Wonderful Lies, Fruitful Truths

Zephyr Breeze leaned on a salon chair, picking out loose strands. He stares at his reflection, giving himself a big smile. Zephyr had to admit, this was the best he looked in a while. He tied his hair up, letting it fall into a ponytail.

He slipped into his apron. The door opened, the bell catching his attention. A blue lady entered the salon, her long purple hair falling to her waist. She scanned the room, her eyes lighting up when she saw Zephyr.

“Is that my favorite hair stylist!?” She teased, throwing her arms around Zephyr. He reciprocated the hug, nearly lifting the girl off her feet.

“Pixie Cut, where have you been?” Zephyr asked. She giggled, waving her hand around.

“Oh, you know, life just got to me.” Pixie Cut explained. Zephyr lightly tugged at her hair, staring at this newfound length. It was the longest Zephyr had ever seen it. It was jarring to see.

“I can tell. Girl, what happened to your hair?” He asked in disbelief. Pixie blushed.

“I knooooow, my hair is terrible. I haven’t had the time to get it done.” She bashfully admitted. Zephyr grinned, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulder.

“Well, you came to the right place.” He reassured. “What do you want? A blowout? Try something new?”

Pixie Cut shook her head.

“Just the usual.”

Pixie plopped onto the salon chair, just like she had done a thousand times before. Zephyr Breeze placed the barber cape over her, clipping the back shut. He took ahold of the scissors, gently running his hand through his client's hair.

He began to snip away at her long purple locks. The hair gracefully fell to the tiled floors.

“So, you got any hot gossip? Anything juicy?” Zephyr asked, playfully wiggling his shoulders. Pixie hummed to herself. Zephyr saw her eyes light up in the mirror. She clapped her hands under the cape.

“Ooo, did you hear the news about Soarin?” She asked. Zephyr raised an eyebrow. News about Soarin? This just had to be good. He gave a quick hum as a response.

“You know Trenderhoof, the famous food reviewer?”

“Yeah?”

“He’s dating Soarin!”

“What?!”Zephyr bellowed, the scissors nearly slipping from his hands. He slapped his hand over his mouth, looking around. Luckily, no one noticed his outburst. Zephyr leaned closer to Pixie Cut’s ear.

“He’s dating someone else? How do you know?” He asked in disbelief.

“There are, like, hundreds of articles about them.” She explained. “Wanna check some out during your break?

Oh, he just had to see this.

“Hell yeah.”

Zephyr sat hunched over Pixie Cut’s phone. A cool breeze blew by, making him shiver. He had no idea why they couldn’t look through these inside, but Pixie had insisted on going outside.

Pixie Cut sat next to him, now sporting her usual short hairdo. She brushed her hair from her eyes, scrolling through her phone.

“Oh, here's one!” She exclaimed, pointing at an article.

“Top Canterlot City Food Reviewer Trenderhoof is dating Famous athlete Soarin!” The title read. Zephyr blinked in surprise. What a straightforward title.

He swiped his finger across the screen, scrolling down. Zephyr was bombarded with a large picture of Soarin and Trenderhoof. He blinked in surprise, his mouth gaping open.

He couldn’t believe it; Soarin was actually dating someone else. Zephyr leaned in, inspecting the photo closer. Soarin looked…different, though he couldn’t seem to place why. There was one noticeable difference, though. Soarin was holding a man’s hand in public.

It made Zephyr feel weird. Seeing Soarin so affectionate felt…unnatural.

“I’m surprised that he didn’t start dating a girl.” Pixie chimed up. Zephyr snapped from his daze, giving Pixie a confused stare.

“Pixie, he’s gay.” He reminded. She sighed, leaning into her hand.

“I know, but, like, look at him! He’s totally the type to date a girl for the image.” She quickly explained. Zephyr slowly nodded. It did sound like something Soarin would do.

The man eyed the picture curiously again. Why did he look so different? Zephyr’s phone chimed, breaking his concentration. His eyes veered over to his phone. Ugh, his break was over.

“As much as I’d love to stay and talk, I gotta go.” He said, standing up. Pixie Cut waved.

“Alright, I’ll send you a few more articles.”

Zephyr waved goodbye, beginning to make his way back to work. He sighed, rubbing his hand across his face. He would be thinking about this for the rest of the day.

Zephyr strolled through Sweet Apple Acres, scrolling through his phone. It was nearly impossible for him to stay off his phone during work. How could he resist the urge to check his phone when Pixie Cut was sending him gossip?

Thankfully, he was able to check now that he was in the clear. He scrolled through another article. “They’re Canterlot City’s cutest couple!” One sentence praised.

Zephyr rolled his eyes. They can’t be that cute. He scrolled down, seeing Soarin give Trenderhoof a rather passionate kiss. Okay, he had to admit, they were a little cute together.

The man huffed. Why couldn’t Soarin treat him like that? What changed? His eyes veered to Soarin’s face.

His gaze softened. Soarin looked happy. He was grinning ear to ear. Soarin looked much more relaxed, too. His shoulders were slacked, and he was waving at the camera. Heck, he wasn’t even wearing his sunglasses anymore!

As pleased as Zephyr was for him, he couldn’t help but feel a ping of jealousy. Why didn’t Soarin treat him like that? If he could act like this now, then there was nothing stopping him from being like this before. Back when they were together.

Zephyr sighed, shoving his phone in his pocket. None of that mattered now; he had moved on. He peaked through the trees. He could really use some comfort right now.

“Mac!?” Zephyr called out, peaking through the fields. Where was that hunk of a man?

“Over here!” Big Mac responded. Zephyr flew from the ground, dashing through the trees. His eyes lit up when he spotted his boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around Big Mac, peppering his cheek in kisses.

“There’s my favorite guy!” Zephyr greeted, pulling Big Mac closer. Big Mac blushed, wrapping his arms around Zephyr’s torso.

“Hey. How was work?” He asked. Zephyr huffed, letting his feet touch the ground.

“It was good but…I found out Soarin is dating someone else.”

“Oh.” Big Mac blinked in surprise. “Are…are you okay with that?”

Zephyr sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

“It is what it is. Besides, I’m happy for him. I’m glad he found himself.” He wrapped his arms around Mac’s shoulders.

“Besides, I have you.” He gushed, giving Big Mac another kiss on the cheek. Big Mac grabbed Zephyr by the waist, dipping him over. He leaned in, giving Zephyr a quick peck on the lips. He smiled, pulling Big Mac closer.

Zephyr’s stomach growled, making the men pause. Ugh, right, he had spent all of his lunch break stalking his ex.

“I skipped lunch. Can you make your favorite boyfriend a sandwich?” Zephyr asked, batting his eyes. Big Mac chuckled, hoisting Zephyr over his shoulder. Zephyr happily squealed, kicking his feet.

“Eeyup.”