//------------------------------// // Imbued // Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World // by MagicS //------------------------------// “And then I flew up into the sky and slammed him back into the ground! You should’ve seen the crater that fat mammoth made!” Rainbow Dash said to Raalzeron as she sat atop his head, relating yet another one of her stories to him while he flew over the snowy landscape. “Hahaha! I would’ve enjoyed seeing that,” Raalzeron laughed back. At this point, thanks to the dragon’s magic, Rainbow Dash could’ve flown herself but she wasn’t exactly going to turn down this guy’s offer. Especially when it was part of his attempts to make up for his past inaction. And she had to admit that even though the cold wasn’t bothering her anymore, her body was still pretty spent and exhausted. Resting on his big head while his massive wings carried the two of them south, at an incredible pace thanks to the size and power of those wings, was pretty nice. Flying on a dragon going hypersonic speeds was unsurprisingly pretty cool. “Well you can bet that when I tell other creatures I meet about you they’ll wish they could’ve seen you too,” Rainbow grinned and then looked down at the blur beneath them. “Wow, you really fly fast, dude.” “Years upon years of having nothing else to do have made my wings quite robust,” Raalzeron said. “Same with my wings,” Rainbow nodded. “You wanna hear about the next awesome thing I did back on the other side of the world?” “Shortly. We have flown far and before the next night reaches us, our flight will be over, I would like to tell you what you must do next.” “What do you mean? I thought-” “I can carry you far, but not all the way out of these lands,” Raalzeron said. “The walls that encompass this frozen top portion of the world are impenetrable to me—in fact, I can not even get to within sight of them.” “The walls… like the ones that border Nogt, and the ones I passed through to get into the True North in the first place?” Rainbow Dash asked. Raalzeron nodded, Rainbow Dash dipping down briefly with his head. “Yes. I did not grasp this until you told me of such a thing existing on the other side of the world. But I believe now that those walls run the circumference of the northern edges of this world and also meet in the very center at the north pole. How they were built or formed, and why, I have no idea. They cannot be flown over and they repel me and the magic of us Ice Dragons. Perhaps all magic. When I was younger, when there was more of my brothers and sisters, we could venture to the walls, get close to them even, but not touch them. Now I can not even do that. It might have to do with my age, or size, or the walls able to focus all of themselves just on me, but because of that I can not fly you all the way out of my home.” “Great, so I’m going to have to fly and walk through the snow some more soon?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Do not worry, the magic I have imbued you with will still last until you reach the walls themselves,” Raalzeron told her, a frown then tugged down his face as well. “I think.” “You think?” “I don’t exactly have proof of this working before. But yes, I think you’ll be fine.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m soooo convinced.” Raalzeron chuckled. “My apologies, Rainbow Dash. There is simply nothing more I can offer. However, what I can tell you of is what you need to do when you reach the wall. And what is waiting for you there.” “Yeah? What’s at the wall? I figured there would just be another opening to go through,” Rainbow said. “Perhaps that is how the entrance you came through when you started this journey is, but if nothing has changed in the past few hundred years since I last ventured close enough to see the wall, that’s not how things will be up here.” Raalzeron narrowed his eyes and stared dead ahead. “There is no simple gap between the walls to the south for you to fly through. Instead what there is is a doorway.” “There’s a door in the walls separating this place from the rest of the world?” “Correct,” Raalzeron nodded. “We call it ‘The Gate of Winter’. It is a small stone door in the exact center of the walls, exactly south of the north pole.” “When you say ‘small’ do you mean small by your standards or-” “It’s probably about twenty feet tall and ten feet wide.” “Your standards then.” “Either way-” Raalzeron continued. “The gate exists at the end of a long tunnel that reaches through the entirety of the wall. The tunnel starts very large, almost like a gaping hole in the walls, before shrinking as it goes farther until finally ending in the gate. Beyond that gate is surely the rest of the world.” Rainbow Dash stared down at him. “But you can’t know for sure cause you and all the other dragons could never go past it.” “Yes.” “What if it’s locked?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I do not know why it would be.” “… I know you’re helping me out a lot but you’re really bad at this.” “Hahaha… well, I’m not used to traveling around and going on grand adventures and helping creatures in need. The possibility of other obstacles hasn’t even come to my mind. I’m not like you,” he smirked and glanced up at her. “Flying you as far as I can is all I can do. You’ll have to do the rest on your own, I’m afraid. Though now I do wish I could do more. If any other creatures ever come through here, I promise you I will give them my help as well. To make up for my years of sloth.” “It’s whatever, I guess.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “And I still love a good challenge, so if there is something in the way of getting through that gate then I’ll overcome it too.” A grin tugged up her lips. “I can’t wait to see the other side of the world. For real. Not just snow, and ice, and mountains all locked behind these crazy walls.” “I assume it will be a miraculous sight,” Raalzeron said. Rainbow Dash looked down at the crown of the dragon’s head. “I, uh, feel kind of bad for you though. Once I’m gone you’re going to be alone again, there might never be another creature who comes through here. Ever.” “I have gotten used to long stretches of time alone.” “But you shouldn’t have to go through another one of them! That’s the point!” Rainbow Dash angrily growled. “You should consider it penance. Or punishment. Whichever word you prefer. You were just saying not that long ago that you didn’t forgive me for not helping in the past,” Raalzeron tried to look up at her. “Well I don’t want to be a jerk to some creature that doesn’t really deserve it either. There’s no… there’s no point to just hating and staying angry at you, not after getting to know you and flying with you like this. Not when there are so many others I’ve met who do deserve what they get.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head. “You’re not a bad guy. You were just s-sad. And no one should have to be alone like this.” “It’s alright, your concern for me already is all I need. I can be satisfied with that and the knowledge I have helped you alone as I live out the remainder of my days. I am the last of the Ice Dragons after all, and soon there will be no more of us at all. That is a truth I have made peace with,” Raalzeron calmly replied. “Don’t just accept that so quickly...” Rainbow Dash said. “When I get home there are so many friends I have that I can tell about you. And I bet someday I could totally even fly back up here to say hi again. And there are other dragons! I know I already told you about them, but still! Don’t you want to meet other dragons?” “Other being the keyword. They aren’t my dragons,” Raalzeron said. “Ugh! Why are you being so defeatist? It’s like you want to be sad,” Rainbow frowned and folded her hooves over her chest. A small smile graced Raalzeron’s features. “I am just aware of what the future holds. My end is near, and the end of the Ice Dragons along with it. I will not futilely fight or deny it.” He chuckled. “Another difference between the two of us.” “It’s just so… not awesome.” “From your stories you’re used to creatures and places like that. And I fear the rest of the world you seek to travel around will be the same. Consider this a lesson if it makes it easier for you.” “Oh, great, now you’re teaching me too. Way to make this whole conversation even lamer.” Raalzeron laughed. “My apologies, Rainbow Dash. But please, do not worry yourself over me. Worry yourself over those you can actually help. My time was over and done with a long, long time ago. When the last of my brethren passed I knew what I was doing was not living, but dying.” Rainbow Dash was about to respond when Raalzeron lifted one of his claws and pointed into the distance. “Look.” The blue pegasus looked ahead to see a massive wide open valley of snow past the mountains they were flying over. Beyond it was a hazy mist hanging down from the clouds that obscured the rest of the north. “I will set you down there, I can go no further than that,” Raalzeron said. Rainbow Dash said nothing, just watching in silence as Raalzeron flew on and brought them closer to their destination. With his wings it didn’t take long before the fast dragon had brought them over the fields of snow that stretched for miles. The flapping of his wings as he descended kicked up huge clouds of snow and whirlwinds that screamed off into the distance and his claws gouged huge cracks and wounds into the tough ice just below the surface. When he put his weight down it was like a thunderclap that rang out all around, unlike when he first met Rainbow there was no blizzard blowing to obscure the sounds such a massive creature made. There was nothing around at all except for the unrelenting white mists in the distance. Raalzeron landed fully and drew in his wings and slowly lowered his head to the ground—even though Rainbow Dash could’ve easily flown off—and waited for the pony to hop off onto the snow. “Walk or fly from here, whatever your choice is I wish you well and good luck on the remainder of your journey,” Raalzeron said to her. Rainbow Dash glumly looked up at him. “Thank you, Raalzeron.” The last of the Ice Dragons smiled at her and unfurled his wings, flapping them once, twice, and ascending into the air. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. And goodbye.” “Goodbye...” she waved after him until he disappeared up through the gray clouds of the north. Then with a single deep breath she turned around and flew off towards the southern wall and the Gate of Winter.