Chapter 8: The Rose Revolution

“It's the people who don't recognize the racism within themselves that can be the most damaging because they don't see it.”

- Sterling K. Brown

“Quartz! It is you!” a lavender mare in a brown tweed suit exclaimed from atop the marble staircase as she waved and started marking her way down into the throng of ponies within the bazaar.

“Friend of yours?” I asked.

“A ghost from my past,” Rose murmured, staring at the approaching figure. “How the hell could she be here?”

The unicorn approached, adjusting her cateye glasses and inspecting Rose. I noticed the lavender mare had a PipBuck on her foreleg as well. “Well, this is a surprise! I had never thought that I’d see one of the Rose sisters again!”

“That… makes two of us,” Rose said hesitantly. “Why aren’t you at 131?”

“Well now, that’s quite the story! Oh, and you haven’t even introduced us… is this your husband?”

Rose and I both stared at the unicorn then glanced at each other before we both burst out in laughter.

“Did… did I commit a faux pas?” the mare asked abashedly. “I’m still not entirely used to the societal structure here…”

I smiled and gave a small laugh. “Well, you’re the first pony to actually acknowledge that I even exist. So I’ll take what I can get.”

“This is Storm Mist,” Rose continued, “my… friend and companion.” She gestured at the mare. “Storm, this is Abacus Flint--”

“Though I prefer Abby,” the mare interjected. “So much less formal. Heh. Would you like to catch up over coffee?”

“Sure,” Rose replied, and we followed the mare up the marble steps. She led us to a patio outside a swanky coffee joint, and we all took a seat around a small round table. One of the baristas stepped out from the behind the counter and approached us.

“Your usual, Ms. Flint?”

“Yes, please.”

“And for the misses?”

“Oh, uhm...” Rose looked lost for a moment. “I think I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

“Very good,” he said. I opened my mouth momentarily to order something, but the barista walked quickly away. Rose seemed to notice, and she put a hoof on my foreleg.

“I’m sorry about that… I can order something for you when he gets back?”

“No… that’s fine,” I said with a sigh. Rose gave me a sympathetic look, and I gave her a listless smile in return. “How do you two know each other?” I asked, attempting to change the subject.

“Well, Abby was a senior scientist in my stable. Worked with probabilities and stuff. She was part of the team that petitioned the Overmare to start opening up Stables again.”

Abacus nodded. “Mathematician by trade. Not nearly as exciting a profession as technical researcher, like Quartz’s sister.” She turned to Rose. “How is Crim, anyway?”

Rose seemed to bristle at the mention of her sister’s name. “She’s... dead.” I placed a talon on her hoof and squeezed lightly. She let out a long sigh and relaxed somewhat.

“Oh… oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean--”

“It’s okay,” Rose interrupted. “You couldn’t have known.”

The barista trotted back over to the table and placed a cup down in front of Abby and Rose, then gave me a disapproving glance before trotting off.

What the hell was his problem? After a moment, I realized he must have been judging me for having the audacity to place my claw on Rose’s hoof, and I rolled my eyes in contempt.

“How is it you came to leave 131?” Rose asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Well, that’s quite a story… and it all starts with you.” Abby smiled.

“Me?” Rose asked.

“You and your sister, yes. Do you remember the emergency research meeting that was called right before the two of you escaped?”

“Of course.”

“Well, someone had tipped off the Overmare to your plans, and she immediately called the meeting, hoping she’d be able to-- at the very least-- talk some sense into Crim.”

“And, failing that?”

“Imprison her. And probably interrogate her to find out who else may have been involved. But just as she called the meeting, the override alarms started going off. She tried to close the door with her terminal, but was locked out.” Abby laughed. “She was furious! An Overmare locked out of her own terminal!”

Rose smiled. “Bout’ time that bitch got a taste of her own damn medicine.”

Abby grinned as if gossiping with a long lost friend. “I swear she was spitting fire! Screamed at all of us, even though none of us had any idea what was going on. She made frantic cries to security, but apparently somepony had erased both ‘Crimson Rose’ and “Quartz Rose’ from the PipBuck tag pool and security was unable to locate you two.”

Rose let out a laugh as she spoke with heartfelt admiration, “Yeah, that was Crim. She was a genius. Managed to route all the Overmare controls to the terminal by the entrance. We lucked out when we found that Buck was on duty that night.”

“You and him had a thing, right?” Abby asked.

“He had a thing for me, and I… kinda, sorta used it to our advantage. I felt really bad when I had to knock him out...”

Abby smirked. “He was fine, became one of your biggest supporters, actually.”

“Really?” Rose asked in surprise. “Never expected that.”

Rose glanced down at her coffee, then gave me an inquisitive look as she nudged the cup towards me. I brought the cup to my beak and tasted the weird, wickedly sweet bitter drink. I made a face and Rose giggled as I pushed the cup back over to her.

“Yeah,” Abacus continued, “he helped flip Security once the revolution began.”

“Revolution?” Rose asked.

“Yeah. The Rose Revolution. When the two of you escaped, it sent ripples of unrest throughout the stable, and sparked a revolt. Suddenly data wasn’t just trends and forecasts, and pictures and video on our screens weren’t just research material… It all became a real, tangible place where we could all make a real, tangible difference, instead of just toiling away uselessly inside that stable until we all died and were replaced by our kids.”

I glanced at Rose, who looked completely flabbergasted as Abby continued. “Naturally, some ponies were completely happy and content with their positions within the stable, but we had broad support. It seemed like more than half the stable stepped up to help with the revolt. When Buck finally got security behind us, we knew it was time.”

Rose stared at the mare from across the table. “What did you do?”

“We all marched into the Overmare’s office and took over. Well, sort of. The Overmare locked us out and security worked with the technical research team to find a way to override the lock. When we finally got in, she had drunk nearly an entire bottle of Wild Pegasus and begged and cried for us to not kill her. At the time, I thought it was strange. None of us had ever intended to harm her-- just to lock her up and take over. When we gained access to her terminal, we found out that she had standing orders from Stable-Tec to never actually open the doors, no matter what research we brought to her attention. Can you believe that?”

Rose scrunched up her face and stared at her coffee. “Then… what were we actually doing there?”

Abby shrugged. “No idea. She submitted our findings weekly to a private Stable-Tec server. Based on the IP, I would guess it was out east somewhere. Maybe Stable-Tec HQ? Anyway, we opened the door to 131 permanently, giving every resident the opportunity to stay, or to go.”

Rose leaned back in her chair, considering everything she had heard. I smiled as I spoke, “Well, I’m not terribly surprised that Rose and her sister inadvertently started a revolution. Rose is a hoofful on her own, I couldn’t begin to imagine what two of her could do.” She gave me a sly grin in response.

“Wait… you call her ‘Rose’?” Abacus asked.

“...Yes?”

She squealed. “That’s soo cuute!” Rose blushed and I just looked confused. “Well anyway, I must get going. The Mayor wanted me to look over some expense tables today before submitting them to the crown, and I probably shouldn’t keep him waiting. Would you like to meet up later tonight?”

“Uhh, sure,” Rose said, “I suppose, if we’re still--”

“Excellent!” Abby exclaimed, fiddling with her PipBuck. “I saved your tag, so I’ll find you when I’m off.” She called to the barista, “Put both on my account, please!”

“Of course, Ms. Flint,” the barista responded.

“Oh, it was so good catching up!” She flashed us both a smile. “I’ll see you later!” As she trotted off, Rose and I sat in stunned silence for a moment.

I couldn’t help but smirk. “The Rose Revolution!”

Rose pushed my face away with a hoof. “Oh, shut up.”

* * * * *

“We’ve barely been here an hour and I’m already exhausted,” Rose huffed as we stood in the middle of the square overlooking the Grand Bazaar. “Dare to venture a guess as to how much a room might be?”

I gave her a pained grin. “Probably… a lot? But it doesn’t hurt to wander around or ask, I guess.”

We discovered that La Maison du Serpent and Castle Sage were both very large, very fancy hotels, and we decided to try our luck with Castle Sage, for no other reason than the name seemed friendlier.

The entrance opened into a large foyer, lined with plush red carpet that cut a path through the polished granite floors to a grand mahogany reception desk, before curving effortlessly over to a bank of elevators. Large planters sat in the corners with artificial cherry blossom trees full of pink petals planted within them, and the ceiling featured a mural that made the inside of the hotel lobby look like a courtyard that rose up towards a pristine blue sky.

Behind the reception desk, I was delighted to see a light pink pegasus mare with a golden mane. As we approached, she spoke with a feathery accent, “Good afternoon, Mademoiselle! How may I assist you?”

Rose took a deep breath. “I would like to… request your room rates, if I may.”

“Of course!” the mare responded. “May I see your key so I can give you an accurate appraisal?” Rose passed the key over, and the mare behind the desk inserted it into a device before returning it. “Ah, well, since you already have a room, you could book a second at a discounted rate of 600 caps per night. When would you like to book it for?”

Rose blinked. “I… already have a room?”

The pink mare gave a smile that was some combination of piteous and amused. “I see. Well, it is not quite a room exactly, it is a residence.” The mare paused to gauge Rose’s reaction, who-- to her credit-- didn’t look any more surprised than she did a moment ago. The pink mare revealed the slightest hint of a pout as she continued. “1807. Take the elevator up to floor ten, walk across the sky bridge and take the elevator there up to eighteen. It’ll be on the right, and your key will let you in. We also have a complimentary dinner service, if you would like.”

Rose cleared her throat. “That would be wonderful. For two, please.” She gave me a sympathetic look.

The mare smiled. “Of course… May I ask your name?”

“Crimson Rose.”

“Ah! C'est un beau nom pour une belle fille! Well, it is my pleasure to have made your acquaintance, Miss Rose.” The pegasus mare curtsied and gave me a subtle smile and nod. Rose blushed.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, I turned to Rose. “So, Vino’s accent--”

“Terrible!” Rose laughed.

“Right?” I said. “Her accent was way cuter.”

“Extraordinarily cute.”

“So… should I get a different room?” I asked with a wry smile.

“Pfft, she’s cute, but I’m not into mares like that,” Rose said, then hesitated. “Wait, unless you mean... you want--”

“No, no!” I waved my talons. “I was just... making a joke.”

Rose looked at me with a crooked smile for a moment before giving me a teasing shove. “Well I guess you aren’t always serious, broody, and boring.”

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. “I can learn.” Rose smirked.

As we arrived on the tenth floor, the elevator chimed and the doors opened to a grand balcony that overlooked the lower levels of the hotel and the city below. In the center of the balcony was a large gazebo with quartz stone pillars, large enough to house a small band or string ensemble. Rose couldn’t help herself as she bounded up the steps of the gazebo and swung around one of the pillars with a laugh before dropping back to all fours.

“This is amazing!” she said. “How many weddings do you think they’ve had here?”

“I... have no idea,” I replied honestly.

“Wouldn’t it be just the perfect place, though!?” she replied wistfully. “Exchanging vows within the sparkling lights, far above the city below?”

“Far above?” I looked down at the buildings below, then up at the sparkling stalactite chandelier. “We’re not even halfway up.”

“Semantics, my dear Storm Mist,” she said as she ran a hoof along the quartz pillar. “Can’t you let a girl dream?”

I gave her a placating smile, then trotted over to the balcony and looked over the edge, admiring the aerial view of the busy Grand Bazaar and the urban park below. Suddenly, I heard a stallion’s voice from behind me.

“Hey griffon! Don’t even think about it! No flying within city limits.”

I turned away from the railing and saw a heavy-set brown earth pony in a green blazer, likely a porter. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, “I wasn’t planning on flying anywhere.”

“Likely story. You griffons are all the same: think you’re exempt from the rules. Shouldn’t you be on your way to serf housing? Who’d you steal that jacket from, anyway?”

“What?” I asked incredulously. “I didn’t steal it from anyone!”

“Oh, so you’re a liar too!” the stallion sneered. “You better get out of here before I drag you straight to Mayor Pastorious himself and charge you with insubordination, stealing, and lying!”

“I--”

“Excuse me!” Rose exclaimed with a nearly regal level of outrage as she approached. “Just who do you think you are?”

“Idle Hooves, ma’am, Emerald City Security. Just taking care of this griffon before he becomes a problem for you.”

Rose narrowed her eyes as she stared up at the chunky stallion. “Now see here, you feckless ignoble butterball, your abhorrent lack of perceptual awareness is matched only by your despotic propensity for unwarranted bullishness! Storm Mist here is not a griffon-- a fact that should be exceedingly obvious to even the dullest of wits should one venture to simply open their eyes. If your mental capacity wasn’t equivalent to that of a brahmin, you would realize that he is something far nobler, far more unique and unequalled: a hippogriff. And, race notwithstanding, he is something even more important: my friend.”

The stallion looked positively terrified as the mare that was half his size berated him. “Now you, however, are a poster child for the exceedingly average: a brazen, contemptuous imp of a stallion with delusions of adequacy who is egregiously wasting my air. So let me make this exceedingly clear for you.” She backed the larger stallion into a corner as she spoke. “You Shall Never. Speak. To Storm Mist. Like That. Again. Understood?”

The stallion nodded frantically, and Rose disgustedly waved her hoof at him. “Begone.” He hurriedly backed away, bowed quickly, and ran off.

I didn’t understand half of what Rose had just said, and I had never seen her so aggressive and intimidating without a weapon, but I understood the message, and I was ridiculously thankful that she was on my side. I beamed at her as she turned and walked slowly back towards me. “Rose, that was incredible!”

But Rose didn’t smile back. She just looked at me with sad, tired eyes. “Can we go up to the residence now? I’m tired of this place...”

* * * * *

We walked through the door into a beautifully decorated suite: Hardwood floors stretched into a wide family room with delicate cream-colored couches and panoramic windows with a spectacular view of the city. Sophisticated crown moulding framed a recessed pocket in the ceiling that emitted a gentle daylight glow; the soft, flattering light offsetting the shimmering green reflections from the stalactite chandeliers outside.

Rose, however, took no joy from the sight as she simply walked into the room and collapsed on one of the couches, wrapping her hooves around a pillow and closing her eyes. Rose’s happy demeanor had vanished when I was targeted by the fat porter; her spirit completely deflated, leaving only a quiet, dejected Rose. It was agonizing to watch the life and excitement drain out of her, and I contemplated what exactly I could do to help...

Ditching my saddle bags, I trotted over and laid on the floor in front of the couch and looked at her with concern. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked quietly.

She opened her eyes and looked at me sadly. “Yeah,” she mumbled, “but right now I just want to sleep.”

I nodded and grabbed an immensely soft down blanket that was sitting on the back of a chair and draped it over her. I was about to walk away when I heard her speak again. “Storm?”

“Yeah?”

She hesitated for a moment, then wrapped herself tightly into the blanket. “You’re a hero.”

I gave a quiet snort and a little smile in response. “And you’re silly. I’ll wake you up when dinner gets here.”

Leaving Rose in the family room, I took off the fancy clothes I was wearing and explored the rest of the suite. For being called a “residence” it wasn’t actually all that big. Down the hall, I found an office with a large oak bookshelf and a desk that was perfect for reading. Across from the office there was a very nice bathroom lined in a dark gray tile, and at the end of the hall was a master bedroom with a very large circular bed, as well as a smaller guest room adjacent. The entire place was pleasantly light and airy though. I decided to dig through the books within the office in an effort to pass the time…

The passage of time was a strange thing in this city. There was no night, and no day. Just the persistent emerald luminance that shone down upon the busy square below; never waning, and never resting. As it was, I had no idea how much time had passed when I heard a knock at the door.

A young unicorn colt in a green jacket stood behind a cart full of food. “Good evening, dinner for Ms. Rose and guest?”

“Sure, leave it on the counter and I’ll wake her up.”

“Very good,” responded the Colt, levitating several dishes to the counter and giving a curt bow. “Good night.”

I placed a claw on Rose’s shoulder and gave her a little nudge. “Wakey wakey, time for bakey...”

Rose groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. “What does that even mean?”

“No idea,” I admitted. “Something my dad used to say.”

“Your dad was weird.”

“Yup!” I said with a grin. “But not as weird as you!”

Rose peeked her head out from the blanket with a flat look. “Hey!”

“C’mon, you’ll feel better once you get some food in you.”

I started to open the trays that the porter had delivered and discovered a colorful array of mouthwatering dishes: celery soup with fresh bread, tossed garden salad, pasta with a broccoli sauce, and a fancy cheesecake dessert topped with strawberries. The Society may be full of elitist scumbags, but damn if the food wasn’t absolutely amazing.

We filled a couple plates before sitting down in the family room. I dug in, but she hesitated and stared at the dish. After a moment, she asked, “Why doesn’t it bother you?”

I swallowed a mouthful of food and met Rose’s gaze. “What? The racism?” I asked. She nodded. “It does… but I’ve seen it before. I grew up with ghoul parents, remember? You’d be surprised how much of the Wasteland hates ghouls…”

Rose scrunched her nose up in thought. “So… how do you deal with it?”

I sighed. “Well… when it came to general contempt, my father would just ignore it as best he could. Sometimes we’d get chased out of town at gunpoint… and sometimes we’d be shot at.”

“That’s horrible!” Rose exclaimed. “I couldn’t stand to see someone attack you just because you’re different… I wanted to punch that pudgy asshole’s lights out just for speaking to you like that!”

I smiled. I knew that feeling: that violent indignation when someone you care about is being threatened. “I get it. I often felt that way with my dad. He would quietly take it while I’d be seething with rage. But you handled it amazingly! Where’d you learn to speak like that?”

Rose had levitated a piece of bread and was just about to dip it into her celery soup when she paused. “It’s... stupid.” She let out a long sigh, dropped the bread back down to the plate, and paused again, as if contemplating whether or not to talk about it. I waited patiently until she decided to speak.

“When I was a little filly, I was obsessed with history. But I wasn’t interested in all the exciting stuff that happened during the war, instead I was enamored with pre-war Equestria. It sounded like a fairy tale: lush, beautiful landscapes filled with friendly towns and vast, busy cities where ponies of every race lived in harmony. But the greatest city of all was Equestria’s capitol, Canterlot. I found picture after picture of exquisite mares dressed in stunning dresses...”

She hesitated and blushed slightly. “I... saw myself in those pictures. I escaped into the fantasy, trying to learn all I could. I used to rearrange the utensils on the dinner table into their proper places. Drove my mother nuts. Crim used to call me ‘Princess Quartz’, and I would address her as my first knight. She was my hero even then... “

Rose sighed as she stood up and walked up to the window. “I grew out of it eventually, but this place… It stirred up all those long-buried feelings. A part of me thought I could finally be the mare I saw in those pictures so long ago...” She gave the vista beyond our window a longing look for a brief moment before lowering her eyes. “But if something in this Wasteland seems too good to be true, it probably is. I wanted to live like a princess for a day… but not like this.”

I stood as well, my heart twisted in knots as I listened with undivided attention. If there was ever any doubt as to whether Rose and I were truly friends, it had been replaced with utter certainty. On one claw I was happy that she trusted me enough to be so open and honest, but on the other I hated seeing her so conflicted.

“I wanted to walk into this place as a princess with you as my--“ she hesitated for a moment, then turned away from the window to face me. “As my… equal. I wanted to share this with you, not inflict it upon you... I see how these ponies avoid you, I saw the look the barista gave you… and that giant pudgy asshole--”

“Rose,” I interrupted, stepping towards her, “the thing that hurt the most wasn’t the looks I got, or even the racism itself... The thing that hurts the most is watching the light of enthusiasm you had get snuffed out because of it.”

Her sad eyes followed me as I sat beside her at the window. “You put so much effort into this: the cleaning, the dress, the makeup, making me look presentable...” She gave me a half-hearted laugh in response to that last one. “And when I saw you for the first time after all that, I was speechless. Because you were... you are beautiful.”

Rose stared at me for a long moment, her glassy gaze studying each of my eyes in turn. She took a deep breath. “Storm Mist, I--”

A sudden knock at the door caused both of us to look towards the entrance. I exchanged a glance with Rose and she lowered her gaze and let out a sigh.

“I got it,” I said, moving to the entrance.

I opened the door to Abacus Flint, who gave me a friendly smile. “Hey! Told you guys I’d catch up with you!” She glanced past me at Rose. “Is... now a bad time?”

“Naw, come in,” I replied, walking back into the family room. “We just got food, if you’re hungry.”

Abby followed, grabbing a bowl of soup for herself, and we gathered around the table. We sat as Abby sampled her soup and I dug back into mine. Rose stared at her plate and idly nudged a piece of bread with a hoof before finally hazarding a bite. As delicious as the food was, the awkward silence between us grew, and I felt the urge to start some kind of dialogue before the quiet sounds of chewing became oppressive.

“So, uhh,” I began lamely, “Abby-- how’d you go from being a stable pony to working for the Society?”

Abby met my gaze. “Well... I’m no good at fighting, I don’t have a medical background, and I’m awful at selling or bartering… I am quite good with numbers, however, and I specialize in predictive analysis, so the Society was a good fit. Given my skills, I was offered an advanced position and a safe place to live, with the benefit of not having to sign the standard contract that most serfs do.”

“Serfs? What are serfs?”

“Servants, basically,” Abby said, glancing away. “They get a small stipend and a place to stay in exchange for contracting their service to the Society... in perpetuity.”

“In what now?” I asked.

“Until they die,” Rose said through a mouthful of food. “Basically they’re slaves.”

“They are not slaves. They are serfs,” Abby corrected. Rose just rolled her eyes and looked away.

“But they sign a contract to serve the Society until they die?” I asked, considering the implications. “Why would someone choose to do that?”

“Not everyone in the Wasteland is capable of defending themselves or protecting those they care about,” Abby replied. “For some, it’s the best thing they can do to ensure their survival. While I’m thankful that I didn’t have to do that, I absolutely would have done so if I needed to. I’d rather be here than out there.”

While I could understand her reasoning, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around essentially signing your life away. Was relative safety really worth permanently sacrificing your personal freedom? And where exactly did they all stay? I didn’t recall seeing any on our way in.

“How many serfs are there?” I asked.

“Hundreds,” Abby replied, then shortly corrected herself, “well, hundreds here in Emerald City. The Society at large employs thousands.”

“Huh. We came in from the tunnel on the Ophir side of the mountain, but didn’t see much of anything until we were pretty much inside the city.”

Abby nodded. “Yeah, that’s intentional. The yellow, green, and silver ribbon tunnels all lead to main entrances that are monitored and defended. In the event that a hostile force is able to get through the outside defenses, the hope is that the tunnels will be confusing enough to slow down their advance until security forces can take care of them. Serf housing is located in the green ribbon tunnel, and they have their own tunnels that lead to every part of the city so they can move around without being seen.”

“Out of sight, out of mind,” Rose muttered in an annoyed tone. She got up, levitating her empty plate beside her as she walked to the counter and grabbed seconds. Abby sighed in response.

“Something like that,” Abby replied quietly. She looked up at her old friend. “Quartz... what is bothering you so much?”

Rose turned around to face Abby with angry eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped abruptly. Her eyes rested on me for a moment before she closed them tightly, pursed her lips and looked away. She stared at the ground as she spoke. “Y’know, a month ago, this place probably wouldn’t have bothered me. I probably would have just ignored it as efficiently as you seem to be able to.” She raised her head and made eye contact with Abby, who shifted uncomfortably.

“Are you talking about the serfs? I’m just acknowledging that there’s a difference between--”

“Shut up, Abacus,” Rose snapped, “it’s my turn to talk now. And it’s more than that.”

Abby stopped and watched Rose intently, her face painted with shock and mild indignation. Rose simply lowered her head and stared at the ground again, her words quiet and measured.

“We were both slaves in 131. Slaves to Stable-Tec. We would have spent our whole lives in that prison, working day after day. Generation after generation of slaves, working our whole lives... for what? They didn’t care about the research that was being done; they were going to keep those doors closed indefinitely! So what? What purpose did we have? What meaning for our existence was there?”

Rose raised her head once more and stared daggers into the other stable pony. “I saw the trap, Abacus. I watched its jaws slowly close around all of us, and I wanted out. I chose freedom... but freedom isn’t free. Especially in the Wasteland. Every day it takes a piece of you: sometimes it’s just a bullet hole, sometimes it’s a leg or a wing… and sometimes it’s the person you love most.”

Tears began to form at the edges of Rose’s eyes, but she did her best to fight them off as she continued with just the slightest waver in her voice. “But for every physical thing that the Wasteland takes from you, there’s a mental cost as well. Crim was a hero. She always did the right thing. After she died, I tried to live up to that. To be a hero like her. I even took her name to always remind me to do better. But I failed. I spent so much time out there that even the concept of slavery, the thing which I loathed and fought to escape, became mundane. It wasn’t until I met Storm Mist in the back of a slavers wagon that I started to realize what the Wasteland had taken from me.”

Rose’s gaze softened as she made eye contact with me and stepped forward. “You helped me escape my bonds, and in return I helped you out of yours. I was about to jump out the back of that wagon when you asked me something...”

“The other slaves...” I said, remembering the first time I met Rose. She nodded, then lowered her gaze.

“I’m ashamed to admit it… but I didn’t even realize there were other slaves with us. All I saw at first was the hippogriff that could help me get that horn lock off and escape. When you asked about the others, I realized what the Wasteland took from me... I realized that I was no longer the hero. I had forgotten what that word really meant.”

Rose gave me a compassionate look before turning back to Abby. “So why does this place bother me so much? Because it reminds me of who I was before I met Storm Mist. Because Crim would be disgusted by it. Because it’s sheer ignorant complacency and racist elitism on a grand scale...”

She paused for a moment, appraising the mare in front of her. “And because I see what the Wasteland has taken from you, and I’m sorry that you can’t.”

Both Abby and I sat stunned as Rose simply turned away and walked down the hall to the bedroom, her plate of food silently levitating beside her. After a moment, Abby turned to me. “I… think I should go.” I nodded and we exchanged goodnights before she headed out the door.

* * * * *

As I lay on the sofa in the family room, I couldn’t help but mull over what Rose had said. I understood now why she had referred to me as a “hero”, despite my reluctance to accept it. I now knew that the sad look I had seen on her face wasn’t just sympathy for that poor stallion who had to bury his brother, or sadness over remembering her lost sister: it was her realizing that she had lost a part of herself.

She had spent so much time alone out there, whereas I always had someone. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to face the Wasteland alone, or what it might do to me if I was… Would I retain the morals I have now, or would it break me?

The sound of a door opening followed by soft hoofsteps snapped me out of my introspective reverie, and Rose poked her head around the corner. “She’s gone?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “She’s been gone for a while now.”

As I looked at Rose, I realized that she was no longer wearing the dress or makeup that she had donned before we got here. Her mane was no longer put up and there wasn’t a trace of sophistication to be found upon her. She had even removed the Heart of Ophir.

“You’re that done with this place, huh?” I asked, motioning towards her and sitting up.

“Yeah… I decided I liked being myself more.” She gave a long sigh. “Can I... admit something to you?”

“Of course.”

“I’m… terrified of being alone.”

Her words dropped like an anvil on my thoughts: a simple phrase that perfectly summed up what I had been thinking about myself, but not something I expected out of Rose. After a moment, I got up, walked over to the mare, and wrapped my forelegs around her in a hug. She leaned into me as I quietly spoke.

“That makes two of us.”

Footnote: ...

Author's Note

It's amazingly hard to get back on the writing wagon after you've fallen off, I tell you what. I'm so sorry this took SOO long to get out. x.X I'm going to do my best to make sure that the next one doesn't take as long and stick to every three weeks MAX. Once I get back into the swing of things, I should be able to do every two weeks again.

All that aside, I hope you guys are still enjoying the story. I have it planned out in a five act format, and the next chapter should mark the end of act one. I've really loved reading all your comments so far, and hope you enjoy what's coming next! ^^

~ Forest Rain