//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Dawn's Candor // by Clarke Otterton //------------------------------// Evening approached as the Equestrian and Zebra column neared the reported location of the pirate camp. The march there had been an uneventful trek through five miles of stifling grassland and humid forest. Save for the ambient noise of equipment and the idle chatting of the zebras in their native tongue, nopony said a word but rather cast their heads downward for the duration of the march. Despite what their officers said, they knew the truth – that they were still captives. “Over that hill is our objective. We will wait here to get a better perspective,” Captain Praeclarus said. He held up a hoof to halt his legionnaires. Dawn nodded to Ditty to sound the bugle call then thought better of the idea once she saw that her company had already halted from the zebra officer’s gesture. “Launching our attack tomorrow is what is wise. We will rest tonight until sunrise,” he briefed Dawn. “Why not go in tonight? I’ve led nighttime operations before and we have plenty of resources at our disposal. Waiting out here will just increase our chance of being found out,” Dawn said. “I want to monitor the area for intel. A second unit will reinforce us tomorrow as well,” he said. His eye twitched and voice wavered, giving Dawn the hints she needed to know that the zebra was lying. The reinforcements were for Dawn’s company to be taken into tighter custody. “Intel, eh? Let’s take a look then,” Dawn said, already reaching for her telescope as she scampered up the hill. Praeclarus followed a moment later. Through the lens, Dawn saw the tight cluster of rugged wooden buildings built at the edge of a young, recuperating forest. A small lake, its surface rippling with the last bits of daylight, edged the west side of the buildings while a disused railbed on the east side cut through a mature growth of forest on its way south. A few rusted railcars with rotting tree trunks on their beds lay discarded along the northern side of the railyard, showing that at one time this town had been lively and productive. But looking closely amid the lengthening shadows, Dawn saw no signs of such activity now. The town was perfectly abandoned. “How old is this report of yours, captain?” Dawn asked, collapsing her telescope. “Several hours. We were dispatched right before that engagement of ours.” “This so-called camp looks completely empty, captain. Either the pirates are gone and now is the time to act, or your report was false.” “I stand by my decision, and I will follow the orders of my mission,” Praeclarus turned to look into Dawn’s eyes. “Besides, everyone, even you Dawn, looks tired. How about we all give in to that which is desired …” Dawn felt a rush of blood burn in her cheeks. Her breathing became ragged as she remembered her gesture towards the zebra in the forest. She turned her head away to fidget with her telescope, eventually managing to open her saddlebag after fumbling with the clasp between her teeth. She slipped the telescope in and caught the glint of light from the bottle of scotch she had left in there. It gave her an idea. “Of course, Praeclarus. Just give me a bit to, uh, attend to my command.” “Yes, naturally. I will see you shortly,” he said before winking as he climbed down the hill. Dawn forced a wink and a smile in return. Her stomach protested at what she was about to do, but feelings of warmth elsewhere yearned for it. Grapes, cotton, and molasses. Dawn sighed. She walked down the hill to her company. Everypony cast their gaze away from the lieutenant as she walked through. She drooped her head lower towards the ground with each pony that copied the gesture. All except Applesnack, who sat with his back to a tree, his eyes staring coldly at Dawn while he bit down on an oatcake smeared with tinned beets. “Is there a problem, Private Applesnack,” Dawn asked. He took another bite while keeping his eyes locked. “Yes.” "Do you want to talk about it?” Dawn sighed, taking a seat next to the stallion. “Look, lieutenant, you know as well as I do that this whole situation is a load of dragon shit. I’m a soldier, ma’am – I’m trained to fight, not sit around on my ass as some prisoner because somepony is too afraid to lead.” “Excuse me, private, I’m doing what I think is best for my…” Dawn riposted. “Dragon shit, ma’am. If this is your company, then why are you giving it up?” “That ain’t no way t’ address an officer, Applesnack,” Big Mac reprimanded as he walked up to defuse the conversation. Ditty and Crag followed behind the red sergeant. “No, it’s alright, sergeant. I want to see what he has to say,” Dawn said, cooling herself down. “Do you have any suggestions, Applesnack?” “Well, we need to get away from these zebras so we can actually do our mission, ma’am. Only problem is I don’t know how.” Applesnack softened his eyes and threw his hooves, now devoid of food, into the ground. “It’s not like we can talk our way out of this.” “Actually, I`ve talking with the zebra captain and I think I can keep him distracted for the night,” Dawn said. She ignored Ditty’s giggle, which was quickly stifled by a firm hoof from Crag. “I saw a small ravine on the east side of this hollow that could hide a few ponies from the main camp. Can’t fit the whole company through, but we can trickle three or four through at a time,” Crag stated. “What about the picquets?” Big Mac asked. His comment caused the group to flatten their ears slightly. “We need to take them out somehow,” Applesnack said. He patted his bayonet. “We’re not trying to start a war, Applesnack…” Crag said. “What about an anesthetic potion,” Ditty chimed in. “The musicians have enough in our medical supplies to knockout a hundred grown ponies for 24 hours.” “I don’t think we need that much, Ditty,” Crag said. “But if we dilute it and somehow get it into the hands of the picquets we can sneak away while they’re out.” “Applesnack…” Big Mac smiled towards the green stallion. Crag and Ditty recognized what Big Mac was suggesting and added their eyes to stare at Applesnack. “What?” he said, then realized. “Fine, but I was saving my apples for some fritters tonight; I better get some. And I’m not doing all the cooking by myself.” “It’s a plan. Let’s get to work then,” Dawn said. “Big Mac, spread the word quietly to the officers and NCOs. Crag, scout out that ravine again and plan our path through. Ditty, Applesnack, start making those fritters for the zebras. We will begin executing our plan two hours after sunset.” Everypony nodded then saluted before walking off to complete the orders. Dawn saw Praeclarus leaning against a tree and walked over to him. “Hey,” she said. She silently cursed the explosive beating in her chest. Her only comfort was that Praeclarus seemed to share her nervousness. “Greetings Dawn my dear. We’ll take a seat over here,” he said. Dawn reached for her bottle as the zebra awkwardly put his hoof around her withers. “My ponies are making some snacks for your legionnaires,” Dawn said. Praeclarus smiled and said something in his native tongue to a zebra sergeant before leading Dawn towards a patch of rocks and bush. “And I got us this, I think you’ll enjoy it,” Dawn said, reaching her hoof in front of her to showcase the bottle. She raised her tail and tossed it playfully over Praeclarus, spurring another wave of pleasurable warmth. Dear Celestia, what am I doing! Dawn’s conscience scolded her. She cast a furtive glance behind her. She gasped. Watching the pair walk away was the figure of Star, her cream fur shining warmly in the setting sun. But her expression was cold and blank, her eyes seeming to pierce deep into Dawn’s conscience. They were eyes that, reflecting the scarce remnants of evening light, looked upon her as if she was a complete stranger. Dawn felt her heart sink. She had to look away and caught her reflection in the bottle instead. But even those eyes looked at her with the same cold, reproachful, questioning stare that said so clearly – who are you? The meeting with Praeclarus cost Dawn half of her bottle of scotch, but she had achieved her objective before it cost her anything else, much to the disappointment of certain parts of her. Regardless, if the precious liquid did what it was supposed to, the zebra officer would be incapacitated well into the night with only a headache to remember the encounter by. Dawn was exhausted. She slipped away from Praeclarus and checked with Big Mac to oversee the plan, then, satisfied with the progress, leaned up against a tree next to where Applesnack and Ditty were making the last of the anesthetic-laced fritters. It only took a few minutes for her to drift to sleep. Dawn found herself in a dark forest without the familiar itch of her uniform on her back. She tried to reach for her saber, but that too was gone, leaving her to feel oddly naked and vulnerable. Neither the sun nor moon peered through the thick canopy, engulfing the place in threatening darkness. The only light to be found splotched along a path in front of Dawn, although she herself remained in shadow. Curious, Dawn walked forward to see where the path led. Her steps felt light on the dirt and at one point she felt as if she had become a pegasus, floating above the little rocks and twigs that littered the path. She returned to earth as rough branches above her poked her back. She quickened her pace when she heard the black ferns rustle behind her. More of the black ferns appeared in front of Dawn as she reached a fork in the trail. At the cusp of the fork a dark lump twitched and shivered. Dawn approached. She reached out her hoof, then recoiled as she recognized the yellow fur of the pony she had almost killed. Malt’s blue eyes were cold, reproachful, questioning. Dawn backpedaled once she saw the pool of blood forming under the young mare. She galloped away, choosing a fork in the path without thought. She slowed down after several minutes, trying to control her breathing and heartrate back to normal. She was sweating, yet she felt cold. Another fork in the trail came into view. Another mare lay in the path. Dawn did not recognize her at first but was able to place the patchy white and brown coat with that of Private Daisy, the mare who had died under her command at Paardenburg. Dawn had not known the mare, yet still felt tears flow under her eyelids as she looked over the body. She had a beautiful blonde mane, the same color as Dawn’s, along with a fresh, white daisy placed between her braids. The flower was a pure glimmer of light amid the shadows. Dawn reached for it, but the moment her hoof touched the soft petals the flower wilted away. Dawn backpedaled again. She galloped down another fork in the trail, again, without thought. Two more times she reached a fork where a pony lay, and two more times she ran away, unable to understand, unable to discover the truth. The forest became darker with each stride until Dawn could no longer see where she walked. Only a single star twinkled through the forest before her, its light the only thing not overcome by the darkness. It shined on another fork. Dawn feared for the pony she would find here. She could not take another step. But she had to. The pony’s cream colored coat glistened with every bit of the scarce starlight. Unlike the previous ponies Dawn had encountered in this forest, this mare wore the uniform of an officer, a single white gem on the cuff denoting the rank of cornet. Cornet Star. Dawn screamed. This was not true. It could not be true. She wanted to run away again, but the darkness before her was too solid a barrier. She could no longer go forward. She turned her back to the starlight, picking up a renewed gallop away from the horror. Something solid stopped her. “It’s alright, Dawn,” Princess Luna said, offering her hoof to assist Dawn to her hooves. Dawn rubbed the tears out of her eyes to gaze at the dark blue pony. Behind her the forest transformed and glowed in pale moonlight, the ferns and trees softening into cool, gentle shades. “Y-you know who I am?” Dawn asked. She was not even sure she knew who she was anymore. “I may walk the dreams of many ponies, but each is just as important to me as if they were my closest friend. Besides, we have met in this realm once before,” Luna said. “This is a dream, then? None of this is actually true?” “Yes, Dawn, but often the things we encounter in our dreams are all too real; they are a reflection of some truth about ourselves whether we are cognizant of it or not,” Luna spoke softly. “Come, walk with me.” Dawn followed obediently as Luna led her through the forest to where Dawn had encountered the first fork in the trail. Malt was sitting there, a glowing projection of a happy pony playing with her dog. “As I recall, this is the pony that spurred our previous encounter, yes?” Luna said. “Yeah,” Dawn replied. “I shot her. And felt good about it.” Dawn felt a lump in her throat. “I’m an awful pony for that.” “But she lived because you found her and brought her home. You found a better solution to do your duty and spare her fellow ponies at the same time.” “And got Daisy killed. She was innocent. I led her to die just the same.” Dawn’s voice choked as more tears found their way free from deep inside her. “Few ponies carry the burden you do, Dawn. Even those who hold our commission.” “A commission I should never have deserved,” Dawn pouted. “No, Dawn, we gave you that commission because you earned it, because you belong, and because we trust in you to lead.” Luna looked away briefly, a sad expression drawing against her pretty features. “The world we live in is changing, Dawn, more than me or my sister would like to admit. The choices we make now, the choices you make now, will carry us forward regardless of what we choose to believe. We have to choose wisely.” “Then how do I do that?” Dawn asked. “You must follow the light that you see. Only with the light that guides the way can you recognize when you walk in darkness,” Luna replied, gesturing to the moon that peeked through clusters of leaves. Its pale shafts splattered along the trail, illuminating one side of the fork. The other side was likewise lit, but in an unsettling yellow tone that seemed just as bright. “But what if there is only light to choose from, as I’ve been doing?” Dawn looked at the lit paths, just as confused as before. “Have I really been choosing the dark path? I want so much to be a good pony, but am I a bad pony after all?” “That is a question I cannot answer for you,” Luna sighed, then spoke firmly. “You have been lying to yourself for a long time, Dawn. Know that there is only one light, as there is only one darkness. It is up to you to choose and let each choice strengthen your integrity. Only then can you strive to be that pony of life upright, whose cheerful mind is free from weight of impious deeds and yoke of vanity.” “But how,” Dawn asked. “How can I follow that path when my duty demands another for me?” “You must make a choice, Dawn,” Luna said. The princess began to fade away. “But Luna, wait… I need to know!” Dawn pleaded after the faint projection of the princess. “Dawn,” she said, smiling. “Luna!” “Dawn!” “Dawn, wake up!” Big Mac shook the mare, causing her to tumble from her posture against the tree. Dawn gasped as she opened her eyes, placing her hooves in front of her to instinctually catch her fall. “What the hay!” Dawn grumbled, brushing dirt off her muzzle. She returned her helmet to her head and pushed herself upright. “Company is through the ravine, ma’am. Time fer us t’ go.” “Right,” Dawn said while following Big Mac. She knocked her hoof to her helmet and squinted, trying to overcome the confusion of drowsiness and adjust to the night. She tripped on a rock before her eyes finally cooperated. Crag and Applesnack stood at the edge of the ravine with rifles drawn towards the dozing zebras. The two picquets were sprawled at the ponies’ feet, chests heaving in deep sleep. A few sounds carried through the night from the main camp. The zebras there had been given a lesser dose and were thus beginning to stir. “Let’s go,” Dawn whispered. She half-walked, half-slid down the ravine then picked up a trot when she reached the bottom. Crag was more graceful, flying down to land in front of the lieutenant and lead the way through the forest to the company’s rendezvous point. Dawn’s ponies stood in the middle of a clearing, moonlight lighting up their colored faces with cool tints of blue. The faces carried an energy Dawn had not seen since they landed, but they also bore a look of expectance as each turned to stare at the lieutenant. Dawn waved at the cornets and brought them around her. “So, what now, lieutenant?” Cornet Polish asked. Belle’s brow indicated the same sentiment. “We need to keep moving through the night to regroup with the expedition. Those zebras are going to be pissed when they wake up, especially their captain,” Dawn said. “I can only imagine why,” Star snarked. Sprint tilted her head at the remark. “Oh, and why is that?” she said. Dawn let out a breath. “Nothing important, and it’s not what you think, Star.” Sprint shot an inquisitive glance at Star, but the cream-colored unicorn’s expression remained unchanged. “What matters now is that we complete our mission.” Dawn hesitated, considering a part of her plan, then continued, “Cornet Belle, you will lead the company’s march. There is an old road that starts northwest of the town and should lead to a point on the north of the island. From there we follow the coastline to regroup. Cornet Sprint, you’re in charge of the security; we don’t need any surprises like we had before, eh? And Cornet Star, you will stay with Belle while I use your platoon.” “I’m sorry, ma’am, did I miss something?” Star said. “What damn foal idea do you have now, lieutenant?” Belle said, narrowing her eyes. “Look, the important thing is that we get the company back to battalion,” Dawn explained. “But if the pirates were indeed camped out in the town just beyond this forest, any intel we find there can be valuable to our mission to rescue those hostages. I want to check it out.” “Sure, but why my platoon? And why Belle to lead the company?” Star said. Dawn gulped down a lump in her throat. “Because…” she began. “Because Belle is the senior cornet, and you’re the junior.” That was not the real reason, but Dawn figured it was still valid. Belle beamed a bit at the recognition. Star kept her face placid. “Everypony understand the plan,” Dawn said. The officers nodded. “Then let’s move.” Dawn rounded up the ponies from 4th platoon while the remaining ponies lined up at the edge of the clearing. Belle commanded 1st platoon to step off as Sprint and Polish were still forming their ponies up. Big Mac stood next to Dawn as the ragged column trudged through the forest. “Sergeant, you can join the main column,” Dawn said, watching the khaki disappear from the moonlight. “I’m stayin’ right beside you, ma’am,” Big Mac chuckled. “asides, I reckon you could use the help.” Crag and Applesnack joined beside the red stallion, their expressions just as resolute. “No, I mean it, Sergeant MacIntosh. Go join …” Dawn stopped as her ears picked up faint shouts from the direction of the zebra camp. “Never mind, there’s no time. Ditty, stay close and keep your bugle ready in case we have to call the full company.” Ditty grinned and levitated her instrument off its straps and next to her shoulder as she followed Dawn to the front of the platoon. “At the trot, at ease, march!” Dawn kept her commands soft, relying on accompanying motions with her hoof to accentuate the order. Dawn slowed the ponies to a walk as they came onto the railroad near the southeast of the town. Specks of fresh metal on the rusted rails caught bits of moonlight that sparkled before them. The occasional knock of wood sounded above the clatter of gravel as hooves found more of the fresh, solid railroad ties instead of soft, rotten ones; the knocks became more frequent as the ponies approached the station. “Fix bayonets. Skirmish order, move!” Dawn whispered. The ponies relayed the order through the column, attaching the blades to their harnessed rifles and keeping heads low as they evolved the column into a scattered line. Dawn drew her saber. She looked to groups of ponies and pointed her blade at their objective. The platoon deployed from the edge of the forest, flashes of khaki catching the moonlight before darting into the shadows of abandoned railcars. Dawn rushed with Big Mac and Ditty to the side of a locomotive. Bare metal on the wheels glinted, while the boiler radiated warmly into Dawn’s back. Applesnack moved to the station, peeking over the platform and then darting into the building while Crag flew on the roof, sticking his head over the crest to peer into the town. Both ponies returned behind Dawn as she took a new position on the station wall. They nodded to indicate the area was clear. “Ain’t no creature here, ma’am,” Crag said. “No, they’ve been here,” Dawn replied. “The train was still warm.” Ditty nodded in agreement. “What use would pirates have for a train?” Applesnack remarked. “Maybe we’ll find out more in the town,” Dawn said. She flashed her saber forward. The ragged skirmish line reformed and crouched forward, closing around the shacks on the edge of town. Dawn punched her hoof in the air. The line of soldiers rushed forward again, their bayonets flashing as they cantered to the doorways of the shacks. Dawn’s group rushed to the structure in the center of town. Everypony pressed their back to the wall while Crag and Applesnack unharnessed their rifles and took them in their hooves as they leaned towards the door. Applesnack threw the door open with the butt of his rifle. Crag flew inside, bayonet leveled as the splinters fell. Dawn and the others followed. The room was dark, but Dawn could just make out the shape of a table in the center. Some light filtered into the space from a dirty window, illuminating two heavy black boxes that sat side by side on the table. “Is that a …” Big Mac started. “A tele-fire machine, yes,” Dawn said, walking over to the table. “What the hay?” Applesnack said. “Aren’t those restricted to government use only,” Ditty chimed. She illuminated her horn to light up the room. One machine was new, it’s surface unmarred by the scrapes and dents that were present on the second machine. “Yes, so why are these here,” Dawn muttered to herself. She frowned as she ran her hoof over the weathered metal, feeling the flakes of rust rub off. A plate along the top of it had the word “Phoenix” inscribed amid a myriad of scratches. “You know, now that I think about it,” Crag observed, “that new tele-fire looks awfully similar to the one onboard the frigate. I reckon they’re sisters.” “Ayep.” “But why,” Dawn said. She opened the compartment of the new machine first and grabbed a message from inside. She read over it quickly then tossed it into her saddlebag. “Looks like the message about our landing never made it to the Berrichonhead,” Dawn explained. She turned her attention to the other compartment. “Nor have the messages from Canterlot been reaching us.” Dawn held out two scrolls from the compartment, both bearing the Royal Seal. Although one wax seal was broken, the impressions on both were crisp and elegant. “Nightmare H. Moon…” Applesnack muttered. “Ditty, bring your light over here,” Dawn spoke over the blasphemy, unraveling the open scroll first and holding it towards the unicorn. By the glow she could make out beautiful calligraphy arranged in the familiar message formatting of the Army: CONFIDENTIAL To: Colonel Spitfire, 1PW/CC, commanding Equestrian Expedition now present near Zebra Isles Dear Col. Spitfire, I am afraid my audience with Caesar Grevyi has not gone as intended. Your expedition does not have permission to land on the main island. However, latest intelligence indicates that our poor ponies are being held in one of two abandoned fortresses to the northeast of the main island, away from Zebra territory. The Zebra Empire has been gracious enough to allow us coal in PORT ZEBAE on the south of the island. I trust you to accept this gesture in good faith and complete your mission to bring our ponies home. Attached is the latest map of the forts from a survey done last year. Please acknowledge receipt as soon as you get this message. Best of wishes, Princess Celestia Dawn looked at the second scroll which was a request for acknowledgement of receipt of the first message. She put that scroll in her saddlebag then flipped through the maps detailing the topography surrounding Forts Coroneghtbandt and Pasterndt. Ditty peeked over her shoulder as Dawn laid the maps down and retrieved her notepad and pen. “Wood and clay reinforced forts, built by the Marejatha Confederacy,” Ditty exposited. “You’re familiar with these forts,” Dawn asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the unicorn. She placed her pen in her mouth and started scribbling. “Ditty was always fond of books about faraway places,” Crag offered with a fond grin. “The Marejatha were a trading empire of zebras that came about after the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Their main source of power, according to surviving records, was control over the Azure Oak trees that grow on these islands.” Ditty’s lecture was rapid. “Azure Oaks?” “They are known for their striped grain. The wood is prized for its strength and workability. A whole log, especially one that was alive during Nightmare Moon’s coup, can go for a hefty price. Some ponies try to grow them underground to mimic long nights, but the zebras have been more successful,” Crag said. “But the Marejatha collapsed over 100 years ago. The forts have been abandoned ever since.” “Not anymore,” Applesnack remarked. He looked at his hooves then stepped outside. The sound of liquid splattering on dirt followed. “Some of the stumps ‘round here is fresh,” Big Mac observed. “Reckon the pirates been rebuildin’.” “Hmmf,” Dawn finished her message and placed it in the worn tele-fire’s compartment. She spit out her pen, “I’m sending a message to Canterlot explaining what we know. It is imperative we get this information back to the major.” A green glow vaporized the paper and sent it away through some magical ether. “Big Mac, can you round up…” “We’ve got zebras,” Applesnack ran back into the room. A rifle shot cracked from the south. “Shit,” Dawn swore. She ran outside to see the glare of metal from the legionnaires’ helmets scurry toward two shacks on the edge of the town. The ponies in khaki were moving back towards cover, pulling out rounds from their pouches to load their rifles. Dawn knew a stand here was futile; if they did not get back with their intel the whole expedition was doomed to fail. “4th platoon, on-line here,” Dawn shouted, holding her saber flat across her body. A khaki line formed on either side of her. “Harness, ARMS! Make ready!” The ponies replaced their rifles in the harnesses and took the bits in their mouth. The ground in front of Dawn’s line lit up with flashes from the zebras’ rifles, a few bullets striking the dirt in front of them. Dawn took a deep breath. “Three rounds, volley, FIRE!” The crackle of musketry ripped through the town. The flashes from the zebras stopped as they went to ground. “FIRE!” The second volley slammed the rifles hard into the ponies’ harnesses, causing the less experienced to spread their legs out to brace against the impact. “FIRE!” Dawn paused for the volleys’ echo to clear out of her ponies’ ears then yelled, “at the canter, everypony follow me!” The silence following the third volley was quickly replaced by clattering hooves as Dawn led her ponies away from another fight; she hoped it would not be their last.