Rebirth of Magic: Zipping It

by The Blue EM2

Heaven, Will you Wait for Me?

Mom's jaw fell open. "Y- you can't mean!"

"Yes," the General smiled, his psychotic face looking even worse than before. "First and second strike capability. Massive retaliation. Fire from Celestial bodies. Faust's wrath. Whatever you call it, the process is the same. Our enemies cannot resist us if they have been wiped off the map and we have obliterated their mechanism of striking back." He leaned closer. "You know full well what I mean. What is the point of our nuclear weapons if we don't use them?"

"They are there to deter our enemies from using them!" I said, suddenly. "If we have them, they know we can obliterate them as well. The entire point is that they don't get used because of the threat they might be used."

"But they know we wouldn't."

"They know we would that we wouldn't."

"What?"

Mom looked at me in surprise, so I simply made a face that suggested 'I'll tell you later'.

Mom then spoke to him. "If you are implying what I think you are, you're not having them."

Gulfstream laughed, a low, hollow laugh. "Oh, foolish mare. You have no idea how far my power extends. The fact that they are encoded to your hoofprints is simply a minor setback. I already have the first two, so all I need are the last ones. It's simple, you old fool. I want the launch codes."

Mom looked at him, determined. "No."

Gulfstream had the look of a person who had just been told no for the first time in his life. "You may want to reconsider your course of action."

"No, I don't think I do," she said bravely. "If I give them to you, we all die. Including you. We fire the weapons, they fire as well. We all die in the resulting exchange. It's very simple. Did they teach you nothing at military school?"

"If they don't know we fired then they don't retaliate, especially if we've knocked out their first and second strike capability."

"What if they have a weapon we don't know about?"

"What's the point of Mutually Assured Destruction if we don't know about it?"

"They may not have told us yet!"

I glanced over. "Mom has a point there."

Gulfstream slammed his hoof on the floor. "ENOUGH! Prisoners 03272023 and 05082023, you will listen to my words and you will obey my orders. As Supreme Ruler of the New Pegasus Empire, I have total authority, and nothing you do can stop me!"

I stepped back a bit. This guy was seriously unstable. I know mom can get a bit hot under the collar when me and Pipp are being annoying, but this was pure, unhinged rage. How did this guy pass screening?

"You leave me no choice. Guards, bring Prisoner 05082023 with me to the interrogation rooms. We shall get what we need there."

"I won't talk," mom replied, as they disconnected her chains and dragged her off.

Gulfstrem smiled darkly. "That's what they all say, prisoner... right before the screaming starts."

---

The prison clock on the facing wall revealed that only half an hour had passed, but it honestly felt like days had gone by in my mind. I was so on edge with all that was going on. I tried to shift over to the window but the world was kept so far away by these blasted chains, such that it was an effort to move about in there, that I couldn't really see much. What I could see, though, was shocking.

The screens outside had lost their adverts and consumer advertising displays, and were now playing more or less nonstop propaganda. Footage of military parades, displays of speeches from noted leaders, nonstop praise of the General, and perhaps worst of all constant, nonstop racist rhetoric about the other races.

I knew exactly what was going on. Gulfstream was getting the population pumped up for war. History has shown that when violent rhetoric is used against groups by authority figures, violence against them is more likely to happen. With conscription being unpopular as Opwinden suggested, it seemed he was using other means to get the population onside with his war plans.

I hung my head. This was all my fault. My attempts to make the world better quicker had only made things worse.

Now we were all going to perish in a nuclear exchange.#

And I only had myself to blame.

I remained in that position for who knows how else long, until suddenly the door reopened. I turned and saw the guards roughly shoving mom back in. "Back where you belong!" one of the guards laughed.

"When we return to power, I shall see to it that those perpetrating these abuses are brought to justice!" Mom replied.

"None of what we're doing is illegal under the New Laws," the guard replied. "The Old Laws have been abolished, as they were written by Counter-Revolutionaries and the Running Dogs of the other tribes. A new, better order is in place." They slammed the door after securing mom's chains again, and then walked off.

"Did you tell them anything?" I asked.

"Not a word," mom replied, coughing as she did so. "No matter how many times they hit me. They did seem oddly preoccupied with my hooves, though."

I had no clue why that could be. I shrugged my shoulders. "At least they can't follow their plan."

"What if he tries a conventional invasion?" mom asked, suddenly worried. "It'd be a massacre!"

"Given the amount of firepower we have, it'd end badly for the other races. We'd probably also suffer heavy casualties as well to be honest."

Mom waved her hoof as an indication for me to stop talking. "Listen. Conversation."

I focused my ears to overhear a conversation. "What's this about conscience rounds, eh?" said a guard.

"We're having them issued for tomorrow morning," said another. "Haven't you heard? The General wants the Royal Family shot on national television tomorrow morning. Should be an interesting job."

We looked at each other in a panic. "He wants us dead!" I said, my voice going uncharacteristically high in pitch.

"We're doomed!" mom said, and tried to hug me, but the chains kept us apart. "Curse these chains!"

I charged over to a wall and saw what I thought would be a weak point. I dug and clawed at it with my hooves as best as I could, but struggled to shift any of the the plaster. "Damnit! This is one case where hands would be so useful!"

"Zipp, we need to stay calm!" Mom called. "We need to think our way out of this."

I was too frantic to think straight. Wouldn't you be if you just heard somepony wanted to execute you? I swung round and bucked the wall as hard as I could. All I got for my trouble was pain in my back legs. I collapsed on the ground, then tried to drag myself back to my hooves as best as I could. We were trapped like rats in a cage. Never had I considered the possibility that I'd be a victim of state terror. And yet it seemed this was our fate.

I was collapsed on the floor, a blubbering mess. I was unable to form coherent sentences from the horror of this situation. But all of it was underpinned by a singular emotion.

I didn't want to die.

Suddenly, there were a series of bangs and explosions down the corridor, which caught my attention. Gunfire soon joined it, followed by a lot of shouting. I got up and tried to look down the corridor.

Suddenly more soldiers flooded into the corridor and overpowered more guards, before coming to a stop in front of our cell. The Colonel was leading them. "As promised, Your Majesty, I have returned," he said.

"That was quick," mom replied.

"When we heard of the plans to execute you we had to move the revolution up a bit," he said, as he punched the access keypad. The cells were opened, and at last we were free.

"Staff Sergeant Zoom! The Queen requires her regalia!"

Zoom stepped forward whilst Thunder and several others scanned the corridors for targets. Within a few minutes, mom was back in her familiar regalia, sans the crown.

"Where did you find it?" I asked.

"Gulfstream stole this stuff from its rightful owner," Zoom replied. "The least I could do is steal it back again."

I looked out of a window as my own chains were removed and I slipped the jumpsuit off. The screens outside had changed. The propaganda was gone, and replaced with a singular message.

HAVEN LIVES.

OK, so they'd somehow pulled a French Resistance and succesfully convinced much of the populace to rise up against Gulfstream. "Where do we need to go?" I asked.

Opwinden glanced to me. "This way, Your Royal Highness, and Your Majesty. We need to get both you as far away from here as possible." He moved his hoof forward. "Move forward, sons of the Revolution! Protect the Queen and Princess Zipp at all costs!"

Finally, somepony got my name right!

Author's Note:

The title of this chapter is taken from the Sabaton song The Hammer has Fallen, about a soldier reflecting on his life during his last moments- a fitting sentiment for a chapter about a pegasus staring death in the face.

First and second strike capability is a theory in nuclear warfare that states a nation should be able to remotely initiate a launch in the event conventional launch control is disabled in a first strike. The theory is that the capability to launch automatically is that a first strike would be deterred. Notable second strike systems include the Trident II system used by the Royal Navy (UK) and the Dead Hand system used by the USSR (retained by the Russian Federation).

And finally, the uprising Opwinden promised has begun. Apart from the aforementioned French Revolution influences, I also drew inspiration from the Warsaw Uprising, where the Polish resistance initiated a large scale revolution to overthrow the city's German occupiers.

How will this uprising go? You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Comments

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

I stepped back a bit. This guy was seriously unstable. I know mom can get a bit hot under the collar when me and Pipp are being annoying, but this was pure, unhinged rage. How did this guy pass screening?

You and me both Zipp.

I knew exactly what was going on. Gulfstream was getting the population pumped up for war. History has shown that when violent rhetoric is used against groups by authority figures, violence against them is more likely to happen. With conscription being unpopular as Opwinden suggested, it seemed he was using other means to get the population onside with his war plans.

Just great.

Now we were all going to perish in a nuclear exchange.#

exchange.*

"We're having them issued for tomorrow morning," said another. "Haven't you heard? The General wants the Royal Family shot on national television tomorrow morning. Should be an interesting job."

https://m.

"When we heard of the plans to execute you we had to move the revolution up a bit," he said, as he punched the access keypad. The cells were opened, and at last we were free.

They're free!!

Finally, somepony got my name right!

Indeed!

[Comickook]

Hey there. Again, really good job on the dialogue, characterizations and future chapter set-up. So, Gulfstream tried to get the arming codes from "Haven" (and, yeah, "Zipp's" note about Gulfstream's insanity was pretty accurate). Definitely liked the argument between Gulfstream and "Haven" as well. So, the announcement of the execution forced the resistance to step up their time table a bit. Well, at least "Haven" and "Zipp" are free now. And, if they hurry, they can reach "Pipp", "Sunny", "Izzy", "Misty" and "Hitch" in time to warn them. Of course, knowing about Gulfstream's insane plans (in addition to what "she" is already seeing in "her" nightmares) would probably justify why "Sunny" would be insistent on why they didn't have time to just plan things more carefully and why "Hitch" would be more worried about the attempt to get the Unicorn crystal [i.e. not enough time to just learn more properly about how to blend in AND knowing that they all have to find a way to unify the Pegasi, Unicorns AND Earth Pony before Gulfstream makes it too late - which will be, not impossible, but still EXTREMELY difficult]].

Anyway, really looking forward to more of this/the last chapter for this batch (as well as the next batches for "Sunny", "Haven" and "Hitch" over the next three months).

[The Blue EM2]

11744626
1. Sure is. Gulfstream's instability is actually based on a real incident from my past (dealing with people who flip flop between emotions can be frightening).

2. A sad reality of our species-we devote more effort to blowing each other up than trying to be friends.

3. Corrected.

4. Spooky, no?

5. They are indeed, and can head to safety.

6. It only took them 14 chapters!

[The Blue EM2]

11744651
So far, it would seem we have several nutcases running around, large numbers of former humans in pony bodies, and several potentially world ending disasters. Of course, nopony could have accounted for the General-as Haven's prior interactions with him show he was very good at masking his craziness (like the character he's based on).

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter mate keep it up can't wait for the next chapter the soviets betray them and leave them to die "The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, it comes from those you trust the most"

[The Blue EM2]

11744864
When somebody says "I am behind you," check what is in their hands...

[hmaf43]

TLDR. This dumbbo fascist guy made it so bad that he completely turned the royal family's rock bottom reputation into the light of hope...

...We can make a oneshot spin off of that torture with mature rating. and alternative bad end.

[The Blue EM2]

11745455
Usually these sorts of governments can only attain their goals with some element of coercion. Push it too far, though, and you have an open revolt on your hand (case in point; Romanian Revolution).

I actually plan on covering the stuff Haven alludes to in her story, though of course entirely within the confines of a T rating.

[hyreia]

"They know we would that we wouldn't."

What? Maybe phrase that better. I konw what you mean though: "since they know we wouldn't, they might anyway."

How did this guy pass screening?

I mean, as a reader I'm asking myself the same question. This guy is comical. I don't think that justifies it unfortunately but at least it's acknowledged.

And I only had myself to blame.

Nah, I still blame Misty. <3 Seriously though, there were a lot of humans kind of going off script. Maybe Haven was supposed to shoot down this general before the concert and human Haven didn't know.

They did seem oddly preoccupied with my hooves, though."

You just said the launch codes were programmed to your hoof prints? You know why. Or Zipp does? Haven was there too though.

OK, so they'd somehow pulled a French Resistance and succesfully convinced much of the populace to rise up against Gulfstream. "Where do we need to go?" I asked.

UH.... oh? is that part of the plot... resolved now? *reads A/N* Yeah, "somehow". I get that writing the detalis would be hard. Anyway. Oh... Okay, so a pegasi civil war might start now? Okay... I was thinking they were going to just smuggle them out or something. Where are the other humans? Is Zipp not interested in finding them? They sort of disappeared. I guess they're not captured?

[The Blue EM2]

11785546
1. That's a reference to the British sitcom Yes, Prime Minister, specifically an argument between the Prime Minister and the Chief Cabinet Secretary about nuclear deterrant. Both parties keep glueing words onto each other's sentences to absolutely absurd degrees.

2. Same can be said of General Ripper in Dr. Strangelove. Unlike many examples of the trope that bears his name, General Ripper is very easily able to mask his insanity, only becoming truly unhinged when his insane plan is on the verge of succeeding.

3. Seems plausible. Haven's inner thoughts on this are in Royal Approval.

4. It's been established that this Haven is an ex-human, so it's possible she forgot that in the heat of the moment.

5. I actually have a spinoff planned from Opwinden's perspective, revealing how the resistance rose.