"A long time ago, humans and Bakugan were divided. And when they were brought together, it allowed the two worlds to enter a time of peace.

Bakugan and humans lived, worked, played and just hung out together. They loved every minute of it and the world was set to become a utopia. Other planets that connected to Vestroia, also joined Earth and they formed the Bakugan Alliance. Everything was amazing, until one day.

Out of nowhere, Vestroia just seemed to disappear. Any attempt to travel there failed, with even the most powerful Bakugan being unable to open a portal. The Bakugan were locked out of their home and nobody could understand why.

For three years, the Bakugan lived on Earth, Vestal, Gundalia and Neathia. But many still missed their home and wanted to know what caused it to be lost. Then, one day, one of the greatest minds found a small crack. A gateway that could lead back to Vestroia.

A ship was constructed and six individuals and their Bakugan were chosen to head there. These individuals were Legendary Brawlers. Who had saved Vestroia a long time ago. They and their Bakugan piloted the ship. And along the way, one young Bakugan was allowed to go with them."

"That Bakugan was me," Amazon stated.

Everyone was in the throne room, shocked by the tale Amazon had just told them. This story indicated three things. That there was another Earth out there, along with three other planets, that knew of Bakugan. And that this world had attempted to enter Vestroia.

"So what happened?" Flash asked.

"We travelled through the dimensional gate in the ship. But along the way, we were hit by something. All I can remember is being thrown out of the ship and into the void. The next thing I remember, I'm waking up in Lyra's hands."

"Who were the Bakugan that were with you?" Dragonia asked, she and the Guardians floating above whilst listening.

"Who else," Amazon stated. "The first six soldier Bakugan. Darkus Hydranoid. Haos Tigerra. Subterra Gorem. Ventus Skyress. My master, Aquos Preyas. And, of course, Pyrus Dragonoid."

"Dragonoid and Tigerra," Flash stated. "Dragonoid looks just like Drakenoid?" Amazon nodded. "What about Tigerra? By any chance, does she look anything like Tigress?"

"Kind of..." Amazon hummed. "Tigerra's more...humanoid. But she is a Haos Tiger Bakugan." Everyone frowned when they heard this, as they tried to figure out what the heck was going on. Amazon's story was strange, but it could answer a lot of questions.

"These Brawlers that went to Vestroia," Sunset spoke up. "Do you think they could be the Rugenga?"

"NO WAY!" Amazon yelled, shocking everyone. "I know those guys and none of them would ever do something like that. They're good people."

"You said they were hit by something during their journey," Twilight spoke up. "It's possible that could have brainwashed them, or corrupted them."

"Maybe," Amazon huffed. "But Beck is way too tall to be Marucho. I love the guy, but he was a serious shrimp. And the others are too...different. I might have only met three of them, but the way they acted was just too unlike the Battle Brawlers I know. I'm telling you. Those Rugenga guys aren't the Battle Brawlers."

"But they do have some kind of connection to them," Moondancer frowned. "So that's one question about them answered. Now we know where they came from. And where Amazon came from as well."

"But there's still a lot we haven't learned about the Rugenga," Sunset sighed. "If they aren't the Battle Brawlers. Where did they come from? And what happened to the Brawlers? And why do they have Bakugan that look like lesser versions of the Bakugan that went with the Brawlers? If they even are lesser versions of them."

"We won't learn anything if we just stand around talking," Soarin stated. "If we want to learn more about them, we need to capture these guys and make them tell us."

"And how do we do that?" Lyra asked. "They run away every time a brawl ends."

"Then we'll stop them from running away," Valkyria stated. "The next time we battle, we'll capture them before they can get back to their ship."

"Alright!" Flash cheered. "Just you wait, Rugenga. The next time we face off, Leo and I will wipe you out."

"I hear that," Leonidas nodded. "Tigress and Drakenoid were strong, but the others don't seem to have any Bakugan like them. We'll take them down and make them talk." The others all seemed to agree, everyone apparently happy with Flash and Leo being the one to Brawl. But one person wasn't.

Sunset frowned, hearing everyone agree with Flash's decision. She didn't like the idea of just letting Flash Brawl every time. He had already lost to Thalia once and had only just managed to defeat Cursor. If he got too overconfident, it could lead to his doom.

"I can't let that happen."

In the dark cave, Hayate was standing over the pit holding out a Bakugan that was colourless.

The light from the pit began to flow into the Bakugan, swirling into it and causing it to pulse green. And eventually, the pulsing stopped and the green glow was constant before completely dying down. And in doing so, it revealed the Bakugan to now be a Ventus one.

"Skyreign," he stated, "awaken." The Bakugan opened and revealed it to be some kind of bird Bakugan, the beast floating into the air.

"Finally. I am free. Thank you."

"Of course," Hayate stated. "Now we have work to do. Our goal to capture and control the Bakugan is being stalled by some do-gooders. It's time they faced the full force and wrath of the queen of the skies."

"Do tell," Skyreign replied with a nod. "I'm always eager to blow away some fools who think they can get in our way." Hayate nodded and began to leave the cave, Skyreign right behind him. He was going to need to find a breach. Though he only wanted to battle the Bakugan Defenders, he knew he also had a mission to accomplish. Entering Equestria and taking the Bakugan there for himself.

Back in Equestria, Sunset was making her way through the city to get a bite at one of her favourite eateries. As she and Flarenix were walking, she could hear the ponies and Bakugan around her talking.

"Did you hear?" One unicorn stated. "The Defenders have a new member. Another human, who apparently helped save the Bakugan before."

"Yes. I heard he's a very powerful Brawler. And Flash managed to defeat the leader of the Rugenga. We're lucky those humans chose to arrive. I was getting worried the Rugenga would attack again, but they haven't been able to get through since they arrived."

"I'm sure Flash and his human friends will be able to defeat the Rugenga in no time." The others were all agreeing, as Sunset tried to tune them out.

"They're not the only reason the Rugenga haven't been getting here." But the more she walked through the city, the more praise she heard for Flash, Lyra and Soarin. There were even one or two ponies and Bakugan who had heard about Moondancer's victory over Azalea. But nothing was being said about her.

She eventually arrived at her favourite bakery and sat outside, ordering a tea and her favourite sweet treat. She needed it after all that.

As she waited, she sat and stewed in annoyance. 'I'm glad that Flash and the others are here. We've gotten so much stronger since they came. But...it isn't just them who've been working hard to protect Equestria.'

Flarenix leapt onto the table and looked up at her. "What's the matter? You seem upset about something."

"It's nothing," Sunset replied. "Just...lost in my own thoughts." Her order finally arrived and she quickly took a bite of the sweet treat, only for her mind to think back on her life up until that point. And how it hadn't gone how she had expected.

Years ago.

A young Sunset was walking through the castle, excitement on her face as she carried her books besides her. She was heading for the library, where she would begin her studies for the day as Celestia's student. But as she arrived, she found Celestia was with another young filly.

"Oh, Sunset." Celestia smiled at her. "Let me introduce you to Twilight Sparkle. My new student."

"New student?" Sunset's eyes widened in shock. "But I'm your student." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been Celestia's student for over a year and now she was being replaced. Why?

"Of course you're my student." Celestia gave her a kind look. "Both you and Twilight have extraordinary magical talent. It would be a shame to let you both waste that talent. So I'm going to be teaching you both, so that you can both flourish. And if you help Twilight understand the lessons I've already taught you, I'm sure it'll help you improve your own understanding of it even better."

Sunset frowned, but nodded. "Very well. I'll help her." Twilight smiled at this, though Sunset wasn't happy about having her time with Celestia taken away.

"When Twilight joined me as Celestia's student, I thought she would just be an annoying junior that would be constantly asking me questions to help understand something. But she wasn't. Her magical skill with magic far exceeded my own."

"This spell is easy to understand the theory of," Sunset told Twilight. "But putting it into practise is way harder. It took me a week to get the petals to even change the shade." She pointed at a red flower on the desk and with a grunt, her magic flared and the petals glowed. Within a few seconds, the petals changed to a blue colour.

"Wow," Twilight whispered before reading the spell. She activated her magic and with great effort, the petals turned a slightly different shade of blue.

This caused Sunset's eyes to widen, shocked that Twilight had figured out how to do the spell so quickly. "Beginner's luck."

"But it wasn't beginner's luck. Twilight managed to change the flower's colour by the end of the day. By the end of the week, she had figured out how to change each petal into a different colour in one go. Even I couldn't do that. It took Twilight three months to catch up to me in my lessons. I went from being her senior to being her equal. And even that didn't last."

Sunset was reading a magic book with volume nine written on the front, then looked over at Twilight who was reading from volume twelve.

Time moves on and the pair get older, both working in the lab of Celestia's school. They were both formulating potions and whilst both of their magical skills vastly outweighed the other students, Sunset was still behind Twilight in magical expertise.

Sunset poured an entire vial of her potion into a pot of soil, causing it to shake and begin to grow a flower. She smiled and turned to Twilight, only to be shocked when she saw her only place a drop of her potion into the soil. moments later, a flower that was bigger and prettier than Sunset's appeared.

"No matter what I did, I was always second best. Nopony cared about my accomplishment. All they ever talked about was Twilight. Even Celestia seemed to focus more on Twilight than me. And then it happened."

Sunset was at the castle, looking worried as she stared up at the sun. Not too long ago, during the Summer Sun Celebration, the sun had been missing and the moon refused to lower. Sunset had been so busy working on her magic, that she had hardly noticed.

When she finally learned what had happened, she had been shocked. Twilight had been sent to a small town to make the preparations, only for Celestia to disappear as the evil Nightmare Moon returned and took her captive. Sunset hadn't believed that Nightmare Moon was real, even when Twilight had told her about her fears. Sunset had thought it was just her imagination getting the better of her.

But it turns out Twilight hadn't been wrong. And now, Celestia had returned with somepony else.

"Princess," Sunset ran to her teacher as she and Luna stepped off the carriage. "You're okay!" She then noticed the other alicorn, "who's this?"

"My sister. Luna. Twilight and her new friends were able to save us both from Nightmare Moon's hold. They saved all of Equestria from eternal night."

"She did?" Sunset couldn't believe it. "Where is she?" She expected Twilight to be with the princess, ready to start studying again whilst being adored as the hero of Equestria.

"Twilight has chosen to stay in Ponyville with her new friends. She is going to learn everything there is to know about Friendship. I'm sure when her studies end, she will grow into an even better magic user. And she'll learn to use her magic for the good of Equestria."

Sunset frowned, but then smiled. If Twilight was busy learning about this silly Friendship thing, her magical studies would suffer. This was her chance.

"I studied even harder then. Doing everything I could to improve my magical abilities. I was sure this would give me the edge I needed over Twilight. To finally surpass her in magical skill. But I was wrong.

Months later, Celestia entrusted Twilight and her friends with defeating a powerful villain named Discord. After that, she was able to help save Canterlot from the Changeling invasion, then saved the newly returned Crystal Empire from Sombra. Again and again, Twilight was given the chance to prove herself over and over. And eventually, she proved herself ready for the ultimate honour."

"Arise. Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight stood up, her new wings flexing as she turned towards the crowd that were cheering. The newest princess of Equestria looked a little uneasy about her current state. But she accepted it with grace and humility.

Sunset was clapping, but not as enthusiastically as everypony else.

When the party began to wind down, Sunset left the great hall to find somewhere to be alone. Somewhere nopony would find her in the state she was in. And when she found it, she burst into tears and slid down the wall to curl up on the ground. "Why? Why her? I studied so hard. Why was she always chosen over me? Why wasn't I given a chance?"

"Sunset?" She unicorn was pulled out of her daydreams by Flarenix's concerned voice. "What's wrong?"

Sunset was about to say she was fine, but then she realised she had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She rubbed them. "I'm just...it's happening again."

"What's happening again?"

"When the Bakugan came to Equestria. When I learned I was one of the few who could battle with them and protect the world, I thought it was my chance. The chance to prove myself worthy of having Celestia's respect. I tried so hard to keep Equestria safe. I fought the Rugenga with everything I had. I did everything in my power to keep everypony and the Bakugan safe."

"And you've done an amazing job," Flarenix told her. "Equestria is safe. The Bakugan are safe. You should be proud."

"But I wasn't doing a good enough job. I kept the Rugenga from entering Equestria, but I almost always lost. I was never able to free any Bakugan and came out of the battles injured and exhausted. But then Flash showed up and wiped away the Rugenga. He helped Moondancer overcome her fears and helped her save more Bakugan. And now Soarin's here. They're so much stronger than me. And everypony loves them."

"But they haven't forgotten about you," Flarenix stated. "They might have had some amazing victories, but you're efforts haven't been forgotten."

Sunset wasn't sure she believed that. She needed to find a way to prove herself as a true Brawler. Someone the ponies could put their faith in. But how could she prove it?

She finished her snack and drink before picking up Flarenix and teleporting herself back to the castle, the unicorn considering heading towards the colosseum to practise. But she was sure the others were there and she wasn't in the mood for seeing them at the moment.

Instead, she headed for the control hub and when she arrived, she spotted Rosemary and the other ponies sitting at the monitors looking bored. She checked the time and realised they were probably getting hungry. "You guys go get something to eat," she told them. "I'll keep an eye on things."

"Are you sure?" Rosemary asked, obviously worried about getting in trouble.

"Sure," Sunset nodded. "You guys work too hard sometimes. Can't let you overdo it. Go enjoy your lunch break. I got this." They all smiled and nodded before heading out of the room, Sunset taking Rosemary's seat as Flarenix jumped onto the console.

"Are you sure that was a good idea? What if something big happens?"

"We'll be fine," Sunset assured him. "We can handle working all the monitors. We just gotta keep an ear out and be ready for anything." She started rolling from one console to another, checking everything to make sure there weren't any disturbances. "At least I'm good for something."

She kept this up for about ten minutes, with nothing out of the ordinary happening.

But then, one of the alarms went off and Sunset practically jumped at this. She rolled over to one of the consoles and found a level three breach had just opened up. The other side was very close to Trottingham. "We need to get the team there as soon as-" She stopped, about to send an alert to the others. But she didn't.

"Sunset?" Flarenix asked. "What's wrong?"

"We're going," Sunset told him. "Just the two of us." Flarenix was shocked to hear this.

"Sunset. Are you sure about this? What if more than one Rugenga arrives? We might not be able to handle this on our own."

"We can," Sunset assured him. "And we will. I have to show everyone that I can be just as good a Brawler as the others. I'm supposed to be the leader and I haven't done anything to prove my worth since getting that title. Now is the time to show everypony what I can do."

"Even if you risk losing the Brawl and letting the Rugenga into Equestria?" Sunset knew she was being selfish, putting a lot on the line.

"This is something I have to do. Please, Flarenix. Stand by my side."

"Always," Flarenix quickly jumped up into her hand. "I just want to make sure you don't come to regret this." Sunset nodded before activating the transporter and stepping into it. Once it was powered up, she was beamed into Vestroia and left the room completely deserted.

Inside his transport, Hayate was sitting in the pilot's seat heading towards the breach.

He thanked his luck for the breach being detected as soon as he needed one, now that he had Skyreign to battle with. "Almost there," he told his partner on the console. "No doubt the Defenders will be waiting there for us."

"Good," Skyreign stated. "I look forward to spreading my wings." As she said that, the console beeped to show the breach was in range. He pushed the engines to full speed and shot forward, spotting the breach in the distance.

The shimmer of light could be seen from even that high, showing just how strong of a breach this one was. It likely wouldn't close for a long time. All he had to do was beat the Defenders and get through it.

However, as he began to fly towards the ground, he spotted only one person there. "Huh." He set the ship to autopilot and left it hovering over the ground, as he grabbed Skyreign and opened the top before leaping out. He ended up doing several flips and spins before landing on the ground, the Rugenga standing tall and glaring Sunset down. "Where's the rest of your little party? I thought you guys were too scared to Brawl alone?"

Sunset glared at him. "I'm not scared of anything. Especially you. After the trouncing Flash gave you before, it's clear you're nothing to be worried about."

Hayate shook his head. "Maybe I did lose to that guy." As he said that, a Bakugan flew up next to him. "But that was before I had my partner with me." Sunset frowned, realising this Bakugan wasn't like the ones they had captured before.

"Sunset," Flarenix stated.

"I know," she nodded. "That one's gotta be like Tigress and Drakenoid. That means it'll be tough to take down." She considered calling the others for backup, but she couldn't let this chance to prove herself go to waste. Flash had trouble with this kind of Bakugan. If she could defeat one, it would prove she was just as strong as them. "Flarenix. Let's do this!"

"Right," he nodded as activated the Baku-Bracer.

Skyreign chuckled. "You fools need to learn your place."

"And I'm happy to teach it to you," Hayate activated his Baku-Bracer and the pair connected. This caused the energy field to activate and a bunch of power-ups to appear, as the pair's life gauges began to fill. "LET'S BRAWL!" They both cried, Hayate taking out a card as he did.

Sunset: 100%
Hayate: 100%

"Gate Card...SET!" The card hit the ground and exploded, the light spreading across the field as Hayate held up his Bakugan. "Prepare yourself to face the ultimate master of the winds." He leapt into the air and with a spin, threw his Bakugan. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" The ball hit the ground and exploded open, unleashing a blast of wind that swirled into a tornado. "Bakugan...STAND! Rise, Ventus Skyreign!"

Sunset watched as the tornado grew larger before exploding. As it did, it revealed a giant bird Bakugan with large wings. It was dark green in colour, wearing a black open vest with red trim. Its feet were also black and it had three long ribbon-like tails, each tipped with a black blade.

Skyreign: 550Gs

Sunset was almost pushed back by the wind, but managed to stay on her hooves as she looked up at the beast. And as it squawked, he could feel a great but disturbing power coming from it. And when she saw its G Power, she gulped. "That thing's strong."

"Maybe," Flarenix nodded. "But there's more to winning than just power. We can do this."

"Alright," Sunset stood strong, "let's do this thing!" Flarenix nodded as he leapt off her shoulder and curled up, Sunset grabbing him before leaping into the air. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" She threw him through a bunch of power-ups and he quickly hit the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" Flarenix popped open and exploded into a ball of fire, which flew into the air and began to take form. "Pyrus Flarenix!"

The fire vanished and Flarenix squawked, as he and Skyreign glared one another down.

Flarenix: 450Gs
Skyreign: 550Gs

"I don't know what you are," Flarenix told his fellow avian Bakugan. "But you're going to regret coming here." As he said that, the power-ups kicked in and his power rose.

Flarenix: 600Gs
Skyreign: 550Gs

Skyreign stared him down, then smirked before speaking. "You think a chick like you can scare me? Please. You don't stand a chance against my power." The two birds flew upwards, as Hayate pointed toward the ground.

"Gate Card...OPEN!" The ground glowed and a bunch of tornados exploded out of the light, "Ventus Reactor!"

Flarenix: 600Gs
Skyreign: 750Gs

Skyreign began to attack, flying at Flarenix and attempting to slash at him with the blades on her tail. But Flarenix managed to avoid them as Sunset took out a card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" Flarenix's wings suddenly ignited. "Wildfire Wingbeat!"

The phoenix gave her wings a powerful flap and sent the flames flying off of them, the fireballs hitting Skyreign and causing her to squawk in pain.

Flarenix: 600Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

"Is that all you got!?" Hayate asked, as Skyreign forced herself through the smoke that formed and let out a horrible shriek. Hayate then took out a card and slashed it. "Ability, Activate!" Skyreign's entire body then burst into green flames, "Deadly Whirlwind Firestorm!"

Flarenix tried to evade, but the green firebird shot forward at a blinding speed before slamming into him. He cried out, as the flames cut and burned him at the exact same time.

Flarenix: 300Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

"Flarenix!" Sunset cried, watching her partner fall towards the ground whilst the flames on Skyreign continued to rage. But she wasn't done and took out another card. "Ability, Activate!" She slashed the card and Flarenix's body also burst into flames, as he righted himself in the air. "Incineration!"

"Take this!" He beat his wings and the flames flew off of him, flying towards Skyreign before swirling around her to form several spiralling fire streams.

Skyreign flinched at the heat, as the flames on her body disappeared.

Flarenix: 600Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

Flarenix then charged at Skyreign, attacking despite their power being even. The two clashed and got into an aerial dogfight, as Hayate slashed a card.

"Ability, Activate!" Skyreign pushed Flarenix away, then crossed her wings as they glowed. "Serrated Feather Bombardment!" She spread her wings and the light shot off of them, exploding into multiple feather-shaped blades that flew towards Flarenix.

The phoenix tried to avoid them, but they were too fast and he soon found himself getting slashed at with every hit. Every time he was sliced into, he lost fifty Gs.

Flarenix: 200Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

"Flarenix!" Sunset gasped, seeing her partner in serious trouble.

"Give it up!" Hayate told her. "Skyreign is the queen of the winds. What can your bird do, when it's not even a Ventus Bakugan?"

Sunset glared at him, as Skyreign flew in to finish Flarenix off. "Every monarch's reign must come to an end." She took out a card and swiped it, "but the flames of life will always be renewed. Ability, Activate!" Once again, Flarenix's body burst into flames. "Rebirth!"

As Skyreign tried to slash at Flarenix, the firebird shot straight up and dodged the attack. "What?" The Bakugan asked, looking up and seeing most of the flames fade away from Flarenix.

"Surprise," he told her as the flaming aura remained. All of his injuries had completely vanished, leaving him looking good as new.

Sunset smiled. "This ability card allows me to return Flarenix back to the power level he had at the start of the battle."

Flarenix: 600Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

"Then, adds another two hundred Gs on top of it."

Flarenix: 800Gs
Skyreign: 600Gs

"Get her!" Sunset cried, as Flarenix dived at the Ventus Bakugan.

"I don't think so," Hayate took out another card and swiped it. "Ability, Activate!" A mixture of green wind and green fire surrounded Skyreign. "Aero Style Destruction Dance!"

Flarenix: 800Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

Flarenix glared at Skyreign, as the Bakugan attack with the fire and wind surrounding her. But moments before they struck, Sunset swiped another card. "Ability, Activate!" Skyreign glowed and the light shot off her and into Flarenix. "Co-Side!"

Flarenix: 900Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

With the extra power, Flarenix managed to slam into Skyreign and knock her backwards. The Ventus Bakugan squawked as she reverted back to ball form and fell to the ground. "No," Hayate cried, "I can't believe we lost that round."

Sunset: 100%
Hayate: 80%

Sunset smiled, as Flarenix returned to her. "Great work."

"That was too close," Flarenix sighed. "And we barely did any damage."

Sunset nodded, as Hayate picked his partner up. "At least now, we know what we're up against. We managed to get a small lead on him and we'll use that to lead us straight to victory." She took a deep breath, "I can do this."

Back in Equestria, Flash and the others were making their way through the castle.

There was still a large section of the place the humans hadn't seen yet, so Soarin being there had seemed like a good reason for them all to know where everything was. "Geez, how do you find anything in a place this big?" Soarin asked, as they made their way down one of the corridors they knew.

"Yeah," Lyra nodded. "I never understood why castles need to be so big."

"Mostly for the staff," Twilight explained. "It needs to be big, to house all the guards that live and defend the place. If it was the size of a mansion, there wouldn't be enough guards to keep it safe from attacks and thieves. Then there's the cleaner, the cooks and any other employee that needs to keep the place running. Don't forget the guests who come and visit, like diplomats and government officials. Honestly, it really needs to be this big."

"I guess," Flash nodded as they arrived at the hub and found the place was completely empty. "What the?"

"I don't believe it!" Twilight cried, rushing to the console. "They left their post." As she said that, the ponies all returned with Rosemary in the lead.

"Oh, your highness."

"Why did you leave the hub unattended?" Twilight asked, sounding disappointed.

The staff were all shocked by this statement. "But...Sunset was here. She took over for us so we could get some lunch." Rosemary looked around, "she should be here."

"Then where is she?" Moondancer asked, knowing Sunset wouldn't just leave her post. The others were wondering the same, Twilight activated the console. And in doing so, she gasped.

"There's a breach." Everyone rushed over to her. "A strong one."

"So that's where Sunset went," Braeburn frowned. "Why didn't she contact us?" Everyone wondered the same thing, but they had bigger issues to deal with.

"If she's on her own, she could be in trouble." Flash rushed up to the transporter. "Let's get going!" The others nodded and rushed into the transporter, as Twilight and Rosemary activated the machine. They just hoped Sunset was okay and if she wasn't, that she could hold on until they got there

"Gate Card...SET!" Sunset threw her card towards the ground, she and Hayate leaping into the air as the card exploded.

"Bakugan," the both threw their partners, "BRAWL!" The two avian Bakugan flew through the air, hitting some power-ups along the way, then landed and popped open. "Bakugan...STAND!" Fire and wind exploded out of the Bakugan, both of them squawking as they took their true forms and their G Power rose.

Flarenix: 650Gs
Skyreign: 700Gs

"Gate Card, Open!" The field then exploded into flames, "Pyrus Reactor!" The flames flew into Flarenix and pumped his power up, as he shot forward in an attempt to overpower Skyreign.

Flarenix: 850Gs
Skyreign: 700Gs

And as he did, both Sunset and Hayate swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" The two glowed as the light flew off them and into the other. "Co-Side!"

Flarenix: 950Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

Flarenix slammed into Skyreign and knocked her backwards, but the bird managed to correct herself in the air and fly back up. As she did, Hayate slashed another card.

"Ability, Activate!" Skyreign span, wind swirling around her. "Raging Tyrannical Tailwind!" Flarenix moved to the side in order to dodge Skyreign, but she didn't let that stop her and stopped spinning. And with a beat of her wings, the wind surrounding her shot down towards Flarenix and struck him.

"Gyah!"

Flarenix: 750Gs
Skyreign: 950Gs

Flarenix fell towards the ground and almost crashed into it, but managed to open his wings and level out at the last moment.

As Flarenix flew over the ground, Sunset took out two cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Both Flarenix's wings and talons ignited, as he flew straight up towards Skyreign. "Blazing Talon, plus Wildfire Wingbeat!" He quickly flapped the flames off his wings and the fireballs slammed into Skyreign, burning away her power.

Flarenix: 850Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

Skyreign flinched at the impacts, as Flarenix attacked with his flaming talons. "Take this!" She slashed at her chest and she cried out in pain, but Hayate was ready.

"Ability, Activate!" He swiped a card and Skyreign's body burst into flames. "Deadly Whirlwind Firestorm!" The flames slammed into Flarenix and forced him off of Skyreign, making him flinch as his power dropped.

Flarenix: 550Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

Skyreign then charged at Flarenix, her flaming body ready to do some serious damage. But before she could land her attack, Sunset swiped a card.

"Ability, Activate!" Flarenix's body burst into flames and when Skyreign slammed into him, their fires cancelled each other out. "Incinerate!"

Flarenix: 850Gs
Skyreign: 800Gs

With Skyreign so close, Flarenix started slashed and slapping at her with his wings and talons. Skyreign flinched, but Hayate was ready and took something out.

"Come, Bakugan Trap!" He threw it into the air and Sunset saw that it was a square green Bakugan. "Ventus Insectra!"

The Bakugan unfolded and transformed, taking the form of what appeared to be a dragonfly Bakugan. It had a round body and head, with large wings coming off the side of the body that had crystalline claws beneath them. It also had a long flat tail, with a V-shaped stinger on the end made of the same gems as the claws.

Flarenix: 850Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1100Gs

The insect flew up and tackled Flarenix, slamming him away from Skyreign and allowing her to blow him away with a beat of her wings.

As Flarenix worked to keep his balance, Insectra attempted another attack. But Sunset quickly swiped a card. "Ability, Activate!" Flarenix's body burst into flames. "Inferno Charge!"

Flarenix: 1100Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1100Gs

Flarenix quickly flew up and slammed into the Trap Bakugan, knocking it backwards as it hissed whilst Skyreign flew down to take Flarenix head on.

It was in that moment that a portal opened up, Sunset looking around to see Flash and the other Defenders appear. "Sunset!" Flash cried, as they heard the two birds crying out whilst they collided. "Who's that Bakugan?"

"Skyreign," Sunset replied. "Hayate's partner."

"Amazon?" Lyra asked. "Do you recognised that Bakugan?" Amazon stared at the bird, as she and the flaming Flarenix flew around one another.

"Yeah. I've definitely seen her before. She looks different, but she's almost exactly like Storm Skyress."

"Storm Skyress?" Moondancer asked. "What's with these guys having evil twins of those famous Bakugan?" Before anyone could say anything, Insectra flew in and knocked into Flarenix. This pushed him away, allowing Skyreign to blow him back with a gale that extinguished his flames.

"Ah, man!" Flash cried, "it's two against one."

"This is bad," Soarin agreed.

"I've got this!" Sunset cried, taking something out. "Come, Bakugan Trap!" She threw it into the air and revealed it to be an egg-shaped Bakugan. "Pyrus Solarmander!" The egg flipped open, the top folding back to become a tail shape and reveal a lizard head that folded out of the body. The bottom flipped down and split into four small legs.

Everyone watched as the Bakugan Trap burst into flames, which shot up before landing on Flarenix's back.

The flames then extinguished to reveal a red and yellow lizard Bakugan, standing on four legs. Its top half was red and it had a yellow under-jaw, neck and belly. Yellow spots were also covering the red parts and the end of its tail quickly ignited.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1450Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1100Gs

Flarenix flew them both towards their opponents and as they got close, Solarmander swung his tail around and sent the flames on it flying at Insectra. The other Trap Bakugan cried out in pain, but Skyreign wouldn't be so easily defeated.

"Double Ability, Activate!" Hayate slashed two cards and Skyreign unleashed another powerful gale. "Crushing Cyclone Fortress!" The wind swirled into a vortex, which slammed into the pair and sent Solarmander flying off of Flarenix's back.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1200Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1100Gs

"Plus, Aero Stinger!" The V-shaped blade on Insectra's tail glowed before firing a barrage of green lights, which hit the two Pyrus Bakugan and made them both cry out. With every hit, their Power level dropped more and more.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 850Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1100Gs

Flarenix groaned, but pushed his way through the wind and shot up to grab Solarmander in his talons. As he did, Flash called out to Sunset. "You can do it, Sunset. You've got this!"

"I know," Sunset nodded. "I am a student of Princess Celestia. I might not be as talented as Twilight, but this is something I can do." She drew two cards and slashed them both. "Double Ability, Activate!" Flarenix's body burst into flames, which spread to Solarmander. "Rebirth, plus Sunlight Brilliance..."

As the flames flew off of them, the pair looked like they had been restored to full HP. And as Flarenix dropped Solarmander, the lizard curled up as the yellow spots on his body unleashed a blinding wave of light.

Skyreign and Insectra were both blinded, their power dropping as a result.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1200Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1000Gs

The two tried to fight through the light, as Flarenix caught Solarmander and charged. They flew at the pair, Flarenix throwing Solarmander and Insectra whilst he charged at Skyreign.

Solarmander rolled up and body checked Insectra, knocking it back whilst Flarenix used his wing to slap at Skyreign and knock her falling downwards. But as Flarenix caught Solarmander, Hayate took out a pair of cards.

"Double Ability, Activate!" He slashed them both and a wind appeared around Skyreign, acting like a cushion to slow her down. "Whirlwind Rage, plus Tailwind Cannon!"

Skyreign spread her wings and with a beat, launched the wind towards the pair. At the same time, a swirl of wind wrapped around Insectra's tail and it launched it at the two as well.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1200Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1250Gs

The attacks smashed into Flarenix and Solarmander, the pair flinching but fighting their way through it. And as they did, Sunset swiped her own card. "Ability, Activate!" Insectra glowed and the light flew off and into Solarmander. "Co-Side!"

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1300Gs
Skyreign+Insectra: 1250Gs

This allowed them to fly through the wind attacks and charge at the Ventus Bakugan, with Solarmander leaping off Flarenix and diving at Insectra. And before the Trap Bakugan could react, the lizard slammed into it.

The Dragonfly hissed, as it was forced back to ball form and fell to the ground. Hayate gasped, as the square Bakugan landed at his feet. "Not again."

Sunset: 100%
Hayate: 70%

Flarenix managed to catch Solarmander, the pair turning their attention to Skyreign.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1300Gs
Skyreign: 950Gs

But as they charged towards the bird, ready to finish her off, Hayate took out a card. "Alright. No more messing around. I'm ending this now!" He swiped the card, as Skyreign's body burst into a bunch of super intense flames. "Fusion Ability, Activate!" Skyreign's blazing body shot forward, a powerful gust of wind blowing behind her. "Eternal Blades of Flaming Gale Force!"

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1300Gs
Skyreign: 1450Gs

Flarenix managed to dodge the oncoming attack, but the gale she brought with her was so strong that it knocked Flarenix off balance. "Hold on!" He told Solarmander, but the lizard couldn't and was blown off his back. The next they both knew, Skyreign spun around and with a single flap, sent all the flames flying off of her and shooting towards them in the form of massive green fire blades.

Flarenix managed to avoid them, but Solarmander wasn't so lucky. They slammed into him and the Trap Bakugan hissed before his body reverted back to his smaller form. "NO!" Sunset cried, seeing her Bakugan fall to the ground.

Sunset: 70%
Hayate: 70%

As Flarenix gained control of his flight against, Skyreign flew up and slammed into him. "Gyah!" He groaned, trying to throw the Bakugan off but couldn't.

Flarenix: 950Gs
Skyreign: 1450Gs

"This is really bad!" Braeburn yelled, as Sunset took out her card. But before she could play it, Skyreign turned her attention to them and unleashed a powerful whirlwind that slammed into them.

"NO!" Flarenix cried, seeing his friends all getting blown away by the gale. "DAMN YOU!" He charged at Skyreign, but she dodged his attacks before slamming her talons into his back and pushing them deep. "AUGH!" He fell to the ground and Skyreign pinned him down, as she kept blowing the others away.

"This is over," Skyreign told him. "Your friends will be blown to kingdom come and you'll be joining our team."

"Never!" Flarenix yelled, still trying to push himself up. But Skyreign was just too strong.

Sunset screamed, the unicorn barely able to hold on whilst everyone else had been forced to hide behind a rock pillar, to prevent themselves from being blown away. "Sunset!" Flash cried, "you gotta get out of there!"

"No!" Sunset cried, her horn glowing. "I...I can do this." She tried to put up a shield, but the wind was battering against her so hard it was making it almost impossible. "I won't...give up." She tried again, but another burst of wind almost blew her into the air.

"SUNSET!" Flarenix cried, squawking as Skyreign used her tail blades to stab into him.

Hayate laughed. "And with this, it's over!"

"NOT YET!" Sunset cried, her magic flaring at the sound of her partner's pain. "I won't let you take Flarenix. Or any other Bakugan!" With that, her magic formed a protective barrier that blocked the wind. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was all Sunset needed to turn things around. "Fusion Ability, Activate!" She swiped the card and Flarenix's body exploded, "PHOENIX RAISING!"

The flames exploded upwards and blew Skyreign off of Flarenix, allowing him to get up and take off once again.

"Ahhh!" Hayate growled, as Skyreign prepared to attack. But as he checked his Baku-Bracer, he smiled.

Flarenix: 1450Gs
Skyreign: 1450Gs

"So they're even. That won't last for long!"

"You're right," Sunset replied. "It won't last for long." As she said that, Flarenix flew over where Solarmander had fallen. By some miracle, the earlier gale hadn't blown the Trap away. And as he flew overhead, embers flew off of Flarenix and rained down on him. "Arise once again, Pyrus Solarmander!" Suddenly, the Bakugan popped open and transformed.

"What?" Hayate cried, seeing the fire lizard suddenly appear in a burst of flames. "Impossible."

"Not with Phoenix Rising," Sunset smiled. "It has the power to revive a fallen Bakugan." Solarmander leapt onto Flarenix's back, the pair flying towards Skyreign.

Flarenix+Solarmander: 1800Gs
Skyreign: 1450Gs

Hayate gasped and tried to activate an Ability, but the two Bakugan were faster. And in a burst of flames, they both slammed into Skyreign and the bird let out a squawk of pain before she was thrown backwards. And eventually, she reverted back to ball form and fell towards the ground.

"No!" Hayate cried, "that's not possible!"

Sunset: 70% (Winner)
Hayate: 0%

The others cheered, as Sunset's Bakugan returned to her. "You did it, Sunset!" Flash cheered, "we knew you could." Sunset smiled, as Hayate picked up his Bakugan.

"I can't believe I lost so badly," he growled before glaring at the Defenders. "Don't think this means anything. You might have won this fight, but I'll be back. And next time, I'm getting into that world and taking all the Bakugan you have." The Defenders glared at him, as he leapt into the air before doing several spins and landing on his ship.

Once it closed, the vessel flew off and the Defenders watched him leave.

Once he was gone, Braeburn turned to Sunset. "What happened? Why didn't ya'h call us when the alert came in? Ya'h always tell us not to rush inta dangerous situations, but now you went and did the same thing."

"I'm sorry," Sunset sighed. "I just...lately I've been feeling like I'm not needed. Ever since Flash and the others showed up, I haven't been needed anymore. With how powerful they are. I just wanted to prove I can still be a part of the team."

The Defenders were all shocked by this, with Flash bursting out laughing. "Seriously?" Sunset looked shocked by this. "Sunset. Of course you're needed. You're the leader of this team. It doesn't matter if you battle or not. Having you with us is always something we'd want. Don't forget, it was you that made Moondancer battle and helped overcome her fear."

Sunset wasn't sure how she felt about that, but the others looking at her told her they really did appreciate her. Even so, she was still worried about how Celestia would see her little act of defiance. Would she be disappointed in her? Would she make Flash or another leader instead? What was waiting for her back in Equestria?

As he made his way through the cave, Hayate growled at his loss. "I can't believe we were beaten so handedly."

"Problem?" He stopped and turned to see Kiyrah, who was leaning against a wall. "I heard you went off to battle one of the Defenders. And by the way you're growling, I'm guessing it didn't go well." Hayate said nothing, looking away as he did. "Don't worry. You'll get them next time. And you'll have help."

"Help?" He turned to Kiyrah, as she held something up for him to see. "Is that..."

"Meet Hydread." The Darkus Bakugan popped open and Hayate saw it was some kind of lizard creature, which gave off the same imposing dark power as Skyreign. He smiled under his mask, as he realised how much help that Bakugan would be. The Defenders wouldn't know what hit them.

Once the breach closed, Sunset and the rest of the Defenders returned to Equestria.

Sunset had expected to get a lecture from Celestia, but found her mentor wasn't there. Twilight had been the one to give her an earful, but Sunset had been able to tune that out until she was finished.

Now, she was on a castle balcony watching the sun drifting towards the horizon.

She soon sensed somepony behind her and expected Flash or another Defender. She wasn't expecting to see Celestia, who stepped up besides her. "Princess?" Celestia stood there and gave Sunset a look.

"Flash told me you've been feeling...unappreciated."

"No," Sunset shook her head. "I just...I just wanted to show that you can trust me to protect Equestria. That I'm strong enough to keep it safe, like Twilight."

Celestia seemed to understand this. "I see. So this is because of all the times I asked Twilight to save Equestria." Sunset looked down. "There's no need to be jealous. Twilight has done some amazing things, but that doesn't take anything away from your accomplishments."

"I don't have any accomplishments. I was never given the chance to accomplish anything. Every time something happened, you sent Twilight to deal with. I might not have been able to stop Nightmare Moon or Discord, but I'm sure I'd have been able to save the Crystal Empire. If you'd just let me."

Celestia shook her head at this. "Everypony has a destiny, Sunset. Twilight's was to save Equestria and become princess. Yours is to help the Bakugan."

"And I'm going to do that," Sunset stated.

"I'm sure you will. But don't think that means you have to endanger yourself to do so. Twilight might have been the one to discover how to defeat the enemies, but she never did it alone. You have friends and teammates. Let them help you. Because the next time you go rogue on your own, things might not go the way you want it to. And if you're alone, you may end up in over your head."

With that, Celestia turned to leave. As she did, Sunset wondered if she was right. What mattered wasn't getting credit. It was helping the Bakugan. And she needed her friends to do that.

Author's Note

So things in this version of Equestria didn't go exactly how they went in canon, which was likely obvious since Sunset was never in the show. So this is how Twilight and Sunset's relationship turned out. And while Sunset didn't hate Twilight, you can see why she felt overshadowed. Hopefully, her actions in the future will help her make a name for herself in her own way.