Love Tap’s face notably turned a lighter shade of tan as she slowly sat her glass of amber liquid down. “Is… Is Spike okay?”
Twilight took a long sip of her strong, straight-alcohol and answered, “Do you think we’d come to your house for a simple chat if he wasn’t?”
‘Simple’ was clearly an understatement… or was it an overstatement? Love Tap wasn’t sure which word was more appropriate, but regardless, she took a deep breath of relief and let it out. “Oh, thank Celestia…”
Celestia chuckled as she also took a sip of her own drink. “I think Spike’s hardy dragon nature is more to thank than me.”
“Oh, sorry… I didn’t mean…”
Celestia waved a good-natured foreleg about. “It’s quite alright, my little pony, it happens all the time.”
Love Tap nodded and offered a small, pensive smile. “I’m just not used to having Princesses as guests…”
Celestia gave Love Tap a reassuring smile. “No one is judging you, Love Tap.”
“I’m judging her,” Twilight clarified as she narrowed her eyes at Love Tap. “I’m judging her hard right now.”
Love Tap felt herself tense again. She was possibly the only adult somewhat responsible for the fiasco that was being recounted to her, so Twilight’s words and the way they were presented were definitely a cause for alarm.
“Princess Twilight,” Celestia said, keeping her tone even. “I implore you to cut our hostess some slack, these things happen when you’re a princess.”
Twilight wheeled around to face the much taller princess, her whiskey sloshing and nearly spilling out as she maintained a grip on it in a single hoof. “Filly revolutionaries break into your diplomatic proceedings and start doing things that could cause grievous bodily harm?!”
Celestia’s thoughts drifted to a particular orange-colored filly with a fiery temper and a perhaps inflated sense of entitlement; and back to not all that long ago where a tiny purple filly decided that books made for great ladders and nearly broke her neck. Thrice. “Yes,” she answered simply.
With a groan, Twilight emptied to contents of her glass into her mouth then refilled it with a few more ounces of amber liquid without bothering to ask if it was alright. The damnable mare had good tastes, and Twilight was in desperate need of many drinks.
With a distant look and a chuckle that suggested she was reliving an inside joke known only to her, Celestia likewise finished her amber beverage and sat it on the coffee table with the sunny yellow glow of her magic. She then picked up a glass of red wine, brought it to her muzzle, and swirled it under her nose. Sniffing it, she smiled and took a sip.
Love Tap endeavored to follow Twilight’s example and finished her drink while pouring herself a few more ounces of the strong amber liquor. Celestia’s calming demeanor was helping her from spiraling into full-blown panic, but Twilight’s clearly agitated state was keeping Love Tap in a state close to that total meltdown. A little ‘liquid aid’ was in order.
Her frustration seemingly satiated temporarily by the imbibing of strong alcohol, Twilight continued.
>-ooo-<
“Spike!” Twilight cried out. A cry that was not likely to be heard by anypony over the massive indoor fireworks explosion that had everyone’s ears ringing. Thinking quickly, Twilight’s horn burst with magical energy and she quickly put up a magical barrier around something green and purple that was rapidly heading towards the far wall. That would at least soften the secondary impact.
And impact Spike did, the bubble holding and his frazzled form bouncing around it like a hamster in a plastic ball that had accidentally been taken a trip down a flight of stairs. Twilight dismissed her bubble and summoned her ‘I’ve been reading for the past 48 hours and here is as good as any’ or ‘crash’ mattress and blankets to lay him on, figuring it was better than the hard floor.
Fizzlepop Berrytwist was next to Spike a brief few seconds later, her horn already sparking with the threat of imminent retribution as she placed her body in between the fallen dragon and the quartet of kids who dolled out the catastrophe. Grubber was a bit slower, but followed after Fizzlepop.
Twilight teleported to the side of the bed and immediately began searching the dragon for signs of life.
Starlight was right behind her and spared a glance for Spike and then almost immediately took notice of the banners that had been disrupted by the explosion and wall impact and began immediately putting them back into place as the invited guests began to come to their senses.
Surprisingly there was a shriek of terror coming from the direction of the pony who unleashed the firework. “I think I killed Spike!” Sweetie Belle cried out. Tears started to well up in her eyes. “And he’s like… one of my best friends after you guys!”
Scootaloo gave her friend a hardened look. “We knew the risks when we decided to crash this meeting! So did Spike.”
“Ah can guarantee ‘ya both of those things aren’t true!” Apple Bloom shouted back, “Ah don’t think anyone was prepared for bloodshed! ‘Specially not Spike who was jus’ at a meetin’!”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Do you guys even know what a revolution is?”
Sweetie tried to wipe away her tears as Button wrapped his Mega Glove adorned foreleg around her shoulders. Despite her building sadness over the gravity of what she might have done, she managed to answer. “It’s… it’s when you forcibly overthrow a government or social order in favor of a new system…”
“Right! So, when you thought ‘force’ you thought… what exactly?” Scootaloo inquired testily.
Sweetie Belle leaned in closer to Button. “Honestly, I figured we’d have broken into song before it came to that and solved this all with a musical number!”
Scootaloo thought about this for a moment. “Okay, yeah… That’s a fairly reasonable conclusion.”
“Ugh…” Spike uttered as he woozily sat up. “Do I feel stupid… Glad I’m fireproof…”
“Spike!” Twilight cried as she wrapped forelegs around the dragon and began nuzzling him.
“Oh, Thank Celestia I’m not a murderer!” Sweetie Belle said as she wrapped forelegs around Button and gave him a relieved hug.
A collective sigh of relief went up amongst the ponies and other creatures present. While most everyone had regained enough of their wits to fight if necessary, the lull in action meant almost all attention was on Spike.
“Hmmph!” Trixie said turning up her nose. “Well, of course, he’d be fine from a rink-a-dink party-pony rocket like that!” Trixie exclaimed. With a lilac glow of her horn, she pushed open one of the doors to the conference room and began trotting out. “Just let the Generous and Helpful Trixie give you some real fireworks.”
“Trixie, do not arm the revolutionary children!” Twilight commanded.
Capper, his Queen, and his King slowly poked their heads out from around each side of the delegation table and all three slowly begin to take in the scene in front of them, their whiskers twitching wildly. Across the room from them, Queen Novo and her daughter Princess Skystar poked their heads up from behind their assigned seating.
“You’re not the boss of Trixie!” Trixie cried.
“I’m literally your princess!” Twilight shouted back.
Trixie shot Twilight a glare that was returned by the purple alicorn. “Well, I didn’t vote for you!”
“You don’t ‘vote’ for a Princess!” Twilight countered.
Trixie narrowed her eyes. “Well, how did you become one then?’
Slowly, fear and surprise from the foreign visitors gave way to interest in the expressions of the delegation as they watched the back and forth between Twilight and somepony they all would have considered Twilight’s subject. They quietly began to tidy up their areas at least well enough that they could sit and watch.
Twilight grunted in displeasure, “I finished a secret incomplete spell by Starswirl the Bearded about friendship thus proving I was worthy of the station of Princess of Friendship to the current Princesses and the magical powers that be of Equestria.”
Trixie sneered. “Well, isn’t that convenient for the Oligarchy!”
“See! She gets it!” Sweetie Belle stressed as she turned towards Scootaloo.
“Look! If I had known there was going to be a word quiz today I would have procuratorate until the last minute and tried to cram for it!” Scootaloo countered.
Snorting out a breath from her nose and stomping on the ground with one hoof, Twilight fired back, “Trixie, if you don’t stop right now I’m going to convert one of the guest rooms into a dungeon and put you there!”
Behind Twilight, Fizzlepop and Grubber exchanged excited glances as grubber rubbed his palms together.
“Ugh, fine then…” Trixie replied.
“That’s better…” Twilight said as she began to relax, if just slightly.
“I’m joining the revolution, then and fighting the violence inherent in the system with VIOLENCE!” Trixie fired back before running outside the room.
“WHAT?!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Sweet!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Word of our injustice in treatment has spread and others are joining the cause!”
“‘Unjust’, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle corrected absently.
“Ghuh, whatever…” Scootaloo said as she attempted to sound disinterested to cover her annoyance.
Fizzlepop’s broken horn flared up again and a few errant sparks shot out of it. “Shall I discourage her?”
Twilight sighed tiredly. “Does this involve hospitalizing her?”
“Revolutions are much harder to participate in with four broken limbs.”
“Oh! Should I get the hobbling block and mallet?” Grubber giddily inquired.
“Fizzlepop! Grubber!” Twilight chastised.
Fizzlepop offered a grim smile. “Two broken limbs?”
Twilight sighed. “I’d like to solve this issue without violence! Thanks!” she said in an irritable tone.
Spike coughed.
“Further violence,” Twilight clarified.
“I’m on it!” Starlight said as she disappeared in an electric blue flash to the sound of tearing fabric and distant screams.
Twilight opened her mouth to protest but it was too late. Starlight popped back into the room next to the kids who all took a few surprised steps back at the unexpected appearance of the mare and her somewhat off-putting sounds that accompanied her teleportation.
“Wait, Twilight!” Spike called out. “Let me help!”
Twilight looked down at the dragon and frowned. “I’m right next to you, Spike.”
“Oh…” Spike said, still a bit woozily. “Sorry, you and Starlight are both very purple…”
“Uh, huh… Spike, where are you right now?”
“Uh, your castle, the big diplomatic meeting, of course!”
Twilight nodded. “And who am I?”
Spike smirked. “Well, Twilight Sparkle, obviously!”
Twilight nodded once more. “And who are you?”
Spike’s expression hardened. “I’m Bat-drake!”
Twilight sighed and helped Spike into a sitting position, his head resting against the wall that he had been blasted against. “Okay, sit here for a while until you’re head clears.”
Spike leaned forward and grabbed Twilight’s shoulders, pulling the mare close to his face. “You don’t understand! I’m Bat-Drake.”
Twilight gave Spike a pensive grin. “I do get it! Ponyville thanks you for your service! Now please sit down here and don’t fall asleep on me.”
“Justice never sleeps, Princess!” Spike responded dramatically.
Twilight blew out a gust of air that puffed up her cheeks. “I guess I’ll take it so long as I can monitor your situation and everything else going on.”
Fizzlepop gave Twilight a serious look. “I’m also relieved Spike is fine.”
“I am the night! And also sometimes the late afternoon!”
“MOSTLY fine,” Fizzlepop said. “But you’re letting the situation escalate.”
Grubber clenched a fist and punched it into an open palm. “Yeah, you might want to let us handle this, Princess.”
Twilight shot both former members of the Storm King's Army an unconvinced look. “Do either of you have any ideas that don’t involve hurting children in front of foreign dignitaries?”
Fizzlepop and Grubber looked at each other, then back to Twilight in confusion.
“No. Why?” Fizzlepop asked.
“And THAT’s why we’re trying to use words,” Twilight said. “Words can de-escalate!”
Fizzlepop gave Twilight a sullen look. “Well, they sure didn’t help against a zeppelin attack and flesh to stone bombs!”
Twilight grit her teeth and wracked her brain for a proper response that incorporated the word ‘forgiveness’ and the phrase ‘avoiding further diplomatic catastrophe’ but Starlight interrupted with a call of, “Okay! I think we can do this without further explosions!”
The sound of something rolling across carpeted crystal floors could be heard before a wheelbarrow full of rockets roughly the size of the fillies and colt that had crashed the conference appeared followed by Trixie who parked the wheelbarrow and herself next to the foals. “However, in case it doesn’t, I’ve leveled the playing field! Nice work, Trixie! Hurray!”
“See, getting worse,” Fizzlepop pointed out as Twilight smacked a forehoof against her face.
“No, it’s fine!” Starlight insisted. “This way the children will feel more empowered to say what they’re truly feeling!”
“And we can blow stuff up if we don’t get our way!” Scootaloo added.
Button nodded. “Just like my Mom would want!”
A pensive look came across Sweetie Belle’s face and she swallowed.
“Plan ‘B’, kids!” Starlight said.
Fizzlepop maintained her position and gave the group huddled around the fireworks a serious look. “Kids, you don’t want to do this,” she said grimly. “Take it from someone in the know, the sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead!”
The four foals all exchanged confused glances.
“I mean… I think I get it,” Scootaloo said, “but there had to have been a clearer way of saying that.”
“Here, let me try,” Starlight said. “If you buck with a Princess, they’re liable to buck back!”
“Okay, that’s much easier to follow!” Apple Bloom said.
“Video games lied to me!” Button added. “I thought Princess were easily kidnappable!”
Sweetie Belle smirked. “In a country ran by super-powerful princesses that often fight the primary threats to peace, you really thought that was the case?”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Right! Like, Twilight’s taken down something close to half a dozen baddies that could have conquered all of Equestria! Maybe the planet! She wasn’t even a Princess yet ‘fer some of them!”
Scootaloo chuckled. “You’d have to be a colt to be that dumb…”
Excuse me, Princesss?!
I’M NARRATING, ALRIGHT! NOT COMMENTING ON YOUR SON!
Hrmph… Alright, just… I know Scootaloo can be brash, but that behaviour…
I WASN’T HAPPY WITH SCOOTALOO EITHER, BUT IT GETS BETTER, TRUST ME!
If you say so.
Sweetie Belle shot Scootaloo a dirty look but was cut off from saying anything by Button Mash sighing. “I guess I’ve let popular media affect my judgment a bit and give me unreasonable expectations of Princesses and their ability to defend themselves. I should really pay more attention to the reality of the royal hierarchy and its role in defending the state rather than being swayed by popular media…”
Sweetie Belle gave Button a hug, “As long as you understand that… and also continue to understand the different between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’.”
Apple Bloom smirked at Scootaloo. “You were sayin’?”
Scootaloo sighed. “Stupid Sweetie Belle affect!” she bemoaned
“‘Effect’” Button corrected.
Nice one, Button!
I KNOW, RIGHT?!
“Look, I know this might look insane,” Starlight began.
“MIGHT?!” Berrypop exclaimed.
“Fizzlepop, don’t be rude,” Twilight chastised.
Fizzle turned and gave Twilight a face full of creases. “She’s aiding and abetting the enemy!”
Twilight frowned. “Well, that’s no reason to be rude in front of the rulers of our neighboring countries!”
“Well, considering I helped conquer one and was second and was in command of the same army that conquered the other! I doubt this changes their opinion about me!”
Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly at Fizzlepop as Starlight cleared her throat. “Look, I know these children wouldn’t just burst in here like this unless they had a reason that must be near and dear to their hearts! If they care enough to commit acts of terrorism to get their ideas heard, I think we should hear them out,” Starlight reasoned.
“Ghuh!” Twilight exclaimed as she visibly grimaced. “Kids! For the record, terrorism is bad and is NOT the best way to get your voice heard!”
“Okay, Princess Twilight!” Button Mash called out mechanically. “We’ll remember!”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow in Button’s direction. “Button, Princess Twilight is the one we’re rebelling against right now.”
Button nodded. “Right, but we don’t have to be rude to her about it!”
Scootaloo frowned. “We really should have pow-wowed more on what kind of rebellion we were throwing prior to all this.”
Queen Novo adjusted her attention from the conversation on hostage-holding decorum and glared at Starlight, the dignified colored cloths that had decorated it now bunched up and scorched in places. “The children,” Novo uttered in a mildly disdain-filled tone. “The children who specifically almost blew up a dragon child and are still threatening multiple nation leaders with fireworks.”
“Well, clearly they feel very strongly about the issues affecting them otherwise they wouldn’t have done that!” Starlight pointed out.
Skystar gave her mom an encouraging look. “Just because they’re younger doesn’t mean they don’t have good ideas worth listening to!”
Novo glared down at her daughter. “First off, you’re clearly biased here.”
“Whaaat, meeee?” Skystar replied innocently, or at least in her best innocent tone as she flashed a smiling beak at her mother. “Never!”
“Second off, they opened up their ‘talk’ with a literal explosive device!”
Skystar cocked her head to the side and chipperly chirped in a very birdlike fashion. “I stand by my previous declaration.”
Across from the Hippogryphs, Capper took in input from his King and Queen. “Are… are you two sure?”
The other two Abyssians nodded.
Capper cleared his throat and rose both paws to the sky. “We vote to let the children speak”
Twilight looked at the bipedal felines in disbelief. “Seriously?”
Queen Ashes gave Twilight a rather cattish grin, “So long as we aren’t in danger, we’re okay with an unorthodox continuation to this conference.”
“The fireworks seem pretty dangerous to me…” Grubber muttered.
“Shh…” Twilight hissed. “If I can get through this day without an international incident, I’ll call it a win.”
“Hah! Good luck!” Grubber replied snidely as Spike tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hello, Good Citizen,” Spike stoically as Grubber turned.
“Uh… Hey, Spike,” Grubber replied unsurely.
“You could be my assistant!” Spike said as he grabbed one of the fallen and burnt tapestry pieces and put it over his head like a makeshift cowl. “Would you like that? Would you like to ride with Batdrake?”
Grubber turned towards the nearby mares. “I need an adult?”
"You are an adult!" Snarled Fizzle.
"Sure, technically!" Grubber grunted back. "I never learned how to adult! Did you learn how to adult? Half the reason I joined the Storm King was because he had people who filed my taxes for me!"
“I said, Shhh!” Twilight reiterated.
King Shadow stood proud from behind the somewhat marred delegation table. “Our Diplomat assures us everything is fine.”
Capper smiled widely. “I’m confident Princess Twilight has EVERYTHING under control,” he exclaimed as made a wide, swinging motion into the air.
“Oh, really…” Queen Nova said in a droll tone as she side-eyed Twilight.
Twilight put on the most confident smile she could muster together given her number one assistant was concussed, her two former members of the Storm King’s army that were under her care and were ready to start busting heads, literally, and finally one of her best friends and live-in castle mates was negotiating with a bunch of precocious revolutionaries and a traveling performer. While certainly full toothed, the smile didn’t feel very confident to Twilight. Somehow, it seemingly convinced the ruler and she gave a vexed-laden sigh of, “Oh, very well.”
As Twilight let out a sigh of relief, Starlight got to work. Turning to face the foals, she asked, “Alright, kids! Now just tell us what you want!”
“Rebellion!” Scootaloo exclaimed as her compatriots nodded.
Starlight frowned. “No, but uh… what’s going to get you four to stop rebelling? You know... What are your demands?”
"Goals is a much friendlier name, Starlight!" Twilight cried out.
"Thanks, Twilight!" Starlight replied before looking back at the kids. "Right, 'goals'!"
“Oh! Those, right…” Sweetie Belle said. The foals all turned towards each other and begin looking for a sign that one of the others knew exactly what they wanted.
“Oh!” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Wanted to prove to Twilight we were a force to be reckoned with!”
“Oh, yeah!” Scootaloo agreed.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Well, if that’s all then—”
“That’s an objective, not a demand,” Starlight said. “What do you want to be changed about Equestria so badly you resorted to open rebellion?”
The children once again exchanged looks, as the awkwardness set in Scootaloo said, “Uh… can we have a moment to ern…”
“Convene,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yeah, convene,” Scootaloo added.
“Of course!” Starlight said.
“Does Trixie get to list her demands?” Trixie asked as the four foals huddled up and began whispering.
“No,” Starlight stated immediately.
Trixie crossed her forelegs and frowned heavily. “Meet the new boss… same as the old…”
“Okay, we’re done!” Button declared.
“Phew!” Starlight said. “For a moment I thought you might really not have any—”
“We started this rebellion without figuring out what it is we really wanted,” Button continued in an even tone.
It was so quiet, you could hear the solid ‘clop’ of a hoof being hit against the owner’s own royal head in frustration.
“That,” Starlight said staring off into the distance. “Exactly that.”