Dawn's Candor

by Clarke Otterton

Chapter 13

“Good morning, Luna!”

“Morning, sister,” Luna grumbled through half-closed eyes. She opened them fully when she realized the white figure of Celestia was indeed sitting at the breakfast table. “You are back sooner than I expected, sister.” Luna took a seat at the table across from Celestia. The daytime princess’s face was just as drawn and tired as hers.

“Unfortunately. My trip did not go as well as I hoped, so I took the overnight airship back. There are too many things which need my attention here,” Celestia said. She smiled, letting the light of her expression banish any trace of her fatigue. “Besides, I missed making breakfast for my favorite sister!”

Luna picked at the strawberries, arranged in a smiling pattern, on the plate of pancakes in front of her. She stuck her nose into the whipped cream and struggled to bring her tongue up to lick it away. “I am your only sister…” Luna said. She yawned then pushed the plate aside. “What happened in Roam?”

Celestia frowned briefly, then feigned another smile. “Caesar Grevyi is doing well, and Roam has grown so much since I was last there; it’s quite the place to be,” Celestia chuckled. “But alas, they denied us permission for military access for the expedition.”

Luna’s ears shot straight up, the drowsiness in her body replaced by alert concern. Celestia put down a bite of pancake. “What is it, sister?”

“I am afraid that the expedition is already on the island,” Luna explained.

“How do you know that? I sent several messages to Colonel Spitfire, but I have yet to receive a response. I believe today I shall pay a visit to the tele-fire department.” Celestia directed her eyes towards the hallway doors.

“Last night,” Luna began, her gaze drifting to a different corner of the room, “I visited a dream of an officer who is a part of the expedition.”

“Is this the same pony you wrote to me about?” Celestia asked. Luna nodded.

“The mare was very distressed. From what I was able to gather two ponies under her command were killed yesterday.”

“I am so sorry, Luna.” Celestia looked as if she was going to cry. “I know that must have been difficult.”

“It is the world we are living in, sister,” Luna sighed. She looked down at the table as Celestia levitated a box in front of her.

“Well, I got you this gift while in Roam,” Celestia beamed at her sister as she set the box down. “After your letter, I hoped that it would cheer you up.”

Luna tore the brown paper wrapping and used her magic to pull out a necklace, holding it up to inspect the dark blue gems in the shape of a moon and stars that adorned it. “It is lovely, sister,” Luna said, the muscles around her mouth tensing as she tried to smile.

“Oh, but watch this.” Celestia cast a small imitation of the sun in the center of the table. The light caught the gems on the necklace, coloring them in a glistening silver that sparkled against Luna’s fur and the rest of the room.

“How thoughtful, sister,” Luna said, parting her mane to clasp the necklace.

“I even got myself one,” Celestia said, levitating a matching necklace with a single sun-shaped gem as its pendant. She doused her imitation sun and held the necklace under the table, motioning for Luna to look underneath with her. Luna rolled her eyes then ducked to see the light that radiated from the second necklace, some of which reflected on her own and recolored it silver.

“Could you believe it, a simple enchanting potion for light-sensitivity,” Celestia marveled. “It took me forever to find, but eventually I stumbled into a shop that was crowded with zebras. You know what they say: when in Roam, do as the Roamans do.”

“Your Majesties,” a pony announced as she entered the room. Luna bumped her horn on the table as she righted herself.

“Yes, Ms. Inkwell,” said Celestia, her movements far more graceful as she addressed the pony.

“You have a request for an audience. Lieutenant Colonel F.D. Simmer, 2nd North Equus Regiment of Hoof.”

“Is that not the pony who lost the colors on the Northwest Frontier?” Luna said dryly. She rubbed her hoof against her horn, wincing at the tenderness radiating through her forehead.

“Hmm, I thought that he would be with his battalion, on the expedition,” Celestia said. “Did he indicate the purpose of his visit?”

“He stated that he is here to follow up on a request to revoke the commission of an officer under his command, a Lieutenant Dawn Glean,” Raven Inkwell said.

Celestia passed a glance at Luna upon hearing the name. Luna acknowledge the recognition with a frown.

“What are the reasons for this request?” Luna asked.

Raven levitated a clipboard and read from it. “Dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming of an officer, disobeying a direct order, assaul-”

“Thank you, Raven.” Celestia stopped the recitation. “Inform the colonel that we are not accepting callers today.”

“And the request for revocation is denied. Please dispose of the paperwork,” Luna ordered.

“Very well, Your Majesties. Also, there is this message which arrived early this morning.” Raven placed the scrap of paper on the table then bowed and exited the room.

Celestia wrapped the paper in her magic and read through it. She flattened her lips and floated the message towards Luna. “I think you should read this, sister. You might understand it better – I could never get used to military mannerisms.”

Luna put her eyes to the neat albeit hasty writing:

URGENT/CONFIDENTIAL

To: HQ, Ponyguards, Canterlot

Message from Princess Celestia not received, false message received instead. Expedition landed on main island. Current command was detached, encountered zebra force from 3rd Cohort, XX Legion Northwest of PORT ZEBAE. Escaped custody, now present in pirate camp North of PORT ZEBAE. Discovered captured tele-fire machines, evidence of fortification of FORT CORONEGTHBANDT AND PASTERNDT. Believe security of mission is compromised.

Lt. Dawn Glean, commanding C Company, 2/North Equus

“We have a problem, sister,” Luna said, putting down the paper. “I fear that the theory Major Bolt suggested in his dispatch may be true.” A confused expression registered in Celestia’s ears, to which Luna offered an explanation. “Sorry, I forgot that you were away when he sent his dispatch. He believes that the events on the Northwest Frontier were planned by somepony. It is possible the same thing may be happening with our expedition.”

“Then we must do something,” Celestia affirmed. “If somepony is trying to harm our ponies, we must do all that we can to protect them.” She pushed back her chair and started walking into the main chamber. Luna followed.

“There is nothing we can do, sister. Events are moving faster than we can anticipate. It seems that we can only react now,” Luna said.

“Then let us hope and trust. It seems the pony you visited is right in the middle of this situation.” Celestia’s horn glowed as she looked into the pastoral valley sprawled beyond the white skyline of Canterlot. Slowly the sun rose over the mountains to shine across the landscape, its rays catching the surface of the river as it climbed.

“Yes; I believe she is capable despite what that prancer Simmer thinks. We can trust in her to lead us out of this mess,” Luna said. She watched the colors of dawn unfold before her. Then quietly, to herself, she added, “if only she can learn to trust in herself.”

“4th Platoon, HALT!” Dawn ordered. The ponies skidded through the dirt along the trail to arrest their momentum. The sun had just risen, warm shafts of light shining lazily though gaps in the forest and at the edge where the woods gave way to grassy plains. The aura of the morning promised of a beautiful day ahead, except the soft light now showed Lieutenant Dawn just how close the legionnaires had bridged the gap between her platoon after hours of running in the concealment of night.

Dawn had sent her pegasi ahead to warn the main company, giving it a half-mile lead on 4th platoon and its pursuers. But that gap was closing, and Dawn needed to buy more space before the open ground allowed the zebras clear fields of fire.

“Give them some lead then fall back at the canter,” Dawn shouted to the makeshift line crouching around her. “Five rounds magazine, independent, FIRE!” The rounds swept through the undergrowth. Brief flashes of blue uniform moved through the ferns then disappeared as the leaves quivered. Loud smacks resounded through the forest as some bullets found their way into the trees.

The ponies turned tail and picked up a canter just as the zebras began returning fire. The air whistled above the ponies’ heads. Dawn thanked Celestia for the legionnaires’ inexperience. The return fire stopped as the ponies moved out of sight down a slight dip in the land. Dawn led her platoon along the contour of the slope then broke into a gallop as she cleared the forest edge. With nothing but open grass in front of her, Dawn encouraged her ponies to do the same.

A pony tumbled next to Dawn, hit by a bullet that grazed the top of her hip and lodged harmlessly into the top of Dawn’s helmet. A dozen other ponies tripped over the fallen mare. They rolled through the grass as their momentum violently dissipated.

Dawn slowed her gait back to a canter and veered left towards a hill that broke the flat terrain. She swore as she saw a fresh unit of legionnaires running to deploy on her flank; the line extended towards the hill, cutting her platoon off. The reinforcements had arrived. Behind her, the other unit of zebras was already in position, their fire becoming steadier as more legionnaires joined the line.

“Get down,” Applesnack roared.

Dawn and the rest of the platoon threw themselves into the grass as fire from the flanking zebras flew overhead. Dawn looked around at her ponies; their colorful faces were gritty from dirt and gunpowder and sweat dripped down their haunches, foaming white between their legs. Heavy breaths rustled the grass, the dew disappearing as it soaked into shuffling tunics and fur. The ponies were tired of running.

Dawn knew her chances of escaping this time were slim; she had exhausted her options just as she had exhausted her ponies. And it was all her fault, her responsibility. Dawn stood up, drawing her saber to meet the threat of the legionnaires with full confidence. This was her duty, her obligation, and she was going to face it alone.

“I said get the fuck down!” Applesnack and Big Mac threw their hooves on top of the lieutenant, forcing her back into the grass.

“You ain’t doin’ anypony any good by gettin’ shot,” Big Mac said.

Dawn looked wild-eyed at the red stallion. Her breathing was hoarse, and her heart raced just as quickly and sporadically as her mind.

“What are your orders, ma’am?”

Dawn froze. She thought about it but the only words that came to mind were run or surrender. She muttered something along those lines, but only Big Mac heard her.

He translated. “Magazine, independent, fi-”

“Aim for the flanking unit, 200 lengths,” Applesnack interjected.

“FIRE!” Big Mac’s deep voice initiated a rapid fury of rifle fire from the ponies. Ditty blew her bugle to echo the order, the bright, steady notes quickly drowned out by the noise. Dawn buried her muzzle in the grass as the ponies’ fire gained intensity around her. A firm hoof from Big Mac brought her back to the fight.

“Come on, lieutenant, the zebras is that a ways,” Big Mac chuckled. If the red stallion was nervous, Dawn could not notice by the warm look he radiated.

“Right,” Dawn said. “Ditty, play us something cheerful.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the unicorn grinned before breaking into a bouncy march. The music livened the platoon, a few ponies sporting smirks as they reached for fresh cartridges from their pouches. Dawn knew it was only a matter of time before her platoon’s ammunition and morale were exhausted, but at least the music ensured that the bullets would be the first to go.

The grass and khaki uniforms provided enough concealment for her ponies to avoid the bulk of the legionnaires fire, but Dawn figured it would not be long before the superior numbers of the zebras were maneuvered to employ the full effects of their firepower. She cursed the validity of her thoughts as she noted the higher pitches fade out from the cacophony of musketry. The legionnaires were on the move.

Dawn poked her head above the grass. Both units of zebras had fixed bayonets and were advancing steadily towards the Equestrian position. She heard the officers shout something which spurred the glistening mass of blue and brass forward at a canter, followed by an eerie chanting of hundreds of zebra tongues.

“Cease fire!” Dawn ordered. She debated her next order. Fix bayonets and meet the charge head on, or retreat to a better position. The tightness in her stomach led her to choose the latter. “Everypony on your hooves. At the gallop, fall back!”

Big Mac slung the wounded mare on his back as the platoon sprinted away from the charging zebras. Dawn looked back. The steel bayonets were getting closer, the fresh unit of zebras breaking into a gallop after the ponies. The chants became louder. Dawn realized her mistake. She was not going to outrun them, and it was too late to stand and return fire to break the charge. She could now only imagine the cold steel scraping against the bones in her back.

The clear notes of an Equestrian bugle cut over the zebra chant, the triplet arpeggio and leap signifying the charge for a cavalry squadron. The khaki helmets of the pegasi crested the hill first, the rest of their bodies swooping down into the grass with saber points held forward. The metal blades were bright against the dark blue coats that the ponies stubbornly clung to. The steel of Princess Luna’s Own was enough to check the advance of the legionnaires.

“Platoon, HALT!” Dawn ordered. “Make ready! PRESENT!” The ponies lined up next to Dawn and pointed their rifles at the legionnaires as the second squadron from the dragoons flew around the enemy’s rear. Dawn saw the fight leave the zebras once they realized the extent that the Equestrians had encircled them. Dawn smiled. Now it was her turn to be the captor.

“Nightmare Moon, lieutenant! You stirred up quite the twittermites’ nest,” Major Noctilucent panted as she landed next to Lieutenant Dawn. The pegasus undid the top buttons of her tunic to allow steam to vent off her gray chest.

Dawn removed her helmet to shake sweat from her mane. She ran her hoof over the new bullet hole that tore through the fabric and cork at the crown. “It was good your regiment arrived when it did,” Dawn said. “I’m afraid I might have pissed off a few too many zebras.” Dawn let her eyes shift to her hooves.

“Are you saying you engaged Zebra Empire troops first? On their own damn island?” Noctilucent’s eyes widened.

“No, they ambushed us first, then took us prisoner, then we escaped, then they chased us,” Dawn explained. “It’s all rather complicated.”

“Sure. Still doesn’t seem like something to shoot up the whole island over, though.”

“Well, I may have pissed off one zebra in particular …” Dawn trailed off as a contingent of zebra officers approached the ponies. She turned red as she made eye contact with Praeclarus then instantly looked away. His eyes, though, did not, the glistening orbs of hate remaining fixated on the blue mare.

“By the Stars, this is quite the mess,” the senior zebra officer said. She offered her hoof to Noctilucent. “Lieutenant Colonel Mwezi. I am Primus Pilus of the 3rd Cohort, XX Legion as well as overseer for the military administration of this island.”

“Pleasure, ma’am. Major Noctilucent, Princess Luna’s Own, 2nd Dragoon Guards. Your Ponish is quite good.”

“I grew up near the Southern Equestria border; spent most of my years in school there before moving to Roam in service to the Empire.”

“Hmm, in that case I figure you should be better at distinguishing ponies in the Princesses’ uniform from zebra pirates, no?”

“Trust me, I know the difference, but I was not aware of any Equestrians on my island; Captain Praeclarus informed me that we were tracking a rogue band of pirates. Which you obviously are not. Excuse us.” The zebra gave Praeclarus a vile look then grabbed the officer and moved him a few paces away from the ponies. The two spoke in the exotic tongue of the Empire.

Although Dawn could not distinguish the strings of consonants into coherent words, the tone of Mwezi was enough to convey that she was reprimanding the junior officer. Noctilucent seemed to blush at some of the words.

“Do you know what they’re saying, ma’am?” Dawn whispered.

“My understanding of their language, especially the Imperial dialect, is spotty. But I can tell you that you probably don’t want to know.”

“I see,” Dawn said, hoping the cavalry officer’s understanding of the language was sparse enough to keep her from ascertaining the truth of what spurred the rage of Praeclarus upon her company.

“You look awfully red in the cheeks there for a blue pony, lieutenant. What’s on your mind, eh?” Noctilucent kidded with a sly smirk wrinkling around her muzzle.

“Nothing. Probably just the sun,” Dawn said, blushing even harder. She pulled her tail hard between her legs. She felt like a foal who had been found out, yet she also knew that as a grown mare such thoughts were absurd. Yet the feeling of guilt persisted within her, kept there by the image of Star, the foreign eyes of her friend judging, gnawing at her conscience. Dawn sighed. It all felt like a bad dream.

“My apologies,” Mwezi said as she finished her conversation and walked back to the Equestrian officers. She passed a raised eyebrow towards Dawn then focused her attention on Noctilucent. “It appears one of my officers has led us astray and caused this misunderstanding; we are not at war, and I have no desire to be, so the use of force was unwarranted. However, the fact still remains that you are present on Imperial soil without permission.”

Noctilucent raised her head in surprise, “As a matter of fact, we have written orders from Princess Celestia herself expressly stating-”

“Let me explain,” Dawn interjected. “We actually were denied military access. The letter we received was a fraud, while the real letters were going to a captured tele-fire in a town south of here…”

“Still, how is one of our machines on your island,” Noctilucent flattened her ears towards Mwezi.

The zebra took a defensive expression. “Are you accusing the Empire of conspiracy, Maj-”

“Stop!” Dawn raised her voice. “It’s my belief that the pirates are behind this. It’s quite possible they’re trying to fool the zebras, too.” Dawn offered the last sentence to appease Mwezi, who brought her ears forward again but retained a hardness in her eyes. “Fighting amongst ourselves is only playing into what the pirates, or whoever is controlling them, want. No more of our ponies or zebras need to get hurt,” Dawn said. She winced as she remembered her list.

“I agree with you, lieutenant. The pirates have been here for many years, but only in recent months has their activity increased enough to become a significant issue. It is an issue, however, that remains a domestic one.”

“Not quite,” Noctilucent said, “since seventeen of our ponies are being held hostage by them, hence our reason to be here.”

“Hmm, Praeclarus didn’t mention that. But you will still have to come with me.”

“I have a different idea,” Noctilucent smiled while holding up her hoof. The two squadrons of dragoons caught the cue, leveling their sabers towards the legionnaires. Dawn buried her face in her hooves; this is not what she meant.

“Are you threatening us?” Mwezi’s hostility returned.

Noctilucent lowered her hoof, along with the 300 sabers attached to its motion, and continued to smile. “No, I know I have no authority to take prisoners; we’re not at war, remember. Consider it a small display of our expedition’s power. There are another 1,000 rifles to complement those sabers, plus 200 of Equestria’s best fliers, four 13-pounder guns, and a fully armed frigate. If you were to let us go, we might be able to solve your pirate problem for you.”

“How can I trust you?” Mwezi questioned. “Praeclarus said your lieutenant here broke his trust.”

Dawn felt the guilt return. She could feel the glare of Praeclarus bore into her from the shadow of Mwezi.

Noctilucent brushed past the accusation, proclaiming, “You have my word as an officer and a gentlemare, as well as the special integrity with which I am held as a pony chosen by Her Majesty Princess Luna.” She spread her wings to perform a graceful bow.

“Very well,” Mwezi said after a moment’s thought. “You have until sunset to prepare your plans and be off this island. I better not see hoof or tail of those pirates after you’re done.”

“Thank you, Colonel Mwezi. We will be on our way. It was a pleasure to meet an officer such as yourself.”

“Likewise.” Mwezi returned the Equestrian officer’s salutes. “May the Stars spare you in storming the castle.”

Dawn and Noctilucent looked at each other as they walked back to their ponies. They both knew. The real fighting had only just begun.

Comments

[EdBoii]

Heheh. I ship those two.