Honor the Past

High in the main tower of Zephyr Heights Castle, the youngest princess Pipp was sitting in front of her dresser mirror with a soft scowl on her face. Her eyes are doing their best to focus on the many high end beauty products laid out in front of her; most of them brought from designer brands but two of them being her own creation that she was still doing some testing on before she released it out to the public. Yet she found all of these products worthless as she stared at herself in the mirror and hoped she could set the dress she was wearing on fire with her gaze.

The dress wasn’t that hideous to her honest opinion but it was just so…ancient. The dress was made out of older materials of cotton rather than the lace and silks that she was more accustomed to wearing. The collar itched around her neck a bit and she could feel it tight around her hips despite the fitters doing their best. The color was also a single monotone color of purple that conflicted with her pink coat. It was also a color that was so out of season that she imagined the original designer of this outfit was some kind of hack. She swore if she ever found out the identity of this so-called “R” she would have words with them.

A knock sounded at her door and she turned her head to see her older sister walking in. A smile as wide as her wings on her face as she said “Are you ready to go Sis. The ceremony is starting in a couple of minutes and mom told me to fetch you.”
Pipp took a moment to look at the uniform Zipp was wearing. Unlike her dress, her sister instead was wearing a blue yellow flight suit with a brown jacket that was, according to the historians, made of a material that helped protect pilots from the cold temperatures when they were in their planes. The flight suit was something that, according to their tutors, was worn by only the elite of pilots. True Aces whose kill counts would go beyond a dozen. Pipp could tell that her sister was enjoying the attire which came with a few imitation medals that were pinned to the jacket which overall completed her look of a venerable flying ace.

Bringing herself back to the moment, she let out a huff as she looked back at the mirror “No I’m not Zipp. I don’t know why mother insists on me wearing such a gaudy outfit that is uncomfortable but she even confiscated my phone!” She looked back at Zipp “How am I supposed to connect with my growing fan base without it.”

Zipp rolled her eyes and replied “You know there will be plenty of cameras during the ceremony like they were last y
ear.”
“Yeah but it is different. Those cameras never capture my good side and if I have to be wearing this dress then I want to at least be able to show off my good side.”

Zipp rolled her eyes and chuckled at her sister’s antics. This always happened ever since she became an influencer and streamer a few years ago. Her status as royalty did help at first but it was her natural charm and her heart that connected with her fans that really caused her viewership to rise until she was considered the top influencer in all of Zephyr Heights. Now her streams and videos were played on the various billboards and any brands that she endorsed or even so much as mentioned would see a major boost in their profits. For many ponies all that success and fame would go to their head yet Zipp could see that her sister still managed to keep a level head on her shoulders even if she would get frustrated when something happened and she didn’t have her phone with her to record or stream it.

Shaking her head, Zipp turned around and made her way back to the door to Pipp’s bedroom and said “Come on Sis. The sooner we finish the ceremony; the sooner you can get out of that dress and get your phone back.”

The mention of her phone being returned to her was enough to invigorate her. She turned back to the mirror and with speed born from experience; she quickly applied some foundation followed by a touch of make up. Not too much to make her unsightly but enough to enhance her natural beauty and charm. After all, if she was to play the role of the high class pegasus nobility from Ancient Equestria she must look the part. Once finished, she hopped off of her chair and made her way to where Zipp was with all the grace and poise she could bring as a Princess. Zipp couldn’t help but smile and chuckle to herself as she pushed the door aside and gave a teasing bow saying “After you my lady.”

Pipp giggled and playfully smacked her sister on the shoulder before she replied “Oh come on ‘Commander’ Zipp. We have a ceremony to attend.”

The two sisters made their way around the castle, passing by guards and servants as they went about their day. Today, on VC Day, their shifts were on a reduced schedule so that everyone could have some time to spend with family and to pay respects to the brave Pegasus of the past who claimed total victory over the threat of the Changelings. All of them were wearing a red poppy as part of their uniform or added as a necklace around their necks. Zipp and Pipp got many well wishes and comments about their outfit from those around them as they finally reached the main hall that connected to the outside of the castle. It was there that their mother, Queen Haven, was waiting for them.

Unlike the two sisters, the queen was dressed in the finest dress among the many that she keeps in her wardrobe. Her mane was done up with a bun with her crown being used to help keep it all together. She looked over at her two daughters and let out a soft coo of delight as she said “Aww look at my adorable little commander and princess. All dressed up and looking their best.” She clears her throat a bit as a few of the guards quietly chuckle to themselves before she added “Now then, the ceremony is going to be taking place at the Tomb of Flyers and everyone in Zephyr Heights is going to be watching so be on your best behavior.”

“We will Mom.” Zipp replied without any of her normal cocky attitude or even the undertone of disdain she would have when she was made to attend a royal event. Perhaps she was taking the role of commander a bit too much in her head. It wasn’t that big of a surprise though as when they were younger; Zipp was always fascinated by the tales of the elite Wonderbolts Squadron which were a group of fighters who as Zipp put it ‘kicked so much bug flanks that they must have taken out half of the Changeling Air Wings on their own.’ Pipp didn’t quite believe that to be true and her tutors would say that there was evidence that the squadron played a vital role in the Great War; it probably wasn’t as grand as Princess Zipp made it out to be. Still it was probably the only point in Ancient Equestria that Zipp was really into.

The royal family turned and formed up in a line with the Queen in the middle with Zipp on her right as first Heir to the crown and Pipp on her left as the second Heir. The three royals in sync got into a more elegant and regal pose before they started to walk towards their carriage that would take them to the ceremony. Their honor guards formed up a step behind them with spears and unloaded Starlight rifles although all of them were just replicas. The carriage was ornate in design and Zipp had to suppress her urge to gag a bit as looked at it. She knew that as a princess she was supposed to be seen riding in one of these and not say an airship or even one of those large planes that Pegasus paratroopers would use to flank behind the changelings. Queen Haven was the first to step in followed by Zipp and then Pipp which at that point the door was closed. The guards gave a signal and started to form up around the carriage and once they were all in place it started to move.

In the privacy of the carriage and starting to hear her mother talking about how good her sister looked in that silly dress; Zipp turned her mind inwards and peered out the window. In her mind she could see herself there in the skies above Equestria; riding inside her own Spitfire Mk.IX. Guns firing as she shoots down plane after plane as her squadmates would be engaging in their own dogfits. Her landing with hardly a scratch on her plane as the Commander awards her another medal for bravery. She would be a hero for all of Equestria showing off the skill and pride of the Pegasus race.

Pipp, after finishing her conversation, looked out the window and saw all of the pegasus lining up on the streets cheering as the carriage passed them by. Her mind was thinking about how this would be a good chance to get a video for some content for her growing platform if she had her phone. She regretted not being able to come up with a new song in celebration for the event but all of the songs they had from back then were so military focused that she couldn’t think of any way to remix them. She did wonder what it must have been like to live in such a time if that was the only kind of music which talked about honor, victory and defeating the enemy over and over. Such somber music to say the least.

Eventually the carriage stopped and the royals waited until the music that was playing outside stopped. One of the guards came over, a pony named Zoom is Pipp recalled, and opened the door. Pipp could see a red carpet running from where their carriage parked up to the monument. Along either side was some dividing rope and the crowd to make sure they couldn’t get close to them. Unlike the cheering from before the mood got more subdued as the three got out of the carriage and waited. Another guard, this one named Thunder Flap, brought over a large reef made of white roses and artificial poppies. He gives the reef to the queen before stepping back to the side. That being done, the Zephyr Heights Anthem started to play, a rising and falling melody with no words to it but always gave Pipp a sense of flying and one that was shared by the others. She took a quick glance at one of the billboards and saw the cameras were focused on her and her family before she turned back to look at the monument.

The three royals started walking towards it. The monument was a large stone structure that, according to her teachers, was created when Zephyr Heights was founded to honor the sacrifice of the Pegasus during the Great war. It was made of smooth marble brought up from inside of the mountain and shaped into a pair of wings that were attached to a rectangle in the shape of a casket. The casket was positioned on a raised platform with steps leading up to it. Normally it would take a pony a couple of seconds to go from the base to where the casket was but in this ceremony it took the royals a full minute to do so.

When they got closer, Pipp noticed that some of the names that were etched on the casket, which were the names of heroes of the Great War, were rubbed out. She once asked about it when she was younger to both her mother and her teachers but neither could offer an answer that wasn’t just the passing of time. It didn’t make much sense to her since some of the other names like Surprise and Fleetfoot were still very much readable. She did see that one of the names was an “M.P” but the rest of the letters were worn out.

Queen Haven, in a royal stoic that was a sharp contrast to her usual personality, carefully placed the reef down in front of the casket. The three ponies stepped back and gave a salute with their wings which the crowd followed. A few guards holding rifles lifted them up in the air and started to fire blanks as the song finished its climax and started to wind down.