- Read this story and all of its chapters in paragraph format with better editing, here:
- http://www.fimfiction.net/story/129684/the-trials
- This version of the story is heavily unedited.
- ----------
- "Is everyone in-tact?" Echo asked the group as they checked their bags.
- >"Yeah, everything seems to be in shape," Speck said, rummaging through her pack.
- >"Yep," Night Watch confirmed.
- >"Muh..." sputtered Mosina, still lying belly-side up on the floor, shocked.
- >Echo gave a sigh.
- "What did you do to her, Night?"
- >"Nothing, she's fine," Night Watch reassured, throwing her saddlebags over her back.
- >Speck walked up to Mosina, looking confused.
- >"Are you going to be okay?"
- >With that, Mosina snapped to attention and groaned, shaking her head.
- >"Pleh! She kissed me!"
- >She sat up and began spitting, ridding the foreign saliva from her mouth.
- >"With tongue! Pff!"
- >Echo threw an annoyed glare at Night Watch.
- >"Oh, come on. Live a little! You girls are too up-tight," Night Watch complained.
- >Rolling her eyes, Echo looked around their group to take inventory.
- "Everypony's got their weapons?" she asked, recieving nods and humms from the other three.
- >After her spitting fit, Mosina approached the golden hoof-claws she had tossed aside and put them on her forehooves.
- >"Fat lot of help these things did," she muttered.
- >"You can have my rusty sword, if you want!" Speck asked, coming up beside her and smiling.
- >"No, thanks, I--"
- >Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook and a brief, powerful tremor overtook the group.
- >As soon as the shaking had stopped, Echo gave a wide-eyed glance to the others before quickly drawing her sword.
- >Mosina and Night Watch crouched into a fighting stance, and Speck held her shield out towards the surrounding darkness.
- >"Is... is another one coming?" Speck asked through her barred teeth.
- "I don't know... it seemed heavier than the rumbling these guys made," Echo said, pointing to the dead spider corpse nearby.
- ---
- >However, no third giant spider came, and instead a light soundlessly ignited from one distant corner of the room.
- >Startled, the mares all turned to the spectacle.
- >Shining down from the ceiling was a bright, white light that traveled along the wall.
- >At the foot of the wall on the stone floor stood a large statue of an aged stallion.
- >Glancing to each other, Echo nodded, and the bat ponies took off in a gallop towards it.
- >After a short run, the light from their light crystals merged with the white light of the supposed spotlight.
- >The statue stood tall, the stallion sporting a large beard and a robed cloak.
- >Before Echo could say anything, her light crystal began to pulse as it had when she neared the knight statue from before.
- >She heard gasps around her, seeing Speck's and Night Watch's light crystal doing the same.
- >"W-what's happening?" Speck asked, backing up as if to get away from the pulsing crystal strapped to her shoulder.
- "I think the statue wants us to use it," Echo affirmed, approaching the base of the statue.
- >She felt the eyes of her companions on her as she slipped the crystal out of her pouch, placing it down.
- >Stepping back beside her friends, the crystal stopped pulsing before brightening ten-fold.
- >"Whoa," Speck crooned before moving to cover her eyes with a hoof, the rest of them following suit.
- >A high-pitched hum pierced the air, and the brightness finally receeded.
- >Lowering her hoof and opening her eyes, Echo gasped at the ethereal form that remained.
- >Standing in front of the statue was the old pony it portayed, seemingly made out of a silky, white-yellow light.
- >A heavenly sigh escaped his lips before his bright, pupil-less eyes opened.
- >Echo gulped, reluctantly taking a step forward.
- "H-hello," she whispered, unsure of what to say.
- >The light pony let out another sigh before bellowing in a slow, deep voice,
- >"Greetings, Night Guards. You have come fairly far, more than most, in the Trials."
- ---
- >Echo remained silent as he continued, her face struck with awe.
- >"You have defeated your first boss. Or, well, bosses."
- >She visibly winced.
- >"I am... The Builder."
- >His baritone voice echoed through the room, until silence swept over the group.
- >After a moment, Echo furrowed her eyebrows until she realized that the light pony was waiting for a response.
- >She opened her mouth, only for Night Watch to burst into a fit of laughter.
- >"Hahahah! What?! Really!" she guffawed in between her laughs.
- >Echo's mouth remained open, speechless.
- >Speck began to giggle, too.
- >The light pony gave a sigh, but it sounded more exasperated rather than divine.
- >"Why are you laughing?"
- >He seemed distressed, or disappointed.
- >"Come on! 'The Builder'? You could have at least gone with 'The Architect', or something!" Night Watch laughed.
- >The light pony groaned.
- >"You see, I would, but that's too cliche," he admitted, his voice significantly less dramatic.
- >Echo confusedly glanced to Mosina, who returned a shrug and blush while Speck giggled and smiled along.
- >"But 'The Builder' sucks! It sounds like a children's program, or something," Night Watch continued.
- >"Fine! What would you rather call me?" he responded, throwing a hoof up in annoyance.
- >Echo offered an apologetic smile.
- "Uh... I don't really think it mat--"
- >"Jerry!" Speck blurted out excitedly, hopping in place.
- >"Jerry? Really?" the light pony asked in a flat tone.
- >"I'm with Jerry!" Night Watch piped in, giggling.
- >"Alright, alright! You can call me Jerry," Jerry said, rolling his ethereal eyes.
- ---
- >Speck cheered. "Woo!"
- >"So, back to the Trials..." Jerry said sternly, casting an ethereal glare to Night Watch who only grinned back.
- >"You have defeated the great spiders, Floht and Ralkur. Most barely get up to this point."
- >Echo felt a sense of pride wash over her, glancing to her friends to see them all smiling.
- >"But it will only get tougher from here on," he asserted, dropping his gaze low.
- >"Have you encountered the shadow beings?"
- >A small sense of fear welted up inside Echo's chest, but she recovered and spoke up.
- "Yes. They're really tough and nearly took us out, several times."
- >Jerry let out a breath.
- >"They are relentless, yes. But they are an essential part of this test, and you will encounter them many more times."
- >He paused a moment to let it sink in.
- >Echo grimly nodded.
- >"And they will get tougher, too--they learn your tactics. Also, they don't die, they merely dematerialize only to reform later."
- >"But it is not the end of you, yet. Your skills in training and fighting are not the only things that will carry you."
- >"You are in this as a group. To be part of Luna's elite, you must know how to fight in harmony."
- >"Your limits will be stretched in the Trials."
- >With that, he raised his head to look to the heavens, and his voice faltered as though he were fading away.
- >Strands of light began to leak from his body.
- >"You will see me, again. But your Trials is far from over."
- >"The most important thing to do right now is find the others."
- >The bat ponies glanced at each other, dread overtaking them."
- >"Fear not, they are fine at the moment," Jerry reassured, lowering his gaze to the group again.
- >"But the longer you stay apart, the more danger you are in."
- >Finally, his body disintegrated, the light merging with the light surrounding them.
- >The mares all stood speechless.
- ---
- >Suddenly, a loud rumble vibrated through the room, causing the bat ponies to gasp and step back.
- >The wall behind the statue crumbled, revealing a small room bathed in a dull, golden light.
- >All of their eyes widened.
- >The room had two large, metal chests as well as a table with assorted items on top.
- >On each end of the room were two ornate, stone pedestals with a bright light shining down on each.
- >However, each pedestal housed nothing on top.
- >Nevertheless, Night Watch hopped up, excited.
- >"It's like Hearths Warming!"
- >She galloped to the room and its treasures, the other three ponies glancing to each other before following.
- >Echo passed by one of the pedestals while Mosina and Speck ran past her, noting the name "Wind Ruler" embedded into the stone.
- >Curiously, she walked past the looting ponies towards the other pedestal.
- >Carved onto its front was the name, "Keel Regalia".
- >"Hey, Echo! A golden sword here, for you!" Mosina called.
- "Great!" she called back, turning towards her companions.
- >However, a loud whine burst in the air and the room flashed a bright white.
- >Echo dropped to the ground on instinct, hearing a collection of gasps from her friends.
- >As soon as the phenomenon had occured, it left, allowing Echo to slowly stand up.
- >She looked to Mosina in front of her, who was giving an awe-struck gaze past her, at the pedestal behind.
- >Speck and Night Watch had the same expression, before Speck began to walk towards it.
- >Curious, Echo pivoted to see what they were looking at and gasped.
- >Sitting in the light above the pedestal was a large, rectangular shield.
- >Its dark, purple surface was polished to an immaculate shine, trimmed with lighter purple embroidery.
- >Elegant but formal lines were grooved on the face, each of them coalescing into a slitted-pupil eye at the center.
- >The sign of the Elite Night Guard.
- ---
- >Speck walked past Echo, stopping in front of it.
- >"That... That is Umbra, is it not? The metal," Mosina whispered breathlessly, coming up beside Echo.
- "It's so..." Echo trailed off, speechless.
- >"...Keel Regalia," Speck whispered, stepping up on her hind hooves and grabbing the shield with her front hooves.
- >With a few grunts, she pulled it down, its rectangular face enough to cover almost half of her entire body.
- >"Guys! Whoa!" Night Watch gasped, dropping a golden spear and catching Mosina and Echo's attention.
- >She pointed to the other pedestal at the other side of the room. "Look!"
- >Standing upright--somehow without support--was a great spear, made of the same elegant metal.
- >Its shaft was a deep purple, and its long blade a lighter one.
- >At the base of the blade was an emboridery eye, similar to the one on the shield.
- >From the eye projected two small hooks that protruted outwards at each side, almost looking like a trident.
- >"Is that... that looks like a ranseur!" Mosina gasped, leaping over a chest and running towards it.
- >"A what?" Night Watch asked.
- >Almost greedily, Mosina snatched it into her forehooves.
- >She examined the weapon closely as Echo walked up.
- >"Kind of like the spetums we use in the Guard. Except, not as bulky."
- >"I thought they were just spears," Night Watch pointed out, plainly.
- >Mosina glanced to the pedestal.
- >"Wind Ruler..."
- >She ran her hoof down the length of the ranseur's pole, feeling engraved, swirly lines that seemed to resemble flowing air.
- >"This... these are no ordinary equipment."
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