The Never Ending Sunbeam

Chapters

Chapter Two: The Departure
Chapter Three: When True Love Blossoms....
Chapter One: The Beginning of a "Cliche" Love Story of Two Nobodys

Chapter Two: The Departure

Zephyr Sunbeam opened her eyes to find that she was in a strange room. She sat up in the bed she found herself in and looked around. She hesitantly got out of the bed. She walked around the small room, and she made her way to the door. The door was tall and made of wood, it looked strong and made by somepony who was good with woodworking.

She reached her hand out and pulled on the handle, gently ushering the door open. She peeked out into the long hallway outside the room she had found herself in. The hallway was lined with pictures lined up neatly all in matching frames. Zephyr cautiously walked out into the silent, empty hallway, the door swung closed by itself, and the sound echoed throughout the house.

Zephyr continued to walk down the hallway, looking at the pictures as she did so. There were pictures of a woman, a man, and a young boy. In the pictures, they were all gradually growing older. At one point, the woman disappeared completely from the pictures, and less pictures showed up after that.

The smiles on the man and child’s faces disappeared in later pictures, and when they did smile, it was half-hearted. Eventually, the pictures stopped. Simultaneously, Zephyr tripped and almost fell down a flight of stairs. She reacted as quickly as her tired, sleepy brain would let her, and he spread her wings to hold herself above the ground and to keep herself from falling. She landed gracefully on the next step and continued walking down the stairs, being careful not to trip and fall again.

Eventually, Zephyr reached the bottom of the staircase and she followed the faint sound of voices she heard, and the smell of fresh peaches. She peeked into a doorway to see the man she had met the night before, Peachy Stripes, and an older man. She quickly realized that Peachy had been the young boy in all the pictures she had passed in the hallway upstairs. She glanced at the older man, and realized that he had been in the pictures too. She briefly wondered what had happened to the women, but her thoughts were interrupted when Peachy noticed her standing in the doorway and called her inside.

“Zephyr, good morning.” Peachy said with a shy smile. “Father,” he said tenderly, turning to face the older man. “This is my friend Zephyr Sunbeam.” Peachy said, extending an arm in Zephyr’s direction.

The old man’s gaze followed where Peachy’s arm was pointing until his gaze met Zephyr’s. She stood awkwardly, just looking at them. Peachy jerked his head towards the kitchen as a way to tell her to come in. Zephyr slowly began to walk into the kitchen. “It’s nice ta meetcha. Zephyr? Was it?” The older man asked in a heavy country accent laden with age.

“Yes sir.” Zephyr said with a small nod. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” She said as formally as she knew how to.

“Zephyr, would you like to join us for breakfast?” Peachy asked.

“Ummm, sure.” Zephyr said awkwardly. She walked closer to where Peachy and his father were sitting and she sat down at the spare seat. Peachy gave her a small, shy smile and he turned to pull something out of the oven. He put oven mitts on his hands and pulled out one pan, and set it on top of the stove. Then he leaned down again and pulled out another pan.

Zephyr watched him as she waited for him to get the breakfast ready. “Would you uhh… Would you like anything to drink?” He asked Zephyr.

“Could I please have some water?” She asked, after a moment of hesitation.

“Sure thing.” Peachy got up and after a minute or so of rummaging around the kitchen, he returned to the table with a glass of water for Zephyr. He set it down on the table in front of her. Zephyr thanked him, picked up the glass, and took a small sip.

The three of them sat awkwardly at the table, waiting for whatever it was that Peachy had cooked to cool off. Once it cooled off, he pulled them off the pans with great difficulty and then he put them on plates and served them to Zephyr, his father and himself.

Peachy was about to start eating but his father halted him. “First, we need to thank the goddesses for our food.” He said. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, holding his hands together in front of him.

Zephyr looked at Peachy with a confused glance. Peachy looked back at her and rolled his eyes, copying his father. Zephyr awkwardly tried to do the same thing they were doing. Peachy’s father began praying silently to himself, and Zephyr peeked open one of her eyes to see what Peachy was doing. He sat silently, not making a sound, so Zephyr did the same, waiting for the old man to finish his prayer.

He finished loudly with a, “Thank you Celestia!” and then he began to eat. Zephyr slowly opened her eyes and looked at Peachy and his father. They were both eating, so she figured she could do the same. Before she took a bite, however, she realized that she didn’t know what to call Peachy’s father.

“Excuse me, sir?” She said, directed to Peachy’s father.

“Yes’m?” He said though a mouthful of peach muffin.

“I don’t know what to call you, sir.” She said.

“My name is Apricot Afternoon.” He said. “You can just call me Apricot.” He said.

Zephyr nodded and then she took a bite of the muffin in front of her. She coughed it up almost immediately and Apricot and Peachy looked at her with concerned looks. She looked back up at them and cautiously took another bite of the muffin. “Th-this is delicious….” She said through a mouthful. She struggled to swallow it and coughed a few more times once she got it down.

“Are you alright, Zephyr?” Peachy asked.

“Ummm… Yeah…” She said. She lightly punched her chest a few times to get herself to swallow the monstrosity of a muffin.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Peachy said sadly, dropping his own muffin back on his plate. It was as hard as rock, and it didn’t taste much better either.

Zephyr didn’t want to admit that his cooking was bad, but he obviously knew it wasn’t good. She didn’t want to lie either and tell him that is was good, not after she had coughed it up. “Momma used to do all the cooking before….” He quickly changed the subject. “I took over for her and I never learned how to cook, so I know I’m not very good.” He said.

“Why don’t you let me make something?” Zephyr offered.

“Go for it, anythin’ is better than what this rascal can cook.” Apricot said.

Peachy blushed and looked away from Zephyr and his father. Zephyr got up so she could start cooking. She washed her hands and pulled out a few peaches. She cut them up and mixed them in with the ingredients to make muffins. She poured the batter into a clean cupcake pan. Then she turned on the oven and while she waited for it to heat up, she began to make the tarts. She had never made peach tarts before and had to look at the ingredients to get them perfect.

By the time she had mixed the batter and poured it onto the pan, the oven was preheated and so she put the cupcake pan and the pan with the tarts into the oven. She sat back down in her seat after setting a timer. The three of them sat awkwardly at the table while they waited for the muffins and tarts to finish cooking.

When the kitchen timer rang, announcing that the muffins and tarts were ready, Zephyr got up and pulled on the same oven mitts that Peachy had and she pulled them out. She set them on top of the stove, closed the oven, and pulled off the oven mitts. She rejoined Apricot and Peachy at the table as they waited for them to cool off. “So….Zephyr. Where’d you learn to cook?” Peachy asked, trying to start small talk and make it less awkward.

“My mother taught me before…” Zephyr paused and corrected herself. “When I was little.”

Peachy nodded. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he thought that they could just wait for the muffins and tarts to be done. He admitted to himself that he was excited to try Zephyr’s cooking, but he didn’t want his father or Zephyr to see that.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Zephyr got up to check on the muffins and tarts to see if they were ready to be served. Peachy watched Zephyr as she walked away, smiling as he was unable to keep himself from staring at her wonderful complexion, slowly making his way down to her sweet, plump ass.

Apricot followed Peachy’s gaze and his eyes grew wide. He looked back at his son and hit him over the head. Peachy jerked his hand up to where his father hit him and looked away from Zephyr with a red face. “Ow….” He muttered softly to himself.

Zephyr didn’t realize what had just happened behind her, and she placed one muffin and one tart on each plate and put them in front of Peachy and Apricot and another plate in front of her seat. She sat down, and waited for Apricot to start the prayer again, but he immediately dug into the food, finishing the tart in seconds.

“By golly, that was thee most amazing tart I have ever eaten in mah life.” Apricot exclaimed. Zephyr smiled at him and took a small bite of her muffin.

Peachy stared down at the tart and muffin on his plate. Seeing how his father had gobbled down that tart, he was even more excited to try her cooking, though he did not want to look like a pig and gobble it down like his father had.

For a moment, he stared down at the muffin and tart. He glanced at Zephyr to see how she was eating. He saw how she took small bites and he decided to do the same. He picked up the muffin and he took a small bite out of it, chewing slowly. His eyes grew wide as the flavor erupted in mouth. He quickly stuffed the muffin into his mouth and gobbled it down. Once he swallowed he did the same with the tart.

“Mmm. That was good.” He leaned back in his chair and held his hand over his stomach. “I haven’t anything that good since Momma’s cooking.” He said. Zephyr smiled sheepishly and continued nomming on her muffin. Once she finished her muffin, she asked if Peachy or Apricot would want anymore muffins or tarts.

“Yes please!” Apricot exclaimed.

Zephyr got up, picked up their plates, and walked back over to the stove where the muffins and tarts sat on top of the stove. She gave them each another tart and muffin and then walked back over to the table, handing them their plates. They both ate slower this time, savoring the flavor.

Zephyr finished eating her tart, nibbling on it slowly. She finished it about the same time that Peachy and Apricot finished. Once they were all finished eating, Zephyr got up, took their plates to the sink to wash them.

Peachy quickly got up and went over to the sink. “You shouldn’t have to do that, it was bad enough that we made you cook for us.” He said, standing next to her.

“You didn’t make me, I chose to cook for you.” She said. She reached down and turned on the water so she could wash the plates. Peachy gently grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from the sink.

“Please just let me do the dishes.” He said. Zephyr looked up at him. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but she still had to look up when they were standing this close. She quickly realized how close they were standing, she took a step back and then she also realized that he was holding on to her wrist.

Her face slowly grew red and she slowly released the plate that was in her hand, hoping that he would let go of her wrist. Peachy slowly released her wrist and picked up the plate and began washing it.

Zephyr stood awkwardly for a moment watching Peachy wash the plates. “I ummm….. I should be going now.” She said.

“Oh, alright.” Peachy said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. He paused in his act of washing the dishes and looked over at Zephyr, giving her a shy smile. Zephyr smiled back and her face grew red once more. She tried to hide her embarrassment by covering her face with her hair.

“Ummmm…..” She started.

“Yes?” Peachy asked.

“Could I have a peach or two to take home?” She asked. “Please?” She added after a moment.

“Of course.” Peachy said. “If you don’t mind waiting a little while longer, I can go grab you a few once I’m done with the dishes.” He said.

“Thank you very much.” Zephyr said. “Oh, and ummm…… Do you happen to know where my bag is?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’ll get that when I’m done too.” He said.

Zephyr sat back down at the table while she waited for Peachy to finish washing the dishes. Once he was done, he walked over to her and motioned for her to follow him. Zephyr got up and followed Peachy down the hall. He suddenly stopped and turned around. Zephyr hadn’t seen him stop, so she continued walking and bumped into him.

Peachy gently placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. Zephyr noticed his face grow red and hers did the same. “Zephyr, about last night….” He started.

Before he could continue, Zephyr thought back to what had happened the night before. All she remembered was meeting him and then falling asleep on that cloud. Her face grew even redder than it already was. “Did you…. Did you do something to me?” She asked, her voice full of shock, anger and embarrassment.

“What?! No, of course not!” Peachy exclaimed. “I was talking about when I… When I uhhh…..” His hands loosened on her shoulders and Zephyr shrugged out from under his grip. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, not wanting her to leave. “Zephyr, I’m just really sorry.” He said. He brought her body close to his own and embraced her tightly.

Zephyr couldn’t move or speak. She could hear Peachy’s heart beating as fast as lightning. She could feel her own heart beating quickly as well, and she couldn’t bring herself to pull herself away from him. She closed her eyes and let herself fall happily into his arms.

Peachy quickly released his grip on her. “W-we should go get your back and peaches so you can go.” Zephyr looked up and him and at his bright red face. She could tell he was purposefully avoiding eye-contact with her.

“Yeah.” She said softly with a slight nod. She had only just met this man the night before, but already she felt a strong attraction to him. Peachy continued walking and Zephyr followed him. After a moment she noticed that as she had been following him, she had been holding onto his hand. She quickly let go and clutched her hand to chest nervously.

They walked into a room and Peachy stopped suddenly again, causing Zephyr to bump into him once more. Peachy turned around, “Sorry…” They uttered in unison, which caused them both to blush again. He picked up her bag and handed it to her. “Here.” He said.

“Thank you.” Zephyr said, taking her bag from him.

“I’ll show you out, and we can pick some fresh peaches for you.” Peachy said. Zephyr nodded as she shrugged her bag back on. Peachy unconsciously grabbed her hand again, and Zephyr didn’t protest. She followed Peachy outside of the small, cozy house and once they were outside, he jumped up and grabbed a peach from a low hanging tree branch. He handed it to Zephyr and did the same thing once more, handing her the other peach.

“Thank you, Peachy.” Zephyr said with a smile. Peachy showed her to the gate and pointed the way back to Ponyville. Zephyr thanked him once more and then she took off. After a moment she looked behind her to see Peachy Stripes looking up at her, watching her fly away. She blushed again and another embarrassed smile formed on her lips.

Chapter Three: When True Love Blossoms....

It had been two days since Peachy had seen Zephyr. He could still picture her face in his mind. When he went to bed he thought of her, wishing he could see her again. Peachy sat up in his bed, the memory of her touch causing his skin to tingle. He sighed and brushed his hair back from his face. He pulled himself out of bed, and walked straight to the bathroom so he could take a quick shower before the day started.

Peachy pulled off his clothes and closed the door behind him. He turned on the water as hot as he could stand it. He slowly stepped in and let the hot water run down his body. He lifted his head up toward the water and closed his eyes. His thoughts drifted to Zephyr and he opened his eyes again, not wanting to think about her anymore and hurt his heart. He began to wash himself off with soap, trying to get himself to stop thinking about her, but it didn’t work, she just wouldn’t leave his thoughts.

Peachy sighed and continued scrubbing himself with soap. He finished up quickly and then hopped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his lower body. He quickly ran the towel over the rest of his body to dry off. Once he was mostly dry, he went back to his room and pulled on some clothes. He put the towel up and then went downstairs to see his father.

He saw his father where he usually was in the mornings, at the kitchen table. Peachy walked into the kitchen. “Where’s that friend a yers?” Apricot asked.

“Who, Zephyr?”

“Yeah, that young thing. She was quite the cook.”

“She left, papa.” Peachy said.

“Where to?”

“Back home.”

“Home where?”

“I…. I don’t know.” Peachy admitted. A frown formed on his face and he slumped down into the chair. He rested his head on his hand for a moment, letting himself be sad and depressed.

Without him noticing, his father had stood up, “Cheer up sonny!” He said, clapping him on the back. Peachy lurched forward in surprise and then he stood up.

“I guess I’ll go pick some peaches, that always seems to cheer me up.” Peachy said with a weak smile.

Apricot smiled back at him, revealing all his missing teeth. Peachy led him out onto the front porch and helped him into his rocking chair. Once he was settled, he grabbed a bucket and headed out into the orchards. He began picking peaches in the hot sun, and pretty soon he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

He heard voices coming from the other side of the orchard. For a split second, his spirits were lifted. He thought that maybe Zephyr had come back to see him, but when he turned, he saw it was just his annoying friends, Storm Nutmeg and Apple Grapes.

“Dude!” Storm Nutmeg was shouting. “You won’t believe what we just realized!”

Peachy sighed, “What?” He asked.

Apple Grapes spread his wings behind him to give Peachy a good view, and once he was close enough he said, “One of my wings is smaller than the other one.” He said. “See?”

Peachy looked closely at his wings. “Are you sure? They look the same to me.”

“Come on dude, are you blind? They’re at least half an inch apart.” Storm Nutmeg said, looking at Apple Grapes’ wings.

“I seriously doubt it.” Peachy said. He turned away from his friends and continued to pick peaches.

“What’s wrong? You look depressed.” Storm said, and then muttered under his breath, “Not like I really care….”

Peachy sighed again. “I’m fine.”

“Dude, you’re not fine. Tell The Storm what’s wrong.” He said, emphasizing his own name as if it were significant in some way.

Peachy sighed once more before turning around to see Apple Grapes staring off into the distance, not even caring about a single thing that had just happened, or about anything that was going to happen.

“Well, I met this girl….” He started.

“D’awww, well isn’t that just too cute. You got rejected, didn’t you?” Storm asked with a goofy grin on his face.

Peachy hesitated, “Sort of…..”

“Sort of?” Storm asked. “What does ‘sort of’ mean?” He glanced at Apple Grapes who was still staring off into the distance, not paying attention to them or what they were saying. His wings had curled closed and clung to his sides. Storm and Peachy usually tried not to talk about these sort of things around Apple Grapes, he gets really, really annoying.

Peachy explained to Storm what had happened the night before, as well as the next morning. “Oh, ‘sort of’ makes sense now.” Storm said. Peachy nodded.

Apple Grapes shook his head and snapped out of his trance, or whatever it was that was keeping him distracted. “What happened?” He asked.

“Nothing, you just go back to whatever you were doing.” Storm said. “Why don’t we help Peachy out with his work?”

“You mean picking peaches all day out in the hot sun? No thanks.” Apple Grapes said, and then walked away.

Storm snickered. “I knew that would get him to go away. So, are you alright, dude?” Storm asked.

“Yeah, I just hope I can see her again. Hey, if you ever see her anywhere will you tell her….”

“Tell her what?” Storm asked, slightly confused.

“I guess…. I guess just tell her that I would like to see her again.” He said.

“Sure thing dude. Now, I really don’t want to help you pick peaches, I know that’s your thing, but it’s not mine. No hard feelings; later.” And then Storm Nutmeg turned and left.

Peachy watched him leave and then continued picking peaches. His talk with Storm hadn’t improved his mood very much, so he just continued to pick peaches. “Maybe I should try and go see her later….” Peachy thought. “But I don’t even know where she lives.”

Peachy sighed. “I guess I could try just going to Ponyville and see if I see her there.” He thought as he picked peaches.

* * *

It had been 2 days since Zephyr had seen Peachy. She remembered just about everything about the morning they had spent together, and she wanted so badly to see him again.

She had made plans with her friend, Moon Struck, to meet today and she sat at one of the tables in front of one of the restaurants in Ponyville, a few moments later, a dark gray unicorn sat down at the same table.

"Hey Zephyr. How's it going?" He asked, his voice deep, with a slight hint of a city accent. He gave Zephyr a smile. They had known each other for years.

Zephyr smiled weakly back at Moon Struck. “Good, sort of.” She sighed and looked down at the table. “What about you?” She asked, looking back at him.

"I'm alright. Sort of? Everything okay?" He asked, becoming slightly concerned.

"Yeah, it’s just….” She paused, not completely sure if she wanted to admit to herself, or even Moon Struck.

"Trouble with anypony? Zephyr, you can tell me anything. I'm more than happy to help." He assured her, giving a weak, forced smile.

“No, it’s not that….” She blushed and forced her head further down, trying to hide her small smile and red face from her friend. She took a deep breath for courage and then continued. “I…. I think I have a crush on somepony I met the other day.” She admitted.

Moon Struck smiled at her, this time he couldn't force himself from stopping his smile. "Zephyr, that's amazing," he began, his smile still there, "Is it okay if I ask who?"

“His name is Peachy Stripes. You probably don’t know him.” Zephyr said, her blush growing.

Moon struck withheld his excitement. He wasn't entirely sure though. "Does Peachy? No, I'd better not jump to conclusions, I'll talk to him later." Moon Struck thought to himself.

"I know, him, a couple of friends and I went to the bar a few days ago." He recalled.

“Oh, really? He didn’t seem the kind of guy to go to bars….” Zephyr said. She said and rested her head in her hand.

Moon Struck, who had been standing thus far, pulled out a chair and sat down next to Zephyr. “He’s not really, we pretty much had to drag him along with us.” He explained.

“Oh.” Zephyr said. She turned to face Moon Struck. “So, how have you been lately?” She asked.

“Pretty good.” Moon Struck said. “I haven’t developed any new crushes, but still, I’m good.” He said, causing Zephyr to blush slightly. She took her hand off her chin and placed it her lap where her other hand was. Moon Struck noticed the bruise on her cheek, and his smile quickly faded. “Zephyr...” He said seriously. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?” She asked.

“That bruise on your face.” He said. Zephyr unconsciously bought her hand back up to her cheek, gently caressing the bruise.

“It’s nothing….” She said, knowing that she couldn’t fool Moon Struck.

“Please don’t lie to me, was it that ass hole, Gray Skies, or whoever the hell?” He asked.

Zephyr nodded solemnly, not wanting to say anything. “Damn it,” He was quickly filled with rage, and he whispered to himself, a few seconds passed, “What the fuck is wrong with him!? I ‘talked’ to him once already.”

Zephyr sighed softly. “Moon, it’s really not that bad.” Zephyr said. She put her hand on his arm reassuringly. Moon Struck looked at her and sighed, giving her a weak smile.

“As long as you’re ok, I won’t kill him. But, I swear, if he ever hurts you again….” Moon Struck said. Zephyr smiled at him and pulled her hand back.

“Let’s just forget about it and eat something.” She said. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.” Moon Struck said. A waiter passed by and Zephyr stopped him politely.

“Are you ready to order, ma’am?” He asked.

“Yes, please.” Zephyr said. She and Moon Struck ordered what they wanted to eat, and then the waiter left.

Moon Struck and Zephyr talked about how their lives were going and their past experiences together. When their food arrived, Zephyr thanked the waiter and she and Moon Struck split the check and began eating. They talked as they ate, as many people do.

“So, Zephyr, are you thinking about going to see Peachy again?” Moon Struck asked.

“I would like to, but I don’t know if I can. What if he doesn’t like me?” Zephyr asked worriedly, having already forgotten about when he practically confessed to her.

“What if I went with you?” Moon Struck asked. “To go see Peachy.”

“Would you really do that for me?” Zephyr asked.

“Of course.” Moon Struck said with a smile. “I know him, so it won’t be a big deal.”

“Thank you so much!” Zephyr exclaimed. She jumped out of her chair and hugged Moon Struck. He hugged her back and then she sat back down and continued eating.

“You’re like my sister, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” He said with a smile. Zephyr smiled back at him.

Once Zephyr and Moon Struck had finished eating, they left Ponyville and began walking to Peachy’s farm. They talked as they walked down the road, which slowly turned from sturdy cobblestone, to a seemingly lonely dirt road.

“I don’t remember exactly how I got to the farm.” Zephyr admitted. “I was kind of just wandering around.”

“That’s ok, I’ve been there before so I know where it is.” Moon Struck said.

“Great, thank you so much for coming with me by the way.” Zephyr said.

Moon Struck chuckled. “You’re welcome.”

They continued walking along the dirt road. The sun started setting and was getting sort of dark. Zephyr hoped that Peachy wouldn’t already be asleep. The further she and Moon walked, the more nervous she got.

As they progressed further and further, Zephyr began to walk slower and slower. Moon Struck was soon a few feet in front of her. He turned around to see that she had completely stopped at the sight of the peach trees in the distance. He walked over to her to try to urge her to continue walking.

“B-but…” She protested.

“Zephyr, it’ll be fine, come on.” Moon Struck urged her. She sighed and finally continued walking, though at a very slow pace.

After a minute of dealing with her insanely slow walking, Moon Struck got behind her and started pushing her, minding her wings. “Hey! Moon Struck, what are you doing?” She asked.

“Pushing you, isn’t it obvious?” He asked.

“Stop!” She yelled, spreading her wings and flying above him so he couldn’t reach her. While she was in the sky, she turned and looking in the direction of Peachy’s orchard and saw that he was heading towards them, walking on the same road that she and Moon Struck were on. She froze in mid-air and her wings folded up behind her. She fell and Moon Struck caught her and placed her on the ground.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Peachy….. Right… There….” She managed to choke out, pointing to the path ahead of them. Moon Struck stared at the path for a moment and then, over the hill came Peachy.

“Hey! Peachy Stripes!” Moon Struck called, waving his hand high over his head.

Peachy had been looking down at the ground, his hands in his pocket and his hat pulled down low. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and pushed his hat up, looking at whoever had called for him. Though he didn’t recognize him from this distance, he waved as well.

Moon Struck and Zephyr started walking uphill towards Peachy while he walked down towards them. Moon Struck and Zephyr progressed slightly slower than Peachy, due to Zephyr not being eager to see him.

“Oh, hey Moon Struck.” Peachy said once he was close enough to tell who he was. “Zephyr?” He asked.

“Hi, Peachy.” Zephyr said awkwardly.

Peachy was holding in the urge to scream ‘I missed you!’ and hug her. “Hi, Zephyr.” He said as calmly as he could. “How have you been?” He asked.

“Good.” Zephyr said.

A goofy grin appeared on Moon’s face and he took a step back, pushing Zephyr closer to Peachy. “How have you been?” Zephyr asked him after giving Moon Struck an angry glare.

Peachy didn’t want to lie to her, but if he told the truth, she might ask why he wasn’t good and he didn’t want to explain that to her. “I’ve been good.” He said.

“That’s good.” Zephyr said with a nod. “How’s your father?” She asked.

“He’s well.” Peachy said.

Moon Struck coughed softly. Zephyr turned around. “Is there something you would like to say?” She asked him.

“Zeph, are you gonna tell him about the….” Moon Struck paused and looked at Peachy. “The ‘you-know-what’?”

Zephyr cocked her head at Moon. “What?”

“About Gray Skies?” Moon Struck said, hoping he was hinting to Zephyr but not giving away too much for Peachy.

“No, he doesn’t need to know.” Zephyr said.

Moon Struck noticed Peachy frown and look down at the ground. “I think you should tell him.” Moon Struck said, pointing towards Peachy, hinting at how sad and depressed he looked.

Zephyr turned back to Peachy. She practically fell apart seeing him like this. He looked back up at her, tears in his eyes. “Peachy, Gray Skies is one of my….” She paused and looked back at Moon Struck who was urging her on. She took a deep breath and then breathed out, “Bullies…..”

“Bullies? One of?” Peachy repeated. “Zephyr, is that was that bruise is?”

“You saw the bruise on her cheek too?” Moon asked.

“No, I didn’t know there was one on her cheek, I saw the one on her arm.” Peachy said.

“Zephyr, there’s a bruise on your arm too?” Moon Struck asked. He turned to leave. “That’s it. Last, fucking, straw,” He angrily spoke, it seemed like he was preparing to teleport away, but then he turned back, “Peachy, you take good care of her.” Moon Struck said before teleporting away with a small poof of smoke.

They watched Moon Struck run off and then Peachy looked at Zephyr who was looking at the ground and fidgeting with her hands. He walked closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her hair away from her face and found the bruise on her cheek. He leaned in and kissed it gently.

Zephyr’s face grew red, but she didn’t react other than that. “Zephyr?” Peachy said, his voice cracking slightly. Zephyr turned and looked up at him, her eyes tearing up. “I…..” He started, knowing exactly what he wanted to tell her, but not knowing what to say.

He cleared his throat. “Zephyr.” He started again. “I…. I think I’m in l-love with you.” He said. He looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. Tears began streaming down her face.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Peachy stood there awkwardly for a moment as she stood there crying into him. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her gently as she cried into his chest. He gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

Once her tears had died down and her body had stopped trembling, Peachy asked her what was wrong. “I… I….” She sniffed a few times and wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve never told anybody except Moon Struck about Gray Skies and the others.” She said through sobs.

“Is that all?” Peachy asked.

Zephyr shook her head. Peachy cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as if to ask, ‘what else?’. “I….. I was scared to see you again.” She said.

Peachy seemed hurt by this. “Wh-why?” He asked.

“B-because I…. I thought you might hate me.” She said with a sniffle. She looked up at Peachy, her face streaked with tears and her eyes red and puffy. Peachy smiled down at her sadly and hugged her tighter.

He looked up at the night sky, at how dark it was. It was a new moon and there were hardly any stars out, so it was really dark. “Do you want me to walk you home?” He asked.

Zephyr shook her head, burying it further into his chest.

“Why not?” Peachy asked.

“I don’t want to leave you.” She mumbled into the fabric of his shirt, which was damp and stained with her tears. Peachy smiled sadly again and continued hugging her. He began stroking her tangled hair methodically.

“Do you want to stay here again?” He asked. Zephyr nodded and she looked up at him, her soft, purple eyes large and twinkling like the stars.

“Can I please?” She begged.

“Of course.” Peachy said with a reassuring smile.

“Thank you.” Zephyr muttered, burying her head into his chest once more, sobbing silently.

For a few more minutes, neither of them wanting to move, they stood in the darkness, holding each other. Zephyr silently sobbed into chest, dampening it further, the wetness seeping through his shirt and onto his bare chest, causing him to shiver. Finally, Peachy picked Zephyr up and carried her back to the house.

From fear of falling, Zephyr wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight. They arrived back at the house, Apricot was asleep, and Peachy tried to be as quiet as possible so he didn’t wake his father up. He carried Zephyr up the stairs to the same room she had slept in the last time she stayed here.

“Can I….. Stay with you?” She asked in a soft whisper, her voice cracking slightly, perhaps from nervousness or that she had been crying so much earlier.

“S-sure…” Peachy said awkwardly. He carried her out of the guest room and into his own room, gently laying her down on the bed. He peeled off his damp shirt and donned a clean one. He covered Zephyr in the blanket, and then got into the bed next to her.

Zephyr rolled onto her side so that she was facing Peachy. He did the same so that they were facing each other. He looked into Zephyr’s eyes and he saw just how tired she must be. “Zephyr, you should sleep.” He whispered to her.

Zephyr didn’t respond. She scooted closer to Peachy, and he unconsciously did the same. Soon, they were practically nose to nose. Zephyr was wrapped up in his arms comfortably, and their legs were tangled together. She looked up at him one last time before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Peachy smiled, and he just felt so comfortable here with her. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight.” He whispered. Then he fell asleep as well, clutching Zephyr as close to him as he could manage. He gently stroked her back until he fell asleep as well.

Chapter One: The Beginning of a "Cliche" Love Story of Two Nobodys

Zephyr Sunbeam was sitting on a cloud, crying. A few pegasi had been bullying her and beating her. This wasn’t unusual, the pegasi in Cloudsdale loved to pick on her. She drew in a few rapid breaths and cried as silently as she could. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and buried her face into the soft cloud beneath her.

The soft white fluffiness of the cloud felt good on her red, hot, tear-covered face. She tried to calm herself down by taking a few deep breaths, and she did her best to get herself to stop crying. She looked around her body to make sure there were no visible cuts or bruises.

There was a large dark gray, almost black, bruise on her left arm, but she figured she would be fine going into town, but she might as well grab her bag first. It would be good to change into a shirt with longer sleeves as well, so she could cover up the bruise. She nervously flew back to her house to get her bag and to change. She sat inside for a few minutes, calming herself down a little more. She got herself a glass of water and made her way to the bathroom to clean herself up.

Zephyr stared at herself in the mirror. Her light blue skin was covered in dirt and there were scuff marks all over her, even though she had just washed herself this morning. Her red and yellow striped hair and tail were both matted and tangled. She looked closely at her face, and she could see tear streaks in the dirt in her fur. For a moment she contemplated taking a quick shower before she went out.

She shook her head and her hair flew back out of her eyes and away from the rest of her face. There was a small, light brown bruise on her cheek, but her hair usually covered that area, so she didn’t bother messing with it.

She lifted her arm in front of her so she could look at the bruise she had seen their earlier. It looked really bad, and seeing it made her feel sort of sick; Zephyr didn’t do well with blood or bruises or anything else of the sort. Her eyes wandered around the mirror, looking at different places on her body, eventually settling on her cutie mark. It was a picture of the sun being partially covered by a gray cloud.

She decided she should change into pants or longer shorts as well. Some ponies tended to make fun of her cutie mark. She smiled slightly, remembering how she first got it. She shook her head so her mane covered half of her face again. She brushed out her mane and tail and she wet a rag and washed the dirt and grime off her skin.

Once she was satisfied, she left the bathroom and went to her room to change. Once she had changed, she grabbed her bag to carry what she was going to get while she was out. She grabbed a few bits, what she thought she would need, and she put them into her bag.

She flew out of her house, making sure to lock the door on her way out. She made sure to avoid Mist Fire, Gray Skies, and Dark Cloud; the guys who usually bullied her. She once had a relationship with Gray Skies, but then he became friends with Mist Fire and Dark Cloud, and things between them didn’t end very well.

She sighed slightly and continued flying into Ponyville. She landed near the market and walked along, wondering what she wanted to eat. “I could really use an apple…..” She thought to herself. “Or maybe some peaches. Oh, I could really go for some peaches, they’re so sweet, and juicy…..” She passed an apple vendor and the small country filly smiled at her.

“Howdy! Would ya’ll like an apple?” She asked in a heavy country accent, still wearing that cheery smile on her face. The filly had a yellowish coat and a reddish mane, and she wore a reddish pink bow in her mane.

“Uhh..… Sure.” Zephyr said, giving the little filly a shy, awkward smile. “I’ll take two, please.”

“Sure thing.” The little filly grabbed two apples from the cart behind her and she held them out. “That’ll be ummm….” She turned to look at the sign to see how much the apples were. “Four bits.” She said, turning back around.

Zephyr had already seen the sign, and had four bits in her hand. She held it out to the filly and the filly took the bits, exchanging them with the apples. “Thank you.” Zephyr said as she stuffed the apples into her bag.

The little filly smiled. “Thanks fer stoppin’ by. Ah hope you have a good day!” She called with a small wave as Zephyr walked away.

“You too.” Zephyr giggled slightly at the little filly’s adorableness. She smiled at her and then turned to walk away. She looked around the market, wondering where she would go next. Zephyr sighed slightly, remembering that she had only brought 5 bits, and now she only had one more left, so she couldn’t buy any peaches even if she found some. Even so, she continued to walk aimlessly through the town.

“I would really love to eat some peaches, I wonder where I could get some. I’ve never seen any in Ponyville though. That might be because I’ve never looked though….” She thought to herself. She looked around for peaches, not finding any.

She continued walking, looking around at all the shops, wondering where she was going to find some peaches. After a few minutes she had stopped paying attention the shops and lost herself in thought. She continued walking though, and she had left Ponyville behind her, she was out in the country on the outskirts of Ponyville.

In her head, were memories of her past, and she wasn’t paying attention to the real world. She wasn’t thinking about where she was, or what she was doing, or who might see her. She heard a somewhat high- pitched voice tinged with a country accent calling out.

She snapped out of her thoughts and back into reality, turning towards the sound of the voice. She saw a black young man with yellow stripes all over his black body, almost like a zebra, but of course the coloring was off. He had a red and yellow striped mane like hers, though the brightness and contrast of the red and yellow were very different. He was a pegasus like Zephyr, and he seemed kind of shy as well.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” He asked. He sounded sort of worried, but hesitant. He adjusted his hat so it wasn’t hanging down over his face. He had yellow eyes, they stared at Zephyr with a kindness in them, though his eyebrows were scrunched up in worry.

“Yes. I’m fine.” Zephyr said, a little hesitant to be talking to a stranger after everything she had been through.

“You look hurt, is there anyway I can help you?” He asked.

“Hurt?” Zephyr asked. She remembered the bruise on her arm that she thought she had covered with her shirt. She lifted her arm to look at it, and saw that the sleeve had run up her arm to reveal the large, dark, bruise. “Oh….” She said. “I….. I promise, I’m fine, really.” Zephyr stuttered awkwardly, releasing a small sigh.

She looked at the scene behind the strange stallion in front of her. There was a fence, and behind the fences were big, strong, tall trees with pinkish-orange fruits hanging on the branches. They looked a lot like peaches, perhaps they were peaches. “Ummmm….” Her gaze left the trees and she met the eyes of the stallion in front of her.

“Yes ma’am?” He asked, cocking his head slightly and scrunching his eyes up in curiosity instead of worry.

“Oh, nevermind, it’s silly.” She lifted her hand and waved it like she was shooing the thought away as if it were an annoying fly. She looked back up at one of the trees and at one of the peaches hanging down on one of the branches. It just looked so good, so juicy, so sweet. She was dying to eat one, she had been craving peaches for a long time.

The strange stallion followed her gaze. “Would you….” He paused and looked back at Zephyr. “....like a peach?” He paused again, for just a second, and then added. “Ma’am?”

“I’m afraid I only have one bit.” She said sadly, looking away from the peach and at the ground in front of her, scuffing her hooves softly on the soft, brown dirt. She nibbled on her bottom lip, wondering if she should go back home and get a few more bits so she could buy some peaches.

“I’ll give you a peach for the price of knowing your name.” He said shyly. His face grew red and his eyes darted away from Zephyr and shifted to the ground. “I mean… If you want….” He added awkwardly.

Zephyr looked up and smiled, this was the nicest anypony had ever been to her, except maybe that filly at the apple cart. She trotted happily over to him, “I’m Zephyr Sunbeam. What’s your name?” She asked.

“I’m uhh… My name is Peachy Stripes.” He said, slightly surprised that she had actually told him her name. She smiled at him and he smiled back shyly.

Zephyr giggled a little bit, she was suddenly in a much better mood and she was acting like her old self again. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She said, her big, bright smile never faltering or fading.

For a moment, Peachy thought she was just smiling and being so happy so she could get a free peach, but even after he gave her the peach, she continued to smile and talk to him.

“So you live here and work on this farm?” Zephyr asked, gesturing to the peach farm behind them.

He nodded. “I was just working in the fields earlier, and I saw you walking by. Not many ponies come out to these parts, and so I walked up to the gate to greet you, but then I saw that bruise on your arm..….” He trailed off and turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look into her smiling face.

Zephyr ruffled the feathers on her wings and spread them open a bit to cover it up, which her shirt sleeve wasn’t doing a very good job at. She blushed and averted her eyes from Peachy’s.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I-it’s a long story…..” Zephyr said awkwardly.

“I’ve got time.” He said. Zephyr chuckled slightly. “Would you like to walk around the orchard with me?” He asked.

Zephyr looked up at the sky, it was getting kind of late, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to stay a little longer. “Sure.” She said with a cheerful smile.

Peachy Stripes turned and Zephyr walked alongside him, though slightly behind him. They walked together around the orchard talking and laughing and looking at the beautiful plantation that surrounded them.

The sun was setting behind the trees and they walked, and Zephyr knew that if she went home now, or any later, that she would get jumped by her usual bullies. She tried to hide the fact that she was scared and nervous, but Peachy could still tell.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, looking at her with worry in his eyes.

“N-no, I’m fine,” Zephyr stuttered nervously. She continued to eye the dark sky as it continued to grow darker. She began to get more fidgety and nervous.

“Zephyr, of something is wrong, you can tell me.” He said. They stopped walking and just stared at each other for a moment. Peachy Stripes couldn’t help but notice how romantic the setting they were in was. The sun was setting and the leaves were slowly drifting off the peach trees. He blushed slightly and looked back at Zephyr, who was looking around at their surroundings as well.

“Zephyr…. I know we just met…” Peachy started. He averted his eyes, not being able to keep eye contact with her. “I just… I feel so close to you and… Well……” He paused, not knowing exactly what to say.

“What?” Zephyr asked, looking at him nervously, her face turning a dark red color.

Peachy Stripes didn’t know exactly what to say in that moment, so he just leaned forward nervously and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

Zephyr didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know what to do. She just stared in front of her blankly. “I... I…” Zephyr backed away nervously.

More worry was strewn across Peachy Stripes’ face. He had taken a bold move, and it hadn’t turned out very well. He suddenly got very nervous and scared of what she might do, or what she might think of him now.

Zephyr turned slightly and Peachy saw the slight smile on her face in the fading light and her bright red cheeks. She spread her wings and flew away. Peachy spread his wings as well and followed her up into the sky.

“Zephyr! Wait!” He called. She turned to see him following her, having totally forgotten that he was a pegasus as well. She stopped and landed on a medium sized cloud. Peachy landed on the same cloud once he reached it.

“What is it?” She asked. “I really need to get back home, it’s late.” She stuttered awkwardly.

“I know, I just…..” Peachy stopped and yawned. He sat down on the cloud and Zephyr did the same, also yawning.

“You just what?” She asked after her yawn.

“I just…. I didn’t give you your peach yet” He blinked, and his eyelids drooped so they were almost closed. He yawned again and laid down on the cloud. Zephyr yawned as well, and the cloud just felt so soft and warm. She laid down across from Peachy without answering and closed her eyes. She snuggled into the cloud and fell asleep. Peachy blinked and yawned a few times and then drifted off as well.