Two months later...
Sunny Starscout could barely contain her excitement as she stepped out of the Maretime Bay Museum of History for the final time before it would be officially open. The exhibits on all three races were ready, and the Guardians of Harmony wing looked positively stunning. As soon as she was determined to go back to Hitch's for a good night's sleep, the excitement only continued to pile on as she was told that repair work on the lighthouse was officially complete, and that she could move back in at any time.
So as the preparations for tomorrow's re-opening was finally complete, she now headed back towards the lighthouse at almost a full gallop, eager to see what it had looked like. She had kept herself so busy at the museum that she hadn't really made any time to go check on construction progress the past few months.
She got to the town's outer streets, and her breath left her in a gasp as she came over the crest of the first hill, and saw what had been done.
She was sure there were some details that would go unnoticed under the clear night sky, but the first thing she had noticed was the light at the top was fully functional again, and cast out a brilliant beam of light out to sea. She trotted up the path and found the moon bright enough to notice the fresh coat of paint on everything. It probably looked brand new in the light of day.
She came up to the front door and dug her house key out of her saddlebag, and brought it up to the doorknob, but found that it didn't go in, and it made her realize that they likely went with brand new locks as well.
"Looks like tonight isn't over yet," Sunny surmised, guessing they probably dropped the key off at her temporary address, which was Hitch's place. She turned and trotted back down the hill, and saw another pony come over the hill, and they met in the middle, before Sunny finally recognized him in the moonlight.
"Oh, Sprout!" She greeted.
"Hey, Sunny. The construction foreman couldn't find you, so he gave the key to Hitch... He said I should bring it by so you didn't have to walk all the way back into town. Here," Sprout said, tossing the metal key, ring, and tag over to the mare, who deftly caught it in her right hoof.
"Thanks," Sunny told him, giving him a smile.
"So, yeah. See ya," Sprout replied, turning quickly to head back down the path.
"Hey, not so fast," Sunny called after him, causing him to pause in his trot. "I haven't seen you in months. It almost feels like we've been avoiding each other. How have you been, Sprout?" Sunny asked, taking a few steps towards him.
The red earth pony slowly turned around, his ears low.
"I mean, as well as I can be, I guess. I keep reminding myself how lucky I am to still have my job with Hitch... Instead of having to take something at CanterLogic, staring at a conveyor belt for hours on end."
Sunny noted how Spout wasn't making eye contact, and was poking the ground with his left hoof anxiously.
"Hitch has said you've turned over a new leaf, and how much of an improvement you've been making."
Sprout nodded softly, again avoiding her gaze.
"Look, I know you have that museum opening in the morning, so... I won't keep you," Sprout said, again trying to excuse himself, but only got halfway turned around before Sunny spoke up again, and he realized it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Sprout, wait."
Sprout turned again, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Look, this isn't going to work, alright? I know you're trying to make nice, and act like it's all water under the bridge. Thanks, but... You don't know how others look at me now. Every single day," Sprout told her, finally looking her in the eyes, though he had to bite his lip to do so.
"Yeah, I do know. That's why I'm doing this. I wanted to see how you're doing, ask if you're okay," Sunny told him, dropping the key into her saddlebag.
"Am I okay? Really? Do you know how hard it is to get out of bed in the morning sometimes? How ashamed I feel every hour of every day now? How can Hitch ever expect me to serve this town when I can't even look at any of them?" He asked.
"It's not entirely your fault, Sprout."
"How can you say that? Of course it is."
"Not really. You, and all of Maretime Bay, were a product of your surroundings. We took the same classes, read the same history books..."
"And you're the only one who didn't turn into a paranoid, constantly frightened moron. You know why? Your dad. You listened to him, and nopony else did. That's not a very good excuse for the rest of us."
"But it is a reason, Sprout. Yeah, I listened to my dad and his research, but do you know how often I felt like doubting him, and got tempted to just go with the flow? More than you might think."
"Really?" Sprout asked, and Sunny nodded immediately.
"I also know it can be a little frustrating when your life doesn't quite turn out the way you think it will. I remember you always talking about being sheriff of Maretime Bay. Well, you didn't get it. Hitch did, and you probably have a better idea than anyone of how hard it can be to live and work in the shadow of somepony like that. When he went chasing after me, you saw it as a chance to re-capture your dream, and maybe didn't know where to stop." Sunny told him.
"That doesn't excuse what I did," Sprout said matter-of-factly.
"I'm not saying it does."
"Then what are you saying?" Sprout asked, the frustration becoming more apparent in his voice.
Sunny took several more steps towards him.
"I'm saying I forgive you, Sprout," Sunny said, slowly raising her right hoof and offered the stallion a hoofshake.
Sprout's eyes widened.
"J-Just... Just like that...?" He asked, barely above a whisper. Sunny nodded, and he slowly looked down at her outstretched hoof, his breathing slowly quickening.
He gritted his teeth, and swatted her hoof away, then proceeded to stomp at the ground.
"N... No! No! That's not fair! Y-you lost your dad, and... And after that this town gave you nothing but grief over your beliefs for y-years, and then... And then I nearly demolished your home! You're s-supposed to hate me! You... You can't just...! You can't...!"
Sunny heard his breaths come to him in unsteady gasps, noticed his ears pin flat against his head, and saw the tears rapidly accumulate behind his eyelids. He turned to gallop away, but before he could take a single step, he felt himself get turned back around and pulled into a firm but gentle hug.
"It's okay, Sprout," Sunny told him.
Spout shuddered as he felt something squeeze at his chest, and quickly build up to an unbearable pressure as it demanded release, and release it did in the form of a wailing cry as the burning hot tears finally spilled over, and he collapsed to his haunches as he lowered his head and sobbed into Sunny's barrel.
"I'm s-sorry..." He choked out between his guilt-stricken hiccups. "I'm-I'm so sorry..."
Sunny said nothing more, and held the Maretime Bay deputy as his shoulders heaved, casting aside the weight that he had been carrying these past few months, along with the guilt that had been eating him alive inside.
They stayed like that for several moments, sitting on the dirt path, illuminated only by the moonlight and it's reflection in the sea as it made it's nightly journey through the sky.
As he began to calm down, Sprout sniffled, then took a deep breath, gently pushing away from the hug.
"Thank you, Sunny. For what it's worth, thank you. I won't keep you up any longer, I know you've got a big day tomorrow morning," Sprout told her, wiping his eyes.
"Will you be alright?" She asked.
"Yeah," Sprout answered, nodding and sniffling again. "Yeah I think I will. Have a good night, Sunny."
"You too."