Cards of Prophecy

Chapters

Jack of Dogs
King of Shadows
Endgame: The Queen of Nights
Epilogue

Jack of Dogs

Draw a card.

Celestia looked down at the table. There was small deck, only twelve cards, each with her cutie mark on it. Luna had warned her, even her sister had failed the challenge. Celestia looked back to the entrance of the Card Master's tent, a sliver of sunlight slipping through the folds. She looked back down to the table, and moved her hoof to the top card.

She paused, noticing the Card Master's eager eyes piercing through his hood. With her magic, she pulled the fifth card from the deck looked at it.

You think yourself clever, princess. Perhaps. But the Jack of Dogs would not take kindly to being drawn so early.

The Card Master lifted his hooves from the table and returned all the cards into his sleeves. He waved his hoof and five cards marked with a sun appeared in front of Celestia. She levitated them in front of her, keen to keep their secrets away from the Card Master.

I already know what they are. They are mine, after all. Now, choose your fate.

On the table a grid of cards appeared, shuffling themselves into place. They arranged themselves in a four by four square, all face down except the top right card. It was called "The Docks." The Card Master waved his hoof above the docks and from it a miniature Celestia statue appeared.

Where will you adventure lead?

Celestia glared at the cards before making her first move. She shifted her figurine left, revealing the card it stood on. "The Beggar" it read.

Ah, this one. You find yourself camping on a hill not far from a fishing village. It has not seen prosperous days lately and her ponies are desperate. You tried to skirt around the village but your meager campfire was spotted by some very hungry ponies. They approach you and beg for food.

The card glowed, and the image on the card seemed to move to Celestia. She saw two realities, her two choices. She could offer then provisions or reject them, both likely leading to greater consequences. Luna had warned her of how the choices would effect her, but she couldn't recall what it was. Celestia looked around the tent for the entrance again, but a thick fog had surrounded the table.

"Of course I am willing to share my food with ponies in need," Celestia told the Card Master. The Card Master waved his hoof over the card and the images stopped, freezing the image of merry beggars onto the card. Even though it was just a game, Celestia felt joy from the card's magic, and the Card Master noticed.

That is a blessing, princess. And this, too, is yours.

A card flew from the pony's large baggy sleeves and into Celestia's set. The card was golden, but still marked with a sun. It read, "Blessing: Gift that Gives."

You may find your sixth card useful further down the road. For now, you must move on.

The fog around them cleared and Celestia regained awareness of the whole board. The grid of cards, four by four, were still there. She could hear her sister's advice in her head once again. "Be yourself in there, never change, no matter what the game does to you."

An ominous message, for sure, but nevertheless it was just a game. Celestia lifted her figurine and continued along the board, moving down to the next card. The card glowed and revealed itself as "The Traveler's Plight."

You might enjoy this one, Princess. You're well on your way to finding the Jack of Dogs, but not before encountering some bandits along the dirt road. "This 'ere is our land, miss, and yer goin' to 'ave to pay the tax fer it, ye get?"

As before, Celestia saw the bandits on the card move around the card, like waves on the ocean, forming three possibilities. She saw herself running, finding a way around, paying up the tax and travelling bitless, or fighting the bandits, spilling blood across the forest path. She tried to remember whether money was essential to success in the Card Master's plans, but the fog around the table returned, cutting off the outside world and clouding her thoughts.

"Killing them would be wrong, but I've seen worse in Equestria's long history," she told the card, and without the aid of the Card Master her decision was frozen onto the card.

Let's see how you fare in combat, Princess.

The table was sucked into the ground, the chairs vanished, and Celestia stood alone in the tent. But the fog had transformed the tent. Dirt poured in from all around Celestia, replacing the wooden floor. Trees and bushes sprouted up instantly. The dry stale air of the Card Master's tent was relinquished and replaced by fresh dew and pine leaves.

Oh, I almost forgot. Your card, use it well.

The voice echoed through the sun marked card floating in front of Celestia. She grasped it with her magic to take a closer look. She only managed to see "Ax" before it crumbled to ash, and from the ashes sprouted a light steel ax for chopping logs. Celestia levitated it in front of her, examining the magic that had conjured it. In her concentration, a hard blow stuck her abdomen, dropping her to the ground.

"Of course," she whispered to herself. "Bandits."

Celestia rolled away from the pony and launched herself up from the ground, swinging the ax up and striking the bandit across the jaw. Another with a sword in his mouth charged at Celestia's side but she parried him away with a power flap of her wings. Stunned, the bandit could not block the lunge she directed to his skull, and his brain suddenly developed a split personality. Celestia looked up, focusing on the sound of feathered wings above her, and side stepped. The third bandit, armed with daggers tied to his hooves, dived down onto Celestia only to face-plant into hard dirt and snap his neck on the impact.

A brutal victory, though you did not leave unscathed.

Celestia felt the fog return as his clouded her thoughts and blacked out her vision. When she regained her senses the tent had returned, along with the Card Master and his board. The sound of the Trader's Exchange lurked outside once again, and Celestia could even see a ray of sun peaking into the tent.

Two of the six cards Celestia had was different. The first one she noticed was her weapon. "Bloodied Ax" was scrawled onto the card, and a small description as well; "increase your intimidation." The second was a heart card. What appeared to be a regular ace of hearts had transformed into a gruesome, realistic heart, with the numbers 95/100.

Maybe you'll remember to stay on your guard next time, Princess.

Celestia looked down to see where the bandit had stuck her. There she saw a large black bruise on her otherwise pristine white coat. She touched it and flinched. It was definitely a real injury. Celestia realized the game just didn't effect ponies' minds; whatever happens in the Card Master's world would harm or help the pony who played.

"Now I remember," she muttered to herself. Celestia looked up to the Card Master, "Your magic has harmed countless of my citizens with false promises of a prize. I may not understand what kind of magic you use, but I will end it before any pony else gets hurt." Celestia began to rise from her seat.

Come now, it's only a bruise. Besides, has any pony walked out of my domain with injuries? I wouldn't think so, after all it's just an old stallion's game. Here, for your victory.

Three cards floated from the stallion's robes reading "Gold Gain 5" on them. They merged with Celestia's fast growing set of cards, and glowed as a sun mark was magically etched onto the back of each card.

Tempting? Treasures await in this vast deck, rare magic I'm sure you wouldn't want in my hooves. And if you plan on winning, I suggest you play, because this is my world, and you're just another piece.

=============================================================

Impressive.

Celestia huffed a breath of relief. The "Den of Thieves" card was the hardest fight yet, and she still had the left column of cards to complete. The thieves had some gold, but it couldn't replace what was lost two cards ago after losing to the "Con Pony" card. Worse, Celestia looked down at her heart card; she had fallen just below half health.

She moved the Celestia figurine left, to the top left card, prepared to face the challenges of the last four cards on the board. "Airship" was printed on it.

Ah, lucky break my dear princess. You stumble across the sight of a mailing outpost, one shipping goods to a far off land. The airships are sturdy and sophisticated, and will definitely speed you away to the Jack of Dogs. Are you ready to continue your search?

"Yes," whispered Celestia, relieved to be done of the horrible grid of cards. While the next board organized itself she took a quick look through the fifteen cards she had accumulated. Many blessings that she never got the chance to use, as well as the ax she started with. She looked really hard at it, trying to imagine what it was like in its original form. The card read, "Devil's Bloodied Ax of Butchered Orphans." It had accumulated multiple magical properties since she received the card, though she couldn't remember how.

Choose your path.

Celestia looked up from her deck of cards. The board was simple, just a horizontal set of cards in a two by three arrangement. Her figurine was placed on the central card of the upper row. The tent was lit by Celestia's horn as she moved the piece to the left. The card read "Prince of Beggars."

You wake up and find yourself chained to the floor in some dark cave. There are others around you, stripped down to nothing. What little you have in your bit pouch has been taken. You try to pull your weapon out to cut the chains but it's stuck under you. Trapped in this cave, you wait all day. After a long tedious day of waiting, you hear hoof steps coming from the cave entrance. It is the Beggar Prince and his gang of poverty stricken ponies. One of them, however, catches you eye.

A card lifted itself out of Celestia's deck. A blessing card, the "Gift that Gives," hovered above the figurine and dissolved into dust. The image on the card changed, and Celestia could see a picture of a pony begging the Prince.

One of the beggars begins to plead to the Prince, asking him to spare you. He claims you saved his family from starvation a few weeks ago, and that's the only reason he was able to leave his village. The Prince of Beggars considers this and finally orders for you to be freed. As you take your leave the pony you help weeks ago stops you and hands you a fine shield stolen from a soldier a few night ago. He tells you that they couldn't identify the magic on the shield, but hopes that it can help you on your adventures.

The Card Master waved his hand and a shield card flew from his sleeves into Celestia's deck. Finally, Celestia felt the ability to look outside once again. It looked like it was still morning. She came early to find the Card Master, before the most of the stalls had even finished setting up. The real traffic would be coming soon.

I hope you're not short on time, Princess. We haven't even seen to the Jack of Dogs.

Celestia turned her head back to the game. She lifted her figurine and moved it down to the next card. She held her breath when it was revealed, unsure whether the Card Master was playing rushing the game or if she was that lucky. The card read, "The Jack of Dogs."

Lucky us, I thought we'd be here all morning. You've already surpassed the average lifespan of a game, so don't feel bad if you lose now.

Celestia looked up and glared at the Card Master's hooded face. "I've faced worse things in your game, out there in the real world. I'll win before the Exchange is over and see that you never harm my citizens again."

I eagerly await.

The Card Master and the table sank into the ground, and once again Celestia found herself standing in the dark fog. Her gruesome ax, bloody and burning, was at her side, levitating defensively. Her gifted shield, light yet impenetrable, was strapped to her left wing. Flight would not be an option. She wouldn't need it however; rocks crawled up the walls and stone took the place of wood and fabric. She was in the Jack of Dogs' lair, deep in an underground system.

Oh, and one last thing. The Jack's bodyguards of course.

Two cards materialized in front of Celestia, hovering inches from her face. They spun around, revealing all the creatures she would have to slay. The cards read, "The Six of Shadows," and "The Four of Changelings."

The tunnels were dark, but Celestia was still the princess of the sun, and she summoned her light to illuminate the stretch of the tunnel. With no shadows to hide behind, three pony silhouettes were revealed. They were nothing more than solid black, slowly burning away at Celestia's light.

With ease she cleaved through their bodies, turning them to flakes of black crystals. Her burning gaze tore through the tunnel, blinding every shadow and changeling, bending them to her might. In minutes, Celestia stood at the entrance to the Jack's throne room. The Jack was a brutish diamond dog, large in stature but small in mind. Enraged by the light he hurled his broadsword across the room, only to destroy his own armor stands.

Celestia held her shield up and charged the Jack, deflecting his punches easily and scoring a debilitating blow to his chest. But the Jack was fast, and returned with a powerful swipe across her face, sending Celestia ten feet across the room and into the cold stone wall. He howled, "The jewels belong to me! No ponies shall touch them!" before rushing at Celestia.

Celestia reacted at the last second, dropping her body down and raising the shield up at an angle. On impact, the magic in the shield flared, erupting in a fury of white light and blasting the Jack up into the ceiling of his throne room. Coming down, Celestia focus her magic into a blast that caught the Jack mid air and returned him up into the stone ceiling. Celestia got up on her hooves and rushed to reach the Jack as he impacted the ground, spinning with her ax and plunging it into the chest of the Jack.

At that moment, the entire cavern shattered. Celestia was once again surrounded by the dark fog. Though she tried to resist it's power so she might see how the Card Master returned with the table, she was once again blinded and rendered unconscious.

=============================================================

A stunning victory, I'm sure, but you have much more work to do Princess. Here, a gift for the Jack's quick defeat.

The Card Master handed Celestia the card this time, rather than with his strange magic ways. She managed to catch a glimpse of the old stallion's arm. They were tattooed with archaic runes that glowed and shifted around like the images on the cards. The card Celestia received was unlike any other blessing card she received. It didn't feel empowering or exciting, it was relaxing, loving, and nostalgic. She noticed the different marking on the edges of the card too. While the card's back was still engraved with her cutie mark, the borders were not a solid dark brown like the Card Master's, they were dark blue, and decorated with a pattern of crescent moons.

Celestia glanced away from the card and looked at the Card Master. "This is not one of your cards, is it?"

Clever Princess. No, it isn't. It's a gift from the outside.

Celestia returned her gaze to the card and touched it with her hoof. The card lit brightly, blazing moonlight strait into Celestia's eyes. For a second she was blinded, but when the burning light stopped she opened her eyes again. The Card Master was still there, but faded. The whole tent, in fact, was faded, like an image behind heavily stained glass. In place of the tent Celestia saw her sister, Luna, in a dungeon, fighting Timberwolves and Changelings.

Luna's voice echoed inside her head, like a far off recording.

Dear Sister, I do not know how long this trial shall be for me, or whether or not I shall succeed, so this is the trail I will leave for you. This is the next challenge you face, the Jack of Dragons. His cave will be precariously filled with traps and fire, and the Card Master will draw four cards as the Jack's minions. Seek out blessings and armor resistant to acid and poison, not fire. It's the Card Master's trick, he wants you to prepare for the dragon's fire, however the dungeon's traps will hurt the most. Acid and poison my sister, remember this and remember me, please.

Celestia gasped, awake and shivering.

A powerful card, I presume. I did not think she could do it, but the magic worked astonishingly well. Now, shall we continue?

The Card Master waved his hoof and the tabled cleared. A small deck, the first one Celestia drew from, materialized onto the desk. Celestia hesitated on which card to draw, but knew it wouldn't matter. According to her sister she was bound to draw the dragon. Maybe the cards were rigged. No, she knew they were in the Card Masters favor.

Celestia drew the card from the bottom and read it. "The Jack of Dragons," was burned onto the card. Every piece of the card was themed with fire, the card itself was too hot to touch without magic. But if Luna said it was a trick, then she would have faith in her.

You seem confident. Of course you do, the last one was so easy, and I'm sure you've dealt with real dragons before. So let's begin.

King of Shadows

Farther than any pony has gone before. Don't feel bad if you lose now. But you are almost done, too.

The "King of Shadows" card was the longest yet. Celestia couldn't count how many cards she had gone through to get to it. Luna's advice had only taken her so far, and after the eighth "boss" card she was on her own. But after what Luna went through to get those blessings through to her, Celestia would not let them go to waste. The Card Master's challenges had become more tedious than challenging, often repeating a similar course over and over.

Celestia looked at the card she revealed. "Carnival of Tartarus," was messily scrawled on the card. Celestia looked down at her set of cards. The carnival curse was still with her, and there was no chance of getting out of the carnival unharmed.

You stumble across a seemingly abandoned carnival, lost. You call out, asking for directions, asking any pony for help. "I'll aid you, small pony," utters an old shrivelled goat. He hands a map over to you, but pauses. "But I get so little traffic here. Care for a wager?" The goat drops two dice onto the counter of his stall. "Here's some easy odds," he whispers. "Even, you get the way out. Odd, I take a vacation and you fill this empty stall.

"I don't suppose I have a choice, do I?" replied Celestia. The image on the card melted and shuffled, showing the result of the dice roll. The first dice formed with three dots, and the second showed a six. Nine, and that meant it was odd.

Distraught with your new-found curse, the old goat pulls you into the stall and slips out the back. As you try to escape with him, you feel yourself pulled back into the carnival stall. You look around for the chains or rope, but nothing can be seen. After a few minutes, you realize it was the carnival's uniform keeping you in the stall. Like everything around you lately, it was cursed to hold you in the stall until some pony took over for you. Time passes quickly when you have an eternity to yourself, and at some point another lost adventurer stumbles across your carnival. You call out to the adventurer, and pull the same ploy as the goat who trapped you. You walk free from the carnival, but with a heavy heart knowing some pony will suffer in you place.

The scene faded from Celestia's vision, returning her to the Card Master's tent. It was nearly evening outside, judging by the light of the sun. She looked down to her cards, all marked with her cutie mark. No bit cards, no food cards, just weapons, armor, blessings, and curses. Celestia flicked to eyes back to the Card Master. "What happened? Where's my money, and food?"

Your curse comes at a heavy price.

The Card Master waved his hoof and materialized a curse card into Celestia's set. "Carnival Magic," it read.

Your time in the Carnival has filled you with dark magics, strengthening your mind and body, but you encroach on the edge of insanity under the grasp of its power, discarding your food and wealth in a fit of enchanted rage. When the side-effects subside, you find yourself miles from anything recognizable.

A gust of wind blew over the table, shuffling the board of cards into an entirely different design. It was a large cross, with each of its arms at a symmetrical length. Celestia's figurine stood at the center, with a line of four cards to the north, south, east, and west.

Celestia shot a piercing glare at the Card Master. "I'll die of boredom at this rate. This is boss four all over again, Card Master."

The Card Master nodded.

Then you should be able to deal with it, as you did before.

Celestia looked back down to her cards, her deck shimmering with magic from curses and blessings. Reaching out with her magic, she drew a blessing card gifted to her from her sister's last message. It read, "Clairvoyance," with an image of a blue, all-seeing eye. She hovered the card above the board and let it dissolve, slowly revealing every card on the board.

You do know how to kill the fun, don't you Princess?

She ignored him, scanning the board for the greatest opportunity. To the North, a forest path led to the next stage of the level. To the South, a grand city blocked by three dessert cards. To the East, a set of mountain cards, inevitably filled with danger. And to the West, a set of dungeon cards ending with the "King of Shadows" eagerly awaiting.

I assume you've chosen your path?

Celestia dipped her head in a slight nod, levitating the figurine westward, entering the dungeon. A thick black fog wrapped around the table washing away the Card Master and the table of cards. Celestia stood prepared, with her ax drawn and shield strapped to her left hoof, its magic blazing light through the fog, revealing only more fog.

The dank scent of mold burn your nostrils as you enter the reclusive fortress of the King of Shadows. Here, everything sees without light, and not even the stinging cold is enough to inspire the inhabitants to create fire, for they fear the light to much.

As the Card Master narrated, the atmosphere grew thick with the fumes of damp moss and mold. Cold stone floors formed at Celestia's hooves, but she felt no fear. Celestia smirked at her obvious advantage against the darkness, and raised her horn to enlighten the dungeon. Nothing happened.

Ah, so the old dog can't learn tricks after all. The King's curse over his land banishes light magic, allowing only the vilest of creatures to inhabit his domain. Echoes travel down the vast halls of the King's fortress, though their mixed origins turns the echoes in ambient noise. You have to proceed to the King's chambers before one of those noises makes it self clearer to you.

Celestia furrowed her brows, turning around to find a way to make sense of her surroundings, but it was darker than the night during the new moon. Then, she looked down to her shield. Though the King's curse removed the light it created, even a short flash of its enchantments would provide a sense of direction.

Raising her ax up with her magic, she struck it against the shield, the force of the magic throwing her up against the wall of the corridor. The power of the shield echoed through the corridors, melting away the darkness. But the King's magic was strong, and the blast was stopped short at the very end of the corridor. Celestia looked closely at the returning darkness.

It looked almost solid, like a thick black slime that masked any light, but it had no texture. There was nothing differentiating it from regular, well lit air.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. "It doesn't make sense, of course it doesn't. It's his game, I have to keep moving, I have to reach the next card."

Celestia got off the wall and stood up, looking around the room before the thick shadows engulfed it again. She was in a large room, presumably a torture chamber, given that the wall was lined with shackles and blood. There were two exists, one lying strait ahead, across the room from Celestia, and one on the wall to her right.

"If it's right, then it's right," Celestia muttered to herself. She began to gallop to the exit when a sharp pain struck her rear hoof. She turned to see a skeleton of a pony gnawing on her leg.

She gasped and leaped away, striking the skeleton down with her ax, shattering the bones into fragments.

That looked painful, Princess.

Celestia snarled back to the Card Master's voice inside her head, but she only felt displeased with herself when her heart card appeared in front of her. It read "121/140."

Celestia took a second look at her increased health. Though it still hurt, she felt that the skeleton did much less damage than it should have.

"Must be the Carnival Magic curse. If I wasn't hungry right now I'd be glad it gave me the health boost."

She turned away from the heart card, allowing it to burn away, back to wherever her deck was kept during the encounter. As she approached the darkness at the exit, she repelled it with a clank of her shield, projecting the sound of metal across the entire dungeon area.

Shrieks and howls returned to Celestia almost immediately. The first to come around the corner was a timber wolf - a bastardized version of one at least - charging its way to Celestia. It leaped forward, its powerful wooden magic propelling it as a blur down the corridor, but Celestia deflected the Timber Wolf with her shield, smashing it into piece against a wall.

The other beasts didn't give her an easier time either, and the moment the wolf was destroyed two massive vampire bats sprung from the darkness behind Celestia. He ax caught the first one in the face, slicing through the skull and down to the heart, however the second bat swatted its dead companion to the side and collided strait into Celestia, clawing and scraping at her armor.

It shredded long strips of steel off of her armor before she could refocus on her ax and beat it aside with the flat edge of the ax head. But the bat's strength was multiplied by the dark power of the dungeon, and it sprung off the floor and took to the ceiling of the dungeon before Celestia could score a killing blow.

Celestia looked up at the darkness above her, striking her ax against her shield to reveal the bat. It reacted to the flash in rage, leaping off a ledge on the ceiling and plunging back down onto Celestia. She rolled to the side and watched as the bat crashed into the stone floor, bruised but barely injured.

Celestia knew he ax was the only thing strong enough to kill it, but this bat was too fast to land a successful strike. The bat glared back at Celestia with an intelligent glance, measuring its distance and the time it would take to close it. When it finally leaped Celestia didn't hesitate to return with a charge of her own, pinning the bat up against the wall with her shield, firing off waves of magic as it tried to push the beast into the stones of the wall. With the bat pinned and immobile, Celestia drove her ax into the chest of the the vampire bat, bursting its heart out from its back.

It was finally dead, and Celestia had the time to look back up toward the ceiling. At the very top she spotted a trap door, protected by dozens of monsters flying around it, staring down at her vicious victory. Their aggravated chatter began as a low growl, growing as more began their decent onto Celestia to avenge their fallen comrade, or claim their own victory, or both.

Celestia focused her magic into levitating her ax, putting speed, force, and accuracy into ever strike. She watched their movements as they descended, planning the next three beast she would have to kill. They were all as strong as the massive vampire bat, but the close quarters of the monster swarm took away their mobility, simply allowing Celestia to cleave through each creature as it struggled to fly out of the way.

As their numbers were reduced the beasts became more cunning, keeping enough space between themselves to maneuver around each attack. When Celestia met their red eyes with a calm look, they hesitated on their attack. She had taken time to take note of each archetype of monster, and carefully planned out how to take down each of them as quickly as possible.

The two harpies made their charge first, flanking Celestia and flying out of her field of view. Celestia listened to their squawking, rotating her body when they were within her range. The harpy to her right was immediately taken down with a sweeping blow from the ax, while the one to her left struck her shield at an angle, crashing down into the stone floor. Celestia leaped onto the harpy's wings and severed her head with a slice from her ax.

From above, Celestia heard the roar of a wyvern, a sort of two legged cousin to the dragon, as it took the opportunity to strike from behind. But while the opportunistic wyvern was fast, Celestia had expected this sneaky attack, and responded with an aggressive gust of wind from her wings.

For a second it was stunned, which was more than enough time for Celestia to take to the air and dismember one of the wyvern's wings, permanently grounding it. She soared passed the falling wyvern, and simply swatted aside the other few bats and giant birds that attempted to slow her. She was tired, and the fight had gone on far too long. She cared only about the task at hoof; getting to the trap door.

=============================================================

The King of Shadows awaits, Princess. Are you confident you are ready?

Celestia looked down to her health card. "65/140" it read. The other two dungeon cards were almost complete repeats of the first, but just with more beasts and almost unreachable exits. Only two blessings remained in her deck, while all the curses sat happily in their place. She took out the two blessings and went over them.

"Last Breath," the first one read, which would resurrect Celestia to half health if she died. The second read, "Extra Gold," which was useless unless she found any gold in the dungeon.

Celestia put back the two cards and looked back to the Card Master. He sat there patiently, staring at Celestia like she was a wall. A cool breeze waltzed into the tent, bringing the scent of home and dirt. It was just an hour after sundown, and tomorrow morning the stalls would begin to pack up and return home.

She expected to have won the game by this point, originally hoping to be able to join in on the Trade Exchange and clean out the Royal Attic. Sometimes she wondered what would really happen if she tried to get up and leave, but something always kept her in her seat.

I'm on no schedule, Princess, but for your sake, stop having an existential crisis in the middle of the dramatic part of the story.

Again, Celestia listened closely to his phrase. Everything about his words, the way he seemed almost amused at some points, confirmed that he only pursued fun and mischief. A "story" he called it, but stories didn't leave battle scars on the reader. Celestia looked down to her legs and torso, having a flashback to each cut and bruise she received. Battle injuries wasn't new to her, but her citizens would react very differently to her condition.

She looked away from herself and back to the game board. Her figurine, the only thing that looked the same throughout the whole game, stood right next to the "King of Shadows" card. Gently, she moved the figure onto the card and prepared for the scene transition.

Celestia looked around, unsure when the King's Chambers materialized around her. She could hear voices from behind the heavy wooden doors, but couldn't see where the handle was. Her stomach growled again, as it did with the start of every encounter, serving as a reminder that the carnival had stripped her of all her food and gold.

Celestia felt around the door for a handle while listening to the screaming and begging coming from behind the door. Finally, a loud click was triggered as she turned a circular handle and pushed open the door. The moment she stepped inside however, a force immediately threw her out of the room, slamming her into what felt like an stand full of armor.

Completely vulnerable in the dark, Celestia slammed her shield against the wall, burning away the darkness with the flash of light from its enchantment. As if it were a force of karma, the King of Shadows was not only revealed, but forced away by the magic of the shield, just as Celestia was blasted out of the room.

Celestia started to push the clattering armor off her, but the King of Shadows predicted her move and lunged back at her as a flurry of shadows. Celestia could raise her shield in time and resorted to turning to the side to take the impact on the right shoulder instead of her chest.

The King's magic tore apart Celestia's armor and more, leaving an inch deep cut across her shoulder. Fearful for the first time, she rolled onto her back and shielded herself from the oncoming strikes of the King of Shadows. She couldn't see what the king looked like, if he even looked like anything, but in between strikes he almost appeared to take the form of a unicorn, if a unicorn was pitch black with glaring dark magic surrounding it.

On the fifth strike the King began to falter from the power of the shield, and Celestia took the chance to lodge her ax into the King's head. But the King was still too quick, and dissolved into the darkness along the walls, materializing behind Celestia and bucking her into his chambers.

She hit the ground hard, and the straps on her shield finally succumbed to the battle and broke, sending the shield flying across the room, lighting up the massive throne room as it skidded across the floor. Celestia shook her head to regain her senses, seeing her heart card displayed right in her face. "29/140" it read.

She waved it away, galloping over to her shield to repair its straps with a spell. She anticipated the King of Shadows' interception and slid under his leap, glancing sideways to see him topple over a stone pillar and get crushed.

Quickly, Celestia put her shield securely on her left foreleg, tightening it painfully to ensure it remained with her for the fight. The King's breathing became enraged as he blasted a jet of dark magic at Celestia from the stone rubble. She raised the shield, absorbing the magic and redirecting it to her ax.

She felt the feedback of the King's dark magic in her blood, chilling her to the bone. But she also felt powerful, invincible even, and her ax radiated the same attitude. However, the King did not give Celestia time to savor the dark magic. He launched stones from the pile of rubble, flinging them with powerful bursts of magic.

Each impact made Celestia's shield flare up with magic, lighting the room and burning away layers of the King's dark form, but the force of the stone shook through to Celestia as well.

As Celestia hid behind her shield, the heart card returned, glowing red to emphasize the growing danger. "10/140," it read, and then "9/140," and it fell again to "8/140."

"Not now, go away!" Celestia commanded the card, sending it back to her deck. She charged the stone hurling King, ramming through the stones with bright flashes of magic and knocking over the panicking King. With darkness in her eyes, Celestia levitated her ax up high, driving it down into the back the King, searing through layers of his ever changing shadows.

He was still formless though, and managed to escape Celestia's grasp and reformed next to his throne, with a prisoner held in front of him using magic. The King of Shadows had stretched his horn into a sharp spear, and slowly pressed it into the rear leg of the pony captive.

The pony screamed in pain, filling the King's Chambers with her high pitched voice of terror.

The King glared at Celestia, showing off his fanged smile with what looked almost like a smirk, if his face wasn't so formless.

"Go ahead hero, save the innocent," he said, positioning the prisoner between them. "You can fix the little's one's life and we both walk away. Your kind likes that, right? A happy ending, a lesson in companionship and teamwork."

Celestia slowly walked closer, trying to get a good view of the King of Shadows.

His smirk lessened but was still painfully present. "Don't try to get a double win. Be realistic, the cunning always walks away, no matter how wrong you claim it to be, I will-"

The King of Shadows stopped in shock. Before him stood the pony prisoner, with an empty space where her torso used to be. He looked down to his own chest, and saw a sinister bloodied ax, gnawing away at his magic, consuming his very essence.

"But, you..." the King of Shadows struggled for words in his confusion.

Celestia strode casually up to the King, kicking aside the dead prisoner and pulling out the ax from his chest. "It's just a game," Celestia told the King, burying the ax into his face. The last thing the King saw, was his own darkness in the eyes of Celestia.

Endgame: The Queen of Nights

That was... brutal.

"Don't judge me Card Master, I'm through with your games," Celestia replied. She stared down nervously at her heart card, reading "2/140" on it. She had a blessing that could have helped, but Celestia knew it would be unwise to rely on anything she gained from the Card Master.

But what of your own resolve? Will you be able to live with yourself, knowing you let the King's dark powers take hold of your mind?

"So now it's your turn to have the existential crisis?" she answered, watching as the game board slowly burned away the cards, clearing the board. "The wounds may be real, but an alicorn's mind isn't as easily affected by brute force."

Very well, Princess. Here, the loot from the castle is now your spoils of war.

The Card Master waved his hoof over the table, commanding eight cards to sprout from the woodwork like trees. They flipped over one after the other, revealing three food cards, two gold cards, a shadow sword card, a royal armor card, and a cat card. On their own, the cards queued up and slid into Celestia's deck, doubling the size of her collection.

"Why do I need these?" Celestia demanded. "The game is over, all the boss cards are destroyed!"

The Card Master pondered the thought of a moment, as if the notion had just dawned on him, but regardless he simply waved the thought away.

A reward is a reward, and you've earned it either way. Besides, there's still one last battle you must face.

Celestia shook her head. "Twelve boss cards, twelve bosses. That was the deal."

The Card Master reached out his hoof and shot out a single card onto the table.

I never said they were the only part of the deal. All victors must face this final challenge.

Celestia clenched her jaw, looking at the card's different aura for any clues as to what it might contain. It was different from the other bosses; it wasn't just more potent in power, but it sent chills down Celestia's back when she looked at it.

She quickly stared back at the Card Master, avoiding the sight of the card on the table. "And after this? What will happen when I complete this card?"

You will win. Only if you defeat it.

Celestia glanced warily back at the card. Something about it instilled fear in her, but she didn't show it. She gingerly lifted her figurine and placed it on top of the card, revealing its image.

Celestia's eyes widened in shock, staring strait at a portrait of her own sister, Princess Luna. Celestia shot a fierce glare at the Card Master, who's smile was so wide Celestia could feel it from across the table. Dark magic glowed from her card deck, filling her eyes with the same darkness as with the King of Shadows.

"Explain this!" she commanded, slamming her hoof onto the table. The woodwork cracked and the figurine shook, but the Card Master sat in perfect stillness, projecting his elation in waves of aura.

In due time, you will not need my words.

The Card Master spread his forelegs up, as if beckoning the sky itself. Around them the tent began a low rumble, tumbling down, uncovering a veil of dense, dark fog around them. The fog was sucked into the tent, swallowing whole the table and the Card Master, leaving only Celestia in the darkness.

With her ax and shield, Celestia gave a hearty Klang!, sending a shockwave of magic ringing across the room. But nothing was revealed. No darkness was removed, not even a slight revelation of what lied behind the fog, because there was nothing behind it at all. No scenery grew from the darkness, it just remained there, spiraling around Celestia.

Celestia looked around, noticing that she could see her ax and her shield in the darkness, as if they were in a well lit room. She tested her magic, and it too shined bright like the sun, but there was nothing to see but herself.

Celestia spun around, evaluating what she would have to accomplish to leave the empty realm. She stepped around, turned left and right, ran a few paces only to double back. With no idea what the purpose was, Celestia reached the only plausible conclusion: the Card Master had simply trapped her in the void, and left the game unfinished.

She scrunched her face in rage, slamming her shielded hoof into the ground repeatedly. How could she have let herself be trapped, she thought to herself.

"Card Master, you coward!" she cried out, facing the black sky. "If you rig your game from the start, then you deserve no enjoyment from it."

"Such anger; you're despicable."

Celestia whirled around, ax ready to end the Card Master in his own realm, but she halted her rotation and stumbled to the ground. Looking up, she couldn't believe what she saw. It wasn't a simple mirage by the Card Master's magic; the entire scene that had appeared from the black fog was as real as the memory. It was her memory of the night Luna had turned to Nightmare Moon.

The Queen of Nights picked up Celestia by the wing and hurled her into the old castle, producing a sizable hole in the hard brick wall. The impact blurred Celestia's vision, but she could still make out the dark figure of the Queen of Nights, the pony known as Nightmare Moon. She struggled the rise, but couldn't find any strength in her legs. She quickly saw the reason why; in front of her was a faded heart card, ripped in half, reading "0/140."

In an instant, the world turned to fire, and in the next, the ashes blew away into nothing.

=============================================================

Nightmare Moon stood in the center of the castle, gazing down at the opponent, now turned to a pile of cards. It was the first pony she'd been able to face since the Card Master made her card. As she waited for the instance to fold into its card form again, her mind wandered, digging up memories placed by the Card Master's magic.

"I'm just a copy, dear sister, but I can hate you all the same," she said, smirking at the pile of cards before her, each carefully engraved with the same symbol upon the opponent's flank.

A few seconds passed in complete silence. Nightmare Moon gazed into the night sky, admiring the detail in every star and moon. She held the memories of her time on the moon, memories stolen from Luna when she attempted to overthrow the Card Master.

But how could they defeat a creator as gifted as the Card Master? The Queen of Nights smiled at the thought. She watched the Princess fight her way through every perfect piece of the Card Master's creations, never understanding why he laughed when they were brutally destroyed.

But she never questioned him, not once. She was sure the Sun Princess was the one he intended to duplicate for the next card on his list to craft. And when the Queen of Lights was done, the Queen of Nights would be free to take her place in the real world, as the Card Master's successor.

Of course, the plan was to make the Queen of Lights her successor, but she would never let that happen once she had control. The memories of hate were just too real; the Card Master had done his job exceedingly well, branding her card with ever lasting disdain for the sun. She welcomed it, rejoicing over the feeling of hate towards another, the feeling of dominance over an eternal enemy.

But Nightmare Moon began to feel uneasy as the scene of the castle remained, refusing to return to its card in the darkness. Instances never took this long to collapse, and the bizarre behavior made her feel uneasy.

"Card Master!" she called out, looking to the sky for answers. "Has there been a fault in the card? Why does it continue to hold me in here?"

The Card Master did not reply, he never truly spoke a word to any of his creations, but the Queen of Nights understood the sign perfectly; there was something amiss, some deed needed to be done.

As if a direct response to her thoughts, a light glowed viciously from the Sun Princess's pile of cards. The power of it blinded Nightmare Moon, stumbling her back into the wall. She willed her self to overcome the blinding whiteness of the magic, inching closer to the card in spite of the pain, hoping to destroy it.

It was all for naught, and the next moment she found herself halfway through a ruined castle pillar, staring up at a resurrected Sun Princess. Her face twisted in anger, and she thrust herself into combat with her would-be successor.

=============================================================

Celestia had little time to react, jumping back and spinning out of Nightmare Moon's path. Resurrection hadn't returned her weapons and armor to her, but that still served as an advantage, relieving her of the weight that slowed her previously.

Nightmare Moon spread her wings and looped around, diving from the air for a second strike. Celestia constructed a wall of light, misdirecting the Queen of Nights enough to strike the carved stone floor next to her. Celestia swiftly turned to Nightmare Moon, shifting her guard stance to adapt to the loss of all her armor and weapons. She realized she grew too used to the feeling of plates of steel holding her back.

Dust clouds grew around the Queen of Nights as she fanned the castle ruins toward Celestia, using her full wingspan to sweep up all the debris. Celestia responded with her own whirlwind, holding the cracked stone and rotting wood at the center of the stalemate. They held the clashing tempest as they held each other in a fierce gaze, daring the other to weaken her storm.

But Nightare Moon's resolve proved stronger; she wasn't weighed by the guilt of battling her sister. With a burst of raw strength Celestia faltered, blown out of the castle by the whirlwind. Fighting Nightmare Moon was one thing, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the fight.

She rolled out of the way as a reflex to the sound of Nightmare Moon's charge, avoiding the flash of magic from her horn as she drove it into the dirt of the garden outside the derelict castle. Celestia took the opportunity to return a blast of energy back at the Queen of Nights, throwing her into an overgrown rose bush.

The blast burned away part of the darkness in the Queen's form, but she swallowed the pain as her magic begun to heal it already. Nightmare Moon twisted herself, sticking her hooves into the soft dirt to find a solid combat position, but was stopped short by a buck to the head from Celestia.

Cracking through the masonry, Nightmare Moon spun into the castle, tumbling down onto the floor. Her legs shook but continued to support her weight long enough for her to take to the air. Celestia followed, chasing her down through the halls of the old castle, exchanging shots of magic, collapsing structures as they passed by.

With only the key memories of Princess Luna, the Queen of Nights was poor in her areal maneuvers, surviving the fight in the sky only with Celestia's reluctance to harm what was so similar to her sister. They swooped down into a music room, with a large pipe organ opposite of the entrance.

The pipes cried out as they bent, making room for the clashing of the two alicorns. Though even in size, Celestia pressed her advantage of age and experience, twisting one of the Queen's wings at an odd angle, disabling it for a short moment. Magic flowed into the castle scene, invisible to Celestia, and began repairing the wing even as the tendons were stretched.

Nightmare Moon let out a growl, belying the pain she truly felt. Celestia went soft at the sight of Nightmare Moon's face, twisted in pain, and released her immediately. The Queen flexed her wing, attempting to escape to more open areas, but her wing had healed at an angle, making balanced flight an impossibility for her.

Celestia noticed the twist in Nightmare Moon's wing as well, and for a moment both paused as tears swelled in Celestia's eyes. But she shook the tears off, reminding herself that the Queen of Nights was only a construct of magic, not the real Princess Luna. With her magic, Celestia lifted up six of the longest pipes of the bent organ, aiming them towards Nightmare Moon, threatening to impale her and destroy her for good.

"Please, no!" cried out the Queen of Nights, covering up her plans with a submissive tone. Celestia held the pipes, but froze to the sound of a perfect copy of her sister's voice. "Celestia, don't do it, please. I'm not doing this by choice. Really, I don't want to!"

Slowly, Celestia lowered the pipes, but kept them aloft with magic, aimed at the Queen and ready to strike. She looked to Nightmare Moon with confusion on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I have her memories, even the ones of turning into... into this beast I am now, this beast the Card Master made me to be." Nightmare Moon cautiously moved her position into a loose combat stance, disguising it as limps and discomfort. She spoke with an intimate and caring voice, hiding what was to come in the next few moments.

"I can remember how Luna felt when she lost control," the Queen continued. "It was, and is, her biggest regret. She loved you deep down, but she never really brought that love to the surface until it was too late." Oh how gullible she had become!

Celestia dropped all the pipes at once, taking time to process the emotions sprinting through her mind. In that time she didn't notice the glow of the Queen of Nights' magic as she swung a pipe around in a half-turn, bludgeoning Celestia's face into a bruised, bloody mess.

The impact shocked Celestia, bringing out primal feelings of fear, hatred, and betrayal. Her power swelled with her anger, drawing on the dark magic repressed deep inside with the core of her magic. Dark purple and green spewed out, overwhelming Nightmare Moon in a rampage of dark energies.

Celestia repaid the Queen's attack with her own pipe organ swing, flinging her dark figure into the walls of the music room, bringing down chunks of the roof one at a time. Nightmare Moon rose quickly, out of fear rather than hatred this time around, and fled through the large cracks in the castle's walls.

But her wings were not heal properly, and Celestia caught up to her only seconds later, tackling her into the dirt path behind the castle. With a burst of magic, Celestia levitated Nightmare Moon from the ground, swiveling her into a gnarled old oak tree. As ancient as the tree was, its thick bark splintered and cracked from the impact, forming a silhouette of the Queen of Nights' back on its exposed trunk.

Celestia's horn felt like a runner's legs, pushing the limits of its performance. Light and dark magic flowed out in equal amounts, weaving around the landscape, filling the entire castle rear with magical lights. Holding back the burning sensation in her horn was not easy - her horn felt like it was about to split open - but Celestia's focus was solely on the Queen of Nights. She leveled her horn parallel to the ground while Nightmare Moon struggled to stand, drawing on every last drop of magic she could muster, and let loose a beam of energy so potent it might as well have been a piece of the sun itself.

The blast threatened to grow out of control, pushing Celestia farther back despite her perfect combat stance. However, Equestria was at stake, and Celestia hadn't come this far to let her own power cut her off from her home. Her home, where her real sister was.

Memories of her time with Luna, both before and after Nightmare Moon, flipped through her mind like a book. Through the whole fight, she had tried to limit her feelings from interfering with the fight, but all the magic flowing through her final blast clouded her conscious, blurring the lines of reality between the Card Master's game and her real life.

At that moment, her thoughts churned and swirled in her head, mixing together as a blender would do to fruit. She confused the Queen of Nights for the real Princess Luna, and her will shattered to pieces.

"No! I can't stop it Luna, I can't!" she cried out, but the sound of the rippling magic drowned out all other noises. Her eyes teared up as she felt her uncontrolled power and rage shredded through the Queen of Nights' protective field, evaporating the dark magic that kept her alive and real.

=============================================================

"It wasn't real."

Then why do you believe it was?

"No, I don't. I - no, you - muddled the thoughts in my head."

Tisk tisk Princess, you know I hate ruining a good story.

Celestia hung her head, ashamed of herself. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't keep out the final memory of the Queen of Nights. She saw the Queen as her own sister, thinking it really was Luna, and then her own magic obliterated the scene.

Cheer up Princess, you've won. You're unique, a champion of the world. The only one to have ever completed the quest laid out before her.

Celestia looked up, watching as the Card Master gathered all the cards off the table, storing them in his seemingly endless sleeve.

"You don't get to walk away, Card Master. Don't you remember? I came to stop you from terrorizing my citizens with your tricks." Celestia rose from her seat, feeling in full control of herself this time, and conjured a pair of hoof-cuffs for the Card Master. The Card Master simply watched, and then chuckled.

Of course, the thought slipped my mind. We can't have ponies knowing that the game can actually be beaten, can we? Yes, we'll just keep it our little secret.

Celestia ignored the Card Master's prideful talk about his game, cuffing his forelegs together and dragging him up from his seat. But the Card Master did not follow. He wasn't resisting, no he wasn't foolish enough to do that, but his large sagging cloak simply slipped off when pulled along by the cuffs.

Time seemed to stop in the tent, Celestia wide eyed and staring at the figure that stood before her, and the Card Master showing no emotion or reaction. In fact, his whole face just fell off, flopping onto the ground, crumpling up.

Then, the Card Master stood, revealing everything that shocked Celestia. He had no tail, no mane, and definitely no face. He resembled a mannequin pony only his skin looked alive. The images on his skin, the exact same designs on the back of every card played in the game, moved around like a school of fish through the water, overlapping and passing each other.

Seeing the oddity of the Card Master struck her more than anything she saw in the cards. No matter what happened on the board or in the cards, she could remind herself it was part of the game; the Card Master was not part of the game, in fact, he was the game.

He presented his hoof, responding to the curiosity written plainly on Celestia's face. Without a word, he unraveled himself, commanding the cards to break apart one by one, revealing only more cards. Before the minute was over, his entire right leg had unwound into the thousands of cards majestically dancing around the tent, like leaves in a cool autumn breeze.

I'm afraid your prisons are going to have a hard time containing them.

The Card Master looked around his tent, obviously referring to each of his cards. Celestia watched as well, but once she felt that the Card Master's attention was elsewhere, she snared him in her levitation, driving the Card Master into the ground to subdue him. However, Celestia didn't expect the Card Master to explode into a hurricane of cards when she pinned him down.

The whirling cards took to the air, cutting apart the tent into scraps, displaying their accuracy, power, and terrifying intelligence. Celestia was mostly unharmed, save for a dozen paper cuts, and recovered immediately after. She spread her wings and prepared to chase the fragments of the Card Master, but she could tell it was useless as the cards began to scatter farther and farther apart, each card quickly vanishing into the sky by itself.

=============================================================

The Traders Exchange was over, the only sign it was even at Rainbow Falls was the occasional piece of trash that would blow across the trodden dirt. It was only a day to the rest of Equestria. Twilight would probably be with Luna, waiting to celebrate a victory over the fabled Card Master, but she wouldn't understand.

Even her sister Luna, who had faced a great deal of the Card Master herself, would not know how much the cards had affected her. The Card Master, he was right, she was unique. Unique and alone in the world. There might be a time when all the events in that tent faded away from her memory, but that time would not come for long.

Could I even stand to see Luna without remembering the Queen of Nights? She thought to herself. Imagining was one thing, but Celestia could feel that she wasn't ready to return to Canterlot for a heroic party with all her friends. It was a shame to have to skip a party thrown by Pinkie Pie and the famed Cheese Sandwich, but Celestia's thought lingered to Starswirl, the only pony in Equestria's history that might have understood what the Card Master was.

The Canterlot archives were vast, even for Celestia, but there were questions she needed answered. Celestia sighed to herself while stretching out her wings to take flight. "I suppose I should catch up on my reading. I haven't done an all nighter in eons."

Epilogue

The crackle of fireworks boomed in the background, accompanied by the chatter of every high class and wealthy pony in Equestria. The Grand Galloping Gala, despite all its repetitiveness, was still the occasion of the year.

But for the past five years, the gala was always full of new ponies with new rumors of Equestria's darker secrets. Merchants would gossip and laugh over legends of the "Card Master," who vanished five years ago, allegedly defeated. Politicians would ask why Princess Twilight was solely in charge of the Gala lately, questioning the activities of Celestia during this night. Others, with nothing to do but talk, would try anything and every to grab the attention of Twilight or one of her closest friends.

After the fireworks, the final occasion of the night, guests made their way to their hotels, envying those with enough influence to be granted a stay at the palace itself. The sounds of noble ponies died down, until it only the few who were too drunk or too hyper remained.

Twilight slumped down at a table, snacking on some of Applejack's best apple fritters and icing her hoof from a night full of greetings. She was exhausted, and happily let that show.

She thought about Applejack, who had to miss this year to help her family with a blight that ruined a quarter of their crop yield. She sighed, thinking of the repercussions of loosing that many apples in one year. The marketplace in Ponyville would be another hell to deal with.

Above the palace, Twilight could hear Rainbow Dash's laughter as she flew with the Wonderbolts, a leisurely activity usually ending with sore wings and sweat.

In the ballroom, Pinkie Pie and the Smooze were busy messing up the pristine tile floor, while Discord and Maud talked about ancient magical rocks. Twilight closed her eyes relaxing even more, and giggled to herself. Going through the entire gala was worth it, just for the few late hours her friends had to have fun.

"Too bad Princess Celestia isn't here," came a voice. Twilight opened her eyes, startled by the stallion sitting across the table. Everypony talked about Celestia's whereabouts on the night of the gala, but it was generally impolite to mention it to a royal.

Nevertheless, Twilight replied, "True, it hasn't been the same without her to take the attention of the guests, but that never ruins the gala completely. Though, I'll admit I see why she likes to play some jokes at the gala to liven it up."

The stallion nodded. "I met Celestia once, but I never took her to be the fun loving type. She was very kind, but I could see seriousness in her face."

Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled. He was probably an unlucky guest who got to shake hooves with Celestia after she'd met a thousand others or so. "You'd be surprised how much she loves games. Were you here when Discord first brought the Smooze to the Gala?"

"I'm afraid I missed it, I was out of town and got the invite too late. But tell me more, it sounds like it was a real blast!" the stallion said, leaning in for a good story.

They talked through the night, continuing even after Rainbow Dash had tied with Soarin seven times, and more impressively, when Pinkie had danced away all her energy. The stallion, Drama Crest, proved to be Twilight's match at historical and magical knowledge, especially when it involved theatrics. As an earth pony, he impressed her further with demonstrations of magic using only misdirection and a sleight of hoof.

But Twilight had her own specialties, surprising Drama Crest her memory skills and knowledge of old literature. Starswirl came up many times int heir conversation, which eventually led to more questions from either side.

"So is that what Celestia does during the Gala?" Drama Crest finally asked.

"Huh?"

"Read Starswirl's writings," he clarified. "You said she became engulfed in reviewing all of his papers, even the ones in deep storage. I can't imagine anything else that could grab Celestia's attention so strongly."

Twilight's face turned dark, thinking about Celestia. "Have you ever heard about the Card Master?"

Drama Crest raised a brow, curious about the change of topic, but he played along. "I tend not to consider the rumors and tall tales that the rich spread during the gala, but yes, I've heard of that legend, parts of it, at least."

"He was real, though what he did and what the legends say don't often match up." Twilight began, thinking back to the day Celestia changed into what she was now. "Six years ago, we knew as much about him as we do now, so Luna decided to challenge the Card Master, as a way to connect with the ponies at the Traders Exchange, and to see if the Card Master was actually a criminal. What she found out was shared between Luna and Celestia, but I was told he was a dangerous magician, one that Celestia needed to handle personally."

"She won, right? I mean she had to have beaten him," Drama Crest said, but Twilight's eyes assured him otherwise.

"A year after Luna lost the card game played in the Card Master's tent, Celestia agreed to arrest him herself. Pinkie Pie called over an old friend and we had this grand celebration, kind of as a joke, to congratulate Celestia for saving Equestria for once instead of the Tree of Harmony. We waited right here, expecting her to come, but after a few days we knew she wasn't taking her time. A guard found her in the Canterlot Archives, going though every scroll Starswirl ever touched, looking for information about 'card magic.'"

Drama Crest widened his eyes, taking in the implications. "So, a powerful and dangerous magician is still out there, right now. So powerful, that Luna, who commands the moon itself I might add, lost to him."

Twilight shrugged. "I've asked Celestia countless times, but she always tells me that as long as no pony sees the Card Master, he's as good as gone."

"An out-of-sight, out-of-mind policy," Drama Crest noted, furrowing his eyebrows. "Not the best strategy if Nightmare Moon and King Sombra can teach us anything."

Twilight rubbed her forehead, her headache returning again. "Oh, I can testify to that for sure."

Drama Crest's annoyance quickly turned to concern at the sight of Twilight's discomfort. "Oh, I'm so sorry if this was a bad topic for you. Ah jeez, sometimes I just get carried away with these things."

"No, it's not your fault, really," Twilight said, trying to reassure him. "Don't apologize, I needed to let some depression out anyways."

Drama sighed, leaning back in his chair, both relieved and sympathetic for Twilight. Then a thought popped into his head, and he pulled out his performing hat, full of clever tricks to entertain children at county fairs.

"I bet I know a hat trick that'll bring that princess smile back!"

Twilight watched as he pulled three juggling balls from the hat, throwing them up and catching them in a perfect cadence. She laughed when he tried to do it while hopping on one foot, fumbling as he slipped on the slick tile floor. Everything Drama Crest used to perform was spilled across the floor, including a deck of cards with the Element of Magic painted on it.

"Wait, is that-"

Drama scrambled frantically to clean up his mess. "Oh no, that's not what you think... I mean they might be..." he stumbled on his speech, focusing on his magician supplies. "You see, I just thought the Element of Magic would give my performances more "pizzaz!"

He stuffed everything back into his hat and got off the floor, feeling awkward with Twilight staring at him. "I know it looks like I'm a stalker right now, and... I should probably go."

Drama Crest turned and began to leave, but a tug on his tail brought him back into his seat across from Twilight. She smiled at his awkwardness, reminding her a little bit of herself before she discovered friendship.

"I might be a talented unicorn, but I've never taken the time to learn any card tricks before," she said. "I'd appreciate it if you showed me some basic ones."

Drama Crest returned the smile, looking around the palace in case of any pony else noticing his failed performance. He got into the character of a magician, donning a blue hooded robe with stereotypical stars sown onto it. He pulled out the cards from his hat and placed twelve on the table. The back of each card was indeed painted with the Element of Magic, though the border designs on them were full of little stars that resembled Twilight's cutie mark as well.

Drama Crest scanned the cards, and finally gave himself a confident nod. He looked up from the table to Twilight, a large grin spanning across his hooded face. "This one's my favorite, so pay close attention."

Twilight sat up close to the table eager to learn the fascinating skill behind misleading card tricks. With a stoic but powerful tone, Drama Crest began the lesson.

Pick a card.