//------------------------------// // Trial And Error // Story: A Different Kind of Treasure // by Mechawrecker //------------------------------// Sky, Flitter, and Cloud sat around the small coffee table in awkward silence. For the lone stallion, his source of shame had thankfully calmed down to a more reasonable level, however the embarrassing memory of being caught in his most vulnerable moment would haunt him for much longer. After several minutes, Cloud looked questioningly at the other two in the room. “So, Sky, you said that you wanted to get back in a hurry. What was with the rush?” Clearing his throat, he stuttered, “R-right. So, when I said that, I was trying to imply that we needed to start training ourselves to use the powers given to us by Equestria’s founders.” Flitter blushed again as her wings gave a twitch. Cloud, not being privy to her sister’s impromptu fashion show, exclaimed, “Oh right! Now that we’re champions, I wonder what awesome new abilities we got.” She picked up her sword and examined it. “Maybe Gilbert Griffonstone taught me some cool new fighting moves or something.” Sky pulled out a book from his travel pack. “Well, the first places we should look are history books and old legends. If there are any records of the founders’ sacred powers, that’s where they’d be.” Cloud groaned, “Oh come on! We literally have the most powerful warriors in history at our hooves! We should be testing them out there in the battlefield, not in some crummy apartment.” Shaking her head, Flitter interjected, “No, Cloud. We need to know what we’re working with first. Sky is right, if we go and fight the Dragon Lord now, we’re going to lose.” Cloud opened her muzzle to retort, but she cut her off. “Besides, do you even know where the Dragon Lord is? The Dragonlands are a huge place, and it would take months to comb through the entire area, not to mention the guards and patrols we would encounter along the way.” “Okay, okay! You’ve made your point!” Cloud pouted, looking away with a sour expression. “I was just saying that the best time to use our powers would be out there in the field, not an office.” Sky coughed to get their attention, “Right. Now that’s settled, we need to know about the powers we received when becoming champions. I already know a lot about my spirit, Helena Hooflepuff. She was a beautiful, strong-willed earth pony that founded Equestria’s first land settlements. She was known as a kind, compassionate leader with an unprecedented ability to placate others and reduce conflicts before and after they arose.” Turning the page, he continued, “Her signature relic is The Goblet Of Hooflepuff. This golden cup is said to be blessed by Helena with the ability to purify any contaminant and heal any grievous wound simply by drinking its contained liquid. That was how she stopped disease and plague from ravaging the early colonies without modern medicine or healing magic.” He lowered the volume and pondered, “If I was granted some sort of magical ability by Helena Hooflepuff, her healing and negotiation skills would probably be my best bet. Those are the most useful ones I can think of that would actually have an effect on our battle with Dragon Lord Torch. What do you girls think?” Flitter nodded contemplatively, but Cloud gasped, “Oh my Celestia! Sky, your cheek!” Sky raised a hoof to his muzzle. “What about it? Is there something on my face?” “No! That’s exactly the problem!” Seeing their confusion, she continued, “During our fight with The Wind Slashers, I saw Hawk slash you across the face with his claws! A wound that deep should have taken weeks to heal over, maybe days with enough magic, but it’s completely gone!” Sky’s eyes widened as he felt the place where he had been cut. True to her word, the injury had completely healed with none of the usual scarring or fur loss that usually accompanied a wound that serious. Grinning, he locked eyes with Cloud’s smug expression and snarked, "I never would have expected you to notice something important! Are you sure nothing happened to you when you returned that sword?” He tensed his barrel in preparation for another one of her punches, but instead she wrapped her foreleg around his neck and noggied his hair. “Oh, don’t be like that. I know you love me~” Flitter made a *squeak* of indignation before pulling Sky out of her sister’s grip. “Okay, that’s enough of that! We still need to discuss the other founders’ powers!” Cloud raised an eyebrow at the overzealous reaction. “Relax, sis. I was just having a little fun. No need to get your panties in a bunch.” Sky briefly flashed back to the image of Flitter in her angel-white underwear before smacking himself in the head and saying, “Y-Yeah, we need to move on! Let’s talk about Flitter’s spirit.”  Flipping the pages of the history book, he read, “Diana Diamondpaw was the princess of the diamond dogs. Unlike most modern stereotypes, Diana Diamondpaw was incredibly wise and intelligent. It was rumored that she knew the answer to every single question in existence, even ones that hadn’t been asked yet. With her vast knowledge of the mountains and tunnel layouts, she was able to create an underground society of gem-hunting miners to bring her nation great wealth and prosperity." Flipping to the back of the book, he continued, “Her most famous artifact is The Lost Diadem Of Diamondpaw. This ancient headpiece is said to imbue its wearer’s mind with the precision and clarity of the blue diamond it contains. It’s even said that the diadem’s owner has the ability to see into the future through premonitions, but no legitimate cases of premonitions have ever been recorded.” He glanced up and noted, “While I was talking to Gilbert Griffonstone in that prison trial, he told me that Diana Diamondpaw could have premonitions, but she couldn’t make them come whenever she wanted to. Instead, it was more like something would warn her whenever a major event was about to take place.” Cloud patted her sister on the back. “Wow… so Flitter’s going to be able to see into the future? I’m kind of jealous now. If I had that kind of power, I’d wait outside the local convenience store until I see the winning lottery numbers and take it from there.” Flitter glared at her. “Of course you would. These powers aren’t meant for personal gain. They’re meant to help us defeat one of the most evil tyrants of our world and free those he controls from his oppression.” Waving a dismissive hoof, Cloud quipped, “Yeah, of course! But if you do happen to see the winning Powerball numbers, give your big sister a call, will ya?” “Trust me, if I do see any lottery numbers, you’d be the last pony I’d infor--” Flitter’s eyes flashed as a bright blue light emitted from her sockets. Cloud gave a shout of surprise as Sky raised his shield and shouted, "Flitter, are you okay!? What’s happening to you!?” The blue aura radiated out of her for several more seconds before she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Sky rushed towards her and yelled, “Hey! Wake up! Are you hurt or something?” Her eyes fluttered open, blinking at him in surprise for a brief moment. Then, with the force of a manticore, she tackled him to the floor and shrieked, “LOOK OUT!” Suddenly, an arrow smashed through the living room window, sending shattered glass raining down on the three pegasi inside. As Flitter pushed him out of harm’s way, the arrow whizzed by his ear and embedded itself in the far wall directly where he had been seconds before. Cloud, acting on instinct, flipped the coffee table into a makeshift barricade and dragged it over to the other two. “W-What the hay was that, sis?!” she panted. “How did you know we were going to be attacked again!?” Flitter shook as she clung tight to Sky’s coat. “I don’t know! I just had this vision of Sky being shot through the head by an arrow and reacted! I wasn’t positive it really was a premonition until the arrow broke through the window.” Sky held her in his hooves. “Thanks for saving my life. Somehow, I don’t think Helena Hooflepuff will be able to heal a headshot from a longbow too well.” Before they could talk anymore, an arrowhead pierced the thin table’s surface right next to Cloud’s head. Sky backed away from the kill zone and whispered, “I’m guessing this is another assassin guild, so talking isn’t going to be an option. We’re going to need a battle plan.” Turning to Flitter, he continued, “You need to grab your bow and start shooting back. Remember, stay behind cover until Cloud and I push them out of their trench, then shoot down any fleeing our swings.” She nodded and flew towards her room, an arrow barely missing her wing as she made her break. With Flitter safe, he turned to Cloud and murmured, “You and I need to do another pincer maneuver. I’ll rush at them with my extended shield while you hit them from above, got it?” Cloud gripped her broadsword and growled. “Yeah, if this is those Wind Slashers again, I’m not going easy. We already gave them a warning, so this time I’m playing for keeps.” As she soared out of the kitchen window, Sky activated his extended plates. The familiar sound of clanking metal rang out before he charged towards the firing assassins. As he rushed forward, an arrow shot past his wing towards their attackers, letting him know Flitter was now laying down suppressive fire. Enemy projectiles dinged off his shield as he approached the opposing rooftop, but a disturbing sound made his ears to perk up in alarm. Before he could swerve to evade, a large, hammer-wielding figure flew up and smashed him out of the air. The sound of cracking metal ripped deafened him as the hammer's weight and momentum left nothing in its path unscathed. Falling through the air, Sky straightened out his wings and glided before righting himself. Reclaiming his bearings, he shook his head and mumbled, "What is it with war-hammers? Every time I see one, I end up getting hurt." Readjusting his hoof on the weapon strap, he paused as another issue revealed itself: his shield was ruined. The once immaculate steel plate now resembled a battered piece of scrap metal with broken fragments and huge dents ruining its beautiful surface.  Anger bubbling, Sky took off towards the assassin’s hideout with newfound vengeance fueling his body. Even with parts ripped away, his shield still provided enough cover to get him within striking range. As he made to tackle the hammer-wielding figure, he realized these weren’t the expected griffon Wind Slashers. Instead of beaks and feathers, their assailants sported the hard scales and fire breath of fearsome dragons. Tackling the assassin commander to the ground, Sky saw Cloud ambush their rear guard as Flitter engaged the archers in a archery duel. One of the swordsmen took advantage of the distraction to swing at his neck, but the battered shield still had some fight left in it and managed to deflect the blow. Sky took to the air and surveyed the battlefield. Flitter and Cloud were finishing off the archer brigade, so all that was left were the swordsmen and spearmen. Several of the spearmen stretched their wings and chased him into the air, forcing him to perform evasion flight tactics. “Damn,” he thought, dodging a flame blast from one of the spearmen, “I don’t think my shield is going to last another hit. I better drop it before it slows me down.” Just as he was about to chuck the torn metal, an opportunity presented itself. All the spearmen were chasing him in a single file line, not bothering to perform any sort of encircling strategy. Smirking, Sky gazed lovingly at his old friend and whispered, “Okay, buddy, don’t let me down now…” The plan worked perfectly. As he hurled the shield at his pursuers like a discus, it smashed straight into the first spearman’s jaw. As the dragon fell back with a look of shock, he crashed into the second spearman, causing the entire capture team to fall out of the sky, flailing their wings at their teammates’ tangled limbs. Before he could celebrate his triumph, a loud cry of pain sounded to his right. Turning around, Sky’s eyes were met with the sight of a massive red dragon in full plate armor trudging towards the battlefield. Using his immense size, he swung a massive claymore around like it was a toothpick, which caused many of his own soldiers to back away from his current duel with Cloud. Cloud, on the other hoof, wasn’t faring so well. As strong and well-trained as she was, she simply couldn’t overpower somecreature ten times her size. One of her wings was bent at a concerning angle as blood gushed out of an injury in her back leg. Her face was drawn back into a grimace as she struggled to maintain a grip on her sword. Admirably, she glared back at the huge dragon, never once faltering out of fear. The dragon general stared down at her with an impressed gaze. “You are quite an impressive warrior, little pony! It’s a shame you weren’t born a dragon, or else I would have gladly accepted you into my unit.” Cloud clenched her teeth and snarled, “Even if I was a dragon, I’d never serve under a big bullying bastard like you!” Sky rushed to aid her, but several rear guard swordsmen blocked his path and forced him to fly away to avoid their swipes. “Hmm, that is unfortunate,” the massive dragon growled, raising his sword above his head. “Now comes the part where I defeat you in battle. I’ll give you a warrior’s death.” As the general slashed his blade down towards her crippled form, a bright blue light cut through the air and pierced his right eye. “AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The massive dragon screamed in agony as more shining arrows punctured his armor and embedded themselves into his chest. Turning around, Sky's gaze was met by Flitter as she drew back her bow, a bright blue arrow notched and ready to fly. Taking advantage of the dragon’s distraction, he flew towards Cloud and carried her away from the crossfire in his hooves. The dragon general fixed his left eye on Flitter and shouted, “YOU ARROGANT LITTLE BRAT! GUARDS, KILL HER!” The remaining swordsmen averted their attention and charged towards her, weapons drawn and teeth bared. Even with her new power, Flitter didn't stand a chance against an elite squad of dragon soldiers before they cut her to ribbons. After shooting down three of the advancing guards, she took to the air and focused on dodging their incoming strikes.  With Flitter distracting the dragon guards, Sky retreated from the battlefield and shook Cloud out of her stupor. “Cloud! This is our chance! The general is wounded, and his guards aren’t around him! You need to take him down now!” Cloud coughed blood into her hooves and indicated her bent wing and bleeding leg. “N-No way, he’s too strong. I can’t win like this.” “Yes, you can!” Sky shouted, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You were chosen by Griffonstone for a reason. The Cloud I know would never let something like a scrape keep her down. She would get back up, spit out the blood, and vow to make the one that hurt her bleed twice as much in revenge.” He held her broadsword up so that her reflection shined back at her. “The Cloud I know would never stop fighting until the battle was won. She would stand up with the power and courage that a million stallions could only ever dream of having!” Panting with the effort of flying and talking while supporting her weight, he finished, “The Cloud I know is the most amazing, courageous, determined mare I’ve ever met in my life, and she’s the one that’s going to take down that slimy overgrown mosquito that calls itself a dragon general!” Cloud’s eyes widened as a surge of heat welled up in her cheeks. Turning away to hide her blush, she mumbled, “D-Do you really feel that way about me?” Sky smiled as his wings started to grow sore from overexertion. “I do. Now, are you going to crush that tiny arrogant lizard, or am I going to have to carry your fat flank to the ground like a filly?” A mysterious red aura surrounded Cloud as she glared back at him with a challenging smirk. “Are you kidding? I was just taking a little break!” As she grabbed her sword, the steel burned red and inscribed strange, unreadable runes into the blade that glowed with power. Pushing away from Sky’s hooves, she exclaimed, “I’m the greatest swordsmare that ever existed! It’s time to show you what I can do!” Cloud sprinted towards the injured general despite her damaged wing’s protests. Leveling herself, she called out, “Hey, Mr. Pincushion, want to know what it feels like to be stabbed with a sword?” The dragon general turned his good eye on her with a look of hatred. “You ponies will regret the day you messed with me! I shall slice you apart until there is nothing left!” The two swordsmen charged towards each other with weapons drawn. As they clashed, the giant dragon’s smug expression changed to fear as Cloud’s enchanted sword cleaved through his reinforced steel blade. With the rest of her forward momentum, she slashed into his chest, ripping through his armor like butter, causing him to fall back while clutching his bleeding scales. “T-That’s impossible!” he stammered, holding in the blood seeping through his wound. “H-How did you cut through my sword!?” Cloud raised her own blade as a red glow started charging in its tip. “Did you like that? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet.” With one more downward slash, she released all the sword's stored energy at him in one massive beam of power. The blast wave smashed the general’s armor and launched his body into the mountains where he landed in a battered, crumpled heap before becoming still. Sky's astonished gaze lingered on the incredible feat of power as the final sparks of power faded into the air. Panting, Cloud glanced at the speechless stallion and smirked, “That’s how it’s done.” Sky's gaping continued as the dying light of the sun reflected off her dented armor to create a glow that shined on all her most beautiful features. The rips and tears in her armor revealed sections of her body he had never fully appreciated before. The muscles in her haunches and forelegs tensed as she struck a battle pose, ready to fight off anyone that dared attack while her dirt and blood-stained hooves only served to emphasize her Amazonian perfection. As she flew closer, her mane fluttered in a mesmerizing twist of dual colors, causing him to imagine the various different ways he could stroke the delicate fibers. Before he could snap out of his trance, Cloud smacked him in the head with a hoof. “Hey, Romeo, Flitter’s still fighting!” Shaking himself to clear his thoughts, Sky turned to check on the other mare. Flitter had taken down two more dragons, but five swordsmen were now attempting to box her into a corner. Seeing this, Sky’s eyes flashed gold as he flew into the air. “STOP!” As if compelled by some irresistible force, all five dragons froze in place and turned to him. Sky felt a strange power coursing through his body, but didn’t have time to dwell on it as he shouted, “Your general has been defeated! Your archers and spearmen have all been quelled. You have no hope of defeating those who have bested your superiors. Surrender now, and I promise you will be spared!” The warriors’ eyes searched around before focusing on the battered, broken body of their former general. Seeing their superior in such a humiliated state, their shoulders slumped as they all dropped their weapons and held up their claws in defeat. Sky breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Flitter. “Can you tie them up and take them into my apartment? I need to help Cloud with her injuries.” Flitter nodded and rounded up the remaining dragons before herding them into his undestroyed apartment. Shifting his focus to the injured mare, he called, “Come on down. We really need to patch those wounds up before you bleed out.” Cloud staggered to the ground as Sky placed a hoof on her injury, causing her to cry out in pain. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!” As she steadied her breathing, he noticed the ethereal red aura starting to fade away from her body. Remembering his own founder’s power, he reached out a tentative hoof and mumbled, “Helena Hooflepuff, I call upon your power. Please lend me your ethereal healing and save my friend!” A warm sensation flooded his forelegs as a golden glow emanated from his hooves. Running his hooves along her body, he stared in amazement as the grievous wounds left by the dragon general closed themselves without leaving any sign of a scar. Cloud gazed at the freshly sealed wounds in shock. “Wow! Now I’m kind of jealous of you too! I mean, that’s pretty kick flank.” Turning away with a blush, she whispered, “Thanks for saving me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Sky adopted a flank-eating grin as he snarked, “Probably die of an infection. Or maybe from blood loss… it’s a toss up between those two.” She rolled her eyes and punched him in the barrel before chuckling, “Oh, shut up! Can’t you just take the thanks without being so smug?” Glancing around, Cloud made sure no one was in sight before leaning in and kissing him full on the muzzle. Sky’s eyes widened for a brief moment before settling into the kiss and wrapping his hooves around her neck. The two of them made out until forced to take a breath. Holding each other’s loving gaze, they leaned in for another round of tonsil hockey. Neither wanted this moment to end as everything else in the world became irrelevant. The feeling of the other’s lips and hooves were all they wanted as nothing could possibly go wron-- clatter Their eyes flew open as they whipped towards the source of the noise. Breaking apart, they tried to be inconspicuous as a look of panic settled on both their faces. Standing a few yards away with a look of absolute horror and betrayal was Flitter. Tears welled in her shining eyes as the muscles in her jaw clenched tight with unsuppressed anger and rage. Flattening her ears, she let out a shrill, agonizing scream that cut through the tense atmosphere like a gunshot. “WHAT THE BUCK!”