//------------------------------//
// The Jewel in the Crown 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: Royal Approval 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

Clearly my hopes for a quiet morning were not entirely reasonable in the uncaring eyes of the universe.

I had an absolute mountain of the stuff to deal with once again. Parliament was already on recess for the upcoming holiday, so I have no idea how more was coming in. I could only assume another backlog had hit that needed my signature. So I just kept going, trying to speed up the process by both signing documents and using the automatic signature machine to sign some of them for me.

It certainly reduced the workflow, seeing as my signature was simply a formality. The process was clearly just in existance to keep the monarch relevant, as after all the Prime Minister and Parliament run the country on my behalf. Powers which are technically mine are delegated to them and other elected officials. So it seems that going on visits to other places and finding convenient trade deals is where I fit in.

I kept on working, though. The sun was at least welcoming, and the serving staff brought me my morning tea, which I certainly appreciated. I made sure to thank them for it, which it seems surprised them a little. Of course a monarch should know who her serving staff are! I, after all, rule on their behalf. I serve the people, and they are the people, so it makes sense I should show some care towards their own lives.

After refreshing tea (chamomile blend is my favourite- and the version which comes from the Bridlewood forests is especially refreshing in that regard), my telephone suddenly buzzed. I saw that it was a call from Crystal Wonder, Jewellers Royal, so answered it.

"Hello?"

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am happy to inform you that the crown you ordered is ready. You may come and collect it whenever you are ready."

I smiled. "That's marvellous! I shall be down to collect it soon. In the meantime, can it be held for a bit?"

"Of course, Your Majesty! It is by your grace that our country continues to prosper."

I must admit I often found it hard to tell if the admiration for the Monarchy was genuine or ironic based on the tone of voice. Nontheless, I decided to focus on the matter at hand. "Thank you. In the meantime I'd best be getting back to work! Paperwork isn't going to do itself!"

"Understood, Your Majesty. We look forward to your visit."

I placed the receiver down and went to check my paperwork again. The stack was now substancially smaller, and the machine I had had helped to speed the process up somewhat, but the sooner I got this lot done the better. I set back to it, quickly filling out form after form after sheet after sign here space. I have no clue how the ponies who preceeded me did any of this without their hooves falling off. But eventually, the paperwork was completed, and I was free to go and pick up the crown from the jewellers.





If a member of the Royal Family wishes to travel incognito, they must first adopt a disguise. This prevents one from being constantly stopped for photos or otherwise ending up in unwanted situations. I went into town wearing my very best disguise- at least according to my notes it was my best. I really had no way of verifying.

I wore a shawl to disguise my mane and also wore a pair of cheap sunglasses (not the superb pairs that come from Hoofingtons- those would have been far too obvious) that would disguise my eyes. Otherwise, I didn't need to put a huge amount on- although hiding my Cutie Mark took a fair bit of work.

I then made my way down on the elevator into the city below, and then trotted through the streets, observing the ponies going about their business. Zephyr Heights was a magnificent bustling metropolis, filled with ponies and full of life. It may just be pegasus bias speaking here, but I truly believe we pegasi have the highest standards of living of any of the tribes. Look at all the shopping opportunities out there!

I finally arrived at Crystal Wonder, Jewellers Royal after about a thirty minute walk. The store was pretty palatial inside, and above the door sat the official seal of the Royal Family- or more specifically mine, with the words Portus Vult being a part of it. I still have no idea what that means.

Luckily, I had agreed to a codephrase with the staff so I wouldn't end up looking a complete prat. I stopped by the desk and the staff member looked. "Good afternoon, madame," he said. "How may I help you today?"

I looked up. "The night is not so dark there will be no coming of the light."

Thankfully, the staff member recognised it almost immediately. "But a long night it still shall be." He fished about behind the counter for a few moments, and then dug out a bag before handing it to me. "One replica crown, completely indistinguishable from the real thing, as you ordered."

"Thank you," I replied, deciding on a logical reason for asking for this. "As you can probably guess I am a great fan of Her Majesty, so having this on my mantelpiece will be superb."

The staff member serving me nodded. "Of course, madame. If I had a penny for each replica crown we've had ordered, I'd have two pennies. That isn't a lot, but it's strange that it's happened twice in one week."

That attracted my attention pretty promptly. It seemed that somehow somepony had ordered more than one crown around this time. This might not be too much of a surprise, seeing as presumably replicas of royal items are pretty popular- apparently a lot of dressmakers still get asked to make replicas of my wedding dress- but I still noted it internally nontheless.

After a long trip back home, I finally arrived back at the palace with nopony recognising me. I popped back to my stateroom to try it on, and I'm pleased to report it fitted perfectly. The staff certainly deserve their Jewellers Royal status!





Later on, I popped open a window in a portion of the palace that overlooked the gardens. The gardens are a wonderfully peaceful place to go, a wonderful labyrinth to get lost in if you know what I mean.

I then realised I still needed to talk to the gardener about putting some new plants in, so I closed the window and headed into the garden proper. I looked about for somepony to talk to, and eventually found myself walking through the grotto. This was a nice place to get away from the struggles of being Queen. It is not an easy life by any definition. I listened closely to the rushing waterfalls and the magical sound of plants rustling in the distance. As said before this is a stunningly beautiful place, one based on photos where Pipp and Zipp loved to play when they were fillies. I don't know so much about now, but I could easily see them engaging in that sort of thing again if given the chance.

I was still trotting along when I suddenly heard two voices nearby. I stopped and peered out from behind a rock to see a remarkable sight.

Pipp and Misty were together, sitting down and looking over the landscape before them. Admittedly it was a bit hard to tell what they were saying, but it seemed to be positive, reassuring words.

Misty seemed to still be shaking a bit, implying tears, but I continued watching regardless. I didn't want to intervene in what could be something very personal. But then something truly beautiful hit my eardrums.

""You hear that sound?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!"

Now I can only wonder who was playing the piano that was playing the extra notes in the distance. It can't have been Zipp as she's not a qualified pianist, and it's not the kapellmeister as he was leading the Zephyr Heights symphony orchestra at the Rainbow Falls Music Contest.

"The melody that's ringing out?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!"

Pipp truly does have a remarkable singing voice. She gets it from me, you know.

"A special tune that keeps you true/
Your voice that speaks when no one sees!
So listen close, keep holding true/
And sing the song that makes you/
Ooh-ooh-ooh... You!"

Seeing the two just getting along caused me to have a rather profound realisation. If these two could get along without any apparent conflict, this suggested a lot of the nonsense being thrown about was nonsense. And Pipp and Zipp seemed to be the least bigoted ponies in the world.

I'm probably a bit biased, but I couldn't help but feel a lot of shame for what the individual who once had been me had once believed. I committed myself then and there to the goal of bringing this Cold War to an end.

Without getting myself thrown in an asylum, of course.