Off Duty

by awf

Chapter 52

They left the house around midnight. Celestia sat on the passenger seat of Miriam's car and looked at the dark, quiet building. She had spent only a few days there, so she wouldn't miss it much. Not like she would miss Rawsthorne's place. Now that she was actually leaving, the emotion flowing through her heart could only be described as 'bittersweet'. On the one hoof, it was a relief to be going home. The past weeks had made Celestia all too aware just how dangerous Earth could be for her. On the other hoof, however, she had had some good times among the strange, bipedal creatures. Some very good times, she thought, as her thoughts turned to Rawsthorne. Yes, overall the Princess would remember her time on Earth fondly, and who knew - perhaps, in the fullness of time, she would be able to visit again. With a gentle hoof and humans like Miriam and Saul, Maggie and Rawsthorne - especially Rawsthorne - there was no doubt in Celestia's mind that lasting peace could be achieved.

She would miss her new human friends and she would miss her new pony friends. Celestia decided to spend more time with her subjects back home. Not as their ruler, or as their teacher, but simply as a pony. Just go out and mingle! Vanquish the perception of the wise, all-knowing, powerful - yet inapproachable - monarch. Only by living among her ponies would she learn their stories and get to know her people better. Celestia offered up a silent thank you to Glitter Dust. The pegasus' story wasn't a particularly tragic one, but it was one of the first she had seen on Earth, and her relationship with her human caretakers was... adorable. No other word for it. Her struggles weren't the fight of a ruler trying to keep her people safe, nor were they heroic battles against the forces of darkness. Instead, Glitter Dust's problems were of the more everyday sort - getting into mischief, looking for something to stave off boredom and, yes, even trying to find a bit of happiness in a chaotic world.

Celestia hoped she and Douglas Wilder would find a way. Perhaps in time, they might even agree to live in Equestria. She liked the pegasus. Her thoughts turned to her other friends. Heavy Hoof and Belle Hop, who could now find solace in each other. Perhaps they would be happy, or perhaps not, but it was a story Celestia would follow with great interest. Them, too, she would try to bring home. Then there were Silent Brook and Glowbug. One a damaged pony, doing the best he could to build a life with a damaged human. She hoped he would keep seeing April, even if it didn't end up in love, the two were good for each other. They deserved to remain friends.

The other... The mare couldn't call Glowbug 'damaged', exactly, but she wasn't a changeling, not anymore. Celestia didn't know what that mare was, but she settled for 'friend' in the privacy of her mine. It was unlikely that she would wish to come to Equestria, not when she probably couldn't rejoin the hive, but maybe the unicorn could have a happy life on Earth. It depended partly on Celestia and her success at influencing human laws and perception.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Miriam asked and interrupted her musing.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

The lady explained: "It's a phrase. Means I'd like to know what you're thinking."

"Oh. Nothing much. I am thinking I will miss my friends." There wasn't an answer right away and Miriam focused on driving. It was still dark and the road was winding, so Celestia didn't wish to disturb. She hadn't had a chance to try and operate one of these cars. It looked quite complex, but with Rawsthorne teaching her, she would have liked to experience it. No chance of that with Miriam, though. The D.A. had already done far more than Celestia would ever have expected. She wasn't about to ask for more. Instead, the mare left her in peace and went back to looking out through the window.

"You said Mr. Plain will carry messages between you and the ponies?" Miriam asked suddenly.

"Yes. There will be an arrangement so I can stay in touch with my friends on Earth."

Miriam smiled at that. "That's good. If you remember, drop me a line sometime, okay?"

Celestia laughed pleasantly at the misunderstanding. "But - you are one of my friends on Earth, Miriam. You will hear from me regularly, I promise!"

Now they both shared a chuckle. "Oh!" the D.A. said. "I'm flattered."

Celestia went on: "Furthermore, if you can tear yourself away from your work, I will invite you to Canterlot Spa. On me, of course."

"Oh my, that sounds delightful!"

Celestia nodded happily. "It is, and I would very much like you to meet my sister, Luna."

"Right, you mentioned her," Miriam remembered. "Night blue, kinda stuffy, controls dreams?"

Celestia most certainly didn't remember saying that! "Did I? Stuffy?!"

"I might have read between the lines a little." It just went to show how perceptive Miriam really was. Once again, Celestia was very glad that the D.A. was on her side.

"Well, she is a little 'formal', true, but once you get to know her, Luna is a very pleasant and kind pony."

"I'll keep it in mind," Miriam promised. "Oh, there's the highway. You should call your friends, we'll be near their house in about an hour."

Celestia focused her magic for a moment and brought her phone from the saddlebag on the back seat, along with a notepad she had borrowed from Miriam's brother's house. It was where she had written down the number for Lake Frond and Rock Lichen's secret phone. She typed it in, then lifted the device before her face. The human glanced at her briefly as she drove.

"It's still weird how you can hear anything that far away," she commented.

"Ponies hear a lot better than humans. It is far too loud to press it against my ear like you do."

It rang a few times, then a whispered pony voice answered: "Yes?" Celestia recognized Lake Frond.

"It's me - Tree Sap. We're on the way. Can you get out in about an hour?"

The mare on the other end of the line quickly caught her excitement. She whispered something unintelligible to Rock Lichen, then came back to the phone. There was new energy in her voice. "Yes, I think so! Andrew and Mary are sleeping. I can hear Andrew snoring. We'll have to be quiet, but it's okay. We are really doing this!"

"Of course! I will call again when we are nearby. Be ready."

"Yes, of course, Prin- uh, Supple. Eep! Sorry! I mean Tree Sap, sorry!" the mare mumbled.

"It is fine," Celestia assured her, but there was a distinct note of worry in Lake Frond's voice now.

"No, no it isn't! What if I slip up like that at the border? I could get us caught!"

That was true, but Celestia preferred to encourage her ponies, rather than force them in line through anger. She kept her voice calm and soothing. "Do not worry, Lake Frond. You will do fine. We are going home today."

Her friend on the phone audibly gulped. "I'll- I'll get it right, I promise!"

It made Celestia smile. "Good. Get ready and wait for my call."

She hung up and looked over to Miriam. "They will be ready. We need to find a secluded place to get them in the car without witnesses."

"Shouldn't be a problem. It's the middle of the night," the D.A. replied. "Do you want to go over the plan once more?"

"Yes please."

The D.A. thought for several seconds to make sure she had it all straight in her head before explaining: "Okay, so we will pick up your two friends near where they live. Then I take you all to that motel near the highway. Rawsthorne should be there, waiting for us."

She paused and looked at the mare. "You'll have to call him just before we pick up your friends, that will give him plenty of time."

"Of course."

"Okay, he'll take my car and I'll take his, just in case his is on some kind of a watch list. I also have all your papers here-" With that, the woman reached back and tapped at a slim, black briefcase with a finger. Celestia followed the gesture, just to make sure she knew where it was. The papers were important - without them, the ponies wouldn't be allowed through the border into Equestria. "He's documented as the owner for all three of you. Anyway, you'll drive for as long as you can hold your disguise, then stop at a motel to rest. You have more hair dye?"

Celestia lifted the cans up from her saddlebags, making sure once more. "Yes. Enough for two new coats."

"Good. Once you're rested, you put on the disguise and drive to the border. He shows the papers, gets you through the portal, and I think you'll be able to take it from there?"

Celestia nodded happily. It sounded quite simple. "Yes. Just - please, Miriam, make sure you do not end up in trouble because of this."

The lawyer chuckled a little. "No worries. If it comes to the worst, I'll run to Equestria and you can grant me asylum."

It was a joke, but Celestia would be more than happy to do just that. "If you ever need it, it is yours, Miriam!"

"Thanks, sweetie!"

They drove in silence for a while, then Celestia opened her mouth again. She had asked before, but hadn't gotten a real answer. "Miriam. Why are you doing all this? It is dangerous and I have no way to repay you."

Silence.

"Miriam?"

The woman sighed sadly. "Can I just say I disagree with slavery?"

"Well, of course, but you are breaking any number of laws and putting yourself and your family in danger. There has to be more to it than that." If their 'adventures' came to light, Celestia had no doubts that Miriam's brother would also have some stern questions to answer about an alicorn in his house, even if he didn't know about it.

miriam reached out a hand and laid it gently on her withers. Then she brushed the fur a little with her fingers. It was a very comforting gesture. "Okay, I guess it's to do with why I became a lawyer in the first place," the woman began to explain.

Celestia didn't interrupt. They had time and she didn't wish to pressure her friend. Miriam would tell the story at her own pace, and the alicorn would listen, attentively and patiently.

"So, when I was young, I lived next door to this family. You might call them 'problematic'. The father was in and out of jail and the mother had to work two shifts to make ends meet, but the kid and me were friends." They were happier times, despite the troubles she mentioned, Celestia guessed from the way Miriam was smiling faintly. "Thing is, they were black. So because of who his father was, the cops suspected Dwayne - that was his name - of always doing something illegal." Memory was enough to make the woman sigh sadly. "It wasn't right. I knew my friend wasn't stealing or fighting, like they said. It was just because of prejudice. So I set out to help him."

"What did you do?"

Now Miriam chuckled a little. "I was twelve, okay? I went to the library and got some books on law. And then I tried telling the cops what they were doing was illegal. I was sure it was!"

"Did it work?"

"They just laughed at me, but I didn't stop. I wrote letters to the courthouse and the police chief. Never got any replies," the D.A. explained. "Then, one day, Dwayne was gone. Someone told me he was in prison." The woman sounded angry now and Celestia waited in silence. "Turns out, he really was stealing things. He and a few of his friends tried to rob a fast food place. I guess I just refused to see it because we were friends."

"I'm sorry, Miriam. I'm sure anypony could make that mistake."

"Well," the D.A. went on, without really hearing the mare, "I ended up thinking - how much of it was the cops' fault?"

This was not something Celestia had expected. "Pardon? You said he was stealing!"

The hand went back to her withers and patted her. "Yeah, but try to imagine: he was just a regular kid, but everyone kept telling him that he's no good. That he'll end up like his father. Years and years of that, what would that do to someone?" Miriam almost growled, but then relaxed with another sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if he didn't start doing it just because everyone was expecting it? Figured if he was forced into that role, he might as well do it. I wish I knew."

"Did you not ask him?"

Miriam shook her head. "No, after that my parents forbade me to talk to him, and when he got out of prison, they moved away. We lost touch after that."

Celestia gave it some thought. In a strange way, perhaps it made sense. "Well, I am sure no one forced Dwayne to commit crimes, Miriam. That was his own decision."

"Maybe," Miriam agreed, "but I kept thinking about it. The way society sees you can influence who you are, at least a little. Maybe that was all it took?"

There was silence as Celestia considered this. Yes, the environment shaped ponies to a certain extent, but she had to believe in personal responsibility. Otherwise she would have to look for extenuating circumstances for ponies like Sombra. Or worse - creatures like Tirek or Chrysalis!

Luckily, Miriam continued her story and broke her out of such thoughts. "Anyway, I guess I felt I could have done more, so I kept with the law books, and when time came to pick a career, I just went with it. I promised myself I'd do more in the future."

There was a discrepancy there and Celestia pointed it out: "Now you argue in court to put people in prison."

It was enough to break the tension and Miriam laughed. "Yes, that's right, but I make sure they are guilty. I'm sure the chief of police curses me every day. I make them work extra hard so there's no mistakes. No wrongful convictions."

Celestia fully approved this approach. "It is the right thing to do. Why ponies, though? Why slavery?"

It didn't look like Miriam had a definitive answer. She shrugged a little. "Because it is wrong. Does there have to be more? I didn't like it when it first started happening with ponies, and I don't like it now." She glanced at the mare and pursed her lips. "Some of your friends have made a good life for themselves and maybe some of the owners aren't as bad, but it's still wrong."

"Thank you! There are not too many humans who think like that, Miriam. It means a lot."

Miriam just gave a nod. "Do you have a plan for when you're back? I mean- I can't do much, but you can push to abolish pony slavery on Earth."

Celestia grinned fiercely. "I intend to do that, but I do not yet know how. I will have to think it over once I'm back. When all this excitement is over. It will help immensely to have Gregory there with me."

It seemed like this was news to Miriam. Her eyes bulged out a little and she stared at Celestia for a few moments before returning her attention to the road. "What?! Rawsthorne is going to Equestria?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. Did he not mention it?" Celestia didn't wish to talk about their personal relationship, so she came at it from another angle. "I offered him a job in Canterlot and he accepted - human legal adviser."

Unfortunately, the woman was still as perceptive as ever. She giggled a little. "Huh. Horse is just that good, is it?" Celestia was immensely grateful for the darkness and for her disguise, so that Miriam couldn't see her blush. She didn't answer, which just made Miriam laugh harder. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Celestia still didn't say anything. At least until she thought up an appropriately scathing response: "Well, if you'd like, I can introduce you to a nice stallion and you can see for yourself."

They looked at each other, then they both burst out giggling. In a way, it was a relief that Miriam wasn't a prude about relationships between ponies and humans. After a few quiet moments, Celestia changed the topic. "Tell me about your brother. You said he is in this place called 'France'? What is it like?"

"Ho boy, this is going to be a long one," Miriam groaned.

"We have time."

Comments

[MadCelly]

Loosing a bit of sleep by reading too much of this... keep it up.

[Marmo]

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