Friendship is Revolution

by ultiville

Counsel

As it turned out, Rainbow meets all of Twilight's human friends at the impromptu meeting. When Twilight called Rosie to ask for Alanna's number, it hadn't taken much for her boss to get the story out of her. She'd come immediately, and called the others on her way.

Now Rainbow's introductions are done, and the five humans and two ponies sit around one of the closed bar's tables, an hour and a half before it opens. More accurately, seven humans and one pony sit around the table, while the other flits restlessly around the bar, but generally above it, despite Rosie's fears for her fixtures.

"And then he left, and gave me this weird card," Twilight finishes. "It doesn't even say what his job is."

"Probably some kind of spook," Annie-Jane says, "that's the kind of card they always have."

"Well," Alanna says. "the first order of business is: are you sure he was who he said he was, Twilight?"

"Not completely sure," Twilight says. "He seemed sincere, and his credentials didn't look poorly made or otherwise obviously forged, but I know nothing about what something like that is supposed to look like here, and barely more about reading human body language and facial expressions."

"Couldn't you do some kind of crazy lie detector spell or something?" AJ frowns at her.

"I do know a spell like that," Twilight speaks slowly, and frowns, "but mind magic is tricky at the best of times. Human minds might not work like pony ones, so it might give bad data, or not work at all. And honestly, it didn't occur to me. In Equestria you can't use that sort of thing on anyone that doesn't agree, so I mostly use it as a party trick."

"A party trick?" Rachel raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah! It's a paired spell: one target can tell if the other is lying, but no one else can. So you can do things like blindfold people so they don't know who knows if they're lying and then play a question game, or things like that."

"Man," Rachel grins, "I bet you have some wicked sleepover games they can't put on the show, eh?"

"You know it," Rainbow Dash smirks back at her. "There was this one time--"

"Girls," Alanna says, "I'm sure it's a great story, but perhaps another time? If you really have made an enemy in Washington, we need to figure out our plan."

"Well," Twilight's frown fades, "what can we do? If they decide we aren't citizens, we aren't protected by the law, right?"

"That's not entirely true," Alanna says. "Or at least, it's a lot more complicated. About the only thing they can do in a few days is not pass the law ruling that you are a citizen. If that happens then you aren't exactly a non-citizen, you're just still in legal limbo. Massachusetts says you're a person, and insofar as you were "born" anywhere, it was here. So there's a reasonable case to be made that this makes you a citizen by our current laws. If that's true, then they'd have to pass a law specifically saying you weren't, or get Massachusetts to amend its state constitution to do the same. And here, getting the government to actually pass a law is far harder than getting it not to."

"Wait," Rainbow Dash says," you lost me like, three words in. Can you give me the short version?"

"Even if they do what they threatened, I can probably make them waste a lot of time before they can actually throw you out."

"Oh."

"Alanna," Twilight frowns, "they said they were protecting us from things like reporters, and protesters and things like that. If they decided to stop, I don't know what will happen, and none of that even has to do with the law. And if you represent us, I'm sure there are all sorts of ways they could make your life worse too. Your government is much larger and more involved than ours. You don't have to do that for us. Even if they throw us out of the country, we'll be ok, I;m sure."

"Of course I don't have to do it, Twilight," Alanna smiles at her, "but I want to. And I'm not sure they'd throw you out peacefully - you said they threatened to label you a threat to security. They might lock you up, or worse. Besides, I'm not quite cynical enough yet to think it's just a coincidence that a magical pony princess appeared in my town. I believe you can do great things here, and I will help you do them."

Rainbow Dash grimaces and makes a gagging face, but Twilight leans up against Alanna affectionately.

"I'm so lucky I ended up meeting you all," she says, "you already risked so much to be there for me the first time. Are you all sure you want to do it again?"

None of the humans say anything, but all five gather her up into a hug. Rainbow flutters a bit closer, and Rosie scoops her up and pulls her in. She frowns, but doesn't try to get away, and in a moment the frown is gone too.

"Enough of being down on yourself," Annie-Jane says, "we're all in this with you, Twilight. We need more good people here, and you're a great one, even if you're a pony. And good people with reality-shaping magic are even better. I don't know where this one's going to end up, but we'll get there together."

"Thanks so much," Twilight says, then rolls her eyes. "Let's just hope it's not deported or shot."

"About that," Rachel says, "I found a lead in the case files. Someone was standing near the shooter and gave the police a rough description. I was thinking maybe we could go see him, see if he has anything else useful."

Dash, returned to the air, looks down at her. "Why do you think he'd tell us stuff he wouldn't tell them?"

"He might just remember more now," Rachel says, "no one's talked to him since that day, or at least not according to the case files I saw. And I thought maybe seeing Twilight would jog something in his memory. Or you might have a spell for that."

"I do have a few memory charms, and a potion Zecora taught me to make, though he'd have to agree, and I have no idea if I can get some of the potion ingredients here. But you're right, it couldn't hurt to ask."

"Great," Rachel says. "I don't have to go on duty for a few hours. Let's go now. Who's coming?

None of the other humans can. Alanna wants to start researching citizenship law, AJ has a prior engagement, and Fiona and Rosie have to work. So Rainbow Dash and Twilight accompany Rachel down to her car, and they're on their way.

---

The trip takes almost exactly half an hour. After about five minutes, Rainbow Dash stops being fascinated by the car, and starts complaining about how slow it is compared to flying.

"You're worse than a six-year-old," Rachel grumbles.

"Not my fault Twilight's too scared of silly wires to let us fly," Rainbow matches her tone.

"Did the show make up how often you crashed into her library?"

"I dunno, I haven't seen it."

"No," Twilight says.

"Then I don't want to fly with you until you've had some practice in the city," Rachel says, "I guess you pegasi can survive bolts of lightning, but if you got me wrapped up in a power like I'd be cooked like a chicken."

"Ugh," Twilight says, "I did not need to think about any part of that sentence."

"Me either," Dash says, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Do it out the window," Rachel says, lowering Dash's.

"Hey, neat," Rainbow perks up, supposed sickness completely forgotten, and sticks her head out the window like a dog. "I wish I had my goggles, this feels more like it!"

Rachel shakes her head and drives on. Soon they're pulling up in front of a nondescript looking house in Waltham, a town somewhat further out than Cambridge in the Greater Boston conurbation.

"This is the place," Rachel gets out, "let's see if anyone's home." They walk up on the porch and she presses the doorbell. There's no answer, but a moment later they hear a door slam from the rear of the house.

"What the hay?" Rainbow says.

"I don't know," Rachel says, "but if he's running away rather than answering the door, I want a word with him." She starts running around the house, and the ponies quickly follow. Rachel rounds the edge of the building first, then jumps back with a yelp, colliding with Rainbow right behind her. Both fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs as a car speeds out of the driveway, barely missing them.

"Fuck, he's long gone," Rachel says, gathering herself, "we'll never get back to my car in time."

"But why's he running away?" Twilight says. "That's like Shining's rule one of guard work, if they run, they've got something to hide. How will we find out now that he's gotten away."

"Buck that, he hasn't yet" Rainbow says, "get on my back, Rachel. Twi, it's time to fly."

"But, the power lines..." Rachel looks up with a frown.

"Ok, I'm only gonna say something this sappy once. I've never hurt anypony but me in a crash. You get that? I'm not gonna start now. Now get on my bucking back and let's get this guy!"

Rachel wraps her arms around Dash's neck, and both ponies take to the air, soaring after the fleeing car.

Comments

[ultiville]

4565874 Thanks for reading! If I do my job right, then you will eventually know the answers to these questions...