//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: A Filly's New Hope // by Mocha Star //------------------------------//         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!”