Author's Note

Between the publication of this chapter and the last, chapters two and three have been edited. If you read them when they were initially published a reread may be in order.

Advice

A short time later Misty was dressed and downstairs having breakfast with her friends.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Hitch asked.

“Well,” Sunny began. “The four of us want to go clothes shopping at Zephyr Heights today.”

“Clothes shopping for what?” Misty asked.

“Swimsuits.” Pipp answered, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Misty raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly is wrong with the ones you were wearing yesterday?”

“They’re old and worn out, so we need new ones.” Zipp explained.

Right. That’s one reason you’d want new swimsuits. I can think of another, Misty thought as she glanced at Hitch. Then again their bikinis did look rather faded yesterday. “And what if I’m happy with the swimsuit I’ve got?”

“You don’t have to come.” Sunny reassured her.

Izzy didn’t seem happy about Misty’s decision to sit the shopping trip out. “Awwww. But I wanted to get you a new swimsuit too, Misty.” She whined.

Izzy gave Misty a pair of puppy dog eyes that nearly made Misty decide to come along, but she held firm. “Sorry, Izzy. Maybe next time.”

“Huh.” Izzy slumped in her chair and crossed her arms, looking rather grumpy.

“And let me guess, you want me to come and judge how good you look in them?” Hitch asked.

Sunny, Zipp and Pipp nodded eagerly, but Izzy merely jerked her head. Misty had to fight to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing because her guess had been correct.

Hitch sighed. “Okay, but I want to take Sparky to Mane Melody at some point and get his claws trimmed.”

“Actually,” Misty spoke up suddenly. “I’m planning on going to Mane Melody anyway to see Jazz and Rocky. Why don’t I take Sparky with me and get his claws done while you guys go shopping?”

The idea had just popped into her head when Hitch mentioned Mane Melody. It was starting to dawn on her that she didn’t have the first idea how to approach the topic of herds, so she needed help. And since Jazz and Rocky were the only other ponies she knew of who knew about her friends’ herd they were her best option.

Hitch’s face lit up. “Really? That’s be great, Misty.”

Sparky waddled over to Misty and hugged her leg. She reached down and picked him up, letting him sit on her knee. Izzy watched the two out of the corner of her eye. Her arms were still folded, but she was smiling slightly. Misty smiled at her. Izzy unfolded her arms and smiled back.

Misty and Sparky waved to the others in the Marestream as it took off for Zephyr Heights, then started walking towards Mane Melody. When they got there they found the door was locked. Hardly surprising, considering it was twenty minutes before opening time. But Misty had come prepared, as she had borrowed Pipp’s key. So she just unlocked the door and walked in.

“Oh, hi Misty.” Jazz greeted as the Unicorn entered the shop, Sparky following her in. “What brings you here so bright and early?”

“Hitch wants Sparky’s claws trimmed,” Misty explained. “And I wanted to talk to you…” she dropped her voice to a whisper. “About the herd.”

Jazz nodded in understanding. “Ah.”

Rocky sat Sparky down in one of the chairs and began filing his claws with a re-enforced nail file specifically designed for dragon claws. Misty and Jazz sat down on the edge of the stage to talk.

“So what’s the problem with the herd?” Jazz asked.

“Well, I decided that if the others weren’t going to bring up the herd in a conversation then I’d do it. But when I tried to mention it to Hitch earlier the words sorta… caught in my throat.” Misty explained.

Jazz thought about it for a second. “Do you know why your words caught in your throat?”

Misty shook her head. “No. I had no trouble talking about it with you and Rocky yesterday or right now, but when I was talking to Hitch I couldn’t get the words out.”

“I have an idea why,” Jazz began, a cheeky grin on her face.

“Okay…” Misty said, not liking the look on Jazz’s muzzle one bit.

“Maybe it’s because you want to join their herd?” Jazz suggested.

Misty choked on nothing as her face turned red. The image of her and her friends on the beach while Hitch massaged her back jumped into her head again, clearer than it had been before. Misty shook her head desperately to get rid of the image. “What? I-I… no!”

Jazz didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?” She asked in a singsong voice, her smirk growing.

“Yes!” Misty answered, feeling more uncomfortable by the second.

Her discomfort must have showed in her body language, because Jazz’s face changed from shit eating grin to genuine concern. “Sorry,” she apologised. “I just thought that since you were growing so close to them…”

Misty felt the blush start to fade from her face. “It’s okay,” she reassured Jazz. “But I don’t think that’s it.”

“So what do you think the problem is then?” Jazz asked.

Misty thought about it, and then an idea came to her. “I was on my own for a long time before I met my friends,” she began. She had technically been living with Opaline during that time, but she had been so neglectful Misty might has well been living on her own for all the difference it would have made. “It was difficult for me to get used to being a roommate. And the herd is an even more difficult topic to bring up, especially since they’re being so secretive about it.”

“Well, how did you bring up the topic of being roommates?”

“Er,” Misty paused. “I didn’t, actually. My dad asked the others if I could move into the Brighthouse, and they said yes. So they moved my stuff in for me and I just… moved in. The transition wasn’t easy, I felt extremely overwhelmed, but I didn’t say anything because I thought the others would be mad at me for not being grateful for what I had been given. Eventually it became too much for me and I ran off to spend some time with my dad. When I got back it turned out the others realised I needed my own space so they moved my bed into its own corner.”

Jazz shook her head, then gave Misty an encouraging smile. “Misty, you can’t keep bottling up your emotions until you snap. If you need to talk to the others about something then you need to take the initiative and just do it.”

Before Misty could respond Rocky interrupted. “Done.” He declared.

Sparky hopped off the chair and walked over to Misty to show her his trimmed claws.

Misty smiled at him. “Looking good, Sparky.” She looked up to the Pegasus stallion. “Thanks, Rocky.”

He smiled back at her. “No problem, Misty.”

Jazz looked at her phone. “It’s opening time in three minutes.”

Misty stood up and picked up Sparky. “We’d better get out of your hair.”

She quickly paid Rocky and went to leave.

“Bye, you two.” Rocky said.

“And good luck talking to the others.” Jazz called as Misty closed the door.

Misty was barely paying attention on the way back to the Brighthouse. She wasn’t really looking where she was going, nor did she notice that Sparky (who she was still carrying in her arms) was playing with her mane. Her mind was still on the conversation she’d had with Jazz, and in particular one line.

“Maybe it’s because you want to join their herd?”

The sentence was replaying in Misty’s mind like a record on loop. She didn’t want to join their herd, did she?

She thought about her friends one by one. Starting with Izzy; she was Misty’s best friend, and the first real friend she’d ever had. Her cheerful and energetic personality should have been off-putting for the timid and withdrawn Misty, and it had been at the start. But Misty had quickly gotten used to it, as well as the hugs Izzy always gave her. All of her friends, but particularly Izzy, taught her what true affection felt like. Misty might not be part of their herd, but with the exception of kisses Izzy was as affectionate with her as she was with the others, even nuzzling her on occasion. Izzy had clearly grown fond of her Unicorn friend, and Misty had grown fond of her too.

In contrast with her friendship with Izzy, Misty’s friendship with Zipp didn’t start out well, mostly because Zipp was the only one who saw through the lies Misty was always telling when she first met the group. Misty didn’t hold it against her, partly because Zipp had been right about her lying and partly because she knew why Zipp was so suspicious of her. Zipp was very protective of people she was close to, a trait that probably stemmed from being an older sister. She saw that Misty’s story wasn’t adding up and thought she might be trying to hurt her friends. Zipp had been determined to see beneath Misty’s mask, and when she finally did she saw the truth that not even Misty herself saw at the time, a frightened mare who desperately needed help. The Pegasus was the first to discover Misty’s lack of a Cutie Mark and rather than being disgusted, like the Unicorn thought she would be, Zipp was encouraging. These days the two got along much better. They would often go surfing together and Zipp had embraced Misty as part of the group, being as protective of her as she was of the others. Zipp made Misty feel safe.

Pipp had been hard for Misty to get a read on, but she soon realised that was because Pipp had two personas, the pop star princess she portrayed herself as in public and the real Pipp Petals she only showed when the group were alone. The pop star princess persona was a little… loud for Misty’s liking, but she understood Pipp just wanted to spread joy with her music. The real Pipp was much softer and always eager to make everyone feel welcome. When Izzy first introduced Misty to the group Pipp always made sure that Misty was included in activities and when Misty finally got away from Opaline, Pipp took her under her wing to make sure Misty was adjusting to life in Maretime Bay after living alone for so long. Misty enjoyed this more gentle side to Pipp. It made her feel comfortable.

Unlike Pipp, Sunny was easy to read, because the mare wore her heart on her sleeve. She was kind and caring to a fault, and her cheerfulness and energy could rival Izzy’s. Sunny was also an excellent cook, putting together meals for her friends that put even the five star courses Queen Haven had served them at royal events to shame. Sunny always tried to put a positive spin on situations and make others smile when they were feeling down. The Brighthouse had been her home all her life, but she was more than happy to let Izzy, Zipp, Pipp and later Misty move in with her. Sunny gave off an aura of positivity that was infectious.

And finally there was Hitch. Misty could see why the others fell for him. He was dedicated to his role as Maretime Bay sheriff to keep everyone safe, but that wasn’t his only dedication. He was a caring and loving father to Sparky. It wasn’t surprising Sparky chose to keep living with him instead of living with the other dragons at the Isle of Scaly. Hitch was also dedicated to looking after his friends. If he could help any of them in any way, he would. Not to mention he was also charming, not just to his herdmates, but also to other mares, including Misty. Add onto that his good looks and well toned abs…

Shit.

Misty stopped walking suddenly.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Jazz was right. Misty did want to join the herd. Swaying on her feet from the realisation Misty fell against a lamppost and slip down it into a sitting position on the ground. Sparky looked at her in alarm, tapped her chin to try and get her attention. After several seconds without a response she shifted his head to look at him.

“I’m alright, Sparky.” She managed to say, sounding like she had a head cold.

How was she supposed to bring up the herd now?