A few weeks had passed after Dragonok left Zecora’s domain. Since then, he used the powers of the Pendant of Plenty to obtain currency that spilled from the beasts he had bested within the boundaries of the Everfree that had attacked him upon sight. It was better than seeing them bleed to death; they often shook their head(s) upon awakening and had immediately scrambled, rushed, or boomed off with their tails behind them.

He was sorting out the bits he acquired from his victories when a powerful surge of magic triggered his senses. For some reason, he wanted to drop off what he was doing and chase after whatever was emitting the magical aura that now attracted his full attention.

“Daemon, could you look after these bits while I check on something?” Dragonok asked the bored kagen.

She simply shrugged with her leathery wings. “Sure, why not. The sooner we get enough bits, the sooner I can taste some apples without getting in trouble. Have fun, okay!” After saying her two bits, she then turned her full attention towards the gold-plated bits and began to stare at it without blinking.

Dragonok smiled as he shook his head at the childlike behavior Daemon emanated before he rushed off towards the source of the addictive magic.

He had expected to see a powerful relic recently excavated by some excited archeologist, a mystical creature unleashed from its prison to wreck havoc upon Equestria, or something just as grand.

What he had not expected was being stampeded by a mob of ponies with hearts on their eyes.

He shook his head to ward off the worst of the headache he had just received after his helm finally stopped ringing in his ears. He slowly turned to see what exactly made the mob before his eyes fell upon a patchwork doll of a pony with mismatched eyes.

A purple flash blinded him for a moment before a powerful urge to claim the doll began to overtake him. He quickly realized what was going on as the mob returned to charge towards the doll as he tried to wrestle against the magical charm.

“By Tiamantis, unbind me, you heinous hex! Release me from your fiendish charms!” Within his mind, Dragonok panicked as many parts of his brainspace became replaced with replicas of the doll. “Must… re…move…it…from… SIGHT!” With the last of his strength, he grabbed onto the accursed toy and threw it as far as he could before it could dig its claws iinto him.

The herd of transfixed ponies immediately shifted directions as they stampeded after the soaring toy. Dragonok could feel its influence weakening the farther it flew until he couldn’t see it anymore.

He sighed with relief as he slumped onto the soft grass. That enchantment possessed quite a kick to it! He began to turn back, but changed his mind upon recalling the spell’s strength. Its strength almost rivaled that of the Princesses’ own spells; now who could perform such an extraordinary feat such as this?

I hadn’t felt any signs of Corruption from it. As a matter of fact, the underlying emotions underneath the enchantment seemed to resemble that of desperation… but of whose?

He morphed into the shadows and began to chase after the mobs to see if the magician responsible for that spell would show off at some point. He tasted each pony’s energy, one by one, to find the culprit. A particular signature matched that of the spell’s so he focused towards it only to see a particularly familiar unicorn trying to pass through the mob with worry etched upon her face.

He shook his head in annoyance towards himself for lacking the foresight to see the obvious; it had to be Twilight Sparkle of the Element of Magic. Only she could have had enough magical energy to attract a crowd that size with one simple spell. He took a closer glimpse of her recent memories and sighed upon inspection. The poor filly shouldn’t worry like that; he knew Celestia was a bit formal back in her early days, but she had grown into a motherly mentor who would be willing to understand the late delivery of a simple friendship letter. Before he could lend a hand in unraveling the spell, he felt the presence of said princess arrive as the sun began to make way for the night to begin.

He decided to take his leave before she could notice him. He didn’t want to contribute to the amounting amount of troubles that Twilight would likely to receive for a disaster of that caliber.

He plucked a tiny chunk of the spell's ether to analyze later. It might be interesting to learn how to use this “Want It, Need It” spell. He then disappeared deep into the shadows as he waited for Celestia to finish her lecture with the young unicorn filly.

Once certain she was gone and that all had fallen asleep, he drifted into the center of Golden Oaks Library and began to write a message upon a sheet of ether designed for the young Element of Magic to see. He smiled once he had finished the message and left it on the writing desk before shadowstriding back to a weary Daemon who still locked eyes onto the bits collected there.

“Oh, you’re back, Master!” she wearily cheered before falling down into a deep slumber and began to snore. Dragonok chuckled at the sight before he returned his attention back to the piles of bits as he waited for Twilight to find the letter.

Anytime now…

Twilight Sparkle groggily arose with a big yawn as she awoke from her slumber. Her eyes blinked for a moment before she removed herself from her bed and walked down the stairs. She noted Spike still slumbering in his little basket which made her smile at the sight.

If Spike hadn’t told Celestia of what happened yesterday, what would have happened if she hadn’t stepped in? I really need to calm down before I create a mess that big again. Hmm? What’s that on the table?

She turned as she noticed a shimmering sheet of what seemed to be made of magic lying about on her writer’s desk. Curious, she levitated it and brought it to her for a closer look before she began to read its contents.

Dear Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville,

I had noticed the little display caused by your spell yesterday. It’s quite fascinating to see such a charm in play, but do try to restrain yourself next time before thinking about using that spell again. At the current stage of magecraft you’re in, you clearly have the power but lack the control to use it without creating a few… accidents in the process. Beyond that, I must congratulate you on performing such a spell to attract that huge of a crowd. Even I was almost captivated by its charms even with the amount of counter-magic protections surrounding me. I’ll come by for a visit to see your progress sooner or later, young filly. Sayonara!

Signed,

Dragonok, Chaos Champion of Power.

P.S. This message will automatically release a shower of bits that will be automatically teleported towards Sweet Apple Acres to make up for the apples taken upon dissipation. More payments will arrive in exchange for each barrel of apples left outside for pick-up upon delivery.

“Wait, what?” Twilight Sparkle managed to say before the message burst into a shower of gold bits that quickly piled up into an impressive pile before disappearing into thin air. She shook her head for a moment before she teleported to Sweet Apple Acres in a blink of an eye.

“Well, Ah gotta say, I ain’t never seen that many bits for apples,” Applejack said in surprise as she returned to look towards the small hill of bits standing in front of the barn once Twilight explained what she had just read. “When did he say he was coming over?”

“That’s just it!” Twilight exclaimed. “He didn’t even mention the exact time or location for his visit! He even knew about what happened yesterday! What if he decides to challenge Celestia again!?! What if she loses and he decides to rule over all of Equestria with an iron hoof!” She began to hyperventilate as her hair sproinged out in random spikes.

“Don’t fret, Twi; we don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday.” Applejack patted Twilight until the purple unicorn began to calm down. “Ah know yer worried and all, sugarcube, but he might not be as bad as we think. Sure, he stole some of the Apple Family’s apples, but he paid it back. I'm willing ta forgive him since he's making amends for his wrongdoings. Let's just see what happens when he does show his face 'round here, ‘kay Twi?”

Twilight sucked in a big gulp of air before she finally calmed down. “You’re right, AJ. Maybe I am overreacting. I just hope nothing bad happens when he does show up.”

“That’s the spirit, Twi! Who knows? He might be a great fella once everypony gets a chance to know him in person.”

Dragonok gently smiled in amusement as he listened to their conversation from the comfort of the shadows. He slowly sunk right back into the darkness as he disappeared in silence.

Author's Note

Sacred Tiamantis! I got featured in the The Sparkle in his eye! BEST DAY EVER!