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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"Is everyone in-tact?" Echo asked the group as they checked their bags.
>"Yeah, everything seems to be in shape," Speck said, rummaging through her pack.
>"Yep," Night Watch confirmed.
>"Muh..." sputtered Mosina, still lying belly-side up on the floor, shocked.
>Echo gave a sigh.
"What did you do to her, Night?"
>"Nothing, she's fine," Night Watch reassured, throwing her saddlebags over her back.
>Speck walked up to Mosina, looking confused.
>"Are you going to be okay?"
>With that, Mosina snapped to attention and groaned, shaking her head.
>"Pleh! She kissed me!"
>She sat up and began spitting, ridding the foreign saliva from her mouth.
>"With tongue! Pff!" 
>Echo threw an annoyed glare at Night Watch.
>"Oh, come on. Live a little! You girls are too up-tight," Night Watch complained.
>Rolling her eyes, Echo looked around their group to take inventory.
"Everypony's got their weapons?" she asked, recieving nods and humms from the other three.
>After her spitting fit, Mosina approached the golden hoof-claws she had tossed aside and put them on her forehooves.
>"Fat lot of help these things did," she muttered.
>"You can have my rusty sword, if you want!" Speck asked, coming up beside her and smiling.
>"No, thanks, I--"
>Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook and a brief, powerful tremor overtook the group.
>As soon as the shaking had stopped, Echo gave a wide-eyed glance to the others before quickly drawing her sword.
>Mosina and Night Watch crouched into a fighting stance, and Speck held her shield out towards the surrounding darkness.
>"Is... is another one coming?" Speck asked through her barred teeth.
"I don't know... it seemed heavier than the rumbling these guys made," Echo said, pointing to the dead spider corpse nearby.

---

>However, no third giant spider came, and instead a light soundlessly ignited from one distant corner of the room.
>Startled, the mares all turned to the spectacle.
>Shining down from the ceiling was a bright, white light that traveled along the wall.
>At the foot of the wall on the stone floor stood a large statue of an aged stallion.
>Glancing to each other, Echo nodded, and the bat ponies took off in a gallop towards it.
>After a short run, the light from their light crystals merged with the white light of the supposed spotlight.
>The statue stood tall, the stallion sporting a large beard and a robed cloak.
>Before Echo could say anything, her light crystal began to pulse as it had when she neared the knight statue from before.
>She heard gasps around her, seeing Speck's and Night Watch's light crystal doing the same.
>"W-what's happening?" Speck asked, backing up as if to get away from the pulsing crystal strapped to her shoulder.
"I think the statue wants us to use it," Echo affirmed, approaching the base of the statue.
>She felt the eyes of her companions on her as she slipped the crystal out of her pouch, placing it down.
>Stepping back beside her friends, the crystal stopped pulsing before brightening ten-fold.
>"Whoa," Speck crooned before moving to cover her eyes with a hoof, the rest of them following suit.
>A high-pitched hum pierced the air, and the brightness finally receeded.
>Lowering her hoof and opening her eyes, Echo gasped at the ethereal form that remained.
>Standing in front of the statue was the old pony it portayed, seemingly made out of a silky, white-yellow light.
>A heavenly sigh escaped his lips before his bright, pupil-less eyes opened.
>Echo gulped, reluctantly taking a step forward.
"H-hello," she whispered, unsure of what to say.
>The light pony let out another sigh before bellowing in a slow, deep voice,
>"Greetings, Night Guards. You have come fairly far, more than most, in the Trials."

---

>Echo remained silent as he continued, her face struck with awe.
>"You have defeated your first boss. Or, well, bosses."
>She visibly winced.
>"I am... The Builder."
>His baritone voice echoed through the room, until silence swept over the group.
>After a moment, Echo furrowed her eyebrows until she realized that the light pony was waiting for a response.
>She opened her mouth, only for Night Watch to burst into a fit of laughter.
>"Hahahah! What?! Really!" she guffawed in between her laughs.
>Echo's mouth remained open, speechless. 
>Speck began to giggle, too.
>The light pony gave a sigh, but it sounded more exasperated rather than divine.
>"Why are you laughing?" 
>He seemed distressed, or disappointed.
>"Come on! 'The Builder'? You could have at least gone with 'The Architect', or something!" Night Watch laughed.
>The light pony groaned.
>"You see, I would, but that's too cliche," he admitted, his voice significantly less dramatic.
>Echo confusedly glanced to Mosina, who returned a shrug and blush while Speck giggled and smiled along.
>"But 'The Builder' sucks! It sounds like a children's program, or something," Night Watch continued.
>"Fine! What would you rather call me?" he responded, throwing a hoof up in annoyance.
>Echo offered an apologetic smile.
"Uh... I don't really think it mat--"
>"Jerry!" Speck blurted out excitedly, hopping in place.
>"Jerry? Really?" the light pony asked in a flat tone.
>"I'm with Jerry!" Night Watch piped in, giggling.
>"Alright, alright! You can call me Jerry," Jerry said, rolling his ethereal eyes.

---

>Speck cheered. "Woo!"
>"So, back to the Trials..." Jerry said sternly, casting an ethereal glare to Night Watch who only grinned back.
>"You have defeated the great spiders, Floht and Ralkur. Most barely get up to this point."
>Echo felt a sense of pride wash over her, glancing to her friends to see them all smiling.
>"But it will only get tougher from here on," he asserted, dropping his gaze low.
>"Have you encountered the shadow beings?"
>A small sense of fear welted up inside Echo's chest, but she recovered and spoke up.
"Yes. They're really tough and nearly took us out, several times."
>Jerry let out a breath.
>"They are relentless, yes. But they are an essential part of this test, and you will encounter them many more times."
>He paused a moment to let it sink in.
>Echo grimly nodded.
>"And they will get tougher, too--they learn your tactics. Also, they don't die, they merely dematerialize only to reform later."
>"But it is not the end of you, yet. Your skills in training and fighting are not the only things that will carry you."
>"You are in this as a group. To be part of Luna's elite, you must know how to fight in harmony."
>"Your limits will be stretched in the Trials."
>With that, he raised his head to look to the heavens, and his voice faltered as though he were fading away.
>Strands of light began to leak from his body.
>"You will see me, again. But your Trials is far from over."
>"The most important thing to do right now is find the others."
>The bat ponies glanced at each other, dread overtaking them."
>"Fear not, they are fine at the moment," Jerry reassured, lowering his gaze to the group again.
>"But the longer you stay apart, the more danger you are in."
>Finally, his body disintegrated, the light merging with the light surrounding them.
>The mares all stood speechless.

---

>Suddenly, a loud rumble vibrated through the room, causing the bat ponies to gasp and step back.
>The wall behind the statue crumbled, revealing a small room bathed in a dull, golden light.
>All of their eyes widened.
>The room had two large, metal chests as well as a table with assorted items on top.
>On each end of the room were two ornate, stone pedestals with a bright light shining down on each.
>However, each pedestal housed nothing on top.
>Nevertheless, Night Watch hopped up, excited.
>"It's like Hearths Warming!"
>She galloped to the room and its treasures, the other three ponies glancing to each other before following.
>Echo passed by one of the pedestals while Mosina and Speck ran past her, noting the name "Wind Ruler" embedded into the stone.
>Curiously, she walked past the looting ponies towards the other pedestal.
>Carved onto its front was the name, "Keel Regalia".
>"Hey, Echo! A golden sword here, for you!" Mosina called.
"Great!" she called back, turning towards her companions.
>However, a loud whine burst in the air and the room flashed a bright white.
>Echo dropped to the ground on instinct, hearing a collection of gasps from her friends.
>As soon as the phenomenon had occured, it left, allowing Echo to slowly stand up.
>She looked to Mosina in front of her, who was giving an awe-struck gaze past her, at the pedestal behind.
>Speck and Night Watch had the same expression, before Speck began to walk towards it.
>Curious, Echo pivoted to see what they were looking at and gasped.
>Sitting in the light above the pedestal was a large, rectangular shield.
>Its dark, purple surface was polished to an immaculate shine, trimmed with lighter purple embroidery.
>Elegant but formal lines were grooved on the face, each of them coalescing into a slitted-pupil eye at the center.
>The sign of the Elite Night Guard.

---

>Speck walked past Echo, stopping in front of it.
>"That... That is Umbra, is it not? The metal," Mosina whispered breathlessly, coming up beside Echo.
"It's so..." Echo trailed off, speechless.
>"...Keel Regalia," Speck whispered, stepping up on her hind hooves and grabbing the shield with her front hooves.
>With a few grunts, she pulled it down, its rectangular face enough to cover almost half of her entire body.
>"Guys! Whoa!" Night Watch gasped, dropping a golden spear and catching Mosina and Echo's attention. 
>She pointed to the other pedestal at the other side of the room. "Look!"
>Standing upright--somehow without support--was a great spear, made of the same elegant metal.
>Its shaft was a deep purple, and its long blade a lighter one.
>At the base of the blade was an emboridery eye, similar to the one on the shield.
>From the eye projected two small hooks that protruted outwards at each side, almost looking like a trident.
>"Is that... that looks like a ranseur!" Mosina gasped, leaping over a chest and running towards it.
>"A what?" Night Watch asked.
>Almost greedily, Mosina snatched it into her forehooves.
>She examined the weapon closely as Echo walked up.
>"Kind of like the spetums we use in the Guard. Except, not as bulky."
>"I thought they were just spears," Night Watch pointed out, plainly.
>Mosina glanced to the pedestal.
>"Wind Ruler..."
>She ran her hoof down the length of the ranseur's pole, feeling engraved, swirly lines that seemed to resemble flowing air.
>"This... these are no ordinary equipment."