Execution
Chapter 9: Execution
The days passed in a blur for Dawn. He got up, went to school, doing his best not to cause any further trouble. In the afternoon, he helped Ditzy finish her deliveries so that he could help her refine her wind-sense. Then he returned home to his mother for dinner before falling into bed to begin the cycle all over again.
Fluttershy noticed the change in her son. He had already been quite melancholy over the events at Scootaloo's party. But now, it seemed like something in the colt had broken. On Wednesday, Fluttershy had gone into Dawn's room, more than a little shocked to find that he hadn't gotten up yet (the colt being the habitual early riser that he was), only to find him lying on his bed, gazing pensively at the ceiling as though contemplating whether it was even worth getting up to face the new day. Dawn no longer went through his forms every morning, choosing to instead sit and brood on the couch.
Fluttershy was at a loss over how to help him. Dawn looked like a colt who had received a death sentence (she was quite lucky she didn't know how accurate her assessment of Dawn's mood was). Dawn was uncooperative at best, refusing to discuss his problem with her. Fluttershy had heard that he had been spending time with Ditzy and wondered if that had anything to do with it.
Dawn was slowly coming to terms with his situation. He had only ever seen Red River or Storm Front a few times since Monday, at a distance at that. But still, he could feel the inevitability of his situation pressing down on him. He hoped that, with a week of training, he could give Ditzy enough pointers that she would be able to continue her own training after he was gone. Right now, that was the best he could manage. He also wished he had time to teach the basics of the Gale King style to Scootaloo, like he had promised. But he felt he could leave somewhat satisfied, given that he had already taught her to fly. Perhaps that was enough.
It had never even occurred to him that he could appeal to the authorities. In all of Dawn's prior experience, going to the Guard of whatever town he was about to be run out of had done nothing to improve his situation and frequently only served to exacerbate it. Furthermore, the grim finality of Red River's statement had brooked no thoughts of resistance. One way or another, Dawn would have to face them, or depart Equestria entirely. Part of him accepted that. Part of him felt that he deserved the fate that was now imposed on him. He'd seen his darkest inclinations dragged out into the light and Dawn was truly afraid of the pony he might become.
Like with the authorities, the thought of informing his mother, or his mother's friends never occurred to him. It was more than likely that Twilight Sparkle could intercede on his behalf, maybe even make his problem with the two mercenary stallions vanish like a puff of smoke. But Dawn couldn't bring himself to feel that he deserved such intervention; that doing something like that prevented him from confronting the consequences of his actions.
What if he ever lost control like that again? What happened if he snapped at another pony? What happened if somepony like Storm Front or Red River wasn't around to stop him? No, getting help from his mother or her friends wasn't the answer. Getting anypony else involved wasn't the answer.
One way or another, this was his battle and his alone.
The days continued to pass by. It was Saturday before he knew it. Tomorrow, Dawn would face Red River and Storm Front, and he would probably meet his end at their hooves.
Fluttershy had been working on grooming one of her many animal friends when she heard a soft tapping on the door. Dawn was still in his room. Fluttershy had no doubt he was awake. He had come out to eat breakfast with her before retreating into isolation once again. She wondered who it was that could be knocking.
Opening the door, Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise. "Scootaloo! What are you doing here?"
Scootaloo shifted uncomfortably. "I was wondering if I could see Dawn," she said softly. She clearly looked torn about whether or not she really wanted to see the colt again, but at least she was making the effort.
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. "Oh, that's wonderful. Dawn's in his room right now. He's been so depressed all week. Maybe you could cheer him up."
Scootaloo winced. She had seen that Dawn had been down in the dumps, but had been too afraid to approach him. Slowly, she walked up to his room and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Reaching out with a hoof, Scootaloo slowly opened the door to see Dawn on his mattress, staring pensively at the pillow. His expression was blank and unreadable. When his eyes found hers, Scootaloo flinched away and saw Dawn flinch at the same time. She realized that it hurt him to know that she was afraid of him. After everything, his personality and own flaws had done what his eyes could not and driven one of his very first friends from his presence.
Still, Scootaloo forced herself to step into Dawn's room and walked towards him. "Dawn," she said, coming to a stop at the edge of his bed, "I'm sorry."
"For being afraid of me?"
Scootaloo recoiled like she had been slapped, casting her gaze down and away from the black colt. "W-well..."
"It's true," said Dawn decisively, looking away as well, "And I don't blame you. I should be feared."
"D-Dawn...?"
"All those ponies who had always shouted at me, attacked me, forced me into hiding, I suppose they can be happy. In a way, I have become the very monster they wanted me to be."
"That's not true!" blurted Scootaloo suddenly looking back up at him, "You aren't a monster. I admit I'm scared of you. But that's because there are moments where you don't seem to be in control, where you're trying to hurt a pony just for the sake of hurting them. That's bad and it's wrong, but it doesn't make you a monster."
"Then what does it make me?" asked Dawn, "I didn't just want to hurt your father. I wanted to maim him. In my frustration I decided that I would take the sky away from him forever. What you are afraid of is very real. How am I not a monster?"
"Because you can change," answered Scootaloo, "If you really were a monster, you'd be so sure that you're right that you'd be angry at me for being afraid of you. You're like this now because you realize something's wrong with you. That means you can fix it!"
"Even if that is true," said Dawn, "What happens until I am fixed. What if somepony gets hurt because I was left to my own devices while we try to fix me? I'm too dangerous to be allowed to run loose."
Scootaloo cautiously climbed up on Dawn's bed. "We'll deal with it," she said, laying down next to him and leaning against him, "Me, your mom, all our friends, we'll keep you from hurting other ponies while we try to help you fix yourself."
Dawn looked down. "I would thank you, but it's too late. My sentence has already been pronounced. Tomorrow, I die."
Scootaloo took a moment to pick her jaw up off the bed. "What?" Her voice was barely a squeak.
"Red River and Storm Front will be ending my life tomorrow. They determined that I am much too dangerous to be permitted to stay. So tomorrow, either I leave Ponyville and never show my face in Equestria again, or I die."
Saturday was an excellent day for business. Red River had already sold all his stock and was in the process of the dragging the wagon back to Sweet Apple Acres for more. His enjoyment of the beautiful afternoon was marred by the sound of wings flapping. Scootaloo descended out of the sky and skidded to a stop in front of the stallion before wheeling around and glaring at him.
"What the hay do you think you're doing?" she demanded, "Why are you trying to kill Dawn?"
"Ah, I see I've been found out," remarked Red River casually as he continued pulling the cart, "I underestimated you. I didn't think you would have the courage to approach Dawn before my deadline. Perhaps that is for the best."
"What are you talking about?"
Red River shook his head. "Storm Front and I have decided we cannot permit Dawn to live when he presents such a dire threat to innocent ponies. Can you honestly say that he's harmless."
Scootaloo paused and looked down. "No...but still...It's not fair to punish a pony for what he might do."
"In this case it's more than a 'might,'" replied Red River, "He actually was about to cut your father's wings off last week. Only Storm Front's intervention stopped him. And what about that filly in your class? Had Dawn been angry enough with her, he would have had no compunction against badly injuring her."
Scootaloo grit her teeth in frustration. Diamond Tiara had not shown up in class for the entire week after Dawn's verbal destruction of her self-esteem. Silver Spoon was still attending, but refused to speak about her friend's situation. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and many other foals in the class would have been happy to have a week without the snooty filly to make their lives miserable. But the unpleasant circumstances, under which the affair had occurred, made her absence seem more depressing than anything else.
"Th-that's true...but he didn't," Scootaloo finally managed to say, "And it doesn't work to say 'but he could have,' because he didn't."
"I suppose so," murmured Red River, "I don't have much choice in the matter. I'll tell you the truth, so long as you promise not to visit the colt again today."
"What truth?"
"The truth that we are not merely trying to kill Dawn Lightwing, but rather, save him."
Scootaloo blinked, staring up at the stallion in stunned silence. "Okay. Tell me what's going on."
Rarity looked up from her latest design as she heard the bell over her door tinkle, signaling the arrival of another customer. Going out into the public portion of her shop, she put on her most welcoming smile to greet the customer. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, how can I help you?"
Rarity came to a stop upon identifying the visiting stallion. He was a very familiar customer, bearing a brown coat and a slicked back black mane shot through with strands of gray. The brown earth pony wore a suit that was perfectly-tailored for his well-toned physique that showed his cutie mark, three bags of money, to his advantage. Rarity knew it was perfectly-tailored because she was the one who tailored it. This stallion was one of her best male customers after all. "Filthy Rich, darling! What brings you here this day? Do you have another commission for me?"
Filthy Rich sighed and smiled, his expression surprisingly shy given what a powerful (financially speaking) and self-assured pony he was. "Actually, Miss Rarity..."
"Just Rarity darling, there's no need to be so formal with me."
"Actually Rarity, I have a request of a rather personal nature."
Rarity blinked in surprise. It was unlike Filthy Rich to be so hesitant. And while she counted him as a friend, she had never thought she would get something like this from him. "Perhaps we should retire to my kitchen and we can discuss this."
"That would be...nice."
Once in the kitchen, Rarity set about making tea for her and her guest. It seemed odd for the stallion to come to her with a personal request given that their relationship, while friendly, had always maintained the professional distance between a businessmare and her client.
Once the tea was steeping on the table, Rarity seated herself with a smile and addressed the stallion. "What can I do for you Mr. Rich?"
Filthy Rich sighed and gave the designer a sad look. "I'm sure that you are familiar with the antics of my daughter."
Rarity frowned. That was one...unpleasant aspect of their relationship. "Yes. I have heard many things about her from Sweetie Belle, some of them very unflattering."
"If you could be so kind, could you give me some examples?"
Rarity tilted her head as she thought. She dreaded going over the details with Diamond Tiara's own father. It seemed like the sort of thing that could ruin a relationship with her client, one of the things that kept her from bringing up the issue with Filthy Rich before. However, it was clear that Filthy Rich wanted honesty. She doubted he would tolerate an attempt to dissuade him from the topic.
"To be honest, there have been days that Sweetie Belle came home in tears because of what Diamond Tiara has said and done to her and her friends. To put it simply, if mildly, from what I've heard, your daughter is a terror."
A sardonic smile made its way briefly across the face of the stallion. "The same could be said of your sister and her friends."
"In a sense," Rarity said, acknowledging the halfhearted response with a nod, "Although the context is completely different. Sweetie and her fellow Crusaders are terrors by accident. They mean well and generally just want to find their cutie marks and enjoy their foalhoods. The trouble they cause is largely a consequence of them not thinking all the way through their actions.
"In contrast, Diamond Tiara is a terror in the sense that she deliberately sets out to make the lives of other foals a misery. She derives a degree of amusement from hurting others and making them fear her."
Filthy Rich sighed. "I was afraid of that. And yet, from what I hear, your sister and her friend, who happens to be a member of the family that is the very source of my present wealth and position have been bullied by my daughter for quite some time. Why is it that this has never been brought to my attention before?"
Rarity's lip trembled as Filthy Rich brought up the million bit question. "To be honest, I suspect it has to do with the relationship we've had over these past years. You are a valued client to me and a close family friend to the Apples. I fear that neither of us has brought this to your attention because we feared losing your business."
Filthy gave Rarity and incredulous look. "Are you saying that you've been allowing your sisters to suffer because you were afraid that you would lose me as a source of income?"
Tears ran down Rarity's cheeks as she acknowledged it. She hated getting emotional in front of a client like this. But the situation and its repercussions were driving her past the breaking point. "Yes. I'm a horrible sister sometimes, I know. It seemed so trivial at times and easier to look the other way. And things seemed to get easier for Sweetie Belle after she found her friends and formed the Crusaders. I thought that maybe, even if your daughter continued to bully them, she wouldn't be able to hurt them as badly because they had each other. But that doesn't excuse my negligence, does it?"
Filthy Rich shook his head. "No it doesn't. And it doesn't excuse my negligence either. I've heard rumors from other ponies regarding my daughter's issues, but either dismissed them or ignored them. To know that my daughter has been behaving in such a way and that I have failed to take any action to correct her behavior undermines me as a father."
With a sniff, Rarity dabbed her nose with a napkin before pouring tea for her and her guest. "I suppose we've both made mistakes then," she observed, "Is that why you're here then, to rectify them?"
Filthy Rich nodded before taking a small sip of his tea.
"May I ask what brought this on?"
The stallion directed a pensive gaze into the liquid filling his cup. "Earlier this week, Diamond Tiara came home from school, crying her eyes out. I barely got a chance to ask what was wrong before she threw herself at me and asked if I really loved her. She asked if maybe I thought she was some sort of doll, another toy I could use to show off my wealth. I was horrified to even consider the notion.
"After I assured her of my love and got her sufficiently calmed down enough to talk, she told me what happened. Apparently some colt in school suggested that she was worthless because everything she had originally came from me."
Rarity gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves. "Oh dear."
Filthy Rich nodded. "I'll admit, I was furious with whoever had told her this. But after I learned the truth, Diamond Tiara started insisting that I get revenge for her, that I punish the colt who hurt her feelings. She wanted me to buy Miss Fluttershy's home and force her and her son out of Ponyville."
Rarity blinked. "So the colt that hurt Diamond Tiara was Dawn?"
There was a brief moment of confusion before Filthy Rich nodded. "You know him?"
"Yes, Fluttershy just recently adopted him. He'd been living on his own for quite some time. He has a unique condition with his eyes that makes them look very distinct. He's suffered a great deal of mistreatment from ponies because of that."
Filthy Rich tapped his chin with a hoof. "That explains why Diamond Tiara occasionally called him a freak."
Rarity took a sip from her own cup. "I'm sorry to hear that Dawn's words traumatized your daughter. But it seems she did bring it upon herself. It wouldn't surprise me if she was harassing that colt over his eyes. When he snaps he tends to resort to psychological attacks to avoid doing physical harm to other ponies. At least, that's what he did to Applejack when she put him in a similar situation."
"In other words, he exercised a great deal of restraint and my daughter brought this upon herself."
"Well..." Rarity hedged, "I can't quite disagree with the latter. But with the former...to be honest, it doesn't sit well with me. The last thing I would want would be for Dawn, or anypony for that matter, to become a bully himself simply for the purpose of defeating another bully. It only makes matters worse in the long run."
"But ultimately," sighed Filthy Rich, "It all comes back to my daughter and her own actions. This brings us to the favor I wanted to ask of you."
"Which is...?"
"Are you familiar with what happened to my wife?"
Rarity pondered that for a moment. It was common knowledge that Filthy Rich had divorced his wife not too long ago. It was common opinion that it was for the best, as the mare proved to be a total shrew who showed nothing but contempt for Ponyville and its inhabitants. Finally, she managed to dredge up an appropriate answer. "Yes."
"In all honesty, marrying that mare was the greatest mistake I ever made. The only good thing that came out of it was my daughter, who remains the only truly good thing that mare produced. Had I come to a decision earlier, I might have been able to remove her from our lives before she did too much damage.
"Gilded Lily came from one of Manehattan's oldest and richest families. Originally, I thought she agreed to marry me because we were in love. As it turned out, it was only another business venture to her and her family. They tried to go behind my back to shortchange the Apples in order to get higher profits and generally treated my suppliers and friends like dirt. Ultimately, I decided that I couldn't continue to be her husband if it meant compromising on my principles.
"But the damage had already been done. Diamond Tiara has apparently absorbed many of her mother's attitudes towards ponies less wealthy and fortunate than ourselves. It's my fault for not doing something to rectify that sooner."
"How awful," gasped Rarity, "How can I help?"
"Well, the problem is that even though Gilded Lily is gone from our lives, her attitudes still influence Diamond Tiara." Filthy Rich looked up at Rarity and smiled. "As it is, I still believe that Diamond Tiara requires a mare in her life to help teach her the proper way to behave around other ponies. I believe you could be that mare."
In spite of herself, Rarity's cheeks showed a slight splash of red. "I'm not sure what you're suggesting."
Catching onto Rarity's concerns, Filthy Rich backtracked quickly. "Oh no! I didn't mean it that way. What I want is to see if perhaps you can teach Diamond Tiara some things about being a proper lady and how to treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve."
Rarity thought it over for a moment. "I don't see why not. What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Scootaloo? Are you alright?" Melon Cream watched with concern as her daughter pecked halfheartedly at her dinner.
"I'm fine," answered Scootaloo, "I just have a lot of things to think about."
At Fluttershy's home, things were quiet. In the living room, the only sounds that could be heard were the quiet sobs of the canary yellow mare as she wrapped her son tightly in her forelegs. Dawn didn't make a peep, but wasn't able to stop his own tears. Now that she knew, Fluttershy had been able to do little else. She'd heard the truth when Dawn had been talking to Scootaloo earlier, having been eavesdropping in hopes of hearing the two friends reconcile.
At first, her plan had been to gather all her friends and confront the two stallions. However, Dawn refused to allow Twilight or any of the others to get involved. Furthermore, if he delayed on the promised day, then it was all too likely that the two stallions would come for him, wherever he might be, which meant that ordinary ponies could get caught in between them. And so, Dawn clung stubbornly to the two options that he had been given, which, in turn, forced Fluttershy to make a choice of her own.
"If there's no other choice, then we'll leave," she said softly, "I can't lose you Dawn. We'll leave. But I promise, no matter what, I won't let you go alone."
Dawn slowly closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. "Alright."
Dawn awoke as the sun began to climb over the horizon. Slowly and deliberately, he untangled himself from his mother's embrace and carefully got down from the couch. Heading towards the door, the colt stopped and cast one last longing look back at Fluttershy, sure that this would be the last time he would see her.
Dawn couldn't deny that her suggestion had some degree of appeal. He would always have her by his side. But at the same time, he knew he couldn't do that to his mother. She had a life here in Ponyville, with friends and animals to look after. There was no way Dawn could make her give all that up. In the end, I am a monster of my own making. Now I must face my unmaking. With that depressing thought, Dawn left the cottage and took to the skies.
Red River stifled a bored yawn as he looked out over the desolate waste of dirt and rocks that was the quarry outside of Ponyville. Here and there, he could see holes that had been dug by the Diamond Dogs, pests that they were. One of the first things Red River had done in his free time was to check and see if they still resided in the area. But the mutts had disappeared completely. It suited him just fine.
"Do you think the kid'll come?" he asked giving Storm Front a sidelong glance.
Storm Front nodded. "I hope so. Otherwise, all this preparation was for nothing."
"It looks like we're gonna have an audience," noted Red River, his eyes twitching in the direction of a small rock pile. Even thought they were trying hard to keep hidden, the rather vivid manes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders tended to give them away whenever they tried peeking over the rocks.
"I'm surprised you told Scootaloo," remarked Storm Front.
"It seemed the best thing to do at the time," said Red River, "I didn't want to start a fight with her and I certainly didn't want her to spread around what we were planning. If Dawn Lightwing heard a word of it, this might not work."
"That's assuming it'll work at all, even given the best circumstances," said Storm Front, "In spite of what Granny Smith says, I still feel as though we don't have the level of skill necessary to make this work."
"It would certainly be easier for our friend," Red River admitted, a slight, but eager smile spreading across his face, "But it's an exciting opportunity to test the extent of our skills."
Storm Front gave his friend a look of reproof. "A young colt's future rides on the outcome of this. Are you sure you should be treating it so frivolously."
The azure stallion let out a derisive snort. "If anything, this excitement shows just how seriously I am taking this. If it weren't something worth hazarding our lives over, I wouldn't be getting near this wound up."
Storm Front looked as though he was about to say something back when his eyes snapped over to the horizon, where the sleeping town of Ponyville was being illuminated by the rising sun. "Hush. He's coming."
Dawn Lightwing slowly descended to the ground in front of the two stallions, his usual neutral mask in place. For a moment, the three ponies simply sat there, doing and saying nothing.
"I'm impressed," said Red River, "You had the integrity to come and face your fate."
A sigh escaped Dawn's mouth. "I had no choice really. Even if I tried to leave secretly, mo-Fluttershy would have come after me, which could have gotten her hurt. At least this way, I don't have to worry about her setting off on some ill-advised quest to find and save me."
"It seems that you are at least becoming aware of the wider repercussions of your actions," observed Storm Front.
"I've always been aware of that," answered Dawn, "That was the reason I retreated to the Everfree Forest to begin with, because I knew how the actions I took would affect me in the long run."
Red River couldn't help but chuckle. "It's sadly ironic that, for all your extensive foresight, you ended up being blind to things under your own nose. It's a pity that we couldn't sit back and watch your development. But your Master invested you with too much power to be left in the hooves of somepony as unstable as you.
"Now then..." In a single swift move, Red River drew his weapon from its holster over his shoulder, the handle extending to form his favored spear. With shocking dexterity, the stallion whipped it through a series of spins around his body before settling into a crouching position with the spear cradled in his right fetlock, the shaft running diagonally across his back and the tip leveled down towards the ground at a shallow angle. "...How will you meet your fate?"
In response, Dawn took a deep breath. Immediately, the air around him seemed to shift purely with the force exerted by his lungs. Letting out the breath, Dawn snapped his wings out to their full extension, in the process, sending a burst of air rushing out from him in a circular shockwave. There was no destructive force behind this release of power and it barely ruffled the manes of the two stallions as it washed over them. But the motion was still laden with the full force of Dawn's intent, his resolve to fight. It was a tingling sensation that made Red River and Storm Front feel as though their whole bodies were being jabbed with countless tiny needles, the hairs of their coats standing completely on end from the sensation. The colt's vivid turquoise eyes fixated on his opponents, completely clear and free of doubt for the first time in days.
"Well now," commented the azure earth pony, "That's quite the attitude you've got. Hard to believe a kid like you can put out a fighting spirit this strong."
"All the more reason we can't let him roam unchecked," said the dark gray pegasus. Storm Front snapped his own wings open lifting his body from the ground. In a simple motion, he snapped his forelegs out, the cloth of his sleeves making a fluttering noise before fading into stillness.
An oppressive silence settled over the quarry as the three warriors readied their bodies and minds for the fight to come. From the very moment Dawn had arrived, it was clear that no quarter would be asked, nor any given. This was a fight to the bitter end, in which each participant would be putting his life on the line to seize victory. The winner would walk away, the loser would be left a lifeless slab of meat.
For a moment, Dawn reveled in the purity of this sensation. For all their reasons and excuses, Red River and Storm Front wielded intent to kill unmarred by fear or hatred. Their intent was pure and unsullied. There was no baseless anger, no burning jabs or insults. It would be the first time that he had ever fought against other ponies who truly regarded him as a fellow warrior, as an equal, a peer. It saddened him to think that this was probably the last time he would be able to experience this sensation.
The world became deathly still. Nopony moved. There wasn't even the slightest twitch of ear or tail. Any shift, however small, could mark the beginning of the battle. Even the tiniest twitch, the flicker of an ear, the blink of an eye, the hitch of a breath, meant that one had lost control of his body, in however minor a fashion and placed him at a disadvantage. In the realm of true battle, this razor thin disadvantage could mean the difference between life or death.
Fluttershy's heart dropped when she realized that she had woken up alone. Her forelegs and chest were still warm with Dawn's recent presence, but his absence stood out even more starkly as a sensation. Realizing that she was alone, Fluttershy sat bolt upright, casting her eyes about frantically, looking for some hint of the young colt's presence. But the cottage was empty, save for her and her animals, who had spent the night and morning in their burrows and houses to give mother and son some peace for the night.
The front door nearly broke as the yellow mare slammed it open and bolted out into the yard, looking in every direction she could, hoping to spy the ebony colt as he went about his forms or meditated in the grass. But there was no sign of him. Terrified questions raced through the mare's head as she faced the absence of her son. Where was he?
A light touch on her leg stole Fluttershy's attention and directed it downward. She was surprised to see Angel standing there, patting her leg eagerly in an attempt to get her attention.
"What is it Angel? Do you know where Dawn went?" The white rabbit nodded and stuck out a paw sharply. Following the line in which she pointed, Fluttershy let out a relieved breath when she realized that Angel was pointing in the direction of Ponyville...only to stop as she realized that his paw was also indicating the direction of the quarry, where Dawn had confessed that he would be meeting Red River and Storm Front.
Angel tumbled backwards as the blast of wind from Fluttershy's launch sent him head over cottontail. By the time the dazed and disoriented rabbit recovered, Fluttershy was little more than a yellow and pink speck on the horizon.
"Are they gonna do anythin' or what?" asked Apple Bloom impatiently. Scootaloo leveled an angry glare at her friend, who apparently didn't appreciate the severity of the situation. She was wondering if she should regret bringing her friends along to watch. Scootaloo herself had to sneak out of her house. She had then gone to Rumble's house and roused the colt to make a swift flight to Sweet Apple Acres to collect Apple Bloom while Scootaloo herself had made the shorter one to the Carousel Boutique to wake up Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle was silent, her teeth chattering with nerves behind her upraised hooves as her terrified eyes focused on the arrayed ponies in the quarry ahead of them. She only calmed when Rumble sidled up against her, his presence providing the white unicorn filly with enough security that she was able to relax a little.
Scootaloo turned her gaze back to Dawn and his opponents, who remained motionless as the sun continued to trace its way up the sky. While she didn't like Apple Bloom's rather thoughtless comment, she had to agree with its sentiment at the very least. There was nothing happening and yet the tension in the air was so thick that she could hardly breathe. Every one of her senses was strained to its limit by her desire not to miss a single instant. In spite of Red River's confession, Scootaloo didn't find herself feeling particularly optimistic about Dawn's chances as the stare-down between him and the two stallions wore on.
Scootaloo's ears twitched and her feathers picked up an errant breeze spiraling across the quarry's flat expanse. The gentle rush of moving air washed over Dawn's feathers, stirring them gently. His wings shifted every so slightly. And then, in the space of an instant, all three ponies blurred into motion. And just like that, the battle was joined.
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Wohoo
I didn't think Dawn would fight. I thought you'd have him lay down, close his eyes and wait.
Still, Super Sayain Dawn Lightning will be more exciting.
OMG!!! This fight had better be quick or some poor pony is gonna get hit with a full on Flutter-Rage Stare!
3032569
Though as proven with AJ, a pony completely secure with their decisions and actions can resist and overcome The Stare.
Though I doubt this will last that long, as fast as Fluttershy is, the battle will probably be over before she gets there.
Next Chapter must know if I'm right!
i am being spoiled on this update rate, please do not stop. Like i would die if it stopped. That aside lovely chapter, tension was built, shit happened
Curious as to why Dawn is fighting. If he believed that it would be better if he was dead, surely he would surrender to them without resistance. Instead, he's willing to fight back with the full extent of his abilities.
sweet just got dont reading then another update. happy day!!!!!
3032725 Hmmm...now that I think about it, I may have to add something to properly articulate how it reached that point. The basic idea that Red River's ultimatum was only ever meant to be an "execution" in name only. It was fully expected from the very beginning that, when Dawn showed up, it would be a fight. The "execution" part came from the fact that Dawn would almost certainly lose because of the sheer gap in experience between him and the other two.
noooooooooo!!! cliffhanger!!!!!!!
IT WAS JUST GETTING GOOD!
hmm perhaps these two were already bought by cult solar. or this one massive test set up by celestia
these fanfics make me want to marathon kung fu movies all day and I'm not sure why ........
also that book you mentioned sounds interesting i think I'll check it out.
This would have been much better without your melodrama anime influences....
Uh-oh. Stuff's going down.
also, this chapter reminds me alot of this:
Though, I really hope it doesn't end the same way...
I think that none of our 3 fighters seems to be thinking: Now that Fluttershy is awake and what Down is doing and why, she IS going to intervene, even if that might kill her. She IS a mother after all! And you might call me a pessimist, but can't see the yellow pegasus not ending heavily hurt in the process. Or I don't think a crippled for life Fluttershy is going to help improving Dawn grasp on live, let alone a dead Fluttershy.
3032752 Ah, ok. When they said execution, I was thinking of the tried and true method of beheading. With that in mind, I was really curious about how the whole "saving him instead of killing him" thing would work.
Well Dawn does have much to fight for.
I think he might even beat the socks off those two 
. He knows how sad Fluttershy would be if he ended up dead so he not going to hold anything back. Making Fluttershy sad is the worst offense
and those two seemed to have accidentally committed that crime. Makes me want to cause them much, 
much harm no matter the circumstances. Anyway, maybe I'll find out what exactly they are trying to pull. I still think they are going about it in a completely horrible way but I'll wait and see.
Noooooooo you stopped at the good part
3033810 Nope.
Would you believe I actually got the idea for the name from a Shoujo Manga?
I know that Fluttershy has done extremely unlikely things specifically for the ones that she cares about.
3033941 Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned...
Stupid question, but why didn't Filthy Rich go to Sweetie Belle's PARENTS?
Doesn't it seem strange that two guards chose to follow the advice of a senile and decrepit mare than instead of asking Celestia for instructions?
dusk...he can do the impossible! see the invisible! ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER!
This is about to get awesome!!! Cue the battle music and get the snacks and drinks!
It would be an interesting fight if Dawn ignores Celestia's advice and tries to wield lightning thinking that he will die anyways.
i think granny smith does know the earth pony style and taught mac ( prod why hes laid back and level headed). are we ever going to see the other style action and hear how they work? could be a sort of side story with granny and young mac or something, training
Interesting take on the Rich family... are we going to see a little bit of FilthIty eventually?
This is my fourth time reading this and I really like the Diamond Refinement (hehe, see what I did there) Project.'
After reading that I think I just realized what's REALLY going on and what's really going to happen and probably the reason why to.
stop making me think it as an execution it is pissing me off
on Diamond's issue. well the adults all failed in that. While Rarity and AJ have somewhat valid excuses what about Cheerilee? She FAILED as a teacher to NOT STOP IT! Dawn did what was needed since the adults FAILED to do something.
5246696 But it is supposed to be an execution. Or, at least, it's supposed to make you think it's one.
6390609
Well if you think about it. Diamond does her attacks when either there are no adults around, or tones it down when there might be witnesses of consequence. At least in the show itself.
And with dozens of foals that she needs to look after. On top of her duties / paper work that comes with being a teacher. It wouldn't be that hard to do things when her gaze is averted. Then of course you have the fact that Rich is wealthy and connected. If he wanted to he could ruin her life in moments. All it'd take is a single letter to a contact of his, or a complaint to the Parent-Teacher Board, or Board of Directors for the school.
Knowing what we do of DT's mother in canon it's surprising how on the mark you were about DT's mother in all but name
Hit the nail on the head, squirt.
It's also not fair to tell someone they're going to die in a ploy to teach them something, if that's what's going on. Seems like Fluttershy would have told the rest of the mane six what was going on and they would have done anything they could to stop it.
I've had a pretty good time with this story up until now, but this whole concept feels forced and rather un-Equestria (a land full of forgiveness and second chances). I'm not sure I'll even wrap it up by reading the next chapter.
I don't understand why Scootaloo doesn't tell anypony about what the mercenaries are planning because she would never agree with their idea that such drastic actions are necessary. The decision of the execution has been made by ponies that are both unqualified to make such a decision and whose judgement is questionable. I know what is going to happen so I will skip the next chapter and I won't upvote like I did with the previous story. I am not going to downvote because until they decided to execute Dawn it was good but I'm still not convinced that an execution would do anything other than damage Dawn even more.
3034062 because their mercs not guards
7405848
Actually you're wrong in your assessment. They are highly qualified, having had similar things done to them. And was told to them by Granny Smith, Dawn is trained in a martial art that allows him the ability to murder if he wanted entire villages in seconds at his current level. Pull off attacks that can sever mythril, create massive tornadoes with a flick of his wings, basically he's a walking murder machine.
All it would take is one slip of morals. And with him loosing control of his emotions, as professional martial artists whose hooves are covered with blood. They are doing what is necessary to awaken empathy in him. In a way that ensures that lives aren't lost in the process. And since Granny (a several centuries old martial artist / killer), Red River and Storm Front (professional martial artists and ex-killers). They are doing to Dawn what was done to them, and planned by a mare who'se done it plenty of times to lost souls.
That and if you actually read further fics. It does lots of good for him.
7534449
3034062
Granny isn't decrepit. She's shown plenty of times here that she moves smoothly and the decripit stuff is an act.
That and Granny is a several centuries old mare. Who's a professional martial artist who's presence made Dawn's knees turn to fear jelly in earlier chapters. So a mare of that knowledge, skill, and experience tells you something. It's best to learn something from someone who's been around the block more than a few times.
And yep, the guys are Mercs. not Guards. They'll do whatever they think is best for the mission, rather than be bound by bureaucracy, red tape, and Chain of Command.
For a moment we thought Filthy was proposing out of nowhere...