A procession of ponies made their way through the streets of Stormhoof, Maple and Starlight bringing up the front with Amber at their side, chatting happily, while Shinespark trailed along a few paces behind. The weather had taken a turn for cloudy while they were in the Immortal Dream, and that had evolved to a windless rain, the city making use of its proximity to the southern mountains to experience weather that changed in a flash.
Valey had no complaints, the lack of sunlight rendering most of the streets dim enough to shadow swim without regard for actual shadows. She paddled along, completely submerged, dry beneath the water and staying beneath Shinespark so she could come up inside the folds of her long raincoat when her lungs needed more air.
"I feel silly," Shinespark mumbled, walking with her head low, ears flat and eyes to the ground, outwardly sullen and boring but really just focused on the ground beneath her. "Starlight and Maple get to share a raincoat because they're Starlight and Maple. You..."
"Am enjoying myself?" Valey whispered back, poking her head up beneath Shinespark's coat to speak, relying on her cutie mark not to get her face stepped on.
"More like are enjoying the view," Shinespark groaned. "I can't believe this is your idea for how to sneak around in public!"
Valey blew a mental raspberry. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm all or nothing. Not really feeling the funk anymore, so congrats. Dunno how that works, but bananas if I'm gonna question it."
Shinespark kept her face straight, glad for the cool air as Valey continued swimming beneath her coat's hanging robe. "So how is this going to work? Are you just taking everything I told you as a license to hit on me whenever you want?"
"Hey. You smooched first." Valey shadow-shrugged. "I figure that means you're cool with it, and I feel like messing around right now." She hesitated. "For real, though, you, uhh... How much do you want to go anywhere with that? Because it seems like you haven't made up your mind."
"I've absolutely made up my mind," Shinespark countered. "I'm not going to die without romance in my life. Knowing me, I might die of embarrassment if I had it. I had no intentions of pressing anything and only told you how I felt because you asked, and I still don't."
"Uh huh." Valey swallowed, her thoughts drifting to Amber. "Well, that's cool, 'cuz I... kinda haven't. Gotta figure out how I feel about a lot of stuff and why I feel that way, since you've clearly put way more effort into this than me. Problems you can't punch, you know?" She flicked her ears. "Don't think that's the greatest thing to try doing in the middle of the road, though."
Shinespark walked on, not deciding to reply.
"So hey, just to be sure..." Valey bobbed beneath her. "That's not saying a hard no, right? Just that anything will be on me to try?"
"No. It's not a hard no." Shinespark looked up enough to see Maple and Amber turn a corner, following directions Gerardo had looked up, then bowed her head again. "It's exactly what you said. I know a lot about patience, Valey. Maybe if you tested that patience enough I'd do something, but I've been fine keeping this to myself. If it would get in the way, that's your decision, and you can make it whenever you want."
Valey hovered beneath the surface for a moment. "Nyeh. Not feeling like big decisions right now. But I'll think about it. Juuust checking."
While Valey and Shinespark quietly talked, Amber and Maple kept up a happier chatter, few pedestrians outside due to the rain to get in their way. "I mean, I still remember the time you froze like a dozen Riverfall mares solid," Amber was saying, nudging Starlight on Maple's back with her eyes. "Your crystals are huge! If you can do all that like this, getting your horn looked at could make you unstoppable!"
"I don't know," Starlight hesitantly replied. "It would probably just let me do what I do now, only without getting as hurt by it. And that's assuming they can fix it, or even know what's wrong. Remember, I'm not a normal filly."
Maple bounced her back slightly, the best sign of affection she could give with Starlight atop her. "That's why we're just going to check," she promised. "To see if they can give us an idea of what's wrong. Stormhoof is big and has griffons and ponies of all kinds, so their doctors should be used to seeing all sorts of different things."
"Errr..." Starlight bit her lip. "I'm not sure what griffon and pegasus doctors have to do with my horn..."
"The point is, we'll find talent!" Amber promised. "Gerardo said this island has a walk-in clinic, so we don't even need an appointment. We'll get you in, get you looked at, and your magic just might get awesome. Look on the bright side!"
Maple sighed. "The bright side is that the weather is good enough at making ponies stay indoors that everyone out here has a place to get to, so no one's standing around and speculating. We might be safe from being spotted and given negative attention, even after all that drama about Wallace."
"Oh, it's getting talked about," Amber promised with a smile. "Trust me. I know about gossip."
"I just hope it'll blow over," Maple murmured, feeling Starlight shift beneath the coat on her back. "Even though Wallace says it'll get worse. And that that's why he did it, so that if the pressure was going to get too high, Valey would be scared off and just quit now."
Amber got a little grin. "Eh, I'm pretty sure she won't. I've got a good feeling about this."
"What did you all talk about, up there?" Maple finally asked. "The three of you were in a room for hours."
"Oh, you know." Amber's grin widened. "The important part? We got Valey feeling better. She's been pretty down about the moon glass stuff." Her grin disappeared. "I know she's told you bits and pieces, but have you ever heard the full story about her past? From before Ironridge?" She looked serious for a moment, taking a pause. "She's... got a lot going on, and we had to make sure she was good to keep going. That mare is insanely resilient, but Shinespark and I are both afraid she's nearing her limit."
Maple's ears folded. "Her limit? Of...?"
Amber sagged. "Of the Empire having it out for her, and worrying about her purpose. But right now?" She winked. "I think she's pretty good. Not the kind of conversation to finish in the street, though."
"Right." Maple nodded. "I think our destination is just two turns away..."