5. Meeting the Dawn
The Break of Dawn
Chapter 5
Meeting the Dawn
Moving through the portal felt like trying to swim through syrup, and Rainbow wasn't taking the chance of trying to breath while still inside the muck, even as the air was forced from her lungs. Her eyes were shut tightly as she finally felt her face emerge from the portal, her lips unsealing as she greedily sucked down the damp air on the other side. Planting her forehooves on the cold, stone floor she pulled the rest of her body through, shuddering as she felt the gunk mold around her wings like a gel.
With a final pull the tip of her tail popped out of the portal, making it jiggle like jelly. She fanned her wings, shaking out her feathers as the feeling of the gunk lingered. Finally opening her eyes, Rainbow scowled at the soot black unicorn before her, trying desperately to retain her mirth.
“Oh har-har, laugh it up T-... Dawn,” Rainbow corrected quickly. “You could have at least told me what that was going to be like.”
“Sorry, Rainbow; I didn't realize it was your first time using a portal like that,” Twilight admitted with a guilty smile before turning away and swinging out a hoof. “Anyway, this is the headquarters of the Rising Dawn.”
Rainbow's followed Twilight's hoof out to the area around them. It was a relatively large hall, made entirely of cold grey stone bricks. The room was lit by standard torches lining the walls between various archways, casting flickering red and orange lights on a long wooden table stretching down the center of the hall. Inside each archway was a portal near identical to the one she’d just walked through, presumably linking the homes of the other members of the Rising Dawn. The table itself was lined with chairs and – to Rainbow's surprise – none of the chairs were empty.
“Dawn Guard!” A deep, rough voice called, a grey-coated stallion leaning forward in his chair. “You're late.”
Twilight gave a bashful smile towards the stallion as he got a round of grunted agreements from a little less than two dozen other ponies around the table. All of them had similarly dark coats and manes, though Rainbow guessed they were all disguised like Twilight.
“My apologies, but I just had a conversation with Princess Luna,” Twilight explained, motioning with a subtle gesture for Rainbow to follow as she approached the end of the table, pulling out a chair at the end and sitting down. She motioned for rainbow to do the same next to her.
“The Princess?” One of the members asked skeptically. “I thought she left the Rising Dawn?”
Twilight nodded slowly. “She did, but as she explained it to me she had her reasons, and we need to-”
“Who's that!?” Another member shouted, a pegasus mare this time. She slammed a hoof on the table as she half-stood from her seat, pointing accusingly at Rainbow Dash. “We can't bring non-members here!”
Sighing and rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof, Twilight said, “Yes, I know, and if you'd listed for a second I'd-”
“Wait, isn't that Rainbow Dash? What's an Element bearer doing here!?”
Rainbow scowled at the stallion's tone, giving a sidelong glance to Twilight as the unicorn continued to rub at her muzzle. “I'm here to shut you up!” Rainbow snapped. “Now let her explain.”
Instead of silencing the table, Rainbow's demand only riled the gathered ponies up further. All of them started shouting their questions at once. Rainbow's face soured at the reaction, but she wilted when she caught sight of the glare Twilight was shooting at her out of the corner of her eye.
“Dawn...” A unicorn stallion sitting on the opposite side of Twilight from Rainbow whispered. “What's going on?”
Twilight sighed again. “It's a long story, Shiny,” she muttered under her breath.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at the name, but remained silent as Twilight lifted her head from her hooves. “Alright everypony!” She shouted, to no avail. Her attempts only seemed to add yet more fuel to the fire. The questions grew into full fledged shouted demands and it all turned into an indiscernible cacophony of noise.
“Silence!” Twilight slammed her hoof into the table, the wood cracking under the force of the blow. The room quieted instantly as Twilight stood from her chair, forehooves resting on the table as she leaned forward. “You all have questions and concerns, but we will get nowhere if you do not allow me to explain the situation.”
When nopony else spoke up, Twilight sighed happily and sunk back into her chair. “Thank you. Now, as we all know, there's been a spike in activity recently.”
“I thought you said that it wasn't anything to worry about,” Somepony piped up, before withering under the glare Twilight shot their way.
Frowning pensive, Twilight nodded. “I did. However, new information has come to light that makes these events more troubling than they seem on the surface. As Princess Luna explained to me, she believes there is a group of vampires attempting to form the army Nightmare Moon always intended them to be, and they are preparing for war.”
“War?” A stallion scoffed, leaning back dismissively. “I've killed dozens of the things; they are no more threatening than a colony of Diamond Dogs. They are weak to the light, and that will always be their downfall, no matter how many of them there are.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the stallion. “And if they weren't?”
The stallion raised an eyebrow. “Weren't what?”
“Picture a vampire, whose flesh did not boil beneath the sun. Imagine-” Twilight paused, giving a sidelong glance to Rainbow Dash, “Imagine a vampire, who kept their mind in tact; just as intelligent as you or I.”
The ponies gathered around the table leaned forward suddenly, various eyes widening, while others were rolled in doubt.
“Our enemies are evolving. Princess Luna thinks that there is a group of vampires who are capable of making other night creatures immune to sunlight, the very weakness that allows us to defeat them time and time again.”
“Please, Dawn Guard, you cannot be serious.” The same stallion from before said, standing from his chair and drawing attention to himself. “If such things were possible, why have we not yet encountered them?”
Without missing a beat Twilight rose from her chair as well. “They are intelligent, Night Blade; they are biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”
“But where's the proof!?” He protested. “You can't expect any of us to take this seriously if you do not offer us some sort of proof that these things are even possible.”
Twilight froze momentarily, glancing around the table before her eyes fell on the pegasus sitting next to her, glaring daggers at the stallion she was arguing with. A moment's debate ran through her mind, before she relented, falling back to her seat. “You're right, you shouldn't believe what you cannot see with your own eyes.”
Night Blade opened his mouth, but stopped what a magical glow forced him back into his chair as Twilight motioned for Rainbow to stand. “This is why I brought Rainbow Dash. As you all know, there was a vampire sighted in Ponyville a few nights ago. He slipped through my wards, but ultimately fell. However-” she leaned over, and whispered something in Rainbow's ear. Rainbow did a double take, raising an eyebrow, but sighed and returned Twilight''s encouraging nod.
“I could not stop him from turning another pony.”
On cue Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and allowed her fangs to slip free of her gums. The effect was instantaneous; everypony currently seated at the table jumped to their hooves and backed away, reaching for weapons they didn't have with them. Unicorns charged their horns, some picking up chairs and wielding them like lion-tamers, while pegasi and earth ponies dropped into fighting stances. The unicorn sitting on the opposite side of Twilight grabbed her and pulled her away, putting himself between her and Rainbow.
“Why did you bring that monster here!?” A unicorn demanded, advancing slowly with a blade formed from her own magic. “It could've killed us all.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, pushing past the stallion who'd pulled her away and standing next to Rainbow, who seemed to be growing more and more uncertain about the situation. “Please, if she was like the others do you really think she'd have just sat there for this entire time?”
“What was it you said about them biding their time?” Night Blade growled.
“Look, do any of you really think I'd have brought her if it would put anypony at risk? I've been in the same room with her all day, and she hasn't even tried to bite me.”
Nopony seemed convinced, and they started moving in and surrounding the pair.
“We can't trust her!”
Twilight sighed. “Will you all just look at her? She's kept her mind intact; free from the curse. She's living proof that such things are possible.”
“Great; you proved it. Now kill her before she turns somepony else!”
“Like I'm going to kill an Element bearer,” Twilight deadpanned. “You can't all be so blind as to not see this for what it is.”
A circle was formed, with the only break being a gap for the table. “All I see is a monster, a killer who shuns the light, and can be nothing else,” Night Blade said as the circle started tightening.
“Uh... Twi...” Rainbow whispered, low enough as to not be overheard. “This might not have been your best plan.”
“Hold on a minute!” A stallion shouted – the same one who'd pulled Twilight away. Pushing his way through the circle, he stood beside Twilight, though he made sure to keep the disguised alicorn between himself and Rainbow. “Maybe we should give her a chance. If what Dawn says is true then she could be useful. This could also open the path to creating a cure.”
“It has been over a thousand years, and no cure has ever been found; what makes now any different?” Night Blade countered defiantly.
“Her,” Twilight deadpanned, motioning with a hoof towards the pegasus next to her.
Rainbow fidgeted, her wings spreading slowly of their own accord. “These guys wanna fight, Twi.”
“Why should we even trust you, anyway?” Night Blade demanded, leading the advancing circle until there was just a pony's length between them and the three they were surrounding. “Princess Luna just up and left, leaving you in charge. So tell us, Dawn Guard; why should we trust you? You come here, saying you have spoken personally with Princess Luna about far-fetched tales of impossible things.”
“I'm gonna fight 'em,” Rainbow growled, lowering her head and spreading her wings further.
“Rainbow!” Twilight snapped under her breath, maintaining her glare on Night Blade. “Look, I know this is all very sudden but we have to stay calm and think about this rationally, we-”
A unicorn lunged with her magic blade, lashing out at Rainbow. She jumped back just in time to dodge the strike, but the swing triggered the circle to stop as the very air in the rooms seemed to freeze. A few, tense moments of silence passed as everypony waited for the next move with baited breath.
Night Blade stepped forward, emerging from the circle. “You have brought a vampire to our meeting place, endangering us all, and still you stand by her side. You are not trustworthy. All those in favour of removing Dawn Guard from power?”
The only three ponies who did not raise their hooves were Rainbow, Twilight, and the stallion still standing next to them.
Night Blade nodded approvingly. “Kill the vampire and remove Dawn Guard.”
“Enough of this madness!” Twilight shouted, but her demands were drowned out by the battle cries of those around her as they lunged towards Rainbow. A chair was broken over her already burned back, sending a searing pain lancing up her spine and straight to her mind, and she snapped. Her already crimson eyes grew even more vibrant, seeming to pulse with the beating of her heart. Her breathing grew ragged. The very air around her seemed to scream with rage as she focused her infuriated gaze on the pony who had swung the chair.
“Rainbow? Rainbow look at me. You need to calm down,” Twilight urged, removing her attention entirely from the rest of the ponies, who remained still as they watched the muscles beneath Rainbow's skin flex and relax, pulsing in time with her eyes.
Night Blade smiled triumphantly. “You see? You say it kept its mind, but in reality it is just as feral as any other monster. Kill it.”
“Only because you provoked her!” Twilight shouted as she lit her horn. Just as Rainbow lunged forward with a shriek of rage an opaque black barrier rose up in front of her. She bounced off, falling to her side and rolling. She stood just as the bubble of soot black magic closed off entirely, trapping her in the bubble. She turned, looking for an escape until her eyes fell on the sole other pony trapped with her.
Twilight allowed her illusions to fade, her wings fading back into view and her coat and mane dimming back to their regular colours. Though her magic stayed black. “Rainbow, calm down.”
If Rainbow heard the call, she showed no signs of listening as she growled, lowering herself and preparing to strike.
“Come on, Rainbow; fight it,” Twilight urged, even as she lit her horn. With a bright flash she summoned a long silver staff. “I know Luna said you wouldn't be yourself but I didn't expect this...” she muttered to herself, levelling the staff in front of her.
Rainbow Dash lunged, using her wings to aid her as she launched off the floor and sliced through the air with her forelegs extended, aiming straight for Twilight's chest. The alicorn side-stepped the strike easily, cringing as she hit Rainbow on the back of the head with her staff.
The pegasus, disoriented from the relatively gentle blow, crashed to the ground. “I really don't want to hurt you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight insisted as Rainbow clambered to her hooves quickly, instantly jumping back into an aggressive stance. She snorted, charging with her fangs bared.
Twilight turned her staff sideways and lodged it in Rainbow's mouth behind her fans, twisting it and wrenching her head to the side. Rainbow fell to the ground as the staff slipped from her jaw.
“I know you can still hear me, Rainbow.” Twilight took a few steps closer to the prone pegasus, fearing for a moment's she'd done some damage. However, as soon as she got close Rainbow jumped to her hooves again and knocked the staff out of Twilight's magic with a wing. Jolting in surprise at the grasp being broken Twilight was left with no time to react as Rainbow tackled her to the ground and pinned her.
With a sickening crack Twilight's head hit the stone floor and her vision of the cyan pegasus above her swam. Lighting her horn Twilight gathered a small pall of energy between them, but before she could use it to blast her adversary off her she felt a sharp pain lance through her horn from Rainbow's hoof striking against it. Her spell shorted out with a few harmless sparks harmless sparks. “Rainbow don't!”
Rainbow leaned forward slowly, hissing as she opened her jaw wide. Twilight clenched her eyes shut as she forced magic through her still aching horn. Shrouding her neck in magic, she hardened it as best she could as she felt Rainbow's fangs push against her makeshift armour.
Confused by the resistance, Rainbow paused and drew back, giving Twilight the chance to struggle out from under her. Unfortunately, Rainbow's already impressive strength had grown much stronger since she'd been bitten, and even the latent strength of earth ponies contained in the alicorn was not enough to push her off while she still held her focus on protecting her neck. The pegasus growled at her for the movement and bit down as hard as she could on Twilight's neck, the magic crackling and starting to crack.
“Listen to me, Rainbow. You need to calm your mind and take control or this is going to end very badly for both of us,” Twilight whispered, panting with the exertion of her magic. “I know you're stronger than this.”
Rainbow paused, but didn't remove herself from Twilight's neck. Swallowing nervously, Twilight continued. “You promised you wouldn't hurt anypony, remember? You were strong enough to protect your mind for hours, when most ponies fall in minutes. You can fight this.”
Slowly, painfully slowly, Rainbow pulled back until she could look at Twilight directly. Their eyes met, pulsing crimson and lavender locking, and for a moment all was still.
Suddenly Rainbow jumped backwards, magenta eyes growing wide as she backed herself up against the wall of Twilight's bubble. “T...Twi...?” her voice was shaky and uncertain.
Breathing a sigh of relief Twilight stood up, picking up her discarded staff and teleporting it away with a pop. She looked at Rainbow for a moment, noting the change in eye colour, before smiling. “I knew you could do it.”
With a flash of magic – as well as a small wince – Twilight was once again Dawn Guard, and she lowered her shield. All around her the members of the Rising Dawn watched carefully, ready to attack at a moment's notice. “We're fine,” Twilight announced, glancing over to the pegasus. “Right, Rainbow?... Rainbow?”
Rainbow's hooves were shaking as she continued backing away from Twilight with wide, fearful eyes. She backed away until she hit a pony behind her and she yelped, jumping into the air and flying straight into the portal she'd originally come through.
Twilight frowned, watching portal's ripples slowly die down.
“You let it get away!” Night Bade shouted. “You have no right to lead the Rising Dawn!”
“She has every right to lead us! Princess Luna herself appointed her!”A stallion cried, running forward and leaning in to whisper; “What happened in there? Why'd you throw me out? I could have helped!”
Twilight shook herself, turning away from the portal. She looked out across the sea of angry faces, her gaze eventually standing on the stallion next to her, the only one who'd supported her and Rainbow dash. She sighed. “They want to know why they should trust me... so I'll give them a reason.”
With a flourish of magic wings appeared at her sides, though they remained black as night. She was met with a round of gasps as she lifted herself into the air and allowed the rest of her illusions to drop, revealing her coat, her mane, and her cutie mark.
“I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, appointed by Princess Luna herself to lead the Rising Dawn and charged with keeping Ponyville, as well as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, safe from any of Nightmare Moon's creations. Those who still wish to defy me, speak up now.”
Twilight glared down at Night Blade as he took a few steps back from her imposing reveal. He opened his mouth to say something when the unicorn stallion stepped forward and dropped his illusions as well, revealing a white coat and a two-tone blue mane. “As acting Prince of the Crystal Empire, former Captain of the Royal Guard, and her brother, I advise against saying anything.”
Lowering herself to the ground, Twilight smiled gratefully at her older brother. “You really didn’t have to do that. I feel bad enough using my title for this. But now that you have... can you take care of this?” She glanced over her shoulder. “I need to go talk to Rainbow...”
Shining Armour smirked. “I don't think they'll be too much trouble. Go help your friend.”
“Thanks.” Twilight turned and ran through the portal, leaving a ring of stunned ponies in her wake. Shining walked to the center of the ring.
“So, let's talk about how you just tried to overthrow my sister and kill one of her best friends.”
Rainbow Dash wiped the tears from her eyes as she flew furiously through the night sky, a sickening ball building in her stomach as a large white structure grew larger in the distance. Her mind was filled with thoughts and emotions that she failed to fully comprehend.
Eventually she landed on the porch of her own cloud home, and once again she froze as she placed her hoof on the handle. A war raged within her, one that made her blood turn to ice as she pushed, the door still slightly ajar from her previous attempt. This time, though, when she stepped through into the darkness of her home, illuminated only by the dim light of early-morning streaming in from the outside, she didn't turn tail and run.
She walked forward, eyes fixed on the red stain still haunting her floor, remembering the fountain of blood that has streamed down her neck.
She remembered her promise, and she fell to her knees, staring down at the small patch of lost life.
I won't be like him. Her mind repeated, over and over and over.
“But I am...” she muttered, lifting her own hooves to her face. The hooves that had tried to hurt – no, kill – one of her closest friends.
“I am exactly like him...”
“I'm glad to hear you admit it.”
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*sigh* I guess I deserve this cliffhanger...
Did I mention that I really like your vampires this far? I wonder how Dash gets and reacts to her first drink.
I also just noticed that I don't see the author's notes when I download the fic with my phone.
NO.
PLEASE NO MORE CLIFFHANGERS!
Oh, dear. Now who is this?
Curse you! And by that I mean have my love because that was awesome! I love when you make my Mondays better. <3
WHY DOES EVERY CHAPTER HAVE TO END WITH A CLIFF HANGER?! DO YOU JUST LOVE TO TORTURE US?!
I was waiting for Twilight to go "No, bad idiots. Shut the hell up and listen to one of the rulers of your dumb asses." And you did not disappoint. The part with Shining afterwards about overthrowing her was icing on the already epic cake. Well done, I look forward to more.
Nooo! Rainbow, don't go to the dark side!! It doesn't matter how many delicious cloud berries they have!
6096273 I personally like cliffhangers... It makes me look forward to the next chapter even more. Am I weird?
6095312
Yes, yes you do. As for her first drink, well.... all I'll say is Chapter 7 was fun to write.
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6096273
Aye, my pre-reader yells at me every chapter for the cliffhangers. That being said, I was nice to make up for this one; next chapter's not so bad.