1: Generations Past
For Zipp, Zephyr Cliffs had always proven equal parts intimidating and freeing.
They were always there for her whenever she needed to spread her wings—literally, mentally, and emotionally—especially when none of the actual kingdom would allow her the luxury.
Today was no exception.
Of course, the cliffs were also intimidating for another reason, today: they were the closest Zipp had come to Zephyr Heights in several days. As far as she knew based on what the online newsfeeds told her, she and the rest of her family were still wanted mares in their own domain.
Turned out, lying to an entire kingdom for generations was an offense said kingdom didn't take lightly.
Yeah, who knew.
Except literally anypony with half a brain.
Zipp huffed out her frustration—she'd been here before, and it wasn't why she was here. Compared to what lay in her future, the physical gauntlet which lay in front of Zipp was foal's play.
She glided down to the base of the cliffs—then began climbing up, leaping from rock to rock. The easy ones were at the bottom, making the area perfect for her training regimen, keeping herself in the best shape she could possibly be, in hopes that one day, she'd surpass… certain physical limits.
In time, as she always did, she entered a zen state, where she was one with her movements, and she knew by instinct where to jump to next.
Though when she did… her mind always wandered.
"Mom, seriously—we've got to stop this. You want me and Pipp to just… just keep lying to ponies. To our ponies, our subjects, who look up to us! Who depend on us!"
"How many times must we go through this, Zephyrina? You're not lying to them, you're… keeping the peace. In this case, their peace of mind—"
"I don't believe in that! And when I wear the crown, I'm going to always make sure our subjects know the truth, no matter how harsh! They deserve to know enough to be true to themselves! And so we can be the same!"
"Then your naive reign will be short, my daughter—and most likely, punctuated by the fall of our dynasty. I hope you're ready for it."
Zipp sighed. The price of staying physically fit was to never have a moment's emotional peace, apparently.
Well, Mom, I hope you're happy. You were almost totally right—just a few years early.
Zipp gritted her teeth as she came to the top, increasing speed, then leapt off of the final rock of the cliffs, thrusting herself as high as she could, and spread her wings as she coasted into the open blue—
and instantly felt gravity yank her down at the fastest speed possible wait what
what had she just done
the sky has no safety net the sky has no safety net
Through whimpers, Zipp grasped at nothing with her hooves over and over again as the wind rushed through her coat, and the ground continued its rush to meet her, up close and personal.
Why had she gotten lost in the fantasy yet again?
the sky has no safety net you've been told this countless times it took forever for your coat to grow over the scars
Frantically, Zipp put her hooves in front of her eyes and flapped her wings, knowing it would do nothing, just like every other time she dared the heavens and lost, but hoping against hope…
…
…oh, right.
Oh, heck.
She'd so quickly forgotten why she'd come out here in the first place. But old habits, old fears, old memories, died hard.
Slowly, shakily, she allowed herself to calm down. She then let the utter joy take over with a whoop, as she levitated, then flew, alongside clouds, the air friction of moments past now having turned into a relaxing breeze against her body.
She still couldn't believe this was happening. She'd already carried out so many test runs in Maretime Bay, but this was the first time she'd had enough courage stored to take a distance flight with her limited skills.
And when she saw her old cliffs along her flight path, nostalgia had taken over—both for good and ill.
Everypony was still learning how pegasus magic worked, of course. To Equestria, such powers had been the stuff of ancient legend. But Zipp wanted, always, to learn more—and as soon as possible.
And right now she was learning that… whatever this legendary "magic" everypony had recently received was, it was going to take way more study than what little she had under her belt.
"And here I thought literally anything would change upon us getting our magic back," Zipp heard a voice quip from not far away. "Still sneaking off to dangerous places to indulge, I see."
Recognizing the voice, Zipp turned her head to see a bright pink pony with a straightened mane not unlike her own, gliding close by her. "Mom?"
"On your left," Queen Haven chuckled. "Hello, Zephyrina."
Zipp sighed. "Hi." She looked forward again. So much for indulgence, or studies, or workouts… at least right now. Silence followed for a while as she took in the clouds instead, willing the nervous awkwardness to go away.
When that didn't work in the slightest, and the silence became too much for her, Zipp looked back to her left, if only to see if her mother was still there. She'd expected small talk by now.
What she did not expect was her mother's expression, the moment she noticed. "Mom? Are… are you crying?"
Zipp's words seemed to bring Queen Haven back from whatever faraway land her mind had traveled to. "Wh—" With a start, Haven wiped the moisture from her eyes with one foreleg. "N-no, honey, it's just atmospheric… uh, shock. Altitudinal surprise, yes." She barely disguised a sniffle. "We're pretty high up after all, it's a valid condition."
"Uh huh." Zipp's mouth slanted. "Those are all totally scientific terms for it, too."
When her mom flustered even more, Zipp knew something was up. She held off her snark, flying closer. "H-hey, sorry, Mom. I was just joking. If it helps, on my first flight… I cried too."
"Now that's a surprise," Haven replied, not disguising her sniffling this time, "given how headstrong you've always been. I wish I'd given you the chance to be… vulnerable, more often."
Zipp looked away. What could she say? Come to think of it, she'd never actually thought about how her mother might be taking… well, having flight now. Those of only royal bloodline being able to fly had been a lie they'd perpetrated so long as Zipp had been alive, sure, but Queen Haven had certainly been living with it for even longer than that. How had she lived with it, especially to come back with the opinion that the lie needed to continue?
"Mom," Zipp said, flying next to Queen Haven and lightly brushing a hoof along her cheek. "Mom, I'm here. Talk to me."
Queen Haven looked into Zipp's eyes, as if checking to see if Zipp could be trusted to… well, not judge. Again, Zipp nodded.
And Haven exhaled. "I never thought I'd see a day when I'd be able to actually soar amongst the clouds. Much less with my daughters. I'm still processing it."
Zipp looked away. There was her answer, then.
"I remember the day when," Haven continued, "as a filly, I found out that I… wasn't special, after all. But my parents had dragged it out as long as they could. Put special lightweight harnesses on me when I wasn't looking, so that I could experience 'flying' around the house. Making up excuses about the sun or the weather when I couldn't fly, inside or outside, without them around to 'prepare' me. She looked at Zipp, with a chuckle and rueful scoff. "It took me ages to figure it all out. I wasn't as sharp as you."
Zipp's only response was to gape.
"But when I finally grew up enough to realize what my parents were doing," Haven said, "and confront them about it, they finally told me the truth. Royals couldn't fly. No pegasus could. We'd all lost the ability long ago, our wings barely useful as decorations, much less anything else."
Haven sniffled again. "I was crushed. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that would have taken it much better had I simply been told outright, as young as possible. So when I had you, and Pipp, I did exactly that, as soon as both of you were able to comprehend it.
"You both took the news in your own ways, of course. I remember Pipp sighing, then shrugging, before going back out to play with her friends. But before the day I sat you down, you were always… such a dreamer. And when I told you… your face fell further than I'd ever seen. I saw myself in you."
Haven looked away, closing her eyes. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret destroying your dreams, at least for as long as I did. Zephyrina, I'm so sorry."
And there was that awkward silence again. Whatever Zipp had expected to happen today, a full apology from her mother was the very last on the list. She'd figure out whether she actually accepted it later.
But if they could keep talking… she could at least come clean, too.
"You didn't destroy those dreams, Mom," Zipp replied. "They just turned into me obsessively wanting to find out how everything in the world worked… and everyone. So I could fix them." Zipp looked down, to a ground that wasn't there. "Maybe even fix myself."
Zipp felt a hoof run through her mane, then nudge her face back up. She followed the gesture, looking back at Haven, to see the tiniest glimmer of a smile crossing her mother's muzzle.
"There has never been anything to fix about you, Zephyrina," Haven said softly. "You've always been perfect as you are. And… to be honest, yes, I was a little bit afraid of that. The world isn't ready for perfection." Haven chuckled. "But that was wasted energy, because you went ahead and helped everypony anyway. Because that's what my daughter always does, and nothing less."
Zipp smiled, feeling warmth tugging at her chest and cheeks. This really wasn't expected.
"And now, I'm up here, same as you," Haven sighed, "but I can still barely comprehend it. I'd given up. But you never stopped fighting, even with the entire pegasus race, and your own family, against you. That kind of determination, towards the betterment of all, is of the sort that leads kingdoms into golden ages."
Zipp's face lit up. "Wait, seriously? You think I'd make a good queen?"
"I always did. But as I said, the world isn't always ready for good leadership." Haven chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Why do you think they've put up with me for so long?"
"Aw, Mom, don't say that about yourself." The two parked atop a nearby cloud—another thing that had startled pegasi the world over once they'd realized they could do it—and Zipp looked over to the skyscrapers of Zephyr Heights, faint in the distance. "Besides, it's starting to sound like they don't want any leadership, period. You think they'll take us back?"
"They may," Queen Haven said. "They may not. But that's our… no, my duty, to find out, and present my case. I misused the trust of my subjects, and roped you into the same, as children. And I'll have to own up to that…" Haven closed her eyes. "When I go back. Alone."
"Uh… yeah, very funny," Zipp said, an uneasy waver in her voice.
Haven shook her head. "Oh, dear, I'm not joking. I would never, about this."
"What?" Zipp did a double take. "Heck no, you're not! You're not going back without me, and I'm sure Pipp would say the same!"
"So am I, and I greatly appreciate it, and I know I asked you to come with me before. But after having time to think, I… you, simply cannot. Not under these circumstances."
"I'm the next queen behind you maybe!" Zipp wanted to talk in a level, softer voice, but couldn't find the willpower to calm down, no matter where she looked. "And your daughter! I am not leaving you alone—"
Gently, Haven placed a hoof on Zipp's muzzle—which afforded Zipp a single moment to see that her mother's face held no anger, held no frustration.
Only sincerity.
And only sorrow.
"That is exactly what you will do," Haven whispered.
After gritting her teeth so hard she thought they would break… Zipp relented. "But… I-I don't want to."
"And I thoroughly understand how you feel," Haven said, her voice taking on the smallest warble. "However, as a mother, I am not putting my daughters in danger that I don't have to, ever. When I officially return to Zephyr Heights, you either stay in Maretime Bay, or go anywhere else, except the city. Do you understand, Zipp?"
"I…" Zipp tried to start, but her throat hitched, cutting her off. "M-Mom…"
"Please." Haven blinked, the bottom of her eyes taking on a telltale sheen. "Grant your mother this one wish: to see you and your sister grow into the wonderful mares I know you're destined to become. Even if it's from a distance."
Zipp let out a long sigh. "I'll… I'll think about it," she said, wrapping her forelegs around Haven. "I love you, Mom."
Haven hugged back. "I love you too… Zipp." She pulled away, with a wink. "Shall we go home before we get too close or it gets too dark?"
"Yeah. Probably should."
The two ponies took off. Zipp took one more look back at the silhouette of Zephyr Heights' bustling metropolis, before finally turning in the other direction.
She looked at her mother.
Queen Haven smiled back.
And Zipp tried, the whole flight home, to quell the weight in the pit of her stomach.
She couldn't, of course.