a princess and her sheriff

why not sure I'll marry you part 2

Hitch Trailblazer loved seeing ponies in Maretime Bay smile. As the sheriff, it was his duty to uphold the law and maintain the peace in the seaside town. For as long as he could remember, maintaining the peace meant supporting laws against unicorns and pegasi and Canterlogic creating products to fight against them run by the company's owner, Phyllis Cloverleaf.

When Sunny, whom Hitch had been friends with since they were foals, returned to Maretime Bay saying unicorns and pegasi had no magic apart from the pegasi royal family, Hitch was skeptical like many ponies. Citizens demanded that he arrest Sunny for her claims, putting HItch in an awkward position. Luckily, when other ponies backed up Sunny's claims, and all three pony kinds became friends, Hitch could abolish the laws against interacting with unicorns and pegasi, keeping Sunny from jail.

As time passed, Hitch found friendship between earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi rather pleasant. Some ponies, like his deputy, Sprout, were still unsettled, particularly when unicorns and pegasi began living in Maretime Bay. Still, Hitch felt his town had become a much better place now that earth ponies learned having a horn or wings was no more dangerous than having a birthmark, glasses, or facial hair.

But while many earth ponies in Maretime Bay developed close relationships with the unicorns and pegasi, Hitch didn't attempt to befriend any. He had many admirers among mares from all three pony kinds, but he didn't interact with many ponies as a friend apart from Sunny and Izzy. It wasn't that he still had prejudice or fear against unicorns and pegasi. He valued the new citizens in his town as if they were born and raised in Maretime Bay, but at the end of the day, he was nothing more than a friendly face of the law for the civilians, earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike.

Hitch was walking to the sheriff's office to start the day on the morning of the third to last day before Pipp and Presto's wedding. As he greeted ponies passing by, he noticed many were in groups listening to music on their phones. Hitch smiled as he watched them, knowing many of them were excited about the wedding. Though he never listened to Pipp or Presto's music or had a smartphone, he liked to hum to the music as he walked.

"Good morning, Sheriff Hitch."

Hitch looked to his left and saw five mares walking toward him: two earth ponies, two pegasi, and a unicorn. They looked at Hitch flirtatiously save for the unicorn, who walked with her head low. Hitch gave the mares a friendly smile, blind to the meaning behind their stares.

"Morning, Mayflower, Dahlia, Periwinkle, Wisteria Frost, Peach Melba," Hitch greeted.

The mares giggled with Periwinkle Pi, the unicorn, lifting her head for a moment to give a brief smile. Hitch noticed Peach Melba holding out her phone as the mares walked to him, playing a song made by Pipp and Presto.

"I'm guessing you ladies are looking forward to the royal wedding?" Hitch asked.

"Sure are. Wisteria and I have been Pippsqueaks for the longest time," Peach Melba said. "We're going to watch the wedding at Dahlia's since we couldn't get tickets."

Hitch smiled until he noticed Perwinkle Pi still looking very low.

“What’s eating you, Periwinkle?” he asked.

Periwinkle sighed heavily and said, “I wish Presto isn’t marrying Pipp.”

“Why’s that? I thought everypony is looking forward to the princess marrying him,” Hitch said.

“Everypony except Periwinkle. She’s been crushing on Presto since way back when he was doing gigs in Bridlewood,” Peach Melba said. “Poor dear, never got to make a move before Presto moved to ZH and met Pipp.”

It took Hitch a moment before he realized ZH stood for Zephyr Heights. Periwinkle Pi turned her head away from everypony as Mayflower explained her situation, feeling her heart ache the more her friend brought up her situation.