The Unicorn Who Would Be King
Queen Haven was waiting and watching, watching and waiting. She had agreed to this private meeting for two, so why was her guest not here? She was already taking a big risk as it was just coming this close to Bridlewood.
At last, the rustling of some bushes and the sound of hoofsteps foretold the arrival of Queen Haven's guest. It was none other than Alphabittle. "Sorry for being fashionably late, your majesty." He sincerely apologized with a bow.
"Oh, don't be silly," Queen Haven played it off and waved a hoof. "It hasn't been that late," But she immediately questioned. "You weren't followed, right? You know this must remain a secret."
Alphabittle nodded. "I know. It's not like we haven't been doing things for months now. I've gotten quite good at keeping ponies in the dark. Even Izzy doesn't suspect a thing."
Queen Haven smiled as she looked deep into Alphabittle's eyes, quickly growing lost in them. "Let's keep it that way." And she trotted forward as her wings unfolded, soon bringing them close to Alphabittle's chest.
The unicorn stallion giggled and stepped back a bit in surprise. "H-hey now, that tickles!"
Haven only giggled in reply as she trotted closer, tickling Alphabittle some more and soon bringing the mighty unicorn to the ground. Then, she lowered herself down to his level and kissed him. "Oh Alphabittle."
"Queen Haven." Alphabittle managed to reply as he returned the kiss.
The queen blushed as her cheeks began to turn as red as cherries. "You can just call me Haven, I'm not your queen after all."
Alphabittle smiled. "Well, I could be if you ever took me to Zephyr Heights. I hear it's quite lovely, really."
Queen Haven waved a hoof. "You know I would if I could, but ponies would start to suspect things. Besides, we're still working on getting air travel established for non-pegasi. And let's not forget, you have yet to show me all that Bridlewood has to offer. I only caught a glimpse of it the first time we met."
"Hard to believe we owe those little ponies so much," Alphabittle commented as he now began to blush. "I always knew there was something different about Izzy, but I would've never imagined she'd be the one to bring magic back to Bridlewood. Now she's even talking about moving to Maretime Bay to live closer to Sunny."
"Well, everypony has to leave the nest and see the world sooner or later," The pegasus queen commented with a smile. "Izzy's a great kid, just as great as my daughters. I couldn't be more proud of them if I wanted to."
It was then that the unicorn stallion nervously asked. "You haven't told them about us, have you?"
Haven shook her head. "Of course not. This is our little secret, Alphabittle. I'll tell them if and when I believe they need to know. After all, I don't make it a habit to pry into their private lives. Heaven only knows how many potential suitors Pipp has had over the years, and I'm sure even Zipp has a few admirers now."
Alphabittle chuckled. "I can only imagine. I've had more than a few mares try to claim me as their own, but I've always turned them down. When you're in a position of power, you get used to ponies trying to get on your good side any way they can," He proceeded to take Haven's hooves into his own. "But you're not like those other mares. I know you're a queen, but there's just something different about you, your majesty. I know we've only just started seeing each other over the last few months, but now I can't imagine a time where I didn't know you."
Haven's blush returned with a vengeance, enveloping her whole face as she started to become flustered and stuttered. "A-Alphabittle, you... you sweet talker."
The stallion grinned. "I do seem to have a way with words, don't I?" He leaned forward for another kiss.
Yet it was then that the two rulers suddenly heard the sound of leaves rustling! And then they could hear the sound of wings frantically flapping! Before either pony had a chance to react, there came the sound of cameras frantically clicking and pens and pencils scribbling down things on paper as fast as they could!
A voice could then be heard saying. "Wow! This is the scoop of the century!"
It wasn't long before the pictures were developed and word of the two rulers being spotted together spread like wildfire! Headlines screamed wildly, telephone lines hummed as ponies all over rushed to scoop up a paper or tune in to the news!
And every paper, every news station, every journal, every source of official media known to ponies were all reporting the same thing. It wasn't just that Queen Haven and Alphabittle had been seen together, it was what that must mean.
"Queen Haven and Alphabittle have been meeting in secret near Bridlewood for months now," A news anchor pony in Zephyr Heights reported just an evening after the story first broke out. "We here at Pegasus News Network sent an entire unit to get the latest scoop. And you won't believe what we learned!"
Soon, a close up image of an absolutely stunned and speechless Alphabittle and Queen Haven was being shown over all the television screens. Cameras were still clicking, bathing the entire surrounding countryside in the bright light of flash bulbs. And amidst the chaos, a reporter could be seen not so secretly pressing a microphone with the letters PNN displayed on it close to the two ponies. "Your majesty, why have you been meeting with Alphabittle in secret? There is peace between the pegasi and unicorns, isn't there?"
Haven normally prided herself on being able to handle the news media with dignity and grace. But this time she was in such a state of shock that she didn't know what to say or what to do. The pegasus mare just thrust up her wings and declared. "No comment!" Then she tried desperately to run away from the cameras to hide her shame, hoping that none were recording the raging blush on her cheeks.
Undeterred, the microphone was all but shoved into Alphabittle's face as the reporter questioned. "What's up with you and Queen Haven? Are you hiding something?"
"What?!" Alphabittle commented in disbelief. "We have nothing to hide! This was just a secret meeting between two ponies that happened to be in love, that's all!" Then he realized his mistake as he gasped and tried to correct himself! "Wait, that came out wrong! What I meant to say was... was..." But he trailed off, unable to think of what to say as the microphone was taken away from him.
Several reporters and photographers exchanged gasps and began whispering in secret.
The news anchor on the television screen simply put a hoof to her desk and declared. "You heard it here first, folks! Queen Haven and Alphabittle are in love! That can only mean one thing! We're looking at an official royal couple! Zephyr Heights will soon have a new king! We may be only days away from the reign of King Alphabittle The First. So stick to PNN as we continue to bring you the latest breaking news on this exciting development!"
Word of the apparent "engagement" between Haven and Alphabittle spread rapidly after that. Even in Bridlewood, which had no access to television (outside of a few unicorns occasionally managing to get a brief signal in the forest for special occasions), it wasn't long before all unicorns were talking about Alphabittle's impending marriage.
None were more excited about the development than Izzy, however! She was practically aglow, her smile and her "sparkle" seeming to shine even brighter than they normally did. And she got right up in Alphabittle's face when he returned to Bridlewood later that evening. "Oh my gosh! Congratulations, Alphabittle! You sure know how to pick 'em!"
"What?! Izzy!" Alphabittle remarked as his eyes widened. It seemed like he was rapidly losing control of his world.
The pink coated unicorn just gave a chirper smile and winked. "Oh, you don't have to worry, sir. I'll happily plan the wedding for you and your fiancee!"
"'Fiancee'?!" Alphabittle blinked in disbelief.
Izzy nodded and smiled, bouncing all around. "Uh-huh! You and Haven are a fantastic couple! You couldn't have picked a better pony to get engaged to if you tried!" Then she exclaimed as a sudden realization struck her! "Oh my gosh! If you become the pegasi's new king, then who's going to rule over Bridlewood in your absence? You can't rule two countries at once!" She quickly got an idea! "I know! I'll start holding auditions to find your successor, after I finish planning the wedding of course!" And she bounced away, humming a little tune to herself while saying. "Oh, I can't wait to tell all my friends!"
Naturally, Zipp and Pipp heard the news as well. For Pipp especially, the news came as a shock since it was delivered to her in the middle of one of her livestreams. "Um... sorry, everypony," She hastily apologized. "I'm gonna have to end this stream early. I... need a moment to process this." And for the first time she could remember, the younger princess actually turned off her phone midstream. Then she immediately raced to find her older sister.
Zipp was in just as much a state of shock as Pipp was. "I know! I heard everything!" She told Pipp. "We're gonna have a new father, apparently."
Pipp immediately frowned. "But I don't want a new father! Not even if it's Mr. Alphabittle! I can't believe Mother would do something like this and not tell us first!"
The elder princess tried to calm her younger sister down. "N-now, I'm... sure our mom has a very good reason for keeping us in the dark."
Pipp was anything but convinced. She snorted and shook her tail. "Just because we were all skilled in deception doesn't mean she had to keep secrets even from us! We're family!"
Zipp only sighed. "I know that, but it doesn't seem like there's much we can do unless we run away from home again."
Pipp's eyes widened! "Are you out of your mind?! I already abandoned my fans once, I'm not doing that again! Besides, this time I've done nothing wrong!"
The elder pegasus sister quickly replied. "You're right, that was a bad idea. And it'd be pretty immature. We're better than that."
The hot pink coated princess pouted as she asked her sister. "Aren't you the least bit upset about this? Mother hasn't remarried ever since what happened to Father. How can she possibly decide to put herself out there without thinking about how we feel? It isn't fair!"
The elder pegasus princess could only comment back. "I know it isn't fair, Pipp. But there's very little we can do about it, at least for right now. If Alphabittle is going to be our new father, the best we can do is try to give him a warm welcome."
"Try being the key word," Pipp huffed. "But I guess you're right, Zipp. As princesses, we have to put our best selves out there for the sake of the public. I just wish I knew why Mother never told us about any of this."
"I'm sure she had her reasons, and we can talk to her about whenever she gets back from seeing him," Zipp pointed out. "For now, let's just try to make the best of this bad situation. It's not like they've already gotten married in secret and started a new family without us."
"Don't even suggest such a thing!" Pipp protested! "And don't say that was a joke either! You know Mother's better than that, and you said I had to give others the benefit of the doubt, so that means we shouldn't assume the worst in Mr. Alphabittle."
Zipp could only sigh and frown. "I'm not. I may not like it, but I suppose if Mother had to re-marry, Alphabittle is far from a bad choice," Then she declared. "Now come on. Let's just get out there and try our best not to think about it."
But as soon as the two royal siblings had left the palace, they were bombarded by reporters, photographers and journalists even as castle guards were trying to hold them back.
"Princess Zipp! Princess Pipp! Any comments on her majesty's impending wedding?!" One reporter asked as he tried to press a microphone up towards the two.
Even for somepony like Pipp who usually liked being in the spotlight, the attention now bestowed upon her and Zipp was the kind she would give anything not to have. She was glad when Zipp gave her a nod and the two unfolded their wings, taking to the sky. At least being capable of actual flight now was a benefit.
Suddenly, Zipp gasped and instructed for Pipp to follow her in descending and landing! They came to a halt outside a magnificent chapel deep within the heart of Zephyr Heights, said chapel already being decked out and finely decorated.
And who should the two pegasi happen to spot but Izzy? She had on a fine white dress and was cheerfully trotting about every which way, whistling and humming to herself. That is, until she happened to spot Zipp and Pipp and came strolling up to them. "Hi Zipp! Hi Pipp!" She greeted with that bright smile of hers! "Guess who's been hired as the official wedding coordinator?"
"Let me guess: You." Zipp was the first to speak up.
Izzy eagerly nodded. "Bingo! I mean, it was pretty obvious, but still!"
Pipp then saw fit to ask. "How did you get hired to be a wedding coordinator? I would've thought somepony from Zephyr Heights would do the job, especially since it involves royalty."
The unicorn just smiled and giggled. "I practically begged Alphabittle to let me do it! I told him I could do it for free! So after that I came up here and officially offered my services, and nopony objected," She then added. "I've never planned a wedding like this before! Whenever we had a wedding in Bridlewood, it was always so gloomy. But I did pick up a thing or two whenever Alphabittle pressed me into helping him. So now it's my turn to return the favor."
"Oh," Pipp managed to reply. "That's... lovely."
Izzy was quick to notice her friends' unhappiness as she looked them deep in the eyes and questioned. "Hey, what's wrong? Why aren't you happy? You're getting a new king out of all of this, not to mention a new dad! Alphabittle's practically a father to me already, so that means when this marriage is official we'll all be related! Wait 'til Sunny and Hitch hear about that! It'll totally blow their minds!"
"Yeah, good for them." Zipp commented and said nothing further.
"Girls, come on!" Izzy spoke up. "You gotta smile! I'd be so happy right now if I were you two! And I'm already pretty happy as it is."
"I guess we would be, if we hadn't just found out about this from the media." Zipp spoke up.
Pipp nodded. "Yeah. Not the best way to learn your whole life is gonna be turned upside down because your mother's bringing home a new husband."
It was then that the unicorn saw fit to ask. "Whatever happened to the last king? I mean, you guys did have a father, right?"
"We did, yes," Pipp admitted in a sorrowful tone of voice. "But he died when we were really young. We only kind of remember him."
Izzy's cheerful mood instantly faded. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I never knew. So you guys are like Sunny."
Zipp only commented. "Sunny knew her father for a while, and it's not like she ever hid the fact that her dad died. For Pipp and I, though, it's been hard to think about. Most of Zephyr Heights forgot pretty quickly, especially once we started doing the whole 'Fake Flying' routine."
The unicorn mare just replied. "Well... I guess that's why everypony's so excited for a new king," And then she added. "I'd better get back to work, now. The wedding's gonna be the biggest thing since magic came back to Equestria!" She bounced away again, leaving Zipp and Pipp alone with their thoughts.
Everywhere the two pegasi princesses went that day, they were reminded of what they were trying so hard not to think about. And by the time they returned to the royal palace, they were both pretty fed up with the whole thing.
Immediately upon entering the castle, Queen Haven was there to greet her two daughters. "Oh, there you are, Zipp and Pipp," She greeted with a sense of relief. "I've been trying to find you two all day."
Zipp could only reply. "Yeah, but you've been too busy with Alphabittle. Now it's all starting to make sense."
Haven frowned and looked guilty. "Oh? You know about... Alphabittle?"
Pipp frowned back and narrowed her eyes. "How could we not, Mother?! It's been all over the news!" And she confronted her female parent. "How could you do this to us?! How could you just keep something like this a secret?!"
Zipp added. "I agree with Pipp for once," And she struggled to hold back tears. "It isn't fair! How can you just remarry like nothing ever happened?! I mean, yes, Alphabittle is a nice stallion and all. But still... You?! Marrying again?! And you didn't even tell us?! Didn't we have a right to know?!"
"Or is this just like the pegasus crystal where it was better if we didn't know how our family got it or what it was really meant for?!" Pipp snorted! "Are we just meant to be kept in the dark about things whenever you see fit?! I thought you loved us sincerely, Mother. That you didn't just love us because we were your heirs."
Queen Haven's response shocked both of her daughters. For a moment she was completely silent, as if processing information. But then she threw back her head and began to laugh hysterically.
"What's so funny, Mother?!" Pipp angrily demanded! "What else have you not been telling us?!"
The queen recovered and simply explained. "Children, haven't I taught you two better? Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't always believe everything you see or hear on the news? That you should always take it with a grain of salt? You know how much the media enjoys a good story."
"So you haven't been seeing Alphabittle in secret all this time?" Zipp questioned.
"Oh no, I have been doing that," Haven admitted. "But we're just dating, that's all. We aren't getting engaged yet."
Pipp and Zipp's mouths dropped open in mutual shock as they exchanged glances and said in unison! "You're not?!"
Queen Haven smiled and chuckled a little. "Of course we aren't. We're in no rush, we have our whole lives still. Besides, it would be rude of me to uproot Alphabittle from his home just as it would be rude of him to ask me to leave Zephyr Heights to be with him. The media always hungers for a good story, and sometimes that means they don't get all the facts before they start reporting," She quickly explained. "You two should know better than to listen to rumors and speculation."
"But why haven't you corrected the narrative yet, Mother?" Pipp furiously demanded of her female parent! "Why not just say something?!"
"I had to come and set things straight with you two first, just as I already imagine Alphabittle is doing with Izzy," Queen Haven told her daughters, before adopting a more sympathetic and somber tone. "I know how much you two miss your father. I miss him too. He loved you both with all of his heart, and he wished more than anything that he could've gotten to see you both grow into the fine young mares you are now," She sighed. "It wasn't right what you two had to go through when he died. You were too young to really understand, but for the sake of the public you had to go on acting like it was no big deal."
"I didn't want to have to say goodbye to him!" Pipp began to sob! "It was all just a terrible accident! Zipp and I didn't even know what had happened to him until it was all over!"
"And by then it was too late." Zipp added, tears forming in her own eyes.
Haven smiled, pulling both her daughters in for a tight wing hug as she too started to tear up. "I know, I know. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to be there for you two, but the demands of the crown forced me to keep that stiff upper lip," Looking her daughters in the eyes, she reassured them. "I promise you. If I ever do marry again someday, you two will be the first to know. And from now on, I shan't keep things like this a secret from you. You deserve to know."
A short time later, Queen Haven called a press conference and quickly set the record straight. She told the gathered ponies the same things she had told Zipp and Pipp. Just like that, the story about Queen Haven marrying Alphabittle died. And more than a few reporters realized how silly they had looked rushing this speculative story out.
Alphabittle, meanwhile, cleared things up with Izzy. And she took the news surprisingly well. "There's not gonna be a royal wedding after all? That's a bummer."
Alphabittle laughed a bit. "Well, Izzy, maybe next time you'll let me speak before you start making assumptions: Especially ones about my love life."
"Sorry, Alphabittle," Izzy apologized. "It's just, I was so excited! I really do think you'd make a good king."
"I'll admit 'King Alphabittle' has a nice ring to it," The unicorn stallion declared with a glint in his eyes. "But I'm quite comfortable where I am for right now. Haven and I will take that next step in our relationship if and when we believe we're ready for it, and not a moment sooner. Do you understand?"
Izzy nodded quite slowly. "Yes, I understand," Then she frowned. "It just seems like such a shame that all the decorating I've done has to go to waste."
Alphabittle smiled. "Well, maybe there's still a way you can salvage it all. Queen Haven's birthday's coming up after all, I was thinking we could surprise her."
At that, Izzy's sparkle quickly returned. "Oh, I like the way you think, Alphabittle!" And she started running, bouncing and skipping all about! "Ooh! I'll plan the best birthday bash for royalty ever!"
Author's Note
Quite a few people have apparently been shipping Haven and Alphabittle, which is an idea I'm not entirely opposed to.
There hasn't been anything yet elaborating on or even hinting at whatever happened to Haven's husband (a.k.a Zephyr Heights' king), so I decided to throw in my own opinion.
