//------------------------------//
// Chapter 34: Favor 
// Story: Rosa 
// by awf 
//------------------------------//

It turned out that 'The Look' worked on Sky Light. She had agreed to take Rosa back to the truck stop in the evening, after a very profitable session at the bus station.

The two had their first rude human, who complained how the pair were obstructing traffic with their sign and their plastic dish and their pitiful expressions. It really drove the embarrassment home, but Sky Light had said Rosa's blush helped a lot with the next few people who walked past. The pair of them made almost thirty bucks by the time Sky decided to call it quits. The sun had barely set and it was still light enough to move Rosa's new mission forward, so she gladly agreed to stop. As an additional token of thanks for her help, Sky had even gotten her a vending machine sandwich. Incredibly, there was one without meat, and with cheese and stale lettuce - a little rich for Rosa's taste but infinitely better than digging in the trash.

Sky Light had accused Rosa, in a joking kind of way, that she was making her eat better. If it were her choice, the mare had pointed out, she would have just picked up what she could find in a nearby fast food joint dumpster. She even gave Rosa five dollars in coins to keep for herself, although she was holding on to the cash until Rosa had her own bags. The rest of the money would go toward paying off her debt.

Rosa still didn't know for sure how she felt about Sky Light mingling with people who sold drugs, but she pushed that to the back of her mind and focused on the task at hand - at hoof, as her pony friend would say.





There were different trucks parked this time. The group of ponies from the morning were gone and there was no pegasus lying on top of a cabin, of course. Rosa wondered idly if he was with one of the drivers or a local pony. She had forgotten to ask Sky Light and right now it didn't seem important anymore.

As soon as the place came in view, Sky Light grinned and bumped her rump against Rosa's. "Lucky!" she exclaimed. "Come on, I know that guy! He's nice." She stopped and gave her young friend a serious, strangely calculating look. "Do what I tell you, okay? I promise it's gonna be fine."

Her words gave Rosa pause and she felt a strange sense of foreboding. "Why? What's gonna happen?!" she demanded.

"Just go through with it, okay? No questions! You want to find out what's happened to your friend, don't you?"

Rosa swallowed a lump and considered turning away. It was just a silly idea and it probably wouldn't ever work. Maybe it was not worth the risk of going around asking for secret government facilities. She shook her head firmly and clenched her teeth. Maribelle needed her. For that matter, Rosa needed Maribelle! It was not a silly quest and she would do whatever it took. Sky Light wouldn't lead her into outright danger, would she?

"Yes," Rosa answered her pegasus friend with a certain amount of conviction.

"Good. Follow me," Sky instructed and set off.

Rosa didn't know which particular vehicle she meant, but she followed her while trying to keep an eye on all the drivers. What Sky Light had probably meant was that the humans might want a favor in return. Rosa didn't have much to offer, but she did have five bucks and her earth pony strength and stamina. She could help them work on their trucks or something, or deliver messages if she had to. A bit of manual labor wouldn't hurt, especially if she got information which would help her find Maribelle. It was unlikely for anyone there to know anything about her specifically, but Rosa could hope, right?

The pair of them made their way to the parking lot. Several drivers were sitting in chairs next to their trucks, a few of them fiddling with phones, one reading a book and a couple sleeping in what looked like lawn chairs. Sky Light sat on her haunches and raised a hoof. One particular human waved back and split from the group to come greet the mare. He was a heavier man in faded blue jeans and a black pullover. He also had a cap which said 'semi king'. Rosa wondered what was up with that. Was he supposed to be like - somewhat a king? Why not just put 'full king', if he was going to lie on his cap?

"Hey! I was hoping I'd run into you, but I didn't think you'd show until morning. You don't usually come around this late!" the man exclaimed as he leaned down to shake Sky Light's hoof.

The mare didn't answer, but rather laid a wing across Rosa's back. "It's her fault," she said jokingly. "This is Rosa. Rosa, Pavo."

Rosa held up a foreleg for the man to shake. She liked how polite he was, even to ponies, but she was still a little intimidated.

Sky Light looked at her with a pleased grin. "Pavo will be able to help you."

That got Rosa's heart beating faster and she found herself smiling back.

"Oh?" Pavo asked. "Offering my services around, are we?"

The mare shrugged. "She'll pay."

Well, there went Rosa's money, but she didn't care all that much. She only hoped it would be enough. "I only g-got five dollars..."

This made the man laugh in amusement. Even Sky Light chuckled at Rosa's confused expression. The man's hand patted her mane. "I don't want your money, sweetheart," he said.

That hungry look in his eyes! It could only mean one thing. The one single thing Rosa had been hoping she would never have to do. Her ears instantly fell flat and she looked at the ground, unable to meet either of their gazes. Maybe she could still run away, even if it would mean never coming back to Sky Light.

"C'mere, let's go to my truck," Pavo invited and Sky Light nudged Rosa along. Her hooves didn't want to move, but she forced them.

In truth, Rosa was terrified of trying to tackle the streets without the pegasus. She didn't know where to go, what to do, whom to trust... If Sky Light wanted her to do this, maybe it was for the best. The sooner Rosa got over her stupid sensibilities, the better she would do in this new life. Sky Light herself had done it, and it was only a problem because Rosa herself thought it was. After all, it wasn't as if 'mouth stuff' was actually doing it.

Could Rosa go through with it? Only a few hours earlier she would have vehemently said no, but not her conviction was shaking. The matter-of-fact driver, Sky Light's injunction to do as she said, even the fact that they had all but promised the man. Rosa didn't want to do it, but she'd felt the same about begging for money. Once, she would have felt the same about eating from the garbage, or living on the street. This was just another thing she might have to do sometimes. Her heart hammered and her throat had gone dry, yet Rosa kept placing hoof in front of nerveless hoof. She was probably in shock, but maybe Sky knew what she was doing. This way Rosa didn't have a lot of time to work herself up into a frenzy over the whole thing.

Besides, she really wanted to find Maribelle, Rosa told herself. She was willing to do anything, even this. She just hoped it wouldn't taste too bad.

It was not far and pretty soon the man opened the cabin door. "Up!" he ordered.

Rosa looked at Sky Light, unable to help that feeling of betrayal. She had known how much Rosa disliked... that, but she had gone and practically offered the mare anyway.

Maybe Rosa could still say no? Faced with that open truck door her resolve fled. There had to be another way. "Sky, I don't think I-" she began.

The other mare gave her a stern look. "We all have to pay somehow, Rosa. It's your thing, so you do it this time, get it?"

Almost without realizing it, Rosa had taken a step back, but Sky Light was suddenly behind her, blocking her escape. Her expression was neutral, but Rosa could see her ear flick. She was probably nervous about what Rosa might do. "It's the only way," Sky Light said. "Sorry."

It was just her mouth, right? Rosa could wash it afterwards. It wasn't as if he'd...

She couldn't even think about the alternative.

"Well?" Pavo demanded.

Rosa took a deep breath and let it out in a mournful sigh, then placed a hoof on one of the steps. The cabin was a vertical wall of iron and the seat looked very high up. Could she even make it?

"Oh, sorry. Here, let me help," Pavo offered.

Before Rosa could even accept, his arms griped around her midriff and lifted her up. It was all she could do not to buck his face. She needed him. Rosa kept telling herself that. It may be the only way to find Maribelle. If she said no now, Sky Light probably wouldn't help her anymore. She might not even want her around.

Rosa would be dead in a week. This or death, she told herself.

It was still low of her and Rosa's muzzle scrunched up in distaste. Sky had known how Rosa felt about this kind of thing! It was not fair! She was very near tears when Rosa stepped on the passenger seat.

She barely had a moment to look around before the cabin swayed as Pavo put his weight on it. "Move over. In the driver's seat!" he commanded.

A real weirdo. Rosa's ears couldn't go flatter, her tail was completely pressed against her belly and her legs trembled in trepidation, but she scooched over.

"Oh, wait - one more thing."

Rosa looked around just in time for the man to drape his cap over her head. The shock of it made her gasp a little and jerk away, but it stayed on. Depraved, that's what it was. He was sitting sideways in the passenger seat and rummaged for something in the bag behind him. Rosa saw Pavo had a small bed built into the wall there and a traveling bag with presumably his clothes and other essentials.

There was a whoosh and Sky Light appeared at the edge of the seat, wings partly outstretched to keep her balance. Rosa didn't know how she was holding herself there, but the pegasus must have had practice.

"Hold on, I gotta see this!"

Was this mare for real?! She was grinning in anticipation. She was evil! Rosa couldn't suppress a small whimper. Suddenly escape seemed like a good idea, but they had her cornered now.

"Okay, now smile!"

The strange command made Rosa pause and blink in confusion. She spotted a camera in Pavo's hands.

"W-What?!" Were they planning on taking pictures while she-

"One hoof on the steering wheel, please."

The 'please' and the firm tone seemed to go straight into her leg and Rosa rested it against the black material.

"Good, now smile!"

She was losing grasp on the situation. It was not going anywhere near the way Rosa had expected! "W-What's happening?"

Now it was Pavo's turn to look bewildered. He looked at Sky Light, then back to Rosa. "I'm going to take your picture in that pose. What's it look like?"

There was a faint glimmer of hope. "J-Just a pic-picture?" Rosa nearly sobbed with relief.

"What were you expecting?"

She didn't know how to put it in words, but she tried anyway: "Oral..."

It was a good thing Sky Light and Pavo were not looking. Rosa was pink enough as it was, without their horrible laughter. The man was practically guffawing and the mare was slapping the seat with her hoof. "Priceless!" Sky Light gasped out, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Jesus Christ, you're evil," Pavo told the pegasus. "You made her think I was gonna-"

They were both laughing as Rosa stared in confusion. At long last Pavo brought himself under control. "Look," he said, "I'm flattered, but I got a wife and a son. I don't drive around looking for pony tail, you see?"

Rosa waved her hooves around in exasperation. "But you s-said- What's with all this then?!"

"My son is a big fan of ponies. I try to get him a picture whenever I meet one. These are his favorite-" Pavo gestured at her cap and at the steering wheel. "Truck driver pony. Get it?"

She was probably still in shock, but Rosa managed a weak chuckle. "O-Oh. Oh."

Sky Light slipped from the chair and Rosa heard her laughter from the ground. It sounded like she was actually rolling around, smacking the asphalt with a hoof! She still couldn't believe that mare. It was an awful, awful trick to play on someone!

The imminent danger was over and Rosa relaxed a little, then remembered the reason she had come. "And then you'll help us?"

"Sure!" Pavo exclaimed. "Anything I can do. Now take the pose again."

This time Rosa had no compunctions about putting her hoof back on the steering wheel. The man nodded. "Good, now a smile."

It was hard, but Rosa forced one for the camera. She tried to imagine a young boy, thrilled when his father brought him home pictures of ponies in his truck. It helped.

"Nice! A couple more. Just act natural." He snapped a few more photos while Rosa sat and smiled. A brief flash of inspiration made her stand up and put both hooves on the wheel, as if she was seriously driving the thing.

It was a massive hit. "Excellent!" Pavo yelled. "I love it!"

The photo shoot was soon over and the man took his cap back. "Nice work. Would you mind doing one outside? Better light. And then a couple together with Sky."

Rosa nodded. By that point she was certain that nothing untoward was going to happen, so she had managed to relax a little. "Okay," she said and went to step out of the driver's seat. Pavo didn't move out of the way, though, so Rosa stopped while she was straddling both seats.

"First, tell me what you need from me," he said.

Rosa got herself back in the seat. "I- um, we were wondering if you know any drivers who take things to um-" Now that she had to come out with it, the idea seemed a tiny bit preposterous. Rosa forced herself to say it anyway. "Drive stuff to... secret government places. Um, where they take ponies."

The man watched her for a moment. "And you need to know because?"

Rosa looked for Sky Light, wondering how much she could trust this man, but the mare was probably still down on the ground and Rosa couldn't see her. It couldn't hurt to tell him some, right?

"They took my friend and I want to find her."

"Whoa, are you in an action movie or something?" Pavo asked. "That's some top secret spy stuff, sounds like."

"Do you know any-anything about it?" Rosa prompted hopefully.

Sky Light piped up at this moment. "We were hoping you could ask around on the CB, Pavo. Someone must drive supplies to these places."

Rosa was grateful for the reminder, even though she was still furious for the trick she had pulled.

After a moment's thought, Pavo shrugged to himself. "Dunno if it'll work. There's usually NDAs for places like that, but I'll try." Rosa looked at him expectantly, curious to see what a 'CB radio' looked like, but the man barked a laugh. "Not now, sweetheart. I gotta get a shower before the stop closes. I'll ask around after that."

Her ears fell flat.

Pavo ruffled her mane. "Don't look so glum. Come by in the morning and I'll tell you if I find something. If not, I'll keep asking around. I usually come through here every couple of weeks, regular. Don't worry, us truckers see things and we like to talk. Someone is bound to let something slip, NDA or no."

Not finding out the same day was a disappointment, but Rosa hadn't really expected to get anything this fast. She made herself smile again. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem. My son is gonna love you. Not many ponies with black hair, you see?"

That reminded Rosa of someone. "What about Butch? Uh, he comes around here sometimes."

"Oh, him," Pavo said, face falling a little. "Yeah, I know him. Dunno what, but there's something off about him."

Rosa wholeheartedly agreed. She was worried what Sky Light might say, especially if she considered the stallion a friend, but she voiced it anyway. "Yeah... me too."

There wasn't much more to be said. Pavo slid out of the seat and Rosa followed. The jump down was a little further than she was comfortable with, but Pavo griped her midriff again and lowered Rosa to the pavement. She was grateful about that this time. Rosa was not a pegasus to leap around like a maniac, after all. Earth ponies were sturdy, but she tried not to test just how much her bones could handle.

While she was looking around for Sky Light to give her a good glare, there was a click of the camera behind her. Rosa quickly straightened her face out.

"Cute. Now where did Sky go?"

The pegasus in question walked from behind the man. "Here. What do you need me to do?"

Rosa tried to stay as still as possible while Pavo arranged the two mares side by side and took more pictures. "Wait!" he said suddenly and came forward. He draped his cap on Rosa's head again. "Nice. Now put your wing around Rosa," he told Sky Light. The mare obeyed and the man peered through his camera once more. "Adorable! Smile!"

It didn't take too long. Rosa waited patiently for Pavo to retrieve his cap once more, then looked at him expectantly while he picked up his wallet and his phone from the truck.

"I gotta get that shower now," he said as he was closing the cabin door and locking it. "I'll see you two tomorrow. Take care! Nice meeting you, Rosa!"

Sky Light waved to the man in goodbye, then turned her mischievous grin on Rosa. "So, whatddya think?" she asked.

Rosa almost growled at her. "That was mean!" she said in a low voice. "Let's go back."

Before the nasty shock she had had, Rosa had been hoping she could ask more truckers for help, but now she didn't feel like it. Maybe she would be in a better mood the next morning. For the moment, she wanted to get Sky Light alone and give her a piece of her mind.

"Come on!" Rosa commanded again.

The other mare blinked, then expression crumbled and her hoofsteps sounded almost timid as she followed Rosa's determined stomps back towards the van. "I guess it wasn't very funny for you?" she prompted.

"No, it wasn't!"

"Sorry about that..."