Peace
Chapter 1: Peace
An eerie silence had settled over the quarry outside of Ponyville, which was all the more unsettling because it lay in stark contrast to the cacophony that had engulfed it only moments earlier. It had been the site of a tremendous battle, a single colt fighting for his life against impossible odds. He had strived as hard as he could pushed himself further than anypony had any right to ask of him. He had fought desperately with tooth and hoof for his right to live.
But in the end...he had failed. In the end, Dawn Lightwing had lost the battle. As he lay there, bruised, beaten, and burned, his antagonists stood over him, his fate completely in their hooves. The final blow had fallen. The end had come.
Apple Bloom nearly fell over backwards as Scootaloo suddenly stopped struggling. The orange filly slumped to the ground, all thoughts of prying herself free from the Bloom's grip gone. Startled, Apple Bloom turned her head to see Scootaloo sprawled limply across the rock she had been desperately trying to climb over a moment earlier, tears darkening the stone beneath her face.
"Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo didn't answer. She stared wordlessly at the tableau before her, unable to bring herself to say or do anything. It had been a lie. It was all a lie. Red River had tricked her. And now...
"He's gone," she whispered.
"Say what?" Apple Bloom asked, turning to follow Scootaloo's listless gaze. She gasped at what she saw.
"No," gasped Sweetie Belle. Rumble also looked on, body rigid and tongue frozen with fear. The four of them had just witnessed a murder after all.
Fluttershy's wings locked when she saw the spear fall. She had been too late. Overcome with despair, she forgot to continue flying and skidded across the ground, unable to remain standing. "Dawn!"
Storm Front turned his head to observe her impassively while Red River continued to look down at the colt's motionless body. The two of them were silent as Fluttershy wept for her son.
"Why? Why did you do it?" she demanded, forcing herself back up. The pain and sorrow were still there, but now backed with unfathomable rage. Both stallions flinched slightly as the force of her anger descended upon them like the wrath of Celestia herself. "WHY DID YOU KILL MY SON!?"
"Because," answered Red River as casually as though he were completing another apple sale, "Sometimes you have to experience death in order to truly live."
"I was worried we wouldn't be able to pull this off," muttered Storm Front as he turned his attention back to Dawn's body.
Red River snorted. "Well, we managed in the end. Now we just have to see whether or not it worked."
Fluttershy blinked and reeled back, thrown off balance by their banter. Blinking away angry tears, she looked more closely at the scene before her and gaped as she realized just where Red River's spear had landed.
Death, Dawn decided, Is decidedly painful. He felt cheated. After all, death was the divorcing of the soul from the body. In dying, Dawn should have left the pain of his physical self behind. And yet, he was still fully aware of the angry burns across his back and the cuts and bruises inflicted on him over the course of his battle. And then he opened his eyes.
For a moment, the only things he could see were indistinct blurs. His ears also picked up distorted buzzes of some unknown noise. Blinking slowly and uncertainly, Dawn's mind began to clear and his senses gradually came into focus. The gray world around him resolved into the sprawling grounds of the quarry and the blue above him became the sky. The afterlife is decidedly...unoriginal. It's almost as though I never left. His hearing was starting to come into focus around, the strange buzzing sounds slowly resolving into individual voices. And they weren't just any voices either. They were familiar.
He heard Red River and Storm Front chatting idly. Then he heard another softer voice, sweet and almost plaintive. It was a voice that made his heart jump and filled his aching body with warmth. Mom! Fluttershy was here. There was no way she could have followed him into the land of the dead, which meant...he was still alive.
The realization struck Dawn like a hammer and, in that moment, he suddenly remembered the need to breathe. With and explosive gasp, the colt greedily sucked in a deep breath of air before coughing it back out. His lungs felt as battered and abused as the rest of him.
"So you're awake," observed Red River smugly from out of Dawn's view “How was your little visit to the land of the dead?” The colt shifted his eyes and immediately saw the spear, scant inches from his head, buried into the ground.
Forcing himself to look up, Dawn finally saw the earth pony looming over him, a wide smile on his face. Red River was incredibly pleased with himself and wasn't afraid to show it. Dawn wanted to ask him what the point of all this was, but couldn't find the strength to grunt a single syllable. Still, Red River seemed to understand his confusion.
"Death changes your perspective, doesn't it?" His smile became a grin. "In the end there, you discovered that you weren't as ready to die as you thought. You realized that you wanted to live. And even then, I still snuffed that feeling out of you by striking you down."
Dawn's eyes shifted back to the spear.
"Not literally," explained Red River, seeing Dawn's reaction, "What you felt was pure intent. I had to at least make it seem real enough that you briefly reacted as though you really had been killed." He leaned down, putting his head very close to Dawn's ears. "That feeling of wanting something with your heart and soul, only to have it heartlessly wrenched away...that's what it feels like to be a victim. You've had this feeling before so many times that you thought the only way to escape it was to give up on wanting anything for yourself. But when you finally regained that want, you had forgotten what it was like to lose everything. You needed to be reminded, because that is a feeling you are all too capable of inflicting on others."
Red River pulled away. He had been barely whispering a moment ago, but now he was again speaking at full volume. "You need to hold onto that feeling of loss now and imagine yourself reflected on everyone you think about fighting. See yourself reflected in those you face and imagine them experiencing what you just felt. That is the beginning of empathy."
"And," Storm Front added from his place behind Dawn, "If you come to the conclusion that you still must fight or harm another in spite of that, do so knowing the full consequences of what will come after. Do not write them off as non-entities. Acknowledge that you are taking things away from those you fight, things they might not be able to get back and reflect that this is the feeling you inflicted upon them and accept it.”
"That road isn't easy," added Red River, "But it's a step on the way to that thing we call peace."
Dawn sighed, or wheezed (there wasn't much of a difference right now). He felt like a yearling all over again, back when he had just begun to truly experience what it was like to have the things he cared for wrenched away from him. At that time, it seemed as though he existed merely to lose things. As he lost more and more, he gave up on holding onto anything. And he gave up on the notion that anypony who tried to take something away from him could have those feelings as well. In the end, he had only been trying to run away from the pain.
His reverie was interrupted by the sound of small hooves galloping up. "Dawn!" Unable to rouse the strength to lift his head, Dawn shifted his eyes but only barely caught the flash of orange and purple that signified the arrival of a certain pegasus filly.
Then she came back into view, looking down at him. Dawn was surprised to see tears rolling down her face freely. Scootaloo wasn't the type of pony who generally allowed herself to show such emotions in public.
"I thought you were dead," she choked, slumping to the ground next to him. She nuzzled his cheek softly before lifting her head up enough to rest her forehead against his, closing her eyes. "Don't do that to me again."
Again, Dawn sighed. He wanted to answer her back, but just couldn't find the strength to speak. Instead, he felt even more of his strength ebbing away as his wounds took their toll and the adrenaline flooding his system began to drain out. The world began to fade away again. As it did, Dawn heard Storm Front speak once again.
"We should get him to the hospital now."
The rising sun brightened the sky across the whole of Equestria. Across its width and breadth, in cities, villages and hamlets, the sun marked the beginning of a new day. It called out to ponies through their windows, summoning them forth for labor, school and life in general. It was only natural that ponies would begin their days at such at time.
But on one lonely road, another pony had already begun his day while the sky was still dark. The light-beige earth pony's body was obscured by a well-worn travelers cloak, its tattered edges swaying and drifting with the stallion's movements as he walked down the road as naturally as most ponies would go for a stroll through the park. How many miles had he covered like this? A hundred? A thousand? More? Even he wasn't certain of the answer. It was true, he could cover ground faster if he wanted. But he rarely felt the need to. He had never been late to anything that mattered, even when he took his time. Even now, though he was on a quest of no small degree of importance, he felt no need to act with haste.
By the time the sun rose, the stallion had crested a hill that gave him a view that stretched out for miles. Looking out, if one had eyes to see with, one could see the green fields stretching away, giving way to the forest on one side and abating at the edge of a small but pleasant looking town. Stretching out past the town, the landscape gradually gave way to more hills and mountains, right up to the side of Mount Equis, where Canterlot itself waited. It was a spectacular vista, but completely lost on the lone pony. The only thing he knew was that the end of his journey was near. He could smell it on the breeze.
Oh well, he thought, continuing on his journey, Onwards.
Dawn awoke feeling as though his back was lined with ice. His body felt constricted, but the searing pain of his injuries had faded into a dull but bearable ache. "Well," observed a wry voice from one side, "Back so soon?"
Dawn flicked his eyes over to see the doctor looking at him with an amused smirk. "I get the feeling we're going to be more than casual acquaintances," replied Dawn, his voice hoarse and cracked.
The doctor snorted. "Bruises, lacerations, every kind of burn from first to third-degree, cracked ribs...again. It's almost as though you're aiming to top your previous efforts. I don't get this kind of trouble often, not even from Rainbow Dash."
Dawn flicked his eyes around the room. "How long?"
"If you're asking how long you've been out, the answer's the better part of the day. It's pretty late in the afternoon now. And if you're asking about your injuries well..." The doctor paused, apparently running some calculations in his head, "About a month I'd say.
"Fortunately, your wing isn't broken this time. But you managed to sear off several feathers. Most of your time is going to be spent waiting for them to grow back. Your burns should be healed in less than a week once they've been fully treated. Your ribs will be better shortly after."
A sense of irritation washed over the colt before he calmed back down. I did at least partly bring this on myself. He shifted his gaze over to see Fluttershy resting in a seat on the other side of him. She had apparently fallen asleep and was resting her head on the mattress beside him, her soft breaths gently stirring his mane.
"She refused to leave your side for a moment," explained the doctor, "You're a lucky boy to have her for a mother."
Dawn would have nodded had he been able to lift his head off the pillow at the moment. "Too lucky," he said softly, tilted his head towards her so he could see her more clearly.
"Your friends are waiting outside. I'll tell them that you're awake but that you aren't strong enough for visitors at the moment." Turning around, the brown unicorn trotted out of the room, leaving Dawn and Fluttershy alone.
Focusing on his mother's breathing, Dawn relaxed as he allowed the sound to lull him into an easy sleep.
"Ah can't believe ya!" yelled Applejack, facing off against Red River. Raging fury pulsed through her veins, "What the hay were ya thinkin' doin' that to him? Tell me why Ah shouldn't report ya to the Guard."
Red River didn't even flinch at the mare's displeasure. "It was the best option we had at the time. We weren't hired to protect Dawn. As Twilight Sparkle stressed when we first came to Ponyville, that boy is more than capable of protecting himself. We were hired to help keep the peace should conflict find him. Dawn Lightwing's behavior was too erratic to allow us to leave things as they were. There was every chance that unless we did something he would have ended up lashing out and seriously hurting somepony. Had that happened, Dawn would have become the very kind of pony his detractors have tried to make him out to be and one of the threats we would have to protect Ponyville from." Neither mercenary chose to mention Granny Smith's role in the affair, feeling that there was probably a legitimate reason she hadn't chosen to show that side of herself to her family. Also, they had the distinct notion now that she was one mare not to cross.
"But did ya have to go and say y'all were gonna kill him?" she snapped, "What kinda helpin' is that?"
"It was drastic," Red River admitted, not wanting to share where the idea had originally come from, "Drastic, but necessary. It is the only way we could have helped Dawn as fellow martial artists."
"Is that what this was all about?" demanded the mare, "Martial arts?"
Red River sighed and looked over to the doors of the hospital leading into the waiting room, where the rest of the little group of well-wishers waited for news about the colt's condition. Their knowledge of what had happened that morning was incomplete at best. Fluttershy had spent the entire time in the room with Dawn. Surprisingly, at Scootaloo's urging, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had also kept the key details of events of earlier that day to themselves. Only Applejack had been determined enough to badger her employee and tenant into spilling the beans to her privately. "The martial arts are a difficult thing to deal with. At Dawn's level, they are closer to instinct than conscious, reasoned action. In his condition, he might very well have resorted to using those skills.
"During our fight, he created a tornado that Storm Front estimates topped out at a hundred and fifty wingpower. According to his analysis, it would have taken at least three average pegasi flying in close formation to create a cyclone like that under normal circumstances. Dawn created that tornado by swinging his wing once."
Applejack shuddered, the shiver of fear beginning to overtake her rage.
Red River continued. "Dawn's power is nothing to scoff at. He could crush bones easily without hardly exerting himself. He can create blades of air that could carve through steel like it was paper. And thanks to his constant training, he can do these things without conscious effort. Dawn has to consciously restrain himself if he wants to use those skills against another pony without killing or seriously injuring them."
Applejack winced, remembering her own fight with Dawn and how he had swatted her away like an insect.
"And that restraint is linked to his emotional state. Before, he was able to keep himself in check by completely deadening his emotions. But with him opening his heart, Dawn has put himself into a state of extreme emotional vulnerability. That means that when he has to deal with anger and pain, his mind will have a much harder time remaining in control."
"But how could ya put him through that after everything other ponies've put him through?" demanded Applejack, frantic tears leaking from her eyes, "After everythin' Ah put him through." She lowered her head, her voice and tone slowly draining away. She tensed as she felt Red River lower her head and rest his neck across hers.
"Because Storm Front and I were willing to do the one thing that nopony had ever done before. We faced Dawn Lightwing, a fellow martial artist. The ones who persecuted him faced him as nothing more than a freak or a monster. Our battle was the ultimate way of acknowledging his existence and his value as a pony. We faced him, not as some creature of nightmares, but as our peer.
"It was all done to awaken Dawn's soul and restore his ability to truly feel for others. His sense of empathy was eroded after years of mistreatment, but being brought face to face with death jolted that sense back to life, allowing him to retain his control better so that he can continue down the path of healing."
Lifting his head away from Applejack, Red River smiled down on her. "It was harsh and risky. There was definitely a very good chance we would have ended up killing Dawn for real because he was that strong and our fight was that close. It wasn't something we really wanted to do, but sometimes you have to fight poison with poison."
Looking back up at Red River, Applejack blinked and rubbed the tears from her eyes. "Okay, Ah get ya. But ya at least owe that colt an apology fer puttin' 'im through the wringer like that." She prodded him fiercely in the chest as she spoke.
"Alright alright," laughed Red River, stepping back slightly, "I promise. I certainly wouldn't want to risk you staying angry at me."
The azure stallion's dazzling smile made Applejack's heart flutter as her cheeks flushed. Applejack forced herself to look away from Red River's eyes. Fortunately, the awkward moment was interrupted by the sound of the hospital doors opening. Looking over, they saw their friends heading out. Twilight lead the group, consisting of the mares who made up the Elements of Harmony, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Rumble, as well as Ditzy and Dinky.
"What's goin' on?" asked Applejack.
Twilight Sparkle gave her friend an encouraging smile. "Dawn woke up and he's going to recover. He's just too tired to see anyone besides Fluttershy right now. So we've decided to head back for now and come see him again when he's feeling more like himself."
Applejack let out a sigh of relief before turning back to Red River. "Ah guess that's it fer now. What say we head back to the farm."
Red River grinned and gave her an exaggerated bow. "After you oh most beautiful blossom."
The sound of her friends' laughter accompanied Applejack as her cheeks turned bright red.
The late afternoon sky was beginning to wash with color as the day waxed towards early evening. Rarity found herself watching that color with a pensive gaze as she and Sweetie Belle made their way back to the Carousel Boutique after their wait at the hospital. For once, the alabaster mare was without a project to keep her occupied. Furthermore, their parents were out of town...again, which meant that Sweetie Belle would be spending the next few nights at the Carousel Boutique with her older sister...again.
I swear, those two parents of mine take those trips just so they can force me and Sweetie Belle to spend time under the same roof. In spite of this irritable train of thought, Rarity had come to enjoy the time she spent with her younger sibling. She had certainly grown to appreciate Sweetie Belle a good bit after they had participated in the Sisterhooves Social together that one time, something that they now planned to do every year. More to the point, with her growing reputation and business, Rarity's work demands were growing as well, which increased the near constant stress she was under. Ironically, instead of making her even more irritable towards Sweetie Belle, Rarity was beginning to find herself appreciating the times she spent playing with the smaller unicorn even more than before. It was helped by the fact that Sweetie Belle had finally come to realize that her efforts to...assist Rarity only seemed to make her work harder and had learned to keep to the activities she knew wouldn't hamper her older sister's efforts. The long and short of it was that the two of them had come to an understanding and were better off for it.
But now, a new complication was being inserted into their lives. Rarity continued to turn Filthy Rich's proposition over in her head, wondering if she had done the right thing by accepting. She had the feeling that Sweetie Belle wouldn't like it one bit, but would rather that she be informed ahead of time. The last thing Rarity wanted was for Sweetie Belle to learn the situation by stumbling into it come Monday afternoon.
And, of course, all that had come before Dawn Lightwing had gone and gotten himself sent to the hospital...again. While Rarity didn't know the details, she was aware that the two mercenaries who had been brought in on Dawn's behalf were at least culpable, if not directly responsible for the colt's condition this time. She was quietly furious at the idea, since it had been for Dawn's sake that they had been hired to begin with. However, there was no way for her to arrive at a complete judgment until she knew the full truth of the situation.
"Rarity...hey sis?" Sweetie Belle's voice dragged Rarity from her reverie, prompting the mare to look down at her younger sister.
"Yes Sweetie Belle?"
"Are you okay sis? You're hardly paying attention to anything right now." Sweetie Belle's innocent and confused gaze made Rarity want to spill the beans right there and then.
Rarity forced out a laugh before looking pointedly away. It was habit by this point and she was already well aware that her behavior had just clued Sweetie in to the fact that something was amiss. "Oh, it's nothing darling. I just happen to have a lot on my mind at the moment." She paused and decided that the best thing to do would be to address her sister's suspicions before she brought them up. "And to be honest, one of the things I'm thinking about has to do with our situation. I promise to talk to you about it later this evening...or sooner."
"Really?" asked Sweetie, giving Rarity a confused look. It wasn't often she was beaten to the punch like this.
"Oh yes," answered Rarity, feeling better, "It's something I can't afford to put off until tomorrow. So I will definitely explain shortly."
"Okay," said Sweetie, turning her gaze forward...only for her eyes to widen at what she saw. "Rarity! Look out!"
"What are you ta-OOF!" Rarity's inquiry was cut short by the sudden impact. Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle's warning had drawn Rarity's eyes to her, rather than the road ahead, causing Rarity to miss the fact that there was an impediment in their path. As a result, the breath was knocked from her lungs as she collided with something very solid and alive. Because they had been walking at a rather easy pace, the impact wasn't very powerful, but Rarity's lack of preparedness led to her being knocked over.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry." Rarity blinked upon hearing the voice of the stallion she had just run into. "Are you alright."
Taking stock, Rarity noticed nothing aside from a few dirt smudges that stained her once-immaculate white coat with patches of brown. Her first impulse was to scream at the realization that she was... filthy, but forced it down for the benefit of the other pony. "Oh, it's nothing dear," she said, getting to her hooves while she tried (and failed) to hide the tremble in her voice, "I was just caught off guard, that's all. And I should be the one apologizing seeing as I obviously wasn't doing a very good job of looking where I was going."
The stallion, whose flank Rarity had inadvertently rammed into turned to face her. "I should apologize as well. I should know better than to just plant myself in the middle of the road like this."
Using her magic to brush herself off, Rarity took a moment to examine the pony that had just knocked her over. From what she could see, his coat was a light beige color. His mane, what little of it she could see underneath his hood, was a darker shade. In all honesty, his coloration had the markings of a rather unremarkable pony, one whom one might forget a few minutes after their first encounter. Unfortunately, his eyes were not visible as they were closed at the moment. The rest of his body was hidden by the dull brown cloak he wore. A swish of his tail sent it billowing slightly, not enough for Rarity to get a better look at the stallion's features, but enough for her to really notice its state of disrepair.
Her self-control, already badly fractured by having taken a tumble in the dirt, shattered completely, allowing an ear-splitting shriek to issue forth at the utter insult to fabulosity that was the stallion before her. "Oh good gracious darling! However could you allow yourself to be seen in such a shabby outfit?"
The stallion tilted his head slightly, confused by the rabid fashionista's outburst. "Shabby?" He sounded mildly miffed to have his choice of clothing disparaged so emphatically.
"Oh absolutely! Simply look at how tattered and worn it's become! Why it's a miracle that patchy thing hasn't simply rotted right off your back." Hearing this, the stallion ran his hoof along the hem of the cloak, feeling the tears and rough edges along its edge. Rarity continued, her horn already glowing brilliantly as she latched onto the unfortunate pony with her magic and began to drag him along in her wake, his hooves plowing deep furrows in the ground. "You simply must accompany me back to my boutique. I will make a new cloak for you at once."
"Um, is that really necessary?" The stallion turned his head down, feeling a prodding at his side. Sweetie Belle trotted alongside him, an amused grin on her face.
"Sorry," she said, her voice just above a whisper, "There's no stopping her when she's like this. Just bear with it for a while."
The beige stallion mulled this over for a moment before allowing a sigh to escape his lips. "Oh very well. If you insist." His nose twitched and he sniffed the air curiously before silently allowing himself to be dragged off.
"Well," observed Spike as he stifled a yawn from his position on Twilight's back, "That was a bust."
"I just wish I understood what happened," said Twilight as she carried her assistant back to the library, "It sounds as though Dawn and those two stallions got into a life-or-death battle. I'm starting to have second thoughts about my brother's judgment if the result is that Dawn's in the hospital again."
"Don't we need to get the full story before we make any of those kinds of judgments?" asked Spike.
Twilight paused for a moment. "I guess you're right. If I don't have all the relevant data, I can't make an informed decision on the matter. The best thing to do would be to talk to Dawn about it, but that's going to have to wait for now."
Opening the door, Twilight trotted easily into the the library, casting her eyes around. "Now then, I promised Rarity that I'd bring her that new volume on the fashion trends of Old Neightingham...where is it?"
"Over here," called Spike having already found the volume and pulling it off the shelf.
"Oh thanks," said Twilight, grabbing the book with her magic and levitating it over. Taking a moment, she examined the title and grinned. "I guess I should take this over to Rarity's. She's supposed to be there with Sweetie Belle right now. Would you like to come along Spike?"
"Okay." Spike grinned, his enthusiasm bringing a soft smile to Twilight's face. It wasn't so long ago that the mention of a visit to Rarity's would have brought about a bout of preparation that would have rivaled Twilight's panic attacks whenever she learned Celestia was coming to visit. The little dragon would spend a surprising amount of time grooming himself before getting the objects necessary for whatever errand he was supposed to run, along with a bouquet of flowers (Spike, having apparently taken a page from Pinkie's book, had seemingly stashed a supply of flower bouquets all over Ponyville in case of Rarity-related emergencies). Nowadays, Spike seemed much more relaxed and at ease when the topic of visiting Rarity came up. And from what Twilight could tell, it seemed to be because Spike had let go of his young crush on her. Twilight wasn't sure if he had just given up, or if something else was in the works, though she had noticed that her little brother was spending an inordinate amount of time with a certain Apple Family filly as of late.
Shoving her musings aside, Twilight loaded the book, and Spike, onto her back and started off towards Rarity's boutique. "Now before we go to the boutique, I have a few errands to run, if you don't mind..."
The door to the Carousel Boutique slammed shut with all the finality of the gate to a dungeon cell. The stallion was dumped onto the floor without the slightest ceremony and his cloak ripped from his shoulders.
"Now then," said Rarity, examining the garment, "At the very least, I should see if this rag is at least salvageable before I consider making something from scratch. I'll find out in a moment. Please go ahead and make yourself comfortable Mister..." Rarity's monologue ground to a halt as she realized a very important fact. She had forgotten to ask the stallion's name. "Oh dear! How rude of me! I've dragged you in here so unceremoniously without so much as asking your name dear. I'm so sorry."
The stallion tilted his head slightly. With his eyes closed, it was difficult to read his expression. "It's perfectly alright. You had other things on your mind did you not?"
"I certainly did," agreed Rarity loftily, "However, that is no excuse for being so carried away that I didn't even bother to request your name. I hope you can forgive my impropriety Mister..." Her voice trailed off as she took her first good look at the stallion now that he was no longer covered by the cloak. His mane was indeed a dark, dirty brown, unkempt and wildly disorganized from being under a hood for a long time. Rarity felt her eye twitch at the sight of the unruly mop of hair, but found her eyes taking in the rest of him. His body looked to be composed of solid, but supple muscles, which she found quite appealing. She could understand now how running into him felt like walking into a wall. While he was nowhere near as large, Rarity couldn't help but think that the strange stallion's muscles were even more solid and dense than Big Macintosh's. Finally, her eyes swept over his flank and noted his cutie mark, a pair of swords with black inlays, crossed over each other, an exotic one to say the least.
"Arkenstone."
Jolted out of her examination, Rarity's head shot back up and she blinked for a moment. "I beg your pardon?"
"Arkenstone. That's my name."
"Thank you...Mister Arkenstone. Would you be willing to accept my apology?"
"Of course," replied the stallion with a relaxed smile.
Rarity's anxiety faded away and she returned Arkenstone's smile, along with a businesslike nod. "Please make yourself comfortable. I will return in due time with your cloak." Turning around, she trotted over to the door and closed it behind her as she made her way in the workroom, leaving Arkenstone sitting in the showroom of the boutique, looking quite lost.
"Sorry about that." Arkenstone's ears twitched at the sound of Sweetie Belle's voice, "Rarity gets carried away pretty easily when it comes to things about clothes."
"So I noted," replied Arkenstone with a brief snort of amusement.
"Hey," said Sweetie Belle after looking him over, "That's a neat cutie mark you have. What does it mean?"
To her surprise, the stallion went rigid at the mention of his cutie mark. Sweetie was a little surprised to see how uncomfortable Arkenstone seemed about the whole question. Finally, he spoke. "My 'special talent,' as it were, is striking out to overcome adversity and difficulty."
Sweetie Belle tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?" It was the first time she had heard of such an vague definition for a cutie mark. "Hey. How'd you get it?" she asked insistently, "Maybe then I can understand what that means."
Arkenstone turned his head downwards. "I would rather not repeat that story. It is not exactly the highest point of my life."
That set Sweetie Belle back. All her life, she'd been taught that getting a cutie mark was one of the most important things in a pony's life. Her friends at school, her sister, and her sister's friends, had all been proud to relate the stories of how they got their cutie mark and found their true callings in life. They had all described it as one of the happiest days in their lives. Arkenstone's words seemed almost alien to her. How could a pony not be proud of the day he got his cutie mark?
Now, more than ever, she wanted to know this strange pony's story and find out how he got his cutie mark. However, Sweetie Belle had learned from Rarity that it was better to act with a certain degree of decorum. Pressing this stallion for information would not allow her to learn what she wanted to know.
"Sorry," she said, looking away, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Maybe we should talk about something else." She smiled and looked back up at him. "Hey, I know. What's your job?"
"My job?"
"Yeah, you know, what you do for a living." Sweetie figured that maybe if she took this approach, she could figure out the secret behind Arkenstone's cutie mark.
"I do many things," replied Arkenstone simply, "In some respects, I am little more than a vagabond. I travel around the country and take on various jobs as I need to get by."
"So you travel a lot?"
"Quite a bit," replied Arkenstone with a smile, his head having lifted up, "I've waited tables in Manehatten, taught night school in Trottingham, and worked as a bouncer in Las Pegasus."
"Ooh!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, getting drawn in.
"And what about this town?" asked Arkenstone, "What sort of things go on here?"
"Oh well..." Sweetie Belle paused and then began to tell all the stories she knew about the things that went on in Ponyville. Arkenstone listened patiently, chuckling in amusement at some of the more humorous anecdotes the filly had to share. Fortunately, this topic ate away the time and by the time she had run out of stories to tell, at least two hours had passed and the sky was getting darker as the evening wore on.
At around this time, the door to the back room opened to admit Rarity. She hefted her newly finished work, smiling proudly. "Here you are dear, I've finished your new cloak."
Arkenstone reached out and caught the garment as it drifted in the light blue glow of Rarity's magic. Feeling it, he noted that the cloak was a little heavier than the one he had worn before. The fabric had a much finer texture, indicative of a higher quality. "Are you sure this is alright?" he asked, "It seems a bit extravagant for a lowly traveler like myself."
"Oh think nothing of it," replied Rarity, clearly enthused with her creation, "I cobbled that thing together from the leftovers of some of my previous projects. It's weatherproof, so it should keep you dry in the rain. It's also lined to insulate your body, which will help you stay cool in summer and warm during the cooler months. I also matched it to your coloration so you won't like some shiftless vagabond everywhere you go."
"Miss Rarity," replied Arkenstone, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Suffice to say, I am a shiftless vagabond."
Rarity blinked at that, surprised at his claim. "Well," she said after a moment, "At the very least you'll look fabulous while being shiftless."
Arkenstone's hearty chuckle was accompanied by Sweetie Belle's light giggle at Rarity's consternation. "I have to say I am very grateful for your kindness," he said after a moment, "I'm afraid I don't have any money to pay you for your fork, but perhaps you could allow me to do some odd jobs around here..."
"Absolutely not!" snapped Rarity, "There is no need for you to repay me. I can understand that you have been on the road for some time. It would go against my principles to allow you to wander about so ill-clad."
She expected the stallion to insist that he be allowed a way to repay her, but was surprised to see him relent instantly. "In that case, I am grateful for your generosity." He dipped his head in acknowledgment.
"You're quite welcome."
Arkenstone paused from examining his new cloak to sniff the air for a moment. "Pardon me if this sounds strange but, you have a certain scent about you."
"Whatever do you mean?" asked Rarity, taking a moment to sniff herself, if Arkenstone's approach hadn't been so odd, she would have been offended by his question.
"It's just that I smell something familiar. I don't think the scent comes directly from you, rather it belongs to somepony you spend a lot of time around...somepony I think I may know." As if to emphasize his point, Arkenstone pointedly sniffed the air some more.
"Really?" Rarity was stunned by his words. She knew some ponies had excellent senses of smell, but this was something much stranger. Being the fastidious mare that she was, Rarity knew she smelt of many things. She smelt of the fabrics that she wove her life around. She smelt of the salts and soaps of the baths she regularly took. She smelt of the oils and herbs used at the spa that she and Fluttershy regularly frequented. To think that, of all those scents mingling together around her, he had been able to isolate the smell of a single pony boggled her mind. Of course, given how vague that statement is, there's no proof that he's actually picking up the smell of one of my friends or acquaintances, she thought. If he was trying to lie or bluff, it was odd, seeing as she couldn't figure out what he would have to gain from this.
"And who is this pony you smell about me?" she asked, trying to figure out his game.
"She's somepony I knew when I lived in Canterlot during my colthood years," explained Arkenstone, tilting his head upwards as he reminisced, "I was a good friend of her older brother's, though I found her quite the pleasant young filly, even if she was a little overly obsessed with her books..."
"Books..." Rarity's mind began to put the pieces together. Lived in Canterlot...had an older brother...obsessed with books...he couldn't mean...
At that exact moment, the door to the Carousel Boutique swung open to admit a cheerful lavender unicorn and her dragon assistant. "Rarity, I'm here with the book you wanted..." Her voice trailed off when she realized that Rarity and Sweetie Belle were not alone. "Oh I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, "I didn't realize you were in the middle of something."
"Oh no, it's quite alright," answered Rarity quickly, "We were just about to finish our business anyway."
To her surprise, Arkenstone sniffed the air and turned to face Twilight, who flinched back from him as his eyes, still shut, turned towards her. "Twilight?" asked the stallion, recognition clear in his voice, "Twilight Sparkle?"
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Edit: You update and upload extremely quickly. How do you do it?
Dude you're a beast. I guess summer break is a good thing, Eh.
Sadly, I'm going to miss detached violent Dawn. But I can't really do anything about it so keep up the good work.
3041392 I've actually been out of school for a couple of years now and work in retail. From that experience, I can say that, actually, summer is the beast, especially Back to College Season.
I can't imagine what Fluttershy will say to those two jerks... a mother's wrath is something even Celestia can't protect herself from
3041398
Ditto
I am a sucker for those kinds of characters.
I know where his name is from.
he must be Lonely drifting over Mountains. 
so he did not die.....what a surprise. New characters yay. also damn it Dawn is injured so hes prob not gonna be fighting for a while.
Arkenstone...The Hobbit?
Good chapter, BTW.
Is Caramal going to be in this story?
3041398>>3041540 True, but now that Dawn: the Emotional Wreck is out of the way, we get to focus on Dawn: the Maturing Martial Artist, which means MORE EPIC FIGHT SCENES! YAY! If that's not what interests you, sorry about that.
3041569>>3041581 I hereby bestow upon each of you a cookie.
3041607 Yes he is. Sadly, not enough character tags to go around.
>to pay you for your fork
work?
3041628 Awwwww but i prefer Muffins :dejavascript:void(0);rpytongue2:
Are we ever going to get Arkenstone's backstory? And is he part of the Unrooted Mountain school of martial arts? His comment about using the earth to travel quickly makes me think that he is and sounds almost like Tay al Arz or Folding up of the Earth.
I think you have added to much here, if you understand what I want to say.
Why the "i" of "His" is an uppercase?
3041640
Well, here's hoping Fluttershy and Celestia do something about those 2
My prediction for the next chapter.
Twilight: "Pervert!" *zaps with magic.*
Edit:
Lol I understand Arkenstone is probably blind but the imaged popped into my head anyway.
3041342 Near the end of the first story moguera said he had thirty chapters written, so I think it's safe to assume he's just releasing them as they get edited.
The scheme kind of reminded me of Count of Monte Cristo's ending.
Woo hoo!!! Excellent work my friend. I will now dance like a fool for the rest of the evening because I called it on Granny Smiths plan. You are brilliant! Keep up the great work bro!
3041607 ya wat happened to Carmel? Fluttershy still owes him dinner!
OK now we know why Red and Storm attack Dawn like that. They had nothing but the best of intentions in mind. Be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that they still assaulted a child (a child that could level a small town if he put his mind to it, but a child nonetheless). There has to be repercussions for this. There is no way the mane six could just let this go even with understanding where they were coming from, especially not poor Fluttershy. If the plan to teach Dawn empathy was an Infamous-style binary moral choice situation, either teach Dawn how to empathize with words and patience or kick the shit out of him to make him understand the pain of loss then kicking the shit out of him would be the evil option because it is the faster and far riskier option that would appeal to the weak-willed. The fact that Granny, Red, and Storm defaulted to this without even seeming to consider an alternative just makes them unlikable as characters so far. We do not know a lot about them right now but first impressions are not looking up. But seeing as how this is just the first chapter in this story and things could easily change later down the road I will give our mercenary duo the benefit of the doubt. But other than that I did enjoy this chapter and will be following future ones.
3041640 You don't seem like a jerk to me
, Just someone expressing their true opinion
3041408 Uhh I know going to gollege sucks.....Then again the chicks.......but the work.....but the booze.
I applaud you good sir! not have I ever been so enthralled with a series of chapter in the form of writing, but you have met my relatively high standards.
I turn my back for like one second after reading the first in this series and suddenly it's on to the third, you sir are a very fast writer
3042203
Oh good, I'm always worried I'm going to over step my bounds and come off as a jerk.
3041628 It's not that I'm any less interested. It's just that kind of attitude makes characters seem more badass in my opinion.
I think you mean there not their. It doesn't look like it fits in with the rest of the sentence.
3042447 Criticism knows no boundaries...UNLESS it's bad criticism
The Arkenstone is the jewel for which Thorin, son of Thrain son of Thror, King under the Mountain began the epic quest that is Tolkien's The Hobbit. Well, one of the reasons, at least. But if that's not where you got it from than I have no idea. And yes, that's off the top of my head, and yes, I am a Tolkien freak. I do like it as a name though! Good chapter, glad Dawn isn't dead. Until next time.
Which one do I read first?
CALLED IT!!!
3041342 He most likely pre-wrote everything.....
3042783 Foal of the Forest.
3042783uh, book one, Foal of the Forest. Duh.
If his eyes open and they are like Dawn's then the author is in for one hell of an explanation
I love these.
I feel that shit is gunna go down within five to ten chapters, just a hunch.
Family friend?
Blood, blood everywhere.
Arkenstone BETTER NOT HAVE THE EYES OF NIGHTMARE. If he does, our author better explain him/herself.
Nice plot twist
Hah! Dat was good! Real good! You certainly do have the reputation of never disappointing your readers!
3041640 Even his doctor kind of brushed it off, hell he sounds like he intends to start keeping score of just how many times Dawn is going to end up there.
But as for your gripes, yeah, I definitely agree with you on where your coming from, but I can probably address as to why the author went this route. The author seems to draw influence for this story a little from Japanese shonen motifs, and a common trope in them is that kicking the shit out of the protagonist to force his emotions into check is typical of it. The issue though is that kind of mentality is really jarring when it is included in an MLP story where ponies that we know that aren't OCs are going along with this train of thought when they really clearly should be absolutely horrified by it based on what they did in the past. Hell they got furious with Discord for what basically amounted to a bunch of pranks to the point of sealing him in stone, and yet here they brush off a pair of mercenaries who had almost killed a foal. In conclusion, applying themes from different genres will definitely require more balancing in future chapters, I am frustrated with this story, but not to the point where I intend to stop reading it, at least not just yet, though I am having flashbacks of the story Cultural Artifacts and its unnecessary Batman Gambit when I read over those key parts in this chapter that just leave me bewildered.
Arkenstone's name reminds me of Arkham asylum and Arcansas
I dont understand any of this ...............................
.... This looks like it could be amusing, carry on.
Okay... who the fuck is this and why did Twilight flinch from him?
3041640. I COMPLETELY agree with you. Those two should be arrested! I mean, even if they had the best intentions it doesn't change the fact that they broke the law and assaulted a child almost to the point of death. To me, they are no better than that stallion who cornered Fluttershy. They both wanted to beat someone up to teach them a "lesson", the only difference is that THEY GET AWAY WITH IT. Now I just want to wait and see their falling. I mean, they just can't do that without some consequences.