Where Only Silver Shines

by Etyco Filly

S3 — Twilight

I followed the butler as he escorted me to the dining hall. I was less than thrilled at the idea of a dinner with nobles, but I’d used up all my excuses during the last couple of days.

Even the trip over to the dining hall stressed me out. I tried to make small talk with Haste, but even when I found a good question to ask, the answer was always much too short and to the point to spark a conversation. My ear flicked. We’d only been walking for a few minutes, but the short journey was dragging on.

I turned my attention to the hallway in a last-ditch effort to distract myself from my imminent doom. Everything was the same as always. Indistinct door, followed by a stretch of marble wall, followed by yet another indistinct door. I held in a scream of despair. Each step took me closer to my downfall. Each step took me closer to polite company that would judge me, and find me lacking in every possible way.

Yes, I should use that as an opportunity to make them know my name, to maybe get in their good graces. But I couldn’t.

The day had started off so well, too! I couldn’t remember much of my dream, but I’d woken up with a grin on my face. It had involved a nice mare, but my knowledge ended there.

She’d been polite company, too, hadn’t she? If only I could remember more of that dream. Maybe then I would stop stressing out so bloody much! These nobles would tear me to shreds, and I couldn’t fight back, not like I could when facing those weird bat monsters!

Stop thinking! I stared at an engraved plate as I trotted past it. Arch… was all I managed to make out before I walked out of range. I barely managed to hold in a groan as I continued behind Haste. My tail flicked. I struggled to catch even one proper breath. Maybe I could convince him that I was still too weak to leave my room? Would he buy it? He wouldn’t buy it. Why would he buy it?

We passed a side corridor to the right. A lot shorter than the usual hallway, actually. At the end of it stood a door held shut by chains converging in the middle, where a large lock held everything in place.

A moment later, it was out of sight, but it had burnt itself into my mind. I’d have to come back and take a look. It would be rude to try and open it, but I couldn’t contain my curiosity. The thoughts somehow kept me occupied until we finally reached the dining hall, barely a minute later.

Oh sweet Sun, we were here. I hadn’t prepared anything. I didn’t know how to act! What could I say? I needed more bloody time!

Haste pushed the heavy door open. I gulped. Around the table sat four ponies. I recognised Halterdawn, and the bastard damn near scoffed when he saw me. I stared at the large grey batpony stallion at the end of the table for a good few seconds, before realising I’d met him. He’d saved me back in The Tower. His glare made me take a step backwards and gulp.

I broke eye contact, looking at the remaining two ponies. One of them, a brown stallion, couldn’t be more than a decade older than me. True to his word, Halterdawn seemed to think of him as a colt as well. He hadn’t even noticed me, too absorbed in holding the enthusiastic side of a conversation with Halterdawn.

The last one was a dark purple batpony mare. Her pink mane held several streaks of grey, despite her relatively young face. Maybe in her hundred-and-twenties? Hundred and forty tops.

She held a glass of wine in the… hook? of her wing as she turned to me. “If it ain’t the colt who attempted to slice open one of me knights! Sit down, laddie, come on!” Okay, maybe I had no reason to stress out about this, given a noble here had drunk enough to imitate a cheap Northern accent. The grey one still bloody creeped me out, though.

How should I even respond to this? Play it safe? “Oh, uh, sorry. I couldn’t really see all that well, and I—”

She shushed me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “She’s fine. Your swing wasn’t really hard to dodge. Besides, you should apologise to her, not me.” She waved me over. “Now, come.”

I walked over to the table, glad she’d broken the ice for me. What were these batponies doing at the Hockneys’ manor? Unless… unless I was still in The Tower.

I nearly tripped over my own hooves.

The mare raised an eyebrow. “You okay there, laddie?” No time to think; had to appear sophisticated. I nodded.

I sat down next to her, awfully aware of the judgemental looks everypony else was giving me. Well, everypony except the brown stallion, who hadn’t stopped talking Halterdawn’s ears off.

So much for not needing to be nervous.

The mare didn’t wait for me to come up with something to say. “My name’s Aurora, by the way. I’m the Captain of the Fell Knights.” Just like that, her fake accent was forgotten. She then pointed to the large batpony stallion, who was now staring daggers at the two of us. “This here is my uncle—well, technically we’re cousins of some kind, but I never bothered to learn that stuff—Viscount Gaunt Fell. I believe you’re familiar with the other two, so let’s skip introductions.” I didn’t bother to correct her.

I cleared my throat as I looked at Aurora, then at the viscount, and gathered my courage. “My name is Silverstring. It is an honour to meet you.” Hopefully my manners were adequate enough.

The viscount grunted a response, but stopped glowering at me. Aurora swiftly filled the silence. “I’m told you’re quite a flyer and a decent fighter to boot, Silver.” I raised an eyebrow. “I’ll get right to the point. I could really use the help of somepony like you right now. Once you’ve recovered, that is.”

I blinked. “Me? But I work for house Hockney, and they’ll be expecting me to return soon. As soon as I feel better, really.”

“Trust me, they’ll understand,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Still… I’d rather get back. Nothing against you, I just… I wanna make a good impression; that’s why I work so hard. In fact, I’d prefer it if you just told me how to leave this place, and I’ll be out of your mane before dawn.” Wasn’t a very elegant speech, but in my humble opinion, it respectfully—or was it ‘respectively’?—got the point across.

Apparently, I didn’t show enough respect, because the Viscount glared at me again. “You don’t leave.” And there was that.

Hopefully he was just exaggerating to be dramatic, but that line of questioning would have to wait. Maybe Aurora would know a way out if I asked her in private. It wouldn’t hurt to get on her good side, first, then.

After an awkward and long silence, I turned to Aurora and said, “Well, tell me more. What would I need to do? Does it have to do with those monsters I fought?”

She shrugged. “Yes and no. Dealing with the Forsaken is my job—well, among other things—but you’d be making it easier by assisting in other ways and with my other duties.” Was she even still drunk? She slightly slurred her words, and her cheeks held a tint of pink, but she made too much sense.

“Just so you know, I’m not really that good of a fighter.” I offered an apologetic grin, but she just raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m fast and strong, but I don’t know how well I’d do in an actual fight. I’m just a hunter.” Best set her expectations low, false modesty be damned.

But then, those griffins really did put me in my place. Even the slow, mindless bat beasts had gotten the better of me. Was—

“Oh don’t you worry, I’m not asking you to fight, I could just really use another pony who can help me out without me needing to hold their hoof.” Her tired smile showed how much she needed the help. She lowered her tone. “If or when you do get out, I’ll make sure to put in a good word with your supervisor at House Hockney.”

Still too loud: the viscount let out an annoyed sigh, but in the end turned his attention away from us.

I met Aurora’s gaze and took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll help you out, but…” How could I say this in a polite way? “But I won’t do anything that House Hockney wouldn’t approve of, if that’s alright with you, ma’am?” My tail flicked.

She relaxed and nodded.

After a moment of silence, I remembered a question that had been trotting around my head for far too long. “By the way, what were those monsters I killed? You called them Forsaken?”

“There isn’t much I can tell you. They used to be ponies, but they’ve found a fate worse than death, and they are confined to the bottom of The Tower, beyond a seal. Usually, live ponies aren’t supposed to be down there.” My brow furrowed more with every word she spoke.

“So why was I there?”

“By complete accident,” replied the viscount in a low, dangerous tone. “Something went wrong when you descended into The Tower. You ended up at the bottom. It is as simple as that.”

After hesitating for a moment, I said, “Well, that does raise a question…” The viscount glared at me, but I swallowed my fear. “Why am I here in the first place?”

“We were paid to take you in.”

I pointed at my chest, and mouthed, “Me?”

“No, him.” He pointed towards Halterdawn, who grimaced at the sudden attention. “Given that you are his retainer, it is our obligation to treat you as we treat him.”

That set off all manner of bloody alarm bells, but I could think about it later. “I see, thank you.” I hardly understood any of this, but my courage had reached its limits. And hey, pretending to be his retainer might work out for me in the long term. Not sure exactly how, but it might.

So, I remained silent for the rest of the dinner, relieved the attention had moved away from me.

My line of thought was interrupted by Haste and two other servants as they brought in food. Mushrooms in some form or another made up most of the meal, but there was also a small bowl of carrots, and one of rice.

I nearly drew their judgement again when I served myself twice as much as Aurora. Luckily, no one actually noticed. Still, why did she eat so little? Bloody nobles!

---

A bird chirped in a nearby tree, at the edge of the clearing.

“And then, the Captain went to find me a tunic, and I took a few minutes to transplant the Hockney coat of arms onto it. I still need to fix up the patchwork, though.”

Selena, the blue unicorn sitting across me under the gazebo, set aside the spoon she had used to stir her tea. “Were you allowed to see the lower levels?”

I nodded. “The door to get out of the estate was really thick. For some reason, there was a weird air current right as we walked through it, but nopony else seemed to notice it.” With a couple of careful flaps, I moved my cloud over to the table and lifted my own cup. I blew on my tea before taking a tiny, careful sip. “She showed me where my weapons are, then gave me a quick tour of the servant layer. Said she woulda showed me more, but had to go back to work. Gave permission to look around a bit, though, so that’s nice.”

“And did you?” She smiled at me. She may have been a noble, but Selena was really easy to talk to. Her soothing, kind nature completely disarmed any fear of judgement.

“Mhm. Mostly around the market and things like that, ’cause she gave me a few coins to arm myself. Since, you know, I lost my shortsword when I fought those griffins.” I swirled my tea and watched it spin, expecting her to say something in reply. When she didn’t, I continued, “Guess I also took a quick look around the nearby mushroom farms, but that’s about it.”

Her smile as graceful as ever, she set down her cup on the table. “Did anything strike you as odd? I apologise if the question is too direct, but I like to make sure ponies acclimate well to The Tower.”

“Uh, not that I know of. Was I supposed to?” I nibbled at the inside of my mouth, trying to think of something.

“No,” she said casually. “I was merely curious.” Her smile faltered very briefly. Or did I imagine that?

When she magically lifted her cup, a short silence stretched over the clearing. Was something supposed to be odd? In a way, everything about this place stood out, but nothing especially so.

Sure, it had buildings like I’d never seen before. Sure, the Captain was a little eccentric. Sure, they used a different currency than the rest of Trotland. Sure, they grew other crops. Overall, too much weird stuff made it hard to pick one out in particular. At least I could buy the same weapons as outside, and for the same unaffordable prices—from my own savings, at least.

Wait a second… “Actually… It’s a bit of a dumb thing to pick up on, but out of all the ways to make money, selling my blood is by far the weirdest. I didn’t think that much about it when the Captain told me, but why would they need blood?”

I scratched the underside of my muzzle as I thought. The only explanation was… “It’s really stupid, but do you think they might need the blood to, I don't know, inject into the veins of somepony who lost a lot of it?”

Selena chuckled. “I don’t see why not. It would make sense, too, given how often the knights have to fight.”

Despite my best efforts to appear calm, collected, and mature, I found myself grinning like a foal. “Of course it does! Oh, thank you so much for making me think about it!”

My joy was cut short by disappointment. In my time here, I’d missed at least four days of school. I shook my head, prompting a confused look from Selena. I had access to a library and a lot of free time. Even without a teacher, I had to make the most of it. “I’m just thinking I should spend more time in the library.”

Selena’s smile grew smug. “Oh? Still trying to get the librarian’s attention?”

I broke eye contact and mumbled, “It’s not that. I just need to learn more.”

She chuckled. “There is nothing to be ashamed of, Silver. She is a pretty, young mare around your age; it is only natural.”

I rubbed the back of my neck with a sheepish smile on my face. “I know, I know, it’s just a bit silly for somepony like me to have a crush on an earth pony working a cushy earth pony job.”

Selena said something in reply, but my thoughts were elsewhere. The ponies working the fields…

“They were earth ponies!” I exclaimed, before realising how rude my interruption was.

Yet Selena didn’t mind, only raising a curious eyebrow.

Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, I explained, “I remembered something else that was weird. The ponies working the fields, they were earth ponies.”

“Oh? How is that odd?” She had the same expression as before. She knew the answer, but wanted me to look for it myself.

“Well, earth ponies don’t usually work physical jobs, they usually work in offices and stuff like that.” Her expression told me to keep digging. “But then, I never really thought about why that is.”

I furrowed my brow, but before I could lose myself in thought, Selena said, “Why don’t you ask your librarian friend about it?”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said she’s not interested in me. If anything, that’s an under-exaggeration. If that’s even a word.” I furrowed my brow and shook off the thought. “I’ve tried chatting her up multiple times, and I always get short answers. It’s kinda obvious she doesn’t wanna talk to me.”

“What have you tried talking about?”

“Oh, just small things,” I said with a casual wave of my hoof. “Like where she’s from, the kind of food she likes. I’m really starting to run out of conversation starters.”

Selena gave me a knowing, gentle smile. The kind that truly made her wisdom show; the same as my mom often put on when she tried to teach me something. “Perhaps she simply has no interest in small topics? What if you asked her something more meaningful? She strikes me as an intellectual; perhaps she would enjoy sharing her knowledge?”

I blinked. “You think that would work? She didn’t seem very enthusiastic about answering my other questions about The Tower, like where exactly I was, or how long it would be before I could leave. And…” A few pieces of the puzzle connected, and my string of thought snapped, followed by one huge realisation. “Wait a second… Why didn’t you tell me where I am last time we talked?”

How many more things like this had I bloody missed?

Her expression turned serious for a moment, and she let out a small sigh. “I am sorry. I meant no harm, I merely thought it best for you to figure it out by yourself. In general, wouldn’t you agree that learning things on your own is a better way to acquire knowledge?”

My face scrunched up, and I had to concede her point. “I suppose.”

Soon enough, her smile returned. “I am happy to hear.” She smelled the tea before lifting the cup to her lips. “By the way, how is your neck? Are you feeling any better? If you do not mind the change of subject.”

I shrugged. “Yeah. Dunno how. Somehow, I’m pretty much back to one hundred percent. I’ve always been quick to get back on my hooves, but this… this is weird. I mean, I ain’t gonna complain that my wound no longer hurts. Or my head.” Another oddity that I’d completely overlooked.

She furrowed her brow. “Curious. The wound was indeed rather severe.”

“Mhm.” I didn’t have anything else to say, but my thoughts were racing. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. I’d give myself a headache at this rate. Thinking wasn’t my strong suit.

We sat in silence for a while, enjoying the tea. Tea usually wasn’t my thing—I mostly lacked the patience to wait for it to cool down—but this cup already had the perfect temperature. Warm enough to force me to take my time, but not so hot as to scald me from a single sip.

I looked around for a moment. The conversation had been so captivating that I had barely thought about the surroundings. We were in a clearing, inside a dense forest like the one I’d grown up in. If I paid attention, I could hear monsters and animals, far in the distance.

Selena interrupted my thoughts. “You seem awfully calm, considering our environment, Silver.”

I shrugged. “I dunno, the really dangerous stuff doesn’t show itself in daylight, and for some reason this clearing just feels safe, you know? I can’t quite place it. I’m sure Aunt Ferris could tell you exactly why this clearing has nothing to worry about, but I just have my instinct.”

Selena nodded. “I see. I shall take your word, Silverstring.”

Now it was my turn to furrow my brow. “Wait, so easily? Ain’t you scared?”

“When you reach my age, you learn to trust ponies’ instincts. They tend to be right more often than not.”

“Your age? You don’t look so old, Your Highness.”

“Looks can be deceiving, young one.” She smiled. Another smile like Mom always wore. A smile that meant I would understand when I was older. No, not quite. This one was a lot more distant. A lot more sad.

She lifted her cup, once again using her telekinesis, and that new sensation washed over me again. Something was off. Something was odd. Weird.

But what? I stared at her floating cup for a dozen seconds before it finally struck me. “You’re using telekinesis, Your Highness! I’m sorry for distracting you and getting you to—” The world shook.

“Silverstring, calm down. I will be fine. There is no need to concern yourself.” She kept her tone gentle, but authoritative, and I found myself obeying even without a second thought.

I didn’t understand why she stayed so calm despite it, but the world shook again, and I forgot what I was confused about.

Everything shook yet again, and I realised that it was somepony knocking at my door, “Whadayawant?” I slurred, stifling a yawn.

---

Today was going to be a good day. Partly because I was finally going to start doing things other than read and rest, also because of how damn well I’d slept.

I was trotting down the hallway in the batpony housing area, near the passage to the lower levels, headed for the Captain’s office. She would be stuck doing paperwork and planning out her knights’ missions. She still wouldn’t tell me what exactly those missions were, but she probably had a good reason for it, so I couldn’t hold it against her.

To my surprise, nopony guarded her office. Then again, given her lack of staff, it made sense she wouldn’t care to protect somepony who knew how to fight back. Besides, anypony coming up here to attack her would likely meet a guard along the way, and that would have to be good enough.

I knocked on her door and was immediately invited in. Once I stepped inside, she finished writing a sentence, then looked up at me, faint surprise painted on her face. Then, she gave a smile that quickly grew into a grin, in stark contrast with the dark rings under her eyes. “Oh, Silver, I’m very glad to see you today. I thought I’d need to wait a bit longer.” She shook her head. “Anyway. There’s been a terrible amount of pockets opening, and I could use your help.”

Somehow, I ended up smiling. For once, I was needed. I’d be useful to somepony. “Pockets?”

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know. Sorry. They’re like…” She waved her hoof in a circle. “Passages that are usually closed, but occasionally open.” I raised an eyebrow, and she chuckled. “It’s difficult to explain, but they usually contain valuable resources. Ores, gems. Unfortunately, they tend to be… inhabited. Sometimes by things groups of mundane guards wouldn’t be able to deal with.”

“Oh, and you want me to help?” I jumped into the air and boxed some shadows. “Count me in, I always love to see action!” And it was the fastest way to prove my worth.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Let me finish, please.” I smiled sheepishly as I landed, then rubbed the back of my neck with my ears flattened against my head. “That’s why we send in scout teams first, to ascer—”

My ears perked up, and I gasped. “Oh, I can—”

The Captain’s mirth vanished, and she cut me off with a glare. She cleared her throat, and just as quickly as it had left, her smile came back. “To ascertain the danger. It’s a careful balancing act, since we’re so short on personnel.” She frowned. “Last week, I misjudged a pocket and got two mares killed and three more injured.” She tried to keep her tone level, but guilt and sadness still bled through.

She sighed, and this time her expression stayed serious. “Now, the vast majority of pockets can be dealt with by a single pair of knights.” Oh, I really wanted to become one of them. With my experience fighting monsters, I’d make a great Knight. The Captain had to see it.

Despite my excitement, I somehow managed to stay quiet. The Captain either didn’t see it, or didn’t care. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of overhead in communication. I won’t go into the details, but it’s pretty hard to keep those smaller squads busy at all times, so they end up wasting a lot of time waiting on orders.” She pointed to me. “That’s where you come in. I need you to act as a runner between squads. If a scout team finds a dangerous pocket, deliver their report to me.”

My entire body deflated. It was still important work, and it would still get me noticed, but I could do more. So much more. Why did nopony see how much I was capable of? “Right. Anything else?” Please say yes, please say yes.

Her mood gradually picked up, and she chuckled. “Well, maybe not for today, since finding your way around The Tower will suck up a lot of your time, but after that… There’s a pile of equipment that needs maintaining, swords that need sharpening, et cetera.”

I tried my best to not voice my disappointment, but the Captain saw through it, and her smile turned sheepish. “On second thought, you’re definitely capable enough to help with public order missions.” I tilted my head and cocked my ear. “Usually, a family and their guards are responsible for their prisons and their vassals. Sometimes, things get out of control, and they need us knights to step up and protect their own.”

At that, my face lit up, and I saluted with a wing. “What orders should I deliver?” Only a matter of time before I could prove myself! I could endure.

She held up a hoof, shuffled around some papers from the chaotic piles in front of her, and took out a half dozen scrolls. Then, she leaned to the side of her desk and pulled out a few notes. “Could you deliver these”—she pointed to the scrolls—“to the ponies at the locations detailed in those?” She gestured to the notes.

I nodded as I pulled the stack of papers. Judging by her smile and sigh, I would make her day a whole lot easier, even if my task was a little bit too mundane for my liking.

“They’re not anywhere too hard to reach, but I figured a detailed description of the way wouldn’t hurt, given how new you are to The Tower. In the evening I might have you deliver some of my personal mail, but that can wait.”

I would have groaned if not for the horrifying sight in front of me. It took one look at her chicken scratch to almost make me go back on my word. Deciphering those notes would hurt my very soul, and would probably be harder than actually reaching those places.

I was about to leave when I decided to ask her a question. “What’s on the notes I’m supposed to deliver?” If she was making me read her terrible mouthwriting, she at least owed me that answer. I could always read them myself, but that was supposedly bad manners.

“Just their standing orders, which pockets they should check out, and so on. Oh, and one of them has some information about you. Good thing I wrote it in advance.”

When I reached for the scrolls, she stopped me with a wing. “Hold on, I almost forgot,” she said with a sheepish smile. “Before you go… If you’re going to be wandering on your own throughout The Tower, you’ll need to put this on.” She pulled open a drawer and took out a simple silver collar. As she pushed it towards me, she revealed the Fell coat of arms engraved on its side.

I tilted my head, but she cut me off before I could voice my confusion. “It shows that you work for me. You should keep it on whenever you’re in public, for the guards might give you trouble otherwise. It’s platinum, and has my house’s coat of arms on it.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Anything more?” This was becoming annoying, if only slightly.

“I suppose I should warn you about the sarosian residents of The Tower. You should always treat them with utmost respect. Even though you work directly underneath me, they rarely take kindly to an outsider acting like they’re on equal hoofing.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” I chuckled. “I’m used to being at the bottom of the social ladder.”

She let out a hearty laugh which quickly petered out and turned into a pained smile.