//------------------------------// // 4. How The Flowers Bloom // Story: Sonic The Hedgehog x My Little Pony: Make Your Mark - Season 2 // by BronySonicFan //------------------------------// Sonic was moving desperately from one side of the room to the other. Usually, he would just run around Equestria to clear his mind and put his thoughts together, but the thing that was bugging him right now couldn't be solved just like that. Tails, Zipp and Hitch where staring at him, with the latter guys feeling worried, while Zipp mostly felt annoyed. "Sonic... Can you, for my sanity's sake, stop moving back and forth and tell us what's bugging you already?" Zipp begged with a bored expression. "I could, if I ever find a solution... or a mint that isn't Tails' property..." Sonic replied with concern. "Come on, Sonic. It can't be that serious" Tails tried to assure with a smile... Big mistake. Sonic stared daggers at him, and his electrical powers turned on, making his look even more intimidating. Tails gulped and hid behind Zipp by instinct with a sheepish smile, while Sonic took a deep breath and launched himself on to lay on the edge of his bed. "I'm just... really, really concerned about... something, I guess..." Sonic replied with concern. "And that 'something' is?" Hitch asked confused. "... My... relationship... with Pipp" Sonic answered, and a slight red painted his cheeks for a second before disappearing. "The what now?" Zipp questioned confused. Sonic finally sighed and sat up on the bed, not facing the others since he didn't knew exactly how to explain himself. "For the past few weeks... I've been wondering what kind of relationship I have with her. I don't even know if we're regular friends or something else at this point... We flirt a lot between each other, but I don't know if she does it because she feels the same, or just to mess with me..." he explained with concern. Zipp smiled awkwardly and felt her eye twitching, not able to believe that Sonic was this oblivious before Pipp's signs. And yet, Tails placing a hand on her shoulder helped her to calm down and think carefully before doing something stupid. "So, you're thinking on making the big step?" Tails asked. "You know... ask her to be your lover instead of keeping up the show between you two" he snorted with a mocking tone. "WHAT?! NO!" Sonic shouted all of a sudden with a worried frown, before starting to walk back and forth again. "I'm not gonna do that! Not when I'm not ready..." he said with concern, now hugging himself nervously. Now this, this was new for Tails. He never saw him this nervous or unsure before... Maybe because Pipp is the first girl Sonic actually likes back, even if he doesn't knows it yet. "Now why do you say so abruptly that you cannot date my sister?" Zipp asked with a frown, but trying hard to hide her evident anger. "First of all: Our stay here isn't permanent. Eventually, we'll left this world... and I don't wanna brake a relationship if it ever happened, because I know I won't leave then" Sonic began to explain. "Second; my experience with romance is terrible. I may act all chill and cool when she's around, but I know that I'll screw every single date without even trying..." he added with an anxious look. "I hate to bring this up, but he's right on that second part" Tails said with a sheepish smile. "He actually kind of liked someone that wasn't Amy back home, but they never went anywhere because Sonic doesn't know how to deal with emotions, and so, he eventually forgot her" he said with a bored expression. "And finally: I'm not mature enough to hold a relationship" Sonic added with worry. "I-I want to be with her, I really do, but... Gosh, I know I would mess it up instantly... I've never been good with open emotions beyond being happy and cocky..." he pointed out. "Love is still new to me... Pipp is probably the first girl I actually like like... and it scares me. Not because of 'loosing my freedom' or bullshit like that. She told me long ago that she never wanted me to stop doing what I love because of someone..." he explained. "You mean when you two kissed~?" Tails mocked up, forming the shape of a heart with his tails. Sonic blushed after hearing that, but he quickly shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Tails. Thank you for bring it up when I'm actually being open over my emotions for once..." he said with sarcasm. Tails gulped nervously and blushed in shame. "Sorry..." he apologized with a sheepish smile. Sonic sighed heavily before speaking up again. "Anyways... I'm not afraid of loosing anything... but her..." he confessed, now laying on the crystal that took to the elevator. "I'm afraid that my entire fight against Eggman ends up hurting her... or worse... I'm not risking that. If I have to leave this place without ever saying what I feel just so I can protect her... then so be it" he finished with a sad look. Tails understood better than anyone. Sonic really loved Pipp, so much he even wanted to stay quiet just so she could stay out of Eggman's radar, since it's pretty obvious that she would become a target if she started to date with Sonic. Hitch could understand too, mainly because he always putted himself on everyone else's place whenever they had a problem. And he knew that, if he ever had a dangerous enemy like Eggman, he wouldn't dare to date Sunny if that meant she's gonna be in danger. Zipp, however, was more concerned about Sonic being such a coward. As she saw things, Sonic was afraid of Eggman, and so, he didn't wanted Pipp to get hurt. She understood that perfectly, after all, they're talking about her sister. But she wouldn't allow Sonic to be this cowardly. He literally tricked death and fought gods in the past, according to everything he has told about his adventures so far, so confessing his feelings to Pipp wasn't a difficult task. "Look at me partner" Zipp said, approaching Sonic. He did so, but he instantly was rubbing his left cheek after Zipp slapped him with a hoof. "OW!" Sonic complained. "Zipp! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he asked with concern. "Nothing" Zipp replied with a smirk. "In fact, you are the one that's wrong" she added. "What?" Sonic asked in concern and anger. "Dude, you're just being a chicken" Zipp said, and Sonic's frown became bigger. "You confront death every other day like a pro, but you step back when it comes to tell my sister you like her? That's pretty lame and stupid coming from you" she added. "I literally explained my reasons! As I said, I'm not afraid of a relationship, I'm afraid it could kill her!" Sonic reminded with anger. "Yeah... the thing is... Knuckles himself is aware of that, and yet, he's willing to make it work" Tails pointed out. "... The what now?" Sonic questioned, raising an eyebrow "Knuckles and Izzy are together, Sonic" Hitch pointed out as well. "They know they'll eventually say goodbye, probably forever, and yet they want to spent all the time they can together! It's a very risky move, and yet, Knuckles did it" he explained. "And so far, it has worked!" Zipp said as well. "Sonic, I get that you don't wanna say goodbye to her once you have to leave back to your dimension, but... isn't it better to spent time with her as lovers and see how that relationship evolves rather than leave without ever saying a thing and wonder for the rest of your life what could have it been?" he questioned. It was that last thing that managed to pass through Sonic's head. He hated to admit it, but Zipp was right on the last part. Would he rather leave without ever telling Pipp how he felt and hate himself for the rest of his life, or take the risky move and try to make their relationship work? For the past few weeks, he was pretty sure the answer was simple: as much as he loved Pipp, he wanted her to be safe, and if that meant keeping his feelings hidden, then so it'll be. But now, he was starting to wonder if actually making that big step was a better choice. He never felt like this with anyone before... and there was no guarantee that he ever felt this way with someone ever again, so... maybe it was time to go forward. "... I... I guess you guys are right, but... it still scares me..." Sonic confessed. "Like... what should I do? Where do I even start? I never did any of this before, and... I don't want to bother Pipp, either" he added with concern. "Dude, trust me, you won't be bothering her a single bit" Zipp assured with a smirk. "As for what to do... I think we could help you with that" Tails said with a smile. "Okay... but are you sure I should go ahead? Again, I'm not really sure if she feels the same towards me..." Sonic said unsure. As Zipp took another deep breath, Hitch smirked and bumped Sonic's shoulder slightly. "Trust us, she's gonna say the same thing" he assured. "How can you be sure?" Sonic asked in a suspicion tone, looking at his friends with a raised eyebrow. "Let's just say we have a hunch" Zipp replied with an awkward smile and a twitchy eye. "OH MY GOSH!" Pipp shouted suddenly. "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" she cried out loud, flying around nervously. She was in Mane Melody as usual, but she was panicking a lot as she flew around nervously. Sunny, Izzy and Knuckles were there with her, as well as Jazz and Rocky, and while the ponies looked at her concerned and confused, Knuckles was looking at her with a bored expression, because he could feel what was bothering her. "Why is she so nervous now?" Jazz asked with worry. "I don't know..." Rocky confessed. "Did we get that new mane dryers?" he asked. "They arrived this morning" Jazz replied. "How about that new product you were doing together, Izz?" Sunny asked the unicorn. "It's still an early 'prototype', and she said that we'll check that on the weekend" Izzy replied with concern. "Guess we'll never know until she calms herself down" Jazz supposed with a worried frown. Suddenly, Pipp stopped and landed in the floor, but she was now looking all around for something. "Phone... My phone... Where's my phone? Where the hell is my phone?!" Pipp cried out in panic. "Have you tried checking under your wing, princess?" Knuckles asked with a bored expression and tone. "My wings?! WHY WOULD IT BE UNDER MY––" Pipp tried to shout, but once she reached down her right wing, her eyes went wide, and she slowly took out her phone from it, so she sighed tiredly. "It was under my wing..." she muttered with shame and concern. Jazz approached her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Pipp, what's the matter? This is the most nervous I've seen you in a while" she said with concern. "Sorry, Jazzy-babe" Pipp apologized. "It's just... Something's been bugging me recently..." she said, as she walked towards one of the dressers in the salon and rested her front hooves and her face there. "Which is?" Sunny asked, concerned as well. Pipp sighed, and thanks to the dresser's mirror, everyone noticed her cheeks turning red. "My relationship... with... S-Sonic" she confessed, now making circles on the dresser with her right hoof. "Predictable" Knuckles said with a bored tone and expression. "I... I'm just wondering what kind of relationship we have..." Pipp began to explain. "I don't know if we're regular friends or something else anymore... I mean, we like to flirt a lot between each other, but I don't know if he does it because he feels the same way I feel for him, or just because he's Sonic!" she said concerned. "Is this what's been bothering you the past few weeks?" Izzy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Kinda––" Pipp tried to reply, but then her eyes widened when Izzy asked that. "Wait! Have you been noticing it?!" she asked back in disbelief. "It's kinda hard to ignore, to tell the truth" Knuckles said with a bored expression. "You always seem like a blushing mess near Sonic" he pointed out. "And your wings just open widely" Izzy added. "Also, your sparkle gets really shy and nervous around him, and that's weird on you" she revealed. "Your eyes make contact with Sonic's, and curiously, you both look away nervously..." Knuckles kept saying. "You tremble whenever your nervous, and it's been happening for a while now..." Izzy added as well. "And your heartbeat can be heard from the other side of the room. At least for me" Knuckles finished. "And many of these patterns have been happening with Sonic too, but he's better at hiding it, tho..." Izzy finished as well. The room went silent, and everyone else were staring in shock and surprise at Knuckles and Izzy. "We might not be the smartest seeds in the group, but we're not stupid" Knuckles pointed out once he noticed everyone else's looks. "Yeah, we might not get everything all the time, but we know about corporal language, you know. We're dating after all" Izzy pointed out as well with a bored expression, and Knuckles at her side nodded in agreement. "Right..." Pipp said confused. "Hang on! Did you just said that Sonic's going through the same as me?!" she asked in shock, also getting her face really close to Izzy's. "Uh... yes?" Izzy replied. "I could say he's even worse than you" Knuckles interfered. "He usually goes to take a run, and then he comes back like if never happened... but it isn't working lately for reasons I do not desire to understand" he explained. "However, I do think that you two should just quit your show and go for it already" Sunny added with a smile. "Show?" Pipp questioned. "What show are you talking about?" she asked confused. "Girl, you unconsciously involve Sonic whenever we chit chat, one way or another" Jazz said with a smirk, as she placed a hoof around Pipp's neck. "And Sonic himself has showed signs of being nervous around you. Have you ever noticed?" Rocky added with a teasing smirk. "Y-Yes, but..." Pipp said with a blush. "Pipp, I'm pretty sure that Sonic likes you the same way that you like him" Knuckles decided to say with his arms crossed, but also with a smirk. "However, I'm afraid that you'll have to make a move, because he's just as oblivious as I was with Izzy's signs..." he pointed out while rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Nah, he's even more oblivious..." he ended up adding. "Knuckles is right, Pipp" Sunny interfered with a smile. "Sonic is really smart when it comes to have fun. When it comes to romance? Not so much..." she pointed out. "And this is what I mean with quit the show: I know you two like each other the same way, so why not go for it already?" she added. "Why are you guys so sure he likes me back?" Pipp asked, genuinely confused. She gained blank stares and bored looks from everyone else, Jazz and Rocky included. "It seems like Sonic isn't the only oblivious one here..." Knuckles said. "Pipp, this guy's been DYING for you! Haven't you ever noticed how he looks at you when you sing? He's so focused on you that I'm pretty sure he doesn't even knows what are you singing until he listens the song on his own" he pointed out. "He blushes whenever you kiss his cheek, too" Izzy added as well. "Not to mention, he wrote a song for you, remember?" Sunny said in a teasing tone. Pipp was about to reply to everything they said, justifying it as simple things that a friend or admirer will do... but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how right the others are, and it made her cheeks turn red again. But if that wasn't enough, she suddenly remembered the lyrics of Sonic's song for her, and her blush became bigger when she remembered that he said it was for her. She never realized until now that, in fact, Sonic feels the same things she feels for him... and she's realizing now, 5 months later. "O-Oh... my... gosh..." Pipp said. "OH MY GOSH!!! HE LIKES ME BACK?! AND EVERYONE BUT ME NOTICED?!" she shouted in shock. "Yeah, she's reacting exactly how I expected her to react" Knuckles muttered with a smirk. "How's that I'm realizing now? Why didn't you told me?! Why didn't he told me?!" Pipp asked in panic, starting to hyperventilate, but Jazz managed to place a hoof on her shoulder and tell her to breath deep. Pipp did so, and she slowly began to calm herself down. "Better?" Jazz asked with a smile. "Yeah..." Pipp replied. "I'm sorry for that, guys. It's just... I can't believe Sonic also likes me. Thinking about it, the signs were clear, but... like Knuckles said, I was oblivious..." she said with shame. "Hey, I said it before as well, but I didn't knew Izzy liked me too. And look how far we've come ever since!" Knuckles pointed out with a smirk. "And I firmly believe that Sunny's right, Pipp!" Izzy said cheerfully. "It's time to stop being all teasy around him and go for it, girl!" she stated with confidence. Pipp smiled a bit, and then she placed a hoof on her chin as she though for a second, before looking back at the rest with a confident smile. "You know what? You guys are right! It's time to stop this play and dive into the water! I just need to find out how..." she pointed out, placing a hoof on her chin again. "Well, what are your friends for in that case?" Sunny said with a smirk. "Yeah, you just need some extra hooves to help you!" Izzy added with a cheerful tone. "And if you need any crucial info regarding Sonic, I'm your guy!" Knuckles stated as well. "Okay, okay, okay! Thank you so much for your help!" Pipp exclaimed exited, side hugging both Sunny and Izzy. Suddenly, Knuckles' watch made a beep sound, and Tails' voice came out of it. "Knux! Knux! We have a 'love bird' code in progress!" the young fox said. Knuckles gasped, after hearing that, and he covered the watch before anyone could hear it. "Ladies, and gentlecolt. If you'll excuse me, I need to pick up something on Tails Workshop for him" Knuckles said with a sheepish smile. "It'll be quick, promise!" he assured, and then he immediately ran away from Mane Melody. Once he was very apart from the salon, he called Tails again on his watch. "Great to see you are back, Knux" Tails greeted. "Look, I know this is gonna sound weird and all, but Sonic is planning to finally confess to Pipp!" he said cheerfully. "The what now?!" Knuckles exclaimed in disbelief. "This complicate things a bit, then..." he said with concern. "What?" Tails asked confused. "What do you mean?" he questioned. "Pipp is planning on confessing to Sonic as well, Tails" Knuckles explained. "WHAT?!" Tails shouted. "S-Sorry, shouldn't have... Sweet Chaos, this is complicating a lot..." he said with concern. "I know, little guy. What do we do?" Knuckles asked. "Hmm..." Tails said, before replying something that he knew Knuckles will like to hear. "I say... we should definitely make the must fun we can from this!" Tails stated. "You know, if this ends being a disaster, it doesn't matter for us. I mean, they're the ones confessing, after all" he pointed out. "You know what? You're right! Let's just shut our mouths and enjoy these two struggling!" Knuckles replied with a smirk. Sonic moved to Zephyr Heights' Castle with Tails, Floppy, Zipp, Hitch and Sparky. Yeah, Floppy is still here, I didn't forgot about him. They were all in a very spacious room where Zipp assures they storage all the formal clothes for special guests. Now, why did they moved to the pegasi city? Because Zipp wants to give Sonic some 'clothing advice', which is both rare and hypocrite coming from her, but hey, I'm just the writer. My job is just to tell you what's happening in the setting and that's it. "So, if you wanna declare to my sister, first you gotta look presentable" Zipp said with a smug look. Sonic however, snorted a bit, gaining a deadly glare from Zipp. "Okay, no. Sorry, Zippster, but I can barely believe you know about being elegant and formal when you're avoiding that stuff half the time" he said with a playful smirk. "Dude, I'm a princess, first of all. And second, you might love her, but I'm her sister after all, which means that I know her better than anyone" Zipp replied with a proud smirk, while Sonic rolled his eyes. "And I know that she'll love if you confess to her on a proper costume" she said. Then, she walked over a closet and kicked it, making a bunch of black and whit suits appear in three different rows. Tails eyes went wide, Hitch and Sparky tilted their heads confused and Sonic crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "The best suits in town, with the best fabric as well!" Zipp said with a smirk. "I've got two questions..." Sonic decided to speak. "First of all: Isn't this a bit to much for a declaration? I thought I was confessing my feelings, not asking her to marry me without being a couple yet. And second: Aren't those suits for ponies? I'm a hedgehog, and I doubt I can put those" he pointed out. "As I said before, Pipp's gonna love your declaration even more if you go dressed as I say" Zipp explained. "As for your other question: We have your measures, and Pipp herself ordered for them to be created for you" she added. "Wait, what?" Sonic asked, his eyes widening in shock. "How does she has my measures, exactly?" he questioned confused. Tails started to sweat and chuckle nervously as he looked around the room. "Who knows! But I can totally assure you that it totally didn't came from a magazine that I totally didn't gave to Pipp months ago!" he said, and then he laughed awkwardly before curling into a ball with shame. Soon enough, Sparky got down from Hitch's back and hugged Tails, while Floppy nuzzled against him. "... Okay..." Sonic said, looking around confused, before focusing back on Zipp. "So, Zipp. What suits I'm gonna try today?" he asked. Zipp's eyes went wide, but then she grinned sinisterly, although it didn't seemed to bother Sonic at all. First off, he tried out a fully white suit with a black tie, conserving his regular shoes since he refused to change them. "It looks good, but... I feel like something's missing" Tails said. "Yeah, I would said it's way too formal, and even if we need you to be elegant, this is extreme" Hitch agreed with the fox. "Okay, okay. I guess you guys are right, you're way to dressed up" Zipp admitted. "The mare fact that I'm dressing up is already way too much" Sonic said with a bored expression. "Let's try something else" Zipp stated, and Sonic groaned in annoyance. After that, Sonic tried out a grey smoking with a white tie, but the others shook their heads. Then, Sonic proved with a black suit and a grey tie, but the others were still not convinced. Finally, he putted on a simple black smoking with a blue tie, and the rest seemed to be finally convinced over the look. "Now THAT is something she's definitely gonna love!" Tails assured with a smirk. "Yeah, it definitely works!" Hitch said. "Seems like the suit up is ready and done, partner!" Zipp stated with a smile, placing a wing around Sonic's back. "Thank Chaos!" Sonic exclaimed, for once, with a smile. "So, what's next?" he questioned. "I mean, the quicker we're done with this 'preparation' of yours, the sooner I get to say Pipp I like her" he pointed out, once again with a bored expression. Back in Mane Melody, Pipp was humming a melody of a new song she's been working on. Curiously enough, said song was dedicated to Sonic, so she was actually trying to make sure she still could remember the lyrics perfectly. She didn't wanted her declaration to be perfect, she only wanted it to be honest, but at least the song couldn't go wrong... or so she hoped. However, she realized that she didn't had the pages for the song near by, and so she began to look for them. "Pipp?" Sunny called out. "What are you looking for?" she asked. "Has anypony seen a bunch of pages with the title saying 'Rewrite the Stars' on it?" Pipp asked back, but then she saw a bunch of pages over the stage and smiled. "Never mind! Found them!" she said cheerfully. "What's that?" Izzy asked with curiosity, as she approached to the young pegasus along with Sunny and Knuckles. "The truth is that my thoughts on my relationship with Sonic isn't the only thing that's keeping me busy for the past few weeks" Pipp confessed. "If I'm being honest, I began to work on a song for Sonic to tell him what I feel, and... well, let's just say I didn't thought on finish it until now" she explained. "Oooooh~!" the others replied with mocking tones and smirks, which caused Pipp to blush and roll her eyes at her friend's attitudes. "I know you usually don't do this, but could we check it out? You know, to give you a second opinion" Sunny suggested. "Yeah, let's us see!" Knuckles said with a smile. "Well... I actually think a second opinion could help me out, so... Okay! Here you go!" Pipp said cheerfully, extending the papers to Knuckles. He carefully grabbed the papers so his hands wouldn't tear them apart, then he took out his reading glasses and began to read the lyrics of the song, with Sunny and Izzy joining him from his sides. After a few minutes of humming, and Knuckles raising am eyebrow at times, he finally returned the papers to Pipp, also taking off the reading glasses. "So? Whatcha think?" Pipp asked in curiosity. "I think it's good... but..." Sunny began with a sheepish smile. "It's missing... something..." Izzy said, also smiling sheepishly. "Something?" Pipp questioned confused. "Like what?" she asked. "You ever heard about 'a song's special touch'?" Knuckles asked back. "Duh! It's what I always want to transmit in my songs!" Pipp replied with a smile. "Well... I don't know if we're missing it, but the special touch isn't in this song" Knuckles said with a bored expression. "I'm sorry, what?!" Pipp said a bit mad. "Of course it is! You probably didn't saw it because the song isn't dedicated to you, guys" she pointed out. "Maybe..." Sunny said a little hesitant. "Oh, oh, oh! Maybe if you sing it, we can find that touch! I mean, there's a big difference between reading the lyrics and properly listening the song!" she pointed out in excitement. "Oh, yeah! That could actually give us a different picture!" Izzy said cheerfully. "It's worth a shot. But, only if you want, Pipp" Knuckles said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "If you want this song to be only for Sonic, we'll respect that decision" he assured, and Sunny and Izzy nodded in agreement. "Hmm..." Pipp said, rubbing her chin as she thought about the offer for a bit, before smiling back at the others. "I think a little practice won't hurt!" she stated with confidence. Back at Zephyr Heights, the gang were on the throne room with Queen Haven. According to Zipp, the next step on his 'road to confession' is to practice a speech. Of course, he's not surprised on this part at all; he was planning on doing it anyways, but having people around to give off a second opinion could really help him out... What won't help him out, tho, is the fact that he didn't expected Haven to show interest on helping out. Yeah, she's Pipp's mother, and she's been clear that she'll support a relationship between them if it ever happens... yet he was still scared because, well, she's a Queen besides a Mom. "So... You wanna confess to my daughter" Haven said with a tone that sent chills down Sonic's spine. "Y-Yeah..." Sonic replied with a nervous tone and smile, also sweating a bit. Haven glared at him for a few seconds before burst out laughing, thing that confused everyone else but Zipp, who was just smirking at Sonic's pale and confused expression. "Oh, I'm messing with you, Sonic" Haven assured with a smile. "I was actually wondering when would any of you make the first step. I'm quite surprised you decided to go ahead, tho" she confessed. Sonic sighed in relief and looked at Haven with a smile. "I'm glad to hear that, actually" he confessed. "But just for the record: In case the stupid idea of ever hurting Pipp crossed my mind, Tails and Knuckles are allowed to use violent methods to make me recover some common sense" he added with a neutral expression, also pointing at Tails, who created a bat with his powers and smack it on his palm with a bored expression. "He's also really in love with her so I'm sure this won't be necessary" Tails said. "Still, you can never be too careful..." he added with a glare towards Sonic. Sonic himself rolled his eyes and looked back at Haven. "Look, I'm actually very thankful that you wanna help me out, but I'm serious when I say that it's not necessary..." he pointed out nervously. "Oh, no, no. I insist!" Haven assured with a smile. "Besides, I need to make sure my future son in law isn't going to screw up his declaration" she added in a teasy tone. "Excuse me, future son in––" Sonic wanted to ask in show and disbelief while blushing, but he immediately slapped himself and focused back. "Again, I appreciate the offer, but I'm serious when I say I can handle it––" he wanted to point out, stepping back nervously, but being stopped by Hitch. "First of all, we wanna hear that speech" Hitch said, stopping Sonic from moving forward. Sonic groaned in annoyance, starting to feel that this was pretty dumb and a big waste of time. Back in Mane Melody, Pipp finished the final part of her song... for the third time. Sunny, Izzy and Knuckles didn't got the message in the first two times when Pipp sang the song, and it didn't changed a single bit with the third attempt. "Sweet ponyfeathers!" Pipp exclaimed mad. "What's so difficult to get?! The message is right there!" she pointed out with concern. "Perhaps I overestimated my own intelligence" Knuckles said with his arms crossed and an anxious expression. "Yeah, I'm really lost in here" Izzy added, as she tilted her head confused. "Well... I don't got it either, but I believe it doesn't matter" Sunny said with a smile. "I mean, as long as Sonic gets the message, that's everything that matters, right?" she pointed out cheerfully. Pipp's frown seemed to soften a bit, although she still seemed mad. "I... I guess that's a good point" she confessed. "Well, if your song is ready, let me ask: how are you planning on declaring, exactly?" Knuckles asked in curiosity. "Thanks for asking!" Pipp said, now giving off an honest and joyful smile. "Follow me!" she stated, before flying off from Mane Melody. "Whatever she's up to, we should catch up!" Sunny said with a smirk. "We don't wanna ruin the surprise for Sonic!" she pointed out, before running off from Mane Melody. "Wait for me, Sunny!" Izzy shouted, and then she turned to face Knuckles. "Are you coming too, Knuckie?" she asked to her boyfriend. "Sure thing! I'm just making a quick call, and then I'll catch up, okay?" Knuckles replied with a smile. Izzy nodded and kissed Knuckles shortly before running off from the salon. Knuckles smiled, and then he pressed the middle button of his watch to call Tails. "Little man, Pipp wants to show us something, and I have the feeling we're going to ZH..." Knuckles informed. "Good timing! We're already here" Tails replied. "Oh, good! Then we'll met each other there" Knuckles stated. Then, he ended up the call before boosting out of Mane Melody to follow the girls. After 'practicing' his declaration with the rest, Sonic managed to sneak away. The others began to discuss how to make his speech better, but the discussion unfortunately excluded him for some reason, and so, he decided to sneak away to think on his own. He went to a balcony and looked at the sun setting in the horizon, smiling a bit at the sight since it always helped him to think carefully instead of doing something stupid. He really appreciated all the efforts his friends were doing to help him out, but he felt a bit overwhelmed. He wanted to confess, but all of this was ridiculous for him: practice a speech? Man, he just needed to confess his feelings, not motivate some scared people to go to war or something like that. He might not be an expert, but he's pretty sure that it doesn't matter how much you practice a speech to confess, you'll end up saying something completely different. And the clothes were stupid as well: Again, he's confessing, not asking her hoof in marriage... yet. "Man... this all feels like a waste of time..." Sonic muttered in annoyance and concern. "Sonic?" Tails' voice called out, and Sonic turned to see him with a worried expression. "Sorry if I interrupted anything, but... You just kind of disappeared and we worried. Is everything okay?" he asked with concern. Sonic sighed heavily before shacking his head in negation. "I feel like nothing of this is preparing me. We're making a whole drama just for confessing my feelings!" he pointed out. "Man, I may not like to open up in public, but I already opened up with her many times before! Confessing my feelings for her might be hard, true, but... I know I can still do it" he said with worry. "Yeah... I kinda realized how dumb the suit and the whole 'practice your speech' thing is after the third time you were saying the same words in a different tone" Tails confessed with a sheepish smile, also scratching his head. "If it makes you feel better, I commented this to the rest, and... well, they agree that this is pretty stupid. So, you're now free to do whatever you wanted to do in the first place!" he announced cheerfully. Sonic couldn't help but smile at that. "Are you serious?!" he asked in excitement. "Yup!" Tails replied. "Oh, fuck yeah!" Sonic shouted excited, ripping the suit away and stretching around with new found energy. "I can now go for the original plan: Just go to her and tell her how I feel. If she feels the same––" he began to say. "And she does" Tails assured with a smirk. "Then great! We all win... Except for the fans that like her platonically, but out of that, everyones wins!" Sonic stated with confidence. "And if she doesn't, well, that's okay, too! I can still look after her as his friend" he added, although his tone saddened a bit. "Hey, I can assure you, Sonic. Pipp likes you the same way you like her!" Tails assured confidently. "Now, go get her, tigger!" he stated. Sonic nodded with a confident smirk, and then he ran off. Deep down, he was still afraid of how this could turn out... but it was worth the shot. Pipp is worth the shot. Pipp was walking back and forth, feeling really nervous. She dragged Sunny, Izzy and Knuckles to a salon in Zephyr Heights, were she planned to make her little performance to confess her feelings to Sonic. However, she was now regretting the idea, because her insecurities were winning her over... that, and the fact that Zipp came over to her asking what the heck was going on. "What do you mean you wanna confess?!" Zipp asked confused. She wasn't against the idea, of course, but if Pipp made the first move, everything they told Sonic to do was going to be for nothing, and for some reason, she wanted Sonic to make the first move instead of her own sister. "I've been thinking about it for the past few weeks, Zipp" Pipp replied with a frown. "I'm not standing here, daydreaming about him anymore! Why are you so mad all of a sudden, anyways?!" she asked with concern. "I'm not mad, Pipp!" Zipp replied. "I'm just making sure you're absolutely sure that you want to do this" she added with concern. "What if he rejects you, which I doubt will happen, because he panics?" she asked, still concerned. "Well, if that happens, I'm pretty sure he'll be mature enough to tell me why he did that instead of waiting for me to bring it up" Pipp replied with a frown towards her sister. "Um, girls?" Haven called out with worry. "And what if he even avoids you then?!" Zipp shouted, now not only panicking at the idea of Pipp confessing before Sonic, but also the the very small possibility of him chickening and not confessing, or worse, rejecting her out of panic. "And what if that doesn't happens?!" Pipp shouted back at her. "Again, why do you care so much?! Being my sister doesn't gives you any right to treat me this bad!" she pointed out with concern and worry. "Oh boy..." Knuckles muttered with worry. "I don't like this..." Izzy muttered as well, while she side-hugged Knuckles for protection, and Knuckles wrapped an arm around her. "I just don't want him to hurt you!" Zipp said again, now genuinely getting mad. "If I end up hurt, it'll be because he doesn't feels the same! Does that makes him a bad person? NO!" Pipp shouted, even more mad with her sister than before. While the sisters began to fight, Haven tried to interfere and stop them, but they decided to ignore her. Everyone else, sins Sonic and Tails because they were not there at the moment, gulped nervously at the sisters attitude. Sparky, who got more nervous than usual, stepped back, but accidentally tripped with Floppy, and his fall made his stomach hurt, causing him to burp out a massive fireball. What happened next? You should expect it: The decorations of the place burned completely, not only the ones settled from Pipp but also the 'default' ones; the chandelier began to hang around and destroyed pretty much all the stereo Pipp was gonna use for her declaration... and then the chandelier itself fell into the floor. So, in a little bit of a slump, Sparky's little trip ruined the entire thing for Pipp. Hitch immediately grabbed Sparky and smiled sheepishly at what happened. "S-Sorry... for that..." he said, gulping nervously as well. At that moment, both Sonic and Tails entered the place, and their eyes widened at seeing all the disaster caused. "Uh... what happened here, exactly?" Tails asked. "We literally left for, like, five minutes!" he pointed out. However, before anyone could say anything, a door was opened suddenly, and everyone only managed to see a purple tail ran away, but since Sonic always had a weird effect where he could stop time unconsciously, and it happened just now, he also saw the Cutie Mark of whoever ran away... and he panicked for some reason. "Okay, seriously now! What happened here?!" Sonic asked, now looking at everyone else. "And please, be honest. I wanna hear what's going on!" he instructed with a frown. While the rest seemed to hesitate, Tails and Knuckles looked at each other and nodded. "I... I told Knuckles that you wanted to confess to Pipp" he confessed with shame, walking away from him and now standing at Knuckles' side. "He wanted to what?!" both Sunny and Izzy shouted confused. "And I told Tails that Pipp wanted to confess her feelings to you as well" Knuckles replied with honesty. "Huh?!" Hitch exclaimed. "Oh dear..." Haven muttered, placing a hoof on her mouth. "Oh..." Zipp said with shame. "I screw it big time, huh..." she muttered with concern. Sonic, however, seemed completely shocked at what he heard. "Pipp... s-she... she likes me?" he asked on disbelief. "FUCK DAMMIT, SONIC, YOU CANNOT BE THAT STUPID!" Knuckles shouted, both in anger and tired of this. "This is very hypocrite coming from me since I was like this with Izzy, but EVERYONE in Equestria, even Eggman, knows that you two like each other... EXCEPT FOR YOU TWO!" he pointed out in annoyance. "I'll usually tell him to calm down, but I won't this time" Tails said. "He is spitting facts, after all" he added. "Look, Sonic. We all had a blast messing with you two, but this has gone too far!" Knuckles kept saying. "You two like each other, but you struggle for nothing! There's nothing and no one who can stop you two from being together BUT you two!" he pointed out, then he sighed in defeat and grabbed a paper from the ground before extending it to Sonic. "Just read what she wanted to sing for you, and you'll get the point" he said with frustration. Hesitantly, Sonic grabbed the paper and read the lyrics in just a few seconds. His eyes widened after reading the lyrics, and finally understood why Knuckles was mad. He turned to see the door where Pipp left, and then frowned before boosting away to find her. He was done with the show too, and he was gonna find her to open up once and for all. "I think we should have started with this instead of staying quiet..." Tails pointed out with a sheepish smile, and Knuckles nodded with a frown. "You think?!" Sunny said in anger, while she and everyone else were frowning at Tails and Knuckles. "Yeah, yeah, we know. We screw it big time..." Knuckles said with a bored expression. "Let's just hope those two don't screw it as well..." he added with concern. Sonic boosted desperately through the castle's landing track. After reading the lyrics of the song that Pipp has been apparently writing for him, it became so clear now. He felt like a complete idiot for not getting the signs way sooner: she not only flirted, but she also cared for him. She listened when he needed to feel really open, she comforted him when he broke down multiple times, she even kissed him on her own that time Sparky went missing! All this time, she always felt the same... and now she felt that all her preparation was worth nothing. But he was going to change that. He needed to find her first, of course, but he was changing that anyways. Luckily, he stopped running around the landing track and began to look around for her. "Pipp?" Sonic called out. "Pipp! Where are you?!" he asked with concern and worry. However, soon enough, he felt his ear twitching when he heard sobs coming from a certain direction. Concerned, he decided to ran towards the cry origin. And once he approached, his eyes widened, and he felt his heart sink: Pipp was sitting at the edge of the track, sobbing as she trembled and lowered her head. Sonic hated this sight. He hated to see her sad in general, but this... this was even worse. That's why he decided to slowly approach, but he just stood behind her, also conserving some distance, since he didn't wanted to bother her. "Pipp?" Sonic called out with worry, but she didn't replied anything. "Pipp... a-are you––" he tried to ask, but she cut him off all of a sudden. "I was stupid for making all of this..." Pipp said, as she tried to dry her tears with no success. "What? You mean the little stage you settled to tell me something?" Sonic asked, but he was not joking this time, he was concerned. "I mean everything!" Pipp snapped, turning to see Sonic with sadness, and Sonic himself felt his heart sinking more when he saw the broken expression on her face. "I didn't cared if this was super fancy or if it was something casual! I didn't wanted it to be perfect, I only wanted it to be honest!" she cried, with tears running down her cheeks. "But it doesn't matter now..." she added in defeat. "Pipp, that's not––" Sonic tried to say, but she cut him off again. "I was so stupid thinking that someone so amazing like you could like a pop star princess like me, anyway..." Pipp interrupted, and whatever Sonic was going to add immediately died as he felt his face blushing, his heart racing, and a smile unconsciously drawing on his face, but said smile faded away once Pipp spoke again. "I mean, everything I do is sing and dance and be cheerful on livestreams... and you literally saved the world so many times that not even you can count them... It was dumb to think I ever had a chance..." she finished with a sniff. Sonic was now speechless. Hearing directly from her that she liked him was a bit unexpected, and he cannot describe the amount of joy he felt when she said that... But he couldn't believe Pipp could undervalue herself like that. She really thinks this way? Sonic couldn't believe it, and he definitely wouldn't allow it either. "Pipp, that's just a lot of nonsense!" Sonic finally spoke without being interrupted. "I saved the world several times, but you? Pipp, you are the actual savor of magic! Has anyone ever told you that?" he said with a smile. Pipp frowned confused and simply shook her head in negation instead of using words. "Pipp, your attention to detail is what allowed us to follow Reginald to find Discord; your streams made the rest realize Reginald followed the stream towards Fluttershy's Cottage, even when I ran away. And thanks to your desire to find Discord, we got a hint on how to find him on that mysterious lighthouse that disappeared" Sonic began to explain. "But that's not all! Before magic returned for the very first time, your intervention with Sunny is what allowed her to win against Alphabittle, and therefore, the Unicorn Crystal. And when Sparky went missing, the song you wrote for him is what helped us find him!" he added with a joyful smile. Pipp's eyes widened a bit, and she looked sideways at Sonic. "I... I did all of that?" she asked in disbelief. "Absolutely!" Sonic replied with confidence. "You are as capable as I am when it comes to 'life or death' situations, Little Pipp. I thought you already knew that..." he added, now feeling a bit sad himself. Pipp smiled weakly, and Sonic noticed that, but her smile faded away as she looked back at the floor with sadness. "I... I want to believe you, Blue Star... I-I really do, b-but..." she said with sadness, as tears began to fall from her eyes again. How much Sonic hated that sound. Pipp crying makes his heart sink and broke in pieces whenever it happens. He was in love with her, and he wanted to walk forward to give her comfort... but she was in a delicate situation, and he was afraid that she would turn him apart. Perhaps it was time to tell her how he felt? She already did so, and maybe, just maybe, his words could make her feel better... Suddenly, his eyes widened when something came to his mind, something he knew could perfectly tell how he felt towards her, so he smiled softly and closed his eyes... Sonic: You know I want you Pipp slowly opened her eyes and felt confused. It's not a secret I try to hide Pipp's eyes went wide after she recognized the lyrics, but not so much the voice. "I-Is that... my..." Pipp tried to ask, slowly turning around and gasping when she saw Sonic with his eyes closed. I know you want me So don't keep sayin' our hands are tied Sonic opened his eyes and smiled at Pipp, who felt surprised of hearing him singing what she's been working on so hard for the past few weeks, causing her cheeks to turn a bit red. You claim it's not in the cards And fate is pullin' you miles away And out of reach from me Sonic walked slowly towards Pipp, and he extended his hand to her as he kept singing, while Pipp hesitantly placed her hoof on his hand, and he carefully grabbed it to help her stand up. As he kept singing, he also caressed Pipp's mane gently, while Pipp closed her eyes and unconsciously smiled at Sonic's delicate touch over her. But you're here in my heart So who can stop me if I decide That you're my destiny? Sonic lifted carefully Pipp's chin so she could open her eyes and see him. Everything Pipp found on Sonic's green emerald eyes was... the same thing Sonic saw on hers: love. Genuine love for each other. What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine Nothing could keep us apart You'd be the one I was meant to find Sonic and Pipp began to walk in circles as Sonic kept singing, while Pipp finally smiled brightly at him. She still couldn't believe he actually learned the song, but right now? She didn't cared either, because she understood now: her message and his were the same. If she stopped to think about it, she could realize that Sonic loves her the exact same way she loves him, because the hints have been pretty obvious all this time, although she realized just a few hours ago. Still, she was grateful that Sonic came into her life, and she was grateful that he was doing this to cheer her up. And maybe, just maybe, it was time to return the favor... It's up to you, and it's up to me No one can say what we get to be So why don't we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours Tonight After Sonic finished this part, Pipp suddenly opened her wings and boosted to the air, completely taking Sonic off guard. He started to look around in the sky, looking for her, but everything he could see and sense because of the wind was something moving around in the air. And then, the light of the moon shone brightly over him, blurring his sight for a second, but when he opened his eyes, he felt his cheeks turning red and his eyes sparkling at the sight. Pipp: You think it's easy You think I don't wanna run to you Pipp's voice began to sing as well. The light of the moon reflected over her mane and fur, and even tho her eyes were closed, he already knew perfectly how beautiful they are. Her Cutie Mark was also shining bright, but that was the last of his concerns: the image of Pipp slowly flying down as she sang was living freely on his mind now. Sweet Chili Dogs... Is this how an angel looks like? Sonic wondered mentally But there are mountains And there are doors that we can't walk through It wasn't until this point that he realized that everything she was singing wasn't scripted. No, this isn't a broken fourth wall joke: Sonic doesn't remember this part of the song on the paper Knuckles gave him. And yet, he wasn't mad at the lyrics: Pipp was a pop star, so improvising something in the middle of a situation like this one was her thing, and that just made his love and admiration and love towards her grow more and more. I know you're wondering why because we're able to be Just you and me within these walls But when we go outside, you're gonna wake up and see That it was hopeless after all As Pipp seemed to approach Sonic, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him in a seductive way, which increased Sonic's blush and caused him to gulp nervously. And then, Pipp began to fly around as she kept singing, but the way Sonic sees it, she's not only flying; she's also dancing in the air. No one can rewrite the stars How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart And I'm not the one you were meant to find Sonic saw that Pipp was singing with her heart, because she was way into the song, and who was he kidding? He was way into her, because even if the lyrics were supposed to be sad and dramatic, he didn't cared about them, he only cared about Pipp. It's not up to you It's not up to me When everyone tells us what we can be How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours Tonight Once Pipp was singing this part, Sonic smirked, because he was pretty sure the next part was scripted. So, he made the only Chaos Emeralds he had to transform into Pink Super Sonic, and then, he flew towards her, startling her a bit at first when he grabbed her from her hips, but once she saw his smile, she felt her heart melt and her cheeks blushing, as well as a smile being formed by her lips, and after she finished her part, they both began to sing together. Sonic & Pipp: All I want is to fly with you All I want is to fall with you So just give me all of you Sonic grabbed Pipp's hips as they flew, while Pipp directly hugged Sonic as they flew in circles and sang together happily. Pipp: It feels impossible Sonic: It's not impossible Pipp: Is it impossible? Sonic & Pipp: Say that it's possible Pipp's Cutie Mark began to glow even brighter now, but Sonic and Pipp were too busy lost on each other's eyes as they sang together that none of them noticed it. That, or they did noticed, but didn't give a shit right now. How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine? Nothing can keep us apart 'Cause you are the one I was meant to find Pipp broke the hug and flew over Sonic with a smile, while Sonic himself smiled back at her as they both kept singing together in synchrony and harmony. It's up to you And it's up to me No one can say what we get to be And why don't we rewrite the stars? Changing the world to be ours They finished singing together with a hug, were Pipp nuzzled lovely Sonic's chest, while Sonic nuzzled his head over Pipp's mane. They slowly landed on the track, with Sonic letting go the remaining Chaos Emeralds, that returned on their own to the chest in Tails' room in the Brighthouse, while Pipp just stood on her hind legs and never broke the hug with Sonic. "Pipp... I like you in ways I still cannot understand..." Sonic told her with a smile, and Pipp lifted her head to face him, and she could still see the love he had for her in his eyes, which made her smile. "If anything, I'm the one who thought you wouldn't feel that way for me" he confessed. "An amazing singer, a beautiful woman, a gorgeous pegasus... and an incredible being that cares for everyone around her. I thought that, because of my life, because of my recklessness, you wouldn't want me, Pipp" he explained. "Oh, Blue Star..." Pipp said with a smile. "I love everything about you, including your flaws. You aren't perfect, and yet, you always bring out the best in everyone" she added. "I just... I thought you didn't liked me because you always seemed so centered on returning to your home, even if the signs you gave me says otherwise, now that I think about it" she chuckled a bit. "I was scared not only of you not liking me... but I'm also scared that Eggman tries to hurt you if we take that step" Sonic confessed with concern. "Yet... Knuckles knows that too, and he still managed to make things work between him and Izzy, so... I guess we should do the same" he added with a smile and a slight blush. Pipp felt her heart racing a marathon suddenly, her cheeks got red again, her wings opened and her eyes sparkled after hearing that. "A-Am I dreaming? D-Do you actually mean it?!" she asked Sonic in disbelief. "To tell the truth, I... I'm still afraid that Eggman could do anything to you... a-and I don't want to ever say goodbye to you, Pipp..." Sonic confessed, before looking back at her with a warm smile. "But... Gosh, I love you, Pipp Petals" he said, now caressing one of her cheeks softly. "I love you so much that I don't care if I have to fight Eggman a millionth times just to keep you safe. I will if necessary, and I promise you that I'll never leave you alone" he added. Pipp smiled brightly, and then she squealed like a little filly, embracing Sonic on another hug as she laughed and cried in happiness. Sonic smirked, wrapped his arms around her and twirled her in the air, causing the mare to yell in surprise, but she still laughed and never broke her hug on him. An entire year of daydreaming with him, of supporting him, of knowing him, but most importantly, of loving him, all came to this: him actually loving her as well. And Sonic was happy too, of course: Pipp was finally his girlfriend. Even if he was afraid, he always daydreamed about such a possibility, but it happened now, and he was so glad he actually went for it. Sonic finally stoped and putted Pipp down, but once they faced each other, they knew what they wanted to do now... No. They knew what they needed to do now. And so, Sonic broke the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers in a soft and lovely kiss. Their third one, true, but the longest one so far as well. This time, they were sealing their union as a couple, and they wanted to enjoy it. No tongue involved, no nasty desires, no dirty intentions: Just a hedgehog and a pegasus sealing their love in a kiss that they wanted to remember for the rest of their lives. They separated from their kiss after a while to catch their breath, then they stared at each other and smiled. "I could get used to this~" Sonic said in a flirty tone. "Oh, you better get used to it, handsome~" Pipp replied with the same tone, making circles with her hoof on Sonic's chest. "Because I'm planning to do this more often from now on~" she added playfully. "I love you, Sonic" she finished with an honest and caring smile. "And I love you too, Pipp" Sonic replied with a smirk and a blush. Pipp leaned to kiss him again, wrapping her hooves around his neck, while Sonic wrapped an arm around her back and caressed her cheek carefully with his free hand. Perhaps this wasn't exactly how they imagined their declaration to go. But honestly? They wouldn't change anything, either. Knuckles, Zipp and Haven were hugging each other as they were a crying mess. Thanks to a little drone Tails sent in the air, everyone else managed to watch the confession, the dance and song included. Knuckles, Zipp and Haven felt their hearts touched after witnessing this moment, and Haven was trying so hard to not mess her make up, but just knowing that one of her daughter already was on a relationship melted her heart. Zipp was feeling the same, and just knowing her sister was growing up so fast make her broke her chill and cool attitude for once. Also, she apparently wears makeup on her eyes as well, because her eyeliner was running down her cheeks thanks to her tears, although either nobody noticed because of the moment between Sonic and Pipp, or they did but didn't cared. As for Knuckles... he was just a really emotional guy, so he started to cry soon after Zipp and Haven did so. The others, they just smiled and felt happy (as well as relieved) that those two were finally together. "Well, I sure love happy endings!" Sunny said with a smile. "I'm glad Sonic didn't screwed things... And I'm sorry for not saying a thing about this earlier" Tails said with shame, as his ears fell flat. "Aww, don't you worry, little guy!" Izzy said cheerfully, side-hugging Tails. "We all make mistakes! Besides, I'm pretty sure we all would follow you two on your game anyways" she pointed out. "Yeah, Izzy is right. Messing with those two being together was fun" Hitch confessed. "Too bad they're a couple now. It means no more mocking up" he pointed out with a sad smile. "Eh, I wouldn't be so sure..." Sunny said with a smirk, now looking at Tails. Soon enough, both Hitch and Izzy realized what she meant, and smirked at Tails as well. "... You guys are gonna mock me with Zipp, aren't you?" Tails asked with a bored expression, while his cheeks puffed in frustration. Hitch, Izzy and Sunny only nodded at his question, and Tails groaned in annoyance, while they started to chuckle and Knuckles, Haven and Zipp kept crying a river. "They grow up so fast!" Zipp said sadly. "My daughter is a little woman now!" Haven said dramatically. "I love happy endings so much!" Knuckles said, although he still kept crying. The others chuckled at their attitudes and smiled... but then, Tails' eyes widened. "Wait! Zipp uses eyeliner?!" Tails asked in shock, as he noticed Zipp's eyeliner.