Of Shooting Stars

Of Shooting Stars

Chapter 5: Obligations

One last squeal, followed by the familiar hiss of pressurized air blasting free, and the cabin doors of the train popped open. Much like a flood, the passengers poured out, washing over the arrival platform. When the crowd had mostly cleared the bottleneck, Twilight finally stepped off the train. Perched upon her back sat Morning Light, wound up like a spring. Once the two finally stood on the wood platform, Twilight let out a sigh of relief, while her daughter gasped excitedly.

Looking up, a castle hung precariously off the side of the plateau. Larger than their own home, the country’s seat of power cast a striking shadow over the city. The filly’s eyes drifted from the majestic flowing architecture to the beautiful towers and bustling cityscape sprawled before them.

“Grandma and Grandpa’s house!” Light pointed to the city at large.

“Yes, we’re in Canterlot.” Twilight paused, mentally scolding herself before she could roll her eyes at her daughter. Even if she had told her over twenty times on the train ride where they were going.

“I wanna go!” Light said, standing on Twilight’s back. She leaned forward to the point she almost fell off, at least until Twilight’s magic wrangled her and forced the filly straight ahead.

“We have to meet your father first,” Twilight reminded—for what felt like the hundredth time. With a hoof against her forehead, she blocked the sun from her eyes and scanned the crowd. “Where is she?” she muttered.

Shortly behind the two, Spike stepped off. His arms crossed tightly, and a stern look plastered on his face. When he came to a stop at Twilight's hind leg, he kicked the air and let out a humph.

“What’s wrong, Spike?” Light asked, leaning off her mom’s back until her head dipped into Spike’s field of view.

“Nothing,” he muttered, averting his eyes.

Twilight looked down her nose at him. “It's been a week, are you still worried about Rarity?”

He puffed out his chest, meeting her gaze with a swelling pride in her eyes. “It's her big day today!”

“And worrying about her won't make it better.” Twilight's ears fell flat as she rolled her eyes.

“Twilight, I’m going to go see her,” he stated, strutting past Twilight, head held high.

She glanced back with a flat look. “Go show off then, see how she appreciates you underestimating her.” After that, she turned her nose up at the dragon.

“Since you won’t help, I’ll have to!” He stomped his foot.

As Spike stomped past her, Twilight followed him with her eyes. “Well, don’t let your love of Rarity make you miss the Wonderbolts show.”

He waved a claw dismissively before joining the amorphous crowd, leaving Twilight and Light adrift. His attitude was simply uncalled for, as far as Twilight was concerned. Infatuation was no excuse for such behavior, simply because she wouldn’t bend to his whims. Before Twilight even voiced her thoughts on Spike’s departure, Light lept up into the air.

“Dad!” the girl shouted then flopped onto the ground, backside first.

Twilight, already hoof outstretched, reached for her daughter to help her back up, but the filly scrambled to her hooves before she even got close. “Dad!” she repeated, thrusting a hoof skyward.

Bringing her foreleg she had just tried to scoop Light up with up to block the sun, Twilight turned her gaze skyward. Among a few pegasus ponies dotting the space above the platform, one stood out. Growing larger by the second, a rainbow streak behind, the pony made a pass over the crowd, garnering a few cheers and gasps.

When Rainbow Dash circled around, she set down in front of Twilight. “Hey,” she said, a wide smirk resting cockily on her lips. Rather than her Wonderbolts uniform—what Twilight expected Rainbow to wear—she instead wore a ragged brown flight jacket with a plethora of patches stitched on its chest.

“Hi,” Twilight replied, taking a deep breath. Between the “no word for a whole week” and that entrance, more than a few pieces of Twilight’s mind jumped at the bit. What took her so long? Why did she showboat when she knew her family was waiting? What’s with that confident smirk and simple “hey” after she had been stuck with their daughter all week and no help? The list certainly went on, but absolutely none of those mattered when something interjected amidst the simmering nag-soup in her brain—something positively perfect for rectifying the situation.

“Daddy!” Light lept up from the ground, wrapping her forelegs around Rainbow’s neck. Twilight covered her mouth, barely blocking a small chuckle as Light dangled from Rainbow’s neck, dragging her down to the ground. But before Rainbow even had a chance to protest, little hooves scrambled for a hoofhold. Soon Light climbed her like a living mountain. Hooves planted into her jacket, yanking and tugging against her skin, Rainbow showed a few winces when Light traversed around her shoulder. Once on the pegasus’ back, Light reared on her hind legs and flopped herself on her father’s head with. A pleased grin shining on her little face.

In an instant, the pressure released like a steam vent. A whole week’s worth of pent-up frustration, mere seconds from exploding, faded; karmic justice now served. Light, pleased as could be, perched atop her chauffeur’s head brought a smile to Twilight’s face and a weight off her shoulders—figurative and literal. “Did you miss daddy?” she asked Light, standing on her tiphooves to look her daughter square in the eye.

“Mmhmm!” Light nodded, her chin smacking Rainbow in the head repeatedly.

Rainbow flinched with each tap against her skull. “I missed you too, squirt.” Her gaze shifted from straight up to Twilight. “And I missed you too,” she added, rearing up slightly to give the alicorn a quick peck on the cheek.

Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Rainbow’s neck, slithering between it and Light’s hind legs. “Me too,” Twilight pressed her cheek to Rainbow’s.

Just as the moment sweetened, however, a sudden bright flash yanked Twilight from her personal paradise. Brow furrowed, she scanned the crowd, finding most gawking and a few cameras at the ready. That was her culprit right there. Another flash and eyes on the three of them were enough to spoil the moment beyond recovery. She yanked her cheek away from her wife’s, warm remnants on her skin begging her to put it back.. “H-how about we get something to eat? I’m famished.”

When Twilight looked back to Rainbow, she found her glaring at the same onlookers, though more overt than Twilight had. That was a luxury Rainbow had over her—princesses simply should not outright chastise their subjects for swooning at her. At least she tried not to.

“Save it for the stunt show! I haven’t seen my family in a week!” Rainbow barked, thrusting a hoof and running it over the gawkers. “Seriously, way to spoil the mood,” she added. All at once, she stepped to Twilight’s side and flicked her tail like a whip at the gawkers. She then spread her wing and wrapped it around her taller alicorn partner’s back before pulling Twilight along. One look at a nervous stallion in her path and the crowd parted, making an out for the small family.

Though the train station was long since left in the distance, the crowds remained thick like a swamp. Amidst the dull roar of ponies chattering, vendors called from stalls on either side of the street. Trinkets and trash along with the alluring aroma of unhealthy food. The charred smell of butter-soaked roasted corn, sensational salted and fried vegetable scents wafting aimlessly, and the delectable pastry fragrance, all beckoning those venturing through the Canterlot streets. “Come hither,” it would call, accompanied by a steamy finger—at least to those famished enough.

Twilight let out a low hum, tongue running across her lips as she spied fried cucumber on a stick. “Why does street food look so good?” she asked, but when she turned to her family, she found both ignoring her. Light too entranced by the sights and sounds of the big city, and Rainbow’s gaze locked forward. A stern gaze resting on the pegasus’ face telling Twilight she wasn’t in the mood for idle chit-chat. “Nevermind.”

"Stupid jerks,” Rainbow muttered under her breath.

“Stupid jerks,” Light repeated while giggling.

“Hey!” Rainbow turned her glare up at the filly atop her head. “Don’t talk like that.”

“Lead by example then,” Twilight corrected with a smug smirk. “Not that you have the worst cursing habit out there.”

Her response came in the form of a tongue stuck out from Rainbow’s lips. Another chorus of laughs from Light soon followed which only made Twilight roll her eyes. After a small smirk spread across Rainbow’s face, the filly’s laughter turned infectious and soon she chuckled herself.

“I don’t like being a spectacle,” Rainbow said, her stern look finally fading.

Twilight leaned into Rainbow’s side. “Wrong career then,” she said, still getting an earful of giggles from their daughter. “And wife.”

Rainbow tilted her head back, Light slipping slightly. “Well, I do, just not all the time. You know?”

Again, Twilight snickered. “Just not when we’re having a moment?”

“Exactly!”

Twilight continued to laugh. “Well, we’re still getting stared at, by the way.”

Once more, a frown appeared on Rainbow’s lips as she rolled her eyes. “At least they’re not taking pictures while we were kissing.” She cringed. “Oh, Celestia, that’s going to be in the papers tomorrow!”

Twilight’s eyes wandered. A few ponies whispered to one another as the family passed followed by awkward smiles and the occasional wave. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” she replied, turning her sights from the busy streets to straight ahead. Though a particular sign jutting out over the road caught Twilight’s attention. Always Sunny it read, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face. Perhaps by memory alone—the mouth-watering smell of toasted sandwiches graces her nostrils. Or maybe the cafe’s food really was so enticing it overpowered the surrounding fried street food. “So about lunch…”

“What about—” Rainbow found herself cut off, the air forced from her lungs.

Without warning Twilight dashed through the gate of a fenced-in patio, yanking Rainbow by her collar. The space packed with ponies enjoying the festivities without care, and yet another a delectable whiff of toasted sandwiches and fried chips. “I haven’t eaten here in ages!”

She set Rainbow down at one of the few free tables. Using her magic, she hoisted Light off her back and sat her in her own seat. “This place has the best paninis and freshly made chips!”

When the world stopped spinning, Rainbow settled her sights on Twilight. Her wife—a princess—clapping her hooves together like a filly. The mental image sold further with a giant smile on her less-than-regal face. “Yeah, because the greasy food is exactly what I need before a big show.”

Hooves stopping mid-clap, Twilight returned Rainbow’s look with a lidded gaze. “It’s a good thing this place has the best boiled potato and fire-grilled parsnips sandwich with sweet corn aioli. Did I mention roasted zucchini slices with a pinch of salt and pepper.”

What started as an annoyed glare shifted as the proposition settled, slowly working its way to playful sort of glare as her eyebrows relaxed. For a moment Rainbow flicked her eyes to a nearby clock and when she returned her sights to Twilight, a smile soon spread across her face. The irresistible blend of sweets and carbs made her mouth water. “If it’s not the literal best I’ve ever had, I’m going to be miffed.”

Hoof to her chest, Twilight feigned a gasp. “You’re expecting it to top mine?”

Rainbow closed her eyes for a moment, hiding an obvious roll under her lids. “If you make one I’ll let you know how it measures up.”

Twilight stuck out her tongue briefly. “I’ll take that as a yes and go order.”

“Thanks.”

Light raised a hoof. “I want—”

“I don’t think they’ll have macaroni and cheese…” A corner of Twilight’s mouth dipped down as she flatly eyed the filly. “I’ll get you a grilled cheese, alright?”

The filly blinked absently for a moment. Her eyes darted around the table before finally giving a nod. “Yeah!”

Head held high, Twilight left the table. “I knew you’d find that agreeable,” she said disappearing inside the cafe proper.

After what felt like ages, she came out from the cafe. Taking a seat at the table, what confidence she had left with fell into a pile as she collapsed in her chair. “They’re out of potatoes, zucchini, the fire-roasted tomato soup I like, and cheese.” Throwing her hooves into the air, Twilight cried "Cheese of all things!”

Rainbow’s gaze shifted from Twilight to their daughter, then back to Twilight. “So did you place an order?”

“No,” Twilight said plainly, dropping her muzzle to the table and covering it with her forelegs. She stared blankly at the table’s center for a few moments. A small twitch just outside her field of vision eventually caught her attention, pulling her eyes over. Light stared back, ear flicking as she mimicked her. The two locked eyes, Twilight’s radiated mild irritation and Light’s filled with hopeless naivety.

“No grilled cheese?” the filly asked, muffled under her hooves.

“No grilled cheese,” Rainbow stated, also muffled. When Twilight turned her eyes to Rainbow, she saw she also buried her muzzle under her legs as well. Unlike Light, Rainbow was clearly mocking. Soon her shoulders rocked as a quiet snicker slithered its way from under her hooves.

In an instant, Twilight sat up, ears standing at attention. “I had my heart set on this place, so don’t tease me.” When she noticed Rainbow, now openly, laughing beneath her hooves, she frowned. Teased and now mocked. Such an injustice would not stand. She puffed out her cheeks and looked to Light, still staring up at her innocently in the same pose. With pursed lips, she took a deep breath.

“Don’t be like that, Twi,” Rainbow finally said, sliding her hooves from atop her muzzle. “Light told me you wanted to spend a few days here, right?”

Twilight nodded.

“We can come tomorrow then when it’s not as busy.” Standing, Rainbow moved to Twilight’s side of the table and placed a wing around her. “For now, how about some ice cream?”

Like a spring, Light popped onto her hind legs. “Ice cream!” she shouted, drawing a few stares from those nearby.

Tapping a hoof to her chin, Twilight hummed. The sweet and creamy texture did picture nicely on her tongue. Though it certainly didn’t hold a candle to a hay-patty melt with tomatoes and daisy petals with a side cup of savory soup. But before Twilight had a chance to mull the idea over, two small hooves grabbed her muzzle.

“Mom, can we?” Light stared deep into Twilight’s eyes, a wide, explosive gaze like she had just seen a firework go off for the first time.

But as sweet as the look was, Twilight narrowed her gaze. “We can, if you get off the table this instant, young lady.”

Suddenly Light’s ears folded flat. Quicker than a flash, she hopped off the table, and just as quickly, the filly turned her pleading sights back to her parents. Eyes bounced with the regularity of a pendulum between Twilight and Rainbow respectively.

The two mares looked at one another, a let out a small chuckle. “That’s a yes, squirt. Let’s go.”

Only a few minutes later, Light, still perched on Rainbow’s back, had a chocolate dipped waffle cone clutched tightly in her little hooves. Her tongue flapped wildly across the glistening frosty surface. Each crazed stroke sent chocolate ice cream chunks splattering everywhere as the filly tried her best to coat every inch of her tongue in the sugary treat.

Twilight looked on with an eyebrow raised. Slowly, she brought a small vanilla filled cone to her lips and delicately licked the frozen cream. Once she tucked away her tongue-full of ice cream in her mouth, she turned her eyes forward. “Where did she learn to eat like that?”

“Have you seen yourself eat a hayburger?” Rainbow took a small sip through a straw of the reddish-purple drink smelling heavily of berries held by her wing.

Twilight nearly choked on the melted cream as she swallowed. “I am not that messy!”

“Not that messy, huh?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “So after you’ve devoured it, where do you think the explosion of ketchup and mustard came from?”

Turning her gaze to Rainbow, Twilight frowned and a small groan slipped through her lips. “Way to ruin my comfort food. Now I’m totally going to act self-conscious every time I eat in public.” Her eyes dropped to the ground for a moment as they continued to move through the city. Disgust wormed its way up her spine before she shook her head, flinging the lingering thought free for the time being.

“You asked.” Rainbow shrugged, taking another sip from her smoothie. After she swallowed, she nudged Twilight with her opposite wing and smirked. “So, changing the topic, how’d your speech turn out?”

The question hit, and Twilight tilted her head from the impact. “It’s, um,” she scratched her face, “satisfactory.”

Unwittingly, Rainbow let out a single laugh. “You sound so confident.”

“It came together much better when Spike and Starlight helped take Light off my hands.” She cleared her throat. “I know ponies will like it, but I recognize it’s not my best work.” Eyes trailed down as Twilight took another lick from her ice cream. The smooth vanilla flavor melted on her tongue, spreading across it until she finally swallowed the cream remnants. “It’s just a festival. Not exactly a time to unite the country, you know?”

Once more, Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, you’re just giving a speech to kick off a show your wife’s been preparing for a few weeks. No big deal.”

Twilight chewed her lower lip. A twang of pain pierced her heart, tugging it down in her chest. “When you put it that way…”

Again, Rainbow tapped Twilight with her wing. “I’m teasing you. I know it’s not a huge deal. To be honest, Spitfire threw together parts of older routines to make the one we’re doing.” As she spoke, she tilted her head back, looking to the crystal clear sky above. “It’s not groundbreaking, but it looks good and has some crowd pleasers.”

“As long as ponies like it, right?”

“That’s what matters.” As they walked, Rainbow let her eyes drift closed. She tilted her head slowly until a pop was heard. “Anything else happen this week?”

“My mother stopped by,” Twilight said, turning her gaze away from Rainbow. Slowly she leaned into the pegasus’ side.

But as soon as Twilight said Velvet stopped by, Rainbow’s shoulders and neck went stiff as a board. She gulped and cleared her throat. “That’s cool.”

A low groan cut the air between them for just a moment when Twilight rolled her eyes. “My mother doesn’t hate you.”

“No,” Rainbow replied, strangely upbeat. “She just doesn’t like me very much.”

Again Twilight chewed her lower lip. “Any dislike she really doesn’t have for you has nothing to do with Light.”

Suddenly the filly’s ears perked up. “What’re you talking about?”

“Nothing. Eat your ice cream,” Twilight and Rainbow both replied in unison.

Once Light was entranced by her ice cream, the two continued their conversation. “Of course not.” Rainbow let out a hard chuckle. “I’m pretty sure she hates me because she thinks I’m a lousy parent. You know, let’s add wife to that list too because I’m sure she thinks I suck at that too.” Her tone fell flat.

“She’s opinionated.” Twilight turned her nose up. “Just like you.”

Just then Rainbow cringed. “Don’t compare me to your mom, please?”

Twilight cracked a small smile, leaning into Rainbow’s side and rubbing her cheek against the mare’s mane. “I think she’s critical because she sees so much of herself in you. Just without the same married experience.”

When Twilight took her cheek away, Rainbow looked to the sky once more. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anyway,” Twilight started, pulling Rainbow’s gaze from the sky, “Talking with my mom helped. I’ve thought about what you asked the last night you were home.” A single drip from her ice cream ran the length of the cone. At the bottom, the stream pooled until a lone drop broke free and fell to the ground. “When you asked if I wanted another just to keep you home, I realized I want one because I want one. I don’t feel like our family’s complete yet.”

Narrowing her eyes, Rainbow looked away. “I really don’t want to talk about this right now. I’ve got a show soon…”

After a quick lick of her ice cream to clear away the drip, Twilight’s lips twisted in a frown. “Have you thought about it at all?”

“Not really.”

Once again Twilight turned her nose up. “I find that hard to believe.”

“You said you wouldn’t bug me about this.”

“I’m not,” Twilight clarified. “I was simply answering your question and you got defensive.”

Suddenly Rainbow held up a hoof. “Let’s stop. It’s been a week since we’ve seen each other. I don’t want to have a fight.”

Twilight sighed. “I didn’t think we were, but alright. Let’s drop it.”

The two looked around the thinning streets. Crowds weren’t as thick now that they had walked far from the train station and street vendors. The signs on the shops resembled saddle bags, dresses, and hats rather than the cafes and tourist shops centered at the city gates. Twilight tapped her chin. “I think Rarity’s shop was around here.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. A few hoity-toity ponies caught her eyes, each with their heads held high and sporting flowing dresses or suit jackets. “When did we even get into the fashion district?”

“Not sure,” Twilight said, eyes scanning the sparse crowd a little lower than usual in hopes of seeing a green head-fin zipping about. When she saw neither hide nor scale of Spike, she let out a low sigh. “Since we’re here we should stop by and see Rarity.” She pointed down a side street, one where the roar of a crowd grew louder. Peering down, the street was definitely busier, and the few shops visible boasted colorful and sparkling displays of their latest wares in the window. “She should be the next street over if I recall.”

Rainbow glanced down the side street, and then back to Light. The filly met her gaze and smiled with her chocolate-coated lips. “I take it Spike ran off as soon as you guys got here to go see Rarity?” Rainbow asked, a smirk spreading across her face.

Light nodded while Twilight rolled her eyes. “That obvious?” she asked, motioning down the side street with an extended hoof.

Rainbow shrugged. “Well, he wasn’t with you, and you didn’t seem bothered by that, so I just kinda assumed.”

The three stepped down the short side street, soon cutting over into another main road. This one was a bit larger, easily fitting two carriages on either side. The cobblestone that composed Canterlot streets worn smooth from travel beneath them, almost slick from the dirt collected on it. But despite the road showing its age, the buildings all boasted fresh paint, flashy canopy fabrics, and streetlights lined with banners boasting a veritable rainbow of fall colors.

Twilight raised her nose high, breathing deep the rich bouquet, a fragrance that made her heart flutter with nostalgia. The air, once suffocatingly thick with the scents of street food—not entirely unwelcomed earlier—now expressed depth her nose hadn’t experienced in ages. Distant fire-roasted aromas now accented the cool, fall air. A sweet mixture of leaves and grass that melded with spices seemingly from nowhere that foretold ponies, deep down in their bones they knew, winter was slowly, but surely coming.

A delightful twang caught her ear, making it twitch—a guitar, and soon drums joined. Further up the road, a finely dressed band assembled on a makeshift stage, drawing awestruck smiles from even the upper crust crowd they found themselves playing for.

Not even realizing, Twilight grabbed Rainbow by the foreleg and pulled her towards the band. “Come on, I want to watch!” What should have been a simple task—pulling Rainbow—Twilight found difficult as the pegasus was like a boulder.

“I thought you wanted to go check on Rarity and Spike?” Rainbow asked.

Her once perked ears fell slightly as a frown formed on Twilight’s lips. She turned her eyes from Rainbow back to the stage. “They can wait a few minutes, right?.”

Using Twilight’s grip, Rainbow tugged her back, causing Twilight to jerk in her direction. When she looked at Rainbow, the pegasus stuck out her tongue. “I don’t think the band is going anywhere, Twi.”

Twilight sighed. “You’re right.” Putting a smile on her face, she scanned the shop signs. “Let’s go make sure Spike isn’t bugging Rarity too much.”

But as she scanned, something caught her eye. Ponies jerked violently up the street, as though shoved by some invisible force. Twilight and Rainbow both cocked an eyebrow as the wave of pony shoving drew closer until there were no ponies left to shove. When the last one bumped out of his way, Spike plowed through the crowd, huffing and puffing at the same intersection Twilight and Rainbow stood. His eyes flicked between the two side streets as he chewed on his lower lip.

“Spike?” Rainbow finally asked.

Light poked around her dad’s head and waved her hoof. “Spike!”

It took a moment for the words to reach the dragon, worming their way through his distraught state. When they did, he stood straight up, eyes locking to his family. In an instant, he flashed a big, relieved smile. “Twilight! Rainbow!” he cried, running towards them. Without missing a beat, he hugged Twilight’s foreleg, but rather than leaning in, he leaned back on his heels. “Rarity needs your help!”

Twilight glanced to Rainbow, keeping her eyebrow raised. When she looked back to Spike, she picked the dragon up in her magic. “What happened, Spike?”

“I told you!” he said, a glare now resting on his face. “I told you and you didn’t believe me! She needed our help and now it’s bad!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yes!” He crossed his arms. “Now will you help her?”

Twilight looked over at a confused Rainbow before rolling her eyes again. “We were on our way to see Rarity anyway, so we’ll find out what this is about.” After that, she flipped Spike over her head and dropped him on her back.

“Hurry, she doesn't have much time!” Spike yelled, pointing through the crowd he just plowed through.

Twilight—skeptically—and Rainbow—confused—both unfurled their wings and took to the air, bound for Rarity’s shop.