Pegasi of a Father

Zipp and Pipp continued to stare at their mother’s battlements in complete shock. Never before had they known Haven to be so defensive of her spot in the kingdom. Even when Equestria was severely divided, they always understood that their mother would never take up arms against somepony else. She always left that to her guards, their standing military, and General Flight Hoof. Certainly, she’d never been this possessive of her crown and her rank. But something had definitely shaken her, right down to the very core. Zipp, in particular, was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“MOM!” She cried after wresting her mind away from its stupor.

Suddenly, a shiny helmet poked its way out from the fortress surrounding the throne. Once more, Zipp and her sister found themselves in a state of shock. Their mother, the honorable Queen of Zephyr Heights, was coming out in a complete suit of armor. Her wings were enfolded and encased in two rough and ready protectors. The hooves that had once lovingly lulled and caressed her daughters to sleep, now lay surrounded by spiked horseshoes. Piercing eyes glared out at them from behind the aforementioned head covering, which in itself was topped with a sharp spike. Their mother was certainly battle ready, which was something that they definitely weren’t ready for.

“Darlings!” Their mother said once she’d fully emerged from her hideaway. “It’s so wondrous to see you! But, what brings you to Zephyr Heights?”

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” Zipp said. “First, I’ve got a question for you…what the hay is all this?!”

Their mother blushed and looked down at her battle garments. “Oh…you mean my armor?”

“That and a few other things…” Zipp said, motioning to the controlled chaos around them.

“Oh, well, you see, darlings, I…well…I…er…”

“Yes…?”

“…I can’t tell you…not out here, at least,” Haven said. “Please, follow me and I’ll brief you on the situation.”

Zipp and Pipp followed their mother into a room that neither of them had ever seen before. It was just off the throne room and could only be accessed via Haven’s hoofprint. Inside were a bevy of computer screens, spy equipment, and various other tactical gear. Zipp nearly salivated at the sight, but managed to keep her composure. They were told to sit around a large conference table while their mother took up residence beside them.

“This…is the heart and soul of Zephyr Heights,” Haven said. “It is the absolute heartbeat of our fair city, and the true engine of the Pegasi nation. Many a war has been won…and, sadly, lost…in this room. Everypony from our family who has ever led this country has done so from here, all the way back to your great forebears. Fortunately, we have not had to use it in three hundred years…long before you or I or even your great-grandfather were born. Now, we find ourselves in a situation where it has to be re-opened.”

“What situation?” Pipp asked.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but something very special was stolen last night.”

“We saw it on the news as we came in,” Zipp said. “They told everypony that you’d commissioned the piece of technology that was stolen…did you?”

Haven nodded. “Indeed, I did, dear…and that’s why I’ve put the palace and everypony in Zephyr Heights on such a high alert. That device, should it fall into the wrong hooves, is extremely dangerous.”

“What did it do?” Zipp asked. “Why is it so important?”

“Because…” Haven said, “…it’s the last remaining piece I have…of King Thunderbolt.”

Pipp and Zipp recoiled in shock. They had no idea that their father would be brought up so rapidly…or so importantly. In their minds, they would have to search for eons before coming up with a smidge of a clue. Their mother hadn’t exactly been open with them about him, and they thought they’d have to shake her to get anything out. But, much to their happy surprise, everything just kind of fell into place.

“Wha…our father?” Zipp asked.

“Of course, dear!” Haven said. “Ah, yes, your father. A wonderful king and a lover of ponies…”

Here, Haven’s expression turned somewhat dour. It was very obvious that she had something to relate to her daughters about their father, but she was extremely apprehensive at the prospect. Her eyes darted this way and that as she appeared to seek a way out of the situation. Unfortunately for her, she could find none. In a way, this was pleasing to her detective offspring, as Zipp couldn’t wait to get her investigation underway. Her mother was an obvious starting point, but the very idea that she could get so many answers right away was certainly exciting.

But, still…I don’t want this to be so open and shut, Zipp thought, Dad’s legacy deserves more than that…

Haven sighed, and went on. “Thunderbolt was a lover of ponies…to a fault.”

“What do you mean?” Pipp asked.

“Oh, he certainly loved ponies, but he was always meddling in business that he maybe shouldn’t have been meddling in. That piece of technology that Mr. Wington was working on was based on blueprints that your father came up with…blueprints that could have spelled his success or his doom.”

“Go on,” Zipp urged.

Haven sighed once more. “I’ll never forget the day that they told me that they were pronouncing your father dead. Even amidst the horrible feelings that cast their shadow over my psyche, I remembered these blueprints…and the device that your father was working on before he disappeared. I remembered how much he had loved everypony and how hard he had worked to ensure his new technology benefitted everypony in Equestria, Pegasi or not.”

“So…he was in favor of pony unity?”

“He was, indeed. I warned him that such thoughts could lead him down a path to death, but he didn’t listen. That pony had a heart of pure gold…which is why I loved him so dearly. I wanted him to leave well enough alone, but, he just couldn’t. He also could never get his device to work in the way he wanted, and he knew of the dangers should it be obtained by malevolent forces.”

“What was the device?” Zipp asked.

“Well, it was a device…that could help ponies, regardless of species…fly.”