//------------------------------// // Follow Your Dreams // Story: Dawn's Fury // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Follow Your Dreams The vase exploded. Dawn cringed. "Was that expensive?" "No, Dawn," Celestia said calmly. "Nor was it rare. Don't worry about it." Dawn growled, stamping her hoof petulantly. "Why can't I learn to do this right?" "It will come," Celestia said. Dawn didn't look particularly reassured. She turned her head, staring into the night sky beyond the window. "I bet Sunset Shimmer got this right perfectly the first time." "Actually, she struggled every bit as much as you did, at first," Celestia said. "She mastered it in time, and so will you." Dawn's ears perked up to hear that Sunset had actually met a task that she found difficult. It even brought a little bit of a smile to her face. "She really couldn't do it? Did she make as much of a mess as me?" "Dawn," Celestia murmured, a hint of reproach entering her tone as she took a sip of tea from a china cup. "I hardly think that that is an appropriate question." "Sorry, princess," Dawn said. "But am I better at it now than she was at the same time?" "Dawn." "Well, she's always in front of me!" Dawn whined. "Every time I look up from the race there she is, striding up ahead without even breaking a sweat. I just want to know if I have a chance to catch up." "You are not in competition, Dawn," Celestia said gently. "Except for how we totally are," Dawn muttered. "Are you now," Celestia said, raising one eyebrow. "And did Sunset tell you this?" Dawn shuffled on the carpet, but said nothing. "Dawn Starfall, I asked you a question," Celestia said firmly. Dawn pouted some more. "Sunset says that there's a great destiny in store for one of us, and only one of us. Whichever of us wins will get fame, and glory, and all the riches of this world. She says that whoever gets there first, everypony will know their name." Celestia sighed. "That," she said. "Is the problem with teaching very clever mares, they can ferret out your secrets." She got up and walked over to the window, looking out across the palace gardens. "Sunset is not quite right, however. There may be a great destiny in store for you, but there is no guarantee that either of you will attain. It may be that nopony will." Suddenly, the princess looked very sad, almost distraught at the idea. Dawn had never seen Princess Celestia's reserve crack like that before. "Don't worry, princess," Dawn said. "I'll do it. Whatever it takes, I'll make it there. And if I don't then Sunset will. Please don't be sad." "Perhaps it will be somepony else altogether," Celestia suggested. "No way," Dawn said firmly. "Sunset's the only mare that I could lose to." "As in she is the only pony you can conceive of being better than you, or the only one your pride will allow you to acknowledge as your better?" Celestia asked. Dawn frowned. "Both," she said after a moment. Celestia smiled fondly. "Let me ask you a question, Dawn, to divert this lesson for a moment. Why do you desire this great destiny that Sunset has told you of? Why do you desire fame and glory?" "Because I want everypony to have to look up to me," Dawn declared. "Except you, of course, and my friends. And maybe not Sunset either, I haven't quite made up my mind about her yet. But apart from that, I want everypony to have to look up to me and acknowledge how great I am." "So you seek recognition, for recognition's own sake?" Celestia asked. "I guess so," Dawn said. She hesitated, and her tone became a little nervous. "Princess Celestia, was that the wrong answer?" Now it was Celestia's turn to hesitate. "Honesty is never the wrong answer Dawn...unless one is hoping to manipulate the outcome. But it is true that, on occasion, one is not rewarded for speaking the truth." "So it was the wrong answer," Dawn said. "It was not the best answer," Celestia responded. "But I find that I can hardly blame you for it. And you have time enough. Now, we should probably return to the lesson at hoof." "Am I allowed to ask what Sunset's answer was?" Celestia smiled. "I suggest that you should ask her that question yourself. Now, to return to the point, the reason you are having difficulty is because you are too powerful, too young." "How can there be such a thing as too powerful?" Dawn said. "You have not had time to learn how to control your power," Celestia explained. "Most unicorns increase in magical potential as they age, and so become more powerful as they possess the maturity to use their power. You...and Sunset, are far more powerful than you should be at your age, and thus you do not have the requisite maturity or control." Dawn's head dropped. "So...I'm going to suck at this until I grow up?" "Not necessarily," Celestia said. "As I said, you are not the first unicorn I have tutored who has had this problem. Have you ever played a musical instrument, Dawn?" Dawn's brow furrowed. "No, princess." "The essence of music is control," Celestia said, levitating a large instrument case out from behind her desk. "It requires passion, emotion, yes, but raw passion splurged out into the world will be as discordant and distressing as ink spilled upon parchment. You must learn to control the notes, to know how much pressure to apply, and where. By controlling yourself you can master the rhythm and the melody and, in place of discord, produce something beautiful. And, by combining your sound with that of other ponies, you may together create something transcendent, and beyond the power of any one mare no matter how powerful." Celestia opened the case, to reveal a handsome cello sitting within, polished to a shine. "You really think that learning to play will improve my magic, princess?" Dawn asked. "I do," Celestia said. Dawn drew herself up as high as she could, which wasn't very far yet but still. "Then I promise, I'll practice every day until I'm good enough to play in concert halls." "How is your hoof, Twilight?" Celestia asked, and her voice was not devoid of amusement. Twilight held up her right forehoove. It was red and throbbing, and Twilight could swear that it looked a little bigger than the rest of her legs. "Do you think it will shrink by morning?" "Hopefully," Celestia said. "Although Luna's hoof was sore for a whole week after our first royal event." "Really?" Twilight asked, her voice rising an octave at the thought of having to walk around on this tender hoof for a whole week. She hesitated. "Princess Celestia, are you kidding me?" Celestia's expression was almost utterly inscrutable. There was only a slight quirk of her lip to demonstrate that she was not in absolute earnest. Then, very slowly, she smiled. "I knew it!" Twilight said. Celestia chuckled. "It will get easier, if you attend very many more of these events. Certainly I barely feel anything after a night of introductions, now. Though I'm afraid your small talk still needs some work." Twilight nodded. "I didn't really know what to say." "The most important lesson you can learn is that you need not really say anything," Celestia said. "Most ponies don't want a conversation, they want to feel that you are interested in them; as such the ability to..." Celestia hesitated for a moment. "As it happens I do find them interesting. Their lives, their struggles, their ambitions...my little ponies are a source of endless fascination to me, the important thing is making sure that they realise it. It doesn't matter what you say, Twilight, or if you say anything at all, the important thing is that you establish a connection. Let them know you care and you will do very well." "Establish a connection, got it," Twilight said. "Though, to be honest, I'd rather not attend too many of these in the immediate future. I...I'd really like to get home." "Unfortunately, Twilight," Celestia said. "I was hoping to keep you here for a little while longer." They stood nearly alone in the palace ballroom. The only other ponies present were a few guards standing silently around the walls, and a few servants clearing away the detritus of the reception. Twilight walked a little closer to Celestia, her sore hoof treading on the carpet, stopping for a moment as somepony passed in front of her sweeping up streamers. "Why?" Twilight asked. "Why do you want me to stay here?" "What do you know about the conflict between Rangivar and Cervidas?" Celestia asked. "Only what I read in the newspapers," Twilight said. "The caribou have invaded Cervidas, and they've done pretty well. The last report in the paper said that they'd conquered a third of the country...and there have been some nasty rumours about how they've been behaving." "Quite," said Celestia, her voice chilly, and touched with sadness. "My diplomatic experts dismiss such rumours of the babble of the coffee house, but if even half of them were true it would be most distressing. Less than half, in fact; the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation would be quite distressing enough. And the advance of the caribou is greater than last reported. Things are so bad that the Deer King himself has left Cervidas and landed at Vanhoover last night, he intends to come here and plead with me for aid." Twilight felt a slight shiver run down his spine. "We're going to war." "No," Celestia said firmly. "I will not take that course unless Equestria's own survival depended on it. I will not cast my ponies into the fire save at utmost need. But I do wish to bring this conflict to an end, if possible. So I have decided to call a congress of the great powers to resolve this dispute and hammer out a peace between the two sides." "Will the caribou agree to that?" Twilight asked. "They are winning, after all." "They are," Celestia conceded. "But they also buy three quarters of their iron, two thirds of their coal and eighty percent of their copper from Equestria. They will struggle to continue to prosecute a war once I have declared a complete trade embargo on Rangivar." She smiled. "It is not by my ancient bones or by the elements of harmony that Equestria is kept safe from her enemies. We are the workshop of the world, and when we speak other nations must listen, if they wish to continue doing business with us." "So they'll come to the congress even if they don't want to," Twilight said. "Who else will be there?" "The deer, of course," Celestia said. "I have also sent invitations to the zebras of Grevyia and Quaggai, and to the yaks of Yakyakistan. I do not know if they will all come, but I would prefer it if they did." "Why?" Twilight said. "This doesn't concern yaks or zebras." "By that logic it does not concern ponies either," Celestia said. "The wilful trampling upon the laws and rights of nations is a matter for every civilised land and people. And besides, I must have the representatives of other nations present because, having called this congress unilaterally, I cannot then impose a decision unilaterally. I would become a tyrant beyond the wildest dreams of the Caribou King." She had a point there. Twilight said, "I still don't understand why you want me here for this. I've never taken part in anything like that before, I don't have the experience-" "That is what I would like you to learn, at my side, if you will consent to be my student once again," Celestia said. "Plus I must confess that if half those I have invited make their presence known then I shall have difficulty juggling all of the foreign dignitaries. If you are willing to help Luna and myself, I would be very grateful. Of course, I cannot force you-" "I'll do it, Princess Celestia," Twilight said. "As a princess, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to serve Equestria." Celestia smiled. "Worthily spoken, Twilight, but let's hope that it will not come to that." The club sat in a dingy backalley in one of the lower parts of Canterlot. The ground was a little bit sticky under Dawn's hooves as she made her way down the steps and stood in front of the unmarked door of black iron. The street was dark, there was not a single light to be seen. Anypony could have been waiting in any of these shadows, all that protected anypony in this part of town was that they didn't have anything worth taking. Dawn rapped on the door, the sound echoing through the quiet alleyway. A hatch opened in the iron portal, and two eyes stared down at her. "What do you want?" Dawn's eyebrows rose. "Come on, In Shape, you know me." In Shape snorted. "Yeah, whatever. Come on in." The door creaked open just wide enough for Dawn to step inside. The inside was almost as dark as the exterior, although there was just enough candle light so that Dawn didn't trip over the cardboard boxes cluttering up the hallway. The big minotaur whose job it was to watch the door loomed over her, regarding her with more hostility than Dawn felt she deserved, but then In Shape had been like to everypony as long as she'd been coming to this dump. The floor was filthy, and she could see spiders crawling across it. She also knew that half the reason it was so dark was so that even more imperfections of the decor would not become immediately apparent. Why do I keep coming here? Dawn wondered to herself. I used to be Princess Celestia's most beloved, her protege. Now look at me. She knew the reason she was here, of course, and it only had a little to do with her fall from grace and the rise of Twilight Sparkle. That was a part of it, of course, as all the bad things that had ever happened to Dawn since she had been shown the door, including her lamentable lack of money and inability to hold down a job, had at their root the cruel mendacity of That Mare, but there were other ways that even Dawn Starfall could have made some extra bits on the side. But she chose to break heads at a fight club because she wanted somepony, somewhere, to cheer her name. She wanted to be talked about, even in a low dive like this. She wanted to be the best, even if it was only the best thug in a cage full of animals. She wanted to be celebrated, even by the kind of folks you'd cross the street to avoid. Even such a tawdry imitation of glory as that was better than nothing. She walked down the drab and dirty corridor and into Loaded Glove's office. The manager of the club was an aged white earth pony, his coat lined and wrinkled, who covered up his lack of hair with a woollen skull cap that covered the top of his head. Half his teeth were gone, which meant that when he smiled at Dawn, as he did when he saw her, it gave his face a slightly sinister aspect. "Hey, if it ain't Battlin' Dawn herself! Good to see you kid, good to see you. Got a great match lined up for you tonight, big draw, full house." "Does that mean you're pay me extra?" Dawn asked. Besides Glove, his two henchponies shifted as though they were personally offended by the suggestion. Glove himself just chuckled. "Come on kiddo, you know the rates. You get the same cut as everypony else." "One of these days somepony is going to rob you," Dawn said. "And I won't stop them, because you're a cheapskate." "You wound me, kid," Glove said. "Don't I love you like my own daughter." "I should hope not, for your daughter's sake," Dawn said. Princess Celestia loved me like her daughter once, how dare you compare yourself to her? Then again, look how that worked out. At least you haven't betrayed me yet. "Who am I fighting?" Dawn asked. "New kid, named the Spider," Glove said. "The Spider? What kind of a name is The Spider?" Dawn asked. She hesitated. "She's not an actual spider, is she?" "Nah, just very flexible, with a lot of reach," Glove replied. "I got high hopes for this girl, let me tell you." "Let's see how high your hopes are once I've knocked her out for the count," Dawn said. "Yeah," Glove said quietly. "Yeah, ain't that the thing. Listen, kiddo, like I said I got high hopes for this girl. I think she should become a real big draw around here. But that won't happen if you take her down." "And that's my problem because?" "Because I want you to take a dive for her," Glove said. "You want what?" "You've been coming here for three years now, Dawn, and you win more often than not, everypony's getting tired of it. Nopony wants to see you fight no more, there's no excitement. But the Spider...they'll cheer her on so hard the roof comes down, especially if she takes you out. But she ain't there yet." "Then why have her fight me?" "Because if you wanna be the champ you gotta beat the champ, come on kid, you know what I'm talkin' about. It's just a dive, one time, one night." "No," Dawn said firmly, shaking her head. "I won't do it. I don't give up for anypony. I won't lose, especially not on purpose." "I know it's hard," Loaded Glove said sympathetically. "That's why I'm willing to throw in something extra. Fifty percent above normal rates, that's almost as good as winner's fee, what do you say?" Dawn considered it. That was good money he was offering, especially since all she had to do was take a few punches and then go down and not get up again. Easy money, when you put it like that. And she could do with the cash, if she wasn't to be a complete burden on Razor and Cherry. But, as far as the price of her self respect went, she wasn't really being offered much at all. "No," Dawn said. "I won't do it. Like I said, I don't lose." Loaded Glove sighed sadly. "That...that's a pity, right there. You got a lot of sand, kid. I like that. Just not enough." Dawn heard In Shape coming, but not quickly enough to react as he grabbed her. She snarled, baring her teeth as her horn flared with a golden aura- The hammer in the minotaur's hand was faster, coming down on Dawn's left foreleg with a crunch. Dawn yelled - no, be honest, she screamed - in agony as her whole leg felt as though it was on fire, from hoof to thigh. It pulsed the pain throughout her body, and when In Shape put her down she collapsed rather than stand on it, rolling around on the floor like a dog as Loaded Glove and his minions looked at her with a mixture of pity and bemusement. "I told you, kid, it's important to me that Spider wins this fight, one way or the other," Glove said. "But before that, there's a lot of ponies out there who paid to see a show. So get out there and give 'em one." Dawn limped out into the ring on three hooves to the raucous cheering of the crowd. That sound that would have been nectar and ambrosia to her soul was muted now, her mind turned away by the agony of her leg, as well as by wondering why none of those who cheered her on, the baying masses eager for the fray, could see that somepony had give her a literal handicap. They know, they just don't care. It wasn't ever you they loved, just the pain of somepony other than themselves. Not that I should have expected much better from this mob. If they were model citizens they wouldn't be at a fight club, would they? The applause doubled as the Spider walked into the cage from the other side. She was a pegasus with a coat as white as a ghost, with a mane that was blue and red, and she had painted black lines all over her face and chest like a spider's web. It made her a little hard to take seriously as she glowered at Dawn through a pair of beetle-black eyes. "Seriously?" Dawn said. "You're the big up and comer who's going to have everypony cheering her name? You like a clown." "And you look like a has been," Spider spat. "Okay folks, y'all know the rules: no magic, no flying, no eye-gouging, anything else goes: FIIIIIGHT!" The roar of the crowd intensified as the bell rang to start the fight. Spider sprang forward, her wings unfurling to make herself look bigger as she surged towards Dawn, forehooves at the ready. Dawn raised her own hoof to block, remembering too late that that would mean putting her weight on her bad leg. She winced in pain, her guard faltered, and then her wince turned to a cry as Spider ripped into her, hooves flying. One, two, three, the blows came in a flurry fast as any storm, pummelling Dawn's face from both sides, four, five, six, knocking her to grubby canvas beneath her hooves. "Oh, this is amazing, folks!" the announcer yelled as Spider turned around to wave her hooves in the air and receive the acclaim of the crowd. "Battling Dawn is down already! Is this it? One, two, three-" "Ah, shut up," Dawn muttered, pushing herself off the floor and rising to her hooves. At least one advantage to having her face roughed up was that her leg didn't hurt so badly by comparison any more, though she was still only standing up on three hooves. Spider shot her a contemptuous look. "Why don't you make it easy on yourself and stay down?" Dawn shook her head, causing some of the white strands in her mane to come loose and fall in front of her eyes. "I don't quit. I always go the distance." Spider smirked. "Big talk from a mare who can't even stand up properly." Dawn snarled, "Hit me with your best shot. Come on, show me why you're so great." "You asked for it," Spider said, and went for her again. She's fast Dawn thought as Spider tore into her, pale hooves flying. She grappled with Dawn around the belly, holding on with one hoof, turning Dawn around to try and get her on her bad foot, while with her other hoof she pounded Dawn's underbelly, up and down over and over again like hammers. Then she kicked Dawn's backlegs out from under her to knock her to the canvas once again. And Dawn got up, again. She tried to throw a punch, but not only did she miss she also lost her balance, letting Spider knock her down again. "Come on, accept it," Spider said, kicking Dawn while she was down for good measure. "It's over. You're done. Out of it. Finished. You're the past, so stay down and let it go." Dawn scowled, squinting through an eye that was rapidly swelling up. She could barely see, she could barely think, she could barely hear what the other pony was saying but...as white as she was, she almost looked like Celestia. It's over You're done. You're the past. Finished. Accept it. I'm sorry, Dawn. It was never meant to be. You're done. It's over. Stay down. Let it go. Stay down. "No!" Dawn roared, surging to her feet in a rage that gave her strength. Every part of her quivered with fury strong enough to overwhelm even the pain, and when she looked at Spider she no longer saw one cocky pegasus, she saw everything and everypony in her life who had ever conspired to keep her down. So what are you going to do, Dawn Starfall? Are you going to let these bums push you around your whole life, rubbing your nose in the dirt; or are you going to let them know who you are? Just watch me, Sunset, I'm going to put this ass in her place and that's just for starters. Just wait until you see the main course. "Don't you dare count me out," Dawn growled. "Not ever." Spider closed the distance between them, but Dawn was ready for her this time. She fainted with her good leg, waited for Spider to react - she was fast, but she was also predictable - and then grabbed her with a leg that no longer ached half so much as it should have done. Then Dawn slammed her head, face first, into Spider's ridiculous painted forehead. Once, twice, three times like a battering ram assaulting the wall she nutted Spider, dazing her, driving her back, making her shake like a badly moulded jelly. Then it was payback time. Dawn smiled viciously as she beat upon the other mare, using her good leg and her bad in equal measure, rearing up on her hind legs to deliver a couple of piledrivers into Spider's back to send her face first into the canvas floor. Dawn stood over her fallen rival, breathing heavily, glaring down at her, daring her to get back up. She did not. The announcer looked speechless. His mouth hung open. It was with great difficulty that he managed to say, "Uh...Battling Dawn wins!" Dawn raised her hoof in the air and let the cheering wash over her. Like I said, this is just the beginning. Dawn left by the back door, and nearly tripped over two ponies lying in the doorway. It took her a couple of moments, in the dark, to recognise them as Loaded Glove's henchponies. They weren't moving and their eyes were closed. In the gloom, she couldn't tell if they were breathing or not. "They were going to jump you as you came out," a vaguely familiar voice floated out of the shade. "Give you a nice present to congratulate you on your unexpected victory. Your welcome, by the way." "Are they dead?" Dawn asked, shuffling closer to the wall out of nothing more than the vague hope that she couldn't be snuck up on so easily. "You think I'm capable of that? I'm torn between being insulted and pleased at the compliment." "Who are you?" Dawn demanded. "Memory loss is generally associated with older ponies." Dawn's green eyes narrowed. "You're the mare in the mask, aren't you? From the care home?" "Got it in one," Mask said. Dawn caught the vague outline of a pony moving towards her in the darkness, but she could barely make it out and she wasn't about to give away her position by lighting up horn like a candle. "Why?" Dawn asked. "Who are you?" "You just said, I'm the Mare in the Mask," Mask said. "I like that, it makes me sound like a superhero. As to why: because I was impressed in their. You've got guts, Dawny. Or should I say you've still got them. I wasn't sure." Dawn bared her teeth, though she knew the other mare couldn't see it. "I told you, only my friends get to call me that." "Aren't we friends?" Mask asked, sounding a little hurt. "I thought we were." "Why? Because you did me a favour just now?" "No," Mask said. "Because of...things said long ago. Or don't you remember?" "Said long a...do I know you?" Mask chuckled. "In another life maybe. Good luck, Dawny. I'll see you around." "Good luck with what?" Dawn shouted. "You know what," Mask replied. Dawn stood outside the door of the apartment she shared with Razor Wind and Cherry Blossom, and rapped smartly on the door. The door opened a fraction to reveal one of the dark brown eyes of Cherry Blossom looking out at her. She made a startled squeaking sound before the door opened to reveal the mare herself, eyes wide with fright or shock or both. "Dawny!" Cherry squeaked. "Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" "Nothing happened," Dawn said, which was mostly true. "Didn't Razor tell you that I was going to fight tonight?" "Yes," Cherry said, and for a brief moment disapproval replaced fear, although the tone of worry swiftly returned as Cherry backed away to let Dawn into the flat. "But you never normally come back looking like this. What happened?" "I told you, nothing," Dawn said, trying to hide her limp. "I won." "I'd hate to see what the other guy looks like if you're the winner," Razor Wind said as her wings lifted her up over the sofa where she had been sitting. "You look like Tartarus itself." "Thanks, I love you too," Dawn murmured. Cherry shut the door. "Dawn...is going to that club really all that happened?" "Yes," Dawn said. "Do you think I'm lying or something?" Cherry hesitated. She was a pale pink mare, only a few shades darker than white, with a mane of a darker pink that was tied back with red hairbands into a ponytail - a second ponytail, in her case - except for a fringe that fell half in front of one eye. Her cutie mark was a trio of blossom petals falling in delicate formation; the fact that this symbolised flower arranging made as much sense as Dawn's sunrise symbolising magical talent. Cherry brushed her fringe aside so that she could look Dawn Starfall in both eyes. "Razor told me about what happened at the coronation," she said. "She said you were pretty upset." "Yeah, well, I have a right to be upset," Dawn said firmly. "Not only did she cast me out of paradise, not only did she usurp my rightful place, not only did she steal my destiny itself! Now she's lording it over me. I am literally the dust beneath Twilight Sparkle's chariot wheels." "I'm sure she doesn't think of it like that," Cherry said. "That makes it even worse," Dawn said. "I don't like to lose, as you know, but I could grin and bear being beaten by an enemy who respected me, who looked me in the eye before they took me down. Princess Twilight doesn't even know that I exist." Dawn's eye strayed to a picture hanging on the lilac-painted wall outside her bedroom. It showed two young mares, half turned away from one another, scowls set on their faces, while Princess Celestia stood between them, smiling. When she was younger, Dawn had thought that the princess was oblivious to the way that two fillies were showing their discomfort, now she realised that she had known all along, and the childish petulance of the pair had amused her. Dawn was one of the two mares, her main worn in twin braids, secured by aquamarine ribbons. Sunset Shimmer was the other, a few years older than Dawn, already wearing sophistication like a cloak, her fiery mane in artful dishevelment, a few strands falling down between her eyes. Sunset looked bored by the proceedings, her nose turned up in the air, eyes narrowed only a little, refusing to acknowledge Dawn's existence. Dawn, meanwhile, was glaring at Sunset out of the corners of her eyes, teeth bared in a sullen growl. "Sunset wouldn't have hesitated to have kicked me to the curb, but she would respected me as a rival; she did respect me even if she didn't like," Dawn said. "I tell you, we were a better class of student than Celestia has now. Did you hear Twilight's speech? She's insipid!" Razor frowned. Cherry said, "Dawn...it's been a long time since then. Maybe you should-" "I swear, you'd better not say 'let it go' or 'move on' or anything like that," Dawn said. "I just want you to be happy," Cherry said. Dawn sighed. "I know. And I know that I don't say this enough, but I am grateful for the way that you two put up with me, and let me bum around your place even though I don't contribute much, and try to make this a comfortable place to live. But I don't think I have it in me to be happy here. I'm not made for this kind of life." "It's not so bad," Cherry said. "We may not be famous heroes, but you can always find something in the world to make you smile, if you're willing to look." "Maybe I'm not willing," Dawn replied. "And maybe that's my problem, but I used to dream of shining like the stars themselves, and I don't think I have it in me to lower my sights to small ambitions." "So what are you gonna do?" Razor asked. Dawn shrugged. "I don't know yet. I'll figure something out." "You want something to eat?" Cherry asked. "No, thanks," Dawn said. "I think I'll go sit out on the balcony for a while." Dawn half walked, half limped out onto the little balcony, barely large enough for a pony to stand fully outside the apartment, that overlooked the street below. Above her and below the tower block stretched up and down, for Dawn and her friends lived about its waist, neither high nor low no matter how Dawn sometimes felt about it. Dawn leaned upon the balcony of grey stone, resting her head upon her uninjured forehoof, looking down for a moment at the ponies scurrying around the night time street below her. They looked so small. They were small, but now they looked it. Could she ever learn to be like them, to be ordinary, to suffer a little life? Forbid it. She wanted more than that. Who can go back to the country farm, once they have seen the city lights? Who can eat bread once they have feasted on cake? Who can be content to drink water, once they have supped on nectar from a golden cup? Dawn looked up, her eyes straying from the street and the ponies to the giant billboard that stood opposite the apartment. Usually didn't like to look at it, it creeped her out, but now she found herself staring at it, the giant picture seeming to inspire her to bold deeds and to action. An enormous picture of an alicorn dominated one whole side of the billboard. The image was a little faded now, but not so faded that Dawn couldn't make out the flowing red (or was it auburn, the dirt was making it a little hard to tell) mane, the white coat, the magnificent wings. And those eyes. Those blue eyes, each as large as a window, staring at her. Always staring, always straight at Dawn Starfall, burrowing their way into the recesses of her soul, plucking out the heart of her mystery. Dawn had always felt those eyes were judging her, weighing her and finding her wanting. Now, at last, the fight with Spider had shown why she deserved to be judged. She had become what she had sworn never to be: a quitter. She had given up, conceded defeat, quit the field. It was pathetic and unworthy of her. That wasn't her, that wasn't Dawn Starfall. She didn't quit, she didn't give up, she kept fighting until she got what she wanted. I don't quit. I always go the distance. Don't you dare count me out. Not ever. Let them know who you are. On the other side of the billboard, in bright letters upon a yellow background, was the legend that was the actual subject of the board: FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS Enrol in higher education now and unlock your true potential! Or at least Dawn thought it said potential, that bit was a little smudged. But then what else could it have said that began with poten? Unlock your potentate? Anyway, it was always the first part that had struck Dawn the most. Follow your dreams, the billboard said, and the alicorn who stared at Dawn so fiercely was smiling as she gestured to the instruction. That was the message that mattered, that was the message intended for her. Follow your dreams. I will. I will follow them wherever they lead, until they have all come true. "Dawny?" Razor asked, fluttering out onto the balcony to hover above where Dawn stood. "You okay, little sunshine?" Dawn looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah. I'm better than okay. Better than I've been in a long time. I know what I have to do." She pointed at the billboard, and Razor frowned. "You're going to back to school?" "No," Dawn said. "I'm going to follow my dreams. I never should have given them up. I'm going to take back my life." "Ah," Razor said. She frowned. "What does that actually mean?" "It means..." Dawn giggled. "I don't actually know yet, but I'll think of something." "Are you going to go up against Princess Twilight?" "Yep," Dawn said. "I'm going to show that mare who the top dog is, no matter what it takes. But I'll need your help to do it. Are you in?" "Seriously?" Razor asked as she sat down on the balcony ledge. "You know what you're asking me, right? You're asking me to betray every oath I've ever taken as a guard, to throw away my honour and become a traitor just to help you out." "Yeah," Dawn said. "Are you in or not." A grin spread across Razor's face. "Yeah, I've got your back. Anything for you, Dawny, you know that. You and me, that won't ever change." "If it ever does you can kick my flank from here to Manehattan," Dawn said. "I'll hold you to that," Razor replied. "Hey, Dawn." "Yeah?" "It's good to have you back."