The Darkest Hour

by Anemptyshell

A Generous Reminder

Three days, three days of lectures, essays, etiquette. And enough shame to drown a small country. Solemn Mind was relentless. My poor feeble brain couldn’t take much more of this onslaught. I wanted in for sure, the tidbits on the past I did get spoonfed were tantalizing, but otherwise, I felt more like a pretty princess learning the ABCs of the aristocracy. I had at least learned my way from my room to the major junctions of the palace. Even now, I was on my way to another glorious day of learning. To one side, Sabre walked beside me stonefaced as we passed another group of thestral guards. To my other side, was the ever-vocal Bright Pitch, oh and could he talk. It was nice to some degree to have at least someone other than Sabre to chat with.

“So, I told them, that if they weren’t going to wrap it properly, to stop buying the silk altogether, such a waste I’ll tell you,” Bright said with a daring wave to his imaginary horror. Feigned despair he could barely hold for a solid two seconds before bursting into a self-inflicted fit of laughter. A contagious one at that, seeing even I chuckled.

“You do know how to make a scene, Bright,” I said.

“Oh come now, there’s no reason to waste such fine material on such mediocrity. I will have excellence or die trying.”

Sabre nudged me as Bright once again returned to the world of his frantic little mind. “We’re here, sir.”

So we were, right back to Solemn’s commended study. The shuffling of papers and murmurs of a deranged old bat meant he’d beaten us here. I offered a gentle knock at the door and waited for my tutor to come to grips with himself.

“Yes, yes, come in.”

So, I did. I entered to Solemn pacing back and forth tutting all the while. He may have said come in, but he didn’t even notice Sabre, Bright and I enter and make ourselves comfortable. Well, Bright and I got comfy, Sabre did his whole stand guard thing. The older bat didn't even look up when Bright gave him a nice loud greeting. Solemn just murmured something that was indistinguishable from the rest of his under breath monologue.

“You think he’s okay?” Bright asked.

A great question, one that I had less of a guess than he had. So, for the next minute or two, we waited. We sat, and watched the mind of our elder consume itself, right up until he stopped mid-stride and cursed something fierce.

“For the love of Faust, Stargazer, we have little time.”

Bright and I exchanged a bemused look. Solemn as he stared at me his brow lined with stress and worry alike. I leaned back and tried my best to avoid his grim leer.

“Sorry, what?” I asked.

Solemn took a step back and huffed. A hoof massaged his brow as he all but collapsed back on his rump.

“Our blessed queen is sending her to evaluate my efforts. This is far too soon, the stars above, this is staggeringly more stress than I care to put you under. I apologize, Stargazer, this is unfortunate.”

I gave Bright another side-eye, but it seemed he was also lost. I could feel Sabre’s tension from behind me. I hoped he didn’t tackle Solemn, that would be a mess and a half.

“Who? Solemn, what are you on about?” I asked.

“Her Majesty's Right hoof, her personal aide and bane to all those who work under Queen Nightmare’s eminence.”

“Oh, you mean Ms. Rarity, I like her, she is also so sharp,” Bright said.

“Sharp indeed, and more than happy to slice you into ribbons. One word from her and the queen is all too happy to deal with any problems. This is most assuredly not a moment to be anything less than perfect.”

I looked over my shoulder and noted even Sabre looked uneasy. I’m not sure what to expect from someone with that kind of power, the Lady of Hearts maybe? Either way, Solemn was right, though perhaps a bit melodramatic. I really didn't want to make it this long only to be sent to the firing squad.

“Well, that sounds fun and all. So, what exactly is she looking for, or more precisely what do we need to do?” I asked.

“She wishes to evaluate the state of your tutelage as well as your memory issue. While neither is expected to be flawless, it is without a doubt far too soon to enlighten you about the true life of a noble. Why the upper echelon would eat you alive.”

“Gee thanks.”

I rolled my eyes as my perturbed tutor began pacing once more. He wasn’t wrong, but still, tact stallion, tact. This Rarity sounded like a scary mare, Lady of Hearts or not. I swallowed hard as the ticking of the aloft antique clock made its rounds.

“So when?” I asked.

“Sirs, you have company.”

Thanks, Sabre, really appreciate the heads up. I really should learn better. So, walked in the subject of our undivided attention. Ms. Rarity was a prim and proper mare, with dark purple mane, a snow-white coat, and a look so cold I could feel the air in the room drop ten degrees. She had a nice accented work coat, the type only the leading bureaucracy might wear in these hallowed halls. That all boiled down to nothing compared to the most striking part about her. She had a horn, as in no fangs, no leather, no ear tuft, just a horn.

She tossed her nose high and frowned at our trio. I rubbed at my suddenly very tight throat. Bright, in his paramount and bold nature, stood and gave a dramatic bow, a grin stapled to his face. I could almost feel my eyebrow rocket into the ceiling.

“Good morning, Ms. Rarity, you’re looking as pretty as always.”

My other brow joined the first. I almost laughed as Bright placated himself before this unicorn mare. She, on the other hoof, seemed less than enthused by Bright’s ego message. Sabre seemed pleased if nothing else. That grin he wore was relentless.

“Mr. Pitch, please cease all your,” Rarity sniffed hard. “Personal Proclivities. This meeting is an important and royal affair.”

Bright’s smile dipped a tab but he saluted all the same and sauntered back around to stand next to Sabre, leaving Solemn and me as her only targets. I stumbled over the sofa I’d been sitting on and took a post next to Solemn, who looked grave indeed. He paled at least one shade and had stood at attention like he was in boot camp. I attempted the same if only for his benefit.

“Ms. Rarity, I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you so early, not with your no doubt tireless schedule.”

Solemn bowed and watched as Rarity for her part tut before turning her gaze to me. She approached slowly eying me up and down like one may view a particularly offensive speck of scum. My attempts to evade her prying eyes were fruitless as she circled me before coming to a stop where she’d begun.

“Stargazer, if I’m correct?”

“You’re correct,” Solemn nodded along.

“She is,” I nodded along with Solemn.

I am,” Rarity said, her frown adding another centimeter to her already taut brow. “The thestral with no past.”

“That’s pretty catchy, like a celebritaunt. Your wit astounds, madam.”

I bowed low, my eyes never trailing from Rarity’s own. A stark blue ocean of repressed rage. She may want to see someone about that. When I rose back up, Rarity offered a single hum in response. Anything else may have given Solemn a heart attack with the way he was shaking in place.

“Quite, now, as to not waste all our time. I will get straight to the point. I have been tasked with testing your level of competency. That is to say, your worth as a noble of Queen Nightmare Moon’s court.” Rarity said.

I righted myself and nodded along. It was exactly what Solemn had said it’d be. The issue and if I am at all honest, all four ponies here knew I was not ready for this. I also had a gut feeling Nightmare knew it as well. This means, either she still thought I was some form of traitor or spy, or it was a test deeper than it appeared.

“Then, by all means, my lady, administer away.”

“Your decorum is already underwhelming. You do realize, that manner and appearance are a large part of court etiquette, do you not?”

Rarity was asking me but glaring at a shrinking Solemn. I took a single deep breath and placed myself between Solemn and her oh-so grumpy taskmaster. I leveled a glare of my own at the curt mare, who seemed untaken by my defense.

“Stargazer,” hissed trying to push me aside, which still cowering. It wasn’t very effective, not that’d I’d have moved even if it was.”Move.”

“What, may I ask, are you doing?” Rarity asked.

“What you tasked me with. I am being noble. If I fail your test, it’ll be because of me, not Solemn, so with all due respect, keep your eyes on me and off of my tutor.”

My blood was boiling. I couldn’t put words to it, why was I suddenly so invested in Solemn’s well-being, and why did Rarity make me want to protect him? I’d called her out, but had no plan whatsoever. The back of my head ached, but I had more pressing matters.

“Are we a knight now? have you come to slay the big bad dragon and defend the honor of your teacher?”

Rarity cracked the faintest shadow of a smile as I stood my ground. I nodded along and smirked back at the so-called dragon.

“Something like that.”

Rarity clucked her tongue and nodded. “Noble intent, a passing grade. So, let’s move on shall we?”

I was taken aback by her response. A passing grade, for nobility? I mean it was the other kind of nobility, but still. My blood hadn’t settled as Rarity pressed on with her tests. Neither had my headache, it continued to pound away in the back of my skull.

“We are aware your mental state has been impeded to some degree. I would still expect one noble to be, to know the lands he inhabits. Wouldn’t you?”

“I would,” I agreed.

“So then, what have you learned? What and where, perhaps the current history, legends of old?”

I blinked in reproach. In her questioning, there had been something strange. The look she’d held up till now, was fleeting, but for the barest of moments, I thought I saw a spark of something shine. As I looked again, the shimmer of interest had vanished, and once more, Rarity’s gaze was one of cold indifference.

That so, I had a deep unease. I’d learned a lot of Equestrian current history, some of its past, and still. I didn’t believe those were what she was pining for. It all felt off, something was not as it seemed. A trick by the queen, or something of Rarity’s machinations? I wasn’t sure, but it was there, I was certain.

“I’ve learned much, but less than I’d like. However, I have a feeling you're looking for something less humdrum than names and places.”

I was asking a lot, by being so bold. The air felt thick and my throat was dry as I squirmed under Rarity’s gaze. If I was wrong, no, I didn't have that luxury. I’d been begging for the chopping block since I arrived, what was so different with this test?

“Oh, do go on,” Rarity said, flicking a hoof to motion me on.

“I know, that there is more than one Alicorn. I also know, that the Everfree may have been the first and current home of royalty, but it wasn’t the only.”

No sooner had my words left my lips than the room went chill. Rarity watched, not a motion or word to be had. Solemn had gone from shaking to still as the grave. Even Sabre and Bright had been left sullen. My heart pounded in my chest, the rhythm mirroring that of my now-increasing headache.

I’d done it, I hope the executioner's ax was at least sharp. The thought of multiple attempts sent a shiver up my spine. A fine gamble indeed, good job me.

“I see,” Rarity looked over my shoulder at Solemn, who’d risen from the floor. “You have quite the interesting student. One who may be suited for real nobility, should he prove himself of such like minds.”

That was it, without a single look back, Rarity swept through the room and away, to whatever else the queen’s right hoof did. I suspect a lot of paperwork. I looked back over my shoulder at Solemn, who seemed lost in thought. Perhaps the ramifications of Rarity’s parting words. They seemed less than assuring, if not particularly ominous.

“So, I passed?” I asked.

“Passed might be a strong word, sir,” Sabre said. He seemed amused if nothing else, super glad my potential execution was so much fun.

“I think Ms. Rarity was pleased, she always scolds me, but she didn't even look back at you when she left. That’s worth celebrating.”

Bright had bounded his way right over the sofa with a single flap of his wings and stood brash and bold before me. He bopped against my shoulder and smiled as always. I didn’t have a response to his upbeat praise, I wasn’t even sure if it counted as praise at all. Yet, here Bright Pitch was ready for tea and biscuits, as always.

“You’re nuts, you know that?” I asked.

“That’s what my dad keeps telling me,” Bright said with a shrug.

“Fair enough, Bright. Fair enough.”

“I fear you may be celebrating all too soon, my young students. I fear that you may not be aware of what comes next.”

“You make it sound as if we should expect something untoward, sir?” Sabre said, taking a step away from his post at the door, a hoof reaching for the rapier at his side.

“I may be indeed. I was not sure you'd meet Ms. Rarity’s standards. I have been proven wrong in those fears.”

Solemn eyed Sabre, Bright, and I. He then made his way past the three of us and solely closed the study door. “Thus, I believe our true education may begin.”

“Sir?” Sabre asked.

“That sounds spooky,” Bright said as he bounced forward onto the sofa. He leaned over the side tail wagging with his excitement.

“And that would be.”

Solemn took a long hard breath and tapped the door to ensure it was closed properly. “We’ll start from the beginning. We’ll start with the name of the sun, Celestia.”

“The sun?” Bright, Sabre, and I asked in unison.

“Or more precisely the mare trapped in its glowing incandescence, and hidden away so that all might forget its warmth.”

“Solemn.”

“Sir, this sounds—” Sabre started only for me to stop him.

“Like treason. If I’d hazard a guess, it certainly wasn’t in any history books.”

“Gosh, is that true?” Bright asked.

“I was there when it happened, many of the nobles and military brass were there when Nightmare Moon bested Celestia and sealed her sister away, as to rule uncontested.”

“And thus, the eternal night,” Sabre finished.

“And the ruins of their fight were left, in Canterlot, correct?” I asked.

My heart was racing. I hadn’t even noticed I'd taken several steps forward. My wings shook as I felt something click. It was all adding up, this whole place felt like a house of glass. So why was it that everyone felt so afraid because a despot reigned supreme? I’d thought Nightmare a foreboding ruler, a domineering one, but to do as Solemn claimed. It felt so, transparent. IT had been right there the whole, time. In my state of amnesia, I’d been looking for the obvious answers, even as the truth dangled before me.

“So, why are you telling us this? This doesn’t sound like something our “queen” would want disclosed to her servants,” Sabre said.

“It took a long time to earn the station I have. A place where I could gauge the merit of those in the courts. Too many selfish and greedy souls make up those in Nightmare’s thrall. So, when one might be an exception to that rule, It is my designation to test them.”

“Test them for what, Solemn? I asked.

The old bat seemed on the verge of screaming, his whole body tense as she scanned the room, and pressed against the door behind him with a back leg to ensure it was still very much closed. Sabre didn’t look much better, a hoof still rested on his weapon.

I didn't feel much of anything. I had begun to understand what Solemn was implying. Something dangerous, something that three days ago, he’d nearly panicked on the way to the deeper sanctum of the palace. The day I’d passed out.

“You scope out potential rebels, you’re with the resistance, the ones in the ruins of Canterlot, aren't you?”

“I am.”

“And so is, Ms. Rarity/”

Bright hummed as we all turned to him.

“What, she spoke in some sort of code the entire time she was here. I thought it was weird, but I’m not the queen’s right hoof and all/”

“You knew?” Solemn said.

The old stallion seemed ready to crumple as he stared at the unashamed insight of the only teal noble here. Bright didn't even sound surprised by any of this, he just sat there leaning over the sofa smiling as if nothing had happened at all.

“Well this changes, some things,” Sabre said.

“The only question left is, with all I’ve said. Will you join us?” Solemn asked.

A rebellion is one to rouse the sun and dispose of a corrupt ruler. That sounded super dangerous. What happens if we decline, Solemn surely had some means of protecting his secrets. Either I lived supplicant to a tyrant or fought and potentially died to remove said tyrant.

It wasn’t much of a question. Sabre seemed to have come to the same conclusion. The only outlier was Bright and quite frankly, even if he declined, I don’t think he’d rat us out. I don’t think he’d even think of it.

That was almost too wistful. Yet it had me chuckle all the same. It wasn’t going to be easy, it hadn’t been from minute one. What the hell, I had nothing to lose.

“I’m in,” I said.

“As am I,” Sabre agreed.

You could see the relief wash over Solemn as he fell back on his haunches and breathed the breath he’d been holding since he’d asked us to help him.

“I’m in too.”

My neck snapped to the side as I watched Bright throw up a hoof in rally. I hadn’t been the only one, both Sabre and Solemn were staring, slack-jawed at Bright Pitch. He did what now? I couldn't even grasp the level of nonchalance Bright showed in deciding to fight against the same group he’d been a part of long before I showed up.

“You what?” I asked.

“I’m in, it sounds like an adventure, besides You and Sabre are doing it, and you guys are my friends, friends help friends, mudblood or not.”

He smiled over at Sabre who seemed trapped between surprise and irritation. I then started to laugh. A full belly laugh that had me join Solemn on the floor. I couldn’t stop even as I clutched my sides. Bright seemed all too happy to join in and even Sabre submitted to a chuckle.

So there we had it, we were rebels now. It certainly was an interesting way to end my first week in Equestria. It seemed a tad quick, but I suppose a blank canvas is much easier to paint into the form you’d like than it is to paint anew on a finished piece.

“Rebels, it is then.”

Comments

[Witchery]

“Sir, this sounds--”

Em dash

and military bras

brass