The Devil You Know

Twelve hours earlier...

Twilight had always loved the peace and quiet of the Canterlot archives. The smell of old books and scrolls was a heady aroma that brought the unicorn a warm sense of comfort. The natural quiet that permeated the building suited her perfectly; it let her focus on her loves in life. She could disappear into the winding rows of book and scroll cases and only come up for air when physical necessity demanded it. Here, she was safe from the troubles of the outside world, behind her fortress of books.

The archives were located above the city in an old, large rotunda carved directly into the face of the mountain. The peak of the domed ceiling was glass, allowing light to fall past several floors filled with shelving and illuminating a large circle below. Affectionately referred to as 'the cooking pot' amongst those who worked there, it was currently crammed to the hilt with books, parchments, scrolls and various other items that smelled faintly of ash and soot.

Cloistered away between the shelves in a far corner, Twilight lovingly transferred text from a battered volume to a fresh parchment. It was overcast, but enough light filtered down from above to give her ample light for her delicate job. She had been working on her pile of claw-written texts for several days now. It took precise unicorn telekinesis to replicate the griffons’ particular style of writing, which made it slow work. Still, Twilight loved the challenge.

This latest batch, from the vaults beneath the griffon capital of Griffonstone, had been the last ones evacuated before the great city fell. The war with the Umbra had brought about a massive influx of precious texts from across Equestria and beyond. Many had been rescued, at great cost, from archives and libraries of crumbling nations and falling cities. The Umbra cared nothing for these priceless treasures, burning everything in their reckless, hate-filled fury. These books were charred around the edges, a testament to their narrow escape.

Preserving these books was Twilight’s mission in life. It might not be as glamorous as being a Celestial Knight serving under the Princess, but at least she was doing her small part to protect Equestria for future generations.

She took a small bite from her dandelion sandwich and leaned back in her chair. She had been nibbling on it for most of the morning and now there was barely any left. Rationing being what it was, she would not be getting anything else till tomorrow. It was fine, though—she had been known for going days without eating during a reading binge.

Her ears perked as she heard the squeak of a trolley being wheeled down one of the aisles. It was Esel, one of the few ponies who could be spared to help the in the restoration efforts. He was a scrawny thing, for an earth pony, probably why he had escaped the military draft till now. His lime green coat was shaggy from lack of trimming, as was his long, greasy brown mane. Still, he was a dab hoof when it came to the Old Ponish dialects of the old earth pony clans prior to unification, and Twilight had spent long hours talking with him on a variety of obscure topics.

“Good afternoon, Twilight,” Esel announced with a grin as he came around the corner. “I must say, it’s rare to see the beast of the archives out in broad daylight for once.”

Twilight scowled. “What do you want, Esel?”

“Can I not simply want to check up on my lovely colleague?” he asked with a smile. “We haven’t seen you in days and were getting worried.”

“I’m not that bad,” she huffed, blushing slightly.

“Says the mare who disappeared into the Platinum Era section for a full week without a trace,” he said with a chuckle. “I still don’t know how you did that.”

“When I get into the groove, I lose all sense of time,” she said.

“I’ll say. You missed all the drama outside.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he said, his smile fading. “The Umbra rolled into Ponyville last night. Set the whole place alight.”

Twilight gasped. “Did everypony get out in time?”

Esel’s ears flattened. “Refugees are still coming in, but it looks pretty bleak.”

They both stood in silence for what felt like a full minute as his words sank in. Ponyville was the last settlement before Canterlot. Soon, the Umbra would be coming here.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “You have a visitor.”

Twilight frowned in confusion. “For me?”

“Yeah, a bigwig Royal Guard no less,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “Have you been in the forbidden section of the archive again?”

“N-no,” Twilight said sheepishly, looking away. “Not recently.”

Esel smirked, “Well, he’s down in the foyer as we speak. I suggest you don’t keep him waiting.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, a little worry in her voice as she hopped down from her seat, giving herself a stretch. “Just leave everything where it is; I’ll finish it when I get back.”

Esel nodded before pushing his cart away into the labyrinth of material, quickly disappearing out of sight.

With trepidation, Twilight made her way down the several floors that lined the rotunda. The archives were a maze to the uninitiated, but she knew each section of the building by heart. She quickly made her way down to the bottom floor where a ring-shaped service counter dominated the centre of the floor. Once there, one of her colleagues pointed her towards the entrance of the building.

Standing there, clad in his distinctive armour of purple and gold plate mail, plumed helmet glinting in the sun, was none other than her brother, Shining Armour. He turned to look at her as she approached, his expression lighting up as their eyes met.

“Twiley!” he called, closing the distance between them in long, confident strides.

“Big brother!” Twilight said, embracing him in a hug which he returned with bone-crunching force. She hadn’t seen him in months, his only contact with her and her family being his infrequent letters. They held one another for a full minute before she broke away.

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you out in Las Pegasus?” she asked.

“I’ve been recalled by the Princess,” he said, “which is why I’ve come here, actually. She wants to see you.”

“Me?” Twilight gasped, bringing a hoof to her chest as questions crashed against her like a raging sea. Was this about the forbidden archive? She’d been chewed out by the curator twice already, but it had never gone higher than that. What could the Princess possibly want with her? She started to hyperventilate as her thoughts spiralled out of control. What if she’d done something wrong? She wouldn’t last five minutes in prison.

A gentle hoof rested on her shoulder. “It’s okay, sis,” Shining said, a gentle smile on his face. “Even I don’t know what she wants, but I can assure you it’s nothing bad.”

Twilight took a few calming breaths to slow her speeding heart. “Do I have time to clean up? I must look a mess.”

There were no mirrors in the archive, but she had been on enough reading binges to know the end result: frazzled mane, baggy eyes, and a healthy dose of body odor to complete the picture.

“We don’t have time—the princess asked to see you right away,” he said, his expression tightening as he slipped into his professional tone. “It sounded pretty urgent.”

She took a breath. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you,” he said, his brotherly smile returning.

She hadn’t seen her brother in a long time, but that smile was still able to make her feel at ease. “Thanks, B.B.B.F.F.”

“Any time,” he said, gesturing towards the double doors. “Shall we?”

She nodded, and with wavering determination, followed him towards the doors.