Read this story and all of its chapters in paragraph format with better editing, here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/129684/the-trials

This version of the story is heavily unedited.

----------

>"Y-you got bitten?!" Speck asked.
>She walked up beside Echo, both of their light crystals combining brightness.
"Yeah. It hurt a lot," Echo admitted.
>"Nngh... I hate spiders..." Speck said, her armour rattling while they walked.
>The last of the spider webs covering the tunnel had receded and the group was now trotting on smooth rock.
>A slight downhill allowed them to trot leisurely.
>"We should almost be there," Mosina said from the rear of the group.
>"This stretch took us a ten minute walk from the spider room to the door. Then it will take an hour to get back to the lake."
>"Will we be going through the door, or head back to the lake?" Night Watch said from beside her.
>Mosina shrugged.
>"I dunno, that's up to you guys," she said, casting a glance to the rest of the group as they walked.
"Might as well. We have the key, right?" Echo said.
>Speck shrugged and nodded in agreement, and Night Watch gave a smile.
>"I guess that's that," Mosina said. 
>The group walked in silence for the next several minutes until the giant stone slab came up on their left.
>Sure enough, embedded into two of the three sockets were the wooden prism keys with carved, cringing faces on their surfaces.
>Speck's eyes widened at the sight, seeming disturbed by the imagery.
>"This is it," Night Watch said, moving to pull the cylinder key from her saddlebags.
>Speck fidgeted in her spot, and seemed agitated.
>"A-are you guys sure we should head through this, now?" she said, eliciting glances from the others.
"Why not? Is something wrong?" Echo asked.
>"I don't know... I just feel like whatever's through that door is... foreboding," Speck responded.
>"This whole darn cave network is foreboding," Mosina said. "Look, whatever's through that door--we'll face together, yeah?"
>Speck gulped.
>"Yeah... I just feel like we're in for something."

---


>Night Watch had remained silent through the exchange, and finally managed to pull out the key with her mouth.
>She walked up to the door and looked for the final hole, standing up on her hind hooves to slide it in.
>Halfway, she stopped and gave a half lidded grin to Echo to the right, winking.
>Echo sighed.
>Night Watch pulled it out, and then shoved it the entire way.
"Dammit, Night Watch."

>After the key had been pushed in, Night Watch stepped down and backed away.
>Nothing happened for several moments, until a loud clang rung throughout the cave.
>It sounded as though the door was operating on metal mechanics.
>Another loud clang rung, causing the bat ponies to step back.
>Finally, a loud grinding sound of stone on stone filled the air as the slab pushed into the wall to the left.
>Dust fell and clouded around them, the door not having been used for a long while.
>The ponies remained silent while they wated for the door to retract.
>Beyond the small cloud of dust, there seemed to be nothing but darkness.
>The light from the three light crystal bearers could not penetrate through the entrance entirely.
>It was as though there was a large room, beyond.
>"Does it really have to be this slow?!" Night Watch called out through the loud grinding of the door.
>"Call it 'utilising-rusty-and-slow-ancient-technology-for-dramatic-effect,'" Mosina responded.
>Finally the grinding stopped, and the door rested to a stop with a loud clang.
>The dark, open entrance to the cave before them gave them all pause.
>Echo flinched, when she felt something brush against her.
>Speck audibly gasped as she felt it, too.
"A breeze..." Echo whispered, taking a step towards the entrance.
>She looked to her companions and nodded.
"Let's go. Speck and I will take point."
>They all moved into a tight formation and began to walk, before a loud grumbling gave them pause.

---

>Echo gave a confused glance to Speck beside her, who returned one of fear.
>The ground seemed to be shaking subtly, as though some sort of large creature was shifting.
>Gulping and putting on a brave face, Echo stoicly marched into the entrance, the others reluctantly following.

>A small hallway greeted them, narrow enough that they had to move into a single file line.
>But just before anyone could complain, they found themselves through the tunnel and into a very large room.
>Mosina gave a gasp when she entered last, seeing where they were.
>The room seemed to reach far out of the light from their crystals, nothing beyond its reach but blackness.
>Echo could make out distant cave walls in the darkness, but the ceiling seemed and endless distance.
>The rumbling continued in short bursts of tremors.
>For some reason, she couldn't move--she knew that something dangerous was dwelling just beyond their eye sight.
>Night Watch came up beside her with a hardened expression, her spear at the ready.
>Taking the hint, the rest of the bat ponies also drew their weapons.
>Echo and Speck unsheathed their swords, and Mosina pulled down the retracted claws of her hoof-blades.
>Speck prodded the shield on her right-front hoof, making sure it was fastened tightly.
>Night Watch grinned.
>"Ready for our first boss fight?" she asked.