Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego

by MagicS


A Mammoth of a Problem XL

Samarkon was thankful that his mother and sister had left the house to go visit whoever it was. It was almost like divine intervention that no one was there to make sure he wouldn’t sneak out and go to the slums again. That pony and his father were too caught up in their own conversation to realize, but if his mother or Alykon were still around he’d never have been able to leave without one of them noticing. It wasn’t just luck, it must’ve been fate. Maybe the warring mammoths of old were smiling down on him and making sure he succeeded in reaching Karkona and telling him what he had heard.

A pang of guilt that he was surprised to feel pierced through his heart before it was gone in a flash.

Samarkon shook his head and ran as fast down the street towards the slums as he could. It’s for the best. It’s definitely for the best and now none of the kids Karkona took are gonna get hurt either.

He pictured what it would be like when he showed up there and told Karkona the good news. The praise he would get, the admiration not just from Karkona himself but from every single mammoth that followed him. They’d all be cheering Samarkon’s name. Thanks to him they’d be able to find the Sacred Spring again for the first time in who knows how many generations of mammoths. Samarkon swelled up with pride upon realizing that he was going to be responsible for bringing about the new age of mammoths and the return of their empire.

The streets were empty of other mammoths, unusual for this time of day. They were likely afraid to even go out after what happened the previous night. Probably huddling indoors with their families. Karkona was right about the mammoths in this city being nothing but cowards, they weren’t even going to try and get their families and friends back?

They deserved this.

And once Karkona got what he wanted the mammoths would become so much stronger than they were now. He couldn’t wait.

The snow was no obstacle even though it hadn’t been swept like normal, Samarkon bounded over it with no effort on his way to the bridge that led to the slums. It was a long way to run but he had done it before and he was just as determined now. He had tunnel vision as he ran down the streets while totally focused on his goal. Nothing else existed for him, even the houses seemed to disappear around him with his mind so set on reaching Karkona and being the savior of the mammoths.

Before much longer he was in the old part of town and running by dilapidated buildings and old, scared, mammoths peeking out their windows at him. There was a euphoric feeling to it. It was like he was running from one world to the next, perhaps about to break through the wall of one like a curtain of glass and create a whole new world entirely.

There was electricity in his veins fueling that hope. His marathon run through the city becoming a circuit meant to connect the past to the future. His body might as well have been a machine built for the single purpose of reaching Karkona on this day. And when his mission was fulfilled it would be infinity that awaited him.

Samarkon’s mind was a mind of grandeur and shining light as he could picture the unstoppable mammoth empire that would rise from the bedrock of this city. All thanks to him.

The bridge was now here, the last leg. The last opportunity to turn around and go back to his father if the thought had been in his mind. But if it was it was quashed so quickly that it might not have even existed. Samarkon’s crossing of the river was the absence of his hesitation and the strength of his belief in Karkona.

He was across it in a flash.

“I’m coming, Karkona!” Samarkon yelled as he entered the slums.


As opposed to the usual negative aura that infested the slums, today there was an air of victory and a celebration going on around Karkona’s abode. Hundreds of his mammoth followers drank and ate to their fill after the previous night’s deeds. It was all started by Karkona himself since he knew it was only a matter of time before whichever coward knew the location of the Spring came forth.

The hostages had been tied up and locked in various shacks and hovels in the area so Karkona and his goons could easily look over them and make sure no one could sneak in and rescue them. He had been planning this for a while and finally made his move. And he knew he didn’t have to worry about anyone from the city attacking them to try and get their kids back. They didn’t have the nerve for something like that.

Karkona knew in his mind that he had already won and now they just had to wait—what? A day? Two at the most? For the Keeper to come forth lest they bear the weight of leaving these kids in Karkona’s clutches.

Something Karkona knew no weak mammoth from the city could do.

“Eat up! Today is a day of celebration!” Karkona roared. “Soon the senate will be toppled completely and I will be the new King!”

“The Spring will be ours!” Murrank cheered.

“Hurrah!” Scores of other mammoths yelled together.

The partying had been going on all morning and it showed no signs of stopping. Abalun had joined in and tried to act as jovial as possible with the others as well, making it seem like he was on their side and just as happy about Karkona’s kidnappings. It was difficult when on the inside there was a mess of terror, worry, and self-loathing squeezing his soul. He should’ve done more when he knew Karkona was clearly planning to do something. Even with Larkon depressed, Abalun should’ve pushed harder. He couldn’t help but feel that this turn of events was his fault.

He had no idea what Karkona was planning or that he would do it all in one fell swoop but that was hardly an excuse in his mind. He should’ve known better, should’ve done more to find this out with all the time he’d been living in the slums. Instead the drive had left him when Larkon was in his depressed state.

And now this had happened.

There has to be something I can do? Go back to the city and tell them exactly where all the children are being held? Abalun pondered.

He was so lost in thought and being jostled around by other mammoths that he didn’t realize there was a young mammoth running through the streets towards the large congregation until others had spotted him first. Scowls came to the faces of Karkona’s lowly thugs, not recognizing who that young mammoth was. Abalun finally turned his head after accidentally bumping into another mammoth who stopped to glare at the new arrival.

With a sharp intake of breath he quickly turned his head away again. “Samarkon! Why is he here?”

Karkona and his chief underlings hadn’t noticed Samarkon yet, being too far in the sea of mammoths. And the outer wall glared at him in disgust and annoyance. Who was this stupid kid from the city that was coming here and bothering them on their day of celebration? They didn’t look like they were just going to let him in here…

“Karkona! Karkona!” Samarkon began to yell, not even noticing the looks the thugs were sending him in his elation. “I know it Karkona! I know how you can get to the Sacred Spring!”

That sent ripples of shock and murmurs through the crowd that had seen him. Not to mention Abalun himself.

The spy’s face paled as he watched Samarkon keep running towards the crowd. “What?...”

“Let me through! I know the mammoth who’s the Keeper of the Sacred Spring, I need to tell Karkona!” Samarkon yelled.

Perhaps out of their own shock or from some more divine intervention the sea of mammoths parted, allowing Samarkon to run through them while the words he spoke traveled from mammoth to mammoth. His yelling soon caught the ears of Karkona, Murrank, and the others at the center of the grand party and they stood while their underlings moved around to let Samarkon through. Karkona himself sported an almost surprised and unbelieving look on his face—though hunger was the most dominant emotion he was wearing.

“Samarkon… what did you just say? Karkona asked, his eyes practically glowing.

Samarkon came to a halt right before his idol, panting with exhaustion but a proud smile on his face. He looked up at Karkona and around at the hundreds of other mammoths. “I said… I know… who the Keeper of the Sacred Spring is. I found it out and I came here to tell you!”

No, this can’t be happening… how? Abalun was like a ghost as he watched from the sidelines.

“Who? Tell me, who is it?” Karkona asked with wild eyes and clasped his trunk down on Samarkon’s shoulder. He used just a little bit more force than he should’ve and Samarkon buckled slightly, but the young mammoth still smiled up at Karkona.

Samarkon took a deep intake of breath and tried to look as regal and assured as possible before the other mammoths. Finally he opened up his mouth and let out a bellowing proclamation:

“It’s my father! Larkon, my father! He’s the current Keeper of the Sacred Spring! He’s known it’s location this entire time. I overhead him talking to that pony about it.”

In the crowd, Abalun nearly had a heart attack. It can’t be…

The others were just as surprised as well. Murrank, Alok, they all couldn’t believe it.

Karkona’s body was heaving and shaking, and Samarkon’s smile turned down as he worried that something wrong was going on. But then Karkona lifted his head up and trumpeted towards the sky, laughing loudly.

“Hahahahahaha!” Karkona laughed and laughed. “To think it would come to me like this! To think that Larkon has always been the one.” He looked back down at Samarkon with a malicious grin and patted him on the head. “Samarkon, you have done well! Our victory has come to us even sooner than I would have hoped thanks to you.”

Samarkon’s eyes practically glimmered at Karkona’s praise. “T-Thank you! I knew you needed to hear it! I’ve always wanted to help you!”

“And you have. You have,” Karkona grinned. His eyes turned to his followers. “Everyone, prepare yourselves! Alok, Murrank, go to the warehouses and get all of our weapons together and start equipping the soldiers. Make sure everything we have is used! Not a single mammoth will be unarmed for what we’re about to do, the age of peace is over!”

Murrank nodded but then thought of something. “And what about the hostages?”

Karkona snorted in dismissal. “Who cares? Leave them. We don’t need them anymore now thanks to Samarkon! As soon as our stores are cleared out, we march on Larkon!”

The assembled mammoths all cheered, trumpeting loudly as they prepared for the mission of a lifetime. Samarkon cheered with them as Karkona laughed some more.

But to Abalun, Karkona’s laugh wasn’t so joyous sounding as it was terrifying. He knew he had to leave immediately and go tell his friend about what had just happened. He still couldn’t believe Larkon was the Keeper of the Sacred Spring but that wasn’t as important as making sure he and Rainbow Dash knew about Samarkon and what Karkona was going to do now. The only benefit he had was that it would surely take them some time to gather up all their weapons and armor and get ready. He could easily run back to the city with plenty of time to spare before Karkona would be coming.

I have to warn them. Abalun’s mind was racing as he slipped away from the crowd. A few other mammoths may have noticed him or were suspicious, but with what had just happened they didn’t care enough to do anything about it. He was left on his own to fly through the snow covered streets, on his way to the only hope he knew.