A Filly's New Hope

by Mocha Star

Chapter 33

Nova and Lime sat at the table, enjoying a small bowl of diced fruit the guard had purchased a few minutes before from a street vendor with the filly by her side. “So, little purple filly,” they shared a smile, “I’ve never asked, but do you actually like grape juice?”

“Hrm,” Nova thought, “I don’t think I’ve ever had it. There’s only apples, oranges, pears, and cherries abouts the area I live. Oh,” the filly bounced in her seat at an idea, “maybe I can farm grapes!”

“Now that’s a snack I can go for any day of the week, you should look into it. There’s always a need for farming different things.”

Nova grinned and nodded, ideas swirling in her head as she tossed a square of pineapple from the bowl into her mouth. The mare looked with slight interest, having seen the random magic and telekenisis from the filly was quite commonplace at this point in the journey.

“So, how ya like the fruit?”

“It’s thuper nummy,” Nova replied with a gulp, licked her lips, then tossed an orange slice into the air, lunged to catch it and whined when it bounced from her nose to the table. She leaned to it and used her tongue to grab it and munch it.

“Nova, don’t lick a table,” Lime scolded, “you don’t know when it was cleaned and you can get splinters!”

“Thereth no thplinterth… This’ vaneered cherrywood, it’s not strong, but it’s not gonna splinter much naturally, less with the treatment it’s gotten.”

“When’d you get to be so knowing on wood?” Lime asked with narrow eyes.

“When I helped make a buncha tables early on this year. Fer, uh, somethin’.”

“Well, fine then,” the mare smiled as she sat back on her cushion. “So, when Tree gets back how about we-”

“The Apple family reunion! It’s comin’ up in two months, you should come. It’d be great ta see ya around more. Ya know any good recipes?”

“Well, I’ve got a few packed away, but let’s worry about more important things. Nova,” she asked with a sense of importance. The filly slowed her chewing and felt anxiety creeping upon her. “When’re you gonna get a coltfriend?”

The filly rolled her eyes while Lime grinned. “Not you too, Ah’m gonna get one when I’m good’n ready. Probably when I’m like, in my twenties, ya know.”
“Twenties?! Do you even know how long away that is?” Lime said, holding back a laugh.

“Like, ten years. Then I’ll think about getting a coltfriend, until then I’m just gonna be havin’ fun.”

“Well, best of luck with that, you’re only a couple years, tops, from becoming a mare, and I don’t mean just your cutie mark,” she winked.

“Huh? Whatd’ya mean? I’m a mare when I get my mark’s what I was told. Then I get a job on the farm, get a house, a coltfriend, then the flamingo drops a foal off by our door near the Summer Sun Celebration and we’re a family… why’re you lookin’ like that. Smith says ya wanna catch flies, ya keep yer mouth open like that.”

Lime was awestruck, shocked, and embarrassed at what she’d just heard. “You mean to tell me, you don’t know the cycle of life? Every foal learns it when they’re,” she paused and remembered the filly’s age and when she was a slave, “wow… did Smith or Tree ever talk to you about the cycle of life? Birth, death, everything in between?”

“Ugggh, yes! Who do you think told me about the flamingo? Why do adults always get weird when this comes up?”

“Oh stars, it had to be me?” she inhaled deeply. “I’m gonna tell you the truth about it all before you find out the hard way, so,” she reached across the table and moved the fruit away from the filly’s physical reach, “I’m gonna need your attention.”

---

Tree opened the door with his key and entered, closed the door and took his hat off. Tossing it to the side wall he wiped his feet on the enchanted doormat to clean them, then made his way into the room. A flash of white blinded him suddenly, and another object struck him atop his head.

He fell to the floor and curled to protect himself from the soft, but unknown, assault. “You flamingo’s butt!” a small voice screeched as the pillows struck again. “A flamingo?! Ah thought that sounded silly, but ya couldn’t tell me the truth?”

“What, ah, oof, quit it, Nova! I-mph.”

“Ah can’t believe ya tricked me, when were ya gonna tell me how babies’re made and all that?”

A flap of wings and the pillow assault stopped. “Sorry, Tree, but I had to set her straight. I didn’t think you’d get beat up for it though.”

He sat up and wiped a fetlock across his face. “Ah’m fine, but what in tarnation?”

A pillow rose in Nova’s telekinetic grip but with a stern look from Lime, it fell and the filly sat and crossed her forelegs, looking away with a scowl.

“You didn’t tell her about the cycle of life? What could have possessed you to keep it a secret?”

“Well, her past fer one. We weren’t gonna bring up troublin’ stuff til she was older.”

“How much older?! She’s almost a mare, she gets aroused during that time and you’ve got a foal on the way! She’s not ready, at all, to go through that with such little knowledge and experience. And thinking a flamingo is gonna drop her foal off at the doorstep… honestly, is this what you were told when you were growing up?”

“What, no… it’s just, well…”

“Ugh, stallions,” Lime huffed and walked by Nova, using her wing to coax the filly into following her to their room. Nova turned and stuck her tongue out before she left his sight.

“Well, reckon that coulda gone a might better, but at least she knows now. Apple’s in fer a treat of a story fer this one. Hey, anypony wanna take a bath?”

“No!” both females responded at once.

He sighed and looked around the room. “Fine... oh, fruit!”

---

“Girls? Um, I know it’s late, and you’re probably upset with me, but… can I sleep with you? I’m not comfortable sleeping alone and, uhm,” Tree mumbled nervously as he looked into the bedroom.

They were laying on the floor, Lime was reading a book that she’d borrowed from a small shelf in the entryway while Nova played with a screw and nail she’d found under a bed. They both stopped to look up to him.

“Tree, you know it’s bad ta lie. Why’d you lie? Huh? I coulda been with foal and all that without knowin’. Ya know, I’ve been doin’ that stuff fer years and Ah never knew,” Nova glared at the stallion. Lime nodded.

“It’s what foals do, for fun and to relax. What if, Tree. What if?”

“Look, Ah know we messed up, and I’m plenty sorry. All Ah ask, it for fergiveness, I’ll sleep alone, then,” he sighed and turned away. He made it past the entryway before the sound of small hooves followed him and stopped right behind him.

“Look, I’m not, well, I am, but… yer still family, Tree. Ah love ya, even though ya didn’t tell me about all that stuff. Now, I just have ta be careful when I do it, but at least I’m not gonna be lookin’ fer flamingos throughout the summer anymore.”

He snickered. “You really looked fer them?”

“Well, Ah didn’t wanna find a baby and have ta take care’a it! Ah’m a young mare, I’m not ready ta be a parent.”

“So, can we hug now?”

Nova smiled. “Ya bet yer saddle,” she leapt to him and embraced him around the neck. She spoke softly. “But if’n ya lie ta me again, I’ll give ya the stink eye fer a week.”

“Fair enough.”

“Awwe, family is such a nice thing, isn’t it?” Lime sighed.

“Eeyup. Now, we’ve got a short night before we start home! Let’s get some rest, er, more rest. Nova, what were ya playin’ with them nails?”

“Oh! It was a spaceship that was flyin’ around and met the mare in the moon and they went to a planet call Grumbloid! Lemme show ya,” she turned and pranced back into the room. The adults smiled and shared a nod as he followed the filly into the room.

“Hey, Tree?”

“Yeah, Lime?”

“Ya really need a bath.”