A Filly's New Hope

by Mocha Star

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.

…