I ran my hands along yet another finished piece. "Rarity, why did you keep me from this." I wiped down the crystal spire, a bright red gem buried inside. "Beautiful." I felt the heat from the piece bleed into my hands, then out through my body into the air. "Misty, what do you think?" I swung myself over to her, sitting in the entry, watching me.

Misty smiled and walked up to the railing. "It's pretty." She tapped her hands on the railing. "Who's it for?"

"Uh, no one." I walked up to the polishing station, cleaning up the piece for show.

Misty hummed softly. "How's Darcy?"

"Good, she's getting this habit of playing hoofsies under tables." I finished up and took my gloves off, letting the smooth geometrical spire rest in my hands. "What do you think, a nice pendant right?" I held it to my chest. "Sit about there, lost in some busty mare's cleavage."

Misty covered her face with her sleeves. "Probably."

I took a deep breath. "Misty...what is it you want from me?" I walked up to the lower part of the entry, holding one hand against the railing. "Misty, Darcy told me a few days ago...about Bolt."

Misty's face twisted up slightly. "He's nice to me, I really wish he'd come home soon."

I licked my lips and walked back into the entry of the workshop. "So you are dating." I set the piece down and looked back to Misty, her tail peeking out from under her sweater. "But then why worry about me?"

Misty turned around with a chipper smile. "Because I've never had a brother. Always wanted one."

I laughed softly as she settled down across from me. "What? Brother--"

"Yeah!" Misty reached out over the table. "Do you have a sister?"

I rubbed my face. "A brother, a sister in the womb."

Misty's smile widened. "That's nice."

"Misty...what's so nice? You're always smiling."

She shrugged, pulling her hands back across the table. "I don't have a reason not to. You were new, you seemed scared--"

"I was not scared!" I slapped the table. "Apprehensive, maybe, but not scared!"

Misty frowned. "You seemed unhappy, and I didn't like that. I wanted you to be happy, and you seemed to like Darcy...so I told.... I--" Misty pushed her hand into her other sleeve. "Don't be mad, I told her you wanted to be best friends. I told her she should...like.... Get close."

I stuck my tongue out, biting the meatier parts of my mouth. "You're the reason she kept coming around?"

Misty grew a bit pink. "You seemed sad...when she was around you talked, you smiled a little--"

"So by your logic, I wanted to date her?" I grabbed my glass piece. "Misty...that's a bit of a leap--"

Misty shook her head. "No, I thought you two were friends, so I told her you wanted to hang out more. And...I wanted to hang out more, and see you happy."

I took a deep breath. "Misty...I'm not sure how I feel about you watching out for me."

Misty's smile dropped like a brick. "Oh...sorry."

I took a shallow breath. "Don't be. Like I said, I don't know how I feel about it. But I do wish you would have said something sooner." I stood up and turned back to the workshop. "I thought you were aiming for me yourself, then suddenly I--"

Misty giggled, letting it turn into a slight uproar of laughter. "I'm only fifteen!"

I nodded, scanning a small bin of chain. "Again, would have been good to know sooner." I found a fine bit of thin chain and started wrapping it around the pendant. "And...thank you." I put a few dabs of acrylic on the spots. "Darcy- she's fun."

Misty's smile started to burn me. "I'm glad, oh...and Goldie wants to know if you'll go to her birthday still."

I shook my head and walked around behind Misty. "Isn't her birthday in fall?"

Misty looked back at me as I draped the pendant over her shoulders. "Yeah...she's...just--"

I made sure the chain set well against her neck. "There, not the busty mare I was thinking of, but it'll have to do."

Misty pushed off the table in a flash, spinning around and jamming her forehead against the underside of my throat. "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around my sides. "Thank you, thank you!"

I held my arms out. "Ah haaa, I'm extremely sweaty...." I felt a bit warm, my chest achy and heavy. "Oh god...emotions suck...." I looked down to the mare hugging my gut. "Wait...fifteen, don't you still have school?"

Misty pulled back away from me. "Um...sort of...?" She smiled wide. "I-- work...study.... With Pinkie Pie--"

"You're skipping school, aren't you?"

Misty grew a bit pink. "A little."

I glared down at her. "You're a little shit, ya know that." I turned her around and started pushing her towards the door. "Out, out! School!"

Misty tried to keep from moving. "Wait-- I mean--"

"Stop snooping in my life and go to school!"

Misty swung around and tried to dig her hooves against the concrete floor. "Are you happy?!"

"Ecstatic, now go to school!" I carried her to the door. "I'll tell Darcy you said hello."

"Do you like her?" Misty swung around and grabbed the doorway. "Glass, do you like her?"

"I do." I gave her a quick hug. "And if you're so worried about me being happy, then go to school."

Misty frowned at me. "Fine...but you have to be nice to me--"

"Misty, seriously...why are you--"

Misty grabbed my hand. "Because I like seeing ponies happy, and you...you weren't happy."

I frowned and grabbed the door. "Misty, I'm fine. I'll find my way. Thank you for your worry, but I'll be fine." I closed the door. "Brother. I don't think I'm ready to be a big brother like that." I covered my mouth and laughed. "Really not sure how I feel about my little sister pushing me towards mares and parties...."

I went back into my concrete work box, hips bouncing as I danced to my work. "Again with the birthday thing." Next Chapter: Sale Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 59 Minutes