Misty lay wide awake within the guest bedroom provided for her at the Crystal Brighthouse. Sleep was impossible. So much was racing through her mind, none of it good. The initial rush of euphoria that the unicorn had experienced upon finally getting her cutie mark and finally leaving Opaline for good was now gone, replaced by feelings of intense uncertainty, sadness, and most of all guilt.
It all felt so wrong to her. After all that she had done to them directly and indirectly, after she had betrayed their trust, they had forgiven her. They still considered her a friend. And for Misty, these were the first true friends she had ever known. They were not like Opaline, who had only cared about Misty in regards to what she could do for the alicorn. But did they truly trust her? Was all truly forgiven between them just because she had helped them to escape Opaline's clutches?
With an unhappy sigh, Misty threw off her bedsheets and got up. She soon began pacing about the length of the Brighthouse. There was no particular destination in mind for her, she just wanted to do something, anything if it could clear her mind.
As it so happened, the unicorn quickly learned that she was not alone. The familiar voice of Sunny called out to her from the darkness. "What's the matter, Misty? Is something wrong?" And in a moment, Sunny herself was beside the troubled unicorn, showing that big smile she always seemed to have.
Just looking at Sunny was enough to amplify the guilt Misty had welling up inside of her. She turned away and looked down at the ground. "It's nothing, Sunny. I just can't sleep. It's not anything you need to worry about."
Sunny was anything but convinced. "Misty, if this is about Opaline..."
Misty just continued to look down at the ground. "-Sunny, how can you or anypony else ever trust me after what I did? Sparky lost a lot of his dragon fire magic, he might never get it back. Opaline is still out there, more powerful than she's been in who knows how long? For all you know, I could be faking my change of heart. I could still be working for Opaline."
"No, I know you enough to know that your change of heart is sincere," Sunny protested, and then apologized. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you sooner, Misty. My friends and I thought something might be up when you kept acting so strange, but aside from Zipp we all just dismissed it. If we hadn't, maybe we could've helped you leave Opaline sooner and none of what happened at that castle would've happened," She let out a sigh. "But we can't change the past. If we could, maybe my dad would still be here. He'd know what to do in a situation like this. He always seemed to have an answer."
"At least you knew your dad. And you had friends," Misty pointed out. "Before I met Opaline, I had nopony. I don't even know who I was before she took me in," She started to tear up. "And now, it's like I'm starting all over again. I don't know the first thing about myself, about who I truly am. All because I was too blind to see what was right in front of me all along!"
Immediately, Sunny put a hoof around her newest friend. "Hey, come on now, don't think like that," She protested, and slowly lifted up the unicorn's head. The look she gave seemed to convey that she'd seen all of this before somewhere. "It's never too late to start anew. Think of this as a chance to truly define yourself, not as who you used to be but as who you could be. No matter what, you've got friends now. And friends are always there for each other, no matter what."
The unicorn's tears slowly ceased. A small part of her did feel just the tiniest bit better after hearing what Sunny had to say. "Thanks, Sunny, I guess," Still, she sighed and let her head droop. "Please don't tell the others about this. I don't want to be a burden."
"I won't tell them if you don't want to," Sunny agreed. "But I really think you should. I'm sure they'll all agree with me that we need to put what happened in the past behind us. We'd all love a chance to get to know the real you, not the stranger you were before. We're all in this together," Then she pleaded. "Now why don't you try to go back to sleep? Maybe a good night's rest will be just the thing to help you clear your head."
But next morning, even though Misty had indeed managed to fall asleep again, she was still feeling very sorry for herself. Not even a delicious, nutritious breakfast with her new friends could brighten her spirits.
"Hey, come on, Misty," Izzy spoke up upon noticing her fellow unicorn's distress. "Don't be glum. Aren't you glad to have real friends now?"
Zipp protested. "Is this because of what happened with Opaline? I'm sorry if I was so hard on you before. Your betrayal hurt," In a gentler tone she added. "But you set us free and helped us rescue Sparky, so it all evened out, right?"
"I guess," Misty glumly replied, before looking at Hitch. "How is Sparky, anyway? Is he getting better?"
Hitch shrugged his shoulders. "He seems to be. He's still very tired, though. At least that means I don't have to worry about finding a dragonsitter for him while I'm making my rounds."
And Pipp proposed. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up, Misty! Why not come to Mane Melody and let Rocky and Jazz style your hair? Maybe a new mane style will be just the thing to help you feel like a new pony. I know a good mane styling always cheers me up whenever I'm feeling down."
"Ooh, or we could play board games together, just like at our first sleepover!" Izzy excitedly proposed! "You'll like that, I'll bet!"
"Or what about curling up with a nice book?" Zipp suggested.
However, Sunny looked at Misty with a look that suggested she knew something the glum unicorn did not. "Actually, Misty, why don't you do some shopping? The guest bedroom may be yours, but I'll bet it'll feel more like you if you get to decorate it according to whatever makes you feel at home. And when you come back, we can all help you decorate. If nothing else, a little fresh air might do you some good."
Misty took one look at Sunny, and found that any will she might have had to refuse the request had melted away, almost as if by magic. She rose slowly from the table. "...Guess it can't hurt. At least it'll give me something to do." She agreed, though she still hesitantly trotted away as if she feared she might not come back to the Brighthouse, as if Opaline or somepony else was lurking just outside to capture her.
Of course, that wasn't the case. And soon, Misty had left the Brighthouse, much to the shock of all her friends except for Sunny.
Immediately, Hitch turned to Sunny as if he had a sinking suspicion about what she had done. "Sunny, what are you planning?" He questioned her.
"Nothing. I really do want Misty to get out and enjoy all that Maretime Bay has to offer," Sunny sincerely replied. "Although, if what I'm hoping for happens, she's going to meet somepony that I think she'll find very relatable."
Maretime Bay was bustling with ponies from all walks of life: Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns. And all of them seemed to pay little to no attention to Misty as she trotted about.
Yet, suddenly, as Misty happened to trot past a tall building resting by itself on a hillside, an unfamiliar voice suddenly called out to her from afar. "Hey you! I know you! At least, I think I do."
Misty flinched, turning around very slowly as she found herself face to face with a bright red coated earth pony stallion of the same build as Sunny and Hitch. He had a blonde mane and tail the color of straw, sap green eyes, and a cutie mark that depicted a seed that was just starting to sprout into something. The look on this earth pony's face was hard to judge: It didn't seem like he was hostile, but at the same time he didn't exactly appear to be friendly.
At last, it seemed like the stallion had come to a satisfactory conclusion about who he was looking at. "Aha, now I remember! You're that unicorn who just became friends with Sunny, Hitch and their friends, aren't you?" He put a hoof to his chin. "What was your name again?"
Misty gulped, swallowed hard and tried not to look nervous or intimidated. "M-Misty, Misty... Brightdawn." She answered quite slowly, her voice betraying the intended confidence she'd wanted to speak with.
The stallion promptly extended a hoof to Misty. "Well, my name's Sprout Cloverleaf. And yes, I'm that Sprout. The one who was briefly emperor of Maretime Bay. Long story actually, and not one of my finest moments."
"O-oh, y-yes," Misty stuttered as she slowly shook Sprout's hoof. "I... think Sunny and Hitch mentioned you once. I guess I thought you'd be... well... taller."
Sprout snorted. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Most ponies seem to think that I'd have to be somepony really important to be emperor, but I really wasn't," He looked all around. "Really don't feel like talking about it. Yeah, it was kind of my mom's fault for giving me the idea in the first place. But even she eventually realized I'd gone too far and tried to stop me," With a sheepish and guilty look he admitted. "I didn't listen. It was a good thing nopony got hurt because of that. Since then I've just been doing odd jobs. Not exactly glamorous. But hey, it pays the bills."
"So the rumors are true," Misty commented. "I always thought Sunny and Hitch were exaggerating," But then she looked down at the ground. "Guess I'm not one to talk, though. I've done things in the past that I'm not proud of. Things far worse than just declaring myself emperor."
"Haven't I seen you around?" Sprout pondered. "Like before you became friends with Sunny and Hitch? I feel like I saw you once or twice, just hangin' around."
The unicorn nervously backed. "You... you must be imagining things. I'm new to Maretime Bay."
At that, the earth pony stallion with a bright red coat happily exclaimed! "Well why didn't you just say so?! I'd be more than happy to show you the sights! Trust me, there's always something to see and do in Maretime Bay."
Hesitantly, Misty agreed. "I'd... like that very much. Um... i-if that's okay with you."
"Why not?" Sprout shrugged his hooves in indifference. "I've actually got nothing better to do right now. Today's one of my few days off from working," He then gestured a hoof to the building in front of him. "That's actually where my mom used to work: It used to be a factory for Canterlogic. We made products that were supposed to protect us earth ponies from unicorns and pegasi."
Misty gulped anew. "I don't think I like the sound of that!"
Sprout chuckled. "Oh relax, we dismantled all the anti-unicorn and anti-pegasus devices after Sunny brought the crystals together. And soon afterward, Mom decided it best to shut down. If I'm being honest," He said with a wink. "Most of that stuff never worked anyway. About the only thing that ever worked like it was supposed to was the unicorn box, but it worked a little too well. It trapped anypony who stepped into it, including me. I used to do that all the time to get out of doing things when I worked for Hitch."
"Really?" Misty questioned as she couldn't help but giggle a bit.
The earth pony stallion giggled back. "Yes, really. Hitch always gave me an earful afterwards. I could never fool him," Then his happy mood faded as he admitted. "Never quite realized just how many second chances he kept giving me until it was too late," And he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, after Canterlogic closed its doors, Mom put the building up for sale. Nopony would buy it, so Sunny and her friends got permission to come in and remodel it. They turned it into a television and movie studio, and now ponies can use it whenever they want to. Hitch and Sunny used it to do a cooking show, and I really wish they hadn't made it a one time thing because it was so funny!"
"Sounds like you were really close with Sunny and Hitch." Misty guessed.
At that, Sprout remarked. "Well, we grew up together. But if I'm being honest, Hitch was the one who was always playing peacemaker. If it weren't for him," He somewhat reluctantly confessed. "I don't know if Sunny and I would've ever gotten along. Let's just say we had our.... disagreements about pegasi and unicorns. She ended up being right in the end, not that it made accepting her arguments any easier."
Misty stepped back, realizing she might have unintentionally touched a raw wound. "Oh... sorry, I didn't know your friendship was...." She struggled to think of a good word and ultimately settled for. "...Complicated," She then added in a sorrowful tone. "Guess I know what that feels like."
"Hey!" Sprout protested, attracting Misty's attention. "What have you got to be so glum about? You're the luckiest pony in the world to have friends like Sunny and Hitch. Besides, you still haven't seen even half of what Maretime Bay has to offer!" And as he began to trot off he instructed. "Come on, follow me! If we hurry, I think we can catch the next trolley ride down to the bay! Trust me, it's great fun."
Sprout turned out to be right, riding in a trolley down the streets of Maretime Bay was a fascinating and enjoyable experience. It was like nothing Misty had ever experienced before. Sunny had been right when she'd said Maretime Bay was a lively place.
When at last the trolley came to a halt, Sprout grabbed Misty by the hoof and the two departed. Soon, they were overlooking the vast bay that was probably at least partially what had given Maretime Bay its name.
"I always like to come out here," Sprout told Misty as he gazed out into the distance. "Sometimes it's just nice to get away from it all. To be alone with your thoughts," It didn't take long for him to start reminiscing. "Used to be you could come out here, and the lighthouse would be shining its beam across the waves."
"So, what happened to the lighthouse?" Misty questioned.
Sprout briefly flinched, adopting a rather guilty expression. "I damaged it beyond repair when I tried to stop Sunny from bringing the crystals together. That was partially why I got a job in construction, my mom told me it'd be a way to help fix what I'd broken. But instead, Sunny and her friends got that building they call the Brighthouse. It's actually better than the old lighthouse, not that the old lighthouse was bad."
"I guess it's not easy to always be reminded of your mistakes," Misty softly whispered. "At least you learned your lesson, though."
But then the stallion glumly admitted. "Actually, I kind of didn't. After the Brighthouse came around, I quit my construction job and convinced Hitch to let me have one last chance. I promised him I'd be a good deputy," He shut his eyes, remembering events that remained vivid and fresh in his mind. "But I still hadn't gotten over my beliefs about the pegasi and the unicorns. I ended up causing trouble again."
"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." Misty insisted, suspecting nothing.
Sprout could only shake his head from side to side. "It wasn't. It was anything but. At first I thought it was all just harmless fun: Just spraying graffiti on some billboards and getting some animals to block off certain parts of the town," The memories began playing over and over again in his mind. "But things got out of control. I started making earth ponies believe the pegasi and unicorns couldn't be trusted. And as a result, I almost undid all of the progress Sunny, Hitch and their friends had made. When I realized what I'd caused, I tried to run away. It almost worked too."
"So... what happened?" The unicorn questioned Sprout.
"I got caught," Sprout admitted. "But Sunny, Hitch and their friends forgave me. And, slowly but surely, I started realizing that the unicorns and the pegasi weren't all bad. I still don't fully trust them, and I don't know if I ever will," Then he looked to Misty. "But if unicorns are more like you and a little less like that... that... unicycling freak, and more pegasi are like that popstar princess and less like that nosy detective, well... maybe I'd be able to finally look Sunny in the eyes and admit to her face that she was right all along."
Once Sprout had finished getting everything off his chest, Misty put a hoof around him. "I know what it's like to have regrets, to find out that everything you ever knew was wrong," And she willingly confessed. "I was raised since I was a little filly by a pony named Opaline. But she was only using me to grow stronger. She never cared about me, she never treated me with respect. And nothing I ever did was good enough for her!"
"Wow!" Sprout exclaimed, and then asked. "Do Sunny and her friends know about this?"
Misty slowly nodded, once again looking down at the ground. "Yeah, they kind of found out the hard way. I betrayed them, kidnapped Sparky, and got them trapped by Opaline. But that was when I realized what I should've realized a lot sooner. They were my friends, Opaline wasn't. So I set them free, and helped them escape from Opaline," She then sighed. "I got my cutie mark when I did so, and that was when I knew I couldn't stay with Opaline anymore. But she's still out there, because of me," She kicked at the ground in frustration! "If only I'd realized the truth sooner! If only I'd have told them sooner about what was going on!"
Immediately, Sprout pulled Misty close and locked eyes with her. "Hey, that's just the sort of talk I don't like hearing!" He firmly insisted. "Dwelling on the past never did me any good. We don't have to be defined by our past. The best we can do is learn from it and put it behind us. We can't change the past, but we can change the present and the future. I mean it when I say you're lucky to have friends like Sunny and Hitch. I took their friendship for granted once, and it almost cost me their friendship for life. Friends like that, they don't come around very often."
"Sprout..." Misty began, only to be cut off.
Sprout proceeded to press his snout up against Misty's. "You're really the only pony I know I've ever felt comfortable saying such things, talking about my past to," A dreamy look came into his eyes. "I feel like, somehow, we can relate to each other. We've both done things in our past that we regret, things we can't take back even if we wish we could."
The unicorn found herself nodding in agreement. "I... guess so," And sheepishly she added. "I... I think I feel it too. It's... different from what I've felt with Sunny and the others. I feel all... tingly inside."
Sprout snorted and giggled, putting a hoof to his chin. "Yeah, I feel the same way, Misty," And he added. "And that's a lovely name you've got there. It's so... you."
A raging blush formed on Misty's cheeks as she waved a hoof. "Oh, you're just saying that!"
But Sprout only replied by leaning in and pulling Misty into a tight hug, nuzzling into her. "No, I really mean it, Misty. I've never felt this way with anypony before I met you. And I'm glad I have. The two of us, we have a bond that's unlike any other. I don't know if it'll last or for how long, but as long as it exists it's a feeling I never want to lose!"
"Oh Sprout!" Misty exclaimed as her face flushed and her cheeks grew warm. Yet for the first time in her life, she didn't feel so bad: Not about herself, not about her past, not about anything. And from everything Sprout had said and done, she could tell that his feelings for her were genuine. It was stronger than friendship, it was love.
Things seemed to go by in a blur after that, at least as far as Misty was concerned. She was still trying to process these feelings for Sprout, so she paid little attention to everything else as he showed her so many other places unique to Maretime Bay.
It was only once Misty realized how late it was getting that she decided it best to return to the Brighthouse. Undoubtedly, her new friends would start to worry if she didn't come back.
Sunny was the first to notice Misty's change in attitude and posture, it was as if the unicorn had become a completely different pony compared to what she'd been like just hours ago. An almost knowing smile seemed to form on Sunny's face, but all she had to say was. "Welcome back, Misty. You sure were gone for a long time."
"Oh, I was?" Misty blinked, almost as if she'd just realized the fact herself. It wasn't hard to notice her cheeks looking just the slightest shade of pink.
Sunny nodded. "Yes. Izzy in particular was starting to get anxious. She thought maybe Opaline had managed to capture you," Pointing a hoof to Izzy she explained. "It took everything we had to calm her down and assure her that wasn't the case."
Izzy almost bounced over to her fellow unicorn. "Where've you been all day, Misty?! You sure took your sweet time getting some fresh air."
"Did you get lost?" Zipp questioned. "I know that happened to me when I was still new to Maretime Bay. Not my fault I'm not used to seeing things from the sky instead of the ground."
"N-no, I didn't get lost. I was just... busy." Misty answered, but said nothing more.
"Busy with what? Were you seeing somepony?" Hitch asked the unicorn. "You know you're welcome to make friends with ponies besides us, right? You're a part of Maretime Bay, now. And Maretime Bay's a fine place to make friends old and new alike."
Misty sheepishly answered. "I... guess you could say I made a friend of my own."
Pipp then pondered. "Any chance you'd like to tell us who it was? Do we know this pony?"
But Sunny silenced her friends as she said to them. "Hey now, there's no need to put pressure on Misty. We all agreed to give her some space to be herself, didn't we?" Her friends all nodded. "If Misty wants to tell us, she can. And if she doesn't, that's fine too. What matters most is that she's happy now. And if she's happy, we're all happy. Right?"
Izzy, Hitch, Zipp and Pipp all answered in unison. "Yes."
Author's Note
I don't know how strong this ship will be, but I feel like Misty and Sprout truly could find they have things in common with each other and could relate to one another.
I decided to indirectly nod to the events of My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure, which appears to be at least somewhat canon in regards to Sprout and his possible redemption. Yes, I know this is kind of taking some artistic liberties with what we saw of the character in Chapter 4 of "Make Your Mark". But who says Sprout can't have a more vulnerable side, even if he doesn't show it outwardly?
