Wonderful Lies, Fruitful Truths

Zephyr Breeze was a weak, weak man. His body ached, and his eyes were heavy. Zephyr didn’t know why he was so drained; He hadn’t done anything in days.

He lay under what felt like pounds upon pounds of blankets. The man sighed, peeking from under his fort. Just as he expected, the rain was still battering against the windows. The panes of glass shook under the force of the wind. Zephyr sighed once again, sliding back into solitude. No use in going out during this weather.

Zephyr stared at his phone, which was far too bright and close to his face. He swiped through his phone, gazing at old pictures of him and Soarin. His grip tightened. Zephyr wanted to riot. He wants to throw a fit, break stuff, just scream.

Instead, his breath wavered, and his eyes began to burn with tears. The man closed his eyes, running his hands across his unshaven face.

Zephyr felt pathetic. He was a grown man, for Celestia’s sake! He shouldn’t be so upset over a measly breakup. And to get upset over Soarin, of all people. Soarin! People went through breakups every day, and they were fine. Zephyr turned off his phone, rubbing his hands across his eyes. Soarin isn’t worth this.

“Zephyr,” Fluttershy called, barely above a whisper.

Zephyr peered out, seeing his older sister standing over him. She had an expression on her face that he couldn’t read. Sadness? Pity? Zephyr couldn’t tell, and he didn’t have the energy to find out. He tucked himself under the blanket, not wanting to look at his sister any longer.

“I’m going to go to the market. Do you want anything?” Fluttershy asked. Zephyr could only respond with a weak hum. He heard his sister sigh. A sigh of disappointment, he presumed.

“If you decide to eat today, there's some leftover pasta in the fridge.” She offered. A tense silence filled the room.“...And please do something today.” Fluttershy added.

Zephyr pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. Fluttershy didn’t understand how hard it was for him. He didn’t want to be this upset; he just was.

Through the blanket, Zephyr could feel his sister's gaze. There was a long silence as if she were waiting for a response. After a long silence, he heard Fluttershy walk away. The front door creaked open before slowly clicking shut.

Zephyr sighed in relief, un-tensing his body. He loved his sister, don’t get him wrong, but he couldn’t deal with Fluttershy constantly hovering over him.

It made him feel like a helpless child. He knew Fluttershy meant well, but he couldn’t help but feel as if he was being pitied.

He curled up, closing his eyes. He did the one thing he had the energy for. Sleep.

Zephyr felt bubbly. His heart swelled, and his head felt fuzzy. The chill from the freezers pinched his skin, but that didn’t matter. Soarin’s love kept him warm. Zephyr knew that sounded cheesy, but it was true! Soarin was absolutely amazing.

Zephyr admired the way Soarin kept himself. He wore his leather jacket with pride, looking as cool as ever.
He followed Soarin down the frozen food aisle like an overexcited puppy, a goofy smile spread on his face. Zephyr sighed lovingly. Soarin looked wonderful.

He sighed lovingly, leaning onto the shopping cart. Soarin glanced at Zephyr, his brows furrowing.

“Stop staring. There’s someone at the end of the aisle.” He scolded through gritted teeth, tilting his head toward a person. A lady stood a few feet away, glancing at the pair every few seconds.

“I can’t help it! You’re just so handsome.” Zephyr gushed, throwing his arms across his shoulders. Soarin shoved Zephyr back, quickly looking at the lady.

Soarin lowered his sunglasses, giving the woman a flirtatious wink. The woman giggled, quickly proceeding away from the pair.

Soarin sighed, adjusting his glasses.

“You know I don’t like it when you get flirty in public.” Soarin huffed. Zephyr put his hands on his hips.

“Well, you know I don’t like it when you flirt with other people.” Zephyr retorted. Soarin groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“We’ve been over this. I’m a celebrity; I’m not ‘flirting.’ I’m keeping up my image.” He explained simply. “If anything, you should be flattered that I’m trying so hard.”

Zephyr puffed up his cheeks and balled up his fist. He absolutely hated when Soarin used that dumb excuse. It didn’t even make sense!

“Aw, don’t be like that. You can flirt with me when no one is looking.” Soarin reassured.

Zephyr sighed, rubbing between his eyes. There was no point arguing over this. It would only loop around with no end in sight.

“You’re right.” He admitted with defeat. Soarin smirked.

“I know I am now; let’s get going. I have practice soon.” Soarin ordered, briskly walking away.

Zephyr sighed, trailing behind his boyfriend. Maybe Soarin was right; Maybe he was overreacting. But if he was right, why did Zephyr feel so bad?

“You need to leave.” Someone croaked. Zephyr turned around, gazing at a man. Well, he looked more like a skeleton than a man.

The man looked horrible. He was gangly, and his bones protruded through his skin. His long, blonde hair covered his face. The man wore clothes eerily similar to his own. The only difference was that his clothes were much dirtier. Zephyr eyed the man, noticing his teal skin, nearly the same shade as his own.

The more he looked, the more he noticed how similar they looked. The only differences were his hands, which held a strange black gradient.

A pang of familiarity struck Zephyr. He felt attracted to the stranger like a moth to a flame. Not in a romantic way, of course. More like a long-lost childhood friend.

Zephyr glanced down the aisle, seeing that Soarin was long gone. He could just walk away from the man and follow Soarin. It would be the easy solution.

Instead of listening to common sense, he walked towards the figure. There was no harm; it would only take a second. Soarin wouldn’t even notice he was gone.

“Do I…know you?” Zephyr asked. The man amble towards Zephyr, stumbling over his feet.

He moved haphazardly as if he were drunk. Zephyr took a frightened step back, his foot slipping back on the sleek floor.

The man grabbed Zephyr by the shoulders, leaning inches to his face. So close that he could feel his hot breath on his face.

“Leave. Soarin.” He emphasized in a voice much too similar to his own. He stared at Zephyr with dark, soulless eyes. If Zephyr didn’t know better, he would think he had no eyes. Just two holes drilled into his skull.

Zephyr stared into his eyes. It was like staring into an abyss. Zephyr took another step back, attempting to release himself from the man's grip.

The man's arms stretched, wrapping around Zephyr’s body. Zephyr croaked, feeling his lungs crushing within him. He brought his hands up, clawing at the man’s arms. Zephyr scratched and clawed until the man bled. Despite all of this, the man never retreated.

He opened his mouth, clamping his teeth into his skin. The man's arms tightened around his throat, releasing Zephyr’s grip. His knees buckled, his legs giving out from under him.

“Listen, please.” The man began to plead. “Please, please leave Soarin.” He begged. Zephyr’s vision blurred, and he felt light-headed. As his vision faded, he heard the man plead with him.

Zephyr Breeze awoke with sputtering coughs, bolting up from his resting place. He brought his hand to his chest, feeling his heart hammer. Zephyr took a sharp inhale in an attempt to calm his nerves.

After several minutes of gasping and sputtering, Zephyr finally caught his breath.

“What…was that?” Zephyr gasped. He had had odd dreams before, but this was…it was something. Zephyr looked at his trembling hands, shaking his head. He needed to get over Soarin now.