//------------------------------// // 4. Children of Nightmares // Story: The Break of Dawn // by Kodeake //------------------------------// The Break of Dawn Chapter 4 Children of Nightmares Twilight ground her teeth together, pumping as much of her magic as she could into her shield as the flames around them closed in. Red smoke seeped along the ground, feeling around her barrier for a way in. “Ahh...” “Rainbow?” Twilight looked over, the pegasus falling away from her side and clutching her head with her hooves. “What's wrong? Rainbow?” “It's...” She trailed off, clenching her eyes shut as she fell onto her side. “It hurts...” Twilight's eyes widened. “The Element's shield broke... and you were the source of power... the feedback must have been immense.” The pegasus curled into a tight ball on the ground, holding her head in her hooves as tears gathered in her eyes. “Twi...” “Gah!” Twilight cringed as a tendril of red smoke smashed at her shield, sending a ripple of energy pass through it. The barrier shrank, and the smoke struck again. “Princess Luna?” Twilight called, panting as she struggled to maintain her shield. The curse continue to push, forcing the dome to become smaller and smaller. She glanced over to Rainbow, still curled up on the ground, gasping in pain. The curse seemed to sense her desperation as it redoubled its attacks, striking the barrier with a renewed vigour and spreading cracks through the magenta magic. Twilight grunted, horn glowing brightly as she forced as much magic as she could muster into what was left of her shield. Her effort proved fruitless, however, when a deafening shattering sound filled the air, and the barrier broke apart into shards just like the Element's had. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as Twilight's eyes widened, the force of her shield being smashed knocking the wind from her lungs and making her stagger back a few steps. The curse moved in quickly, writhing like a nest of snakes. Twilight turned and dove, throwing herself over Rainbow's crumpled form in a last ditch attempt at protecting her. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited for the inevitable. Suddenly, a massive explosion filled the sky as a white orb of energy fell from above, slamming into the ground in front of the two ponies. Twilight slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the imposing form of Princess Luna, standing over them like a guardian angel, eyes glowing white with a mane that writhed with energy. The Princess's horn lit and a shockwave of energy exploded from its tip, forcing the curse back as she rose into the air without the aid of her wings. “You shall not take them,” her voice boomed, shaking the trees. The force alone put out the fires closest to the them and sent the smoke retreating into the trees. Twilight looked on in awe as Luna's horn lit up and a beam of pure magical energy shot out, shooting forward and clearing a path through the trees as big as a house. The curse hissed in what could only be pain, the sound coming from all around them as the tendrils writhed, lashing out randomly. “P-princess...” Luna glanced over her shoulder, her furious, glowing eyes softening. “Sleep, Twilight Sparkle. All will be fine now.” On command, be it a spell from Luna or of her body's own accord, Twilight's eyes drooped closed and the world went black even as the sound of blazing fire continued to ring in the background. It too faded away with time until Twilight was left in a void, empty of all things. The area was so vacant, blackness failed to accurately describe it and silent was an understatement. Then, in a flash of light, Twilight’s eyes flew open and she was staring at the ceiling of her guest bedroom. A cold sweat covered her body, making her shiver even beneath the blanket covering her. “I am glad you're awake.” Twilight snapped her head to the side at the recognizable voice, turning to see Princess Luna sitting in a chair next to the bed. For the first time since Twilight had met the alicorn, she looked tired. Even her mane seemed to be drained, flowing slowly and hanging low against her neck. Her eyes travelled down, looking at the pony lying in the bed next to her. In what little moonlight streamed through the window she could see Rainbow Dash lying beneath the covers, her chest rising and falling slowly. The pegasus's fangs glinted in the silver light, and Twilight frowned before something struck a chord in her sleep-hazed mind. She looked to the window, frowning at the moon rising high into the sky. “What-” Luna stood from her chair, the action silencing Twilight's half-voiced question as the alicorn walked over to the window and looked out across the sleeping town. “You have been unconscious for several hours after your ordeal with the curse inside Rainbow Dash's mind. You displayed an impressive amount of magical prowess, especially for a pony as young as yourself, even if you are an alicorn now.” Twilight blushed slightly at the compliment, but quickly focused her attention on Rainbow Dash. “Did... did it work?” She asked, motioning towards the pegasus. “The curse has been purged from her mind, yes,” Luna answered with a nod, though she did not share Twilight's relieved smile. “We need to keep an eye on her as she recovers. I was hoping you both would be able to use your Elements to cleanse her mind, but the circumstances did not allow for it. As a result, I was forced to use some more... damaging techniques.” “Damaging?” Twilight echoed warily. Luna sighed. “She's not in any real danger, but... her mind will take a while to heal. The curse had already done some damage when you went in, and it was only made worse with everything that happened. When she wakes up, she may not be entirely herself, and her memory is almost certainly damaged. With time, everything will heal, but it may take a few days.” Twilight nodded slowly. “As long as she'll be alright...” The Princess's frown grew harder, and she turned from Rainbow's peaceful face to Twilight. “But we have other matters to discuss; I want to know how a vampire not only made it into Ponyville, but managed to turn a pony – an Element of Harmony, at that. I left Ponyville under your protection, Twilight. You said you could handle it.” “I-I could!” Twilight protested suddenly, before hanging her head. “Everything started changing after you left the Rising Dawn in my hooves, Princess. At first it was just little things; vampires were a little bolder, we lost one of our members to a banshee about a week ago, but... a few days ago...” she shuddered. “It's like we threw a rock at a beehive; activity spiked. There were more sightings than I'd ever heard of before. We did what we could to keep it under control...” Luna's expression grew concerned. “Why didn't you contact me? This is serious, Twilight.” “I thought it wasn't a big deal,” Twilight admitted with a shameful sigh, “Just as soon as it happened, it stopped, and we assumed it was just a coincidence; a bunch of attacks all lined up with each other, that was it. The vampire here in Ponyville was the last sighting we had to take care of, and it would be over. I don't know how, but he slipped through my wards. He didn't kill anypony, but he went straight for Rainbow Dash, like he knew who to target.” “Activity has always been abnormally high here; Ponyville houses the Elements of Harmony, and now the newest Princess of Equestria. I am not surprised you have attracted some unwanted attention,” Luna explained. “It's entirely likely he was targeting Rainbow Dash.” Twilight took a shuddering breath, shaking her head. “It's over now though; we've managed to keep them under control, and only a few civilians were hurt. None dead.” “As much as that is a relief... I fear it is not over, Twilight. I do not believe in coincidences...” Luna rubbed her chin with a hoof, still looking out the window at her night. “I did terrible things as Nightmare Moon. Horrible things, that I struggle to even comprehend now. What I turned ponies into for my own selfish desires...” a tremor ran down her spine. “I found out rather quickly that, as a last ditch effort, Nightmare Moon wiped key memories from her own mind before she was defeated. Through doing this, she has locked the secrets behind these creatures from me, and I am unable to even begin creating a cure - should one even be possible. I fail to comprehend what was going through my mind when I was Nightmare Moon, but none of it was good. “I founded the Rising Dawn to help clean up the mess Nightmare Moon left behind, a mess that has been growing and festering in the darkness for a thousand years. It has become a disease, a plague on Equestria. My hooves are stained with the blood of thousands of ponies across thousands of years, and with each passing night I fear the disease grows stronger.” Twilight slowly climbed out of bed, taking a hesitant step towards the midnight blue alicorn. “Princess, what are you saying?” Luna took a breath, turning away from the window slowly. “I believe that something big is coming, Twilight. The reason I left the Rising Dawn in your care was so I could pursue certain... leads on my own, without being burdened by other ponies. What I found is... disturbing. “Vampires who could walk beneath the sun, Ghouls that could leave their cemeteries, Rakiim who did not become visible in the light.” Luna paced passed Twilight and up to the bed, gazing down at the slumbering pegasus. “A vampire who can keep her mind intact... my creatures are changing, Twilight. Evolving for survival just like ponies did. I fear that the Rising Dawn have expedited this process, forcing them to evolve faster to stay alive. A thousand years of hiding in the darkness as per Nightmare Moon's command, waiting for the day their creator would come back and lead them into the light. They have become their own entity now... and they grow more powerful every night.” Twilight took her turn looking out the window, mind racing with the possibilities Luna's discoveries opened. A world where monsters didn't need to hide in the shadows to survive. “What does this all mean for Equestria? How do we stop it?” “There were whispers,” Luna started, turning to face Twilight. “Rumours of a group of Vampires who had become... sentient, for lack of a better term, ones not linked to The Ancients. They sought knowledge, and power. Somehow they made themselves stronger, developed the mental capacity for more than senseless violence - they are the reason I put in so many protective measures for the Rising Dawn. They were designed to lead Nightmare Moon's army of monsters, and they have filled that roll without their creator's blessing. It is my believe that this group intends to advance other creatures like they did to themselves, and assemble an army to wage their own war against those who live in the light. “If they succeed, then we will have a full scale war on our hooves, and Equestria will not be the only country at risk. Our world as we know it is about to change if we do not do something.” Twilight's eyes were wide, and a tremor of fear ran through her mind as the full scale of the situation dawned on her. She fidgeted slightly, looking down to the floor. “Princess... I know you don't want to, but... we need help. If we tell-” “My sister will need to be notified, yes, and I suspect I will have a very long... conversation with her,” Luna said slowly. “It was something I wished to avoid but circumstances have forced my hoof. I would rather Celestia find out through me rather than putting it together herself through murder reports.” “The Rising Dawn need to be informed as well,” Twilight muttered, glancing over to Rainbow, still unconscious in the bed. “Our next meeting is tonight... I don't know what I'm going to tell them.” Luna gave a small smile to the younger alicorn. “I'm sure you'll do fine; I would not have left them in your care if I did not think you could handle it. I would accompany you, but I need to have that talk with my sister before things get too out of hoof. We will speak more once I have dealt with Celestia, and I have no doubt she will wish to speak with you before long as well. Good luck, Twilight.” She lit her horn, preparing to teleport herself back to Canterlot, when Twilight suddenly called out. “Princess, wait! What about Rainbow? Is she going to be okay? Can we cure her?” The Princess of the Night hung her head. “I don't know. I managed to seal the curse from her mind, but purging it from her body – especially when it's already taken hold – is another question. It is not like an ordinary spell that can be reversed; it is a disease, an entity all on its own - a living being. For now we should count ourselves lucky she has retained her mind, and hope to find a cure.” Twilight nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the pegasus in the bed. “Okay... I'll bring her with me to the Rising Dawn meeting; maybe somepony there has heard of a potential cure. We have hunters there from even before Nightmare Moon was defeated.” “Are you sure it is wise to bring a vampire to a meeting of vampire hunters?” “We'll be fine,” Twilight assured, more to herself than the Princess. “I can handle them, and they're reasonable ponies... as long as Rainbow doesn't do anything... stupid.” Luna raised an eyebrow, but let it go with a shake of her head. “Whatever you think is best. Farewell, Twilight. Should you need me, you know how to reach me.” With a flash of light that filled the room Luna was gone, leaving Twilight alone with the pegasus sleeping in her guest bed. She watched for a short few moments, focusing on the mare's shining fangs, and sighed as she turned away. Rainbow needed the rest, and she had to get ready for a meeting. With a flick of her horn the door was opened, and a sleeping baby dragon fell into the room, crashing onto the floor and jolting awake. “Ahh! Twilight! Princess Luna! Rainbow Dash! Sleeping! I...” he trailed off, rubbing at his eyes and looking around the room, eventually looking up to a lavender alicorn failing to suppress her giggles. He didn’t seem to notice, and immediately jumped onto his feet, latching his arms around Twilight's foreleg. “Twilight! You're awake! I woke up when I heard a bunch of shouting and when I came into the room you and Rainbow Dash were asleep on the bed and Luna was here and she told me to get out and let her focus but I kept asking what happened and she threw me out and locked the door and I've been trying to get back in but I must have fallen asleep and what happened are you okay?” Twilight giggled, placing her free foreleg around Spike's back. “I'm fine, Spike. Luna was just helping Rainbow Dash and I with... and experiment involving dreams,” she lied with a smile. “You know how good she is with dreams, so I asked her to help. Nothing's wrong.” Spike sighed in relief. “I was so worried; Princess Luna looked worried and I heard her say something about a curse?” “It's nothing, Spike; don't worry about it. However, it is midnight, and it's no time for baby dragons to be up and about.” “But Twilight!” Spike whined. “I've been sleeping all day! It's like as soon as I was kicked out I fell asleep. I'm not tired!” Twilight grimaced. “Why does her answer to everything have to be putting ponies to sleep? Or dragons, in this case.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Why don't you go make yourself a glass of warm milk and try to go to bed? If you don't sleep tonight your sleep cycle is going to be thrown off for a week.” Spike sighed, but ultimately gave a nod. “Fine... but why is Rainbow Dash still here? And still asleep?” “She's... helping me, still. Now go on; I have to take some notes,” Twilight explained halfheartedly, pushing past the dragon and descending the stairs to the first floor of the library, before turning and heading for the basement. Stopping at the door, she turned and watched Spike make his way begrudgingly into the kitchen. Twilight's shoulders slumped slightly, but shook it off as she opened the door and descended into the darkened basement, closing herself in. Her horn provided only a few feet of visibility, just enough to see the next step. Upon reaching the bottom she flared her magic, reaching out and finding a switch on the wall. Flicking it, Twilight shielded her eyes from bright florescent light as they hummed to life, illuminating various machines and tables, as well as a bed and vanity shoved off into one corner. She frowned at it, shuddering slightly and turning away, towards a row of bookshelves against the wall. Walking over, Twilight's horn lit and she reached up with a hoof, picking a book off the shelf and placing it on a table. She leaned forward, moving the books aside to reveal a small hole in the wood at the back of the shelf. Around it, in white chalk, was a ring of runes and spell lines. Pushing her head into the shelf, Twilight slid her horn into the hole. The white chalk around the hole glowed a bright blue before slowly fading to purple. When she pulled her horn back, the runes pulsed with arcane energy. In a flash a perfectly round hole was cut out of the bookshelf, revealing a small, square room behind it. Stepping through the circle, edges crackling with magic, Twilight walked over to the far wall. The room seemed to be little more than a small storage area, walls lined with grey bricks and a simple wooden floor. With a few taps of her hoof across seemingly random bricks, the wall gave a shake, dust falling from between the bricks, and slid back into the wall before moving aside, revealing a simple wooden frame inset in the wall. With a flash of magic the frame started humming lowly and the air inside started shimmering. The air seemed to thicken until it was an opaque turquoise sheet, rippling like water. Twilight nodded approvingly at the freshly opened portal before turning away. Now that the portal was open, other members of the Rising Dawn would start filtering in through their own portals, into he now-opened headquarters, each waiting for a fresh batch of orders and reports. “Whoa, what's this all about?” Twilight jumped at the voice, eyes falling onto a cyan pegasus standing at the top of the stairs. “R-Rainbow! You're supposed to be asleep still!” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “With Spike's snoring? As if. When I woke up you and Princess Luna were both gone, so I figured I should come find you. I did not expect to see... this,” she exclaimed, motioning towards the portal humming gently behind the alicorn. “I'll explain in a second... first though, how are you feeling?” Twilight asked cautiously, remembering Luna's warning. Rainbow gave a halfhearted shrug. “Like normal, aside from a headache. What I wanna know is what the heck you two were talking about before the Princess did whatever she did to me, and what you did to me after.” She shuddered slightly. “All I can remember after passing out is fire...” “It's... a long story...” “So was the whole vampire thing, and you certainly didn't take too long to explain that,” Rainbow deadpanned, flying down the stairs and stopping next to a table, pulling out two chairs and sitting in one herself. “So sit down and start talking.” Twilight fidgeted slightly, mentally noting Rainbow's fairly average behavior as she complied with the demand. “How much did you get from my conversation with Princess Luna?” “Most of it was gibberish to me, but I remember you saying something about me being immune to a curse or somethin'. I dunno; it's all really hazy,” Rainbow explained, furrowing her brow in concentration. “She did something to my head, and the next thing I know everything's on fire and...” “And...” Twilight asked, motioning with a hoof for the pegasus to continue. Rainbow frowned, her eyes meeting Twilight's. “I remember you showing up... then... pain. Nothing but pain, like I broke a wing only...” “Deeper?” Twilight offered. She sighed when Rainbow nodded. “That was magical feedback from the barrier the Element of Loyalty put up around your mind to keep the curse out. You were its power source, and when it broke all the power you were feeding into it was sent back into you. I got the same when my shield broke, but not as strong since I was consciously controlling the barrier and I was ready for it, able to bleed off the energy instead of take it.” “Uhh... sure... all I know is it hurt. After that, it all kinda fades out.” Twilight nodded, thinking quietly for a moment. “I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do. Luna showed up right after that, and the next thing I knew I woke up here.” “Okay but...” Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. “Why exactly were you in my head again?” “Oh! Right, you were asleep for that part. Well, to make a long story short, the curse that turns you into a vampire was attacking your mind, trying to convert you into a full vampire, but your Element of Loyalty acted as a sort of antibody warding off a disease, and-” “English, Twi.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Your Element saw the curse and protected you from it. It couldn't hold forever, though, so we had to go in and find a more permanent solution. I'm not entirely sure how, but Luna managed to keep your mind intact.” “Wait, does that mean she cured me?” Rainbow asked excitedly, reaching up to her mouth and frowning when she felt her fangs slide out from behind her lips. “Not cured, exactly, but... well, you won't turn into the same kind of vampire who bit you. You'll still be you – mentally, at least. Normally the curse cripples your mind, turning you into a creature that knows nothing but killing.” Rainbow shuddered at the thought. “Well at least there's that good news. So what exactly is that for, then?” She asked, pointing towards the portal still shimmering in the background. “That's a portal to the headquarters of the Rising Dawn; we have a meeting tonight, and I need to tell them something from Princess Luna,” Twilight explained casually. “Oh, and you're coming with me.” “Wait, isn't the Rising Dawn, like, a group made to kill vampires? Which I now am?” Rainbow asked. “You sure that's a good idea?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why does everypony think that? They're perfectly reasonable ponies, Rainbow; as long as they know you're not gonna bite anypony we'll be fine.” She paused, glancing to a clock hanging on the wall and frowning. “The meeting will be starting soon.” “Alright... if you're sure...” Rainbow shook her head and stood taking a step towards the portal. “So how is this gonna work?” “Just let me do the talking. Oh, hold on.” Rainbow turned just in time to see Twilight light her horn. With a flash of magic her lavender coat darkened to a soot black, her mane changed to a uniform deep indigo, and her cutie mark shimmered. The six pointed purple star faded and was replaced by an image of a sun rising over a silver shield. Even her wings faded from existence. Noticing Rainbow's hanging jaw, Twilight smirked, asking; “How do I look?” “Like...” Rainbow trailed off, looking away as images of a headless body raced across her mind. “Like Dawn Guard. Why-” “Because of the nature of the Rising Dawn, we can't know who each of our members are in case one of us gets turned into something and tries to go after the other members. Only Princess Luna knows everypony's true identities; unicorns use their magic, while earth ponies and pegasi have specially brewed potions to disguise themselves, for both our meetings and while we're out hunting, in case we’re seen.” Rainbow frowned in confusion. “But I thought the vampire thing, like, broke your mind? Would it really matter if you all knew each other?” “Vampires keep some basic memories and ideas, as do most other creatures. They'd have a desire to go after certain ponies if they knew who the hunters were; their bestial minds would label them as threats. It's why there's always been a lot of activity around the Elements of Harmony.” “A lot of activity?” Twilight nodded. “At least twice a month.” “Huh...” Rainbow blinked. “And I never even noticed...” “Then I was doing my job right,” Twilight said with a smile, turning back to the portal. “Okay, here's the plan; just agree with anything I say, make sure they know you're still yourself, don't do anything that could be... threatening, and try to keep your fangs in.” Rainbow clenched her jaw a moment, fangs sliding back up into her gums. “Right, anything else?” “Whatever you do, don't call me Twilight; my name, as far as they're concerned, is Dawn Guard. I'm in charge of protecting Ponyville as well as the Element bearers and Princess Twilight. Twilight Sparkle has no idea about any of this.” “Okay, I think I can do that, Dawn.” Twilight smiled approvingly. “Follow me.” She stepped through the portal, the viscous liquid stretching around her before she broke through the surface and walked through, disappearing before Rainbow's eyes. “Alright, let's see who these guys are.” Rainbow stepped forward, prodding the portal with a hoof before pushing it through and stepping down on what felt like cold stone on the other side.