If there’s one thing Sunny was good at, it was reading historical documents. Being able to recognize diagrams and maps was one thing, but she picked up on the levels of interconnected structures twice as fast as I did. Even with a topic as simple as an elemental-based energy formula, she could correlate it to an aspect of Equestria’s magic from just two terms. Yet after finishing a half-hour study session on the material recovered from the tree house, she had a slight pout on her face.
“What’s the bee in your bonnet, Sunny?”
“Nothing, really. I was… was just thinking of how fun it would be to travel across Equestria together. Going on adventurous endeavours, discovering old ruins, deciphering clues and working out the timeline of Equestria’s history at certain frames.”
“Your inner peace is currently turbulent due to affirmative knowledge that the happiest times are due to end forever,” I replied, caressing her shoulder. “But you can only regain that joy and bliss by upholding gratitude and thankfulness for all that you have experienced with me. Now whom you are thankful to is up for you to decide – could be Queen Haven, could be her daughters, could be Izzy, could even be a different entity entirely. Believe me, once you feel it, the positive change will follow swiftly.”
“Thanks for the advice, Aiden,” she replied, nuzzling my forearm with soft eyes that were glowing with gratitude.
“My pleasure. Now, I have been told by a guard that there’s an old grand chamber somewhere in the castle with staircases and big fans. I have a fun idea, but we need to act now. Let’s go find Zipp.”
Taking the iPad with me along with my skateboard and a pair of gloves from my luggage, we headed up the stairs to the royal suites – and as expected, there were two guards at the entrance.
“Halt! This is off limits!”
“We’ve come to see Zipp,” I replied clearly.
One them twisted his lip in doubt, but nodded. “Come on in.”
Down the hall, it was too easy to recognize Zipp’s room, or rather hear it, with a strong, catchy guitar riff.
“Zipp? We need to talk,” Sunny began, stopping as I put a finger to my lips. Raising my finger and counting under my breath, I rapped a sequence of knocks in the same rhythm of the riff, deliberately going off-key on the last note. After a good thirty seconds the music died down, indicating Zipp had gotten the message.
The door opened, and out stepped Zipp, wearing a leather jacket and a pair of headphones. “Oh hi Sunny! Aiden, that sure was a way to alert me.”
“Like I said, I have heard lots of music. I have something fun we can do together, but it’s going to require some effort. Are you busy?”
“Nah, today’s my day off, actually. Pipp has some royalty training to do.”
“Perfect. Let’s go to the experiment facility.”
Flicking on the lights, I slid and repositioned several items in the back until I came upon what I had suspected existed when I caught a glimpse of it earlier: plywood, some metal pipes, and a set of basic tools. Zipp looked unamused, so I swiped on my iPad and held it out.
“Looks familiar to you?”
“Somewhat.”
“I can build this for us. And we can install it in the old chamber where the giant staircase and fans are.”
Her eyes lit up as she soon recognized what I was describing. With Sunny’s help, we heaved the wood out of its hiding place and laid it flat on the ground. Happily, I still had a copy of the design files on my iPad. Sunny held a piece of string in place as I triple-measured and drew out all the markings and lines.
Plugging in a saw and power drill, we elevated the wood with some cinder blocks, and I started cutting, drilling, nailing, and screwing. Many hooves made light work, and the two rounded sides came together within the hour. I showed them how to drill through metal, and we got the top deck on easily, before adding the paneling. Finally, I added the metal pipe, and smoothly sanded the panel surface. A grinder was used to cut a strip of metal, which I filed down and screwed to the bottom edge.
“This looks amazing!” Sunny breathed. “Except…”
“The surface. Should be smooth but not slippery,” I finished.
“Would this help?” Zipp asked, pushing a metal can over. “Says seals and protects wood.”
“Stain! Perfect.”
Sunny caught on and rummaged through the desk drawer, soon finding a thick paintbrush. She pried open the can with a metal wrench and immediately clapped a hoof to her nose.
“This stinks!”
I shook my head. “Let’s apply it in the chamber.”
We pushed the complete quarter pipe to the elevator, only to realize the journey would likely be doubled due to me being the only one with hands. To our surprise, the doors opened to reveal none other than Izzy.
“Hi friends! I was spending some time out in the city meeting some new pegasi and then came back and was trying to find you but couldn’t. Soooooo… a nice guard told me she’d seen you enter the elevator and I figured I’d come down here. Ha! What a stroke of luck.”
I snickered and gave her my special behind-the-ear scratches. “Glad you’re here. We could use a pair of hooves.”
It was a tight squeeze in the passage to the chamber because nothing was designed for anything more than two meters tall and wide. Not to mention the old-school basket elevator threatened to snap with a loud creaky shriek as we precariously lowered the wood-and-metal contraption down into it. It slid down to the bottom of the staircase with a hard, echoey thud, but remained intact from a visual standpoint.
Next, we lowered the dolly cart and my skateboard, then ourselves down into the chamber. As we slid the quarter pipe onto the dolly and carefully rolled it down the gradient to the main floor, I gazed around, taking in the sights. I know I called it a chamber, but there wasn’t much else to describe it simply. The ceiling was at least sixty feet high, with carved stone, wood, and metal. From the dusty, faded timetable, large fans, and grand clock, I suddenly realized where (and what) this was; an old hot air balloon transit station from a bygone era of the castle.
“Wow,” I breathed, admiring the late afternoon sun streaking inside through the stained glass and balloon departure inlet. “This is… it’s wild to think that a room like this exists in the castle. Have you thought of repurposing it, Zipp?”
“Not really,” she replied, shrugging. “I mostly just used the fans for aerobatic practice and delved into the motion physic mathematics of certain maneuvers with a chalkboard.”
I grinned. “We can turn this place into a fun hangout spot for rollerblading, skateboarding, and other cool activities. Just need materials, time, planning, and consistent effort. We can start with this quarter pipe, plus repurposing whatever’s currently here. Like these lamp post bases.”
I grabbed my board and skated straight towards one, before hopping off with a push. The board slid up the angular base, before sliding back down as I hopped back onto it, adding in a quick revert slide.
“Whoa!” Izzy gasped.
“Cool!” Sunny exclaimed. “Too bad I left my skates at home.”
“You two can always come here anytime,” Zipp reminded supportively. “Let’s finish our job.”
Taking turns, we dipped the brush and applied smooth, even strokes to the wooden transition panel. With the cool outside air blowing in, the stench was much less, easing up the task. We set it in a safe corner under a tarp draped across two metal frames.
While the sun began its descent, Zipp and I practiced our moves while Sunny and Izzy cleared out the area. Zipp fired up one of the fans and practiced hovering before a steep climb followed by a sharp 180-degree turn and a swift dive. I eyed the main ramp leading from the flat plane connecting the bottom of the twin staircases down to the main level. A quick run up and two firm pushes were all it took to get a head start. The momentum was a little hammered by the bumpy tiling, but I kept gliding swiftly towards the balloon boarding ramp. With another hard push I coasted up the incline, popping an ollie and turning frontside before scooting back down, barely catching the back edge with my toes as I added a quick shuvit.
“I had no idea you had all of this in you,” Sunny confided as I did a quick handstand off the edge of a padded waiting bench. “You’re not just a historian, you’re a sporty rebel, too.”
“Part of being a teenager,” I mused, spinning my board back upright with a foot sweeping motion.
“You’re creative too,” Izzy added, pronking up and off the tall headrest of another bench, eager to get in on the action. “You can make something out of seemingly nothing. I could not view this area in such a light when Zipp first brought us here. But now my mind is opening up so much!”
“Just don’t let your brain fall out in the process!” I warned, enacting a chuckle from her.
Zipp and I kept at our tricks and maneuvers until the sun’s afterglow painted the whole station in a soft, deep glow. We all agreed to come back the following afternoon and brainstorm how to transform the place into a sporty play arena. The walk back to my guest suite was a slow, silent affair, as we were all worn out and sore. I had three scrapes and a small cut from a couple falls, and Zipp had a single crash-landing from tightening a dive maneuver too much. Thankfully, Haven brought us over for a warm, homey family dinner.
I caught her eye with a non-verbal “I need to give a speech” message. She gave a slight nod and opened her arms with a delightful smile. “Welcome, my family! Please, have a seat and enjoy the grand food cooked specially for us all.”
We all settled down in the plush red chairs and Pipp lamented on the lack of access to her phone during some training sessions. I fought back an eye-roll and made a mental note to seriously address it later, before tucking into some hot fresh rolls and a spicy oily puree – the same one I had eaten at lunch the day prior. Izzy eagerly shared her experience making new pegasi friends, and Zipp and Sunny chimed in with the quarter pipe we made together.
“I do hope you will be using it outside of the royal grounds,” Haven warned.
“Oh yes Mom, it will not be in anypony’s way at all,” Zipp replied smoothly, and I caught her eye for a second with a smile. Well-played – to gain confidence and trust, don’t rush the answer.
I finished up my food quickly, but kept a respectful pace. As if reading my mental plans, Haven asked a preluding question.
“How long have you been a historian and archeologist, Aiden?”
“About eight years.” I crossed my palms and seized the moment. “During that time I have studied several nation leaders and analyzed their strategies, principles, and prowess. I want to preface what I am about to say with that I do not intend to demote or negtiavely stigmatize our honorary Queen Haven in any manner. If you observe any speech of the sort, guide the speech and conversation back.”
Zipp smiled softly at me. “Just respectfully speak your mind.”
I cleared my throat. “With that said, here are a few observations of the successful leaders amongst the collective in my studies. What did they do that made them the best? Firstly, they included all people of all ranks in the gatherings they held. This ensured that the discussion field was level and even, so to speak. Too often those in a higher rank claim to represent those in a lower rank and deliberately speak untruly and inaccurately on their behalf. But you will not realize this because they are clever about it. By stepping down to the lower ranks and including them in the discussions, you can get a proper sense of their feelings, demands, wants, and needs. Thereby, equality can be established in the dealings and makings of laws and verdicts.”
“Absolutely,” Haven replied. “Admittedly, I have seen a reduction in the number of average-level citizens who attend my conferences, meetings, and speeches, but an uptick in the attendance for Pipp’s concerts, which is concerning to be honest.”
I paused to check if she would continue, then proceeded.
“How do you intend to change that without externally undermining the privileges you have given the higher class?”
Haven side-eyed her daughter with a sly smile. “Through several methods, one of which is to incorporate lyrics that are catchy, yet truthful and meaningful into my daughter’s songwriting, so it will resonate and stick with the audience. I have plans to schedule consecutive meetings, which I did not do in the past due to my own self-inflicted time constraints. This way the collective voices of both upper and lower classes can be heard.”
I responded with a sly smile of my own. “You definitely know how to woo an audience with a thick outer layer of proud classiness, though this can still be a positive advantage if utilized properly. Glad to hear of your improvement goals. On that note, another key which successful leaders held is to be informed directly through safe yet non-obtrusive mingling with the average people. You can see the various levels of emotional/rational, content/dissatisfied, easeful/struggling, and so on, in different groups and categories.”
Haven flashed a motherly smile at me. “I would be lying if I said you haven’t made me feel slightly awkward at making you my guest subordinate. You have learned well, to be speaking with such confidence on these topics.”
“Mostly because they are not exactly what most people back where I am from want to hear,” I admitted, before turning to Pipp and Zipp and briefly holding Sunny’s gaze. “Which leads to the importance of constantly and consistently reminding yourself of who you are as a leader, and what leadership truly is – a responsibility. And a responsibility to be feared due to the impact of being highly knowledgeable about the weight it carries. Too often nations fell due to bad selection of leaders who became corrupt, egoistical, and lacked all the aforementioned qualities. The perks and privileges of being a leader or intimately related to one are outstandingly beneficial and fulfilling, but with it comes a great degree of responsibility and code of self-conduct.”
The air stood still, save for a sigh from Zipp. “What a slew of information. You really are someone who truly cares for those around you and wishes to positively assist in their thinking by way of the knowledge and experiences your journeys have provided.”
I clapped a hand to my chest and bowed slightly. “High praise be not needed, for it can fuel ego in excess. There is more to share with you at bedtime.”
As we all filed out of the dining hall I felt a tug on my leg, knowing damn well who it was. I gripped Pipp’s chubby body and lifted with all my might, and headed up to the guest suite, with Zipp cradling a supportive wing around my waist. In the distance, I thought I heard Haven’s voice saying:
“Such a supportive, caring son.”
I shut out the speculation and pushed the doors open. Izzy flicked on the lights, and we sat down on the bed and chairs to relax. Most boys would be ecstatic to share the same physical space with a bunch of cute, pretty girls. I, rather, was in a deep philosophically contemplative state. I knew I couldn’t just leave this world having had a bubbly blast. I needed to give back in a meaningful way beyond just experiences and materialistic showcasing.
Flicking through some notes on my iPad, I decided it was time for a moment of introspective, reflective, and deep-thoughtful discussion. On the spot, I came up with a list of twenty questions – four casual, four semi-casual, and twelve tough.
“Uh-mm-hmm!” I began, sitting up straight. “It has been such an amazing, joyful, and invigorating experience spending time with you all. I want to take a moment for some extra fun that will gradually delve into deeper territory. For this I have quickly made some digital flash cards – some are for all of you, some individualized.
(WE INTERRUPT THIS READING PROGRAM FOR AN AUTHOR'S NOTE: The order of ponies answering questions goes Izzy, Sunny, Zipp, then Pipp.)
“Alright,” Zipp nodded, a slight streak of skepticism crossing her face.
“Let’s go! Me first!” Izzy said excitedly.
“General question first. Juice or water?”
“Water!”
“Juice is refreshing on a hot day.”
“Eh, juice.”
“‘A sip of water makes you smarter’ is what I often tell younger Pippsqueaks.”
“Aw, lovely to see you’re giving sound advice to those younger than you,” I complimented. “Now, early to rise, or late to sleep?”
“I get up a bit early around eight a.m. surprise all Bridlewood’s residents with a happy good morning as they walk the streets.”
“Seven a.m. in the morning, always. Gotta be fresh and energized for a day running the smoothie stand.”
“Early to rise. I have to manage a few things for Mom often, so yeah.”
“Depends on the situation. Sometimes I hold a late-night stream with my Pippsqueaks, other times a concert can grind me down to the bone, resulting in an instant crash.”
“I see you have the informal cyber-lingo,” I teased. “What makes you happy?”
“Um…” Izzy began.
“Ah yeah, not so easy, is it?” I smirked.
“Making gifts for others,” she quickly responded.
“Finding new information about history.”
“Adventuring and figuring things out logically.”
“Singing and performing for my fans. Oh, and my mom’s love.”
“What makes you hopeful for the future?” I then asked.
“Well, we don’t always assume the worst from each other now, as far as I can see.”
“There is more open communication. Pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns are visiting each other more often, and conversations therein.”
“Overall an uptick in fair trades.”
“Young pegasi are turning the old hateful rumors into jokes now, so there’s a better vibe amongst the cityfolk.”
“Hmmm,” I murmured, pausing for a full minute to take all the responses in, before proceeding to the next batch.
“Okay, time for some universally deep ones. How do you handle when everyone is thinking negatively of you?”
“I would try to disperse the crowd as best as possible, and then manage each pony on a one-on-one basis, or if that’s not possible, then in a small group.”
“Agreed, Izzy.”
“Same.”
“What she said.”
“Surprised you all agreed on that one so quick, heh. What about when nobody is listening to you?”
“I gotta first hear them out.”
“Plus, ask direct questions to figure out their current emotional stability.”
“Check my tonality. Request verbal acceptance of my speech from the get-go.”
“Ask myself a question too: am I presenting myself the right way so as to command respect?”
“Beautiful. Equestria has embraced technology and digital communication. Any negative consequences you can foresee that will come out of this?”
“I could see making mean and hurtful statements being a whole lot easier.”
“The Shootie method would be more effective, too.”
“What Sunny said. Lies can spread quickly, but we do have an authentication policy in place for each user, so it’s not too hard to trace publicly emitted statements.”
“It’s going to really reshape how we handle ourselves as a whole, and shake the foundation of self-identity too.”
My eyebrows sprung up a little at Pipp’s face, which looked more solemn and contemplative than I’d ever seen her before. It took a few minutes before I could feel the radiant energy had stabilized enough to ask the final question.
“What do you do to erase sadness when you cry?”
“I just lay down and let it naturally fade away. If there’s somepony whom I can quickly pay a visit to talk with, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”
“I tend to talk as if my dad’s still there. Like he’s watching and listening. And somehow, my mind feels guided towards a hopeful source of healing and comfort.”
“Which is often us,” Zipp remarked. “I go for a long flight, and more often than not some random pegasi will take note that something’s amiss and offer their shoulder or of the sort.”
“Mom’s the word and the comfort.”
“Great responses, everypony,” I congratulated. “Thanks for taking the time to provide such a great array of answers.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this intense in a questionnaire before,” Izzy confided. “Not the legal authority interrogation-type, but one that goes beyond a surface level.”
I peered out the window. “It’s getting a little late. Let’s round up with the final twelve questions.”
Pipp groaned, trying to hide it with a yawn. I offered her the blanket, and she immediately accepted. She shuffled under the covers, I shifted to the other side of the bed, and put forth the first question.
“Let’s say you were stranded far out at sea on a deserted island, completely isolated and alone. You can have only one item to help you survive. What would it be?”
“Crystals.”
“A book on how to utilize items naturally found on the island for survival.”
“Something to make fire with.”
“Cell service, for a rescue call.”
Feeling rather amused by Pipp’s answer, I refrained from any comments and kept the ball rolling – this time towards her and her sister.
“What would you be doing with life if you weren’t royalty?”
“Hmmm. That’s a pretty good question. I can’t really say how good of a teacher I am, but getting other talented pegasi to fly skillfully would definitely bring a sense of purpose behind why I enjoy flying fast and epically.”
“Oh! I’d be a singer and performer, as I have always been.”
“How do you view leadership - collectively as a family, and for yourselves individually?”
“There are different levels to leadership, and there must be a qualitive assessment of each pony on each level, before they are assigned to said level. As you stated, there are perks to living for yourself that come with it, but living with well-thought-out speech and actions for others allows for a lasting legacy to be built.”
“Um, I’d say it’s a state of authority that is appointed and has a level of power along with it that must be managed. Collectively there must be frequent discussions.”
“Where and how does your heart find peace?”
“I find peace when I’m with my friends having a good time, because I know I can rely on them.”
“It varies, really. Successful accomplishment of tasks, permanently solving a persistent problem, a comforting hug… there could be more I’m missing.”
“Gliding through the clouds with all duties fulfilled.”
“Knowing I don’t have to deal with so many messages.”
“When something unexpectedly horrible happened, how did you react afterwards?”
“With worry and pity.”
“Shock and fear. Sadness too.”
“Mostly concern.”
“A plea for help from whoever I trust.”
“Where can you find the most beauty - adding, subtracting, dividing, or cleaning?”
“Oof, tricky one! Um, I’d say adding. In the form of giving to others.”
“Dividing by ensuring equality in distribution of good.”
“Sometimes what’s best is less, so subtraction. But aiding also can require addition.”
“Cleaning is important because it allows for improved quality of everything else.”
My eyebrows sprung up a little. Gee, wasn’t expecting that from you, Pipp. “For the Royal Sisters; Put forth your best arguments why each of you would be an ideal successor to Queen Haven.”
For a good two minutes, Zipp fell silent, and I could see she had been deeply impacted by the question. Pipp opened her mouth to skip but promptly held back at my glare.
“To be honest, I am not ready to even fathom that. There is still much to observe, learn, gain consistency of, and master.”
“As is with me. Balancing life as a performer isn’t easy.”
Fair enough, I thought. Back to the collective.
“How do you assemble the jigsaw puzzle of the complete truthful events that make up a problematic incident?”
“Look at what’s common.”
“Check to ensure there are no fallacies in each component of the story, relating to how they interconnect.”
“First you have to check, as Sunny said, then determine the order and thereby pinpoint the culprit.”
“Determine the most logical sequence.”
“Hitch plays an important role amongst you all in more ways than you think. Name three.”
“A caring, supportive helper.”
“He’s like a brother sometimes.”
“A wise goof who knows when to be empathic.”
“Keeps a balance amongst us.”
I smiled. “Great positive thoughts. Now to the final three personal ones. Pipp, what behavioral changes have you noticed amongst your fanbase since you started livestreaming?”
“Great question. There’s more collective hype and a sense of pressure when feedback rolls in. Some fillies have approached me in public for selfies, but I’ve been fortunate enough to not have anypony violate personal space or be disrespectful to others.”
“Sunny, how do you think adverse reactions to the archeological findings of ancient Equestria should be mitigated?”
“I think we should stick together as friends and hear out the voices behind the reactions via conversation, then ensure they do not escalate to becoming a threat to the stability of Equestria’s magical unity. To directly state something or somepony as a threat or an enemy is a dangerous notion.”
“Alright, final question. Izzy, let’s paint a situation. You find a weird-colored mushroom in the forest and eat it. Suddenly you feel overly happy and unstoppable. Time warps in your head in such a way that you can’t discern any sad or depressing moments at all throughout your whole life. The next day, everything’s back to normal. You dismiss it as just the mushroom being a “bad” food. Time passes. You meet a pony who is feeling really sad, distraught, and depressed. Do you give them the mushroom or not?”
“Aaah…” Izzy gasped, biting her lip. “This is… I can’t… I… okay, let me think.”
“Be firmly honest here,” I added. “I have seen you hold a high level of self-respect.”
This time the night air stood still for three minutes, save for Pipp’s fidgety, tensed-up hooves. It looked like she was giving it some thorough analysis. Finally, she spoke, a solemn but confident tone across her tongue.
“I would not give them the mushroom. In fact, I would try to completely destroy it. Even if the mushroom’s effects were to last a week, I still would destroy it. The usage of an edible source to reach a euphorically positive state for a short while would just cause forever dependency and could also lead to unpredictable damage. With a healthy conversation around emotional management and mindset and wise, decisive actions, a permanent solution can be worked towards. Too much repetitive short-term good would become long-term bad, no?”
“No, Izzy. You are correct. Incredible answer,” Zipp replied with a deep sigh, suddenly realizing she’d been holding back her breath.
“I haven’t heard you speak on that level since the start of this questionnaire, Izzy,” Sunny added.
“What a way to re-think how we choose to help one another,” Pipp chimed in, having finally got her hooves to stay still.
“All I can say is five hoof-stars of five,” I said, closing the app and shutting off the iPad. “Again, easy on the praising. Thank you all so much for giving me the opportunity to play this game and ask you stuff which most of it I have never been able to ask others before. It’s been an honor, Miss Pipp and Miss Zephyrina. I hope we can spend more time together and try some new activities.
“Absolutely,” Zipp replied, a slight bashful blush on her inner cheek. “Just… you don’t have to address me like that. ‘Zipp’ is good enough, okay?”
I nodded. “I know. It’s just natural as part of respect. Now who’s up for affection time?”
I gave each of them a warm, comforting hug, before carrying Pipp to her room and giving her a special nightly kiss. Setting a slightly delayed alarm, I slipped into a serene sleep, while Sunny and Izzy slid under the covers and snuggled up against me.