Legends Never Die: A New Age

by bookhorse125

To Be A Princess

She wasn’t in her room, in the dungeons, above the throne room, and none of the guards said that they saw Pipp leave. Getting desperate, Zipp shoved the heavy grate aside as quickly as she possibly could and threw herself into the opening, spreading her wings to slow her fall. The station was empty except for a small pink pegasus sitting in front of the window.

“Pipp?” Zipp dashed over to her sister as fast as she could and landed just a little bit behind her. “Oh, Pipp, I was so worried about you. Thank hoofness you’re alright - are you alright? It’s not like you to just run off like that.” She trotted up to her sister and sat down next to her. “Pipp?”

“Why are you here?” she croaked, her voice thick. “Why don’t you just go back to everypony else, because you clearly don’t need me. The only things I’m good at are noticing details and singing songs.”

“That’s not true,” Zipp insisted. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re amazing at cheering ponies on, you’re actually pretty good at sneaking around, you know the city, you know how ponies work, you’re good at disguises-”

“Not as good as Izzy,” Pipp mumbled, though she sounded not as close to tears as before.

“Yeah, okay, that is true,” admitted Zipp, and Pipp let a small chuckle slip, “but the important thing is, you’re my sister, Pipp. And I’m sorry if I haven’t been a very good sister lately-”

“You’ve been a terrible sister,” Pipp said with a playful smirk.

“So have you! Anyway, remember when we went to Bridlewood to find the unicorn crystal, and you tagged along even though you didn’t really want to?” Pipp nodded. “I was actually really glad you did. I don’t think I would have been able to do that if you hadn’t been there. I’ve always kind of counted on you, and knowing that you’re there gives me courage that things will be alright. And about what I said back in the Crystal Empire - I didn’t mean any of that. I love being your sister, and I love you, Pipp.”

Zipp opened her wing to her sister, who leaned in for a hug. “Thanks,” she sniffled. “I think we’re both a little out of character today - you never seemed like one for emotional speeches.”

The older sister chuckled. “I think I can make an exception just for you.”

The two of them stared up at the image of the pegasus crystal on the window. “These crystals seem to have a habit of getting stolen,” Pipp commented, and Zipp laughed. “You’re going to make a great queen one day, you know.”

Zipp sighed. “Pipp, I’m sorry about the Hall of Princesses. I don’t know why-”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Pipp took a deep breath and sat up. “I’ve been thinking about it, and… I don’t want to be a princess. I mean, not like you. You’re a princess who will grow up to lead ponies - and you’ll be wonderful at it - but I just want to hang out with my friends and sing songs and not have to worry about all those responsibilities. You know, before magic came back, I always thought, Maybe I should be queen. I’ll handle things just like Mom does - surely that means that I should be the one. But you would do things differently than Mom, and that’s why this city needs you. You’re not a make-do-with-what-you-have pony, Zipp - you’re the kind of pony who sees a problem and goes to no lengths to fix it. You’re honest and believe in what’s right and will not hesitate to go on dangerous quests and completely destroy everything you had before if you think it’ll turn out for the better. Just please don’t ruin anymore of my shows this time around.” She fixed Zipp with a stern glare that made her older sister crack up.

“I will say I will try…” she mused, and Pipp thwacked her with her wing. Zipp grinned, stood up, and offered her hoof to her younger sister. “Come on. Let’s go back up there. I think you have some good ideas, Pipp. But I will definitely beat you up there.”

Pipp reluctantly stood up. “Okay, but - AH! Zipp, a rat!”

Zipp whirled around, wings flared, eyes scanning the station around her. She frowned and folded her wings, turning back to her sister. “Pipp, there was no-” She froze and heard laughter coming from the far end of the room. Zipp turned to see Pipp hovering just below the entrance to the palace, grinning.

“I thought you said you would beat me up here,” she called in a teasing voice. Zipp spread her wings and zoomed after her. Pipp let out a squeal and dashed out of the hole, flying down the hallway as fast as her wings could carry her, but Zipp easily pulled ahead of her and stuck her tongue out at her sister. Pipp playfully shoved her, and the two spent the rest of the short flight to the throne room in playful fighting, which Zipp, of course, won, though they were both laughing too hard to care much.

Queen Haven was the only one left in the throne room - Zoom had left with Alphabittle, Thunder, and a few other guards to go guard the Tree of Harmony and keep watch for these three villains. When she saw her two daughters flying in, looking in much higher spirits than before, she smiled. “You know, the last time I saw you two really having fun together before this - why, I think it must have been your very first Nightmare Night.” She smiled at the memory. “I remember that you were having a contest to see who would get the most candy, and then your father…” She broke off, a much darker memory clouding over the first.

Zipp and Pipp exchanged a glance. Pipp finally stepped forward and said, “Could you… tell us a little bit about Dad? We don’t have that many memories of him, so…”

The queen sighed and sat down on her throne. “Your father was… kind.” She smiled. “Handsome. Headstrong and hopeful of a better future… He wanted the best for you two, like I did, but he had a… different idea for how to make it happen.”

“He hated the fake flying,” Zipp said, her long-standing theory for why he left.

Haven shook her head. “He did, but… that’s not why he left. He left to go to the unicorns. He thought that it was time that they put their differences behind them and start over, but… he never came back.” She wrapped her wings around herself. “The last thing he ever said to me… he said, ‘A world torn apart by hatred and mistrust is not a world I want to be a part of.’ ” She looked up and smiled at her daughters. “He would be so proud of you, you know… Especially now, I see more and more of him in you every day.”

Pipp beamed with pride. Zipp looked around the room, and, as if for the first time, noticed that it was empty. “Mom, where’s everypony else?”

“I believe they went to the library,” Haven said, sitting up straight. “Izzy had something she wanted to show them. But before you go-” She stood up and trotted down to her girls, where she wrapped them into a big hug.

“What was that for?” Zipp asked when her mother stepped back.

“So that I’ve already hugged you good-bye for your next adventure,” she replied calmly. “Based on what you’ve gotten yourselves into so far, I have to cherish every moment I have with you, because there’s always big quests in between.”

The two sisters waved good-bye to their mother and made their way to the library, where they found it completely empty. Then Zipp remembered something Izzy had told her a few weeks ago and trotted briskly to a bookshelf that held a book with a moon on its spine and a book with a sun. Pulling both of them towards her and settling them back in their rightful place, the entire bookshelf rumbled before sliding away completely. Pipp gaped.

“What just - how did you-” she stuttered, and Zipp grinned.

“Just a little trick I learned while you were off preparing for a big show or something. Come on!” She led the way into the dark stone passageway, which twisted down several meters before ending at a large door that was slightly ajar. From inside leaked a golden light, and voices could be heard. Zipp pushed open the door, and Pipp saw Flurry, Sunny, Izzy, Hitch, and Sprout inside. When the two pegasi entered, Izzy leaped forward to greet them, and Hitch let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank hoofness you two are okay!” Izzy bubbled, gesturing to the room around them. “According to Flurry, this used to be the restricted section of the Canterlot library - isn’t that something? And this is where we found all those books for the surprise we did for Sunny.”

“Yes, I’m aware, because I was there,” Zipp said, grinning at the unicorn.

“How did we never find this before?” Pipp asked. “I mean, if all you have to do is pull a couple books.”

Izzy shrugged, and Zipp said, “I don’t think many ponies have really been in here for a while…”

“If you found this a couple weeks ago,” Sunny called, “why didn’t you tell me about it?” Her tone sounded accusing, and Izzy winced.

“We were a little busy,” Zipp retorted hotly. “In case you hadn’t noticed, nearly the entire city wanted us gone, so we had to go a little bit undercover, which made it slightly more difficult to bring you here even if we did remember it - which we didn’t, because we had more important things to worry about. And after that, more stuff happened, and nopony’s remembered until now.”

“Zipp…” Izzy said softly, putting her hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder.

Sunny straightened, and something flashed in her dull eyes - something that looked unsettlingly like anger. Izzy ducked her head and looked at the floor.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Hitch interjected, coming up next to Sunny. “How about this - what are we supposed to do in the meantime?”

They were silent as everypony thought, until Pipp spoke up. “Well,” she began, a slow smile spreading across her face, “how would you guys like a V. I. P. tour of Zephyr Heights by its favorite princess? Don’t look at me like that, Zipp, you know it’s true.”

Author's Note:

Sorry this one's a little short. Last one for today.

Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Comments

[Phetiamwantip]

I'm glad that Zipp apologized to Pipp.

[Yoshifan30]

Aww that's actually kind of sweet to see zipp and pipp having moment with each other after what just happened back at the Crystal Empire and they both apologized for what they say and it looks like Queen Haven was so happy to see that but after said their goodbyes to the mother they went to find sunny and the other and they found the restricted area but apparently Sunny was getting really annoyed about this whole situation and Zipp is getting fed up with Sunny mood swing but little they know aside from Izzy it looks like cozy glow is getting into her head again seriously maybe this should be the time Sonny should tell them what's going on it's getting worse well let's hope she does because this is getting really bad let's find out next time