Within the confines of the royal palace of Zephyr Heights, the sun had not yet even risen up over the horizon. But the loud, consistent, and dare it be said annoying ring of an alarm clock awakened two residents who dwelt within the palace walls: Thunder Flap and Zoom Zephyrwing. Or rather, it was Zoom who was awakened. Her partner and little brother Thunder was, as usual, still trying to catch a few more precious minutes of sleep by throwing the covers of his bed over himself.
Zoom was not about to let her brother and fellow guard get away with such behavior. Oh no. She instantly trotted over to his bed and yanked the covers off of him, shouting in his ears! "Thunder, wake up! No sleeping on the job, remember?!"
Thunder woke up with a start, falling out of bed and clumsily stumbling to his hooves. He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Do we have to wake up so early all the time, sis?" He complained. "Surely, her majesty isn't awake yet either."
Zoom flashed a frown and shook her head in disapproval. "No can do, brother! You know the drill! We're to be on call for her majesty from sun up to sun down, and any time in between! We swore an oath to serve her majesty no matter when or where," She then snorted. "You've got five minutes to shower and have a cup of coffee to get you going, as well as take care of anything else you need to take care of. But five minutes is all you're getting: No more, no less. Do you understand?!"
The sea green coated stallion reluctantly grumbled in reply. "Yes, Zoom." And he trotted away to shower and groom himself so that he would look presentable.
The dark blue coated pegasus mare humphed and swished her tail. Her brother was always like this it seemed. Oh well, no sense trying to change what couldn't be changed. Besides, they didn't technically need to be there for Queen Haven just yet. Her majesty was very lenient on the security detail, Thunder and Zoom were the only guards she ever allowed to be seen anywhere near her. And ever since the defeat of Opaline, she had become ever bolder and more defiant about where she could go on her own.
But Zoom and her brother Thunder had sworn an oath to protect and serve the royal family for life, and it was an oath that would not be broken on Thunder's watch. So what if it was a thankless job? Somepony had to do it. The mere fact that her majesty was safe and sound at the end of every day was all the thanks and praise one could ever need. At least, that's what Thunder always told herself. And what she said went.
Five minutes went by, by which time the coffee had worked its magic to get Zoom awake and alert, ready to serve. And by that time, the first rays of the morning sun were beginning to peek in through the castle windows. That meant Queen Haven would be waking up soon, no doubt expecting Thunder and Zoom to be there so she could plan out her day.
"Ready?" Zoom asked her brother.
"Ready." Thunder nodded back as he stretched out his wings.
Without another word between them, the royal guard siblings left their designated sleeping quarters and made the short trot down the hall to the throne room. Chances are, Queen Haven was already there, expecting them. And the royal guards were nothing if not punctual.
Sure enough, Queen Haven was already sitting on her throne, enjoying a delicious breakfast of coffee, crumpets, and of course steaming hot porridge.
The throne room doors swung openly suddenly, as in rushed Thunder and Zoom, the latter of which was panting heavily and nearly out of breath. Yet with practiced precision, they thrust their wings up to their foreheads and gave a quick salute. "Thunder Flap and Zoom Zephyrwing reporting for duty, your majesty." They said in unison.
Queen Haven sighed, leaning back on her throne while using a free hoof to gently stroke her precious Cloudpuff. "At ease, Thunder and Zoom. You know we've talked about this. You don't have to be here for me first thing in the morning. I am perfectly capable of tending to my morning needs on my own, as you can clearly see." Then after sipping her coffee, she set down the mug and picked up a newspaper, quickly losing interest in anything else as her eyes read the latest news and gossip from across Equestria (or at least Zephyr Heights, communication from one location to another was still somewhat slow).
Zoom cleared her throat, not the least bit bothered by the queen's apparent indifference. "Sorry, your majesty. Orders are orders. Thunder and I are required to be there for you, just like we swore to do on the day we were given the job of being your protectors/helpers."
"B-besides," Thunder stammered as he tried rather poorly to hide his nervousness. "What if you were sick, or hurt, or something? If we weren't always there for you, who knows how long it would take for anypony to come help you."
Queen Haven's sigh deepened, all the while she did not look up from her newspaper. "You seem to forget that all is well here in Zephyr Heights, and has been for over a year now. Were it possible, I would request that you both stand down and leave me to carry out my day in peace."
Undeterred by the queen's remarks, Thunder and Zoom just stood there in silence and waited for her to give an order they could obey.
At last, after a prolonged spell of silence, Queen Haven looked up and eyed the pegasus siblings before her. "Oh, very well, let's get this over with," She cleared her throat, setting down the newspaper, and shooing Cloudpuff away. "I am planning to visit the hospital today to show my support for those who are still injuring themselves while learning to fly. Zephyrina is certainly trying her hardest, but it seems someponies are just slow learners."
"Understood, your majesty," Zoom spoke up. "Thunder and I will conduct a security sweep and make the arrangements before you arrive."
"Yeah, and we'll make sure to tip off the press as well." Thunder added.
Queen Haven seemed to smile ever so slightly. "Yes, very good, do that. Just know that I shall not be staying long. I wish to be back at the castle in time for lunch. I'm having it delivered today, because today I will also be expecting a," She cleared her throat and coughed into a hoof. "Meeting with Alphabittle. A top secret one at that, you understand. Mustn't let the press get any ideas."
Zoom and Thunder gave a silent nod. They were well aware of the "secret" relationship their ruler had with the unofficial leader of Bridlewood. Yet they still respected her wishes and treated it like they had no idea that the two were romantically involved.
"Oh, and there's one more thing," Queen Haven continued. "I'm expecting Zipp and Pipp to drop by for a visit. It is getting close to Mare's Day, you know. Besides, I am dying to hear about how their life is going: Between Pipp's boutique, and Zipp's flight school, it seems like not a day goes by where there isn't something interesting I only hear about after the fact."
"When should we expect them, your majesty?" Zoom inquired.
Queen Haven adjusted her mane, crown and all. "No later than this afternoon. That way, there'll be plenty of time for Alphabittle's... er... meeting with me, and still have him out of Zephyr Heights before Zipp or Pipp are ever the wiser. No need to make them think I'm suddenly rushing into something."
"Understood, your highness," Thunder replied with a smile. "Consider it all done. Zoom and I will not let you down!"
A small smile crept across the queen's face. "You never have, and I pray you never will," With a clap of her hooves she then declared. "That is all, you are dismissed. But I'm sure I'll be seeing you both again soon."
Their orders given, the royal guard siblings wasted no time. Despite some early bumps in the road, they had by now mastered their flying abilities within Zephyr Heights. There was not a location anywhere in the grand city of pegasi that they could not reach with their wings.
Within mere minutes of having been informed about the queen's plans for the day, they had reached their destination: Zephyr Heights General Hospital. It was a very easily recognizable building, made of sturdy bricks a dark red in color, full of glass windows for patients, doctors, and nurses to look out of, and sporting the symbol of Zephyr Heights' excellent medical department.
Working together, Thunder and Zoom quickly blocked off the main entrance to the hospital with velvet ropes. They then took turns patrolling up and down the length of the hospital's exterior, scanning the crowd with their eyes for any sign of trouble.
"All present and correct. No signs of danger on my end," Zoom Zephyrwing said to her partner and brother. "How about you, Thunder?"
Thunder Flap shouted back. "Nothing on my end, Zoom! Everything's a-okay!"
Zoom could only sigh and shake her head in dismay. "Brother, you know you don't have to shout. I can hear you just fine."
"Sorry, can't hear you over the crowd!" Thunder hollered back. Already, countless pegasi were lining up on either side of the velvet ropes, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their queen. And the noise they generated was deafening. The sound of chatters, furious scribbling, and frantic camera clicking was enough to where you might think somepony would need earmuffs so as to not go deaf.
Yet for the two royal guard pegasi, it was nothing out of the ordinary as they stood at attention like they'd been trained to do. Then they waited for Haven to arrive. They waited, and waited, and waited some more. The minutes ticked by in agonizing slowness. Yet there was no sign of the queen anywhere.
Naturally, the crowd quickly grew impatient. The excited shouting and chattering had been replaced by furious hollering and angry stares. A few even took out their frustration by hurling things through the air, including eggs and tomatoes, some of which splattered all over Thunder and Zoom's suits of armor. Yet the guards would not flinch. The hospital, alerted to the situation out front, had dispatched ponies to help with the security situation.
"What's taking her majesty so long?" Thunder whispered to Zoom when he thought nopony was looking. "It's not like her to be this late."
"Probably busy signing autographs or tending to her 'other' royal duties," Zoom whispered back. "You know the rules, we're not to break formation until the queen arrives."
Thunder groaned, prancing back and forth on his hooves. "But my feet are killing me! I feel like we've been standing here all morning!"
Zoom had to roll her eyes. "It hasn't even been half an hour, yet. Quit being such a baby. This is what we signed up for, remember?"
The pegasus stallion with a sea green coat could only groan. "I know, I know. But sometimes it feels like her majesty does this on purpose. It's like she doesn't realize how much harder she makes our jobs by not being punctual, or spending time doing things when we're not there to make sure she's safe."
The pegasus mare with a light blue coat replied. "You're welcome to quit any day, brother."
"Not without you, sis," Thunder said with a smile. "Being with you is the only thing that makes it all worthwhile. Well, okay, that and seeing the smile on her majesty's face."
Just then, an awed hush came over the crowd. Somepony gestured a hoof up to the sky. All eyes (Thunder and Zoom's included) turned their attention to the western horizon. Sure enough, there was Queen Haven, descending slowly and in dramatic fashion as the sun's rays reflected off her wings. She then touched down, waving to the hundreds of screaming ponies all shouting and chanting her name.
Naturally, Queen Haven took her sweet time to stroll along the roped off area to the hospital's front entrance. It seemed like she stopped every minute or so to sign autographs, blow kisses, or just bask in the crowd's adoration and affection.
Thunder and Zoom opted to break rank as a result, rushing to either side of the queen as they not so secretly tried to hurry her along. "Come on, your majesty! You don't wanna keep the ponies in the hospital waiting." They urged, trying their best to be subtle about their impatience.
The queen let out a long, drawn out sigh even as she let herself be led along. "Oh, must you always insist on spoiling my fun? It's not every day my subjects get to see me."
"And what if somepony tried to attack you or otherwise have their way with you?" Zoom inquired of the queen.
Queen Haven lightly scoffed and waved a hoof. "You make it sound as if there are other threats out there like that nasty Opaline figure. And if there were, I'd know about it from my daughters. If they're not worried about anything, neither am I."
Thunder could only sigh and shake his head. "How many more times are we gonna have to go through this?" He wondered and muttered to himself.
Fortunately for everypony involved, Queen Haven's hospital visit went off without any further hitches. It helped that the visits to the pegasi recovering from hard crash landings or other flight related injuries had decreased in number in recent weeks. It seemed that Zipp's flying school was slowly but surely yielding results.
Within an hour, Queen Haven had wished well to all, had left the hospital, and returned safely to the palace. She proceeded to retreat to her private quarters, though not without giving a knowing wink while informing the pegasus siblings. "Do be on the lookout for my special guest. You'll know when they are here. And remember, the press mustn't catch word of this: Loose lips sink ships and all that humble jazz."
So it was that Thunder and Zoom spent the next hour or so standing guard in the hallways, keeping a sharp lookout for a pony they were certain they would be able to easily spot when the time came.
"How much longer, sis?" Thunder impatiently inquired as the hour rolled by and the anticipated guest failed to show. "I have to go to the bathroom!"
Zoom could only shake her head. "Just hold it, brother. You know the rules: No bathroom breaks without her majesty's permission. I told you not to drink so much coffee."
"Well I wouldn't have had to if somepony had let me sleep in for a few more minutes." Thunder grumbled, but reluctantly did as he was told.
A few moments later, a noticeably tall and fairly chubby unicorn stallion with a grey coat and a beard happened to come trotting up on the scene. Aside from the fact that he had a nice bowtie on, there was nothing to indicate from appearances alone that he was at all special.
Thunder and Zoom knew otherwise. They immediately rushed over to him, quickly glancing their surroundings to make sure nopony but them and the unicorn were present in the hallways. It was just the three of them, the coast was clear.
"I'm uh... here to see her majesty," The stallion spoke slowly and nervously, blushing ever so faintly in spite of himself. "You know, for diplomacy's sake."
"Right this way, Mr. Blossomforth, sir," Thunder said with a knowing wink. "Her majesty has been expecting you."
"Really?" The bowtie wearing unicorn remarked in a surprised tone of voice. He quickly recovered and coughed. "Er, I mean, o-of course she's been expecting me. I am more or less the leader of Bridlewood, after all. Gotta make sure relations with Zephyr Heights remain positive."
Zoom took the lead in ushering the unicorn around the corner, then after another glance of the hallways yielded nothing, she leaned against a wall and tapped a hoof. Seconds later, the wall parted to reveal a secret elevator that had been installed for just such an ocassion. Thunder, Zoom, and the guest all quickly and covertly trotted into the elevator as the wall sealed shut behind them. Thunder pressed a button on the keypad to their right. The elevator doors closed and the elevator itself began its swift ascent.
In the blink of an eye, the chiming of a bell signaled that the elevator had reached its destination. The doors parted to reveal a lushly decorated passageway, adorned with royal hues of red and golden yellow. The scent of fresh flowers and perfume wafted through the air.
Adjusting his bowtie for a second or two, the chubby unicorn stepped out of the elevator and waved to Thunder and Zoom until he was out of sight.
Thunder and Zoom then rode the elevator back down to its original location, departed, and returned to their post standing guard over the hallways. All so they could maintain the denability requested and required of them by her majesty. After the last time the queen had had her "secret" rendezvous exposed, the fall out within the royal family had been incredibly uncomfortable. Since then, security protocols had been tightened to minimize the chances of anypony else finding out that wasn't supposed to find out.
It seemed silly to the pegasus siblings that they had to go to such lengths just to maintain the illusion that Queen Haven and Alphabittle were not in love with each other, and that these "secret" meetings were hardly a secret anymore. Even the tabloids were already speculating about the possibility of marriage in the not too distant future. Of course, both Queen Haven and Alphabittle officially denied any such "rumors", not that it ever stopped the tabloids and the gossip columns from continuing their speculation.
But Queen Haven clearly wanted to maintain the illusion of a secret, and who were her official protectors/helpers to say no to her requests?
Queen Haven's lunchtime "meeting" with Alphabittle came and went without any hint of trouble. Alphabittle was careful to depart afterwards in such a way that nopony outside those already in the know would be any the wiser as to the real reason for his visit.
The queen exited her private chambers but a moment or so after Alphabittle's departure, still finely adorned in lavish make-up. "Ah, nothing like a little diplomacy with Alphabittle over a luxurious lunch." She remarked as she stretched her wings outward.
"Of course, your majesty." Thunder and Zoom nodded, pretending they had no idea about her romantic affection for her "Alphie Poo".
With a bright smile on her face, Haven then declared. "Nothing left to do except hold court, and wait for my sweet little darlings Zipp and Pipp to visit me. They shan't be long. I only wish I could understand what Pipp means when she texts such things as BRT, or XOXO. Clearly, they must be code for something." And she trotted away.
"Do you need us for anything, your majesty?" Thunder questioned in a noticeably strained tone of voice, a faint bead of sweat trickling down his face.
The queen shook her head from side to side. "I've never had a problem in court. And I need you two to just keep an eye out for my daughters. Other than that, you are released from my protective duty for the day."
"Good!" Thunder exclaimed and immediately raced away.
Zoom could only sigh. "He just never learns."
Queen Haven wasn't bothered in the slightest, she just giggled and chuckled off in the distance. "He really should ease off on the coffee. Even I never drink more than one cup a day, and that's all I need."
Thunder returned a short time later and pretended not to notice the disapproving look his sister was giving him. Truth be told, he kind of liked playing the good cop to her "bad cop". She was always the more serious of the two, even when there was no need for it. The only time he could remember her having fun with him was when they had made up the lie about boxing clouds as a traditional pegasus gift for Wishentine.
From there, Thunder Flap and Zoom Zephyrwing made use of the free time they had to be given to give their aching bodies a much needed rest. Today was one of the good days, where the weather had not been too hot or too cold, there hadn't been any rain, and there had been just enough of a breeze to blow the clouds away.
Eventually, however, Thunder and Zoom became aware that time was passing. It was late afternoon, and judging from the sun's position, evening was not far away. Yet as far as they knew, Zipp and Pipp had yet to make their scheduled appearance. It wasn't like them to have just forgotten. Zipp on her own might be forgetful from time to time, but Pipp always had reminders on her phone about such important occasions such as these.
So what was taking the royal siblings so long to arrive? Had they been unexpectedly held up helping Sunny with something? Or perhaps Hitch had requested their assistance? Or maybe it was something to do with their unicorn friends Izzy and Misty?
Whatever it was, it was of great concern to the pegasus guards. If they had noticed it, Queen Haven would most certainly have noticed it too and was likely going to start asking them where her daughters were. What would they say if questioned in such fashion? Would they have to tell her that they had no clue as to Zipp and Pipp's whereabouts?
Just then, a loud buzzing sound broke the tense silence and nearly made Zoom and Thunder jump! It took a moment for them to realize what was making the noise.
"Sorry, that's my phone." Thunder apologized as he pulled it out of his mane and brushed off the hairs that accumulated on its screen.
Zoom frowned and narrowed her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you we're not allowed to have phones while we're on duty? You know they're a distraction."
"Hey, how else do you expect me to monitor Pipp's social media activities? You would not believe what some ponies have said on those websites," Thunder replied as he quickly glanced at the screen and pressed a button, holding the phone up to his ears. "Hello?"
"Thunder?! Oh, thank hoofness!" The unusually frantic voice of Pipp could be heard shouting on the other end of the line!
Zoom immediately rushed over, filled with dread from the moment she heard Pipp speak! "What's going on, Pipp?! Why aren't you and Zipp here in Zephyr Heights like you should be?! Your mom's going to start worrying!"
Before Pipp could explain, there came the sound of an unfamiliar and ferocious roar!
Zipp's voice then shouted! "Sorry, we're going to be a little late! Let's just say we ran into someone we weren't expecting to ever see again! Just tell Mom not to worry, we'll be there soon!" Then the roar was heard again, and she hastily ended the call. "Oh... gotta go!" And then the phone fell silent with a click.
Seconds later, as if the very universe itself was now conspiring against Thunder and Zoom, who should appear before them but Queen Haven? The look upon her face conveyed more than words how worried she had become. "It's nearly sundown, and I haven't heard anything from Zipp and Pipp. It's not like them to be late without an explanation," She frowned. "I do hope against hope that this is all just some elaborate prank on their part. But something tells me it is not."
"Just relax, your highness," Zoom sought to reassure the queen. "Take a few deep breaths. Everything's going to be okay."
"How can it be okay?! Zipp and Pipp might be in trouble!" Queen Haven protested! "Oh, if not for the sake of the crown, I would drop everything in a wingbeat and rush to their side!"
"Your majesty, you must have faith in your daughters," Thunder spoke calmly and compassionately to the troubled mother. "Zipp and Pipp have been through so much already since magic came back to Equestria. And yet they've always come out fine in the end. I'm sure this will be no different."
Haven let out a long, drawn out sigh, and hung her head. "Well, I'm giving them until sundown. Then, I'm officially calling out every able bodied pegasus in Zephyr Heights to form search parties, and that will include the both of you," She trotted off again. "Oh, all this worrying is going to wreak havoc with my complexion. I might need to go to Maretime Bay and visit Pipp's boutique just to get my good looks restored."
Compared to earlier in the day, time seemed to move much more quickly as far as Thunder and Zoom were concerned. Soon, it was almost sundown, and yet they had heard not a peep from Zipp or Pipp. Even a search of social media had turned up nothing, no posts or texts from Pipp. That was definitely a sign that something big had been going down in that last phone call. It wasn't like Pipp to just drop off of social media unannounced.
Then, just when it looked as if the sun was going to set without word of the royal siblings' whereabouts, Zipp and Pipp themselves miraculously turned up in the most unexpected of ways. They quite literally crashed in through a window, landing right in front of Thunder Flap and Zoom Zephyrwing. Their manes and tails were clearly frazzled, dust and dirt covered every inch of their bodies, and black bruise marks could be seen in a few places if one looked closely.
"Sorry about that," Zipp was the first to apologize, something she usually didn't feel the need for even when she made a dramatic entrance. "You would not believe what Pipp and I had to deal with just as we were getting ready to leave for Zephyr Heights."
Pipp winced and groaned as she stumbled to her hooves. "Hopefully, though, we taught a certain someone who shall not be named a thing or two. And she won't come back to bother us anytime soon," She was quick to insist. "Please, don't tell Mom about any of this. She worries enough about us as it is."
Zoom and Thunder exchanged knowing winks and bowed to the sisters. "Of course not, princesses. Our lips are sealed."
Zipp and Pipp breathed mutual sighs of relief once they'd received the reassurance from the guards. "Oh, thank hoofness." Zipp exclaimed as she wiped the sweat from her brows.
Pipp then told the guards. "If it's alright with you, we're going to need some time to get cleaned up before we meet with Mom. Hopefully, it won't take more than a few minutes." She proceeded to trot over to Zipp and drag her older sister away.
To the surprise of Thunder and Zoom, Zipp did not utter a syllable of protest or make any effort to run despite knowing what was coming. Just what had gone down in Maretime Bay?
Fortunately, those worries were soon pushed to the back of the pegasus guards' minds. Just as Pipp promised, in a matter of mere minutes, she and Zipp were rested, refreshed, and ready to present themselves.
When the throne room doors were flung open to reveal Zipp and Pipp (now looking none the worse for wear), Queen Haven was overjoyed! She ran right up to them and hugged them both! "Oh, my sweet little darlings! You had me so worried!"
"Sorry to make you worry, Mom," Pipp apologized. "Just had a little bit of a hiccup that took longer to solve than expected."
Zipp waved a hoof. "Nothing we couldn't handle. Nothing will ever stop us from seeing you, Mom."
"Indeed it won't! If anything or anyone tried, they wouldn't last five minutes with me!" Queen Haven boasted in dramatic and exaggerated fashion. "Why, when I was your age, I most certainly knew how to defend myself. And I still know a few moves." That got the whole royal family to laugh.
Thunder and Zoom watched the whole thing unfold with satisfied smiles. It was all in a day's work for them.
Author's Note
These two seem to always be with Queen Haven, even when she doesn't need them to be there. I know there hasn't been an official canon explanation for whether they're related or not, but I'm rolling with the headcanon of them being brother and sister, or sister and brother depending on how you refer to them.
I opted to include nods to both "Make Your Mark" and "Tell Your Tale", despite the conflicting canon surrounding them on certain events.
