Brighter Dawn

by Luminous Comet

Chapters

Restless
Taste of Freedom
Artists
Perspective
Work It
Balance

Restless

Misty! Come here right now!

What did you do this time, Misty?

Sloppy as always, Misty.

Misty...
...Misty!
...Misty!?...

MISTY!

Misty started up, halfway tripping over the cushions before one hoof slid off the couch and sent her stumbling to the floor. She quickly picked herself up, getting tangled in the light blanket.

"I-I'm right here, Opaline! I'm..." Her head spun, but realisation sunk in quickly. This wasn't her room and Opaline wasn't calling her.

Opaline wasn't here. She left.

Dimmed light was cast over her sleeping arrangement, from the candle halfway burnt down on the table. A clock ticked faintly in one of the distant corners, where the only light was from the stars outside the window.

She sighed and pulled the blanket the rest of the way off of her, putting it back onto the couch. In her drowsiness, she remembered her magic halfway through and used the glow of her horn to pick up the cushion she had inadvertently kicked to the floor as well.

It was still nighttime. She was supposed to sleep, but her mouth was dry and that feeling sat in her withers, that restlessness that didn't let her find comfort. She used to sneak out to the washroom when this happened, all the way down, past Opaline's chambers, careful not to wake her and make her mad.

The washroom in the Brighthouse was halfway up the stairs. She could spot the door from here. However, it was also halfway into the bedroom, with no door between them. Which probably meant she was far more likely to wake somepony. But the dryness was making it hard to swallow and she already caught herself pacing around the table while she was debating with herself.

Slowly, she crept up the ramp, careful to lightly place her hooves and keep them from clopping to not wake anypony. She kept her ears sharp, trying to listen for anything from upstairs. It was all silent now. No rustling, nopony talking in their sleep. Opaline talked in her sleep. Misty never questioned it, or whether anypony else did, until recently.

She managed to get to the washroom door without making any noise and sighed silently in relief, reaching for the doorknob. Suddenly, it opened on its own, away from her outstretched hoof, and she nearly stumbled forward following after it. She caught herself on crossed hooves and her surprised yelp in her throat, managing to stifle it into a squeak.

"Misty?"

She sunk back a little, squinting against the light flooding out of the room and framing the pony standing on the other side of the door.

"S-Sunny! I-I'm sorry, I was, uh..." She quickly stepped back, keeping her voice low, trying to fish for an excuse, until she just defaulted to the truth, casting her eyes down. "I... was thirsty."

Sunny chuckled softly as she also stepped out of the room, leaving the light on. "That's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't?" Maybe she was still sleepy, but somehow it came as a surprise.

"Of course not." Sunny smiled, but her eyelids drooped a little. Between that and her messy, unbraided mane, it was obvious she had just rolled out of bed same as her. "Are you sleeping alright? I can bring you another blanket if it's too cold."

"No, no, I'm fine," Misty quickly assured her, slipping past her into the washroom. The last thing she wanted was for anypony to think she was being picky. "Sorry. Good night." She quickly closed the door and breathed a silent sigh.

"Okay... good night," Sunny's voice came muffled through the door.

"Misty!"

She started up with a yelp, getting caught in the blanket and tumbling onto the floor when the couch proved too narrow to quickly roll over. She blinked her eyes rapidly as something moved into her vision, long curls hanging over her like a curtain.

"What do you want on your pancakes!?"

"What?" Misty squeezed her burning eyes shut and slowly squinted them open, looking at the pony leaning over her.

"Pancakes," Izzy repeated brightly. "Do you want powdered sugar, or whipped cream, or syrup, or fruits, or peanut butter, or everything?"

"Uh... sugar?"

"Okay!" Izzy skipped over her and started prancing towards the kitchen corner. "She said sugar!"

"Izzy, I said see if she's awake, not yell at her," Sunny's voice came from the same direction, equal parts amused and chiding.

"Whoops. Sorry, Misty!"

She picked herself up and quickly set the cushions and blanket back down neatly, before running a hoof over her mane, making sure it all fell over her right shoulder. "That's okay. I'm good, I'm awake." She made her way over to the table and sat down near one of the corners while Sunny was still stacking pancakes onto plates.

Gradually, the table filled, plates and bowls being set down, while Pipp and Zipp joined them from upstairs. And just when everypony was getting ready to start, Hitch arrived with Sparky to join them. Within moments, they were all eating and chatting, and naturally taking turns entertaining the dragon.

All except Misty, who quietly sat by, snatching up pieces of conversations from one side of the table or the other, trying to keep her concentration to not drop the fork from her magic, before eventually giving up and eating her stack by hoof, one cake at a time.

Breakfast had never been like this. It was eating cold food in silence, in her room, or with Opaline on the days where she tolerated it. And as long as she stayed quiet, didn't chew too loud. By contrast, the buzz of voices and laughter, the warm, fluffy texture of the pancakes, the sunlight streaming in from the window behind her, it was surprisingly comfortable. Slowly, her mind drifted, her eyes closed as she faded away into the warm comfort of her surroundings.

"Uh, Misty?"

Her head shot up from the table and half a pancake softly plopped back onto her plate from the side of her face. She needed a moment before she realised everypony was looking at her. She smiled sheepishly, trying to sink away into the cushions.

"Did you not get enough sleep?" Hitch asked, while taking Sparky off the table before he got to the rest of her plate.

"N-no, I mean - yes! I-I'm fine, really," she tried to argue, sitting up a little more in a posture that she hoped would make her seem more awake.

"Is that why you have powdered sugar all over your face?" Zipp asked more flatly.

Misty hurriedly scraped her hoof over her mane, making sugar gently snow onto the bench. "No, I, uh... I just couldn't..." She sunk away again, feeling the guilt of failure already gnawing on her. "I couldn't stay asleep. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" Zipp pressed, furrowing her brow.

"Is it the beacon?" Pipp questioned, before Misty could really think about it. "Do you want to borrow a sleeping mask?"

"The beacon doesn't reach all the way down here," Zipp pointed out, gesturing at the solid ceiling.

"I knew the couch wasn't the best idea," Sunny admitted, "It's a little too stiff for naps."

"Really? I think the couch is great!" Izzy jumped in.

"Just because you can sleep everywhere," Sunny said with a short laugh. "I don't think just anypony can fall asleep in the garden, either."

Misty felt the tension in her shoulders slip away, as the admonishment she had expected didn't come. It returned briefly as Sunny turned back to face her again. "Sorry, Misty. We'll try to make it more accommodating for you."

"N-no, no, you don't have to," she tried to argue.

"Sure we do! Everypony needs a good night of sleep," Hitch responded quickly. "We offered you a place to stay, so it's our responsibility to make sure you get yours."

"Lack of sleep will lead to so many other issues. You gotta keep up your rhythm," Pipp added matter-of-factly.

"How was your sleeping situation before?" Sunny asked.

"Well, uh..." She visualised what had been her room until a night before. The empty walls, the single small window, the little rickety shelf, filled with few belongings, most of which were now stuffed into the old satchel resting next to the couch. And... "I guess it was like a really big cushion."

"And... that was comfortable?" Zipp questioned.

That should be enough for you, Misty.

"It was enough for me."

"Oh, my bed is kinda like that!" Izzy said excitedly, scooping a generous helping of whipped cream onto her last pancake. "You wanna try sleeping there?"

"Would that really be okay?" She felt the tension slip away from her again, looking at Izzy excitedly. The unicorn nodded and hummed her approval through her full mouth, whipped cream clinging to her cheek.

"But, uh, maybe clean up a little first," Pipp said gently, turning her compact mirror so Misty could see her reflection, and the mass of powdered sugar still clinging to her coat and mane, like she had lost a snowball fight.

The bedroom of the Crystal Brighthouse was... bright. Of course the sun had come up now, but the rainbow lights coming down from the gallery were just as luminous. But somehow Misty already knew the light wouldn't be keeping her awake. After all, she managed to fall asleep sitting upright at the table.

Between the poor night of sleep and the stress and excitement of the last couple of days - her cutie mark, betraying and slipping away from Opaline, then sneaking all the way back here - her steps up into the bedroom were heavy and her body was ready to slump down and curl up.

After making sure she wouldn't drag any sugar into Izzy's bed, she approached and looked over at her new friend, just to make extra sure again. Izzy gave her a wide smile and gestured at the suspended mound of cushions and pillows with an open sweep of her hoof.

The bed wasn't at all like what she'd slept on before. It was big, fluffy, and colourful. There were more pillows than she would have ever guessed a single pony would need. Was it really okay for her to be indulging like this? Did even Opaline's bed look this comfortable?

Misty reached up and pulled herself onto it. It swayed slightly and the round mattress gave way under her hooves. When she carefully sat down, her body sunk in just a little bit, like she was resting on a mound of snow. Except it was somehow warm. So not actually like snow at all. She was sleepy.

"It's so soft..." she muttered, her eyes already falling closed. "You sleep here every night?"

"Oh, most nights. Or days. Sometimes I fall asleep in my workshop. Or when I find some really comfortable shade. Or on the couch. But most of the time, I'm supposed to sleep here." Izzy levitated one of the pillows and nudged it between Misty's forelegs. "You can just use it if it's more comfortable."

"What? No!" She sat up again halfway. "I can't just take your bed. I'll find something else."

"Hey, no rush. There's enough room for both of us."

Stop that annoying cuddling, Misty. You're not a foal anymore.

Nightmares or not, this is my bed and you have yours. Shoo.

"Both of us? Is that okay?"

"Duh! It's always okay to snuggle with your friends!" Izzy jumped onto the bed, making the hook it was suspended on creek quietly as it swayed again, though its weight kept it relatively stable. She slumped down next to Misty and put one hoof over her withers, gently pushing her to lie down again.

"Always?" Her eyes drifted closed again, the added warmth from Izzy being so close starting to lull her back into drowsiness.

"Sure," Izzy said more softly. A blanket draped itself over them. "I'll just stay here until you're asleep, okay?"

Are you falling asleep, Misty!?

Daylight is wasting, get out there and get me that dragon fire!

Misty!
Misty...
...Misty...

Taste of Freedom

Misty stretched slowly and yawned, curling back up under the blanket and pulling the pillow close to her chest. She laid there for a little while, slowly coming to while dozing, instead of suddenly startling awake. There was a breeze from an open window, but it only touched her mane, with most of her coat covered. Some rustling and the occasional clopping of hooves meant somepony else was in the room with her, near one of the other beds.

Not Opaline. She wasn't here. Only her friends.

After a moment of trying to lie still and shake off the tension, she instead sat up and stretched one more time, before looking into the room. The other beds were empty, but she could see movement beside the next one over. Zipp came into view, pacing with a thoughtful look on her face, before pacing almost back out of view, until she noticed Misty.

"Hey. Looks like you got a few hours after all," she said casually, trotting over towards her.

Misty slowly got up, the bed swaying again as she skipped off of it onto the floor. "A few hours? Really?"

"Yeah, it's past noon. Everypony else already headed out. We still have most of the day, though. What do you wanna do with it?"

"Huh? Me?" She looked up to the open windows behind the seating area, looking out over the sea. So far, she'd just gone with whatever was happening. Whatever Opaline told her to do, whatever her friends invited her to. "I... don't really know."

"Well, no pressure. You can just hang out for a while." Zipp shrugged and headed behind her desk again.

Misty slowly made her way over, following her and peeking around the corner of the pegasus' elevated bed. "Um, so... what are you doing?"

"I'm just reorganising my clues. I always do that after I get a major piece in place. Plus, I have some running investigations from around town." While she explained, Zipp moved a bunch of notes around on her desk, arranging a few on a board behind her desk, a rough drawing of Opaline in the middle.

"Can I help?" Misty asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the drawing.

"Thanks, but I kind of like doing these steps by myself. Helps me go through everything again in my head." She dropped a few papers into the bin and quickly wrote up a new one. "If you're bored, you could go and check on everypony else. Hitch is down at his office, Pipp is at the salon, Sunny is working her stand, and Izzy went out to work on... something."

Misty looked past her out the window again. Now that she didn't feel as tired anymore, she started to feel antsy. Just lying around didn't feel right, not when she still had so much to make up for. "Okay. I'm gonna go find them." She turned and started cantering to the stairs, but slowed down before she got there. "If... I'm not bothering them," she said more to herself as she started to head down.

Over the course of multiple infiltrations, Misty had gotten a good idea of the town's layout. If Sunny's stand was on Mane Street, where it usually was, it would be closest from the Brighthouse. So she headed down the road and quietly moved through the thin crowd of ponies, until she passed under the bridge and the smoothie stand came into view.

A small line was already waiting in front, but Sunny worked fast and kept it moving, keeping up her friendly smile the whole time, taking a moment to chat whenever the order took a moment longer. Misty quietly stood nearby and watched, uncertain about whether she should approach her right now, while she was busy.

"Excuse me. Are you in line or not?" Misty looked over her shoulder, following the stern voice, directly faced with a yellow earth pony, her pink mane tied back, almost glaring at her.

You're in the way, Misty. Don't just stand there.

She quickly took a few steps aside. "N-no, I'm sorry."

The earth pony scoffed quietly as she moved past her to join the line. "If you're going to space out, at least stand aside."

"Sorry," Misty repeated quietly, wandering a little further away to sit by one of the open tables. She rested her head on her hoof and watched the line move, but replenish at about the same pace. A breeze picked up from the sea and blew past her across the street, picking up loose leaflets and sending them tumbling through the air.

Misty turned to look out over the ocean, stretching far towards the horizon. In the distance, she could make out another shore, but so small and partially swallowed by perspective she couldn't begin to guess whether it was a small island or a whole other place. The air was fresh and the wind was welcome with the sun directly overhead.

She didn't have this kind of view from the tower. Just forests and mists as far as the eye could see. Not that the small window in her room ever gave her a good view regardless. The glass was a coloured mosaic, not the best for seeing through. And it didn't open properly, which also made the air in the chamber pretty stuffy.

Misty took a slow, deep breath of the ocean breeze. The small undercurrent of fish aside, it was clean and refreshing. And these ponies could breathe this air the whole time. And drink delicious smoothies. She looked back to the stand again, finding Sunny serving the last pony in line. Maybe now was a good chance.

Getting back up, she wandered back over again, quickly looking aside to make sure she didn't get in anypony's way again, before stopping in front of the service window. "H-hey, Sunny."

"Misty!" Sunny smiled as she rested her forelegs on the counter to lean out a bit. "Were you able to get some sleep?"

"Y-yeah, thank you." She shifted on her hooves, struggling for what to say. "I thought I'd go for a walk. How, uh... how's business?"

"Going well. I've gotten a bunch of new ingredients from Bridlewood, now that ponies travel back and forth more frequently. Do you want to try some?"

"That sounds great, but... I don't really have any bits on me." Not that Opaline ever gave her any before, either. The only ones she'd had available were the few she'd managed to scrounge together with less wholesome methods during earlier visits to town.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I always have some extra for my friends," Sunny waved off, already getting to work with her blender, adding chopped fruits together with herbs and ice. Misty wanted to argue, but she bit her lip. Every other smoothie she'd had before had been a small revelation.

This is no time to drink vegetables!

Sunny filled the smoothie into one of her cups and held it out to Misty, who seized it in her magic, levitating it over, already licking her lips before carefully drinking through the straw. The slightest hint of bitterness hit her tongue, immediately washed away by the natural sweetness and the refreshing taste of herbs. The aftertaste lingered, not oppressively, but like a faint reminder.

"So?" Sunny asked expectantly.

"It tastes like... freedom." She smiled wide and took another long sip.

"Freedom, huh? That might not be a bad thing to put on the menu. What did you call my jicama smoothie again?"

Misty tilted her head, trying to remember over the sound of her own slurping. "Happiness?"

"Right! Maybe they could all use some positive nicknames like that. Oh, do you think the foals would like that?"

"I... don't know. I haven't really known any foals. Except myself. Back when I was one. Which was a while ago. You know." She quickly put the straw back between her lips to stop rambling and avoided eye contact as Sunny giggled brightly.

"Sure, I know. Well, let me know if you want to try another one. I'd love to hear what you come up with for the rest."

Misty found herself snickering lightly as well. "Thanks. I promise I'll pay you back. Eventually."

Another short moment passed. She wanted to say something else, something more substantial. Something that expressed how genuinely grateful she was, for a lot of things, but in the moment she just couldn't find the words. And as she glanced up, she noticed Sunny fidgeting as well, before redirecting the energy to quickly wiping down her small counter. She wasn't sure how long that silence would have lingered if somepony hadn't come in to break it.

"Good afternoon, ladies. Enjoying the beautiful weather?" Hitch said confidently, striding up to the stand, Sparky perched on his back.

"Afternoon, sheriff," Sunny returned, quickly starting to mix a few ingredients. "How go your rounds?"

"Mostly quiet so far, nothing but a few casual disputes, the usual." He accepted the smoothie cup when Sunny handed it down to him and took a quick sip. "I just need to finish my round of Mane Street and the boardwalk, then I can start on the paperwork."

"Can I help?" Misty asked before she could stop herself. Hitch and Sunny briefly exchanged a glance.

You should know when you're not wanted, Misty.

"I mean, sure, I don't mind you keeping us company," Hitch said with a shrug. "Right, Sparky?"

The dragon had climbed up Hitch's mane and was balancing on his head, reaching one tiny claw out for the piece of fresh fruit Sunny was holding out to him. Once he had it, he tumbled back down, off the side as Hitch tilted his head to guide him into his waiting foreleg. With a bubbly chortle, he started gnawing and sucking at his snack.

Misty smiled as she watched him, relief mixing into her cocktail of feelings. He had been so weak before, but already he was so energetic again. She trotted up to them and put her empty cup into the bin next to the stand. "Thank you. I'll be useful, I promise."

"Alright, then we're off. Have a good day, Sunny!"

Misty quickly said goodbye to Sunny as well and followed Hitch as he continued down the street. She waited as he took another long sip through his straw and let the tram car pass by them, before she softly cleared her throat. "So... what are we doing?"

"Watching for trouble," Hitch said seriously, before breaking into a smile. "Or anypony who needs some help. It's fairly quiet most days. My job is to maintain order and help out wherever I can. We rarely get any actual law-breakers."

"Except me," Misty said quietly, looking down at her hooves. They walked in silence for a few more steps and she felt the tension build in her withers again.

"Misty, listen. It would be a lie to say nopony blames you for anything. But you ended up making the right choice. And in Maretime Bay, we--"

"Sheriff!" Before Hitch could get to his point, a small foal came galloping up, pointing his hoof behind him. "Sheriff, can you help us?"

Hitch and Misty both followed the point of his hoof. At the street corner, two more foals stood beneath a tree, looking up at a small colourful thing, its ribbons tangled with the branches. "Our kite got stuck!"

"Well, duty calls. Come on." Hitch lightly bumped Misty's shoulder with his hoof and headed towards the tree with the foal. Misty only slowly followed, watching the foals swarming him and all asking for his help, while he looked up at the branches, rubbing his chin in thought.

She stopped a few paces away, thinking about what he said, even though he didn't quite finish. She did make the right choice. Didn't she? Being honest with her friends, helping them when they needed her, cutting ties with Opaline... That last one tightened her chest. She knew Opaline was wrong, for what she was trying to do. But would she hate her now, even if these ponies didn't?

They were doing so much for her, too. Would she just be indebted to somepony else? How could she hope to repay their forgiveness, and letting her stay at the Brighthouse, their generosity, and helping her earn her cutie mark and, with that, her magic?

"Oh!" She perked up and hurried up to the tree, which Hitch was standing up against, trying to reach one of the ribbons with an outstretched hoof, while Sparky was clinging to his mane. "Wait, I think I got this!" Her horn lit up and she managed to seize the ribbons with her magic grasp. A careful tug one way or another proved useless, with how tangled they were, so she narrowed her eyes and tried to focus, the tip of her tongue between her lips.

She moved one ribbon first, by the end, making it loop back around the branch, then another, gradually untangling them until she could levitate the whole kite away from the tree and safely move it down into one of the foals' waiting hooves, to their adorable cheers.

"Thanks, lady!" one of the other foals said, running up and pressing herself against Misty's chest in a quick hug, before the three of them all went galloping off, calling their thanks to her and Hitch. Misty watched them leave, weaving past other ponies, an involuntary smile on her face.

"Good job, deputy," Hitch said as he trotted back up again. Sparky chortled quietly as he watched the kite flutter and disappear in the crowd.

"Thanks." She smiled sheepishly and slowly started walking again alongside him. "It feels good to help. But there's so much I don't know about how ponies live here. I don't really know where to start."

"Well, you started already. Give it some time, you'll get a feel for how things work around here. When pegasi and other unicorns first moved here, we all needed an adjustment period. You'll find that most ponies will be patient with you."

"And most of them don't know what I've done," she said quietly, watching the ponies they passed. There were mostly earth ponies, but she did see other unicorns among them as well, and occasionally a pegasus flying past overhead, or gliding alongside somepony they were chatting with.

"Do you know what we do with criminals in Maretime Bay, Misty?"

She tensed up and walked straight, not looking up at him. "No."

"Rehabilitation." He gently stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder. "Even when somepony does wrong, we find out why they did what they did. And then we find a way to help them, so they can live happily again, with everypony else."

Misty carefully peeked up at him past her mane. He was looking down at her, with a calm smile. On his back, Sparky had one claw in his mouth, looking between the two of them.

There's just no fixing you, is there?

"And you think I can... reha... you think I can do that?"

"I think you already did." They held eye contact for a long moment, before he glanced aside, then back to her. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Of course."

He picked Sparky up and held him safely up towards her. "I need to grab some food for my critters and Sparky gets kind of out of control when I take him into the store. Can you watch him for a minute?"

Misty quickly took Sparky into her own foreleg, since he started slowly toppling forward, reaching out towards her, before she looked up again. "You... trust me with Sparky?"

"I do. And I won't be long. Just keep him entertained, I'll be right back." He gently nudged Sparky's head and turned to head into one of the stores lining the side of the street.

Misty looked down at the little dragon and was met with his wide eyes and excited smile, his tiny claws grabbing at her chest fluff. She quickly looked both ways down the road and took a few steps closer to the walls, away from the hoof traffic, and sat on her haunches.

"Okay. Just watch after Sparky for a minute. No problem. Just stay right here and hold him."

Bring me...
...dragon fire!...
...bring it to me!
Misty!

She quickly shook her head. "No. No, I'm not letting Opaline anywhere close to you ever again," she said firmly and smiled down at Sparky. Her smile slipped as he put his claw to his mouth, his little body twitching slightly, a tiny squeak escaping him.

"Oh. Oh no, do you have hiccups?" She quickly looked around, to see if anypony was watching them. "Um, uh, what do you do about hiccups again? Drink water upside-down? Get a scare? Aww, but I don't wanna scare you! Oh, or do you have to burp? You did just have a snack."

She carefully picked him up with one foreleg, resting him against her shoulder, while patting his back with the other hoof, as gently as possible. After two short hiccups, she finally teased the burp out of him, along with the sharp hiss of a flame. Misty yelped quietly and shook her head, though luckily her mane didn't seem to have caught fire.

With a gurgling laugh, Sparky reached out and got his tiny claws into her mane as she moved it about, starting to pull at her curls. "Ow! Okay, please be careful!" She tried to pry him off without being too rough, but he grabbed on more, cuddling into her mane.

It was a little uncomfortable, sitting with her head tilted, so she could still hold Sparky instead of leaving him dangling. But after a few moments, he went quiet and she could carefully pull her mane free, though a single strand was left in his claw, clutched while he slept. She sighed quietly and felt over her curls, many strands now knotted and out of place. But at least he looked peaceful.

She didn't have to wait much longer. Hitch returned with a few small packages and made his way over to her, smiling apologetically when he saw her mane. "Ooh, sorry about that. His claws are really growing in now, so he's been grabbing anything he can reach." He carefully balanced the sleeping dragon on his back after Misty gently reached him over. "But don't worry, I know exactly who can fix that for you."

Artists

"Here you go, Mane Melody." Hitch stopped in front of the salon and gestured at the door. "Pipp and her crew can fix your mane and then some."

Misty looked up at the sign and the colourful outside. She'd seen it plenty of times before and even been inside, but this would be the first time she would not be trying to hide. The same went for everywhere she went today, really. Moving through the streets was a very different feeling when she wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder or try to be inconspicuous. Not that it made the tension go away.

"Thank you. Um... good luck on your rounds?" she said hesitantly. Hitch met her with the same, confident smile as before.

"Thanks. I'll just go put Sparky to bed before I finish up." He turned and gave her a short wave before heading across the small square towards his office.

Misty turned back to Mane Melody, carefully inching closer and taking a look in through the glass doors, hoping to assess the situation first. But as soon as she was leaning close, the door swung open and she had to stumble back to not have it bump her snout. The same yellow earth pony she'd seen at the smoothie stand strode out, only giving her a short, displeased glance, before heading away from the salon.

Misty had shrunk away under her glance and tried to return an apologetic smile, but couldn't apologise properly before she was already gone. She quickly moved up to the door again, this time getting a proper look inside.

It was relatively empty, only two of the chairs were taken, and she spotted Pipp right away, moving between her employees and evidently in an upbeat mood. Misty took a quiet breath and opened the door. Better now than when she was busy.

Thanks to the door chime, she had attention on her right away. "Misty! Come in, girl!" Pipp said in a chipper voice, beating her wings once to quickly float over to her. "Oh, hoofness, what happened to your mane?"

"Oh, well..." If she mentioned Sparky, would she be suspicious of her? Was it safer to make up an excuse? But, on the other hoof, she did want to be more honest with her friends. "Sparky got a hold of it."

"Yeah, that would do it. He's so grabby right now, he almost pried my phone from my hooves this morning." Pipp chuckled and nudged Misty to start walking her over to the chairs. "Don't worry, we'll have it fixed in no time."

Misty quietly followed her and sat in one of the chairs, before Pipp turned her to face the mirror. Some strands stood off in a strange way, somehow gotten entangled, either by Sparky's claws or maybe as a side effect of his dragon fire.

"Just sit tight, I'll be with you as soon as I finish up with Frizzy. I could redo your rows, too, if you want. Ooh, and how about some hoof polish? Jazz finds the perfect design for everypony."

"Oh, um, that all sounds great, but..." Her eyes fell on the register in the reflection and she lowered her voice. "I can't really pay for all of that."

"Oh, pah!" Pipp made a dismissive wave with her hoof. "I offer makeovers to my friends all the time. And this would be your first one! Don't worry about that! It's not like I'm gonna let you trot around like this. Be right back!" She sing-songed the last part and elegantly slipped out of view of the mirror, prancing over to her other customer.

Misty sighed as she sank against the backrest. Yet another thing to add to the growing list of things to make up for. She couldn't get by on their generosity the whole time. She needed to find something she could do, for them or for ponies in general. Something to earn money, so she could buy her own smoothies and afford her own makeovers. But what did she even have to offer? Her magic wasn't special, with so many unicorns already living in Maretime Bay. She could clean, but would anypony pay her much for that?

She snapped out of her thoughts when Pipp returned, settling on a stool behind her. She started making small talk while she began to disentangle Misty's mane, asking about whether she managed to sleep and about her day so far. Misty gradually recounted the events of the day, glad to have something to say and not just quietly nod along.

It didn't take long and Pipp's spray and comb had fixed the worst of it, but she continued, checking over Misty's rows and treating her mane to have a little more bounce, while casually chatting about her own day as well, going on about both her work at the salon and the song she was working on.

"There, that should do it. Good as new." Pipp flipped her own mane and set her tools down while Misty looked at herself in the mirror, fluffing her mane a little with one hoof. "Smile!" she sing-songed as she moved herself up close next to Misty and held her phone in front of them. Misty quickly arched the corners of her lips, hoping to make it look somewhat natural before the light flashed.

"You know, some ponies like to mark a new path in life with a bit of a new look," Pipp continued as she moved the picture to a folder on her phone. "There is so much we could do with your mane. We could try and straighten it out, do some braids, try some new colour, ooh, or maybe some cute buns!?"

"Oh, uh..." Misty retreated into the corner of the chair as Pipp leaned over the hoofrest more and more. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, just elevating the pressure on Misty to make a choice. "Thanks, but, uh, maybe later?"

"Aww. Sad." Pipp pouted and let out a small whine. "Would you at least like to try some hoof polish?"

"That sounds great, but, um..." Misty's eyes darted about, but she couldn't escape the pleading look.

Misty sighed as she stepped back out into fresh air, a stronger breeze picking up and making her perfectly bouncy mane dance. She looked down at her hooves, now adorned with a gradient of warm colours, centring on a stylised butterfly design on the front. They did look gorgeous. But perhaps in the future she would have to build up some resistance to Pipp's pleading. Though her invitation to a spa in Zephyr Heights did sound lovely.

"I should be happy they're doing so much for me," she said quietly to herself as she started wandering down the street. "And I am. And I want to try everything, but why does it feel like..." She stopped once she caught a glimpse of the sea again, dark clouds rolling over, slowly beginning to cover the coast. "Why does it feel like I don't deserve all of this?"

You deserve whatever I grant you, Misty, now Get. To. Work.

She quietly watched the clouds roll in, the strong wind carrying them towards her quickly. Ponies around her started trotting faster, some of them falling into canters and gallops in anticipation of the weather turning, threatened by quiet rumblings emanating from the wall of grey.

She only just got her mane done, and her hooves. Would the coating wash off in the rain? Best not to take the chance. She quickly looked around for somewhere to take shelter, falling into a hurried canter herself as she passed a few stores, the theatre, a diner... shelter or not, she couldn't go into one of these places and not pay anything, again.

The clouds crawled across the sky, gradually blocking out the sunlight and casting dark shadows over town. Misty's eyes darted between doors and display windows, until the words "Free Entry" crossed her vision. Without a second glance, she quickly hurried to the entrance and pushed her way in, just as the first drops were starting to fall.

As soon as the door fell closed behind her, the whistling of the wind and the sound of hooves and voices all vanished, muffled into near silence. She slowly wandered into the small lobby area, a counter labelled as an information desk on one side, a small souvenir shop on the other, currently closed as marked by a pop-up sign. Probably for the best, Misty quickly looked away to not be tempted by anything on display.

"Hello?" she asked carefully, keeping her voice low to not break the stillness too harshly. Nopony was staffing the desk, so she wandered further in, looking into the next hall.

A short hallway took her into a rectangular room, the floor space open except for a single pedestal in the centre, supporting a less than life size statue of a pony, carved from polished stone. Framed paintings lined the uniformly painted walls, each with a small placard beneath or next to each one.

"Wow..." Misty wandered in slowly, already fixated on the first painting, depicting a wide landscape of rolling hills. "What is this place?"

"Uh... a museum?" Misty quickly turned halfway around to see the same earth pony mare she'd seen by the stand and coming out of the salon before her, slowly trotting into the room from the other side. "Do you not have museums in Bridlewood?" she asked dismissively.

"Oh! Um, of course we, I mean... I... don't know." Misty cast her eyes down and scraped her hoof over the wooden floor, then quickly stopped to not ruin the new polish.

"Please don't stand so close to the display pieces," the mare said with a sigh, nudging Misty back a step and pointing at a red line on the wood. "Stay behind the line. Appreciate them from a distance."

Is there anything you can do right, Misty?

"R-right. Yes. I'm sorry." Misty stood back and looked at the landscape again, trying to place it. Though aside from the route between Maretime Bay and Opaline's tower, she really didn't know any of Equestria's landscapes. She leaned forward and squinted a bit to read the placard, though it didn't give her much of a clue either.

She glanced over at the mare, who was wandering clockwise around the display room, then turned to head to the next painting counter-clockwise to not get in her way. In contrast to the landscape, which was impressively accurate, this one was a tad more abstract, the dark colours washing together, almost drowning out the few specs of subdued warmth, still depicting the vague form of a pony watching a sunrise.

"This looks... painful."

"What?"

Misty flinched when she noticed she had spoken out loud. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I was just..."

"What do you mean?" The mare came wandering over and stood next to her, tilting her head at the painting.

"Well, I mean..." Misty swallowed and looked at the mixing colours again. "I-it's dark. The sun is coming up, but... everything still looks so cold. I think, maybe... the pony is sad... in spite of the sunlight?" She glanced over and saw the mare's eyes narrowed, her brow arched. "A-am I wrong?" she asked sheepishly.

She clicked her tongue. "No, no, there is no wrong way to interpret art." She looked over at Misty again. "What did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I... didn't. But, I'm Misty. Misty... Brightdawn." The rush of tension and guilt she thought would come with the fake name never arrived, but she didn't have time to think about it as the other mare captured her attention again.

"Misty. I'm Posey Bloom, curator and educator. This is your first time in a museum?"

"Yes. I don't really know anything about art, I'm sorry."

"Well, the first step to appreciating art is letting it work on you, identifying the feeling it conveys to you. For instance, in this piece, I see hope. The night was cold and dark, but the sunrise is just on the horizon."

Misty looked at the painting again, trying to get the same meaning from it, but the longer she looked at the sun, the more its colour seemed to fade. "Heh, yeah, I guess you'd know better."

"But you're not wrong." Posey prodded Misty's chest lightly. "You may not be able to read the brushstrokes or identify the paint composition, but what you're feeling when you look at it isn't incorrect. The artist may have intended one thing or another, but my favourite thing about art is that there is no wrong way to read it. As long as you're making sense."

Misty didn't miss the bitterness in the last sentence, but at least it didn't seem to be aimed at her. "So... I can just say whatever I feel?"

"As long as you're actually putting thought behind it. Would be a nice change of pace. This town is full of philistines who just won't take the time. Or know-it-alls who think they have the only correct opinion." Posey nudged her again before turning to leave the room. "Come with me, I want your thoughts on something."

Misty followed Posey through the display rooms, taking her time with every painting and sculpture she pointed her to, before sharing what came to her mind. Sometimes Posey would regard her with a questioning hum, other times readily share her own opinion. The few times they had the same thought, she excitedly went into detail about the artists, the brush techniques, and other details Misty struggled to keep up with.

"Now this one is going to be esoteric, but I am curious what you think." Posey stopped in front of a large painting, almost taking up a wall in one of the smaller rooms by itself, dominating the space. Misty could not tell what it was meant to be depicting, or whether any real image was intended at all, merely a maelstrom of specks and colours.

She stared at it for a moment, pacing in front of it slowly. She couldn't tell what it was, but she knew exactly what it made her feel. "It's... that feeling. That, uh... that tension. When your withers seize up and it's... like you know you're going to do something wrong, but you don't know what. And maybe you won't, but it really feels like you will..."

Posey looked between her and the painting. "Anxiety?"

"Maybe? I-is that what it is? There's a word for it?"

"So you know melancholy, luminous, and effervescent, but not anxiety? What do they even teach you in Bridlewood?"

"I... I don't know." She looked down at her hooves. "I'm not from Bridlewood. I'm not... from anywhere, really." She didn't get a response, so she slowly peeked up at Posey again, finding her looking at her with a furrowed brow. "Um, n-nevermind."

"No, what does that mean?" Posey demanded. "You grew up somewhere else? Then are your parents from Bridlewood?"

Parents? How should I know?
Looks like I'm the only one you have, Misty.
...or would you rather be alone again?

"I... don't have any parents."

"Oh." Silence stretched again, underlined by the faint drumming of rain on the windows in the next hallway. And then suddenly broken by the loud slamming of a door and something scraping across tiles. "Oh, great. She's here." Posey stifled a groan and started heading out of the room towards the noise.

Misty looked up at the painting again, the paint seemingly starting to swirl before her. She blinked and quickly wiped her eyes with a hoof before following the curator, back into the lobby.

Shoved up next to the souvenir shop stood a tall... something, covered in a tarp, secured around the base. Posey was less focused on that, however, and more on the rainwater that had been dragged in with it. "Izzy, if you haven't noticed, it's raining like crazy. You could have maybe waited until it was dry?"

"Oh, yeah, it's really coming down!" Izzy emerged from behind the object, her wet mane hanging straight down and clinging to her neck and withers. "But you said today and not too late and you get really grumpy when I'm late, so I came anyway. Also, hi Misty!"

Misty returned her wave sheepishly, while Posey let out a deep sigh. "Alright, stay here. I'm getting some towels, we are wiping this thing off before you go dragging it through my displays. And do not shake yourself off again! You stay there in your puddle until I'm back!" She left again with a huff, prompting Misty to slowly walk closer.

"Ooh, cute hoofsies!" Izzy said while pointing to Misty's hooves. "I didn't know you liked art, Misty!"

"Heh, yeah. Me neither. So... what is this?"

"My newest unicycling project. I got the idea a while ago and it's finally done, so I asked Posey if I could put it up." Izzy sat down while she was talking, using her front hooves to squeeze the rain water out of her mane, just adding to the growing puddle between her hooves. Her painted hooves. Misty probably didn't have to worry about the rain ruining them after all.

"At least it brings in visitors," Posey said flatly as she returned, throwing one of the towels at Izzy and walking over to the covered sculpture to carefully wipe off the tarp with the other. Izzy did the same after rubbing off her coat, mane, and tail, leaving her looking fuzzier than usual.

"Alright, follow me and don't bump anything," Posey instructed as she walked ahead. Izzy seized her project in her magic and Misty quickly added hers to it, helping her carry it through two display rooms before Posey opened a door to another, filled with various different sculptures, from towering stacks of painted tin cans, to small figures of wire and glass.

They set the new addition down in a free spot and Izzy finally undid the tarp, pulling it off with her magic. The main body was a twisting arrangement of metal; long, thin strands welded together into tall, bending spires. They all started as uniformly black near the weighted base, but gradually took on many different colours on the way up, ultimately culminating in six images of cut glass: a heart, a badge, a shooting star, a musical note, a lightning bolt, and a butterfly.

"Well, what do you make of this one?" Posey asked drily. Misty struggled for an answer, staring up at the glass butterfly among the other symbols, catching the ray of sunlight drifting in from the window, now that the rain was slowly letting up.

"I call it 'Friendship'!" Izzy declared, putting one hoof over Misty's withers. Through Misty's tears, it almost looked as though the butterfly was slowly beating its wings.

Author's Note

Hello, everypony.
I've more or less had these three chapters pre-written and they've only needed some editing, so updates from here on out may slow down somewhat. Especially because this story seems to be getting a decent bit longer than I originally planned.
But thank you for reading thus far and I hope you'll enjoy what is still in the works. I haven't had such an easy time writing in a long time, so it makes me very happy to see all the feedback and even seeing the story pop up on the front page.
So thank you for all your feedback~

Perspective

The rain didn't stop for a while. Misty spent a little while longer in the museum, wandering the display rooms while Posey was busy. When the rain had finally stopped and the sun broke through the cover of clouds again, it stood notably lower than before, already leaning down towards the horizon again.

Small puddles lined the roads, where the cobblestone was uneven, and the path up to the Brighthouse led past a few trees, their branches still heavy with rainwater, drops still falling gradually from the leaves. Misty trudged up slowly, her hooves carrying her back with no other place to go in mind. She'd done all she wanted to do, so now she was going back... home? Was this home now?

...and if you fail, don't even think about coming back!

Misty opened one wing of the double doors and took a peek inside. She heard conversation from the kitchen corner and after letting herself in the rest of the way, she could see Sunny working on dinner while Zipp sat at the table. She quietly closed the door behind her, wiped off her hooves, and started heading towards the ramps in the centre of the room.

"Hey, Misty. How was your day?"

She froze and turned to the others with a half-hearted smile. "Great. I, uh, learned so much. I'm... gonna go freshen up." She quickly went up the ramp and opened the door into the washroom, but didn't close it all the way, staying still and sharpening her ears.

"...but I just don't know what to say to her," she caught Sunny saying."It's like I can't really get to her."

"It's not just your responsibility alone. We all decided we would help her."

"But I'm the one who welcomed her and offered her to stay, I wish I could find a way to talk to her. And not just pretend like everything is okay."

Misty quickly turned away from the door. Eavesdropping wasn't something friends did, right? That's what she used to do. What she shouldn't do anymore. She ran some water and washed her face before stepping out of the washroom again, torn between going back down or going upstairs. Luckily, somepony made the choice for her.

"Hey, Misty," Zipp said, flying up to land next to her. "Come up to the gallery with me?"

Misty followed her quietly, feeling the tension set in again. Zipp had always been suspicious of her, for good reason, and though she no longer planned to lie to or hide from her, she couldn't quite let go of being weary around her. But she followed into the bedroom and from there up the shaft to where the crystals hung suspended in their light. Misty took a moment to look at them, but turned away quickly to not give Zipp another reason for suspicion.

"I don't wanna beat around the clouds," Zipp said firmly, but lacking her more accusatory tone. "How are you doing? Really?"

Misty turned away from her and looked out past the railing, watching the sun sink slowly into the sea, casting warm light across Maretime Bay. "I'm fine."

"No. You're not." Zipp came to stand next to her. "We can't help you if you won't talk to us. And we want to help you."

Misty sighed and sat on her haunches, resting her forelegs on the railing, her eyes falling on the bracelet on her hoof. A breeze picked up, chilling her through her coat. "But why?" she asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the buildings below them. "After everything I did..."

"Who cares!" Zipp sat down next to her and roughly nudged her side with a wing. "You messed up. I'm not gonna say I'm not mad about it. But you deserve a chance to make up for it. And you were there to help when we really needed you. So let us help you, now that you need it"

She felt Zipp's eyes on her and turned her head just a little, blocking her gaze with her mane. Her chest tightened and her throat burned.

"Whatever reason you had to befriend us, you are our friend. Scratch that, you're my friend. And I take that seriously. You might think you're doing us a favour by putting up walls, but not being able to help our friend just hurts!"

Misty swallowed drily and pressed her lips together as her eyes started watering, quickly blinking away the first tears.

"Sorry... I'll stop yelling." Zipp spread her wing out behind Misty, the tips of her feathers lightly brushing against her coat, hovering supportively but giving her a little space. "Just, please tell me, honestly. How are you doing?"

"I... I don't know," Misty whispered, her voice weaker than she'd expected. She cleared her throat to try and speak more clearly. "I'm grateful for everything you do. Izzy gave me her bed and Sunny makes me food and smoothies..." She sniffed and quickly wiped her eyes, but they didn't stay dry. "Hitch said all those things and... Pipp did all this." She nudged her mane with her painted hoof. "I just... I don't know how to accept all this."

Zipp listened patiently and quietly sat by, waiting a moment before answering. "You're obviously hurting. We're all trying to do our part to make you feel better, the way we know how. They're all trying to make things easier for you, not harder."

"I know." She sniffed and wiped her tears on her fetlocks again. "But... but I feel so..." She struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I feel like I'm... just stuck. I had nopony but Opaline before. She took me in and... gave me food and somewhere to sleep... and I still can't do that on my own."

"It's not easy to start being independent. You'll get there gradually. Nopony can just suddenly stand alone."

"But... I don't know how to start. And everypony is giving me things for free and telling me not to worry, but... that's not what I want," Misty said more confidently, finding the words coming easier now that she knew what it was she was trying to say, only to immediately second-guess herself. "I-I'm sorry, that sounded selfish, I mean... I just don't want to be a burden on you guys."

"Misty." Zipp's wing laid itself closer on Misty's shoulders. She looked up to meet her stern look. "You spent hoofness knows how long serving somepony else. So who cares, be selfish, do what you want to do." She prodded her chest with a hoof. "So? What do you want to do?"

"I..." She blinked and looked out over town again, her tears clearing slowly. "I want to... earn things. For myself."

"Okay, now louder. Don't just say it, declare it!" Zipp nudged her and Misty felt a slight surge, something pushing through the knot in her chest.

She stood up on all four hooves and took a deep breath. "I want to earn my place here! A-and help my friends! I... I want to not owe anything to anypony!"

"Alright!" Zipp stood up as well, nudging her shoulder again. "What's the first step?"

"Um..." She looked down at her hooves. "I... have no idea."

"Then that's where we come in. Come on, we'll talk over dinner."

She chuckled wryly and turned around, stopping again immediately when she saw Sunny at the edge of the beacon, standing behind them, wiping her own tears and her ears folding back. "I-I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have listened in. But I'm so happy! And I'm so proud of you!" She lurched forward, but stopped herself, hesitating. "You... you'll still accept our help, won't you? At least until you'll make it on your own?"

Misty hesitated as well, until she felt the nudge of feathers on her coat again. She closed the distance to Sunny and wrapped her forelegs around her shoulders, nuzzling in a little bit. "Yeah... thank you, Sunny."

"Okay..." Sunny snuffled quietly. "That's good, because I kind of made a lot of food."

Dinner was just as lively as breakfast, if not moreso. And this time, Misty was wide awake, listening in on everypony chatting while gradually going through bowls of Sunny's stew. She knew she had something to say, but she also didn't want to interrupt everypony's good time to do so. Occasionally, she caught Zipp looking at her and, when there was finally a lull, giving her a short nod.

Misty softly cleared her throat, trying to find the words. "I, uh..." Even without looking up, she could already feel everypony's eyes on her. The room went quiet, aside from Sparky's irregular snores. "Thank you for everything you did for me today."

She was met with a short chorus of positive responses, Izzy leaning closer to lightly nuzzle her cheek. Misty felt tempted to lean into her as well, but decided to stay on task.

"But I don't know... how to accept all that. I don't want to depend on you for everything now. So..." She peeked up at the smiling faces around the table. "I want to earn this. How... do I do that?"

"Aww, you really don't have to do anything," Pipp answered right away.

"But I want to," Misty quickly added, putting one hoof on the table. "I want to do things for myself, not just live off of you." Her confidence flickered and she cast her eyes down again. "As... as grateful as I am."

"Well, if that's how it is..." Hitch tapped his chin. "How about finding a job? You'll earn some money and you can get work experience. Learning skills and having small successes can boost your confidence, too."

"What an expectedly mature answer, Sheriff," Sunny noted pointedly.

"I'm right and you know I am."

Sunny hummed her agreement. "I tease but it's true. Finding some work would be a simple first step, I think."

"Okay. How... do I do that?" Misty asked hesitantly.

Ugh, do I need to spell it all out for you?

"Well, if you like, I could use somepony to make deliveries. I get take-out orders, but I can only fulfil them during my breaks. It won't be much, but I'd pay you a cut from the smoothie sales."

"There's always paperwork to be done," Hitch offered, "and if somepony was at the office to take statements while I was on patrol, that would be helpful. The town council would pay you, in a temporary position."

"Oh, well, if you really want to work," Pipp piped up again, "then an extra set of hooves around Mane Melody would be terrific. Just for sorting and cataloguing, keeping inventory, and all that."

While listening to them, a huge weight gradually fell off Misty's shoulders. She beamed before she had even noticed and felt the need to skip up and move, an itch she endured for now, while she was still sitting at the table. "Thank you, all of you. Really!"

"So? What do you want to do, Misty?" Zipp asked again.

"I... I think I want to do everything!"

Work It

Misty was up before Izzy, allowing herself a few minutes to simply doze next to her, despite the voice in the back of her mind insisting she not waste daylight. Finally, she carefully untangled herself from Izzy's hooves and tried to not make the bed move too much as she climbed out to not disturb her. It swung gently, prompting the other unicorn to stretch and smack her lips, but apparently not wake.

She quietly waited her turn to use the washroom after Pipp, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She felt well-rested, almost to her own surprise, and there was a giddiness that only grew stronger when she reminded herself what she would do today: She would work. Work that she chose for herself.

The giddiness briefly overwhelmed her and she pranced in place with a giggle, giving her bursting energy a little outlet, then quickly interrupted herself and stood straight when Pipp came out of the washroom, before slipping in herself. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. "You've got this, Misty."

After breakfast, Misty followed Pipp on the way to work, listening attentively as she told her a few things about the business, the performances, and the products they were selling. Occasionally, Pipp trailed off into short anecdotes or started gushing about one of the tinctures or creams, while Misty tried to keep as much information memorised as she could.

Pipp threw open the doors to Mane Melody and beat her wings to float in gracefully. "Good morning!" she sing-songed, her chipper attitude seemingly infecting her employees right away, who responded in their own respective registers. "You guys remember Misty," she said with a casual flourish towards the unicorn awkwardly standing in the entrance way. "She's going to help out part-time. Jazz, would you mind showing her around?"

"Sure thing, boss." Jazz smiled at Misty, the same way she had smiled the day before, while doing her hooves. "Come on, you'll have it down in a flash." Almost on her own, Misty followed Jazz into the back, where she was quickly talked through the tasks and where everything was. Jazz explained more clearly than Pipp did, making sure Misty kept up and didn't have any questions, chatting with her a bit until it was time to open up.

While Pipp, Jazz, and Rocky were serving clients, Misty was keeping inventory, checking the tools and general products, before starting to count and line up the ones for sale. Setting all of them to the front in a neat row, turning them so the labels were perfectly forward, marking off the numbers, it all started to fit into a satisfying rhythm for her, mixing with the rhythm of the music, playing softly for atmosphere most of the time, but every so often starting up into a full number when Pipp got the urge to perform, her voice carrying well into the back and prompting Misty to move her hips.

"Misty, can you give me a bottle of Petal Perfume?" Jazz asked, leaning into the back room.

"Huh? Uh, y-yeah." Misty stiffened, feeling caught, and quickly picked up one of the bottles and levitated it over.

"Thank you," Jazz sung sweetly, heading back. Misty quickly focused on her list again, skipping the next bottle of perfume to keep the count accurate.

Thankfully, Misty used tally marks for every ten items, otherwise she really would have started to lose count after a while. The occasional interruption, to give out products or change out a tool for a spare, didn't bother her, but by the time she was done counting all the tubs and bottles, her head was spinning and the letters on the list were jumbling before her eyes.

With still time left, she simply picked up the broom from the corner and swept through, then continued with dusting the shelves, many of them easier to reach now that she had grouped everything together more neatly, while allowing herself to space out a little, humming along to the music.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been cleaning up when Pipp's voice preceded her into the room. "Misty, it's almost noon, you can-- Oh, wow!" The pegasus stopped in the door, looking over the floor and the shelves. "You got so much done!"

Misty set the duster down, back in its place, while smiling sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, I finished inventory, so I was looking for something else to do."

"Amazing! We should have gotten somepony in for this in a while, this place hasn't looked this good since opening day!" She pranced closer, her eyes running over the perfectly lined-up products. "Oh, don't tell anypony I said that, though. Now, hold out your hoof."

Misty hesitantly raised her hoof, upturned, for Pipp to put a small stack of bills into. "Here's your first paycheck. You're finished for today." Misty looked at the bills with a sudden, swelling feeling in her chest. "You're going to help out Hitch next, right?"

"Oh, yeah." She quickly put the money away and looked at the time on her phone's cracked screen. She still had some time, but better early than late. "I better go. Thank you for letting me help out."

"Of course! I'll let you know when we need help again." Pipp hovered and squeezed her briefly. "I'll see you back at the Brighthouse. And don't overwork yourself."

"Thank you. See you later." She returned the embrace and then left the backroom in a cheerful canter, to pass through the shop floor on the way out.

"Hey, Misty, clocking out?" Rocky asked aside, while working on somepony's mane.

"Mm-hmm. Thanks for having me," she answered quickly, returning Jazz' short wave and nearly forgetting to open the door before heading outside, falling into a light gallop as she headed down towards the sheriff's office, a smile on her face.

More paper. Stacks of it. Misty was already getting slightly dizzy looking at the same list for her shift in the salon, but having to continuously absorb the information on all the forms and reference books made her head spin. Hitch had sat her down and given her a quick crash course on how to work through and sort the many reports and requests, before leaving for his patrols.

The silence stretched and stretched until it was tense, interrupted only by the scratching of pen on paper and the ticking of the clock. Finally, Misty pushed the chair back and got up with a heavy sigh, starting to pace, only for accusatory chittering to reach her from the corner of the room.

"I'm just stretching my legs, Kenneth!" she argued. She didn't understand the bird the way Hitch did, not literally, but his tone was pretty straightforward. "I finished almost half of them, I can afford a little break."

Kenneth crossed his wings disapprovingly but backed off. Maybe. At least he wasn't vocally complaining anymore. Misty walked over to the coffee machine, considering for the second time to try one. She hadn't had coffee before and she knew it was supposed to be bitter, but also that it was supposed to help with focus. Maybe that was her mistake, not using it to begin with.

She put a mug underneath the nozzle and hesitantly pressed the button, flinching back when it started whirring loudly. She wondered for a panicky little moment whether she had done it wrong, before it stopped and deposited the dark liquid into the mug. Misty levitated it carefully and sniffed at it. It smelled nice, at least. She blew on the steaming surface and carefully set her lips to the edge, taking a small sip.

"Eugh!" She shook herself and stuck out her burning tongue. She quickly put the mug down and levitated some of the sugar cubes into it, hesitating after two before adding a third. She took it back to the desk and sat down again, sighing when she picked the pen back up. She furrowed her brow and focused, managing to get through a few more forms, taking careful sips every now and again, until she heard the door creak open.

"Sheriff?" a small voice asked. Misty leaned over the desk to see a small earth pony colt, barely sticking his head into the office.

"Oh, uh... Sheriff Hitch is out right now." She trotted around the desk. "Can I help you?"

The colt hesitantly came in the rest of the way, letting the door shut. He looked at the ground before quietly making his admission. "I got lost. I... don't know how to get home."

"Oh." Of course, this was the sort of thing Hitch usually did. "W-well, the sheriff should be back soon, so..." She saw the colt's expression drop even further, tears at the corners of his eyes. "s-so, I'm free to help you! Don't worry! Um, what's your name?"

"Scamp." He sat down when Misty pulled out the visitor's chair for him and accepted the candy she levitated over to him from the bowl on the desk.

"Okay, Scamp, um..." She hesitated again, but her attention was drawn by a short, sharp whistle. She looked back towards Kenneth, who pointed his wing at the wall beside him. "Oh!" She trotted up to the town map put up on the wall and hummed as she quickly found the office on it. "Do you know what street your house is on, Scamp?"

"Um, I think... Ever... something?" He cast his eyes down again. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, that's okay. We'll figure it out." She smiled at him before looking at the map again, going over the legend of street names. There were three to start with 'Ever-', but they were all in different directions from the office. "Is your house near the beach?"

"No, mom says not to go to the beach by myself, because it's too far."

So likely not Eversun Beach. She followed the path towards the other two with her eyes. "Is your house near the edge of town or somewhere in the middle?"

"Um... I don't know?" He put the candy in his mouth and started chewing.

"Well... is there a lot of grass around it? Or is there another pony's house right next to it?"

"Oh! We don't have a garden at all, we go to the park to play!"

Misty smiled confidently and put her hoof on the map. "Then it must be Everbloom Road. That's easy enough from here."

"That's it!" Scamp stood up on the chair, though his excitement dropped again, looking down and scraping his hoof. "Um... can you walk me there?"

Misty looked at him, then at the stacks of paper still on the desk. Kenneth made a warning chirp, but she just shot him a short look. "Of course."

Some of Maretime Bay's streets and alleys were winding, curving in subtle ways that could make one lose track of the direction one was facing. Misty certainly didn't blame a foal for getting lost. Her first trip into town, with no map or even a real destination, had seen her hopelessly lost too, walking for hours until she finally managed to find her way out and run back home to Opaline. And that had been two months ago.

Now, though, she had a pretty good idea about how all the streets connected. Not by name or direction, but by visual memory, from a lot of time spent creeping through alleyways and shadowing ponies. Though today she was using her knowledge of the streets to help somepony else.

Scamp finally recognised the neighbourhood again when they had almost reached Everbloom Road and excitedly skipped ahead to his house. Misty quietly stood by as his mother welcomed him home, relief clear in her voice and expression, despite the small scolding he got for wandering too far on his own. She sheepishly accepted both of their thanks and got dragged into a small conversation by Scamp's mother, before she started to make her way back to the office.

There you are, Misty. Took you long enough.

That's right, Opaline had never been that relieved to see her back unharmed. Even when she did come back scraped-up, she barely even took note of it. And never once had she embraced her like Scamp's mother did him. Just sent her to clean up and then go to her room to eat.

The anger and emptiness that had started to build suddenly deflated at the thought of food and the quiet growl her stomach made. Breakfast had been a while and she'd been working for quite a few hours now already. She slowed down and looked over at some of the food carts that lined the wider street, realising again that she actually had some money to spend now. She hesitated, but a more whining growl from her stomach sent her trotting over to the first one nearby.

She made the rest of her way back while slowly eating a fried treat, humming and sighing quietly at the crunchy outside and soft, chewy middle, the warm taste as it dissolved in her mouth. Who knew that guilt-free food would taste this good?

She was done eating when she made it back to the office, trotting back inside to continue with the paperwork, only to stop short in the door, seeing the desk already occupied.

"Welcome back, deputy." Hitch looked up, just as he moved another form into the corresponding file.

"Hitch! I, uh..." She quickly wiped the crumbs from her muzzle. This had to look bad. She was supposed to stay and work.

Slacking off again, Misty!?
Get to work already!
Do you even take this seriously!?
You ungrateful little--!

"I wasn't slacking off, I promise! There was a lost foal and, uh, he was scared to go back home alone, so-"

"Misty, calm down." He got up and walked around the desk, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Kenneth already told me everything. You did good."

She shrunk back a little from his touch and looked up at him past her mane. "I did?"

"Of course. Helping ponies is what we're here for. Why do you think this work piles up so much?" He gestured at the desk with a wry smile. "But, I need you to do one thing." He moved an empty form onto the desk from a drawer. "You had to leave while on duty, so I need you to fill out this report."

Misty sighed in relief and sat down to write down what happened for the files. And yet... Anxiety, that's what Posey called it. It didn't leave her again for the rest of her shift, despite Hitch assuring her she did nothing wrong. She was glad, though, that he continued with the paperwork, because she wasn't sure if she could concentrate on any more. She instead started cleaning the office a little and entertained Sparky, managing to feed him without getting anything on her coat.

She left with a tired smile when the time was up, heading slowly down to Mane Street. Sunny was up next, and then she could call it a day. Just delivering some smoothies, no big deal. She'd get to move around town and enjoy the fresh air, meet ponies with a decent excuse for interacting with them, and no longer look at stacks of paper until the letters started melding together. This one would be easy.

Rain pounded heavily onto the canopy under which she came to a stop, shaking her mane and pulling the small cart under it with her before detaching it from her waist harness. The weather had turned awfully quickly once she had set out with the smoothies and the list of addresses. It was a small list, not many chose to order rather than come up to the stand, but they were spread far through town, so she still had a lot of ground to cover.

Misty had followed her phone here, which knew the streets by name much better than she did, and then had skirted around the front garden to the small house's side entrance, to take cover on the porch rather than stand in the pouring rain at the front door. Hopefully whoever she was delivering to wouldn't mind that.

She opened the cart to retrieve the right order after ringing the bell, double-checking the list to make sure. When she turned back to the door, she barely had to wait for it to open. She had nearly started worrying over whether her polite smile was believable, but it spread into a genuine one at the sight of her customer. "Oh! Hello, Posey."

Posey's annoyed glance softened right away. "Misty? You're running deliveries?"

"Mm-hmm, starting today! Here's your smoothie and your salad!" Posey set them both aside after taking them out of Misty's magic grasp and handed over payment. Misty checked over the bills, stopping short. "Oh, you gave me two bits too many."

"It's your tip," Posey said flatly. "What, did Sunny not explain this to you?"

"Um, she was kind of in a hurry." Misty smiled apologetically.

Posey sighed. "You might get more than what the delivery costs. The rest is for you to keep. It's good manners to tip delivery ponies, especially in this weather." She frowned. "Did nopony else tip you?"

"Oh, you're the first on my list, actually."

"Really? You look dead tired already. Whatever, just don't catch a cold." She took her smoothie and salad and closed the door.

"Bye, Posey," Misty got in just before the lock fell closed. She looked down at the money with a smile and put it in the delivery wallet. Sunny would sort it out later.

By the time Sunny and Misty made it back to the Brighthouse, the sun was starting to go down. The rain had weakened but was still coming down, leaving Sunny a bit wet and Misty drenched. Her legs ached, her eyes barely wanted to stay open, and yet the exhaustion was strangely satisfying, knowing she had done something useful, and all the money she brought home, in wages and tips, was hers and hers alone, earned through genuine effort.

"Maybe we really should have waited until tomorrow," Sunny said hesitantly. "You worked so much today and I had no idea it was going to rain so heavily again."

"I'm okay," Misty said quietly, smiling to herself. "But I really feel like sleeping."

Sunny giggled. "Just let me get a towel and then you can use the shower. Make sure to dry your whole coat and wrap up warm, okay? You can get a cold much easier when you're exhausted like this."

Misty hummed her agreement and left her phone and her money on the coffee table before making her way up to the washroom. The warm water from the shower was a much more comforting sort than the cold rainwater that had clung to her all the way home. She stood in the stream just a little longer than necessary before stepping out and thoroughly drying herself off with a towel and the hairdryer, another luxury she didn't have before.

She stifled a yawn as she came back out, already hearing the chatter of her friends' voices down by the kitchen area. She slowly wandered down to them, attracted by a different kind of warmth.

"Hey, Misty," Zipp greeted her, nudging her again when she came close. "How do you feel after your first work day?"

"Good. But... so tired." She sighed and rested her head on the table, sniffing the air for what was cooking. "Is it always this exhausting?"

"Well, when you're not used to the work," Pipp shrugged.

"And you're working for twelve hours," Zipp added. "Seriously, you didn't need to do it all at once."

"Yeah, how about taking it one shift per day from now on?" Sunny suggested, over from the stove. "I could offer more direct delivery on certain days, so you could do that two or three times a week?"

"And Mane Melody could maybe use a look-over once a week or so?"

Misty hummed in thought, sitting up so she wouldn't fall asleep at the table again. "Okay, but not Wednesday. I already promised I'd foalsit Scamp."

"Who?" the three of them asked in near unison.

Balance

Complete silence was rare in the Brighthouse bedroom, with five mares all sleeping in their own beds. There was always some rustling, murmurs, or the soft steps of somepony going to the washroom, sometimes whispered conversations from one corner of the room to another. Misty had quickly learned to sleep through all of it. In fact, she found it easier to sleep knowing the others were there. Yet, what still stirred her awake every now and then was the collective rustling of sheets and clopping of hooves following the distant beeping of a phone alarm.

She sat up slowly, her blanket still resting on her withers and her ear swatting as she caught pieces of "Good Morning"s and sleepy conversation. She blinked her eyes open to see a few of the others already up and stretching, no sunlight filling the room, just dull daylight from the windows behind her.

"Oh, sorry, Misty." Zipp turned to her while stretching her wings, already wide awake by the looks of it. "You're on late today, right? You can go back to sleep."

"Mh, yeah..." She slumped back down onto the round, soft bedding, taking up the space where the seating area of the bedroom had been just two weeks before. She curled up, closed her eyes, and listened to the voices of her friends as they all headed down out of the room, until it was quiet again, besides Izzy's turning and murmuring in her sleep, and the pounding of rain on the windows.

The second alarm was much closer and Misty tugged her legs closer against her body, while trying to bury her ears in her pillows, waiting for somepony to turn it off. She finally relented and crawled to the edge of the bed to do it herself when the sound become more insistent. After it was silenced, she turned on her other side, only to be faced with bright sunlight streaming in and tickling her snout.

She pushed herself up and looked blinking into the room. All the other beds were empty, even Izzy's. She leaned over the edge to look at her phone and check the time. About an hour until work. She set her front hooves onto the floor first, stretching out her back, before following with the rest of her body, trotting over to the calendar on the wall.

Monday she had been at the museum, staffing the gift shop. Tuesday she had run deliveries for Sunny. Wednesday she had worked two jobs, inventory at Mane Melody and foalsitting Peach Fizz. Her parents had even paid her a little more than agreed upon, given how out of control the little unicorn's magic was getting. Today was Thursday and Misty was double-booked once again. But before she had to be in town, she still had a little bit of time to get ready.

She yawned as she made her way down to the washroom, to brush her teeth and put her mane in order. She was still somewhat getting used to the new, vibrant colour Pipp had finally talked her into, but she didn't dislike it. She headed down to the kitchen afterwards, finding a covered plate left for her with cold but fluffy waffles, besides a second that had already been picked clean of all but crumbs.

After having breakfast, she took the new satchel she had bought a few days ago and took one of the many spare umbrellas - apparently Izzy had gathered about a dozen a while ago, then didn't use them all in her project -, just in case it would rain again. With the summer nearing its end, rain was an almost daily occurrence now, but it was just another thing to slightly adjust her routine for. A small change, the kind she didn't mind much. She'd had enough of the major ones for the near future.

Securing the umbrella under the flap of the satchel, she headed out, closing the doors behind her, and trotting down along the road into town, skipping over the small puddles in her way. The frequent rainfall and drop in temperatures meant less ponies on the streets, more choosing to stay inside when they could help it. There was less of a crowd to disappear into, but also less eyes on her to be nervous about.

When she got to Mane Street, the line in front of the smoothie stand was short as well. Sunny was working steadily, chatting casually with her customers. Misty slowly walked up along the line, smiling and waving when she recognised one of the ponies. She waited by the stand until Sunny had a free moment between customers.

"Hey, Sunny. I'm ready to go if you have something for me."

"Cart's already loaded up." Sunny tapped her phone to send the delivery list to Misty's. "Be safe, alright?"

"You got it." Misty smiled and moved to the back of the stand, looking over the list once before attaching the cart to the straps of her bag.

The rain didn't surprise her on this shift, despite the clouds hanging thick and dark on the horizon. She figured out a good route on her phone and made her round, humming to herself between stops and keeping up her smile with every customer, thanking them for the tips she got and practising keeping eye contact with some of them.

When she returned, Sunny already had another set for her, so she only took a small break before planning her second route. And when she returned from that as well, she was just in time to see Sunny close the front of her stand, emerging from the door a moment later.

"Good work, Misty," she said with an easy smile, handing her one last smoothie. "You've been doing great lately."

Misty took the smoothie and dragged a long sip through the straw, glad for the refreshment after being on her hooves for the last few hours, while levitating the delivery wallet up to Sunny, who began sorting out the payment. "Thank you," she finally said after swallowing, "I feel like I'm getting better, too. Knowing the streets and which paths to take, I even did more small talk today." She slightly puffed out her chest, proud of the gradual progress.

Sunny smiled wider and brought the tips out with her while she closed up. "I hope it's okay to say this, but I'm really proud of you, Misty. You're working almost every day but I've never seen you happier."

"Yeah, well... it wouldn't be that way without all of you." She pocketed the tips and glanced at her phone again. "Oh, speaking of which, I still have something else to do. I gotta be going so I won't be late."

"Two in one day, again? Don't work too hard, okay?"

"Don't worry, this one won't be too tiring." She giggled to herself and stepped in to briefly hug Sunny with one foreleg, pressing against her neck without quite nuzzling her.

"Oh, will you still join us at the beach later?" Sunny asked as Misty started to walk off.

"I wouldn't miss it. See you later, Sunny!" She waved and fell into a canter, taking sips from the smoothie on her way. After emptying it, she dropped the cup into a bin and galloped part of the way to the park, weaving past ponies and only slowing down once she felt the grass under her hooves.

She trotted off the path and over the grass to one of the trees, already spotting who she was looking for waiting in the shade. "Hey, Izzy." She stopped and sat down beside her.

"Hey, Misty. You're right on time." Izzy leaned over, putting her foreleg over her withers. "We have optimal conditions and we can get started right away!"

"Okay." Misty nodded with a determined smile. "I'm ready when you are."

"Then let's go!" Izzy jumped to her hooves and skipped out of the shade, before dropping right back into the grass in the sunlight, flopping down onto her side. Misty followed suit, lying down next to her and dropping her flank into the grass. Both of them took a deep breath before releasing it as a long sigh. "Thank you for always coming to my nap appointments."

"Wouldn't miss it," Misty said quietly again, her eyes drifting closed. The sun had dried the grass and leaves of raindrops and both the ground and the light itself felt warm, despite the breeze occasionally ruffling through her coat. The voices of foals playing and distant laughter joined with the singing of small birds, weaving into a blanket of sound different from the voices of her friends and the drumming of raindrops on the windows, but no less comforting.

After a few minutes, Izzy shifted next to her, sinking against Misty instead and lightly nuzzling her neck. Misty adjusted her head a little to not have Izzy's horn poking her cheek and put one leg over her withers, before starting to drift off again, the warmth of her friend adding to the relaxing comforting atmosphere.

The sun was going down when they woke up. Izzy stretched and yawned openly while Misty just tensed her muscles a little bit, still aware of the other ponies nearby. They started to head down to the beach together, chatting about whatever came to mind on the way. Misty managed to make Izzy laugh enough to draw out a few of her cute snorts, another small victory to add to the day.

The beach wasn't very crowded, most ponies preferring to go during the day, especially with temperatures dropping faster once the sun was starting to set. Sunny and Hitch were setting up a small fire, while Pipp was lounging on a folding chair, and when the next shallow wave reached shore, it carried Zipp with it, stepping out of the water and shaking out her wings. She was the first to spot the two unicorns heading down the path and called out to them, bringing everypony's attention to them.

Misty sat down in the chair next to Pipp's and leaned over to watch as she started to show her ClipTrot videos, while Izzy ran straight for the waves, crashing herself into the water. Everypony played and relaxed in their own scattered way until Sunny called them together to start roasting treats over the fire and playing word games.

By the time Hitch started playing with Sparky in the sand and they once again scattered a bit, the sun was barely still peeking over the horizon. Misty looked out past the fire and over the waves, the last remaining light sparkling on the surface of the water.

"Hey, you mind if we chat a little?" Zipp slowly came up, stopping a few steps away.

"Not at all. I was kind of just spacing out."

"Good. So..." She took Pipp's chair next to Misty. "How are you doing? Really?"

Misty looked out at the water again. "I'm doing... well. I'm happy, I think."

"You sure?" Zipp scoffed quietly at herself. "Sorry, you do look happy. It's just, sometimes it's hard to tell if somepony is doing better, or just getting better at hiding things, you know?"

"I don't want to hide anything from you ever again," Misty said quietly, but firmly.

"That's nice to hear, but you're entitled to some privacy. Just so you know."

"Sure." She looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks, Zipp. I... feel better. I feel useful. And more confident, I think. I'll always be grateful for what everypony is doing for me, but I... don't feel indebted. As much. I think."

Zipp left her another moment to think before setting up to say something else, when Hitch came trotting up. "Hey, girls. I want to go for a dip, but Sparky is all tuckered out. Can you watch him for a minute?"

"Sure. Come here, little man." Zipp picked up Sparky as he started stumbling towards the chair and sat him down next to her. He leaned into her coat and she draped part of her wing over him while Hitch headed over to the water.

"I'm glad he's okay," Misty said quietly, watching the dragon fall asleep. "After everything that happened. I'm glad he's okay with me, too."

"When he grows up, he probably won't even remember," Zipp said confidently. "You'll just be one of his five aunts."

Misty giggled and sighed quietly. "I'm okay with that."

Zipp once again let silence linger for a moment before speaking up again. "Do you still hear her?"

Misty looked into the fire, trying to see past the flames, an anxious tension barely returning.

Get back here, Misty!

"A little. Sometimes." She huffed through her nose and looked up at Zipp again with a firm smile. "But she can't tell me what to do anymore."

Author's Note

Thank you again, everybody, for reading.
This story ended up being two chapters longer than expected, and about two or three times in words than what I was going for.
I rarely have such an easy time putting my ideas down and the positive reactions to the first half was very encouraging.
I hope you enjoyed this last chapter as well.