Wonderful Lies, Fruitful Truths

Zephyr Breeze’s wings flapped, cold air flowing under his wings. The rain beat against his tiresome body. He squinted through the rain, attempting to see the ground below him. Flying in this weather and time of day wasn’t ideal, but he had to go somewhere.

He looked down, seeing a familiar cottage through the haze. Lights shined from within, creating a beacon for him to follow. Zephyr flapped his wings, gliding to the ground. He swung his luggage to the ground, careful it didn’t fly from his hands.

Zephyr landed far from gracefully, nearly slipping on the mud. He cursed under his breath. He shuddered at the feeling of the muck seeping into his sandals. Zephyr pounded on the door.

Shuffling and clanging came from inside the cottage. The door swung open, and Fluttershy stood there wearing a pink robe.

“Zephyr? What are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. Zephyr wanted to say everything was fine. He desired to put on his best show, puffing out his chest and giving a snarky reply. But instead, Zephyr let out a warbled sob. Pathetic, really.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and she quickly ushered Zephyr indoors. The sudden warm air made Zephyr notice how his wet clothes clung to his body. He was sopping wet and had to run to his sister for help. Great Celestia above, he felt like a child.

“Can I stay here for a bit?” Zephyr asked between sobs. Fluttershy gave him a sympathetic look, rubbing his back.

“Of course you can! What happened?” Fluttershy asked. Zephyr hiccuped, wiping his tear-stricken face with his sleeves.

“I…I broke up with Soarin.” It pained him to admit that.

Fluttershy gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Zephyr cringed. He absolutely hated being pitied.

“You go take a bath. I’ll set up the couch for you.” Fluttershy comforted. Zephyr sorrowfully nodded, beginning to drag his muddy suitcase across the floor.

He ascended the stairs, his suitcase thumping against the worn-down stairs. Zephyr’s muscles ached, and his movements were slow. As he struggled up the stairs, he heard Fluttershy mutter. Something about muddy floors.

Zephyr grimaced, looking at the bottom of his muddy suitcase. He quickened his pace, hoping Fluttershy didn’t notice he was the source of the mess.

He got to the top of the stairs and quickly backed into the bathroom. Zephyr dropped his suitcase, letting out a breath of relief. He was lugging that around for hours.

Zephyr slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it. He tugged it, listening to it rattle. It didn’t seem like it was going to budge anytime soon. Good, it was nice and sturdy.

He turned to the mirror, inspecting himself. The pink streaks in his hair were beginning to fade out. Zephyr grumbled, swiping his hair from his face. His gaze lowered to his face.

It was glaringly obvious that he had been crying. His eyes were puffy and dry tears streaked his cheeks. Zephyr pulled at his skin, attempting to make himself look somewhat presentable.

He shook his head, tearing his eyes away from his reflection. Zephyr didn’t feel like looking at himself anymore; it was pitiful. He turned to the wooden tub. It was old-fashioned but expected for a cottage at the edge of the woods.

Zephyr turned on the tub, watching water spill from the faucet. He grabbed some soaps, squeezing them into the rising water. Surely Fluttershy wouldn’t mind him borrowing some of her stuff.

He began to strip, tossing each article of clothing on the floor. They hit the floor with a wet ‘splat.’ Soon, he stood nude, the cold air drifting over his body. Zephyr shivered, looking at the tub.

Promising pink bubbles floated from it. Zephyr turned off the faucet, staring at the fresh bath water. The blonde entered the warm water, feeling the bubbles wash over his body.

Zephyr sighed, sinking deeper into the water. After the day he had, he really needed this. His muscles felt like they were melting into putty.

He brought his hands above the water, staring at his now pruney hands. His eyes wandered to his wrists. Purple bruises littered them. He shook his head, slamming his hands back under. The man sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Zephyr ran his hands through his hair, scrubbing soap in it. He couldn’t stand smelling like rain.

Clammering came from the other side of the door, catching Zephyr's attention. He froze, his grip tightening on his hair. Zephyr’s breath became shallow, and his body began to shake.

Time slowed to a halt as he watched the door. Zephyr listened to the shuffling outside. His heart rattled in his ears.

“Sorry!” Fluttershy apologized from outside the bathroom. Zephyr put his hand to his chest with trembling hands. He gripped at his skin hard enough that he nearly bled. Fluttershy just bumped into the door. He was fine; there was no danger.

Despite these affirmations, Zephyr couldn’t stop his heart from rattling in his chest. It felt like he had run a marathon. The room felt dizzying. As if it was twisting around him

The previously soothing bath water now felt too hot for his skin. Zephyr felt like if he stayed in any longer, his skin would peel off his bones.

Zephyr bolted up, his shin ramming into the edge of the tub. He flopped out of the tub, hitting the floor hard. So hard that he was surprised that the floor didn’t crack under him.

The floor was cool against his hot skin. Zephyr stared at the ceiling, attempting to stabilize his irrational thoughts.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,” Zephyr repeated. He swallowed harshly, his heart rate finally slowing. He exhaled, rubbing his hand across his face. This was ridiculous. Zephyr had no reason to be panicked over a door rattling. What was he, a baby?

The man sat up, scooting over to his luggage. He was sick of being nude; he needed some clothes. Zephyr rummaged through the bag, finding his pajamas.

He pulled a tank top over his head, letting his wings pop out the back. He slid on black sweatpants, feeling it cling to his wet skin. Zephyr cringed at the sensation, wishing he had dried off properly.

Zephyr hoasted himself off the floor, his legs barely supporting his weight. He flapped his wings in an attempt to regain his balance. Zephyr took a few shaky steps, picking up his clothes. He dropped them into the hamper, hearing them land with a wet ‘splat.’

“Fluttershy can deal with that later.” He muttered. Zephyr unlocked the door, peeking down the hallway. A few animals lay on the floor, sleeping peacefully.

He slunk into the hallway, carefully stepping over animals. Zephyr crept down the stairs, peaking over the railing. The living room was dark, the only light source being a lone night light.

The couch was made up to look like a bed. A blanket was carefully tucked into the cushions with a large, fuzzy pillow on top of it. To Zephyr’s surprise and relief, Fluttershy wasn’t in sight.

He hopped over the railing, gliding to the couch. Zephyr splayed on the couch, snuggling into the blanket. He had to admit, this was nice. Zephyr sighed in relief, closing his eyes.

“Zephyr.”

He peaked his eyes open, looking around the poorly illuminated room. A grotesque…thing was crouched in the corner. It had gangly limbs that stretched several feet ahead of itself. It was so tall that its head hit the ceiling.

Zephyr squinted, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. The closer he looked, the more he saw. The moonlight illuminated the thing's ragged blue coat.

It swiveled its head around, its eyes meeting Zephyrs. It had large, piercing green eyes. His breath hitched. Its face twisted in what Zephyr could only assume was a frown.

“Don’t leave, Zephyr.” The thing croaked out. It sounded as if it was gargling nails. Zephyr held back a horrified shriek, pressing himself against the couch. It was as if he was paralyzed, unable to move an inch.

The thing dragged itself, its nails scraping across the floor. Its wings flopped around, knocking items off of their respective places.

“Don’t leave.” It repeated, shambling itself closer.

Zephyr brought his knees to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut. Just looking at that thing made him nauseous.

The thing continued to beg and plead, its crying echoing around the house.

“Go away go away go away go away,” Zephyr whispered. He tugged at his ears, pulling them down against his head. Despite these measures, he could still hear the things pleading.

A boney hand cupped Zephyr’s face, running its thumb across his cheek. Its fingers felt like sandpaper.

Zephy’rs eyes remained shut, and he held his breath. The thing mumbled something that Zephyr could only hope were terms of endearment.

“Look at me.”

Zephyr Breeze’s eyes popped open. He let out shuddery breaths, his head whipping around the room. Where was it? It was just there a second ago! To his surprise and partial horror, the thing was gone.

Anything that had been knocked over was now back where it was meant to be. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, giving a shaky exhale.

“Oh…I dozed off.” Zephyr realized. He shouldn’t be surprised that he fell asleep. He did have a long day, after all.

Zephyr sat in tense silence, listening to the rain against the windows. He couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes again. What if he had that nightmare again? Zephyr gnawed at the skin on his thumb.

His eyes darted around the living room. He didn’t want to go back to sleep. He couldn’t go back to sleep. After the long day he had, his nerves were shot.