The Oxfeather Riot took place in Clawlogne, a griffon cultural center. It is laid out like many a pony city: while almost all griffons can fly, with all the tourists Clawlogne attracts, it is not uncommon to see ponies and many others who are confined to the ground, and the city council plans accordingly.
"Oh," Twilight interrupted, rapt and sitting attentively, "so it's like Canterlot? Lots of important buildings?"
Beatrix nodded as she began sweeping toys toward the closet. "I have never been to Canterlot, but 'lots of important buildings' is a good summary. Lots of normal buildings too, but even the cafes boast of their history. But Canterlot is on a mountain, while Clawlogne is closer to Ponyville's elevation. Anyway, the riot began with three things..."
The Oxfeathers, a long and proud line of griffons with larger-than-average wings. As with pegasi, griffons' magic was contained in their wings; the Oxfeather clan was known for being able to produce strong effects, and their lineage had been studied for generations.
Ludd Down, a square-jawed, sunken-eyed, fluffy-winged hero of the common griffon, who harbored innate suspicion towards anyone he viewed as "elites" attempting to lord over the rest. This included the Oxfeather clan, not because of their natural gifts, but because they taught their young to be superior.
And the brothers Flim and Flam, whose basic flavor of shenanigan would remain unchanged through the years. This time, they had acquired what they swore was a wing growth tonic. To their surprise, one of the Oxfeathers - Beatrix's older sister Alicia - volunteered to test it. When it failed to produce measurable results, they were run out of town.
Except it did produce results, though this would not be seen until later. Alicia had been pregnant at the time, and her daughter showed a slightly larger than usual wingspan by her third year. She had kept the elixir; testing revealed it was an alchemical mixture from Zebrica, the active ingredients of which were soon identified and refined. Other Oxfeathers, and family friends, were recruited to test the result. In the end, this resulted in three nests' worth of eggs, being taken care of-
"Wait, back up," Twilight interrupted again. "You just...tested on your children? Just like that?"
Beatrix shrugged. "At worst, it would do nothing, so there was no harm. Believe me, if this unnerves you, the things my ancestors tried would upset you far worse."
"W-well..." Twilight looked away for a moment to calm herself. "I can see the logic in it, I guess?" Inner harmony restored, she looked back at Beatrix. "But I know a lot of ponies who...well, they'd have strong opinions about something like that. I'm having a hard time imagining it was different for the griffons."
"It wasn't." Beatrix stared at the Celestia-mark banner for a short while, then finally looked back at Twilight. "You have to understand. If it worked, it would be a boon to all griffons. But yes, many were uneasy with it. Unlike them, you aren't zipping off to murder my child."
"WHAT?!?" Twilight's jaw dropped. "I read that Rainbow Dash saved some eggs, but I thought the article was just playing up...I mean...they weren't in harm's way by accident?"
"They were what the riot was about."
Ludd was at the forefront - literally - of the unease. He stirred up a crowd with a firey speech, then lead them toward the nursery where the three nests were kept. This crowd was angry, chanting slogans and holding signs as they marched down the street.
It was since proven that some in his mob were...how do you say it...agitators, placed to make the riot look bad. Some believe that most of the mob was made up of agents from all manner of powerful groups who wished to smear Ludd's name, unaware of one another. I am sure it was they who vandalized the shops they passed. Minor things - upsetting chairs, knocking over potted plants - just enough to threaten more. Fear, in a place like Clawlogne, can be far more effective than actual damage: broken things can be repaired, but scared-away tourists tell their friends and mean a permanent loss of business.
No one stopped them on their way. Business owners, visitors - everyone who saw this mob coming just ducked indoors and let them pass. Everyone but one pegasus, at an outdoor cafe table too close to the mob's path.
Afterward, Rainbow Dash would claim that she had been thinking about home and how much she missed her friend Fluttershy, and that is why she did not notice the mob coming until they tried to push her chair over with her in it. As surely you know, when Rainbow Dash is shoved she shoves right back. Witnesses saw this happen, and while no one knows exactly what was said, apparently she soon discovered what the mob's intent was.
There were ten of us, between the mothers and doctors, bracing to confront a mob that looked like hundreds, possibly a thousand. We had no hope and we knew it - but then she soared up from the mob, rushed in front of it, and stood blocking their path. I will never, ever forget what she said next.
"What's wrong with you?"
Her words stopped the mob in their tracks. Or maybe it was her pose. Looking back on it, we were scared and they knew it; our barricades were no deterrent. But one pegasus, alone and armed only with courage, was enough to defy their collective rage.
"What kind of monsters kill their own children?"
Ludd, at the front, attempted to argue, but his words were beneath her. He tried to step around her, but she sidestepped to block his way. Others in the lead attempted to get past, but she leaned to the side to bar them too, daring them to actually touch her: a line they were not willing to cross, though they may not have known what those behind them were doing. She had chosen a narrow point of the street to guard: on one side was a statue that flowed out of the building, on the other a tall shrub, such that only two or three griffons could pass side by side. Even this should have been too much to block, but she managed it. So intent was the mob on marching that none simply flew over her as she had flown over them. Those behind the front piled up, and after being stuck for a short while, began to disperse.
"It was a miracle. No one was hurt, because of the selfless heroism of a pony." Beatrix took a moment to close her eyes and wipe them with the flat of her claws. "Newsgriffons swarmed her afterward, capturing the story in detail. They caught up with a few of the protestors, who unanimously said that seeing a pegasus - not even one of our own - selflessly defending our eggs moved them to question their actions. Deliberations over what to do with she who had saved so many children took a month, by which time she had returned to Equestria. I don't know if she ever officially received word she had been nominated and confirmed as a Sah. So, I came here to tell her."
Twilight's mind worked in tandem with itself, as it often did. One part filed away the story for later review, linking it to the reformation of procedures and standards for testing magic on sentient subjects that it had spawned, which Equestria would later model (and which Twilight had chafed against at one point, which triggered just enough research to read that the Oxfeather Riot had caused them). Another part mused on Rainbow's likely reaction to her Sahhood. A third part spotted a fib at five paces: the distance between her and Beatrix. "Years later. With your kid."
Beatrix nodded. "I wanted her to see one of the lives she saved."
"And that's the only reason you're here."
Beatrix twinged, dropping the last of the toys she had been putting away.
Twilight smiled. "It doesn't matter. So long as you're not here to hurt her, sure, I'll introduce you." A fourth part of her mind played through scenarios, iterating through all the likely ways the meeting could go wrong and how to counter for them. By the time Beatrix had collected Bertha and the three of them were off to find Rainbow Dash, Twilight was confident that one of the scenarios would come true.
Twenty minutes later, her list discarded to the same mental graveyard she sent most disproven theories, Twilight mused that Applejack would have called such confidence, "tempting fate".