Rosa

by awf

Chapter 12: Routine

Rosa was woken up by a light kick in her back. At first she didn't pay it any mind, thinking that it was probably just Felicity having a bad dream in the morning. Her foreleg was under Rosa's muzzle and she gave it a gentle lick to reassure her friend and calm her down.

It was then that Rosa realized a couple of things.

The limb she was resting her head on had smooth skin, not fur, like she had been expecting. There was a hand, twirling her chest fluff between its fingers. Even the kick had been far too soft for a hoof. Rosa woke up fully and realized she wasn't in her dorm anymore. She was in the Boone household and that wasn't Felicity breathing warmly against her neck. It was the daughter, Lillian. After swivelling her ear to the girl, Rosa quickly assured herself that Lillian was still asleep. Now that she was focusing on the child, Rosa could sense, as well as hear, the tiny movements of her slow, steady breath.

She looked out the window to try and gauge how early it was. She definitely didn't want to be caught with the child in her bed and especially not by her mother. The garden was still lit by the electric lamps, but the sky was getting brighter. It was clear, but Rosa didn't see any sunlight yet. Around six, maybe slightly past, she guessed. The family would be getting up at six thirty, so she don't have much time, but Rosa could do five more minutes, she thought.

Having decided that, she took a deep, luxurious sigh, revelling in the warmth and comfort of her bed and the little human cuddling her. There was a tug on her fur and for a moment Rosa thought Lillian had woken up, but there was no change in her breathing. The fingers in Rosa's fluff scratched a little, then went still. It was absolutely adorable and the mare smiled to herself. The child was sleep-scritching! She made sure to remain perfectly still, so as not to wake Lillian up. In a few minutes she would have to, and then she would escort the young miss to her room and start getting her ready for school. The hustle and bustle of life would begin shortly, but right in that moment Rosa could still enjoy a bit of silence and stillness. Her mind started wandering and Rosa tried to imagine what she would do that day. The ground floor could do with more sweeping, especially after she had so clumsily missed the spot under the table the previous morning, and she could also clean behind the sofa. Rosa had happened to glance back there after she was done with the dishes.

Maybe after that, she could water Mrs. Boone's flowers, or at least offer to. The lady might like that! They probably wouldn't want a pony making their food, so maybe Rosa would do laundry, or get started cleaning the upstairs. On the other hand, maybe the unthinkable might happen and she wouldn't have a whole lot to do, kind of like yesterday. That would mean she could take a book and go relax in the garden!

Wondrous luxury! To think how unsure and uncomfortable Rosa had been with accepting the assignment!

As she was imagining the nice, relaxing life she would lead with the Boones, Rosa couldn't quite keep herself still and her legs kept shifting a little. It was enough to make young Lillian yawn. Her knee came pressing up against the mare's back as the child stretched. Rosa watched how even her fingers splayed wide in the air for a moment, before she sought out her muzzle again for a pat.

"Morning, sweetheart," Rosa whispered.

Now that she was awake, Rosa could shuffle around to face her properly again. The girl still looked sleepy, but she was smiling faintly. "Morning," she whispered back. No stutter, Rosa couldn't help but notice. Cuddling with a pony was good for anxiety and shyness, it seemed!

Sadly, Rosa couldn't stop thinking about the world beyond her bed. "We'll have to sneak back in your room before someone catches us, you know?"

Lillian gave this some thought, then nodded. "Wha' time is it?"

"I don't know. Early, but the sun will be up soon."

The girl lifted herself up on an elbow to look out the window. That brought her face right above Rosa's and her hair brushed the mare's nose, making her sneeze. Luckily it didn't startle the girl. On the contrary, she giggled a little, grabbed a lock of her hair with her hand and tickled the prone pony again, on purpose.

"Hey! That's mean!" Rosa complained, but did nothing to stop her.

She had a beautiful laugh, Rosa couldn't help noticing. Pretty soon they were both grinning and suppressing giggles.

Then, suddenly, Lillian leaned down and planted a light kiss on Rosa's nose. "Um, thank you f-for letting me, uh, sleep here," she said, blushing again.

Rosa sat up and hugged her. "It's a pleasure, sweetie. It was nice."

A worrisome thought came into her mind and the mare had to act on it immediately. She pushed the child away, but not too far, and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It has to stay just our secret, okay? I don't think your parents would approve," she implored.

Lillian nodded solemnly. "I promise I won't tell!"

Rosa felt immensely relieved. She knew she could trust her not to slip up. She hardly even talked to her parents, after all. "Okay, let's get you to your room before anyone wakes up."

The young miss heaved a regretful sigh, but slid over to the edge of the bed. As Rosa followed her, she couldn't help but notice that Lillian hadn't brought her slippers. Of course, bare feet were quieter, but it must have been quite cold. No wonder the poor thing had been shivering last night!

"Did you wait in the hallway yesterday before you came in?"

Lillian blushed again and looked away, but she nodded.

"How long?"

She shook her head, as if to say 'not long at all', but she murmured: "I dunno..."

A few minutes at the very least, Rosa decided. She slipped her head under Lillian's arm to take the sting away. "Next time, don't wait. Just come in, okay? I don't want you standing around in the cold with nothing except this thin nightshirt."

Rosa suddenly realized she had said 'next time'. She had practically invited her back!

Well...

Would it really be so wrong? The poor thing needed comfort and someone to listen to her and take her seriously. That was exactly what Rosa had been trained for. In fact, Instructor Martha had said cuddling with her special kid could be a way to break through to them, hadn't she? No mention of sleeping in the same bed, but surely that wasn't that much different, was it? Well, Rosa had also been taught to think for herself and now she was putting her foot down. Hoof. She was putting her hoof down, even if she was doing it quietly so the Mr. and the Mrs. wouldn't notice.

She had been assigned to this family on Mr. Boone's specific request. He had known she was training for an Assistant Pony, so he shouldn't be too surprised that Rosa was acting like one. True, Lillian wasn't the kind of special child she had been taught to expect, but she needed her the most in that household, so there it was. Rosa was her Assistant Pony and it was her primary duty to keep the child happy and make her life better. Doing that would help not only Lillian, who would become more sure of herself, more confident, and find it easier to relate to other people, but also her family, who would have a happier, friendlier daughter!

There. It wasn't so hard to square it away in her mind and Rosa started to feel better about her unspoken promise to let Lillian cuddle with her every night. As long as she kept in mind never to let Mr. or Mrs. Boone find out. An 'Unofficial Assistant Pony', then.

She followed Lillian into her room. Just in time, too, because she heard the master bedroom open and footsteps coming out. By the sound of the long, heavy stride, it was Mr. Boone. He made his way down the corridor and Rosa quickly glanced at her night clothes. Rumpled, but still all there. She did not want to be caught in Lillian's room, 'naked'. She didn't have her hoofguards, but that was kind of like walking barefoot for humans, wasn't it? The top floor was fully carpeted, except for the bathroom floor, so Rosa supposed that was okay.

As she was looking at the door, the man poked his head in. "Oh, you're up already, Rosa," he said. He didn't comment on her clothes, or the lack of shoes. "You and Lillian get ready, breakfast will be in half an hour."

"Of course, Mr. Boone," Rosa replied and curtsied.

Behind the man she saw his wife pass by. She looked in, but didn't stop or comment. Doubtless she had heard the husband already give Rosa her instructions and didn't feel the need to add anything.

"Okay, good. We'll be downstairs," Mr. Boone finished lamely and left.

Rosa looked at Lillian and put her hoof over her mouth. The girl did the same with her hand and they both worked hard to keep the giggles quiet. Then, suddenly, Lillian looked around. "I forgot Mr. Fuzzbot!"

Rosa didn't remember seeing the plushy toy that morning, so doubtless he got pushed around the bed a little in the night. She wouldn't find it strange if he had fallen down. The girl had something better to clutch to herself, after all!

"Oh! He's probably still in my room. I'll go get him while you get dressed, okay?"

Lillian smiled and nodded at her, before going to her dresser and opening a few drawers. Rosa saw small socks in various colors, all neatly folded in pairs. Someday soon, she guessed, she would be the one doing the folding. With Lillian in mind, the thought didn't feel onerous in the slightest. Without further delay, she left Lillian to it and walked to her own room. As she had expected, Mr. Fuzzbot was on the floor, but on Rosa's side of the bed. No wonder neither of them had seen the toy.

She placed the plushy on the bed so she wouldn't forget, and went to get her maid's outfit. Maybe it would also be a good idea, Rosa decided, to have Mr. Boone get another one so she would have something to wear while the first one was being washed and dried. Then again, unless she accidentally got it dirty, Rosa's current one should be good for a while yet. No rush to bother Mr. Boone, then. It was not yet hot outside for her to sweat and her chores around the house weren't that strenuous.

As Rosa slipped her nightclothes off, she started humming her happy tune. Then she pulled the panties down. It was tricky, because the hole in them was a bit small and caught on her tail a little. Rosa widened her stance and tried to decide if she should change them. They didn't look dirty. The melody died in her throat as she considered. Getting her tail through that hole was a real pain in the rump! It was pure luck she had figured out a way to pull them almost all the way down and that was enough freedom for her to use the toilet without soiling them or the tail. If she kept being careful in the bathroom, there was no reason she couldn't keep them for two days, or maybe even three, before she had to go through the hell that was getting her tail through the tiny hole in the fabric using her hooves!

That decided, Rosa stepped on her tail with her hind hoof to keep it in place, and pulled the panties back up. Then she reached for the dress even as she resumed her humming.

---

Just like Rosa had guessed, the day was much like the previous one. A quick, subdued breakfast followed by the Boone family rushing off to their jobs or their schools and leaving her alone to clean up. The dishes were easy and after that she swept the ground floor twice for good measure. Then there was the laundry and while that was washing, she vacuumed the upstairs. The Boones had a clothes dryer, so Rosa just shifted the soggy fabric from one machine to the next and let it run. It meant that by twelve she was more or less free to do what she wanted, with the family not returning until two at least. That meant a couple of hours of sweet, sweet freedom! She inspected the bookcase for something interesting, but didn't recognize most of the titles there. They weren't the ones she had read at school. A few shelves were just political books, which didn't particularly interest Rosa, but there was also some fiction she wanted to check out.

To start with, Rosa picked out one of the thinner volumes which was titled "Minnow on the Say," and took it out to the garden with her. She found a heavy, sturdy-looking blanket with faded grass stains on a shelf in the laundry, which Rosa assumed was often used to sit outside in the garden. It was making her a bit too hot, folded across her back like that, but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Even with the Boones gone, she hadn't taken off her uniform. It would not do to get caught 'naked' by her adoptive family. It looked like the day would be nice and warm out in the sun, so she set up her blanket partly in the shade of a big elm tree. She would probably have to move it as the sun slid across the sky, but that was a problem for later. Rosa flopped down on the blanket, kicked off her hoofguards and opened the book at the start. If that was what life with the Boones was going to be like, she was all for it.

The sunlight on her black-clothed rump was too warm, just like Rosa had suspected, so she shuffled into the shadow. Then she let out a deep, relaxed sigh and looked down to her book.

---

"We're home!"
The call distracted Rosa from her book and she realized the sun had moved. She hadn't even noticed the heat and, more importantly, she had completely lost track of time! This was bad! Rosa scurried to get her maid's boots on her hooves. That made her roll around on the blanket a little, but she didn't care about looking too dignified at that point.

"Hurry, hurry... shitshitshit!" she muttered to herself as she struggled.

At long last she was done and galloped back to the house, leaving the blanket and the book to pick up later.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

She meet Lillian in the living room and paused so she could give her a hug, but then Rosa turned her head around until she hear Mr. Boone in the kitchen and lead the girl there.

"I'm here!"

The man was holding a glass of water in his hands and looked at her strangely. Her ears instantly flopped.

"I'm sorry I wasn't waiting at the door, Mr. Boone! I got caught up in this book and didn't hear the car! I promise it won't happen again..."

The man shrugged. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. Just as long as you show up shortly to help the children get changed and ready for lunch."

"Of course, sir!"

Rosa knew he meant primarily Lillian, since her brother didn't need, nor want, any help from the mare.

Much relieved, she smiled happily at the little girl. "Hey sweetheart! Did you have a good time at school?"

Her face scrunched up in displeasure and she shook her head. Then she leaned closer to whisper in Rosa's ear: "No, Janice was mean to me again!"

She obviously hadn't meant for her father to hear. Rosa looked at him, wondering if she should tell him, but the man just shrugged a little. She made a decision. Rosa needed the little girl to trust her and whispering the news obviously meant she didn't want anyone else to know.

"Oh? Let's get you to your room and you can tell Rosa all about it, okay?"

That cheered her up and she let the mare gently slip her backpack off and onto her back. Little fingers gripped her mane, but Rosa didn't mind as it made it easier to lead Lillian. Pretty soon she had the child in her room and sitting on her bed, with her shoes safely deposited by the door for brushing later.

Mr. Boone hadn't said anything about that, but Rosa figured it came under 'laundry'. Besides, she didn't mind doing it for Lillian.

"And then she said my hair is like straw!" the girl explained. "She said I should be careful so you don't eat it now that we have a pony!"

It was an imaginative insult, Rosa had to hand it to Lillian's classmate, but she was still very careful so she didn't laugh. "Well, I promise I'll never eat your hair, okay? No matter how delicious it looks!"

Rosa held her breath, hoping she hadn't pushed her luck too far, but the girl smiled and giggled. With considerable relief Rosa brought her head closer for Lillian to hug.

"You're funny!" the girl commented.

Both of them giggled for a moment, then Rosa nudged the child a little. "So, wanna get changed out of your school clothes? Your father said lunch will be in an hour."

Lillian nodded and scooched to the edge of the bed. Rosa let her lean on her as she slipped down and then followed her to the dresser. She was only doing it for the third time, really, but picking out clothes was kind of fun. Maybe she could ask Mr. Boone to get her some different outfits, so she could also choose for herself each day, depending on her mood. Some color would be nice, The maid's outfit was good, but it was a bit drab with it being all in black and white.

Lillian picked out a nice, green dress and held it up for Rosa to inspect.

"Oooh, that one looks nice. Yes!" the pony complimented.

While she was getting changed, Rosa left the room to give the child some privacy and went instead to check on her brother. His door was closed, so she knocked. There was no answer, so she tried calling.

"Um, Benjamin? Can I come in?"

Still no reply. Rosa decided to take it as a 'yes' and simply let herself in. The boy was sitting on the floor with his phone in his hands, apparently engrossed in some game.

"Hello," she said, standing in the door.

He glanced up at her with a slight frown, as if she was interrupting him, then he tapped the screen to pause his game. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Uh, I came to see if you need any help. Um, with your homework?"

The boy stared at her in uncomfortable silence for a while, then looked back down to his phone. "Go away," he ordered. "Dad just got you because Lillian wanted a pony, you know that?"

His remark was supposed to sting, but Rosa didn't mind. She had already decided exactly that for herself, after all. The girl was her whole reason for staying with the Boones, now. In all honesty, Rosa didn't really know how to deal with Benjamin. He wasn't all that much younger than her.

"Maybe, but I can still help if you want it," she countered.

The teenager gave her a calculating look. "Will you do my homework instead of me?"

Rosa actually considered it for a moment. It might get her in Benjamin's good graces, even if it would be ultimately bad for him. It would also mean she would end up stuck doing it for as long as she lived with them, which would probably end in tears once Mr. and Mrs. Boone found out. No, this was the time to put her hoof down. Gentle, but firm. It would be good for both of them. "Not exactly, but we can do it together, okay?" she offered as a compromise.

The boy rolled his eyes and resumed his game. "Just leave me alone."

Instead of obeying, Rosa stepped closer and carefully touched his shoulder with her muzzle. "I really can help, you know? It'd be done much faster and you might even learn something so it's easier in the future!"

He didn't answer, apparently lost in his game once more. She nudge him a bit harder. "Benjamin? Please."

"Ugh," he grunted in frustration, pausing the game again. "Just leave me alone, okay?"

It looked like he was getting angry, which was something Rosa really didn't want. She would just have to keep working on it. At least this time he had spoken with her briefly. That was already more than she had gotten out of him the previous day.

Rosa decided to call it 'progress' and left it at that. There would be plenty of time to make friends with the boy and in the meantime his sister was already quite sweet on the mare.

Comments

[BleuBlooms]

She had been assigned to this family on Mr. Boone's specific request. He had known she was training for an Assistant Pony, so he shouldn't be too surprised that Rosa was acting like one. True, Lillian wasn't the kind of special child she had been taught to expect, but she needed her the most in that household, so there it was. Rosa was her Assistant Pony and it was her primary duty to keep the child happy and make her life better. Doing that would help not only Lillian, who would become more sure of herself, more confident, and find it easier to relate to other people, but also her family, who would have a happier, friendlier daughter!

Beyond the darkness is the lovely idea of a assistant pony. Sigh.