"Look who's glowing, darling. I'm glad you found the time to visit us." Rarity stepped aside to let Maya into the boutique. "I was starting to think we were losing our allure."

Maya cantered inside and threw a foreleg around Rarity. "Nice to run into you. I was thinking what else I should do on this fabulous day off and here I wandered."

Rarity arched an eyebrow at the makeover. "Indeed. Is this going to be your new look?"

"Oh, you noticed." Maya trotted in a circle. "I had a spa day. Aloe and Bulk work wonders."

Rarity stepped back, eyes roaming over every part of Maya. "Did they now? You look amazing. Darling, I always feel like a million bits after a day at the spa." She tittered with the thought. "Always worth the time. Now, about you and today. How can I make your day even better than it already is, dear?"

Maya tapped a hoof to her chest. "Me? I'm happy and fancy. Oh, but if I want to get out more, I'll need clothes that fit." She waved a hoof down her flank. "Something that'll shine with the light I'm feeling right now. Something that'll bedazzle everypony that sees it!"

Rarity gasped in horror. "You poor thing. If you needed clothes, why didn't you say so? Yes, of course I'll design something for you. Fashion is my life's work, you know." She drew Maya deeper into her store. "The question is where you want to wear this. Are you looking for something classy about town, or something more specific, hm?"

Maya turned a gentle circle to face Rarity. "I'm looking for something I can walk in comfortably, dance in easily, and jump around in happily. Something that makes me feel nice and light and bouncy."

Rarity clapped her hooves with a bright smile. "Classy about town, got it! Darling, let's get you something that looks great but won't get in the way."

"Exactly!" Maya jumped up onto a small stage. "Is this good? Do you need me to do anything special?"

"Not at all." Rarity produced a tape measurer, trailing it across Maya's body, up and down her legs, along her sides, over her withers. "Hm, hm, yes, hm." She made notes with a pad held in her magic. "Got all the important numbers I need. Now, one teeny little thing." She held up a hoof. "I'm told you work for the crown, very noble work, but working directly for Princess Celestia does not always leave a pony flush in bits."

Maya ducked her head at that. "It's true. But I worked for myself first." She curled on herself and pulled out her bag of bits, jingling softly. "And I am ready to pay for a nice dress."

Rarity hummed softly as she went through the bags, looking over their contents. "Oh, yes, of course. No worries here, darling." She poured the coins back into the bag and turned to hop off the stage. "I was just making sure. No offense intended, I assure, darling. Very well! You have but to wait a little bit and that dress will be made. Before you go, however." She waved over her collection of existing dresses. "Have a look. If you see one you like, I can adjust it for you. Always good to check."

Maya hopped down and peered at the dresses, starting at the top. "Ooh." She pulled a pink one out, bringing it up to herself to hold in place. "This is nice." She pulled bits of it down and back up as she turned in front of a sizable mirror, getting all the angles of herself. "Girl, you really know how to do this."

"It's all I know." Rarity gestured with a hoof to the stage. "If you like that, try it on. Let me make adjustments if need be."

Maya moved back onto the stage and slipped into the dress. It only took a few moments for her to have it on, fitting a little awkwardly, but then on her. "Ta da!"

Rarity whipped her up with a series of measuring ribbons. "A little long, and needs adjusting for your tail." She used a hoof to trace lines and places on the dress, making sure she had every part accounted for. "But otherwise a perfect fit." She tugged and shifted things around as she needed, until at last she backed off. "I can have it ready by tomorrow. Take that off and let me work my magic on it."

Maya shimmied out of the dress and wrapped it up in the ribbon Rarity offered. "Thanks again."

"Again, no trouble at all." Rarity stood next to Maya as she placed the dress down in a corner. "I'll bring it by your office when it's ready, I know the place."

Maya perked an ear. "You haven't been there."

"Doesn't stop me from knowing about it, darling." She glanced towards the door and back. "I was considering stopping by. There are a few things another self-employed mare may wish to speak of, dear. Things you may be more attuned to than other ponies."

Maya nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure, come on by any time. I'm almost always there, but if I'm not, I'll leave a note."

Rarity smirked and chuckled. "That would be fine. I may well take you up on that offer. Another time though, I have work to do." She booped Maya on the nose. "And you have work not to do. Enjoy the rest of your day, darling."

Maya stepped back with a gasp. "You're right!" She grinned. "I can go do whatever I want! See you later, Rarity!" She skipped her way out of the store and made a point of pausing to look up at the sun peeking over the buildings. "Today's going almost too good." She did a little dance in place. "I couldn't ask for much more."

"Good morning!" Twilight trotted up with Spike behind her. "I'm glad we found you. You're still glowing!"

Spike rubbed his eyes. "I was wondering if it was the sun in my eyes or if she was actually glowing."

Maya blushed softly. "You're teasing, but hello." She turned to face the two properly. "Nice to see you two."

Twilight reached out and prodded Maya's side with a hoof. "Mm, not as squishy as I thought you'd be. What did you do?"

Maya let Twilight examine her, smiling wide. "I just visited the spa and feel super fantastic! I have a new dress coming from Rarity, and I couldn't be happier about today."

Spike yawned. "Just today? Sounds like fun." He grinned. "What are you up to now? Off to play more songs?"

Maya colored at that. "I don't sing that often, I think?"

Spike sneered at her reaction. "I'm just playing with you."

Twilight leaned in to study Maya's hooves. "How'd you get those done?"

"A mare named Aloe did them. She was nice. Gave me a special treatment for free." Maya held up her hooves to be examined. "Aren't they gorgeous? I admit, I really didn't think painted hooves would make much of a difference, but wearing them? They do! They really do. Love 'em!"

Twilight closed in to give them a once over. "So you're getting pampered, then. Sounds like a good day to have. But if I might be a little bit pushy?" She smiled. "What are your plans for later?"

"Plans?" Maya perked an ear. "Time with friends, maybe?" She giggled. "I dunno. I just feel good right now."

Spike hiked a thumb towards Twilight. "She was hoping to talk to you, alone, in her secret lab. We were looking for you, and I thought you'd be at home, but here you are. Princess happy to see you."

Twilight scowled. "Not like that." She shuffled a hoof. "It's not even secret." She grumbled to herself, trying to focus on Maya. "But that is the basic gist of it. You are a pony of secrets, Maya. Shall we put our hooves to them and try to tease out some of them?"

Maya wobbled her head back and forth in an undecided way. "Maybe? Secrets aren't bad, you know. I'm pretty sure everypony has them." She laughed tensely. "Looks, um." She glanced away. "You promise you won't freak out about it? I really like what I have here. I don't wanna lose it."

Twilight perked up at that. "Aha! You do have a secret. Alright then, let's find somewhere more private to talk about it." She led the way with Spike sauntering behind. "Your secret is safe with me." She thumped her chest with a hoof. "I am a royal agent, after all."

Maya gave Spike a wary look, who just rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, she's super careful. She does research first and all that. It's how she figures things out."

"Ah." Mays hurried up to Twilight's side. "To start, I love this town, and the ponies in it. I don't want to stop being part of it."

"Nothing like that." Twilight motioned for Maya to keep up. "And we have arrived."

Spike propped open the door for them to walk into Twilight's castle.

Twilight waved off any concern. "Spike's going to take a nap." She motioned to the dragon that trotted off. "No reason he needs to be here for this." She picked out a room on the main floor, rather than one down below. "This way. You're more comfortable around books, and plants. I have one of those." It was a small library.

Maya peeked inside at the little stacks of books sitting around. "Ooh." She raced up to examine one of the volumes. "The Encyclopedia Ponyumous. Neat!" She started flipping through it, giggling at a few pictures. "Ponies really do see things differently."

Twilight sank to her haunches nearby. "An interesting way of phrasing that, though understandable. We do see the world as different creatures, after all." She drew her front hooves together in front of herself. "Now, if you would? Please tell me about yourself."

Maya put the book back and joined Twilight. "Okay, I guess I should start with, I'm not a pony. You know that." She coughed into a hoof. "Well, I guess I am one now, and I like it." She looked back at her swishing tail. "You have a nice world, and I get to do my part to make it a little nicer."

Twilight reached over to take one of Maya's hooves, closing it with both of hers. "I don't think anyone would deny you belong here."

Maya still felt reluctant. "I used to be human, and a different kind of therapist. But, um, I'm getting used to those differences. Ponies can hurt as much as any human can, and they even feel worse about sharing it. In this candy world, some of them feel their pain has no place among their friends and family."

Twilight listened intently, nodding along as Maya spoke.

"So, um, I don't know. There's not really a better way to say this." Maya shook her head and pointed at herself. "I have Earth powers, or something like that." She sank a little. "I'm rambling. Twilight! Please give me something specific to talk about. If I just 'talk about me' we could be here all day long.

Twilight tapped at her own chin. "I wanted to start with, how do you use these powers? I can't even figure out what they are, but I can tell there's a lot of power in them." She directed her horn at one of Maya's hooves. "You have a gift that we can't deny. It's affected the forest, and even Zecora has admitted to its power.

Maya nodded slowly, raising a hoof in front of herself to look at it. "I guess I have magic?" She laughed, hooves across her front. "Not sorcery magic, but, what, druid, earthy magic? I can make plants grow and feel them out, and, um, like that?"

"Like the tree?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "The one at the bottom of the gorge, the one that Zecora brought you to?"

Maya put on a wry smirk. "Twilight, Zecora was kind enough to bring me somewhere I could really be useful. I can't put into words how special that made me felt, that I could help such a tree, like that, feel better. It felt good, and if Zecora wanted me to help, I'd gladly do it again." She bowed her head. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't have a song in mind, I just started singing. Something happened."

Twilight shifted in place to bring her legs around herself. "And did you feel magic when you were doing that?" At Maya's nod, she smiled. "That was likely what most ponies would refer to as a heart song." She placed a hoof at her chest. "It is said that our hearts have songs they wish to share with the world, and those songs are difficult to contain. They have a powerful magic all their own, and great things can happen while under their effect. What was yours like?"

Maya pulled back with a sigh. "I felt it building up in my chest. Then it just spilled out of me." She motioned with her hooves to an imaginary star on the floor. "It was so strange, but not bad. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. It was like the whole universe was giving me a hug and telling me it'd be okay. Like it was thanking me."

Twilight put her own hoof to her chest. "I understand. Something similar happened to me, a few times. The first was the very first time I was able to assist with Winter Wrapup." She smiled at the memories. "I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so eager to help Ponyville. I found myself singing while working on the snowflakes." She huffed gently. "It was unlike anything I'd felt before but it felt natural and it made me feel happy. By the end of it, my mind was just drifting along with the song. It was nice."

Maya beamed joyfully. "So I'm not alone." Hearing that, that she wasn't alone, filled her with such a simple joy. "It's just a silly, wonderful, dear little pony thing." She put her hooves together. "—another precious thing to hold onto."

Author's Note

Heart songs are to be welcomed!

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