//------------------------------// // 6. Dawning Discoveries // Story: The Break of Dawn // by Kodeake //------------------------------// The Break of Dawn Chapter 6 Dawning Discoveries Rainbow jumped at the icy voice, taking a few hastened steps away from the telling bloodstain. Head whipping around, her eyes widened as they fell on a familiar pegasus stallion, with a deep orange coat and a spiky blue mane. His eyes were cold and wicked, shining a brilliant crimson in the dim light of the moon. For a moment Rainbow's jaw worked uselessly as she stared at him. He smiled at her reaction, showing off gleaming white fangs hidden behind his lips. “Well, I suppose I'd be surprised to see me as well if I were you.” “Y-you...” Rainbow trailed off as a hoof rubbed her bruised neck gently, a ghostly memory of pain tickling her flesh. The stallion nodded as he walked casually into her open kitchen, searching through her cupboards. “Yes, I'm the vampire who bit you last night. I have to say, I'm very pleased with how you've taken to the curse. Like a fish to water, as the expression goes.” He frowned, shutting the cupboard. “You don't keep this place very well stocked...” As the shock drained slowly from her system, Rainbow's mind recalled a very distinct image of a headless stallion. “How are you-” “Alive?” He asked, giving up on his search and walking away from the kitchen. Rainbow stepped back, preventing him from getting too close. “Well.” Lifting his head, the stallion ran his hoof along a distinct scar circling his throat. “It wasn't pleasant, being without a head, but you know what they say; what doesn't kill you and all that. But enough about me; let's talk about you.” Rainbow swallowed thickly, keeping a constant distance from him even as he walked over and sat on her couch. He motioned for her to join, but when she made no move to accept his offer he sighed. “Please, it's not like I'm going to bite you again.” Rainbow didn't budge. “Fine, stand there.” He leaned forward, cupping his head in his hooves as his eyes shone curiously. “Now tell me; how does it feel to be one of us?” Before Rainbow could answer, he grinned and continued; “Feels good, right? All that strength, the power? I bet you could fly at double your previous top speed now. All for some fairly minor drawbacks.” “M-minor!?” Rainbow gasped. “You call burning in sunlight minor? Becoming a mindless... monster who drinks blood is minor to you!?” The stallion shrugged. “Well, minor once you get used to them. Though it seems you managed to skip out on one of those. Tell me, why doesn't the curse control your mind?” “I could ask you the same question,” Rainbow growled, spreading her wings threateningly. “Now get out before I buck you out.” “Please,” he scoffed, “your hunter friend couldn't kill me by taking my head off, do you really think you so much as stand a chance against me?” “I'm willing to give it a shot.” The stallion stood, his ever-present smile wilting just a hint. “And then what will you do? Go back, try to live your normal life again? I've got news for you; you're a monster now. Just like me. If you think you'll ever be able to live normally again, you've got one heck of a reality check coming up.” Rainbow's chest tightened as she remembered attacking Twilight, and her resolve faltered for a second. “They'll find a way to cure me, and I'll be fine. I won't hurt anypony.” “Can you keep that promise?” He'd gotten up next to her without her realizing, and she jumped back as his hoof touched her shoulder. “I'm offering you a real life, where you won't have to worry about not hurting anypony. The world is shifting, Rainbow Dash; you have a chance to get ahead of the tide.” Rainbow shuddered at his ice-cold touch, quickly pulling herself away. “Like hell I'd ever do anything you say.” The stallion sighed, letting his hoof drop to the ground. “I'll always be ready for you to change your mind. Now, how about we-” “Rainbow?” Rainbow jumped at the sound of Twilight's voice as the alicorn landed on her doorstep. She pushed through the door, and her jaw dropped as her eyes landed on the visitor. “You...!” “Well, you know what they say about three being a crowd,” he muttered. “It's time I depart. Farewell Rainbow Dash, Princess,” he spat, stomping his hoof and evaporating the cloud beneath him. He fell through, snapping open his wings and flying away from the rising sun. Twilight tried to give chase, skidding to a stop over the hole he'd left. “Hey!... Dammit, there's no way I'll catch him...” She sighed, falling back onto her flank and rubbing the bridge of her muzzle. “Okay, now we have a problem. But first...” Rainbow shuffled backward awkwardly as Twilight turned to her. “Uh... h-hey...” “Rainbow...” Twilight trailed off as she glanced out the window. “We should probably head back to my place; the sun will be up soon, and this place is way too open for you.” “I can't...” Rainbow muttered, turning away and hanging her head. Twilight frowned. “Why not?” “B-because...” the pegasus shuddered, biting her lip. “I... I'll try to hurt you again...” “Is that was this is all about?” Twilight asked with a roll of her eyes and a hint of laughter on her breath. “It's not your fault, Rainbow. You had no control over it.” Rainbow shook her head. “But I still did it! I don't even know what happened I just... I just lost control! It was like my body took over...” “That's because it did,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly. She glanced down to the hole in the floor again. “But we seriously need to talk. I promise you won't try to hurt me or anypony else ever again, okay?” “How can you promise that?” Rainbow whispered, still refusing to make eye contact. Twilight smirked. “Because your eyes aren't red anymore.” “W-what?” Rainbow lifted a hoof to her face, as though it would allow her to see her reflection. “How... why?” “It has to do with how Luna purged the curse from your mind. But believe me when I say you won't lose control like that again,” Twilight assured, walking over and placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “Now can we please go back to my place?” Hesitantly, Rainbow nodded. The pair landed in front of Golden Oaks Library just before the sun rose over the mountains, allowing them just enough shade to get inside and away from the windows. Careful not to wake the still slumbering dragon, they made their way silently into the darkened basement, lit only by the faint light given off by the portal, still active in the small room behind the bookshelf. The fluorescent lights were flicked on once again and Twilight hurried over to a filing cabinet sitting off in a secluded corner. “So,” she started, flipping through the files in the top drawer. “What was that vampire doing in your house?” Rainbow ground her teeth. “How about I ask my questions first?” “What?” Twilight looked up from her files, looking confused a moment before her eyes widened. “Oh.” “Yeah, I'd like to know what the heck happened to me back there and why you seem to think it's no big deal that I tried to kill you.” Twilight gave a small smile. “It has to do with how Luna purged the curse from your mind.” “You already said that,” Rainbow deadpanned. With a sigh, Twilight turned away from her filing fully. “In regular vampires, it's called a blood-rage. It's what happens when they become extremely… agitated. It happened to you because, though the curse is no longer in your mind, your mind itself is currently weakened. Your body, in which the curse still resides, took over when it felt as though it were in danger, and fought back. You literally lost control to your own body, and that's not your fault. “Because you managed to fight it back shows that your mind, and your will, is stronger than the remnants of the curse till clinging to you body. That's why your eyes aren't red anymore; that was the last traces of the curse itself, and you fought it off,” she explained. Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “So... that won't happen again?” “Not unless you willingly let it,” Twilight said, once again turning to her files. “Now can you tell me why he was in your house?” Rainbow was hesitant to speak, still sorting through the new information in her mind. Eventually, she said. “I don't know.... he said something about a changing world or something.” “You mean he hasn't lost himself to the curse?” Twilight asked, surprised. “Sure didn't sound like it,” Rainbow huffed. “Tried to get me to join him or something. Though he doesn't know how I managed to not go crazy; he was asking about that.” Twilight made a small sound of victory as she pulled a file from her cabinet, carrying it over and placing it on a metal table as she took a seat. “Well, that's some good news. What worries me is the fact that he's still alive.” “Yeah, what the heck's with that?” Rainbow demanded, shuddering slightly as vivid images pushed to the front of her mind. “I mean I kinda saw you... ya know...” Sighing, Twilight flipped open her file and revealed a picture of the stallion in question. “Not all vampires are created equal. I didn't know at the time, but he's no ordinary vampire.” “How's that?” Lighting her horn, Twilight brought forth six other files, flipping them all open onto the table. “Meet the seven original vampires; the very first ones Nightmare Moon created over a thousand years ago. We've dubbed them 'The Ancients' for obvious reasons.” Rainbow blinked, looking across the images. Most of them seemed like perfectly normal ponies, except for the fact that they all had identical crimson eyes. “These seven were the core reason the Rising Dawn was founded. Alone they are stronger than any other creature that Nightmare Moon created. Together...” Twilight trailed off, letting the silence speak for her. “So basically I was bitten by one of the strongest vampires in the world and for some reason he's interested in me,” Rainbow summarized. “Well isn't that just great.” Twilight smiled. “Actually this could play out in our favour. The Ancients moving about puts them in a position for us to end them once and for all. Not to mention you being turned gives us a wonderful opportunity to learn more about vampires in general.” “I dunno, you seem to know a lot about vampires already. Certainly more than I do.” “Well, it helps to have a personal connection with the pony who created the vampires,” Twilight explained. “But we don't know everything; before Nightmare Moon was defeated, she wiped memories from her own mind to keep Luna from knowing everything about vampires. We know a lot, but there are things we could never hope to learn without a... willing subject.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow at the choice of words. “You're not turning me into a lab rat, Twi.” “No! No, not at all!” Twilight assured quickly. “Just... a few tests... to find a cure, if one is possible. Not to mention it would answer so many questions about vampires.” The pegasus's eyes narrowed. “I'll do the tests to find a cure, not because you're curious. Get me?” “Of course! But back to the matter at hoof, we need to act quickly. If The Ancients are moving, it means the group of vampires Luna told me about could very well be working with them.” “Group?” Rainbow echoed curiously. “You mean the guys you were talking about back with the Rising Dawn? The ones who are trying to form an army or whatever?” Twilight nodded as Rainbow sat down in the chair next to her. “That's right. We knew about The Ancients already from Princess Luna, but they've never done much. They were Nightmare Moon's first vampires, so they all have flaws. She experimented on them like guinea pigs, trying to find what worked and what didn't. As a result, they all have special powers and flaws. We never knew much about them except what little Luna had, including these pictures. If he kept his mind, that means others among them might have as well.” “I dunno, he seemed pretty crazy the first time I met him. Like, he didn't say anything at all, just attacked me,” Rainbow said, glaring into his picture’s blood red eyes. “He didn't seem all that... smart.” When Twilight didn't say anything, Rainbow glanced over to see the alicorn pursing her lips in thought as she pulled the file closer, glancing over the few short lines of text available. She frowned. “According to what we know, he should have lost himself to the curse... unless...” “Twi?” Rainbow asked wearily as Twilight's face twisted with dread. Twilight jumped out of her chair and ran to the stairs. “Spike!” She shouted, magically altering her voice to make it louder. Her hoof tapped rapidly against the floor as she waited. “What?” Spike grumbled, bleary-eyed and yawning as he opened the basement door. “The sun's hardly even up, Twilight.” “Get down here!” The alicorn snapped, lighting her horn and bringing a quill and parchment from a nearby table. She scribbled a short note out and rolled it up as her draconian assistant reached the landing. “Send this.” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Princess Luna again?” Twilight nodded and passed the note from her magic to Spike's claw. He took a breath, preparing to send it, before his cheeks bulged out suddenly and her burped loudly. A burst of green flames materialized into a letter, which Twilight caught and brought forward. Luna spoke to me. We will be there shortly -Celestia “On second thought, Spike... go make some tea. It's going to be a long day,” Twilight said, crumpling her letter into a ball and throwing it aside. Spike raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off as he turned. “What kind do you want?” “Do we still have the orange-blueberry stuff?” “You mean the one Princess Celestia likes?” Spike asked, peeking over his shoulder and receiving a nod. “Yeah, I think so.” Twilight smiled gratefully. “Excellent, just bring it down here when you're done. And if anypony shows up, tell them the library's closed. If it’s one of our friends, send them to me.” Spike waved a claw over his head to show that he'd heard as he disappeared around the corner from the basement door. Rainbow cleared her throat, drawing Twilight's attention. “What was all that about?” “We're going to have company pretty soon.” Right on cue a loud knock rang out from the door, loud enough to reverberate all the way into the basement of the library. A few seconds later, Spike's surprised shout could be heard; “P-Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Rainbow's eyes widened “Oh.” Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and Rainbow Dash all sat around a small metal table in the basement of Golden Oaks library. Each had a teacup in front of them that was once steaming, but had long since cooled without so much as a sip being taken. Rainbow Dash had, for the most part, remained quiet as Celestia, Twilight and Luna talked, though she found herself paying attention to what they were saying rather than zoning out like she usually did. Luna had commented on her eyes, and after she and Twilight explained what had happened, Luna agreed that it shouldn't happen again and that she shouldn't feel guilty – not that hearing it helped any. Spike had brought down sandwiches for breakfast, and her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in over a day due to her being asleep for most of it. After wolfing down three of them her stomach was full, but some small part of her was still hungry. And that thought made her worry. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair, glancing anxiously around the room, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. On some instinctual level, she knew exactly what was happening to her. “Rainbow Dash?” The pegasus jolted upright as the ruler of Equestria called her name curiously. “Uh... y-yes, Princess?” Celestia frowned. “Are you alright? You seem rather... distressed.” Rainbow swallowed nervously, shooting a pleading glance at Twilight who was looking at her much like the Princess. “I... uh... I'm fine?” “Rainbow...” Twilight trailed off as her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the pegasus, before they suddenly grew wide. “Rainbow?” She repeated, asking a silent question that made Rainbow flinch. Rainbow smiled and sat up a little straighter. “I'm fine, just...” her fangs shot out from behind her lips, and she quickly lifted a hoof to her mouth to hide them. “Sorry, still having a little trouble controlling them. I'll be fine.” Luna turned back to Celestia slowly to resume their conversation, while Twilight's eyes remained on her friend. Rainbow glanced to the Princesses, then back to Twilight, and nodded subtly. Twilight nodded back, and slowly stood from the table. “Princess Luna, I think I know what their plan is.” “Oh?” Luna visibly perked up at the information. “Do share, Twilight.” Twilight lit her horn and brought over a folder, laying it out on the table. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Isn't he one of The Ancients you told me about, Luna?” Luna nodded, looking up to Twilight. “He is, but most of them do not have the capacity for intelligence like the group has displayed. Where are you going with this, Twilight?” Twilight pointed to Rainbow. “He's the one who bit her, and I saw him again just a few hours ago. He got away, but... he retained his mind, Princess. However, according to Rainbow Dash, when he first bit her he was mindless. Which means one of two things.” “Either he was faking, or...” Luna trailed off as her eyes lit up in recognition. “Something happened between the two encounters that made him sentient.” Nodding, Twilight brought the rest of her folders forward, keeping an eye on Rainbow who continued to fidget in her chair. “You said these vampires found out how to make themselves immune to the sun. Could it also be that they found a way to give sentience to other vampires as well?” “Would that be possible, Luna?” Celestia asked curiously, turning to her sister. “In theory,” Luna said slowly. “It would take a knowledge of vampires greater than my own. However, if that's true then that means...” Twilight pushed the folders towards the two princesses. “I believe the group is trying to give even more power to The Ancients, and is in turn using their power as a means to make other vampires stronger. If one has already become sentient, how long until the others are found and made to be the same? What if they are given the power to survive in sunlight?” “We wouldn't be able to stand up to their combined power...” Luna looked up from the folders, meeting Twilight's gaze. “This isn't good, Twilight. We need to stop them before they find any of the other Ancients.” Twilight took a step back from the table. “Exactly.” Rainbow jumped up with a yelp as a sudden thump rang in her ears. All eyes were drawn to her as she chuckled awkwardly, standing from her chair. “Uh... bit my tongue...” she offered, pointing at her fangs for emphasis as she eased slowly back into her seat. Celestia and Luna turned to face each other, discussing the new possibility Twilight has proposed. Their voices were drowned out by a steady pounding in Rainbow's ears. She turned, searching for the source of the noise that apparently only she could hear. “Rainbow... come with me,” Twilight whispered, leaning down to the pegasus' ear. Her quiet voice sounded like an explosion right next to Rainbow, making her wince painfully. “S-sure...” she stood shakily, and the pounding in her ears multiplied, until she could pick out three distinct patterns. Three distinct beats of thumping, thundering thuds. Twilight said something to Celestia and Luna but for Rainbow everything had been drowned out by the rhythm filling her mind. She was starving, even if her stomach was full, and she finally realized what the sound was. Three rhythms. Three ponies. Three hearts. “Twilight...” she whispered, though she had to shout to hear her own voice above the beating. Twilight nodded as she lead the way towards the basement stairs. “I know, Rainbow. Hold on, I'll help you in a second.” Rainbow's hooves shook as she climbed the stairs. “I.... I'm hungry...”