//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 
// Story: Why not? Sure. I'll Marry You. 
// by HAKDurbin 
//------------------------------//

Hitch, Pipp, Zipp, Haven, and the royal guards walked as though they were the center of a parade until they reached the elevator to the Zephyr Heights castle grounds. Hitch sighed in relief as they entered the elevator, thinking it was over until Pipp tapped his shoulder and pointed to the glass wall. Ponies were still cheering and waving as the elevator went up, and news cameras were filming them going up the elevator for ZBS to show on the jumbotrons. Hitch muttered, “Oh, come on,” before he turned to the glass wall and waved in the direction of the cameras with the royal family. When the elevator got so high that they were out of view from the citizens and the cameras, Haven sighed heavily and sat on her bottom with her head down. 
“Goodness, I was not prepared for being out there so long,” Haven said. “In hindsight, we should have expected them to want interviews.”
“Yeah, we probably should have,” Zipp said. “But, at least we're done for the day.”
“Thank hoofness for that,” Haven said before turning to Hitch and Pipp. “Not to mention the grand opening of Kegler's bowling alley was a smashing success. Well done, you two.” 
Hitch raised an eyebrow at how Haven made it sound as though she had put him and Pipp on a special assignment without telling him. On the other hand, Pipp smiled, sharing her mother's satisfaction with the opening of the bowling alley. The elevator went up to the castle grounds, and the royal family and the guards began making their way to Zephyr Heights castle. Two guards at the castle entrance opened the doors and saluted as Haven, Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch entered. Haven was a few steps inside before turning to Aurora.
"Thank you, Aurora. That will be all for now," Haven said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Aurora said as she and her fellow guards saluted.
The guards close the doors behind Haven, Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch. The royal family walked down the entrance hall in silence, with Haven still looking like she was getting ready to collapse. Hitch grew awkward by none of the mares speaking or looking at him as they walked. He wondered if it was always like this when the queen and the princesses got home after going out in public for an event. Eventually, Zipp, who was walking ahead of Hitch and Pipp, cleared her throat and looked back at Hitch. 
"So, uh, I hope you like living here, Sheriff," she said.
"Thanks, Your Highness," Hitch said.
Pipp smiled, glad that her sister had the courtesy to be welcoming to her husband, even if it was only to break the ice. 
"Oh, don't be so awkward, Zipp. This is Hitch's home away from home now," Pipp said before turning to Hitch. "We've agreed that as long as we're married, the guards and the staff are to treat you like the prince you unofficially are. Plus, you can go anywhere you like except our bedrooms unless given permission."
"Makes perfect sense," Hitch said.
"Actually, you're also not allowed in the chambers above the throne room or the Zephyr Heights archives," Zipp said.
Pipp’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth before scratching her head with a sheepish grin. In all her eagerness to make Hitch feel comfortable, she forgot about the dressing room above the throne room, where she, Haven, and Zipp set up to pretend to fly.
"Oh, yeah. Those places are big no-nos," she said.
"Why? What's wrong with those places?" Hitch asked. 
"Just don't do it. They're restricted to official royalty," Haven said. "And I'll thank you never to bring them up again, Sheriff Trailblazer."
Hitch tilted his head in confusion. Though Haven didn't scream it or was looking at him angrily, the way she spoke made it seem as though the Zephyr Heights archives and the chamber above the throne room were sensitive topics. Hitch decided to let it be out of respect, yet he couldn't help but wonder what kind of secrets they were hiding. 
They made their way to the throne room, where two royal guards stood in front of Haven's throne, with one of them substituting Zoom as Haven’s secretary. Cloudpuff was cuddled in a ball, sleeping on Haven's throne until his ears perked up at the sound of the doors opening. His eyes opened and he jumped to his feet, happily barking while his wings flap vigorously. Haven smiled sweetly as she sat on her plot and spread her front legs open for a hug. 
“That's right, sweetie. Come to Mommy,” she said. 
Cloudpuff jumped off of Haven's throne and raced toward Haven, Zipp, Hitch, and Pipp. Haven prepared for Cloudpuff to jump into her loving embrace until Cloudpuff ran past her. She stood still, stupefied momentarily, before she turned around to find Hitch on his back and Cloudpuff on top of him, licking his face. Zipp looked at Cloudpuff and Haven, then whispered, “Ouch” to herself as though the puppy had slapped his owner. Pipp, however, put her hoof in her heart and took out her phone from her wing to take a picture. 
“Aw, Cloudpuff missed you,” Pipp said. “He's already accepted you as part of the family. Haven't you, Cloudpuffy-poo?”
Cloudpuff barked happily in response before he went back to licking Hitch. Hitch laughed as Cloudpuff’s tongue tickled him until he saw Haven give him a cold stare. It took him a moment to realize Haven expected Cloudpuff to come to her, and he chuckled nervously as he lightly pushed Cloudpuff off of him and stood up. Haven humphed and turned away with her head held high. 
“Girls, please show the sheriff to his room. I have some paperwork to take care of,” Haven said. 
“Wait, I thought we were having lunch together after the sheriff is settled in his room,” Zipp said. 
“Terribly sorry, darlings, but as you can see, I have a lot of paperwork to attend to,” Haven said. "I'll try to catch up so the four of us can get together for dinner tonight."
Zipp and Pipp looked past Haven and saw a pile of paperwork next to her throne, the height of a full-grown pony's legs. While it was a tall pile, Haven was not known to take all day to handle such an amount. The sisters looked at each other with unamused expressions, silently agreeing that their mother was being childish. Haven walked to her throne without another word, and Pipp huffed before gesturing to Hitch with her head to follow her and Zipp.
Hitch grew uncomfortable again as he followed Zipp and Pipp to a side door and up the stairs, with Cloudpuff cheerfully walking beside him, oblivious to the tension he had caused. The sisters led Hitch to the top floor and took a right down the hall to a pair of glass doors and a datapad. Zipp put her hoof on the datapad, and it scanned her hoof before the doors opened to reveal the bedroom. 
Hitch's mouth dropped at the sight of his bedroom. He couldn't believe this was his room, from the king-sized bed to the ceiling two stories high, to the private bathroom on the left side, to the diamond chandelier hanging at the center. Pipp covered her mouth to hide a giggle while Zipp smirked.
"In case you are wondering, Sheriff, yes. Our bedrooms are more or less like this, too," Zipp said. "Were you expecting a bedroom more like what you are used to?"
"Yeah, kind of. At least with size," Hitch said. "Do you usually need this much space?"
"I do. I like to use my room as a stage for my next gig," Pipp said. 
Hitch turned to Zipp, who shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. I'm an outside girl. I don't need this much space any more than you do. In any case, make yourself comfortable. If you wanna nap or something before lunch, go ahead."
Hitch looked at the bed and suddenly felt fatigued. Apart from Cloudpuff knocking him off his hooves to say hello, Hitch had been on his legs since he woke up that morning. 
"Yeah, a nap would be good right about now," he said.
"Cool. We’ll leave you to it then,” Zipp said.
"Have a good nap, Hitch," Pipp said. "Come on, Cloudpuff. Let's leave Hitch to his nap."
Cloudpuff whined, wanting to stay with Hitch a little longer. Pipp scooped Cloudpuff up and put him on her back while Zipp closed the doors behind Hitch. Hitch dropped his bags on the floor and then plopped onto the bed. He let out an “Oooo” as he was unprepared for how comfy the bed was. He rolled over to his back and let out an “Ahh,” feeling as though the mattress was massaging his back. 
“Oh, yeah. I can get used to this being my second bed,” Hitch said to himself. 
Within moments, he dozed off.








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Hitch woke up to a knock on the bedroom doors. He rolled to his side and saw on the golden clock hanging on the wall that it was a quarter past three. He had been sleeping for almost four hours. Hitch sat up and stretched before there was another knock on the door. 
"Hitch, are you awake? Can I come in?" Pipp asked from the other side of the doors. 
"Uh, yeah, come on in," Hitch said.
He waited a moment as Pipp scanned her hoof on the datapad before the doors opened. Standing next to Pipp was a golden bussing cart with a tray holding two plates covered by lids on top of them. Pipp pushed the cart to the side of Hitch's bed, closing the doors behind her on the way. 
"I thought you might be hungry about now, so I brought lunch in bed for two," Pipp said.
"Lunch in bed? Is that a thing?" Hitch asked. 
"If it wasn't before, it is now," Pipp said. "Far as I'm concerned, you deserve it after having partaken in opening the bowling alley, and that interview dropped on you all right after you got here. Plus, I thought it a good opportunity for us to be alone after a very public date."
Hitch felt his stomach growl, and he chuckled sheepishly.
"You know what? Lunch in bed sounds tremendous,” he said. “What you got for us?”
"Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup to keep you warm after a long journey," Pipp answered proudly. 
"Nice. Did you make it yourself?" Hitch asked. 
"Er, no. I had one of our chefs make it," Pipp answered with a sheepish grin. "I rarely need to worry about food to the point of making it myself. I pretty much just picked what I want the chef to make. Plus, I really liked the grilled cheese we got when I visited you, so I couldn’t help but want to eat some with you again.”
"Ah, I see. Well, let's see what royal grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup taste like," Hitch said.
Pipp giggled as she took the tray off the cart and placed it on the bed in front of Hitch. She then got on the bed with her tray and sat opposite Hitch. Hitch and Pipp lifted the lids from their respective plates, revealing each having a bowl of tomato soup, two grilled cheese sandwiches sliced diagonally, and a spoon wrapped in a napkin. Hitch dipped a sandwich in his soup before taking a bite. His eyes widened as he chewed on the toasted bread and gooey, melted cheese. The edges of his mouth curled up until he heard a clicking sound and saw Pipp holding her phone toward him, trying not to laugh. 
“I'm sorry. I couldn't resist,” Pipp chortled. “Your reaction was so cute that I had to take a picture.”
“Cute?” Hitch asked with his mouth full before he swallowed. “How is a grown stallion supposed to look cute eating a grilled cheese sandwich?”
“I don't know. You just looked like a colt enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich for the first time, and it was so adorable,” Pipp said. “Everypony on Ponygram is going to love this.”
“Wait, you're going to publish that picture online?” Hitch asked. 
“Of course. I love sharing moments of my life and posting them online, and seeing my husband look so cute eating grilled cheese is an opportunity too good to pass up,” Pipp chirped.
“I thought we're supposed to be alone while eating our lunch,” Hitch said. 
“We are. I'm just sending a picture. Not live streaming,” Pipp said. 
Hitch furrowed his brow and asked, “Could you skip a post?”
Pipp looked at Hitch as though he said something strange. Then she saw Hitch acting as though she were about to reveal an embarrassing picture of him from when he was a colt. Pipp looked at the picture on her phone, all set to be submitted to Ponygram with her hoof ready to hit the button. It seemed silly to the active social media celebrity not to publish a picture she knew the Pippsqueaks would adore, and yet she knew she assured Hitch that they would be spending time alone. With a squirm, she discarded the post and turned off her phone before putting it under her wing. 
“Okay, I can skip just one,” Pipp said.
“Thank you,” Hitch said.
Hitch went back to his lunch at ease, smiling as though Pipp never took the picture. Pipp smiled at Hitch enjoying his lunch again, but she was still uneasy with not publishing her picture. She was so used to posting pictures and videos that telling her not to upload something may as well be like telling her not to blink when she needs to. With a sigh, Pipp went back to her lunch, eating at a slower pace than Hitch.
“Hitch?”
“Hmm?” Hitch asked with his mouth full.
“Do you oppose social media?” Pipp asked.
Hitch stopped chewing at tilted his head at Pipp before swallowing.
“What makes you say that?” he asked. “Is it because I don’t want you to post the picture?”
“Yeah, it is,” Pipp said. “Usually, when somepony doesn’t want a picture or video of them posted, it’s because they are against social media.”
“Well, I mean, I’m not prejudiced to it, but it’s not something that interests me,” Hitch said. “I mean, from what I can tell, you’re just posting things and waiting to see if anypony likes it. It’s like a game where everypony is competing to get the most points, except you’re using your personal photos and videos to play the game. Am I making any sense?”
Pipp stared at Hitch, making him worry he broke her brain for speaking of something she loved that way. Then Pipp snorted and moved her head back, laughing while holding her gut with her right leg. Hitch’s ears hung low as he was unsure how to react to her laughter.
“A game to get the most points. I’ve never heard it like that before,” Pipp chortled while wiping a tear from her eye. “I want that to be my Ponyhoof status. I can only imagine the amount of laughing emojis I’d get.”
“Uh, Your Highness, you’re kinda proving my point when you talk like that,” Hitch said. “Do you really not see it that way at all?”
“Neigh way, Hitch,” Pipp said. “If anything, I see what I do on the Canternet as one of the most important things I can do as a princess.”
"Really?" Hitch asked. 
"Really, really," Pipp said, giving Hitch a soft smile. "I know I might appear as a social media addict just posting stuff to get likes and followers, but it's more than that. I love making ponies happy, whether through my music, the things I post online, or what Mom, Zipp, and I do publically as the royal family. If posting a random selfie, giving somepony's content a like, or posting a status lifts up somepony's day, then it's totally worth it. Their happiness is my happiness. That's why I love seeing how uplifted our citizens were during our date, and that's part of why it broke my heart when… things happened at the wedding."
"Wait a minute. You were thinking about your fans when you found out Presto Tetrachord cheated on you?” Hitch asked. 
“Of course,” Pipp said. “I wasn't happy just for me when I thought I was going to marry the perfect guy, Hitch. I was happy that my fans were happy for me. Being in the first interracial married couple in forever means nothing to me. I cared about how I would be happy and how the marriage I thought I would get would light up the lives of so many ponies, and I thought that he felt the same way. That's why I'm happy with how you handled yourself out there, and that's why I decided we should stay married.” 
"Because I’m beloved by the citizens in Maretime Bay?” Hitch asked.
“Exactly,” Pipp said. “Now, I'm not blind. Finding out whether we can work should be the focus of our relationship rather than what other ponies think, but the way you show what a good heart you have is why I've grown to admire you, Hitch."
Hitch's cheeks heated up, and he shyly looked away from Pipp while scratching his leg. It took Pipp a moment to realize what she said, and she looked away, flustered. It wasn’t as though she said she loved Hitch, but she didn’t mean to indicate that she had begun to like him so plainly. After a few seconds, Hitch cleared his throat and timidly turned to Pipp with his cheeks still red. 
"So, you're really glad you married me so far, huh?" he asked. 
"Yeah, I am," Pipp said. 
"And you really think we're gonna be this power couple that's gonna brighten all of Equestria, huh?" Hitch asked.
Pipp turned to Hitch and put her hoof on top of Hitch's with a smile.
"After today, I know we are," Pipp said.
"Well, then I guess the social media stuff makes more sense when you put it like that," Hitch said. "That said, let's not have all of Equestria know when we’re on a date. I don't want watching movies together or eating lunch in bed or at the sheriff’s office to be the only times we can be alone."
"Totally agree,” Pipp said. “Though, it might be a tall order since we’re the most recognizable ponies in Equestria.”
“Hmmm. That’s true,” Hitch said, rubbing his chin. “Maybe there’s a way we can go out without anypony knowing it. We can sneak into the restaurant with the secret royal passageways or reserve the whole place for us. Maybe if we had disguises, we could -”
Pipp let out a gasp and jumped into a standing position, almost knocking her soup out of her tray. Her gasp was followed by a squeal as she flapped her wings happily. Hitch moved his and Pipp’s grilled cheese and tomato soup back as Pipp jumped on the bed.
“Disguises! Let’s go with disguises!” Pipp chirped. “It’ll be like one big makeover for a special night for the two of us!”
“I don’t think disguises and makeovers are the same thing, Your Highness,” Hitch said.
“Maybe not by definition, but they totally go hand in hand here,” Pipp said. “After all, we’re not going to be putting on masks or dye our manes and coats like they do in movies. We still need to look nice on our second date. I can wear a dress that nopony has publicly seen me in, and we can have a tailor make you a tux and a top hat. We’ll have to put on wigs, and I’ll grab a large hat to cover my head.”
“Oooo, if we’re doing fake hair, can I have a mustache?” Hitch asked.  
Pipp stopped bouncing and stared at Hitch as though he spoke gibberish.
“A…a mustache? Why in all of Equestria would you want a mustache?” Pipp asked. 
“Because I’ve always wanted to grow a mustache,” Hitch said before posing like a cool detective. “Davy Bluecoat has the coolest mustache ever. I betcha I would look butch with a brown, bushy mustache.”
Pipp tilted her head as she stared at Hitch. He was looking at her in excitement as though he were a colt, asking his mother to get the toy he wanted from the toy store. Pipp looked away hesitantly, then sighed before giving her husband a reluctant grin. 
“Well, I guess it would help with disguising yourself, so I’ll see what I can do,” she said.
“Yay! I can’t wait,” Hitch said. “You won't regret this, Your Highness. You’re gonna like seeing how handsome I look with a mustache.”
“Uh, yeah, I can’t wait,” Pipp said. “Though if I’m going to take care of disguises, you have to choose the place to go for dinner. And it’s gotta be someplace nice, so we’re eating something other than grilled cheese or spaghetti.”
“That’s fair,” Hitch said. “Anyway, let’s get back to our lunch before it gets cold.”
Pipp smiled and nodded before Hitch moved her tray back to her and they began eating again. As they ate, Hitch looked up at Pipp, who was eating more moderately than before. The edges of his mouth curled as he thought about how passionate she was about making ponies happy, beginning to accept that there was something they could build on to connect as a couple. 
Then his smile faded to a look of unease as he realized he was assigned to find a place for dinner in a city he hardly knew. He spent the rest of the day mentally praying he could deliver a dinner date worthy of royalty.