Fluttershy's Plight
Spike sat on the couch next to a very irritated Rarity. His mind was anywhere but the conversation at hoof between the alabaster unicorn and Twilight, both of which discussing Rarity's most recent visit to Fluttershy's.
Spike was thinking over what he had anticipated to happen in the coming weeks or months, if what Inquary had told him was true. The drake was trying not to think about it, but when Rarity had dropped by, Sweetie Bell was with her. Apparently, the filly hadn't been doing well in school and was in pretty deep with her parents.
Seeing her got Spike thinking about the conversation he and Inquary had, about what Shady and the black market had kept out of town. About what this supposed "red market" would do to ponies like the young unicorn and her friends. It angered him, it placed the dragon into a silent seething rage that shot spikes of heat through his limbs and made him tighten his muscles.
He felt obligated to help, but how?
He could stand guard over the school house and watch everypony walk home, but that didn't seem like a good idea for obvious reasons. He thought about spreading awareness via fliers, but that was more likely to either be laughed off or cause a panic than simply teaching parents to be cautious of their kids.
'Maybe you should talk to Inquiry again. If you're serious about wanting to help, anyway.'
But that was another thing, nothing was happening that he could help with.
"...it's absolutely dreadful, how the council could treat poor Fluttershy so unfairly is simply deplorable!"
'Maybe they haven't tried to come in yet. You heard what happened to the last criminals. I'd be surprised if any of those kinds of ponies came to town after that. Murphy not withstanding.'
Maybe, but still. What happens if they do? I'm not big enough or strong enough to do anything by myself.
'Spike, I want you to let me finish this before you say anything. Okay? I want you to keep calm and an open mind.'
Okay?
'Maybe you should, and I'm stressing the open mind thing here. Maybe you could ask Social Justice to be part of the-'
NO! No! Gah what is wrong with you!?
'Spike, dude, chill. Alright? Remember what I said about open mindedness. I'm not saying to go do it now, but if things get bad, that is an option.'
Yea, an option I'd rather not even think about, not after what she did to Twilight.
"Spike? Earth to Spike!"
The drake noticed his name being called and looked up.
"Are you with us? I was just talking about going to see Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rainbow Dash. Didn't you hear a what we were just saying?"
The drake rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, prompting Twilight to give a brief synopsis. The inspectors looked over Fluttershy's home to ensure she hadn't been harboring any animals that were considered "non-domesticated". None were found, non save a single white bunny rabbit named Angel.
The inspector noted the belligerent and borderline abusive behavior displayed by the rabbit and Fluttershy's inability to control him. According to Rarity, Fluttershy had done as she always did and made excuses for the rabbit's piss poor behavior, claiming that Angel was her pet, and that his disobedience was due to a fierce streak of independence.
The Inspector, on the other hoof, didn't seem to agree. He declared Angel feral and informed Fluttershy that she'd be subject to punitive measures if the rabbit was to be continued in her care.
The revelations was a bittersweet one. Spike had no love for Angel, he despised how the rabbit would take advantage of Fluttershy's kind nature, acting like a spoiled brat who'd go as far as committing acts of violence against her to get what he wanted; but he knew the pegasus loved him. She loved him dearly and would do damn near anything to take care of him. The poor mare was probably suffering the pain of having her own child taken away from her, a pain Spike didn't wish on anypony.
Paying her a visit sounded like a good idea.
The two ponies and single drake made way out of the library and for Rainbow Dash's cloud house on the outskirts of town. When they got there, they could hear an ungodly wailing coming from uphigh, a whailing that the trio deduced to be Fluttershy. Spike felt his heart sink as he heard her bawl. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, was suffering. She was suffering and she didn't deserve to.
"Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash, are you up there?"
A few moments passed and the cyan pony's head poked out of the front door. "TWILIGHT!" She cried, flying down and slamming into the lavander unicorn. "Twilight, I'm so glad you're here. Those... jerks at city hall! They told Fluttershy she couldn't take care of animals anymore!"
"I know Rainbow, that's why I-"
"I tried to go down there and tried to get them to stop, but those horse apple heads said it was against the law! Can you believe that? Fluttershy's been taking care of animals for years, they can't just go and make what she's doing against the law like that!"
Twilight struggled under the cyan pegasus' hooves, trying to escape her growing rage.
"They threw around a whole bunch of big words and legalese jargin that I couldn't understand and said that's why Flutters had to stop. You're an egg head, and the student of princess Celestia! You have to help us! You have to go down there and talk some sense into them!" Rainbow finished her desperate tyrade, looking down at Twilight with wide, pleading eyes.
Rarity used her magic to pull the pegasus off and lifted Twilight to her hooves.
Spike watched with baited breath. Twilight may have disregarded his opinion on the matter, but now that she was seeing the consequences of the council's decision, hearing Fluttershy crying with such abandon and Rainbow all but begging for her help, maybe now she'd see reason.
The unicorn began to justify the council's decision, but a little more begging from Rainbow halted her words.
"I can't stand seeing her like this, Twi. I just can't do it! I was so close to bucking Colgate in the face that it hurt not to! Please, Twilight."
The unicorn cringed and looked sympathetically between Rainbow and the cloudhouse, Fluttershy's sobbing and wailing still going strong. Finally, the mare sighed and said she'd go and talk to the city council about re-allowing the exemption. Rainbow threw her legs around Twilight and chanted her thanks.
"I can't promise anything, Rainbow. I don't have any authority or influence on the government here."
Rainbow dismissed her concern, and as far as Spike cared, she was right to do so. Twilight was being paranoid, she was the Element of magic, likely with the full backing of Celestia, if anypony could force the government to allow Fluttershy to indulge her passion, it was Twilight Sparkle.
Spike, Twilight and Rarity foundthemselves in City Hall, Twilight now determined to petition for greivence. The receptionist looked thoroughly agitated, no doubt one of the victims of Rainbow's tirade.
Putting on a friendly smile, Twilight approached the mare. "Excuse me, I'm here to see the city council. I have a grievence and complaint I'd like to make."
The receptionist pointed. "Up the stairs, Mayor Mare's office is the one on the left."
"Umm, thank you?" Twilight said, passing the rude mare and heading up stairs. As they made way up, Spike saw a single unicorn stallion he recognized standing outside the mayors office, looking more than a little antsy.
Arguing could be heard from the other side and the trio briefly considered if it was a good idea to interrupt.
"I wouldn't." Inquary said. "Justice is in a bad mood."
"What happened?" Twilight asked.
Inquary shrugged. "Dunno. Some crazy pegasus was in here half an hour ago, raising all kinds of ruckus about something or another. Mayor Mare ended up calling in Justice about it."
"NO! The law is the law and it will..." All four of them cringed at the shout.
With nothing else to do, Twilight and Rarity decided to wait down in the lobby and check back in later. "Coming Spike?"
Spike and Inquary shared a brief look. "Yea, I'll catch up in a sec."
He heard them walk away and asked: "What's been going on? The council's been quiet all week."
Inquiry looked at the door skeptically, as if expecting it to crack open for the occupants to hear them before whispering to the drake. "Justice has been on duress leave ever since you kicked her out of Golden Oaks. The council hasn't been able to get her to sign off on anything, I had to literally drag her here to get her to talk to the mayor."
Spike frowned. "Was she really that torn up over it?"
The stallion nodded, Justice was beyond herself distraught because of Spike. His being a minority, and her offending him enough for him to kick her out of the library had an unprecedented affect on her psyche. Inquiry was almost impressed with how well she handled the constant death glares the ponies around town had given her. Justice barely even took notice of them. He was even more impressed with how dismissive she was to having her motel room attacked a while ago. Yea, she had him for protection after that, but she seemed so desensitized to the event. His protection was just a formality as far as she was concerned.
To see her in tears, cradling her teady bears and speaking to them like they were her therapists, all because of Spike's harsh words, was almost comical.
"When I went into her room to get her, she kept crying that that was her 'safe space' and that it would be immoral to force her out. Something about being triggered, or some other such bull."
"Right then." Spike pressed his lips, hearing a rather animated discussion happening in the office now.
"So, anything on the... you know, sex rings?"
Inquiry shrugged. "I've been kept on a pretty short leash. My informants around town have gone dark. Somepony tipped the ABTF about my association with them and they've been keeping an eye on me. I gave one a list of ponies to warn to stay away so they wouldn't become suspects."
"ABTF?"
"Anti Black-market Task Force."
Spike's brow furrowed, that wasn't good, that wasn't good at all. If things kept going this way, it was only a matter of time before the red market wormed its way into Ponyville...
'Or it could all be a bunch of bull crap.'
What?
'Think about it, when in the entire time you've been in Ponyville, have you heard about a foal getting abducted? When have you heard about the kinds of crimes Inquiry and Sin are alleged to have "prevented"?
Yea, but to be fair, I've never heard of prostitution, drugs or anything like that before either. That happening in Ponyville isn't really too far fetched.
'Granted, but foal sex rings? Really? What proof is there that those things actually happen, aside from Inquiry's word? Or are you now going to just trust him at it? I mean, where was all of this before Sin came in and "structured" the black market to keep it out?'
Spike thought on the point for a moment, it was a good point. For all of the small town gossip that happened here, he'd never once heard whispers of such atrocious crimes before.
Maybe you're right, but if you're not, foals could be raped. The absence of evidence isn't the evidence of absence.
'Alright, let's settle it. Ask Inquiry for evidence.'
WHAT?!
'You bucking heard me! Ask him for evidence of foal sex rings. He said he'd found three dead ponies in a warehouse district, right? Ponies he was convinced were part of a foal sex ring? Police are supposed to have pretty good documentation, so ask that he hand over the evidence an-
NO! I'm not going to do that, what the buck is wrong with you!? Firstly, he has no obligation to give me anything. Secondly, that's probably classified stuff! He wouldn't just give it to me because I asked him to or demanded it.
'He might if you offer to get Justice off his back.'
What?
"Spike?"
"Huh?"
"You look lost in thought."
The drake scratched the back of his head chuckled, playing off that he was tired. "Well, I'd better get going. Good luck with-" A particularly nasty insult escaped the Mayor's office. "-that."
Inquiry sighed. "I don't need luck, I need vodka."
"I'm sorry Twilight, this really isn't a good time for me." Mayor Mare sighed in a raspy voice. The mare's eyes were red with threatened tears and she looked absolutely exhausted from her little shouting match with Justice.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but this is about Fluttershy and-"
"No!" The mayor pleaded. "I can't, I just tried to reason with Justice about it! All she kept saying was that the law was in place for a reason and she wouldn't accept anypony being exempt from it. I wish I could help you and Fluttershy, I really do, I don't like when ponies come in here and make threats and demands like Rainbow Dash did earlier today."
Spike watched as the elder mare slamped in her chair. She legitimately cared about the Fluttershy's plight, he could tell by the look on her face just how drained the fighting had been on her. Now whether she cared more about Fluttershy herself or avoiding the ire of Rainbow Dash was up for debate.
"There's nothing you can do?" Twilight asked. "There's no executive action you can take?"
Mayor Mare shook her head, repeating that the entire point of the Arbiter's position was to filter legislation and action taken by the government, the mayor was also subject to the arbiter's controls.
In hind sight, the position was almost ridiculously powerful. It was a position that was more catered to Sin and his personality than it was to be open to anypony who would take the job. Spike pondered if asking Celestia to get rid of the position was a good idea or not. It's purpose had been served, and the corruption would likely continue uninhibited with Justice holding it now.
"The only thing that can overrule Justice is a popular vote from the town."
Spike's hopes lifted.
"And even then, it's be dead on arrival. If Justice convinced the majority of the council to strike down the legislation the next day, it would end up like the Candy Bill."
And like that, all hope was once again lost.
It wasn't right, why should the City Council be able to overturn the popular vote so easily? Did not the ponies of the town know what they wanted and shouldn't they have their voices listened to?
Twilight voiced the same concern and the mayor sighed. "Most ponies don't know the intricate and convoluted law system, Twilight. That's why we don't have a direct democracy in Ponyville anymore. The laws became to complicated for the everyday pony to follow, so we elect representatives who do understand so they can take care of it."
Dejected, Twilight asked if there was anything else that could be done, to which Mare simply shook her head.
The two walked out of the office, and down the stairs.
"Well?" Rarity asked.
Twilight just shook her head, Rarity cringed and joined the the forelorn sadness.
Spike began thinking about things he could do, but nothing yielded good results. Aside from contacting Celestia, there was no other options the group could take to make it so their friend could return to her passion...
'There is one thing.'
And what would that be?
'Offer yourself to Justice, become her guard.'
... Are you okay? I mean, really, are you mentally alright? Because I'm starting to have my doubts about listening to you now.
'Hear me out, remember what I was talking about before? Well, this works out for the better in a lot of ways. If you can offer your services and forgiveness to Justice in exchange for Fluttershy's exemption reinstatement, that'll let her go back to taking care of animals. Inquiry will be free of her so he can go back to monitering the black market, and you can play on Justice's guilt to make her act right. I know you'll pretty much be subject to her at most any given time, but it's just something to consider.'
Dude, you're out of your mind!
'Oh? So your concern about foals getting raped stops when a solution inconveniences you?'
Spike's eyes widened at the accusation, his fists clenched and his breathing deepened to maintain control.
... I thought you didn't believe that really happened.
'And as you've said, I could be wrong.'
Spike quietly seethed to himself as he reviewed the idea. It didn't appeal to him in the slightest, to be around Justice at all made his stomach churn with rage. But then he remembered the hopeless crying and sobbing he'd heard come from Fluttershy and felt his sorrow quickly extinguish the anger. Fluttershy didn't deserve what was happening to her, she was one of the best ponies in the world.
Closing his sole eye, Spike gave the matter more serious thought.
Could he do it? Could Spike really tolerate Justice, a pony he despised, for the sake of helping out his friends and protecting foals?