The trials.....and they said playing to many games would never help you in anyway.....hehehehe....
As I stand on the platform which seems to be the starting point the way back collapses meaning that the only way out is at the end of this obstacle course.
“Alrighty then I guess finishing this is my only way out........”
A make a straight dart forward.....big mistake as the walls to the left and right of me start shooting darts at high speed towards me.
“Oh god this is bad.....Ruby if you’re there....feel free to pop in and help me here....”
I spastically start bobbing and weaving in hopes that I dodge all the darts which only works in half the way I wanted to for as I near the end of this part of the run I ended up with at least 6 darts in my back.
“Argh i’m too young to be a human pin cushion....”
I clear the dart trap part of the course and start to pull out the darts wedge in my back and soon head towards the next bit this time more cautiously and soon see that floor tiles are booby trapped with different things due to discoloration but makes me wonder to which is the right path to take......
“Alright um.....this one...no that one....no.....”
I give up and step on the green block which immediately clicks causing me to jump back and as I do the green block explodes.
“So green isn’t the way to go......I guess im going to have to try all of em....
I step on a red block which ignites on fire, a blue one which immediately summon spikes around it, and a black one which caused more darts to be shot at me.
“What the hell they're all deadly......”
“Everyone always gets stumped on that bit boy......don’t die too soon on me.” Clawfang says from his throne area as he starts to laugh then drinks from a jug next to him.
“If I can’t walk on the floor.....then maybe I can use the walls!” as I say this I immediately do a wall run which forces Clawfang to do a spit take “W-What......how did he?”
“Man am I glad I went to those Parkour lessons with Reese.....and Locke said it was a worthless thing to learn!” I laugh wholeheartedly after saying this.
I run over the tile traps and soon land on a weird looking rubber type floor pattern which starts moving like a conveyor belt.
“This is it....just trying to slow me down...unless...” I look back only to see a huge rock fall and start rolling forward “Figures....”
I soon kick into overdrive which causes smoke to come from the ground and slow the backwards motion of the floor and cause the rock to slow down as well..
“And they said running would never help me in any way!”
As I near the end I jump the rest of it then show off to the crowd.
“There is nothing that this obstacle course can do that I can’t handle!” with that said the crowd started roaring with cheers and remarks both of joy and anger from my boast...all of which forces Clawfang to say “Then you’re going to love this next bit....
I walk up towards the next trap and see a twisted walkway that seems to be similar to a rollercoaster.
“So I have to run this without falling off....seems fair...”
“Well that’s only part of what you need to do......but you’ll see that soon enough.” Clawfang said with a smile forming on his face.
I start running trying to clear the messed up path the fastest I can and soon start to hear faint cracking but I ignore it as I continue running.
“This is easy....I wonder why Pure was so worried.” soon as I stop talking the cracking sound is now louder.
I turn to see that the runaway is now collapsing and still going up towards me
“Oh thats what he meant....now I see why she was worried......”
With the destruction finally catching up to me I start to panic, but soon see that even though the stone path is falling the metal parts of it are still there left as a railing.
“This gives me a great idea.”
I grab one of the falling stones then quickly place it in front of me and turn it on its side and slide on the railing with it as a makeshift skateboard and as I do the adrenaline in me causes me to enjoy it much to Clawfangs displeasure.
“WOOHOO THIS IS AWESOME!”
As I approach a broken piece of railing I see that it continues farther away so I use the broken railing as a ramp and jump in the air and do a forward spin in the air, but something in me prompts me to say something else.....
“BACKFLIP!”
Clawfang soon speaks up as he sees me name my aerial move the wrong thing “But that was a frontflip boy,,,,” as he finishes I soon yell to him “I DON’T CARE........WHY DID I SAY THAT?”
As I stay on the railing I soon see the upcoming bit is made of glass and as I near it the railing gets less stable for me to stay on it and flicks me in the air.
“This could be bad....” As I say this I quickly try to think of something that can save me from falling off or through the glass.
Nearing the glass ever so closely I have decided to wing it and turn the board with the nose pointing towards the glass and ride the glass in an attempt to survive the run.
“AHHHHHHHHHH” is all I managed to say while riding on the glass and violently shaking with each piece that broke and I make it to the end barely in one piece
As I completely finish the run I still look back amazed on how I half assed that run.
“H-Ha that was e-easy....what’s left....” I look up as I finish and see Pure with a paper bag breathing in and out of it after seeing me just barely make it past the last trap.
“All thats left is for you to get out.....good luck.” immediately as Clawfang finishes the ground starts to break entirely.
“Oh come on!”
I look everywhere for a possible exit and soon I find the lift that will get me out, but the only problem left is getting to it.
“It never gets easier does it...”
Running around the breaking floor and avoiding lava that was bursting out I almost make it to the lift only to have the floor separating me from the lift to collapse.
“I’m getting a...you need to use the broken debris as a path across feel...from this...”
As i say that I start scouting for broken pieces of the ground to use as a bridge towards the other side.
“Come on...come on......i’m a little pressed for time here.....
I finally find a slab of land I can use and soon another until I nearly made it towards the other side and there were no more stones to use.
“No.....not now.....not when i’m close...guess i’ll have to jump it....but I don’t have enough room for a running start.”
With caution thrown to the wind I jump and land on the near edge of the platform with the lift and stupidly start to gloat “Ha this was nothing” as I finished the ground started to break nearly tossing me in the pool of lava “Okay i’m out!”
I make a sprint for the lift and get on with it taking off soon after.
“Amazing....what a strange way of clearing this course.....BUT NONE THE LESS HE COMPLETED THE OBSTACLE COURSE....HE HAS COMPLETED CHALLENGE ONE OF THREE AND HE SHALL RETURN IN A BIT AFTER HE RECOLLECTS HIS BREATH TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TWO CHALLENGES!” Clawfang shouts again to the crowd which shocks me “T-Two more challenges....well this won’t end well.”
I walk out the exit and go down the hallway to meet up with Clawfang in his area again and when I open the door I am pounced by a crying Pure who clings to me and refuses to let go “I-I thought you.....w-were going to.....d-die out there....” and I immediately try to heed her “Don’t worry Pure....it’s going to take a lot more than that to get rid of me.”
“Then that means you can easily handle challenge number two!” Clawfang says to me with the crying earth pony still in my hands “Please Clawfang just stop it now....Baron made it past the obstacle course...isnt that enough?" Pure says still trying to get Clawfang to stop the challenges.
“Don’t worry Pure I can handle it....I hope...”
“Alright hold on.” Clawfang pulls a lever causing the destroyed area to changed from an obstacle course to big multi platform battlefield type area with four big cargo boxes“Get on the lift to start the challenge.”
I get back on the lift and get taken down to the arena and soon hear Clawfang again.
“AND WE ARE BACK WHERE BARON WILL NOW FACE OFF FOR SURVIVAL IN A DEATHMATCH FIGHT AGAINST THE CORRUPTED, SPITEFUL, AND TRAITOROUS OUTSIDER SOULS WHICH WE CALL MASQUERADE MARAUDERS!”
“Well he’s just full of surprises for me isn’t he....”
Soon after the four huge cargo boxes open up and a bunch of griffons cladded in dark armor pop out some with just their bare claws and others with weird looking guns.
“Baron my boy here you may need this....it’s not what we use, but hey atleast you can use it temporarily for this fight until you earn your right for a better one!” Clawfang says as he tosses a gun that seems similar to that of a shotgun.
“So it’s me versus about fifty corrupted griffons......Ruby seriously i’m waiting for you to pop up at any time here as I could use the help." I say towards the still soundless spirit in my head
Now seeing that Ruby still hadn’t gotten free from my mind I just rush in the mass mob of griffons with my gun hoping to survive the fight and soon me and the masquerade marauders all shout one line in unison.
“LIVE AND LET DIE FOR MY FUTURE I TRY.......”