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The Epic Quest of Ford Mustang

by RoyalRainbow

Chapter 20: Chapter 20 – A Dragon’s Duel

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Chapter 20 – A Dragon’s Duel

Right next to the central stronghold of the Wagner’s clan of noble dragons, there is another grand, hollow location in the Talos Mountains region. While its peak is not as high as the dragon’s main dwelling, this concaved mountain has a very wide space, which would perfectly serve as a makeshift coliseum for the ultimate match to come!

The rocky stadium is lit up with dozens of bonfire torches as the roars of the highly anticipated crowd echo throughout the arena. Hundreds of fully matured dragons perch on the mountain’s naturally structured balcony as they agitatedly wait for the epic duel to begin. The spacious terrain wasn’t entirely flat as it is scarred with cracks, craters, and sturdy rocks sticking out of the ground. Nevertheless, the dragons wouldn’t think of a better place for a fight than on this sacred, ancient battleground.

On one side stands the 500-year long leader of his clan, Wagner the Inferno Dragon King. Normally, he would be pumped and ready for action, considering that he hasn’t been in a good fight in ages. But this time, he is surprisingly composed about the smaller challenger he will be facing. Mostly it’s because he is pondering as to what his departed friend, Hindel, sees in this gentle-looking pony.

On the other side is the blue-haired Pegasus of Ponyville, Ford Mustang. As Hindel’s last apprentice, Ford has a lot to ride on regarding with the necessary victory over Arrogon the Destroyer. Most recently, as per to Hindel’s last wish, the pony wants to form an alliance with Wagner and his clan. Unfortunately, he is faced with a dilemma as he must fight Wagner in a death battle to enlist the aid of the dragon clan. As he internally struggles with himself, the only one who can give him some support is his newly acquainted griffon friend, Gilda.

“Are you really gonna fight him, Ford?” she asks with concern. “He doesn’t look someone who will take you lightly!”

Ford takes a glance at Wagner and can see the absolute seriousness and furiousness in those sharp, green eyes of his. With a subtle gulp, Ford replies, “I can’t turn back now, Gilda! Hindel entrusted me with his last request, and I need to see this through!”

“But… even if you can defeat Wagner… are you really going have to… you know… kill him?” she hesitates with a gulp.

Ford takes a moment to think about that possibility before he answers uncertainly, “I… I don’t know. But I’ll figure this out… somehow.”

“In any case, just do your best out there!” Gilda winks at him with a reassuring grin. “I’ll be rooting for you!”

“Crush his skull, Wagner!”

“Burn him to a crisp!”

“Hit him with a rock!”

Disinterested by the dragons’ obnoxious cheering from afar, the frowning griffon adds to her previous statement, “Well… even if no one else will.”

Showing a smile at last, Ford responds, “Thanks Gilda. I appreciate that.”

“Good luck, Mustang!” she grins as she gives him a thumbs-up. Ford tries to return the gesture, but then he reminds himself that he’s no longer human after seeing his fingerless hoof. So the next best he can do is give Gilda a farewell salute before she exits the arena as he gradually walks forward to face his reptilian contender.

Spotting an empty spot on top of the mountain between two medium-sized dragons, Gilda takes a seat before she can observe the upcoming battle from afar. The two dragons looked at each other bewilderedly before they grin humorously and begin their cruel remarks against the lone griffon.

“So, little birdy…” the bulky, orange dragon snickers. “Did you finally say goodbye to your little pony friend down there?”

Nyah, not really.” Gilda shrugs before boasting a smirking retort. “I was just giving him some pointers on how to take your leader down!”

“Please!” The leaner, purple dragon dismisses that with a scoff. “Your army of featherbrains couldn’t match up to our Inferno Dragon King 400 years ago! What makes you think that this puny pipsqueak can stand up to the great Wagner now?”

“Maybe if you guys just shut up for a second, you’ll find out soon enough once the match begins!” she retorts with a confident grin.

Grumbling from dealing with Gilda’s sharp tongue, the two dragons in-between her decide to hold their verbal grudge-match as they turn their attendance to the real fight down below when it looks like it is finally about to commence.

Once Ford has ceased his steady march, he passively stands before Wagner in the central sector of the arena. With both of the combatants ignoring the one-sided cheers of the excited spectators, they sternly stare at each other as they wait for each other to make the first move.

“So, you have decided to finally face me!” Wagner comments with a slightly satisfied smile on his face. “Heh! And here I thought you were just a spineless coward!”

“Wagner, please reconsider!” Ford pleads respectfully. “I have no quarrel with you or your clan! There’s no reason for us to fight at all!”

“You will fight me, pony, if you want the full support of my clan! And the only way to earn that is by killing me first!”

“Wagner, this is absurd! How can I gain the dragons’ support if I kill off their leader?!”

“Do not underestimate my clan’s code of honor! They are aware of this match’s consequences and will keep their word to aid you if I fall in battle! But I doubt that will ever happen if you are this reluctant to face me like a true warrior!”

Determinedly, Ford says firmly, “If I have to fight you just to prove myself, then so be it… but no matter what, I will not kill you!”

“Then you’ve already lost!”

And without hesitation, Wagner launches his first assault by breathing out a massive wave of fire! With a quick flap of his wings, Ford leaps into the air and dodges the intense, widespread flames. In the midst of Pegasus’ hovering, Wagner follows it up by using sharp claws to unleash his bladed energy waves. Thankfully, for his size and nimbleness, Ford manages to evade them all. Unfortunately for him, while Ford was busy dodging the razor-sharp waves, Wagner takes the opportunity to leap into the air and firmly smacks the distracted pony with the bare side of his iron tail!

During the somersaulting fall, Ford recovers quickly and makes an abrupt landing. After that, he notices the great red dragon preparing for another fire breathing attack and reflexively hides behind of one the nearby boulders before Wagner unleashes another wave of fire!

After Ford narrowly dodges another blast of his wrathful fire, Wagner loudly calls out to him, “You think the terrain can protect you from me?!”

While the Pegasus is still crouching behind his rock, he spots a large shadow eclipsing his. After a curious glance up, he gasps at the sight of a large falling rock beneath him! Immediately, he gets out of the way before the larger rock smashes his sheltered spot! Facing the dragon once more, he gapes with awe and fright as Wagner demonstrates his monstrous physical strength by using his Stegosaurus-like tail to lift the next large stone up!

“I own this terrain!”

After his mighty declaration, Wagner’s spiky tail casts the second stone like a catapult! As the lobbed boulder make its descent, Wagner grabs two more boulders with his large claws and chucks them at Ford. This time, the pony is ready for the incoming projectiles as he evades each of the hurling boulders.

Without a moment to rest, Wagner thoroughly digs his claws into the land and extracts a colossal rock that’s almost as large as the dragon itself! With the humongous rock above his head, the mighty Wagner heaves it right at the preoccupied pony. After Ford’s latest evasive maneuver, he sees the mountainous rock coming right at him. With a quick spin and his bent hind legs aimed at the enlarged projectile, the blue Pegasus impressively bucks that massive rock into a thousand pieces!

Suddenly, he glances behind him as sees an extremely tall wave of fire charging forward! In a frantic pace, he tries to outrun it, but the towering flames are catching up. Up ahead, he spots a squeezable opening within the crack of the earth. With little to no options at his disposal, Ford dives right into that gap before the rolling fire could engulf him.

For Gilda and the rest of the audience that are still watching, they couldn’t see the miraculous save Ford made for himself. And once the latest heat wave has disappeared, they assume that the young stallion has met an unfortunate demise. Assuming that it’s finally over, the rest of the dragons cheer wildly for Wagner’s supposed victory. However, the only one out there who is not favor of Wagner is a deeply troubled Gilda as she is sandwiched by the two heckling dragons.

He-heh! Looks like that friend of yours is toast! Literally!” the orange one boldly mocks her.

“Yeah! Extra crispy!” the snickering purple fiend joins in as well.

Normally, she wouldn’t take that from such jerks without a witty retort or a fight, but she is too concern over the well-being of her new friend.

Come on, Ford! Show these arrogant jerks what you’re made of!

While every dragon is distracted by their excitement, Gilda snaps out of her worry and is the first one to notice something strange of Wagner’s behavior. Unlike his reptilian kind, the red dragon is very impassive and still vigilant. It is as if he isn’t completely satisfied with the outcome of his match.

“Where are you hiding, pony?!” he suddenly roars in outrage as it got every dragon to hush up right away. Growlingly, he swiftly looks around his surroundings as he impatiently stomps around the coliseum. “Come on out, you coward! You considered yourself as a worthy apprentice of Hindel, yet you will turn tail the moment you realize your defeat! You are a disgrace to even wield such power from our race, and you bring nothing but shame to your former master! I can’t imagine what he would have to say to you if he was alive right now!”

"Hmph! Figures a wimp like him would flee away!” the orange dragon scoffs before he turns toward Gilda. “What do you got to say to that, griffon?”

Once again, Gilda ignores the snickering dragon as her sharp eyes are focused on the severely ill-tempered Wagner. As he rapidly blows out some smoke from his flaring nostrils, he displeasingly continues his search for his missing opponent. Finally, the attentive griffon spots something emerging from the jagged opening underneath the red dragon. Stealthily, Ford Mustung surfaces from the ground before he takes a moment to charge up his left fore hoof with his golden Draconian Magic!

As Ford prepares for his surprise attack right beneath Wagner’s nose, Gilda couldn’t help but smirk at the pony’s shrewdness.

You sly pony! I almost forget how truly devious you can be!

“Wait! Why are you smirking like that?” the bewildered, bulky dragon breaks her train of thought.

Faking her oblivious attitude, she replies with a shrewd grin. “Huh? Oh, I was just noticing on how funny your stupid face looks!”

With a predictable frown, the disgruntled dragon growls immensely, “You… you better count yourself lucky that Wagner decided to spar you before the match began! Otherwise, I would char you to the bone myself!”

“Wait a second…” the leaner purple dragon squints his eyes as he carefully examines something beneath Wagner. Once he spots the missing Ford Mustang, the thin dragon gasps out loud and tries to call out to his leader, “WAGNER! LOOK UNDERNEATH YOU--!”

But his warning is cut short by Gilda as her talons tightly grip around the purple dragon’s snout, which prevented so much as a whisper from escaping any further. “Hey! No help from the peanut gallery, lizard lips!” the stern griffon lectures the snitcher before he fretfully nods in response.

Meanwhile, Wagner is sidetracked from his maddening search by the screeching of one his brethrens. Taking the opportunity of the great dragon’s distraction, Ford finishes his concentration and unleashes the full force of his first strike against Wagner’s cream-colored underbelly!

BAM!

With the unforeseen power of Ford’s sky-rocketing uppercut, Wagner gags tremendously as he is speedily launched into the air! In the midst of the dragon’s unintended ascent, Ford Mustang continues the barrage by rapidly pummeling the unresponsive dragon with one fire hoof punch after another!

The silent crowd gasps in horror as they witness the surprisingly strong pony inflicting great amount of pain against their aspired leader. The only one who is making any noise is of course Ford’s only supporter, Gilda.

“WOO-HOO!” the griffon roots for him. “Go, Mustang! Lay the smackdown on that overgrown lizard!” The two medium-size dragons in-between her glare at Gilda for her cheering, but she dismisses their intimidation by stating it nonchalantly with her forelegs crossed over, “What? You cheer for your pal, and I’ll cheer for mine!”

Back in the arena, Ford ceases his barrage of punches and finishes his brutal assault with a quick, aerial spin, and then, he bucks Wagner right in the chest with an almighty double kick! From that cannon-like kick, the pummeled dragon crashes to the side of the mountain’s wall, which creates an enormous fracture and causes countless rocks to plummet from that impact.

While Ford takes a short break from that, Wagner grudgingly gets up as his sharp eyes piercingly stares at his smaller opponent. Despite being inflicted with countless punches and that hard buck to the chest, the surprisingly composed dragon shrugs it off as he is tough enough to dish out the pain as well as to take it. Silently, their fierce gazes are locked on to each other’s as they try to figure out which one will make the next move.

Then, all of a sudden, Wagner breaks into a small smile before he comments to the bewildered pony. “I see that Hindel has taught you well in such a short period of time. But you still have a long way to go before you can stand up to a true Dragon Master!”

With his fighting spirit renewed, Wagner employs a very unorthodox strategy by scooping up the rocks with his mighty, large jaws and crunches on them. As he munches on the sturdy minerals, the furious red dragon could barely suppress his chuckling on what he has in stored for the perplexed Pegasus. During the grinding process, the dark scarlet dragon’s mouth lights up with an intense glow of flickering fire.

With everything in place, Wagner quickly takes off and reaches a very high attitude before he spews out the scorching rocks from up above! As dragon’s fiery attack rains down like a meteor shower, Ford immediately takes flight away from the flaming rocks. And while the Pegasus can dodge the meteors’ impacts, he couldn't have foreseen the blazing stones' combustive explosions! Like the nearly unavoidable shrapnel of a grenade, the sizzling fragments spread out widely as some of them nearly puncture the evasive stallion! Thrown off by the rocky fragments’ sharp, sizzling pain, Ford hastily dives for cover before Wagner is finished with his bombardment of raining meteors.

For his next attack, Wagner clutches his left claw before setting it ablaze with his fire breath. Despite his astonishment from seeing the dragon’s creative use of his Draconian Magic, the Pegasus fears on what’s to come as Wagner charges up his very own fire punch.

As he looks at his own two fore hooves, he gets a crazy idea on how to counteract Wagner’s next attack. Like they say: you got to fight fire with fire!

“If you can do it, so can I!” he says with resolve. Without a second thought, Ford inhales a mighty gulp of air before he breathes out a stream of golden fire onto his own hooves!

“Ford! What are you doing?!” Gilda exclaims from her seat. “This is no time to play with fire!”

Of course, she was worried for nothing as she sees that Ford’s blazing hooves are fine as the fiery, golden aura circulates around them. After he amplifies his own physical strength, Ford Mustang lifts from the ground as he charges to his colossal target in the sky.

A bit surprise by Ford’s ability to swiftly copy his own technique, Wagner breaks into a subtle smile to show his impressiveness before he rushes in full velocity to meet the challenge head-on! Like knights in a jousting competition, the two combatants charge at each other at blazing speeds as their fiery punches are about to make direct contact!

KAPOW!

With the collision of the two scorching attacks, the arena is lit-up with a dynamic explosion that is so massive, that it almost knocks the audience right out of their seats! As for Wagner and Ford Mustang, each of them is immensely knocked back in opposite directions due to the incredible force they unintentionally created! Wagner is flung furthering into the air before he can regain himself and make a mid-air recovery. As for Ford, however, his landing is intensely harsh as he plows right into the ground! His Draconian Magic may be on par with Wagner’s, but he lacked the natural brute strength a great dragon would possess.

After a brief moment on taking it all in on what just happened, the dragons roar in excitement over Wagner’s triumph and the pony’s downfall. Gilda, on the other hand, gasps in horror after observing Ford’s gruesome landing. As Mustang is momentarily out cold, Wagner flies down casually before as he keeps his eyes lock on the pony’s unresponsive body.

“You have fought bravely, little pony…” he comments his plummeted challenger. “…but your might is nothing compared to that of a dragon’s! At the very least, I can show you my respects as a warrior by finishing you off with my ultimate attack! I can only hope that your death will be swift once this is all over! Farewell, pony!”

After his final farewell to the Pegasus, Wagner takes a moment to brace himself before he can begin his ultimate spell. With an extensive inhale, the Inferno Dragon King gathers up all of the vast energy around him. And not only that, but he is also inhaling a lot of loose stones towards him. As his scaly body radiates a blazing, crimson aura, the gathering rocks gradually compress before his wide-opened mouth and the concentrated energy is turned into fire. With the combination of fire and rocks, Wagner is progressively building up a massive, rock-hard fireball!

Fearing for Ford’s life, Gilda alarmingly screeches out to him, “GET UP! MUSTANG, GET UP!”

Upon hearing the high-pitched voice of his griffon friend, Ford slowly gets himself up before he can verify the situation he is in. Once he turns around, he is shocked to see the progress of Wagner’s grand technique as the enormous fireball is almost as big as the dragon’s head.

Dammit! Ford Mustang cringes in minor pain and at the sight of the impressive powers of Wagner. I don’t know if I can stop that thing, let alone deflect it!

In the midst of his disgruntlement, he is suddenly distracted by the leftover, scorching rocks that surround him. Just by looking at the small, flickering flames makes Ford think back to his final trial where he discovered the ultimate technique in Draconian Magic: the absorption of pure energy!

Well… I can at least regain my strength, but I doubt if it will be enough to push back Wagner’s attack!

Suddenly, a bold idea finally hits him like a bolt of lightning. Something quite opposite from what he was thinking of beforehand.

Maybe… instead of pushing it back… I can just redirect it! Smiling brightly with determination, Ford puts his daring plan into motion. Okay! Let’s give it a shot! Now… just like in your final lesson, find your inner peace and let the energy come towards you.

In a strangely tranquil manner with his eyes closed, Ford Mustang gracefully hovers a few feet in the air before he breathes in and out gently as the fire from the remaining scorching rocks drifts away and is automatically drawn into his body. As the audience nearly marvels at the display of Ford’s growing radiance, Wagner is unable to witness this since the size of his extraordinary fireball exceeds his own head. With his body glowing in a soothing, golden light, Ford snaps his firm eyes opened and gently extends his fore legs forward, so he can be ready in a defensive position to counteract the menacing spell that is to come.

At last, the final spell is completed, and with a mighty roar, Wagner bellows out his colossal fireball right at the motionless Pegasus! Calmly, Ford remains in place as he waits for the raging fireball to come closer to him. And at the right moment, he swiftly steps aside once the giant meteor draws near him. But it didn’t stop there as he promptly presses his fore hooves into the blazing aura of the meteor! When the two opposing arts of Draconian Magic come into contact, Ford Mustang intentionally creates a magnetic pull with the gigantic object! And with a mighty twist of his hovering body, the resourceful Pegasus heaves the monstrous fireball and flings it right back at its draconic spellcaster!

Extremely shock by the unexpected redirection of his ultimate technique, Wagner fails to take evasive action and significantly suffers from the full force of his gargantuan fireball! Because of the spell’s overwhelming power, Wagner is driven back at an incredible speed and is slammed into the same wall he crashed into before! Because its fragility, the immensely fractured wall causes a landslide as mammoth rocks descend and collapse right on top of the Inferno Dragon King!

After the explosive turn of events, the crowd is utterly speechless as they fear the possible outcome of the match. Once the earthy dust clears away, they gasp in horror as they see the critical condition Wagner is in. Along with the rocks as big as his head, a colossal rock pillar has severely pinned down the red dragon. Despite how exhaustive he is from pulling off such a stunt like that, Ford Mustang slowly walks over to get a better look at his helpless opponent. In his pitiful state, Wagner couldn’t decide which hurts the most, the grave injuries he has sustained or his pride as a great warrior.

“How disgraceful.” the dragon groans. “To think that my ultimate attack can be used against me like that. Still, it doesn’t matter now. You have proven yourself as a capable warrior, and my life is in your hooves now.”

The arena is silent. Despite their deepest desire to protest against this, the hesitant, grief-stricken dragons know better than to intervene in a battle that Wagner commanded to not let anyone interrupt. Gilda is also hesitant to make her objection, for she couldn’t imagine that Ford would do something as awful as… killing someone. As for Ford Mustang, he just completely impassive on what he should do in his position.

Impatiently waiting for his warrior’s death, Wagner grumps to the indecisive stallion, “What are you waiting for? Deliver the final blow and claim your prize already!”

Without a word, the stoic Pegasus slowly raises his right fore hoof into the air before his golden aura envelopes it. From seeing the pony making his decision, some of the audience turn their heads away or close their eyes, so that they will not bear witness to the execution of their clan leader.

Gilda’s eyes widen in shock as she shakes her head in disbelief. No… he couldn’t! He wouldn’t! …Would he?

Once his final attack is charged up, Ford is frozen stiff as he is once again hesitant to carry out with his decision.

Unable to bear this agony any longer, Wagner furiously snaps at him, “DO IT!”

As if on command, Ford leaps high into the air before he dives down and prepares to unleash his finishing move against the immobile dragon!

Fearful on this life-changing decision the pony has just made, Gilda rushes out of her seat and cries out to him, “FORD! DON’T!”

But her protest fall unto deaf ears as the rapidly descending pony is closing in for the kill. Satisfied at the swift end to come, Wagner closes his eyes and embraces his own mortality.

CRACK!

It is a strange feeling Wagner just felt. Despite feeling the immense quack of the attack, his body is much lighter now. But he still feels incredibly sore from the battle he has endured. Opening his eyes, he is shocked to see the first thing he sees in his sight: the passive pony with his back turn who was supposed to slay him!

As he grudgingly gets up, the recovering red dragon feels two heavy objects sliding off his back before they slam into the ground on each side. The gigantic rock that was pinning him down was split apart by the merciful Mustang!

“I had one dragon die for me already.” Ford firmly states to the perplexed dragon behind him. “And I am not going to have another one die for me again.”

“This is just shameful!” Wagner grumbles. “To be spared and shown pity by a pony of all things!”

“It’s not pity! It’s kindness! You should learn to try it sometimes!”

After that pony’s retort, Wagner sharply turns head away as he lets a harrumph. Knowing that he is too stubborn to listen, Ford continues to give that red dragon a piece of his mind.

“Wagner… I may not know on what has happened to you and the ones that hurt you, but I assure you that times have changed… for the better! That hatchling you mentioned earlier, he has been cared and raised by the ones you would consider as ‘monsters.’ And you know what? He’s never been happier to be loved by so many ponies, including Princess Celestia!”

The usually disgruntled dragon is shocked to hear that one of his own kin is being treated with such consideration, especially when it’s coming from another race he distrusted for so long. With the dragon’s attention finally grabbed, Ford carries on, “And I didn’t come all this way to pick a fight with you, Wagner. I came to seek for your aid as per Hindel’s request, not just because we share the same enemy… but also as a friend. You probably know full well on what that ambitious tyrant is capable of, and if we don’t put a stop to his madness as soon as possible, it could mean the end for us all! Dragons and ponies alike!" After a heavy sigh, Ford turns around and finishes his statement. “But if you’re this stubborn to join up with me, then so be it. I won’t force you into this, and I especially won’t do that just by killing you! You can talk all you want about honor and such, but there certainly is no honor in such pointless bloodshed! So… farewell.”

As Ford walks away, Wagner snaps at him, “You naïve, little fool! You think showing compassion to your enemies will benefit you?! Your kindness will only be met in retribution to come!”

“Perhaps, but it’s not going to change who I am, and who I continue to strive for! Hindel entrusted me with his very life, and I’m going to see to it that I won’t let him down no matter what! With or without your help!"

After leaving Wagner to his thoughts, Gilda meets with up Ford as they casually walk away from the arena.

“Way to go, champ!” she winks at him. “For a second, you almost had me scared back there! …Almost.”

Aww… you were worried about me!” he teases at her. “Who would have thought that you would be such a softie, Gilda!”

Grinningly, she grabs the stallion and gives him a rough noogie! “Hey, who are you calling 'a softie?' You’re the one who wussed out from delivering the final blow to Wagner!”

Breaking away from that noogie, Ford responds with his own grin, “Hey, I live by own rules! And if someone has a problem with that, then tough!”

“Eh, I can respect that! But still, you certainly shown a lot of guts for what you did out there!” she says as she playfully bats Ford on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Gilda.”

Suddenly, the two are stopped by a loud, booming voice, “WAIT!”

Turning around, Ford and Gilda are surprised to see Wagner approaching them in a much calmer manner. Once he gets close enough to them, the dragon asks Ford, “Tell me your name and where you come from, pony.”

A bit unsure at first, the Pegasus answers with pride, “My name is Ford Mustang, and I’m a Pegasus from Ponyville.”

“Ford Mustang… though my pride wounds me more than my own injuries, I gladly offer my respects as a warrior to you for your valor and determination. I can see now that you have inherited more than just Hindel’s power. You have also inherited his noble spirit. I am honored to meet his final apprentice at last.” Wagner commends as he gently bows before the greatly surprised Mustang.

Startled by Wagner’s unforeseen sense of consideration, the pony and griffon then see all of the dragons in the audience gradually show their respects to Ford by bowing their heads as well. A bit puzzled by all of this, the stallion eventually figures this out as he shows a brightly hopeful smile.

“Then… does that mean… that you will…?” Ford asks with high optimism.

With chuckling grin, Wagner nods his head lightly to confirm his decision before he boomingly calls out to his clan, “My fellow dragons! You have just witnessed the absolute strength, cunning, and courage of the one called Ford Mustang! And so, in honor of my old friend, Hindel, I swear to dedicate my life to this pony’s cause so that we may stand up against Arrogon the Destroyer and put an end to his reign of madness permanently!”

After a thunderous roar of cheers from his reptilian comrades, Wagner continues, “So I ask of you, my devoted brothers and sisters! Will you lend me your strength in this fight against Arrogon?!”

“YEAH!”

“Will you unite with Ford and his allies in their time for need?!”

“YEAH!”

“Will you help me avenge the death of our clan’s founder and finish what should have ended 500 years ago?!”

“YEAH!”

“Then join with me, my noble dragon warriors! Let your war cries deafen the storm’s terrible thunder! Let your fire erupt higher than any volcano imagined! Let your righteous fury rival that with nature itself! And let us finally annihilate that traitor from the face of this world forever!”

After Wagner’s inspirational speech, all of the dragons howl loudly as their jubilation echoes the great, hallow mountain they seat in. Hearing their roaring approval, Ford smiles very broadly as he is truly thankful for fulfilling Hindel’s last wish.

“Thank you, Wagner.” he says to the Inferno Dragon King, who welcomingly nods in reply.

Gilda smirks at Wagner’s change in behavior as she comments mischievously, “Geez, who would have thought that such scary dragon as Wagner would be so benevolent all of a sudden!”

Instantly, Wagner scowls at Gilda, “Are you saying that I’m going soft, griffon?”

Nervously, she replies hastily, “No, not at all! You’re totally the most bad, radical, ferocious dragon of all time!”

With a proud grin, Wagner response, “Hmph! And don’t you forget it!”

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After the conclusion of the fearsome battle, they all return to their central mountain as the dragons welcome Ford Mustang and Gilda as their honored guests. Firstly, they took a dip in the clan’s famed hot springs, which miraculously rejuvenates and heals the wounds of Ford and Wagner. During their time together, Wagner discusses his plan on how he will gather over a hundred of his best dragons, and they will meet up with Ford at Canterlot in one day.

After confirming with their plans, Ford and Gilda say goodbye to Wagner and their clan before they take flight and make their way south.

“Well then, that was certainly a lot of fun, wasn’t it?” Ford comments happily as they fly back to Equestria.

“If by fun, you mean ‘extremely dangerous and crazy?’ Then yeah, it was a lot of fun.” Gilda replies with a grin.

“Well, now that we’ve got Wagner’s full support, I was thinking that maybe we should go to the Crystal Empire first and see if Princess Cadance and Shining Armor can offer their aid against Arrogon.”

Uneasily, Gilda says to Ford while lightly scratching her head, “Actually… I’m afraid this is where we have to split up from here.”

“Wh-what?!” he exclaims shockingly as he suddenly stops in mid-air before they take a moment to land on a cloud nearby. “But why?! I thought you would want to help me out and save Rainbow Dash!”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong!” she explains herself with her talons held up in the air. “I totally want to help you put that Arrogon jerk in his place for sure! But I have got my duties to attend to first. I need to go back to Gryphus and report to the King and Queen on what I’ve just learned from you and all of this.”

“Oh. I see.” he understands despite displaying his pouty expression.

“Hey, cheer up, Mustang.” Gilda lightly nudges him in the cheek. “Once they understand what’s at stake here, the Griffon Kingdom will surely lend a claw and send the best troops into Equestria. We’ll meet up again eventually. You’ll see.”

“Well… it’s very nice to meet up with you, and… thanks for everything.” To show his gratitude, Ford extends a friendly hoof at the griffon.

Momentarily, Gilda blinks and stares at it before she playfully grins at him, “Ah, come here, you big lug!”

Quickly, she pulls Ford in by surprise and gives him a big hug. As he is squeezed in-between Gilda’s forelegs and her fluffy chest, the pony smiles contentedly as he wraps his hooves around her plushy feathers.

Heh, and here I thought you were too cool to give out hugs like this!” he snickers lightly.

“Ford… don’t ruin the moment.”

“‘Kay.”

After their hug, Gilda is about take off and head back to home, but then, she stops herself as she turns around to face Ford one last time.

“Oh hey, Mustang!”

“Yeah?”

Awkwardly, she hesitates while rubbing her head, “If you see Dash again, tell her I said… ‘Hey.’ And that… well… ‘I’m sorry.’ Okay?”

“Don’t worry, Gilda. I’ll put a good word in for you. I promise.”

“Good.” she smiles in satisfaction before she gives a quick wave to him. “Well, catch ya later!”

And with that said, Gilda leaves and flies back to the Griffon Kingdom’s capital city while Ford Mustang waves her goodbye. While he is slightly sad to see her off, he is fortunate enough to meet up with Gilda and to have her as his brief traveling companion. Refocused on his primary mission, Ford makes a quick take-off and hurriedly heads back to Equestria.

Author's Notes:

Even though Ford Mustang has made some poweful allies, there is just one more to come. Who could it be? Find out in the next chapter!

Also, the alternate title for this chapter was going to be "Duel Monsters."

Next Chapter: Chapter 21 – A Random Encounter Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 32 Minutes
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