//------------------------------// // A Mammoth of a Problem XXII // Story: Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego // by MagicS //------------------------------// The old part of the city had a distinctive look to it compared to the rest. The style of the buildings was actually reminiscent of Yakyakistan, the buildings were squatter and she didn’t see any above two stories, and the roads were all cracked stone and dirt. There was also a cold breeze blowing in from the river and the lake to the south, without the perimeter wall that the rest of the city had to block it it made it noticeably much colder here. Rainbow Dash walked with Larkon into an open lot surrounded by haphazardly placed buildings, another thing to note is that it didn’t look like there was any planning here on how the buildings were spread out. Streets were random and crooked and there were dead-ends and narrow alleys and backroads criss-crossing everywhere. This was definitely what you got when you started building a city without a blueprint or any forethought. “Some of these buildings are back from the very beginning. Back when Tarmok and the others first settled here,” Larkon said. “Not all were destroyed in the ensuing conflict.” Rainbow Dash looked around, there were definitely a few buildings that looked very aged. It wasn’t even things like the lack of paint but the cracked stone and faded look of everything. It was hard for her to really say how, but some things just looked old. She had seen enough ruins and old-timey towns and places back in Equestria. This area of the mammoth city had the same atmosphere. “You said this is where a lot of older mammoths live?” Rainbow Dash asked Larkon. “Yes,” he nodded. “It’s a slower part of the city, not much work goes on here.” “Even with the slums right across the river?” She raised an eyebrow. He obviously wasn’t happy about having to acknowledge that but he answered all the same. “Yes. Karkona and his thugs only rarely leave the slums at all and he’s more intent on bothering the rest of the city and the younger mammoths. He doesn’t care about the old retirees and their families that live here.” Rainbow Dash nodded with a blank face and looked in the direction of the river and the slums beyond. According to Larkon there was a drawbridge or two that connected the slums directly to here, but they were often pulled up and could only be controlled from the slum side. Swimming across the river wouldn’t be an issue for most mammoths but you couldn’t bring anything or take anything with you unless you also had a boat. “Let’s not talk about that now though, this should be a more fun experience. There’s a lot of history in this part of the city,” Larkon told her, trying to change the subject. Rainbow shrugged. “Alright. What did you want to show me?” Larkon smiled. “Well it’s not just any buildings that are still around from the beginning. The very first structure raised by mammoths in this city still stands. Let me show you.” “Lead the way,” Rainbow Dash grinned back at him. As they traveled down the winding streets of this part of the city, Rainbow Dash was on the lookout for anything interesting. Like always she wanted to be entertained as much as possible. There wasn’t much though. Betraying its quieter and older nature, the walls lacked art, the streets lacked sculptures and fountains, and there weren’t musicians and other performers around. She saw an old mammoth rocking back and forth in a chair on his porch, but he looked to be asleep. And another old lady was busy shuffling down the side of the road, either going or coming from her house. Rainbow Dash gave her a friendly wave and smile but only got a curt nod in response. “See? Slow and quiet here,” Larkon said. Rainbow Dash silently agreed. She flew up a little higher above Larkon to see over more of these buildings and houses and looked around. The only thing she really saw going on was a group of four elderly mammoths sitting around on old stone benches by the side of a house. They seemed to be having a private conversation so she ducked back down to beside Larkon, if they were younger she’d probably go talk to them and see what was going on but she could at least have a little patience and respect for privacy when it came to older creatures. “Brr,” Rainbow Dash shivered as a particularly cold breeze came in from the river. “Kind of wish I had fur as thick as yours right now.” “Hehe, why do you think I’m even wearing this hat today?” Larkon said and pointed up to the warm looking muffler on his head. It even had flaps that came down over his ears. Rainbow smirked at him. “I thought it was just because of your bad fashion sense.” “Oh be quiet,” he frowned. “So even you’re going to be complaining about my hats now?” “Hey, it’s an easy target.” Larkon snorted. “I’d like to see what kind of hat you considerable fashionable.” “Uh, how bout none?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at him. “But I bet I could still pick out a cooler hat than what you wear. Or something awesome, like a helmet.” “Maybe you can go shopping with Shibu someday and stay on the lookout for something.” “Maaaybe,” Rainbow considered. She wasn’t a fan of shopping but it couldn’t be so bad, right? If anything there was probably weird mammoth stuff to see in whatever shop Shibu went to. And Rarity may not have been a shopaholic or anything like that but Dash still had a lot of experience with being dragged through Manehattan and Canterlot stores thanks to her. Larkon made a right on the street and the two of them started going around an old cottage that looked abandoned. Behind it the road forked again and Rainbow Dash could see numerous other paths to take down each road, all of them down and along the sides of old buildings. Some of them probably making a maze between all of the tightly knit houses. “How long did it take for you to not get lost whenever you came here?” Rainbow asked him. “A few times.” It took a few more minutes and a lot more winding turns but eventually the pair made it to where Larkon was taking them. “And there it is. The first thing built at out new home,” Larkon said. It wasn’t exactly pride in his voice, but a calm appreciation and respect for the mammoths that had come before him. Rainbow Dash looked ahead at the hovel. It was made of stone that was falling apart in some places, and the shingled roof sagged and rotted, there was no door and the windows were bare of either glass or shutters of any sort. The first building was round and wide, with but a single story, it spoke to quiet practicality and simplicity. Shelter. No more and no less. It sat in the middle of a circular street with all of the clearly newer buildings around it giving it plenty of space. All in all it was an unremarkable building that looked on the verge of collapsing from a mild wind. “So what is it? What did they make it for?” Rainbow Dash asked Larkon. “It was to be Tarmok’s temporary war room. Here he and his most loyal would convene, drink, plan for war, and party. He saw that as something far more important than anything else they could’ve built first when they arrived here,” Larkon said. “Figures.” Larkon nodded. “Come, let’s go inside. As historian I’ve been torn on whether we should be trying to restore the building or keep it as it is. At the very least I’ve been asking the senate to put a door and lock back on it but… well, you’ve seen how debates can get.” Rainbow Dash winced. “Yeesh, good luck.” The two of them headed inside the building, the doorway made for a double door so Rainbow Dash could easily fly right beside Larkon’s head on her way in. There were no lights or even torches inside but enough came in through the windows and a couple of holes on the roof that she could still see clearly. It was all just one single big room with a depression in the middle ringed in stones that looked like a rudimentary fire pit. No furniture or decorations sat anywhere, it was empty aside from dust and some snow that had drifted in in the morning. Barren. She would’ve assumed it was an ordinary abandoned building if Larkon hadn’t told her anything else about it. “We were willing to name Tarmok’s Hall that to remind ourselves of the past but we can’t spare the time or effort to even ponder such a historic landmark,” Larkon sighed, shaking his head. Twilight would definitely sympathize with you right now. Rainbow Dash thought as she looked around. To think of who stayed in this building, the mammoths who built it and why, it may not have served its purpose for long but there was still a lot of history connected to this place. A lot of important stuff happened around it. Rainbow Dash turned to look at him, a somewhat pitying frown evident on her face. “So, uh? You said this was supposed to be a fun visit?” “Oh!” Larkon suddenly perked up, snapped out of his doldrums. “Yes, there’s actually an old friend of mine who lives at the northern part of the old sector. He makes caramel popcorn, I thought you’d like to try some.” “Would I!” Rainbow smiled. Her wings fluttered and she buzzed over to the open doorway. Larkon chuckled. He then wistfully glanced about the building, quietly musing. “Yes, there’s no reason to keep ourselves down thinking about the unfortunate things of the past. We’ve become better and happier because of those things. Remembering the past doesn’t mean being chained or ruled by it.” “You say something?” Dash said as she looked over her shoulder at him. “No, just talking to myself. Let’s go,” Larkon smiled and walked out with her.