- 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.
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