Rosa

by awf

Chapter 83: Meeting Celestia

Breakfast went by in a bit of a blur, but there was coffee for which Rosa was very grateful. Fluttershy and her friends had ended up talking in whispers long into the night, with Rosa dozing curled up next to her mother. As comforting as it had been to sleep nestled against the pegasus, she had kept moving slightly and waking her up. Her voice, though quiet and melodious, had kept Rosa just on this side of dreams.

She didn't mind either of those, of course. Soaking up Fluttershy's presence had felt really good, especially after missing it for the past seventeen years. The result, however, was that Rosa was a bit sleepy in the morning, which was precisely why they had invented coffee. There was also another problem, but it would go away in time, Rosa suspected. The beds in this castle were way softer than she was used to, especially after the pony resistance camp, so she had slept in a weird position and now her neck felt stiff. It would get better once she start moving about, though.

Around her were her mother's friends, still chatting amicably. Rosa didn't think they had slept at all, but they all seemed chipper and fully awake. Maybe it was the air or something in the food that gave ponies in Equestria their boundless energy. The delicious pancakes caught her attention. Maybe everyone here was on a permanent sugar high?

Rosa felt someone pat her on the back, but before she could turn around Sky Light landed in the seat next to her. She gave her a bright, early morning smile and Rosa returned it in kind.

"Slept well?" she asked, all upbeat and chipper.

"You seem awfully happy," Rosa blurted out before she could catch herself.

It immediately reminded Sky Light of what she'd lost, and her hooves went to her belly. Her ears sagged and her head bowed under the weight of misery.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up!"

"It's fine," Sky said. She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth. "Luna said this would happen."

"Luna?" Rosa asked.

"She- she did something to me. Before you left to the school, she somehow put me to sleep. I dreamed..." Sky leaned her head to one side and frowned in concentration, but then shrugged. "I can't remember what, but it was nice. She said it would make it easier, but there'll still be moments when it really hits me."

Some kind of alicorn magic to help ponies through intense grief? Rosa wasn't sure how she felt about the prospect, but the result was that Sky Light seemed less sad. She also seemed like her old self, so Rosa figured Luna's mind magic probably wasn't too bad.

"You didn't answer my question," Sky pointed out, her mouth quirking up in a slight smile again.

"Oh yes. I slept some. Well... I rested anyway," Rosa tried to explain.

On her other side Fluttershy picked up on the clues and gave her a quick apologetic nuzzle. "Oh, I hope we didn't keep you up all night, Morning Dew! I'm so sorry! We should have gone in the other room!"

Rosa shook her head and put her hooves around the mare. "It's fine! Don't worry, it was very relaxing! I can always sleep tonight, right?"

She was about to answer her, but Twilight, who was sitting across the table, had another question and Fluttershy had to concentrate on her reply. Rosa shrugged a little and dug into the pancakes once more.

"Where's Paolo?"

Sky Light shrugged. "Dunno, he was still sleeping on the couch when I left the room."

"Will he know where to go?"

"I didn't. I asked a guard and he showed me the way. They're very polite here. Just like..." She didn't say his name, but she was certainly thinking it. The way her ears flopped again was unmistakable.

Rosa leaned over to give her a brief hug, wincing only a little at the pang in her neck. "It's okay. I'm here for you."

The pegasus returned her hug. "Thanks, Rosa. It really means a lot..." she replied, voice thick and rich with emotion.

They haven't seen the end of it, Luna's magic or no, Rosa was sure. Maybe she was only keeping it together because of all the excitement and strangeness, but as soon as things settled down she'd lose it once again. It was especially important that Rosa stayed near her at all times. She would have to make this clear to Luna and, by proxy, Celestia. Whatever houses or something she arranged for the ponies from earth, Rosa had to be in the same house as Sky Light, even if that meant Fluttershy couldn't live with her.

There would be plenty of time to catch up with her mother after Sky's daughter was born. As soon as that happened, Rosa felt, her pegasus friend wouldn't have any more doubts. At least that was what the books and movies have told her. Rosa really hoped that it was true.

"Here, lemme get you some pancakes. You'll like them. They use too much sugar here, so I know they'll be right up your alley."

Sky Light murmured a quiet thank you as Rosa fetched an empty plate and piled it up. After a brief moment of indecision, she went for the warm, thick chocolate syrup and poured a generous dose. A moment later she left Sky Light alone in her own personal, gooey, sugary piece of heaven.

There was still no sign of Paolo. Hopefully he wouldn't sleep right through breakfast. Just to be sure, Rosa went to fetch yet another plate and put a few pancakes on it for him. The castle staff, or whatever they were called, probably wouldn't mind if she took some food to the room, right?

Rosa hurriedly finished her own meal and then stood up. Twilight noticed and waved a hoof to get her attention. "You're leaving?"

"Just gonna go freshen up and take some breakfast to Paolo," Rosa explained.

"Okay, good. Celestia wants us in the Grand Hall in about half an hour."

"Okay, which way is that?"

Twilight glanced around, trying to think up some easy to remember directions, but then she shrugged to herself and said: "Maybe it'll be easier if you just ask somepony. Anypony will be able to direct you."

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks!"

Rosa thought she would never get used to them using 'anypony' in lieu of 'anyone' and similar. Well, maybe in time she would. It did have a certain ring to it. It reminded her who and where she was. She gave Fluttershy another nuzzle and she returned it absentmindedly while telling some story to the cowboy-mare. Applejack, Rosa remembered, that was her name. With all the conversation she had overheard last night, she felt like she knew them pretty well by now.

Fluttershy was explaining something about Instructor Martha, by the sound of it, so Rosa didn't disturb her. Instead, she leaned closer to Sky Light. "I'll just take some of these to Paolo. I'll meet you in this Grand Hall, okay? Just stick with Fluttershy and you'll be okay."

Sky Light gave her a mouth-full nod and a grunt, which Rosa took as affirmative. She was desperate to say something more. Something inappropriate, judging by the glint in her eye, but she couldn't swallow fast enough and Rosa was not sticking around to hear it.

"Tell me later," she said with a short laugh as she left.

---

The Grand Hall was appropriately named. There was a dais with two thrones on it, not looming, but... 'presiding' over the large room. The floor was covered by a rich, red carpet down the middle and much of the place was adorned in gold. There were stained-glass windows, depicting what Rosa assumed were important scenes from Equestria's history. There were a few with Twilight and her friends, including her mother. That made Rosa especially proud. Her mom was like a hero or something! Luna had told her as much, but to see it immortalized in stained glass was a completely different thing.

Rosa was flanked by Sky Light and Paolo on either side, all of them sitting on very soft cushions on the floor. The Elements of Harmony, which included Fluttershy, were similarly seated nearby. Perhaps most surprisingly, Luna and Celestia were right down there with all of them. The thrones were unoccupied. It did make them seem a lot more approachable. When Rosa had first seen the room and its layout, she had almost felt like she was going on some kind of trial, but now it seemed more like a friendly chat.

Starlight Glimmer was explaining her side of the story about the escape from the facility. Luna had been there, but pretty zoned out so she didn't remember a whole lot. Every now and then the unicorn looked to Rosa, who voiced her assent, or added a minor point. After that it was Fluttershy's turn to describe what her captivity had looked like and Rosa paid close attention, mentally bracing herself for some unpleasant moments.

"Um," the pegasus began a bit shyly, now that she was the center of attention. "It wasn't all that bad, actually."

"What?!" Twilight nearly jumped up from her seat. "Fluttershy, they kept you prisoner and- and..." She couldn't quite utter the next word, but Rosa knew what she wanted to say. At length, she lowered her voice to a near whisper: "-used you!"

Fluttershy looked directly at Rosa, who quickly went to her. She would probably need a hug to get through the next bit, so Rosa preemptively put her hooves around the mare and got a grateful nuzzle in return.

"Yes, that is true," her mother spoke, "but they weren't too mean about it. Besides, that was after the war started. The first part, before all that, wasn't so bad."

This information made Twilight almost growl in frustration. "Not too mean?! Fluttershy, you're talking about r-"

"Yes, I know!" Fluttershy interrupted her friend. "I'm not stupid, Twilight, I know what it was! I'm just saying that it wasn't the worst! I know s-some mares had it much worse than I did! At least I had a home, for a while! It was nice."

"What home?" Celestia asked.

Fluttershy took a slow, deliberate breath and continued: "When they first took us all in- Mrs. Cherilee's class- we were camping in the Everfree and suddenly found ourselves on Earth. Anyway, they didn't know what to do with us, so- I guess we were sold off as fancy pets. Someone got greedy before they realized they could- um... Well, before they could breed us." She didn't seem too upset by it, even though Twilight had to grind her teeth to keep quiet and let Fluttershy continue.

She seemed lost in thought, but it was obviously a good memory because there was a faint smile on her lips. "I met Pat pretty soon after, and he treated me like a person. We lived together for a while, until the war started and you found me. It was after that I went to that School."

Twilight pointed an accusatory hoof. "Yeah, and they put you in a breeding program!"

Fluttershy shrugged and calmly took a sip of tea. "They put me in a nice room. I couldn't leave, but it was a lot better than a cage. I had TV and books, and every day someone would come and chat with me!"

This next bit made Fluttershy tense up and Rosa tightened her hug. "I got to meet h-him. You know, the stallion. I actually kinda liked him. It was the same one each time, too, so that wasn't so bad! Well, except for that first time, but I wasn't at the School yet at that point."

"Who was it?" Luna asked gently.

"His name is Cloud Bank, a pegasus from Manehattan. I don't know what happened to him. He stopped v-visiting before my youngest daughter was born and I haven't- they haven't made me... not since."

There was silence for a while, until Fluttershy took a deep breath and went on: "Maybe the worst part of it was that I couldn't see my children. But at least they told me about them and showed me pictures. I knew they were alright!"

Twilight, her face undecided somewhere between anger and sympathy, walked over and added her hooves on top of Rosa's. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I didn't mean it like that."

"S-So, what do we d-do now?" Rosa asked, looking at Luna. "We're going to save them all, right?"

Celestia looked sad and Luna seemed downright uncomfortable. They looked at each other, unsure how to answer it, but then it was the older sister who spoke: "I will certainly do my best, Morning Dew. Maybe there is yet a chance to bring my ponies back home." She cast a very stern gaze at the younger Princess. "What I would really like to know, Luna, is why didn't you bring them all home when you were already there?!"

Luna looked ashamed of herself, lowering her ears and hanging her head. "I'm sorry, I made a judgment call-"

"Your judgment?!" Celestia asked pointedly.

"I know, perhaps I should have-"

Again, the older mare interrupted: "What you should have done, Luna, was to come home as soon as you were rescued. We could have made a plan together. You know I would have helped!"

"Yes, but Princess Cadence-" When Luna dropped the name, everyone in the room looked over, focusing their ears.

Celestia actually seemed furious. "Princess Cadence went so far beyond my instructions that she went completely off the map! I had no idea how bad she'd gotten!"

Twilight cleared her throat and asked: "What will happen to her?"

Celestia heaved a sad sigh. "She will spend some time in the dungeons, until she can be reasoned with. I expect I will forgive her... eventually."

"After all, she has lost her husband in the war," Luna added a mitigating circumstance.

"That may be so, but her behavior was entirely unbefitting a Princess of Equestria! A Princess of Love, no less! She has done untold damage to my diplomatic endeavours! I should have guessed when the humans refused to even speak with me!"

Celestia wasn't angry anymore, but she also wasn't far off. Rosa wouldn't want to see her really angry, and especially not if it were directed at her. Even now she couldn't help but cringe away a little.

"She risked another war with her reckless attacks on humans! Had I known, I would have dragged her back personally! Tartarus, I might have let the humans have her!"

Luna was trying to win back some favor, so she added: "I knew she was mad. I should have brought her back sooner. I'm sorry. She got really bad after I was captured."

"As for you," Celestia continued, making the younger Princess flinch in shock. "This attack - no, do not give me that look, it is exactly how the humans will describe it - this attack was ill-advised. Don't you think they will take precautions now? You only had a single security guard to deal with, do you think there won't be more, now?"

"I- I-" Luna stammered and it was unsettling to see the normally calm and self-assured mare this flustered.

"Had you come to me in the first place," Celestia said, "I would have sent more soldiers. Tartarus, I would have gone with! We could have brought back all of those ponies!"

Rosa felt a certain kinship and loyalty to Luna, so despite her misgivings, she tried to lessen Celestia's anger. She cleared her throat and all eyes in the room stared at her. "Um, I- uh. Um," Rosa gibbered for a moment until she could get her tongue under control. "Most of the p-ponies in the School wouldn't come. They would be afraid of s-strangers."

Celestia did seem a bit mollified, but she still sniffed. "Well, we would have dragged them off, kicking and screaming if need be!"

Luna grasped the reason Rosa had given her, as slim as it was: "It would have taken a lot more ponies, and there might have been a panic. If a single pegasus got away, they would have called the humans on us. I thought it wisest not to take too many risks and only bring out Fluttershy. Equestria needs the Elements."

Her reasoning was sound and Celestia couldn't really find a flaw in it, not right away. Most of her anger had been born out of deep caring for her people, after all. Rosa dared breathe a sigh of relief.

"You still should have consulted me!" the older sister muttered. "I would have been relieved to know you are well, too."

It seemed like her anger was gone and Rosa felt everyone around her relax a little. Fluttershy looked at her and flashed a grateful smile. Rosa hadn't let her go even for a second the whole time.

"I'm very happy to have you back, Luna," Celestia said much more softly. "I'm happy to have all of you here. Of course I will do everything I can to get the rest of the ponies, but there are so many who have been born on Earth that it might not be possible."

"We'll do it together, Sister," Luna offered.

They embraced and Rosa felt a certain warm confidence in her heart. Those two, if they weren't fighting, could do anything. It might take some time, but they would figure something out.

"Very well. Now you- Morning Dew. You've lived in this School and you've seen a lot of their world. Tell me what ponies face on Earth. Tell me your story," Celestia asked Rosa directly.

Now that the literal god of this world was focusing on her, Rosa couldn't help but blush a little and lower her ears. Fluttershy struggled out of her grasp and then clasped Rosa to her barrel instead. "My turn," she whispered with a smile.

"Well, um, I know about the School, but if you wanna know what it's really like for ponies on Earth, you should ask Sky Light. She's seen a lot!"

"I intend to," Celestia assured her, making the pegasus in question squirm a little bit beside Rosa. "Tell me of the school, first."

Rosa thought back on the earliest thing she could remember. "Well, there's the nursery," she began. "It's where foals stay until they're about six and can start taking their classes. It's just a playroom, with a few older ponies and usually one of the Instructors. They did give us a lot of toys." It hadn't been an unhappy time and Rosa smiled faintly as she remembered the friendships she had made there. "After that, they put us in dorm rooms of about five or six, usually with one of the older students to help out, and we started going to classes..."

Comments

[BleuBlooms]

Oh! I wanted the explanation! (Even, though I already know the det's.)