Sprout's Second Chance

Hitch lead Sprout down Maretime Bay's coastal highway, south towards the lighthouse. Sprout spotted a few passers-by glancing down at the sheriff's hooves, several of them giving the pair a soft smile afterwards, likely connecting the dots of the service they had at Mane Melody. For each smile he saw, the stallion felt a bit more at ease.

The pair of ponies came up to the magically renovated 'Crystal Brighthouse', and Hitch turned to him when they got to the front door.

"Alright, now to keep the element of surprise, I'm gonna put this on," he said, producing a black blindfold.

Sprout smiled at him and gave him a nod to let him know it was okay, closing his eyes as Hitch put the thick strip of cloth over his eyes and knotted it securely behind his ears.

"Alright, stairs here, be careful," Hitch told him, guiding him by a hoof on his back. Sprout lifted his hooves up a little bit more, and slowly stepped up three times. He heard Hitch knock on the front door.

Sprout knew they had to have been spotted coming up the road, because the door opened immediately.

"Hey there, Hitch, Sprout," he heard the unmistakable voice of Sunny.

"Hey Sunny. I trust everything is ready?" Hitch asked.

Sunny must have nodded, because the answer didn't come vocally before he heard the mare step back, and Hitch guided him through the front door.

"Oooh, I can't wait for him to see it!" He heard Izzy nearly squeaked as he was led to the right. He heard a door open, and felt the floor beneath his hooves change from tile to carpet to... Foam?

"Alright, let him see it!" Sunny said excitedly.

Hitch's hoof left Sprout's back, and he felt the blindfold around his head loosen, then get gently pulled off. He slowly opened his eyes, and as they adjusted to the lighting, his eyes widened at his surroundings.

He found himself in a large nursery, with a trio of cribs, a changing table, and a playpen area. Nearly the entire floor was covered with interlocking foam tiles. His attention was immediately drawn to the three cribs on the left side of the room; one was painted orange, and had a circular wooden panel with Sunny's cutie mark on it. The second was painted a light purple, and had a similar wooden panel with Pipp's cutie mark painted on it, and last, was a red crib, and Sprout immediately recognized his cutie mark painted on the wooden panel that had been glued on the foot of the bed.

"Really? For me?" Sprout asked, clearly touched.

Sunny immediately nodded.

"Absolutely, Sprout," Sunny told him. "This all started because of you. I got curious as to who Izzy was foalsitting for, then Pipp saw you and me playing together... So you absolutely deserve a place to play here too."

Sprout silently took in his crib for a few moments, before turning back to Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy.

"Wow, I mean... Wow. I don't know what to say, Sunny. Other than, that you are an amazing pony, and an even better friend, and your friends are amazing too. I know that this was supposed to be some 'resetting' punishment for me when it first started out, but it's clearly turned into so much more... For all of us."

Sunny smiled at Sprout as the two ponies hugged each other.

"And don't think I didn't notice the hooficure you've got there. Congratulations, you two. I hope you make each other happy."

They heard the front door open and shut, and Pipp stepped into the nursery a few moments later.

"Oh my gosh, he's finally seen it!" Pipp exclaimed. "I can finally stop holding it in. I am soooo glad we all have a space to share together! Sorry I've been so distant this weekend. I've been crazy busy with a new project, and I'm finally ready to share it with you. I'm starting a new late-night show to explore kinks!"

Sunny's and Hitch's eyes widened as Pipp happily clapped her hooves together at the reveal.

"Really? You sure that's a good idea, Pipp?" Hitch asked her.

"Absolutely. Don't worry, Hitch, I've thought about this very carefully. The sense of discovery that we've all had these past few days, finding out more about ourselves and each other... I want to help others do that. I call it 'Pipp After Dark', and I'm going to cover a wide range of common, and uncommon, kinks and fetishes, not just ageplay. I'll start off with something very simple, like hoof play, or spanking. You know, something common."

Sprout's ears twitched at that, and he felt the determination in him solidify.

"S-So... I'm guessing... That you probably need some volunteers?"