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.

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>"And what does Speck's shield do?" Gloomie asked, walking alongside Mosina while staring at Speck at the front of the group.
>"I guess you can say it controls physics," Mosina answered, eliciting a furrowed brow from Gloomie. "You know, force. Gravity."
>Gloomie whistled. "Wow. That's kinda powerful, don'tcha think?"
>"It tires me out quite a bit," Speck called back.
>"Yeah. When I use Wind Ruler, I feel like my breath is leaving me," Mosina agreed.
>"And I pretty much blacked out when that big... monster slammed its hand against me." Speck passed a smile to Echo. "It's thanks to Echo, here, that I kept up."
>Echo returned a modest smirk and blushed.
>"Still, it's nice to know that we have ponies with super-powers in the group," Gloomie joked before letting letting out a throaty laugh.
>"Hey, guys, look!" Speck suddenly exclaimed, causing the rest of them to look forward.
>The group had walked into a fairly spacey room, and interestingly enough, the floor was tiled with smooth cobblestone.
>From their entrance, two large exit tunnels faced them at each opposite corner of the room.
>Standing at the dead centre of the room was the stone statue of the pony with the crossbow.
"Hey, that's the same statue as was one Night and I found early on," Echo pointed out, walking towards it.
>"Echo, wait," Night Watch warned, earning a curious glance from Speck. "This... doesn't seem right."
>"What's wrong, Night?" Speck asked.
>Echo had turned around and listened for Night Watch's answer.
>"Doesn't this seem ominous to you?"
"I... don't understand," Echo droned, her gaze hardening in confusion. "I think this entire cave network is ominous."
>"Look up."

---

>All of the ponies craned their neck to look upwards at the tall ceiling.
>Humungous stalactites and large cracks caked the ceiling, as though it looked like it could fall apart at any moment.
>Night Watch shifted uneasily in her spot. "We should pick a path, quick. We might only get to pick one."
>The rest of the group looked at her like she were a ghost.
>For some reason, decisions seemed hard to make.
>Echo swallowed.
"Okay... let's just get out of here--"
>The light from all of their light crystals suddenly blacked out.
>In an instant, the group was left in complete darkness, as though something had been pulled out of their eyes.
>Speck let out a whimper, and Gloomie, Mosina and Echo let out startled gasps.
>That's when a distinct sound could be heard forming up, as though it were inside their heads.
>Wailing.
>Gloomie hopped in her spot, panicking. "Wh-what's happening!?"
>"The light crystals! Why aren't they working?!" Mosina cried.
"Guys! Use sound!" Echo ordered, her voice reverberating around them against the stone walls and floor.
>She began to click her tongue, the sound sending waves across the room.
>In a strange, sightless image, Echo could vaguely make out the ponies around her, the wailing still loudening.
>It sounded as though it were not interfering with her clicks.
>Speck had her shield at the ready, Mosina fumbled with her spear, Gloomie squirmed uncomfortably and Night Watch stood solidly still.
>Soon, the girls processed Echo's suggestion and listened to her clicks, painting an image of the room with their hearing.

---

>Finally, as it had before their last encounter, the wailing noise ceased.
>The ponies were bathed in silence, save for the rhythmic clicking from Echo.
>"What... what's happening..." Gloomie whispered.
>"Shadow ponies," Mosina muttered next to her.
>All of their ears were perked up, listening intently to anything that might disturb the room around them.
>Gloome spoke up again. "Maybe we should--"
>A high pitched scream pierced through her words.
>Through the blackness, Echo could make out even darker strands of shadows snaking along the floor and walls.
>Despite her clicks, she could not make them out in her mind, until they coalesced into a single, corporeal body of a pony.
>Then a second, and a third. 
>Her eyes widened as her clicks bounced off of their forms, allowing her to 'see' them clearer than she could with her eyes, before.
>It was as though they were surrounded by a dark, evil aura, and their body matter seemed to vibrate and shift constantly, if subtly. 
>The wailing continued, but the bat ponies had already drawn their weapons at the ready, facing the monstrosities.
>"Not this time!" Speck screamed, charging straight at the snarling figures. "Aaah!"
>"Speck!" Mosina cried, running after her.
>Night Watch, Gloomie and Echo charged after them, weapons ready.
>That was, until a fourth form appeared behind them.
>Echo didn't have to turn her head to hear it coalesce.
"Gah... I'll hold this one off!" she cried, skidding to a halt on the tiled floor and turning towards it.
>Night Watch gave a knowing nod before throwing herself into the fray.

---

>"I'm getting really tired of your shit!" she yelled, running up to one of the shadow ponies and swinging her spear at it.
>With both of its arm-blades, it parried the golden spear with ease until Night Watch quickly retracted it to make another quick jab.
>The shadow pony was too slow.
>It let out a loud shriek as the blade sliced into the right of its jaw.
>Golden sparks flared out from the contact, bathing the room in a brief, golden flash.
>Bathed in darkness again, Night Watch let out a few clicks to gather her bearings.
>Before she could pull away, however, the shadow pony knocked the spear out of her hooves before pouncing on her.
>She gave a blind kick to its indistinguishable body, luckily knocking it to her side.
>Honing in on her spear, she leaped at it and grabbed it into her forelimbs, pouncing back towards the creature.
>She flew through the air and flared her wings out, her spear in front of her.
>The unlucky shadow pony tried to knock away her spear before it met its body, but she had too much momentum.
>"Graah!" Night Watch snarled as her spear pierced straight through its chest, golden sparks igniting inside of its body.
>It wailed loudly in pain as she twisted the shaft, causing more gold sparks to spark outwards, 
>However, with a sudden surge of strength, it forced its body forwards, digging the spear even deeper.
>Helplessly, Night Watch tried to pull her spear out, only for the shadow pony to climb down her own spear at her.
>When it got close enough, it let out a scream at her before reeling back its arm-blades to mince her...
>...Only for the arms to get lopped off in another burst of golden sparks and fall to the floor.
>Gloomie strafed past the shadow pony through the air, her hoof-claws held in front of her.
>"Thanks for the boost, Speck!" she called back to the heavily armoured pony, who had her shield held in front of her.
>Another shadow pony was hot on her trail, its arm-blades slicing through the air at her.

---

>"W-warn me next time!" Speck cried, turning to fend off the third of the shadow ponies.
>Grateful for the assist, Night Watch turned back to the screaming shadow pony in front of her. 
>"Fuck..." She tugged her spear sideways, causing it to slowly rip through the shadowy flesh. "You!"
>The whole left side of the shadow pony burst open with an explosion of gold light, almost blinding Night Watch.
>It immediately ceased screaming, toppling over onto the floor.
>As it hit the ground, its body shattered into the smoky strands of shadow before retreating from the room.
>Her eyes still open, Night Watch noticed that the room seemed a little brighter, the light crystal on her chest giving off a faint light.
>"Hey, I can sort of see, now!" Gloomie called out from her side of the room, still being chased by a shadow pony.
>"Gloomie, watch out!" Mosina cried, running towards her. She swung the Wind Ruler at the chasing shadow pony. "Hah!"
>A strong gust of wind forced the shadow pony to stop.
>With another strong swing of her pole-arm, she sent a powerful wave of air at it, sending it flying backwards.
>Gloomie came up beside her. "Think you can launch me at it?" 
>Mosina blinked. "Er... yeah. Flare out your wings..."
>Gloomie did as instructed, and Mosina lightly swirled the Wind ruler.
>"Here goes...!"
>She swung it in a horizontal arc over Gloomie, and a rolling wind immediately took over.
>With her wings flared out and the wind pushing from behind, Gloomie pushed off of the floor.
>As soon as she was airborn, she felt the wind guide herself through the air, and pick up speed.
>Straight ahead of her was the recovering form of the shadow pony.

---

>"I don't know who you are..." Gloomie muttered under her breath as she quickly approached it. "But you're... uh, ugly!" 
>With her golden hoof-claws in front of her, she smashed straight into the shadow pony.
>Her claws immediately dug into the front of its neck, the gashes in its flesh glowing yellow from the contact.
>It wailed before quickly spinning in its spot, sending its arm-blades in a vertical swing at her.
>Nimbly, Gloomie hopped over them and landed on the other side of the shadow pony. 
>"Raugh!" she snarled, strafing towards it. She twirled her body, her deadly claws spinning through the air.
>They connected and gouged into the shadow pony's flesh, clipping off one of its arm-blades from the base in the process.
>Desperately, the shadow pony swung again with its only arm-blade, but she dodged expertly again.
>She ducked and slid underneath, coming up to the belly of the shadow pony.
>With her hoof-claws at the ready, she jabbed and jabbed upwards, her claws eating away at the flesh ery quickly.
>Each strike sent more sparks outwards, the golden metal burning the shadows.
>Finally, it stopped wailing, Gloomie having done enough damage to its body.
>Immediately, the shadow pony began to melt into the air, its body almost nearly sawed in half.
>"Yeah! That's how you do it!" Gloomie exclaimed, pushing herself up and punching into the air.
>The room brightened a little further, another shadow pony having been defeated.
>At the other side of the room, Speck expertly blocked another blow from her shadow pony.
>She effortlessly blocked every attack from it, and it seemed to only anger.
>"Give up already!" she cried, only for the shadow pony to scream in rage.
>Relentlessly, it swung its arm-blades, each strike deflecting off of the Keel Regalia in a purple flash.
>"Alright, that's it!" Speck warned, suddenly pushing herself fowards.
>Helplessly, the shadow pony tried to block with its blades, but her shield smashed straight into it.

---

>Like a freight train, she sent it backwards, slamming into the wall behind it, hard.
>Ominously, the ceiling shook, but none of the ponies in the room noticed.
>The shadow pony leaped up and reluctantly faced Speck again, her shield proving difficult to bypass.
>Mosina came up from the side, her pole-arm pointed forwards.
>"Haah!" she cried, a gust of wind announcing her presence.
>The force caused the shadow pony to stumble, unable to block the Umbra spear.
>It pierced straight into its side, indigo sparks erupting from the wound.
>Before it could respond, however, Speck came up from the front and slammed her shield into it again.
>She hit like a hammer, snapping its head backwards.
>Without even stepping back to ensure that the shadow pony was defeated, however, Gloomie came in from above like a missile.
>"Yaah!" she cried, her hoof claws slamming into the shadow pony's neck.
>Almost immediately, the shadow pony dispersed in a small explosion of shadowy strands.
>The final shadow pony in the room was locked in an intense blade fight with Echo and Night Watch.
>They flanked each side, fencing with each of its arm blades individually.
>Each swing rung through the air, and each blade that collided gave off a loud clang.
"Nngh, Night! let's face it from the front, together!" Echo called, blocking a slice from the long shadow blade.
>"Alright!" Night Watch answered, blocking a swing towards her.
>She hopped to the front of the shadow pony, meeting Echo who had strafed her way.
>Two shadow blades lunged forward, only to be blocked by a golden sword and spear.
>They returned an attack, only to be parried.

---

>Echo stepped forward and slashed fiercely, the shadow pony using both blades to block her.
>Taking the opportunity, Night Watch thrust her spear between the blades straight at the shadow pony's neck.
>It slid one of its shadow blades down Echo's sword to block the spear, only to nick it.
>The spear cut through the side of the shadow pony's neck, and it let out a painful scream.
"Grr... no match for us, now!" Night Watch growled, jabbing again.
>This time, she pierced into the shadow pony's mouth, thankfully silencing the screams.
>That's when Echo and Night Watch felt wind from behind them, only to see the Gloomie-torpedo sail past them and straight at the shadow pony.
>"Wooo!"
>For the third time during the fight, Gloomie slammed into her target with her claws visciously held out.
>As she sailed past the shadow pony, three large, golden cuts were lined across its face.
>It weakened, allowing Night Watch and Echo to get their blades loose.
"Aaah!"
>In one synchronized swing, they sliced the shadow pony's neck.
>It crumbled, the corporeal flesh failing to hold together.
>The mangled body of the shadow pony fell, melting into nothingness before it hit the floor.
"Guh... that's the last of them...?" Echo asked through her heavy panting.
>She looked down to her light crystal, thankful that it was shining brightly again.
>"What's... that sound?" Night Watch whispered, almost to herself.
>The wailing had finally stopped, but a different sound replaced it.
>Gloomie touched down beside her, seeming no worse for wear, and Speck and Mosina ran up to them, panting.
>The sound gradually got louder, and the bat ponies curiously looked around them to see where the source was.
>However, it was through their hooves when they realized that the room was shaking.

---

>As one, they looked up at the ceiling.
>The cracks had largened.
"Get--"
>A loud bang rung out, and the rocky ceiling collapsed.
>Giant rocks and stalactites fell, threatening to crush the ponies underneath.
"Aaah!"
>"Oh, geeze!"
>"Run!"
>"Fuck!"
"To the tunnels!" Echo cried through the noise.
>Taking the suggestion, each of the bat ponies ran for one of the entrances.