Author's Note: Hello readers! It's been a pretty crazy time lately, and working in time to write has been quite the challenge. I feel like I've succeeded with what I believe is the new and improved chapter two of The Duelist of Equestria! I hope you all like the new direction I'm taking my story.
Chapter 2: The Unknown Spectacle
Location: Shadow Realm
Thirteen beings sat at a table, viewing the events that were transpiring on a certain Earth. The beings were some of the mightiest in the Shadow Realm; The three Legendary Knights; Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos, The three Sacred Beasts; Uria- Lord of Searing Flame, Raviel- Lord of Phantasms, and Hamon- Lord of Striking Thunder, The three Egyptian God Monsters; Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra, Ultimaya Tzolkin The Crimson Dragon, Exodia the Forbidden One, The Creator of Light, and Ma'at. These thirteen beings made up the Shadow Council, the leaders of the Shadow Realm.
"Alright, just hear me out." Exodia said, as Danielle was transformed into Malefic Danielle. The other members of the council looked at Exodia.
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to not give James any instruction on his new abilities." Exodia said, watching the battle play out. Ultimaya Tzolkin sighed.
"Exodia, we've been over this a thousand times before." The serpentine energy dragon said tiredly.
"I know, I know, he has to discover what he can do on his own, he has the ability to do so, not helping him will increase his will to master his powers, blah, blah-blah, blah-blah." Exodia said, leaning his elbow on the table. "Can't we at least give him a little hint?"
"No, brother." Horakhty said gently, placing her hand on her adoptive brother's arm. "The plan was already set up this way. To change it now would be disastrous."
"Well, I hate to agree with him Horakhty, but maybe we could at least send a bit of help?" Uria said hopefully. Hamon and Raviel stared at their brother incredulously.
"You cannot be serious right now." Hamon said dryly.
"As Horakhty had already stated, the plan is already in motion, and changing it would bring disastrous consequences!" Raviel said vehemently, smacking Uria with one of his wings.
"Well, Uria brings up a good point." Timaeus said.
"Every great guardian has had a teacher, even us." Critias said.
"Without Ma'at's training, we wouldn't have had the skill to battle the Leviathan." Hermos pointed out.
"I'm vindicated." Exodia said smugly. Ra shook his head.
"We are not going through this argument again." the golden dragon said stonily.
"I will not sit through another debate, deciding whether or not we should give James aid." Obelisk said annoyed that this was still going on.
"And besides, James has enough common sense to figure out his powers." Slifer pointed out.
"Yes, but what if he taps into too much of it, and overtaxes himself?" Exodia said, semi calmly.
"Well, that's not going to happen, because he knows his limits, unlike you." Ultimaya Tzolkin said, quite irritated that Exodia was once again bringing this up.
"Hey! At least I actually did something, rather than standing back and watching everything happen!" Exodia shot back. "All you did was give Yusei and his friends signer marks, stood by while the six dragons battled the Earthbound Immortals, and never did anything else!" Ultimaya bristled at Exodia's words.
"What do you call the Paradox situation?" He snarled back. Exodia snorted.
"All you did was act as transport, nothing more. I actually took an active part in things." Exodia countered. The Crimson Dragon jumped out of his seat, prompting Exodia to do the same.
"You take that back!"
"Make me!"
Ultimaya roared at Exodia before slamming into him with all of his dragonian might. Horakhty tried to intervene, but Slifer and Uria both yanked her back, resulting in their siblings attempting to stop them, and being thrown back against the three knights, who transformed into their dragon forms. The meeting then became a bar fight, with Exodia and Ultimaya at the center of it all. The air was thick with various spells and bodies being thrown about. There was total chaos.
"ENOUGH OF THIS." A powerful voice ordered. Its tone and volume going beyond everyone else with surprising ease. Everybody turned to look at the leader of the council. Ma'at stood tall, scowling and glaring at the council members. He swept his staff through the air, sending a wave of calm and order into everyone. The council calmed down, and Exodia released his grip on Ultimaya's throat.
"I figured this argument would begin again, so I took matters into my own hands." Ma'at said.
"What did you do?" Critias asked warily. Ma'at smiled.
"It took a while, but I managed to get in contact with our human friend." Ma'at explained to tumultuous gasps.
"You mean… you actually FOUND him?" Hermos asked in disbelief. Ma'at nodded, allowing a self satisfied smirk to appear on his face.
"Yes, I did, and believe me, he wasn't easy to find." Ma'at explained, grimacing at the memories of the investigation. "He'll be the one to teach James how to better use his powers, AFTER he finds out he has them." Ma'at said, answering Horakhty's unspoken question.
"It won't interfere with the plan, and there will be no apocalyptic consequences. Are we clear?" Ma'at finished, sitting down as the rest of the council gave their assent.
"Good. Now, I believe it's time to adjourn, and return to our respective regions." Ma'at said, making everyone present stand as well.
"Remember, it's poker night next week!" Ma'at called out as everybody left.
"We'll see you all later." Timaeus said, as the knights flew away as dragons.
"Until next time." Slifer said, before flying off with the rest of his brothers.
"I'm so gonna win this time." Hamon said, rubbing his taloned hands together, before flying off to join his brothers.
"In your dreams doesn't count." Ultimaya sniped before flying away.
"I'm bringing the chips this time." Exodia said, as he teleported away using his iconic twelve-point star portal.
"I'll bring the deck." Horakhty said, as she simply faded away.
"Farewell, friends!" Ma'at called out, before walking out of the councilroom. He sighed as he walked along the large hallways of his mansion he lived in. It was big, with so many empty rooms, and none to share them with. Ma'at reached his bedroom, setting his staff by his bed.
'Why do I feel like I'm incomplete?' he thought, as he stripped out of his clothes, and entering his shower. Ma'at paused a bit, looking himself in his floor to ceiling mirror. Ever since he came into being, Ma'at was always quite muscular, possessing a lean, toned physique, which would make any female monster fall to their knees, begging him to show them his strength. However, being the physical embodiment of Order itself, Ma'at politely declined their requests, never feeling like they were the one who would truly complete him.
Ma'at turned on the shower, letting the warm water flow down his body. It soothed his tense body, unraveling knots, and putting the divine being into a state of relaxation and bliss. He exited the shower, placing his night robes on, and climbed into bed. He closed his eyes, and saw James' thoughts. The young man felt alone and scared. Ma'at felt his pain and sorrow from losing his loving uncle. The living embodiment of order knew that feeling. Despite having his friends on the council, he still felt truly alone. Ma'at spoke to James, reaching out to him. He uttered a single phrase that brought James comfort.
"You are not alone."
"You are not alone." The phrase hung in my mind, anchoring me both physically and mentally, which isn't exactly easy when you're hurtling through an endless darkness. I was terrified when I woke back up. I saw hundreds upon hundreds of flashes of events from the Yu-Gi-Oh series, and some I didn't even recognize. I saw the construction of what I assumed were Hero City and Dark City, Elemental HERO Neos and the Neo-Spacians coming from Neo-Space to battle the Arcana Force, a being made of sinister, white energy transform a conclave of handsome warriors into the Ojamas, the Earthbound Immortals escaping from their prisons in the Shadow Realm and coming to destroy New Domino City, the three legendary knights imprisoning the Grand Dragon Leviathan, and images of anthropomorphic pastel ponies.
Eventually, the darkness faded and transformed into a tunnel of shifting colors. Tendrils of energy shot out from the sides, latching onto me. I kept on going faster and faster, uncontrollably bouncing from side to side. A stabbing, freezing, burning pain enveloped my body as more and more tendrils attached themselves to me. I felt like I was being frozen and melted at the same time while a swarm of bees stung me from head to foot. My vision went blurry. I began to hear voices, overlapping whispers that steadily grew to a towering crescendo of pure sound. I tried to clamp my hands over my ears, but my body would not respond to my will. It was frozen. I couldn't move. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't even feel my heart beating. My mind shut down. I embraced the darkness clouding my eyes, and slipped back into unconsciousness. It felt wonderful. I had finally escaped the pain. I was free. I took one last breath as my body gave out.
Location Shift: Equestria, Ponyville
P.O.V shift: third person
Twilight Sparkle was relaxing in the library, taking advantage of one of the few moments she actually got. Usually, she and the other Bearers of Harmony were out solving problems and battling ancient evils. It usually ate up most of her "Me Time", which was now something she seldom got. Twilight leaned back in her favorite chair, and kept on reading, letting the sunlight bathe her face.
Twilight's blissful state was interrupted by a fierce blast of shrieking wind. Instantly, the violet furred unicorn was on edge. She looked over to where the gust hit her, scowling. She pulled out her phone, and called a certain cyan speedster.
"Hey, Rainbow? Was there supposed to be a storm scheduled for today?" Twilight asked, keeping her eyes on the east of Ponyville.
"No, why do you ask?" Came the cocky voice from the other end. Twilight went pale as a deafening thunderclap made itself known. The violet furred unicorn jumped, crashed into her chair, tumbling down the stairs leading up to the observatory deck, landing at the base of the stairs in a heap. Groaning, she got to her hooves, and brushed off her shirt as the wind began to pick up more and more speed. Twilight stared out one of the windows with rapidly widening eyes. The entire sky was now completely covered in a mass of angry, black, lightning-filled, clouds.
Twilight hesitantly stepped outside, conjuring up a shield to protect herself from the wind. All around her, lightning flashed in a prismatic light show, thunder roared louder than a landslide, and the winds howled like a Timberwolf chorus. Ponies rushed around in a panic as lightning began to strike the ground. Twilight's awestruck state was broken by a gigantic pulse of light. The lightning was being pulled BACK into the storm, converging on one spot in the clouds. The wind began to retreat as well, flowing over to the place where the lightning was being pulled. Twilight watched, dumbfounded at the spectral spectacle. Images began to form in the clouds, of places and creatures that looked like they had come from the wildest of dreams. A conclave of armored steampunk gear mechs squaring off against an army of steel-plated insects, a titanic monster exploding out of the ground and doing battle with a gigantic robot. Two pony-like creatures in crimson and purple robes were firing spells at each other. A dragon with five heads taking on a smaller dragon with three heads ridden by an elegantly armored knight.
The storm pulsed again, and Twilight could only stare as a throbbing column of energy stabbed through the clouds. The pillar slammed into the ground with enough force to jar a pony's back teeth loose. Prismatic tendrils of light erupted from the clouds, striking the main pillar and feeding it even more. Explosive shockwaves shot through the air like they were going out of style.
(Play theme: Transformation-Brother Bear OST)
The main energy pillar began to swirl, the extra tendrils retreating, as the pillar turned crimson and gold. Wings sprouted from the midsection. Claws, talons, and a dragon's head formed out of the column, along with a serpentine tail with a single-point barb at the end.
Twilight watched the energy dragon spread its wings and roar. Strangely, its roar wasn't like a normal dragon's roar. It was more akin to a harmonious, synthesized warble, amplified thousandfold. It was comforting in a way. The dragon stretched out one of its taloned hands, and a multicolored, prismatic orb formed, gently descending inside of the massive crater that the original pillar had formed. The orb settled in, watched by the dragon for a few tense moments. Then, the dragon spread its gigantic wings, roared one last time, shot into the sky, and disappeared alongside the storm.
Twilight was shaken out of her stupor by a familiar, timid voice.
"Um… Twilight…?" The violet furred unicorn looked over to see a familiar pink mane smoothed over a yellow furred head.
"What...just...happened?" Fluttershy continued, a slight hint of terror in her voice. For the first time in her life, Twilight Sparkle had no answer. Nothing she read had ever mentioned this happening before. Not even the ancient tome collection she possessed could give an answer. Many of the other Ponyville residents had the same question, and had gathered around the stunned unicorn, awaiting her verdict.
Twilight had no other option, but the truth. She swallowed her pride, not without some difficulty, and gave the answer nopony wanted to hear.
"I… I don't know."
Author's Note: A shorter chapter, I know, but I feel like this was a good place to leave the story. More content will be coming soon, right after I figure out why the hell my iPad has decided to barf all over my google docs. A very special thanks to Tarnum427 for reviewing this chapter, and thank you dear reader for taking the time to read what I've fabricated. If you have any questions at all, feel free to shoot me a P.M, or leave a review, and I'll be sure to respond as quickly as I can. This is Imagineer379 signing off.