Waiting in the Wings (Zipp Storm x Fem Reader)

Chapter V

Meanwhile, Zipp brushed her teeth, combed her mane, and prepared to go to bed and read another chapter of her book before bed.

As she pushed the sheets off the bed so she could settle into it, she found herself thinking about you again. She couldn't help but think you were the cutest thing she'd ever seen when you was embarrassed.

A strong feeling that she had never felt before was filling her chest.

"Yeah, Zipp. Your plans to never hook up with anyone went down the drain." She said to herself between giggles.

As soon as she snuggled into bed and opened the book to the chapter she had just read from last night, the door opened, revealing it to be her mother. She usually got angry when they stopped her nightly reading, but for some reason, she didn't feel any anger at the time.

"Oh, hey mom." She said. "What brings you here?"

"Honey, I came to talk to you..." Haven said, but soon stopped as she watched the smile on her face and the singular glem in her eyes. "What happened to you?"

"There was nothing, not that I know of." She answered with a shrug.

"Looks like you saw the green little bird." The queen smiled. "I hear you and the princess of Unicornia are singing in harmony." She hummed.

"Is it that obvious?" Zipp asked as she covered herself with the sheet.

"But that's a good thing, it makes my plans even easier." Haven replied happily.

Zipp was immediately confused and looked back at her.

"What plans are you talking about?" She asked in an apprehensive tone, sensing that nothing good would come of those plans.

"Look, at first I was worried because you two barely knew each other, but now that I know you two are catching feelings..."

"Get to the point, please." Zipp asked, interrupting her.

Seeing the serious expression on her daughter's face, Haven dreaded her reaction.

"You two are betrothed."

Zipp couldn't believe in what she just said, although deep down, she knew her mother had other intentions with the royal family of the Unicornia kingdom.

"What? Oh no this can only be a prank, right Mom? Where did you hide the cameras?" She asked playfully, as she turned to the bedside table and looked for a camera to confirm the fact.

"Zephyrina, believe me, I would never talk to you about this if it wasn't serious."

Seeing that her mother was serious, she soon despaired, as it was decreed as soon as she married that her mother would withdraw from the post and she'd become the new queen of Zephyr Heights. 

"... This is totally unbelievable!" She said, after being speechless for a few moments at the size of her indignation. "Why are you doing everything possible to screw up my life? Why?"

"Darling, believe me, if I could, I would marry again myself so you wouldn't have to, but I'm not as young and pretty as you and your sister anymore." Haven responded, hoping she could be forgiven. "Besides, it has to. I shouldn't have kept it from you."

"What did you hide from me?" She asked. "I want to know!" she exclaimed in rage, not receiving an answer.

Haven gave a sad sigh before starting to speak.

"Our kingdom is going through a financial crisis after two former trustees I trust pulled off a coup and got away with most of the money." She replied, surprising Zipp, that even though she was sneaky to discover all the secrets that were hidden from her, this time, Haven did. "Currently I'm using our fortune to keep things the same, but in a short time, it can end and we'll reach an extremely critical situation. This matrimonial alliance is vital for everything to return to its axis, the fate of the kingdom depends on you."

Even though she was shocked and extremely worried about the situation in her future kingdom, Zipp still didn't want to marry for convenience.

"Mom, couldn't we think of another alternative? I don't think it's fair that the responsibility for the fate of Zephyr Heights is on my back. Couldn't we invest this leftover money?" She asked, almost begging.

"And what would we use to support the people and us too?" Haven retorted. "It's not time to think about ourselves right now."

"It's easy for you to say, you're not the one being forced to marry against your will." She retorted.

"It's unbelievable how the future queen can't do anything for her own kingdom!"

"I never wanted to be queen!"

"I allowed you to change everything on you because you didn't feel satisfied being a stallion, why you can't do anything for us?"

Haven touching such a sensitive subject, made the angry expression on Zipp's face slowly fade. She soon regretted what she said when her daughter began to cry.

"I won't accept this, you can't make me!" Zipp said, before running to the door and leaving, leaving her mother there.

"Zephyrina!" Haven called her, which was in vain.

Knowing that soon her mother would send all the patrols to look for her in every corner of the castle, Zipp went to her secret hideout, to decide what she was going to do.

She walked to the large opening of the broken stained-glass window and a gentle wind hit her face. Watching the horizon for a few moments, she concluded that there was no other alternative for her not to lose her much-loved freedom. Her friends in Maretime Bay would welcome her with open arms.

Even though she felt infinitely guilty about leaving her realm in this critical situation, she wouldn't come back until any other way was considered.

Spreading her wings, she took off and flew to the earth ponies city.

Time skip...

After spending the entire night looking for her, Haven couldn't close her eyes even though she'd spent the night awake, worry had taken away all the sleep she'd had.

She waited in the throne room while her little Cloudypuff tried to comfort her in vain.

She hoped to see more guards entering, who searched the last place in the castle where her daughter could be.

"Are you lucky?" Haven asked, yearning for the answers.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, no luck." The search leader replied, before yawning. "Have you considered the possibility that the princess might had fled the castle?"

Haven already thought about it, she just didn't want to believe it. Her heart ached with the deep despair of what she would say to her new allies.