Rainbow Dash heard a rattling noise, only to realize that it was her own armor. She gnashed her teeth beneath her helmet, turning her gaze away from the grated bars that lined the edge of the miserable cell.
"Okay... Think... Think... This is totally not what it looks like." She heard the sobbing of the half-blade and the whimpers of the diamond dog. "Only, it totally is. Uhm..."
Her metal-plated hooves tapped rhythmically across the floor. She spun around and hissed at the distraught apprentice.
"Hey! You there! What do they have us here for?"
"Give me strength, Searo," the mare continued to stammer. "I will spill much blood. Much blood for you. Just have me live..."
"Nnnngh—Darn it!" Rainbow Dash pivoted, trotted over the emaciated stallions, and shook the diamond dog's shoulder. "Hey! Fido! You know anything about all of this?"
The dog's hair arched up as he batted Rainbow's hoof away and snarled.
Rainbow stumbled back, her armored plates clanking against one another. "Blessed Luna. This is why I hate furry things."
Just then, there was a loud hum.
Rainbow Dash turned around... then tilted her head up. She followed the swinging body of the cell door with her helmeted gaze. Bright torchlight bled into the room, followed by the echoing noise of the chanting onlookers in full force. Then, with a loud clang that shook every soul in the tiny enclosure, the door locked into place above them. They were exposed to the blood-stained body of the arena beyond.
Rainbow Dash glanced left and right. "So... uhm... what do we—?"
A loud hiss emanated from behind.
Rainbow spun about. She gasped.
A metal plate had lowered over the wall bearing the door she was thrown in through. Powered by mana and hydraulics, the solid sheet of metal slid completely across the enclosure, effectively sweeping out the bodies of the stallions, the diamond dog, and the two mares who were huddled inside.
"Whoah whoah whoah—Wait!" Rainbow stammered, falling clumsily on her side. She rolled like a pill bug out into the arena, sealed off as the hydraulic wall slid completely out and fused with the cylindrical wall surrounding the place.
With a grunt, Rainbow jumped back up to her hooves, accompanied by the shivering bodies of her hapless companions. She saw rows upon rows of glaring, shouting, angry-faced Searonese mares, seated above a ring of elevated blue luminescence positioned over thirty feet above the floor of the arena.
"Alright..." Rainbow muttered, trotting in circles as she got a view of the resonating, torchlit deathscape. "Things have just galloped on into freakytown."
Just then, her ears twitched, for she heard several hissing noises from the far end opposite to where she stood. She turned to look, and her jaw dropped.
Two more enclosures were being exposed to the arena. Outside of each of them, the half-hearted bodies of stallions, diamond dogs, anteloupes, and other vagabonds of Searonese society had been shoved out. But what took Rainbow Dash's breath away was a sight directly across from her.
"Imre...?"
Her eyes immediately caught Rainbow Dash's helmet from afar. She wasn't terrified, but she certainly wasn't enjoying herself. A perpetual grimace hung off her features, and she was trying in vain to resuscitate a sickly half-blade that had collapsed in her midst.
Rainbow's voice murmured through her helmet. "What in the heck is going on here?" She made to gallop across the arena when a circular fountain of mist billowed up from the ground before her. "Gaah!" She stumbled back, wincing from the heat, squinting into the unnatural fog.
Overhead, her voice amplified by resonating sound stones, the pale and nightmarish figure of Lady Pestiferous gestured towards the crowd with a metal-reinforced forelimb. "Behold, fellow daughters and shhhhhisters of the goddesssssssh most bloodied, we gather to witnessssssh the weak and frail meet their end like they could never meet their glory, in feeble-hearted desssssshperation!" Sparks danced from the top blade's mask as she hissed and shouted, "In one land and in one land alone isssssssh there no toleration for that which issssssh pathetic! Feassssssht your eyes on the poetry of death, and relish the blood given to Ssssshearo this day!"
"Blood for Searo!"
"Blood for Searo!
"Blood for Searo!"
Rainbow Dash leaned forward. As the steam parted, she made out a pair of lenses high above, belonging to a figure seated besides Lady Pestiferous and High Blade Terra. Roarke's body stood icy-still in the glistening kiss of the nearby torchlight.
"Oh no she didn't..." Rainbow Dash dragged a hoof across the floor. She could no longer hear herself from the bloodthirsty shouts emanating all around her. "This is for all of those suplexes, isn't it? Why that jerk-faced, thimble-eyed—"
A loud roar filled the arena.
Rainbow Dash blinked. She looked straight ahead.
In the very center of the arena, a circular platform had lifted, exposing several notches within which green vapor poured loose. Marching thickly out of the enclosures from all sides—their eyes shimmering with emerald fury—were no less than six timberwolves. They looked upon the tasty morsels of meat and howled in ravenous hunger.
Rainbow Dash gulped, backtrotting towards her group. "I've got a..."
Pfft. Applejack took six of them by herself. You ain't gonna let her show you up, are you, Dashie?
bad feeling about this...
You've got a rocket launcher, remember?
...No, of course she doesn't.
Still. Timberwolves, kinda underwhelming. I am thinking it will escalate in difficulty, bringing more impressive creatures later.
2427166
Well it IS an arena after all.
At least they're not fighting each other...or are they? Anyway, this is gonna be awesome! Timberwolves ain't no match for Rainbow.
If only she wasn't injured, she could kick everyone sideways to Saturday easily.
Or wearing armor. She might be able to use the jetpacks, but she's still not as maneouvrable as on her own, without armor.
2427139 But you forget, that never happened in this universe.
2427176 obviously they are fighting each other while timberwolves and whatever other creatures are sent out prey on the ones too focused to notice them.
Since when is Rainbow weak? She freaking took on a full armed Searonese mare by herself, and won! These guys have a weird definition of 'weak and frail'.
2427285 But they don't know that.
Dis gon be gud.
2427343
'Tis not the point, friend.
At any rate, if that's so, then they clearly have a shoot first, ask questions later kinda attitude.
2427285
the searonese don't know that. i have the feeling that RD's gonna go badass on the wolves
2427357
See: 2427354
I have a feeling that Dash is gonna be going up all kind of monsters and if she wins, Roarke gets to be the Top Blade.
timberwolves + jetpack = fire... any questions?
2427439
Timberwolves + jetpack = FLAMING TIMBERWOLVES
Well, dang...She'd better find a way to use those jetpacks soon, otherwise it's going to be a bumpy ride...
Well at least they are wooden.
"...lovely bunch of coconuts."
2427792
Honestly, I think that even used properly those jetpacks will be a bumpy ride.
i know that dashie has been through more dangerous and deadly situations compared to merely six timberwolves, but unless she can get that suit working she's a sitting duck out there.
Phfffft, Timberwolves.
Those guys are like made of twigs and leaves.
Why am I surprised by this. Especially Imre's presence. How did I not see that coming.
But yes, after giant centipedes, dragons and hydras, Timberwolves are somewhat anticlimactic. I've beaten those things with a toothbrush before.
Until the next round - Jake! Give the man some pushups!
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse.
2427742
Glad SOMEBODY posted that, lol. Does my white-armored heart good.
2429480
Oh hell. I think I just got it. Imre and Rainbow aren't Roarke's only mercy cases. In fact, I'd bet everyone in the arena right now is one, Lolth and Terra are about to make her watch them all get slaughtered en masse in order to make up for the lesson in absolute ruthlessness she missed by not killing her own mother in single combat.
Of course, it's not going to work out quite like that because Dash is there, but still. Censeo Goddamned Searinem motherfucking delendam esse. Like, toot-sweet.
Hmm, this could all be a ploy to get Roarke to fight Terra (possibly to the death). I mean, from the sounds of it she has weaselled her way out of it many times. By putting all that she holds dear on the line, they could be forcing her to act and thus secure the strongest high-blade to take over.
2427217 Still doesn't change the fact that applejack could do that.
2429642 Good thought. Though I wonder why one such as Roarke would take three males, a Diamond Dog and a whimpy (a.k.a sane) half-blade under her wing.
2429656
This is also an entirely plausible scenario. I'd still say they're expecting the duel to take long enough that everyone at ground level dies regardless, though.
2430389
Same reason she saved Imre and Dash, I guess. Though, reconsidering it, the half-blade does give me pause. The whole business seems fairly ritualized, and feeding them to a one-sided bloodsport would be a very Searonese way of discarding "useless" individuals like failed trainees or used-up slaves. Hmm.
2430610 Especially since Roarke isn't everyone's favourite stepmother. She owes Rainbow a debt of honour and Imre is not only extremely useful but also most likely a valuable hostage. Can't say that for the rest.
BURN THE TIMBERWOLVES!
Let's dash up the rainbow report! (I tried )
So first thing's first, that link. I saw it on EQD, and I knew IC was fan-involved, but props to him for letting all his reader's see that piece of art. Continuing on to the story, this is exactly what I meant when I said IC is unpredictable. Here we were (or at least Aqua Fortis and I were) thinking it would be RD vs. Terra's half-blood. Well we were wrong, instead it's her and a bunch of stallions, a few diamond dogs, and one or two other mares against six timberwolves. I have to say, this Searonese culture is intense. Not much in terms of world-building otherwise, but I'm still confused as to why Imre is there? Is she healing up the wounded failures, because I thought they were just supposed to be left to die.... Or maybe I misunderstood and she's there to fight as well? Finally, anyone else notice IC has yet to drop the F-bomb? (feels-bomb) I know they're very rare, and thank Celestia for that, because when he drops them, he drops them hard. Just saying, keep an eye out fellow readers, there may be one in the near-future. On that note, I only have one comment to leave, Lt.Dashie now has my uppermost respect. I didn't always read his reviews, and since I rarely enough comment myself, I didn't understand just how difficult and time-consuming these can be! Since you've gone missing, if you ever end up reading these Lt, props to you, and I thank you for giving me an idea on how to properly leave my feelings about chapters instead of just blazing through them and not having them develop enough!
True loyalty never dies.
Damn, Imre's in the ring as well. Someone's going to die, aren't they? My optimism shields need to be charged up, obviously. In any case, the phrase "Kill them with fire!" seems like the most logical solution at this point.
MELON FUDGE
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So now it's time for Dash to fight some timber wolves. The explanation as to how her room transformed in order to throw her out onto the field could've been done a little better, but whatever. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
I see a missing quotation mark
I thought that Dash would face Tera? Phew.
Also, Timberwolves.
And-
Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood, BLOOD!
-Spirit
3691519
Too much blood for Searo.
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD
SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE
LET THE WHOLE WORLD BUUURRRRNNNN!!!
Timberwolves? Come the fuck on, Dashie took down the nightmare centipede from the ninth layer of hell.
This is gonna suck.
Just throw rocks down their gullets. You'll be fine.
Blood!
Imre is out there too? They even sacrifice someone as irreplaceable as a medic for this nutso test? All the ponies in this hold are crazy.
Timberwolves? Shouldn't be a problem for Dash.
whew.
I mean, yeah, that's bad news, but I was afraid they'd make RD murder ponies. That'd kind of suck.
Several chapters ago I said I liked the Metal Mares. Not anymore. LOL They crazy!
"All the ponies in this town are crazy!"
eh ,she can handle timberwolves!
...bad feeling about this