//------------------------------// // The Three Sisters // Story: Cutie Mark Wishes // by Silver Letter //------------------------------// It was a lovely start to the spring season. It was so bright out that nopony dared to waste away inside. Ponies and animals alike were tired of sleeping in during winter and always made up by going outside and running on the new grass or swimming in the rivers. They all had their own places to go and the road to town was a busy place again. Ribbon Wishes was one of them that used it. But she looked at the world somewhat differently. She always had. And what made all the ponies happy on that spring day weighed her heart and her displeasure came out in her sighs. Earlier, she had opened the window to her room in her family’s cottage, and the light made her eyes squint to the point of tears. She knew that she was wrong. She was going to town again despite her own predictions. If anything, nature and the weather ponies seemed fit to spite her. If she wanted a heavy rain, they would give the brightest of all days with not a cloud in the sky. Her sisters were laughing as usual and having a good time. Sometimes Ribbon had to be compelled to join. Other times, she was the loudest among them. It depended on whether she wanted to distract herself from her humdrum life. Reminiscing had that effect. Whenever she could remember how things were before her cutie mark, she was happier. Back then, she loved to smile every day, especially if she saw the sunrise. But it was so long ago, the sisters being completely different ponies. Their voices sang about young things even while harvesting vegetables or gathering water by the stream to wash clothes. All that was simple and a cutie mark never did anything but make things complicated. She seldom found herself singing or even whistling the old tunes anymore. She would rather be silent and would often come up with excuses as to why she wouldn’t talk. As on any normal day, her sisters together pulled the family wagon into town while Ribbon herself paced behind. The chatter of Glitter Wishes and Crystal Wishes could be heard over the creaking wagon, the old bubbling brook or even the whistle of trains pulling into the town station. It was definitely one of her quiet days. Another pair of mares that were looking curiously at the wagon passed by on the right. Ribbon was deep in thought and didn’t see them but it caught more than her sister’s eye. “I can see you back there, Ribbon, but I can’t hear you. Those were two mares you let pass by without so much as a word!” Crystal scolded. After looking her in the eye, Ribbon felt her face flush and she hunched her shoulders while muttering a quick apology. Her sister huffed and returned to their conversation about what perfume they wanted to buy or whatever materialistic nonsense was on their minds. Crystal redefined the meaning of having eyes in the back of one’s head. No pony, as far as Ribbon knew, had ever snuck up on her even at night. It was one reason why none of the foals used to come and play hide and seek with her. But that came with the territory for a family overflowing with perception. And for all that, Ribbon couldn’t tell whether it would be sunny or not the next day. Her sisters knew and that’s why she was stuck passing out flyers yet again to random ponies on the way to a small space reserved for their shop. Ribbon would have liked to pull the cart and focus on the road ahead but the only harnesses they had fit her shorter sisters. They were stout with thick necks and cheeks so round that it would seem like they’re always happy. Their mother, Lavender Wishes, told her that she was always the approachable one, being that she was tall and lean. Ribbon never really understood what she meant by that but she couldn’t argue since ponies seemed to relax in her presence. In no time, their mouths would loosen and they would grin or even giggle when they wouldn’t with Crystal. Ribbon passed out a few flyers until they reached town square. It’s a wide open space with town hall right in the middle where shops of all kinds ringed around it. Everything from the store that sold peppermint drops to the shop owned by her own unicorn family where fortunes were read for a modest fee. Some in the big cities charged a small fortune for one’s fortune. Still, for outsiders, the family business had always been seen as an oddity even for a town like Ponyville, an oddball in its own right. Her two sisters stopped the wagon at their plot and walked around it to open the back gate. Ribbon gazed at the royal castle in the distance. In the morning sun, the light sparkled off the grand star at its very top. She could picture the spacious halls and admire the freedom her princess had with it. A pony like her could fly wherever she wished and would never have to ask another soul for permission. “It would be nice if you would come here and help instead of giving a blank stare at that garish castle,” Glitter said, sneering. She was pulling a heavy pole from the back of the cart. Ribbon turned around and returned to the wagon. “Oh…I’m sorry. I know I’m not on the ball today,” she said humbly. Even with her head lowered, she was still taller than her older sisters; the only one with an athletic body in her family. She still did it anyway, even if they hardly noticed her humility. “What’s with you and that castle anyway?” Crystal said. She chortled as usual in her own judgmental way. “It’s not like you’ll ever get a chance to go in. You know, royalty and all.” Her sisters were the sort to amuse themselves with their own words. They surely thought that they had the world figured out. As they set up the tents, Ribbon was willing to offer a token attempt at a smile in reply to their constant jabs against royalty or even the princesses. At least then, she might fit in. Ribbon never thought they were funny but she understood where her family and others like them were coming from. Royalty had a bit of a bad history with fortune tellers. Ribbon remembered hearing about it from a young age and was always reminded of it ever since. Even with her mind distracted, Ribbon easily finished ahead of her sisters. Her blue tent had fabric walls that flapped and ruffled in the breeze and a pointy top that ended in a small pennant. At least she enjoyed that part even if it was just leading her into what had always numbed her spirit. The signs were set up around each of their tents, telling ponies that the shops were open. But Ribbon didn’t think much of her own fortune. If she had to describe it, she might call it bleak. Glitter came when Ribbon wasn’t looking and pulled her closer with one arm on her shoulder. A jejune smile grew on Glitter’s full lips, the same kind when she wanted to give some patronizing talk. Her hoof touched Ribbon’s cheek and she scrunched her face reflexively. Glitter’s hooves were always glazed with a polish laced with something that gave it a silvery sparkle. Her cutie mark on her flank was an image of a large crystal ball, or orbs of fate as the family once called them, and three glints of light around it as if it were a constellation. “You know we always love you dear, even when you’re lost in your silly little world. We just got to get you back on track every now and then,” she said. Ribbon thought that Glitter always sounded so sweet when her words were nothing but vapid excrement. Although, she just had that way with her voice. With her, even bad news could sound cheerful. It was either very silly or very annoying. Ribbon wished that she would tone it down. “Thanks. I’ll be mindful,” Ribbon replied, nodding meekly. She gave a half-hearted pat on Glitter’s soft back even though being talked to like that didn’t make her feel close. “Remember that we’re all being counted on,” Crystal mentioned seriously. She made sure to bring that up once a day like it was her motto. She had her dark green robe slung over her back. It was monogrammed with her initials in gold, something she didn’t earn overnight. For what it was worth, she wasn’t just the oldest; she was essentially their boss when they were at work. Those two slipped into their tents. Ribbon tugged her own felt robe from her bag. It was soft, the color of the night sky. Unlike her sisters, Ribbon never thought that she looked very good in her robe. It felt restrictive, tight around her shoulders and neck to the point where she couldn’t move in it comfortably. Sighing, she gave one last look at the castle before going in. She half-hoped to see the princess bolt like an eagle from one of her upper windows and go soaring off on some adventure. She always wished that her sisters would be more open minded about ponies like the princess but she knew that it would never be easy. Years back, Ribbon listened to Crystal tell a story of the time Prince Blueblood, a member of royalty in the capital, supposedly had his carriage obliviously splash muddy water all over her while flying down the street. She would always say that all royalty was like him even if they pretended to be different. Ribbon sat down at her chair and placed her crystal ball on the center of her round table. The smell from a few candles wafted in the air, lending to the general ambiance. It smelled like spices. The ponies that came in liked that since it reminded them of exotic things and they sure loved the appeal, the strangeness, of fortune telling. That made one of them. Ribbon sure didn’t see anything exotic in her family’s craft. She could make the candles herself and they were nothing special. The balls had been passed down for generations and a whole bunch were still lying around in the attic from the days of Star Wishes, Pearl Wishes….one generation after the other. Pearl had an opaque ball described as the size of a foal’s skull. If the stories were true, she had a fondness of implying how ponies were going to die. None of that was something Ribbon liked to remember. A few things were so disturbing that it would give Ribbon nightmares. A hundred years ago, Dream Wishes was said to have the power to see into ponies’ dreams, a clairvoyance that the princess of the night wouldn’t have liked if she had been around then. Ribbon only wondered what he could have done to mess with ponies. Did he ever try to manipulate lives? Twenty minutes later, Ribbon was leaning into the table with her hooves pressed in her cheeks. Fortune telling was boring as it was but the wait was arguably worse. She could have dozed off if somepony hadn’t finally come to her tent. The pony with a light green scarf tied haphazardly around her neck peeked inside and Ribbon waved her in. It was her first visitor of the day so she started with her routine. “Welcome to my tent of secrets! Do you wish to reveal your fate?” She always had to do it the way she first learned how. There was a little bit of bated breath. Half dramatic and half mysterious to lure in newcomers and intrigue those that had questions they wanted answered. The pony was Cheerilee, a mare from town. She always had a beaming smile but hers was dull that morning. It took a few seconds for her to go and sit down. She didn’t even take off her accessories like most did when entering. She tapped her hooves together like she didn’t know what to do with them. They looked unkempt, scratched and scuffed up as if used to plow fields all day. Ribbon thought it was strange. She was a regular spa lover and none of it was like her. “Before we begin, I ask that you close your eyes and take a deep breath,” Ribbon implored. She mimicked the actions to show her what to do. Usually, patrons liked the ritual of hearing their own heartbeat before hearing their fortune told. It prevented them from being too nervous or excited. But for Ribbon, she just wanted enough time to think. When Cheerilee had calmed, Ribbon opened her eyes. She knew the mare well enough like she knew most of the townsfolk. She was a teacher. She taught youth about the nature of the world. When it came to ponies, things always clicked in Ribbon’s mind like a puzzle being put together in the dark. Cheerilee didn’t do field work and probably only got a paper cut or two to mar her perfect coat. It means she was doing something to her hoof. Maybe biting on it? Ribbon wondered what a teacher would even be doing walking into a place like hers unless she had a question that couldn’t be found in a book. At that point, Ribbon was pretty sure she found all the pieces and they were pretty huge. She wasn’t even told a single word. And for what it was worth, getting to that point was one thing she actually looked forward to. It pleased her to figure out those ponies’ problems well before it was presented. Ribbon reached over and patted the mare’s hoof. “Let’s begin,” she said. It was always the same. Ribbon would lead with a few simple questions, usually about emotions. It got ponies in the mood to talk. Then she followed through with her so-called “predictions” and so on. She couldn’t just blurt them out even if she figured out the answer. It would raise questions and sometimes, she did need it if she didn’t figure things out right away. It always gave her an edge. During their talks, Ribbon could easily tell if she was getting warmer by studying the eyes and movements of her patrons. They were so easy to read. And those two eyes told volumes about a fascination for the local farm stallion, the one that Ribbon always saw Cheerilee together with so often. She was the only one she ever gave that look towards. A soft undertone of love was waiting in them, waiting to be released. If marriage was in her future then when? Ribbon just consulted her crystal ball…or in her case just thought for a few more seconds, closing her eyes as if meditating. Occasionally using magic to make the ball glow. Was it Big Macintosh that she spotted sneaking over to the jeweler last week? Didn’t the jeweler get his deliveries next Sunday? Then she remembered the beautiful meteor shower that was mentioned in the paper. It was all starting to form a picture in her mind. When Cheerilee left, she looked so happy to hear her “fortune” being read. It was like her life force was recharged with hope. She gladly paid the 25 bits. Ribbon guessed that she could look forward to a lovely proposal next Monday for sure. She usually enjoyed that part as much as the patron did. Seeing a look of surprise or delight when they were really anticipating something special. But they came less often than one would think. It was mostly the mundane that stepped in her tent but at least they came and went fast enough. A certain patron made things far more difficult. The ones from out of town, with personalities she had never met. Ribbon could never see them coming and just one would put her on guard for the entire day. When one of them did come, she had to pretend that she wasn’t feeling well and would pass them on to her sisters. If she lived in some big city, her whole charade would just fall apart. In a small town, Everypony knowing each other was the only way her plan could work. She never took it for granted and always listened carefully. According to word of mouth, that attracted a far more diverse set of patrons. It sure pleased Crystal too. Sometime later, Ribbon was waiting to be seen. Traffic was actually down so she passed some time by playing a solo card game on the table. It didn’t look like she was going to win so she was glad when a pony disturbed the curtain, breaking the boredom. The sight of a familiar purple head and clean cut mane caused her to shift her weight, nearly knocking the table over and spilling cards to the floor. “Oh, Princess Twilight,” she started. She didn’t even bother with her routine and hastily cleaned her mess. “Please, no need to be formal,” Twilight said with a smile. She really did have the most approachable of smiles that beckoned even the coldest ponies to open up. “I hope you’re between customers at the moment. I was hoping to come and speak to you.” Ribbon would never reject her princess and friend. She urged Twilight to go and sit down. “I went to your sisters but when they saw me, they said that they were far too busy and couldn’t possibly talk to me today,” Twilight told her. She seemed curious about it. “You went to my sisters?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t spoken to Crystal and um…Glitter for a while but I guess they just couldn’t find the time for anypony else.” Twilight then hovered her muzzle above Ribbon’s crystal ball. “I like this one. Plain…just like I would like it if I were a fortune teller…I guess.” She giggled at the silly suggestion. “Well, it does sound like you,” Ribbon agreed. That was more than a mere comment. Ribbon knew about Twilight’s fondness for being inconspicuous. She couldn’t recall if Twilight wore her crown or even a simple sash since her coronation. If she had, she hadn’t seen it in a newspaper. Even before then, she would hardly do anything to draw attention to herself. If Ribbon didn’t know any better, she would think that Twilight hadn’t changed at all. The mare even kept her wings folded nearly all the time. Sometimes, she thought that there may be something behind that. “Maybe it’s for the best,” Twilight said, putting her head down on her hoof. “What do you mean?” “Well…about your sisters. I like them but I know that we’ve never really had much in common. I guess that’s why we don’t know a lot about each other. Since they’re busy, I am hoping that perhaps you can take their place and help me with some matter.” Ribbon honestly had wished that her sisters were not so stubborn when it came to royalty. This was the case where their skills in fortune telling could have come into play. Ribbon didn’t like the sound of it. It had to have been about some kind of future event Twilight wanted to know about. She was always worrying about it in some way. Trying to keep it under her control like she could tame her own destiny. But she wouldn’t get Crystal’s sharp angled ball that she used to see the clearest of fortunes nor Glitter’s ability to use glitter to determine whether a future would be good or bad. Ribbon had never bothered to ask how that worked. Twilight was going to put her faith in a ball that was useless in her hooves. And as much as Ribbon wanted to, she couldn’t pass Twilight off to Crystal. She would never turn her friend away either without having heard something. “Uh…go right ahead, Twilight,” Ribbon said. She swallowed heavily and her throat felt course. She saw quite the challenge ahead. She had no idea what Twilight was going to bring up. What does a princess even worry about? And it had to be that Twilight herself always kept her feelings close at hoof. Some ponies like Fluttershy could hardly even talk about their opinions of food they get at a restaurant without their cheeks flushing. But Twilight could look the same no matter what unless a test was involved and the only test was being taken by Ribbon herself. Actually, every day in that tent was like a test. Twilight looked cool, even comfortable, in the tent despite her having had clashed with the idea of the “supernatural” as it were. Ribbon did hear that she had gotten over much of her distaste of it in the past year or so and besides, it was a conversation between friends more than between a fortune teller and her patron. Twilight talked for nearly half an hour about what was going on with her and Ribbon needed every second. She tried to prod the princess for as much as possible. It was about a stallion named Flash Sentry which lived all the way in the Crystal Empire. Despite using words like “careful examination” and “hypothesis”, Twilight clearly had issues she needed discussed. The colt she liked was coming to town that very night. And while she spoke, Ribbon was thinking so fast that her head was heating up. It always looked bad to not have something to say nearly right away. There were lots of factors to take into account. A colt she never heard of much less met. A city she wasn’t familiar with. Worst of all, Ribbon has never seen Twilight interested in colts before. It was not like Ribbon thought the mare was asexual but even the idea of an educated guess was going to be a huge stretch. She felt like her mind was being choked. Out of her insecurity, she didn’t know what to pick. “Well, I guess that’s it,” Twilight said, giggling lightly. She must have thought that talking about relationships was a cute novelty but Ribbon could feel a headache coming on. “Let me consult my crystal ball,” Ribbon whispered. She closed her eyes and pressed her hooves against the sides of her head. Her pulse rushed faster than normal. She was worried that Twilight would somehow catch on to something but instead she just sat there eagerly awaiting her fortune. Everything was telling Ribbon that she couldn’t make it work. She just didn’t know Twilight as a princess. Or did that even matter? She didn’t have enough time. In a few seconds, she had to have an answer. Any answer.