//------------------------------// // North Pole I // Story: Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego // by MagicS //------------------------------// A grin split across Rainbow Dash’s face as she flew up a little more and aimed herself right at the center of the huge tornado. Rainbow Dash knew a lot about weather phenomena like this and the wind speed of this stationary tornado was decent but not the worst she had ever observed. She could beat it and break through easily. It would be as simple as flying through a simple rainstorm for her after her earlier escapades in that massive storm down south. Before she did that she took one last look at the rest of the world up here to see if there was anything else. This was likely the end of the True North and the other side of the world was beyond that tornado and wall of rock. Rainbow Dash kind of wanted to take this all in, she had done a lot of adventuring in the True North and now might really be the day she left it. Or even potentially started traveling back south through it to get back to Equestria. Either way it was a big event and a huge change in her journey that she was facing today. It didn’t look like she had missed anything below, the lake was still mostly a bunch of ice and the rocks and snow on the other side were unmolested. It was just Rainbow Dash and the cold wind blowing up here. Rainbow Dash inhaled a deep breath and held it in her chest for a moment before exhaling, the breath becoming visible in the air in front of her. She then took a few more normal and steady breaths while rotating her limbs and working out all the kinks in her body. Rainbow Dash flipped over once, twice, just for fun, and cracked her neck. She was as ready as she would ever be to break through that tornado just flying out here. “Here I come,” she confidently stated and zoomed towards it in an instant. The speed she flew off at wasn’t quite at Sonic Rainboom levels but it was enough to blast away most of the mist behind her. The near-frozen over lake was passed before you could even say “Rainbow Dash” and she flew like a rocket over the snow on the other side right up until the darkness of the tornado filled her vision. With that smug grin still on her face, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a brief moment as she hit the spinning winds. For just a second it felt like diving into a particularly thick cloud but then the wind hit her and Rainbow Dash had to brace herself to keep from being swept away. The tornado was spinning counter-clockwise so the winds were coming at her from the left, but like she had known from the start this was hardly the worst wind she had dealt with in her life and Dash was able to adjust fairly quickly. Thanks to her powerful flying ability and sheer grit she was able to maintain a straight course deeper into the tornado. To get inside the tornado would be quick and easy. It just didn’t have the size of something like a hurricane despite it still being much wider than the average tornado. Then she could see if there was actually anything at the north pole and maybe stop there. If there wasn’t anything then maybe she’d just fly right through or possibly even turn back. She wasn’t sure yet, she wanted to get her eyes on the north pole first and then she could make up her mind. Thankfully despite the obviously magical and unnatural nature of this tornado it wasn’t “alive” in the same way that old storm was and wasn’t trying to force her out. The winds didn’t get stronger and nothing strange happened to her to suggest that the tornado knew she was here and cared about what she was doing. Better for her then. She didn’t know how thick these outer winds of the tornado were but she should be through them soon even with the city-sized area the tornado covered. Rainbow Dash felt a lot of pride knowing she had made it this far and the excitement was running through her veins now that she was overcoming what seemed like the final obstacle on her journey. So much time, so many events, was it all coming to a head here? It was only fitting that a final flight through some kind of inclement weather would signal the end of her journey. Her past job as a weather pony, her first accomplishment being flying to the top of Mt. Everhoof, Rainbow Dash didn’t care for poetry but it must mean something, right? She had left so fast that she hardly had time to say anything, always doing stuff on her own, and now she was finally at the top of the world thanks to her boundless determination. Rainbow Dash pushed through the last layer of the tornado and came out inside the north pole. And whatever she was expecting the north pole to be like, this was not it. The winds had stopped all around her, the fierce tornado she had just exited not affecting the interior at all. Now Rainbow Dash floated in a deathly calm patch of air even though she was but a few feet away from the spinning vortex that contained this place. Inside the tornado, inside its city-sized limits, was a massive floating chunk of earth. Well, not quite floating. Huge veins, or branches, or bridges or whatever else you might want to call them, of stone were supporting the plateau of land that sat calmly on the north pole. The stone veins were also emerging from the winds of the tornado right where the massive walls of rock on the east and west sides of the plateau were. They had to be coming from those barriers and holding up the plateau. It was such an unusual sight—even by her standards at this point—not many places she had been were of such fantastic geography. And that wasn’t even the half of it. Below the plateau there was a raging whirlpool of dark blue water. It spun with such intensity that it looked like it might even be going faster and stronger than the tornado. Anything that fell off the plateau… probably wasn’t coming out of that whirlpool. Dash had seen whirlpools in the ocean and stuff before but this thing was ridiculously huge and strong, it was impossible to see how deep it was. And this was the north pole? She’d figured it would be a huge chunk of ice or something more cold and frosty, how was this even happening? Part of the answer may have been the fact that it was warm in here. Weirdly warm, like a pleasant day back in Ponyville. That should be totally impossible up this far especially with how things had been right outside the tornado. And it was perfectly bright in here even though most, if not all, of the sunlight should be blocked. Rainbow Dash frowned and looked up, upon which she found the source of both the light and heat in here. “That explains it,” she squinted her eyes at the floating ball of crystal in the sky hanging hundreds of feet above the plateau. It looked spherical to her at first but that was just because the intense light obscured it a bit, in actuality dozens of sharp spikes shot off from the center of the crystal. Rainbow Dash had no idea what it was but if its purpose was to bring light and heat to the inside of the tornado then it was fulfilling its job very well. She knew the Crystal Heart could give off light and show its power all across Equestria, maybe this crystal was similar to that in how it worked? But then obviously some creatures would be needed to feed it. Rainbow Dash looked back down at the plateau. Probably the creatures that lived in the city she saw on it. It was a surprisingly beautiful and classical looking city, utterly different from anything else she had seen in the True North, with white marble buildings, tall spires, castles with golden minarets on every tower. Fancy, fabulous, fantastical, just some of the words to describe the miracle city on top of the world she was now looking at. It spread over quite a lot of the plateau and there were numerous different districts with multiple huge castles popping up all over its expanse. The edges were all a verdant green while almost impossibly bright blue rivers snaked through the plateau before dumping off the sides in a multitude of places. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure where that water kept coming from to do that but she saw at the far end of the plateau a large rock formation shot up from the ground that a powerful waterfall fell from, constantly replenishing the lake below it. “This is nicer than most of Equestria...” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. And it was true, it combined the wondrousness of both Canterlot and Cloudsdale in her eyes. She saw things like small parks and open stadiums from her high vantage point, along with clusters of houses and buildings even in the more remote parts of the plateau. And as she raised a hoof over her brow and squinted down at the city she was pretty sure she saw creatures walking about down the streets. It was still quite the distance but there was definitely something or other moving about down there and the city was definitely inhabited. Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded. “Alright, time to say hello.” She flew down closer to the city and looked for one of the busy and more populated areas. Not like she was trying to sneak in or anything after all. The creatures who lived here were probably friendly anyways, right? I mean how could they be bad if their city was so awesome and inviting looking? Buuut… were they used to visitors? There didn’t seem to be any way in or out of this place that Rainbow Dash could see. Not for normal ponies or other creatures at least. She had come in through the tornado but you had to be able to fly to even attempt that. Maybe they had some sort of vehicle, or magic, or other way to get in and out from their plateau. Or maybe they didn’t even care to and just lived in here, totally secluded. Rainbow Dash was going to find out. The closer she got the more she was able to make out. The creatures walking around the clean and polished streets looked vaguely equine but also a little off from ponies, Dash felt something familiar looking at them but she couldn’t just place what yet. She now saw a busy street leading directly to one of the castles that a bunch of other stores and buildings were alongside of. With a nod, she decided that’s where she would land. Rainbow Dash started circling above it, a few times, gliding lower with each pass, and planned to come in with a fashionably impeccable landing right in the middle of the street. She bet there were already plenty of creatures down there that saw her and were pointing up and whispering to each other but Dash wasn’t paying any attention to them right now. She came spiraling down with the white street taking up more and more of her vision while her wings were fully spread and allowing her to ride the wind. Finally she angled down sharper and reached the same height as the buildings on the street, turning to make sure she would safely land right between them on the street. Her eyes and quick reflexes were all she needed to not accidentally land on anyone either when she was coming in. Rainbow Dash swiftly slid along the ground, her hooves just barely touching it until she came to a full and complete stop with her wings still extended. She then put on her most swagger-filled face and tossed her mane back. “Sup?” She said to the street of creatures. No one really reacted that much to her arrival. The swagger and confident smirk on her face slowly began to drip away. “Oookaaay, I’m happy to not be mobbed but I was expecting a little bit of interest.” Some of the creatures were smiling in a little amusement at her and gave her polite waves when she looked at them but that was about it. Obviously they either were used to this thing or they took unusual events in stride. A pretty unflappable group that kept to their own devices and didn’t stick their noses in other’s business. They were letting the stranger have her privacy. And now that she was down here on the street with them, Rainbow Dash knew exactly what sort of creatures they were and where she recognized them from. Quadrupedal furry creatures with black hooves, they stood on average a bit taller than Rainbow Dash while also being lithe and thin. They didn’t have wings or horns but instead the males of the creatures had a set of antlers on their heads while their necks were fluffier than the rest of their bodies. And instead of long whispy tails like ponies they had small tufts. While they did seem to come in a myriad of colors, Rainbow Dash noticed that most of them were brown or shades of brown with a few outliers of blue and green. Reindeer. She thought to herself. Is this their home? Is this where Reindeer come from? They looked pretty friendly to her even though none had come up and spoken to her either. They all just happened to be wearing pleasant smiles on their faces and she saw a number engaged in warm conversation or greetings. Despite this being a busy street and city she saw no shoving and heard no arguing. It was just… tranquil. That was the right word. Not something she would really say about Manehattan or Canterlot, as much as that would annoy Rarity. One of the Reindeer walking down the street saw her and looked over, briefly meeting Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Dash gave as friendly of a grin and wave as she could to the Reindeer doe. “Hi.” The doe dipped her head in greeting and smiled back. But she didn’t stop or say anything. “Maybe not as friendly as I thought,” Rainbow Dash frowned as she watched the doe walk away. She looked around and saw a lot of others who only gave her the slightest notice too. “You all really keep to yourselves that much?” She asked under her breath. It’s like cause she wasn’t directly involved with any of them and not making a scene that they just really didn’t care. Rainbow Dash shrugged. She knew there’d be someone to talk to in this Reindeer city eventually, even if she had to walk up to that big castle that was a bit of a ways down this street. For now though she could satisfy her curiosity herself. It was time to look around this city and see if there was anything interesting in the first place. It was interesting looking, yes, but did that mean it contained the kind of adventuring she wanted right now? Not necessarily. So she started walking around, going over to the right side (the north side) of the street and looking at the buildings, stores, and Reindeer she passed by. A peak into one turned into a momentary stop as Rainbow Dash found herself looking through the glass window of some kind of diner. There was a tiled floor inside alone with a counter and a number of red stools in front of the counter. A doe was speaking to the buck behind the counter and as Rainbow Dash watched he brought out a big spoon and scooped up an ice cream cone for her. She licked her lips. “Ice cream parlor...” Unfortunately any hopes she had about getting some of the ice cream for herself were about to be dashed. The doe reached up her hoof and before taking the cone she handed over a few blue things that looked like tiny crystals to the buck, who then deposited them in a cash register and happily gave the cone away. “And I don’t have any money. Just great,” Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head. After enviously watching the doe lick her cone for a minute, Rainbow Dash dragged herself away from the window and started walking back down the street. There was a hustle but not a bustle to the street and all the Reindeer the further down she walked. And Rainbow Dash saw things like furniture stores, classy restaurants, gyms, open lots where little parks had been built in-between buildings. Her eyes then drifted ahead to the large castle in the distance. It was probably about the size of Canterlot castle and one of the few other castles Rainbow Dash had seen in her life that could make a claim for being as pretty. What was it about white and gold that made things look so good? Even Celestia rocked that combo. She then looked down at the street she was walking on, the white stone underneath her hooves wasn’t marble or granite, she wasn’t sure what it was but it was very sleek and just made things look even prettier than the paved or dirt roads of Equestria. She didn’t see any carriages or wagons around so maybe the Reindeer walked everywhere or they just weren’t common in this part of the city. After a short time of just looking for random stuff she also began to look for a hotel or a gathering spot for Reindeer. Even if she didn’t have any of their money maybe she could work something out with them. Or it could be better to find who was in charge of this place. But they might not even care about her either—she couldn’t expect to get the sort of treatment like she got in the mammoth city. They’d probably like to know an outsider was in their city at best but it’s not like she came here with anything to give them or tell them. Not anything that pertained to them at least. Rainbow Dash snorted out her nose and ignored thinking about that for now. She was still looking around the rest of this city at the moment. “Excuse me.” She rotated her shoulders and yawned, taking a few heavy strides down the street while keeping a lookout for any interesting stores. Maybe they had someplace cool she could at least look through? “Excuse me.” It was still totally bright in the city too thanks to that floating crystal sun thing. Rainbow Dash wondered if it was like that all day. Did they have a “night” here inside the tornado? She hadn’t been here long enough to make sure. “Excuse me—pony!” Rainbow Dash jumped with a start and spun around—seeing a reindeer buck standing there with an easygoing and welcoming smile on his face. He was panting a little, somewhat out of breath. “Are you actually talking to me?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself. “I do not blame you for being surprised,” his warm smile stayed on his face as he bowed slightly to her. “My name is Ark’Nogt and as an Embracer please allow me to welcome you to the city of Nogt.” “Oh, uh, thanks. My name’s Rainbow Dash,” she reached a hoof forward and was happy when he took it, seems some greetings were universal. Of course though she then immediately frowned. “I’ve got a few questions though...” “I’m sure you do, please ask away!” Ark’Nogt politely said. “What’s an Embracer?” “An Embracer is a Reindeer of the city whose job it is to personally welcome and assist outsiders and travelers in any way they need.” Rainbow Dash looked around at the other Reindeer for a second before looking back at Ark’Nogt. “Is that why no one else spoke to me or anything? Cause they knew you or another “Embracer” would?” “Correct! I saw you in the sky and began to make my way over here immediately. Usually outsiders do not come into Nogt in such a way, so we were both very fortunate that I happened to see you circling above.” “Okay, okay. And what’s with your name? Were you named after the city?” He flashed a knowing grin at her. “I am to assume you do not know how Reindeer naming convention works?” “I’ve met like three of you in my entire life, dude.” “I will take that as a no then. My name “Ark’Nogt” means “Ark from Nogt”. And Nogt in our ancient tongue means top. Obviously you can tell why we named the city that.” “Heh, I think so, yeah.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “So Nogt, huh? The city at the top of the world, right on the north pole, here I am.” “And we welcome you. Is there any particular reason you’ve come though? Like I said, as an Embracer I am to assist you in anything. Would you also perhaps be from Ice Valley?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh a little. “Second time I’ve been asked that lately, but no, I’m not from Ice Valley. I’m from Equestria.” “Equestria… Equestria...” He rolled the name back and forth for a second. “I’m afraid I don’t recognize the place you’re speaking of. And my apologies, Ice Valley is merely the closest settlement we know of that has a large pony population. It’s where most ponies who actually come to Nogt hail from.” “I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of Equestria, it’s kind of far away. And don’t worry about it. But you do get other ponies coming here?” Ark’Nogt nodded. “The city of Nogt is a popular place to visit for many. As you can see it’s a somewhat special place, and to Reindeer like myself it holds even greater importance.” “How so?” “I’m glad you asked. You see, Reindeer society is scattered all across these cold northern lands, we have no true country or capitol, but Nogt exists as a sacred place for us due to being the first city founded by Reindeers 2,000 years ago. Our ancestors discovered this land during their travels, breaching the tornado, the walls of stone, and braving many dangers until they arrived here.” “So you guys didn’t make this, it was just always here...” Rainbow Dash said as she looked around. “That is correct. We made the city itself of course but the tornado, the violent whirlpool below us, the land we settled on, and that crystal sun were always here. There was no sign of who or how this place was created by the time our ancestors arrived. Even then it was already ancient. Nogt was constructed on this ground and ever since has remained a gathering place for Reindeer. It holds spiritual importance to us and every Reindeer is required to make at least one pilgrimage here in their life, no matter how far away they might live.” “That must be a real trip. Going through the cold out here and everything.” “Most Reindeer cities are already cold. We’re used to it. Nogt is special for a variety of reasons as you now know.” “Yeah… like, since you guys can’t fly how do you even get in and out of here?” “I’m not surprised you didn’t see or figure it our yourself, if you’re coming to Nogt from the outside world the tornado probably grabs all of your attention. But in reality there are a number of doorways and entrances built into the walls of rock that separate one part of the world from the other, both of them. The passages are like a labyrinth, having been constructed and mapped out by Reindeer for two millennia now. Some of them lead from the ground all the way to the various branches of rock that hold up this plateau of land and emerge out into the city. That’s the way most Reindeer and other creatures get to Nogt.” “Heh, I kind of went the hard way on accident I guess. Not that I mind, I kind of like stuff like that.” “I was quite surprised to see you come in, that is true.” “Okay so what now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I know you’re here to assist me and whatever but I don’t even know what I want here right now. And I kind of don’t have any money.” Ark’Nogt shook his head. “That is alright. Money is only used between Reindeer citizens of Nogt. We make sure to welcome and help any and all outsiders regardless of their circumstances.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Geez, if I was a more suspicious pony I’d start to think this was all too good to be true.” “I assure you we’re just friendly,” he said with that same nice smile. And Rainbow Dash believed him. She was pretty good at sniffing out liars and bad creatures and these guys just seemed way too honest and genuine. The way this city looked, the way the Reindeer acted, maybe this is what paradise was? She still wanted to see a lot more but so far things seemed pretty cool in Nogt. “So you didn’t come here for any real reason?” Ark’Nogt asked her. She shook her head. “Just looking for adventure. I didn’t even know this place was here.” “Hmm… then how about following me? I can take you to a communal living center for outsiders, you can stay there for as long as you want. If you think of anything else you want to ask about along the way, please, don’t hesitate.” “Works for me.” Before she took a step though a grin opened up across her face. “Hold on, there’s something right here I want to ask you about.”