//------------------------------//
// Chapter 55: Overeating 
// Story: Rosa 
// by awf 
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Rosa had just finished the dishes when Pavo came back, both he and Sky Light laughing merrily. She caught a faint whiff of beer, coming most strongly from her pegasus friend. It was not the best of news, but it was nice to see her happy. The two found Rosa in the kitchen where the man went to rummage in the fridge for a bottle of water.

"Hello," Rosa said politely, but soon returned to her task of drying the last two plates.

He echoed her greeting, but Sky didn't seem too aware of Rosa's presence. She walked right up to Pavo and tried to stick her muzzle in the refrigerator. "Any snacks?" she asked hopefully.

The man looked around a bit, especially on the top shelves where Sky couldn't see from her vantage point, and pulled out a porcelain cup. "Got some pudding left."

"Sweet!" the mare exclaimed. "Gimme!" She gripped it in her teeth, but then gasped and hurriedly took the dish with a hoof. "Cold! Cold!" she whimpered, rubbing her muzzle with her free leg.

It had made Pavo chuckle, but Rosa remembered something and put the last dish down to dry by itself. "Wait up," she told her friend.

Sky Light froze in the process of carrying the treat and hobbling over to the couch. "Huh?"

"Show me your teeth," Rosa ordered.

Sky Light looked confused for a moment, then blushed and her ears went flat. "My teeth are fine."

Rosa rolled her eyes a little. "Like buck they are." Feeling her pudding dish carefully with the side of her muzzle, Rosa found it slightly chilly, but not overly so. It shouldn't have caused her as much pain as it apparently had. "You really need to see a dentist, Sky. I know you don't brush, God only knows how bad it is in there..."

For a moment the mare glared angrily at Rosa, but then she lowered her eyes. "I'll be fine," she muttered.

Pavo was looking at both ponies with a concerned expression from the couch, but he didn't intervene. Rosa was grateful for that, especially with how sensitive Sky Light was about the topic.

"Sky, we really should-"

She interrupted: "We don't have the money for a dentist, so just drop it. I'm fine."

Rosa shook her head. Dr. Haggar back in the city would have checked her and fixed her teeth for free, but it seemed like Sky was utterly afraid of doctors. She was right, though. Now they didn't have money for it. "When we get back, I'm taking you to Rachelle at the free clinic."

Maybe it was just Rosa's imagination, but Sky Light paled a little. She didn't argue, which Rosa took as a good sign.

"I'll hold your hoof the whole time, okay? Besides, the nitrous they use is like a drug. It's better than getting drunk." Rosa was just guessing at the last part, since she didn't have a lot of experience with drink, nor had she needed such extensive dental work back at the School to know what the gas was like. The few ponies who had, said it had made them light-headed and everything seemed funny. "It doesn't hurt a bit with that," Rosa confidently assured the other mare.

"Fine," she said, ears still flat, "mom..."

The word she used made Pavo chuckle and Rosa joined in for a brief laugh. If Sky was joking about it, maybe she would do it. Otherwise Rosa would just have to convince her, once they were back.

Provided the rescue went off without a hitch. Which reminded her... "Um, Pavo? Any- any news? About, y'know... White Pigeon?"

The man stopped laughing and shrugged a little. "Well, Tim is out on a run and he won't be back until Wednesday. Chances are he'll go straight on to White Pigeon, as soon as his truck is loaded."

It was Saturday, so that meant four days. Sky Light did the same math and sighed. "I guess we'll find a box or something to stay in until then. Um-"

"Nonsense!" the man interrupted. "You'll stay here. I already talked with the missus and it's fine. She doesn't mind having a couple of helpers around the house!"

Sky Light opened her mouth to object and Rosa butted her with her head, nearly making her drop the pudding. "It'll be fine. We can sleep indoors for a couple of days, Sky."

She turned to glare and tried once more to say no, but Rosa gave her one of her best pleading looks. "I'll do all the housework, okay?"

The pegasus didn't really have a counter to that. Her ears lowered and she heaved a sigh. "Okay, fine, dammit. I'm just not an- an inside kind of pony..."

Rosa knew she wasn't. The mare had been out on the streets for so long that she was uncomfortable sleeping under a roof. She had kept tossing and turning through the night and she'd sat bolt upright several times, panting, as if afraid she was trapped.

"I'm with you," Rosa whispered to her so Pavo didn't hear. "Just a few days."

That helped her relax a bit and she leaned against Rosa for a moment. "Fine. I'll- I'll try and help with this house stuff, too," she said at last, defeated. After that she hobbled the rest of the way to the couch, placed the cup of pudding on the coffee table, then jumped on. Once she was settled, Sky Light took her treat and simply dunked her muzzle in it.

Rosa shook her head a little at the sight and Pavo outright laughed, but he reached over to give Sky's ears a few scratches.

"Put the dish in the sink when you're done. I'll go get started on the laundry." Idly wondering where Mrs. Basilius had gone to, Rosa started humming her happy little tune as she made her way through the house. It had not even been a full day and she already knew where everything was. It would be fun to pretend like she had finished her training and Richie was her assignment, at least for a few days. What was better, Rosa had her pegasus friend right there with her.





Rosa finished her Sunday by watching the sunset from a lawn chair in Pavo's backyard while the man was expertly flipping some meat on a grill. He had said it wasn't a big deal, but judging from how excited Richie was about the whole thing, Rosa felt it was a special occasion. Not a birthday or a holiday, so she guessed it was because of her and Sky Light. Rosa knew they were the first ponies to visit his family and it was sweet that he was going all out to make their stay memorable. For that matter, he had also put some vegetables on the grill especially for Rosa and she was looking forward to trying them. As far as she knew, she had never had grilled food, not on a proper charcoal grill in a backyard.

On a chair right beside her, Sky Light was already drooling a little at the smell. That said, the scent of meat and charcoal wasn't entirely bad. Rosa had appearances to keep up, but if the pegasus offered, she decided, she could maybe have a nibble. Just out of curiosity, of course.

Her ears caught a sound behind and Rosa refocused them, but she didn't need to look. It was just Mrs. Basilius closing the patio door. She walked over, with her bare feet rustling on the grass, and held a glass of strawberry juice for Rosa to grasp with her hooves.

"Oh! Thank you!"

The woman also gave one glass to Sky Light, who murmured her thanks, and then left the third one on the nearby table for Richie. The boy was 'helping' his father, which mostly involved asking a ton of questions about cooking and fire and meat. It was nice to see how Pavo patiently answered what he could. Rosa knew some people who would have gotten annoyed long before that. She swiveled the straw into her mouth and gave it a suck. Strawberry, as delicious as ever. It made Rosa exhale contentedly.

The food wasn't quite done yet, so Ann dragged her chair next to Rosa's and plopped down with a sigh. She had picked up an open beer bottle from the table and now she took a swig.

"You didn't really have to do all this, Mrs. Basilius..." Rosa began.

"Oh hush. Like I said, that one is too skinny by half. I meant it, too!" the woman countered, pointing at the pegasus, who gave them both a curious glance.

Rosa smiled at her friend and she went back to staring at the grill with a hungry look in her eyes.

"Besides," the lady went on, "gotta show some thanks for all the work you did."

The praise made Rosa blush a tiny bit. It hadn't been anything special, just a bit of dish washing and laundry. Which reminded her: "Oh! I was going to vacuum upstairs, but I didn't find the vacuum. Um, if you show me, I'll do it tomorrow."

That made Sky Light give the mare another strange look and Rosa detected the tiniest hint of disapproval in her stare. Luckily, the woman didn't notice. "That's very nice of you, Rosa," Ann said and lifted up a bottle of beer. Rosa raised up her glass in response.

"Honey, wanna bring me one of those?" Pavo asked.

Ann chuckled to herself and went to open another bottle. Rosa watched her take it to her husband, but the man didn't drink from it. To her surprise, he poured some of it over the meat, which started sizzling and smoking heavily.

"Oooh, yeah, that's the stuff!" Sky Light practically moaned. "This man knows how to cook!"

Her comment made both adults laugh and Richie joined in, even if he didn't quite get the joke. For that matter, Rosa wasn't sure that there even was a joke, either. "Why is he pouring beer over the meat?"

"Flavor," Sky Light explained and licked her lips. "It's- hard to explain. It's just something you do." She shrugged a little at Rosa, but then went straight back to watching the grill. "Shouldn't be long now," she said, mostly to herself.

It was true, Rosa guessed, because Ann had gone to fetch an empty plate and was holding it while Pavo flipped the food around one more time. Rosa was feeling quite hungry herself, especially with the smell of roasted veggies in the air, so she sat up straighter and started paying more attention. Maybe she should have gone to help? She almost got off the chair, but then Rosa remembered she didn't know much about grilling and would probably just get in the way. Ann had it handled, anyway. She held the plate steady while Pavo picked up patties and veggies one by one and set them on it.

Richie was clapping his hands in excitement and that made Rosa stand up with a smile. She couldn't help with the cooking, but she could distract the boy so he wasn't in the way. Before she could even open her muzzle, though, Ann leaned down to her son: "Go fetch the buns in the kitchen, okay?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically and rushed off, passing close enough to Rosa that she could stretch out her head and he gave her a wayward pat.

To Rosa's side, Sky Light was also on her hooves and staring hungrily at the preparations.

Ann took the plate to the table and Pavo emptied his beer bottle before joining her. There were empty dishes already set out and now the woman deftly distributed the veggies. One serving was larger and Rosa guessed that one was hers, since she was the only one who would eat an exclusively vegetarian meal. It was actually quite thoughtful. Moments later the son was back with a bowl of already-sliced buns, which his mother took and added to the arrangement on the table.

Pavo looked toward Rosa and Sky Light. "Dinner's ready, girls! Get it while it's hot!"

Sky Light didn't need to be told twice. She could move fast when she was hungry and was standing right next to the table before Rosa could take a single step.

"What do you want in your burger?" Ann asked her. "Ketchup? Mayo? Mustard? Onion?"

The mare looked undecided for a moment, then gave the woman an embarrassed grin. "Um, all of the above?" she suggested.

It made both Ann and Pavo laugh heartily, but the woman obliged and started smearing, watched very closely by the hungry pegasus.

Meanwhile, Pavo looked to the other mare. "You, Rosa?" he asked.

"Um, just a bit of mustard, please. On the side."

He reached for it as soon as Ann was done and spooned some on her plate. After a moment's thought he added an empty bun and held the plate out.

"Thank you!" Rosa said before grabbing it with her teeth. The smells were already driving her crazy as she was taking it back to the chair, which made Rosa hurry her steps. Mere seconds later she was sitting down with the plate in her lap. There was no cutlery, so she gave her hooves a glance. Luckily, the grass was clean and they weren't muddy, so Rosa just shrugged to herself, lowered her muzzle and used the bun to scoop up a juicy-looking piece.

Maybe it was a tiny bit uncultured, but she didn't think anyone would mind. She sneaked a glance beside her to see Sky Light holding her burger, which was already missing a big bite. She didn't seem overly concerned about her hooves, so Rosa forced herself to stop overthinking it. The grilled vegetables were delicious, though, and the taste made her moan a little.

"Right?!" Sky Light commented.

It brought a proud grin to Pavo's face. "You girls like it?"

Sky Light mumbled through her full mouth, which made Rosa shake her head at her manners, but no one else seemed to mind. "Oh yes, it's amazing!" Rosa clarified what the pegasus had said.

Ann came back to sit on the next chair, her own burger in hand, while Richie stayed near his dad at the table. "Daddy makes the best burgers!" the kid exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. I don't doubt it!" Rosa said, sneaking a glance at Sky Light, who seemed to be in some kind of orgasmic bliss.

The son approached and showed Rosa his food. "Wanna try some of mine?" he asked.

Pavo took a step closer to grab his son and Rosa saw Ann sitting up straighter to do the same, but she knew how to handle the situation. "Most ponies don't eat meat, Richie," she explained gently. The smell was really strong now, but it wasn't as horrible as Rosa had imagined. Actually, cooking it on the grill had made the thing smell almost... nice.

Seeing that she was not visibly disgusted, the parents relaxed and let Rosa do her thing. The child brightened up. "Oh! The book said you're vege- um..."

"Vegetarian."

"Yeah, that!"

"Do you know what that means?"

The boy scrunched up his face in though. "It means you only eat veggies?"

Both the grownups and Rosa smiled proudly. "Very good!"

Happy to have answered it correctly, Richie looked at his dad, who grinned back. "Okay, I understand," he told Rosa. "It's still good, though!"

"Yeah, I believe you! These are amazing!" She lifted up her plate to show him, and the boy stared at what she had with some curiosity.

"What is that?" he pointed.

"Squash."

"Can I try one?"

Smiling, Rosa held out the plate to the boy. "Sure!" she offered.

He picked one up gingerly with his fingers and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed for a while thoughtfully, then swallowed. He wasn't too enthused, but Rosa caught an approving glimpse from his mother. Like all kids his age, or at least that was what she remembered Instructor Martha saying once, he didn't like to eat vegetables.

"Um, I'll stick with the burger if it's all the same to you," Richie confided and Rosa laughed a little.

"Sure thing."

Then she went back to her plate. Only once she was nearly done she remembered that she could have given Richie's burger a tiny taste. By now it was probably too late. She looked at Sky Light, but the mare had finished hers and licked her dish clean. She was also lying back, hooves on her belly and groaning softly. Oh well, Rosa thought to herself with a tinge of disappointment, she would probably get more chances.

Since the pegasus seemed to be out for the count, Rosa picked up the slack and smiled at Pavo. "This is great! Thanks for... um, everything!" she told the man.

He just shrugged it off. "Don't mention it. You up for round two?" Richie had gone back to looking at the grill, where the embers were still glowing, and his dad joined him to make sure the boy didn't burn himself.

Meanwhile Ann leaned a bit closer. "There's some ice cream left in the fridge, if you wanna go get it while you wait."

Movement caught Rosa's eye and she looked over just in time to see Sky Light's ear perk up. It almost made her giggle and Rosa eagerly slipped from her chair. "One for you and Pavo, too?" she asked. "And Richie?" Of course, she had kept her voice low to keep from overexciting the boy.

The mother nodded. "Small one for me and Richie."

"Okay! I'll be right back." Rosa said and slipped away while boy wasn't looking. If he didn't see it coming it should end up being a nice surprise.

This was really turning into a wonderful evening. Rosa thought she could get used to such a life, even if Sky Light was uneasy in what she called 'being cooped up'.





Rosa was lying on her side on the bed, groaning softly and trying not to move. Each breath brought a fresh wave of agony. Sky Light was right next to her and she started laughing for the seventh or eight time after seeing Rosa's expression. "You know that no one forced you to eat more fried veggies and half a tub of ice cream, right?" she mused.

"Urk-" Rosa was not entirely sure how she had ever made it to the bed, but was not moving until it stopped hurting.

Sky Light reached out to pat her, but held short of putting pressure on the bulging flank, for which Rosa was immensely grateful. "Sheesh, Rosa..."

"It was just so good!" Rosa whimpered. It was true! She didn't remember eating anything as tasty as Pavo's expertly grilled veggies and the haloumi - as he'd called it - cheese he had found for the third round. Or was it fourth? Then there had been that evil Ann, leaving a whole tub of chocolate ice cream in the fridge. Chocolate! Ice cream! It was treacherous stuff and while Rosa had been eating it, the stuff hadn't seemed nearly as filling. The bloat had a tendency to come after her, once it was too late to stop.

Sky Light nodded and chuckled at her expression, with her own face betraying a mix between pitying and dreamy. "Yeah, you're right there. Man grills a mean burger." The mare smacked her lips appreciatively. "So, I guess we're sleeping here again?"

Rosa barely managed a nod. "Shower... in an hour. Teeth. Brush. Sleep."

"Well, I guess one more night is okay. We're leaving after that, right? Pavo's going on a haul tomorrow anyway. Don't wanna overstay our welcome."

Rosa didn't want to have this argument with Sky Light, again, not when she was also desperately trying to keep herself from exploding. "Ann said it's okay..."

"Yeah, I know," the pegasus countered, but she still looked wistfully out the window. "I don't wanna impose."

That didn't sound quite true. "She said s'okay."

The mare frowned for a bit, then lay down next to Rosa so she could see her face the right side up. "You're not understanding me, Rosa," Sky said quietly. "I really don't like just living with some family in some house. I'd rather be out there."

Rosa's eyes followed her pointing hoof to the window and she blinked in surprise. What was the difference? They would both still be homeless after they moved on from the Basilius family. It just meant a few days inside, with all the modern amenities, like clean toilets and showers and hot water. "Just a few days," Rosa pleaded, reaching out to put a hoof on Sky's flank.

Her mouth pressed together and Rosa was sure Sky was about to say no. It was going to be a blow, but she wouldn't let her go alone. The two of them needed to stick together, Rosa knew that much. Even before Sky Light answered, Rosa's ears had folded down and she closed her eyes.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this..."

Rosa cracked one eyelid open in surprise.

Sky heaved a sigh and rolled to her back so she could inspect the ceiling. "Can't even see the stars," she muttered quietly, then rubbed her nose with a hoof. "Jeez, fine. Until Wednesday, then we get that ride to White Pigeon..."

It was really weird why the practical and logical pegasus would decline a few nights in the warm and soft bed. "You didn't mind the truck," Rosa pointed out.

"That was different."

"How?"

Sky Light turned her muzzle to look at Rosa again. "A truck isn't a home. I just- it's like..." She groaned a little and then finished: "I just don't like houses, okay?! I said fine, so drop it, please!"

There was probably something else going on there, but Rosa didn't want to antagonize her, not when she couldn't really move to go after her, for example, if she stormed out in anger. "Fine. I just don't understand why-"

"I said drop it!"

Maybe it was a hobo thing? If Rosa had lived on the streets for twenty years, would she also feel uneasy indoors? She didn't have any experience with that so she couldn't say for sure. "Sorry."

Her friend sighed deeply again, but then she covered Rosa with a wing, very gently. "You're a good girl, Rosa. Let's just go to sleep."

Rosa nodded quietly.

"I'm not doing any of the housework, though."

That one made Rosa chuckle a little. "I don't mind. I'll do it."

Sky Light was smiling now and Rosa was happy to see that. A few extra chores were a small price to pay. Besides, they would keep her from getting bored. There was just one problem now. "Uh oh."

Lifting her head up, Sky Light looked at Rosa with concern. "What is it now?"

"Gotta pee..."

She looked confused for a moment, then removed her wing. "Okay, go for it," she said.

"Can't move..." To prove her point, Rosa put a hoof very gingerly on her belly and groaned. "Too full."

"Well, then you'll just have to hold it," Sky Light decided. She shrugged a little to herself and settled back down.

"Can't!" Rosa whimpered at her with wide, frightened eyes.

The insensitive feather-jerk just started laughing, like it was the funniest thing in the world. Rosa tried to glare at her, but Sky Light wasn't looking at her. "Holy crap, Rosa," Sky squeaked when she got her breath back, "you're just... Oh, God."

Rosa would have poked her tongue out at her, but she was afraid something else might come with it. There was probably no choice, though, and she would have to get up and go to the toilet, no matter how severe her discomfort.

"Need me to carry you?" Sky Light offered.

A mere thought about being gripped around the waist was enough to get Rosa moving. She slid carefully to the edge of the bed, then dangled her hind legs down from it. That put a bit of pressure on her belly, which made the poor mare groan, but her dinner, thankfully, stayed put. After that, it was just a matter of shifting her weight to her hind legs and pushing with her forehooves until she was mostly suspended in the air. Rosa rested her weight on her jaw for a moment so she could get all four hooves under her, then she stood up, breathing heavily.

"Jesus Christ, Rosa - just how much did you eat?!" Sky Light asked. Her expression could most easily be described as 'awe', the way she was staring in wonder.

"A... lot."

The pegasus nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. I didn't even see you come for seconds."

Of course she hadn't - the pegasus had had her own muzzle stuck in her burger. The only reason Rosa was in pain and Sky wasn't, was because her street-wise friend took the time to savor her food slowly.

"Seconds... thirds... I think also fourths. Ugh."

"Well, try and don't die on the way to the bathroom, you little idiot."

Rosa couldn't help chuckling at herself. The way she wasn't able to swallow that grilled bell pepper should have been the sign to stop eating, but she simply couldn't resist a second helping of that amazing chocolate ice cream. Next time she would know better.

Still, Sky Light had agreed, again, to stay at the Basilius' house for a few days, so Rosa would have plenty of time to rest after that barbecue. That was a small victory, anyway, and it put her in a very good mood. "No promises," she answered her pegasus friend.

Sky Light was still laughing as Rosa made her slow and gentle way out of the room.