//------------------------------// // You Say You Want A Revolution // Story: The Rescue // by Diamond Sparkle //------------------------------// Over the next few days, Celestia did just what she said she would and began teaching as many earth ponies magic as she could,asking nothing in return but a night's sleep at their house and that they would teach unicorn magic to their families and friends. The magic that she taught was not dangerous stuff like how to summon fireworks, which could easily be horribly misused. Instead she taught basic magic of the kind the unicorns used to pick things up and move them around. After only a month, hundreds of earth ponies knew how to use unicorn magic; not long afterwards the number was in the thousands. Trixie and Celestia split up, Trixie touring well away from Canterlot where there was now a warrant out for her arrest. Celestia spent most of her time and energy teaching magic to earth ponies,and pegusai and the majority of them loved her for it. A few started calling her their Princess, and brought her small gifts...apples and sandwiches, silverbloom flowers and pillows. One made her a cardboard crown studded with semi-precious stones of the kind that were so common in Equestria; garnets and quartz, amethysts and copper, silver charms and peridots and lapis lazuli. With this magic, at least the more well educated earth ponies had a better chance of getting jobs that were almost always given to the unicorns. Some of the unicorns, Prince Blueblood amongst them, complained to Princess Aurora that the earth ponies were getting uppity and refusing to serve their betters. Not long after that Celestia found a small crowd of angry grumbling earth ponies gathered around a poster. When she got close enough to read the poster it read "Let it be known by royal decree that Celestia is declared a traitor to the Crown on two counts;calling herself the rightful Princess of this country and teaching earth ponies magic. The teaching of and use of unicorn magic by earth ponies and pegasus ponies is now forbidden as it encourages them to act above their station. There is a reward of ten thousand bits to the pony or ponies who hand over the traitor to the Police or the Royal Guard." Instead of turning on her, the crowd of earth ponies were indignant and Celestia said "Are we ants to be stepped on? Bring friends, as many as you can, and we will proceed to Aurora Square and demonstrate and show them how we feel." Celestia's heart started thumping as she set off to the square with around forty earth ponies and a few pegasui. If this does not work out, if I cannot get enough support quickly enough, then I'll end up jailed in Foalsom Prison, an anti-magic collar locked onto my neck.Or maybe something worse will happen to me. More ponies started joining them in twos and threes and Celestia started up a chant "The ponies want the regime to fall!" By the time they reached the square there were too many for the small police force of Ponyville to disperse, and even more started to show up. Celestia got on top of a tree stump. "Ponies of Ponyville, lend me your ears. We are here to protest the unjust law that restricts magic to unicorns. All the pony races, be they unicorn, pegasus or earth pony, deserve to use magic as long as it is not done for evil. If we disperse to our homes, the police and the royal guards will come for us one by one and haul us off to prison. But if we stay together, united, they can't." By the end of the day there were many thousands of ponies in the square. Celestia and others had made speeches to them, Trixie had showed up and entertained them with magic in a one off free show, and a large unit of Royal Guards had turned up but only to guard the railway station and the road to Canterlot. They made no attempt to beat or arrest the protesters and the protesters for their part behaved themselves and didn't throw things at the guards or try and push past them. ***** Prince Blueblood cantered up and burst into the royal throne room. A lesser pony would have been barred by the guards at spear point if need be, but he was of such high rank that they decided not to block him in case he found a way with his influence behind the scenes to ruin their careers. "Princess Aurora, thousands of lowly earth ponies are protesting in Ponyville, calling openly for your regime to fall and not doing their jobs. I insist that you send in the Guards and beat up the treasonous scum who challenge their betters. Now." Princess Aurora snorted in disgust. "I will do no such thing. The road and rail links to Canterlot are blocked and the protest is non-violent. Going in hard would be the most idiotic thing I could possibly do. It would turn a small problem into a great big one. If ponies are beaten, jailed, even killed, others will take up the struggle and it'll burn like a flash fire from end to end of Equestria. If I wait, it'll burn itself out quietly and then I can have the ringleaders arrested if need be. And talking of respecting your betters,you seem to have no respect for me, your Princess and immortal ruler. Leave this room now, and guards, you have my royal permission to stop him bursting in again, as long as you don't kill him or totally beat him up in the process. If you really have to, use your spear butts on him." Aurora thought a little. Would it be so bad to let earth ponies and pegasui use basic magic like unicorns do? Obviously we don't want them using dangerous magic like that summon fireworks spell, but basic magic would make them happier and healthier and able to achieve far more. With a restriction or two for safety and common sense, I see no problems with it. She summoned her sky chariot pulled by a pair of pegusai and set off for the protest. With a bit of tact,I can end this, stop future protests and put that oaf Blueblood in his place, without having to give away an ounce of power.