For Hitch Trailblazer, it was a day like any other day in Maretime Bay. A day with nothing particularly interesting or unusual happening. It wasn't one of the days when he would hang out with the likes of Izzy, Zipp and Pipp (usually with Sunny present). It was the kind of day where he would be hard at work at his job as the sheriff of Maretime Bay, even if that mostly meant keeping an eye on Sprout to make sure he behaved.
So the sheriff occupied himself by polishing his badge and tending to his paperwork (it seemed like there was always more of it whenever he thought he would be done with it all). Just another typical Maretime Bay day for the earth pony stallion. Naturally, he tried to pass the time by whistling a little tune to himself. Hitch didn't know why but he simply couldn't get that song Pipp had been doing during her last performance out of his head.
Suddenly, the relative quiet of the sheriff's office was broken as the front door was swung open. And who should come strolling in with an exceptionally bright smile on her face but Sunny Starscout?
Hitch looked up from his desk. Sunny visiting him at work wasn't anything out of the ordinary, especially considering how long they'd known each other. And it's not like a citizen of Maretime Bay visiting the sheriff's office was something that never happened. Yet for some reason, the stallion suspected that Sunny had some sort of motive behind her unannounced visit. Something that she obviously didn't want to concern any of their friends with.
"Hello there, Sheriff Hitch." Sunny greeted as she approached Hitch's desk, her smile fading not even the slightest as she did so.
Hitch blinked a bit. "Sunny, you know you can just call me Hitch. After all, we're friends. That doesn't change just because I'm at work."
Sunny giggled into a hoof. "Oh, I know. But you gotta admit, Sheriff Hitch has a nice ring to it." After taking a few seconds to compose herself, she locked eyes with Hitch as her smile grew so wide it looked like it would fall right off her face.
The earth pony stallion found himself beginning to blush a bit. It almost felt like he was being interrogated even though usually he was the one doing the interrogating (always as the good cop. Sprout played the bad cop role perfectly). "Can I help you with something, Sunny? Is something wrong?"
Sunny quickly shook her head. "Oh no, nothing's wrong. I came here to see you, Hitch," And without beating around the bush she announced the intentions behind her visit. "I was just wondering if you'd like to go on a date with me."
"A date?!" Hitch asked as he wondered if his friend had misspoken or he'd somehow misheard (or misunderstood) her.
Sunny's response cleared away any confusion the sheriff might have had. "Yes, a date. You and I, together. That is, if you're up for it."
"W-well," Hitch struggled as he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. "I... guess I don't really have anything else to do."
"Great!" Sunny Starscout cheerfully exclaimed. "It's settled, then. I'll stop by here first thing tomorrow and we'll go from there. See you then, Hitch." And just as quickly as she had arrived, she departed. The sheriff's office became quiet once again.
And that silence gave the earth pony stallion with a light orangish-brown coat a chance to slowly process things. To think about things more in depth. A nagging thought soon entered the back of his mind, refusing to leave him alone. "What have I gotten myself into?" Still, he was the kind of pony who kept his commitments no matter what they might be. He couldn't back out after Sunny had more or less set the date and time.
Hitch made sure to get up bright and early the next day. He spent a lot more time than he normally did getting himself ready. He made sure to brush and style his arctic blue and bluish-green mane and tail so there were no loose ends sticking up. The stallion was determined to look his best for his fellow earth pony. He had to seeing as they had been friends for so long. He wanted his date with Sunny to go off without a hitch (he had to resist the urge to laugh at the obvious pun). After all, it wasn't every day you went on a date with your childhood friend.
It was specifically because of that close bond that Hitch felt extremely nervous. If things didn't work out, would he and Sunny still be friends? Would they be able to look at each other without feeling awkward or uncomfortable? The proverbial butterflies in his stomach refused to leave him alone even as he reluctantly headed to work. He didn't know if Sunny would be waiting for him upon arrival, let alone what she had in mind for their "date".
Thus the stallion headed to work. He thought he would feel slightly relieved when he saw that Sunny Starscout hadn't arrived yet, but all that seemed to do was make him feel even more nervous. He could barely concentrate on anything else, which made his usual workload seem to take longer than it normally did.
A strange sense of relief seemed to rise up inside of Hitch Trailblazer when he again heard the office doors swing open as Sunny strolled sweetly in. "Almost thought you might get cold hooves and call the whole thing off." She appeared to be teasing if the tone of voice and expression on her face was any indication.
"You know me, Sunny. When somepony wants me, I never back out." Was all Hitch could bring himself to say. He found himself almost getting lost in those beautiful eyes of Sunny's. He'd gazed at them before and thought nothing of them, but now he thought otherwise for some reason.
Sunny proceeded to eagerly grab Hitch by the hoof and led him away. "Well come on, then. The day is young and we've got a lot to do on our date!" As it turned out, the first activity was waiting right outside the station. Sunny already had her roller skates and that blue helmet she always wore, but there was also a matching pair of skates with a pink colored helmet.
It didn't take a genius to figure out who the extra skates and helmet were intended for. Yet Hitch still asked the obvious question. "Are those..." He gulped and swallowed hard. "For me?"
A nod from Sunny confirmed the sheriff's suspicions. "But of course. Skating is the best way to see the town, after all. And don't tell me the sheriff of Maretime Bay is afraid of roller skates."
"I'm not!" Hitch protested as his face flushed a shade of pink. "But did you have to get a helmet so... girly?"
"It was the only one I could find in your size, Hitch," Sunny replied as she slipped into her skates and strapped on her helmet with the greatest of ease. "Now quit with your squawking and put 'em on. Don't worry, I'll be right here. I promise I won't laugh... much."
So Hitch clumsily put his hooves into the roller skates. Just trying to stand in them made his legs wiggle and wobble almost like a jelly. He felt weak and helpless like a newborn foal. Lifting a hoof out of the skates to put on his helmet took a great deal of effort, but he still managed to get the strap to click. At least now his head would be protected. Yet as soon he took a step forward, his legs gave way and the now off-duty sheriff stumbled to the ground as his tail rose into the air.
The mare was at her date's side in but a few seconds, helping him to stand. "Heh heh! Whoops!" She giggled and lightly taunted. "The first time's always the hardest. But you'll get used to them eventually."
"Couldn't we just walk or take the trolley?" Hitch proposed. He was not a fan of having to fight against his body with every step he took, while constantly being on the move. The idea that other ponies were sure to see him making a fool of himself only made things worse, especially if Izzy or Pipp happened to be in town today.
"Nah! It's more fun this way," Sunny replied as she skated around Hitch with ease. "Just watch how I do it and try to follow. Practice makes perfect. Now come on, let's get this date rolling!" And she kicked off, skating into the distance.
Reluctantly, the earth pony stallion took a deep breath and tried to follow his fellow earth pony as best he could. With any luck, she would eventually grow tired and exhausted and would see fit to take off the skates for both of them.
Keeping up with Sunny on her skates was the most difficult thing Hitch had ever done since he'd chased after her when she'd fled Maretime Bay. And that was when he was on hoof. It seemed like he couldn't go more than a few steps at a time without losing his balance or crashing into something. Sunny made it look so easy. She even roller skated while carrying around that smoothie cart of hers. Why was it so difficult for Hitch to be as confident as she was on her skates?
Still, as time passed, Hitch found himself slowly but surely getting just a little bit better. He started learning how the skates affected his movement and how much extra time he needed to give himself if he wanted to slow down or stop. It often required looking ahead to spot any potential obstacles: Be they lamp posts, pedestrians or even just changes in elevation.
All the while, Sunny just smiled as she skated ahead while frequently looking back to make sure her friend hadn't fallen too far behind. "Is this fun or what, Hitch?" She asked him in a carefree tone of voice.
"Maybe for you," The stallion replied as he clumsily skated behind her. "Oh, if Sprout hears about this I'll never live it down!"
The mare simply smiled as she said to her fellow earth pony. "Cheer up. You're doing pretty well for your first time."
Hitch simply called back. "Can we please stop? I mean, what about lunch?"
Sunny Starscout just winked. "Let me worry about that. I know just the place for us to go. Follow me!" And just as she spoke those words, a trolley car happened to come clanking past. With practiced precision, Sunny just skated up behind the back of the trolley and put one of her skates on the rear. Gravity took care of the rest as the trolley descended down the slope.
Hitch didn't feel even the least bit confident in his ability to duplicate such a feat. So the stallion simply skated downhill after Sunny as best he could. He moved slowly, fearful of losing control if he tried to go fast. But doing so meant the trolley (with Sunny riding behind it) quickly left him behind. By the time he got to the bottom of the slope, his friend was already waiting for him.
"Sorry about that, Hitch," Sunny sincerely apologized. "That was a bit of an advanced move. But the opportunity presented itself and I just couldn't pass it up."
Hitch was too out of breath to reply right away. He had to stop for a moment before he found a chance to say anything. "Not my fault I like my hooves on solid ground." He said at last. He didn't like sounding like a complainer to his friend, especially since they were on a date. But so far, Hitch didn't think it was going very well.
The earth pony mare just swished her tail. It seemed like she wasn't phased or bothered at all by what was going on. And not because she didn't care about her fellow earth pony either. Sunny now seemed to be a mare who was impossible to read, even for somepony like Hitch who knew her better than anypony else.
Sunny's brief pause in her skating didn't last long. Soon, she'd pushed away and was skating off again. "We're not far from our destination. This'll be the perfect opportunity for you to get some much needed practice in, Hitch."
"I've already had enough of that!" Hitch protested yet followed anyway. Sunny was the one in charge, not him. He really didn't want to disappoint or upset her. He'd already come close enough to that during Izzy's first trip into town and the chase that had ensued after that. So he reluctantly skated after the mare again.
Just as it seemed to the stallion that he was finally getting the hang of his skates, he saw Sunny skid to a halt. Clumsily, he tried to stop as well. But he wasn't anywhere near as good at stopping on a dime, and again his hooves betrayed him as he tripped. Thank goodness the helmet absorbed the impact.
Sunny quickly lifted Hitch off the ground, bringing them snout to snout as she briefly seemed to lock eyes with him. Was she about to kiss him? Somehow, the idea of Sunny being his first kiss had never crossed Hitch's mind before.
With a grin, Sunny gestured a hoof to a place Hitch had never seen before. "This place just opened up. It's where the old hayburger used to be." She explained.
Hitch faintly recalled the former restaurant. He could remember that as kids he, Sunny and Sprout frequented it on many occasions. And they'd all been bummed when it had closed its doors for good. For years afterward the lot it occupied had sat vacant. Yet the stallion now remembered he'd briefly read about plans for a new eatery. And this is what his eyes were now seeing. It looked strangely similar to the tea shop Alphabittle had run in Bridlewood.
After quickly taking off her roller skates and removing her helmet, Sunny trotted up to the front door as she licked her lips and declared. "Come on. I'm starving! This is my treat."
"Coming!" Hitch called even as he struggled to free his hooves from his skates.
Lunch wasn't anything really grand. It was good old-fashioned hayburgers with horseshoe fries, and Sunny paid for everything. Yet the entire interior felt like it wouldn't be out of place in Bridlewood. It wasn't something you'd expect to see in Maretime Bay.
"Whoa!" Hitch declared afterward. "I don't remember hayburgers tasting that good! Even the old hayburger place didn't make 'em as good as this."
"I know!" Sunny replied as she wiped her face clean. "When I heard about this place I knew I had to try it. And I'm glad I did. Practically nothing beats it." Then she got up from her seat and headed back outside as Hitch followed.
The stallion reluctantly asked. "Where to now, Sunny? And if possible, can we please just walk there?"
The mare only giggled and grinned. "Aw, but you're getting so good at skating. With a little more practice, you'll be skating just as good as me. And then you'll start skating everywhere, even to work."
At that Hitch protested. "Let's not get crazy, shall we?"
Sunny's response was to simply put her skates back on and make sure her helmet was secure. "Just relax, I'll go slower this time. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to get to our next destination, and I don't want us to be too worn out by the time we get there." Yet it seemed like she took off at a pace only slightly slower than she had traveled at before.
The off-duty sheriff was just relieved that it seemed like nopony had really noticed how much of a fool of himself he'd been making so far. This date was most certainly not going off without a hitch. He would've expected something so high energy and chaotic from Izzy or even Zipp, but certainly not Sunny. This was feeling more like that long and exhausting chase to Zephyr Heights.
Still, the stallion wasn't going to back out. Even if the date wasn't going the way he'd hoped he knew that Sunny was enjoying herself. "Just play along with it, Hitch. What matters most is that Sunny's happy." He thought to himself. And so he took off after her on his skates despite how much he wanted to do anything else.
It looked as if the mare was determined to lead Hitch through every side street and alleyway of Maretime Bay that one could access on skates. She was frequently traveling off the beaten path as she claimed that the route she was taking was a "shortcut". Where she was trying to lead her friend was anypony's guess it seemed.
At last, Sunny finally stopped again. And this time, Hitch was able to stop himself without falling down. Amazing how quickly he'd gone from not knowing the first thing about roller skating to now being able to at least somewhat be a match for Sunny. Still, given the choice he'd rather never have to skate anywhere ever again.
The two earth ponies now found themselves overlooking a small park not far from the bay. It was easily overlooked with all the modern buildings surrounding it. Yet it was still there. That little patch of green situated in just the right spot to give one an unobstructed view of the sea and the sky.
"Oh, good!" Sunny Starscout happily exclaimed as she again removed her skates and helmet. "We're just in time!"
"In time for what?" Hitch wondered aloud as he again fumbled with his skates and his helmet, removing them in only a slightly less clumsy fashion than the last time.
Sunny's response was to take Hitch by the hoof. "No time to explain! Come on!" And she led the stallion into the park before her friend could utter a single syllable of protest.
As it turned out, Sunny's decision to go to the park was hardly coincidental. For the park was the site of a small play being performed. A brand new play at that (at least it seemed that way to Hitch). It seemed to be "loosely" based on the events that had unfolded that fateful day when Izzy had shown up in Maretime Bay and caused a panic.
By the time the play had ended and everypony who'd attended had dispersed, the sun was beginning to set off to the west. It began to cast a lovely orange glow over the sky and the city. And it was this sunset that Hitch found himself staring at with Sunny.
"I suppose the movies were all sold out?" Hitch questioned his friend as they stood, holding hooves (now free of roller skates, thankfully).
"All of them were ones we'd seen before," Sunny admitted in reply. "You know: Horns, Poniator 2: Judgment Neigh, those kind of films. There aren't a lot of new ones coming out right now. I wanted our first date to be special, something we hadn't done or seen before."
Hitch just sighed. "It certainly was an experience I'll never forget, Sunny. Sorry I wasn't that good a skater."
Sunny just smiled as she leaned closer to Hitch and nuzzled into his side. "What are you talking about? You did great. You didn't give up no matter how many times you stumbled. Trust me, you're nowhere near as bad as Izzy the first time I tried to teach her how to skate. Just finding a helmet to cover her horn was a challenge."
The off-duty sheriff simply commented in response. "I see." Having Sunny so close to him now made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But he couldn't think of what to say. He was afraid to say the wrong thing and ruin the moment.
It therefore fell to Sunny Starscout to take the initiative. "What are you thinking about, Hitch?"
His friend's comment caught Hitch off guard! "Who? Me? I... I..."
Sunny simply put a hoof to Hitch's mouth as she gazed into his eyes. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything," Her smile seemed to sparkle amidst the setting sun and its glow. "I couldn't have asked for a better first date, Hitch. I know you probably feel the same way."
"What do you mean?" Hitch questioned as he suddenly felt his cheeks growing warm and turning red.
"Come on, don't lie to me," The mare replied as she nuzzled Hitch again. "I could see it just in the way you look at me. That was why you chased after me even after I was no longer in Maretime Bay. You knew you couldn't really arrest me in Zephyr Heights, you weren't sheriff there. But you wanted to keep me out of trouble, like you always tried to do."
"S-Sunny, I..." Hitch tried to speak.
Sunny just pulled Hitch close and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was brief but for both ponies it felt like it had lasted a lifetime. "Been waiting a long time to do that, Hitch. You've always meant something special to me. You're more than just a friend. I really mean it. Maretime Bay is lucky to have a pony like you as sheriff."
Hitch felt his whole face start to glow. He was certain he looked so red he could've been mistaken for Sprout's long lost twin brother or something. "You... really mean it?"
The mare nodded affirmatively. "You bet I do, Hitch," And then she added. "I'm already looking forward to our next date, whenever that may be. But for now, let's just enjoy the sunset together."
"That I can do no problem." Hitch agreed as he was greatly relieved to have a simple date activity for a change.
And so it was that the two earth ponies just stood there, holding hooves and getting lost in each others' gazes all the while the sun continued to sink lower and lower into the sky.
Author's Note
I've noticed that what SunnyxHitch ship fics there have been up to this point have almost all involved the movie Poniator 2: Judgment Neigh. I wanted to try and do something different.
I've been wanting to do a ship fic for these two for quite some time now. They just seem to have the perfect chemistry.
