Off Duty

by awf

Chapter 47

Every morning Celestia sent Silent Brook out to visit with their pegasus friend and ask about Rawsthorne and finally, one day, Glitter Dust replied that they could meet. It had been over a week at Saul's and the alicorn was getting quite impatient. When the stallion came back that morning he took her to a corner coffee shop, where Glitter Dust was waiting for them. The alicorn couldn't help prancing a little as they walked down the street, a fact which didn't escape Silent Brook. He was wise enough to keep it to himself, but he did give his Princess a bemused look once or twice.

At long last, there it was. The table outside in the sun which seated a human and a pony with two extra chairs. Celestia liked to imagine later on, that there was magic in the air as they saw each other.

Their eyes met.

Celestia broke into a gallop and the man stood up just before she hit him. Luckily the force of her hug didn't topple Rawsthorne over. She also somehow kept from outright kissing him - they were in public, after all - so she did the next best thing: She climbed fully up into his lap and nuzzled him affectionately. They were both laughing. "I missed you!"

Rawsthorne just buried his face in her mane and sat down with the pony on his knees. Luckily she was smaller in disguise. It took her a minute or two before Celestia became aware of the look her pony friends were giving her. Silent Brook and Glitter Dust were staring with very insolent grins on their muzzles, but she didn't care.

"Tell me everything! How have you been? Are you eating right? You do make breakfast for yourself each day, right? The washing machine giving you any problems? The door sticks a little."

The man barely fended her off as he kept laughing harder.

Celestia paused, slightly confused. "What?"

Rawsthorne just patted her neck and sighed. "It's nice to see you too. We can't stay long. I don't think I'm being followed, but I don't want to risk it," he explained.

That reminded her. She looked pleadingly at Silent Brook. "I forgot to bring the phone! Can you fetch it, please?"

Luckily the stallion was happy to oblige and ran off.

"Phone?" Rawsthorne asked.

"Yes, it was April's idea. She is Silent Brook's... uh, it is complicated. She is a friend and got us prepaid phones. She says they should be safe if we keep them secret."

The man nodded. "Oh! Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

Celestia had been asking herself that same question and she had worked out an answer. "Because you're a lawyer. A phone with a contract is somehow more... legal. Official. Something you just buy and use feels... incomplete." There was something else Celestia needed to know. "Have you spoken with Miriam Adams? How did the case go?"

This one he could answer. "Actually, she came over and met with Denis yesterday. Apparently it's looking good. She thinks it will be a win for pony rights."

The alicorn beamed. "They will yield to all our demands?"

Now the man shook his head sadly. "Not completely all of them, no, but most of them. Jail time, certainly. Miriam is convinced they will be punished for some form of kidnapping, even if the laws won't be changed outright." Then he brightened up a little. "It will set a precedent and go into case law. Miriam said this will be a basis to push for more pony rights, but it will take time."

Very inspiring. Even Glitter Dust smiled happily.

"That's great news! Of course I will lend any help I can when I'm back home."

The stallion came back, a little winded but not out of breath. He dropped a plastic bag on the table and pushed his chair closer to the pegasus. All of them shut up as the waitress came to take Rawsthorne's order and gawk at the ponies. She was familiar with Silent Brook, who lived basically around the corner, but she hadn't seen a pegasus before.

Glitter Dust knew exactly how to use this admiration to her advantage. The young lady was about to leave with just one order or coffee for the human, but the pegasus smiled pleasantly and asked for a hot chocolate with marshmallows. After a moment's thought Celestia did, too. Silent Brook went for a coffee, like Rawsthorne.

Once they were alone again, the alicorn came out with a hard question. She looked at the man and her ears fell, as if in supplication. "So... have you thought about... the future?"

His smile vanished and Rawsthorne looked at her solemnly. For a moment it felt as if the bottom had fallen out of the world and the mare was slipping down into an endless abyss. He was going to say no! She steeled her heart.

"I have, and..." Rawsthorne began slowly. The other two sensed the solemnity of the occasion. Maybe without even realizing it, Glitter Dust put a wing around Silent Brook.

"And?"

Rawsthorne sighed. "I can't uproot my life just like this. You understand that, don't you?"

Celestia let out the breath she had been holding. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes lowered. "I understand, Gregory. You do not have to say any more."

Her two pony friends, sensitive to their Princess' mood sighed sadly in unison. Celestia couldn't quite look at the human's face. It was a struggle to keep calm and focused on the immediate problems. She didn't doubt that Rawsthorne would help her return home. She had just expected... more. She had thought that they had something. Something beautiful.

A finger on her chin lifted her face. "Let me finish," the man said softly. Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia saw the other two ponies lean forward so they could hear.

She gave a single nod.

"I'll need a year or so until I can hand off all my responsibilities at the firm. I'll also have to work out some things with the bank and so on. There's a lot of paperwork."

For the first few seconds she couldn't make sense out of the words. "P-paperwork?"

"Yeah. It's hard enough to move to a different country, Cel- uh, Supple, but this is moving to an entirely different world. I'm not even sure what sorts of documents I'll need." The man barked a laugh. "Hell, I'm not even sure if it's legal."

All she could do at first was take a few shuddering breaths. A year was nothing! She had waited longer for good ice cream. Suddenly she had to blink away tears. "Does that mean-"

The pressure of his fingers on her chin increased and then his palm, wonderfully warm, slid up to cup her face. The thumb wiped away the beginning of a tear.

"It means yes. I've thought about it and I'd like for this," he indicated with a finger between her and himself, "to go on. I just want to do it properly. I can't be any use to you if I'm a fugitive." As a little joke, Rawsthorne added: "Maybe you'll need to push for some new laws for human immigration, you know?"

She replied, as serious as she had ever been: "I shall move mountains and seas, if need be, Greg. You have my word on that." Something else occurred to her and she jabbed an accusing hoof right in his stomach. "You did that on purpose!"

His innocent face was pretty good, Celestia had to admit, but she had had more practice. She saw the guilty flicker in his eye.

"Did what?" he tried, despite knowing full well she'd seen through him.

"Pretended like you were going to say 'no', just so you could see my reaction! That was incredibly mean, you know?" She brought her face closer and lowered her voice to a growl. "I've thrown creatures into Tartarus for less than that!"

Unfortunately for her, Rawsthorne had a secret weapon. One she couldn't defend against. He poked at her nose with a finger. Boop.

Her eyes crossed for a moment and she pulled away and blinked to clear her vision. "Hey!"

He just grinned. The insolence! The cheek! The disrespect! The unfairness of it all!

"I'll bite!"

For some reason, Rawsthorne wasn't intimidated. "Try it. I'll belt you again!"

At that moment Celestia heard a little cough from the side and turned her head to see... Her two friends, looking away with very red faces. The waitress with her tray, staring.

"Uh." She quickly slid from Rawsthorne's lap and took the empty chair to her side. "Excuse me."

Luckily, the onlookers just pretended they didn't see anything. Glitter Dust and Silent Brook probably because she was, after all, an alicorn and the human girl... Maybe she had heard stories and now realized what was happening between Rawsthorne and Supple Branch. For most humans it seemed to be an uncomfortable topic at the best of times. At least she didn't get angry over it. Instead, the poor waitress quickly placed their drinks on the table and left. Celestia glanced at Rawsthorne, then they both burst out laughing. The other two ponies didn't join in.

The silliness was over, though. Celestia tasted her drink, found it incredibly sweet, and smacked her lips in appreciation. Then she said up with a more businesslike tone of voice: "I spoke with Mr. Plain. He says the 'federals' are investigating his business too. I do not have a way home right now, Gregory."

Perhaps she should have led with that. After all, Rawsthorne couldn't come live with her and marry her in a jail cell or a secret human government facility. Did she just think 'marry'? The mare blushed a little and firmly blotted the word from her mind. A liaison was one thing, but this was bucking the tree before the fruit was ripe. Or maybe before it was even planted...

His face grew serious, too. "I'm sorry. So, what's the plan?"

Celestia shook her head. "I do not have a plan yet. I need to speak with Miriam Adams. Can you take that phone to her?"

He nodded happily and pulled one of the boxes to himself. "She should be in for a meeting tomorrow. I will speak with her and we will call you around four. What's the number?"

Celestia pointed where April had been kind enough to write both numbers on both boxes. "There, and thank you! Maybe there is another auction, or someone else who could help me with my papers. If I change my mane, maybe dye it, I can perhaps sneak through customs."

"Yeah, maybe. Why Miriam Adams, though?" Rawsthorne asked.

"She knew they were coming for me. She obviously has knowledge, or connections, or maybe she has ideas. She is positively inclined toward ponies, and I trust her." There was another thing. Celestia didn't know too many humans, but she did know the D.A. and trusted her completely and with her skill set and history, she might know what to do about Saul.

"One other thing. I will explain on the phone." Her eyes darted to Silent Brook and Rawsthorne spotted it, but he didn't understand why, so he didn't comment.

"Okay, I think I can make that happen. Anything else you need to get home, just let me know. Money isn't a problem and most other things shouldn't be either."

Celestia leaned closer and placed a hoof on Rawsthorne' leg. "Thank you. I will repay you once we are in Equestria. Believe me, I will repay you, Greg!"

There was too much suggestion in her tone which made her pony friends blush again. It was time for a less problematic topic. She was about to ask about her coworkers in the law firm, but Rawsthorne beat her to it:

"So, what have you been up to these days?"

She didn't want to bring up Saul and his problems, at least not with Silent Brook around. So she chose something lighter. "Did you know that young Silent Brook here has a crush on a human?" Poor thing nearly choked on his coffee, which just made Celestia smile wider.

"Hmm?" Rawsthorne asked, intrigued.

"Yes. Her name is April..."

Comments

[awf]

10195141
Do you mean this one: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/122626/royal-affection ?
Please point me at the story, though "Royal Affection Therapist" sounds like something that would be a fun read.

[Moonlight_Mist]

Gah! I made a Celestiadorbs comment about the end of last chapter! Should have commented on the dream or something! Because this! This! This is Celestiadorbs incarnate!

[Moonlight_Mist]

10195161
Actually what I was drawing from another author was the idea of affection therapy in general. I forget what the story is called, but it's a Human (Anon?) in Equestria story where the Human gets licensed with Twilight's help to put the power of human fingers to use for the comfort of ponies, while also using the sessions to give ponies a free ear to talk to.

[PonyDragon]

Unfortunately for her, Rawsthorne had a secret weapon. One she couldn't defend against. He poked at her nose with a finger. Boop.

The biggest weakness of all ponies!