//------------------------------// // Chapter 6–Hitch and Hunk to the rescue // Story: The Little Pony Legend: A New Generation // by MaggiesHeartLove //------------------------------// Hitch Trailblazer paced back and forth around the office. Several hours passed since the disappearance of Sunny Starscout and Keith Kogan. Ever since then, no pony in town had seen a trace of either them or the unicorn and mage. Hitch knew exactly why that is. “They must’ve run off together,” Hitch presumed. “I’d never put it past Sunny, but Keith? The level-headed, though still hot-headed, older sibling? “This doesn’t make any sense,” He spoke aloud, pacing about. Watching the scene, James chewed on a piece of pizza he shared with Sprout. “What’s to get?” James replied. “Your girlfriend and her wacko brother skipped town with the first unicorn and mage they see. It was only a matter of time before their true colors revealed themselves.” Hitch ignored James’ comment involving the idea of Sunny being his girlfriend. Some more pressing matters weighed heavily on his mind. “But it’s not like Keith to go along with Sunny just like that,” Hitch argued. “Something’s up, and I’m going to find out what it is.” Hunk, who just finished repairing the jammed printer, poked his head from his work. “What?! You’re going after them by yourself?” “Of course, not. We are going to bring them back!” Sprout gave a bored eye just as he was about to have a bite of his pizza. “And by ‘we’ you mean…” “You and I, yes,” Hitch confirmed sternly. Sprout dropped his slice on his work desk. It was clear based on his expression he didn’t like the sound of that. “Uhhh… I would love to but, um, I just gotta… clean up my workspace!” Sprout proceeded to toss some papers, trying to form some convincing excuse not to leave Maretime Bay. Hitch merely shook his head, should’ve expecting this from Sprout of all ponies. “Alright… Officer James…” “Eh, no way!” James answered, swallowing his pizza. “As much as I’d love an opportunity to drag Kogan’s smug face back to Maretime, if that elf and his messed-up sister want to go frolicking in the woods with the enemy then I say… let ‘em leave Maretime, live in the Tundra for all I care. Besides, one of us needs to keep an eye on the comic relief before they mess things up.” “Hey!” Sprout exclaimed, annoyed. “I thought ‘I’ was the comic relief,” Hunk spoke up. “Noo… you’re just the fat, stupid one with the big mouth!” James snapped. But either that insult flew way over Hunk’s head or he simply wasn’t getting it at all. “What’re you saying exactly?” Hunk shrugged, facing Hitch. “Anyways boss, you shouldn’t go out there alone. I know Keith and Sunny broke a ton of laws, but they’re still our friends. What if they get lost? What if the unicorns and mages get to them first? What if they’ve locked up in some horrible dungeon, with their brains dissected by their pointy horns--?!” “Thank you for volunteering, Hunk,” Hitch spoke. “You’re wel—Wait, what?!” Hunk screamed. In a matter of seconds, Hitch shifted into his larger form and hoisted Hunk atop his back again. “Wait, wait, wait, wait! I’m not a cop; I’m just the engineer! I can’t just leave the town!” “And I can’t leave without backup. Need I remind you that you were one of the strongest elves back in the academy. You passed your physicals with high honors; who else could lift five boxes of Canterlogic gadgets?” “Actually, it was ‘seven’. One was the prototype Splatter-pult hook—” “That settles it. We’re off!” “Whoa, hey! I didn’t agree to any of this! HITCH!!!!” Hitch completely ignored Hunk’s pleas, as he turned back toward Sprout and James. “Deputy, you and Officer James both stay here while Hunk and I are off dancing with danger.” “I don’t like dancing!” Hunk argued. The poor elf still tried so hard to get out of this predicament he clearly had no business in. Even if he were worried for his friends, being the ‘biggest’ and ‘strongest’ did not compensate for matters he ‘still’ struggled with growing up. Nevertheless, Hitch continued his instructions. “Keep everybody calm, maintain the peace, be a pillar of strength—Oh, who am I kidding? James, make sure he doesn’t try to start a war while we’re gone.” “You can count on me, mon capitaine,” James sarcastically saluted. Hitch kicked the doors open and galloped off into the night, with a screaming Hunk clutching tightly onto his mane. “Loosen that grip, Hunk!” Hitch called out. “You’re an officer tonight!” “In my mother’s dreams!!!” Hunk screamed. All the while, Sprout stood there when the doors closed on his face. “Oh, everybody looooves Hitch!” Sprout complained. As if Hitch’s popularity wasn’t bad enough, Sprout also had to deal with that tacky calendar that had pictures of Hitch. One in a sleek police uniform, looking all cool and handsome… oh, how Sprout hated the way that pony managed to get all the attention. With the ponies and elves, with the ladies, with animals, with kids, with the elderly… everyone. “Maybe if you actually put in the effort to do your job once in a while, I wouldn’t have to babysit you like a school filly on holiday,” James remarked dryly. “What does he have anyway?” Sprout asked. “Great mane, shredded pony abs, paid off mortgage—” James counted his fingers. “So what?!” Sprout sputtered. “I’ve got stuff too! I can do… things.” “Sure you can, bro. Face it ‘beansprout’, the only reason you even became a Deputy in the first place is because your mother ‘asked’ our previous Sheriff to give you a job… well, more like a demand… well, more like had that henchman of hers ‘implore’ him to reconsider your rejection.” “Right, because you’d make it so easy, Jimmy! Why didn’t you just ride off into the sunset with Hitch and get that criminal elf yourself?” “Why do you have to do that to me? Make me look like I’m ‘weak’ compared to Kogan… I am not weak! Because unlike some elves, instead of running around aimlessly knowing those mages and unicorns can ‘misdirect’ their trail from us… I’m choosing to be ‘smart’. Which is more than you’ve ever done; how we even formed the bond I’ll never know.” “I so could! Like… um…” Sprout kicked the wall, making the calendar fall to the floor. “And that!” He kicked the top filing cabinet, which opened up the bottom cabinet. “And… that!” He kicked the bottom cabinet, only for the top half to open and strike the back of his head. As Sprout grunted in frustration, he noticed James cleaning Keith’s desk. “What are you doing?” “If I know Keith, he’s either going to be captured… or killed… maybe both,” Keith explained. “Since the elf’s kicked the bucket, might as well get rid of ‘all’ his stuff. Pictures of Sunny, his stupid country music CDs—who still uses CDs? His collection of headbands, I mean really what’s up with that guy and headbands? The greasy bangs weren’t enough of an emo hippie look?” Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Phyllis Cloverleaf galloped inside in a panic. “Where’s Hitch? Earth folk all over town, they’re terrified! They want answers!” “He went after his ‘whittle Sunny-Bunny’!” Sprout mocked. He started batting his eyelashes and laid his hooves beneath his chin, performing a ‘poor’ imitation of a smitten schoolgirl. He blew on his lips, shaking his head. “Another solo Hitch mission,” James translated, from overhead. “It’s just going to be us today.” Phyllis paused for a moment; the corner of her mouth turned upwards. Hitch Trailblazer… ‘gone’. Everybody in town losing their minds over a potential unicorn and mage attack. Sure, it was merely drumming up business for Canterlogic, but still she needed ‘someone’ to keep the peace… or in this case some ‘pony’. A pony who’d have the others, including the elves, practically climbing over each other for their own anti-mind reading helmets and splatter-pults. Some ‘pony’ that could turn to, strong, a confident physique, and a calm, collected mind… But Hitch wasn’t here, so she’d need to settle for her son… ‘Sprout’. Least with Phyllis giving him all the encouragement he needed, and James as his ‘wing elf’, they could protect the town from the looming threat… maybe even prevent the threat ‘before’ it happens. “Sugar cube, why the Sprout pout?” Phyllis cooed, cupping her son’s chin. “That’s great news!” “It is?” Sprout questioned. “It is?!” James asked. He poked his head from behind Keith’s desk, tossing the stand with his name on it into the trash bin. Phyllis proceeded to pick up one of Hitch’s extra sheriff badges sitting on his desk. “Of course it is!” Phyllis continued. “It means that you… are… the sheriff. At least for now.” “I am?” Sprout asked. It took him a couple seconds until the realization dawned on him. “I… am!” “Oh, boy. There goes the neighborhood,” James muttered. “Hitch’s not going to be happy when he hears what’s going on behind his back.” “You just leave Hitch to me, Jim dear,” Phyllis smiled. “Besides… I have an extra ‘special’ job for you.” “… What?”