3 Years Later...
"Two weeks!" Pipp excitedly said, sitting atop her throne. "Two weeks till I sing my new song at the Royal Celebration!"
"Cool..." Zipp replied dismissively, sitting on her own little throne. Her mind was on the time she found her MR2. She wanted to get back out on the Iroha Pass and practice more. She wanted to refine her technique further, become the fastest Pegasus in Zephyr Heights. If she couldn't do it in the air, she would do it on the ground. In her MR2.
"Zipp? Zipp!" Pipp squeaked.
Zipp laughed as her sister blushed, embarrassed at her accident. "What?" She asked.
Pipp pointed to the space in front of Zipp. The white pegasus looked to find Queen Haven standing in front of her.
Her smile faded. "Oh. Mom." And here's miss buzzkill.
"Haven, to you," Haven said sternly. "Is something wrong?" She curiously turned her head. "I've noticed you've been much more absent as of late."
Zipp smirked. "You actually noticed something about me?"
Haven was unamused. "Zipp, really. You seem to be thinking about something."
"I am always thinking about stuff."
"But you barely acknowledged what we were doing here. What are you thinking about?"
Zipp sighed. "Nothing much. Just some of my royal duties."
"...hm."
Haven sat back on her throne. Zipp watched as her mother sneakily put the wires back on before pulling on them, allowing her and Pipp to be hoisted back up. Acting like they were flying of course. Zipp shook her head and got off her throne, glancing outside to see the sun begin to set.
She scoffed. Why can't the night just last forever? At least then I could practice almost all the time.
To clarify, no, Zipp had not told her mother and sister about her MR2. She had originally planned to tell them, decided to not do so. Despite hating lies, she never told them because, frankly, they would probably want to put it in a museum or advertise themselves with it or something.
As she rose, Pipp watched as her older sister walked down the red carpet and into the elevator, eyeing the pegasus suspiciously.
As she and Haven unhooked the wires, she watched Zipp disappear down the elevator.
"Hey, mom?" She began.
"Yes Pipp?" Haven asked as she looked into a mirror and began to brush her hair.
"Ever wonder what Zipp gets up to at night?"
"A small bit, yes. Though she always comes back just before sunrise. And yes, I've asked, she is still a virgin. Thankfully..."
Odd thing to mention. Pipp thought. "I know she always comes back before sunrise, but she's always gone at night. She's done this for like, what? Two years?"
"Have you ever asked?"
"A few times but she always says she just sleeps somewhere else from time to time and never tells me where."
"Hm. You could just follow her. She what she does."
Pipp looked at Haven for a second, tilting her head and nodding. "Hm... yeah. Alright. I'll try it."
The 4A-GZE Silvertop rumbled as Zipp drove out of her personal garage. She looked out over the horizon as she accelerated down a bridge. The sun was just barely poking out of the horizon. This made her smirk.
"Headin' into Twilight, spreadin' out our wings tonight-night-night~" She quietly sang before looking back ahead. "We're gonna hammer downhill, and shove it into overdrive- drive- drive~ Ok that does not... I'll need to work on that."
She finally made it to the Iroha Pass and was now driving uphill. In the wrong direction of the one-way road. It's not like anypony was going to be approaching her. The highway was sealed off when the Pony Races were divided.
As she slowly drove around a hairpin, preferring to save her tires, she increased her speed again to get up to the mountain quicker. The Silvertop rumbled behind her, pumping gas through its cylinders with unmatched efficiency.
In the three years she's had the MR2, the exterior had undergone zero changes. It was perfect the way it was, and she didn't want to destroy the heritage that was the original Prismatic Paintjob. The car even continued to bear its 'Canterlot' License Plate.
On the other hoof, the handling and power were given some serious upgrades. Zipp spent almost all her free time perfecting the engine to run as efficiently and powerfully as powerful.
The first to be tuned was the Natural Aspiration. With the absolute highest quality parts, she managed to raise it to a whopping 240HP with maximum power efficiency. That may not sound light much, but coming from a 1.6 Liter Four Banger? That's a lot.
Next was the Supercharger. All it needed was fresh internals and it was raising power to an excruciating 320HP. And that was it. She physically could not raise it higher without making it power-inefficient. It was perfect.
The Handling was a breeze. After lightening the engine internals and some clever weight reduction (though not so much as to ruin the heritage of the car) she managed to achieve 50/50 weight distribution, and the suspension was so finely tuned you'd think it was a professional time attack car.
Zipp sighed and rubbed the steering wheel. "Oh Prismira... How I wish you and I could really show off what we are made of. Show that you're not some ancient piece of metal that belongs in a museum, and show that I'm not some weak princess who needs guards to protect her."
She continued uphill, the MR2 responding to her every move. "I am not like my sister. I don't post about every little thing in my life. I'm fearless, and I'm fast. Both on the ground and, hopefully soon, in the air. You and I-" She rubbed the dashboard. "We're gonna do great things together. I'll never hurt you. I'll never let anyone hurt you. You are mine."
Unknown to Zipp was that Pipp was currently running uphill trying to follow the MR2. She wasn't on the road. She was on a trail that cut up the mountain next to the road. Not parallel, but it somewhat followed the edges.
"Sheesh... heh..." Pipp was breathing hard as she ran. "Why couldn't I have taken that... running class..."
Finally reaching the top, having passed the MR2, she sat out on a viewing deck and watched the headlights of the MR2 cruising up.
"Well well well..." She snickered. "Seems like my big sister is a lawbreaker. She's driving uphill on a one-way road. But, wait hold on, what car is that?"
Pipp grabbed her phone and turned it on, turning on the video camera. She wasn't allowed to stream at night, so she would simply record it and upload it later.
"Hey everypony." She calmly said, slightly afraid Zipp would catch her. "Pipp here. And tonight, I am going to expose my sister for what she does at night!" She pointed the camera to herself and waved before redirecting it back on the pass.
"I am currently standing at the top of the Iroha Pass. I only know the name because Zipp told me. And that car right there?" She zoomed in on the White Prismatic MR2 as it slowly cruised uphill. "That right there is Zipp. And look at her. She's driving the wrong way on a one-way road. Look at that! Where does she expect to go anyways? It's blocked off."
Zipp steered around a curve before slowing down. "Alright, Prismira. Are ya ready to put the hammer down?"
She playfully revved the engine and listened to the Supercharger happily whine. She chuckled and made a three-point turn-around, now facing the downhill.
"What's she doing?" Pipp wondered.
Zipp was about to go when she noticed a certain not-so-sneaky pegasus on a viewing deck a bit higher up. She initially grimaced before sighing.
"It was bound to happen eventually." She calmly whispered. She took a deep breath in, then let it out. "Well, if she's streaming, I guess it's time I give everyone a show." She smirked. "Time to show them what their princess can do, and show them that she has been captured by Midnight and It's Spell." She paused. "Once again, that could have sounded better."
Pipp saw the MR2 begin to rev a little. First to 3000RPM, then a bit higher, then up to 8000RPM.
"Why is she doing that?" Pipp listened to the revving a little more. "Huh. I have to admit... that actually sounds pretty nice."
She looked down at the road, then back at the MR2. Her eyes widened.
"Wait, she's not gonna do what I think she's gonna do, is she?"
Zipp held the car at 4000RPM for a few seconds before suddenly letting of the clutch. The tires barely squealed as the gears perfectly grabbed each other and launched the MR2 forward with no sense of wheelspin. Zipp quickly ran through the gears. Initial Takeoff, down the valley, up the mountain, down the steam, and through the river. Her car revved all the way up to a staggering 11000RPM as she rocketed along the road.
Pipp looked at the speeding MR2, then the first ultra-tight hairpin, then back at the MR2. "What is she doing? Does she not see the hairpin?!"
Fearing for her sister's life, Pipp could only watch as the MR2 sped towards the hairpin like an unstoppable force, unable to do anything. She couldn't jump from her vantage point without risking severe injury.
Zipp took another deep breath in, calming herself.
"Alright, lil' sis." She calmly said. "Time to show you what happens When The Sun Goes Down."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
All four tires squealed as Zipp swerved into the hairpin, sliding around the inside before putting the pedal to the metal on the exit. Everything from the Gearbox, Engine, and Steering perfectly responded to every little move.
Pipp was stupefied. She had never seen a car go around a hairpin so fast. It was like watching somepony tether themselves to a pole and strap a rocket to themselves.
"Oh my gosh..."
Without missing a beat, the Pop Star Princess took off back downhill, using a special device to hold her camera up and track the MR2. She watched as it braked and swerved into a left hairpin with unmatched efficiency, gliding around the inside before exiting and speeding down a straightaway.
Pipp crossed a hoofbridge over the road before stopping in the shadows, capturing the MR2 as it flew past. She kept running.
Zipp remained calm as she guided the MR2 around a set of high-speed curves. Left, right, left, the suspension responded beautifully. The engine roared behind her, its supercharger working wonders to improve the power.
Ding-Ding, Ding-Ding, Ding-Ding, Ding-Ding
She smiled as the speed chime came on, telling her that she had exceeded 60MPH. On a mountain pass like this, this was ludicrous.
All four tires squealed as Zipp lightly drifted around a large right sweeping curve, using little countersteer and controlling the drift with throttle control only. She skillfully flicked the MR2 into a left corner, brakelights suddenly lighting up as she swerved into a tight right hairpin.
The MR2's short wheelbase and nimble chassis allowed it to take corners faster than you would believe, and easily. The MR2 was an unpredictable car no longer. For as long as Princess Zephyrina Storm was at the wheel, her control over it was absolute.
Pipp couldn't believe what she was seeing as she continued to run along the path. Her own sister, who was seemed to prefer honesty above all else, was secretly racing on a mountain road. In an Ancient Car no less.
"You guys... are gonna... get a kick... out of this..." She panted, watching Zipp tear around yet another tight hairpin.
Zipp accelerated hard without wasting any more tire grip than she needed to. The speed chime blipped again before she braked and steered into a tight right hairpin, leaves and shrubbery whipping around in the wind the pegasus created before exiting.
She smiled as she focused on the road, knowing her sister was watching as she sped towards another hairpin. The MR2's brakelights stalled behind her as she braked, leaving beautiful trails as she braked all the way into the corner.
The entire mountain ridge seemed to rumble as Zipp pressed the throttle all the way down, letting the engine rev higher and higher before shifting up a gear.
Pipp watched her sister take corners with ease, coming to a stop as she saw the MR2 take a hairpin faster than she'd expect such an old car to take. Her eyes widened.
"Check it out guys." She said before continuing down the path. "My sister is secretly a street racer."
Zipp could swear she was hearing someone whisper in her ear. A mare telling her to go faster, to show Pipp what she could do. Show Pipp why ponies musn't shun the night. The pegasus could only smile.
"As a loyal servant of the night, I am happy to oblige."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
She kept the MR2 steady as she tore around the inside of a hairpin, all four tires sliding before she exited mere centimeters from the guardrail and quickly shifted to a higher gear.
Despite Iroha's incredibly steep hairpins, Zipp was refining her downhill technique as much as possible. With all four cylinders firing, she shifted up to fourth gear and accelerated down another straightaway before approaching a somewhat wide hairpin. Wider than 95% of the other hairpins.
Zipp then straddled the edge of the road as she approached. She braked, downshifted, used a light countersteer to balance the car, and slid. The resulting hairpin was so fast that he made Pipp gasp from how close to the Guardrail she was. As the back of the MR2 zipped out of the turn, Zipp was already returning herself to the best gear possible.
In third gear, Zipp was in a perfect position to both clear the straightaways with ease and downshift for her Drift Run.
Shifting back down to second, the Prismatic MR2 flying so fast downhill that tree branches whipped by in her direction, Zipp braked and steered to the inside of the next hairpin. She once again accelerated hard.
Unknown to Zipp, a white glow began emitting from the MR2, its edges dark red. It was like fire in a light breeze despite her speed, and though it provided no light to the surrounding area, it was both beautiful and intimidating.
"To think." Pipp began as she watched the car. "My own sister, the heiress to the throne, is a street racer."
She continued running as Zipp flicked around another hairpin, exiting before momentarily disappearing into a tunnel. The amount of Temerity and Skill Zipp was showing felt like magic. The white glow around her car almost seemed to signify that.
"AND she's using an old car." Pipp continued, barely examining what Zipp was really doing. "You'd think she would use a Lamborghini."
Crossing a bridge, adrenaline rushed through Zipp as the road dipped harshly, causing her car to leave the ground. She felt like she was flying for two seconds before landing back on the road, the tires feeling the full force of the MR2's lightweight reinforced chassis before Zipp stabilized the car and pressed on the gas.
She chuckled as she approached the second bridge, putting her hoof to the floor.
To think nopony else takes to this pass to do this. She thought. Street Racing is my life. It's the only thing keeping me sane, the one good thing about this world. Racing. And nopony can take it away from me.
The Supercharger whined as Zipp brought the MR2 centimeters from the concrete wall of the third bridge, using all four tires to turn through. She countersteered and flicked into a right corner, Pipp having no time to properly see how efficiently the pegasus was stabilizing the car.
Pipp skidded to a stop on the left side of the road, having taken a wrong turn on the path and coming to the end. She gasped as Zipp's MR2 charged at her, the headlights blinding her.
Zipp saw her sister on the side of the road. She was surprised, but soon smiled and swerved to the left lane, her left, before smoothly jerking the car to the right and arcing right past Pipp, coming to a stop facing the opposite way. The ghostly fire faded.
She noticed Pipp's bewildered face as the light pink pegasus stared, her phone lowering. She smiled and unbuckled, getting out.
"Well?" Zipp asked, looking at her sister. "Did you like the show?"
Pipp said nothing for a few seconds before smirking.
"Pipp?"
"To think..." She quietly said. "To think you actually race."
Zipp chuckled. "Well, it wasn't easy to get to the point of driving that fast. What you just saw was the run of the fastest Pegasi in Zephyr Heights."
"Uhuh."
Zipp's smile faltered. "You didn't pay attention to any of my driving, did you?"
"What do you mean? Sure it was impressive at first but you were just driving fast."
Zipp deadpanned. "Wow. Just wow. You don't care, do you? " She began slowly stepping toward Pipp as she spoke.
"Listen. This is something completely different then what you probably think. Something I don't think you could understand. Racing fast on a mountain pass isn't something you can do within a few days unless you've trained on professional circuits. It's nothing like changing a flat tire or learning some new software to please your fans." She stopped in front of Pipp, smirking. "It's an art form."
Pipp was speechless at Zipp's attitude. Is she even my sister anymore? I feel like I'm talking to a complete stranger...
"Now, what have you got there on your phone?" Zipp asked, glancing at the phone in her sister's hoof.
Pipp looked down.
"Can I see what you recorded?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to see."
"Fine." Pipp restarted the video and let Zipp watch.
Zipp was surprised when the white glowing fire appeared around the MR2. "Woah... it looks like Unicorn Magic." She commented.
Pipp gasped. "You think a Unicorn messed with your car?"
"Nah, I would've been moving way too fast." Zipp watched as the car came to a stop. The windows were tinted, which didn't allow Zipp to be seen in the car, but she was seen when she got out.
Zipp glared at her sister. "I haven't surprised you at all, have I?"
"Only in that, I can't believe Princess Zephyrina Storm is a secret street racer." She sneered.
Zipp couldn't believe it. She had given that run her all, probably smashing a record, yet Pipp didn't seem to care. "Idea. Give me the phone for a second."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Pipp reluctantly gave Zipp the phone, who immediately changed two things about the video. She first cut off the part where you could see it was her, and then cut any audio where Pipp spoke. She stopped suddenly and stared, debating on something.
Did she really want ponies to know about what she did? What would happen to her and her MR2 if Pipp were to actually release this video? Would ponies shun her forever? Would Haven take her MR2 away-...
No. She would not let that happen. Not now, not ever. Nothing would ever take her MR2 away. She would let them know, just not right now.
"There." She said, handing the phone back. "I want to show Zephyr Heights that there's more to life than fancy smartphones and social media. That there are ponies out there who can put it all behind them to pursue a bigger goal. A dream." She began walking back to her MR2.
Pipp grimaced when she saw that Zipp had deleted the video.
"Wait."
Zipp stopped and turned to face her. "Yeah?"
"How can a car so old, be so fast?"
"Well first, any car can be fast when you put the time, money, and passion into it. But this car was built for the Touge. It's short wheelbase and Midship Layout allow it to corner like it's on rails. And, heh. You know that really old saying? 'They don't build them like they used to'? Well, I can tell you now that they really don't build 'em like they used to."
"That doesn't mean anything. You're still a street racer."
Zipp's eyes widened before narrowing. Without a word, she got in her MR2, buckled up, and slowly accelerated. She looked at Pipp who quickly faded from her mirror.
"She doesn't know." She said, a tinge of agitation in her voice. "None of them understand right now. Nopony knows the art, the precision, the tenacity, the sheer skill and reflexes required for this level of driving. Soon, they'll all know. They'll all know the sheer power a Pegasi can have."
The MR2 responded with a 3000RPM Growl.
Zipp smiled. "Yeah. I know what you mean. Soon, they'll all know our name. They'll all know of Iroha's MR2. There's gotta be a few daring ponies ready to come to this pass and battle us. When that happens, you and I will go by one name and one name only."
Another voice echoed with hers. A low female voice, calling from the night.
"The Ziphyrina Zephyr of Iroha Pass."