The Only Chapter
It was several days since Misty had fully moved into Maretime Bay, and despite her lying to them, several days since she moved into the Crystal Brighthouse. She even got a completely different manestyle that went from pink to red! However, ever since Opaline was defeated and the blue unicorn had confessed that she had taken Sparky, everything in the town just wasn't the same. Pipp and Zipp hardly talked to her, Sunny was insisting that she was trying to calm Hitch down, and Misty's only other friend was Izzy. The purple unicorn seemed to completely understand why Misty did what she did, and assured her that Hitch would come around to forgiving her.
Misty shuddered, that left her with Hitch. Of course if he understood and forgave her for trying to steal his dragon and bring it back to Opaline, surely Pipp and Zipp would follow? Surely anything that would’ve happened would hurt no less than if she took one of his bunnies?
Sunny walked with Misty to the sheriff's office, and looked at Misty with a scrunched up expression with her muzzle that made the unicorn's blood run cold. With the expression Sunny was giving her, it was as if she hadn’t spent the past two days comforting Misty and assuring her that Hitch would be okay. The face she made was like the face one made before the crack of their hoof came after, and Misty knew all too well what that meant. Tearing her eyes off Sunny's expression, Misty quietly pushed the door open and walked inside the building.
At his desk, staring at the wooden surface, was Hitch. His ears were flattened against his green mane as he bore a similar expression to Sunny, the other earth pony that didn't even follow Misty inside. Misty took a deep breath, she knew that it wouldn't be a walk in the park to get to the place everypony in town already was at. She’d give him space, pick up litter, anything to undo the awful acts she committed because Opaline ordered for such.
"Hitch," Misty felt her heart thundering in her chest as she was afraid of her own words coming up to the gates of Hitch's battered mind. She didn’t fail to notice that the dragon he took care of wasn’t anywhere to be seen, a rush of guilt hitting her with deep discomfort as she understood why. “I want to talk about this, you’ve been ignoring me. And I…I get it. What I did wasn’t very nice, stealing one of your animals like that-”
Misty clamped her mouth shut as she saw Hitch snap his head up at her, staring wide-eyed at her as if she had just slapped him in the face. Standing up, pushing his chair to the corner of the room with his hind leg, he slowly walked towards her. Seeing his hooves trembling, Misty suddenly felt the cold fear that she felt looking at Sunny increase tenfold. This wasn’t even close to the reaction she was expecting from him, she expected annoyance, anger even, but the stallion looked like he was fighting from caving into the same sensation she was.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Hitch barely spoke above a whisper. “You probably thought it was just nothing, just stealing one of my ‘animals’ to please Opaline.”
“Well, I mean, I know he’s valuable with his dragonfire and all,” Misty shrugged, struggling not to gallop out of the sheriff’s office. “I get it, he’s the only dragon we’ve seen in a very long time. At least, that’s what Opaline told me.”
“Misty,” Hitch gritted his teeth as he took a step back, glaring at Misty just as hard as he did at Opaline before they defeated her. “Sparky is not one of my animals, or just a dragon. He’s more than a dragon, he’s my son.”
“Your son?” Misty frowned. “That can’t be right. Opaline said dragons were barbarians that couldn’t talk, let alone fit into society with ponies. He’s cute right now for sure, but-”
“Do you think he’s stupid? Incapable of being one of us?” Hitch spat. “He may not be able to talk yet, but have you seen what he’s been able to do? He’s turned random objects into so many different, and creative works of art. Do you think that’s just by coincidence?”
“I’m just going by what Opaline told me, she’s been around way longer than all of us!” Misty protested.
“Cause Opaline is such a reliable narrator, isn’t she?” Hitch sneered. “And tell me, Misty, what would’ve happened if you succeeded? If you had brought Sparky, a baby, to Opaline? Do you think she would’ve just taken a small amount of his dragonfire and send him on his merry way-”
Hitch walked even closer, stopping just an inch from making contact, as he glared at the mare. Misty never felt so small as the stallion bared his teeth at her and stared at the blue unicorn with fire in his eyes.
“Or do you think she would’ve taken every last bit of his magic, not stopping no matter how much he cried, until there was nothing left of him to take?” Hitch snarled. “You see my son as nothing more than an animal, but you’re the one who was ready to present a baby to an evil sorceress with no regards to what she would’ve done with him. What you did nearly shattered my confidence in being a father, and nearly killed Sparky. And if I see you so much as lay a hoof on him again, Opaline’s punishment is going to look like a slap on the wrist compared to what I do to you. Now, get out of my office.”
Already shaking with tears brimming in her eyes, Misty turned tail and bolted out of the building and rushed past everypony else. All of her twisted ideas of dragons were burning before her eyes as she’d imagined the fate Sparky almost experienced.
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Nice story. Hard to find ones where hitch is angry protective father.
I'm definitely with Hitch on this one. Twilight will do the same thing if something very bad happens to Spike.
Oof, hard all around.
On the one hand, I totally understand Hitch's perspective. He is 100% committed to Sparky, and if these were humans we'd be justifiably revolted with Misty's actions. On the OTHER hand, Misty is something of a special case. She's almost ludicrously ignorant, raised in a cult like environment, with her malicious benefactor implied to have been the only adult in Mistys life. Possibly the only other sapient. You did a good job in showing that with Misty, her dialogue bringing to mind racism born of innocent ignorance, rather than hatred.
What I really find interesting is this is the first fic I've found where the subject of Misty's 'programming' , if you will, is discussed. Many just transition to her being a great person straight away, rather then acknowledging her upbringing has probably damaged her in more subtle ways than the implied emotional abuse.
Hitch is understandably angry but Misty doesn't know anything other than what Opaline thought it was usefull for Misty to know.
I like that no side's completely in the right here, and that everything doesn't just get neatly wrapped up in the end. Makes it seem more like a really argument almost.
You just predicted Hitch's reaction to her when he finds out.
11602807
For real?!?! Oh my goodness, I can't wait to watch the episodes later today!
awh in fairness misty doesnt know any better, she was raised under a manipulator all her life. She genuinely didnt see him as a son and instead an animal. Saying "Opaline’s punishment is going to look like a slap on the wrist compared to what I do to you" is so fucking wrong considering how misty was raised in what was basically a cunt with 2 members. Misty has good intentions, she thought she was fighting for the right thing her whole life, only for her narrative to be shattered by the mane 5.
Wow.
As another commenter said, I love how you addressed Misty's "programming." In Make Your Mark, she knows Opaline has been lying to her, but it will still take a long time to overcome the effects. Hitch feels more like his movie self in this story. Fiercely protective of his friends and family. I could definitely see him being slow to forgive Misty in the series.
The only real complaint I have is that the dialogue felt kind of... unnatural at times.
Genuinely would've preferred something like this in canon rather than Hitch immediately shoving what Misty did under the rug, because that's just what redemption arcs in modern media do. This story feels far more in line with the Papa Bear Hitch we saw in Have You Seen This Dragon.
oof, poor Misty!
i mean, pony babies can’t talk, either!
yeah, it makes all too much sense for Misty to default to Opaline’s worldview without a reason to otherwise. i mean, that is how it seems to work a lot of the time for humans in this world!
oof, Hitch is very angry!
aww, poor raised in a cult horse!
always great to have a look at the friction between Misty’s thoughts from her upbringing and her new friends/”friends”. thank you for writing!
While you did accurately predict a development of Chapter 4, this still feels like a single scene from a larger story rather than anything self-contained. In particular, a scene that mostly yells at Misty for the crime of being raised by a villain. (Also, after the Home Alone-level shenanigans Sparky pulled during the Chapter 2 finale, there is no way Misty can think of him as just an animal. That required both creativity and no small amount of sadistic malice.)
Sorry, but this one just didn’t work for me.