Despite having fought crazed Vikings, hordes of monstrous dragons, and the very worst that their world had to throw at them, the two Vikings couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in their chairs as they glanced around at the large--and very fancy--restaurant in which they found themselves. Hiccup glanced behind him at the group of ponies playing a number of musical instruments (with their hooves no less) while also noticing that they were dressed in very...fancy attire--attire that was a sharp contrast to his dragon spit stained armor that had seen better days.
"Is it just me, or do you feel really out of place here?" Hiccup muttered to Astrid as he glanced down at the lacy table cloth to avoid making eye contact with any of the elites.
"I can't believe they made me not only leave my axe at the door, but our dragons as well," Astrid muttered with crossed arms and a less-than-happy expression while she turned to look out the window, spying the Nightfury and Nadder chasing around a flock of birds. "At least someone's having fun here."
"I wish that they'd stop staring at us like this," Hiccup continued as he caught a look from a pony that quickly turned his head, but the message had been convoyed all the same. "Like, they're all judging us for something."
"Why are we here again? I thought we were supposed to spend the day learning the lay of the land and how to track down Wijida?" Astrid asked before giving a very cold stare to a long mustached pony who immediately looked away from her.
"Twilight said that the princesses had something very important they wanted us to see, and someone they wanted us to meet," Hiccup reminded her, though he sounded just as unhappy as she was. A loud bark followed by the sound of something shattering got the Vikings' attention, but to their disappointment, when they looked outside they found that the dragons were out of sight. The two sighed as they faced forward again...to find that the Princess of the Night was now sitting across from them.
"Oh hey, you're Princess...Luna, right?" Astrid struggled to recall, before smiling while Luna nodded her head in confirmation.
"Indeed Astrid, I am Princess Luna. And I hope that the two of you have not felt too terribly...out of place while you have been here," she asked with a slightly apologetic tone, before waving her hoof to the other ponies that were in the room. They all bowed without a sound and left the room, leaving only the three of them. "You may let your dragons in now if you wish. We only kept them out so as not to disturb the other patrons until I arrived."
"Alright then. Stormfly!" Astrid called out before making a dragon like sound. A moment later, the roars of both dragons could be heard followed by the shattering of more glass, and both Vikings turned with smiles when their companions raced over to them while Luna raised an eyebrow at the broken windows.
"Sister will not be happy about that," Luna muttered before looking across the table at the twin dragons that were now swarming the humans and knocking over anything that was unfortunate enough to be close to them, taking an interest in the both of them almost immediately. 'Twilight reported that while they are dragons, they do not talk and do not seem to be as...intelligent as ours. Yet they are both so fascinating, especially in their design.'
Toothless raised his ears with wide eyes before turning towards the Princess of the Night, who quickly realized she was staring and swiftly turned her head to the side to focus on a potted plant. The Night Fury cocked his head to the side slightly before zipping over to Luna and sniffing her, while studying her with curious eyes.
"Seems that you're not the only one that's interested in who's sitting across from them," Hiccup said with a smile as Toothless examined the night-sky like coat that covered the princess, while Luna looked into the green eyes of Toothless with the same curiosity.
"He is magnificent. And you called him a Night Fury, is that correct?" Luna asked as Toothless buried his face in her mane. Toothless then removed his face from her mane and stuck it right into her face, staring into her eyes this time. "Well, hello there Toothless. You seem to be...a curious dragon."
"Wow, he liked you fast. Must because the both of you are night related," Hiccup said with a small chuckle before both he and Astrid opened their eyes wide with some shock before they looked at the floor. "Call me crazy, but did I just feel...?" Another faint boom could be heard followed by a small shockwave that got both Astrid and Hiccup to stand up and look around with concern.
"No, I felt it too."
Both Toothless and Stormfly snarled as they crouched down low at the next quake, and all eyes turned towards the garden in the back, where the source of the quakes was revealed to the complete shock of both the humans and dragons. A massive, scaled monstrosity that shone with bright silver and crimson colors was walking towards the place where the group sat, nearly towering over the whole building as it approached.
Not wasting a moment, Toothless and Stormfly immediately formed a circle around Hiccup and Astrid and began to roar at the giant lumbering towards them, fire burning in their maws as they roared up at the beast. Astrid had snatched her axe off the back Stormfly the moment she had the chance, but instead of going for his sword, Hiccup had grabbed his notebook first and cracked it open to a new page.
"Look at the size and wingspan on this dragon! This might be the largest one we've seen since we came here!" he exclaimed with amazement as he started to draw quick sketches, gaining him a look of sheer disbelief from Astrid.
"NOW?! You're picking now to do this?" Astrid criticized him, but before she could say any more the roof to the place was removed by the giant silver and red dragon, who peered down into the room at the small dragons and the humans. Toothless and Stormfly stood their ground and glared up at the monster, but Hiccup and Astrid shared identical looks of worry when they saw the armored scales and large fangs that adorned the dragon. For a long, tense moment the two sides stared at each other, before Luna cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Ah, King Zardon. It is good to see you again," Luna said with a warm smile as she bowed slightly to the dragon. "Please come in. I do not wish to be an inhospitable host." The dragon then let out a large, bellowing laugh that nearly blew over the dragons and their riders, who were far beyond confused at that point.
"Are you sure that is a wise offer, Luna? For I recall that the last time your sister and you offered me entry into your castle, I accidentally crushed the main hall with my size," the king laughed in a good natured tone before resting his arms on the wall of the room, while making himself more comfortable. His gaze then turned to the two humans and the dragons next to them, another toothy grin crossing his face. "So, one of you must be the legendary dragon master that I've heard so much about. Well, whichever of you it is, greetings. I am King Zardon, king of all dragons across the world...except for those two, given by the way they're glaring at me."
"Down, Toothless," Hiccup said calmly as he placed a hand on the side of Toothless' head, causing the dragon's pupils to grow as sense returned to him. "I...I'm the dragon master that you've heard about. I am Chief Hiccup Haddock Horendous the Third. It is...an honor to meet a dragon such as yourself."
"Hmm," the king growled before moving his face down into the room, stopping it right in front of Hiccup and examining him with eyes that were as large as Hiccup's full body. He looked the human up and down, stopping at the symbol on his shoulder for a moment, before exhaling a puff of smoke from his nostrils that caused Hiccup to start coughing while he rose to his full height once again. "You are not what I imagined when I heard that a dragon master was in the land, freeing the dragons from Wijida's control. I imagined that you would be...taller."
"Trust me, you're not the only one who thinks that," Astrid added as she stepped in front of Hiccup along with Toothless, the both of them staring up at the king with narrowed eyes. The king simply raised an eyebrow in response before his massive gaze turned towards Toothless and Stormfly, both of whom were looking up at him while waiting for the order to fight.
"And these must be the two dragons that are unlike the others, those that do not speak and only follow the orders of their riders," Zardon muttered as he moved his face closer to Stormfly, but in a flash of spines he found that the dragon preferred her personal space. "Hmm...and clearly they do not listen to the king of the dragons as well," the king muttered as he started to pluck the spines out of his cheek, yet his eyes remained on the group...or more precisely, Toothless. "And you. You have the air of a ruler about you. Are you the king in the land you come from?"
"Yes, Toothless is the alpha of all the Berkian dragons," Hiccup explained while he placed a hand each on both Astrid's shoulder and Toothless' face, gently stepping past them while giving them both a look to stand down. "If I may, your highness, what does the king of the dragons wish to meet me for? I mean, I assume that the reason you are here was to speak with me."
"Yes, oh master of dragons, I did wish to have words with you and the princesses," the king agreed with a nod as he crossed his arms. "But first, I must say...thank you." When Hiccup and the others looked up at the king in surprise, he let out a soot-filled sigh as he bowed his head. "It pains me to say that I am helpless to stop what Wijida is doing. While I may be able to stop a dragon that she controls, I am unable to break her curse that she places upon my people. The only way to stop those possessed from harming others...was a more permanent solution."
Hiccup and Astrid shared a horrified look before they both glanced back at Toothless and Stormfly, neither of whom liked the sound of a permanent solution. The king took in a deep and sad breath, before he steeled his nerves once again and returned to his more kingly disposition.
"Then I heard word of you, the dragon master and his midnight black dragon that can not only defeat those that Wijida has placed under her control...but also free them as well," the king softly said with amazement in his voice. "Three of my subjects have already been freed and returned to me, three saved that I would have been unable to. While I may question your title as a dragon master, I cannot deny that you have done much for me. So for that...I thank you." The king then bowed his head towards Hiccup with gratitude in every action, getting the human to rub the back of his head as he looked at his allies, who beamed at him with pride.
"T-there's no need for the thanks. I just can't stand to see dragons under the control of those who wish to hurt others or the dragons," Hiccup meekly said as Astrid lightly punched him in the shoulder. "So, I can't forgive Wijida for what she has done to the dragons here--to your subjects. And I promise that I will do everything I can to help stop her from hurting anyone, be they dragon or pony." The dragon king looked down at the human for a moment before his toothy grin returned and a loud laugh escaped his lips.
"Well said! Very well then, Dragon Master, we shall work together to stop Wijida once and for all!" Zardon decreed as he nodded at Hiccup before turning his gaze to Luna. "You were right Princess, he is interesting. Now, I am ready to tell him what we have learned."
"It pleases me to hear you say that, King Zardon. Hiccup. Astrid. Please sit," Luna asked as she motioned to their chairs. "King Zardon has recently discovered a number of dragons that have gone missing from his kingdom," she began once they were seated, doing everything in her power not to laugh at the sight of Toothless resting his face on the side of the table and licking at the items on it. "Numerous. Take note of that fact. Now then, King Zardon, I believe that there was more you wished to say?"
"Yes. Unlike the past attacks where only one dragon was taken control of at a time, this time over ten have gone missing, all of them adolescents or young adults," King Zardon revealed with bitter regret in his voice. "You should know, as your dragons are different from ours, that adolescent dragons are still fairly large, larger than you and your dragons. So ten of them will be a considerable threat. Yet, I have received word of three possible locations where they have been spotted, all of them towns close to Ponyville." At this Hiccup and Astrid shared another look, one that was not lost on the Princess of the Night.
"Now I ask, Dragon Master, what should we do? You and your allies are the only ones who have come into contact with Wijida multiple times and have not been controlled or killed," the king pointed out, getting Hiccup to place a hand under his chin while he began to think.
"Hiccup, is there something you wish to say?" Luna asked with a knowing air, but Hiccup remained silent for a few minutes before he finally came to a decision.
"Wijida made this between her and the two of us," Hiccup stated as he motioned to Astrid and himself. "And with her ability to see into your futures, it's...more than likely she will be avoiding the two of you and focusing on me and Astrid. So no matter where we check, she'll be at the place where me and Astrid are. We have the gem, after all."
"The Draconis Gem?" King Zardon whispered with disbelief and fear in his voice. "But the only reason she would be after that would be..."
"Yes. She wishes to resurrect him," Luna confirmed, this time gaining her looks from both Astrid and Hiccup. The king placed a clawed hand under his chin and lowered his head, clearly disturbed by the news that he had just learned.
"Then, she must be stopped at all costs. If the ancient one is resurrected...we cannot let that happen."
"I agree. That is why the Elements of Harmony will go with Hiccup and Astrid to whichever town they decide to go to," Luna agreed before turning to the Vikings. "It is as you say, Hiccup, with her ability to see into the future, any plans that my sister or I come up with are useless. Only the two of you are able to escape her gaze, so only your actions can defeat her. We will give you the locations that Zardon has discovered and the pair of you can decide. As for you, King Zardon, I thank you for coming out in person to tell us this, but you must be wanting to return home."
"You are right there, Princess. I must return to my kingdom to make sure that nothing has happened while I was away," the king agreed with a nod of his head before smiling down at the two humans. "It was a pleasure to meet the two of you, Dragon Master and Fearless One. I look forward to battling alongside you."
Zardon then spread his mighty wings and with a single flap took to the skies, sailing into the blue and white before vanishing a few minutes later. Once he was gone though, both Hiccup and Astrid turned towards Luna with narrowed eyes.
"So, the Draconis Gem has another feature aside from being able to control any dragon?" Hiccup asked with an upset tone, yet Luna's look was one of confusion instead of guilt.
"Yes. It does. Did my sister not tell you?" Luna asked with confusion, raising an eyebrow when both humans shook their heads. "Sigh...she always does this. Yes, the Draconis Gem does have another use, one that will spell the end of our world if one such as Wijida gets her hooves upon it."
"What else can it do?" Astrid asked as she gripped her axe tightly.
"It can be used to resurrect a dragon that has been sealed away for years, far longer than anypony aside from us, and the king of the dragons remembers," Luna explained with fear in her voice, a fear that brought back memories of when the dragon was last free. "The destroyer of lands; Bringer of the End; Thanatos--a dragon who swore on the day he died that he would not rest until he had either conquered the world or met his match in combat. And none can match his power."
"Wow, a dragon like that. Sounds...bad," Hiccup said with fear...and a hint of something else that only Astrid caught.
"Don't you dare suggest trying to train it," she sternly said with a glare at Hiccup, who opened his mouth to answer, realized it was pointless, and closed it again with a sigh.
"Fine. But if Thanatos does get free, I will deal with him."