Chapter I
The knight overlooked the frozen tundra below, grateful that he had the foresight to get his armor enchanted before he left.
“Sure is cold out here, isn’t it, M’lord?” the knight’s squire said as he cantered up behind him.
“I am certain that it is,” the knight said, lost in thought. “Make sure to alert me if it becomes too cold for thee to bear, Fancy Feet. I would hate it if thou were to grow ill.”
Fancy adjusted his scarf, barely revealing the blue fur that lurked just underneath. The squire had bundled himself so thoroughly against the cold that he resembled little more than a pile of clothing with legs. “I’ll manage, sir. How much farther do you think it is?”
“I know not. All I know is what the witch hath revealed to us, which, if thou recall, was not much.”
Fancy nodded at that, though his movement wasn’t very obvious through the thick layers that the Earth Pony wore. “‘Follow Igneous until you reach a cave that breathes. There, in the deepest depths, you will find the Hall of Reflection.’ You sure you want to go through with this?”
“I am. We were too weak to overthrow Discord ourselves, and required the aid of two outside saviors to protect us,” the knight said as he drew Oathkeeper. “Not just I, but all of Equestria owes those two demigods a debt of eternal gratitude. Even after we made them our rulers, even if we were to serve them on bended knee from now until the sun dies, we could never repay them.” He took a second to stare at his reflection in the blade, his silvery full plate frosted over in the bitter cold of the north. “My honor demands that I become the bodyguard they deserve.”
“Right. Well, I’m still behind you all the way, sir. Lead on.”
The knight nodded his head at that, then sheathed his sword. “Come. It cannot be much further.”
The two ponies continued their trek in silence, the moon the only witness to their quest, and the star that they followed completely ignorant to their attention. After about three hours, the pair stumbled across the cave that they were searching for.
“Finally! Come on, sir, we can start a fire inside!” Fancy Feet said as he pressed forward. He was stopped, however, by a single, outstretched hoof from his master.
“Hold, Fancy. I do not think that is wise.”
“Why not, sir?”
The knight did not respond at first, choosing to instead draw his sword. “This place is sacred. A way for the stalwart to test themselves,” he said as he took a few steps forward. He then nodded to himself, his decision made. “Stay here, Fancy. I know not what dangers lurk inside, but they are dangers that one must face alone.”
Fancy Feet sighed at this, then took off his saddlebags. “Well, if you get hungry, sir, be sure to come back up for a spell. Don’t take too long, though, we only have enough rations to last us a week.”
The knight nodded again, then strode into the cave, the green aura that encased his sword his only light. “I will try. If I am gone for more than a day, however, I wish for thee to turn back to town.”
Fancy Feet nodded at that, but did not say anything.
At this point, nothing more needed to be said.
* * *
The knight traveled deeper and deeper into the cave, the whistling winds his only companion. He couldn’t make out much in the half-shadows that his aura cast upon the walls, but it was clear that this cave was not natural. The walls had been cut, and the floor was polished until he could see his own reflection. Not only that, but the grand staircases that led deeper into the bowls of the world were a dead giveaway, proving without a doubt that someone had lived here before.
Every so often he would pass a broken pot, or a ruined candlestick, but he would ignore them.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he found a raised dais, upon which stood a grand, golden-framed mirror. Slowly he climbed the stairs, his gaze locked on the mirror. As soon as he was level with it, he was able to see into its reflection.
He was surprised as to what it revealed. On the other side wasn’t a shadowy reflection of the room he stood in, but the reflection of some grand, brightly lit, circular hall. Positioned all around the circumference of the room were a number of mirrors, each seeming to contain swirling shadows that hinted at teeth and claws.
If there was something in the middle of the room, the knight could not see it, as the reflection of a stalwart, Starlight Pony in full plate mail blocked whatever that part of the room contained.
“What magic is this?” the knight whispered, reaching out for the glass.
Unexpectedly, his hoof seemed to pass through, creating ripples as if the surface of the mirror was water, rather than glass. He pulled his hoof back quickly, almost as if he had been burned.
He was fine, however, and had felt no pain from the experience. It had just unnerved him. “Is this… the Hall?” he asked uncertainly.
As there was nopony around who could hear his inquiry, his question remained unanswered.
“Well, the Spirits favor the bold,” he said with a nervous grin. Without another word, he dashed through the mirror.
It felt like he had dived into a frozen lake, while at the same time his blood turned to fire. The feeling only lasted a second, however, leaving him feeling disoriented and nauseous.
“Ugh... “ he groaned, barely keeping his lunch down. Stumbling a little, he managed to get back on his hooves, only to dodge to the left as a shadowy claw struck out at him.
“Luna’s mane!” he yelled as he brought Oathkeeper to bear. The sword spun in his magical grip, its blade cutting at the shadow’s claw. Surprisingly, the blade severed the limb, causing the indistinct creature to recoil in pain, howling in frustration. The claw dropped to the ground, oddly shattering into a thousand crystalline pieces, which in turn turned into nothing but smoke.
“Good, at least thou canst be harmed,” the knight said as he slowly circled the beast. His elation was short lived, however, when three more beasts stepped out of the mirrors around them. They each had a vaguely predatory form, looking like massive, shadowy beasts that were neither cat or gorilla, but rather something in between. However, any real definition to them was hidden behind the shadows that covered their forms.
The only things that he was certain of, however, was claws and teeth.
“Come now, dost thou not have any honor? A lone knight should be fought one on one!” he said, somewhat exasperated.
If the monsters understood his protests, they did not show it, choosing instead to rush the knight, attempting to overpower him with sheer numbers.
The knight just grinned at that, his horn glowing brighter as he prepared to defend himself. “Very well. Have at you!”
In a flash of green light, the knight’s sword duplicated itself into three, separate, identical blades. In an instant, the three blades sprung forward, twisting, turning, slicing and thrusting, turning the approaching monsters into nothing more than a fine powder.
His victory was short lived, however, as the knight felt something large and heavy crash into his side, sending him tumbling across the tiled floor until he finally stopped in the center of the room. Shakily, he got back to his hooves, then immediately gasped at what he saw.
Out of each mirror, except the one he entered through, came a shadowy horror.
The knight shook his head as he took up his weapon again, its form having returned to only one blade, his breathing ragged. Why is that? They only struck me once! he thought as his horn started to glow brighter. A glowing field of energy appeared at his rear, guarding him from assault from that direction. I shouldn’t be this tired. Why am I this tired?
The creatures didn’t wait for him to figure out the answer, however, and immediately pressed their assault. Back and forth he dodged, barely staying out of harm’s way as his sword went to work, keeping it in its singular form, since he needed the extra energy to keep his shield going. With a flick of his head, he countered a claw, thrusting his sword deep into the shadowy monster’s gut. His strike was not perfect, however, and had left his flank exposed. With a mighty roar, the creature on his left brought its claws down, tearing a rent in the stallion’s armor and cutting into the flesh underneath.
The knight gasped in pain. Even though the cut wasn’t that deep, it felt like he had been stabbed by a thousand, red hot blades. He screamed as the pain overtook him, causing him to collapse onto the ground as the beasts surrounded him.
No… no, it can’t end like this, he thought as the largest creature reached out and gripped his head. He closed his eyes as it picked him up, ready for what was to come next.
Then, unexpectedly, the whole room seemed to vibrate and ripple, almost as if a drop of water had fallen into a clear, still pond. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of shattering glass, causing the creature gripping his head to let go as it and its fellows screamed in pain. At the same time, the knight’s pain and exhaustion seemed to flee. In fact, the knight felt stronger than he had ever felt in his entire life.
With a cocky grin, he brought his sword up, slicing through the arm that, moments ago, had gripped his head. “I don’t know what that was, but whatever spell thou didst cast upon me hath been undone. Have at you!” he shouted, pressing his advantage.
The demons tried to fend off his assault, but they seemed to lack the same speed and precision that they had had before. In fact, with every passing second, they seemed to get weaker and slower, while the knight grew in strength.
In barely a minute, the knight had made short work of his enemies, leaving their broken forms strewn across the floor, only to quickly dissolve into nothingness.
The knight took a second to examine his surroundings. Of all the mirrors that once formed the walls to this place, only one remained unbroken.
Other than that, the room was empty.
“I guess I… won the challenge?” he said, somewhat confused.
Since no one was there to answer his question, he turned and left. He braced himself for the same, uncomfortable feeling from before as he passed through the glass, but was surprised when all he felt was the cool wind from the cave beyond.
“Huh, odd. I was expecting it to be colder,” he said as he made his way back through the caverns. On and on he walked, until finally he saw light up ahead.
This caused him to stop in his tracks however. When he entered the cave, it had been the middle of the night. At most, he had spent four, maybe five hours down there. Since it was the middle of winter, and he was so far north, the sun shouldn’t be showing its face for at least another four hours. “Hoy! Fancy Feet! Art thou playing a prank on me?” he said with a frown.
No answer.
“Fancy, I wasn’t gone that long, thou couldst have at least-” the knight started to say, but stopped when he exited the cave.
Off in the distance, the sun had peaked its head above the horizon, clearly in the noon position at this time of year this far north. “Huh, the trial must have taken longer than I thought. Hopefully Fancy Feet hadn’t stayed too long before obeying my orders.”
Without another word, the knight began his trek back towards civilization, following the lights in the sky towards the heart of the Crystal Empire.
If he had been a little more observant, however, he would have noticed the mummified hoof reaching out of the snow, perfectly preserved by the bitter cold that surrounded him.
Even if he had, however, he would not have been prepared for the secrets that that body hid.