//------------------------------// // A Mammoth of a Problem XVIII // Story: Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego // by MagicS //------------------------------// What she had seen before at town’s square when she first went through the city with Mallom couldn’t even compare to what it was like now. Hundreds, actually hundreds, of mammoths crowded the streets and walked up and down the various attractions and festivities. While there had been some stalls and some mammoths selling stuff out of wagons previously now there were dozens of stands lining the perimeter of the square and all around the huge fountain as well. Some of them offered food while others were for things like portraits, painting, knick-knacks, little toys, clothes, tusk jewelry, tusk painting, and it went on and on. She actually saw Captain Gollak at one of the stands—getting his tusks painted bright green just for fun. Rainbow Dash was glad she could fly right now with how crowded the streets and square were. Larkon and his family had to practically fight through a horde of other mammoths and try not to get separated. Of course this made Rainbow Dash clearly visible to all the mammoths at the festival and she got a number of cheers and trunks thrown up into the sky towards her for her to shake. Which she was happy to. “Let’s grab a snack first, then we can see some of the entertainment!” Larkon shouted up to her, he had to raise his voice a bit in this crowd. Rainbow Dash nodded and flew over to right above his head. As far as the entertainment he mentioned went, there was a single large stage on the north side of the square in-between a number of other stalls. At the moment there was a band playing on it but there were a lot of props and decorations with cardboard sets behind them along with a backdrop of rolling green hills. Bakol mentioned plays being put on at the festival, that must’ve been the stage for them. Larkon muscled through the crowd with his family in a line behind him. His eyes were deadset on a particular stand sitting along the side of the fountain. A very pleasant smell rose up from it and there were a number of other mammoths standing in front of it ordering from it too. She saw one of them step away with a cob of corn on a stick that was positively covered and drenched in all sorts of toppings. There were herbs, chives, bits of potato, some kind of sauce. Rainbow Dash licked her lips at the sight of it. A single cob would’ve been no more than a bite for a mammoth but there were probably so many other foods and snacks here today that Larkon didn’t want them to fill up at the very beginning. Rainbow Dash had no such issue. She may not be able to eat like the black hole that was Pinkie Pie but she could still down a lot of good food. And that’s exactly what she planned. No matter where else Larkon took her, if it smelled good and it looked good you can bet she was going to try it. “That smells great,” Shibu said from behind Larkon. “Rainbow Dash I’m sure you’ll love it.” “Yeah, I’m sure too,” Rainbow said. Larkon finally made it to the front of the line at the stall and held up his trunk to the purveyor. “Five, please.” The one selling the corncobs looked above his head at Rainbow Dash and smiled widely. “Anything for you, Miss Rainbow Dash.” He had to dip the cobs and fix them up right then and there, making sure they were as fresh as possible. After a minute he held up five of them in his trunk. “Please tell me what you think.” Rainbow Dash grabbed one of them while Larkon took the others and gave them out to his family. Even Samarkon wasn’t going to refuse such a delicious treat. Rainbow Dash turned the cob around in her hooves before sinking her teeth into it, taking a huge bite of corn and condiments off it. “Mmmm!” She moaned in delight, the symphony of tastes and textures in her mouth were just straight perfection. A savoriness to the toppings that mixed great with the sweetness of the corn and the gooey sauce almost like melted cheese complemented the soft corn and bits of potato too. She turned the corn cob around as she ate it to gobble up every last bit, her tongue lapping up the sauces. When she finished she held up the barren cob on its stick and rubbed her belly. “That was great! I’d ask for seconds if there wasn’t a hundred other things here to eat.” “Thank you! It means the world for our guest to have loved my corncobs so much,” the purveyor beamed. “I always love these too,” Larkon said as he finished cleaning his. “Here, let me help you with those sticks,” the purveyor said and pulled up a trash bin from under his stall. Rainbow Dash chucked hers in while Larkon’s gathered up the rest from his family and threw them in too. “Delicious as last year!” Shibu told the seller. “You’re all too kind,” the corncob seller rubbed the back of his head with his trunk as he smiled and bowed his head. “It was seriously great, dude,” Dash told him. The group then moved away from the stall, they had other stuff to see and do and other mammoths wanted to get some corn too. Larkon now guided them in the direction of the big stage so they could listen to some of the music. Maybe he would have them wait around for a play to start, Rainbow Dash didn’t exactly know the schedule. As they moved through the crowd though she saw a lot of mammoths she recognized from around the city. More workers from the docks and farms, those soldiers at the east gate, and Ansel from Tarmok’s Hall were all out doing various things of their own. “If the rest of the food here is as good as that was I think I’ll gain a hundred pounds by the end of the day,” Rainbow Dash said down to Larkon as she hovered over his head. Larkon laughed. “Well I took us there first in particular cause it’s one of my family’s favorites. We’ll see if you like the other food just as much.” “So what are we going to do now? Watch the band play?” Rainbow asked him. “Yes but there will be a short play starting soon too,” Larkon said. “There are a few scheduled for the day.” “Cool, what kind?” She asked. “Are you interested in romance?” Rainbow Dash made a gagging noise. Larkon had to laugh again. “I figured as much. Well, the first play is a romance. Then we have a couple of comedies, and finally a historical about the building of Tarmok’s Hall.” “Er, no offense, but watching a gushy romance play wouldn’t really be on my to do list at a festival,” Rainbow told him. “Me neither,” Alykon said from behind them, sticking her tongue out at the idea of such a play. Samarkon looked like he felt the same way but wasn’t going to say anything. “That’s why I had a second plan,” Larkon said as they all settled around the big stage. He curled his trunk around Shibu’s and looked at his children and Rainbow Dash. “I never wanted to force you to follow along with me the whole festival, Shibu and I will watch the play and the rest of you can do whatever you want.” His eyes looked to Samarkon in particular. “Don’t cause any trouble, Samarkon. At least try and enjoy yourself.” “Hmpf,” the young mammoth snorted out his trunk but didn’t say anything else. Larkon rolled his eyes and looked at Rainbow Dash. “And I think it’ll be good for you if you want. Just explore the festival and say hi to all the mammoths you come across, or hang out with Alykon.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Works for me. I mean, there’s definitely enough to see and eat here.” “My friends are somewhere here today too, I want to meet up with them!” Alykon said. “Then go along, but come back here in… oh, an hour or so? The romance will be done by then and maybe you’ll enjoy watching the comedy,” Larkon said. “I’d also worry a bit if I didn’t see you at all for the rest of the day.” “No problem,” Dash saluted to him and grinned. “You just let me have my fun and I’ll be right back here, not even the first time you’ve left me to go look around on my own anyways.” “True, very true,” Larkon said. “After I find my friends I’ll look for you too!” Alykon said to Dash and then ran off, waving goodbye. “I’ll see you guys later,” Rainbow Dash said to Larkon and Shibu and also flew away from the stage. As she went she noticed that Samarkon too had already wandered off somewhere. But no matter about that, she had food and fun to find and explore here at the mammoth’s spring festival. Rainbow Dash was currently enjoying by far the largest snow cone she’d ever had in her life. The flavoring could be a little better (since they didn’t have fruit flavors up here she had to settle for kelp flavored, which was surprisingly not terrible but definitely wouldn’t have been her first pick) but the sheer size of it and the fresh, thirst-quenching, ice was great. Of course the thing was every mammoth she flew by, and especially the ones working the stalls, wanted to stop her and have a big conversation. Which was something she wanted to do too but not when she had a mouthful of food. “You know that’s a good question,” she said to some random mammoth who had struck up conversation with her. “I actually don’t know how long I’ve been on my journey now. Some months? I was kind of keeping track at first but I got sick and then some other stuff happened where I was kind of in a coma for a little while… I guess I just lost track of the days.” “Well I hope nothing like that happens to you here. But we would be happy to accommodate you for however long you wish to stay,” the mammoth said. She drank down the half-melted snow and juice in the bottom of her cone. “Yeah…” She didn’t have the heart to tell this friendly guy that she would be leaving soon. Dash waved goodbye to him and flew around looking for a trashcan. Finally finding one she dropped the oversized cup in it and went looking for the next snack to try. Instead what she saw next was Mallom getting his portrait taken at one of the booths on the far end of the square. Her face lit up and she flew right over to him. “Yo, Mallom!” His face turned to her in surprise, and the mammoth drawing his portrait had to pause until he returned to his original position. “Rainbow Dash?” Mallom said, his surprised face turning into a smile as he sat up from the chair he was on to greet her. The artist meanwhile sighed and put his brushes down. Although he did smile at Rainbow Dash, probably somewhat happy to see her of all creatures even though she was interrupting his work. “What’s up? I was hoping I could see you again some time,” Rainbow Dash said to him. “I’m just enjoying the festival as you can see. I’m glad to see you again too though,” he held up his trunk for a shake. She just bumped it instead and grinned. “Nice. I’m just going around and seeing whatever right now. And eating a whole bunch. Might watch one of the plays later too.” “I as well was probably going to watch some of that,” Mallom said. “But first I wanted to get a portrait done and hang it up in my house. My wife wanted a new one of me.” “Wife? Didn’t know you were married.” He shrugged. “Didn’t come up. So besides today have you enjoyed your time in our city?” “Yeah, you guys have been cool,” she didn’t bother him with her other thoughts. “Trunkball especially.” “Glad to hear it.” “Ahem,” the voice of the painter broke their conversation. It seemed his patience was wearing thin, and the other mammoths outside his booth who might want drawings of their own could explain why. “Sorry,” Dash said to him and returned her gaze to Mallom. “I’ll let you get your portrait finished up, see you again someday!” He waved his trunk at her and sat down. “Hopefully soon, you’ve made things far more fun and interesting here just with your presence.” She started to fly off but paused for a brief second. “Oh! Say hi to your wife for me too!” “I will!” Mallom said and turned to get back in the correct position for his portrait. “Right, sorry about that.” Rainbow Dash flew off and went a little higher above town’s square so she could really look at it all. The romance play on the stage was in full swing but there were other street musicians all around that were playing music just to liven things up. She saw one stand where kid mammoths were having beads braided into their woolly fur, or even had their fur dyed all sorts of colors. And then the smell of something familiar yet different at the same time reached her nose and she looked around trying to find where it came from. “Bingo,” her eyes settled on a mammoth she recognized well and Rainbow Dash zoomed down to her stand. Norma saw her coming and waved hello from behind the counter. “Rainbow Dash! Let me guess, you want a bite to eat?” “Yeah! I smelled something good and saw you here, didn’t know you were working your own stand for the festival,” Rainbow said. Norma nodded. “Every year.” Rainbow Dash looked at what exactly she was cooking up and saw baked bread drizzled with… peanut butter? Yeah, it was a peanut butter glaze all over the bread. And was that caramel too mixed in? It smelled totally delicious and looked really tasty too, her mouth was already watering. “It’s good you got here early, my stock is usually all gone by the middle of the day,” Norma said. “Just from the smell I can tell why it’s popular...” Rainbow said, her eyes not leaving the tasty looking bread. Norma giggled. “Oh stop, you flatterer. Here, take one, take one!” She picked up a piece of bread with her trunk and gave it to Rainbow Dash. Dash didn’t care that it was bigger than her head. She was eating. This. Entire. Thing. “Hargh!” She practically growled when she sunk her teeth into the bread like an animal. Instantly the sweetness hit her tongue with the pleasing warmth and near buttery softness of the freshly baked bread behind it. “I can tell you like it!” Norma laughed. “This is a special treat I only cook up for the spring festival, I’m happy you got here at the right time to try it.” “Me tooooo,” Rainbow Dash moaned as she gobbled it up. It didn’t take more than a second for the ravenous pony to finish that snack. And then with a very pleased look on her face she said goodbye to Norma and flew back off to above the square. Now as she looked down she noticed an area had been partitioned off and a bunch of mammoths were dancing around together in it while a band played by the side. She grinned, it was a more folksy type of music compared to what she had heard being played at the wedding. For a little while she just overhead and watched and listened. This is what the festival was all about wasn’t it? Maybe she could get Larkon to start dancing and just stand on his head or back… A young mammoth, just a child, holding a balloon in his trunk looked up and saw her. His jaw dropped and his trunk accidentally let loose of the string. Rainbow Dash quickly zoomed over and grabbed it, pulling the balloon back down to the mammoth before he could cry. “There you go buddy,” she said, smiling. He was too starstruck to reply so his mother did it for him. “Thank you so much! It’s Rainbow Dash, right? That was your name in the paper I think...” “You got it! Make sure your son holds onto that balloon tight now, I’ve been having a lot of fun at your festival!” She waved to the mother and winked at the son and flew off. A maypole had been set up as well and a number of girls were currently ringing around it, pulling on the ribbons leading from the top. She could picture Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie partaking in that too. With her eagle eyes she soon saw Alykon and her friends, not just the three teammates she had met either, there were a whole bunch of them, getting their tusks painted. Maybe Rainbow Dash could get her hooves painted or dyed? So long as it washed out easy she wouldn’t mind. But it was first about time to rejoin Larkon and Shibu. Hopefully that mushy romantic play would be over. She hadn’t seen Samarkon at all though since they had separated, hopefully he wasn’t being a jerk and didn’t just walk home or something. That fear turned out to be unfounded though as it turned out Samarkon was already with his parents, sitting together in front of the currently empty stage. “Yo! I’m back!” Rainbow Dash said as she zipped right in front of them. “Welcome back, did you enjoy the festival?” Larkon asked. “Oh yeah, especially the food,” Rainbow nodded eagerly. “Good,” Larkon said. “You missed out on a great play though.” “Well I’m not saying you’re wrong but I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it the same as you and Shibu,” Dash grinned. She then glanced down at Samarkon. “When did you come back? Do you actually like romance stories?” He scowled at her. “No. I just got bored, dumb pony.” “Stop that,” Larkon lightly rapped him on the head with his trunk. “I’m back!” Alykon yelled as she arrived back at the stage too. Her tusks were now painted with all sorts of flowers on them. Tulips, roses, daisies, lilies, it was all rather intricately done too. “How pretty,” Shibu said as she admired the tusks. “Thanks mom,” Alykon smiled. “I got it done with my friends, we promised to meet up later today too.” “It looks great,” Larkon said. “But let’s all settle down for now. The next play will begin soon.” The family all stood together and Rainbow Dash hopped on up to Larkon’s back so she could actually see the stage without having to fly the entire time. Looking around she noticed there were more mammoths who had come to watch this first comedy play than there were ones who watched the romance, a lot more children too. Didn’t surprise her. “You should’ve told me to bring you and Shibu some food before the play started,” Rainbow Dash said down to Larkon. “It’s fine, there’s plenty of time to eat more.” Some mammoths went up on stage now, carrying props and switching out the backdrops, sets, and decorations from the previous play. Instead of rolling hills the location for the story seemed to be set in a fancy dining room. A couple of well-dressed mammoths that must’ve been the actors soon came out on stage. However before anything started out they both saw Rainbow Dash watching them from the crowd. The two actors came up to the edge of the stage and bowed to her. Naturally all the other mammoths who were going to be watching the play saw that too and Rainbow Dash got a short round of applause herself. She blushed and waved to the other mammoths around her. “Thanks, thanks...” she said. After that the actors got into position and the play began. “Comedy” was putting it lightly. This was a total farce. It started with one actor complaining about a fly being in his soup and when the waiter came out from the back he tripped and threw a pie into the other mammoth’s face. And that was just the opening scene, things got crazier and crazier as the play went on until the stage was completely wrecked and everyone was a total mess. She had to admit though, as the two lead actors clothes were torn to pieces and all manner of food was thrown about them, it was pretty funny. The grand finale of the play was the two of them slipping on spilled soup and causing the entire backdrop to collapse on top of them. In the end they lied there, faking moans of pain while the waiter came out and stared at the destroyed “establishment” in shock. Who knew mammoths liked such wacky humor? William the yak would never believe her if she told him about all this. She hardly believed it. Larkon had pretty much been laughing the entire time, Shibu really had to calm him down at the end. Alykon thought it was a hilarious play too and Rainbow Dash could tell even Samarkon was holding back his own laughter. The grumpy teenager was red in the face as he clenched his jaw shut to make sure his family wouldn’t figure out he had almost been enjoying himself. When the actors on stage got back up everyone clapped and cheered for them and for the good effort they had put into the play. That stage would definitely need to be cleaned up quite a bit before whatever play was going on next could be performed. Which left Rainbow Dash and the others with plenty of time to do something else while they waited. “Let’s go enjoy the rest of the festival for now,” Larkon said as the entire family and Rainbow Dash got ready to go elsewhere. “Was there anything anyone saw that they really want to do? Or eat?” “Oh, I did!” Alykon said, raising her trunk into the air to make sure she was noticed. “What?” Larkon asked. “Flower crowns! I saw a tent where you could make your own, let’s all get flower crowns!” Alykon hopped up and down. “No way! Flower crowns are dumb and girly,” Samarkon protested. “What’s a flower crown?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. “You take some twigs, some vines, and flowers, and you make a crown out of them that you wear,” Larkon explained. He then looked over at Samarkon and frowned. “There’s nothing dumb or girly about it, it’s a celebration of springtime.” It definitely sounds a little girly. Rainbow Dash thought to herself. “Come on, let’s go!” Alykon said and started leading the way through the crowd to the flower crown tent. “Whatever,” Samarkon snorted dismissively but went to follow anyways, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I guess I’ll get one too. No harm.” “I think one of them will fit you quite well,” Shibu told her. Rainbow Dash didn’t exactly know how to feel about that but whatever. She could wear something a little girly for the rest of the festival at least, it wasn’t a big deal. Alykon seemed really excited about them too and she didn’t want to disappoint her. She, Larkon, and Shibu quickly followed the two children as well while the rest of the happy festival around them went on. Rainbow Dash had no eye for this kind of thing and her hooves weren’t made for it either so she had no problem allowing Alykon to make her flower crown. The teenage mammoth had already finished her own and was wearing it proudly so now she was just as diligently working on Rainbow Dash’s. Rainbow Dash hovered over her head while Alykon’s dexterous trunk worked overtime to make a much smaller, but no less well-constructed, flower crown. It seemed Alykon was working to put in a bunch of pink and yellow flowers in her crown. It almost made Rainbow Dash wince. Samarkon meanwhile was sitting by himself after finishing a very sparse crown of his own that only had a few daisies ringed around a bunch of brown twigs. Funnily enough, Rainbow Dash might’ve preferred his crown to the one Alykon was making. Larkon and Shibu on the other hoof were making each other’s crowns. Just like a true lovey-dovey couple. “There! I think that’s good,” Alykon said and held up the newly made flower crown with her trunk. The ring was just about wide enough that it could’ve slipped halfway down her trunk. “Try it on!” “Alright,” Dash took it from her trunk and put it on. Without a mirror she couldn’t really tell how it looked but at least it rested comfortably on her head. She spun around and tilted her head, eyes looking up to see what she could out of the corner of her eyes. “Well? How’s it look?” “Dumb,” Samarkon muttered. “Quiet you!” Alykon snapped at him before whipping her head back to Rainbow Dash with a big smile. “It looks great on you.” Rainbow Dash allowed a smug smile to break out on her face. “I guess I am awesome enough to rock any sort of look.” “You’re so modest, Rainbow Dash,” Larkon joked while he and Shibu finished up. “Anyways let’s find another place to eat at and then we can return to the stage. Shall we?” “Way ahead of you,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew out of the tent and back into the middle of the square, the others following behind her. A lot of mammoths were still out dancing and music was being played loudly, the water jets of the fountain kept spraying, more and more food was being eaten, it was all really nice. She looked over her shoulder for a brief second to talk to Larkon. “I’ll fly over there and see if there’s any room for-” She stopped as thanks to her lack of attentiveness she accidentally bumped headfirst into the side of a mammoth that was standing in front of a cart selling peanuts. “Oof, sorry dude,” Rainbow Dash grinned and apologized as she looked up at the big figure she had hit. And eyes of pure disdain stared back down at her. She almost reeled back just from the gaze. The large mammoth in front of her with jet-black fur didn’t respond to her apology at all. His imposing body just loomed over her, and she suddenly realized that all the music and dancing around her had stopped, replaced by fearful whispers and gasps of surprise in the middle of town square. Dozens of mammoths stepped back to give them a wide berth. Rainbow Dash stayed her ground though, even stared right back into those eyes. She couldn’t recall ever being looked at in such a way though, not even by Blizzard, who still saw a usefulness to her. This mammoth’s eyes held nothing but contempt and saw nothing but an insect in Rainbow Dash. She also noticed as she looked him over that his tusks weren’t cut or filed down, but still naturally sharp and pointed. His trunk lifted up and with a slow and deliberate movement he plucked the flower crown off her head and lifted it to his eyes, turning his hateful gaze to it. “Is this what we have been reduced to?” He said, his voice casual and not raised at all. He looked around at the crowd around him, those disdainful eyes sweeping over all the mammoths and causing quite a number of them to turn away. The black mammoth sighed and took a deep breath. “I ask you, my mammoths!” His powerful voice now bellowed across the entire town square. “IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO?!” He lifted his trunk high above his head and then threw the flower crown to the ground. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “What’s your problem, jerk? My friend put a lot of work into that!” His eyes narrowed at her, unperturbed by her shouting. “And you’re the pony. To think how far we’ve fallen that not only my people have taken you in as a guest but that we would treat you like some sort of queen.” Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes right back at him. She knew who he was now, there was no question about it. “You’re… Karkona.” “I suppose your host told you about me,” Karkona said, looking past Rainbow Dash at Larkon and his family. Rainbow Dash followed his gaze; Shibu was worried, Alykon scared and upset, Samarkon in awe, and Larkon returned Karkona’s look with a steely one of his own. The historian and the slum-dweller held a staring contest for a minute longer until Larkon stepped forward. The crowd of formerly happy festival going mammoths around them now looking on with rapt attention and fear. “What are you doing here, Karkona? Did you come just to ruin our festivities?” Larkon asked him. “I wanted to confront my fellow mammoths with the reality of how far we’ve fallen,” Karkona said, glancing down at the flower crown. “Pitiful things like this, snacks, dancing and music, how absurd.” “Really? I would personally consider these things a sign of how much better we mammoths have become over the years,” Larkon said right back. The pupils of Karkona’s eyes shrank in barely controlled rage. “As if I expected anything else from you.” “Just go, Karkona. No one else wants you here. We’re trying to enjoy our spring festival,” Larkon told him. “And we’re here to convince you all of your disgrace. I don’t bow down to you or anyone else, Larkon. I do what I want as the future King of the mammoths while your leaders fear me like the cowards they and the rest of this city are. You can’t tell me what to do,” Karkona said. “We?” Dash said, hanging onto that word. Karkona glanced down at her. “That’s right.” From the crowd began to emerge other mammoths, pushing past the normal festival goers. More and more mammoths backed away from Karkona and his slowly growing posse until it was only Rainbow Dash and Larkon in a large circle to face off with Karkona and a dozen of his followers who had joined him. They were grungy and mean looking mammoths, all with their tusks still sharp, and they sneered at Rainbow Dash and the other mammoths at the festival. They were hardly soldiers. They gave off the aura of punks and thugs more than anything, but that still made them plenty dangerous especially when Rainbow Dash knew most of the mammoths in this city wouldn’t or couldn’t hurt a fly. To Larkon’s credit he didn’t back away at all. And Rainbow Dash too stayed facing off with Karkona. “There are many and more mammoths who believe in me. Who are loyal, truly loyal, to me. Ones who are willing to fight,” Karkona said as he looked around at the retreating crowd. “Can any of you say the same?” “We don’t need to fight. It’s a time that is past us,” Larkon coldly stated. “Pathetic, absolutely pathetic,” Karkona slowly shook his head. “We should be conquering and carving out a new empire up here, not singing and dancing like fools.” A malicious grin then spread on his face and he looked past both Larkon and Rainbow Dash. “From what I’ve heard even your own son agrees with me.” Larkon and Dash both looked back at Samarkon, who was now staring wide-eyed at Karkona. The rest of the crowd around him was looking back and forth between the young mammoth and the agitator, perhaps waiting to see if Samarkon might say something. Before he could do anything though, Shibu stepped in front of him to block Karkona’s view. Karkona sneered at her. “Cowards, the lot of you.” And Rainbow Dash had had enough. She angrily flew right up in front of his face. “Hey! Where do you get off coming here and ruining things for everyone? Why don’t you just go back to wherever you crawled out of before I make you?” He blinked at her as if she was a fly buzzing about his face. And then he spat on her. “Ugh! Yuck!” Rainbow Dash snapped backwards with her face and mane now covered in spit. She brought up her hooves to at least wipe it out of her eyes. “Get out of my face pony, none of this concerns you,” Karkona said. “You-?!” She glared up at him and was about to attack him when she felt something wrap around her body and hold her back. “No, Rainbow Dash!” Larkon said as he held her with his trunk. “Let me go, Larkon! I’m going to pound his face in!” Rainbow growled, trying to fight her way out of his grip. “Stop it! That’s not how we solve things here,” Larkon refused to budge. “You wouldn’t be able to do anything anyways,” Karkona dismissively said to her. But then he chuckled mockingly. “But still look how he holds you back? So weak he can’t even stomach the thought of a fight. Like the rest of the mammoths here.” Karkona turned around and raised his trunk up high before bringing it down like a thunderbolt and obliterating the cart of peanuts. Smashed and broken wood flew everywhere and some of the mammoths in the crowd shrieked in fear. Karkona used his tusks to knock the destroyed remnants of the cart around on the ground and crushed a bag of peanuts underneath his foot. Seeing his job was done, he snorted in contempt and began to walk away around the fountain with his lackeys following him. The crowd of festival goers was more than happy to make a wide parting for him, none of them even attempting to say or do anything about Karkona. But he stopped and then looked over his shoulder at Larkon, Rainbow Dash, and the others. “This was just a lesson for all of you. I will find the Sacred Spring one day and return us mammoths to the glory and war filled days of old.” He glared across the crowd once more, seemingly angry that they weren’t even trying to confront him. “Weaklings.” He was done after that, he and his whole group leaving town’s square, walking off in the direction of the slums Larkon said he lived in. It took a little while for Rainbow Dash’s anger to simmer but Shibu coming up with a towel and wiping her off at least helped that a little bit. Unfortunately the rest of the festivities looked like they had come to a premature end. “Shibu,” Larkon quietly said. “Take Alykon and Samarkon home. Rainbow Dash and I will be joining you shortly.” Shibu wordlessly listened to him and went back to gather up their children. To Rainbow’s surprise, Samarkon didn’t make a fuss about it. Rainbow herself though watched as other mammoths at the festival slowly gathered their things and began to leave as well. No more plays, no more food, everyone was going home. Except for the two of them so far. Rainbow Dash looked up at Larkon and raised an eyebrow. “Things are a little more serious with this Karkona guy than you made it sound, aren’t they? And what was that Sacred Spring thing he mentioned?” “I apologize for not being more open with you and trying to hide as much as I could of our shameful past,” Larkon told her, his eyes still firmly affixed in the direction Karkona had left. “But now, I will tell you everything about us mammoths and our history in this world. It’s only fair and it should have been my duty as historian in the first place. You must know everything about us for better and for worse.”