Sweet Apple Acres was full of many apple trees; a person was shown kicking a tree as their leg retracted and filled a basket full of red fruit. The person was Applejack, as the woman had returned and was already going back to work on the farm like clockwork. The farmer let out an exhausted sigh as she took off her hat to wipe her forehead using the back of her hand. She looked at the sun before using her fingers to indicate the time; just as she was about to lift the basket, an apple fell out and rolled on the ground. It stopped before a set of brown casual boots as a hand was shown reaching for the fruit. The hand belonged to a familiar boy that Aj knew.
"What are you doing here, kid?" asked Applejack as she lifted the basket onto her shoulder and walked.
"Well, I'm here for a reason," responded Hitch as he followed Applejack to the wagon that was stationed.
"Sure you are," said Applejack as she put the basket in the wagon. Hitch gave the apple to the woman as she tossed it onto the pile.
"Congrats on winning. I picked you to win the whole thing among my friends," stated the teen.
"That's nice. But shouldn't you be doing yer schoolwork or any club activities?" asked Applejack as she made her way to the front of the wagon hooked to some horses. Applejack got in the front and prepared to flick the reigns when Hitch came up and spoke.
"Can... can you teach me?"
"What?" said the farmer as she turned to look at the boy.
"I want to learn stuff. From you."
"What kind of stuff, sugar?"
"You know, Duel Monsters. I wanna learn your secrets," said Hitch.
Applejack stopped the wagon abruptly as she sighed. The cowgirl looked at the boy standing next to her as she gazed eye to eye.
"Kid, no offense, but my tutorin' days are long behind me. I got my new set of goals I'm working toward," said Applejack.
"Like being World Champion. Don't tell anybody, but I'm kinda hoping you win.
"I appreciate that, sugarcube. But, like I said, I can't teach you. Besides, you've seen my deck. You ain't a Fusion duelist, so there's nothing I can teach you." stated Applejack, knowing that Hitch was more of a Synchro user, which was a different style than hers.
"In that case, I'll change courses. Get a whole new deck so that way you can teach me."
"Sugar, don't do that! That's not necessary. Applebloom has told me how hard you've been workin' in her class. And I don't want you to jeopardize that just for me." stated Applejack. "She says you're one of the best students she's taught and believes you have untapped potential."
"She says that?" said Hitch, amazed to hear from the older sister of his Synchro instructor that she had that much faith in him.
"Come on up, I'll give you a ride back to the barn," gestured Applejack as Hitch climbed up and sat beside the woman.
She smiled before flicking the horses' reigns as they began to trot. The wagon was moving slowly and smoothly as they walked through the orchard to return to Aj's home.
"Ever driven a wagon?" asked Applejack.
"Can't say I have," answered Hitch.
"Here, take the reigns," said the farmer as she handed it off to the teen.
Hitch took the reigns as he kept a firm grip on them. He could feel the tension from the horses as he centered himself to remain calm to avoid the horses sensing his emotions. Applejack was watching the boy as, once again, seeing him, she couldn't help but see a part of herself in him.
"Huh, this is actually pretty easy," said Hitch.
"Not bad, sugarcube. Not bad," said Applejack.
It wasn't long before the pair arrived at the barn as Hitch began to help Applejack unload the baskets into the barn.
"Thanks for the help, Hitch. You know, you'd make a pretty good farm hand," said Applejack as she and the boy exited the barn so she could close the doors.
"So, how about learning from you?" asked Hitch.
"Look, all I can offer is this. Don't let your fear consume you, alright?" said Applejack as she began to head to the house.
"What?" said Hitch, unsure what Aj meant. He turned to look at the wagon and saw that the woman had left her hat. "Hey, you forgot your hat!"
"Eh, keep it. I got plenty. Besides, it might suit you... Sheriff," said Applejack as she entered her home.
Hitch looked at the hat he held before slowly putting it on his head as, to his surprise, it fit him nicely. The cowboy hat seemed to make Hitch feel something, some emotion that he couldn't describe, but he held a smile.
A land of ruin was shown. Nothing but chaos and destruction reigned. Near some broken-down ruins were some figures. A group of powerful warriors was on the ground, and one figure was on a knee, looking forward with a defiant and exhausted expression. The foe before them was a powerful sorceress as she wore a cloak and had magic fizzling from her hands.
"You've lost, heroes! I have all the power I need, and no one will be able to stop me from ruling all the world!" cackled the woman.
"Never... as long... as we stand together... in unity, we will never give up. Right, guys?" said the warrior as he looked back at his allies on the ground.
"Y-Yeah," grunted one of the warriors.
"I was just... catching my breath, is all," said a female.
"I... saw something interesting," replied another.
One by one, the warriors all slowly rose to their feet as they willed themselves to continue to stand up and fight. The seven warriors looked at their enemy as she held her wicked smile. The look on the group of heroes told them that they would band together in unison.
"As long as there's hope, we will never lose," said the head figure.
"Heh, and what does your hope stand against my power?!" cackled the witch.
The group then began to charge at their foe with their weapons as the witch threw magic from her hands; both sides were about to engage when everything went white.
"And so, after a brutal battle, the evil sorceress was defeated, and harmony returned to the land," said Zipp as she was currently reading a book from her favorite series, the Chronicles of Chevalia, as she told of the epic final battle between the heroes and their foe. "However, it wasn't without sacrifice. The heroes gave up their lives to ensure harmony and unity would return to the land. And since then, they were hailed as legends, and their stories were told for generations to come."
The girl finished reading as she closed the book.
"Nice story," said Mario, who was also present and sat across from the girl at a small table.
The pair were working on their latest science project when Zipp told Mario about the latest book in her favorite series. The girl had been waiting for the book to arrive for weeks and couldn't put it down until she finished it.
"Yeah, it's good. Man, do you ever get lost in stories?" asked Zipp.
"Can't say that I have," responded Mario.
"I just love this franchise so much, it's like... I'm a part of it at times. Being like the warriors and heroes of my books. Fighting evil and saving the world. Man, what I wouldn't give if I could live that experience?" said Zipp as she let her imagination run wild.
"We're kids, Zipp. Teens, we're not heroes. We have normal lives. We live in reality, not fantasy."
"Yeah, but wouldn't it be fun, though?" said Zipp as she leaned forward to look at her friend.
"Banding together in unity? Sounds like a poor name for a band," answered Mario. "Besides, it's not like these things happen. It is best to leave that for the storytellers. Meanwhile, we have a project due in a few days."
"Fine," said Zipp as she put her book in her backpack before pulling out the proper book for their project. "Still would be fun."
"Unity?" scoffed Mario as he turned his attention back to his schoolwork. "What does that even mean?"
The days that followed came and gone as the weather took a turn. It started getting a bit colder as the students wore even more layers. While the weather may have gotten colder, it did mean something. And that something was the end of the semester. Most of the students were already planning for the upcoming winter vacation; however, the end of the semester meant the workload was cranked up. Final exams were being handed out for the classes as the stress intensified.
Roll and Mario were in their dorm as the pair were in the living room. The boy stood against the wall while his little sister sat on the couch; the pair had received some mail as they held small envelopes they'd gotten from Principal Celestia. Roll opened hers, pulled out a small letter, and read it aloud.
"To my dear Roll,
I'm letting you and your brother know about some things. First off, your first semester at CHS is about to end, and the start of your winter vacation will commence. I'm sure you've been making the most of your time so far and have met some incredible friends.
Now, on the subject of vacation. My next duel will be during the last week of your exams and will be in Canterlot at the Canterlot Stadium. Juniper is about to let the press know the location, and I'd like to tell you two first. The next thing on the list is about winter break; this time, we're going to someplace new. It's a bit of work for me, but it's only a small meeting. After that, we'll spend time as a family. Lastly, I have included something special for you two in this and your brother's envelope.
I look forward to seeing you two. And I can't wait to hear all the stories and adventures that you've had so far. You know, apart from the near suspension that you two nearly had. Anyway, keep up the work, and please stay out of trouble.
With love, your father."
"All-access passes?" said Mario, pulling out what his father sent him and his sister as he scoffed.
"I'm curious about what he has planned," said Roll.
"You heard him; it's nothing but work. Nothing but a junkie, that's what he is," stated the boy.
"Well, we better start packing and letting the others know soon," said Roll.
Word soon got out as the entire city of Canterlot was lined up to purchase tickets for the upcoming duel between Isaac and Applejack. When the date was given for the duel and the date tickets would go on sale, people already began to line up ahead of the booth opening. Despite the somewhat cold weather, everybody wanted to get the chance to see this upcoming clash between duelists live and in person. Among the thousands, Sunny, Pipp, Izzy, and Zipp stood in line as they were looking to buy some tickets for themselves. However, Izzy had decided to wear some reindeer antlers as she wasn't bothered by the cold.
"We're pretty far down. I hope we get tickets!" said Zipp as she climbed a nearby tree to see how many people were ahead.
"Oh, I can hardly wait. I'm so excited to see my first ever live dueling event!" said Sunny as she couldn't contain her inner excitement.
"Well, I hope we get tickets. Otherwise, I'm gonna be standing out in the cold for nothing!" expressed Pipp as she felt the chilly wind and rubbed her arms despite wearing a warm and furry coat.
"Don't worry, everyone. I mapped out astrological charts with group auditorium in each of us," said Izzy as she pulled out a big poster with weird drawings and scribbles.
"What's that, Izzy?" asked Zipp as she jumped down.
"Duh. It's to help us know where to sit. And according to my great ancestors, we have to be in a row divisible by four and avoid seats ending in K, O, or LL." stated Izzy.
The three teens just looked at each other with confused looks as they didn't want to try to understand what Izzy was saying.
"As long as I'm with you guys, I don't mind what seats we get," smiled Sunny. "Shame Hitch couldn't make it, and I'm surprised Roll or Mario isn't here."
"You know how he is about his father. I think it's best he doesn't show up," said Zipp, figuring that the boy didn't want to see his father perform live.
"I'll admit, seeing some big-time duelists would be amazing. My snap feed would go crazy!" said Pipp as she imagined how someone like Roll and Mario's father would help her go viral if her Pippsqueaks saw that she knew the top duelist.
"Yeah, it'd be nice. But we're kids. No one famous ever talks to teens." said Zipp.
"Well, Sunny did," said Pipp as she looked at her friend. The girl smiled sheepishly at how she was selected to meet the World Champion during a special event. "So it's possible. Besides, back in Zepher Heights, the bands usually pull fans from the audience to dance with them."
"Alright, I get your point. But come on; this is the World Champion we're talking about. It's not like we can walk backstage and meet him. At least Sunny can die with that experience." said Zipp.
Meanwhile, at CHS, Hitch was writing something down. He set his pencil down as he reviewed what he had written. The boy was so focused on his writing that he didn't hear or pay attention to Roll getting his attention until he felt a hand slap on his shoulder.
"Hey, Hitch!"
"Ahhh!" said the boy as he got scared.
"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you," stated Roll as she sat beside her friend. "What do you got there?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it," said the boy as he tried to keep the girl from seeing his paper.
Roll looked at her friend with a glare as Hitch was sweating bullets. The girl then pinched his arm, and he let out a yelp, causing him to drop the paper as Roll quickly swiped it.
"Hey, give me that!" shouted Hitch as he tried to get back his paper.
The girl was skimming and looking over the boy's writing as a smile appeared.
Love and feelings intertwined like vines,
Growing stronger with each passing time.
They bloom like flowers, bright and bold,
A story that is forever told.
The heart beats faster, the pulse races,
As emotions surge in all the right places.
A touch, a glance, a whisper in the ear,
All the signs that love is near.
It's a feeling that can't be denied,
A warmth that spreads from deep inside.
It fills us up and makes us whole,
A love that's pure and never grows old.
It's the laughter, the tears, the joy and pain,
The ups and downs that make it all the same.
But through it all, love remains,
A constant force that never wanes.
So hold onto love, and cherish the feeling,
For it's a gift that's truly revealing.
Of all the beauty that life can bring,
Love and feelings are the most amazing things.
Roll finished reading Hitch's little poem as she looked at the boy, smiling sheepishly while rubbing her neck.
"So... who's this about?" asked Roll, teasing.
"Nobody. Definitely not for anybody. Just... doing some free-thinking for English class, heh," chuckled Hitch nervously as Roll could tell the boy was a terrible liar.
"Uh-huh. Okay. Oh, hey, Sunny!" said Roll as she looked past Hitch to address their friend.
"Give me that quick! She can't see it!" expressed Hitch as he tried to dive for the paper that Roll held only to sidestep and make him fall to the ground.
"Psych!" said Roll as Hitch looked up to see that Sunny wasn't present.
The girl's plan worked as she got the boy to reveal who the poem was for without explicitly telling. Hitch put together that Roll tricked him as she smiled smugly while sighing before picking himself up. The boy sat back at the table before planting his head on it.
"Hey, I'll give you this; it's a good poem," said Roll as she folded the paper before sliding it over to Hitch. "If I heard something like that from a boy, I'd fall for him in a heartbeat."
"Well, nice to know one person likes it," said Hitch before mumbling, "Hope she likes it."
Before the conversation could continue, the doors to the library opened up, and Sunny came rushing in and spotted her friends.
"Hey, guys. Still wearing that hat, Hitch?" said Sunny as she saw the cowboy hat that Applejack gave him; to her, it made her best friend look a bit more handsome and dashing, but she kept that to herself.
"Oh, this old thing," chuckled Hitch as he took off his hat and set it down while smiling sheepishly, to which Roll facepalmed herself.
"Here. We got you your ticket," said the girl as she handed the boy his ticket they purchased.
"I appreciate it, Sunny," smiled Hitch as he grabbed it.
"You wouldn't believe how long the line was!" expressed the girl as she sat down and removed her winter hat before taking off her red jacket.
"Yeah, that's what my father does. Any of his duels are almost guaranteed to be sold out. So getting tickets is hard to come by if you're looking to attend." stated Roll, as she knew how this type of business worked.
"Are you two sure you don't want to see your dad perform?" asked Sunny.
"For the sake of my brother, I'll pass," said Roll as she was half-lying to her friends.
"Well, as fun as seeing the World Champion perform, it'll be less fun if we don't figure out what our final exam will be for Mrs. Sugarbelle's Home EC class," stated Hitch.
"Oh, right. I completely forgot about it," said Sunny, as she had been so excited about getting tickets that she had forgotten about her and Hitch's final exam project for their Home EC class.
"It should be easy for you guys to pass. Well, for you, Hitch, since Sunny's the master chief," teased the girl as she playfully elbowed his arm with the back of hers. "Just make something; my brother and I just made brownies, and she gave us a passing score."
"But I want a good score. Plus, she did say she would give extra credit if we did something interesting. But I don't know what?" said Sunny, wanting to go the extra mile to get a good score on her final exam.
The three teens began putting their minds together on ideas for the pair's final exam. Roll leaned back and noticed a nearby student with some headphones as they were watching a video on one of the library's computers. The girl then had a thought cross her mind.
"Eso es!" said Roll as she stood up.
"You got something?" asked Hitch, as they knew that when Roll said her little catchphrase, she thought of an idea or plan.
"Why not do a video?"
"A video?" repeated Sunny.
"Yeah, you know, like those online tutorials people post for recipes they want to share with others. Why not do something like that? I'm sure Mrs. Sugarbelle will give you extra points if you do that." stated Roll.
"That's a good idea, Roll. Heh, why didn't I think of that?" smiled Sunny. "But I don't know how to make a video."
"You don't. But... there might be somebody who can help us," the girl told her friend.
"Oh, my glitter!" sang Pipp as she twirled in her chair as it rolled from one point of her room to the other.
The trio had made their way to Pipp's dorm room as they were looking to have the girl help them make the video for Sunny and Hitch. However, the girl had decided to take it one step further.
"You sure about this, Pipp?" asked Hitch as he sat on the girl's bed.
"I'm totes positive," said the girl as she rolled toward the boy before rolling away to her laptop and began to type away at it. "I can see my two stars now! You and Hitch will be the co-hosts of a smoothie-making cooking show!" She declared.
"Cooking show?" said Roll, as she didn't expect this kind of idea from what she originally proposed.
The girl looked at her friends and placed her fingers together to make a frame as she stared at the pair. Her mind was already working on thousands of ideas to make it work, as her excitement showed.
"What? Uh, no thanks, Pipp," Sunny replied nervously.
"No offense, Pipp. But this isn't what I had in mind when I thought of the idea," said Roll.
"Hmm. Actually, we need a show title first..." Pipp realized as she ignored Roll's comment and focused on Sunny's.
"Thank you," Sunny said, normally smiling again. "I was hoping we could brainstorm it up––" she tried to add before being cut off.
"I'VE GOT SOMETHING!" Pipp suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "How about we call this show... 'Sunny Side Up'! Featuring Hitch!" she stated, getting up from her chair. "Just two lifelong besties sharing their recipes for yummy food and friendship!" she shouted before squealing in excitedly. "I love this concept!"
"I don't know... I'm not really an 'in the spotlight' person..." Hitch tried to point out.
"Oh, oh, oh! I think we could bring over a bunch of random challenges for them to complete!" Pipp started to yell suddenly. "Oh, and maybe even bring over ingredients no sane being will ever put on a smoothie!" she said, flying around her room. "Oh, I have so many ideas... I need to write them all!"
The others just looked at their social media friend going to work on her keyboard as she was writing up a script for the show. Safe to say, this wasn't the original idea that Roll proposed, but maybe Pipp knew what she was doing.
"So... we're actually doing this, huh?" Hitch told Sunny with a smile.
"Yeah... I guess we are..." Sunny replied, still feeling nervous.
"Why do I have a feeling this is gonna go bad?" wondered Roll.
Inside the Home EC classroom, everything was being prepared for the show. Pipp had contacted the others and told them about her idea to do a cooking show, and she asked for the rest of their friends to help. Zipp and Mario were getting the camera ready while Hitch and Sunny were with Pipp and their prep station. The girl had a clipboard and headset, ensuring everything was ready when they went live.
"So, how are my stars feeling today? Nervous?" Pipp asked with a smirk.
"Extremely!" Hitch replied anxiously while Izzy finished perfuming him and walked away.
"Not really," Sunny replied with a smile as Izzy finished with her and walked away.
"There's no reason to be! Don't worry!" Pipp assured as she led them near the kitchen area. "I'll teach you everything you need to know: how to smile, how to stand, how to sit, how to 'smize' when you can't stand or smile."
"Smize?" echoed Hitch.
"Smiling with your eyes," Pipp replied with her eyes going wide and cheerful. "You try," Pipp replied, but when Hitch tried it, all she saw were very weird faces. "Oh…" While feeling weirded out by Hitch attempting to smile with his eyes, Pipp said. "Or maybe, just try to work on standing still; then you won't look nervous." She suggested as Sunny and Hitch went behind the counter.
"Me? Nervous? I'm a smoothie-maker master! This is easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!" she stated confidently with a smile as she stood behind the counter where she and Hitch would be doing the show.
However, Hitch placed his hand over a bowl with lemons and accidentally pushed it, making one fly in the air and land on Pipp's diadem, as the girl looked bored.
Roll then came over with a speaker set on her head. "That is if Hitch can handle it." She said after seeing the lemon feel on Pipp's accessory.
"Sorry, Pipp!" Hitch apologized while feeling uncertain about this. "Maybe that's a sign Sunny should just host the show herself, or could anybody else do it with her?" suggested the teen as the girl pulled lemon out of her accessory and placed it on the counter while fixing her diadem.
"Oh. Pssh. You'll be great, Hitch." Sunny waved off that Hitch would do great with her by his side. "Just pretend you're giving a big speech and follow my lead." She assured him; however, Hitch's eye slightly twitched as he looked at the rest of his friends getting everything ready.
Zipp had the camera, Mario had the lights, Roll was checking the sound system, Pipp controlled everything else from a laptop, and Izzy was eating donuts since she was going to watch and nothing else.
Hitch muttered awkwardly before placing his arm on the table with his elbow, but he knocked over a bowl of lemons and went to catch them but only fumbled with them. "Ow." He said.
"Good thing we're not on yet, or that would've been embarrassing," Mario commented with a smile and a chuckle.
"And a chance for Sunny and Hitch to do something together with their moment," Roll muttered quietly with a chuckle as the others chuckled as well.
"We heard that, Roll!" Sunny and Hitch called out as the two started blushing from her teasing.
Roll and the others started laughing from the tease as the two childhood friends looked at each other. They gave a sheepish chuckle as they blushed and looked away.
Mario finished plugging in the last of the lights as he stood up and approached Izzy.
"Here, Izzy! Make yourself useful!" stated the boy as he tossed a clapperboard into the girl's hands and swiped some doughnuts.
Pipp pulled up her phone to tune into her livestream as the screen showed a banner with fruits and an image of Sunny smiling while wearing a chef hat, as some cheerful music played in the background. Everything was ready for the show to start. Well, everything but Hitch, because as Sunny seemed super chill and ready to host the show, Hitch had an anxious look and could barely focus.
"Alright, everybody! We're live in three, two, one..." Pipp instructed, sitting over a chair at Zipp's side since she was holding the camera, while Izzy came by with a clapperboard and clapped it before moving away. "And... we're on!" Pipp announced as he pointed at Sunny and Hitch to get the show started.
Pop music played in the background while the camera pointed at the two teens, with Sunny smiling cheerfully while Hitch gulped nervously.
"Welcome to Sunny Side Up!" Sunny said to the viewers. "I'm Sunny, and this is Hitch…" She greeted herself and Hitch as Hitch gave a nervous smile. "...and we're gonna tell you what's up with making delicious food from home!" She cheered with a wide smile as she turned to Hitch. "Isn't that right, Hitch?" She asked Hitch with a smile.
Hitch just stood there with an awkward face while smiling nervously as he started making weird faces and babbling sounds while still making weird faces.
"Oh, that's hard to watch," said Mario as he cringed at seeing Hitch respond.
"Uh yeah... you said it..." Sunny said with an awkward smile as she looked at Hitch, confused at her side.
"Alright, if we're ever under attack, never make him our last line of defense," stated Roll to the others before focusing back on their friends.
"Today, we're going to be making Pearnana Delights!" Sunny said to the audience with a smile as she brought out the ingredients before looking at Hitch, who was still panicking, at her side. "Remember what we talked about, Hitch. Just follow me!" she muttered to him as she brought out two plates: One with ice and one with kiwis.
Hitch still seemed unsure, but he was already in this, so it was better if he went all the way to the end.
"First, we're gonna grab as many chopped pears and bananas you believe are going to delight your morning!" Sunny explained with a smile as she brought a plate with the chopped fruit and twirled around before opening her blender and putting some inside.
Then, Hitch looked closer at Sunny's blender to see how much of thr fruit she had put in there. "Wait, is that one handful or two? The recipe says––" he tried to say.
However, Sunny cut him off as she kept instructing him what to do. "Then, add enough ice to your heart's desire!" she muttered with a smile as she placed some ice inside the blender.
Hitch, on the other hand, was struggling with this as he held two cups of ice in one hand and one cup in the other as he approached the blender. "Wait, how much is that?" he asked Sunny with panic. But Sunny kept doing her thing, not even noticing how much Hitch struggled.
"Then swirl in a secret ingredient with your eyes closed, so it's a surprise, especially to you!" she stated, as she closed her eyes and grabbed a random bowl, one that had cookies, as she tossed some inside without even knowing it.
And, of course, this made Hitch panic even more since he understood nothing about what Sunny was talking about. "What?!" he said, confused, now staring at his blender, not knowing what to do anymore.
"Now, chop up your favorite fruit!" Sunny said with a smile as she chopped some kiwis with one eye open and then closed it again to put the fruit in the blender since she still wanted the secret ingredient to remain secret.
"Sunny, slow down!" Hitch begged with panic as he grabbed strawberries and kiwis with his hands.
Then, Sunny opened her blender and put an apple inside, still with her eyes closed. As Hitch tried to replicate this, he juggled several apples and screamed in panic before putting three of them in the blender and sighing in relief.
Next, Sunny put some chopped mushrooms inside the blender, still with her eyes closed, making Hitch panic as he belted some salt and pepper on his blender. "Sunny, stop closing your eyes while you're operating a blender!" he told her with panic.
As he did so, he threw more random stuff inside the blender until he tripped with an apple on the floor and accidentally headed towards her while holding a bawl with kiwis.
"Wah! Sunny, watch out!" Hitch tried to warn her in panic as Sunny opened her already blended smoothie.
But once she heard Hitch's cry, she opened her eyes, just to panic at the sight of her crush heading towards her.
So, Hitch's head crashed with Sunny's blender, which made some of the smoothie contents drop out and land on Sunny's face and clothes, which made the girl cover her face with her hands.
At this, Hitch gasped in panic, as did Zipp and Pipp.
"Ah, shit..." Mario muttered with a cringed expression.
"Woah..." Izzy said with concern.
"Hitch!" Sunny cried out. "That pearnana juice went right into my eye!" she muttered in pain, covering her eye with one hand.
"Aw, Sunny... I'm so sorry..." Hitch said with shame as he grabbed her face carefully and tried to wipe away the content that got into her eye.
This made Sunny blush slightly, but even if Hitch did notice, he didn't care. He did this to his childhood friend and crush and would fix it. Well, he tried because as he was about to approach her even more, he tripped with something in the ground, which made both Sunny and Hitch trip and fell to the ground, as Hitch lay on top of Sunny.
Pipp gasped from that. "Guys, get it together!" She called out.
"Seriously? You're more focused on the show than if they're okay?" stated Roll.
Before Pipp could respond to that, she looked at her laptop. She saw emojis, likes, and comments appearing on the video that shows Sunny and Hitch on the floor together while Sunny is lying on her stomach while Hitch is on her back. Hitch had a hard time getting up before he fell on Sunny again.
"Oh, uh, keep up the great stuff!" Pipp called out with a smile, changing her mind as she felt this might be great.
"What?" Mario questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Pss, lover boy," whispered Zipp as she got Mario's attention before pulling out her phone and tossing it to him. "Record this. I wanna watch it back and send it to my sister."
"Say less," smiled Mario as he was onboard for Zipp's idea.
The girl returned the expression to her friend before returning to operate the camera. The boy turned to look at Sunny and Hitch as he held the girl's phone up and pressed record. Meanwhile, Sunny and Hitch groaned in pain. Still, as soon as Sunny remembered that this was being recorded live, she stood up with wide eyes while lifting Hitch in the process, as he stood on his legs before losing his balance and then fell backward again.
"Hey, Zipp? Mind if I get a copy?" whispered Mario as he wanted to send the recording to himself.
"Yeet," confirmed the girl.
Hitch groaned in pain and then looked confused at the kiwis in front of him and the ones that fell on his face while he heard Sunny giggling at what had happened to him. However, as soon as Hitch looked at the kiwis again, he looked back at Sunny and grinned mischievously while gathering all the kiwis he could with his hands.
When Sunny realized what he was going to do, her eyes widened, and she stopped giggling. "You wouldn't dare," she told him with a frown and playful, serious tone.
Hitch began to launch kiwis at Sunny, as she screamed and ran away but eventually started to laugh, while she also joined him in the food fight by throwing some fruits at him. Then, Hitch found a spray frosting, so he shook it and looked over his shoulder at Sunny with a smirk. The people watching the stream watched and laughed at the scene between the teens, which Pipp noticed as she looked at her phone with an excited smile due to the number of emojis flying across the screen.
Sunny and Hitch continued their food fight as the pair were enjoying themselves.
"Alright, now this is quality entertainment! Who said there's nothing good anymore on TV, huh?" said Mario with a smile. "Cooking and chaos, sign me up!"
However, just when Sunny was about to hit Hitch with more food, she slipped with the spread of smoothie on the ground and slid in panic towards a wall, where she crashed with it before falling on her back. At this, Pipp and Izzy burst out laughing, as did Zipp.
"Nice slide, Sunny!" said Roll through her laughter.
"Thanks!" said the girl, her voice muffled before she removed herself and fell.
Roll then noticed her brother holding a mushed apple and looking directly at Zipp; the girl was still laughing as he had a clear shot at her. The boy was looking to smack the girl with the fruit as he raised his arm like he was preparing to throw a baseball.
"Bro, remember what Dad said about not getting in trouble," said Roll.
"This isn't trouble, it's... having fun. Speaking of which," said Mario as he turned to address Zipp. "Hey, rich girl!"
Zipp heard Mario's call as she turned, just as the boy threw the piece of fruit at her. The girl saw it coming and moved her head out of the way due to her fast reflexes. The piece of fruit instead hit Izzy as she wasn't bothered by it.
"Oh, you're gonna get it, lover boy! Izzy!" shouted Zipp as the girl appeared beside her. "Orange me!"
The girl handed the heiress an orange and immediately threw it at Mario. The boy managed to evade it as it smacked Roll in the face.
"Yippee! Food fight!" shouted Izzy in a cheerful tone as soon everybody else got into the activity.
"Guys! Guys!" shouted Pipp, trying to get some order restored. The girl was then hit in the face by some fruit as a tomato stained her hair. "Aw! Ew, gross, gross!" shouted the girl as she shook her head. She growled as she let her competitive side come out and began to engage in the food war, aiming at anybody trying to hit her.
Safe to say, the food segment had gotten way off the rails in just a matter of seconds.
Once the dust and excitement settled down, the group looked to reset. Food was spread all around, not only on Sunny and Hitch's bodies but also in the kitchen and the room. The pair looked really tired as Sunny grunted, getting a piece of fruit out of her ear, which somehow got there. Hitch picked up the blender as Izzy swept the floor with a cheerful smile; she was humming when she came across something.
"Oh! Found some food floor? Yum!" she said happily.
"Izzy! I swear, if you're that stupid!" shouted Mario.
"Aww..." Izzy said sadly as she whimpered in sadness.
Sunny and Hitch then went back to cleaning up. As she exclaimed dramatically, Pipp looked at the laptop and saw only a couple of emojis.
"We're losing them. Let's mix it up!" Pipp cried out dramatically.
"What?" said Roll as she dumped a trash bag out.
"Now, do a recipe with these bags of mystery ingredients!" Pipp called out as she came back with a bag of food. "Oh! Oh! And the winner becomes cooking royalty!" She held out a royal staff and crown. Pipp tossed the staff to Sunny while throwing the crown at Hitch, which hit him in the head.
"Oof!" He called out from the throw.
"And maybe, maybe Sunny instructs Hitch blindly as he cooks! Ooh, I like it!" Pipp exclaimed as he brought out a bed mask and put it on Hitch.
"Huh? Um…" Hitch asked in confusion while looking around with the bed mask on.
"What?" Sunny asked in shock. "I really don't think this is a good idea." She pointed out that she did not want to do those ideas, especially doing that to Hitch.
Hitch waved his arms around while the bed mask still covered his eyes as he gave a small smile. "Well, I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole hosting thing, and I think it's a great idea!" He cheered before walking by Sunny blindly, who raised an eye at Hitch's words. "But if you wanna sit this one out, Sunny, I'm happy to host solo." He suggested.
"But the show is called 'Sunny Side Up'." Sunny pointed out.
"Yeah, isn't Sunny the star here?" Roll questioned the others with a raised eyebrow.
Pipp then came up next to Sunny. "She is, and pretty soon it'll be called, 'It's Over'!" She yelled dramatically as she shook Sunny.
"Aw, come on, chica! Aren't you being a little dramatic?" called out Mario.
"Guys, we need to recapture the magic and do it fast!" she pointed out with concern.
Then, they heard Hitch falling from the stage and landing on the floor since he was still fully blinded. "Ow," Hitch complained.
"Ugh!" Pipp groaned and facepalmed.
The crew managed to get the show back up and running as they attempted Pipp's latest idea to attract viewers. The social media girl gave Sunny her cue as Izzy clapped the clapperboard and vanished.
"Welcome back to 'Sunny Side Up,' where my co-chef Hitch will be baking Cinnamon-Raisin Fruity Cutie Cookies!" Sunny presented with a panicked expression, while Hitch behind her still felt lost because of the sleeping mask on his face.
"He'll be cooking blindly while I... instruct him?" Sunny asked, confused. As she did so, Pipp waved from the computer with a nervous smile to keep going while Hitch tapped his hands on the counter and tried to grab anything.
"You know what? I can't," Sunny said with concern.
At this, everyone else looked at each other before looking back at Sunny with worry for her.
"Sunny?" Hitch called out in shock as he removed the sleeping mask from his face. "What are you doing?" he asked her.
"I'll tell you what we're not doing!" Sunny said with concern. "Look at this place. Look at us! How did we become such a mess?" she complained with sadness. "Ever since we just started trying to follow likes, I totally lost track of what's most important. You wanna know what I love about being a chef?" she asked with a smile.
"It's a way to let loose and break free of expectations!" the girl said cheerfully. "Cooking is great to get out of a rut!" Sunny added as Hitch took off his bed mask. He and the others listened to Sunny's words. "Like if you've lost your way or if you're stuck." She added before she looked at Pipp. "Especially if you're stuck because someone's keeping you there against your will, pushing you to do something you don't think is right!" She added while looking at Pipp.
The social media girl gave an awkward chuckle, knowing Sunny was talking about her and what she had been doing to her as Sunny gave Pipp a stern look.
"Alright, isn't that a little over the top, Sunny," stated Zipp as she peeked from behind the camera.
"It's not like we're fighting some evil villain hell-bent on taking over the world, Sunny!" said Mario, as she was rather specific with her statement, almost like she was foreshadowing something.
"Yeah, okay. Maybe that was a little over-dramatic," Sunny confessed with a smile, while Hitch at her side nodded, also smiling. "But, if you're going through something like that, well, cooking is a great way for you to reclaim your power," she assured with a smile. The girl grabbed a leaf from the table and placed it in a smoothie as she continued. "Quit doing things you don't want to do just to make everybody else happy, and simply be yourself!" She said with a smile. "So, to everyone watching, it's time to start believing in yourself. And every dish, dessert, or Pearnana Delight you make, whether you followed the recipe or improvised your own, has the power to be delicious and unique." Sunny continued while shaking the smoothie in her hand. She smiled at Hitch, and he smiled back as the two unicorns looked at the camera together. "Just like you." She finished with a wink as she took a sip of her smoothie.
Hitch's eyes widen from that as he knows which smoothie that is. "Sunny, wait! No!" He called out, but it was too late.
Sunny's eyes widened from the smoothie's taste as she spat it out in disgust, which hit Hitch. He gave a shocked expression as Sunny started coughing from the terrible taste. "O my…" She managed to say before she started coughing again for a moment. "Except when it's a cup full of sour ingredients your co-host threw at you earlier." She managed to say with a small smile as she gestured to Hitch, who gave a sheepish smile as he slowly waved at the camera. "Blech." She said in disgust.
Hitch just gave a small chuckle at Sunny as he gave her a towel, which Sunny accepted as she smiled back at Hitch.
"And that's a cut to commercial!" Pipp called out.
Zipp laughed from that as Izzy dropped the clapper board. "And maybe when we're back, can we actually have you guys make some food? You know, just as a suggestion?" She asked with a smile.
"We've been here for an hour and a half, and you two haven't made shit so far!" expressed Mario.
"I'm hungry," said Izzy as her tummy growled.
"Alright, I'm ordering tacos! Who wants some?" asked Roll as she pulled out her phone.
The others agreed as they decided to take a break from all this filming. Hitch was setting up for the next part while Sunny sighed and looked at him.
"Hitch, I think we really need to talk. All I wanted was to be a great chef and an inspiration." Sunny began briefly as the pair walked together, "But everything got out of control. When I made that big speech about needing to be myself, it made me realize that you needed to be yourself, too." Hitch stopped, and Sunny walked before him as she stood before the window. "You were so nervous, and instead of encouraging you to do things your own way, I let us both get caught up in all this chaos. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
"Sunny, I'm shocked..." Hitch replied with surprise.
"Listen, I already said sorry, Hitch. You don't have to rub it in," Sunny said with a frown as she rubbed her left arm.
"No, no. 'Forgive you'? Sunny, this has been an awesome day!" Hitch declared with a smile, which left Sunny a bit confused. "Sure, I didn't actually learn how to cook from the master, and I'm pretty sure nobody watching did, either," he added, slightly pushing Sunny as she giggled. "But I had a great time! It actually reminded me of how we used to play as kids in Grandma Figgy's kitchen. Our food fights were epic, remember?" he reminded her with a smile.
At this, Sunny smirked at him before laughing. "How could I forget?" she said as she and Hitch laughed.
"And besides, you are a great chef and an inspiration!" Hitch assured her as he walked towards Pipp's computer and turned it so they could both see a video that Hitch played.
It showed Hitch launching lemons at Sunny during their food fight, as Sunny escaped from him while laughing.
"You certainly inspired me to get over my stage fright!" Hitch assured her. "The food fight helped with that, too," he added, shaking a spot of smoothie content from his shirt. "Maybe if we met in the middle, we'd create a show we both wanted to make," he suggested with a smile.
"One that celebrates both of our strengths!" Sunny stated with a smile as Hitch nodded in agreement.
After the group ate and refilled their bellies, they all looked to get the show back up and running.
"Three, two, one..." Zipp counted down, and once she reached one, Izzy used the clapperboard and clapped it. "And we're back!" she announced with a smile.
"Welcome back to 'Sunny Side Up'! I'm Sunny!" Sunny greeted with a smile.
"And I'm Hitch!" Hitch added with a smile and a salute.
"And we're finally gonna tell you what's up with today's Pearnana Delights recipe," Sunny stated happily as Hitch brought out the ingredients while Sunny herself grabbed a plate with the fruit. "Now, before, I mentioned grabbing as many chomped pears and bananas as you believe will delight your morning, but to be more specific, that's about a cup and a half each," she said with a sheepish smile.
"And before, I started slinging fruit when I got frustrated," Hitch confessed sheepishly while putting the chopped fruit and strawberries in his blender. "When really, I should've been more patient and clear with my follow-up questions," he stated as he and Sunny shared a side hug.
However, this change of direction didn't bring more views because barely anyone reacted to the stream, making Pipp flinch and bite her lower lip nervously.
"Guys! Our viewership is plummeting!" Pipp dramatically cried out. "You two getting along is not compelling television. What should we do?" She questioned.
"Nothing at all, Pipp," Zipp added with a smirk before looking back at Sunny and Hitch with a smile. "This is the real 'Sunny Side Up'!" she pointed out as the two teens put salt in their blenders. "Sure, the numbers aren't as high as when they were hurling whipped cream at each other..." she said with a smirk.
Then, Izzy came to them while eating some whipped cream from the can. "But it's sweeter! Simpler!" She added as she accidentally spat some whipped cream on Zipp, who wiped it off her face.
"The way it should've been from the very beginning..." Pipp said in realization as she realized that this should've been like this at the start instead of doing comedy while wanting big viewers as her friends smiled at her.
Meanwhile, Sunny and Hitch finished their smoothies and sipped them with smiles.
"Mm! This is delicious!" Hitch said with a happy smile.
"Thanks so much for tuning in, everyone!" Sunny said with a smile. "But before we go, we want to say something," she added.
"This would be our first and last 'Sunny Side Up' broadcast," Hitch announced. "Thank you all for tuning in today. The ups, the downs..." he pointed out with a smile.
"The Pearnanas that we'll be cleaning up!" Sunny added as well with a smile.
Just then, a bit of the smoothie fell from the ceiling and landed behind them, which made the two best friends look at each other before laughing about it.
"And cut!" Zipp announced with a smile.
"That's a rap, people!" Roll called out while clapping her hands with a smile as she, Zipp, and Izzy ran up to Hitch and Sunny.
"That was brilliant!" Izzy happily cheered.
"That was actually very educational!" Zipp added.
"It was very inspiring as well!" Roll added with a wide smile.
Pipp looked back and forth in a shocked expression as she spoke. "That was… a great save, everyone!" She cheered with a smile as she looked at her clipboard. "Now, are you sure you don't wanna do an encore?!" She asked eagerly. "I've already got amazing ideas for merch!" She said as she then had a thought. "Oh! Maybe we tie-dye shirts to look like they're stained with Pearnanas?" She suggested.
Everybody else just looked at her with looks as Pipp just chuckled sheepishly before taking the piece of paper on her clipboard and ripping it apart.
A while later, Roll was on her laptop in one of the science labs, looking at some papers beside her. She mumbled as she bit the end of her pen before continuing to type. The girl was focused on her paper when the door to the room she was in opened up. She looked above her screen to see Hitch standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Hitch. What's up?" asked the girl.
"Uh, I was... hoping to talk to you. You busy?" asked the boy as he shut the door behind him.
"Just finishing up my written exam for Ms. Cheerilee's class," said Roll as she turned back to her laptop and typed some more. "And... done."
The girl finished her report, saved it, and made a copy before attaching it to an email file and sending it to their teacher. The girl sighed as she shut her laptop off and closed it just as Hitch grabbed a seat to face her.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Roll as she slid her laptop into her backpack.
"Well, it's uh, it kinda relates to what happened the other day."
"The cooking show thing?" asked Roll.
"Yeah."
"Okay. By the way, how did you and Sunny's final exam go for Mrs. Sugarbelle's Home EC?" asked the girl.
"Well, it's funny you say that. Turns out she was watching the whole thing go down. So, she wanted to talk to me and Sunny and we told her about what we learned. So she gave us extra points along with our apple pie final exam submission." said Hitch sheepishly.
"Well, everything worked out then," responded Roll nonchalantly. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Um, well... um, I'm not sure how to put this, but..."
"Just speak, man!" said Roll as she could see Hitch was struggling to speak and not fumble his words.
"Okay, um, it went like this..." stated the boy, recounting what happened after he and Sunny finished meeting with Mrs. Sugarbelle.
(Earlier)
"Well, looks like Roll was right. We had nothing to worry about," said Hitch as he and Sunny had just left the Home Ec classroom after submitting their final exam.
"Yeah. Maybe we should have just made this apple pie and been done with it," said Sunny as she held the food they made as their final exam as only a slice was missing due to Mrs. Sugarbelle trying it out.
"But then again, we might not have learned our lesson or the fun with our friends," said Hitch as Sunny laughed.
The pair returned to the girl's dorm as she stood before her room.
"Thanks for walking me back to my room, Hitch. Sure has been an eventful day yesterday," said the girl. "Plus, tomorrow will be another exciting day. We get to see the World Championship duel."
"I almost forgot all about that with all the food fighting we've been doing," stated Hitch as he was looking forward to going with his friends to see this great event.
"Well, night," said Sunny as she opened the door and looked to enter her room.
However, what happened next was unexpected. The girl only took a few steps into her room before she turned around and approached Hitch; she planted her lips on his for three seconds before retracting. In that short time, Hitch was caught off guard by Sunny kissing him, and his eyes widened. The girl pulled back while looking at her best friend one last time before entering her room with the pie and shutting the door, leaving Hitch standing there and looking as if he could still see Sunny, leaning against the door as she tried to calm her heartbeat.
"Woah," said Hitch, unable to process what happened as he turned.
(End of Flashback)
The boy finished recounting his tale as he was slumped over and looked at Roll.
"Oh," said the girl as she reacted to Hitch's story.
"Yeah," sighed Hitch as he put his head in his hands. "I need your help, Roll."
Roll placed her hand over her mouth as she contemplated addressing this situation with her friend.
"Look, Hitch. You like Sunny a lot, don't you?"
Hitch immediately froze up, hearing Roll just straight up say that as he looked away and rubbed his neck.
"I mean. Well, yeah, I like Sunny. I mean, of course, I like her. Like how I like you and Izzy and the others. Me and Sunny, you know... I like her, she likes me. We like. It's a mutual like-fest." stated the boy as he fumbled over his words.
"Gees, you're a horrible liar, sheriff," commented Roll as she addressed Hitch by that nickname. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh... you mean... do I... like her, like her?" asked Hitch. "Well... what if the answer is... Yes?"
"Look, Hitch. I'm going to be honest with you, now what I say, don't be offended by it. Just know that what I'm saying to you is because I'm your friend, I got your back. I trust you. Now, I've seen a lot of boys that take the words 'oblivious' and 'stupid' to whole new levels. And yet, you somehow managed to top that."
"Wha?" stated the teen as he didn't know if he should be offended by what the girl was saying. "Is that a compliment, or should I be offended..."
"I get it! You and Sunny. You've always been 'just friends,' even 'best friends.' And it's hard to risk that. But... that's not what you want, is it?"
"Well, can you blame me? Whenever I think, or whenever I even just see her... It's like if all my problems suddenly disappear, like if everything is right in the world," said Hitch with a loving gaze as she thought about the girl. "If you kissed your best friend, whom you have known since you were a kid, would you like to be reminded of that fact the rest of your days?" Hitch deadpanned with a brow.
Roll blinked a few times after Hitch asked that so specifically, and then she rubbed her chin with a hand. "...Okay, yeah. You actually make a good point..." She admitted. "But let's not separate from the subject here! You like Sunny, don't you?"
"Yeah?" Hitch raised an eyebrow again.
"Then you'll have to step up," stated Roll.
Hitch gave a thoughtful moment for a moment before he took a breath. "Yeah. I guess you're right. But I don't know if I could tell her now." He said in concern.
"Well, it's your choice to know when you're ready. But remember, girls don't wait around for guys. You gotta tell her sooner rather than later." Roll said as Hitch nodded in understanding.
"I get it. And hey, thanks. Thanks for listening to me. Can you promise to keep quiet for now?"
"Weird, you're trusting me with your secret of all people?" responded Roll.
"Well, believe it or not, you're the one I trust the most. You're the most trustworthy person I've met. And because of that, I trust you with this conversation." said Hitch.
"Don't worry. I won't say anything. Not even to my brother. Like you said, you trust me, so that means something. We're friends after all."
"Yeah, we are," smiled Hitch.
Roll smiled back at the boy, extending her hand for a fist bump. Hitch returned the gesture as he bumped his fist against Roll to seal their secret.
"Now, come on, sheriff. Let's get out of here," said Roll, standing up and slinging her backpack over her shoulder.
Hitch nodded as he and Roll left the room and returned to their dorms as they had to prepare for the big championship duel that was going to happen.
Author's Note: An interesting chapter for sure. For one, this is one of the episodes from Make your Mark that is one of my favorites for reasons. And two, Winter Vacation is coming up for the group and it seems Roll and Mario are going with their father to some place new, what that is will be revealed soon. And it seems the feelings between Hitch and Sunny are slowly starting to grow more and more with each passing moment. Only time will tell if it'll bloom into something.