A Filly's New Hope

by Mocha Star

Chapter 21

An hour later a panting and sweating Nova reemerged from the treeline followed by her guard, a large faggot in her magic.

The females stopped and gawked at the sight of the tent wrapped around a struggling Tree, who was reaching for a mallet with his mouth, just out of reach. Tears stained his cheeks as he looked up.

“Tree? Did you… what happened?”

“H-help me,” he whimpered.

…

With ease, Safe Trek set the tent up and started a campfire, setup a cot for herself, and had prepared a small meal.

“So, Mister Tree,” Safe Trek said taking a seat by Nova in front of the fire, “it took you an hour to destroy the tent, get tangled in it, and forget to use your magic to fix it?”

Tree grumbled to himself before speaking aloud. “I didn’t forget, the tent pole whacked my horn and I couldn’t cast magic at the time.”

“Snrkt,” Safe Trek chortled, “are you a colt? That kind of strike wouldn’t keep any adult down for more than a quarter minute. What’s your next excuse?”

“It wasn’t an excuse. I have a defect in my thaumatic lobe, for your information,” he hissed, “and I don’t like talking about it.”

“Oh,” the mare became stoic, “I understand. I apologize for breaching professional boundaries,” she said firmly before she stood and went to her cot, lifted it, and moved it to a spot closer to the road.

“Miss Trek,” Nova said, “you can’t sleep that far away.”

“It’s my duty to keep you safe. I’ll sleep but cast a circle of alarm. Any creature that enters it will set it off and wake me up.”

“But, we were about to eat supper together.”

“It’s fine,” Tree grumbled as he looked into the fire, “let her go. She has a job to do, as do we. I’ll cook and we’ll get to bed soon.”

“B-but, it’s still early! I wanna play and do stuff. We’re supposed to have scary stories and drink stuff and have fun and sleep together to stay warm…” she pouted.

“Ugh, fine,” he shouted and got up, stomping to the tent, “Guardsmare, you cook. I’m going to rest. Nova, come get me when dinner’s ready.”

“...I’m sorry about that, Nova,” Safe Trek said returning next to Nova, still standing.

“Nah, he’s like that a lot. He’s just careful of his self and stuff. He’s really a great stallion and Apple says he’s like a predator in bed,” she shrugged, “I guess it means he loves to sleep a lot.”

The mare sighed and looked to the tent as Nova looked into the small crackling logs. “I didn’t mean to upset him. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, stop saying sorry and just sit down,” Nova said glancing to the guardsmare.

“...I’m just going to stop saying sorry and sit down.”

“That’s better. Just, uh, where are you from?”

Safe Trek blinked rapidly and looked to Nova. “It’s not important. All that matters is that I’m free of my past and here now, so…” She exhaled and looked to the sky.

A few errant clouds floated through the sky but the view of the known cosmos was unfiltered in it’s awesomeness. She looked to the sky and sighed at the vastness of the speckled blackness above.

“It’s so amazing, huh?”

“Yeah,” she replied to Nova.

“Tree has a mom that’s into astinmitroty; that means she looks at stars. I keep looking but I don’t see the ponies or stories in the sky, just stars.”

Safe Trek chuckled and looked over to the filly, who was looking up at the night sky. “It’s more complicated than just seeing the stories in the stars. You have to know what each story means.”

The mare sat next to Nova and pointed to a constellation. “That one is called ‘the grandmare’. See how the stars I’m pointing at look like a mare and she has two foals by her? Above her is her own mother’s teats; that nourished her. It’s a story that says that each of us has a history and we owe our respect to those that came before us.”

Tree poked his head from the tent and listened.

“So, my grandmare helped my mom grow and she had me…” Nova tapped her chin, “so, when I have grandfoals… Ohh, now I get it!”

“Yeah, it’s easy, right?” Nova nodded, “so, over there is the ‘War Mare’, she’s that cluster of stars over there,” she pointed to the right, then northwest.

“You mean that one that looks like two dots?”

“Nopony ever said that they had to make sense. Whoever discovers them, names them,” she chuckled, “like the chariot race over there,” she pointed to a lone star, twinkling amidst a ring of darkness, “or the wise mare of the north,” she pointed to a row of four stars.

“Whoever named those are probably really bad on seeing.”

“The world will never know, but the little thing they did has left a mark on the world. And,” she paused, “maybe that’s why we have such simple names for constellations. Oh!” She sniffed and moved to the fire, placing a pan in it and looking to Nova, “I forgot to start cooking, talking about all of that.”

“Pfft, whatever, it’s only been a minute.”

“Well, when you’re older time is different. Just, I don’t know, spend a minute getting the vegetables ready.”

“Oh! I want zucchini, and broccoli, and a squash… with a glass of water and a apple!”

“Woah there, cowmare, first thing’s first. Gather the stuff and we’ll cook it up, get yer brother, and have a nice, quiet supper.”

Tree snickered as he left his tent. “I’m sorry about before, I get moody easily,” he said taking his place by the fire again, “and with that young one, quiet is a luxury.”

“Huh?” Nova asked as she stood.

“Just, get the food.”

“Ugh, fine,” Nova said as she trotted to the cart.

“I really am sorry about my freak-out. I, just-”

“It’s fine,” Safe Trek said, looking into the fire, “you can’t be held accountable for my ignorance. My mission is to keep you safe, not befriend you.”

“Well then, you’re outta luck,” he forced a nervous smile, “after a couple weeks with the two of us, you’ll practically be family. So, get used to random freakouts and moments of unrequited, off-key singing because I have a habit of serenading my little sis to sleep.”

“No he doesn’t, he just likes to make me laugh,” Nova shouted from inside the cart, “he’s a really bad singer, but Apple says she loves him enough to put up with it.”

“...She doesn’t really say that, does she?” Tree asked quietly.

Safe Trek chuckled to herself. “Well, guess I can’t fight the odds. Count me in, do you know “Merry and Little Lamb?”

Comments

[Tide Hunter]

You skipped chapter 15 and went from 14 to 16.

[Mocha Star]

7106596
wow, how'd everyone miss that!

Fantastic eye, thanks!

[kalash93]

An hour later a panting and sweating Nova reemerged from the treeline followed by her guard, a large faggot in her magic.