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...”