Several hours passed as Rosa waited in the dim interior of the van. Her only source of light was the small window to the driver's cabin up near the roof, so that was where she had been staring. The day had gone from early afternoon, to evening, and finally night. She had been listening intently for Sky Light's return, but all Rosa could catch was Terry walking around and, occasionally, drinking something from his flask. Every now and then he muttered to himself, but Rosa wasn't really interested. What she wanted to hear was the soft whoosh of feathers which would signify Sky Light returning with news. Rosa would also have settled for hoofsteps.
"Please..." she murmured to no one in particular.
At first she had tried calling for Terry to let her out, but he had just ignored her, so Rosa gave up. It looked as if Sky Light would be her only salvation.
"Please!"
Rosa wanted to stay focused on poor, lost Lillian, but now there was another pressure on her mind. Well, no so much on her mind as in her bladder. Pretty soon she would go back to begging Terry to release her, or else his mattress would end up... soggy. She heaved a forlorn, long-suffering sigh, and tried to curl up and forget her troubles for a while. It was exceptionally hard since there was absolutely nothing else to do in there!
A stray sound caught Rosa's ear and she lifted her head hopefully to search for the source. She focused on the small window, where the faint glow of the day was fading fast. There it was again! This time Rosa was sure! She jumped to her hooves and rushed to the doors. She lifted her hoof to start banging on them, but then paused in mid-air. If she started making noise and demanded to be let out, Sky Light might decide Rosa was still stupid and refuse to open the van. She was no longer stupid. The other mare had been right. Sitting in the dark had allowed Rosa - well, forced her, really - to think about what she should do. Running off to try and 'save' Lillian would just end badly. It pained Rosa to admit it, but she didn't know which way to go, nor what to do when she got there. Her friend had been right, after all. She really did need Sky Light's help.
By now she was willing to promise anything - anything - in exchange for her help. Rosa would do more drug runs. She would mooch with her every day for as long as she wanted. Hell, she would even...
Dare she even think it?
... prostitute.
Not so squeamish now, when it was Lillian's life on the line and it was all her fault. Morals be damned! Rosa was going to do her part to get that girl safely home. She forced herself to sit down on her haunches while, outside, Sky Light landed and said a tired 'hello' to Terry. It was perhaps the hardest thing Rosa had ever had to do, but she kept her trap shut and her limbs still.
Yes! She was coming over! All Rosa's muscles tensed up in expectation.
"Rosa? You still in-"
"Yes! Did you find Lillian? What happened?"
She had only slightly jumped the gun there, but that was okay. Sky Light didn't remark upon it. Instead, Rosa heard two gentle taps as she leaned on the door. "Sorry. I searched in a circle around her school, but no sign of her."
"H-How did you know which school?"
The mare barked a laugh. "It was the one with all the police cars parked in front. There were people combing the alleys with flashlights - if she was around they'd have found her."
Rosa's heart was sinking and it took two tries to get her voice working. "May-Maybe someone ki-kidnapped her?!" she squeaked out.
There was no answer.
"Sky Light?"
"Dunno. Not jumping to any conclusions. Maybe we're looking in the wrong place. Tomorrow I'll go the way I found you, okay? Maybe she went that way."
Rosa's ears fell flat at the news. It meant Lillian would have to spend another night outside, or wherever she was. Rosa didn't like the idea, but if she demanded Sky Light go search for her in the dark, she would just leave her in the van to 'cool off'.
"I'll c-ome w-w-with..."
"Don't be stupid," the mare said back. "It's gonna take me hours to fly all the way out there, you'll just slow me down."
"But-"
A knock on the van door interrupted Rosa. "Do you want me to look for Lillian, or do you want me to take you on a tour of the city, Rosa?! You can't have both, you idiot!"
It hadn't seemed possible, but Rosa's ears fell lower. Of course Sky Light was right. Sneaking through the city with an earth pony in tow, especially when the humans might be looking for a mare with her description, would slow them both down. The last time Sky had led Rosa from that field to the van it had taken them practically the whole day, and they didn't even have to hide very hard.
"What if we go at night?" Rosa suggested tentatively, even though it was a foolish idea.
Sky knew it too. She sighed again. "I swear to God, Rosa..."
"Sorry."
She was on the verge of tears once again and Sky Light seemed to realize it. "Look, I'm exhausted. It's been a long day and flying across the city and back takes it out of you, okay?"
By now Rosa was staring, shame-faced, at her hooves, even though her friend couldn't see her. "Okay."
"Good. I suggest we get a good night's rest, and then I'll start again tomorrow. You just gotta trust me on this one, okay?"
Rosa nodded, but then remembered that Sky couldn't see her. "Okay."
There was a metallic grinding noise and Rosa took an involuntary step away from the door. "I'm gonna let you out, okay? Promise you won't do anything stupid?" Sky Light told her.
"I promise."
The bolt Sky had used to lock Rosa in the van clanged against the ground and the door opened, making Rosa blink even though it was almost completely dark outside. She hadn't even realized how bad the air had gotten in the van, not until she smelled the fresh draft from outside. She almost gasped when she looked at the pegasus. Sky hadn't been kidding about being tired. She looked frazzled and sweaty, with her wings almost dragging on the ground. It took Rosa only a second to forgive her for shutting her in. The mare had ran herself ragged looking for the young girl.
She didn't want to worry her so Rosa stepped out of the van very slowly and carefully, trying to convey through her motions that she had no intention of bolting. Gradually Sky Light relaxed, before giving Rosa a wet, stinking hug. She didn't mind and held the other mare up.
"Thank you," Rosa said with tears in her eyes. She was still worried sick about Lillian, but the effort Sky Light had gone to on her behalf was quite heartwarming.
Sky was mollified by Rosa's gratitude and smiled back. "There, I said you needed to think it over. Let's go get a drink, then toilet, okay?"
That reminded Rosa of the pressure and she let Sky go while crossing her hind legs.
"Other way around, please?" she begged.
The mare chuckled and patted Rosa's head with a wing. "Don't worry, we'll find this girl, or maybe the search parties will. It's a big operation out there. Good thing her dad is this important."
Rosa nodded, fully in agreement. Mr. Boone's connections and power would come in useful for once.
Sky Light let her go ahead while she paused beside the fire, where Terry was smoking yet another cigarette. "I'm gonna need you to take the cabin tonight, Terry," the mare said. "I think Rosa needs someone at a time like this."
Rosa understood what she meant and her ears lowered. Sky Light wasn't completely convinced she had come to her senses, or maybe she was worried Rosa might relapse in the night. The problem was - she might. If Rosa had a particularly nasty dream, she could easily forget reason and try to sneak off to do... whatever. Knowing her own weakness didn't make it any easier to hear, but Rosa was still grateful that Sky Light would have her eye on her. With her friend sleeping beside her, the bad dreams might not even come. If they did, the pegasus would undoubtedly wake up if Rosa tried to leave. Smart of her, but it still made Rosa blush in embarrassment. It was a good thing it was getting dark.
Rosa waited while her friend rejoined her. "Come on. Toilet, then a quick wash."
"Uh-huh," she agreed.
"Rosa, I'm gonna need you to do something for me tomorrow, okay?"
The words sent her heart racing. The way Sky Light had said it, this couldn't be good. "Y-Yes?"
"I'll be out all day, looking for Lillian, but I still have to get Viktor his money, the sooner the better, okay?"
Rosa was starting to understand what Sky needed from her. It was not pleasant and she didn't know if she could do it alone, but she was determined to try. After everything Sky Light had done for her, Rosa owed her.
"I need you to go mooching for a bit. The parking machine, that's one of the easier spots. Can you do that?" Sky Light whirled to face her. "Can I count on you?"
Rosa swallowed a big lump, but then nodded. "Yes..."
Sky smiled and leaned in to give her a quick nuzzle as a reward. "Good. Just a few more and I'll be done with all that, okay? After we find Lillian I'm gonna finish the two deliveries and then I'm out of it."
Rosa wanted her friend to be out of that whole, messy business. She fond new determination and forced herself to smile back. "I'll do it. I promise."
That seemed to relax Sky a little. "Good. You're a good friend, even if you're a bit stupid sometimes, okay?"
That was high praise, coming from the world-weary pegasus, and Rosa grinned to herself as she once again fell in step beside her.
"Stupid, but a heart of gold," Sky Light repeated more quietly, as if to herself. "Once that's all done, we'll focus on your thing, okay? Some of those truckers should start coming back with news. Oh, and we also need to check with Bluegrass if he found anything on the Internet."
Rosa just nodded, even though the other mare wasn't looking back. They were both focusing on placing their hooves so they didn't cut them on one of the stray bits of metal which littered the ground around the abandoned factory. It was especially tricky in the dark.
"Dunno what we'll do after we find where your friend is being kept, but we'll figure something out, even if I have to call in some favors."
"Thanks. You're a good friend too, Sky Light."
The two reached the broken door and Sky Light ushered Rosa inside. "Go on, ladies first." The expression made them both chuckle, but Rosa was grateful for the courtesy. The pressure inside her was starting to get quite critical.
The mattress was a bit whiffy, but quite comfortable, especially, Rosa thought, with being bundled up in Sky Light's feathers. The mare was an absolute cuddler, which was quite nice, since the nights were still slightly chilly. Having her personal wing-blanket was a nice perk. She was the small spoon and Sky Light held her against her chest. Rosa did not complain, even if Sky Light's motivation was just to keep her in place if she tried to sneak away during the night. It was completely understandable that Sky Light didn't quite trust her after Rosa's display earlier.
In fact, Rosa didn't even trust herself not to do anything stupid. She apparently had a tendency to get emotional when people she cared about were in trouble, and it was hard to think rationally about those sorts of situations.
"I'm sorry. Um, about earlier," Rosa repeated yet again.
"Yeah, you said," her friend replied, her breath warm on Rosa's neck. "It's fine. Just try to be... less stupid in the future, okay?"
The blunt way she put it made Rosa giggle. "Okay, I'll try."
The van creaked and rocked a little as Terry climbed up into the cabin. Rosa heard him grumbling about it, but she couldn't make out his actual words.
Sky Light seemed to know what the man was saying, though. She lifted her head up and yelled: "You'll live, Terry. It's just one night, okay?"
Once again Rosa who couldn't suppress a small chuckle.
"Yeah, but back's gonna be shot," came the annoyed-sounding reply from the cabin. "These seats are crap!"
"I'll give you a hoof-massage!" Sky Light promised.
Terry didn't say anything to that, so Rosa guessed he had accepted the deal. The rocking stopped and the van went quiet. She wriggled a bit closer to her feathery friend to capture more of that delicious warmth between them.
"Oh, sorry," Sky apologized and dragged the blanket over Rosa.
It really stank, so Rosa pushed it away from her face. "We have to wash this."
Sky Light was quiet for a moment before replying. "It's kind of a hassle."
"Don't care. We're washing it, soon." Rosa hadn't said 'tomorrow', because it could wait until they were sure Lillian was safe, but right after that she would be putting her hoof down. Come to think of it, there was another thing: "We're also getting some sheets."
"Fuck, Rosa," the other mare complained, "this isn't a hotel-"
Rosa didn't wait for her to finish. "It's not a dump, either! It won't cost much and it'll make living here a bit nicer."
Sky Light heaved an exasperated sigh, but Rosa could tell she was smiling. She didn't say anything else to antagonize Sky Light for the moment, because she was just realizing that this place would be her home for the foreseeable future. It was not too bad, though. Terry was a grump and he had gotten her drunk, but he obviously cared for Sky Light. Maybe, in a small way, he was starting to care for Rosa too. Then there was the pegasus herself, and she made all the difference. There was absolutely no doubt in Rosa's mind that they were good friends. Today's debacle had proved it. Making their home a bit more livable was something Rosa could do right away to help out, so that was what she was going to do.
"Good night, Sky."
She got a nice nuzzle in return. "Good night."
This again.
Rosa didn't need this, nor did she want it. Not now.
The featureless room, the floating cyan eyes, the unnaturally soft and warm floor, the softly twinkling stars above.
"This isn't funny, you know?" Talking to herself now. Rosa almost hoofed her own face. Whatever this dream was, it was all fabricated entirely in her mind. It was just her, all over. She was doing this to herself.
"Either help me or go away!" Rosa realized she was still doing it, but it was hard to resist talking to whatever part of her that thing represented. Its gaze was unblinking and eerily silent.
Since she seemed to be stuck in this weird dream, maybe she could get something useful out of it? Maybe her subconscious mind had noticed a detail Rosa had missed and was trying to tell her in this strange way?
"You are troubled. The humans have betrayed you."
Rosa leaned her head to the side and stared. "What? What are you talking about?"
The eyes vanished and reappeared a moment later as the creature blinked. "White Pigeon," it - she - said.
Now it was Rosa's turn to blink in confusion. "What?!"
"Find the White Pigeon. Find me."
Rosa opened her mouth to ask the thing again what it was talking about, but the eyes closed and the room went completely dark.