Spell Mannor [Ponyville] (Open)

[Skycoaster]

The old, secluded, manor of the Spell family sat eerily atop a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville. Set back near the woodline, many ponies may have unknowing passed this once grand estate on their way to the Equestria famous Sweet Apple Acres. Rumors swirled about what happened to the family that once called it home. The patriarch had vanished moons ago. The daughter was rumored to have gone into the swamps of Southern Equestria in search for a cure for her ailing mother. Now, years later, a pony matching the description of the daughter has appeared in and around Ponyville. Strange lights have been seen coming from the once stately house at night, and now an strange fog seems to hang around the hill the house occupies.

 

Now, Tarot Spell would be making her way back to her home. She wore a red velvet cloak with gold accents. Her large gold earnings completing the look. In her one side of her saddlebags where things she scavenged from from the Everfree Forest. The other, posters advertising her 'supernatural' services. To anypony reading one of them, they appeared to be very old, but actually new to Ponyville. She would not say much after posting may of the around town before quietly walking back to her family home, a somewhat sinister grin on her face as she flipped up the hood of her cloak.

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom was having a tough time of it lately. Ponies had told her that rearin' foals was a hard enough task when there was just one of 'em, but she had the dang audacity to have two of them? Well, that would be enough to keep most young mares up late at night. And in the early morning. And throughout the day, too. If that was all of it then she would have been well prepared enough she supposed, but no. No, there was more. She just wasn't a loving mother to just any of the land's beautiful creations, she had managed to be a uniquely accented young mare who found herself the mother to two pups. One of 'em was a full-blown Diamond Dog named Roxbury Russet and his sister was a hybrid named Honeygold. Well, at least there'd never be questions about just what species the father was, eh?

It was hard enough being a mother but two pups? Ponyville was welcoming enough but that didn't mean anypony knew just how to help raise 'em. What should she expect? What should she avoid? The closest and best example for her situation was Twilight and Spike, but even that smarty pants Princess found herself caught unaware for years after the fact. And she was a smarty pants! Some ponies humored Apple Bloom and told her she was a smartie herself, but she knew who and what she was and she expected to be caught off-guard by her pups. And that was without her having to come to terms with calling them pups and not foals, which she was careful not to do. She didn't want to give them a complex. Would it give them a complex? Did Diamond Dogs even get complexes?

 

She didn't know. She knew well enough to be grateful to those around her. She had her work at the farm that was going as it usually did. If anything she was getting the sneaking suspicion that she was in line to play an even bigger role in it going forward as Applejack aged up and her own foals didn't show an interest in it much. Still, she needed more work- mostly because she was steeling herself to try and be as self-sufficient as possible. The owner of The Watering Hole, the oldest establishment around Ponyville that bordered the road the Apples used to move here in the first place, offered her a job. It wasn't that far away and it wasn't as if she was unfamiliar with it- she had her adventures you see- so she was happy to take it. It had just been her first week and it had been a learning experience in more than a few ways, but bits were bits and she was happy to provide.

 

On her way to the Watering Hole she found herself looking around a bit more than usual. She wasn't in any deep hurry. She was tired- Honeygold had kept her up the whole night it felt like, and the farm was hard as usual- but Tempest had offered to watch her pups so she had left an hour earlier for her shift. She had her barmare's uniform on already and her mane looked real good considering all she had been through, but the real benefit is she was able to look around a bit more. And it was during this time that she finally took real notice of the ol' Spell family estate. She knew of it, of course. It wasn't that far away from her home and now her second place of work! The family history was shrouded in mystery but she had seen posters in town advertising some sort of tarot reading future-seein' service. Shucks, she was sure she had seen them at The Watering Hole, come to think of it!

With a little time to kill and her curiosity piqued, Apple Bloom found herself making a sharp turn towards the Spell Manor. As she did she swore she saw some mare headin' in with a fancy hood and cloak. Well, if life in Ponyville had taught her anything it was that ponies in cloaks and and a hood were always trustworthy. She trotted up to the door and hesitated a moment before knocking politely.
 

[Skycoaster]

Tarot had just entered her home, hanging up the velvet cloak near the door before she heard a knock, "That didn't take long," she thought aloud. She'd check her main in a mirror over one of the many fireplaces before opening the large, heavy front door with her aura. The doors would open inward with a heavy creek. "Greetings young Apple," she'd say with a grin. The foyer looked like it could be something out a museum. Many portraits hung on the wall, as well as a few old pictures. The house itself was very dark considering the time of day, and most of the furniture still had sheets over it to protect it. "Welcome to Spell Manor, neighbor. If you are hear for a cup of sugar, I'm afraid I sadly don't have any to offer. Oh, where are my manners, please come in." She would point with a hoof into room before shutting the doors behind Apple Boom with a loud thud. "I really do need to have that fixed. Somepony who doesn't know the ins and outs of this old house might get trapped here," as a sly grin would graze her muzzle.

 

"You know, this history of the Spells and Apples go back a long way." Tarot would begin to walk down the hall towards her parlor. "When my ancestors moved to Ponyville, I believe we where the first unicorn family to do so." Stopping in front of a large painting of the estate under construction, she'd smile. "The apple's where instrumental building this house." She'd point a hoof towards the bottom corner where an Apple and Spell where looking a blueprints. Soon they'd arrive in the parlor where a half finished painting of Tarot herself hung over the fireplace, but she would not point it out. "Have a seat Miss Apple. I sense that this is not just a social call to be neighborly." As she sat down, two paint brushes would add only a few strokes to the portrait, without the use of Tarot's magic. "You know, the last time you where here, you where still in your mother's belly. I was still a foal, a grade behind your sister Applejack."

[SteelEagle]

The history lesson didn't much shock her. Any olden building in Ponyville had some manner of Apple involved. Timber from the woods surrounding Sweet Apple Acres were the material many of the town's earliest buildings were made from, while the large and engaged Apple clan made sure to involve themselves with as many of the newcomers as possible. And if the Spell family's lineage dated back long enough, no doubt they too would have their connections. And what a mansion the two had come together to create, right? Apple Bloom had hung around the opulent long enough to know what went into furnishing this sort of place and her eyes wandered from one sign of wealth to another. A lot of screamed old money, very old money. Or knowing Ponyville, very loyal money.

 

She took a gander about while following Miss Spell. It was easy to see why this place gave some ponies the creeps. There was something about these old houses that, when unoccupied, gave them the character of a classical haunted house. Any real investigation of that feeling was quickly silenced however when Apple Bloom's mother came up, however briefly. This mare was a year younger than Applejack, it sounded like, and had met Pear Butter. That brought a smile, however brief, to Apple Bloom. She was over the sorrow of her mother's passing. She didn't think her momma would want her memory to bring an ounce of pain into the lives of her children. 

 

Speaking of children, her own were what brought her here. "Well, yer a perceptive sort. Ah guess we haven't been tha most sociable oif neighbors for you, an' ta be frank Ah didn't know anypony had returned here until...well, recently. So sorry 'bout that," she paused a bit, "but yer right. Ah wasn't here for a social call, so and so. Ah...don't really know much what Ah'm here for, ta be sure. What...is it you do here, 'xactly?"

[Skycoaster]

"To be honest, I hadn't thought I'd be back here so....soon. With my father passing on and leaving this estate to me, and my mother having going mad in this house... somepony has to maintain it. Even before I left to hone my talents, we never did get many visitors. I'm sure there are a lot of stories about this old manor... and I'm starting to think some of them are true."

 

When Apple Bloom asked what it was that Tarot did, she'd smirk, looking towards her cutie mark before rising from her chair. "Follow me please, and I'll show you." Leaving the parlor, she'd begin walking down one of the windowless hallways. The old gas lamps on the walls would cast eerie shadows of Tarot as the walked, mainly depicting her with two devil horns as well as her unicorn one. Passing the old overgrown conservatory, she'd sigh. "I really need to give these rare plants the attention they deserve. If only I knew somepony with a green hoof for magical and rare plants...."

 

As they continued, she would reach what appeared to be a dead end. A larger then life size portrait of a unicorn dating back to the days of the founding of Equestria hung at the end. She'd tap the top left corner first, then the bottom right, then the top right. It would swing open to reveal a hidden room. Entering inside, her horn would glow as candles around the room would light from her green aura. She'd point a hoof to a round table made of internally carved wood. A thick, red table cloth with gold fringe covered the top. A large crystal ball sat in the center. "Have a seat Apple Bloom," she'd smirk as a chair would be pulled for the Apple to sit on. Tarot would sit on her own, grand chair, complete with a carving of a crow on top. Her horn glowed once more as she shuffled the deck of tarot cards. "This is my set of tarot cards. The same set I earned my cutie mark with long ago in the Ponyville schoolhouse." Setting the deck down, she'd raise an eyebrow before drawing four cards. "Shall be begin?"

[SteelEagle]

Seemed like her family had their own fair share of dramatics. What was it with powerful unicorns and a penchant for tragic pasts? There was clearly something there, and Apple Bloom's heart bled fiercely for her in that moment. Losing family was bad enough, but feeling the negative weight of their passing and their actions every time you entered the home seemed like an awful burden for any one pony to bare. Luckily she would have the same loving community she did to help her move on and have a happier life.

She looked around and about, noticing the way the shadows seemed to move about spookily. Well, she didn't quite know why Tarot had decided to make her house Nightmare Night ready so early on the inside, but maybe she just liked the holiday. She was partial to festivals herself when it came to decoration, but if she was a unicorn who could make her home be all spooky like maybe she would sing a different tune. She nearly walked through the older mare when the conservatory sent her to a stop. She peered in- yeah, that was one overgrown pile of weeds. She'd need to see about getting Tarot some help. Or heck, help Tarot herself. "Woo-wee, that place needs some T.L.C..." she whispered to herself as she allowed Tarot to gain some distance, only catching up after taking a further gander.

 

She caught up when Tarot hit the top right of a painting and a secret room was revealed. Ooh, snazzy! She wasn't sure why she'd put her business behind such secrecy...and so deep into her home, too. Still, she trotted in behind, catching glimpses of the decoration in a flash. It looked a lot like Pinkie Pie's fortune teller gimmick, save the color of the table cloth. Of course, Pinkie Pie was a silly sort and this mare...didn't seem the sort to be silly. She took her seat. "Ooh, pretty fancy here. Why do you have it so far back? Seems like you'd want yer business more in front, right?" She asked, though as she spoke she realized it was more due to nervousness. Now that it was private and Tarot got her namesake out and ready to go, her mind started to settle on just what it was that she needed to know. That made her unsettled.

 

"I...well, Ah dunno," she began as she leaned in, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ah guess Ah'm just bein' a worry wart and warts are never pretty," she chuckled, "but Ah reckon Ah just wanna know if I'm gonna be a good momma for mah pups. Raisin' two foals is hard 'nough, but a Diamond Dog and an Ecuanine is rougher all the more. Ah'm worried Ah'm not strong enough ta be what they need me ta be, Ah suppose..." She sighed.

 

"And if Ah ain't good enough, what do Ah need ta do?"

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would sigh, shuffling the deck more. "Time has not been too kind to this house as of late. I do plan to set up another seance room in my father's old study once I get to restoring more of the manor. Till then, I have to use this room. This room was my family's private reading room. Used for guest who did not want to draw attention to their being here... I'm sure you understand. Besides, this room is rumored to have mystic power," she'd wink.

 

The white unicorn would nod to Apple Bloom's concern. "Such a noble question. Normally most ponies...er creatures only ask about their own fortune. Their prosperity...love lives... It's nice to have such a selfless request, though I'm not sure you will like the answers the cards have to show. Often a reading can be like a scale. A positive in one aspect may reveal a negative. The card's will get us going, then if enough is revealed, the crystal ball may show even more." Tarot would look into Apple Bloom's eyes. "What is revealed has been set in motion, though not yet finalized."

 

Tarot would draw the first card in the upright position, her horn would glow green, as would her eyes as she smirked. "I see a loving foalhood...or puphood for your children. Your family, as well as your extended family...a celebrity if you will. Ether an famous athlete or even a fashion designer perhaps, will help in their upbringing. I see...the cool aunt?"

 

The next card drawn would be head down. Her glowing green eyes would narrow as she sighed. "This card....in this position, represents pain. School pain." Rubbing her forehead, she'd pause. "I sense the past repeating. Honeygold's will be far easier in terms of teasing, though I do foresee difficulty in learning basic pony math, spelling....reading. As for Roxie. I see her mirroring your past. One painful word that began with the letter B will be replaced with another. Blank Flank...will be replaced with Bastard."

 

Tarot would set the deck down, her glowing green eyes returning to their normal slate coloring. "Your pups will need a mother in these moments, not a friend. They are called growing pains for a reason young Apple. Let them make their own friends. Let them grow away from the farm, but when they get home, be there with a hug. Storming down to the schoolhouse will only make... as your sister would say...a mountain out of an molehill."

[SteelEagle]

Ooh, mystic power? Well, she saw too much to discount that. She didn't know if there was much difference between mystic power and normal everyday magic, but she'd lay claim to little else other than her belief that the experts were experts for a reason and if this mare was an expert, she must know what she was talking about. "Well, Ah don't know much about them say-ance's or whatnot, but if this room is all mystical and somesuch Ah'm sure yer gonna make a bit or two here. Hehe, you ain't gonna start possessin' ponies now, right?" She replied with a wink of her own, finding an easy chemistry with Tarot.

 

She listened to the reading and watched the cards, feeling the mane-hairs starting to get on edge as she looked the cards over once and once again. Still, it at least started off nice enough. "That must be mah sister Applejack! Or RD. She's their aunt now, too. Or...well, fashion designer is like Rarity. She ain't their aunt technically but Ah reckon she is close enough. At least they're gonna be surrounded by tha sort of love they deserve," she said happily, right before it got a little less than happy.

 

Her heart nearly stopped when she said 'history repeating itself'. Considering she was asking what sort of mama she'd make, whether she was good ewnougfh, her mind naturally turned to issues of...well, issues of her dying. She'd almost went to that Orchard in the sky several times in her life and the idea that she'd leave her pups shortly into their lives like her mama had was enough to cause her eyes to bug out. The thought was so horrifying that it took her a few moments to get over some relief once she realized what the reading was really saying.

 

Once she did realize, of course, she got a bit hot under the collar. "Heh, well, Ah wanna beat tha flank of anypony who calls'm a bastard," she said, her voice taking on a bite of a bite to it before she sighed and spoke as evenly as she could. "But...yeah, kinda bad form ta run ta school and discipline them something fierce. Fillies an' Colts can be so dang cruel! They ain't done a thing ta deserve being talked to like that. Makes me madder than a bull bein' made farm safe," she chuckled darkly, in a failed attempt to mask how annoyed she was at the idea of her pups being given the once over by the foals of town. She wasn't much worried about Honeygold. Apple Bloom knew her daughter was gonna excel the Apple way, through hard work, and she'd be there evry step of the way. If she had difficulty, she'd have an equal amount of aid.

 

"Well, Ah guess life always has its challenges. Considering everything, Ah suppose it ain't so bad. Surrounded by love, we'll get through it. Don't seem so bad so far!"

[Skycoaster]

When Apple Bloom mentioned possession, Tarot would stifle a laugh. “No. That’s only if you don’t make your payments.” 
 

“Remember that love is what your pups will need more than anything. Motherly love. Remember back to your own school years and how you dealt with your problems. Stories can be a relatable teaching and bonding experience.” 
 

After a few moments, she’d shuffle her deck once more. Horn and eyes glowing green, she pull the next two cards. One face up, the other facing down. She’d sigh looking over to Apple Bloom. “Your pups will grow with a third influence, though this future is uncertain. A choice that you make will affect not only your life but the whole Apple clan.” Rubbing her forehead, she’d stair into Apple Bloom’s eyes as her own still glowed green. “The choice of whom you settle down with will ether ease or hinder your parenthood. Should you choose to go through life as a single mother, I foresee a broken mare, stressed. Your pups having to take care of you.”

[SteelEagle]

She didn't much like the turn this one took. She had her crushes and found plenty of creatures cute, but truth was she hadn't really settled on anypony anywhere who she reckoned much of as somepony'd to settle down with. Heck, she'd gotten pregnant purely on accident. She hadn't been thinking of family planning or the future, much to her own chagrin and the possible chagrin of her pups. She figured a marriage was in the cards, but in the future. Far away. A topic for tomorrow's Apple Bloom. But tomorrow's Apple Bloom would swiftly become today's Apple Bloom, and she'd curse mightily past Apple Bloom if she couldn't be all she could be for her family. She wasn't sure just how much stock to put into this whole future readin', but she knew inside it was a bit too much to discount.

 

"Well...who should I marry?" She asked, at least partially rhetorically. "Ah mean, Ah haven't much thought of it Ah guess. Don't know their father, heck, not even his name so Ah don't reckon that's much in tha cards. An'...well, Ah guess it ain't like Ah have anypony serious in mind," she laughed, her mind drifting to those of foreign persuasion. "Hehe, there was a flight of fancy with some eastern noble, Prince Lee-Ann. He's a real cutie, but ain't really an option. For now," she grew more serious. "But..Ah mean, who could it be? Ah need somepony'd who'd make a real good parenthood figure."

[Skycoaster]

Tarot sighed. “I fear love is not my specialty to predict. I regret that I’m telling you, I may have changed your future… Marrying for the sake of being married never ends well, nor dose marriage due to….pre marital foals…are often short lived.”

 

Flipping over the face down card, Tarot would grin. “Though the future is always in motion, this card indicates that the previous one is not set in stone. If you truly want to know whom I believe to be your and your pups best match… I see a pony…no creature of both air and sea. You have met him before. A name that begins with a T.”

 

Tarot would recline into her chair, tapping a hoof to her chin. “I’m afraid that is all I am able to give you. I will say that there is not a rush. You must focus your attention on your pups first. In time, your perfect match will seek you out…perhaps just to visit at first.” 
 

“Now then…” she’d set up, looking Apple Bloom over from head to tail. “There is the matter of my payment.” She’d smirk at the Apple. “I do not need my cards or crystal ball to see the financial burden that you are under. Perhaps an alternate

arrangement can be made. I have seen that you were well versed in magical plants. Trained by a zebra and a princess. Come by twice a week and spend an hour or two restoring this house’s conservatory and we shall be even. Bring the pups if you wish, the shadows will keep them entertained.”

[SteelEagle]

Her mind raced. She had known a lot of great creatures over time and she wasn't one to forget easily, but how many did she know that started with T? A name was on the tip of her tongue but try as she might her mind could not readily and in haste recall it. Personally, she blamed Roxie. Lil' pup kept her up have the night with feeding and fussing and she wasn't exactly sure what time it was when she finally fell asleep, but she could swear the rooster was having breakfast as her eyes finally closed. Point was, she couldn't think of who it was. Combined with what was a reasonable reprimand from the future teller and Apple Bloom was falling back down to Earth a little, more than willing. 

 

Lost in thought briefly, she came back to it as Tarot made her offer. Apple Bloom wasn't poor! She could pay. Having said that, she certainly would rather not dip too far into future checks to pay some sort of exorbitant magical fee. Luckily for her, that wasn't what Tarot was angling for. "Oh, that's it? Shoot, I woulda done that for free!" She said with a laugh, before shooting her hoof out and smiling. "You have yerself a deal, Miss Spell. When do you need me to work the voodoo that Ah do so well up in that there conservatory?" She asked as she sat up, happy to conclude this business with a bit of forewarning about the foreshadowing of the forefront of the problems she was soon to face. Even the shadows had to be impressed!

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would grin as Apple Bloom extended her hoof. Shaking it, she’d nod.  “Mondays and Thursdays I believe work best with both our schedules. I shall leave the back door to the conservatory unlocked. I must warn you though…it is very old. It dates back almost as long as this house. I believe it was the first cast iron framed structure in all of Ponyville. Most of the glass is original to that period as well.” 
 

Her grin would turn into a glare as AB mentioned voodoo. She’d quickly try to cover it with a forced, fake laugh. “Voodoo. That’s a good one. That’s definitely not what I was mastering during my time in Neigh Orleans…” 

 

Leaving the room, she’d shut the hidden door. “Would you like to stay for tea?” The old grandfather clock would chime. “Time certainly does fly when you’re having fun. I’ll see you Monday at 1 p.m.” Tarot would smile as she lead her friend back to the foyer. “Be sure to tell your friends that a Spell is back in town. Tell your enemies too. I’m sure I can have some fun with them,” she’d laugh.

[SteelEagle]

"Monday an' Thursdays?" She thought about her schedule a bit. Monday was pretty dang dead most of the time at the Watering Hole, sans some manner of holiday. Thursday the same. Of course she had a lot going on at the farm too, but as long as she didn't tarry she reckoned that it was a pretty fair arrangement. "Sounds like a deal. Don't worry 'bout me causing any damaga ta this, err, historical structure. Ah've got mahself some smart workin' hooves. Ain't gonna letcha down," she winked, happy to see that they came to a deal. She wasn't worrid about how to pay or have it all made even, but it was always good to get past it. She did find her attitude once her off-hoof comment about voodoo to be a bit strange, but she let it die.

 

She did have to deny the tea, though it did sound pretty good. She was a busy mare. Nowadays, she was always a busy mare. "Ah'd like ta, but Ah've got ta get ta work 'for long. The patrons at tha Watering Hole ain't gonna get their own drinks, ain't they?" She chuckled as she gave it some thought. Tarot had done her a solid, perhaps she could return the favor? "Speakin' of, y'all have any flyers or somesuch Ah could put inside? Ah'm sure Ah could spread 'wareness of yer good work here," she offered pleasantly, more than a little excited to help Tarot do what she seemed to do best: Help ponyfolk and likewise!

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would smile, levitating over a stack of fliers to the Apple. “I know today will be a good day for you at your job. I foresee lots of tips for you today, and a patron you have not seen in quite some time.” 
 

Tarot would levitate open the large front door for Apple Bloom. “Do not forget, I need some time to get the manor presentable. In a few days, my things from Neigh Orleans should arrive.”

 

——————————

 

With her personal belongings arriving, Tarot would waist no time in begging to set up a more…accessible reading room in the front library. The chairs had come from the attic, as did the table… zap apple wood if her memory was correct. The crystal ball and table cloth she acquired on her travels. Some of the more…interesting items from Neigh Orleans, she’d store in the private reading room. She’d continue to work on the house, the dining room in fact as she awaited her next customer…

[SteelEagle]

Once she was ready, she would wait very little before her next customer arrived. When he did arrive, he did so with three quick precise knocks. 

Like everything else Solar Swing had done lately, the knocks came clipped, precise, and more than a little hurried. Canterlot by birth and heritage, Solar Swing had spent his whole life trying to perfect his art in honor of his family and his sister. From his start as a humble member of the Canterlot Ballet Society, and now he was a starring member of the Stalliongradskiy Korolevskiy Balet. He had made himself proud, his family proud, his husband proud, his sister proud. He was from all signs living his best life and succeeding at all the things he had set out to do.

 

And if that was the case, then why did he feel so miserable?
He had been moving through Ponyville en route from Stalliongrad to Fillydelphia to participate in a joint production of the story of the city's founding. While in town- only for a day due to train issues- she had seen advertisements, fliers, for this place. He wasn't sure what he was really lookubg to get from this tarot, but he also wasn't sure just why there seemed to be something empty and cracked inside of him. Two mysteries, one answer at least.

When the door opened, Tarot would be greeted by the graceful and athletic dancer bowing his head in a nod politely. "Miss Spell, I presume?" Solar said, his voice carrying the regality of his Canterlot heritage divorced from any of the arrogance some found to make an easy home in it. "May I come in?"

[Skycoaster]

She had just finished dusting the old dining room table when she'd hear a rhythmic knock on her front door. She'd removing the handkerchief she wore over her mane before looking herself over in a mirror near the entry foyer. Sighing, she'd quickly fix her messy mane, making sure to smooth out two wild hairs that to some could look like horns... Her horn would glow as the lock on the large double doors would swing inward to reveal Tarot Spell and the ornate foyer of the manor. "You may enter," as she started walking, motioning him to follow. "You're late. I had foreseen that I would have a client arriving today, by train. Judging by your arrival here, I guess the problem with the steam regulator is going to take longer then expected."

 

It wouldn't take long to arrive at the reading room. As her horn glowed, gas lamps would light. Though the room had two floor to ceiling window, heavy velvet curtains blocked most of the natural light from getting. She'd point to a chair, "Have a seat. We shall begin shortly. Tell me," as she shuffled her deck in her green aura, "What brings you to Spell Manor? Surely a pony of your upbringing considers fortune telling a taboo, as with most of the upper crust... Ever since... well, you've read the 'Mare in the Moon,' you've would have read the last prediction to be told in Canterlot."

[SteelEagle]

She *was* good. He hadn't bothered really asking what the issue with the train was. He was raised to allow the experts to be experts and not get in their way. The exception was his sister, who he was sure could have done just about anything as well as anypony else. "Oh, thank you," he said happily as he trotted in, "I guess I'm in the right place. Now if you also saw me winning the lotto, that would be very exciting as well. They still run lottos down south, right?" He asked with a smile as he took his seat. He spared a few seconds to look around. It was a house that reminded him in some ways of the opulent houses of Canterlot upper society that he belonged to, except it had the thinnest vaneer of being ill-attended as opposed to the spotless liveliness that he had come to associate with that strata of society.

 

"That particular taboo is held by the unicorns of the city, to be exact. The rest of the city doesn't share that particular hang-up. Besides!" He leaned in as if offering a conspiracy theory, "this reading isn't in Canterlot, so if such a taboo held weight we have both effortlessly swung the ship around it, haven't we?" He leaned back and shook his head. "I find taboos tend to be a bunch of foxtail. A lot of what was once taboo is now common, and I don't think Equestria is worse for it," he said solidly before he started to think about the initial question.

 

"It...I don't know for sure. I mean, I seem to have it all. Lead dancer at the Stalliongradskiy Korolevskiy Balet. A loving husband in the REA. My father, a general, retired from the REA not long ago. But for all that...all that, something feels wrong. Broken. I don't feel happy. I feel miserable. I guess it started when my sister went away and we haven't heard from her in so long, but...I know she is okay, at least, so I don't know why that would be the case. I just feel..." he shook his head, "so I thought I'd give this a shot."

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would give Solar a sly smirk. "That is true, we aren't in Canterlot, are we?" Tarot would pull five cards from her deck, placing them face down on the table. "So, it is your sister's fortune that is to be told, not yours? Very well then." Her eyes glowed green as the first card flipped. "I see a strong, but very stubborn mare. Resourceful and smart...perhaps a bit too smart for her own good." Flipping the next card, Tarot's face would grin. "It appears that her adventurous streak has turned into one of thrill seeking and recklessness. She has traveled many miles sense leaving home, and at this point must be wondering what home is. She must be doubting if anypony even misses her, for it seems the last letter she received from home was not a pleasant one, is that correct?"

[SteelEagle]

His mind started thinking back to the last letter he remembered being sent. As far as he could remember, there wasn't anything too bad about it. He always expressed his admiration of all that she did and acted as an emotional anchor for her in the way she had for him. Or at least, that was always his intention. The whole family were very close. He knew that his father, proud of both his children, had always wished for his eldest daughter to focus herself on her career a bit more, but what was so bad about the last letter? His husband sometimes said he was more like his sister than his sister sometimes, but he was a joker. And their mother was as easy going as the summer breeze. He hadn't been home in a bit- maybe it was more recent? Or was it home, meaning her home? His mind raced as he tried to formulate the possibilities in a reasonable manner. "Maybe...huh, well, I don't think I remember anything all that bad...unless she misread it?" He shook his head, "In any case, I have to believe she knows we all care for her. We have always been a close family. She knows we love her and care for her, right?"

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would nod to the stallion. "Fortunes sometimes be clear as day, where as others can be fogged. Is it possible that perhaps a letter was not responded to? Perhaps with all your travels, one slipped through the postal system? Perhaps no response was taken as somepony being upset with her?" She'd tap her chin. "It's best not to dwell on such things, we must continue the reading once it has started."

 

Rubbing her temple with her hoof, she'd smile before flipping the next card. "I see a train. A proud mare holding a flyer for a show of some sort. It has dates that have been crossed off. It appears that she has missed each one due to a stint of bad luck. The most recent...Baltimare." Tarot's horn would glow green as she waved a hoof over the crystal ball. Within a few moments, Solar's sister would appear, drenched in rain outside the theater in Baltimare where one of his shows was. The poster for the Ballet had a sign over it, second show canceled due to leak in roof. In her hoof was a ticket to that show. "It seems that she had wanted to surprise you, however fate had other plans."

 

 

[SteelEagle]

His mind raced back to the recent string of ill-fortune that had struck the tour. The Stalliongradskiy Korolevskiy Balet's Strand tour, while largely successful, had a number of shows being cancelled or delayed due to a variety of issues. Leaky roofs, fires, illness in the hosting troupe- that and more. The idea that his beloved sister had found herself foiled so viciously by fate's cruelty during her pursuit of a show attendance broke his easily broken heart. On the other hoof, it also helped him realize just what had been going wrong. Clearly, he was so close to his sister that her distress had somehow made him feel lessened, sorrowful, and unhappy. Clearly he had to make sure they met and that fate itself did not conspire to break the one to harm the other.

 

So the show in Fillydelphia had to be next on her list, no? The train repair wasn't that big of a deal. they had plenty of lead time, and the Fillydelphia Royal Hall was one of the best facilities in the nation. Surely it couldn't happen again, right? Surely. He stood up, his wings flaring out in anxiety. "In the rain! She HATES rain! She hates being let down, she hates things not going to plan, she hates not being loved, and she hates hating!" He said, folding his wings back in and leaning in. "Is she going to be at the Fillydelphia show? That show has to go off without a hitch! Or what- what needs to happen?!"

[Skycoaster]

Tarot Spell would smirk as he leaned in. "She is. She is on the way to surprise you... though I guess I ruined that much." Waving a hoof over the crystal ball, the vision inside would change to Solar's mother and Father sitting on a different train bound for Filly, currently leaving Canterlot. "It appears that your next show is going to be a family affair. It's odd, neither your sister or your parents know that each other is going to be in Fillidelphia. Wouldn't it be odd for them to not even run into each other? Royal Hall is quite large if my memory serves me correctly."

 

Tarot would lean back in her chair as those two stray clumps of her mane stuck out again, looking like horns. "Bad luck has attached itself to not only you, but your sister as well." Her horn would glow green as a small trinket...a small carved piece of a long dead Zap Apple tree was levitated to Solar. "This will keep the bad luck away from you and those in your presence. Your sister on the other hoof will require something a bit more....extreme." Leaning forward, her smirk would turn into a crooked grin. "This will cost you however. It is not as simple as your luck charm. Should you choose just to leave today with the reading and the charm, 400 bits, however if you choose to help with your sisters luck....1200 bits, all up front. Plus you get a little show."

As Tarot extended her hoof, Her shadow would appear with horns like a demon. Solar's shadow would be joined by another. A shadow that looked like his sister. "Do we have a deal?"

[SteelEagle]

Not only his sister, but his parents? This was almost too good to be true. As long as everything went to plan, he could make sure that everypony came together and let her know how much they loved her and cared for her. If he was in a clearer mind he would be concerned about a few things, namely how a charm like that could even function. Or why she was so ready with them. But in Equestria, you learned quickly that magical mares made magical times and you didn't always need to know the secret behind it all. Everything she had said so far all seemed to fit with what was in his heart, and he wasn't going to pretend as if he wasn't hooked.

 

Bits would be no object, especially a mere twelve-hundred. If it helped his sister and helped his family- he'd have to call ahead and let the Royal Hall know about who was attending!- then cost was a null issue. He nodded and quickly reached into his saddlebag. His travel bits were rolled up nice and neat into one-hundred and five-hundred rolls for ease of use. Quickly, he pulled two of the larger and two of the smaller out with his wings and put them on the table. "Twelve-hundred, up front and golden. Anything for my sister, I can't stand to bear the thought of what she must be going through, the poor dear. A deal it is!" He agreed, shaking her hooves with his wings. The whole time, her spooky visage was noted but he looked at that as part of the 'show' of a fortune teller. He wasn't going to begrudge a performer of the mystic arts the performance aspect of her business, right?

[Skycoaster]

Tarot would grin as he shook her hoof. "And now the real show can begin," she'd laugh as the natural light of the gas lamps went out and where replaced by a green glow. She'd waive a hoof over her crystal ball returning it to the image of Solar's sister. "Traveling sister, brother loves thee, make it to Filledelphia, his show to see. Your luck needs changed, as well as thy family, bad luck be gone till after a surprise reunion most merrily."

 

As Tarot's horn glowed green, the shadow of Solar's sister would move from the wall to the floor before dashing away in the blink of an eye. A few moments later, she'd direct Solar to look into the ball as the shadow caught up with his sister. A pony would spill a drink, however the shadow would catch the glass as it contents went on both sides of her, but not on her. Tarot would chuckle. "I hope that you are satisfied with your purchase. The spell to thwart bad luck will only last till midnight tomorrow. After that, she is own her own....speaking of, both your parents and sister planned to attend this show as a surprise. It is imperative that you keep up the charade that it is. Reunite after the show."