New Kind of Question

by Bronze808

Rating: teen
Tags: Misty, My Little Pony: A New Generation, Romance, Sunny Starscout, Slice of Life, Drama
Length: 5358

Misty starts to act strangely around Sunny, but why?

With advice from Zipp, Sunny decides to spend the day of a storm with Misty, and notices she's acting a bit secretive. Will she figure out why, or will it end in catastrophe?

Published 2023-10-22 22:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-10-22 22:50:00 UTC

New Kind of Question

“Hey, guys,” Zipp said. “Anypony else notice that Misty’s compliments lately seem…” Her hoof waved around in the air, searching for the right word. “Sus?”

Sunny’s brain paused. She forgot how to slice a tomato mid-cut and turned around to stare at Zipp from Brighthouse kitchen. Something about that word broke her brain.

“Zipp, what… what does that mean?” Sunny asked.

“Oh! It’s, uh, short for suspicious,” Zipp’s smile broke and repaired itself. “Sorry, I spent all yesterday helping Pipp out with her new music video.”

Sunny smiled. “Oh, okay. Well, what do you mean about her compliments?”

“Well, think about it. She is always complimenting you lately. Like your mane yesterday.”

Sunny returned to her work. She had to get this food ready in case the storm lasted a while. The forecast hinted it just might. “There’s nothing weird with that.”

“Yeah, but… You didn’t even do anything to your mane yesterday. It always looks like that.”

“That’s true,” Sunny hummed. “But I don’t think it’s suspicious.”

“And your hooves the day before. And the way you sing the day before.”

“We all sing though.”

“Yeah, exactly. But she only said it to you.”

Sunny turned around again. “I’m confused. Where exactly is this going?"

“You know what? Hasn’t she been asking you to hang out sometime?”

“Yeah?”

“You should take the day off and hang out with her today.”

“Oh, I can't do that! I’ve still got a few more preparations to make before the storm tonight. Can’t have anypony hungry.”

“I’m free. I can handle grabbing food.”

“There’s no reason for you to take on the extra work when I’m here.”

“Sunny.”

Sunny’s head tilted back; Zipp had trotted up next to her and looked her in the eye to take her attention away from her work.

“Hear me out,” Zipp said. “Just hang out with Misty today and really pay attention.”

“But why?” Sunny asked. “I mean, alright. I trust you. I’m just confused.”

“Trust me, you’re not the best at noticing things.”

“Well, not everyone makes the best detective. But alright. If you say so, Zipp, I’ll give it a shot.”

Misty was definitely not panicking; today would be a normal day. Sure, she’d never hung out with Sunny alone before. And Sunny had never asked her to before. Other ponies usually joined in, but they were all busy. Pipp took to a new experiment with storm chasing. Zipp hung around to make sure Pipp didn’t get struck by lightning. Hitch helped out all of Maretime Bay with covering windows and doors from the wind. Izzy took a trip to Bridlewood to make sure all of her and everypony’s crafts could weather the storm unscathed.

That left Misty and Sunny. Alone. Which was totally fine. Misty could handle this. Absolutely.

The pair walked down Mane Street and took in the scene. For now, it didn’t seem different than any other day. Rain would start later in the afternoon, and the storm would blot out the sunset. Off the coast, the smallest band of darker clouds claimed the horizon.

“Sorry it took so long.” A haze of fruity breath tickled Misty’s ear when Sunny spoke. “I’ve been busy with, uh… Yeah, you know. I know it’s an odd day for this, but I’m glad we’re finally here!”

“Y-yeah!” Misty forced a smile. “Odd day. For sure.”

“So, what do you wanna do?”

“Oh, uh, I was thinking we could…” Misty looked around at signs. Activities. Hooficures, smoothies, restaurants…

No no no! All of those were way too romantic. Uh… Fast food restaurants? Brunch? Morning walk? No, they were already doing that. Bowling? Skating?

“Bowling!” Misty half-shouted. She cleared her throat. “Ehehe, uh… Bowling. Yeeeeah…”

“I haven’t been in a while,” Sunny said, “but to be honest, I think I could use a break from strenuous stuff. I had to help Zipp with sandbags yesterday, and I want to be rested in case anypony’s in need when the storm hits.”

“Oh, of course! Sorry, uh. Do you think you might be up for skating or a game or something?”

Sunny’s eyes glimmered. “You skate?”

“Y-yeah! Zipp helped me find a helmet and stuff. I learned when I was doing obstacle courses for… Oh. Uh, you know. Staying fit.”

“Hm… I should probably hold off on that for now. Oh, maybe we could get brunch!”

No! “Sure! That sounds,” Misty swallowed, “great!”

And so, Misty found herself doomed to sit in a small restaurant with no other patrons for an hour, across from the kindest, warmest, most fantastical pony she’d ever met. She couldn’t even soothe her hammering heart by fidgeting under the table; they were too close together. Sunny would notice and start asking questions and…

Their plates of heaping pancakes came. Food in their mouths forced a silence. Misty had nowhere to run from Sunny’s green eyes. She looked out the window and breathed. The ocean offered some relief for a few seconds, but too long of a glance, and Sunny would worry. And then she’d start asking questions…

“I love smoothies,” Sunny said, muffled, “but I definitely considered doing something with pancakes. Do you cook?”

Misty took a moment to swallow and answer. “Not really. Before I came to Maretime Bay, I was used to eating the same food everyday. I never imagined something like pancakes. Or ponycorn!” Misty ran out of things to say under Sunny’s expectant gaze. “You’re probably a lot more, uh, familiar and stuff! What do you do other than smoothies?”

“I’ve… experimented.” Sunny laughed at herself. “I can cook things, but I just can’t come up with new ideas or play with ingredients like I can in my element. How about you Misty? What’s your element?”

Sneaking around, stealth operations from sky, land, and sea, and gymnastics. “Uh, I don’t really know yet. I guess I thought I did, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to use whatever skills I have to help other ponies. I guess I could run a skydiving service or something…”

“Skydiving?”

Oops. “Oh, uh, did I say skydiving!? I m-meant, uh, inside wiring! Yup! Electronics and stuff! Love me some good ol’ electricity!” Did hacking count?

“Oh, I can’t even imagine what that’s like! You’ve gotta show me sometime.”

“Yeah, sure! Sometime.”

Misty’s eyes traced Sunny’s every move. She could’ve never imagined somepony could look so beautiful just while eating and chatting over pancakes. Get it together, Misty… Play it cool. “So, what do you wanna do after this?”

“Whatever you’d like to do!”

“Well, I want to know what you do to relax.”

Sunny took a moment to think. “Usually, hanging out with you guys.”

“What about before?” Misty asked.

“I had… uh, toys, and such.” Sunny’s constant eye contact broke off. “I’m grateful to be where I am today.”

Misty smiled. “Yeah. Same here.” In front of a beautiful mare and good food. “I’m grateful to be right here, Sunny.”

Too forward, too forward! Misty clenched her teeth for a smile, turned her head slightly away, and sipped at a cup of water to drown out the rising heat in her face. If only that solved the heartbeat. Sunny’s gaze bearing down didn’t help.

“You know what? I could go for skating,” Sunny determined. “I’m feeling way better now! Oh! Actually, do you wanna play a dancing game?”

“A dancing game?” Misty asked.

“Yeah! Just Prance. Alphabittle and I played it as a bet.”

Her dad loved his games… “What were you betting?”

“Oh, just a… A piece of the Unity Crystal.”

Misty’s head reared back. “Wow, that is… An intense dance game.”

“We’ll just do it for fun this time. How’s that sound?”

“Sure! But I don’t think we have time to go all the way to Bridlewood and back. Not anymore, at least.”

“It’s alright. We won’t have to.”

Sunny took Misty on a short walk to a building she didn’t know existed. Games of all kinds lined its dark walls. Misty recognized her dad’s hooves in over half of them. The vibe, from the mystical, dim lighting to the quiet music, matched the Crystal Tea Room so well, Misty could forget Bridlewood wasn’t outside the front door.

In the corner, Misty’s dad’s ultimate challenge waited for them with a glowing screen and flashing hoofprints. If Misty had ever played it before, she didn’t remember. Meanwhile, Sunny took on a full hero’s journey with this game as a trial. This would be one-sided for sure.

“I haven’t done this in a while,” Sunny said. “You know, without stakes, maybe it’ll be a bit easier to have fun right off the bat.”

That’s right, no stakes today. “I don’t dance, but, I’d be more than happy to try!”

Misty stood side-by-side with Sunny in front of the screen. A chart of hoofprints flowed from one to the next. Remembering to place each individual hoof took a heap of effort she hadn’t expected it to, but Sunny continued to stare at the screen and match them second by second, if that. Misty stopped and watched the way her face turned to a stone smile.

“You’re really good at this,” Misty said. “How do you keep track of where to step all the time?”

“After a minute or two, you can get a rhythm,” Sunny said with her eyes glued ahead. “Give it a try.”

Misty did. Her hooves found the right spots without her mind catching up. She only paused when the round advanced after Sunny finished first all the time. Misty might’ve even had a chance if she stopped glancing to watch a master at work. Sunny had a way with this game, to make it as free as the way her mane swished back and forth.

“Oop!”

Misty’s hoof hit landed in the wrong spot, on Sunny’s side. She leaned in to catch her from tripping. Sunny’s weight crashed down on her back. The game rattled off a mess of wrong step notices.

Sunny sighed. “You good, Misty?”

“Yeah,” she answered with a groan.

“The charts here are a little closer together than the Crystal Tea Room.” Sunny groaned as her weight lifted. “Here.”

Misty let Sunny help pull her up. Her horn grazed Sunny’s chin. Their eyes met.

It wasn’t just close anymore; Misty couldn’t hide anything at this distance. Her admiration. Her thoughts. Her feelings… She’d never been this close before, and she shouldn’t. Ponies like her didn’t deserve this much sunlight.

Misty stepped back.

“S-sorry Sunny! I, uh, sneezed! And then there was this shiny thing passing by outside and my eyes didn’t adjust in time! Which is why I tripped! I tripped you! On accident. I tripped you on accident.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah, uh, me and my eyes, you know! Ehehaaa…. Light sensitivity. And allergies. Yep. But I’m totally fine now! Coo, coo, totally cool!”

Misty was used to a hard, inquisitive lookover from Zipp, not Sunny. “Right… Do you wanna try something else?”

“Well, uh, we could, uh, go skating.”

Sunny’s face stayed flat for a second, then brightened. “Okay! It’s a date!”

“A what!?” Misty yelped. Sunny jolted. “Oh, I mean, yeah!” She backed away. “I’ll get my stuff, and, uh, be right back!”

Misty broke off, ran out the doors, turned the corner, exhaled, and growled at the pavement. Good one, Misty. She could do this. Skating was simple. Misty skated with Zipp all the time. This wouldn’t be any different. Not at all.

Misty discovered her skating didn’t match up when Sunny lived in the things. She pirouetted around walking ponies while Misty had to bounce off walls. Was skating usually this hard? She couldn’t be distracted by Sunny’s flowing mane, glowing smile, birdsong voice as she greeted everypony by name, or the way her hooves glided as if mere pavement had frozen over…

“Misty watch out!”

“Huh?”

Misty had careened straight in the path of a horde of twelve tables and twenty ponies sitting at an outdoor restaurant, with too much speed to stop in time. She hopped on a table, balanced on one hoof, and weaved between three bowls of noodles. Other ponies cried out and backed away, offering Misty more room to move. She rounded around another table, tucked in her tail and spun under the next one.

The final four tables were pushed together and stacked high with quadruple layer chocolate birthday cake. Misty pumped her legs down and leapt for it. She rotated and curled her back.

The stem of a cherry grazed the middle of her spine. She landed hard on the pavement in open space. She rotated her hooves around and slowed.

“Sorry!” Misty called.

“Misty!”

Sunny skated up next to her at a slower pace and a breathless smile. “Misty, that was amazing!”

Misty broke out into a mess of stress-relieving giggles. A hard object hit from the side. Her hooves spun out and let her fall. Half a dozen envelopes poked her back, and pound cake splattered on her face. Sunny’s hoof wiped it from over her eyes with a nervous smile, right next to a surprised mailpony.

“H-hey Misty,” Sunny said. “You okay?”

Too close. No… Misty shot to her hooves. “Yup! Never better! The, uh, light again! Sure is bright today!” A shining star in the form of a mare didn’t help.

“Are you okay, Misty?” Sunny asked again, differently this time. “You look distracted...”

“Uh, psssh, no…” Misty smiled. “I’m all good.” The mailpony frowned. His eyebrows creased. “Uh, sorry about that.”

“How about we just go on a walk?”

“Uh, yeeeeah. That’s a good idea.”

Things calmed down, except for Misty. Her mind ran laps around them on their walk through town. She stayed quiet and trailed behind Sunny for the most part. Storm clouds and sharp wind from the coast encroached in the sky and wiggled through Misty’s mane. Following Sunny brought them to the hills outside the Brighthouse.

“Hey, Misty,” Sunny said. She waited for Misty’s head to rise and turned around. Her hooves stopped moving. Her eyes flooded with a mix of kindness and worry. “I don’t like seeing you keeping your problems to yourself. And you’ve been acting like you’re keeping a secret. One that’s… hurting you.”

Love hurts… “Wh-wha-what’dya mean? I’m feeling fine- uh, great! Superb! No problems here! Honest!”

It didn’t work. Sunny’s face stayed the same. It clicked; Sunny brought her out here to talk alone. Misty’s screwups added up into a mountain of suspicion. She couldn’t even believe anything coming out of her own mouth anymore. Even her lies failed her now.

“We all want you to be happy, Misty,” Sunny said. Resolve ran through her glare. “Is someone bothering you? Or something.”

“N-no,” Misty whispered. “I, uh…” She wiped her hoof across her face. “Got something in my eye. And, uh allergies. And, uh, sorry.”

Sunny closed that distance again, this time, with intent. There was no escape. Misty had to choose now. Betrayal or trust. Risk or safety. Friendship, or something else with a sweet, supple taste like ponycorn dipped in a mash of berries no one tasted the same way. Yet for her, it tasted like a cherry. A soft texture, like breath, or the heartbeat on her chest.

Misty jolted back. Sunny’s body turned to stone, but her eyes wavered like treetops in a hurricane. Tears welled in Misty’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Misty blurted. “I didn’t mean to- I was, uh.” She turned and ran. “I’m sorry!”

“Misty?” Sunny whispered.

Sunny returned to the Brighthouse in a trance. She watched her own body as she set up sleeping bags for her friends. Time passing and her friend’s chatting all faded into the background.

How dense was she to not notice from the start? The way she dodged and avoided as best she could in the restaurant. The distracted skating. The specific kind of light Misty’s eyes when they played in Just Prance… If she had thought harder, done what Zipp said, she would’ve recognized where her friendship with Misty had led. That it was different.

“Sunny?” someone asked. “Where’s Misty?”

Sunny blinked and turned her head up. Zipp looked down at her from next to her sleeping bag, where Sunny sat and stared off into nowhere.

“What?” Sunny asked. The rest of her friends, Izzy, Hitch, and Pipp, watched from afar, silent and attentive.

“You were with Misty all day, right?” Zipp asked. “The storm’s going to kick it in high gear soon, and she’s still not back!”

“She… She ran off.”

“She what!?” Zipp paused. “Sunny, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I…” A loss for words. “I’m… Not.”

“Hey Sunny?” Hitch asked. He stepped forward and pulled Izzy and Pipp behind him. “We really need to know where Misty is.”

“Yeah,” Pipp echoed. “She doesn’t even have, like, all this equipment you apparently need for storm chasing. And this one looks blegh. I’ll probably pick a smaller one sometime.”

“Everypony calm down!” Zipp said. She lowered her head and sat across from Sunny. “Sunny. What happened before Misty ran off?”

“First, we went to a restaurant.” Misty’s eyes traced the horizon and changed color. They’d never quite looked so distant and worried before. Sunny smacked her lips. Her throat was dry. “She was avoidant and antsy.”

“Go on?”

“Then, uh… We went to play Just Prance at that new game shop.” Misty’s eyes took on the color of a fully blossomed flower stem, filled with hope and want for something. Misty wanted something from Sunny she’d never been asked to give before.

“Huh, alright. And then?”

“Then we went skating.” Misty added an extra twirl to every move clearing past the tables. For a moment, she closed her eyes in the air and looked like a sleeping dewdrop that fell from the moon: an untouchable fantasy right in front of her. It was mesmerizing, elegant, beautiful. “But she was distracted and crashed into a mailpony, so we went for a walk instead.”

“Okay. Keep going.”

Misty’s heartbeat fluttered against Sunny’s chest. The bite of syrup and candy overwhelmed every other sense; she couldn’t see, hear, smell, or feel anything. How long did that taste last? It felt like it happened forever ago, and lasted forever. What did Misty say before she ran off again? Her hearing hadn’t come back yet.

“And she, uh…” Was that real? “Kissed me.” Tears were rolling. “And then she ran, and… I didn’t know what to do!”

Zipp’s face drooped, expressionless, save for her giant eyes absorbing every detail of Sunny’s face.

“How could anyone see me that way!?” Sunny shouted. She covered her eyes with her hooves. “I can’t do this!” She sniffled. “I can’t… I’m not anyone’s special somepony…”

Some side of Sunny knew this whole time how Misty really felt, but that side couldn’t do it. It took her bringing magic back for anypony to see something special, even herself. How could anyone want this?

“Sunny,” said Zipp. Her hooves pushed down on Sunny’s arms and uncovered her eyes; Zipp was smiling. “If you want to, you can do anything.”

“Yeah!” Izzy said, smiling. “You’re like, the number one friend of Maretime Bay!”

“This isn’t friendship!” Sunny argued. “I don’t know how to do this! I’ve never done this before…”

“Sunny,” Zipp said, “no two friendships are the same.”

“And they don’t all have to be,” Hitch stepped closer. All of her friends did. “You’ve brought ponies together in creative ways before. You’re right that this is different than anything, but, in a way, it’s the same. It’s about ponies coming together, even when it’s tough.”

“Making things better,” Pipp hummed. “Even when they don’t have to change.”

“It’s about watering and growing a friendship into something incredible!” Izzy added.

“It sounds like Misty took a chance and asked you for something different, Sunny,” Zipp said. “You’re the only one who can decide if you want to give it to her. But you need to go find her one way or the other. The storm’s getting worse, and she’s your friend. And she’s out there alone. The storm’s going to be too bad for anyone to fly in but you.”

Sunny rose to her hooves. That’s right. One of her friends was out there by herself, with danger on the way. She needed to find Misty.

“I’ll find her,” Sunny resolved. “Don’t worry. I got this.”

Zipp smiled. “There’s the Sunny I know.”

Sunny trotted to the front door. The prelude to rain, a light drizzle, already started.

“Wait!” Izzy called. “How are you going to find her? She’s super athletic. She could be anywhere by now!”

Something in Sunny knew. “I’ll find her, no worries.”

“Sunny!” Pipp said. “Remember our training! You are strong. You are confident. And if you want it, take it!”

“No problem, Pipp.” Sunny turned around and flashed a smile. “I know what to do.”

Misty ran for a long while after her legs started to ache. What was wrong with her doing that out of nowhere? Or at all? Stupid, stupid…

An expanse of forest waited for her outside Maretime Bay, and beyond that, shade. The clouds blew past her pace and cast a gray shadow over every nook and cranny. All of the critters around retreated to their hidden homes. She seemed to have a habit of going to the woods alone to think. Maybe if she had thought before acting, she wouldn’t be out here.

Misty could be in the Brighthouse, huddling up with all of her friends through the storm. Everything would be fine. She’d be with Sunny, and there wouldn’t be any awkwardness between them, just distance. Distance that kept her from being happy that everypony else was fine with.

Why did she have to be like this?

Misty turned up. A rumble of thunder vibrated in her skull. She had to find a safe place. Her adrenaline carried her way too far away from the Brighthouse to make it back now. She needed someplace indoors… out in the wilderness. Great. Maybe the nearby mountain had a cave she could borrow for the night? Preferably one without bats or bears or… Stop thinking about it. No choice now.

Misty jogged around in her search. Several caves were either too small or were occupied by not-so-friendly looking creatures. Right when lightning showed up, she found a score. A rocky cave mouth invited her in with its silence. She lit up her horn and pointed the light inside. The cave stretched deep, deeper than she could see, but as long as she had cover, she’d be safe. No reason to go spelunking. She settled against the cave wall and rested her eyes.

Some time later, a change happened. Misty’s breath ran warm and shook in her chest. She stood up and looked around. The walls flashed bright on and off. She spun around to find the source of the light and found it on her own flank. Her cutie mark was glowing?

A lightning bolt drew Misty’s attention to the sky. A golden light with the speed and strength of a falling star weaved around the horizon in wide turns. Nothing she’d ever seen could fly like that, other than Sunny Starscout.

Noooo no no no no. Was her cutie mark tattling where she was? Stop iiiit! Come on!

It wouldn’t stop. Misty backed away under the cave ceiling and took off. She couldn’t tell Sunny friendship wasn’t enough for her anymore, not when she’d given Misty too much already. She couldn’t do that to her. Her horn lit up and marked the winding path further in. A large boom outside made her flinch.

“Misty?” Sunny’s voice echoed.

No! Misty quieted her breathing and continued as fast as possible. Uneven rocks with each step challenged her every move. A dim blue light at the end offered a chance to make it out.

Misty stopped in her tracks. The cave opened to a wide expanse of glowing blue crystals, open space, rocky terrain, and a maze of ruins and random walls. In the back, a waterfall as deep blue as the ocean poured into a small pond and sent a pulsing web of rivers in every direction. She’d never seen anything like this before. From the top of the waterfall, she spied the sight of clouds and trees. Outside… She found a way out!

“Misty!?”

Misty turned around and backed away. Sunny’s green eyes poked out of the darkness, then the rest of her. Blankets wrapped around her abdomen. Misty shivered in place.

“Misty?” Sunny asked. She took an extra breath in between a concerned frown and determined scowl. “Why are you running from me?”

“Running?” Misty asked. “Who’s running? I’m not running! I’m, ah, visiting this cave! I used to summer here! Ha ha… Welp, gotta go check on my stuff bye!”

Misty bolted. She jumped along walls and thin ridges to avoid the rocky terrain and tiny rivers below. She couldn’t think of how far the ground was from the tops of walls thinner than her own hooves. She could face it; she couldn’t bear to face Sunny now.

“Mis-ty-y!” Sunny’s voice wobbled. “Wait up! I need to talk to you about earlier!

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that! There was light in my eye and my allergies were acting up!” I kissed you without thinking. “But that’s fine. We can talk later! I’m like, suuuuper busy babysitting raccoonicorns and farming ponycorn! And, uh.” Misty came to a long jump between her and the last wall from the waterfall. Sunny closed in from behind at a slow, steady pace. “Yup! Just going down memory lane! Bunkering down for the storm! So yeah, I’m really busy, and we can totally talk later!”

Misty revved up and jumped. Her hooves slammed straight on the top of the last wall before the waterfall. She could make it.

A brick slid out from under her. Two others followed. Misty resisted with all her might, but nothing tethered her to the wall anymore. She screamed and fell.

“Misty!”

Misty hit the floor. A dull, strong pain flooded her right foreleg. A shout forced its way out of her mouth. With her wings and horn aglow, Sunny landed mere paces away. Too close…

“Misty!?” Sunny called. “Are you okay!?”

“No! I can’t do it, Sunny! I can’t!”

Misty pushed through the pain, blinked away the tears, and ran forward. She waded out into the warm water and looked for a way to climb up. Is it possible to swim up waterfalls?

The bottom of the pond dipped. Misty sunk. She flailed her arms around towards the light. A strong set of hooves grabbed and yanked her out before her lungs could strain under the water.

Sunny dragged Misty to the cave wall next to the waterfall. With a huff, she set Misty down and breathed in. In the seconds that passed, Misty planned out half a dozen things to say to make things normal again.

“Sorry Sunny!” Misty croaked. “It’s been so long since I’ve been down here, I forgot about how to get out that way! Thanks for the lift I gotta go. I gotta…”Misty shook her head. Tears fell free. “I can’t. I can’t do this to you…” She buried her face in her hooves. Her voice wavered in and out. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”

Sunny’s stare melted Misty down. Her large eyes held enough worry for every last one of their friends, and it all came down on her head. What have I done?

“Misty…” Sunny said quietly.

“I don’t get why I always have to be different from other ponies.” Misty lowered her hooves. She held her right leg close to her chest as it throbbed. “Why can’t I just be happy with what they’re happy with? Why do I have to be like this? How could I possibly keep wanting and asking for more after everything that I’ve done?”

“Misty, you don’t have to be happy in the same way other ponies are.”

“I don’t get it! I tried and tried so hard, but I kept doing and saying things and I just wouldn’t stop…”

A warm blanket started to dry Misty off. “Misty,” Sunny said, “you deserve friendship and love just like anypony else, no matter what anyone says. There’s nothing wrong with you.” Past the blanket, Misty saw Sunny’s mane had plumed out into a mess, but her smile remained. “And I’m honored to be someone that you want to give something special too.”

Sunny lifted Misty’s right hoof like she was plucking a flower and kissed it. The pain in her leg disappeared with a golden flash of light.

“But Sunny, why?” Misty asked, breathless. “All I’m good at is lying and hiding and avoiding my problems. I don’t have anything to offer.”

“Misty,” Sunny said. She bent down to her eye level. “The same way you see something special in me, I see something special in you. I never thought anypony that gave me their friendship would see me the way you do. But now that I realize I’m capable of more than I thought I was, and that something amazing can happen between you and me. It’s just fine that it’s different from any other friendship.”

Misty’s heart hammered in her ears. Could this be real? “Sunny, I-I’m not good enough for you. I don’t deserve what you want to give me…”

Sunny challenged her with a confident smile and hard eyes. “Yes, you do. Hoof to heart.”

Sunny gave her freshly picked cherries, smoother than ponycorn and warmer than a plate of cookies fresh out of the oven. Based on Sunny’s reaction, whatever Misty had turned out to be enough.

Misty fell asleep with two hooves massaging the back of her head at a rhythm like deep breaths. She woke up in a blanket cocoon with her head on Sunny’s neck. Sunlight streamed in from the top of the waterfall, which had soothed into a lighter trickle. The storm has passed. They could finally go home.

Misty nuzzled against Sunny’s cheek and smiled. After five more minutes.

“Hey guys?” Sunny called. “Anyone see those bananas I just had on the counter?”

No reply from anyone in the Brighthouse. Zipp shrugged and continued on her way to taking down the wood coverings for the windows. Hitch and Izzy didn’t say anything past their grunts of effort carrying the trash out.

Misty, however, put on a smile so devious it could dare Sunny to run a marathon all the way around Maretime Bay. Her head bobbed back and forth to an invisible beat.

“My bananas,” Misty hummed. “Na-nanana-na-na…”

Sunny smiled, crept forward away from the kitchen, and gave chase. Misty rounded around the couches and chairs in the chill space. She struggled to catch her breath between fits of giggles.

Sunny guessed her trajectory right. She reached a hoof for Misty’s tail, but she flipped over a couch and reset the chase.

“Slippin’ on a peeeeeeel?” Misty’s head swayed from side to side. Sunny smirked and shoved the couch forward. Misty grunted. Her head leaned over the back of the couch, within reach of Sunny’s hooves. A wild torrent of laughter weakened Misty’s every attempt to push away. A banana bunch flailed around in a hoof she held away from Sunny.

“Sunny! Sunny!” Misty’s laughs squeaked.

Sunny rapid-fired kisses on Misty’s face. Misty curled up into a ball like usual, which let Sunny reach for the banana bunch, grab it, and let Misty fall on the couch. Her mane continued to bounce on her face as Sunny walked off with her prize.

“Gotcha,” Sunny sang. She smiled, aimed for the kitchen, and paused. Between her and the kitchen, Pipp hovered in the air with short, gentle flaps and her phone’s camera trained on them. The waviest smile altered her face.

“Pipp?” Sunny fumed. “Are you streaming?”

“What? Sunny, of course not. I’m just saving a video.” She flinched. “Oh, nevermind. Oops.”

Misty stopped laughing and fell off the couch.

“Pipp!”