The Legend of Fauna

        A young man with a pony tail and a long streak of hair that fell out, laying nearly across his forehead, dashes through the crowded academy courtyard. The purple and dark green streaks in the side of his gray hair clearly visible, as he makes his way to his target. There she is, he thought to himself. The indigo haired princess of Celestia Academia herself, sitting on the edge of the fountain in the slowly thinning courtyard, reading, as per usual. Today was the day. That girl had ignored him ever since she stole his spot at the top of his class, and to top it off, she was a first year! A whole year behind him, but some how, ahead of him in magic and dueling. But no longer, today is the day that the true strongest Mage at C.A. will stand at his rightful place, and his name was Skratchie Exuvia!

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” he yelled, “Today is the day you accept me as your superior!” The girl looked up and stared daggers at the boy with her dark violet eyes. She was reading when he interrupted her, and clearly was not happy about the interruption. She said two simple words to the second year.

“Fuck off.” He was then reminded of her rather foul mouth. She was famous for it. Aside from being the top duelist at the academy, she was also the most vulgar. Some students gossip about how she picked it up from the Day Queen during her training over the last six years. Funny, now that he thinks about it. The girl that initially spread that rumor had the most unusual hair and skin tone. White as snow, with that velvety, almost ethereal blue hair... but this was not the matter at hand, he needed to counter quickly. With a moment passed he shot back.

“You can't ignore a challenge by your senior classmate!” He almost regretted uttering his words. The girl was very angry. He didn't know what had set her off so much, but now, the Mage was seeping magic. Visibly. Normally, the class of humans known as Mages don't reveal their auras until they're about to cast a spell or in the middle of a heated duel. Something that needed magic to do. He knew he made a mistake now, but there was no turning back at this point. He already issued an official challenge.

“Fine!” She pulled out her standard issue academia duel disk and placed the octagonal device at the edge of her fore arm and immediately, it expanded. The two metal rings that were hidden inside telescoped out and connected, then solidified until they formed a tube around her arm. Then, the school's logo flashed across the screen in the center of the device and a board of light appeared to float right in front of it. He had already equipped his duel disk, so the matter wave that became the monster field simply expanded. In unison, they yelled,

“DUEL!” The disks shot a beam of light at each other, then both systems said in various voices “Duel mode activated. Opening MR Field.” The area around them was covered by a bright light, which stopped about fifteen feet around either of the two and disappeared just as fast. The two drew five cards from the disks on their arms. It was time to steel his will and fight the unsettling girl with every thing he had. He was just glad this was a duel. If this were a fight... he didn't think he could win, let alone survive. She was clearly more powerful than he was. However, that would not stop him from being polite.

“Since I am a year above you, I'll let you have the first turn Mrs. Sparkle.” For a single second, he though he saw a look of genuine thanks. However, that may have been an illusion. It would be anything but in character for the purple princess to act anything like a spoiled brat.

“Uh, no. Especially if that's your only reasoning. You know what? You should take it. Wouldn't want you to go completely without a chance. Or rather, (into a cutesy voice) Why don't you take it, Senpai~?” And suddenly he remembered why he wanted to beat her so badly. She needed to be taken down a peg.

“Today is the day your perfect record ends, Twilight Sparkle!” Retorting as if she expected the comment, Twilight said,

“HA! Good luck with that husk boy! Big talk from a worthless Mage like you! Hell, I'd be surprised if you even make it to turn three.” She really believes that he'll be easy enough to lose on her first turn? Filled with new resolve to beat the brat as quickly as possible, he retorted.

“I'll make you eat those words, and then I'll make you apologize for it!” Without a moment to let pass, Skratchie opened up with his best combination. He had a perfect hand, and would be able to take nearly half her 4000 life points on the first turn! There's no way she could brush that off as incompetence. “First off, I activate fusion! I send Hive Enchantress and Hive sorceress to the grave to Fusion summon! She who rules the hoard, Dwell on this field and bring the power of the swarm, Hive Queen!” In a bright green light, the Fusion monster appeared. She was a pale, almost green skinned woman with dark teal eyeliner, a small crown and clear wings with holes in them. Her dress was black and covering her chest formed a viridian heart which was followed by a black spiderweb design over a white underskirt that made the rest of the outfit. She was sitting on what looked like a chess piece in the shape of a queen, holding a staff that was surrounded in layers of green bug shell like pieces which ended in a twisted black horn. However, as impressive or regal she might have looked, his opponent still seemed unimpressed

“When Hive Queen is fusion summoned, I can special summon one hive monster from my grave! Return to the field, Hive Sorceress!” This monster resembled the queen enough, with it's spidery black outfit, clear torn wings and twisted black staff, but had no major defining features, save for a left earring that looked like a bishop piece. His opponent now looked like she was thinking. She still didn't know what he was going for. “When Hive Enchantress is special summoned, I can add one Hive card to my hand, so I add Hive to March! Then I activate it, returning hive Enchantress and fusion from the grave to my hand. Then I activate fusion again! I send Hive Enchantress and hive soldier to the grave to Fusion summon! Protector of the swarm, soldier of the hoard, come together to create the warrior of the hive! Appear now, Hive Knight!” the girl, who had moved her hand to her chin had finally gathered what his plan was. The Black armored knight with his large hexagonal shield and lance with a similar shaped point to the twisted horns of his fellow monsters had an effect that could deal direct damage, without being a terrible monster stat wise, itself.

Exuvia was the highest ranked second year in the school because of his ability to cleave major amounts of life points in a single turn with effect damage. In the welcoming ceremony where new students were ranked as they enter the new school year, a tournament is held in which all students compete against their classmates. The winners of each bracket are then paired against each other, where they then battle for overall class rank. After taking second year champion, Skratchie met Twilight for the first time. He had heard that there was a new student who had been trained by Queen Celestia herself, but he never expected that student to be this scowling, quiet, indigo haired little girl. Little being nearly irrelevant in that situation, because she absolutely crushed him that day. She took the first turn, and stopped just about every play he made on his, and then ran over his monster to deal exactly 4000 damage. She then went on to destroy the Fourth year student who had already been signed to a big name sponsorship the previous year for winning this same tournament. He didn't stand a chance. She wiped the floor with him the same way she did with Skratchie. No damage taken, exactly 4000 dealt. After each duel, the girl simply walked away without a word. When the tournament had finally ended, Skratchie went on to congratulate the school champion, but when he finally found her, her only words were “Back off guy. I don't know you, and you don't know me, it's better that way. Take your crap skill with you. Wouldn't want that rubbing off on me.” It was a wounding blow, and every person who tried to get close to her would receive the same sentence, give or take a few words. From then on, due to her fusion mastery and apprentice-ship, she would forever be known as, the purple princess.

“When Hive Knight is on the field during the end phase, he deals 500 damage to my opponent per hive monster on the field. I end my turn, and hive knight deals you 1500 damage!” The three monster's gathered their lances together and charged a beam of light at Twilight, then fired. The beam spiraled across the gap between them, and looked like it was going to make a heavy impact on the surrounding area. He quickly tried to lower his magic output via the duel disk's limiter, but he was too slow, and it connected. The resulting explosion looked like he might have knocked the girl out. He just wanted to teach her a lesson, not injure the girl! As the panic was beginning to set in that he started to hear laughing, in a voice he'd never heard laughing in before.

“Ha-ha ha~, is this all you can do? I was sure you might have at least improved over the last half year or so, but I guess I was wrong! Allow me to show you, real power... Senpai~” The area that the blast had connected was destroyed over most, if not all, of Twilight's side of the field, but in a neat arc right in front of her, all was untouched. She had put up a barrier around almost thirty feet around herself in less than half a second. On top of that, it didn't even look like using that much magic even put strain on her. But the thing that irked him the most, is that she taunted him, right after he hit her! How could she brush that off? Could she really win next turn?

“Are you for real? What kind of duelist goes out of their way to piss their opponent off!? This game is supposed to be fun!”  He wasn't just angry about her treating him like a piece of meat, but this is likely the same way anyone she dueled was treated... then he remembered an interesting fact about Twilight Sparkle. Exactly seven years ago, she took her first exam to enter the Queen's academies in Upper Canterlot. During her duel with the proctor, something strange happened to young Twilight after a loud noise that was heard all across the continent went off. The report in the cyber news said that the girl experienced a very large, very destructive magical surge. The proctor was injured badly by the cards that seemed to transform as she was using them, and he nearly died of severe burns and contusions. One week after, it was reported that Queen Celestia and Luna both visited the Sparkle family to personally have the girl trained, and that the Mage's Mark that appeared on her back that day meant her abilities were more powerful than anything the Queens had ever seen.

"One that you pissed off first! My turn, I draw! First, I activate the effect of Star Magician – Galileo. When I control no monsters, I can special summon this from my hand, but cannot normal summon this turn." The Magician wore heavy looking robes and thick glasses with a beard and mustache to hide his face, and a strange elongated tutor’s cap that ended in a small ball of light, presumably a star. He looked similar to the monsters she used in their first duel, but honestly, he'd only seen her duel twice. The first was when he dueled her himself, where she used exactly one monster, and the second being the only duel the school had on her. Nearly every time a duel would come to her turn, she'd short out the cameras simply by the amount of magic she produced. She'd only been at the academy for six months, but it's rumored that she's destroyed eighteen duel disks already. Her current model is the strongest one the school had to offer, usually for people who cannot control their magic out put, but in her case, she just has twice the magical ability than most of the advanced students.

"When he is summoned this way, I can add one star spell card to my hand, I add gathering stars. I activate the effect of gathering stars to tribute the level 6 Galileo then add any number of monsters from my deck equal to his level from my deck to my hand. I add the level 3, Star Magician – Copernicus, Level 2, Shooting Star Unicorn, and the level 1, Shooting Star Swan. Then I activate Star Fusion, by sending fusion material for a star monster from my hand or field to the grave yard, I can special summon that monster!" Wait a minute. Thought Skratchie, These aren't the same monsters she used to summon Milky-way back when he dueled her... and I know that one requires Shooting Star Longhorn, which she doesn't have right now... what is she summoning?

"I send Copernicus and Swan, He who holds the power of heaven in his hands, come forth and show the majesty of the galaxy!" Wait. He? His? This wasn't right. Milky-way was her most powerful monster... Wasn't it? Her deck is registered in the school database, Milky-way was the only Fusion monster in the Star Archetype that she uses that doesn't require two specific cards, and neither of the two she's fusing now would make anything. What in the hell is she summoning?

"Appear, Magic Star Andromeda, The Galaxy Magician!" Oh boy. This is new. The light from the spell was Intense and hot. She was pumping magic into this duel, whether she intended to or not. The monster itself though, seemed to exude a magic of its own. Like the previous magician, this one was also in heavy robes, but it was wearing armor and a staff that had the Andromeda constellation formed above a gem at the end, Matching the other Star Magicians Twilight was known for. Not only that, but it was incredible. He had a nebula spinning in his cape with stars everywhere. His hair was Indigo and his eyes a vibrant dark violet, brighter in spirit, but duller than the knives in Twilight's. Odd, he thought. Even though this is a card, It's strange that he resembles her so much. When Soul cards emerge with a persons mark, be they Terran, Angle, or Mage, It's unusual that any of the cards that come out actually look like the user. As a matter of fact, Soul cards almost never resemble the user, but this one... looks like it could be her father, almost.

"When Andromeda is summoned to the field, I can add one star monster to my hand. I add Shooting Star Stallion! Then I activate his effect, by discarding him and no longer being able to special summon for this turn, I can add one star spell card to my hand, the card I add is shooting star comet! I set one card, then battle! Andromeda attacks Hive Queen!" The Sorcerer took aim at Hive Queen, but Skratchie had prepared for the event that she'd summon something.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Ms. Sparkle. Hive Knight defend the Queen! Once per turn, Hive Knight can change an attack target to himself! Fight back, Hive Knight!" Now to see if it works. She has a set card, the card she added to her hand, which he couldn't remember the specifics of, and then there's the new Star magician that wasn't registered in the school's database. The Knight began to charge, shield first, at the sorcerer, but the girl simply laughed at him.

"HA! We'll see how long that lasts, I activate Copernicus' effect!" He was so concerned with the new monster that he'd forgotten that most of her cards had effects that trigger in the grave.

"By banishing him, I can negate the activation of a monster's effect and destroy it!" Effect destruction. Damn it! I only have one counter to that!

"Crap! I'm sorry my queen... I activate the effect of Hive Queen! Once per turn, I can negate the destruction of one hive monster!" Oh gods, this is it, isn't it? She probably planned for this all along!

"And so the battle continues! Destroy Hive Queen!" The brilliant sorcerer fired a beam out of the constellation on his staff at the now unattended Hive Queen, and the resulting explosion was enough to force Skratchie to slide back on the concrete. Had he not braced for impact, it surely would have sent him flying. He put his hands down and looked back at the scene where his Queen was. A large crater. A very, VERY large crater was in the ground. It not only defeated the depth of his blast by a long shot, but it was accurate too. It was a single column hole in the ground, like the exact width and length of the Hive Queen

"Then I activate the quick play spell card Shooting Star Comet!" The onslaught only continued. She was going to end it this turn. "When an opponent's monster is destroyed, my monster gains 400 attack, and if the monster targeted by this effects is a fusion monster, it can attack all monsters my opponent controls!" Skratchie bit his hand. 500, then 200...

"But wait! There's more! Andromeda, attacks Hive Knight!" Another flash from the spiky haired sorcerer and the Hive Knight struggled, then failed and exploded. This time, there was less force in the initial blast, but the magic being supplied by Twilight was amplified to the point where he’d end up in a bed for the rest of the day with a concussion. He used his own magic to throw up a barrier just in time to block the blast. Holy crap! He thought. That one put a huge fracture in my magic barrier! Her attack on hive Enchantress is going to kill me! But, it’s not end the game though... I'll still have 1200 life points left... She's got something more...

"And thus, Andromeda gains 400 more attack, and do you know how many life points you have?" She jabbed.

"Sure, I've only got 3300 left, but you killing Enchantress won't end this!" Killing. That’s what she was doing. She was going for overkill because I made her mad, or really, pushed her over the edge. It wasn’t just absent minded feeding Andromeda her magic, she wanted to physically injure me.

"Correct! That's why, we'll simply remove the problem! I activate the effect of Shooting Star Unicorn in my hand!" Oh Crap, he almost said out loud. Another trait to her monsters, they like to activate in the battle phase, which is where most of her power comes from. “And I'll chain Andromeda's effect to it! Once per turn, one spell card I have can be treated as a quick play, and if Andromeda is used as part of a chain, The spell in question takes his place in it! I activate the continuous spell card, Meteor Star bombardment! When this card is activated, if I control a monster that's been targeted by a spell card this turn, it can attack one more time for each other spell card it's been targeted by! Then Unicorn resolves, and your little Enchantress is banished with it. But don't worry, she'll come back... pfft, next turn!” He knew it was over for sure now. But what he didn't know is what to do with himself. After all the taunting, all the anger, it still looked like she was enjoying herself, which was something that he'd never seen before. In their first duel, she didn't even look at him. Never made eye contact, didn't get enthusiastic about the game, just this card then that card, then done. And now? She looked sad. Like... when you don't want to see something leave. He was beginning to think that this hedgehog of a girl actually wanted friends, somewhere beneath all the spines. The glimpse of sadness he saw washed away as fast as it appeared, and she resumed her haughty persona.

“You know, it’s too bad really. For a moment here, I was certain you would surprise me. A shame. I almost thought I saw potential. ANDROMEDA! END THIS DUEL!” His barrier was in place, ready to defend against the impending magic blast, but the monster started to dash towards him. The stars had moved into the shape of a blade, and his staff was in both hands about to swing. His barrier wouldn't protect against this! Oh gods, I'm gonna get cut in half! Holy sh- He couldn’t finish the thought. The star blade cut through his barrier like it was paper, then it connected with his flesh. A sensation ran through his body, but he couldn't place it. It was like being set on fire, frozen, electrocuted, and then the sharp sting of a cold steel blade, all at once. For a single second, while trying to protect himself, he made eye contact with the Sorcerer. The eyes alone looked to apologize for what he was doing, and then finished the slash. The attack had completed, and with what little strength he had left, he looked at the area where the stars connected. He was bleeding, and burned badly. The magic that normally keeps duelists from hurting each other hadn’t been able to keep up with Twilight. Ha... She broke the duel disk again... He was going to die. The pain from the wound was coursing through his body like electricity, eating away at his nerves in throbbing burning bursts until he could no longer feel, like he was being frozen, inside out. The last thing he saw was a girl making a call. She looked terrified at the scene, concerned for what was going on... But… wasn’t that the same girl that had just put a gash in his torso?

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        When the second year awoke, he found himself in a white room. The air smelled of ammonium, the light soft and warm, and the evening sun glowing through the window. Evening... evening? He went over the events of the day in his head, but clearly remembered that he issued his challenge at noon. Ah, right, he thought to himself. You were cut open. He'd been unconscious for at least five hours now. But wait? What about the wound? He felt around his core until he started to feel pain. The area was right, but the texture was... strange... Skratchie sat up from his hospital bed and removed his blankets to get a look at whatever was covering the wound. Upon inspection, a large black, almost plastic-like substance was covering the entire thing. What in the hell is this? It's not anything I've ever seen, but some how... it feels... natural? The sound of the door clicking open alerted the boy to an imposing presence behind it. He quickly covered up and laid back down to see who entered. It was an Angel woman.

“Oh, good, you’re awake. I believe I met you a few years ago… you’re the Exuvia boy correct?” The regal tone of the imposing figure was almost more than he could handle. She was so familiar too... where have I seen her before?

“Um, yes ma’am. My name is Skratchie.” The Woman was tall, very tall. Winged. Bright, white, almost pink tinted feathers neatly behind her back. Nearly seven feet if he had to guess. She was wearing an olive colored shirt with a small knife in a pocket above her left breast that hugged her chest tightly, which complimented her breasts more than he would have liked while wearing the thin hospital gown, tight brown pants, with multiple belts that secured small pieces of armor and a gold accented black sheath with an equally impressive gold ornate hilt extending from it. She had a multitude of colors falling from her head that blended from pink to purple to blue and finally to green which made the fore ground of it. Her eyes were a sharp dark violet, and around her neck was a golden necklace with a medallion of the country's emblem, the sun. It all made sense now. This was Twilight's mentor, Queen Celestia. Queen. Celestia. The ruler of the country had come to see him. The ruler of the country he lived in was visiting him in the hospital. It took repeating that phrase in his mind a few more times to comprehend what was happening, but as soon as he did, excitement started to set in.

“Ah, good. May I see it?” At first, he know quite what to do with himself. The question she'd asked felt out of left field. What exactly did she want to see? Before he allowed his other head to think about it with the beautiful, radiant, Day Queen next to him, he realized he'd been injured in a duel with her personal student earlier today.

“Oh, right.” He lifted up his shirt and showed the unusual scar to the slightly tanned queen. He couldn't read her face. It was almost as if she was stunned to see it, but she hardly made a move. Before speaking again, she lifted a finger, and levitated the medical chart from the end of his bed into her hand. After flipping through the pages, she seemed to find what she was looking for, and looked far more relieved than she did when she walked in.

“Now, Skratchie, would you mind telling me how this happened?” Once again, his mind had to process what was going on. When she first spoke, it was with the voice of a queen. Now, however, it was with that of a mother. Before he could say anything, he needed to remember exactly what had happened in the first place. It was at the end, when she finished clearing his field that it turned strange and gruesome.

“Well, I challenged Twilight to a duel, but it was in the middle of lunch break and she was reading. For what ever reason, she uh, told me to, uh... go away...” The Day Queen reeled her head back and let out a proper laugh. How did this royal manage to feel so... normal?

“I bet she told you to 'fuck off' with those daggers in her eyes right?” What. Just. What. How does she even..? This woman just becomes more and more confusing as the minutes pass by. He didn't know if he could even finish his story after that. How do you go on after hearing the Ruler of the Country casually use the words 'fuck off' in a sentence while laughing about it?

“Yes ma’am.” She nodded as if business were normal.

“That sounds about right. You certainly didn't know it at the time, but you definitely picked the wrong day to piss off Twilight. But all the same, she really needs to learn to keep her emotions in check. Anyways, what happened next?” Now she's a school girl? This was the Queen?

“Um, Okay, So, from there, I pointed out she couldn't refuse the challenge because I'm a year ahead of her, so then we began. I tried to offer her the first turn, and she insulted me for it, so then I began. I opened with my best damage combination and managed to take 1500 off by the end of it.” The Queen nodded as if she were visualizing the duel as he talked about it.

“Mmm. Good choice. When it comes to students, and take no offense by this, but, below her caliber, the best option is usually to try and end the duel immediately. The closest any student here has ever come to beating her was when she dueled last year's champion during that year's opening ceremony, and that was simply because he got the second turn. Now, I'm more concerned with how you ended up here. I know that you are a strong enough Mage to withstand a blast with your barrier, even if it was Twilight's crazy magic you were up against.” Ah. To the point. Right.

“During her turn, she summoned two monsters, but the last one was one I'd never heard of. I mean, we're all required to register all the cards in our decks any time we make a change, or a new card emerges, so how would she have a card I'd never heard of?” She turned her head and looked out the window. Her gaze was very distant, but he could see a frown forming on her face.

“Ah. I see. Tell me, When you saw this card, did it do anything strange? Perhaps he, resembled someone, or, moved unlike any normal card would?” That was exactly what he did! Was she psychic? Or wait. Did she give her that card?

“Actually yes, both. At first, I thought he looked like he could have been her father. Like, the resemblance was uncanny. And then, when he was coming in for the slash with that crazy Star lance-thing, he looked at me, and I could have sworn he said he was sorry for this.” She looked down into her palms and back at the boy.

“I figured as much. Damn. Why did she have to make him do that to you?” She had returned to gazing off into the sun, until after a pause, where she began again. “Well, now I have something to attend to, and it very much involves Twilight. Before I go, is there anything you need?” The student looked away from the queen to think on the matter when a sharp pain in his abdomen reminded him of the odd scar.

“Well, Could you explain why my scar looks the way it does? This... Almost feels natural, but, it's never happened before either.” The Day Queen looked to the boy, then to the scar, and then out the window, the concern on her face becoming more apparent as she turned. Finally she returned to him with an answer.

“Tell me, what do you know about the Raid of Crater city that took place near lonely volcano over one hundred years ago?” Confused by the history question, the boy did his best to remember class from a few weeks ago.

“Um, that was the one where you, your sister, and the knights of Fauna went to defeat the rebellion by the mutants, or, shape-shifters right? The one that lasted exactly eleven days?” The Queen only frowned more, and the concern in her eyes turned into insecurity. What ever it was, she didn't want to tell him.

“Yes... that is correct. What's say we pick this up on another time, hmm? You know what? Tomorrow is the first day of summer sun week. I'll be hosting an exhibition match for the students with Luna, but I think, I might just be part of the exhibition myself... How would you like to accompany my sister during that morning?” She was avoiding the question, but an offer like that was impossible to refuse. Watch one Queen's duel with the other? No one gets the chance to do that. But, it was still nagging at him that she brought up the Raid of Crater city. What did that have to do with him? He had a Mage's mark, just like every other Mage. Was he different?

“Oh, uh, sure. Um... Your highness?” He had to ask. He couldn't just not know.

“Yes?” said the Day Queen as she stood to leave, a hint of fear in her voice.

“Why did you take Twilight as your student?” What ever she had expected him to ask, it wasn't what he did. The woman seemed relieved, and simply smiled at the boy.

“That... you'll just have to wait and see...” With utmost grace, she spun on her heel, and exited the room, leaving the confused boy to think about what that could mean.

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Celestia closed the door behind her, and began to cast her cloaking spell. She found it funny that she spends her days here without anyone ever knowing it. As far as anyone could tell, she was simply a first year Angel at Celestia Academy. She and her sister usually hold meetings during the dusk hours of the day and have strict guidelines so that nothing interrupts their other activities. After all, what good is it to be a ruler, and not have some time to do what you want every now and again? Both queens played school girls here because of a very certain few students, one being their own children, and another being one that she was about to trap. How could she let herself get so worked up that she nearly cut that poor halfbreed in half? And then there was the halfbreed. A whole other can of worms that she didn't want to open. That boy was the son of a shape-shifter and a Mage, and he didn't even know it. At some point, I'll have to find a way to befriend him in this form to get a look at his home life. What kind of mother hides the fact that she's a shape-shifter from her own kids? And the father, where is he? The medical chart said that the boy lives alone with his mother, but I know that the father went missing two years ago. The knights still haven't been able to close that case either. How could a man just disappear with no trace of his whereabouts? Even magic leaves a solid vapor trail for a few days after it's cast. What could have happened? Maybe I need to have Athena or Eclipse look into this... Deep in thought, Celestia, or 'Sola' as she's known around the school, aimlessly walked down the medical wing hallway, and straight into the department head, Sang Redheart. She fell back on her butt after hitting the rather strong Terran doctor, and then apologized for it.

“Oh, sorry Mrs. Redheart.” The adult picked Sola up as if she weighed nothing and set her back on her feet.

“Oh, Sola, what am I to do with you?” Funny choice of words. They were the exact same ones she wanted to say to Twilight. “You little air head.” Said the doctor as she rustled the teenager's pink hair.

“Yeah...” said Celestia, slowly drifting back into thought.

“Hmm? Off to more grand adventures without even saying goodbye? Come now, why don't you tell me about it?” Redheart was one of the finest doctors in the city, and her attention to patients is what earned her the position as the head of the medical department at the Academy. Celestia hired her in person due to her impressive record, and made a point to regularly visit the Terran during days she could. She was a good friend, but didn't need to know who Sola really was, so, she made up a cover story.

“Well, ya see, I have these friends that were dueling each other, but they're not friends themselves. And one of them went waaay over board and got the other sent here. I was just visiting him, but now I'm off to see her, and I don't really know how I should approach the subject.” It was unfortunate how that story was only half true. Redheart was qualified to be a psychiatrist on top of her medical proficiency. But, Twilight needed to be punished, and the exhibition duel would do exactly that. The girl hadn't lost a duel since elementary school, and it was about time to end her streak. But the answer from Redheart almost made her reconsider.

“Hmm, now that is a tough one. One friend put another in the hospital. Well, you should just try and ask her why she did it. I imagine this other friend of yours is Twilight Sparkle, because there aren't many other students with the magical ability to do that here, so I suggest you be careful when doing so. But all the same, just talk to her. Be a friend, and a good one at that. She doesn't have many, that poor girl. But as they say, the hedgehog is a lonely animal.” She doesn't have friends... How could I have been so blind! My own student doesn't have any friends! She's the new element of magic, for suns sake! I don't even talk to her very often when I'm here! I have to fix this immediately...

“Thanks doc. You've been a great help!” The woman smiled.

“Don't run too fast! I don't want to see you because you're here for treatment! And don't fly in the hallway!” Sola ran down the clinic hallway, wings extended for take off, but quickly retracted due to the doctor's warning, and out to the courtyard to Twilight's usual spot before dinner. On her way, she noticed another girl doing something similar. The velvety blue hair tipped her off to who she actually was, and the two nodded and flew to the roof above the courtyard where Twilight was reading.

“Well, well, well. If it isn't Tsukiko.” The other girl snarked back,

“Off to see Twilight, are we Sola? Or should I say, Sister instead?” The two removed their cover to expose their true forms as Day and Night Queen and began discussing the person in question, Twilight Sparkle.

“What are you doing up so early? Don't you have a big fight coming up?” The Night Queen shuffled her leathery wings and produced a seat out of her own magic and assumed her crossed legged, inquisitive position.

“Yes, there is a creature I intend to slay later this night, but first, I thought I'd try and get some information about this boy I hear that our little student almost cut in half. The rumor has been spreading like wild fire, sister! The other students are beginning to fear the girl! Even what few people she actually talks to won't come near!” Celestia sighed.

“I know. That's how I found out myself. I had just talked to her opponent not but twenty minutes ago.” The Night Queen shuffled in her seat.

“So, what were you intending to do about it? I was just trying to confirm the truth of the matter, but you certainly seemed to do that before hand.” Celestia shook her head from where she leaned against the roof door and walked toward the edge of the roof.

“I was just going to punish her at first with the exhibition duel tomorrow, but then I spoke with Redheart.” Luna looked confused by the name. “Redheart? Oh! Do you mean the cleric woman in the Healing wing?” Luna had her own names for each of the wings at the school. For a time, Luna was lost to another dimension, but when she came back, almost one hundred years had passed. Within that time, culture, science, and technology had advanced more rapidly than either of them could have imagined. However, Celestia was here to keep up with the changes and Luna was not. This irritated Celestia.

“For the millionth time, it is called the Medical wing! She is a Doctor! It's not Alchemy, it is Science, it is not magic, it is technology, it is not arithmetic, it is math! Will you please just update your language? Please? You know the other students think you're weird because of it.” The Night Queen brushed the comment away.

“Doth thou jest in mine presence? For we, are most current, and quite up to date.” Said the younger sister in the most sarcastic tone possible. Celestia's irritation melted into giggling, and finally pulled the conversation back to the matter at hand.

“Anyways, as Sola, I gave her a rundown of the situation, and she told me that Twilight doesn't have many friends, and you know what? She's wrong. Twilight has no friends! Even the girls she speaks to, however little that may be, probably don't even consider themselves acquaintances with her! It's just us! We're her only friends!” The words hit Luna as hard as they did Celestia.

“Oh my. For the love of Tartarus, how in the hell did we miss that?” Celestia walked over to the other side of the roof and beckoned Luna over.

“Just look at her now. Shes alone, in a dark corner, right before dinner time, reading, with that sour look on her face like always. Nine out of ten times, this is where I talk to her, because she is always here. Be it either as Sola or myself. She is the *Element of Magic* now! How did we let this happen!?” The pale Queen looked down at the Indigo haired girl in disbelief.

“Oh gods. Her Mage's mark. It is the same as Andromeda's was it not?” Celestia nodded.

“That's not the end of it. Yesterday, Andromeda came to me and told me it was time to give him to Twilight. She used him to cut the Exuvia boy open!” Luna sat back in her chair.

“He talked to you? He hasn't had the power to do anything himself in nearly seventeen years! Wait a moment. She turned sixteen recently didn't she? You do not think this means that-” Celestia cut her off.

“That is exactly what this means. And what I'm more concerned with is the murders that have been going on in that town where the other five live.” Luna started to rub her temples.

“So we have a prickly, snarky, angry, teenage girl with little to no friends, inherit one of the most powerful cards in existence, who just so happens to be the element of magic, and now designated the leader of a group. All by destiny, of course. You know, on top of her being an almost unnaturally powerful Mage.” Celestia put her hands on her arms.

“That's the jist of it. But you forgot to mention the part where we scouted her as a child because she was chosen by Divinity to ascend, like the other girl a few years back, and ourselves.” Luna sighed.

“Of course, my apologies. An impossible girl, who will potentially be immortal some day. Right.” Neither said a word for a few minutes as they watched the subject in question reading. Finally, Luna broke the silence.

“Do you have a plan?” Celestia looked and smiled at her sister.

“Do I have a plan she says. Pfft. I always have a plan. One does not simply become a military leader at eighteen without being four steps ahead of everything.” Luna returned the sarcasm as quick as she received it.

“Oh, my apologies. Never question the Terran tactician of 1010. Speaking of, it's been nearly two thousand years, hasn't it?” Celestia looked up to the evening sky as the sun was slowly beginning it's retreat behind the horizon.

“It has.  And this is the land we have to show for that terrible war. But now the past from before our time is coming back to bite us, and she is what we have to rely on. I'm going to go talk to her. You should go sleep. Oh, and by the way, You'll be accompanied by the boy she she dueled tomorrow morning. See what you can find out about his home life. He's half shape-shifter and doesn't know it.” Luna leaned back and rolled her eyes.

“You know, I really appreciate it when you schedule me for things without telling me about them. Thanks.” Celestia punched her sister in the shoulder. “Oh, go jump off a building. I'll see you at home.” The two sisters returned to their forms as Tsukiko and Sola, and each took flight in opposite directions. One intent on sleeping until night fall, and the other to pull her student into a trap.

She hadn't been able to see exactly what Twilight was reading until she'd landed silently behind her as Sola, but when she did, it was ironic. The first major war recorded in the history of the continent of Fauna was that of the three main human races. For the longest time, the Mages and Angels held superiority over the Terrans due to the fact that Terrans could be easily out ranged by both of them. It wasn't until two young soldiers stepped up in the year 1010 did the Terrans gain the advantage in the war. The daughters of house Iscandor were known for their beauty, but were famous for their brutality.

The eldest, known as the Master Tactician, Celestia Iscandor, and the youngest, known as the Indomitable Warrior Luna. By the time Alexander Iscandor's daughters took command of the Terran forces, it was almost too late to turn the tides of the war, but through ingenuity and planning, the Terrans finally gained the upper hand. After reclaiming their original land, the Terrans stepped out of the war, and let the Mages and Angels continue to turn Fauna's green pastures red while they lived in peace for almost ten years. Eventually, the Mages of Archea and Angels of Sephira decided to try and take the land of Gaia once more, clashing with each other at their own borders along the way.

It was around this time, that the two Queens of Terra, the same daughters of house Iscandor that won peace for Terra originally, were visited by a traveling shaman. He was of Mage descent, and was brought to the Queens as a suspicious individual lurking the city, but being compassionate, the sisters asked the old Mage for his reason to be in Gaia. He called himself Starswirl, and had come to the queens to try and end the warring between the three kingdoms with an ancient magic game he had discovered.

Long ago, he told the queens, there was a war between the gods of the earth and the sky. In power, they were matched, unable to defeat one another in any way, so to settle their differences, a game was made. Duel monsters, it was called. Cards made of stone and rules engraved on them determined a way to play the game as fairly and diversely as either god demanded, and so, with the game in place, the two gods engaged in a duel. The Earth would fuse his fighters to make more powerful ones, but the Sky would deflect his attacks right back at the Earth and summon his own monsters by synchronizing their wavelengths. Soon the duel had come to an end, and neither the Sky god, nor the Earth god would emerge victorious. But within the game, the two had found themselves understanding each other unconditionally. The gods had come to the conclusion to look past their differences, and compromise with one another rather than cause havoc with their wars. Eventually, the other gods were invited to play this game, and they too created their own way to play in the process. And thus the methods of summoning emerged.

Starswirl believed that if the power of this game could be harnessed, the magic it produced would be able to stop wars on the continent permanently. While skeptical at first, the two Queens accepted his theory, and were used as a test for it. After a spell Starswirl had cast on each of the sister's Terran's marks, a deck of these duel monster cards manifested from their bodies. This strange display could only lead the sisters to believe that the story of the warring gods must have been true, otherwise, how could something like pieces to a game emerge from the soul? Instinctively, the sisters began to play the game with each other, but what became of it was something no one had foreseen.

The game was inherently magic, the monsters summoned were nearly real, and the sisters fought fiercely against each other. The eldest would deflect the more aggressive younger's attacks and synchronize her own monsters to fight back at the younger's fusing of hers. In the end, neither sister would emerge victorious, and the story of the two gods would be replayed by them. Upon the games end, A bright light expanded from where the two sisters stood, and they were changed. Both sisters gained the wings of Angels, and the magic of Mages, on top of their strength as Terrans, becoming the first of the human races to Ascend. These sisters would later go on to be known as the Ascended.

After obtaining the powers of gods themselves and thanking the traveling Mage for his discovery, both sisters took to the battle field, “And then the radiant Queens descended upon the warring forces of the Terrans, Angles, and Mages, crushing their armies without injuring a single man.” Startled by the sudden sound, the Indigo haired girl fumbled her book, nearly dropping it, then turning to look at the voice who was now standing behind her.

“Holy fu- uh… Good evening, Sola.” The pink haired angel simply smiled at the Mage.

“And to you. Reading up on history?” Twilight felt uncomfortable about having Sola sneak up behind her, but it couldn't be helped. Once a week, every day, at the exact same time, either Sola or Tsukiko would come by and talk to her, but not without sneaking up on her first. You'd think she'd get used to their interruptions eventually, but no.

“Yeah. How did you know where I was? You basically completed the sentence I was reading, at the same time I was reading it.” The Angel girl smiled.

“Because I know you Twilight. And I'm your friend.” Twilight felt uncomfortable by hearing the word. Friends. Did she have those? But the other girl continued. “And I hate to do this to you, but I feel like it's time I told you the truth about me.” What did she want to say? That she was using her to get to the Queens, just like everyone else? This is exactly why she never made friends in the first place. Why make friends if all they want to do is meet someone you know? And then abandon you when you don't do what they want... “I'm actually Queen Celestia Iscandor.” said the pink haired girl, who then transformed into the Day Queen

“YOU WERE SOLA!?” That was more volume than she intended to use, but it was almost nineteen forty-five, the sun was setting, and the hidden courtyard behind the medical wing was always empty at this time of day. And most of the day for that matter. There were maybe a hand full of students that knew of it's existence in the first place.

“Geez, not so loud!” She said in a hushed voice. “And we need to talk. Now that you know who I’ve been pretending to be, you must know that I heard about your duel earlier today.” The girl knew she was in trouble now.

“Shit. Uh... I can explain! um...” She was panicking now.

“Twilight, why didn't you come talk to me? Or Luna? We might be your mentors, but we are also your friends. You don't have to be alone like this all the time. Every week, either Luna or myself have come to visit you in this same spot, while you wear that scowl on your face, and each time, it takes us nearly an hour to get you to speak to us. Why do you push people away?” Damn it. That's not fair. She's not supposed to know how I act around people... that's just not fair! They've been trying to be my friends this whole time, and I thought they were just another pair of users and abusers... Why? Why did it have to be like this? Why... Twilight began to tear up.

“Look, I... I don't know what to say. I don't know how to tell who’s real and whose fake, I don't know how to be a friend to people... I... I just...” Celestia sat down beside her student and hugged her.

“I know that it's hard Twilight, but you have to try. I know that it isn't fair what happened to your family when you were younger. I know it isn't fair that your powers exceed every normal standard, and I know, that you are a sweet girl when you're around a friend. But this personality you've created, the way you treat others, there is just no excuse for that.” Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, outside of the tears. It couldn't be helped. She'd been through too much already. Her father was nearly killed in a dirty scandal involving the business he worked for, and the entire family had to relocate to the slums of Lower Canterlot right after taking in her dead aunt's year old baby, upon which Twilight ended up lost in Middle Canterlot for a year. It wasn't until that fateful day seven years ago, did her life return to the way it was before. But the damage that was done nearly broke the family. The her older brother joined the military faster than was normally allowed due to his skill just to escape Canterlot. The younger brother was treated just as much as an outcast as she was for being a half breed, on top of being adopted. The mother and oldest son worked at a diner to support the family while the father was still recovering from having his right fore leg and left foot blown off and his back covered in third degree burns by the explosion that nearly ended his life. Over time, with aid from the queens, the family recovered, but Twilight was scarred. No one was to be trusted, everyone was a liar. Humans were horrible creatures. And then one day, she thought she had made a friend.

A young Angel girl who was nice, and talked to Twilight. A good duelist, and a prodigy, just like her, but three years older. in the end, she too, was another fake. Just using Twilight to meet the Queens. And once her wish was granted, she was never seen or heard from again. “I just, can't keep doing this. How can I trust anyone after what has happened to my family? How can I believe that people would actually want to know who I am, for me, and no other reason? Why? Why did all of that have to happen to me...” Celestia released Twilight, and then stood up from the bench. Then looked Twilight in the eyes, with the cold, dead, precision of a killer.

“Twilight, stop crying, and stand up.” The girl wiped away at her eyes, and reluctantly, did as her Queen told her. The tanned woman removed her necklace and began to unzip the front of her shirt, revealing her mark, right under her collar bones. It was unusual for a mark to be anywhere but the shoulders or the back, but she was an Ascended. Immortals who bear their emblems right on their chests.

“Do you see this mark? I received it when I was thirteen. But do you know how I received this mark?” The girl looked at her feet. Celestia and Luna's history is only recorded from 1010 to present day. Anything before that was unknown, save from the fact that they were born in 992 and 995 respectively.

“No...” The Queen snapped to bring the girl's eyes back to the mark.

“I received this mark the day I killed a man to protect my father. It happened one night when I was up looking through the castle for a book I had left in his study. When I entered, I noticed that the window had been cut open. Immediately, I ran to check on Luna, but she was still asleep, completely undisturbed. I then picked up my sword from my room next door, and ran to my parent's room. When I got there, my Mother was being stabbed in the heart by some thieves blade, and my father was on the floor, dying from a toxin the thief had given him earlier that day. The man had come to the castle in request for my father's aid to save his village from an onslaught of timber wolves that would eat the villagers children every week at nightfall. My father went and burned the wolves, saving the village, but when he had returned to the castle, that man was trying to leave with an heirloom from my family. But even so, my father refused to kill him. Instead, he was sent to the stockades. The man had escaped, and come back to try and kill my entire family, and when I found him taking my mother's life, I took his head. That is how I saved my father, and earned my Terran's mark. I lived for five years thinking that the sun on my left shoulder represented my raw power to kill. Were it not for the day when Starswirl showed up, I would have likely believed that until the day I died.” Twilight was stunned. She killed a man when she was a child? And then... lived on believing she was destined to be a killer?

“You are not me. You didn't watch one of your parent's die in front of you, and you did not behead a man as a child. Yes, you have suffered hardship, and yes, the world can be a cruel cold place. But life goes on. The past is the past and what's done is done. The future is determined by how you act in the present, and if you continue to let your past rule you like this, you will never amount to anything in your life. That is what a wise man once said to me. It's time to grow up, Twilight Sparkle. Tomorrow morning, meet me in the stadium above the athletic wing. You and I are going to duel, and all of the school is going to watch. If you lose, then, you will be given an assignment, and removed from this school for the remainder of the year.” Twilight looked at the radiant Queen with all hope in her eyes lost.

“You? What..? How am I supposed to? What the... You're going to expel me?” The girl nearly started to hyperventilate. She was clutching her head with both hands and on the brink of tears again.

“Silence!” Twilight snapped to attention. The Queen was not to be disobeyed. “I said nothing of expulsion. You will still be Luna's and my student. I never want to see or hear about you killing a person. Once you do, there is no coming back from it. But today? You almost took that step. There is a boy in a hospital bed with a gash through half of his body because you were so caught up in your emotions that you lost control of yourself. Had you not had the sense to call Redheart Immediately after you did it, he would be dead right now. You are young, and such a stupid girl for being so very intelligent, and the only cure for your kind of stupidity is experience, and that is exactly what I’m going to have you gain over the course of this next half year. But I will give you a chance. This duel will be your last and only chance to clean up your act here. If you wish to stay, and continue the cushy life I have given you, you will defeat me at all cost tomorrow. Do you understand?” She's never spoken like this to Twilight before. She's always been a sweet, motherly figure. She took care of Twilight since she was ten, and helped her family get back on their feet. She's always been there for her. But now... what's even going on? Why was she so... mad? Twilight realized that she was gritting her teeth, and she felt so angry. How could she yell at me? It's not my fault any of that happened! She's being so... so... pretentious!

“I... I won't...” Celestia leaned forward, bringing her nose to Twilight's and staring her directly in the eyes. Celestia's eyes, were ablaze with anger, but Twilight's were the same.

“C'mon, spit it out! Tell me exactly what you're going to do tomorrow!” the girl stepped back with rage burning in her heart.

“I won't lose to you! I'll beat you in front of the entire school, and then everyone will know that the Day Queen of Fauna is just a fraud! You haven't dueled in years, no one is still even alive that knows what your deck is! Queen, of the day. More like Queen of shadows! Today is the first time you've told me anything about you! You say you tried to be my friend, when really, all you were doing was just feeding your own ego! Help the poor girl, her story is just soooo tragic! Fuck that! No more, no more of any of this! I'll be a different person, I'll be better than you ever were!” Celestia almost lost it and broke character. Twilight was doing exactly what she wanted her to. The trap worked perfectly! But she needed to keep the act up until Twilight left. The angrier, and more determined to win she was, the better. Even so, the Queen stood up, and smiled her old sinister smile at the girl.

“Good. Beat me. Do it. I. Fucking. Dare you. But know this. When the time comes, the star will reveal all, and you will be at the center of the events that unfold. Good bye Twilight. Ha~ Tomorrow is likely going to be the last day you see me for a while... Ha ha ha ha!” Evil laugh, check. All that was left was to wait until tomorrow morning... and call a family meeting. With Twilight going to Pony ville, she needed her top agents watching, and who better than her own kids?

“Fine! I'll make sure that I'm in your face every day after tomorrow! And forget about being able to run around as Sola anymore! As soon as I win, EVERYONE will know who you really are!” Threats, check. Twilight running off in a fit of rage, check. The plan has moved along perfectly. As soon as Twilight was out of sight, yelling to the air, Tsukiko swooped down from the roof where she had been watching the scene. Celestia resumed her form as Sola, and the two began to talk.

“Hey, weren't you supposed to go to sleep?” The Blue headed girl shuffled her bat wings.

“You can not expect me to simply leave when you are unfurling one of your evil plans. But I do think that was rather much. Do you believe she will be alright?” Sola put her hands behind her head and looked to the evening sky.

“The day that Twilight Sparkle gives up will be the day she dies. All I did was poke the fire in her heart. Losing to me tomorrow will hurt her, but this is just another experience she needs to have. From what Cobalt tells me, the other five girls who received the element cards are either slightly above, below, or at her caliber as a duelist. Who knows which of them might actually beat her. It's better she gets her first loss from me. I'd rather she be mad at me for a while than be mad at the girls she's supposed to lead.” Tsukiko nodded.

“Hmm... I must say that I can not disagree with your evil plan, miss master tactician, but I do believe that, and I quote, 'I Fucking Dare you.' was too far. Two thousand years, and you still can't clean up that mouth. He he, and you say I need to update my vocabulary!” Celestia stared blankly at her sister.

“Oh shut it. Call the kids. I want Zephraim and Eclipse to join Cobalt, and I might have Athena go as well.” Tsukiko stopped dead in her tracks.

“Uh...” Sola narrowed her eyes at her sister.

“Problem?” Luna grabbed at her glabella.

“Eclipse is doing recon in Crater, and Athena is literally on the other side of the world in Anya right now.” Celestia put her hands on her temples.

“What about Apollo? And Jupiter?” Luna tapped at her cheek.

“Let's see... Jupiter is on the other side of the country doing field work in Ironside... as for your son, I believe I last saw him with Black in the badlands about a week ago.” Celestia sighed. Her husband and Apollo were always running off doing some crazy experiment together, and she was running out of kids.

“Oh, crap that's right. Sombra called me yesterday too. He thinks he's found another dimensional rift there. Apollo was trying to fix the rift with some mirror he's been on about the past few months. Ugh, that boy. Well, I’m not about to take Zeus out of school for this. Is there anyone else?” Celestia was thinking through all of the knights and assassins she was in command of and only her own family was available to be sent out at the moment. Luna had only had her three kids, and her unit was made up of V-strain humans, and they were nearly blind during the day. Oh wait! Thought Celestia.

“What about Light? You are probably thinking, and the answer is no. He is visiting home for the year, and he took Nebula with him.” Sola looked at Tsukiko confused.

“For the year? Wasn't he here yesterday?” Luna nodded. “Yes he was. But over there, It's New year's eve, and he wanted Nebula to experience what it was like back home where magic was scarce and technology flourished. It's really only going to be three months here, but you know time is not the same... especially after the whole... nightmare incident I caused over there. Hell only knows those people never want to see me again.” Right. Shit.

“I had better alert Zephraim. He's got his work cut out for him.” The Night Queen agreed.

“Indeed he does. Let us just hope nothing goes wrong. My agents should never have to watch their own people die...” The Day and Night Queens resumed their original forms and teleported home to Canterlot castle. Zephraim had his work cut out for him indeed.