MLP - G5 (A Rewrite)by ThatMLPArtistChaptersChapter 1 - Picking Up the PiecesChapter 2 - Maretime BayChapter 3 - In the NightChapter 1 - Picking Up the PiecesIt had been about a week since the... incident at Sunny Starscout's lighthouse. Sprout Cloverleaf, the resident spoiled man-child, had rammed a robot of his creation into the side of her home. All of this, because of, according to Maretime Bay law, "harboring undesirable individuals" and "conspiring against the town." In actuality, this was an attempt to reunite the three pony races: Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. Of course, the latter two were always looked down upon, feared, even hated, especially with Sprout in control during Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer's absence. Despite this, of course, she was successful in what she had set out to do. With the reunion of the three Unity Crystals, combined with the newfound peace between the three races, magic had been officially restored to Equestria. Sunny was a young mare with a bright, apricot-colored coat. Her mane was magenta and always kept in a braid that wrapped around her side. She had kept herself busy in the area surrounding where her lighthouse once stood. With her home under reconstruction, she had found herself staying with Izzy Moonbow, an enigmatic yet excitable young mare, in Bridlewood for some time. This was no issue, of course, as she knew she would always find herself welcome. As she trotted through the rubble that remained of her old home, she would often come across bits and pieces of what she considered to be important memorabilia. To an average pony, these would be ordinary things; a wooden doll here, a tattered poster there. To any other pony, none of these would be important, except to her father, but he had passed on years ago. Even so, Sunny still maintained her optimism despite the somber circumstances. As she was gazing at a recovered photograph of her and her father, a high-pitched and energetic voice broke the monotonous buzz and hum of the construction around her. Izzy had noticed her and was now bouncing her way over. "Heya Sunny!" Izzy said. "Whatcha dooooin'?" "Oh, nothing, just-" Sunny began, but was cut off as Izzy grabbed her by the hoof. "Good, c'mon!" Sunny soon found herself being dragged off by the purple mare. This wasn't the first time Izzy had done something of the sort, of course. Sunny had been made quite familiar with this habit of Izzy's during the time she had spent with her over the past week in Bridlewood. Izzy was quite the tour guide, Sunny had often thought to herself. The pair of them were headed down the hill on which Sunny's lighthouse had once stood. At the bottom, a couple of her newfound friends could be found waiting for her: young Zephyrina Storm and Philomena Petals, or Zipp and Pipp, as they preferred to be called. Zipp was tall, with a sleek white coat and mane that consisted of pink, cyan, and magenta, and wings that consisted of blue, pink, and purple. Pipp was short and slightly chubby, with a fluffy pink coat and fluffy wings of a brighter shade, with a styled violet mane. The two sisters were royalty in Zephyr Heights, with Zipp being the heir to their mother, Queen Haven's, throne. She was leaning against a tree as Pipp was speaking to her fans, livestreaming. Once reaching the clearing, Izzy had released her grip on Sunny. Zipp had walked over to speak as Pipp moved farther back so as not to be an interruption. "Yo, Sunny, doing alright?" Zipp asked. "You've been hanging around that place a lot." Sunny seemed distracted at first, but with a shake of her head, she responded. "Oh, er... it's nothing. Just been looking through the rubble to see if there's anything I can salvage." Zipp took a moment before placing a hoof on Sunny's back. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. I'm sure you can get something out of there." They all stood in silence for a moment before Hitch made his way over. The Earth Pony sheriff of Maretime Bay, Hitch was what most stallions aspired to be: tall, strong, and handsome. Hitch sported a soft orange-yellow coat and a turquoise and blue-green mane with a small bit of a beard beginning to set in. He was always gentle and was known to be great with animals, often taking care of them when necessary. Sunny had always found herself thinking of him as an older brother, and despite not always seeing eye-to-eye, they were both always around to watch over each other when needed. As he approached, he paused to take a glance at the construction up the hill before turning back and pulling to a stop among the other ponies. "Looks like construction's going well," he commented. "Shouldn't be too long, maybe a month or two." Sunny nodded, turning her attention to the bag she had worn on her side. She pulled it off, carefully emptying its contents onto the ground before her. What she once knew to be various historical objects her father had collected over the years, as well as some her father had made for her, were now mostly destroyed beyond repair. A somber expression washed over her. Hitch and Zipp glanced at each other before walking slowly to Sunny's side. Sunny spoke with a tone nopony had ever heard her speak with since the day she had lost her father. "Everything he left behind is gone." They all sat in silence before Izzy spoke up with a glimmer of optimism shining through. "Not everything," she remarked. Sunny slowly turned to face Izzy, who had handed her the small, framed photograph of her and her father. "You dropped this." This got Sunny to smile, breaking the tension in her voice. "Thank you, Izzy." Izzy beamed happily, giving Sunny a pat on the back. "Anytime!" Sunny gathered her things and placed them as neatly as she could back into her bag as Pipp made her way over to join the group. "You will not believe the amount that the fans are contributing to help fund the Lighthouse being rebuilt," she exclaimed. "Turns out you really did make a difference around here, Sunny!" "Yeah, I guess so," Sunny replied, returning her bag to her side. She stood and gave a sigh, taking a glance at her friends. "Wanna come with me back up there? See how everything is going? Do a little more digging?" The others agreed, as they had all made their way back up the hill toward the lighthouse. As they walked, something crossed Sunny's mind and she turned to Hitch. "Hey, Hitch...?" Sunny spoke. "What happened to Sprout after the robot thing...?" "Well, obviously he couldn't just destroy a private residence and not face repercussions," Hitch explained. "So I took him in, doing something on that level will get you at least five years. But of course, his mother bailed him out." "Think he learned anything from it?" Zipp asked. Hitch shrugged. "Probably learned more from almost getting himself killed after crashing it, if I'm being honest." Nodding, Sunny pulled to a stop as the crew arrived at the top of the hill. Once again, the sounds of construction filled their ears. As the five of them wandered toward the rubble, a voice spoke up from behind them. It was Sprout's mother, Phyllis Cloverleaf. "Well... getting repairs, are we?" Her tone was, as usual, stuck-up and borderline arrogant, something Sunny was all too familiar with, as she had a knack for talking down to Sunny. The only time she could ever remember Phyllis speaking to her with a halfway-decent tone was at her father's funeral. Sunny opened her mouth to reply, but Hitch spoke first, a slight amount of irritation in his voice. "What is it, Phyllis?" "I'm simply here to keep tabs on progress. It is a public space, is it not?" she retorted. Hitch let out a sigh. "Right..." A grin formed across Phyllis' face. "Lovely," she said, briskly passing them by to survey various aspects of the construction process. Hitch moved to the side, keeping a watchful eye on what she was doing. He wasn't as trusting of her as he once was after the events that had unfolded recently. Sunny watched him disappear into the crowd of workers, before turning back to the rest of her friends. Izzy was bouncing about the area as well, greeting all of the workers as she'd done every morning for the past three days. Zipp was practicing flying and weaving in and out of the framework. Sunny had sat down next to Pipp, who was streaming to her fans and showcasing the current progress of the reconstruction. She wrapped a hoof around Sunny, pulling her over and setting her down next to her, speaking to her as well as her viewers. "And here's the mare herself!" Pipp exclaimed. "Sunny, what can you tell us about how things have been going with the lighthouse being rebuilt?" Sunny's eyes darted around a moment. "Oh- well, um... I've been staying with Izzy in Bridlewood, which has been great. There are a lot of things going on right now, you know, but I'm doing my best." Pipp gave her a couple of pats on the back. "Here we have it, everypony! Staying strong in the face of adversity, that's what we like to see!" Sunny gave a chuckle and returned Pipp's pats, standing as Pipp continued to speak to her viewers. She wandered through the various workers, covering her hears to drown out the noise, until she bumped into Phyllis amidst the clamor. "Watch where you're going, girl," Phyllis said. "Have you no regard for personal space?" Sunny was quick to apologize. "Sorry, Mrs. Cloverleaf, I-" Phyllis cut her off. "You know, what you're doing here is going to lead you down a dark path. I was protecting Maretime Bay from these... threats to public safety." "Mrs. Cloverleaf, please. They haven't done anything wrong," Sunny replied. "They're not dangerous." "You don't know that!" Phyllis snapped back. "For all you know they could be biding their time. What if they discover what they can do once their magic has been restored to its full potential?" "Ponies used to live in harmony all those moons ago, I'm sure they can do it again." Sunny spoke with a confident tone, which caused Phyllis to become slightly agitated. "Fine. But when those... beasts begin wreaking havoc among us Earth Ponies, don't tell me I didn't warn you." With that, Phyllis turned and set back down the hill, headed back to Maretime Bay. A part of Sunny wanted to ask why Phyllis hated Unicorns and Pegasi the way she did, but she knew it would be futile. Surely she'd have a reason, right? She thought to herself about how this trait had been passed down to her son. And of course she must have noticed where that led, given the current events. For a moment, she thought about what could have happened if Hitch had been as inclined to listen to Phyllis as most other Earth Ponies were. Even then, the majority of them had come to accept the newfound harmony. Or... could it really be called harmony yet? Before she could think too hard on this subject, Hitch came wandering back. "I saw her talking to you," he said. "What was that about?" Sunny rolled her eyes. "Just typical Phyllis... saying that at some point the others are gonna turn on us, you know." She shrugged, the two of them starting to walk away from the construction. Briefly chuckling, Hitch gave a short sigh. "Yeah, she's a real piece of work... but hey, don't listen to her. She's trying to mess with you." "Yeah, I know," Sunny replied. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to throw me off, though." As they approached the small clearing, Izzy came trotting her way back, humming a cheerful tune. She was followed by Pipp and Zipp, the latter flying higher than anypony had seen her before, before diving through the air and pulling to a perfect landing. This garnered much praise from the others, who commented on how quickly she seemed to be learning. As Pipp joined the group, she waved a goodbye to her viewers before ending her stream and tucking her phone neatly into a pouch at her side. "Well, good news, ponies!" she spoke happily. "One more charity stream and we'll have raised enough to cover the full expenses of the reconstruction!" The group cheered, all giving Pipp a pat on the back for the great help she had provided. She insisted it was not a problem at all, saying she was glad to help out in any way she could. "What are you guys up for now?" Zipp asked. "Well, I've got to open up my smoothie cart for the day," replied Sunny. "How about a round of them on the house?" "Sounds great to me!" Izzy piped up. "Hot day out and all!" The rest agreed, and as they headed out to town, a relaxing sensation washed over each of them as they chatted and laughed along the way. Author's Note And here's my first chapter. I've never done a writing project like this before, so... let me know what you think. I do plan to keep going, as I have a clear storyline in mind. Chapter 2 - Maretime BayThe sun was hot and bright as it shone down on a beautiful summer afternoon. Sunny and her friends were slowly but surely making their way toward the town of Maretime Bay. Sunny and Hitch led the group as they reached the town, guiding them through the streets. Sunny turned her head and she spoke up as an idea crossed her mind. "Hey, how about a tour of Maretime Bay?" Sunny asked. "Izzy's already given us quite the tour of Bridlewood, and I've got a while until I have to open the smoothie cart for the day." Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp responded with excited agreement. Zipp had been very enthusiastic about flying ever since magic had been restored to Equestria, so much so that she had often flown off on her own to get a bird's-eye view of the town. Pipp, however, chose to remain with the group. Her eyes darted from place to place as Sunny and Hitch led her and Izzy about the town. Hitch and Sunny led the others to the town's tram station, catching a trolley to take them from place to place. Occasionally they would catch a small glimpse of Zipp passing by above them. For a moment, Pipp had pulled to a halt. She had stopped to look at a building across the road. It was about three stories high, and despite being obviously run-down and abandoned, it was not in very bad shape. Pipp pulled out her phone, taking multiple pictures of it from various angles. Many ideas flashed through her head as though she was creating an instant vision board in her mind. "Pipp? You coming...?" Sunny asked, before turning to see what had caught Pipp's attention. Her ears perked up. "Oh, that old place? It used to be a salon. My dad used to take me there to get my mane cut. It's been shut down for years now, though." Pipp's eyes lit up with curiosity as she tucked her phone back into her pouch. "We totally have to come back here to get a closer look sometime." "Why not?" Hitch's voice spoke up from behind them. "Though I'd have to check to see if it's safe to enter." Pipp nodded, and the group continued their tour. Izzy bounced around various shops, humming cheery tunes and looking in windows here and there, once running inside and coming out with a few different containers of glitter. Hitch would occasionally shoot a dirty look at ponies he suspected of being up to no good. Even something like jaywalking or littering would earn you a stare from him. He was often praised for his dedication to his job. Sunny and Hitch had brought them to every place they believed to be noteworthy. They visited various neighborhoods and dining establishments, stopped by the Sheriff's office, and made their way to the now-vacant Canterlogic warehouse. It was here that Sprout, during his time as "Sheriff" in Hitch's absence, had the citizens of Maretime Bay build the machine he had used to destroy the Lighthouse. Before this, however, it was used by his mother to develop various devices and contraptions meant to defend against any "attacks" by Unicorns or Pegasi. Sunny knew all too well how each contraption functioned. She remembered the day she first met Izzy. She had gotten caught in the demonstration of each device, something she'd rather forget. After a short walkthrough of the empty factory, they had concluded their tour of Maretime Bay. Hitch turned to Pipp. "So, about that building you wanted to see?" he asked. "Right!" She lit up. "I was thinking it'd be totally perfect for renovating. Plus, Sunny already said it used to be a salon!" "Well, if we head back to the Sheriff's office, I could make a few calls, see if we could get a look at it," he responded. Pipp nodded, glowing with enthusiasm as they made their way to the Sheriff's office once again. She was happy enough to the point where she seemed to be bouncing as much as Izzy was on a regular basis. Upon arrival, Hitch sat at his desk, setting himself to work. As the others chatted amongst themselves, Hitch sorted through various different papers and files, occasionally making a phone call or two. After a bit of confusion from Hitch, and a few moments of stopping to clear his head, he eventually came up with papers allowing them entrance. Pipp did a bit of a small jump, squealing with excitement. "Do we have time to check it out?" "Depends on Sunny," Hitch replied, turning to her. "What do you think?" Upon a quick glance at the clock, she still had about 15 minutes to spare before she had to open for business. "We should if we're quick," she said, nodding. Pipp gave a giggle and darted out the door, the others following close behind. As they approached the building, Hitch gave a nod to Pipp as the group stepped through the door. Inside was mostly empty, save for a counter and a few styling chairs and hair dryers. Whereas the others walked about with an air of curiosity, Pipp's expression was ecstatic. She quickly ran around the room, entering a small area behind the counter, looking in vacant supply closets, and checking the condition of what little furniture remained. Sunny ran a hoof across the counter, wiping away a small bit of the thick layer of dust that coated every surface. Izzy was, as usual, happily trotting around the room. "Well, whaddya know? Take a look at this!" Izzy exclaimed, opening a small cupboard. A small number of rats that had made a home for themselves inside the cupboard ran out and onto the floor. Pipp and Sunny jumped, the former now standing atop the counter. Hitch moved forward towards the rats, speaking softly. "Must've been quite a spook, hm?" He asked, lowering himself a bit. One of them squeaked something back in response, though Hitch seemed to be the only one to understand it. He was always notably good with animals, as Sunny often pointed out. "Right, I understand. Don't worry, we aren't here to hurt anything," he replied gently. The rat he was speaking to nodded before rejoining the others and moving back into the cabinet. "Wow, Hitch! Never seen ya do that before!" Izzy piped up, ruffling his mane a bit. "I'm not really sure what it is about me that makes critters seem to like me so much. Or why I can understand them, for that matter..." he trailed off, pausing to think about this for a few moments. Pipp, climbing down from the counter, brushed herself off. "Hey, Hitch, how much do you think it would be to buy this old place?" she asked. "It could totally use the renovations, and I've got a few ideas in mind." "I'm not sure; it might be listed somewhere," he responded. "I could check for you later if you like." Pipp gave a small nod, darting off upstairs to take a look at the condition of the other two floors. Sunny glanced at the time, before realizing she was opening the cart in two minutes. "Oh, I've gotta go!" she exclaimed. "I'll catch up with you guys later!" With that, she dashed outside, running down the street and making multiple sharp turns. She eventually made it to her cart, though she made a note that she was four minutes late. Nothing too major, though she did take a moment or two to cool off from the run. After a brief rest, she retrieved the key to the cart from her bag. As she moved to unlock it, she was shocked to see that the lock was broken. Deeply concerned, she pushed the door of the cart open to reveal numerous baskets of the produce she used to make her smoothies had been knocked over, their contents spilling out onto the floor. At first, she wondered if some type of animal had gotten in, but there were no animals in Maretime Bay that could have broken the door lock. She stopped, grabbed a clipboard, and began taking inventory. She discovered quite a bit of produce had gone missing. After returning what was left of her supply of various fruits to their respective baskets, she stepped out of her cart to see if there was anything else that seemed amiss in the area, but to no avail. At least, not at first. After a bit of searching, she noticed a small, empty makeup container lying on the ground. She picked it up, looking at it with a quizzical expression. She eventually set it gently into her bag, before once again speeding off, this time back toward the old salon. Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, and Izzy, upon viewing the second and third stories of the salon, had each retrieved brooms from an unchecked closet. Each of them set to work sweeping the dust-covered floors. Izzy bounced about, using it to clean the dust of whatever surface she could reach. Countertops, ceilings, doors, and seats were each quickly swept, revealing their much finer colors beneath. After a long while of dusting, the group stood back to look at the major improvement. This, in turn, made way for Pipp to notice other things around the area: cracked windows, chipped paint, and damaged drywall, to name a few. Just as Pipp was about to turn to speak to Hitch, Sunny came crashing through the door. "Hitch!" she shouted, prompting him to come running downstairs. "The smoothie cart has been robbed!" "What!?" Hitch said, shocked. "Are you alright?" "Yes, nopony was around. The lock was broken and there was a ton of produce missing, though," she replied. "And I did find this outside." She reached into her bag and retrieved the small container of makeup. Hitch took it, a confused expression on his face. "Well, looks like whoever did it wasn't very careful," he said. "Come on, we can take the tram back over, and you can show me what you saw." The others also showed interest in the matter, each voicing their concern. "Who would break into a smoothie cart, of all things?" Zipp inquired. "Something's deeefinitely off..." Izzy stated. "We can save the cleanup here for later," Pipp said, setting her broom against the counter. Sunny nodded, the group heading outside and catching the next tram to the smoothie cart. It wasn't as exhausting as running back to the cart at full speed, even if it took a few minutes longer. Upon arriving at the cart once again, Hitch stepped inside to examine the state of things. There didn't seem to be much actual damage, aside from the door lock, though Sunny's produce baskets were disheveled and looked as though they had been ransacked. Checking the register, there seemed to be no money missing. "Somepony only took the produce, there's no money missing or anything," Hitch said, stepping out of the cart. "Whatever it was, it wasn't interested in anything but food." Sunny shook her head... what was she thinking...? She heaved a sigh. "Maybe it was just an animal or something... I'm sorry." Hitch gave her a pat on the back. "Hey, it's alright. Whatever it was, I'm sure it will be fine. You just need some fresh produce." "Yeah, I'll... go take care of that. Thanks, Hitch," she said, trotting off to a tram stop. Sunny spent the next few hours restocking and selling her smoothies as usual. As the sun had just begun to dip beneath the sky, she made her way to take a tram back to the salon. Upon her arrival, she stepped inside to see the place scrubbed from top to bottom. It was still run down with holes in the wall and chipped paint, but the dust and grime that had coated the place just a few hours ago was now virtually gone. "We stopped by the office on the way back to pick up some more cleaning supplies," Hitch said, grinning. "That's the first floor done. Who knew the lights still worked?" "Well, you've done a great job with the place," Sunny responded. Pipp chimed in quickly. "We can finish up tomorrow! All we need to do now is to finish the other two floors and then we can see if we'll be allowed to renovate!" "That is... if we're able to afford it," Zipp said. "But I don't doubt that won't be much of an issue." "I might wait until after the lighthouse is rebuilt to start streaming about this," Pipp said, thinking. "Either that or we could ask Mom. Do you think she'd be willing to loan us a bit if I'm starting a business and will pay her back?" "Not sure, there's really no telling with her," Zipp replied. They chatted among themselves for a bit before Sunny pointed out how dark it was getting. "It's a bit of a long walk back to Bridlewood... think it's too late to get back by dark?" Izzy looked up at the sky. "Hmmm... well, maaaaybe if we were super fast? But yeah, probably." Hitch took a couple of steps forward. "I've got a few extra beds upstairs in the office if you need someplace to stay the night. The office used to be an old family building from the last Sheriff." The group each agreed as they stepped outside and caught the last tram of the day to the Sheriff's Office. They each entered, talking for a short while before heading upstairs to bed. Pipp and Zipp got to room with each other, though they each claimed separate beds as they laughed off the prospect of sleeping in the same one. Sunny and Izzy shared a room as Hitch stayed up on duty downstairs for a while. As the moon slowly made its arc into the sky, silence and tranquility fell over Maretime Bay. A symphony of crickets arose as the stars lit up the sky. Everything was calm and quiet. It was a perfect night, for most ponies anyway. Everypony was at rest, their troubles melting away from them in their sleep. But for the thin blue mare shakily making her way into Maretime Bay... this night was by far one of the worst ones. Chapter 3 - In the NightThe serenity of the cool summer night was broken by soft, slightly stumbling hoofsteps. Amidst the peace, a mare made her way through the streets and alleys of Maretime Bay, having just crossed the treeline from the woods outside the town. She was a tall, yet dismally thin unicorn. So thin, in fact, that the outlines of her ribs were visible upon close inspection. Her freckled face bore many bruises. Her naturally curly, navy blue and turquoise mane was terribly matted and unwashed and was pushed to one side. Misty walked with her head low, creeping through the night with an expression of extreme uneasiness, at the very least. Even the slightest sound of a mouse scurrying across an alley behind her would cause her to jump or stifle a small cry. She eventually made her way toward the Sheriff's Office. A part of her wanted to knock on the door, to find some form of help. But... she was given a job, and if she fails... she didn't want to know what would happen if she did. And so, she slowly crept away, a shaky, somber sigh falling from her. "Come on... just stick it out..." she said to herself. Misty soon found herself alone in the streets of Maretime Bay once again. This was not the first time she'd wandered the town by herself. In fact, she had only ever seen the town this way. For the past week, she had come out alone, moving through the town like a mouse in a maze. She knew her way around most of it well enough by now, though she often confused street names and roads. She'd mostly memorized them via landmarks she set for herself: Sunny's smoothie cart, the Sheriff's Office, things of that sort. As she wandered about, she took a look at the clearing where Sunny's lighthouse was being rebuilt. She didn't know Sunny --or any of her friends, for that matter-- personally. Even so, she'd seen them around, seen how they interacted with each other, seen how much they had going for them. A part of her was happy for them, happy they were such good friends and had each other. Yet another part of her was so... envious of it. They had so much, and she was left with nothing. This conflict often weighed hard on her mind. Was it appropriate for her to feel this way? Was she acting as though she was entitled? She had often been called selfish... though that was an area of her mind she often tried to escape from when she could. Fortunately, her mind was drawn away from this before she could think too hard about it. A faint yet evident growl from her stomach reminded her what she was looking for in the first place. Misty made her way slowly through the streets of the town, leading toward Sunny's smoothie cart. Upon approaching it, she shook her head, even turned away. She knew she hated stealing things from others. She knew that it could hurt them in a few different ways. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but even so... she knew she had no choice. She knew she could either steal or starve. "I've done it once before..." she said to herself. And so, she stepped up to the door, but what was presented before her made her heart sink. Sunny had chained it shut, and on the chains was a lock unlike any Misty had ever seen before. However strong it may have been, a rock surely wouldn't break this one. With a look of dismay in her eyes, she turned away, creeping slowly back into the alley. "Why did I think she wouldn't notice..." Misty asked herself with a grim sigh. "I really am that stupid." A thought crossed her mind to possibly check some of the other shops around town. There had to be something she could eat somewhere. Every store in town was, of course, closed for the night. Each door Misty went to was locked. She knew she couldn't break into one of these, not with cameras or security. Eventually, she decided she would have to do something she had always dreaded but never ruled out. A defeated half-cry escaped her as she crept toward the back of the store she was at until she found what she was dreading. She slowly lifted the lid of the store's dumpster before slamming it shut and turning away, refusing to do it. There had to be something edible somewhere, and she absolutely refused to resort to eating garbage. Leaving the dumpster behind, she crept back out into the street, sitting on a bench and wondering what she was going to do. From here, there was nothing stopping her mind from spiraling. "What are you going to do? Ask Luster for more? What if she declines? What if she gives you even less? What if she hits you again? What if she does worse than hit you? You already have three cuts..." Before long, Misty had become a sobbing mess on the ground--a starving, shaking, sobbing mess. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. She wanted nothing more than for it all to end. She wished she could just... disappear, turn to dust and blow away. She wanted it to be over. But even so... for some reason she herself couldn't explain, she picked herself up and crept back toward the woods she had entered the town from. If she wanted it to be over, she thought to herself, she was going to have to stick it out and do as she was told. She even had an idea, one of her own that she felt could possibly help her get through this -- one that could help her do what she needed to do. As she walked, albeit fairly weakly, through the woods, every moment seemed to suddenly discourage her. Surely she'd be severely punished for coming back empty-hooved once again. This was something she was certain she knew, and even so... as her uneasiness began to get the better of her, the sun began to rise. In the bright of dawn, she stopped to take a deep breath. "It's going to be fine. Get it over with... and you'll be fine," she thought to herself. After a long walk of about an hour, and many stops to catch her breath or pluck the few wild berries she rarely found growing, she entered a clearing that led to a cliff. On that cliff stood a decrepit castle, various bricks strewn around the base, almost completely overgrown with vines and trees twisting in and out, various courtyard columns fallen to their sides. With a shaking hoof, Misty reached out, pushed open the door, and entered. Author's Note I'm sorry if this doesn't seem like my best work, there's been a lot going on and I haven't been able to pour my entire focus into it. It's a bit shorter than usual and it isn't the best i could do, but either way I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1 - Picking Up the PiecesIt had been about a week since the... incident at Sunny Starscout's lighthouse. Sprout Cloverleaf, the resident spoiled man-child, had rammed a robot of his creation into the side of her home. All of this, because of, according to Maretime Bay law, "harboring undesirable individuals" and "conspiring against the town." In actuality, this was an attempt to reunite the three pony races: Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. Of course, the latter two were always looked down upon, feared, even hated, especially with Sprout in control during Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer's absence. Despite this, of course, she was successful in what she had set out to do. With the reunion of the three Unity Crystals, combined with the newfound peace between the three races, magic had been officially restored to Equestria. Sunny was a young mare with a bright, apricot-colored coat. Her mane was magenta and always kept in a braid that wrapped around her side. She had kept herself busy in the area surrounding where her lighthouse once stood. With her home under reconstruction, she had found herself staying with Izzy Moonbow, an enigmatic yet excitable young mare, in Bridlewood for some time. This was no issue, of course, as she knew she would always find herself welcome. As she trotted through the rubble that remained of her old home, she would often come across bits and pieces of what she considered to be important memorabilia. To an average pony, these would be ordinary things; a wooden doll here, a tattered poster there. To any other pony, none of these would be important, except to her father, but he had passed on years ago. Even so, Sunny still maintained her optimism despite the somber circumstances. As she was gazing at a recovered photograph of her and her father, a high-pitched and energetic voice broke the monotonous buzz and hum of the construction around her. Izzy had noticed her and was now bouncing her way over. "Heya Sunny!" Izzy said. "Whatcha dooooin'?" "Oh, nothing, just-" Sunny began, but was cut off as Izzy grabbed her by the hoof. "Good, c'mon!" Sunny soon found herself being dragged off by the purple mare. This wasn't the first time Izzy had done something of the sort, of course. Sunny had been made quite familiar with this habit of Izzy's during the time she had spent with her over the past week in Bridlewood. Izzy was quite the tour guide, Sunny had often thought to herself. The pair of them were headed down the hill on which Sunny's lighthouse had once stood. At the bottom, a couple of her newfound friends could be found waiting for her: young Zephyrina Storm and Philomena Petals, or Zipp and Pipp, as they preferred to be called. Zipp was tall, with a sleek white coat and mane that consisted of pink, cyan, and magenta, and wings that consisted of blue, pink, and purple. Pipp was short and slightly chubby, with a fluffy pink coat and fluffy wings of a brighter shade, with a styled violet mane. The two sisters were royalty in Zephyr Heights, with Zipp being the heir to their mother, Queen Haven's, throne. She was leaning against a tree as Pipp was speaking to her fans, livestreaming. Once reaching the clearing, Izzy had released her grip on Sunny. Zipp had walked over to speak as Pipp moved farther back so as not to be an interruption. "Yo, Sunny, doing alright?" Zipp asked. "You've been hanging around that place a lot." Sunny seemed distracted at first, but with a shake of her head, she responded. "Oh, er... it's nothing. Just been looking through the rubble to see if there's anything I can salvage." Zipp took a moment before placing a hoof on Sunny's back. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. I'm sure you can get something out of there." They all stood in silence for a moment before Hitch made his way over. The Earth Pony sheriff of Maretime Bay, Hitch was what most stallions aspired to be: tall, strong, and handsome. Hitch sported a soft orange-yellow coat and a turquoise and blue-green mane with a small bit of a beard beginning to set in. He was always gentle and was known to be great with animals, often taking care of them when necessary. Sunny had always found herself thinking of him as an older brother, and despite not always seeing eye-to-eye, they were both always around to watch over each other when needed. As he approached, he paused to take a glance at the construction up the hill before turning back and pulling to a stop among the other ponies. "Looks like construction's going well," he commented. "Shouldn't be too long, maybe a month or two." Sunny nodded, turning her attention to the bag she had worn on her side. She pulled it off, carefully emptying its contents onto the ground before her. What she once knew to be various historical objects her father had collected over the years, as well as some her father had made for her, were now mostly destroyed beyond repair. A somber expression washed over her. Hitch and Zipp glanced at each other before walking slowly to Sunny's side. Sunny spoke with a tone nopony had ever heard her speak with since the day she had lost her father. "Everything he left behind is gone." They all sat in silence before Izzy spoke up with a glimmer of optimism shining through. "Not everything," she remarked. Sunny slowly turned to face Izzy, who had handed her the small, framed photograph of her and her father. "You dropped this." This got Sunny to smile, breaking the tension in her voice. "Thank you, Izzy." Izzy beamed happily, giving Sunny a pat on the back. "Anytime!" Sunny gathered her things and placed them as neatly as she could back into her bag as Pipp made her way over to join the group. "You will not believe the amount that the fans are contributing to help fund the Lighthouse being rebuilt," she exclaimed. "Turns out you really did make a difference around here, Sunny!" "Yeah, I guess so," Sunny replied, returning her bag to her side. She stood and gave a sigh, taking a glance at her friends. "Wanna come with me back up there? See how everything is going? Do a little more digging?" The others agreed, as they had all made their way back up the hill toward the lighthouse. As they walked, something crossed Sunny's mind and she turned to Hitch. "Hey, Hitch...?" Sunny spoke. "What happened to Sprout after the robot thing...?" "Well, obviously he couldn't just destroy a private residence and not face repercussions," Hitch explained. "So I took him in, doing something on that level will get you at least five years. But of course, his mother bailed him out." "Think he learned anything from it?" Zipp asked. Hitch shrugged. "Probably learned more from almost getting himself killed after crashing it, if I'm being honest." Nodding, Sunny pulled to a stop as the crew arrived at the top of the hill. Once again, the sounds of construction filled their ears. As the five of them wandered toward the rubble, a voice spoke up from behind them. It was Sprout's mother, Phyllis Cloverleaf. "Well... getting repairs, are we?" Her tone was, as usual, stuck-up and borderline arrogant, something Sunny was all too familiar with, as she had a knack for talking down to Sunny. The only time she could ever remember Phyllis speaking to her with a halfway-decent tone was at her father's funeral. Sunny opened her mouth to reply, but Hitch spoke first, a slight amount of irritation in his voice. "What is it, Phyllis?" "I'm simply here to keep tabs on progress. It is a public space, is it not?" she retorted. Hitch let out a sigh. "Right..." A grin formed across Phyllis' face. "Lovely," she said, briskly passing them by to survey various aspects of the construction process. Hitch moved to the side, keeping a watchful eye on what she was doing. He wasn't as trusting of her as he once was after the events that had unfolded recently. Sunny watched him disappear into the crowd of workers, before turning back to the rest of her friends. Izzy was bouncing about the area as well, greeting all of the workers as she'd done every morning for the past three days. Zipp was practicing flying and weaving in and out of the framework. Sunny had sat down next to Pipp, who was streaming to her fans and showcasing the current progress of the reconstruction. She wrapped a hoof around Sunny, pulling her over and setting her down next to her, speaking to her as well as her viewers. "And here's the mare herself!" Pipp exclaimed. "Sunny, what can you tell us about how things have been going with the lighthouse being rebuilt?" Sunny's eyes darted around a moment. "Oh- well, um... I've been staying with Izzy in Bridlewood, which has been great. There are a lot of things going on right now, you know, but I'm doing my best." Pipp gave her a couple of pats on the back. "Here we have it, everypony! Staying strong in the face of adversity, that's what we like to see!" Sunny gave a chuckle and returned Pipp's pats, standing as Pipp continued to speak to her viewers. She wandered through the various workers, covering her hears to drown out the noise, until she bumped into Phyllis amidst the clamor. "Watch where you're going, girl," Phyllis said. "Have you no regard for personal space?" Sunny was quick to apologize. "Sorry, Mrs. Cloverleaf, I-" Phyllis cut her off. "You know, what you're doing here is going to lead you down a dark path. I was protecting Maretime Bay from these... threats to public safety." "Mrs. Cloverleaf, please. They haven't done anything wrong," Sunny replied. "They're not dangerous." "You don't know that!" Phyllis snapped back. "For all you know they could be biding their time. What if they discover what they can do once their magic has been restored to its full potential?" "Ponies used to live in harmony all those moons ago, I'm sure they can do it again." Sunny spoke with a confident tone, which caused Phyllis to become slightly agitated. "Fine. But when those... beasts begin wreaking havoc among us Earth Ponies, don't tell me I didn't warn you." With that, Phyllis turned and set back down the hill, headed back to Maretime Bay. A part of Sunny wanted to ask why Phyllis hated Unicorns and Pegasi the way she did, but she knew it would be futile. Surely she'd have a reason, right? She thought to herself about how this trait had been passed down to her son. And of course she must have noticed where that led, given the current events. For a moment, she thought about what could have happened if Hitch had been as inclined to listen to Phyllis as most other Earth Ponies were. Even then, the majority of them had come to accept the newfound harmony. Or... could it really be called harmony yet? Before she could think too hard on this subject, Hitch came wandering back. "I saw her talking to you," he said. "What was that about?" Sunny rolled her eyes. "Just typical Phyllis... saying that at some point the others are gonna turn on us, you know." She shrugged, the two of them starting to walk away from the construction. Briefly chuckling, Hitch gave a short sigh. "Yeah, she's a real piece of work... but hey, don't listen to her. She's trying to mess with you." "Yeah, I know," Sunny replied. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to throw me off, though." As they approached the small clearing, Izzy came trotting her way back, humming a cheerful tune. She was followed by Pipp and Zipp, the latter flying higher than anypony had seen her before, before diving through the air and pulling to a perfect landing. This garnered much praise from the others, who commented on how quickly she seemed to be learning. As Pipp joined the group, she waved a goodbye to her viewers before ending her stream and tucking her phone neatly into a pouch at her side. "Well, good news, ponies!" she spoke happily. "One more charity stream and we'll have raised enough to cover the full expenses of the reconstruction!" The group cheered, all giving Pipp a pat on the back for the great help she had provided. She insisted it was not a problem at all, saying she was glad to help out in any way she could. "What are you guys up for now?" Zipp asked. "Well, I've got to open up my smoothie cart for the day," replied Sunny. "How about a round of them on the house?" "Sounds great to me!" Izzy piped up. "Hot day out and all!" The rest agreed, and as they headed out to town, a relaxing sensation washed over each of them as they chatted and laughed along the way. Author's Note And here's my first chapter. I've never done a writing project like this before, so... let me know what you think. I do plan to keep going, as I have a clear storyline in mind.
Chapter 2 - Maretime BayThe sun was hot and bright as it shone down on a beautiful summer afternoon. Sunny and her friends were slowly but surely making their way toward the town of Maretime Bay. Sunny and Hitch led the group as they reached the town, guiding them through the streets. Sunny turned her head and she spoke up as an idea crossed her mind. "Hey, how about a tour of Maretime Bay?" Sunny asked. "Izzy's already given us quite the tour of Bridlewood, and I've got a while until I have to open the smoothie cart for the day." Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp responded with excited agreement. Zipp had been very enthusiastic about flying ever since magic had been restored to Equestria, so much so that she had often flown off on her own to get a bird's-eye view of the town. Pipp, however, chose to remain with the group. Her eyes darted from place to place as Sunny and Hitch led her and Izzy about the town. Hitch and Sunny led the others to the town's tram station, catching a trolley to take them from place to place. Occasionally they would catch a small glimpse of Zipp passing by above them. For a moment, Pipp had pulled to a halt. She had stopped to look at a building across the road. It was about three stories high, and despite being obviously run-down and abandoned, it was not in very bad shape. Pipp pulled out her phone, taking multiple pictures of it from various angles. Many ideas flashed through her head as though she was creating an instant vision board in her mind. "Pipp? You coming...?" Sunny asked, before turning to see what had caught Pipp's attention. Her ears perked up. "Oh, that old place? It used to be a salon. My dad used to take me there to get my mane cut. It's been shut down for years now, though." Pipp's eyes lit up with curiosity as she tucked her phone back into her pouch. "We totally have to come back here to get a closer look sometime." "Why not?" Hitch's voice spoke up from behind them. "Though I'd have to check to see if it's safe to enter." Pipp nodded, and the group continued their tour. Izzy bounced around various shops, humming cheery tunes and looking in windows here and there, once running inside and coming out with a few different containers of glitter. Hitch would occasionally shoot a dirty look at ponies he suspected of being up to no good. Even something like jaywalking or littering would earn you a stare from him. He was often praised for his dedication to his job. Sunny and Hitch had brought them to every place they believed to be noteworthy. They visited various neighborhoods and dining establishments, stopped by the Sheriff's office, and made their way to the now-vacant Canterlogic warehouse. It was here that Sprout, during his time as "Sheriff" in Hitch's absence, had the citizens of Maretime Bay build the machine he had used to destroy the Lighthouse. Before this, however, it was used by his mother to develop various devices and contraptions meant to defend against any "attacks" by Unicorns or Pegasi. Sunny knew all too well how each contraption functioned. She remembered the day she first met Izzy. She had gotten caught in the demonstration of each device, something she'd rather forget. After a short walkthrough of the empty factory, they had concluded their tour of Maretime Bay. Hitch turned to Pipp. "So, about that building you wanted to see?" he asked. "Right!" She lit up. "I was thinking it'd be totally perfect for renovating. Plus, Sunny already said it used to be a salon!" "Well, if we head back to the Sheriff's office, I could make a few calls, see if we could get a look at it," he responded. Pipp nodded, glowing with enthusiasm as they made their way to the Sheriff's office once again. She was happy enough to the point where she seemed to be bouncing as much as Izzy was on a regular basis. Upon arrival, Hitch sat at his desk, setting himself to work. As the others chatted amongst themselves, Hitch sorted through various different papers and files, occasionally making a phone call or two. After a bit of confusion from Hitch, and a few moments of stopping to clear his head, he eventually came up with papers allowing them entrance. Pipp did a bit of a small jump, squealing with excitement. "Do we have time to check it out?" "Depends on Sunny," Hitch replied, turning to her. "What do you think?" Upon a quick glance at the clock, she still had about 15 minutes to spare before she had to open for business. "We should if we're quick," she said, nodding. Pipp gave a giggle and darted out the door, the others following close behind. As they approached the building, Hitch gave a nod to Pipp as the group stepped through the door. Inside was mostly empty, save for a counter and a few styling chairs and hair dryers. Whereas the others walked about with an air of curiosity, Pipp's expression was ecstatic. She quickly ran around the room, entering a small area behind the counter, looking in vacant supply closets, and checking the condition of what little furniture remained. Sunny ran a hoof across the counter, wiping away a small bit of the thick layer of dust that coated every surface. Izzy was, as usual, happily trotting around the room. "Well, whaddya know? Take a look at this!" Izzy exclaimed, opening a small cupboard. A small number of rats that had made a home for themselves inside the cupboard ran out and onto the floor. Pipp and Sunny jumped, the former now standing atop the counter. Hitch moved forward towards the rats, speaking softly. "Must've been quite a spook, hm?" He asked, lowering himself a bit. One of them squeaked something back in response, though Hitch seemed to be the only one to understand it. He was always notably good with animals, as Sunny often pointed out. "Right, I understand. Don't worry, we aren't here to hurt anything," he replied gently. The rat he was speaking to nodded before rejoining the others and moving back into the cabinet. "Wow, Hitch! Never seen ya do that before!" Izzy piped up, ruffling his mane a bit. "I'm not really sure what it is about me that makes critters seem to like me so much. Or why I can understand them, for that matter..." he trailed off, pausing to think about this for a few moments. Pipp, climbing down from the counter, brushed herself off. "Hey, Hitch, how much do you think it would be to buy this old place?" she asked. "It could totally use the renovations, and I've got a few ideas in mind." "I'm not sure; it might be listed somewhere," he responded. "I could check for you later if you like." Pipp gave a small nod, darting off upstairs to take a look at the condition of the other two floors. Sunny glanced at the time, before realizing she was opening the cart in two minutes. "Oh, I've gotta go!" she exclaimed. "I'll catch up with you guys later!" With that, she dashed outside, running down the street and making multiple sharp turns. She eventually made it to her cart, though she made a note that she was four minutes late. Nothing too major, though she did take a moment or two to cool off from the run. After a brief rest, she retrieved the key to the cart from her bag. As she moved to unlock it, she was shocked to see that the lock was broken. Deeply concerned, she pushed the door of the cart open to reveal numerous baskets of the produce she used to make her smoothies had been knocked over, their contents spilling out onto the floor. At first, she wondered if some type of animal had gotten in, but there were no animals in Maretime Bay that could have broken the door lock. She stopped, grabbed a clipboard, and began taking inventory. She discovered quite a bit of produce had gone missing. After returning what was left of her supply of various fruits to their respective baskets, she stepped out of her cart to see if there was anything else that seemed amiss in the area, but to no avail. At least, not at first. After a bit of searching, she noticed a small, empty makeup container lying on the ground. She picked it up, looking at it with a quizzical expression. She eventually set it gently into her bag, before once again speeding off, this time back toward the old salon. Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, and Izzy, upon viewing the second and third stories of the salon, had each retrieved brooms from an unchecked closet. Each of them set to work sweeping the dust-covered floors. Izzy bounced about, using it to clean the dust of whatever surface she could reach. Countertops, ceilings, doors, and seats were each quickly swept, revealing their much finer colors beneath. After a long while of dusting, the group stood back to look at the major improvement. This, in turn, made way for Pipp to notice other things around the area: cracked windows, chipped paint, and damaged drywall, to name a few. Just as Pipp was about to turn to speak to Hitch, Sunny came crashing through the door. "Hitch!" she shouted, prompting him to come running downstairs. "The smoothie cart has been robbed!" "What!?" Hitch said, shocked. "Are you alright?" "Yes, nopony was around. The lock was broken and there was a ton of produce missing, though," she replied. "And I did find this outside." She reached into her bag and retrieved the small container of makeup. Hitch took it, a confused expression on his face. "Well, looks like whoever did it wasn't very careful," he said. "Come on, we can take the tram back over, and you can show me what you saw." The others also showed interest in the matter, each voicing their concern. "Who would break into a smoothie cart, of all things?" Zipp inquired. "Something's deeefinitely off..." Izzy stated. "We can save the cleanup here for later," Pipp said, setting her broom against the counter. Sunny nodded, the group heading outside and catching the next tram to the smoothie cart. It wasn't as exhausting as running back to the cart at full speed, even if it took a few minutes longer. Upon arriving at the cart once again, Hitch stepped inside to examine the state of things. There didn't seem to be much actual damage, aside from the door lock, though Sunny's produce baskets were disheveled and looked as though they had been ransacked. Checking the register, there seemed to be no money missing. "Somepony only took the produce, there's no money missing or anything," Hitch said, stepping out of the cart. "Whatever it was, it wasn't interested in anything but food." Sunny shook her head... what was she thinking...? She heaved a sigh. "Maybe it was just an animal or something... I'm sorry." Hitch gave her a pat on the back. "Hey, it's alright. Whatever it was, I'm sure it will be fine. You just need some fresh produce." "Yeah, I'll... go take care of that. Thanks, Hitch," she said, trotting off to a tram stop. Sunny spent the next few hours restocking and selling her smoothies as usual. As the sun had just begun to dip beneath the sky, she made her way to take a tram back to the salon. Upon her arrival, she stepped inside to see the place scrubbed from top to bottom. It was still run down with holes in the wall and chipped paint, but the dust and grime that had coated the place just a few hours ago was now virtually gone. "We stopped by the office on the way back to pick up some more cleaning supplies," Hitch said, grinning. "That's the first floor done. Who knew the lights still worked?" "Well, you've done a great job with the place," Sunny responded. Pipp chimed in quickly. "We can finish up tomorrow! All we need to do now is to finish the other two floors and then we can see if we'll be allowed to renovate!" "That is... if we're able to afford it," Zipp said. "But I don't doubt that won't be much of an issue." "I might wait until after the lighthouse is rebuilt to start streaming about this," Pipp said, thinking. "Either that or we could ask Mom. Do you think she'd be willing to loan us a bit if I'm starting a business and will pay her back?" "Not sure, there's really no telling with her," Zipp replied. They chatted among themselves for a bit before Sunny pointed out how dark it was getting. "It's a bit of a long walk back to Bridlewood... think it's too late to get back by dark?" Izzy looked up at the sky. "Hmmm... well, maaaaybe if we were super fast? But yeah, probably." Hitch took a couple of steps forward. "I've got a few extra beds upstairs in the office if you need someplace to stay the night. The office used to be an old family building from the last Sheriff." The group each agreed as they stepped outside and caught the last tram of the day to the Sheriff's Office. They each entered, talking for a short while before heading upstairs to bed. Pipp and Zipp got to room with each other, though they each claimed separate beds as they laughed off the prospect of sleeping in the same one. Sunny and Izzy shared a room as Hitch stayed up on duty downstairs for a while. As the moon slowly made its arc into the sky, silence and tranquility fell over Maretime Bay. A symphony of crickets arose as the stars lit up the sky. Everything was calm and quiet. It was a perfect night, for most ponies anyway. Everypony was at rest, their troubles melting away from them in their sleep. But for the thin blue mare shakily making her way into Maretime Bay... this night was by far one of the worst ones.
Chapter 3 - In the NightThe serenity of the cool summer night was broken by soft, slightly stumbling hoofsteps. Amidst the peace, a mare made her way through the streets and alleys of Maretime Bay, having just crossed the treeline from the woods outside the town. She was a tall, yet dismally thin unicorn. So thin, in fact, that the outlines of her ribs were visible upon close inspection. Her freckled face bore many bruises. Her naturally curly, navy blue and turquoise mane was terribly matted and unwashed and was pushed to one side. Misty walked with her head low, creeping through the night with an expression of extreme uneasiness, at the very least. Even the slightest sound of a mouse scurrying across an alley behind her would cause her to jump or stifle a small cry. She eventually made her way toward the Sheriff's Office. A part of her wanted to knock on the door, to find some form of help. But... she was given a job, and if she fails... she didn't want to know what would happen if she did. And so, she slowly crept away, a shaky, somber sigh falling from her. "Come on... just stick it out..." she said to herself. Misty soon found herself alone in the streets of Maretime Bay once again. This was not the first time she'd wandered the town by herself. In fact, she had only ever seen the town this way. For the past week, she had come out alone, moving through the town like a mouse in a maze. She knew her way around most of it well enough by now, though she often confused street names and roads. She'd mostly memorized them via landmarks she set for herself: Sunny's smoothie cart, the Sheriff's Office, things of that sort. As she wandered about, she took a look at the clearing where Sunny's lighthouse was being rebuilt. She didn't know Sunny --or any of her friends, for that matter-- personally. Even so, she'd seen them around, seen how they interacted with each other, seen how much they had going for them. A part of her was happy for them, happy they were such good friends and had each other. Yet another part of her was so... envious of it. They had so much, and she was left with nothing. This conflict often weighed hard on her mind. Was it appropriate for her to feel this way? Was she acting as though she was entitled? She had often been called selfish... though that was an area of her mind she often tried to escape from when she could. Fortunately, her mind was drawn away from this before she could think too hard about it. A faint yet evident growl from her stomach reminded her what she was looking for in the first place. Misty made her way slowly through the streets of the town, leading toward Sunny's smoothie cart. Upon approaching it, she shook her head, even turned away. She knew she hated stealing things from others. She knew that it could hurt them in a few different ways. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but even so... she knew she had no choice. She knew she could either steal or starve. "I've done it once before..." she said to herself. And so, she stepped up to the door, but what was presented before her made her heart sink. Sunny had chained it shut, and on the chains was a lock unlike any Misty had ever seen before. However strong it may have been, a rock surely wouldn't break this one. With a look of dismay in her eyes, she turned away, creeping slowly back into the alley. "Why did I think she wouldn't notice..." Misty asked herself with a grim sigh. "I really am that stupid." A thought crossed her mind to possibly check some of the other shops around town. There had to be something she could eat somewhere. Every store in town was, of course, closed for the night. Each door Misty went to was locked. She knew she couldn't break into one of these, not with cameras or security. Eventually, she decided she would have to do something she had always dreaded but never ruled out. A defeated half-cry escaped her as she crept toward the back of the store she was at until she found what she was dreading. She slowly lifted the lid of the store's dumpster before slamming it shut and turning away, refusing to do it. There had to be something edible somewhere, and she absolutely refused to resort to eating garbage. Leaving the dumpster behind, she crept back out into the street, sitting on a bench and wondering what she was going to do. From here, there was nothing stopping her mind from spiraling. "What are you going to do? Ask Luster for more? What if she declines? What if she gives you even less? What if she hits you again? What if she does worse than hit you? You already have three cuts..." Before long, Misty had become a sobbing mess on the ground--a starving, shaking, sobbing mess. She wanted nothing more than to disappear. She wanted nothing more than for it all to end. She wished she could just... disappear, turn to dust and blow away. She wanted it to be over. But even so... for some reason she herself couldn't explain, she picked herself up and crept back toward the woods she had entered the town from. If she wanted it to be over, she thought to herself, she was going to have to stick it out and do as she was told. She even had an idea, one of her own that she felt could possibly help her get through this -- one that could help her do what she needed to do. As she walked, albeit fairly weakly, through the woods, every moment seemed to suddenly discourage her. Surely she'd be severely punished for coming back empty-hooved once again. This was something she was certain she knew, and even so... as her uneasiness began to get the better of her, the sun began to rise. In the bright of dawn, she stopped to take a deep breath. "It's going to be fine. Get it over with... and you'll be fine," she thought to herself. After a long walk of about an hour, and many stops to catch her breath or pluck the few wild berries she rarely found growing, she entered a clearing that led to a cliff. On that cliff stood a decrepit castle, various bricks strewn around the base, almost completely overgrown with vines and trees twisting in and out, various courtyard columns fallen to their sides. With a shaking hoof, Misty reached out, pushed open the door, and entered. Author's Note I'm sorry if this doesn't seem like my best work, there's been a lot going on and I haven't been able to pour my entire focus into it. It's a bit shorter than usual and it isn't the best i could do, but either way I hope you enjoy.
