Rosa

by awf

Chapter 76: A History of Fighting

Rosa took the long way back to her tent, past the showers. She didn't really need one, but hot water would feel nice, if only there was some left. The camp ponies had constructed a very crude wooden hut and stuck solar collectors on the roof. Those worked fine most of the time, but someone had told Rosa that if the day wasn't sunny enough, the water was additionally heated by magic.

That made sense. There was no power in the middle of the forest, so even the pumps that filled up the metal tank under the ceiling worked on magic. As for the plumbing... The hut itself was built with a raised floor. There was no plumbing in the middle of nowhere, of course, but a trench had been dug under the floor leading some distance away behind the cabin until the ground started to slope down naturally. It wouldn't be the best idea for general sewage, but Rosa guessed it was fine for just water and soap. The latrines, of course, were just simple outhouses with deep pits dug under them. She really hated using them because of the smell, but she didn't have the option of being picky when the need arose.

There were two shower stalls, both empty. It was getting dark, so Rosa hit the light switch on the wall. There was no electricity, so she guessed the bulb worked by magic, too. Yet another proof that these ponies came from an entirely different world. Magic, to them, seemed so mundane. It was just there to make things work, like electricity was for Earth. Maybe she would get used to it in time. It was probably similar to how people felt when electric power first came out and it was this new, almost magical force to make light and heat.

Anyway, the place was empty, which was just as well. Rosa didn't mind sharing a bathroom with another pony, but she hardly knew anyone in the camp. Not to mention there were also humans, who didn't have separate facilities. Showering with one of them next to her sounded weird in Rosa's head. Yes, she'd done that at the facility with Dr. Mason just a door's thickness away, but that had been different. The Doctor wasn't naked. She'd also taken showers at the truck stops, but all of those were late at night where she and Sky Light had the room to themselves.

Unfortunately, whatever these ponies were using to heat their showers seemed to need recharging or something, because the water was lukewarm at best. Rosa made it a very quick shower, shivering a little while she lathered up her mane. Rather than luxuriating, like she'd imagined in her head on her way there, Rosa just got it over with and gratefully dried off with a towel from a shelf on the wall. She left it in the large hamper, wondering briefly who washed it and thinking about going to offer her help. Laundry wasn't hard and she wouldn't mind keeping busy while she waited for what would come next.

The thought made her freeze.

Waited for what?

She and Sky Light were both free of the facility. They'd seen Maribelle and she was happy, so that was Rosa's 'mission' finished. The only question now was whether she went back to some human city to live on the streets with Sky, or they both went to Equestria and tried to find a life for themselves there.

That was it! Rosa was waiting until she and Sky had both decided. She'd lost track of that goal for a second there.

Smiling a little to herself, Rosa slipped out of the shower hut and headed for their tent. Hopefully Sky Light and Zephyr Gale would be done by now, but even if not, she didn't think they could ruin her good mood. In fact, Rosa was happy for them to have found each other in this crazy world!

As she walked through the camp, Rosa made sure to greet ponies she met, even if she didn't know them yet by name. It cost nothing to be polite. Some of them greeted her back, while others just waved a hoof or a wing. Rosa got a good number of pleasant smiles and several curious looks, too. Not to mention, now that she was paying attention, Rosa couldn't help seeing more crystal ponies around. Their unique coats were only visible when the light struck them in just the right way, but now that Rosa knew what to look for, she could spot it all around her. That was probably Cadence's personal guard from the Crystal Empire, Rosa thought to herself, at the same time wondering at these exotic names and feeling a bit proud of herself for knowing them all already.

Finally she reached her tent and paused in front of it. She wouldn't mind Zephyr being there, but Rosa drew the line at walking in on them doing it. Luckily, there were no untoward sounds coming from inside, so Rosa shrugged a little to herself and slipped in.

Sky Light lifted herself up from her cot, but then lay back down when she saw who it was. "Oh, hi Rosa. Where were you? I've been looking all over."

"Have you really? Weren't you too busy with Captain Zephyr?"

The mare flashed a slightly guilty grin. "Well, he had some briefing, so I went looking for you."

"Well, here I am," Rosa told her cheerfully.

Her friend sighed a little, but she was still smiling. Rosa could see even in the dark inside of the tent. "Well, it's a bit late now. Where were you all day?"

That was right, Rosa hadn't told Sky yet! She went and sat on her cot so she could rest her hooves. "You're not going to believe this, but I walked in on Cadence and Luna arguing! They don't really get along, it seems."

"Yeah, Zephyr told me something like that," Sky Light said with much less of surprise than Rosa would have liked. "They disagree on how they should be doing this. The plan was to rescue ponies who need it the most, then let Celestia deal with the rest diplomatically."

"Did he tell you how the war even started?"

"No," Sky shook her head, "and I asked, too. Weird how they don't wanna talk about it. You?"

"I asked Lin Lei, but she doesn't know either."

"Who's Lin Lei?"

"Lin Lei Song. She's Chinese. Helps in the kitchen."

The other mare brightened up. "Oh yeah, I've seen her around the place. Thought she was kinda young to mix with these- um." Rosa politely waited for her to find the right word. "Rebels? No, that's not it. They aren't trying to overthrow the government. Resistance isn't right, either - it's not their country." The pegasus lifted herself up on her elbows and looked at Rosa with a slightly worried look. "I think they're just invaders, Rosa."

Rosa was forced to agree. "Well, technically, yes, but they're freeing enslaved ponies, so that's okay."

"If you say so..."

Sky sounded uncertain and Rosa opened her muzzle to explain some more, but then caught a faint smile on her muzzle, so she shut up. Sky was probably hoping to pull off some kind of a joke. Getting Rosa all riled up explaining to her how what these ponies were doing was right, only for her to say she agreed and have a perverse kind of laugh about it.

Time for a new topic. "So, did you talk about Equestria with Zephyr?"

"Kinda. Well, not really. He told me about this cloud city some more. They have something like the Olympic games, except it's more... pony sports."

"Pony sports?"

"Like running, or flying... relay races. Ice archery."

That last one made Rosa gape. "Ice archery?! How does that work?"

Sky Light shrugged a little before turning to her side so she faced Rosa while they talked. "Dunno, really. I guess it's like archery, but they shoot at ice? I might not have been paying attention on that one. I was... b-busy."

Rosa could imagine a few options of what Sky had been doing instead, but elected not to bring it up. "So, you really like the Captain, don't you?"

Now Sky Light's eyes turned dreamy and she got a far-away look in her face. She was also smiling a lot. "Yeah..."

"Even though he's young enough-"

"Yeah, I know," Sky Light interrupted. "To be my son. I dunno about that, Rosa, but fuck am I in love. I don't know why or how it happened. It was one of those 'eyes meeting across a crowded room' things when we met."

"We were in a forest," Rosa pointed out.

"Fine, 'eyes meeting across a crowded forest', then."

"It wasn't really-"

Her pillow suddenly slapped Rosa in the muzzle, causing her to let out a surprised squeak. She hadn't even seen Sky Light move!

"Oh, shut up," Sky said, laughing. "You know what I mean."

Rosa passed the pillow back and lay down on her cot. It was getting late and she was looking forward to some quality sleep.

For a few moments it was quiet, then Sky Light spoke up: "Rosa?"

"Mm?"

"You still wanna go to Equestria?"

This made Rosa's breath catch and her heart speed up. Was she about to change her mind? It'll take careful handling. "I think so, but I haven't decided yet. W-Why?"

The other mare heaved a sigh. "I'm thinking about the future."

"Future with Zephyr?" Rosa prompted.

"Mhm," Sky confirmed. She was looking into the distance again. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm hoping he'll pop the question."

That sounded way too fast to Rosa. "Isn't that a little fast?"

When Sky Light looked at Rosa her eyes were clouded by some deep worry. "I guess," she admitted. "I suddenly can't imagine ever being with anypony else again."

"Any-pony?"

Sky chuckled a little. "See?! I'm starting to talk like him even. That's how they say it in Equestria, since- you know, everyone is ponies. Everypony. It has a certain... ring to it."

Rosa thought it over and even mouthed the word to herself a few times. It felt strange, but it sounded like something she could get used to. "Still, marriage? Don't you think you should get to know him a bit better?"

"I got to know him pretty well over the last few days."

"What about the rest of him?" Rosa burst out before she could stop herself.

This actually made the pegasus gasp in shock. "What?!" she said, stunned, "A sex joke? Who are you and what have you done with Rosa?!"

They both giggled at the old joke between them, then Sky Light broke the silence again. "I just can't stop thinking about it. If he asks me, I'll say yes. Heh. Never thought I'd get married in my life, but now I'm hoping for it."

"How about you ask him? Why should a colt always have to do the asking?"

"Hmm."

Sky Light seemed thoughtful. "Yeah, that could work. Thanks, Rosa."

Rosa briefly wondered what she'd just done, but truth be told, Zephyr Gale looked quite happy when he was around Sky Light. Maybe love - real love - didn't know about stuff like age difference, or background, or even dental hygiene.

"Well, if you're gonna start kissing him a lot, you'd better also start brushing your teeth, okay? Otherwise that's just gross."

Sky didn't even argue, which was further proof how smitten she was. "I guess," she said at last.

This stallion could be very good for Sky Light. Of all the things which would make her settle down, this had been the least likely, but Rosa was not arguing. "So, you'll think about coming to Equestria with Zephyr? Get a nice little cloud-house together. Maybe raise some foals?"

This finally snapped her friend out of her daydream. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she yelled, "I said I'd like to marry the guy, maybe, if he asks nicely. Who said anything about foals?!"

"'Maybe'?!" Rosa asked, grinning, "you sounded pretty certain a minute ago."

"Well, then shut up about foals at least. I haven't told-" the mare said, then let out a sigh. "I haven't told him about-"

In an instant Rosa was out of her cot and had her hooves around the poor pegasus. "Hush, it's okay. I'm sorry. You tell him when you're ready and I'm sure it'll be fine."

"He's gonna think I'm a mon-monster," Sky Light choked out. "B-But I can't just keep it a secret, not from him!" She grabs Rosa and stared into her eyes with mounting panic. "What am I gonna do, Rosa?!"

There were no easy answers. After all, she was right and Zephyr might react badly to hearing about Sky Light's shady past. "Well, if he really does love you, he'll get over it. If you want I can be with you when you tell him." Rosa imagined the colt reacting with disgust and it made her growl low in her throat. "If he says the wrong thing I'll kick him in the face!"

Sky Light leaned her muzzle against Rosa's. "Thanks, Rosa. You're a real friend."

"So, you'll tell him? Before he pops the question?"

Her ears went flat and Sky closed her eyes, but she finally nodded. "I guess."

Rosa gave her midriff a squeeze. "It can wait a few more days so you know each other better. Luna said they'll be going home soon, but there's still time."

"Thanks," the pegasus said, "I'll keep that in mind."

Rosa didn't want to let her go. Leaving the mare alone with her thoughts, especially after her stupid comment about foals, didn't seem right. "Um, mind if I just cuddle for tonight? It's kind of chilly out here."

"Yeah, the nights aren't all that warm in this place," Sky Light confirmed and lifted up her blanket to let Rosa under it.

"Where are we, anyway?" Rosa hadn't thought to ask before, but apparently Sky Light knew, because she grinned knowingly. "Zephyr told me. We're somewhere in Alaska."

That'd explain the forest, Rosa guessed, and the chill. It'd also explain why there were no human settlements nearby. It was a good place to hide, especially if Cadence was using her Bores to travel. There probably wasn't a way for humans to track the resistance ponies through magical portals. Maybe they were getting close, though. That'd explain the 'supply civilians' Cadence wanted to stop with her next military action. It would also be why Luna said they might all be leaving for Equestria soon. There probably weren't many more places where a group of ponies could hide a military camp for long.

For that matter, Rosa wondered how they were hiding from helicopters and satellites and such stuff. Maybe she could ask Zephyr the next time she saw him, or Snow or Almond. It was probably magic, though. It seemed like that was the answer for practically any question Rosa had lately.

For now, she had a cuddle-buddy and she was starting to get sleepy with those warm wings around her. "Sweet dreams," she told the mare.

"You too. Thanks, Rosa."

"Mm', welcome."

---

Rosa woke up when Sky Light's hind leg pushed into her belly. It was not a kick, but it tickled and Rosa shuffled out of the way. A moment later Sky's muzzle pressed against hers. Apologetic nuzzle, Rosa assumed, and sleepily returned it.

The tongue prodding at her lips caught her by surprise. Only then did Rosa realize that Sky Light was hugging her from behind!

"EEP!" She kicked with all her strength and then clambered over her pegasus friend to get away from whoever was attacking her. Sky Light shot up with a yell, her opening wings smacking Rosa in the muzzle. There was just a shadow where someone had been trying to... Kiss her?! Well, they were whimpering on the ground beside Sky Light's cot and Rosa didn't think they were going to be a danger any more.

"What happened?!" Sky asked, seeking Rosa out with her hooves. "Rosa, are you okay? Wait, who's that on the floor?"

Her attacker swore and Rosa relaxed a tiny bit. They were an equestrian pony. No one else would have used 'Buck' and 'Luna' as swear words. Furthermore, Rosa recognized the Captain's voice.

Sky Light realized it, too. "Zephyr?!" she asked, worried. "What the hell is going on?"

At long last the stallion managed to find his flashlight and turned it on. It blinded Rosa until he pointed it at the roof to light the whole tent. Then he extended a trembling, accusing hoof. "She kicked me!" he accused, wings going out a bit, just like Sky was doing. Rosa recognized it as a very pegasus gesture and it meant he was either angry or scared. "What the buck is Rosa doing in your bed?!"

"Well, he tried to kiss me!" Rosa countered.

Sky Light looked shocked and turned her pointedly questioning look to the Captain, who started sputtering. "Um, I-I- uh, I t-thought it was y-you!" he managed to choke out.

Rosa suddenly realized that Sky Light was amused by all this. She was doing a good job of hiding her smile, but Rosa could see the corners of her mouth twitch. She had already folded her wings back down when she saw there was no real danger.

"The reason Rosa is in my bed," the mare said far too calmly, "is because I was feeling lonely and- um, sad last night and she was keeping me company."

There had been a short pause in her words and Rosa wondered if Zephyr had noticed it too. He rubbed his muzzle where a large welt was already forming and his wings settled back down as well. "Sad? Why were you sad?" he asked.

Rosa held her breath. Surely Sky wasn't going to spill it all right then, in the middle of the night? "Um, I'll tell you some other time, okay? Just- don't worry. I'm fine."

The captain wasn't quite buying it and he walked over to look at Sky more closely. "You can tell me, you know? Whatever it is. I wanna hear it. I wanna help!"

Some tension went out of the mare, but she still shook her head. "Soon. Please don't push me on this, it's important."

For a moment it looked as if Zephyr would do exactly that, but then he blinked and smiled. "Okay, okay. I trust you to tell me when I need to know."

This finally let Sky Light relax completely and she beamed at the colt. "Thanks, sweetums. So, care to tell me why you're sneaking into my tent in the middle of the night?"

The blunt way she had put it caused Zephyr to glance at Rosa and blush. "I was, uhm, hoping I'd get to see you before, uh, we leave on the mission."

"Mission?"

"Mission?" Rosa said at exactly the same time as Sky Light.

"Yeah," the Captain replied and his ears folded down in sorrow. "Sorry about the short notice, I just got thrown out of my bed by Princess Cadence. My squad is gearing up and I wanted to come and tell you, so you won't worry when I don't show up tomorrow."

"Aww, how sweet," Sky Light said, but her smile was more than a little worried. "What sort of mission?"

"Sorry, classified."

Rosa wondered if it had anything to do with the argument she'd heard between the two alicorns, but she didn't bring it up now.

Before Sky Light could ask some more, Zephyr held up a preemptive hoof. "It's... routine. We've done this sort of thing before. It's gonna be fine, trust me."

"Oh. J-Just be safe, okay?" Sky Light implored.

"I promise."

They looked at each other, then Sky Light brought her muzzle right up to Rosa's ear. "Rosa, can you do me a solid?"

"Mm?"

"Could you, um, give us twenty minutes?"

She had whispered, but apparently the Captain had good hearing. He asked: "Twenty minutes? Why twenty min-" He blushed as realization hit and Sky Light chuckle at his expression.

"Sure, no problem," Rosa told them both.

In an instant she got off Sky Light's cot and made her way around the colt. "I'll just use the latrines and maybe take a walk around. You two, um h-have fun."

As she was leaving, Rosa glanced back to see Sky Light holding open her blanket for the captain, who was still standing beside, looking uncertain. "Um," he said, "I should check on - uh, check..."

Giggling softly Rosa gave his rump a very light kick with her hind leg as she walked past. That almost launched him into Sky Light's hooves. Rosa didn't stick around to see the result.

A quick glance to the sky told her that it was still hours until dawn. This mission was starting at a really inhumane hour. Rosa wondered why that was. Maybe Cadence wanted the cover of darkness? She turned a corner and saw a group of ponies standing around the Princess' tent. There weren't any lights, but Rosa thought she recognized Snow and Almond in the group.

Walking closer, Rosa waved a hoof and the pair lifted theirs in greeting, confirming her guess. For a moment she considered going over and telling them their captain would be... 'indisposed' for about half an hour, but then she thought better of it. They seemed busy with checking their gear and trotting in place or stretching their wings. Rosa even saw a glow of some unicorn's horn.

Hopefully Zephyr Gale would be done quickly and join them before they got impatient and went looking for him. Some of them knew which tent their Captain liked to spend his time in. In any case, it was not her problem. If Sky Light and Zephyr Gale took too long in each other's company, they deserved to be rudely interrupted. They were cutting into Rosa's sleeping time, after all.

When Rosa imagined the whole squad of ponies walking in on them she couldn't help but chuckle a little. She gave the waiting group a wide berth and headed toward the latrines. She hadn't been lying when she'd said she needed to go. After that maybe she'd go check the kitchen tent and see if there was a late-night snack she could get.

Hopefully Sky Light would remember to air the tent out after she and her coltfriend were done. Rosa still wanted to catch a few more hours of sleep.

---

Rosa was just coming back from the latrines when she saw a very tall, dark shape standing near the central fire pit. It was cold and unlit at nights, despite the thick tree cover above, so that it couldn't be accidentally seen from a high-flying airplane.

It was not hard to guess who the pony was. Princess Luna. For a moment Rosa debated internally whether to go and ask her questions, but then she decided to do it. Luna had always been nice and understanding, and Rosa felt safe around her. She also seemed lost in thought, so it might be a neighborly thing to go and chat with her for a while.

Rosa stepped up beside her and saw that Luna was looking up, into the night sky - or what little was visible from this vantage point. Rosa wondered briefly if she had some strange, alicorn insight into the night sky, even on Earth.

"Um, penny for your thoughts?" Rosa asked as a way of breaking the ice.

The mare glanced down at her, then went back to staring at the stars. She seemed somber. Rosa also noted that she didn't reply immediately, so she sat on her haunches to wait next to the Princess. If it were Cadence, Rosa would probably be fidgeting. That is, if she even stuck around. With Luna, however, there was this companionable silence which Rosa kinda liked.

Finally, the mare shook her head a little and offered Rosa a slight smile. "That is a human expression, is it not?"

"Mhm."

"I have noticed you use a lot of their speech. Like when you say 'in hand', rather than 'in hoof', or when you say 'everyone', rather than 'everypony'."

"'Everyone' works better if there's people other than ponies, right?"

Luna gave this some thought. "It is rather more succinct than 'everycreature', but I prefer pony expressions, myself."

"Fair enough."

There was more silence and Rosa tried to see some night sky through the foliage. She was still working up the courage to broach her question when Luna turned to face her properly. "You could not sleep, Rosa?" she asked. "I may be able to help with that."

"No, it's not that. Um, Sky Light and Zephyr Gale are, um, in the tent."

"Of course."

That actually brought Rosa right to her point. "Um, Princess?"

"Ask."

Perceptive, but maybe all alicorns were like that. "Princess Cadence's - well, I guess you could call it 'superpower' - she can force ponies to fall in love?"

If the dark alicorn was surprised by her statement, she didn't show it in the slightest. Centuries of learning to control her expression, Rosa assumed. "Not in so many words," Luna replied, speaking softly so it wouldn't carry. "She may enhance the feeling, but it must be there to begin with."

"So, uh, Sky and Zephyr would have-"

Luna interrupted her with a faint smile on her muzzle: "Yes, they would have. However, I think Cadence might have hastened the process somewhat."

"Oh. I see."

"It's perfectly natural. I forget you didn't grow up in Equestria, where such a thing is commonplace. Cadence has often used her alicorn power to reignite the spark where it was in danger of going out, or hastened it where it was blooming slowly."

"It's just that-" Rosa began and sighed, unwilling to cast doubt on Luna's co-princess.

Luckily she sensed the reluctance and tipped Rosa's muzzle up with a surprisingly strong wing feather. "Do not be afraid, ask your question."

It was really comforting just how approachable this alicorn was. From what little Rosa had heard from the other Equestrian ponies, her sister was even nicer. She hoped she'd be able to meet her, someday. By all accounts, meeting Celestia left a permanent impression on a pony and filled them with confidence about the future. Rosa wondered if that was what humans felt when they worshipped God. She hadn't been overly religious herself, but seeing someone - somepony - literally raising the sun might do it.

Taking a deep breath, Rosa tried to voice her concern: "I feel like I hardly know Sky Light lately. All she does is spend time with Zephyr Gale. They're always whispering, or giggling together, or... well, you know."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"N-No," Rosa hurried to say. "I kinda liked this one colt at the school, but I got sent away before I could be sure."

Luna nodded a little. "Sometimes love is slow, Rosa. Other times it is fast. Neither is less meaningful than the other. Perhaps you will see him again and then you will know."

"Yeah, I h-hope so."

"To answer your question," the alicorn went on, "Your friend is still the same, but perhaps her outlook on life has changed. Would you say she is happier now?"

Rosa was forced to admit that much. Different or not, she'd never seen Sky Light smile as much and she hadn't been exactly 'glum' before. "I think so."

"Then, perhaps this is for the best. Sometimes, love can be a beneficial thing. Even now, I would trust Cadence to know when to push and how much. Matters of the heart are her specialty, even after-"

The alicorn fell silent and heaved a sad sigh. Rosa wanted to ask her what she had meant, but felt it would be inappropriate, so she kept her muzzle shut. Instead she looked for positives: "It might help her decide to come to Equestria, so that's good. And I think she'll start living more healthily," Rosa admitted.

"Then it is for the better."

Rosa made herself smile a little and the alicorn leaned a surprisingly gentle wing against her cheek. For some reason, it felt warm, despite it being just a few feathers, and Rosa closed her eyes at the touch. Almost involuntarily it made her think of Paolo, caressing her like that, which in turn caused her heart to beat faster. Rosa couldn't get the image of his mischievous smile out of her mind. There was another matter weighing on her, though. "Um, do you know what this secret mission is all about? I don't like it..."

Luna gave about half of a chuckle. "It is a military thing, as Cadence would put it. Unfortunately, I could not dissuade her from it."

"Why is she attacking a supply convoy?" Rosa asked, guessing.

It was apparently a good guess, because Luna blinked in surprise before her expression cleared up. "So you have heard more than I thought. Please keep this to yourself, okay?"

"I p-promise!"

"We are not exactly... welcome in this land. The humans consider us a war band, so they are looking. We can keep them away with spells somewhat, but they are getting uncomfortably close."

It was more or less what Rosa had imagined, but now it was confirmed. They were part of an insurgent group and that made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

Luna took a step, but paused to look back at Rosa. "Walk with me. They have a body of men in the area, but since the forest is quite thick they cannot resupply by air, not entirely. That is why they have sent a convoy of ground carriages to bring them food and other necessities."

"Trucks," Rosa corrected, proud of her intimate knowledge of the process.

"Indeed," Luna agreed. "Cadence is hoping that by preventing, or at least delaying their supply mission, she will force them to retreat to a more... civilized area. At least that had been the plan when Cadence didn't know how long she would need to stay here. Before I returned."

It made sense, except for... "Now that you're back, why don't we just leave?"

For a few steps the alicorn said nothing. Then she murmured, almost too quietly for Rosa to hear: "That is what I have also asked and haven't gotten a good answer."

No help there, it seemed. Still, it was good to know that Cadence was planning to leave. Hopefully Rosa and Sky Light would go with them back to Equestria. There was one more thing Rosa would really like to know and she was sure Luna had the information. The question was only if she'd trust her enough to tell. "Why do they hunt us? Why all the hate and the fighting? Is it just because they captured ponies and made them - us - into servants?"

The princess didn't slow down and she didn't reply at first. Rosa opened her muzzle to apologize for what had probably been an impertinent question, somehow, but then Luna spoke: "When our worlds first met, the humans did not know of us. They only saw a new land, ready for taking - colonization. A number of them passed through the first natural Bores and created settlements on pony land. Even before that, some of our citizens fell into Earth and were lost."

This felt like an important bit of history. "Um, how long ago was that?" Rosa asked.

Luna had to think about the answer, calculating mentally. "Some, I think, eighteen or twenty years ago. Anyway, our first few meetings weren't on the best of terms. I understand there was some violence - from both sides. Remember, a few groups of ponies came through the other way first, even if it was accidental. The humans were afraid of them, and didn't know what to do after that. Things became quite confused."

Rosa kept walking in silence while Luna organized her thoughts and decided how to best tell her story. "I'm unsure why the diplomacy failed, but suddenly there was fighting. We have magic, but humans have guns - and a lot of skill in the act of war. There were... losses."

"Oh."

The alicorn smiled sadly at her, more to put Rosa at her ease than at any particular memory. "Seeing what was happening, some of our subjects became restless. Angry. My sister has always thought of them as terrorists, but even her condemnation would not placate the human leaders."

There was a moment's silence and when Rosa looked up she saw that Luna's ears were splayed and she was staring at the sky again. Her steps slowed and Rosa stopped beside her.

"These ponies - the angry ones - came to Earth took it too far. I will not tell you of the tragedies, but things escalated quickly. At long last, all the Bores were closed and further travel prevented, but humans were caught in Equestria and ponies were left on Earth. Celestia has worked to broker peace while the path was open, and she has begun to do so again, but what Cadence is doing here will not help."

"Why was, um Princess Cadence allowed to come here, then?"

Luna shrugged a little. "That is complicated. We have recently reopened the Bores and some of the stories that came back were - chilling. Celestia never could stand to see her ponies suffer, and even more importantly, the rest of our people cried out for something to be done, something immediate, so Celestia agreed to a clandestine rescue operation. I volunteered to lead it, but it seems my sister trusted Cadence more."

"I... see." It was a lot to think about, so Rosa secretly hoped Luna was done for the moment. She decided to ask her again in the future, if there was a chance, but a lot of what Luna had said made sense. "Um, thank you for telling me, P-Princess," Rosa said.

Luna shrugged a little. "It's mostly history now. Hopefully whatever Cadence does - or did, while I was gone - won't antagonize the humans further. Despite all that's happened, I know my sister still desires peace, and believes it is possible, now that both sides have had time apart to cool off."

"I hope so, too."

Rosa saw that they'd made it back to the command tent, where the group of soldier ponies were gone. That probably meant that Sky Light was alone in the tent again. Alone and probably needing company.

Maybe Luna needed it too, but if she was going in with Princess Cadence, Rosa would rather return to her friend and her bed. "I'll, um, I think I'll go back to sleep now," she quavered.

Luna just gave her a smile and a nod, but there was something sad in it. Maybe she missed her sister. On a whim Rosa stepped closer and brushed her muzzle against Luna's flank, as high as she could reach.

A moment later a wing settled around her. "I will get you to Equestria, Rosa," the alicorn promised. "I will bring you home."

The tall pony had to lower her head a little, but Rosa gave her a grateful nuzzle when she did so. "Thank you. And, um, good night!"

"Sleep well."

Luna released her and Rosa walked briskly back to the tent.