Behind the scenes of Dawn's Candor · 4:49am Jan 27th, 2021
My first blog post, in which I ponder the real-life historical connections of my book while simultaneously lulling my readers to sleep but still keeping their attention with the occasional picture of a cute pony.
Here is what I am deciding is our theme song to keep you entertained as you read:
And some simple tunes once you finish that if you like.
PART I: The History
I love history. I love ponies. It seemed only natural that I should endeavor to combine these two, and Dawn’s Candor was the result – my attempt to create a realistic military and historical perspective for the cute ponies of Equestria.
There are two histories occurring in Dawn’s Candor – that of our world and that of Kkat’s Fallout: Equestria. Part I focuses on the former; for explanation of the latter, jump to Part II. Both parts contain spoilers, but Part II is especially dense with them.
Dawn’s Candor is roughly set five years after the events of the show and about twenty years before the Last Day (aka the megaspell apocalypse). I place Equestria at being the rough historical equivalent of the late-Victorian era. There is industry and substantial steam-driven mechanization such as the trains, but the majority of Equestria is still an agrarian, horse-driven society. Furthermore, the reign of Princess Celestia and the thousand years of peace can be likened to that of Queen Victoria and the Pax Britannica which marked the height of the British Empire. As such, it was an easy choice to style Equestria with strong connections to a British/American identity. The fact that the show is produced with a similar influence (whether intentional or not) reinforces this decision.
Militarily, Equestria is a mix of British and American influences. I’ve structured the army after the British model, i.e. with infantry battalions of roughly 1,000 ponies divided into four companies and so forth. The Royal Air Service is organized on an approximation of the U.S. Air Force structure, with the Special Weather Service acting as an auxiliary similar to the modern day Civil Air Patrol. The structure of the British Army underwent serious changes during the Victorian era that were known as the Cardwell Reforms; these reforms reorganized the numbered regiments of the British Army into regiments based on region while also abolishing the system of purchasing commissions for officers. This is mirrored in Dawn’s Candor by the Lunar Reforms.
The uniforms and equipment are based on examples from the 1870-1900 period in the British Army, which was a period of transition with khaki uniforms replacing the traditional red tunics. The uniforms of the North Equus are almost exact copies of these, with the exception of the shako which I’ve included in lieu of the white foreign service helmet. Luna’s Dragoon Guards are dressed in uniforms similar to the U.S. Cavalry while the Wonderbolts and Royal Air Service sport uniforms that are influenced by French and American aviators.
The rifles the ponies use are based on the breech-loading Martini-Henry, which saw effective use in the Zulu War (1879), and the magazine-fed bolt action Lee-Medford that was used extensively in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). The tactics we see used in Dawn’s Candor are approximations of those used during those conflicts. The Lee-Medford, while having a magazine capacity of eight rounds, was still fed singly, i.e. without a charger clip; thus, the manual of arms called for this rifle to be fired in a similar manner to its predecessor where the fire discipline of the individual solider was tightly controlled though the use of volleys, independent fire, and magazine independent fire for quick bursts of firepower. The formations match this necessity of control, with emphasis placed on the collective firepower of the unit. The opening engagements of the Second Boer War saw British troops fighting in close order, but eventually the effectiveness of the Boers, armed with better rifles and firing from well-chosen positions, would force the British to adopt extended formations with more emphasis placed on the independent musketry of the individual. I have tried my best to capture the spirit of these tactics as used by Dawn and her ponies; obviously, there are some ergonomic differences and deviations from the exact manuals (the commands, for instance, are entirely fictional although based on my own training in American drill manuals).
As the preceding paragraph alludes to, the Second Boer War, although largely forgotten today especially by those outside the U.K., was a significant conflict for the British Empire. For much of the army, it was a serious wake-up call that spurred the evolution of the tactical and operational doctrine that would be used by the British Expeditionary Force at the start of the First World War. Furthermore, the war foreshadowed the cost of conflicts in which both belligerents were armed with modern weaponry. As such, the war is a close analog to the conflict Equestria faces with the Boerperds (the Boerperd is a modern breed of horse in South Africa, subtle right?). The Battle of Mauder Ridge in Dawn’s Candor is based on similar battles fought during the opening of the war, such as the Battles of Modder River or Spion Kop. Dawn’s taking of the village of Paardenburg is based on a fictional account of the taking of Lungtungpen from a short story from Rudyard Kipling, although there was an actual Battle of Paardeberg during the Boer War.
The expedition to rescue the hostages and subsequent action against the pirates bear strong resemblance to the various colonial actions that were part of Queen Victoria’s “little wars”, such as the British Expedition to Abyssinia and the Anglo-Sudan War. The Marejathi, and the pirates emulating them, are based on the Maratha Confederacy and various other factions that fought against Britain in her colonies. The fate of the pirates in Dawn’s Candor is, likewise, the same as their real life counterparts.
Both the Phoenix and Berrichonhead are inspired by steam ships from the Victorian era; the frigate Phoenix is based on the HMS Warrior, one of the first ironclads in the Royal Navy, while the Berrichonhead is a pun derived from the breed of horse and the HMS Birkenhead, a ship infamous for its wreck on 26 February 1852 off the coast of South Africa. The design of these vessels, sporting both sail and steam power, fits the MLP universe well; it is my theory that sail power was highly effective given the ability of pegasi to generate wind and, due to only very recent introduction of coal-fire steam power in Dawn’s Candor, still a prominent feature of ship design.
The final important element of Dawn’s Candor, and the series as a whole, is the Zebra Empire. There is not much information about the Zebras in Fallout: Equestria, although several blogs and a side story by Kkat explore their history and worldbuilding. I have read these, but ultimately decided to create a country which better suited the world I was building. As such, The Zebra Empire, as an emerging competitor to Equestria’s long standing dominance, is best styled after its real-world counterpart at the start of the Twentieth Century: Germany. The unification of the Zebra Empire is thus similar to the unification of Germany or that of Italy in the mid-19th century. Culturally, the Zebras are a mix of Ancient Roman and African influences and geographically I liken them to the Roman Empire, i.e. spread out around a large body of water but with strong connections to the capital in Rome (or Roam). The military is modeled after the Prussian/German system, but with Roman stylizations; for instance, a legion, made up of six Cohorts consisting of 1,000 zebras each, would be the equivalent to a large Equestrian regiment or brigade.
Of course, the astute historians reading this will likely understand what stylizing Equestria and the Zebra Empire after Britain and Germany means for the future of the world in Dawn’s Candor. Needless to say, Dawn and her friends are sitting on a powder keg waiting for just the right spark to set it off.
PART II: The Making
This story was a blast to write and my first attempt at writing a long-form story. As such, there are some elements of the story which I struggled with and some that, given what I have learned, could have been better. This section is where I dive into those while also providing insight on the process of making this story.
An idea is Born
Dawn’s Candor started with a simple idea: what if Littlepip decided to write more stories after her own? Given her curiosity with artifacts and memory orbs from the war during Fallout: Equestria, it seemed a likely conclusion that her stories would be historical in nature. Furthermore, there are enough historical accounts in the text to provide a realistic framework to base a series on. The events of Dawn’s Candor, for instance, are based on a newspaper clipping that Littlepip found while in Filydelphia.
The inclusion of lore and history from Fallout: Equestria was a difficult decision, since doing so limited the direction I could take my story as well as potentially limiting my audience. However, writing this story was never about views, but rather an exploration of ideas, themes, and historical elements; the colorful ponies and their world become an effective medium through which we can explore these very human elements. The ponies and world of Fallout: Equestria are a fine example of this type of exploration and as such I was inspired by it to continue the conversation it started with Littlepip’s story. Furthermore, by using the history established in that story as the basis for mine, I am able to create a distinct trajectory for my characters as they follow Equestria’s progress to becoming a wasteland.
But Dawn’s Candor also includes significant influence from another series: the adventures of Richard Sharpe, a British rifle officer during the Napoleonic Wars, as written by Bernard Cornwell. As a youth I loved these books, which were always filled with thrilling depictions of the battles as well as brilliant and witty characters, many of whom serve as inspirations for the characters in my story.
Meet the Ponies
Dawn Glean, as the protagonist, is a rough analog to Richard Sharpe, although the only feature they share is that they are, to the snobbish few, not supposed to be officers. The name Dawn Glean is a pun on Sean Bean, the actor who plays Sharpe in the TV series, but the similarities end there. Dawn is a protagonist who struggles with her identity and something commonly referred to as imposter syndrome. She is obviously competent, as I have tried to portray through her experience in the artillery and as a well-read officer. Her reluctance to accept this, though, is what I decided on as the primary conflict, one that is further fueled by the spite of ponies like Belle and Simmer and the increasing responsibility Dawn is forced to shoulder as the story progresses. Furthermore, her character is a vehicle through which I can explore the challenges of leadership and their effect on a character.
The Big Mac in Dawn’s Candor is somewhat different from show canon as I’ve tried to develop his character to become a close companion to Dawn in the same way that Sergeant Harper is to Sharpe. Harper and Big Mac share some similarities; they are big and possess unique accents (Harper is Irish) while also acting a positive foil for the protagonist. In the case of Big Mac, his honesty and integrity are meant to accentuate these same qualities which are being eroded in Dawn.
The character of Star serves as another foil for Dawn. I originally had very little plans for her other than to be a friend for Dawn, but I soon realized that in order for Dawn’s character to develop, Star had to die. It was not an easy decision, and one that I made very late in writing after I saw the relationship I had developed between these two characters. Relating Star to the poem was also a late decision, but one that I think works for the story. In a sense, her death symbolizes the fact that the innocence of Equestria has also died; she is an officer with a virtue of integrity that as events unfold will become increasingly rare, but that Dawn, through her memory, will strive to uphold.
Applesnack needs little explanation. He is simply a younger version of Steelhooves from Fallout: Equestria. The desire to include his character was a factor in deciding to make the events of Dawn’s Candor a form of diegetic fiction rather than a straight side story – any part of my story or characters that conflicts with the Fallout: Equestria canon can simply be dismissed as creative liberty taken by the author, which is implied to be Littlepip. This is why I include the historical note at the end of my story.
Other characters of note are Crag and Ditty. These two are based on Hagman and Harris from the Sharpe series. Ditty’s full name, Can-Ditty, is also a very elaborate pun on a mispronunciation of Candide that appears in the film version of Sharpe’s Sword as well as the fact that she is a musician, ditty being another word for a song; she likewise shares a sort of optimism that is the basis for Voltaire’s satire in Candide. I know no one will ever catch all of those references, but I get a chuckle every time.
Major Brass Bolt is based on a personal favorite of mine from Sharpe, the American officer Major Leroy. The other aspects of his character, though, serve another foil to Dawn: he is an earth pony officer like her, but his philosophy of grapes, cotton, and molasses is ethically ambiguous and leads to question if he is truly honest.
Captain Cherry Bounce is a character that became more popular than I thought. I had originally designed her as a minor character to accentuate a laissez faire style of leadership common in the Equestrian, and in real-world, officers corps. Her name is a reference to George Washington’s favorite drink, as well as mine.
A good story relies on good characters in order to make it come to life. I think I did a decent job, but there are some characters that I feel don’t get as much attention. The trio of Crag, Ditty, and Applesnack and Big Mac have very little development and are often tacked onto a scene; this is partly because this story is heavy on the development of Dawn’s character, but also my own reluctance to give them attention I want to save for later installments. On the other hand, some characters I had planned on being minor, flat characters ended up becoming more than I thought. Praeclarus and Cherry Bounce are two examples, created simply to bring out a character aspect of Dawn but now fully fleshed characters with their own short story (“Klemenza’s Duty”).
What is this story about anyway?
In short, Dawn’s Candor is a story that is meant to explore the element of honesty, just as I hope later installments in the series will explore the other elements. I wanted to make my story more than just a fun adventure; there are probably a few places where I over- emphasize the themes or fall short in others.
Light is a prominent idea in Fallout: Equestria that Kkat uses the absence of to accentuate the nature of the wasteland. It is devoid of light and the warmth, beauty, happiness, etc. that can be associated with it. Thus, Littlepip’s journey to restore the physical light is also a larger story about bringing the positive things light symbolizes back. We see this through the way she fosters friendships, inspires hope, and otherwise decides to be a better pony than those in the darkness around her.
Thus, the themes of light in my story are a continued exploration, with the distinct difference that I am starting with the opposite situation, one where we go from light to dark. I felt the best way to tackle this was by introducing three variations of light: the true light, a false light, and obvious darkness. This implies that there is only one true path that leads to good, while another path tries to mislead toward the path of bad. And the bad may not necessarily be evil, but by its nature separates the individual from that which is good. Much of my understanding of these themes is influenced by the Gospel of John.
The choice between the light and dark path is thus a major source of conflict, and one that defines the aspect of integrity that is critical to a good leader. Dawn’s own struggle with identity is in essence a struggle of deciding which path she should go down, or a reluctance to realize she is starting down a wrong path and about to lose her integrity. The character of Star thus serves as an example of what the ideal path should be, i.e. the Pony of Life Upright while other characters such as Belle and Bolt represent those who have chosen to follow that false light. Sure, they are (generally) good characters, but they are also somewhat misguided in what they believe in: the integrity of Bolt is flexible according to his philosophy of grapes, cotton, and molasses, while that of Belle is led astray by her stubborn belief that the magic of old should guide Equestria. We see these same ideas mirrored on a larger scale for Equestria, a nation that is slowly being led astray by its own industrial progress.
Ultimately, though, Equestria and the rest of the characters will have to accept the truth that war demands. And for Dawn, she will have to decide for herself whether she is going to choose the path of honesty and integrity or chose the easy path. In the end, her decision to remember Star implies the choice she had made, a choice to strive to be like that Pony of Life Upright, a pony of integrity. And that, in essence, is what Dawn’s Candor is about.
This was a fun read! Always amazing to learn more about history, and the absolutely adorbs pones that come with it are a huge bonus.
AAGH! I just wanna pinch her cheeks! 
awesome mate cant wait for what next you got planned
