Rosa

by awf

Chapter 18: Nightmare

Benjamin didn't seem to like her any more by the time they were done. After that first accidental contact he worked very hard on completely avoiding touching Rosa for some reason. She had struggled with him through his homework, but if Rosa were to be perfectly honest with herself, she was very glad when it was over. So was the boy.

"Um. Good job, Benjamin. I h-hope you, uh, you learned something," Rosa said, working hard to smile and look proud.

That boy just didn't seem to like ponies in any way at all! Maybe the best Rosa could hope for was tolerating each other. It wouldn't stop her from trying, but it had been an awful day and she just wanted to go and work on the garden for a while, alone. The way Benjamin had needed prompting for every single, minor calculation had really tried her patience to its limit. Not to mention that she was sore all over from standing on her hind legs and leaning uncomfortably on the desk. It had taken a lot longer than it should have!

"Are we done now?" Benjamin demanded, as if it were Rosa who had been slowing it all down to a crawl.

That was the straw which broke the pony's back!

"You know what?" Rosa said angrily. "I tried. Okay? I really wanna be your friend and I'm sure I can help you with Math, but if you don't want it, fine." She took a breath and turned away. She nearly walked out of his room, but paused with her hoof in the air. "When you get an F on your test, you explain to your father why."

"Fine!" he shouted after her. "I don't need your help!"

"Fine!"

Leaving his room, Rosa shook her head and sighed. It had been a mistake to let her temper snap, but the way Benjamin had actively fought against learning anything from her had been so damned tiring. He was just a spoiled brat! Rosa reminded herself that she really shouldn't start thinking like that. She needed some peace and quiet to re-center herself. First, however, she went to Lillian's room where the girl was lying on her bed and playing with Mr. Fuzzbot. The difference between her and her brother was almost painful. Rosa walked over and put her head on Lillian's pillow, right next to hers.

Her hand immediately came to pat her muzzle and Rosa licked her palm. "I'm sorry sweetie, but my head hurts. Is it okay if we read some other time?"

Lillian sat up and shuffled closer so she could put both her hands in Rosa's mane. She sought out her flattened ears and lifted them up so she could scratch behind. It felt amazing and some of Rosa's tension melted away.

"Aw, poor pony," the girl cooed. "Are you gonna take a nap now?"

Rosa still didn't want to, afraid of what she would see when she closed her eyes. It would still be a problem that night, but maybe, if she get tired enough, she wouldn't dream.

"I think I'll go and work on your mother's flowers for a bit. That'll help." Strangely, she wasn't lying to Lillian. Dealing with the weeds sounded just so relaxing right at the moment. It was simple and mindless and should leave her exhausted.

"Okay, if you're sure..."

"Lunch will be any second now, will you be okay by yourself?"

It was a silly question. Lillian had gotten along just fine before Rosa came, but somehow, in the past few days, she had grown so attached to the child that Rosa almost couldn't imagine life without the girl. She was sure Lillian felt the same way. She had even volunteered tidbits about her classes or friends here and there during meals, something Mr. Boone told Rosa she had almost never done before. Maybe she was only doing it because the mare was there, but it was good progress and Mr. Boone seemed very pleased about that.

Rosa promised herself that she would be right beside her again for dinner. She just needed this meal away from Mrs. Boone's stare, and a bit of time for herself to work through what she had seen. It was going to be fine, Rosa told herself. The TV people were probably way exaggerating everything. She hoped.

"Rosa?"

Again she realized she had been daydreaming while the child was talking. "Oh. Sorry. I'll go now. You're a good girl, Lillian." The child leaned down and put a light kiss right on the tip of Rosa's nose. It had never failed to make her smile and this time was no exception. "Thanks. I think I needed that."

Lillian waved her goodbye and lay back down, lifting Mr. Fuzzbot up in the air above her once more.

Meanwhile Rosa started gathering up her courage to walk past the Boone grownups and out to the garden. She remembered she should also take the plastic bucket for the weeds, so she wouldn't have to pick them up from the ground again later. With luck, Rosa would be finished with all the flowers in the back yard soon and then she could ask Mrs. Boone if there was anything else she could do. Maybe plant a few more? That would cheer her up immensely, Rosa felt.

While she was at it, she should probably water all the flowerbeds, too. Rosa decided to ask the lady about it. Then, before bed, she would check all of Lillian's clothes, even though the next morning was a Saturday and she didn't have to go to school. Despite that, Rosa would do the laundry and maybe even some ironing, just to put off the moment she had to go to bed. Maybe it would also be a good idea to tell Lillian to stay in her own bed that night. If Rosa did get bad dreams, she didn't want to hurt her by tossing and turning.

She should never have touched that damned TV...

---

Even though Rosa had just laid down, she already feared that she wouldn't get much sleep. The garden had tired her out and now her muscles ached from all that effort, but her mind was still buzzing and she couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen. It had gotten a little easier after she had convinced herself that the stuff she saw on TV was exaggerated, but Rosa was still afraid of sleeping and the dreams she was sure she would have.

There was a faint shuffle outside her room and Rosa lifted her head up to hear better. Before she could ask whoever was out there - Rosa had a pretty good idea, anyway - the door opened to admit the girl.

"Lillian, I told you to stay in your room tonight," Rosa whispered.

Unfortunately Lillian just pretended like she hadn't heard the mare and came to her bed. Rosa watched her for a moment, but as soon as she saw Lillian shivering in the cool, night air, she gave in and lifted up the covers. She caught a brief glimpse of a smile, then her friend was in her bed and hugging her for all she was worth. Rosa didn't even mind how cold Lillian's skin felt against her fur.

"Goodnight Rosa," Lillian murmured and reached up to scratch an ear.

Thoroughly defeated, the mare sighed and settled back down. Who knew, maybe the dreams wouldn't be that bad.

There was quiet for a minute or so, then: "Rosa? Why were you so sad today?"

It was not something she wanted the girl to know, so Rosa looked for a little white lie. "I miss my friends. I was hoping we'd get a letter back today," she said. It was not even really a falsehood, just a bit dishonest.

Lillian nodded and squeezed her harder. "I'm sorry."

Sleep seemed a long way off, so Rosa resigned herself to lying perfectly still and looking out the window. That way at least her ward could rest. She watched the softly glowing lamps in the garden for a while, until she realized she could see some of the flowerbeds she had weeded and watered today. That had been some good work, Rosa thought. Mrs. Boone hadn't said anything, but Rosa saw her expression when she went to inspect it and it was pretty telling.

Grudging approval.

Maybe she would actually win her over sooner than Benjamin. Having his mother on her side might even help Rosa with the boy. She decided she would ask Mrs. Boone if she could plant a few more flowerbeds, just for herself. Rosa thought she understood how to till the soil and make nice little rows. She would have to see if Mrs. Boone would give her any seeds, otherwise she would ask the husband to take her past a gardening supplies shop when they went to pick up those dresses he had promised.

Maybe she might even be able to plant a few vegetables. The thought of growing her own food strangely excited Rosa. She barely stifled a whinny of delight, just from thinking about it. She was probably rushing ahead, but Rosa started trying to figure out how much of each vegetable to plant.

Somewhere in the middle of lettuce she fell asleep.

---

Breath came in short pants as Rosa was running through the woods, pursuers right behind her. She could hear how they were trampling the undergrowth and brushing against the foliage. Twigs snapped beneath their boots and gravel crunched with every step. She was fast on her hooves, but she had to duck around bushes while the humans chasing her just ran straight through. It was impossible to escape, but Rosa had no choice. When they caught her, they would kill her.

A hoof snagged on a branch and she stumbled. Rosa managed to recover without falling, but she had lost a bit of her lead. As she looked back, she caught a glimpse of her tormentors. Instructor Martha, Mr. Freely and Benjamin, all with guns in their hands. Mr. Freely lifted his up to his face and looked down the barrel at the mare.

She barely had time to let out an alarmed squeak before the shot sounded. The bullet whizzed above her head and Rosa put on a fresh burst of speed. Already her legs hurt from the effort and her nostrils flared wildly with each breath she sucked down. She wouldn't be able to run that fast for much longer. At first she had tried pleading with them even while she ran, but her begging had only been answered by guttural snarls and grotesque laughter.

They wouldn't even tell Rosa why they were hunting her.

So suddenly that she was unable to stop herself, the forest ran out and Rosa was tumbling down a slope. She only caught a glimpse of what was at the bottom, but it made her scream in terror and scramble at the ground to stop her fall.

Pony bodies!

She landed on something soft with a solid thump which drove all air out of her lungs and made her vision go black. As Rosa lay there, panting, she expected a bullet to find her at any second. She didn't want to look.

Nothing happened for a while. There were no sounds, except for her laboured breathing. Rosa opened her eyes. It was some kind of a room, but she couldn't see the walls. There was no sign of the ravine she had fallen down, nor of her pursuers. In fact, the place was familiar. Rosa glanced down with considerable trepidation, but she was just lying on a soft surface which felt a little like carpet.

"I cannot keep you here long, but you will not dream again tonight, I promise," a familiar voice spoke behind her.

Rosa's legs didn't quite obey, but she managed to flop around until she was facing the other way. She was still breathing heavily and sweat was pouring off the mare.

"W-Who are you?" she demanded.

"A friend. You would not understand the full truth, not yet. I will not confuse you. Just understand that I am here to help."

All Rosa could see were glowing, cyan eyes up in the air, once again making her think that the creature was too tall. "Are you a human or a pony?"

There was a pause and the eyes winked out as the person blinked. "I am not human. Once I was pony."

"What does that mean?!"

Again Rosa was getting angry. Just who did she think she was, speaking in that prophetic riddle mumbo-jumbo?! She? Had Rosa known the speaker was female before? It was hard to remember a dream from another dream. She opened her mouth to demand more answers, but the eyes flared up with light and a word fell out of the sky, covering her like a thick blanket.

"Sleep."

Everything went black.

Comments

[Mocha Star]

Wow, dreams are quite powerful, indeed.

[Emerald Flash]

"Fine!" he shouts after you. "I don't need your help!"

Missed one here.

Really enjoying this so far. I know I have a ways to go, but I'm hoping things get better for Rosa down the line.