Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego

by MagicS

A Mammoth of a Problem XII

“After what you told us about yourself at Tarmok’s Hall I knew immediately you would want to see Trunkball. You mentioned being a coach for an Equestrian sport didn’t you? And these Wonderbolts you’re a part of are an elite athlete group too, I was certain Trunkball would greatly interest you,” Larkon said while they all stood on his porch.

“Interest me? That’s putting it lightly dude. I just wish you had told me about it sooner!” Rainbow Dash could hardly contain herself. “What’s it like? Is it an individual sport or a team sport? Do you-”

Larkon placed his trunk over her mouth to quiet her. “Woah there, it’ll be more fun for you to see for yourself. There’s an evening game starting in just a moment in our stadium. I’ve had tickets for my family for days and I’m fairly confident that you’ll be allowed in with no problem.” He winked.

“Awesome. Where’s the stadium?”

“It’s actually built in an open area between some buildings just on the other side of the street. We’ll be there in a minute,” Larkon said.

“Can I just stay home? Trunkball is dumb anyways,” Samarkon said. The rebellious teenager snorted, not even looking at his family.

“No, you can’t stay home,” Larkon narrowed his eyes at his son. “This is a family event and a special occasion with our guest. You’re coming too.”

“And Trunkball isn’t dumb!” Alykon shouted at her brother. Which was the loudest Rainbow Dash had heard her be.

Samarkon glared at his little sister and opened his mouth to shout right back at her when Shibu stepped between them. “Calm down you two. And Samarkon, stop being a grouch.”

Rainbow Dash smirked a little, she didn’t know why Samarkon chose to be such a little jerk all the time but it was nice seeing his mom tell him off. And Alykon really seemed to like Trunkball if her reaction was any indication. Did she play it? Rainbow Dash thought she might’ve been an athlete or something when she first met her but the young mammoth had been a bit too shy for her to really talk to.

“Hey Alykon,” Rainbow Dash said as she floated down to her, speaking to her for real for the first time. “Do you play Trunkball?”

The girl shrunk back, blushing in embarrassment. Not exactly the reaction Rainbow Dash was hoping for.

“Alykon, please, Rainbow Dash is trying to be friendly,” Larkon sighed.

Alykon gulped and stepped forward. “Sorry… I’m just nervous. I never thought I’d see a pony… or anyone who wasn’t a mammoth. I just didn’t know how to talk to you.”

“Doing a decent job now,” Rainbow Dash grinned and stuck her hoof out. “Here, lift up your foot or trunk and bump my hoof. That’s how cool ponies say hello.”

“Okay,” Alykon decided to use her front right foot and casually bumped Rainbow Dash’s outstretched hoof.

“Right on,” Dash said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Samarkon roll his eyes.

“Ehem,” Larkon coughed to get their attention. “We do need to start going now, we can talk along the way.”

“So impatient,” Shibu teased and walked down the porch. Alykon following behind and Samarkon reluctantly going as well.

Larkon gestured down the stairs with his trunk to Rainbow Dash and smiled. “After you.”

---

“Me and my friends make up a Trunkball team that’s in the city’s junior division,” Alykon told Rainbow Dash as they walked and the pony flew to the stadium. “I started playing last year with them and we practice every week, sometimes two or three times a week if a game is coming up. You could come watch us practice one day if you want? My friends would probably think that’d just be the coolest thing! And they’d be really jealous of me cause you’re staying at my house.”

Rainbow Dash snorted but grinned in good humor. “Really noble, huh? But I can’t blame you, I’d want to show someone as amazing as me off all I could too. And yeah, I’d be happy to come by and see your practice. Even though I don’t know what Trunkball is like or anything.”

“You’ll see shortly,” Larkon told her.

She shrugged and kept flying. They were heading down an alley in-between two of the buildings on the other side of the street. The road was paved asphalt and to their left were empty lots overrun by unmowed grass and to their right were the backsides of a whole bunch of buildings. Dash noticed they were essentially going in the same direction of the docks she had visited earlier today. Just a different street. She idly wondered how big this stadium was, there weren’t any other mammoths going this way towards it. Maybe they were late after waiting for her? Or there might’ve been a lot of other ways to get there.

“Dad said you were interested in sports, do you play something too?” Alykon asked her, bringing her back to reality.

“Oh, uh, sort of?” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin. “I don’t play so much as coach and promote and stuff. And what I do with the Wonderbolts isn’t really a sport, but we’re all top-tier pegasus athletes.”

“What’s the sport you coach?” She asked.

“It’s called Buckball,” Rainbow Dash flew a little higher and spread out her hooves, grinning down at Alykon. “And it’s the greatest sport in all of Equestria that ponies play! Not only do I coach it but I practically helped invent it too!”

“You invented a sport?! That’s awesome!” Alykon trumpeted and actually started hopping up and down a little. “You have to show me how to play it too someday! I’ll be the first mammoth to know how to play a sport from a whole nother world!”

Now this was giving her a feeling of deja vu. Truth be told she’d rather be the one who learned how to play Trunkball, but she wasn’t going to throw away a chance to spread Buckball around either. Rainbow Dash was sure she could manage her time and do both. This was a good thing anyways, right? Two cultures and civilizations sharing and learning from each other, giving something new and lasting that they can experience? All Rainbow Dash has to do is return home at some point and tell Twilight and everybody all about this place.

“We’re here,” Larkon interrupted any further conversation between the two of them.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t been paying attention but they walked out of the alley and into an area of the city that was bordered by numerous buildings and walls while a circular roundabout of paved stone wrapped around one very large building in the center of the area. It was probably the largest building she had seen in the city besides Tarnok’s Hall.

The stadium was rectangular in shape and four mammoth sized stories high and she could tell from the sound coming from it that it had an open roof. Built from stone, at the ground level there were arches all across its perimeter and a wide gate open on the north end that Rainbow Dash and Larkon’s family were facing. There were a couple of other doors but they were currently closed, probably for staff or employees at the stadium. Rainbow could see mammoths mulling about inside the gate, walking deeper into the stadium, while two other mammoths stood at ticket booths that flanked the opening.

“How many mammoths does this thing hold?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she looked up its walls.

“Hundreds, and it should be a full house tonight,” Larkon answered as he walked over to the ticket booth on the right. He held up four tickets in his trunk and handed them over to the clerk. “Four for me and my family, and also-” he looked over his shoulder at Rainbow Dash. “I’m sure she can come in with us?”

The clerk looked back at the hovering pegasus too, she gave him a brief wave and his eyes nearly bugged out in his head. “Oh! O-Of course she can! You’re um, Larkon aren’t you? We’re happy to accommodate Rainbow Dash if she wants to see a game of Trunkball.”

Shibu leaned over to Rainbow Dash and whispered in her ear: “It’s not like you’ll be taking up an extra seat or anything either.”

“Splendid,” Larkon said to the clerk and waved to his family and Rainbow Dash. “Come on, we can grab snacks to eat and get to our seats.”

Rainbow Dash followed him into the stadium, it was all well lit with torches and had a pretty straightforward design. From this main gate they went up a series of stairs to the third story, where a ring of stands selling all kinds of food were set in the interior and right past this little circular walkway were openings where you could go out and get to the seats. Already Dash could see that the seats were mostly full but there were a lot of mammoths still walking around and buying food where they were. And like always she got a lot of looks thrown her way.

Curious, she poked her head out to see just what the field looked like. Down below on the bottom floor of the stadium was a polished hardwood court, rectangular just like the stadium itself, with two raised poles at either end of the court and a hoop on top of them. To the sides of the court she saw two distinct groups of mammoths, one wearing red jerseys and one wearing green jerseys, huddling together and discussing something.

Their game plan most likely. Now Rainbow Dash knew this was a team sport.

“Rainbow Dash!” Larkon called to her and she stuck her head back inside. He was standing at a snack stand that was giving out bags of popcorn. Of course these bags were the size of apple barrels to Rainbow Dash. “Do you want some popcorn?”

“Hay yeah I do!” She buzzed over and picked up one of the colossal bags, licking her lips.

“You’re not going to try and eat that all on your own are you?” Larkon asked, wincing at the thought of such massive overeating. “What I meant was if you wanted to share with one of us...”

“Heh, I can eat a lot, don’t worry about that,” she smugly said to him.

“Relax, sugar, she could use some more meat on her bones anyways,” Shibu said and hip-bumped her husband.

The historian blushed and adjusted his hat, eyes darting away from the two ladies. “Yes, well...”

Rainbow Dash snorted and flew past him with her gigantic bag of popcorn held in her hooves. It wasn’t that heavy since it was just popcorn but she still had to hold it like a big package she was delivering. “Why don’t you show me where we’re sitting?”

“Mid-level seats, nothing right by the action I’m afraid but your eyes are good enough where seeing it all shouldn’t be a problem. Er, so long as you’re not actually sitting down. You wouldn’t be able to see over the mammoths in front of you if you were,” Larkon said, walking with her out to the seats around the court while the rest of the family followed.

“Well yeah,” Rainbow Dash could imagine that. She wouldn’t be able to see over the head of a kid mammoth.

So when it came time to “sit”, Rainbow Dash ended up between Larkon and Alykon while Shibu and Samarkon sat on the other side of Larkon. All five of them had their own individual bags of popcorn, although even though Samarkon was eating his it looked like he was trying his hardest to not actually enjoy it. Rainbow Dash had to deal with a lot of mammoths in front of her looking over their shoulders at her and the feeling of a bunch of eyes boring into her back. But that was pretty much normal even when she traveled in Equestria. She was super famous and super special.

However she wanted to keep her own eyes on the game. She had spent the rest of the day meeting mammoths and stuff and she could spend tomorrow and the day after that doing the same thing. Right now was sports time.

“The game will be starting soon,” Larkon said.

“Good,” Rainbow Dash replied as she didn’t take her eyes off the court.

Alykon was paying just as much attention as she was and it was only a minute longer that a few mammoths from each of the teams walked out from the sidelines and onto the court. Four from each color. Another mammoth wearing a black cap and holding a large red ball walked out into the middle of the court. Looking at the size of that ball and the hoops, Rainbow Dash was pretty sure she knew how this game was played.

The crowd in the stadium cheered for the players on the court, trumpeting with their trunks and stamping their feet on the ground. Rainbow Dash grinned in amusement. It seemed love of sports and passionate cheering were a universal. That being said though she didn’t see a cheer squad… Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof would be disappointed. Maybe that was another thing Rainbow Dash could bring to the mammoth city.

“Woooh!” Alykon shouted from beside her, a big smile on her face.

Rainbow Dash put a hoof up to her mouth to stifle her laugh. “So who are you rooting for?”

“Green team! The father of one of my teammates is a player!” Alykon told her.

“Guess that’s who I’m rooting for too then.”

While the one mammoth, probably the officiator, with the red ball stood in the middle of the court two mammoths from each team also came to the center while the other two hung back by the hoop. Offense and Defense? Maybe they had positions they filled and places they had to stay at. The officiator held up the ball with his trunk and bounced it off the floor of the court a few times, each bounce getting it just below eye-height of the mammoths, before grabbing it back up again and balancing it on the tip of his trunk.

The mammoths in the stadium stomped their feet in unison, waiting for the game to start. Rainbow Dash hardly even noticed that she had begun doing the same.

Finally the ball was thrown high into the air and with an athleticism that shocked Rainbow Dash all four mammoths jumped to be the first one to get it. She knew they could swim better than she expected but the jumping was impressive too. One of the red team mammoths reached up with his outstretched trunk and tipped the ball to his teammates behind him. The “Defense” as far as Dash knew rushed over to it, the one to the right of the hoop reached it first, grabbing it with his trunk but not completely holding onto it. He steadily bounced it up and down, dribbling it and making sure it didn’t stop in its motion.

The two green team mammoths on Offense ran to him, one of them heading straight for him while the other moved in-between him and the red team offenders to try and intercept any passes. But there were still only two of the green team on this half of the court, that left the defender with the ball the opportunity to pass it to the other defender, who was wide open.

The second defender stopped the ball with his trunk and jogged forward while dribbling it before bounce-passing it to one of the mammoths on offense. His trunk shot out to retain the ball and he pivoted on his feet to take it to the opposing hoop.

By the looks of it they have to keep dribbling the ball and they can probably only touch it with their trunks. Dash analyzed as she watched the game, wanting to figure everything out about it.

The mammoth with the ball now still had to get past the two defenders on green team though and his teammates weren’t yet in a position for him to pass to.

So in another move that surprised Dash he stopped and popped the ball up on the topside of his trunk, rearing back on his hindlegs for some height he tossed the red ball with his trunk towards the hoop. Both defenders raised their own trunks up to try and block it but the ball was angled too high and aimed too perfectly. Without even touching the rim it went right through the hoop and bounced back onto the court while the crowd cheered.

“So that’s how you score, huh?” Rainbow Dash said mostly to herself. It seemed pretty similar to Buckball.

Down below on the court the officiator went to collect the ball while the teams got back into position. On the side of the court opposite from where the rest of the teams were there was a small table with another mammoth wearing a black cap sitting behind it. On the table was a brass bell and a green chalkboard with a line running right down the middle and the halves labeled as “Red” and “Green”. The seated mammoth grabbed a stick of chalk and put down a single line on the Red side.

Rainbow Dash looked up at Larkon. “So you get one point for getting the ball in the basket? How many points until someone wins?”

“You’re half right,” Larkon said. “A ball thrown into the hoop is worth one point but you can also run up to the hoop and dunk it in for two. And there isn’t a certain score you reach, games last for one hour and whoever has the most points at the end wins.”

“Cool,” Rainbow Dash nodded and looked back down at the court, they were about to start up play again.

It was the same four mammoths for each team even though there looked to be plenty of substitutes on the sidelines. Likely the eight best would try and play the whole game and were only replaced if there was an injury or they performed exceptionally poorly. And the game had just started so there was still a lot that could happen.

The fans in the crowd cheered some more while the Offense faced off, waiting for the ball to get thrown up again. When the officiator finally did so it was the green team that recovered it first. The two mammoths on Offense spread to the sides of the court and they tossed the ball back and forth to each other as they ran to their opponent’s hoop. The red defenders rushed them, going one on one, trying to take the ball from them with their trunks while also blocking them from being able to make good passes to each other.

But the green player with the ball did a tricky maneuver that impressed Rainbow Dash. He faked pivoting to the right and then bounced the ball between the legs of his defender while spinning around to this left and grabbing the ball back when it came out.

Having a free run to the hoop the mammoth grinned and dribbled quickly while the flummoxed defender tried to recover and run after him. There was no way he could catch up though, the green team mammoth jumped up with the ball in his trunk and dunked it right through the hoop while he loudly came down to the ground and practically shook the whole court with his size.

Two points to the green team. The two green mammoths on Offense walked back to the middle of the court and clapped their trunks together, smiling at a job well done. The red team meanwhile conversed on their side of the court, maybe talking strategy.

Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to shovel a big hoof full of popcorn into her mouth. Not only was it perfectly salted it was warm and fresh. These mammoths knew how to make a good batch of popcorn, that was for sure.

In a second the ball was back in play and Rainbow Dash watched some more as both teams fought for control over it. Unlike the first two times there was more contact between all of the offenders as neither team could really get ahead of the other, when one mammoth had the ball and was dribbling it before he could get a chance to move or pass it away his opponent would run up and dart their trunk out, trying to steal the ball from them or at the least hit it away. It allowed Rainbow Dash to see a more technical side of Trunkball as they all had to face off and try and outplay the others. The pure athleticism of the players was now on full display. Fakes, feints, spins, trick bounces, hops, dashes, it was all an indicator and a reminder to Rainbow Dash that she really couldn’t take these big balls of woolly fur for granted.

One of the green team mammoths had the ball and was dribbling it to the red side but the trunk from one of the red offenders shot out like lightning and stole it away from him. He pivoted on his legs so hard and so fast as he ran to the green team hoop that Rainbow Dash felt like she could hear his bones creak from up here.

His heavy feet pounded on the court while his trunk dribbled the ball up and down in equally hard and steady bounces. His movement was methodical and focused, the only goal in mind was the enemy team’s hoop. The green team Defense rushed out to stop him, blocking his way and holding their trunks up to try and knock down any baskets he may have shot for.

But then the mammoth with the ball did something neither Rainbow Dash nor the Defense expected. Instead of aiming for the hoop he threw the ball at the pole holding it up. The Defense wasn’t in position to block or grab the ball with the direction it was thrown in, but their eyes still followed it.

Which was exactly what the red team mammoth wanted.

He sprinted past the two defenders whose focus on him was broken and once the ball perfectly bounced off the pole and back towards him he was in prime position to recover it and make a dunk. The defenders tried to catch up to him and swat the ball out of his trunk but they were just too late to react. With a loud cheer and clamoring from the audience the ball was slammed through the hoop.

Two points to the red team.

The scorekeeper quickly jotted that down while the game lulled as the other officiator went to collect the ball. Now the green team was conversing with each other to figure out a new strategy.

“So the pole is in play?” Rainbow Dash asked Larkon.

He nodded. “You can bounce the ball off of the pole or the rim if you want but you have to be careful or it might bounce awkwardly. Most players don’t intentionally make moves like that.”

“Got it,” Dash said. The sport of Trunkball was becoming clearer and clearer to her.

“It’s a pretty easy game to get the hang of,” Alykon said from next to her. “Lots of mammoths start to play it when young.”

Samarkon snorted from the other side of Shibu but the rest of the family ignored him.

“I think I’ll have a pretty good grasp of it after tonight,” Rainbow grinned.

Back on the court the players got together again and waited for the ball to be thrown up again. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure how much time had elapsed, and if the clock kept running even when the officiator was getting the ball back after a point was scored or not, but there was definitely still a good deal of the game left to go. She expected things to get intense the further the game went on as each team figured out each other’s strategies and tactics and the clock wound down. Right now it was a very close game but one team could easily still pull ahead.

Rainbow Dash kept up a constant stream of popcorn going into her mouth as she watched the game from the on. It was a fairly back and forth affair with neither team giving an inch. One team would score, then the other as they adjusted their game plan, and then the previous team again. Only rarely did a team score twice or even three times in a row.

Which actually made the game more enjoyable for her and the other mammoths watching. Neck and neck like this it was pretty exciting.

At the waning minutes of the game red team had the ball and they were already up by two points. The strategy changed a bit then as the red team offender with the ball was just dribbling it slowly and simply trying to keep it away from the green team so they could run out the clock. Every time someone went to take the ball from him he’d pass it back to one of the red defenders and they’d pass between each other until one of their teammates got back open. Green couldn’t really find a way back into the game.

That was until one of the green mammoths on offense made a desperate play. While the two red team defenders were tossing the ball back and forth he dove between the two of them with his trunk outstretched, catching the defenders off guard while they were in the middle of passing to each other. His trunk grabbed the ball right as his heavy body hit the ground and he threw it over his back to his teammate.

The other green mammoth on offense picked the ball out of the air while the red defenders came towards him, knowing he didn’t have a chance for a dunk all he could do was shoot it this time. While the defenders stuck up their trunks to try and block it his aim was still true and the ball easily went into the hoop. Now the score was only off by one.

But a second after that basket was scored the scorekeeper on the sidelines begun loudly ringing the bell and the crowd erupted in cheers.

One hour, the game had ended.

“Noooo...” Alykon exaggeratedly whined, slumping down in her seat. “Just one point left...”

“Close game,” Rainbow Dash patted her on the shoulder, trying to cheer her up.

Down below, the two teams shook trunks and congratulated each other. Seems there was no hard feelings between them. Something she wasn’t surprised by with how friendly and peaceful mammoth society seemed to be. It was a competitive game for sure but they weren’t about to fight or hold grudges over it. While Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure she would feel the same way if she had just lost she could respect that.

Her bag of popcorn was nearly empty so she reached deep down into it and grabbed up the last few kernels to pop into her mouth. “So-” she said while she chewed. “Is that it then?”

“Yes,” Larkon said as he stood up. “We can head home now. And here, give me your popcorn bags, I’ll throw them into the first receptacle we come across, there are plenty in the stadium.”

Rainbow Dash hoofed hers over to him and he gathered it up with his trunk. “That was a lot of fun, thanks for bringing me along. Trunkball seems pretty cool, wouldn’t mind watching more games.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I was really hoping you’d enjoy this surprise,” Larkon said.

“It was a good surprise,” Dash grinned.

“I just wish my team had won,” Alykon grumbled, kicking air.

“Next time,” Rainbow Dash reassured her. “Even I know what it’s like to lose. Sort of. You just have to keep doing your best and kick even more butt next time.”

Shibu suddenly cut in. “It’s getting a bit late though so we really should be getting back home.”

Larkon and Rainbow Dash both nodded, the matriarch of the family was always looking out for the well-being of the others. All the other mammoths in the stadium were shuffling through the seats and going to the exits so they had to wait for a bit. The crowd was thick and it took some time before they were out and heading back down the street but finally they were on the way home after Rainbow Dash’s first game of Trunkball.

---

“So when’s your next practice? I’ll come watch,” Rainbow Dash asked Alykon when they were back home, the five of them more or less getting ready to retire for the night.

“Two days! It’ll be so awesome to have you there!” Alykon smiled widely.

Samarkon snorted, shaking his head as he started walking down the hallway from the entryway. “I don’t get why you care so much about dumb Trunkball.”

“Stop calling Trunkball dumb!” Alykon shouted after him, her smile quickly morphing into an angry scowl.

Samarkon looked back over his shoulder at her and the others. “Instead of using that stadium for a stupid sport we should be using it for the gladiator fights mammoths used to have.”

Larkon’s eyes narrowed and a frown settle on his face as well. “Samarkon, those fights were a vicious and cruel thing, it is no longer the way of the mammoths to do something like that. And that stadium specifically was never used for such a thing in the first place.”

Rainbow Dash glanced between father and son and up at Shibu, who was looking on with worry at the argument. Alykon too had quieted. It seemed this quarrel may have been a common thing.

Samarkon clicked his tongue and rounded on his father, brow furrowed in anger. “But Karkona says-”

“Karkona nothing!” Larkon loudly stomped his foot on the ground and for the first time ever since Rainbow Dash had seen him he looked genuinely angry. “Do not speak that name in this house! He knows not what he speaks of and like I have told you half a hundred times you shouldn’t listen to him!”

Rainbow Dash slid up next to Alykon and whispered to her: “Who’s this Karkona guy?”

Alykon stuck out her tongue and answered in a voice a... few decibels above a whisper. “He’s just a mean criminal who lives in the slums who’s always causing problems.”

“He doesn’t live in the slums, he rules the slums!” Samarkon yelled after hearing them. “Because all the other mammoths up in Tarmok’s Hall are a bunch of cowards scared of him! Karkona’s the one who should be in Tarmok’s Hall, he’s just the kind of mammoth King Tarmok would’ve wanted ruling!”

“Enough!” Larkon thundered, pointing his trunk down the hallway. “Go to your room, Samarkon! Now!”

The young mammoth glared at his father and grit his teeth. For a second Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure if he was going to listen or keep arguing, but with an angry trumpeting of his trunk he turned around and stomped off down the hallway. The mood in the room had soured considerably thanks to him though. Shibu looked upset and Alykon was glaring after him. Larkon—Larkon just looked disappointed.

The historian sighed and ground his teeth together, looking first at Rainbow Dash and then at his wife. “Shibu, can you take Alykon?”

“Of course, dear,” Shibu said and hustled their daughter out of the room. Alykon looked over her shoulder one last time at Rainbow Dash and waved before they too both disappeared into the house.

Rainbow Dash looked up at the big mammoth, raising an eyebrow. “So this Karkona guy?”

“Is the primary reason I didn’t want you to go to the slums. He would not be happy to see you,” Larkon said and took a seat by his hat rack.

“What’s his deal? I’ve dealt with plenty of criminals and other jerks before,” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“I’m aware but it’s not a problem you should have to deal with as our guest. Karkona is… he’s a rabble-rouser and agitator with dangerous and ignorant ideals. And unfortunately there are many other mammoths who follow him over there. And sadly even some here, though maybe not as openly,” Larkon looked down the hallway where his son had gone. “He also appeals quite a bit to some of our younger generation.”

“But why?” Rainbow asked as she flew in front of his face.

“Why does any child rebel?” Larkon shrugged. “Karkona offers something new and exciting to them, he’s charismatic and quite young himself as well. An adult, yes, but still young. I’d wager even a few years younger than yourself.” He looked her deeply in the eye, as if considering what more to say to her. “In truth I was hoping you wouldn’t have to be bothered by any of this but it’s also your right to know. Karkona hates the pacifist lifestyle we mammoths have adopted for generations. He wants us to return to our conquering, warlike, ways and reclaim our empire while carving out a whole new one as well.” Larkon shook his head. “He talks of war and battle as if he understands it but he hasn’t really experienced any of it for himself. He treats it like a game the same way a rowdy child would.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. On the one hoof she thought the pacifist society of the current mammoths was pretty lame and boring. On the other she didn’t like guys who just went out and picked fights with others, or were bullies, or started things as bad as wars just because they wanted to. Karkona sounded like the opposite extreme from what she disliked here, and probably way worse.

“And even more unfortunately, what Samarkon said was true. The senate is afraid of him. He’s a strong, driven young mammoth with a lot of followers and they don’t wish to confront him. So instead they just ignore the problem and it gets worse,” Larkon sighed and lifted himself up. “With hope, that’s all you’ll need to hear about it and the rest of your visit can be peaceful. Let’s get some sleep for the night, shall we?”

She knew he was purposefully ending the conversation but she wasn’t going to call him out on it. It was an upsetting topic for him and as curious as she was about it she figured she could be a little bit more considerate than she normally was.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

He smiled. “Of course, I still have some places to show you and some other things to discuss. Good night, Rainbow Dash.”

“Night, Larkon.”

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

Rainbow Dash, an outsider, her presence might be the last straw for Karkona to make his move in a possible take over.

[StarzGecko]

“Dad said you were interested in sports, do you play something too?” Alykon asked her, bringing her back to reality.

You meant Dash right?

[MagicS]

10668308
I don't believe so? It's Alykon asking Rainbow Dash a question. The "her" refers to Rainbow Dash if that's what you meant.

[StarzGecko]

Definitely love the idea of Mammoth’s playing Basketball. Best idea ever

[redmar]

I'm sure that Rainbow Dash is going to have a confrontation with this Karkona who sounds like the same kind of delusional maniac as Blizzard.

[Maud of Sterner Stuff]

Karkona and Blizzard seem like they have similar ideals. I wonder if they would get along.