That’s Who my Friend is
The full moon shines down brightly over Maretime Bay. Up in the sky, Zipp was able to take it in more than anypony. The white pegasus was just finishing off a late night flight, spinning through the air, feeling the wind in her mane, and just clearing her head from troubles she was having. She was coming back to the brighthouse when she noticed somepony was on the balcony. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, she believed that it looked like Sunny.
As the pegasus came in for a landing, she was able to properly identify the orange coat and pink mane of her friend. It was Sunny, but what was she doing up here alone this late? As far as Zipp knew, her friend was more of a morning pony than a night owl. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she called out to Sunny before she landed. “Sunny?”
“Gah!” The orange mare jumped in fright from the sudden voice from behind her before quickly turning around to see Zipp landing. “Zipp!” She said as he placed a hoof on her chest to slow down her racing heart. “I didn’t hear you fly in!”
Zipp’s ears flattened against her head as she gently landed on the floor. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you probably couldn’t hear me.” She apologized.
“It’s fine.” Sunny assured her. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be up so late.”
“Yeah, well, I figured I’d have a little midnight flight before going to bed. Helps with Restless Wing Syndrome, ya know?” Zipp explained before asking herself. “So, what are you doing out here? I’d figure you want to get some sleep so you can open the smoothie stand early in the morning.”
“Oh.” Sunny seemed to be taken aback by this question. She didn’t know how to respond. “W-Well, I just thought I’d…….Stargaze! Yeah! Just take in the night sky like you were doing!” She quickly answered with a nervous smile, hoping Zipp bought it.
But she knew that Zipp, being the detective of Maretime Bay, easily saw through that lie without even reading the face the pegasus was currently making. Zipp could tell that something was bothering Sunny, and given what happened earlier that day with her and the rest of Maretime Bay’s citizens she had a pretty good idea on what was troubling her. “Still thinking about what happened today?”
“What?” Sunny asked back in surprise before answering. “No. Not at all.” She shook her head in denial.
However, Zipp was not convinced. “Are you sure?” She asked again.
“I’m sure.” Sunny insisted, starting to get a little annoyed with Zipp’s nagging questions. "You can go back inside, Zipp." She told her friend as she went to looking at the stars.
"Not until you tell me what really is bothering you." Zipp insisted as she walked over to Sunny. She knew that she was starting to get somewhere, but still needed to push more before her suspicions on what was causing Sunny's behavior would be confirmed.
"There is nothing bothering me." Sunny once again insisted as she grit her teeth.
Zipp knew it was now time to go in for the kill. "Look, today-"
She didn't get to finish as it seemed Sunny finally snapped. "What is there to say about today!?" She yelled at Zipp, making the pegasus back away in fear from the outburst. "What!? You want me to talk about how I was feeling that I was finally being accepted by everypony, only to find out they care about what I say because I can grow a horn and wings!?" She shouted as tears started to form in her eyes. "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT!?"
Zipp winced at the tone coming from the earth pony mare. "This is about more than just today, isn't it?" She asked.
"Oh, would you look at that. The Great Detective Zipp solves another obvious mystery!" Sunny said with bitter sarcasm as tears started to form in her eyes. "Must be so nice having ponies looking up to you! To see you as so amazing, or a hero, as the best friend ever!" She ranted.
Zipp didn't say anything in response to the claims Sunny was making. From her experience as a big sister, she knew that Sunny was venting out her frustrations right now and that it was best for her to not respond until it was necessary.
That necessity came when Sunny fell to the floor and started to sob. “It’s not fair!” She cried. “No matter what I do, ponies still want nothing to do with me! Why can’t I be accepted? Is it because of who I am?”
Not willing to let Sunny come up with her own answer, Zipp walked over to her downed friend and gently lifted her head up so she was looking into her eyes. Seeing Zipp’s comforting look was too much for Sunny. She pulled the pegasus into the biggest hug she could muster, afraid of what would happen if she let go.
Zipp returned the hug, gently rubbing Sunny’s back with her hoof and wing. “Ssssh.” She comforted her sobbing friend. “It’s okay, Sunny. I’m right here.” She assured the mare.
“It’s always been like this since Dad died.” Sunny told her. “I tried to continue his work of unifying the three pony kinds again, but what did it cost? Everypony called me crazy and started to shun me. Even the few ponies I could call friends, I knew they didn’t believe in what I was fighting for, so they started spending less and less time with me the more I tried.” She paused the sniffle. “You just don’t understand what it felt like to hear from Sugar that nopony ever even liked me before I was an alicorn. To be told that it’s only because of my status that anyone cares about what I have to say.”
Zipp slowly pulled back slightly so she and Sunny could see eye-to-eye. “Actually, I understand exactly where you’re coming from.” She confessed.
“Huh?” Sunny looked at the pegasus in confusion.
With a sigh, Zipp told her story. “When I was a filly in Zephyr Heights, I went through exactly what you went through today multiple times. I would meet ponies that started off as my friends, but the more we started to hang out and I would show off my own interests, like science, mysteries, or parkour, I would soon realize they only wanted to be my friend for the popularity of being friends with the Future Queen." Sunny felt Zipp tighten her hold around her as the pegasus started to sound angrier with each word she spoke. "Again and again it would happen. I would find friends, only to find out they wanted Princess Zipp, not just plain old Zipp.” Zipp paused and let out a crude laugh. “Heh. I guess that’s why I became such an introvert. Between that and having to lie about flight, I guess I had a hard time trusting ponies during my teenage years. It just seemed that all everypony ever did was lie.”
With the story finished, Sunny looked at Zipp sympathetically. “Zipp.” Sunny said softly. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She apologized as she nuzzled into her friend’s chest. “You didn’t deserve to go through any of that.”
Despite the unpleasant memories, Zipp surprised Sunny by softly laughing of all things. “Hey, now. We’re not making this about me. That was a long time ago, and I could care less about any of my phony friends now that I have real friends in my life. I only gave that story so you’d know that I understand what you’re going through. What I went through is now nothing more than an annoying old scab I sometimes get reminded exists. But your wound is still fresh, and I want to help you, Sunny.”
Hearing that vow was almost too much for Sunny, and she started to cry again. "Please, just don't leave me." She whimpered.
Hearing that nearly broke Zipp's heart. It wasn't enough to just say she and the rest of their friends would never abandon Sunny. She needed something to give the earth pony hope to latch onto. And when she looked at the Unity Crystals shining behind them, she figured out what she had to say.
"I promise you that we won't leave you, Sunny. Not me, or Pipp, or Izzy, or Hitch. And you know why we won't leave you?" She asked her crying friend.
Sunny sniffled and looked at her friend. "B-because of the Unity Crystals linking us together?" She guessed.
Surprisingly, Zipp shook her head. "Do you remember what happened when we first tried to put the Unity Crystals together?"
"They....failed." Sunny recalled. "We didn't realize earth ponies also had a crystal so they wouldn't work."
"Yes, and before we knew that we all were feeling defeated and almost went our separate ways again. But then me, Izzy, and Pipp decided to come to Maretime Bay anyway. Like we said then, we didn't care what other ponies said. We still wanted to be friends with you and Hitch. Finding magic may have been what linked all our paths together, but it wasn't what made us friends. Both of those are thanks to you."
"M-me?" Sunny said in confusion.
Zipp nodded before continuing. "The two of us may have both not believed what we were told about the other races, but you were the one who actually went and did something about it. I was just staying silent about everything I saw wrong, and probably never would've spoken up about it. But you, you kept on doing the opposite of me, even in the face of mass doubt."
"We didn't become friends because of what you could and have become. We are friends because of the pony you were then and still are now. Like Izzy said, there's much more to you than being the alicorn. You're a lot of fun to be with, Sunny. You're sweet, caring, helpful, funny, beautiful." She mumbled the last part quietly. "And you can ask the others, they'll say the same thing that I did. We call care about you, Sunny, and we'll always be your friends."
Once again tears started to form in Sunny's eyes, but not for the previous reasons. "Z-Zipp." She stammered out before she hugged her pegasus friend tightly again. "Thank you." She whispered.
Zipp smiled and laid her chin on Sunny's mane. "Think nothing of it, Sunny. And I promise you, tomorrow will look a lot better than today." She assured her as they continued their hug under the night sky.
True to what Zipp said, the next day went a lot better for Sunny. As she worked at the smoothie stand, ponies would approach her and apologize for how they acted the previous day. Sunny wasn't sure if her friends said something to the rest of the bay to make them realize this, or they came to this conclusion themselves, but she still accepted their apologies without hesitation. She wasn't a pony to hold grudges after all.
It all seemed to be going swimmingly, that is until three certain mares from yesterday showed up; the Filly Four, or rather Filly Three as that unicorn that was with them was nowhere to be found. After what they did yesterday, especially what Sugar said, Sunny had mixed feelings on seeing them again. Still, everypony else had apologized, perhaps that's what they were here to do as well. So, with a smile, she greeted her next three customers. "Sugar, Rosedust, Lily. How can I help you three today?" She asked them.
Sugar looked up from her phone and at Sunny. "It's not what you can do for us, but rather what we can do for you. You see, we've been talking since yesterday's little incident and have decided to give you another chance." She proposed before lowering her shades to look directly at the orange mare. "That is, if you will finally admit that you're better as an alicorn."
Sugar's reply was not one Sunny wanted to hear. It nearly reopened the wound that she and her colleges made yesterday. But Sunny still remembered what Zipp told her the previous night and held firm. "I'm sorry, Sugar, but I will not be joining you."
Sugar's shades nearly fell from her face in response to Sunny's answer. "Excuse me?" She said in disbelief.
"I said I will not be joining you. I am more than the alicorn, and I have friends that appreciate me for who I am beyond the glowing wings and horn. So, sorry, but I have to refuse your request." Sunny reaffirmed. "Now, if you're not going to order anything, can you please leave. There are ponies in line who are awaiting their actual orders." She calmly asked them.
Sugar's reply was anything but calm. "Excuse me!?" She shouted at Sunny. "Are you stupid!? Without us, you have nothing in this town! You'll go back to being as alone you were before!"
Sunny didn't say anything this time. Not because she couldn't, but rather because Zipp suddenly came out of nowhere and landed in front of the Filly Three. "She said no." She told the trio.
"Buzz off, Zipp. This has nothing to do with you." Sugar told the pegasus.
"You're bothering my friend, even after she politely told you to leave. This has everything to do with me." Zipp countered.
"Oh, what are you going to do about it?" Sugar mockingly asked. "Just because you may be a princess doesn't mean you're anything special yourself."
Sunny was about to go up there and give Sugar a piece of her mind, but Zipp held out a hoof, letting her know that she had this in the bag. "You know, for a pony that considers herself to the big mare on campus, you really aren't. You may think you have a lot of friends in your fans, but the minute the next big thing comes from my sister or whoever, you'll be just as alone as Sunny was. Only difference will be that you won't be making any friends later. So, like Sunny said before. Back. Off!" She said as she unfurled her wings in a threatening manner.
"Ooh! Scare flare! She's using the scare flare! She means business!" Izzy shouted from the crowd watching
True to the name, Sugar didn't stick around to see if Zipp was going to follow through on her threat or not and hightailed it out of there with the rest of the Filly Three. With them gone, the crowd cheered at Zipp's victory.
Smiling smugly to herself, Zipp looked back at Sunny. "Thank you." Sunny said softly to her friend.
Zipp just smirked. "Like I said, Sunny. I'll always have your back."
"And I'll always have yours." Sunny said in response.