What is up, everypony? I hope you're all having a fantastic morning! Today, I am gonna show you guys how to style ribbon curves in your mane just like me. I'm totes excited, you guys! I bought a new mane curler last night out of sheer excitement for today!
I smile a little to myself as I listen to Princess Pipp engage with her audience from down the hall. Thunder is absorbed in his phone next to me, watching her livestream. Normally I'd scold him about proper guard attentiveness etiquette, but technically he's keeping an eye on the princess, so I let it slide.
I've always found something special in listening to Princess Pipp directly, even if from a different room. It makes it feel like I have an exclusive privilege. It's the fringe benefits of being a guardmare that make it all worth it.
This curler has it all, everypony. Mattress mane got you down? Have no fear, this thing will deliver. I tried it last night just to be sure I was bringing you guys the very best, and it did not disappoint. First, let's go over the curl setting, and I can show you guys how I do my mane every morning.
"Morning Zoom, Thunder."
I suddenly leap to attention when a snowy coat passes by me.
"Oh, good morning, Princess Zipp."
"...Never gonna be just 'Zipp' with you, is it?"
"Not while the helmet is on, ma'am."
I smirk through my deadpan. She chuckles and shakes her head.
"Off to get breakfast I assume?" I continue. "I believe Queen Haven had the kitchen staff prepare pancakes and over easy eggs with cheese."
She looks at me with one of her coy little smiles.
"That does sound good. Has Pipp eaten yet?"
"She has. Your sister is in the lounge conducting her Wednesday morning livestream."
There's a glint in her eyes, one I'm all too familiar with.
"Oh she is, is she?"
"Yes ma'am."
We share a long look. She then quietly makes her way down the corridor without another word. Thunder, now off his phone, stares after her with me.
The distance between each wave should be one and a half inches, everypony, with a medium heat setting. Once you've finished your first section I recommend inspecting your work. Until you get the hang of it you may need to redo sections that don't match up with the rest. Once you've checked that your distances line up, then it's time to—
The princess cuts off with a gasp. I share a look with Thunder as Princess Zipp becomes audible now, too.
Morning, Pipp.
Uh, aha, Zipp, what are you doing?
Just giving my little sister a hug.
Aww, that's sweet of you, Zipp. But I'm in the middle of a livestream, right now. Can't you wait until afterwards?
Nah, I wanted a hug right now.
There's silence. Thunder fights to contain his snickering.
It's rather rude to just walk up and interrupt ponies, Zipp.
Just think of it as a cameo.
This isn't a movie.
Which means it has no plot to follow, right? Besides, your fans love when I drop in. I can see the emoticons from here.
Thunder pulls out his phone again and refreshes the livestream. I have to admit that even I'm curious to watch, now.
Princess Zipp has quite methodically pulled her sister into a hug with her forehoof and right wing. Her sister looks less than pleased, but it's hard to overstate how many little hearts and messages are popping up, saying things like "aww" and "best sisters."
"What are you doing up so early anyway, Zipp? You're never a morning pony."
"I took a nap yesterday after working on a project all afternoon, so I didn't need to sleep much last night. Heard you on my way to get breakfast, so thought I'd come say good morning."
"Well, good morning, Zipp. Why don't you go eat breakfast so I can finish my product review in peace?"
"So cold, sis. Can't a big sister come hug her little sister without being shooed away?"
"Not when she's purposefully being a jerk with her timing."
"Oh, okay. A jerk, am I? Alright, Pipp, we can play that game if you want."
Princess Zipp suddenly grins at the camera.
"Hey, you guys want me to let you in on a secret? This is big-sister-only information."
"Zipp, will you please just leave already—"
"Pipp has three ticklish spots."
"Zipp!"
"The biggest spot is right under her wing."
"Oh my gosh, Zipp, get out of here!"
Thunder is losing his composure, now. Princess Pipp headbutts her sister in the chest and begins sliding her towards the back of the lounge.
"I'm just giving them some fun trivia, sis."
"You're being a pest, is what you're doing. You can't just barge in and start embarrassing me on my livestream!"
"If you wanted privacy you should have done it in your room, Pipp, not the lounge. I'm allowed to be in here as much as you are."
"The lighting in my room and the bathrooms isn't great for showcases like this, Zipp, and I know I've told you that before! I'm here every week, twice a week at the same time. You're just trying to harass me in front of my fa—aanS!"
Princess Zipp's wing wraps around her sister's side and begins to quiver. Princess Pipp giggles and jerks away, but she's held fast from escaping by lightning-fast hooves.
Thunder is chuckling. I'm nearly there, myself. We watch the chat box overflow with further comments, ranging from complete sentences to chains of emojis.
What are the other ticklish spots?? Don't leave us hanging, Zipp!
Oml this is so wholesome, BEST SISTERS
Zipp should do her own stream! #ZippLive #MoreZippCameos
Pipp: *exists*
Zipp: I'm going to end this filly's whole livestream.
"So anyway, this is how you get back at your sister for calling you names on livestream, guys," Princess Zipp says to the camera. I've never seen her smirk so wide. "Notice the use of your primary feathers to execute the proper technique. Never use your hooves. They're far less effective, and you're gonna need them to hold your sibling in place."
"Z—Zipp, knock it off!"
"They might barter, beg, or threaten you, but you just gotta let it roll off you. This is about making a point more than anything."
Princess Zipp shakes ceaselessly from her sister's struggling. It only serves to make her laugh.
"You know I gotta say you're making it really hard to do this showcase with all your squirming, Pipp."
"I c—can't believe you right now! Let go! You're such a bully!"
"First a jerk, and now I'm a bully, too? All I wanted was a hug, Pipp. You're the one who got all impatient."
"Just get out!"
Another headbutt from Princess Pipp seems to do the trick. Her sister backs off at last, chuckling as she does.
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. Are you sure you've had breakfast already, sis? This is your hangry mood if I've ever seen it. You want me to bring you some pancakes?"
Princess Pipp has resigned from even acknowledging her sister now. She groans and rolls her eyes for the camera. She begins to fuss over her mane, which is frazzled from the spat.
"Sorry about that, everypony. Somepony is clearly in a deviant mood this morning. I am gonna ask my mom about getting locks installed for the lounge doors. The things a streamer has to do for a little privacy, am I right?"
Princess Pipp returns to the topic of her stream. I look up to find Princess Zipp eyeing us as she walks out of the lounge and off towards the kitchen. We exchange amused looks.
"Oh, actually, just one more interruption, Pippsqueaks. There's one more thing I need to address real quick."
I quickly nudge Thunder in the side, and he frantically puts his phone away just as Princess Pipp pops her head out of the lounge. She's glaring at us.
"Zoom, Thunder, what the hay was that?"
"What was what, Princess Pipp?"
She scoffs.
"Don't give me that, Zoom, I know Thunder was watching my livestream this whole time—I could hear my echo out in the hall."
I see Thunder wince.
"Why didn't you guys do something?" she continues. "That was totally embarrassing! I'm gonna see tickle spot speculation and memes on my Pippit sub for weeks!"
"Princess Pipp, we've been over this before," I say, offering a smile. "We can't intervene with your sister because she carries the same title you do."
I glance at Thunder and nudge him again.
"Uh, that's right," he stammers. "Queen Haven was very clear when she said her daughters carry the same level of authority. We can't do anything unless your sister were to actually put you in danger."
"My dignity is in danger," she retorts. "Does that not count for something?"
"I'm afraid not, princess," I reply, still smiling. "Tickle attacks and awkward hugs don't quite meet the criteria. But rest assured, Thunder and I will be right here if something truly serious ever does happen. You can count on us."
The loudest groan yet signals her return back into the lounge. I look at Thunder. He's on his phone again, typing something into the princess's livestream chat.
I glance over his shoulder and chuckle.
Can confirm, that was adorable to overhear. #RoyalPalaceGuard
Hope to see more of it
Keeping an eye on this.
Ohh they should be very interesting to see the princess sisters and even the Royal Guards and it's pretty funny seeing these two Bakerring with each other in a friendly way so zipp trying to embarrass pipp during her live stream again this is a pretty funny start of a story I wonder what else could happen next guess we'll find out next time
Zipp is a great sister, but even the best siblings can sometimes be annoying. I can't wait to see more. Though I hope Zoom and Thunder get more attention from whoever writes next. As adorable as Zipp and Pipp shenanigans are, this is supposed to be about the guard duo, and they felt kind of incidental to the whole chapter.
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Yeah, I definitely had them play more of a subsidiary perspective role than anything upfront. Guard work often consists of a lot of standing around and absorbing the events around you, and that was my aim for this chapter, to show it's not always as boring as you'd think. They're always around and engaged, even when they're not an active part of the plot.
There's definitely a lot to explore directly with their characters and how their relationship with the royal family looks, and when I do inevitably write again, it'll probably be something more focused on them.
In the meantime I'm hoping to see a lot of creative direction in Zoom and Thunder's personalities and backstories from others.
Awwwwwwww, so adorableeee!
I would totally write a chapter for this, but...um...
When I first saw the movie I thought Zoom was a boy and I've kept that headcanon 'cause the idea of Zoom and Thunder being a lil' gay couple just stuck-
I foresee Zoom and Thunder being constantly written (by fans) as a ball of UST instead of just partners and colleagues.
In Zipp's flight school, they acted like they didn't know each other.
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TYT is essentially G5 Pony Life, with characters being simplified for the sake of five-minute plots. This is even more obvious for side characters like Zoom and Thunder. In my opinion it's not a show one can easily point at and say, 'but the show said/did X.' It certainly doesn't take canonical priority to movie portrayals, imo.
Maybe if TYT eventually adopts some amount of character development over time, but right now everything is standalone SOL.
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Maybe, but I can definitely say that, thus far, I've enjoyed Tell Your Tale a heck of a lot more than Pony Life, so that's still gotta count for something.
That said, yeah, I suspect TYT isn't going for perfect canon per se...but it's clear they aren't totally ignoring it either, so it'll be interesting how much of it carries over into future G5 productions. Of course, I don't expect it to put much focus on Zoom and Thunder regardless, but at the same time, I was surprised they appeared in it at all, so...
And besides, I suspect TYT is still going to give people inspiration for ideas for this--I know it has for me a little--so I'd at least keep the door open for it a little. Personally, I'd apply MLP comic logic to it--it can be canon if it'll help fill in a convenient blank or if a fic plot, but yeah, otherwise it's not mandatory canon (at least for now).
I am absolutely here for this. G5 fluff for all!
Zephyr Heights Taco Bells must have gotten a lot of business to fill those parade balloons.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/1/16/213924.png
Maybe they have a business contract with the castle.
Pipp should be careful about asking the Royal Guard to step in. As Crown Princess, Zipp might order them to hold Pipp down while she gets tickled.
Pretty Nice. My sis is so much elder than me so she doesn't teases me like that. Anyways I have a little elder cousin sister and whenever she is like doing important stuff, I always tease and torture her like that