Darkest Hour

by Twilight is Magic

2. Set in Motion

Star Swirl scowled, stopping to adjust his cape and pull its hood lower over his face. The rain’s ability to get everywhere was simply uncanny. Even though being water-resistant was one of the qualities capes like his were lauded for, it was already beginning to get heavier as it absorbed the fallen raindrops, and the march was just beginning. Adjusting the cape took an unusually large amount of time due to that, and as he looked around for Opal Beam, Star Swirl spotted him and the rest of the squad far ahead, already off the bridge across the ravine that separated the royal castle from the rest of the kingdom. Wishing that whatever he was going to attack liked their lairs warm and dry, he broke into a canter to catch up.

He moved past the rows of guardsponies, glancing at them as he passed by. Excepting a few select individuals, they all wore standard unicorn guard armour. It consisted of steel boots and bracers that protected the wearer’s lower legs, a helmet with an extension covering the forehead between the eyes and holes for the horn and the ears, with linked bands attached to the helmet protecting the back of the neck. Light interlocking plates covered the chest, the back, the sides and the stomach of the wearer. In addition to the plate, magic-woven chainmail hung from the bottom of the helmet and over the legs, protecting the wearer’s neck and upper legs. Weapon holsters, quivers, shields and small saddlebags were all attached to the backs and sides of the suits.

Underneath the armour’s plating was a cloak that served as padding, not entirely unlike those of the magicians with the exception of being thicker and shorter, barely reaching the knees; the cloaks were coloured sky blue for the rank and file guards, white for sergeants and a regal purple for lieutenants. As Star Swirl recalled, they were supposed to symbolize the difference between the kingdom’s guards and the militaristic Pegasi: something about being a strictly defensive force dedicated to protecting the less martially adept unicorns and not being an army of aggression, as well as a point about all unicorns being magical. At that moment, they mostly symbolized the pervasiveness and indiscriminateness of the rain, as the cloaks were clinging wetly to the ponies’ fur and making their wearers even more uncomfortable.

The few standouts in the rows of similar-looking ponies were several guards in heavier armour, magicians and the four healers accompanying them. The first kind was present in most squads—strong unicorns in armour visibly thicker than the norm, with additional parts protecting the entirety of their neck and legs. They were armed with long spears or swords as well as shields, all standard guard equipment, but it was their armour and expertise with using it that made them different.

The magicians, interspersed in between the guards, were dressed a lot like Star Swirl himself. The apprentices’ capes were largely of subdued or earthy colours—brown, dark green or dark blue like Star Swirl’s, most of them hooded. The more senior magicians had more diversity in attire and colour; some opted for sturdier and simpler robes, others chose more elaborate and decorated garments, but all of those who habitually wore hats had refused to part with them. Most were already regretting their choices: the longer capes were trailing behind their owners, muddy and soggy, and many of the hats were not designed for prolonged exposure to rain and were drooping sadly around their wearers’ heads, making them look quite ridiculous. Star Swirl’s own cape was just long enough to scrape the road, and its tail end was already heavy with a layer of sticky dirt, much to his dismay.

The two castle healers he passed on his way had the best equipment for the given weather conditions: their knee-length, hooded white cloaks did not get nearly as muddy as the longer ones and were even better at resisting the rain than Star Swirl’s, making them the cleanest and driest unicorns around, although certainly not the most protected.

To Star Swirl, the unicorn force didn’t look formidable at all: the guardsponies shivered as the rain, worsened by infrequent gusts of wind, soaked them, their armour only chilling them further; the magicians trembled even more, both from the effects of the elements and the fear of upcoming battle. With a couple exceptions, they had little to no experience when it came to fighting anything. Star Swirl himself didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic either—while a foalhood spent with Opal Beam as a friend did entail many adventures on his record, as well as a shared interest in practical magic, joining a military force assembled on extremely short notice and without prior warning and then going off to fight unknown town-foalnapping monstrosities was very different from his original plans for the day.

By the time he reached Opal Beam, the small army was trudging through the hamlet that surrounded the end of the road to the castle. The hamlet was deserted, everypony having taken refuge within the castle’s walls. Every window was shuttered and every door was locked, there was not a single light in any of the buildings: nopony had chosen to remain in their homes after hearing about the fate of Hornton. Everything was eerily silent, save for the interminable pattering of the rain. It felt like the castle was the only place left in the world that was inhabited by ponies, and they were leaving it behind. It was not a pleasant feeling.

Opal Beam nodded to Star Swirl as he finally reached the squad. He was wearing the standard-issue guard armour, except for the helmet, which was replaced by one of the several recently forged by Steel Hammer himself for his officers—a lot like the usual helmets, except for a slit at the back which allowed the wearer to put their mane through it; considering the weather, it was a drawback rather than an advantage, which Opal Beam’s thoroughly wet mane hanging off the side of his head and neck displayed very well.

The second magician assigned to the squad, a young pale lavender mare by the name of Sunflower, was trotting beside him in total silence. Her head was completely hidden under her brown cape’s hood, which she had pulled very low. She was clearly scared, even more so than the other apprentices. Star Swirl could see her shaking as she walked. Compared to her, he felt like a citadel of calm and self-control.

The squad had four more members, who formed a line to his left, following the others’ example. The closest to Star Swirl’s side was a lean brown-coated stallion called Thistlethorn, a swordspony, the single lengthy blade he was armed with sheathed in a scabbard strapped to his back. Its handle was the only thing visible; Star Swirl did not possess his friend’s knowledge of weapons, but its shape suggested the possibility of holding it in one’s mouth as well as hooves. It looked far too unwieldy to do that effectively, but as far as he knew, the stallion was proficient at telekinesis and so did not have to. As they walked on, Thistlethorn was looking at the rolling slope surrounding the road absent-mindedly, with a melancholic look on his face.

Further to the left were two ponies that looked somewhat alike but at the same time did not, a brother and a sister named Meteor Shower and Comet Trail, respectively. Meteor Shower was a tall light blue unicorn armed with a spear and a shield, currently strapped to his back, while Comet Trail, the shorter and stockier of the two, was bearing a sword and a shield and wearing heavy armour, the visible parts of her teal coat clashing with its worn dark grey. The siblings’ heads were leaning towards each other in hushed conversation.

Finally, on the other side of the row was Iron Vein, a milky pink stallion of tremendous bulk and stature. He too was wearing heavy armour, but on him it looked almost inadequate; while Comet Trail beside him looked like a pony-shaped mobile fortress of metal, the larger plates Iron Vein wore were barely covering him, and he did not seem to be nearly as encumbered by them. He was humming a lighthearted tune and casually levitating a massive flanged mace in a haze of bright pink magic by his side. The mace’s head was nearly as big as Star Swirl’s. In addition to that, the giant unicorn was carrying a shield on his back, as immense and heavy in comparison to other shields as he himself was to their bearers. Overall, Star Swirl felt grateful that Iron Vein was on his side.

The ponies walked on for several minutes, following the road down into the valley. The overcast sky was blocking out most of the sunlight, the sun itself only visible as a slightly brighter patch of clouds above. The soft yet constant hiss of falling rain and the ponies’ hoofsteps on the muddy road were the only sounds accompanying the long marching column. The guardsponies in front and behind his squad walked in total silence, which wasn’t improving the depressing atmosphere at all.

Seeking some way out of the dreariness, Star Swirl decided to break the silence and asked: "So, have any of you ever been in those star iron mines before?"

"No. Those mines were exhausted in my grandfather’s time," Iron Vein said as he shifted closer to Star Swirl. While his voice was as deep as one would expect from a stallion this large, it was also clear and soft, at odds with his imposing appearance.

"As far as I know, it’s mostly a lot of winding tunnels. Some go rather far underground—grandpa once said there were caverns down below, they used to mine them for gems when the star iron ran out. Quite defensible. If those things can use tactics at all, they won’t let us clear them out easily."

Thistlethorn raised his head and turned towards Iron Vein. "They can. Eagle Eye wouldn’t have let herself get hurt by some mindless beasts. Steel Hammer warned that they can use cover and fly well, too."

"Yeah, shame that they got Eagle Eye like that. You all know it, nopony in the whole world is better with a bow. Without her we ain’t got reach, which might be some trouble, seein’ as the things we’re after can fly," Meteor Shower spoke coarsely, their conversation with Comet Trail having died down after Star Swirl’s question.

"Brother, as usual, you’re forgetting something. The mages," Comet Trail answered his concerns aloofly. As Meteor Shower glowered at her, he continued: "Yes, it’s true, they’re no archers, but as you possibly know, unicorns specializing in magic come with their own set of advantages. Take, for instance, this lovely mare here." Sunflower’s hood flashed with an aura of the softest green as she drew it even lower to hide her head entirely, her horn causing it to bulge at the forehead.

Comet Trail, meanwhile, continued as everypony turned their heads to listen. "I know from her mentor that she has been practicing many useful spells, and as you yourself know, she can cast a shield we all wouldn’t break through if we tried," Sunflower further lowered her head, no doubt blushing under the hood, "and no doubt you can recognize the tactical possibilities this presents. And as for Star Swirl here—do you remember the time when Opal dared him to rattle the shutters on every single window in Hornton from the hill outside? I still remember the racket it caused. Think, brother, think!"

Her brother glowered some more, but finally nodded, conceding grumpily: "Good point. We do have reach and protection. Right as always, sis. Hrmph." Star Swirl smirked, partly because of seeing the insufferably intelligent walking armory lecture the tall spearpony, and partly courtesy of a spark of pride igniting inside him as he recalled that night on the hill, and how his friends’ mouths hung agape as he performed what they thought to be impossible.

"Remember how mad the townsponies were? They thought something was attacking them," chuckled Opal Beam.

The others laughed too, but in a moment the laughter stopped as everypony thought of the much more real and successful attack the day before.

"I hope we’ll get to see them again," Thistlethorn said glumly.

"And all our friends that didn’t come back from patrols," Iron Vein added just as sadly.

"I hope everypony is fine," Sunflower whispered from under her hood, barely audible against the rain and the sound of hundreds of hooves trudging through mud.

The brief lively spell was broken, and the squad slid back into grim silence. Another gust of cold wind swept over the unicorns, sucking all heat out of armour and pulling at cloaks. Star Swirl sighed, following Sunflower’s example and lowering his hood further, worried about what lay ahead.

~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~

She lay in front of a window of the royal bedroom atop a pile of pillows, grinning, watching as rank after rank of ponies departed through the castle’s gates and crossed the bridge. Everything was going in perfect accordance with her plan.

She was almost shaking with excitement as the gates closed behind the last unicorn. It was about time. She was barely able to contain herself. Her subjects’ urge to feed resonated within her, a yawning abyss screaming to be filled, and so did the sweet, sweet joy of those who were lucky enough to assume a shape somepony cared for. She was experiencing both herself; while the king clearly loved his spouse, his emotions, however strong, were by far not enough to satisfy her immense hunger. And yet his love tasted so tantalizingly true. Sought for far too long, this taste spawned a craving stronger than she had ever felt before. And now, the release from this unbearable torment was so close, in her reach. Just a bit longer, just a little bit...

She turned away from the window, casting disinterested glances around the room. She didn’t care for all the riches adorning it. No, the only treasure this land, any land held for her was love.

Too long had she and her kind spent without truly feeding. They had to wander far from home, making do with shreds and scraps of affection, preying on isolated communities and travelers. For too long they had been weak, on the verge of death by starvation, unable to attempt anything greater. It was time to act.

This terrible torture did not come without an advantage, one that she did not hesitate to exploit; anonymity and the element of surprise were on her side. There was little love in this land, and its meager supply was very hard to tap—the pegasus society was highly organized and difficult to infiltrate, the earth ponies in their villages knew each other too well and discovered her subjects too quickly, and the unicorns’ powerful magic served as an intimidating deterrent. However, the mutual mistrust reigning among the pony tribes meant that they did not share what little they learned, and her kind managed to remain relatively unknown. To preserve this situation, she made sure that every single subject of hers covered their tracks to the best of their ability. As far as she knew, virtually all of ponykind’s knowledge about her kind were rare sightings of their true forms and garbled accounts of several ponies who managed to escape after learning the truth, accounts which had been dismissed as delirious hallucinations and entailed no response.

Walking across the room, she smirked at her reflection in a mirror hanging on one of the walls. She did not care much for the shapes she wore, but this one was certainly preferable to that guard whose form she assumed in Hornton. She never enjoyed turning into wounded ponies, although this particular time granted her a brief surge of affection that both invigorated her and stoked her hunger even further—one of the guardsponies she met in passing while disguised seemed to be quite taken with that shape—as well as an effortless entry into the castle. She chuckled briefly at the beauty of her infiltration—carried into the enemy stronghold by her own retinue and received by her infiltrators in the guard, without anypony suspecting anything.

The guise of the unicorn queen was proving to be a much more satisfying experience. The king’s feelings were unexpectedly pure and powerful, and she could not resist spending as much time with him as at all possible to gain some strength, but at the moment he could not join her: the task of herding the foalish castle ponies had to be performed by him in order for the plan to be credible.

Her smirk quickly turned into a scowl as she felt the pangs of hunger gnaw at her with renewed sharpness. There was not enough time to feed. She had to act fast, but it did not mean she had to be happy about it. As she passed a small table at the foot of the bed, she bucked it angrily, causing it to crack and collapse.

And to think that these stupid ponies had chosen hatred and division over friendship and love. It could not take away the love present in daily life, their friends and loved ones, but the animosity between the pony tribes was like poison in this sweet nectar. Worse still, it did not simply diminish and sour the food supply; it drew out other things—things that fed on the ponykind’s hatred like her people did on love, growing stronger and more fearsome by the minute.

Windigoes.

She couldn’t bear even thinking the word. The ponies’ senseless squabbles were like a beacon to those repulsive abominations. Even now her mortal enemies were on the move, closing in, bringing with them an endless cold. The knowledge of their impending arrival was what spurred her into action with so little preparation. She had to be faster than them! She couldn’t let them take this prize! It was her land and her food, only hers to take and use as she saw fit!

She stomped her hoof on the stone floor, but even as she did so, another change came over her. She chuckled mischievously. Windigoes, pah! Those hateful brutes wouldn’t stand a chance once her grand scheme was complete. She was putting everything at risk with this plan, but it was the only way. Not only would its success mean that her kind would no longer have to hide in the shadows, no longer having to struggle to simply avoid death by starvation; they would grow powerful, and she would make sure that when those frozen monstrosities would finally arrive, they’d find not a land of hostility and conflict, but one brimming with love, as abhorrent to them as hatred was to her.

The door of the royal bedroom swung open almost noiselessly and the guard captain stepped through. He looked at her uncertainly, his eyes unfocused.

"Queen Amethyst, what’s going on? Where is everypony? I—"

The spell’s effects were wearing off! She had been suspecting that the initial magics were not enough to properly subjugate ponies as strong-willed as him, but it was weakening too quickly. Thankfully, the captain had the good grace to come straight to her.

She stared at him as her horn pulsed with vibrant green, and a shimmering beam hit the unicorn in the forehead. His eyes rolling in their sockets, he shook his head and blinked several times. When he looked at her again, his irises were tinged with slowly dissipating green.

"Pard’n me, Your Majesty. Got hit on the head one time too many," he mumbled in what seemed to be embarrassment.

"No matter, captain. Give me a report. Are the mages ready?"

"All ready, Your Majesty. And the Circle has been spread all around the castle, as you ordered. The enemy won’t get to more than one of them at a time if they break through their shield at all."

"Perfect. And the others?"

"Everypony’s safe in the cellars, as planned. Nobles are angry, but that’s to be expected. Although I still don’t understand why d’my ponies who went down to Hornton yesterday have to be the ones guarding them. It’s not according to plan, and I know what they’ve been through."

She barely resisted the urge to chuckle. "Trust me, they will manage. I have utmost faith in my subjects. They know how the enemy acts and so are the ones best suited to defend against them."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. And, ‘f I may, it’s very brave of you to stay here with us and His Majesty."

"I won’t abandon my kind in the hour of need." She smirked slightly.

"You’re the best queen our kingdom’s ever had. How can those fools not see it..."

"You may go, captain. I have to check on some ponies." The armoured unicorn bowed his head, turned around and marched back out of the room.

If this one’s spell had worn off so quickly, then others could be breaking free any moment now. And there were still several mages she did not have the opportunity to charm. However, her spell lasted long enough for the captain to put them right where she wanted them, far away from each other in secluded locations, and now that the vast majority of the castle’s defenders were safely out of the way, she could take care of them at her leisure. But first, she had to pay the king a visit.

~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~***~

Further down the slope, a forest began, appearing from behind rocky outcroppings and quickly closing in around the road, further reducing the amount of light available. The royal castle had almost disappeared behind the wet green canopy, the only part of it still in sight being a tower jutting out of the main keep, looking like an accusatory hoof pointed at the troublesome clouds above.

Opal Beam glanced at it over the treeline. Even from that distance and through the curtain of the rain, it was visibly different from the rest of the castle’s durable, pragmatic architecture of old with its rather airy and intricate look. While the majority of the castle had been built with the unmistakable purpose of withstanding the assaults of time, the elements and enemy armies, this tower appeared to be thinner and more fragile, but Opal Beam nevertheless looked upon it with a degree of reverence.

The reason of this lay within the tower’s top, circled by large windows and crowned with a tapering dome, an elegant spire on its apex bearing the royal flag. This was the Tower of the Cycle, the monument to the unicorns’ magical mastery and power, so named for an unprecedented ability bestowed by an incredibly complex system housed within the chamber on top—the ability for a single unicorn to raise the sun and the moon by themselves. This was a point of pride not only for the Keepers of the Circle of Day and Night, whose task of maintaining the Cycle had become vastly easier since its completion, but for the entire kingdom, and as the tower loomed above the trees, Opal Beam could not help but feel a fraction of that pride remind him of the glory of his kind.

The trees grew closer as the road wound lower through the wood. This last vision of the castle eventually disappeared behind them, and with it went the fleeting distraction from the gloomy present. Opal Beam frowned and instead gazed over the unicorn army, resolutely marching on. Rows of ponies filled the entirety of the available space between the trees.

Opal Beam’s squad walked to his left in a line. Despite the weather’s adverse effects, his colts looked pretty good and battle-ready. Even Star Swirl, who had never been in a true battle before, was doing quite well, seeming mostly concerned with trying to ignore the rain like the others did. The same, however, could not be said about the younger apprentice filly assigned to his squad, who had spent nearly the entire march in silence.

He left his place on the right and trotted closer to her. "Hey," he began a bit awkwardly, "Are you alright?"

Sunflower looked up at him, raising her head a bit, just enough for her face to be visible under her large hood. “I am. I’m... just worried.”

"Don’t be. We’re going to win this battle, I’m certain."

"But I don’t want to fight!" she said in meek protest. "I’m just an apprentice, I don’t even know how!"

"You won’t have to fight, not unless you’re attacked."

"But I don’t want to be attacked!" There was fear in the timid mare’s eyes.

"Do you know how to shield yourself?"

Although this was something she had a true talent for, impressive enough to make her famous among the castle’s inhabitants, she paused, as if unsure. "Yes... yes, I do."

"Good! Then do so if in danger and try to deny them approach and flanking opportunities."

"Deny approach? Flanking opportunities?" she asked cluelessly.

Opal Beam called upon his patience. He was used to dealing with guardsponies, who were by and large either brash or professional but uniformly aware of tactics, not mares barely out of their fillyhood and lacking any military knowledge. Whose idea was it to have a pony like her go into battle? She was probably afraid of deep shadows, for goodness’ sake!

Nevertheless, she was under his command now, and thus, his responsibility. "If the enemy tries to attack us from the side or from behind, you should try to make a shielded area to stop them from coming through. In case things go bad, put up a barrier around us."

The young apprentice seemed to understand and nodded, the fearful expression transforming into a more determined one. "I think I understand. I’ll do that."

Opal Beam smiled as he moved back to his original position. Just as he reached it, however, Lieutenant Moonlight’s voice rang out over the unicorns’ heads:

"Everypony halt! Sergeants, to me!"

As the unicorn ranks ground to a standstill, Opal Beam cantered towards the head of the column, passing the five squads ahead of his. The officers of the squads marching before his were already lining up in front of the indigo mare not far from the first squad in the column. A little bit to the side stood two ponies in wizardly garb, who he instantly recognized as Keepers Nightshade and Dawn Gleam, the only members of the Circle to join the field force. Nightshade, a lean midnight blue stallion clad in a practical purple robe, kept rather close to the Lieutenant, which Opal Beam couldn’t blame him for—Moonlight was his twin sister, after all. The other Circle member’s presence answered his earlier question of the reasons for Sunflower not staying behind: the sight of Dawn Gleam, as ever wearing his extravagant orange-and-yellow—and by then, sopping wet and mud-stained—ensemble, reminded him who she was apprenticed to.

Once all of them had assembled, Lieutenant Moonlight began to speak. "We’re five minutes’ worth of walking from the mines. Scouts report everything being perfectly clear, so I suspect the enemy is hiding inside. If we’re fortunate and they don’t know we’re coming, we can take them by surprise, but I wouldn’t count on that. Now, Sergeant Morningstar..."

The battle plan did not deviate from the original presented by the captain: two squads, supported by one of the castle healers, were to defend the entrance into the mines to prevent the enemy from escaping and cut off any possible reinforcements. The other eight squads were to go in and clear the enemy out, not straying far from each other if at all possible to better respond to possible ambushes and avoid getting lost. Opal Beam’s squad was among the latter, which he had been expecting from the very beginning—the Lieutenant knew her unicorns’ strong points.

"It goes without saying that we have to protect the wizards and the healers," the mare added in conclusion to the briefing. "Neither are any good in close quarters or even properly equipped. If anything gets up close to them, take it out fast. And don’t get in over your head. Think before you act and we will get out of there safe and sound. Now get back to your ponies and get ready." Moonlight nodded curtly in a salute, echoed by her sergeants.

Without delay, Opal Beam turned and cantered back, reaching his squad just in time to hear the lieutenant’s order:

"Everypony, move out!"

One line after another, the unicorn army resumed the final stretch of its march.

Comments

[djthomp]

Sunflower has totally been replaced already, hasn't she.

[RTStephens]

Ooooh, battle time. This will get interesting next time.

There was quite a bit of exposition in this chapter. If I were to suggest anything, it would be to see if it could be streamlined a bit more, only giving the information as the reader needs it. There were a lot of characters introduced and I have a feeling I'm going to be a little lost later on trying to keep them all sorted out.

Carry on!

[Twilight is Magic]

1137091 Yes, the story train's reached a cargo car full of exposition here. Much of it is in this part of the story in order not to (further) break up the flow of the others, because here it's still relatively calm and slow.
At least it's safe to say that this is more or less it for characters. The 'mane cast' and the vast majority of the others have all been introduced. Chapter 2 is probably the part with the biggest number of active named individuals.