//------------------------------//
// My Empire of Dirt 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: Royal Approval 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

It all felt so easy and natural now, which was interesting to say given I hadn't been in this new body for an awfully long time and was in, a sense, an imposter. The cables and wires took most of the strain, so all I needed to do was look pleasant and flap my wings a bit. Which was something that was as natural as the sun and moon moving across the sky.

I looked back and forth. Pipp was positively lapping up the spotlight as a loud fanfare was played, and she seemed to be, to use a word that the youngsters are using these days, pumped. The same could not be said of Zipp, who looked a bit sulky. No doubt she was pouting from being told off earlier. "Remember to smile!" I quickly prompted her, which got some sort of response. Well, glass half full, I suppose.

We touched down on our thrones, and I discreetly shook off the cable harness, which was cleverly hidden by the lighting. Zipp had also removed hers, and resorted to sitting with a pleasant expression on her face. Pipp, on the other hand, launched off into her routine. I knew what to expect given I had watched her perform it as a test, but it was still stunning to watch. My heart swelled with pride, the way only a mother's heart can.

Wait, what? Something odd was going on here. How could I be having these sensations when I wasn't literally Pipp's mother? Although I was in Queen Haven's body, and Pipp was technically Queen Haven's child, I hadn't given birth to her. Where, precisely, did my own mind stop and Queen Haven's feelings begin?

I was jolted out of my thoughts by a somewhat itchy scalp, so I quickly scratched it. As my eyes continued to look around, I suddenly spotted there was a lot of running around going on. The lack of light made it difficult to tell exactly what was going on within the chamber, but there seemed to be one pony chasing another.

A crash then distracted my attention. A guard had bumped into something, and was currently putting it back up. That was what also confused me. There were far more guards and soldiers than usually was the case, most of them not from the Palace Guard. Palace Guard troops can be instantly identified by their gold ceremonial armour they wear for special events, and most of the soldiers seemed to be dressed in standard uniforms.

Something very strange was going on around here. I looked to one side. "Zephyrina, can you see someth-"

I trailed off as I looked to one side. There was no sign of Zipp anywhere. She had just vanished! "Where in Zephyr Heights has that girl got to?" I asked myself. She and I would be having a little talk about this later.

Some more crashing attracted my attention from the main stage, but then something odd started to happen as well. The lights began to malfunction over Pipp, flashing in and out as the music cut in and out. "Something's wrong," I said to myself.

The lights were moving about erratically, and suddenly they moved into position over another pony- whom I recognised as Hitch! I must confess I had forgotten entirely about Hitch Trailblazer, but I could only assume he was here for precisely the same reason as he was in the movie- to arrest Sunny and Izzy.

He was also improvising lyrics which made my efforts at singing in the shower sound like W. S. Gilbert in comparison. There was some more crashing sounds, and the lights suddenly began to shift around erratically and switch suddenly. I closed my eyes as they were quite intense. I sincerely hope nopony in the audience had epilepsy.

What came in next was far, far worse, however. There was suddenly a loud scream, and before you could say 'two flaps of a wing' Pipp was being dragged about the chamber at terrifying speed! The pegasus was being pulled around like a ragdoll, flailing all over the place on a rollercoaster ride that didn't seem like it wanted to stop.

I glanced over to my throne and flipped open something. I had studied the plans of the throne and knew that an emergency stop button for the cables had been incorporated into the left hoofrest. I moved over and discreetly pushed the button.

Nothing happened.

My heart filled with dread. Pipp was being hauled about at dangerous speed in close proximity to malfunctioning equipment.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

Seriously, what was the technician doing? Was he asleep?

Unfortunately, I couldn't see the room from where I was, and leaving the throne would have looked suspicious. I turned my eyes back towards the chaos unfolding before me, only to see the machinery finally slow down and stop.

The cable machine finally stopped... in the worst possible position. Pipp was hanging there. She was suspended upside down, her head near the floor and her hind legs in the air. Her wings flopped pathetically downwards, reflecting the light of the cameras back at them.

The cables were clear to see thanks to the engineering failure, having been pushed through tolerances they were never designed to cope with. And the media lights were flashing relentlessly.

"She's a fake!" shouted one reporter.

"She can't fly!" shouted another.

I'm not quite sure how they came to that conclusion, given Pipp could have been using guide cables so she could concentrate on the choreography. I saw a change in activity as well. The soldiers seemed to have tensed up, as if anticipating something.

My heart must have been going a thousand beats a minute. I knew where we were in the story. This was the coup.

My eyes were drawn to a loud snapping noise, and the cables holding Pipp up began to give way. The last of them snapped, and suddenly Pipp hit the floor with a bang.

A voice shouted. "EXECUTE OMEGA PROTOCOL!"

Soldiers suddenly poured forward, shoving civilians aside and grabbing their weapons. I glanced at a newsfeed and suddenly saw the city in a state of outright revolt. Soldiers and tanks were marching through the streets. This was a full blown revolution!

"REMEMBER! THE GENERAL WANTS HER ALIVE!"

I would have intervened sooner, but I was paralysed with fear. That paralysis came to an end when a scream of terror cut through the air.

"MOM! HELP ME!"

It was Pipp. They were beating her! Enough was enough. I left the throne and charged in. "To Hell with niceties!"

The first soldier didn't see it coming as I slammed into him and pulled him off Pipp. I wheeled round and kicked another before turning and headbutting another. I then reached down and hauled Pipp clear, both of us rolling backwards onto the marble floor. Luckily, she wasn't too badly hurt. Just the odd bruise which the Palace doctor could treat.

Pipp sniffled as she saw the chaos unfolding. "Mom, I'm scared."

I got back to my feet as the soldiers closed in. "Not one step closer, traitor!"

Several soldiers took to chanting. "DEATH TO THE FALSE FAMILY!"

More of them arrived in the room. I looked back. "There's an escape tunnel we can take-"

I never finished my sentence as my foreleg exploded in agony. I collapsed to the floor, barely able to move, as the soldiers who had once served me closed in.

"The General wants her alive, so only rough her up a bit," said one. "I've been looking forward to beating the stuffing out of this rich bitch."

I could barely respond before more pain erupted. Hooves, rifle butts, and other implements of violence slammed into me over and over again, more soldiers diving in.

These soldiers probably thought they were brave and heroic. Quite what is heroic about beating up a middle aged pony is beyond me.

I groaned, feeling consciousness start to leave me. I looked back, to see Pipp there, paralysed with fear in the same way I had been minutes earlier. I had to keep the story moving, even if it cost me my life, and for that I had to use the one asset I had left.

I grabbed the crown and threw it to her, calling to her. "Pipp! Run! Save yourself!"

I briefly saw Pipp running before another weapon smacked into my left temple. Good thing he didn't hit my eye. The lights above were gradually growing more distant. I cannot adequately express the terror I felt in what I was certain were the last moments of my life. I was stranded far from home, in an alien body, and being beaten to death by soldiers I had once called loyal.

Life pulls some bizarre turns, sometimes.

"That's enough, boys!" said a voice, who sounded distant. "I think she gets the message. This is what happens to rulers who life and steal from their people."

I had no strength to reply, and my head rolled to one side as everything went black.