//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: Why not? Sure. I'll Marry You. 
// by HAKDurbin 
//------------------------------//

Hitch and Pipp wandered around town, trying to decide what to get for lunch. Each restaurant looked more attractive to Pipp than the last. Half the time, she was distracted by ponies expressing joy to see her in person. When Pipp found Maretime Bay had a trolly, she begged Hitch to ride it together. Her pleas made her look like a spoiled little filly, but Hitch was glad she enjoyed seeing his town. 
 Eventually, as they rode the trolley, they found a grilled cheese sandwich stand and decided to grab food there. When the owner of the stand, an earth pony, saw them coming, he let out a high-pitched squeal and began rambling about how many times he had listened to Pipp's music since his friend, a pegasus, introduced him to it. Pipp laughed and said yes when the owner asked for a picture. He offered to have their lunch be on the house, but Pipp politely refused, not wanting to keep her fan from earning money for his business. 
After Hitch paid, they took their sandwiches and chips bags and headed to the station. The seagulls and the crab were sleeping on the sign, having gotten drowsy from waiting for Hitch to come back. Pipp "awww"ed at the sight of the critters and took a picture on her phone right before the critters woke up. The seagulls chirped, and the crab clapped its claws at the sight of Pipp. The seagulls flew down with one of them carrying the crab and landed in front of Hitch and Pipp. Pipp knelt before the critters, still taking pictures as she smiled at them. 
"Hello, little ones. Aren't you just the cutest?" Pipp greeted. "What are their names?"
Hitch's eyes widened and he looked away with a sheepish grin as he said, "You know, now that you mention it, I haven't given them any names."
"What? How could you have these little cuties around when you are at work and don't have names for them?" Pipp asked. 
"It just never crossed my mind,'' Hitch said. "Truth be told, they're not my pets or anything like that. There's just something about little creatures that just drives them to want to be around me. I'm practically a magnet."
Pipp tilted her head and rubbed her chin, puzzled. 
"Well, I guess that makes sense. I mean, Cloudpuff was immediately taken with you at the wedding, and that doesn't normally happen," Pipp said.
"Cloudpuff? Hitch asked. 
"Our family dog. The one who was the ring bearer," Pipp explained. "He's always been such a friendly puppy, but the way he was excited when you got on stage - that's not like him when meeting new ponies. In fact, he seemed rather ecstatic when I talked Mom into making our marriage legal."
"Really?" Hitch asked, earning a nod from Pipp. "Well, then, I guess Cloudpuff makes an excellent example."
"I guess so," Pipp giggled. "Anyway, let's get inside before our sandwiches get cold."
Hitch nodded, and they headed to the station entrance with the critters following. When they went inside, Hitch found Sprout leaning against his chair, snoring with his head facing the ceiling and an empty pizza box on his desk. Hitch huffed and shook his head before he put his food on his desk and looked for a folded chair. 
"Is that Sprout?" Pipp asked.
"Yup," Hitch answered with disappointment and his voice. 
"Oh. Zipp mentioned something about Zoom needing to keep an eye on a deputy whenever you visit me. I'm guessing this is an example of why?" Pipp asked. 
"Yep. If you don't count the critters, it's just Sprout and me upholding the law," Hitch answered. "Sprout, however, tends not to take his job particularly seriously even if you take away his prejudice."
"What do you mean?" Pipp asked. 
"He tends to loaf around more than anything," Hitch explained as he set a chair at the side of his desk. "He'll do some paperwork or do assignments when I tell him to, but he'll be very reluctant."
"Why is he still your deputy even though he doesn't really do his job?" Pipp asked. 
"Because we've been friends since we were colts, and there aren't any other ponies interested in being a deputy. Not like Sprout anyway," Hitch said before he bit his lip. "Also, I feel compelled to keep an eye on him because of his prejudice."
"Oh," Pipp said, slightly taken aback, before turning to Sprout. "I guess that makes sense. It's my understanding that Maretime Bay has the most ponies who are still opposed to the unity between all three pony kinds. No offense."
"None taken," Hitch said as he cleared the papers on his desk. "Anyway, shall we dig in?"
Pipp's cheerful demeanor returned, and she nodded before sitting on the folded chair. Hitch opened his bag of chips while Pipp undid the wrapping around her sandwich. As soon as she took a bite of her sandwich and let out a pleased "mmm" as soon as the warm cheese and toasted bread touched her tongue. She slowly chewed with her eyes closed before she swallowed and immediately took another bite. 
"Oh, my, glitter, this is so good," she said with her mouth full. "Either I just haven't eaten grilled cheese in forever, or this is the best grilled cheese ever made."
"Heh. I don't know about the best ever made, but I do know that Cheddar Biscuit knows how to make some pretty good cheese sandwiches," Hitch said.
"Do you go to that stand on your lunch break?" Pipp asked. 
"Occasionally. It depends on what food I'm feeling or if I don't bring my lunch," Hitch said. "It's Sprout who's always consistent. He always orders at the same place and eats it all without breaking a sweat."
"Seriously?" Pipp asked as she turned to the empty pizza box. "He ate that entire pie while you were gone?"
"Pretty much," Hitch said. 
Pipp shook her head in disbelief as she stared at the sleeping Sprout. 
"Unbelievable. He doesn't look like someone who eats so much pizza," she said. "I am a little jealous of his metabolism."
"Yeah, that's probably one thing you can count on Sprout doing while on duty," Hitch said. 
Pipp hummed in acknowledgment before taking another bite of her sandwich. For a couple of minutes, Hitch and Pipp ate in silence, with Hitch finishing his chips and getting started on his sandwich. Pipp had a few bites of her sandwich left before she stopped and glanced at Sprout again with unease. 
"So, why is Sprout still prejudiced against unicorns and pegasi?" She asked. 
Hitch furrowed his brow and put down his sandwich. 
"I think it has to do with this upbringing," he said. "You see, he was raised by his mom, Philis Cloverleaf."
"The mare who was making all those contraptions to combat unicorns and pegasi?" Pipp asked. 
"The very same," Hitch answered. "Mrs. Cloverleaf was very passionate about protecting earth ponies and ensuring they were prepared in case of an attack from other ponies. I guess you could say following her example was Sprout's motivation to be an enforcement of the law despite the fact that he puts so little effort into it. I think it's fair to say that, even if Mrs. Cloverleaf has accepted there's nothing to be afraid of, Sprout has been raised with so much claim of danger against him and his fellow earth ponies that it will probably take a miracle for him to open up."
Pipp frowned and gave the snoring Sprout a look of pity. She understood not letting one's guard down after years of believing earth ponies were unintelligent creatures and unicorns were all-powerful menaces. Even so, the idea of ponies still hating ponies who weren't their race despite the joy of all three pony kinds united made Pipp's heart ache. It reminded her that no matter what she did as a public figure, she couldn't make all ponies and Equestria happy, no matter who they were.
Suddenly, Sprout let out a loud snort and yelped as he jumped as though somepony put several volts through his body. He leaned against his desk and groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He lifted his head to see Hitch glaring and saluted, sitting straight. 
"I didn't sleep, Hitch!" Sprout exclaimed. "I've been working on my paperwork just like you said! No one drop of pizza grease is on a sheet of -"
As Sprout made his excuse, he noticed Pipp from the corner of his eye. He froze up, and the blood drained from his face,  turning it into a pale shade of red. Before Pipp opened her mouth to greet Sprout, Sprout let out a high-pitched scream and hid under his desk. He rushed to get under so fast that he rammed his head against the desk's back support. As Sprout rubbed the top of his head, he looked behind to find Pipp crouching with a worried face. 
"Are you all right?" she asked. 
Sprout yelped again and tried to move further away from Pipp, but he could barely fit underneath the desk. Pipp crouched down further and stretched her hoof to Sprout, but the gesture scared him even more. 
"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," Pipp said as though she were talking to a frightened little critter. 
"Y-yeah. S-s-sure. Right. You're just waiting for me to let my guard down before snatching me up and taking me away. I know you're part of the Royal Family and that you can fly," Sprout whimpered. 
 Pipp frowned and rolled her eyes, half tempted to reveal that she, Zipp, and Haven couldn't fly. 
"Now, why would I do a thing like that?" she asked. "For that matter, what's so scary about a pegasus grabbing a pony and carrying them up in the air? Are you afraid I will send you to the moon or something?"
"M-m-maybe," Sprout stuttered. 
"Sprout, come out of there. You're not in any danger. Quit acting like a baby," Hitch rebuked as he got off his seat and walked over to stand next to Pipp.
"But she suggested taking me up to the moon!" Sprouts protested. "She obviously wouldn't have said that if she had if she hadn't done that to anypony before!"
Hitch and Pipp looked at each other with unamused looks like annoyed parents struggling to teach their foal a lesson. Pipp turned back to Sprout and sat down on her front completely as she gave him a comforting smile. 
"Sprout, has there ever been a point in the history of Equestria where a pegasus snatches some pony and takes them to the moon?" She asked. 
Sprout stopped shaking and paused momentarily before stuttering, "N-no."
"Has a pegasus ever been known to fly to the moon?" Pipp asked. 
"Well, no, but maybe you can take somepony to the moon, and you just don't know it because you never tried," Sprout said.
Pipp tilted her head with a befuddled face and spread her wings as she said, "Are you messing with me? Look at my wings. They're so light and poofy. Do they look like they can carry other ponies into the air besides me? The sky is so high up that no pegasus can even come close to reaching the moon. They tire out before they even make it to the atmosphere back when there was magic."
"You don't know that," Sprouts said. 
"Don't I? I'm one of the few pegasi that can fly. Remember?" Pipp countered. "Our wings are part of our bodies and they can tire from flapping just as easily as somepony can get tired from running. My mom, sister and I don't even like to fly except for my concerts and things like that. If those are the only times you have ever heard about the three of us flying, then you're obviously in no danger at all."
Sprout's shaking died down until his body became completely still. Hitch tilted his head, unsure of whether or not to be hopeful, then his eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he saw Sprout rubbing his chin in thought. In all the years Hitch had known Sprout, he had never seen his friend take a moment to consider anything. He always wanted Sprout to change for the better, especially when all three ponykinds made peace, but deep down, Hitch thought there were better chances of lightning striking the same spot twice or the air turning into gold. And yet, with this one moment of kindness and patience, Pipp was helping Sprout realize he was in the wrong. 
"I…I've never thought of that," Sprout admitted. "You really can tire from flapping your wings?"
"Of course, I can. Heck, if you ask literally any pegasus whether they can fly or not, I bet my tiara that they would say the same thing." Pipp said. "Now, come on. Get out of there. You look silly huddled under your desk like that."
For a moment, Sprout remained still. Then, he slowly moved away from his desk with his eyes still on Pipp like a wild animal unsure to accept whether a stranger was friendly or dangerous. Finally, Sprout stood up, facing Pipp, who looked at him with another friendly smile. 
"There, that's better," she said as she extended her hoof. "My name is Pipp. Nice to meet you, Sprout."
Sprout hesitated again before he held out his hoof with an uncomfortable grin. Pipp's smile grew as they shook hooves. When they parted, Pipp turned to Hitch, who was still staring with his mouth hanging a gape. She couldn't help but snicker as Hitch snapped out of it and turned to Sprout. 
"Right," he began, clearing his throat. "Now that we have that out of the way get back to your paperwork, Sprout."
"Yes, Hitch," Sprout said half-heartedly. 
Sprout threw the pizza box in the trash bin and went back to writing his report while Hitch and Pipp returned to Hitch's desk and continued their lunch. As Hitch ate his sandwich, he saw Sprout glancing at Pipp. The deputy looked at her in amazement as though she had given him philosophical knowledge that blew his mind. Sprout noticed Hitch looking at him from the corner of his eye and cleared his throat as he went back to his paperwork. Hitch looked between Sprout and Pipp, more amazed by Pipp's incredible deed. He scooted his chair to Pipp and leaned his head toward her as she ate her chips. 
"Your Highness, you are a miracle worker," Hitch whispered. "I can't believe Sprout even listened to you, much less accepted your logic."
Pipp giggled before she swallowed and leaned her head closer to Hitch. 
"To be honest, I'm surprised too," she said. "Zipp's the voice of reason between the two of us sisters. I guess his fears were so ridiculous that I couldn't help but describe in detail how completely outrageous they are."
"Evidently," Hitch said. "Regardless, you have given me a shred of hope with Sprout getting rid of his prejudice, and for that, I am in your debt as Sprout's employer and friend."
"In your debt? That's a little over the top," Pipp chortled. 
"Maybe, you still made massive progress. I may grow more comfortable with leaving Maritime Bay to visit you. Or, at the very least, Sprout might not be too much trouble for your guards."
"Hmmm. Is that so? Pip asked, rubbing her chin with a smirk. "Well, when you put it like that, then I guess you are totally in my debt. And I have a few ideas on how you can fulfill that debt."
"Oh, dear. What do you have in mind?" Hitch asked. 
Pipp let out a mischievous giggle and said, "Don't worry. I'm not planning anything cruel or sinister. And I don't plan on making you do anything right now. You're just going to have to wait and see. In the meantime, let's finish our lunch already, and then you can show me what you do here at the station when you're on duty."
"Are you sure you want to see that?" Hitch asked. "I'm just going to be filing paperwork. It's nothing exciting."
"Maybe, but I'd like to watch," Pipp said. "After all, the main purpose of this visit is to get to know you. Worst case scenario, I can just be on my phone, and we can do something else when you're done."
"All right, suit yourself," Hitch said. 
In a few minutes, Hitch and Pipp finished their lunch and rested against their chairs, satisfied. Pipp threw the bags in the trash bin while Hitch took out his pen from the drawer and his phone and headphones from his satchel. Pipp's eyes lit up as she saw Hitch take out his headphones and plugged them into his phone. 
"You listen to music while you work?" She asked. 
"Oh, yeah," Hitch said with his cheeks turning pink. "I, uh, might have developed a…habit of listening to your music while I'm filing paperwork."
"Awww. Really?" Pipp asked with her hoof on her heart. 
"Yeah, I meant it when I told Presto I became a fan at the wedding," Hitch said, scratching his head.  
"Hitch, that's so sweet," Pipp said. "Do you mind if I listen with you while you work?" 
"How can we do that? There's only one set of headphones," Hitch asked. 
"Leave it to me. I always come prepared for something like this," Pipp said with pride. 
She reached into her wing and took out a little device with the tip of it split into two directions. Hitch gave the device a puzzled look as it looked like somepony had cut the end of a set of headphones off the cord, removed the jack (or the plug,) and split it down the middle. Pipp covered her mouth to hide another giggle as she watched Hitch. It was cute how her husband saw more of the world of technological advancement he had never known.
"It's a splitter. You plug it into the phone, then plug two headphones on the two ends, so two ponies can listen to the music simultaneously," Pipp explained. 
"Really? It can do that?" Hitch asked. 
"Of course, it can. This is something that the pegasi have had for many moons," Pipp said. 
Hitch looked at the branch and then at Pipp before he smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Yay!" Pipp exclaimed. 
She disconnected Hitch's headphones and plugged the splitter into them. She then took out her headphones from underneath her wing, and then she and Hitch plugged their respective headphones into the splitter. The two of them looked at each other, smiling before Hitch opened Amplify and randomly selected one of Pipp's songs. 
As the song played, Pipp's smile grew and she began humming to her song while Hitch began writing. A few minutes into the song, Hitch glanced at Pipp, and the edge of his mouth curled up before returning to his paperwork. Even though he couldn't hear her humming because of his headphones, he was glad that Pipp was enjoying herself while she looked over his shoulder to watch him work. Hitch looked up at Sprout, who didn't look disturbed by Pipp's singing as he wrote his report, and his smile grew as he grew more hopeful that Sprout may change his ways.