Back on Duty

Greg and Celestia opted to do nothing quite as strenuous on Sunday morning, the mare kindly letting her human rest after his exhausting hike. Despite her misgivings, she had accepted the townsponies invitation to visit their town proper and enjoyed a pleasant tour. Of course there were those ponies who couldn't resist an opportunity to ask for the Princess' favor, but Gregory was able to gently deflect their requests. They had a slow, late lunch at a place called 'The Watering Trough' and by the time they returned to their inn, the royal coach was already waiting for them.

Greg was slightly taken aback. "I thought- what happened to the flying carriage?"

Celestia bumped the man carefully with a flank. "You said you did not wish to fly on the way back, did you not?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"I asked Corporal Silverwing to bring the stage coach instead of the flying carriage. It will be much more comfortable on the road."

All of that was true and Greg just shrugged to himself. "Sure. I mean, thank you."

"I will fetch the bag. I know your legs still hurt from yesterday."

"So kind."

Greg inspected the inside while he waited. It was quite familiar, except that the seats were somewhat lower and wider than human coaches would have had. The cushions looked like they were crimson velvet and there were thick, purple curtains on the windows, currently pulled back to let the light in. The carriage was finely crafted from some heavy, dark wood - mahogany, if Greg had to guess - and the edges were gilded with gold. There was even a small chandelier hanging from the roof, although there didn't seem to be a place for a candle. He'd seen those before, mostly used in the fancier parts of the Canterlot Castle, in the rooms which were usually given to visiting nobles. Magical lighting. Of course, a fire would be a tad dangerous in a moving wooden box.

His inspection of the inside finished, Greg walked around to the front. Perhaps it looked like a horse harness, but he couldn't tell. He'd never seen horse-drawn coaches on Earth close up. Four earth ponies, strapped in with leather belts and with thick, wooden collars around their necks were sitting and talking among themselves. Their corporal, a pegasus, leaning against the front wheel and staring forlornly at the sky. He also had the wooden thing, but it wasn't attached.

Greg's eyes strayed to the harness and he saw the chains lying on the ground. "Um, what's that called?" he ventured, pointing.

Corporal Silverwing looked down around his neck, then shrugged. "Hames," he replied.

The item looked a lot sturdier than the one they used for the air carriage, undoubtedly because the coach was a lot heavier. It was his fault that they had to travel on the ground and Greg suddenly felt a tiny bit bad.

"Um, sorry about that. The coach, I mean," he offered.

The guard looked at the man and shrugged. "It's alright. It is good to run every once in a while, if only to keep your legs in shape."

"Amen to that." The stallion gave him a blank stare and Greg felt he needed to explain a bit more: "Um, the Princess and I had a hike yesterday. Walking all day..." He patted his leg and winced. "Not in as good a shape as I used to be, so now everything hurts."

Perhaps there was a twitch of a smile on the corporal's muzzle, but the stallion hid it very well. "It gets easier with practice, Mr. Gregory."

"Greg, please."

Silverwing inclined his head. "Greg, then. Did uh- did the Princess have a relaxing time then?" His eyes didn't quite meet Greg's gaze and he couldn't hide a slight blush against his gray coat. Of course all the guards knew about Gregory, even if they absolutely never brought it up. While there was still some resentment among a few of the Canterlot Castle ponies, especially the nobility, most of the guards and the working staff were happy for their Princess, especially when they heard her singing some mornings.

"Yep. I kept the townsponies from pestering her as much as I could," Greg answered a different question to change the topic.

"Oh. Good. Thanks."

The four earth ponies were staring with some curiosity at their exchange, but at that moment Celestia returned, the bag in her magical grip. They all jumped to their hooves and stood at attention. Even the corporal hurriedly got up.

"I will take care of that, Princess!" Silverwing offered, walking right under the suitcase. Celestia lowered it to his back and the guard took it around the back of the coach.

Celestia smiled and murmured her gratitude to the stallion, before glancing over at Greg. "Ready to go?"

Before climbing into the carriage, the man took a last look around. There were a few townsponies gathered in front of the inn, but there was almost no sign of the festival now. All in all, it had been a very relaxing weekend, even though it had been quite strenuous physically. Greg smiled faintly, then lifted himself up into the coach and gratefully sank into the cushions. Even that slight step up had his muscles complaining.

He'd have to find a way to get back into shape. This was embarrassing!

The vehicle rocked as Celestia stepped on. It obviously had excellent suspension, so it probably wouldn't be too uncomfortable even if the roads weren't the greatest between Dodge City and Canterlot.

"Corporal Silverwing tells me the journey will take about three hours," Celestia informed Greg.

"Okay."

He patted the seat beside him and the mare took her place, leaning against his side and laying her head on his shoulder.

"That gives us some time to... relax a bit more." She was grinning and there was that mischievous sparkle in her eye again. She was planning something!

Greg's heart sped up a little. Whatever it was, it would probably be fun. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

The mare winked at him and said: "Later!" She looked out the window as the coach began to move at the corporal's sharp command. Gradually the inn slid out of view.

There wasn't a whole lot to do, so Gregory looked out at the landscape, where fields were soon replaced with forest. His hand sought out a few strands of Celestia's ethereal mane. It was the strangest sensation and he'd never quite gotten used to it. It was like holding a slightly more solid mist, except that it wasn't cold. If he weren't looking, he'd swear there was nothing in his hand at all, but with visual confirmation he could feel the slightest pressure.

"Back on Earth your hair was just normal. Why does it do this here?"

Celestia looked down at the bit of her mane twirled around Greg's fingers. "There is a lot more magic in the air in Equestria. It happens with age and there are some theories, but nothing that has been confirmed. Perhaps, in time, Twilight and Cadence will have similar manes."

"So it wasn't always like this?"

The Princess shook her head. "When we were young, Luna and I had quite normal manes. Mine was mostly pink with light blue streaks. They later changed into the turquoise, cobalt and cerulean I have now."

"And Luna?"

Celestia smiled at some pleasant memory. "Hers was actually more blue, but it seems to have darkened with age."

"Hmm. Interesting."

She gave him a nuzzle and they both stared out the window. "I feel as if I hadn't asked in a while: how is your work? You know you may change if you no longer like it, right?"

"No, it's good. It's a bit humbling to be writing your first ever cross-dimensional foreign policy, but I kinda like it."

"Any problems?"

Gregory almost opened his mouth to tell her about the rude mare, but thought better of it. There were only a few hours of their short vacation left, business could work until the next day. "Tomorrow. Let's enjoy the rest of today, right?"

Of course Celestia picked up on the fact that there was something to tell, but she just smiled and placed a hoof on Greg's leg. "Smart human." The pressure of her hoof increased as the mare leaned over to the opposite window and put her face right next to the glass. "I think we're away from civilization now. There's at least an hour until we reach the next town."

"Hmm? Why?"

She looked at him with a small, secretive smile. Her horn lit up and the curtains on both windows slid closed.

"Celestia?"

The coach was darker, but enough light seeped in for Greg to see her face. Her smile broadened. "You fell asleep too early last night. We have unfinished business..."

"What are you- oh..."

• NSFW SECTION STARTS -

She slid smoothly from the seat and knelt awkwardly on the floor. Luckily it was carpeted, so Celestia wouldn't rub her knees raw. Her horn kept glowing but its focus shifted to Greg's pants.

"Relax. I will do all the work, Gregory."

Before he could really object, even if he wanted to, Greg's pants were unbuckled and pulled down to his ankles. His exposed... 'self' immediately started to harden. Her breath on his thigh felt hot and the tongue she laid very gently on his skin was like fire. Not unpleasant, though, it just made Greg suck in a breath in surprise.

It didn't take him long to rise fully, not with Celestia's white muzzle brushing almost accidentally against his lengthening member. Her tongue moved sideways, trailing a hot line of saliva all the way to his tip.

"Ooooh..."

The mare smiled at his reaction, then opened her muzzle and took him in. It was incredibly hot and Greg tensed up. His hands sought out her head and he stroked her cheek with a thumb. Her eyes never left his as she began swirling him around with her tongue.

"F-F-Fuck!"

Celestia smiled around her mouthful at the result, then pushed in. Her lips met his groin and he was completely enveloped. His hold on her head tightened involuntarily and his legs gripped the edge of the seat. The muscles hurt a little, but Greg ignored them. A trickle of hot saliva ran down his balls, which only added to the intensity of the pleasure. As she pulled away, Celestia deftly kept his manhood from ever brushing her teeth. Her tongue played with the tip for a second, then she pushed back down, faster this time.

"Mmmph!" Greg moaned through lips tightly pressed together.

Again she smiled, proud of what she was doing to him. She bobbed up and back down, slowly a few more times to get a good feel for his length. Then she increased her pace. He was never going to last. The combination of saliva, heat and her teasing tongue would quickly prove too much. Within a minute Greg was desperately thrusting with his hips, enough so that Celestia had difficulties with the rhythm. She grunted and placed her hooves on his legs, effectively pinning him down.

"Stay still," she ordered, letting him out for just long enough to say that.

He twitched and his member smacked her on the nose, which just made the mare giggle a little.

"P-Please!" he begged, too far gone to stop now.

She let his hand guide her muzzle back and accepted him into the silken softness of her mouth once more. The heat returned and it was almost enough to make him come. Now that Greg was immobilized, Celestia could go faster. For a while the only sounds in the coach were the quiet slurping, the wet slapping of her muzzle against Greg's groin and his faint grunts and moans as he surrendered to the Princess.

She knew him well. A moment before he finished, Celestia pushed further down, accepting his entire length. Greg tried to bat her head away, to warn her of what was coming, but the mare persisted.

"No, w-wait. I'm- I'm gonna..."

Her mouth opened for an instant, but only to let her tongue out, where it cradled his balls. The unexpected warmth was too much. He grunted and jerked despite her weight holding him down. His seed splashed into her mouth. His hands held her muzzle down without conscious thought on Greg's part. Wave after wave of his orgasm rolled through his body and all his muscles locked in place as he throbbed inside Celestia's silken embrace.

He was nearly done when she loudly swallowed and made him spurt a few more times.

When it was over, they both lay there, breathing heavily. She kept him in her mouth until she was sure nothing more was coming, then gradually withdrew, licking him clean in the process. When she came back into Greg's field of vision Celestia was smiling. "See? Wasn't that easy?" she teased.

"I tried to-" he shook his head. "I said I was gonna- tried to warn you."

She shut him up with a kiss. "Hush. I wanted to taste it."

Again Greg shook his head. "Doesn't taste... good," he observed.

There had been just a trace left on her tongue.

"It does to me. I like it salty, remember?"

He was about to argue some more, but she placed a hoof on his chest. "Oh, just shut up! You are a true gentlecolt for thinking of me, but if I found, mmm, your seed in any way distasteful, I would have withdrawn in time, trust me."

There was no arguing that tone and Greg finally smiled. "You're amazing, anyone ever tell you that?"

"Yes," the mare replied with a slightly cocky smile. "All the time, in fact."

"Well, you are."

She climbed back on the seat, lay across Greg's lap to keep his legs warm, and nuzzled his chest. "Rest for a minute and then it is my turn, yes?"

The thought of returning her favor made Greg smile and caused his member to twitch again against her fur. He'd want more after tasting her, he already knew that, and she probably wouldn't be satiated just from his tongue. The hours of their travel would just fly past.

"Absolutely! You're delicious, too, you know?"

Celestia giggled at that and poked his chest with her muzzle. "You are a charmer, Gregory."

"Come on, let me up. I want a taste, now!"

She was all too happy to shuffle off Greg's legs. The seat was barely wide enough for her to lie on her side, but that was enough. He knelt down on the floor and kissed her flank.

"Ready?"

She nodded. "Go slow, my love," she asked despite the fact that she was already glistening with juices.

"Anything for you-"

• NSFW SECTION ENDS -

They froze as the coach slowed to a halt. "Oh, what now?!" Celestia asked, slight annoyance in her voice at being denied her pleasure.

Greg quickly stood and pulled his pants back on, while the mare slid from the bench.

There was a tentative knock at the coach door and Celestia twitched the curtains aside. "What is it, corporal?"

The guard's voice was a bit muffled: "Um, there's a problem, Your Highness. I think you should come out."

Celestia gave Gregory an apologetic glance. "I will sort this out and then we will continue, okay? Do not lose the mood!"

"I promise!"

The Princess opened the door and stepped outside. "Show me, corporal," she commanded.

Silverwing glanced around her at Greg, but quickly returned his gaze to the Princess. "Of course. This way, ma'am."

Despite Celestia's command, Greg couldn't just sit inside and wait. His curiosity got the better of him within five seconds and he poked his head out of the coach. Who knew, perhaps they would need some help. Granted, his muscles weren't up to much, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. The sight that met his eyes was quite unusual. A light pink pony with a blonde mane was lying in the middle of the road. An earth mare, young by the sight of her. His heart went up into his throat. Was she dead?! Had they hit her?

"Oh, no..."

"Explain," Celestia said, walking quickly over to examine the unfortunate pony with the corporal right at her side.

"She ran out of the woods over there," Silverwing said, pointing with a hoof. "She seemed scared out of her wits, she didn't even see us until it was too late. She collided with private Longstride."

One of the guards waved, blushing. "Sorry ma'am. I didn't see her until it was too late..."

Greg stepped out of the coach and hurried after Celestia. The Princess knelt down next to the prone pony and brought her head to the pink mare's chest. She listened for a while, then sighed in relief. "She lives. Hopefully she was not hurt. Corporal, please move her into the coach."

"Are you sure, ma'am?" the guardspony asked. "She is rather filthy..."

Even Greg winced at those words.

"Corporal!" Celestia said sternly. "We do not turn from helping ponies because they are dirty!"

The corporal bowed nearly to the ground. "I'm sorry, Your Highness! You're right, Your Highness!"

There was a squeak from the pink mare and she lifted her head, groggily. "Huh? Wha' hit me?" she asked.

"You are alright," the Princess observed with noticeable relief in her voice. "Can you stand?"

The mare looked up and caught sight of the smiling Celestia. The change was dramatic and unexpected. She yelped and jumped up to her hooves. She would have ran for it, but her leg gave way and the young mare nearly fell on her muzzle. With escape out of the question, she whirled around and flattened her ears as she backed away. Her eyes darted between the astonished guardponies and Celestia.

"S-Stay away f-f-from m-me!" she yelled, voice steeped in pure, cold terror.

Celestia took a step closer and the mare jumped further back, hissing and baring her teeth.

"Nopony will harm you, I promise you that. What is your name?"

The mare, whoever she was, wasn't listening. She kept glancing around, both searching for a way to escape and worried that others might catch her off guard. Her eyes landed on Greg, who had stopped in his tracks when she yelled. Their eyes met and he saw just how terrified the pony was. Something seemed to break in her and she bolted, grunting in pain as she put weight on her injured leg. She ran straight for the man. At first Greg thought she was attacking him and he crouched to jump out of the way, but then he saw she wasn't looking. She was running as if her life depended on it, giving Celestia a wide berth. Her eyes were closed and tears were streaming down her muzzle.

It was strange how she was able to navigate even without sight.

Greg took a chance. He fell to his knees and opened his arms. The mare hit him smack in the chest and wrapped her legs around his midriff. She pressed her face against his shirt, whimpering. "Please, I'm sorry, please, don't let the horns get me, please!"

Confused, but suddenly extremely protective of this panicked creature, Greg put his arms around her, mindless of the filth the corporal had mentioned and not caring about her smell. She stank of sweat and grime and worse things.

More importantly, she was shivering- no, trembling. "Please, m-mercy..." she begged in a quiet voice.

Greg looked up at Celestia, who was staring with incredulity. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it.

"What do I do?" Greg asked.

"Perhaps she hit her head, ma'am," the corporal suggested. "Or perhaps she is insane. Where did she come from, though? And why is she this dirty?"

Celestia watched the shivering mare clasping Gregory as if for dear life, then her expression softened. "Take her inside, Gregory. She seems to be afraid of me. Bundle her up and hold on to her, I will enter when you are ready. If her parents are around, we will find them. I will send word to all the nearby towns." Looking at her guards in the carriage's harness, Celestia added: "We will take her to Canterlot where a doctor can examine her. I will find out who she is and what has happened to her, this I promise."

"Of course, ma'am," the corporal agreed.

"Here, let's get you someplace safe and warm, okay?" The mare didn't react, but her grip around Greg's chest tightened when he spoke, and then some more as stood up. She was little more than skin and bones, so lifting her up was distressingly easy. Greg couldn't help feeling sad over her state. "What happened to you?"

Still no answer, but the mare allowed him to carry her inside. He placed her on the bench at the far side and looked around for some blankets. There were a couple stashed under the opposing seat, but he couldn't reach them.

"Sweetie, you have to let me go for just a second so I can grab a blanket."

The mare didn't seem to hear. When he tried to pry one of her legs off she squealed and held on even more tightly.

"Okay, then..." Greg said, more to himself than her.

He stood up, then knelt awkwardly on the floor. That brought the blankets within reach of his hand. He grabbed two and stood up again. Even this exertion was enough to have him breathing heavily. He still felt the aftereffects of his hike the previous day, but he ignored the dull fire in his muscles. Again he sat at the far wall. Luckily the mare wasn't pinning his arms, so he could spread out both blankets and wrap them around the pony. After a moment's thought, he pulled the fabric over her head.

"Okay, I think we're ready!"

The coach rocked a little as Celestia entered. She observed the bundle in Greg's arms with slight frown. "Did she say anything?"

The man mutely shook his head.

"I wonder why she reacted like this."

"She said 'don't let the horns get me'. Was she talking about unicorns, or alicorns?"

Celestia shook her head. "It could not have been alicorns. There are only five in Equestria and I know for a fact none of them would do this to her."

"Unicorns, then?"

The Princess looked troubled. "If so, then we might have a very... dark problem on our hooves. I can't imagine any pony doing something like this to another."

Greg tried to come up with another theory. "Well, maybe she got lost, or her family was... killed by something in the forest. Maybe it was a creature with horns? Maybe not killed, but they just got separated?" Greg swallowed as his imagination attempted to run away with him. "A couple of days in the forest, alone, would explain it.

Celestia almost looked relieved. "Maybe. Yes. I will try not to fret until we know the truth."

The mare in his arms shifted a little and Greg pulled the blanket away from her muzzle. Her eyes, large, amber and luminous, focused on Celestia. The pony gave a tiny whimper and tried to hide under the cover again.

"Shhh, shh. It's okay. She is a friend. That's Princess Celestia. Don't you know the alicorn Princesses?"

The result was less than encouraging. The mare buried her muzzle in Greg's shirt again, doing her bast to wriggle under the blanket. At least she wasn't panicking anymore, which Greg took as a sign of progress.

"This is concerning," Celestia pointed out.

"Yeah. Who hasn't heard of you?!"

"She seems comfortable with you. I know it is much to ask, Gregory, but-"

"I'll do it," he replied even before Celestia made her request. "I'll stay with her until she calms down."

The Princess smiled at him, her ears splaying out a little. "You really are a good human, Gregory."

They fell silent when they heard a soft keening noise. Greg looked down at the mare, who was trembling and sobbing into his shirt.

He briefly worried something was wrong, but then he understood. "I think this is good. She feels safe enough to cry. It's good."

Celestia gave him a single nod. She thought of something and her horn lit up. "Hold on..."

A bottle of water rose from under one of the seats and Celestia offered it to him. "See if she will drink," she suggested.

"Good idea," Greg said and quickly uncorked it. He peeled the blanket away just a bit so he could bring the neck of the bottle near the mare's muzzle. "Here, sweetheart. It's just water."

The pony in his arms sniffed at the bottle then tried to lick it.

"Here, hold on..." he tilted it carefully, letting a slow dribble of liquid splash against her tongue. She lapped it up eagerly, as if she was dying of thirst.

Well, she might be, Greg thought. Seeing the shape she was in, anything was possible. The strange thing was that she didn't try to grip the bottle or put her lips around it. She just licked up whatever stray liquid Greg poured out. He didn't complain, but the process did take a while and ended up with a few spills as the coach rocked on the road. Neither he nor the mare in his lap minded, though.

"Well, it's going to be an interesting evening, I can tell you that."

Celestia was obviously thinking about something. "We will see if she is still afraid of me when we reach Canterlot. If so, perhaps it is better you take her into one of the guest rooms and stay with her there. I do not wish to distress her unduly."

"Yeah, good plan. Hopefully it's just temporary and she snaps out of it."

"I'm sure the doctors in Canterlot will be able to help. Perhaps it is a malady of the mind, or perhaps it is just shock." Celestia let out a chuckle. "In the end, it might even really be a concussion, as Silverwing suggests. She did run full gallop into private Longstride."

"Lucky he wasn't wearing armor..."

They both laughed softly, but then Greg glanced down worriedly. It seemed the strange mare wasn't disturbed by his talking. She was settling down to sleep, if anything. Her muzzle was pressed into the crook of his arm and her breathing was no longer as rapid. Her ears were laid down and she had loosened her death grip around Greg's chest. Greg brushed away a bit of filthy mane and saw that her eyes were closed.

"I think she's falling asleep. Poor thing must have been exhausted. I wonder how long she's been running before she found us?"

"I also, Gregory. I also wonder."

It felt like a thousand years ago, but Greg remembered what they were doing just before their unscheduled stop. "Sorry about- well- us. I'll make it up to you."

"Not your fault, Gregory. It is quite alright..." the Princess said, with only a slight note of sadness in her voice. She brightened up and flashed the human a smile. "I will hold you to your word, however. You will make it up to me." Her eyes fell on the pink pony. "Once this one is safe. Of course my ponies come first."

"Of course."

The mare he was holding grumbled something he didn't quite catch and shifted a little, seeking a more comfortable position. Greg watched her intently, slowly stroking her back with his fingers.

"I think she's asleep," he murmured as quietly as he could.

Celestia leaned closer to see, bringing her muzzle right to the pony's head. "So peaceful," she murmured quietly and gave the poor mare a quick nuzzle.

An ear flicked in annoyance, but she didn't wake up.

It made both of them smile.