Chapter 67 - Fight To Dawn Pt. 2
Lavender was hot with Pserateps ready to fight. Mahreeo could hear it from her hiding position with her escort team. Hidden underneath another Artillery Pod that was in the midst of a structural breakdown of one of Psera's Aquatas. Now it was abandoned by the soldiers who fled to the fight in Cop.
The sacrificial point was all the way down this line of over eighty Aquatas. No hiding places, they would have to make a mad dash for it non-stop. Mahreeo looked back to her escort and briefed them. "We will have to do a straight run," she explained. "No stopping."
One of the escorts, a Zebra stallion with a big build nodded and placed a hoof on his chest. "We will fight to save Equus. The child must be sacrificed, and we will see to it."
Sacrificed? They were going to kill her?! Dawn shouted from Mahreeo's back, "You can't do this!! Psera has done nothing to you!!"
While another annoying gag was being placed, Mahreeo focused on Dawn and replied peacefully, "I know, child. But because you simply exist, Equus will go through a reset. All creatures will die. So to prevent that, you must die. Now let's go. On my count. One... Two... Three!"
They zipped out from their hiding spot and out into the view of the Sun and all of Psera. Dawn could still hear all the shouting of the military getting ready to take off for Cop. She couldn't even scream anymore. They were going to kill her to save the planet?!
They passed the first Aquata. Then the second, third, fourth, eventually reaching the fortieth after some time. Zebras were fast runners and their speed on the ground was unmatched. It wasn't until after they reached Aquata sixty and the cliff was in sight that someone finally spotted them. And it was the last pony they expected.
"YOU LET MY BABY GO RIGHT NOW!!!"
First Light chewed up the rope once again and spat it to the ground. Then responded in her strange tongue, "Oh you Zebras are about to be dead now. Mother is going to dead you... Kill you. Mother is going to kill you."
Mahreeo grunted and yelled down, "I am really anxious to just throw you over this cliff, child!!" Then kicked it up a notch and zoomed away from her escorts. "Handle them!!" She ordered. "Don't let them pass!"
Twilight could see them running from above. She could see her daughter strapped to the back of that white Zebra. She was fast. The other eight turned around to them and started shooting with weapons. They were good. They got four out of the ten guards traveling behind her. But they needed to be a little better than that to get the creator of their weapons.
Twilight tilted her body and spiraled around the stream of magic being shot to her and Odega, and fired a shot of her own. A single shot that created an explosion launching them into the air.
She almost flew over when something snagged her rear hoof and pulled her to the ground. Hard. She landed with a crash and yelled in pain. The ground underneath her was concrete. She was pretty sure a rib just snapped.
Twilight rolled over and pulled out her sword to combat the Zebra who snagged her. A big fella with a lot of rings growling at her. He was about to rear up until Odega came over and swarmed over him in the form of raw fire. He came out nothing but steaming bones.
Once Odega was back on hooves she ordered Arcadia, "Go get your daughter, we'll handle the Zebras!!"
Oh thank the stars for this annoying goddess. Twilight was back on her hooves in an instant despite the pain in her chest. Odega and the Guards gave her this chance. She took to the air and sped after that Zebra zooming away with her daughter on her back. There was no way she was going to take her.
Two more Aquatas. Just two more. Dawn was flailing about lifelessly on Mahreeo's back yelling. "You're crazy, you hear me!!! Marsheema eshoola, you're bucking insane!!"
"Your death will save us all!" Mahreeo replied. Her time was close. She could feel it. Almost there, almost there! A few more feet!
A violet blur suddenly landed in front of her and forced Mahreeo to a skidding halt. Queen Arcadia Nova. She knew her description. Although, she wasn't looking too good right now. Not as described. A thick bandage on her head, bent and disfigured armor that she was discarding to the side with anger and recklessness. Gritting her teeth glaring murderously.
Arcadia flared out her large wings to block Mahreeo's path and offered in the form of a warning, "You let my daughter go..." She threw off her chest plate into the ocean behind her and took taunting steps forward that forced Mahreeo backwards. "And I'll at least send you home with your head intact and the bodies of your allies. You don't, I'll pull your heart out through your mouth and feed your body to your starving friends I'll be keeping prisoner."
Now that was a cold threat. Even Dawn shivered when it reached her ears. "Mom!" She shouted. Twilight's ears perked up and her attention swiveled to Dawn. "They're trying to kill me to 'save Equus!!' They're trying to 'sacrifice' me over the ledge!"
Sacrifice?! Twilight looked behind her at the edge of Psera. At the cliffs leading down to the foaming ocean beating on Psera. She turned around and glared at Mahreeo. "Change of promise," she growled. "Drop Dawn and I won't have Odega throw you over the ledge."
Odega landed behind Mahreeo holding the skull of one of her escorts followed by the surviving Royal Family. Glaring daggers and burning hot. "And I won't hesitate," she threatened.
Mahreeo grunted and looked back to Queen Arcadia. "You forget who is holding the bounty, Queen Arcadia," she reminded her. "We know who you are. Saviour of Psera, but destroyer of all. Your selfishness will be the bomb that destroys Equus. When Narmeelah returns, she will kill us all when she sees this foal."
"We'll worry about that when she does return!" Molten flew over and flanked Queen Arcadia with her wing blades flashing. Her ice blue eyes sent another shiver down Mahreeo's back. "Until then, you and your allies have once more started a war against our two countries. A war I guarantee you will not win."
Mahreeo glanced around for an escape. She was trapped inside of a large bubble. Guards hovering above with weapons aimed, guards on the ground ready to pounce, two Queens ready to kill, and a pony of Legend burning a hole in her tail. All waiting for the first move. They had the strength, but she had what they wanted. If she was a suicide bomber they would all be dead. No one would survive. No one from Psera wanted to take that chance.
But escape was near. Mahreeo glanced down and saw the faint outline of a promised future. Of the Everlasting Sky. Of a complete mission. A nearly faded Portal Rune but still possibly active. She slowly slid her hoof onto it and could grin at where it went: Literally through the cliff. It was as if her ancestors knew this would happen. As if they knew she was here waiting.
Mahreeo blew her single braid out of her face and chortled gleefully. "You are all fools to let us on this land. Now... Your Princess dies." Before Twilight could act, Mahreeo slipped down into the Rune and came out the other side.
Twilight's magic shattered the rune and promised a certain death. But not a certain rescue. She gasped and looked around while the Guards spread out. "Where'd she go?!" She shouted.
"Mom!!!" Twilight's ear flickered at the voice. Behind her. She turned around, jumped over the ledge, and let her body fall to the voice all the way down to the waves.
Mahreeo had unstrapped Dawn and sent her down to the leaking golden slab of rock. With the ring still on Dawn's horn. She couldn't save herself. Only fall helplessly.
"DAWN!!!" Twilight folded her wings in and zoomed down as fast as she could. Along the way, she encountered a falling Mahreeo. A Zebra laughing and smiling. A Zebra she unsheathed her sword at and cut clean in half on the way down. Blood rained down faster than Twilight. But that wouldn't stop her.
Twilight quickly teleported lower to catch Dawn. The golden rock was coming up quick. She could feel the pain she was already about to endure. But in the end, Twilight wrapped her hooves and wings around Dawn's smallish body and flipped over so she was on bottom. So she could take the impact and not her daughter.
The hit was hard. An impact that made Twilight shout in pain. She let Dawn go and rolled down the rock a few feet away. Her sword clattered aloft during the painful trip rolling over hard rock. Then all time stood still. And the waves still crashed around them.
After a moment of silence, Twilight groaned and lifted her head weakly to see her daughter lying on her side blinking at her with lively violet eyes. "...mom?" She whispered.
She was alive. Dawn was alive. Twilight slowly grinned and crawled her way up to her daughter. To grab, pull into her chest and hug tightly. No matter how much pain she was in, no matter how tired, Dawn would always have her mother to love and protect her.
"Oh baby," she whispered. Twilight's lips pressed against Dawn's soft forehead. "You're okay... Everything's going to be okay."
"Then why can't I move?"
Twilight pulled back and scanned over Dawn's body to find a source. Apart from the dress she was wearing and the horn ring, there was no other sign. Where'd she even get a horn ring?
Twilight pulled it off with her magic and threw it to the side with a hope for the source. That was the source, the ring was enchanted with a spell. Her wing twitched followed by her hooves. While Dawn maintained mobility Twilight hugged her tighter. Physical love wrapped in protection.
When she had control of her body, Dawn quickly hugged her back. Oh Stars it felt good to move again. "I love you, mommy," she said.
It only felt like yesterday when Twilight heard that word. Mommy. Dawn called her that all the time. "I love you too, Fresh Veola Dawn," she replied. Then sealed it with a kiss to the lips.
From high above Odega landed next to them. Followed by Merry, Molten, and Blazing. "Oh you're okay!!" Odega cried. She reached out and pulled them both into a hug. "You're okay, you're okay!!"
Molten piled on with Merry and Blazing when the Guards arrived carrying medical supplies. Mostly for the Queen. She hosted more bruises than anyone else. Twilight sighed in the hug and asked, "Did they hurt you anywhere? Did they hit you?"
Dawn shook her head in her mother's coat and answered, "No, but... I feel strange. Everything's hot." Now that she thought about it, something wasn't right. Her wings felt cold and awkward. Like a weight on her body she couldn't lift.
"Okay, we'll look at you in Rayray. Let's go." With Dawn wrapped in her hooves, she and the rest dispersed and took to the air back for the cliff above. It was over for them. The fight was won. Of course with major losses that Twilight would remember when she was comfortable and getting patched up in Rayray. But right now, they had to slow their beating hearts.
"Uhhh... Mom?" Twilight looked down to Dawn in her hooves and slowed her speed slightly from loss of concentration. Something was wrong. It wasn't over. Dawn was gradually glowing a blinding gold. Her violet fur was changing hues, beginning at her hooves.
Molten looked down to her then to Twilight. "Twilight..."
Twilight slowly shook her head and admitted in shock, "I've never seen this before. Let's hurry. Now."
They bounded over the cliffs of Lavender and landed on the cool concrete. Chariots and soldiers were waiting for them. Majors, Generals, Lieutenants, all saluting when they appeared and ready to go when they were.
But Dawn wasn't getting any better. She was getting weaker and glowing brighter. She stumbled next to her mother and fell against Molten. "Mom, everything hurts," she whimpered. Twilight stopped and helped her daughter to her hooves. But she couldn't stand. Her muscles were too weak. It was like all mobility was leaving her body. "Mom, I can't... I can't move," she whimpered.
Twilight held Dawn as much as she possibly could while everyone else approached to help. Dawn was glowing a bright gold by this point. "Hold on baby, we're gonna carry you to the chariot okay?" Twilight told her desperately. "Get the seats ready!! Hold on Dawn!!"
Dawn was clinging desperately to her mother by the time her entire body was gold. Hanging on as tight as she could. Staying as strong as she could. But...
"Mom..." Twilight looked down to Dawn and her glowing body. Into her golden eyes that were filled with warmth less than two minutes ago. But now filled with pain. "I... Can't hold on." Then the worst thing Twilight has ever seen in her life happened. The worst thing she wished no one ever endure or witness in their life. Or even go through.
Dawn burst. She blew in her hooves, in her face. Dawn's body pulsed into thousands of golden pieces like sand and fell through her hooves to the concrete below. Raining like golden water and forming a puddle.
All movement and chatter froze. They all saw it. It was hard not to. All eyes stared at the spectacle in shock. At the Queen holding her breath with hooves wrapped previously around her daughter. Now wrapped around golden dust and herself covered in it. Her violet eyes were transfixed on the air that previously held her filly. The last of her family. Then she blinked and slowly tilted her head down to her hooves. To all the Golden Dust that was Fresh Veola Dawn before.
"...Dawn?" She whimpered.
Merry took cautious hooves forward when Twilight fell to her rear hooves. "Dawn... Baby..." She slid all the dust across the concrete into a pile. Into something that could possibly look like her daughter. "Dawn... Dawn, no Dawn..." Her actions were becoming more desperate. "Dawn!.... Dawn!!"
"Arcadia," Molten cooed. She walked forward and placed a hoof on her shoulder with tears brimming the corners of her eyes. "We have to go—"
"No!" She shouted. "I'm not leaving without Dawn! I'm not losing my daughter!!"
"Arcadia!"
"No, get away from me!!" She slapped Molten's hoof off and attempted to rebuild her daughter. The last of the life she worked so hard to have. The last of her family.
She became so desperate that Odega unfortunately had to take action. She sighed and calmly approached Queen Arcadia still gathering dust from behind. "I'm sorry, Arcadia..." She raised a hoof and lightly touched the back of Twilight's head. Twilight slumped forward and was out like a light switch. Odega caught her before she could fall into the dust of her daughter. "But we have to get everyone to safety."
When the Medics and Guards moved forward, they paid close care to watch their hooves around the dust that was Princess Fresh Dawn. "Be gentle," Odega ordered. "She's been through a lot."
"No..." Odega looked back down to Twilight and the mouthing she was doing in her sleep. "No... Not my babies..."
Her tone shattered their hearts. "...she's been through too much," Odega corrected. "Someone softly sweep up Dawn's Remains. I'll see to Twilight's safety." Then Odega solemnly walked behind the rest of the departing Royals heading towards the Chariots.
Lieutenant Silver Sword didn't know who put her in charge. But she was the only one here who did take charge. Besides, he was going to give that exact order if she hadn't. He looked behind him to his soldiers awaiting his command and nodded them into action. They didn't need anymore say so. He could already see a war brewing in their eyes.
Psera failed. Partly. The king of Psera was either shot or had internal injuries, the Princess literally melted into dust, and the Queen... She suffered light injuries in comparison. Only a burn to her right eye that she would more than likely lose access to as far as they could see. More assessments would be conducted once they were at Safe Haven.
Over a hundred ponies were slaughtered in that throne room. That carpet had to be replaced, the thrones had to be replaced, bodies had to be wrapped and buried. Another page in the history books. It was supposed to be a day of happiness. To celebrate Queen Twilight Sparkle's return to the throne. It became a day of horror.
But the worst out of all of this? The future. The King and Princess of Psera were murdered. They were slaughtered with no care. And left the most powerful living pony in Equus' existence and history known to live with it. The Queen's firstborn daughter died in her hooves. Burst into sand and lying in a pile. And the same with her husband except he bled out. When Queen Arcadia wakes up walking once again, there would be no place on this planet that a Zebra can hide from her. Looks like they were finally going to put those new weapons to use.
Psera was going to war. And it was going to be bloody.
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well, you did it... you killed fresh dawn, i think that was the one and the only prediction I made hoping it to be a joke.
in fact, I'm in denial, fresh dawn can't die, because it is said that as long as she has dark magic she will live... and yes that can be countered by saying that they removed her dark magic, then how about this... they can't kill her off because it would have been a waste of a character we have yet to see first light's character development and there is too much you could do with a character like that, now madun i can accept because he has done a lot in the story, but not fresh dawn...
oh and being blind in one eye, I don't see that affecting her too much she is the smartest mage in the world, she can find a way to heal it, or if not use magic to get her vision back. I can see the glowing light of purple flames pouring from her eye socket looking completely badass and acting as a magic eye, she kinda does it already with both her projection spell and her ability to sense everything within 2 miles
9928361
...you seem to be traumatized.
9928365
well i have to say that if this is the finale then its one of the best live read
9928374
Thank you so much. There's an estimated three more stories in the series before Twilight Daylight ends entirely.
To me it felt like killing off Fresh Dawn so early was kind of waste. What about having a "sister" living in her body? What about Kia? What about learning magic and how to be a princess? I can understand killing Madun, but Dawn was kind of unexpected. Although, is necromancy a thing in this universe, and would Twilight be capable of bringing Madun and Dawn back from the dead? Or could Maheera possibly help?
And I hope Molten and everyone else who thought she was paranoid get a big fat "I told you so" and get a verbal beatdown. Because not only was Twilight right all along, but her husband, daughter, and countless lives were lost due to the dismissal of her claims.
Although, who knows? Maybe killing off Dawn and Madun will lead to some interesting plot points. Maybe Dawn will come back, or maybe she won't. I've enjoyed the story so far, so I trust that you know what your doing.
PS: I hope Twilight get's an eyepatch, because eyepatches can look badass.
PPS: Wait. If Dawn is dead, does that mean the Zebras accomplished their mission? If so, is Narmeelah still going to be (as much of) a problem with Dawn out of the picture?
PPPS: If Maheera isn't bad and tried to show Narmeelah she was wrong, why were all of those ponies infected by Maheera turned into slavering monsters?
Oh fuck
Burn. Maim. KILL THEM ALL!
May the rivers flow in crimson hue.
May the land be scorched forevermore.
May the zebras live in pain til the end of days.
As death is mercy that frees from suffering.
Hold up, we are getting another story? Shit boutta go down if you need an entire one just to massacre Zebras.
Twilight is about to go full Goddess of War,, especially with all those badass scars
Huh an interesting ending although I still want to see more of First Light .
9928365
a new theory to support Fresh dawn being alive that I just thought of, I don't know how planned your Chapters are before you write them and because of that i may be putting too much thought in it but...
if the dreams fresh dawn have are linked to future events that are to come, then this line from when she was 4 means that she lives to the age in which she could and will open the Diary of Narmeelah the Part of interest is she says 'when you are of age', not 'if' meaning if she died then she is not gone forever. the only weakness of this theory is 15 years old could be of age since you never specified when she comes of age...
Now you've done it. You zebras are doomed and more like be dead when twilight wakes up.