My Little Pony: Origins.
Chapter Twenty Four.
Broken.
Cadence looked down at Shooting Star as she rested her head against her mother's side, Cadence smiled and gently placed a kiss on her sleeping daughter's forehead as the train slowly made its way down the mountain.
"We will shortly be arriving at Ponyville. Please take all your belongings with you when exiting the train. Thank you for traveling with Equestria Railway." A voice said over the PA system, Cadence watched as ponies stood up from their seats, some grabbing luggage from the luggage racks.
"Hey... This is our stop sweetie." Cadence gently nudged Shooting Star, nuzzling her at the same time.
"What?..." Shooting sleepily yawned, rubbing her eyes with her hoof, "I was in the middle of a good dream, i found my real mother in it." She yawned again, Cadence put a hoof to her mouth and smiled.
"Honey, it wasn't a dream." Cadence brought her in close, nuzzling her mane, "We truly found each other again." She sang, Shooting Star nuzzled into her fluffy chest, "Come on." Cadence rose from her seat, magic engulfing her memory box. She gently placed it in her saddle bag as Shooting Star zipped up her hoodie. The pair walked towards the nearest set of doors as the outskirts of Ponyville came into view out the windows.
"Mum?" Shooting looked at Cadence, "Can we go see dad first?" She looked down, rubbing her front legs together.
"Of course we can." Cadence replied, gently booping Shooting Star's muzzle.
The train gently came to a stop at the platform, the doors sliding open with a hiss. Ponies spilled onto the platform, Cadence and Shooting Star gently stepped off the train amid the hustle and bustle of the station. The pair trotted along the platform as the train doors closed with a whine.
"So, how did you and dad meet?" Shooting Star looked over at Cadence as they trotted down the platform steps.
"Well." Cadence rubbed her chin, "Short answer is that we grew up together."
"And the long answer?" Shooting Star raised her eyebrow.
"It's... Complicated."
"In what way?" Shooting replied as her and Cadence stepped down onto the ballast.
"I was..." Cadence sighed, "I was his foster sibling." She looked down in shame.
"Ok then." Shooting Star calmly shrugged, Cadence looked at her confused.
"Wait, you're not upset?" Cadence raised her eyebrows.
"Why should I be? You and dad shared no biological connection, its not incest technincally." Shooting took a bite of her sandwich smugly.
"Oh what a relief!" Cadence chirped happily, feeling a huge weight leave her chest, "Lets just say, not everyone was as ok with this information as you were."
"I see." Shooting Star took another bite of her sandwich as the pair trotted past the rusty 43999. Cadence couldn't help but let out a giggle, she wrapped a wing around Shooting Star, drawing her close.
"Your dad is gonna flip when he meets you." Cadence said with glee, squealing like a school girl meeting her favourite pop star as ballast crunched under their hooves.
"David?" Cadence called out as she approached the brakevan's rear platform, "David? You here baby?" She called out again, stepping up onto '642's front platform, opening the cab door, "David, where are you? I've got someone I'd like you to meet." She shouted into the empty cab.
"He's not here Mom." Shooting Star pouted, leaning against the brake van's wooden frame.
"Hmm." Cadence rubbed her chin, "Well David, if you are here, i'll be at Twilight's castle, don't keep me waiting." She stepped down onto the ballast, turning away and slowly trotting back towards Twilight's castle. Shooting Star quietly followed her.
"Before we head to Princess Twilight's castle, can we make a stop by my caravan?" Shooting Star said, looking at Cadence out of the corner of her eye as the pair trotted through the centre of town.
"Caravan?" Cadence cocked her head to the left.
"Yeah, I bought a caravan from some traveling show pony, Roxie. I think her name was?" Shooting Star rubbed her chin as the name eluded her.
"Trixie?" Cadence asked.
"Yes! That's the name." Shooting Star wiped her forehead with her wing, "Come on, I'll show you!" She grabbed Cadence's leg and pulled her along.
The pair weaved through the busy market, getting a few confused looks from the market goers.
"Down here." Shooting Star said, leading Cadence down a side street, towards a worn down caravan, "Ah, here we are, home sweet home." Shooting Star grinned at Cadence.
"It's uh..." Cadence looked at the wagon as the chimney fell to the ground, "Pleasant..." Cadence bit her cheek as the chimney rolled at her hooves.
"I'll give you a tour." Shooting Star smiled, twisting the door handle and forcing the door open.
Cadence followed her up the steps, one snapping under her hoof.
"Watch your step." Shooting Star called from inside, Cadence slowly made her way up the rickety step and her jaw hit the floor as she saw upon the state her daughter lived in, dirty plates and bowls in the sink, junk and wrappers on the floor, boarded up windows, blankets scattered about the bed.
"Why..." Cadence exhaled under her breath.
"Why what?" Shooting Star asked, sitting down on her bed, pulling leggings up her legs.
"Why do you allow yourself to live like this?" Cadence's voice broke, trying to hold back her distress.
"Because i had no choice. The orphanage kicked me out when I was 16." Shooting Star pulled a mustard yellow top over her torso, her wings popping out of poorly cut holes in the sides.
"What do you mean? Weren't you adopted?" Cadence spoke, her face forming an expression of confusion
"I was but..." Shooting Star froze midway into slipping into an overly large dark green trench coat.
"But what?" Cadence put a hoof on her daughter's shoulder.
"But my foster parents are dead." Shooting Star shrugged, looking at Cadence out the corner of her eye.
"But i-i... How?" Cadence sat on the bed.
"When Cozy Glow, Tirek and Chrysalis blew a massive hole in Canterlot Castle" Shooting Star said, putting on a blue-ish brown hat on her head "Come on, let's get to the castle."
"You don't seem that upset about it though." Cadence gave a confused look.
"It happened a long time ago, I grieved for them and moved on. What more could i do?" Shooting Star causally shrugged, grabbing a harness from the wall before leaving the caravan.
Cadence stepped out of the caravan, she looked down at Shooting Star strapping the harness to herself. Cadence jumped down from the caravan.
"Here, let me." Cadence spoke, her horn ignited as she removed the harness from Shooting Star.
"Hey! What gives?" Shooting Star eyed up Cadence.
"I'll pull your caravan," Cadence put a hoof to Shooting Star's chest. The pegasus rolled her eyes, Cadence smiled, kissing her forehead.
"Mom!" Shooting Star embarrassingly groaned.
David stood on a small stone arch bridge that connected both halves of Ponyville. He had a single arm in his jacket against his sore ribs, they were still throbbing in pain after Shining Armor had kicked him. His other arm was at his side, the flash drive gently swinging in the breeze from its chain. The water flowing below was calm like glass.
"Time to end this." David said, looking down at the drive as it now laid in the palm of his hand, "So long buddy." David balled his hand into a fist and threw the drive into the stream, watching it sink to the bottom. David turned away from the water and sat down, his back resting against the side of the bridge, he wiped his face of a bit of dried blood.
"I did as you asked of me father, the virus is destroyed." David smiled weakly, he had finally let go of the last piece of his father he had, "It took longer than expected, but it is done."
"Room for one more?" David heard someone speak, he looked up to see a pinkish-purple unicorn mare with eggshell blue markings running from her chin up to her horn and round the back of her head, her ears were white topped, she had white sock like markings on the lower part of her legs with freckles on her knees and cheeks.
"Sure." David said, shifting over to the right. The mare sat down, pulling out a whiskey flask from her saddlebag. Her horn lit up as she twisted the lid off, taking a drink from it. She looked at the human and smiled, moving the flask towards them.
"Want some?" She shook the flask in her magical grasp.
"No thanks, i don't drink whiskey." David shook his head in disgust, holding his hands out.
"Oh, don't worry, it isn't anything like that. It's ice tea, I just don't have any other flasks at home." She said, screwing the lid on and placing the flask back in her bag, "My name's Starlight Glimmer, what's yours?" She smiled, holding out her hoof.
"David Wyne." He replied, shaking her hoof gently before wincing in pain.
"Are you ok?" Starlight asked with slight concern in her voice as she looked at the pained human.
"I'm fine, i'm perfectly fine." David said, holding his side in pain as he pulled himself up into a standing position.
"You're not fine!" The mare shot up off the ground, "Come along, let's get you checked out." She motioned for him to follow.
"What?! No way, I'm not going to a hospital!" David threw his arms out in front of himself.
"What, no. I have a small first aid kit at my work, it's just around the corner." Starlight pointed forward towards the town centre.
David pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ok, fine.".
"Goodie" Starlight clapped her hooves together,a big grin plastered on her face, she grabbed David's hand and dragged him towards town.
To Be Continued.