Fizz stormed into Celestia's chambers, slamming the door behind her on the way.
"I can't believe Blueblood!" she snarled, spitting from sheer fury. "Why haven't you thrown him out yet?!"
Celestia sadly shook her head. "I wish I could," she replied, "but technically, he's committed no crime."
It had been a few days since the incident in Canterlot. Thanks to the efforts of everypony present, nopony had been killed, thankfully, but there were still millions of bits in property damage. Many ponies had been displaced from their homes, and the Canterlot Hospital was nearly full with ponies suffering from injuries, especially burns. When Celestia and Luna had revealed to everpony the cause, ponies had immediately began calling for Twilight Sparkle's head, as well as Spike's.
Even worse was the nobles. While they claimed to be looking out for everypony's best interests, Fizz saw right through them. They knew that the princesses would increase their taxes to pay for the property damage and temporary shelter for the displaced citizens. So they joined the crusade for Twilight and Spike to be punished.
Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor had appealed to everypony, of course. They'd argued that Spike hadn't been in control of his actions when he'd attacked Canterlot, thanks to Discord's magic, and based on Fizz's testimony, Twilight had relented in her plans when she could've won. Plus, she'd helped the princesses halt Spike's efforts. However, the ponies and nobles hadn't relented. Fizz had just returned from Blueblood's house, trying to convince him Twilight had earned a little leniency at least. It had gone about as well as she'd expected, with Blueblood once again calling her a crippled pony unworthy of the title of princess, and saying he'd make sure Twilight never saw the light of day again.
Naturally, Fizz was infuriated by the prince's retort, and barely managed to restrain herself from burning down his entire estate. She'd dragged herself back to Canterlot Castle to tell everypony the news of her failure, though, based on her expression, she didn't have to say anything.
"Well, I don't see why you're all so dead set on getting these two in the clear," snorted Discord, as he floated above the thrones. "I can think of quite a few punishments I'd love to inflict on Miss Sparkle."
Twilight lowered her head a little, and Fizz shot a glare at the draconequus.
"What if Celestia had that attitude when it came to you, Discord?" she snarled.
That shut Discord up. He hurriedly teleported away, for which Fizz was thankful.
"So...what's gonna happen to us?" asked Spike. Twilight pulled him closer to her with one leg, and he wrapped his arms around her barrel.
Fizz turned to Celestia and Luna. "Come on, can't you just pardon them, and say 'Screw you' to Blueblood and the others? You're the princesses, you raise the sun and moon!"
"We could, Fizz," said Celestia, "but we are not tyrants. Plus, it's not just the nobles who are demanding retribution for the attack on Canterlot."
Fizz groaned. "Give me a break, Celestia! Whatever happened to doing what was right, no matter the consequences? So what if the decision won't be popular? Who cares?!"
"It's not that we want only the adoration of our little ponies, Fizz," said Luna. "If we act without their consent, it weakens their faith in us, and they may no longer see us as worthy of our titles. I'm not saying that a revolution would begin the next day, but it could have dire repercussions down the road."
"But...but..." Fizz stammered, before she shouted in anger and punched the wall. She hated this part of being Celestia's student. It angered her to no end, seeing how much politics prompted ponies to ruin each other's lives. Twilight's plan may have been idiotic, but she didn't deserve this. Even worse, Fizz knew she was basically facing a lifetime of this, since she was now a princess.
Celestia spoke again. "We're working towards a compromise. I believe we can get away with not sending Twilight to Tartarus, and instead having her serve a light sentence here in Canterlot. She'll be able to shorten her time by performing community service."
"What about Spike?" asked Fizz, still irritated.
"They won't separate us, will they?" asked the young drake, fear palpable in his voice.
Luna took over. "Since Spike was driven mad by Discord's chaos magic, we believe we can avoid imprisoning him. However...ponies are demanding he be kept under constant watch until Twilight is released, at minimum."
"So what? He's gonna be caged, like an animal in the zoo?" Fizz snapped, her anger growing by the second.
"Actually, we had a better idea," said Celestia. "Fizz, how would you like to become Spike's temporary guardian?"
Fizz blinked, taken aback for a second. This was not a path she'd considered. "Are...are you serious? They'd let us do that?"
"You are a princess, after all. They have no legitimate challenge to your title. If they try, they'll have to answer to us. You earned your alicorn wings, you know."
Fizz swallowed. She had been wanting more responsibilities as a princess, but this was a lot to throw onto her at once. Not as much as ruling a kingdom, of course, but still a lot. She turned towards Spike and Twilight, who both stared back at her, with something like hope in their eyes.
"I think...that decision should be made by them," she said. "Spike, if you're okay with this, I'd be happy to look after you for a while. Twilight, what do you think?"
"I trust you, Fizz," replied Twilight. "And I'm grateful. Ultimately, it's up to Spike, of course."
The dragon looked up at his sister figure, as his whole body trembled. Eventually, however, he let go and walked up to Fizz.
"If Twilight trusts you, then so do I," he responded. "I'll be good, I promise."
Fizz smiled, and draped a comforting wing over Spike's back. "Thanks for putting your faith in me, little guy," she said. "I'm...sorry we couldn't do any better for you two. Those scumbag ponies don't deserve their titles."
"It's alright," Twilight insisted. "You showed me far more mercy than I deserved. Honestly, I'm in your debt at this point."
"Not really," said Fizz. "We just did what any decent ponies would've done." Her expression fell, and she ground her teeth. "Blueblood can eat my—"
"Fizz!" exclaimed Twilight, covering Spike's ears.
"Sorry!"
Fizz, Spike, and Twilight trotted out of the royal chambers, into the main lobby of Canterlot Castle, where the other five Element bearers, along with Cadence and Shining Armor, were waiting patiently. Upon their arrival, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie immediately jumped to their hooves.
"Well? How'd it go?" asked Rainbow.
"Are we gonna throw an epic 'We Saved Equestria Again and Made a New Friend' party?!" asked Pinkie, bouncing up and down.
Fizz looked at her friends, and lowered her head a little. "Honestly, I don't think a party is really appropriate at this time, girls," she said. She proceeded to recount the final decision Celestia and Luna had come to, and what would happen to Spike and Twilight.
"Are you kiddin' me?!" exclaimed Applejack. "What kinda sense does that make?! If it weren't for Twilight, Canterlot would've been burned to the ground completely!" Then, as her brain caught up to what she'd just said, she quickly added, "No offense, Spike."
"Don't worry, none taken," said the dragon.
"So...Twily's gonna have to serve a prison sentence?" asked Shining Armor, looking sadly at his little sister. Twilight gave a small nod, and Shining's eyes started to water. He looked like he was gonna break down any second.
"She'll get out soon, I promise," Fizz hurriedly added. "I'm sorry, I did everything I could, but Celestia and Luna told me—"
"It's okay, Fizz," said Shining. "I don't blame you." He reached up with one leg and wiped his eyes. Then he turned back to his sister. "It'll be okay, Twily. We'll wait patiently until you come home."
"He's right," added Cadence. "And if you need anything, we'll fight for you."
"Thanks," said Twilight, stepping forward to hug them both. Fizz watched this unfold with a sad frown on her face.
Spike observed them as well, and from the expression on his face, Fizz could tell he was close to crying. She draped a wing over his body again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to him. "I know it hurts. But it'll get better."
"I hope you're right," he responded, barely managing to keep his voice from cracking.
Twilight noticed a dragon-shaped whole in her family hug. "Come on, Spike," she said. "You're as much a part of this family as any of us."
Spike's mouth shifted into the ghost of a smile, and he strolled towards the three ponies, joining them in the hug. For the first time that day, Fizz felt a burst of hope. It wouldn't be easy, but perhaps they'd recover from this. Fizz wouldn't have to live with the fact that she'd destroyed a family.