Death
Chapter 10: Death
Dawn barely had time to react as Red River closed with him. It seemed as though the azure stallion had taken a single step and the comfortable distance of several meters between them had vanished as though the earth itself had shrunk to bring them closer together. Only the sharp sound of several impacts in swift succession against the ground were any indicator that the stallion had taken more than a single step. Closer still was the tip of Red River's spear, whistling as it lanced straight for Dawn's heart. Dawn's reflexes kicked in and his body moved without even needing his thoughts to guide it. He slipped to the side of the thrust so fast that, to the untrained eye, Red River's spear seemed to actually pierce him before the afterimage vanished. Having ducked inside the reach of the spear's blade, Dawn might have closed with Red River to prevent him from bringing the business end of his weapon to bear, but had to react to another attack instead as Red River swung the spear sideways, the shaft bending with the force of the swing, intending to simply batter Dawn with the length of wood if he couldn't reach him with the metal point.
Dawn's left wing flared out, creating an almost solid wall of air that caused Red River's swing to rebound away from him, while his right wing flashed forward, sending a separate blast of compressed air straight at his adversary. The force of the blast actually gouged away at the ground, sending a concentrated wave of dust at Red River and turning several small stones into dangerous projectiles. Red River relaxed his body as the attack slammed into him, riding it back to keep from actually being harmed by it while he spun his spear to deflect the small stones launched his way. When his hooves came back into contact with the ground, Red River stepped forward, executing the same lightning-fast advance as before; only, this time, it seemed to be even faster given he hadn't been repelled even half of the original distance between them.
But Dawn was no longer there. The consequence of displacing so much air had created a pocket of low pressure behind and to the right of him. Kicking out with his legs and backwinging, he seemed to vanish and materialize further back as the tip of Red River's spear plunged through his original position. With a mighty downstroke, Dawn shot upwards, darting out of the fearsome spear's range. From above, Dawn would be able to take advantage of his flight to rain down the full strength of his attacks on the helpless earth pony below...
...Or he would have had his ears not picked up the hiss of an approaching projectile. Dawn was forced to abandon his plan of attack as he ducked under an attack from above his position. His eyes picked out the silvery blur of a small ball of metal as it came to an abrupt halt exactly where his head had been. Faster than he could blink the ball was retracted via the chord attached to it back to where its thrower, Storm Front was flying, the cord extending out from his sleeves.
As Storm Front retracted the weapon, Dawn surged forward, attempting to take advantage of the opening. His hopes rose when, in his apparent haste to retrieve the weight so he could strike with it again, Storm Front seemed to accidentally wrap it around his own barrel. Those hopes were quickly smashed when the move was revealed to be intentional, sending the ball of metal swinging around him on a perfect course to intercept Dawn's charge, forcing the colt to halt his advance and backpedal to avoid having the weapon slam his muzzle from the side. Even as Dawn fell back, Storm Front reversed the course of the weapon's swing and, in a single fluid movement, unwrapped it from around his body and sent the weight lancing straight at Dawn again.
As Dawn ducked beneath the flying weight, he felt a disturbance in the air currents beneath him. The colt realized that multiple efforts to evade Storm Front's attacks had now driven him back down into the reach of Red River's spear. Quickly kicking against the air with his hooves, Dawn managed to dodge the first thrust. But Red River quickly retracted and thrust again, several times, the spear moving so rapidly that it seemed to be in multiple places at once and bend and twist unnaturally as its tip relentlessly sought Dawn's life. The blade seemed to whistle as it split the air, which, along with the rattling sound made by the shaft, served as a near-constant distraction for Dawn.
Dawn responded with several swift dodges and also created twisting whirlwinds that wrapped around the spear's shaft and pulled it off course. As he did so, he could sense Storm Front closing in from above. His ears perked at the whistling sound of the weight as it swung in a close arc, threatening to crush his skull. Dawn's wings worked independently of each other, the right continuing to parry Red River's thrusts from below and the left creating whirling, plane-shaped eddies of air that deflected Storm Front's attack from above.
Dawn's position did not afford him any advantages. He had known, from the moment he had first laid eyes on them, that the two stallions were vastly more experienced and more skilled than he was. Their weapons went beyond being mere extensions of their bodies and seemed to be living creatures in their own right that sought his life of their own accord. Worse still, their teamwork was flawless. They went beyond the concept of merely ganging up on him to take advantage of their numbers. Red River used the speed and reach of his spear to keep Dawn off-balance while Storm Front pressed in from above to keep Dawn from retreating out of the spear's reach. Between the two of them, they were able to keep the colt boxed in and stop him from fighting to his full potential.
Their skill at fighting together was highlighted further when Dawn dodged the metal weight once again as it zipped through the space he had occupied. At the same time, the spear stabbed up at him again. Dodging both attacks, Dawn saw the cord attached to the weight wrap around the shaft of the spear. At first it seemed that the two weapons were about to tangle each other up, giving Dawn the opening he sorely needed shift the fight to his advantage, only for Red River to give a slight tug. The weight, which had flown straight past Dawn, shifted into a swing that came at the colt from a completely unexpected angle. Sidestepping quickly Dawn managed to avoid the strike, but only barely. He suppressed a wince as the weight grazed his side.
Ignoring the pain, Dawn used the only thing he had going for him, raw power. Taking advantage of the time both of his opponents used to retract their weapons from the combination attack, Dawn swept his right wing out and back in a wide arc that sent the appendage sweeping from in front of him, to all the way around behind him. Putting the full force of his magic behind the motion and enhancing it by putting his entire body into it as well, Dawn exerted power most pegasi could only dream of.
The sky howled as a spiraling column of wind sucked up dust and dirt from the ground, the massive funnel cloud roared into life. Large boulders were ripped from the ground and tossed aside like foals' playthings. Both Storm Front and Red River vanished from sight as the tornado swallowed him whole. In the eye of the storm, Dawn looked on impassively as he prepared for his next move, knowing that this desperate attack was unlikely to buy him much time.
As she watched the battle, not fight, battle, Scootaloo had remember to force her mouth closed. From the beginning of the fight up to Dawn's tornado, barely a couple of minutes had passed. The speed at which the three ponies moved utterly stunned the filly, her eyes all but left behind to the blur of attacks, dodges, parries and counters. She knew that all three participants were strong fighters. She had seen Dawn, a colt her own age, bat aside Applejack, a full-grown mare and an incredibly strong one at that, like she weighed nothing. She had seen him turn her own father into a ragdoll. But for the first time, she saw what it was like for Dawn to fight against ponies who could truly stand against him.
As the tornado engulfed the group of three ponies, Scootaloo chanced taking her eyes away from the melee in front of her to survey the state of her friends. Sweetie Belle clung tightly to Rumble, who appeared to be ignoring her completely, his eyes focused on the battle with surprising intensity. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo was gratified to see, appeared to no longer have any complaints about the lack of anything happening.
Turning her attention back to the battlefield, Scootaloo fought gamely against the sickening feeling in her gut. From what little she had seen, it was clear that both Red River and Storm Front had been genuinely attacking to kill Dawn. It was hard to really see any details thanks to the sheer speed at which the combatants exchanged blows and the distance from which the group of foals watched. But Scootaloo knew better than to even think about trying to move closer.
Her eyes traced the funnel cloud as its momentum dissipated, looking for a sign that any of the boulders the tornado was lifting and tossing about like so much chaff were heading in their direction. Thankfully, they were safe for the time being. She was in awe of the power on display. The tornado was certainly formidable. Rainbow Dash could produce one just as large, or even larger, on her own. However, that required her to spend at least a full minute flying in a tight circle to get the necessary air moving. Dawn had created one the same size almost instantly from a single wingstroke.
The low roar of wind died down as the tornado spun itself out in the absence of being fed a continual supply of magic to maintain its fury. As the dust cleared, Scootaloo glued her eyes back to the battle.
For a moment, stillness returned to the battlefield as the participants paused to take stock of the situation. Dawn had sustained only a minor impact to his side. There was a slight pain, but he was able to ignore it easily. In contrast, both Red River and Storm Front seemed uninjured. Dawn found himself frowning at the implications. He had the distinct sense that neither of the armed warriors had fought with their fullest strength. Rather, they had managed to corner him with nothing more than fantastic technical skills and excellent teamwork. Once they brought their true strength to bear, this battle would enter another dimension altogether.
On the ground, Red River rose out of a protective crouch. Sinking down, he had sent his magic into the earth itself and drawn the earth's power back out, binding them together and holding him fast against winds that had thrown boulders larger than his own body about like toys. Storm Front seemed to have simply ridden through the intense air currents and had also not been harmed in the slightest.
"Well," observed the azure stallion from below, "That will do for our warmup."
Dawn swallowed as Storm Front began to twirl his weapon in a circle, accelerating until it became a blur. At the same time, Red River snapped his spear into position for another attack. From both Stallions, Dawn could practically hear the crackle of power as their magic began to infuse itself into their weapons, their spiritual energy infusing spear and weight with full killing intent. Dawn's senses extended to the air itself, allowing him to feel his opponents readiness in a way few ponies would appreciate. Red River's spear literally cut through the air, splitting it like it was a solid object. The spinning of Storm Front's weapon was beginning to create unique currents of its own.
Seeing he had no other choice, Dawn steadied his wings and readied his most deadly technique. Taking the initiative, Dawn launched the first strike. Spinning his body about, he targeted both his opponents and swept his wings out in a completely different motion from before, the feathers slashing through the air like knives. Storm Front and Red River immediately noticed the change as, in line with the motion of Dawn's wings, the view seemed to shift in a way that would be hard to describe.
It was like looking at how water refracted visible light so that anything that penetrated the surface seemed to bend at an unnatural angle, only from the side rather than above. Everything above the line Dawn's wing created seemed to slide the barest fraction of a centimeter one way while everything below the line seemed to slide a tiny bit the other way.
The stallions sensed that danger was immediate and reacted accordingly. Red River ducked under the line of attack, feeling some strands of his mane shaved away by its passing. Looking back, he saw the attack split the ground behind him as though the earth had been divided by the world's sharpest knife. Up above, Storm Front went into a roll that carried him above the attack launched at him, yanking the weight and its cord out of the way as well.
This was Dawn's deadliest technique, using his wings to create a blade formed from a vacuum between layers of air. Its edge was sharper than any metal edge ever forged, capable of slicing through stone and steel as though they were nothing but paper. It could cleave a pony in two before he could even feel the pain caused by the attack. No physical barrier could block it, nor could it be parried. This was the technique that Dawn had been prepared to use on Cirrus Stratus during their brief fight last week.
Flowing fluidly from defense to attack, Storm Front used his roll to put the strength of his whole body behind his next attack, swinging the weight down from directly above Dawn, who swung out a wing and created a barrier of solid air to stop the strike. But as the sphere impacted, the barrier shattered, slowing it only by a fraction of a second, barely enough for Dawn to escape outside the swing's radius.
Dawn used his hooves to kick off the air, allowing him to instantly reverse his course and send him barreling straight for Storm Front again. As he did, his wings turned into an indistinct pair of blurs, flashing in seemingly random directions. Storm Front's eyes widened at the brazen charge, then widened even further as the air between the two pegasi seemed to fracture, making it seem like he was looking at Dawn through a sheet of cracked glass. Dawn's purpose became clear. He intended to turn the length and reach of Storm Front's weapon against him by trying to cut the cord.
Once again, it seemed as though the metal weight and the cord it was joined with had a mind of their own. Even as Storm Front twisted and turned his way through the barrage of wind blades, the weight seemed to move independently, also slipping through the gaps between Dawn's attacks. Then, as Storm Front slipped through the last few blades, he kicked out with his hind leg, a movement that sent the weight barreling straight for Dawn's forehead.
Dawn backwinged while also moving the wings to inscribe a large circle in the air before him, compressing it to create a solid wall to stop the attack in its tracks. This shield was much stronger than the previous one. Dawn was confident that he could deflect Storm Front's attack.
Which was why he was caught off guard when the shield exploded on contact with the weight, sending a powerful shockwave barreling into the colt and sending him tumbling. Over the roar of the rush of air slamming into him, Dawn heard a faint crackling and realized what must have happened. Storm Front had channeled his pegasus magic into the weight, allowing him to transfer its destructive force into the air itself. Dawn's shield had only served to give him a denser source of air with which to attack.
Worse still, the shockwave hadn't just slammed into him, but rushed through him. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over the colt as he felt his insides shudder under the assault. His ears were especially affected, making it difficult for the colt to recover his balance. When he did, his vision swam before him and he had difficulty reading the wind around him through the waves of disorientation that assaulted his mind. It was an unbelievable stroke of luck that he even caught the barest inkling of the next attack.
Dawn felt a rush of power surging up from below him, along with that fierce whistling noise. Twisting his body, Dawn just barely managed to execute a roll out of the way as something rushed up past him. Rolling upright, he looked down to see Red River retract the spear, a cocky smile decorating the stallion's face as he wound up for another strike. The spear cradled in his fetlock practically shined with its own luminescence as Red River thrust upward with it. As he did, the spear actually began to spin like a drill in his grip, not stopping until the azure stallion had completed his thrust with it.
Dawn felt, rather than saw, the attack continue out past the spear's physical reach, lancing upwards and bridging the distance between him and it almost instantly. Dawn barely managed to dart out of the way, the attack catching his tail and actually blowing a sharply defined hole in the hairs of his tail, causing several strands to float away.
It seemed that Red River employed a shockwave based attack as well, one that launched a razor sharp point straight at its target, allowing him to hit objects beyond the length of his spear. It seemed that distance would not be able to keep the stallion from piercing his targets after all. Even more shocking, as an earth pony, Red River's attack was not born directly from his magic, but rather from the technique itself. Whereas Dawn and Storm Front input their magic into the air directly to create the desired affect (Storm Front using his weapon as a medium), Red River charged his spear with his magic and then used the motion of the spear itself to create the desired affect. Dawn was terrified to think what that attack would be like up close.
As it was, the colt had little time for such musings as Storm Front closed in, the strange metal weight flying for Dawn's head again. This time, Dawn dodged by shifting his head a few inches to the side. Storm Front pulled back on the cord, halting the weight's flight directly next to Dawn's head. Dawn heard a loud pop of exploding air before his vision blurred and swam again, his left ear ringing. Storm Front had created another shockwave, this time sending the attack directly into Dawn's inner ear, knocking him completely off-balance. Even as Storm Front pulled the weight back, Dawn could sense another thrust approaching from below as Red River took advantage of his momentary disability.
Dawn threw himself as far out of the way as he could, a sense of desperation settling into his stomach. He couldn't keep up with both of them at once. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before one of the stallions landed a debilitating blow, giving them the opportunity to finish him off at their leisure. He was going to lose.
Fluttershy had seen the tornado. She knew the fight had already started, but continued to strain her wings as Ponyville rushed by underneath her. She pushed herself harder than she ever had before, harder than she had when she had been chasing Rainbow Dash when the other mare had been under the influence of Discord, harder than she had flown when she'd thrown herself into the tornado to send water to Cloudsdale. She knew she had to do everything in her power to stop the fight before Dawn got hurt or even killed and she had to do it fast. This was clearly very different from the colt's brief altercations with Applejack. From their talk last night, Fluttershy was aware that Dawn fully expected not to survive the confrontation.
But she had to go anyway. Her son was there and he needed her.
Agony drew a searing line across Dawn's flank as he failed to completely avoid another attack from Red River. His control and finesse were faltering as the two stallions steadily chipped away at him. Having been pressed onto the defensive, Dawn could do little more than launch a wind blade at one enemy or the other. But his efforts were now barely doing more than inconveniencing them. Once again, he was losing altitude as Storm Front continued to hem him in from above, forcing him down towards the ground where Red River could bring his spear into play in an even more fearsome fashion than he had already.
Dawn wasn't sure what he could do, if anything, to turn the tables on his opponents. They were too skilled, too experienced, too completely in-sync with one another for him to keep up with. He was too hard pressed to come up with another tornado or even a powerful blast of compressed air to buy him some time and distance. The blades of wind were the swiftest and most dangerous techniques he had in his arsenal and the stallions easily evaded them. There was only one thing Dawn hadn't tried.
Dawn's Master and even Princess Celestia herself had warned him against trying this before he was ready. In a worst case scenario, it might even lead to his death. But then again, Dawn pondered, My death is all but certain if I don't try it. There was no more room for hesitation or debate. It was time to try lightning.
Dawn threw himself clear of another swing by Storm Front's odd weapon and began preparing. Focusing on the air directly under his feathers, Dawn began to agitate it fiercely, stirring it with his power. He kept the air compressed, maximizing the friction he could almost feel between the individual molecules. The process seemed gradual to him, but in reality, it took no more than three seconds for the power to begin to build up as Dawn continued to fuel it with his magic.
Red River readied his spear for another thrust from below while Storm Front's weight was already swinging in from the side. Dawn felt the crackling power building around his wings. His ears reported the snap of the first spark. The hairs of his coat stood on end and his mane and tail bristled as the electricity built in the air around him.
With an ear-splitting crack, a bolt arced from the feathers of his left wing and crackled up its length into Dawn's shoulder, flowing across to his right wing, which he shot out in the manner he had practiced countless times in his forms. Only now, instead of directing the wind, he was channeling a bolt of pure energy. A twisting bolt of lightning lashed out from his wingtip like a whip, arcing across to the metal weight swinging at him. In an instant, the stream of electricity traveled up the cord and straight into Storm Front's outstretched hoof, causing it to spasm involuntarily, interrupting the weight's swing and causing the older pegasus to fall back. That one hadn't been particularly powerful, but Dawn now had the room to try something bigger.
Swinging his wings like they were joined by a rod that ran across his shoulders, Dawn wheeled them counterclockwise, increasing the amount of air in motion and adding to the building energy. He could already see Red River on the ground, spear drawn back, ready for another thrust. The spear began to move forward, starting to spin again. But the speed of light was faster than Red River.
Channeling a much more powerful charge, Dawn's wings swept up the crackling energy, concentrating more and more of it together. This time, the charge was building across both wings. Tilting to the side, Dawn added the charge from his left wing to his right wing and launched the mighty bolt directly downwards.
Red River caught the discharge directly on the tip of his spear. To Dawn's stunned awe, Red River seemed to react almost instantly, aborting his attack, but maintaining the spear's rotation. The lightning almost seemed to gather around the pole-arm's rotating blade before Red River dipped it swiftly down, grounding the strike out in the earth without coming into contact with the electricity himself.
Dawn considered launching another lightning strike, but was struck by an odd sensation. His wings were burning. Searing agony rolled across them and his shoulders. The colt's nose twitched when he picked up the scent of scorched flesh. Oh! That's why I'm not supposed to use lightning yet. An even more troubling feeling gripped Dawn as he felt the flow of air under his wings slipping away. Looking over, he saw that several feathers had been burned off. The damage to his wings undermined his magical control. As a result, Dawn began to fall.
And down below him, Red River waited, spear at the ready to deliver the final blow. Fighting past the pain, Dawn channeled as much of his magic as he could into his wings, using it to grip the air. In his addled state, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to attack Red River or simply slow his fall...perhaps both. His efforts felt clumsy and uncoordinated, which they were. The flow of magical energy through the damaged wings triggered a whole new sensation of pain, which Dawn fought past as he aimed his last gasp strike downwards.
The barreling wave of compressed air descended on the earth pony stallion like a transparent hammer. Red River never wavered, instead thrusting his spear upwards as before, its glittering blade tearing through the air and opening up a hole around him. Still, the secondary effect of Dawn's effort worked more or less as planned, the effort burning away much of his momentum. The ebony colt didn't slam into the ground, but he still landed hard.
Dawn's legs buckled to absorb as much of the shock as possible. The burning feeling on his wings and back was almost overwhelming. Still, he fought to keep his head clear, knowing that his opponents weren't about to let up just because he was injured. Through the haze, Dawn thought he could hear a voice screaming his name.
Once again, Red River closed in, seeming to bridge the distance between them in a single step. Dawn's wings were approaching useless. He could barely feel anything from them aside from the pain from the burns. As Red River approached, Dawn reacted almost instinctively, his mind reeling from the irony of what he was about to do. He almost wished a certain orange-colored, stetson-wearing mare was watching this right now. He turned and bucked.
Naturally, it wasn't an ordinary kick. Using the same trick that granted him incredible acceleration and maneuverability in the sky, Dawn used his hooves to launch a concentrated gust of air directly back at the incoming stallion. Unprepared for the trick, Red River was actually caught off-guard for once and took an attack full in the chest. The force was strong enough to normally launch Dawn several meters into the air, so it actually halted the stallion's momentum and even knocked him back. The strike bought Dawn a few fractions of a second, but it was enough as an epiphany struck the colt. He had discovered a way that he could continue fighting.
Red River advanced again, this time more on guard. As he flickered in close, Dawn kicked up off the ground, using his hooves to push off the air itself. Instead of launching himself upward, Dawn instead pushed himself sideways, stepping to maintain a continuous stream of air between his hooves and the ground that made him glide across the earth.
Red River's first thrust missed, but he quickly retracted the spear and attacked again. Dawn bobbed left, but the strike was a feint, he barely managed to duck down so that the the real thrust grazed his shoulder rather than punched straight through it. A grimace flashed across his face, but the colt pushed in closer. Even though Red River could still use the shaft of the spear to bludgeon him, it was much easier to read and avoid or counter than the usual flurry of thrusts that were almost impossible to follow with the flaring tassel obscuring the blade's movement.
This close in, Red River was forced to use the spear more as a staff as he swung and blocked. Dawn attacked with his forehooves while he used his rear ones to keep on the move. Red River tried to step out in order to bring his spear's blade into play, but Dawn matched his every move, keeping the fight close. He was forced to continue using the spear's shaft to deflect the hard, concentrated bursts of air Dawn launched from his hooves, jabbing them out in fierce punches.
The damage to Dawn's wings had robbed him of his ability to sense his surroundings through the air currents. The light whistling in his ears was the only warning the colt had before he ducked out of the way of a straight down attack from Storm Front, the round metal weight shattering the ground where Dawn had been standing a second before. Dawn tried to control his dodge to keep Red River from gaining distance, but Storm Front's attack had succeeded in drawing his attention for a brief instant. In that flickering gap in Dawn's awareness, the azure stallion made his move. Dawn turned back to the fight only to see...nothing. Red River wasn't there.
Then Dawn noticed the shadow on the ground. His eyes widened in shock and he looked up. Red River had leapt high into the air, his powerful legs propelling him several meters up. From that position, he would be able to stab down at Dawn easily. However, none of that occurred to the colt as his higher cognitive functions had been briefly suspended by the utter disbelief he felt over the situation.
This kind of move was something he had never considered. Earth ponies drew their power from their magical connection with the earth, drawing its magic into themselves to grant them the impressive strength and stamina that their race was famed for. However, doing that required that the pony in question maintain contact with the earth. Certainly earth ponies could jump as well, if not better than any, but they were still basically severing their connection with the earth and its power, which could only be restored when they returned to the ground.
In martial arts, that connection was even more important. Earth pony stances were based off of using the ground as a support and source of strength to empower their attacks. Their tactics were based off of fighting from below, being immovable and indomitable. Even Red River's lightning fast movements were executed by keeping at least one hoof in contact with the ground at all times, so that it was closer to an incredibly fast walk than anything that resembled running.
Thus, Red River's movement was in utter defiance of everything Dawn had ever been taught about earth pony martial arts. Disbelief locked his muscles in place for a brief instant before Dawn kicked off, using his magic to fuel a leap that would carry him inside Red River's reach again. But it was too late. The desperate maneuver kept him from being impaled, but the shaft of Red River's spear descended on Dawn's shoulders like an almighty crack.
Dawn would have screamed but the impact and pain had stollen the breath from his lungs so that what emerged was nothing more than a strangled wheeze. And even that was cut short as he slammed chest-first into the ground, his ribs groaning from the impact. Briefly, Dawn wondered if he would expire from asphyxiation before the two stallions could finish him off. But after a brief shudder, his disrupted diaphragm restarted itself and Dawn was able to suck in air greedily. Not that it made him feel any better when a bone-jarring thud announced Red River's return to earth.
"Looks like this is it," said the stallion simply, lifting his spear deliberately. There was no posturing, no hesitation. Dawn could feel the killing intent emanating from its tip as it moved into position to claim his life.
"Your battle was well fought," commented Storm Front as he landed somewhere outside of Dawn's field of vision, "But not well enough. You can pass in peace."
Pass in peace. What a joke! Dawn scoffed as time seemed to slow down. In those final instants, visions of the past few weeks flashed through his mind's eye.
Meeting Fluttershy, entering into her home, eating with her, talking with her, listening to her, waking up in her embrace, the warmth of having a real mother...
Teaching Scootaloo to fly, catching her when she fell, attending her First Flight party, protecting her from her father, visiting her home...
Fighting with Applejack, hearing her apology, mending their grievances...
Rainbow Dash and her straightforward approach to life, Twilight Sparkle and her infectious enthusiasm for academic advancement, Pinkie Pie and her irrepressible desire to make others happy, Rarity and her social savvy helping to keep him from feeling overwhelmed...
Finding a kindred spirit in Ditzy Doo, helping her overcome her difficulties, seeing her smile and laugh with her daughter, seeing her smile contentedly as she leaned against Big Macintosh...
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Rumble, racing, adventuring to find their cutie marks, tree sap...
To Tartarus with peace! Dawn's mind snapped and he was overwhelmed with a burning desire. He felt new strength surge into his limbs. He had to fight! He had to fight and keep on fighting! He had to live! Even the burning pain of his injuries seemed to vanish before this realization. Dawn wanted to to live!
But it wasn't enough. The spear still came down.
Fluttershy could see them now. Her eyes had caught the flash of lightning and now she arrowed in towards the battlefield. However, she could see that the fight was in its final stages.
She saw Red River jump.
She saw Dawn fall.
She saw the spear rise to deliver the final blow.
Fluttershy screamed with all her might, hurtling in towards the combatants. She didn't know what she was going to do. Maybe she was going to try and take the thrust in Dawn's place. Maybe she would slam into Red River and knock him off balance enough to stay the final blow. It didn't matter though, as she was too late. She saw the spear come down.
"NO!" Scootaloo shrieked as she tried to lunge out from behind the cover she and her friends had been hiding behind. Red River's words from the previous day had been forgotten. All she could see before her was the fact that Dawn was about to die. She came to a screeching halt as Apple Bloom clamped her teeth down on Scootaloo's tail, digging her hooves in to stop the orange filly's charge.
"No!" screamed Scootaloo as she struggled and thrashed, "Let me go! Let me go! I've got to help him!"
"Ya can't," growled Apple Bloom through her clenched teeth as she maintained her grip on fuchsia tail. She couldn't let her friend rush out where she might get hurt, but if she tried to articulate herself anymore, she would lose her grip.
It was pointless anyway. The spear was already coming down.
Dawn felt the blade slip into his flesh. He felt death come for him. To his surprise, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. It felt as though the world around him vanished. All the pain, all the anxiety, all the hurt disappeared. There was only himself and nothing else. And then, Dawn knew peace.
Story Two: Fin
To be continued in Storm on the Horizon.
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celestia is going to be pissed not to mention the rest of the mane six
TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS, HO!
Seriously though, we know he ain't dead. All these fools gonna jump out at you and think so, but we know it ain't so.
........what just happened
Still holding onto the hope that this is some kind of test by Red River and Storm Front and that Dawn doesn't really die. Please tell me he doesn't die.
Either he's in a death like state and going on a spiritual journey, or he's been knocked out
While I'm disappointed the 2nd story ended like that, since you finished at the climax with nothing else, I can only assume that the next story will be out shortly, as per your style.
The fight scene was pretty awesome, and I did enjoy the fact that Red River thought outside the box, but I assumed it would be a bit harder for Dawn to throw lightning around. From what Celestia said, and was hinted at by his master, I assumed it was more like lightning from Avatar: The Last Airbender, where you couldn't manage it without being at peace with yourself.
ok, so now that i have calmed down enough to comment properly. Awesome fight scene, one of the few times i actually was able to understand what was happening, which does not happen too much in these fics. There was some awesome stuff going on. I have absolutely no idea where this story is going. So yeah. Nice chapter and congratulations, you surprised me.
3037552 Creating lightning and using it are easy. Doing so without turning yourself into a roast chicken is the hard part. You'll note that Dawn did more damage to himself with those two moves than either Red River or Storm Front did over the entire course of their battle.
3037580 I really don't know where you going with this. Is Dawns magic going to revive him? Is Dawn really dead? You are good at getting people hooked and making them follow through. But if the story stays as it is. It will be more disappointing than the ending of mass effect 3.
3037580
I get it, double edged sword style. So I'm assuming those with true inner peace don't have to worry about the repercussions to much. While I would've enjoyed to see it have blown up in his face, having himself scorch his wings to nothing works as well.
Fluttershy is going to use a stare that will be charged with so much anger, that Red River and Storm Front are going to be turned into stone, as if she was a Cockatrice.
My god, while your story telling could use some work, your ability to write fight sequences is by far the best that I have ever seen. This single chapter is the greatest fight I've ever read. Really, you've got to find some way to do more of these.
Ha lightning yeah! Dawn is going into a spiritual journey or something, i think.
3037527
Of course he's not dead. Scoots wouldn't have been as held back or had the need to forget a conversation leading to her freaking out. If Dawn was going to die. I think it's less of actually killing him. As it's ... It's like the Death Spell in the Sword of Truth series. He has to think that he's going to die in order for it to work. Or else the illusion is shattered.
But I can't wait to read story 3.
3037661 Well all we can do now is wait. I am keeping my hopes high. Even in the risk of them being stomped into dust.
Seeing as how genre conventions still point to my previous theory and the fact that this is a trilogy allowed me not to be infuriated by the end. Can't wait for part 3.
I think we would come at you if there was anything to come at... we really don't have much to talk about other then theories for the third story and we simply have to wait to read it I guess. *Taps Dragon Claws together over and over* Just waiting...
moar..... i want moar........... I NEED MOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T YOU DARE END IT HERE!!!!!!!!!!
On a calmer note..... When will there be more to this AMAZING series???
Yes, I love the fighting style of the meteor hammer and Asian spear fighting
Just to echo what others said, I really did like the fight scenes. Cliffhanger ending still annoys me but knowing a third installment is coming nullifies that some.
you don't create an OC like Dawn just to kill him. I refuse to believe Dawn is actually dead. I won't believe it until I see the next book. but I luv this story.
and if he is dead Fluttershy will be heartbroken.
Gotta say, best fight scene I've ever read in a story, published or not. I would rank that up there with Kill Bill's Vol. 1 fight scenes.
Really fun read
Can't wait for the next part in the series
Intense.
...
Fluttershy'll destroy them both anyways.
Waiting at the edge of my seat!
And, while the situation with Cloudsdale seems like a nice storyline and all... I really, really doubt that a post Hearts-Warming Equestria, much less a Celestia-ruled Equestria, would really allow such an imbalanced, unfair law that permits anyone to lord their control over such a freaking necessity as water over any other city. Really, it's like they are asking for something really un-pony-like to happen. Plus, I really doubt that Celestia has remained ignorant of the situation - which reeks of fishy business after three days- and of the suspiciously-quick legal action.
Well...did NOT see that one coming. I do not know how I feel about this. I just hope that whatever the reason for this turn of events is it is a good one.
3037960 If the process and actions that brought about the monopoly happened early enough it would have to entrenched to be removed with little repercussion(doubt that I spelled that right) Celestia might have deemed it safer at the time to leave it be, and then it might have became to entrenched to be removed without destroying the current economic system in connection to production of weather based resources.
If there was ever a time to say this, it's now.
fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/211/7/4/mlp___cliff_hanger_by_omgklint-d58zyv6.jpg
THE BIGGEST CLIFF-HANGER I EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!
And guys, the story isn't over, at least I wouldn't think so. I mean, in the author's notes, it kind of leads me to believe that he's turning this series into a trilogy. Why else wouldn't he want to spoil anything? Or that sub-plot with the weather? You really think he'd just throw that in there for no reason? The only reason I say this is because some of the comments make me think people believe it's over.
Series*
WORST. CLIFFHANGER. EVER!!!!! You my friend are a troll. And you 'Think' your safe in your bunker well I'm going to pull a Deadpool on you. And by that I mean try to figure the math out on how much c4 to use then just say to hell with just use all of it. I'm just kidding by the way that was a really bad cliffhanger but not the worst I've seen shows that do worse. Anyway can't wait to read the next chapter see ya then. Brohoof /)
~ Techsol
I love this and cannot wait to see more, but... I hate you for it. This is Blasphemy!
All i got to say is
you devious bastard
You are a very evil person
I feel kinda cheated on this one. I dunno really, but it feels like you just kinda killed him for the sake of killing him. One does not simply kill their protagonist without a damn good reason.
It's still a pretty awesome story, but killing him seemed a kinda low blow.
Well, it's going to be interesting to see Fluttershy enraged beyond all reason and attacking the dumbass mercs with her life, followed by her being traumatized and hating Celestia with a passion for appointing them even after it's revealed as a ruse.
Congrads, you broke Fluttershy and disabled the elements.
Not a fan of ending a story on a cliff hanger, but hopefully the next story will be out soon. It would've made more sense to wrap up this plot thread about the execution in this story, allowing story #3 to focus on something else, such as the cult, without it having to first conclude the events of the previous story.
Ah well, I look forward to the next story.
You completed this story in an unreasonably fast time.
Was this written already before you uploaded it?
Another story?! A LONGER STORY?! FUCK YEAH!
Another story?! A LONGER STORY?! FUCK YEAH!