The Able Sisters

Bonus Story: A New Horizon

Hello all! Yes, you read the title correctly. I do have a bonus story to share with you all, and it is partly (mostly) due to the release of New Horizons that has continued to develop and expand The Able Sisters' story. I can't guarantee a new update every time  a new Animal Crossing game comes out like this, but I did want to take a shot at writing about these sisters again, even if it's two years later. Enjoy :)

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Time, in its endless glory, continued for the three Able sisters. The cherry blossoms bloomed in the spring, the beaches grew warm in the summer, the leaves began to fall in autumn, and only a few months later, the first snowfall of winter would coat all of Animal Village in white. This cycle continued nearly five times, until the first snow of winter had fallen again, and the three sisters were working diligently in their new, expanded shop.

There was something delightful working in this area of town. Sable would never be a fan of the city, but she found the few shops that were clustered together on the cobblestone strip gave her that exciting feel that perhaps Labelle had been chasing when she was younger. But of course, Sable was never one to peruse at her leisure, as she had sewing to do, even when Mabel scolded her to take a break now that all three of them were running the shop.

When the sky grew dark in the evening hours, the three sisters, after taking inventory and setting out more displays for the next day, would return to their home in the center of Animal Village. The downstairs of their home, their old shop, still held many memories for all of them. Sable liked to gently press her claws against the doorframe when she entered, remembering her parents sewing in the corners under a dim lamplight in the evening hours. Labelle sometimes liked to go through storage for research on more designs. And Mabel's eyes were always gazing at the picture of the three still hanging on the wall, though the shop portion had been transformed into more of a standard living area.

They gathered together near the fire on a cold, December evening, watching as the snow cascaded down slowly from the sky outside the window. It was Mabel's turn to prepare dinner that evening, though she often reverted back to her childhood meals of macaroni and cheese, or a warm bowl of soup. 

This was the time that they did their best not to speak of the shop. Instead, they tried to catch up on the years they had spent apart from each other, and at times, they liked to laugh at old memories, though it was mostly Sable and Labelle doing this while Mabel pouted over her poor memory as a very young hedgehog.

"Could you pass the salt, Label--Labelle?" Sable quickly corrected herself.

Labelle was used to these slips at the time. It had been five years, and while Sable and Mabel had slightly adjusted to Labelle's name change, they were still apt to slip up, at least once a day, especially in the evening hours, when everyone was exhausted from a long day.

They ate their soup comfortably, thinking about how soon Toy Day would be upon them. The new mayor had treated their town kindly over the past few years, but sometimes Sable still missed the smiling face of Tortimer, who had done his best to aid Sable and her younger sister in difficult times. They occasionally visited him at his island home, but Sable had never been one for vacations.

Labelle was distracted. The two sisters could see that she was gazing out the window, watching the snow fall. She had begun spacing out in the summer, especially when she heard Gracie had come into town one day. The giraffe had not returned since, but ever since that day, Labelle had been acting...different. 

Sable had stumbled upon her sister's sketches once or twice. She felt guilty looking through them, but the sight had excited her the first time she had come upon the sketchbook. Gone were the days of Labelle crossing out the sketches she no longer had the inspiration to create. She was now working on elaborate designs, designs that were much too lavish for their tailor shop. Labelle had made no offers to put forth any designs. She was content for the time being working on accessories, but sometimes Sable would hear her sneak downstairs at night, and once or twice, she could hear the sewing machine at work below her bedroom.