//------------------------------//
// You'll Find Your Thrill... 
// Story: Ofolrodi 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..."  Kepler squinted and squinted through his glasses.  In his talon, he held a vial of semi-clear gray liquid.  "Hrmmmmmmmmmm... ..."  Without taking his eyes off the chalice, he poured a red solution from another container into the first.  He shook the vial, then watched as the liquid turned grayer... foggier.  "Hrmmmmmmmm... yes... yes, indeed.  It is just as I suspected."

Rainbow Dash and Ariel hovered behind Kepler.  The wyvern was kneeling beside one of the many paper-thin creeks of babbling water rolling perpetually down the stone hill.  It was from this stream that he took the sample he was currently testing.

"What?"  Ariel asked.  "What is it that you suspected?"

Kepler gave the vial one last shake, then sighed as the liquid returned to its gray haze.  "Ach..."  He turned to smile tiredly at his two companions.  "...the waterr is farr... farr frrom drrinkable.  In fact..."  He flicked the tip of his claw against the bottom of the glass container.  "Frrom my tell-tale alchemic indicatorr, I imagine the mixturre contains at least thirrty perrcent biological contaminants!"

"Uhhhhhh..."  Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.  "What kind of biological contaminants... as if I really needed to ask."

Ariel flashed her a squinting look.  "Did you?"

"Mmmmm..."  Kepler stroked his furry chin as he reexamined the vial.  "Dead flesh.  Molted exoskeleton shavings.  Kerratin.  Tooth enamel.  But—most prrobably—a healthy dose of fecal matterr!  Well... healthy forr those forrtunate enough to have made themselves rrid of it!  Ha-Hah!"

"In other words..."  Ariel began.

Logan strolled by.  "It's shit water."  He snorted.  "Great."

"Whelp...!"  Flynn reclined on the back of the distant wagon—keeping its chaotic aura away from Rainbow Dash.  "Good thing we filled those canteens with what we got from the steam!"

"Are... were sure our current supply is any healthier to drink?" Ariel's voice cracked.

"We boiled that stuff twice and ran it through the purification system," Flynn said.  He arched an eyebrow over his mechanical lens.  "After it was already turned to steam.  But this stuff that Keps is sampling...?"  He reached a hoof up to brush back his scant strands of mane hair.  "This is straight from the source.  Shittiness and all."

"But... like..."  Ariel turned back to Kepler, grimacing.  "Why is it so shitty?"

"No doubt an abundance of wildlife dwells beneath the rrock," Kepler explained.  "Living in the subterrranean waterrs and aquiferrs."

"Isn't it kinda hot down there?"

"It would seem they've sufficed long enough to last severral generrations," Kepler said.  "Evidently it's a grreat deal betterr a scenarrio than what they could face on the surrface."

"Fluttershy sorta backs up what you're suggesting, Keps," Rainbow Dash remarked with a nod.  "She's been sensing all kinds of 'life' beneath us for most of this journey.  Just... nothing is coming to the surface."

"Nothing alive at least," Logan muttered.

"It's all the signs we need," Seraphimus's voice suddenly echoed.  She landed from a great height, her talons scraping the stone as she paced through the gathered group.  "I just finished a survey of the landscape towards this so-called 'Omega.'  If there's any living things to be found ahead of us, they are hiding away as well."

"Exercising the old hawkeyes, huh?" Flynn said with a smirk.

"... ... ..."  Seraphimus looked emotionlessly at him.  "I did not conduct my reconnaissance alone."

Swooosh!  Wildcard landed not long after.  He perched on the edge of the wagon beside Flynn.

Seraphimus continued:  "The babbling brooks here continue running downhill, but soon they coalesce into a muddy stream that thickens and accelerates in a westward direction."

"Don't you mean 'towards Curveside?'" Ariel said.

Seraphimus rolled her charcoal eyes, sighed, and resorted to pointing with her talon.  "In that direction," she exclaimed, aiming her limb past the Omega point.  "Moving towards the curve in relation to the path we had previously been taking these past untold weeks."  She turned to face the group at large.  "From the rate at which the water is accelerating, I suspect it will reach a large body soon."

"The Great Ocean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Nothing of the sort that I could see," Seraphimus said.  "Not without moving past a reasonable distance from the wagon, that is."  She glanced sideways at Wildcard.  "I wasn't about to go beyond sight."

Rainbow opened her muzzle to say something—

Wildcard gestured swiftly with his talons.  He finished with a forelimb pointed closer towards Omega.

"A forest, did you say?" Logan remarked.  "Wildcard, you wouldn't bullshit a bull-in-spirit, would you?"

Wildcard gestured some more.  Rainbow was prepared to "read" him this time:  "The fissures there grow deeper and wider.  They are lit up by something.  Glowing fungus.  Maybe."

"Ah... a forrest of rrocks."  Kepler smirked through his tusks.  "Would we expect any less?"

"So what?"  Flynn shrugged.  "That's way off course from where we're headed!"  He turned to look at Rainbow, his mechanical lense rotating.  "It is way off course, isn't it?"

Rainbow was already pulling out the dragonstone from Luna's satchel.  She pivoted the rock in the direction where Wildcard pointed.  "It... is more in the direction of where the Bloodwings' Shard of Endrax is."

"You mean their lair," Ariel repeated.

"Right."

"Then we should stick to the mudslide," Ariel said.

Wildcard shook his head vigorously.

Ariel blinked.  "No...?"

The Desperado explained with sharp hand-motions.

"Jordan is right," Seraphimus said.  "If we are indeed getting closer to the Bloodwings—and they're as dangerous as we think—the rock formations would be a better choice for navigating."

Logan arched an eyebrow.  "They'll give us cover from flying scouts."

"Whereas following the river will leave us exposed," Seraphimus declared.  "And with the steam no longer venting so densely, I doubt we can afford such vulnerability."

Flynn rubbed his scalp, sighing.  "I hate to say it, but she's right."  He looked across the way.  "Not sure I really like it, though.  Going towards the Bloodwings to avoid the Bloodwings?"

"Forr all we know, therre might be anotherr rriverr with anotherr rravine that will lead us currveside towarrds the Grreat Ocean..."  Kepler nodded.  "While prroviding us with much-needed coverr."

"I'd say it's worth it," Logan said, re-gripping his axe.  He marched back towards the wagon.  "Seems to be the safest route to take."  He glanced at Rainbow.  "And we are going for the safe options as they present themselves, righto?"

"Uh... yeah..."  Rainbow bit her lip.  "...sure."

"Righto!"  Logan gestured at the wagon.  "Fire it up, Baldy!"

"Consider it fired!"  Flynn prepared to reenchant the chaotic stones.  "Keep your distance, Rainbow."

As Kepler, Wildcard, and Seraphimus likewise went into their traveling positions, Rainbow Dash slid the dragonstone back into her saddlebag.  She sighed... her features drooping somewhat.  It was half-a-minute later that she realized Ariel was staring straight at her.  "What?"

"I've seen that look before," Ariel declared.

"What kind of a look is it?" Rainbow droned.

"The look of a pony who suddenly, inexplicably thinks they've lost something they'll never get back."

Rainbow gulped.  "I'm just trying to do what's right for the team."

"Cool!"  Ariel gave a warm smile.  "Then what's to feel bad about?"

Rainbow said nothing.

"Contact!" Flynn hollered, and his voice was accompanied by the vibration of chaotic energy.

The air rippled from the ignition.  Rainbow's teeth shattered from a flash of cold, and in a blink she saw a fanged smiled accompanied by yellow-and-red eyes.

"Not much of a 'Sparky' without the spark, huh?"

"Mrmmmfff..."  Frowning, Rainbow Dash took wing.  "Go soak your horned head."