A Filly's New Hope

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 1
Chapter 7
Chapter 13
epilogue

Chapter 2

Nova woke to the sound of an owl hooting as it flew by her open window. She rolled to her belly and pushed herself up, the blanket felt like it weighed ten pounds on her tiny body. She looked to the sky and the twinkling stars. The moon was still rising, waning, casting its faint brightness over her, while she laid in her bed.

She sighed and poked the mattress with a hoof, picking at an errant string for a moment too long. It snapped. She sighed again and looked at the sky.

“I wanna be free. I wanna, I dunno, not be here for another more years. I wanna see my real mommy and daddy… Not that I don’t love Mom, but she’s not them. Please, stars,” she said hopping to rest her forehooves against the window sill, “I heard you can grant a wishes… and I only wanna one.

“Sparkling stars in the sky, with your lights in my eye… I, uh, wish to wish and hope to hope that, uh, I don’t ask ya like a dope?” She giggled. “No, serious,” she steeled her features, “I wanna be more than a farm filly. I wanna be, like, super free.”

She watched as the stars twinkled in their own right for several minutes before she yawned and smacked her lips. She sniffled and fell backwards into the bed, fast asleep.

…

“Starlight Nova, time to wake up, darling. Time for a busy day on the farm.”

“Ugh,” she grumbled and rolled to her belly, resting her chin on her fetlocks, “I had a dream I was like, flying.”

“Oh,” the mare giggled, “you’re a pegasi now? You should make up your mind and decide if that horn is going to grow back some day or stay down forever.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault they keep it small,” Nova huffed, flaring her nostrils and frowning.

“I was only joking, filly. You can be anything you want. If you want to be a pegasi, earth pony, or stay a unicorn, it’s your choice… Never let anypony tell you otherwise,” she said trotting into the room and lying on the bed next to Nova.

“I-I wanna be free, Mom.”

“I know, dear. We all have the dream one time or another; of flying free of here. Exploring the world. Being the creature we were meant to be… but the laws are the laws.

“If a pony incurs too much debt they have to work it off. The fact your parent sent you here in their stead speaks volumes for themselves as parents, but ya can’t let it get you down,” she said laying her head on the filly’s back, “I’ve been here by choice since I was a bit older than you. I stay to help the filly’s that need it, it’s more my job than farmin’ work. And I love it. It’s my lot in life. You still have to find your place, little blank flank, and when you do, it’ll take you far from here.”

Nova listened and laid her head down, comforted by the mare. “I dunno. It’s, like, I just… wanna be anywhere but here. Can’t I just run away?”

“Heh,” she sighed and lifted her head, moving Nova’s chin with her hoof so they looked at each other, “don’t. You remember that hurt you had a couple weeks ago?” Nova nodded shortly. “It’s a tracking gem. We all have them,” she said turning her head and moving her yellow mane to show the scar.

“If you leave, they’ll find you and bring you back. And before you ask, taking it out hurts too much. Don’t ask me to tell you, filly, but it’s something,” she stared over the filly into memory, “you’ll never forget.”

Shaking her head the mare looked into Nova’s eyes.

“Wh-why are they so mean?”

“Bits, power, control… fear. Filly, we’re talkin’ about stuff way over your head, let’s just get ta eating. It’s a slow day since we did so much yesterday but that doesn’t mean it’s gonna be easy. I got some slop ready, c’mon,” she said rolling from the bed and walking to the door. She looked back.

“It gets easier as it goes on, filly. In a couple years ya won’t even notice the work anymore.”

Then she turned the corner and left the filly alone.

Nova got up, made her bed, her morning routine, and sat at the wobbling table.

Her gruel was the same as everyday.

The sun was hot, even early in the morning but the mare was kind. She let Nova walk under her, in her shadow, as much as she could.

…

Days passed, then weeks. Months. Winter, the following spring came and went and the filly grew into a young mare.

“Starlight Nova, time to wake up, darling. Time for a busy day on...” The mare stood looking at the made bed. “F-filly? Starlight?” She asked loudly as she backed from the room and looked around.

“Little miss Nova? I know you’re in here, where’d you go?” She said taking a happy tone, “I’m gonna find ya, and when I do I’ll gobble ya up!”

She looked back into the kitchen and looked around.

She turned and trotted to her room, listening for small hoofsteps. Her room was as spartan as Nova’s.

“Hmm…”

She turned to return to the kitchen as Nova jumped from her room shouting loudly.

“AAAHHH!?”

Starlight fell to her haunches laughing at the mare who had fallen over to her side with a look of terror on her face.

“I gotcha! I was hiding behind the door the whole time!” Nova laughed as the mare got to shaky hooves. “I owned ya, mom! Take that!”

“W-well, ya got me that time, for sure. Thought ya’d snuck out your window ta hide.”

“Nah, you’d never find me if I did that. C’mon, I want some slop! Oh,” Nova shouted as she jumped onto the wobbly table and hopped off the other side, taking a seat, “I thought of a name for it, finally! Mom’s breakfast cricket chow! Ya like it?”

The mare nodded and smiled. I do, the next filly I take care of will have to call it that.”

Nova’s ears drooped. “Oh yeah… I forgot this week, again.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she replied scooping a heaping ladle of slop and depositing it in front of Nova, “just be grateful. You’re a young mare, you can find your cutie mark soon. Then you’ll be that much closer to going out into the world.”

“Yeah, I don’t get how,” she leaned and took a large bite, “getting my cutie mark makes me get out sooner.”

The mare shuttered and shook her head. “You don’t wish to know, but when the boss calls for you, just do what he asks and you’ll be out within the month… It’s the fastest way, lest you’re here for the full payment. You’ve got six more years if ya wait to work it off.”

“Wh-what if I don’t get it until then?”

“...Then you’re almost a quarter done with your time here, that’s when he’ll call on you.”

Nova smiled and took another bite. “So, in a few weeks I can get called and get out?”

With a quiet nod the mare set her plate in the cupboard and turned to return to her room.

“Mom? Where’re you going? You haven’t eaten yet… are you feeling ok?”

“I-I just need a minute, dear,” she said quietly as she left the filly’s view.

“Huh, must be hard being old,” she said as she took the last bite, clearing her plate. “More of Mom’s breakfast cricket chow for me,” she said getting a second large scoop.

…

Chapter 3

“Miss Nova, the boss, mister Cherry, wishes to see you,” a guards pony said as she stood at the door
to the shack.

With a widening grin, Nova turned to the mare. “I’m gonna go see the boss guy! I’ll see you in a bit and let you know if I’m getting out,” she said as she pranced out of the door, missing the look of worry and sorrow on her surrogate mother’s face.

“Follow me,” the mare said as she led Nova towards the large house. Never had the young mare been so close to the house before.

It stood like a multistoried mansion compared to her shack she shared. It was simply a two story yellow house with a porch. Something nondescript by most standards, yet Nova still stopped in her tracks to gawk at it.

“Come, mare. You’ve been summoned, you must come or return to your home for the duration of your fine.”

“I-I’m coming!” She said hurrying behind the mare and up the white painted steps. “Wow, this’ so cool, and clean,” she giggled as she entered the house.

The temperature drop shocked her at first. “Why’s it so cold in here?”

The mare sighed and grumbled. “Air conditioning, fool. Enjoy it, now you must be cleaned and checked.”

“Huh? You mean like a pond? I walked on the rocks yesterday,” she said looking to her cracked and worn hooves.

“A bath, you idiot! Sheesh, they never get smarter,” she grumbled as she walked past a flight of stairs and to a door, opening it with a light shove on the handle.

“A-a bath? Like-”

“Shut, up,” the mare said turning and leaning close to Nova’s face sternly.

She turned and marched into the room with white walls, polished floors that slanted slightly to a drain, and a large clawfoot tub in the center that was at least twice her size with a shower curtain opened all the way around it.

“...Wo~w.”

“The water is warm and ready, get in and I’ll scrub the filth from your body,” she said trotting to a sink she slipped a stiff brush onto her hoof and walked on three legs to Nova. “I said ‘get in’, do you understand that?”

Nova nodded and hopped to the rim of the tub and began to pull herself up. Her rear legs scrambled for a grip as her hooves scraped against the side of the tub. She yelped as she felt a shove from under her tail. She flipped sideways into the water.

She surfaced and coughed water as she began to flail, trying to stand only to slip and fall to her chin against the side of the tub. “Ouch!”

“Oh, shut up you little turd stain.”

Nova gasped and sank into the water quickly, finally finding a place to plant her hooves she stood, the water just to her chest. “You said bad words,” she whispered as her ears perked and listened for another to grow her vocabulary with.

Without another word the brush was dipped into the sudsy water and a foreleg pulled Nova to the side of the tub. “Ouch, owie, owie, owie! You’re brushing too hard, it hurts.”

“Nothing compared to later, now shut up and let me get the crap out of your fur or I’ll brush harder.”

Nova winced with every pass of the brush as it ground against her side, then blank flanks, then legs, neck and to her face, but not across it. She was turned and held to the side, being forcibly brushed again.

“Stop whimpering like a dog or I’ll treat you like one.”

“S-sorry, it just… hurts so much.”

The mare sneered as she pressed very hard on a small lump of dirt on the filly’s rear leg.

“Ouchie!”

“That’s half as hard as I can clean you, now shut it.”

Nova trembled and looked to the water. What was once clear with white bubbles was now murky, dark, and full of not only clumps of dirt, but of her fur as well.

“There, stay still,” she said as she pulled the plug and drained the water. The shower curtain was pulled almost closed then the mare returned to the sink, trading the firm bristled brush for a softer one and grabbing a toothbrush in by the handle in her teeth.

She returned as the water nearly finished draining and turned the tap on, turned a smaller level, and waited.

Nova watched intently as the water stopped and a rumbling sound traveled through the pipes before the shower began, startling her. “Gah, it’s raining?! It’s so cold…”

With a couple twists the water warmed to a comfortable level. “Ah, it’s like a summer rain now… much better, thanks,” Nova said opening her mouth and gulping some with a hum.

“Open your mouth.”

Nova complied as the mare looked in and snorted. She slipped the brush out of her hoof and gripped the toothbrush and carefully cleaned the young mare's mouth. “Close your eyes, if you open them the soap will hurt you.”

“Okay.”

A moment later a hoof held Nova’s cheek as her face and horn nub was lightly brushed. She winced in fear several times but the feeling was like no other she’d ever felt. She felt cleaner than she could remember.

“Turn around.”

“Okay,” she said before she inhaled sharply as her undertail area was carefully cleaned.

“There, now to get you dry and into a nice dress.”

“A-a… a real dress?” Nova said with a growing smile.

“Y-yeah,” the mare said hesitantly, “just, uhm, sorry for being so mean… I,” she paused and steeled her features, “come, filly.”

“I’m a mare, ya know, right.”

“You will be,” the mare mumbled with a frown.

“You mean in my dress? Oh, will it be pretty, with lace and gems and a million colors and a flowingingness that I saw in a picture once?”

…

“This’ nice,” Nova said as she looked at the yellow dress, “it goes with my fur, even though it’s a little loose, though.”

“Come, time to meet the boss.”

“Oh, will he tell me how pretty I am before he tells me to go home?”

THe mare was silent as she gulped. The corners of her muzzle pulled down slightly as her eyes blinked away some moisture. “Come, and be silent. The only advice I can give you to bite this,” she said as she lifted Nova’s hoof and slipped a piece of wood that was covered with teeth marks.

Slipping it into the young mare’s sleeve she turned and led the confused filly out of the rooms and up the flight of stairs. Turning left to a door at the end of a hall the mare pointed. “Go, and… just go.”

“Uhm, okay?”

Nova walked ahead, into a shadowed corridor to the doorway where she knocked lightly on the door. Her coat smelled so good she barely noticed the scent of incense wafting through the cracks of the door.

Chapter 4

“Come, come…” a voice grumbled from beyond the door. Nova opened the door and looked around the room.

“Woah.”

A bed with red satin curtains hung around it’s posts, a yellow carpet as plush as any she’d ever imagined, and a theme in the room of luxury; a life being well lived.

Gold trim, polished metals, the finest cloth that could be bought or made. Nova was awestruck by the room, so much so she didn’t hear the door close behind her, a light green aura covering the handle.

“Wow, this room is, like, amazing,” she said breathily.

“Yeah, I like it, as do most of the mares that leave it. So, what’s your name?”

She turned and looked at the bed, a rather fat yellow stallion with green eyes was lying against the pillows, his horn stopped glowing as he winked at her.

“My name’s Nova, Starlight Nova, but everypony calls me Nova.”

“Well, Nova, do you know why you’re here?”

“Uhm,” she looked around the room then to her body, covered with the yellow dress, “I dunno… maybe to dance or something? I only get this dressed up for special holidays and stuff… Oh! I know, I’m going to be sent home and there’s going to be a party for me?!”

He chuckled. “I’m the boss here, Cherry Pit. C’mere little filly.”

She trotted ahead and hopped onto the bed, scampering her hooves for grip before she managed to get all the way up.

“So,” he said in a deeper voice, “what’re you willing to do to get free sooner?”

“Oh, I dunno, just about anything, I guess,” she shrugged and turned around on the bed, admiring the satin bed curtains.

She felt the bed shift and before she could ask he had grabbed her rear leg in his magic.

“If you’re willing to do anything, then I’m on the list, right?”

“Uh, what are you,” she gasped and struggled as she was pulled toward him. She turned, only to fall onto her back as she watched him rise to all five legs. “...what’s wrong with your…” her eyes widened as she grasped what was happening.

“Just relax. You’ll be free soon enough.”

“N-no, I won’t let you,” she struggled and instinctively tried to cast a spell, only to feel the arcane energies pass through her like water across a leaf. She grunted and struggled against him as she grasped the soft blanket and dragged it with her as he slowly pulled her under him.

She let the blanket go and swung her hoof, slapping his chins and sending them wobbling as he chuckled to himself.

Then she felt the small block of wood. She pulled her foreleg back and frowned at his smug face, as she swung her foreleg again. The sound was louder and softer than she thought it would have been; he was heavier than she thought he’d be as he collapsed on top of her groaning. He whimpered and rolled off her holding his muzzle.

She got to her hooves and raised her foreleg again, slamming it across his muzzle and knocking at least one tooth out before he rolled off the bed, whimpering like a filly.

Nova recoiled at the sight of the stallion and began to pant as she looked around the room. A window, opened a crack.

She turned and scampered down the bed, across the room and opened the window enough to slither out, yelping through clenched teeth as her tail was caught for a second on an errant nail before she laid down on the hot roof hugging herself.

She looked ahead, into space. She didn’t hear the window open until she felt a magic aura around her. She yelped and looked back to see the scowling face and bleeding muzzle of the stallion.

She thrust her hooves out, casting a repulsion spell from her nub of a horn and flew back, free from him. The last she saw of him was his chin lifting high as she tumbled from the roof.

“Oof!”

“Ouchie,” she groaned.

“...Filly?” The guard mare asked in a loud whisper.

Nova groaned as a shout emanated from the roof, above where she fell.

“All guards, she escaped,” Cherry coughed loudly and spat, “and she’s dangerous. Find her and bring her back to me in pieces if you must!” he shouted as the window slammed shut.

The mare looked at the filly ahead of her and gulped, looking around. She wasted no more time and pulled the dress off the filly as quickly as she could, and tossed it into the house closing the door she’d forgotten to close a moment before.

She scooped the filly up and galloped around the house and to a nearby shed. She tossed the filly in and joined her, closing the door and sitting in the shadowed shed.

“W-what’s happening? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it, honest,” Nova said as she curled into a little fuzzy purple ball against the mare's hooves.

“Hush,” she said as she fumbled with various tools, “you still have that block of wood?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Nova replied quietly.

“Bite it now, this’ gonna hurt, don’t ask, just do it,” she whispered hoarsely.

Nova complied, slipping the wood from the bloodied portion of her sleeve, biting it as the mare climbed over her side. She felt her mane parting for a second then a pain like nothing she ever felt.

As the rusted garden trowel scraped her flesh open the mare bit her lip and fought back tears from the noises the filly made until she went limp, the sound of the block clattering across some tool and falling flat to the ground. She hurriedly opened the flesh in the filly’s scalp and bit the area over the wound.

With a sickening popping and tearing sound, the gem, the size of a cherry pit, loosened and tore free into the mare's mouth, along with specks of blood, a few mane hairs, and a few strands of purple fur, and peach flesh.

She coughed and hacked as the spiked tracking gem fell to the floor, shimmering in several colors before stopping on white and illuminating the room slightly, casting shadows of tools and ponies alike.

The mare spat and wiped her mouth on her foreleg before she slipped the young mare onto her back and turned, opened the door, and galloped for their lives toward the treeline.

…

“Wh-where… ugh,” Nova said as she rolled to her belly and coughed roughly just before she whinnied in reaction to a sharp pain in her neck. “What happened? Why does it hurt to move my head?”

“Rest, filly. Stay calm, you’re free now… I have to go back, but you… run. Get as far away as you can and don’t come back here. Pitance farms is going to hunt you down for a while, and if you get caught, please just don’t get caught,” the mare said.

“Wha-, why? Who are you… what about Mom?!”

“Shut up,” she hissed looking around, “I’m leaving you to your own wits, as pathetic as they may be, they’re better than being in that stallion's hooves. I’ll do what I can to keep your mom safe.”

Nova looked around and took in the scene of the woods around her. Spaced trees that were thin made poor cover, bushes abound, and fallen leaves were everywhere. Whimpering as he turned her head around she asked an obvious question. “Where am I?”

“You’re alive, that’s all that matters… my name is Little Hoof.” Nova snickered, “Hey, I didn’t choose it and I’m not changing it, so let’s go. I put some natural remedies on the wound on your neck. You have a day before it needs to be changed, let me see it,” Little moved closer to the filly.

Nova reacted and focused a repulsion spell as she thrust a hoof out.

“Oof,” Little Hoof grunted as the air was shoved from her lungs and she tumbled back. Coughing the mare got up and squinted at Nova. “Fine, be that way…” she lingered and turned away entering a gallop away without looking back.

Nova was alone, for the first time in her life, and she didn’t know what to do, where to go, and how she was going to make it… but she was going to do it. She was going to enjoy her freedom.

She stood and shook her head, regretting it right away as the pain sent her to her front knees.

“Okay, Nova, don’t do that again…” She stood and began trotting ahead through the unpaved forest to destinations unknown.

Chapter 5

Hours into her walk through the forest, Nova was getting very hungry. She was used to long days of work without much food, but not after being assaulted, cut, foalnapped, and then left alone in what could have been the largest forest in the world.

She stopped to graze but only found rotten leaves, insects that moved too fast for her to catch, and thorny bushes that guarded their berries from her grasp.

She felt her stomach cramp and nature making it’s afternoon call. She rolled her eyes and looked around. No pony was within eyesight and she had to go.

Taking a slight squat she let her waste go and kicked some detritus over it as she began trotting ahead. Finally she heard the quiet lapping of water and smiled in relief as she trotted quickly ahead to a thick river. Kneeling down she drank several mouthfuls of fresh water before exhaling a cold breath.

“Oh yeah, that’s the stuff,” she sighed as she looked at the water and it’s length to the next bank.

It’s depth had to have been too deep for her to walk across, and she never learned to swim. She was lacking a skill needed if she was to try.

She looked left and right, the topography was the same both ways; a river between a forest of trees; the pain of moving her neck and head was practically numb at this point.

“Left or right? Umm, Mom’s left hoofed so I’ll go left.”

She turned and began following the river along the bank, her hooves making light tracks as she plotted along.

“...what’s that?” She asked herself as she saw something in the water, drifting slowly toward her.

A small pile of something floated past her. Brown, green, and white bags held multicolored items within and a voice called out from further down, ahead of her.

“Help, my stuff! It’s floating away, please, anypony,” a stallion shouted as he approached the filly. They looked at each other then he passed her at a fast gallop sending mud across her mostly clean coat.

“Hey! That’s not very nice,” Nova shouted with a frown.

“Sorry,” he replied as he chased along side the bags.

“Earth ponies, I thought they could swim,” she looked at him as he galloped messily down the bank, shouting at his stuff.

She kept a neutral expression as she walked ahead, ears swiveling as she listened for danger, but mostly to the nature she was always kept away from at a distance.

Another half hour passed before she came to a road, and a wooden bridge spanning the river. A cart with a broken wheel lay at an angle and she smirked. “That’s how the stuff fell into the water…” She giggled as she trudged from the riverbank to the road and looked herself over.

Her heart ached at the sight of herself. A few hours earlier she was cleaner than she’d been since before she could remember. Now she was coated with mud, muck, and dirt. Plus whatever was left under her tail.

She kicked her legs to little avail and trotted ahead to the cart before she sat by it and looked down the river. “If anypony comes by I can ask for help and get healed and get food and… I,” she thought for a long few seconds, “I don’t know… Mom, I miss you,” she whimpered as she set her head on her forelegs and sighed.

“Hey,” a stallion nudged her. “Hey, filly, wake up.”

She groaned and turned her head away from the noise maker.

“C’mon, I gotta get my cart fixed and on the way. Move it or lose it,” he said in a cheerier tone than he’s started with. “C’mon filly, I can’t exactly shove you in the river, but I can carry you to the other side,” he said.

Nova gasped and flailed her legs as she was picked up in a blue magic field. “Gah! Lemme down! I’m up, I’m up!”

“Oh, now you wake up,” he chuckled in a soft voice. She turned to look at him as she was lowered to her four hooves. A green unicorn with blue eyes and a kind smile looked at her.

“Um, thanks for not throwing me in the water. I can’t swim,” she said as she rubbed her right foreleg over her left.

“Huh? Earth ponies are natural swimmers I thou… Oh my,” he said taking a step back.

She looked up at him meekly and forced a smile. “They couldn’t cut it off like the others, so they kept it small.”

He heaved into his hoof and fell to his haunches, eyes wide as he stared at her.

“I-I ran away, and now I’m here. C-can you help me get somewhere where I can be healed?”

He gulped and blinked at her several times in the awkward silence. “Y-you’re hurt more than… where are you hurt, filly?”

“My name’s Starlight Nova and I’m not a filly,” she frowned, “I’m a mar… young mare.”

“Uhm, hi, Starlight, I’m Tree. Now, can you tell me where you’re hurt?”

“I can show you!” She happily exclaimed and trotted to him. He stood and took another step back and yelped as his rear leg slipped from the bridge.

Nova gasped and lunged for him, grasping him from several feet away and holding him above the surface of the water before she dropped him with a soft splash.

“Wh-what’s happening to me?” She trembled as he swam to shore several dozen feet from the bridge and looked at her, stared at her the entire walk back.

He looked at Nova, who was sitting and looking at her hooves.

“Starlight-”

“Nova, Mom called me Nova.”

“...Nova, how’d you do that? Catch me like you did,” he asked as he stopped several more feet away, nearly at the edge of the bridge.

“I,” she sniffled and looked at him, eyes beginning to water, “I’m scared…” she whimpered and sobbed loudly.

Tree galloped up and took her into an embrace but let her go when she yelped loudly. She buried her face in his furry chest and cried.

He looked down at her and craned his head awkwardly to look at her mane. Inhaling sharply he looked at the poorly packed open wound in her scalp and looked at his cart in empty thoughts.

“Nova, I need to get you to my village. I have to fix my cart, but I’ll be quick and you can ride in it, alright?” He said softly as he leaned back and gently pushed her from his body so he could look at her.

Snot and tears covered the fur across her face and led a string back to his chest. He grumbled softly as she wiped her nose across her foreleg with a sniffle and blinked her eyes clearer.

She didn’t say anything but nodded curtly.

“I’m going to pick you up onto my back, okay?”

“Y-yeah.”

He picked her up in his magic and trotted to the cart. “Ya know, I really think a rail or something would be ideal for this bridge,” he chuckled to the silent filly. “So, I lost about fifty bits worth of cloth to the river. The bags weren’t waterproof and they sank. Maybe a fish will make themself a nice sweater,” he joked.

Nova was silent but a faint smile crossed her muzzle.

“Do you know the difference between a piano and a fish?”

She shook her head slightly.

“You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish.”

Silence.

Nova burst into laughter and hugged his back tightly so she wouldn’t fall off.

“That’s more like it,” she grinned as he lifted his cart and removed the broken wheel, placed it in the cart, and took a spare from below the cart to replace it.

“That’s how we change a wheel,” he said as his horn lost its glow. “Uh, you okay, Nova?”

“...I’ve never seen magic before… not like that. That was awesome!” She screamed into his ear making him wince. “When my horn grows back can I do that? Can you show me how to move rocks and ponies and slop and trees?! Maybe a mountain!” She gasped. “Or the sun and moon like Celestina does?!”

He snorted. “Celestia is in charge of those, Nova. And one thing at a time. First to get you to my home town, then get you checked over.”

Excitedly Nova hopped from his back and trotted to the cart, prancing to the side and then to the back, hopping into the open cargo area. “Wow, this’ big. Like, it’s so hard and the tarp makes it so soft on the outside,” she cooed as she rubbed the tarp.

He blushed. “Uh, maybe you shouldn't describe things anymore. Let’s get home to Ponyville and see if we can’t find you a bite to eat.”

“Like Mom’s cricket slop?”

“...Maybe something better.”

Nova gasped as he hitched himself to the cart. “Mom’s grasshopper surprise?!”

He was silent as he trotted ahead and crossed the bridge and the filly kept her own attention.

“Oh, what kind of tree is that? Why’s your name Tree? Where’s Ponyville? Why was the river so big? It was deep and wet and warm on the outside but I didn’t get to go deeper than a few inches into the water. Did you know I’m purple?! I was like, ‘no way’, but then our neighbor was like ‘yeah, so way’...”

“You’re going to talk yourself to sleep… keep it up,” he chuckled as she kept rambling.

Chapter 6

Nova chattered for nearly an hour before she finally fell silent.

Tree looked back and craned his neck to check the cart, smiling to see her asleep.

He plotted along and began to hum a local tune to himself as he crested a hill and broke the woods’ canopy for a moment. He could see most of the woods and beyond, to the far southeast he could barely make out his destination… several more hours and he’d be home, as long as he didn’t have to stop for the filly too often.

He descended the hill and into the treeline again, following the road and humming his tune.

…

“Filly, uh, Nova. Wake up, we’re almost there,” he called behind himself. When she didn’t respond he turned and pulled the cart through the shoulder of the road. The bumping and shaking woke Nova with a startle.

“Help! Mom, earthshake! Ugh, where are we?” She said looking at the stallion.

“A few minutes out from Ponyville, home of the Apple family and their orchard.”

“Uh, so, apples are going to make me better?”

He snickered softly. “Nah, there’s a doctor in town and a general store, too. The Apple family grows apples, mostly.”

“So, can I eat the apples? Those are really special treats, like, on my birthday last year I got two whole apples! Cinder was so jealous,” she giggled and looked around at the dark woods around them. “So, where’s this place? Are we there yet?”

Tree sighed. “No, but soon.”

“Ugh, I’ve been sleeping for a whole day and we’re not there yet? I thought the world was supposed to be like, a couple hooves long, not days.”

“Hooves?” He asked himself softly, “you mean, a map? Have you seen a map before?”

“Uh, yeah. It was in a book I found in the creek once,” she said hopping to the side of the cart and looking over the wooden side, “I can’t readed it, but I can see the pictures good and it was four hooves big. That’s, like, not that big,” she mumbled and trailed off.

“Well, the land’s a bit bigger than a few filly hooves long,” he said in a happy tone as they broke the treeline and the road smoothed out some more.

“Wow! The path, it’s like, so smooth! Did you do that?”

“No, it’s called cobblestone,” he said looking back to her, “you don’t know what that is either? Sheesh,” he mumbled a few words to himself before falling silent for the next several minutes. As he entered the town’s borders he began a happy trot.

“Woah,” Nova called as she fell to her side with a giggle. The cart came to a sudden stop. “Uh, are we there yet?”

“Yeah, we’re there; check it out. Ponyville!”

She scampered to her hooves and across the tarp and peeked over the front of the cart to see him unhitching himself.

She gazed around in awe at the single story thatch roofed farm homes that speckled the distance. Tree had parked by a house with a wooden roof and a red mark on the door she didn’t recognize.

“Okay, Nova. Time ta get out and see a doctor. Well, she’s as close to a doctor as we have,” he shrugged as he reared and grasped the filly in his forelegs and stumbled back, falling to his flank and dropping her on his chest, knocking the wind from him.

“Whee, that was fun, again?!” She asked jumping from him and hopping between hooves with a hopeful smile.

“Ugh,” he coughed, “nah. Why’d I do that and not use magic?” He asked as he rolled over.

“I’unno. Maybe you forgot to use it.”

“Yeah, maybe I just need a nap. We can’t all sleep during a travel,” he said pushing himself back up and shaking his mane. “Let’s get you in,” he said walking and opening the door. “Ladies first.”

Her smile slowly formed to a grin. “A lady?” She asked trotting past him into the warmed entryway.

“Hello? Miss Tender? Are you in?”

“Over here, Johnny Appletree? Is that you, you rascal?” A mare’s voice called from ahead.

Nova looked ahead and noticed four rooms with doors that were open and a desk to her right with a file cabinet behind it.

“Well, last I checked, and please, call me Tree. I’ve got a patient for you.”

“Oh? Another conquest?”

“Ugh, I’m not that kind of stallion and you know it!”

A white unicorn mare walked from the room to the back right with a stethoscope hovering above her head that draped over her neck as she approached. “Awe, is she yours?” The mare insinuated.

“No, but thanks for the thought,” he shuddered, “I’m nowhere near ready to be a dad. I found her way out in the woods by a river… the big one, you know?”

“Okay, and except for needing a bath, what’s wrong with her?”

“Oh, oh! I can tell you,” Nova hopped in place.

“Well, somepony’s excited. Did you just wake up? Because if you did then your guardian here is in for a long night.”

Tree groaned and dragged his hoof across his face then stopped. “Eww, eew, eew, I need to wash my face!”

Tender giggled. “Second room to the left. Just, make sure to refill the pitcher before you leave. Now,” she leaned down as he trotted quickly past them, “how’d you get hurt and where?”

“Well, first she scratched my mane open and then I fell asleep and woke up when she was biting me-”

“Oh my! Was it a rabid animal? A dog, wolf, please describe it as best you can,” she asked picking the filly up in her magic and galloping her to the first room on the right.

“It was Little Hoof. She bit me right here,” she said reaching and pulling her mane open, showing the wound that was turning slightly green as well as swelling.

“You mean a pony bit you?! Celestia, what’s the world coming to? Lay down and I’ll start,” she said resting the filly on a soft futon filled with hay on a short cot.

“Well, she did it to free me,” Nova said, “it was my tracker thing.”

“You mean you’re a slave and you escaped? Ugh,” Tender groaned, “I don’t even want to start on my thoughts on slavery in this day and age. Just, relax, this will sting a few times then you won’t feel a thing for several hours around your wound, okay?”

“Wound?”

“It means where you’re hurt. Just relax. Have you ever had a bee sting?”

“Once, maybe twice in the fields. Pack had a allerginic reduction and got really sick but I didn’t.”

“Well, that’s great to know you aren’t allergic to bee stings, ready?”

“Yeah, for what? Owie!” Nova shouted as she jerked and looked up. A hypodermic needle hovered over her. “What’s that?! Is it a bee stinger?”

“Well, it’s medicine to make it hurt less. But first it has to hurt a little bit. When you were bitten,” Tender asked kindly, “did it hurt more or less than the sting you just got?”

“I think getting scratched a lot with the trowel hurt the most,” Nova admitted as she lay back down. Tender stared at the filly’s small form and lowered the syringe to finish the injections. “There, good girl. Now, do you feel that?”

“Uh, what? I don’t feel anything, are you being silly like mister Parts? He’s always throwing leaves at us, he’s really silly.”

“Just, stay still, this’ll be quick. I’m cleaning your, hurt spot. Uh, when you were there, were you hurt anywhere else?”

Nova scrunched her muzzle in thought and began to ramble a list of various cuts, scratches, bumps, and bruises she’d received over the past year and a half of her indentured servitude.

“Okay, we’re done. I’ll have to see you in two days but overall you’re the strongest filly I’ve ever seen,” Tender complimented Nova.

“I’m a mar-, uh, young mare.”

“...Did somepony try to hurt you?”

“Well, once, but I ran away with Little’s help. That’s why she bited me. But, I’ll be fine. I’m strong, right?”

“That’s what I said and I’m sticking by it.” Tender giggled as she patted Nova’s back, “So, are you ready to go?”

“Sure! Where’s my shed? I hope it’s not near the potty’s, I can go potty, but I don’t like the smell. Like when I go to Sun Ray’s, he’s a cute colt I know, his shack smells really bad but he doesn’t know it. Weird, huh?”

Tender had turned to grab a folder from a drawer and had begun to scratch some notes on a page inside it.

“Yes, that’s weird. But, colts will be colts, right?” Tender asked with a smile.

“That’s what mom says! Well, she’s not my real mom, she’s my surgomite mom.”

“Oh? That’s very nice of her. Please, wait here while I speak with Tree.”

“Okay.”

“Here, you can play with this. You can listen to your heart with it!”

“Wow, I can’t believe how awesome the world is! Way cooler than I thought it’d be.”

Tender gave her stethoscope to Nova and left the room, closing the door.

Nova placed the tool in her ears and then to her hoof and winced at the scratching sounds. She tapped it and gawked at the loud thumping in her ears. She placed it to her chest and, after listening to the scratching of her fur against the listening piece she held it still.

Her eyes widened and a smile formed as she inhaled. The sound of her heartbeat was like a drum she’d heard some nights around the communal fire pit. An elder had played the drum as she and her mother sang songs and enjoyed each other’s company, as well as the company of her neighbors.

She moved it around her chest and listened to her breathing, the table, various tappings, the wiggling of her ears, and to her delight, the sound of her voice, albeit at a very loud volume.

“Hey, ready to head to my home?”

Nova glanced up and narrowed her eyes.

Tree rolled his eyes and motioned for her to free her ears with a hoof.

“Oh,” Nova snickered, “what?”

“Ready to head to my home?”

“Oh, sure! I got a healing done and now I’m all better.”

“Not quite, but you’re in a better state. Tree,” Tender asked looking to him, “make sure to bring her back in two days so I can readdress her wounds. She barely dodged an infection and I had to give her a series of vaccines and antibiotics. She’s not out of the woods yet, so to say.”

“Huh? I left the woods, like, a hour ago, Miss Tenders.”

The adults smiled to each other. “Miss Tender. Tender Touch.”

“Oh, sorry. C’mon, show me your shack! Will I have a room or will we be sharing?” Nova asked as she trotted from the room.

“Oh, this’ gonna be a tough week. Let’s just hope she’s ready to live a normal life for a while and,” he leaned in closer to Tender, “she’s a local, right?”

“Right,” Tender nodded firmly as she took her stethoscope back to her neck and left the room after him.

Chapter 8

Tree groaned in increasing volume as he looked at the filly standing on top of a hutch that was lying facedown.

“Dang it, Nova! That was my mom’s!” He shouted at the ceiling. Nova’s ears fell to her head and she crouched with a nervous smile. “Glass is expensive and it took her three years to buy this hutch! It’s an heirloom I was gonna give to my children and you broke it?!”

Nova flinched and whimpered as he yelled at her, curling her tail under herself.

“How’d… Why’d… UGH!” He turned and stomped from the room grumbling, leaving her alone in the room, curled on the back of the hutch as a tear streaked from her eye and down her cheek fur.

…

Tree climbed into his hammock with a huff and lay on his back seething as he stared at the wooden ceiling. Grumbling to himself he wondered what to do next with her. He couldn’t send her away until she was healed. He couldn’t lock her away, that’d be worse than her breaking the hutch.

“...” he clenched his eyes and curled his legs to his body tightly. “It’s just a piece of wood…” he laid in the silence and listened as a tiny set of hooves approached slowly.

“M-Mister Tree, sir?” She asked meekly, “I’m so sorry I broke your hunch. Should I go to the chokie?”

He sighed and rolled to the side, landing on his hooves and walked to her. “No, you’re not in trouble… Much trouble,” he said as her ears drooped.

She sniffled and poked the floor with her left hoof.

“You don’t get dessert tomorrow,” he said as he walked past her, “and what’s a chokie?”

She turned and followed him, ears and tail sagging. “Punish room in the back yard, it’s dark and scary.”

He continued ahead and turned to the living room. “Did you get hurt in there?”

“Huh? N-no. That’d be mean, like, guard mean. When we was bad,” she sniffled and looked up to him, gazing at his bouncing tail, “we’d be in there for a while until we said sorry and meaned it.”

A smile crossed his face, partly from relief, partly from the humor of it. “So, a timeout?”

“That’s what the elders called it, but,” she sighed and looked to his rear hooves as he led her, “I didn’t get it. We never ran out of time in there.”

Tree snorted and chuckled. “That’s good to know, Nova. Now, let’s clean this up,” he said pointing to the mess, “ya have any… oh, sorry,” he said looking to her shaved horn, “I’ll get a sweeper, don’t help until I clean up the glass.”

“Okay,” she said sitting on her flank and waiting. She watched as he swept, piled, and cleaned the broken glass he could reach.

“Did you know Three Nights once spent like, a whole dinner in the chokie?”

“Huh, interesting name and no, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, he,” she looked around for other listeners before she leaned closer to him as he walked past, “went potty under the table,” she giggled and covered her muzzle with her hooves.

“Oh my,” Tree replied as he walked past into the kitchen and returned quickly with a small garbage pail, “that was naughty of him,” he replied distractedly as he began to scoop the debris into the pail.

“Yeah,” she giggled loudly and fell to her side in a fit, “Miss Nights sitted in it when she was getting ready to eat night meal,” she said between breaths.

“Heh, okay, that was kinda funny,” he smirked as he finished cleaning the mess. “Just, wait there until I get back, I’m going to dump this in the bin.”

“...The bin?” She asked sitting up quickly.

“Garbage bin. Where we put our garbage,” he sneer condescendingly, “right?”

“Oh, you mean trash. You got weird words sometimes.”

He exhaled heavily as he crossed the kitchen. “This’ gonna be a long couple days.”

Chapter 9

Nova’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of birds chirping waking her up. The warmth of the sunlight warmed her ears and neck as it broke through the curtains. The scent of food cooking filled her senses.

With a soft hum she rolled her head and looked up with blinking eyes at the room. “M-mom? Mom?!” She shouted in a panic as she stood and ran to a corner of the room, trembling and scanning the room as the previous day’s events ran through her mind.

The door was cracked open and swung slowly ajar as Tree poked his head in. “Nova? C’mon-”

“Time for a busy day on the farm?” She asked hopefully.

“Uh, no actually,” he said with a smile, “I only help on the farm wednesdays, it’s only Moonday. Come, breakfast,” he bowed slightly, “is prepared for your highness.”

“...Okay,” she said as she went to her futon and pulled the sheets and blanket up, making it. “Moonday? You’re a night pony?”

“Only because my mom loved to watch the sky. It was her special talent; astronomy. In private I call Moonday. Out of respect for the stars and my mom… by the way, that’s a very good job, filly. Most children don’t make their own beds.”

“Mom always said ‘a made bed is a made day’.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll stick to that idea. I like it,” he said as he turned, “you know where the kitchen is, table’s set and we have a guest! I think you’ll like her. She’s part of the Ponyville Welcoming Committee, hurry along,” he said in a higher tone as his tail left her room.

With almost ravenous curiosity Nova left her bed and ran after him without finishing her bed.

“Who’s the guest? What’s the committee? What’s a committee? What’s for breakfast? I don’t have to eat ‘slop’, do I? Mom made hers with crickets and ‘hoppers, mostly, are yours with the same or…” she stopped after she bumped into his legs. Looking around she noticed a new pony; a mare with her mane in long braids sitting at the far end of the table.

“H-hi,” Nova whispered as she peeked from behind his legs.

“Howdy, name’s Apple Smith of the Apple clan. What’s yer name?” The green mare asked.

“...”

“C’mon, you’re always talking and now you’re gonna be quiet?” He mused.

“Well, here’s a bushel of fresh picked apples ta say ‘Welcome ta Ponyville,” she said reaching below the height of the table next to herself, and lifted it to the surface, pushing it to the middle with a warm grin. “Best apples in Equestria, guaranteed.”

“Nova,” she said as she stared at the bushel containing no less than twelve of the largest, plumpest apples of all colors and varieties she’d ever seen that dwarfed the one she’d gotten the night before, “My name’s Nova and I’m hungry,” she said quickly as she pranced around him and reached to grab an apple with a wide mouth.

“Now, wait a little bit, Nova. Breakfast first, and great news; It’s high quality slop!” Apple and Nova looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Take a seat by a plate and I’ll pour you a ladle.”

Nova sighed and rested her chin on the table, blowing air through her lips making a gurgling sound.

Carrying a pot to the table he tossed a coaster on the table with his right hoof and placed the pot on it before turning around and going back to the stove. “Last, but not least, my specialty… da, da, ta, da~” he placed a pan directly on the table.

Nova’s eyes widened to the max as she looked at the cooked dish. “Wh-what’s that? It’s not slop, at least,” she leaned closer and sniffed intensely, “mmm, not like Mom’s.”

“It’s a quiche… oh crud… no, wait,” he smiled as he looked at her, “you eat bugs. A little manticore’ll be okay, right?”

“Uhm… isn’t that, meat?”

Apple and Tree looked between each other; then nodded.

“YUM! I love mannycores. We got them on Stallions Day and Hearths Warming eve; in honor of… something,” Nova grinned as she pushed her plate closer to the pan.

With a wide grin he lifted the lid to the pot and placed a ladle in it, scooping a large ball of oats and hay, among other things to her plate, then a scoop of manticore quiche.

Nova inhaled and held her breath. “Thankyouforthismealandtakecareofalltheslavesand momandmeandmyrealfamilyamen,” she inhaled and opened her mouth, lunged at her plate, and took a large bite of the quiche.

She giggled as she chewed and pressed her hooves to her cheeks before she fell back and swallowed, exhaling a squeak as she sat up and took another bite, this time with a second, smaller bite of the grains.

Apple and Tree looked at each other and then to the filly that was gobbling her meal like a ravenous animal.

“Uh, Sugar Bowl,” Apple said, “ya gonna taste any’a that?”

“Nah, just wait… I kinda found her yesterday and she hasn’t eaten since, probably before then,” he commented as he took a ladle and filled Apple’s plate. Then his own.

“Seconds, please!”

Tree grinned widely. “Well, at least somepony’s enjoy my cooking,” he said returning to the pot and refilling her plate.

“Ugmf,” Nova gulped her mouthful of oats, “hey, you lied! This isn’t slop,” she frowned, “this is Holiday food… oh my,” she swallowed again, “it’s not a holiday, is it? I’m not wearing a scarf or anything! Um, Miss Apple, can I borrow a scarf?”

Apple chuckled softly into her hoof and shook her head. “Ain’t no holiday fer a few weeks, and even then it’s only some unicorn day… say,” Apple inhaled and blushed after looking at the filly’s forehead, “Ah-Ah’m sorry, little miss, reckon Ah didn’t know or mean ta insult yer tribe.”

“Huh? Oh, this?” She tapped her horn, “It’ll grow back in a year, or something.”

“Well, this’ an interesting meal but I think it’s time we all ate. It’ll be an interesting day for you, Nova; you’re going to learn about farm work.”

“Not much, though,” Apple interjected, “just helpin’ the kin do some chores and whatnot. Mostly easy work while they tend to the orchard and plots.”

Nova’s ears drooped and she covered her mouth in shock. “Y-you said a bad word.”

Tree looked at Apple knowingly. “Oh,” Apple chirped, blushing slightly, “Ah, well, Ah mean a plot’a land fer tillin’ and growin’... not, back there.”

“...Oh~” Nova said as she slowly took in the information, “you mean plantation work,” she nodded and took another bite of her meal.

Apple’s jaw opened as she stared at Nova.

“Now, let’s talk about details later. Let’s just get fed and on with our day,” Tree interjected with a grin.

Chapter 10

“Welcome ta Apple Farms. Ya know, my pa got the land from Celestia herself a few years ago,” Apple said as she entered the front gate, “now we’re a small town. Rumor is they’re gonna finish the railroad through the edge of town here before winter, ain’t that excitin’?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I’ve never been on a train, but I’ve got lots of plantation work experience.”

“...How old are ya?”

“Uhm,” Nova looked to the dirt path beneath her hooves, “I think about eight or nine.”

“Uh, and you still talk like a filly? Have ya any schoolin’? Ya know numbers and how ta read?”

“Nah, don’t need that to plant food. They said I’ve got a green hoof, even for a retarded unicorn.”

“Okay,” Apple held out a foreleg and stopped, halting Nova in place, “no more… Ah’ve done heard enough, young mare.”

Nova looked at her and cantered slowly to face Apple.

“Now, yer smart, strong, and no matter what anypony says; you’re free. This ain’t a plantation and everypony here is free ta leave if’n they want. Reckon y’all can hit the road back ta Tree’s when ya want,” she said before leaning closer with narrowed eyes and a deeper, firmer voice, “ya ain’t gonna say nothin’ bad about yerself again, y’hear?”

Nova recoiled as Apple spoke and nodded as she finished.

“Now,” Apple said standing tall, “we’re almost to the barn where we’re gonna meet cousin Grape Seed and get our chore. Sound fine’n dandy?”

“Y-yeah… You’re kinda scary.”

“Oh,” Apple rolled her eyes, “Ah’m just a carin’ soul and Ah’ve gotta large enough family. If’n ya talk like ya did yer liable ta get an earful. Now, trot with me, Nova, cain’t be too late.”

“I like your cutie mark… it looks yummy.”

Apple chuckled. “Thanks, it’s an apple pie. Ah got it when Ah was making a bunch fer sale on our travels across the lands.”

They arrived to the barn, exchanged greetings, and got their chores.

“Huh,” Nova said as she looked across the orchard.

“‘Huh’ what?”

“I just thought the work’d be a lot harder. I was doing stuff like this a few months after I started on the plantation.”

Apple glared down to Nova. “Don’t use that word here, ever. Our history started on one’a them and we bought our freedom five generations ago. Then,” she sighed as she led Nova towards the farming land, “Ah was a yearling when a gryphon tribe set our land on fire. Spent the next ten years lookin’ fer a new home.

“If’n we didn’t cross paths with Celestia we’d be movin’ on. Reckon we got lucky and we ain’t goin’ through that again,” she said motioning to the dozens of trees and few ponies in the fields and orchards, “all under the watch of Canterlot. One’a the safest places in the world, Celestia promised.”

“Wow, so, you know her? Celestia, that is?”

“Well, we met, that’s enough. Now, here we are; start workin’ and Ah’ll get some tools fer my chores… And don’t worry if’n ya don’t get it right away.”

…

“Whoo-wee! Ah declare, you’re as good as Brother Buck! A great day’s work, let’s head back to the farmhouse and get ya washed up ‘fore ya head home… ya ain’t even frothy,” Apple noticed, “yer a workhorse of another color.”

“I’m purple.”

Apple burst into laughter as raised a hoof, bringing it down across Nova’s withers with a loud thump. “Yer a hoot. Ah c’n tell we’ll be the best a’ pals.”

Nova winced and coughed lightly with a growing smile. “Ah think Ah’d like that,” she replied with a heavy accent.

With another burst of raucous laughter, Apple raised her voice to the other ponies that were walking around them. “We got a new Apple to tha clan!”

Cheers and whoops resonated around them as Nova began to hop with ever couple paces.

“Congrats, Nova, you’re an honorary Apple fer life. Ain’t no gettin’ outta it, filly,” Apple said patting her head.

“I haven’t been part of a clan before… what’s it like?” Nova asked as she tossed her purple mane, her eyes sparkling.

Apple chuckled again. “Well, just mean’s part’a the family, young’n. Ah now ya been in a family, just now yer in a bigger one.”

“O~h,” Nova replied, “so, like, are there any children my age I can play with?”

“Oh boy howdy, ya betcha! Most’re workin’ the far fields or helpin’ ‘round town. Y’all’ll meet’m soon enough…” Apple stopped and reared back onto her rear legs and shouted very loudly, “new member of the clan, fillies and colts, c’mon over.”

Nova’s ears fell to her head as she cantered away before she hears, even through the muffled world, the sounds of other youth screaming and approaching.

Ears perking she turned towards the south east and, with mouth slowly opening in awe, she saw a half dozen children galloping towards her full of youth and vigor.

“CanIplaywiththemokaythanksbye!”

Like a dog running after a squirrel she bolted ahead, her ears, tail, mane, and finally her tongue were waving in the air as she barrelled towards them.

With a loud shout she announced the first game and not one other child missed a beat. “HIDE AND SEEK!!”

Every filly and colt scattered, hiding as quickly as they could as Nova stopped and fell to her chest, counting loudly.

“To six! One, two, three, four, five, SIX!”

Apple and a dozen other members of her family stopped to watch and laugh as Nova began to gallop around the area and peek under bushels of hay, large trees, wagons, and even managed to find one that had scaled a stack of water barrels and was hiding near the top.

With a high pitched squeal another colt shouted the next game, tag, after which the adults turned and resumed their joyous movements to the farmhouse.

Chapter 11

“And then we played ‘dig a hole’, I thought it was gonna be lame, but it was a lotta fun! We had to dig a hole exactly two hooves deep and plant an apple seed and fill it back up. It was farming and fun!”

“Well, sounds like somepony had a fantastic day! Did you remember to wash your hooves?”

“Eeyup! And my privates after I went to the bathroom.”

Tree blushed as he lifted the ladle in his magic and poured her a bowl of stew, full of chunky vegetables.

“Yeah, it was a great day. I still have to pond walk to clean up, but after that-”

“Pond walk? I have a bathtub in the backyard. Feel free to use it. I’m going to use it after supper if you’re willing to join me.”

“Boy, would I?! There’s still so much I have to tell you about today!” She chirped excitedly as she pursed her lips and slurped some stew. “Mmmm, you’re a great cooker.”

“Thanks. As long as you like it, I’ll cook it.”

“...” She slurped another sip and grinned, “yay,” she whispered quietly.

“Huh? I didn’t cat-”

“YAY!” She screamed as loud as she could at him. He stumbled back and held a hoof over his chest, feeling his beating heart as she hopped on the table and pointed at him. “Gotcha, Mo- I mean, uh,” she tapped her chin and shrugged, “Dad. I gotcha good!”

Tree inhaled deeply and smiled proudly at her for a moment before he shook his head. “W-wait, no! I’m not ready to be a dad, just, let’s eat… you did get me but let’s see what happens with Nurse Tender tomorrow and go from there, okay?” He asked as he took to his hooves and returned to pour himself a bowl.

“Oh, fine, Mister Tree,” she huffed as she hopped to the floor.

“That’s… not much better, but we’ll talk about it later. Now, what exactly did you play with the others,” he asked slurping his stew as well as her.

…

The bathtub was large enough for three adult ponies to bathe in, at least, back where Nova was from. She commented on just that.

“Oh, This is also where a few of the neighbors wash cloths and, on certain hot days or really cold nights, we adults’ll have a party and it’s a great place to play games.”

“Oh, okay,” she said as she got into the tepid water with a nudge from his magic. With a small splash she surfaced and gasped. “It’s cold.”

“Better than a communal cesspool,” he said as he climbed in with her and slowly sank chin deep with a sigh. “I know about two unicorns who’re gonna make a stop by in a week… if you’re still here I’ll pay them and we’ll get a heating gem from them, if they have it.”

“What’s that?” Nova asked as she moved her bangs from her eyes and blinked her eyes clear of water.

“Magic rocks that makes hot water,” he groaned as she pushed himself up, “time to scrub the day away,” he sighed. Grabbing a brush in his magic he plopped it in the water between them and leaned out to grab a bar of soap, carefully, with his teeth.

First he bared his teeth at Nova making her cringe back before he raised the stiff bristled brush to his mouth and scrubbed his teeth and tongue.

“Ugk, at least mom knows I’m brushing my teeth a few times a week,” he said as he spat water into the tub after rinsing his mouth clean of soap and suds. “Now, ladies first, mane to hoof; front to back is how my family always washed.”

“Oh, I know. The neighbors and me too,” she said closing her eyes and letting her ears sag as he scraped the brush against the bar of soap in his hoof. He lightly started at the top of her head and around her horn then her neck, back, and forelegs.

“There ya go, now the rest is up to you. I know better than to wash a female in certain places unless she’s part of the herd.”

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “What’re you talkin’ about? It’s just-”

“Ahh-la-la-la-la-da-da-hush! I have enough on my plate, I don’t need to know what you know about back there. Just, wash you and I’ll wash me.”

“...Is this because you don’t have a vagina?”

At that moment his hoof found the bar of soap under the water and slipped. He fell into the water gasping for air and panicked.

Thrashing he splashed and gargled on water, he found his footing just before he felt a strong shove against just above his tail, sending him out of the tub and flying into the dirt several feet out of the water with a splat.

“Ugggghh…” he coughed and stood up, shaking himself dry from mane to tail before he looked back to the tub to see Nova’s eyes and drooping ears directed at him.

“You okay? You were kinda, dying.”

He stared at her as he walked back to the tub and climbed in. “I’m fine. Now, uhm, just, let me clean myself from the day and the fresh coat of dirt I put on… and Nova.”

“Huh?” She asked softly as she washed herself under the water.

“Don’t headbutt me again, that wasn’t necessary.”

“But, I didn’t touch you,” she said as her hooves surfaced holding the bar of soap out to him.

“You are one, interesting filly. But, don’t lie. You won’t get in trouble as long as you tell the truth,” he said taking the soap and lathering his body once and moving the brush to the top of his head and beginning to brush vigorously.

“But, I’m not lying, Mister Tree.”

He rolled his eyes. After a minute he finished and dunked himself under, squirming to rinse the soap from his body.

“So,” he told her as he surfaced, “tell me all about today again.”

Grinning she inhaled and began to recount the day’s events to him as he laid back and looked at the stars, twinkling overhead. The mare in the moon was barely visible as the moon was waning. Time seemed to have no meaning as he lost himself in thoughts and what-if’s.

“...and then I asked if it was because you didn’t have a vagina and then you started to die in the water-”

He exhaled and moved his head so he could look at her and end the ramblings she was giving him.

“And then I did this,” she said throwing her hooves forward and sending a light purple spark from her horn to her hooves. He barely managed a ‘gah’ before the tub cracked and he was sent flying from the tub, tumbling through the dirt and grass.

He looked at her with shock and awe as the tub leaked the last of its water and Nova stood, leaning her forelegs over the side. “And then you were there, only not as far… And that was the day!”

He could feel the dirt turning to mud across himself and let his head fall into the dirt.

“Hey! Mister Tree, you’re gonna get dirty before bed like that!”

He closed his eyes and grumbled to himself. “Nope, not gonna be a dad anytime soon.”

Chapter 12

“...and then she magicked me out of the bath and across the lawn! What’s the deal, Tender? Can you explain this to me?”

“J-, Tree, please, she has no horn,” she said softly to Tree as they stood outside the door to the clinic room Nova was in. She listened absently as she played with the stethoscope, “she can’t use magic. Not only that with no training she has no experience and,” she pointed to her own horn, “I know a thing or three about magic.

“I know you do as well, but honestly, you only use basic magic and even that’s rare since you moved out here. Just let me handle the magic and you can use those blue eyes of yours to watch over her. Now, stay calm and just treat her like a normal filly and her wounds are healing fine. If you can’t handle her, you can always move her to the Apple’s farm.”

“...I-”

“Agh!” Nova shouted with a giggle. “Agh. Oo~o. Bla~h-”

“She’s found the fun of talking into it, it seems,” Tender giggled to herself as she peeked into the room. Nova was lying on her back, stethoscope in her ears and she was making noises into the earpiece.

“Fine, I’ll mull it over. As long as she’s healing from being almost -eaten-” he hissed quietly, “by another pony on a plantation a days trot from here.”

“Mister Tree, please. It wasn’t her fault and it seems she’s luckier than most. I’ve used advanced healing magics on her wounds so they’ll be closed by morning and then you can send her on her way or whatever-”

“Hey,” he replied harshly but quietly, “I am not sending a filly into the wilds on her own! She’s staying with me and that’s…” he stopped when he notices Tender was smirking and had her eyebrows raised.

“Is that so, ‘Dad’?”

“She told you about that?”

“All she does is talk, Tree, and you know that better than anypony here,” she reached and shoved his chest lightly, “it’s just good to know you care so much, even though you don’t have a vagina,” she giggled as he rolled his eyes with a huff. “Honestly though, you know the Apple’s will always take her in if you can’t handle it.”

“Maybe I can’t,” he said bringing a hoof through his chestnut mane. He looked at his brown coat and sighed at the darker specks of dirt that still clung to his body. “Maybe I just need to keep her safe until we find her parents or family.”

“Tree, you know as well as I do that she’s most likely an orphan, just… don’t eat more hay than your stomach can handle, okay?”

“Is that a euphemism or advice from the doctor?”

“Both, and I’m a nurse,” she said raising a foreleg and placing it on his cheek, “the whole town’s still here for you. We’re going to help you get your merchandise replaced and get you traveling again. It’s what makes you happy, and the whole town knows it.”

“But, now I’ve got a filly to watch over-”

“I’m not a filly,” Nova shouted from the room.

“...we’ll finish this later. I’ve got a young mare to get fed and whatnot.”

“That’s fine. Oh, and good job with the bath last night, it meant a lot to her.”

Tree blushed slightly. “Yeah, taking a bath alone is just, well, lonely.”

“You’ve got a heart as big as a horse, Tree. Just, follow it.”

“Okay, okay,” he pulled back from her hoof on his cheek, “it’s almost mid morning, I’ve got chores. I’ll collect her and get out of your mane.”

She slapped his cutie mark as he passed.

“Tender…”

“Just reminding you of my name,” she winked.

“I remember plenty,” she smirked as he pushed the door open. “Nova, time to go, we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

“Okie dokie!” Nova shouted and whimpered, “I’ll take these off now,” she said taking the stethoscope and dropping it to the floor as she trotted from the room.

“See ya later Miss Tender.”

“Have a great day, Nova!”

…

“Well howdy to the newest Apple on the tree,” Apple said as she met Nova on the path, “Ah’ve been waitin’ a good few minutes fer ya. Glad ya made it, let’s get ta work,” she said jubilantly as she pronked in place, “we’re takin’ it easy and you’re workin’ with the other children. They’ll show ya how ta work like an Apple seed.”

“Ha! I get it,” Nova said looking to the orchard, “will I be over there?”

“Nah, can’t have apples fallin’ on yer heads. Y’all’re gonna be workin’ the plots and plantin’ seeds. Still time ta plant and harvest corn so we’re gonna do it, and maybe a bit more.”

“Oh, sounds easy peasy.”

“Heh, eeyup.”

“Young’ns, Nova’s here!”

The other youth stopped their playing and galloped over gleefully, whisking Nova into themselves and taking her away like she was part of a swarm of fish.

“Have fun! Ah’ll be watchin’ over y’all from right over there.”

The children replied with various acknowledgments.

…

Hours passed and the afternoon approached. The youth had several snacks and time to play; a blissful change for Nova from the year and a half she’d been a slave.

“Chow’s on! Lunch spread’s ready,” a mare shouted from a distance away.

Nova followed the other children and around the building, gawking at a large table set up, piled with all varieties of foods and snacks.

Nova stopped running to a walk and looked wide eyes at the table. “Where was this yesterday?”

“Who cares! Chow time,” a colt said as he passed her in a gallop.

Nova felt drool running down her chin and wiped it quickly as she joined the others in line. She was handed a plate and balanced it on her head and wasted no time moving it to her teeth and grabbing any and all items she could to fill what her eyes said her stomach could hold.

“Well, some filly’s a bit hungry,” Apple’s mother said from the head of the table.

“Yes, ma’am!” Nova shouted as she turned and joined the other fillies and colts on the grass, laying the plate on her forelegs, and began nibbling a little of each item, loving each morsel.

“Excuse me, ponies,” A stallion shouted from the path garnering the attention of nearly off the Apples. Nova’s ears fell to her head and she crawled back until she bumped into a foreleg.

A large hat fell on her head and Apple’s mother quietly murmured. “Grape Juice,” then trotted away to greet the approaching ponies.

Chapter 14

“What’s that?” Nova asked as she and several other children played.

“I dunno, reckon it’s shiny! Mine!” a spot coated colt shouted as he bit it, carrying it away in a game of keep away.

“Nuh-uh! I saw it first,” she giggled as she gave chase. Watching him move as she chased him, he seemed to slow down this time. Whatever it was it was shiny, and she’d seen it first.

With a determined grunt she looked at the thing sparkling in his teeth and wanted it.

With a jolt time resumed to its normal speed and the colt yipped and tumbled head over flank landing on his side, giggling.

Nova looked to the ground between her hooves, at the shining jewel. Her eyes reflected in its polished surfaces as she looked at it.

She picked it up in her mouth and galloped back to Apple and spat it out on a bale of hay next to the mare. “What’s this?!”

“Huh? T’ain’t never seen one’a them. Ain’t a diamond… maybe somepony else knows,” she said. “Hey, anypony here know gems?!” She shouted into the orchard and farmland beyond.

A quiet response came from the distance. “Yeah, be there in a tick.”

Several minutes later a peach colored earth pony mare trotted up and cantered to the side, showing off her cutie mark of a sunflower with sapphires as pedals.

“Name’s Safflower,” the mare nodded, “what’s the gem, if’n Ah don’t know, y’all’re gonna hafta go ta canterlot ta get the next best answer.”

“Here, Saffy, look, this’n sure is a nice one,” Apple said hoofing it over.

“Well, Ah’ll be… filly, ya found this on this here land?” She said rolling the shaped gem in her left hoof.

“Uh, y-yes ma’am.”

“Apple, this here’s arcanamite, if there’s even a little deposit here,” Safflowers smile turned to a grin, “we can buy a hundred more acres’a land! Heck, cousin Loosa can finally start his own farmin’ town like he’s always wanted! We coul- mmph.”

Apple looked caringly at Safflower. “Filly, it’s a real nice gem ya found. Ya get ta keep it since ya found the first one, now,” she said taking her hoof from Safflowers muzzle, “what’s the deal?”

“This gem is very magical. Any unicorn would pay a ransom for just that jem, cuz! If there’s more, we can be rich and buy farmland across the nation,” Safflower said beginning to pant in excitement, “filly-”

“Nova,” Apple interjected.

“Nova, can ya show me where ya plucked this’n from?”

“Y-yes ma’am.”

Safflower grinned in an almost scary way at Nova, waiting for her to lead her.

A minute later Nova pointed to exactly where the gem was and gasped as Safflower pushed her back and began to dig like a dog after it’s lost bone.

Every child was laughing, except Nova, who was looking at the gem she held in her right hoof with curious awe.

…

“Well, that sure is a nice diamond,” Tree said as she dropped it on the supper table.

“It’s called arc-a-mice and it’s magical. Saffy said so,” Nova said as she poked it.

“Well, what’s so magic about it?” He asked moving closer to look at it.

“I’unno. Maybe it makes magic more magic?” She gasped, “what if I can summon a dragon and ride it?! What if I can make stuff with my magic that can…” she stopped as she noticed the look of disbelief on his face. “What?”

She looked to the gem, hovering on the table between her forehooves. With a gasp the gem fell to the table and rolled to a flat side, still between her hooves.

“Wow,” they both said in unison.

“Nova, you don’t have a horn, how’d you do that?”

“Uh… I’unno. Maybe it’s the gem.”

“Maybe. Hmm,” he looked at the gem making several faces before shrugging and using magic to lift it closer to him. “Huh?” He tried again; the gem lay still.

“What’s wrong?”

“I, can’t, pick, it… up,” he said starting to strain, the blue aura from his horn was beginning to glow brighter while the gem was unaffected completely.

“Well, maybe you need to use magic on it,” she suggested as she looked at it. It lifted from the table and hovered high enough for her to slide her hoof under it. She giggled and looked to Tree as he exhaled a heavy breath and slumped.

“H-how? You don’t have a horn, know how to use magic, or… anything, he sighed as he rubbed the flesh beneath his horn, “how’d you do that?”

‘I’unno-”

“Stop saying that! For Pastures sake, just, what the hay are you?” He huffed as he stood and stormed from the room grumbling.

She looked at him and sighed. “You need to calm down.”

His ears swiveled and he stopped. “I… I need to calm down. I’ll be in my hammock for a few minutes… to calm down.” He turned and went to his room leaving Nova alone to gawk at her new gem and it’s ability to float under her command.

Chapter 15

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Nova gasped and grinned as she walked into her home. She looked to Tree and his smile just before she galloped to hug him tightly.

“Thanks, bro! You’re the best! I’ve never had a birthday like this before,” she giggled.

The living room was decorated in streamers, had her name on painted planks, and various hoofmade toys were scattered around the room.

“Happy birthday, sugar bowl, y’all’ve been here fer two months and ya never told us when, so might’a well be now,” Apple said as the room full of ponies dispersed and filtered out into the lawn to continue festivities and to set up more fun in the yard.

With a flurry of giggles the house nearly emptied, leaving Apple and Tree alone to nuzzle one another while Nova looked at the cake. She turned to exclaim her joy but stopped to see her surrogate brother and employer engaged in a romantic gesture.

“Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh! I can’t believe it! Best birthday EVER, she screamed at the top of her lungs, bolting from the room and laughing as she galloped around the yard, full of energy.

“Well, reckon the secret’s out,” Apple hummed as she kissed Tree on the cheek.

“Heh, eeyup. But, no bother. You know she was going to find out eventually… perhaps, next spring,” he winked.

Apple giggled and pushed him, sending him stumbling aside, slipping on a small toy, and falling onto his flank giggling. “Ya can’t expect ta start a family that quick, can ya?”

He chuckled in a deep tone. “Eeyup. I don’t see why not, what with our being in love and all; no reason to hold it off.”

“Heh, traditional,” she said softly walking to him, her braided hair swaying behind her as she looked seductively at him, “Ah think the farm could use a little more help a bit sooner.”

He gulped and stopped smiling. “Wh-what’d you mean b-by that?”

“Tonight, meet me in the barn. Ah’ll show ya how an Apple wrestles,” she said softly before turning and trotting away quickly out of the house, leaving a stallion with a nervous sweat and a growing smile alone.

…

“That was the best, day, EVER!”

“Heh, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Nova. I think it’s about bed time,” he insisted, rushing her to the bathroom, “hurry and do your business, I’ll get your bed ready.”

“Okay! Thanks, bro, you’re the best! Reckon if Ah ever need something you’re there for me, I don’t say it enough, but I love you.”

“Heh, go on ya little whippersnapper. I’ll see you in a few.”

She cantered into the restroom and closed the door on the smiling stallion.

“A couple hours and I’ll be asleep, a couple hours and I’ll be asleep,” Tree sang hopping to her room, “a couple hours and I’ll be asle~ep, after I roll in the hay,” he hurriedly made her room ready.

He made sure a cup of water was ready, the window was cracked slightly, and the lantern was dim.

She walked into her room, stifling a yawn.

“I don’t wanna hear ‘I’m not tired’, you had a huge day, little mare. Now, take off your necklace and get some sleep.”

“I am tired,” she said as she removed the gem that was tied with a string onto a hemp necklace, placing it beside her bed, “today was crazy fun. I,” she yawned again, squeaking this time, “I’m sleepy as,” she crawled into bed and sighed. Without finishing her sentence she began to doze.

“Good night, Nova. Remember, you’re always loved and never have to go back to that place.”

“Hmm,” she sighed as she gladly embraced sleep.

“Yesss,” he hoof pumped and back trotted from the room, closing the door almost all the way. He left the house quickly, leaving her alone in the safety of her bed.

...

“Starlight Nova?

...Starlight Nova,” a female voice whispered from the aether between Nova’s sleep and the world of the awake.

“Your time to grow approaches, the time for loss and learning is ahead of you but do not worry, you will have the power to change the fates of many ponies across the realm… as long as you believe in yourself.

I grant you the first gift. You shall have more control over; the gift of insight. After this you will be on your own to learn the ways of the world, nature, and the forces that control the world you know and beyond.”

…

Chapter 16

With a slight frown the sleeping filly grumbled as the gem glowed lightly. With a bright flash it glowed a soft purple, casting a soft light across the room.

Nova’s face scrunched and she turned over, away from the glowing gem and sinking back into a deeper sleep, unknowing of the change within her.

…

Nova woke up with a mighty yawn and pulled her tongue from the roof of her mouth making a clicking sound before her muzzle closed. She dragged a hoof across her face and opened her eyes, wincing as the sunlight flashed through the window and into her eyes.

“Ugh, what a weird sleep,” she said rolling to her belly and forcing herself up. She climbed from her bed and grasped the necklace, slipping it over her head and the feeling of the gem hitting her chest was a good reminder of the joys the day had to bring.

Making her bed and doing her morning routine she entered the kitchen and looked around.

He wasn’t there for the first time. No food, no drinks, no jokes, or hugs.

Her ears sagged as she looked around the kitchen and went to a cabinet, opened it, and took out a small bowl of dried fruits.

She set it on the table and began to pick through it, eating what she felt would taste the best and wincing as she came across the occasional blueberry. “Ick, nasty fruits,” she huffed, finally done with the small meal.

She listened intently and left the kitchen, stopping suddenly and turning around to clean up what little mess she’d made from fruit bits falling to the table and floor as well as putting the bowl back away, making sure to cover it with a soft cloth to keep most bugs out.

She left the kitchen with a smile and clear conscience and checked the rest of the house to no avail.

She noticed the small cat clock on the wall. “Eight thirty? And he’s not home? Maybe he had to run an errand, yeah, that’s it,” she said as she looked around the living room.

“It’s so quiet being here alone… Wait, I’m home alone,” she whispered. Her ears perked up and she looked around excitedly at what she could possibly do that she couldn’t before.

She felt her heart race quickly as a naughty thought crossed her mind. She looked around and trotted to her room, closed the window, then made sure all the doors and windows were shut before she returned to the living room.

She lay on the floor and inhaled. “POOP!” She listened at the silence and giggled.

“Turd! Pee-pee head,” she giggled to herself and continued using colorful words for the next few seconds before she hopped to her hooves and ran to the window, pressed her forehead to it, and stuck out her tongue, licking the window a bit, exhaling heavily.

She leaned back quickly and giggled at the awkward outline of her face then turned around and jumped up onto the couch. "BUTT!"

“Poop on the floor with teeth brushes!” she leapt from the couch to a rocking chair and farted, loudly.

She scampered quickly from the rocker and to the floor then back to her room, back to bed, rolled on her sheets and covers like a dog in grass giggling. “B-word! F-word! Ass!”

She rolled to her hooves and began jumping on her bed, giggling and chortling.

Before she knew it she was in the bathroom and looking into the water basin. She poured a small amount of water into it and dipped her nose into it, blowing a lung full of bubbles.

Then she sucked some water into her mouth, turned and spit it, at an arc, at the pitcher. Getting a little in the pitcher and most missing she huffed.

“How do colts make it look so easy?” She frowned and tried again, and again. She grunted and left the bathroom turning into Tree’s room, stopping just inside the threshold her ears fell flat to her head and she stopped.

Looking around she back stepped from the room and closed the door softly. “I love you,” she whispered to the door and turned around, back to the living room. There was a small spot of sunlight entering from the window she’d licked a few minutes before and it called to her.

She jumped to it, lay down, and sighed. She relaxed and sighed. “Ahh, this’ amazing,” she cooed to herself. “I hope he’s okay, maybe Apple knows where-” she sat up and looked at the door with a smirk, “could they be…”

She stood and opened the door quickly, turned and grabbed her tan stetson hat then shut the door, galloping to the farm.

She looked around and saw the usual hustle and bustle of the farm, albeit a little slower than normal as the day was starting a bit warm.

“Howdy, Nova!”

“Nova! Great ta see ya, girl.”

“NOVA, wanna play tag?”

“Hey everypony, I’m lookin’ for Tree or Apple, ya know where they are?”

“Well, saw ‘em gettin’ cozy earlier in the far orchard down yonder,” a stallion pointed with a cheeky grin, “seven minutes trot if’n ya leave now.”

“‘K, thanks, bye,” Nova said trotting quickly down the way he’d pointed.

Seven minutes later she’d reached a spot where she could see them. The brown stallion and green mare; lying on a short hill and gazing over the untilled land the Apple’s owned but didn’t have the pony’s to manage it yet.

“Ahh, last night, my Applesauce, was amazing.”

“Heh, you gave me applesauce, alright,” Apple giggled as she leaned over and nipped his ear, sending a twitch across his body.

“...Tree?” Tree gasped and turned quickly. “Are you alright?”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry, Nova. I forgot about breakfast. I’ll-”

“No, no. It’s alright, I ate some fruit and… came right over,” she forced a smile.

“Well,” so did I,” he said as Apple gasped and shoved his side, sending him rolling over once. “Ow! You’re so strong you could pick up a cow,” he said rubbing his side.

“Ah would, but they’re not mah type.”

“Yeah…” Tree’s eyes crossed and his brow furrowed, “wait, what?”

Apple guffawed and rolled her eyes as she got to all fours and turned away, back to the farmhouse. “Hush puppy take care’a the filly. Ah’ll be doin’ my chores and workin’ up a good sweat,” she winked.

Tree swallowed hard and smirked as he watched as Apple sache’d away for a few lengths before returning to a normal trot.

“Is she in heat?” Nova asked looking back to Tree who was watching the mare leave.

“Huh? Yeah, sure, uh, let’s get back to… uh, Apple, and,” he blinked several times and looked at Nova, who’s head was leaning to the side. “What?”

“Stallions are weird. Let’s get some food, I’m really hungry again.”

“Yeah,” he hopped up and trotted after Apple, “let’s get some food! I’m hungry too. Lots of exercise last night, uh, farm work,” he grinned to her and promptly bumped into an apple tree, making no less than four apples fall on his head.

“Hey, spiffy! Thanks, Tree… for running into that tree,” she giggled and grabbed an apple. “They won’t mind a couple missing, right?”

“Not after last night… I mean, nah, it’s cool. I worked it out last night with Apple.”

“...Why’re you talking so weird? Is this what stallions do when a mare’s in heat? Why’re you so weird? Do you like Apple? Cuz that’s gross, she’s, like, totally cool.”

He groaned and rubbed his shoulder that hit the tree. “Hey, I’m cool too,” he said before another apple conked his head, “still cool!”

“Gruh, boys,” she said biting the apple and holding it in her hoof while she walked past him on three legs, “I’m never getting a coltfriend.”

“Yeah, you say that now. Wait a couple years, you won’t be able to make up your mind,” he said following her closely before passing her, “meet ya back home!”

Chapter 17

The bells rang loudly and ponies cheered, echoing across the valley and into the snow covered hills creating a small avalanche in the distance.

Tree and Apple trotted from the barn, sides pressed together as they looked around, amid the hail of various plant, fruit, and vegetable seeds they were being bombarded with as they grinned proudly.

A large warmed tarp gazebo had been set up, the weather over the farm was set to a light snowfall, and inside the gazebo was a plethora of vegetarian delights with a small table set up just separate with various fish dishes and eggs.

Nova couldn’t have been happier and she gabbed most of the afternoon of the celebration to everypony how she knew they’d be getting married.

Nova spent the next couple nights at the Apple’s farmhouse, even though she didn’t know why she couldn’t sleep at her own, she had a great time with her new siblings. As far as she was concerned, she was an Apple, and no pony could tell her otherwise.

With time and help from Tender and Tree, her horn began to grow to a usable size and she began to learn basic magic techniques.

…

“Okay, sis, now, focus the magic from your chest to your mind, then with your mind feel your horn and the tip of it. That’s good,” Tree said softly as he, Apple, and Nova sat in a large porcelain bathtub he’d received as a wedding gift.

Nova was lifting a bar of soap, slowly moving it from a table beside the tub to her own hooves… then it slipped from her grip.

With a large splash and a round of chuckles Tree reached in and gripped the bar between his hooves. “Don’t worry, sis. You’ll get there before you know it. Now, if only you could find out the secret to lifting that gem.”

Nova reached to her chest and lifted the gem, looking down and seeing it glowing in it’s ethereal purple glow and shrugged. “Magic doesn’t work on it, but my secret does.”

Apple moved closer to it and poked it with her hoof. “Ah still don’t get it, a gem that ain’t magic, but is? Y’all unicorns’re fill of confusin’ messes. Ain’t no sense ta magic, Ah say. Just use’n yer hooves’n gettin’r done’s all a pony needs.”

Nova looked at Apple. “Huh?”

Tree and Apple laughed as they leaned back, forelegs draped over the sides of the tub. “Honey, even I have some trouble understanding you sometimes. Hope our foals don’t have any troubles,” Tree said as he sighed, post laugh.

“Well, three months and I’ll be ready to carry… Hope yer ready,” Apple said factly.

Nova gulped and looked around, wide eyed.

“So, you mean I could have a sister, or something?”

“Heh, seems like it,” Tree said sinking into the water and dowsing his mane. He was under for several seconds before Apple yelped and giggled, squirming in the water and splashing.

“Gah,” she reached down and pulled him above the water and to her eye level, c’mere ya galoot.”

“MMmpgh,” was all he could get out as she kissed him.

“Ugh, eew! Yuck, ya know I’m here, right? Sheesh, I’m never getting married if it means I hafta kiss,” she said climbing from the tub and splatting on the floor. “I’m clean, I’ll see you for my tuck-in,” she said shaking slightly then grabbing a towel in her teeth and walking to the door. “And don’t take forever this time… ick,” she stuck out her tongue and slammed the door on the married couple.

“So gross,” she sighed as she dried herself in her room, tossing the towel in a heap near the door as she walked across her bed and reared to look out the window.

“Uh, hi again, stars. Th-thanks, ya know, for granting my wish. And, ya know, for giving me a family and a sister soon. I guess I wished the right way, huh?” She yawned, squeaking, “and, I hope you all grant another wish for another pony that needs it, because, ya know… If ya helped me this much, you can help -yawn- another.”

She fell onto the bed and rolled herself under the covers, pulling the sheet up and waiting.

Nearly half an hour later Tree and Apple entered her room to find her asleep. “Aww, Ah told ya we shoulda waited and tucked her in. She was plum beat after the day,” Apple said as she gripped the sheet in her teeth and pulled them over the sleeping filly.

“I know, Apple, but there’s just no getting past those sweet Apple acres you have back there,” he chuckled and prepared for a push that didn’t come.

Tree looked at Apple who was looking thoughtfully out the window.

“Uh, you okay? You didn’t hurt me that time?”

“Huh? Nah, that was a good thought… Ah’m gonna be takin’ over the farm soon and it’s gonna need a name. Ah think Sweet Apple Acres has a good ring to it,” she looked over and kissed his cheek.

“Well, now I know I’m part’a the family. Naming a farm’s as big a deal as naming a baby.”

Apple hummed. “Ah couldn’t agree more. Now, let’s get ta bed; ya plum tuckered me out too, Ah reckon,” she giggled as she turned and swatted her tail across his face.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho yeah…”

Chapter 18

Winter Wrap up had finished on time and with only a couple setbacks that were easily fixed with some fantastic teamwork.

After a long two days the snow was cleared, ponds were thawed, and animals were awake or returned from their travels to and from warmer climates.

Nova, Tree, and Apple had become a nice family, in their own right, and were an integral part of the town’s growth, both in population and production.

Tree had taken on a permanent job working in the market selling food grown on the Apple’s Farm during the winter and was working his way into trade agreements with nearby towns.

Apple and Nova had begun organizing Apple Farms into Sweet Apple Acres, and the railroad was complete, even through the frigid winter the work never stopped.

…

“Good mornin’, Nova. Glad ta see yer up with the roosters… and made yer bed? Somepony’s excited fer her first day’a school soon, huh,” she smiled.

“Apple! Sis, what’s goin’ on? I dreamed I planted a row of orange trees.”

“Say what-now?” Apple narrowed her eyes to Nova.

“Just kidding! I was gonna say pears, but I don’t wanna whoopin’,” she grinned and trotted past Apple into the hallway and then to the kitchen.

“Hey! There’s the best little sis I could’a asked for, breakfast slop is ready,” he smiled as she scooped a heaping ladle of vegetable quiche, “and gruel,” he scooped some dry hay and oats, “last but not least, some dragon pee - still warm,” he snickered at her best serious face.

“You mean breakfast and apple juice, broski.”

“Woah, ya’ve been hangin’ out with cousin Pollack, huh? Ah like’m, but he’s a fish monger, not fruit or veg a’tall. Doncha eat what he offers ya, less’n an Apple’s with ya.”

Nova had a mouth full of food and was sloppily chewing it. She smiled with her teeth gunked heavily. “Owight.”

“Darn tootin’,” Apple said taking her seat next to Tree and nuzzling him. “Any big plans today, Sugar Bowl?”

“Well, I have to get the cart ready to travel north and see about opening trade with a few of the smaller towns along the way to Trottingham, then I was gonna head west, almost to Las Pegasus… no way I’m getting to the real city, but the sub city-”

“Ya mean the normal city under the cloud city?” Apple droned.

“Yeah, that one, to see my Aunt Blossom. Then, it’s a trip back. I should be gone about a month…” he rolled his oats and hay into a tight ball with his magic and then let it fall apart, “I’m gonna miss ya two.”

“Oh! Can I come?!” Nova shouted with youthful enthusiasm.

“Sugar Bowl, ya got school tomorrow.”

“I know, and it’ll still be there all year until its break time. I won’t get much chance to go traveling like this,” she said putting on her best pleading face.

“Ugh, I swear if you were really my sister that wouldn’t work,” Tree said as he glanced away from her piercing puppy dog eyes.

“Aww, ain’t no way Ah c’n say nah ta that mug. Alright, y’all got my okay. Now, eat up, we’re gonna get some plantin’ done before lunch and have family time the rest’a the night.”

“Oh, ya better believe it,” Tree said into his cup of juice. He held his place as he was shoved, spilling only a little juice.

“Oh, my big ‘ol stallion, yer gettin’ so tough!” Apple said nuzzling her green muzzle to his.

“Heh, and I’ve got the bruises to prove it,” he chuckled as he sipped his drink, “now, let’s get today started so we can get to tonight.”

“Who said we were waitin’ ‘til tonight ta say ‘bye’?”

“...Nova,” Tree asked, voice cracking, “hurry and eat, Apple and me gotta, uh-”

“Plant some seeds,” Apple said leaning over and nipping his ear before she whispered something to him.

Tree whimpered with a trembling smile.

Nova groaned. “Ugh, I’m never getting married or kissing or nuzzling anypony like that. Just ewww,” she said turning her side to the table and eating while looking at the wall.

Chapter 19

Nova woke in her bed, a decent mattress she’d gotten as a hand-me-down. Full of hay, straw, and molted pegasi feathers. She sat up and stretched her rear legs, giggled at a few cracks in her back, and then shook her head, side to side. She looked around her room and took as much in as she could. A polished dresser made from Apple Trees. A mirror from Canterlot stood in lion paws behind her door. A newly sewn set of curtains, yellow was one of her favorite colors and was a theme in her room.

She climbed from bed and went to her dresses and hopped up and looked at the mane, tail, firm, soft bristled brushes, and a large comb, for her bangs. None of them wore the bite and teeth marks of the ones she’d had at the plantation. The dresses wasn’t held together with old tail hairs and parts of rusted nails. The mirror wasn’t cracked. Best of all, she felt happy.

She took the longest thirty seconds of her life, or so it felt, to appreciate the room she had. She took a long sniff through her nose and savored the clean air, exhaling a shuddering breath, then she gripped a comb in her light magic and moved it to her mane. With a strained whimper she pulled the first bed head knot free.

...

“Clothes?”

“Uhm… Check.”

“Rations?”

“Checkers!”

“Water?”

“Sheck.”

“Merchandise?”

“Oh, not again…” Nova groaned, “We’ve checked, like, four times already.”

“Heh, the whole reason for this whole trip is to make trade routes. No merchandise means a wasted trip. Now,” Tree said as he held a checklist up, “to check my checklist, just to make sure I’ve checked everything.”

A small thump sounded from where Nova’s head hit the wheel of the cart.

“Sugar Bowl, reckon yer ready. Ain’t no reason ta make the filly’s head go pop ‘fore ya even leave. That’s fer the journey,” Apple said after making sure the last strap was tight. “Tarp’s on, space fer the both’a y’all ta sleep or rest in the center or under the cart.

“Ya got enough goods ta buy a new cart… and you best not’r Ah’ll shove it down yer nose,” Apple said sternly.

“I know that, darling. I’m a unicorn, not a fool.”

“Sometimes bein’ a stallion makes up for that, though.”

“Heh, yeah, I… wait,” Tree stated as his brows furrowed, “I am not a stallion… I mean fool! And being a unicorn doesn’t make me any more of a… Darnit, now I’m befuddled,” he said dropping his lists to the ground.

“Oh, ya know Ah’m just foolin’-”

Nova opened her mouth and made a quiet retching sound. She got up and trotted behind and past the cart to several filly’s and colt’s she was fond of.

“Heya, y’all,” Nova said as she approached them, “Ah guess this’ it for a whole moon cycle, huh?”

“Hey, don’t fret, Starlight. Everytime we look up at night we’re gonna think of you and that time you sneezed apple cider from your nose.” Several giggles tickled her ears.

“Or when you ate a dandelion that had a bee on it.” Nova blushed and remembered her tongue being so swollen she couldn’t close her mouth.

“Or that one time-”

“Okay, alright, I get it,” Nova grinned, “yer gonna miss me. But Ah’ll miss you more cuz you’re the first friends and family I’ve ever had and that really,” her smile wavered, “really love me,” her voice cracked and she sniffled.

In the span of a second all her friends had embraced her in a giant hug, with her at the center. Several gasps in awe filled the air as Nova’s gem strobed and hovered straight out from her necklace, but the hugs didn’t end.

“We’re gonna miss ya somethin’ fierce. Remember ta call yerself Grape Juice when yer out there, ‘kay?”

“And don’t forget to wash every other day, at least.”

“And don’t graze on plants you don’t know, right?” A filly’s voice whispered.

A round of laughs broke the hug and a smiling Nova sat on the ground. “Yeah, yeah, poison oak ain’t no joke,” Nova mused and patted her lips unconsciously.

“Yeah, ‘specially when you can’t get to a nurse; so don’t do it,” Apple said, announcing her presence to Nova.

“I know… I’m smarter now than I was then. Just, I’m gonna miss ya, sis.”

“Ah know, Ah feel the same. Just, take it one step at a time and remember that ya’ve a home ta come back to. Now, reckon y’all should hitch up and head out ‘fore this gets tough on us all.”

Tree nodded and went to the front of the cart, hitched himself, and began to pull his way down to the cobblestone main street with Nova beside him, happily trotting. “So, we’ve got about two days before we get to the first town, what’d ya like to do ‘til then?” Tree asked as they left the cobblestone for a rough trail.

“I’unno, maybe just talk.”

“Really? About what?”

“I-I don’t know… what’d you like to talk about?”

“Are you excited for school?”

“Meh,” Nova shrugged, “I guess I’ve gotta learn to read and write, but what else is there they can teach me that you can’t?”

“Math, history, science, socializing, writing with your mouth, cartogrophy-”

“Sheesh, should I call it school or egghead growing, place?”

“And you’ll learn how to make better phrases; more words means more descriptions.”

Nova looked around at the sparse woods they were in. “Didn’t we come through this when you met me?”

“That was to the southwest, we’re headed north. The woods’ll turn to plains by supper and then to hills.”

“Oh, so… I think I’ll gallop up ahead and see what’s there, ‘kay?”

“Alright, just, don’t go too far. I’m meeting with another traveler up ahead and don’t want anything to happen.”

She stopped and looked back to him. “Another traveler? Like, a sellerspony?”

“No, a kind of guard. You can’t travel for a month without some kind of protection and being a unicorn isn’t enough. I can only lift and move stuff, mostly. I’m not a trick master, like some. Oh, and it’s called a ‘salespony’.”

“Oh, well, if you say so.”

…

Half an hour passed and Nova was growing antsy. “How much farther? I could’a galloped ahead to this guy and been waiting for you.”

“Now, now. It’s important to make a good impression. If you met… Oh, there she is!”

“She?” Nova asked, looking ahead and squinting her eyes to see a pure white mare with black mane and tail in shining golden armor and a matching helmet; a staff against her side… sleeping in the shade of a tree a short way off the path.

“Eeyup. She’s the one. Royal guard to watch our travels. It’s free, so I couldn’t pass it up.”

“Free? Granny Apple said nothing is free.”

“Ugh,” he rolled his eyes, “in the complex way, it’s not free, but for her to come with us; it is.”

“We coulda had Aunt Carrot come alone, she’s scary.”

“She’s also far to the east. By the time the letter would have… you know what, just… count the bushes.”

“Again?! I did that like, a bajillion times already… Fine,” she relented under his intense gaze. “One, two, three-”

“In your head, silly filly. I want to be surprised,” he said flatly as they walked ahead.

…

The mare was mumbling in her sleep when they arrived. “Stop or -snurk- I’ll attack. Combat move -sigh- strike. Front leg sweep. Parry, dodge… ouch.”

“She’s sleep talking, Tree.”

With a snort the mare hopped backwards, a spear in her magic as she took a fighting pose. “Halt, who goes there?! By decree of Celestia I am authorized to use… oh,” she blinked her eyes clear and yawned. “You’re the guy I’m supposed to guard? Who’s this, your daughter?”

Tree looked at her flatly. “I’d have to have had her before I got my cutie mark,” he droned.

“Well, somepony started young and handsome,” she smiled. “Just kidding, sheesh. So, filly, what’s your name?”

“I’m Nov- Grape Juice,” she cleared her throat.

“Heh, good job. When you’re young, keep your name safe from strangers. However, I’m a royal guard, you can tell me.”

Nova looked to Tree. “It’s okay, you can trust her with your life.”

“...Starlight Nova, but everypony calls me Nova.”

“Well,” the mare smiled and moved the staff to the ground beside her and paced ahead to Nova, knelt low, and spoke softly. “Your highness, my name is Safe Trek. It’s an honor to serve you.”

Nova looked at her awkwardly, then to Tree, who was smiling. “I-I’m not a noble.”

“You’re the maiden of this journey, therefore I shall serve and guard you with my life,” she stood and moved her staff into a series of small ropes along her side. “Shall I tell Princess Celestia herself that you don’t want me here?”

“NO!” Nova gasped hopping forward. “I mean, no. Your help is greatly adminishated.”

“Heh, you mean ‘appreciated’,” Tree corrected.

“Yeah, that too. Now, let’s get moshi’ing. I wanna camp tonight in a good spot and Apple said we’d get there after sunset.”

“Yes, m’lady. Allow me to lead the ‘moseying’.”

“...Okay, but don’t go too far ahead,” Nova said factly, “it might not be safe.” With that she turned and returned to the path by Tree.

Safe Trek sighed with a smile and took the couple paces to the path as well and nodded to Tree. “Let’s mosey on, shall we?”

“Heh, eeyup.”

The trio moved ahead in silence for a long two minutes before Nova spoke up. “What’s Celestia like? Does she smell like the sun? What’s the sun smell like? What’s your favorite food? Why are you dressed in shiny metal, wouldn’t that get hot in the summer? Where’s Canterlot? Why…”

Tree looked to Safe Trek and smiled apologetically. She smiled back and nodded, listening as Nova asked a flood of questions.

‘Does she ever stop?’ Safe Trek mouthed. Tree looked up as he pulled the cart, scrunching his muzzle in thought before looking back to her with a hopeful smile… then shook his head, letting his expression return to pity for the mare. “Thanks,’ she mouthed sarcastically.

“...like? Where’s your staff from? Is it named? I think I’d name a staff ‘Woody’, get it? Cuz it’s wood… but what if it was metal?!” She asked herself. “I’d have to name it some kind of metal. What kind of metal is a metal staff made of and who...”

Chapter 20

“Whoo-hoo! My first time camping! I’m so ready to start a huge bonfire pit and barbeque vegetable kibbles and tell fire stories and be all scared!”

Tree and Safe Trek chuckled as they set up the Ponyvillians’ tent. Nova was running around the area in no discernable pattern as she shouted.

“Now, Grape, stay calm and don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Tree advised as he drove a stake into the ground, “we have to get setup and… there are just so many things you have to learn about camping talk,” he chuckled again.

“Well, I think the corners are in. You can finish this while I occupy her, right?” Safe Trek asked.

“Yeah, sure… go, have her run and collect sticks or something,” he said as he began to walk around the tent and survey it, “should be a few more minutes on this.”

“Heh, okay, Grape, c’mere. Let’s find some sticks.”

“‘Kay. What if you were, like, stuck in the forest and were alone for a whole week and there wasn’t any sticks for fire and you had to burn your staffy thing?” Nova asked as she took the lead into the woods and leaving Tree in the clearing to finish the tent.

“Well, if it came to that I can cast a warming spell or cooling spell. Not only that, most guards are trained in what’s safe to eat in certain areas. I’ve trained in this area most, so this’ where I spend my time doing extra duty.”

“Hehehe, you said doody.”

“Heh, not that kind. Royal guards don’t do that, little lady,” she said with a straight face. “‘Duty’ means work that has to be done; like you and farming.”

“Oh, I get it. So, there’s two kinds’a duty. Work and toilet, gotcha,” Nova finished as she pounced ahead and bit into a large tree root and began tugging at it.

“Hey, uh,” Safe Trek started then halted, her ears twitched, “get back!” She shouted brandishing her staff and jumping to the right of Nova and taking a stance.

A low growl shook the filly to her core as a pair or rose red eyes narrowed at her specifically.

A whiff and whack of the staff sent the filly screaming to the rear legs of Safe Trek. The predator snarled in a low warbling sound before hacking and turning away. The sound of its paws scampering away left the mare standing resolute in her position and the filly, trembling behind her.

“...Are you okay, Nova?”

“I-I’m sorry… I peed a little,” she whimpered with a pouty lip.

With a snicker the mare sheathed her staff and tugged her leg free from the filly’s grip before she turned around.

“Nova,” she said softly as she lowered herself to eye level, “I won’t tell anypony. Just, understand that it isn’t your fault,” she said as Nova sniffled, “and you did just what you needed to… just, don’t grab my legs next time, okay?”

With a slow nod and final sniffle, Nova looked around.

“Can I hold your staff?”

“Heh, uh, sure,” Safe Trek said as she grabbed the staff from the sheath and moved it to Nova. “I, noticed you don’t have much of a horn, yet. Do you know how to grasp it?”

“Uhm,” Nova said as she narrowed her eyes to the staff and then at the mares horn, “I can figure it out pretty quick.”

With a sudden tug the staff spun in a wide arc and whacked Safe Trek across the top of her helmet with a thunk.

Nova dropped the staff and covered her muzzle with her hoof. “Ohmygosh! I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

The mare winced and adjusted her helmet. “Yeah, I’m fine. How’d you do that? I didn’t see you grab it.”

“I’unno. I just, grabbed it with my magic and it spinned. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No, what I’m saying is that your horn didn’t glow.”

“Huh?”

“Okay,” Safe Trek sighed and took several paces back, “pick it up and hold it level.”

Nova squinted her eyes and her tongue protruded from the size of her muzzle. The staff lifted from the ground and began to hover, spinning on all axis slowly.

“L-like that?”

“...”

“Miss Trek?”

“Uh, yeah, um, well… the staff, imagine it as a part of you, like one of your legs. You want to keep it by you, since you’re starting.”

Nova moved it by her left foreleg and it stood straight on end.

“Yeah! Like that. Now, imagine it like a saddlebag and have it reach to it from your side with the same leg.”

“Ah, I get it,” she said as she staff hovered slowly to the length of her.

“Very impressive for one your age. So, I’m going to take it and show you what, if you practice, can someday be done. Lots of practice… don’t rush it.”

Taking the staff back into her magic she looked it over and shrugged. She took several steps away and scanned the area before she nodded. She spun the staff and began a series of thrusts and swings, jabs and slashes, finally ending with a flourish and a helicopter spin before catching it in her foreleg.

She reared up and swung it around her body several times in expert combat fashion using her forelegs and horn to make it coast an inch from her coat before stabbing it into the ground and leaning against it, still on her rear legs.

“WOW! That was, like, the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in real life!”

“Heh,” she smirked and landed to all fours, tugging the staff from the ground and holding it out. “C’mon, give it a swing, this time don’t hit my helmet, ‘kay?”

“Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!”

With a yank from the mares magical grip the staff whipped to the side of Nova, stopping an inch away. She raised it over her head and swung it like a polearm twice cutting through the air with a reverberating hum.

It stopped in place, mid motion. “Uh, Miss Trek, are you okay?”

Safe Trek was looking, slack jawed, at the filly. “Y-you’re not using magic t-to do that,” she stammered before she took a calming breath. “I can’t sense any magic flowing through you right now, how?” She asked softly.

“Uh, I’unno,” Nova said softly as she poked her hoof into the ground, “I’m not ‘upposed ta talk about it.”

“Nova, you have to tell me… I-I’ve never even heard of what you can do… can you do anything else?”

“Um, I don’t think so. C-can i just go back to moving the staff, please?”

“...Yes, just, keep at it,” Safe Trek said as she relaxed, “I didn’t mean to pressure you to answer. I’m here to keep you safe, not make you uncomfortable. I apologize.”

“Meh, ain’t a biggie.”

With that Nova began swinging the staff around with impressive speed and control.

Chapter 21

An hour later a panting and sweating Nova reemerged from the treeline followed by her guard, a large faggot in her magic.

The females stopped and gawked at the sight of the tent wrapped around a struggling Tree, who was reaching for a mallet with his mouth, just out of reach. Tears stained his cheeks as he looked up.

“Tree? Did you… what happened?”

“H-help me,” he whimpered.

…

With ease, Safe Trek set the tent up and started a campfire, setup a cot for herself, and had prepared a small meal.

“So, Mister Tree,” Safe Trek said taking a seat by Nova in front of the fire, “it took you an hour to destroy the tent, get tangled in it, and forget to use your magic to fix it?”

Tree grumbled to himself before speaking aloud. “I didn’t forget, the tent pole whacked my horn and I couldn’t cast magic at the time.”

“Snrkt,” Safe Trek chortled, “are you a colt? That kind of strike wouldn’t keep any adult down for more than a quarter minute. What’s your next excuse?”

“It wasn’t an excuse. I have a defect in my thaumatic lobe, for your information,” he hissed, “and I don’t like talking about it.”

“Oh,” the mare became stoic, “I understand. I apologize for breaching professional boundaries,” she said firmly before she stood and went to her cot, lifted it, and moved it to a spot closer to the road.

“Miss Trek,” Nova said, “you can’t sleep that far away.”

“It’s my duty to keep you safe. I’ll sleep but cast a circle of alarm. Any creature that enters it will set it off and wake me up.”

“But, we were about to eat supper together.”

“It’s fine,” Tree grumbled as he looked into the fire, “let her go. She has a job to do, as do we. I’ll cook and we’ll get to bed soon.”

“B-but, it’s still early! I wanna play and do stuff. We’re supposed to have scary stories and drink stuff and have fun and sleep together to stay warm…” she pouted.

“Ugh, fine,” he shouted and got up, stomping to the tent, “Guardsmare, you cook. I’m going to rest. Nova, come get me when dinner’s ready.”

“...I’m sorry about that, Nova,” Safe Trek said returning next to Nova, still standing.

“Nah, he’s like that a lot. He’s just careful of his self and stuff. He’s really a great stallion and Apple says he’s like a predator in bed,” she shrugged, “I guess it means he loves to sleep a lot.”

The mare sighed and looked to the tent as Nova looked into the small crackling logs. “I didn’t mean to upset him. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, stop saying sorry and just sit down,” Nova said glancing to the guardsmare.

“...I’m just going to stop saying sorry and sit down.”

“That’s better. Just, uh, where are you from?”

Safe Trek blinked rapidly and looked to Nova. “It’s not important. All that matters is that I’m free of my past and here now, so…” She exhaled and looked to the sky.

A few errant clouds floated through the sky but the view of the known cosmos was unfiltered in it’s awesomeness. She looked to the sky and sighed at the vastness of the speckled blackness above.

“It’s so amazing, huh?”

“Yeah,” she replied to Nova.

“Tree has a mom that’s into astinmitroty; that means she looks at stars. I keep looking but I don’t see the ponies or stories in the sky, just stars.”

Safe Trek chuckled and looked over to the filly, who was looking up at the night sky. “It’s more complicated than just seeing the stories in the stars. You have to know what each story means.”

The mare sat next to Nova and pointed to a constellation. “That one is called ‘the grandmare’. See how the stars I’m pointing at look like a mare and she has two foals by her? Above her is her own mother’s teats; that nourished her. It’s a story that says that each of us has a history and we owe our respect to those that came before us.”

Tree poked his head from the tent and listened.

“So, my grandmare helped my mom grow and she had me…” Nova tapped her chin, “so, when I have grandfoals… Ohh, now I get it!”

“Yeah, it’s easy, right?” Nova nodded, “so, over there is the ‘War Mare’, she’s that cluster of stars over there,” she pointed to the right, then northwest.

“You mean that one that looks like two dots?”

“Nopony ever said that they had to make sense. Whoever discovers them, names them,” she chuckled, “like the chariot race over there,” she pointed to a lone star, twinkling amidst a ring of darkness, “or the wise mare of the north,” she pointed to a row of four stars.

“Whoever named those are probably really bad on seeing.”

“The world will never know, but the little thing they did has left a mark on the world. And,” she paused, “maybe that’s why we have such simple names for constellations. Oh!” She sniffed and moved to the fire, placing a pan in it and looking to Nova, “I forgot to start cooking, talking about all of that.”

“Pfft, whatever, it’s only been a minute.”

“Well, when you’re older time is different. Just, I don’t know, spend a minute getting the vegetables ready.”

“Oh! I want zucchini, and broccoli, and a squash… with a glass of water and a apple!”

“Woah there, cowmare, first thing’s first. Gather the stuff and we’ll cook it up, get yer brother, and have a nice, quiet supper.”

Tree snickered as he left his tent. “I’m sorry about before, I get moody easily,” he said taking his place by the fire again, “and with that young one, quiet is a luxury.”

“Huh?” Nova asked as she stood.

“Just, get the food.”

“Ugh, fine,” Nova said as she trotted to the cart.

“I really am sorry about my freak-out. I, just-”

“It’s fine,” Safe Trek said, looking into the fire, “you can’t be held accountable for my ignorance. My mission is to keep you safe, not befriend you.”

“Well then, you’re outta luck,” he forced a nervous smile, “after a couple weeks with the two of us, you’ll practically be family. So, get used to random freakouts and moments of unrequited, off-key singing because I have a habit of serenading my little sis to sleep.”

“No he doesn’t, he just likes to make me laugh,” Nova shouted from inside the cart, “he’s a really bad singer, but Apple says she loves him enough to put up with it.”

“...She doesn’t really say that, does she?” Tree asked quietly.

Safe Trek chuckled to herself. “Well, guess I can’t fight the odds. Count me in, do you know “Merry and Little Lamb?”

Chapter 22

“...Lamb~!” Tree finished the song, much to the delight of Nova and Safe Trek; Both who were wincing from the awful off-key singing.

“Wow, that was… unforgettable,” Safe Trek said as her ears relaxed.

“I warned you he was a bad singer,” Nova said as she poked the pan of vegetables.

She giggled shortly as she caught the look Tree had given her.

“Well, we can’t all be Lucciano Clopperatzi,” he huffed and snorted from his nose.

“Oh, don’t get your saddle straps in a twist,” Safe Trek said dismissively, “Nova, how’s supper?”

“Uhm,” she poked a large chunk of vegetable, “another minute, I guess. Then it’s time to eat and get tucked in,” she smiled and glanced between the adults.

“I’ll do it,” Tree said, “I have to sleep with her anyway.”

“Sounds fine to me. I’m here to guard, not foalsit.”

“I’m not a foal,” Nova grumbled.

…

“Hu~sh now quIET nOW, time to la~y your sleepy heaD-”

“Okay, that’s all I can take,” Safe Trek said poking her head into the tent.

Nova’s ears were flat to her head and she was staring blankly to the roof of the tent.

“What? I was singing her a lullaby.”

“Yeah, like a dying cat being stepped on by a bull. I’ll sing, you put out the fire, and for the life of us all, don’t set anything on fire.”

Tree rolled his eyes and walked past her, glancing to her and sticking his tongue out. “The tent was a fluke.”

“Sure it was,” Safe Trek said as she entered the tent and sat on her flank, “so, ready for a real lullaby?”

“Please,” Nova said quietly.

Safe Trek inhaled deeply and, in a beautiful and melodic voice, sang ‘Hush Now, Quiet Now’ to the filly. Before the song was done Nova was sound asleep and lying on her side facing the side of the tent.

A loud whoosh sound caught her attention.

She exited the tent to see Tree dropping an empty bucket of dirt to the ground beside the firepit.

“There, it’s out,” he inhaled, “and no pony caught fire,” he grinned.

“Are you alright? I know that magic can be difficult for you.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I have to work about three times harder than the average unicorn to use basic magic, but I can still get it done. Look,” he said moving to face her, stopping a comfortable half length away, “I’m sorry about freaking out. I know I said it before, but you have to understand that a unicorn that can’t cast spells is like a pegasi with half a wing.”

“No, no, I totally understand. I don’t have family with that problem,” she cleared her throat and looked at the last burning embers of the fire, “but I had a friend in the Royal Guard who was struck with a staff during training and it was across his horn.

“A normal strike that should have stung for a few minutes turned out to have caused a long unknown problem in his thaumic lobe. A single burst of uncontrolled magic sent him to the hospital with brain damage.

“He’s better now, but he can’t move the right side of his body or use magic for the rest of his life,” she looked to the grassy ground beneath her, “and that’s how we all learned that we’re all mortal; more than we were before. A single hit can cripple us for life.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Tree said softly. He moved closer and embraced her into a hug. “It must have been so hard to see.”

“...I was the one who struck him,” she said softly as she returned the hug.

“Oh… I’m even more sorry, then. If there’s anything I can do to make the trip better, let me know, alright?”

She sniffled and nodded. “I’ll be fine. It was years ago, but I’ll never forget it or what I learned.”

“Well, that’s good,” he said breaking the hug and taking a step back, “but, I think it’s time we went to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Heh, true,” she smiled weakly, “I’ll cast the protection spell and hit the hay with you. Not with you, I mean,” she stammered.

“It’s fine. I know what you mean. And unless it suddenly gets freezing I don’t see any reason to get that close, right?”

“Yeah, your wife’s an earth pony farmer. She could break me in half,” Safe Trek joked.

“Yes, she could,” Tree responded seriously before he nodded and returned to his tent.

Safe Trek swallowed hard and looked around the area. Trotting in a large circle her horn lit and she began the spell. “Note to self, don’t get too close to him,” she said softly with a snicker.

…

“Wakeupwakeupwakeup!”

“Gah! Where’s the fire?! I’ll get the sand, Apple get the water,” Tree shouted and panicked as he fought his way out of his blanket. He opened his eyes to see Nova grinning at him.

“Breakfast is ready,” she said before prancing from the tent as he gawked at her.

“Oh boy, eggs and hay and fruit?! That’s awesome,” Nova exclaimed as she trotted happily around the tent, “the eggs are the pickles ones that was pickled like a pickle but with eggs! How’d Apple learn to do that? Why can’t we pickle quiche? I love that and it’d be great to have a -gasp- pickled quiche! That’s such a great…”

“Oh boy, she’s up,” Tree yawned as he trudged from the tent into the bright morning sunlight, “and full of her usual energy. Trek?”

“Behind the tent, I’m just picking some flowers.”

“Oh, alright,” he yawned again as he took a moment to begin his morning stretches.

“I can tell today will be a productive day. If you need, I’ll keep her occupied. I come from a large family and have more than enough experience.”

“A royal guard, a foal sitter, a cook? What can’t you do?”

“A lot. I only know what I have to,” she said humbly as she walked around the tent with a small bowl of leaves and flowers, “I got a nature salad. May suck, but it’ll help ration your food.”

“Yeah, I’ve taken a few of these treks over the years,” he sighed looking to the bowl and reaching with his magic to take it. It glowed and moved closer to him, then to the ground before him.

Lowering his head he took several bites and filled his mouth, emptying the bowl, and chewed it all. He looked to the sky as he gulped it down his throat and shook his head; a look of disgust crossed his face.

“Uck, I sure do love that,” he forced an obviously fake grin with bits of grass is in his teeth, “and you got some grass to sweeten it, thanks.”

Trek stifled a giggle. “No prob. The same for lunch and snack, all the same.”

“Ugh, what we do to survive…”

“At least we’re herbivores. We can eat bark.”

“Yeah, as a last resort. Stuff’s awful,” he said turning his head and coughing, then spitting his mouth clear of the greens that clung to his teeth.

“Right, but if you’re going to starve?”

“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” he said looking to Nova, just past them near the cart and still rambling, “if it does, she’ll outlive me.”

Trek looked back to the filly. “You’re going to make a great father someday, I can already tell. But,” she looked at the tent, “let’s just get on the road. I have a couple apples and hay ready by the cart for you.”

“And what will you eat, if may I ask? I didn’t bring enough food for all of us and I don’t see you with saddlebags.”

The armor keeps me healthy enough and,” she tapped the rear plates, “my saddlebags are under here. I have enough rations to stave off hunger for two weeks. I’m trained in this, don’t worry about me,” she assured him turning to the tent and lit her horn, “I’ve got everything covered.”

“Well, I trust you, so let’s hop to,” Tree said as he went to the now bare ground and collected his saddlebags, putting them on and tightening them to his body while Trek closed, tied, and put the pup tent away.

Tree gathered the sleeping mats and blankets, with a snap he cleaned them enough before rolling them and tossing them into the cart.

A moment later he was eating his quick breakfast and hitching up. “Nov- I mean, Grape, time to hit the road.”

“Okay! I’m Grape Juice and that’s my name,” she shouted as she galloped closer, slowing beside him.

“I’ll take the lead, you two stay behind me by three lengths. If anything attacks I’ll take care of it, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Nova saluted and coughed.

“Next time,” Tree said looking to the wincing filly who was blinking her eyes clear, “shake your hoof clear before moving it to your face.”

Nova coughed and shook her head. “Yeah, dirty face is not fun.”

“Yeah, that idea… rocks,” he laughed to himself and looked to Safe Trek who stared blankly at him.

“Great, puns, just what I need,” she said turning and starting down the path.

“Heh heh, c’mon, Grape. Let’s get… Trekking. Huh? HUH?!”

Both females groaned to themselves.

Chapter 23

The cart creaked along, pulled by Tree, and beside him skipping ahead and stopping often by distractions, was the filly Nova. Hours passed in relative silence, with a several short relief breaks, and a much needed lunch.

“Yummy! Why are you eating ground stuff again?” Nova asked Tree.

“Because, I don’t want to run low on food before we get to Las Pegasus. You have to eat more than I do.”

“But, what if somepony or a amin… animal went there?”

He stopped chewing and looked to the patch of earth he’d just exposed from nibbling and sighed. With a plop sound his mouth was emptied and he looked at the ball of half chewed mush.

“Yeah, I guess a carrot wouldn’t hurt.”

“That’s my bro!” Nova exclaimed.

“But, I’m gonna eat on the walk. We’ve got another couple miles to go before our next break or else we’ll fall behind schedule. Tomorrow we come across the first town, Fetlockilla…”

Nova squinted at him. “That’s a weird name for a town.”

“Yeah, I’ll stick to living in Ponyville, thank you very much,” he replied going to the back of the cart and rummaging under the tarp. “Got it, now, eat your snack quick, okay?”

“Heh, eeyup.”

“Hey,” he smiled at Nova, “that’s my line.”

“Yeah, and I’m borrowin’ it, reckon it’s all right, I reckon?”

Tree took a bite of his carrot and chuckled. “Don’t let Apple hear you say that out loud.”

“Nah, she’s okay with me doin’ that. As long as it’s not making fun of anypony, that is.”

“Well, if you did you’d be reckon your relationship with her!”

Nova groaned loudly and Trek snorted.

“Really? Another pun?”

“Hey, I’m making this trek just go by faster.”

Trek lifted her foreleg and pointed at him. “Watch it mister.”

“I would, but I’m married, thank you very much.”

“...” Trek glared at him and waited until his smile faltered before turning away and walking to the road from the spot they’d stopped at.

“But, then again…”

“That’s it,” she said lighting her horn and facing him with a scowl.

Before he could protest a muzzle guard was over his muzzle, sealing it closed.

He protested and tried to fight it off before he looked at her and glared, pointing to it.

“Nova,” Trek asked, “should I take it off and let him talk again?”

“Hmm,” Nova tapped her chin, “nah. Let’s have some not-not jokes for a while.”

Tree facehoofed.

“Oh, don’t you start now,” Trek said as she pointed to the hitch.

“Hook up, we’ll get better distance that way,” she winked and, with a flash of her horn the muzzle vanished.

Tree inhaled and exhaled, flexing his jaws. “Wow, you coulda told me to just put a muzzle on it, instead of doing it for me.”

“Ah-ah-ah,” Trek winked, “no more or I’ll hush you again.”

“Arf, arf,” he said flatly.

Nova giggled. “Hush puppy, I get it! Hush puppys are yummy! They are made with corn if I remember right”

“Oh, the two of you are definitely siblings. C’mon,” she smiled, “let’s get while the sun’s high.”

…

“Mgph hlp.”

“What was that?”

“Mgph hlp!”

“Oh, fine,” Trek turned back with a chuckle and dispelled the muzzle spell, “are we done joking around?”

“Yes! I’m sorry, please, stop muzzling me! I won’t make a joke again… no matter how many times we come around to it.”

“You know what,” Trek huffed and turned, walking backwards as she spoke to him sternly, “why is everything a joke?”

“Well, like Grape, I get bored too.”

“When I get bored,” Nova said pouncing onto a small bush to the side of the road, “I just talk.”

“Yes, filly, we know,” Trek said calmly, “but this is going to be a long trip ahead of us and if everything is going to be a pun-”

“Not everything,” Tree interrupted, “just when I get the urge. Now, guard us without muzzling me, or I’ll write a letter of complaint to somepony,” he said in a haughty accent.

“Yes, sir.”

With that she turned and returned to a steady march ahead.

Nova came over close to Tree. “I think you were kinda mean to her.”

“...I was joking and it went bad,” he said softly. “Safe Trek, I’m sorry, I wasn’t serious about the letter thing.”

“I know.”

“Then, why are you still upset?” He asked as he sped up slightly.

“I’m doing my duty.”

“Oh… okay then,” he said slowing his pace slightly.

Nearly half an hour passed, in which Nova had climbed into the cart and was taking time to imagine fruit were having an adventure.

“T-Trek? A-are you, uhm, thirsty… or maybe wanna take a, uh, rest?”

“I’m fine,” she said firmly as she marched ahead.

“Please, talk to me,” he asked softly.

“...”

“Please? I can’t stand the silence knowing you’re there.”

“...”

“What’ll it take? It’s been hours,” he exaggerated, “what’ll it take? No more jokes? How about I hold your staff? …That didn’t sound right,” he sighed.

Trek snorted and looked back. “You can’t hold my staff, I’m in the Royal Guard.”

Tree slowed to a stop and cocked his head, looking at her. “W-was that… a joke?”

“Nah, just your imagination.”

“Sounded a lot like a joke to me,” he smiled, showing some teeth.

“Look,” she slowed but didn’t let him slow down, “I have a job to do here. If you want, I’ll do that job exactly as is my duty. But that’d make a long trip for all of us. I’m not intending to cross any lines, and your jokes are that bad. But if they’re going to take the whole trip I may request a transfer.”

He hummed. “I can tone them down, I guess,” he replied with a shrug, “so long as you keep Nova entertained during our breaks. She needs a female and I didn’t plan for her to tag along so I hadn’t any time to learn what she needs while we travel.”

“I think I can do that,” Trek replied as her ears swiveled.

“Everything okay?”

“...Yeah, just had a feeling we were being watched.”

Tree looked around at the lightly, open wooded area around the path. “I don’t see anything.”

“I wouldn’t worry. It’d be nice to flex my combat skills, though.”

“Just, let me know when you need me. I watched a pony do some martial arts once; it didn’t look that tough.”

“Srrkt,” Trek snorted and coughed roughly, “yeah, nothin’ to it,” she laughed between coughs.

Chapter 24

“Swing! Jab! Swing! Jab! Duck! Backtrot! Jab!”

Nova panted as the staff dropped from her control, clattering to the ground. “Uh, heh, huh, I, h-h, don’t get it… You make it, h-h, look so, so easy,” she stammered as she fell on the ground.

“Grape, you’re doing fantastic. Just, keep at it. I’ve never see a filly take so quickly to the staff before. With a couple more months training you could become a member of your town’s defense team.”

“Our town doesn’t have a defense team,” Tree added from the campsite just within earshot.

“It’s a small town, a berg. When it grows, and it will, you’ll need a couple ponies to fight off beasts or hungry monsters. Unless you want to hire a gryphon to guard you town. Bringing in its mean, controlling, bossy, omnivorous-”

“Okay!” Tree shouted, “I get it. Bad enough ya gotta teach a filly to fight, now you gotta bring meat diets into it?”

“It’s not fighting,” Nova added as she stood again and took the staff under her control, “it’s defense.”

With that she began the regimen again.

Trek nodded and moved closer to Tree. “I have to say, that she is truly unique. She can move items without magic and she’s so quick to learn.”

“Well, I know she’s unique, but I don’t know about learning. She was supposed to start school yesterday and instead I take her on a possibly dangerous trek across the center of our lands.”

“It’s noble for you to have done it,” Trek said reaching up, “I know that there’s a star up there, a constellation, that’s meant for you. For ponies like you, who are kind enough to take his sister on a journey such as this. More ponies need to explore the land with their own hooves and not in a book.”

Nova grunted as she swung the staff and began to focus her moves at a thin tree by her.

“Well, I hope I find it soon. I don’t feel like putting her at risk if we run into bandits or anything.”

“Heh, bandits? You do know you’re in Equestria, right? Those’re as rare as housebroken timberwolves.”

He snickered. “Yeah, true, but just because you don’t hear about them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I’m sure that somewhere in the world there’s a timberwolf sitting on somepony’s porch.”

“True,” she relented, “I’ve never been to the royal throne room but, I know it’s there.”

…

Nova swung the staff fast and got as close to the tree as she could before returning to jabbing and jumping left to right. She tucked and rolled, to see how it felt, and she liked it. She kept at it for a while until she felt something tug her tail.

“Huh? Oh, Trek,” she panted, “is it time ta eat?”

“N-Nova,” she said breathily, her mouth agape. Tree stood behind the mare, mouth agape as well.

“W-what?”

Tree closed his mouth and swallowed. “I-I’ve never seen anything move that fast. I have the chills, Trek,” he said awe.

“Nova-”

“I thought I was ‘Grape Juice’?” She giggled and levitated the staff by her side as she was shown.

“Grape, I could barely see the staff… the air hummed like a hornets nest. How’d you do that?”

“Do what? I just did what you said earlier,” Nova grinned proudly, “so, I did good?”

“...Y-you did amazing,” Tree said to break the silence.

“Yay! So, is it time ta eat? Oh! I gotta pee, be right back,” she said as she galloped to the cart, dropping the staff in her dash for one of the small cloths she used to clean herself with.

The adults watched her gallop to the other side of a large bush.

“Gah! Somepony didn’t bury their pee! Icky, I stepped in it… Oh well,” she giggled as she took care of business.

A moment later she left the bush with a sigh and a cloth rolled into a ball. “Much better. Tree, Trek, want me to show you how to dig a pee hole?”

Tree and Trek laughed quietly to each other. “No, no, that’s fine, but thanks for the offer. What we need to do is eat. No fire tonight so we’ll have vegetables, crunchy style.”

“Yay! I love crunchy veggies,” Nova said pronking in place.

Tree went to the cart and opened a small box, removing a large cloth filled with mixed vegetables. “Hey, time to eat. Now,” he lay the cloth on the ground and let the vegetables spill out, “you first. Eat your fill and don’t try to save any. I’m fine grazing if I need to through the night.”

Nova looked at him and then the vittles. “‘Kay.”

With a loud crunch she sat up and bit into a large farm carrot that was as thick as her foreleg.

“And that’s that,” he said getting up and moving to Trek, who was holding the staff in her magic and looking it over.

“The ends have been damaged to the point the staff could be almost turned into a spear, but that’s all that’s wrong with it. She wore a staff down in twenty minutes that would take hours of constant usage by an expert,” she said as she scrutinized the weapon. “The mare has talent.

“Maybe her cutie mark will be a staff.”

“Maybe it’ll be of her gem,” he said looking back to the filly who was crunching loudly through the carrot, not a care in the world.

“Gem? The one around her neck?”

“Eeyup. The first thing she ever truly owned and only she can move it. It’s magic proof.”

“Interesting. She’s an enigma, for certain.”

“Don’t dwell on it too much,” he said with a nod, “I almost went crazy trying to understand her gifts. I had to take a lot of time in my hammock, collecting myself.”

“Well, I’m not worried, I’m intrigued. She’s the most interesting pony I’ve ever seen, and I’ve met quite a few… Grape!” She shouted, “hurry and eat, more practice when you’re done.”

Tree looked at the carrot toothed grin from the filly and shrugged. “Just don’t hurt her,” he said.

“I have to worry about that?” She smiled to him.

…

The next two days were spent traveling, laughing, and practicing Nova’s new staff skills.

“Hey! Is that smoke? Is there a fire?!”

“No, Grape, it’s the town. Probably having a party of some kind,” Tree suggested.

“...That’s the town,” Trek hesitated, “but they don’t have parties like that,” she said in a deep voice, entering a gallop.

“W-wait! I can’t run with a cart,” Tree shouted at the mare as she passed a sharp curve he didn’t see ahead, and vanished over a hill within a minute after she started.

“Why’d she go off so fast?”

“I-I don’t know, but I really think we should hurry. If there’s trouble I don’t think we should be alone.”

Nova nodded and skipped ahead of him, then stopped suddenly, her ears falling to her head and her tail sagging. “Nov- uh, Grape, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“I, I can feel them,” she said softly as trembles waved across her body.

“Feel what?” Tree asked as he reached her and slowed to a crawling pace.

“I-I don’t know, but it’s sad… so sad, and alone. They,” she looked back to him with a confused look, “they’re hurting and, going away,” she whispered.

Tree looked at her then the smoke past the hilly plains and then around them. Rolling green hills with flowers dotting the landscape as far as he could see. The scent of grass and smoke tickled his nose. The woods they were in was beyond sight and yet, he felt suddenly crowded.

“Grape, I really think we should catch up with Safe Trek.”

Nova nodded and began a fast trot, just fast enough to keep pace with the stallion as he pulled the cart uphill at a steady pace, fueled by his nervous feelings.

Several minutes later they crested a hill and stopped.

The land was the same as it had been the previous day, however the town they were looking at, their first stop on their travels, was nearly half ablaze. Families huddled in herds in an arid patch of tilled farmland, crying and holding each other while others were casting what spells they could or using their natural talents to heal to the wounded.

The shining armor of Safe Trek glistened in the sunlight and fire as she violently pulled a stallion through the thin wall of a burning house before she jumped into the opening and vanished.

Nova covered her muzzle with her hooves and fell to her haunches, her eyes tearing at the sight. She stayed put as Tree unhitched himself, ran around the cart quickly, and chocked the wheels before he turned to gallop down the path.

Chapter 25

Tree galloped toward the town and held his breath as the house Trek was in began to lose structure and collapse. With a dramatic explosion of fire and wood she jumped out from an upstairs wall, next to an open window, with a two foals holding onto her neck and an unconscious mare across her back.

“Get them to triage, house clear, stay back!” She shouted as the walls outside began to burn. The house stopped collapsing, holding onto the last of its support as it burned. She turned to her left and looked at Tree galloping closer, then behind him.

He was nearly three quarters of the way before he saw a look of shock cross her expression and she had began to gallop to him. He looked back and paled.

A gryphon was flying, beginning a dive, for the cart. Another appeared from beside the other gryphon and froze Tree’s blood, sending chills across his body. He lost his balance and tumbled head over flank several times, stopping painfully on his left side facing the burning town and Trek galloping toward him.

“Don’t worry about me-” he shouted as she neared him.

“I’m not,” she shouted back to him gruffly as she leapt over his lying form.

Nova looked on as Tree was leapt over and sighed in relief, thinking Trek was coming to tell her it was all okay. With a shrill shriek three gryphons appeared above her, foretalons open, ready to grab her.

She screamed and turned to run away as a thump, followed by another, landed on the cart. “Up! Up! We got something from this stupid mission,” a female shouted as the wind from their wings gusted Nova to her back, toppling over herself as another landed over her.

Nova screamed again as she looked up at the natural feathers of a bird as they blended into a tiger stiripped rear. In a deep voice a male boomed over her. “Take the cart, I’ll join you in a moment with some leverage.” He flapped and took to the air and grasped Nova in his claws.

Screaming, Nova was dropped onto the tarp covering the carts goods as the last gryphon gripped the cart and helped the others carry it away. One of the others squaked and lunged to bite at something, growling she turned and spat the staff into the cart next to Nova. “Some damn Royal Guard tried to skewer me!”

“Too bad she missed,” the female in front shouted, “it’d be an improvement on your looks.”

They all shared a laugh. “It’d feel better than Rild’s staff.”

The Male growled. “You don’t complain when you get it, Klinn.”

“You’re not awake to hear it, Rild.”

“Haha! She got you again, Rild.”

“Silence, Vacca, or I’ll skewer you with a spear and feed you to your kin in a pie.”

The females fell silent, only the sound of a whimpering filly and their wings flapping filled the air around them. Vacca cleared her throat and looked behind her, into the cart. “Who’s the nibble?”

Nova whimpered and crawled toward the staff. “She’s leverage. If we don’t need her we drop her on the path. If we do,” Rild snarled, “snack.”

The dam broke and Nova curled into a little furry ball, trembling, weeping, and staring at Rild. “Rild,” Klinn sighed, “don’t tease the poor creature.”

“Hush, Klinn,” he grumbled and gave her a look.

“...Ohhh, ri~ght,” Klinn sneered and snapped her beak, “we’ll gobble you up from your tail to your hooves, so you better not make trouble.”

Nova looked over to the staff, just outside her reach and back to the gryphons looming over her. Their wings flapping made them easily several times her size, each. She nodded to Klinn silently.

Klinn looked to Rild and winked as they flew high, into the distance, in silence.

…

Nova clenched her eyes shut for nearly three minutes before her facial muscles hurt and, slowly, she peeked her right eye open. The flight was relatively quiet and bumpy, but not dangerous; at least not to a curious filly.

She uncurled herself and stretched her rear legs before she rolled to her belly and crawled toward the side panel of the cart. She struggled over something under the tarp but quickly climbed over it, using the tarp as an anchor to pull herself along.

Crawling for nearly four feet on her belly she stabilized herself and peeked over the edge. “Eeep.”

“What the… oh, it’s just the nibble. Stay from the edge; if you fall I’m not losing this haul.”

Nova gulped as she looked at the speeding ground, far below. “H-h-how, high am I?”

“Depends on how much you ate,” Vacca snorted.

“Hey,” Rild scolded her, “don’t speak of such things. A child shouldn’t know of such vices, even if it is a pony,” he sneered hungrily at Nova, who pulled her rear legs under her body.

“Klinn, she’s too close to the edge,” Vacca said, looking back for a moment, rocking the cart.

“Flog it, Vacca, don’t tip the cart! We’ll lose it all,” Kiln roared as Vacca recovered.

“Sorry, sir,” she muttered to Klinn before looking under herself. “Little… horse, thing… ahem, can you move from the edge?” she asked sweetly, “If you fall, you’d most certainly die… and then we wouldn’t be able to eat you later,” he cackled as she looked ahead.

The others laughed heartily. “Vacca, you have hope, yet.”

Chapter 26

The flight was longer than Nova had expected it to be, and an hour later she felt her body losing weight. She gasped and flailed wildly as her body left the cart for the longest second of her life. “Hey, slow the descent; the nibble is too light.”

Laughing amongst themselves the gryphons opened their wings, held them firm, and glided several feet before slowly flapping again. “Almost there, let’s get in and count our bits.”

“Vacca, silence, I’ll hold your spot on the cart, check the area.”

Vacca saluted Rild and let the cart go, flapping away and going below the cart and Nova’s line of sight. “Hrmph, if she finds anything I’ll eat my next molting,” Klinn grumbled as he maintained altitude.

“Behave, Rild. She may save your life in battle someday.”

He scoffed at Klinn. “What battle? These are pony lands, I have battles with constipation that are worse.”

Nova snickered. “Silence, nibbles or I’ll start with your tail before we touch earth.”

Klinn sighed dismissively at Rild’s comment. “Don’t fret, little foal. We don’t eat ponies, only the bad ones,” she winked.

It did nothing to calm Nova’s trembling as she slid to the center of the cart and felt the staff against her rear leg. She leaned back and grasped it in the crook of her fetlock, pulling it to her chest. She held it tightly and began to weep.

“Oh great, now what’s it doing?”

“Hush, Rild, it was just taken from its family. Show some kindness; they’re herding creatures, they need each other.”

“And we live by the flock, we’re strong enough to be alone.”

Klinn growled and the cart wobbled. “Not from hatching.”

“Maybe not you,” Rild pivoted his grip on the cart and began to slow his flapping, lowering them, “but I was born a true warrior and no pony is going to prove otherwise. And no gryphon, for that matter.”

“Perhaps, but when I give birth to our first young,” Klinn said sternly, “will you leave, like your father did to you?”

“Again with my family legacy,” he grumbled, “if its a male, then yes! It’s part of tradition to let him grow into an alpha on his own.”

“That’s a stupid tradition!”

“And staying is stupid!”

“I hope a male never hatches from one of our eggs, then!” Klinn’s shout echoed around the hilly plains and, as Vacca returned to the arguing couple her look was somber.

“The coast is clear of sentience. Um, would you like a few moments…”

“No, Vacca, he was just being a minotaur head again.”

“Chimera tongue,” he snapped back to Klinn.

The cart lurched and Nova held tighter to the staff before the gusts ceased. She trembled and whispered a silent prayer before she felt a blunted talon poke her side. “Horse, it is time to leave the cart. We have to unload.”

“Vacca, it’s a pony; A female, I think. Just roll the cart into the cave.”

Vacca snapped her beak. “It’s a shelf, gravel for brains.”

Rild appeared from the darkness of the crevice in the hill suddenly and wrapped a claw around Vacca’s neck, slamming her beak into the cart. “You do not speak to my mate like that, understand?”

Vacca groaned and pushed back, opening her wings and throwing Rild back. She spun quickly and swiped at him with her talons, ripping feathers from his chest and lunging at him.

Klinn moaned in a long tone of frustration. As the duo of gryphons bit, scratched, clawed, and growled at each other for nearly thirty seconds before Rild threw Vacca from the shadows. She opened her wings, breaking just outside, spitting to the ground and landing.

“Rild, if you’re going to fight, make it a good one,” Vacca hissed as she turned to the cart, gripped it, and began pushing it into the crevice. “You’re lucky I’m your hatchmate, or you’d be dead,” she grumbled to Rild as she passed him.

“Yes, last of the litter, the runt,” he growled to her as he began to walk out, “push it into the tunnel, or cave as some call it.”

“Shut it or I’ll muzzle you while you sleep,” she threatened as she pushed it into a hollowed out tunnel in the back.

Nova’s whimpering drew Rild’s attention. He looked over the cart as it passed and rolled his eyes at the filly before she entered the darkness.

“Where are we going? A-are you going to roast me and eat me like a nibble? Is a nibble a gryphon meal or pet?”

“Silence, pony of purple. What is your name?”

“G-Grape?”

“Are you seriously asking me?” Vacca asked as the tunnel slowly lit by shimmering gems. She grunted as she pushed the cart over a bump and into a large chamber full of camping supplies. The walls had scratch marks across them and the dirt was clay-like. A single hole in the ceiling of the chamber let a trickle of sunlight in.

“Can I play with the clay walls?” Nova asked.”

“No.”

“Can I play in the dirty floor? I’ll wash up after, promise.”

“No. Get out,” Vacca ordered as she stopped the cart against a far wall.

Nova scampered, crawled, and finally hopped from the cart and looked around the room. “This place isn’t too big. Am I gonna be here long? I gotta pee. Where’s the out house, or do you dig holes? Why isn’t there a fireplace? It’s chilly in here… What’re you doing? Why did you take the cart with our stuff?

“Where are we? I got this staff and it’s really neat. I can spin it like a master, wanna see?”

“Kalxo’s sake, do you ever shut up?”

Nova gasped. “You shouldn’t say that, it’s a mean word and makes for hurt feelings and you don’t make friends hurting feelings.”

Vacca face clawed. “Here,” she reached and pulled the tarp off, tossing it over the filly who giggled and ran in small circles until it covered her.

“Ah! Help, the monster got me,” Nova giggled as she rolled under the heavy cloth covering, “ah-ha! A weapon to fight it with! Take that, and that, and one of… these,” she shouted, sending waves through the fabric as she fought an imaginary creature.

Vacca looked over from unloading a case and chuckled. “I hope this was worth it.”

“Me too,” Klinn said as she entered the chamber, “or else we’re going to the meeting spot empty clawed. You know how he hates us showing up broke.”

“Yeah, and I’ve always been ready to peck one of his eyes out,” Vacca replied as she unloaded another crate. “What’s even in these?”

Klinn slid her talons into the lip of a crate and tugged it open with ease. “A farmer selling his food. How quaint.”

Vacca snickered. “At least we won’t have to eat the horse. Oh, it’s name is Grape.”

“How quaint.”

“Yes, and I could use some help unloading so,” Vacca gestured to the cart.

“How quaint.”

“...Really? You’re gonna play that game?”

“What a quaint question.”

“Ah-ha! I found your lair of dastardly meanies! Take my friendship hugs of doom,” Nova shouted as she lunged and grabbed one of Klinn’s rear legs from under the tarp.

“And that’s the end of that,” Klinn giggled, “I’ll go see Rild, finish your tasks and keep an eye on ‘Huggie’ here.”

“Huggie,” Vacca laughed, “I like that better than ‘Grape’.”

“Whatever, call it whatever you want, just get it done and I’ll reward you with first bite,” Klinn said with a slight bow, then she kicked her leg free from the ‘hug of doom’.

“Gah, the hugs of friendship is useless against your meanie-ness! Grackkgh… I’m dead now,” Nova whispered as the tarp lay still, save for the slight movement of her chest as she panted for air.

Chapter 27

Rild stood outside the cave, looking out into the direction they came from. “I hope we didn’t just ruin a family.”

Klinn walked to his side and leaned on him. “You may have a heart of stone, but I know stones can bleed,” she replied, following his gaze. “I know that it will be fine. The ponies are travelers, afterall. If she didn’t leave them now, she would have once she got her magic mark.”

“Cutie mark, my beloved,” he said as he inhaled deeply and let loose a long, low growl. “They don’t know how great they have it. An entire land of peace, equality, plentiful foods, fresh air… And they don’t even see it.”

“They’re not gryphons, Rild. They’ll never know pain, loss, hate, or the fear that we’ve had to endure. They have the princess as a beacon,” she felt him leave her side and begin walked ahead. She watched as he took several paces.

“And, I hope they never have to. The lives they live are truly unique and they deserve to live in peace.” He turned to Klinn. “Have you ever seen a pony fight?”

“I’ve heard stories,” she snickered into a claw, “and none good.”

His gaze settled at her. “They would tear the gryphon empire to shreds within a year and we’d be without a hope.”

Klinn hiccuped as she looked at his stance, the wind in his feathers, the firm belief in his face. “What’re you talking about? These little things are-”

“Controllers of the weather, the sun and stars themselves, and can wield magics that we have no defense against. Never,” he said turning to face Klinn,” underestimate a pony, or its family. We have to get unloaded and this pony back to where it can and will be found, lest they begin a hunt for our hides.”

“Rild, y-you’re joking,” Klinn asked hopefully as she took a step closer to him, “no creatures as passive and pathetic-”

“Don’t challenge me on this,” he grumbled as he stood taller, towering over her, “there’s a reason why the races of the world avoid Equestria. Give Vacca some time, then go help her gather the pony and prepare to take wing. We can not tarry, the cart and its goods are ours to trade when we get further north.”

“Uh- … Okay,” she relented under his gaze after several long seconds, “I’ll scout the area quickly then…”

“Very well. I need to rest, if I am to be carrying the fool’s load while she rests her weak wings.”

Klinn giggled softly. “She’s half pigeon, no wonder she’s a weak flier.”

Rild looked at Klinn before she took off. “She’s also half panther and can outrun you, so don’t let her hear you insult her.”

Klinn rolled her eyes and hopped into the air, flapping her wings and taking flight in a clockwise spiral.

…

Hours passed before Nova was done playing and the day was coming to an end. “So, when can I see Tree and Trek again? I bet they’re worried of me being foalnapped,” Nova said as she worked to finish folding the tarp.

“Urrg, not long. Just, do the task you were assigned,” Vacca cooed as she lay in the empty cart, just large enough to fit two gryphons; she was enjoying the space.

“Vacca,” Rild said in a scolding voice causing the comfortable gryphon to sit up on her backside as he entered the cavern, “what are you doing? You should be doing an inventory of our new items.”

“I-I’m just relaxing, Rild.”

“Like a hatchling after playing clawball? I will not indulge your laziness. Back to work or I’ll show this pony what color your blood is.”

“Red! Mister Yellow, across from us at the plantation, was caught stealing a carrot and was whipped,” Nova said as she stomped a forehoof on a stubborn corner of the tarp, “and his blood was red. Mom said all blood was red because that’s how we know we have love in us.”

“...”

Both gryphons looked at the filly as she struggled to flatten the corner, then they looked at each other.

“Pony-”

“We’ve named her Huggy. It’s a female, a ‘filly’.”

Rild glared at Vacca who was looking at her claws now. “Huggy, then, you have seen blood? Spilt from one of your own?” His voice took on a calmer tone.

“Uh-huh. It was scary, but not as much as when I was bitten.”

Rild snapped his beak, a look of pride shown over his features. “Was it by a wolf? An eagle, by chance?”

“No,” Nova turned to him with a curiously raised eyebrow, “it was miss Little Hoof, the guard. She took a chunk of my neck off to free me,” she said turning and moving her mane to show her scar.

Both gryphons’ feathers fanned as they recoiled at the scar on her scalp.

“Huggy? The guard did this to you?!”

“Yeah, Rollo,” Nova nodded, “and my names ‘Grape’.” The gryphons looked at the filly who was standing, facing them. “And I wanna go back to Tree and Trek, and with Tree’s stuff.”

Nova was frowning slightly as she looked at them. Her gaze lowered and noticed the staff against the wall behind Rild. She raised it slowly and held it in place.

“Pony, you have to wait until we leave. A day, at the most. Then we will take you to the road and you will be reunited with your, ‘Tree’.”

“No, I wanna go now. It’s almost dinner and Tree said he was making stew…” she glared, “I love his stew.”

“I have no time for this nonsense. Vacca-” a low hum filled the air and with a yelp that reverberated through the room and outward as Nova brought the staff down. Rild jumped and opened his wings suddenly, sending a gust of wind that knocked Nova to her side; the staff clattered to the floor behind Rild.

“What?! Where? Who?!” He shouted, spinning around and looking at a welt growing above his tail.

“I don’t know, Rild,” Vacca recoiled in response, “I was here, you saw me!”

Rild looked down to the filly, who was cowering in his looming shadow, ears against her head and a wet spot beneath her. “...You struck me?!” He shouted as she landed to all fours and stomped towards Nova; wings spread and head crest furrowed.

Nova began to hyperventilate as the predator loomed, angrily, over her. She stammered and mumbled, leaning away from him. “...I-i-if y-you t-take stuff th-that isn’t yours y-ya get a w-whippin’,” she squeaked and then whimpered as she emptied the last of her bladder in fear.

Rild opened his beak and hissed slowly, leaning down in a savage pose. Nova looked into the hollow beak to see a set of sharp predators teeth a ways back; her pulse raced like it never had before.

Just before he snapped his beak around her neck he stopped and slowly moved back, clenching his jaws tight. “The seventh law of Vet’lax,” he sighed and looked to Vacca, “do not take that which you can not replace.”

Vacca looked to him, to Nova, then back to him. “Are we taking everything back, then?”

“No,” he snapped at her before looking at Nova,” but we’re taking this little monster back. She’s worth the cart and herself twice over. Vacca,” he glared at Nova, “take her now, away from-”

Whack! “AARRGGHH!” Rild roared with the full might of the tiger in his blood and body into the confines of the cavern, sending an ear ringing scream through Nova and Vacca’s heads.

“Move and I’ll skewer you like the birds you are,” Trek growled at Rild, who was scooting his now doubly welted backside toward the cart, “if you so much as hurt the filly while she’s been here I’ll do what your mother should have done the moment you were hatched.”

Rild growled deeply and fanned his neck feathers. “Who are you to speak to me, us, in such a manner? You, who drew blood from the filly you guard. You’re more beastly than we.”

Trek spun the staff in the air and brought it down across the side of the cart, next to Rild’s head with a clack that startled him. “I have never hurt a child,” she hissed, “much less foalnapped one from in front of her only family. I have a small militia with me and we’ve taken care of the other one.

“Come with me willingly, or I’ll make you come with me,” Trek glared at him. Her eyes darted to the trembling, cowering bundle of purple fur then back to Rild. Swinging the staff she brought it across the side of his head with just enough force to scare him. “She’s scared, why?”

Vacca sat up from the cart and looked at Trek. “She whipped him good,” she snickered.

Nova’s ears perked and she looked around, locking her gaze on Safe Trek a smile formed. “He… was a bad bird-cat.” Vacca laughed openly and reached into the cart, pulling out a small carrot.

“Eat up, Huggy, you’ve earned it.”

Chapter 28

Nova winced as the setting sun glared into her eyes, silhouetting several equine shapes outside the tunnel entrance. She noticed them shuffling around her and she squeed when she noticed Tree. Running to him she jumped into his open forelegs and tumbled over him giggling. “How’d you find me?”

Tree squeezed her tight and let her go, sitting up as she stumbled back from him, still smiling. “Trek has a tracking enchantment on her equipment. So when the staff was with you, so were we.”

“That… is so spiffy!” Nova gawked at him and looked around at the smiling faces around her. “Who’s the, everypony?” She tried to count but lost track after eleven local ponies.

“We’re from the town the birds set on fire,” a mare said as she faced the tunnel, a large rock nearly the size of her head in her magic, hovering beside her head and a scowl on her face. Nova looked around to see the ponies, now looking at the tunnel as Rild was led out, the tarp torn and wrapped tightly around his wings, his legs tied so firmly he could barely move them.

“Monster! You nearly killed me,” the mare shouted as she hurled the rock at Rild.

It struck him with a thud but he didn’t slow his walk from the tunnel. Several other rocks, stones, sticks, insults, and some fruit were flung at him and Vacca. Vacca was less unwavering and winced, tripped, ducked, and grunted as objects struck her.

Nova gasped and galloped towards Vacca. “Stop! She’s a nice bird-cat, he’s the meanie.”

The jeers didn’t stop, but the townsponies redirected their anger toward Rild, to not hurt the filly more than spare Vacca. “You burned my family legacy!”

“You burned my son in the fire you set.”

“They deserve to be set on fire, like our town!”

“Yeah!” a dozen voices agreed.

A distinct pop gathered their attention. “Nay, ponies,” Trek shouted to quiet the rowdy crowd. “The crime is a level three violation. I have sent word to the nearest contingency of guards and they will be tried in court by a royal tribunal,” Trek looked to the two gryphons she had now standing side by side, “and perhaps even Princess Celestia will show her wrath upon you for destroying a growing town.”

Vacca winced at the word ‘wrath’, beginning to tremble. Her panther tail curling under her as her feathers fell flat to her body, making her look more sleek and smooth.

“Do your worst, for even you Princess can not change the world.”

“Maybe not, bird-brain,” a stallion shouted as he flung a clump of dirt and grass, “but she can change you into a pile of ashes!”

Cheers and jeers filled the air.

“Come, Grape,” Tree stated, “I’ve got to help set up camp. Mark Spot?” he called to a yellow stallion with a bright pink mane that made Nova giggle. “This’ Grape Juice. Watch her while I go take inventory of what I have left on my cart and pack it back up. Then, I guess I’ll start with tents.”

“Heh, hiya, Grape. Nice to meet you,” Mark held a hoof out. She bumped it and followed him a short way before stopping with him and meeting several other fillies and colts.

Nova made a couple good friends right away. She played tag, hide and seek -the shortest game she’d ever played since there wasn’t anything to hide behind in the plains-, and finally, as the sun began to set, she sat around a small fire pit for just the youth.

“Wow. It must’ve been so scary to be captured like that. I was hiding but, I heard about it on the way here.”

“What was it like to be with the birds? Did they eat you?” A colt asked.

“How could they eat her? She’s right there!” retorted another in shock.

“They could have eaten part of her. Like, her tail or something before she was rescued.”

“Did you get to use magic on them?”

The group of fillies and colts gasped in unison at the new flood of questions that filled their minds.

Nova puffed her chest at the unbridled attention and did her best to answer the questions as fast as they were asked before telling them of the most amazing foalnapping of her life.

…

“So then, like, I was thrown in the corner and they were all ‘stop talking or I’ll eat your tail, puny pony.’ and they were yelling at me. I wasn’t scared at all,” Nova sat tall, the firelight dancing across her front and reflecting in her eyes as she regaled the foals in her adventure.

“Woah~...”

“I got up and told ‘em ‘Hey, don’t put me in timeout cuz you’re the mean ones!”

“She’s so brave,” A colt said, melting slightly at the sight of the super-filly before him.

“Yeah,” a filly replied in the same way.

Nova raised her forelegs over her head. “I don’t listen to ponies!” she shouted in a gruff voice causing a couple children to yelp in surprise. “You will be on timeout… Forever! Mwahahaha.”

“And then what happened?!”

“Oh, it was totally cool. I took a stick when they weren’t looking and gave the boss cat-bird a whuppin’ he won’t ever forget!” she finished landing on all fours with emphasis.

The other children erupted into jubilant cheers and hollers. Nova soaked it all in and beamed a proud smile across the group, catching the happy face of Tree by the adults’ fire. He winked at the filly and turned back to his group to listen in on another story.

“Grape Juice, you’re the coolest pony in the history of ever! Did you know that?”

“I wanna fight gryphons when I grow up.”

“I’m gonna be in the royal guard and save ponies from gryphons!”

“Me too!”

“Grape Juice, can you stay here and be our teacher? We need to know how to fight monsters like you.”

Nova sat proudly and let her gaze travel to the south to a tight pen that held the three gryphons. Their legs were tied thoroughly, their heads were covered with blankets, tied firmly, and their wings were held shut with a makeshift splint set.

Without a word, Nova stood up and adjusted the gem that she had tied into her mane for the trip, taking it out and hovering it in front of her. The firelight danced through it, sending ripples of light throughout the camp.

“Wow! What’s that? Is that a gryphon gem? Can I touch it?”

Nova turned her head to the gryphons and back to her gem. “They should go free.”

Silence befell the campsite.

“Grape, what a funny girl,” a stallion laughed gathering the attention back to his story.

“No,” Nova said softly as she trotted around her firepit and toward the adults, “they have to go free.”

“Grape,” Tree leaned over and held a hoof out, “you need sleep. You’ve been through a lot today.”

“No, Tree!” she shouted. All attention was on her now. She didn’t falter. “I was a slave for almost my whole life before I met you,” she stated, ignoring the reactions, “and all I wanted, all the time, was my freedom. I didn’t even know it then, but I was a prisoner in my mind, and in my heart,” she placed a hoof on her chest.

“I had a mom in there. She wasn’t my real mom, but she was my mom. I think she’s dead now since I escaped after the boss tried to hurt me, back there…” A round of gasps filled the silence, “but once I was free; from that place. I made family, friends, and we all love each other… I have everything a filly needs.

“But, I know that there are things as bad as being a slave, and that’s what those gryphons are in trouble with.”

“Darling,” an elder mare started, “they foalnapped you. Robbed from your family, burnt our town in fire…”

“I, I know,” Nova scuffed the grass, “but they’re slaves to somepony out there that they have to pay or something bad will happen. I, I just think… No, I know that it has to stop,” she stomped her hoof. “If we just punish the ponies that get caught then we won’t stop the bad; it’ll just go somewhere else, right?” she asked.

The adults sat in silence, looking between each other. They glanced to the gryphons then back to the filly. “Grape, look-”

“I think we should discuss this,” Tree interjected, “in private, Grape.”

“B-but, if we stop their boss, then their boss won’t hurt anypony like my boss tried to hurt me,” Nova said sheepishly.

Silence befell the area again. The fillies and colts lay still, listening and watching the adults’ reactions.

“I say she’s right,” a stallion said with a snort.

A mare nickered in agreement. “Hear, hear. Cut the snake off at the head, not at the tail.” Several winnies and nickers in agreement followed.

“Let’s think this through, first,” a pony with glasses said loudly, “are we in any position to capture or find a black market seller of, whatever, that lives or operates out of Celestia knows where in Equestria, or beyond? This sounds way above us, guys.”

The adults sat in silent agreement.

“Well, why not ask the princess? She’s supposed to help us all, right?”

“Um, Grape, it’s not that simple. Celestia is the princess, she doesn’t do everything. No pony can, that’s why we have councils and representives in Canterlot.”

Nova tapped her hoof on the ground in thought. “Why not pull the string? Remember that scarf Apple made and it had that loose yarn? I pulled it and it was a little but then it was almost half the scarf. Those birds are the start of the string and we can just, I dunno, pull ‘em? Does that make sense?”

Smiles formed on the adults as the idea swam through them all. “Ya know, I think she’s onto something...”

Chapter 29

“Okay, so, we’re going to let the birds that just burnt most of our town to ashes go?”

“On the premise that they lead the royal guard to meet the boss of their clan…”

“And, hope, that they’re going to do the right thing and not betray the ponies we send with them?”

The royal guards had arrived and were discussing the plan that was made with the gryphon captives amid much skepticism.

“I do not like this plan,” one of the pegasi guards huffed.

“Nor do I; it reeks of sabotage. How do we know one of you locals aren’t with them?”

“Are you serious?! What pony would burn their own town for nothing?” a townspony countered.

“Perhaps it’s part of a larger plan,” another guard suggested.

“Enough of this,” a pegasi said sternly, silencing the crowd, “this is an opportunity to end a lot of strife. These gryphons aren’t the first to attack a town for profits owed to a mysterious benefactor. Let’s follow the plan,” he said and looked back to the gryphons. “Untie them, uncover their heads, and free their wings. Attach tracking gems and let them go.”

“Mister Pony,” Rild mumbled from beneath his head cover, “we are a race that values honor. We have no loyalty to the Boss, to spare the lives and freedom of thousands of my brethren-”

“And sisters,” Klin added.

“Then I pledge my loyalty to you, until the Boss is in custody and those under his employ are scattered… My flock will follow me through the afterlife. Our lives are yours.”

“Humph, whatever,” a stallion guard grumbled as he turned to a wagon they’d brought to haul the prisoners away.

“I understand and you have our trust. Break that trust and you will find out that we aren’t all pacifists.”

With a nod, Rild agreed. A moment later all their hoods were lifted, blinding them to the bright morning light. “Thank you, being in the dark is… discomforting,” Klin said softly as her wings were freed.

They looked around, all locking eyes on the purple filly they had taken hostage… and bowed their heads in respect. “Flock, to the skies we wait.”

Rild’s order was followed by loud screeches as their legs were unbound and they took to the sky with massive, loud flaps from their wings. The squad of pegasi took off after them. A moment later there was a high pitched, very feminine scream that garnered all the attention and surprise.

…

A chest was slapped closed in front of Tree, who had just finished exhaling the last pitch of a high note. He fell to his haunches, staring at the chest that was lined with gold and silver.

“Tree?! What happened? I haven’t heard you make that noise since you got bucked in the orchard,” Nova asked as she galloped to him.

“Guh… Buh? Beets…”

Nova cocked her head at the random noises Tree was making as Trek placed a hoof on the filly’s back. “There was a reward for their capture,” she said softly, staring at Tree, who was weeping quietly, pulling the chest to his body.

“What’s a reward?”

Tree was babbling softly as the guards left him, returning to their caravan; the ranking officer approached Trek. “Sergeant, you did a fine job. Are you going to escort these two home?”

Trek snapped to attention and saluted. The officer nodded and returned the salute. “Sir, I am going to guard them regardless of their choice. It’s my duty.”

“Well said, Sergeant, at ease. There will be a bonus in your purse when you return, either way.”

Trek grinned and saluted. “Thank you, sir.”

“Keep up the great work,” he returned the salute and looked to Nova. She had a hoof held over her right eye. “She’s cute, and smart. Keep an eye on her, Safe Trek.”

“Permission to speak in private, sir?” Trek asked as she glanced to Nova and smiled at her attempt at a salute.

“Granted, follow me. Filly-”

“My name’s Grape Juice and I’m a young mare.”

“Indeed,” the officer said as he led Trek to a quieter area.

Nova trotted to Tree, who had stopped crying, but was still hugging the chest. “Tree, are you ‘kay?”

He sniffled. “Y-yeah. This’ just, such a gift. If I wanted to I could just go home, we could just go home, and take a year off. But, we need the trade routes,” he hummed, “I’ll get this home while we travel to the next town,” he got up and held it tightly, one last hug, before moving it to his back and prancing to the royal guards.

“Growedups are so weird. If I gotta box I’d just put my toys in it,” Nova mumbled as she turned back to the camp.

The fillies and colts had been taken back to town a couple hours earlier and shared goodbyes leaving only a few adults to talk with the guard. Now that they were done and leaving, she was practically alone. She trotted to the cart; still in great condition and missing almost no product.

Nova climbed into the cart and lay in the space that had been made for her to rest in, surrounded by crates and bags that she didn’t care what was in them. She lay her head on her forelegs and sighed a sad breath.

“Nova, what’s wrong?”

“I miss my friends and Apple. I wanna go home.”

“While you’re with family, you’re always home.”

“I don’t feel like I’m at home, right now. I’m lonely and I was almost hurt’d, bad. They coulda ate my tail and put me in timeout forever,” Nova pouted.

“Oh, certainly they weren’t that mean. Just wait; in time you’ll see that timeouts can’t stop you or what you are capable of.”

“I don’t wanna be on timeout, or a slave again. It’s sad and when I’m with Tree, I’m happy.”

“That’s very good to hear, Grape,” Trek said, “who were you talking to?”

“Huh?” Nova asked, sitting up and rubbing her left eye, “oh, it was that nice pony from before. Did she leave again?”

“Uhm, sure, is this friend of yours really close to you? Like, a friend that only you can see?”

“Sometimes, but she’s really nice and helps me feel better.”

Trek nodded and tapped the back of the cart. “Hello, Nova’s friend. As long as you’re nice to her, you’re a friend of mine,” Trek offered, looking to Nova.

“She isn’t here, you said,” Nova commented, looking at Trek with a skeptical eye, “are you sure you didn’t see anypony a second ago?”

Trek giggled. “Nope, just you and a bunch of stuff,” she said poking a crate, “hello? Any ponies in there? No? Well, if there are, keep her safe.”

“You’re parent-al-izing me,” Nova chewed the words out.

“Ha-Hah! You mean patronizing? That’s a big word, where’d you learn it?”

“...From that nice mare.”

Trek raised an eyebrow before nodding and backing up. “Ri~ght, well, here’s a staff of your own; a gift from the royal guard. I was gonna do more, but it seems you’re still having some shell shock.” Trek levitated a staff to Nova and smiled one more time before she turned away.

“A staff of my own?”

“It would seem so… Perhaps it’s best to keep you safe from tail eating monsters.”

“And time-out monsters, too,” Nova added with a determined nod. “I like you, you’re fun Miss Pony.”

Chapter 30

“Hyah!”

The sound of a staff striking against a tree sent birds into the air and critters scurrying into their burrows and nearby trees, in the evening light some were going to stay in after their scurry. Another strike and finally a smaller squeak ended the ruckus.

“Nicely done,” Trek said as she smiled through her armor to the filly before her, “this imaginary friend of yours seems to be getting better and better, just like you,” she said with a wink.

“She’s not imagination-ary. She said she’s been wif me forever, so that’s a long time; more than I know, she said. But… She said I’m getting better without her help. That last hit you missed and whupped on the tree woulda been super hurting on me.”

“You dodge like a chimera, Nova. If I ever did strike you, I’d be more afraid of you hitting me, with…” Nova grinned as her staff landed a strong blow across Trek’s armored back, buckling her knees with a shocked grunt.

Nova hopped quickly towards Trek and spun, bucking at the soldier's helmet. She felt her strike connect and she toppled forward onto her chest with a giggle. “She told me you’d fall for that!” Nova giggled as she scurried to her hooves and turned to face the mare… then screamed louder than she had in days. She turned and galloped as fast as she could through the tall grass and to Tree, who was dozing by the cart.

Tree, startled awake, hopped to his hooves and looked at Nova, who was moving faster than he’d seen her since the gryphon event weeks prior. “Nova?! What’s wrong? Where’s Trek?”

Nova tripped and tumbled several lengths before she skidded to a stop on her side. Wincing in pain she looked up to Tree. “St-stranger... danger.”

Tree sighed and cantered to her, helping her up and brushing wet grass from her sides and some dried grass from her rump. “Okay, you saw a stranger. You’re safe now. Is Trek talking to them?”

“No! You don’t get it, Tree, they took her! She was there, than another mare was there! It was a swappersoo, like in that story about the mare who was switch with her sis and… it was so scary! They coulda swappersed me too, we have to rescue Trek,” Nova shouted as she turned to gallop ahead. She galloped, galloped, galloped, then stopped and huffed.

“I’ll let you down when you tell me what happened, calmly.”

“I did. I was training and then she was gone but somepony else was there,” Nova said slower but still loudly.

“Fine, where were you training and I’ll ask trek what’s, oh, there she is. Trek,” Tree called as she approached. Nova’s expression was awash in confusion. “I heard you were foalnapped and replaced? You look like you handled yourself well,” he chuckled, “I think it’s about time you told, showed, Nova why you’re always wearing the armor.”

Trek rubbed her helmet and groaned as she tossed Nova’s staff to her; the filly caught it in her invisible aura without any noticeable effort. “You know, you have legs as strong as your spirit, Nova.” With that, Trek took her helmet off and the magic was dispelled in front of Nova, who scurried back and beneath Tree.

Before them stood a green unicorn with yellow mane and amber eyes. “Hello, Nova. My real name is Lime,” she introduced herself as she levitated her helmet to her back, “I’m still Safe Trek, but that’s my codename, just like yours is Grape Juice. Can we keep this a secret?”

Lime and Nova looked at each other for the most silent half minute the filly had had in a day before Nova finally spoke. “So, how old are you?” Tree laughed while Lime blushed.

“Well, I’m older than you’d believe,” Lime replied with an awkward smile.

“Yeah...” Tree said poking Nova in the back, “you don’t ask a mare her age.”

Lime chuckled sweetly. “Or she’ll say something crazy like she can’t die, or something, right?” she grinned through clenched teeth.

Tree looked at Lime with a raised eyebrow. “Uh, right… anyway, it’s all out in the open now, so there’s that done and gone. Let’s get packed up and back on the road, as long as you’re done with your sparring match, that is.”

Nova grinned and nodded, beginning to regale Tree with the story of her gallant victory over the forces of evil as they trotted back to the cart. With a heavy sigh, Lime replaced the helmet and looked at her green forelimbs. As they faded to white she looked at the filly and stallion walking away.

“Yeah, I’m just old enough… I hope you’re watching her closely, Miss ghost,” Lime said to her right without taking her eyes off the filly. “...Yeah, and if she gets lost on the path who’ll end the struggle? Who’ll fix the problem that they don’t see? … Right, right, I’ll just stick to it. I really wish you’d stop egging her on to hurt me though; she’s actually beating me and leaving welts.

“...It wouldn’t be so funny if it was you!” Lime grumbled as she entered a quick trot.

“What was that, Trek?”

“Oh, nothing, Tree. Just, working some kinks from the armor that Nova just dented.”

“You dented her armor? Great work, little sis!”

Nova blushed and looked to her left, a wink, then to her right. “Thanks, Tree. It wasn’t easy but ya gotta be smarterer than the pony you’re fighting… even if it is with a stick.”

Tree stumbled and restrained a laugh. Trek whacked him against the back of his head. “Don’t even think that thought or I’ll show you what it’s like.”

“I-I’d never even think of thinking of such a thing, ma’am.”

Chapter 31

“So then I rolled to the side and used my staff to whack Trek on her flank. It didn’t hurt, cuz she has arnmor, but it made a loud noise and she tripped and fell in the mud!” Nova burst into laughter as she trotted beside Tree while Trek trotted behind, covered head to forehoof in drying mud and clay.

“Well, that explains why we have a golem following us.”

“Half golem, Tree,” Trek replied as some dried mud crusted from her faux coat. “So, I can sense the next waypoint; we’re almost to Las Pegasus finally. Who’s excited to see the city?”

“IamIamIam, mememe!”

“Well, if I’m half as excited as Grape, then I guess we’re in for a grand excursion,” Tree said with a smile.

“And I remind you that you’re only to stay a day, then it’s time to return home. This trek has taken an extra week than I was planning on and from what I hear, this Apple of yours is gonna be a ‘might upset, reckon?” Trek mused.

“HA! You sound just like her.”

“She does not! I know my Apple and she doesn’t sound… entirely like that.”

“Oh? Y’all wanna have a mare with a country accent?” Trek said in an extremely convincing accent.

Tree stumbled to a stop, the cart pushing him a couple of extra steps as he frowned at Trek. “Don’t do that,” he said flatly.

“Aw, Ah s’pose it’s only fair that Ah stop makin’ nonsense’r by golly Ah’ll have ta spend a night under tha stars alone.” Tree’s knees buckled and he nearly fell as a look of adoration crossed his features. “Well,” Trek said in her normal voice, “looks like it’s the accent that gotcha and the mare next?”

“N-no, I just… have a thing for country mares.”

“Whatever, let’s go! I wanna see a cloud city,” Nova interjected as she took a quick canter down the beaten path. “I wanna eat some cloud food, too. And have a pegi-back ride!”

Trek looked to Tree and mouthed the question. Tree leaned in close. “It means pegasus back ride.”

Trek made an oh face, understanding a little more about the mysterious filly she’d gotten to know so well.

“Okay, we should be there by nightfall. I had a room booked at a quaint inn for us to stay in last week, but now it seems that we’re a week behind thanks to sight seeing and trade talks-”

“Hey, those trade talks got my family another trade route through Whinney Hills, and we’re way off track from there.”

“A fine negotiator you are, I’m sure. However this is not negotiable, Mister Appletree. We have to leave by tomorrow night or I’ll leave without you. I must report back, face to face, with my local commander back in Canterlot.”

“Alright, alright,” Nova snorted, “you’re both so much like adults! C’mon, let’s race… last one to that tree is named Tree!” She took off in a gallop before Tree could grumble.

“See ya there,” Trek giggled and quickly trotted behind Nova, catching up but not passing, easily. The cart squeaked as Tree made to move faster, it’s resistance making him sweat slightly as he struggled to catch up.

…

“Wow… It’s more amazing than I would have ever imagined. A cloud city over a earth city and regular trade between them both. It’s like they both have trains between them only, and it’s ponies!”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it since it was a town and it’s still impressive.” Trek sighed as she stood tall, gazing at the cities.

“Heh, you’re a riot,” Tree droned, “Las Pegasus is easily four hundred years old, and it wasn’t always here.”

“I meant Lost Pegasus, the earth city below it. It was called Barbed Seas and I was joking,” Trek replied flatly, “I read it in a book.”

“Wow! You can read, too?! You’re so awesome, Lime… I mean, Trek.”

Trek giggled and patted Nova on the head. “That’s nice to hear, Grape. And, yea, I’m literate… Just another skill I’ve picked up over the years.”

“My friend says you’re as old as dirt.”

Tree laughed out loud while Trek looked behind them with a scowl. “Tell your friend she looks like-”

“Now, now,” Tree interjected before it could get heated, “let the filly have her fun. If her friend says you’re… more experienced than us, then so be it.”

“But, she didn’t say experiumced, she said mph-” Tree placed a hoof over Nova’s mouth and smiled warmly.

“Once is enough, sis. Don’t push your friends luck.”

“Ptuh,” Nova spit onto the ground, “I don’t like that, you tasted like yuck. And my friend says she’ll getcha next sheshun… whatever that is,” Nova rolled her eyes and huffed. “Are you two gonna be fighting forever or can we get to the city and have some fun?”

“Grape, I think we should leave the mares to talk it out while we go ahead. I’m sure Miss Trek wouldn’t mind talking with your friend and catching up,” Tree hinted with a wink, “in about four minutes.”

“I think I like that idea. Give us a chance to ‘talk it out’, as t’were.”

“Fine, it’s agreed,” Tree said hitching up again. With a tug the harness was taught enough and he began to trot, following Nova, down the path.

Once they were nearly out of sight. “You old cow! How can you have her call me old?! You’re one to talk…”

“Well,” Tree asked Trek when she’d caught back up with a smile, “how’d it go? Work your issues out?”

“Yeah, you could say that we really hashed it out.”

“...She said you tried to hit her with your staff,” Nova sighed. “You’re not gonna be friends at all, are you?”

“What? We’ll be friends, we’re just having a quarrel about what is right to have a filly say. You’re too young to be using such language about an experienced mare, such as myself.”

“...I’m not telling her that,” Nova said sternly, “that’s mean words.”

“Good job, Grape,” Tree praised her, “you tell her who’s boss.”

“You are, Tree,” Nova said innocently.

Trek snorted into laughter as the city loomed closer.

Chapter 32

Nova hopped onto Tree’s back and gawked at the metropolis she was in. The buildings were at times four stories tall with windows on every floor. “Wow, this place is huge,” she said in awe, “the buildings are as big as the our whole town we live in,” she said while looking at the roof of a building.

“Look! That one has a garden on top,” Nova pointed and tipped from Tree, only to be caught by Trek’s magic.

“Careful,” she said flatly, “we have to be quick and being in the clinic doesn’t fit into the mission.” She set Nova onto the ground, her little four hooves scampered for grip and balance while she was placed down. “Let’s go, Tree. The hotel is still several blocks away.”

Nova blew a puff of air from the side of her muzzle and trotted beside Tree as he pulled the much lighter cart to the hotel, still enjoying the sights. A larger pony of bright orange trotted past her the group and scared her under Tree at one time, but the trek was uneventful otherwise.

The cart was unhitched and left outside the entrance to the hotel while the ponies went inside. “Wow, this house is bigger than all the Apple barns together.”

“It’s a hotel, sweetie,” a mare said as she passed the group as they entered, then reeled back as Tree passed.

“Yes, I need a bath, I know. Sorry,” he apologized as the mare sneered, hurrying past him with a hoof to her snout.

“Did you hear?” a stallion said to a small group of six other ponies that were gathered by the reception.

“Hear what, Quill? Another rumor from the dregs of pony society? Perhaps a new tonic to cure tooth loss?” A laugh went through the group.

“Har har,” Quill mocked, “I’m serious, this’ from Canterlot, Princess Celestia herself is making a new law!”

“Oh, surely it’s to the benefit of the nobles, yet again.” The group laughed while Quill waved his hooves to gather their attention. Tree, Nova, and Trek listened passively as they began to check in.

“No! It’s an abolishment of impoverished servitude, can you imagine?!”

The group began shouting incoherently, every pony in the lobby stopping to listen. “Listen, listen, listen,” a mare shouted, “she wouldn’t do such a thing! The nobles would protest! There would be panic in the streets at the labor they’d lose!”

“Who cares?! It’s freedom, which is a right we all deserve.”

“My uncle was a slave to the nobles’ greed, let the law pass!”

“I don’t care about the nobles! They take their bits by standing on the withers of us all, let them have their tantrums in Canterlot while we welcome the slaves of the rich with open hearts!”

“I won’t have any slaves in my home! I say pay them from the nobles’ pockets!”

“Hear, hear!”

The three ponies grouped closer together, Trek grabbing the room key in her magic before quickly leading the others to the front. “This doesn’t bode well, I wonder if we’re the cause for this movement.”

“You mean the griffons I let go?”

“Perhaps, but let’s not dwell or dawdle. Tree, move the cart to the lot around the corner to the left. There’s a royal guard patrol that keeps the lot safe enough. I’ll take Nova to room 303, knock like I told you, okay?”

He nodded and nuzzled Nova. “I’ll see you shortly, we’ll be done here soon and on our way home.”

Nova nodded with a smile. “Okay, I’ll be upstairs… on the third floor!” she shouted and hopped in place twice.

“Let’s hurry, we can draw Tree a bath while we’re waiting.”

“Okay, Trek! See ya soon, Tree,” she gasped. “In 303! 303 is Tree and I’ll see Tree in 303.”

She turned and pranced back into the hotel lobby with Trek closely beside her while Tree hitched back to the cart.

The stairs were a little large for the filly, but she made it up all the flights easily enough. “Hey, Trek, let’s start a big hot bath and we can be in it when Tree gets there and we can wash him really good. Where’s the bath tub, by the way? How do we fill it, is there a well we have to trot to, or a dumbwaiter thing? What do we do if-”

Trek smiled as she used the key to unlock the door and let the filly scamper past her and into the room. “Wow, this room is,” Nova gasped, “Trek?! There’s two rooms in this room! Quick, come look! A bowl of fruit and-” Trek closed the door behind her and locked it before she took off her helmet and the magic dispelled and her green coat shimmered into existence once again.

“Ah, that’s better,” Lime sighed as she shook her mane freely, “no more helmet hair for a little while, finally.” She made her way past the rambling purple filly and to the bathroom. “Grape! Come here and look at this.”

The sound of quick paced hooves approached and stopped just behind her. “Is that a bathtub? It’s huge! I can fit the whole family in it,” Grape shouted as her hooves clopped onto the linoleum. She let out a yelp as her hooves lost traction and she slipped onto her belly. “I’m okay!”

“This might not be large enough for your whole family, but it’ll definitely be large enough for the three of us. Now, these here are water knobs,” Lime placed Grape into the tub and added bubble soap to the flow, “so don’t mess with them or the water will be too hot or cold. When it gets this high call me and I’ll turn it off. And, don’t splash too much. The drain is under the tub, but we have to pay for the water.”

Grape was giggling and placing her hooves under the water flow but still acknowledged the older mare.

Lime went to the social area and took a banana in her magic from a bowl on the table to her lips and bit into it, rind and all. “Bleh, if I wasn’t so hungry for a real meal I’d peel you,” she told the berry, “but as it is, nomnomnom,” she mumbled as she ate the rest.

There was a series of knocks at the door and she quickly trotted to the door, put on her helmet again, and opened the door as the magic finished covering her with a white coat once again. “Tree? Ah, hurry, come in.”

He hurried in and the door closed behind him. “Is everything alright?” he asked as Lime removed her helmet again and this time her armor with it.

“I just needed to get out of that finally. A few days in guards armor is more than I’m used to,” she said as she carried the armor in front of her and into the bathroom before turning the water off as it nearly reached the rim. “Grape, what’d I tell you about the water level?”

“I’unno, it filled faster than I thought it would,” she shrugged as bubbles covered her head and ears. “Do I look like a snowpony?”

Tree went ahead and climbed into the tub and didn’t show any care about the overflow splashing on the floor. Lime smirked and rolled her eyes before setting the armor by the door and finally climbing in herself, taking a large portion of water from the tub and levitating it to the sink to drain. She groaned in relief as the water stung her skin while she submerged herself completely. She broke the surface and sighed as she felt the stress of walking hundreds of miles in heavy, tight armor left her.

She felt the water move and before she could react she smelt the sweet scent of coconut shampoo as it pressed into her neck. She didn’t have the energy or want to fight as she was the first one to get cleaned by both her charges. She turned and let her chin rest on the rim of the cast iron tub as the two other ponies massaged her fur clean. She fell asleep before they had started her mane and tail.

Lime awoke to the sound of splashing and giggling and a smile crossed her face. She lifted her head from the rim and let it sink under the water again. She was feeling the water trickle into her ears when she was suddenly yanked from two angles.

Flailing her legs she fought for purchase as she broke the surface of the water, coughing and gasping for air. “She’s awake!” Grape shouted. “Just breathe, you almost drownded, are you alright?!”

Lime blinked her eyes clear from the bubbly water and coughed as she twisted free from their grip and dangled her forelegs over the side of the tub. She chuckled slightly at the irony as both ponies patted her back lightly. “Thanks, you two saved me from drowning. We’re even now.”

“Now?” Tree asked as Lime’s horn lit. “Oof,” he managed as his hooves slipped from under him and he dunked under with a splash. Grape giggled as Lime turned around.

“Oh, you’re not out of the woods yet,” Lime lit her horn and tried to slip the filly, only for her magic to disperse around her. “Oh, you’re not getting away from me!” she grinned and hopped at the purple bundle of giggles, taking her under the water in a kamikaze move.

They all surfaced together, bubbles across their heads and giving them white foamy beards. Sharing a long earned laugh they spent a few minutes splashing, dunking, and restyling each other’s manes with soap.

“Okay, I’m done, can I get out?” Grape asked.

“Of course,” Lime said. She helped the filly to the floor and brought a bright yellow fluffy towel over to wrap her in. “I’m about done, too. Tree?”

“I’m gonna wash my frogs quick, then I’ll be out.”

“Okay.”

The mares left the room and went across the hall to the bedroom to dry themselves. “That was the best bath I’ve had in ever!”

“Maybe not that long, Grape, but I have to agree, it was really fun. I needed that,” she sighed as she called over a brush for her mane.

“You fell asleep, I’ve never seen that happen.”

“I didn’t realize how tired I was until then.”

“Well, it was cute to watch you sleeping. You’re always doing your job and I like you like this.”

Lime smiled. “Yeah? Thanks, Grape.”

Tree trotted into the room with his towel wrapped around his barrel and another holding his mane. “That, was amazing. Trek, your armor stinks! How have you worn that for so long?”

“It didn’t smell to me.”

“Sniff it now,” he deadpanned. She sighed loudly and took to her hooves, trotting past him, still brushing her mane. The brush clattered to the floor a couple seconds later followed by a muffled splash.

“That, is the grossest thing I’ve ever smelled,” Lime said when she returned. “It’s in the bath, I’ll wash it thoroughly after we’re looking nice.”

“Won’t the water hurt the magic?”

“Grape, if it worked that way the rain would be the bane of the entire guard.”

“Oh yeah,” Grape said softly. “What does stop the enchantment on the armor?”

“Nothing I can tell you besides taking it off.”

Grape looked at Lime for a moment while her mane was being brushed by Tree. “Can I try it on?”

Lime snickered into her hoof. “It’s bigger than you are by far, silly filly.”

“I don’t care. Can I?”

“Once it’s cleaned, sure.”

Grape grinned and her tail swished quickly.

“Okay, you barely fit into the body armor. Let’s see you in the helmet.”

The helmet slipped on the filly’s head but held, just barely. The enchantments shimmered and covered her with a white coat and blue mane. “How do I look?” Grape asked as she adjusted the helmet.

“Like a real guard,” Tree said in a hushed voice. “I wouldn’t even know you were a filly if I didn’t just see it happen.”

“But, I’m still purple…”

“No, the enchantment doesn’t show you what you look like unless you’re looking in a mirror. It helps us to remember who we are and why we joined. If we all looked the same we’d lose a piece of ourselves,” Lime said as she took the helmet from the filly with her hooves. “That, and the enchantments dampen outside magic,” she said thoughtfully, “with your magical aberrations it might nullify all magical attacks together. Maybe you should join the guard.”

“Nah, I wanna be a farmer like Apple and Tree.”

Tree smiled. “That’s nice to hear, but we’ll see what happens when you get older.”

Grape took off the body armor by squatting and shimmying out of it. She turned her interest to the window and pranced over to look out while Tree and Lime talked. This is such a huge city. I thought there was a cloud city up there but I don’t see anything. What if the cloud city had to move for some reason? Grape started thinking and began an internal rant of questions.

“Grape, I’m going to try to sell the last of our goods. I’ll be back in a few hours so you just have fun with Lime, okay?”

“‘Kay, see ya for supper?”

“You bet,” he replied with a ruffle of her mane when his hand bumped her horn. “Oh! Your horn is getting really big. Maybe a couple months and it’ll be full size again, won’t that be nice?”

“Oh! I can do magic good then, right?”

”Eeyup.”

“I can work with her some while you’re gone. Have a safe trip, okay?”

With a round of hugs, Tree took his leave. “I hope we get to head home soon, I miss my friends.”

“Me too, Grape. Me too.”

Chapter 33

Nova and Lime sat at the table, enjoying a small bowl of diced fruit the guard had purchased a few minutes before from a street vendor with the filly by her side. “So, little purple filly,” they shared a smile, “I’ve never asked, but do you actually like grape juice?”

“Hrm,” Nova thought, “I don’t think I’ve ever had it. There’s only apples, oranges, pears, and cherries abouts the area I live. Oh,” the filly bounced in her seat at an idea, “maybe I can farm grapes!”

“Now that’s a snack I can go for any day of the week, you should look into it. There’s always a need for farming different things.”

Nova grinned and nodded, ideas swirling in her head as she tossed a square of pineapple from the bowl into her mouth. The mare looked with slight interest, having seen the random magic and telekenisis from the filly was quite commonplace at this point in the journey.

“So, how ya like the fruit?”

“It’s thuper nummy,” Nova replied with a gulp, licked her lips, then tossed an orange slice into the air, lunged to catch it and whined when it bounced from her nose to the table. She leaned to it and used her tongue to grab it and munch it.

“Nova, don’t lick a table,” Lime scolded, “you don’t know when it was cleaned and you can get splinters!”

“Thereth no thplinterth… This’ vaneered cherrywood, it’s not strong, but it’s not gonna splinter much naturally, less with the treatment it’s gotten.”

“When’d you get to be so knowing on wood?” Lime asked with narrow eyes.

“When I helped make a buncha tables early on this year. Fer, uh, somethin’.”

“Well, fine then,” the mare smiled as she sat back on her cushion. “So, when Tree gets back how about we-”

“The Apple family reunion! It’s comin’ up in two months, you should come. It’d be great ta see ya around more. Ya know any good recipes?”

“Well, I’ve got a few packed away, but let’s worry about more important things. Nova,” she asked with a sense of importance. The filly slowed her chewing and felt anxiety creeping upon her. “When’re you gonna get a coltfriend?”

The filly rolled her eyes while Lime grinned. “Not you too, Ah’m gonna get one when I’m good’n ready. Probably when I’m like, in my twenties, ya know.”
“Twenties?! Do you even know how long away that is?” Lime said, holding back a laugh.

“Like, ten years. Then I’ll think about getting a coltfriend, until then I’m just gonna be havin’ fun.”

“Well, best of luck with that, you’re only a couple years, tops, from becoming a mare, and I don’t mean just your cutie mark,” she winked.

“Huh? Whatd’ya mean? I’m a mare when I get my mark’s what I was told. Then I get a job on the farm, get a house, a coltfriend, then the flamingo drops a foal off by our door near the Summer Sun Celebration and we’re a family… why’re you lookin’ like that. Smith says ya wanna catch flies, ya keep yer mouth open like that.”

Lime was awestruck, shocked, and embarrassed at what she’d just heard. “You mean to tell me, you don’t know the cycle of life? Every foal learns it when they’re,” she paused and remembered the filly’s age and when she was a slave, “wow… did Smith or Tree ever talk to you about the cycle of life? Birth, death, everything in between?”

“Ugggh, yes! Who do you think told me about the flamingo? Why do adults always get weird when this comes up?”

“Oh stars, it had to be me?” she inhaled deeply. “I’m gonna tell you the truth about it all before you find out the hard way, so,” she reached across the table and moved the fruit away from the filly’s physical reach, “I’m gonna need your attention.”

Tree opened the door with his key and entered, closed the door and took his hat off. Tossing it to the side wall he wiped his feet on the enchanted doormat to clean them, then made his way into the room. A flash of white blinded him suddenly, and another object struck him atop his head.

He fell to the floor and curled to protect himself from the soft, but unknown, assault. “You flamingo’s butt!” a small voice screeched as the pillows struck again. “A flamingo?! Ah thought that sounded silly, but ya couldn’t tell me the truth?”

“What, ah, oof, quit it, Nova! I-mph.”

“Ah can’t believe ya tricked me, when were ya gonna tell me how babies’re made and all that?”

A flap of wings and the pillow assault stopped. “Sorry, Tree, but I had to set her straight. I didn’t think you’d get beat up for it though.”

He sat up and wiped a fetlock across his face. “Ah’m fine, but what in tarnation?”

A pillow rose in Nova’s telekinetic grip but with a stern look from Lime, it fell and the filly sat and crossed her forelegs, looking away with a scowl.

“You didn’t tell her about the cycle of life? What could have possessed you to keep it a secret?”

“Well, her past fer one. We weren’t gonna bring up troublin’ stuff til she was older.”

“How much older?! She’s almost a mare, she gets aroused during that time and you’ve got a foal on the way! She’s not ready, at all, to go through that with such little knowledge and experience. And thinking a flamingo is gonna drop her foal off at the doorstep… honestly, is this what you were told when you were growing up?”

“What, no… it’s just, well…”

“Ugh, stallions,” Lime huffed and walked by Nova, using her wing to coax the filly into following her to their room. Nova turned and stuck her tongue out before she left his sight.

“Well, reckon that coulda gone a might better, but at least she knows now. Apple’s in fer a treat of a story fer this one. Hey, anypony wanna take a bath?”

“No!” both females responded at once.

He sighed and looked around the room. “Fine... oh, fruit!”

“Girls? Um, I know it’s late, and you’re probably upset with me, but… can I sleep with you? I’m not comfortable sleeping alone and, uhm,” Tree mumbled nervously as he looked into the bedroom.

They were laying on the floor, Lime was reading a book that she’d borrowed from a small shelf in the entryway while Nova played with a screw and nail she’d found under a bed. They both stopped to look up to him.

“Tree, you know it’s bad ta lie. Why’d you lie? Huh? I coulda been with foal and all that without knowin’. Ya know, I’ve been doin’ that stuff fer years and Ah never knew,” Nova glared at the stallion. Lime nodded.

“It’s what foals do, for fun and to relax. What if, Tree. What if?”

“Look, Ah know we messed up, and I’m plenty sorry. All Ah ask, it for fergiveness, I’ll sleep alone, then,” he sighed and turned away. He made it past the entryway before the sound of small hooves followed him and stopped right behind him.

“Look, I’m not, well, I am, but… yer still family, Tree. Ah love ya, even though ya didn’t tell me about all that stuff. Now, I just have ta be careful when I do it, but at least I’m not gonna be lookin’ fer flamingos throughout the summer anymore.”

He snickered. “You really looked fer them?”

“Well, Ah didn’t wanna find a baby and have ta take care’a it! Ah’m a young mare, I’m not ready ta be a parent.”

“So, can we hug now?”

Nova smiled. “Ya bet yer saddle,” she leapt to him and embraced him around the neck. She spoke softly. “But if’n ya lie ta me again, I’ll give ya the stink eye fer a week.”

“Fair enough.”

“Awwe, family is such a nice thing, isn’t it?” Lime sighed.

“Eeyup. Now, we’ve got a short night before we start home! Let’s get some rest, er, more rest. Nova, what were ya playin’ with them nails?”

“Oh! It was a spaceship that was flyin’ around and met the mare in the moon and they went to a planet call Grumbloid! Lemme show ya,” she turned and pranced back into the room. The adults smiled and shared a nod as he followed the filly into the room.

“Hey, Tree?”

“Yeah, Lime?”

“Ya really need a bath.”

Chapter 34

“All hitched up and ready ta go!”

“Eeyup!” Nova shouted from the back of the wagon. She looked over the side to Lime. “Ya all set?”

“Heh, eeyup. Let’s get a move on home.”

“Yay!”

The group began a steady trot in line with traffic, the sun rising and the sky almost clear. A warm summer’s breeze blew through town, and even though the scent wasn’t totally pleasant, the feeling was.

“Look! Look!” Nova shouted and pointed to the north. “It’s Las Pegasus! They’re bringin’ it closer! It’s so pretty.”

“Yeah, they move it up and down the coast ta gather farm’n goods and fish,” A pony passing them said.

“Ew, fish? Like, meat?”

“Hey, young mare, it’s actually really good cooked and it’s more fillin’ than any salad. Try it sometime, you’ll like it.”

“No thanks, sir. Ah’ll eat a bushel of apples b’fore I eat a meat.”

“Meh, yer loss. Comin’ through!”

“Grape, you’ve never even wondered about meat? What about what the cats eat, or dogs?”

“Safe, let them eat whatever they want. Ah’m not tastin’ anything that ain’t grown from the ground Ah walk on.”

“Hey, suits me just fine. But I’ve had it, too. Guard training. Not too bad with salt and mixed into a salad.”

“Euck! I’m totally barfing now.”

“Grape, don’t be makin’ a mess back there. If ya make me waste any drinkin’ water I’m gonna be mighty sore.”

“Ugh, fine. Are we there yet?”

The adults around them chuckled, from both sides of the street. “Sweetie, we haven’t even left the city yet. We’ve got a week trek, at least, so spend time polishin’ yer hooves or countin’ trees, cuz it’s gonna be a longer trip than it was to get here.”

“Ugh, why can’t we just be there already? Ah wanna see my friends and Smith and sleep in a real bed that smells like home.”

“This’ gonna be a long trip,” Tree mumbled.

“Ah’m gettin’ hungry. Can we make a stop by that place over yonder? They got salad and shakes. Ohhh, I’ve gotta pee. How long ‘til we’re outta town? Can I have a snack? Trek, can I read somethin’ ta practice? Where’s that quill? Tree, can I look in the supply boxes fer paper and quill and ink?”

“This is gonna be a really long trip.”

“Pack up camp, Nova, we’re gonna be home by lunch!”

The filly whooped with joy as she galloped around the tent, pulling stakes and loosening poles as she went. “Home, home, home, home, home!”

Lime giggled. “Well, we know she’s gonna sleep good tonight.”

“Eeyup, and with my home bed and my Smith. Ah’m gonna get to bed early and sleep late,” he winked. He helped to fold and roll the tent while Lime bundled the rods, Nova took the stakes, and they all rolled them tightly inside the tent. With a team effort they loaded their sleeping bags and supplies into the cart and were cantering quickly down the road.

“Lime told me that the last part of the race is the easiest, and I think this’ like a race home!”

“Nova, yer a pot of golden bits when a pony needs three bronze.”

“Huh?”

“Filly, just run ahead and tell me what ya see over the crest.”

Nova took to the fastest gallop she could and shot ahead. “That girl can run,” Lime told Tree, “she’s guard material, I’ll say it again before the day’s out.”

“Yeah… so, um,” Tree gulped, “you stayin’ the night? We’ve got a nice place, ya know, and yer practically family after all this trekkin’.”

“I’d love to, but duty calls. I’ve got a two hour flight back to base camp then, ya know, military stuff. But, I’ll see what I can do, and perhaps I’ll write often. But, well, the only thing I have is trouble saying goodbye, and to have to say goodbye to such an amazing family.”

“I understand, we’re gonna miss ya somethin’ fierce. And yer always welcome at the farm, ya know.”

“Heh, eeyup,” Lime smiled softly. “And someday, maybe I’ll settle down in your town for a spell. Make a home, family, ya know, the works.”

“We’ll be there the whole way if’n ya do.”

They fell silent and kept on the trail, hours passed until Nova ran ahead again to check the progress. Minutes later she skidded to a stop at the top of what should have been the last hill. “Well, that’s it, I guess. Home sweet home, right?”

Lime nodded. “She’s in shock, it seems. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a tear in her eye after being gone so long. It must be beautiful this time of day and year, not to mention the town might’ve grown a few houses since we left.”

“Heh, that’d be nice. Have about twelve houses, it’d be nice to see the town grow so much so fast.”

They approached Nova and the filly turned her head to look at them. The look they saw sent them on edge, they galloped ahead as fast as they could and stopped at the top of the hill. “What in tarnation?”

“This, is the same town?”

“Tree, what happened? It’s so different!” Nova exclaimed as she pronked in place. “Let’s go, Tree! Let’s go!” she looked at him and the town.

“Missy, you go ahead, this’ gonna take a minute to fathom.”

Nova took off like a bullet, top speed, down the hill and toward the town. “Well, let’s get home, Tree!” Lime said with a nudge and grin opening her wings and taking the lead. The stallion yipped in joy as he took to a fast trot, pulling the cart as fast as he safely could.

Nova looked at the buildings as she ran through town. Homes, businesses, new constructions, a schoolhouse, playgrounds, even a bakery that smelled of fresh bread and muffins that filled her senses with awe passed by her as she made her way home.

“Apple! Smith! We’re home, where are ya?!”

“Nova?” the green mare said, dropping the clothespins and laundry she was hanging. “Nova!” she ran to meet the filly and they both stopped a length apart. They took the sight of each other in and moved close, nuzzling. They embraced into a tight hug as time stopped. A clatter and thunk got their attention just before they were tackled from the side onto the ground, a laughing bundle of family.

Tears of joy flowed, nuzzles and kisses were shared, and finally, a hug that warmed the hearts of everypony that watched it happen.

“Tree, Ah’m as happy as a hen in a silo ta see ya both home, safe’n sound. Now, ya knwo the town done went’n growed while ya were away, but there’s a reason why,” she looked to Nova, “it’s a’cuz’v you, young mare.”

“Me? Did I do somethin’ wrong?”

“Darlin’, what you did on yer trek across the lands, you changed the whole country. Princess Celestia herself made a buncha decrees and laws, even made our family officially nobles with a seat at the national council. Filly, ya put our town on the map, and everyone across the lands and beyond know of Ponyville.”

“...Wow. So,” Nova rubbed her forelegs together, “does this mean I can have extra dessert?”

The adults laughed while the filly’s ears lowered nervously.

“Darlin’, you can have free dessert at the bakery every day fer a month fer all I care. C’mon, let’s show ya the next surprise.”

Nova beamed a smile that would have made a demon sigh in awe. “Yeah!”

Apple Smith led them to the center of town where a round two story building was being erected. “This’ the town hall, cuz we’re gonna need one bein’ a real town’n all. But, that leads me ta the next surprise,” she pulled a gem from her mane and placed it on the ground. Rearing up she landed on it, shattering it.

“Wha-? Why’d ya do that for?”

“Just wait a tick, you’ll see.”

A few seconds later there was a flash of golden light above the town hall and ponies bowed in unison as Celestia landed in front of the Apple family. “Rise, my little ponies,” she softly spoke as her wings flared, “I see the filly that has caused so much change has returned home. Tell me, do you know why I’m here?”

“Uh, I’unno. Cuz Apple Smith broke that gem and it was expensive?”

Celestia chuckled softly. “You, your story, and your life have shown me that there was still injustice in the land. My advisors, nobles who are no longer in my court and have been stripped of most of their lands and status had kept me in the dark as to the plight ponies suffered though. Slavery, indentured servitude, ownership of other sapient beings was to be abolished generations ago.

“I would have never known if you hadn’t set an example with the gryphons you released.”

“Uhm, how’d that,” Nova gulped as she looked up at Celestia, “make stuff happen.”

“My, a filly with so many questions is destined for greatness, indeed. Come, walk with me while I explain.”

“O-kay.”

“You see, my little pony, gryphons are not in favor of ponies beyond property and meals. Until now, that is. Word travels faster than you did across the land, and the gryphon kingdom heard of your kindness. They sent word to their ambassador to share your tale and enlighten me as to the horrid conditions they’d seen ponies living in but chose to overlook.

“Needless to say I wasn’t pleased to find out that way, but it also opened negotiations and brought a treatise between our peoples that was not possible before. Oh, are you understanding what I’m saying?” Celestia looked down to the filly that was hopping from spot to spot, distracted as any child would be during a lecture.

Celestia chuckled. “Starlight Nova,” the filly stopped and looked up. “You have done many good things with one act of kindness. As such, the plantation you were working at has been transformed to a farm, where you may plant whatever you wish, as the land is yours, the title of Miss is bestowed upon you as well.”

Celestia leaned down. “That means you’re the boss of your own farm.”

Nova gasped and stumbled back, falling to her flank. “Wow. Really?” she asked with wide eyes.

With a soft smile, Celestia nodded. “And the ponies that hurt you are not going to be a problem for you. You have farmhands as well, everything is taken care of and you can live there, or here. Or, if you choose, I can have a mansion built in Canterlot for you.”

Nova’s mouth hung open. “A… mansion? Mine? Uh, I… I… I… I…”

“Oh, dear. It seems I broke her,” Celestia smiled back to her family that was following. “You can take care of her, help her make the right decisions, and be the pony she’s meant to be, right?”

“Yes, your majesty,” Tree and Smith bowed their heads, “until our last breath.”

“I… I… I…”

“And you, Miss Starlight Nova, I’ll keep an ear out for the great things you do in life.”

Nova gulped and looked up to Celestia. “I, thank you, from the bottom of my heart to the top of it.”

“Fare thee well, my little pony. Continue to be the kind pony you are, okay?”

Nova nodded as Celestia flapped her wings and turned to Canterlot. Her horn flared and in a dull flash, she was gone.

“Well, it seems we need ta have a party!” A white pegasus shouted from above. “I’ll tell the townsponies, y’all get ready fer one heck’v’a shindig!”

Hooting and hollering filled the town square as Lime looked on from a distance. With a nod and soft smile, she cast a spell, turned away, and flew high into the sky on gossamer wings.

Chapter 1

“Starlight Nova, time to wake up, darling. Its going to be a busy day on the farm.”

“Nggrugh, I’m sick. I’m tired. I’m dying!”

“Hey, enough melodramatics. This’ our duty until we pay off our debt, so hop to it, little filly.”

“I’m not a filly,” Starlight grumbled as she rolled out of bed. She rubbed a spot her head, where her horn was before it was shaved to a nub, and dragged her hoof down her face. “Fine, mama, I’m up. I’ll be over to breakfast in a few. Ya know why,” she said as she turned and gripped the thin sheet in her teeth and began to make her bed.

“Yeah, don’t forget to wipe this time. We can’t afford to take you to the nurse-”

“MOM?!" Nova shouted in shock. "Seriously, that was two years ago!” Nova shouted aghast.

“Just reminding you, dear,” her mother said with a smug grin, “now hurry and come along before your food gets cold. You know it’s all we get until sunset.”

The blushing young mare glared daggers at her mother through her purple bangs until the mare left her small room.

Nova sighed and turned back to her bed, a mattress laid on the floor before her as she sighed. She finished pulling the sheet over the bed and smoothing it over as best she could as she looked at the compact size of her room. Just large enough for a bed and dresser that contained a pair of winter boots, a heavy coat, and brush on top.

With concentration she tried to grasp the brush in her magic only to give up and walk a pace ahead and grasp it in the frog of her hoof. The brush was worn, covered in bite marks from countless previous owners, and many of the bristles were missing leaving just enough to get most her hair done before breakfast.

She drug it through the short cut mane she had and along her thick bangs that before she replaced it with another sigh. She looked at what she knew of as a mirror, which was little more than a broken piece of glass that was angled just right to let her see a translucent image of herself. With a last flick of her bangs she quickly left her room, door cracked slightly as it would jam if closed all the way during summer, and took care of her morning routine.

…

“Hey mama,” Nova said softly as she approached the mare from behind as she stirred the hot pot on the stove.

“Hey, filly. Ya ready for another day in the fields?”

“Yeah, I guess. I just wish we could eat some of what was out there.”

“Yeah, then we’d be starved for a week. I’ve seen it done and it ain’t pretty. Now, filly, eat up. You want your coat bright and purple to match your eyes today. I heard the boss’ going to be coming by and he likes to see the workers-”

“You mean slaves.”

“-lookin’ fresh. Lest the guards come whippin’.”

“Ugh, you tell me every week! I know that already.”

The mare smiled and trotted over. “I know I’m not your mother, but you’re under my care. As such, it’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of in every way. I’m here for life, and I’m," she paused, "helpin’ ta pay your debt off so ya can be free and find your kin… so hush and eat your slop,” she said turning and grabbing a ladle.

“Ugh, I wish I had real food,” she sighed and sat on the floor. The table wobbled before her and her bowl rattled.

With a thick plop a scoop of… something was in her bowl.

“What the?”

“It’s oats, eggs, hay, some seeds I found by the creek, milk, a few berries, some crickets, and a bit of chopped fruit pits; for texture.”

Nova shuttered and leaned in to nibble the gruel.

“Good job, filly. Gotta eat two more bowls if ya wanna make it to lunch.”

“Ugh, this junk.”

“Yeah,” the mare grinned, “but only a bite worth.”

“Ugh,” Nova grunted as she crunched some cherry pits between her molars.

“Good job, filly, good job.”

Hours passed as Nova stayed close to the mare while they plowed one section of the fields in the morning, picked various vegetables during the early afternoon, and cleaned up their mess, and the clutter of others, as it was their duty that week.

Returning to the small shack they called home both laid on the grass just outside the front and let the day’s exhaustion take it’s toll.

Nova dozed to sleep while the mare simply rested her eyes and let her head clear and her muscles relax.

After maybe half an hour the mare stood with a heavy breath and a warm smile. She looked over Nova and trotted quickly to the filly’s side, scooping her up and onto her back.

Nova slept soundly as she was carried through the shack and out the back door.

Several shacks came together to form a small communal area, including a bath.

“Nova, darling. Time to wash up,” the mare said softly, nuzzling the filly. With a high pitched trilling sound Nova stirred and slipped to the ground with a light thump.

“Ugh, I fell asleep? I didn’t wanna, I’m sorry mommy.”

Several nearby ponies smiled at Nova.

“Now, don’t think I’m upset, little one. Time to get washed up and cleaned.”

“Ugh,” Nova grunted as she stood and looked at the communal pond. It’s murky brown color and off putting scent was enough to make her wish she’d just live in a mud pit, but it was still cleaner than a day of working on the fields and taking that to bed.

Hanging her head, Nova walked ahead and into the shallow pond, scraping her hooves against gravel that was deposited for that reason.

“That’s better, now c’mon, I’ve got a gallon of water rations that we’re gonna use to clean you up.”

“Okay,” she squeaked in reply. She quickly splashed out of the murky water and into the grass beside the mare. “I like you, Mom, even though you’re not my mom for real.”

“I like you too, filly. I like you too. Now, hurry up and we'll eat supper and you can play with your friends."

"Then bedtime? Will you tuck me in?"

"Every night."

Chapter 7

Tree lifted Nova back into the cart with his magic and hitched himself up again, as Nova asked question after question and told story after story, albethem short.

“...Then Mister Proper told us that he had one of his own!” Nova fell to her side giggling.

“Heh, yeah,” Tree grinned ahead nervously, “who’d a thunk it?”

Nova hopped, almost over the edge, of the cart. “Oh my gosh, apples!?” She shouted looking at the orchard trees that they were passing. Her young voice cracked and echoed across the quiet, sleeping town.

“Hush! Silly filly,” he whispered hoarsely, “you’ll wake the town.”

“But, I want one, and you said I could have one,” she asked excitedly as she looked at him pleadingly.

“Sorry, but I have to buy some tomorrow, I haven’t any at home.”

“But, they’re right there,” she gestured to the right of the cart. “Please?”

“No, Nova. We’re almost home, then-”

She frowned. “Get me one, please,” she said firmly.

The cart lurched to a stop and he grumbled to himself as he unhitched himself and trotted to the fence that separated the property, reared onto it, and grasped a large apple in his magic, pulling it toward himself before turning and trotting back to her.

“Here you go, Nova,” he said as he turned to hitch himself again.

With a loud juicy crunch, Nova bit into the apple as she sat, her back to the side of the cart. “Mmfgh, tho googf! Fhank ugoo, Fwee,” she said while spitting apple juice from her grinning muzzle.

“You’re welcome,” he replied flatly as he trotted ahead in silence.

…

“Here we are! Home sweet home,” he said as he lifted Nova from the cart.

Nova was grinning widely and looking around like a curious puppy as she touched the ground and the magic dissipated from her.

“Wow, lookit all the grass! It’s all, all green! What’s that over there? Why’s it not cloudy? I thought pegasuses kept it cloudy over farms at night sometimes but isn’t that how it is here? Why-”

Tree trotted ahead, opened the door to his small one story house, walked in, and left the filly asking questions as she examined the front yard and the small garden of flowers he had growing by the front windows.

He lit a lantern with a match and carried it out to illuminate the front step.

“Wow, you have a lantern?! Only the boss’ guards had those! Are you a boss?” She asked galloping around the yard and stopping with a grinding of her hooves in the dirt and sending a cloud of dust across his front and into the house.

He huffed through his nose, nostrils flaring. His eyes blinked themselves clear and his brows furrowed. “Are you going to be up all night?”

“...” She tapped her chin in thought, “I’unno,” she shrugged and hopped to her hooves and pranced back to the cart, several feet away and began to look it over and ask questions relating to it.

“Ugh, no more sleeping in the day for you,” he sighed, “wait, that’s the whole ‘nap’ thing I heard about. Maybe I should ask around in the morning. The Apple’s have little ones, bet I can get some info from them,” he grinned and dropped the lantern by his feet. “Gah!”

He kicked it lightly and the lantern rolled away, fearing a fire. He rolled his eyes and trotted over to it and picked it up.

“Whatchadoin?!’

“Gah!”

He dropped the lantern between himself and Nova, who jumped back and bent her forelegs into a crouch with a smile.

“Uh, no…” he said smirking himself at the look in the filly’s eyes taking a lower stance himself.

“Oh yeah,” she squeaked and hopped at the rolling lantern. He hopped at it and knocked it away from her as she tackled his side, not moving him. He turned and pushed her back and guarded the lantern with a light snicker.

She ran to the right and charged at the lantern. “Totally mine!”

“No way,” he said hopping in front of her and picking her up in her hooves and spinning. Rearing back he slipped and toppled backwards with a surprised grunt.

“Eee!” Nova screamed as she fell onto his chest again with a giggle and bounced off, right next to the lantern. She picked it up in her teeth and trotted into his house chortling. “I win!”

“Yeah,” he coughed and gasped air back into his lungs, “you’re also too heavy to fall on my chest,” he sighed as he followed her inside.

“Wow,” she said, yet again, “this shack is huge!”

“It’s not a shack, Nova,” he frowned, “it’s my home. I built it with my family.”

“Family?” She asked as she placed the lantern on the floor in the living room, “where are they?”

“Well, they’re back across the country. They came by to help me build my home so I can farm and trade. You know what those are, right?” He asked, condescendingly.

“Yeah, I worked on a farm, doi! And, we traded all the time.”

“So, what’d’ya think of my home?”

“It’s amazeballs! This room is as big as my whole dining room, den, and kitchen combined!”

“It’s just a living room; don’t get too excited,” he said flatly passing her and grabbing the lantern in his magic, moving it to the table and illuminating the rest of the room.

“You have paintings? These are really good! Did you do them?”

“They’re photographs, Nova. I get the feeling the next couple days are going to be intense for you… but as for me,” he yawned loudly and closed his mouth, inhaling sharply and jerking back.

“You have a missin’ tooth, did it come out a little while ago and is gonna grow back?”

“Please, stop looking into my mouth; it’s creepy. Also, no. I lost it a while ago in a… a fight.”

Nova gasped and trotted back and walked in a circle. “That’s a big bed, is it yours?”

“That’s a couch, take a seat. I’ll set up your guest bathroom… Bedroom! Sheesh, I’ve gotta do a lotta stuff and get to bed,” he sighed and started to leave the room. “Hey, do not leave this room for any reason. There floor is lava and you’ll get burned really bad.”

Nova hopped to her hooves and moved to the center of the couch, looking fearfully at the floor.

He smirked as he left the filly in the room and went to the guest bedroom. A simple room with a futon, dresser, and window overlooking the town.

He made sure the bed was prepared, the window was locked, there was a glass of water… and a loud crash from the living room.

He turned and galloped from the room and into a closed door to his right. “Why’d I do that?!” He shouted as he got to his hooves and turned left, down the hall, and into the living room, stopping suddenly and gasping.

“T-the lava won’t get me!”

Chapter 13

Nova watched as a couple moments of distant conversation happened before the other children got up, leaving their plates of food and began to hop, pronk, and chase each other.

“C’mon Grape Juice, you’re not at Cherry Hill Ranch, time ta play!” A filly shouted at Nova.

Nova looked to her forelegs and grinned. “Coming,” she turned and galloped after the now screaming filly.

Several exhausting, exhilarating minutes passed before Apple’s mom returned with a content smile. “Well done, young’ns… Get back ta yer meals’n then back ta chores,” she said walking back to the table and explained what had happened to the adults.

Nova didn’t care, she was still hungry and now that she didn’t have to worry about some stranger taking her back to the plantation, she’d be okay. Sliding to a stop a little before her plate she leaned down and gobbled an apple fritter and something that had hot apples in it that sent warm fuzzy tingles of happiness from her tongue to her tail.

She exhaled and grinned. “I really like this place,” she said leaning down for another bite. The had slipped down her head and into her eyes. She giggled, moving it back up and finished clearing her plate.

“Nova, can Ah talk with ya fer a tick?” Apple called from the adult table.

Nova picked up her plate and carried it on top of her head with a nervous grin. “Y-yeah?”

“First, whatever happened ain’t our business. That stallion’r his kinfolk come by, yer name’s Grape Juice and ya keep that hat, pull it low and just play with the others. Second, good job eatin’,” Apple said trading a half full plate with Nova’s empty one, “eat up! Lunch’s almost over.”

Nova giggled, turned, and with her tongue between her teeth she carefully balanced her plate back to her spot. She grinned to see three other youth laying in the grass in a semicircle, waiting for her. “I really like this place.”

epilogue

Apple Smith and Johnny Appletree galloped down the street of Starlight Melody, a town built from Starlight Nova’s farm and out. Turning sharply, they followed the sign pointing them to the local clinic. “Where’s she?! Where’s Starlight Nova?”

“Miss, calm down. Who are you and-”

“Don’t give me non’a that lip. She’s our daughter and her daughter’s havin’ a daughter!”

“Ma’am, we’re the Apples. Close relation to the family.”

“Ah! I see,” the nurse said casually. “Room four down that hall. Just follow the shouting.”

The Apples turned and ran down the hall, sliding three doors too far on the polished linoleum floors before trotting back to the room and pushing it open.

Inside they saw the purple mare they’d raised from a filly and her daughter, Starlight Shine, and beside her was her husband, Pear Jam. Apple Smith glared daggers at the stallion as she entered the room, softening her gaze when she saw her granddaughter in the final throws of labor.

“Well, this’ it, Ma. She’s gonna have a baby within the hour, another member of the family,” Nova said proudly with a smile. The pregnant mare groaned long and loudly.

The doctor came in, his horn lit, and happiness crossed his features. “It’s time to bring a foal into the world, nurse.”

…

“Oh, by the stars, she’s beautiful. The most beautiful filly Ah’ve seen in a timberwolves age.” Apple Smith looked over to see the seat next to Starlight Shine empty, the father having left during the birth. She buried the rage in her chest and looked at mother and baby sharing their first bonding moment as the filly drank and mommy rested.

“Eeyup, she’s sure somethin’.”

Nova nuzzled her daughter. “What’d’ya decide to name her?”

With a soft chuckle, Starlight Shine smiled. “Keeping the family name going, ya know. I’ve chosen Starlight Glimmer, and if she’s anything like my mom, she’ll change the world, too.”

Author's Note

The irony is that Starlight's family ended slavery and she brought it back.

This was going to be a story about the Jedi, blah blah blah.
But it didn't feel right after a little while into writing it and here we are!

Thanks for reading!