//------------------------------//
// Lightning Rod 
// Story: The Swift Spear of Street Justice 
// by pertelote345 
//------------------------------//

"I can't believe you didn't tell me he was coming." I said, dragging our captive along. The heavy iron cuffs had effectively hobbled him, so it was slow going, but at least he hadn't made a fuss.

Street chuckled. "It was a test kid. A test you passed by the way."

"Uggggh!" I ground to a halt and turned on her. "You know when it's okay to give people tests? When there isn't a dangerous fugitive knocking on our door!"

She rolled her eyes and pointed at the weedy, silent stallion. "Yeah, this guy's just terrifying isn't he?"

I clenched my teeth. "Anyone can be dangerous! You want to know where I heard that? From you! Five freaking hours ago!"

She stopped. "Look kid, I've been making arrests for over a decade. I know what I'm doing, and if I give you a test it's because I'm trying to keep you alive."

I threw up my hooves. "So I'm what? Dead weight?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You're a rookie kid, and if you weren't so green you'd be grateful that-"

Our prisoner coughed.

We turned on him. "WHAT!?"

He smiled uneasily and shuffled his hooves. "Look, I understand that office tension happens everywhere, but I really don't think you should be fighting like this. I worked in banking for years and I have to say if the tellers can't get along with the mortgage consultants the whole thing goes pear shaped." He let out a breath. "Learning from experience is important, but what's just as important is not underestimating people or overestimating  yourself." He smiled. "Case in point, now!"

There was a meaty smack as a hoof rammed into Street's face. I sensed the second stallion just before his hoof reached my skull.

So I grabbed his sorry ass and threw him.

He whipped over my shoulder and slammed into the ground. My staff was in my hooves in the blink of an eye and my situational awareness kicked in. There were two assailants, an earth pony and a unicorn. I'd smacked the unicorn down pretty hard, but his horn was flaring...

I didn't know what he was casting. I didn't care. I whipped my staff down on him and gave him a solid, whack on the head.

And then I used my secret weapon.

A staff needs to be sturdy, any sort of blunt weapon does. Fortunately, the wood I'd chosen was solid iron wood, and one little hole through the center wasn't going to change that. I charged up the cloud running through it and gave him more than a few volts.

I'd done this before. It wasn't going to kill him, but it wasn't an anaesthetic either. All I was doing was pumping enough juice into him to keep him down for a few minutes.

In combat, that was eternity.

The Earth Pony closed on me. I swung my staff at his chest, but he'd seen my moves and he was ready, parrying my blow with his hoof. I tried to zap him, but he'd hit the wood, not the metal. He saw the opening in my stance and took full advantage, driving me back.

I dodged. Earth ponies were made of nothing but muscle. If he landed a blow... well, I just wouldn't let him.

He swung again and I took to the air, flipping over his back. He blinked at air while I slammed my staff down on his head and let loose with the fury of a storm.

His legs buckled, and he fell down moaning. 

I guess I'd calibrated that just about right.

Our attackers lay on the ground. I'd burnt a lot of energy in a short amount of time, I was breathing pretty heavily... but I knew I still had a job to do. I stood as tall as I could I made my staff spark visibly. "You are under citizen's arrest. Don't move."

And that's when that damn banker's irons hit me.

I crumpled to the ground, blood rolling down my forehead. The tax evader chuckled, picking up a rock. "Nice light show kid, but you should never undere-"

There was a very, very loud bang as a shot rang out and a high velocity bean bag nailed him right in the gut.

He tumbled down.

I blinked.

From  down on the ground with the rest of us, Street Justice smiled a bloody smile.

"N-not bad rookie."