Off Duty

by awf

Chapter 42

The human, Saul, made Celestia quite uncomfortable. He was loud and lazy and indulgent. Why exactly Silent Brook would put up with him was a mystery. She also noticed he drank a lot, and he smoked, far worse than Douglas Wilder. As a result, the house was messy and filthy and it stank. Her presence was... tolerated. The mare couldn't read that particular human, so she didn't know what he really thought of her staying there. Silent Brook had simply informed the man that 'Supple Branch' would be living with them for a while. She still wanted to repay their kindness, such as it was, by cleaning up and perhaps cooking, but the pony didn't like to stay in the same room as Saul unless absolutely necessary. Luckily, the man left each afternoon and her stallion host explained that his owner worked in a factory. That gave her a chance to swoop into the lower floor and pick up most of the trash.

She didn't worry too much about using magic inside the house, though the alicorn had made sure she was disguised as Supple Branch whenever there was a chance to meet Saul. He usually never came to the first floor, Silent Brook assured her, so she could calmly stay as her true self while she was there. That made it easier. Her pony friend was even kind enough to go to a nearby store and pick up some necessities. She had enough money to pay for it herself, but Celestia didn't like the idea of leaving the house while there was a chance she could be stopped and questioned without a human by her side. Silent Brook brought her the urgent things: foodstuffs, some cleaning supplies and - most importantly - trash bags. She needed lots and lots of trash bags. As she began working, the stallion sat on the couch and watched, though without apparent interest. She did her best to ignore him. After a few moments, he turned on the TV and focused his attention on that instead.

The Princess was efficient and well versed in such work by now. Pretty soon she had the trash packed away and the bags stacked outside by the cans, and she could focus on the next job. It was rather hard to choose, but she picked a rag and the cleaning fluid and started on all the wood and plastic and ceramic surfaces. The walls were in a worse state, but Celestia didn't know what to do about that. Maybe the rag would be enough, or maybe a coat of paint would be required. On the other hoof, it might be less effort to just demolish them and rebuild, or at the very least, strip the plaster off and put new on. However you went about doing that... She might get an idea for a spell later. For the moment she focused on the grubby furniture.

"You don't have to do that, you know?" Silent Brook announced suddenly. It nearly made her drop the bottle. The alicorn had forgotten that she had company. For the last few minutes she had been starting to feel almost as if she was still with Rawsthorne in his empty house, while he was at work. The mare twirled around in surprise.

"Oh. It's not a problem. A little thank-you for letting me stay."

He didn't seem particularly grateful. "You don't have to lie to me, Princess. I know what this is," he said in a tone Celestia didn't particularly like.

"What is this, then?"

Again the pony paused before answering. He almost glared at her. "You're just too fancy to live in squalor like this. It doesn't behoove a Princess to have a bit of dirt and trash around her."

A bit?! "A bit?! Silent Brook, this place is a mess, and no, I genuinely wanted to do something nice for you and Saul!"

His mouth quirked up in an almost-smile. "Don't lie. You're probably thinking why haven't I done something about this myself."

That much was true. From what she could tell, Celestia didn't think Silent Brook really worked anywhere. He just ran errands for his human. He obviously had enough free time to do something about the living conditions, but she decided to be diplomatic. "I have wondered, true, but I understand that life sometimes gets in the way."

She really did hope Silent Brook had a reason. Some ponies were slobs, but the alicorn had very rarely seen standards slip this low.

"For example, at the very least you could have washed the bedsheets in your room."

Silent Brook had the decency to look embarrassed. "I was busy," he muttered and looked away - a blatant lie.

It made the alicorn stare at him for a while, but she didn't push the topic. "I will wash them for you. Did you bring washing powder?"

The pony shook his head. "Machine doesn't work. It's no use. No money for a new one. Not even to get it repaired."

Celestia nearly kept herself quiet, but couldn't quite manage it this time. "But there is money for cigarettes and drink?"

The result was surprising. Silent Brook jumped from the couch and advanced on her with a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"Who bucking gives you the right to come in here and judge us?! Huh?! Just because you live in a castle full of servants and maids you think you're better than us?"

She could easily have stopped him with magic, but in her initial shock the mare just stepped back before his anger. "No, of course I didn't mean-"

"You need a place, fine! Stay, but one more word about this house or Saul and I'm kicking you out myself!" Silent Brook growled.

The alicorn swallowed a lump and nodded. The stallion kept staring at her for a bit longer, then went past her and up the stairs. She just watched him go in silence. Just before he was out of sight, Silent Brook stopped and muttered: "Laundromat is down the street." Then he was gone.

It took Celestia a few moments to understand what he meant. It wasn't a common thing anymore, but before laundry washing machines were readily available, some humans took their clothes to a specialized store, where they could wash it for a small fee. She didn't relish the idea of doing that herself, but if she really meant to clean the place up, she would have to.

It was obviously a touchy subject, and now the alicorn was curious. What could have happened between Silent Brook and his human to cause something like this? At first glance they hated each other. The stallion swore at the human and the human swore at the stallion. Saul ordered Silent Brook around, mainly to fetch cigarettes or liquor or food, while the pony just seemed to resent everything the human said. She remembered the park and thought to herself: Possibly his owner also beat Silent Brook, at least sometimes. Perhaps that was why he didn't come to the pony meet up? He didn't want the others to see bruises? Yet on the other hoof, Silent Brook seemed to be free to go as he pleased. He could have walked out and never returned if he wanted. Something kept him there and fiercely loyal to his owner. It was a secret and Celestia decided to get to the bottom of it.

She put the cleaning bottle down and draped the rag over a chair. Then she followed the stallion upstairs. Walking as silently as she could, she came to his room and found the door closed. It wasn't locked, so she just used a tiny levitation spell to twist the doorknob. Then she gently pushed it open.

Silent Brook was curled up on his mattress, with his legs over his head, as if he was trying to shut some noise out. He didn't hear her come in, especially the way he was breathing heavily. The pony was on the verge of sobbing and Celestia felt her heart fill with pity. It was obviously painful and wrought with emotion, whatever the real reason for him staying with Saul. She approached and sat beside the mattress. The stallion saw her, but didn't comment. After a while she laid a wing across his withers. He didn't fight her off, which the alicorn took as a good sign.

"I'm sorry." It was generally a good way to start these things. "I was out of line. Of course it is not my place to judge and I guess I forgot."

Silent Brook just grunted something noncommittal, so the Princess went on by herself:

"I do wish to understand. Please speak to me."

His voice came quietly and Celestia had to strain her ears to hear: "None of your business."

She sighed and decided on a more direct approach. It made the stallion squeak in protest, but she picked him up in her hooves and hugged him. He resisted, but only for a moment. He couldn't match her strength, not while being pressed firmly against the royal chest fluff.

The mare smiled sadly. The Royal Chestfluff was a power she used too rarely. She promised herself this would change if she ever got home. After Silent Brook stopped struggling, it only took a single nuzzle for him to burst into tears. It was about what Celestia had expected. The stallion acted tough and independent to better hide some awful secret. He didn't wish to burden his friends with it. Often that made him come across as gruff and uncaring, but in reality the problem he was dealing with was beyond him.

"... from the smallest cause..." She murmured it gently. It was unlikely Silent Brook understood the words, but he did hear the tone and it was making him relax a little. "You don't owe the human anything. I promise I will find a way home for you, Silent Brook."

Now the pony began struggling again. He pushed himself away and focused an incredulous, hurt look on the Princess. It nearly made her drop him. "I don't wanna go home!" he hissed angrily. "Let me go! You don't understand anything!"

She almost did, especially with Silent Brook pushing against her, but the alicorn brought her wings into play and kept both her grip and the smile. "Then tell me. I wish to understand." It was a chancy thing. It could easily have gone the wrong way, but Celestia kept her expression open and caring, and her ears focused expectantly on the stallion.

His gaze lowered and his legs relaxed. "I owe Saul and his family my life. More than that! I owe them everything!"

It was bound to be a heart-wrenching story and Celestia mentally prepared herself for it. Now that he had made the decision to speak, she also loosened her grip and allowed Silent Brook to settle back on the mattress. He didn't pull away, but neither did he try to keep the hug going. In the end, the alicorn just left her wing lightly draped around his shoulders and back. It would help if he didn't have to look at her face, so the mare shifted a little and faced the wall, just like Silent Brook was doing.

"When I first got here... on Earth," he began quietly, "they tossed me from auction to auction. I bit and kicked a lot. I was angry. I didn't know what was happening!"

This confirmed what Celestia had guessed - Silent Brook was among the first ones taken. That meant he was probably originally from the Dodge City, or that region. Where the humans first appeared from the portal in the Badlands. She didn't say it, though. The stallion would continue at his own pace and nothing good would come out of rushing him now.

"The guy who bought me last," Silent Brook went on, "I... never got to know him. Some oil-rich bastard from some shithole of a country on the other side of the world. He had bodyguards. They packed me in a cage and tossed me on an airplane for thirty hours. No food, no water, it was cold and noisy and hard to breathe. It landed twice, but they never took me off."

Her wing twitched a little, but Celestia resisted the urge to hug the stallion again. She needed him to finish before he broke down in tears again. Besides, he didn't seem too upset about the awful-sounding journey.

"That was the good part," he said, with a humorless chuckle. "Turns out he needed an interesting diversion for his two sadistic little shitstains. Twenty something and living on their papa's money and bored out of their skulls. They liked to torture animals and daddy just looked the other way because he was busy!" Silent Brook barked a mirthless laugh. "Guess I was cheap enough with my record..."

The pony took a glance at the Princess and she nearly recoiled from his expression. She almost asked him to spare her the details. "I'm sorry." She truly was. Even without knowing what came next, she was scared of the story.

"Yeah. Well, it was pure Tartarus," the stallion said, looking away again. "I didn't speak the language and they only used English to torture me, and they liked to play with knives!" At this, Silent Brook twisted and showed her his belly. He pried the fur away to reveal a network of scars.

Celestia gulped in fear. "Why?!" It was as alien a thought as she could imagine. Why would any creature do this to any other?! She understood predators and hunger, but this was just pain for pain's sake!

Before she could ask again, the pony settled back down and grinned fiercely. "They didn't tie me up properly one day. Stupid as well as mean. I broke a leg on one of them," he explained, ignoring her question. "Kicked the other in the stomach and ran for it."

She didn't like to hear about her ponies being that violent, but after the last bit, the alicorn nearly cheered him on. She knew Silent Brook wasn't lying about how horrible those humans were. If anything, he was holding back. They deserved whatever they got and possibly more!

"Of course they had guards, but at that point I wouldn't mind a bullet through my head, just as long as I didn't have to go back to those two!"

The words made Celestia shudder and she replaced her wing around Silent Brook for some quiet comfort.

"Turns out, there were Americans near there. Lucky for me there was a war, so they came looking when they heard guns. They didn't know what I was, so they shoved me into a cage," the stallion said and the relief in his voice was palpable. He smiled a little. "That's where I met Saul. He was stationed there and he was the only one in the bunch who'd heard of ponies. Came to feed me and talk to me every night. I guess he called in some favours or something, because the next thing I knew, they were shipping me back to America. To his family."

Celestia allowed herself to relax a little. Maybe the rest of the story would be less gruesome, but she was beginning to see why Silent Brook was this fiercely loyal to Saul. She would be too, to any human who took her from a place like that!

There was more to the story. The stallion heaved a sigh and continued: "I was pretty messed up. Imagine living on a quiet farm around Appleloosa, then grabbed by some upright monkeys then before you know it they are whipping you and shoving knives in you, just to see how loud you can squeal. I still get nightmares sometimes..."

Her wing-hug tightened and for the first time Silent Brook seemed grateful. He even leaned into the mare and nuzzled her flank. "H-how long? Did t-they..."

"About a month," he said dismissively. "Anyway, back in America, I woke up most nights screaming, but April - she's Saul's daughter - ran into my room and held me until I got over it," the stallion said gently. He was back to staring at the wall, but now blissfully, rather than fearfully. He smiled a little. "After a couple of nights she just put me in her bed and slept next to me. It really helped. I didn't want her to do that - I really didn't want to kick her in my nightmare, but that girl wasn't afraid for a second."

"That is really sweet."

"Yeah. An absolute angel. Anyway, by the time Saul came back from the military I was ready to worship the ground he walked on. Remember, he got me out of that mess. A few more days in that cage and the rich jerk would have come for me. He did, but they told him I was shot during my escape and they burned my body."

Now Silent Brook's expression was slipping back to sadness. There was more heartbreak, so Celestia just stayed quiet and waited for it. "Saul didn't get off lightly either. That war was hell on everyone. He changed since the time I saw him last." Silent Brook shook his head. "It was fine for the first few weeks. We talked a lot. It seemed like it was all over for us. I hoped I'd spend the rest of my life with him and his family."

The alicorn was starting to see the shape of the last bit of the story, but she let her friend finish it himself. The stallion sighed sadly and his head lowered. "But it didn't last. He kept staring into the distance, muttering. More and more and he started drinking. I mean drinking a lot."

"Well, he got into arguments with his wife. Finally she decided she'd had enough and took April away," Silent Brook explained flatly.

"You didn't go with them?"

When the pony looked at her again, all Celestia could see was love and devotion. After a moment he squeezed his eyes shut and fresh tears leaked down his face.

His voice was husky with emotion. "How could I do that?! The man saved my life and he needs me a lot more than April and Lena," he blurted out. "I just..." The pony sighed again and the sadness in his slumped shoulders and flat ears was heartbreaking. "I just dunno how to help. He drinks, and then he yells, and he still wakes up in the night. Sometimes I sleep in his bed. H-he..."

Now the stallion was really nervous. He glanced at Celestia and tried to decide if she could be trusted with this. "He sometimes... p-punches... me. He doesn't mean it! It's the nightmares and he's sorry about it! But..." the stallion said and sighed again, "it still hurts."

Silent Brook waited to see what her reaction would be. It was crucial she used a careful hoof with this. "And you stay in his bed because without you, it is worse."

He was very surprised at her guess, but the stallion nodded. "Yes. What else can I do!?" Silent Brook lowered his voice and his glance darted fearfully around. "He has his gun in a drawer, next to the bed. I'm afraid.. if I g-go, he'll..."

A shuddering sob racked his body. "He'll..."

He didn't need to say it out loud. Celestia placed a wing feather on his muzzle. "Hush, I understand."

She guided Silent Brook's face back to her belly and just held him as the dam broke loose. This was an anguish which had been quietly collecting over the years. The mare wanted to help. Yes, she wanted to get home, but while she waited for that option to present itself, one of her ponies needed her. Of course that came first. She just wished she knew how to help. What to do?

It would take thought and it would take a very gentle hoof, because both Silent Brook and Saul would probably fight her all the way. She hadn't expected to get as far as she had, even. Hearing most of Silent Brook's story this soon. Of course a lot of the detail was missing for now. That would come later. To have gotten this much out of him at all...

Celestia guessed she had her alicorn status to thank for that. The Princesses were a symbol of safety and stability. This was something taught and re-taught to all ponies in Equestria nearly from birth. In part, that was what made it such a big responsibility. To live up to all that.

She idly ran a wing down the stallion's mane and back, as soothingly as she could. She knew the first steps to take on this road and, when she put her mind to it, the rest of it would undoubtedly become clear as well. It would take a while. Maybe she didn't have enough time left on Earth. Maybe she would have a chance to go home - which she would have to take, for the sake of all her subjects, or maybe the humans would catch her first.

Matters of the heart were not resolved quickly, but maybe, if she got Silent Brook and Saul started, they could make the rest of the journey on their own. The first thing was easy, though. She carefully lifted Silent Brook's face from the Royal Chestfluff and smiled at him.

"You're a very good pony. I'll help as best as I can."

He blinked, not completely understanding her words, but the smile and the tone worked wonders to relax him.

"First, we'll clean this place up, okay? Together. Let's call it my personal little thank you to Saul for rescuing you." The pony gave a hesitant nod and his ears lifted up with hope. "And then... the nightmares..."

The ears went instantly down.

"I know you still have the dreams sometimes. Maybe I can help you both - I'm not my Sister, but I know a thing or two about the dream world."

This time, Silent Brook let his ears rise only slightly, as if unsure. It made Celestia giggle quietly. She glanced out the window. It was nearly night. The human should be coming home in a few hours, or so the stallion had told her. "Come, let's go to the kitchen and see if we can make a nice dinner."

He gripped her around the waist with all four legs. "D-don't tell him! A-about what I told you! Pl-please!" Silent Brook mumbled fearfully.

"I promise." She thought of another thing as she watched the stallion. "You're taking a bath and then I'm cutting your mane. Can't have subjects looking like that. It reflects badly on all of Equestria."

Her tone was lighthearted and her grin said it was mostly a joke. "Hey!" the stallion said and put his hooves over his head, as if protectively, but his mouth quirked up in a tiny smile.

"Not negotiable." She touched his nose with hers and giggled a little. After a moment, Silent Brook managed a very faint smile. It helped them both to put the horrible story behind. Then the stallion stood up and led the way downstairs.

Comments

[Moonlight_Mist]

Damn rich fucks. There's a reason the love of money is said to be the root of all evil. If a single person gets too much influence as a result of their success, it goes to their head. Power corrupts, and these powerful slimeballs start believing themselves to be above humankind in rank. So they do to humans what the most disgusting of humans do to those commonly seen as below humans in station. Whatever the fuck they want. Who's gonna stop them? Human law enforcement? Human activists? 'What can they do against a superhuman like me?' these slimeballs would ask themselves. 'I have the power to make them disappear at the snap of a finger!' they'd say. 'It is only by MY whim, MY charity that these ants at my feet are allowed to scurry about in their meaningless existences!' would come the boast from the greasy, audibly fat, overfed voice of the blob in his chair content to do nothing but sleep, eat, bark orders, and count his fortune.

Sorry, I have a strong hatred for those who became powerful by walking on those around them. Can you tell?

[awf]

10195100

I didn't intend to portray it as deeply as that - "rich arab" was just the thing that popped into my mind for some reason, doubtless due to some media or something I had seen or heard during the period when I was writing that.
That said, I tend to agree with you on those points. Wealth shouldn't convey that kind of power, yet sadly it does, and even more sadly, some people pursue wealth for this exact reason.

[PonyDragon]

The mare smiled sadly. The Royal Chestfluff was a power she used too rarely. She promised herself this would change if she ever got home.

I like this plan.

Matters of the heart were not resolved quickly, but maybe, if she got Silent Brook and Saul started, they could make the rest of the journey on their own.

I hope she succeeds.
Really.