Consequences
It was two hours before the mob was contained and Soarin was allowed to go, with the papers Rainbow Dash would need to sign in the morning. Tired, he flew up to her cloud house and entered. The only care he gave was making sure the custody papers would be put somewhere Rainbow Dash would see them.
He came to the hallway and had to stop a minute. Which one was hers, again? He carefully went up to the first door he saw and opened it slowly.
It was the guest room, with Scootaloo curled up under the covers, sleeping soundly. She looked relieved, not happy necessarily, but relieved. Tank was laying on the end of the bed, tucked in his shell, apparently thinking the newcomer needed his companionship more than his usual master.
He smiled at the sight, then closed the door quietly. He left silently, using his wings so as not to make a sound, went to the next door and opened it.
Rainbow Dash jumped a bit, but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, you're here. Everything went okay?"
"Everything's fine," he said. He stood there awkwardly before Rainbow Dash identified his nervousness. She patted the bed next to her, giving him the invitation he was waiting for. He slid under the covers next to her.
Sorain, on the flight to Ponyville, had pictured a lot of swapped spit as the result of this. But too much had happened that night, and only a few kisses were exchanged before they settled down.
"I'm surprised you're still up," Soarin admitted as they settled down on the pillows. "I would have thought you'd be asleep."
"I've been thinking..."
"About what to do with Scootaloo?"
"Yeah." She was silent for a moment. "I can't imagine what this is like for her. Poor kid, she has no idea what's going to happen."
"And do you?"
Rainbow Dash was silent for a minute, but then said quietly, so Soarin had to strain to hear her, "I really want to be the one to take care of her."
"Great," Soarin said. "I thought you might. I bet knowing the Princess will speed up the process..."
"It's not that simple!" Rainbow Dash said. "Is it even a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be? From what I hear, you've been a better parent to Scootaloo than Speedy or Quick ever were."
"For two weeks," Rainbow Dash reminded sourly, "part-time. That's not the same. I'd have to spend a lot more time with her... I might have to give up being a Wonderbolt..."
"Why?"
Rainbow Dash looked at him like he was crazy. "Because I can't take care of a kid when I'm on tour nine months a year!"
"We spend a lot of time in Equestria. Ponyville is as close to the center of it as you can get without being in Canterlot. You could easily fly and visit. And she can travel with us during the summer months. I'm sure you have friends that can watch her during school hours."
"...You've been thinking about this."
He actually blushed. "Well... yeah. I was worried about the kid. After everything... and I knew you'd want to keep her..."
"So you started thinking about how I could take care of her..."
He sighed. "Well... how we can take care of her.”
She looked at him incredulously. "You want to help me take care of her?"
"Well... I was already in the middle of this whole thing. I know having kids after the first date is only supposed to happen when it gets crazy in the good way, but..."
"This is serious," she snapped. "What about me makes you want to do this with me?"
"Wish I knew," he snarked. But under his marefriend's gaze, he answered more seriously. "I guess part of it is like I said: after having to fight to make sure she’s okay, you feel kind of committed.”
“Can you afford to do it? It’s a full-time job.”
“Please see everything I said to you about this whole thing,” he pointed out. “I think we can make this work. You just need to chill.”
Rainbow Dash was about to say something, then stopped in realization. “You know, I’m always the one in my group of friends to take it easy. I guess... I guess you’re right. I’ve never let something being hard stop me from doing anything before.”
Soarin’ gave her a quick kiss. “I think you’re going to be a good mom.”
Luna didn’t brag very often, even though she often wanted to. It was unbecoming of somepony in her stature, and it was the mark of a weaker mind to do so.
However, after the last couple of weeks, Luna was enjoying a clear-cut victory, and she couldn’t help herself.
“It’s quite amusing how everything worked out,” she said, smiling a very unladylike smile. “With all this commotion and barbarism, the movement against my sister now looks bad. Everypony that was foolishly following you is abandoning the cause, and is back to trying to beg and scrape to avoid punishment, or else they see us as benevolent for showing them mercy. Now with the voices quiet, we can concentrate on finding the Changeling Queen with no further distractions. We've removed any objections on Spike being adopted, at least any that could stop us, we’ve managed to weed out the few unloyal guards in our ranks, and we also managed to save an abused filly.”
“I saved her,” Olive Branch snarled, but there was simply no way he could look intimidating now that he was locked in a jail cell deep in a dungeon.
“And I suppose you think that excuses you?” Luna glared at him.
Immediately he shrunk. “P-please,” he said timidly, “I turned in the abuser! Please don’t kill me!”
“Kill you? My dear, my sister abolished the death penalty centuries ago!”
“Don’t lie! You say that to appease the public, but I know! Nopony with as much power as you two is that selfless!” then he shrunk again. “I-I won’t tell, just please...”
“You’re convinced we think like you do, and yet you’re expecting me to show mercy. You’re a puzzle, you are. Well, at any rate, you’re likely thinking there's going to be a big show made out of your trials so we can make an example of you. Well, you’re wrong. That will be the one known as Rabble Rouser's position. See, one of my privileges is the sentencing of one criminal a year without the consent of a jury. I thought it would be decades before I used this privilege in this new peaceful Equestria, but I’m using one on you.”
His eyes widened. “P-please don’t hurt me!”
Suddenly, his hooves were held down by Luna’s magic. He struggled, but the Princess came near, her horn glowing.
“I’m not going to hurt you. Every bit of pain you’re about to feel is self-inflicted.”
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“This has become known as a ‘reformation spell’. It’s a bit of a misnomer. It merely enlightens the individual.”
Before Olive Branch could respond, Luna touched his forehead, causing his eyes to go wide and his pupils to shrink.
When she backed off, Olive Branch was silent for a moment. Then, he felt it.
He felt pain. He felt hundreds of ponies hitting and bucking him at once. He felt three teenage dragons clawing him, kicking him, knocking him around. He felt six ponies fighting him to save a baby dragon. He felt a massive hoof crush his nonexistent wing. He felt Rainbow Dash and Soarin hurting him, and he felt others hurting Rainbow Dash and Soarin. He felt Rabble Rouser and his ponies knocking him out four times. He felt Applejack knock him out. He felt it all.
As he lay on the floor of his cell, screaming in pain, Luna spoke in an eerie calm that was somehow still clear to him. “From now on, every ounce of pain your actions cause will be felt. You'll know, firsthoof, the consequences of your selfishness. Maybe that will open your eyes to all the suffering you’ve caused.”
She began walking toward the exit. “You’re lucky, I had to reduce your sentence to be allowed to do that. But you have twenty long years to think about what you’ve done, and what you’re feeling. I suggest you use it wisely.”
And then she was gone.
Twilight’s heart leapt. She was back.
Back in the white room with the single door. Back to a place she hadn’t been sure she could get before.
She flung the door open and ran inside, past the rows of books and chronicles, and to the tired-looking pony sitting, surrounded by books.
“You’re back... I had a feeling you might be tonight.”
“How’d I get back here?” she asked immediately.
The Keeper gave her a look. “Come on, you know it doesn’t work like that. You have to figure things out on your own.”
“Can’t you say something understandable for once?”
“Someth...”
“Don’t say it!” Twilight said angrily.
“Okay, here’s something: slow down, take a breath, and think.”
The unicorn did so. He mind wandered. “Today... the way I handled the mob... that had something to do with it, didn’t it?”
“Indeed, it did,” the Keeper said. “Now get a little deeper.”
She thought. “Well... Applejack stopped me from just running it. Like at the wedding...” Her eyes lit up. “When I learned to think instead of stressing out, it removed one of the roadblocks in my mind!”
“That’s correct.”
“So now I’m able to travel here whenever I want?” she asked hopefully.
“Not necessarily,” the Keeper sighed. “You’re not even close. You’ve learned to open up to your friends better, and you’ve learned not to panic. But learning these things and actually applying them are different matters entirely. And you still have not found the answer you seek.”
“I don’t suppose you could tell me anything else?”
“Oh, where would be the fun in that?” the Keeper smirked. “Besides, you’re an intelligent pony. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Rainbow Dash awoke the next morning to find Soarin already awake. He was still lying there, just looking at her with a warm smile.
"You're up already?" she moaned.
"Uh... maybe you better look at the clock."
She did, and her eyes bulged. "Ten o'clock? Oh my gosh!" In a flash she was up. "I better check on Scootaloo!"
She was in front of her door before she knew it. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.
Scootaloo was laying there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. She turned to face her mentor at hearing her come in, then responded with a mumbled, "G'morning."
"Scootaloo, good morning." She went to her bedside and lightly tussled her hair. "How long have you been awake?"
She looked at her bedside clock. "I think about two hours."
Soarin was with them now. "Why didn't you come wake us?"
"I... I didn't want to bother you..."
"Scoots," she sighed. She pulled her into a hug. "You're never bothering me. I care about you. I wouldn't have done all this for you if I didn't. Don't be afraid to come to me with anything, okay?"
"...Alright," she said after a moment.
"Good. Now, why don't we get you some breakfast? Then, we can have another flying lesson. I bet Soarin would love to see how far you've come. And then we need to make a trip to Sugarcube Corner. I think a few celebration cupcakes are in order. How's that sound?"
Scootaloo actually smiled. "That sounds great!"
Garble moaned as he pressed his bandage closer to his missing eye. The pain still hadn't stopped. He considered stopping in another town and extorting more of whatever the doctor had used when he had treated him, but he refused to let ponies near him again. He would not have even had the medical care he already had if Thrash and Mumble hadn't refused to go on until he got it. One stop in another small, isolated town and a few threats had been enough to get a doctor to ensure he wouldn't get an infection and dull the pain awhile, and that was enough, in his opinion.
They had finally gotten out of pony territory a few days ago. It had been a slow trip, only Mumble was still in full health, but they were finally at the large mountains that surrounded the territory.
A full-grown purple dragon stood guard at the stone gate that kept the lesser creatures out. He stood, unimpressed by the three who were approaching him. Then, they got close enough to see their faces.
"...Prince Garble?" the dragon roared with surprise. "What..."
"Let me in," he said.
"Your father is..."
"That's none of your business, now let me in!"
The adult dragon did as he was told, tapping on the stone barrier three times. Almost immediately it began rising. Garble waited for no more questions to be asked, he just went in. Still, something the gatekeeper said had sent a chill down his spine.
How was he going to explain to his father that he had lost to a group of ponies?
Speedy Delivery sat in the tiny stone-bricked cell he had been forced into. By the time he woke up, he was already in custody, with nopony willing to tell him where his daughter was or where he was being taken. He had been separated from his wife. He was alone.
How had it all gone wrong? Where had it all gone wrong? The movement was finished. Not only he, but Olive Branch and Rabble Rouser, were all jailed. It was over.
The door lock creaked open, and Quick Delivery was pulled in by two guards. She looked a mess, her mane clinging to her forehead with sweat, her body shaking wildly, and her eyes looking sunken.
"Get off of her!" he roared, beginning to charge at them. He stopped when he was obeyed, his wife let loose onto the floor. He ran up, looked her over, then back at his two captors. "What have you done to her?"
"Nothing," one of them said. "She did this to herself. She's experiencing withdrawal."
"They... they won't let me have..." she murmured. "I just need..."
"You're not getting any," the second guard said. "Not now, not for quite awhile."
"You're lying!" Speedy said. "You did something..."
"I'd stay quiet if I were you," Celestia strolled into the room. "You're in enough trouble as it is."
Both Speedy and Quick lost any defiance they had as they looked up at the Princess of the Sun with fear. She was levitating several papers around her, and currently had her muzzle up to a stack of them.
"You're facing some serious charges," she noted. "Treason, kidnapping, assault... I could lock the two of you up until the day you die."
She was silent for a moment as she let that sink in. "But I won't."
They both blinked. "You won't?" Speedy repeated, in complete disbelief.
"I will not," she repeated. "Provided, of course, you sign this." She levitated a parchment in front of the pair, with a quill to go with it. It read, simply, "WAIVER OF CUSTODY."
"You're asking us... to give up our child?"
"That's correct. No custody, no visitation, you both consent to be put under tracing spells that let us know if you even come within 150 meters of your child, and you make no claim of relation to her to anypony. Ever. It will be like you've never even had a child."
There was silence for a moment. "And if we sign this, you'll let us go?"
"No. You're still going to prison for kidnapping, assault, and child abuse. But it will only be a half-sentence, and it will be much more pleasant than what will happen if you're convicted of greater charges."
"Why do this?" Speedy demanded. "If you really have us so surely as you claim, then why let us bargain? Why not just lock us up?"
"Because that would require a long and difficult trial process," Celestia noted. "And word would get out on who Scootaloo is. It would be a black mark on her life to be associated with you, certainly if the abuse you gave her is lost amongst the reports of kidnapping and treason. On top of that, I have no interest in making a child testify in court when the events have scarred her enough already. If possible, I will spare her from that, even if it means letting you walk freely."
Celestia stayed quiet about her other reasons. How she knew of all the defenses he could attempt to play in court, how there was a possibility he could worm and lie his way to a lighter sentence. She couldn't risk that, not now.
"I never abused my daughter," Speedy said. "What makes you think I'll sign a document of lies?"
"Ignoring the obvious denial you are in, your first question upon seeing the document wasn't why you were being asked to give up your child, or outrage over the claim. It was how you benefited. You'll sign because you care about yourself."
"...And who's going to take care of her?"
"That is unknown at this time, but I assure you it will be in a loving home. Now, sign the paper."
There was silence.
“Could we ever see our daughter again? Ever?” It had been Quick’s first words since Celestia had entered.
“Possibly... if Scootaloo decides to give you a second chance. But that won’t be happening for at least two decades, once you’re out. Now then, will you sign?”
Silence again. Then, with a sigh that Celestia almost believed was regretful, Speedy took the quill in his teeth.
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The perfect punishment for everyone.
PRINCE Grabe?
DUN DUN DUN
Everyone is punished
but... prince...oops? That sounds like trouble.
Wow..... Moarrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!
Justice finally served... wonder if Scootaloo is going to call Rainbow Dash and Soarin 'Mom and Dad'?
The Keeper is an enigma itself... though I may have some theories
...note to self, don't mess with Luna......she takes lessons from Ghost Rider.....
So that's the "reformation" spell, the one that Twilight was talking about using on Discord in "Keep Calm and Flutter On"? (Which, of course, hasn't happened yet.) Wow. Completely different take on what everyone seems to think she was trying to do. I like it.
And I'm glad to see Scootaloo is being kept completely free of the stain of her parents. That's a good thing.
Wait...'Prince' Garble? Okay, I'm scared. Either he's going to lose incredible face about being beaten by ponies...or he's going to spin it to his father that Celestia has been training her personal student into an anti-dragon super weapon, complete with having a baby dragon 'guinea pig' with which to learn what works best on dragons, thus sparking a war between dragons and ponies, which will then prove Olive Branch's (fake) point true, leading to a "The Strawman was right" trope effect.
Either way, hoping for happy endings all around, preparing for worst.
Justice sure is satisfying. And the best part is it's non lethal.
A very good chapter. Especial credit has to go to the first half, because it doesn't go down the route of Soarin and Rainbow Dash just adopting Scootaloo on a dime without addressing the major issues like some lesser fanfic; here, it treats the matter very maturely and realistically, and the two both talk about it again, maturely and realistically and their worries and doubts about it and how they're going to handle it, almost as if it were a real life situation. Props to you on that.
And Olive Branch, this was a most fitting punishment. I know this is probably shameless self-promotion, for which I completely apologies, but like what I do to Chrysalis in Maternal Instinct, the worst punishment you can give to people like that, here being Olive Branch, it's make them grow a heart or a conscience. I know it's not exactly that, but he is being forced to take upon empathy, feeling all the pain he has inflicted upon others, as well as being handed a hefty prison sentence. And all that is far more satisfying than him just being tossed in jail continuing his self-righteous bleating.
As for Speedy and Quick, I think Celestia pretty quickly, cleanly summed up the kind of people they are with that line, "You'll sign because you care about yourself." followed by their immediate confirmation by signing. I do like Celestia's reasonings for them signing the papers as well - the best thing they can ever do right by Scootaloo now is to legal disown themselves as her parents and that is really depressing when you think about it, eh?
Again, great chapter.
Alright! The bad guys are punished. Scootaloo and Spike are officially adopted. Princess Luna and Celestia kick ass and everypony's happy.
Who want's french toast?
howtomakefrenchtoastinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/how-to-make-french-toast.jpg
Karma is a bitch, isn't true Olive Branch? Enjoy your well-deserved punishment.
I love when the bad guys get what they deserve.
Oh, God, this CAN'T be good.
Well played, Celestia, by the time those two are out, they will be too old to be a problem for RD and Scootaloo, and if they try something...well, it was a pleasure to kill them.
shit's whack, yo
Wow the frist good thing he ever did for his daughter give her up!
I probably should have guessed Quick was an addict.
MOAR!!!!!!
"Hmmm, yes, and you say you lost your eye to what again? For shame; whelp, hope you learned your lesson!"
Scootaloo doesn't have to call them Mom and Dad. They're her Rainbow and Soarin, and that means so much more.
Too short.
MOAR!
That damn dragon better not cause them anymore problems!
Prince Garbel? Methinks Equestria has earned a war with the Dragon Empire.
As for Speedy and Quick, I think he should have just been kept locked up forever. Because I think they will try to find Scootaloo and hurt her again and possibly kill Rainbow and Soarin. There are just some criminals who don't deserve a second chance, and Speedy and Quick certainly fit in that category.
Ahahahahahahahahaha!
Luna, I tip my hat to you. That is a wonderful punishment, one that (in my occasionally lighter moments when I don't just want to kill everything) I have occasionally pondered the worth of myself.
I would like to think that the Dragon King/Queen is not so stupid as throw a tantrum because his/her child was maimed in attempting to commit murder and deciding to invade /Equestria for revenge or something equally tedious... Yes, yes, I know that might be the sequel hook, but I am so very tired of that special kind of self-centric arrogance that leads the bad guys to react like a child who's favourite toy is taken away as soon as they suffer a bit. (If that is the case, I can only hope the dragon ruler and Garble are both killed horribly in the ensuing adventure and die screaming in agony, as that is all thy would deserve...)
Actually, it would be nice for the dragon ruler to just banish and disown Garble flat-out for being weak (forcibly exile, as in "carry off to a very distant place, not just boot out to wander off where he wants"). Or simply treat him with distain and comtempt for his incompetance. (It's rather too much to hope for that the dragon ruler is not a fracking idiot but someone with actual sense and intelligence who knows not to annoy the nation that keeps to world alive, who'd do something sensible, like slap in him jail for being so cosmically stupid...)
If Twilight's adopting Spike doesn't that mean Celestia will have to give him up?
I want that reformation spell. Oh, the things I could do with it in real life. Kind of reminds me of Penance Stare!
All in all, a great chapter, but a little short. I could learn from that, I write too bloody long. ;)
But oh my, with Prince Garble and other issues, it seems more is yet to come!
Now that the cruel, and likely underhanded punishment is over with, on to the epilogue, because it can't have come sooner.
Ooooh-hoo-hoo, I haven't seen a spell as clever as that Reformation spell. That was genius on Luna's part.
I smell an oncoming Sequel Hook or two in this chapter...
Olive Branch got exactly what he deserves. He has to feel the physical pain from all his actions, and deal with it for twenty years.
Prince Garble? That explains why he had to go after Spike. If he didn't we would have lost face, which is still going to happen because he lost to a bunch of ponies. Garble is screwed no matter what happens now.
This was only the first day of Scootaloo's new life. She still has a long road ahead of her, as does Rainbow Dash and Soarin.
It seems Twilight has a long road ahead of her as well. Not only she still has to work on her own quirks, but having Spike as her son now officially.
Does Speedy and Quick Delivery really think Scootaloo is going to ever want to see her birth parents again? Only to prove you wasn't the failure they tried to make her believe she was, and that she did SO much better without them and that she will never want to see them again.
Prince Garble... I have the sudden urge to scream at my computer screen.
Compare this scream to the following:
MOFFAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!! (hint: current Head Writer for the BBC series Doctor Who)
2965364 Garble:"I fell down some stairs" Mumble:"no you di-" Garble:"Shut up before i throw you down a flight."
Kufufufufu~ I cant wait for more. Keep up the good work. Its well worth the wait. Please try to be faster to the draw with the next chapter. Till then my friend. Kufufufufu~
F1utt3rShI~
(Daemon Spade)
You know, I never supported ships. But then I read your nuptial-verse, and now I completely support "Soar-Dash". Kudos!
Soo... Luna just Penance-Stared Olive Branch? That's so awesome
! Double the Kudos!
? I just remembered that.
Oh, did I mention I hate olives
And S&Q Delivery are getting what each deserve, served in a plate by Celestia herself?
pablik.pl/slownik/img/foto/so-much-win-tyle-wygrac-2.jpg
stonedlizard.com/images/2012/09/21/so-much-win.jpg
I'm glad that there's a happy ending coming soon for everypony.
I could get one of thoseAlso... Prince... GARBLE?
... Dis can't be gud
Luna fulfilled the role of Karma nicely.
The hell can Garble's dad do.
Spike's mother is a walking WMD, his aunt is a head of state, his uncle is a high-ranking military commander, his other "aunts" are part of a superweapon, and "grandma" controls the sun.
2966235 He is still a full grown adult dragon king judging by Garbles title. Which means he is most likely the strongest dragon around. A difficult foe for anyone.
I probably would have done to Speedy and Quick what was done to Olive Branch personally. Make them both feel EVERYTHING they ever did to Scootaloo. All the physical pain and mental anguish. ALL of it. And maybe everything else they caused to others they hurt too, just for good measure.
And thus things begin to wind down, but with possible teasing for future installments.
Dear lord Garble I hope your dad is an understanding type, because if he hears that you lost to a bunch of Ponies and has some sort of Pride thing where he thinks that dragons are superior . . . well, I just wouldn't want to be you.
Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash's relationship begins to take off even more so than before.
Love how Celestia pointed out to Scootaloo's dad when he denied being abusive is that the first thing he thought about was how he could benefit, not what was best for Scootaloo. I hope that Scoots mom (and even her dad) can work through their issues.
Olive Branch's punishment is rather brutal, but well deserved. He is at the same time competent, and an utter idiot. Feeling the pain that he's caused may teach him a little something.
The main question I have is whether or not you're planning to write a sequal or something since you seem to be hinting at it (what with Garble and Twilight's visit to the ethereal library and seeing the Keeper, who tells her she's not through learning yet).
2965481>>2966306 Also, earlier mentions said that Garble's dad was a fan of Pony Newspapers... he may turn out to be okay
Ahhh...karma's a b***h ain't it? Well played...very well played
Well played out chapter. Reformation spell? Very interesting and at the same time, it's a fair enough punishment for Olive Branch.
Prince Garble? This won't end well....
See her again? Seriously?
PRINCE Garble? I smell a sequel! A sequel involving even more dragons! And probably violence! Honestly, a sequel that actually gets darker without being depressing sounds good to me right about now. Sounds real good, indeed.
All right!
I think most of us had just about forgotten about Garble & co., and it just figures that they may end up calling down more trouble on everyone... but at least everypony else has been dealt with well, and it's good to see things be, well, good again for a while.
But here's hoping that Garble doesn't do as much harm (even indirectly) as, say, Joffrey....
2965343
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FOOD OF THE GODS
The Reason You Suck Speech. No matter how scathing, heroic, depressing or just plane sadistic, it is always badass.
The bitchslap of morality.
Like a BOSS!
I'm sure you can buy some binoculars once you're out of prison
I guess that since no one else is saying it, and are instead applauding it, that I will have to be the one to go against the idiocy and say: Nice work showing Luna to be someone who tortures prisoners without a trial.
No, really. Way to make her look like a corrupt official. There's a reason the real life civilized world has checks and balances against such things. Now you are making Luna act like all the screwup officials in the real world. Maybe this supposed "
ReformationTorture" spell could find use at Guantanimo.I'm a little surprised at all the comments about Garble causing a war between Equestria and the dragons. I can't see that situation ending in war, or even effecting Equestria beyond a letter; "So my idiot son decided to sneak out and attack some of your citizens, but since he and his idiot friends got some of the stupid beat out of them, would you be willing to commute their sentences to a few years community service?"
"Sure, my sister was planning on remodeling a couple craters anyway, how long can they hold their breath?"
Personally, I want to see the part where some-dragon points out that since Garble and his friends got a (very) small bit of stupid beat out of them by a group of young mares, he should consider what might happen if he had encountered a group of trained soldiers, or the teacher of one of those mares who routinely plays catch with celestial objects.
Also, if the dragons were willing to fight Equestria, why haven't they already done so? What has prevented them from attacking before now? Either there are treaties and agreements in place or the dragons don't want to face a large army of ponies and two sisters playing catch. Either way I don't see Garble's f*** up starting a war. If this incident does cause any problem between the dragons and Equestria, it will most likely be from Celestia insisting (politely of course) that Garble needs a good spanking for attacking her little ponies.
Edit: to 2967441 the way I understand the spell working, is like Ghost Rider's Penance Stare (Comic, not movie). It only reflects what the victim has done to others. Though I do agree that he should have had a fair trial first. I just think the punishment fits the crime, after all, if people knew that they would experience all the pain they caused, they might be a little more reluctant to commit crimes than if they were going to be locked up, with a clean bed, hot meals, warm running water... wait, that's not so bad now is it? TO me, it's a case of "Oh no I have to live by a strict regimen and schedule" vs "Oh shit, everything bad thing I've done is now going to come back to bite me in the ass, literally."
... mother of twist!
???: "Garble..."
Garble: *gulp* Fa... father..?
the King: Can you explain me what happened, please? *he was very quiet* The voice of a prince of the Tiamat's race that was winned by a group of ponies... the entire empire talk about this. Is a lie?
Garble: ...
the King: ... I understand.
Garble: Father..!
the King: I don't care if your honor and credibility is vanish with that fight, but those... ponies. They attacked my horde, the hordo of the Tiamat's race, the horde of DragonRope.... do you understand, my stupid child? do you undesrtand what a king must do?
Garble: ... yes father... Fire and Blood.
the King: Equestria... will... burn...
images.wookmark.com/90750_174_large.jpg
It's strange...
I honestly think that Speedy Delivery thought he was doing the right thing with Scootaloo. That's a characteristic common to a lot of abusive parent, especially those with fanatic/ideologue personalities. On a very, very strange and twisted level, those two really did love Scootaloo and, even now, a small part of them is still concerned that she not be harmed as a result of their failure. Of course, as Celestia wisely realised, their first concern will be their own benefit (as it always has been).
Poor Scootaloo, though! It's going to be a long, hard path to happiness for her.
As for Twilight? She's taken another step along the path. The question yet to be answered is: the path to where?
It is possible that Garble being the son of the Dragon King may yet have repercussions. A lot depends on their people's culture: if his father can be persuaded that Garble was maimed in honourable, fair combat (something it is unlikely that he would have admitted himself) the dragons may consider the matter closed. Otherwise...? Well, I'm sure the Dragons have chafed at the Ponies position at the top of the heap for a while; this may just garner the High Council the excuse they need.
It took me a while but now I cant get enough of this