Incense. Incense. Should I go with myrrh or frankincense? No, those are too overbearing for today.
I stare down at the two thin glass bottles of incense and give out a thoughtful hum, my eyes trail upwards to the rest of my collection in the small cupboard.
“Oooh, this can work,” I smile, placing the two bottles and taking two different ones from the top shelf.
I calmly make my way to the small table at the corner of the wall, a small porcelain dish awaits me for my afternoon cleanse. Lighting the two sticks of incense, I hold them between my teeth and circle around the cozy room, making sure to give every nook and cranny its fair share of purification.
Hearing a knock at the door and the delightful tune of a wind chime, I place the sticks on the dish and make my way to the window. Taking a peek from my window, a familiar pegasus stands before my doorstep. Even if she didn’t knock, I’d know she’d be waiting outside cause of the way the wind chimes sing when she flies down to my shop. She seems busy reading the weekly sales of teas on the chalkboard sign outside. A smile creeps up on my face and I trot to the closest mirror on the table, making sure that my bandana isn’t droopy and my coral dreadlocks aren’t too frizzy.
Today is a special day. Well, every day is special, as the very essence of life that courses through us is a blessing of its own, but today is even more special than that. I get to see my favorite client, Sunshower Raindrop, for her hoof reading. Ever since she got a coupon to my shop about a month or two ago, she’s been coming here like, all the time. At first, she was just a regular client, but lately, I catch myself putting on a small bit of all-natural mascara and shea butter lip balm before she comes by. Maybe it’s her soft lips that form into a warm smile when I talk to her or the way her aquamarine hair frames her face that turns my day bright pink.
I open the door and meet her brilliant turquoise eyes. The subtle sheen in her jasmine coat makes her shine under the sun, yet nothing could even dare shine as bright as her smile.
Keep it cool.
“Namaste, my Sunshower, to Tree Hugger’s Tarot and Apothecary Shop. I greet you with kind energy.” I bow and move closer to the door to let her in.
“It’s great to see you, Hugs.” She grins as she comes inside my sanctuary. Sunshower stops a few steps in, I can’t see her expression but she gives out a relaxed sigh.
“Which one is it today?” She walks to one of my tables full of crystals and stones and holds a rose quartz with her wing. Lifting it close to the window, the sunlight that seeps through the window penetrates the transparent stone and gives the tips of her wings a pinkish hue.
“Roses and lavender, isn’t it lovely? Please, come take a seat while I make the preparations.” I wave her to the low table and trot to the doorway at the back of the room, splitting forward the bead curtain that separates the room from my small kitchen.
The key to being a good chiromancer is to always have clean hooves before managing your next client. It’s unthinkable to allow the traces of energy that your clients leave on your hooves and pass it onto another, it can not only mess with your client’s equilibrium but yours as well.
Going to the sink, I give the knob a good turn until the cool water runs. I stop myself just before I touch the water.
Can’t have her parched.
I look around until I see my favourite porcelain tea kettle. Gently holding the handle with my mouth, I fill the recipient until it begins to lower my head with its weight. The kettle was then placed on the stovetop and I let the water heat up with a low flame.
Returning to the still running sink, I allow myself the pleasure of feeling the cool water and how it refreshes my fur. Feeling the water mindlessly trickle past me, my mind goes elsewhere.
This is like, the fourth time she’s visited this month, right? No, three weeks. Hmm, speaking of three weeks, my package of licorice root hasn’t arrived yet. Maybe I should go and visit the post office after this. I should ask Sunshower about that, she must still work with Ditzy. If the stars align, I could possibly have her accompany me, too.
My thoughts stop in their tracks by the high-pitched whistling of the kettle. Without noticing, my eyes were fixated on the water which pooled in the sink, a tiny smile adorning my face.
I should get this sink fixed.
Turning the faucet off, I go to the stovetop and also turn it off. The kettle’s handle is most definitely hot so I take a potholder to handle it without pain.
The curtain of beads splits when I pass through. The room itself is dim — Sunshower must’ve closed the curtains — but there is still enough lighting for me to carefully stride to my apothecary cabinet. I set the kettle down on a trivet and pull two artisanally crafted mugs from the corner of the cabinet top closer to me.
From within the drawers, I pull out a heavy stone mortar and pestle and start my concoction.
Two mint leaves, a stick of licorice root… dash of lotus, and…
Ingredients fall onto the mortar and are ground up coarsely, adding new or more ingredients if my senses urge me to.
“What’re you making?”
“If you guess it right, I’ll add in an extra hawthorn berry.”
“Is it…” She pauses, I can imagine her tapping her hoof on her chin. “...aurelia gold?”
I separate the mulled ingredients into the two mugs and place them and the kettle onto a tray, balancing the said tray on my back. Just a few steps and I’m already right beside the table. I set the tray beside it and sit on a plush pillow.
“Your favourite, of course.” I place the two mugs on the table and pour the hot water, making sure to use circular motions while doing it so I can optimize its remedial properties.
Sunshower held her mug and took a deep breath, the vapour condensing slightly in her muzzle. Since she’s been a regular patron here, it would only be fair if she has her own mug. Designed by a friend of mine, the tikusan mug is glazed in a stunning viridian. Mine on the other hoof is a regular neutral brown. I don’t mind it though, it’s actually my birthstone colour so it works perfectly for me.
She then takes the mug to her lips, taking a delightful sip, which was short-lived after her face turned sour.
“I added some ginger. I hope that doesn’t bum you out.” I laugh with the cup against my mouth.
“I keep forgetting to take it. The ginger mint tea is taken every…?”
“Monday and Saturday. I’ll see if you’ve at least tried it once soon.” My teasing made her look away and drink her tea in a few short gulps before she scrunched her face again.
Unlike her, I take my time to enjoy my cup. Although I didn’t add any honey, the licorice gives it a faint sweetness. My senses are held within its grasp, a sigh escapes my lips.
My eyes flutter open. Sunshower is teasing the table fabric with her wing, probably from boredom. It’s common for pegasi to not like being in one place for too long.
I take both of our mugs and the kettle and set them on the tray beside me. Sunshower straightens herself at the action.
“Shall it be the same as always, my dewdrop? Or would you also like a card reading?” I query, taking the crystal ball from the table and placing it closer to the edge.
“I think I’m fine, maybe on a later day.” She sets her hooves on the clothed table and gives it a few short taps of delight.
I nod and motion for her right hoof. For some reason, she didn’t move an inch. Sunshower keeps looking at my hoof as if she were the one doing the reading.
I gingerly take her hoof off the table and hold it against mine. One thing you must always do before the hoofistry is that you have to inspect their hoof. I think it’s safe to say that I already know her’s fairly well, but it’s still good to take this precaution. Taking my time, I press my hooves against the sides of her own. For being such a hardworking mare, being part of the weather team and post office, hers are soft and without any chips. I can feel a sense of subtle refinement within her, it goes on par with the delicate fur along her foreleg.
When I look up at Sunshower, she has her eyes closed and her breathing is slow. Before finishing the inspection, I give her hoof one final squeeze to signal that I’m about to begin.
I flip her hoof so I may start examining the frog.
“Your sacral and solar plexus alignment are in sync. This is very good, must mean you’re eating well.” I hear her laugh through her nose as I keep feeling.
“I know you don’t like the tea I prescribed you, but I can see that your root and third eye chakra are still out of balance. See?” I point at her heel and frog apex. Of course, she can’t see anything, but I can feel it. Just how earth ponies can feel the magic and energy in the earth, I can feel it within ponies. Where I point, it feels like static compared to the serene waves that vibrate throughout the rest of her hoof.
It’s pretty normal for a pegasus to have blocked or unbalanced chakras like a third eye or crown since those are better associated with unicorns; those two represent intuition and spirituality. For a pegasus, the throat and sacral are their most strong chakras, they represent self-expression and adaptability. For an earth pony, it’s the heart and root, representing compassion and being grounded.
Sunshower groans as I flip her hoof again to see her nail.
Upon closer inspection of the keratin of her hoof, I see small lines that go all around the nail. These lines represent all sorts of things going from prosperity to life expectancy. I take my magnifying glass to better look at the lines, making sure to hold her hoof close to me.
The most visible line is the one corresponding to her fate, it curves smoothly throughout her nail without any wavering. Right next to that is the one of her heart-
The one of her hea-
Is she brushing her tail against my leg?
I look down and see her tail flick away quickly out of sight. As I check on Sunshower, I see that her eyes are fixated on the ritual, her wings shifting in their place ever so slightly.
Keep calm, your vibe is going all over the place. She just did it by accident, this table doesn’t have much leg room anyway.
I focus on my breathing, but my heartbeat is too strong. I can even hear my quickening pulse through my ears.
Hopefully, this room is dim enough for her to not notice my face is a whole shade of red.
“Something wrong? You seem different today.”
Something is wrong. I’m usually so calm, but just holding your hoof already has me trembling. Celestia, help me. I must keep going.
“Your fate and heart lines meet up right here.” I point to the middle of her hoof. “If you count the times within the lines, love should be right around the corner.”
“Is that so?” Her voice laces through my mind, running shivers down my spine.
Sunshower Raindrops takes my hoof and holds it gently, the ends touching each other ever so slightly. I can almost feel her heartbeat and our souls intertwining just through her subtle caress. Her cheeks are flushed a pale pink and it is accentuated by her whisper of a smile.
My chest grows so much heavier and quicker, my other hoof grips the cloth tightly. Sweat starts to accumulate on my brows. Sunshower is so close, yet so far away. The small amount of light that creeps through the window gives her an ethereal glow. The wind chimes outside of my shop rustle in the wind, singing a song that melts my mind as she comes just close enough for her breath to mingle against my neck.
My eyes dart to the incense sticks that just burned out and back to her half-lidded eyes.
“And that’s our time for today,” I manage to squeak.
Sunshower looks to the broken sticks and ash accumulating on the small dish. She slowly pulls her hoof away, as if we were to break if she did too quickly. My hoof couldn’t help but twitch towards her. I then keep it close to my chest, trying to ease my heart through a calming mental hum.
She runs her hoof through her hair and stretches her wings. Then, she stands up and helps me up as well.
“Today’s reading was shorter, no?”
“There wasn’t much that I haven’t already read on you, Raindrop.”
“Then if that’s the case... I was sort of wondering if I could settle for an appointment outside?” She hints.
Before I could internalize what she said, she took out her bag and gave me a few bits. Sunshower is a good tipper, but she gave me a whole five extra bits today.
“An outside hoof reading? Yeah, I think I can do that.”
“Oh, no hoof reading.” She laughs and waves her hoof.
No hoofistry? Hmm, I suppose she wouldn’t want card reading either, it’s hard to shuffle them when there’s too much wind outside. Using my crystal ball is hard too when you’re in broad daylight. So, could she want...
“So… a date?” I quiz, pushing a dreadlock behind my ear.
“If that’s what you want to call it. How about same day, same time next week?” She inches closer to me with a smile.
My mind starts to race again, I take a step back just before she gets too close. I then take a moment to think within those turquoise eyes of hers. It has been a while since I’ve connected myself with the outside. And who could be a better mare to do so than her? My growing smile leaves her waiting with bated breath.
“I dig it.”
Her face lights up like a flower in its spring bloom and her wings flitter happily. Her hooves take her to the front of the door. Before going out, she faces me with that big smile of hers.
“I’ll see you then!” She grins.
Just when I was going to give my goodbyes, Sunshower Raindrops was already prancing out the door.
After closing the door, I go to the small mirror on the nearest table and see that my face is still red hot.
I bury my hooves in my face and nearly let out a squeak.
