//------------------------------//
// Chapter 63: Maribelle 
// Story: Rosa 
// by awf 
//------------------------------//

The remnants of that strange dream still clung to Rosa's mind while Dr. Mason took her to the new room. She tried shaking her head slightly to try and both dislodge that odd, nostalgic feeling, and clear her head for what was coming. The day would undoubtedly bring important revelations and Rosa would absolutely need her focus. The thought made her heart race with a mixture of excitement and nerves, but despite that Rosa wasn't even slightly sad to leave the cell behind.

Her possessions, consisting of her toothbrush, her toothpaste, and the book Eliza had given her, were being carried for Rosa by the doctor herself, so her hooves were free for walking. It was also nice that she didn't have to wear the bridle anymore. Apparently the higher-ups had decided that she was not dangerous after all, which was good news indeed.

The lift took them up to the third floor and Rosa held her breath as they turned down a new corridor. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it looked to be just another hall in the maze that was the building.

"This way," Dr. Mason said and set off toward a metal door in the distance.

Rosa had to hurry to keep up with her long strides. Eliza stopped at the end of the hallway and typed a number on a keypad on the wall. There was a beep and a mechanical click, and the lady pushed the door open. Rosa peered around her legs at the room beyond. It was carpeted, which was a very welcoming sight. Rosa could also see some cushions in a rough circle in one corner around a low table, which looked to be a suitable height for ponies. There wasn't anyone in sight, which worried her a little bit.

Eliza, on the other hand, didn't seem concerned and held the door open for Rosa. "In you get," she murmured needlessly because Rosa's nervous legs couldn't stop moving and the mare was right on her heels.

Once inside, Rosa took a proper look around. One of the walls had a series of unmarked doors and not much else, so she ignored it. On the other side was a toilet, a bathroom and a shower, all separate rooms and Rosa could see the signs above their respective doors. The rest of the room was rather plain. There were a few closets along the far side and what looked like an abandoned game of Monopoly on the floor. Rosa estimated that four people had been playing it, but the pieces lay strewn about every which way, forgotten. She could also see a small, but well-stocked bookshelf and Rosa smiled a little. Plenty of material, especially considering that she didn't intend to stay there all that long.

The most important thing, however, were the voices. They were muffled and coming from a wider door opposite the entrance. The sign said 'kitchen' and Rosa realized that the ponies must be having breakfast. It made sense and Dr. Mason had told Rosa that she would be eating with the others today.

Eliza didn't go to the source of the voices, though, but rather led Rosa to the plain wall with nondescript doors. "Come, this way," the woman called. "Let's get you moved in."

She hesitated and cast a longing glance at the kitchen, itching to go and introduce herself. Knowing that Maribelle was in there almost physically hurt, but Rosa pushed the feeling down and followed Dr. Mason. She led the way to the fourth door down and opened it. There were two beds inside with a locker each, a small table with a chair and, Rosa was happy to see, a light switch on the wall. It seemed like Rosa would have a roommate. One of the beds looked quite pristine, but the other had obviously been slept in and then hurriedly and inexpertly made.

"Um, this is nice," Rosa commented. A surreptitious glance showed her that there was a lock on the door, but it could only be operated from outside. Rosa would still be a prisoner, but there were worse places to be jailed in.

Dr. Mason put her toothbrush and the book on the empty bed and then patted it. "Up," she commanded and Rosa clambered on and sat down. This made it easier for her to talk with the doctor face to face and Rosa happily returned Eliza's smile. "So, I can trust you to behave yourself and not frighten the other ponies?"

"Frighten?"

Eliza ran her fingers through Rosa's mane and the mare leaned into the touch. Whether she trusted her or not, scratches still felt nice. "Don't tell them things which will worry them, okay? Rumors about this place."

Rosa was not sure what exactly she meant, but she shrugged and nodded despite that. "Okay."

"I pulled some strings to get you a good roommate, so don't disappoint me, okay? Be good, or I'll have you moved to solitary."

At this threat Rosa's ears lowered and she quickly agreed. "I promise."

"Good girl," the doctor praised.

"Um, who's my roommate?" Rosa asked her.

Now the woman's smile turned mysterious. "You'll see. Just remember - this can be a very nice place if you do what you're told and learn what you're taught. You'll see." She gestured vaguely. "Maybe someday Sky Light can join you up here if she can learn to be as good as you."

"I told her. She said she'll try, but I don't think she really believed me. Maybe if I talked with her some more..."

This suggestion made Eliza nod absently and Rosa almost pumped her hoof in victory. Some more acting like that and she would have these humans all fooled!

"Okay, you're probably hungry, but here are some ground rules: You're to be in your room before nine in the evening. Someone will come check on you and lock the doors, so make sure you use the toilet before that, or you'll just have to hold it until morning."

Despite Eliza's hand still in Rosa's mane, her voice had become stern and the words sounded important, so Rosa nodded solemnly at the woman and focused her ears forward. "Okay."

"The other ponies will explain how meals work, but make sure you finish breakfast before eight in the morning. If someone needs you for a test or a lesson you'll have to go do it, fed or not, understand?"

"Yes."

The fingers paused on Rosa's ear and gave it a little scratch. "Most of the time you'll be working with me. You'll tell me if you need anything and I'll see if we can provide it for you."

It was more or less what Rosa had been expecting, so she just nodded some more and smiled at the doctor.

"Good. The other ponies know how things work, so just follow them. If you have any questions, ask me, deal?"

"Deal! Thank you, Eliza!"

She stood up and went to the door. Rosa followed right on her heels, impatient and excited to finally meet her old roommate.

"Now go and introduce yourself. You can have your breakfast in peace. I've scheduled your psych evaluation for after lunch. I'll come fetch you when it's time and then we'll discuss your future. Have fun!"

The doctor didn't wait for a reply, even though Rosa thanked her again and said goodbye. She left through the same door, typing in the number again to unlock it, and Rosa heard some automatic mechanism lock it when it closed behind Eliza. She wasn't particularly sad to see her go, even if she was now alone in a new, strange place, with ponies she didn't know. This was what she had been working towards all this time. Maribelle!

Rosa walked to the kitchen door and stopped, wondering how to do it. Should she knock, or would it be better to just walk in and greet everyone? For that matter, she didn't even know how many ponies there were! She heard a voice she didn't know talking at length, but that didn't tell Rosa how many listeners there were.

She took a deep breath and shook her head a little. They were ponies! They would be happy to see a new face! Maribelle was in there!

Heart aflutter, legs trembling a little and her breath stuck in her throat, Rosa reached up, pushed the door open and stepped inside. Whoever had been talking fell silent as three sets of eyes focused on the newcomer. Rosa only saw one mare, though.

"R-Rosa?!" The chair clattered as the mare kicked it back and rushed at her. Already there were tears in Rosa's eyes and she was smiling so widely that her muzzle was cramping up. Her mane - violet, but lighter than Rosa's coat - was a little longer than the last time she had seen her. Her indigo coat looked well-kept. Then Rosa found herself caught in her beautiful eyes and everything else faded away.

Back when Rosa had been moved into Maribelle's dorm room had been the first time she'd heard of the color: umber. Rosa had initially called them brown and the mare, with a patient smile, had corrected her. It had reminded Rosa so much about the way she was with her name, that she immediately felt a kinship with Maribelle.

Time returned to normal as she slammed into Rosa's barrel and they both fell to the floor.

"Oh my God, ROSA!" the pony squealed in delight. "It's so good to see you, Rosa!"

Rosa herself couldn't say anything because she was laughing.

Now that Maribelle - sweet, smart, kind Maribelle - was back, there was nothing they couldn't do if they put their minds to it. With her and Sky Light at her side, Rosa would get out of this place before she knew it.

"I m-missed you too," Rosa stammered.

Her old friend was lying on top of Rosa and alternating between nuzzling her cheek and pulling back to stare at her incredulously. At long last the wheels clicked and her smile faltered. "They said you ran away," Maribelle explained. "How did you end up here?!"

Rosa took a deep breath and lifted both herself and her friend upright. She caught a glimpse of the other two ponies, but they didn't matter just at that moment. Rosa was holding on to her old roommate until further notice and it felt like Maribelle wasn't about going to let her go either. That was just fine by Rosa.

"It's a long story."

"Tell me everything!"

"Well, they assigned me to work for this family - the Boones..."





After a heavily abridged version of her story, Maribelle insisted she would make Rosa's breakfast personally, so Rosa sat down at the table while her old friend went to the stove to cook. She could see that all the appliances were smaller and lower to the floor, so they could be comfortably used by ponies. Even the pots had big, rubbery handles so they would be easy to grab with teeth. It really looked like the kitchen was make for pony use, which meant that they cooked for themselves here. It was a nice touch and Rosa liked the place a tiny bit more.

While she was sitting at the table, Rosa looked at the other two residents. One of them was a pink earth mare with a really clashing, bright cyan mane. Rosa felt a bit sorry for her with that color combination, but she seemed good natured. The other, an earth colt, was yellow with a gray mane. He didn't look old, so it seemed like it was just his natural color.

Flashing both of them a friendly smile, Rosa introduced herself. "My n-name is Rosa..."

They seemed slightly bemused and glanced at each other. They could probably have guessed her name, since Maribelle had called her by it several times, but it was still polite to make a proper introduction.

"Um, I was Maribelle's roommate at the Pony School."

The colt was the first to stir and he reached out a hoof for Rosa to shake. "Samwise, but these two call me 'Speedy'," he explained, indicating the mares.

Then Rosa looked expectantly at the pink mare. "Starla," she said in a neutral voice.

Rosa felt like she'd been slapped. She stared at the pony, mouth hanging open, until she grinned nervously and patted her muzzle. "What?! Is there something on my face?"

Shaking her head, Rosa managed to get herself under control. The dream voice had specifically told her to give this mare a message. Rosa wondered if she should tell her right away. Maybe she was her new roommate? It felt like the humans would keep boys and girls separated, so it was either that or-

Rosa's eyes went wide in shock. "Maribelle, which room are you in?"

The mare looked away from the pot she was heating up. "Number four," she answered. "Why?"

"We're roommates!!"

Rosa could have hugged Dr. Mason right then. She'd made it so Rosa was in the room with her old friend. Maybe Eliza really did care about the ponies in her charge?

Maribelle seemed to echo her delight and squeed excitedly. She left her cooking long enough to come give Rosa another tight hug. "This is so great! Just like old times!"

All Rosa could do was nod, unable to find proper words.

"Good for you," the colt commented. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Maths tutor in ten minutes so I better get my notebook." He slipped from the chair and left the small kitchen, giving Rosa a friendly grin on his way out. She decided she liked him, but it was just a first impression so far. Hopefully she would get to talk to him a bit more later, so she could see what he was like.

Starla, however, just kept watching Rosa with a bemused expression. Finally, she twirled a hoof in the air. "Show me this half-cutie mark you got. I heard you say it, but I've never seen anything like that."

Rosa remembered that she hadn't gotten a good look at Maribelle's cutie mark either, and the colt was already gone. It would make sense that all the ponies here had them, since that was probably the reason they had been brought to the facility in the first place. 

Starla herself had a magic wand. Maybe she was good with magic tricks or something? Rosa slipped off the chair to show off her sides and Starla watched with a great deal of interest. "Weird. Do you know why you only got the one?"

"Dr. Mason said the implant malfunctioned in a weird way."

Rosa showed her the bald patch with the plaster, but the mare didn't reply to that. She just kept looking thoughtfully at Rosa and her face didn't let out what she was thinking. In fact, the mare was a bit odd, but Rosa couldn't really put her finger on it. Or rather, she couldn't put a hoof on it. Rosa decided to give her time and chat with her before she made up her mind that she don't like Starla. After all, the dream-voice had told her about this mare specifically. Rosa wondered what that meant.

It would have to wait for later, because right at the moment Maribelle seemed to be done and she slid a plate before Rosa. At first glance it looked like it was just full of milk, but Rosa gave the spoon a stir and things floated up. It was some kind of grain porridge, but with raisins and some corn flakes mixed in. Her old friend watched her with a faint smile as Rosa put it in her mouth.

"It's good!" she commented.

A bit of milk dribbled down Rosa's chin and Maribelle chuckled. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Rosa," she chided, but she liked the praise, that much was obvious. Giving her a big smile, Rosa returned to her meal with gusto.

"So, what's on your schedule for today?" Maribelle asked Starla while Rosa was shovelling the goop in her mouth as quickly as she could. That first taste had reminded her that she hadn't eaten since last night.

"Hmm," Starla gave the question some thought. "Dunno, really. They haven't told me yet. I guess I'll do my homework in History and Literature."

Maribelle nodded approvingly. "I still don't get it how you can be so good at stuff like Science and Physics, but so bad at History."

The mare shrugged dismissively. "Guess it just doesn't suit me."

"Nonsense," Maribelle countered. "I'll help you study in the evening, okay? Rosa can help too, she's always been good in school."

Rosa gave the two a nod and swallowed her mouthful before answering. "Oh, sure. I'll help, too!"

The pink mare grinned a little in relief. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Almost Rosa told her about the dream voice, but then she glanced at Maribelle and changed her mind. She decided to talk with her friend about it, first. Maybe Maribelle would be able to tell her if she could trust Starla with this information or not. They seemed to know each other pretty well.

"You?" Starla asked.

Maribelle didn't have to think. "Got Engineering with Mr. Roberts in an hour." She seemed really excited about it.

"Engineering? Why?" Rosa blurted out.

Her old friend slipped from her chair and showed Rosa her side. On her flank was a picture of rail tracks, which made Rosa stare in shock.

"Railroad?!"

Maribelle blushed and folded her ears down. "Well, yeah."

"How?! Why?!"

She shrugged a little. "It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere! I'm free until lunch."

Maribelle glanced at the clock on a nearby wall, then smiled. "Okay, the short version for now and I'll tell you more after lunch."

While she was getting ready to tell her story, Rosa spooned the last few bits in her mouth and then went to lick the dish clean. Before she could really get into it, Starla grabbed the pot and poured her some more with a slight smirk. Rosa just flashed her a guilty grin, but didn't complain and quickly reached for her spoon again.

"Anyway, Frankie - you remember him? He was a year younger than us."

It took a moment to bring the name of the colt to mind, and even then Rosa couldn't quite put a face to it. She still nodded in vague recognition.

Maribelle shrugged as she continued. "He somehow got the password for the Internet on the school's computer and he told me it. He showed me this thing called a you tube."

Rosa had heard about it from Taylor at the Internet cafe, so she gave her friend a smile. "Yeah, it's mostly about cat videos, right?"

Both Starla and Maribelle laughed at this. "No, silly. It's got all sorts of stuff on it," Rosa's friend explained. "For some reason it showed me this video of a guy and his model railroad set. The thing was really impressive. It took up a whole room and there were stations and mountains and lakes. You should have seen it!" Now that she was talking, Maribelle's eyes were wide and full of wonder. "I guess it was love at first sight. I mean, I knew what trains were, but the way he set up all these intersections and crossings and junctions. Dunno, I really liked watching it. The little model trains going around... There were even puffs of smoke from the locomotives!"

The mare shook her head in wonder, but she was still smiling. "I sneaked down to the computer lab whenever I had some free time. The teachers thought I was looking up stuff for my classes on the approved sites, but I was secretly watching train videos. Then - before I knew what was happening, I had this on my flank." She tapped the cutie mark and sighed. "I was terrified at first, but Dr. Barton, my attending, set up an engineering class, so now I'm learning all about how trains work and stuff. He says if I'm good I might get to work on one someday. Like a train conductor or something."

It sounded like she really loved the idea. It threw a slight wrench in Rosa's plans to settle down somewhere with Maribelle, but if she had to, she would set up the world's first garden on a train! It might be difficult to fulfill her talent if they escaped, though. It made Rosa worry, but she pushed it aside for the time being. She could figure something out later. Maybe they wouldn't even have to escape, if the people really were as nice as it seemed. The place still gave Rosa the creeps, but maybe she was just prejudiced from the stuff she'd heard?

Sky Light wouldn't like it, though. This could be bad - Rosa might have to leave one of her friends behind.

"What's wrong?" Maribelle asked and Rosa realized she had stopped talking and both she and Starla were watching her with some concern.

"Oh. Nothing. Just a bit scared of this place still, I guess," Rosa told them truthfully. She put her muzzle in the plate again to hide for a moment and get a chance to compose herself. It probably wouldn't be easy, but maybe she could figure something out. After all, hadn't Sky Light told her about that earth pony with a compass cutie mark who had become a trucker? Aiden, that was it. Maybe Maribelle could sort of 'unofficially' help some human who drove a train for a living. If she had a cutie mark in it, she would undoubtedly be good at it. All she would need was a chance, maybe in some quiet, out of the way area where people didn't mind where she had come from? Having even so rudimentary a plan cheered Rosa up and she smiled at her old friend again.

"Sheesh, they must have starved you in quarantine," Maribelle commented. "They told us another pony is coming, but I never for the life of me imagined it was you, Rosa!" Her expression grew solemn. "I never thought I'd hear from you again. From any of you. How were the others after- after I left?"

Rosa remembered the heartbreak, but she still kept her smile. "They were good last time I heard. They seemed happy. They sent me photos, back when I was still with the Boones."

By now they must have heard she was missing. Would the teachers have told them that Rosa also got her cutie mark, or would they just say she'd escaped. What must they think of her, if that was all they knew? Rosa wondered if there was any way at all to somehow send them a message. She decided she would try asking Dr. Mason, but she didn't have much hope for that. After all, no one at school had ever heard from a pony who got their cutie mark before. The weird part was that she couldn't figure out why exactly. What would be the harm? They couldn't be this paranoid about secrecy at this place, could they?

If Rosa absolutely had to guess, it was probably so they all stayed afraid of cutie marks for whatever reason. Maybe the implants worked better if the pony was scared of getting one?

"Well, I'll get started on my homework," Starla said. "Nice chatting with you, Rosa. We'll talk more later."

Rosa remembered the problems Starla had with her classes and how Maribelle had offered her assistance. "Want me to help?"

The mare shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd like to try my hoof at it by myself, first."

Maribelle looked up at the clock again. "I better get ready for Mr. Roberts."

It felt like they hadn't really gotten a chance to catch up, but Rosa didn't mind. There'd be plenty of time, especially since Maribelle was her roommate again. She slipped from the chair and gave her a big hug.

"You won't get bored here by yourself, right?" Maribelle asked.

"No. I'll wash the dishes and tidy up a little. I'm used to it!"

This cheered both mares up a little bit. "Aw, that's so kind of you!" Maribelle praised and Rosa's heart fluttered in joy. Maribelle always knew just what to say to motivate her. "There's also books if you like, or a movie. They got us a nice selection of DVDs. The TV is in the last closet near the window, just keep the volume down so you don't bother Starla while she's studying."

That was some more good news. Now Rosa really wished Sky Light would be able to join them up on the third floor soon. She would have to tell her what it was like and then maybe she could start pretending she believed the humans and get herself moved to this place, rather than that prison cell on the second floor.

Both other mares filed out of the kitchen and Rosa collected the empty dishes from the table and took them to the sink. It was so much easier to work when it was lower to the floor! The joy at seeing her old friend and possibly making a few new ones filled her heart and Rosa started humming happily.

Starla froze in the door and looked back at her, which made Rosa's song falter. "What?"

The mare shook her head a little and forced a smile. "Nice song. Where is it from?"

Rosa shrugged. "Dunno. I've known it since forever. Probably something I saw on TV someday."

"Oh." If anything, Starla seemed a bit disappointed. Rosa didn't know why and it didn't feel like the right time to ask, because Starla had left the kitchen and gently shut the door behind herself.

Rosa went back to humming as she started washing the dishes.