Feelings.
How long do you think a pony will manage to contain his feelings without feeling frustrated with himself for it? You might be impotent to want to confess something as simple as love for another pony. But what about the ponies who fall madly in love? Are they simple to win over or are they incredibly stubborn in only choosing one partner par excellence? How much love has to be shown and, of course, what does it take for a friendship to blossom into something more than just child's play? What does it take to transform a hug... into a kiss?
Tired, thoughtful, fed up with always having the same scenario in front of her, that's how Zipp found herself.
If there was one thing Maretime Bay was known for, it was for two things, the first was its wonderful people. Caring, loving, trustworthy, loyal one could describe the ponies living in the bay, so many words that really meant so little by way of comparison. Perhaps the fact that they are a small town meant that the locals were forced to trust each other, of course, Zipp had nothing against them, on the contrary. She herself wished her hometown was not so ostentatious, not so loud, not so bright, not so much of a... city, in general.
The tranquility, the sound of the crashing waves of the sea near Sunny's lighthouse, the shivering of the seagulls circling the bay in search of food, the air so pure and delicious with its characteristic smell of salt that cleansed the lungs of the ponies coming from the more toxic cities, and so much more was to be admired. Everything in this town was ideal for Zipp, for her to live comfortably without being subjected to the responsibilities and pressures of a queen.
Ohhhh, the weather, her exquisite climate. No rain that flooded the streets or extremely hot summers that made even the best-trained ponies sweat. There were no clouds of dust brought from the farthest reaches of Equestria to block out the light that the bright sun had to offer. Winter lasted so little, but the average temperature somehow always managed to remain stable, not so cold and not so hot, perfect for the fur. And we wouldn't even have to talk about the refreshing blizzard brought directly from the sea that with its air currents could blow all the dirt away from the bay and incidentally help to cool down a bit the most tired ponies in the place. Yes, Maretime Bay, it was perfect and Zipp would never tire of it.
But, it wasn't exactly the scenery or the town that had bored her, it was something else that overwhelmed her, a feeling more precisely.
-"Zipp, Zipp, where are you?" And coincidentally, that was where her main problem had appeared.
It was so easy to recognize that voice. So simple it was to have a mental image of the pony to whom such a masculine tone belonged. Yet so difficult was it, in turn, to approach him just to say hello or to really find out what he wanted, what Hitch really needed?
Hitch Trailblazer, sheriff honoring, the exact definition of "how a pony should be", no, rather, he was the role model for all horses. What other titles did he possess? Defender of the law, protector of the bay, guardian of the ponies, keeper of order and always enforcer of the unquestionable law by which he was governed and also one of the sexiest stallions in all of Equestria. Of course, also one of the most desired by the mares willing to fight for the sheriff's heart. Zipp, obviously to her, found it silly to see so many mares beating each other up just to see who would finally get the sheriff's affection, it was clearly embarrassing, laughable or embarrassing you would think.
But Zipp's thoughts were conflicted when she remembered that she herself had fought a mare over the exact same issue, the sheriff.
-"No Zipp, they deserved it, they dared to think of Hitch that way" - Convincing herself that what she had done was different from what was originally planned and she considered to be shameful, the pegasus remembered exactly why the topic of discussion had started.
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Zipp was leisurely walking along the bay, enjoying as always the comforts it had to offer, when suddenly, a group of five mares kept well groomed with a shiny coat, surely given that way by a wonderful bubble bath, very beautiful as far as physical appearance was concerned, passed by her drinking some milkshakes they had obviously bought at Sunny's milkshake stand. The same five mares as before were clearly attracting all the attention of the ponies, but, above all, believing that because they were the best they could make everyone understand that they were the most exclusive girls in all of Equestria and that, therefore, they deserved everything they craved or claimed.
Zipp had long known that being famous could be hard, being the sister of a pop star and herself a queen in the making could sometimes get very, very tiring indeed. But those mares, they took fame as if they were automatically better than everyone else, unacceptable, they didn't deserve the position they had, and yet Zipp restrained herself from punching one of them when they turned down a poor filly who just wanted an autograph.
His sister would never have done that.
To see the face of a filly excited to meet her idols was priceless, and they, harpies instead of ponies, rejected the little girl in the cruelest possible way just because she had accidentally thrown one of the shakes of one of the "famous" mares on the ground. That tear-streaked face showed a childhood torn to shreds, a childhood that had ended and been thrown to the ground, a youth that, possibly years later, would be affected by some trauma. Zipp just then wished he could tell them what they were really worth as celebrities, less than zero.
Things only got worse when they saw Hitch slowly approaching the filly who was drowning in an endless sea of tears because of those despicable leeches.
-"Have any of you ever noticed how handsome Hitch is, how perfect a stallion he is?" - One of the mares, the leader I might say Zipp, was the first to speak.
-"So strong" - Said another.
-"So gentlemanly" -And yet another.
-"So masculine" - Sighed one.
-"Imagine a beautiful dinner in the middle of the night with him, how romantic. And to finish, nothing more perfect than inviting him for a last drink before you turn him into your special stud. Ohhh, just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end, haha" - That annoying laugh, Zipp wished he could punch half her teeth out.
-"As sexy as he has always been, how I wish I could have him by my side, how I wish I could gently nibble his neck, how I wish he could caress my fur and kiss me in the hottest corners of my body. How rich such a show of love would feel spread all over me, and his hooves massaging my burning....
-"Allow me a moment ladies".
The mares, snapped back to reality, completely removed from their more lustful thoughts and now focused on the white pegasus in front of them. Of course, the celebrities immediately identified her as Zephyrina Storm, one of Queen Heaven's daughters and the less charming sister of the beautiful Princess Pipp.
Annoyed were the five of them as the immersion with which they slowly used to get into their fantasy story, had disappeared, all obviously because of the intrusive pegasus.
-"What are you doing here Zipp, shouldn't you be saving the world or something?" - Dealing almost casually and refusing not to show the hatred they felt towards the pegasus, Zipp just raised an eyebrow while completely ignoring any insults or bad gestures the mares might use against him, mainly from the leader.
-"I was just passing by and couldn't help but ignore the fact that you are, how do you say it? Talking in a bad way about my friend" - Emphasized the pegasus pointing her hoof directly towards Hitch who seemed to be now buying an ice cream for the little girl from before.
-"And? We're supposed to be free in the bay, we can do whatever we want and no one can tell us anything princess, not even the tasty sheriff" - Throwing a flirtatious glance at the most striking stallion in town while her tongue tasted the edges of her lips, the mare didn't avoid making that gesture either to satisfy herself or to purposely infuriate the princess, the only clear thing is that the second option was working quite well on Zipp.
-"Leave her alone, she's just envious because she doesn't stand a chance with the sheriff, she's not as beautiful as we are" - Combing her delicate mane and posing her alluring and defined flanks, thus revealing her extremely groomed and polished figure with the pure magic of a good diet, one of the mares circled the pegasus and pushed her a bit, not hard enough for this to bother Zipp, at least not to a great extent.
-"Do you seriously think I have a romantic interest in Hitch? I guess then you're all crazier than I imagined myself" - Sitting down on the spot, Zipp simply acted naturally thus responding with the best strategy he knew, asking a question instead.
-"Who doesn't love the sheriff? He's everything good in a stallion, he's everything beautiful in a male, and you're... so unfeminine, so unappealing, I bet the sheriff has never looked at you with that twinkle in his eye that only ponies in love have, am I wrong Zephyrina Storm?" - Bringing her face closer until it was only inches away from Zipp's, releasing her warm breath above the future queen's eyes, showing a smile that the pegasus wanted to shatter, anger was trying to take over the princess with these actions, she knew she had to behave.
Zipp was a queen in the making, she was the very image of royalty and the chief representative along with her sister of the pegasus race, it was because of things like that that she always tried to keep her composure, always tried to.... keep a low and mostly friendly profile. If her sister taught her anything, it was that personal image could sometimes be worth much more than a million dollars, much more than all the money of an entire kingdom.
Holding back for her was like feeling a volcano inside your body, a fuel-stained candle waiting to be ignited by the slightest spark of anger.
Zipp sighed and began to walk away from the mares, finally realizing that this was just a waste of time.
-"Are you leaving so soon? Is the princess angry, envious, jealous?"
Zipp kept walking away without daring to look back, thus trying to ignore the urge to hit the mare that possessed her inside.
-"You know what the funniest thing about all this is, Zephyrina? I saw you hesitating for a moment. You thought just for a second you had a chance with the sheriff and then, boom, you came back to reality and really saw how miserable you are. You might be a queen to some and a role model to others, but it all really comes out in the open and personally, you are just another common scum in this world of dull stars..... "
Just remember Zipp, keep your determination, keep your pulse, keep your mind serene and never, ever get carried away just because of one comment, ever.
-"And remember that, at the end of this day, you will return to your lonely life and live under the shadow of your sister while I, haha, will sleep next to a wonderful stallion capable of doing anything for me, capable of even breaking a friendship if he is submissive enough before me".
You only hear whispers Zipp, you're almost gone, you're almost gone, just a few more seconds and you won't hear his hideous, haughty voice anymore. Remember, always stay calm Zipp, you know perfectly well you are better than this.
-"And finally, when he has me, he will no longer need anyone else for his heart to be complete, and your friendship with him will be unnecessary..."
Zipp paused in place.
-"... it will be non-existent..."
The princess slowly turned her face away, narrowing her eyes as her hooves pressed hard on the tiles of the bay.
-"...he will cease to be your friend, forever."
Zipp needed only a spark to ignite, one word to bring the world crashing down on the pony who had had the misfortune to run into an angry princess. But that mare, that disgusting red and white mane, was... was the ugliest thing Zipp had ever observed. It's not as if mentally insulting a pony would make her feel any less angry, on the contrary, Zipp felt this need to break free of her royal bonds and duties just to give this stupid, pretentious, haughty, arrogant, chauvinistic, daughter of.... who could become that fifth-rate celebrity, that pathetic scum.
-"I'm Zephyrina, I've lost my friend Hitch, now what am I going to do with my pathetic life?" - That mare's mocking portrayal of the princess was the straw that had once and for all filled the camel's back.
The gnashing of Zipp's teeth was clearly noticeable to the mocking mare's ears, however, she never let this intimidate her or make her apologize for her teasing, on the contrary, she had already won this game and, according to the plan she had come up with thanks to the pegasus' intervention, things were going to turn out a hell of a lot better for her.
-"I'll have Hitch's love, and you? You'll have to bear the burden of seeing someone you've always loved with another pony. You'll have to watch how I'll always kiss him when we're together. You'll have to watch as I'll always hug him around every corner. You will have to watch as we form a family while you rot on a throne, alone and pathetic. You will have to watch even as your sister and your other friends create a life, and you, you will die as you were born, without even receiving the love of a mother or a father, or even truly receiving the affection of a sister, right Zephyrina?"
At that moment Zipp's body seemed to explode inside, and the fearless mare? Nothing else seemed to care that the pegasus was heading towards her to strike her in a storm of anger that raged within her consciousness and dominated her actions, she was smiling in fact as, everything was going according to plan.
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Zipp looked again at the picture that always seemed to bore and disappoint her, it was herself.
Her mane was a total mess, tousled hairs everywhere and with clearly a mess in terms of symmetry, made her look like she was sporting some kind of crazy, nonsensical hairstyle that Discord would surely envy, but at the same time, he would love. Her coat was conspicuous for the various light charcoal, dust and even blood stains that completely obliterated the aesthetics of her beautiful white, resembling before it was ruined that of the finest and most valuable pearls in the entire bay. Her blood-soaked hooves and some bruises were clear evidence that she too had put up a strong fight, but of course Zipp was a very strong mare, but she was no more than that. She was not a super fighter or anything like that. The fight was lost, obviously because the numerical superiority of five mares against one was glaring and unfair. Still, Zipp managed to leave three of them hurt enough to leave them alone for good and think twice before walking the streets of the bay, if they ever came back to town, that is.
Just when things seemed to be relaxing, Hitch arrived along with Sprout, obviously both not too happy with the scene in front of them.
Things got even more out of hand when a flurry of insults came from the sheriff towards both Zipp and the mare promoting the fight. But in a tricky move, all the blame fell on Zipp who had one witness against five, so the initiator of this fight was originally the pegasus, at least that's how most would describe it.
She tried to explain, but Hitch's discomfort prevented him from both speaking and listening, so, to clear up and settle some of the discord that had been caused in town by everyone finding out about the fight, the sheriff simply gave Zipp the order to fly back to Sunny's lighthouse, his home since he had moved to Maretime Bay.
A few tears could be seen on Zipp's face.
They were painful blows, that was true, but the pain of having disappointed a close friend was, in short, far, far worse than the princess could have imagined.
The sheen of a small scratch on her bloodied cheek was no match for the sheen of her own tears. The mirror in front of her reminded her countless times of the mistake she had made by letting herself be carried away again by an emotion that in the end ended up hurting the pegasus even more instead of having lightened her anger by letting herself be carried away by the rage that was choking her.
And now, how was she supposed to explain to Pipp, to Sunny, to Izzy, to..... Hitch? She clearly had the odds stacked against her in this situation since, despite the miserable mares from earlier insulting her, they had never hit her or initiated the fight with any hoof beats. She was at a disadvantage, apologize perhaps? It wouldn't be so easy, of that she was more than sure.
-"Zipp, I know you're in there, will you open the bathroom door please? We need to talk" - So immersed was the mare in her thoughts that her mind had completely forgotten to listen to the sound that Hitch's hooves made when he walked on the thin tiles of the lighthouse.
However, despite his position being discovered and, adopting a position similar to that of a mythomaniac, Zipp remained silent wiping his red eyes, seen thus by the injection of blood he had suffered from crying, with his delicate blood-stained hooves. She didn't care at all that the fur on her face was now even dirtier than before. All the mare wanted right now was for Hitch to leave her alone, for the whole world to leave her alone for a change.
Zipp could notice the stallion's sigh through the door.
-"Zipp, you can't be locked in there forever, open the door please. I'm being as polite as possible".
Just as the sheriff had managed to hear something, perhaps a movement of the pegasus to turn the doorknob and let him in, silence once again flooded the room, only Zipp's ragged breathing and tearful gasps being heard through the door.
Hitch sighed again at this and leaned back against the wood, gluing his back and head together so as to relax and concentrate all the weight of his body in one area, he needed to get some tension out.
-"Look, I'm not going to justify what you did and I'm not going to support you in everything just because you're my friend. I have a job to keep Zipp, you're a smart mare and I hope you understand that. But just by being you, I managed to get you out of getting sued and this whole thing down to just a restraining order. I wanted to go over the bay regulation manual with you but...I don't think I have too much time before I leave for my date."
Wait a second, a date? A date with romantic candles and a delicious moonlight dinner? A cliche movie date where at the end both ponies enjoy a glorious night of love together? That kind of date?
-" I know it sounds a little crazy Zipp but, I had no choice, that's the way Sugar wanted it and that's the way I'll have to do it to keep you safe".
Zipp could feel in the faint vibrations of the floor as Hitch's hooves lifted his body and as his paws slowly propelled the stallion away from the room. The squeaking of the tiles at Hitch's footsteps was clear indication that, sooner rather than later, the stallion would finally leave the pegasus alone, you know, like Zipp really wanted to be right now, didn't he?
-"Don't think I'm mad at you Zipp..." - Hitch paused before blurting out his final line of dialogue, but not before, giving one last glance at the door leading towards the bathroom -"... I simply want you to keep in mind that your decisions are not only affecting yourself but also affecting the ponies around you".
Walking away this time with nothing more to say, this along with the constant pounding of hooves and the repetitive echoing in depth that grew fainter with each passing second, it was as if certainly the stallion was not the only thing that was getting away from Zipp, in fact, yet another feeling left her as she once again returned to the silence she was in before Hitch first appeared in the nearby rooms where she was kept locked up once the whole incident had occurred.
Pegasus were always characterized as a fairly cold weather hardy race. Living most of their lives at high altitudes adapted them quite well to the generally mild or winter temperatures. But, to deny that at that moment a shiver had arisen in Zipp's body, to deny that at that moment the cold had taken hold of her once her ears the only thing they managed to hear was her own almost cut off breathing and, to deny that, at that moment the feeling of loneliness was the only aura that continued to be perceptible to her body, all of the above, to deny it would be a stupid thing to do. All those emotions, all those sufferings concentrated in one part, his mind, was the perfect sample that actions do have a toll also on your way of thinking and the way you see the world around you, but for Zipp, this had turned into a terrible problem.
Hitch would go on a date with Sugar Moonlight, and only two things could happen. The first was that the date would result in disaster. Of course this possibility relaxed Zipp as surely the sheriff would be smarter and instantly realize what this mare was really like and the terrible deeds she had committed. But, the second was that in the end the date would end in a total success and, when he least realized it, Sugar Moonlight, applying her famous actress skills, would know exactly how to hit the nail on the head and thus conquer the stallion.
To imagine Hitch, as good a stallion as he was, being manipulated by a heartless harpy was an unfair scenario that Zipp didn't expect to see, nor did his friends.
She could stay in her room and wait until tomorrow and hope her lucky dice would finally work, or she could go find Hitch to finally clear everything up and explain, even if he didn't want to listen.
Then, making a final decision, the pegasus automatically flung open the door and quickly spread her wings to make it as fast as she could to Hitch before he left the lighthouse.
What Zipp didn't expect at all was that she didn't even make it two meters before the tip of her muzzle managed to faintly collide with Hitch's nose, who was standing there without taking his expressionless look off his face, exactly how Zipp imagined it to be.
That was when she realized that he had tricked her only to have her open the door and finally leave the room.
With the blush barely noticeable on the white fur around his cheeks, Zipp turned as fast as he could back towards the bathroom with the intention of locking himself back in there, something he failed to do as a hoof attacking the door this time prevented him.
-"Zipp, this is ridiculous. Stop acting like a filly and let's just talk, why did you do that?" - Obstructing the only escape exit Zipp managed to find, the princess for a few seconds stared desperately at the small square window that had a view directly out into the town of Maretime Bay. For a few seconds she even thought she would manage to fit through there instead of getting stuck or hurting herself by breaking the glass and letting some of it bury itself in her body.
Then, she found the only way out of her predicament, she remained silent, refused to say a word as she covered her hooves with her face. Hitch whinnied as the steam of her breath coming out of her nostrils was clearly visible.
-"Come on Zipp, are you really going to do this to your friend?! You want me to beg?! All right, I'll do it! Please tell me why you did that!" - Raising his voice quite a bit, by now Hitch was beginning to tire of the closed minded and unfeeling attitude Zipp seemed to display, all that was left for him to do was to try and force the pegasus to say something.
As expected Zipp remained silent, only a few gasps of crying and some whispers under his hooves was all the sheriff could hear.
-"Don't you want to tell me? WELL! THAT'S HOW IT WILL BE THEN! MAYBE SUGAR ON OUR APPOINTMENT WILL BE KINDER AND WANT TO EXPLAIN THINGS BETTER TO ME!"
Wait, the date wasn't a lie?
-"YOU CAN'T GO HITCH, SUGAR IS BAD IT'S A TRICK TO MANIPULATE YOU!" - Grabbing Hitch's right paw before the stallion could retreat from the room, Zipp pulled him even closer to her, not wishing by this to assault the sheriff but to prevent the sheriff himself from taking a step closer towards the mansion of that damned friend-destroyer.
Hitch was surprised both by this and by Zipp's face full of some blows, blood and tears, but what left him speechless were those eyes red from crying, so damaged and so broken they were by sadness that they had completely lost that essence that made them magical. Despite this, he knew that sometimes crying could be a tactic used by criminals to pass themselves off as the victims, so the stallion was not overconfident. But watching a friend cry was too different at the same time. Hitch shook his head returning to the situation at hand, he was still angry with Zipp.
-"AND WHY NOT!!! AS FAR AS I KNOW THERE IS NO OTHER CASE OF ANY PONY FIGHTING WITH HER EXCEPT FOR YOU!"
-"AND WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! DID YOU SEE WHAT THOSE MARES DID TO THAT POOR FILLY?! YOU TALKED TO HER, YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT SUGAR AND HER FRIENDS DID!"
-"I KNOW, ZIPP! I KNOW, BUT IT'S NOT A CRIME! AS FAR AS I REMEMBER, YOU, YOU FEISTY MARE, WERE THE ONE WHO STARTED THE FIGHT!"
-"THEY DID BUT IT SEEMS YOU DIDN'T ASK ENOUGH QUESTIONS IN TOWN!"
-"OF COURSE I ASKED, OF COURSE I ASKED ZIPP, THAT'S MY JOB. I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT THEY INSULTED YOU AND WENT SO FAR AS TO HARASS ME EVEN..."
-"GOTCHA! HARASSMENT IS A CRIME HITCH!"
-"BUT THEY ONLY DID IT WITH WORDS AND NONE OF THEM DID ANYTHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED A CRIME ZIPP! INSTEAD YOU STARTED A FIGHT WITH FIVE MARES AT ONCE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
-"But..."
-"AND YOU HAVE NO DAMN EXCUSE SINCE YOU SHOULD HAVE IGNORED THEM! DO YOU THINK I'M NOT HATED? EVERY PONY I'VE EVER FINED OR ARRESTED HATES ME ZIPP! THEY CALL ME NAMES ON THE STREET, PAINT THE WALLS OF MY HOME, CHASE ME CONSTANTLY AND THREATEN TO KILL ME! I'M NOT PERFECT BUT I STAND UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IN! AND I DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH HITTING EVERYONE WHO THINKS BADLY OF YOU BECAUSE BY IGNORING THEM YOU WILL CAUSE THEM A LOT MORE HARM AND SOON THEY WILL DISCOVER THAT BOTHERING YOU IS NO LONGER OF ANY USE TO THEM! BUT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT ZIPP! THIS IS THE FIFTH INCIDENT IN 3 MONTHS AND THE PONIES ARE STARTING TO THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FRIEND YOU HAVE PRIVILEGES TO BREAK THE LAW BUT IT'S NOT SO ZIPP. YOU UNDERSTAND?"
-"But... but Hitch I just..."
-"NO BUTS ZEPHYRINA STORM! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU SAY A SINGLE WORD! I'M OUT OF HERE! I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO!"
The air rushing through the bathroom window was as faint as Princess Zipp's heart could now become. The reflection of her eyes and the tinkling in them thanks to the tears was the exact example of exactly how she felt, so weak, so fragile, so broken she was right now that not even a logical thought could cross her mind. Zipp since she was a little girl had proven to be an extremely tough mare, a mare capable of fighting for anything and giving her best and never, absolutely never showing weakness in any situation. But, in a situation where she herself had made a mistake, in a situation where she had to fight against her friends and not against her enemies, in a situation where their friendship was hanging by a thread about to break, how do you face it without showing weakness, without showing any feelings?
If ever, there was even the slightest chance that Hitch would ever love her, it was gone at this instant when their argument had reached new limits. No doubt after this Hitch might hate Sugar too, but at some point the stallion would meet someone who truly loved him, someone who wouldn't abuse his trust as she had, someone who wouldn't shatter their friendship and romance, someone who was better than Zipp.
Although Sugar hadn't won, she had won.
And to make matters worse, now Zipp didn't even have the friendship of the sheriff, someone who had given him as much as he could. So many flowers, so many gifts that the princess would hate to say she didn't appreciate too much for being a little cheesy, and now, contrary to what she thought, she just wished Hitch would give her absolutely anything and make her day with a line as the two of them together walked into the police station and prepared for another day of solving mysteries. Zipp had to keep her cool because these "times" were going to become the "good old days".
Author's Note
Here I am friends, yet another story, I'm getting a lot of ideas. One of these days my head is going to explode into 20 million pieces.
Well, what do you think of this story? I don't know for sure how many chapters it will have but I can assure you that it will be short? Maybe it will only have two chapters and that's it.
I would just like to know your opinion in the comments regarding this story.
(If you see any grammatical errors, it's because my mother tongue is not English but Spanish).
A big hug and see you next time.
