A Filly's New Hope

by Mocha Star

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.