//------------------------------// // Chapter 51 // Story: Off Duty // by awf //------------------------------// "Okay, you can use the guest room. If you find anything edible in the fridge feel free. Otherwise I'll stop by after work tomorrow and bring you something," Miriam was explaining while she led Celestia into the house. It had been a good choice, the mare thought. It wasn't a solitary building like Rawsthorne had, but the hamlet - it couldn't really be called even a village - looked peaceful. Surely, if she kept herself out of sight, no one would suspect that an alicorn was temporarily living there. Meanwhile the house had all the amenities. Miriam had told her to make herself at home. "C-can I use the bath?" It was a question far more important than mere food, after all. Laughing softly, her friend tousled her mane. "Yes, and good thing you reminded me. I'll just go and turn the heating up." Now that she thought about it, Celestia realized the house was a little chilly. It made sense - if the human wasn't home, why would he waste oil to keep the place warm? She knew about oil and how much it cost. Rawsthorne had explained. "Thank you." Miriam went down the stairs with the mare right on her heels. She fiddled with some buttons on the central heating, while Celestia waited nearby. Thanks to Rawsthorne, the pony was no longer afraid of the complicated array of pipes and machines. She merely flinched a little when the thing suddenly turned on, but otherwise stood her ground. "There, that should do it. Come on, lets go fix up a bed for you," Miriam said and walked past her. Celestia watched the machine for a few more seconds. There was a dull roar as fire blazed inside, warming up the water in the pipes, as well as more water she could use for a bath later. Then she followed the woman back upstairs and into a small bedroom. It was surprisingly similar to the room Rawsthorne had given her and the mare felt her throat constrict a little with longing. What she wouldn't give to be back with Gregory - even if she had to sleep in her own bed, rather than his. Homesick? For Rawsthorne's house? Celestia nearly laughed at herself. How quickly she had gotten used to the place. As ugly as it looked from the outside, she came to appreciate it. Not because of the furniture, or the amenities - although having a steam room at hoof was really nice - but because of its owner. She sighed sadly as she thought back on all the evenings watching his boring, silly game on the TV. The... pond, or pool, or whatever it was called didn't matter. What mattered was her head in Rawsthorne's lap and his hand on her ears, and the murmured conversation. In her long life before Rawsthorne, Celestia could count on her hooves the number of times she had been so relaxed. The thought warmed her, because lately the feeling had been getting even better. She recalled a Sunday morning, not too long ago, when they lay panting next to each other in bed and Rawsthorne rested his hand on her belly. Tired and sweaty, but oh so happy in the afterglow of their love. A human first thing in the morning was doing wonders for her nerves and disposition! Perhaps she should get one for Luna as well. Luna, whom she would soon meet again. She had to remember that, however bleak and scary the future looked. It was only a hurdle - one she would defeat like so many others. Rawsthorne had promised to join her in Canterlot, soon. Of course she would get there, and so would he. She almost got lost in the daydream before Celestia realized she had rudely let Miriam make the bed all by herself. "Don't worry, we'll get you home, sweetie," the lady said, misreading her expression. Celestia decided not to correct her. Besides, the way Miriam patted her nose was pleasant. "Thank you." It was time to say goodbye, at least for now. Celestia was sorry to see her friend leave. She was in a strange house, full of strange smells. There may or may not be food and despite Miriam's assurance, the real owner might return unexpectedly. At least there were hot baths. "I'll call my guy from the car and get papers for your two friends and I'll see you tomorrow when I bring you food." They embraced, briefly, then the woman left. Celestia looked around and wondered what to do. It was late - past midnight, but the strangeness and leftover fear kept her wide awake. She was sure she couldn't sleep, not yet. Besides, she would make the bed dirty in her current state. The pony glanced down at her muddy hooves. She went to look for the bathroom so she could wash herself up. Tomorrow she would clean the house. The least she could do in return for his unwitting hospitality was to leave the place nicer than she found it. For tonight, though - perhaps she could flip through the channels on the TV and see if anything interested her. However fascinating the show was, Celestia could hardly keep her eyes open after an hour. She didn't want to stop watching, but she felt sleep coming to claim her. Now that she had gotten used to the new place, the mare was exhausted. It was the effort of the spell she had held until she was safely in the house, combined with the emotional pony meet up, and coming to Saul's to find men waiting for her. "Mmm, jus'... few mo' minutes." She murmured to herself, hoping that her own voice would wake her a little. There was no way she wanted to miss the next bit. The fast-talking human was about to show them how his marvellous machine turned different kinds of fruit into drinks! Celestia definitely wanted to see it. More than that, she wanted one! Maybe once she was back in Canterlot, she could get Mr. Plain or someone to bring her it. They kept saying how much cheaper they were selling it. The full price was daunting, but after all the reductions it seemed very reasonable. Celestia could really use freshly squeezed orange juice in the mornings. Doing it by magic was just silly, now that she had seen how well this 'bullet' thing worked! Unfortunately she didn't get to see how a kiwi smoothie was made because the mare nodded off at that part. There was a moment of discontinuity as Celestia found herself back in the Canterlot Castle kitchen. Why was squeezing fresh orange juice making her think of Miriam and Earth? That was all in the past, wasn't it? Perhaps a bout of nostalgia. She shook her head and poured three glasses. Then she dropped a sprig of mint in each and floated them over to the table. There was no reason to think of Earth, not now that Rawsthorne was in Equestria. She smiled at the seated human. As usual, her sister glanced from one to the other and smirked. Luna made sure to join them for breakfast for the sole reason of poking fun at them, but what the night-blue alicorn didn't realize was that Celestia liked to have breakfast with her sister despite the jokes. The smirking and the jabs were just a nice bonus. She enjoyed seeing Luna smile, even if it was at her expense. "Care you to explain what I heard this morning, Sister?" she was asking, looking pointedly at the human. Celestia couldn't blame her. Rawsthorne was cute when he blushed. He didn't answer, of course. "Maybe I should move my room. Or ask the craftsponies to thicken the walls, hmm?" "I'm very sorry, Luna. It wasn't our intention to wake you up." Celestia's lack of a real reaction gave her sister pause, but Luna quickly recovered: "You should have recalled, Sister, that my nights are filled with work. I help our ponies through their dreams. It is quite distracting indeed - the sort of noises I hear." Celestia just laughed some more. "Perhaps then, Sister, you should not sleep with your ear pressed to a glass against the wall, hmm?" It was only a guess, but it hit true. Luna colored, although it was difficult to spot with her night-blue fur. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if trying to come up with a retort. Then she sniffed haughtily and decided to ignore the accusation. She opted to cover her embarrassment by hurriedly grabbing a plate of pancakes and digging in. Celestia nodded at her younger sister approvingly, then focused on the man. His stay among ponies was doing him a world of good, it was quite apparent. He smiled a lot more and he had stopped wearing those stuffy, boring suits for something more colorful. He noticed her looking and frowned in puzzlement. "Anything special you would like to do today, Greg?" He thought about it. "Well, I should finish that history book you gave me, and then there's the official letter we have to write for Earth." She needed a few moments to remember. That was right - following her brief visit to Earth, there was a very angry letter from the humans, asking for an explanation. It came to the Castle right after her. Something about the timing didn't seem right. Rawsthorne came to Equestria a year after her. The letter should have been written a long time ago. The entire affair should have been concluded. It was a little strange how she couldn't put the events in their proper order, but who could blame her? The return had been quite tumultuous. There were parades and the adoration of her subjects, and a minor fallout with the human embassy over her absence. A happy reunion with her Sister. Busy, busy days. To top it all, she'd had to work out a plan to have Rawsthorne join her. No wonder some of it had gotten mixed up in her head. It had been a very busy year. Maybe she should let it go for a day to get her bearings. Just focus on herself and Rawsthorne? "How about, instead, we take a picnic in the Castle gardens?" It wasn't a suggestion Rawsthorne often accepted - even now, in this beautiful, happy land, he simply could not stop working. He said he couldn't stand being idle. One of these days she would have to put him in charge of something. Maybe the court of law, or her foreign policy, or maybe both. Rawsthorne wasn't happy when he wasn't working. "Hmm," Luna said, breaking her concentration and making Celestia turn around, "why are your dreams filled with little else than this human, Sister?" The light was different. It was no longer morning and the food on the table was gone. When she looked, Rawsthorne's chair was empty. "No!" She woke up with a gasp. The TV was still on, but Celestia paid it no mind. It had been so real! In her dream, this - the reality- seemed like nothing more than a memory. Now that she thought about it, in the dream she couldn't remember how exactly she had escaped Earth, but she had been so sure the memories were there! It was uncanny. Luna! Her heart was racing as she remembered that grinning, mischievous face. It had been so good to see her, even if it was only a dream! "Very soon, Sister." It was a promise. Whatever it took, Celestia would do it to get home. To see Luna again. She dragged herself to her hooves and fumbled with the remote until she managed to turn off the TV. She stumbled her way back to the guest bedroom. Maybe she would dream of her sister some more. It was nice to imagine that even now, across worlds, Princess Luna was looking in on her sister's dreams to make sure she was well.