Chapter 17: Legends of Equestria: Flash Magnus
Windy Whistles had just finished tucking her daughter into her bed, before giving the little pegasus her favorite stuffed tortoise. Her daughter happily snuggled the toy, before her large eyes looked towards her mother as if expecting something. That something was a story before bed.
“Alright,” she said with a sigh. Her father wasn’t home yet, so maybe it was fair that she got a story to compensate. “Which do you want to hear?”
“Flash Magnus!” The little pegasus chirped, wings flaring in excitement. It was her favorite story, as it had action, adventure, and even romance though she wouldn’t dare admit it.
“Of course.” Windy sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the book of legends from the nightstand, the more child appropriate version, and began to read.
Flash Magnus was but a private when he first entered the Royal Legion, under the leadership of Ironhead the Courageous. During a trip through the Dragon Lands, two of his fellow comrades had been captured by dragons. Not wishing to leave them behind, he offered to distract the dragons, giving his comrades a chance to rescue the captured soldiers.
Knowing his plan to be too dangerous to attempt by himself, Ironhead gave him the fire proof shield, Netitus. With the shield at his side, and his skills at his disposal, Flash Magnus flew circles around the dragons, dodging any bites and slashes from their claws, and blocking their fire breath with his shield. While the stallion was swifter than his pursuers, he could not lose them.
Fortunately, Ironhead, at the suggestion of Nimbus Dash, formed a colossal storm cloud for Magnus to fly into. Once the stallion saw what his comrades had done, he led the dragons into the storm and his companions unleashed a torrent of lightning upon them. A single taste of lightning was all it took to drive the dragons back to their caves. Flash Magnus emerged from the storm cloud not soon after. He was hailed as a hero by the legion, and for his bravery, gifted Netitus. His name became synonymous with Bravery, and he was forever known as an Equestrian Legend.
Spike always enjoyed visiting his Grandpa Furnace. His hoard had some interesting treasures that Spike was allowed to marvel at, and his grandfather let him have an extra snack at times, even if he desired a rarer gemstone. Furnace’s stories captivated him, even though most of what the old wyrm said was nothing more than a few mumbles. However, today had been different during Spike's visit. The whelp didn’t know it, but Furnace had been on edge the entire day.
Dragons had a habit of curling around things that were precious to them, things that they wanted to protect, and Furnace was no different. He curled not around his hoard though, rather he curled around Spike himself. It was subtle though; Spike was given a very large circle to play in and was allowed to do as he desired to an extent. Furnace would sniff the air and growl at the scent of meadows. He scanned the cave before his eyes settled down on Spike. With a mumble he forced himself to relax.
“Turns out the Dragon Lord’s a big jerk,” Spike said as he pulled out an old helm from his grandfather’s hoard. It was much too big for him to wear, as much as he wanted to. Tossing the trinket back into the hoard, he continued his rant. “He’s basically torturing Garble for fighting with Ember, even though her mom gave him this really cool knife and said he could!”
It had been two weeks since Garble received news that he and Ember could play together again, yet Torch would still order Garble to do manual labor of some sort. Push ups if he pushed Ember a bit too hard, sit ups if she ever tripped and fell chasing him, squats if it was cloudy that day or if Garble nipped her, and a myriad of other exercises if the wind blew in a direction Torch hated or if he just needed to bark an order at someone.
Furnace grumbled something that only Spike could understand.
“They don’t really fight. Garble doesn’t like hitting girls, so he goes super easy on Ember.”
Furnace grumbled out a good, and continued listening to his grandson.
“Other than that, nothing’s too different. Garbles out with Smolder and Dad, looking for treasure. Think they’ll find something as cool as his knife?” Spike listened as Furnace grumbled a response. “Yeah, mama said it was super rare, and that you needed to have priests make it. Hey, this is like Garble’s!” Spike happily chirped, pulling out a white-silver shield. Its surface glittered like it was made of stars, reminding Spike of his brother’s knife.
Furnace tensed seeing the shield in Spike’s grip, but he soon relaxed. Spike was his grandson, not some random dragon going through his hoard, and the lad knew better than to steal, especially from family.
Spike found an inscription on the shield’s backside. “Grandpa Furnace, who’s Coal Ironscale?”
Furnace muttered the answer.
“Oh! So, how many greats would that make him?” Spike asked. “I guess it’s just one less than yours. Are there other aunts and uncles I don’t know about? What happened to them?”
Furnace grumbled that he’d tell Spike when he was older. There was no sense in ruining the boy’s innocence just yet with his old stories. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and caught a whiff of a very familiar scent. He scanned the cave once more, before his eyes narrowed on his grandson. His claw extended and he gripped Spike by his tail, lifting him up and bringing him close. He inhaled deeply before asking in a cracked, but clear voice, “Why do you smell like that?”
“Like what?” Spike asked, confused. He’d taken a lava bath right before visiting, so he should smell clean.
“You smell of ponies,” He said with a low growl.
Spike thought for a moment. Was it because he slept curled around his book at night? “Maybe it’s my book. It’s about a dragon! Dad said a pony made it.”
Furnace’s ears twitched and his eyes narrowed. “You own things made by those vile little creatures? Do your parents have no sense in them!?”
“What’s wrong with pony books?”
“What’s-!” Furnace paused. He could feel the powerful emotions welling up inside of him, about to explode in a terrifying display. Unwarranted was the best word to use for that. Spike had done nothing wrong, just something naive and somewhat foolish. “Heathspike, how much do you know about equines?”
“Mama says I should be careful around them, but that’s not so different from other dragons. Grandma Topaz says that there aren’t that many bad ponies anymore, so it’s not like I’m going to meet one.”
The way he was talking about those filthy creatures was too cavalier for Furnace’s liking. And here he wanted to preserve his grandchild’s innocence and naivety. A foolish thought, made worse by what the nonsense that the shaman had been filling his head with. Furnace could already imagine those monsters taking advantage of such innocence, before springing a trap on Spike. The thought of what they’d do to him sent a familiar pang of dread through his gut. The story he could tell would likely frighten him, but it was better to have a frightened and careful grandchild than a dead one.
“Heathspike,” he said, calming himself as he placed Spike down on the ground. “Why don’t I tell you a story about a pony called Flash Magnus?”
At this, Spike scooted closer. He was always willing to hear a story. Furnace told him how over a thousand years ago, a group of ponies came into their lands. At first, the dragons thought nothing of them, as they were small and fragile looking creatures. That all changed the moment two ponies happened upon a vacant cave and lined their pockets with precious, refined platinum. The owners of the cave were out, christening their third whelp, however, they returned just in time to catch the thieves.
“The equines were brought before the Dragon Lord, Maliek, and argued that they were ignorant of the fact that the treasure was owned, as is the hoard had burst from the ground. They were sentenced to death for their crimes, but before their sentence could be carried out, a pegasus named Flash Magnus saved the thieves whilst evading dragons by using a fireproof shield. The two dragons that had been wronged chased the winged nuisance into a titanic storm cloud and met their end. The lightning the ponies called forth seared their scales and scarred their bodies, nearly crippling them. The two had only enough strength to return home where they passed.”
There was a churning in Spike’s stomach as he listened. He knew of death, but so far it was only something that he’d heard of in stories. Usually, an evil pony queen met her end after being cruel to a princess, or a wicked dragon was struck down after enslaving a village or stealing gold and a girl. A mother and a father dying because they chased two thieves? He couldn’t even comprehend it.
“Many of us wished that had been the end of it,” Furnace said solemnly, making Spike’s eyes widen in disbelief, “but not soon after they left did they return. No one knows why, just that they did so carrying two slain dragons clad in paladin armor.” Furnace growled, embittered by the memory. “The skies were darkened by their arrival, and dragons learned to fear ponies, however, none of those monsters were as frightening as Tiamat’s Angels.”
“Who are Tiamat’s Angels?” Spike asked, his voice shaking.
“They were a group of five specific Dragon Slayers. They culled us by the dozens, each with their own talents for slaying. The Slayers Ironhead and Bella Breeze, the dragon mutilators. They injured dragons in ways they would never recover, Bella with her blasted knives, Ironhead with a damn hammer. If a dragon was lucky enough to survive an encounter with them, they were often rendered blind, flightless, or limping for the rest of their lives. Worse was Nimbus Dash, the Lightning Caller. She commanded storms, sending out bolts of lightning towards our paladins, searing and melting their scales, bringing them to their knees. Then, there was the Dragon Piercer himself: Flash Magnus. Some call him the first Slayer, but he’s just the fool that perfected the art of killing us. Using a spear, he struck dragons down like a farmer harvesting wheat, littering these lands with our corpses. That dog should have met his end the moment he came back into our lands, but it seemed Tiamat and Concordia had come to an agreement with one another, and blessed him with longevity.”
“Concordia?” Spike had known of Tiamat, sure, but this was the first he’d ever heard of Concordia.
“She’s the goddess that created those wretched ponies. Do not think much of her, she’s as beneath us as the ground is. The pony you must concern yourself with was the vilest of the group: Grimhoof the Egg Butcher. That vile, cowardly speck of filth wiped out half a generation of dragons before any of his victims had a chance to take their first breath.” His brows knitted together, he bared his fangs, and small whisps of fire escaped his maw as he spoke. “The others had the honor to face those that could fight back, but him? He attacked dragons that couldn’t even cry out for help. If there is any justice in this world, he’s burning in Tiamat’s pit.”
“He attacked eggs?” Spike asked, trying to comprehend the action. He’d heard his mother talk about eggs, saying that it was impossible for a dragon to look at one and feel anything but love and joy in their hearts, knowing that each one carried in it a hatchling ready and anxious to see the world. He didn’t even think it was possible to attack one.
“He-” his voice hitched, and his legs trembled. Calming himself, he continued. “He did worse than just attack them, Heathspike. Much, much worse.” Furnace could recall every moment of the day he heard the news. How frightened he had been concerning his own whelps, the weeping and despondent mothers, the enraged fathers that went on the warpath knowing that they failed to protect their progeny. Worse were the sight of the broken eggs. The mere memory twisted his insides, and brought tears to his eyes.
“So, did the ponies win?” Spike asked.
“No,” Furnace said firmly, “because we refused to let them conquer us. It was our clan, the Ironscales, that sent fear into their hearts. Nimbus could not strike us with lightning, as they had no need for metal armor or weapons. One of her attacks against us backfired on her, blinding her in one eye. Bella Breeze and Ironhead could not harm us either, as our hides were too strong and our bodies stronger. Magnus could only hide behind his pathetic shield, his spear useless to him. When Grimhoof tried to fight, he quickly found himself outmatched. It was Coal that obtained some justice for his victims; When the two fought, he slashed out his left eye. Had it not been for a legion of ponies intervening, he would have finished the job.” Furnace smiled, recalling one of the few prideful memories in a long period of darkness and sorrow, like a fleeting cool breeze in a scorching desert. “The Scourge of Equine they called our clan! Drakes futilely wished for an ability like ours, dragonesses flocked to court the clan’s sons, and the Dragon Lord himself offered us boons for our service. For one moment we were even considered Mythic Dragons.”
The term lit a fire of curiosity in Spike. Despite how horrible and disturbing the story was, he couldn’t help but feel comforted knowing that his adoptive clan arrived like knights, and fought back the invaders. “What are Mythic Dragons?” he asked.
“Members of a dragon clan so old, so powerful that they were said to be a mere step down from Bahamut’s might! We Ironscales knew better though, we were merely warriors in the right place at the right time. Some thought that this was mere happenstance, others thought it part of a grand scheme that Bahamut had enacted, that the stars had aligned and we were where he needed us. No matter the reason, we fought and halted any movement from the ponies for a time.” Furnace’s smile fell, as he recalled what happened next, how one little discovery the ponies made changed everything.
“However, Tiamat decided to play a cruel trick on us, and led Magnus to discover just how powerful platinum is once refined. Using the armor from the paladins they’d slain, Magnus forged a spear and with it, slew Coal when they met on the battlefield. Seeing that he’d done the impossible with his new weapon, he and his legion quickly grew enamored with the material. His ilk plundered abandoned caves for the metal, while stealing treasure from our hoards, creating more and more spears, arming their best soldiers with them to cut us down.”
Spike tensed, his wide eyes filling with dread. He recalled how Garble’s knife easily harmed their father, and that was just to show them that platinum could be dangerous. Knowing there existed spears meant to kill Ironscales made him feel vulnerable. “What happened then?”
“We lost many sons to the equine, to Magnus especially. However, their sacrifices had not been in vain. Scores of equines were lost to our forces, and soon they retreated to their little haven, Equestria. For whatever reason, Maliek ordered us to let them be once they left. For Coal’s heroism, I was given a shield to remember him by, the shield you hold now. We dragons slowly recovered, as did the Ironscale clan, though our numbers were a fraction of what they were. Of the numerous Ironscales sent into battle, only three survived the onslaught, one of them being Sulfur Ironscale, my eldest. He begot a son, who begot a son, who begot a son until finally your father came into the world, who with your mother brought your siblings into the world and took you into our clan. Understand, I’m not telling you these things just to frighten you, Heathspike. I lost too many children to those bastards; I do not wish to lose any of you.”
“I understand. Grandpa, are all ponies that bad?” Spike asked. “Mama says that they don’t live that long, maybe all the bad ones are already gone.”
Hope. Such a powerful, dangerous feeling that a dragon can have. “No doubt a sentiment from Topaz. It’s possible. You need to understand that just because something looks adorable and harmless, doesn’t mean that it is. If you ever meet a pony, promise me you will be cautious.”
Spike nodded and crossed his heart. “Do I need to get rid of my book?”
“No, but you shouldn’t go searching for them, not if it brings you anywhere near ponies.”
“Okay.” Furnace seemed to be satisfied with the answer and relaxed, allowing Spike to go about his foraging.
Part of Spike wanted to believe that nothing in his grandfather’s story could happen in his lifetime, especially since the incident was well over a thousand years ago. Unfortunately, the little dragon would be proven wrong in just one day.
The little pegasus let out a squeaky yawn. “What happened next?” She asked, struggling to keep her eyelids open. Windy smiled, knowing it was just a matter of time before she fell asleep.
“As the Legion finished its mission, and began to return home, two dragons attacked them right before they could enter the dragon lands. Despite being clad in the legendary metal, mithril, a metal whose origins only the dragons know, the legion easily defeated them. Magnus brought the two before the Dragon King, demanding that they be let through without harm coming to them. The king refused and attempted to capture him, but he evaded and rejoined his comrades. A long battle occurred, with Flash Magnus attempting to break through the Dragons, but they held fast and lasted until two more legends joined them, Rock Hoof and Mage Meadowbrook. These ponies helped cure a princess of a fatal disease, and as a reward the Royal Legion were given safe passage back to Equestria.”
Windy looked up from her book, and saw her daughter fast asleep. “Goodnight, Scootaloo,” she said, giving her adoptive daughter’s forehead a kiss. She put the book away, turned off the lights, and went for the door. She paused before taking her last step to look at her daughter, the covers rising and falling with every breath she took. Smiling, she silently closed the door, and waited for her husband and eldest daughter, Rainbow Dash, to return home from their convention.
Garble was certain that he’d be disappointed for the rest of the day; that he was about to go home in defeat, but fortune had smiled down on him. As he dug his last hole for the day in the wasteland, he hit metal. Buried in the dirt and in desperate need of polishing was an old shield. The shield was bronze in color, with a strange winged-star sigil etched in the front. It was bigger than he expected, not something he could wield now, but when he was older. If nothing more, he could use it as a lava board. What a lucky find it was.
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Excellent job on this latest chapter. Again, appreciated the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Also appreciated the fair warning in the author's notes. Really appreciated the telling of the story of Flash Magnus from the perspectives of both the ponies AND the dragons. Also enjoyed Furnace's reaction to Spike's actually correct (unknown to the dragons in general at the time) comment about how ponies, while they need to be approached with caution, are NOT THAT different from dragons. Also liked the little additional AU detail of Scootaloo being Rainbow's adoptive little sister in this universe. I'm not going to say if that's a clue as to which pony Spike is going to end up with because I am fully aware that COULD BE a red herring. Then again, maybe it isn't. It's about 50/50 one way or the other right now. Then again, Spike/Scootaloo pairings ARE rarer than the Spike/Apple Bloom and Spike/Sweetie Belle stories.
VERY definitely looking forward to more of this. Especially since I AM curious as to who got stuck with the job of trying to keep Twilight grounded in this universe with Spike being raised by the dragons (i.e. who is filling Spike's role as Twilight's assistant/adoptive younger sibling here).
And I hope you and your family and friends have a Happy Halloween.
Ooh!!! Nice glimpse into the dragon's perspective and what's going on with the ponies!
Curiouser....
Oh wow, quite a different perspective of the Flash Magnus story! The brutality on the dragon's side left me speechless!
Saw that a cute pegasus became Rainbow's adoptive sister in this story, very nice! Also seems Garble just found Flash's shield at the end there! Wonder if this discovery will have something to do with this part right here?
Yep, doesn't sound good......AT ALL!
Looking forward to the next chapter!
Whoa ok now let's not be too hasty I can't say much for the other ponies who done bad things but not all of them are bad
11019728
Considering that in canon the shield was a Macguffin for the summoning of the Pillars...
At least they're still some dragons like spikes grandmother understand that not all ponies are born bad
awesome chapter dude keep up the good work!!!!
Oh dear something tells me he's going to meet the antagonist pony huh I wonder it could be spoiled rich or flim and flam or somebody and I really hope his grandpa dose not poison his mind
Now there's an interesting thought. To the ponies, Flash Magnus is a legendary hero who fought ferocious beasts to save his friends and showed great bravery to save his friends, but change perspectives to the dragons and it becomes a horror story about a dragon slayer.
Cute Rainbow Dash cameo though.
Hey he found Flash Magnus shield I still don't know how in the world did it ended up there of all places
Ok so we get a story of a legend of flash Magnus from two different perspective side and it looks like rainbows mother Wendy whistle told Scootaloo the story how he is a hero and while spike grandfather told him how flash is a slayer to all dragons now I really hope it doesn't poison the mind of a young child about this whole situation about how the bad reputation from a pony and the dragon are and it looks like garble found flash Magnus shield wow I wonder what's going to happen next
Awesome! I always love it when it turns out that the ponies are the bad guys all along! GO DRAGONS!
Also, what is going to happen when star swirl's gang comes back from limbo? Killing children is and will always be one of the worst crimes to commit. One worthy of 20 life sentances at least! Will there be any retribution?
Final note: Is it just me or are most "knight in shining armor" stories all about a bunch of bullies attacking and killing any "monster/beast" they find and deem a "threat" to their homes/kingdoms?
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It's not really that they were villains all along, I'd say it's more that the situation at the time was complicated, and that the truth likely exists somewhere in the middle of 'they were the greatest gallant heroes' and 'they were vilest dastardly villains' hence the duel perspectives.
On another note, it's explicitly stated that only one pony actually did the baby murder, and that pony is Grimhoof.
For me and in this universe, for the knight in shining armor trope, I'd have to say not really. In story it's stated that dragons in the stories he read stole and kidnapped princesses, actual crimes, which is why Spike was never really perturbed by them dying. Now, if we're talking about the dragon is just chilling in a cave, minding his own business and is attacked, then yes the knight is a bully.
Anyway, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far, and I hope that you like the future chapters as they come out.
Great Chapter
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Note on this conversation but i imagine the reason there for a time was a no attack treaty in effect was likely by celestia and Luna but once Luna was banished and celestia was left by herself who’s to say ponies wouldn’t have taken a chance to attack dragons to be the hero and vice versa
I'm scared. Good chapter tho.
One wonders how he knows anything about farmers harvesting wheat, or what a dog is...or, for that matter, why being called a dog would be considered an insult.
Heh, but very nice plot twist with Scootaloo being the audience instead of Rainbow Dash, as was first insinuated at the start of the chapter!
11021625
Ah, I’m glad you pointed that out. You see, it’s a plot hole that I did not catch while writing this chapter, lol. I’m a man, I can admit when I mess up.
Glad you liked the plot twist, and I hope you keep enjoying the story!
Your licence to buy Manure and fan-like things, especially wind turbines, has been revoked Author. Also darn I hit the end of this story mine.
Reading about Flash Magnus from the dragons' POV is interesting. I feel sorry for the poor, unfortunate sap who has to keep Twilight grounded.
I feel inclined to believe the ponies over the dragons. Even if AU