"Meow."
No response.
"Meooow?"
".what do you want?"
"MEOW!"
"Oh, right! Today we have to do our first test of the new magically enhanced explosive!" Sparky Blaze was giddy with excitedness with his new explosive formula, since his last string of magically powered explosives never seemed to detonate, either due to the weather ponies messing up the schedule and making rain fall on the test site or due to freak magical mishaps.
Today he was sure, no, he KNEW that today he would finally test it and be able to prove to everypony that explosives could be made to destroy the intended target and not affect ponies, or anything that wasn't meant to be wrecked. Sure, his last test with it didn't get him any closer to his goal, but that never stopped the ambitious yellow unicorn, after all.
Sparky Blaze usually spent most of his days working on explosive formulas and chemistry experiments, and had a vast knowledge of explosives. Right after breakfast, he ran to put the finishing details on his new experiment.
A While Later...
"Zippo! Come here for a second!"
Zippo, Sparky's yellow tabby cat, came out of the house wearing his special yellow hard hat, which he always wore on special days like this one. He looked around at the field, and didn't see his owner anywhere.
"I'm in the shed!"
That got the cat all rilled up, and soon enough Zippo got to the shed, or at least what Sparky called a shed. If the inventor of the shed ever got a chance to see it, he would probably scream his head off and go on self-imposed exile out of equestria. For this 'shed' didn't look like a shed at all, or at least not anymore. Some parts of the wall were charred with what seemed to be results of impromptu combustion accidents, there were many tools on the walls, and the most notable thing of all: it had no roof. Sure, ponies would call Sparky 'crazy' if they knew about this, but then again, who would ever see it? Sparky lived in the middle of nowhere. Not really, more between Canterlot and Ponyville, to be exact.
And soon enough, Sparky noticed the yellow cat waiting for whatever his owner had summoned him for.
"Ok Zippo! You know what we're doing today, so I need you to grab my saddlebag while I finish setting up the magical detonator. After that, we'll go ahead and set it all up in the bomb range!"
The magical detonator was a great piece of equipment that Sparky had designed himself. It basically detonates whatever its connected to when a unicorn uses a basic signaling spell on it, also his own creation, and as a bonus, if it detects any life inside a 100 meter radius around it, it disarms the bomb. Truly, a great gadget.
"Meow." Zippo was back, now with a rather big yellow saddlebag on his back.
"I'll take that, thanks Zip!" the saddlebag floated over to Sparky's back, and once he felt it was secure, carefully put the new bomb prototype in it.
"Let's go over to the bomb range and see what this thing can do!"
The bomb range wasn't much more than a barren field with a few wooden props and cardboard pony cut-outs placed in a random fashion, and a small trench that could fit two or three ponies, depending on how willing one would be to completely ignore the concept of personal space. Sparky Blaze was very crafty, that was true, but his special talent didn't bring in much in the way of bits since most of his profit came from mining companies, and they didn't really buy much at a time, because it was a bit of a hassle to use explosives in mines. That was what Sparky was trying to change with his newest prototype.
After an eneventful walk to the range, Sparky and Zippo were ready to set it all up. First they moved all the pony cut-outs to standart distances, and Sparky made sure to put the wooden props in the right places, and then he finally placed the bomb in the very middle of the range.
"Alright Zippo, it's time, don't ya think?"
"Meow!"
"If you say so! Let me just arm the magical detonator and we'll be set!"
Luckily it didn't take long to do that, since Sparky simply impaled the poor bomb with the device.
"Ok Zippo, get in the trench, it's showtime!"
Almost tripping with anticipation, Sparky galloped with Zippo and hopped into the uncomfortable trench, and now there was only one thing to do.
"FIRE IN THE HOOOOOLE!"
"MEEEEEEOOOOOOW!"
And just like they hoped, nopony answered. That meant that nopony was in the area and it was safe to detonate the package.
"Ok, here goes nothing." Sparky said hopefully while powering up the signaling spell.
"3... 2... 1... 0... DETONATION!" He activated the spell while Zippo ducked under him.
*poof*
"...what?"
Sparky risked a look, and sure enough, the bomb did not go off.
"Oh no... not this! NOT THIS!" Sparky was, understandably, very fustrated. "I worked for too long on this for it not to work! I demand you blow up, for Celestia's sake! Blow UP!"
And just then the bomb started glowing. Not very bright, at least not for Sparky to notice, but sure enough, it kept glowing brighter and brighter until he noticed it. He frowned. Then it it started burning.
"What the hay is this?! Zippo! Get back in the trench! Something is going on!" He shrieked while sprinting to the trench.
He almost made it.
That's right. Almost.
There was a blinding flash, brighter than Celestia's Sun, and a loud bang that was heard all the way in Canterlot. Today was not Sparky Blaze's lucky day.
Celestia's Day Court, Canterlot
Celestia loved her subjects even more than a mother loves her foal, but that din't make day court any more fun for her. Sometimes she would wish that something, anything came up that could save her from enduring the most boring part of being a princess of Equestria. That said, she seriously did not expect what happened at all.
"...and that is why, me, Prince Blueblood of Equestria, think that from now on all bits should have my striking likeliness on them."
Celestia sighed. For twenty tense seconds.
"Blueblood, I repeat, I will NOT recall every bit from Equestria just to put your face in it. Even if you did request this, how many times again?"
The Royal Secretary replied, trying not to giggle, but failing. "This is the twenty-first time he came here asking this."
"Right. Even though you came here twenty-one times, I will not change my mind on the sub-"
*BOOM*
"What the hay was THAT? Blueblood, if that was you, I swear, you will-"
"TIA! DID THOU SEE IT?! TIS AN EMERGENCY!" Luna screamed as she teleported a small distance form the floor in front of Celestia.
"Luna, please, quit with the Royal Canterlot Voice and show me what it is! Does it have something to do with the bang?!" Celestia was clearly distressed at this point.
"LOOK OUT THY WINDOW TIA! TIS THE END! ARRANGE THE ARMY! TIREK MUST BE BACK! OR DISCORD! OR BOTH!"
Celestia, not even bothering to listen, looked out the window. She then saw an orange dome of fire and magic that soon dissapeared and gave way to a huge mushroom cloud.
"Oh goodie..." Celestia deadpanned "Just what I needed..."
"SHOULD WE SUMMON THE ELEMENTS, SISTER?"
"Please do." Celestia was in shock to say the least. "But I don't know how effective friendship will be against that shockwave coming right towards us..."
"WHAT SHOCKWAVE!?" Luna was panicking.
"The one that will hit us in about 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. " Celestia braced herself for the worst, the guards scrambled to put up a shield over their rulers, and Luna started bawling like a foal all while the secretary slowly sang 'It's a Beautiful World'.
Then it hit.
Today was NOT Celestia's lucky day.