//------------------------------//
// Chapter 32 
// Story: A Filly's New Hope 
// by Mocha Star 
//------------------------------//

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.”