Hitch Gets Bashed: Chapter 4 - Zipp
#4 of My Little Pony: Hitch Gets Bashed
As they sat around the fire that night, Zipp was silent. She had gathered from the awkward conversations of the other girls in the group that what happened to Hitch, this wasn't the first time it had happened. In fact, every girl pony in the group except her seemed to have gotten Hitch good in the very same weak spot recently.
Zipp looked over at Hitch who was sitting down uncomfortably by the fire. Apparently he was still sore, but he was recovering steadily. He was obviously trying to hide his pain, pretending it had never happened. What else could he do when he was surrounded by a bunch of shyly amused girls.
Zipp looked out at the other girls, suddenly feeling a bit left out. They'd all had a chance to knock Hitch out with his weakness, but Zipp hadn't. Hitch was kind of cute, Zipp admitted to herself, she couldn't help but see the appeal in knocking him down in that way.
Of course, she had been there when Izzy had nailed him, but she'd instinctively looked away when she'd realized what was happening. Maybe she'd made the mistake of being too polite, but it just seemed too awkward at the moment to watch him like that. She'd overheard his moans of agony, and she could even check into Pipp's live-stream if she wanted if she wanted some past-action, but she couldn't help but feel she'd be missing the full experience the other ponies had had. Zipp kept these thoughts to herself though, not feeling the need to cause Hitch to revisit such unappealing memories through her words.
As Zipp laid down to sleep that night, these thoughts kept passing through her mind. Of course Hitch didn't deserve what had happened to him, but she couldn't help but feel she'd missed out on something crucial.
The next day as they continued traveling, nearing their destination, Zipp couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, and how she'd never know what it was like to bust Hitch that way. She kept glancing at Hitch thinking what it must be like to be leveled by something so... abnormal. It must be amusing to see him folded up on the ground in pain like that. She shouldn't have looked away yesterday. She knew she was being polite, but if she had just let herself witness what had happened, perhaps she wouldn't be contemplating these thoughts right now.
To be fair though, if she'd actually seen him pained like that, she knew she would never be able to unsee him that way, and that might make their friendship... awkward.
But seeing him now, just thinking that it had happened, she couldn't help but imagine seeing him that way, and though it wasn't something she couldn't unsee, that was something she couldn't unthink.
She looked at the other ponies. They'd all seen him that way, she was the only one who hadn't, they all still interacted with Hitch fine, right? While the other ponies would forever be unable to unsee Hitch the way that would be regrated, Zipp would be left only unable to unthink. And the disconnect between what she couldn't unthink and what she didn't have to unsee kept bothering her. Why was she the only one. It was so frustrating!
So as much as she tried, these thoughts continued to nag at Zipp's mind the rest of the journey, consuming her thoughts so she couldn't any longer think of anything else, not even the quest at hoof. Everytime she looked at Hitch, she just had to look away, feeling embarrassed for imagining him in that kind of circumstance, but unable to not to. She wondered if the other ponies felt it too. Poor Hitch, must be awkward having to walk with a group with a bunch of ponies who try as they might, can't stop imagining you in such awkward scenarios because of you carry such an awkward difference from them.
What was worse is that Hitch had made a habit of traveling closest to Zipp out of the other ponies. This was probably because she was the only one who hadn't nailed him yet, and probably felt some sense of security near her. But for Zipp, this didn't at all help the thoughts going through her head at all. Probably not a good idea buddy, she thought; she couldn't help but wonder if she was a missile waiting to go off, to do something she'd quickly regret.
But not wanting to bother the situation more, she decided to keep it in. She was good at that, not expressing things that were just too much to discuss.
Finally, after many hours of traveling, they finally reached it, the towering mountains of the dragons, rising steep over the meadow.
And following the narrow trail up the mountains, they finally reached a gaping cave built deep inside. Cautiously the ponies entered it...
And before them stood a giant door, carved with majestic swirly patterns swirling out from the center to all over its width, towering over them in great spectacle.
"Well, here we are," breathed Sunny in awe, "the gateway to the dragons."
Zipp looked at the other ponies, all awestruck by the wonder in front of them. Even Hitch was having a hard time holding back his amazement.
Zipp felt an itch of irritation. She should be standing there awing with all the rest of them, but she was still too distracted by the whole Hitch situation to really feel the weight of this moment. He looked so nice, having it together, and she bet he looked real amusing crumpled up. She tried to refocus her mind on the door, but she kept thinking "Hitch".
Great, just stop, she grumbled to herself, but she couldn't stop. She looked at Hitch who stood beside her and sighed. Bet you wouldn't feel like this if you were in his place. Awkward male and all. Why are they so funny? Why am I not self-conscious knowing why that same situation could never become of me, but am more amused on Hitch's behalf?
Sunny traveled her eyes down to a large keyhole on the door and withdraw the key. She looked at Hitch, and he nodded his approval.
Slowly, Sunny stepped up to the keyhole. She took a breath... And inserted the key inside.
There was a moment of silence.
Then CLICK.
The key turned in its socket all by itself, and Sunny took a step back in wonder.
Then the center of the door filled with multicolored light, the light started to travel outward along the swirls spiraling up and out.
Zipp began to feel the briefest bit of that wonder that was filling the other ponies, but the Hitch scenario kept nagging at the back of her mind.
Just ignore it, just ignore it.
But wouldn't it be best to go into this moment with a clear mind, to focus on just this?
Zipp sighed, best to just get this over with now. Once the distraction was out of the way, she could get back to this moment.
She glanced at Hitch, standing beside to her, staring at the door, he watching it swirl. Maybe Sunny was right, perhaps this was a good idea. The dragons would be back. He felt himself filling with anticipation as to what would happen next. They would release the dragons, take back the key back to the museum, all would be better for it, and nobody harmed.
Zipp took a breath. She'd make this quick. Then they could all get back to it.
Slowly, Zipp raised a back hoof.
And swung it back, under Hitch's belly, and through the opening in his legs, headed straight in the direction of his tail.
CONTACT!
Hitch stood there stunned a moment, all attention suddenly off the door and to the undefiable pain radiating once again to where he was too sensitive to stand.
And then Hitch dropped.
It was over, he was done for, the fight was gone from him. The pain was too much, had happened too many times, that he just folded up on the floor moaning, accepting the agony that overtook him.
The other ponies suddenly turned to look at Zipp, Zipp just stood there feigning aghast, well what did you expect? Though she knew maybe that wasn't the best thing to do.
But then the door flashed, and then the most amazing thing happened that could not be realized with words.
Instantly, Zipp realized her mistake. "Come on Hitch, you have to get up, you have to see this!" This was all amusing and good, exactly what Zipp hoped it would be, but this was not the time to just lie down on the moment.
But Hitch was too consumed by his agony to notice anything at the moment. This wasn't a quick knock-down, Hitch was down for the count.
Zipp had been so focused on being the only one in the group to not have bashed Hitch, that she'd failed to realize Hitch had always been the only one in the group to be bashed like that in the first place. He was the odd one out, he was the joke, all that Zipp had felt was nothing in light of Hitch's unfortunate predicament. Why was that still amusing?
But as much as Zipp tried to emphasize with Hitch, her attention was immediately taken by the wonder radiating from that door. As amusing as Hitch's predicament was, Zipp couldn't take her eyes off of what was happening before her.
So while the most amazing thing in Equestria happened in front of their very eyes, there Hitch lay, folded up in his agony, oblivious to all the wonder going on around him.
When Hitch finally came to, the door was gone. He looked up, and Zipp was standing over him.
"I'm sorry," Zipp said the moment she knew he was in the right state of mind to comprehend what she was saying, "I couldn't contain myself." She couldn't help the amusement as to what had happened. As amazing as what happened at the door was, Hitch's reaction was still priceless. Although she regrated doing that to him profusely, it was still undeniably humorous.
Hitch stood up and looked at the empty space where the door had been. "What happened?" He was not going to talk about what happened.
"Uh, nothing much," Zipp said, "The dragons are back." She decided it best not to mention all the wondering spectacle he had missed while overcome with his boy pain.
Hitch slowly limped back to the opening of the cave... and stood there stunned. In the meadow below them, thousands of dragons were flying around and playing together like they had always belonged there.
"It actually worked." Hitch observed through the pain. Oh how much guys can miss being so easily knocked out that, he couldn't help but feel the jealousy of his female companions.
Sunny and the others came up beside them. "I told you it would. The dragons needed to return and here we are."
Hitch sighed, trying to accept that although he had missed the event, the important task was complete. "Well, now that we've done that, let's get the key back to the museum."
Sunny suddenly went silent. "Yeah... About that... The key actually disappeared with the door."
Hitch looked at her stunned. He turned his eyes for one minute (actually, about an hour to be exact), and the very thing he had promised to return had suddenly disappeared. How convenient. (Another thing guys just happen to miss when they're in pain.)
But as Hitch looked out over the meadow, the dragons flying here and there in the carefree air, he couldn't help but wonder; that maybe it was worth it. They'd done it, they had brought the dragons back into their world. Together they had once again made another step toward returning Equestria to the former glory of the ancients.
Hitch, Sunny, Pipp, Izzy, and Zipp, they were inseparable, they were a team.
And now Hitch realized he was the only one on this team who could be knocked to his knees the same way he could.
THE END