//------------------------------// // The Tower of Mirrors // Story: The Kingdom of Everfree // by HeartlessSpartan //------------------------------// The Tower of Mirrors Basil stood atop the great pillar which served as his prison cell. He looked down over the edge to see the creature curled within its magic cell. Basil lunged from the edge of his pillar, falling straight down onto the dome. The magic barrier failed to break. Basil flailed in a panic to take hold of something as he slid downward. The dome was too smooth to hold on to, within was the wicked creature with a sinister smile on his face. “You filthy liar!” Basil cried out as he slid off the dome to see the open abyss below him. To his surprise however his vision was blinded by a flash and he landed onto the floor of a path that ran through the chasm. The creature slithered through the air and hovered above him. “Now I’ve been called a liar, a cheat, even a grotesque monster, but I’m certainly not filthy. I think it’s you who is in need of a shower,” the creature said, snapping his fingers making a storm cloud appear above Basil and rain on him. “What are you!” Basil demanded to know, drawing his blade. “What am I? How about who am I? I am Discord!” the creature exclaimed as he pushed the cloud away with his claws and snapped his fingers to magically dry Basil’s rain soaked cloak. “Am I supposed to know something here?” Basil asked. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?” Discord asked, standing in front of Basil. “No, is there a reason I should?” Basil replied. “None that concern you, I can’t believe I’ve been forgotten. How long has it been since they trapped me down here,” Discord said as he paced back and forth on the path. Basil watched Discord, wondering what his options were. He already tricked him to jump nearly to his death. However this creature could also prove to be most useful as a means of escape, even a weapon against his captor. He’ll have to remain cautious while dealing with this one. “So then, Discord. Do you know a way out of this place?” Basil inquired, sheathing his sword. “Indeed I do my little pony, however we can’t go out the front. As if a dog with two heads wasn’t ugly enough they had to put three on it, seems like something I would do,” Discord said, giving Basil a pat on the head and receiving an angry glare in return. “Well alright then, I suppose there’s always more than one way to escape a prison. We’ll just use the back door. Do you see that small pedestal way down below in the chasm?” Discord asked, pointing down into the abyss. Basil peered over the edge to look into the darkness below them. Discord wasted no time giving him a swift kick in the rump, sending Basil flailing over the edge. “Damn you!” Basil shouted as he fell. Basil’s vision turned to black as he fell, though it wasn’t long before he landed on a solid surface even harder than the first time. He stood up and watched Discord slither through the solid stone ceiling above him. “Now why did we end up here?” Basil asked angrily. “Tartarus was designed so that even if you tried to escape you’d only be teleported a cell in another prison. I suppose it was their way of minimizing the baddies who broke out of their bubbles,” Discord said with a laugh. Basil watched as Discord walked around the perimeter of the stone room scraping a claw against the stone. He stopped as soon as a section of the stone shimmered orange like it was some sort of energy. Discord simply clapped and made a thick wooden door appear and opened it into a hallway. “Ladies first,” he said, waiving Basil out the door. Basil walked out followed by Discord into a long hallway that followed a bend out of site. Discord walked with his head held low below the ceiling and walked with his elbows sticking out his sides. Basil was forced to follow behind the strange creature down the hall past several other cells with walls that could be seen through. Most were empty, but those that weren’t contained the dust and bones of long dead creatures. “So, what are the chances my companions are within this prison as well?” Basil asked as he followed at an extra distance to avoid Discord’s long scaly tail. “There are several other ponies among the creatures of the dark in these halls,” Discord replied. “How do you know that?” Basil suspiciously inquired. “Magic!” Discord said waving his arms out his sides for emphasis. “What of the pony who imprisoned me? His name was Marcus,” Basil said as Discord lead him through one corridor after the other. “I’m sure that vermin who left me to rot in my dome is still here. He didn’t expect my magic to work outside the magic barriers after being trapped for so long. I can’t physically leave because there is still magic in place to prevent me from doing so,” Discord explained. “Well, you help me find my companions and I help you escape,” Basil said. Discord whisked around and picked Basil up by the scruff of his cloak saying, “Listen closely and listen well, my little pony! Any being with such power as my own does not stay locked up forever, and is not here without good reason. Now, you will continue onward until you reach the standing lake overlooking the tower of mirrors. Embedded within that tower is the source of magic preventing me from leaving. Destroy this and I will ensure your ‘companions’ make their way to you. Understood?” Discord snarled his orders directly in Basil’s face. “Quite!” Basil uttered. Discord snapped his claws and disappeared, dropping Basil onto the floor in a cloud of dust. Basil stood, now questioning his alliance with this creature, but he also knew he stood little chance against Marcus without everyone else. He continued down the path Discord had lead him on, hoping it was the right direction. It had taken some time and guesswork but it became abundantly clear what Discord had meant by a standing lake overlooking a tower. Basil had entered a great underground cavern. On one side the entire wall was an underground lake, held in the air by some kind of magic. The opposing wall dropped down into a massive dark chasm. The wall of the cavern opposite of him was covered with stairs, paths, and balconies equal to the side he entered from. In the center of it all was a cylindrical tower standing from floor to ceiling, lit by many glowing crystals on the outside. Basil made his way through the cavern to the base of the tower facing the lake where two heavy stone doors seemed to open automatically at his presence. However something far more disturbing had caught his attention. The lake behind him emanated a sound reminiscent of rolling thunder throughout the cavern. Basil looked behind him, beyond the barrier that held back the lake waters was a colossal serpent curled up in a state of slumber. Basil convinced himself to move onward, but couldn’t help but wonder how such a creature could be captured. Entering the tower, the stone doors shut behind Basil. His next challenge, climbing many flights of stairs until he found whatever source of magic Discord had spoken of. At the top of each winding stairwell was an inner room, lined with nothing but the light crystals, and large mirrors. Basil walked slowly through the mirrored rooms; he found it very strange to see himself looking back at him from every direction. About halfway up the tower Basil noticed something particularly unusual about the mirrors. He walked up to one and looked closely at the image in it. At first he just saw his own reflection, but soon his appearance faded to reveal what almost looked like a beautiful painting of a summer lake. Except that it wasn’t a painting, the grass and the trees moved as though there was wind, the water rippled and the clouds traveled across the clear blue sky. “Magnificent aren’t they?” Marcus said as he walked from the stairwell to the next floor with a double headed war axe. “You!” Basil said angrily, drawing his blade. “Me? Why do you draw your blade friend? It’s not as though I would hurt you after you wouldn’t stay where I put you. No, that would be too easy. I’m going to enjoy killing you,” Marcus said with a devious smile while hefting his axe. Basil knew there was very little he could do, he could either fight or run. So Basil ran from Marcus’s heavy swings and up the next set of stairs. He could hear the axe break through the stone floor behind him. “Run and hide green eyes! I have all the power I need to tear this place apart in order to find you,” Marcus yelled up the stairs. Basil ran up through the tower, searching for the source of the magic. For a moment he thought that Discord had lied, and set him up to die, but he found what he was looking for. On one side of this room of mirrors was a great glowing crystal far larger than the ones he had seen before, it had veins of energy flowing from it and down the rest of the tower. Basil swung his blade desperately at the crystal to try breaking it, and done nothing but scratch it. What happened next was most unexpected. Marcus flew up the stairs, grabbed Basil by the tail, twisted and flung him across the room into a mirror, shattering it to pieces. “You are such a fool. This amulet grants me the pride of all three races!” Marcus yelled. “I can fly!” Marcus yelled, hovering in the center of the room, watching as Basil attempted to stand. “I can shoot!” Marcus yelled again as he swung his axe and fired a bolt of magic off the tip of the blade. Basil leapt out of the way as the bolt of magic blew a hole through the wall. Marcus landed in front of Basil and picked him up by the neck. “… and I have the strength to defeat an army. What are you, just a lone earth pony in tattered rags with a hopeless dream? I could have had everything had your companion not gone looking where he didn’t belong. The troll I lured to the castle may have failed to kill you but I will not,” Marcus declared as he held the axe blade to Basil’s neck. “Is the pride of all our races fated to always be treated this way?” Basil asked as his body grew weaker with pain. “As those who are more powerful deem fit,” Marcus said, holding Basil out and pulled his axe back to swing. Two bolts of magic came through the hole in the tower striking Marcus in the side and pushed him across the room. Basil dropped to the floor and looked up to see Regina carry in both Sombra and Starswirl through the hole and set them down. “Basil, you had better never call me fat again because these two are heavy!” Regina shouted angrily as she helped Basil up. “You’re all here,” Basil said with a smile, picking up his blade from under broken glass. “Quite the reunion isn’t it. You creatures certainly have a knack for screwing things up don’t you? We’ve got the fool, the beast, the nut, and the liar. The only one that’s missing now is the coward that ran away,” Marcus said with a laugh. Basil stood up next to Regina with Starswirl and Sombra on either side of them. “Can we kill him already? This guy is really starting to piss me off!” Regina said, bearing her claws. “Likewise,” Sombra added. “Wait!” Starswirl said with caution. Marcus gradually rose up in the air, hefted his axe over his shoulder charging it with magic, and smiled.