As Rainbow Dash proceeded, she saw more and more rows of jagged quartz forming along either side of her trek. Her pendant's glow formed a kaleidoscopic dance of ruby light as she strolled past the translucent materials. For a brief moment, any despair and worry about the blizzard sealing her exit had vanished. If there was something Rainbow Dash was other than daring, it was curious.
A breath escaped her lips as the ceiling produced several veins of thick crystals. Each shard was easily the thickness of an adult pony. She saw her reflection appearing dozens of times in a blink. She could barely tell from the polynumerous resemblances of herself, but her complexion appeared haggard, worn-out, and mercilessly emaciated from so many days straight of flying through frigid landscapes.
She paused for a moment after her stomach gurgled. Desperately, she reached back to her saddlebag. To her intense relief, the pouches hadn't flown open. That meant that the contents of her belongings were still there. Upon that thought, she reached in and pulled loose a preserved flower. She munched on the thing for nourishment as she trotted ahead, her ears flicking from the distant sound of whistling blizzard winds.
It occurred to Rainbow Dash that she wasn't thinking of the cold all that much. The further she moved, she realized it was because the tunnel was actually getting warmer. She flexed her wings, relieved to feel the frost melting off the feathers. Not only was it getting warmer, but the place was starting to get positively sweltering.
What was more, a green glow was emanating from the distance. Rainbow Dash rounded a corner, not sure if she was marching north or south but suddenly not caring. She came upon a misty interior, a cavern filled to the brim with steam and fumes. She gaped upon the sight of several pools formed in random ovals within the stone floor. The pegasus had stumbled upon a subterranean pit of lava springs... or at least that was Rainbow Dash's best guess.
The irregularly shaped pools shimmered from a green light deep beneath their bubbling waters. All of the frost and hint of snow was gone from that place, even though there were a few porous spots in the ceiling where the blizzard howled constantly. The rock floor and walls were slick with condensation. If Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and breathed deeply, she would have imagined she was back at Aloe and Lotus' Day Spa.
A foalish urge shot through the pegasus' body. Squirming excitedly, she stripped of her saddlebag and approached the edge of the first of many pools. She reached forward—nervously at first—and barely tapped the surface of the pool. It was warm—very warm—but hardly scalding. Courageously, she stuck her entire hoof in. She was greeted with the most luxurious feeling she had been graced with in months. With a rapturous squeak, she plunged into the pool. She bobbed for a moment, paddling about, reveling in the oozing warmth covering every inch of her pores. All of the misery and frigid anguish of the past few days turned to vapor in an instant. Rainbow Dash exhaled long and hard and kicked back, lying with her shoulders against the edge of the glowing pool. A giggle escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes as she basked in the bubbles and steam.
There was no way of putting this kind of relaxation into words. Rainbow Dash imagined brighter, warmer, more colorful days, and even still they couldn't compare. Catching her breath, she started to map out a far happier and rosier plan for the following day. The blizzard would calm down, she figured, and when the sun rose again she would fly through clear skies and find her way beyond the mountain ranges. She might even find some lower vegetation—maybe an orchard or two. She remembered the last time she ate fruit. The pears outside of the Minotaurs' compound were dry and brittle; they had only served as a means of sustaining her and Rockspot. The next time she found an orchard, she wasn't going to settle for anything less than golden delicious apples, or tangy oranges, or sweet tangerines.
Her mouth watered with the thought, and she drifted even further away into her fantasies, which was probably the reason why Rainbow Dash was deaf to the shuffling of heavy claws in the distance, and even more oblivious to the looming, scaley shape suddenly rising up behind her...
Hey look, first. Or not, but anyways, one more chapter and you have 100 all together!
Oh dear
Dang. I've read nearly 100 chapters of this. This is quite the adventure you've taken us on dear sir.
I'm hoping for some sort of "100 chapter extravaganza" or something.
In seeing what's going on here, what is Dash's mission in flying east so far? She spends weeks with some travelers, and saves a village, only to desert them and continue exploring.
Perhaps it's the same sort of impulse the main characters in RPGs get. Help solve some problems, and go off on another adventure. Sounds like whatever happened in Equestria gave her a spot of "Hero-Out-Of-Work" syndrome.
Whew... finally caught up, but at a cliffhanger!
Gah...
Quick you are about to be attacked ROLL FOR INITIATIVE
D'oh! Dash! Pay attention! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Rainbow_Dash.png
Wow. This place sounds like a nice relaxing spot; aside from the constant sound of claws scraping against the walls of sto-OH SWEET CELESTIA!! WHAT IS THAT THING?!
Last water-filled cave was inhabited by giant pony-eating moray eels, and these springs are the one life-supporting place in a frigid, rocky landscape, located in a cave beneath the ground... Pfft, I bet it's safe!
Lava springs? Scraping claws? I sense dragons approaching...
-THEpandaman007
...and giving her a big hug!
I am suspecting dragons
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So in this chapter, I was right that Dash would be able to get some rest. Hoewever, it seems it will be cut short by a beast attacking. But the author hasn't specified what the monster is, so it might not be a dragon. We 'll have to wait to find out...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to all of the readers out there. I made a horrible mistake and forgot to post this evaluation and moved straight on to chapter 101. Although I think I think I. Remember what happened - I remember writing the evaluation, but as I edited it before posting it, I think I had to get off my iPod for a little while and for whatever reason. (Fun fact for you guys - most of my evaluations are posted via my iPod) When I got back on, it was late, and I guess I mistakenly assumed I had already posted the evaluation. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what happened.
Again, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. I shall endeavor to make sure that this mistake does not occur again.
2 weeks? I may catch up to you yet...1509339
1625084 Hmm...you just might...perhaps a Marathon is in order...
Oh $#*& Lookout!!
>she stripped of her saddlebag
Do you mean "off"?
1509339 y u
So at least we get to see Rainbow Dash getting a good break from all her stress and worry, through the means of finding underground hot springs. I have to say, they do sound luxurious, and I would love to have a splash around in one. Never been to a hot spring before, but they sound pretty good. Anyway, enough of tiny little tidbits of my life life, I'm supposed to be talking about the chapter. Reading this, I can feel my spirits lifting alongside Rainbow's. She's going to fly out into the crisp, snowy morning, fly quickly past those towering mountains, and continue to a place full of green pastures and sunny skies- then you go and throw a monster at us. You're awesome.
Paradise in a shroud.
Dat moment when Rainbow whips out a lightsabre and cuts off the Wampa's arm.
Use the force, Dash!
It is pitch black. You are likely about to be eaten by a grue.
Sorry! Couldn't resist! I had to throw it in there!
Be prepaaaaared!
The description of the lava springs made me think of the Elephant Graveyard scenes in the Lion King movies... I hope Dash can fly away from that dragon-esque creature with water soaking into her feathers and weighing her down. She might not have time to get her saddle bag either....
I almost giggled with Dash, that's probably the best thing to happen to her over her entire journey aside from the apple orchard. Though, you could argue that Golden Petals was.
I thought she hated the spa.
6125843 maybe she likes it, however only when her friends don't know that she is there, because she fears being seen as anything less than totally awesome. Kinda like how she hid the fact that she liked reading.
6125843
IRONIC PRE-S6 COMMENT IS IRONIC!
6418854
You nailed that prediction
Okay, this is way too good to be true. Nopony is lucky enough to escape a blizzard and find a natural underground hot tub. Something bad is about to happen isn't it?
Oh hey, look. She even found a hot spring like Team Rocket did in that same episode of Pokemon!
8034574
You would be quite right
10005239
Yay! New reader? You're in for one hell of a ride...
if this mysterious figure suddenly welcomes her to the himalayas and offers her a snocone I am gong to flip a paperclip
fuck