The Devil You Know

Twilight had never really run anywhere in her life. She had never needed to. Fast and frenetic were not words you would use to describe her day to day life in the archive. There was never a life-threatening need to run anywhere. Well, unless she discovered a copy of Hippogriffs: Now and Then had been delivered, but that's another story.

Now, she was running for her life through a hostile forest, her armour feeling so very heavy despite the enchantment on it. The padding beneath her barding was already soaked with sweat, making every movement uncomfortable. Twigs and branches pulled at her chainmail as the exhausted team ploughed onward through the forest at a reckless pace.

She could hear the black horrors skittering through the woods, practically snapping at their hooves.

Suddenly, one of the mages tripped on a root. With a panicked whinny, he tumbled into the undergrowth and was soon set upon by the relentless shadows. There was no cry for help or a scream, just the sound of teeth rending flesh.

“Keep going!” Shining called out, the light from his horn paving a way for them through the darkness.

Twilight didn’t look back. She couldn’t look back. If she looked back and glanced into those beasts’ burning eyes, her legs would lock up and she’d be dead.

The forest began to thin slightly, and the red light of the moon began to filter through. They all pushed themselves to run faster, as if the light would somehow be their salvation.

Ahead, the ruins of a mighty fortress began to emerge through the trees. The castle was easily equal in size to the one in Canterlot, perhaps even larger. It was in ruins now, a mere shell of its former glory.

But sightseeing wasn’t on top of Twilight’s priorities right now as the ground disappeared into a great split in the earth.

They skidded to a stop at the chasm, narrowly avoiding falling into the abyss. It looked impossibly deep, the bottom shrouded in a thick fog. It stretched across their path, creating an impassable moat around the fortress.

“What now?” Twilight cried, backpedalling to avoid the crumbling edge.

“There’s a bridge!” Rainbow shouted, pointing to a delapidated stone bridge not far from where they were.

“Oh thank Celestia!”

They turned and ran for the bridge, Rainbow narrowly avoiding a lunge from one of their pursuers.

Two massive statues of rearing alicorns guarded the bridge on either side of the walkway, a corroded brass frame depicting the sun and crescent moon linking the two where their horns met. They were matched by another pair on the other side.

“Almost there!” Shining cried, not noticing two shadows on the nearest statue beginning to move.

“Captain, above you!” Meadow shouted as the pair of beasts leapt down upon him.

He looked up, eyes wide as the shadows became an avalanche of teeth and claws. He tried in vain to cast a spell, but they were too fast.

They slammed into him and knocked him sprawling to the ground.

“Shining!” Rainbow and Twilight screamed together as the pair of Umbra tugged on his forelegs like dogs with a toy.

With a sickening tear, one of his legs gave way under the constant gnashing jaws and was ripped away.

Twilight could only watch as her brother desperately tried to fend off the other monster, only to have his other foreleg torn off. Blood spattered against his white coat as the Umbra held his hewn leg up like a trophy.

Rainbow surged forward, her wings propelling her towards her fallen captain.

Rainbow’s spear drove into the grinning beast, but its hide was too thick. The spear’s shaft snapped in two, and Rainbow was sent cartwheeling into the furthest statue.

“Captain!” Brummbar roared. “Meadow! The captain’s down!”

Meadow sidestepped an Umbra’s bite, driving a stake through its skull and pinning it to the ground. “Cover me! I’ll try and get to him.”

Twilight felt a terrible numbness sweep over her. The world felt distant as she staggered towards her brother.

Meadow leapt forward, driving back the two Umbra with spell and stake. Brummbar and the other survivors all pushed towards their fallen captain.

Twilight barely heard Brummbar’s insistent shouts, passively being herded along by him as they formed a small circle.

Rainbow Dash limped back, tears in her eyes as she joined them. “Damn it, damn it, damn it…” she muttered over and over again.

“Can you help him?” Twilight asked, her voice quiet, like a foal’s.

Meadow knelt beside him and looked over his wounds, her expression a heavy frown. “Brummbar, how much time can you give me?”

“Not long, there are more coming,” Brummbar said, frantically swinging his great hammer, forcing the Umbra backward.

“Leave me here,” Shining said, gasping for air as his body quivered in pain.

“No…” Twilight whimpered.

“We’ve lost enough ponies tonight, sir,” Meadow said, quickly pulling off her belt with her magic. “Private, give me your belt.”

“M-my what?”

“Your belt! Give me your belt!” Meadow snapped, tying the belt a way up Shining’s shattered foreleg. “We need to stop the bleeding and our healer is currently splattered all over the forest.”

With a sharp tug, she tightened the belt, making Shining cry out in agony.

“Okay, one more to go.”

Numbly, Rainbow gave up her belt, and she repeated the process on Shining’s other leg.

“You remember your basic training, Private?” Meadow asked.

Rainbow looked down at Shining, a hoof timidly reaching for him as her ears flattened.

Meadow grunted, rising to her hooves and slapping the pegasus across the face, knocking her helmet off. “Snap out of it, Private! We don’t have time for your shit right now!”

Rainbow stared at her, wide eyed, her wings bristling at her sides.

Meadow pointed to Shining. “You want to help him? Then you’re going to have to carry him. Can you do that?”

“I- yes,” Rainbow said, straightening. “I’ll carry him as far as it takes.”

Meadow Grass’ expression softened. “Good, the captain and Twilight are your responsibility. Guard them with your life.”

“I will, Ma’am.”

“Good, keep those belts tight now.”

Rainbow nodded and moved towards Shining, tenderly beginning to move him into position.

“I can help,” Twilight offered.

“Don’t touch him!” Rainbow growled. “I’ve got this.”

“Umm, I hate to interrupt,” Pinkamena said suddenly, her body covered in fresh claw marks, “but there are more ghosties coming and I’m getting tired.”

Everypony looked to see more glowing eyes emerging from the forest.

“Private, Specialist Pinkamena,” Meadow ordered, “get the captain and Twilight across the bridge. We’ll hold them off for as long as we can.”

“No,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “No more. You said it yourself, we’ve lost too many ponies tonight.”

Meadow smiled at her. “The mission comes first, Twilight. We knew what we were getting into.”

There was a scream as one of those holding off the vile creatures was brought down.

“Go, Twilight,” Meadow said. “Get your brother out of here.”

“You never could follow orders.” Shining laughed, weakly, lifting his head to look her in the eyes. “May the sun always light your path, my friend.”

“Celestia watch over you, sir,” Meadow said, saluting to him. “Helios Aeternum!”

With that, she galloped over to join Brummbar, lending her powers to keep the Umbra at bay.

There was a groan from Shining as Rainbow hefted him onto her back. “Come on, we need to go.”

Twilight took one last look to the pair of brave ponies still fighting close by. She wanted to say something to honour them—something that would assuage the terrible guilt gripping her.

In the end, there was only one thing that came to mind.

“Helios Aeternum,” she said, softly, turning to Rainbow. “Let’s go.”

They raced across the bridge as fast as their hooves could carry them, shouts, shrieks, and the clash of metal ringing in their ears as they ran.

Ahead, they came to the second pair of alicorn statues, guarding the far side of the bridge.

Here, Pinkamena came to a stop.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight shouted. “We can’t stop here. They’ll be after us at any moment.”

“Let’s go, egghead,” Rainbow urged. “Leave the weirdo here if she wants to stay so much.”

The pink mare inspected the statues for a moment before grinning. “This’ll work! Give me a sec!”

With that, she drove her forehooves into the base of the closest statue. The ancient stone shattered as the pink mare drove her forehooves against it at a relentless pace. A cloud of pulverized rock rose up from the gouge the pink mare was tearing from the statue’s base.

Twilight and Rainbow could only watch in awe as the statue began to sway. What had stood for eons had been undone in mere moments by a frenzied pink earth pony.

Pinkamena emerged with a grin, giving the teetering statue a gentle tap with a hoof. A deep groan of crumbling rock rumbled from the statue as it began to slowly move. With aching slowness, the ancient relic crashed down into the bridge, causing the structure to collapse in a plume of shattered stone and dust.

As the dust settled, it revealed the majority of the bridge was gone, tumbling to the misty depths below.

“Pinkamena…” Twilight gasped, her jaw hanging open.

The pink mare gave a giggly snort, “That’s why you brought me.” She blinked as a set of claws grasped her hind legs. “Uh oh.”

With that, she was yanked backwards, falling onto her belly and sliding towards the precipice.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight shouted, jumping to grab the mare’s forelegs. Grasping tightly, she dug her hind hooves into the ground and started pulling. “I've got you!”

Pinkamena seemed strangely calm in all this chaos, even as she was being dragged to her death.

“Come on, Pinkamena! Fight them!” Twilight cried, pulling with all her might. “Rainbow, help me!”

“I can’t!” Rainbow replied, “I need to protect Shining.”

She was right, of course. The logic of their situation was clear to see. Already, Twilight’s mind was giving her rational reasons why she needed to let go, yet her heart batted these aside. She wasn’t going to sacrifice anypony else.

The tugs grew stronger, pulling Twilight along with her, despite her best efforts.

“You need to let me go,” Pinkamena said, wincing as a fierce tug wrenched them both.

“No! I won’t! Just hold on a little longer!” Twilight sobbed, clenching her teeth as she felt her grip beginning to slip. “I won't let anypony else die!”

“You’re a nice pony,” Pinkamena said with the sweetest smile Twilight had ever seen. The mare held Twilight in those big blue eyes as she gently loosened Twilight’s grip.

“What are you doing?!”

“Saving you,” she said, giving her one last smile before she was pulled into the chasm.

“Pinkamena!” Twilight called, her forehooves desperately reaching, but she was gone.