Second Chance

Ponyville, 2:30 p.m.

Two figures went from the edge of the Everfree forest into the town proper, both of them carrying capes and walking slowly, the one on the left have an ivory horn barely jutting out from the hem of its cape, while the other stops near one sign that states, in big green letters “Welcome to Ponyville”

“Are you coming?” Michael, AKA: Second Chance asked to her zebra friend.

“I don’t think so, it will be a blow,

I’ll be on my way, I bid you a good day,

Goodbye my friend, I bid thee farewell.”

“Ok, see you later Zecora, and thanks” the pony says, and without another word, they both go their separate way. Anyhow, when Second Chance goes further in town, he begin to find something peculiar, all the town was deserted, wandering around, he soon finds the Golden Oaks library, getting himself ready, he knocks on the wooden door three times, also pulling off the hood from his cape.

“In the name of Celestia, this is a PUBLIC library, why all the ponies have to knock the door, come in!” an annoyed, muffled voice came from the interior of the tree, Second Chance inhales deeply, and then, giving a little squeal, pushed the door open, when he enters the library, he find a little fizzled Twilight Sparkle getting a lot of things into a saddlebag, meanwhile, her little assistant/surrogate little brother Spike the dragon was dusting off and shelving all the books or parchments that his older caretaker was discarding along. Glancing to the entrance of the library, Twilight sighs and went on with her preparations.

“Sorry mister, the library will be closed early today, I need to check something into the Everfree forest that came to my attention”, she quickly say, also getting ready all the other stuff, “Spike, will you please continue your chores, this place doesn’t tidy itself.”

“On it!” the young drake mock saluted, only to gasp when all the books, parchments, broken quills and other stuff suddenly where enveloped in a blue aura and begin to assort themselves, the books and parchments going into their respective shelves and the broken stuff, as well as the dust and the other debris from the scholar pony frantic search, to a bin near the strange pony in the entrance, “hey, what gives, I am the assistant of Twilight, so what are you playing at, dude?”

“Sorry, young one, but I need to talk with Twilight Sparkle now, if you would be so kind to get us some tea, also… Daaaamn I am good doing chores with magic” the strange stallion says, checking up his work, “for an novice, anyway” he adds.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” the purple unicorn ask, a little baffled, “I don’t remember you from the party on Princess Luna return.” In response, the unicorn fumbles a little with some device on his left forearm and a pad with some cards appears from thin air, the librarian looked mildly interested, then the visitor gets one card from the top of the device and put it face-down between both of them, Twilight, now annoyed, takes the card in her magic and flips it face-up.

“Stardust Dragon”

Then, she fainted.

“Well, that could have gone better” The white stallion says, amused.

Ponyville, 2:45 p.m.

“NEVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN!, IF YOU PULL THAT STUNT AGAIN... I'll… I'll burn you!” an irate purple, almost red dragon was yelling at the top of his lungs, meanwhile, a white stallion was seated on a couch, waiting patiently for his hostess to wake up.

“Ughhh, my head, what happened” Twilight moans, from her aisle on the second floor, how she arrived here was a mystery, the last thing she remembered was that some weird stallion was on the door, then he materializes cards and a pad, and then…

Stardust Dragon.

Suddenly, all the grogginess in Twilight’s body melt away, and her eyes were reduced to pinpricks, she teleported downstairs, where the currently occupants of the library are staring at each other.

“Spike, get away from him, he's dangerous” Twilight stated, lighting her horn and aiming to the now standing unicorn on her couch.”

“Wait just a minute miss Sparkle if I can…” whatever other words where lost when Twilight shoot a light beam to the unicorn who yelped, but was unable to avoid the magical missile, which send him flying through the door and into the street.

“Whoa” a chromatic cyan Pegasus exclaims, dodging the live projectile, “what was all that about?”

“Rainbow, help me to tie him,” a panting Twilight Sparkle asks her now surprised friend, “and please gather all our other friends, we need to keep that stallion on observation, and he could be very dangerous.”

“On it!” the flyer quickly answers, going where the unconscious pony was hanging of a tree, “Twi, remember to me that I never, EVER, want to get on your bad side” she mockingly says, trying to dislodge the mangled pony from the tree, and silently wondering why he was so light.

After a while, Second Chance was tied up in the sofa at the library, fortunately for him, none of the mares had think on taking off his cape, so, for now, he still was treated as an very weird unicorn, meanwhile, Twilight had send Spike and Rainbow Dash to look for all her friends, and now she was observing the unconscious male tied up in the furniture, and the card that now she had in her hoof.

Stardust Dragon.

How a simple unicorn could seal a dragon into a card, and why he was saying he is an “novice” in magic if he could do that kind of advanced magic, and also, why a card, and why it has numbers and a “effect” printed on it.

Too many questions where swirling the librarian’s mind.

“Ow, my all hurts” a little voice was heard, Twilight tore her eyes from the dragon in the card and towards the tied pony in her sofa.

“I hope you have a very good explanation for this mess mister” she begin, only to see the unicorn tied smiling up to her with a goofy grin plastered on his face, “w-why are you looking at me like that?”

“Je, I am talking with the great Twilight Sparkle, and she is real” the unicorn mumbled, still looking at her, “anyhow, why in Celestia’s name I am tied up like a thanksgiving turkey?”

“Well, actually I want to release you, but with one condition, release this poor dragon from this card!” she states, pointing to the card in the table.

“I don’t follow...” the stallion states, looking a little confused, and tilting his head to one side

“What do you mean, I don’t follow” Twilight snaps, pointing to the card and then to the device on his foreleg, “you produced some kind of device and then you show me this poor dragon trapped on the card, well if you want to get those ropes off, better start releasing this dragon”

“Uhh… are you serious?” he asks, “oh god, you are serious, bwajajajajaja” the stallion then begin to laugh at her, “you… you think that stardust is a real dragon… oh my sides… jajajaja.”

“What do you mean, a real dragon?” this time the librarian tilted her head, confused by the stallion’s behavior.

“That, my little pony, is a card from a game called duel monsters and I am from another world.”