Blooming Talent 2: The Apple Falls Far

"This is unbelievable!" Trunks shouted as he slammed a fist into the marble counter of his home's kitchen; the force of the blow shattered the marble, and splintered apart the wooden cabinet beneath.

"Trunks!" Lyra exclaimed, taking a few steps towards her enraged boyfriend. "Be careful...that's the second counter you've crushed in less than a year.."

"He's completely right though!" Rainbow Dash said. "This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Why should Apple Bloom and Goten be banished all because they want their son back?!"

Trunks pulled his hand free of the wreckage that was once an island counter and rejoined the others in the living room, carrying the drinks he'd originally gone in there to get.

"I'm sure the Princess had a good reason for this...she has too.." Fluttershy quietly said, playing nervously with her hooves. "She's not that heartless, right?"

"I don't know," Pinkie Pie loudly added, popping up behind the timid pegasus and scaring her half to death. "She has done some pretty mean things in the past. Remember when she was Nightmare Moon?"

Rarity brushed a bit of her mane out her face and took a sip of her drink. "But she isn't Nightmare Moon, Pinkie; this is an all Princess Luna decision. And to be quite honest, it does not sit well with me at all."

"And it shouldn't!" Stated Trunks furiously. "Apple Bloom and Goten just had their son forcibly taken from them, and then told they weren't allowed to get him back, or they'd be banished! And this just after Apple Bloom lost her chance to get her siblings back!"

"As I understand it, you were part of that debacle, Trunks." Rarity pointed out, daintily taking another sip of her refreshment.

"All I was trying to do was calm Apple Bloom down...I never wanted to take her wish away..."

He moved over to the large glass door behind the couch and stared off into the horizon as the sun began its descent.

"I just don't understand how its fair.." Lyra said, swirling her own drink in its glass with her magic; the yellow glow making the normally clear liquid look like beer without the foam. "I mean, what if it had been their kid that Midas guy wanted? Would they have let it still happen?"

"I bet they'd try to pass the buck to another foal." Dash huffed as she hovered slightly above the floor; her temper too hot to allow her to land.

"This is all hypothetical, though." Rarity interjected. "As I understand it, Piccolo and Luna cannot have children because of physical complications."

"I guess that's why its so easy for them to make the decision; they never have to worry about something like this..." Trunks scowled not looking away from the ever sinking sun.

"How do you know this is easy for them? Surely they must be torn about this..." Said Fluttershy.

"Apple Bloom is a hero!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Why is it always her that has to give up something just so Equestria can stay safe? She risked her life to beat Sapphic, she brought us all back with the Dragon Balls, and then she gets denied her long awaited wish, and after that her son gets taken from her...and now she's been banished from Equestria! Torn or not, this decision is stupid!"

Fluttershy cowered behind her mane as Dash had gotten very close while yelling what had just been said. The pegasus backed off and finally touched down on the ground.

"Sorry, Fluttershy..but you've gotta know this is wrong.."

The yellow pegasus nervously stroked her own mane as she replied. "I just don't want to believe Princess Luna and Piccolo are as heartless as this is making them seem..."

Suddenly there was a frantic knocking at the door. Lyra quickly got up and trotted over to peek out and see who was here. She relaxed a little when she saw Octavia and Vinyl out on her doorstep and not some royal guard come to eavesdrop on them. As she opened the door to let them in, she marveled at how paranoid she had just been. It wasn't like they were conspiring...

"We got here as soon as we could." Octavia explained, trotting in briskly. "The train was running a bit late."

"We coulda just taken my Wub Mobile, Tavi." Vinyl said, magically removing her purple shades from her eyes.

Lyra closed the door, and fetched two extra glasses for the newly arrived ponies as they entered the conversation space.

"So what's the verdict?" Vinyl asked, plopping down on a chair.

"We're all pretty upset about the whole situation." Rarity informed. "But I think a few of us are trying to find a justification in all this."

"Justification-smashion," Pinkie said. "If that had been Pumpkin and Pound, I'd have fought tooth and hoof to save them, if Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn't get there first!"

"Yknow what kinda bugs me? I mean aside from the obvious?" Trunks finally spoke, turning inward towards the ponies. "We busted up Sapphic because he was trying to replace ponykind with changelings, and the ponies he didn't kill, he locked away in Canterlot Castle. Letting that Emperor Midas guy take Carrot just so Luna wouldn't have to worry about war with Saddle Arabia is almost like that."

"How do you figure?" Fluttershy questioned.

"We don't know what Midas is doing to that poor baby right now." The half-saiyan explained. "He could be in a dungeon chained up and being beaten into a weapon, just like the ponies of Equestria were held and used at Sapphic's disposal like tools..."

Octavia shivered slightly; the memory of her time in Sapphic's dungeon coming back to her at the thought of this. She specifically remembered the young colt who's neck the changeling prince had snapped just to make an example...

"I pray that is not what that poor young child is going through.." She quivered.

"But for all we know, he could be. And Luna is just fine with that, because it means that Midas MAYBE won't attack us!" Trunks said, putting an emphasis on 'maybe.' "In my eyes that makes her just as bad as Sapphic."

There was silence in the room for several, long moments; the air seemed to get thick as the ponies each figured what Trunks was saying.

"Are...you suggesting we take down Princess Luna?" Rarity finally asked, shaking a bit at the thought of such a deed.

"...I'm suggesting we do something." He told them. "My best friend and the hero of Equestria both lost their family and their home because of Luna and Piccolo...what if Midas decides he wants more? Will they bend to his will to keep peace? I can't risk something like that."

"But you don't know if that will even happen..." Fluttershy reasoned.

"No, I think Trunks is right." Dash stated.

Everypony gasped in unison; the Element of Loyalty had basically just said she was onboard with a coup. And she didn't seem upset about that fact.

"Just think about it." She continued. "What if this had happened while Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo had been younger. What if Midas wanted them? Would you want a leader like Luna around, giving in to demands, rather than some pony who will protect her citizens?"

"That's unfair thinking." Rarity muttered.

"You wouldn't want her, would you?" Dash said. "You'd fight for your sisters freedom. Regardless of what threatens you."

Silence once again fell upon the assorted conspirators. Lyra now had a very good reason to be paranoid of a guard stopping by.

"She's just trying to look out for the citizens of Equestria..." Fluttershy said. "She doesn't want war..."

"Carrot was a citizen too." Octavia added. "Why wasn't Luna thinking of him?"

"We can debate this all day, but we need to decide now." Trunks finally said. "I'm going to do something about this, for the future of Equestria. Question is,..which of you are with me?"