//------------------------------// // A Mother’s Love // Story: Path to Peace // by Flamewarrior02 //------------------------------// 14 days after Zipp’s breakdown There comes a time in everyone’s lives when they must question their actions. Some will take responsibility and face the consequences for their actions, be they good or bad. Others will try and lie their way out through excuses. But some actions cannot be forgiven. “You tried to kill you own sister?!” Queen Haven shouted from her throne. Zipp said nothing and just looked down in shame. That was all the confirmation Haven needed. “Mother, please. Give her a chance to explain!” Pipp begged from the sides, not able to watch her sister standing trial. “Silence!” Haven yelled in her queen voice, letting Pipp know there was no room for argument, before turning back to Zipp. “I thought I had raised you to be better than this, Zephyrina. But it seems I have failed as a mother, and now you must be rightfully punished!” Pipp and her friends looked on in horror as the other ponies in the crowd began shouting over one another at Zipp. “We don’t want you!” “Put her on trial!” “Judgement day is here!” “Judgement! Your judgement!” “Yes, your day is-“ “EXILE!” Queen Haven declared the verdict. “NOOO!” Pipp screamed with complete distraught on her face. “And that’s when the dream ended.” Zipp finished recounting her story to Dr. Uaminifu. “I see.” The doctor said as she wrote down the details shared. Sitting directly next to her, Pipp wrapped a wing around Zipp and pulled her into a hug. “Zipp.” She said softly. “I made a promise to never abandon you again, Pipp. But now I’m realizing that if Mom were to find out what I almost did to you…” Zipp couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. “Zipp, Mom wouldn’t just put you on trial without giving you a chance to explain yourself.” Pipp assured her sister. “Your sister brings up a good point.” Dr. Uaminifu interjected. “From your story, you never explained to your mother everything else that had been happening that led up to this said incident. All you confessed to was attempting to kill Pipp here. You never even mentioned how you stopped yourself.” She pointed out. “Because Mom wouldn’t see it like that. Her instinct would be to keep Pipp safe from whatever endangers her, which in this case would be me.” Zipp answered. “Hmmm.” Uaminifu hummed in concern as she jotted down more notes. “I might have something that can help.” She pulled out a card and handed it to Zipp. “Give that to the local pharmacist. After our recent sessions, I feel some medicine might help with lowering your stress levels throughout the day.” “Medicine? Are you sure about this?” Pipp asked. “I checked with the pharmacist himself, and we both agree that one pill before bed every night should help reduce Zipp’s anxiety.” Uaminifu assured them before she looked at Zipp seriously. “However, I need to empathize that these pills are a treatment, not a cure. So please don’t rely on them to make all stress disappear. I shouldn’t have to explain what the consequences might be if you overdose.” “No, Doc. I got it. One pill a night.” Zipp assured both the therapist and her sister, who she felt slightly tremble at the single thought of her demise. “Thank you.” Uaminifu smiled as the two sisters got up to head back home. They had to prepare for the afternoon’s events. Their monthly brunch with their mother. Under the normal circumstances, the two sisters would be excited for their monthly brunch, a tradition they had started since moving to Maretime Bay. It allowed for the whole royal family to catch up on what they’ve been doing and spend time together. But this time they did not have normal circumstances. After weeks of Zipp struggling with dark thoughts, followed by thoughts of self loathing, the older pegasus sister was still showing the results of her turmoil. While it wasn’t at a concerning level, it was still very clear that Zipp had lost a noticiable amount of weight. And even though she was starting to eat more regularly again after her moment with Pipp, the new stress she was feeling once again took her appetite away to the point she only ate one meal a day. And that was without mentioning her obviously clipped wings. She didn’t even have to look to know that whenever she went out that ponies would stare and whisper possible theories on what happened to her. Zipp knew that it’d be all but impossible for her mother to not notice what had happened to her. And when she did, she would ask what was wrong. Zipp wasn’t a good enough liar to come up with a believable excuse. Her best option was to hide her injuries and hope to whoever that their mother didn’t ask too many questions. That is how she found herself wearing the same cloak she wore when she and Pipp pretended to be unicorns when they first went to Bridlewood. Right now she was at the Brighthouse with the other girls, waiting for Queen Haven to show up. The anxiety she was currently feeling was eating away at her while she paced around the bedroom as Izzy watched her from atop her own bed. “Uh, Zipperoni? I know you’re concerned, but can you maybe tone it down with the pacing? Unless you’ve already eaten today, I don’t think you should be burning calories.” Zipp stopped her pacing and looked at the unicorn. “I can’t help it, Iz. Mom’s going to be here soon, and I have to be able to pull this off without making her suspicious.” “If you’re worried about looking suspicious then why don’t you just not attend brunch this time?” Izzy asked. “Because then Mom would know for sure that something’s wrong with me, probably assuming I’m sick, which I might as well be, and then she would stay here until I get better, which then would lead to her finding out I nearly iced Pipp and she’d take me back to Zephyr Heights to either be put in a mental institute or put on trial.” Zipp ranted as her pacing resumed, now a steady trot. ”And I thought Pipp was bad when it came to worrying.“ Izzy thought, now starting to get dizzy from watching Zipp moving in circles so quickly. At the same time, Pipp and Sunny were having their own conversation regarding the pegasus’ concerns about today’s brunch. “You really think your mom will drag Zipp away when she finds out what happens?” Sunny asked her worried friend. “If Zipp doesn’t tell her the full story, I feel that she might. I know Mother is a very understanding pony, but I fear that she might not be so understanding if all she gets from Zipp is ‘I tried to bump off my sister’.” Pipp explained her concerns. Sunny looked like she was about to ask another question, but Pipp knew what it was and stopped her. “It’s Zipp who needs to be the one to tell her. She’d never forgive me if I told Mother about her pain behind her back.” This knowledge gave Sunny another question. “And if your mother decides to ask you about what’s wrong with Zipp?” “I don’t know.” Pipp answered truthfully. “I’m afraid that when Mom asks all I’ll be able to say is that ‘It’s Zipp’s story to tell’, and that’ll lead to her nagging Zipp about it until something bad happens.” She sighed and looked at her phone, hoping to somewhat distract herself. “I want Mom to be able to help with Zipp’s recovery, but she can’t if she doesn’t know about it. And she won’t ever know about it if Zipp is too afraid of breaking her promise to me to tell her.” Sunny nodded slowly in understanding. She knew that there wasn’t much she could do in this situation. Pipp was right. Zipp had to be the one to tell her mother about her corrupted thoughts and breakdown. All they really were able to do in this case was try and convince Zipp to tell Queen Haven the full truth. Speaking of the queen, the Brighthouse doorbell rang, alerting everyone inside of the arrival of their royal guest. Zipp gave a long sigh as she went to answer the door. “No turning back now.” She told herself as she opened the doors with Pipp by her side. Upon seeing her daughters, Queen Haven pulled them into a massive hug. “Oh, my Darlings! It’s been too long since I’ve seen you!” She said happily. “It hasn’t been that long, Mom.” Zipp muttered. “Speak for yourself.” Haven said. “I haven’t heard I peep from you, Zipp, in weeks. Is there something going on with you, young filly?” Zipp’s eyes widened, though her mother didn’t notice, not expecting that question to come up. She quickly broke off from the hug and stuttered out the first excuse she could think of. “Oh, I’ve just been busy. You know? Lots of detective work to do.” Pipp cringed at Zipp’s lie. Not even a minute in, and already the thin ice her sister was standing on was starting to crack. Thankfully, Queen Haven seemed to either take the excuse or was distracted by what her daughter currently had on. “And why are you wearing that cloak?” Thankfully, Zipp did have a cover story for this. “Oh, this? I thought I’d just wear this for the occasion.” She answered. Queen Haven looked sternly at the nervous, white pegasus for a minute before she smiled. “Well, it looks really good on you.” “Thanks, Mom.” Zipp said while Pipp quietly breathed one large sigh of relief. “So, where are going to eat today, Mother?” Pipp asked. “Oh, I found this wonderful new place we should try out.” Haven answered as she opened her wings and took to the skies. She expected her daughters to be following close behind, but was surprised when she turned around and saw only Pipp had got off the ground. Zipp hadn’t even opened her wings up yet. “Is there something wrong, Zipp?” She asked her oldest daughter as she turned around and landed. Once again, Zipp was in trouble. There was no way she could let her mother know she was currently unable to fly. “Oh, uh, I just felt like walking there instead.” She explained herself. Haven looked at her daughter with more skepticism, and that just made Zipp more nervous. Thankfully, she had Pipp come to her rescue. “You know, she has a point. A little walk would be nice. Would give us all time to catch up.” The pink pegasus said. Queen Haven’s skeptic look disappeared and she nodded. “Yes, I suppose we could walk there.” She said as she turned around and led them to the restaurant on foot now. With their mother’s back turned, Zipp was able to whisper to Pipp. “Thank you.” “Just try not to bring anymore attention onto yourself, and we’ll call it even.” Pipp replied as they followed their mother into town. Once the royal pegasus family arrived and got their meals, things seemed to go relatively smoothly. Zipp ate her meal a bit slower than normal, no doubt losing her appetite due to her constant worries. But Pipp continued to keep their mother distracted by constantly talking about whatever, the older sister making sure to chime in every now and then to not stay completely quiet. It all seemed to be working out for Zipp, and it seemed she was going to make it through this brunch without any issues whatsoever. Come next month, her feathers would have grown back, and she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother ever finding out about what she did. Pipp had just finished talking about her latest single when she excused herself to use the restroom, leaving her mother and Zipp alone at the table. Not expecting any conversation to happen, Zipp continued on eating her meal, now picking up the pace to her usual speed without any worries weighing her down. But Queen Haven had other plans. “All right, Zipp. Now that we are alone, let’s talk.” Zipp nearly choked on her fries. “T-talk? About what?” She hastily asked. “About what exactly you’re hiding from me, young filly.” Haven answered with a serious look. “I’m not hiding anything.” Zipp tried to convince her otherwise. It obviously didn’t work as her mother began listing all of the strange behaviors she had seen in the past hour. “Your nervous attitude, not speaking to me in weeks, suddenly wearing a cloak, refusing to fly. I am not oblivious to what is going on around me, Zephyrina.” It was at that moment that Pipp had come out of the restroom. When she saw the looks on her mother and sister’s faces, she immediately regretted leaving. “Oh, no.” She said quietly as she ran over to diffuse the situation. Back at the table, Zipp tried a different strategy to make her mother back off. “I’m not a foal, Mom. You don’t need to know every single thing I am doing.” “While it is true I do respect your privacy, as your mother I make it my business to know when something is troubling either of my little fillies.” Haven retorted. Zipp was feeling like she was trapped in a corner at this point. Pipp made it to the table and tried to break up the potential argument. “Hey, everypony, why don’t we-“ She didn’t get to finish as her mother blocked her face with a wing. “Not now, Pipp.” Haven told her youngest without taking her eyes off her oldest. “Zephyrina Storm, I have had just about enough for this fooling around. There was something that happened recently that I don’t know about, and as your mother I demand to know what it was!” She yelled as she stomped her hoof on the table. That seemed to be the last straw for Zipp as her look now changed from panicked to dark and serious. “You really want to know what has been going on with me?” She daringly asked her mother. "Oh, no." Pipp whispered as Zipp got up from her seat and grabbed her cloak. Before Pipp had a chance to attempt to stop her, the older pegasus sister ripped the cloak from her body, completely revealing herself as she flared her wings to make sure her mother saw everything. Queen Haven gasped in horror when she saw her daughter's wings. By now there were tiny feathers growing in place of the ones plucked, but they were still nowhere near the point they could be used for flight. "Z-Zipp, wh-wha, how did this happen?!" She stammered out. Pipp looked at her sister with pleading eyes, afraid for what she was about to say next. But Zipp either didn't notice or ignored them. "I DID IT!" She screamed at her mother. If Haven wasn't speechless before, she definitely was now. "Wh-Why would you do that to yourself?" She asked much quieter now. But Zipp didn't lower her voice as tears started to fall down her eyes. "BECAUSE I'M SICK IN THE HEAD AND CONSTANTLY KEEP THINKING ABOUT KILLING MY SISTER! THAT'S WHY!" She yelled before she ran out of the restaurant in tears. "Zipp!" Pipp cried out to her sister to no avail. She was about to fly after her, but her mother stopped her with a question she did not want to answer. "Pipp......Is what she said true?" Her shaky tone telling Pipp that she desperately wanted to be told that she was wrong. That this was all some sick joke. That this was nothing more than a nightmare that she’d soon wake up from. Pipp felt mixed emotions right now. She was mad at her mother for pushing Zipp into confessing, but she knew it wasn’t fair to just blame her. She didn’t know what was going on with Zipp. “There’s more to it than what she said, but it’s true.” She revealed to her mother before she flew out the doors and after her sister. She expected their mother to be too stunned by the news to follow after her. But she soon heard the sounds of a pegasus following her and turned around to see Queen Haven’s worried face. “Where is she going?” She asked. “If we’re lucky, back to the Brighthouse to pack.” Pipp answered before she and Queen Haven picked up the pace, hoping to arrive at the Brighthouse before Zipp. Unfortunately, when they arrived, they saw Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch in the living room with worried looks on her faces. That let them know that Zipp had already made it back before them. Once they saw the queen enter, the three friends immediately ran over to the royal pegasi. “Your Majesty, I know what it sounds like, but please let us explain!” Hitch begged her. “Zipp isn’t a bad pony! She’s just really lost and confused right now!” Izzy followed suit. “Please don’t send her away! She needs us!” Sunny said. “All of us!” Pipp added as she stood by her friends. Queen Haven was no doubt touched by the loyalty Zipp’s friends were displaying for her. But she was still very confused by everything that had just happened and needed more information. Information from the source. “I need to speak with her alone.” She told them, sounding serious but making sure not to look unsympathetic. While none of the four younger ponies couldn’t say they didn’t want this to happen, they didn’t want it to happen in these circumstances. “B-but, Mom!” Pipp pleaded. “I need to know what happened from her.” Queen Haven said as she walked upstairs to the bedroom, but not before casting the worried friends an assuring look, letting them know she would take their worries into consideration. However, this did not ease their worries as the four of them waiting downstairs with bated breath. Zipp has attempted to start packing up her things, but she just couldn’t finish the task. She was too distraught right now. That was how Queen Haven found her, collapsed on her bed and crying into a pillow. “Zipp?” She called out quietly to her daughter. Zipp didn’t respond, but the twitch of her ears let Haven know that she heard her. The pegasus mother walked over to her daughter’s bed and sat down next to her. With a hoof placed on her back, Zipp finally spoke. “I’m sorry.” She said through her tears. “I know you’re probably disgusted with me right now. Thinking that you’ve failed as a mother to have raised such a criminal. But it wasn’t your fault. You were a wonderful mother. It’s all my fault. I’m the one who kept thinking such horrible things. The one who put everypony in danger. The one who…” Just like when she broke down in the cave, the last thing Zipp expected was for her mother to pull her into a hug. “Shhhh.” She gently said to her daughter. “Zipp, I’m sorry for pushing you into this. As your mother, I worry about your safety, and love you no matter what. So, please, tell me what happened. And don’t leave anything out.” And that’s exactly what Zipp did. In her mother’s hooves, she told her everything that had been going on. From her corruption, to her darkened thoughts about becoming Queen and the Unity Crystals, her strong advances on Hitch, her almost strangling Pipp, her self-exile, her clipping her own wings, her friends finding her and being told everything in the cave, her new nightmares, her second attempt at running away, her therapy sessions, everything. When she was done, she went back to sobbing into her mother’s coat. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d be disappointed in me. You’d send me back to Zephyr Heights to be locked up or banished. And I couldn’t face that. Not after the promise I made to Pipp and my friends.” She cried. “Shhhh.” Haven comforted her daughter again, now beginning to gently rock herself like a cradle. “My sweet baby girl, don’t cry. It’s okay. Mommy’s here now. And she still loves you.” She said through soft tears of her own. Even if it wasn’t her fault in anyway, she felt guilty for not being there for Zipp. To not be there for her daughter to lean on and instead coming off as an obstacle in her recovery. Mother and daughter remained like that until Zipp’s crying stopped and was replaced by the soft breathing of a sleeping pony. Still, Queen Haven did not let her go. “Mommy’s here.” She said again to assure her sleeping daughter. When Zipp finally woke up, she found herself surrounded by her friends and family, each with gentle smiles. “Are you feeling better now, Dear?” Queen Haven asked her daughter. “A little.” Zipp admitted before frowning. “Mother, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I-“ “You didn’t want to abandon your friends or sister.” Haven finished for her daughter. When Zipp looked down in shame, she pulled her into another hug. “Oh, my sweet Zephyrina. Never be afraid to tell me when something is bothering you. I know we’ve had issues in the past, but I will always support you and help you through your struggles.” They stayed like that for a while before Haven spoke up. “Listen, Zipp. After hearing all of what you have been through, I’m fighting the urge right now to carry you back home with me so I’d never let you out of my sight. But I know that here you have ponies who care about you, too. Who love you and want only the best for you, just like me.” Zipp looked up at her mother with hopeful eyes. “You mean?” Haven nodded. “You can stay here in Maretime Bay.” She told her before getting hugged by now both of her daughters. “Thank you, Mom.” They both said together. “You’re very welcome, my dears.” Haven said as she broke the hug. She then looked at Zipp with a very serious expression on her face. “There is still one condition you must abide by, Zipp.” “Yes, Mom?” Zipp asked with a confused and somewhat worried look on her face. “I want no more of this hiding information from me. From now on, I’m expecting regular reports from you about everything, especially your therapy sessions. Do we have an understanding?” Zipp nodded. “Yes, Mom. I promise.” Haven smiled and pulled her daughters back in for another hug. Forgiveness is something that’s not easily given. For Zipp, it’s especially hard to feel earned. However, even if she still has issues coming to terms with it herself, the reminder that there are those who love her regardless he’ll her move just one more step forward every day.