Off Duty

by awf

Chapter 15

The video chat was... interesting, Celestia decided. On the one hoof, it was great to be able to see her friends and speak with them, but on the other, their voices sounded tinny and flat. She also missed smelling them and seeing their body language. Glitter Dust was right - this could in no way replace meetings in person, but it was a good alternative when compared to text only.

"Is it supposed to be that loud?" The alicorn still couldn't quite wrap her head around the lawn mower from earlier that day. It caused her pegasus friend no end of amusement.

"Yes! It's loud and it rattles your teeth or your hooves - however you grab the handle, and it stinks... but it works!" Glitter Dust repeated, yet again. The others also laughed at her consternation.

"It's just- I wasn't expecting it!" She thought the pegasus had a smirk on her muzzle, but it was hard to tell from the small square. Celestia, in her Supple Branch guise, leaned closer for a better look.

Yes, that was undoubtedly a smirk! But before she could point it out, the pegasus spoke and her picture expanded to fill the screen. Even after an hour of it, the effect was still startling and unsettling for the alicorn. "Did you run to your human's bed again?" Glitter Dust asked, eliciting yet another bout of laughter.

"What?! What do you mean 'again'?!"

Six very attentive pony faces turned on 'Supple Branch' expectantly. Silent Brook wasn't there, because he didn't have a computer, and the earth couple shared theirs, so there were only five pictures beside hers.

"Rawsthorne told Maggie and she told me. Listen to this guys:" Glitter Dust began.

Celestia tried one of her best glares, but it had no effect.

"She didn't know what the central heating was when she came into his place, so Supple was scared of it! She thought it was a monster or something. And one time she thought it was chasing her and hid in her Master's bed! With him in it!"

There was a lot of laughter, further spurred on by her blush. Celestia didn't really mind, but she could have done without the embarrassment. She still stuck her tongue out at all of them.

"That's hilarious!" Rock Lichen exclaimed and hugged his marefriend as they both laughed. Even Belle Hop, whom the alicorn hadn't met in person yet, piped up: "Really? You were scared by the central heating?"

Celestia heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yes, alright?! I didn't know what it was or what it did. It kept making noise, there was a fire inside of it - what was I supposed to think? You saw some of the stuff we have in Equestria!"

There was another round of laughter, but the Princess knew they didn't mean anything bad by it. Just amusement. It still stung!

"Enough about that, okay? You've had your fun with the new girl, now drop it, please!"

Luckily, Glitter Dust was easily distracted and moved on with another question: "The mower worked, though? The blades are good? Maggie said to ask you if everything is okay."

"Yes. But I'd rather have grazed, however long it would take." If she didn't feel like going back to being a Princess, Celestia could obviously make her living as a comedian. They all kept laughing at most things she said.

Enough was enough, though. Heavy Hoof chided the others for a change. "Okay, that's enough guys. Give the pony a break. Anyway, why can't you two make it on Wednesday?"

Celestia realized that Rock Lichen and Lake Frond hadn't really explained. But now they smiled hugely. "Road trip!" they squealed in delight together. Then the mare went on: "Owners going across the country for a wedding. Some cousin or something. And they're taking the car. It's a twenty-hour drive!"

Despite herself, the Princess was envious. That did sound like fun! Luckily, Glitter Dust had the perfect answer: "Make a lot of pictures, okay?"

Lake Frond nodded, but a little uncertainly. "Will try. We don't all get phones and iPads and so on, like some of you."

The alicorn and the pegasus both decided to ignore this. There was a silence and Celestia looked at the faintly smiling faces. She recalled that the unicorn hadn't said much. "So, Glowbug. Still cut off from magic?"

It wasn't really tactful, but she could afford being a little brash as Supple Branch. Besides, the mare shook her head happily. "No! She let me off early! Good behavior!"

"Great! Don't buck it up, okay?" That was Heavy Hoof and all he got in return was a small pout and silence.

There wasn't that much left to say, so Celestia took it up: "Well, this has been a lot of fun, but I still prefer meeting in person. I'll try and get Gregory to take me next Wednesday. That one is still on?"

Her other friends waited for the couple to speak up. "Yeah, we should be back by then. Wedding's on Thursday, then a day or so for the party and we should be back by Monday. Let's hope that Andrew and Mary aren't both too tired to take us."

"Good. I'll tell Brook on Monday. He usually comes by the store to say hello," Glitter Dust promised.

The other pegasus, Belle Hop also piped up: "And I'll be there too! Looks like the whole gang this time!"

Celestia knew she would promise Rawsthorne anything to take her. It sounded like all of them meeting was a rare occurrence and she wanted to be a part of it.

The others slowly made their goodbyes, until only she, Glitter Dust and Heavy Hoof were left. The alicorn glanced at a small clock on the top of the screen. Past ten. Not too late, but Rawsthorne's weather forecast promised a sunny morning and she had convinced her owner to take a walk before lunch. However, there was one more thing she wanted before bed.

"Heavy Hoof - I keep hearing about your 'unique' living situation, but nopony wants to tell me anything. What is it?"

He looked down. It was an instant change from the usually suave and open stallion. For an moment, Celestia thought she saw panic in his eyes.

"Uh. That's - I really don't wanna talk about it, Supple. Please."

It was even making the pegasus uncomfortable, but the alicorn didn't give up.

"Okay, then you tell me, Glitter Dust. Please! It can't be that bad, can it? Are they beating you or something?"

Both ponies quickly shook their heads. "No, nothing like that!" the stallion quickly said. "It's just... complicated, okay? It's a tough world out here. Not like Equestria, you'll see."

That still wasn't an answer and the mare nearly growled. "If you don't spill it right now, I'll... I'll..."

She didn't have a very good threat. 'I won't sleep with you' made her look like she was using sex as an interrogation tactic, while 'I'll be sad' lacked a certain something. Maybe 'I'll keep asking'? Well, that was a given.

"Jeez, calm down!" Heavy Hoof said. "Don't work yourself up so much, girl. Tell you what, gimme some private time on Wednesday - just you and me - and I'll tell you."

Now he was using his secret to buy sex from her! Celestia glared and humphed angrily. "No deal! How about this: I'm gonna find out sooner or later. So you can either tell me and explain, or I'll get it from somepony else and maybe get the wrong idea."

The pegasus hadn't said a single thing, but now jumped in: "Well, It's getting kinda late, I should go." She didn't even wait for their acknowledgement before her little square vanished. The alicorn almost didn't notice and neither did the stallion, by the look of it.

He deflated and looked down. It felt like a victory and Celestia allowed herself a pang of pride. Sometimes a gentle hoof was needed, but other times a firm touch worked better.

"Okay, fine! Just promise... you won't look at me differently!" the stallion demanded.

The request quickly raised both her guard and her ears. It sounded bad and the alicorn began to worry what was being done to her poor subject. "I promise."

He still waited for a bit, but she gave him time. Heavy Hoof needed a lot of preparation before he blurted out: "I'm a sex toy, okay?! There. That's the big secret!"

Her heart sank and her stomach constricted. This was one of the things she had worried about whenever she thought about her ponies in human hands. It didn't seem Heavy Hoof was being tortured, but this was maybe just as bad.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head and held up a hoof. "It's fine! It's not what you think! It's not exactly... bad."

She waited, but there didn't seem to be more forthcoming. "Go on?"

The stallion heaved another sigh. "All that happens is that Master and his wife- well sometimes they like me watching. So I have to stand there in their room and watch them... do it."

It really wasn't what she had imagined, but the very idea seemed strange and revolting to the mare. "What?! Why? That's sick!"

He shook his head again. "No, it's not. It's a kink. I kinda get it, I think. Doesn't make it fun, but I understand. It's not a big deal."

She had to make absolutely sure. "They don't... touch you? Make you do anything?

"No! I just watch. My first owner was a sicko, but then the humans passed a law and they put him in jail and took me away."

Before she knew it, Celestia had her hooves up before her mouth in horror. "Did he beat you? O-or something else?"

The pony sighed sadly. "Something else. He... 'rented me'."

It was almost too much to bear. The alicorn had to fight back an urge to fly to her mistreated pony and gather him up in her hooves and take him home. Not only was it impossible, it would also probably get them both killed.

"R-rented?"

"Do you really want me to spell it out?" Heavy Hoof asked, but his voice was defeated. He was looking at the floor with his ears flat down and - despite the bad image - Celestia could see a tear drop.

Her heart went out to him. "I'm so sorry, Heavy Hoof. I shouldn't have pushed you. I wish I was there so I could give you a hug!"

That made him look up and twitch his lips up for a moment. "Thanks. You're sweet. I just try to forget it. And let me tell you, I'm real glad of that law."

So was Celestia. It was one of the first she had forced the humans to enact. She thought about bringing it up, letting the stallion know he had his Princess to thank for that, but then she decided there would be time for that later.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Is that why you- um. You know. Come on so strongly to every mare?"

She watched his ears rise up as he looked at her in surprise. "Dunno. Maybe? What I know is that Master and Mistress have been married ten years, but they still do it every night."

He drew a shuddering breath and looked away. He also blushed, but it was hard to see with his color. "They want me there to watch most nights and then, usually, Mistress tells me to get in bed with them... when they're done."

It wasn't something Celestia enjoyed hearing, but it looked like it was helping Heavy Hoof feel better as he explained. So she listened in silence.

"She likes to cuddle with me when she sleeps, but the smell! Looking at them. And sometimes she touches me in the night." The stallion blinked his eyes and shook his head, as if trying to dislodge the memory. "Most nights I have to go in the bathroom and... you can imagine. Get it over with."

His hooves went up to his head and the pony looked at her in desperation. "Just- I can't stop thinking about it! Maybe that's why I just... attack every mare I see? I dunno, I'm not a psychiatrist!" The story left him trembling and nervous. "Are you disgusted? I'll understand, but now you see why I don't talk about it? It kinda kills my chances."

Maybe it was pity, or perhaps something she saw in him. The alicorn was impressed. All that, and the stallion was still quite nice and cheerful. His obsession with mares could be explained and he never became too pushy or violent, at least from the little she had seen in his interaction with the others. A very strong spirit, she decided. A pony who was determined to leave the bad aside and focus on the good.

"No, I'm not. I understand and I'm sorry. And no, it doesn't kill your chances."

Before his grin could split his head in half, Celestia held up a hoof. "That's not a yes! Heavy Hoof, I'm not saying yes, understand? I'm just saying it's not... off the table."

His grin made her all hot and bothered again and she sought to change the topic. "My owner's a lawyer. I'm sure what your two are doing to you isn't right. Want me to tell him? See if we can do something about it?"

She had all but decided to use Rawsthorne's lawyer powers to save the stallion, but he looked panicked and quickly shook his head.

"No! NO! Please! Nothing like that! Please!" he babbled. It made the alicorn stare.

"But they're... doing all that stuff to you!"

"I don't mind! They saved my life, okay? I was ready to kill myself after that bastard who whored me out to men, but they took me in and helped me through it."

He smiled a little, even as more tears ran down his muzzle. "When I said 'they make me watch', it's not... that bad. I'm sure they'd be okay with it if I said no, just really disappointed. They really really like it, you know? And maybe it's a way I repay them their kindness."

Again, Celestia waited for the stallion to talk it out.

"It's humiliating and it leaves me... needy, but it's better than some. Other than that, they're really nice. They don't make me do chores and I get my own computer, and I can go out whenever I want." He barked a laugh at that last: "Heh! If I really wanted, I could've escaped ages ago. So please, no lawyer. Don't try and save me. I'm fine."

That grin was back. It made the alicorn feel a little better about the situation. It was still, in her opinion, all kinds of messed up, but presumably their other friends knew. Maybe even some of the owners.

The group didn't bring it up. It all seemed to somehow work. She wondered how many other stories like this they were all hiding. Obviously her impression that all was well couldn't be trusted here.

"If you really wanna help, though," Heavy Hoof went on with a small wink, "maybe a kiss from a beautiful mare would make me feel better!"

Even she laughed a little. "Maybe. We'll see."

They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Heavy Hoof?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for telling me. I'm sorry to have pushed you, but I'm also glad I did."

"Yeah. At least now it's done. No more secrecy, right? At least we can trust each other, even if some humans are a little... weird."

She remembered her own lie she was telling these ponies and felt a pang of guilt, but the alicorn schooled her expression into a faint smile. "Yeah... No more secrecy. Good night, Heavy Hoof."

"Night night, beautiful!"

She didn't break off their Skype call and let the stallion do it instead. The little light went out, telling her nopony was looking through the camera anymore. With a sigh, Celestia changed back into her real form. Her head hit the bed. Why did it all have to be so confusing? At first glance, Heavy Hoof was being horribly abused. Silent Brook too. Yet they were fiercely protective of their owners, even going as far as to defend the atrocities.

It didn't make much sense, but it was clear to her that the situation was a complex one. She would need a lot more time among humans before she could understand. For now, she magicked over her sweet roll - leftover from the fantastic dinner she had cooked for Rawsthorne. She munched it thoughtfully and paused when she heard the rain start outside.

It was just as her owner had predicted. It would rain through the night and then morning would be sunny. The afternoon was a bit more uncertain, he said, but it looked like more rain. For now, the weather fit her mood. She washed down her pastry with orange juice, then got up from her bed and went to the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth methodically, not really thinking about it. Her mind was on the two stallions. On their meeting, next Wednesday, she would indeed try to get each of them alone and talk a little. Carefully, of course. Silent Brook was easily annoyed by her questioning. He would need special care.

Then she would decide how to proceed.

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was something. The mare tucked herself into the bed and gratefully wrapped the blanket as tightly around herself as she could. A pair of strong, warm, human arms around her wouldn't be amiss, a stray thought brought up. Not just arms, though and not just 'around'.

No doubt if Rawsthorne did what she had just thought about, some would call it 'molestation'. Was she a hypocrite? Judging others while secretly wishing it for herself? She didn't feel like a hypocrite.

At least the blush did a nice job of keeping her warm.

Comments

[ToobertSawk]

I thought for sure that he was a changeling. Guess i was wrong.

[PonyDragon]

Poor Heavy Hoof.
It could be worse, but it's still bad enough.

[Fireheart 1945]

The way the poor guy is getting treated is disgusting. Hope they do get prosecuted for this and he goes free (and happily so).

[Kadigan]

10506228

I'm... not so sure.

I mean, he's not exactly voicing his opinion there, you know? It's clear he's seeing it as a burden he's picked up and intends to carry, fucked up or not. What his previous owner did was despicable, that's sure, but these two? Especially if he keeps silent about it. Yes, it's fucked up in a few ways... but that's nothing new, really. Not for us, humans, anyway. Being fucked up is kinda a speciality of ours. They're all adults, at any rate, so as long as they don't deny him backing out of this...

The only thing I really have a problem with, there, is that there's this implied idea of him not wanting to disappoint. It's not exactly a command, but - in his mind - it might as well be. But then again... doesn't Twilight do that a lot, with Celestia? In the end, we don't really know what they think about it, because neither Heavy Hoof nor Twilight ever say anything about it, either way. Celestia knows, but she's sharp and attentive - and even then there's little she can do about it.