- 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.
- ----------
- >"Hmm... would you guys mind stepping back?" Mosina inquired, drawing Wind Ruler from her back.
- >She stood up on her hind hooves, leaning on the polearm for support with her new silver armour.
- >While it didn't cover as much as Speck's heavy armour set, she was a fair bit more protected than before.
- >Shrugging, Echo and Speck backed up to give her space.
- >Night Watch sat behind them, pulling on the last piece of her own new, silver armour.
- >"Alright, here goes..." Mosina whispered to herself.
- >With a gasp, she slashed her polearm horisontally through the air.
- >Immediately afterwards, a strong gust of wind hit Echo and Speck, nearly blowing them back.
- "Aaah!" Echo yelped, wobbling a bit before falling to her haunches, Speck following suit.
- >"Sorry!" Mosina cried before looking to her polearm, incredulously.
- >"Geeze!" Night Watch hollered from her place, having felt the wind. "I told you we'd get super powers!"
- >Mosina giggled, looking back to her weapon.
- >"This is incredible! I... I feel so strange when I hold it. As if I could feel the wind, itself."
- >walking up to Night Watch, she held up her weapon, offering it.
- >"I suppose you want a swing with it?"
- >"Heh, sure," Night Watch said, accepting the weapon into her hooves.
- >Immediately, her eyes went wide.
- >"Whoa, this feels so heavy."
- >Curiously, Mosina furrowed her eyebrows.
- >"Really? It felt incredibly light, to me."
- >"It's heavier than that gold spear," Night Watch remarked, pointing to the golden spear slung across her back.
- >"Alright, here goes..."
- >With some strained effort, she swung Wind Ruler vertically with a loud cry.
- >Echo, who was standing some distance away, shrugged.
- "I didn't feel anything."
- >"W-what? Why won't it..."
- >Shocked, she swung it again, but to no effect.
- >"Hey, guys!" Speck suddenly called from beside Echo, holding out her new shield.
- >"Throw things at me!"
- ---
- >Suddenly interested, Echo turned from the distressed Night Watch and shrugged.
- "Hmm, sure," she said, picking up a nearby rock. "I wonder what this'll produce..."
- >She took several steps back to clear a short distance between Speck and her.
- >Reeling back, she tossed the rock straight at Speck, who lifted her shield to deflect the projectile.
- >Just as it connected, an unearthly pang rung out, causing an ethereal ripple of indigo light to wash over the surface of the shield.
- >Immediately afterwards, the rock shot away, almost smashing into Echo's face before she quickly dodged out of the way.
- "Aah!"
- >"Wow!" Speck exclaimed, looking up from the shield.
- >Mosina walked up to her after Night Watch had given up Wind Ruler.
- >"If my weapon has an elemental property to control air, I think yours has some sort of knack for... kinetics. Force."
- >"Eh?" Night Watch said
- >"For example, she could--"
- >Mosina cut off as Speck raised her shield and slammed it down into the ground.
- >As it connected with the rocky surface, a bright, indigo light flashed, followed by a screeching, unearthly bang.
- >Mosina, Night Watch and Echo were forced off of their hooves and thrown back, crashing into an empty weapon rack.
- >"Aah! sorry, guys!" Speck cried, running to her friends.
- "Ungh..." Echo groaned, slowly pulling herself off of Mosina.
- >Speck nuzzled Echo before being pushed away.
- "Next time, let's test super-powered weapons away from everyone else."
- >Mosina stood up, rubbing her forehead.
- >"That certainly has its uses in fights."
- >Night Watch shook her head, hopping up from the ground and rolled her shoulders.
- >"Now I'm excited to see what super weapon I'd get."
- >"Yeah, it looks like these weapons are attuned to us. Only we can wield them to their full extent," Mosina affirmed.
- "We shoud get going, soon," Echo piped up, checking her saddlebags.
- "Make sure we've got everything we need."
- ---
- >"Right." Mosina nodded. "Somepony should carry the golden claws. Seems wasteful to leave them behind."
- >"I can," Speck offered, picking up the hoof-claws. "I have a lot of space in my bags."
- "Also, that's four more health flasks, a new golden sword for me, a spear for Night Watch, and new armour for her and Mosina."
- >Looking around the room, she confirmed her list as each of her companions nodded to her.
- >She glanced to her old, silver sword, Night Watch's silver spear, and Speck's silver shield, resting on the ground.
- "I guess that means we've gotta leave behind old equipment we can't take."
- >Mosina shrugged, walking up beside Echo.
- >Tucked into her front pocket was her own light crystal.
- >"Let's move out, then."
- "Right."
- >With their newfound equipment, the bat ponies took off in a brisk gallop across the large room they had fought the spiders in, back to the entrance from which they came.
- ------
- ~EQUIPMENT~
- Echo:
- -Gold Sword
- -Iron Dagger
- -Black Leather Armour (mod: iron plates)
- Night Watch:
- -Gold Spear
- -Iron Dagger
- -Medium Silver Armour
- -Medium Silver Helmet
- Mosina:
- -Wind Ruler (Umbra Ranseur)
- -Iron Dagger
- -Medium Silver Armour
- -Medium Silver Helmet
- Speck:
- -Keel Regalia (Umbra Rectangular Shield)
- -Heavy Silver Armour
- ~Misc~
- -Health Potion (x9.5)
- -Light Crystal (x10)
- -Map
- -Charcoal
- -Wooden Ring Pendant
- -Pouch of Purple Powder
- -Small Hoof-Shovel