Social Engineering
Over the flight home, Rainbow was mostly able to regain her composure. She still ached in her heart, but it didn’t show as badly on her face.
Lightning Strike and her little brother ran across her vision. Dusk tackled his big sister to the ground, her rolling and shoving him off. They both laughed and happily snarled at each other. Rainbow chuckled watching them.
‘That’s how things are supposed to be,’ Rainbow thought to herself. The two ran off together into a small alley way. Rainbow flew up over a few roofs watching them. She knew they were safe and all, but this was calming to watch so why not? She found herself almost instantly wanting to share this sight with Silent, showing him that it is possible for two different worlds to get along… she sighed and shook the thought off.
The two foals squared off, huffing and puffing as they were both out of breath, but neither wanted to stop playing.
A large white hoof dropped between them. They looked up at the large white unicorn stallion, both curious about what he wanted. The stallion slammed his fore-hoof into Dusk’s face, the colt rolling away.
Lightning glared at him, her wings spreading out and electricity spreading out from her body, however the same hoof slammed into her face as well.
Rainbow glared from her perch, head down and ready to pounce. She rocked back to bolt at the stallion as another white stallion landed in front of Lightning.
“Silent?” Rainbow quietly asked.
Silent wasn’t even disguised, he was just here. His wings spread and a powerful wind shot out from him, tossing the unicorn like a doll. “Who the hell are you?” demanded the unicorn as he recovered.
“Don’t know? Let me break the ice.” Dust and several small rocks shot at the unicorn, an energy shield protecting him as he glared at his opponent. “I am the bringer of the silent storm.”
Rainbow found herself pausing to watch, not even sure why she was. The unicorn looked around. Lightning was lying on the ground barely moving, but somewhat conscious, Dusk now standing in front of her, a large bruise under his eye, but he still stood like he was protecting her-unsteady but trying. No one else seemed to be coming.
“Looks like we’re alone,” the unicorn noted.
“You should be scared then,” Silent said.
The unicorn laughed. “Do you have any idea who you stand against?” Without his shield fading, the unicorn generated a large spear of energy and spun it in front of his face. He planted the spear in the ground. “Captain of the 9th regimen… you’re the leader of those pitiful “refugees” aren’t you? You run from little mares, not even real stallions, any of you.”
“You’re the one who’s faking. Attacking foals?”
“If it’s what I have to do to defend the mares of Equestria from perverse monsters like yourselves… you would have been blamed and the nation would unite against you- but you’re right, I’d much rather fight something like you.” The spear shot forward, Silent almost disappearing in a blast of wind, the unicorn generating another spear quickly.
Rainbow looked at the two. ‘Got to admit, this is kinda hot- what the crap? I gotta get down there!’ She bolted into the air and down between the children and the unicorn.
The unicorn looked at her. “Rainbow Dash!” he shouted. “You’ve arrived just in time. I have to fight this freak. Get the children out of here before he attacks again!”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow to Silent. “Sorry for the delay Silent.”
“I don’t care get them out of here!” Silent shouted.
“Right!” Rainbow shouted, snatching up the two foals and flying into the air. Lightning hissed in pain as they took off. Rainbow slowed down slightly. An energy spear shot passed her face as she flew on. “Silent, keep him off of me!”
“I can’t get through that shield,” a huge dust storm shot up between Rainbow and the enemy. “I’ll do what I can, just dodge.”
Rainbow straightened her wings and strafed left as another spear shot at her, this one further off. “It’s alright kids, he can’t hit us if he can’t see-“ As she looked down at the cyclone of dust shielding her and the children from sight, the unicorn suddenly rose above the storm, still in his shield. “Oh brother… Lightning you awake? You can do a lot of damage if-“ she looked at the barely conscious filly. “Not an option…”
Silent Storm appeared flying next to her. “Ideas?” he asked.
“Um… This guy is in a different class… but there has to be a way to overwhelm that shield… especially if he keeps taxing his magic…” Rainbow looked up as they approached the Everfree. “Take the kids and head for those clouds, go!” Silent took the foals and headed for the clouds, Rainbow glaring back at the unicorn.
Rainbow strafed sideways again shooting several yards away. She looked back at the unicorn still pursuing her friends and narrowed her vision. She shot at him at full speed, a sonic blast firing off behind her. She then turned in midair and slammed her back hooves into the unicorn’s force shield, shattering it and sending the unicorn spiraling away.
Rainbow then quickly shot up to the clouds, keeping an eye towards the ground, watching for the unicorn to recover. “He’s not going down that easy, I just broke his shield, where is- there!” a furious white unicorn in a new force shield shot up towards her. She flew up and over a nearby cloud as the stallion approached. As he was merely a few feet from the cloud when Rainbow kicked it sending a bolt of electricity straight at him, breaking his shield again. Rainbow quickly shot through the cloud slamming her front hooves into the stallion. “You’re a unicorn in air space jack ass! I’m a pegasus, this is my domain!” She followed up her taunt with a solid buck to his face, the stallion sliding away in the air and dropping to the trees. Rainbow shot down to the trees, “Not that I can’t dominate you anywhere!”
In the trees Rainbow scanned the foliage quickly. She jumped right as an energy spear shot past her.
“Rainbow get to cover!” shouted Silent flying in from her left. “you’re a sitting duck!” He ducked behind a tree with the children.
“Don’t think I don’t know what I’m doing Silent!” Rainbow shouted. She started scanning the trees again. She mumbled to herself, “It’s called drawing fire,” Another spear shot passed her, cutting her cheek.
“Rainbow!” Silent shouted at her, but she ignored him, shooting forward and slamming her back hooves into a tree, sending hundreds of splinters out the other end, peppering the unicorn hiding behind it with wood splinters as the tree fell.
“Ever hear the saying, “tracers work both ways?”” Rainbow said, watching the unicorn roll on the ground and recover.
“Ever hear “never explain your battle plan”?” the stallion shouted back, two spears forming next to him as he glared at the pegasus. Rainbow shot at him, his two spears planting in the ground in her path, her hooves slamming into them.
The cyan pegasus fell backwards, a pulse of energy tearing off from the spears when she hit them. Her back legs screamed in pain as she rolled on the ground.
Two stallions dropped between her and the unicorn, both pegasi, one yellow the other white. It was Silent and another pony Rainbow didn’t know.
Rainbow rose to her hooves, noticing Lightning and Dusk were laying next to her. “Get them clear, we’re ending this,” Silent said.
Both stallions spread their wings and Rainbow grabbed the children flying into the air, hearing the unicorn mock as she went. “You’re going to end it? Colts like you can never compete with a real stallion like me.” His shield went back up.
Rainbow stayed close enough to watch, well aware they might need her again. Wind flew around Silent Storm and a blaze of fire rose around his yellow ally. The unicorn formed two spears on either side of himself.
The fire and wind started to combine in the air, the trees and grass around lighting in a blazing inferno. The unicorn dissipated his spears, glaring at them as his shield appeared to thicken, his form starting to be obscured inside it.
“Rainbow get clear!” Silent shouted. Rainbow wasn’t sure why he needed her to leave, but she couldn’t. “We can’t lose you too!” Fires raged around the two stallions ripping through the trees.
Fearing for the foals, Rainbow Dash finally shot into the air above several hundred feet, still hesitating to leave them entirely. “Lose you too…?” she repeated.
As she watched a wall of flames erupted from the area of the fight, the forest clearing, heavy flames tearing across the forest. “Silent!” Rainbow shouted. She shot down and deposited the children in the new clearing, flying around them, scanning the area desperately. “Silent!” she shouted again.
“Just because I don’t control fire doesn’t mean I can’t direct it,” a familiar voice noted.
Rainbow happily flew around him and the dropped to her hooves. She looked back at the children. “Well… guess I need to get them back to town… actually, I think you two have some explaining to do. What were you doing here? What did you mean, “lose you too”? I thought you all wrote me off.” Rainbow grunted. “Still got to get them back…”
“Do you really think the pegasi in Ponyville will take that long to- crap hide!” the yellow stallion quickly said. He grabbed Rainbow and threw a hoof across her mouth without another word and all three shot into the trees. Rainbow thought about resisting, but seeing several pegasi stallions land in the clearing, she realized quickly they were just trying to keep from having to fight them too.
Still she did wriggle free eventually and fly alongside the stallions, stopping with them what must have been several miles away.
The yellow stallion laughed when they came to a stop. “Actually kinda surprised you didn’t struggle free and smack me,” he said.
“Someone else I might have, but I’m guessing most of you guys have had enough problems with mares who hit,” Rainbow noted. The yellow pegasus scratched his head, Rainbow now having time to notice his red mane. “I do notice a few of you guys have colors that match your elements, how does that work?” she asked.
“Might have been how Gray chose our elements, who knows, the guy was a little loopy,” the yellow pegasus replied. He extended a hoof. “Name’s Dawn Star. I’m guessing you’re the big guy’s filly friend?” Both other pegasi blushed looking away. Dawn chuckled. “Ha ha! Figured, the way he said- well let’s not discuss that one-“
Rainbow quickly snapped back to reality. “No, let’s discuss that one. Let’s start with why you guys are here… and then let’s get to that whole “lose you too” thing.”
“Who says those things are related?” Dawn asked. “Cloud Strike felt guilty after he and Fire Sky made Silent be so mean with you. He talked Silent into coming and apologizing. I chased the love sick moron down because he forgot to disguise himself before he left.” Dawn looked back behind them at the burned clearing. “Good thing too. Doubt you two could have fought that guy off yourselves.”
“I’ve seen impulses do some impressive things, but even then I thought something that impressive had to be charged up,” Rainbow said.
“Generally yes, a few of us can do purge spells, which are military grade energy attacks, but those do have to charge for a bit.” Dawn acknowledged. “That was a combination however. Pays to do your homework on how an element works. Ever heard of a fire whirl or a crown fire? Look em’ up some time.”
Rainbow nodded. “Okay so- what about the “can’t lose you too” thing. I know I’m hung up on that but it’s a hang up line.”
Dawn sighed, looking at Silent. “You wanna tell this one?”
“You’d actually be better at it,” Silent replied.
“Doesn’t mean I want to.” He nodded with a sigh. “Fine. How much do you know about Silver Strider kid?”
“That’s the mare who founded the camp right?” Rainbow asked back.
“The most beautiful mare I ever met,” Dawn nodded. He sat down. “Rainbow, I’m not a victim like the others. Silver helped one victim after another, but not me. I just saw her one day in the market a few years ago and was captivated by her. She was just- immaculate! That coat, her silver mane and tale, she was perfect. She was like a model- well, at least that’s what my mind remembers. I’m sure she was banged up from all her battles, but a twenty two year old stallion sees no flaws in his first love.”
“I would have thought she wouldn’t want to date anyone outside the camp, just to keep from being exposed and all,” Rainbow commented.
“Not normally, but I was a persistent little brat. She didn’t want to break my heart so the fifth time I found her in town with a bushel of roses I paid for all special like, she finally agreed to go on a date with me… then another... then another.”
“She tell you what she was involved in at first?”
“Course not. I mean I always believed she was different, but every stallion thinks that about the mare he loves. It wasn’t until one day when I was in the local salt lick with her. One of the greasy stallions in there dared to talk to her like she was a hoar, like he expected her to jump on him cause he was just there. She waved him off, but I wasn’t going to let her just take that. I wheeled off the chair and slammed both hooves into his face sending him across the room. He recovered of course, like I said, I was just twenty two, not good at fighting by any measure. We squared off and suddenly both found ourselves on the ground, heads planted down by silver magic. I looked up and saw something I never wanted to see again. My Silver was crying. “Not over me, not over something so stupid… don’t do this. They’re just words Dawn, you’re more precious than that.” The other stallion squirmed away and left, yelling at her that she was a freak as he left. I got up and wanted to go after him, but she wrapped me in a hug. I told her she was worth getting hurt, “that’s what I was afraid I would do to you. I thought I could be different, but…” we left the bar and she told me everything.”
Rainbow looked at him confused. “I don’t see what was so wrong with what you did. Foolish maybe but…”
“You sure?” asked Silent. “He tried to fight someone in their prime over a stupid comment. I’ll grant you, it wasn’t Silver’s fault, he was love struck, but Silver had been surrounding herself with the most disgusting examples of what mares can do to stallions… you surround yourself with victims you’ll start to see their monsters in yourself… poor girl. She didn’t stand a chance.”
“Not alone she didn’t,” Dawn said. “In those moments of her explaining everything, I saw the flaw in my perfect mare… it made me love her all the more. She didn’t see the difference between herself and those mares. She thought all mares were like that-she even had some rather complicated screw ball theories floating around in her head… think she called one of them “gynocentrism” or something. She needed a stallion to show her that she was beautiful and worth it, like she had been showing to so many stallions. I… I wanted to be the stallion to do that for her. I insisted and became part of the camp. I left my family and joined with her, living in secret.”
“Kinda the weirdest romance I’ve ever heard. I mean it- what?” Rainbow asked, seeing a lazy eyed stare from Silent. “I mean… oh… right… I probably shouldn’t joke.”
“Guess my family still doesn’t know where I am,” Dawn continued. “We married. We even adopted one of the foals in the camp, a little two year old filly. Burning Light didn’t live long, but I like to think Silver showed her all the love she missed from her first mother- the witch- and I hopefully kinda replaced her father. I was kidnapped by Gray and little Burning died while I was away- I hate that monster so much, may he burn in Tartarus for the rest of time! I had to fight her so hard to make her understand our filly’s passing wasn’t her fault. I… I wasn’t there for her.”
“She didn’t kill herself did she?” Rainbow asked.
“No, not my Silver. Not disparaging those who do kill themselves, I understand how it can seem like the only escape, but I don’t think she would ever have done that. She recovered a little without me and a little with me. I think she kind of adopted Silent here for the last few months.”
“So what happened to her?” Rainbow asked.
Silent continued the story. “This is where I come in. When I joined the camp, my wife came looking for me. First time she found me I rejected her, told her never to let me see her again. There is a saying, “beware a mare scorned”. Aged Light apparently went to the royal guard saying I had been kidnapped again and she brought them to the camp to destroy it. But she did more than that. Somehow she got ahold of a piece of a wendigo and while the camp fought the guard, she summoned the monster. The camp was fighting the guards already but even then, no one knows how to hurt one of those things… well, no one knew. Fire Sky and his stallions engaged the guards on one side while Silent, I, and some of the other stallions moved to get the children away. Silver fought the wendigo herself with a broken spear… Dawn and I realized what was happening and both attacked the monster at once, our combined power actually injuring it, it’s screams echoing across the tundra of where we were at the time. We drove it off. But we were too late to save Silver… she was frozen to ice by the time we fought it off.”
“You wanted to know what happened to Aged Light?” Dawn asked. “She murdered my wife and our protector. So Silent and I cornered her and burned her alive.”
“You did what?” Rainbow asked Silent.
“She lost me and then to get back at me she tried to kill hundreds of stallions and young children. It was no less than what she deserved,” Silent replied. “I don’t regret what I did. Celestia hid what happened to this day, not wanting anyone to know just how bad things had gotten.”
“I’m sorry,” Rainbow said. “Wish you guys didn’t have to live like this…what happened to the guards?”
“Fire was fighting them. What do you think happened?” Dawn asked.
“Not to get too far off subject, but that guy…” Rainbow said, not sure how to finish.
Dawn shook his head. “What do you want us to do? For now he’s just protecting those he cares about. What do you think happens when a whole gender has this much trouble getting help?... I hate to say this… Fire Sky is far from the only one we have to worry about. He’s just their leader.”
“Their leader?” Rainbow asked, backing up a little.
“The Brotherhood of Clouds,” Silent said. “Clouds obscure the sun. He wants to overthrow Celestia.”
Rainbow shook her head. “You said before there were some stallions who were loyal to him… they’re organized?... If this is what Celestia does, let em’ take her down, why should I care?”
“And subjugate all mares in the kingdom, making them the second class citizens he thinks they made him,” Dawn continued.
Rainbow bit her lip. “Then… if we… no… if we warn Celestia, there won’t be a fight, she’ll either massacre them or imprison them all-“
“What makes you so sure he’ll lose?” Dawn asked. “You think because someone is a victim they’re weak? Fire Sky isn’t a joke. You’ve heard stories about him right? What do they all have in common? Save for his bouts with Silent, he always wins. He’s taken down trained members of the royal guard and toyed with them like small scared animals. You think Silent is protecting our stallions from Equestria, what makes you so sure he’s not protecting Equestria from them?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Maybe… I’m sorry about Silver guys. I’m not gonna go out like… I mean I’ll fight like her but, I’ll be okay.”
“I’m not the one you need to tell that to,” Dawn said.
Rainbow looked at Silent. “Silent, I’m going to be okay.” He looked away. She turned his head with her hooves to look at him. “Silent, I’m not her. Not looking down on her, but you won’t lose me.”
“You’re more like her than you know,” Silent said. “Some of them want to hurt you Rainbow… stay away from us, we’re more dangerous than you think.”
“I’m not afraid.” She replied.
“Then you’re an idiot… one I love so much,” Silent hugged her. “I don’t know how to protect you.”
Rainbow pushed him away. “You’re making the mistake of a stallion Silent. You’re not the only one who has someone to protect.”
“I’m not forgetting your daughter-“ he started.
“I’m not talking about her.” She looked him in the eyes again, “If you’re ever going to be with someone again, they have to be your equal. Different, but equal. I’m not your daughter, but I can see myself as your partner, if you let me.”
“I can’t let them hurt you…” Silent said.
“There are monsters on my side too. I promise not to let them hurt you. The first thing you need to understand about love, it goes both ways.”
(***)
Hours passed.
Twilight looked at the forest wreckage. For over a hundred yards, the trees were cleared and the grass turned to ash. A stallion guard looked around passing her. “The work of an impulse isn’t it?”
Twilight looked at where the children were evacuated from not long ago. “No… I know Lightning pretty well. This doesn’t look like something she could do.”
“But an adult with her power?”
“Even if one COULD why would they? I’ll admit I only understand so much about impulses, but it’s not like they just fart and things happen. This was a fight. Why would an impulse use this much power, or to fight who?” she replied.
“An alicorn like yourself?”
Two pegasi landed nearby. Twilight looked up to see them. “Fluttershy, Rainbow… little late Rainbow, would have expected you sooner.”
“Make something of it, I dare you,” Rainbow said, walking past her and examining the clearing.
“We’ll have to work this out eventually Rainbow… Rainbow… I’m changing,” Twilight said.
The cyan pegasus seemed to ignore her. “I overheard you when I flew up. What do you think fought out here? An alicorn?”
“Well… there’s only three others that I know of. Rarity was telling me about Luna helping her in a dream during the night, so I doubt she would have had time to get here. Then I doubt Cadence was all the way out here. That leaves Celestia but I still have to explain what she was doing out here then,” Twilight flew up and glided around the border of the clearing.
“What about a unicorn?” asked Fluttershy. “I mean… even before you ascended, you were pretty powerful. Then there’s your brother. Don’t think he was here either, but couldn’t there be others?”
“There’s a short list of unicorns powerful enough to challenge an impulse head on,” Twilight said. “Well… I mean anyone could technically hurt one, but to make one use this much power…”
“By the way, what kids?” Rainbow asked.
“Lightning and Dusk, someone had pulled them out here. Neither one of them could talk much when we got out here, too badly hurt,” said guard. “Dusk said something about a fight, but nothing specific.”
“Still that confirms the working theory,” Twilight put in. “There are signs of struggle inside town too. Magic residue was found by several small impact craters.” Twilight started tapping her head. “Put it all together… impulses don’t throw magic, they move elements, so there had to be a magic user. A unicorn would be the best explanation… and whoever had to move pretty fast for this whole fight to take place over such a large range before anyone could get out here. Maybe there were two fighting the impulse? How else would a unicorn go from town to here so fast?”
“Is it possible for a unicorn to fly?” asked Rainbow.
“Possible?” Twilight asked back. “Remotely. Even I couldn’t do it for longer than a few seconds. There’s a list of about three unicorns in the entire kingdom who can do it effectively. All three are captains in the royal guard.”
“So they wouldn’t be here unless ordered?” Rainbow asked.
“I doubt it… what makes you think it was just one unicorn Rainb- Rainbow?” A loud boom sounded in the air. The ponies on the ground looked up seeing a small light blue speck shooting away from them.
Fluttershy walked next to Twilight. “So… should we follow her or… what?”
(***)
Celestia took her customary seat in the throne room. Luna’s throne was empty, but only because she was fast asleep by this point. Well… it was time for the morning slog. Ponies from around the kingdom would be bringing her problems. Oh sure they had to go through the council, but that just meant they had to have at least twenty pages of legalese attached to each issue before she could even figure out what someone wanted.
She sat down, blowing her own mane back in boredom. She sighed. “Okay, send in the first-“
“CELESTIA!” came a familiar but very angry shout.
“Rainbo-“ and just then a small hoof slammed into her face and sent her toppling over the chair and into the open space behind.
“HOW DARE YOU!” Rainbow shouted.
Celestia shook her head, dazed. She looked over at her guards who were startled just as confused as her. Rainbow Dash wasn’t an enemy of-
Rainbow grabbed Celestia’s head and yanked until she was able to toss the horse sized alicorn into the court area. Celestia quickly opened her wings and slammed her hooves into the floor. She was about to look up when two hooves slammed directly into her face sending her straight through a pillar.
Still having no idea what was happening, the two guards quickly ran in front of their princess. “Why would you risk your lives for her?” Rainbow demanded. “Not like she would do the same for you!” Rainbow flew over them, moving so fast they were like statues to her. She slammed her front hooves into Celestia’s head, the alicorn’s face slamming into the floor.
Rainbow shot back into the air. Celestia realized this wasn’t looking good. She looked up, seeing Rainbow getting ready to dive bomb her with her back legs. It was a famous pegasus finishing move. One that after a thousand years, Celestia knew all too well- one she was well aware of how to counter. The large alicorn rolled right, Rainbow’s right leg slamming into the floor and sending cracks through it. Rainbow had to stop for a split second to shake off the pain of impact and in that second Celestia had her chance. She rolled back and over the pegasus, quickly and easily pinned her like an angry child.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Celestia finally demanded. She sat on the pegasus’ back legs and pinned both her forelegs with her own. It was a crude but effective school yard pin.
“This? What is the meaning of this? What’s the meaning of attacking two innocent foals? You call yourself a princess? I’ve had enough of this crap. Abused stallions, biased laws, a trial to rub salt in everyone’s wounds and now you attack kids?! I’m ending this right now!” Rainbow threw herself against Celestia’s hold hard as she could, but she had to use her weight against Celestia’s in this hold. She couldn’t break the hold.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your laws, that stupid trial- all would have been bad enough but you sent a guard after Lightning and Dusk, two innocent children!”
“Lightning and Dusk?”
“Wasn’t long ago Lightning risked her life to save all of us from Gray- but who am I kidding? Doesn’t mean much to someone who takes away the kids of her soldiers. You just take them away and give them to mares, even if you’ve been told the mares are dangerous- poor Fire- well he won’t have to fight you, I’ll do it for him hhhhhrrrrr” she yanked hard as she could again.
“Dangerous mares- taking away children… if I let you go, will you explain yourself?” Celestia asked.
“You- hrrr- you don’t… Rainbow blew out, sighing.
“I could easily have you taken to the dungeon and bring Twilight in to help sort you out if it’s necessary.” Celestia said.
Rainbow spat at her. “If I were a stallion, would you be this understanding? I’m guessing not. So what does that mean? Am I better in your eyes or less?”
“I think I’m starting to understand. Can you listen to me? I’m going to let you go. If you try to fight again I’ll just take you down again. You lost the element of surprise a long time ago, that was all you had.” Rainbow finally sighed. Celestia flew backwards off her, Rainbow standing up, tears coming out of her eyes.
“I’m not strong enough to help him,” she said. “I can’t make you listen can I?”
“Well no, not by knocking me senseless,” Celestia commented. “Now this is about this business with the stallions isn’t it… the way Twilight has been talking about the citizens of Ponyville, I guess I’m lucky it’s just you up here and I don’t have a riot on my hooves.” She sat down. “Listen daughter, I understand. You see my laws so simply. And on the surface, they appear that I don’t care about stallions at all, don’t they? Now this business about Lightning and Dusk, I would never attack foals, filly or colt are indeed the same in my eyes.”
“It was an elite member of your guard, 9th Regimin, one of the only unicorns in all Equestria who can fly. We had to kill him to save them. What were you trying to do? Blame a local stallion to justify yourself in your discrimination? If that’s how you are, maybe it was you we should have killed.”
“Rainbow think; when have you ever known me to behave like that? But that was… Iron Core. Guess I understand what he did.” She hung her head. “Damn it!” she stomped. “Why do stallions think violence is the solution to everything? His father abused him, and his mother was barely able to protect him. He was probably afraid of the laws that kept them together changing so he took matters into his own hooves… you sure it was him?”
Glaring, Rainbow nodded. “He actually said he planned on framing the refugees… I’m sure you know about them by now.”
She closed her eyes. “Yes, they’re existence is fairly obvious now. I understand thinking I’m biased, the laws look that way I admit, and maybe there is something wrong with their enforcement, but me attacking children? Rainbow you know me better, don’t you? Besides if I were secretly an evil despot you really think I would boldly attack two children famous for helping to save Equestria?”
“Wasn’t a bold attack it was during the night,” Rainbow replied. “Would have made a pretty good statement if you got away with it wouldn’t it?”
“But why? I guess… you must not think much of me right now to believe I would stoop that low. Who have you been talking to?”
“Your bucking victims.”
“So I gather stallion “victims” have been talking to you- I’ll just assume you won’t tell me who or where they are, they probably have you thinking I’m hunting them down. I mean when stallions run away from home, I have them looked for but-“
“And immediately give sole child custody to their wives.”
“Well of course I do their father’s aren’t there, someone needs to take care of the children. If there was a misunderstanding the stallions can just fight to get custody back in court, it’s not the end of the world. Rainbow stallions abandon, it happens.”
“Like mares don’t. You and Twilight both talk like this apparently. You talk about things any pony can do and just say “stallions do it” and think it’s somehow significant.”
“The number of mares who leave is barely worth mentioning Rainbow.”
“I’m sure it’s worth mentioning for their foals. But hey, you immediately give the fathers full custody in those cases right?”
“Why? There could just be a misunderstanding.” Celestia said.
“Oh my… do you not hear yourself?!”
“Yes, I do Rainbow, I’ve been alive for a thousand years, don’t you think what you’re saying has occurred to me?”
“Yea and you don’t care.”
“Harsh, but have you listened to my side of things?”
“Doubt it’s worth hearing. Obviously wrong.”
Celestia sighed. “You really are the youngest of the elements aren’t you?” She gave a small smiles. “Really, I like the idealism you represent right now. You are here fighting for something that really does not even effect you because of the pain you think someone else is going through. It is very noble. Thus I hate to destroy that spirit, but apparently I have too.” She paused and looked down. “Rainbow, maybe it is sexism, but the thing is, it works. Look, here’s a for instance. The number of foals growing up in homes where custody is split between two parents went down dramatically when I started favoring giving custody over immediately when stallions left. Seriously, which sounds better to you, a child being forced to live in two homes while a custody battle rages on, or just staying with the only parent who stuck around?”
“If it’s a good idea, why not do it for both genders then?”
“Because I’ve done the homework Rainbow. Fathers abandon far more than mothers. It’s far more common for a mare leaving to be a misunderstanding. By changing the law to adapt, I prevent bad situations. My police find wayward fathers, take them to reform classes and return them home. The number one indicator of crime used to be stallions leaving the home. Young colts feel abandoned and angry when their fathers leave; they need their fathers. It would not be compassionate of me to just leave them like that, now would it? I adjusted the law to fit the facts. What is the result? Most ponies, like you and your friends, grew up in healthy two parent families. Understand? Stallions also used to be very violent, so I biased the laws to protect mares, doing things like banning stallions from abuse and homeless shelters. Since I did that, how many mares do you think have been raped, murdered or even assaulted in those shelters ever since?”
“Why would a mare rape another mare? Most of us aren’t even attracted to mares,” Rainbow said with lowered eye brows.
“You’re ironically getting it.”
“So why not have stallion shelters if this is such a great idea?”
“I tried that actually. Stallions didn’t show up or the shelters became violent.” Rainbow raised her eyebrows to that statement. “I mean it makes sense if you consider a few things. First, not that many stallions are abused, next, stallions pride themselves on how much they can take, so even if one is abused, he won’t show up anyway.”
“So advertise the shelters. You do the same for mares.”
She shook her head. “They’re also over 90% of violent criminals, Rainbow…” Celestia sighed. “Listen,” she walked back to her throne. “What I’m doing is working. Stallions need to be reformed and mares need to be protected. Violence against mares has gone down as I allocated more resources to help them. Don’t think I’m completely neglecting stallions either. The stallions who stray to the path of violence, I don’t just put in prison, instead I have programs teaching them a better way. I teach all ponies not to take the path of violence, but sometimes certain stallions need help in that category. Off hoof, Rainbow, at times our sisters stray as well, the reformation of them is far more difficult though.”
“What do you define as working?”
“Crime is lower than it’s been in centuries and keeps going down. War is almost extinct. Equestria is prospering. What I’m doing is called social engineering and it works. I imagine the system you would purpose as an alternative would be profoundly reactionary, but it wouldn’t change culture. You would want me to respond to abuse as it happens and as if all circumstances are equal. But they’re not Rainbow. It’s a simple fact.” She tapped her chin. “I hate to use this as an example, but here. Consider something. You know if mares were subjected to the issues you’re bringing to me, stallions and mares would be smashing down my door. So then, why are you the only one here?”
“Doesn’t it matter how many ponies stand up, if something is wrong it’s wrong!”
Celestia raised her eyebrows. “Are you so sure? Even further, how many of your friends agree with you that this is a problem?”
“All of them!-mmmm... cept Twilight I guess.”
“And how many are here with you?”
Rainbow stopped, looking around, as if in a vain hope that at least one of her friends would be with her. “But…”
“You’re alone. If hundreds of ponies were storming the castle, or rioting in the street, that would be one thing. But with what you’re talking about, you’re one of the only ones who feels this passionate. Honestly I’m humoring Twilight because she’s worried, but this matter will pass like it always does. You’re not the first one to see the laws as unfair. But eventually nothing will happen with you too, because eventually, everyone will just forget. And they’ll forget, because it’s not important. Yes, engineering the laws for a specific result, creates new problems as one goes, but the trick is learning which problems ponies care the least about. Eventually society becomes more and more peaceful, the issues that still exist no one cares about.”
“It’s not going to work… you think it’s going well, but… but…” Rainbow wanted to tell her what was coming as proof that her perfect system was junk. That a monster was waiting to pounce, one that Rainbow believed this system Celestia created had in turn created… but she couldn’t tell her that. She would bring Celestia’s wrath down on the camp… “It just can’t. It can’t work.”
“Where’s your proof that it won’t? Everything seems peaceful, and it has been for a while hasn’t it?”
“It’s wrong. You’re manipulating us…”
“I’m giving you the best world possible.”
Rainbow looked down.
“I can see you want me to be wrong, but you can’t figure out how I am.” Celestia walked over to her and put her wing on the cyan pegasus’ shoulder. “Rainbow, go home. Go home and think. Who knows, maybe you have a better argument to make. Maybe this is an issue I should be paying more attention to, but you’ll have to show me why. Things seem to be working pretty well.”
Rainbow pushed the wing off. She shook her head. “I wish I knew how to make you understand. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“Sometimes they are.”
Rainbow flew out of the castle, not sure what else to do.
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100% unfair laws. Either Celestia will have to change them, or guys like Fire Sky are going to lead a rebellion, and there's likely to be unrest when the results of the "trials" in the previous chapter (in the form of protests, strikes, and civil disobedience).
8193298
In Equestria, definitely. Unfortunately, many of Celestia's laws in this story have real life counterparts and very few people are protesting. She's wrong morally, but I can only hope one day people like her will also be proved wrong effectively, as in, people stop just rolling over and taking it.
I also hope those people will be more like Rainbow and Silent, because folks like Fire will likely only makes things worse.
8193298
May as well put this up as a response to you. I found a song that fits my villain Fire Sky so well:
Wait, Rainbow is the youngest? I thought Pinkie was the youngest!