//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: 3 Wishes // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// The town market was in full swing and near the city hall, just past the market, were some tents set up of various colors, their doors open wide to allow spectators in to view what lay within. Several signs showed what attractions were available at certain times of the day, but the only thing that caught Noi’s eye was one of the many fair style candy carts.  “Mommy, can I?!” Noi asked eagerly, pointing to a cart laden with candied fruits and taffies from somewhere that wasn’t Ponyville. “Okay, I’ll give you ten bits. You can spend them however you want, but remember that whatever you save can go into your piggy bank to buy something bigger later.” With that a small satchel was passed from mother to daughter and with barely a thank you, Noi was off to the cart to spend three bits. The filly crunched through half a candied plum, proud she got two for her bits, before she saw Aura. “Aura, over here!” Noi shouted and sat to wave her free forehoof. The lilac filly looked up from reading a sign and beamed a smile. She turned around once, looking for somepony, before shrugging and rushing to meet her good friend. “Noi, I’m so glad to see you here. I was worried I’d miss you. Look, my mommy and daddy gave me fifteen bits to spend today!” Aura gasped when she saw the plums. “Where can I get some of those?” “Over there, at the cart. They’re two for three bits.” “Cool, wanna come with me?” Noi stood on three legs and balanced the small paper tray on her free hoof. “You bet! These are awesome. So much better than apples.” Her ears fell and she glanced around, ready to see an angry member of the Apple family. None in sight, she sighed as she followed her friend to the cart. She ate the rest of her first plum while Aura picked her treat. “Excuse me, girls…” A mare’s voice spoke up, getting their attention through the crowd. “Can you spare some bits for a weary traveler?” Both fillies shared a look, then shook their heads. “Sorry, I only have a few bits left and I wanna see some of these attractions,” Noi said. Aura lit her horn in a weak blue light pulling a bit from her own satchel hanging around her neck. “Like my mommy says, don’t spend it all in one place.” The mare held out a hoof and took the coin, grinning a smile with too many missing teeth for the fillies to feel comfortable looking at. “Thank ya kindly. May the light of day never stop shining on your kind little souls.” The mare turned away and the fillies shuddered and licked the back of their own teeth, checking to see they were all still there. “Do you think she ate too much candy when she was a filly?” Aura asked. Noi giggled. “I think she just didn’t brush like her mommy told her to. C’mon, let’s go see what’s in the tents. I can’t wait to get my fortune read.” The fillies hurried to a tent and read the posted sign, then moved on to a few others; seeing which seemed to be the best deal. “I think Madame Fortuna is too expensive, Aura. I only have seven bits left and she costs five. I won’t have any left for my piggy bank if I get my fortune read.” “Well, maybe there’s filly discount. I mean, we’re little so our fortunes must be smaller too, right?” Aura asked. The flap opened revealing Piña Colada leaving with a frown on her face. A stallion followed her and propped the flap open for the next pony to enter. The pink fillies cheeks were a tinge red as she stomped past the other two fillies. “Hey, Piña Colada? What’s wrong?” Noi asked, hurrying to follow her upset friend with Aura right behind. Piña Colada stopped and watched as a mare hurried in to get her fortune read. “That mare is crazy!” She shouted. “She didn’t tell me about my future except that I’d get a boyfriend and we’d kiss.” All three fillies made grossed out faces and noises. “Okay, I’m not going to see her if that’s what she’s all about, what about you, Noi?” Aura asked. Noi shook her head and then bit into her last plum. “No way,” she said with a mouth half full, “I don’t ever want a boyfriend. Boys are so gross.” The other two fillies nodded fervently in agreement. Aura spoke up again. “So, now what? Wanna get a souvenir or something?” Piña Colada looked at the plums and licked her lips. “Or, we can get some more treats?” Piña Colada grinned and looked around to see a cart with cotton candy and bottles of soda. “I’ll be right back.” “Hey, we’re coming with you,” Noi giggled as she hobbled after.  Several minutes later they all had cotton candy and a soda while sitting in the grass near a tent full of noisy games and younger foals being cheered for after winning games set up for them. The three fillies talked, giggled, and snacked off each other, sharing their goodies as best as they could. “Well, that was yummy, but I kinda wanna do something with the rest of my bits.” Piña Colada said.  “How many do you have left after buying us all sodas and your cotton candy?” Piña Colada looked into her satchel and counted. “Seven. Most of the attractions cost at least three, but… hey, what’s that thing?” She asked and pointed at a stallion rolling out a weird game. It was a glass case with the upper half of a pony dressed like a gypsy inside of it.  “I dunno, let’s see.” Aura said as she got up and made her way to the garbage to throw away her trash. The others followed her actions, then to the stallion setting up the machine. “Hey mister, what’s that?” “This?” The stallion said, gesturing to the game. “Oh, it’s the Great Magical Hugo. Put in a bit and he’ll grant your wish,” he rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath before forcing a smile. “Cool. I wanna try!” Noi said, rushing to the machine and looking it over. A glass ball that was meant to signify a crystal one was rolling against the corner of the glass, loosened from its perch in front of the puppet within. Noi noticed the puppet inside was in bad shape and giggled. “Maybe I should wish for Hugo to get a makeover.” The stallion sighed deeply and turned to leave. “I’ll be right back.” Piña Colada poked Noi’s side. “I think you upset him. Maybe this is his favorite game or something.” Noi watched the stallion’s tail turn the corner, then went to the glass, patting it sarcastically. “Aw, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Hugo.” The other fillies giggled at the joke. Noi took a coin from her pouch and found the coin slot. She slid the coin in and waited. “Maybe I have to make my wish first?” “There’s a button on the front, maybe press that to turn it on?” Noi pressed the button but nothing happened. “Ugh. I know what I wanna wish for, Hugo.” “What do you wanna wish for, Noi?” Aura asked. Noi smirked, thinking over the past few days. They felt like forever to her, so she knew what to say. She turned to Hugo and pressed the button. “I wish grownups would do what us foals said, instead of the other way around.” The fillies yelped as Hugo came to life. In jerky motions his eyes danced around and his jaw worked for a couple seconds before he fell still and a slip of paper fell from a slot they hadn’t noticed. Noi picked it up and read it. “‘Little things can be big problems if you’re not careful.’ And there’s some numbers on the bottom. I think it’s a fortune.” Aura pulled out a bit and slid it into the slot, then pressed the button. “I wish I was bigger. Then nopony would pick on me for being too small.” “You’re not too small, Aura,” Noi said, patting the filly’s back. “I am, so! I’m the second smallest in class and I’m tired of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon calling me Pip’s big sister.” Piña Colada pointed as Hugo came to life again in his glass house, jerking and shaking for a few seconds before falling still. A new fortune came out and Aura read it. “‘Big things come in small packages.’ Spooky how the fortune sounds like what I wished for.” Aura smirked, then tossed her fortune over her shoulder to land in the grass. “Your turn, Piña Colada, what are you gonna wish for?” Piña Colada thought it over for a moment, then shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t think I really need anything right now. I’m happy with how everything is, and if your wishes come true, things would just be that much better.” “Piña Colada? Piña Colada?! Where are you?” Piña Colada sighed in exasperation. “That’s my stepmom. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you later, okay?” Aura and Noi understood and waved as their friend left. “I wish I had a stepmom sometimes.” Noi mumbled. Aura gasped in surprise. “What? Why?! Your mom’s awesome.” “She makes me gross food every day, and makes me do chores, and won’t let me stay up late, ever! I bet a different mom would let me do all those things.” Aura rolled her eyes. “My mom makes me do that stuff too, but I wouldn’t want a different one. C’mon, let’s go to the shop, maybe they have something to get your mind off having a new mom.” Noi grumbled but followed her friend away from the machine. A few seconds later lights came on inside the glass and the puppet smoothly moved as it began its startup procedures. The stallion came back around, expecting to see the fillies waiting. “Okay, it’s plugged in now, you can… take off without playing, I guess.” He said, watching two of the fillies wandering off.