I don´t know why you considered your fics edgy either. It seems that the edgy discussion from the spring have been applied over here: descriptions taking all the edge but having thoughts of avoiding deaths. So there is death and the Rush line that you wrote in the introduction sets the tone to what would happen if the French Revolution or the 1776 movement (though it doesn´t feel as close as the first because that song inspired you, almost like a punk hymn) that came into Equestria.

You are warning about authoritarianism, warning about abuse of power, about faking opposition and faking movements that costs deaths in the middle of the road and how they are unwilling to leave whenever their own society don´t accept them. That tritarchy (what saved Candy was that she wasn´t involved) failed and kept pushing an agenda to do some social engineering for some reason... an analysis to the elites that hiding their movements and that the writer over here, has experienced similar acts in California with BLM or SJW acts. It´s like Noam Chomsky lived over there and wrote his thoughts.

To me, this american writer hides one fear: his country blowing up because of moves that create storms and divisions. So do, confusions and collateral fire to everyone, fearing that he could get hurt in those yearly disasters, that the world collides and that the US commits huge mistakes in terms of diplomacy. At any moment, he fears about the system imploding in his face and how the injustice he sees around, makes him to go for those who search that freedom and change.

One of the reasons this fic doesn´t enter into the edgy territory for cool and hip is that the events are directly dark, makes you feel powerless and that those mistakes costs that one friendly nation turns around because of the elites playing with their money. Another reason why this doesn´t enter directly into it,it´s because of the protagonist. He tries to promise and hold the values that he won´t commit any acts of violence if possible or at least, making the biggest damage control for the process and try to defend the achievements made.

The Fillydelphia act described over here had served as the turning point in which the elites fear of their actions and commit huge mistakes of their own images, so the chess game is over and now they are fighting for their rich seat. The importance of that event is because the opposition was already established and was considered the black hole for the system. Trying to get rid of it cost all their power, sacrificing more pieces into the table.

Also, there are nods to the movie itself, the alicorn amulet from Magic Duel >>2759,the attacks that happened in Canterlot....