The Way You Make Me Feel

“Dude, you look like you saw a ghost. Or just slept terribly.” Zipp held a cup of coffee in her wing tip and offered it to Misty.

Misty tried to smile but she wasn’t sure if she could- the conflicting memories of what she had read and the fleeting half remembrance of her dream had kept her awake. She couldn’t just blurt out something so ridiculous. “Just not used to the bed, that’s all. Hey so a quick question. . .”

Zipp shrugged and decided that Misty didn’t want her chocolate infused coffee. Score. “Shoot.”

“So did you look at the books we took out of the library. You know, just to see if they looked interesting?”

Zipp rolled her eyes and an orange haze came over her for a brief moment. “Of course I did. I mean, sure, I couldn’t read the books at all, but your thick tome had a whole ton of writing. For a hoof, maybe wingtip penned book it was just crammed full of tiny, neat ink pages. Flipped through it and everything.”

Misty froze and tried to act cool. “Yeah, just checking, that’s what good translators do. Just getting a second opinion. Turns out some of it is written in invisible ink.” Misty saw out of her peripheral vision her own tendrils of guilt. She felt bad for lying but it was easier to hide the possible truth that there was something up with the book. Sunny mentioned in passing once that ancient Equestria used to have magical books. Maybe it was one of those? Misty breathed out tried to calm the inner tsunami of emotions that she felt within. “Probably an ancient code. Because of that, it’s going to take time. We could, uh, translate your book for now.”

Zipp shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Now let’s get back to more pertinent topics. I think I know what we’re doing today. Well besides dinner with mom. I was thinking maybe do a little shopping trip, nothing too major, then after dinner we can totally go clubbing.”

Misty cringed. “Is that when you hit ponies with sticks?”

Zipp cocked her head. “No? It’s going dancing and having fun. Knight Shade and his band are performing and I pulled a few strings to get us last minute tickets. Not the best tickets but not awful. Should probably be decent acoustics. I watched a couple Lung Devourer shows there and it’s good shit.”

Misty felt the wash of joy over her and could almost feel the smell of the venue in the back of her mind before snapping back to reality. “Sounds. . . like not my jam? The final band. The idea today sounds perfect.”

Zipp nodded. “Yeah bands like Lung Devourer and Cannibal Pegasi aren’t everypony’s thing. You should have seen my sister’s face when I tried to show her a few of their vids. Looked like she witnessed a murder.” Zipp chuckled.

“Yeah I’ll pass on those.”

Zipp shrugged and looked down on the throne room from above, watching the court move around in its whorls and spirals as each petitioner bowed at her mother. “I wonder sometimes how well I’d be at being the Queen, Misty.”

Misty cocked her head as she saw the waves of blue surround Zipp as she looked down. “I think you’d be a great Queen. And if you don’t feel like doing that, I bet Pipp would love to take your place.”

Zipp smiled, a tinge of hope in the blue halo around her. “Had a weird dream. That’s all. Looking down there just made me remember part of it.”

***

The shopping district was the heart of Zephyr Height’s cultured area- shops for whatever a pony dreamed of stretched through the streets and up into the sky, Pegasi flitted between jewelry stores and clothing shops waving around the newest model of hoofphones. To Misty it was an unknowable tangle of sights, sounds, and smells as she cantered slowly behind Zipp.

“And that’s the record store. Any questions.”

Misty nodded slowly as she tried to take in the emotional energy that surrounded her- she could see a full rainbow of colors as she walked past the crowd of ponies, but as she looked up and up the ten stories of shops that Zipp had tried to explain and point out, the emotional energy turned into a pale brown smog hanging over the city.

She was good at picking out individual emotions but her powers worked terribly in crowds, the visual effects smearing into nothing as she was buffeted by every emotion in quick succession. She could handle the feeling of being held down and drowned in a pool of unending pain and rage after a few months of being in Maretime Bay.

She grimaced as she remembered her first visit to Equestria and how alien it felt. She could still smell the scent of donuts in the air, the overpowering taste of sugar, the crushing ocean of thought that consumed her as she had walked through the brightly lit streets of Zephyr Heights.

She had woken up in a gutter clutching onto her old bag like a life preserver as she vaguely remembered having a panic attack as the emotions from thousands, tens of thousands of Pegasi crept into her and she couldn’t hold them all. She had sat there vomiting until the dozen donuts came back up and she sat there with Opaline’s pendant- too afraid to open it as she watched the shadows move across the nearby wall.

Opaline had been furious with Misty’s failure and she had been locked in her room for a week on limited rations. It was one of the worst times in Misty’s life as the gnawing hunger had made her resort to eating the bugs that were in her room and looking for any kind of water she could find.

She breathed out and the past faded away.

“You sure you’re doing okay?”

Misty nodded and sighed as she could see her own waves of purples and blues surround her again- she was used to seeing the world through this cool light of guilt and despair, it was her normal. “Just realized this looked familiar. Opaline sent me here to spy on all of you and this area was my first steps into modern Equestria- it was a lot.”

Zipp looked up and down the street and sighed. “You really should have come through the Garden District, it would have been way less chaotic. The Royal Gardens stretch from the castle all the way to the botanical center- the whole district is a tangle of trees and flowers that ponies rave about. And compared to here, it’s way more idyllic and quiet.”

Misty sighed. “I just picked the gate that looked easy to get through without seeming too suspicious. How could I have known this finery would greet me?”

Zipp rolled her eyes. “I met you for five minutes before I thought you were incredibly suspicious. I think you stick out like a sore hoof wherever you’d go.”

Misty saw the tinge of pink come over Zipp’s features. “So I was a terrible spy for Opaline.”

Zipp shook her head. “You were just too good of a pony. Plus there was something special about you. Everypony I know is just so used to how the world works. You on the other hoof have a real sense of wonder. Maybe it’s a unicorn thing cause Izzy does it too. . .”

Misty blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Do you like me?”

Zipp’s pink haze flared up into a raging magenta fire that stretched up a good twenty feet above the sporty princess. “As a friend. I was just trying to make you feel better about being here. . .I should have asked you if you felt comfortable being here but I forgot. Feathers, I feel stupid. Bad detective work right here. I should have been less spontaneous about our activities.”

Misty waved her hooves “The past is the past, Zipp. And it’s not your fault, I just felt that feeling Sunny talks about. . .like I was here before and it passed me by.” Misty lightly pressed into Zipp with a brief hug.

Zipp leaned into the brief display of affection, the loud emotions that raged around the pair went away for a moment as the pair looked out from the eye of a hurricane.

Zipp pulled close and Misty could smell the cinnamon and faint sweat on her coat that reminded the unicorn of her. The pair sat there for a long while, not saying anything as passerby looked at them with barely a glance.

Zipp broke the hug and looked away, her emotions writ plainly on her face as she looked like a nervous tomato with how red her face was. “Thanks. I needed that.”

Misty shrugged. “No problem.” Misty tried to change the subject since she could plainly see that Zipp was embarrassed. “Hey so how would a unicorn like me get up to those shops?” She pointed far into the sky to the shops that seemingly only the most confident of pegasi dared to go. “Some of those sound like clothing shops.”

“Well those used to have ropes and pulleys and some basic elevators a year or so back since nopony could fly. They removed those recently and now I think they are catered just to Pegasi tastes. I think there’s a shop up there that sells clothes, but I don’t know why you’d want to.”

“It’s a shopping trip for both of us. And Pipp always talks about how fun just going into a store and trying on clothes can be. Come on.” Misty pulled onto Zipp’s hoof and pulled her to the street.

Zipp stumbled behind the unicorn. “But we still haven’t fully figured out how you could get up there”

Misty shrugged. “You can fly and I’ll just hold onto you. What would be better, me riding on your back or you holding onto my hooves in some way?

“Both of those are terrible ideas. I mean what if I drop you and you fall like nine stories to the pavement? Think this through before we do something stupid. And I’ve not carried ponies before. I think I can but. . .”

Misty smiled as she saw the tendrils of fear surrounding Zipp. It was a natural reaction to something so dangerous. And it showed that Zipp did care about her safety. “I know basic levitation spells Izzy taught me. I’ll use that just in case I am a bit too heavy for you to lift.”

Zipp waved her hooves around. “I’m not calling you fat, I’m just saying this is dangerous to do. And I think we should think about it.”

“I did. And I trust you, Zipp.”

***

“Never again. . .” Zipp laid on the carpet inside the clothing store, her wings aching from carrying Misty up ten stories. “I need to train more before agreeing to do something like that.”

Misty hummed to herself as she flitted through the store, her mind more focused on gathering clothes that she could imagine Zipp wearing than watching the Pegasus’ blue mood cover her in a depressive blanket. “Do you know your size or not?”

Zipp got up and grimaced as she became used to the ache in her body. “Unlike my sister, I barely wear clothes. . .I think I’m a size eight for Pegasi. That’s what she gave me last time.”

Misty held up a small piece of clothing and eyed Zipp. “Yeah I don’t think you’re a size eight.”

“It’s been a while. Usually I get new clothes when there's royal business to attend to.”

***

"Now let me see. . .looks like you're no longer a foal size eight." The owner of the clothing store brushed her blonde mane out of her eyes as she fished around for a nearby white ribbon to tie it into a ponytail. "I don't usually get customers such as yourself up here. Not that I mind royalty. . .or unicorns. It's just usually I get more special orders I either send out using Pony Express or I get the rather snooty ponies up on Theater Row. I did get Pipp in here once, but I doubt she remembers me." The blue mare sighed. "I did try to get a lower floor to help out the less certain fliers but everypony gobbled those up."

Misty and Zipp just nodded along as Morning Glory worked through the stacks of clothes, checking the pile Misty had gathered and finding alternatives that worked for an adult pegasus.

"I don't have to get my size figured out?"

Morning Glory waved a hoof. "You're famous. I already know your general size range. I just have to check for fluctuations there."

Zipp cocked her head. "I never came here before. How'd you-" Zipp facehoofed. "Did Pipp trick me into something without my knowledge again?"

Morning Glory tossed Zipp her own personal phone. "Check Feedbag. Pipp has a whole series of videos and pics of both of you. . .I mean of the two royal sisters. Not you, Misty, was it?" Morning Glory picked out a few pins in case the sizing was a tad bit off. "Makes clothiers in all of Zephyr Heights used to royal sizing."

Zipp sighed. "I now get why it takes me like two minutes to get fitted for any clothes I wear for special occasions. Still gonna have to have a little talk to Pipp about personal privacy. I mean thank feather and sky she wasn't taking lewd photos of me and posting them online without my permission. I didn't sign up for that. Even if I'm a royal and privacy is more of a suggestion than a right."

Misty tapped her hooves together nervously as she watched Zipp's anger spill out like blood from her as she paced around the room. "That'd be terrible. But upside, we don't have to take as much time getting the correct size."

Zipp rolled her eyes. "Sure, but yet again my sister posts everything online. I mean I've seen baby pictures floating around on fan sites. I definitely don't want to know for what purpose fans need those for, I've had what I eat for breakfast become a fad diet cause she filmed my workouts. I have my own fanclub of Zippsters. And that is impressive because I use alternate accounts for my main socials and my royal account is a near and total wasteland. I like my privacy. Imagine how difficult it would hypothetically be for Detective Zipp to be on an important stakeout and my cover is blown by some random passerby knowing who I am." Zipp crossed her hooves.

"That never happened in Maretime Bay. At least I didn't think so. I should know, you kept an eye on me for like four straight months."

Zipp blushed a faint tinge of pink diluting the dark red anger around her. "Yeah, and you were totally suspicious, what with you helping out an alicorn that wanted to take all of Equestria's magic. You know how much it sucked to get so close to letting my guard down and being told by Opaline herself that you were a no good spy?" Blues and purples added into her complex emotions around Misty and the pegasus sat down and leaned forward to stare into Misty's eyes directly. "It hurt. Like you had my trust in your hooves. And then you just stuck a knife right in there.."

Misty frowned. She had been trying to not bring up old wounds or bad memories with Zipp and she had skated around this talk for at least a month since it was a difficult subject to broach. "I'm truly sorry, Zipp. I had so many things on my mind when I was being a double agent against Opaline- guilt for lying, anger at not confronting her before it got out of control, sadness at being unable to see you guys whenever I wanted. Annoyance, self-hatred, even joy at having a slim chance of friendship. And then I get a cutie mark for saving you guys and standing up to Opaline? It just hit me so fast that I- I messed up." Misty felt tears on the corners of her eyes and she quickly wiped them away to not ruin the moment that the pair had been having before this.

"I know that, but you could have talked to me sooner. I thought you didn't want to be friends after that- you kept brushing off my attempts to hang out. If you hadn't gone to the beach and hung out when nopony else wanted to, I'd have worried you hated me or something."

Misty looked up and was ready to speak-

"And there we are. All done."

Misty jumped as Morning Glory came out of the clothing stacks, her hooves flailing as she fell forward into Zipp's lap. Misty closed her eyes and felt her head squish into Zipp as the two of them made contact. She didn't want to reopen her eyes due to how mortifying this position was- she could feel the slight swell of Zipp's unmentionable parts and the slight coarseness of hair brushing against her face told her she was close to someplace else. She rolled back on her hooves and dropped her head to her chest before opening her eyes- barely able to lock eyes with Zipp who was blushing furiously as she watched the sporty princess' emotions swirl around with deep purple and the slightest tinge of yellows and pinks. Misty felt her own cheeks redden and her own emotions set adrift on an ocean of feelings she was having difficulty naming. "I-I'm sorry, Zipp. I just fell and that happened."

Zipp shook her head. "It's no biggie. I barely felt it. I mean. . .are you hurt?"

Misty shook her head. "No."

"Good, now let's focus on what got us here in the first place. . .clothes."

Misty wanted to speak, but she saw the roiling emotions write large around Zipp blink out of existence as she tried to mask her thoughts and feelings. It wasn't a common thing for most ponies to do, or at least in Misty's estimation it was rare. She chalked it up to most ponies being fine with wearing their hearts on their hooves- yet Zipp was one of the few that could close herself off from Misty's empathy. Pipp could as well, but it was less common for the pink princess. Misty sighed. Maybe it was a royal thing.

"Yeah. Yeah."

***

Zipp breathed out as she tapped a hoof on the changing room's mirror. She checked to see if it was a one or two way mirror by pressing on the glass and checking if her hoof touched the mirror. A simple and sometimes unreliable check for privacy, but as a fledgling detective and a royal- she could never be too careful. She sat down on the bench and held her head in her hooves as she tried to stay calm. Misty faceplanting into her tits was an accident. Not on purpose. The unicorn was so very simple to read it was like she had her emotions writ large upon her face and all Zipp had seen between the cute blush that tinged the unicorn's face was sheer horror of what happened.

Zipp breathed out and felt her heart rate go back to normal. She had wanted to tell Misty how she felt deep inside whenever she saw the unicorn. . .but the time wasn't right. Especially not now. She briefly imagined the awkwardness of confessing her feelings about the unicorn right after she was inches away from something that would have thrown her plans into whack.

She had planned out this entire week. Or at least part of it. She wasn't like Sunny or Pipp who would have planned out a whole week of things for Zipp and Misty to do- she was far more flexible with her plans- thankfully since she tried for an hour to cancel the dinner. Everything from Misty being allergic to things her mom liked to eat, to plans they made, to even that this wasn't that kind of trip.

She grimaced as she thought back to the last times she had introduced her mom to mares she liked. Each had been pushed away by how excitable Pipp and mom got the moment they met each and every one. The questions fell like rain. How did you meet? What is your profession? Your plans with Zipp? Hobbies? Dreams?

Zipp had tried with Ruby Jubilee. Then Arpeggia. She bit her lip at the white lie she had told Misty. It hadn't just been a misunderstanding her mom had said- the pair of pegasi had gotten so close to an engagement and she blew it. Dazzle Feather had been a rebound after that terrible breakup since she was only a few years older than Zipp. . .all strikeouts. Though Dazzle Feather did become the main Royal Interviewer because mom and her hit off a weird friendship.

Her mom was somehow more friendly with her exes than she was.

Zipp groaned and carefully looked over the clothes that Misty had tried to pick out and briefly smiled. It wasn't her style, but it worked. She tended more towards the hard rock and punk scene with studs and chains and the like and here she was looking at a wave of pastels and pinks that would fit more with Pipp's style.

She rolled her eyes and put on the yellow dress that fit her perfectly, the frilly thing draping over her like a fitted sheet, accentuating every slim curve she had. She carefully put on the blue ribbon that seemed to act like one of her chokers and carefully checked if it was too tight or not.

She had one too many accidents with wearing tight chokers during a dance- she rather enjoyed the ability to breathe.

"You got this, Zipp, its fine. Everything's great."

"Everything is going well, Misty." Morning Glory held the tape measure in her hooves. "I haven't ever measured a unicorn. You want me to measure your horn? I mean what if you want to wear a hat?"

Misty shook her head. "I just wear them crooked. Just focus on the rest of the clothes. Haven't really owned clothes before- not that I wouldn't have minded to. . .just how I grew up. . . it wasn't focused on clothes."

"I knew Bridlewood fashion was lacking but I never would have guessed unicorns only wore accessories. How trite." The pegasus waved a hoof as she tried to compose herself. "Well, I'm done for the top half, I just need to measure the lower half to make sure how things drape over you. Plus with how pegasi actually can fly now- there's a whole new sports bra fashion coming in. I could set you up with those. . .

Misty blushed. "I don't think I need those."

"Nonsense, every mare needs support in some way. " The pegasus seamstress ducked under Misty and stayed silent for a while, the tape measure sliding below and pressing on Misty's tender areas for a minute before she came back up. "I don't think I have sports bras in your size, dear. You easily outclass my normal clientele. It was something like a. . .D Cup, which is something I've only heard of in passing when it comes to pegasi. I knew unicorns and earth ponies were built different, but. . .well." She slid up to Misty's ear. "And I don't want to be untoward, but most pegasi shave their. . .well. . .no matter. Must be a unicorn thing. I'm friends with a few pegasi that serve that corner of Bridlewood and its all 'au naturel' as they put it." Morning Glory coughed. "I mean, I have some nice clothes. And looking at your size, I have some things in the big and tall pegasus section that might fit, you err on the side of pegasi stallions with those shoulders- though are you fine with open back clothes? What with you not having wings and all. It's. . .not ideal for. . .reasons. But I think that's all I can do. Any favorite colors?"

Misty nodded. "Purple? Whatever works."

"Wonderful. I'll just be a moment."

Misty cocked her head as the mare left. "What did she mean by shave?"

***

Zipp tapped her hooves together as she waited for Misty to leave the fitting room and she had already scanned through all her normal internet haunts and was lazily scrolling through her friends posts. . .she wasn't one for waiting and rereading the same Izzy posts got a tad bit tedious.

"I get it, Izzy, you find Sunny attractive. There has to be something else you two like doing besides fawning over one another. I mean I find mares hot and I have less porn all over my alternate account. Or is this some of that artful nudes Pipp tried explaining to me before getting flustered when I mentioned Hitch's little calendars were just another form of 'tasteful nudes'. . ." Zipp chuckled as she remembered Pipp's face going pale as she hastily tried to switch the subject away from the history of art as tactfully as possible. "Hilarious."

"What is?"

Zipp looked up at Misty and froze as she took in the unicorn's new look. A purple blouse draped over her in a way that left everything and nothing to Zipp's imagination as it accentuated her curves that Zipp always furtively glanced at when she could. A tasteful red beret sat askew on her head, the at desperately trying to hold back Misty's mane and failing miserably as the curls and ringlets fell out from under the cap. She couldn't say it out loud but the unicorn was stunning in her own way, the glint in her eye when she found something new, the abundant curves that made her stand out compared to the average pegasus. . .the way she could just ramble on and on about everything and nothing and keep somepony like Zipp interested. Zipp looked down and felt woefully underdressed in this goofy getup with a yellow dress. Then Misty moved ever so slightly and Zipp felt her throat seize up as she tried to breathe. Misty's back was nearly open to the world and Zipp could see it all.

Zephyr Heights' fashion was built firmly on ancient pegasi ideals- and showing off your back so casually was a sign of confidence. . .sensuality. Zipp breathed out and hoped she wasn't popping a wingboner. She centered her emotions and hastily tried to hide them as carefully as she could.

"You look nice."

Misty looked at her with a confused tilt of her head before beaming a radiant smile at her. Zipp had seem the look of consternation over and over again on this trip and she couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong. Her middle name was Improvisation. Well, it wasn't. It was something she would rather not repeat, the thing far too frilly and feminine for her to comfortably use in public. But she was usually so good at matching somepony's mood and going with the flow of conversation- possibly going from a quick meeting to a brief romantic fling in days. . .

Yet here she was befuddled by Misty's natural beauty and unable to connect to her beyond pleasantries or shared interests. She wanted to jump this model of a unicorn and all she could say was "You look nice." She was blowing her chances and-"

"You look nice too. I tried to fit some of the other clothes I was given. . .it didn't go too well. I'm almost sized out of pegasi sized clothing, Which didn't make me feel too good about our little shopping trip. I mean this is Zephyr Heights and like everyone's a pegasus."

Zipp pushed down the naughty thoughts she had of Misty bursting out of her clothes. "There has to be some unicorn stores. Or we could buy the stuff here and take it to Maretime Bay and Bridlewood to resize them. I mean. . .it looks good on you and I'd hate for this to be a bad memory or a waste."

Misty smiled.

***

Misty nervously looked over the plates of food that covered the table, glancing at each small tart or bite of food that teased her with how pretty they were. She knew of small hoof bites and how tasty each morsel could be but she had never tried them for herself. Not for her lack of trying, it just was that she'd rather not fall into the food deep end and drown in all the flavors the modern world had.

She had grown up on gruel, hopes, and dreams.

To her, popcorn was a delicacy.

"So, Misty, how is Equestria treating you?" Haven smiled ever so briefly. "I had heard enough from my daughters about your situation. . .so I may not get what happened between you and that alicorn, but I'm a good listener. I kind of have to be since that's part of my job. Holding court and all is fun but sometimes you wonder if certain petitions could be sent in electronically."

Misty nodded as she tried not to notice Zipp's undercurrent of annoyance- oranges and reds covered her side of the table and it kind of hurt to look at since Misty had tried desperately to prepare for some kind of conversation like this. "Its. . .new. I mean its fun. But there's a lot I didn't know about the world before- it took me months to smuggle in a phone to the castle and it wasn't the best. . .but it worked. Then there's all the new foods and tv shows and Sprout attempted to show me what video games were and that tripped me up because the only games Opaline knew how to play were chess and board games from thousands of years ago."

Haven hummed to herself in thought. "Oh yes, Sprout." A tinge of blue flashed up in Misty's view. "I tried with Pipp to get those two to match up but somepony decided to pull out the lawyers and everything and I decided to let my daughters try to match up themselves. With differing results."

Zipp rolled her eyes. "Do we have to start this now? I told you this isn't that kind of trip."

"Whatsoever do you mean, Zephyrina?"

Misty watched Zipp's emotions flare like a wildfire at that. The blue unicorn filed away that knowledge- while Zipp's real name was rather cute, it wasn't probably the best idea to call her that without fear of retaliation or a long and drawn out fight. "You never told me your name wasn't just Zipp. . ."

"It's a family thing. And for some reason mom decided to name me after one of the more important pegasi rulers like that wouldn't make me immediately measure myself to some unwinnable standard." Zipp crossed her hooves and frowned as she stared at her plate.

"Dear. We've been over this. It's tradition to name the firstborn after an ancestor- that's how being King or Queen works. And I had my own growing pains with measuring myself up to the previous mares and a few stallions that shared my name. It wasn't easy after your grandmare passed and it took time to find my own place in this world. Like you will- however you will. I have come to terms with the idea that maybe in the future Philomena will be Queen and you won't. It's uncommon, but passing over-"

"Can we talk about this later, mom. I don't think Misty would love to hear about everything that happened in the past. . ."

"I don't mind-" Misty shut up and grabbed even more tiny foods to stuff in her mouth as she felt the roiling waves of both headstrong mares buffet her with their inner turmoil. "I might be quiet as you talk. This food is, um, delicious."

"I will have to congratulate the chefs, then." Haven tersely said before turning back to her daughter. "If this is about my attempts to be cordial with your mares of the night then I am truly sorry."

Zipp threw up her hooves. "I don't hire prostitutes, mom. Even if some of them have risqué personalities, they are just gay and like some of the more worldly pleasures to relax."

"Like the singers. I really did like Dazzle Feather though, she had a good head on her shoulders and I knew that tv personalities could have different voices on and off air, but it was rather cute for her to start speaking normally."

Zipp facehoofed. "Please don't call her cute its-"

Haven rolled her eyes. "Cringe. Is that the term Pipp used once? I am getting old, true, but I can keep up with the lingo. For the most part. . ."

"I was going to say awkward, but that works too."

Haven tapped a hoof on the table in thought. "Well, I've been talking with a couple unicorns thanks to Alphabittle and the few transplants here in Zephyr Heights. . .there's so much magic can do and if you feel a bit inadequate about being attracted to mares and unable to perform your-"

Zipp's face blushed crimson as she tried to hold in her anger. "It's not that. I don't need a magical lesson about sex from my mom. I know what sex is. Feathers above, I know what kind of stuff magic can do since I hear Sunny and Izzy going at it like wild animals weekly. I just don't see myself with foals."

Misty saw the joy disappear from Haven's aura, like a jewel in her crown went missing.

"I thought it was just a magical thing-"

"Well I'm not you." Zipp pushed her chair back and flew off, her speed leaving a faint trail of pinks and blues in her wake.

Misty sat there, the loud end to the conversation breaking her out of her own nervous trance and realizing that she had been reflexively shoveling food into her mouth as she watched the scene like an uncomfortable movie. She counted ten or so plates that sat in front of her and groaned as she felt her stuffed middle that felt like a tight drum that sat firmly between her legs like a stone. She fought the urge to vomit as her body got used to the binge and leaned back as she cursed Opaline and her own problems with moderation. She did this every time with new foods- stuffing a hole she couldn't fill until she was on the verge of being ill due to a mix of overwhelming flavor and the whispers of her past in the corners of her mind egging her on. She breathed out and tried to be calm since she could see faint wisps of purple around Haven like a faint mist of guilt. "I'm sorry."

Haven glanced at Misty and tried to smile- her attempt failing since she could fake a smile, but her eyes showed the hurt that lay deep within them. "At least somepony enjoyed themselves, it seems. . .no matter. You didn't have to stay."

"I know that. But Zipp didn't fully mean that. I mean a part of her did. But she seems conflicted about something." Misty didn't want to come out and say that she knew that Zipp was madly in love with her just because of some emotional cloud. Even if Haven knew of unicorn magic, that might be a step too far. "I mean she wears her emotions on her hooves. . .I mean maybe she likes me. And I like her. . .as a friend. Or something more. I don't know."

Haven smiled. "Matters of the heart are rather complicated."

Misty sighed. "And if Zipp doesn't want the hassle of foals. . ."

Haven held up a hoof. "I don't want to pressure you dear. I mean I tried to have a shotgun wedding done between Pipp and that stallion friend of hers after she did a few things on the internet that made us look. . .like perfectly normal ponies and not some high and mighty ideal. That didn't go well. Of course Zipp would chafe under my ministrations and prodding nature at times. She was always a hoofful. A wonderful one, but challenging."

"That's an understatement." Misty blushed.

***

Zipp breathed out and leaned back against a wall to steady herself. She tried to count to ten, stumbling over her anger every time she got close, and decided to let that calming method go for now. She tried not to stare into the mirror as she noticed it looking back at her.

She didn't know what it was, but it was made of stars and had been staring at her all day, hopping from mirror to mirror. She knew of it. Not it's name or anything, but she had talked to it last night in a vivid dream. A vivid, very horny dream.

She frowned as she tried to let that hazy memory go. It wasn't nice getting lectured about being a princess. How important she was. How necessary she was. And then in a blink of an eye, she'd be on her bed, sitting there, expecting more lectures and then Misty came out with a look in her eye that Zipp would call lust and she freaked.

Misty was the most natural mare she knew and getting dreams like that, even if it was a possible magical anomaly or magical creature haunting her told her she was boned. She cultivated an air of cool distance.

She had sat there in the dream, hyperventilating as Misty rattled off myriad dreams and thoughts about the future. All of them tinged with things Zipp hated. Foals. The pressure of raising one right made her freeze, the problem of sorting the wheat from the chaff when it came to good ways to raise them, a balanced relationship status- a thing Zipp never had. . ,then Misty talked about how good a Queen Zipp would be. Things blurred once Misty started crawling on top of her.

Zipp breathed out again and fell to the floor, the carpet cushioning her fall and she looked up to see if the star beast was there in the mirrors and saw nothing but her own reflection.

"Good."

"Are you okay, Zipp?"

Zipp looked up to see the pony causing her so much grief. Not that she hated Misty, exactly the opposite. But she could separate her emotions so easily in regards to every other pony she knew and yet Misty had walked up into her cooled heart and stolen something that kept her balanced. "I'm fine. Normal procedures in the royal dinner and all that jazz." She glanced at Misty and tried to keep her eyes off her, carefully keeping away from the noticeable swell of her middle and her perfect tits she could always see when she stood behind the oblivious unicorn. "Sorry did I stress you out?" She wanted to go onto any other topic since she could still hear the creature in her mind giggling as she stared at Misty.

Misty looked down and sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Though that's on me. I mean I keep trying to find a good psychiatrist to work through all the mess Opaline put me through, but its not easy when I don't know my history from before I met her. Kind of makes it difficult. . .impossible at times to get what I need there."

Zipp looked up at the paintings along the walls and sighed. "I mean everypony is a bit messed up. So I think you're fine. And if you need a pony that can listen for hours about a problem just fine, I think I know a few good options for you to see."

Misty rolled her eyes. "It's you, isn't it?"

Zipp shrugged. "Am I that bad at lying? I could show you a few friends I used to be real buddy-buddy with but I doubt you'd like the methods they used to chill out."

Misty tapped her hooves together. "I mean you have some. . .tells? Is that the correct term? That and I don't know anypony else here in Zephyr Heights at the moment."

Zipp stretched her wings and got up from the floor. "Well, we have to change that." Zipp pulled out her phone and grimaced. "You know that little concert I mentioned? Well we have to bounce or else I doubt we'd get to it on time. And I doubt I could persuade a bouncer to let myself into the Knightshade concert. Even if I pulled royal prerogative."

Misty couldn't respond as Zipp gripped onto one of her hooves tightly and nearly dragged her out of the room.

***

"Stay close to me."

Misty barely heard Zipp talking to her as the pair snaked their way through bodies on their way to the dance floor. Colors and sounds deafened her as she tried to focus on the pink cloud in front of her to find Zipp. It was like a brown haze punctuated by rainbow lights as she bumped into nearby ponies and got flashes of their emotions- joy and anger being the two most common as she tried to close herself off to the world. She felt her heart race as she was pulled onto the floor, the subwoofers blasting away Knighshade's voice as the stallion danced upon the stage.

He was hard to miss. Not only because he looked rather different to the ponies around him, in his long and colorful coat that shimmered in the light, his bright purple mane, and his earth pony size that made him be a whole head taller than most pegasi. It was his radiant yellow that shone like a second sun as he danced around the stage. He felt joy and it was blinding.

Zipp tapped her on her shoulder and mouthed the words over the music. "So, you want a drink or not? I can probably get a few for a good deal."

Misty shook her head. "Maybe, is there a no alcohol option?"

Zipp shrugged. "Water? There's probably something. Follow me." Zipp gripped onto Misty's hoof tightly and they swerved towards the bar.

"Manehattan Mule for me. Water for my friend here." Zipp leaned back in her chair and watched the concert, her hooves tapping along to the beat as she tried to keep calm. She had seen the thing follow them like a ghost throughout the venue and she expected something would happen. Her detective senses were never fully wrong.

She fished out her bits and slid them to the barkeep as he slid their drinks to her. If the night would be ruined in some unforseen way, she'd rather be buzzed than stone cold sober. She nursed her alcohol and looked to see if Misty was okay. The unicorn looked a bit dazed and out of it. Zipp chalked it to the music and the live aspect of the thing- the most Misty knew about modern music was that she thought Pipp's music apps were magic spells for a good week. "You okay with your drink?"

Misty weakly nodded.

Zipp bit her tongue as she felt conflicted. This was technically a date. Two mares in one spot, listening to music. Drinking.

And yet she hadn't asked her to dance yet or ask for a quick smooch or anything. She frowned. Maybe her game was off. Maybe it was her multiple failures in romance. Maybe she was overthinking having a perfect ten this long in her vicinity. Either way she was wanting to say nice things about Misty. Or mention that it was okay that the unicorn faceplanted into her tits.

No, that'd be weird. That was hours ago.

This was so much harder than how the movies did it. Walk up, get the mare, get laid.

Zipp bit her lip as she looked over the stage and noticed a small ball of light in the corner of it. It floated there and it almost looked like a prop, or a magic spell. She quickly scanned the crowd and looked for a stage hoof or a unicorn assistant that was casting the spell. It was almost the encore of the first set so it wasn't too odd to have some sort of pyrotechnic display.

Finding nopony that fit the description, she looked at her glass and saw the star mare look up at her, galaxies for eyes and a few space rocks for a hardened smile.

"Of course a princess sensed something wrong."

Zipp watched as the magic bubble expanded outward in a quick pop.

For a moment, it felt like the air was sucked out of the room and everypony froze. The music skipped and died off as silence reigned, the world sat still around Zipp and it made her hear her own heartbeat as all she heard was her own breathing.

She looked at Misty and nearly fell out of her chair as Misty looked back at her.

"Zipp, what's going on?"