The Devil You Know

The study was a small affair, covered in oak panelling with a few paintings covering the walls. A long table covered by a map of Equestria dotted with red and blue flags dominated the room. At the far end, a set of glass doors led out to a veranda with sunlight streaming in from outside.

What drew Twilight’s attention was just who was in the room with her. The last thing she had expected was for some of the most famous (and infamous) ponies in all of Equestria to be present.

To one side stood Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts and Air General of the Pegasi. Her blue leather armour and bright yellow coat were famous across Equestria in recruitment posters. Her fiery orange mane, which was usually hidden under her helm, spilled free and unbound. Yet, her usually cock-sure grin of confidence was subdued. The pegasus barely registered the newcomers as they entered.

Beside her stood Knight-Commander Sunset Shimmer, leader of the Celestial Knights and second only to the Sun Princess herself. She stood resplendent in her fiery red plate armor, the great sword Lightbringer hanging by her side, almost as long as her whole body. Her red and orange streaked mane flowed down her shoulders like a fiery torrent. Those cyan eyes regarded Twilight with an intensity that took her aback.

“This is the one, eh? Are you sure about this?” she asked, casting a glance over to a figure lurking in the shadows.

“Oh yes,” came an impossibly soft voice that danced across the room like a giddy song. “My birdies are never wrong.”

It took a while for Twilight to locate the figure standing in the corner. The pegasus mare was garbed in black dress like she was attending a funeral, a curtain of pink mane concealing her face, save for her butter-coloured muzzle. Perched on her shoulder was a black-eyed raven that let out a caw, earning a titter from the mare.

Even Twilight had heard stories about Celestia’s reclusive spymaster, Madam Crow. The mare had risen to the highest echelons of power in just a few short years. Few had ever seen the mare in person, but her eyes were everywhere and always watching. Given her reputation, Twilight was surprised she was such a dainty thing. Yet Twilight knew that this mare was the reason the nobility were a mere shadow of what they once were. Everypony feared finding a black feather on their bed.

Being in the same room as her gave Twilight a terrible sense of foreboding about her survival prospects.

“Captain Armour,” Spitfire said, “I need you to come with me; we need to discuss the specifics of the upcoming mission.”

“Ma’am, permission to stay with my sister,” Shining said.

Spitfire’s tail flicked, and her wings fluffed at her side. “Denied,” she retorted flatly. “Don’t worry, Captain, you’ll see her again soon enough.”

He looked over to Twilight apologetically. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight assured with less than complete honesty.

He placed a hoof on her shoulder before trotting outside with Spitfire.

Great. Stuck in a room with Celestia’s protege and her chief assassin—what could possibly go wrong? A new knot of anxiety formed in her chest. Perhaps I’ll just have heart attack now and save everypony the trouble.

“Well, now with that out of the way, let’s get this over with,” Sunset said with a sigh. “Thank you for coming today. I apologise for the short notice, but this is a matter of vital importance. Please, have a seat.” She motioned to a lonely chair sitting beside the table.

Vital importance? Twilight didn’t like that sound of that.

“It’s… um… no bother. I am always at the princess’ service,” Twilight said, bowing her head. Sunset’s eyebrow twitched slightly while Madam Crow gave a dainty chuckle.

“I’ll cut to the chase, Miss Sparkle. You’re here because there is a task that requires your… expertise.” Sunset continued, “Your academic grades are impressive, diplomas in arcane engineering and arcane theory to name but a few. Were it not for your mediocre magical ability, you would have no doubt gone far.”

Twilight winced, yet Sunset’s eyes held no malice, just indifference.

Her horn glowed, causing a mechanical orb to drift up from a box at her hooves. “Do you know what this is?”

Twilight squinted at the orb as it settled onto the table before her. It was unusually large, the size of a pony’s head, and made from polished silver and brass, broken up into thirteen intricate concentric rings which surrounded a bronze orb at its centre. Inscribed into each ring were runes, similar to those used in Old Ponish, but much older.

“Oh, this is a Rumination Orb,” Twilight said while rubbing her chin. “A very old one if I’m not mistaken, pre-Canterlot era?”

Sunset smiled. “Very good. Could you open it for me, please?”

“Open it?” Twilight gasped. “This should be opened in Celestia’s school or at least a museum.”

Rumination Orbs were fairly common amongst the unicorn tribe; they were often used as toys to train foals in the use of telekinesis. Twilight had several she had used from time to time for fun, the more complicated the better. One function they had was also to store items valuable to the unicorn, usually magical artefacts. Because of this, opening older orbs meant they could have any manner of protection cast onto them. Magi liked to booby trap them with an often deadly collection of spells and cantrips.

“Just open it, Miss Sparkle,” Sunset repeated, her voice carrying a tone of impatient boredom.

“Fine, but if it blows up or the contents get ruined, I’m not taking responsibility,” Twilight snorted as she turned her attention to the orb.

“You have ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes! An orb this complex could take days!” She gasped.

“Then I suggest you hurry.”

Lifting it up in her telekinesis, she examined it closely. Most magi had an easily recognised passage or riddle engraved onto their orbs, should they ever forget its combination. In this instance, it appeared to be a riddle of some sort, written in a very obscure dialect etched into the sphere at the centre.

“Speak the answer and the Orb shall open.”

Urakez fi sylfaan. Makran et alef,
Balenir cruvanix Rex Aneir.
Felastrazir silaf Oryanti Raadef.
Gilazan vi straz Otygrafnir.
Tyx du val
Tyx syt val
Ednir Nyx

“May I have a quill, ink, and parchment?” Twilight asked.

Sunset’s horn glowed for a second, and all the items she had asked for materialised in front of her. She began scribbling down notes at a frenetic pace while the two mares watched in avid fascination.

Oh ho! So that’s what you mean. Very clever. Totally in her element, a wide grin spread across her face.

Wrapped up in the joy of the puzzle for several minutes, she began shifting each ring in sequence. Any hesitation or fear of what might happen if she was wrong was lost in the giddy thrill of it.

Slowly, two words took shape: UMBRA FORGOTTEN

The orb made a soft click as the rings slid away slowly, opening the sphere at its centre. Within the sphere was a finely crafted dagger made out of obsidian. The hilt was made of black iron, inlaid with red rubies. The blade was etched in blood-red runes that made Twilight feel uneasy just looking at them.

“You see! I told you she could do it!” Madam Crow cried, turning to a stunned Sunset. “Looks like you owe me fifty bits.”

“Impossible! Not even I could open Starswirl’s gambit,” Sunset gasped.

It was Twilight’s turn to gasp. “This was Starswirl's?! This is amazing! I thought all his artefacts had been accounted for.”

“Indeed they were,” a deeper mare's voice intoned from outside on the veranda.