//------------------------------// // Episode 14: Princess Bunga // Story: The Pony Guard (Season 5) // by MXCDarkHorse2020 //------------------------------// Episode 14: Princess Bunga “So Un-Bunga-veilable!” Bunga was about as happy as the day Kion choose him to become a part of the Lion Guard when he was invited to join Kion in attending the annual Equestria Summit. Along with the alicorn princesses, the lion king and queen are both attending along with the lion Princesses Kiara and Kyoga. In addition, delegates from all over the world are all attending the event at the Canterlot Castle. His job much like what Twilight would ask Spike to do is helping his buddy Prince Kion on with the preparations, not that Bunga minded at all. As long as he got to stand by his friend’s side that’s all that matters. Come opening ceremony time, he stood alongside Spike and the rest of the alicorns and lions, who stood at the very top of the staircase. The delegates were eager not only to see them but for the unveiling of a new large statue in the ballroom, covered by a cloak. Fanfare sounded off as the royals stepped forward. "Welcome to the Grand Equestria Summit!" Luna greeted everyone as the crowd all cheered for them. Celestia then spoke next. "You delegates have traveled far and wide to represent your cities and nations as we seek to celebrate and learn from all the unique places that make up our wonderful home worlds. At tonight's welcome reception, Princess Cadance will dedicate this beautiful friendship statue made up of gemstones from each of your home cities." Using her magic, both Celestia and Luna both removed the sheet to reveal the pony statue, made and decorated with all of the most colorful gemstones. It was truly a remarkable sight to behold, so much that Spike couldn't help but lick his lips due to his love for gemstones. But of course, as Twilight would say if they were at home, "The statue is not a dragon’s dinner, don’t even think about it." So Spike had to keep it together. Simba next moved to speak so he can hand the floor over to the ones who made this possible today. "Now I'd like to turn things over to the ones who organized the summit: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Kiara and Prince Kion!" The three stepped forward to speak with the crowd with the alicorn speaking first. Judging from the look on her eyes she’s been up many nights helping putting together the summit but she still put forward enough energy to assure to the crowd that everything is all right. "Thank you, everypony, everybody. With delegates from over both worlds attending three days of conferences, receptions, and meetings, this is the largest Grand Equestria Pony Summit yet. And let me tell you, putting it all together has led to more than one sleepless night." Kiara then stepped forward and moved to speak next. “We're so excited to have you all here and to learn more about life all across this great land and beyond." The crowd cheered, stomping their hooves and clapping their paws. Bunga moved to nudge Kion in the arm to get her attention. "And now my good friend Bunga would like to say a few words." Bunga then stepped forwards with a bright smile with his claws out in the open, trying to be as proud and mighty as the other royals standing behind him. "Thank you Prince Kion and hello everybody! For those who don’t know me my name is Bunga the Lion Guard’s Bravest and I'm here to help any way I can. So if there's anything I can do for any of you—" "We love you, Princess Twilight! You too Princess Kiara! Prince Kion!" One of the ponies in the crowd interrupted and cheered. "We love all the princesses!" “And our king and queen!” The crowd cheered once more for their beautifully perfect royals, while Bunga nervously smiled as he awkwardly tiptoeing away from the center of the stage, all while frowning and dropping his shoulders in disappointment. "I guess everybody loves a princess." Later that morning, Spike was organizing Twilight's books in her room at Canterlot, while Bunga moved to help out although he didn’t share the same energy and enthusiasm as him. The dragon could tell from just one look at him that he is clearly disappointed in what happened back there. “Aw, come on, Bunga. It wasn't so bad." "Says the little dragon who’s an official royal assistant to one princess, not to mention a hero to the Crystal Empire." “Okay, so?” “At least you get to stand beside Twilight at every meeting she attends to, along with getting praise near and far from every pony from the Crystal Empire in attendance. As for me, I’m just the guy who has the prince and princesses back when trouble arises.” “But you’re the Lion Guard’s Bravest, who managed to pull off bold and brave feats of heroism in the face of danger.” Spike reminded. “You’re more than what you say you are.” “Am I? Or am I just the guy who gets lucky in being reckless at times?” Now Spike had a hard time answering this question before trying to be as delicate about it as possible. “To be honest, I’d like to say a little from both column A and B but more about leaning on column A.” Sadly, it didn’t help matters at all. “Is that your best idea of helping me or trying to make me feel like a crazy idiot?” “What do you think?” Spike replied unsure of what else he wants him to say. “I’m trying to help see that you have a role of importance in the Circle of Life and in striving for peace and harmony.” “Well that’s helpful.” Bunga rolled his eyes just when Kion suddenly busted inside the room accidentally slamming both boys in the face with it while sending the dragon flying into a nearby pile of books. “Bunga! Spike! Whoops! Sorry about that!” Upon realizing his mistake, he quickly opened the door and pulled the honey badger away from the wall and then moved to use his magic to pull Spike out the pile of books he landed in. “No worries.” “Hakuna Matata.” “So anyways…” Spike spoke to get things back on track. “…what’s going on?” "Nothing majorly wrong, but it's something that we need your help with!” “With what?” Bunga asked as Kion turned their heads towards the door as it opened once more a very sleepy, and completely exhausted looking Twilight Sparkle. She had deep circles and bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, she can barely walk, she found herself wobbling as she walked, and she couldn't keep her eyes open. “Oh...Oh!” It took Bunga an extra few seconds to see what was really happening just when Kiara rushed inside to help her keep her balance. Spike winced at the sight of her. "Whoa, what happened to you?" Twilight groaned tiredly. "I'm sorry, Spike. I just…" She yawned, "…need a quick... nap." she wobbled back forcing Kiara to catch her as she found herself resting on the pile of books as if it were a bed. "Napkin! Tell the delegates I'll…" she trailed off before falling asleep. It was perfectly clear that she is delirious and completely spent from all of those sleepless nights. "She's been awake three straight days preparing for the summit!" Kiara explained as she moved to duck under her body before moving to carry her on over to her bed. "We need to make sure she gets some rest today." "Wait a minute." Bunga interrupted still confused. "I thought you both were working alongside her during this summit. So how come you two aren’t tired?" “Because Mom and Dad made it clear that we are getting are rest regardless whether we are finished or not with whatever we are doing.” Kiara explained in a tone that makes it clear she is not in the mood for jokes right now. “But Twilight, being Twilight…” Kion said with a knowing sigh. “…won’t take no for an answer." “Sounds about right.” Spike commented. "Never one to stop until the job is completed.” “Yes, but she'll never be able to attend the welcome reception in this condition and we still got things to take care of before that happens." Kiara after placing Twilight in her bed turned to both boys for a royal task to bestow on them. “Spike, Bunga, can we count on you both to make sure she isn't disturbed?" Bunga was especially delighted to hear a royal command from Princess Kiara and not one to disappoint his best friend, he was more than happy to step up to it as he and Spike both saluted. "You got it, your highness's!" "We won't let you down!" When the sleeping alicorn moved to try to get herself up, Kiara quickly tucked the blanket over her. “Easy Twilight.” She moved to gently adjust her pillow while hugging her afterwards. Recognizing that gentle hug had Twilight ease back into going to sleep. “Just relax and get some rest. You’re definitely going to need it.” She moved to pull the curtains closed before she and Kion tiptoed their way out of the room but not without whispering one last request for the boys. “Make sure she isn’t disturbed until she wakes up." Both boys saluted again as they both gently shut the door and placed a “Do Not Disturb.” sign on the door outside. Twilight slept and snore in her bed, while Bunga and Spike marched inside the room, both holding telescopes over their shoulders like soldiers. Spike then moved to look out the window to see if there was any trouble that they should be considered about. So far, all he saw was a female unicorn pushing a baby stroller, a male unicorn drinking some coffee, and a pony mime. Upon seeing nothing that needs to be of concern, Spike gave the thumbs up to Bunga. “Perfect." Bunga smiled proudly until the sound of loud chirping was heard. They both looked through their telescopes and spotted a bird on top of one of the castle towers, singing rather loudly from afar. "Not on my watch." Spike quickly moved to jump out the window and climbed up to the tower in hopes of talking the bird down. "Uh, excuse me? Can you keep it down a little?" But instead of complying, the bird flew off…right into Twilight's room, right on top of her horn. "Oh, no!" The bird landed on Twilight's horn and continued to sing. Bunga quickly rushed over waving his arms around frantically in his attempts to stop it. "Come on bird, get out of here!" He whispered, but the bird did not obey. "Okay, okay that was rude of me! Here…” He pulled out some worms from behind his back. “I'll give these in exchange if you don’t wake the princess!" The bird stopped and looked down at Twilight. Judging from the look the bird gave to the sleeping alicorn the bird didn’t know that she’s a princess. The bird bowed in respect, took the offered worms, and flew away out the window just when Spike arrived, only to find the bird gone. “What happened?" “Oh, nothing really.” Spike looked on still expecting a more specific answer in response. “Just gave her a few worms and told her that said pony trying to sleep is a princess, and then she left and called it a day.” "Really?" “Yeah!” Now Spike was impressed, "Huh. I can't believe that actually worked." “Yep.” Bunga took great pride with his small accomplishment. “Guess that takes care of that…” Suddenly he was just proven wrong when they heard incredibly loud cheering and shouting coming from down below, where various ponies were having a polo game. Twilight started to groan and turn in her sheets in response to the loud commotion. “Not a problem!” Bunga quickly assured before leaping out the window and on over where the ponies are playing. “I got this!” After leaping down from roof top to roof top he was able to get down onto the ground where he is quick to catch the polo ball mid-air when he leaped in the thick of the action. “Zuka Zama!”. Upon facing an angry mob, he kept his cool and played it casually. “Hey fellas. Um…sorry to break up your game, but there's sort of an important diplomatic summit kind of thingy going on, and it involves a princess needing to sleep, and, uh... maybe you could move your game somewhere else?…Please?" The ponies all looked at one another before looking back at him. "Did you say the princess?" One asked. “Yep.” "Okay. Come on boys!” Said pony led everyone away with their sticks and polo balls in tow thus surprising Bunga once more. “All right. Two in a roll. It’s a new record!” Once again he’s find himself at work once more when he heard the sound of a chainsaw buzzing. A green colored Pegasus pony was cutting down the branches of a tree of very beautiful red leaves that would make Spike sneeze if he ever got near them. Unquestionably the noise would definitely wake up Twilight. Bunga hopped onto his back so he can speak to him from up close. “Uh, Excuse me. Do you have to do this right now?" The pony briefly stopped what he was doing so he can properly reply. "Uh, these are too top-heavy. Wouldn't take much to bring these beauties down." "Can't you just wait a few hours?" "Sorry, it's a public hazard. I got my orders." "Well, I've got my orders too from Princess Twilight and--" "Princess Twilight? Why didn't you say so? Gee, I reckon they'll keep a few more hours." The pony kindly walked away, leaving Bunga even more amazed by the wonders of the name of royalty. "Huh. Good thing I've got the prince and princesses on my side." Suddenly, the ground began to shake causing Bunga to have vibrating yelps, literally felling his body jump up and down rapidly at the sound of a jackhammer rattling. He was moved towards where the sound came from and saw it was a worker unicorn repairing a water main. "Aw, come on! Excuse me?" Bunga once more resorted to shouting. "Excuse me, sir! I really need you to—" He didn't realize by now the jackhammer had stopped. "—stop right now!...Oh." "Lemme guess, the noise?" The pony in return asked loudly. "Sorry, but we can't have a broken water main!" He gestured to the cracked main in the crater down below, with drops of water dripping out from it. "You couldn't do this yesterday?!" "Hey, pal, I'm just tryin' to make sure everything runs smooth for the summit!" "But there is no summit without Princess Twilight, and she needs things to be kept quiet around here. So if you don't mind, I'd—" "Alright, alright, if that's how she wants it!" The pony was about to walk away but then used his magic to pull Bunga up and over face to face with narrowed eyes. "But if something happens, it ain't my fault!" Once the pony released Bunga and left he looked around to find that there was no more sound aside from the soft gentle sound of the water. He felt pleased with himself upon actually achieving peace and quiet for once so Twilight could sleep, and if she’s well-rested by the next welcome reception then the summit will go on as planned. “Nice and quiet. Just the way I like it!” Bunga then gently opened the doors of Twilight's room to where Spike was still keeping watch. The little dragon quickly ran out so they can converse without waking her up. “Everything all good?” “Yep.” Bunga said proudly. "Thanks to me, there is no polo games, no tree cutting, and no jack-hammering. So that said, Twilight is going to sleep like a baby until she is well-rested and ready for the summit to continue. Ooh!" He then pulled out the flowers he managed to obtain from the tree he came across. “What do you think of these flowers? Think they’d make a nice addition to the summit?” Immediately Spike’s nose twitched, then his eyes turned red and teary as he started to sneeze. "Ah…ah…aaaaaa--choo!" Spike released a puff of green fire from his mouth. "Oh, no! Bunga, those are dragon-sneezes! Please, get rid of them!" “But…” “Now!” Bunga quickly threw away the flowers and raised his arms in surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.” “It’s okay…” He said as his nose cleared up before quickly peaking inside to make sure Twilight is still asleep. She still is. “..you didn’t know, and I’m sorry I had to yell at you like that!” “Hakuna Matata…” He shrugged it off before pulling out some grubs and sapphire diamonds so they can snack on to pass the time. “…so anyways, with Princess Twilight guaranteed to be rested, both Kion and Kiara will be proud of us, I think this calls for a reward." “Totally!” Just as they were about to enjoy their snack they heard two ponies coming up the stairs, arguing with one another. “What the…?” “Are you kidding me?” The two placed their snacks aside before addressing the approaching ponies. Said ponies were the Manehattan Whinnyapolis Delegates. The Manehattan one was male, large with a tan colored coat and dark hair with green eyes, wearing a suite and a pizza cutie mark. The Whinnyapolis was female pony with rosy eyes, blond mane and tail wearing a brown winter hat and jacket with a coffee cup cutie mark. "Uh, hi. Can we help you?" Spike asked. The Whinnyapolis delegate spike first. "My friend here, the distinguished pony from up Manehattan, and I are in a bit of a pickle, and we need the Princess Twilight to resolve it." "Uh, can you talk a little quieter?" Spike asked politely. "And maybe come back later?" Bunga added in the same polite manner. "Oh, sure now, gosh, I wish we could but, uh, we're both supposed to give speeches about our local economies in five minutes, and we've been booked in the same hall!" "I had the room first." The Manehattan delegate said in a rather argumentative tone. "And let's be honest, my speech is more important." The Whinnyapolis delegate rolled her eyes, "Point of order there, sir, but I think you'll find that my speech is the more important one, don't'cha know?" The Manehattan delegate gestured to the two boys. "Look, youse is gonna have a lot of unhappy delegates on your hooves unless we get a ruling from Princess Twilight right now!" Both Bunga and Spike turned towards each other unsure of what to do. They couldn’t wake Twilight up, but it seems they have little choice in the matter. “What do we do?” Bunga whispered to Spike. “Should we?” Spike sighed seeing that their hands are tied here. “Lemme see what I can do." He opened the door to find Twilight still asleep. He quietly walked up to her, internally debating whether or not he should wake her up to help resolve this matter. He flinched when Twilight sat up, but only barely with her eyes open. "Does something need scheduling?" she asked, half asleep. "Oh, uh, yeah. Two delegates have speeches booked in the same hall. What do I do?" Twilight yawned, "Okay, no problem. Just put the hay in the apple and eat the candle, hm?" Twilight yawned once more before dozing off. Bunga whisper called out to him from the door. “Well…?” “Not happening. Twilight' still too sleep deprived to help us out here!" "Then what do we do now?!" The two delegates were already getting impatient. "Well? What did she say?" the male pony asked, "She picked me, right?" "Hey, hey, hey. Let's not be too hasty there, good sir. I got a feeling she went with me." "He-hey, if she didn't pick me, it ain't hard to see that as an insult to all of Manehattan! You know what I'm saying'?" "And it'd sure be a shame to see something like a scheduling issue create a nasty old rift between Whinnyapolis and Ponyville." The two boys were literally sweating in terror unsure of how to handle this. “It sure would.…” Bunga laughed nervously. But then he got an idea just when the two ponies patience was already running out. "So? What did the Princess say?" “The Princess said that she thinks it would be best that you two work it out together. You know, maybe instead of fighting for your rights, maybe try sharing the same room together on behalf of both of you and your cites.” He suggested. Spike was left in stunned shock in response to a bright idea coming from the honey badger’s mind while the two delegates looked on in silence until the make pony spoke up. "If that's what the princess wants, what are ya gonna do?" He shook hooves with his companion, setting aside their differences. "The princess is always right!" The two ponies, now on much more friendly terms with one another, left the two boys who sighed in relief. "I can't believe that worked." Spike commented now mildly impressed. “Great job, Bunga!” “Eh, I knew I could handle this!” Bunga stated proudly before focusing on the snacks they were about to enjoy. “And now, time for that much-needed and long awaited rewards right in front of us.” Sometime later, the two were now lazily sitting in front of the doors, all while relaxing and feeling certain there would be no more interruptions…at least until another pony delegate walked up to them, starling them to wake up. Said pony had a blue mane, tail, and coat, along with a matching blue mustache and red tie. "Combining those two talks was a disaster! The hall was overcrowded and the speakers just shouted over each other!" "Huh? B-but—" "Why would the princess have made such a decision?!" Spike glared at Bunga, who smiled and shrugged innocently and nervously. More annoyed chatter was heard as more and more delegates walked up the stairs. So much for smooth sailing thanks to a blind decision from the Lion Guard’s Bravest. The growing commotion was now sure to wake Twilight up. "Uh, by order of Princess Twilight, be quiet!" Bunga shouted to everyone before clasping his hands over his mouth. “Please.” He quickly and calmly uttered upon realizing of how loud he just said it. One of the delegates, a Pegasus named Fluffy Clouds, stood before them with tears in his eyes. "I was really looking forward to the "Don't Spend All Your Bit" Speech, but when I went into the hall, a pony had taken my seat. A pony who used to be my friend!" Bunga looked on very confused and rather baffled in response. “Your friend took your seat? Hah, big deal! Why don't you just—" "No offense, but I don't need some random human boy's opinion. I-I want to hear what Princess Twilight thinks." The dragon huffed in response until Bunga spoke up, "Let me have a word with the princess." He walked inside for a brief moment before walking back out. "The princess says no friendship should end over a seat. You should forgive your friend!" Fluffy Clouds gasped in realization. "Of course! Oh, the princess is so wise!" Seeing how happy he was, all of the other delegates wanted to hear from the princess. Spike then got an idea, since Bunga wanted so badly to feel he was contributing to something he decided to help out. He stepped forward, easing the anxious crowd. "Everybody, easy. Any questions you have you can ask Bunga. The princess has appointed him to speak for her while she works." "Yeah. Really?" "And me, Spike the dragon, his assistant for the day." Bunga turned to whisper to Spike. "You sure you want to go through with this?” "Of course! We can tell these delegates anything as long as they think it came from Twilight. This coming from the guy who wanted to feel special like your pal Kion." “Well, yeah.” He replied like it was a rhetorical question before realizing and moving to take up the task in hand. “Yeah…” He said before addressing the crowd ready to help them out one by one. “Alright! Who's next?" For the rest of the day, with Spike using a clipboard, he and Bunga attended to anybody who came to ask them for advice from the princess. Every time somebody or somepony asked them a question, Bunga would walk inside the room, pretending to speak with Twilight, and give them either her seal of approval or polite rejection. So far, all the choices he made were fair. He thought hard on what they asked for and made sure everything would work smoothly. If something wasn't going to go right he would decline it. Spike was very impressed, mainly for the fact that Bunga for once was actually wise and thoughtful with his handling in the matter. Much like the Inspiration Manifestation crisis except the world hasn’t gone topsy turvy this time around. Bunga proved to be a capable smooth operator while Spike gave Bunga some advice in case he got stumped. They were both feeling great with what they were doing, Spike loved to be an assistant while Bunga loved feeling important and having others look up to him for advice especially when it was for once good advice in contrast to the time when the Pride Landers back home blindly turned to him for advice. With every new pony and Pride Lander he assisted, Bunga's confidence grew more and more. Their final delegate of the day was none other than Fancy Pants himself from Canterlot. "So, how can Princess Twilight be of service?" Bunga asked the unicorn. "Well, as host city, the Canterlot delegation feels it's only right that we should get passes to every meeting and party, yes?" "Well, that doesn't seem fair—" Bunga cleared his throat and quickly corrected himself mid-sentence. "I mean, Princess Twilight doesn't think that seems fair." "Ehhh… yes, yes, very well. It was worth a try though, wasn't it, old chap, hm?" Bunga couldn't help but raise his fists up in victory. "This is great! We just took care of a whole bunch of stuff that Twilight won't have to worry about when she wakes up! Wonder if anybody else needs the princess's help?" "I think we've done enough today, Bunga. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here." "Oh! I know! Why don't you go inside and get Twilight's to-do list. If we check a few of those off of her schedule, then when she wakes up, she won't have to think about anything but the reception." Spike pondered before replying. "I suppose we could do that." He admitted that was actually a good idea. "Of course it is! Have I ever steered you wrong?" “Well, as a matter of fact…” “Just go get Twilight’s agenda.” He gently insisted Spike inside who reluctantly took the list from the table. As the two walked down the streets of Canterlot, Spike went over the list while Bunga was basking in the praise has was receiving from a lot of the various delegates he had already helped. "Great advice, Bunga!" "Lookin' good, buddy!" "Thanks again!" "The princess sure if lucky to have ya!" For once, Bunga never felt proud being able to successfully help out outside of his duties for the Lion and Pony Guard it was even more satisfying compared to the one time where everyone once looked up to him for advice only for it all to go horribly wrong in the end. “Okay…” Spike said as he went over the list. “…if we play this right, I’m sure we can get this done by the time Twilight wakes up, won’t agree Bunga…” He suddenly saw that Bunga was no longer walking beside. “Bunga?” He then sighed to himself. “Oh, no...” He realized that this is going down like he thought. “…once again Bunga the Wise is heading off to cause trouble…again. Is he ever going to learn.” He muttered to himself before moving to take care of his half of the work all while hoping that it doesn’t end badly. Bungan approached a female, nerdy looking pony sitting at an outside cafe, drinking a mocha. He waved at her, "Hi! Says here you have a meeting with Princess Twilight?" "Uh, yuppers. She wanted me to prep her on all the different gemstones in the Citizens of Equestria statue before the reception tonight." She placed a diagram of the statue and the different stones onto the table. "Okay, go ahead." The nerdy delegate arched an eyebrow having personal objections to that. "Um, well, I'd rather, um, tell the princess directly." "Well, if it helps, you can call me 'Princess Bunga'." He noticed the pony was about to leave in response. "No-no-no, it's alright. The princess asked me to take care of a few things for her. That's why I came to find you." "Um, if you say so." "The princess says so!" "Uh, okay. Let's start with topaz…" The unicorn worker from before bit on an apple while waiting for somepony to arrive. "I'm here for your two o'clock!" Spike told the pony once he arrived. "You?! But I'm supposed to be briefing Princess Twilight on the progress with the water main!" "I speak for the Princess." "Uh, well, uh, can I start fixing it again? I'm getting a little worried, to be honest." The pony looked down at the water main, which was actually looking worse than before. Spike upon seeing the leakage getting worse was ready to agree with him there, but before he could give him the green light, Bunga suddenly appeared and interrupted him before he could get a word out. "Actually, Twilight still needs her rest, and her no-noise policy is still in effect for a few more hours. Sorry." “Bunga…” Spike elbowed him in the ribs. “…we should probably be more considerate here.” He gestured to the broken water pipes. “That water main is looking like it is going to burst any second now." Bunga quickly shrugged him off. “Relax, Spike. He can wait a longer.” Just then Kiara came and walked up to them. “Hey, guys." She greeted sounding and looking concerned. "What's going on?" Bunga brushed his claws against his chest before looking aside. “Oh, you know, just settin' 'em up and knockin' 'em down!" "What do you mean?" Kiara asked curiously. "Not only have I kept things quiet so Twilight could sleep, I also took care of all her afternoon meetings so she won't have to worry about them when she wakes up." Spike was quick to correct him, "And me! I helped out with that too!" “Right, right.” "Are you sure she would want you doing that?" Kiara asked now sounding concerned. "There are so many things to keep track of at this summit." Bunga casually dismissed it while smiling. “Nah, don't worry. I got it covered. I know Twilight so well, it's easy to make decisions like her!" Kiara still looked on wary while full aware of the last time others came to him for advice but approached her concerns tactfully. "Well, it’s good to hear that you're keeping Twilight's stress level down. As long as that's the real reason you're doing it." "Well, why else would I be doing it?" Kiara looked on at him seriously like he is reading him like a book. “You're not enjoying speaking for Twilight a little bit?" "Enjoying it? Ha! No way!" "Bunga, have you forgotten the last time others came to you for advice. And you remember what happened when things nearly got out of hoof?" “Kiara, please.” He insisted. “There is nothing to worry about. “The only things I'm doing by order of the princess are for the good of the summit." “Right…” Kiara said deciding to walk aside to speak with the construction pony down below, all while hoping (not really) that Bunga is not getting too carried away. “…if you’ll excuse me.” Spike looked on feeling the same way, so he moved to keep a close eye on him to make sure (he eventually will) he doesn’t let this all go to his head. With all that is needed to be done, so now he is going to enjoy the perks of it. He got himself a massage, free treats, and even got a pony to paint a portrait of himself. Every time they asked him if he could, or if he could pay, he always replied with. "By order of the princess." "By order of the princess!" "By order of the princess…!" All the while Spike watched from the sidelines looking on like this is a repeat and exactly what he and Kiara had feared at first glance. Upon seeing that he is getting way to into riding high on the success and perks of Princess Twilight’s name he decided it was time to intervene by summoning someone he’ll listen to. Someone he’s known for quite a while. In the ballroom, Bunga lounged in a chair, chewing on some grubs. "Princess life is good!" “Sure looks like it.” “I know, Kion…” He replied before jumping up from his seat suddenly startled when he realized just who he was talking to. “Kion!” He yelped upon seeing him, Kiara, and Spike all eyeing him with stern looks. “Hi there.” Kion returned without changing his tone and expression towards his irresponsible friend. “Oh, hey everyone…so nice that you all could come visit. You all look well, how are things coming along?” He asked all while trying to act innocent with the biggest and cheekiest grin he can muster. “Going fine, aside from the glaring fact from what Spike told me is that you have been getting carried away with your advice towards other’s…again and that's not okay.” “What me…” Bunga scoffed it off like it’s a wild statement. “…don’t be silly.” “Then why have been suddenly greeted by two construction ponies impatiently waiting to do their job in preparation for the welcome reception later today under Twilight’s name?!” Kiara sternly asked not buying Bunga’s act. “They actually went to you?!” Bunga asked sounding rather dumbfounded that happened. “Yes, and I told them to go ahead and get it done while I figure out why they were delayed in the first place!” She firmly scolded before calming herself down so she can try to reason with him. “ Bunga…I know we told you and Spike to ensure Twilight is well-rested no matter what but now, we’re concerned that you might be abusing your relationship with Twilight." "What are you talking about? I'm a great princess—I mean, Twilight's a great princess! And I've been working hard to help her! When two delegates had a falling out, I'm the one who fixed their friendship! I listened to that pony drone on about gems for forty-five minutes so Twilight wouldn't have to! I moved a polo match away from the tower so she could sleep! I'm a decision-making master!" But judging by the looks on his friends' faces, they did not agree. Both Spike and Kiara were looking at him like they can’t trust him anymore because of the way he is acting. Even Kion is greatly disappointed with Bunga’s behavior. Disappointment on par with his grandfather Mufusa towards his son Simba disobeyed him when he was young, along with his father Simba towards his son Kion during the Savannah Summit and the formation of the Lion Guard, he really began to feel the regret and shame. "Okay. So maybe I did get a little carried away in making decisions. I guess I just liked the fact that others were actually see that I was actually giving good advice compared to the time where I was giving nonsensical advice from that little quick fix gone wrong back then. I did have good intentions before I started riding high in being a princess, honest." “I know.” Kion calmly replied with a smile. “You always pull through with good advice from time to time. It’s just a matter of taming your pride and ego so that you don’t run off with your head and knowing when to be honest when it really matters.” “Yeah…” Bunga sheepishly replied in agreement. “…I guess.” “On top of that, it’s just a matter of learning humility and trying not to think much of it, even when being praised endlessly.” Kiara added. “I guess I could have done that too…” He again admitted before turning to Spike apologetically. “…before I decided not to listen to you.” The little dragon smiled and shrugged in response like Bunga would when forgiving someone. “Hakuna Matata, Besides, it's not like anything really bad happened." Right after the words left his mouth, the polo ponies hit the ball which then flew out, hitting the dragon-sneeze trees, causing them to tumble down like a line of dominoes and one landed on the water main, finally breaking it and releasing the large portion of water which aimed at one of the crystal glass windows of the ballroom. The water flooded the entire room, wiping away the tables, banners, chairs, even the group of friends. This was witnessed by Princes Cadance who flew into the room, shocked to see what was happening. Kion, Bunga and Kiara quickly managed to climb up onto the stage, before they could all get soaked. "This is unexpected!" "What happened?!" Cadance urgently asked. Bunga cringed sporting a nervous smile, "I guess we should have had that main fixed after all, huh?" Both the prince and princess glared at Bunga before focusing their attention on the ongoing crisis at hoof as Kion quickly turned to the nearby alicorn princess. “Cadance, go shut off the main! I'll get rid of the water!" Cadance flew out and Kion quickly flew down ready to try his work at his newly bestowed alicorn magic on this mess. Remembering Twilight’s teachings, he calmly looked on as he kept his cool while processing his spell through the palms of his paws which caused the water to all turn into ice. Upon landing on the ice, he gave a simple tap on it with a single retracted claw. With that single touch, the ice all shattered and all turned into vaporized dust because of the heat from outside. Just like that all of the overflowing water was vanquished. Outside, Cadance used her magic to shield off the broken main by forming crystalized stones around it. Thanks to her spell, the water stopped pouring allowing both her and Cadance to sigh in relief. Even though the room is still a mess, the water was all gone. Spike walked up to the tall statue for the summit. "At least the statue's okay." Only for his nose to get all stuffy and eyes getting watery due to sniffing the petals of the dragon sneeze flowers. "Oh. Oh, no. Oh, no!" Predictably, he sneezed, causing the whole statue to break apart. The group of friends gasped in horror at the sight of what was in front of them, the statue was broken, the room was a mess, in addition many delegates coming inside looking on in horror at what was in front of them too. Fancy Pants gasped in shock. "Oh, my! What is the meaning of this?!" This was not good and Bunga knew that this was all his fault. "Well, uh, you see, there was this polo game, and—" Fancy Pants turned to the worker pony, "How could you let a water main burst on Canterlot's most important day?!" "Hey, don't look at me! Princess Twilight said to stop working on it!" Fancy Pants turned to the green Pegasus, "Well, what about these trees?! I ordered them trimmed to avoid just such a situation!" "But the princess told me to stop, bub!" "Why would the princess make such horrible decisions?! This all could have been prevented!" Bunga stepped forward, trying to explain to everyone what really happened. "Please, everybody, listen! I'm so sorry all this happened!" "What are you apologizing for?" Fancy Pants asked ignoring the honey badger and unknowingly causing the lion prince to fume in frustration. "These were Princess Twilight's awful decisions!" "I'm about to blow my stack on Princess Twilight, I'll tell you that for nothin'! The Whinnyapolis delegate angrily said. "Yeah, me too!", The Manehattan delegate angrily agreed. "I'll not let Princess Twilight give Canterlot a bad name in the eyes of Equestria!" Fancy Pants furiously declared. "Come on, everypony! Let's go give her a piece of our minds!" “ENOUGH!” Kion shouted with a fierce Roar being heard from outside with the Great Lions of the Pride Lands Past roaring alongside him as he moved to fly through the window and stood before everyone facing Bunga. “I understand that you’re all upset with what has happened throughout today, but ganging up someone isn’t the answer. Nor is violence.” He glared at the very few who were ready to storm with pitch forks in tow to which some of the Canterlot Guards whisked away with their magic along with a “Seriously?” glance in their direction. "Especially when said pony had nothing to do with anything that had happened today. Isn't that right, Bunga..." Kion then turned to his friend with a stern look to compel him to confess the truth. "Kion’s right.” Bunga moved to do as he has been silently ordered to. “It wasn’t Twilight who made those decisions. It was…" "Hey everypony!" Everyone turned towards the door, where a well-rested Twilight walked in, stretching her legs, "I haven't slept like that since I was filly---holy Celestia! What happened?!" “That’s my question too.” Spike commented. “Geez…” Twilight looked on completely bewildered with what had transpired while her back was turned. “…it looks like a twister hit this place.” Fancy Pants approached the princess on behalf of the angry crowd. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, we demand an explanation for all of this! Where have you been while all of this was happening?" "Good question." Twilight looked over at her friends expecting them to answer it themselves. "Guys, what's going on?" Bunga stepped forward while laughing nervously and fiddling with his fingers. “Um... you needed to sleep. And both Kion and Kiara said you couldn't be disturbed. And there was this bird, and, well... long story short, I made a few decisions on your behalf." "A few decisions?!" The alicorn angrily exclaimed, finding it a complete exaggeration with what she is seeing around her as she examined the broken statue in front of her. "Well, maybe more than a few, but I had good intentions! Honest!" He took notice of all the glares he received, including Cadance. "Until I... didn't anymore. I'm sorry, Twilight. I guess I got a little carried away. It-it just felt so good to have folks caring about my opinions on such important stuff especially when it was for once good and useful advice for the most part. I guess I was just enjoying feeling like a princess." Kion placed a paw over his shoulder, "Well, Bunga one of the most important things a princess or prince in this case can do is realize when he or she's made a mistake and fix it." "How do I do that?" "You could start with them." Twilight gestured to the rest of the upset and angry delegates, who are all expecting that apology for what he did and allowed to happen. Bunga sighed knowing this is expected out of him. “Right…” He walked up to the stage and spoke to the crowd, who all listened to him attentively. "Uh, hi there, everybody. So I guess I owe you all a pretty big apology. It's funny. Here we are at a summit that brings together ponies, lions, and all other animals from two different worlds together, and all I could think about was myself. You all came here to celebrate the things that make each of our homes so unique and special." He sadly gazed down at a single sapphire jewel, looking down at his reflection in regret, "But instead of getting into the spirit of things like all of you, I used my friend's position to make myself feel good. I can't expect you all to forgive me but, I hope you can at least give me a chance to make it up to you." The honey badger moved to start picking up all of the gems and tried to put the statue back together. It was a sweet and noble attempted gesture, but a little futile since it collapsed every time he tried to place it back together. When Bunga reached for a ruby, it was suddenly surrounded by Fancy Pants golden aura. "The Canterlot ruby goes here, old sport." The Whinnyapolis delegate placed their gem as well, "And ours goes here, don't'cha know?" Every pony and Pride Lander gathered together to reconstruct the statue back to together. One by one, the gems were placed in their rightful spots, like connecting pieces of a puzzle together. It was truly a wondrous moment. Once all of the gems were placed, the statue now stood even brighter than it did before. "Does this mean you forgive me?" Bunga asked hopefully. The Manehattan delegate smiled while speaking on behalf of everyone here today. "Sure! You know, the whole idea of the statue is that when each of us plays our own small part, it adds up to somethin' great." Princess Cadance addressed to the crowd, which gazed up at the stunning statue, "I hereby dedicate the Citizens of Harmony statue to everybody who plays their part, no matter how big or how small!" The audience cheered for Bunga, not only for his courage to take responsibility for his mistakes, but for reminding them all what the Equestria summit was really all about. Kion moved to give him a friendly jab to his elbow while Kiara gave him a pat on the back for a job well done. "Guess you're not such a bad princess after all, and that’s coming from me." The lioness remarked with a prideful smirk. Bunga giggled in response when one of the delegates gave him a bouquet of flowers. Dragon sneeze flowers which unfortunately caused Spike's eyes started to water again. "Aw, come on! Ah--ah--aaaaaaaahhhh-CHOO!!" Thankfully, his fire didn't destroy the statue again, for Bunga had quickly tackled him and redirected his line of fire barely avoiding getting burned himself. Everyone looked on in shock as while the statue didn't fall and crumple apart again but one of the stained glass portraits of Simba’s triumph over Scar at the first Battle for Pride Rock was melted instead much to the king's shock when he just happened to peer his head outside when it happened. “Oops, sorry.” "My bad." Both boys quickly and hastily apologized. Simba sighed before calmly accepting their apology knowing that with magic it can be easily fixed. “Hakuna Matata, boys. Accidents happen.” “Truer words have never been spoken.” Twilight commented with a smile before moving to repair it with her magic alongside Kion. “So very true.” Kion said in agreement while joining his friend in flight as everyone looks on at the proud reminder of what served as the beginning of freedom from what could have been a death sentence to ever Pride Lander had Simba not returned to reclaim the throne. And given that Scar's eyes are looking on ahead with magical visuals from the Outlands Volcano, he knows that day of the year is coming soon, and by that he is made it a personal vow that he'll be ready for them by then as he eyes someone with four blood red eyes walking inside the caldera ready to talk with him about it. He smirked deviously as he turned to speak to him face to face...