Z42, or How It Continued?

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Ponies say if you have a family, then you have to take care about them, do anything to make their lives free of hardship. I started my plan with this in my mind, ever since I get known that Tavi is pregnant... I knew I have to change a LOT of things.

And here I am now, sitting on a train, waiting for the arrival.

My lovely wife, Octavia is next to me, asleep, the traveling is long and after she was done with the magazine she brought with herself, she felt like sleeping. Good for her, she can sleep whenever she want... I wish I could do that as well- *screeeeech!* - aaand my thoughts are stopped. And the train too.

The city of Trottingham is right outside, waiting for us to put our hooves on its ground, to take a big breath, and probably cough, the steam the train made is thick. Darn.

“Tavi... hey... Tavi wake up, we are here!” I say and nudge her, Tavi’s eyes slowly flutter open.

“Already? I was sleeping for.. for.. *yawn* like ten minutes!” She says and rubs her eyes.

“Yeah, ten minutes and one hundred more, actually one hundred and thirty. Welp, time to get our stuff and go.” I tell her with a smirk on my face and get up from the half-bed, stretching my limbs - satisfying pops could be heard as I expect them.

The suitcases we brought with us are not that big, we only packed the things we really needed. Nevertheless, they are heavy. In some way only moms and wives can do it, Tavi packed in so much thing, I thought the suitcase is bigger inside! What a ridiculous thought...

“Oh, watch for my cello, I don’t want it to fall!” Tavi says as she pulls the smallest of suitcases behind her.

“Yeah, it would be a shame if something happened to it...” I growl: a suitcase on my left wing, another on my right, one tied to my left hind leg and the case of the cello on my back. How comfortable!

For a moment I stop, remembering the day when I got the first chance to tell the others that we move out.

/Flashback, a month earlier.../

It started as a regular day, the Weather Office was as crowded as ever: nearly empty.

“Heya Blue! Sup?” I greet my friend, Blue Breeze, he arrived a few minutes after me.

“Hey. Not much, the usual. You heard what’s Vine planning?” He asks me, and of course it’s always me the one who knows it for the last time.

“Uhm, no. What is it? Another prank?” I ask back, my mind is a bit dull today, especially because of the thing I have to tell him, and everypony else.

“Nah, not this time, she organized a whole-gang picnic!” Blue exclaimed, strange for him to be this excited. "It have something special to it, though she didn't tell us anything yet."

“Uhhuh... so everyone will be there?” Looks like I can announce it with ease now.

“Yep, why?” He asks and looks at me, maybe he sensed something, I don't know. Yet.

“Oh nothing nothing, I just... uh, you will know when it happens.” Almost slipped there!

“Well. Alright. Anyway, what’s today’s schedule?..”

/Flashback ends..../

The streets of Trottingham are so familiar, so similar to Ponyville, I half expect the Sugarcube Corner to appear after we turn in a corner... but it’s a whole other town. No familiar faces, no familiar places.

“Are you coming?” Tavi asks, looking back at me, she gained a few meters long advantage. She stops and waits up.

“Yeah yeah, it’s.. it’s just the town, all new and stuff.” I reply, not telling her what’s in my mind.

“Uhhuh. Let’s go, our new home is close.” With that she is on the move again, but this time I’m right next to her.

As we walk, my eyes gaze down on her belly, a small bulge, the first sign of a foal on the way reminds me of the past events again...

/Flashback, two and a half weeks earlier.../

Today, is a good day. The sky is blue, the grass is green, the Everfree is as menacing as ever, and last but not least, Pinkie only ruined the picnic once! Half the food is still edible.

The whole gang is here, and the quiet chatter is only stopped time to time when Winona, Applejack’s dog runs around and chases that ugly cat, Opalesc....Opalsce... Opal.

This is the time, everypony is here. I stand up, getting the attention on myself, then cough. Everypony is looking at me.

“What is it Zeph? You wanna tell us something?” Ice asks as he leans forward from Vinyl’s embrace, which ends with him dragged back.

“Yes... and it’s quite big, so brace yourselves. Me and Tavi...” I put a hoof on her shoulder, she looks up at me, smiling. “...decided to move. We leave Ponyville.” A choir of gasps welcomes my words. “Please... don’t try to make us stay. It’s already done.” I add, seeing their faces.

“But... why?” Drax asks, his face mirrors his confusion.

"Yeah, why so sudden? What happened?" Rhino asks as well, arching a confused eyebrow.

“There are many reasons, which I don’t wish to list, so let’s say that destiny made this. I’m sorry guys.” I sit back down and close my eyes, I can’t bear to look at their faces.

In the next minutes I can onl hear the whispers of my friends as they try to understand the thing that just happened. I feel my heart ripping outside of my body and couldn't hold my tears back. But.... it has to be done.

And after this all, the picnic was ruined.

/Flashback ends.../

“We are here! Aren’t you excited? A whole, big house just for us! And for the little one of course.” Tavi says and gently rubs her belly.

“Yeah, excited... *sigh* excited as ever.” I look up and see a good looking wooden house. Its number is 42, though I can’t remember reading the name of the street it’s in. The house itself is pretty impressive to say the least, freshly built by the newest standards, including the works of the Unicorn Magic Engineering League, that means it have air conditioning, a water-cleaning system and such! Almost high-tech!

And wasn’t cheap either...

We enter the house.

/Flashback, one and a half week ago.../

“Dude, you can’t go, who will be the target of my pranking then?!?” Dark say to me desperately, I see him like this the first time.

“I told you a million times already, we are moving and nothing can change it. Dark, look. I will have a family, I want to make our lives as good as possible. I am really sorry about the whole misery of leaving... but it can’t be changed.” Even if it hurts so much, even if I feel my heart breaking.

A few seconds after Dark stops everything he does, looking at me, frozen, then he leaves without a word.

I know what just happened in his mind, I know what is he doing and I try to stop him.

"Dark! Wait, don't go! Dark!" But it's too late, he is gone.

I could swear I heard thundering on that night.

And I never saw Dark again.

The things went similar with the others...

"Do you have any idea... any idea what are you doing?" Atom asks me after 'catching' me while I'm on my way to finish the documentationing about leaving my job as a weather pony.

"Yes Atom, I do. I'm going away. Starting a new life. I thought we are over this." I reply, I had a lot of time to think, and I did think a lot.

"No.. you don't understand. This is... this is not just leaving your friends!" He says, louder than before.

"You all can visit me in Trottingham anytime you want! Calm down dude."

He remains upset. He follows me around for a while. Then finally, he calms down...

But I know this isn't over yet, for him, it's definitely not.

"So, no way back, huh?" Ice asks me as I sip my last cinnamon-chocolate in the Caffee.

"Yep. Thanks for acting normal." I response. The meetingss with the otehrs were... not as good as expected and Ice somehow knew it.

"Well.... good luck Zeph. Stay safe buddy." He says and friendly pats my back and leaves me, serving a customer.

Shortly after I leave, trying to decide that if I should remember everything, or forget them all.

/Flashback ends.../

I put down the heavy suitcases, finally. “Oh my back... and wings and legs and neck, OH MY EVERYTHING!” I say, trying to get rid of the pain.

“You will be fine sweetie, I will massage you, deal?” Tavi asks me, planting a kiss on my cheek.

“Well.... okay. But make it a good one!” I response. Damn that girl, she knows how to make me go soft.

With the packs down, I can go and explore the house. Yes, I know how it looks like, I saw pictures, but seeing it with my own eyes is different.

/5 minutes later..../

“Well, I think I will not get lost here anytime soon. Or I will, dunno.” I say, looking in Tavi’s eyes, then crack a smile.

“Oh, you. We will be fine here, you know.” She says then pulls me in a hug which I happily respond to.

"I wish this whole thing was happening... less... emotionally... I... I.." My words run out, memories flash my mind.

"Oh it's okay, it's okay. They miss us and they will visit soon, don't worry." Tavi comforts me and it works. she can always do this, another reason to love her.

I sigh then and recollect my power, clearing my mind of bad thoughts.

We arrived. We are here. Continuing the dream-life, but a bit changed, improved. Or not.

I have a good feeling about this.