Chapter 87: Forgiveness
Rosa hummed her - or rather Fluttershy's - song as she put down the bowls of oatmeal. It was nothing special, but it was simple to make and quite satisfying. The colt - her coltfriend - was still blinking a little groggily behind the table.
"Thanks," he murmured as Rosa joined him on the seat next to his.
"So, got anything planned today?"
"Nothing really," Paolo admitted, then stretched out his wings and yawned. "You?"
"Got some work, but not a whole lot. We're doing the Autumn Arrangement for the flowerpots out at the main entrance today."
"On a Saturday?"
Rosa frowned momentarily as she considered this, but then shrugged to herself. "I don't really mind, I volunteered. Wanna come with and then grab lunch together? Oh, and Flurry asked us out to dinner later on."
"Sounds like fun. All of that, actually."
"It is! River Stone has been using some kind of spell to make sunflowers grow faster and she thinks they're Celestia's favorite, so we'll put them everywhere."
The misconception still made Rosa giggle. She wondered again if she should have told her unicorn boss, but she thought better of it. River had so much fun with her little projects and Celestia didn't mind.
"Wait, aren't sunflowers her favorite then?" Paolo asked, still a bit asleep so he probably wasn't quite following. "You'd think- I mean, from the name..."
"Nope. It's moonflowers."
"Huh."
"She told me. She came to like them after- well, after she had to banish Nightmare Moon to the, well, moon. She said they reminded her of Luna. Well, of who she had been, not the Nightmare she became."
The colt stretched out his forelegs, too. "I guess that makes sense."
"Don't tell anyone. It's not really a secret, but I think Celestia enjoys having something that isn't so... public, you know?"
"Mhm," Paolo promised, already chewing industriously.
Rosa also took a spoonful, but she wasn't particularly hungry that morning. Just a memory of last night was enough to drive all thoughts of food from her mind. No wonder Paolo was so sleepy. It was only strange that Rosa wasn't.
She couldn't stand it. She wanted to touch the colt some more, so she leaned over and threw her hooves around his withers. "I loved last night," she whispered in his ear.
His ear folded down, flicking her on the nose which made her giggle. "Yeah, sorry about that first, um, time. I didn't mean to-"
She shut him by the simple expedient of squeezing all air out of his lungs. It made the poor colt squeak, but he didn't complain.
"Hush. You made up for it later. We'll just have to practice more." Her grin widened even as Rosa's blush deepened. "Let's do it again tonight." She nuzzled him and planted a few tiny kisses right on his cheek, in an effort to entice Paolo to turn his head. He didn't get the idea, so Rosa poked him in the ribs and the sudden jolt made him look over at her in surprise. That way she could bring their lips together and silence anything he might have wanted to say. When she was done, Paolo just kept grinning with an unfocused, faraway look.
"What is it?"
He finally looked at her and his smile widened. "Just realized we're really here. Equestria. Together."
"Of course! Where else?"
It had been a rhetorical question so it was just as well Paolo didn't try to answer. Instead, he touched his nose to hers and asked: "Did I ever tell you I love you?"
Rosa could have stood to hear it more often, but she didn't say that. "Not yet today."
"Sorry."
"I love you too."
The eatery they ended up in was extremely fancy, although Rosa would have rather picked the edge place with the view, if it had been her choice. This dinner would be Flurry Heart's treat, though, which gave the young mare the prerogative to pick the locale.
It wasn't too over the top, Rosa thought as she looked around at the decorations. Some gilding, a few expensive-looking paintings, soft, red velvet on the chairs, and the rich luster of silverware on the tables. There were a few well-off ponies seated here and there, all stallions in suits and all mares in various themes on 'fancy dress', which made Rosa feel extremely under-dressed, but she spotted Flurry Heart waving at them from a booth and the Princess wasn't wearing any clothes herself. There was a frail-looking tiara in her mane and Rosa caught the glint of earrings, but that seemed to be it.
She nudged Sky Light in the right direction and made her way there, trusting Paolo to stay by her side.
"Holy- um, wow. Posh," Sky Light commented when she'd caught up.
Pretty soon they were all seated, Rosa with Paolo on one side, and Sky with Flurry on the other. It had seemed like the most natural arrangement, although there was a noticeable gap between the pegasus and the alicorn. Rosa hoped it wasn't some subconscious, residual resentment for Flurry's mother by Sky Light.
"Thank you all for coming," the resident Princess said. "I would have understood if you didn't want to see me."
Her ear twitched slightly, which caught Rosa's attention. She peered at the Princess a little closer and, to her surprise, saw that Flurry Heart was nervous. Now that Rosa knew, the signs were obvious. The way she had slightly splayed her ears. A tension as she maintained her grin a little wider than it would have been naturally, even a brief moment when the Princess forgot herself and fiddled a with her hooves.
Rosa didn't know how to respond to that, or whether she even wanted to bring it up, but luckily Sky Light, who apparently hadn't noticed a thing, spoke up: "Yeah, about that- why did you invite us? I mean, it's nice and all, and this place looks expensive, but why us? Why now?"
Flurry's ears went a fraction further down before she brought them under control again. She gave a light, self-deprecating chuckle. "Well, for one, other than Auntie Twilight, I don't really have many friends. I don't think Auntie Twilight counts, ether, but she keeps saying it does."
Rosa and Sky Light glanced at each other in surprise, but kept quiet as the Princess stared fixedly at a candle flame.
"I guess it's because of these," she explained and opened her wings a fraction, "and this," she pointed at her horn. "Everypony is in such awe at the other Princesses that they just bow, and scrape, and cringe. I can't really talk to anypony, you see?"
"I think I do," Rosa said. "They're all in awe of you. I've seen it in the palace with Cele- I mean, Princess Celestia. I think she liked having me and Sky Light around because we didn't grow up with these preconceptions."
Sky Light was nodding in agreement. "Yeah, unicorns and magic were a bit of a shock, and alicorns were basically just legends - never thought I'd see one, let alone five of you, but once that initial shock passed, I guess you're just ponies underneath it all."
The smile on Flurry's face was becoming less forced and more natural, and she seemed to be breathing a bit more easily.
"Well, with Celestia and Luna, there's a whole lot before you get to 'underneath',but- they're nice," Rosa finished Sky Light's thought. "Twilight- well, she's just Twilight. I can't imagine anyone bowing for her, not after they've known her for five minutes."
That observation made all four of them chuckle, even Paolo who hadn't had as much dealings with any of the Princesses and seemed a bit awestruck with Flurry Heart.
"So that's it then?" Sky Light asked, the suspicious look fading from her face as she leaned back against the seat. "You just wanted a few friends who don't worship you?"
The Princess was nodding enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes. You two especially-" She fell silent and her ears folded down as she covered her mouth with a hoof. A look of horror crept into her eyes. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, that came out totally wrong!"
Sky Light looked blank, but Rosa thought she understood and held up a hoof to forestall any questions. "I think I get it. Of all the ponies in Equestria, me and Sky Light would be the least likely to... well, 'worship' you, because of your mother."
Flurry gave them a single, tense nod. She waited for the verdict and kept glancing from Rosa, to Sky Light and back, even as her ears sagged lower and lower.
"Reasonable," Sky decided. "For the record, I wouldn't have 'worshipped' you even if it weren't for that. I mean- Celestia and Luna, sure, just because of who they are. Twilight- well, if she weren't Twilight I might have, because of all that Elements of Harmony heroics. You, on the other hand - you're just a kid."
This time it was Sky Light who colored and flattened her ears. "Um, no offense," she added, suddenly realizing that, young or not, Flurry still was a Princess of Equestria and, soon, Ruler of the Crystal Empire.
Her sudden deference broke the ice and Flurry shifted closer so she could put her hooves on Sky Light's withers. "Oh, no, no, please don't apologize. You're absolutely right."
All of them relaxed once again, but no one knew really what to say. Luckily, the unicorn waiter, looking slightly comical to Rosa with his haughty expression and white shirt, and the black bow tie, chose that exact moment to ask for their orders.
It was incredible timing and Rosa later wondered whether he had been listening and picked that time to ease the tension around the table. If so, he had fully earned the generous tip Flurry had left.
The ordering took a long while, with Sky Light asking the hapless waiter to describe several of the dishes with exceedingly outlandish names, until she picked some kind of fish. That earned her a strange look from Paolo and Flurry, but neither commented.
Rosa, feeling adventurous, had picked the dish with the most curly writing, on the grounds that it would be more foreign and, therefore, more exotic. She made sure it wouldn't have any fish or meat.
Flurry, obviously familiar with the restaurant, already knew what she wanted, and Paolo seemed to have simply gone with the first thing on the menu.
Once all that was done and the group had their drinks before them, Flurry Heart cleared her throat and said: "A-Actually, there's more. I invited you because I was hoping you'd be my friends, but there's another reason."
"Oh?" Rosa asked.
"Well, two actually. I wanted to say thanks, especially to you, Rosa."
Rosa looked at Sky, and then at Paolo, both of whom looked as bewildered as she felt. "What for?!"
Flurry, a little more certain of herself, gave her a truly warm smile. "Maybe you don't remember, but that time Celestia showed off Mother to the human diplomats. Remember? Just before she allowed her to come from the dungeons and live up in the guest quarters."
"I- I think so?"
"You were all having breakfast with the Elements, and- well," Flurry was saying, her eyes sliding away from Rosa and a faint tinge of pink entering her cheeks. "You were kind to Mother, even though you didn't have any reason to be. I- She told me how much it meant to her, and it means a lot to me, too. So thank you, Rosa."
Suddenly Rosa was embarrassed herself, and her own ears splayed. "Aw, that's okay. It was just basic courtesy."
Before she could say more, Flurry took a quick swig of her wine and twisted to face Sky Light directly. "Mother also asked me to tell you how sorry she was. She knows there's no excuse, but she- um- she wants to know if you're happy with- with your daughter."
This question made Sky Light tense right back up, and her wings slightly part in defense. She narrowed her eyes as she inspected the young alicorn. "Okay, and just what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"Nothing!" Flurry said and leaned away from that intense glare. "I swear! She wanted to know how you and your daughter are doing!" She cast a brief, pleading look at Rosa.
"Sky," Rosa said, "I think she means it. The ponies here don't work the way most humans did on Earth. It's not a sneaky jab. I really think Cadence just honestly wants to know how you and Iris are. Maybe she's hoping you'll forgive her, soon."
Her words were making Flurry Heart nod enthusiastically. "Yes! It's just that, no ulterior motive, I swear!"
Sky Light was settling back down when Flurry let out a small gasp. "Wait, your daughter's name is 'Iris'?"
The pegasus was immediately on the defensive again. "Yeah, what of it?"
This time Flurry didn't notice the barb in the question, she was smiling hugely. "That's beautiful! Iris is my favourite flower from Earth! I have a garden full of them back at Twilight's castle! Oh, I'd really love to meet her some day! Uh- only if you're okay with it, of course."
Her praise was honest and it seemed even Sky Light sensed that. She relaxed again and gave a slight shrug. "Sure. Come and visit any time."
The invitation made Flurry clap her hooves together in delight. "I will! Thanks!" She went back to her glass of wine, if only for something to do. To Rosa, the Princess felt genuine and earnest. She loved her Mother, despite her questionable actions, and she liked both Rosa and Sky Light, so she was doing what she could to bridge that gap between them.
Rosa thought back to the last time she'd seen Cadence, that exact breakfast Flurry had brought up. She had looked so disheveled and sad. Her voice as she begged Sky Light's forgiveness had been sincere. She was a completely different mare than the cold, imperious, angry creature Rosa had first met in the pony resistance camp. Maybe it was time to put the past where it should be?
Sky Light was still sad about her lost love, even though she had barely known Zephyr for a couple of days. Sometimes Rosa saw her look at the sky and heave a sigh. It hadn't helped that his family in Cloudsdale hadn't really wanted anything to do with this strange, old mare from Earth and the foal she claimed was their son's. They had mostly kept away, even though Celestia had tried very hard to bring them and Sky Light together. Maybe it would happen someday, and Iris deserved to have at least one set of grandparents, but that was a problem for the future. This was now, and if Twilight's stories were any indication, Cadence had once been a good pony, who had been dealt some pretty bad cards in her life.
Rosa caught Sky Light's eye and jerked her head at the Princess, who was preoccupied with swirling her wine around her glass. Sky lifted one eyebrow in a question and Rosa gave her a hopeful smile and nodded at the alicorn again. This made Sky Light roll her eyes, but she could still very nearly read Rosa's thoughts and turned to face Flurry.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat. "Look, what Cadence-" she began, but shook her head and tried again. "What your mother did was shitty, but she was right in one thing. I love Iris to bits and I'm glad I have her, so I can at least remember Zephyr. Besides, she had done her time in the slammer."
"Slammer?" Flurry asked.
"Jail," Sky Light explained. "Dungeon, whatever. I heard about what happened with your dad. It doesn't excuse Cadence, but I understand."
Rosa couldn't help smiling at the sudden blooming hope in Flurry's face. Her joy at hearing what Sky was saying rose like a morning sun and lit up her entire body. Rosa could have sworn the alicorn was beginning to glow from inside!
Sky Light still wasn't finished and waved a dismissive hoof. "I don't think I'll ever be friends with Cadence, but the stupid shrink at Canterlot Medical keeps telling me I need to let it go. So there. You're good kid, and I think Rosa likes you, so that means I like you too. You can tell your mom I forgive her."
This made Flurry squee with delight and she rushed forward to scoop Sky Light into a tight embrace. She even planted a little kiss on Sky's cheek. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you!" she squealed, her wings flicking with every word. "You don't know how much that'll mean to Mother, and how much it means to me!"
The praise was making Sky Light blush and she tried to fend off the delighted mare. Unfortunately she couldn't quite fend off Flurry's sheer alicorn strength, and she certainly couldn't match her enthusiasm, so in the end she just relaxed and accepted the affection.
It looked like it would take a while, so Rosa turned to Paolo while it was happening and gave him a grin and a wink. He tentatively smiled back. "So, what does this mean?" he asked.
"It means," Rosa replied, sliding closer and slipping her hooves around his barrel as well, "that we're all going to heal, probably. Cadence too, in time."
She was in the middle of stealing a kiss from the colt, when a clink of cutlery interrupted all of them. The waiter had brought their food, all neatly arranged and floating in the air behind him. Flurry let Sky Light go as he began to place the dishes on the table. Rosa stopped her kisses, but she left one foreleg wrapped around Paolo and, after a moment, he slipped his wing around her waist.
Perhaps the palpable joy in the air made him bold, or maybe he'd drawn courage from Rosa's touch, but he looked directly at Flurry Heart and asked: "So, um, Princess- what are you the Princess of, exactly?"
Rosa chuckled at his question and gave his cheek a nuzzle. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked him.
Paolo shook his head.
Rosa opened her mouth, but then looked at Flurry, who gave her a nod to proceed.
"Forgiveness," she said.
END
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Good chapter.you used the word ether instead of eitheronce.
Do/did you have an editor for this?
Wait... Oh no?!
End?! This story... It's become part of my life. I can't believe it's over.
You wrote a masterpiece and I'll do what I can to give it more attention.
Bravo, friend.Bravo.
11641120
Thanks! This is mighty fine praise indeed. I'm glad you liked it (it was a ton of fun to write, too).
No editor, did the whole thing myself. Someone on /mlp/ drew me the picture back when I was originally posting this there.
Also, more thanks for the commentary, it's very gratifying to know people have enjoyed reading it
11641131
Ya know, it's bugged me for a while but isn't Sky nearly 40? But the ponies have been on earth for 20, so... Plothole?
Also I really wish Fluttershy the best of luck reuniting with her kids. That's a sad arc. But everything else about this was great. I've posted this to a few groups to help get it traction, too.
Great story. Was a blast to read.
11641133
Yeah, pretty much what I was going for, with the added implication that the conditions are a bit exaggerated for the purpose of story.
11641183
Thanks!
11640191
Thanks, and those are some good thoughts. I tend to agree with you that magical forgiveness makes for a poor story, but I wanted to have a bit of that, due to the source material. I hope you found the balance on the okay side, though!
By the way, that snippet you wrote (with some grammar editing) has the scent of a short story in it. Ever thought about populating it with some colorful pony characters and extending it a little? :]
11641530
huh just did a small read of this but i just realised something
rosa
is she half human im wondering if pat is her dad? true i skimmed most of this but i couldnt get into this poor rosa went through a lot then i hear there was a war i figured there was at the first couple chapters but now im wondering if equestria will ever trust humanity after all this and thats why i could not get into this story yes humans can be assholes but im sorry i just dont think humanity as a whole could treat another world like this while we did evil things to other humans with different background like native american tribes black people and ww2 id like to think as a whole humanity learned from their mistakes and yes this kinda thing still happens even more these days i just believe after growing up ive learned we are kind good people and believe you me there is no way a just government would allow that kind of injustices to continue im sorry i don't dislike this story im glad others do but i found way to depressing im glad it turned out alright in the end but a lot of damage has been done i do not know if there will be a third story were both worlds learn to forgive but until then i look foward to what you write next
11641755
No, Rosa is not half human, but I can see why a quick skim could end up there, based on Getting Shy.
Anyhow, I also like to think that humanity as a whole is gradually improving over time, though I don't think we're quite as far along as you do, perhaps, and there is constant danger of slipping back. I don't pretend this story does in any way help with that, but I do think that uncomfortable literature (art), which forces us to look at the ugly is important in the whole process, just as beautiful art is too.
Bring uncomfortable with the theme is understandable - I'm still grateful you let me know. Part of the reason I'm posting is also to hear about other viewpoints, both those who agree, and those who don't. Hopefully my next fix will be more up your alley :)
Well I just finished reading the story and I'm gonna try to sort my thoughts on it. Overall, it's very good, I lost a few hours of sleep in my quest to know what happens next. The pacing was a bit fast, but I think that's fine in this case, given the goals of the main character. Actually, all your characters were quite strongly written, and it was nice to see that you didn't lean too heavily on people just being bad. One quibble I do have is the issues with Equestria just being outright better than Earth, I don't think it was too bad, but in my eyes it weakened the story a little. I noted a few instances of grammar issues, spelling problems, but nothing that made the story hard to read.
I will say I didn't read the prequel to this story, so I was going in totally blind. The Fluttershy reveal was quite surprising, though very well foreshadowed. I was kinda iffy on how fast Sky took to Zephyr, and it limited the impact of his death. Besides that, Sky was definitely a really well made character, and I was relieved at how well you handled her addiction issues. Though I was kinda sad they never got to say goodbye to Terry.
Sorry if this comment is a bit awkward to read, I'm kinda just letting my thoughts of the story flow freely. It's definitely one of my favorites, and despite what flaws I felt I saw in it, it was well worth my time. I'll be excited to see more from you in the future!
Great story, I'm happy that I found it when it was already finished. A couple of things I noticed:
Great story, i love the ending.
I really like a story similar Like this, but I'm a more humanity feared by ponies type. I hope u continue make stories
11648523
Yeah, a bit of headcanon - the show obviously never mentioned anything like that.
11648960
Thanks! Glad you liked. There are more on the way, although my job keeps me busy so I can't promise when.
11649225
That's fine. Is it possible this story will have a sequel?
11649359
It's possible, but I have some other stories and sequels I want to write first. That said, Rosa was a fun one, I'll definitely try and think up a sequel.
Cool story. Very nice.
A terrific story! Yet another wonderful tale written by a very talented author!