoyed or cross.
"We will have to tell Mrs. Turner and Glowbug about me."
There was silence for a while. Then the arm around her barrel moved and the hand stroked her chest fluff. "I guess so. Can't be helped. Or do you have an idea?"
She didn't. "No. I hope they can keep a secret."
"Most people can keep a secret. Don't worry. Even if your friends find out, would it really matter that much?" the human brought up his old argument.
"Maybe not, but I'd prefer not to risk it." She considered telling him. About the ploy and her misdirection. She might have to leave soon, anyway.
The human deserved the truth, at least. He had been nothing but nice to her, even after all the money he spent and the troubles she had caused him.
Celestia opened her mouth again to say it. "Gregory?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for everything. I hope someday I can show you exactly how much this all means to me."
She was a coward! But now maybe wasn't the time for absolute honesty. She would tell him. Just... some other time. The mare suddenly realized there had been no reply, and his hand was still.
"Gregory? Are you asleep?"
His hand resumed its stroking. "No. And it's fine. I like having you around."
It gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. She smiled in the darkness. "Okay, now say that last part, but skip the words 'having' and 'around'."
Had to be worth a try, right? It made him laugh, anyway. "Oh, fine! I like you."
She felt very good about that. They could definitely build on it. Now she really hoped Glowbug could keep a secret, and tha she could help her out of this predicament. She needed more time with Rawsthorne, to find out where it would go.
Celestia fell asleep while thinking about how to convince the unicorn to keep quiet about her.