Chapter 7: Arrest
The first thing Rainbow Dash was aware of was that she hurt...everywhere. Her body was a single giant mass of constant aches. The second thing she was aware of was that, even though she was awake, she felt ridiculously tired, like she hadn't slept at all. She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but her own body seemed to be against the idea, with its prolonged agony keeping her from settling down. To make matters worse, her stomach decided to join in on the fun and assault Rainbow with a single clear and concise revelation. She was starving.
Slowly, painfully, Rainbow's eyes crawled opened, feeling like they had been glued shut. As she did, she found herself resisting the urge to squint as the ambient light of her surroundings assaulted her sense of vision. Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut with an angry groan, before forcing them back open, the effort only serving to worsen her suffering. This is so not fair, she griped to herself, If I'm gonna have a hangover, I'd at least like to go through being drunk first.
Having finally managed to get her eyes adjusted to the light, Rainbow's surroundings finally came into focus. They took in the soft white walls of sculpted cloud around her. Turning her head as much as the stiffness in her neck would allow, Rainbow managed to spot several Wonderbolts posters on the wall, as well as a small stack of Daring Do books on the table next to her. A relieved smile crept onto her face, she was in her room, in her house, in her own perfectly comfortable cloud bed. The realization in and of itself helped alleviate some of her pain.
Huh, how did I end up here? The last thing she remembered was addressing her team after they had finished the storm, only to black out afterward. Rainbow grimaced, embarrassed to have passed out in front of her team. At least one of them had been kind enough to bring her home. Although, now that she was here, she was a little confused about what to do next. She was still hungry enough to eat a Pinkie Pie Party's worth of cupcakes, but couldn't find the strength to get out of bed and get herself some food. To make matters worse, her throat felt sore and dry, meaning that she was sorely in need of water, which she was also too tired to go and fetch.
Great, I'm gonna die of thirst or starve to death in my own bedroom. Rainbow's pessimistic train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door to her room opening. Looking over, Rainbow saw a familiar-looking pegasus come trotting into the room, his outstretched wings carrying a pair of platters. One held a glass of water and a bowl of steaming something. The other held a tea pot and a small cup. Storm Front bent his legs and deposited the platter with the bowl and glass on the table. In a sharp movement, he slid his wing under the stack of books to make room for the other serving plate, which he then laid out on the table. Gently taking the books and laying them in an out of the way space, he turned his attention back to Rainbow.
"What are you doing here?" Rainbow croaked, her condition making her irritable. She also wasn't used to other ponies being in her house without her permission, much less one she had a few issues about trusting lately.
Storm Front stood over her, his expression impassive. "You passed out with Wing Exhaustion," he said simply, "I brought you here to recover."
Wing Exhaustion. It figures. Wing Exhaustion was a uniquely pegasus condition that occurred when a pegasus completely exhausted their natural reserves of magic. Rainbow Dash was no stranger to the condition, having suffered it frequently in her foalhood, due to her tendency to spend too much time practicing her tricks. However, having gained a predilection for naps, Rainbow hadn't experienced it in years. Realizing that she had overworked herself with that last storm, Rainbow was aware of the consequences. But no matter how much she knew she needed help, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but resent it.
If Storm Front was aware of her irritation, he was exceptionally good at ignoring it, instead reaching over and helping Rainbow sit up. Propping the mare up with one hoof, he reached out with the other and began to manipulate the cloud that made her pillow, molding it into a shape that would allow it to support Rainbow in a sitting position before letting her lay back on it. After that, the first thing he did was pick up the cup of water and offer it for her. Rainbow's own leg was too weak to reach for the glass, so Storm Front ended up having to bring it to her mouth.
Rainbow's anger evaporated as the water trickled down her throat. It was the perfect temperature, not too cold and definitely not too hot, soothing Rainbow's abused esophagus and moistening her dry mouth. Had Storm Front not carefully kept the glass tilted to regulate the flow of water, there was no question that Rainbow would have gulped it down as fast as she was able. Once the glass was empty, she felt infinitely better.
"Oh did I ever need that," she gasped, sighing in relief as Storm Front took the empty cup away, his mouth twitching in the slightest of smiles at her change in attitude.
Next came the bowl, which turned out to be full of steaming vegetable broth, its enticing scent making Rainbow's stomach growl loudly. Again, Storm Front held it to her lips as the mare gladly sucked down her liquid lunch, the warm broth soothing to her throat in its own way as well. It didn't fill her stomach the way a more solid meal would, but it definitely quieted the troublesome organ down.
Her thirst and hunger sated, Rainbow's eyes drooped as her body reminded her just how tired she still was. Looking over, she saw Storm Front gently pouring tea from the pot into the cup on its platter. She frowned slightly. Rainbow had never been one for tea. However, as the scent reached her nose, she found something enticing and refreshing about it. "What is that?"
"A blend of spearmint and chamomile," replied Storm Front, "There is no actual tea in this. It also contains some herbs that will induce your muscles to relax while you sleep." He held the cup up for her to sip from.
Not finding the beverage near as offensive as she had first thought and indeed, finding it quite enjoyable, Rainbow began to gulp it down readily. Once the cup was empty, she let out a heavy yawn, her eyes drooping. Already, she could feel the tea's effects, her body relaxing and the pain from her muscles beginning to fade.
Gently, Storm Front began to prod Rainbow's pillow back into its normal shape. By the time he was done, Rainbow Dash had already dropped into another deep sleep, her expression peaceful as she enjoyed a much deeper rest than she had before. Storm Front gently pulled the covers over her sleeping form and took the dishes away for cleanup.
Levitating a broom, Rarity swept the fallen leaves and twigs into the neatest pile she could manage, trying her hardest to gather up all the debris that littered the ground around the Carousel Boutique. All around her, other ponies were doing the same, clearing doorsteps and yards, sweeping roads and just generally cleaning up the mess left in the storm's wake. As expected, the weather team helped out where they could, using their wings to stir leaves and blow them all into one place to be gathered up. Twilight Sparkle's magic was as impressive as expected, having animated several brooms to sweep on their own and then help gather the leaves and cart the bags away. Twilight had already cleared the space around the library and was beginning to move on to the town proper.
"I must say, this is a fantastic spell Twilight, why haven't you used it before?" asked Rarity as she watched the brooms march past, their bristles moving as though they were legs.
Twilight's lavender cheeks flushed red as she grinned nervously. "Well, I hadn't yet completely worked out the spell. And the last time I tried this, it was with mops in the Royal Palace. I ended up flooding the throne room because I couldn't figure out how to get the mops to stop and they kept dumping water on the floor. The Princess actually thought it was pretty funny, but the clerks were furious that we couldn't use the throne room for a week afterwards."
"Ah that must have been terribly embarrassing," observed Rarity before giving her friend a dubious look, "You do have that little problem fixed, right?" While Twilight was a respected and talented magic user, her tendency to try extremely difficult magic sometimes lead to spectacular failures that often lingered in memory longer than her frequent successes.
Twilight gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Of course I do...I think."
Deciding she would rather not tempt fate, Rarity decided to simply get on with her own cleanup. However, as she looked around, she noticed the absence of a particular pony. "Where is Rainbow Dash? I'm well aware that this storm was important for our town, but the least she could do is help clean up after causing such an atrocious mess."
"Sorry," announced a jasmine pegasus from above, "Rainbow Dash isn't going to be doing much of anything right now."
"Why not?" asked Rarity as she looked up at Raindrops, a little irritable at the notion. After all, everypony else was helping with the cleanup. Fluttershy would be helping her animal friends clear up around their homes, while Applejack and her family were out with their orchards. Pinkie Pie was on the roof of the Sugarcube Corner, fixing sections where the storm had blown out some shingles. Even Rainbow's weather team, of which Raindrops was a member, were working to do their part. The idea that Rainbow would opt out of something so important was galling.
"Rainbow Dash is laid up with Wing Exhaustion," explained Raindrops, lowering down to land in front of Rarity, "She probably won't even be able to get out of bed for the next couple days."
"Wing Exhaustion!" exclaimed Twilight, who was still nearby. Hearing their conversation had induced her to come over and find out what had become of their brashest friend. "How in Equestria did that happen?"
Raindrops sighed heavily. "That storm was a monster to keep under control, so we were working around the clock to keep it from doing any more damage than it did." She swept her eyes around the town, giving the mess a meaningful look. The message was clear that, while this was bad, it could have been much worse. "Rainbow Dash divided us into shifts so we didn't wear ourselves out. But she never stopped working. On top of that, she was doing several times the work any of the rest of us were doing. When she finished, she would have just dropped out of the sky if Storm Front hadn't caught her."
"Good heavens!" gasped Rarity, "What in the world was she thinking, pushing herself that hard?"
"Gee I wonder," groused Raindrops, giving angry glares to several of the ponies around them, some of whom had stopped their work to listen in on the conversation. "Given that she's had to put up with a bunch of empty-headed neighsayers claiming that this drought is somehow all her fault and that it's only happening because she's lazy, I'm guessing she might've thought she had to put out a ridiculous amount of extra effort to prove them wrong...not that she needed to."
Rarity blinked, somewhat in the dark on the matter. She gave a questioning look to Twilight who groaned. "Basically a bunch of ponies have been claiming that the whole problem with the lack of rain is Rainbow's fault, even though it's because Cloudsdale isn't supplying us with any clouds and the law prevents the weather team from creating their own weather."
Several of the ponies around them were beginning to look quite ashamed with themselves, some looking at the ground forlornly. However, there were still a few stubborn holdouts who returned Raindrops' angry glare.
Rarity snorted, the indignant sound being rather foreign to a lady of her refinement. "Honestly, what a bunch of buffoons, believing that Rainbow Dash would be willing to allow us to suffer like that. Honestly, there aren't words to describe the level of idiocy that would entail. And anypony that believes otherwise should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves."
Rarity's words were like stinging barbs to several of the listening ponies, many of whom flinched visibly at her anger. Many of the holdouts folded and those who didn't turned to return to their work, knowing better than to draw greater wrath on themselves.
Rarity turned her attention back to Raindrops, who seemed rather satisfied with the behavior of the listening ponies. "Will Rainbow Dash be alright?"
Raindrops nodded, a relieved smile on her face. "Storm Front is taking care of her right now. He said she should recover quickly if she doesn't try to push herself again before she's ready."
Both unicorns let out relieved breaths at that. "Thank goodness," said Twilight. She turned to go back to her work, but paused as three shadows swept across the ground, coming towards the group from down the street. Looking up, her eyes widened as she took in the sight of three pegasi flying in close formation. The leader of the group was dressed in a finely tailored suit, his posture rigid as he passed over Ponyville. Arrayed behind him were pair of burly gray pegasi clad in gray armor with blue highlights, the colors of the Cloudsdale City Guard.
"Who the hay!" exclaimed Raindrops as the three passed over, "Those guys are heading towards Rainbow Dash's house!"
"Raindrops!" snapped Twilight, getting the jasmine pegasus' attention, "Get to Town Hall right now. Tell Mayor Mare to round up the Town Guard and get them down to Rainbow's house right away."
As Raindrops sped away to follow her instructions, Twilight turned and set off towards Rainbow's house at a gallop, Rarity falling into step beside her. "Whatever is the matter Twilight?"
"Rainbow told me that, even though they haven't done anything to alleviate the drought, Cloudsdale's authorities are still cracking down on towns that are trying to make their own weather. I think those ponies are on their way to arrest Rainbow."
"What?" gasped Rarity, stumbling briefly, "Why those ruffians. I won't let them get away with this."
"No," agreed Twilight, lowering her head and pushing herself to run faster, "We won't."
The door of the cloud house sounded with several sharp raps. Storm Front looked up from the book he had been reading. Having cleaned up the dishes and with Rainbow Dash still fast asleep, he had little to do until she woke up again. Fate, it seemed, had conspired to supply something to occupy his time. As he got off the couch, the pony on the other side of the door rapped sharply again.
"Rainbow Dash, open this door immediately! You will be given one minute to comply before we break it down."
Storm Front swung the door open to confront the pony standing outside. The sharply dressed stallion glared contemptuously at Storm Front, who let it wash over him without showing the slightest reaction.
"Rainbow Dash is indisposed at present," said Storm Front, "I can take a message for her, but otherwise you should come back later; about five days would be preferable."
"That is not for you to dictate," snapped the officious pony, "We are not here to make an appointment. As of now, Rainbow Dash is under arrest. I am here with orders to take her into custody. As you can see..." he stepped aside to allow Storm Front a clear view of the armored stallions behind him, "...these gentlecolts are here to see that this is done. It would be unwise to impede them unless you want to join Miss Dash in prison."
Storm Front tilted his head slightly as regarded the rather muscular armored ponies on the front porch. They didn't give him so much as a look, their faces fixed straight ahead. They probably wouldn't give him so much as a glance unless he became a threat, or a target.
"I see," said Storm Front, his tone still calm and neutral, "However, Rainbow Dash is still in no condition to see you, so you will have to come back later." He began to close the door.
The bureaucrat's hoof slammed into the door, forcing it back open. "You seem to misunderstand," he said in an oily tone, "I don't care what Miss Dash's condition is. She is considered a criminal by the city of Cloudsdale and has no rights. Now stand aside."
Storm Front slowly stepped out the door, his placid gaze washing over the suited stallion. "I have no interest in allowing an illegal arrest to occur. If you insist on abusing your authority, I will stop you."
"I-illegal," sputtered the other stallion, "How dare you! Rainbow Dash stands accused of illegally drawing weather from the Everfree Forest in violation of the laws governing the Equestrian Weather Service. This arrest is perfectly legitimate."
Storm Front didn't flinch before his adversary's fury. "Rainbow Dash initiated emergency procedures for drought conditions as permitted by the law. According to the law, once the lead edge of a storm system passes into Equestrian territory, the entire storm is legal to manipulation. This was witnessed by the entirety of the Ponyville weather team, who confirmed that the storm's lead edge crossed the boundary of the Everfree Forest before all efforts to use it were attempted. Therefore, your order for arrest has no legitimacy."
The suited pegasus' eyes reddened and he looked as though he might try and attack Storm Front himself. However, with a visible effort, he forced his anger back under control and calmed himself down. In fact, he gave Storm Front an amused smile. "It's quite funny that a low-class weather pony has the gall to argue with me regarding the law. Your words are pointless. We are not here for a discussion, we are not here for an argument. We are here to take Rainbow Dash into custody. Nothing you can say will change that."
"Is that so?" asked Storm Front, noting that the two armored stallions' dispositions had changed. They apparently did not appreciate his interference. Their expressions had hardened considerably (quite the feat considering they were already stony to begin with) and their gazes had fixed pointedly on the dark cloud-colored pegasus barring their way. Storm Front lifted a single hoof. "If you attempt to continue, then I will stop you."
He was fixed by a final glare from the bureaucrat, who raised his hoof off the cloud porch. "Arrest him." He slammed the hoof back down, apparently the signal for attack. The two guards behind him surged into motion, charging past him. As they did, jointed metal blades slid out of their armor and onto the leading edge of their wings and extending out like extra primaries. Wing blades were once considered the premier pegasus weapon, allowing one to do serious, even lethal damage with a single pass. Even the pegasi of the Royal Guard rarely used such equipment, given its lethality. Most town guards did not arm their pegasi thusly and the Royal Guard only did so when the situation was considered dire enough that lethal measures were considered a necessity. However, in Cloudsdale and other pegasus cities where old traditions flourished, the town guards still regularly carried such weapons, even if they were still rarely employed. Their intimidation factor alone caused many a pony to back down before blood was shed.
However, Storm Front was not intimidated. Snapping his right hoof out, a metallic gray blur darted out, smacking head-on into the charging guard on the left. The metal weight impacted on his helmet, throwing his head back and stunning him that his legs could no longer sustain their charge. His front legs buckling, the guard tipped forward and fell face-first onto the cloud porch. The guard on the right continued to charge in without the slightest hesitation, intending to take advantage of Storm Front's strike against his comrade. Seeing the length of the weapon, he had already reasoned that Storm Front would be unable to employ it properly at a close range.
The guard was woefully mistaken. A twitch of Storm Front's fetlock retracted the weight faster than a striking snake. Rather than try to reel in the cord, he instead wrapped it over his elbow, the resulting wrap taking in the cord's length. The same movement also sent the weight swinging in a rapid upward arc that smacked right into the guard's chin, knocking the stallion off his hooves and sending him falling backwards. The guard's comrade was already getting up and preparing to launch himself at Storm Front.
The weight whipped through a figure-eight pattern, rapidly reversing the direction of its swing. At the same time, Storm Front unwound the cord from around his elbow with the motion, sending the weight into a descending strike that slammed it home right into one of the most vulnerable areas on an armored and armed pegasus, the point where his wing extended from his armor and the joint where the wing blade was mounted. Both the blade and the guard's wing snapped and with a pained howl, the injured stallion dropped.
The second guard was slowly recovering from his daze after receiving a serious blow to the chin. Just as he sat up, the cord of Storm Front's weapon wrapped around his neck. With a yank, Storm Front jerked the guard forward, stepping in as he did so. Raising his free hoof, he reached under the guard's peytral and drove it into the stallion's unarmored stomach, sending the breath rushing out of his lungs. The guard collapsed wheezing and trying desperately to regain the ability to breathe.
The conflict had taken a hooffull of seconds. The suited pony's expression of arrogance melted away to shock and fear as his muscle collapsed right in front of his eyes. With swift motions, Storm Front wrapped the cord around his body several times, catching it where the cord was connected to the weight and holding it taught as the cord itself ran over his shoulder and around his barrel.
"Wha-what-what was that?" gasped the official, gaping at the tableau before him.
"This is the liúxīng chuí," replied Storm Front casually, "It has been my weapon of choice for many years. I believe that the Equestrian name for it is the meteor hammer."
"You can't do this!" shouted the once imperious pegasus, "Assaulting members of the Cloudsdale Guard is a serious offense."
For the first time since the conversation had started, Storm Front's expression changed as he smirked openly at the suited stallion. "Of course that was a serious offense. I wouldn't have gotten around their armor otherwise."
"Don't treat this like a joke!" howled the official, "You attacked officers of the law! You'll never see the light of day after this!"
"I was preventing an illegal arrest from taking place," replied Storm Front, "If you would like to dispute the matter in court, then I would be happy to oblige you."
"You won't ever see a courtroom!" shouted the official, "When I get back, I will bring enough guards to ensure that you can't fight them. We'll see how well your defense holds up in a cell after you're locked away for the rest of your life."
Storm Front tilted his head again. "Are you certain that you should be shouting your contempt for due process so openly? I'm afraid some rather important ears have heard your little rant."
The suited stallion's mouth snapped shut. Turning, he noticed the shadows of two ponies looming over him. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of two pegasus guards clad in gray armor with violet highlights hovering above him, both glaring quite fiercely at the official. Turning around, the official spread his wings and leapt into the air, trying to rush between the two members of the Ponyville Town Guard. However, a glittering green aura wrapped around his body, crushing his wings back in and pinning them to his barrel. Before his leap could take him over the edge of the cloud porch, the two Ponyville Guards were on top of him slamming the official down onto the cloud. Moving with the rapid ease of practiced professionals, they quickly had the Cloudsdale pony in hoof-cuffs and wing restraints. None too gently, they hauled the fettered stallion off of Rainbow Dash's porch and lowered him down to the ground bellow, where Mayor Mare and another mare, also dressed in Ponyville colors, awaited him.
"Welcome to Ponyville sir," Mayor Mare greeted, wearing a smile that could've frozen an erupting volcano, "Under normal circumstances, I would love to welcome you with the usual fanfare. However, since you've decided to start off your stay by expressing your contempt for the law and attempting to illegally arrest one of my citizens, I'm afraid that your reception will be decidedly less enjoyable."
The official groaned before glaring up at the mayor. "Don't think you can get away with this. My superiors in Cloudsdale will not tolerate this kind of affront."
"We shall deal with their displeasure when the time comes," replied Mayor Mare pleasantly, "In the meantime, you will be dealing with the magistrate shortly, a right that you should expect, even though you were so willing to deny it to my citizens."
The unicorn from the Guard led the official from Cloudsdale away, while her pegasus colleagues collected the moaning heaps off of Rainbow Dash's porch, what remained of the two Cloudsdale Guards that had tried to force their way into Rainbow's home.
Descending to the ground, Storm Front nodded his head to the Mayor. "Thank you for your prompt response."
"Well, we were warned beforehoof," remarked the mayor, directing a thankful gaze behind her, where Rarity and Twilight Sparkle waited. Storm Front bobbed his head to the two of them, who nodded back with smiles.
Mayor Mare turned her attention back to Storm Front. "I had best get back to Town Hall and take care of the paperwork this is going to generate. Have a pleasant day." With a wave, she set off in the wake of her guards.
Twilight and Rarity came up, both with concerned expressions on their faces. "Is Rainbow Dash alright?" asked Twilight.
Storm Front gave the two of them a reassuring nod. "Her recovery is coming along as well as can be expected. She just went back to sleep."
A sigh escaped from the two mares, relieved that their friend hadn't been troubled by this rather unpleasant altercation. However, Twilight quickly realized that they weren't out of the woods just yet. "This isn't over. We've arrested an official from Cloudsdale along with two of their own guards. There's no way that they're going to let this go."
"Probably not," agreed Storm Front, "Given the pattern of behavior that the ponies in charge of Cloudsdale have been following, they will likely mobilize their Guard once word of this incident reaches their ears. At the very least, they will use a show of force to try and intimidate the Ponyville authorities into releasing the prisoners..."
"And more than least?" asked Rarity.
"The force will not be for show and they will likely still try to arrest Rainbow Dash," answered Storm Front. He glanced up to the house above him. "Perhaps we should continue inside."
Fluttershy pulled the last of the fallen branches plugging the burrow out of its resting place and tossed it into the growing pile in the center of her yard. The storm's damage hadn't been severe, but the debris it left behind posed impediments to her animals' ability to move around their territory and needed to be cleared away. Dawn trotted over, adding his mouthful of sticks to the pile, Angel perched on his head and using a carrot like a director's baton to direct the colt's actions as the rabbit walked Dawn through his efforts to assist his mother.
The butter-yellow mare giggled at the sight, both happy and bemused by the connection that had grown between her closest animal friend and her son. Normally wary of strangers and with a temper that induced him to show his dislike of them openly, Angel could be a very difficult rabbit for most ponies to deal with. Surprisingly, he had shown Dawn a great deal of respect, though not friendliness right away, from the moment the colt had entered into Fluttershy's home. Dawn, in turn, treated the rabbit with a great deal of deference and the two generally got along quite well. As such, during Dawn's meditation sessions, Angel often perched himself comfortably on the ebony colt's head.
In general, Dawn fit in quite well with the many animals that inhabited Fluttershy's cottage and surrounding property. His quiet and slightly withdrawn nature, while unnerving to ponies, seemed to make the animals more at ease around him. While he lacked Fluttershy's gift for communicating more deeply with their furry friends, he appeared to be adept at understanding many of the basic signals the animals used to express themselves. She had no doubt that Dawn's period in the Everfree had something to do with that.
Unable to practice his forms with his wings bandaged, Dawn had turned to helping Fluttershy take care of her animals, a task that he had found to be rather easy and enjoyable, soothing even. And Fluttershy could only bask in the warm feeling as her son slowly but surely began to make himself evermore at ease in their home, as though he truly belonged there.
Fluttershy's reverie was interrupted by a rush of wings. Looking over, she saw a familiar gray pegasus come swooping down from the sky. Ditzy's expression was frantic as she charged in, seemingly heedless of the speed at which she was approaching the ground. Her approach was much too low and her dangling hooves were about to tangle with the fence around Fluttershy's yard, which would send her sprawling across the ground.
At the last second, Ditzy's wings bobbed slightly, lifting her above the level of the fence, her hoof barely rapping against it, before she dropped down onto the grass, landing at a run. "It's terrible!" exclaimed the mailmare as she galloped up to them, grinding to a stop before barreling into Dawn completely. The colt didn't so much as flinch at her abrupt arrival.
"Oh Ditzy," gasped Fluttershy, "What's the matter?"
"There were these ponies from Cloudsdale!" exclaimed Ditzy, "Twilight said that they came to arrest Rainbow Dash."
"What?" Fluttershy stared at Ditzy aghast. "What happened? Is Rainbow alright? Where is she?"
Dawn came between the two mares, floating as sedately as a cloud in the sky. "Calm down," he said to both of them, his voice even and relaxed. Turning to Ditzy, he spoke. "Did you see what happened?"
"Um no," replied Ditzy rather dejectedly, looking at the ground.
"How did you find out about this?"
Ditzy looked up. "I was dropping off some parcels at Town Hall when Raindrops came rushing in. She was shouting that some ponies from Cloudsdale had come to arrest Rainbow Dash because of that storm she set up yesterday. Mayor Mare actually called up the Ponyville Guard to go and stop them."
"And then what?" asked Dawn.
"I came straight over here," said Ditzy without the slightest hesitation. Having been friends with both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in their days since Flight School, her first thought had been to rush and tell Fluttershy what was going on.
Dawn nodded slowly. "Then we should go to Rainbow's house and find out what happened."
"Yes," agreed Fluttershy, who lowered herself so that Dawn could climb onto her back, "Let's hurry."
Rarity and Twilight were calmed by the sight of their friend sleeping soundly in her room. At Storm Front's urging, they made no attempt to disturb Rainbow and adjourned to the living room of her house, where the stallion had prepared tea for them.
It was Rarity who reintroduced the conversation. "So, if the authorities in Cloudsdale are going to make an effort to pursue this, what should we do?"
"We can't fight them," said Twilight, "It would be insane to have something like that break out between two Equestrian cities. It's been unheard of for centuries."
Civil strife had been all but nonexistent in Equestria since before the time of Nightmare Moon. Celestia and Luna's careful management had long prevented ponies from making war upon one another. Granted, such management was much more difficult in the absence of the windigos, who fed on anger and conflict. The princesses had sealed the foul creatures away with the Elements of Harmony not long after they had dealt with Discord. Even if conflict did break out, there was no risk of the icy beasts emerging to plunge Equestria into an endless winter. Unfortunately, the absence of the threat of unending winter should they fall back into disharmony meant that the three tribes and ponykind in general had to search for new incentives to avoid conflict with one another.
The two unicorns looked at their drinks pensively as they pondered the possibilities. An actual armed altercation between Ponyville and Cloudsdale...or any other city for that matter, was an exercise in absurdity. Twilight briefly reflected on the rumor Rainbow Dash had shared with her. Had Cloudsdale been compromised to such an extent that they would consider entering into open conflict.
"It would be quite bad," remarked Storm Front, "Cloudsdale is a larger city and still stands by some of the militant aspects of pegasus culture. Their Guard outnumbers Ponyville's by a considerable number and I warrant that their Guard has more comprehensive combat training."
Ponyville was a small and peaceful town. The low population, coupled with a considerable lack of violent crime of any kind (with the exception of certain recent events), resulted in a very small number of Guards. Even their training was considerably easier, given that their efforts tended to be geared towards crowd control and disaster response rather than actual combat.
"None of those differences mean a thing," said Twilight with determined certainty, "Because we can't allow a fight to break out at all. We need to find some way to avoid fighting altogether."
"Well, we could always just ask the Mayor to release the prisoners," suggested Rarity, "However, that doesn't sit well with me."
"Of course not," agreed Twilight, "Those ponies committed very real crimes and letting them go just to avoid causing trouble would be ridiculous. Not to mention that the leaders in Cloudsdale would probably see it as a sign of weakness and come down even harder on us in the future."
She settled her chin on her hoof. "What we need is something that they can't fight against, something that they won't fight against." She groaned and lowered her head, pressing her hooves to either side. "Ugh! If only the Princess was here. They'd never even think of starting something in her presence..." Twilight's voice trailed off. In front of the other two ponies present, her horn flared, producing a light bulb that lit itself before disappearing. "That's it!"
"What's it?" asked Rarity eagerly.
"We'll call in the Royal Guard!"
"The Royal Guard?" Rarity blinked. "Surely you don't intend on getting them involved in some unsightly brawl with those ponies from Cloudsdale. Even with your connections, I don't believe Princess Celestia would be willing to send enough to fight them off."
"They won't fight," explained Twilight, "The Guard from Cloudsdale wouldn't even think of trying to attack members of the Royal Guard. Any attack on the Royal Guard would constitute an attack on the authority of Princess Celestia herself. We don't need more than two or three of them. If they're here, the Cloudsdale Guard wouldn't dare try to start something."
"We'd need to act quickly," Storm Front pointed out, "Ponyville is more or less equidistant from Cloudsdale and Canterlot. Even if they act at the same time, the pegasi from Cloudsdale will still arrive here first."
Twilight gave him a grin. "Fortunately, I happen to have a way to give Canterlot a head start." Setting down her cup, she gave her friends a nod and lit her horn, vanishing in a blaze of violet light.
Rarity and Storm Front sat blinking away the motes in front of their eyes, temporarily dazzled by Twilight's flashy exit. Rarity recovered just in time to hear a series of soft knocks from the door. Getting up, she trotted over and slowly opened it, prepared for any kind of trouble. However, her anxiety melted away at the sight of a familiar yellow and pink pegasus waiting on the other side.
"Oh Rarity," said Fluttershy, "We heard what happened." She shifted slightly to show that Dawn and Ditzy were standing on the cloud behind her. "Is Rainbow Dash alright?"
Rarity gave her friend a bright smile. "Yes, she is quite fine. Please come in and we'll explain everything."