//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Confessions // Story: My Little Pony: Make Your Mark In Love // by SamSwordsman123 //------------------------------// Princess Pipp Petals sat in her room, or rather, her room that she shared with her friends and sister in the Crystal Brighthouse in Maretime Bay. It had been a few days since the whole fiasco of her getting sick and Hitch comforting her while they were unknowingly videoed, causing everypony to think they were a couple. She had denied it at first but since then she wasn’t so sure, even thinking that maybe she did like him. The more she thought about it the more she seemed unable to deny it. All of the memories that had happened since she joined her sister and their friends on the mission to reunite all Ponykind flooded through her mind. She hadn’t thought much of Hitch at first, just another Earth Pony that was an enemy, but one not part of the group that had ruined the show which had destroyed her family’s reputation. But she’d grown close to him along with Izzy and Sunny once she let her walls down after spending time with them. He'd been a good friend to her, but she was wondering if maybe she thought of him as more then that. The words she’d secretly thought to herself after straightening things out with her fans thinking they were a couple echoed in her head. Hitch was a strong handsome stallion and an amazing Sheriff, who was kind to both ponies and critters. He’d also said she was beautiful, kind, fun, and generous, those words had really touched her. But he’d also said he figured it wouldn’t work out between them. That made her pout. But as she thought more and more about it, she slowly came to terms with the realization that deep down she did- “I guess I do have feelings for him,” Pipp said to herself. Or she thought just to herself. “Aw! You like sompony?” a voice asked from behind. Pipp looked behind her and saw Izzy Moonbow had entered their room on the first floor. “Oh, hey Izzy,” Pipp said with a little embarrassment in her voice. “I didn’t see you come in.” “Well, I wasn’t trying to be sneaky!” Izzy smiled brightly. “But I guess I came in at an interesting time? You like somepony? Who is it? I promise I won’t tell.” “Umm… its Hitch,” Pipp said. “Ever since the whole thing where everypony thought we were a couple I’ve been thinking… and I think I like him as more then a friend.” “Aww! That’s so sweet! You know, there is this one stallion I like that does magic shows,” Izzy said. “Let me guess… Rufus? Or as he likes to call himself… Hoofdini?” Pipp asked managing a smile. “Yeah! How did you know?” “You spend a bit of time with him whenever you aren’t hanging out with us,” Pipp said. “He wanted to get the same hooficure as you after Jazz started making her own designs, and you recommended him to be my show stopping entrance after he saved Glory from falling.” “Yeah, I guess we do some time together here and there,” Izzy said with a blush. “I’m kinda hoping he’ll ask me out but he hasn’t yet.” “Maybe you should ask him then,” Pipp suggested. “Maybe I will,” Izzy said. “Got to be bold sometimes! So, what about you and Hitch?” Pipp looked down. “I don’t know. He said he didn’t think it would work out between.” Izzy scoffed. “He could have just been saying that. You know how some stallions can get around mares, first they act cool then they get shy.” Pipp sighed. “I’m just not sure. What if I ask him and he really doesn’t feel the same way? It could ruin our friendship!” “I think there is a certain pony we can ask,” Izzy said. … That certain pony turned out to be Pipp’s sister, Zipp. She was currently working on a board with notes pinned to it in the Sheriff Station. “Okay, so a lot of little things have been going on,” Zipp said. “First that recording of Twilight Sparkle said that a pony was going to steal magic. Not long after that me and Pipp get trapped in a beach cave. Pipp forgot something she bought to give to Sunny for her birthday, Sunny’s Lantern had gone missing, then Sparky had been as well for a day, a mouse disappearing into literal thin air. Then there was Misty, a mysterious unicorn that I just can’t shake the feeling of. I was wrong about her being the lantern thief then but I still get an uneasy feeling about her. Could it all be connected somehow?” She looked at the pictures she had with notes pinned next to them. A picture of Pipp looking confused, the mirror she’d apparently bought for Sunny, Misty looking uneasy as she smiled at Zipp’s camera, Sunny’s Lantern and Sparky. Zipp hadn’t been able to get a picture of Twilight’s recording and they hadn’t been able to reactivate the message left by the ruler of ancient Equestria which had been very scrambled to begin with. So Zipp had to settle for a picture of the Unity Crystals. “Maybe, or just a bunch of random events,” Zipp said. “No way to prove it. I guess I just have to keep looking and see what happens next.” “Zipp!” The Princess investigator jumped and nearly dropped her phone that she’d taken all her notes on. She looked and saw her sister had entered the Sheriff’s station with Izzy at her side. “Oh, hey Izzy, Pipp,” Zipp said as she looked at her friend and sister. “What’s up? I’m kind of in the middle of an investigation here. Or it could just be me overthinking.” “We were kind of hoping to talk to you alone,” Pipp said. “We’re alone, Hitch is busy trying to catch some racoonicorns that were taking jewels,” Zipp said. “Hopefully he doesn’t get caught on a tree branch and get another round of Racoonicop!” Izzy said with a laugh. That caused the Pegagus sisters to laugh as well as they recalled the incident where Hitch had tried to arrest a baby racoonicorn only to end up becoming its bouncing board. “So, what can I help you with? You need something investigated?” Zipp asked. “We just wanted to ask you a question,” Pipp said. “Though it could be an investigation.” “Or at least Pipp did,” Izzy said. Zipp looked at her sister. “I’ve come to realize something Zipp! I like Hitch!” she said loudly. “But I don’t know if he feels the same way, I mean he said he didn’t think it would work out between us during that whole thing a couple days ago where everypony thought were a couple! I was wondering if you knew or could find out?” Zipp smirked. “Well, it so happens I already happen to know.” “You do?” Pipp asked eagerly. “What did he say?” Zipp thought back to that morning when she and Hitch had been here, a crowd of Pipp’s fans out front then she came and they explained that they weren’t in a relationship. But after Pipp left- “I asked him if he was sure he thought of you only as a friend,” Zipp said. “He said yes, but then he followed it up with ‘maybe’. Sounded like he was confused.” That gave Pipp a little encouragement, though not nearly as much as it would have if Hitch had he did have feelings for her. Maybe he did? She didn’t have time to ponder or ask another question before Hitch stepped in, his dragon son Sparky on his back and a pair of racoonicorns wearing criminal masks in his hoofs. He tossed them in a cell like he did with other naughty ruler breaking critters. “Another lawbreaking critter has been brought down thanks to Maretime Bay’s number one Sherriff!” Hitch declared in a cool manner before noticing them. “Oh, hello Deputy Zipp and mares!” “Hi!” Sparky spoke in his high-pitched baby dragon voice. “Hi Hitch!” Izzy said. “Pipp wants to talk to you!” Hitch looked at her, a nervous expression appearing on his face. “Uh, okay. What’s up Pipp?” Butterflies seemed to fly in Pipp’s stomach. “I think we need some privacy for this.” “Okay, follow me,” Hitch said setting Sparky down in front of Izzy. “Mind watching him for a moment?” “Sure,” the unicorn said. They stepped outside and headed to the community garden. Pipp’s heart had been beating rapidly in her chest the whole time they were walking down here. It reminded her of her early years as a Princess Pop Star when she’d been shy at the prospect of facing entire audiences. The same feeling was coursing through her now as she turned to face the stallion she had grown to like. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Hitch asked. “You know how we had to explain to everypony a few days ago that we weren’t a couple?” Pipp asked. “Well, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about everything we’ve been through and I’ve come to realize that maybe… I like you as more than a friend.” She blushed as she said that. Hitch was silent for a moment. “Really Pipp?” “Yes,” Pipp said. “I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same way but Zipp told me you seemed a bit confused. Hitch nodded. “A little.” There was silence as they looked away from each other, blushing. Then Hitch looked at Pipp. “Hey can I tell you something?” “Sure Hitch,” Pipp said. “When I first saw you, I guess you could say I was really blown away by you,” Hitch said. “It was during that show just before we all got together and decided to bring back magic. I saw you flying and singing and you had such a lovely voice.” Pipp giggled. “Thanks.” “Yeah, I was entranced when I heard your voice and couldn’t keep myself from dancing a bit even though I was hunting for Sunny,” Hitch said. Pipp smiled at him. “Then when we were tagging along with Sunny, Izzy and Zipp, I agreed with you that it wasn’t cool we were having to go through this. It was the first time I began to see that Pegasi and Unicorns weren’t so different from us Earth Ponies.” Pipp smiled at him. “Hmm. Well, I’m glad I was able to plant the seeds so to speak. There’s something I guess I want to say as well. I think you’re a… a handsome and amazing stallion. I’ve been looking at you sometimes.” Hitch chuckled now. “I know I can probably be a bit of a dork every once and a while.” Pipp sniggered. “Yeah, but I say you more than make up for it by being a strong sheriff and a good friend to all of us. You’re also a great dragon dad to Sparky. He’s such a genius you know, making that hilarious video of me getting hit by stuff, making that video of us and making everypony think we’re a couple. He also has a lovely singing voice.” “Yeah, he’s a really special dragon,” Hitch agreed. They looked away from each other for a moment. Then- “Would you like- They both stopped as they said the same thing. “Uh, you first,” Hitch said. “No, you go ahead,” Pipp said. Hitch blushed. “Would you like to maybe… go out sometime? On a date?” “A date with the Sherriff of Maretime Bay?” Pipp asked. “Hmm… I think I’d like that.”