When Sprout entered the office the next morning, he directed a timid smile at Hitch, who was preoccupied with sifting through a stack of papers at the sheriff's desk and thus did not look up. Sprout swished his tail nervously. He wanted to shove his cranky attitude aside and work hard to act friendlier towards Hitch, especially since they had definitely grown closer in recent times. Still, he was held back by some degree of stubbornness.

Noting that he would need to catch the other stallion's attention, Sprout trotted up to him and exacted enough effort to speak in a bright and cheery tone. "Good morning, Hitch!"

Hitch glanced at him, and Sprout was surprised to see a slight smile grace his features before he quickly refocused on his task. Looking down at the papers again, he responded, "Hi there, Sprout. How are you feeling today?"

Sprout gave a bit of a frown. He wasn't used to Hitch outwardly asking about his feelings. But more importantly, he noticed that Hitch seemed worn out, hunched over with a hint of sleepless darkness under his eyes. "I'm fine I guess, but is something wrong?"

Pausing in sorting through papers, Hitch leaned back in his chair and yawned, temporarily stretching his forelegs above his head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just a bit tired because I've been organizing this paperwork since 5:00am."

"But don't I usually do that? Aside from the starting at 5:00am part, of course."

Hitch smiled at him again, tenderly. "I thought you might be exhausted after fleeing the town yesterday, so I wanted to ease your workload for today."

Sprout knew he should be delighted at the prospect of less responsibility, but all he felt was a pang of guilt. "You didn't have to do that for me."

Hitch dismissively waved a hoof. "Oh, it's fine, really." He softly grunted as he stretched again. "Mm, then again, I actually feel pretty stiff after sitting here for so long. You can make it up to me by giving me a massage."

"WHAT?" All his guilt and compassion dissolving away, Sprout swiftly took a step back, glaring at his superior.

Hitch fixed him with a judging stare. "Are you gonna shirk your community service duties?"

"How is that--nevermind..." Sprout grumbled before trudging closer and propping his upper torso on the back of Hitch's chair. Hitch leaned forward over his desk a little, and Sprout let out an indignant huff before he began to gingerly pummel his back.

Hitch let out a lengthy exhale and relaxed. "Ahh, that's the spot..."

Sprout felt his cheeks heat up with a blush. He was embarrassed, but it was kind of nice being able to touch Hitch and feel his muscles relax under his hooves. Sprout had never given anypony a massage before, but quickly getting the hang of it, he began rubbing his hooves in circular motions over Hitch's back and shoulders.

"Ooh, Sprout, you're too good..."

The compliment made Sprout a little too flustered, and being flustered made him feel vulnerable, and feeling vulnerable made him mad! He reeled back and dropped to all fours. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH! You're making things weird!"

Hitch swiveled in the chair to face Sprout, who was scowling at him. "What are you on about this time? And you shouldn't yell at your sheriff!" He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Eugh, I don't care. Forget about the massage!" Sprout stomped over to the assistant's desk like an angry foal and sat down, crossing his forelegs with a huff. Being praised was his weakness, he would admit that. He thought he had been overcoming his anxiousness when it came to his crush, but it was all too overwhelming! He would erase his feelings for Hitch from existence if he could... That would make everything so much simpler!

Hitch squinted at him before shrugging and continuing to organize papers. "Suit yourself." He then added "Weirdo" under his breath, which Sprout picked up on, but decided to ignore.

Thankfully the silence didn't last long before Sprout shot Hitch an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry you were up all morning, though."

"Don't worry about it. In fact, I'm treating myself to a night out later, so at least I'll be getting a break!"

Sprout raised an eyebrow. "A night out?"

Hitch nodded. "That's right, I'm going to visit Zephyr Heights so I can see Pipp's latest concert. She's really excited about it, and the rest of the girls are going too..." his eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head. "Sprout! Why don't you come along?"

Sprout shrank back. "Why would you want me to come along? Sunny still hates me, and I'm sure the others do too..."

Hitch sighed and adopted a more serious tone as he gave Sprout a solemn look. "I don't think they hate you. They're just not ready to forgive you yet. However, I'm sure they're willing to hang out with you around. I'm not gonna force you to join us, but if you ever change your mind, all you need to do is ask."

Sprout gazed into nothingness as he thought. He would love to go out with Hitch, but the whole experience would be ruined with the other ponies around--especially Sunny, who refused to associate with him despite the lighthouse having been repaired.

His lungs deflated with a sigh. "No, just... forget about it."

Later, after Hitch had already left for Zephyr Heights, Sprout was sitting outside on a bench and sipping a tropical smoothie. He looked up at the twinkling stars just starting to peek out from the violet sky. They felt so far away... though, not nearly as distant as he felt from everypony around him. Hitch was the only pony in Equestria who even vaguely liked him, and he was off having the time of his life with his better friends. Turning his eyes away from the stars, Sprout then began to silently watch the ponies of Maretime Bay pass him by while he drank the rest of his smoothie.

His vision blurred a bit as his gaze unfocused, but then he caught a glimpse of somepony familiar in the streets... somepony with a tan coat, a lighter chest, a blaze between his eyes, and a teal mane...

Sprout immediately set his smoothie on the bench and sprang to his hooves before cantering over to the other pony. "Hitch! What are you doing here?"

He skidded to a halt and the pony paused, looking at him. "Oh, hi Sprout!"

Sprout's shoulders drooped as he looked into eyes that were deep blue rather than amber. "Hi Rob..."

Rob tilted his head to one side. "Something wrong, buddy?"

Sprout nervously bit his lip. Did Rob resent him just like everypony else in the town? He had to assume the answer was 'no', or else Rob wouldn't even be giving him the time of day. The thought that at least one pony besides Hitch accepted him was comforting, and he managed a small smile.

"Nope, nothing's wrong at all! But enough about me. How have you been?"

To Sprout's surprise, Rob suddenly looked melancholy, his ears drooping as he slowly shook his head. "Not good, I'm afraid."

Sprout's smile faded as concern reigned over. "What's wrong?"

Rob took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. "A year ago, there was this stallion I really liked. We were friends, but I started thinking of him as something more. But I was too shy to tell him how I felt."

I know how that feels, Sprout thought. He remained quiet as he waited for Rob to continue.

"Anyway, several months ago, somepony else confessed to him before I could. They started going out. I guess I was happy for him, and I tried to get over him by going on dates, but I was never able to click with anypony else. And..."

Sprout took a step closer as Rob's voice became weak.

"Today he told me he got engaged with his special somepony, and... I can't stop thinking I missed my chance and I'll never find anypony else. I just feel so lonely."

Sprout felt sympathy and sadness stab at his heart. "That must really suck. I'm sorry to hear all that."

The words came out rather awkwardly. He was no expert at consoling other ponies. In the silence that followed, Sprout glanced over to where he had left his smoothie on the bench. A seagull had tipped it over and was now pecking at the spilled juice. Wonderful, even the birds hate me.

Rob sighed again, and Sprout frantically tried to think up a way he could make the miserable stallion feel better.

"Well, if you're lonely, we could start hanging out I guess. Just to keep you company. And you could talk to me whenever you're feeling low."

Rob's ears perked up. "Really? That would be nice, thanks..."

Just then, a thought crashed over Sprout like a tidal wave, almost causing him to lose his balance. Rob had failed to confess to his crush in time, and now it was far too late! The same thing could happen to Hitch. Anypony could confess to him at any moment, and then Sprout would be devastated and forever alone! It had been pure luck that Dahlia hadn't wanted to pursue a relationship with Hitch. What if somepony else confessed to him? It could happen anytime, anywhere...

What if somepony confesses to him at Zephyr Heights?

Sprout stumbled away from Rob in a panic. He had to tell Hitch how he felt while he still had the chance! "I-I gotta go!"

Sprout weaved his way through the crowd of ponies while a funky pop tune blasted throughout the room, accompanied by Pipp's resonant voice. Spotlights swirled to maintain their target on Pipp as she flitted about, spinning and singing in the air as she performed for her fans. Sprout was glad he had been able to make it to Zephyr Heights before the concert was over, but now all he had to do was locate Hitch. He scanned the ponies gathered around, holding his head low as he was more than a little overwhelmed by all the lights and noise.

Eventually he managed to make out a certain group of ponies... There was Hitch, with a row of three familiar mares to his right. Sprout groaned to himself before approaching him from behind, aiming for his left so he wouldn't have to stand next to Sunny, Zipp, and Izzy. Sprout blushed slightly as he noticed Hitch swishing his hindquarters to the beat of the music. Soon Sprout was nervously standing close to Hitch's side, his mind racing as he struggled to think of what to say.

It turned out he didn't need to be the one to draw attention to himself after all, as Hitch must have glimpsed him through the corner of his eye.

"Sprout, you came! I'm so glad you're here." Hitch practically had to shout to be heard above the volume of Pipp's song.

Sprout cringed as he spotted the ears of Sunny and Zipp perk up, while Izzy was too immersed in prancing on the spot as she danced along to the song. Sunny's jaw visibly stiffened, while Zipp grudgingly looked over at him.

"Oh... Hi there, Sprout," Zipp said in a loud voice that still managed to ooze discomfort.

Sprout didn't respond, instead biting his tongue as he inched closer to Hitch. He wanted to confess as soon as possible, but not only would he need to be audible above the noise, he would also need to ensure none of the mares would hear him!

"Hitch, there's something I need to tell you," Sprout whispered hoarsely, already feeling his mouth turn dry as anxiety claimed him in its vice-like grip. "I kinda... sorta..."

One of Hitch's ears swiveled towards him. "Did you say something?"

Sprout gulped and then willed the volume of his voice to climb higher. "I... I know this is a bad time but I just had to tell you that... I... l-l-l-like you."

Hitch's gaze was busy following Pipp as she danced through the air. "What was that? I can't hear you."

Sprout's legs wobbled with fear. He glanced at Sunny, Izzy, and Zipp, and was relieved to find they weren't paying attention to him. He leaned closer to Hitch.

"I like you."

Hitch blinked. "Could you repeat that?"

Sprout's short temper suddenly snapped. He had lost his patience, and in the moment, all he wanted to do was get this over with no matter the consequences. And so, sucking in a deep breath, he then squeezed his eyes shut and yelled at the top of his lungs:

"I LOVE YOU!!!"

There was silence.

Complete silence.

As in Pipp's song had ended the second he had opened his mouth, and his declaration had echoed throughout the room before anypony had a chance to drown it out with their applause. Sprout ducked his head, his face burning and his heart pounding like a hammer against his ribcage. He could practically feel everypony's stares burning into him, Hitch's most of all.

Then a voice hollered out from somewhere in the crowd: "Yeah, I love Pipp too!"

More voices began to follow.

"We all love you, Pipp!"

"He's right!"

"I love you so much!"

Sprout gradually looked up and saw Pipp beaming as her fans tossed praise at her and began to cheer, filling the room with noise once more. Of course everypony had assumed those words were meant for the beloved pop star. He felt a twinge of frustration and disappointment that his boldness had been wasted, but at the same time, maybe this misunderstanding had just saved his flank from a lifetime of shame. He would confess to Hitch at the next available opportunity... if he didn't chicken out, which was about 99% likely.

"I didn't know you loved Pipp that much, Sprout," he heard Hitch remark in a puzzled tone.

"Shut. Up." Sprout retorted through clenched teeth.

Author's Note

If you're wondering how the earth ponies are able to get to Zephyr Heights in a short amount of time, I really couldn't think of a way either, but perhaps some kind of transportation was established between the locations..?

Anyway, the next chapter will be pretty different compared to the ones I've done so far, so look forward to it!