Chapter 19 – Wagner the Inferno Dragon King
Chapter 19 – Wagner the Inferno Dragon King
“So… let me get this straight…” Gilda questions Ford Mustang with perplexity as they fly off towards their next destination. “You spent the last two weeks in the forest with a dragon that taught you not only on how to breathe fire, but he also taught you on how to roar like one too?!”
“Mmm… yeah, pretty much!” he answers casually.
“Heh, I’ll believe it when I see it!” she scoffs with a smirk.
The blue Pegasus is quite grateful to run into someone he knew (well, at least from a television show originally). It’s nice for him to have some company along his journey to the Talos Mountain, where he hopes to find Wagner and compromise an alliance with the dragon and his clan.
“Still, I’m sorry to hear on what happened to him though.” Gilda offers her sympathy to Ford after hearing his tale of Hindel’s heroic sacrifice. “He must have been a really cool guy to hang out with.”
“Yes… he was.” he responds quietly with a chuckling smile.
The griffon eyes the nearly detached Pegasus as she detects a hint of sadness behind that ambiguous smile of his. She wishes that there is something she can do to help cheer him up, but unfortunately she is not the best kind of griffon for this kind of sentimentality. As she ponders on this, something catches her eagle eye in the far distance.
“Oh hey, look over there, Mustang!” she points it out gleefully. “We’ve made it!”
Following her pointed claw, Ford smiles in joy at what he sees before him. Dozens of mountains clustered together with their peaks curved into the unusual likenesses of ferocious claws. Surely, these must be the fabled Talos Mountains that Hindel and Gilda told him about! But something else catches his eye as he continues to awe at these bizarrely shaped mountains. In the center of that landmark, there is a colossal mountain that’s at least five times bigger than the region’s second-largest mountain. But its extraordinary size isn’t the only thing that’s strange. The enormous mountain is also hollow as it emanates a red-hot glow from within. Yet strangely enough, there is no smoke rising from that hollow mountain, so it’s certainly not a volcano. So what could be causing such an immense, fiery glow from this ominous mountain?
While Ford continues to gaze at the renowned home of the Wagner’s clan, Gilda spots a tiny red glow on the side of the central mountain. She speculates that it must be a hidden entrance that could lead them into the dragons’ dwelling. Suddenly, she grins deviously as she comes up with an idea on how to help lighten the mood up between them.
“Say Ford…” she smirks at him. “How about we have ourselves a little race on who ever can reach to that cliff-side entrance over there first?”
The stallion eyes at the entrance that the griffon was pointing at. Then, he breaks into a small grin as he proclaims in a slightly boastful manner, “As fun as it sounds, I’m afraid that would be overkill on my part.”
Gilda puts on the air brakes before Ford does the same as she responds with a chuckle, “What, you think you and your so-called dragon powers can beat me in a landslide? I think you’re overestimating yourself there, Ford!”
“Oh really?” he broadens his mischievous smile even more. “I’ll tell you what, Gilda… I bet that if I give you a ten-second head-start, I can still beat you to that cliff over there!”
She quickly ponders on the possibility if Ford is bluffing or not, but in either case, she is certain in her abilities as a flyer and seals the deal with a confident smile, “Alright then… challenge accepted! But remember, Ford, it’s your loss!”
“We'll see!” he shrugs before they land on a cloud nearby. Once there, he raises his fore hoof up in the air as he asks his competitor, “Ready?”
After stretching out her body in a suitable starting position, Gilda confirms her answer with a sharp nod before Ford starts the countdown.
“On your mark… get set… GO!”
With a wave of Ford’s hoof, Gilda launches from the cloud as she darts straight to the imaginary finish line!
1… 2… 3… 4…
With her sharp eyes, Gilda makes an approximation on how far away she is from the cliff-side entrance. The Talos Mountains is only a couple of miles away, but with her top speed, she can reach there is less than a minute. Plus, she was one of the best flyers alongside Rainbow Dash. So she is sure to win against an average flyer like Ford Mustang. Even with the handicap she was given, she feels some pity on taking advantage of it since it will take all the fun away for her to gain such a huge lead ahead of the newly acquainted Pegasus.
5… 6… 7…
Already it’s been seven seconds, and she is just reached a quarter of the race! With a winning smile spreading across her beak, she is absolutely convinced that she already got this in the bag!
8… 9… 10!
When ten seconds are finally up, the overconfident griffon is almost at the halfway point! Assuredly of her victory in her grasp, she turns her head as she wants to see the look of regret on Ford’s face as she is about a mile away from the cliff-side entrance. But after catching a brief glimpse of her challenger, Gilda’s victorious smile immediately hang out openly as she heavily gapes at what’s coming at her from behind. Speeding up in a blaze of golden light is the deviously smiling Ford Mustang, who is immediately catching up to the gawking griffon at an incredible velocity!
Snapping out of her shock, Gilda frantically reassumes her pace as she tries to push herself beyond limits. Unfortunately, she is clearly out of her league as Ford immediately passes by her in a blurring flash of blue and gold! Within ten seconds flat after he left the improvised starting line, the extraordinary Pegasus makes a touchdown at the cliff’s landing point, while Gilda has only completed three-quarters of the face! With a gawking expression frozen on her face, the astonished griffon gradually makes her way to the cliff in a slower, defeated pace.
Once she makes her landing, Gilda continues to flabbergast over the unbelievable power Ford possesses as he faces her with wide, prideful smirk across his muzzle. Annoyed by the pony’s smug grin, she stammers in an abrupt grump, “Sh-shut up!”
“I didn’t say anything.” he says with a witty smile.
“Yeah well… I was just going easy on you because I thought you were bluffing on your powers, that’s all! I’ll be sure to not make the same mistake again!”
“Well… thanks for leading me here, Gilda. I’ll take it from here.” When he turns around to make his way into the narrow cliff-side entrance, the blue Pegasus is quickly pulled in by a feathery foreleg wrapped tightly around his neck.
“And who said you could ditch me like that?!” the grinning griffon demands.
“I’m not trying to ditch you, Gilda!” Ford replies sharply as he breaks away from the hug before he explains himself in a gentler tone. “I just… don’t want you to get hurt from these dragons because of me.”
“Hey, come on, Ford!” Gilda winks at him as she playfully punches him on the foreleg. “I’m a big girl! I can take care of myself! Besides, we’re friends, aren’t we? So, someone has to watch your back from these pesky dragons!”
Smiling for her bragging devotion, Ford says to Gilda, “Alright, you can come along. But stay close to me, okay?”
From entering the narrow passage, Ford steadily leads the way while Gilda follows him from behind. Once they squeeze out of that hidden entrance, they each make a mighty gasp as they gaze at the wondrous sight before their eyes. Within the hollow mountain, they are hundreds of dragons residing in there!
The concave walls of their dwelling are littered with hundreds of caverns, which serve as the dragon’s private residences. In the center of their collective home is a colossal crystal cluster that is glowing bright red. The strange, red glow within that crystal is flickering like a flame as a few, watchful dragons breathe fire into the gigantic quartz while it absorbs their fiery breaths. This explains why the mysterious crystal is glowing immensely and why it offers the comforting warmth of a fireplace.
Many dragons engage in their leisurely activities. Most of them are resting, basking, or eating their gems. Some of the more aggressive, greedy dragons will engage in fights either for good sport or for gambling on their delectable treasures. For the hatchlings, they eagerly practice their fire breathing or flying with their parents and instructors. And a more pleasant experience for them is their multitude of hot springs as their own steaming breaths allow them to heat the water to its perfect temperature.
“Whoa-ho!” Gilda exclaims astonishingly. “Look at all these dragons! There must be hundreds of them!"
Ford is also impressed by the vast number of these legendary creatures. He is certain that with this many dragons, Arrogon won’t stand a chance against them.
“So… any idea which one is Wagner?” he asks Gilda as he looks around the hollow mountain.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never met him before. All I remember from the stories is that Wagner is a big, red, and scary dragon.”
Quickly glancing around his surroundings, Ford can see dragons of all shapes and sizes. Afterwards, he says to Gilda, “Well, there are a lot of dragons here that fit those descriptions. Maybe we should ask one of them.”
Nearby, there is large, rounded dragon with his back facing the two visitors as he heavily snoozes on the rocky floor. The heavy sleeper has earthly brown colors, small wings, stocky limbs, spiky, plated armor on his back, and a tail club with several spikes extruding from it. To Ford, the dragon reminds him of the armor-plated dinosaur, the Ankylosaurus.
“Excuse me, sir!” the pony approaches the snoozing dragon gingerly. The sleeper must not have heard him, so the pony tries it again.
“Sir! If I can just ask you a question real quick!” Even when he repeated himself a bit louder, all Ford gets in response is the slumbering dragon taking a moment to scratch his back.
When the stallion is about to try one more time, Gilda intervenes as she screeches sharply, “Hey! Wake up, your lazy bum! We’re trying to talk to you!”
“Wh-what? Who said that?!” the surprised dragon mumbles in his abrupt awakening. Because of Gilda’s impolite shout-out, some of the dragons nearby catch wind of it as they curiously eye on these two unlikely visitors. A few of them fly or crawl closer to these unknown foreigners.
Afraid on greatly agitating the larger beasts around them, Ford whispers to his less subtle friend, “Gilda, please! Let me do the talking, alright?”
“Why? It worked, didn’t it? You’re just being too timid about this!”
“Please, Gilda?” he pleads to her softly.
With a roll of her eyes, she reluctantly agrees, “Ugh! Fine!”
After rolling off his back, the slothful dragon turns around to see the ones who are responsible for that rude wake-up call. Coming face-to-face at last, Ford and Gilda get a good look at the first dragon they are speaking to. His round face has two stubby horns that are pointing angularly from each other, a jagged, beak-like snout, and beady, yellow reptilian eyes.
“What the--? A pony and a griffon?” the chunky dragon stares in disbelief before he scowls at the remainder of his sudden disturbance. “What are you two doing here in our lands, let alone disturbing my sleep?!”
“Yeah, I’m terrible sorry about that.” Ford apologizes meekly. “But we just need to ask you something real quick and you can go right back to your napping!”
“Well, what is it?” the dragon insists in a grump.
“Do you know where we may find Wagner around here?” the pony asks in sheepish smile.
Perplexed by this simple request, the brown dragon blinks his beady eyes a few times before he grin widely while holding back a suppressed chuckle. Unable to contain himself any further, the heavy dragon lets out a deep laugh as Ford and Gilda are confounded by what is so amusing all of a sudden.
“Hey everyone!” the ridiculer calls out to his nearby dragon friends. “Did you hear that?! This pony wants to speak to Wagner!” Eventually, the dragons close by join in as they laugh and mock at the gentle-natured Pegasus. From all this ridicule, Ford starts to feel very uncomfortable while Gilda is completed annoyed by the pony’s humiliation.
“Please!” Ford beseeches to the chief ridiculer once again. “It’s important that I speak with your clan leader at once!”
“Take my advice, pony!” the plump dragon finishes his chuckling as he is about to reassume his napping. “Wagner has no interest on meeting a pathetic creature such as yourself! If he sees, he’ll surely make mince meat out of you! Now be gone from this place before he finds you!”
“Look, can’t you just point it out to me on where we can find Wagner?”
“I said ‘leave’, pony!” the grumpy dragon demands before making a mighty plop on the ground. “And do not disturb me again!”
Disappointed by the refusal of the first dragon they came into contact, Ford Mustang pouts out to Gilda, “Sigh… well… maybe we can ask someone else around here--!”
“Forget that!” she snaps from being snubbed out by that. “This dragon is gonna answer to us, one way or another!”
“Gilda, no!” But Ford is too late to stop the impulsive griffon as she takes flight and loops around the good-for-nothing sloth so that she can give that dragon a piece of here mind.
“Listen up, you big, dumb jerk!” her outburst disrupts the dragon’s nap once again. “You better tell us where Wagner is right now or else you’re going to be in a world of pain right now!”
Less amused by the hovering griffon’s brashness, the deadpanned dragon quickly snorts out some smoke, which causes the Gilda to tumble right onto the ground. Getting himself back up again, the displeased dragon gets really close to the startled griffon’s face as he threatens her grimly, “Careful, little birdy! Or else you will end up as the only good griffon out here: a crispy one!”
To show her that he isn’t literally just blowing smoke here, he slowly unhinges his jaw and his mouth lights up brightly with the fire that is stirring within his massive throat. Seeing the raging fire up close has petrified Gilda right to the very core of her body and she fears that her life will end up as this terrifying dragon’s next meal.
After closing her eyes from what’s to be her inevitable end, the dragon’s scorching breath suddenly disappears. With one peek, Gilda is surprised to see that the threatening dragon is nowhere on the ground. With both eyes opened, all she can see in his place is a very shadow. Also, she notices a lot of dragons looking up in the air for some reason with their gaping mouths hanging out in the open. Following their gazes, Gilda becomes just as shocked as the rest of them as he finally sees on what has happened to her missing oppressor. Dozens of feet above the ground, the plump dragon is scared to death as he is lifted high in the air by the astonishingly super-strong Pegasus, Ford Mustang!
With an almighty toss, Ford slams the big, terrified bully right back on to the ground really hard! The quaking sound is so startling, that every dragon stops whatever they were doing as they gasp at the shocking scene that is taking place. Normally, they would expect such an earth-shaking noise from their great leader, but they never could imagine that such a creature as small as this pony can display such tremendous strength similiar to one of their own kin. Even some of the more aggressive dragons begin to show signs of fear. Ignoring the crowd’s immense shock, the hovering Pegasus glares at the aching dragon down below before he dives down and harshly lands on the fat, soft underbelly of the greatly sore, toppled giant.
Staring right at the terrified dragon’s face, Ford growls strongly, “Don’t you dare threaten my friend like that ever again! You got that?!” Quickly, the chubby dragon nods his head rapidly before Ford continues as he walks closer with one firm stomp at a time. “Good! Because right now, I don’t have time to play games here, so I’m going to ask you once more, and I better get a straight answer from you this time!”
As soon as Ford’s muzzle is inches away from the horrified dragon’s snout, deeply stern pony enunciate very clearly, “WHERE… IS… WAGNER?”
Despite hearing the question quite clearly, the chucky dragon is so scared by the pony’s sudden change of persona that he could barely make the words to serve as a suitable answer, even if his life depends. Out of nowhere, a chilling, booming voice echoes across the concaved mountain as it responds to Ford’s question.
“You want me, little pony?!”
Simultaneously, everyone looks up at the mightily high, curved peak's tip of the hallow mountain. The peak is nothing more than a shadow to its spectators, but then, two enormous wings expand out as a new, bulker shape emerges the shadows of the mountain! Suddenly, the dark, winged creature promptly leaps from his sharp perch as it dives right onto a ledged platform, which is closeby to the dragon that is pin down by the assertive pony! With a grand slam, a dust cloud explodes from that awesome entrance before it begins to clear away and gradually reveals the form of the greatly menacing intervener!
First, there are the black, razor-sharp claws digging into the rocky ledge’s edge. Following upward, the dark scarlet limbs feature muscles that they are very bulky and well-toned. Also, the scales throughout most of his body are like rigid, plated armor. Starting at the ridge of his back, black, curved spines trail all the way down to his tail, which at the end has four straight spikes like a Stegosaurus. The monstrous wings have dark sails between their appendages. The head is shaped like an arrow with black, frilled ears and a massive lower jaw with bearded spikes extending from his chin and cheeks. The jaw along with the legs reminds Ford Mustang of the great king of dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus Rex! And lastly, he has piercing, green eyes that are just as menacing as the Basilisk’s! In a way, this dragon is a complete opposite to Hindel due to his rough, sharp features! There is no doubt in Ford’s slightly trembling heart that this is the great leader of Hindel’s clan presented before him and all others; indeed, this has to be Wagner, the Inferno Dragon King!
“Here I am!”
Upon his arrival into the great valley, everyone is silent before their mighty king. Not only that, but all of their activities cease as they stay frozen in their spots and watch the upcoming confrontation between Wagner and the intruding pony. The first one to surprisingly make a move is Ford as he jumps off the grounded dragon he was questioning and casually walking towards the overlooking king of the mountains.
Respectfully, Ford bows down and greets in a well-mannered tone, “Wagner, thank you for seeing me. I’m sorry on doing that to your friend over there, but I really need to speak with you on an urgent matter.”
The red, impassive dragon’s only response to Ford’s manners is a harrumphing snort through his nostrils. Without so much of a word, Wagner directs his bright, green eyes towards the stout dragon as his piercing gaze demands an answer from the deeply petrified dragon.
“W-Wagner! I… I don’t know what to say!” the troubled dragon stammers in fright. “He just… caught me by surprise and--!
“Yes, I saw it.” Wagner assures his reptilian brethren in surprising composure as he redirects his observant eyes back to the perplexing Pegasus. “Quite unusual for a pony to display this much power. I haven’t seen anything like that since--!”
But then, he stops in his tracks before he even finishes that sentence as his eyes widen on the frightening realization. Using his extraordinary senses, Wagner can feel the same Draconian Magic that’s coursing through this pony’s veins as it does through all of his fellow dragons. But more shockingly, the Pegasus’s aura has a familiar, warm, golden color to it.
“Wait! That aura!” Wagner verifies shockingly. “I recognize that aura anywhere! The only one who should possess that would have to be--!”
Again, he didn’t need to finish that sentence. But instead of gasping at this realization like before, he begins to fume intensely as he swiftly shoots off the ledge and charges forward at the immobile pony. Bring his infuriating face close enough to the Ford’s, the enraged dragon interrogates him thoroughly in a thunderous roar.
“WHERE IS HINDEL?! WHY DO YOU POSSESS HIS POWERS?! IF YOU DO NOT ANSWER ME THIS INSTANT, I SHALL FORCE IT OUT OF YOU MYSELF!!”
The rest of the dragons and Gilda shudder in fear after hearing that tremendous shout from Wagner. At first, Ford Mustang is the only one to not quiver from Wagner’s wrath, but then, he starts to gradually tremble for a different reason as his sorrowful eyes threaten to break into tears.
In a soft, grief-stricken voice, he answers hesitantly, “He… he died… he died trying to protect me."
A bit startled by the disheartened news of his old friend, Wagner then demands in a low growl, “And how did he die?”
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After some time, Ford finishes his story, from how he first met to Arrogon to the unfortunate death of his mentor, Hindel. As a way to offer her sympathy, Gilda lays her brown wing over the Pegasus’ shoulders as he smiles gratefully for her concern. The dragons who bear witness to the Pegasus’ story begin to gossip with each other after what they have just learned as they dread over the return of the infamous dragon slayer, Arrogon the Destroyer. The only dragon who is completely silent by all of this is Wagner as he was very attentive to Ford’s tale.
“I see… so Hindel was right all along.” he mutters somberly to himself. “Heh, why am I not surprised?”
“So now that I told you on what’s been going on, will you help me out in stopping Arrogon?” Ford asks in a beseeching tone.
Without an immediate response, Wagner turns around and begins to walk away from the pony and griffon before he says coldly, “You two are done here and are welcome to leave. We’ll handle things from here.”
Surprised by that vague answer, Ford steps forward and asks, “W-wait?! But what about helping me into defeating Arrogon?!”
“If he or any of his despicable followers even dare come to our lands, then we will wage war against him soon enough, but we will not aid you and the rest of the ponies out there! They are on their own for that matter!”
“H-h-how…? How can you be so coldhearted about this?!” the outraged pony inquires. “There are innocent ponies out there who are in desperate need of our help, and you wouldn’t even lift a claw for them! How can you call yourself Hindel’s friend if you won’t even comply with his dying wish?!”
“Don’t you dare question my friendship with Hindel!” Wagner snaps in an almighty roar as he sharply turns around to face the disgruntled Mustang. “I knew him way longer than you ever will in multiple lifetimes! The pain you have been going through is nothing compared to my own! I may owe Hindel a great deal for all that he has done for me, but I will stand by my own decisions for the good of my clan, not just for myself! He would respect my choices just as I will respect his!
Besides, why should my clan be involved in your battles?! My race has suffered enough because of your wretched kind! It may not matter much to you in your short life, but I still remember all the heinous crimes you ponies have committed against us! You accused us of stealing treasure from others when you ponies have abandoned them with each passing century and sought the right to steal them right under our noses!”
With a quick glare, Wagner’s judgmental stare greatly startles Gilda as he snarls at her, “And don’t think I forgot on what your race tried to do to us centuries ago, griffon!” Without a word, the trembling griffon cowers behind Ford as the great dragon refocuses his aggressive attention at the unyielding stallion.
“And what’s even more barbaric, your kind used to pluck our shiny scales and fashioned them as extra skins for your own vanity! You even sought so-called glory by capturing and encaging us like animals! Why, even several years ago, I heard of your ‘precious’ Princess Celestia snatching one of our eggs and treating that hatchling like it was her slave!”
He must be referring to Spike! Ford reflects on that claim. Well… I better leave that aside so that I don’t anger Wagner any further.
“You’ve always seen us as simple, mindless beasts…” the dragon king continues with his enraged accusation. “…but it’s you who are the real monsters to us! Your race deserves to destroy each other! And whether or not you are indeed a friend of Hindel, I will not form an alliance with the likes of you!”
Shaken by the dragon’s resolve to form an alliance with him, Ford bows on all four legs as he desperately begs to Wagner with all of his heart. “Wagner… please. I beg you.” he grievingly pleads to the stubborn dragon. “I didn’t come all this way just to seek your help. I wanted to do this for Hindel’s sake as well. He… trusted me with this final request in his dying words. I can’t let him down after all he has done for me. I just… can’t. So I am asking you, what is it that I need to do to prove myself towards you?”
Surprised by Ford’s humbleness and determination, Wagner takes a moment to consider this as he also thinks back to a time where he and Hindel last met with each other.
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Two years ago in the Everfree Forest…
In the hollow valley they have once called ‘home’, Wagner swooped down for a gentle landing right behind his oldest friend, Hindel, as he sat on his haunches and waited patiently for the clan leader’s arrival.
“Hello, Wagner.” Hindel gently greeted to him. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Amazed by how Hindel was able to recognized him without his eyes, Wagner smirked and replied, “Too long, my old friend. I see that your senses are just as sharp as your mind and claws.”
Once Wagner sat alongside the elder, golden dragon, Hindel then asked, “So, how is the clan doing so far?”
“Things have surprisingly been prosperous for us.” Wagner answered with glee. “Recently, we just welcome over a dozen of hatchlings into our family.”
"Really? That’s so wonderful to hear from you.” said Hindel with a warm smile. “I wish I can see their little faces right now.” Realizing the mistake in his grammer, Hindel chuckled to himself, “Oh wait, what am I yammering on about!”
But Wagner wasn’t amused by the older dragon’s sense of humor as he asked in concern, “Hindel… have they… gotten better over the years?”
“No, Wagner… no they haven’t.” Hindel answered with a small, comforting smile. “But don’t worry about that, I’ve managed to do just fine without them. Besides, this is my own price to pay.”
Dismissing his own blindness asides, he said to Wagner with gratitude, “By the way, thanks for coming here out of your own free time. I know you’ve been very busy, but I greatly appreciate your respect for them, especially when today is their… Anniversary.”
“It’s the least I can do, Hindel. No one, dragon or pony, deserves such an awful fate as that.”
In a moment of silence, Hindel and Wagner lowered their heads and prayed to themselves as they silently show their respects to those who have fallen in battle against the treacherous traitor of their clan, Arrogon the Destroyer. After an immeasurable amount of time, Wagner was the first to speak after they finished their prayers.
“Hindel?”
“Hmm…?”
“Why do you keep doing this to yourself? Putting yourself in this self-exile nonsense! No one blames you for what has happened! It was that accursed pony’s fault to begin with!”
“But… I should have done something about it.” Hindel admitted in shame. “I knew I saw visions on what would happen, but I shouldn’t have ignored them. I could have at least helped out Morning Star in any way possible. If I did just that, then maybe… he wouldn’t turn into such a monster in the end.”
“Hindel… come back with me! To our clan! To our family!”
Hindel shook his head as he smiled to his friend. “Wagner, I’m not the clan leader anymore. You are.”
“I don’t care about that!” he exclaims in desperation. “I don’t even care which one of us is in charge! It just… hasn’t been the same without you! Sure, I’m one of the strongest dragon out there, and my kind looks up to me for that! But, deep down, I know that my brute strength isn’t enough to be qualified as a respectable king! That’s what I truly lack, Hindel! I can never match up to your great wisdom or calm composure! That’s why… I still need you!”
A bit startled by his friend’s unforeseen confession, Hindel grinned reassuringly as he said with comforting words, “Wagner… Do you remember why I choose you as my replacement before I went into exile? It wasn’t just because that you are my most trusted friend, or for your tremendous knowledge of our sacred magic, but it’s because that you always have a great passion when it comes to the well-being of others. Deep down that armored hide, you have always listened to that big, noble heart of yours. I knew that you would be a worthy successor when I heard on how Deimos tried to tempt you into massacring the ponies of Stonehaven. And yet, you refused because you didn’t want innocent blood to be spilled in your need for vengeance to those who have wronged us. You may have faced some obstacles along the way of our clan’s revival, but in the end, you have persevered not just as a mighty dragon, but as a strong leader too! And I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, my little brother!”
Caught-off guard by Hindel’s last word, Wagner turned his head away as he stated halfheartedly, “But… I’m not your real brother, Hindel. Deimos is.”
“Does that even matter, or have you already forgotten what it means to be part of our clan? No matter where we come, whether we are dragons or ponies, we are always a family to each other! And unlike Deimos, you are the brother that I’ve always wanted, Wagner!”
Again, Wagner was deeply touched by Hindel’s caring sentiment. While the usually grouchy dragon wasn’t the one to break down into tears, he was pretty close into doing so. Unable to restrain himself with his emotions, Wagner immediately pulled the blind dragon in for a great, big hug.
“Thank you… brother.” Wagner whispered.
Smiling at the rare display of Wagner’s affection, Hindel returns the brotherly embrace as he pats a gentle claw on Wagner’s thick skull. Eventually, they broke away from their hug as Wagner composed himself from getting so sappy. He believed that it wasn’t a fitting trait for the Inferno Dragon King.
“So… I guess I can’t change your mind, huh?” asked Wagner.
“I’m afraid not, Wagner. I’m sorry, but I am needed here more than ever.”
“What else is there to be found here after all these centuries?”
“I’m waiting for someone.”
“Who? Wait… you’re talking about Arrogon, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I’m waiting for someone else.”
“Who else is there?”
“A friend, and perhaps… something even more than that.” Hindel smirked all-knowingly to himself.
“Enough with these riddles, Hindel!” the red dragon demanded impatiently. “Who exactly are you talking about?!”
“I don’t know who this creature is… but all that I can see in my vision is a vague, winged pony with a most peculiar feature that separates him from the rest of the other ponies.”
“And what’s that?”
Hindel was a bit hesitant to answer his impatient friend, but without any further delay, he confirmed with a small, sly smirk, “A pony without a Cutie Mark.”
Wagner’s green eyes grew widely as he dreaded on the possibility of history repeating itself. “No! Hindel, no! I cannot believe this from you! Please tell me that you are not going to teach him Draconian Magic!”
No answer came out of Hindel’s mouth, but his head turning away from Wagner’s confirmed otherwise.
"Oh sweet Leviathan, you are, aren’t you?!” Wagner growled in outrage. “You see, this is why I forbid our clan to teach any outsiders of our sacred magic since that horrendous incident! We’ve already trusted ourselves with one markless pony before, and look where that got you--!”
Despite immediately clamping his jaws shut, Wagner was too late to take back on his impulsive words. But surprisingly enough, Hindel did not take heed of that.
“I’m… sorry, Hindel.” Wagner apologized in a remorseful tone. “That was uncalled for.”
“It’s fine, Wagner. And besides, you are mistaken.” Hindel turned his head to face the puzzled dragon, and he displays a teasing grin on his face. “I am no longer a member of your clan anymore, so therefore, your laws have no authority on who I may teach it to.”
Wagner was flabbergasted by Hindel’s witty response. After he shook away his dumbfounded expression, he sharply turned away from Hindel and dismissed with a grump, “Well, I may not know what you are scheming, but I refuse to be involved in this mess again! I will not play a part in this, and neither will the clan for that matter, and that’s final!”
As the grumbling dragon prepared to take flight, Hindel stopped him. “Wagner, please wait.”
“What?!” he sternly gazed back at the golden dragon.
“If… anything were to happen to me… will you then… help him out in anyway possible?”
Conflictingly, Wagner didn’t bother to reply, so Hindel pleaded to him once more, “Please brother, consider it as my final request and I promise that I won’t bother you with this any further.”
Reluctantly, Wagner gave in as he muttered to himself in a cranky tone, "Sigh… curse my honor into the depths of Tartarus. Alright, fine! I will keep this in mind! But on one condition!”
Grateful to Wagner’s reliance, Hindel responded with a satisfied smirk, “Name it."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You still seek an alliance with me, pony?” Wagner asks the pleading Pegasus in a firm tone. “…Very well. But only if you prove yourself that you are worthy before my clan.”
Nearly overjoyed by the dragon’s sudden cooperation, Ford Mustang immediately asks, “And how can I do that, Wagner?”
“You must fight me… TO THE DEATH.”
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I bet 500.000 bits on Ford for not killing Wagner!!!
Oh, and, Awesome Chapter again^^
Oh my. Cue epic battle scene!
okay, I am looking forward to this, don't have Ford win, don't. you know the whole "loose but close" "you gave me a run for my money" thing? do that, Ford is strong, yes, but Ford should not win, he is kinda overpowered and he needs to be knocked down a peg, to show that he still needs to improve in order to beat Arragorn, See? and Wagner can spare him and teach him some more skills, you see? it will work for his character more,
but then again, take it as you will.
and don't get me wrong! this is a good story and chapter. you are doing great.
More more more!!!!!!
Next chapter! Ford must use his Dragon Slayer powers effectively and defeat Wagner, in order to gain his alliance..!
I'm sorry, I've been watching too much Fairy Tail.
I regret nothing.
3712407 Odds are pretty good that's what'll happen, either that or the author will read these two comments and suddenly made Ford a merciless killer.
Loss
We'll
I don't think you need a comma there
the hug
for
in any way possible
remove the on
remove the on
Third time's the charm, remove the on
remove the ! after wanted
Unless Wagner harbours some kind of crush on Hindel, remove the his
Welp, that's all I saw but I wasn't really looking too hard so I probably missed a few. Great chapter by the way, too bad they can't fight to the pain; I like them both.
3713785 Don't apologize this story reminds me a lot about Fairy Tail too and I love it
3714128 Thanks again for your help!
3716059 But of course! You can't forget that! That makes the whole experience!
I think whoever wins it is to the "death" as in beating till you can land a killing blow then the battle is over just before the blow is taken such as a sword to the throat, jaws on neck, fire ready, or knock out
Will ford not kill wagner but still win?
WOW
WHAT A CLIFFHANGER
For some reason, I imagine Hindel speaking with Leonard Nimoy's voice.
3713785 FUCK YEAH FAIRY TAIL!!
Great chapter btw xD
WHAT?! But if Ford kills Wagner, then he will not be able to help! D:)
19# dan dan dan
Oh my god.
I did not see this coming.
Oh wait.
I did
3712407 HAH! I will take this chalange!... Never
If only Queen Rosedust had challenged Megan to a duel before agreeing to help defeat the Witches of Gloom.
You want me, one punch car
since when he is killed, he is very helpfull with not being in the way.