Trials and Errors

by Scrubb

Errata pt.1

Applejack was first to recover from the barrage of sound. She was furious. "Where are you? WHO are you? What've you done with Princess Celestia?" she shouted bravely at the voice.
The voice's reply was patient and emotionless.
I AM IN HOWLMORE PATH. I AM HOWLMORE PATH. I PLACED PRINCESS CELESTIA AT THE END OF HOWLMORE PATH. SHE IS SAFE. SHE SLEEPS IN A COMFORTABLE CHAISE LONGUE.
"How're we supposed to know you ain't lying?"
I AM AN INFORMATION SYSTEM. I AM NOT DESIGNED TO LIE.
The others had recovered
now, apart from Pinkie, who was still digging her head out frantically
YOU MAY ENTER YOUR DESIGNATED SECTION OF HOWLMORE PATH IN YOUR DESIGNATED TEAMS. THESE ARE AS FOLLOWS. LOYALTY AND KINDNESS ARE TO ENTER THE PEGASUS SECTION. MAGIC AND LAUGHTER ARE TO ENTER THE UNICORN SECTION. HONESTY AND GENEROSITY ARE TO ENTER THE GENERAL SECTION. THIS IS A TEST OF YOUR ELEMENT. YOU MAY ENTER HOWLMORE PATH IN YOUR DESIGNATED TEAMS.
"...so why isn't Rarity going to the unicorn section?" asked Twilight.
"I assume it's something to do with her supernatural senses;" Rarity replied, nodding to Pinkie. "they far outdo mine."
They obeyed their respective orders, and Pinkie Pie, slightly muddied, got up and followed suit.

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Applejack and her companions had barely walked ten metres when they found their first challenge. A huge checkered floor, each slab a pressure pad directly connected to the arrow traps on the panels that loomed ominously above.
She stared at it, then turned to the others.
"Well how do you suppose we cross THAT?" she asked.
Rarity's reply confused her somewhat.
"Do you think," she asked In reply "that it reloads itself?"
Applejack was taken aback, but answered nonetheless.
"Erm, well, I guess not?"
"If it's arrows," Spike added, "that would tend
to do enough damage not to need reloading."
"Excellent" Rarity said briskly "in that case, stand back." She pulled up the hood on her dress, and stepped onto the first square. Instantly an arrow shot out, heading straight for the back of her neck. Spike cried out "NO!", and leapt for her, but it was too late.

Rarity was entirely unharmed. She stepped onto the next square, and the same thing happened. The arrows shot out, hit her cloak, and simply bounced off without leaving a scratch. Soon she had reached the other side, and tested the last trap with her hoof. No arrow was fired.
"The straight line I followed ought to be safe to cross now!" she called back. She laughed at the shocked expressions in their faces. "Come over here and I'll explain!"
They obliged, dumbfounded.
Spike shook himself."That was AWESOME, Rarity!" He said in amazement. "How'd you do it?"
Rarity was flattered. "Why, thank you, Spike! I... suppose it's time I told all." she said, blushing.
"Ain't that the truth!" Applejack said. Rarity giggled, and began relating her story.
"Well, I was reading a column in a magazine about the ‘Fashions of Tomorrow’ and it talked about a new idea for a special type of guardsman's gear."
"It had been discovered that a spider's web, if used as a fabric, would be stronger than steel and far more flexible, tough enough to withstand even the sharpest of swords, and this paved the way for the most fashionable Guards' armour ever possible! But, of course, there were drawbacks. Spiders are notoriously unfriendly, even towards one another, and could not produce enough web, when not in the groups they so despised, to make any suits whatsoever!"
"And then I had a brainwave. Most ponies, of course, are certain that it is impossible to tame a spider and force it to make friends, but then, I suppose, most ponies do not know Fluttershy. And so I asked her if she would be an absolute darling and try her hand making a spider farm, and by Celestia did she do it! I had enough fabric for a demo version in no less than a week, and produced this." She nodded to her dress. "And then all this horrid affair with the kidnapping happened, and I thought ‘Well I can't put it back now... What better way to test this new project than out in the field it is designed for!’, and here we are!"

She smiled proudly.

Applejack gaped.

"So, uh, am I right in thinking that there fabric is arrow proof?"
"That's the idea of it, yes."
"And spike proof?"
"HEY!" Spike yelled.
Rarity giggled affectionately.
"In more ways than one, yes." she said, "But not impact proof. Falls will still hurt."
"All the same, that's... Blow me, that's impressive..." Applejack mumbled, and they continued to trek along the path.

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It was not long before Twilight sparkle and Pinkie Pie came across a similar trap system. Twilight attempted a few spells, but the dangers would not reveal themselves. She sat down and began to think. At once, Pinkie interrupted her.
"I have an idea! I have an idea!" she chirruped. Twilight sighed, and asked what it was.
"Use my special senses to guide us across 'em all!" she sang. "Climb onto my back and make doing this possible!
Twilight considered this.
"Good idea, Pinkie," she replied, "just don't take any unnecessary risks."
"Well DUH!" Pinkie replied. "That's obvious. Just trust me, Sparkle. I got this thing covered."
She giggled. "Now hold on tight!"
Twilight did. Pinkie pie stepped forward onto the first tile, and immediately shut her eyes tightly. "THAT is an UNNECESSARY RISK!!" Twilight screamed, as Pinkie bounced out of the way of the hefty rock that instantly fell from above. She jumped from tile to tile, babbling to herself. "Hmmm, not this one, not this, NOPE, not that one," she muttered as stones tumbled from traps above. "AHA!" she cried, and stopped. "This one is safe, so that should help find a pattern, wait, no it's not..." She hopped away, as three great rocks crashed onto the tile they had been standing on. Twilight screamed in terror and held on for dear life, but still Pinkie pie didn't seem to be too bothered by the imminent danger. Rocks clattered, shattering the paving. And then, at last, Pinkie stopped jumping. "Now...". She focused, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, "Yes, this one is definitely safe, so..."
"Pinkie?" Twilight interrupted.
"Yep?"
"We're on the other side."
"Oh! That explains it!"
Twilight slid off Pinkie's back. She stared at her for a little before speaking again.
"Erm..."
"Yep?"
"You can open your eyes now, Pinkie."
"Yep."
There was a pause
"So are you going to open them?"
"...Do I have to?"
"Fine, no. Just, just be careful, don't..."
"Don't what?"
"Nothing, Pinkie, nothing."

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Rainbow dash sped through the path, dodging pillars, ducking obstacles and never even touching the sides. Her mane blazed behind her, leaving a weaving, arching rainbow. She laughed and whooped to herself. "This. Is. Awesome." she said under her breath, and grinned.

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Far back in the maze, Fluttershy was in trouble. She was trying to keep up with Rainbow dash, she really was, but she simply couldn't. She flew slowly and worriedly, dodging the pillars as best she could. She breathed deeply, and straightened up. "This time," she said bravely, "this time for sure!"
She gathered herself, grimaced, and tried going faster again. She dodged the first pillar with ease, and the second one similarly, but the next few were arranged in a zigzag. As she weaved between them, she let out a tiny scream, barely missing the blockades until she came to a pillar that stretched straight across the path, slammed into it painfully, and flopped to the ground. She got up again and rubbed at her nose, which was now red and swollen. "Ouch," she whined, and sat down dejectedly.

From around the ponies, the air spoke a single word.
LOYALTY, it said, and fell silent once more.

Rainbow dash gasped. How could she? She had completely forgotten about Fluttershy! She rushed back, following her own trail, searching.
Soon, she came to a wider section of track, on the ground, that she had just passed through. "What was this bit for?" she pondered, staring around it properly for the first time. A chicken caught her eye. Rainbow dash laughed. "How did that get in here! It's sealed from all sides!" she said to herself.
And the chicken's eyes glowed red.
Rainbow dash froze, perhaps a little more literally than she might've hoped, and plummeted towards the ground.

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Fluttershy was bruised and battered, but persevering brilliantly. She shot as fast as she could along the track, dodging neatly between obstacles, her face set. Suddenly she saw something ahead. The path was sweeping down to what looked like a wide arena on the ground. And in that arena, there was something cyan. She grinned. "Thank goodness for that!" she said.
It turned grey.
Fluttershy gasped in terror. She powered forward, ducking and diving dangerously between the obstacles. The statue was only a couple of metres from the ground now, and Fluttershy squealed as she put on a final burst of speed, grabbing the statue upside down with the brittle stone wings missing the floor by centimetres. She winced at the extra weight, but hoisted it upright and placed it on the ground in safety.
Panting, she looked around the arena. A chicken's head caught her eye from behind a bush, and she instinctively pounced it, knocking it to the floor, before towering over it menacingly. The cockatrice looked up in fury, before letting out a scream, struggling, whimpering hopelessly, reversing its work on Rainbow dash and fainting.
"What did I do?" Fluttershy thought out loud. She giggled. "I suppose word must spread pretty fast among cockatrices!"
Rainbow dash regained consciousness, slowly. "FLUTTERSHY!," she yelled in joy, and trotted over to hug her.
Suddenly Rainbow realised something.
"I was turned to stone in mid air! You saved my life!"
Fluttershy grinned, clearly enjoying the attention for once.
"Oh, it was nothing, Rainbow dash." she said modestly.
"Are you KIDDING? It was EVERYTHING!" Rainbow raved, "If I had hit the ground, I would've smashed into, like, a million pieces!"
Fluttershy rolled her eyes, still beaming to herself. "Come on now," she said, attempting to suppress a smile. "We need to find our princess!"
"Right! And from now on, I'm never gonna leave your side!"
Rainbow dash paused.
"I'm sorry about that..." she mumbled at last, "I just, sort of, forgot..."
"Oh it's fine, I forgive you." Fluttershy replied. She tried to change the subject, but failed unwittingly. "What was the voice doing when it said, you know," LOYALTY, "like that?"
The voice replied.
THE PATH WILL NOW FURTHER HINDER PROGRESS ALONG IT. IT WILL ATTEMPT TO LEAVE YOU BEHIND.
"I think I just made this a lot harder for everypony..." said Rainbow dash sadly.

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"Oh good. It seems our friend Rainbow dash has failed at something." said Rarity icily.
As her group walked onwards, she mulled over the path's last statement. "'Leave you behind'?" she asked her friends, "What on earth could it mean, do you think?"
"Beats me!". Applejack laughed. "But I reckon we're gonna have to run, that's all I'm saying!"
Rarity smiled. "And you, Spike, any thoughts?"
"Huh?"
"On what Howlmore path meant by leaving you behind?"
"Oh. I dunno, probably getting tied up or something."
Rarity was silent for a moment as they walked.
She edged closer to Spike, her dress nearly brushing his side, and asked gently, "Is everything alright?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, fine."
"Only you seem a little upset, you know, as if something is bothering you."
Spike sighed sadly, and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.
The ground beneath him had begun to shake.
Spike stared down, stepping back just in time for a huge white wall to burst upwards from the earth beneath his feet, cutting out his reply. Rarity shrieked, and leapt back. "Oh, NO!" She whimpered. "Now I'm all alone! What will I do? HOW WILL I SURVIVE!!!"
"Oh, you poor thing." said Applejack, the slight anger of being forgotten about unhidden. "All alone."
"Oh, Applejack, I quite forgot..." Rarity said embarrassedly. She dried her eyes and stared up at the new wall.
"I suppose that's what it meant by 'try to leave you behind'" she said humourlessly. "So, anyway, off we go...Applejack?" She turned, and realised that a second blockade had sprung up around her.

"Oh good," she said to herself, "now I can break down in peace."

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"And so I was like *whoosh* and then I caught up and he ran off again so I was like "OH NO YOU DON'T" so I was like *whoosh* and then I caught up with him again and that time it was weird because I was in a bridge and he ran off again so I was like "OH NO YOU DON'T" and then I ran an caught up and..."
"Pinkie pie, we could be about to fall into a huge trap or be attacked by monsters. I am trying to concentrate and YOU are NOT HELPING."
"sorry..."
"It's fine, really. Just, you know, quieten down, please?"
Twilight sparkle turned to her. "Uh, Pinkie?"
"Y-ello?"
"Why are your eyes shut again?"
"Because it's FUN! I can see loads of pretty lights and stuff!"
Twilight sighed. This was going to be a long day.
And suddenly a manticore pounced in front of her, and all of tartarus broke loose.

Pinkie pie darted into action. She bounced neatly round to the other side and, while the monster was still turning round, bit its tail hard. She clung on, sinking her teeth in further as the monster slashed angrily at her.
Twilight had seen her chance. Her horn was already pulsating in a bright purple and her eyes glowed a dim grey.
In the meantime, Pinkie's grip was faltering. She tried to yell something to Twilight, but it was lost to the monster's scorpion tail. The beast writhed and slashed furiously at its passenger. It knew it had nearly won.
A fully charged Twilight called out to her friend.
"You have to let go or I might hit you!".
Pinkie's grip slackened and she was flung along the ground, away from the beam of searing white that shot out of Twilight's forehead. It smashed the monster backwards, transfiguring it into a frog that flumped soggily on the ground.
Pinkie pie got up and galloped over to Twilight. "Oh WOW. You're gonna need to show me that again sometime!"
Twilight smiled. "Come on, there's no way I could've done it without you!" she replied. "Letting go when I told you to... That takes real bravery. You were the hero! That spell would've been useless one-on-one!"
Pinkie pie beamed. She took one last look at the unscathed yet terrified frog on the ground, and giggled. "Classic" she said.

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A monstrous green dragon snaked out of a wicker grille in front of Applejack. She yelled to Rarity and Spike, who, for the first time since they had been split up, heard her. The grille led down to a pit that contained a hydra, and its three heads were guardians of their respective paths. They drooled at the sight of food.
It seemed they each had one head to fend off.
Applejack watched as the twirling neck ahead of her reared up and shot forward. She bucked it hard in the face, and it recoiled, a bruise already forming. "Take that, you vermin!" she yelled at it. The other heads whined, flailing their monstrous necks high above the walls of the maze, and, inexplicably, the bruise vanished. The three healed heads reared up to attack again. Rarity dodged, spun, and danced around the head, in an intricate ballet that made her dress appear to waltz with her. It followed her hungrily, as its neck twisted slowly into a huge knot. Spike spotted his opponent coming for him, and headbutted its forehead. It fell to the ground and covered its wound with its serpentine neck. Yet all it took was one call from the head on Applejack's side to undo the knots and heal the cuts. They persevered, but the beast never stopped healing.
A thought popped into Applejack's mind. "What if we beat them all at the same time?" she called. "Then none of them heads'll get to heal the others!"
Rarity gasped. "Of course! Applejack, you're a genius. On the count of three."
Rarity, Spike, and Applejack breathed in, and stopped attacking.
"One,"
Three heads stared down at the now apparently defenceless targets.
"Two,"
They snapped hungrily and moved in on their prey.
"Three"
Spike leapt, roaring loudly, and smashed his tail down between the creature's eyes.
Applejack bucked the side of her foe's jaw and sent it crashing into the wall.
Rarity waited until it was almost upon her before hopping lightly and slamming her hoof into her enemy's nose.
The three broken heads let out one last failed cry before slinking back into their cavern beneath the path. Friends cheered and complemented each other as the grille sealed up, and their voices became separated once more. They strolled on, perhaps a little less lonely than before.

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