> Phoning Home for the Holidays
>  by Lopunny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Only Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The chill of cold air bit into Zipp’s face, frigid winds whipping through her mane and causing her fur to stand on end as she descended to solid ground. As clacking hooves met the cement, the pegasi’s slight disappointment from leaving the air was quashed by the relief of the sight before her. Bright, shining lights cut through the crowds, colors dancing upon her face as she approached the doors to the Pony electronics store. A wave of pure warmth brushes over the princess as the automatic doors whir open, an appreciative sigh escaping her muzzle as she enters the crowded store. 
“Almost done, Zipp,” the mare spoke, a light smirk gracing her face as she began to look around. “Last stop, and all your holiday gift shopping is done, just in time - and nopony you know even saw you while you were out and about! Today has been a breeze.” Moving with purpose, Zipp scanned from aisle to aisle, pushing past the myriad crowds of ponies, presumably, she noted, all shopping for last minute gifts for their loved ones. And if they were anything like her, they were probably also kicking themselves for saving it until the last minute - but Zipp would not fail. She couldn’t - not with this one, the most important gift of the lot.
“Excuse me, sir?” An exhausted looking stallion turned his head, a curled back, soft lavender mane complementing the creamy yellow of his coat. He wore a nice, collared shirt and tie combo, though the tie was slightly disheveled, a fitting accent to the bags she could just make out under his eyes. Zipp trotted over to his side, offering him the greatest gift for a retail worker: an empathetic smile. "I know you've probably had your hooves full all day - and can I just say, thank you so much for working this week? I don't know where any of us would be without the help of ponies like you right now." She almost grinned to herself as a bit of the stress seemed to lift from his posture, the grumpy look replaced with a small, tired smile. 
"Ah, well... Thank you, princess. It's a rough week for sure, what with the holidays and all. Closing tonight, opening in the morning - but once the holiday is done, I'll have a few extra days off to kick back and just relax.” The stallion almost looked like he was beginning to relax right then and there, but quickly tensed back up, earning an eyebrow raise from Zipp. His eyes flicked back towards a mare off to the side, clad in a collared shirt and tie - rather sleek, Zipp might have added, if internally. Another pony was whispering to her, pointing her wing feathers in their direction. “Ah, but I digress! You’re here for a reason, and I can only guess what it is. You’re here for the new flyPhone, aren’t you, princess?” 
The mare to the side gave the slightest nod of her head as the stallion led her over to the primary service counter, something Zipp did not allow to go unnoticed. “That’s exactly right! Wow, you really know your customers, sir...?”
“Vice,” he responded, saving her from the awkward position of having to admit she’d forgotten to read his nametag. “Vincent Vice. Oh, but you, of course, can call me whatever you’d like, princess!” The awkward grin Vincent bore only served to unsettle Zipp, but rather than lose focus, she simply pretended she didn’t see it. After all, she was here on a mission - an important mission, and that meant getting that flyPhone at all costs. 
“Well, mister Vice, you were absolutely correct. That flyPhone is the last gift on my list. Frankly, I’m amazed you have it in stock! I’ve checked every other store in Zephyr Heights, and it’s completely sold out. Must have been saving me one, ‘eh?” Zipp teased, nudging him lightly with a light jab of her wing to his side. It earned a small laugh, further easing his guard and getting Zipp exactly where she needed to be - just a bit further, and ‘Operation Backup Gift C’ was going to be a booming success. 
“Well, yes, but also, not quite.” She gave a curious tilt of her head as they trotted on, rolling her hoof to indicate for him to continue, and so he did. “We’ve been sold out for some time, but we happen to have one singular customer who failed to pick up his order. We hold these orders for no more than a week -”
“Which is incredibly generous of you,” Zipp interjected, seizing her opportunity as it presented itself with an internal giddiness she’d never let Pipp see, “considering just how highly these are in demand.”
“- And, while yes, we’ve patiently held this last model for the customer, today is the last day of his hold -”
“- Meaning it’s highly likely he won’t be coming in?” Zipp’s eyes beamed wide as she smiled, a bright, if not-so-genuine smile. Lay it on thick, why don’t you, she heard her voice chide in her head, but an imaginary kick to the shins silenced that quickly enough. An internal, small cheer replaced the self-loathing as Vincent gave an acquiescent nod. “As much as I can’t approve of his selfishness, wasting your time by refusing to let you know he wouldn’t come by...”
“You needn’t say a word, princess.” By this time, the two had reached the counter, and Vincent excused himself momentarily to step behind it. He spoke as he shuffled through a few items, “If he’s not here by now, he’s not coming. This kind of thing happens almost every year.” Finally, her prize was in reach, and Vincent placed the coveted prize on the counter. As Zipp moved to reach for it, however, he paused, pulling it back into his grip and woefully out of reach. “The phone is all yours, princess - if you’re willing to wait just a bit, however. There’s some paperwork I need to fill out regarding canceled orders like this one, files and emails to send - you know how it is. There are no shortcuts in these kinds of things, after all.” 
Zipp noted the way his eyes flicked towards the mare from before. His attitude, her business casual attire; together, that cemented the situation in her mind. Clearly, she was his boss, a snappy micromanager who likely kept the stallion following dozens of rigid rules and regulations. Her name tag, at least, was legible from here - one Bright Banks, a name Zipp committed to memory as she worked up all the saccharine sweetness she could muster in her next words. 
“I totally understand,” she began, her voice dripping with a bit too much empathy, yet forcing herself to speak loud enough for the boss to hear. “You do whatever you need to do, Vincent. You’re already going above and beyond for me, and I appreciate your phenomenal customer service.” Though Zipp was laying it on extra thick at this point, the way Vincent’s eyes lit up, how his smile softened, reminded Zipp just how much she actually liked helping ponies. It also reminded her who this was for, and why she had to pull out all the stops. 
Once he turned away, her eyes were all but locked onto that phone in his grasp, up until the moment he disappeared fully behind the ‘employees only’ door separating the ‘customer’ side of the store from that of ‘service’. Renewed vigor filling her steps, Zipp trotted closer to a display off to the side, examining products she didn’t care for with light noises of affirmation. She wasn’t directly next to Vincent’s suspected boss, but stayed close enough that the space could be closed with ease on either side. 
The muffled hoofsteps on carpet confirmed her suspicions, and it was all Zipp could do to keep a cheeky smile off her face. Instead, a lightly piqued disinterest marred her expression as the other mare approached. It wasn’t until Zipp picked up a small accessory from the wall display that Bright Banks spoke, and only then did she allow herself to turn towards the manager.
“Finding all you’re looking for, Miss Storm?” Holding in the wince at the title was easy, but not reacting to the complete shift in the mare’s facial expressions from before was something else. Bright Banks was giving her a smile just as bright as her teal mane, a sharp, but not oversaturated contrast to her sandy tan coat. If Zipp hadn’t known better herself, the soft, highlighted features Banks showed off would have disarmed her from her goal. It would not, however, be that easy - she was here for the holiday, and dang it, this was going to be the best holiday ever, Vincent included.
“Oh, it’s been quite well, Miss Banks.” Her tone lowered, and Zipp allowed the faintest hint of a smile to peek through, a well practiced motion that she and her sister both had mastered. “Actually, I have to say, the service here has been phenomenal. There’s a stallion in the back right now,” attention deftly turned back to the accessory in her hoof, a hoof-strap for the phone model she’d soon be taking home, “and he’s been exceedingly helpful.” While her visual attention had been brought back to the commodities before her, the slightest peek relayed all she needed to know. The bait had been set out, and Bright Banks was heading straight towards it. 
“I should hope for nothing less. I strive for excellence when it comes to customer service - that’s why I train all of my employees myself.” A nibble, then - all Zipp had to do was wait, and soon, everything would be set. The bait, however, still lay untaken, so it was up to her to give it a little push. 
“I can certainly respect a hooves-on approach like that, you know. That personal involvement is the kind of thing I admire. I always say that a pony who isn’t willing to get their own hooves dirty isn’t a pony who should be managing others.”
“Oh, I feel the same way! That’s why we’re the number one ‘Pony Electronics’ store in Zephyr Heights. I like to keep myself directly involved in every part of the store. It’s like I always say, after all; ‘There’s no my, or your successes - only our successes.’” 
Suppressing her gag reflex took everything Zipp had inside her, but for the sake of The Operation, she held it together. “You must celebrate a lot of successes with some pony like sir Vice working here. Definitely the best customer service I’ve received anywhere in Zephyr Heights!” Her attention now fixated on Bright Banks, Zipp gave a sigh that was only slightly exaggerated, “And to think, he seems to be worried you won’t be giving him any days off, even after the holidays!” 
There it was, that momentary lapse of face, the widening of the eyes ever so slightly. Being a princess did have its perks, Zipp had to admit, and one of them was making ponies uncomfortable by her presence, or, stars forbid, having her look negatively upon them. In all likelihood, this mare was already at the point where she’d do anything to ensure this sale was secured, but when did it ever hurt to go the extra distance? “But after meeting you, I’m perfectly happy to know that he has the kind of manager who would never let something like that happen to her team.” The slightest hint of discomfort peeked through the smile, and with that, it was time to secure the whole operation in a neat little bow. “In fact, I can’t wait to hear about how he spent the time - when I come back in a couple weeks, of course.”
“Oh I would never allow something like that to happen to my employees! I believe he said he had some wonderful plans to spend time with his foals, you know. In fact, I may just ask him myself right now! It would be best to assuage those fears, of course - you know how stressful the holidays can get, and he’s been working so hard. I just want to make sure he knows how appreciated he is!”
Bright Banks quickly turned on her hooves, and with each trotting step Zipp followed, her smirk only grew wider. Normally, she’d never abuse her status like this, but this was The Operation. She had to take any and all steps necessary to ensure success here - and, hey, she probably made the post-holiday blues at least a bit better for Vincent! So, really, she was doing a good thing! 
As if on cue, Zipp’s arrival to the counter coincided with the return of Vincent. He brought back at least a dozen sheets of paper; more importantly, however, was the package he so tentatively set between them. That phone, her final gift, hours spent searching for it, flying between every store in Zephyr Heights, finally within reach. “The paperwork is all finished, princess. It hasn’t been quite submitted yet, but once I get these last pages uploaded, the phone will be yours to purchase. While I finish up here, will you be paying up front for the whole thing, or will you be taking advantage of a payment plan today?”
Oh, how every word was like music to her ears! Zipp almost couldn’t help herself from laughing with excitement. Almost. “I’ll be paying up front, in full,” a casual remark made as she dropped a full bag of bits onto the counter. “That should cover it, with an added tip for your excellent service.” One hoof pushed the bag over, and as she did, Vincent slid over a form for her to fill out regarding the purchase - with an optional survey at the bottom, she noted, reminding herself to fill that out later. 
Pipp is going to love this, thoughts turned to her sister as Zipp began to fill out the proof of purchase form. Pipp had been horribly upset when her phone cracked in that freak squash-nana incident at Main Street, and this new model had been reliably advertised to have all the bells and whistles a Ponygrammer like Pipp could need. It was the perfect gift - Zipp could almost hear her sister’s voice as she imagined this year’s gift trade. Excitedly tearing off the wrapping paper, asking about that new flyPhone in stock, barreling through bystanders with shortly uttered apologies.
Wait. That wasn’t right. Eyebrows raised in curiosity, Zipp’s ears flicked and swiveled, and the realization came; she could hear her sister apologizing as she bowled over innocent ponies. Oh no.
“Excuse me! Wait! Sorry! I SAID WAIT, GOSH DARN IT!”
A race against the clock, now, Zipp scrambled to finish filling out the paperwork in front of her, no longer bothering to cross t’s or dot i’s. The pen in her mouth nearly tore through the form as it flew, and yet, time soon ran out, so Zipp resorted to the only thing she could do now-
“I SAID WAIT!” That familiar voice yelled, nearly screeched out. Zipp’s instincts kicked in, scrambling herself up onto her hindlegs as she positioned herself onto the counter. One foreleg propped her cheek up as she turned to look her sister in the eye, an uncomfortable grin finding itself spread on her face in an attempt to hide any wrongdoing.
“Hey, sis! What a surprise seeing you here!” Nervous giggles threatened to jump from her throat, so Zipp let out a small cough instead, suppressing the sound before it could give her away even more. A flick of her eyes, however, and Zipp realized the phone was still visible on the counter, panic growing - and her wings fluffed out to full size, blocking off as much of the countertop from view as she possibly could. “What brings you around here?” 
Pipp’s unamused glare could have easily killed a lesser mare, but Zipp was no lesser mare. “I’m here,” she nearly growled out as she stepped forward and bumped Zipp to the side with a surprising amount of force, “to pick up an order.” The younger princess deposited a slip directly in front of the equally shocked salespony behind the counter. “Order 1317367. Today should be the last day for pickup, and it’s very important.” 
The chances that Pipp would be here for an order at the same time as her sister were already small as it was. Given the circumstances, however, a pit began to form in Zipp’s stomach - and Vincent’s nervous expression, eyes darting between the two sisters, all but confirmed her theory. This was no coincidence. 
“Ah, princess... err... the thing is... this order-”
“Isn’t in my name, technically - yes, I know. However,” the ruffling of paper sounded loud in Zipp’s ears as several forms joined the first, similar looking to the one she’d just been filling out. “You’ll find I have all the necessary ‘transfer of order status’ paperwork filled out. You can match both signatures to your files as well.” 
“Pipp?”
“Yes, Zipp?” The smugness of Pipp’s voice almost seemed to be mocking in nature. 
“That wouldn’t happen to be an order for the new flyPhone, would it?”
If one looked up ‘subtlety’ in the dictionary, well, the noise that just came from Pipp would be found nowhere near it. In an anti-dictionary, however, Zipp noted that you might just find an audio recording with a playback of her sister’s gasp. “Why, Zipp! How intuitive of you! And here I was, thinking I was being sneaky. Yes, this is an order for the last flyPhone in stock in this store. In fact, I think you might find it’s the last one in stock in all of Zephyr Heights! But I’d expect nothing less from a great detective like you.”
Zipp’s eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring in a light snort as her sister produced a bag of bits equal in size to her own. “Oh, no, nothing of the sort, sister dear! I’m just trying to keep on top of all the latest trends - you yourself said I should know more about the newest makes and models of every little thing that comes out.”
Well, maybe that anti-dictionary could have two entries for one word. 
Pipp let out a similar snort accompanied by an undignified grunt as she turned back to Vincent, who was looking less like a stallion and more like a deer in tramlights. “Everything is in order, then, sir... Vice?” Pipp squinted as she looked over to read his nametag. 
“Well... y-yes, this all does appear to be properly filled out, and the order would be in your name,” the poor stallion grimaced as he tugged at his collar, “B-but we had already filled out the paperwork to nullify the order, since today is the last day-”
“Was it filed?”
“Not... exactly.”
“Then the order still stands! I’ll take the phone, please-”
“Vincent!” Zipp all but slammed her hooves down, the noise startling both salespony and sister alike. “I already filled out my form for this purchase, and hoofed over the bits.” She hated to stress the poor stallion out, but Zipp did not have the time to find another perfect gift for Pipp after tonight. His poor night would be uncomfortable, and Pipp would be mad at her for taking this away from her, but the memories from opening the gift would last forever. “Legally, the purchase has been made, so if you’d please, I’ll be taking this phone.”
Zipp couldn’t help wincing as Pipp let out a hurt gasp. “So that’s how we’re going to play, is it? Well, mister Vincent, I would like to point out that the contract signed for the hold of this order, right here,” Pipp’s hoof tapped forcefully onto a specific form in front of her as she spoke, “states that ‘The owner of the contract, hereby referred to as ‘the customer’ may arrive any time within the operational business hours of the store in question for a period of seven days, following the initial sale date of the product. Should the customer arrive within this period, the store is obligated to fulfill their purchase and the terms of this contract’. I am the legal owner of the contract, and it is within operational business hours, so the contract is still legally binding. I should hope you didn’t get pressured into cutting corners just because your other client was a princess - that would be an abuse of power on somepony’s end.”
A sputter from the elder sister, muzzle hanging open as her eyes darted from Pipp to the phone. Pipp had never said anything like this to her before - and deep down, she knew her sister was right. This whole plan had banked on the idea that her influence as a princess would procure just enough leeway to get that phone in her hooves tonight. But - and this was the big but - she was doing it for Pipp! That had to count for something, and it certainly did in Zipp’s eyes. 
“Why do you even care so much, Pipp?”
“Because, we as princesses have a duty to our ponies. Even if our princesshood was based on a lie at one point, it doesn’t have to be anymore. Using our status to manipulate ponies into doing what we want is exactly the kind of thing we shouldn’t be doing anymore.”
Something about the way Pipp spoke turned a few gears in her mind. After a moment, and staring at Pipp’s incredibly smug face, Zipp’s eyes narrowed as she spoke again.
“Uh-huh. Say, Pipp, mind telling me how exactly you got your hooves on that contract? You didn’t just happen to be buddy-buddy with the stallion who had the last order, hm?”
“Oh, well... I just happened to bump into him. I was out shopping, and he didn’t need the order after all, so I graciously offered to take it off his hooves.”
Bingo - the pieces began to fall into place. She still had a chance to salvage this, however slim it might be. Eyes narrowing, Zipp fell back onto all fours, trotting to the side a bit as she spoke. “So you overheard him talking about not needing the order anymore. What a happy coincidence! Where did you run into him, anyway?”
“I... don’t remember exactly where? I mean, I was out and about, and today’s been so busy. I could list off every place I’ve been today, but why does that matter?”
“Because,” Zipp replied with a smirk, pointing to the papers in front of her sister, “You already had the form filled out. Clearly, you either ran into him nearby and came back for the paperwork, or you had that form ready.”
Even from the side, Zipp still saw Pipp’s eyes widen a bit, just enough to be visible, and only for a moment. “Well, I came back, obviously,” the popstar princess’ voice rolled towards the back of her throat with a low intonation on the emphasis. “Sometime a couple hours ago. He told me where he’d be, and we filled out the forms together!”
A wicked grin spread across Zipp’s muzzle, resisting the urge to hum as she secured the trap. “So he told you where he’d be - but you just said you didn’t remember where he was, didn’t you? Isn’t that strange? I’ve always known you to have an eye for detail, too, Pipp, so I can’t believe you’d just forget so quickly-”
“It was in the West shopping district, okay? Near his job at the J.P. Maregan bank. I just... didn’t remember which store I first met him at-”
“But the West shopping district is less than an hour away from here.” Zipp once again felt bad, but she couldn’t let up now - the holiday ITSELF was at stake. Well, probably not, but she’d feel awful getting Pipp some generic gift that didn’t mean anything. How was she supposed to consider herself a master sleuth if she couldn’t even give a heartfelt gift? “And Vincent here seemed completely unaware that you’d been by with the intention of buying our mystery stallion out of his contract. If he had, he never would have agreed to sell it to me instead.” Her chest held high, Zipp trotted back in front of her sister, leaning on the counter once more. “And he told me he was closing earlier, which means he only wouldn’t have known if he was on lunch at the time you came by-”
“Which he probably was!” Pipp interrupted with a low snort, chewing on her lower lip. Her anxious tell, Zipp thought to herself. “It was a couple hours ago, so-”
“But his manager would have known, too,” Zipp countered. “When I came in and started talking to Vincent, another employee seemed to be pointing me out, and she came to greet me directly after I finished talking with him. She didn’t seem to have any idea you’d be coming by, and somepony would have told her. Which means you had to have been here in the morning - which means you were planning on convincing him to sell you the contract from the start!” 
It was Zipp’s turn to be smug, if the eye twitch and grimace Pipp shot her were any indication. If this panned out right, she could talk this into a circle, delay the purchase until morning, and get here a few hours before the doors opened so she could pick up the phone and still give a perfect gift to her sister! 
…Her sister who was now fuming so hard, Zipp could almost swear she saw steam coming from her ears. Maybe this wasn’t the most well thought out plan she’d come up with - but Zipp was willing to take what she could get.
“You are so... So... INFURIATING!” Zipp jumped back a bit in surprise at the outburst, alongside several other customers - it seemed the two had attracted something of a crowd while their argument went on. “Why did you have to come around and ruin this?!”
Zipp gasped, grinding her teeth and stomping one hoof down. “Me?! You’re the one who came in and butted in when I was two seconds away from making this purchase-”
“One you weaseled your way into making in the first place! What, do you think the rules apply to everypony BUT you?”
“Oh, but you can follow a pony around all day to get something you want out of him? Newsflash, Pipp - that’s creepy, even if we’re princesses. In fact, I almost think that makes it worse!” 
“Well I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important!”
“And what, my reasons aren’t important enough for you? I have half a mind to-”
“WHY won’t you just let me do this for you?!”
Another outburst caused a slight ringing in Zipp’s ears, and suddenly, she realized the store was dead silent. Nearly everypony was staring at the two, Pipp’s angry breathing the only audible sound to cut through the quiet. “For... for me?”
“All I wanted to do was get you the perfect gift, and you just... you had to be right here and ruin it! And now,” anger turned to distress as Pipp slid back against the counter onto her rump. Her voice cracked as she spoke, becoming a softer whine now that she realized everypony was looking at her, “It’s not even a surprise. The whole thing is ruined.”
Zipp blinked, then blinked again, brows furrowing as she lowered the hoof she didn’t realize she’d raised across her chest in surprise. She took a tentative step towards her sister, ears pinning back against her head at the sound of Pipp’s sniffling. Pipp’s head was buried in her hooves now, and Zipp could only reach out with one hoof as she tried to speak. “Pipp-”
“Don’t bother. You win, okay? You always do. Just... go ahead and buy the stupid phone. I don’t care anymore.”
“Pipp... why do you think I was here? I was trying to get this for you.” 
Disregarding the stares, Zipp soon found herself sitting next to her sister. She did, however, give a nasty glare at the sight of a phone being brought out to record them, retracting the look once the device was stowed away. Gently, one hoof was placed onto pink fur, intending a reassuring touch that almost seemed more awkward than anything else. “You were so bummed when your phone cracked, and everypony who’s anypony has been talking about this new one. I just wanted to get you the perfect gift.”
“That’s just it, Zipp. You always get the perfect gift. You always get everypony the perfect gift. And I don’t need a new phone. Yeah, this one’s cracked, but it was already a gift from you, and Hitch, and Sunny, and Izzy.” Another sniffle as she lifted her head, pulling out and holding the phone in question to her chest. She was barely able to look Zipp in the eyes, but she continued, “I wanted to get you something amazing this year, something that would put every gift you’d ever gotten to shame! I wanted to show you that...” 
Zipp began to gently rub Pipp’s back as she let out a small hiccup. The younger princess wiped away a sniffly tear before she continued, “I wanted to show you that I still knew you. That we could still be close, like we used to be. I had this whole thing planned out, see?” Pipp shuffled a bit to reposition herself, waving a foreleg up in dramatic display. “You were gonna open the gift, and it was gonna have a little note for a scavenger hunt, and some instructions for how to set up the phone, and use the fancy new augmented reality camera to find the clues I left behind.
“After you found all the clues, it was gonna lead you to the Crystal Brighthouse, and the rest of us were gonna be waiting with the rest of your gifts, and it was gonna be the best Winter Wishday you’d ever had. I had everything set up in advance -  I even made you an account on Clip-Trot, so we could follow each other! I know you don’t really care about social media and all the stuff I like, but I also know how much you love investigating, and sleuthing around... there are plenty of apps that could help you with that! And you wouldn’t need to lug around that huge, dusty tablet anymore.
“Guess that’s out the window now, though.”
Zipp could only stare at her sister, muzzle slightly open in shock as she rambled on. A few murmurs in the crowd caused her ears to twitch, but she quickly tuned them out, slumping back down a bit to be more level with her sister. 
“You were gonna do all that? ...For me?”
“Of course. I already had all the others in on the whole thing. Hitch was gonna help me figure out and make the clues. Izzy was gonna help me decorate and leave ‘em around, and Sunny was gonna meet you at the first one to go through it with you, and she was gonna be the centerpiece for all the clues, too.” 
“You really put a lot of thought into this, didn’t you, Pipp?”
She took a second to respond, nodding slowly as she let out a trembling sigh. “I’ve been planning this since Portrait Day. I just wanted to do something for you after that whole mess, but I couldn’t even get a pre-order in for these stupid phones. I waited hours when it went live, but they were all sold out within seconds!”
“Which is why you put so much effort into finding our mystery stallion.” Zipp finally let out the sigh she’d been holding in, leaning her head back against the counter as her eyes turned to the ceiling. “We really didn’t learn anything from Portrait Day, did we?”
Pipp smiled a bit, nudging at her sister’s side. “Speak for yourself. I was gonna be awesome.”
“Okay, fine,” she admitted with a laugh, “I didn’t learn anything from Portrait Day. I should have just let it go, but I had to sit here and fight with you over a phone I didn’t even want. I just... I know we’ve been having trouble connecting lately, and I wanted to make sure the gift I got you was amazing. I figured you’d bring up how they were sold out, and I’d talk about how I smooth-talked my way into getting the last one in stock. I’d ask you a couple things about the phone, and we could at least just... get the ball rolling.”
“Hey, Zipp?” With a solitary hoof, Pipp pushed her mane out of her face, scooting a bit closer as she did. “Why do we do this all the time? Why don’t we just... I dunno, talk about things?”
“Because we’re both dummies who have too much pride to swallow, and neither of us know how to strike up a normal conversation? Plus, with all the work we’ve been doing to keep things organized with all the magic coming back, it’s not like we have a lot of free time to just talk.”
“Maybe we should make the time, then. Or at least make some time to spend together, you know? I have a few all-inclusive tickets to my favorite spa downtown, you know.” As Pipp rose to her hooves, Zipp joined her. As Pipp pulled out said tickets from her bag, Zipp couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
“Did you just have those ready? Like, just in case it came up?”
“Of course!” Pipp’s expression took on a serious tone, muzzle set with just a hint of a smile, “You never know when you’re gonna need an emergency spa trip. Or last minute gifts, in case your several-month-long plan falls through.”
Her self-quips earned a laugh from Zipp, rubbing at her own eye to clear out the tears that definitely hadn’t formed at the corners of her eyes, no ma’am. “You know I’m not one for all those fancy spa treatments. I mean... I guess I could go for a massage or something small like that - but that scavenger hunt you were talking about? That... actually sounds pretty fun. Maybe instead of having Sunny with me for the whole thing, we could do it together?”
It was the softness of Pipp’s smile that finally brought one out for Zipp. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”
“Excuse me?” From behind the counter, Vincent spoke up, a slightly nervous look on his face. “I don’t mean to ruin your moment, but... does this mean neither of you are buying the phone?”
The two turned and locked eyes with each other for a moment, and a moment was all they needed. An entire conversation in the silence as they tilted their heads mutually towards the stallion, but Pipp was the one who spoke first. “Eh, it’s not important. Besides, I’ve got a scavenger hunt to plan. Let somepony else have it,” she remarked, waving a hoof nonchalantly as she began to stride forward, parting the crowd of ponies. Zipp followed shortly behind, but stopped before crossing the line of pegasi, sweeping her eyes across the crowd. 
“Hey, I know this is a big request, but uh... if you all could just... not talk about all this online? Not for me, but, y’know, for Pipp, I’d appreciate it alot. Thanks.” With a wink, a sly turn of her head, and a ‘wait up!’ called after her sister, Zipp strode quickly after her sister, fluttering and flapping her wings up to give her a speed boost so she could catch up. Once they were side by side again, she let out a sigh, bumping into Pipp as she did so. 
“Man, that took everything out of me. Today has been absolutely exhausting - you know I flew to every ‘Pony’ store in Zephyr Heights looking for one flyPhone?”
“Oh, do not get me started, Zipp.” Pipp laughed, returning the bump in kind. “I’ve been flying all over for the past week trying to figure out how to get you one. I’m just glad I don’t have to do that again.”
“You’re telling me,” the elder sister snorted, voice fading as they trotted in silence for a few minutes. The sun began to lower behind the horizon, a watercolor sunset stretching over the expanse of sky. It was a beacon, beckoning them in the direction of Maretime Bay, the Crystal Brighthouse. Their friends. Home. The stars would be out by the time they arrived, but truth be told, Zipp loved the view of the night sky, especially mid-flight, where she could admire the beauty of the landscape, too.. 
In the chilly night air, Zipp could see her own breath. Looking at her sister, she couldn’t help but notice that her exhales were long, deliberate, and spread out - something was still on her mind. She didn’t have to wait long for it to be brought up, however, as Pipp stopped once they reached a landing at the edge of Zephyr Heights, open clear skies teasing her itchy wings from just a few yards away. Still, she waited patiently for Pipp to move, a soft hum ringing from her throat.
“Hey, Zipp?” Pipp’s voice was almost pensive, the two staring out at the open air ahead of them. Zipp’s wings shuffled, an itch that stretched beyond the need to fly rising in her chest. It hadn’t seemed like there were any more problems to be discussed earlier. But if something was wrong, at least they could talk about it here, in the open, without a crowd spectating.
“Yeah?” 
“Let’s never do this again.”
Zipp could only tilt her head slowly, one eyebrow slowly arching in response. “...What?”
“This stunk. All of it. The whole ‘perfect gift’ thing - heck, just not talking to each other in general. Today definitely could have been avoided if we just talked more, y’know? So... I think we should do that - for everything. And when it comes to holidays and gifts, we can talk about those ahead of time to avoid another disaster like today.”
Head tilting back to look up at the sky, Zipp thought for a moment. “Y’know, Between the two of us, we do make pretty good holiday planners. If we worked together, we could make next year’s Winter Wishday the best one the others have ever had.”
“Right? Oh, I already have ideas, and we can spend even more time together planning! Especially for Izzy’s-”
“One year at a time, Pipp.”
“Right. Sorry,” she replied with a bashful giggle, ending in a snort. “So, whaddya say? You wanna just... talk things out ahead of time from now on?”
The moment Pipp put forth her request, a breeze blew in from behind, ruffling her mane just enough to plop Pipp’s bangs directly into her face. Zipp couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her throat, especially as Pipp energetically wiped her hoof in front of her face to remove the obstruction.
“Deal."