Author's Note

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Happy 2024. Now, before you read this chapter, I just want all of you to know that, in part of this chapter, some of you may think that Zipp is OOC, or Out of Character. I don't mean any disrespect for this character, but I just feel that, in the context of my story, no matter who it is, this character would have a lot of problems that may get in the way of who they REALLY are. That's how I feel Zipp Storm would be like after everything she's gone through in this story.

Also, yes I know this chapter is very late again. Sorry, Christmas was crazy this year, as well as my two jobs. And, I know this chapter is very short, but I just wanted to get something out for you all. I hope you enjoy it.

Also, remember to like, comment, follow and favorite for future updates. And I can guarantee that this year will be when this story comes to an end. I can't say when exactly for sure, but it will come. Thank you all for being here and enjoying what I have given you. Goodnight everybody.

Chapter 24: Zephyr Heights

It had been 3 days now since Zipp’s nightmare incident. Ever since then, she hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep, due to her fear of seeing horrific visions of Lilac Summers, or whatever that demonic thing was. After that last one she had, she almost didn’t want to sleep ever again.

The Royal Family were currently sitting in a waiting style room in the castle. Now, they did have their doctors and some psychologists work for the kingdom. Mainly for the Royal Guards who spent everyday, defending the Royal Family with their lives. It was a good idea for them to make sure their mental health was stable.

For Zipp, Haven decided to contact a psychologist who worked in Zephyr Heights. The rest of the kingdom wouldn’t know and the doctor would keep a promise to keep things confidential between them.

During their waiting, Haven could plainly see how not well Zipp looked. She knew her first born daughter probably wasn’t getting a lot of sleep after her latest nightmare. It scared her to no end to see her like that.

While on the subject of sleep, her and her other daughter Pipp hadn’t exactly slept like geese either. The two of them were worried sick about the mental decline of Zipp Storm. It made them lay awake at night, wondering when the next nightmare would come.

“Zephyrina, I’m glad you agreed to this. I’m so worried about you, sweetie.” Haven said to her firstborn daughter, even caressing her cheek in affection.

“Me too. I’m…I’m really scared.” Pipp Petals said to her big sister, even touching her hoof for comfort.

“I know. I know.” Zipp said, looking terrible. Her mane wasn’t styled like it normally was, her eyes had dark circles, and she just didn’t have a lot of energy. Which scared even her. The pegasus pony who LOVED to fly and do parkour stuff, had no energy to speak of. That’s what sleepless nights can do to you.

After a few more minutes went by, they heard somepony coming. The pony who trotted in was about Haven’s age, probably 5 years younger than her. He had a short black mane with a beige coat, and wore a grey business suit.

“Your highness’s.” He said, bowing to the Royal Family.

“Hello, good sir. You must be Dr. Baxter.” Haven said, extending her hoof to him.

He gladly returned that hoof shake. “Indeed I am. It is an honor to be doing business with you.”

Dr. Baxter then took a look at Zipp Storm. As a psychologist, he took to studying everything about his patients. From their eating habits, to what time they get up or go to bed, to odd habits, to starting new habits they never had before. And when he took in the sight of Zipp Storm, she was no different.

He could see that she was a wreck. From her body language to her physical appearance, she didn’t appear to be well. And it looked like she hadn’t been for quite some time now.

“And you must be my newest patient. Princess Zephyrina Storm.” He said, approaching her and shaking her hoof.

“Call me Zipp.” She said.

He nodded. “I see. Well, Zipp, shall we get started?”

“I guess.” Zipp said, not sounding too excited, as she attempted to follow the doctor to the room they had requested to be used for this appointment.

She looked back at her sister and mother one last time, before she continued following him.

When the door closed, Haven heard a small sniffle come from her youngest daughter. She turned and saw something that made her tear up as well. Pipp was fanning her eyes with her wing, trying not to allow tears to roll down her face.

“I just…hope she’ll be okay, Mom.” She said in a trembling voice.

Haven sniffled as well, while rubbing Pipp’s back in comfort.

“I hope so too, dear.” She said, looking at the door were Zipp and Dr. Baxter were at now.

-/-

Zipp layed her body out on the sofa in the room. Dr. Baxter sat in the chair that was sitting next to the sofa. Further showing a doctor and patient style setting.

“Alright Zipp, now: what is the reason for you asking me to be here?” He asked, bringing out a phone, where she knew he was now recording this session. Though, this would only be heard by Zipp’s family. Nopony else in the kingdom would.

She took a deep breath. “Well, doc, it all started almost a week ago now.” She started.

“Mhmm.” Dr. Baxter replied.

“I’m a detective. I help out Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer in Maretime Bay whenever he needs it.”

“I see.” He replied. “What types of jobs do you help Mister Trailblazer with?”

Zipp shrugged. “Oh, you know, ordinary stuff. Like, who stole from somepony. Who vandalized this property. Get the animals out of Posey’s garden.”

Dr. Baxter nodded. “And what happened last week?” He asked her.

Zipp grew silent. She felt scared now. Would those images appear in her head if she talked about it? It did last time.

“Zipp?” Dr. Baxter asked.

She shuttered. “Let’s just say, all the things I did with Hitch were NOTHING compared to what we saw that day. It was…horrifying.”

“Might I ask what exactly was it you saw?” He asked, adjusting his glasses.

She rubbed her foreleg. “I saw…WE found a dead body on the beach. The victim was murdered. In a sick, brutal way.” Zipp felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Dr. Baxter noticed her body language when talking about this. It was clear to him that seeing this dead body had caused a change in her behavior. Even if this next move was risky, he decided to keep going.

“What changes have been happening to you after you found this dead body?” He asked her.

“I’ve…I’ve been having nightmares. Really bad ones. It’s like they won’t stop.” She told him, while leaning up on the couch.

“This may be hard for you, but could you walk me through these nightmares? What have you seen?” He asked.

Zipp was quiet for a second before she spoke. “Well, the first time…I saw the victim. Lilac Summers is her name. She’s…she’s alive in my dreams. But…” She stopped before she saw something.

She saw Lilac’s mannequin like stare at her. She shook her head to get that image out of her mind. Not now. Not here.

“But what?” Dr. Baxter asked her.

Zipp took another deep breath. “At first, she’s just staring at me. No emotion on her face. Those blank eyes. But…then I take my eyes off her for just a split second. When I look back at her…..she looks just like what I found her at the crime scene. Her face…and then…” She shivered in fear as she saw the beaten, bloody face of Lilac Summers. Again, she shook her head to get the image out of her mind.

“What happens next, Zipp?” Baxter asked.

“She…opens her mouth and a piece of flesh falls out of her mouth. Right in front of me. And then…she talks.” She shivered.

Dr. Baxter took many mental notes of Zipp’s body language. Clear signs of somepony who has serious trauma.

He would need to be 100% sure, but he also felt that this was a case of somepony dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Then…there’s this…black figure thing that carry’s her away while she’s screaming. And that’s what I do when I wake up. And then I start crying my fucking eyes out.” Zipp admitted, while a loose tear leaked from her eye. Which she quickly wiped away.

“I’m truly sorry you’ve been going through these nightmares, Zipp. I apologize for asking this, but have you experienced any recently?” He asked her, which Zipp nodded her head.

“Was this one worse than the others?” He asked, again making her nod her head.

“Why is that?”

She looked away in shame. “Because now I’m seeing an innocent stallion be executed right before my eyes.”

“What do you mean by that?” He asked, getting interested in this.

Zipp gave him a look of self loathing. “Hitch and I discovered a partial match, and it showed DNA of a pony I…haven’t really given much of a chance too.”

“Who is this pony?”

“Sprout Cloverleaf.”

“Hmm, I see. I’ve heard of him. He’s the one who almost started a war with all of the pony races. He's also Phyllis Cloverleaf's son, who owns Canterlogic. Correct?"

“Yeah.” She nodded her head, with a depressed look.

“So, what did you mean by what you just said?”

Zipp sighed sadly. “Before Hitch came in, I had my first nightmare. And then, when we discovered Sprout’s DNA, I got…I got angry. I just…got so angry.” She said with a sniffle and a hoof fanning her eyes.

“What did you do?” Dr. Baxter asked, looking at her with sympathy in his eyes.

“I flew to the townsquare and….I accused him of murder in front of everypony. He denied it, and I tackled him to the ground. I committed aggravated assaulted on him, flat out. And, apparently, somepony in the crowd recorded it and posted it on the internet. Now, everypony thinks Sprout murdered somepony. Because of me.” Zipp said with an emotional shutter.

“What happened when you found out it was NOT him?”

She took another deep breath. “Two guys assaulted him, before Hitch arrested them.” She looked away in guilt from Dr. Baxter. “And arrested me too.”

“Hmm.” He said, adjusting his glasses again. “You said that you now have seen him in your nightmares. Correct?” He asked, causing her to nod again.

“I tried to help him in my dream, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t….” She couldn’t finish her sentence, as she let a few tears loose.

Dr. Baxter pulled a tissue box out of his bag and gave her a few. She smiled at the kind gesture, before blowing her nose and drying her eyes.

“I can see you’ve been through a lot lately, Zipp. And it’s been weighing heavily on you.” Dr. Baxter said.

“What do you think is going on with me, doc?” Zipp asked.

“Well, judging from your symptoms, as well as your body language with how you told it, it’s obvious you are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, with what you just told me about this Sprout fellow, I can see you also are dealing with a tremendous amount of guilt for your actions.” He said.

Zipp sniffled again, while nodding her head. “Yeah. I wish I could take it all back. Especially after—“ She started to say, before stopping herself.

“After what, Zipp?” He asked her.

She waived her hoof. “It’s probably nothing important.”

“I disagree.” Dr. Baxter immediately responded. “With what you’ve told me now, anything could be important with your mindset now. So, what happened, Zipp?”

She felt stupid now. She should’ve kept her mouth shut. But now that she opened it, she had to say it.

“Well, I remembered something. Something I said about…Sprout’s Dad.” She said.

“What was it that you said?”

“Well, let’s just say I made a bad joke. Not knowing…that his Dad was already dead. Hitch told me…that he’s been dead since Sprout was a colt.” Zipp said, rubbing her foreleg again in shame.

“Why does that make you feel guilty, Zipp?”

“Because….Me and Pipp lost our father when I was Sprout’s age.”

Dr. Baxter and Zipp were silent for a minute, before he broke it, continuing their session.

“I see.” He said. “You feel terrible because you made fun of somepony’s father, without realizing he was dead. Now you feel you can somewhat relate to the feeling of losing a father to somepony you misjudged. Do you feel that way with Mr. Cloverleaf, Zipp?”

Zipp didn’t respond at first, but after a minute or so, she replied, “Yes.”

“How old were you when your father passed away?”

“I was 8. It was me. My Mom. And Pipp. She had a few hours of free time. So, she was playing with us. It went on for a little bit. But then…” She stopped.

“Then what?” He asked, sounding compassionate. He knew this might get emotional for her.

And he was right. She gave an emotional shutter. A few tears came out, while she wiped them away with her foreleg.

“One of our guards came bursting in. He…he had this terrified look. He told us…that the King had collapsed. And that we needed to come to the hospital right away. We were all so scared. We hoped and prayed so hard that he’d be okay. But…when we got to the hospital…” She let out a few choked sobs.

Dr. Baxter looked at her with compassion in his eyes. “He passed away before you could say goodbye?” He asked her.

While Zipp was crying, she nodded her head. He gave her a few more tissues, as well as a couple minutes to calm down. She eventually did and their session continued.

“I’m so sorry that you went through that, Zipp. I can only imagine a young filly or colt losing a parent at that age. It clearly has affected you in a profound way.” Dr. Baxter told her.

“I miss him everyday. He should still be here. To see me become Queen of Zephyr Heights one day. It…it wasn’t fair.” She said with a bit of sadness and anger in her tone.

“How do you think Sprout felt when he lost his father?”

“I don’t know. I…I never got the opportunity to get to know him after his community service ended. I just…judged him.” Zipp then came to a realization after saying this.

“Like he judged us. Like how everypony judged each other before we were reunited again.” Zipp now felt as guilt ridden as she did before.

“Maybe, had you gotten to know Mr. Cloverleaf, then you would understand him a bit more?” Dr. Baxter asked her.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She said.

“What do you think of Mr. Cloverleaf now that you know he’s innocent?”

Zipp fell silent for a few seconds before responding. “I don’t know. I mean, he almost killed my Mom and Alphabittle. I know he’s already done his time, and he’s apologized, but I still don’t know if it’s truly genuine.”

“Why? Why don’t you think he’s genuine?”

“Because he’s…” Zipp sounded frustrating, not being able to finish her sentence.

“He’s what?” Dr. Baxter asked.

“He’s one of those rich stallions. That pony who had everything given to him. He’s probably never had to work hard in his life. His Mom has spoiled him all his life. That’s why.” Zipp angrily said.

The two were silent for a minute before Dr. Baxter asked her something that almost made her jump out of the couch in shock.

“Isn’t that what you are?”

Zipp looked horrified at the question. What did he just say?

“I mean, with all due respect Zipp, all the things you just said, that also applies to you as well.”

“How?!” Zipp asked. “How am I ANYTHING like Sprout?”

“Well, for starters, you both lost your father at a young age. Making you be raised by a single mother all your life.” Zipp flinched at that realization.

“There’s also this: you’re a princess, Zipp. The future heir to the throne. You will one day be ruling Zephyr Heights. As for Sprout, well he’s the heir to the Canterlogic factory his mother owns. He’s going to be running that factory one day. While he’s not going to be ruling all of Maretime Bay, he’s going to be in charge of many ponies who work for him. That’s not an easy task. Yes, ruling a kingdom is MUCH different, but running a huge business is by no means easy.”

Zipp just sat there in shock. She didn’t expect Dr. Baxter to be telling her all of this. It was almost scaring her a little bit.

“And again, no disrespect, but you say he was a spoiled rich kid. Have you truly never been spoiled at some time in your life? Has your sister never been spoiled? As I stated, you are a princess. He’s not some prince. So, if anything, did you ever consider that maybe YOU were somewhat spoiled more than him?” Dr. Baxter asked, not in a rude or condescending way, but in a calm and respectful way.

“I-I-I’m not spoiled! I’ve worked my ass off for years!” Zipp shouted in a defensive tone.

“What exactly is that for?”

Zipp looked at him in disbelief. “For what? To be the Queen one day. Everypony expects something from me. I…I have to be good at what I do.”

There was more silence between them while Zipp tried to calm down.

“Do you believe they expect you to be perfect?” Dr. Baxter asked, taking Zipp off guard again. “Do you believe you can’t make mistakes?”

“N-no.” Zipp stammered in a voice that felt in denial. “That’s not it at all.”

“Then why do you feel ponies expect things from you?”

“As you said, I’m a princess. I have to be ready when I take the throne one day. I need to ponies to know that I can be trusted.”

“Do you think after your little press conference—“

“I can be better than that!” Zipp shouted. “I HAVE to be better than that!” She let out a small shutter, with small tears leaking out of her eyes.

Dr. Baxter looked over her again. He knew how stressed out she looked. How in denial she sounded. This mare looked to be going through a lot.

“May I be honest with you, Zipp?” He asked her. Zipp didn’t answer. She knew he was going to be. That’s what he’s been throughout this therapy session.

“I can see you have put a lot of pressure on yourself. Feeling the need to be perfect for your subjects and fear of mistakes and the future clearly shows that.”

Zipp just looked down at the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“Do you want to be Queen of Zephyr Heights one day?”

“It’s not my choice. I’m the oldest. It’s tradition. I’m going to be Queen, whether I want to or not.” She answered with a frustrated tone.

“You didn’t answer my question. Do YOU want to be Queen?”

“No. I mean Yes. I don't know. I mean…” Zipp stumbled over her words, not know how to answer the question.

“I….I….I just don’t know why Pipp can’t do it. I mean, everypony likes her more than me. She’s more famous than I am. She’s prettier than I am. She’s….She’s…” Zipp tried continuing her self loathing rant, before Dr. Baxter stopped her.

“Why are you so hard on yourself?” He asked her, sounding sympathetic.

“Because I was born to be a big deal! Mom and Dad and Pipp and so many ponies expect so much of me! And there are times where I…I just…” Zipp was crying again as she ranted to Dr. Baxter. Thankfully, he was able to finish her sentence for her.

“You don’t know what to do.”

It took about a minute before Zipp responded to him. She nodded her head, while more tears streamed down her face.

“Speaking from personal experiences, I think that’s the scariest thing in the world. When we have problems, and we can’t figure out how to fix them. Whether it be financial problems, health problems or any others, we all want to be able to find the issue and fix it. However, even professionals like me, we all have moments in our lives when we feel confusion. When we feel…” He tried to find the right word to say. Zipp, with tear stained eyes, finished for him.

“Powerless.” She said.

Dr. Baxter gave her a sad look. “Yes. Powerless.”

Zipp slammed a hoof on the couch. “I don’t want to be powerless, though. I want to be better. I…” Zipp struggled to say what she was about to say. It was something she never wanted to say in all her life. Probably due to personal pride, or from her foalhood. However, she ultimately said the words.

“Dr. Baxter, I…I need help.” She said softly with a light sob in her tone.

He gave her a warm smile. “That’s good. That’s the first step to getting better. It’s going to be slow, I guarantee that. And it won’t be easy. But, I know you can do it. Because I believe in you, Princess Zipp.”

Zipp put a hoof to her muzzle and choked down a few sobs at his kind words.

It had been about 2 hours now. Haven and Pipp felt like they were on pins and needles. They were as anxious as ever.

Their anxieties finally flowed away when the door opened. Out walked Zipp and Dr. Baxter. They noticed her eyes were puffy and red. She had been crying in there.

“Zipp, are you okay?” Pipp asked in a concerned tone, while she touched her sisters face.

Her sister sniffled. Haven brought her daughter into a hug.

“I’m here, my little filly. I’m here.” She cooed into her daughters ear.

Pipp joined in the group hug as they stood there for a few minutes. Just being in each other’s hooves. As a family.

The three of them were sitting in the Royal Tea Room. Each enjoying a cup of tea. Alphabittle wasn't present here, as he was currently in Bridlewood, attending the Arts and Crafts Fair. He wanted to see Izzy's art projects on display. Not just as an art fan, but to support his adopted daughter. Little would he know that he would also run into her special guest who was accompanying her.

"So, how did everything go, sweetie?" Haven asked Zipp.

She gave a sigh. "Well, apparently I have PTSD. Next week, him and I are gonna have another appointment."

The Queen gave a warm smile. "That's good to hear. I'm glad to hear that you're taking this seriously, Zephyrina. And we will get through this. Together." She said, caressing her daughter's cheek, showing her affection.

Pipp rubbed her sister's shoulder in comfort. "It'll be okay, sis. I'm here for you."

Zipp nodded her head. "Yeah." Haven and Pipp were about to drink their tea again, before Zipp asked The Queen a question. Something neither of them saw coming.

"Do I HAVE to be Queen one day, Mom?" Her question caused Haven to almost spit her tea out. She was surprised at that random question. Pipp was as well. Where was she going with this?

"Zipp, honey, why do you ask that question?" She asked, trying to regain her composure.

Zipp then turned to her sister. "Have you ever thought about being Queen, Pipp?"

Pipp only stammered in surprised nervousness. When she stopped, Zipp continued.

"I know it's tradition, but what if I'm not capable enough to run the kingdom? I mean, Pipp is way more famous than I am. She's nicer and better with ponies than others. Wouldn't she be a better Queen then I am?" She asked, almost sounding a little unconfident in herself. Something that her mother didn't like to hear.

"Zephyrina, why are you saying these things? I will not have my daughter talk badly about herself." She said in a scolding kind of way.

"Why would you bring this up, Zipp? I've never heard of this from you before." Pipp said, sounding concerned now for her.

"It's just...I'm scared okay." She said, making Haven and Pipp look shocked at her statement. They have NEVER heard her say that before. Fear wasn't a term in Zipp's personal dictionary.

"I don't know what'll happen when I take the throne one day. What if I make a mistake like I did with Sprout? What if I make a mistake that hurts the kingdom? What if...?" She stopped talking. She tried continuing, but couldn't bring herself too.

Her mother gave her a comforting look. "Honey, I know you feel scared about the future. I felt the same way when I had you. And Pipp. And when your father passed away." She said.

Zipp looked away from her, trying not to cry again. Pipp looked at her in heartbreak. Nearly 20 years after his funeral, where Zipp clutched and hugged Pipp and cried and bawled her eyes out, she knew that their father's death still affected her deeply. Even today.

Haven pulled Zipp's face toward hers. "I know you miss him. I know you both miss him dearly. I do too. And when he passed, I was terrified about how I was going to run the kingdom without him. Especially being a mother to you two." She said, motioning to Pipp, who know had pricks of tears in her eyes too.

"It wasn't fair that he died." Zipp said in a very depressing tone.

Haven breathed in a big breath as hold back tears herself, remembering Sky Rift. The stallion she once loved with all her heart, only to be taken away from her.

"However, I also knew that, if I didn't stand up and fight through my pain, I would be letting your father down even worse. So everyday, with all the fear in my heart, I would fight through them. I would make decisions that I feared would hurt or help the kingdom." She said, with a warm, comforting smile toward her daughters. They appeared to smile back.

"What I'm trying to say, Zephryina, is you have every right to be scared. And I understand you may doubt yourself, because I did the same thing. But, the reason you are the heir is very simple: Because I KNOW you can do it. Not to say that I don't think Pipp can, but since you ARE the first born child, I have faith that you can do it. I know you can, Zipp." Queen Haven kindly said to encourage her daughter.

Zipp smiled emotionally and hugged her mother again. Pipp joined in as well. After they were done with that, Zipp said something else.

"I want to talk to Sprout." She said randomly. "Pipp, do you think you can call Izzy or Hitch and tell them? I want to speak to him face to face."

Pipp looked unsure of this request. "I don't know, Zipp. Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, it's only been about 5 days since you assaulted him."

"I agree, Zipp. Maybe you should wait a little bit. Wait until you can go back to Maretime Bay." Haven said.

However, Zipp shook her head. "No. I HAVE to do this. I want Sprout to come to Zephyr Heights, so I can apologize to him face to face. I need to do this, you guys. Please."

Haven and Pipp looked at each other for about a half a minute before giving her an answer. Pipp got her phone out and proceeded to make a few phone calls. She just hoped it would go how she planned.

Somewhere in Clopton

5 days. 5 more days. That's how long he had to wait. That was how long Bud Bloomington had to wait for his upcoming interview for Canterlogic.

He was at a Boutique, which was close to where Auntie Edna's Restaurant was. That was where he met Lilac Summers. That was where he put the good moves on her. He looked across the street at the restaurant and just gave a cruel smile. Those stupid employees probably have no idea it was even him. He put on such a great charade as a nice guy, who just wanted to ask a pretty mare out. Just showed how stupid ponies like them in this Celestia foresaken town really are.

He wanted to look good for his interview. He wanted to pick the best suit he could find. Something that shows how serious he was taking this interview. Something that a proud mother would love to see her son in.

She would fall for it. He knew his mother would not even recognize him. Why would she? After all, she abandoned him when he was a baby. She dropped him off at THAT place. Where THOSE ponies lived.

The place where they abused and neglected him all his life. The place where he lost his virginity at the age of 11 to somepony who liked little colts. The place where he got beat if he was in the way of a drunken piece of shit. The place that broke him.

He could almost see it in his head now. He would be a stand up stallion. He would answer any question she would ask him. He would answer it in the most professional, upbeat way he could muster. He may even tell a funny joke here and there. After all, if a pony in charge of a place liked you and your personality, you had a better chance at getting hired. It's not about what you do, it's about who you know.

Then, he would tell her something about his little brother. Sprout Cloverleaf. She would ask how he knew her son's name. That would be when he would give her the shock of all shocks.

He would reveal himself to her. He could only imagine the look on her face. He was smiling just picturing it in his head.

After he picked out a suit, and paid for it, he walked out of the store, and walked home through the streets of Clopton. As he did so, he couldn't help but think of the excitement of meeting his little brother. When he would finally see him, he just knew that he would finally save him from the awful life he had.

When they kill Phyllis Cloverleaf together, he would run away with his little brother. As for Sanguine and Dodd, he didn't care. Hell, he may just kill them two and be done with it. He didn't need them anymore. He had Sprout now.

The two would be against the world together. Brothers united. Brothers forever. He smiled at the wonderful thought in his head as he walked home.