“How can an entire street be so well hidden?” Applejack asked.
She and Vim were walking down a dimly lit road tucked away in some forgotten part of Canterlot. It wasn’t at the outskirts, in fact it was actually quite close to the castle, but somehow further development had just skipped it. It was lined with old brick buildings housing various niche shops, very few of which actually had names. Some of them didn’t even have doors, instead just sporting curtains or making the shop so dark you just couldn’t see inside from the street. The taller, more modern buildings on the adjacent streets had a tendency to block out the sun, so the street was left in a perpetual shade that made it feel like they’d stepped into an entirely different city.
The street wasn’t crowded by any means, but it also wasn’t anywhere near empty. Ponies bustled along just as they would in any other market, hardly seeming to even notice the oddity of where they were. A few ponies hid their faces, wearing dark hoods or intricate masks, but for the most part ponies just treated it like a normal stop on their list of chores. Some even smiled and waved as they passed by, although Applejack didn’t recognize any of them.
“That’s a tougher question to answer than you’d think,” Vim said. “Everypony seems to have their own theories. Some kind of enchantment, or a quirk of the street layout, or a royal conspiracy. The only think anypony knows for sure is that you can only find this place if you’re looking for it.”
“Well, what’s your theory?”
“Oh, I just think it’s a normal road,” Vim said. “Sure, it’s in the middle of town, but it’s a dead end. If you don’t already know what’s here, then walking by it’ll just look like a run down road that you have no use for, and you’ll forget about it.”
“Makes sense.”
“Although,” Vim continued, “there have been times that I’ve walked past and, looking back, I could swear the street wasn’t there.”
Applejack laughed. “I can’t tell if you’re doubting yourself or just trying to creep me out.”
Vim just smiled and shrugged.
“So, you come here a lot?” Applejack asked.
“Well, not that much. I come by once a month or so to see for myself if anything’s changed, like if there’s any new shops or anything, but past that I don’t usually have all that much use for the place. You can get some powerful stuff here, but there’s not a whole lot of need for it when you’ve got alicorn magic.”
“Tell that to Twilight.”
Vim chuckled. “Oh, I’m under strict orders to never tell Princess Twilight about this street. Celestia said the results could be ‘disastrous.’”
“That’s one way of puttin it.”
“I do come here for my own purposes from time to time, though,” Vim went on. “Mostly for services. Fortune tellers, scrying mirrors, my barber.”
“Your barber?”
“Best in Equestria. He just doesn’t like the light.”
“Weird.” Applejack shrugged. “Seems like a neat place, though. I can definitely see why ponies would—”
“Ooh, Applejack!” She was cut off by a voice behind them, and they turned to see Luna trotting over to them. She was grinning wide and carrying a bag that looked like it had a few too many things in it. “What wonderful timing, I was just about to come find you.”
“Well hey there,” Applejack said with a smile. She hugged Luna tight when she got up close. “You’re lookin cheery.”
Luna nodded and kissed Applejack’s forehead. “It’s a wonder what some fresh air can do. It really feels like I’m stepping into a new part of my life.”
“Glad to hear it,” Applejack told her.
“You said you were going to come find us?” Vim asked.
“Oh, right!” Luna opened her bag of goodies and started looking through it. “Applejack, how confident would you be in your ability to stop Rainbow Dash if she, say, got twice as fast and went on a frenzy?”
“Uhhh…” Applejack gave her a nervous look.
“No, you’re right, that’s an awful plan.” Luna shook her head and kept digging. “Umm, what about if we summoned all the timberwolves in Equestria to Canterlot, how would you fare then?”
“Luna, I’m not sure if you’ve got the right idea here,” Applejack told her apprehensively.
“Of course, of course. What about this book I found? It’s called, um… The Necronomicolt. I’m told its influence is very corrupting, perhaps if you can resist it that’ll do the trick?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at her.
“No? Oh, alright then. It’ll still make a good birthday present for Twilight, at least.”
“Luna, I really don’t think you can just make a problem for me to solve,” Applejack said.
“Well, it worked for Twilight,” Luna said. “That whole thing was just a test Celestia made!”
“Luna, there ain’t no way I’m gonna believe Celestia planned for Twilight to muck around with our destinies and then become a Princess.”
“Well, no… She still gave her the test, though!”
“C’mon, Luna, it’s magic. Not just magic, it’s weird destiny magic! I don’t think you can just game it like you’re thinkin.”
Luna pouted. “Well, what should I do, then? I’ve gotten myself far too excited about you being a Princess to go back now.”
“Um, may I make a suggestion?” Vim asked.
“Of course,” Luna said.
“Well, we’re already in the back streets. Why not visit a fortune teller?”
“Aren’t they fake, though?” Applejack asked. “Just like, acts they put on?”
“Most are, yes,” Vim said. “However, there is one who I know for a fact is genuine. Come, I’ll take you to her!”
Vim waved them along and walked down the street. Applejack and Luna shared a quick glance, then started to follow.
The building she brought them to was old, one of the oldest on the street, but well cared for. The bricks were freshly washed, bright purple curtains hung in the windows, and there was a cute welcome mat outside the door with a picture of a crystal ball on it. It wasn’t all old, either. Many parts, like the door and the windows, had clearly been kept new over the years, and it gave the building a strange, uncanny look, like a place out of time.
The door was tall, wide, and heavy. It was a dark wood with bright, shiny metal inlaid into it in intricate patterns, and Vim had to press her shoulder against it just to push it open. She managed it, though, and held it open as Luna and Applejack walked inside.
Applejack felt like she was walking into her own home. They were in a front hallway, and through the first doorway she could see a quaint little living room. Comfy chairs and a deep sofa were laid out carefully, and all were draped with some manner of decorative blanket. A table sat in front of the window, stacked with bowls and cards and a few crystal balls that glittered in the faint light filtering in. Further down the hall, doors led into the kitchen and a little bedroom.
“You sure this place is, uh… A business?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, no, not at all,” Vim replied. “Miss Showers retired years ago, but she’s always thrilled to see her old regulars.”
“Miss… Showers?” Applejack asked.
As if on cue, an ancient mare wandered out of the kitchen and up to the group. She was gray all around, gray coat, gray mane, even her eyes were gray. Her legs were shaky, her ears drooped, and a shawl was loosely draped over her neck. Most surprising to Applejack, though, was that she wasn’t a unicorn as one would expect. It turned out that the one legitimate fortune teller Vim knew of just happened to be a pegasus.
The old woman smiled politely at the three of them. “Yes, that’s May Showers to be precise.” She spoke slowly, and each sound she made was so breathy it sounded like it may be her last. “Violet, dearest, it’s so wonderful to see you. How have you been?”
“I’ve been great, Miss Showers,” Vim told her. “Um, these are Princess Luna and Applejack. They’re looking for… Guidance? I guess that’s what I’d call it.”
The old mare looked them over with her cold gray eyes for a long time. She took them both in, first their eyes, then their faces, working her way along methodically until she knew everything about them. Then, she turned and walked into the living to.
“Well, come on, then,” she said. “You can call me May.”
May sat at once side of the table, and so Luna and Applejack took a seat opposite her. Vim, meanwhile, hopped up onto the sofa and got comfortable so easily it was like she’d always lived there.
“So,” May said, “what divination do you seek?”
“Well,” Luna started, “we want to find out—”
“Shh!” May put up a hoof to quiet her, then pointed to her stacks of trinkets and baubles. “First, you choose the method.”
“Oh.” Luna looked them over cautiously. “Well, I suppose just the crystal ball, then.”
May was already digging out the tiny, clear orb before Luna had even finished her sentence. It was far smaller than either of them expected a crystal ball to be, but it still looked very sturdy. May didn’t seem to need to be delicate with it at all.
May nodded. “Now, your question.” She was hunched over the ball, hardly even looking at Luna and Applejack.
“We’d like to know how to make Applejack a Princess,” Luna said.
May raised an eyebrow. “You realize I cannot change the future, yes? I cannot will a Princess into being.”
“I know,” Luna said, “but I have no doubt that she’ll become one eventually. I’d just like to know how.”
“Hmph.” May leaned closer to the ball, so close she was almost touching it as she stared deep within. The others could see nothing, but at times the sun seemed to strike the orb in just the right way as to blind them with a sudden burst of light. May never seemed to be affected by this, though.
“Yes, I see,” she said eventually. “I can sense the future that you seek.”
Applejack’s eyes widened. “Really?”
May scoffed. “Doubt all you want, this future shall still reign true. I see you, Applejack, undone by a rising tide. The waves shall grow and drag you down into their icy depths, and your world will go black. Only once the light above you has been snuffed out and you’ve been torn asunder will you be born anew.”
Applejack winced. “Do you gotta say it so… Ominously?”
“Hey, you guys chose the crystal ball, not me,” May said.
“Is that all you can tell us?” Luna asked. “I’d really rather not have to, I don’t know, drown Applejack.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” May told her. “It’s a piece of glass, you can’t expect me to get perfect visions of the entirety of time and space with it. It’s a metaphor.”
“A metaphor for what?” Luna asked.
May shrugged.
Vim got up and walked over to them. “Don’t worry, the crystal ball is always like that. You tend to figure it out when you need to.”
“Oh, alright,” Luna said. “Well, thank you for this, May, even if I don’t quite understand it.”
They said their goodbyes and, after Vim spent a long while trying to end a conversation with May, they left. It was darker outside, and they decided it was probably time to head back to the castle.
As they walked, Luna pulled Vim aside and trailed behind Applejack so she couldn’t hear. “Hey, I need your help,” she said.
“Yes?”
“I think I know what part of the fortune means, but doing it right now is… Risky. Can you help me come up with a plan?”
“Sure,” Vim said, “but why are we whispering?”
“If Applejack knows, she might not do what she has to do. She needs to think it’s real.”
“She won’t like being lied to.”
Luna pursed her lips. “Okay, then it needs to be real.”
Vim sighed. “I’ll help, but you better be sure about whatever you’re planning.”
“I will be,” Luna said. “I’ll make sure of it.”