She walked. Just walked. Not going in an particular direction. She just had to get out. She just had to get away. She wanted to just run from it. Run and hope she can get away. Thing is, she can’t run from this. She can’t run from the truth. She can’t run from the pain. She stopped, looking to see where she had ended up. She was at the local park. She looked up, and stared at Luna’s beautiful moon through teary eyes. “Sweet Luna… Please, make the pain go away….” She whispered. Tears fell, leaving a thin stream down her cheeks.
“Zig Zag?”
She inhaled sharply and froze. She knew that voice. Why is she here at this hour? It’s like 10:00 p.m.! She quickly wiped the tears away, and turned around.
“Oh, hey, Rarity. Whatcha doin’ out at this hour?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Rarity said as she walked closer to the pale blue Pegasus.
“Well, uh, I’m just, you know, going for a walk…”
“I thought you were going to your school dance?”
Zig Zag froze, and began to fidget. (a nervous habit.) “Well, I was, but uh, it was just like, really lame, so I left…” She scuffed at the ground, hoping Rarity would just drop the subject. Rarity’s not the kind of pony to do that however. She knew something was upsetting her, but couldn’t place the cause. . She raised an eyebrow, eyeing Zig Zag suspiciously.
“So, uh, what are you doing out here?” Zig Zag said, trying desperately to change the subject.
“I was out for a walk as well. It seemed like such a beautiful night, and I just couldn’t let it go to waste!” She said, looking at the stars above.
“Yeah, beautiful…” Zig Zag muttered as she stared at the ground.
Rarity frowned, “Do you think that you can help me with something?”
“What’s that?”
“Can you carry this back to the boutique for me?” She slowly levitated over two buckets connected together with a metal
strap meant to be worn on a pony’s torso. It was filled with gems. “I collected some gems on my walk.”
“Some?” said Zig Zag.
Rarity giggled and said, “Ok, maybe a little more then some. It’s awfully heavy and I’d really appreciate your help.”
Zig Zag inwardly sighed. She would never blow off a friend, and she knew Rarity knew that.
“Yeah, sure,” Zig Zag trotted up to Rarity. She soon felt the weight of the gems on her back. For a muscular pony like her, it was easy to carry.
They walked to the Carousel Boutique in silence. Rarity was enjoying the peaceful night, while Zig Zag was lost in thought. After a short while, they stood in front of the door of the boutique. Rarity waved for Zig Zag to come in as she opened the door and walked inside. Once she was inside, the door closed behind Zig Zag, making her nervous. The weight was then lifted off of her back as Rarity levitated the gems to the far end of the room.
“Would you care for a cup of tea?” Rarity asked politely.
“Uh, well….” Zig Zag trailed off, trying not to make eye contact with the white unicorn.
“It’s the least I can do for having you carry home those gems. Please? Just one cup?”
“Well… Ok, but just one!”
Rarity smiled and lead Zig Zag to the table in the dining room. She left to the kitchen and got two cups of warm tea. She returned to the room. There, Zig Zag had been sitting quietly at the table. Rarity gave her a cup, and then began to sip her tea. Zig Zag just wrapped her hands around the cup, and stared at it. She didn’t feel like drinking it. She didn’t know if her stomach could handle it. Rarity watched her, unsure about how to approach the situation.
“Zig Zag?” She didn’t say anything, just looked up from her tea. “Zig Zag, are you alright? You’re usually not this, well, sad.”
She looked back down at her hooves. She wanted to tell her, but then again she didn’t.
“I’m getting the feeling that you didn’t leave the dance just because it was ‘lame.”
“…. You could say that…”
“You wanna tell me why you left?”
“ … “
“If you do, I can help! Please?”
Zig Zag sighed. There’s no getting out of this now. Rarity’s not gunna stop until she gets her to talk. She slowly began, keeping her head down.
“It’s just, there was this… colt… that I kinda… liked… a lot….”
Rarity started grinning mischievously. “Oh, who’s this colt that’s got your eye?”
“Uh, his name, is uh, Meadow Breeze…”
“Meadow Breeze.. Where have I heard that name before?”
“I’ve been friends with him for a while…..”
“Ah, I thought that name sounded familiar. Did something happen?”
Well, my friend found out I liked him, and, um, she talked to him and asked him if he was in to anypony… he said no one in particular, but that he was kinda in to me….”
“Oh, how adorable!” Rarity gasped dramatically, “Do go on, dear!”
“Well…. She talked me into telling him, and….” Tears formed in Zig Zag eyes, as her voice became shaky.
“Darling, are you ok?” Zig Zag still had her head down, out of view from Rarity. “Zig Zag, dear?”
The tears leaked out, and began streaming down her face onto the table. She kept her voice straight, yet shaky.
“H-he said he only likes me as a friend….”
Rarity’s eyes widened at this. They soon became filled with empathy for the Pegasus. “Oh. I’m… sorry, dear.”
“My friend talked to him and he said he lied to her about liking me.” Her voice cracked, and was very shaky, though she managed to keep it rather clear and straight throughout her explanation. Tears continued to fall down her face as she looked up to Rarity.
“I just don’t get it.”
“Um, get what exactly?”
“Why? Why did he lie like that?”
“Well, I’m afraid I can’t answer that, dear.”
“I don’t understand. Why? W-why does….. Why…”
She broke right then and there. She put her head on the table and covered it with her hooves. Rarity stood up and went to go comfort her. She wrapped her in a tight hug, and held her. They stayed like this for a while. Rarity just gently holding Zig Zag as she sobbed at the table. Zig Zag eventually calmed down, and began to finish what she had started. Lifting her head from the table, she slowly started.
“I just don’t get it. Why? Why does it hurt this much? She looked up at Rarity with pleading eyes. She didn’t understand. She really didn’t. How could it hurt this much? How could something as simple as this turn her, a daring, brave, and fearless Pegasus, into a sobbing mess?
Rarity muzzled the top of her head and said, “Well, I can tell it hurts a lot, judging from the fact that you of all ponies are sobbing at my table.” This didn’t help Zig Zag at all. It actually made her feel worse!
“I think the answer is simple.”
Zig Zag looked up, waiting for her to finish.
“It just means you liked him more then you thought you did.”
Zig Zag was silent. What was that supposed to mean? “Are-are you saying, that I, loved him? Cuz I’m pretty sure that’s not it.”
“No, no. Not love. You never even went out with him. What I mean is, well, you just had stronger feelings towards him then you thought.”
Zig Zag sat quietly. She was trying to put together what Rarity meant.
“So… It was like *sniff* Not love, but like, more than just a simple crush?”
“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it.”
“So….. It’s normal to feel this…. Upset about it?”
“It’s quite normal to feel this way after a heart break, dear.”
“I didn’t… didn’t think it could hurt this much. *sniff* I thought it was just a little crush, ya know?” Zig Zag chocked out, fresh tears starting to fall. Rarity held her once more, slowly starting to rock them back and forth. Zig Zag sobbed into her neck for several minutes before calming down. They released their embrace, and Zig Zag wiped the tears with a hoof. Rarity levitated a box of tissues over to her.
“Thanks, *sniff*”
“Zig Zag, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not going to pretend that this will be your only heart break or that it will hurt any less the next time around. I will say this though, don’t give up. There are so many ponies out there! I’m sure plenty of which are your, um, type so to say.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m their type…”
“Well, not necessarily. Even so, if you are there type and they are your’s, do you want just anypony that fits the bill?”
Zig Zag didn’t say anything, just looked at the ground.
“Not only is being with someone who’s company you enjoy matter, but you also want somepony to put you first. To show you how much they care and how much you mean to them. You want to be their number one. If they aren’t willing to put in the effort, then the relationship isn’t meant to last.”
Zig Zag sniffed, “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”
“Of coarse I am. I’ve been through my fair share of heart breaks, trust me.”
“Rarity?”
“Yes?”
“Does it get better?”
“Well, the pain eventually goes away, yes.”
“Does it get easier to find the right ones?”
“The ones that aren’t such jerks maybe, but even I haven’t found the one yet.”
“Thanks, Rarity. For everything.”
“What are friends for?”
“Benefits,” Zig Zag smirked.
“Well, it’s good to see you’re feeling better,” Rarity said, a hint of blush on her cheeks.
“Yeah, a little. Thanks for talking to me Rarity.”
“You’re quite welcome, though do you not have anyone else to talk to about stuff like this?”
“No, not really.”
“What about Rainbow Dash? With as close as you two are, wouldn’t you can talk to her about stuff like this.”
“I talk to her about all kinds of stuff, but Dash isn’t exactly the best at relationship advice.”
“Rainbow Dash certainly isn’t the most romantic pony I’ve ever meet, but surly she can help you something like this!”
“Not really. In all honesty, she’s come to me for relationship advice more often then she’d care to admit.”
“Really? I didn’t think she was THAT bad!”
“You know she like Applejack, right?” Zig Zag started smirking.
“Of coarse! Doesn’t everypony? I thought she told AJ, right?”
“Nope! Hasn’t told her yet. She thinks she’s been keeping it on the DL. Hehe, she has no idea any of us know, including the farm pony herself.”
“Sounds like she needs more help than you do!”
“Yeah, she’ll probably talk to Shy about it.”
“Hopefully Fluttershy and talk some sense into her,” Rarity giggled.
“Trust me, she will,” Zig Zag laughed. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Zig Zag spoke up again.
“Thank you,” She said, a look of pure gratitude on her face.
“You don’t need to keep thanking me,” Rarity giggled again.
“I really really mean it, Rarity. You helped me out a lot, and I really appreciate it.”
“Zig Zag, I’m your friend. I’ll always be there to help you.”
“Thanks”
They embraced once more, sharing a caring hug. They stayed like this for a good 15 minutes before letting go, and saying their farewells. As they stood by the door, Zig Zag took her leave.
“Bye, Rarity.”
“Good-bye, dear. Do keep me up to date with Rainbow and AJ,” Rarity said with a wink.
“Haha, I will,” Zig Zag waved and took off into the bright night sky.
Zig Zag had felt as if that night was the end. She truly felt broken, and she had no intentions in putting the pieces back together. She went to Rarity’s not realizing what was to come. Not able to see that she was about to get some of the best advice she would ever receive. As she flies home, she feels whole again. She’s ready to face the new days coming, and ready to start a new beginning.