Rosa

by awf

Chapter 65: Convincing Sky Light

Rosa was a bit worried about what was going to happen. Dr. Mason had had her sit on a chair in the examination office, and had gone to lock the door. It didn't bode well, and Rosa couldn't help glancing nervously at the window for a possible escape route if the woman was about to do something nasty.
She hadn't done anything particularly horrible to Rosa yet, so the mare tried to control her breathing while she waited for what was about to happen. Unfortunately there was no way she could keep her ears upright. Dr. Mason had never locked the door before, not even that time she'd shoved a thermometer right up... well, up there.

"So," the lady intoned as she came to take her own seat across the desk.

"Is e-everything okay?" Rosa prompted.

"Here," the doctor said and took a box from her drawer to place it up where Rosa could see inside.

It was an oblong shape with four little compartments. Rosa was curious about it, but at the same time nervous about the unknown. She wondered what it was.

Dr. Mason pushed it over across the desk. "Can you open those boxes?" she asked Rosa.

"Um, okay..." It was a bit tricky with hooves, but Rosa was very precise with her hooves and managed to lift one of the covers with a tiny click. There was a bunch of pills in there. "Uh, what is this?"

Her success made Eliza proud. "Good. Not all ponies can manage this, but you'll have to learn how to use it."

She hadn't answered the question, so Rosa just waited until she would. Meanwhile she opened another flap to find more pills. The compartments on the box were labeled with numbers from one to four. "I d-don't understand."

At last Eliza reached over to give Rosa's mane a pat, then took the box in her hands. She closed both latches and shook it, making the pills inside rattle like one of those Mexican instruments. Rattles, Rosa thought they were called.

"So, here's the long and the short of it, Rosa. Now that you no longer have a chip to control your hormones, you'll have to do it yourself. I'll make sure you take these while you're with us, but eventually we'll probably find you a position somewhere and you'll have to take care of it yourself."

"H-Hormones?" Rosa squeaked in alarm.

"Yes. You're to take one of these every Monday morning. You'll start today with number one. Next week is number two, and so on. Three, then four, than back to one. Got that?"

Rosa nodded, but she was still not completely sure what it was all for. "Why?"

"This will make it so you don't go into heat. The chip used to do that, but that's gone now and we won't be putting a new one in, okay?"

"You wont?"

Dr. Mason smiled. "No, Rosa. This way is a lot safer and easier. I think we can trust you to be diligent about this, right?"

That was a lot of faith the woman was placing in her and Rosa wondered what the consequences would be for not obeying and letting herself go into heat. She decided not to ask. It would probably not be nice, judging from how casually the woman had spoken about 'putting Sky Light down' the other day.

She was waiting for Rosa to answer.

"Um, yes, of course," the mare promised.

It was not as bad as she'd feared, though. A part of Rosa had been worried that they'd do something more... permanent, to stop her from going into heat, or at least from having foals. She had been afraid of that, actually, especially when Eliza had locked the door. That was one fear Rosa hadn't even mentioned to Maribelle. Pills were great in comparison. She could just stop taking them when she escaped! The news allowed Rosa to give the doctor a faint smile.

Eliza opened the first box and took out a pill. They were so small that they would be tricky to manage with hooves, but it was only one per week, after all. "This is the first one, okay? You might feel some mild side effects because we're switching you from the implant to pills. Tell me if you have headaches or stomach cramps or nausea or anything like that, okay?"

"Yes, Dr. Mason."

She kindly held it out and Rosa licked it from her fingers. The pill itself tasted a bit bitter, but Rosa got it down easily, even without water.

Her obedience earned Rosa a smile. "Good girl!" the doctor praised. A moment later she stood up and picked the box up. "I'll keep this for you, for now. There's another thing I need you to do for me today and then you'll meet with Brad to see where your education left off."

"Okay. What is that?" Rosa asked the woman and slipped from her chair.

"This way. Your pegasus friend has been asking about you and we need to show her that you're being treated well. You need to explain to her that life isn't so bad here, okay?"

In a lot of ways it wouldn't even be a lie. Rosa could tell Sky Light how the ponies were being treated and she probably wouldn't even need to ask Dr. Mason to leave the two of them alone. Besides, she would get to see her friend again! Rosa missed the mischievous mare and her ready smile, and had no doubt that Sky Light also missed her. Hopefully they really had given her a radio or a book or something, so she wasn't going crazy from boredom.

"I'll just tell her the truth."

"Very good. I really do hope we can convince her to listen. Once she understands that she can have a good life here, it will all be a lot better."

Rosa's ears folded down a little. "You're not going to let her go?"

"Sorry, sweetheart. Perhaps someday, if she really behaves. There's a lot of secrecy about this place and the people in charge would like to keep it that way. Everyone working here has signed a very comprehensive NDA." She continued as she lead Rosa down the hall to the elevator: "Once we send you away, you'll have to do the same."

"Oh. Okay."

Rosa was starting to wonder why the important bigwig humans were so paranoid about the place, or why their research was so important. Surely they weren't hoping that these microchips could someday make all ponies cutie-mark-less? It would be impossible, for one. Rosa had seen there were free ponies living out there and they would keep having foals. If Sky Light's truck stop gang was any proof, they'd all eventually get cutie marks, even if it was a little later in life than might have happened in Equestria. She didn't say any of that out loud, though. Dr. Mason was nice, but Rosa still didn't fully trust her.

"Oh, by the way," the doctor asked, "how are your wounds feeling?"

That reminded Rosa and she looked down at her leg, where a bare patch of skin and a small circle of band-aid still reminded her of the IV. It had been gone for a day now, but Rosa imagined that her leg still itched sometimes. She couldn't really see the other patch on her neck, but she felt it with her hoof and it was not even sore anymore. "They feel fine," she confirmed.

"Very good. Let me know if it starts hurting again. We don't want any complications, right?"

"No. I will. Thank you!"

Eliza stepped into the elevator and Rosa followed. She watched the doctor closely as she pressed the button for the right floor. It didn't seem like the elevator needed any kind of security card or code, such as Rosa had seen in one of the movies. There were a few doors around the place with keypads next to them, for example the one for the ponies' room and the one on the outside door she remembered from their failed break-in attempt. There might be others, especially for the rooms where they kept medicine or weapons or whatever dangerous things they kept in this place.

Rosa stopped thinking about escape, though, because she was going to see Sky Light, and a new thought occurred. "Um, Dr. Mason?"

"Yes, Rosa?"

"Could I spend some time with Sky Light today? I'd be okay if you locked us into her cell for an hour or so..."

The woman seemed thoughtful, but then she shrugged a little and nodded. "Seeing how good you've been, I don't think that would be a problem."

The news made Rosa smile widely. "Thank you!"

"Who knows, if she hears about how nice you ponies have over there in the pony quarters, she might be more inclined to listen. Maybe we can soon put her up with the rest of you, would you like that?"

"Yes!" Rosa exclaimed with an excited swish of her tail.

The woman paused in her walking to reach down and scratch Rosa's ear. "Well, then just be sure to tell her about what we do and how you all are being treated. I'm sure the others would like another friend, no?"

It would be totally amazing if Rosa could introduce Sky Light to Maribelle! When they resumed their walk, Rosa had a fresh bounce in her step. She already recognized Sky Light's corridor and her smile widened. "That would be so nice!"

Finally they reached the cell and Dr. Mason put her hand into her pocket for the key. The pegasus had probably heard the two approach, because she was sitting upright on her bed. "Rosa!" the mare exclaimed and jumped down to the floor. She was about to rush to the bars, but then paused when she saw Eliza unlocking her cell door. "Um, what's happening?"

"I'll spend some time with you!" Rosa explained.

Dr. Mason opened the door, but Rosa saw that her hand had gone right in her pocket for the remote. It reminded the mare that she still had the band of electric pain on her neck if she made the wrong move. She didn't have to wear it in the pony rooms, but Dr. Mason had put it on when she took her out. Sky Light had one too, but she didn't realize what the woman was doing.

Rosa tried to give the doctor her friendliest, most disarming smile, but still quickly stepped inside so she could close the door behind her. Sky Light wasted no time in scooping Rosa up in a full-winged hug. "Hi Rosa!" she whispered right in her ear, "how are you?"

"I'm good! I found Maribelle! I'll tell you all about it!"

"Now you two behave and I'll be along in an hour or so to pick you up, Rosa!" the doctor told them.

Rosa hardly heard her, but she still managed a nod and a smile in her direction. "Okay! Thanks, um, Eliza!"

Just like that she was gone and the two old friends were alone once more. If they didn't look at the bars, or the harsh, blank walls, they could almost imagine they were still free, somewhere in the city.

"How have you been? Are they feeding you well?"

"Come here, come here!" Sky urged and pulled Rosa toward her bed. "Up! Sit!"

Rosa obeyed, a little bemused, while Sky Light rummaged under her pillow to produce a chocolate bar. "I saved this for you!" the pegasus exclaimed.

"Ooh!" Despite how well fed Rosa was now that she and the other ponies took turns cooking, she still began to salivate at the thought of chocolatey, sugary goodness. It was probably a treat for Sky Light by one of the doctors - possibly for good behavior, or just a small bribe to make her more compliant. Rosa would feel like a glutton if she ate it, but her friend had offered.

A compromise, then? "We'll each have half?" Rosa proposed.

"Deal! Here, you start. Tell me everything that's happened to you, okay?"

Rosa bit the wrapper and tore it apart, then snapped the bar in two approximately equal pieces. One went right into her mouth and the other one she held out for her friend.
Sky didn't argue and took it. It was not a big bar, so it only took Rosa a few moments to chew and swallow, while Sky Light did the same.

Once it was gone, Rosa took a big breath and then began her story about how she had met Maribelle and her other - well, dorm mates, she supposed. "They have this place for ponies over on the other side of the building..."