Rebirth of Magic: Royal Approval

by The Blue EM2

Rise of Evil

"Ah, she's waking up. Took the bitch long enough to respond to stimuli."

My vision was foggy and cloudy, my hearing even more so. I suddenly jolted upright in my chair, feeling binds around my front and rear hooves. "Huh? Where am I? Where's Pipp?"

The figure sitting opposite me was General Gulfstream. "That fat pig you call a daughter is the least of your concerns. And an old hag like you had best watch their step."

I was incensed. "How dare you talk to me like that! Do you kno-"

"Your titles mean nothing, as the Monarchy exists no more. You may have pretended to be able to fly, but what I have planned for you is very much real."

I groaned, feeling bruises all over me. Those guards really went to town with the beating. I glanced down to try and spot the cause of all the itching, only to find it. This only made me more annoyed. Somepony had seemingly pilfered all my regalia and replaced it with this hideous orange jumpsuit. I mean, really? The colour clashed horribly with my fur!

I looked coldly at him. "What could you possibly want?"

The General smiled, and slid a piece of paper over from him to me. "This is what I want from you. On this piece of paper is a list of charges. You are going to go on state television and confess to your crimes against the people, in view of the entire populace. A fitting end to the reign of a charlatan, I think."

I read over the list of charges. "These charges are absurd," I said. "Spying on behalf of whom? The moon?"

"It's obvious you're a spy," Gulfstream answered. "After all, why would you keep those other ponies around instead of killing them? You work for them. It's obvious. And I have evidence to prove it."

He slid some photos over, which I then studied. Somepony had been taking photographs of my interactions with Sunny, Izzy, and Misty! "All of these photos have a perfectly innocent explanation-"

"Try explaining that to a populace thirsty for your blood," Gulfstream answered. "When revolution is in the air, something ponies enjoy seeing is the heads of nobles rolling off the block. And all the things you own? It's clear you're funding that through faulty means."

I looked him dead in the eye. "What makes you think I'll confess to any of these charges, especially as I didn't do any of this rubbish you're accusing me of?"

Gulfstream looked back. "Bring up the lights in the next room!"

The lights came on, and I gasped in shock. Suspended from the wall was the unconscious form of Zipp! A soldier was standing nearby, with a club sitting on a table.

"If you don't confess to your crimes, say goodbye to your daughter being able to walk."

They were planning on breaking her bones!

"If you do, I assure you she will come to no harm."

It wasn't as if I had a real choice. "Alright. I'll confess." I just wanted this all to end.

---

Next thing I knew, a camera was being shoved in my face. They hadn't made any effort whatsoever to make me look vaguely presentable for state television, and as such my bruises were still there. The lighting was harsh and intense, meaning I was struggling to see. It didn't help I hadn't been given a chance to arrange my mane properly, and this blasted jumpsuit was making concentration difficult as it itched constantly. I assume that was the point- to leave me in a perpetual state of discomfort.

My mind was racing with what was going on. If they had Zipp, then where was Pipp? Had she succesfully escaped? Were they holding her in another place? If so, what did they plan on doing with her? And could I stop them?

I hung my head. I had failed in my duties. As a leader, as a monarch, but most importantly as a mother. I could only pray she was OK.

Suddenly, my attention was brought back by water being tossed in my face. "Here's your speech," said a soldier, rudely shoving a piece of paper in my hoof. "The General's nearly done talking."

A monitor switched on next to me, and the General's face appeared on it. He was giving some sort of TV broadcast. "Your former monarch, to whom you dedicated so much of your affection and time, is a traitor. She has agreed to confess to her crimes."

"Right, you're on!" said the soldier. "That means talk."

I looked at the camera and started to speak- only to suffer an explosive coughing fit as I did so. I took a few moments to compose myself, then began to speak to the camera. "I, Queen Haven, of the House of Cornuequus, do hereby confess to crimes against the State. I conspired to defraud the Bank of Zephyr Heights, spied for foreign powers, committed High Treason, and the worst charge of all- I was a phoney pony full of baloney. I humbly apologise for wronging you all, and sincerely hope you can forgive me."

This was my chance to do some more good, though. I looked up and directly into the camera as I went off scrip. "Pipp! Run! Save yourself!"

That was the last I was able to say, as a heavy object suddenly crashed down upon my head, and I slumped forward. I was conscious, yes, but not really in a state to respond to anything.

"Good, she's done her job," said one soldier. "Haul her to the cells until further notice. Perhaps put her in there with one of the others."

I was pulled out of the chair and rudely dragged along the floor of the building to a waiting truck, which then drove to another location. I was then dragged along again and dumped into a cell- the palace cells, I soon recognised. How llife can sometimes be so ironic.

---

I could hear distant voices as I slowly came to, trying to get my bearings. There was something metal around my hoof, which I quickly identified as a chain, and I got to my hooves as best I could before trying to get closer to Zipp, who was also in the cell with me.

The guard who had been talking to Zipp walked away. Seems insulting us is in season.

But Zipp looked distraught. I didn't blame her at all. "Mom, I'm so, so sorry- "

I reached forward and touched her hoof, owing to the fact the chains weren't long enough to allow us to hug. "Zephyrina, this isn't your fault. I failed to see what Gulfstream was up to. We're all paying for my negligence now."

"They wouldn't know we can't fly if hadn't done what I did. I should have listened to you." Zipp really was beating herself up inside, and it was quite painful to watch.

"It would probably have been found out eventually. But I have another confession to make."

Zipp looked at me with widened eyes. "Yes?"

I sighed. Time to spill the beans, so to speak. "I'm a fraud. I'm not really your mother. I'm just a person who ended up as her. I'm not from Equestria, or from this world- I'm from another reality entirely."

I fully expected Zipp to lose her mind over that, but her response caught me completely off guard. "Hey, welcome to the club."

Hold on a moment. I'm not the only one in this situation? There are other former humans out there in the world who are suddenly ponies? I must admit that Zipp quoting Chernobyl gave me something of a clue as to what was going on, but to have it actually confirmed was a somewhat surreal experience. "You're not from here either?" I asked.

Zipp shook her head. "Nope. Northern England, weird feather, woke up in a hospital bed. You?"

Similar causes. Like me, she'd been changed by an object, possibly with magical power. Interesting. "A jewel, oddly enough, in London." The jewel suddenly made me think of Pipp. "I worry about Pipp. I noticed she's not in any of the cells, which can only mean she's out there in the wilds! However will she survive? She's lived here all the time and doesn't have wilderness skills! I hope she doesn't starve!"

We talked for a bit longer, including myself revealing what I had done to save our lives. The way this was all going was leaving me very worried. Even though I wasn't the real Queen Haven (and if the original was still around heavens know where she ended up), I was still feeling her emotions- including towards a stallion I had never met.

So where did I stop and Queen Haven begin? Was there a distinction in the mind, or was it all some sort of strange soup that blurred together? Was I truly myself anymore?

My internal monologue was halted by a voice. "Sir, you may interrogate the prisoners."

Author's Note:

This chapter brings us the fate of the Royal Family told from the Queen's perspective. Myself and Jimmy have hinted at this in the other stories, but now you have the full tale told from her point of view.

Getting your enemies to confess to false charges is the modus operandi of numerous dictatorial regimes (Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Pinochet, etc.), as it gives your state the veneer of legitimacy. Haven's response to the list is a reference to the film The Death of Stalin, where a political opponent of Nikita Khrushchev reacts in the same way to being charged with foreign espionage.

The final section of the chapter is intended to address a question I have been receiving a few times about the story- how can the characters have memories from the ponies if they're transformed humans? I hope my explanation clears this up.

Next time, things get a little dicey.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

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New chapter is here.

[Comickook]

Again, an excellent job on the dialogue, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Very little I can say beyond that I appreciated the added information worked reinforcing the stuff from Phase Three of "Zipp's" story. "Haven's" snark before being forced to make that phony confession was really good stuff.

I am certainly looking forward to more of this.

[The Blue EM2]

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When your life is in danger, sometimes the little victories can bring you a lot of comfort.

[shining paladin]

"one would like to be both the one and the other but because it is difficult to combine them it is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both"- Machiavelli Great chapter mate keep it up can't wait for the next chapter

[shining paladin]

stalin was the worst father in the world he could saved his son but instead, he abandoned him a REAL father would do whatever it take to save his child or children

[The Blue EM2]

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Cynical, but sadly true.

[The Blue EM2]

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Vasily would later hit the bottle hard and ultimately died of alcoholism just shy of his 41st birthday. Tragic fate.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

I groaned, feeling bruises all over me. Those guards really went to town with the beating. I glanced down to try and spot the cause of all the itching, only to find it. This only made me more annoyed. Somepony had seemingly pilfered all my regalia and replaced it with this hideous orange jumpsuit. I mean, really? The colour clashed horribly with my fur!

The jumpsuit is the least of your problems Haven.

"If you don't confess to your crimes, say goodbye to your daughter being able to walk."

He's insane!

My mind was racing with what was going on. If they had Zipp, then where was Pipp? Had she succesfully escaped? Were they holding her in another place? If so, what did they plan on doing with her? And could I stop them?

She especially fortunately.

Hold on a moment. I'm not the only one in this situation? There are other former humans out there in the world who are suddenly ponies? I must admit that Zipp quoting Chernobyl gave me something of a clue as to what was going on, but to have it actually confirmed was a somewhat surreal experience. "You're not from here either?" I asked.

Wait, what made her line Chernobyl related?

[The Blue EM2]

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1. Sure is, but the mind wanders to wierd places in captivity.

2. Yup.

3. True, but Haven doesn't know this.

4. Right before the concert fiasco, Zipp says the following line:

Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth, mom. Sooner or later that debt is repaid.

This is a direct quote from HBO's Chernobyl.