The Traffic Act

§ 1: The Act applies, unless otherwise provided, to road traffic which is used for ordinary traffic of one or more types of traffic.

Mathias sighed, he had been going through a lot of laws, regulations and codes. Sitting here outside his guardhouse , enjoying the sun and the sounds of Ponyville was a surprisingly relaxing way to read.

He liked to study, so it wasn't the work itself, and he wanted to be good at his job, so he could see the purpose, but this was so fucking boring. Still, if he wanted to be more effective, he needed to be as familiar with the law as possible. For now however, he focused on the things he was most likely to deal with.

For now it seemed traffic would be his biggest concern. Rainbow Dash had certainly motivated him to look into it some more, because if he was going to settle this and make her understand he wasn't joking, then he had to know what he was talking about.

He was sure she would just shrug off any attempt he made as nothing serious, but as he read on, he could tell these laws and codes were no laughing matter, especially for your purse. Equestria actually had some very strict codes, not to mention some very big fines, none of them went under 1,000 Bits, which was no small amount of money.

The more he read, the more he got an understanding of how to handle Dash. She needed to understand he was serious, that he could be fair and flexible, but the point was not to humiliate her so she would not trust him again. It was a delicate balance, but Mathias was confident he could pull it off.

Especially as he read on.

§ 3: Road users must act considerately and exercise caution so that no danger arises or damage or inconvenience is caused to others, and so that traffic is not unnecessarily hindered or disturbed. Consideration must also be given to those who live or stay by the road.

Section 2. Special consideration must be shown to foals, school patrols, elderly ponies and ponies who, according to special characteristics determined by the Minister of Transport, Building and Housing or otherwise, as the case may be, suffer from impaired vision or hearing or other physical deficiency or disease which is to the detriment of those in traffic.

Section 3. It is the responsibility of the guard and road authorities, after consultation with the schools, to take measures to protect the foals from the dangers of flying on their way to and from school.

Flying Speed Limits Near Ground Level/Populated Areas

Speed Limit, Your speed km/h, Fine:

Speed Limit: 40 km/h. Your speed: km/h 48-51. Fine: 1,500 Bits.
Speed Limit: 50 km/h. Your speed: km/h 51-59. Fine: 1,000 Bits.
Speed Limit: 60 km/h. Your speed: km/h 61-71. Fine: 1,000 Bits.
Speed Limit: 70 km/h. Your speed: km/h 84-90. Fine: 1,500 Bits.
Speed Limit: 80 km/h. Your speed: km/h 81-95. Fine: 1,000 Bits.
Speed Limit: 80 km/h. Your speed: km/h 112-119. Fine: 2,000 Bits.
Speed Limit: 90 km/h. Your speed: km/h 91-107. Fine: 1,000 Bits.
Speed Limit: 90 km/h. Your speed: km/h 117-125. Fine: 1,500 Bits.

High speed surcharge:
A high-speed surcharge is added to the fine if you have flown at 140 km/h or more. The supplement is at least 1,000 Bits and increases by 500 for every 10 km/h the speed exceeds 140 km/h.

A particularly severe fine is imposed if you have exceeded the speed limit by 30%, or more when flying in a populated area other than Highways with a speed limit of 100 km/h and when flying on Highways. The tightening consists of a supplement to the fine of 1,000 Bits.

Road work:
If you have flown too fast in a place where the speed limit is temporarily set due to road work or work of a similar nature on or by the road, the fine is doubled in relation to the applicable tariffs. The doubling takes place in relation to the total fine, which is calculated in accordance with the other provisions in the Traffic Act, including e.g. also after the addition of the increased fine and the high-speed surcharge.

Mathias could go on, and the laws did so, page after page, after page, but Mathias had enough to confront Rainbow Dash if need be. Somehow he had a feeling he would not have to wait long before he would see her zoom through the town again.

Closing the book, he stretched, and was about to return the book to his desk. Before he got that far however, he spotted a Pegasus mare flying towards him. She seemed to be going a little too fast for her own good, and for a moment Mathias worried she would crash into something, or someone.

Luckily, she managed to land, though being it a little bumpy. As soon as she made contact with the ground below, she was still moving forward, so to slow down, he planted her rump to the ground, coming to a full stop after a second or two.

"Are you okay?" Mathias asked, no real urgency in his voice as he could see she was fine, but he was confused.

"Oh!" The grey mare with the blonde mane exclaimed as she stood up. "Yeah! I'm fine! Just wanted to make sure I didn't crash into your new guardhouse Mr. Guard."

The Pegasus mare wore a post uniform, so he assumed she was here with letters or something. Her eyes were crossing, which explained why she was being a little careful. The mare seemed cheerful enough, and so Mathias himself could not help but feel a little cheered up himself.

"It's Mathias, not Mr. Guard. And you are?"

"Oh!" The mare exclaimed once again, standing up straight and made a cute salute with her wing, smiling cheerfully. "Ditzy Do, Ponyville mail mare, at your service!"

Mathias couldn't hold back a small smile, she was adorable, and she seemed to beam with positivity. He held up his fingers to his forehead, and gave a more casual salute back. "Mathias Frost, Ponyville guard, at yours."

She giggled, reaching into her mailbag and got a hold of two letters. "This is for you then."

"Thank you, Miss Do," replied Mathias, taking the letters.

She giggled again. "Have a good day, Mr. Guard!" The mare said before turning and flew off to other houses on her route.

Mathias waved goodbye, and turned towards his guardhouse with his letters. He hadn't really expected to get any mail, anything Luna wanted to say to him she could just tell him in the dreamscape. Then again, maybe it was from Celestia, but he wasn't sure if she would have used the postal service.

Walking back inside the guardhouse, he found the desk where his helmet was placed and sat down. He took out his dagger, moved the shiny blade to the top, and carefully cut the envelope open. Somehow Mathias seemed to sense a small hint of perfume? It wasn't strong or anything like that, it was faint, like the sender had not been aware he or she had left a trace of themselves on the letter.

Mathias assumed the scent was of perfume, and so a mare, though he could not be certain. He wasn't sure why he noticed it, maybe it was in his imagination, but hey, maybe it could be a love letter? Chuckling to himself, Mathias chased the childish thought away. Of course it wasn't a love letter, but hey, a guy could dream, right?

Being the only human here meant he would likely die alone, well, maybe he would have friends, maybe even a girlfriend, or a wife, if he could ever get over that different species factor, but he would never leave any children behind, his genes would die along with him.

He sighed, not knowing why he was thinking about all of this now, he hadn't even opened up the letter yet. It just hammered home the fact he was lonely. Luna and Celestia had always managed to make him forget it, but here in Ponyville, he felt more isolated than ever.

He didn't have his phone, didn't have pictures, nothing to from home other than his Roman equipment. It was his only link to his home world, the only memento he had of earth, of home.

"Dammit." Mathias sighed, trying to get his mind off those thoughts. "I must be more desperate than I thought.," he mumbled before finally unfolding the letter. What he read surprised him, but in a good way.

Dear Mr. Frost.

First of all let me congratulate you on becoming the Ponyville guard/captain. I am fully confident in the princesses choice in appointing you to this office.

We have not had the chance to meet face to face, but I work as a teacher, and I would like to introduce my students to the new Ponyville guard, as well as gain understanding about you being a human. I hope it will help my students understand you more, and in turn, help make other ponies understand.

I hope you will reach out to me, you're always welcome by the school. If you come by after classes ends, then perhaps we can talk about it?

Best wishes.

Cheerilee

The letter brought a smile on Mathias's face, the letter was sweet, and he thought it was a very good idea. Perhaps that would be a good way to reach out to the community, show he was not some dangerous monster or some freak. Not that he thought the ponies had thought that badly about him, but he could see they were not sure what to think about him yet.

Putting the letter down, he made a mental note to swing by the school to have a talk with Cheerilee later on. The other letter was then picked up, it would be nice if it was something positive like the first one, though he doubted he would be that lucky. Likely it was some bill, or some other official letter he had to read carefully. Didn't matter, the first letter had put him in a good mood, so maybe he would get lucky twice.

Sadly however, that was not the case.

Mr. Guard.

I'm sorry to inform you that I cannot accept you as our town guard. If we do need a guard, and I say that we do, then we would feel safer if our town guard was a pony like us.

Please do the right thing and resign.

Concerned Ponyville citizen.

Mathias couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, he had only been working for one day, and already some pony decided he was unfit for the job because he was not a pony? It wasn't that he couldn't understand ponies being slightly nervous and careful around him at first, but he had hoped they would at least give him a chance.

He sighed, there wasn't anything he could do about it, he would just have to prove himself. It wasn't that this one pony could get him fired, the ponies didn't decide who got to be a guard or not, but to do his job right, he needed public trust and confidence.

His thoughts drifted to the small town where he grew up. It was kinda like Ponyville, a farmer town, a place where everybody knew everybody. They had a police station there, only three cops worked there, but they were part of the community, so much so they could easily drop by and help with some work, even while on duty. When they spoke, people listened, and it was the same when they spoke.

It was a relationship of mutual respect, and Mathias wanted to have the same kind of relationship with his community. It would make his job easier and more pleasant if he had their trust, if he could be their friendly Mr. Guard all the time, but he doubted it would be that easy. Sometimes he needed to be firm, other times he could likely smooth things over simply by talking things over, he hoped. Though all of that needed the trust and respect from the community, and there was only one way to get it, earn it.

Even so, he still needed to be able to put his foot down, and that meant he needed to show them he was a guard, and he was the law. So, if Rainbow Dash was going to break the flying code again, he would act, regardless of how it was perceived. That was the kind of balance he would have to walk, he could not pander to the town, but he still had to cooperate.

Mathias groaned, leaning back in his chair as he closed his eyes tight. "This is so frustrating," he mumbled to no one. Still, all was not lost, Cheerilee had suggested talking to the foals, explaining who and what he was, and his new role in Ponyville. It was a great idea! Mathias still fondly remembered when the police would show up in kindergarten and show off the car, and tell about themselves, it was really cool.

Hopefully he could leave a similar impression on these kids, he hoped so. Mathias decided to go on patrol, maybe a walk would clear his mind and put him in a better mood. Maybe he could swing by the school later, talk with Cheerilee and set up a date when he could come by and talk to the kids. Already the idea put him in a better mood, so he curled up the other letter and threw it in the trash. The sender had not bothered to sign it, so he would not bother saving it. Besides, even though he would listen to the ponies in the town, their needs and so forth, he would not just resign because he got one letter.

He stood up, put on his helmet, took his shield, and locked the guardhouse. There was no reason sitting around all day inside and dwell on that letter, better to be outside under the blue sky and enjoy the sun. His armor shined in the light, and he had to admit he felt a certain amount of pride.

Clothes make the man they say, Mathias could hardly disagree. Some part of him knew he was really just a history nerd, and it had always felt so cool to put on his gear, but now, now it was for real, and the responsibility that came from that felt both amazing and terrifying.

Gathering some courage, he started to walk down the main road, and towards the market. It was the busiest place in town, and if anything were to happen, it most likely would be there. Besides, even though most ponies around this town had probably already heard of him, it didn't hurt to be seen patrolling. They might as well get used to it, which was true for him as well.

The ponies around the town reacted as he had expected. Some were shocked, others outraged. Some simply did their best to ignore him, or simply had no opinion of him at all. A few ponies greeted him as he passed them, either with a small smile, a small nod, or even a little nervous good morning. It wasn't where he wanted to be, not yet, but it was a start.

The market was probably the most crowded area of the town, which wasn't really that bad. There were a lot of stalls, lots of vendors chatting with the regular ponies they see almost on a daily basis. It was kind of funny, with the stalls, the small tents, and the activity going on around him, it sort of reminded Mathias of those fantasy markets you would see in games and movies.

With him walking around in armor, holding a shield and had a sword in his belt, it certainly helped add to that picture. He stuck out like a sore thumb, all of these ponies went to his midsection, which meant he basically towered over them all. It made Mathias feel extra self-conscious, but not enough that he felt uncomfortable as of yet. So far, he was just utterly fascinated and mesmerized by the whole scene.

It reminded him of how surreal it all was. Here he was, a human wearing roman armor and weaponry, guarding a town full of magical and colorful ponies, in a world with even more magical creatures. How was this ever going to feel normal to him?

He would just have to take it one day at a time, hopefully he would get somewhat used to it. As insane as it was, it was also quite thrilling. How many humans could say they had moved into another dimension? As far as Celestia and Luna were concerned, he was the only one who had crossed into theirs.

Some part of him had wondered if other humans could be here. He wasn't even aware how he had crossed over in the first place, so in theory there could be more, though he did not bet on it. The thought was intriguing, finding other humans. Despite him having two good friends in Canterlot, and some friendly relations in town, there was still something about being the only one of your kind.

It wasn't a species thing, like him thinking humans were better, or that they were smarter than ponies. It was just the feeling of being the only one of his kind. It went beyond friends and family, though of course that was a big part of it too. But to be completely cut off from your own kind, no matter which race or religion, it was like losing a part of one self.

"Howdy, Mathias!"

A voice suddenly called, breaking Mathias's line of thoughts. He looked around, quickly finding the pony who had spoken. It was the southern belle, Applejack. She was giving him a friendly smile, and he sent one of his own. Mathias liked Applejack, well, like as in, he had found her pleasant to be around.

Mathias had grown up in a small countryside village, so he bonded pretty quickly with gals like her. "Howdy, Applejack. What brings you out here?"

"Helpin' my Granny setting up shop. Why don't you come over and have a look?"

"Sounds good."

The two made their way through the small crowd, though before they could get to the stall, Applejack looked up at him and said. "Rainbow told me what happened yesterday." Mathias eyed her, she didn't look upset, maybe a little concerned, but not upset. "I told her she was being foalish, and she should not act stupid. Especially not with the town guard."

Judging by her tone, it wasn't hard to figure out Rainbow had not taken Applejack seriously, just like she hadn't taken him seriously. "I don't know what she's thinking, I'm not trying to bust her, but I have to enforce the law. She could have rammed me and Spike yesterday."

"I know," assured Applejack. "I've been trying to tell her to be careful, hay, we all have." They made it to the stand where Granny Smith was busy bargaining with a customer. "All I'm saying, she isn't doing it to be a pain in the flank, even though she can come off like that."

Mathias snorted a small laugh, then smiled. He knew what she was trying to say, so he simply nodded. "I understand, don't worry about it."

Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, sugarcube. Here, have an apple on the house."

"Thanks."

She turned, took an apple, and gave it a gentle throw so he could catch it with his free hand. Though just as it made it to the halfway point, a powerful wind moved through the market with a powerful SWOOSH sound, blowing the apple to the ground. Mathias looked up, even though he did not need to in order to figure out what had happened, and just as he expected, barely two meters above them was a fading rainbow trail.

Applejack let out another sigh, this time one of annoyance. "Guess it was too much to hope for.."

Mathias looked at her, then back at the Market. It was not a mess, but some things had been blown off and down to the ground, annoying several of the ponies around. He looked back at Applejack with a small frown. "Sorry.." And with that, he turned, and walked away, off to find Rainbow Dash.

She wasn't hard to find, really, all he needed to do was to follow the general direction of her fading rainbow trail, then make an educated guess to where she could be heading. If he didn't get her today, then tomorrow. Luckily, he did come across her rather fast, and it was even where he thought she'd be, Sugarcube Corner.

Mathias had walked by it before, it was like a fortress of sugar. Not that he thought the roof and the giant cupcake tower was real, but it got the point across to all who might lay their eyes onto this structure, you could buy cake here. This was Pinkie Pie's domain, place of work, and home. The Cakes, a married couple, owned the place, Pinkie simply rented the tower section, or so he had been told.

Outside the shop stood Pinkie, or rather, she was bouncing up and down, talking excitedly to the mare he had come to see. Rainbow Dash was hovering above ground, laughing at something Pinkie said. Exactly what it was he had no idea, but it hardly mattered. They didn't see him, not before he called her name.

"Rainbow Dash," called Mathias, stopping a few meters away. Both mares looked, Rainbow looking surprised, then slightly amused. The change in expression told him she had not planned for him to see her speeding, but now that he had, she was interested in seeing where this would go.

"What's up, Mathias?" She asked, smirking at him.

She knew exactly what was up, and it just hammered home the fact she didn't take him seriously as a guard. Even so, he refused to be provoked by it, he had read up on the flying laws, he knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. Mathias stopped, giving her a stern look.

"Rainbow Dash, I warned you about this. You're flying way too fast, and too close to the ground, I can't look the other way on this." Mathias explained, knowing full well he could not let her off with a warning. Too many ponies had been near, if he let her go he would just be seen as a useless guard. Though he couldn't just go and drag her off like some thug either, she was still well liked, so he needed to do this right.

As expected, Rainbow just snorted, slowly flying around him as if daring him to try and grab her. Mathias did no such thing, he didn't need to touch her to bring her in. "Oh come on Mathias, I know what I'm doing. I'm the best flyer in Equestria."

"Even if that is the case, you're not above the law. I'm not just saying this for other ponies sake, but yours. If something happens you can get seriously hurt, and if you ram into someone they too could get very badly hurt." First Mathias tried to appeal to her more rational side, there was no reason to bring out the heavy artillery if he could actually talk some sense into the mare. "I've already given you a warning, which means I can legally haul you off to my jail cell, while yesterday you would only have gotten a fine."

None of this faced her in the least, she didn't take it seriously, which meant he really needed to make her understand this was no joke. It frustrated Mathias, because he knew enough about Rainbow Dash to know she didn't want to hurt anyone, and she did care about others, she was simply too stubborn and confident in her own abilities.

She was about to say something, make a joke, or some stupid statement about how he could not catch her. Mathias simply held up a hand, stopping any such statement from passing her lips. "Rainbow," started Mathias, putting as much sternness and seriousness into his voice as he could. "You're right, I can't catch you if you fly away. The thing is though, I don't need to capture you." She seemed puzzled about this, moving her head to the side as if trying to figure out his statement. "The only thing I need to do is write a report, list your violations, speeding, reckless flying and endangerment, resisting arrest, fleeing from a guard."

He listed, holding up his free hand and fingers to illustrate her crimes. "So I might not be the one to catch you, but you will legally be considered a criminal, a minor one, but a criminal none the less. That means you will have a record, and guess who is looking through criminal records when holding tryouts."

Her mood suddenly shifted, her face froze up as it suddenly dawned on her. "The Wonderbolts.." She uttered, barely above a whisper.

Mathias nodded, not proud of having to use her life dream against her, but it had to be done. If he didn't make it clear to her now, then she really would be getting a record, regardless of his own private thoughts, and then she really would have no chance of ever joining them. Still, it didn't feel good to use her dream against her.

"So," Mathias continued, holding up a stoic tone and facial expression. "You can either come with me now, spend the night in a cell, get your fine, and we can forget the whole thing tomorrow. Or, you can take your chances in flying away, see if the princess will pardon you. Even as an element, I doubt that will happen, but you can try."

By this time, Rainbow had landed on the ground, her ears back, her eyes on the dirt, looking smaller and more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. There he was, a Ponyville guard, a human, towering over the mare, probably looking intimidating. It wasn't that he wanted to look intimidating, but he could easily imagine what this looked like from the outside.

"So, what will it be? Will you come with me?" To his relief, Rainbow simply nodded, still not looking up at him. "Then follow me back to the guardhouse." Before turning around, he glanced at Pinkie Pie who had been strangely quiet through the whole thing.

She was still there, but her mane didn't seem so poofy anymore, like the whole thing had deflated like a balloon. She didn't seem angry, or even on the verge of tears. She simply recognized the situation for what it was, and had decided to stay out of it, but of course, that didn't mean it didn't upset her some.

Mathias didn't linger, nor did he bother to chain Rainbow Dash. He didn't want to make a show out of it, neither did he want to humiliate her in front of the entire town. No, now she knew what was at stake, she now knew how serious this was, that would keep her in line. Despite not being comfortable about the whole thing, Mathias knew he had done what was right.

This was, Rainbow would get off with a fine, which was like a warning, and a small punishment in the cell. No criminal record, no need for others to know, especially the Wonderbolts. Mathias couldn't be sure of how this would affect their relationship, but it was his hope they could move past this and still be friends, if they ever were.

They started walking, Rainbow followed close behind, her mind racing in order to calm herself. Mathias could imagine what she was going through, but hopefully once everything had settled within her, she would calm, do her time, and be out in the morning. She didn't say anything, not that he had expected her to.

They got to the guardhouse, and still with no words of protests or any signs of anger, Rainbow obediently followed him downstairs where the cells were located. The keys were noisy, and the iron barred door seemed to scream as he opened it. Mathias made a mental note to get that fixed.

Rainbow trotted inside, looking around. It wasn't big, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. Mathias had made sure to get it cleaned, and made it so no pony would be cold or lack anything. Still she didn't say anything, probably still trying to process it all. Mathias stood in the opening, letting out a small sigh.

He wanted to say sorry, wanted to let her know it was going to be okay, but he couldn't, not yet. As cruel as it could sound, he needed her to understand, needed the lesson to sink in fully before he could get on those terms with her again.

"Do you need anything?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral. She simply shook her head, and Mathias nodded. "Alright, I'll come check on you shortly." With that, he closed the cell door, his keys dangling as he turned and locked it.

There wasn't much else he could do, not right now, so he turned, and made his way back upstairs. No doubt the other girls would have heard about this by now, and no doubt he would get a visit from them at some point. He hoped they would understand, Applejack seemed to, and so too seemed Pinkie.

Mathias took off his helmet, placed it on the desk and sat down. What a rotten way to start his day, it was barely lunch time, and he had already received a letter, asking him to quit, and now he had to arrest Rainbow Dash, a local hero. It was only his second day!

"Ergh.." He groaned, knowing he did the right thing, but he still needed to get used to the feeling.

"Hopefully the rest of the day will be better..."

Author's Note

First chapter of the year!