The Lost City of Abyssinia

by volrathxp

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Pipp Petals, Comedy, My Little Pony: A New Generation, Ahuizotl, Adventure, Hitch Trailblazer, Daring Do
Length: 10416

Pipp Petals and Hitch Trailblazer go on a Daring Do Adventure!

Pipp Petals has a big problem. She's fallen in love with Maretime Bay's Sheriff, Hitch Trailblazer. However, when the Book of All Stories is opened, Pipp and Hitch are brought backwards in time via the Time Stitch Crystal to help Barley Tender, Caramel Malt, and the one and only Daring Do rescue some of the pages from the Book.

Can Pipp and Hitch help save the pages from the Book? Will Pipp be able to confess her truest feelings for Hitch? All will be revealed in The Lost City of Abyssinia.

This story was written as part of the "Scattered Pages: Tales from the Book of All Stories" physical book that was sold at Ponyville Ciderfest 2023. It utilizes some elements of in convention lore and convention mascots, specifically the usage of the "Time Stitch Crystal", a plot device used to bring ponies forward or backward in time and its connection to the Pris-Beam Lantern.

This story also takes place during the events of Ponyville Ciderfest 2023, when Fizzy Glitch opens the Book of All Stories and sucks all of the convention inside the world of the Book.

Special Thanks to:
Skywriter, Sonicsuns (Editing)
LuckyStar (aka my wife) - for doing some super awesome cover art!

Published 2023-11-24 15:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-11-24 15:10:00 UTC

The Lost City of Abyssinia

The Lost City of Abyssinia

By volrathxp

Mane Melody, circa G5…
Pipp Petals sighed as she swayed her hips to the beat playing over the loudspeakers of Mane Melody. A dab of glitter here, a sparkling mane there, and so many hooficures were coming in the door that even Jazz Hooves couldn’t keep up with them all. In short, things were busy. Despite all the work Pipp had to do though, she couldn’t keep her mind off one very particular thing.

You love him, she thought to herself. You should just tell him. It’ll be fine! What’s the worst that could happen?
It wasn’t fine, though. Ever since the rebuilding of the Canterlogic building into Canterlove Studios and then after her adventure on Garble’s island, Pipp had been rather torn. The problem was… well… It was Hitch. He had been so worried about her when she had disappeared through the Time Stitch Crystal. She’d told herself that her feelings were nothing, but she couldn’t help it.

She couldn’t deny the truth of the song inside her heart. She was well and truly in love with the Sheriff of Maretime Bay. Pipp sighed once more. She just didn’t have it in her to tell him. She wasn’t sure how he would take it or if he even would reciprocate her feelings. They were all close friends, and even though she knew the others would be happy for them, she didn’t know what it would do to her friendship with Hitch himself. What would happen to their friendship meetups, let alone the fact that they practically lived in the same house?

Was it possible they could be better friends than they were now? Pipp couldn’t know the answer to that. She grimaced, finishing up with the last customer before settling next to Jazz Hooves, who was working on yet another hooficure.

“Oh, hey there Pipp,” Jazz said. “What’s on your mind? You look tired.”

“Just busy as I can be, Jazzy babe,” Pipp replied, smiling softly. “Guess I have been running myself a bit ragged. Song recordings, Clip Trot recordings, so MANY recordings. I probably should take a break.”

“You sure that’s all?” Jazz said with a wry grin as the door to Mane Melody swung open. Jazz’s eyes tracked across the room and she smiled even wider. “Sure you’re not thinking about that?”

Pipp’s head swiveled slightly. It was Hitch. What was Hitch doing in Mane Melody? I mean, yes they were friends and all, but Hitch wasn’t exactly the “get your mane done” type. He was rugged, and handsome, and…

Oh, where was my mind going? Pipp thought as she collected herself. I had better go say hello.

“Hitch! How’s things in Maretime Bay?” she called out as she flew over to meet him.

Hitch looked rather flustered. He sighed. “You would not believe the day I had, Pipp. Most of my days, ponies just need my help for small stuff, but not today. Ponies were claiming they saw holes in the sky and all sorts of things,” he said. “I’m exhausted from running all around trying to figure out what it was they all saw.”

“Sounds like you might need a little break,” Pipp said. “We could set you up with a facial mask and a nice relaxing rest in the private salon, if you’d like.”

“You know, that actually sounds kind of nice,” Hitch said. “After the day I’ve had, anything would be nice. Thanks, Pipp.”

“Oh… it’s no problem. Anything for a friend,” Pipp replied, her voice cracking slightly as she said the word friend. She quickly composed herself as best as she could. “Follow me.”

The two walked past Jazz Hooves, who winked at Pipp as they walked by. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything! Pipp thought as she led Hitch into the private salon.

“So… how’s Sparky doing?” Pipp asked as she went straight for the shelves to start pulling out the facial mask creams. “I noticed he wasn’t with you when you came in.”

“Oh, Izzy’s watching him for a little bit,” Hitch said. “With all this running around the town chasing after ghosts, I couldn’t exactly tote him around. He’d be exhausted!”

“I suppose that’s true,” Pipp said, pulling out the cream she was looking for. “So, are you ready for some relaxation?”

Hitch nodded. “I just need to unpack my bag first, if that’s okay with you.”

Pipp smiled and nodded in return as Hitch began to unpack his things on the table next to him.

“Wow, Hitch,” she said wryly. “You brought everything but the kitchen sink.”

“You know me, always ready for anything,” Hitch said, smiling back.

Pipp nodded back. He’s always so prepared. It’s absolutely adorable!

She then noticed that Hitch had also pulled out Sunny’s lantern. Must be his turn to watch it. I wish we didn’t have to be so vigilant over the lantern. Weird things tend to happen when it’s around, she thought, pondering on her time at Garble’s island getaway and how foolish she had been.

“There we go,” Hitch said with a smile. “Ready!”

“Great, let me just open this and we’ll get you set–” Pipp started to say before her eyes darted back over to the lantern. It was starting to glow brightly, encompassing both ponies in its magical aura. “Hitch! Get aw—”

Before Pipp could finish her sentence, a magical boom of energy erupted from the lantern and everything went white.

* * *

Pipp groaned as she awoke. Everything was sore. She felt like she’d been run over by one of Izzy’s contraptions. As she peered through the haze, she realized she wasn’t in Maretime Bay anymore. And not only that, she wasn’t alone.

“What… what happened?” Hitch said as he pushed himself to his hooves. His eyes widened as he found Pipp. “Pipp! Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

The earth pony stallion walked over to where Pipp was laying, holding a hoof out to help her up.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said, groaning. “But, where are we?”

The two ponies looked around, finding that they were in a clearing in what appeared to be a jungle. For a mere instant, Pipp considered that they were back on Garble’s island again, and she panicked. Did Garble need more help with things? Were Hoof Work and Deep Dish okay? How were they going to get home?

“They’re over here!” a feminine voice echoed from across the jungle, cutting through her thoughts. “I told you we should have aimed better!”

“Okay, Caramel, I know. I’m sorry I doubted you,” a male voice replied in kind.

The jungle parted in front of Pipp and Hitch, revealing a pale green pegasus with a ruddy orange mane alongside a pink unicorn with a shockingly blonde mane pulled into pigtails that hung at each side.

“There you are!” the pegasus said cheerily. “Sorry for the rough landing. Still getting used to using this thing.”

The pegasus lifted a crystal in his hoof. Pipp scowled immediately as she recognized it.

“Is that what I think it is, Pipp?” Hitch whispered.

“The Time Stitch Crystal. It’s how I ended up on Garble’s island getaway. It can pull ponies through time using the Pris-Beam Lantern’s magic,” she said quietly before putting on a smile. “So… hey there! Are you two friends of Hoof Work and Deep Dish?”

“You might say that,” the pegasus replied. “Name’s Barley Tender, and this here’s Caramel Malt.”

“Oh my pony, you look just as gorgeous as Deedee and her friends described you!” the bubbly unicorn mare said. “You just have to style my mane at some point! Imagine, a mane done by the legendary Princess Petals!”

“Now, Caramel, we’re not here to style manes. We have important business to attend to,” Barley interjected. “Though it might be better to discuss things back at our camp. We’re not too far away.”

The green pegasus motioned for the others to follow. Pipp glanced up at Hitch and smiled. Hitch smiled back weakly, giving off an aura of unease.

“Hitch? Everything alright?” she ventured to ask.

“Just seems like a lot to take in, you know?” Hitch replied. “One minute we’re in Mane Melody and the next we’re walking through a jungle. Kind of crazy if you think about it.”

“Well, I totes know how you feel about that. The last time this happened to me, I was on a beach dodging literal fireballs,” Pipp said, putting her hoof on Hitch’s shoulder blade. “But hey, that turned out alright. We’ll be fine as long as we stick together.”

“Speaking of sticking together, we’d better catch up to Barley and Caramel,” Hitch said with a nod. “But uh, thanks Pipp. That means a lot to me.”

The group walked a short distance, finding themselves in another clearing where a few tents had been set up. Caramel and Barley were clearly camping out here in the jungle, but there were a few other tents that had been set up as well. A round table sat inside, and somehow there was a rudimentary kitchen on the far end of it.

“Have a seat. We’ll chat while we’re waiting for our other friend to show up,” Barley said, motioning to the chairs. “Does anypony need a drink?”

“Water, if you’d please,” Pipp said. Barley nodded, retrieving a few bottles of water from what appeared to be a cooler. He placed them in front of the two ponies and sat. “So, I expect you’re probably really confused right about now.”

“Confused is putting it lightly,” Hitch said. “Pipp told us about the last time the Time Stitch Crystal was used. It brought her to Garble’s island. Is that where we are?”

“Unfortunately no,” Caramel said with a sigh. “I’d exchange this trip for that place any day of the week! I could totally go for a hot spring soak. This jungle humidity is just killing my mane.”

“Oh, I know. It’s absolute murder,” Pipp said with a squeal. She turned to look over at Barley. “So… if this isn’t Garble’s island, where are we and why are we here?”

“Well, you see… this all starts with one of our other friends,” Barley said with a sigh. “Fizzy Glitch. She’s a Kirin and well, we kind of messed up with her.”

Caramel frowned, nodding her head in agreement. “We didn’t realize we were excluding her from social gatherings and our normal day-to-day adventures until it was too late.”

“Okay go back a second, what’s a Kirin?” Hitch asked.

“They’re sort of like ponies, but they have magic like a unicorn. What sets them apart is that they transform into a fire-breathing creature known as a Nirik if they get too upset or angry,” Barley explained. “That’s… that’s kind of what happened with Fizzy.”

“She’d been acting very quiet and withdrawn prior to the convention,” Caramel said. “We felt really bad about what was going on, so we headed to her room at the hotel to try to cheer her up.”

“When we got there, we could hear her reciting this incantation from outside the door,” Barley said. “We couldn’t get into her room though, and before we knew it all sorts of crazy things were popping in and out of existence around the hotel. It was absolute chaos.”

Hitch’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds a lot like what was happening this morning in Maretime Bay,” he said. “Ponies said they were seeing things coming out of holes in the sky.”

“That was probably the book being opened,” Barley said with a sigh. “We saw Fizzy exactly once after that happened, and then she disappeared. We tried to follow, but got lost ourselves. That’s when we ran into Hoof Work and Deedee.”

“Are they here? It doesn’t seem like them to give up the Crystal without being involved,” Pipp asked.

“They had some other pressing business to attend to,” Caramel said. “They left us in some very capable hooves though.”

“This other friend you keep referring to?” Pipp said, cocking her head to one side.

As if on cue, the entryway to the tent flapped open, revealing a brown pegasus with a grayscale mane and tail, wearing a pith helmet and a safari jacket. Her magenta eyes scanned the room before settling on Pipp and Hitch.

“Ah, good. You found them,” she said, kicking her hat off and setting it on the table. “I was able to scout the temple. We’ll camp for the night and head out at first light.”

“Pipp, Hitch, I’d like you to meet our guide for this little adventure. Daring Do,” Barley said, motioning to the pegasus.

Pipp blinked. “Wait, like as in the Daring Do? Zipp has all sorts of books about you! She is not going to believe this. Wait, you’re real?”

“I’m confused,” Hitch interjected, looking very frazzled. “Who is Daring Do?”

Oh, gosh, he is so cute when he’s confused, Pipp thought to herself. She pushed the thought away and answered. “Daring Do is a hero who fights bad guys and saves the day! She’s dashing and courageous and always willing to put her very life on the line for her friends! It’s actually a little romantic.”

“Huh. Never considered myself much of a romantic,” Daring replied with a grin. “I’ll have to remember to work that angle into my next book.”

“Your next… book?” Pipp asked.

“Oh yes, well. I’m A.K. Yearling, otherwise known as Daring Do,” Daring said quite casually.

“Wait, what? No way! That’s so cool!” Pipp gushed.

“Ahem,” Barley said. “Can we talk about the mission at hoof here?”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Pipp said. “You said something about a temple?”

“Daring here has been helping us out. We found a lead on some of the pages from this book that Fizzy opened. When it opened, the pages scattered everywhere, and from what we know of them, they’re bad news if they land in the hooves of bad ponies,” Barley explained. “When we were with Hoof Wook and Deedee, we were able to find one of them and get it to Princess Twilight and her friends, but Daring thinks there might be two of them in the temple.”

“So why are we here?” Hitch asked. “Why use the Time Stitch Crystal to bring us here?”

“Deedee had nothing but praise for how resourceful Pipp here was,” Caramel said. “She figured that asking for help made the most sense.”

“We may have a bit of a problem when we get to the temple,” Daring said with a grimace. She walked over to the side of the tent and grabbed an old, dirty looking map and placed it on the table. “It’s roughly half a day’s travel time to get there, and I saw what appeared to be guards. Somepony has moved in.”

“That’s not good. Anypony could be messing with that page, Barley!” Caramel said, slamming a hoof onto the table and nearly causing the entire map to fall off.

“Unfortunately, we lost a lot of daylight getting here,” Daring said as she gathered up the map. “Even if we left now it’d be midnight when we got there, and I don’t think it’s a great idea to be traipsing about the jungles of Abyssinia in the dark. Dangerous animals out there.”

“Abyssinia?” Pipp asked, cocking her head to one side.

“It’s a country of cat creatures, but they’re mostly all gone. There’s rumors of their capital city being made of gold, with an ancient treasure at its center,” Daring said. “But they’re just rumors. The city doesn’t exist. I’ve looked.”

“Interesting,” Pipp said. “Well… I guess we’ll help out, right, Hitch?”

“Yeah, we’ll help you out,” Hitch said with an earnest smile.

He’s so heroic! Pipp thought to herself. Stop it, Pipp! You’ve gotta get a hold of yourself!

“If we’re going to get going in the morning, we’d better eat and then get some sleep,” Barley said. “Caramel? Mind helping me rustle up some grub for our new friends?”

“Sure thing, boss!” Caramel said, bouncing after the green pegasus.

* * *

Dinner came and went, and the cadre of ponies settled into their tents for the night. Pipp lay on her cot, staring out at the cinders of the campfire they’d made for cooking. She sighed as she thought about Hitch in the other tent with Barley.

“Hey, Pipp, you alright?” Caramel said from the other cot. “Something on your mind you’d like to talk about?”

“I’m fine, Caramel,” Pipp said. “Just so you know, I wasn't expecting to be out treasure hunting when I woke up this morning.”

“Honestly, neither was I, but I love adventure, so here I am. So… what about that Hitch, huh? He’s a cutie. Must be nice getting to stare at him all day, am I right?” Caramel said.

“Buh? Oh I don’t really notice that,” Pipp said with a start. She waved her hoof frantically as she sputtered to recover. “We’re just really good friends. You know, unity and harmony and all that jazz.”

“Uh huh,” Caramel said, her eyes gleaming. “You can deny it all you want, but I saw how you looked at him, even if he’s too dense to see it himself. You got it bad, pony.”

Pipp sighed and sat up in the cot. “I guess I do,” she said to herself. “I’ll… I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, Pipp!” Caramel called out as Pipp exited the tent. She trotted across the clearing before stopping at Hitch and Barley’s tent.

“Psst! Hitch!” she whispered.

“Pipp?” Hitch’s voice came from the tent. “What’s up?”

“Can we talk?” Pipp asked.

“Sure, Pipp,” Hitch said as he stepped out from the tent into the night air. “Barley’s out like a light. Can you believe it? I can’t get to sleep.”

“I can’t either,” Pipp said, smiling softly.

“You too? You usually sleep pretty heavily,” Hitch said with a wry grin. “All that late night streaming that you do.”

“Well, you know me, I do love my Pippsqueaks,” Pipp said as she glanced up at the moon. “Hitch? What are we doing here? I know that we’re supposed to help Barley and Caramel, but… I feel very out of place here.”

“Let me guess, your phone isn’t getting any service out here?” Hitch asked.

“No, that’s not it,” Pipp chuckled. “I just… I don’t know. How are we supposed to help here? This sounds actually dangerous.”

Hitch nodded for a few moments of silence before speaking. “Sometimes, you gotta stare danger right in the eye. I admit, I’m a little scared myself, but my job is to help ponies. I’m going to do what I can to help.”

“You know… sometimes I really admire that about you, Sheriff,” Pipp said, her eyes widening as the stars dotted the night sky. The moon rose into full view, bathing everything in its soft and calming light.

“Well, gee, thanks Pipp,” Hitch said, glancing down at her. “You’re pretty strong yourself, you know. Remember Canterlogic? You were exceptionally brave there.”

“I guess,” Pipp said, taking a deep breath. “Can I… can I tell you something?”

“Sure, Pipp. You can tell me anything, you know that,” Hitch said, his eyes gleaming in the moonlit sky.

Oh my pony, here goes… no wait wait wait I can’t do it! Pipp thought to herself, screaming inside.

“You know what? Nevermind! I’m feeling a little tired finally, I’m going to go get some z’s,” she frantically spat out before turning around and running back towards the tent with Caramel. Hitch stood there looking very confused before turning back to his own tent.

“So… how’d it go?” Caramel said from her cot as Pipp entered the tent.

“Don’t ask.”

* * *

The next morning began with breakfast, and then the group of ponies wrapped up their campsite, packing away tents and supplies. Daring Do took point, leading the cadre into the jungle proper. The heat of the day started beating down through the canopy almost immediately as they walked.

Daring Do kept the group moving, telling stories of some of her adventures to pass the time. Pipp could hardly believe the pony had done so much in her life. She found herself falling back on Hitch’s words the night before. You’re pretty strong yourself, you know, she thought. Maybe Hitch is right. We did bring back magic to Equestria, defeated an evil alicorn queen, and so many other things together. I was a part of that.

Pipp felt her confidence growing as the group closed in on the temple’s location. As they approached, Daring lifted a hoof in silence, motioning towards a break in the tree line. As Pipp carefully stepped into the blazing sun, her eyes widened. A massive temple made of stone, overgrown from over the years, sat shrouded in jungle trees. If it weren’t for a small grouping of ponies standing around in front, it would have looked deserted.

Pipp squinted as she tried to make out the various features of the ponies. They seemed to be covered in thick, bright paint of all colors, which in turn masked their true colorations. Pipp saw mostly earth ponies, but a scattering of pegasi and unicorns filled out their ranks. Their manes were not wild, but meticulously kept in braids. Furthermore, several large jungle cats stalked alongside the ponies.

“There’s definitely more of them since yesterday,” Daring whispered.

“What is our plan here?” Hitch asked. “We seem to be outnumbered.”

“Ah, yes, but we have a few surprises up our sleeve,” Daring said. “The page is at the peak of the temple, and there’s an opening near the top where a pair of pegasi could fly in.”

“Not all of us are going up there, right?” Barley asked, sounding a bit nervous.

“Definitely not. Pipp is an exceptionally capable flier, as you told me before, Barley,” Daring said. “She and I will fly up and down to get the page.”

“You want me to come with you?” Pipp asked, immediately feeling somewhat frantic. “But I’m only good at routines and you know… that kind of stuff.”

“Exactly, which means you’re good at precision flying, which is the kind of pony I need,” Daring said. “No offense, Barley.”

“Oh, oh, none taken. I’m more than happy to help down here,” Barley said. “What are we doing down here anyways?”

“Well, a pair of pegasi are certainly going to get noticed,” Daring said. “So, we need you, Hitch, and Caramel to create a distraction.”

“We’re the bait,” Hitch said, nodding along. “But how do we keep from getting caught?”

“I can help with that,” Caramel interjected. “I may not be a prodigy of magic, but I do know a few illusion spells. We should be able to lead them off into the jungle and use some illusions to fool them before circling back.”

“That’s… actually a really great idea,” Daring said with a grin. “Okay. We’ve got a plan in place. Remember, if something goes wrong, grab your buddies and get out. Don’t try to be heroic.”

Pipp nodded as the two groups of ponies separated. She flew silently beside Daring Do through the jungle trees, stopping only to look back at Hitch and the others. Hitch suddenly stopped and looked right back at her, nodding before turning away. Pipp smiled and rejoined Daring along her flight path. The two pegasi made their way carefully through the trees, Pipp weaving and dodging branches with relative ease.

Pipp heard shouting from below as she followed Daring Do out of the trees and towards the peak of the temple. The pegasus knew she couldn’t look back, no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted to fly to Hitch, but she couldn’t abandon her mission. She soared next to Daring Do in tandem with her as the two landed at the top of the temple. A gaping hole extended down into the darkness.

“This is where it gets a little tricky,” Daring said. “I’ll go first, but just be careful following behind me, okay? There could be traps.”

Pipp nodded as the other pegasus began to hover downwards into the hole. Pipp looked around briefly, trying to see if she could see the others before following. The entrance into the temple was a cramped straight shot downward. Pipp carefully navigated above Daring until the tunnel ended, opening up into a much larger central room.

The entire area was ornate in its design, with golden motifs of large cats and catlike figures all over. A central basin of water filled the floor of the room with an altar at its center. What looked to be two old, weathered pieces of paper sat on the altar.

“I don’t like this,” Daring said, scowling. “It’s too easy. Keep your eyes peeled.”

Pipp nodded, glancing about the darkened temple. A shiver crept up her spine. Daring was right about one thing. This place gave her the creepies, and not in a good way. Usually, Pipp enjoyed being scared of things. It was one of her guilty pleasures in life. This was different. This felt dangerous.

She followed Daring downwards towards the altar, trying her best to keep her eyes on the walls around them. Her eyes widened as she saw something dark shifting on the far wall. Pipp reacted faster than she could think, grabbing onto Daring and pulling her out of the way of a massive fist that reached out of the darkness towards both of them.

“You nearly fell for my trap, Daring Do,” a deep voice said. A massive elongated face with eyes on the very end of its snout and glinting teeth appeared out of the darkness. “But you are too late to stop me from gaining ultimate power.”

“Ahuizotl? What’s the meaning of this?” Daring Do said, glaring at the creature. “I thought we’d moved past this!”

“That was before the pages, Daring Do,” the creature that Daring had called Ahuizotl said. “They will give me a chance to rewrite my own story. I will be powerful. I will rule the Lost City!”

Pipp’s eyes widened as the guard ponies entered the temple room. They were carrying a few other ponies bundled up with ropes. Hitch, Caramel, and Barley were tied up and gagged. Pipp scowled as she watched the ponies set the three down on the ground.

No! Hitch! We’ll get you free, she thought to herself as she turned back to Daring.

“Ahuizotl, come on, you’re better than this,” Daring said. “Let our friends go, and you can have the Lost City. Just don’t hurt them.”

Ahuizotl glanced down at the three ponies held by his henchponies and laughed. “You believe that you have bargaining power, but you are powerless here, Daring Do,” he said. “Don’t worry though, they will make fitting servants for me in my new home.”

“No!” Pipp shouted. “You can’t do that! They didn’t do anything to you!”

“Ah, who is this? I’m sorry, pretty pink pegasus, but as I said, you have no power here,” Ahuizotl said with a deep growl. A tail with a hand on the end of it whipped down and scooped up the pages from the altar. “Now, if you will both excuse me, I have a city to rule!”

Pipp screamed, trying to launch herself at the creature, who shrugged and flicked her away with one of his hands. Pipp went soaring through the air, only to be caught by Daring Do, who had flown after her. Pipp moved to go after Ahuizotl again, finding Daring in her path.

“Pipp! Pipp! We’ll get them free, just trust me,” Daring said. “But outright attacking him isn’t going to work. You’re going to get yourself hurt.”

Ahuizotl snapped his fingers and grinned widely as he held the pages in his grasp. “I forgot to mention one thing, Daring Do… My new story doesn’t involve you as my nemesis. In fact, you don’t even exist as a footnote,” he said, holding the pages up.

The pages began to glow fiercely as the temple all about them rumbled. Pipp’s eyes widened as Daring Do began to disappear in front of her. As the temple opened up to the sun above, Daring Do was simply gone. Pipp slumped to the ground as Ahuizotl and his henchponies carted off Barley, Caramel, and Hitch. A teardrop fell
to the ground beneath her, then two more, then soon Pipp was outright bawling on the ground.

She’d failed. She hadn’t been able to help Daring, and she hadn’t been able to protect Hitch or the others. She sat there for several long moments until her tears were dry before pushing to her hooves. In the distance she could still see the massive form of Ahuizotl walking off.

“Okay, Pipp. You just totally failed everypony else and Daring Do! Great! Just… great,” she said as she kicked a rock off to the side. “What are you going to do about it?”

Well for starters, you could stop feeling like it’s your fault and go after them! Her inner voice replied.

“I can’t do that,” she said softly. “I’ll just mess up again.”

But what about Hitch? You can’t just leave him. For that matter, without Barley and Caramel you’re never getting home. They have the Time Stitch Crystal.

Pipp let out a shrill cry of pure frustration. Her inner monologue was right about that.

“But what if I get him hurt? What if I lose him for good?” she said again out loud. “I can’t go back to the others and tell them I failed. What would that do to them?”

Pipp, that’s a chance you’re going to have to take. Besides, Hitch is a grown stallion and a sheriff to boot, her inner voice continued. He can take care of himself when it comes down to it.

“I wish I could call somepony. I’m not strong enough for this,” Pipp said with a deep sigh.

You have all the strength you need inside you, Pipp, her inner voice said brightly. You can do this.

Pipp smiled to herself. “I hate when you’re right. I have to do something. I may not feel like I’m strong enough to do it, but I’m the only one here who can,” she said softly. “Hitch, Caramel, Barley… hold on a bit longer okay? I’m coming to save you.”

Pipp puffed her chest out and flared her wings, pushing into the air and after her friends.

* * *

She flew for hours, it felt like, continuing to follow just far enough behind Ahuizotl and his followers so they couldn’t see her. She didn’t know why they’d left her, but she knew deep in her heart that she needed to free Hitch, Barley, and Caramel, and get the pages back before Ahuizotl could use them for even more nefarious reasons.

Pipp landed on a tree overlooking the valley as Ahuizotl and crew stopped. Her eyes widened. Before her was an overgrown city, seemingly made of pure gold. It gleamed under the grime, echoing a time when it was still brand new. Ahuizotl and the others seemed to be making camp outside of the city. Pipp glanced up at the sky. It was beginning to get dark. This could be her only chance to free the others and possibly steal the pages from the strange creature.

Pipp sighed. She wasn’t Daring Do. What was she doing here? Her anxiety began to creep up yet again, filling her heart with dread. She shook it off once more. She had to save them! She had faced down an evil alicorn and even came face to face with a real dragon, despite the fact that he’d turned out to be an actual nice dragon in the end. She could do this.

I’m not weak, she thought. Hitch said so himself. I have to believe that I am strong enough to do this on my own. Not just for him, but for myself!

Pipp moved quietly from tree to tree, using her grace and precision as a tool of stealth so she could get close enough to the camp without being seen. The sky grew cloudy and dark as she went, obscuring her very obviously bright pink coat with shades of gray. Hitch, Barley, and Caramel had been moved into what appeared to be makeshift cages constructed out of bamboo, guarded by a few of Ahuizotl’s henchponies and two jungle cats. Ahuizotl himself had taken up residence in a large
tent erected by his followers, disappearing inside.

Pipp settled in the trees nearby as sleep fell over the camp, settling quickly on a plan to deal with the guards. She could hear loud snoring coming from Ahuizotl’s massive tent. Quietly she began to hum, finding her voice in a lullaby. It was soft and ethereal-like in quality, quite possibly the best performance Pipp had ever given in her life.

The guards didn’t seem to question the haunting music; instead they began to sway a bit as their tired bodies caught up with them. Even the jungle cats began to purr loudly as they stretched and yawned. Within a few bars of the song, the guards and the cats were out like lightbulbs. Pipp let the tune linger a few moments before stopping.

I can’t believe that worked, she thought to herself. Time to free Hitch and the others.

She quietly flew out of the trees down to the same level as the cages. Hitch and the others were not moving. The lock to Hitch’s cage was actually exceptionally rudimentary. As a filly, Zipp and Pipp had been incredibly troublesome in getting into places they shouldn’t have around the palace. This was foal’s play. Within moments she had the first lock off and stepped inside. She immediately stepped over and pushed on Hitch.

“Wha…?” Hitch said, stirring awake. “Pipp?”

“Shhh…” Pipp whispered. “The guards are asleep. Let’s get Caramel and Barley and get out of here.”

“You followed us?” Hitch whispered back. “Pipp, that was really dangerous. This thing means business. You saw what happened to Daring Do.”

“I had to. I couldn’t leave you behind,” she said softly. “There’s no time to explain. Let’s get the others and get out of here.”

Hitch scowled for a moment, but nodded. He stood and followed Pipp quietly out of the cage, tip-hoofing across to Barley and Caramel’s cages. Within moments, Pipp had freed the others, and they absconded into the dark jungle. Once there, Pipp explained her plan to fly in and steal the pages from Ahuizotl.

“You’re absolutely mad,” Barley said. “It’s too dangerous. We have to get out of here and get somepony like one of the Princesses.”

“Might I remind you that I am a Princess?” Pipp said, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, what options do we actually have? If we don’t get the pages, Ahuizotl could do some real damage to Equestria.”

“I think it’s exciting and dangerous,” Caramel said, her eyes wide open. “I’m in. How can Barley and I help?”

“Now wait just a minute,” Barley said. “I didn’t sign up for a dangerous stealth mission.”

“I’m coming with you,” Hitch said suddenly, staring straight at Pipp.

Pipp nodded. “I expected as much, Sheriff,” she said with a soft smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe from harm.”

Hitch grinned. “I think you’ll do just fine at that,” he said. “Barley, Caramel, I want you both to be our lookouts. If something goes sideways, Caramel can use her magic to make a flare. We’ll all see it.”

Caramel nodded. Barley groaned.

“So if things do go sideways… what is the actual plan?” he said.

“Take Caramel and run as fast as you can. Try to get to somepony with authority,” Pipp said. “Somepony who can stop Ahuizotl.”

She looked over at Hitch and nodded. He nodded in return, offering a smile. Pipp smiled back and put her hoof down.

“Let’s go, ponies!”

* * *

Pipp and Hitch carefully made their way through the air of the camp as the pegasus princess held him in her forehooves. Hitch was not exactly the lightest pony, but she managed to keep aloft. Pipp couldn’t help herself as she took in the sheer delight of being so close to Hitch. Her feelings for her friend hadn’t lessened at all. Instead, they had intensified upon seeing him in distress.

The two landed on the far side of the large tent where there were no guards patrolling and slipped under the tent cover inside. Pipp’s eyes adjusted to the darkness as Hitch stepped next to her. The center of the tent was nothing but the massive frame of Ahuizotl, his snoring loudly echoing within. Pipp realized very quickly how strange this creature was. However, the more pressing concern was the rest of the jungle cats in the tent with him.

Jungle cats of all shapes and sizes filled the tent. There were even what appeared to be domesticated house cats sleeping closely to the creature. Hitch shared a glance with Pipp and nodded, pointing up to Ahuizotl. Nestled in his paws were the two pages.

Pipp nodded, taking to wing as she hovered up to the hulking creature’s body. She floated next to where the large paws were holding the pages and started to pull on one of them. It slipped out slightly as Ahuizotl himself began to shift. Pipp stopped for a moment as all of the cats in the room awoke at once.

“Uh… Pipp…” Hitch whispered. “Might want to hurry up. Good kitties, nice kitties…”

Hitch jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding one of the cats leaping next to him. It immediately began to purr loudly, rubbing up against his legs and flicking him with its tail. Several other cats began to do the same, nearly burying Hitch in a sea of furry love.

“Pipp!” he shouted. “Things are going sideways!”

Ahuizotl began to stir, his beady eyes at the end of his snout flashing awake. With a growl he moved his hands and Pipp saw her opportunity. With a snatch, she grabbed the pages from the creature and soared down to grab Hitch.

“I’ve got you, Sheriff,” she said with a grin.

“Intruders! Thieves! Attack them!” Ahuizotl growled loudly as Pipp and Hitch slipped under the tent cover once more.

Outside, the guards were all stirring and running towards them. Hitch grabbed onto Pipp, pulling her through a throng of the ponies.

“Come on!” he shouted.

A magical flare went up in the distance, distracting many of the guards just enough for Pipp and Hitch to make their way through, hearing Ahuizotl’s shouts in the distance. The massive creature ripped his way through his tent, bounding after them.

“Hurry!” Pipp shouted. “He’s right on our tails!”

“This way!” Hitch called back, pulling Pipp into the jungle brush and directly onto the path towards the city. “We’ll lose him in the city!”

The two ponies ran as hard as they could. Pipp’s heart pounded out of her chest. She hoped that both Barley and Caramel had gotten away. She ducked and weaved alongside Hitch through the golden city streets before jumping into an alleyway. Pipp breathed hard, listening for any sign of Ahuizotl. She heard shouting in the distance, but nothing close.

Hitch motioned for her to follow him into one of the nearby buildings. Pipp nodded and the two found themselves in an ancient looking domicile. All of the furniture seemed strangely proportioned, but Pipp remembered that the Abyssinians were supposed to have been cat people.

“Are you okay?” Hitch asked.

“I’m… I’m fine, yeah,” Pipp said, looking down at the pages in her hooves. “We need to find a way out of here before Ahuizotl finds us.”

“You managed to get the pages,” Hitch said. “I wonder… Can you use them to bring back Daring Do?”

“I don’t know,” Pipp replied. “Put them in your pack for right now. I’d rather not have them in the open. We should rest a bit and then move on. Ahuizotl’s going to be looking for us.”

“Right,” Hitch said, taking the pages and putting them in his satchel. He took a seat against one of the walls. “I haven’t run like that in a while. Not since we ran out of Opaline’s castle.”

Pipp chuckled. “I know, right? It was totes crazy,” she said with a sigh, plopping down next to the earth pony. She leaned her head against Hitch. “You know, you were pretty brave out there, Sheriff.”

“Me? You saved us from those cages by putting those guards to sleep! That was amazing, Pipp,” Hitch said. “You were brave. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Pipp smiled softly and sighed. “You were in trouble. I couldn’t just leave you. Sparky wouldn’t be the same without his dragon dad, after all,” she said. “I… I wouldn’t be the same.”

“I know how you feel,” Hitch said.

“Wait, you do? Is it that obvious?” Pipp said frantically, sitting up straight. “I mean… of course of course you do, right?”

“We’ve been friends for so long now, that I couldn’t stand to see something bad happen to you, or any of our friends,” Hitch said with a confident smile.

“Oh,” Pipp said. “Right. Of course.”

“Pipp? Everything okay?” Hitch said. “Did I say something wrong?”

Everything’s just peachy, Hitch! Pipp thought to herself. Just breaking in two over here!

“I’m fine, just tired from all that running,” she said. “I’ll be right as rain in no time.”

Hitch nodded. “Well, feel free to rest for a bit. We’ll get moving soon. I’ll take the first watch,” he said.

Pipp rested her head against the earth pony once more and sighed. She was a million miles from home, and despite all she’d done so far, she didn’t have the strength to truly admit what she felt in her heart to the one pony she thought the world of. Her eyes fluttered as she fell asleep.

* * *

Pipp awoke in motion, realizing quickly that she was resting on something soft and furry. Her vision came into focus, and she glanced forward up at Hitch. The earth pony stallion stopped for a moment to look back at her.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you and we needed to keep moving. They’re scouring the city for us, but you looked like you really needed the nap.”

Pipp slid off the stallion’s back and smiled. “Thanks, Hitch. That’s very considerate of you. I actually do feel a lot better.”

“I’m glad,” Hitch said, offering a smile in return. “We’re close to the center of the city now. I hope you have a plan for getting out of here, because I don’t really know what to do at this point.”

Pipp grimaced for a moment. “Well, I think we should just keep moving forward. If we can circle back around from the center of the city and meet back up with Barley and Caramel, we might be able to give Ahuizotl the slip and get out of here.”

“It’s as good a plan as any,” Hitch said. “Let’s go then.”

Pipp nodded, settling into a steady jog besides the earth pony. The city was labyrinthine, filled with twists and turns. Several times they had to double back and head down another side street or alleyway. Furthermore, the city was eerily quiet. If Ahuizotl was out there, it was hard for them to hear him. Pipp thought several times that she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

The two ponies rounded another corner, and Pipp nearly screamed as she almost ran headlong into two other ponies, one of whom was a green pegasus and the other a pinkish unicorn.

“Pipp! Hitch!” Barley Tender’s voice said as Pipp ducked out of the way. “You’re all right!”

“Barley? What are you two doing here? We told you to go get help,” Hitch said.

“I couldn’t let you two run off all by yourselves,” Caramel piped up. “I dragged Barley here headlong into the city once we realized that’s where you were going, but we lost sight of you.”

“I’m glad you two are all right,” Pipp said. “Sorry for almost barreling into you.”

“Oh. It’s okay!” Caramel said with a cheery grin. “We should probably get out of here, though. Did you get the pages?”

Hitch nodded, opening his satchel. “We’ve got them right here,” he said. “But Ahuizotl knows we’re in the city. He’s going to have every exit well guarded.”

Pipp grinned. “That’s why we’re going to tell him where we are,” she said. “If we can lure him to the center of the city, maybe there’s a way to keep him busy so we can escape and get to somepony who can help.”

“What if we can’t get around him to get out?” Barley asked. “I don’t know if I like this plan.”

“It’s about the only plan I’ve got, unfortunately,” Pipp said with a sigh. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Or… we can try to use the Time Stitch Crystal to send you both back to your time and you can protect the pages,” Caramel said.

Hitch shook his head. “No. We’re not leaving you until our job is done,” he said. “Let’s go with Pipp’s plan. Ahuizotl did say he wanted to rule the city. Let’s let him have it.”

Caramel nodded, and Barley reluctantly sighed before agreeing as well. The four ponies collectively moved through the city as one, finally finding themselves in front of the large spire tower that jutted upwards in the center of the city.

“That’s… rather imposing,” Barley said. “Are you sure we have to go up there?”

Pipp scowled. It was true that she was not anticipating having a pleasant discussion with Ahuizotl after the last time, but she also considered the notion that the tower could be a trap, and that they could conceivably find a way to keep Ahuizotl there while they escaped. Pipp silently wished that Daring Do were there. She would know what to do.

Pipp motioned forward and the group started up the tower’s central staircase. The tower itself didn’t seem to have any traps or devices that would have caused bodily harm to them. In fact, it appeared deserted. However, as they crested the final set of stairs that led to the top of the tower, Pipp realized what a bad idea this had been.

“Welcome, little ponies,” Ahuizotl said from across the massive open room. The creature stood on the other side of a beautiful golden structure. A statue of what Pipp assumed to be an Abyssinian sat in the middle of the temple-like chamber, depicting an upright cat-like person who stood on two legs. A fine coat made of gold adorned the figure. “I assumed this was going to be your destination after I began tracking your movements throughout the city.”

Pipp frowned. She was right about having seen movement as they had made their way through the city. Ahuizotl had been watching them and waiting.

Ahuizotl chuckled deeply. “There’s no escape, my little ponies. Now that I know where the Lost City is, I can return here as its protector any time. You will give me what I want.”

“Let us leave with the pages,” Caramel said. “We need them to help a friend of ours. She’s badly hurt, and we can’t find her without them.”

“Ah yes… the Nirik,” Ahuizotl said. “I’ve seen her anger. It’s much more terrible than what you believe.”

“Now, I don’t know about that, but I do know that Fizzy Glitch is our friend, and we’ll do anything to save her,” Barley interjected.

“I appreciate your candor, but I’m afraid you’re very much surrounded. Give me the pages,” Ahuizotl said, extending a paw.

“I won’t give them to you,” Hitch said, pulling the pages from his satchel. He shoved them into Pipp’s hooves. “Pipp, fly far from here and as fast as you can. We’ll hold him off.”

“You can’t do that, Hitch!” Pipp said, staring straight into her friend’s eye. “I’m not leaving you here.”

“The pegasus is right about one thing,” Ahuizotl said as he bounded across the room. “None of you are leaving at all.”

The massive creature landed directly in front of the ponies, extending his long tail and whipping it about. It struck Hitch, sending the earth pony soaring across the room and onto one of the open balconies. He crashed into the railing and over, holding on with his forehooves.

“Hitch!” Pipp shouted. She placed the pages into Barley’s hooves as she took off towards him.

Caramel’s horn lit up, sending a blast of magic at the large creature. Ahuizotl seemed taken aback by the magical attack, grunting as it pushed him back. Barley stood off to the side, studying the pages. He focused hard on them, and the pages began to glow softly. A golden light shone from all around them as a brown colored pegasus appeared, her wings spread as she zoomed into Ahuizotl, delivering a solid kick to his midsection.

Daring Do stopped for a moment and glanced over at the golden statue. “Huh. Well, that was easy. Guess I should have looked a little harder for this place,” she quipped before turning to focus on Ahuizotl.

Pipp didn’t watch as Daring Do reappeared, nor did she notice both Daring and Caramel leaping and flying about the room as Ahuizotl attempted to recover. Her eyes were only on Hitch as he struggled to hold onto the balcony.

“I’ve got you!” she shouted as she reached out and grabbed onto Hitch’s foreleg. “You’re okay!”

“I can’t hold…” Hitch strained as Pipp tried to hold him aloft. She didn’t have the strength to keep him up.

“Hitch, it’s okay. I can hold you,” she said. “I did it before, remember? I carried you over to the tent.”

“Pipp, you’ve got to help Caramel and Barley,” Hitch struggled to say. “I’m not important. The pages are.”

“You’re important to me!” Pipp shrieked. “I can’t let you fall, Hitch. I just can’t, because that would break me. The most important thing to me right now is saving you because… because I love you!”

Hitch’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “You… you love me?” he said softly. “What do you mean? Since when?”

Tears streamed from Pipp’s eyes. “I do… ever since we sang together at Canterlove, maybe even before that, I don’t know. I can’t let you fall, because I… I wouldn’t have gotten to tell you that.”

“Pipp, if you really mean that, you’ll let me go,” Hitch said softly, a spot of tears forming around his eyes. “It’s okay. Really.”

“It’s not okay, don’t you dare say that!” Pipp shouted, the tears beginning to cloud her vision.

Hitch was hanging on by a mere thread as he slipped out of her grasp and began to fall. Pipp’s eyes widened and in that moment she could feel the adrenaline pushing her forward. She launched off the side of the balcony and downwards towards Hitch. She reached him in an instant, hooking her hooves around his barrel. She struggled to hold him, her wings beating fast as they slowly began to up instead of down.

“I got you!” she called out. “It’s going to be okay!”

“Pipp…” Hitch groaned. “You’re going to drag both of us down…”

Pipp tried to fight the strain as hard as she could, ignoring Hitch’s complaints, but he was right. They were not going up. She just didn’t have the strength she thought she had. Just when she had all but given up, she heard a voice from above.

“They’re down here!” Caramel’s voice said as a magical glow began to wrap itself around Pipp and Hitch, pulling them upwards. “I’ve got them!”

“And I’ve got Ahuizotl,” Daring Do said with a grin. She was zipping about the chamber as Ahuizotl kept lunging towards where Caramel and Barley were, preventing him from getting any closer.

As Pipp and Hitch landed on the balcony next to Caramel, Daring Do landed next to Barley and grabbed the pages from him.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to keep these for a bit. It’s the only way I can keep Ahuizotl and his henchponies away from you all. I’ll find you soon, okay?” she said to the other pegasus.

Barley nodded. “Celestia give you strength, Daring,” he said.

Daring grinned widely. “Oh Ahuizotl! I’ve got your divorce papers right here! Come and get me!” she shouted as she rocketed out of the tower and away from the city.

Ahuizotl roared as he leapt from the tower as well, shouting as his ponies took chase after Daring Do. “Curse you, Daring Do!”

A silence came over the room as the sounds of Ahuizotl and his ponies evaporated entirely. Pipp stood, unable to believe what had just happened.

“But I saw Daring Do disappear,” she said.

“Ahuizotl said he rewrote his story to write Daring Do out of it. I think that’s how the pages work. They rewrite reality. All I had to do was think of how things were supposed to be and it brought Daring Do back to us,” Barley said. “Caramel kept him busy while I was able to activate the pages.”

“That’s amazing,” Hitch said. “But now Ahuizotl is after Daring. Should we go after her?”

“No, I think Daring can take care of herself, and she’s the most trustworthy pony I know when it comes to magical artifacts. She’ll make sure she gets those pages to somepony who can help,” he said. “That being said… we have another problem, but unfortunately it’s not something you can help us out with.”

“Fizzy Glitch?” Caramel asked. “You saw her.”

“When I used the pages, yes,” Barley said. “I don’t know where she is, but she needs our help.”

“How are you going to get there? You’re kind of stuck in the middle of nowhere,” Pipp said.

“Oh, you know, we’ll find our way around,” Barley said. “Caramel and I are pretty used to this adventure thing, even if I don’t much care for it.”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Besides, you two should probably be getting back to Maretime Bay. You both look like you need a long nap,” Caramel said. “It was amazing getting to meet both of you. I hope we get to do this again sometime.”

Pipp and Hitch shared a glance and a soft smile. “Yeah, I think that would be great. Just… maybe a bit more warning next time?” Pipp said.

“Of course,” Caramel said with a grin, holding up the Time Stitch Crystal. “Oh and Pipp? You got this!”

“Be safe you two! Things are only going to get crazier from here,” Barley said. “And remember, believe in each other.”

The Time Stitch Crystal glowed brightly, and suddenly everything was white.

* * *

Pipp blinked as the soft music of Mane Melody washed over her. Hitch stared at her from across the room.

“We’re back,” he said. “Just like that?”

“Yeah… it’s not very flashy really,” Pipp said, walking over to look at the lantern. Its glow had returned to its normal rainbow-colored levels. “Crazy adventure, huh?”

“Pipp. We should talk about what you said back there,” Hitch said.

“Oh. Right,” Pipp replied, a sinking feeling developing in her gut.

“If I’m being honest with myself… I… I have feelings for you as well,” Hitch said with a sigh. “I mean, the first time I ever saw you, you were flying above a crowd and my body found a beat it loved. You’ve been one of my best friends for a while now. But… maybe we could be something more?”

“Do you… do you really mean that?” Pipp said, her heart beating faster and faster as she waited for Hitch to answer.

“I do,” Hitch said with a soft smile. “You’re an amazing pony, Pipp Petals. You’re strong, funny, graceful, and you have a heart that never gives up on others. It’s easy to see why anypony would be lucky to love you.”

Pipp sighed and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Hitch’s cheek. “Thank you. Thank you for reminding me of that. I needed it when I lost you all. I almost couldn’t get up to save you, but I thought about your words and they… they drove me forward.”

“I never gave up on you either, I hope you know,” Hitch said, pulling Pipp closer into a hug. “I knew deep down that you would do everything in your power to come save us. I just didn’t think it would mean literally flying into danger! And putting those guards to sleep with your music? That was just… wow.”

Pipp grinned. “What can I say? I’m a mare of many talents?”

* * *

The Crystal Brighthouse, later that evening
“So wait, go back. You were falling from a balcony and Pipp used that exact opportunity to declare her undying love for you?” Izzy said as the group huddled in the living area of the Crystal Brighthouse. “That’s like, something out of a movie!”

“I am definitely in awe,” Sunny Starscout said. “I’m happy for you both. I can’t believe it. Two of my best friends, in love!”

“Sheriff,” Zipp Storm said very sternly. “I will warn you. You are one of my best friends, but if you ever hurt my sister…”

“Zipp, knock it off,” Pipp said, noticing Hitch looking very pale.

Zipp laughed heartily. “Okay, yeah, I can’t hold it. You’re cool, Hitch. It was just a joke,” she said. “I’m happy for both of you.”

“Do you think more bad things are going to happen because of that book you were talking about?” Misty asked. “Are we in for more trouble?”

“I hope not,” Hitch said. “But if trouble does come our way, we’ll be ready for it. As long as we’re all together, we can face whatever comes our way.”

“Well, I think it’s time to get to bed,” Sunny said. “Good night everypony!”

“Good night!” Izzy said as everypony cleared out of the common room, leaving only Hitch and Pipp.

“Fancy a look at the stars?” Pipp asked with a grin.

“Sure,” Hitch said, following behind as the two ponies rode the elevator up to the balcony. They stepped out and began to gaze up at the stars.

“So… what’s next?” Hitch said.

“Well, I don’t really know,” Pipp said, smiling brightly. “But I know that we’ll figure it out together, right?”

Hitch smiled back as Pipp sidled up next to him, staying close as she too looked up at the stars.

“You know… you really are amazing, Pipp,” he said. “You took on Ahuizotl, you helped save Daring Do. You helped rescue Barley and Caramel.”

“Oh, shush,” Pipp said, playfully laying her head on Hitch’s neck. “You flatter me, Sheriff. You did some pretty awesome stuff too, like getting captured and falling off a balcony.”

“Ha, well, I had you to save me, didn’t I?” Hitch said, turning to nuzzle Pipp. Tentatively, he lowered his lips to hers in a firm kiss. As he pulled away, Hitch let out a deep breath.

“Wow,” Pipp said. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

“That good?” Hitch said, eyebrows raised.

“The kiss? Oh no, the kiss was awful, Hitch,” Pipp said, batting her eyebrows. Hitch sputtered as she laughed. “I’m kidding! It was great. I’m just happy to be here with you.”

“Me too, Pipp. Me too,” Hitch replied.

“Oh! You know what? We could do like a live stream announcing our relationship! How cool would that be? There’s also music video potential and–” Pipp started to excitedly say.

Hitch lifted a hoof and chuckled. “Foal steps, Princess. Foal steps.”

Pipp grinned and snuck another kiss from her newfound love. She looked back up at the stars and sighed contentedly. Whatever happened next in Equestria, she knew that she had somepony by her side that would stick with her through and through. She also knew that she herself had the strength to do whatever she could put her mind to, and that Hitch would support that no matter what.

THE END

Author's Note

When we first floated the idea of doing an actual book that would be sold at Ponyville Ciderfest, I definitely landed on doing something involving Pipp Petals and Hitch Trailblazer as the focal characters.

A minor romance subplot was definitely a considerable thing of course, but then I thought about the idea of a sort of Rom-Com Adventure in the style of Daring Do, and well, who better than actually Daring Do?

Beyond that, I sprinkled in the Ciderfest mascots to really seal in the fact that we are working within the Book of All Stories, the book that Fizzy Glitch opened at the convention that brought Equestria to life within it. Having Barley and Caramel around to not only provide some context but some urgency to the matter (finding the pages to help Fizzy Glitch) helped drive the story forward.

In addition, I sought a way to utilize some in convention lore to an extent by referencing and using the Time Stitch Crystal and Pipp's time with the Whinny City mascots Hoof Work, Mustard Mark, and Deep Dish on Garble's Island Getaway, a story presented in script reading form by the one and only Vivid Syntax. I tried to do my best to provide some context to this but those who attended that convention and script reading get a little extra easter egg action there.

When I started writing this, I could not stop. I finished it in three days. That's how much I needed to get the story out of me. It was amazing and super fun to write.

Shout out to both Skywriter and Sonicsuns for helping me edit this thing. There was definitely some work here, but it was fantastic working with you both.

Furthermore, another big thanks to Lucky Star (aka my wife) for providing the cover art for the story. You worked super hard on it, and it turned out amazing! Your art is in a literal physical book and that's AWESOME.

Until next time, when I will definitely DEFINITELY be finishing "Fallout: Equestria - The Spark of Life"...

Joe "volrathxp"