Off Duty

by awf

Chapter 35

It was the day of reckoning. Celestia found herself idly watching the foam sliding down the inside of the kitchen sink. She realized she was trying to put it off again. She really didn't need to watch water dry, after all. She sighed and stomped a hoof resolutely. It was time to face her fate, but her treacherous eyes still cast around the kitchen for something else to do. Anything! Celestia caught herself before she decided to sweep the floor again. It had been enough of a delay when she chose to wash the dishes with her magic, rather than use the machine Rawsthorne had shown her.

"No more avoiding!" Her voice sounded more firm than she felt. The alicorn tried it again: "It is not an execution. It is not even public! You can do this, Celestia!"

She swallowed a lump and went to look for Rawsthorne in the living room. He was watching that pond game again.

"I'm ready." The pony most certainly was not, but maybe the human wouldn't be able to read her body language.

Rawsthorne glanced at her and his expression turned to pity. Yeah, Celestia thought, she should have guessed. Ears folded back was a very clear sign of fear. As was the nervously flicking tail, and the slight tremor in her wings.

"Are you sure?" her human asked.

Celestia chose to interpret it as mocking condescension and tried to find some anger, or at least annoyance. "Yes, let's get it over with, Rawsthorne!"

Now it was his turn to be uncertain. Celestia saw the human hesitate. Aha! So his bravado at spanking a Princess had been nothing but an act! It didn't make her feel any better. It just meant that she had to be the determined one. The mare concentrated and her horn lit up. She selected a belt in Rawsthorne's closet - hopefully the softest one - and levitated it downstairs and into his hand.

"You were right. We both need this, so we can move past it." She didn't entirely believe it, but it sounded right. There had to be some form of justice and the alicorn would prefer this to the guilt she had felt when she looked into her subjects' adoring, forgiving faces.

Her magic winked out as Rawsthorne's hand closed around the strip of leather. He watched her wordlessly.

"Please, do not hold back. Do however much you feel I deserve." Perhaps a tad too dramatic, which was funny because the mare had nothing to prove to anypony. Anyone! Well, other than Rawsthorne, of course. She very much wanted to impress him.

She turned her flank to the human to show willing. With luck, he would be- SLAP

"GAH!"

It had come quite unexpectedly. She wasn't ready! It stung more than she remembered the previous times. Her legs nearly buckled before she caught herself. The sting faded, but a dull line of fire was left across her hide. The mare looked back and saw that Rawsthorne had already lifted his arm again. He was really going through with it!

Somehow she hadn't believed it until now. There was a whoosh and a loud slap as the belt found her again.

"EEP!" She tried very hard to keep her muzzle shut, but her flank was unused to punishment and she felt the hit keenly. Celestia couldn't hold back a small whimper as the human lifted the leather again. She quickly closed her eyes.

The hit didn't land. "I really don't think this is the right thing-" Rawsthorne began talking, but Celestia interrupted him.

"Keep going! All of it!" Her voice was strained and she was saying things she really didn't want to say, but now was too late to chicken out.

If she showed up before her friends with only two lines, they would know that the punishment was symbolic. They needed to see that it was real. That even their Princess was accountable for her foolishness. No special treatment.
Except that the human had stopped.
"Greg, I said keep go-"

SLAP

"AAAH!" Again he caught her by surprise! It hurt! Luna, how much it hurt this time! Celestia quickly understood two important things: Her previous punishments have been symbolic in nature. This one was not! She was no longer sure she could take it. The mare danced around and turned her rump away from the human. She was already breathing heavily and her eyes were tearing up from the lingering fire on her hide. She wanted to call it enough, she really did, but the alicorn remembered the ponies. Glitter Dust and Lake Frond and Rock Lichen. They looked at her with adoration and the unshakable faith that she could do no wrong.

Lying and deceit was bad! It was unbefitting any pony and especially a Princess, but her friends on Earth would never call her out. They would never expect her to be punished. So she had to do it herself! Celestia hoped her subjects would appreciate the gesture.

Rawsthorne was watching her with concern. His arm with the belt was lowering, but the mare twirled around again.

"Keep going! Please!" She jammed her eyes shut just before the human landed another strike. This one made her moan through her nose, because she was holding her mouth closed so hard. Maybe she swayed a little, but the pony remained upright. Several times the belt landed, each hit adding to the overall pain.

The tears could no longer be contained and neither could the whimpers. Luckily, the human didn't stop, or she would have given up there and then. Surrender, that was the thing! It was out of her hooves. It had been ever since she had decided that she liked the human enough to tell him the truth. When had that happened? The alicorn tried to remember - lose herself in the memory to shut out the horrible present.

The snow chase! She had thought about it before then, but that was the first time she was absolutely sure. She enjoyed the human's laugh as he ran after her, and his weight as he sat on her... She had been helpless then, too! Yes, Celestia had her magic and she could have flung Rawsthorne off her. Just as she could easily prevent his punishment now, but she wouldn't. Maybe she had taken the 'slave' thing too far, but the mare wanted to be entirely in his power. She had forgotten over the centuries what that even felt like. Only now was she rediscovering it.

Complete surrender. Her punishment, her hide, her very life in the hooves - hands! - of another person. Rawsthorne had all the control and she had absolutely none, and it was delicious! So simple! Her entire world revolved only around the belting she was receiving and the pain. There were no other responsibilities except to endure while it lasted.

Then there would be the respite and she would look at her human - her owner! - and all would be right between them again! She would have paid her debt, both to Rawsthorne and to her subjects. Her heart would be washed clean of her folly!

Slowly Celestia became aware that the beating had stopped. She opened her eyes. The mare was panting, sweaty and her rump was on fire. She risked a glance back and whimpered at what she saw. Very angry red. There could be no doubt.

The human was looking at her with some trepidation. "Are you okay?" Rawsthorne asked with concern. Celestia saw him drop the belt to the floor and put both his hands around her muzzle. One finger brushed a tear away. It really was over.

"H-how m-many?"

Rawsthorne shrugged. "I didn't count. Lots. I guess I really was a little bit angry."

She nodded vehemently. It felt like lots. The human was about to apologize. She saw it clearly in his face. "I'm s-"

"No."

She managed a smile. "I think I needed that. You did the right thing and I asked you to do it. No 'sorry', alright?"

Soon his smile mirrored hers. "Tough pony, but something tells me this punishment wasn't for my sake."

He had told her as much before and it was still true. Celestia closed her eyes as the hands explored her face. "Also for my ponies. Princesses are never accountable, except to ourselves. It was time one of them answered for her mistakes."

"Well, it's done now. We'll call us even after this," the human said softly. He waited, but the mare didn't answer. She was enjoying the touch. "So what now?"

Celestia knew she would have to deal with the future, but adrenaline was leaving her and she found her legs weakening. "I need to sit. Uh, make that lie down. On my belly."

Rawsthorne followed her to the couch and helped her get settled down. Then he sat beside her head. The pony considered it for a minute, then shuffled forward until she could lay her head in his lap. The hands, that was the important part. They were in her mane and around her ears.

"What now?" She just repeated the question back while she thought. "What... now..." The alicorn sighed sadly. Their relationship would change, undoubtedly. No more carefree Princess and her kind Master, but maybe there was a way.

"Two things come to mind, Greg. I need a room and board, at least while this court case needs me. Miriam said I will not testify, so she mainly needs a few essays on pony values and culture. Examples from our law. Proof, in short, that we are civilized."

Rawsthorne kept petting as he considered, to her endless gratitude. "That one is not a problem. You can keep your room for as long as you need."

A question hung in the air and the mare saw it instantly. "Yes, thank you. In return I will keep cleaning and cooking, if that's alright?" She sensed the smile, even if she didn't see his face from that angle. The mare was exactly on her belly, afraid to lean to either side, lest she press her abused rump against the fabric.

"Yes, that would be very welcome. Help around the house in exchange for the room and food."

It only needed one slight change. "What else must I do so I get your bed, Greg?"

He chuckled at the little joke but didn't answer.

"Which brings me to the second thing. You were reluctant to... date, because you thought you owned me." It wasn't a question, the human had said as much. The word 'date' made her blush a little, but Celestia persisted. "I would like to try, now that the illusion has been dispelled, so to speak. That is, unless you do not find ponies... interesting?" She had meant to say 'attractive', but decided against it.

"I do, especially now that I lived with one for a while. What do you propose?" It sounded like they were negotiating a business contract! The mare groaned a little and lifted her head. A more direct approach would work better.

"Shut up and kiss me!"

After a moment, the human obliged. Almost without conscious control, Celestia crawled forward and into Rawsthorne's lap. She had to turn to her side, which made her gasp. Her abused flank was sitting on his knees, but the mare was determined and ignored it. The lap had to be occupied!

The hands moved around to explore and Celestia put her forehooves on Rawsthorne's shoulders to steady herself. The touch on her fur felt like electricity. She could sense each hair as fingers passed over it.

The desire suddenly burned hotter than her rump, and when Rawsthorne slid his hands over her wings, she could no longer control it. Her tail flailed around, as if to fan the flames in her belly.

"Yes! Please! More!" She could hardly gasp between kisses, but Celestia opened her wings to give her human easier access. Obediently, he returned his fingers to the right spot and ran them down the primaries. There was no going back. The mare tore her face away and glared.

"We're doing this..." It came out as a gasp and she had to suck down another breath to continue: "we're doing this now! No... excuses!"

The human smiled as they both gave in.

They ended up on Rawsthorne's bed, panting but happy. The alicorn was left in a state of uncomprehending bliss. She was sprawled over the human's chest and drooled a little. She woke up just enough to lick it up.

"Mmm." It had mixed with his sweat in a most delicious way!

In response to her hot tongue on flesh, his hand came and patted her muzzle. She gave that a lick, too, before the fingers settled on her cheek. He hind hoof twitched slightly as Celestia began to relax her muscles.

"You could have warned me, you know?" She tried to make it sound slightly accusing, but the alicorn couldn't. She had a dopey grin that gave away her real feelings on the matter. "Now I'll have to shower again."

The human drew a deep breath before answering. "Yeah, me too," he said.

"No. Wait till morning. I love the smell." She did, Celestia found! Sweat, mingled with their... 'personal aromas' was quite intoxicating. Both exhilarating and calming at the same time. The mare could stay surrounded by it forever.

It would probably cause comment.

She still needed a shower, if only to prevent messing up the bed. She had remembered - barely - to float in a couple of towels just as they came in the room, but that had been only a stopgap measure.

Not just yet. For now, she could remain as a white puddle of fur and feathers, leaning against Rawsthorne's side and with her head on his stomach. The way it rocked up and down was strangely soothing. There was still the mess in the living room, but the alicorn didn't want to think about it.

In the morning. It was weekend anyway. There would be time. And then time for more lovemaking, once Rawsthorne recovered.

"You seem thoughtful," Rawsthorne commented. The finger on her cheek brushed a little. It made the mare close her eyes.

"Mm. Yes."

"Anything interesting?"

She twitched her head in a slight shake. "No, just comparing... pony and human." She realized it was probably a bad thing to say as soon as it was out her mouth, but the human just chuckled.

"Oh? And the verdict?"

"Can all humans go this long?" Out of all possible thoughts, a faint tinge of sympathy for Heavy Hoof was the first to poke its head up. The poor stallion had to watch his owners go at it like this. No wonder he was pent up!

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I'm out of practice," Rawsthorne replied sheepishly. "It should last longer than five minutes, just give me a chance to... practice a little."

"L-longer?!" Surely he was mistaken? The hand went for her ears and the pony moaned in delight.

"Well, it depends on the mood. Sometimes a quickie is nice, but other times it's better to keep playing for a while. We'll see."

The mare sighed. "I'm taking you with me when I go. Whether you like it or not, Greg."

He just laughed at that, but Celestia didn't. She was determined. Somehow she would convince the human to accept some job in the Castle, so she could keep him close. Sex, when it lasted long enough for her mind to start unravelling at the edges, was even more relaxing than hot baths! It would do wonders for her mood! Celestia felt herself begin to slip away and lifted her head. It wouldn't do to fall asleep and wake up to a cold, sticky, messy bed. She didn't relish the thought of changing the sheets in the middle of the night.

"Ugh, shower. I will be right back."

The hand slipped away from her ear as the mare rose out of the bed. She took one of the towels with her, held against her rump with magic. It caused her to walk a little awkwardly, but she didn't even mind the way Rawsthorne laughed at her.

Comments

[Enonnnymous]

So I discovered this story on /mlp/ in a pastebin list. I personally prefer to read longer stories on my phone, so I looked this story up on fimfiction and thankfully it was here. But I immediately noticed that you changed Anonymous to Rawsthorne. So that left me with the question of weather or not you changed more. I had a gut feeling while reading this chapter and went back to the pastebin and surely enough, there was the actual sex scene. I'm currently not finished with the story but what's the big fucking idea man? Also how the HELL did you get away with not putting a sex tag on this story? You may have cut this sex scene but to my knowledge you didn't cut any previous sexual references. I've read M rated stories that had a sex tag for sexual references, but that didn't have as much as this! And lastly, what other things did you cut/change up to this point?

[Kadigan]

10305167
Gib link? To the original, I mean. And maybe also the pastebin, because why not a curated list.

Also, this may not necessarily be plagiarising - the author of both could be the same. A number of authors here publish a [T]-rated version, and put up an [M]-rated version elsewhere (like AO3). Some others put just the sex scenes there. Some publish both versions.

I've also seen the same stories published to multiple places. I haven't read the publishing side of the ToC (or maybe I have, but forgot what it says) so I can't tell you if FIM dislikes that or not - but it technically wouldn't be illegal.

As for cutting the (direct) sexual content... actually, that could be a reason for replacing Anonymous with Rawsthorne - some people here have an allergy to both. Most of them just pass 'em by, but a few downvote just because. So while I'd personally weather all such, I can see why others might not want to.

---

Hm, did some searching and found /82rCVh4j, which in turn pointed me to the three-parter by "AspiringWriteFag". That does sound kinda like "awf", the author of this thing. Does point to the author being the original one.

Sadly, the three Pastebin links are no longer up. Do you happen to have a copy?

...

Actually, everything by "AspiringWriteFag" seems to have been removed, which is a shame because it seems like there was one related to Twilight which, if I'm not mistaken, is the prequel to "Something Halloween"... Unless I get to read it in some form, I'm going to pass on reading the sequel - it doesn't feel right to me. Would you happen to have a source for that, perchance?

[Marmo]

Okay I also just read the sex scene is omitted here?

I'll try to find the ponepaste version and read it there.

I'm not really a smut reader but after so much character development I NEED to read this.

I urge you to include the sex scenes in the fimfic version.

Ponepaste version for anyone who wants the sex scene as well: Off Duty (Complete) Part 2 (poneb.in)