Trials 20

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.

 

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>"And what does Speck's shield do?" Gloomie asked, walking alongside Mosina while staring at Speck at the front of the group.

>"I guess you can say it controls physics," Mosina answered, eliciting a furrowed brow from Gloomie. "You know, force. Gravity."

>Gloomie whistled. "Wow. That's kinda powerful, don'tcha think?"

>"It tires me out quite a bit," Speck called back.

>"Yeah. When I use Wind Ruler, I feel like my breath is leaving me," Mosina agreed.

>"And I pretty much blacked out when that big... monster slammed its hand against me." Speck passed a smile to Echo. "It's thanks to Echo, here, that I kept up."

>Echo returned a modest smirk and blushed.

>"Still, it's nice to know that we have ponies with super-powers in the group," Gloomie joked before letting letting out a throaty laugh.

>"Hey, guys, look!" Speck suddenly exclaimed, causing the rest of them to look forward.

>The group had walked into a fairly spacey room, and interestingly enough, the floor was tiled with smooth cobblestone.

>From their entrance, two large exit tunnels faced them at each opposite corner of the room.

>Standing at the dead centre of the room was the stone statue of the pony with the crossbow.

"Hey, that's the same statue as was one Night and I found early on," Echo pointed out, walking towards it.

>"Echo, wait," Night Watch warned, earning a curious glance from Speck. "This... doesn't seem right."

>"What's wrong, Night?" Speck asked.

>Echo had turned around and listened for Night Watch's answer.

>"Doesn't this seem ominous to you?"

"I... don't understand," Echo droned, her gaze hardening in confusion. "I think this entire cave network is ominous."

>"Look up."

 

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>All of the ponies craned their neck to look upwards at the tall ceiling.

>Humungous stalactites and large cracks caked the ceiling, as though it looked like it could fall apart at any moment.

>Night Watch shifted uneasily in her spot. "We should pick a path, quick. We might only get to pick one."

>The rest of the group looked at her like she were a ghost.

>For some reason, decisions seemed hard to make.

>Echo swallowed.

"Okay... let's just get out of here--"

>The light from all of their light crystals suddenly blacked out.

>In an instant, the group was left in complete darkness, as though something had been pulled out of their eyes.

>Speck let out a whimper, and Gloomie, Mosina and Echo let out startled gasps.

>That's when a distinct sound could be heard forming up, as though it were inside their heads.

>Wailing.

>Gloomie hopped in her spot, panicking. "Wh-what's happening!?"

>"The light crystals! Why aren't they working?!" Mosina cried.

"Guys! Use sound!" Echo ordered, her voice reverberating around them against the stone walls and floor.

>She began to click her tongue, the sound sending waves across the room.

>In a strange, sightless image, Echo could vaguely make out the ponies around her, the wailing still loudening.

>It sounded as though it were not interfering with her clicks.

>Speck had her shield at the ready, Mosina fumbled with her spear, Gloomie squirmed uncomfortably and Night Watch stood solidly still.

>Soon, the girls processed Echo's suggestion and listened to her clicks, painting an image of the room with their hearing.

 

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>Finally, as it had before their last encounter, the wailing noise ceased.

>The ponies were bathed in silence, save for the rhythmic clicking from Echo.

>"What... what's happening..." Gloomie whispered.

>"Shadow ponies," Mosina muttered next to her.

>All of their ears were perked up, listening intently to anything that might disturb the room around them.

>Gloome spoke up again. "Maybe we should--"

>A high pitched scream pierced through her words.

>Through the blackness, Echo could make out even darker strands of shadows snaking along the floor and walls.

>Despite her clicks, she could not make them out in her mind, until they coalesced into a single, corporeal body of a pony.

>Then a second, and a third.

>Her eyes widened as her clicks bounced off of their forms, allowing her to 'see' them clearer than she could with her eyes, before.

>It was as though they were surrounded by a dark, evil aura, and their body matter seemed to vibrate and shift constantly, if subtly.

>The wailing continued, but the bat ponies had already drawn their weapons at the ready, facing the monstrosities.

>"Not this time!" Speck screamed, charging straight at the snarling figures. "Aaah!"

>"Speck!" Mosina cried, running after her.

>Night Watch, Gloomie and Echo charged after them, weapons ready.

>That was, until a fourth form appeared behind them.

>Echo didn't have to turn her head to hear it coalesce.

"Gah... I'll hold this one off!" she cried, skidding to a halt on the tiled floor and turning towards it.

>Night Watch gave a knowing nod before throwing herself into the fray.

 

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>"I'm getting really tired of your shit!" she yelled, running up to one of the shadow ponies and swinging her spear at it.

>With both of its arm-blades, it parried the golden spear with ease until Night Watch quickly retracted it to make another quick jab.

>The shadow pony was too slow.

>It let out a loud shriek as the blade sliced into the right of its jaw.

>Golden sparks flared out from the contact, bathing the room in a brief, golden flash.

>Bathed in darkness again, Night Watch let out a few clicks to gather her bearings.

>Before she could pull away, however, the shadow pony knocked the spear out of her hooves before pouncing on her.

>She gave a blind kick to its indistinguishable body, luckily knocking it to her side.

>Honing in on her spear, she leaped at it and grabbed it into her forelimbs, pouncing back towards the creature.

>She flew through the air and flared her wings out, her spear in front of her.

>The unlucky shadow pony tried to knock away her spear before it met its body, but she had too much momentum.

>"Graah!" Night Watch snarled as her spear pierced straight through its chest, golden sparks igniting inside of its body.

>It wailed loudly in pain as she twisted the shaft, causing more gold sparks to spark outwards,

>However, with a sudden surge of strength, it forced its body forwards, digging the spear even deeper.

>Helplessly, Night Watch tried to pull her spear out, only for the shadow pony to climb down her own spear at her.

>When it got close enough, it let out a scream at her before reeling back its arm-blades to mince her...

>...Only for the arms to get lopped off in another burst of golden sparks and fall to the floor.

>Gloomie strafed past the shadow pony through the air, her hoof-claws held in front of her.

>"Thanks for the boost, Speck!" she called back to the heavily armoured pony, who had her shield held in front of her.

>Another shadow pony was hot on her trail, its arm-blades slicing through the air at her.

 

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>"W-warn me next time!" Speck cried, turning to fend off the third of the shadow ponies.

>Grateful for the assist, Night Watch turned back to the screaming shadow pony in front of her.

>"Fuck..." She tugged her spear sideways, causing it to slowly rip through the shadowy flesh. "You!"

>The whole left side of the shadow pony burst open with an explosion of gold light, almost blinding Night Watch.

>It immediately ceased screaming, toppling over onto the floor.

>As it hit the ground, its body shattered into the smoky strands of shadow before retreating from the room.

>Her eyes still open, Night Watch noticed that the room seemed a little brighter, the light crystal on her chest giving off a faint light.

>"Hey, I can sort of see, now!" Gloomie called out from her side of the room, still being chased by a shadow pony.

>"Gloomie, watch out!" Mosina cried, running towards her. She swung the Wind Ruler at the chasing shadow pony. "Hah!"

>A strong gust of wind forced the shadow pony to stop.

>With another strong swing of her pole-arm, she sent a powerful wave of air at it, sending it flying backwards.

>Gloomie came up beside her. "Think you can launch me at it?"

>Mosina blinked. "Er... yeah. Flare out your wings..."

>Gloomie did as instructed, and Mosina lightly swirled the Wind ruler.

>"Here goes...!"

>She swung it in a horizontal arc over Gloomie, and a rolling wind immediately took over.

>With her wings flared out and the wind pushing from behind, Gloomie pushed off of the floor.

>As soon as she was airborn, she felt the wind guide herself through the air, and pick up speed.

>Straight ahead of her was the recovering form of the shadow pony.

 

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>"I don't know who you are..." Gloomie muttered under her breath as she quickly approached it. "But you're... uh, ugly!"

>With her golden hoof-claws in front of her, she smashed straight into the shadow pony.

>Her claws immediately dug into the front of its neck, the gashes in its flesh glowing yellow from the contact.

>It wailed before quickly spinning in its spot, sending its arm-blades in a vertical swing at her.

>Nimbly, Gloomie hopped over them and landed on the other side of the shadow pony.

>"Raugh!" she snarled, strafing towards it. She twirled her body, her deadly claws spinning through the air.

>They connected and gouged into the shadow pony's flesh, clipping off one of its arm-blades from the base in the process.

>Desperately, the shadow pony swung again with its only arm-blade, but she dodged expertly again.

>She ducked and slid underneath, coming up to the belly of the shadow pony.

>With her hoof-claws at the ready, she jabbed and jabbed upwards, her claws eating away at the flesh ery quickly.

>Each strike sent more sparks outwards, the golden metal burning the shadows.

>Finally, it stopped wailing, Gloomie having done enough damage to its body.

>Immediately, the shadow pony began to melt into the air, its body almost nearly sawed in half.

>"Yeah! That's how you do it!" Gloomie exclaimed, pushing herself up and punching into the air.

>The room brightened a little further, another shadow pony having been defeated.

>At the other side of the room, Speck expertly blocked another blow from her shadow pony.

>She effortlessly blocked every attack from it, and it seemed to only anger.

>"Give up already!" she cried, only for the shadow pony to scream in rage.

>Relentlessly, it swung its arm-blades, each strike deflecting off of the Keel Regalia in a purple flash.

>"Alright, that's it!" Speck warned, suddenly pushing herself fowards.

>Helplessly, the shadow pony tried to block with its blades, but her shield smashed straight into it.

 

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>Like a freight train, she sent it backwards, slamming into the wall behind it, hard.

>Ominously, the ceiling shook, but none of the ponies in the room noticed.

>The shadow pony leaped up and reluctantly faced Speck again, her shield proving difficult to bypass.

>Mosina came up from the side, her pole-arm pointed forwards.

>"Haah!" she cried, a gust of wind announcing her presence.

>The force caused the shadow pony to stumble, unable to block the Umbra spear.

>It pierced straight into its side, indigo sparks erupting from the wound.

>Before it could respond, however, Speck came up from the front and slammed her shield into it again.

>She hit like a hammer, snapping its head backwards.

>Without even stepping back to ensure that the shadow pony was defeated, however, Gloomie came in from above like a missile.

>"Yaah!" she cried, her hoof claws slamming into the shadow pony's neck.

>Almost immediately, the shadow pony dispersed in a small explosion of shadowy strands.

>The final shadow pony in the room was locked in an intense blade fight with Echo and Night Watch.

>They flanked each side, fencing with each of its arm blades individually.

>Each swing rung through the air, and each blade that collided gave off a loud clang.

"Nngh, Night! let's face it from the front, together!" Echo called, blocking a slice from the long shadow blade.

>"Alright!" Night Watch answered, blocking a swing towards her.

>She hopped to the front of the shadow pony, meeting Echo who had strafed her way.

>Two shadow blades lunged forward, only to be blocked by a golden sword and spear.

>They returned an attack, only to be parried.

 

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>Echo stepped forward and slashed fiercely, the shadow pony using both blades to block her.

>Taking the opportunity, Night Watch thrust her spear between the blades straight at the shadow pony's neck.

>It slid one of its shadow blades down Echo's sword to block the spear, only to nick it.

>The spear cut through the side of the shadow pony's neck, and it let out a painful scream.

"Grr... no match for us, now!" Night Watch growled, jabbing again.

>This time, she pierced into the shadow pony's mouth, thankfully silencing the screams.

>That's when Echo and Night Watch felt wind from behind them, only to see the Gloomie-torpedo sail past them and straight at the shadow pony.

>"Wooo!"

>For the third time during the fight, Gloomie slammed into her target with her claws visciously held out.

>As she sailed past the shadow pony, three large, golden cuts were lined across its face.

>It weakened, allowing Night Watch and Echo to get their blades loose.

"Aaah!"

>In one synchronized swing, they sliced the shadow pony's neck.

>It crumbled, the corporeal flesh failing to hold together.

>The mangled body of the shadow pony fell, melting into nothingness before it hit the floor.

"Guh... that's the last of them...?" Echo asked through her heavy panting.

>She looked down to her light crystal, thankful that it was shining brightly again.

>"What's... that sound?" Night Watch whispered, almost to herself.

>The wailing had finally stopped, but a different sound replaced it.

>Gloomie touched down beside her, seeming no worse for wear, and Speck and Mosina ran up to them, panting.

>The sound gradually got louder, and the bat ponies curiously looked around them to see where the source was.

>However, it was through their hooves when they realized that the room was shaking.

 

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>As one, they looked up at the ceiling.

>The cracks had largened.

"Get--"

>A loud bang rung out, and the rocky ceiling collapsed.

>Giant rocks and stalactites fell, threatening to crush the ponies underneath.

"Aaah!"

>"Oh, geeze!"

>"Run!"

>"Fuck!"

"To the tunnels!" Echo cried through the noise.

>Taking the suggestion, each of the bat ponies ran for one of the entrances.