//------------------------------//
// Chapter 78: Planning a Rescue 
// Story: Rosa 
// by awf 
//------------------------------//

Eventually Rosa was able to find a few minutes of peace and quiet so she could try and sort out her emotions. Her mind still reeled from the sudden, irrevocable events with Sky Light and Zephyr Gale. Then, to top it all off, there had been Luna's little revelation about Rosa's mother. Now she had a name, and the poor mare didn't know whether she should be excited, or scared. It was just too much, all at once and, rather than completely shutting down, Rosa had decided to focus on her friend first, and think about everything else later.

Sky Light had finally cried herself out on Rosa's cot. That had taken some quick thinking on Rosa's part when they came into the tent and she remembered what Sky had been doing on her own bed just a few hours ago. Rubbing her face in that smell, and the memory it would undoubtedly invoke, would have been too cruel, so Rosa had left the weeping mare outside for just a few seconds while she hurriedly bundled up the bedclothes and blankets into a ball. Those she then tossed at some random passerby and told him to take it to laundry. There probably wouldn't be laundry for very much longer, but that didn't matter in the slightest. The inside of the tent had thus been cleaned up as best as Rosa was able, under the circumstances, and she could finally bring Sky Light inside to lay her down on a bed.

It had taken her some two hours of incoherent mumbling, weeping, anger, and downright begging before she had cried herself out and fell into a somewhat uneasy, troubled sleep. Rosa didn't know if Sky Light was having nightmares or happy dreams, but every now and then she moved and mumbled something. She also refused to release Rosa, but that was fine. Rosa didn't want to go anywhere, not when her friend needed her like that. Maybe her presence was even making the ordeal a little better.

On the other hand - hoof - Sky Light falling asleep was giving Rosa some time to think.

She knew a name now. Fluttershy. A very Equestrian sounding name, but it was all she had to go on. Oh, and her being this 'Element of Kindness', whatever that meant. It sounded important, but Rosa hadn't heard any of the camp ponies mention it even once. Maybe it was a historical thing?

Princess Luna had said that Fluttershy had been captured, although not how exactly. Then, apparently not long after, Fluttershy must have ended up in the School where she- well, had Rosa. It was a futile effort, but Rosa still tried to imagine what she might look like. Luna had said she had her mother's eyes, so that part was easy.

What would be her coat color, though? Kindness. Maybe something loving and welcoming, then, like pink or some shade of red? Well, probably not red, that would look too much like blood. Rosa shuddered at the memory of Snow Dove absolutely covered in Captain Zep-

No! She stomped out that thought ruthlessly before she would start crying again and wake up Sky Light. How about white? Snow Dove was one of the friendliest ponies Rosa knew, so maybe her mother was also a shade of white? She wouldn't know for sure until she asked, but Rosa settled on that for now. Moving on, what would be the cutie mark for kindness? A hug? How did you stylize a hug? Rosa completely failed at imagining it. Maybe it would have been easier if she'd grown up with the stuff, but Rosa was drawing all kinds of a blank right now.

Anyway, whatever her shape and color, Rosa was absolutely certain she loved Fluttershy dearly. She had sang to her when Rosa was just a baby and the song had been so powerful and heartfelt that it had stayed with her all her life. Whenever she had been sad, Rosa had just hummed that and it had felt like she was a little bit less alone. As if her mother had been there, sharing the sadness and supporting her, unseen, but still somehow present. More than that. Whenever Rosa had been happy and full of joy, she had sang the song and her mother had been there to share in that, too! Now that she looked back in retrospect, it felt like she'd been by her side all her life, through that simple piece of music. Rosa remembered it, but didn't sing it out loud.

Despite the tragedy they had just witnessed, somehow Rosa felt it was all going to be alright.

"Rosa?" Sky Light said in a hoarse whisper.

Rosa shuffled around so she was looking at her, and the sight almost made her flinch. Her eyes were pinpricks of terror and she was trembling violently.

"I'm here," Rosa told her the obvious, because it needed telling.

"I can't go through with this," the other mare murmured. She let go of Rosa for a moment to place her hooves over her belly. "I c-can't, I can't, not again!"

Without any better ideas, Rosa just gave her a nuzzle and tried to comfort her as best she could. "It'll be okay! It's going to work out."

The mare refused to believe it and shook her head vehemently. "I'll fuck it up again," she claimed, "I'm not- I can't do this! I'm not ready! Not like this!"

Rosa swallowed and hesitantly said: "W-What about, um, ad-adoption?"

Sky blinked in confusion, then her muzzle scrunched up in a grimace. She hated the idea, Rosa could tell, but at the same time it was like a lifeline. At the very least it got her thinking about the future. "No," she said finally and her ears folded down. "No, I couldn't." Sky Light closed her eyes and heaved a prolonged, shuddering breath. Rosa waited until she opened her eyes again and gave her a piercing stare. "You gotta help me, Rosa," she pleaded.

"Of course I'll help! Sky, I'm with you! I'll help with anything you need."

It was not exactly clear how she could help with Sky being pregnant, but even if she needed waiting on hand and foot - hoof and... hoof, Rosa guessed? - she would do it.

Her friend took her hooves off her belly and put them on Rosa's shoulders, as if making sure she was real. "You gotta keep me good, okay? I can't hit the bottle again. I'll want to. Once this-" Her eyes filled up and she sniffed, but Sky Light pushed bravely onward: "Once h-his death really hits home, I'll want to. God, how I'll want to!"

"I won't let you!" Rosa promised, horrified.

"It fucking hurts, Rosa, but it's gonna get a whole lot worse. I don't think I even really believe he's gone yet. I guess I'm in shock or s-something..." Whatever else Sky was going to say was lost in a fresh wail. "Oh God, he can't be gone! Please, my Zephyr, you can't be dead!"

After that she devolved into wordless crying again, so Rosa just held her and waited for it to pass. It took a while, but then the mare was lucid and scared again. "Please don't let me k-kill this one, t-too," she begged. "Rosa, I'm gonna fuck it up, I know it!"

She needed to stop thinking about the bad, Rosa decided. An idea occurred, risky, but she didn't know what else to do. "It's gonna be fine. What are you going to name your and Zephyr's daughter?"

This shut the pegasus up and her eyes bulged out in shock. She opened and closed her mouth a few times. "N-Name?"

Rosa forced a smile. "Yeah! Sky, you're gonna have a daughter. Cadence said so. She's a... b-bitch, but she's probably right about that. So, what'll you name her?"

Sky Light looked into the distance for a while. Rosa guessed her tactic was working, because she didn't seem like she'd burst into tears again. At long last her face lit up and she even managed a small, tentative smile. "I know," she proclaimed. "I'll call her 'Iris'."

Rosa also couldn't help but grin. "Like the flower?"

"Mhm!" Sky's face crumpled again and Rosa could see she was thinking about her first child, also named after a flower.

Rosa urgently put her hooves around the pony and squeezed. "It's a beautiful name! And you're gonna make a great mom, Sky Light!"

"H-How do you know that?!"

"Well, you took good care of me, didn't you? I'm still alive, aren't I?"

She seemed uncertain, but at least Sky Light was thinking about it. "I g-guess?" she finally admitted. "Haven't been that good of an influence, though..."

"What do you mean?"

Sky rolled her eyes a little, but counted out the things anyway: "Well, one, I got you involved with drug smuggling. Two, I helped you break into a secret government place. Three, we're now involved with a resistance group. Anything else?"

Rosa was about to say no, but Sky had more: "Oh yeah, I took you on a road trip across the country with a trucker. We could have been killed or worse!"

This time Rosa shook her head emphatically. "Nuh-huh, not with Pavo Basilius. You're a good judge of character and know who to trust." Finally the mare had no more answers, so Rosa pressed her advantage some more: "Anyway, I wouldn't have made it without you, Sky. That's how I know you'll do great, okay? Besides, we're going to Equestria and Luna said they'll take care of us!"

Of all things, Sky light looked a bit doubtful, but she didn't argue. She could tell Rosa believed Luna, even if Sky herself didn't absolutely trust the alicorn. Maybe that was good enough for her.

It looked like the worst was over, at least for the immediate moment, so Rosa thought she might be able to go and tend to her bodily needs. "Listen, I need to go pee and then I need to go see Princess Luna about- something..."

"About your mother?"

"Yes."

"That's... something, I guess. I h-hope you can get her out."

"With Luna we will," Rosa said, confidently.

Sky just gave her a nod, once again lost in her own thoughts. She seemed a bit calmer now, but the dam might burst again any minute and Rosa really wanted to be there for her. Except that she was about to explode herself. "Look, I really need to go, okay? I'll talk with Luna for five minutes, just so I know what the plan is, and then I'll grab us something to eat, okay?"

"I'm not hungry."

Rosa sighed and extricated herself from the hug. "You gotta eat, Sky. It's important. I know you don't feel like it, but I'll bring us something good and we'll eat together, right?"

The mare didn't look at Rosa. "I guess..."

It was probably the best Rosa was going to get. She'd just have to feed her, by force if necessary. Rosa leaned down to give Sky Light a nuzzle, which she reluctantly returned. "I'll be right back!"

There was no reply, so Rosa just left, hurrying for the latrines.





The camp was an entirely different place now, it seemed. It had never been exactly 'lazy', but the place was suddenly bustling with activity. Everywhere Rosa looked, she saw ponies taking down tents or packing up various strange equipment onto carts. She even saw the griffin in the distance for the first time. She hadn't spotted him until now, although she also hadn't actually really gone out of her way to look for him. He was another mythical creature and Rosa was a bit curious about him, but that beak looked quite vicious and those claws looked very sharp, and she'd just had a big upheaval so Rosa left it for another time.

A couple of ponies in dark green uniforms marched smartly past her, their backs positively loaded with what looked like blankets and towels. Rosa didn't recognize either of them, but they seemed familiar. Maybe they were from Zephyr's command? Rosa shook her head sadly and headed onward. The smell of the latrines greeted her before the sight, but she was used to it by now and just took shallow breaths as she approached. It didn't take a long time in any case and she was soon hurrying away, this time heading for the command tent.

She found Princess Luna outside, giving some orders and generally directing the action. The Princess didn't see her approach, so Rosa just stopped at the edge of the crowd and waited for a time when Luna wouldn't be as busy. Luckily everyone - everypony - had soon run off with instructions and the Princess beckoned Rosa over.

"How is your friend?" she asked as soon as Rosa was close enough so she didn't have to shout.

"I think she'll be fine, but someone should be with her all the time."

Luna shook her head sadly. "It is never easy losing a loved one."

It sounded as if she spoke from experience and Rosa suddenly remembered that she was hundreds and hundreds of years old. She must have had friends, maybe even lovers, who all died during the course of her long life. Being an alicorn princess suddenly didn't seem so much as a gift as it did a curse. Rosa shoved the thought away to consider later.

"It's not just that," Rosa told her, "it's also the whole... pregnancy thing."

Luna's brow furrowed a little. "Is that not cause for joy? Granted, the circumstances are not ideal..."

"No, you don't understand. She was pregnant once before..." Rosa looked around in case anyone was listening, then still lowered her voice, just in case. She was about to tell Sky Light's secret, after all, but it didn't feel like betrayal when she was telling it to Luna. It would still be a good thing to make sure. "Don't tell anyone, okay? I don't think Sky Light wants people to know."

Luna held up a hoof to silence her, then she lifted up the tent flap with a wing. "Come in. It sounds as if this should be discussed in private."

Rosa followed her through both doors into the inner part of the tent. The Princess closed the fabric behind them, then her horn glowed briefly. Rosa looked around, but nothing had moved.

"I have put a spell around us to dampen all sound. Nopony will hear what is said in here."

That sounded like a useful trick.

"You may speak now. I promise to keep your and Sky Light's secrets."

Rosa believed her promise a hundred percent. "Well, she was pregnant once before, but she ran away and got scared and ended up drinking until..." She closed her eyes but it was too late and a few tears escaped. "Well, she lost the child. And now this. Can you understand?"

Luna was silent for a long while and Rosa couldn't read any emotion on her face. She was quite good at keeping her expression neutral. "I see," the Princess said at last. "This is... troubling news. What do you propose we do?"

All Rosa could do was shrug a little, allowing herself a teensy bit of pride at being asked for opinion by this powerful mare. Something more was expected, though, so she took a breath and said: "I guess we never leave her alone and make sure she doesn't do it again. She pretty much asked me to keep an eye on her and make sure." Another idea occurred to Rosa as she was speaking. "While we're gone to, um, save my mother. Do you think Snow Dove could watch over Sky Light? They both lost Zephyr and at least Sky already knows Snow Dove."

"Good idea. I will give the orders. What else?"

There was nothing else that Rosa could think of, so she just shrugged again. "Just keep her comfortable, I guess. Make sure she eats. Stuff like that. I'll stay with her in Equestria, if that's possible?" Rosa could imagine no reason why the ponies in Equestria would try and separate her from Sky Light, but she would feel better if she made sure.

"Of course, I will personally ensure this is so."

It all finally caught up with Rosa and she sat down heavily. The tears were flowing uncontrolled now. "I didn't r-really know h-him, you know? Zephry. But I know he was making Sky Light ha-" She couldn't hold back a sob, but Rosa tried to finish her sentence anyway. "-ha- happy."

A wing was draped around her withers and Rosa was pulled against a warm, navy-blue side. She'd nuzzle it, but all that would achieve would be to smear tears and grime on it.

Noticing her concern, Luna grunted and simply pulled Rosa with her wing until she was smooshed against her side. Rosa pressed her muzzle against her barrel gratefully. "T-Thanks..."

"You're in no condition for a covert operation, and yet we cannot do this without you, Rosa. I will give you as long as I can, but you must focus. Fluttershy is more important than you can ever imagine."

"Why?"

Luna took a few seconds, possibly to think about what to say. When she finally spoke, her voice was gentle, quiet. "When the war started we thought it was the fault of someone in charge. That the men - the regular humans - were just being forced into it. There used to be a very powerful weapon..." She fell silent and shook her head. "No, not exactly a weapon. You might call it a 'defense'. The Elements of Harmony wielded powerful magic against some of our most terrifying foes."

It felt like she was expecting something in return, but Rosa didn't know what. "Uh-huh?" she prompted.

"To our surprise, when Twilight and her friends wielded their power against the human commander in Equestria, nothing happened. It took us some time to understand."

There was another pause, but Rosa didn't mind. She had closed her eyes and was pressing her ear against Luna's chest, listening to the slow, steady and powerful heartbeat within.

The Princess went on: "The Elements work by eliminating evil where they find it. They didn't do anything against the humans because, unlike Cadence thinks, they are not inherently evil. At least not in a way that the Elements would recognize."

"I could have told you that..." Yes, there were some quite bad people on Earth, but most humans Rosa had met weren't evil, not really. Not like in the movies and cartoons. Misguided, selfish, greedy, yes. Evil, no.

Her comment made Luna chuckle and her wing tightened around her. "Well, the next time we face a dilemma like this I will be sure to seek the council of the yet-unborn. Thank you, Rosa."

Rosa couldn't help but laugh a little with her and for a while the world didn't seem quite as dark.

"In any case, the attempt was not received well and the humans captured Fluttershy. Hmm, perhaps 're-captured' is a better word. Anyway, without her, the rest of the Elements do not work."

"B-But you said they won't work against humans anyway!" Rosa pointed out.

"True," Luna admitted, "but there are other threats. The Elements might be needed, so we have to reunite them. That would be reason enough, even if-" She fell silent with a small sigh.

"Even if what?"

The alicorn released Rosa who looked up into her smiling face. "Even if Fluttershy and the others weren't my close friends. Either of those reasons is enough to save her on its own, don't you think?"

Rosa nodded emphatically.

Now Luna's expression grew somber. "That is why I must ask you to do a difficult thing, Rosa," she said.

Somehow Rosa knew what she was going say, but she still waited for Luna to say it.

"I will need you to put this sadness aside, at least for a while, and join the mission to save her. You know the place and the people in it. You are our best chance to avoid a fight which would undoubtedly result in more needless death. Can you do it?"

Rosa looked deep inside and gave it some thought. Could she put Zephyr's death and Sky Light's tragedy aside for a few hours? Could she focus on the mission and forget about the larger world around it?

For Fluttershy?

For her mother?

Rosa didn't remember frowning, but she suddenly realized her muzzle was scrunched up in fierce determination. "I can do it!" she said firmly. "I'll help."

The ferocity in her words earned her a proud, almost motherly smile from Luna. "Good. We have many hours yet while Crescent Flitter flies to the school with the Beacon. I suggest you eat and spend more time with your friend."

After Rosa nodded, the princess continued: "I will send Snow Dove to keep an eye on Sky Light while you're gone. I propose we leave tonight, after the camp is torn down and as soon as the Beacon is in place."

"Yeah, that's f-fine. Um, thanks."

"No, Rosa. Thank you."

Luna lit up her horn once more and Rosa looked around again to see what had moved. Then she remembered her spell against eavesdropping. She had probably undone it or something. Rosa gave Luna a parting nod, then slipped out of the room. There was no one in the outer section, which was a small relief. Her eyes were still wet and Rosa could use a few minutes to dry them. Hopefully the walk to the kitchen tent would be long enough. Then she would grab two portions of whatever was ready and hurry back to Sky Light.

In a little more than half a day she would be sneaking into another human place yet again. Except this time without Sky Light by her side. At least, Rosa thought, she might get a proper uniform rather than two black sweaters tied around her belly. That mental image made her chuckle for some reason. It had been a good idea, but it had looked comical as all hell. Rosa enjoyed a short laugh, even if it was at her own expense. She sorely needed it right now.