//------------------------------// // A Mammoth of a Problem XLVIII // Story: Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego // by MagicS //------------------------------// Back at the city of mammoths, Larkon’s family stood in the waiting room of the local doctor’s office. Inside the emergency room he was busy examining Larkon and taking care of the most pressing injuries. It wouldn’t be until he came out that they would know the full extent of what had happened to their father and husband, although they all already expected the worst. Shibu sat on a chair and rubbed her trunk while Alykon restlessly paced around and Samarkon sat next to his mother. The son was still in quite a bit of shock and pale in the face. Alykon sniffled as she paced back and forth, not able to fully suppress the tears after all she had been through. First one of her best friends is kidnapped and now her father… she didn’t even want to think about it right now but she couldn’t help it. Makom and Orsal had been at Harrak’s to help support her but now they were back hiding with their parents. At least Dathon would probably be rescued soon, that was the one good thing she could think of. Her eyes briefly glanced to her brother as she walked by and she suppressed the urge to attack him. Mom and dad wouldn’t want that, even she didn’t really want that, but she was going to be angry at him for a long time. Shibu did her best to appear strong on the outside for her children but on the inside she was close to collapsing. She wished one of her friends was here right now to lean on. Larkon… why did you have to get yourself into so much trouble? She sighed. Playing the hero, you silly mammoth. It was because of that personality and spirit of his that she loved him though. A smile tugged at her lips; no matter what happened to him she’d always love and be there for him. She hoped the doctor would have news for them soon. Shibu could tell how stressed they all were, they couldn’t just stay cooped up in here quietly worrying about Larkon for much longer or they’d go insane. And Samarkon was truly in the worst condition of them all with his entire world collapsed around him. So much would need to be done before this family could be fixed even with the pieces being set in motion. None of them were sure how long they had been waiting there when the doors to the doctor’s office were pushed open and in rushed Norma, Mallom, and Ansel. The three mammoths saw Larkon’s family and walked over to them, while noticing that the doctor apparently wasn’t finished with fixing Larkon up yet. “Shibu,” Norma said and went to hug her. “He’s still in there?” “Yes, I don’t know when he’ll be out.” Shibu nodded, graciously accepting the hug and doing her best not to cry. “I only just heard this happened,” Ansel said to Shibu. “I had no idea… I’m so sorry.” Mallom cleared his throat. “We do have some other good news at least. The kidnapped children have all been rescued from the slums and they’re reuniting with their parents right now. Some of them are a little roughed up but no one’s hurt too bad.” Alykon perked up and ran over to Mallom. “Then Dathon too?” “Senator Harrak’s son? Yes, I’m sure he’s doing fine,” Mallom said. A huge sigh of relief came from Alykon and she stumbled over to the seats where Samarkon was still sitting, practically collapsing onto them. “Thank you dad, Rainbow Dash, everyone...” “Abalun is still mustering a number of mammoths to sweep through the slums and repossess anything of Karkona’s. From what I heard on the way over here a massive amount of food was discovered as well as an entire mine with raw materials being used to make weapons,” Ansel said. “It never should’ve been allowed to get this far,” Mallom shook his head. “If more of us listened to Larkon in the first place...” Norma said and trailed off as her eyes glanced to the door leading to the emergency room. Nothing more needed to be said. The implication and reality of the situation was now too much for Samarkon to bear. He let out a pitiful wail and collapsed out of the chair and onto the ground, holding his head with his front legs. “I’m sorry! It’s all my fault, I’m sorry! Mom, dad, everyone, it’s all my fault!” Shibu detached herself from Norma and bent down to hug her son while Alykon just sort of impassively stared at him. The details and truth of the recent events in the mammoth city were still vague to the other mammoths in the room but they knew enough to know that this was no mere self-pity from Samarkon. Whether something would need to be done about him or not remained to be seen, for now they allowed the family to comfort each other. They had more pressing matters at trunk anyways and it was clear Samarkon wasn’t going to be doing anything else. For now they joined the family in silently waiting for the doctor to emerge from the back room and give them the news on Larkon. Samarkon eventually tired himself out and allowed himself to sit there in his mother’s embrace, the two comforting each other. With only the muffled sounds of the city coming in from outside the six mammoths waited and waited some more for the doctor. As opposed to how quiet things had been this morning the city sounded positively bustling out there while mammoths reunited with their families and discussed what had happened over the past couple of days. It was almost a street fair as the mammoths woke up to reality and faced what they had just seen from Karkona and his army. Even the ones who didn’t have to go through a kidnapping couldn’t shrug something like this off. It was a horrible thing the city and society of mammoths had to endure but they might come out the better for it. Finally they began to hear movement behind the closed doors and they all leaned in with expectation, on the edge of their literal and metaphorical seats. The doors swung open and out came the doctor pulling a wide stretcher behind him with Larkon resting atop it. Larkon was awake and on his stomach, looking better than the others expected him to but still very tired and with a large white wrap of guaze around his midsection. It was good the doctor was in the way though since everyone else ran up to mob him and Larkon didn’t exactly need his stretcher being knocked into. “Calm down, all of you!” The doctor said as he pushed them back. “You don’t need to give him any fresh new injuries.” “Listen to the doctor, I’m fine,” Larkon said to the others. The doctor glanced back at him and frowned. “I wouldn’t exactly put it like that either...” Shibu’s face shot between the two of them. “What is it? Larkon. what’s wrong?” She asked her husband, distraught. Larkon sighed and looked to the doctor, giving him the fun task of explaining things. The doctor lifted up his trunk and uncomfortably rubbed behind his ears while looking over the six others. His face was pained but he eventually answered them. “Larkon has irreparable spinal damage. His upper body and front limbs are fine but everything down from his stomach and back legs are permanently paralyzed. I’m afraid he’ll never walk again under his own power.” “Ohhhh...” Shibu collapsed to her knees in front of Larkon’s stretcher and rested her head atop it, crying up against him. “Dad...” Alykon cried, letting her tears fall freely while Samarkon stood behind her in shame. “It’s alright, it’s alright everyone, I’m still alive—we’re all still alive,” Larkon said to them. “If doing what I did costs my legs I’d go back and do it every single time.” “Larkon, while you were being worked on, the children were rescued just like you asked us to,” Mallom said. “You’d be proud of what’s happening out there now, my friend,” Ansel said and smiled. Norma walked up and patted him on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t have had to sacrifice anything but it at least wasn’t in vain. Mistakes are going to be fixed and we won’t let Karkona do whatever he pleases.” “Speaking of him though… even though we’ve taken over the slums, rescued his hostages, and confiscated everything else he left, what are we supposed to do when he comes back?” Mallom asked. The others all shared worried looks, but not Larkon. Larkon smiled. “You don’t have to worry about that. Rainbow Dash will stop him, have faith in her.” “Rainbow Dash… so she’s already there?” Ansel asked. Larkon nodded. “Yes, Karkona will never get a hold of the Sacred Spring. You all know her well at this point—she will save us from him and ourselves. We mammoths were meant to never war or fight again, and because of her we won’t have to break that sacred creed. Rainbow Dash is doing this for us out of the goodness of her heart. She’s our hero. Believe in her strength the same as me, we’ll be fine." Karkona and his forces walked towards the end of the canyon, it was now a straight path to the bright Spring beyond that they could already see further in the mountains. The walls of the canyon opened up to the Sacred Spring only a short distance away. Karkona laughed under his breath, so close! He was so close to the power he desired! The fact of Rainbow Dash already being here was forgotten, he didn’t care in the slightest about her anymore. There was nothing she could do to stop him. “Mammoths! We have arrived!” Karkona yelled to his army. Alok, Murrank, and all the other thugs cheered and trumpeted in celebration. The loud column of mammoths were happy to announce their presence. What reason was there to come in silently? There was nothing they were afraid of and this Spring was theirs! All the mammoths in the army now knew they had finally arrived at their goal and the celebrating continued until Karkona finally marched his way out of the canyon and truly made his first step into the enclave of the Sacred Spring. “Ahh, here at last!” Karkona yelled. The sight before him was grand, the Sacred Spring that was bordered on all sides by cliffs and hidden by tall mountains. Its glowing and steaming water was like an unparalleled wonder of the world. A smile tugged at his face as he basked in the light being emitted from the Spring, even that felt like a new burst of life and vigor in him, just from making it here. And then he noticed the four mammoths standing by the edge of the water. “Hehe… the four Sages is it? The ones said to watch over the Sacred Spring since the time of King Tarmok,” Karkona said, projecting his voice as loudly as he could without truly shouting. His forces watched as he progressed towards the Sages and the water of the Spring. Murrank and Alok followed closely behind him while the others slowly followed them. In short time more and more of the army fanned out from the canyon until most of them were standing in a huge crowd before the sight of the Sacred Spring. They approached no further however, not wanting to break ranks, and waiting for Karkona or one of the other leaders to tell them what to do. Even though they all wanted to rush out to that water and gain the power of the Spring none of them would disobey or bypass Karkona’s command. If the four Sages were perturbed by the appearance of Karkona and his army they didn’t show it. Alok idly wondered if it was because that pony had already made it here long ago and warned them in advance. But then where was that pony now? He had heard and seen enough from her to know she wasn’t a coward and Larkon said she was here His eyes narrowed at the Sacred Spring: that’s where. Should he tell Karkona? No, no point too. He either already knew or would know soon enough for sure, and Alok didn’t want to accidentally incur his wrath. Now Karkona had approached halfway between the cliffs and the water of the Spring. And he stopped, with a huge grin on his face as he regarded the Sages. Alok and Murrank also stopped a few steps behind him. “Well, that’s who you are, aren’t you?” Karkona asked them. Ollaron nodded and raised a dismissively unimpressed eyebrow at Karkona. “And you must be Karkona?” Surprisingly, Karkona just grinned some more. “That’s right. I suppose that pathetic pony Larkon sent here has already told you all about me?” His eyes then narrowed as he looked at the shining and slightly rippling water of the Sacred Spring. “And she’s already in there, isn’t she? You’ve decided to help her gain the power of the Sacred Spring?” “We have,” Nillse said. “Gahahahahaha!” Karkona bellowed. “Hilarious! Pointless, disgusting, how utterly wretched that that pony is allowed to use our Spring!” He stopped laughing and the grin left his face, an evil glare and bloodshot eyes burrowing into Ollaron and the other Sages. “And are you going to tell me how to get that same power?” The Sages didn’t respond to his threatening query. They were too old to be intimidated, especially after just performing the ritual for Rainbow Dash. Karkona snorted and rolled his eyes as he saw they weren’t going to say anything. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll find a way to use the Sacred Spring myself if I have to. And what is you helping Rainbow Dash supposed to accomplish? Gaining the power of a mammoth still won’t make her strong enough to stop me.” “That’s right!” Murrank yelled. “Karkona is the greatest!” “Haha...” Karkona laughed at his subordinates praise. “Yes, and soon I will become a mammoth among mammoths and King!” “You will not,” Ollaron said, shaking his head. “Oh?” Karkona raised an eyebrow. “Look at what I have already behind me, we mammoths will rise again and bring an age of war to the world!” “You are everything we are meant to protect the secrets of the Sacred Spring from,” Ollaron said. “It is our duty to watch over this place and make sure no mammoth can improperly use its power. In the past, it was believed that there may come a time when the power of the Sacred Spring would be needed again, but it is clear that no mammoths should ever be the ones using it. You are the threat and evil that the righteous will use the power of the Spring to defeat.” “Rainbow Dash will shortly emerge from the waters to face you,” Damark said. “She risked death to stop you,” Zemara told him. “So what?” Karkona dismissively spat. “She’s nothing more than a weak pony and that’s all she’ll ever be. Let her try and fight me, I would relish it. For the first time in hundreds of years a mammoth will crush another creature in his trunk and it will be a premonition of the future as I take my army all across the world and conquer everything I see! Cities will collapse, creatures will flee in terror, kings and queens will bow, and I will stand above all and destroy anyone who tries to face me!” Ollaron looked at his fellow Sages and shook his head. “It seems you truly are implacable. Rainbow Dash said you wouldn’t be convinced with talk and it looks like she was right. We didn’t want it to come to a fight but if you wont turn back...” “I want it to come to a fight. Especially if you wont tell me how to use the Sacred Spring as well,” Karkona said, looking over the Sages before pointing to Zemara with his trunk. “Her. I’ll break every bone in her body one by one until you tell me how to use the Spring. And I’ll keep going through each of you, and if you still don’t tell me? Then I’ll do what I said and somehow figure it out on my own.” He scornfully sneered at Ollaron. “But not until after quite a bit of pain.” “That’s not going to move us,” Zemara defiantly stated. “We’re all willing to stand against the likes of you,” Nillse said. “Hah!” Karkona barked. “You say that now but let’s see how long it takes until your tune changes when you’re actually going through it.” He glanced back to Alok and Murrank. “Have the rest of the army come in here and stand at attention, then grab a couple of others and help me with these Sages.” Karkona took a single step- And a great beam of light shot up from the center of the Sacred Spring while harsh waves erupted all around it. Karkona’s head swung towards the light while his followers stepped back in surprise and fear, the Sages also looked surprised and stepped away from the shore, where the waters were growing more and more violent. The beam of light soon disappeared but the entire Spring glowed and sparkled more and more while bouts of steam erupted all over it. The swirling currents of the Sacred Spring raged and created a series of whirlpools that defied all logic, multiple ones emerging all across the water and soon spinning in opposite directions from others. A loud rumbling like thunder came with this upheaval as well and startled most of Karkona’s army while the Sages looked on in a mixture of shock and awe. “She did it...” Nillse said. “I can’t believe it, but she’s actually coming,” Damark said. Ollaron’s mouth finally cracked into a smile. “Rainbow Dash, good job.” Karkona heard them and narrowed his eyes at the phenomenon going on in the water. He wasn’t scared in the slightest like some of the other thugs, but he was angry. The water was bubbling something fierce in the center of the Sacred Spring now and brackish waves were smashing into the edges all across the Spring. There was something about to emerge from in there. More, smaller, beams of light were constantly shooting off from the Sacred Spring and in an instant all the waves and whirlpools stopped, the waters of the Spring calming down to nothingness aside from the bubbling center...