The Legend of Fauna

When Fluttershy next awoke, she was in her bed. She was wearing her pajamas with the bunny pattern, and she felt... odd. Her skin felt almost like it had been burned. Like she'd been near an intense fire recently. On her dresser was her father's pendant, and a new duel disk. It was her favorite color, and round. In the shape of an oval to be exact.

She picked it up and the screen lit up. She was greeted by a little sprite of a heavily armored, pale yellow winged, pink headed, blue eyed, woman. Who said hello. “Good morning. How are you feeling today?” She sounded genuinely happy to see the girl. “Oh. um... hello?” She felt awkward about feeling awkward. She felt like she'd known this woman all her life, but she'd also never heard her voice before either.

“If you don't um... mind me asking, um... who are you?” The girl suddenly realized she was beginning to reach for her wings again. If she kept plucking the non dead feathers, her joints were going to be bald by the end of the day. The sprite raised an image from the bottom of the screen, which just so happened to be a card that she was depicted in.

“My name is Monarcha, and starting from today onward, I will be your partner and envoy to the powers of Mizuli. I will also be acting as a tool for you to use in duels. I must say though, I do like the way your cards play. It was a shame that I couldn't defeat Celestia, but I'm sure that the day will come when you do so in my stead. After all, my incarnation shares my destiny, therefore, you and I are bound to each other.” Bound to each other? Wait a minute. This was one of the Harmonians Celestia was talking about. But... how did she get here? Celestia was talking and then suddenly she couldn't remember anything afterward. As the saying goes though, speak of the devil, and she shall appear.

“Oh good, you're awake.” Said the Day Queen as she burst into Fluttershy's room. The only thing that the woman did that Fluttershy couldn't stand was entering without knocking. The girl yelped at the sudden entrance of the Queen, then let out an exhausted sigh. “Look, can you please just knock for once? Please? I don't ask for much, but mother...” Celestia stopped dead in her tracks. There it was again. The feeling of joy tied to the feeling of a knife being dragged through her heart. Which she had actually felt before. The woman grabbed the girl and spun her light body around in the air in her embrace.

“How could you ever be this perfect just as I have to prepare to send you away?” The woman released the now dizzy girl and sat on her bed. After reconfiguring her balance, the pink headed Angel looked at her adoptive mother. “Send me away? Was I called out to do something for the core?” Her tone was more confused than anything Celestia had ever heard. A hint of excitement and a myriad of negative feelings all mixed together. The mother shook her head.

“No, not quite. I'm afraid this is something that I personally am going to order you to do. But not quite yet. For the past four years, you've been training specifically under Sombra, Athena, and your oldest brothers. It has come to the point where I believe I need to step in. I know November is still more than half a year away, but I have a gift for you all the same. After dinner today, I want you to come to the roof. Can you do that for me?” A gift? What could she possibly have for me? Before she could ask anything about it, Celestia stood and took exit of the room. Her hands glowed for a second, and then she snapped and disappeared.

“Oh that woman. She's seen far to many hardships in her life that's bound to never end. I wonder how she's managed to keep her humanity after all this time... Ah well. Being perpetually twenty-eight for almost two thousand years might do that to a person.” The sprite on the disk was speaking again. “Oh right. What did you mean by bound to each other? Mother said we shared destinies as well, how exactly... or, um, what exactly does that mean?” The sprite laid back on her little pixelated yellow wings. “Hmm. That takes me showing you to explain. Tell you what, turn your disk on, and put my card on it. Then I can show you what words can't explain.”

The girl decided that this was the best course of action to get some answers. She had to know what at least some of all this meant. Yesterday was the most unique day of her life, save for falling out of the sky and into her current family six years ago. She took the light pink disk and placed it on her arm. Instead of the two metal telescoping rings she expected to come out, her arm was covered in a strange magical fluid that solidified around it. For a moment she wanted to question that, but she disregarded it as just a new feature. It was much more comfortable than the rings squeezing her arm anyway. The disk expanded a bright, light blue matterwave upon entering duel mode, and Fluttershy removed the card from her disk.

“Monarcha, Defender of Kindness, water attribute, level 7, spirit, aqua type, attack 1000, defense... 3500!?” The sprite set her shield down and crossed her arms. “Impressed I see. Just you wait and see what I can do in your deck. That is quite the spectacle. But go ahead and summon me. I want to see you face to face.” The girl did as she was told, and in front of her, the heavily armored Angel woman appeared. As the card depicted, she looked very, very, similar to Fluttershy, but... older. If she had to guess, she would say this 'monster' was around twenty-five give or take a year.

The armored Angel receded to the ground, and set her shield down. For being nearly a pentagon in shape, the thing somehow balanced on it's tip. She stretched out her arms and wings, then moved her neck around. Several popping noises followed, each of which created echos in Fluttershy's room, and then she looked into the girl's eyes. “Hmm... so this is the new me... or really, I'm the old you. First things first, let's get those divine powers going. Shake my hand if you will.” The woman stuck her hand out. Tentatively, the teenager took it. There was a surge of bright blue light surrounding it, and suddenly, she felt wobbly. She quickly sat down as her knees started to buckle, and took to rubbing her head.

“What in the world was that?” the woman laughed and sat down with her. Surprisingly, her body didn't seem to weigh anything because she didn't sink into the bed like Fluttershy did. And Fluttershy didn't even sink that much to begin with. She only weighed around 70 pounds, and most of that came from her chest. Or so she liked to believe. One of the few physical traits that she did share with Celestia was that one. And from the looks of it, the armored Angel was in a similar situation.

“You have no idea how difficult it was for Ephraim to fashion this for me. I was, for the longest time, the largest woman in the world just for my chest size. But that isn't important. What intended to show you was this.” The woman began to unbuckle and open the clasps that connected her right shoulder plates to her chest plate, then the left one came off. She let both pieces of armor sink to the bed, and suddenly there was a large crater forming in it. Celestia was the heaviest person in the whole castle, and even when she sat on the beds, they didn't cave in this much.

Purely out of curiosity, the teenager decided to try and pick one of the plates up. With all her strength, she managed to lift the plate. That is, for a few seconds. She quickly lost her grip, and let the plate fall into the other one, and then a tone rang out like a bell. It was loud, but at the same time, soft. It wasn't grating or irritating, it was soothing. With what little knowledge of music she had from school, and the large library of knowledge she had about metals, she thought that the pitch was unusually low for a metal of this size and weight. “What is this stuff made out of?” The woman had finished removing the second plate from her chest to finally reveal she was wearing a pale yellow tunic underneath it all.

“Oh. I think he said it was either Lead or... Wolfram? The not poisonous one. It's an alloy of some sort. He made it, and I have no idea how. But that's not the point of me disrobing. I wanted to show you this.” The now exposed woman, whose legs were far larger than the rest of her body at the moment due to the sheer amount of armor she was wearing, rolled up the sleeve of her yellow tunic to reveal three pink winged butterflies on the her right shoulder. Fluttershy was confused for a moment, then thought to check her own Angel's mark. The same three pink butterflies that she found on her arm six years ago were on this ancient woman's arm. “You have my...” She said as she touched the woman's shoulder. The woman grabber her hand and took her attention.

“No, you have my Angel's mark. But for someone such as yourself, I believe you're worthy of it's legacy. And even more so, the burden it carries. There are not many who inherited my bloodline from the children who passed through me almost 4000 years ago left on this earth today. Did you know you have a brother? He was one of the few possible candidates, much like the Iscandor children whom you grew up with. But even so, you were the best choice in my eyes. Celestia and I have always clashed on how to treat life on this planet. Even when she wielded the six elements so many years ago, It was out of desperation that she managed to synergize with me. All the same, we still weren't able to keep my... daughter under wraps.” Daughter? Umbra was hers? The girl thought.

“Umbra was your daughter?” The woman nodded her head. “In the same way your are Celestia's. Umbra was not born of this planet, however she had descended from a human race of some kind. When I found her near the end of my physical thousand years, I took pity on her. I raised her like one of my own, and she was such a good girl. She went off after twenty years to start a family of her own with a man she'd met in the village I had started. And for a long time, I hadn't heard from her. But... she came back one day. Something had been set in motion, something dark, something evil. A man went to steal the artifact she arrived to this planet in, and when she went to capture it from him, It started to possess her.

Umbra fled to the far north, likely in the land you call Symphona today, and I gathered my siblings to try and help her. This would be for naught however, and would start a war that still has yet to end. Even to this day I still have doubts as to whether or not I can rescue her from this unholy possession she's afflicted with.” The woman started to chew on her index finger in thought, and the teenager let out a restrained giggle. “Hmm?” The teenager waved her away. “Oh, it's nothing. Even if you say you and mother don't get along, you have the same habits. She does that every time she sits down to think.” The woman released her finger from her mouth and examined the bite marks she left on it.

“Hmm... I guess we can't be all that much different from each other. She does have one of the highest concentrations of my blood in this world as it stands. Second only to you and your biological brother.” I have... a brother... “I... think I remember having one, but... that was more than six years ago, and... a lot happened when I was a child. I don't have much of that memory left.” The woman put a hand in between the girl's wings and rubbed her back.

“You needn't worry. If you can't remember, then your memories are likely suppressed. Some things are... simply too scary for a child to see.” They were silent for a good amount of time. Fluttershy decided she should actually preen since it'd been months since she last did it, and the older pink haired Angel in the room picked the disk off of Fluttershy's arm, and began to look through it.

An hour had passed, and Fluttershy's left wing was now slightly bloody because she accidentally ripped a large and very much alive feather from her body. This was why she never preened in the first place. How is she supposed to clean herself if doing this just tints her wings red until she takes a shower and they're just wet again? The woman noticed what the girl was doing and began to preen her left wing for her.

“You can't be so rough with these. They're a part of you, dear. If you simply start at the top of each primarie and just move along the wing, it should just straighten up by running your fingers along them like this.” The woman had the girl's outer wing joint stretched out. She took the tip of the last feather on the bottom of the wing, and ran her fingers up the feather once to separate it from the others, and then down to straighten it. “There we go. Now you try.” The girl giggled again.

“Hehe... you really are a lot alike. But what's even more funny is the fact that I've heard the same phrase from her ad verbatim.” The girl brought her wing to herself, and began to do as the woman did with each feather. The older woman almost started to feel jealous. “Well... did she tell you that you can practically ignore your marginals and scapulars? If you just wipe your hand across them...” The girl nodded at the woman.

“Not in so many words, but yes. She did this for me up until I turned twelve. She wasn't very happy with one of the decisions I made, so she started making me do it myself. But, it eventually got to the point where feathers would just fall out so she got on me about it. I lose my birds if I don't do it once a month. Sometimes though... looking at them reminds me of my real mother. She... she fell apart mentally, and I just get so angry thinking about it.

If my stupid friend hadn't almost gotten me killed seven years ago, I would likely be in a similar boat as her today. When I was thirteen, I learned that mother was one of the only people in the world with strong enough magic to purge genetic diseases, and when she regrew my foot, she got rid of the marionette that was beginning to set in six years ago. if things had continued that way, I would have been the youngest marionette patient in the world, and would have likely already died because of it. And it was... it was her fault...”

The girl continued to furiously straighten her feathers until she accidentally pulled on one too hard and ripped it out. A surge of pain was sent through her body as blood began to exit that spot on her wing. She shrieked, and not but a few seconds later, her younger brother Zeus was in the room. “Fluttershy? What happened? Oh gods, you're bleeding everywhere!” The boy quickly ran over to her, with his hands beginning to glow a bright yellow. He removed the girl's hand from the gushing spot, and pressed both of his on it. The pain began to dull, and soon she couldn't feel it any more. The boy leaned back to sit down on the now red stained violet carpet, breathing heavily. Magic that strong was hard on his body.

“Mom's gonna be pissed when she sees this ya know.” The girl looked at the boy, then fell back on her bed. When she did, she noticed a severe lack of plate armor on it. And other woman. She sat back up quickly, then grabbed her pink duel disk. When she flicked it on, the woman's sprite was doing as she had been earlier, but hiding for some reason. Odd, the girl thought. “Is there something wrong?” The multicolored hair on her younger brother was an exact match for Celestia, save for being shorter in length. If her were a girl, he'd probably look exactly like her in ten years. She sighed and shook her head.

“No, I'm fine. Just trying to preen again.” The boy stood up and then stuck his hand out to the girl. She took it and stood with him. She had been taller than him her whole life, but now, he was beginning to catch up. He was still under her eye level though. “Well, dinner is ready now. I was actually on my way to tell you that, but you screamed so... yeah.” The girl nodded.

“Yeah, I get it. Lets go eat.” The two made their way through the large 'family room' that made up the upper most floors of Canterlot Castle. The room itself was three stories tall, with Celestia and Sombra's chamber on the top left side, that faced the east, and Luna and Light's chamber on the other. Below that were four rooms at each cardinal direction for Apollo, Jupiter, Athena, and Eclipse, complete with master bathrooms and balconies. It had been a while since Fluttershy had seen any of them though.

Apollo moved out around the same time Fluttershy moved in. She saw him every so often when he would come to visit, and they had a decent relationship, but weren't nearly as close to each other as she was to the others. Jupiter still lived here, but being severely pale skinned, he hardly was ever awake during the day. Poor guy burns like a crisp in the sun, even if it's only for half an hour. Their relationship was probably closer than any of the others. It was Jupiter that taught her most everything she knows about hand to hand combat. Sombra's expertise lies with tactics and weapons, and even after six years, Fluttershy was still intimidated by Light.

Jupiter however had a much easier way of speaking than the rest of his immediate family, so she latched on to him before anyone else. For the first few months she wouldn't talk to anyone but Jupiter and Celestia. Athena and Fluttershy have an... odd relationship. On the one side, the only time she ever did 'girl stuff' as Athena put it, was when they were together. It was normally fun, but Athena detests being called a girl... or a woman at all for that matter, so... fights would break out on a regular basis when they went shopping.

On the other side, Athena was insane. Not only was she battle crazed from childhood, but she was also physically strong on a level very rapidly approaching her mother. To say she's literally punched a hole in the stone walls of the castle is an understatement. Eclipse was another story. He didn't talk much, and when he did, it was usually blunt criticism. But this wasn't just to her, it was to everyone in the Iscandor house. That's just kinda how he is. It's relatively often to see either Luna or Light give him a slap to the back of the head shortly after he opens his mouth.

He and Zephraim seem to get along. Little surprise in that though. The next floor below that was the one the rest of them lived on. Just like the one above, they each had rooms facing the cardinal directions. Fluttershy had the east room, Zephraim had the north room, Nebula had the west room, and Zeus had the south room. Zephraim she didn't know what to make of. In terms of personality, he was likely the most close to his parents. Sometimes, he and his father would literally mirror each others actions, and very rarely on purpose. And he spoke the same way too. However, it will be more often than not she could see he thinks like his mother. He would never admit it, but his emotions fly off the handle exactly like hers do as well.

Once a few years back, Celestia and Luna were having one of their extreme Jenga matches after having another tied duel. At this point, the blocks were literally stacked on their small ends, and the sisters were just trying to see who would fail to swipe a block correctly first. That's when Zephraim came in. Not only did he manage to grab and place two blocks from the bottom of the tower, but he also placed them without ending the game. Celestia saw this and then tried it her self, but barely managed it. Luna however didn't, and she was quite frustrated for the rest of the night.

Nebula was likely the only trained Iscandor that Fluttershy could say confidently that she could beat in a fight. Zeus being the only 'not' trained Iscandor. It wasn't that he was bad or anything, it was just that he tries so hard to copy his mother that he ends up being predictable. To be honest, he would be the one kid that dresses up as Luna for Nightmare night. Which he did. Last October. She was outraged and made him go change. It was an awkward night for everyone involved.

Finally there was Zeus. Being the same age, they went to school together, and usually shared classes. He would be the one she spent most of her time with. He was very harshly forbidden from doing any kind of martial profession and joining any of the countries forces by his mother, but his father still trains him with the sword whenever he can. He says he doesn't have an opinion on it either way, but in reality, he loves to fight.

After crossing the family room, the two arrived at the elevator, and rode it down to the first floor dining hall. They arrived at the foyer, and then headed along the foyer balcony to the west wing where the dining hall was. When they arrived, everyone was here that still lived in the castle, save for Jupiter. “It's about time you two got here. Hey. Are you bleeding?” The blue violet headed man currently tearing into his meal said. Surprisingly enough, Eclipse had no remark to follow the comment. Possibly even concern in there somewhere. First time for everything.

“Oh, no, I was just preening. I'm fine now.” The Mage gave her a smug look and said, “Figures. Leave it to the bird keeper to screw up cleaning her own wings.” Then was quickly and swiftly hit across the back of his head by his father. “Well. Come on. Sit down and eat your dinner with us.” The black haired man at the end of the table said. For whatever reason, He always sat at the head of the rather large dining table instead of Celestia. Likely some kind of compromise in that marriage. Considering the story that Celestia likes to tell, there was a good chance he should have been the king of this country anyways. Sombra always denies it every time it's brought up, but Fluttershy doubted Celestia would lie about being in position to lose. It wasn't something that really ever happened to her outside of playing the four of them.

The fifteen and sixteen year olds took their places and began to eat. Around the end of dinner, Sombra broke out the alcohol, and suddenly he Light, Athena, and Eclipse were all in a drinking contest. Again. For all the bravado she has, Athena was a lightweight, and was quickly out of the running and on the floor passed out. Eclipse had only turned twenty one recently, so he fell out of the running shortly after two glasses, and Luna kept copying his monotone snide remarks to spite him for it. Then the normal combatants were at it. Sombra has an odd placement with his 'curse' of immortality, because he can get drunk, but his body basically refreshes every hour, so the minute an hour passes, he's back to normal.

Light however, was the only 'normal' adult here, provided Athena wasn't considered an adult. That being said, he does have some kind of divine power that he never has cared to explain in detail, and he can down a keg without much effort. Sombra cannot do that, and usually loses. However, Sombra has won the contest once, and only once. He refreshed in the middle of the contest, and Light was sick that day. The rules of this contest say that either passing out, which was Athena's normal out, or vomiting, Eclipse at the moment, means you lost. Today wasn't special though, because after glass eight, which was about standard for Sombra, he was out like a light. Celestia then levitated the passed out man with two fingers, took a sip of her own wine, and then downed it. She released the man into her arms, then picked up her passed out daughter.

“It seems bed time has arrived early today, wouldn't you agree, Light?” The large blonde man let out a loud, sickly burp. “I would agree with your statement.” The large man brought himself to a standing position with relative difficulty and then made his way to the wall. “Luna, would you mind passing me the boy? I'll take him up.” The blue headed woman followed her sisters lead and flicked her glowing fingers at the now passed out Eclipse and warped him onto Light's back. She then downed her tea glass and helped Light walk down the hall way.

“Oh, you old fool. When will you learn not to fall into his little pissing contests?” The man burped again. “My pride will never allow it, my dear.” The woman rolled her eyes and helped her husband to the elevator. The youngest of Luna's quickly devoured the rest of his meal and followed them in the elevator. Celestia rolled her own eyes. “And she always leaves it to me to warp everywhere I need to go. Sigh.” The tallest woman in the room moved both her husband and her daughter onto either shoulder, then snapped her fingers. Zephraim, Zeus, and Fluttershy remained at the table. None of them had much of a meal left, so Zephraim started to speak.

“So. Parma gave me a list of new recruits today. Imagine my surprise when I see my little sister's name on it.” The man to her left didn't even look at her when he said it. “Well, I...” The man slammed his hand on the table. “How could you!? After everything I went through, after all that time I tried to get you not to join, you go and do it behind my back? And you didn't even tell me!?” The girl got out of her chair. “Maybe I can make my own choices! Maybe I felt like anything I ever accomplished would be worthless if I couldn't do it myself! Maybe they actually wanted me because I was good enough for the job!” The man also stood from his chair. And then hugged her. And she and the boy behind her were confused.

“You can't do this to me. Your my little sister... You can't do this to me...” Fluttershy began to think she was experiencing déjà vu. She released herself from her brother. What do I do now? She thought to herself. Then she remembered what Celestia said earlier today. “I... have to go... mother wants to see me...” She then turned tail and ran to the elevator. “What was that all about?” Said the multicolored boy. His brother simply looked defeated. “I think... I think this is how she must have felt... so long ago.” The boy finished his dinner and simply sat in silence with his brother. He didn't feel like he should move. After a short silence, the older brother said something.

“You know... I think that's the first time she's ever... called her mother...” The girl pressed the final button on the elevator and the machine began to move upward. First mother, now Zephraim? What was going on? Isn't this it? Wasn't this the goal? Being able to protect, serving the country, serving in mother's army. Wasn't that what I wanted? They were more mad about not being told than anything else, and even then, they just looked sad to hear about it. Did everyone know? I know Zephraim was in the higher ups of the core, and Sombra lead it, but... who else knew? And where was Jupiter? He would be the one I could to talk to about this... The girl continued to think to herself as the elevator rose through the castle.

A bell went off signifying that she had reached the top most floor, and the elevator opened to the staircase that would take her to the roof. As she climbed the stairs, she started to think on what Celestia could possibly want to give her. A new card? No, she got Monarcha not but yesterday... Some kind of something to commemorate her getting into the core like everyone else? There wasn't really anyone in the Iscandor family that wasn't in the core, save for Apollo, who owned his own multibillion bit company now, and Zeus who was barred from doing anything militaristic.

She arrived at the door and opened it to see Celestia and Jupiter standing on the opposite side of the roof. The night sky was clear, and the air was crisp in Spring. The constellations so bright overhead, the moon hanging full in the sky. The lights of Canterlot that shone bright below couldn't even reach the top of the castle above the mountain. This was the highest point in Fauna Major. “Welcome, my youngest daughter.” Said the Ascended.

“Yesterday, you received an honor that many in my house have received before you, and even being outside of my blood, you still continue to follow our traditions to the letter. You were given your place amongst the ranks of my family since the day I brought you home, but today, you have earned yourself a place, and I couldn't be more proud. And just like those before you, I will give you a weapon which most suits you above all else.” The woman snapped her fingers, and in a yellow light, produced a short sword in a scabbard. The scabbard wasn't very ornate, and overall, didn't stand out much. It had a rounded hilt guard which Fluttershy believed meant that it was a rapier.

Odd, she thought. Never once had she trained with anything like that. She typically used broad swords, axes, even lances, but never for attacking. A rapier was... out of her range of comfort. But when she drew the blade, it wasn't a rapier at all. It was almost a katana, but far thicker than one. It was engraved with Harmonian runes all along it's sides. Celestia flashed it across the air, and the wind from the force of her cut tossed Fluttershy's hair.

“This blade I have forged for you is none other than a replica of the very same blade my father gave me as a child. With a few enchantments of my own, of course. If you are ever in dire need, read aloud the phrase written along it's edge, and you will be granted with speed above all else. However, this is not a tool of war. This is a tool to protect those whom you care for. If I ask anything of you, for your own sanity, never let this blade strike a man down.” The woman walked to Fluttershy and placed the blade back in it's scabbard. She handed it to the girl, but kept hold of her hands with the sword inside.

“When the time finally comes, please, don't run away from me.” She whispered into the girls ears. What exactly did that mean? Next to step up was Jupiter. Out of all of Luna's sons, he was the one that looked more like a mix of his parents than either of his younger brothers. With his hair having streaks of Luna's violet blue and Lights bright blonde, coupled with the Vampiric strain ears, skin, and eyes, and the Adonis body of his father, he truly was a one part Luna one part Light person. He was wearing his keikogi as he usually did, but today he was also wearing his spiked grieves. This didn't bode well for what was to come next.

“From the day we met, I knew you possessed talent, my little sister. Today, this talent has been realized by the country. I couldn't be more proud of you. But as the ritual goes, there is still a test that the Iscandor family performs. First, I will test your abilities to protect yourself. And finally, I will test your spirit.” The girl realized what her brother was asking, and then she drew the blade she was just given. Ability to protect. First we'll fight. The heavy planet fighting style he perfected, versus the version of it that he taught me and I made my own. And finally... we duel.

I've never played against his full strength, and I've only seen his trump card once. This should be interesting, to say the least... The girl thought to her self. Celestia raised her glowing hand, and a yellow magic circle appeared around the roof. Fluttershy tested it with her fingers, and it was a solid wall surrounding them. This was a cage match. The girl released her breath and then took her stance. Her left hand carried the new blade against her fore arm, and the right held open. The Pluto style she had learned from developed with Jupiter, nearly three years ago. Defensive, soft palm. “I'm ready.” She said. With a nod from Celestia, the woman cast a bright yellow light above the magic circle. “Three. Two. One. Begin!”

Fluttershy had known better than to let her brothers attack first after all this time, so once Celestia had said one, she darted forward. Jupiter had expected this and taken to blocking her flurry of palm strikes. She wasn't making any progress, and with a swift kick to his arms, the girl used her momentum to jump off of him. Jupiter saw it coming and jumped after her, his feet creating a small depression in the stone of the roof with his raw power. He had began to spin the moment he lifted to increase his speed, and soon he was upon the flying girl with a single heavy fist ready to dig into her. He liked to call this one Ganymede fist, and she'd only taken a hit from it once. Broken ribs aren't the most fun thing to feel, even with Celestia's magic keeping them from killing each other. A quick flick of her sword caused the heavy hand to graze her abs just enough to have his spiked gauntlets only rip her skin.

The small wave of pain was normal for this early in the fight. It was what would come next that always did the most damage to her. As he had come to expect, she wouldn't take a Ganymede fist at face value, so Jupiter followed his downward momentum with a kick. Were he in full armor, this would be the death blow for Fluttershy, but then she did something unexpected. The girl had let out her wings and grabbed his leg. With his own momentum propelling her, she pulled hard on his foot, and dropped him face first into the roof. The roof now had Jupiter's face indented in it, and he was battered from the attack. A moment's rest would get her killed, so she dive bombed him herself the minute the dust settled.

She managed an elbow to the spine before Jupiter spun his body around and knocked her away with a gauntlet to the face. The girl tried to steady her head for a moment, and realized she had a tooth in her mouth. She spat it out, and took her stance again. The man on the other side had done the same. “You've gotten better. But so have I.” The man charged at the girl. With incredible speed, his fist was upon her. Landing his blow square in the stomach, he sent the girl in the air spinning. The girl spread her wings to regain balance after that, but then she noticed her brother was right in front of her. With nothing else but instinct running now, she took her sword and swept at his arm. He blocked, and then she followed this with a kick to that same arm and sent him back down to earth. Fluttershy continued to fly in place trying to catch her breath, but then Jupiter was upon her again. This time he had jumped backward, and brought his leg down on her head. This was bad. The kick was enough to cause her to fall, but he hadn't let go of it either. If she didn't do something now, she might not make it to the duel in the first place.

Without much else to do, the girl grabbed the leg on her head, and tried to spin around it. In the moment she did, Jupiter then grabbed her face with his hand, and drove her head into the stone with him. She thought she heard something crack when they landed. Luckily, it was the stone and not her head. After she managed to stand, she realized she was running on adrenalin now. Jupiter had returned to his position, and he awaited the next attack. Her mouth had filled with blood again, so she thought of a new idea. She rushed at Jupiter again.

“Trying the same thing twice? I expect better from you.” Now was the moment. Jupiter had taken a heavy step back to ready an upper cut, but just as he did, the girl sprayed the blood in her mouth at him. Startled by it, Jupiter stopped his movement, and was left wide open. Fluttershy got as close as she could and performed the same attack Jupiter had prepared. With all her strength, she twisted her body into a single uppercut right in his stomach. For the very first time, Fluttershy managed to move Jupiter while he was on the ground. It may have only been a foot or two, but moving the massive two hundred and fifty pound Terran at all was a feat for anyone, especially an Angel, who would be at a disadvantage against any other race in a physical fight to begin with.

“New tricks aren't so hard to come by these days.” The girl took a look at her hand. The force of her own attack had ripped the skin on her knuckles. Then she started to feel a wind at her side. She quickly stepped back, just fast enough to avoid the silver plated fist that swung right in front of her face. “You managed to move me. If there isn't a first for everything. Now I want to see you use that sword!” Jupiter was beginning his solar system combination. The only thing he did that Fluttershy could never learn, regardless of how many times he tried to teach her. The left foot landed, with a single arm swing to the left. “Mercury!” This she blocked with the sword, and it sent her back a few feet. The second step, right straight. “Venus!” Both arms, crossed, blocked with the sword, by a fraction of a second. Moved back three feet.

This wouldn't stop the combination though. The third step, the kick. He hopped off on the foot he'd just moved his weight to, then flew at her with a right heel kick. “Earth!” The downward force kept her from moving, but she felt something in her left arm split. Likely a bone. Bringing down the same foot he kicked with that now had a cut in it, he shifted his weight on it while keeping his momentum, and threw his elbow at her. “Mars!” Another crack sounded off. Likely the other bone in her left arm. However, if she let her guard down now, this was over. Struggling to keep her arms up, the fifth step began. Left foot forward, left straight. “Jupiter!” The punch snapped a bone in her other arm. The pain was starting to come through.

The sixth step began, right uppercut. This one went under her arms and got her stomach. Another snap, likely a broken rib. When next she looked, she saw his back. This was the only vulnerability in his combination. If she could strike now, she could stop it here. However, she couldn't move her arms. Both were either completely broken, or almost there. His face was visible again, and his eyes looked they way they always did during an intense fight. Just like his mother's. Glowing with rage. The seventh step, the rotated right cross. “Uranus!” Her guard was broken, and she dropped the sword. She was sent back a foot. She staggered, but wouldn't give up.

The eight step began, and he raised his right arm in preparation for the final step. The left hook connected with her side. “Neptune!” Then the final step begins. Where the Ganymede fist originated. The smallest technique with more power than any other. The downward right hook. “Pluto!” The fist connected with her head. Her face shot into the ground, she could feel her nose broken again. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Celestia saying something. Suddenly, most of the pain was gone. Her nose stopped bleeding and readjusted itself, then her head didn't feel like there were four holes in it.

She didn't pass out this time, which was a bonus. She began to try and get up. Her body felt like it was burning everywhere. She tested the spot where her tooth had fallen out with her tong, and felt the bone back in it's proper place. Her face was still imprinted in the stone, but slowly, the magic circle repaired that too. She made it to one knee, and then saw Jupiter smiling at her from a squatting position. “You didn't pass out. I guess that makes three of us who can with stand it.” He extended his hand and helped the girl up.

“With that, you've passed the ability test. Heh, even my brothers haven't done that. That makes you a valuable asset, little sister.” The man stepped back a good fifteen feet, and pulled a duel disk out of his pocket. “However, I must now test your mind and spirit.” The man placed his disk on his left arm. Teal green object expanded a yellow matterwave in the shape of a trapezoid. “Come sister! Defeat your brother in this final test!” The girl raised her left arm, took the pink disk from her pocket, and placed it on her arm. The blue matterwave expanded from her disk. “I don't know what you expect, but I'll give you everything I have!” The two disks shot out single beams of light at each other, and in unison, they shouted, “DUEL!”

They each drew five cards, and Fluttershy took the first turn. As usual, letting her siblings take the first strike was never a good decision. When she looked to her hand, she noticed something different. Her new monster was in her hand. However, there wasn't much she could do to defend herself other than play Monarcha... however, she could still strike first, and if all went well, win right now. But that was up to what Jupiter drew.

“Turn! I summon Round Spirits, Pendragon!” The girl placed her monster on her disk and from a white mist, a dragon appeared. It wasn't very big. As a matter of fact, it was relatively small. The little slithery thing had tiny wings on either side of the middle of it's back, and was covered in pale blue scales. It had bright red eyes, and wore some kind of golden crown. On it's side in a sheath about half it's whole size was the very, very ornate gold hilt of some kind of sword. As a whole the monster seemed to give off some kind of mist.

“Once per turn, while Pendragon is on the field, I can reveal one spirit monster in my hand to gain an additional normal summon this turn! I reveal Round spirits, Hectolf! Next, I summon him!” In a similar cloud of mist, a lightly armored pale blue wolf appeared. This one carried an ax in it's mouth, covered in silver marking all along it's handle, with a wickedly sharp crest at either end of the axes blade. When the wolf reached it's standing position, it locked it's red eyes with the dragon and then howled.

“When I have a spirit monster other than Hectolf on the field, All spirit monsters I control gain 300 attack! I then activate the effect of Monarcha, Defender of Kindness! While I control two or more spirit monsters, I can special summon her from my hand! As the stars fade in the black sky, rise again to end the war! Knight of peace, defender of the weak! Bring back balance to the world!” During her chant, the queen and the nephew noticed that the girl was beginning to glow a blue color. But this wasn't traditional magic. This was something else completely... A column of blue light shot up from the ground in between the little dragon and the wolf. The light dissipated from top to bottom to reveal the armored angel standing triumphantly with her great shield held at an angle covering most of her body with her sword drawn and at her side.

“So the Harmonian descends. Aunt Celestia, do they all resemble each other as much as these two do?” The large man across the field said to the woman adjacent to him on the edge of the roof. “Based on the two I know at the moment, yes. However, they don't always share gender. From what I can gather from those who can still speak to me, all of the six current incarnations are girls. Exhibit A would be her. She's the only one who has her incarnation right now though. Including Monarcha, who gave herself to the girl the minute she stepped into the same room, we only know who two of the new incarnations are right now. I can only gather so much information from them at a time, so the next thing intend to find out is the names of these other incarnates. For now, all we know is their gender for the other four.” The woman said as she raised an arm to the pink haired girl. The man nodded.

“I see. Very well. Carry on Fluttershy.” The pink headed Angel nodded and continued. She did take note that Monarcha was being unusually quiet. “I activate the effect of Monarcha! Once per turn, I gain an additional normal summon! And next, I summon Round spirits, Lioncelot!” The next monster appeared in mist like the two before it did. The beast had a dark blue mane surrounding it's pale blue fur that covered the rest of it's body. On it's haunches were almost black metal plates of armor that carried down to it's legs, and covered most of it's back all the way to it's tail. The red eyed beast carried a sword in it's mouth that looked identical to the one the dragon carried, but in silver.

“If Lioncelot is not the only spirit monster on the field when he's summoned, I get to add a Round spell or trap card to my hand! I add Backlash of the Round!” The lion thrust it's sword into the ground and pushed it down with it's front paws. A trail of mist then started to float from it to the girl's deck, and ejected a card. The girl took her card, then the lion returned to it's first position. “Thank you, my furry friend.” Seeming to respond to her, the lion took a bow, then returned to it's place. The man on the other side of the field furrowed his brow. Monarcha and the other elements were special in that they had souls within their cards, but why did this beast act? Was this Monarcha's doing? Over the hundreds of times he dueled the girl, she has yet to forget to thank her cards, but never had they responded. And she didn't seem phased by it either.

“Finally, I activate the effect of Round spirits, Merlowl! While I control two or more spirit monsters, I can reveal this card in my hand to gain an additional normal summon this turn! I then summon Merlowl!” As it's name suggested, this mist creature resembled a great horned owl who wore a violet robe covered in gold stars with lines connecting each one to shape constellations. In it's left wing, the owl carried a wooden staff with an odd hook at it's end. The red eyed, pale blue owl then started to gather mist from the other four monsters on the girl's field and collect it all into a ball that was floating above it's head.

“If Merlowl is summoned, he inflicts damage to my opponent equal to his attack times the number of spirit monsters on my field! Further more, because of Hectolf's effect, he gains 300 attack, putting him at 800! Without any more pause, take my spirit in full, brother! Mist of the round spirits!” At the girl's call, the owl fired it's massive ball of mist directly at the man before her. In a flash, the ball of mist exploded, and clouded the field. Upon the wind carrying it away, the field was visible again, and Jupiter was still standing with a monster of his own, and his life points reduced by half the amount she would have originally done. He then started to clap.

“Well done. Very well done, in fact You have come quite a long way indeed my dear sister. From that little girl who would cling to my leg every night we would go to the park, or cry at the moment I released my hand from you. Now, the young adult who stands before me, the girl who was the first of her siblings to move me with her own strength, and the girl who would have defeated someone else without letting them have a turn. Your current strength surpasses that of two of your brothers, and even then, you still have years to grow into your prime. However... that doesn't mean I will give in without a fight! What saved me was the effect of my monster, Astrofighter, Io! By special summoning him, I take only half of any effect damage you would do to me.”

The monster was of interesting design. His body made of black, and filled with little white lights every where. He wore a full keikogi like his master, but its gi was black lined and white overall. It's head was a faceless man wearing a brass colored helm that was pointed in thee places with a visor over where Fluttershy had come to believe it's eyes would go, and the word Io engraved on a circular plate above the visor on it. In the dark, the monster was almost glowing by the lights in it's body. “And now that you've filled your field, I assume you don't have anything left to summon?” The girl nodded.

“That's right. But first, I set one card face down, then I move to my end phase. During this time, all monsters, save for Monarcha, return to my hand by their own effects. Return to me, my animals!” The monsters on the girl's field sank into clouds of mist that formed behind them, and flew back into their cards. The girl retrieved them from her disk, and then lowered her stance to signify that she'd ended her turn. “Very well then. To begin, I draw.” The man gave a slight smirk after looking at his card. Fluttershy knew exactly what that meant. She'd seen him draw that card too many times now to forget. The probability of winning this duel just went drastically lower.

“During the stand by phase, I activate the effect of Astrofighter, Ganymede from my hand. If I control an Astrofighter monster I can special summon this card from my hand. However, If I do, I cannot normal summon this turn. As such, I summon Astrofighter Ganymede!” In a beam of swirling black and white stars, the monster appeared on the field. Identical to the first monster in all but color and engraving, this monster wore a white gi with black lining, and his helm had the word Ganymede engraved in each side of the helm along it's edges. This one's visor was a reflective silver.

“It's been a while since I've dueled with you, but I believe you already know what happens next, don't you?” The girl gritted her teeth and developed a frown. The planets were about to descend. “Your face tells me all that I need to know! With my two monsters, I construct the overlay network! The dust born from fighters long past, gather together now to create a new world! Xyz summon, Astrofighter, Planet Earth!” Black, white, and gold lights began to swirl in a circle just above the two monsters. Each one turned into a colored light and flew inside. In a column of black white and gold stars, the monster appeared.

Like the two used to make it, he was wearing a Gi that had orange lines, but the rest of the gi itself looked like the atmosphere of the planet. Inside, she could even see the major continents underneath cloud cover, and it moved. The helm it wore had the name of the planet engraved in a metallic blue circle just above where it's faceless forehead would have been, and in it's visor were two orange glowing eyes. Around it were two floating orange balls of light, indicating the number of Xyz material it had at it's disposal. Good chances were that he was going all the way up his Xyz monsters to his pride and joy, and if that happened...

“Now that we have our champion, we must clear obstacles out of his way! Planet Earth activates his effect! By detaching one Xyz material, I can destroy your trap!” That was her trump card. If she lost it now, this would be all over by the time he finishes. And this way... he can't get rid of Monarcha. “That can't happen! I activate the effect of Monarcha! I can banish her to negate that effect, and destroy your Astrofighter!” The Angel knight started to glow bright blue. The light expanded from her self until it captured the faceless fighter on the other side of the field, and all at once both of them disappeared.

“As much as I pains me to say this, I did see that one coming. However, It does limit my actions, if only so very slightly.” Of course he knew. He always does. “In any case, I activate the effect of Gravitational Rebound. If a monster I control was destroyed by my opponent's card this turn, I can special summon it. Return to me, Planet Earth!” And just like that, Earth appeared out of swirling black and white stars. “It's about time we started getting on to bigger planets. I activate the effect of Rank-Up-Magic Gravitational Force! By using Planet Earth as Xyz material, I can Xyz summon one Astrofighter one rank higher than him! Size, density, pressure, and composition! Change and realign into the next evolution of the planets! Xyz summon, Astrofighter, Planet Neptune!”

The swirling black white and gold lights appeared again above Earth this time, and he turned into an orange light then flew inside it. The lights sent blue lightning bolts from its center, and in a flash, a new fighter appeared. It's helm was different, It's gi was lined in dark blue, and the cloudy storms of a pale blue planet rotated around the gi it wore. It's helm was completely silver with the word Neptune engraved in straight plate that formed the top of it's visor. The eyes inside it now glowed with a dark blue hue, and it carried a single blue orb orbiting it.

“If Neptune is Xyz summoned, I am allowed to search my deck for an Astrofighter, but this you already know. With that said, I add Astrofighter Castillo to my hand. I've never shown you my true monster before. But today, I think you're ready to see the pinnacle of my spirit. So, I activate the effect of Gravitational Swing! By discarding the Castillo in my hand I can target one card in your hand, and shuffle it into your deck! Return Pendragon to whence he came!” A small orb of light appeared just above Fluttershy's hand the card Jupiter had named flew out of her hand and orbited the light, then was sent flying into her deck. The deck then shuffled itself. Crap. If she didn't draw him again, or a way to summon more monsters next turn, this really was already over.

“And now that that's gone, I activate the effect of Gravitational Pull! While I control an Xyz Astrofighter monster, I can target one level 5 or lower Astrofighter in my grave yard and special summon it! Come to the field, Astrofighter Castillo!” Same swirling black and white stars, new monster. Castillo wore a gray gi with white and black lines on either side of himself. Being a monster in Jupiter's deck with a level, it had no eyes inside of it's visor, which covered most of it's faceless head, and what little of a helm was actually some kind of metal had the word Castillo engraved on it. The monster's hands then began to glow a bright orange.

“If Castillo is summoned, I get to add one Gravitational spell card from my graveyard to my hand, and as such, I add Rank-Up-Magic Gravitational Force!” The monster's glowing hands reached into a violet and black void that spawned to the left of it, then tossed a card into Jupiter's hand. “And with that, I rank up Neptune! Turn gasses to diamonds as they fall from the sky! Bring the force of your winds down to earth! Xyz summon, Astrofighter, Planet Uranus!”

Again the monster flies into a cloud of light, only to return with a costume change. The eyes glow with a bright green as did it's orbiting material. The visor sports a pale green metallic color, with it's name engraved in a triangle that separated the visor from it's self. A gi with dark green lines, and the stream lined clouds of the pale green planet spinning around it. Now complete with gauntlets of the same pale metallic color covering it's once black and white light fists.

“But you've grown since the last we played! So much so, that I cannot, No, I will not believe this is enough to get the job done! I activate Rank-Up-Magic Galactic Force from my hand! The same rules apply, but now the effects of all your face up cards are negated, and you cannot respond to this card's effect! More, and more! The most unique of all the planets in the solar system gathers those near around it, surrounding it's self with the powers of millions! Xyz summon, Astrofighter, Planet Saturn!” The new monster took another set of colors and gained a large ring surrounding each of it's fists of gold and brown dust spinning counterclockwise.

It's gi was lined in dark yellow and the atmosphere of the next planet spun around it. It's golden visor had a ring of gold and brown color spinning above it, and the name Saturn was engraved in either side of the helm. One more left. I've only ever seen this monster twice before, and neither time was it used against me. The girl thought to herself. All that's left was to summon the monster he shared a name with. The one that truly broke the spirits of those who challenged General Jupiter Corona.

“Normally I would stop here, but you, you are the closest of all who've challenged me to beating me!” His breathing was beginning to become heavy. He was starting to sweat, and he had taken to a wicked smile. Something was beginning to feel wrong. She could smell something... something oddly sweet. And she felt like she was starting to hear something... like it was a pulsing sound of some kind. “The second effect of Galactic Force activates! I can banish a spell from my graveyard to add it to my hand! I'll get rid of Gravitational Pull, and then once more, I activate the effect of Rank-Up-Magic Galactic Force! The thunder of judgment, and the flames of hell, all residing in the eye of the storm! The king of the solar planets, bring down your fiery wrath! Xyz summon, King of the Astrofighters, Planet Jupiter!”

This summon began far differently than the last. A dark orange light was surrounded by a swirling red flame and the two spun in a cylinder around Saturn until no longer was he visible. The air on the roof started to feel as if it had become warmer. Jupiter himself looked as if he was glowing with a thin red light... maybe even a smoke of some kind. At the same time, she could feel her own blood pulsing with the sound she started to hear moments ago. The column of fire flashed and there stood the new monster, looking far different than the others.

He was gigantic. At least double the size of the last one. Jupiter only reached his middle in height. He still wore a gi that had dark red lines and the planet's atmosphere spinning in it, but his legs hands feet and arms were armored with copper colored metal plates with spikes at each joint for the most damage possible. On his back flowed a cape that also carried the spinning Jupiter atmosphere inside it, and was lined by a gaseous looking white smoke that moved from one side of his body to the other. His faceless head was no longer covered by a visor, but instead he wore a crown with an orb that floated above it.

After taking a closer look, Fluttershy noticed that that orb was the planet Jupiter rotating just above it. It's bright red glowing eyes shone out in the darkness, as did the four glowing red orbs that floated around it. The right eye was spinning and swirling, like a storm. Suddenly, Fluttershy felt heavier than she usually did. She wanted to kneel to catch her breath, but she also felt like if she did, she would be bowing to something she didn't believe in. she steadied her feet, and lifted her torso back to standing up straight, and stared her brother head on.

“It could have only been you that wouldn't bow to the king of the Astrofighters! And I would have expected no less from my prized little sister! Survive the onslaught of the king, and defeat me! You have a power far greater than you know and the potential to rise above all opposition! Jupiter gains 500 attack for each Xyz material attached to him, putting him at 5500 attack! And further more, I can target one other monster I control, and attach it to him as Xyz material! Costello serves his king!” The monster took a knee beside it's caped king, and transformed into a red orb, then began to orbit the Astrofighter. “And there, He reigns supreme at 6000 attack! Jupiter gains effects based on the number of Xyz material attached to him, the first of which is that he can attack twice per turn like most of his servants before him. Next, he is unaffected by my opponents cards, like Saturn. Finally, the king attacks you directly!” It was time to activate her trap.

“You won't win this turn, this I swear! I activate the effect of Backlash of the Round! Ignoring their summon conditions, I special summon two spirit monsters from my hand in defense position! I summon Hectolf and Merlowl! Merlowl's effect triggers again! And with Hectolf on the field, you take 1600 damage!” The two mist creatures appeared out of the opened trap card to defend the girl. The owl then raised it's staff once more to conjure another ball of mist significantly smaller in size, the owl shot it's mist ball at the man on the other side. When Fluttershy moved her arm in front of herself to order the owl to fire, she noticed that her hand looked to be giving off some kind of blue smoke. What in the world was going on?

The mist ball connected with the man, and he slid back a few feet. His clothes were now ripped in various spots, and it looked like he was scratched or cut in those same places, even bleeding here and there. “You have the potential... No you have more than that! From that scared little girl, you've become this glorious, strong willed fighter! You have the power to become anything you could possibly want to be! But still, I cannot let you escape me unscathed! When Jupiter destroys a monster by battle, he inflicts that monster's attack to my opponent as damage! I change my attack target to Merlowl!” The giant punched toward the owl and sent a fire ball hurtling towards it. The owl took the brunt of the flames, but was destroyed in the process, and didn't stop the fireball.

The girl quickly tried to shield herself with her wings and arms as the fireball connected with her body. The heat singed some of her feathers, and the pain of the burns it caused forced her down on on knee. “Don't you dare give up now! This game is already yours! Whether my attacks, and emerge victorious! I refuse to allow one with such a strong spirit to quit! Stand, take the next hit! I attack Hectolf!” For a single moment, she thought him using the word I was odd, but he meant what he said. The now fiercely red glowing smoke was pouring off the man.

He aligned his body as if he were about to deliver a heavy blow, and in unison, the monster mimicked his action. His right arm began to move in close, and his left moved back, each arm tightening it's hand into a fist. The monster began to do the same motion as he did. She rose to her feet and crossed her body to protect against the incoming fire “Take all of my pride, all of my anger, and all of my love, my darling little sister! For the moment you stand from this is the day you surpass me!” With every ounce of force he could muster, the man shot his fist forward at the girl. At the same time, the monster did the same with a burning gauntlet of fire at the ax wielding wolf. The wolf desperately tried to fight back against the fist, but failed and exploded in a wave of mist.

The flames engulfed the girl again, this time more intense than before. The pain of the burns made the girl shriek, and collapse to both her knees this time. The fire had faded, and with it some of her vision, but she wouldn't let it end here. This was the moment she'd been training for all her life, and the moment that would make her brother proud above all else. With everything she had left, she stood again. Noticing her wings were slightly blackened, and her coat had a few holes in it, still, she stood. “Yes, Yes! That's perfect! One more attack! And then your spirit will be all you need to earn this! The final effect of Jupiter activates only during the second main phase! By detaching four of his five material, I will have you shuffle your hand int your deck!” How could he have such a powerful effect!?

“You what!?” Jupiter was completely tied to his monster, and they moved together. He raised his hand out, and the monster did the same, absorbing four of the five red light orbs into it's hand and then they each shot out to the cards in Fluttershy's. Each card evaporated in red light, and then the deck shuffled itself. It was all down to what she drew next. “And with that, my part is done.” He was breathing even heavier now. It looked like his left leg was about to give out. Did she really hit him that hard with her attack? It was less damage than the first one but... something was different.

“First, before my turn starts, Monarcha returns to the field due to her effect!” The Angel knight returned to her place on the field in a column of blue light. She looked to the monster in front of her and took a step back. She then looked to the girl. Fluttershy couldn't tell if she was screwing around or what, but she looked... afraid? Maybe? Her left eye was twitching. The girl shrugged her shoulders, and the knight turned back around without changing the look on her face. Weird. The next part all came down to whether or not she could draw a monster. “My t-turn!” What was this? Am I getting nervous? No, no, this can't be happening! Not now! I kept standing after being burned twice! I fought Jupiter! I made him move with my own power! Why do I suddenly feel like I'm going to fail!?

“Really, now. You can't hesitate like this in the future. You believe in yourself, surely your spirit will respond to you. Go on. Finish this.” The girl relaxed her body, and placed her hand on her deck. It was time to go through with this. For a moment, she stood silent, listening to the harmony of the pulsing that she could hear and the pulsing her body was making. The pulsing almost felt like it could have been music, but was missing... something... Amidst the sound, she heard the cry of a small creature. She knew what she would draw.

“I draw!” Quick and without hesitation, the girl took the card and flung out her arm so she wouldn't see it. “I summon Round spirits, Gwynerven from my hand!” Her spirit had risen to the challenge, and the girl was the master of herself if only for the moment. Out of a cloud of mist, a thin pale blue dragon like creature appeared on the field. It had long white hair that came from the top of it's dragon like head, and a slender, feminine, lizard like body that wore a dress.

“When she's summoned, I get to target one monster on my opponent's field and return it to hand!” The man simply smiled. “You've done it. Now, come. End this.” He removed the monster from his disk and returned it to it's place. The giant disappeared and the man spread his arms wide. “Give it all to me. Your pride, your anger, and most importantly, your love. Show me every emotion you can fit into this last attack!” The girl raised her arm and moved the card in the center of her disk forward.

“I've really done it, haven't I, brother?” She was beginning to tear up. “If that's what you want, then this is what you'll get! Six years of the feeling of futility, six years of the feeling of joy, six long years of the frustration of training, and most importantly, six years of the love I've been shown! Monarcha attacks directly!” The Angel woman raised her sword, and it began to glow with a bright blue. She then took off toward the man.

He raised his arm in preparation to block the swing, then they clashed. The blue light radiating from the woman and the red mist flowing from the man her swing proved to be more powerful, and then was sent flying more than ten feet. A buzzer rang off, and the hologram screen in the center of the field declared Fluttershy the winner. Monarcha returned to her spot, spun her sword in her hand twice, then sheathed it. The sword made a clicking sound, and the field faded.

But something was off. Some of the damage, specifically the spot she was standing, wasn't repaired. How... how was that possible? The MR field should keep the game from affecting the real world... why... am I still covered in burns...? She touched a raw spot of skin on her arm, then flinched. A sharp wave of pain ran through her arm. What the...? Jupiter! He was bleeding! The girl rushed across the field, wincing every time she stepped with her right leg. He'd burned a good chunk of her pants away, and the burn on her skin there was almost second degree. After traveling across the roof, she finally made it to where Jupiter was laying. He was bruised and battered, but his cuts had stopped bleeding.

“Oh, gods, are you okay?” Before she could move, the large man leaned up and wrapped his arms around her. “You did it! You passed all expectations and then some!” Was he... crying? What? What in the world? A wave of emotion hit the girl like a truck to the face, and her own tears started to free flow again. “Thank you... thank you so much... brother...” The girl gave herself into the hug. Several moments passed, and the from behind her, she heard the Ascended speak.

“Oh, just look at you two. Say cheese!” Wait, what? The girl thought. Her entire body froze. A flash went off. Then another, and another. Celestia was spamming pictures again! She turned as quickly as she could and tried to swat at the camera in the impossibly tall woman's hands. “You'll have to try harder than that sweetie!” The girl continued to furiously swat at the camera as the impossibly fast woman continued to take pictures of her. On the other side of the roof, Jupiter had come to a sitting position. For a second he felt a wind, then he realized someone was standing next to him.

“Ah, there you are. Did you see my grand finale?” The bat winged woman patted her son's head. “I certainly did. I also watched as you pounded that poor girl's face into the roof. You did not hold back during your physical fight, but I cannot help but wonder if you did during your clash of wills.” The woman took a cross-legged seat next to her son. “Good. That way I can get away with saying I did. But... for her to out right nearly end the game before my turn, and then again almost on my turn... I couldn't have possibly expected such... a J-curve in her development like this.” The woman nodded as she watched her sister toy with her adopted daughter.

“It's quite true for the other pupil we have here as well. However, I think our dear Fluttershy has had some what of a head start on her. That... and she has all of you. If only she had as kind a heart as this one.” The woman said with distance in her voice. The man brought himself to a sitting position next to his mother, and watched as the Day queen tired out the girl. “So. What happens next?” The Night queen looked at her hands. “Celestia plans to put her through her own training. Once you started to perform soul art dueling, the girl was instantly pulled into doing it herself.  Had a clash of monsters occurred, or were she dueling with or against a Harmonian, the melody would have played.” The Terran's ears perked up.

“She what!? How could she be so...” The woman looked her son in the eyes. Their irises were mirror images of each other. “We don't know. It could have been the circumstance, it could be that she is simply that powerful, or... I think it might have been you.” The son looked at the mother confused. “Me? I'm no Incarnation. Sure, I might have divine blood somewhere, but that doesn't put me on an Incarnation's tier does it?” The mother looked to the moon that was now shining bright in the sky just overhead.

“You are asking the wrong person about that. This is the first time since we Ascended that Incarnations have appeared again. But let me tell you this; blood holds no bearing on the strength of your will. You can be as strong as you allow yourself to be, and there is no end to the journey of gathering strength, that your aunt and I can attest to. I think that because you were cheering for her, and you wanted her to surpass your will, she rose to the challenge and did exactly that. I can't say you made a single mistake in your playing with what you were given, or what you could have done. Her spirit simply grew to where it need to be to surpass yours. In essence, I simply believe you were the perfect stimulant to this girl's growth.”

The woman had taken to smiling sweetly at her boy. The man felt himself a child again, with his mother looking at him like this. He sighed and laid down on the roof and looked at the stars. “If that's what you really think, mother.” The woman returned her eyes to the stars again. “I see you are still yet convinced. Then I shall put this into your perspective. Do you know what is depicted in you Terran's mark?”  Even if he saw it in the mirror every day, he still felt the need to check his left shoulder for it. The image of two hands clutching a blood moon.

“Some red moon with a couple of hands on it. What about it? I thought that represented the power I hold.” The mother looked back down into her sons eyes. “Yes, this could be true, and It may very well be that. However, have you ever considered that one of those hands may not be yours? What if the blood moon does represent your physical strength and martial prowess, and you are passing it to someone else? It took me more than a life time to figure out what my mark might mean, and I had even less to go on than you do, yet all the same... for every teacher I've met they seem to share the idea of passing something along in their marks. If I were a betting woman, which I was, and that got me in to SEVERE trouble, so avoid that, I would say you are more cut out to teach than you think. Just think about that for a while. In any case, I have been called out to a mission and your little brother has been begging me to take him along, so I thought I might show him what it is like to fight a dream eater in their own territory.”

The man remained silent as his mother stood. Before she popped away, he caught her ankle. “Before you go, I have two statements to make.” The woman turned her head to look at her son. “One, please, oh for the love of the gods, please make him fight it. Cocky little ass needs a back hand more often than Eclipse does, I swear. And two... thanks, mother.” The woman smiled as he released her leg. “I am your mother after all. What good would I be if I cannot make you rethink your self? And to that first one, you are absolutely right, and I very much have intended to do that. Dressing up as me for nightmare night, I swear! He will never do it again for as long as he lives!” The woman's hand began to glow a violet blue.

“Still salty about nightmare night... ha ha ha!” She gave him an irritated look, then snapped her fingers, and warped away. A few moments after that, the Day queen walked into Jupiter's vision holding the sleeping girl in her right arm. She stuck her left hand out to him to help him up. She lifted him with ease as if his whole body weighed no more than a pillow and set him on his feet. “Oh, so you were tiring her out huh?” The woman nodded. Jupiter was one of the few people in this world she didn't have to look down to speak with eye to eye.

“Yes, I thought it would be best. You did give her some pretty good burns though. I see she did a number on your face as well.” The man checked the cut on his forehead that had reddened his vision earlier. I had already healed though. “It's just a scratch. And besides, the moon is out. If I had to say, I think I'll be fully healed in about an hour. I'm not called a vampire for no reason right?” The woman gave him a solid slap to the shoulder. “Oh, don't say that. Were you really a vampire, your own mother might have been called to kill you, and that just isn't any fun at all. I'll be taking her to her room, then going to bed myself. What are your plans?” The man rolled his neck around, popping it in several places.

“I don't know. The old bat popped in to talk and she got me thinking about what I want to do with myself. I think I'm gonna go to the library and do some research.” The woman nodded. “Very well then. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Jupiter.” The man scratched at his neck. “Later aunt Celestia.” The woman snapped her fingers, and just like that, she was gone. “A teacher huh? I guess I'll have to look into that.” The man straightened his partially ripped gi and relaxed his still tense arms, then made his way to the staircase on the roof. It was about time he thought of looking into a profession. He wouldn't be twenty-six forever.  At this point, he was physically older than his own mother. Might as well do something that will make a lasting impression. Maybe it was time to get in touch with Apollo again. It's been a while. The man opened the door to the staircase, and made is way to the elevator.