Against Time

by GoldenChozo

5: Trial of Flight Revisited

It looked like just a normal plain. Once the five had passed under the arch, the plain came to life. The pillar traveled farther and farther away as a giant fissure split the land between them. Rising up from the fissure were large chunks of dirt and rocks. "Just like I remember it," Ace said.

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Stella asked. "You know, since you couldn't complete it on your own last time?"

"That's beside-- wait, how would you know?" Ace replied. "You were still in the Changeling's hive until we finished the last trial."

"Luna told me before I rejoined you."

"Alright, then." Ace turned to get a better view of Chrys and Nighthawk. "There is one change from last time," Ace yelled over the monstrous hurricane-force winds coming from the fissure. "There are no substitutes. Since flying is the only option through it, Nighthawk and I will do this trial alone. Once we complete it, the hole should close and you can rejoin us."

"How do we end this trial?" Nighthawk asked.

"We'll figure that out once we get there. Let's go." Ace took off. Nighthawk followed him. They disappeared from sight completely before a few seconds had passed.

In a way, neither of them knew what to expect. Ace was knocked out halfway during his first time through. He had been rescued by Zephyr, but he had permanent hearing damage caused by her sonic boom. Although Nighthawk was there when it happened, it was in a different time, one which never occurred for him.

There was another difference from last time. The wind seemed to converge in on Ace. He didn't think much of it until he noticed that whenever he neared debris, that converging wind caught it and brought it all to him. He generally managed to get away from it, but there were a few pieces that he couldn't shake.

Nighthawk had the same problem. Despite that, he still managed to overtake Ace. He had much more flying experience than Ace did, thanks to the fact that he was a Lunar Guard. The trial was a lot like parts of his training, except the course was out to kill him.

As they flew, the ground shook so hard that they could feel it. Ace looked down to find out why. What he saw sent him into panic for the first time on his journey. The magma that rested at the very bottom shouldn't be visible, yet it was. Not only that, but it appeared to be rising.

The pressure was on to complete the trial before the magma surfaced. It wasn't just a matter of not being able to complete it, but the three non-pegasi were still at the gate. If the magma came out, nothing would be able to save them. They would all die if Ace and Nighthawk didn't hurry.

***

"What's that sound?" Chrys asked. Before Stella could answer, the ground started shaking. The temperature around them started to rise. The fissure was giving off light, as well as steam. There was magma coming up, and they were in the path.

"If we don't do something, we'll die. Any ideas?" Chrys said. Stella looked around for some kind of idea, but couldn't find anything. "Can't you use magic or something?"

"It's not that simple," Stella said. "I could only levitate you and Blaze out of the way. When that magma gets to me, you'll both fall in too."

"What if you held us and Blaze held you?" Chrys offered.

"That might work, save the fact he's unconscious!" Stella snapped.

"Okay, what about teleportation? Can't you teleport us all over there?"

"Two things against that. One, I can't even see the end of the trial. I have no idea how far I'd have to teleport us. Two, this trial is supposed to test your abilities to fly. Magic would make it too simple, and the trial would surely disapprove of that method."

Chrys looked around. "You say you can't lift yourself, but can you lift something you're standing on?"

"Conceivably, yes," Stella said after a moment of thought. "Though I've never really tried."

"That's our best option, then. Think you can grab a rock from out there?" Chrys pointed to the maelstrom occurring before them.

Stella stepped as close as she dared to the edge and braced herself. She looked for a sizable stone that could hold them all. She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. A decent chunk of stone also began glowing, but it broke apart instantly. Stella fell back has her concentration was shattered. "I don't think fishing for a rock will work," she said, standing. "But I do have another idea. Stand back."

Stella moved to a location a bit farther from the edge. Her horn was glowing and her eyes were closed. She lifted her front hooves off the ground and stomped hard. A large crack encircled her, her own blue aura emanating from it. She lifted it off the ground slightly before cutting her magic, letting it drop back down.

Chrys tried pushing Blaze onto the platform. He got him halfway there before he finally woke up. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around. "Where's Nighthawk? And Ace and Lila?"

"You were knocked out," Chrys explained. "Lila's dead, and Ace and Nighthawk are going through the second trial. There's magma coming up out of that giant hole, and Stella's gonna try and lift us up out of the way."

"You can do that?" Blaze asked Stella, standing and getting on the platform. "Lift us all?"

"It's very hard, but yes," Stella replied. "Now get over here, it's about to hit us!" Chrys did as he was instructed.

Stella tried lifting the platform, but the added weight made it impossible. Blaze tried to help, but he couldn't do much. The ground started to shake again, causing both to lose their concentration. The magma had started to recede back into the crevice. After a moment of it draining, the crevice appeared to be closing.

***

Nighthawk landed at the end of the trial. He started towards the pillar when Ace landed behind him. The ground shook, and the magma stopped rising. It actually started going down. Nighthawk stepped in the pillar.

"Nighthawk, what are you doing?" Ace asked.

"I'm not sure if you know this, but I had plans to leave the Lunar Guard in a few days," Nighthawk said.

"I did know that, actually. That's why I brought you, as well as the other guards," Ace replied.

"I left as an act of courtesy," Nighthawk continued. "Once I was on my own, I had every intention to die."

"What? Why?"

"If you truly knew me, you would know why. Inside, I'm a monster. A cold-blooded killer. My katanas have tasted more innocent blood than you can even imagine. I don't want it to continue, and death is the only way to escape it."

"That's not entirely true. There are plenty of ways to escape it. I've seen that monster in action. We fought alongside each other in the first trial. It never even crossed your mind to kill any of us until King Metamorphus sent an attack to Crescent."

"That means nothing to me. Crescent's dead now and it's my fault. I killed her." Nighthawk closed his eyes, holding back tears.

"No, that was just the trial," Ace said. "The real Crescent is alive and well right now. I know you love her, so do you really want to leave her behind?"

"What would we do? Get married? Start a family? That wouldn't change the fact that I've killed so many, and will probably continue doing so until I kill myself. I don't want her to see me like that."

"Nighthawk, it doesn't have to be like this," Ace tried. "We can find some way to end the trial without this, surely."

"Thank you for the adventure, Ace. And when you see Crescent again, tell her this; I'm sorry for bringing myself out of her life, but it was for her own safety."

"Nighthawk..."

"Ego ipse ut tributum ad Epochust."

The pillar came down and Nighthawk was dead. "Goodbye, friend..." Ace whispered to the pillar. "Don't worry, I'll tell her."

The crevice closed up completely, returning the land to the calm plain it once was. Stella, Blaze, and Chrys came up to the pillar. Stella put a hoof around Ace. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Princess," he said.

"Not poor Nighthawk, too," Chrys said. "So close to having his life the way he wanted it."

"The way he told me, that is how he wanted it," Ace said. "But we need to keep moving. We're one step closer to getting Luna back."

"Will one of us have to die in the last trial?" Blaze asked. Ace looked away, too ashamed to answer.

"I'm afraid so," Stella answered. "But it's crucial that we get Luna back. If we don't..." She trailed off. "I don't even want to think about it."

The four said nothing more of it as they made their way to the arch.