Zipp Storm, the Insufferable Problem Solver (and Why It's a Good Thing): A Pre-MYM Character Analysis · 5:10pm May 22nd, 2022
*slams hand on table*
Alright boys we back on this sh—
What is a Zipp? A Rainbow Dash clone? An unsympathetic pony and sister? A strawblueberry scoop of ice cream on a snow cone horse?
Up until now, we've seen various sides to Zipp's character, but very little to build anything truly consistent with. With certain clips of the Make Your Mark special now out, I believe we have something tangible to work with. Sit back, my little ponies, and let me do what I do best...streams of consciousness.
A rehash of what we know about Zipp.
In the G5 movie, Zipp was steadfast in her pursuit of magic—more specifically, flight. She was so focused on this that she spent most of her time researching methods of unlocking flight with or without magic, and, when presented with a lead through the notes in Argyle's journal, opted to (granted, with some hesitation) abandon her sister and mother in the midst of a public ousting to chase it. When confronted about this by her sister, her only response was that, when magic was restored, nothing else would matter anymore. More on this later.
Her entire character more or less revolved around wanting to fly and there was very little else, apart from enjoyment of music numbers and a rather. endless. number. of moments with Hitch, her obvious soulmate.
This was rather concerning for lore buffs and analysts like myself, who wanted to see a character that had some semblance of a rounded shape, a character who could at least react differently in different situations when weighing what was more immediately important. Instead, we got a character with a very one-track-mind, with no depth provided into why she acted this way.
It was at this point that a hundred fanfics rained down from the digital sky, weaving tales of strained sister relationships, depression and anxiety, and a dozen other downtrodden topics to try and make sense of this undeveloped character.
So then Tell Your Tale comes along, and we got to see how Zipp behaved in a world with renewed magic. Suffice to say, it's a noticeable change.
Right from her focused introductory episode, 'Sisters Take Flight', Zipp is far more attentive of her sister, and they have a bonding moment near the end of the episode. But most noticeably to mention is 'Mane Melody', where Zipp has a rather interesting (and adorable) character arc within a mere five minutes. Though starting the episode with hiding from her sister's attempts to style her mane, Zipp ultimately ends up comforting Pipp after a styling mishap, and then allows her mane to be done, purely because it'll make her sister happy. This, right here, remains the most wholesome moment between these two so far, and was a much needed development after their seemingly strained/detached relationship in the film.
Tell Your Tale showed us that Zipp's character had mellowed out from what it was in the film. She was paying attention to smaller things and those around her far more than before, now that there wasn't some large-scale threat to flight and magic in Equestria.
And so NavelColt began to write cute sisterfics to counteract all the angst from the last five months.
"*GASP!* Really?! You NEVER let me style your mane!"
"*verbal shrug* :)"
And so at last we reach the present, on the very cusp of the Make Your Mark special coming out. Well now, thanks to previews and clips galore coming out all the time, we have something interesting to take a look at.
Here, we see the return of that very one-track-mind pony we saw in the G5 movie, terrified of not having access to magic (and flight). Not only does Zipp blow off her sister's song (and in a deeper context, her attempt to help Zipp relax), she even shows a more instigator-y side when she purposefully gets a rouse out of Pipp for the sake of demonstrating her point about how the friendship crystals seem to be 'glitching'. Especially in the latter parts of this scene, you can see how laser focused she is on this issue, when she (and Sunny, after jumping in) brainstorm what exactly is going on.
And now, an analysis of Zipp's character from my perspective.
From the early days of her reveal, Zipp's criticizers have often referred to her as a Rainbow Dash clone, or a mary sue or both. I'll lay out right now that Zipp is not a Rainbow Dash clone. An inspiration, maybe, but not a clone. Dash is a loud-spoken, boastful extrovert who largely emulates tomboy and jock stereotypes while Zipp is a modest, (mostly) laid-back introvert who has branching interests in math, science, and athletic pursuits. They also have polarizing views on attention. Dash loves to be the center of attention while Zipp actively avoids it, always denouncing her princess title and doing her best to stay away from public photos she believes are embarrassing.
"Pipp, no pictures!"
"Aww, cmon Zipp, just one? :3"
The mary-sue argument had more ground to stand on. It was born from the fact that Zipp, in addition to being athletic, is incredibly learned in math and science (having presumably written out all of the equations regarding aerodynamics and other mathematical functions seen at the start of this topic) while having no real, solid flaws. Even in the early promotional material, Zipp was kind of perfect. She's fit, she's smart, she's stealthy, she's courageous, and she's in line to be a queen. Before TYT and the MYM promotional trailers, it really did seem like Zipp was noticeably less flawed than the other four main characters.
For those paying close attention, this bit of promotional material confirms that Zipp loves math. She totally wrote those equations.
But now we have more material to work with. Now we know better. Zipp does have major flaws, and they can be summarized like this: When Zipp is fighting for/bothered by something she deems to be very important, nothing else matters to her. She can grow curt and impatient, narrow-sighted, and will even brush off friends or family in the face of trying to solve whatever she's faced with. To Zipp, chasing magic was more immediately important than attempting to help her sister or mother after the fallout of their family's lie. When Pipp confronted Zipp about this, she blew everything off—her sister's career(hobby?), her status, her worries, everything. She told Pipp to simply 'forget about all that' because '(they) think (they) can bring back magic.' She cited magic, again, as the solution to Pipp's worries and anger later on, saying that, 'once everypony gets their magic back they won't even remember any of that. You'll be a hero, Pipp.'
From what we can see so far from the Make Your Mark special, Zipp is displaying traits like this once again, and, like before, it's linked to a crisis involving magic. When magic was a thing that had been lost, it was an insatiable longing that drove Zipp. Now that it's a looming threat of losing magic again, it's become paranoia, as Pipp herself mentions. In both scenarios, this unease drives all of Zipp's major decision making. She likely has some manner of anxiety issue, which a lot of us can probably relate with.
In my latest work, 'The S-Regimen', I explore this stance further. Taking place prior to the G5 film, it shows the emotional (and heartfelt) climax that comes from months of Zipp doggedly chasing flight through non-magical means. Zipp's endless pursuit has not only caused her to isolate herself from her family, but to neglect certain rituals with her sister that they've done since foalhood. It takes Pipp yelling at her sister with tears in her eyes for Zipp to realize just how shut off she's made herself. As an introvert with anxiety issues, myself, I know about these things all too well, and again, I'm sure others can relate too.
"I feel trapped, Pipp. I feel claustrophobic all the time and I hate it. I've been looking for a way to stop that."
"...you mean how you wanna fly?"
Zipp nodded. "And l guess I feel alone, too. I feel like I'm the only pegasus who can't live without flight, the only one even bothering to search for it. It doesn't help that you and mom are content to pretend like we already know the answer, telling everypony only we can fly."
"Zipp, mom’s just trying to keep everypony from being upset that nopony can fly."
"I'm not pointing hooves right now, Pipp. This isn't about that. It's just hard being around you and mom, faking something I wish I could actually do—that I wish we all could do. I'd rather spend my time looking for a real way to fly."
Pipp sniffed again, and it drew Zipp's wandering gaze. She smiled, and with a simple shake of her body, jostled her sister and prompted a laugh.
"But maybe I've been a little too absorbed in it lately if I'm making my sister miss me, huh?"
Pipp nodded. Her tears had subsided, but they'd been replaced by a dull headache. She pressed her face into her sister's chest.
"Is that why you're always going into the mountains? Are you gliding or something?"
"Parkour, actually. But, yeah, same reason you're thinking of. For a few moments, it feels like I'm flying with every jump. Getting pretty good at it, too."
~ The S-Regimen, found on FIMFiction and in audio form (Parts 1 & 2 )
I think the Zipp we see in Tell Your Tale is a Zipp free of worries. She loves her sister and readily shows it when needed, genuinely enjoys being spontaneous with all of her friends and is (usually) a voice of reason in the group. The Zipp we see in the G5 film, and at least the pre-conclusion of the Make Your Mark special is a Zipp ruled by anxiety. She's often blunt, unsympathetic, and has a one-track-mind for solving the greater problem at hand.
Zipp has flaws, everypony, and they're starting to become tangible and identifiable. And that's cause for celebration. Zipp is a queen in both lineage and character, because she's a work in progress, and that's what makes her work. 
(Let's just hope the writers keep this consistent.)
Thank you for coming to my PONE Talk.
Very curious to see how Make Your Mark plays out.
Pone talk success! Great analysis NavelColt
Although I must disagree on one fact...Zipp is obviously a lesbian and in a poly relationship with Sunny and Izzy (or as they'd probably call it, a herd)
Excellent points! Zipp does have all the traits to become a good leader but she gets eagle vision if it's a problem that bothers her or she finds it important.
However, you forgot to bring up her love of a certain earth pony sheriff
5659165
Polyamorous relationship? No. Relationship with Sunny? Yes please. They took away my Twidash, don't take away my Zinny (I don't know if the ship has been named or not, so I'm making it up)
5659207
What's wrong with poly ships?
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.
Absolutely nothing, only that they do not fit my tastes, I do not judge those of others. I just prefer classic single-pair ships. But hey, maybe one day I'll find a polyamorous ship that appeals to me, the one I think is most likely the cutie mark crusaders, since I still haven't decided who should be with Scoots
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Fair enough! To each their own. Good luck on your journey to see "Zinny" set sail
Yeah, the Zipp we see in the movie(s, given the clips) vs the Zipp in TYT is definitely quite different. She has absolutely been given the opportunity to be developed in TYT since the writers have had some more time to actually do it, and I like the direction they brought her, camera shyness and all. But then going back to the eagle eyes in these new clips does kinda bum me out, and I'm hoping just seeing those particular clips doesn't mean that's the entirety of what she's like in MYM. Maybe she just had her 'moments' that unfortunately happened to fall at some crucial points in the special.
It's a bit like what they did with the 2017 movie. They essentially erased all the character development they created for the Mane 6 and brought them back to they're S1-S2 personalities, especially Fluttershy. I mean, I'm sure it was so that parents that brought their kids to the movie that had no idea about anything about the show could get a feel for what they were generally like, but that development loss bummed me out then, also.
Unrelated, I swear to Celestia if there isn't some hint of StormBlazer in there I'm going to be very upset.
Then again, based on another new EqD exclusive clip that was just released, Hitch would make a pretty good single dad. Not sure how Zipp would feel in a parental role. 
This is a really good compilation of her personality traits, definitely putting this in my bookmarks for later.
One of the main ways I've understood zipp's character is through a myers-briggs concept - Fi or Introverted Feeling. Basically, people with Fi are very invested in their own value system and what they believe to be right, and can easily end up being dogmatic about it if they're not careful. People with Fi are also very likely to hold authenticity to themselves as an important value.
This all makes sense with the movie, because we saw Zipp just loathing having to live a life that's a complete lie, completely inauthentic, a life that completely clashed with her own value system. She slipped away to be alone and work on/research flying, because that was the only time she felt like she could be herself.
And then strangers show up with a book that reminds her of those pictures of "the golden age" she's seen in the station? The pictures of true frienships between ponies, without fear of accidentally outing you family's lie (that you never agreed with in the first place)?
The pictures of ponies Actually Flying, no secrets, no hiding? She saw her chance to be her true, authentic self without fear, to be able to actually do the one thing that gave her life, and she was willing to do Anything to get it. Even to betray the only ones who she knew ever really loved her
I think that's her biggest flaw in the movie: she really can't get herself to care about her sister and mother's lost fame and position, because she's about to get the only thing she ever wanted in life (and already has closer, more authentic relationships than she's ever had with Anypony). The possibility of getting that blinds her to the pain of anypony that she doesn't really understand. Her values make her dogmatic and one minded.
And if magic is going to be dissapearing, that could eeeeaaasily bring up that side of her again. she links flight to freedom, authenticity, connection, ever her happiness and sense of identity. And if she's in danger of losing that... That would easily trigger her more negative personality traits and her insecurities.
Sorry for the book, lol. I just really relate to zipp as a fellow Fi user who has had to hide part of himself for so many years of his life, and has felt that same disconnect with his family's values.
Edit: just watched the trailer again, and i super relate to zipps reaction to the song. From Zipp's perspective, it would be easy to feel like Pipp is just invalidating her perspective+fears, and saying "just ignore it and it will be fine", which reeks of the kind of thing someone would say when they've always had a life that just worked out like that. Zipp's reaction is kinda harsh when her sister just made a whole song for her, but it's very understandable to me.
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I'm not sure why they flanderized her down to these basic components so much while leaving the other five largely intact.
Fluttershy was such a hollow shell of herself in the 17' movie it was actually kinda insulting.
5659390
I know my own Myers-Briggs result but definitely not enough to know personality trends for certain typings. That's very interesting, and definitely fits Zipp well. Great continued analysis!
And yes, harsh but understandable is how I see Zipp's reaction as well. My point was simply that, judging by how she typically acts in TYT, I just don't think Zipp would be harsh towards Pipp's attempts in a situation where her values and goals aren't being immediately threatened. She'd probably be avoidant instead of confrontational, or just nervously meander through the moment instead.
"Heh, thanks, sis, that was really... something."
Or something more to that effect.
I'm hoping this dogmatic mindset gets more attention with Zipp's character, if not in MYM then maybe in the comics. There's so much potential for Zipp and her sister, especially, to bond by addressing Zipp's attitude and tendency to shut herself off from others in the name of chasing what she values. This was the entire premise for The S-Regimen (which I recommend you read if you haven't already, it's a quick fic). Zipp's pursuit of flight has completely isolated her from her family. Normally, this wouldn't be something that gets noticed, because Pipp is so different from her sister and is always so busy that she probably wouldn't notice or be impacted by Zipp secluding herself.
The S-Regimen asks, 'but what would happen if she was?' All it takes is a missed connection, a cherished memory with Zipp that sticks out as nostalgia for Pipp, now that she never sees her sister anymore. Pipp is easily the most emotional character among the Mane Five, so this could absolutely be her response.
Once forced to face the raw, emotional consequence of her fixated mindset, I like to think that Zipp would be able to take a step back and realize just how unhealthy and obsessed her pursuit has become. Not enough to stop it, but enough to be mindful of her sister and anyone else who may miss her, and want to be involved in her life.
I also just have a soft spot for protective, caring older siblings, especially those with a rough or cool exterior, so I really, really want to see these two bond more. Here's to hoping for the future of G5.
If there were elements in G5, I’m convinced that Zipp would be Honesty, because in the movie her character was based around wanting to fly—yes—and no longer wanting to lie to her subjects. No way would she be loyalty, because she just left Pipp hanging from the ceiling.
Hitch would probably be Loyalty, on the other hoof, as no matter what, he stuck by Sunny’s side, even when he began disagreeing with her morals and her actions. Even when he knew he shouldn’t have accompanied her on the journey, he did.
I don’t think they’re all clones. I mean, the parallels are definitely there from their “counterparts”, but with Pipp and Izzy being the exceptions, I don’t think they represent the same elements as their aforementioned counterparts.
5659165
Is that headcanon?
5661553
I believe it was myself, and either Hero or Griff who fabricated it. Maybe both. I don't remember
5661554
Well then, we have our own headcanons. Headcanons on sexualities are especially subjective.
5661555
Yep
Another interesting question, how come this is the first time I've seen Sprout's character stat sheet?
I think a real test of Zipp's character would be her having a wrong prediction about something. Like what if Zipp thinks magic is glitching up, but it's actually false. Imagine she drags her friends around to solve this fictional problem at the expense of their friendship, only to find she made a mistake. (This is somewhat explored in the Tell Your Tale episode "The Game is Ahoof".)
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I'm told Sprout's is fan made, while the rest are official. That's probably why.
Exactly. S-Regimen was about Zipp's instinctive 'big sister mode' knocking her to her senses because nothing else could, she needed to be emotionally jostled to sober up to the fact that she'd dogged after her obsession so much. I'd enjoy seeing the show doing something similar. This is Zipp's major character flaw to overcome.