The Avatar of Chaotic Power

Princess Celestia proudly smiled at her student and her friends for their triumph over Discord. It may not have been easy for any of them, but the experiences they shared during their confrontation with the mad god has further cemented their bonds of friendship.

“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos!”

As she concluded her speech, she revealed the stained glass window of Twilight and her friends’ victory over the once again petrified Discord. The ponies cheered as they stamped their hooves to applaud the Elements of Harmony. Twilight and her friends humbly accepted the applause.

Once the ceremony ended and the crowd had finally dispersed, the Mane Six noticed a certain cobalt alicorn standing near the doorway of the Hall of History.

“Luna!” Celestia exclaimed as she trotted over to her sister’s side. “I didn’t expect you to wake up so early. What’s the occasion?”

The Lunar Diarch nervously snuck a quick glance at the other ponies in the room, all who stared at her with a mixture of awe and fear, before she spoke.

“We wish to speak with thee in private, dearest sister. It concerns a rather… pressing issue,” she whispered into her sister’s ear.

Celestia, seeing the expression on Luna’s face, turned towards Twilight and her friends. “Excuse me, but would you mind waiting here for a while? My sister and I need to discuss something for a bit. We’ll be back soon.”

Once the ponies nodded their consent, Celestia followed Luna out to the halls. After walking around for some time, they finally stopped at a spot where no pony could overhear their conversation.

“Whatever is the matter, Luna? I haven’t seen that expression since you found out how ponies made love to each other.”

Luna blushed a bright crimson in response to her sister’s casual usage of that particular memory. “Nay, Sister! We are not thinking of any particular forwardness done upon our royal per-”

She immediately gave out a cough to halt the awkward moment from being revealed to Celestia as she brushed away her blazing blush.

“Never mind, dear Sister. Forget that little slip. We have come to inform you of a terrible threat to Equestria.”

“If you mean Discord, Twilight and her friend have already taken care of him. That’s why the ceremony was-”

“We apologize, but he is not what we speak of. We speak of an older threat who also swears allegiance to the forces of Chaos; one who could destroy entire empires, given the chance.”

“You don’t mean-”

“We are afraid so. And worse, we must confess that he took one of his sacred talismans, the one housing the Great Beast, in our royal chambers. We are ashamed for not halting his progress in time.” Luna’s ears drooped as she hung her head in shame upon her negligence.

“Why was I not informed of his return?”

“We have spoken with those who have seen him, especially Shining Armor, and they apparently thought he was nothing more than a magical construct of Discord’s tomfoolery and was not taken as seriously as the threat he represented.”

Celestia, shocked, merely sat on the marble floor as she recalled the numerous confrontations with the Dread Knight and the possible horrors in the upcoming future as her eyes crossed with worry.

“Sister, I know ‘tis not be a wise choice after what they have to go through with Discord, but we must rally-”

“I know, Luna, and I’m afraid I have to agree with you on this, especially now that he has returned. But they’ll need our assistance as well. He is not to be underestimated.”

“Sister! Dost thou mean…”

“I’m afraid so. It’s time to dust off some of our old battle regalia. Who knows what horrors he may be committing at this very moment?”

________________________________________

Dragonok released a flurry of gigantic sneezes that blew away the wild cumulonimbus that would have devastated Equestria if left alone for too long.

Looks like two certain princesses are speaking me to cause this bad of a reaction. And speaking of princesses, I wonder how Lulu felt about the little ‘welcome-home gift’ I just gave her. Ah, the memories we had before she and Celly turned me to a statue. Where have those times gone?

Oh well. I guess I’ll just wait until they come here with the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony. It’s a good thing I formed faux lips on my face long enough to see through her memories to know what exactly I’m dealing with. Still was fun to kiss her though even if I usually don’t have a mouth on my face. Now I’ll just wait for them to arrive and challenge me. It’s better than trying to futilely trying to explain everything in one go; this way, I’ll connect with them on a better plane of communication through the integrity of sheer combat. Not like I have any choice in the matter beside giving up and returning to my imprisoned state.

A sudden tapping snapped him out of his reverie. He face-palmed as he realized one important fact: he had forgotten to unseal his friend!

He grabbed Daemon’s flute and waited until the strum of violins seeped out of the spaces between worlds. He began to play a hauntingly beautiful melody upon the flute to accompany the violins as the summoning ritual commenced. Once the crescendo of other instruments began to echo out through the air, he played until the big finale. A black mist poured out of the mouth of the instrument as he played before it solidified into an equine form. He stopped long enough for his friend to fully materialize.

“Welcome back, Daemon,” he said once she had returned to this world once again. “I hope you didn’t feel bored while I was gone.”

“Why did you have to wait so long, Master?” Daemon yawned out as she revealed rows of dagger-shaped teeth. “I want to eat something nummy. Do you have any apples, Master?”

Dragonok simply chuckled at her request. It seemed that, regardless of the ravages of time and space, some things always stay the same.

He rubbed her leathery wings which elicited a gasp out of her snout before she moaned in delight at the treatment. “I’m afraid I don’t have any apples at the moment, Daemon, but we will have company soon.”

“Alright, Master. I guess I’ll wait until the big meet ‘n’ greet’s over but you gotta promise me we’ll get something to eat at least; I’m starving for a bite!”

“I promise. Now let’s wait until their arrival.”

________________________________________

Twilight Sparkle still couldn’t process on what just happened since the ceremony. She and her friends had finally reverted Discord back into a statue, but now another ancient evil had been released by Celestia knows what. Couldn’t she and her friends ever take a break from all this without something going wrong?

What surprised her more than anything, however, was the fact that BOTH Celestia and Luna had appeared before her and her friends in full battle regalia! The most shocking thing about it was the fact that both were armed to the teeth. Celestia had two gigantic zweihänders strapped to her sides along with a massive shield embedded with an insignia of her cutie mark on her back. Luna wielded a set of six crescent scythes hidden away inside her wings along as she casually wielded a massive halberd half her size with only one hoof.

“You’re kidding me!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We just finished beating Discord and now there’s another bad guy on the loose! What’s next; a horde of monsters in Tartarus breaking loose! Buck!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gasped. “We should not use such profanity, especially in front of the princesses!”

“As curious as Ah am to see how far you two gotta duke this out, doncha think we should hear what the princesses gotta say first?” Applejack cut in.

“O-Of course. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, please tell us of the newest threat to Equestria,” Twilight asked as she grabbed her friends’ attention to hear what the princesses had to say.

“He is regarded as a servant of Chaos just as Discord,” Celestia began. “He is a powerful warrior who would feast on the abilities, strengths, and knowledge of fallen foes during the era of war between all the nations over a thousand years into the past. He himself singlehandedly caused empires such as the Fallen Clan to crumble into oblivion during his brief period in Equus. Many names were given to him, but his true name and identity was Dragonok, Chaos Champion of Power.”

“What exactly is the Fallen Clan, Princess Celestia?” Twilight tentatively asked as her inner scholar peaked with curiosity at the reference.

“An ancient horde of monsters overflowing with evil that had existed in Equus since the beginning of time until Dragonok apparently wiped them all out in one fell swoop,” Celestia replied, much to the shock of the Elements of Harmony.

“Wiped them in one fell swoop!?” Twilight exclaimed. “But how did he do that?”

“We are afraid no pony knows for certain,” Luna replied as she took charge of the conversation. “But one thing is clear; his power rivals, if not excels, that of our own. He was feared by all the nations of Equus, even the dragons of all things, not simply as a warrior of immense strength and magic, but as an incarnation of Chaos itself. We ourselves have faced him in combat numerous times, but ‘twas only thanks to the assistance provided by the Griffon Empire, the Minotaur Clans, the Dragon Kingdom, and the Zebra Tribes, that we were finally able to seal him away for over a thousand years.”

“But he alone is not as terrifying as the creature he allied himself with.” Celestia added. “No one knows for certain who or what it is, but we know it as the Great Beast, a mighty dragon in the form of a pony that allied itself with him. Its claws scrapped off entire mountains as Dragonok fought alongside it in combat against those he perceived as enemies. Its fiery breath could melt diamonds before it slurps it down with no ill effects. Its most worrisome trait, however, is its ability to manipulate the shadows into obeying its whim. It has often used this ability to capture entire armies and sling them away to the other side of Equus with only one toss. Despite its abilities, it obeys Dragonok without hesitation.”

“As for Dragonok himself, his physical strength alone could shatter even the most hardest of substances without any damage applied to him despite the amount of force used in doing so. He could even out-fly the fastest of ponies with a single flap of his wings. But his main strength lies within his usage of arcane forces unknown to ponykind. He could immediately determine what his foe would do in only a few moves, summon forth creatures that will obey his every whim, and even force dragons down to their knees with only the weakest of his spells. And when he uses his greatest ability, Aspect Change, he could transform into the most powerful and strangest of creatures. Even at his weakest, Dragonok should not be underestimated with so easily.” Celestia paused as she finally finished her description before she decided to analyze their reactions.

The six mares stared in shock as their mouth gasped open at those words. It sounded like some sort of ridiculous horror story somepony would have made up on a whim, but as they saw the grim expression etched upon the diarchs’ faces; they knew they meant every word of it.

“Now how in tarnation are we supposed to able to beat something like that!?” Applejack exclaimed.

“Maybe we could give him a ‘Welcome Back to Equus from Prison’ Party!” Pinkie gasped in excitement. “Parties always make everypony better ponies so we should do the same for him! Maybe he’s just lonely and wants a super-duper-bestest friend so a party would be a best way for him to make lots and lots of new friends!” Pinkie squeed at the thought, much to the chagrin of her friends.

As her friends discussed on the likelihood of converting Dragonok to good with a party, Twilight realized something unusual her teacher had just mentioned. “Excuse me, Princess Celestia, but what exactly is this ‘Aspect Change’?”

“Aspect Change is when he shapeshifts into other forms; forms that represent specific aspects of his characteristics,” Celestia explained. “He is currently identified as using the Draconian Aspect, his Digital Aspect, his Demon Aspect, and his greatest form seen yet: Darkness Aspect. These transformations augment specific aspects of his powers with Darkness Aspect being the most deadly. That is why Luna and I will be accompanying all of you to confront him. The Elements of Harmony alone may not be enough to return him to his prison this time which is why we will try to weaken him as all of you prepare to strike him when the time is right.”

“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Let’s beat this guy!”

Celestia smiled as the six friends banded together, ready to fight against evil once again. “Alright, my little ponies. It’s time for our greatest trial yet.” She and Luna wrapped everypony, themselves included, into a giant bubble that flared momentarily before it transported them toward Dragonok.

________________________________________

A few hours passed by until the falling sun released its colors upon the sky to signal the beginning of dusk. Dragonok relaxed as he finally decided to feed Daemon some of the apples he had found earlier at a nearby apple orchard near a small town. As she eagerly snacked upon the juicy treats, he began to wonder at the changes brought upon to this source since his forced imprisonment.

“I must say, ever since I have been released from my stony prison, I haven’t seen a speck of Corruption lurking around here. Do you think our work here is done, Daemon?”

“I’m not sure about work being done and all, but I do like it here, Master,” Daemon replied through a mouthful of apples. “After all, I can talk to you with my mouth instead of writing with shadows. Writing is so tiring when I have to use a lot of energy just to show a single word; just like when we first met when you asked what kind of creature I was.”

“I know, Daemon, and I apologize for that. I was newly formed but it still doesn’t excuse my curiosity when we first met. At least I know you’re a kagen.” He paused as Daemon released a heavy sigh as she gulped down the apple mash. “I know, Daemon. It’s not easy being the only one of your kind throughout the multiverse. Just remember that you have family amongst the Chaos Champions, myself included, alright?”

Daemon smiled at that and nuzzled him with her scaly snout for a few moments before she resumed eating her meal.

As Dragonok snuggled alongside Daemon, he suddenly sensed the presence of the Elements of Harmony along with the familiar magicks of Luna and Celestia.

Well, well, well. It seems as if Lulu and Celly did decide to bring the bearers of the Elements of Harmony along with them. This should be quite the illuminating experience.

Dragonok’s eyes narrowed with anticipation as a massive rip in space and time opened to spit out a magical orb where Celestia, Luna, and the six ponies that bear the Elements of Harmony reside. Now that wasn’t something he expected to see any time soon.

He smiled at the thought on how Chaos was always able to throw him for a loop; its randomosity always made for great –

“SURPRISES!” a pink pony shouted as she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and right in front of his face. “Well, were you surprised? Huh? Were ya?”

Dragonok barely had a chance to blink in confusion at this latest development before the exuberant pony bounced all over the place before she returned to her friends with a smile stretching her face from side to side.

He quickly recovered from the unexpected surprise attack as he focused his attention on Luna and Celestia. “Hello again, Luna and Celestia. It’s been quite some time since we last met, has it not? I am glad to see the both of you reunited after so long since that forced exile to the moon. It reminds me of my own imprisonment; swift in the execution and agonizing being stuck in place for over a thousand years.”

He turned his attention away from the princesses as he focused his attention towards the six ponies standing beside them. “And I suppose thou six fair maidens are the current bearers of the legendary Elements of Harmony?” The purple pony nodded her head in both confirmation and confusion. He smiled as he prepared to give them his welcome speech.

“Then I bid thee all glorious tidings, noble envoys of the Diarchs of Equestria! Though thou hast been somewhat informed of my identity, no doubt, I feel it appropriate to properly introduce myself.” He cracked his knuckles which sent out a gigantic shockwave that brushed the ponies’ manes before he began his introduction. “I am a harbinger of True Chaos, seeker those who wish to defile the purity of this world and beyond! Master of both might and magic, I wandered through these lands in search of Corrupted spawn to either conquer or destroy!” He slowly squeezed the air in the palm of his gauntlet-bound hand to summon a swirling miasma of shadows before he threw it in the air for it to burst into a shimmery mist before it dissipated into air. “I fight alongside my loyal steed and friend, Daemon the Unconquerable, She Who Wanders In The Shadow, Mistress of Apple-Juggling-And-Snacking,” he received a baleful glare from Daemon for that particular title, “and Bane of the Corruption! Gaze upon us and tremble in awe as we enter the main spotlight as we fight against the foulest of foes. We Are Dragonok, Chaos Champion of Power, and Daemon, Combat Steed of Chaos!”

“And what may be thy name and occupation if thou dost not mind my inquiry?” Dragonok asked the stunned mares who all endured his entire monologue without fainting or going into shock over what just happened. The wind flowed by to enunciate an awkward phase as no one said a word.

“Well, that just happened,” the orange pony commented. “An’ here Ah thought Rarity was the dramatic one.” The white unicorn with the purple mane simply gave a huff of disapproval as she glared at the orange pony before she began her introduction.

Dragonok knew of their identities as names and faces, but he felt curious to see how they would respond to his inquiry. He also didn’t want Luna smashing his helm for the little peek into her mind during that enjoyably passionate moment of bliss.

“I suppose I’ll go first, darlings. I’m Rarity, Ponyville’s fashion designer of the most fabulous and elegant articles of clothing and curator of the Carousel Boutique. You may call me Miss, or Rarity, or Miss Rarity if you would prefer.”

“I’m Rainbow Dash, faster flyer in Equestria, Sonic Rainboom expert, and future Wonderbolt!”

“Ah don’t mean to interrupt ya, sugarcube, but Ah don’t think he meant that,” Applejack deadpanned. “She’s the weather pony and Ah run Sweet Apple Acres from Ponyville.”

Unbeknownst to them, Dragonok suddenly sweated bullets within his ebony armor as he realized that the apples he had claimed from what he had believed to be “wild orchards” for Daemon were probably from this “Sweet Apple Acre” she just mentioned. It was a good thing he only took a few apples; he wouldn’t want to offend this little filly had he taken the entire harvest.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” said the pink one as she broke him out of his reverie. “I work at Sugarcube Corner with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and I make cakes, cupcakes, muffins, peppermints, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, blueberry chocolates, gummy gators, doughnuts, chimicherries, cherrychangas, and all sorts of goodies! I’m also Ponyville’s number one party planner so I can throw parties for anypony! And birthday parties! And anniversaries! And birthday plus anniversaries! And after-birthday parties! And after-anniversaries parties! And parties for those parties! And parties just for everypony to par-tay!”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle, Golden Oaks Librarian and personal student to Princess Celestia.”

“Um, I’m...”

“Forgive me, young one. What did thou just say? I’m afraid I did not hear that. Would thou be ever so kind as to speak louder?”

The yellow pegasus only mumbled out a sentence that was only harder for him to hear as she shrunk under his scrutiny.

“I’m sorry; could you say that again?”

To his surprise, instead of speaking louder, she whispered in a voice so soft it seemed nonexistent.

“Once more, if thou would speak louder.”

“Urgh, her name is-”

“Excuse me, Rainbow Dash of the Weather Patrols, but was I asking you to begin with?” Dragonok said in a sinisterly deep tenor that sent shivers up her spine as he spoke.

After waiting for a few seconds and ignoring the shock he had just caused, he returned his attention to the yellow pegasus.

“Go ahead, little maiden,” he said.

“I’MFLUTTERSHYANDITAKECAREOFANIMALS!” she loudly squeaked in panic before running to hide behind the other five Elements of Harmony.

“I see... just to be certain, thou art designer Rarity of the Element of Generosity, athlete and weatherpony Rainbow Dash of the Element of Loyalty, farmer Applejack of the Element of Honesty, party planner Pinkie Pie of the Element of Laughter, librarian Twilight of the Element of Magic, and animal caretaker Fluttershy of the Element of Kindness. Am I mistaken?” He got no correction as everyone was too shocked at his casual recognition of their Elements. “I must confess, I had expected an armada of warriors waiting to charge at me; not these young fledglings with little to no combat experience. I’m disappointed in the both of you, especially you, Celestia.”

A flurry of offended responses spouted out from the Elements of Harmony; most of all, Twilight. He raised a hand to halt them before he continued.

“After you had sealed me away, I had hoped that the Corruption would not take root in either of you despite your blatant disregard towards my warnings before sealing me. I was sadly mistaken the moment I witnessed Luna’s descent into insanity from loneliness and lack of recognition before she transformed into Nightmare Moon. Had you not sealed me and listened to my advice, none of that would have happened and you would not have sealed her onto the moon for over a thousand year. And now you send a group of unhardened citizens to challenge me? I don’t know whether to be deeply insulted by your underestimation of my power or applaud you for standing up against me despite the lower status of power you wield before me and the apparent lack of cowardice to force you to flee from the battlefield.”

He slowly steadied himself into a battle stance as he glared into Celestia’s magenta eyes.

“‘Tis a shame that I must battle you when we could be making peace, but as I always learn, ‘Fight to the fullest if you wish to better understand your foes.’ Now we shall perform our best in combat.” Daemon walked up to Dragonok’s side with her mouth bulging as she slowly chewed on yet another apple without Applejack noticing it.

“Now with the pleasantries out of the way, let us fight as warriors in the blazes of passion as we strike against each other in mortal combat. FIGHT!”

With that one word, he jumped into the air as he unfurled his massive wings to deflect the setting sun’s rays on his scales to blind the group.

As they were dazed by the sudden flash, he swooped down and immediately tackled Celestia with a full-body dive. He immediately grabbed onto her surprisingly soft flanks and threw her towards the sky before going for Luna.

He swiftly sped up towards Luna and caught her in mid-run. He and Luna turned into a black-and-blue blur as his acceleration knocked into overdrive. As he held her in his arms, he smiled and bopped her in the nose. She turned a bright crimson once again before he knocked her out with a stupefaction charm and teleported her back to Canterlot Castle.

Forgive me, Luna, but I have to take care of something first.

Once certain both diarchs were out of his way, he turned his attention towards the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“‘Tis nothing personal, fair maidens, but I need to evacuate you out of what would soon likely become a danger zone.” He snapped his finger and teleported them to their respective homes in Ponyville before he focused his attention back to Celestia and awaited her impending arrival.

She arrived in a blaze of searing white flames as her two zweihänders pulsed with heliacal energy.

“WHERE ARE THEY, DRAGONOK!?! WHAT HARM HAVE YOU INFLICTED UPON THEM!?! I SWEAR, IF YOU DARE HURT ANY OF THEM, I WILL TEAR YOU ASUNDER!”

Note to self: Celly’s as predictably naive as she was back in the old days.

“I’ll inform you of what I have done to them once you surrender in your pursuit to capture and return me to my prison. What say you?”

If there was one thing Dragonok had forgotten (or not likely cared to begin with), mystical immortals such as Celestia always fall into the emotional spectrum especially when they’re worried or enduring a great deal of stress.

“I will defeat you,” Celestia grimly replied as her ethereal mane burst into shades of fiery scarlet, honeysuckle yellow, and citrusy orange.

“Oh well. 'Twas worth a shot.” Dragonok murmured as a miasma of pitch-black aura surrounded his muscular frame before he once again steadied into his battle stance.

Both warriors held their positions for but a single moment before they charged at each other for the epic battle of the millennia.

Let’s do this.