Star Dasher and her friends followed Aurora Mist down a poorly maintained path in the forest. They had left the desert behind and gone up in elevation. The climate had become cooler and wetter, and Star had decided to finally dig her trademark yellow leg warmers out of her pack. The stony road was broken up by constant tree roots, and in places it climbed steeply. Their view of the road ahead was obstructed, but they continued to go up. The trees became bigger with every mile. Soon they were unbelievably large, wide enough for their whole group to hug around a single tree without reaching around. They stood erect, their height beyond Star’s ability to guess.

The forest became foggy as they continued. By this point, the trees were covered in deep green moss. Ferns dominated the understory, and colorful mushrooms sprang up everywhere. Some tree ferns and mushrooms were large enough to be trees themselves, but they were dwarfed by the conifers that made a thick canopy overhead. The scent of decaying wood and leaves was in the air. The forest was still and hush. Dew beaded on the fruiting bodies of mosses.

The road was better maintained at this point. It passed under a giant mushroom cap whose stalk was wide enough for several ponies to hug around. There was a small wooden platform attached to ropes and a pulley that led up to the rim of the mushroom cap. The path continued onwards, and Star thought she saw a couple of small wooden buildings in the fog ahead. However, Aurora took off and hovered next to the wooden platform. “Most of the city is this way,” she said. “Pull this rope to lift yourself. I can help from the top.”

Aurora flew to the top, and Silly Lilly followed. The five wingless ponies looked at the rickety platform and exchanged glances with each other. That was Star’s cue, as the bold one. The mushroom looked tall enough to be a deadly fall, and the ropes weren’t that convincing. Star chomped on the rope and started to pull. The wood creaked as the weight shifted from the ground to the ropes. The pulleys made it easier, but she was still lifting her own weight plus that of the platform. It became a little easier as Aurora pulled from the top. The whole contraption swayed as she went higher.

Eventually she reached the top. A clamping device locked the rope in place so she could step from the platform to the brown mushroom cap. It was a little springy and surprisingly flat up top. A curious scene lay before her. She knew it was a city only because she saw so many ponies walking or flying about. Some were pegasi like Aurora, and others were earth ponies. For the most part, there weren’t really buildings. Just thatched roofs over different parts of the mushroom cap, where ponies had set up stalls with various food and other things. It looked like a market. Some ponies were gliding down from the distant canopy, barely visible in this fog. Rope bridges connected this mushroom cap to others.

Star looked down at her friends. She had come up far enough that they were just silhouettes in the fog. “I’m up!” she called. Aurora showed her how to unlock the device and lower the platform. One by one, the others hauled themselves up with the platform. Star took Aurora’s place, pulling the ropes from the top to help them along. Wondermint went last. She seemed nervous, and Star ended up doing most of the pulling.

As Wonder was stepping off the platform, legs shaking, a pegasus descended upon them, seemingly appearing out of the mists. He greeted Aurora Mist first, and Waterfire jumped in to interpret. It sounded like Cantor to Star, but she couldn’t recognize more than a few words. “Welcome back, Aurora Mist,” the new pegasus said.

He was purple of a middle shade, similar to Razzaroo rather than Kimono’s lilac or Star Dasher’s dark, shiny purple. His long, silky hair had two shades of pink and tinsel streaks. He had piercing green eyes and a rose cutie mark that seemed to sparkle and glitter even in this dull lighting. His wingtips faded to pink, and they also seemed to sparkle. He was dressed in a prim suit with a red rose pinned to the lapel. “Thank you,” Aurora Mist said. “These are friends I met in Aquaria, although they’re from all over.”

Waterfire jumped into the conversation. He introduced each of them. Star was able to follow that part, as she knew the Cantor translations of their names. But Waterfire spoke so quickly! Soon the topic of the conversation was lost to her again. But Waterfire started to interpret again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” the purple pegasus said. “Welcome to Santa Amorosa. I am Prince Royal Rose.”

Razzaroo said, “Thank you,” in Cantor.

“You are welcome to stay as long as you like,” Royal Rose said. “I’ll show you to the visitors’ rooms in the Castle of Kindness.”

“Wow, such hospitality!” Wonder said in Ponish. She turned to Star and added in a whisper, “A welcome change of pace from our last reception.”

Royal Rose walked and beckoned the others to follow. Aurora turned to Star’s group and spoke in Cantor. Waterfire interpreted, “I’m off to see my family. I’ll see you around.”

“Thank you for guiding us,” Razz said. Aurora kissed the cheeks of each of them and flew off. Then Star trotted after Royal Rose. He led them across this mushroom cap. Star saw food and other items for sale. It appeared that they ate lots of ferns and mushrooms here, amongst other things. Vendors called out to them in friendly, polite tones. It wasn’t as loud as the market in Joyville.

They reached a rope bridge at the other side of the mushroom. A pony was crossing the other way, and it was narrow enough that they had to wait. The pony quickly bowed to Royal Rose and headed to the market. Royal Rose walked onto the precarious-looking bridge without hesitation. When the others paused, he turned and said, “Not worry, it’s strong. It can hold four ponies at once.” He jumped on it to emphasize the point, but it bowed and creaked when he did.

“Easy for you to say; you have wings!” Wonder protested. Silly Lilly zipped after Royal Rose.

Star followed them uncertainly. She didn’t want to look down, but she had to so she could place her hooves on the narrow wooden boards. She could barely make out the sea of ferns beneath her through the fog. The sight made her feel clammy. One hoof in front of the other. She felt the bridge sag as a pony followed behind her. At last she made it to the mushroom cap on the other side.

She looked back and saw that Waterfire had gone second. Kimono was following him. Razz didn’t start until Kimono was all the way across. Her face looked a little pale, or was that the lighting? Wondermint was frozen on the other side. “Is nopony afraid of heights here except me?” she called out.

After Waterfire’s interpretation, Royal Rose responded, “There’s nothing to be afraid of! These bridges are safe. They’re checked and maintained regularly.”

“Umm…” Wonder was speechless for a while. “Star Dasher, can you come back here?”

“Me?” Star said, surprised. She wasn’t very comfortable with this bridge, but she still found herself squeaking, “Sure.” She started across the bridge again. One hoof in front of the other. The ground was so distant and ominous. But she made it across without mishap.

“You remember when I slipped on the waterfall?” Wonder said, her voice shaking. “I feel like that again.”

Wonder wanted comfort. “You can do it, Wonder,” Star said. “Unlike that time, this is perfectly safe. I’ll be right here.”

Wonder laughed nervously. “Thanks.”

Star stepped onto the bridge again. She looked back at Wonder, smiling, and waited for her to follow. Shaking, Wonder followed her. After just a few steps, they were walking in sync, as each step would cause the bridge to sway. They crossed slowly but steadily. Rose looked at them with concern and said, “Are you alright, Wondermint?”

Wonder just nodded. As they walked across the next mushroom cap, Royal Rose spoke to them again. “Is it rude to ask where you are all from?” Waterfire interpreted.

“No, of course not!” Razz said. “Kimono and I are from Ponyville. Silly Lilly is from Breezie Blossom. Wondermint and Star Dasher are from Joyville. And Waterfire is from, uh…”

“Aquaria and Astral City,” Waterfire added in Cantor. Star had learned those words.

Royal Rose spoke again. “I’ve only heared of those last two cities,” Waterfire interpreted. “You’ll have to tell me where the others are.”

“They’re far to the North, beyond the Capital,” Kimono said. “I don’t know if you have maps that go that far, but we can try to show you.”

They crossed a few more mushroom caps on the way to the Castle of Kindness. They seemed to be roughly equivalent to city blocks. Star hadn’t seen any houses yet, but occasionally a pegasus would come down from somewhere above. Maybe there were houses in the canopy, but she couldn’t really see up there, it was so high. The mushrooms weren’t all at the same height, so some rope bridges sloped up or down. Wonder and Star crossed all the bridges the same way, together and with words of encouragement. Each one was a little easier than the last as they got used to it.

Wondermint, of course, took interest in everything they passed. She would often ask what a place was. Either Waterfire would read their signs or he would ask Royal Rose. They passed restaurants, shops of all kinds, a hair salon, a fuller. Most were open-aired, although some had curtained-off sections. When they passed an enclosed wooden structure, Wonder was curious again. “What’s that?”

“Wishes Spa,” Waterfire. It had a painted sign with smaller text underneath. “A relaxing spa experience and magical fortune telling.”

“Fortune telling?” Star said. “That sounds fun!” She had been into astrology when she was younger. She knew it probably didn’t have any real predictive power, but it was still fun.

Royal Rose spoke, his tone sounding hesitant. Waterfire interpreted, “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t recommend it, unfortunately. They used to be popular, but I’ve heared that customers lately haven’t been pleased.”

“We should go to the castle to drop off our stuff, anyway,” Wonder said. She winked at Star. What did that mean? Probably that Wonder wanted to visit it regardless.

They arrived at a bridge that was a broader, more solid wooden structure. It led from a busy mushroom cap to an enormous tree with an opening to the hollowed-out interior. The tree was a different kind from the others, even wider and more branching. It was a broadleaf tree with magenta leaves, unlike the others, which were green conifers. “Welcome to the Castle of Kindness,” Waterfire interpreted for Royal Rose.

They walked across the bridge and entered the door. While Star’s eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed that the air was warm and dry. There was a fireplace in a corner. The tree had been hollowed out and the dark wood had been polished. Star was surprised by how much had been hollowed out, considering that there were still leaves on the branches outside. The floor had plush red carpet. This looked like some sort of reception hall, but there were stairs going up and down. There was a reception desk with a clerical-looking pegasus. Royal Rose stepped up to the pony and made a soft-toned request in Cantor. The clerk responded and gave Royal Rose a key.

They went down two flights of stairs. The interior was dimly lit but well-cleaned, with bare wooden floors on the stairs. They stopped at a floor, and Royal Rose opened a door. It was a guest room with two small beds and a window carved into the thick wooden wall. To Silly’s delight, there was a pot of flowers by the window. Royal Rose opened three rooms for them. They decided to mix the Joyville ponies and Ponyville ponies. Star ended up in a room with Kimono. Silly took his space in a flower in Waterfire’s room. Those two seemed to be hanging out a lot. It was late, so they decided to eat dinner and explore the city the next day. Royal Rose invited them to a guest dinner in the castle.

The dining hall they met in was large, although there were only two other guests tonight. Perhaps they used it for special events? A nice glass chandelier lit the table. Two ponies served them a several-course meal that started with a fiddlehead salad. Star had never eaten fiddleheads before, and she was surprised by their nutty flavor. Next came hearty mushroom burgers with potatoes fried in truffle oil. “I love the food here,” Star said between bites. She was enjoying this meal more than anything she had eaten in Aquaria or Astral City.

Razzaroo spoke in Cantor. “Thank you so much for your—” Star didn’t know the last word.

“You’re welcome,” Royal Rose responded.

Razz switched to Ponish and said, “May I ask, what are your responsibilities as prince?” Waterfire had to chew quickly to pick up interpretation. “We don’t want to take too much of your time. Thank you, Waterfire.”

Waterfire nodded and interpreted Royal Rose’s response. “Worry not. To show kindness to others is my main duty. The ponies of Santa Amorosa not need me to micromanage their lives. I spend most of my time organizing activities in the Castle. Open dinners, gift exchanges, things like that.”

“That sounds lovely!” Wondermint said in Cantor, leaving Waterfire to interpret. “This place seems so pleasant.”

“Thank you,” Royal Rose said. “I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

* * *

The next morning, Wondermint woke them all up and insisted on visiting the Wishes Spa. There was no point in protesting; she would not be stopped. Star Dasher and Silly Lilly were also enthusiastic about the idea, but Kimono seemed skeptical. Razz wondered if they would get there too early. Waterfire said that he had seen no posted hours on the building.

Regardless, Wonder had them all marching out soon after dawn. The city was still blanketed in a thick fog. Star wondered if she would ever get a clear view of it. After a few bridges, Wonder hesitated in the middle of a mushroom cap. “I… can’t remember, is it the bridge to the left or right?” she said.

Star tried to think back. They had taken quite a few turns yesterday… “It’s left!” Silly blurted out.

Kimono looked at him, surprised. “Are you sure?” she said. “You don’t have the hive mind to help you, remember.”

“I know, but it’s left,” Silly said, sounding supremely confident.

The other ponies all glanced at each other. “I… think he’s right,” Razz said. “I mean—correct. Kimono?”

“Navigating cities really isn’t my strong suit,” Kimono said.

“How do you not remember?” Silly asked. “It was only yesterday, and we only crossed nine bridges.”

Kimono looked at him, thoughtful. “Either you are overconfident, or you are gifted with a sharp memory for navigation.”

Silly shrugged his tiny shoulders. “Maybe it’s a breezie thing? We fly around a lot, and we have to find our way back to flowers.”

“Regardless, we’ll take a chance and follow your lead,” Kimono said.

Soon enough they found that Silly was spot-on, leading them right to the covered building that Waterfire had identified as the Wishes Spa. Star wondered if perhaps Silly’s mind was getting more used to functioning without the breezie hive mind. He was still scatterbrained, but that was an impressive feat of memory. Silly flew up to the door and tapped on it with a minute hoof. “They might need a louder knock,” Wondermint said, knocking more firmly.

Star heard a voice call from inside the building. “Ayy, I cannot tell what they say,” Waterfire said.

They waited maybe a minute before a white earth pony opened the door. She had silky hair in three shades of pink and a lacy, pink, see-through dress. She spoke to them in a pleasant voice with a tone that suggested she was happy to see them. Waterfire interpreted, “Welcome to the Wishes Spa! My name is…” Waterfire hesitated here, “Wish-I-Might! It’s a pleasure to meet you! Might I ask your names?”

The travelers all introduced themselves in what Cantor they had learned. Wish-I-Might gasped when she saw Silly Lilly. “I’ve never seen a pony like you before! I hope it’s not offensive to say, you’re adorable!” Wish-I-Might said this with much more emphasis than Waterfire’s interpretation.

Silly Lilly giggled. “No, not offensive at all. Thank you!” Waterfire interpreted this, and Wish-I-Might looked between him and Silly, seeming to realize that the others didn’t speak Cantor.

However, she seemed unphased by their foreign tongue. “Please, come in!” she said. Star managed to catch that one before Waterfire interpreted. “And have a chocolate.” She gestured to a side table with a bowl of chocolates wrapped in unmarked paper. They looked homemade. Although, everything had a kind of homey look in this city.

The interior of the spa was warm and dry, dimly lit by a chandelier of candles and windows with translucent golden curtains. The candlelight danced in the beads and crystals of the chandelier, and the room had a musky aroma to it. Potted ferns hung on the walls... “Ooh, this is nice,” Wondermint said.

“I hope you’ll stay for our full treatment!” Wish-I-Might continued. “Although you may have to wait for a bit… My sister flied off this morning, and she not said when she’d be back… But I can give you any spa treatment while we wait for her. My job is to help you relax until your mind is clear enough for my sister to tell your fortune, so we not need her right away. You have any specific requests, or should I just prepare everything for our deluxe treatment?”

“Are we expected to pay?” Razz said quietly. “Aurora didn’t mention how it works here.”

“Could you ask, Waterfire?” Kimono said. “With as much tact as you can.”

Waterfire spoke in Cantor. After a few lines of exchange, Waterfire said, “They’ll do it as a courtesy for visitors to the city.”

“I like this place!” Wondermint said. “How long would we have to wait?”

After Waterfire’s interpretation, Wish-I-Might hesitated before responding. “Not more than two hours. Lots of ponies spend that long in the spa portion anyway.”

“Sounds fine to me!” Wondermint said. “Let’s do the deluxe treatment.”

“Very good!” Wish-I-Might said, not waiting for confirmation from the others. “I’ll get everything ready for you. You’re our first customers today. This will only take a few minutes. Let’s see, the deluxe treatment for six.” She passed through a doorway with a sliding paper door.

This first room had a series of small, low couches for the ponies to lie down on. Star grabbed a chocolate and spread herself on one couch, already feeling relaxed in the atmospheric surroundings. The chocolate was more bitter than she was used to, but there was another flavor that she didn’t recognize which made it more pleasant. “You weren’t eager to come here, Kimono,” Wondermint said. “Why is that?”

“You should know, they probably can’t really tell your fortune,” Kimono said. “I don’t know everything about magic, but nothing I have learned suggests that it’s possible to see the long-term future.”

“Well… yeah, maybe,” Wondermint said. “Or maybe not. That’s the fun of it. It’s about the experience.”

“We might as well give it a try, whether it comes true or not,” Star said. “It’ll be a fun memory. Plus, they could have some magical technique that we don’t know about.”

“Well, I guess if you enjoy yourselves,” Kimono said. “Just don’t put too much stock into what they say.”

Shortly after, Wish-I-Might returned. “We’re ready! Please, enter.” They came into a large, similarly decorated room with a light haze in the air and a stronger fragrance. Star spotted an incense candle on a side table. A phonograph played harp music from the same table.

“Please, help yourselves to our steam room and… ayy, some kind of bath.” Star wasn’t sure if Waterfire didn’t know how to explain the bath in Ponish or if Wish-I-Might had used a word he didn’t know in Cantor. They could speak a different dialect here. “And if you get too hot, we have an ice bath here. I’ll have to treat you to… hoof care and massages one at a time, there being only one of me. Who wants to go first?”

“Me!” Wonder said.

“Follow me,” Wish-I-Might said. “Oh, and Silly Lilly, I found a bowl that should be just your size for the bath.” She gestured to a wooden bowl on a table next to the bath.

“Oh, neat!” Silly Lilly said. He flew into the bowl and landed floating on the water, his wings still dry.

“Perfect, so cute!” Wish-I-Might said with a lot more emphasis than Waterfire’s interpretation. She gestured for Wonder to follow her.

Waterfire looked between them for a moment, but then he jumped into the bathtub, somehow slipping into the water without a splash. He sighed and relaxed instantly, seeming at home in the water. “Can you manage without me for a moment?” he said.

“You’ve been working very hard to help us all communicate,” Kimono said. “You deserve this chance to relax. I’m sure we can manage. Wonder, call for me if you need anything.” Wonder and Wish-I-Might headed to a cushioned chair on the other side of the room. Kimono went for the steam room, and Razz joined Waterfire in the tub. It was big enough for several more, but Star decided to join Kimono in the steam room after leaving her leg warmers in a cubby.

The steamy air contrasted sharply to the dry room they had left. To Star’s surprise, the steam was scented. It came from a boiling pot in the center of the room with green water. It smelled vaguely earthy, but Star didn’t recognize the exact scent. Star lay on a bench, breathing in the hot, humid air. At first Star tried to make conversation with Kimono, but that didn’t go anywhere. She lay back and tried to relax. Her mind wandered and she felt bored at first, but the steam was enjoyable.

Soon they were feeling too hot, and they left the steam room. The air in the main room felt dry and even cold by comparison, although it had seemed warm coming in. Still, Star needed to cool off more. “Do you want to use the ice bath first?” Star said.

“I was just going to cool off standing,” Kimono said. “An ice bath seems uncomfortable.”

“Oh, well, suit yourself.” Star walked past the large tub. Wonder was now in there, too. Silly Lilly was over with Wish-I-Might, who was precisely filing his miniature hooves. Star dipped a hoof in the ice bath. It was shockingly cold. She gradually lowered herself into the water, gasping. Once she was all the way in, it felt nice. Her body heat kept her warm for quite a while. It reminded her of the cold night at the Rainbow Spring, where Wondermint had kissed—well, she tried not to think about that too much.

She noticed that Wish-I-Might kept making comments in Cantor as she was working on Silly’s hooves. Waterfire chucked and called across the room, “She adores you, Silly! She thinks you’re the most cute thing ever.”

“Wow, I’m flattered!” Silly said.

A pony came in from the entry room. She was a pink earth pony with the same three-tone pink hair as Wish-I-Might. She presented herself very differently, however, with all her hair combed off to one side, black eyeliner, laced black boots, silver stud ear piercings, and a spiked choker. Wish-I-Might greeted her in Cantor. The other pony responded, and Star thought she spotted a piercing in her tongue as well.

Wish-I-Might and the newcomer traded a few sentences in Cantor. Star only had body language and tone to go off of, but the newcomer spoke flatly, almost monotone. Wish-I-Might, strangely, put on a friendly face, but Star thought her tone was passive-aggressive. The newcomer stomped off through a door in the back of the room. “Waterfire, what was that about?” Star said.

“Her name is Wish-I-May,” Waterfire said. “She’s the sister Wish-I-Might referenced earlier. She does the fortune telling part. They… fighted a little, as sisters do.”

“Wait… you interpreted Wish-I-Might saying that she flew off this morning,” Razzaroo said. “Are you sure you got that right? She’s an earth pony.”

“Oh, is ‘flew’ the past tense of ‘fly?’” Waterfire said. “Yes, that’s what Wish-I-Might said.”

“That’s so odd,” Razz said.

Wish-I-Might came over to talk to them. Waterfire reluctantly picked up interpretation. “That was my sister. She’ll be telling your fortunes shortly. Please, relax. You have to be totally relaxed for the fortune telling to work.”

They all got back to their spa activities. Soon Star had had enough of the ice bath. By then, Razz and Wondermint were getting out of the tub to visit the steam room. Only then did Star notice Wondermint’s polished hooves, painted green like the heart on her ankle. They looked so pretty, Star gave out an involuntary squeak. Wonder looked at her and sighed. “Make sure to let her polish your jewel. It felt heavenly. An out-of-body experience, really.”

Indeed, the pink gem in Wonder’s cutie mark seemed extra shiny. “I will,” Star said nervously. “Umm… your hooves look wonderful.”

“Ha! I see what you did there. Thanks.” Wonder followed Razz into the steam room.

Star approached the large tub. She noticed that the water was green, the same shade as the pot in the steam room but more translucent. She got in the tub, finding the water to be pleasantly warm. Waterfire was on the other side, eyes closed and breathing deeply. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” Star said.

“I like being in water,” Waterfire said.

“Yeah, you were dripping wet when we first met,” Star said.

“Huwah, that feels so long ago.”

“Razzaroo, Kimono, and Silly left their homes in September.” It was June now. “They must feel like they’ve been traveling forever.” This brought November Nights, Star’s best friend in Joyville, to her mind. She missed November. But she didn’t want to get sad, so she pushed the thought away. They would see each other again, in time. She distracted herself with another thought. “I hope Silly isn’t forgetting things about home. It’s hard to tell how much he really remembers.”

“He sure surprised us today, leading us all here,” Waterfire said.

“Yeah.” Star swirled a hoof in the green water. “Say, do you know what’s in this water?”

“I asked Wish-I-Might while you were in the steam room. She called it forest water. It’s rainwater that slides down a tree trunk. It collects the essence of—ayy, what you call them, the plants that grow on the trees?”

“I’ve seen ferns and mosses here, mostly,” Star said.

“It’s flavored with their essence. Or at least, that’s the base. They add some other herbs to it. I not recognized most of their names.”

“Whatever it is, it’s lovely.”

Wish-I-Might came to check on them. Silly Lilly followed her with freshly painted white hooves, matching his antenna. He flew off towards the steam room. Star watched as Wish-I-Might looked over Waterfire with a gaze that somehow seemed deeply penetrating. Waterfire was oblivious to this. “Waterfire,” Wish-I-Might said in Cantor. Star didn’t follow what came next. Waterfire got out of the bath and toweled off.

“She says I am relaxed enough for the fortune telling,” he said for Star.

“Have fun,” Star said. Wish-I-Might led Waterfire to the same door where Wish-I-May had gone, and he entered. Kimono got into the tub.

“Finally cooled off?” Star said. “You should have tried the ice bath. It was great!” This tub was just warm, not hot enough that the ice bath would be necessary again.

Wish-I-Might came to the tub and in slow, simple Cantor said, “Who is next?” She gestured to the chair where she was doing her hooficures and massages.

“Me,” Star said, climbing out of the tub. She dried off and followed Wish-I-Might to the cushioned chair.

Wish-I-Might washed Star’s hooves in a shallow basin before anything else. She gestured for Star to lie down on her side in the chair, which had a slot for her to place each hoof. Wish-I-Might pointed to hoof polishes of different colors and said something that Star didn’t understand. “Um, yellow, please,” Star said in Cantor.

“Great!” Wish-I-Might said. She got to work clipping and filing Star’s hooves. It was nice having somepony else do this—it was always awkward and difficult clipping your own hooves. And Star’s hooves were quite beat up from all the travel they had done. Star didn’t feel much of what Wish-I-Might was doing, of course, but the rhythmic rubbing of the file was nice. Wish-I-Might moved on to the polish. Star had never painted her hooves before. All the running she did would probably ruin it quickly. But it was pretty! The yellow complemented her dark purple coat, and it matched with her leg warmers.

While Star’s hooves dried off, Wish-I-Might gave her a massage. This was not a new experience for Star. She had occasionally indulged in a massage after a strenuous sports event. Wish-I-Might certainly knew what she was doing, massaging each muscle with firmness but not too roughly.

Wish-I-Might paused Star’s treatment when Waterfire came out of the other room. She looked at Kimono in the tub, then she went to the steam room. She came back with Silly Lilly, and Waterfire agreed to interpret for his fortune.

Wish-I-Might returned to Star Dasher. She said something in Cantor and pointed at Star’s cutie mark. Star heard the word for “jewel pony,” which she had learned to introduce herself. It seemed like Wish-I-Might was asking for permission to do something. “Yes, please,” Star said.

From the cabinet with the hoof polishes, Wish-I-Might revealed an electric rotary tool. Star was a little surprised to see such a technical piece of equipment. Most of what she had seen in Santa Amorosa was simple technology so far. Wish-I-Might activated the tool, which had a cylindrical bit for polishing. She got to work on the white jewel in Star’s cutie mark.

Star didn’t feel the work of the rotary tool directly, of course. It was a soothing experience, though. Although she wouldn’t describe it as out-of-body, as Wonder had. Really, it didn’t feel that different from filing her hooves. Jewel ponies’ souls were supposedly contained in their jewels. Star had wondered if that was really true since she had met ponies without jewels. Well, she wasn’t going to let that bother her today. She let herself relax and enjoy the experience.

Wish-I-Might had just finished up when Silly came out of the other room. “That was so cool!” he said. “You have to try it!”

Wish-I-Might gazed at Star. Seriously, it was like that pony was looking right into her soul. “You look ready,” she said. Star didn’t understand the next sentence, but it sounded like a question.

Star nodded and stood up. She walked into the room, which had a thick, wooden door. The interior was dark enough that Star didn’t see much until her eyes adjusted. The incense was stronger here, but it was a different, headier scent. The only light came from a crystal ball on a tripod. The ball glowed a soft white. Wish-I-May and Waterfire were lying on cushions on the floor, and Star found a spot for herself and lay down.

“Welcome,” Wish-I-May said in a soft, calm tone. Waterfire picked up interpretation. “I sense that you have relaxed greatly in the spa. You have losed many layers of tension. Your body is at peace. Now, you must clear your mind, so that I may see into your future without clouds. Let all thoughts float away.”

This sounded similar to the meditation that Kimon had tried to teach her once. She had struggled with that, but Wish-I-May was right; the spa had put her in a state where she was calm. Maybe she could just sit here and think about nothing. “You… have an active mind,” Wish-I-May said. She spoke in a low drone, now, like she was only half-present. Waterfire’s more perked voice was a little distracting. “I sense that if we continue for too long, you will lose focus. But for all the motion in your thoughts, there is peace. It’s best to begin now.”

Did Wish-I-May know that Star struggled to stay still for long? How had she guessed that? “Calm yourself…” Wish-I-May sighed. She chuckled. “You thinked our magic wasn’t real? Not get excited. Let go. Accept that I can see your thoughts, and I will see your future, too.” Star found it simple to let go of her amazement. Wish-I-May’s soothing voice, the aromatic air, the dark room, it all somehow made her words believable. “Good. Now, not speak, but think of what you want most. Your most deep desire. Take your time.”

That was a big question. Star wanted to see the remaining castles. She wanted to forge lasting friendships with the ponies she had met and would yet meet. She wanted to become an ever-faster runner. She wanted to try new things.

Yes. That was it. Well, maybe… It was so general. Could she be more specific? She had tried painting her hooves, for example. It didn’t seem like the fulfillment of her deepest desire, at least not by itself. It was fun, and it turned out pretty, but not as pretty as Wondermint’s had—

Wondermint. Thoughts of Wondermint flooded Star’s mind. Star wanted everything about Wonder. She wanted to listen to her enchanting music. She wanted to laugh at her ridiculous antics. She wanted to look at Wonder’s beautiful hair and hooves and eyes without having to blush and look away because they were in an awkward place where Wonder knew Star liked her but she didn’t reciprocate in the same way or maybe she did a little bit? She wanted Wonder to gaze at her affectionately and say, “I love you.” She wanted to kiss Wonder, and for both of them to feel comfortable with it. She wanted Wonder to be hers, and she wanted to be Wonder’s, with no other pony to come between them.

Yes, that had to be her deepest desire.

Wish-I-May spoke again, very hushed and low. “What you want is beyond your control,” Waterfire interpreted. “Nothing you can do will change her choices. However, if you continue to—” Waterfire abruptly paused in the interpretation, while Wish-I-May finished the sentence. Waterfire seemed surprised, but he finished interpreting, “—The Castle of Laughter, there you two will take the next step on your journey.”

Star was filled with a hot wave of embarrassment. How had she forgotten that Wish-I-May could see her thoughts? Now she knew how deep her crush for Wondermint ran, and Waterfire probably had a good guess at it, too. Wish-I-May exhaled deeply. When she spoke again, she used a more conversational, less entranced inflection. “You did well,” Waterfire interpreted. “It is not easy for a mind like yours to focus. Your heart has many desires, but I think this fortune will serve you well.”

“Thank you,” Star squeaked in Cantor. “And thank you, Waterfire.” Her face felt flushed. She stood up and tried to calm herself down before leaving the room. Luckily, Wonder wasn’t in the main room, which would have made her even more embarrassed.

Wish-I-Might was massaging Razzaroo. She asked Razzaroo to go to Wish-I-May’s room next. Star went and looked at herself in the mirror. The hooves turned out nicely, and her gem sparkled in the candlelight. Her pink and white hair was a mess after toweling off, but she could deal with that later. Star felt ready to go, but of course they couldn’t until everypony had their fortune told. In any case, she didn’t want to get wet again after drying off considerably between the hooficure, the massage, and the fortune telling, so she just lay down on a cushion next to the phonograph and closed her eyes.

She had dozed off when she heard somepony call her name. “Yeah…” she said, blinking her eyes.

“We’re ready to go.” It was Kimono. Everypony’s hooves were polished in various colors, except Waterfire’s.

“Did you not get a chance to have a hooficure and massage, Waterfire?” Star said. “We can stay longer, if you want.”

“I didn’t want a… hooficure or massage,” Waterfire said. “Being in the water was enough for me.”

“Okay,” Star said, standing up slowly. “Let’s go.”

“Please, come again if you’re staying in town,” Waterfire interpreted for Wish-I-Might. “We recommend booking an appointment for future visits to avoid waiting if others show up. Would you like to book one now?”

“No, thank you,” Kimono said in Cantor. “Have a good day.”

Star squinted as they left the building. The sun had actually thinned the fog quite a bit. The air was cooler out here, but the light was harsh after all that time in dim light. “Oh, I forgot my leg warmers,” Star said. She bolted back into the building.

She heard the Wish sisters speaking in raised voices when she came in. She didn’t understand much Cantor, but she still recognized it as an argument. However, they hushed as Star came in. Wish-I-Might came out to the entry room to greet her. “Um…” Star struggled to find the words in Cantor. “I need my…” She pointed to her legs.

Wish-I-Might seemed to understand. She said something in Cantor, went back to the other room, and came out with Star’s leg warmers. “Thank you!” Star said. She hurriedly put them on and ran back out to join her group.

“Ssoooo…” Wondermint was saying to Kimono. “Was it all hocus pocus like you thought?”

“Actually, I was surprised,” Kimono said. “There is some real magic in what they do, or at least in Wish-I-May’s part. They try to make the customer so relaxed and calm that they enter a semi-meditative state. Then they actually make the customer do a bit of magic, reaching out enough for Wish-I-May to see into their mind with her magic. I still don’t think she really sees the future. She sees your thoughts, and that’s enough for her to say something that seems impressive. It’s not that different from telling your story and asking for advice. The rest is all showponyship.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Waterfire said.

“Oh, really…” Silly said, sounding disappointed.

“Don’t get too droopy, Silly,” Wonder said. “Can Kimono really know for certain that there was no future-seeing involved? I think there’s a possibility.”

“Wait, they helped us do magic?” Star said excitedly. “That’s so cool!”

“Yes,” Kimono said. “I wonder if they would have been better off teaching magic rather than adding smoke and mirrors to it. Teaching magic is hard, in my experience, and they seemed to be quite good at it.”

“How long were we in there?” Razz said. “It feels like lunch time.” Star didn’t think she had seen any clocks since coming here.

“Perhaps we should get lunch and see more of the town while the sun is peeking through,” Kimono said. “At some point, though, I’d like to visit the library.”

They trotted around the city for a while in the daylight. The canopy still blocked the sun, but it was the brightest and clearest view they had seen of the city and forest so far. The canopy was dizzyingly high, but in this lighting Star could make out some structures way up there. She didn’t see any lifts leading up, though, so maybe that was where some of the pegasi lived.

Wondermint was still jittery around the rope bridges. They found one larger mechanical lift that led to a small cluster of buildings on the ground. Next to it was a busy food kiosk. A pegasus stallion and an earth mare were cooking vegetables on a big grill. “That smells good,” Star said, her mouth watering. The others nodded and got in line. Star got half an onion, an ear of corn, a root vegetable she didn’t recognize, and a bundle of grass with plump seeds in the heads. The vegetables had black lines from the grill and a glaze of tangy sauce.

Star took a bite of hot, juicy, smoky vegetables and exclaimed, “I love the food here!” They went to a series of tables with umbrellas nearby.

They all crowded around one table. “So, what was everypony’s fortune?” Silly said. He had flown off and found a single fiddlehead for himself. “I’ll go first. I wanted to know how I would find myself. Like… what makes me special, and what I’m good at. She told me I would find answers at the Castle of Laughter! Exciting!”

The other ponies all exchanged glances. Star avoided looking at Wondermint, but she still might have blushed a bit. There was no way she was sharing her fortune. “Of course, no one has to share if they don’t want to,” Kimono said, voicing all their concerns.

“I can go,” Waterfire said. “I wanted to know what I need to do to control my powers. She said that the ponies I’m with would help me.”

“That’s cool!” Razz said. There was a space of silence. Star had expected Wonder to be bold enough to share her fortune, but she stayed quiet. Surprised, Star glanced at her. She was looking down at her food, uncharacteristically subdued.

“Well, I suppose the others will remain private,” Kimono said.

“Hmm, that wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be,” Silly said.

* * *

The next day, Star Dasher slept in. She awoke with memories of Kimono tossing, turning, and mumbling through the night. Star looked at the other bed in their room. Kimono was sitting up and stretching. “Good morning,” Star said, still lying down. “Hey, did you sleep okay?”

“Not really,” Kimono said tersely.

“Was it me? Did I snore or something?”

“No, it wasn’t you.” Kimono didn’t seem inclined to elaborate any further.

Star got up, brushed her hair, and went to the castle pantry, which Royal Rose had shown them last night. There she finally found a clock—their bedroom didn’t have one— and she saw with surprise that it was almost time for a meeting that they had scheduled with Prince Royal Rose. Star quickly raided the stash of oats in the pantry and ran back to meet with her friends.

She let them all know the time, and they scrambled to make it to the Prince’s meeting room. “I wonder if the general lack of clocks in Santa Amorosa means they don’t take punctuality too seriously here,” Wondermint said. Razzaroo, however, wouldn’t have it, so they all rushed to make it on time.

They knocked, and Prince Royal Rose let them in. Kimono had asked for this meeting, as a chance to interview the Prince and ask him about the history of Santa Amorosa and the Castle of Kindness. Kimono was especially curious if he knew anything about why the Empire had fallen apart.

With Waterfire interpreting, Royal Rose told them that Santa Amorosa had been founded by a charitable pegasus of ancient legend. It had been an all-pegasus city until the Empire expanded southwards and earth ponies started moving in. By now, however, the earth ponies had been here for many generations and were as accustomed to their forest city as the pegasi were. “So everypony is used to the sketchy rope bridges,” Wonder said.

“I wouldn’t describe them as sketchy, but yes,” Royal Rose said. He also told them that the city had a long history of hospitality and charity, so it was only natural that the empress had given the local royalty’s castle the name of Kindness. The city had always had a royalty, but Royal Rose described the position as being mostly concerned with charity and hospitality rather than administration.

This dry conversation was, of course, difficult for Star Dasher. She distracted herself by observing the room in detail. It had a desk with a chair for Royal Rose and enough standing room for a large group of ponies to meet with him. Like the rest of the castle, it had polished wood walls and plush red carpet. The furniture was made of the same wood, with bronze finish on certain parts such as knobs to the desks drawers. Gray light came in through a window, and a candle burned on the desk. Overall, it wasn’t much different from the rest of the castle. It did have portraits of regal-looking ponies lining the walls, ending with the purple face of Royal Rose framed in shiny pink hair.

“As for the Empire, I’ve done some research into this,” Royal Rose said. Star heard this and tuned back into the conversation. “I flied to the Capital myself once, but the guards turned me away. They say it’s a ‘closed city.’ I not know if the ponies that live there are practically prisoners, or if they just won’t let strangers in. The royalty of Santa Amorosa have tried to maintain contact with the other cities of the old Empire, but the story in the Capital is always the same. The most detailed account was written by my grandmother. The guards gived her more of a conversation than they gived me. I have a copy of it somewhere in here…”

Royal Rose started shuffling through the drawers of his desk. He pulled out an old scroll and opened it. “Let’s see, where’s the part I’m looking for?” Royal Rose mumbled. “Perfect, this is what the guards told her.” He started reading, but Waterfire quickly fell behind on interpretation. He said something in Cantor, and Royal Rose started over, more slowly.

“‘They said that the Empress had… commanded that the Capital was to be a city of music. The ponies there had to… improve their musical skills and perfect the art.’” Waterfire’s hesitation made it sound like the scroll was using a lot of big or archaic words. “‘They would not… allow to enter anypony who had no musical talent. If only I had continued with my mother’s piano lessons. They telled me to return to my home and practice and perfect the art of kindness there. I said that we had been doing that for generations, and I was here to share kindness with them. Some of the guards hesitated at this, but their captain barked, ‘You are not allowed to enter!’ With that, they would say no more to me.’”

Star was quiet, taking this in. The Empress had forbidden entry to ponies without musical skill? What a strange story. “Do you know if this is the same reason they turned you away?” Kimono said. “And do you know how long these orders have been in place?”

“This is the only time the guards have given any detailed explanation,” Royal Rose said. “The records aren’t as detailed this far back, but it looks like this started during Princess Morning Monarch’s rule, about one hundred years after the construction of the castles.”

“How unfortunate…” Kimono said. “You mentioned you try to keep contact with other cities. Have you had any success?”

“We’ve keeped contact with the Castle of Family for generations,” Royal Rose said. “But they are split into Clans there, so there’s not really a leader for me to meet with. We used to have contact with Laughton, where the Castle of Laughter was builded. But the last messenger who entered the city never returned. I sended another one to fly over it, and she finded a magical fog hanging over the city. We first seed the fog last year, and it was still there last time we checked a few months ago. We know nothing more.”

The travelers all exchanged concerned glances. “We had planned to go there next,” Kimono said. “And then the Capital after that. Your reports of both are concerning. We’ll have to discuss our plans further. But in any case, we’ll have to travel in that direction to go home.”

“We never finded Ponyville or anywhere north of that,” Royal Rose said. “We looked, but our maps were vague, and the distances were great. Please, I’d love for you to tell me more about your homelands.”

Kimono, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly gave descriptions of Ponyville and Breezie Blossom. Razz was particularly helpful in describing the locations, although they hadn’t traveled to the Capital yet, and they had used the unicorns’ Crystal Carriage to get this far south, so there was still unexplored land between them. Those three passed it on to Wondermint and Star Dasher to describe Joyville. Then they all described what they knew of Unicornia, having stayed there for only a couple of weeks.

With that, they drew their meeting to a close. Royal Rose thanked them, and they left the room. To Star’s surprise, Wish-I-Might was waiting outside. “Hello, friends!” she said brightly. Waterfire said something to her in Cantor. She responded with two or three sentences, then she entered Royal Rose’s meeting room.

“I asked her what business she has here, but she not had time to explain,” Waterfire said. “She not wanted to keep the Prince waiting. But she said it was nice to see us all again.”

“Wow, that’s neat,” Silly said. “I kind of want to stick around and see what she’s up to. She’s like, one of our first friends in this city.”

“More accurately, we visited her business one time,” Kimono said.

“Well, I’ll stay with Silly to interpret,” Waterfire said.

“I’m off to the library,” Kimono said.

“I’ll come, too,” Razz said.

Wonder and Star exchanged a glance. Their Cantor wasn’t good enough to be reading books without Waterfire’s help. “Accordion time,” Wonder said.

“I guess I’ll go for a run,” Star said. They had been indoors for a while this morning, and she had been on far too few runs since starting this journey. She was definitely losing some conditioning. As they were in a castle, she politely walked to the front door before taking off at a flying pace.

* * *

Waterfire and Silly Lilly didn’t have to wait long before Wish-I-Might was out of her meeting. “Oh, hello again,” she said.

“Hi, Wish-I-Might!” Silly said. “How’s your day?” Waterfire took his customary place interpreting between them. It was a lot of work, but it was also easier in some ways than speaking his own words. He was getting used to it, and his Ponish had improved immensely.

“Aw, it’s not off to a good start,” Wish-I-Might said. “Do you want to hear about it?”

“Only if you want to talk about it,” Silly said. They started walking towards the doors of the castle.

“Well, it’s… I don’t really know how to say this,” Wish-I-Might began. She scanned the hallways and continued quietly. “I’m having… problems with my twin. You met her, Wish-I-May.” Waterfire noticed the dissonance between her apparent hesitation to explain and the fact that she was telling this to near-strangers who hadn’t directly asked. “She ate five slices of our birthday cake, and I only had three.” Silly gasped when Waterfire interpreted this.

“That might not sound very serious to you,” Wish-I-Might said. “I don’t know what things are like where you’re from. But this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Santa Amorosa. It goes against the core tenets of our society. I’ve come to the Prince with this problem, but well… he doesn’t know what to do, either. We don’t really have a system in place for dealing with troublemakers.” Waterfire looked at her with some surprise and confusion as he interpreted this. Silly nodded, wide-eyed, accepting it all without question.

No way to deal with troublemakers? Eating an extra slice of cake went against the core tenets of their society? Getting royalty involved in a dispute between sisters? He wasn’t sure if this whole city was weird or if Wish-I-Might was weird. It made him want to ask the Prince about it if he was present at the castle dinner tonight. “So not only do I have this problem with my sister, but my meeting with the Prince didn’t lead to a resolution, yet. He said he’d have to think about it.”

“Well that sounds serious,” Silly said. “I hope things work out. But have you considered just talking to your sister and resolving things with her?”

“Yes, of course I tried! She said she had only taken four. But the cake had to go somewhere, and I know her well enough to know when she’s lying. And she’s done a lot of that lately; either lying or just not telling what she’s really thinking. I love her, of course, but she’s been guarded and distant. But now I’m off on a tangent.”

“Well… that sounds rough,” Silly said. “But remember to try to see things from her perspective. Maybe she has some reason why she's frustrated with you. Maybe she really did eat only four slices, and someone else took the fifth.”

“I don’t think so…” Wish-I-Might said. “I hope the Prince can come up with something.” They reached the front doors of the castle. “Well, it was nice talking to you again. I hope we see you at our spa again sometime soon!”

“Nice to see you again!” Silly said, waving. “Goodbye!”

Waterfire finished interpreting and watched quietly as she walked off. He wondered if this apparently lovely city might be showing some cracks in its mask.

* * *

Waterfire made sure to sit near Royal Rose’s seat at the castle dinner. The Prince wasn’t there at first. They had discovered that there wasn’t really a set time for dinner. It happened whenever the chef, a sweet earth pony named All My Heart, finished cooking. Today it was scrambled eggs with alfalfa sprouts as a garnish and hay patties. Eventually, Royal Rose did come in. His normally graceful manner seemed a little frazzled as he quickly sat down.

Waterfire didn’t pester the Prince immediately. Star Dasher complimented the food, as always. A little later in the meal, Waterfire turned to Royal Rose and quietly said, “Wish-I-Might told me a strange thing. She said she came to you about a slice of birthday cake which her sister had eaten. Do you often have to settle such personal disputes?” Waterfire noticed that Razz, who was sitting next to him, appeared to be listening in. He wasn’t sure how much Cantor she understood at this point.

“Oh, she told you about that?” Royal Rose said. “No, I don’t normally settle such disputes. We don’t normally have such disputes. I wish she would have kept it more private. It’s not that it doesn’t matter—it may be just a slice of cake, but the principal is important. I just don’t think it’s prudent to gossip to the whole town about it.”

“What’s this about a fight between the Wish sisters?” Razz said in Ponish. Waterfire quietly explained to Razz, hoping not to bring the whole table into the conversation. He added some of the details that Wish-I-Might had shared with him in the morning.

After Waterfire had explained, Razz said, “So this sort of thing doesn’t normally happen here. Do you at least have laws from past incidents that would set a precedent?” Waterfire interpreted this.

“No, not really,” Royal Rose said. “I’m at a loss. Even if I could, it doesn’t seem right to force Wish-I-May to make some kind of restitution. Especially since she denies having done it. How can I know the truth?”

“Have you considered holding a trial?” Razz said after another round of interpretation.

“A trial?” Royal Rose said, looking at Waterfire. “I know that word, but I don’t know what you mean in this context.”

“Like where a court sits down and looks at all the claims and evidence from both sides,” Waterfire said. Royal Rose still looked confused. “You don’t know this?” He turned to Razz and said, “I don’t think they do trials here.”

“Well, you’d assign somepony to represent each side,” Razz said. “The defendant, Wish-I-May, and the plaintiff, Wish-I-Might, in this case. They would each have a pony to help them gather evidence and witnesses to support their claims, that Wish-I-May did or did not eat a fifth slice of cake. They would both have to convince a jury of citizens of Santa Amorosa that Wish-I-May is guilty or not guilty. If there is still a reasonable doubt, then by default she would be not guilty. But if she is proven guilty, I imagine you would act as judge and sentence her to a punishment.”

Royal Rose thought for a moment. “We’ve never done something like that here. But I might be willing to try it. You’d have to explain the process to me more. I’ll schedule a meeting with you, Waterfire, and the Wish sisters. And… bring your whole group, since you’re the only ones who know anything about this trial process. If the Wish sisters agree to this trial, we’ll do it.”

* * *

Razzaroo and her friends were the first to arrive for Royal Rose’s meeting. Before the Prince himself, even. Razz was quite certain that being on time was just a suggestion here. They waited outside Royal Rose’s meeting room until he arrived and let them in. Wish-I-May arrived next. She didn’t say a word as she came in. Wish-I-Might arrived last. She chattered as she came in, and Waterfire interpreted. “Sorry I’m late. The smoothie stand had a line, and none of you deserved to see what I’m like without lunch!”

Razzaroo was impressed with how distinct the Wish sisters were. Waterfire had told her that they were twins. They did appear to be the same age—maybe early thirties—and they had the same hair, albeit styled differently. But they presented themselves so distinctly. May dressed in black and had gorgeous if edgy accessories. Might dressed in pink and looked like she had just come out of a shopping mall. May was quiet, Might was always chatty. May had mysterious magical abilities. If Might did, she hadn’t shown them yet. And Razz suspected she wasn’t one to hold cards close to her chest.

Royal Rose opened the meeting by introducing the idea of a trial and asking Razzaroo to explain in as much detail as she could, with Waterfire interpreting. Razzaroo had never been to a trial herself, but she had read about it. She tried to keep it simple and avoid words that were unique to the justice system.

Royal Rose looked at the Wish sisters and said, “We’ll only do this if you both agree to it. But it seems like the fairest way to settle the dispute, unless you want to come to an agreement between yourselves without my intervention.”

“I not want to be on trial for something I not did,” Waterfire interpreted for Wish-I-May. “But there’s no punishment if there’s no evidence that I’m guilty, right?” Razz nodded. “Fine.”

Wish-I-Might sighed. “You know, May, if you’d just confess, I wouldn’t even ask for anything in return. I just want to know that I can trust you to tell me the truth. We work together, and we can’t do our job without cooperation.” Razz thought it odd that she was appealing to their relationship as coworkers rather than sisters. There must be a lot of friction between these two.

“We’re doing this again, in front of the Prince and a group of near strangers?” Waterfire’s interpretation was level, but Wish-I-Might responded with audible disgust. “We’re stuck as long as you continue to insist on blaming me.”

“Alright, I agree to a trial,” Wish-I-Might said.

“So then, we need to select a jury and ponies to represent each side of the case,” Royal Rose said. “I’ll select a jury randomly, and I’ll remove any ponies who might be biased towards either of you. I’m worried about choosing a prosecutor. Most ponies here not like confrontation. I not know who could commit to making an argument of accusation. Razzaroo, Waterfire, if one of you or your friends could fulfill this role, I think that would be best.”

“The prosecutor has the hardest job, right?” Waterfire said in Ponish. “Proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They’d have to be detail-oriented. I think Razzaroo fits the bill, if she’s willing.”

Razz blushed. “Me? You think I’d be good for this?” Waterfire nodded. “Well, okay. I guess I can do it.” Waterfire interpreted this.

“You will have some disadvantage because you not know the town or any potential witnesses,” Royal Rose said. “You can coordinate with Wish-I-Might to meet anypony you might need. To be fair, I think the pony representing Wish-I-May should also be from your group.”

Waterfire interpreted this for Razzaroo, then added, “Not look at me. I’m just a colt.”

Razz looked over their group. Silly Lilly wasn’t a good choice. That left Kimono, Wondermint, or Star Dasher. Whoever they chose would have to work with the aloof Wish-I-May. “Any volunteers?” Razz said, looking at Kimono. Their wisest pony could be a good choice.

“I don’t think I should,” Kimono said. “I’m still looking through the library here, and I need to fulfill my commitment to help Waterfire with his magic.”

“Well, it’s just us fun ones left, then,” Wondermint said with a smile.

“I can do it,” Star said. “I was on a jury for vandalism once.”

“Okay,” Razz said. “Any objections to that choice?” Nobody spoke up.

“Very well,” Royal Rose said after Waterfire’s interpretation. “I’ll put together a jury, and then we’ll meet for a first session to introduce them to the case.”

Razz turned to Star and said, “I’m not sure what sort of evidence and witnesses we’ll find. I’ll talk it over with Wish-I-Might, but I think we’ll probably try to account for the eight slices by figuring out the who, when, and where of each slice. If you and I both do that, we can try to find the discrepancies and account for the eighth slice.”

“Okay, I’ll talk with Wish-I-May about it,” Star said. “Good luck.”

* * *

The next day, Star Dasher had a meeting with Wish-I-May. Waterfire accompanied her for interpretation. Wish-I-May had not wanted to meet at her house for fear of her sister overhearing. She had asked to meet at the base of the mushroom that their house was on. Star was discovering that not many ponies came down here. There were a few buildings on the ground right at the center of the city near the big mechanical lift. Soon, however, Star was off the beaten road, wading through ferns, trotting on springy mats of moss, and crossing small streams.

They had brought a map from the castle. They tried to count the mushrooms as they passed under them, but they all looked the same from underneath. They stopped at what Star guessed was the right mushroom and waited near the stalk.

They waited there for a while, keeping a watch for Wish-I-May’s approach. “You think we might be at the wrong mushroom?” Waterfire said.

Just a moment after, however, a pony came descending towards them, borne on translucent pink wings in the shape of hearts. It took Star a moment to process the fact that this was Wish-I-May. Silly Lilly was flying alongside her. They landed nearby, and Wish-I-May’s wings disappeared in a flash of sparkles. Star stared at her, slack-jawed. She had just watched an earth pony fly!

“Um…” Star tried to collect her thoughts. “Hi, Silly Lilly. What are you doing here?”

“I was flying with Wish-I-May,” he said.

“I see that,” Star said. “I thought you were at the castle, still. When did you and Wish-I-May meet up?”

“Oh, right. I was visiting Wish-I-Might, because we’re friends now. And then I started to be friends with Wish-I-May, too. And so we planned to meet and fly around the city.”

“This happened yesterday after I interpreted for Razzaroo and Wish-I-Might,” Waterfire added. “They both think he’s really cute.”

“Well, should we get started?” Star said to Wish-I-May. Waterfire started to interpret.

“Sure,” Wish-I-May said with a shrug.

“So I think the best way to show your innocence is to account for every slice of cake,” Star said. “If we can show that you ate four slices and Wish-I-Might ate four slices, there’s no room for her claim that you took a fifth. So let’s try to account for the four slices you ate. Can you recall what day, what time, and where you ate them? Did anypony else see? If I can verify them with a witness, that will help. Or if we find cake crumbs in the places you ate.”

Wish-I-May said something in Cantor, sounding annoyed. “I guess I can try,” Waterfire interpreted. “Let me think first.” She locked her legs and closed her eyes, mumbling to herself. She spoke again. “I ate the first slice just after All My Heart delivered the cake…”

* * *

Razzaroo and Star Dasher decided to meet and discuss their progress. They couldn’t find anywhere else private, so they met in Star’s bedroom. “So, what did you want to discuss?” Star said. “I’m not really sure what’s appropriate for us to share. Are there, like, rules about this?”

Razz wished she knew. She wasn’t any kind of legal expert. She had stepped up to a role that she wasn’t really qualified for. “I’m not sure. I think we should be fine to discuss what sorts of evidence we’ve found, as long as we don’t share the details of the arguments we’ll make.”

They started to discuss. Razz was particularly interested in accounting for the slices of cake. They shared when each sister claimed to have eaten a slice, where it happened, and which ones were backed up by evidence like a witness or crumbs. In fact several slices did have a witness, mostly each sister seeing the other eat, since they lived together. A couple of slices were eaten at times or places with no witnesses, but the times lined up with each ponies’ story of how many slices there were each day.

“These ponies kept meticulous track of their own slices, and each other’s,” Razz said. “It’s almost like they were each expecting the other to cheat.”

“They may have done just that,” Star said. “There’s a lot of tension between them. Maybe they’ll each get a separate cake next year.”

They had accounted for seven of the slices of cake, with no major discrepancies between their stories. Wish-I-May claimed to have eaten four, and Wish-I-Might claimed to have eaten three. They agreed on when the last slice went missing, but they each claimed that they hadn’t eaten it. “Well, this is tricky,” Razz said. “Either one of them is lying, or someone or something else took the cake.”

“We’ll have to keep looking for evidence,” Star said. “But as things are now, there’s enough doubt that I’d say Wish-I-May can’t be ruled as guilty.”

“I’ll make an argument for the other side, of course, but I think you’re right,” Razz said. “Well, I’ll keep looking.”

* * *

Waterfire sat in a circle with Kimono and Silly Lilly, trying to meditate. Silly had already grown several fiddleheads. Waterfire was finding it hard to access either of his powers on command. They usually happened when he was feeling strong emotions. But Kimono’s approach was almost the opposite. “Calm your mind and clear your thoughts,” she had said.

It had been a while since she had spoken, however. She seemed to be fidgeting a lot as she meditated, and it was distracting Waterfire. Instead he tried to focus on their surroundings. They had gone to the forest floor. His eyes were closed, but he heard trees creaking, leaves rustling, and the calls and songs of frogs, insects, and birds. He smelled the earthy scent of decay and growth in the soil. The air was moist and cool.

“I’m sorry, Waterfire,” Kimono said. She stood up. “I don’t seem to be a very good teacher today. I can’t even feel Silly’s magic.” Waterfire opened his eyes and looked up at her. She seemed to be disheveled, which was not normal for her. “I think it would be best to pick this up another day. I will fulfill my promise to your parents. I’m sorry we’ve made so little progress so far.” She left their circle, heading back towards the nearest lift.

Waterfire watched her, not following. “I still have some time before Razzaroo goes to meet with Wish-I-Might again,” he said to Silly. “You want to keep trying for a bit?”

“Me?” Silly said, looking behind him.

“Why not?” Waterfire said. “You do magic, too. And you seem to be good at it.”

“All breezies do magic. It’s not something I was taught. I don’t know if I could explain it.”

“Okay.” Waterfire sighed and turned towards the lift.

“Well… Kimono said the Wish sisters know how to teach magic,” Silly said, sounding like he didn’t want to disappoint Waterfire. “Maybe we could ask them. Or… or… could you just remember how you felt while you were there?”

“That’s… not a bad idea,” Waterfire said, thinking back to when Wish-I-May had read his fortune. “Well… I was very relaxed. I suppose that’s just what Kimono was telling me to do, though. Ayy…”

“Maybe you just need to try again? Remember that feeling.”

“I… was in the water before. I love water. And I hadn’t been in it for so long. Maybe that would help! I know where to find a spring near here. Let’s try it.”

Waterfire trotted off, and Silly flew alongside him. They reached a spring that Waterfire remembered passing on the way to Star Dasher’s meeting place with Wish-I-May. It was round and big enough for one or two ponies. Waterfire dipped a hoof in and gasped. “It’s cold!” he said. “Well… I can probably stand it for a few minutes.”

He leapt into the water. His body seized up for a moment, and his breath came in short gasps. However, he soon regained his composure. He floated in the water, letting his limbs hang in the weightless sensation of water. His fiery hair spread out in the spring. Now that he was submerged, the cold wasn’t so bad. “Ah, that is nice,” he said.

“Okay,” Silly said from the bank. “Just let yourself relax all the way, then try to move the water.”

Waterfire steadied his breathing. He let go of the tension in his muscles. He swirled a leg in the water. A few little aquatic plants floated on the surface. It wasn’t deep, but Waterfire was impressed with the clearness of the water. It felt clean and pure, like water he could drink. He felt at home; he felt connected to the water.

Without thinking about it too much, he lifted water droplets into the air, making fog rise up from the water. “Whoa, you’re doing it!” Silly exclaimed. He had done it! On purpose, without getting mad or excited.

The fog dissipated. “Neigh, as soon as I thinked about it, it stopped,” Waterfire said. “But I did it! Ayy, how long has it been?” He felt that time had slipped away while he was in the water.

“I’m not good with time.”

“I should probably go find Razzaroo. But thank you, Silly! You’re not a bad teacher!”

“Really?” Silly gasped. “Is that something I’m good at?”

“It’s not for me to say,” Waterfire said, not wanting to get Silly too excited about a skill that he had just tried for the first time. “But thank you.”

* * *

Razzaroo sat at a desk in the castle library, feeling overwhelmed. She had spread out endless pages of notes on a desk. Profiles of witnesses, notes from interviews, sheets of false starts on her arguments. It wasn’t coming together. There wasn’t enough evidence to convict Wish-I-May. Razz was going to lose this case.

That was okay. It wasn’t her job to win, but to do her best. If there wasn’t enough evidence, there wasn’t enough evidence. What really concerned her was that her best wasn’t good enough. She had no idea what she was doing. She felt like an imposter. Who was she kidding, pretending to be a lawyer? She wasn’t qualified to do this. She never should have suggested the idea of a trial. The local ponies would have figured it out in their own way given time.

Razz needed to step away from this task before her thoughts spiraled further. She carefully placed the pages into their respective folders and into the saddlebag she had gotten from Astral City. She stood up and walked out of the library. Maybe she could take some time to study Cantor. She went to her room and grabbed a newspaper from their first morning here. She had been slowly reading through it. She brought it outside and sat on a bench in the busy “plaza” mushroom cap outside of the castle.

She pulled the Cantor to Ponish dictionary out of her bag and a notebook to write new words down. She started on a new page today. She realized with some surprise that this article was about the Wishes Spa. It took Razz a while to figure out what it was saying about the spa. It seemed to be a review, like a critic would write, but the wording was gentle and delicate, like they didn’t really want to criticize.

The writer had interviewed several customers, as well as recording their own experiences. The writer said the fortune telling took a long time, and that Wish-I-May’s instructions had been hard to understand. That hadn’t happened for Razz or her friends. That seemed to be the story for several of the customers, as well.

Razz’s eyes jumped to the Cantor word for “cake” farther down in the article. What could they be saying about cake? Razz forced herself to read up to that word to get the context, rather than jumping ahead. One customer had complained that Wish-I-May had made them wait while she finished a slice of cake before calling her sister and getting things set up.

Razz didn’t remember a customer seeing any of the seven slices they had accounted for. She hurriedly checked the date on the newspaper. It was a little after the last slice had disappeared. Could it be? Was this the missing slice? Had Wish-I-May eaten a fifth and not called her sister to avoid being caught? She stood up and exclaimed, “Yes, yes yes!”

She remembered she was in a busy plaza, surrounded by ponies who didn’t even speak Ponish. She blushed as some of them looked her way. But her embarrassment didn’t distract her for long. She would have to confirm with Waterfire that she hadn’t misread it. But this may be the breakthrough she needed to prove Wish-I-May’s guilt.

* * *

The jury was in silence after the testimony of Windy Wisp, the pony who had written the review in the newspaper and who had seen Wish-I-May eat the fifth slice of cake. “And with that, all eight slices are accounted for,” Razzaroo said. Waterfire interpreted for her. “The plaintiff ate three, and the defendant ate five. Four were admitted in her own testimony, and now we all know what happened to the fifth. All five slices are proven by either physical evidence or a witness. The defendant ate more than her fair share of a shared birthday cake. I rest my case.”

Razzaroo sat down. She glanced across the room at Star Dasher and Wish-I-May. Surprisingly, both seemed pretty cool. Razz may have been the most nervous in the room, as public speaking unnerved her a bit.

Star stood up and gave her rebuttal. She argued that most of the evidence was circumstantial. How different was a crumb of chocolate cake from a piece of chocolate, which Wish-I-Might made regularly? Could they really find Wish-I-May guilty with some slices accounted for by a witness but no other evidence? She made no attempt to assign a fourth slice to Wish-I-Might, but simply to point out that there was still room for a reasonable doubt. She didn’t speak with much evidence, but she was a confident and charismatic pony. She was surprisingly persuasive for a pony who was so scatterbrained.

Nevertheless, Razz was confident that she had made the better argument. The evidence was definitely in her favor. But she wasn’t sure how a jury of ponies from Santa Amorosa would vote. They seemed to be very non-confrontational. Would they find the defendant not guilty by default?

The jury went to a private chamber to make a decision. Razz took the opportunity to congratulate Star on her argument. “You did well, Star,” she said. “I didn’t know you were so capable of public speaking.”

“Am I?” Star said. “I mean, I guess. I’ve heard lots of ponies find it scary to speak in front of crowds. I never understood that. But I don’t think I was any more eloquent than I am speaking to you now. And you had the better argument, in terms of the evidence and such.”

“Well, downplay it if you want, but I’m impressed,” Razz said.

* * *

They had to wait for quite some time before the jury came to a decision. Waterfire was getting hungry for dinner, and he was hoping that Royal Rose would let them all go and continue the case tomorrow. Before that happened, however, the jury came back into the courtroom. They all took their seats again. The spokespony for the jury said, “We have found the defendant, Wish-I-May, to be guilty of taking five slices of birthday cake, more than her fair share.” She spoke with some hesitation and regret.

Wish-I-May bowed her head and sighed. She spoke under her breath, and Waterfire just managed to hear it. “Some birthday, huh?”

“Very well,” Royal Rose said. “Wish-I-May, I sentence you to bake a new cake for Wish-I-Might, which only she may eat. I’ve already spoken with All My Heart, who has generously agreed to help. You will be using ingredients from the castle pantry. Speak with All My Heart to plan a time for it. You may go.”

As ponies stood up and the jury started to leave, Wish-I-Might addressed her sister. “You really did it, didn’t you? You know, all this time I was half hoping I was wrong and we had a cake thief sneak into our house. That would have been more comforting than the truth that my own sister had stolen from me.”

“Wow, all this over one slice of cake,” Wish-I-May said, unmoved. “Real mature, sis.”

“It’s the principle! If I can’t trust you, how can we work or live together?”

Wish-I-May paused. Waterfire felt awkward listening in, but he was right near the center of the room in his interpretation position, and they weren’t speaking in lowered voices by any means. “You still haven’t put it together, have you?” Wish-I-May said. “Do the math! The time and day when I ate the fifth slice. It was right after you chewed me out for being ‘too slow’ with my fortune telling. I was bitter, so I had some comfort cake.”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about!” Wish-I-Might exclaimed with a gasp. She attracted the attention of some ponies in the room. “I told you, it’s hurting our business. Our reputation and popularity are suffering.”

“Oh, shut up!” Wish-I-May snapped. Waterfire had never heard an Amorosa pony shout like that before. “Would you stop talking for once and listen?” The room was so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop. Ponies watched on in shock. “I didn’t get to tell you when you chewed me out because you wouldn’t shut up. Fortune telling takes me so long for certain customers because they aren’t sufficiently relaxed after the spa treatments. I have to put them into a trance myself. And do you know what I see when I finally get into their heads? The latest gossip! Always and Forever is dating Candy Heart. The Prince’s coat had a stain on it. They can’t relax because you won’t stop yapping at them!”

Wish-I-Might was quivering. “W-will you please calm down? They can all hear us.”

Wish-I-May just shrieked, and there was a flash of sparkling light. Ethereal wings appeared on her back. She flew right out the window, leaving everypony in silence. The first sound was Wish-I-Might walking to the door. Next Razzaroo came up to Waterfire. “I tried to keep up with the conversation, but I missed some things,” she said. “What happened?”

Star Dasher came near Waterfire, too, and he summarized it all for them.

“No, no, no, that’s not good,” Razz said. “It sounds like the tension between them started well before the cake incident. Holding a trial between sisters never should have been necessary. This conflict is personal, and it needs to be resolved personally.”

“I think they have to do that themselves,” Star said. “What more can we do?”

“Well, we could… no, no, no…” Razz paced. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t…” Her expression lit up. “Yes, yes, yes, that’s it! We can try to persuade them to apologize to each other. I can try talking to Wish-I-Might. And since you represented her in the trial, Star, you’d be the best one to talk to Wish-I-May. And Waterfire, we’ll need your help, of course.”

“Of course,” Waterfire said dryly.

“I’m in,” Star said. “But Wish-I-May seemed upset.”

“Well, let’s wait until tomorrow,” Razz said. “They might both need to calm down some.”

* * *

The next morning, Star Dasher, Razzaroo, and Waterfire walked over to the Wishes Spa. Silly Lilly had decided to accompany them, as well, after hearing what had happened in the trial. As they walked, Waterfire pointed above them and said, “That’s Wish-I-May.”

Star looked up. She had gotten used to ponies flying overhead, but Wish-I-May’s ethereal wings made her profile distinct. She was flying away from the Wishes Spa. “Oh, should I catch her?” Silly said.

“Um…” Razz had her thinking face on. “Yes. We should talk to them separately. Silly, catch up to her and bring her to Star and Waterfire. I’ll get out of your way. She might be bitter towards me for my role in the trial.”

Silly flew off towards Wish-I-May, while Razz walked on towards the Wishes Spa. A few minutes later, Silly came back with Wish-I-May. “Oh, you,” Wish-I-May said flatly. Waterfire quietly interpreted for Star. “That’s what he meaned with the charades.” She hesitantly landed.

“Hey, Wish-I-May,” Star said. “I just wanted to have a quick talk with you. I’m sorry about losing the trial.”

“No be sorry,” Waterfire interpreted for Wish-I-May. “You did your best, even after we all knowed that I was guilty.”

“Thanks,” Star said. Wish-I-May’s understanding gave Star a confidence boost for the next part of the conversation. May’s edgy, no-nonsense personality was off-brand for the kind, friendly town of Santa Amorosa. But that didn’t mean she was a bad pony. “If you’d let me speak as just a pony rather than as your representative, I don’t think the trial or the sentence is really a complete fix to the problem. They found you guilty of wronging Wish-I-Might. But it sounds like she wronged you, as well. That’s a tough cycle to break out of. Given the circumstances, I think it would do wonders for repairing your relationship if you were to sincerely apologize to her.”

Wish-I-May hesitated. “I…” She sighed. “She wouldn’t listen. She never listens to me! And she started it, blaming me for a business problem that was her own fault. And making a whole public scandal out of it! No, you’re talking to the wrong pony. Let her apologize!” In a flash of sparkles, Wish-I-May’s wings reappeared.

“Wait!” Star blurted out in Cantor. At least she knew that word.

“What?” Wish-I-May scowled.

“If she does apologize, please listen to her,” Star said. Maybe Razz would have more luck with Wish-I-Might.

After Waterfire’s interpretation, Wish-I-May rolled her eyes and said, “Yes, of course. I’m not her.” She flew off.

* * *

Razzaroo arrived at the spa and knocked. Hopefully her Cantor was up to a conversation like this. A good while later, Wish-I-Might opened the door. “Good morning, Razzaroo,” she said, sounding deflated compared with her normal perkiness. Her hair was unbrushed, and she wasn’t wearing the pink skirt she usually sported. “We’re closed for—”Razz didn’t understand this word—“today, if that’s why you’re here.”

“Oh, no,” Razz said. “I just wanted to talk with you.”

Wish-I-Might said something that Razz didn’t understand, followed by, “Do you want to come in?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Razz said. “Thank you.”

Wish-I-Might said something and gestured to the bowl of chocolates. Razz took it as permission to eat one. They each occupied one of the couches in the entry room. “Thank you for helping with the trial,” Wish-I-Might said. Razz had learned some of those legal words recently. “It was your idea, right? I don’t know what we would have done—” The sentence ended in an unfamiliar word.

“Yes, it was my idea,” Razz said. “I wanted to talk to you about that…” She wasn’t sure how to proceed. It seemed strange to tell a pony how she should manage her relationship with her sister. But she had been involved in their relationship for a while now. “The trial was… good.” Razz didn’t know the word for important. “We needed to know the truth. But the problem with you and your sister… Well, the trial doesn’t fix that.”

“I know,” Wish-I-Might said. “Why do you think we’re closed today?”

“Well, um… I’m saying, you should probably try to work on your… friendship with Wish-I-May.” Between the language and the assertiveness of telling a pony she needed to apologize, Razz was really struggling with this conversation. “Her feelings are… She doesn’t feel good about what happened. She… thinks you have the guilt, and if that’s fair or no, it would help for you to say sorry.”

“But she’s the one who stole the cake!” Wish-I-Might snapped, seemingly instinctively.

“But you heard her last night,” Razz said. “She thinks you have the guilt.”

“Even worse, she lied about it!” Wish-I-Might said.

“True,” Razz said. “Well, I don’t know what’s fair. But your friendship will be bad until one of you says you’re sorry. Do you want to be enemies forever?”

Wish-I-Might bowed her head. “No,” she said. “And Wish-I-May won’t—”a word Razz didn’t know—“first. It has to be me, doesn’t it?”

“But try to be… real,” Razz said. “She is… she has a lot of feelings. And she’s good at reading others.”

Wish-I-Might sighed. “You’re right. Thank you. I will try.”

* * *

Wish-I-Might had everything ready by the time Wish-I-May was back from her morning flight. Forest water bath heated, steam room running, incense burning, music playing. Wish-I-May entered the room and wrinkled her nose. “The spa?” May said. “No, I don’t want to today.”

“It’s not for customers,” Might said, pointing to the closed sign she had left in the window. “It’s for you.” May looked at her skeptically. Might exhaled, trying to bring out as much sincerity as she could. Regardless of who was to blame, their relationship needed to heal, and Might had to get this right to start that process. “I’m sorry for criticizing your work when I was part of the problem. I’m sorry for not listening to you. I’m sorry for blowing the cake out of proportion and making a public scandal out of it. And to try to make it up to you, I would like to treat you to a spa day.” She had to squeeze out the words, as she still felt some resentment towards May. But she hoped they were the right words.

May looked at Might with a hard gaze. But then, her eyes softened, and she walked to the steam room without a word. Might hesitated, wondering if she should follow her. Probably not. May liked to have some space. Might sat at the chair where she would give customers a massage and hooficure, thinking over what had happened between her and her sister.

Might had spent so long thinking that May had stolen a slice of birthday cake without provocation. That had infuriated her, especially when May lied about it. The trial had confirmed Might’s suspicions, making her even more aggravated at May. But she had never realized the link between May taking the cake and their conversation about the diminishing popularity and tarnished reputation of their business.

Might took their business very seriously. Like anypony in Santa Amorosa, her access to food and other commodities was not really dependent on her success at work. But she loved her work! She wanted to make ponies feel good with her spa treatments. She spent more time doing this than anything else, so she wanted to do it right. It distressed her that ponies thought poorly of their spa, and the slowness of the fortune telling was certainly a part of that.

May came out of the steam room. Might wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there, thinking. May did not look at her, but settled into the tub on the other side of the room. May’s side of the story had been surprising to Might. That the customers couldn’t relax because Might was too chatty and distracted them with gossip. As much as she wanted to deny that this was happening, she couldn’t. She definitely chatted with the customers during their spa treatments. Surely not all of them were perturbed by this, but some of the introverts might have been. Regardless, Might had hurt May’s feelings during their business conversation. She had been too harsh that night.

Even worse, May felt that Might would not listen to her. That was crushing. They were fraternal twins. They had been together for all their lives. They had had their differences and fights, but they loved each other. They lived and worked together. They were supposed to trust each other. And Might had failed her sister in that regard.

May climbed out of the bath and toweled off. Without meeting Might’s eyes, she came into the reclined customer’s chair and said, “Shiny black, please.” Might got to work filing and polishing her sister’s hooves. Of course she wanted black. Might didn’t understand why May had to be so edgy about things. She was definitely out of line with the popular trends in Santa Amorosa. That and her mysterious magical abilities made her difficult to approach for most ponies.

Maybe that was why May liked to be alone a lot. And maybe that was another reason why their relationship was so important; despite their differences, Might was a pony who accepted and appreciated May—on a good day. Not so much lately.

May shifted positions for Might to massage her back while the polish was drying. Might worked her sister’s muscles gently, with as much care as if the Prince himself had come to their spa. Might loved her sister. Sometimes she needed reminders of it. May had spent years refining her magic. Without that, their business would not exist in its current form. She was brave for resisting the popular trends. And while quiet, she was incredibly sincere. She never faked an emotion, she never lied about how she was feeling. She rarely spoke critically of anypony, and when she gave a compliment, anypony could tell it came from the depths of her heart.

At the start of their spa day, May had been uncertain and suspicious. Unfortunately, Might was not always sincere. But now, Might could feel the tension leaving May’s body. Might wasn’t able to read ponies’ thoughts as well as May, but she knew when a pony was fully relaxed. “Maybe… I could tell your fortune?” May offered.

“Uh…” Might hadn’t really planned to this point. But if May was offering, she couldn’t refuse. “Yes.” They went into May’s fortune telling den. Might hadn’t started the incense candles in here, but May calmly lit them before sitting down.

“You know how this works,” May said in a low voice. Indeed Might did know. She pushed away her worries and tension, allowing herself to relax completely. She searched within her mind for the thing she wanted most.

The answer came immediately. She wanted to earn May’s forgiveness. She loved May dearly. In the moment, her sister was all Might cared about. Might was starting to see that she had more than her share of blame in this conflict. But how could she possibly prove her sincerity and persuade May to accept her apology?

In the soothing, entranced voice typical of her fortune telling, May muttered, “All you have to do is hug her and say, ‘I love you.’”

Might gasped. She had slipped so deep into relaxation that she had forgotten that the pony she was thinking about was also the pony reading her mind. She blushed and said, “Really?” She scooted to May’s side of the room and wrapped her forelegs around her sister. “I love you,” she said, tearing up. “I really do, even though my actions and words haven’t aligned with that. I’m so sorry.”

May returned the hug, squeezing tightly, and simply said, “I love you, too.”

* * *

Royal Rose had asked to meet with Razzaroo two days after the trial. She wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about, but she showed up outside his meeting room early just in case. Poor Waterfire had to come with her. They really needed to think of some way to thank him for all his interpretation services. To Razz’s surprise, the Wish sisters were leaving as she arrived. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, and for once both of them were smiling. “Good morning, Razzaroo and Waterfire!” Wish-I-Might said brightly.

“Good morning,” Razz said in Cantor before switching to Ponish. “I’m surprised to see you two together.” Waterfire interpreted.

Wish-I-Might laughed and said, “We are twins, aren’t we? We just meeted with Royal Rose, and he was flexible enough to cancel Wish-I-May’s sentence.”

“Canceled?” Razz said, surprised.

“It was all thanks to you, really,” Waterfire interpreted for Wish-I-Might. “You convinced me to apologize to May. We repaired our relationship, and it no longer feeled right to punish my sister when I had wronged her, as well.”

“Yes yes yes!” Razz said, excitedly trotting in place for a moment. “This is the first time I’ve seen you appear as though you like each other, which sisters certainly should, so I’m glad to hear all this.”

“We certainly do like each other,” Waterfire said for Wish-I-Might. “We just forgetted. I blowed things way out of proportion. I shouldn’t have been so sensitive.”

“And I never should have lied,” Wish-I-May said. “I should have been open about my feelings. Sometimes it feels… banned to be negative here, but it’s important to have open communication.”

“Thank you again,” Wish-I-Might said. “It was nice seeing you.”

“Thank you,” Wish-I-May said. They trotted off together. Razz was bursting with happiness at this. She had actually made a difference for them? That felt amazing!

Razz and Waterfire walked into Royal Rose’s meeting room. “Good morning, Razzaroo,” he said, with Waterfire interpreting. “I just wanted to thank you for your role in the trial.”

“Oh, um, you’re welcome,” Razz said.

“Perhaps the Wish sisters told you that they asked to reverse the sentence, but they never would have gotten to this point without the trial revealing the truth. And they both highlighted to me your importance in their… becoming friends again. You went far beyond what you needed to do. Well done, and thank you.”

Razz wasn’t used to getting praise like this, least of all from a prince. “Um, thank you,” Razz said. “I mean, you’re welcome! But it was up to them, really. They needed to stop being too sensitive and hiding their feelings. It may seem like the kind thing to do, but it can create a vicious cycle.”

Royal Rose sighed thoughtfully. “We try to be as loving as possible here, but that can come with its own complications. I’ve learned a lesson from all this, as well.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“I was wondering, what are you and your friends planning? Are you heading out soon?”

“I think so,” Razz said. “We need to talk about it.”

“If you do, let me know and I’ll see if I can offer you any help.”

“Thank you. You’ve been an amazing host. We’ve never felt so welcome!”

“I’m happy to hear it,” Royal Rose said. “I hope you have a splendid day.”

Razz bowed and left the room feeling wonderfully. She had made a difference here, in her own small way. Not by having just the right detail in her notebook—although her organizational skills had come in handy during the trial. She had helped just by… having ideas and making an effort. By doing something extra, because she cared. By being herself.

She walked to the doors of the castle and breathed in the fresh air of the forest. It felt liberating. In Ponyville, she had pinned her worth to her ability to throw parties. When Pinkie Pie had turned out to be better at it, Razz had left. Then she had pinned her worth to her notetaking and attention to detail. But the praise of Royal Rose and the Wish sisters made Razz feel like there was something more. Like she was valuable for just… being Razzaroo.

That’s what her name meant, after all. It meant her, everything she was as an individual, not just some specific skill or attribute. How had she lost sight of that?

That was what Wish-I-May had meant! In the fortune telling, Razzaroo’s greatest desire had been to find a way to be worthwhile and contribute. Wish-I-May had said, “You once knew the answer, and you will soon remember.” Wow, she really did know what she was doing with those predictions.

Razzaroo let the remembered reality sink in. Razzaroo was worth something. Razzaroo had value.

* * *

Star Dasher met her friends in a cozy lounge in the Castle of Kindness. Kimono had gathered them to discuss their plans. “I’ve learned all I’m likely to learn from the library here,” Kimono said. “Whether we stay here much longer or not, we need to decide what comes next.”

“Definitely,” Razzaroo said.

“We had planned to go to the Castle of Laughter next, and then Music,” Kimono said. “Now we know that Laughton, the city with the Castle of Laughter, is—or perhaps was—blanketed in a magical fog, and that the last messenger to enter the city never came back. And we know that the Capital, where the City of Music is, turns away visitors. Although from what the records here say, a guard implied that they might let in a pony of great musical skill. It’s worth noting that we have a pony of great musical skill, and that the Capital could be the most important place we go in terms of uncovering mysteries from the past.”

“My fortune said that I would learn more about myself at the Castle of Laughter!” Silly said.

“Mine said something good would happen at the Castle of Laughter, too, actually,” Star said. She didn’t care to divulge more than that.

“Oh, about that…” Kimono suddenly seemed to be uncomfortable. “As I mentioned, I’m not sure that Wish-I-May could really see our futures. She could see our thoughts, so she may have tried to impress us by mentioning the place where we planned to go next. That being said, I can’t know for certain that she doesn’t have some ability of foresight, and…” Kimono cleared her throat. “You all have a right to know what she told me. I asked to know what challenges might lie ahead for us in our journey.” Kimono was sweating nervously now. Star remembered Kimono’s sleepless nights, and she realized that they had started after they went to the Wishes Spa. Had her fortune unsettled her that much? “She said that if we continued to the end of our quest, we would change countless lives for the better. She also said that one of my friends would suffer terribly, and that I would feel powerless to help them.”

Chills ran down Star’s spine. Had the room suddenly gotten colder? “I don’t know if these fortunes are real or not, but some of you seem to believe them, so I thought you ought to know.”

Everypony was quiet for a moment. “Well, that changes things,” Razz said. “Even before, I wasn’t hopeful about our odds at either location. But if there’s terrible suffering involved, I say we take Waterfire back to his parents and go home.”

“But she also said we would change countless lives for the better,” Wonder said.

“I not think I believe those fortunes, either,” Waterfire said.

“Maybe I should mention that my fortune already came true,” Razz said. “Um… the short version is that she said I had once known my own worth, and I would soon remember. Helping the Wish sisters reconcile helped me remember that I am valuable, not for party planning skills or notetaking skills, but just for being Razzaroo.”

“Really?” Kimono said, brightening up. “That’s lovely. I’m so happy for you, Razz. Please tell me more about it afterwards.”

“Fortunes or no fortunes, wandering into magical fog not sound ideal,” Waterfire said. “You think they’ll let all of us into the Capital if we’re with Wondermint?”

“I don’t know,” Kimono said.

“I still want to go,” Silly said abashedly.

“Star Dasher, what do you think?” Kimono asked.

“Um…” Star hesitated. After what Razz had said, she was taking those fortunes seriously. She tried to push aside her own fortune about her relationship with Wondermint and focused on Kimono’s fortune, which seemed the most important. Changing countless lives for the better seemed worthwhile, right? But one of Kimono’s friends would suffer terribly… Star wished that May had specified which pony. If it were Star, she could take it. But she would be devastated if it turned out to be little Silly, young Waterfire, or dear Wonder. It almost didn’t seem worth the risk. “I wish we knew who was going to suffer,” she said. “If it were me, I’d say go ahead.”

“Aw, you’re so brave,” Wonder said. “I say we go ahead! I can’t imagine living with the regret of turning back when we knew we could improve countless lives.”

“I think I’m with them, for different reasons,” Waterfire said. “I want to see the Capital. Maybe we stand a chance at convincing them to open their borders and reach out to the rest of the Empire.”

“That may have been what Wish-I-May was suggesting,” Kimono said.

“So, to be clear, we have three votes in favor of walking towards terrible suffering and a magical fog that made a messenger pony go missing?” Razz said.

“Yes,” Wonder said. Silly and Waterfire added their affirmation.

Seeing the courage of these three pushed Star to act boldly as well. “I’ll add my vote to theirs,” she said.

“Although I’d rather skip the Castle of Laughter and go to the Capital,” Waterfire said.

“No, that part’s important,” Silly said. “I started this whole journey to see it, and Wish-I-May said I would figure out who I am there.”

“Well… we can go see it, at least,” Waterfire said. “We’d go right by it anyway.”

“Razzaroo, are you against continuing?” Kimono said. “Don’t feel like you need to agree just because the others want to go.”

“Well… if you’re willing, so am I,” Razz said. “But we should be careful. And I definitely don’t want to go if anyone is too scared to continue. We should keep it as an option to turn back if things get bad. What about you, Kimono?”

“I had already decided my opinion, but I wanted to hear yours before sharing mine,” Kimono said. “I think we should continue.”

“Well,” Razz said with a nervous chuckle. “I guess that’s decided.”

“We should stay here for a few more days, in case anyone has second thoughts,” Kimono said. “And that way we can have a chance to enjoy Santa Amorosa before going on to unknown dangers. Will three days be sufficient?”

They all agreed to this. “Well, I’ll let Royal Rose know that’s our plan.”

“Should we ask Wish-I-May to see our futures in more detail?” Razz suggested.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Kimono said. “But you can prepare in whatever way you think is best.”

* * *

After three days, nopony had backed out. Star Dasher, Wondermint, Razzaroo, and Silly Lilly all wanted to see if Wish-I-May could tell them about their fortunes, and Waterfire accompanied them as an interpreter. They did the spa experience again, and each of them focused on their upcoming quest during the fortune telling. For Star Dasher, Wish-I-May said, “Strange magic awaits you at the Castle of Laughter. Remember who you are, and stay loyal to your friends.”

At the end, Wish-I-May pulled them aside before they left. She spoke quietly. “I not normally do this,” Waterfire interpreted, “but I should warn you, since you all wanted the same thing: I only get glimpses of the future, and yours is especially chaotic and hard to interpret. I really can’t do much to help you, although I suppose the fact that I saw Wondermint in the Capital means you’ll make it through the Castle of Laughter.”

“Thank you, Wish-I-May,” Razz said. Once they left, they all shared their fortunes. Razz’s and Silly’s were similar to Star’s. For Wonder, Wish-I-May had said, “I see that you will enter the Capital. Stay true to your friends and your principles there.”

Royal Rose insisted on accompanying them to Laughton, although he wouldn’t stay there. He also provided them with detailed maps and travel foods. Soon enough, the day came.

The Wish sisters and Aurora Mist saw them off. They all stood at the edge of the city, looking at the faint road in the misty forest. “Well, forward,” Star Dasher said with as much confidence as she could muster.

* * *

Star Dasher was able to see the magical fog around Laughton from several miles away. Royal Rose had led them to where Laughton should be. They arrived on a clear, sunny day with a breeze, dispelling any doubts as to whether the fog had appeared naturally. They stopped a fair distance away, looking up at the intimidating wall of unnatural mist.

Royal Rose spoke, and Waterfire interpreted for him. “Are you sure you want to continue with this?”

“Yes,” Silly and Kimono responded at the same time. The others nodded.

“Please, go just into the fog and come right back out,” Royal Rose suggested. “As I had mentioned, a messenger went missing here. Her name is Twirlerina. Send her back to Santa Amorosa if she’s still here. This is an earth pony town, so she should be easy to spot as a pegasus. She has a light blue coat.”

Star’s friends all looked at the fog, uncertain despite agreeing that they wanted to continue. Star stepped forward and said, “Let’s go in together. We’ll just step into it and right back out.”

“I’ll come up to the edge and call for you after a few minutes,” Royal Rose offered. “In case you’re lost in there or something.”

Star walked forward, and the others nervously followed her. They stopped a few steps from the edge. “Together,” Star said. “Ready?” She waited for a verbal confirmation from Wondermint, Kimono, Razzaroo, Silly Lilly, and Waterfire. “Three, two, one, go!” They stepped into the fog in unison.

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait! The life do be lifin'.