Trials 25

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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>With a little tug, Gloomie fit the white leather hood-cap over her head.

>"And that's it. This is all incredibly comfy."

>She twisted her body and stretched out her legs, feeling her new leather armour morph itself around her body.

>"Mmf..." purred a voice from behind her.

>"Night Watch."

>"White really shows your curves more," the ogling mare said, flashing a toothy grin at Gloomie who turned around.

>"I'm walking last in line from now on," Gloomie retorted, frowning.

>"I call being in the middle," Mosina edged in.

>Night Watch chuckled. "No fun. You guys are no fun."

>Mosina took a deep breath. "You all ready to move on?"

>She cast a glance to Gloomie in paricular.

>"Heck, yeah! I feel energized now, even after those darts."

>Gloomie practically hopped in place, her body movements notably silent. "Geez, I feel like I could run for miles in this thing!"

>"Ah, about those darts..." Night Watch interrupted, her brows lowering into a serious expression.

>She pointed to the sunken stone tile in the middle of the room that had triggered the trap. "Take a look at that pressure plate."

>"Huh." Curiously, Mosina walked over to it with a surprisingly giddy Gloomie in tow.

>Upon seeing the carved, laughing face on the stone plate, her eyes widened. "...Disturbing."

>"What is that?" Gloomie asked, finally standing still and dipping her head to examine the carving.

>"It's the same face that was carved onto the wooden keys we used to get to the giant spiders," Mosina answered, adjusting her spectacles.

>Gloomie pursed her lips. "Well that's dumb."

>Mosina looked to her with a questioning glance.

>"If all the trap plates are labeled with this, then we know what not to touch."

>"Hey, we fell for it the first time. This place might have more tricks up its sleeves," Night Watch pointed out.

>"Night Watch is right. We should be wary, regardless," Mosina agreed. "That being said, we should get a move on."

 

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>Night Watch grinned then rolled her eyes. "Fine. Which way should we go?"

>Mosina twisted her head to look at each entrance of the room, until her eyes settled on the purple powder she had sprinkled onto the floor.

>"I said we should go right, so let's go that way," she said, pointing towards the entrance to the right of the purple powder.

>"Alright." Night Watch began walking towards the dark passageway, her light crystal feeding into the hallway as she crested the door frame.

>Mosina followed after her with Gloomie trailing behind, the three of them barely able to fit through the hallway single-file.

>"Watch where you guys step," Mosina warned, her eyes scanning the walls, floor and ceiling all around her.

>"Hey, I'm first. If anything, I'll die first," Night Watch chuckled, earning a disgrunted sigh from Mosina.

>Several minutes into their uncomfortable walk between the rough, stone walls, faint sounds of skittering on rock could be heard ahead.

>"Hmm..." Night Watch's ears perked up as she stopped in her tracks, intent to listen to the noise.

>"What is it, Night?" Mosina whispered from behind, arking her neck and trying to peek over Night Watch's silver helmet.

>Nothing but darkness met them several feet down the corridor.

>Night Watch spoke slowly. "Sounds like... small creatures. Claws. Lots of 'em."

>Gloomie audibly shuffled behind them. "I hate claws."

>"But you're wearing claws," Mosina said, glancing behind her and perking up an eyebrow.

>"Yeah, but when they're on other creatures... ugh." Gloomie shook her head.

>"Let's move, but quietly. I bet we're up for something up ahead," Night Watch urged, beginning to walk again.

>Mosina followed, and Gloomie took a moment to compose herself before moving.

>Soon enough, they found themselves in a room not unlike the first they had encountered.

>The skittering was loudest, and it could be heard coming from all corners of the room.

 

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>Water was puddled on the floor, and the sound of rushing water could be heard beyond the opposite entrance.

>Mosina and Gloomie took their spots beside Night Watch, who had frozen in place.

>"What's going--eew!" Gloomie yelped, almost walking into a giant, slimy egg almost the size of her.

>Ugly blue eggs dotted with black spots filled the entire room.

>They lay in clusters and their shells were leathery, covered with slime.

>Night Watch slowly drew her spear, and Mosina did the same.

>Around the cluster of eggs in front of them, a group of lizard-like creatures with long claws were huddled in a group.

>Their eyeless heads featured long mouths with dozens of long, curved teeth.

>"Not these guys again..." Gloomie whined.

>Cracking her neck, she stepped forward.

>"I've got a bone to pick."

>She lifted up her front hooves and stomped on the ground, the white claws of her hoof-blades ejecting with a loud ring of metal.

>Mosina stepped forward, towards her. "Wait. They haven't noticed--"

>"Yaaah!" Gloomie cried, immediately launching herself forward at the reptillian creatures with her claws pointed forward.

>Several of the creatures turned her way, only for their faces to be sliced into four sections by her sharp blades.

>Two slumped to the floor immediately, followed by another two who were cleanly cut in half through their midsections.

>Finally, the rest responded, letting out gurgling cries and throwing their own bony claws at the white-clad bat pony.

>"Not a chance!" she yelled, blocking a blow from one creature with her right hoof-blades.

>She flicked her hoof and the blades sliced right through the creature's claws, following up with another jab from her other hoof.

>In a flurry of cuts, the creature was diced into pieces, followed by one next to it.

>A head was torn off, and then were the limbs of another.

>Blueish blood covered the tiles beneath the dancing Gloomie, diluting with the puddles of water.

 

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>Before long, the numbers thinned until not one creature was left standing.

>Standing on top of the pile of bloodied corpses was Gloomie, letting out deep breaths.

>Upon seeing the stupified and grossed out expressions of Night Watch and Mosina, she gave out a cheeky smile.

>"Heh... I might have over-done it."

>"Nyeh..." Mosina said, her face slightly greener than usual. "The smell... oh dear."

>Night Watch gave a grin. "You must be crazy in be-"

>A thin object flew past her, cutting her off and missing her head by mere inches.

>Without hesitating, Night Watch ducked and urged the others to do so.

>"Get down!" she screamed.

>Mosina followed, and Gloomie hopped off of the pile of bodies next to them, following suit.

>"Is it another trap?!" Mosina said, her eyes wide, scanning the blue room around them.

>"I don't know..." Night Watch muttered.

>A clicking noise echoed down from the empty hallway at the far side of the room from them.

>"Dodge!"

>The three bat ponies rolled in different directions, and a single crossbow bolt struck where Night Watch had just been.

>"Get behind something!" Mosina cried, standing up and stepping towards the dark exit.

>Gloomie ducked behind a pillar and Night Watch hid behind a giant egg, crouching low.

>"That's no trap," Mosina muttered under her breath, holding the Wind Ruler firm.

>Silence stretched for seconds that felt like hours, until another telltale click pierced it.

>"Raah!"

>She dodged to the right and swung her spear horisontally, a small gust of wind throwing itself in front of her.

>A crossbow bolt had flown itself into the path, the wind knocking it aside.

>Another click sounded that came much quicker than the last, and Mosina dodged again with a swing of her Umbra spear.

>Another gust of wind knocked an oncoming bolt away.

>"Mosina!" Gloomie called from behind her pillar. "Keep it busy!"

>Mosina shot her a knowing glance and nodded, dodging another bolt.

 

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>Immediately, Gloomie charged forward from behind the pillar, galloping with all her might.

>In less than a second, she made it to the other side of the room and put herself against the wall adjacent to the hallway.

>After another click followed by a bolt shooting out from the passage, Mosina leaped out and stormed down the hallway with her claws ready.

>However, she was met with total darkness, the light from her crystal failing to light up her surroundings.

>She glanced down, only to see it still shining--the darkness seemed too thick for it to penetrate.

>Another click--sounding much closer to her--sounded, and she dodged.

>A bolt flew past her, missing her by only a scant few inches of air.

>Blindly, she lunched forward with her claws, only to meet nothing.

>"Graah!"

>She continued her charge, until she was met with a pair of green slitted eyes that pierced through the darkness.

>"H-huh--"

>The eyes disappeared to the sound of a loud bang, and the darkness seemed to recede itself from around her.

>Whatever was just in front of her had disappeared into thin air.

>She turned back to the room, only to hear the clanging of metal weapons.

>"Dammit..."

>Gloomie charged back into the room, only to see a shadowy figure locked in a fight with Night Watch.

>A purple hoof-blade with a single long, curved blade clashed against the gold of Night Watch's spear.

>Space seemed to bend around the hooded pony, and the darkness that had filled the hallway seemed to follow them.

>Similar to the shadow ponies, long, snaking strands of blackness waved around its body.

>Mosina came from behind the figure with a calculated jab from her spear.

>However, right before her spear met them, it teleported away with another loud bang, the darkness dissipating.

>Above Night Watch, the pony re-materialized and flew down at her with its blade outstretched.

 

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>"Hrk!" Night Watch grunted, parrying the blade and following up with a jab, hoping to use the pony's momentum to fall into the spear.

>But before the pony met the blade, they disappeared again, another loud bang ringing the room.

>Gloomie heard them reappear behind her, and she didn't hesitate to swing her claws at them.

>Her white right claws met the purple blade, bright white and purple sparks exploding out from the contact.

>She threw her left claws, only for them to be expertly parried again.

>Despite only having one blade, the pony met her jab-for-jab.

>A gust of wind overtook the pair and Mosina leaped in, swinging her spear at the hooded pony.

>They let out a stallion-esque grunt as they parried the spear, the two Umbra weapons meeting in a display of purple sparks.

>Gloomie tried to intervene, but her face was met with the other outstretched hoof of the pony.

>Attached to their leg was a hoof-crossbow, and it was loaded.

>"Gaah!" Gloomie cried, throwing her right hoof in front of her.

>Her blade made contact with the wooden stock of the crossbow, knocking it aside and shattering it down the middle.

>The pony immediately retreated their arm and spun his body before clutching the weapon.

>He desperately backstepped from the quickly-advancing Gloomie and Mosina.

>"Nngh..." the pony growled, seeming like he was going to teleport again.

>"Oh no, you don't!" Night Watch screamed from the side, colliding with his figure and tackling him into the ground.

>She pinned him down with her hooves.

>Through his black aura, she looked straight into his green eyes.

>"Aux! What are you doing?!"

>He let out a grunt in response.

>Mosina and Gloomie came up to their sides, warily staring at the wrestling ponies.

>"You almost killed us!" Night Watch screamed, only to recieve more pained grunts.

>She pulled his hood off, and a messy black mane popped out.

>Gloomie's eyes widened and Mosina let out a gasp.

 

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>Black veins spread from his eye sockets along his grey furred face.

>Night Watch stared dumbfounded, only for her grip on him too loosen.

>The possessed Aux pushed her off and stepped back from the trio, giving them angry glares.

>However, instead of continuing to fight, he turned away and disappeared from the room in a loud bang.