//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: Reluctant Freedom // Story: Rosa // by awf //------------------------------// It had all gone terribly wrong. Rosa was tied up in the Boones' laundry room with a thin, chafing rope which was also cutting off circulation to her legs. A particularly nasty loop went around her neck to a sturdy radiator pipe in the wall. Maybe she could have gotten it off, but Rosa was worried it might bite into her flesh and suffocate her if she struggled too much. Even if she could get free, where would she go? Show her unescorted, cutie-marked flank anywhere in public and sooner or later someone would call the police on her. Yes, sometimes ponies ran errands, and some could even do their work in relative freedom, but they usually had uniforms and permit cards. The fact of the matter, Rosa was starting to realize, was that ponies were tolerated as slaves, but humans were still uneasy seeing them walk around by themselves. She had been told to expect that on her assignments and to make sure her assigned human was always nearby. Maybe it was easier for pegasi, like Paolo, who would probably end up working as delivery ponies. He would get a post office uniform or something when he was out and about. No chance Rosa could do anything like that. Even her maid's dress wouldn't mean squat if she didn't also have a permit with which to back it up. It was so very unfair. All she had wanted to do was help people. She had done so much for Mr. Boone and his family already and he couldn't even trust her enough to let her explain! Rosa grumbled and tried to stomp the floor, but the rope kept her leg pressed against her barrel. The most she could do was flop awkwardly around. It was going to be a very uncomfortable night. She sighed and tried to lie a bit more on her side. The tiles were cool, but she had fur so she could deal with it, at least for the moment. Besides, sleeping felt like a long shot with the uncertainty and worry about her situation. Rosa glanced out the window, but the bit of sky she could see was completely dark. It was funny... she wished for the night to be over, but at the same time she was afraid of what morning would bring. Mr. Boone had said he would call the School and Rosa worried what Instructor Martha would do. They probably wouldn't let her say bye to her friends, so they'd just be left wondering what had happened to her. Exactly like it had gone down with Maribelle. Would they even tell the ponies that she had gotten her cutie mark? Rosa tried to remember all the rumors about what was supposed to happen next. The official word was that she would be sent someplace with some scientists, who would try to find out why she had gotten the mark and what it meant. Then, supposedly, she would be reassigned to a different kind of work - one which included her special talent. That didn't sound too bad, but the fact that ponies who got their cutie marks were never heard from again didn't bode too well. That was probably what had started all those rumors of ponies being killed. Also, what was the deal with older ponies at the School? They all had cutie marks - two of them - and were allowed to mingle with the students. Clearly a cutie mark wasn't as dangerous as all that! There was much about the world that made no sense to Rosa. Would she ever get any answers? Her thinking was cut short when she heard a noise at the door. She managed to lift her muzzle off the floor and focused her ears. That was definitely someone fiddling with the lock! Maybe Mr. Boone had brought her a blanket or some water. Maybe she could talk with him, now that he had calmed down. Rosa understood that passions had been running wild when he found those magazines in Benjamin's room, and he had overreacted. Rosa would tell him she understood and there were no hard feelings. If he would just listen to her for five minutes, they could figure the cutie mark thing out together. She would keep performing her duties and he wouldn't have any of the tiresome paperwork or whatever he'd have to do when he returned her to the school. Rosa almost began smiling in relief as the door opened, but then her face froze in worry instead. "Benjamin?!" "Shush!" the boy hushed her and quickly closed the door again. Then he glared at the floor and sidled closer to the mare. His hands were bunched up in fists, which made Rosa a bit afraid of why he had sneaked down from his room in the middle of the night. "W-What are you doing here?" she whispered. Rather than answering, the boy crouched to inspect her a bit closer. He didn't seem afraid of her, but he was certainly angry. "He hit me, you know?" the boy admitted, "because of you!" That was thoroughly messed up and Rosa was very sorry to hear it, but the boy couldn't really pin it on her if his dad was an abusive jerk. "I'm sorry, Benjamin..." "Everything was fine until you came along!" the boy went on. "No, it wasn't," she pointed out. "Your father shouldn't hit you, ever! That's not okay!" Benjamin knew that and despite her predicament, Rosa's heart went out to him. She struggled to shuffle a bit closer, so she could lay her muzzle on his slippered foot. "It's not your fault, okay? Look, we just need to sit down and talk this o-gurk!" She had been interrupted by a swift kick to the muzzle. There wasn't much force behind it. The boy was just letting out his frustration, he wasn't really trying to hurt her. "It's all your fault, you- you bitch!" he swore. "I told you not to go in my room!" Rosa rubbed her muzzle against her knee and heaved a sigh. "Benjamin, knowing what your father is like, didn't you realize keeping porn magazines under your bed is a stupid idea?" He didn't answer, which Rosa decided meant 'yes'. Maybe she was finally breaking through to the kid? "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? I didn't want him to find out, it just happened! It was an accident!" Unfortunately, the boy was her only hope of getting the father to listen, so Rosa had to make him see her point of view. "I didn't think you'd have... stuff like that under there! I was just trying to get my pen, I swear. I'm really sorry, but your dad walked in at exactly the wrong moment!" She wondered why the boy had even come down to see her. Was it just to tell her how mad he was, or maybe he was hoping the two of them could reconcile? Again, Rosa slipped her head on his foot and gave it a nuzzle. "He checks my phone, you know?" Benjamin admitted quietly, staring off into the distance. "I don't get any privacy! I paid Eduard at school a hundred bucks for those magazines!" "I'm sorry. I'll pay you back!" Rosa promised. She was willing to say anything at that point, just to get out of her predicament. The boy sniffled, which Rosa took as a good sign. She nuzzled his bare ankle a little and even gave it a lick. "It's going to be okay. Just- please, go get your father. We have to talk about this. Please?" The touching seemed to bring the boy back from whatever thought he was getting lost in, but not in a good way. He moved away from her lick and then kicked her again. It was not very hard, but it stung in more ways than the physical. "I hate you! Everything was okay before you were here!" Benjamin repeated. He kicked again, this time harmlessly hitting a hoof. "Hey! Please stop that! Let's just talk!" The last thing Rosa wanted that night was a beating by the teenage son! The flurry of blows didn't stop and her only consolation was that Benjamin didn't know what he was doing, so most of the kicks ended up on her legs and hooves, where they didn't hurt very much. He was also only wearing a slipper over his bare foot, which helped. The youth was openly sobbing now. "He said I'm never getting my phone back! He said he'll put cameras up in my room! It's all your fault! I hate you!" If Rosa weren't tied up, she would actually have felt sorry for the boy. Not even she and her roommates had been under constant surveillance! It sounded absolutely horrible! "Oof! No... Benjamin- ah! Stop, please!" He landed a good kick in her soft belly, which made Rosa wheeze in pain, but then the blows stopped. The boy was breathing heavily. "I hope they take you away and put you in prison forever!" Her tears were flowing, once again, but Benjamin didn't seem to notice, or care. He stepped away and turned to leave. "Please," Rosa gasped, "let's just talk! I wanna help!" The boy turned back, but he just spat at her. It missed her muzzle by inches, but the intent was very clear. "I hope you die!" he hissed and walked quickly away. "Benjamin please!" Rosa called after him as loudly as she dared. He ignored her as he slipped out through the door and a moment later Rosa heard the keys turning. Why did the boy hate her so much?! She couldn't stop weeping as she remembered his furious face as he kept kicking through her pleas. Whatever Mr. Boone had done to his son, it sure had stuck with the lad. Stupid parents with their stupid knee-jerk reactions! Rosa tried to stomp the ground again, but the ropes kept her legs from extending far enough. What a messed up family! What really hurt was that poor, sweet little Lillian was stuck there. Rosa really hoped Mr. Boone wasn't going to anything monumentally stupid, like hit her. He hadn't yet, Rosa was sure of that. She would have seen it in the girl. She should have seen it in the boy, too, if only she had spent a bit more time with him. If she had worked harder on befriending him, Rosa probably wouldn't be in this situation right now. "Could have, should have, would have..." she mumbled miserably to herself. Poor Lillian was going to be heartbroken without the mare. She wished she could say goodbye, but Rosa didn't think that would happen, not now. They would probably tell her some lies about how Rosa had became dangerous, or something, and had to be sent away. That thought started her crying anew, hurting her heart much more than the fear of what would happen to her. Rosa woke up after a dreamless sleep to all her muscles screaming out in agony. The stone floor had been just as cold and uncomfortable as she had imagined. Tied up as she was, it had been impossible to rest comfortably. Despite that, Rosa had managed to fall asleep a few times out of sheer exhaustion and boredom. Now she was paying the price. "Ow..." she groaned as she tried to wriggle some feeling back in her legs and back. Only then did she look around. It was still very early, with only the barest hint of gray out the window. Everyone was still asleep. Rosa hoped Mr. Boone would come see her before he called the School. Maybe, after sleeping on it, the man could be reasoned with. She sobbed, just once. All she needed was for the damned human to listen to her for fifteen minutes! Was that so much to ask!? Rosa was a good pony, dammit! With some difficulty she flopped to her other side. Her ribs hurt a tiny bit less there and maybe she could get a few more minutes of sleep. Something told her that she was going to need it that day. Just as she was drifting off Rosa heard the lock rattling again. There was her chance! She struggled into a neutral position on her belly, so that at least she could look at the human with her face the right way up. The door opened and Rosa's ears instantly folded down. "Lillian?" The girl stepped inside, staring at her with big, frightened eyes. She was keeping her distance, which broke Rosa's heart all over again. "Please don't be afraid of me!" The girl pushed the door shut and took a few steps closer, but she was staying out of reach of her hooves, or at least out of reach as she imagined it. Rosa tears dripped to the floor. "Please, sweetie! It's just me," she sobbed. Lillian wanted to believe her and took another step, almost unconsciously. "Mom said you bit her," the child whispered. "I swear I didn't! Lillian, you know me!" "She has a bandage..." Rosa almost growled in frustration. That had been low, even for Mrs. Boone! She opened her mouth to argue, but then just slumped forward. What was the use? Going to the Boones had been a big mistake. It was now obvious that getting Rosa had just been Mr. Boone's fanciful, spur-of-the-moment idea and it had gone against the wishes of his wife. The mare had been doomed to fail from the start. Maybe her misery moved the girl, or maybe there was some affection left. Lillian came closer and put her hand in her mane to comfort her. "I forgive you," she said and Rosa closed her eyes to enjoy the touch. "Daddy says he'll make sure they'll put you down. Mom said that's good." Rosa knew she was telling the truth and her gut froze into a solid lump. Her lip trembled and she started breathing more quickly. Yesterday had been as close to dying as she had ever felt in her life and Rosa realized she absolutely didn't want to go. Not by some stinking human's hand! "Please no...," she sniffled. The little girl couldn't help her, but Rosa was ready to try anything. "Please - can't you talk to your father? I don't wanna die!" Lillian shook her head. "Dad won't listen when he's like this. He said he'd spank me if I came here, but I wanted to see you anyway." The fingers found her ear and scratched behind it. Perhaps that touch was the only thing keeping Rosa from gibbering in fear. She suddenly hated that smug, pretentious bastard from the bottom of her heart. She would bite him, and kick him, the first chance she had. Give him something to remember his hypocrisy! Lillian saw her expression and quickly stepped away. "Oh, no! Sweetheart, I'm sorry! Please don't be afraid!" Whatever Rosa might think about her father, she still loved the girl more than anything. They had only known each other a week, but that was enough. "If- if I let you go, will you go away?" Lillian asked slowly. Rosa lifted up her ears in puzzlement. Had she heard correctly? "W-What?" The girl pointed at the rope. "I don't want them to kill you, even if you did bite Mom. But you have to leave us alone." At that point, Rosa would have taken anything, just to save her life. "I promise!" Lillian went to the door, but glanced at her before leaving. "Wait here, I'll come back." As if she could go anywhere. Rosa focused her ears and heard her padding to the kitchen and rummaging in a drawer. Then her bare feet returned to the laundry room. She was carrying scissors, which made Rosa exhale in relief. She hadn't even known she was holding her breath. Lillian approached carefully and snipped the ties around her legs. Rosa wanted to stretch them out, but she also didn't want to make any rapid movements which might scare the girl away. She waited patiently as Lillian fiddled with the string around her neck. The scissors clicked together and suddenly Rosa was free. She lifted herself up as slowly as she could, rubbing with her hoof where the rope had chafed her. She looked at the little girl with all the gratitude she could muster. "I would never hurt you, Lillian," Rosa assured her. She tried to bring her muzzle in to brush against Lillian, but she moved away, all the while watching the mare carefully. "I love you very much and I'm sorry this all happened." The admission made her sob again, but Rosa blinked her eyes clear and stood up. "You have to go now," Lillian said seriously. Rosa knew she would get in heaps of trouble for freeing her, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about that now. The mare took a step forward, then paused. For a moment she entertained the idea of going upstairs into the master bedroom, sitting down on the floor and trying to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Boone. Was there any way at all she could still salvage this? Once she ran, she could never come back. Runaways weren't shown any mercy at all, that was a threat all the teachers had kept repeating. Rosa believed them. Best case scenario would be that they put her to work in some mine or something and the worst case that they just put her down like an animal. The step she was about to take meant she would be a fugitive forever. Rosa absolutely didn't want that, but what choice did she have? Lillian had said Mr. Boone would ask for Rosa to be killed and she believed her too. She also felt in her belly that the man would make good on his promise. He had a lot of power, it seemed, so the threat would probably come true. As much as it pained Rosa to leave with Lillian thinking she was some kind of a monster, she didn't have a choice. There was no talking with the Boones. All that awaited the mare if she stayed, was death. At least if she ran, she would have a chance. Rosa looked back and sought out Lillian's face. She gave her a sad smile as fresh tears welled up. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Please, remember I love you. Remember the nice times we had, okay?" She didn't answer as Rosa took a few steps, but then the mare had to pause and turn back, if only for a moment. "Please, sweetheart, stay safe, okay? Don't end up like them..." Lillian's face softened for a moment, but then the uncertainty was back. Of course the child would believe her parents over someone she had only met a week ago, even if said someone was a pony. "Just go!" she ordered gruffly. Rosa wanted to give her a last hug, but she had a feeling Lillian would just step away. That would really make her cry, so Rosa didn't even try it. Without another word she walked out the door and paused to listen intently. The house was still quiet. It was before six, she guessed. Rosa made her way past the kitchen until she reached the door to the pool room. It was not locked, so it didn't slow her down much, but Rosa still took the time to close it gently behind herself. The backyard was fenced off on all sides, but the gate to the front yard wasn't bolted or anything. There was just a bit of metal holding it in place and it was the work of a moment to undo. Rosa dutifully closed it behind herself, then walked to the road and looked both ways. Where could she even go? Off to one side Rosa saw the skyline of the big city. That would be full of humans and dangerous. The other way there were just houses, but she spotted a hill in the distance. It looked like it was covered with a forest. Could ponies survive in the woods? Rosa guessed she would find out. Her hoof froze in mid-air and she looked at the silent house behind her. It had been her home for only a week, but she would still miss it. No, actually - she would miss Lillian. What they had. She wasn't a special needs child, but she was the first human Rosa had looked after as her own. It seemed she would also be the last one. "Goodbye, sweetheart," Rosa whispered, then resolutely turned away and trotted down the road. It was too early for humans to be going out yet, but she knew she should leave the road as soon as she could and head toward the woods she had seen. Rosa didn't know if they would search for her. There might be helicopters, so it would be a good idea to have some cover by then. She was heading for a completely different life and didn't know anything about it. What choice was there, though? For better or for worse, Rosa was now a free pony. She ran past the neat row of identical-looking houses in that little bit of the suburbs, looking all the time for a way to get off the street. Just as she was getting into her pace, a dog barked suddenly, right on the other side of a fence. It made Rosa jump and scurry off, worried that some human might come and see what was wrong. The furious barking seemed to chase after her for a while, but Rosa was having trouble hearing it above her own heartbeat and panicked breathing. Only when the house was far behind did she relax her pace again. At long last the street ended in a circle of asphalt and there was a gap between the houses. Rosa didn't think, just aimed down it and sped up. She didn't know how long she could keep up her run. Rosa had always been somewhat fit, but the school had trained her to be an inside caretaker, not an athlete or a delivery pony. Already she was sweaty and gasping for breath. Running on soft grass took a bit more effort, so Rosa slowed down. Collapsing less than two miles from the Boone household would be really embarrassing. As she slipped between the houses she saw a light in one of the upstairs windows. People would be getting up and going to work soon. She should really make sure to be gone by then! Luckily no one looked out to see her and Rosa didn't hang around, but as soon as she cleared the last building she paused for a moment to look around. There was a raised highway in the distance among empty fields. Some of them were covered with brambles and weeds and a few had been plowed. Or maybe they were already seeded, but nothing had grown just yet. Trotting on grass was hard enough, trying to run on soft mud would be a nightmare. Rosa walked alongside the nearest field until she found a very small gravel path. It was better than the alternative of going the long way around. The stones crunched a little under her hooves, but she was far enough from the houses so no one should hear. She slowed down a little more and tried to make a plan. The highway was a bad idea - too many prying eyes. Rosa scanned the horizon and focused on the hill she had seen. It was a solitary lump of earth covered by a sparse forest. Her best hope, the mare thought, was to head there, then see if there was a denser bit of woods further along. All other directions were either fields, the suburbs or the city, none of them a good choice. Having at least that much of a plan helped lift her spirits. Rosa focused her thoughts on other necessities. She was wearing her night gown, which should serve her as a makeshift blanket during the chilly nights. It was a shame she hadn't been able to bring her hat for the upcoming summer, though. She couldn't think of anything to do for a shelter, unless she happened to find a cave or something. Even so, Rosa would be wary to sleep in some hole in the forest. Were there bears in the area? Mountain lions? No, that was stupid - the nearest mountains were thousands of miles away, unless her geography was completely wrong. Rosa realized she had absolutely no idea what kind of landscape was around her. She knew the broad geographical features of the country thanks to Mrs. Isaac's geography class, and she knew the names of the states and their major cities, but all of that was completely useless to her now. European cities also didn't seem very helpful at the moment. Rosa wished they had taught her a bit more about the local landscape. So, that left the mare with a crude lean-to, which shouldn't be too hard to build in the forest, and her night gown to either wear or cover herself with. Together with her fur, it should be fine until the summer. Her next problem would be food. Rosa knew for a fact that ponies were quite able to eat and digest grass, even though it gave them wind. The only problem was - she had tried that once. After learning about it in Mr. Greiner's class, Rosa had taken her roommates' dare and tried nibbling on the grass in front of the dorm building. Maybe it had been the wrong type of grass, or maybe she just wasn't used to it, but it tasted awful and her stomach rumbled throughout the night. It also gave her diarrhea the next morning, so Rosa had never tried that again. Food was going to be tricky, but maybe switching to a grass diet was just a matter of persistence until her body adapted. With luck, she could even fill out her meals with some berries or nuts. In theory she could eat raw mushrooms, but Rosa had zero idea which ones were poisonous, so she decided to stay away from those for now. Besides, looking at all those fields, there was bound to be grain and corn and maybe other vegetables growing soon. She could sneak back there and steal a few in the night. Winter would be more difficult, but Rosa had enough problems for the moment and decided to put that one off to think about later. Making all those plans was good, but her heart kept sinking lower and lower. She started remembering all the comforts she would have to give up. A soft bed, for one. Fried food. Fizzy drinks. Sweets. Friends. That last one hit home and her step faltered. Rosa couldn't keep the sob from breaking out as she sat down on the path. She wanted to curl up and cry, but the mare forced herself to get up once more and take a step. Then another. She would never see her roommates again... It left her feeling wretched as she continued walking the gravel path between the fields. This whole thing sucked, but Rosa didn't want to die. She would do whatever it took, sacrifice all her comforts, to survive. In her heart, a small, budding spark of determination started to grow.