“I want to do my part.”
His voice came unbidden, unable to force anything out but those words despite his hesitation. Hitch forced his gaze to meet Sunny’s, and that knowing smile spread across her muzzle. He took in the way her eyes softened, catching just the slightest hint of flickering flame reflected in her pupils. He remembered that smile, loved that smile - the stars above only knew the last time he truly saw the real thing.
“What have we got to lose, right?” He spoke again, eliciting cheers of support from the others, and Sunny shone all the brighter for it. Softly, Hitch’s front hoof lifted, facing towards his oldest friend, and in time she responded with a gentle bump, subtle and unnoticed amid the celebrations of his companions. For just one moment, they were foals again, memories resurfacing of romps through their favorite hillside park, and Hitch could almost feel Argyle’s kind gaze watching over them.
‘Sunny… Hitch! Did you two have fun? That’s good! Why, of course we can come back - no, we don’t have to tell your parents. Are they not… of course. I understand. Still, you’re always welcome with us… Hitch.’
“I have to admit, a unicorn forest does sound kind of magical…”
“Oh, when we’re through, it will be,” Sunny asserted with a smirk Phyllis would have been jealous of. “Mark my words, Hitch Trailblazer,” a playful jab before her hoof rested against his chest in that familiar, supportive gesture, “We are going to bring magic back to the world - back to ponies everywhere.”
“You know, when you say it like that, I can almost believe you,” a softer voice came from beside him, and Hitch turned to find a pegasus - Pipp, he believed her name was - making herself comfortable by the fire. A frown almost showed on his face before remembering who and where he was - no time like the present to toss out old prejudice, the thought arose, but that only elicited a full-on grimace at the memories those words evoked.
Sunny was the glow of halcyon days, of frosting and chocolate filling the air while fillies—foals, invoked a magical world of playtime and adventure. A world of friendship, where doctors and mothers could never intrude on their fantasies, and with a rightward flick of his eyes, Hitch confirmed that Sunny could see right through his facade for the moment the mask cracked. Closing his eyes, a deep breath filled his lungs, and utilizing a technique Sunny taught him so long ago, exaggerated the breath with the movement of his hoof outward from his chest.
‘How many times have I told you two? You cannot just go trotting off without my permission! Especially not… here.’
Just because he missed his friend didn’t mean he was ready for all that being here entailed.
“Feelin’ alright, Sheriff?” Zipp, that was her name, approached from Sunny’s side, but elected to keep the other earth pony between them, a fact he wished he didn’t appreciate as much as he did. Yet her presence didn’t seem to affect him quite so much, and Hitch was forced to face the fact that, no, it was Pipp that caused this lump in his throat. A nonchalant nod of his head, the distinct sensation of Sunny’s hoof gently pressed against his side cleared his thoughts and allowed him to speak.
“Yeah, just… it’s gonna take a minute to adjust to… this,” an exaggerated gesture waved at everypony around him, before, stammering, he added a quick addendum, “A-and I want to get used to it. But it’s… this…” The awkward silence that enveloped the air choked him, Hitch could feel his face clamming up, but it was Sunny who broke through the fog first. He barely managed to stop an audible sigh of relief, because how could he possibly explain what was really going through his head?
‘Fine. If you’re gonna play with us, you have to be the pegasus, Failblazer. After all, you’re real good at pretending, aren’t you?’
“Actually, that can wait. We should probably see about getting some more wood for the fire, and to set up a makeshift tent.”
“I’ll help!” he yelped, jumping onto his hooves just a bit too quickly. “Never can have enough firewood, haha.” He was eager for the chance to talk with Sunny alone, but it was she, of all ponies, who stopped him.
“Actually, I was hoping Izzy and Zipp would come with me. I know you got your wilderness survival badge, but I think these two could stand to learn a thing or two about roughing it in the great outdoors!”
‘Say hello to our newest scout, Hitch Trailblazer! … Well, aren’t you a handsome young colt! And the spitting image of your sister, too - tell her I said hello, won’t you?’
Sunny spoke with a wave, enthusiastic as always, and yet still did her eyes remain on Hitch, an understanding smile that betrayed just what she was condemning him to. A silent conversation with eyes alone, his eyes flicking towards Pipp with a wide, concerned gesture, met only by a smile just short of nostalgic and the softest of nods, barely perceptible even to him.
“Ooooh, are you gonna teach us how to identify all the species of stick, Sunny? I can’t wait.” Zipp’s words dripped with sarcasm, yet her body betrayed her elation at the offer. No doubt she was excited to get her hooves dirty, yet Izzy was the one whose excitement he hadn’t expected as she mirrored the sentiment well.
Although, from what he’d seen, that mare could get excited about touching grass, so it was really a moot point.
Regardless, before Hitch could protest further, the three departed with only a short goodbye, leaving him alone with Pipp and his thoughts. Hitch had spent the majority of his life believing pegasi were terrible, ravenous creatures, so stuck between being alone with his mind, or speaking with his latest companion, it was a rather easy choice to make.
“So… you’re really a princess?”
Razor-winged pegasi had nothing on Hitch’s brain.
“Oh, yeah. Zipp’s the crown princess, of course, so, you know, she’s the real important one. But between you and me, I think she hates the attention. Did you see how happy she was to go out and ‘rough it’?” Pipp made the motion of air quotes ahead of her, and Hitch couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle in response. “She’d definitely rather be some random pony out there than be a princess. Can you believe it? Who wouldn’t want to be a princess?”
“I can think of a few ponies. As for one of them, their name rhymes with yours, from what I’m told. The other one rhymes with Failblazer.”
A single raised eyebrow greeted him in response, and it took all of his effort not to collide a hoof directly with his own forehead.
“Hi. I’m Hitch Trailblazer.”
“Hitch Trailblazer? What kind of name is that?”
‘Hitch Trailblazer? What kind of name is that? That’s no name for a-’
“Earth pony name. Hitch Trailblazer, previous sheriff of Maretime Bay, at your service.” The slight bow he gave was weak willed at best, but if Pipp thought anything of it, she said nothing. “To be fair, Pipp Petals seems a bit…”
‘It just seems a bit… gruff, doesn’t it? Are you trying to be macho or something? You know, mares can be just as strong as colts, too-’
“Dainty? Yeah, that’s kind of the point. When you’re born for something, you don’t really have to try, but when you make yourself something, you have to really fit the mold. Zipp may be the crown princess, but I’m the model princess all the pegasi want - or I was, until Zipp left me hanging. Literally. Still kind of mad at you all for that, by the way. Well, you less so than the others - I know you weren’t really a part of all of…” Pipp waved a hoof around to gesture towards the fire and the empty spots surrounding them. “All of this.”
“Wait, you wanted your name to seem dainty? So you’re…” The words caught in his throat as the sheer irony of the situation registered in Hitch’s head. “So you… chose your name?”
For a long, awkward moment, Pipp’s gaze met his own, scrutinizing his expression, his face, everything. She was looking for something, and he could not be sure if she’d found it. Eventually, her face softened into a smile that almost reminded him of his oldest friend - until she laughed. Shoulders slumped, an eyebrow raised in confusion and embarrassment, though at what, he wasn’t quite sure.
“You know, I bet you’d make a nice prince, mister Trailblazer.”
If he’d been drinking, that comment would have made him spit take in response. Or at least awkwardly cough and attempt not to breathe in his drink, which he definitely had never done before. Especially not during an awkward holiday meal.
‘What? I’m just saying - no, Orchid, you let me finish - I’m just saying, if he’s happier for now, then why not just let him be and see what happens? What’s the worst that happens - he changes his mind, or he doesn’t. Besides, with that little crown, he almost looks like royalty! Didn’t you say you always wanted a little prince?’
Was the fire getting hotter? No, it was definitely dimmer than it was before. Must be his imagination.
“I-I, well, I don’t know about that. Being a prince is a lot more responsibility than just being a small town’s sheriff, and I’m pretty sure you’re better at all that royal responsibility stuff than I’d ever be.”
“Nah. Like I said, Zipp’s the crown princess. I’m royalty in name alone - I don’t really have any responsibility, other than to all my little Pippsqueaks!”
“Your… Pippsqueaks?”
With an excited nod, Pipp rummaged into her saddlebag, clearly taking his curiosity as an excuse to show, rather than tell, what in the world she was talking about. After several moments of searching and mumbling under her breath, the pegasus pulled out a cell phone, holding it out in front of her with a celebratory “Ta-da!”
She didn’t wait for him to say anything, instead beginning to search through the device for something to show. “My Pippsqueaks are all my fans online. Every time I post a photo, or a video, or a new song, they go wild over it! Oh, it makes a girl really feel appreciated, you know? When it comes to all the royal stuff, everypony just looks at Zipp and ignores me, but all I need to do is open my phone to see that my little ponies do care about me, too!”
“Your little ponies?” The look he gave was undignified, but something about that expression sat strangely with him. “That’s a bit… I dunno - egocentric, isn’t it? I mean, you’re royalty and all, but surely your ponies - err, the pegasi, don’t exactly belong to you, do they?”
“Well of course they don’t belong to us, duh. It’s just an expression mom uses. She says that’s how royalty always referred to their subjects. Apparently, back in the old days, there was one princess for all of Equestria, and that’s what she used to say all the time! I used to think that was just an old filly’s tale, but after meeting you…”
Her voice trailed off, and her smile was almost sad, or maybe just nostalgic. “Maybe friendship between the tribes isn’t so unbelievable after all. You’re certainly more competent than they told us Earth ponies are supposed to be, so that’s a plus!
“Oh, wait, here’s one of my favorites!” Hitch never got the chance to ask what exactly she meant by that as the princess was quickly pulled into a new train of thought. “A few years ago, I sang a cover of that one old Hearth’s Warming song - you know, from A Hearth’s Warming Tale - and I got over a million likes! They liked it so much, they wanted me to make it a yearly tradition! Here, let me show you!”
There was no time to protest, as Pipp barely finished talking before an audio snippet began to play from the phone’s speakers. On the small screen, he could make out the vision of Pipp, dressed up in what looked like a familiar yellow robe and faux candy crown, though it was hard to tell with the way she was ‘flying’ about.
“Cider’s flowing, this is living - come on and feel the beat! Life is better when you’re giving; each time you do, it feels so sweet~!”
Though the melody had changed, and her voice lingered longer on certain notes than he had before, Hitch did, in fact, recognize the song from his favorite story as a little foal. However, as the two listened together, and he tried to ignore the timeline of comments that popped up to block the screen, a realization dawned that forced him back to a seated position.
“Wow… Hearth’s Warming really is just around the corner, isn’t it?” A cursory glance around showed the two were still alone, and he almost wondered how hard it was to find a bit of firewood, honestly. However, that train of thought was soon abandoned, and he turned his attention back to his newfound friend, idly rubbing at his foreleg with one hoof. “Do you think that we’ll make it back in time to celebrate with our families?”
‘What is that? A suit? …I… If you want to wear that, then I’m sure it’ll look good on you, Hitch.’
“Eh… we never really celebrated together anyway. Mom’s always busy, and Zipp… well, Zipp always makes sure to wake me up with my present, and we have breakfast together, but that’s about it.The life of a royal is busy busy busy! Even on the holidays, we don’t really do that kind of thing together.”
‘You’re a growing pony now, Hitch. We don’t really do that kind of thing anymore - that’s for the young ones. I know you feel like you missed out on your foalhood, but that doesn’t mean…
‘...For Sunny? I suppose it is her first Hearth’s Warming since Argyle… He did love that old play… Oh, alright, just this once. But I don’t want her bringing any of her… her nonsense around, okay?’
“I kinda get what you mean. My family used to love the holidays, but after I grew up, they just stopped celebrating them. It’s like they never even really cared, other than just to keep me quiet as a foal. Nowadays, it’s just me and my close friends.”
Silence descended over the two of them once more, though this time, it was comfortable. The crackling of the fire was comforting, ever dimmed as it was, and he found himself staring up at the full moon hanging in the sky.
The stars out here were brighter than he’d ever seen them back home.
“I was in that play once, you know. When I was younger. I sang the same song you did, too.” Though his eyes stayed fixed to the moon, he heard Pipp shuffle a bit beside him, likely turning her attention to wait for him to continue. “Actually,” he slowed down, forcing himself to find the correct words, “that’s not quite true. When I was a foal, I starred in the play every year. It was Sunny’s favorite part of Hearth’s Warming Eve, when we’d come together and put on the show in the town square.
“She got front row seats every time, and I’d always play the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Presents, and she would just cheer. She was so loud, they almost kicked her out one year.” He chuckled at the memory, remembering the puppy dog eyes that only barely saved Sunny’s flank that year. “It was the first time we’d held the play in a while, actually. Her dad, Argyle, was the one who ran the show, but he…”
‘Hitch… you know, you didn’t have to play the same part… yeah, it was perfect. Just like he would have put on. You still didn’t have to - I know how hard it was to get your mom to accept all this. But still… thank you.’
“...We stopped doing a lot of things together after he was gone, but that’s still my favorite memory together. I wish I’d spent more time with her like that.”
“If it really means that much to her - and, from what I do know about her now, it does - then you did a really good thing, Hitch,” Pipp said. “But...” His breath caught in his throat for a moment as he prepared for the inevitable. “Isn’t that part… the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Presents, isn’t that part always supposed to be played by-”
“Yeah. It is.”
Hitch managed to keep his expression nonchalant as he tilted his head towards Pipp, catching her own curious, thoughtful gaze. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the only sound was the sizzling of the fire in front of them. Then, finally, a smile spread on Pipp’s face, and the knot in his chest unraveled, allowing him a chance to exhale. It was the soft laugh afterwards, however, that truly pulled his attention, and he finally turned to face her properly. She spoke with an understanding warmth, one that reminded him of Sunny.
“They asked me that too, you know. Isn’t the Spirit supposed to be played by a mare? As if they couldn’t tell just by looking at me.”
In one sentence, she confirmed everything Hitch had wondered, and that curiosity, that weight, was replaced with an almost giddy enthusiasm, and he couldn’t help the guffaw that escaped his throat. “You’re like, the picture perfect princess. I can’t imagine anypony thinking otherwise - I hope you didn’t let that get to you, though. Those kinds of comments can be stressful, to say the least. Especially when they come from somepony who you thought was supporting you.”
‘I’m the last real friend you’ve got in this town. You really wanna lose me too?’
“Well, it helped that Zipp was on my side from the start. For mom, that took some time getting used to, but eventually she came around. Maybe a bit overenthusiastic, but she tries where she can.”
“Except on the actual holiday.”
“...Yeah.”
He hadn’t expected the guilt to set in so quickly, but, taking another breath, he let the emotion slide off for now. Once magic was saved, and ponies could shoot lasers again, then he could worry about things like feeling guilty - but Sunny had explicitly made it clear she was happy to have him around, there were no hard feelings. Now, the best thing he could do was extend the same hoof he’d been given, right?
Brow furrowing, Hitch brought his hoof to tap at his chin for a moment. “You know, Hearth’s Warming is like… the worst holiday to spend alone. After her dad passed, Sunny and I made it a tradition to spend it together - even though we haven’t gotten along quite so well these past couple years…”
Seeing Pipp’s wide, curious eyes, the tug he felt at the corner of his lips was involuntary, but Hitch welcomed it. He gave her a smile - a real smile, not the one the ‘respectable sheriff’ always wore. It felt good to smile again, and with Pipp around, he had an inkling that he might just be doing that a bit more.
“Well… After all this is said and done, I know I’d appreciate a few more ponies around for that. Sunny makes a mean roast, and I’m no slouch when it comes to baking.”
He could almost laugh seeing that slightest tinge of red on her cheeks, and, just like with Sunny, extended a hoof her way. “What I’m saying is… we would - I would love to have you share the holiday with us. I-if you want, of course! No pressure.”
The sound of hoofsteps through the grass began to creep closer, murmurs from their friends all but ignored as they approached with their long sought supplies. All Hitch noticed was the feeling of his new friend’s hoof against his, reciprocating the gesture with the softest of smiles.
“I think I’d like that a lot.”