Card Games on Ponies

“Are you okay, Pinkie?” asked Fluttershy.

Pinkie’s posture was rigid, her legs stiff, as she walked with large steps. Still, she nodded firmly.

“Okay,” said Fluttershy with uncertainty. A earth pony travelling from Ponyville to Cloudsdale on a flying contraption that required constant pedalling without taking a single break was something unheard of.

Then again, this was Pinkie Pie.

The pair made their way through the city, a cloud walking spell courtesy of Twilight made sure Pinkie would have no issues walking around the place, as several pegasi flew next to them, chatting and laughing among themselves; the setting sun having signaled the end of today’s work journey.

“I think we should head for The Obelisk first,” said Fluttershy. She turned her head to see Pinkie several steps behind her. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie had her nose high, sniffing the air with a look of deep concentration. “This smell,” she whispered as she looked around her. Without warning, she reared back and charged in a seemingly random direction, the stiffness of the trip having disappeared.

“Pinkie Pie?” called Fluttershy before quickly giving chase. “Oh my,” she mumbled, having trouble to keep with her friend’s constant turns and abrupt stops to sniff the air once again, despite her ability to fly. “Pinkie, where are you--”

“I found you!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she pounced on an unsuspecting winged figure, wrapping her hooves around her neck and squeezing mercilessly.

Her victim squaked in surprise and tried to break free, but every effort was in vain. Deciding it couldn’t end like this, she threw her head back and cried. “P-Pinkie, I can’t breathe!”

“Oops!” said Pinkie as she quickly pulled her hooves back. “Sorry! It’s just that I was walking around all super stiff from the pedaling when I smelled scones and thought “who do I know that flies and bakes scones” and started running around until I found you and yelled “I found you” and wrapped my hooves around your neck in a suprise re-encounter hug!”

Gilda took a deep breath and cracked her neck. “Yeah,” she said with a chuckle. “Nice to see you too, Pinkie.”

“How have you been?” asked Pinkie as she bounced on place.

Gilda smiled. She put her claw inside the brown bag around her neck and pulled out a scone which she handed to Pinkie.

Pinkie smiled eagerly and extended her hoof, but then stopped, rummaged inside her mane for a second and pulled out two bits which she offered to Gilda.

Gilda shook her head and pushed Pinkie’s hoof back. “This one’s on the house,” she said with a wink.

Pinkie quickly gulped the scone on a single motion. She chewed contently with both forelegs wrapped around her body while rocking back and forth. “Mmmm,” she mumbled before swallowing and licking her lips.

“Well?” asked Gilda.

Pinkie cleared her throat. “Yes,” she said with a raspy voice. “You have been well trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you.”

They both laughed.

“Say,” began Gilda. “What are you doing here, Pinkie? I mean, earth ponies don’t often come to Cloudsdale,” she ruffled her wings as if to make her point.

“I came here with Fluttershy to check on the dueling arenas,” casually said Pinkie while pointing with her right hoof behind her.

Gilda blinked and tilted her head slightly. “I…suppose that’s her?”

Pinkie turned around to see a long, shaking pink tail coming out from behind a column not too far away. She smiled sheepishly. “She’s kind of shy, but don’t worry, I’ll go get--” her words were cut short as she felt a claw on her shoulder.

“Why...don’t you let me take care of this?” asked Gilda softly.

Pinkie blinked. “Okey dokey,” she said with a smile.

Gilda took a breath and approached the column. “Fluttershy was it?”

A soft “eep” and the tail pulling behind the column answered her question.

“The name’s Gilda, you—uh, probably knew that and—well, I know our last meeting wasn’t exactly—what’s the word? Pleasant, yeah,” she scratched the back of her head. “Look, I was in a bad mood, okay? That’s no excuse for having lashed at you, sure, and that’s why I want to say I’m sorry,” she looked firmly at the column. “I learned that just because a friend of mine has other friends doesn’t mean she won’t be my friend anymore or that I can’t be friends with those friends,” she paused for a second. “Dang, that was wordy,” she thought. “What I want to say is: I would like to be your friend too…if that’s okay with you,” she pulled out another scone from her bag and extended her arm forwards.

There was a long moment of silence before Fluttershy slowly, cautiously emerged from behind the column. She looked at Gilda in the eyes and smiled softly.

“Yes, I would like to.”

Behind them, Pinkie threw a bunch of confetti into the air.

“So you came here to sell your scones?” asked Fluttershy as she walked next to Gilda.

Pinkie walked a few steps behind them with a content smile on her face.

“Yeah,” said Gilda. “Things have gotten better at Griffonstone, but money is still needed, you know.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“I have been practicing my baking a lot, even taught some of the fledglings,” said Gilda with a chuckle. “When Duel Monsters came out, most griffons started playing and many saw it as an opportunity to leave. I thought about it too,” she admitted shamefully. “But instead I decided to use the game to spread friendship along with my scones. I got good at it, played in tournaments and earned my place as the seventeen best duelist in Equestria: Black Feather Gilda,” she puffed her chest out, but deflated slightly when she saw Fluttershy and Pinkie looking at her with wide smiles. “What?”

“Didn’t I tell you she was great?” asked Pinkie.

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh yes, I can see that.”

Gilda’s cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. “W-What are you talking about! I-It’s just—I mean, weren’t you here to check duel arenas? Here you are!” she pointed a claw towards a tall tower in front of them. It was pure white, built in the shape of an ancient obelisk with the carving of an eye right on the middle.

“Ohhh,” said Pinkie. “This is the Obelisk?”

“Yep,” said Gilda. “Six floors and a flat top where the duel arena is located, with strong winds and cold air to put duelists’ stamina and strenght to test,” she informed with both arms crossed over her chest. “Heh, that came out great,” she thought.

“I want to play there!” excitedly declared Pinkie.

“Be sure to hold your cards tightly,” said Fluttershy as she remembered her first duel there.

Gilda blinked. “You play too, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Really?” asked Gilda incredulously. “I mean, you look more like the kind of pony that surrenders so as to make her opponent not feel bad,” she raised a claw. “No offense.”

“None taken,” said Fluttershy with a smile. “And I’ve done that a few times, but Pinkie told me it does no good, both for me and my opponent, since the true prize, whether you win or lose, is the experience, and nopony will improve if we don’t do our best.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow and looked at Pinkie, who gave her a toothy smile.

Just then, the doors of the Obelisk spread open, a fierce gust of wind kicking up, and a familiar pegasus came from inside. She had a mint green coat, a yellow and orange mane and tail with a small golden pendant in the shape of an eye around her neck. “You took your sweet time!” she said with a smirk.

“Lightning Dust,” whispered Fluttershy.

“A friend of yours?” asked Gilda.

“No,” replied Pinkie. “She’s a meanie-pants who only cares about herself.”

Lightning Dust smirk vanished as she looked around. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

“What do you want with her?” asked Fluttershy.

“She and I have unfinished business, you klutz!”

Gilda immediately leapt in front of Lightning Dust. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but if you have a problem with Dash or those two, then you have a problem with me!”

Lightning Dust narrowed her eyes. “You’re Black Feather Gilda…”

“You bet your tail I am!”

Lightning Dust’s grin went from ear to ear. “Seems this isn’t going to be a total waste of time after all!” she adjusted a black duel disk around her neck. “What do you say, sister? You and me, up there!”

Gilda quickly took out a white, somewhat worn-out, duel disk from her bag and adjusted it around her left forearm. “Bring it on!”

“Gilda!” called Pinkie.

“Don’t worry, girls; I’m going to take care of this flip-flop!”

Both, griffon and pegasus, shoot upwards with amazing speed.

“We should follow her,” said Fluttershy, but as they took a step forward, their path was blocked by a pair of white pegasi Royal Guards, each wearing a duel disk. Their eyes shone with a green light.

“Umm…could you please let us pass?” timidly asked Fluttershy.

The guards sharply spread their wings and a black miasma encircled the whole area around the four ponies.

Fluttershy jumped backwards and hurriedly placed her duel disk around her neck.

For her part, Pinkie stood on her hind legs, took her duel disk and dramatically adjusted it around her left foreleg.

“Alright! It’s time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-”

“Pinkie?”

Pinkie coughed. “I think a fly got in my mouth…”

The sun had set and now a sea of stars twinked above Cloudsdale. Gilda and Lightning Dust glared at each other as they stood inside the duel arena on top of the Obelisk.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?” smugly asked Lightning Dust.

“Another mark on my winning count,” said Gilda.

Lightning Dust laughed. “I am the sixth best duelist in Equestria! The Black Lightning!”

Gilda’s eyes widened.

“Surprised? I’m not going to accept any other duelist using the same deck as me! Come, let’s settle this!”

Gilda looked in surprise as Lightning Dust flew way higher. She quickly gave chase. “Wait! How are you going to play outside the arena?!”

“Like this!” said Lightning Dust as she placed a card on her disk. “Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite!” a humanoid bird-man with large black wings materialized out of thin air. His arms, legs and chest were protected by crimson pieces of armor; his face concealed by a bird-like mask (1600/1000).

“W-What the--?!”

“This will be a duel like you’ve never played before, sister!”

“I think there’s something wrong with them, Pinkie,” said Fluttershy as she nervously looked at the guards’ glowing, unblinking eyes.

Pinkie scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, it’s like if they were hypnotized,” she said. “But not in the good birthday-party-magician way.”

“I set a monster and end my turn!”

Both mares looked at the silent guard, then at each other.

“Guess it’s a tag-duel!” said Pinkie. “You go first, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy nodded. “Aurora Wing,” a beautiful white bird materialized on the field. Its large feathers, colored different shades of green and blue, were undulated and shined like the very phenomenon that gave it its name (1200/1600). “I end my turn.”

The second guard silently played four face-down cards.

“Grumpy alert!” said Pinkie with a giggle. “I summon Fire Hand!” a hot-red, mechanical clawed hand appeared on a burst of flame (1600/1000). Pinkie bumped her hoof against the monster fist with a smile, but soon cried “Hot!” and put her hoof inside the cloud they were standing on, which released a small puff of steam. “I…end…my turn,” she said with a sigh of relief.

“Scapegoat!” shouted the second guard. Four small, round sheep-like monsters appeared on the field, next to the face-down monster card.

“They’re sharing their field,” said Fluttershy. “This is a tag-duel with a shared field.”

“Ohh! I never played one of those!” said Pinkie with a clap of her hooves.

The first guard drew a card and tributed his face-down monster to summon Machine King. The skeletal-like robot towered over the ponies, silently watching Fluttershy and Pinkie with its metallic fists firmly clenched (2200/2000). “Machine King gets an extra hundred attack points for every machine type monster on the field,” informed the guard.

“The joke’s on you!” said Pinkie while pointing her right hoof forward. “We don’t use ma--”

“DNA Surgery!”

Both mares watched in shock as every other monster on the field turned silver, as if they had been coated with liquid metal. The Machine King’s red visor glowed intensely, a loud humming sound coming from its body (2900/2000).

Pinkie looked at Fluttershy and smiled sheepishly.

“ROCKET KNUCKLE STRIKE!”

The Machine King raised its right arm, steam coming of its elbow, and fired its fist, complete with forearm, towards Aurora Wing. The missile-appendage turned the beautiful bird into dust upon contact and flew between Fluttershy and Pinkie, the shockwave sending them tumbling, before doing and arc and reattaching itself back into the Machine King’s body (8000-6300).

“Aurora Wing!” shouted Fluttershy. The bird monster appeared again on the field, its vibrant colors quickly turning a metallic silver (1200/1600). “When it’s destroyed in battle I can special summon it back to the field.”

“Ouchie,” mumbled Pinkie as she stood up.

“Turn end,” declared the guard.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and drew a card. “I summon a second Aurora Wing and use both to build an overlay network! XYZ summon!” her monsters exploded into a cloud of ice crystals, swirling rapidly before converging into the shape of a lithe, pale skinned female monster with eyes like rubies. A regal long dress, colored in white, crimson, gold and black, covered most of her body, while a black and golden ornamental mask did the same for her face. Several blades of ice sprout from her back like wings, while she herself held two curved swords, one in each hand (2400/1200). “May your whispers turn my enemies into ice! My funerary sub-zero maiden! Number 103: Ragnazero!”

“Way to go, Fluttershy!” cheered Pinkie. Her Fire Hand gave a thumbs up.

Fluttershy nodded. “By detaching an xyz material my Ragnazero can destroy one of your monsters with attack points that are different from their original number!” she pointed her right hoof forward. “FUNERAL GUIDANCE!” the crystal maiden spread her wings, unleashing a cold wind that covered Machine King in frost. The large automaton tried to resist, but was quickly rendered immobile. Suddenly, four black chains shoot out from the wall of miasma around them. They twisted and turned, forming a circular cage around Ragnazero.

“Fiendish Chain,” declared the first guard. “Now your monster is sealed.”

With a loud metallic roar, the Machine King shattered the frost around him.

Fluttershy gulped and set a card. “I-I end my turn,” she said and looked at Pinkie. “Sorry.”

Pinkie smiled. “It’s okay.”

The second guard drew a card and immediately played Pot of Greed, bringing his hand count to three. “Machine King, attack the Fire Hand,” he commanded.

Fluttershy blinked. “What?”

Pinkie smirked. “When my Fire Hand is destroyed I can destroy one of your monsters! Fire Hand, Pressure Point Counterattack!” the Fire Hand closed itself into a fist and rocketed forwards.

“Limiter Removal.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh.”

The humming coming from the Machine King’s body grew to deafening levels (5800/2000). Its metal fist clashed with that of the Fire Hand, causing an explosion that destroyed both monsters and sent Pinkie and Fluttershy crashing against the walls of miasma behind them (6300-2100).

“When my Fire Hand is destroyed, I can special summon Ice Hand from my deck,” informed Pinkie while laying on her back. A large mechanical claw coated in frost appeared on the field (1400/1600). Pinkie made a gesture with her hoof, the Ice Hand floated and gently lifted Fluttershy.

“Umm…thank you,” said Fluttershy, somewhat bewildered.

The Ice Hand gave a thumbs up in response.

Pinkie sat, then stood back up on two legs. “Whoa, I did not see that coming!”

The second guard played Monster Reborn, bringing back Machine King, before setting his last card.

“They did not want to risk with my face-down card,” thought Fluttershy. “Are you okay, Pinkie?”

Pinkie cracked her neck. “Leave it to me!”

Gilda looked at Lightning Dust. The pegasus had nothing but Zephyros the Elite to protect her and yet stood with a confident smile on her face. “I’ll teach you a lesson,” she thought. “Draw! Blackwing – Pinaki the Waxing Moon!” a small humanoid black bird appeared next to Gilda. It wore a white turban and held a small bow. It smiled cockily as it took a crimson feather from its turban and tensed it on its bow (1200/1000). “When I control a different Blackwing I can special summon Blackwing – Kris the Crack of Dawn!” a larger humanoid black bird appeared, wearing and red and gold vest and wielding a large knife, with part of its face concealed by a golden mask (1900/300). “Synchro summon,” declared Gilda. Her monsters turned into clusters of shinning stars, fusing and revealing a new form. “Tame the wild skies with your jet black wings!” a dark skinned, human male emerged from the light. He wore white pants, an ornate golden armor covered his muscled chest and a headdress made of crimson feathers adorned his head. A pair of black wings on his back allowed him to stay airborne. Last but not least, instead of a normal human right hand he had a large claw like that of a bird of prey (2600/2000). “Blackwing Tamer – Obsidian Hawk Joe!”

Lightning Dust chuckled. “I take that’s your best monster?”

Gilda growled. “Go for it, Joe! ASSAULT CLAW!” in the blink of an eye, the Blackwing Tamer flew and slashed Zephyros across the chest, making it disappear in a cloud of black mist.

Lightning Dust winced as her life points went down (4000-3000).

Gilda set four face down cards. “Turn end!”

“I’ll show you how it’s done!” said Lightning Dust with a feral grin. “Draw! Black Whirlwind!” she placed a spell card on her disk. “Since you control a monster and I don’t I can summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn without a tribute!” a tall, winged bird-man, his body covered with black feathers, appeared on the field. His face was concealed by a mask in the shape of a blue feathered bird’s head (2000/900). “When I normal summon a Blackwing, my Black Whirlwind allows me to search for a Blackwing in my deck and add it to my hand! I pick Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!” she quickly took the card from her deck, the auto-shuffling function of the disk taking care of the rest. “This little one can be special summoned if I already control a Blackwing! And guess what? I’ve got two!” a pair small humanoid birds appeared. Their heads were covered with green feathers, unlike their bodies which were covered by black ones. They both glared at Gilda with piercing red eyes (1300/400). “But before I forget! Trap card! Delta Crow – Anti Reverse!”

Gilda watched in shock as Lightning Dust’s monsters flapped their wings, creating a gust and breaking her four set cards into pieces.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know I could play that one from my hand when I control three Blackwings, what a joke,” said Lightning Dust, his grin seemingly becoming bigger with each play. “Gale the Whirlwind’s effect! RENDING GALE!” both monsters circled Obsidian Hawk Joe, faster and faster, until they completely enveloped him in a tornado.

Gilda shielded her eyes from the wind. A moment later, she opened them and her mouth fell. “N-No…” her Blackwing Tamer was a mess. His clothes and armor were thorn, his wings broken and he had multiple cuts all over his body. His right arm dangled limply at his side as he gritted his teeth (650/500).

“If that guy’s a Blackwing Tamer then I’m a princess,” said Lightning Dust with a chuckle. “Anyway, I return Black Whirlwind to my hand to bring back Zephyros from the graveyard,” her monster returned to the field with a triumphant cry (1600/1000). Lightning Dust gritted her teeth (3000-2600). “It costs me four hundred life points, but you know what they say: no pain no gain!”

Gilda did not talk. She just stood there, trembling and clenching her claws.

“Sirocco the Dawn’s effect allows me to choose one Blackwing monster and give it the attack of all other Blackwings on the field,” informed Lightning Dust. “I think Zephyros will do. Bet he’s got a bone to pick with Joe, don’t you think?” her monster spread its wings as its attack skyrocketed (6200/1000). “This is the difference between somepony who’s got it and those who don’t. The difference between you and me,” she shook her head.

“Goodbye, Gilda.”

“It’s my turn!” declared Pinkie with a pump of her right hoof. “Now I dra--”

“Are you still here?”

Pinkie and Fluttershy looked upwards to see Lightning Dust hovering above them with a smug expression.

“Maybe you need some help?”

Before the two friends could say a word, the cocky pegasus swiftly threw a card which Pinkie quickly caught with her right hoof.

“Ohhh, it’s a Gilda card!” exclaimed Pinkie with a smile. “I didn’t know you could get one of these!”

Fluttershy frowned. “Pinkie, I don’t think…”

“But she doesn’t have any effects,” said Pinkie with her lower lip curled upwards. “No attack or defense points,” she examined the card closely. “And she’s got this terrified expression on her face, not the kind of pose I would have picked up for a--”

Lightning Dust slapped her forehead. “It’s a Penalty Game, you doofus!” she shouted. “That’s what happens when you lose a Game of Darkness!”

Fluttershy gasped, covering her mouth with her right hoof.

Pinkie’s pupils shrank. The words of Princess Celestia echoed in her mind. “Y-You turned her into a card…?”

Lightning Dust rolled her eyes. “Bingo.”

“B-But if she’s card then how is she going to bake her scones,” said Pinkie. Her whole body trembled like a dried leaf. “H-How is she going to play with us? How is she going to smile and laugh and cry and—WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, YOU MEANIE PANTS?!”

Lightning Dust laughed. “Tell Rainbow Dash I’ll be waiting for her in Ponyville!” and with those words, she flew away like an arrow.

Pinkie growled and charged, but the wall of miasma twisted and flickered, pushing her back, over and over again.

“S-Stop it, Pinkie!” cried Fluttershy. “Remember what Discord said—we have to finish this duel!”

Pinkie glared at Fluttershy, making the yellow pegasus flinch, then at the Royal Guards in front of them. “DRAW!” she pulled her card with such strenght it shook the cloud they were standing on. “Rank-Up Magic Barian’s Force!” a geyser of lava erupted right on the middle of the field, completely engulfing Ragnazero and going as tall as the Obelisk. “The fist that can crush the earth! The fingers that can tear the skies!” the magma cooled down in the shape of a large, crimson clawed hand, pulsing with purple energy and with two sharp, black protuberances coming out from its wrist (2600/2000). “LAVA PALM! NUMBER C106: GIANT RED HAND!”

Fluttershy gulped. “P-Pinkie…”

“I’m not done yet!” declared Pinkie. She summoned a second Fire Hand. “I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!” she raised her forelegs and clashed her hooves. Both of her monsters mimicked her movements and fused into a ball of light. “Set this duel on fire! FLAME PRESSURE DEMON! NUMBER 58: BURNER VISOR!” the light subsided to reveal a monster in the shape of a red and purple sphere enveloped in flames (1000/1000). “I play XYZ Gift,” said Pinkie. She detached two xyz materials from her Burner Visor and drew two cards, bringing her hand count to four. “Seize it!” at her command the Giant Red Hand grabbed the Burner Visor and held it tightly.

“Fiendish Chain!” shouted the second guard as he activated his face down card.

“Scarlet Desert Negation!” shouted Pinkie. The Giant Red Hand swinged and broke the chains that tried to bind it. “I can detach an xyz material to negate the effects of all face-up cards on the field until the end of turn!”

“All cards?!” thought Fluttershy. “Pinkie, the Machine King! Destroy their Machine King!”

Pinkie pointed her right hoof forward. “Direct attack! CRIMSON PALM OF CERTAIN DEATH!” her monster raised upwards and slammed the field, creating a shockwave that sent the Royal Guards flying against the wall of miasma. Pinkie quickly discarded her entire hand. “When I inflict battle damage,” she explained. “My Burner Visor gives you five hundred points of damage for each card I discard from my hand!”

Fluttershy felt her knees wobble. “Pinkie stop…”

Pinkie watched the two Royal Guards stand up, their faces betraying no emotion (8000-3400).  Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily. “I…end my turn.”

The first guard silently drew a card and activated the last face-down card. “Cost Down,” he discarded a card from his hand. “I tribute Machine King to summon Perfect Machine King,” the new monster was twice the size of its previous form, fully covered on gleaming white armor (2700/1500). “Perfect Machine King gets an extra five hundred attack points for every other machine monster on the field,” informed the guard (5200/1500).

Pinkie looked at the face-up DNA Surgery and the four goat tokens on the field. “Uh-oh…”

“PERFECT GUIDED MISSILE STRIKE!”

The Perfect Machine King extended its arms and two compartments on its shoulders opened. In the blink of an eye, it fired dozens of projectiles, covering the opposing side of the field and creating a shockwave so strong it dissipated the smaller clouds around them.

Pinkie opened her eyes (2100/800). “We’re still here,” she muttered. “H-How?”

“Half Unbreak,” replied Fluttershy. “It protects one monster in battle and halves all damage we take from attacks involving it,” she informed with a smile.

“Fluttershy,” mumbled Pinkie. She fell on her four hooves. “I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy with a smile.

“Turn end,” coolly declared the guard.

Fluttershy placed her right hoof over her deck. “I have to end this now,” she thought. “Draw,” she looked at her card and gave a satisfied nod. “Rank-Up Magic The Seventh One! With this card I can bring back a hundred number monster from my graveyard and immediately rank it up!” the Ragnazero appeared back on the field. She raised her swords and whipped up a hail storm that covered her whole body. “The infinite power that freezes time and space!” the hail subsided and, where once was a regal snow queen, now stood a fearsome grim reaper. Her dress turned deep purple, the crystals on her body pitch-black and she now held a fearsome looking black scythe (2800/2400). “Funerary sub-zero maiden! Number C103: Ragnafinity!”

The Perfect Machine King’s eyes flashed as its attack points went up even further (5700/1500).

“By detaching an overlay unit my Ragnafinity can destroy a monster and inflict damage equal to the diference between its original attack points and its actual ones,” explained Fluttershy. “Go! GUIDANCE TO PURGATORY!” the dark Maiden twirled her scythe elegantly and sliced the Perfect Machine King vertically with a single clean stroke (3600-600). “Now you are defenseless against the direct attack of the Giant Red Hand,” said Fluttershy. “Direct attack,” she closed her eyes, sighed deeply and fell on her haunches. It was over. The miasma vanished and the Royal Guard were lying motionless on the ground. “We need to help them,” said Fluttershy. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie was on her haunches and holding a single card; her eyes brimming with tears and sobbing very quietly, like a filly who did not want to be seen.

With some effort, Fluttershy stood up, walked a few steps and embraced Pinkie.

“There, there…”