"Nnnngh!" Rainbow Dash winced, her left side being tugged a little harder than her right as she was dragged along a dark, dark corridor. "Easy, there! How can all of my snazziness be put to the test if there's nothing left to be tested!"
"Hmmff..." One of the three metal mares grunted as they strolled down granite steps and approached a long, curved hallway.. "You speak as if there's anything to begin with!"
Rainbow frowned. "Yeah, like you're something special—" She received a swift slap to the helmet. "Gaah! Quit it!"
"What a whiny runt you are!" another mare hissed. A deep rumbling noise was pulsing through the walls of the place as they pulled Rainbow Dash towards an array of doors facing the inner side of the curve hall. "What Roarke ever saw in you, I can't fathom!"
"And we never will!" One of the metal mares said, followed with a metallic guffaw.
Rainbow Dash blinked under her helmets. "The hay are you going on about?! What do you have against Roarke anyways?" She shuddered, then said, "Well, I suppose one would have to get in line..."
"She's nothing. You are nothing!" One mare lifted Rainbow Dash up by the shoulders as she hissed through her helmet. "The daughters of Searo have been playing games for far too long! It's high time we had a leader who isn't cowardly or infirmed or dulled by the pretense of diplomacy! Roarke bleeds out tonight, and it starts with her apprentice's blood! Your blood!"
"Uhhh..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted as the iron door slid open behind her. The air filled with the rank smell of raw meat and equine refuse. "Is it too late to confess that I kind of hate Roarke too?"
"You had better pray to the murderous spirit of Searo for an ounce of strength, you insipid flea!"
Rainbow Dash's hooves dangled as she said, "Er... so is that a 'no' or..."
She was bucked mercilessly into the chamber.
"Ooof!"
The mares slammed the door shut and chuckled amongst themselves. "Glory to the High Blade! We will all bathe in your pulp tonight!" Their insidious laughter was drowned out by the sound of a rusted, metal panel sliding down over the doorframe, completely sealing off the room from the hallway that Rainbow had entered from.
"Unnngh..." Rainbow Dash stood up, wincing in her metal armor. "Friggin' battletanks with hooves, I swear to Celestia..." She slowly pivoted about. "I almost wish now that I had hung out more with Gilda—Whoah!" she did a double-take at her surroundings.
The cramped cell was utterly filthy. The ground shook from an incessant chant of hundreds upon hundreds of ravenous voices outside. The noise appeared not to affect the occupants: about five ponies total were sharing the chamber with Rainbow Dash, and they all looked horribly emaciated, weak, even starving. Three were stallions in progressively leprotic states of bodily decay. One was a diamond dog with his bruised face buried helplessly in his paws. Finally, in the corner, was a young mare in a rattling set of apprentice armor. She held a helmet in her hooves and was trying her best not to sob.
"Blessed Searo, please forgive me," she muttered. "I tried to be strong. I tried so hard. Bloody my spear for glory, oh goddess. Bloody my spear so that I m-may be honorable in your sight..."
Rainbow Dash grimaced, gazing at the twitching stallions, the spasming canine, and the sobbing mare.
"Yeesh... This... This is..." She gulped, her ears twitching to the chanting sound. Her eyes traveled past the mare as she found a series of thin, barred grates acting as a window to a torch-lit chamber beyond. "Somehow I doubt this is a Wonderbolts show."
The diamond dog whimpered while the mare continued to rock back and forth and chant.
"Hey, uhm..." Rainbow Dash stepped over the suffering stallions and tapped the young mare on the shoulder. "Sorry to bother your moment of intense existential crisis, but can you tell me what's going on here?"
The mare merely murmured forth, "Blessed Searo, forgive me and give me strength. I will k-kill for you. I will bleed for you. Just let m-me live. Let me live so th-that I may impress m-my mentor, pl-please!" She sobbed into her forelimbs.
Rainbow Dash gulped. "Oooookay." She trotted nervously towards the barred window, her helmeted eyes squinting in the slitted bands of light.
As she approached, the chanting became more and more distinct. One word and one word alone was being shouted by multiple Searonese, all in one accord, all in one spirit.
"Blood... Blood... Blood... Blood... Blood!"
So Dash is a gladiator now... Caesar Pestiferous will be disappointed by her lack of blood lust, but if the amulet comes off...
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD. SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE.
So are they going for Forces of Chaos, or Imperium?
Eternal War - Bolt Thrower
A heinous, blood-soaked, contrivance.
uh...
2414403 ... she'll probably ruin her bandages?
Damn, another fight with Roarke?
I have a feeling that stuff like this happens ... once a month?... with the metal mares.
Who could Rainbow Dash possibly be fighting. I mean, she can beat Roarke on a good day, and she can still technically fly. Its obvious that Rainbow totally out-levels any of her competitors. Plus, she has been pretty myopic in they way she has distributed her attribute and skill points. She's pretty much maxed out her Agility, and thats probably the same case for her Melee. I really doubt there are many Searonese that would actually be a challenge. It's true however, that this suit does fit well with her preference for light armor. She might not get away scott free.
2414403
Chaos Dashie ftw.
It was all fun and games until some pony lost an amulet.
I don't foresee this ending well for any living thing in that whole area.
If Dash doesn't look at the crowd and roar, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?" At some point in the near future, I will be honestly disappointed.
Kill them. Kill them all.
YES. GLORIOUS COMBAT.
...awwww shiiiii...
Saw the title, couldn't resist.
From the looks of things, Dash seems to be in the best shape of any contender. Whether it's going to be a tournament or just one giant, bloody battle royale, it looks like she's got it pretty well made. That being the case, though, it probably means she'll have to fight a bunch of manticores or something equally deadly.
Hm. I get the feeling that the armour is going to come off, maybe a pendant as well, and a lot of things are going to die afterwards.
Either that or Dash is about to crocket something with those missiles she doesn't know how to use.
2415020
Hahaha, my thoughts exactly.
metal mares are mean.
2415020 lol yes!
Something tells me Roarke is either going to watch those prisoners fight one another or some other foe I don't know but I think she will be involved. I'm curious as to what her reaction will be when she realizes it is Dash in that armor or if this was planned all along. I KNOW NOT WHAT WILL HAPPEN!!!
A Searonese initiate sobbing in fear...
Assuming she isn't crying because she was cast out/dishonored/whatever happened to her, that must be quite the foe they're going to be gladiatin'....
Or just ritual sacrifice. That doesn't seem like Searo though....
You know things get serious when the text become bold and italic at the same time.
There had better be a Searonese colosseum. And Dash had better win.
2416778
Not underlined. Not important.
2417185
Did I say important? no I said SERIOUS
Totally different.
2417256
But WHY SO?
2417274
It just IS, you silly goose.
i.imgur.com/95S4wBp.png
2417303
I give up. Just because I don't understand doesn't mean its not true.
I guess it's just not that IMPORTANT that I understand.
Time for dashie to save the day again!
Wow... what a bunch of winners we got here.
Dash is gonna have to carry this team.
Nosirree, I don't like Searo.
NO sir, not at ALL.
It is 6:30. I am 100% caught up. My only regret is now I have to wait for an update. Austraeoh+ are flawless stories written perfectly.
i.imgur.com/TYGoG9G.gif
Ah, blood sport. If you had an aversion to killing before, Dash, you ought to lose it immediately. Like, right now.
So. Gladiator arena?
megasweet.deviantart.com/art/BUENO-195923459
To the searonese at least.
Welp, having a weird lack of dashie's reviews, and having wanted to start my own, I'll start them off right here, right now!
So in chapter, it seems some previous theories were proven right, that Dash will end up fighting. The only question now is, is it to the death? We all know she doesn't approve of killing, and I have a feeling that she will be forced to either change that opinion, or something really controversial to Searonese culture is about to go down. In terms of the chapter, I enjoyed seeing Dash still being treated terribly, it plays well with the story building of just how bastardly this country is. In that sense, IC is an amazing world-builder. Although I am a bit shocked to see a diamond dog in that cage, which I feel might lead to some massive plot point soon. Finally, apparently there's going to be some sort of assassination attempt on Roarke? Some people have been hating her and this country all together, I for one love them. This bounty huntressess idea is pure genius to me, and Roarke's caracther isn't all that controversial. Well, this concludes my first review, and I plan to keep dashing forward and putting them up here!
True loyalty never dies.
So, this isn't going to be a flower picking contest, I take it?
Dash has taken on demonic dragons, hydras, minotaurs, magic missiles, bats on steroids and being possessed by Discord, I'm sure she can handle a little arena violence.
Right?
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Well, jeez. Searo is becoming a very dark nation very quickly. Also, a Rainbow Dash sacrifice? Roarke will never go for that. She'll have to intervene at some point. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Yep. Everypony except Roarke and Imre in Searo suck.
Such a dark nation...
Me likey.
Blood, Blood, Blood, Blood, BLOOD.
-Spirit
2415020
Good show!
Well, Dash, time to fight your way out.
Entry IV:
I can see a fortress in the distance, it's cannons aglow with energy in the dim twilight. It's sight covers much of the lands around here, but it would take too long to go around, let alone chance some other obstacle.
Stealth was never my forte' but I hope my skills are enough to sneak through unseen.
The next few night will be cold without a campfire.
I gave you blood, blood, BLOOOOOOOOD...
I'M THE KIND OF EQUINE WRECKAGE THATCHA LOVE!
started this series a few days ago... dont usually comment on stories but now i have too...
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!
~ Now is fighty time, fighty time, blood blood blood ~
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Oh snap. It's about to hit the fan.