//------------------------------//
// Chapter 68: Magic and Unicorns 
// Story: Rosa 
// by awf 
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By the time Speedy came in for lunch Rosa was still reeling from all Starla had told her. Luckily, it was easy to excuse herself by saying that she was not feeling too well. This statement was lent further credence by the fact that Rosa was not particularly hungry.

Pony resistance. Spies, hiding out in forests. Infiltrating human facilities and rescuing mistreated ponies. It all sounded completely crazy. Was Starla just making it all up? As a joke, or maybe she had some mental condition? No, Rosa believed the mare when she had told her. Besides, she had known what Sky Light looked like and Rosa was pretty sure she'd never told anyone in the dorms. She might have heard it from a human, but Rosa couldn't imagine the mare gossiping with one of the doctors about what a pony looked like. They might complain if Sky Light had been causing them a lot of problems, but not about her appearance.

Rosa snapped out of her thoughts, which had been running in a circle and not getting anywhere anyway, when she heard a pony walk into the room. She opened her eyes and saw Speedy, with a slight blush and a bowl of something in an upturned hoof.

"It's stew. I don't really know how to make anything else. Well, except for a sandwich. Oh, and toast. I can make toast."

She watched the poor colt babble for a few more moments, then smiled and held out a hoof. He was somewhat relieved to hand her the meal, as if he had been nervous about bringing it. Maybe Starla had made him do it, Rosa thought. The mare did seem quite friendly, if just a tad knowing and a teensy bit condescending. Rosa supposed she had a right to condescend a little, considering the difference in years between her and all the others. Rosa wondered if it would be incredibly rude to ask her.

"Um, Speedy? Do you know how old Starla is?" Luckily, there was a better way. Rosa sat up straight so she could place the bowl before her. There was a spoon, but she was not going to bother with that.

The colt was fiddling a bit with his hooves, so she patted the bed next to her and he hesitantly climbed on. "Well, I asked her once," he admitted, muzzle going pink. It was very obvious on his naturally light yellow coat. "She said it was none of my business."

That was a shame, but Rosa guessed Starla didn't have to disclose anything, especially something as personal as that.

Speedy gave her a crooked smile. "Later on, she said she's 'about forty-ish?'" The way he had spoken made Rosa chortle a bit, almost causing her to spit out her mouthful. The colt had done a good impression of the mare!

"That's good! Can you do Maribelle?" Some light entertainment with her lunch would be a welcome distraction!

Speedy blushed some more, but he thought for a moment then forced a big grin. "Ohmigosh, check out this actuator mechanism on this- uh, locomotive. Didya ever see engineering like this?!"

It was not a very good impression - much worse than his attempt at Starla - but Rosa still laughed. It was making him relax a little bit around her, which was good. She didn't feel as if she'd gotten to speak with this particular pony all that much. Except now she had her mouth full again and she had to keep it above the bowl because a bit of stew was dripping from her chin. Eating with spoons was a lot less messy.

Rosa suddenly realized that Speedy was watching and she froze for a moment, unable to meet his gaze. He probably thought she was totally uncivilized! "Um, could you get me a napkin or a towel, please?" you quaver.

"Oh, sure! No problem!" the helpful colt exclaimed and rushed off. Sky Light had rubbed off on her too much, it seemed. Before Rosa had spent all that time with the pegasus, she'd never have thought to eat directly from the bowl. She decided she'd make it a point to improve her habits. There was no need to get sloppy just because she had been living on the street for a while.

Speedy was back very soon, giving credibility to his chosen name, and Rosa wiped her muzzle thoroughly. "I guess that's what spoons are for," she tried to lighten the mood. Rosa immediately wanted to slap her face. Way to bring attention to her uncivilized manners!

Luckily, the colt didn't seem to read anything into her words and just tittered a little. "It helps!" he pointed out.

He was easy company and Rosa liked him. She wondered what Sky Light would have made of him. She'd probably roll her eyes and go something like: 'Great, now I got two of you...'

Remembering how gruff the pegasus could act was making Rosa smile. "Um, thanks. F-For bringing me this."

The colt gave her a nod. "No problem! You said you weren't feeling well, so I thought I'd try anyway. I mean- if it was belly-problems, then you obviously wouldn't wanna eat, but if it's most other things you would still get hungry and just might not be feeling like going to the kitchen and sitting at the table and- and..." He fell silent and took a deep breath. "I mean, you're welcome," he concluded.

In some ways he reminded Rosa a little of Paolo, except the pegasus back at the school was a bit more confident. Well, until she'd shown some interest in him. Then he had clamped right up just like Speedy was doing now. Rosa suddenly realized the colt probably liked her. It was sweet, but she really, really couldn't get into anything like that. Hopefully if she didn't encourage him it wouldn't go any further. That probably meant she had to stop talking soon.

She invented quickly: "Ugh, I'm gonna smell of this stew for the rest of the day and it's gonna drive me crazy. I think I'll take a shower."

Speedy audibly sniffed, but of course he couldn't tell whether the smell was coming from the bowl or from Rosa. It wasn't a complete fabrication, anyway. Even if it wouldn't smell, which it probably would, her fur felt sticky.

"Oh. Okay," the colt said, thinking Rosa was expecting an answer.

"Thank you for cooking - um, you and Starla can leave the dishes in the sink and I'll do them later."

He swallowed and nodded, but then opened his mouth to ask, hesitantly: "Um, are you doing s-something later?"

Dr. Mason hadn't told Rosa anything, so she had just been planning on reading a book or something until Maribelle returned. Then she would probably have a ton of stories about her train simulator. Rosa had never thought she'd see the day, but she was genuinely interested in hearing about that. It sounded fascinating, the way her friend talked about it. Maybe it was just Maribelle's enthusiasm rubbing off on her, but Rosa suddenly wanted to know more about trains.

Meanwhile she had to let Speedy down gently. She thought about the problem for a moment and then found the perfect solution. "We could play a board game or something. Can you ask Starla if she wants in while I'm in the shower?"

He had obviously hoped for some alone time with Rosa, because his ears lowered in disappointment. She was a bit sad to do this to him, but it was kinder than outright telling him he was barking up the wrong tree. "Oh. Okay, I'll ask her," he promised and Rosa knew that he would.

The next step was harder, but she had to do it. Rosa played completely casual, pretending like she hadn't noticed his infatuation and wishes and disappointment. "Thanks! Great! I'll see you in a bit!"

He tried to help out, but Rosa firmly picked up the bowl and, hobbling on three legs, took it to the kitchen where Starla was sitting at the table and still eating. "Game later?" Rosa asked her.

Starla watched her for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Might as well. My lesson got canceled cause the guy got a stomach bug."

That worked out, then. Rosa would play whatever silly game Speedy and Starla picked until Maribelle came, then she would listen to her stories about the simulator. That would be her afternoon, it seemed. Tomorrow - she didn't know anything yet, but maybe Dr. Mason would come in later to tell her. The doctor had said she was looking into getting a small indoor garden set up so Rosa could practice. That excited her, but at the same time Rosa didn't really want to get started, because she would just have to abandon anything she did there.

Now that Starla had taken her into her confidence, at least partially, Rosa had no doubt they would be escaping soon. The only question that remained was 'how'.

That reminded her: when she saw Dr. Mason she would have to ask her if she could visit Sky Light again. Rosa needed to confirm Starla's story about visiting her friend and make sure she was on board with an escape plan. On top of that, Rosa just missed the indomitable pegasus and wanted to spend some time talking with her. That was also a legitimate reason. She tried to come up with a way to ask Dr. Mason while she waited for the shower water to get warm. It had to come up all the way from the basement, Maribelle had told her, so it took a while before hot water made it that far. She really was an engineer, it looked like. Rosa hoped she would have a very happy and productive life on Earth.

She didn't even remember when tears have started to drip from her muzzle. She was going to miss her friend. Please, please, she thought silently, let there be a way to get her to Equestria in a few months' time when she was out of this place!

Please.





It was really hard to keep something that big from Maribelle, but Rosa just told her she hadn't been feeling too well and that seemed to cover it. Her friend had come back sooner than expected, too, saving Rosa from a very strange board game she could hardly follow. Something with spaceships which both Speedy and Starla seemed to enjoy quite a lot. For that matter, they hardly ever argued, so Rosa found it weird that they played Monopoly at all, if it was so controversial. Anyway, the previous night and the day's excitement had left her completely drained and she kept nodding off while Maribelle was excitedly explaining about her train simulator.

When it happened for the fifth or sixth time the mare carefully lifted up Rosa's muzzle and gave her a smile. "Aw, you really aren't doing too well, Rosa. Go on, get some rest. I'll tell you tomorrow."

Rosa feebly shook her head and opened her eyes in a herculean effort to be polite. "N' s' fine..."

It was just so warm and comfortable in her friend's bed with her flank pressing against Rosa's and her blanket draped over them both. She had a book propped against the pillow so she could show off some of the train cabin pictures she had seen, but Rosa knew she wouldn't retain any of them. The other mare nudged her with a hoof and pulled the blanket off, exposing Rosa's back to the chill.

At least she imagined it as a chill.

"Hush! Go! Toilet, teeth, wash, bed, okay?" Maribelle commanded.

She sounded serious, so Rosa dragged herself out of bed, grumbling a little. "It was so warm..."

Maribelle reached out to pat her withers. "You'll get warm in your own bed, too."

"Nuh-huh," Rosa shook her head, "never gonna get warm again. I'm gonna die of hypothermia and it'll all be your fault!"

They both giggled and the joke helped Rosa wake up a little. She didn't need much to get through her evening routine and Maribelle was probably right. They could both use a good night's sleep. Maybe tomorrow it would be easier to understand Starla's - or Starlight's - story. That mare was still not telling her everything, but Rosa felt like maybe they could trust each other, at least to an extent. With what she had said, Rosa could probably get her into quite some trouble, if she was so inclined.

Thinking of the mare, Rosa found her in the bathroom, staring in a mirror. There was a hint of a wince on her muzzle as she examined herself. "I'm glad that's not your natural color."

Starla glanced over, then turned back to the mirror. "I know, right?!"

This made Rosa curious, so she joined her in looking at both their reflections. "What is your natural color?"

The pony sighed sadly and her ears lowered. "This," she said and lifted it up a little, "is just a streak. The rest of it is purple with another light purple streak."

Rosa tried to imagine it and yes, it did sound a lot better than her current color. She wondered why Starla hadn't chosen a different one, something that was easier on the eyes. "Why did you make it all the same color as the streak?"

"I don't know," the mare complained. "I guess it sounded simpler. I obviously didn't think it through and by the time I realized how awful it was, I was already in here and there was no changing it."

That brought Rosa to another question. "How do you keep it colored? Don't you have to retouch the roots every once in a while?"

Starla immediately clamped up and looked around to see if anyone else was listening. They had both already said too much if that was the case, which was why Starla had a slightly worried look.

"No one was near when I came in, don't worry." Maybe that helped. The other mare relaxed a bit and reached for her toothbrush on a shelf near the sink. "So, how do you color it?"

The main reason Rosa wanted to know was curiosity, but she could also use a similar method if she had to disguise herself or Sky Light. It was not just her being nosy, really!

"You have to keep this a secret, Rosa, understand?"

Rosa's heartbeat picked up as she was about to be told another important secret, and she gave the other mare a serious nod.

She sighed, then whispered to her so quietly Rosa almost didn't hear it: "Magic."

"Ma-mmphf!" Rosa had almost said it out loud and it was a good thing that Starla had plugged her noise-hole with a hoof.

"Ssssh!" she hissed.

"Sorry! Magic?!" Rosa repeated in a whisper.

Starla just nodded, but that was not nearly enough for Rosa.

"You mean, actual, serious, not-trickery magic, magic?!"

"Yup. I'm actually pretty good at it."

What she was saying was out of this world. Yes there were rumors about a certain type of pony - a unicorn - who could do actual magic, but Rosa wasn't even fully convinced they really existed. Even if they did, she wondered how Starla had gotten her hooves on some of their actual magic. How did you even carry magic around?! Rosa stepped closer with an eager smile. "How does it work?! Where is it? Can I see? I never saw any actual magic!"

The enthusiasm made Starla giggle a little, but she answered some of the questions: "Relax. All ponies have natural magic, but only unicorns can use it like you're probably thinking. You need a horn to use that kind of magic."

What she was implying was staggering and Rosa's legs started to tremble in both excitement and fear. "Are y-y-you an," she began, but had to gulp before she could finish, "-an unicorn?!"

Starla gave her a slight nod. "Guilty, I guess."

"But you don't have a horn!"

"Sssh!" Starla had to remind yet again. Rosa's voice tended to get louder and louder when she was excited.

"Sorry!"

"Of course I don't walk around with a horn, that would be incredibly stupid. It's a disguise! Humans are okay with ponies and most of them don't care about cutie marks, but seeing a unicorn around tends to cause a panic."

"Why?"

This one was a harder question to answer and Starla took a moment to think it over. "I'm not sure when it all began, but- Look, how much do you know about cutie marks?"

"Not much," Rosa answered truthfully.

"Okay, so in some cases, the cutie mark is determined for a pony at birth. I'm not entirely sure how it happens, but sometimes the parents get- well, a sort of a hunch, so they usually end up giving the pony a name that matches their special talent. On the other hoof..." Again, the mare paused a little bit to organize her thoughts. It was plain to see that she had never tried to explain these things, but she was somewhat knowledgeable. "Okay, so the other times, when the cutie mark isn't determined in advance, it's kinda shaped by the environment. For example, somepony might grow up with a blacksmith father and watch him work, and that would influence them to- to get interested in that. So when the time comes, their cutie mark is related to that interest."

Rosa nodded, following so far. All feeling of being tired was gone and her mind was buzzing with new adrenaline. There would be a price to pay later, she knew, but it would be worth it. "Okay?"

"So, for ponies who find their cutie mark through interests and upbringing and so on- well, that's usually the stronger power. It could be anything and it's shaped by the way they grow up."

Rosa suddenly remembered Sky Light telling her something very similar. "Oh, I think I heard about that! I didn't know that some cutie marks are determined in advance, but Sky Light told me that, um, happy lives lead to good cutie marks and tragic ones can give ponies a bad cutie mark."

Starla nodded, but a little doubtfully. "Y-Yeees," she replied, dragging the word out, "kinda. It's a very simplistic explanation, but let's say it's close enough. The cutie mark in these cases comes from the things a pony loves, but it can also be the other way around - it can come from something somepony hates strongly enough." She shuddered a bit at some internal memory. "There's been a few like that even in Equestria and they are usually really really bad! I guess it's just more common on Earth."

That confirmed some things Rosa had already known and it gave her some fresh things to think about. She tried to make the next connection herself. "So, unicorn, plus a bad cutie mark is-"

"Bad news," Starla finished for her. "Some unicorns can get very powerful. Imagine being able to blow up an entire building with a thought. They don't need explosives or guns or any weapon. Heh, they are the weapon. No wonder humans got scared, they don't have any defense against that." She saw Rosa's worried expression and gave her a brief hug. "In Equestria there was always defense against that sort of thing. Even if a hero - or heroes - didn't step forward, there was always a Princess around to sort things out."

Rosa opened her mouth to ask about that, but Starla smiled patiently and prodded her toward the shower cabin. "Enough questions now, you're almost falling over. Wash up and go to bed, Rosa. I'll tell you more when we get out!" She stuck the toothbrush she had been holding all this time back into her mouth.

It sounded like their escape would happen soon. Should Rosa tell Maribelle anything tonight? The other mare caught her expression and shook her head, smile slipping away. She had to remove the brush to speak. "Don't tell anypony, okay? Look, I have to go check something tonight. If everything goes smoothly, we're breaking out the next day, got that?"

Rosa nodded wordlessly, then froze and felt her ears sag. She had somehow decided to leave Maribelle behind. She was happy here and getting the education and the opportunity she deserved. Starla was probably right about that. If they told Maribelle what they were planning, she would undoubtedly go to a human. She'd think she was doing them a favor.

There was no other way. Rosa would just have to make her goodbye the night she left, when Maribelle couldn't stop her, or give them away, then come back for her in a few months or maybe a year. Once she had been exposed to the outside world, her friend might see things differently.

Oh, that reminded Rosa! "Just one more question, really quick!" she pleaded. "Are there trains or something like that in Equestria?"

Starla blinked a few times in confusion, then her face cleared up. Again she had to remove the toothbrush to answer. "Oh! You mean for your friend! Yeah, of course! There's steam trains and all kinds of machinery. That's a good idea, actually," The mare seemed a bit excited. "If she gets an engineering education here on Earth, she might bring some new ideas to Equestria. Good thinking!"

"So we'll come back for her?"

It was obvious that Starla wasn't too certain, but she still gave Rosa a nod. "Yeah, sure! I'll talk with Cadence."

"How will we find her?"

"Don't worry about that."

Opening her mouth to ask again just made Rosa yawn, despite her excitement. Starla was probably right. She needed to get herself ready and then go to bed. She would have to be well rested for tomorrow night, if they would be breaking out in the night. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a few naps during the day. Rosa could say she was still not feeling perfectly well and take some quiet time in her room. Hopefully Dr. Mason or Dr. Barton or anyone else wouldn't need too much of her time.

"Thanks- um, for trusting me."

Starla gave her another short hug. "Mmm-phmm!" she mumbled around the toothbrush.

Rosa idly wondered why her and not Speedy or Maribelle, but she forgot all about that when she started the water. A toothbrush would feel nice and, more importantly, it would be a prelude to something nicer: her bed. It was going to suck to have to say goodbye to Maribelle, but at least this time they would both know the other was doing something important. More than that, Rosa would know that Maribelle would be happy in her new job. Even more than that, Rosa would know it wouldn't be forever. Even if Starla wasn't too convinced they'd be able to find Maribelle again after a year or so, Rosa just wouldn't give up. She had found her friend once, she could it again!

Those thoughts all fled when she stuck the brush in her mouth and had to focus on careful hoofwork to navigate it around.