The Two Sisters

“Tell me the story daddy!” Sunny said, hopping up into bed and holding her Twilight doll close to her chest.

Argyle Starshine could never refuse his daughters adorable puppy eyes she gave him when it was bedtime. It was the same story he told her almost every night.

“Okay okay,” he said, smiling and chuckling. Tucking in Sunny, he began the story.

“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together…”

*Argyles voice fades out*

~

“Sunny! Oh Sunnyyyyyy!!! Wake up you lazy bonehead!”

Sunny Starscout snorted awake and promptly fell off her bed, looking around tiredly and yawning. Standing up, she trotted to the window and looked outside. There on the ground, saddlebags packed and ready to go was Izzy. She was in her usual get up, frizzled mane with a hint of glitter on her beaming face.

“Izzy do you even know what time it is??” She called back down to her friend. Letting out another yawn as she leaned on the windowsill.

“Of course I do! It’s half past time to get your flank in gear missy! You told me to wake you up at 6 A.M. sharp so we would have enough time to stop for waffles on the way to the sheriffs office.”

Chuckling softly, Sunny smiled down at her friend and nodded.

“Hehehe.. fair enough. Come on inside, I’ll be right down.” Sunny said, turning and going to her dresser to tidy up her mane. Humming a tune she’d heard on the radio the other day, the apricot earth pony ran a brush through her mane. Carefully braiding her mane into a pigtail which she swept around in front of her right shoulder. Putting the brush away, Sunny lit her horn and trotted out of her room to the kitchen. When she had arrived, Izzy was busy stuffing her face with the banana nut bread Sunny had baked the night previously.

“Izzyyy,” she giggled, “slow down or you’ll make yourself sick.”

Looking up at Sunny, Izzy smiled and gulped down what she had in her mouth.

“Heh.. sorry Sunny. You make the best banana nut bread, I couldn’t help myself.”

Sunny giggled again and gave Izzy a big hug.

“It’s alright Izz, you know I don’t mind if you help yourself to whatever you want when youre visiting.”

Izzy smiled and took another mouthful of banana nut bread.

“I know,” she said in a muffled voice.

Sunny smiled and went to the fridge, getting out some milk. She and Izzy were preparing to round up the gang this morning for their adventure. Sunny had convinced her friends to join her on her quest to figure out what had happed hundreds of years ago to the two sisters who used to rule over Equestria. Taking in a mouthful of cereal, she checked to make sure that they had enough provisions packed for the trip.

“So, did Hitch say whether he was going to get Pipp and Zipp or not? Cause I can totally run ahead and grab them.” She said.

“I have no idea,” Sunny said, “let me check the group chat.”

Picking up her phone from the counter, she looked at the messages she had missed over the night. Scrolling down, she saw Hitch’s message from this morning.

HITCH
6:04 AM: On my way to pick up Zipp and Pipp, be there around 6:30 so be ready

“He said he’d be here around 6:30 with Zipp and Pipp. Guess the new motel isn’t that far from the Sheriffs station.” Sunny said.

Izzy nodded and walked around the living room.

~

“Come onnn, why are you leaving Alphabittle as acting sheriff while you're gone Hitch!?” Sprout complained as he and Hitch trotted up the dirt path to Sunny’s lighthouse.

“Because last time I went out of town and left you in charge. You instilled fear and paranoia on the townsponys, got them to rise up as an angry mob, had them build a giant robotic version of you to attack Bridlewood, and destroyed Sunny’s house.” Hitch said matter-of-factly.

Sprout scoffed and scuffed the ground with his hoof.

“But I was only trying to protect Maretime Bay! I didn’t know that the unicorns and Pegasi were friendly. Plus I’ve helped rebuild her house and issued a formal apology to everypony!”

Hitch stepped in front of Sprout and sighed softly, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

“Look.. Sprout. You are one of my best friends and a good deputy. Yeah you made a mistake, and you apologized for it and learned from it. But I think you need a little more time to relax and learn some things. You know Sunny and I will always be here for you.”

Sprout sighed and nodded.

“Alright Hitch.. and.. thanks for not throwing me in jail for what I did,” he said smiling.

“You’re welcome Sprout. Now head to the station. Alphabittle was nice enough to volunteer to help teach you some things with his prior experience in law enforcement, and I don’t want you to be late for work”

“Yes sir Mr. Sheriff sir,” Sprout said heading in the direction of Maretime Bay.

Hitch shook his head softly and smiled a little, continuing to trot up the path to Sunnys house.

“Hey Hitch!” A voiced called from above. Looking up, Hitch saw Pipp and Zipp flying through the air above him.

"Oh hey Pipp, Zipp. I wondered where you two got off to."

"Ehhh.. personal business." Said Zipp. "At least for me."

Pipp spoke not even a second after Zipp was finished speaking.

"She means her peri-"

"Ah-babababababa," Zipp said, shoving a hoof against Pipps mouth, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

"I'm sure Hitch doesn't want to hear about that stuff." She said, taking her hoof away from her sisters muzzle. Pipp smirked.

"What? Embarrassed about a perfectly normal bodily function Zipp? And here I thought you were hard-core."

Zipp chuckled a little nervously and kicked Pipp in the shin with her hoof.

"Ow! Zipp!" And with that, Pipp started chasing her sister around the sky, Zipp easily out-meneauvering her.

Hitch rolled his eyes and knocked on Sunny's door.

"Come in!" A voice called from inside.

Hitch opened the door and trotted inside. At first glance he saw that Izzy was busy "glitterizing" their saddlebags, making them extremely shiny. And Sunny was.. well. Being Sunny. She was sitting at her father's desk in the living room, nose-deep in a book entitled "Ancient Equestria and What You Need To Know".

"Hey Sunny," Hitch said, trotting over to her and looking at the book she was reading. "Whatcha doing?"

Sunny looked up from her book, her dad's spectacles resting atop her muzzle in a very librarian way.

"Hey Hitch, I'm reading up on Ancient Equestria. Figured I'd get some knowledge in before we set off. Did you know that Unicorns were capable of-"
But she wasn't able to get another word out as the door to her house burst open and Zipp swooped in followed closely by Pipp.

"Zipp! Get back here and take your beating like a grown mare!" Pipp yelled, swooshing up through the hole in the ceiling leading to Sunny's bedroom.

"Um..." Sunny said, confused and somewhat concerned about what just happened.

"Trust me," said Hitch, "you don't even want to know."

Sunny nodded slowly and turned to look back at Hitch.

"I'll take your word for it Hitch." She said, closing her book and sliding it into her now very glittery saddlebag.

"Oooooo, what's wrong with Pipp?" Izzy asked, getting up from her spot on the floor next to the fireplace. Her entire mane was covered in glitter, and she promptly blew a piece of hair from her face.

"I'll explain when we're on the road Izzy," Hitch said. He then turned to Sunny and gave her a tight hug.

"I've missed you you know." He said.

Sunny smiled and closed her eyes, hugging Hitch back and relaxing into his embrace.

"I missed you too Hitch."

"Awwwwwwwww, you two would be SUCH a cute couple!" Came Pipps voice from the hole in the ceiling.

Sunny folded her ears back and coughed a little, letting go of Hitch and hiding a small blush behind her mane. Hitch on the other hand just smiled more and gently ruffled Sunny’s mane.

"Sorry Pipp, were just best buds. Right Sunny?" He asked, doing a very good job to contain the flutters in his stomach whenever he looked at Sunny.

"R-right Hitch," She said, smiling softly and grabbing her saddlebags.

"Well if we're all ready to go, let's hit the road. We got a long trot to Zephyr Heights."