POV Rio
Today was a very important day. It was the day that Sunset would go through the Trials of Knighthood. She had already passed the Trial of Courage on Dagobah. The next trial would be the Trial of Hope. I had several of the trials changed and altered to better represent the Je'daii Order. The Trials consisted of the Trial of Courage, Hope, Strength, Skill, and Perception.
'She passed Courage with flying colors.'
The Trial of Courage was where one had to face and overcome their greatest fears. The Trial of Hope was the trial where one was sent into Kyber Crystal Cave, and they had to never lose hope that they would obtain their crystal(s) and then escape before time ran out. The Trial of Strength was the trial where one was mentally and physically pushed to their limit, and they were never to break during the trial. The Trial of Skill was mostly unchanged from the original, and the taker of the trial would fight a master, and they must show their skills to meet the standards of a Je'daii Knight. The last trial was the Trial of Perception. In this trial, one has to look past one's appearances and see what lies beyond the surface. They are tested with illusions, and they must find what is real or fake. And when looking at a situation, they must see the inner beauty of others or the inner darkness they are hiding.
'Of course, I have one last trial for her beyond those trials.'
I arrived on Gaia and approached the area we made into the Kyber Cave. Once I arrived there, I saw the other masters were already there. This was one of the few trials that could be skipped or tested differently, as many already had lightsabers and thus were not eligible to get more crystals. I looked around to find Sunset, but I sensed she hadn't arrived yet.
Mace: "It seems today you may see your first apprentice graduate. How do you feel?"
Rio: "Excited. I know Sunset will pass. But this is the first being to be sent through the cave. So I am curious to see how she will do."
Mace: "Hmm, I know you have confidence in her, but you shouldn't place all your hopes on her. False hope can hurt."
Rio: "I understand your worry, but I assure you she will pass."
Kreia: "He is trying to warn you. To alleviate his own worries. But I know you are right. I have seen her skills and your teachings. She will pass, but it never hurts to be prepared."
Rio: "I suppose you two are correct, but still, I have faith that she will pass. And when she does, she will not only be a knight, but she will only have one last trial."
They both frown.
Mace: "And you are certain that she can ascend? I thought her previous teacher thought the same, but was mistaken."
Rio: "Celestia knew many things, but ultimately, she was scrambling in the dark when it came to the criteria to ascend. She had pieces of the puzzle, but she didn't fully comprehend what Sunset was missing. She had nothing to do with her and her sister's ascension or Cadences. I know exactly what is needed, and Sunset has already passed the hardest trial."
Mace: "But even after her redemption, she still didn't ascend. Is it not possible that she just doesn't have the prerequisites to ascend?"
Rio: "Any pony can ascend, and theoretically, a non-pony could as well. It's just that meeting all the requirements is extraordinarily difficult. And it is possible for one to be born as an Alicorn. And the hardest requirement is one that can usually never be met. Because meeting said requirement, one would usually be incapable of ascending. It is an interesting Catch-22. But I digress, we should get back to the trials as I sense Sunset will arrive shortly."
The nod, and we go our separate ways. A few moments later, Sunset arrives, and she runs over to me.
Sunset: "Rio, sorry if I am late."
Rio: "It's fine, you are on time, everyone else is just early. Now are let me tell you the rules of this trial. Listen closely, this is important."
She nods seriously and focuses her attention on me.
Rio: "This trial will have you enter that cave. Once inside, you will have 12 hours to find your Kyber Crystal or Crystals. If you do not escape before the 12 hours are up, you will fail. You must never lose hope or faith in yourself, or else you will fail even if you get your crystal. You must be patient while in that cave. You will become lost, but trust in yourself and the Force, and you will pass. I have complete confidence that you will pass. Don't try to use magic in the cave, as at best it will lead you astray and at worst it will backfire. Any questions?"
Sunset: "Will this cave be like the cave on Dagobah?"
Rio: "Yes and no. The cave will be as confusing and deceptive, but you will likely not face your fears as you already have. As for what you will see or find in this cave. I can't be sure, nor would I say if I could."
Sunset: "That was all, master."
Rio: "Good, now remember, as soon as you set foot in this cave, the trial will begin. Do not rush, but don't dally either. It isn't a race, but neither do you have unlimited time. And never lose hope."
She bows and then walks to the cave entrance. Once she gets there, she looks back one last time, and I nod to her. She nods back and enters.
'And now we wait.'
I get into a meditation and wait for her to complete the trial. Others do the same or practice duels with each other.
Several Hours Later...
POV Sunset Shimmer
I was lost. Again. I had lost track of time and was turned around. I heard a sound a while ago, and I followed it, but I never found the source of the sound. I wasn't even sure if I was doing the trial right. If there was something I missed.
Sunset: "Maybe I was just hearing things. I just need to trust myself."
It felt like I had been lost in the cave for days. Just walking in an endless void of rocks and dim light. I was starting to hate the dim blue light that the cave had everywhere. Then I started hearing whispers.
???: "Come here."
Sunset: "Hello?"
???: "This way. Hurry!"
I followed the sound and ended up at a massive frozen lake. In the center, I saw what looked like a pedestal with a small gem on it. I walked slowly over the ice to the small island. Once I stepped off the ice, it cracked and shattered.
'Well, I can't go back that way. But it won't matter if this is what I am looking for.'
I go to the pedestal, and when I do, I don't find what I expected. Instead of a Kyber Crystal, I find a small ice crystal. I realize that I had trapped myself on an island, and I didn't even get my Kyber Crystal.
'You idiot! Why didn't I just grab the crystal from the shore on the other side? If I did, I wouldn't be trapped here with nothing to show for it.'
I beat myself over the mistake and just sit down and think.
Sunset: "Sigh. What am I going to tell Rio? I am going to fail, and it's because I didn't stop and think before I acted."
I start to tear up when I think about disappointing Rio. But I forcibly stop that thought process and remember what Rio told me before I started this trial.
'He believes in me. I can't lose hope because of a little setback. I just need to pick myself up and try again.'
I stand up and start trying to think of a way off this island. I look around for anything that I can use, but stop when I get an idea.
'I can gather the ice from the ceiling and the small fragments left in the lake. If I force them together, I can use them as a platform and I can get off this island.'
I do exactly that and it works perfectly. I did have to make a jump at the last section as the ice started to melt, but I got to the shore again. Then, once I did so, I heard a chiming noise. But unlike before, my gut was telling me that this was real and that I needed to follow it. I did so, and after some time, I ended up in a cavern, and at the top were two shining lights. One was red and the other was teal green. It took some parkour, but I got to both lights, and this time they were Kyber Crystals. And they were definitely mine. Once I had them, I started to find my way out of this cave.
POV Rio
I left my meditation as I sensed that Sunset would be leaving the cave soon. I checked the time and saw that she had been in there for 7 hours. Once she left the cave, we checked her crystals and confirmed that she passed the trial.
Mace: "A natural Red Crystal. I have only heard legends of such a thing. All the red crystals I have ever seen were either synthetic or bled."
Kreia: "Indeed, it is very interesting. But we should move on to the next trial."
Rio: "Yes, the next one should be Strength."
Sunset ends up passing the trial with relative ease. Then she is given a break before the Trial of Skill. This trial starts with her constructing her lightsabers. Then she will duel me, and the other masters will score her on her skills. Beating me was not the goal of the trial. Instead, she must show that she meets the skill requirement and that she can connect properly with her crystals. That trial, she did fairly well. The last trial was the Trial of Perception, and she struggled but managed to pass it in the end. Once she passed the trial, we moved into the knighting ceremony.
Rio: "Apprentice, step forward."
She approaches and then kneels.
Rio: "Sunset Shimmer, by the right of the council, by the will of the Force. I dub thee, Knight of the Je'daii Order. Sunset Shimmer, you may rise."
Sunset: "Thank you, master."
Rio: "You're welcome, and I told you you were ready. Now I will still be here to help you, but as far as the Je'daii Order is concerned, you are no longer my apprentice. But I will still teach you magic for the time being. In fact, there is a project I think you will be perfect for. But that can wait until after the celebration."
We leave the room, and I take everyone to a party that I planned for Sunset.
--------------------
Authors Note:
I wanted to write a chapter that focused on Rio and Sunsets' relationship as master and apprentice. And yes, Rio intends on making Sunset an Alicorn. I think she is long overdue for that. I also wanted to expand on the Je'daii Order and how it works. All members have to go through the trials before they can become Knights, even if they were masters prior to joining the order. The next chapter will be something very big, and it will be a musical chapter, so just a heads up. But after that will be Gacha. Until next time, Ciao.