It was as good a place to stop and rest as any. Just as the land had started to rise up, there was a paddock at the end of a dirt road. There were some cows, standing around or lying in the sun and chewing cud. There was also a trough of water, which refilled itself from a blue, metal cistern. The road seemed at least somewhat maintained, so the cows were probably cared for. It was risky to stay, but Rosa decided to anyway. There was the water she needed to keep her strength up, and in addition she could be certain that the grass there was edible. If she kept her eyes and ears open, she could rest among those cows and spot any cars coming from miles away, which would give her plenty of time to run away and hide in the nearby bushes. Besides, the company was nice. They were just earth cows and they didn't talk, unlike what rumour said about supposed Equestrian cattle, but they seemed to accept Rosa among them. She was a four-legged thing, just like them. It was the closest to friends Rosa could get at the moment.
"Hey, ladies," she said politely as she crawled under the electric fence, "I'll just borrow a bit of your water if that's okay?"
Of course they didn't reply, but neither did they seem scared of a talking pony. Rosa stepped up to the watering trough, right next to a patchy, black and white cow.
"So, how are you doing?" the mare said.
No answer, so she dipped her muzzle and drank deeply. She had skipped breakfast and the water helped make her feel a bit less empty. That done, Rosa looked at the ground. There were a few cow piles strewn around and most of the grass was clipped short. She walked over to a patch which seemed a bit taller than the rest and looked at it for a while. Off to one side, a cow was patiently nibbling on a bit of green grass. Her tongue slipped out every now and then to grab a bushel.
Rosa heaved a sigh and lowered her muzzle. It didn't smell too appetizing, but it was better than nothing. She might as well start getting used to it. As her lips touched the green stems she paused and lifted her head back up. On the other hand, waiting longer would make her hungrier. Maybe it would be more palatable then?
Except - she needed to keep her strength up in case there was pursuit.
"Come on, Rosa... don't overthink it dammit!"
The grazing cow glanced at the mare, as if annoyed at the interruption.
"Sorry..."
A few mouthfuls, she decided, just so she could start getting used to it. Then some more water to wash the taste out of her mouth. After that she'd lie down in the sun to rest, but with her eyes on the dirt road in case some human came. Rosa peered in the distance and barely saw the highway as a gray line across the landscape. The suburbs were on the other side and the city was a smudge on the horizon. It was about thirty-five miles to Boone's house, she estimated. It was probably wrong, since Rosa was not used to distances, but it still didn't sound like much. Would there be a big search for her? Could they find her there?
Her legs were sore and even with a rest Rosa didn't know if she could go much further. At least there she had a few hiding spots in the thick bushes and easy access to water. The dirt road didn't seem well-traveled, but Rosa saw that the puddle holes had been filled in here and there. Most likely fixed by whoever owns those cows, she thought. Her purple coat would stand out if the humans used a helicopter to look for her, but maybe she wasn't worth the trouble. She had kept her ears turned back and hadn't heard any such sound the entire morning.
It was a difficult decision, but in the end Rosa opted to stay put, at least until the end of the day. At night her color would be less of a hindrance and more of a camouflage, especially with her black mane. Besides, the company of the cows was nice. It was not exactly like having her friends back, but it was better than nothing. At least it was keeping her from breaking down and crying, so that was good.
Right then, however, it was time to try and eat something. Rosa walked over to the grazing cow and gave her her best smile.
"Um, may I join you?"
She looked at the mare, but only for a moment before dipping back down to the grass. It was practically an invitation, Rosa decided.
Rosa woke up with a small groan. She could have sworn she was more tired than when she went to sleep. It was true that her previous night had been spent on a cold floor, tied up, but the dirt under her bush wasn't much better. It was hard. More than she had expected of grass. Wasn't it supposed to be soft?!
Whatever, Rosa had managed to catch a few naps over the night, so that was something, at least. She had thought about moving while it was dark to hide better, but the events of the past few days had caught up to the mare and she couldn't make herself walk. Perhaps that was a stupid mistake, but now she was well rested, even if she would be more visible in the open. She was happy it was morning. There hadn't been a pursuit, at least not one she could hear, so maybe she could take it a bit slower. She just needed to get into those thick woods she had glimpsed and then she would work on putting together something resembling a bed. Maybe moss, or a pile of grass. Or maybe some stones would be softer than the dirt. As Rosa got up on her hooves she stretched out each leg in turn and then tried to loosen her neck.
"Ugh..."
Before leaving her bush she checked the road, but it was still empty. The farmer, or whoever, hadn't come to check their cows in the evening, so they probably visited them in the mornings. She didn't want to be caught, but it was still pretty early, so Rosa risked slipping out to get a drink of water. The cows were mostly awake, but still lying around the water through, so she had to tread carefully.
"Excuse me. Sorry. I'll just- sorry."
She felt herself step on a few hooves and tails, but no one seemed to mind. They just watched the mare passively. Finally Rosa reached her destination and dunked her muzzle. The water was quite cool and refreshing. It smelled a bit of the cows but Rosa didn't mind that. The chill, however, did remind her of how cold the night had been and Rosa shivered a little. Her night gown had done almost nothing. It was a good thing she hadn't frozen to death!
As Rosa was about to leave, she spotted a small space between two of the cows. She thought for a moment, before heading there. Her ears had already lowered in embarrassment before she even addressed the ladies.
"Um, do you mind if I sit with you for a minute?"
They watched her, but didn't react, which Rosa decided meant that she could go ahead. She squeezed in between their two backs, trying not to touch any more than absolutely necessary.
"Mmmm... ooooh..."
It quickly became deliciously warm there and Rosa found herself sprawling just a tiny bit. It smelled strongly of cow, especially to her inside-adapted nose, but Rosa didn't care about that at the moment. After a while the exhaustion of the past few days and the uncomfortable, sleepless nights started getting the better of her and Rosa found her muzzle sinking down toward a large, brown flank.
She would just close her eyes for a minute and then she would be on her way.
Yes... a minute...
"Hello!"
The voice jerked Rosa awake and she straightened up with a small gasp. "What? Who?!"
As she glanced blearily around she spotted a pony watching her. It nearly made Rosa run away in fright, but she forced herself to be still.
"W-Who are you?"
The pegasus mare had a post office uniform and a couple of bulky saddlebags around her hips. Even as she watched Rosa curiously, she fluttered her wings into a more comfortable position. She must have flown overnight to get the feathers in such a disarray. Not to mention her mane. The pony was absolutely scruffy!
She was a pleasing gray color, which nearly made her vanish against the early morning sky, but her mane was a vivid dash of orange and gray streaks. It would be quite pretty once she got home and combed it. Rosa finished her quick examination by noting that her hooves were quite dirty. A very distant delivery, she guessed, and she had possibly walked a part of the way to rest her wings.
"My name is Sky Light. You?"
It sounded a bit odd, but Rosa couldn't immediately place her hoof on it. "Um, Rosa."
Too late she realized that delivery ponies might know about runaways so they could keep a watch out for them. She held her breath.
The other mare just smiled. "Nice to meet you. So you're the shepherd here or something? I've never seen one here. The guy just leaves his cows out here by themselves."
Rosa looked at the road in near panic. "G-Guy? Is he coming?!" The other thing the mare had said worked its way into Rosa's consciousness. "No, I'm not the shepherd. Um-" Yeah, she didn't know what else to tell her.
Sky Light looked around at the cows and then back at Rosa. "Okay, so what are you doing here, then?"
She really didn't want to explain to that pony that she had ran away. Rosa lowered her gaze and tried lying, even while knowing it sounded stupid. "I came in f-for... um, for a drink of water," she said lamely.
"O-kay," the post-mare replied with a note of skepticism. "And then I guess you slipped and landed on that cow. Oh, oh! I guess you knocked yourself out on the tough hide, right?"
Rosa didn't appreciate her mocking tone, but she didn't have a reply. The other mare laughed at her glower. "Hey, lighten up. Lemme guess - runaway?"
She still didn't really want to admit it, but Rosa give a slight nod despite her misgivings. She glanced back to see if her cutie mark was hidden by the night gown, then stood up and walked away from her warm cow friends. "Please don't tell anyone," she begged. "They were going to put me down."
There was sympathy on Sky's face and Rosa began to hope she might be able to convince this mare to forget she saw her. Ponies should stick together, right?
"I'm not gonna tell."
Rosa finally figured out what had been bothering her. "Wait a minute. 'Sky Light'? That sounds like an- an Equestrian name."
The post-mare bobbed her head up and down happily. "Yep! Humans called me 'Aurora', but I changed it. I'm no slave!"
Well, ponies weren't technically slaves, she was right about that. Not in name, just in fact.
Rosa lifted a hoof to point at the uniform. "Must be a decent workplace if they let you do that," she commented.
Sky Light made a face. "Pfft! No!" She used a wing to pick at her skirt, which caused her to reveal a picture of a four-leaf clover. "The uniform is just disguise so I can go out in public. Speaking of, yours doesn't look like much."
Rosa took a step back. A cutie-marked pony runaway? Just like her! Despite that, she was uncomfortable revealing her secret, even if the that strange mare was in the same situation.
She was staring and Sky Light noticed. "Oh, this old thing? It's a long story. What's yours like?" After Rosa hesitated, Sky rolled her eyes and went on: "Come on. I won't laugh, I promise. You wouldn't believe the cutie marks I've seen!"
Rosa sighed and reached a hoof back to lift up her nightgown. Sky Light inspected it expertly. "Cool. A farmer?"
"Gardener!" Rosa corrected with an irritable shake of her mane.
"Pardon. Gardener. How long?"
Rosa's ears folded down. "Two days."
That seemed to impress her new friend. Well, possible friend, Rosa decided. At the very least she wouldn't give her away.
"Wow, that's fast! Most of the ponies I've known took at least a week before they ran away after getting their cutie marks."
It didn't make sense. "Wait a minute. Don't humans take you away the moment you get your cutie mark?"
Sky Light shook her head, then paused and shrugs. "Dunno. Maybe. They didn't use to. Or maybe it's just some humans."
It looked like this mare knew a thing or two and Rosa's curiosity got the better of her. "So what's up with these anyway? Why are they so afraid of cutie marks?"
The pegasus watched her intently for a moment. "I'll tell you later, okay? First we gotta get someplace safe." She jumped a little in the spot. "Come with me, I know a good place. No one will find you there!"
It sounded very good, unless she was leading her to a trap. Then again, she did have a cutie mark, so she would be trapping herself, too. Rosa tentatively decided to go with her, but she would keep her ears and eyes open. If anything didn't smell right, she would bolt.
"Okay... I was going to hide in the forest..." Rosa admitted.
"Hmm, uncomfortable, but could work. What were you planning on eating?"
Looking around, Rosa pawed at the ground a little. "Um, grass? Nuts? Berries?"
It seemed Sky Light found that idea incredibly funny. "Ha! Good one!"
"What?! Ponies can eat grass, you know?"
The mare made a face, sticking our her tongue in distaste. "Ugh, yeah, if I was starving. Maybe. Come on. It's a good thing I saw you. Everything's gonna be alright."
If this new mare had an alternative to grass, Rosa was all for it. Maybe her hideout even had a bed! What if there was just one bed? Rosa wouldn't mind sharing, especially with how cold it got at night.
"You met other runaway ponies?" Rosa asked once she had crawled under the wire again.
"Mhm! A few! Most of them run away when they get their cutie marks. They can't stand doing something else all their lives, you know?"
Rosa glanced at Sky Light's flank, but couldn't see the clover anymore. "So, what does yours mean?"
The pony puffed out her chest in pride. "I'm a gambler! I'm good at it, too! One time, I won two hundred bucks on a lottery ticket!"
"They let you cash it in?"
This time she shook her head. "No, I got a human for that. Don't worry, you can trust him. He's... let's say 'sympathetic' to runaway ponies."
Rosa hesitated and stopped. Going to a human didn't sound right, even if Sky Light did have her cutie mark too.
"Come on, before the guy comes to check on his cows! Or do you want to be caught?" The pegasus came back and prodded Rosa forward with a wing feather. Then she brightened up. "Oh! I know, you must be starving! Here!"
She rummaged in her bags until she brought out half of a granola bar. The smell wafted and Rosa began salivating.
"Here, it's not much, but it'll help. The sugar."
Rosa took it in her mouth and chewed for as long as she could before swallowing. It was just one mouthful, but it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. She made sure to lick all crumbs from her lips. "Thanks."
"No problem. I got some more back home. You coming?"
The promise of more food was too good to resist. Rosa started moving again. If Sky Light trusted a human to keep her secret, maybe she could trust him too.
Except they were heading back the way Rosa had came. She stopped again. "This way?!"
Sky Light rolled her eyes and prodded Rosa's flank again. "Yeah, this way! There's nothing but miles of forest that way. I told you I have a hideout. No one is going to find you there, trust me!"
Rosa swallowed a lump as she hesitated with a hoof in the air. "Are you sure? My... um, Master- he's powerful. There's probably going to be a search. Posters and TV and all that."
"So? Believe me, no one will look for you where we're going. You can lay low for a while."
"And then what?"
The pegasus shrugged. "Dunno? Move to another city? I know this earth pony - he dyed his cutie mark and hitched a ride with a trucker. Turns out his special talent was navigation, so the guy took him on permanently. I see him sometimes when they pass through here. After about the first five minutes he doesn't even bother to hide his cutie mark anymore. Not all humans are paranoid about them, you know?"
It actually sounded like a solid plan. Maybe Rosa could find some human who needed help gardening or farming. If she covered up her cutie mark they might accept her. She didn't immediately believe Sky Light's other weird claim, but ponies weren't extremely common on Earth, so she could have a chance with people who would never qualify for an Assistant Pony, or who couldn't afford one.
That brightened up her disposition immediately. Rosa might even get to work with children, as well as a garden. Maybe there was still a way to achieve her dreams. "Okay, lead the way." She fell in step with the pegasus. "So - when did you get your cutie mark?" she asked to pass the time.