The randomness of the weather is something that always surprised.

As the clouds covered the sky and left no view even for the moon, the waves began to break with more force as the atmosphere filled with an intense smell of petricor, all driven by the cold wind, all being characteristic of an approaching rain, of a storm in the middle of the night.

Hitch could look through one of the windows and hear the storm in the distance, could see it slowly approaching toward the bay, but his mind could not focus on minimal distractions. In the end, though the worry lasted for a moment, he found comfort in knowing that Sparky remained with Izzy, both safe at home.

What Hitch was really worried about was Zipp.

It was different to see her like this.

Zipp was... brave, strong, invincible, she would never make herself stoop so low, she would never appreciate herself so little, and he knew it. But seeing Zipp in that state, practically begging, practically surrendering to that weakness, Hitch was even confused, rather, he found himself reluctant to think that this mare, this beatiful mare, was the friend he had known for years.

Zipp looked exhausted, weak.... sad... and Hitch didn't like to see her like that, he couldn't see the glow in her that he liked so much, but still... he was beginning to... see something else.

-"Zipp...?" - With an almost imperceptible whisper, the stallion rekindled the flame of conversation, beginning to remember what she had said to him seconds before.

Zipp simply squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she began to have shaky breathing, her lips turning dry and her voice slowly beginning to crack.

-"You... y-you heard... sheriff, I want you to arrest me".

If the lump in her throat didn't give her away, then sooner or later her averted gaze would have. With her hooves outstretched towards the stallion in surrender and, moreover, sitting on the floor of the lighthouse, Hitch could watch her, watch her fighting spirit slowly die with each more word the pegasus uttered.

He could see the sadness in her, he could see her pleading.

Her hair and fur grew darker, her wings were held half outstretched, her making no effort to hold them against her body, almost forgetting they existed; and her emotions, Hitch could easily tell she lived in anguish, held in a constant state of depression. Of all the scenarios, seeing her like this, so broken, so far from being Zipp, so vulnerable, made Hitch just want to walk up to her and....

-"Zipp, I don't... I mean, how do you want me to...? I... I..."

Arrest her, on what charge? On what morality? Keep someone locked up just because she asks for it? Just because a pony thinks it's the right thing to do?

-"Hitch, please, just... I want you to arrest me and keep me locked up... in the police station until all this blows over. I... I can't... c-control myself".

Was the heat so strong that it rendered her friend unable to contain herself, unable to keep her sanity? Stallion that he was, the heat was not part of his system. Yes, maybe the occasional thought would occasionally brush his mind, as it would anyone, but what did that mean compared to his duty as sheriff? Could Zipp not hold back? Hold back what...? Was the need so great that... she longed to go out and find a stallion? Was the situation that dangerous?

-"You're asking me to... arrest you? Why, I, I still don't understand, Zipp". - Approaching slowly, accurately measuring the sound and distance between his steps, Hitch continued to approach her, looking at her head, longing to want to see her eyes.

-"Hitch..." - At her whisper, the stallion raised his ears, but when there was nothing but silence, his hoovesteps continued once more.

Even though Zipp refused to watch him, she could feel the stallion's shadow over her body, she could see out of the corner of her eye his hind legs lying on the floor, sitting in front of her. She could feel Hitch close, but there was no heat, no lust in her, no desire for love, she didn't even expect anything. She seemed... disappointed, not in him, but in herself. To be locked away from everyone? Away from Hitch? She was a free spirit, being in a cage would kill her heart, but as far as she knew, being alone, really isolated and with no chance of escape, was the best thing to keep a friendship from fragmenting, or worse, breaking, and she appreciated him too much for that to happen.

-"Zipp..."

His voice, it was so thick, so... sweet as honey.

And Zipp's heart almost gave a sudden flip when she felt the firmness of two strong, but soft hooves grasp her own only to hold them gently.

Zipp knew he wouldn't have the courage to arrest her, and that was why she liked Hitch so much, someone who did what his heart said, not what the emotions of the moment dictated, as she did in this situation.

-"Zipp... look me in the eyes..."

And although she kept away from doing so, far from showing her face so depressed, she could not help it, her body lost all stiffness when the stallion, with his left hoof, lifted the princess's head, caressing Zipp's cheek while on his face stood out a soft smile.

Hitch...

Hitch...

Hitch...

She looked straight into his beautiful golden eyes, she looked at his beautiful smile, his beautiful face, she saw everything about him. Zipp was sure that if the ancient elements of harmony still existed, then Hitch would be kindness itself, and if appearance were concerned, then he must be the God of beauty because just by looking at him, she could already feel her own cheeks warm with blushing.

And instead, Zipp thought, she had surely ruined him. Her eyes were watery, her mouth was trembling, the lump in her throat barely allowed her to swallow, a picture of which Hitch would surely think of how broken and pathetic she was right now.

-"Hitch... Hitch... I... I..."

And before the princess could break into tears, those same soft hooves from before grabbed her back and guided her into an embrace from which she couldn't even react.

And yet, Zipp didn't even think twice before burying her face in Hitch's chest and starting to cry as she hugged him tighter.

-"Hitch... I just want to be with you, with... with all our friends. I don't... I don't want to be alone".

-"Zipp, just listen to me, okay?"

Pulling away from the pegasus but keeping his hooves on his hips, Zipp rested her front hooves on Hitch's chest as she lifted her head slightly, searching those golden eyes again.

-"I'm not going to arrest you, okay? I would never arrest a friend, I... appreciate you... too much to do that, Zipp, besides, I know you, obviously I know you're a free princess who would hate to be locked up, and I could never do that to you. You even want to see your mother in person, haha".

A small giggle came from the pegasus as she wiped her tears with her wings.

-"I know you want to be with us, Zipp, and believe me I do too, Sunny, Pipp, Misty, Izzy, Sparky, we all want you back in the bay, and I know you crave a delicious milkshake of the kind Sunny makes, and I promise you just three more days and I'll bring you all the milkshakes you want".

-"Promise me, Hitch?" - You could almost see the pleading in her eyes and the hope in her voice.

-"I promise you, Zipp."

She was simply amazed, there was so much truth in his voice, so much sincerity in those words.

At this point, she didn't know if the love she felt was pure or just her reproductive instinct trying to trick her, to make her think she was in love with Hitch when in reality it was just her own mare nature that was creating a false illusion to make love with this stallion.

That thought terrified her, and yet she cared less and less, she was starting to think more about her and less about her heat because... actually, it didn't matter, Hitch all along had been fixating on her, on the princess who was always his friend, the heat was just a side thing.

Yet another reason to love him.

This time it was Zipp who embraced the stallion, again burying her head on his chest, but this time squeezing him in addition with her wings, almost completely enveloping Hitch's body.

"I promise". The confidence his words gave soothed her mind and completely drove away all the stress she had been dealing with these past few days. "I promise". Of all the ponies, Zipp only thought that the only pegasus capable of trusting 100% was Pipp, her sister, but this... Zipp felt that... really Hitch was going to keep his promise, she knew he would never lie to her.

Zipp would swear she could hear Hitch's heart pounding, but all she was interested in at the moment was spending as much time as she could at his side, letting herself be carried away by the softness of his fur and the strength of his muscles.

And she would have stayed that way had it not been for the storm had begun.

The raindrops began to fall as the wind began to push the nearby trees and bushes as hard as it could. The thumping of leaves against the walls of the lighthouse could be heard and lightning could be felt to fully illuminate the interior every few seconds, sometimes casually hearing the rumble of lightning rumble across the entire bay.

The cold air and rain would definitely be enough to make him sick on the way home.

-"Well, Hitch... A movie?"

Zipp asked with a smile, eager to spend more time together with her sheriff.

Author's Note

I don't care how much time passes, I'll finish this.