Chapters Rose Aphid stood huddling under a lamppost at noon on Hearth’s Warming day. If she had been an ordinary Pegasus filly, she would have been home with her family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire. But she was no ordinary Pegasus. Rose Aphid had no home, her “Family” had abandoned her, and said “Family” certainly didn't drink hot chocolate, by the fire or otherwise. Rose wasn't actually even a Pegasus, but rather a Changeling.
Rose was a young female Changeling, who had been seen unfit to rule the Changeling hives. She was therefore deemed useless to the hives, and had been banished.
She had spent about a year wandering Equestria aimlessly, on the brink of starvation, with only enough energy left for one shape-shift. She used it to disguise as a snow-white Pegasus filly and gained access to the capital city of Canterlot.
Upon entering the city though, Rose was no better off than she was before. She was only able to survive by the kindness of Pony Joe, a local doughnut shop owner who had given her some money, and an apron to keep her warm.
That was the equivalent of one day ago, and Rose was still in Canterlot.
Suddenly, Rose heard laughter; she turned around, and saw two ponies walking by. They were obviously a couple out for a walk in the serene silence of Hearth’s Warming day. The fresh, perfect snow was very romantic.
Rose waited for them to reach her. When they did, she opened her mouth, and a slight wisp of acid-green aura emanated off of the couple, and into her mouth. The couple didn’t notice it, or her, but their loving gazes did seem to dim down a bit as they walked by.
The tiny changeling hated having to feed on love. Knowing that your own survival depended on hurting someone else wasn't a pleasant thought. If Rose ever lost control of her hunger, and completely drained anypony of their love…
No ! Rose thought, my survival isn't worth anypony’s life, if it comes to that, I’ll just have to starve .
Rose stood up, and started walking. She didn't know why she bothered moving, there probably wouldn't be anypony else out for a while. Maybe I’ll go see the royal palace, to see if it really is as magnificent as they say in the stories . The tiny changeling thought.
Keeping Joe’s apron wrapped around her, Rose walked down the streets to the heart of the city. There in front of her, with its graceful spires extending up into the clouds was Celestia’s palace.
Rose stared up in wonder. If only I could go inside,I’m getting a bit sick of the cold . She thought.
Rose was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of the gates opening. She hid in a nearby bush, but continued watching through the branches of the dead, snow-covered shrub.
Three alicorns walked through the gate. The tallest of the three was pure white (about the same color as Rose's disguise, but not splatter with mud) with a mane and tail of different colors that were constantly shifting. The second tallest of the three was a dark shade of blue. Her mane and tail appeared to be made of a starry night sky. The shortest and most plain of the three had a coat, mane, and tail of lavender.
Upon seeing the third alicorn,though, Rose felt something that she was strange to her.
Hatred .
Hatred was something that she only felt for one person in the entire world, her mother. Of course, Rose barely remembered said mother, other than that she had been a changeling queen.
But this was a different kind of hatred, not a hatred gained by experience. Rose had no only heard of the other two; Celestia, and Luna, through stories, and had no idea who the third one was. No, the hatred the tiny changeling felt for this plain lavender alicorn was more like an instinct.
Anyway, whatever it was, it was a completely new feeling for Rose. And, admittedly she was curious.
"Thank you for coming to visit Ms. Sparkle." The white alicorn spoke
"Yes," the blue one continued, "are you sure you have to leave so early?"
"Sorry Princess Luna," the purple one replied "I'd like to get back to Ponyvile to see my friends for Hearth's warming day." We shall just have to do this again sometime soon." The white alicorn spoke again.
"Maybe we could see about inviting Cadence and Shining Armor next time." The shortest of the three said enthusiastically.
With that, the Mysterious lavender alicorn flew away, and the other two walked back into the castle.
Rose exited the bush and began walking away from the castle, contemplating her next course of action. The changeling filly's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she wanted to know more about these feelings she had for the purple alicorn. But on the other hand, something had been keeping her in the city, and she didn't know what it was.
Actually , she amended, as she stopped in front of a closed-for-the-holiday doughnut shop I do .
Rose Aphid didn't know what she gravitated back towards this shop, or what she still expected from Pony Joe. Joe had saved her life in several ways with one act of kindness, and he had made it very clear that he wouldn't be doing her anymore favors. And Rose knew that it wasn't fair for her to expect anymore from him.
Rose made up her mind. She knew that she had to get out of the city as soon as possible. The ponies of Canterlot had a special prejudice against changelings, Joe's sympathy had been a mere stroke of luck.
I guess I'm going to ponyvile , Rose thought. I hope that train station I saw on my way to the city is open on Hearth's Warming day .
Chapter 2: Passage to Ponyville
Fortunately for Rose, the train station was open on Hearth’s Warming day.
She approached the ticket counter, and looked up to see a very bored-looking stallion wearing a uniform, and no one else around. The stallion didn't seem to notice her until she quietly cleared her throat.
"Umm, I would like to buy a one-way ticket to Ponyville, if, I mean, that's okay." She said shyly.
"Yeah," he said. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you need to go to Ponyville for? Do your parents happen to be around?"
"No, umm, my parents sent me here to see some reletives for Hearth's Warming, and I'm on my way home." She lied.
"Okay," he said, handing her a slip of paper "one ticket to Ponyville, the next train leaves from platform seven in about an hour, no need to rush through, there should be plenty of empty seats."
The ride on the train was long, made longer by the fact that the three other ponies in the train car with her were spread out, silently doing their own thing, as they waited for their stop.
Not like Rose would have had enough courage to talk to any of them, much less derive any friendly feelings from them. She was very hungry, after only having one little bit of love that day. But, Rose was used to hunger, and wasn’t currently starving like she had been merely a day ago, she could hold out for a little longer.
The train finally pulled into Ponyvile station a few hours later, and Rose got off. She took a look at her new surroundings from the platform; it didn’t have the awe-inspiring magnificence of Canterlot. Rather, it had more of a small- town charm. The changeling foal began walking down the darkened, snow-covered street, and stopped in front of a bakery that was surprisingly still open, despite the holiday and the fact that it was about 6:00, and already dark out. “Sugar Cube corner”, the sign read.
She poked her head into the bakery, and saw that it was mostly empty, save for a pink pony, with an even pinker mane and tail, behind the counter. There were also three fillies sitting at a corner booth, sipping cocoa, all three wearing blue capes.
Rose walked up to the counter. “And what can I do for you cutie?” the pink mare asked in a high-pitched, singsong voice that was practically dripping with enthusiasm.
“Uhh…, I’d like a cup of hot chocolate, and a chocolate cupcake.” Rose answered, a lot less enthusiastically than the teenager behind the counter.
“Sure thing!” the pink pony said, and walked back into the kitchen.
The changeling foal sat silently down in the corner booth opposite that of the other fillies. A few minutes later, the pink baker skipped back with a tray containing Rose’s order. After placing the tray on the table, she turned back to the other three foals.
“Apple Bloom, were going to be closing early today, Twilight’s back, and she’s throwing a party at her castle. I’m going to be catering, so you and your friends should probably start wrapping up your little meeting in about 30 minutes.”
“Okay Pinkie.” A cream-colored pony with red hair tied with a pink bow said in a high-pitched southern accent.
Rose picked up the cup of chocolate and started sipping it. It was sweet, a completely new sensation for Rose. Love didn’t have a flavor, it was pure energy. As for the cupcake, it was also sweet, but didn’t help with the empty feeling in her stomach. Only feelings could do that, and the little changeling had only ordered it as to not arouse suspicion.
The filly sat there for a while, sipping the cocoa and nibbling at the cupcake. After a while, the red-haired foal that had spoken early stood from her table, and began walking over to Rose’s table. The girl’s two friends, an orange pegasus with a purple mane and a white unicorn with a pink and violet mane, followed tentatively behind their companion.
“Are you sure about this Apple Bloom?” the orange pegasus whispered.
“Whadda ya mean Scootaloo?” Apple bloom asked.
“I just mean that I’ve never seen her before.” Scootaloo answered.
“Yeah Bloom,” the third member of the group replied. “We don’t know anything about her, and she looks kind of suspicious.”
“And just how does she look suspicious to you Sweetie Belle!?” Apple Bloom whispered.
“Well she obviously came in from off the street.” Sweetie Belle responded, still in a hushed whisper. “Just look at all that dirt she’s splattered with, she looks like she hasn’t had a bath or anything to eat in weeks.”
“Well maybe she’s homeless, a nomad that just blew in from outta town, surely ya don’t think she’s too young. She’s at least our same age.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to be a nomad, but that aside. She’s obviously really hungry, but she hasn’t done much more than nible that cupcake.”
“Well maybe she doesn't like it, maybe she’s saving it for later, are we really gonna stand around and talk about the antics of a stranger, or are we gonna extend a welcoming hoof?!
Scootaloo “You’re right Bloom, it’s just this weird feeling that girl gives me.” . And with that the three fillies walked up to Rose.
“Hey there,” Apple Bloom said “Ah’ve never seen ya around these parts before.”
“No, I’ve never been here before, I just got to town.” Rose replied “Well, anyway, my name’s Apple Bloom, and these two here are my friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Rose Aphid.” Rose said.
“We make up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a club dedicated to earning our cutie marks. We couldn’t help but notice that ya don’t have a mark yet, and well, we’re always looking for more members. So on behalf of Ponyville, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, my friends and Ah would like to be the first ta say welcome.”
“You, uhm, actually want me in your club?” Rose giggled, then she thought about it, to actually have friends, to be in a club, maybe even find a home? Rose had never had friends before. Even back in the hives, but these three little fillies were offering her their friendship, something that not even her own species had done. Of course, Rose couldn't actually earn a cutie mark, being a changeling, but this would be a good chance to have some fun.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, interrupting Rose’s thoughts. “we flightless pegasus fillies got to stick together, right?” Rose looked down at her wings, she was actually fully capable of flight despite her age, though she didn't get much practice. Changelings typically mature faster than most ponies, but Rose wasn’t about to say that she could fly in present company.
The changeling thought about it some more, she really didn’t have anywhere else to go, so why not? Then Rose took another look at the Crusaders, they were her age, but they hadn’t seen all the things that Rose had seen, and had probably never felt true starvation. They were Rose’s age physically, but mentally, Rose was older. These three were still innocent and naive.
Rose didn’t want them to get hurt, and she knew, deep down, that if she stayed with them they were bound to get hurt. What’s more, she noticed that she felt the same thing she had felt when she saw the lavender alicorn back in canterlot. The hatred was less angry, less present, but it was there,and Rose didn’t like it.
“Well, I have to thank you for your generous offer, but I must respectfully and regretfully refuse. I don’t know how long I’ll be in ponyville, and to be fair to everyone involved, I think it would be best if I didn’t make any commitments.”
“Uhhh… are ya sure?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yes, I’m positive.” Rose answered, trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes as she walked to the counter and paid for her order with the money Joe had given her.
And with that, Rose left the bakery
…
The little changeling trudged through the knee-deep snow in the center of town. She was exhausted, hungry, and soaking wet. Finally, she reached a lamppost that was as good a spot as any to sleep, and collapsed. It being all she could do just to keep her disguise.
She lay there for a while, shivering, and finally could bear the cold no longer. She pulled out Joe’s apron, and bundled up. If I don’t starve the cold will kill me first . Rose thought.
It had been about an hour since Rose left the bakery, and she had been trying to find a place to sleep, while keeping her mind off of the offer that the crusaders had given her. But now, she could hold it back no longer.
Rose cried. She cried because the three fillies had been so nice to her, and she had had to refuse them. She cried for the home she didn’t have, and for the family that wasn’t her’s. She cried for the inexplicable hatred she felt for ponies that she didn’t even know. And she cried because she was going to die, alone, her life having never meant anything to anypony.
By the time Rose ran out of tears, she was already asleep
…
Ohhh… that was not a good idea . Twilight Sparkle thought. It was twelve o'clock, and she was out on a midnight stroll. Her Hearth’s Warming party had ended thirty minutes ago, and the purple alicorn was feeling a bit buzzed.
After having returned from Canterlot and hosted a party the same day, she did what any responsible pony would do. She left the clean-up to to her baby dragon, spike, and had gone on a walk in hopes that the cold air would help clear her head of the sugar-induced fogginess.
Okay, note to self: next time, make sure to tell pinkie NOT to bring her ultimate nine-layer party cake, too much sugar. This was an empty promise of course, Twilight loved Pinkie’s party cake. She had made the same “note to self” last time, but had conveniently forgotten about it when sending out invitations earlier that day.
Twilight knew that next time she hosted a party, she would “forget” about her promise, and end up paying for her “forgetfulness” in the same way she was now.
The princess was roused from her waking coma by a small sound. She listened closer, and realized that the sound was slow, ragged breathing, coming from the direction of a nearby lamppost. She inched closer, her guard up now, ready for anything.
At first, she didn’t see anything. Then she noticed something, barely visible against the white snow, was the Logo for Pony Joe’s donut shop. Then the purple alicorn realised that the Logo was printed on an apron that was wrapped in a ball, half sunk in the snow. What's more, the apron was rising and falling with the rhythm of the breathing.
Twilight tentatively reached out a hoof, not sure what to expect to find under the apron. Finally, she psyched herself up, and, ready for absolutely anything, whipped back the cloth.
Underneath, Twilight saw a tiny white pegasus. It had very light pink hair, and was covered in dirt. The little thing appeared to be sleeping, and to have been sleeping for a while, curled up under the apron. It’s face was covered in drying tears, and it must have been very tired, as the purple alicorn hadn’t disturbed it’s sleep.
Wow, Twilight thought, I guess I wasn’t prepared for absolutely anything .
If Rose had been awake at that point, she would have laughed at the irony. This was almost the exact situation Pony Joe had found her in behind his shop. That time she had been conscious of course, but just barely, and too incoherent to even notice Joe.
Twilight looked down at the helpless sleeping filly. She had never seen it before, and she doubted that it had a home or a family, or at least not in ponyville. The little thing was obviously hungry and freezing, not to mention in desperate need of a bath.
The princess made up her mind, and magically lifted the filly onto her back. It squirmed a bit in it’s sleep, but didn't wake. She picked up the girl’s apron in her mouth, and turned back towards her castle on the outskirts of town.
I’ll just bring her in for the night, so she doesn't freeze. I’ll give her time to build up her strength, and then I’ll help her find a home, and I've got plenty of room for her until then. What could possibly go wrong?
Twilight stopped in front of the castle looked back at the sleeping foal on her back, and thought about that last sentence. Ohhh Spike is gonna kill me!
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Chapter 3: a series of relatively fortunate events
Rose Aphid was roused from her sleep by the smell of something cooking. That's weird, she thought, I thought I left the Bakery pretty far behind . Then she noticed something very wrong. Why am I warm? I know that when you get hypothermia, you eventually loose feeling, but I never thought that would make me feel better. And, is it just me, or does this snow drift feel a lot more comfortable than when I fell asleep on it. And, is that a pillow?! At that last thought, Rose opened her eyes, and shot up into a sitting position, the sudden amount of energy she had was the least surprising thing she noticed.
Rose was sitting on a large bed, in a room that appeared to be made entirely out of multi-colored crystal. There was a door to her left, and a window to her right.
She walked over to the window and looked out. She could see the entirety of Ponyville from her window, from the train station she had come in from, to the large stretch of snow-covered farmland on one end of town, to the rather dark and forbidding forest on other.
So, it's official then, The little changeling thought, I Really am dead, Ponyville is my heaven. Maybe I'll see if I have a family here. Then, she turned back to the door, and noticed that the sack of gold and the apron that Joe had given her were on the nightstand.
Or, I'm not dead. Didn't the baker say something about a party at a castle? Maybe the owner of the castle found me last night, what name did the baker use? Twilight? If "Twilight" found me last night, and brought me in, that would explain why I don't feel hungry any more.
Then Rose remembered why she had to leave the three fillies in the bakery. On her travels, Rose had heard about adverse effects that a changeling's feeding can cause for ponies.
This isn't good, Rose thought, as she grabbed her stuff and ran out the door, and down a long hallway, following the cooking smell she had sensed earlier ( figuring that would be the best place to start). I need to get out of here before I hurt anyone! What kind of idiot just brings in any random filly from off the street?
...
Twilight Sparkle awoke to a scream, a small squeak, and a crash, in that order.
"Ohhhh Spike," she said to herself, pulling her pillow over her head, "it's way too early for this!"
Then, a realization hit her, she jumped out of bed, and made a bolt for the stairs, leaving a trail of purple feathers behind her.
"SPIKE, DON'T HURT HER!!"
...
Twilight burst into the kitchen, upon entering, she saw Spike running around the kitchen, chasing a small white and pink shape, frying pan in hand. An overturned carton of eggs sat spilling it's contents on the floor by the stove.
Thinking fast, the violet princess quickly cast a spell that caused both the tiny dragon and his prey to freeze in place. She then quickly levitated them to opposite ends of the kitchen. And, just for good measure, she teleported Spike's pan back to the rack by the stove.
"Twilight," the dragon said urgently, "I think this filly snuck in last night..."
Spike was interrupted by a magic zipper that suddenly appeared over his mouth.
"Spike," Twilight said "I found this filly lying out in the snow last night, cold and alone, so I decided to bring her in."
Spike managed to unzip the zipper covering his mouth, and suddenly seemed to realize that he was angry with her.
"TWILIGHT, where in the wide realm of Equestria did you disappear to last night!? It was your idea to throw a party, you should have been the one to clean it up, NOT ME! I told Pinkie not to set up the chocolate fountain, I warned her that Derpy was coming, but did she listen to me, no. Twilight, do you know how long it takes to clean the chocolate hoofprints off of the UNDERSIDE of all the new bookshelves!? Also, I'm pretty sure the DJ you hired is asleep in the upstairs bathroom! And then you go out..."
Having had enough of his tirade, Twilight magically re-zipped his zipper, and just for good measure, magically shackled him to the wall.
"Spike, allow me to rephrase, I found her on the streets last night, but she was asleep, so I didn't get to talk to her. Give me some time with her alone, she's probably pretty confused, and you aren't helping. Also, did you say the upstairs bathroom?"
The dragon nodded.
"Alright, in a moment, I'm going to let you go, you're going to take some bits from the pouch in my room. Then, you're going to go upstairs, pay Vinyl, thank her for her services, get her out of here, and leave this filly and I alone for a couple of hours. Sound good?"
Spike nodded again, his restraints were undone, and he left the kitchen.
Twilight finally turned to the filly on the other end of the kitchen. This was the first time the princess had actually gotten to study her while she was awake, and she was obviously very scared. Twilight gave her a warm smile, but that only served to cause the filly to back herself farther up against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible.
She looks like a miniature Fluttershy like that. Twilight thought, then giggled silently, the pegasus before her really did look like a younger version of the alicorn's shy friend. From the way she kept her eyes on Twilight, without making eye contact, to the angle she bent her head at, as if she was trying to hide behind her light pink mane.
"Hi" Twilight said in the most friendly, enthusiastic voice possible "I'm princess Twilight Sparkle, but my friends just call me Twilight, and you've already met my dragon, Spike. What's your name?"
"I'm R-r-r-Rose Aphid, Mrs. Sparkle, your highness." The pegasus said in a small voice
"I'm sure we both have some questions for each other, but first, do you like tea?" Twilight asked.
Rose shook her head lightly. "No, thank you, your highness, but I've never particularly cared for tea."
"Oh, not a tea drinker, huh, what about hot chocolate, do you like cocoa?
At this, the filly seemed to perk up a little bit "Yes, your highness, I do like hot chocolate, if it's not too much to ask, I mean."
"Alright just give me a moment to put some on, and then we'll talk."
Twilight walked over to the stove, and started heating up some hot chocolate, as well as a pot of herbal tea for herself. She took a second to look down at the carton of eggs on the floor. She hadn't had any breakfast yet, and she was pretty hungry. But she decided that she had more important things to tend to first. Breakfast can wait, right now, I need to get Rose situated.
...
"There are quite a few sitting rooms in the castle, but this one is my favorite. The picture windows give a great view of the town and the forest beyond." Twilight explained, as she led Rose into a large room with comfortable looking chairs arranged around a wall of windows. There was a lit fireplace in the wall behind the chairs.
Twilight took a seat, and told Rose to do the same.
"Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so please, feel free to ask anything."
Rose paused for a second, seemed to consider what to ask first, and then spoke nervously.
"Did you find me last night, and bring me in?"
"Yes." The princess answered.
"Why?"
Twilight had been expecting the first question, but the second one caught her a little off guard. She paused for a second before answering.
"Because, I found you sleeping out in the cold, I had plenty of room, it's just me and Spike here, after all, and I couldn't just leave you alone."
"Wait, are you actually going to let me stay here?" The pegasus asked.
"Well, yes." The allicorn replied "But first, I need to ask you some questions."
"Okay."
The purple pony paused.
"Rose, do you have parents, a family, a place to stay?"
Rose seemed to be saddened by the question, her small voice cracked slightly, and Twilight thought she caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down her cheek.
"No, I don't have a family, my mom kicked me out about a year ago, I've been wandering around Equestria ever since."
Twilight had felt the same mixture of sympathy, sadness, anger, and lack of knowledge about how to respond, several times before, but only to this extant once.
"I am so sorry, I assumed that you didn't have a place to stay, but I didn't know..." She trailed off.
"It's okay, your highness," Rose said. "it was my fault, I'm sure I did something to deserve it."
Wow, deja vu.
"Here," the princess said "I'll go check on the drinks, you stay here, I'll be back in a second.
...
Upon re-entering, Twilight saw that her dragon was back at the stove, cooking some eggs. He turned around when he heard her walk in.
"What?" He asked "I didn't get to finish making breakfast."
"Good, I could really use some breakfast soon. Is Vinyl gone?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, she wasn't too happy about being woken up before 12, but other than that, she was pretty cool about the whole thing. Said this kind of stuff happens to her all the time."
Twilight sighed, leaning up against the wall. "Man, Spike, you aught to hear Rose's story, I'd like to figure out a way to comfort her. No wonder she's nervous around us
"So, can I assume her story is sad?"
The allicorn nodded.
"How sad, like, Pinky Pie, rock farm story sad?" Spike asked.
"Like, almost identical to Scootaloo's story sad." Twilight replied.
"Wow."
Twilight magically lifted the the mug of cocoa and the tea cup off of the stove and onto a tray, and started walking back out of the kitchen.
"Wait," Spike said "are you really sure we should let her stay here? I mean, we don't know much about her, or what she's like, I mean, come on, have you learned nothing from the Nightmare Nyx incident?"
"What are you talking about Spike?"
The purple dragon sighed "Nothing, nothing at all, I'm just saying, don't be so sure we can trust her."
"Spike, stop worrying, I'm sure we can trust her, and even if we can't, what's the worst that can happen?"
And with that, the Purple allicorn left the kitchen.
...
While Rose was waiting for Twilight, she thought about what she should do next. If this magenta allicorn was the same one she had seen in Canterlot, which she had no doubt about, as she had felt the same way when Twilight saved her from Spike as the time she saw her from inside the Bush, she would have to leave as soon as possible.
Maybe I can slip out before she comes back, I could be out of town in a couple of hours.
But, Rose decided against this, it wasn't fair to leave one of maybe five ponies that had been nice to her without even a word of goodbye.
Before Rose could finish her next thought, Twilight re-entered, levitating a tray with two cups on it. She put the tray gently down on a coffee table in front of the chairs, and took her seat again. She then motioned for for Rose to take the mug of cocoa, which she did, and then proceeded to begin sipping her tea. They sat there, enjoying their drinks and the view of town, until Twilight finally broke the silence
"I take it that you're from Canterlot." She said. When Rose looked confused, she continued.
"That apron I found you wrapped in last night, it was printed with Pony Joe's logo."
"Oh, no your highness, I'm from a small village to the east, I ended up in Canterlot the day before yesterday. Joe, he found me in the alley behind his shop, I was on the brink of death. He, he gave me his apron, and that bag of gold you found me with, he gave me that too. Joe saved my life." She said.
"Oh," The allicorn paused "next time I'm in Canterlot, I will have to thank him. Now, Rose, I know that we just met and all, but, if you don't have anywhere else to go, I would be honored if you would like to stay here, I assume you don't have any relatives that can take you in?"
Rose shook her head.
"Then, Rose, I would love it if you would stay, we can get you checked in to the Ponyville adoption association tomorrow, and you can stay here until we find a more permanent home for you."
Rose thought about it for a second. "I'm sorry, your highness, but I don't think that my staying here would be a good idea. I really do owe you everything, for taking me in and all, but I really need to leave."
"Rose," the princess said "I can understand if you don't want to stay, but I can't, in good conscience, allow you to go back out on the streets unless I know that you have somewhere to go."
"But, your highness..."
"Please, Rose, call me Twilight."
"Twilight," the pink haired pegasus begged "there are some things about me that I'd prefer nobody knew, at least not yet, I can't ask you to agree with my decision to keep my secrets just that, but I do ask you to respect it. And, because of that, there is a reason I can't stay here."
"You have a right to privacy, and I do respect that," Twilight said "however, Rose, I have a friend who once told me their story, it was very similar to yours, and I wanted for the longest time to be able to do something about it, but I never could. Think about this from my perspective, and if you won't stay for yourself, then stay for me, please."
Rose thought about it for a while, then finally sighed. "Alright, Twilight, if you're willing to trust me, I'll trust you."
The little filly was caught off guard by the violet allicorn suddenly giving her a very large hug."
"Thank you, Rose." The princess withdrew. "Now, it looks like you could use a bath, come with me, and I'll heat up some water for you, and when you're done, Spike should be finished cooking breakfast."
Rose looked up at the princess, a sad smile on her face and happy tears in her eyes "Twilight," she said, "thanks."
Chapter 4: About an hour later:
About an hour later, Rose, Spike, and Twilight were sitting at the end of a large dining table, eating some eggs quietly.
"I really should get a smaller table set up in the kitchen, or use another room for normal meals," It was Twilight who finally broke the silence "it's irrational to use this massive table all the time, especially when it's just the three of us."
"I did notice that it seems a bit lonely in here," Rose said quietly, then added with a nervous laugh: "and that's coming from me."
Okay, she's talking, and she actually has a sense of humor, that's a good sign. The princess thought
After they had finished eating, and spike had cleared the table, Twilight led Rose out of the castle, and towards Ponyville.
"Okay," the allicorn said "I've got a few errands to run in town, and I figured I could introduce you to my friends while we're out, I'm sure they'd like to meet you, and I, you know, don't want them showing up at the castle, without them knowing that you're there or anything. Pinky would flip out, but, you'll understand what I mean by that when you meet her. Anyway, afterwards, if they're not closed by then, I figured that we could take you by the PAA, and get you registered for adoption."
"Okay, your highness, I mean, umm, Twilight."
Twilight sighed inwardly, Rose was still having trouble referring to the Princess so casually, which made sense. It's only been a couple of hours, I won't say anything yet.
The allicorn and the pegasus arrived at a small, brightly colored building towards the center of town, which Rose recognized as the bakery from the night before. Upon entering, they were greeted by the same bouncy pink earth pony that the filly had met the night before.
"Hey Twilight." The mare said. "Great party last night. You haven't seen Vinyl by any chance, have you? I forgot to pay her in all the craziness."
"Don't worry about it, I payed her already."
Pinkie Pie suddenly seemed to notice Rose standing behind Twilight.
"Oh my gosh." She said "I remember you from last night. I'm so sorry, I was really distracted by the party preparations when you left, and I didn't get to say anything. I tried to find you afterwards to see if you were okay. You just looked so sad and lonely, and, well I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Apple Bloom. My mind was somewhere else at the time... And I noticed that I had never seen you around town before, and I know everyone in town. But, I'm glad to see that you found her Twilight."
The Purple allicorn looked down at Rose.
"Well, looks like you've already met some of my friends," then, addressing Pinkie, "yes, I found Rose here on the streets last night. We talked it over, and Rose will be staying with me at the castle while we get her put up for adoption."
"Awww." Pinkie said, bending down so she was eye-to-eye with the tiny pegasus "You don't have a family? Now I feel really bad that I didn't talk to you when I had the chance. Don't worry though, Twilight will take care of you until they find you a good family, you're in good hooves."
"In the meantime, I'm going to put together the best, most super spectacular 'welcome to Ponyville, Rose' party that ever was put together!"
...
After Twilight had finished her business with Pinkie, they were off again, next stop, Sweet Apple Acres. As they were walking, they suddenly heard frantic shouting coming from above.
"NOSE DOWN! KEEP YOUR NOSE DOWN! LEFT! TURN LEFT, NO, YOUR OTHER LEFT! PULL UP! PULL UP!
What appeared to be a cloud with two pegasi riding on top came careening out of the sky at breakneck speed, sailing mere feet over the crouching forms of Twilight and Rose, and hitting the ground behind them. Upon impact, the cloud dissipated, violently depositing it's riders in a tangle of legs and wings.
"Oh, there are some of my friends now," Twilight said "we should go help them, and I can introduce you."
"Okay, but what were they..." Rose started to say.
"It's best not to question it."
They walked over to where the two pegasi, who had managed to untangle themselves. One of them was blue with a rainbow-colored mane. The other was grey with a blonde mane. Rose noticed that no matter how hard she tried, the second mare couldn't seem to get her eyes to look in the same direction.
"I'm glad I caught you two," Twilight said "long story short, this is Rose Aphid, I met her last night, she has no home, and will be staying with me until we can find her a more permanent home."
She then turned to Rose.
"Rose, these are two close friends of mine, I would like you to meet Rainbow Dash and Derpy Hooves."
"Nice to meet you," the gray mare said "I'm sorry that you don't have a home, but don't worry, Twilight will find you a good home."
"Thank you." Rose said timidly.
"Come on, don't be so shy, any friend of Twilight's is a friend of ours." Rainbow Dash said.
"Oh," Derpy exclaimed "if you have time you should go meet my little sister, Dinky. She's about your age, and I think she's at Sweet Apple Acres with the cutie mark crusaders right now."
"Oh yeah, I met the crusaders last night" Rose replied in her tiny voice."
"We were just heading that direction," twilight said "I just wanted to introduce Rose to all my friends, anyway, good seeing you two."
