A Summer Night in Zanzebra

Sunday Morning

“Good morning, Ajagara,” was the first thing I heard, before any of my other senses had decided to work. As my mind started functioning again, I realized that Moonlight had said that, and she was right next to me, in the same place as she was the night before. Only this time, her curvaceous figure was hidden by a thin, oriental patterned blanket. Even so, her eyes lit up like torches in the light of the early morning sun.

I greeted her with a brush through her blue mop, followed by a kiss on her forehead. “Good morning to you.”

From the opposite side of the bed, I felt a strong hand curl around my claws. I looked over to see Siva Afi. She wasn’t under the covers, rather, she was laying on top of them, clad in one of my t-shirts and nothing else. I wondered if she was trying to be sexy for me, or she was just too tired to get out of it and slip into bed last night. “Hi,” she squeaked, chipper as ever.

“Hell of a night, huh?” I asked.

I held my free hand to my head. Another question came to my mind, one that I couldn’t easily ignore: what was last night? Hell, forget that, what was yesterday? I recalled waking up in the spring, greeted by the sounds of chirping birds and crashing waves. I had taken in the moment, briefly, before turning to the hybrids wrapped around me and relishing in their attention. They didn’t let me go for even a second, even as we returned to Zecora’s cabin. We could barely keep our clothes on before we fell into bed together, where we spent the rest of the day… fucking. Yeah.

And was that it? We didn’t do anything else? We didn’t talk? We didn’t go outside, see the sights of Zanzebra? We didn’t do anything but fuck, aside from the occasional bathroom or snack break? Celestia… I spent all of a beautiful Saturday in this bed? I didn’t deny that it was incredible, but…

I felt Siva’s lips close on my dorsal fin once again, her hot breath spilling out onto my cheek. But I didn’t feel the same tingle as I did before. Her mouth didn’t feel as appealing as before. I remained flaccid as she wrapped her arm around my neck. I couldn’t even blush when Midnight touched my chest, trailing her touch down on my body…

I raised my arms and gently pushed Siva and Moonlight away, getting out bed to reach for my buckskin wrap. “I’m sorry… You’ve both gotta go.”

As Moonlight opened the door, she turned to me and Siva, an uncertain expression on her face as she adjusted her tribal dress.

“I’m sorry if we did something to offend you, Spike…” Siva said, her ears drooping. She bowed slightly, looking ashamed, even though she had absolutely nothing to even be ashamed of.

I gave her a hug. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I had a great time.” As I released her, I held her blouse covered shoulders and offered a smile. “I just need to think for a little while, okay?”

“As you wish,” Moonlight replied. I was relieved to see that she and her friend didn’t have a trace of ill will towards me for politely kicking them out. I still felt like a jerk for doing so, but at least they understood. “Come by the cabana before you leave the island, okay? Mojitos, on the house. We can talk some more then.”

Siva’s frown disappeared, much to my approval. She returned my smile and said, “I have a new fire dance in the works, I would love for you to see it.”

“Both of those offers sound awesome. I promise I’ll take you up on them. Just, uh, I can’t promise anything for a while.” I wished I could tell them what I was feeling, but it was hard when even I couldn’t really comprehend it. I needed to talk to somepony about this, somepony with a poetic understanding of emotions. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Siva hugged me one last time and skipped outside into the sunlight. Moonlight blew me a kiss before shutting the door behind her. So, for the first time since I arrived in Zanzebra, I was finally alone.

Well, for the moment. It took a simple stroll into the living room to see I couldn’t be left to myself for long. But I was perfectly okay with seeing Zecora. She was clad in a silky purple and black robe. With her mane down and her golden rings removed, she looked more like a soothsayer and less like a tribal alchemist. I liked the look. “Good morning to you, and this pleasant day,” she said, turning her head up from a book of recipes. She cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? Does an internal conflict have you grey?”

I assumed by ‘grey’ she meant ‘confused and uncertain,’ and that was definitely the case. “I just need somepony to listen to me,” I say, taking a seat next to her on the couch. She put her book aside immediately, placing both her hands on her lap and looking my way. That alone made me feel much better, but I still had to get something off my chest. I just needed to figure out what that something was. “So, like…” I kneaded my forehead, trying to find the right words. “Have you… ever had one of those dreams that was, like, your perfect fantasy?”

“Sometimes,” Zecora said, “but the fantasy is fleeting, for soon I am taken by real life’s greeting.”

“Exactly!” I pointed at her. “I’ve had dreams like that my entire life. I end up in some sort of utopian situation where I can do nothing but feel fulfilled and happy. But, before I can get a grip on exactly what about the dream even is, and what makes me so happy about it, I wake up, and carry on with my life.”

Zecora nodded. “But a fantasy is something one cannot claim; that is why it is referred to by that name. Forever a fantasy must it remain, lest it be nothing other than plain.”

I nodded back at her, slumping back on the couch and holding my arms in the air, using them to emphasize my words. “See, I told you I’ve had a small dry spell. Over the last few months, I began having dreams of mares or stallions throwing themselves at me, lavishing me with affection, riding me wild, having unapologetically depraved sex unlike anything the world had ever seen, never stopping until we were entirely spent, but even then, it wouldn’t be long until we were going at it again like crazy. I felt so good in those dreams, like I had my masculinity back.” I stopped ranting, taking a breath and relaxing my arms. “So when Siva and Moonlight pounced on me, I felt good… great. More than myself. And… it didn’t last.”

Zecora stared at me. She looked interested, if a bit neutral about my situation.

I continued. “I quickly realized this morning that I didn’t like my own fantasy. I was tired of it. I was tired of the constant orgasms, never having a moment to do anything other than moan or gasp or thrust or… you get the picture. Siva and Moonlight, they’re both gorgeous, both incredibly talented, and they’re very nice to boot, but they don’t have something that everypony I’ve brought to bed with me before has.”

Zecora lowered her head, still looking at me. “Mmhmm?”

I touched my index claws together. “Sweetie Belle and I, when we had our weekend together a while back? We did more than have sex. I mean, there was a lot of sex, but there was more than that, even when it happened. We talked. We let our guards down and got real with each other. We cooked together. We played together. It was tender and sweet and fun. It wasn’t about the orgasms, it was about being with each other and just getting to know each other better. Orgasms were just chocolate chips on an amazing ice cream sundae.”

My whole body felt a little warmer when I recalled Sweetie Belle telling me she loved me, and I said it back… I really meant it. We both knew we weren’t going to leave the hotel as a couple, but the love was still there as we explored each other’s bodies in the candlelight.

“It’s the same case with all of my other usual partners. I know them. There’s a connection. And it only gets stronger every time we make love, because we do so much more than that.”

Zecora was absolutely beaming at me. “Well, it seems you’ve found elation. There is nothing quite like a morning revelation.” She held her arms out, offering me a hug.

I chuckled, my earlier doubts already leaving my mind. Now, with my heart beating quickly and my lips curling, I threw myself around Zecora. I felt a little red on my cheeks as my chin brushed her breast, which was especially odd; after all I’ve been through this weekend, I was actually getting sheepish about something as mild as that? I assumed this ‘morning revelation’ came with a bit of newfound humbleness.

But a bit of humbleness didn’t stop me from looking into Zecora’s forest colored eyes and saying, “If anything else happens during this vacation, I want you to be there, because I know you, and I really care about you.” I thought back to Thursday morning, my smile becoming a little goofier. “And I had a lot of fun when we…”

Zecora playfully shoved her palm into my face and pushed me onto my back. She stood up and walked down the hallway, stepping out of sight. “Spike, oh Spike, you’re such a fool. For how long over my body will you drool?”

I threw my hands up in defense. “Hey, now. You know I care about so much more than your body.” I stood up and headed off after her. “You know you’re poetic, and smart, not to mention how helpful you were when I hit puberty. I wouldn’t have survived without your alchemy or your—” Whatever I was going to say died coming out of my mouth.

Turning into Zecora’s room, I was treated to an amazing sight. Her exotically striped body was once again adorned with rings, as well as some new gemstones encrusted jewelry that shimmered in the sunlight peeking through the blinds. A white sling swimsuit covered her large breasts and nethers in a modest, yet elegant display. Frankly, after all that happened, I felt I needed a little modesty.

“An offer to you, I beseech,” Zecora asked, turning her body to examine herself in the mirror. “Perhaps you could join me for a visit to the beach?”

I stood next to Zecora, getting a good look at my handsome self in the mirror alongside her. We looked good together, even if she stood at least a head taller than me. I hadn’t even noticed how broad her shoulders were compared to mine. She truly was a fine specimen, both as a friend and as a mare. “You know I’d love to.”

Zecora took my hand, picked up a bag of beach essentials (Cocoa butter, towels, snacks, a tropical umbrella) in the other, and lead me out the door.

Even the colorful, natural beauty of this island wasn’t a match for the zebra next to me. As we walked along the trail to the beach, talking and laughing, I reflected on how odd it was; it took me coming all the way out here to realize what I truly needed was right in front of me the whole time.

But, hey, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to enjoy myself.