//------------------------------// // Illusions // Story: Trial of Errors // by Amethyst-ACE //------------------------------// When ACE regained his sight, he was nowhere. No buildings, no streets, not even a sky. Everything around him was dark, and there was a thick dark colored mist that obstructed his view. Was this a trial also? It was so different from the other two. Maybe the last pony Monochrome had saved was just flat up strange, which concerned him. He didn’t think he was going to meet a pony that was stranger than Digital Link. ACE chuckled to himself at the notion. ACE began to hear hoof steeps slowly approaching him from behind. He was really getting sick of Monochromes creepy come in from behind style. He turned to face who was approaching him, but it wasn’t Monochrome. It was a dark blue pony with short yellow hair. The tips of the yellow hair were dyed red. The dye looked loose and wet almost as if blood was dripping from his hair. The pony was a unicorn that was obvious, but there was definitely something off. Getting a good look at the pony’s face ACE noticed that his eyes were almost completely greyed out. They were empty and lifeless, and his entire body radiated the wicked looking black misty aura that the other villains of his challenges had given off. “Who are you?” ACE demanded, “Were you a candidate?? “A what?” The unicorn’s voice was cold and as lifeless as his eyes. “What is your name?” ACE inquired. “Why do you have that aura around you?” Suddenly the stranger began to laugh. The laugh was dry and wicked matching his accent and tone of voice. “I have had many names throughout my lifetime. ‘The Pony Grim,’ ‘Slendercolt,’ ‘the Illusive One,’ ah the list goes on and on. If you must know my name is Endermen.” “Endermen then…Why are you here?” “So many questions” Endermen spat out coldly. “I am here to stop you. You have the potential to harness the one power in the world that can stop my plans, and I’m going to make sure that does not happen.” “You and what army Endermen?” ACE spat back. The colt thought for a moment that he might have just found the one person in the world more irritating to him than Monochrome. Endermen let out another cold laugh. “Who needs an army, when you have what I have.” “And what is it you have?” ACE inquired now fully annoyed with Endermen. “A position of power” as Endermen said this, his horn began to glow a black shade almost the same as Monochromes. Another pony stepped out from the mist behind Endermen, ACE’s eyes shot wide open. It was Lilly. Lilly’s eyes were closed, her body and her mane were a darker shade than normal and her entire body radiated the same aura as the timberwolves and the pegasi. The same aura that was present at every one of ACE’s trials, and which practically gushed out of Endermen, who was clearly its original source. “Do you understand now my friend? I’ve been sabotaging your trials since you started them, of course I seem to have underestimated your abilities and your courage, but every pony has something that they fear, and it would seem I found yours.” ACE’s entire body flashed green; he returned to his true form of Amethyst and hissed loudly at Endermen. Endermen didn’t budge; in fact he was almost amused. “All bark and no bite. Were you expecting to take me by surprise? I saw that little stunt you pulled during your second trial. It was impressive, but you’ll need to do a lot more to intimidate me.” “That’s because there’s only one thing you fear Endermen.” Amethyst sighed. He recognized the voice, and the trademark ‘coming up from behind you’ style of Monochrome. “You fear me, the one pony in this world with more knowledge and power than your own.” Endermen took a few steps back as Monochrome approached the changeling. “This is my final trial Monochrome?” Amethyst hissed to the white unicorn. “Is this some kind of a joke?!” “This was not meant to be a trial Amethyst, it wasn’t even meant to happen. Both Endermen and Lilly slipped into your subconscious without my even knowing.” “Well what do we do now?” Amethyst demanded to know. “I refuse to fight or hurt Lilly.” “This is why you will leave Lilly to me, and take on Endermen yourself.” For such a suicidal plan Monochrome sure had a calm atmosphere about him. “Are you crazy?!” ACE responded. “You just said you’re the only pony able to overpower him.” “I know what I said” Monochrome replied. “It’s true I’m the only pony that can beat him. Then again, you’re not exactly a pony are you, or a changeling for that matter. He will underestimate you, and that will be his downfall.” Amethyst groaned. Monochrome was starting to tick him off again. “Fine.” he spat out. Amethyst ran his front hoof backwards along the “ground” where he was standing. He took a deep breath and yelled across the area at Endermen. “Alright buddy, ready or not here I come!” Amethyst sprinted towards Endermen at full throttle, determined to end the fight as quickly as he could. “Oh please,” Endermen laughed to himself, amused by Amethyst’s plan, or apparent lack thereof. “Why fight you myself when I can make you tear your beloved Lilly apart.” Suddenly Lilly’s hooves were engulfed in an unbreakable black magic, pinning her where she was. Endermen glared at Monochrome who was maintaining the spell. “Because I’m not going to give you a choice in the matter.” Monochrome responded with an agitated blunt tone. Endermen snorted, eyes narrowing with fury. He turned to face Amethyst and his horn began to glow. “Fine, I’ll make quick work of the changeling, then deal with you when I’m done!” Amethyst began to shoot bolt after bolt of green energy at his opponent, but Endermen was shrugging them off like kindergarten spells. “Is that all you’ve got?” Taunted Endermen, who fired a single massive bolt of black energy back at Amethyst, but before the blast could connect Amethyst suddenly vanished. Soon after two Amethysts appeared, both shooting energy at Endermen. The unicorn continued to block the spells. When he went to fire again, he found himself darting his eyes between the two changelings in front of him, not knowing whom to shoot. “What’s the matter Endermen?” Both Amethysts taunted in perfect unison. “Are you starting to see double?” After that both of the Amethysts duplicated, resulting in 4 Amethysts all shooting bolts of green energy at Endermen. Endermen wrapped himself in a bubble of black magic as the Amethyst clones continued their assault. Four clones became eight, and eight became sixteen. Endermen had gotten fed up with the changeling’s parlor tricks. “Enough of this!” Endermen slammed his front hooves into the ground causing his shield to explode into a violent shockwave of magic. The army of Amethysts went flying, scattered in all directions as each illusion shattered and faded into the mist. The true Amethyst landed on his side and slowly began to struggle to his feet. “So that is the extent of your power young prince?” Endermen spat out the word ‘prince’ causing Amethyst to hiss to himself, irritated at the unicorns taunt, “You’re a controller. A manipulator. You bend a fight to your will, just like that poor Earth-Pony who so desperately believes you are in love with her. But you don’t love her, do you? Her love is food, it’s power, and it’s a means to an end!” “Don’t listen Amethyst!” As the changeling scrambled to his feet, he could hear Monochrome shouting to him. “Endermen thrives on fear and shame! Do not doubt yourself or you’ll only empower him!” “As if I needed you of all people to remind me why I’m fighting!” As Amethyst yelled back to Monochrome, the white unicorn simply smiled. He really doesn’t. Monochrome thought to himself. Amethyst glared at Endermen with newfound determination, who simply smirked, amused. “You still think you can take me insect?!” Endermen taunted. Amethyst didn’t respond to him. He simply began to charge at Endermen a second time. As he did his own voice rang out in his head, reassuring him with every step he took. I am Amethyst, a Prince to the Changelings I may not be a blood relative to the queen like my older brother But I am still her heir I’m the only one left to succeed her And I have not… Come this far… To die now… Amethyst’s body split and blurred repeatedly. One of him became two, then four, then eight, and he wasn’t close to done. Endermen covered himself in his bubble of black magic again, lying in wait to disperse them all again. “You can do this as many times as you like insect, but it’s not going to work!” Endermen raised his front hooves into the ground but just before he could slam them down, every single Amethyst in the area, he, his clones, every one of them, all simultaneously vanished. Endermen lowered his shield and desperately looked around, but all he could see was Lilly, and Monochrome who was continuing to keep Lilly locked down. Suddenly the sound of buzzing slowly began to fill the area. It started off soft but quickly escalated to a very loud, very potent noise. Endermen looked up, and what he saw shocked him. No, this wasn’t shock…He was afraid. Amethyst had duplicated himself two thousand times. He had never made this many clones before in his entire lifetime, and he would probably never be able to make this many ever again . Two thousand and one changelings buzzed overhead above Endermen who could do nothing but stare in bewilderment at the sight. Suddenly each and every changeling’s horn began to glow the trademark bright green aura that all the changelings had. The real Amethyst smiled proudly and began to laugh. “This is a trick I picked up at the Canterlot Wedding.” He said with a smirk Amethyst pointed at Endermen and released a loud hiss. Every single clone lit up bright green and dove headfirst at the unicorn, exploding upon contact with the ground below. Two thousand explosions later Endermen was left lying on his back, charred, overwhelmed and defeated. As the world began to fade to a blank white slate Monochrome released Lilly, who toppled over on her side completely unconscious. Amethyst rushed to her side as she slowly began to wake up, her body and mane slowly returning to their natural color. “ACE?” Lilly looked up at Amethyst her eyes half open. “Yes Lilly?” Amethyst replied. “Can I wake up now? I’m not sleepy anymore…” Lilly’s eyes slowly shut as she lost consciousness. Amethyst smiled at her as she went back to sleep, and he stood up to face Monochrome. “I don’t think there’s any trial you can throw at me that will be harder than what I just had to go through, so can we call it a day?” For the first time since they met, Amethyst saw Monochrome smile. Not a smug smirk or anything sarcastic, but a full, warm, happy looking smile…it was weird looking.