The Devil You Know

Twilight froze. She knew that voice—it was Princess Celestia!

“Come and sit with me, and bring the knife with you, if you would, my dear,” she called, her voice soothing, like she was talking to her own foal. “Sunset, I would speak with her alone.”

“O-of course, Princess,” she said, a frown on her face as she gave humble bow towards the veranda. As she passed, Twilight was sure the temperature of the room had risen slightly.

“I had better be going anyway; my birdies are always chirping so,” Madam Crow said, rising to her hooves. “It’s been a pleasure, Twilight Sparkle. I’ll be sure to remember your name.”

Twilight swallowed dryly as the mare in black opened a passageway hidden behind a panel.

“Oh and Madam Crow,” Celestia called.

“Yes, Your Highness?” she replied, innocently.

“Take your bird with you.”

Twilight blinked as she noticed that the mare’s raven had vanished.

“Oh my, it appears I’ve been caught out,” she said, feigning shock. “Come along, Poe.”

There was a caw, and the raven fluttered down from above, landing on his mistress’ shoulder. “You ladies have a fun little chat now. It’s been a pleasure.”

With that, she was gone.

“Such a troublesome mare,” Celestia muttered. “Come along, my dear. I won’t bite.”

Trotting hesitantly out into the open air, she was confronted by a stunning view of the plains beyond, with the snaking blue of the river winding its way into the distance amongst the grassy plains and forests. From here, she could see columns of black smoke rising from the fires still raging in Ponyville and the surrounding orchards.

Sitting at a small table, with a dainty tea set laid out for two, was the Sun Princess herself. This close, Twilight could only marvel at the alicorn's beauty. Her alabaster coat was flawless, and her multicoloured mane and tail pulsed and shifted to their own rhythm. Her powerful wings sat at her sides, partially covering her cutie mark. She had a strange melancholic smile on her face as their eyes met.

“I used to enjoy the view out here,” Celestia said. “To see all I have made laid out before me. Now, it just reminds me of all I have lost.”

She let out a gentle chuckle, “Forgive the ramblings of an old mare. Come and sit. Would you like some tea?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Twilight stammered.

“Nonsense,” she replied, pouring her a cup. “After dragging you up here, it's the least I could do. Let me take that from you.”

She effortlessly grasped the knife in a golden glow, hovering it before her as she poured the tea from the teapot. Her gaze drifted over the knife, her expression unreadable, before she laid it to rest on the table.

Twilight sat opposite the princess and shakily took a sip of her tea, the soft aroma working wonders on her nerves.

“I must commend you, Twilight. Not even my protege Sunset has ever succeeded in breaking one of Starswirl’s puzzles,” Celestia said. “You are exactly the mare I’ve been searching for.”

“M-me?” Twilight stammered.

“Indeed, you probably have a hundred questions, but let me first ask you one,” Celestia said. “What do you know of the Mare in the Moon?”

Twilight blinked, taken aback by her question, for every foal knew the answer. “Legend says the Mare in the Moon is the dark shadow of the Nightmare that you cast upon Moon, your highness.”

A tiny, almost imperceptible grimace appeared on Celestia’s face.

“Very good, but not entirely accurate,” Celestia began, “Allow me to tell you a story, my dear pony.” The alicorn took a breath before beginning. “Many thousands of years ago, the land was plagued by the vile wickedness of the Umbra.”

“They tormented ponykind, delighting in the suffering they wrought upon their prey. The ponies looked to the heavens for salvation, but the old gods forsook their children, save for two—the daughters of the Sun and Moon—who chose to stand with their mortal brethren.”

Celestia smiled slightly at Twilight’s gaping, wide-eyed expression.

“They fell upon the hated foe with the fury of the Sun and Moon. Yet, it was not enough; the Umbra were endless and possessed evil magics not easily overcome. Thus, the younger sister made a pact that would turn their own strength against them. Using her newfound power, she and her elder sister drove the beasts back into Tartarus.

“For long years, all was well; the sisters raised the sun and moon each day, and ponykind flourished.” Celestia paused, her expression darkening. “Yet, resentment grew within the younger sister’s heart, her sacrifices forgotten and ignored. Ponies shunned her night and embraced the light of the day. It reached a breaking point, one night, when she refused to lower the Moon. The dark magic of the Umbra had corrupted her heart. She had become a living Nightmare.

“The sisters clashed, the younger throwing all the power she had taken from the Umbra at elder sister and those who resisted her claim. She cared not whom she slew. She had become an animal, existing only to butcher and destroy. In desperation, the elder sister consulted with the most powerful mage in the land to create a spell—one that would put an end to her sister's rampage. A trap was set, and the spell was cast, ripping her sister’s dark soul from her body and casting it upon the Moon. Thus, she became the Mare in the Moon, and the elder sister, torn by grief, entombed her sister's remains in a place only she could find.”

Twilight was silent, trying to process what Celestia had just told her. Celestia’s sister was the Nightmare in the old foals’ tales! She had banished her own sister, and ponykind had forgotten about it, casting it into myth.

“But it was not over. For you see, in the mage’s final words, he told the elder sister: ‘The chains that bind the Nightmare can be undone, for the stars covet their blessed child. On the night of the blood moon, the spell can be unravelled; one only has to follow the signs and be willing to pay the price.’

“And do you know what happens this very night?”

Twilight gasped, jumping to her hooves. “You can’t be serious!” she blurted out before catching herself, “um, Your Highness.”

“Indeed, you will travel to my sister’s tomb and awaken her from her slumber,” Celestia said. “She is our last card to play.”

“But there must be another…” Twilight began.

“There is no other way,” Celestia interrupted, her voice hardening. “I can protect Canterlot but not the ponies within. We cannot survive a prolonged siege. This must be done.”

“Surely there is somepony else, um, more qualified for such a task?” Twilight asked, absently pouring another cup of tea and gulping it down in one go.

“There is nopony else. You were the only one to succeed,” Celestia said, rising to her hooves. “Now, I suggest you go and prepare. Your brother and a small squad will escort you to the tomb in the Everfree Forest.”

“O-out there? Your Highness, I’m just a archivist. I can’t do this,” Twilight whimpered, cringing before the Sun Princess.

“But still you shall, my little pony. This is war. We must all do our part,” Celestia said, her motherly tone lost, replaced by the cold dispassion of a ruler.

“But the Umbra…”

“Do not fear, you will be well protected. My knights will take the field to provide you a distraction.”

Celestia moved to leave, motioning her to follow. “Come, I must assemble my pieces for this final gambit. Oh, and bring the knife with you—you’ll need it.”

“Oh fiddlesticks,” Twilight cringed before trotting after her.