The Never Ending Sunbeam

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.