//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: 3 Wishes // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// Aura slowed to a trot, panting and gasping for breath after galloping for while. “Where… are… they?” “I don’t know; I don’t even know if we’re on the right path, to be honest.” Piña Colada said. Noi quickly looked back to scowl at her friend. “What she means is that we’re getting close and this has to be the path they took, because it goes straight to the White Tail Woods, where the deer live.” “What do the deer have to do with traveling show ponies?” “It’s the only place to the West that doesn’t end at the Celestial Sea, or the Undiscovered West… what if they’re going beyond Equestrian borders, girls?” Noi asked, nervously. “They wouldn’t do that, nopony crosses that far West,” Aura answered, swallowing loudly. “Hey, a river! I’m gonna get a drink before I have to chase them again.” Noi and Piña Colada held on as Aura leapt into the flowing river, nearly slipping on some slick rocks at the bottom. “Hey, watch out! I can’t swim good,” Noi shouted as she wrapped blue mane around her fetlock and was ready to bite onto some to stay on the larger fillies back.  Aura rolled her eyes and bent her head down to slurp water for several gulps. She stood tall and exhaled loudly. “That’s good stuff. Okay, back onto the trail.” “Wait!” Piña Colada shouted. “I… gotta pee.” “Why didn’t you go before we left?” Noi shouted back as Aura walked from the water. “I didn’t have to go then, but I do now.” “Ugh, mommy always says to go before we leave, doesn’t you momma tell you that?” “Girls!” Aura shouted. “We can all make a pitstop here and make it quick. I’ve gotta go, too; so let’s just get it over with and get back on the road.” Laying down, the smaller fillies slid off Aura’s back and rushed into the bushes with Aura following. “Hey, you can’t do that here, you’ll splash all over us!” “Ew, gross, she’s right. Go in the bushes over there.” A couple minutes later, all three fillies were back on the trail, two holding onto their friend as she galloped faster than any of them could have imagined. They passed through a short grassy area and started into a lightly wooded area with sparse trees but on a well used pathway.  “Hey, I think I see them!” Aura shouted. Noi and Piña Colada shared a smile. “Great, slow down so they can see us coming and don’t think you’re a monster from the Everfree chasing them.” Aura slowed and grumbled. “I’m not that big.” A couple minutes later they caught up with the travelers, who had stopped and formed a defensive circle with their wagons. “What the…” One of the travelers was heard shouting. Aura stopped about a quarter mile away and waved. “Hi, I’m Aura and these two on my back are Piña Colada and Noi. We’d like to use your magic Hugo machine to unwish our wishes, please.” There were shared looks and words between the various adults. “Come closer, lass. Lemme see ya up close.” A tall mare wearing a dark blue starry robe said. Piña Colada frowned a little. “That’s the fortune teller that said I’d be all kissy with my boyfriend.” Aura smiled and glanced back. “Maybe it’ll be Snails. Mwa-mwa-mwa.” Piña Colada kicked her hind leg into Aura’s side. “Shut up, he’s the grossest of them all!” Aura laughed as she cantered to the line of defense and stopped, looming over the fortune teller. “Well I’ll be… Sprocket, get that infernal piece of… junk out here for these fillies.” “Y-yea, sure thing, ma’am,” Sprocket said as he hurried to a wagon. Aura sat down suddenly, sending both her friends sliding down her back. “Woo-hoo!” “Gah!” Both landed on the ground in a tangle of legs before they separated and frowned at Aura. Aura looked back and smirked. “Oops.” “What the hay was that for?” Piña Colada asked loudly. Aura shrugged. “I dunno. Anyway, where’s that… oh no.” She brought a hoof to her mouth, scattering dirt and dust across a whole wagon without realizing it. “We forgot bits! How are we gonna pay for our wishes if we’re broke?” Noi hurried around her friend to Fortuna who was shaking herself clean. “Miss Fortune, can we borrow three bits to make our wishes?” “Heh, sorry, but we’re not in the business of hoofing out bits, regardless of the reason. You could go with us to the next couple towns as part of our show. A big girl like you would certainly bring in more bits than we’ve had in a while. And my name’s Madame Fortuna, not Fortune. That mare works on the other side of Equestria.” Aura’s eyes went wide and then became watery. “B-but, I don’t wanna be a traveling freak. I just wanna be a filly and go to school tomorrow. I wanna be the second shortest in class and have peanut butter and jelly for lunch…” She sniffled and hiccupped twice. “I…” “Oh no, cover yer ears, lads!” “Want. My… Mommy!” Aura wailed and began bawling loud enough to be heard miles away. “I wanna be normal again. I don’t wanna be a giant monster filly. I…” she began hiccupping between words, “want… to… be… little again!” She collapsed onto her front rattling leaves off trees and knocking a few pony’s off balance for a couple seconds.  Fortuna hurried to close the distance between herself and the crying filly, her robe buffeting the wind from Aura’s heavy breathing. She wasn’t going to get too close, but knew what to do. “There, there, little one. You’re not that big. Why, you’re only as big as you want to be. I bet that if you really wanted it, you could get back to your normal size without making a wish on some dumb machine.” Aura’s cries stopped suddenly, but the tears and snot still flowed freely. “Y-you mean it? I can just want to be normal and it might happen?” “It’s worth a try. Close yer eyes, darlin’, see yerself for who ya used to be.” Fortuna said calmly. She looked over her shoulder to a younger mare. “Where is that darned machine already?” She loudly whispered. The young mare’s eyes widened and she nodded, hurrying to help Sprocket. She bumped into the stallion as he and another were carting it out of a wagon lying on its back on a large plank of wood. “We got it! It’s here. Don’t be sad, it’s wish time.” The three fillies felt elated at the news and the smaller of the two rushed past Fortuna to get to the machine as it was being set up. “Hey, wait for us to get it ready.” “You didn’t get it ready last time, you just parked it and left. Lemme at it,” Noi exclaimed, slamming her hoof on the button. “I unwish my wish! Make everypony listen to everypony again.” “Back up!” Sprocket shouted. “It’s not even plugged in, much less you haven’t put in a bit for it to turn on. Think, filly; sheesh. Here’s a bit for each of you, now wait while I get the portable battery set up so I can plug it in.” Aura looked down at the two fillies that were being surrounded by the travelers as they all waited for Sprocket to get the battery.  Noi handed a bit to Piña Colada while keeping Aura’s in her hoof, knowing the giant filly couldn’t do anything with it, besides lose it, probably. She looked at the puppet, Hugo, and could swear he winked at her. She rushed to the machine and punched her hoof with the coin in it to the slot, slamming the coin in. She pressed the button. “I wish to undo my wish!” Hugo’s box sparked and he came to life, surprising everypony that was watching as the plug was still on the ground under the box. She shook for a couple seconds before falling still. A slip of paper came out and Noi took it to read it aloud. “‘One per customer.’” She looked at Piña Colada suddenly. “You have to do it. Hurry!” “Stop her, before she takes away our newest freak!” Madame Fortuna shouted and pointed with a foreleg at the fillies, not knowing which was which. Noi ran between Piña Colada and the crown, bucking wildly before she was picked up in a red aura and held from the ground. As they were about to tackle Piña Colada, Aura reared up and slammed her hooves into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked everypony off their hooves. Piña Colada had just slipped the coin into the machine and was tossed from her hooves with the rest, but she was determined and got up, pressed the button, and shouted, “I wish all your wishes to be unwished!” The whole area went silent and they watched Hugo come to life, then stop as a slip came out. “‘Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.’” The travelers collectively groaned and held their stomachs for a moment before shaking their heads. “What was that?” “I don’t know. Let’s get out of here.” “Let’s split!” Wagons were hitched and ponies hurried to leave while Fortuna glared between three fillies. “You have no idea what you’ve done!” She shouted as she hurried to her own wagon as it began to move. Sprocket went to shove the machine back onto his wagon when a leg broke and the machine toppled to its side, shattering the glass and breaking most of the wood. “Ah, forget it, it’s a piece of cursed junk anyway.” He hitched to his wagon and hurried to follow the caravan, leaving the fillies behind in a rolling cloud of dust that followed. Noi and Piña Colada looked at the machine and went over to carefully poke around it. “Looks like we were his last wish. I hope it worked.” Aura said, standing above her friends. “Us, too,” the others agreed. The puppet was torn in half, ripped mostly from its base. The base seemed to be in working order, though.  Aura lifted a hoof and stomped it down on the machine. “There, no machine, no curse.” “Aura?!” Noi exclaimed. “We could have saved it, just in case. What if we need to wish again to fix something?” “Then we find a safer way!” Aura shouted back, making her friends’ ears ring from the volume. “Sorry.” She said, noting her friends covering their ears with their forehooves. “Well, that’s just great. Now what?” Piña Colada asked. “We go home and hope for the best. The wish took a day to take effect, it must take a day to fix itself. Let’s head home and… hey,” Noi said, looking at the rubble, “the crystal ball is still okay. Let’s take it as a souvenir.” “Whatever,” Aura shrugged, “let’s just get home so I can see my parents again. I’m really worried they’re trapped at the hospital or something, waiting for me to tell them to come home.” “And I don’t even know where my parents are,” Piña Colada stated sadly.  “Don’t be down, girls. It’ll all be fine from here on out.”