Rainbow Dash didn’t know or care about how late it was. She zoomed over the mammoth city towards those slums like her life depended on it. There were lights constantly blinking out below her as the city began to sleep but despite her earlier wishes it didn’t look like Rainbow Dash would be getting any such sleep tonight.
“Samarkon, you idiot...”
She couldn’t believe him. How could he willingly want to meet Karkona? How could he agree with that guy? Larkon had definitely taught him plenty of the mammoth’s history and everything bad about what Karkona wanted. She just didn’t get it. There were limits to being a rebellious teenager, that was something Rainbow Dash understood, this went too far.
With her speed she made it to the river in an instant. But she stopped there for a moment. While there were still plenty of lights on in the rest of the city the slums were much darker and she couldn’t see down into them well. Not to mention she had absolutely no idea what the layout down there was like. However, Samarkon probably didn’t either. She’d have a good shot of finding him as long as she stayed in the air. She glanced down at the river first and sure enough saw a drawbridge that had been lowered across it, so Samarkon could’ve easily used it to travel into the slums already.
Did Karkona know he was coming? She had no idea how long or how often that drawbridge might’ve been left down for anyone to go back and forth from the slums and the old part of town.
Since Samarkon definitely used the drawbridge to get into the slums, Rainbow Dash flew down to it and went along the path it led into the slums. She stayed just a little above roof height to keep out of view of any mammoths that weren’t looking up. With the darkness of the night she doubted anyone would see her unless they were really looking. Mammoths weren’t used to creatures that could fly at all either, why would they look up?
The slums… it was her first real look at them. She wished it was daytime so she could actually see them better. But she could already tell that the buildings were very shoddy and looked to be made of anything that had been found lying around, along with the fact they were all smashed together and irregular looking. Random heights, shapes, sizes, some of them sticking halfway out into the street, some made of sheets of metal that were bolted together, others an amalgamation of wood, plaster, and brick. All of them poor and low quality looking.
Like slums. Obviously.
The streets were very tight and narrow, most of them wouldn’t be able to hold two mammoths walking side by side, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t even begin to imagine the labyrinth that was contained inside. It would’ve felt claustrophobic having to walk down in those slums. And scary with blind corners and dark spots dominating the entire network.
She didn’t see any happy cafes like Norma’s. No one playing music on the streets. No open market. The only mammoths she did see that were out shuffled about like they were hiding something, looking this way and that and casting nasty looks at any other mammoth they saw. Every now and then two would bump into each other and almost come to blows. It was practically a different world here.
Rainbow Dash frowned and looked harder. “Samarkon, where are you?”
Samarkon ran down the narrow streets of the slums. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know where to go. And he didn’t care, Karkona was somewhere here and that was all that mattered. His breathing was heavy and he was panting hard after running here at full speed from his home ever since he ran into Alykon at the door.
The young mammoth winced and a hurt look appeared on his face for a moment. He didn’t mean to do that to her. Or say that to her. He—no! He shook his head. Forget her! Forget dad, forget mom, and most especially forget that dumb pony!
All that mattered now was what lied before him.
Karkona. He knew Karkona would welcome him warmly. Karkona needed young mammoths just like him, ones who could fight someday, ones who didn’t like the dumb, boring, way mammoths lived today. And he was special another way because he was Larkon’s son. Everyone in the city knew Larkon was vehemently against Karkona, way more than even the senate would dare to say. And he was the historian of the mammoths who proudly said how great things were today.
How much better mammoths were now than how Karkona wanted to make them.
Samarkon just got angrier and angrier the more he thought of his father. He just didn’t understand! He wouldn’t even give Karkona a chance even though Karkona had proved he was strong and knew how to lead mammoths after taking over the slums. He knew how to run a city way better than the dumb senate that even dad complained about. Was it so wrong to have the kind of ambition Karkona had?
No, his dad was just crazy. He cared too much about the past and thought it meant mammoths could never be anything else again. They could never be strong again. But Karkona knew otherwise.
Karkona could be scary sometimes but that’s what it meant to be a strong leader, he needed to be that way for the future when mammoths went back to fighting all the other dangerous creatures and empires that existed up here and in the rest of the world. Destroying that cart was just about sending a message. He had to show how strong and serious he was to the other mammoths at the festival, they were all so soft they needed that kind of wake up call. None of the other mammoths from the slums that came with him to the festival would listen or follow him if they didn’t respect him as a leader or know his strength. Samarkon may not have known how things were here from personal experience but everyone said the mammoths here in the slums were rough and tough, and Karkona ruled them all. Other city mammoths just didn’t get that you needed to be tough to be King.
No, they all were all raised on dumb stuff like Trunkball and flower crowns. Yuck.
Samarkon just didn’t understand how anyone could like that silly stuff, what was the point of it all? Didn’t they feel bad just like Karkona that mammoths only did and cared about stupid stuff like that nowadays? Didn’t they want to do anything special or important? Mammoths used to have bigger cities and ruled so much more than just this dumb valley.
Karkona could set things right. And Samarkon would help him.
He could just imagine now how happy Karkona would be to see that Samarkon was here to join him. After coming here completely against his father’s wishes, going through the city and the slums on his own, everyone would think he was brave too. Karkona would definitely have something big and special planned for him, he knew it.
“Where is he? Where does he live here?” Samarkon said to himself as he continued searching through the slums.
The biggest building made sense to him. But like everything else he didn’t know where that was. All he could do was keep blindly going through the streets and hope that he stumbled upon Karkona or found someone who knew him. There weren’t signs, there weren’t indications, there was no logic in how the streets went. A couple of times he turned a corner only to be met with a dead end and he had to backtrack. It was late, he was tired from running so much and he just wanted to hurry up and find Karkona already.
The freshly fallen snow crunched under his heavy feet as he searched and searched through the slums and the night only grew darker.
He thought he could hear something loud in the distance but it was muffled from all the buildings around him.
In another minute he came to a four-way intersection. Straight? Right or left? Did it even matter? Making his choice he went left, his heavy breathing evident and his lungs burning. He should’ve exercised more just like his sister did, a fighting mammoth needed to be in better shape than he was. Karkona would probably have plenty of mammoths that could help him with that though. They could teach him how to fight too.
More twists and turns. More empty narrow streets. Closed doors, shut and barred windows, gates, fences. Nothing that told him he was anywhere closer to Karkona.
And finally yet another dead end.
“Great,” Samarkon frowned. He clicked his tongue and spun around-
And two other mammoths were blocking his path.
He had to stop. Where did they come from? And what did they want? They were both adults who towered over him, taking up the entirety of the narrow alley he had been running down. They had threatening and unfriendly looks on their faces that made Samarkon take a step back from them. And unlike the tusks of most mammoths in the city theirs were still sharp.
Samarkon still tried to act unafraid, standing as tall as he could. “What do you two want?”
The one on the left stepped forward and spit on the ground, narrowing his eyes at Samarkon. “What’s some kid from the darn city doing here in our slums?”
“It’s not your slum,” Samarkon glared at them. “It’s Karkona’s. And I’m here looking for him, he wanted to see me!”
The mammoth spat again. “So what? I don’t see Karkona around here right now, do you?” He asked the other.
“Nope, don’t see anything,” the mammoth on the right grinned as he faked looking around.
“Yeah, all I see is some dumb kid getting on my nerves,” left walked up to Samarkon, threateningly showing off his tusks. “Karkona may be the one in charge but I aint letting you run through here like you own the place. Not some dumb brat from across the river.”
“You’re making a big mistake,” Samarkon warned them.
“Oh yeah? Gonna go crying off to your daddy and mommy?” Right snickered.
“No! I’m already with Karkona! And if you do anything to hurt me then he’ll-” Samarkon said but was interrupted as left kicked up some snow into his face.
“Shut up, kid. We don’t care.”
“He’s probably lying anyways.”
“I am not! Now let me go so I can see Karkona!” Samarkon stomped his foot on the ground.
“I think the brat needs to be taught a lesson,” right said to his buddy.
Left nodded. “I think you’re right. Let him go crying to Karkona after instead, like a baby.”
Samarkon grew red in the face. “I wouldn’t go crying to anyone!”
“Whatever,” left snorted. “You gonna try running away, kid?” It was a stupid question. The wall of another building was practically right behind Samarkon and there was no way to squeeze past the two of them. The real question was if Samarkon was going to curl up and take whatever they did to him, or if he was going to fight.
Karkona would fight. Samarkon stood his ground and practically growled at the two mammoths. “I’m not a coward!”
“After we beat you black and blue you won’t be coming back here, little boy,” right grinned maliciously as they both stalked towards Samarkon.
“Giving you a free lesson of how the slums work,” left snarled. He lifted up his trunk, motioning to strike Samarkon.
Samarkon couldn’t help but shrink back and wait for it-
When a blue and rainbow blur flew into the mammoth and kicked him right in the eye. While Left howled in pain, Rainbow Dash turned and roughly kicked Right with her backhooves right in his surprised eyes too. Right yelped and fell back against the wall of the street while Left brought his trunk up and covered his own injured eye in shock.
Rainbow Dash looked down at Samarkon, grinning. “Hey brat, you okay?”
Samarkon grit his teeth and positively glowered up at her.
The pegasus merely rolled her eyes at him. “Not even a thank you, huh?”
“Who are-” Left started as his vision came back into focus and he saw the pony floating right in front of him. “That pony! You’re the stupid creature everyone in the city has been going crazy over.”
“My eyes… I can’t see...” Right whined as he rubbed at his eyelids.
“You two should just get out of here if you know what’s good for you,” Rainbow Dash threatened them.
That just made Left even angrier. “You think a mammoth would ever back down from a pony? You’re gonna get a lot worse than just a lesson! Mammoths are strong! And one day we’ll crush all the creatures like you beneath our heels!”
He swung his trunk at her but she ducked under it and he ended up cracking his friend in the temple with it. Right went down like a sack of bricks but Left didn’t care in the slightest, he reared up on his back legs and tried spearing Rainbow Dash with his tusks but the pony was too small and fast a target, she flew back slightly towards Samarkon to avoid him. His trunk darted out at her again but Rainbow Dash just smirked and flew aside, kicking the prehensile appendage for good measure.
“Raaargh!” Left roared and swiped again and again with his trunk, trying to flatten the obnoxious fly.
Rainbow Dash just had to laugh at his attempts. “Hey, so when do you want me to go on offense? How fast do you want to get beaten up by a pony?”
It was somewhat baseless confidence though, the size of the mammoths would make actually fighting this guy tough unless she only targeted his weakest spots. Hitting him in the gut or limbs would probably be like trying to cut down a tree with a butter knife. Still, Rainbow Dash had fought plenty of solid chunks, especially lately, and this was very important so she had to fight.
But when Left ran up to her and shook his head side to side to try and hit her with both his trunk and tusks at the same time she saw a figure approaching from behind him. Another mammoth? Whoever he was he was wearing a cloak over his body and walking silently while carrying something in his trunk. Rainbow dodged and watched at the same time as this new guy came up right behind Left, lifted a heavy wooden chair over his head, and smashed it down onto the thug mammoth’s skull.
Rainbow and Samarkon both winced as the chair broke into pieces. Left teetered on his feet for a second before collapsing in a lump.
“Uhh...” Rainbow Dash said as the interloper discarded the piece of wood he was still holding and made sure the two thugs were out cold. Satisfied that they were he stepped over their bodies and walked up to Rainbow Dash and Samarkon.
Pulling back his hood, he turned out to be someone Rainbow Dash recognized.
Her eyes widened. “Hey, you’re-”
“Shh!” Abalun said as he held a foot up to his mouth. “Don’t say my name, others might be listening.”
“But what are you doing here?” She asked him.
“I saw Samarkon, and you flying as well. Figured that that couldn’t mean anything good,” he said.
“Heh, guess I was wrong about mammoths looking up… least it turned out to be a good thing,” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck.
Samarkon just frowned and looked between the both of them. What was going on? “Who are you?” He asked Abalun.
Abalun and Rainbow Dash looked down at him, the older mammoth frowned. “Best you don’t know that.”
“Hey dude, Larkon is coming here right now to meet up with me and find Samarkon. He’s probably not at the bridge yet, should we go there and wait for him?” Rainbow asked Abalun.
Before he could respond, Samarkon let them know what he thought of that idea. “No! I’m not going back with my father!”
Rainbow Dash groaned and scowled at him. “Yes you are.”
“Make me!” He lifted his trunk up and tried to smack her with it.
She rolled her eyes and easily grabbed it, bapping him on the head with his own trunk. “Stop that.”
“Ow!”
Abalun pulled the hood of his cloak back up and then came and put his trunk around Samarkon, pushing him to come walk out of the narrow alley. Together they left, Samarkon dragging his feet the whole way, and walked (or flew) down the labyrinthine expanse of the slums. Abalun at least knew exactly where to go to make it back to the bridge and neither he nor Rainbow Dash were letting the rowdy teenager out of their sight. Hopefully Larkon would arrive soon and then this night could be put behind them. Although Rainbow Dash was left with many questions and her curiosity was burning inside of her. She wanted to ask some more things of Abalun but he had made it clear they shouldn’t talk around Samarkon or in these narrow streets where any number of slum-dwelling mammoths in their hovels could be watching or listening in.
Rainbow Dash kept on the lookout for anymore mammoths that might think about coming out of the woodwork but probably because of how late it was they weren’t further accosted by anybody on their journey to the bridge. Finally after enough twists and turns to make her head spin they emerged out of the slums and right at the still fortunately down bridge… and just in time to see a certain mammoth running across it.
Larkon was winded and out of breath, clearly this was more exercise than he usually got. But when he saw who awaited him on the other side he doubled his efforts and ran over.
“Samarkon! Rainbow Dash!” He yelled.
Rainbow Dash grinned and waved to him while Samarkon just looked away, a nasty expression on his face. Abalun had to nudge him with his trunk to get him to walk out onto the bridge. Larkon seemed to notice the cloaked mammoth for the first time and instantly recognized him, Rainbow Dash wondered if certain secrets were about to be revealed but all Larkon did was give Abalun a curt nod without saying anything.
The father then bent down and instead of scolding his son like Rainbow expected he just hugged him. Samarkon looked equally surprised but he fought in annoyance to get out of his father’s tight grip.
“Stop it, son.” Larkon said, the sigh evident in his voice. “We’ll talk when we get home.”
“I don’t want to go home...” Samarkon muttered but Rainbow and Larkon could tell the fight was out of him. For tonight at least.
Larkon got up and looked at Rainbow Dash. “Thank you. Let’s go back now.”
Rainbow Dash frowned, looking back at the hooded Abalun for a second before replying to Larkon. “Hold on… you can take Samarkon home, but I was thinking of staying here for a little longer. Maybe the next day.”
Larkon’s eyebrows perked up and for a second Rainbow thought he would fight her on it but after sharing a look with Abalun he just nodded. “I see… if that’s what you want to do then so be it. It’s only fair.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Abalun said.
“Thanks,” Larkon nodded to his friend again and turned back on the bridge with Samarkon in tow. Father and son headed back to the rest of the city and their warm home, leaving Rainbow Dash and Abalun at the edge of the slums.
Rainbow Dash looked over at him and whistled innocently. “Sooo...”
“I can tell you’re very curious about a lot of things, but we should head to my flat first. Let’s go,” Abalun said and walked back into the narrow streets of the slums.
Rainbow Dash shrugged and floated along behind him.